dogsburger

Really, Winter?

2012-02-12T19:05:00.002-05:00

Saturday morning

Sunday morning

i know, i know - i'm getting ready to travel in just under two weeks, i don't get paid if i don't go to work, i should be studying, i can keep the thermostat a little lower, i like running outside with my normal fear of falling, but without ice - there's a million and one reasons why the lack of snowfall this winter is not a bad thing, but i miss it. well, i reasonably miss it. i don't necessarily miss this.

all over the place

2012-02-09T21:56:00.000-05:00

buddy and i made a quick road trip last week, 1100 miles or so round trip, to be home for my grandma's funeral. i may have more to say, after the bar, but chris shared some really good memories here.

the weather was mostly cooperative on the driving days - a little fog and light snow in the mountains. we'll pretend like i listened to bar lectures, not 80s music, in the car. the dog would like to point out that i cannot sing. lucky for him, his hearing is fading. he was also very cooperative on the drive and at the aunt & uncle's house (thanks for taking us both in). it was good to be with most of the family, sharing memories and making a few new ones.

i think they're skiing.

"stop taking my picture, mom."

bananagrams!

there's a few more things going on around here, but i'll save those for another day as well. i'm pretty sure it's past my bedtime by now.

it was bound to happen.

2012-01-31T22:42:00.000-05:00

my weekend cooking in mass quantities turned into more of a cooking of mass destruction. i started with, i thought, a fairly decent idea: sauteed onions with cubes of butternut squash, thanksgiving turkey stock, some diced turkey and bulgur to round it out. unfortunately, the squash had been previously frozen and just disintegrated in the soup. i think this would have been ok, if i had had the foresight to puree the onions, squash and stock before adding the turkey and bulgur. the final texture is rather icky. and then there's the taste. i just don't like the taste of squash, which explains why i usually hide it from myself in a curry or a chili. because i used the thanksgiving stock, the soup is well flavored with parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme (can you hear simon? garfunkel?). the overwhelming taste is thanksgiving dinner, if you like the taste of squash. i think some chopped, dried cranberries and a little creme fraiche would be the perfect garnish. i just don't like it. i didn't even take a picture. oh well. at least the raisin bread turned out like this:

tips, tricks and general advice

2012-01-29T11:24:00.001-05:00

so there's this:

and then there's me. with some questions for you.

1. the gym. the firm at which i'm temping has graciously allowed me (read: i signed a waiver) to use the gym facilities in the building. honestly, i do think it was nice of them to let me have access. the gym itself is quite nice, with 4 treadmills, 2 things i presume are ellipticals, some recumbent bikes, weight equipment, free weights, pilates balls, showers, lockers, etc. other than the one night it took me four tries and what seemed like an eternity to open the locker with my stuff in it, i'd say it's gone well. but here's my question: i simply don't have time to shower, nor do i want to schlep more clothes than absolutely necessary with me. what's the best way not to offend my fellow metro riders on the train home? also, gym bags? where do the smelly clothes go while I tote my work clothes home safely? why is this so confusing?

2. music ideas. right now, i have a shorter playlist that includes things like Kim Wilde's Kids in America, Adele's Rolling in the Deep, Elastica's Stutter, Hole's Violet, some Go-Gos and Sugarcubes... but i could use some variety. there's plenty to choose from here, but what do you like to listen to while running?

3. speed. i'm pretty much convinced i cannot run faster than mach tortoise speed. after six months of mostly regular efforts, i can run 3-5 miles at about a slow 11:15-11:30 pace without too much trouble. of course, my breathing starts to go about 30 seconds into the run. i think i'd have to just be walking in order to maintain a conversation while moving. i'm not panting, but i can't converse. hmm. how's that for descriptive? also, i'm thinking i need to add intervals or tempo runs or hill training or something to work on speed issues, but i don't actually have any idea what i'm talking about here. why is this so confusing?

4. 8k. why didn't i put 8k on my 42 list? it says 5k under 30, 10k and half. clearly this was an oversight on my part. they are timing the 5k split for the St. Patty's race, but i don't think it will be under 30, knowing i have 3k left after that.

there you have it. if anyone wants to sponsor me with one of those fancy-schmancy tech shirts for running in, like these, well... i have an idea for a design.

thirty minutes or less

2012-01-24T19:34:00.000-05:00

i usually have about half an hour to feed the zoo and myself between the time i get home and the time i hope to start studying, so i've been cooking on the weekends and then reheating leftovers or grabbing something from the freezer. this weekend, cauliflower and spinach were on sale, so i used the magic of the internets and found a recipe for ... wait for it ... wait for it ...

cauliflower and spinach casserole! it actually has some pasta in as well, so i'm not sure i'd call it a casserole. it needs more cheese - a mornay, not bechamel sauce would work wonders. maybe some mushrooms and/or black olives as well. of course, cheese is always on my mind, but momsie and i were also just talking about the healthiness of macaroni and cheese.

anyhow, this was 1 c dried pasta (cooked), 2 c cauliflower florets (partially cooked), 4 c fresh spinach (chopped and wilted with 1 T minced garlic, ~ 2-3 t each dried oregano and basil and ~1-2 t red pepper flakes), 1 c frozen peas (tossed into the cooking spinach) and bechamel (2 c milk, 2 T flour, 2 T butter), baked at 350 for 20 minutes or so with some parm and panko over the top.
it's actually better reheated (in the toaster oven, so my topping crisped up some more)! either that or i'm just starving tonight.

frustration of purpose

2012-01-21T19:08:00.000-05:00

Frustration of purpose occurs when an unforeseen event undermines a party's principal purpose for entering into a contract, and both parties knew of this principal purpose at the time the contract was made. Despite frequently arising as a result of government action, any third party (or even nature) can frustrate a contracting party's primary purpose for entering into the contract. (source: Wikipedia)

while there is no enforceable contract between me, myself and I, i did make a commitment to exercise regularly. there has been much frustration of my purpose over the last seven months. first, the fringe edges of Hurricane Irene fried the treadmill. then, i had to go and find some source of income during most of my daylight hours. now, mother nature gave us a teensy bit of snow covered with a layer of slippery sleet on a weekend.

even buddy was moving slightly more cautiously on the crunchy winter mess. i'm terrified of slipping on ice, so i'm hoping tomorrow will be just warm enough and without more precipitation that i can get out and run in the afternoon. then it's back to the salt mines. the temp assignment is going well. the studying comes in waves. i'm getting it done, but i'm tired all the time. i question my choice to take this exam one more time. i keep plugging away. twenty-five or thirty-three questions during lunch hours. lectures five evenings of seven. locating, reviewing, reorganizing, refining existing outlines. procrastinating on practice essays. lather. rinse. repeat. five more weeks. i can do this. i want to do this. i will do this.

return to the food trucks

2012-01-20T07:24:00.000-05:00

hmm, that title sounds a bit more triumphant than i'm feeling this morning. anyhow, you may recall i treated myself to a sampling of the food trucks when last gainfully employed. this week, i picked up my first paycheck of the new year and decided to splurge on a truck that wasn't around then.

Volathai by the Fojol Bros.

yes, it looks familar, as the Fojols have two other tasty trucks - Merlindia and Benethopia, all with tasty food and mustachioed, costumed purveryors. i had fresh from the wok beef drunken noodles - thin slices of beef, basil, red & green peppers and some good heat - and the green, green curry - brussels sprouts!, peas, bamboo shoots & corn in coconut milk creamy green curry.

this won't be a weekly treat just yet, but it was a pleasant treat for a lunch spent running adminsterial errands. onward!

p.s. i think the second cup of coffee is perking me up a bit.

three day weekends

2012-01-15T17:21:00.002-05:00

i needed this one. five days of carefully plotted out appointments, working, studying and an attempt at exercise left me more than a bit discombobulated. case in point? i rushed home Friday night, book (er, kind1e) in hand, to feed the zoo and get to book club on time, even though i ended up being only 70% done with the book. walking up to the meeting location, i realized that book club is the third Friday of every month, i.e., this week, not last Friday. on the plus side, i should easily be able to finish the book on the metro this week before the actual meeting.

one of the reasons i like going to this book club is that they only read non-fiction by female authors. this month, we're reading a biography of dorothy parker, entitled Dorothy Parker: What Fresh Hell Is This? by Marion Meade. i've never been a big reader of non-fiction outside of required reading for schoolwork, so being a part of the group has broadened my horizons a bit. other than the fact that no one else loved Tina Fey's Bossypants, which i am blaming on a generation gap, i quite enjoy hearing the other members' perspectives.

i also found myself struggling to read in general after law school, which seemed like such a foreign side effect to me. i have always read, read, read, for as long as i can remember, but just didn't want to after four years of going to work and class and keeping up with all the required reading, while retaining enough information to spit it back out on an exam.

anyhoo, i also tried to take a few more pictures at the lake while the migratory birds are there. what can i say? some times the magic works, some times it doesn't. the current header photo may be common goldeneyes, which made me want to actually watch GoldenEye (Pierce Brosnan-era James Bond flick with Famka Janssen, Judi Dench and Sean Bean). here's a blue jay, which i see far less frequently than the ubiquitous cardinals and mockingbirds.

under cover of the night

2012-01-10T07:01:00.000-05:00

so i have a friend who keeps encouraging me to apply for a job in Alaska. actually, i think he's hoping for just about any one else to come join him in the great North. no way. i can't even manage the 9.5 hour days here well.*

walking home down Pennsylvania Avenue is beautiful, but it's dark! and this is all I saw of yesterday's snow...

in fairness, the snow did not linger. it was pretty perfect for a first snow - large, fluffy flakes that mostly melted on roadways, barely covered the yard and disappeared overnight.

*he's in southern Alaska, so the days are actually not that much shorter. still.

just another boring post about food with camera phone photos

2012-01-08T19:57:00.002-05:00

Week one of working and studying done. I'm tired. Seven weeks to go. I tried a slow cooker meal last week that turned out ok, but i think i'll have to get a digital timer for the outlet if i want to cook more slow cooker meals, as i'm typically gone longer than your usual cook times and my basic crock pot does not have a timer.

This was 8 oz. dried giant limas (soaked overnight) with an 8 oz. chicken breast, 1 medium diced sweet onion, 1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes with jalapenos and 1.5 cups Peruvian chicken stock (from a Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken a while back) cooked for about 8.5 hours. I shredded the chicken, stirred it back in and served it over cornbread. I'd eat this again.

Today, my apples were more bruised than expected; my bread did not bake properly; and my baked chicken and green olive burritos burned. I'm not sure what happened with the bread, but the burritos just spent too much time in the oven. I thought i had turned the heat off when i was feeding the cats and dog, but i had not. They're still edible, just not what i was hoping for. Now back to the endless to do list and scheduling out the week.

a little parmesan here, a little orange zest there

2012-01-04T07:14:00.001-05:00

i cannot believe, with all the random kitchen gadgetry i have stashed in my generously sized kitchen, that i did not have one of these until just this past Christmas!

and i had just used a gr0upon to buy some real parmigiano reggiano from WholePaycheck. which was particularly fortuitous, as i am still eating away at the Christmas Brussels sprouts. they are tastier with parmesan and/or orange zest.

that was a lot of sprouts...

today is a rather good day

2011-12-29T18:16:00.000-05:00

and not just because it's my dad's birthday (ahem, happy birthday).

i started out at the doctor's office. she said, "40? you don't look 40." i said, "give it time; it's only been six weeks." then we looked at the model thyroids.

at home, the mailman brought my 2012 calendar, in the nick of time, and my bar card! of course, the bar card came with a bill.

then it was off to the aforementioned interview. i talked feral cats with the HR person, who also remarked on the unfortunateness of my law school graduation year in general, and talked shop with the partner with whom i may be working.

on the way home, i stopped by the natural history museum instead of the art museum and checked out the Birds of DC display. this display was not particularly popular with the hordes of holiday tourists, but i did find a wild parakeet?! the fine print: "extinct. there is a single record for this region - a flock seen in September 1865, from which several were shot." (therefore, i'm going to assume this is not Lunch's great-great-great-great-great-great-great-ancestor.)

possibilities

2011-12-28T19:00:00.002-05:00

hmm. so i have an interview tomorrow for a 4 month temporary position as a non-attorney. normally, i'd bounce the pros and cons off of a couple of people, but they are not currently available. so it's just me and the animals trying to figure out what to do. what to do. blind cat's answer is to sit in the kitchen and mrowl in hopes that more food appears. the other three cats are sleeping. buddy alternates between licking his elbows and snoring. bird is strangely quiet.

i know. i'll go to the art museum. ok, i had to do the paperwork at the agency downtown today, so i did go to the art museum. i wanted to see if i could find Mountains and Sea by Helen Frankenthaler, who inspired the Washington Color School, but i couldn't.

of course, now i have had feelers from other agencies, but i'm not in a position to do doc review until after the bar exam (really must study). this job would be full-time, but just that, not the crazy hours of doc review. i also tend to believe working in my chosen field would be better than doing more generic doc review. and, as i told the agency, the mortgage demands payment regardless of what i'm called on the job. anyhow, i think i know my answer. and i can go to the art museum again tomorrow after the interview.

happy Christmas!

2011-12-25T07:56:00.001-05:00

You may recall that about this time last year I attempted to participate in an online project called Reverb10. The idea was to take daily prompts and use them to create blog posts that reflected on the past year and/or the coming year. You may also recall that I fizzled out not too far into the project. too much reflection.

The benefit to the project was that I found folks online, through blog posts and comments and through Twitter, that are just interesting, funny, sharing, kind, snarky and different folks. This year, there was initially no organized Reverb11, but more than a couple of those folks took it upon themselves to create prompts and weave together several versions of the project. I've been reading along sporadically, but not participating, until today. one of today's prompts reads: What's the most memorable gift you've ever received?

i've been receiving a new memory every Christmas for the last thirty one years. it seems i'm missing 1982 (ahem, momsie?) and have a couple duplicate years (circa 1999-2002), but nonetheless i have a collection of ornaments that instantly bring to mind snowy days at home in Indiana and milder days in other locations, filled with laughter and some tears, food and more food, songs and sharing. most of all, i have a collection of ornaments that reminds me that I am loved. i haven't had a full-sized tree in far too long, yet at least some of the ornaments make their way out each year.

this year, the oldest and newest made their way to the mantel, along with handfuls of basic ornaments in glass vases and cards from the family and friends.

thank you, grandma and grandpa.

mistitling and a note re the snakes

2011-12-23T15:05:00.001-05:00

ok, so the last post was not very well titled. it is, unfortunately, very true that the indoor furry creatures tend to leave unwanted gifts. speaking of the indoor furries, i wish i could get a picture of ferra that truly shows how special she is.

that's her back leg above her head and her front paw at the bottom of the sleeping cat.

in other news, the snakes at the zoo were being fed white mice or maybe rats. in the prior picture, if you wanted to look closely, the snake's head and the meal are towards the bottom. it was grotesquely fascinating. and the zookeeper used the longest pair of tweezers i've ever seen when poking the rattler to encourage it to strike the mouse/rat.

speaking of looking closely, i saw a downy woodpecker and a tufted titmouse at the lake the other day. at least that's what i'm calling them, based on my little bird identification book. i'm certainly no birder, but it's kind of fun to spot birds that are different from the more ubiquitous cardinals and mockingbirds.

some[furry]body is leaving me little gifts around the house

2011-12-21T11:39:00.000-05:00

which is a good thing because I'm feeling a little bit discouraged at the moment, wondering if I made and am making the right decisions and waiting for more test results. oh, and i got a rejection email in response to my most recent resume submission. on the bright side, at least they were kind enough to respond promptly.

zoo day

2011-12-19T08:37:00.002-05:00

i met an old friend for lunch last friday near the zoo, so we decided to pop over for a bit. a few highlights:

note the two moms sitting together at the top of the enclosure, watching the seven cubs (not really cubs anymore, maybe 15 months old?) playing on the lower levels.

the armadillo would not stop moving the entire time we were there, in stark contrast to the sloth who shared the enclosure.

somehow we managed to be there for feeding time at the reptile house. i've never heard so many people say, "that's so gross, but i can't stop watching."

the holiday zoo lights were coming on as we left. tonya ran off to take another picture and i'm sure jordan was updating social media somewhere....

i lost Wednesday

2011-12-15T13:11:00.000-05:00

For about three hours this morning, I thought today was Wednesday. I was bopping along, making mental plans to do this and that and even getting some of those things done. Then I realized that it's actually Thursday. That's ok and all, but what happened to Wednesday? Oh right, I spent the day on the couch watching a Law & Order UK marathon and napping. I just needed a day of nothing. I've had a migrating cold since the weekend and a doctor's appointment on Monday that went fine, but apparently stirred some things around a bit.* Add in taking four cats to the vet (it takes two sets of appointments) and realizing I completely forgot to pay last month's electric bill, and I was just done.

Now that I know it's actually Thursday, I'm adjusting my mental to-do list and getting to work, right after lunch.

Yep, a little plate of comfort food with Campbell's tomato soup made with milk and grilled cheese with processed cheese food slices and homemade bread and butter pickles.

*The migrating cold goes something like this - day 1: scritchy throat, day 2: sneezing and dry cough, day 3: head congestion, day 4: nasal congestion, day 5: chest congestion, with a little lowgrade fever thrown in sporadically throughout. Hopefully it's almost gone. And the thing about the doctor's visit is that they always seem to lead to just one more appointment. Now I've got to schedule a mammogram. Good times ahead.

the results are in

2011-12-11T16:28:00.001-05:00

This *was* fun. I didn't expect to enjoy running with 4700+ other people in 35 degree weather, but once we got started, it went really smoothly. There were Christmas trees, Santas, a Grinch or two, toy soldiers, elves galore and a dreidel running through the streets of DC this morning. I should have worn my reindeer antlers, but they're still in the attic with the rest of the Christmas decorations. I just haven't felt inspired to decorate yet.

My goal was to finish in less than an hour, and I did. My clock time was 59:31, squeaking in under the wire there, but my net time was just 53:51. I definitely need a t-shirt that says "fear the tortoise," as I am nothing, if not slow and steady.

Now it's time for turkey noodle soup with stock and meat from the Thanksgiving bird. I'm hoping it will banish this cold/flu that's been creeping on as the day progresses.

she's crafty*

2011-12-10T21:29:00.001-05:00

Spent the day in an old gymnasium with a stage at one end, accessible by a slightly curving, brief staircase. The ceiling lights were encased in iron cages that might have contained a fierce bird or two, but were instead protecting distant light bulbs from errant basketballs. The creaky, striped floor was scuffed with years of games, plays and potlucks.

I think Jordan enjoyed her first experience as a vendor at an arts & crafts fair. And, perhaps most miraculously, I did not buy things from the 73% of the vendors who had really neat stuff (the other 27% were also good, but not necessarily to my personal taste). I did not buy the adorable felted wool ornaments or the hand turned wood bowl or the floofy scarf in variegated greens or the cyanotype print or the notebook in a map cover or the wooden spoon with an intricate pattern burnt into the back. The caterer swore she knew me from somewhere. Based on the food we ate, I'm glad I met her and would not mind seeing her again, especially when she asked if we'd met at the blueberry farm. mmm. blueberries.

There's so much more that goes into setting up a booth at one of the events than just the actual creation of the art. I enjoyed having a front row, er, behind the booth, seat today.

*bonus points if you know the next line to that song. ;-p

why yes, i spent my friday night making and eating cream of clean out the vegetable drawer soup

2011-12-09T19:28:00.001-05:00

I went downtown today to pick up my bib (and jingle bells) for Sunday's race. I'll admit I'm a little nervous because there are apparently five thousand people signed up to run eight kilometers around DC. That's a lot of people. And I don't know any of them. Oh, and the start/finish area is in the same space as one of the OccupyDC camps. That doesn't seem to pose much of a logistical issue though, as I didn't see anyone outside their tents in the two days I've been downtown this week. Weird. Maybe they were all up at the other camp location or otherwise out and about? The pickup location was the Old Post Office, so I went up to the top of the tower to see the views. I didn't know you could do that. And for free. Thank you, National Park Service! Anyhow, my mandatory ethics class this past Tuesday was in the building in the foreground, and OccupyDC is camped towards the middle-right there.

Meanwhile, I had one turnip, a piddly portion of a head of broccoli and three mushrooms lingering in the vegetable drawer. Now I'm pretty sure that if you add Parmesan (especially the real stuff) and pumpkin seed oil at the end, almost any soup is tasty, but this really did turn out well. Yay, me?!

I have one more day of scheduled appointments (the four cats and I are going in for our respective feline and human annual poke and prod visits), and then there are no more excuses for not pounding the pavement. Of course, I mean that figuratively, but I have been putting off and putting off sending out my resume because of my fear of rejection which really only masks my fear of failure which is rather legendary. I have sent the resume out to a few places, but I need to be more focused about the search and more crafty in composing cover letters and, at the same time, less critical of my self. I've got to get out there. I am going to be rejected. And I am going to find a job. Right?

a big day

2011-12-05T22:29:00.001-05:00

and yet, i feel more than a bit like this photo from my morning walk around the lake appears, in that i am still more than a bit out of focus and paddling like mad under the surface. although, in fairness, this bird is a diver and doesn't suffer surface fools like me gladly.
in other news, we had a nice lunch in the 'burbs (which resulted in leftovers for dinner!) and then found meter parking near the courthouse (yay!). the judges conducting (i almost typed performing, which, in a sense, it was?) the swearing-in ceremony were gracious and kind. one remarked how, prior to the completion of renovations, their courtroom had been the highest in the [jurisdictional] land; however, the current courtroom is in the basement of the finally renovated, historical courthouse. therefore, the effect is really no longer the same.

at the end of the day, i still felt and feel a bit of goosebumps - i've sworn/affirmed to uphold the Constitution. that's really cool. even if i never figure out the best way for me to practice law, every moment i spend thinking/doing/trying is, at its base, to uphold the Constitution. i like that.

while i'm signing up for things

2011-12-04T15:58:00.001-05:00

i signed up for an 8k next Sunday. it seemed like a good idea at the time. after all, i ran 7.5 miles, walked the dog, mopped the floor and had the trash and recycling out by noon; so i was listening to Christmas music and feeling groovy. i even checked the calendar for a half marathon to coincide with the barzam, but the dates and locations are not quite aligned. and i'm not quite that crazy. yet.

meanwhile, i tried a new pasta dish for dinner, using thinned hummus as the sauce with sauteed mushrooms, black olives and wilted spinach. i'd eat it again, which is a good thing as there are leftovers as usual. fat santa's the only Christmas decoration out so far, but he's a good start.

last night, we had a quiet dinner at the house (mushroom soup finished with heavy cream - so good) before heading out to a local production of Alice in Wonderland with just five actors. i have to remember not to sit in the front row as i somehow ended up wearing a boa and shaking my head, no, no, no.

in for a penny ...

2011-12-02T18:04:00.001-05:00

in for a couple thousand dollars. gulp. hopefully, my sister will let me stay with her to save on the hotel costs (ahem, hint, hint, please) and i can use the rest of my credit card reward points to rent an automobile (wonder if i can get something fun for SoCal?), so now it's back to watching for reasonable bi-coastal airfares again. i suspect i got some key advice on how to prepare for this round from the momsie, but i think i'll hold that close to my vest for the moment. study books arrive Monday, coinciding with my local bar swearing in ceremony. good times.

"global weirding," as my friend calls the weather,
leads to prematurely flowering quince.

decisions, decisions

2011-11-29T16:56:00.001-05:00

tomorrow is the deadline for submitting my application (i.e., sending in my money) to take the February bar exam in California without a $200 bump in price. i want to do it. and i think i want to handwrite the exam. am i crazy? i really do think my long term goal is to go West, plus my moral character application was approved ages ago. and i've been good since then, i promise.

i'm here for the immediate future. i have a house and aging pets. i need to find local employment to pay for said house and aging pets. i'm thinking of doing contract work (yes, the dread doc review (said in my best dread pirate roberts voice)) while studying for the bar and sending out resumes because, while i hope to find the perfect job for me, i suspect it will take some time.

it's a complicated choice to make, but there are two places i have always wanted to live: where i am and San Francisco. well, i'd also like to live in Salzburg, but i really have no idea how to accomplish that one in the near or long term. so do i keep dreaming? or do i keep relearning to enjoy where i am? i've got to do something other than stagnate.

maybe i'll learn to ride a unicycle? i've ridden one before, and i can usually manage basic juggling. with that and my time at the trapeze school, perhaps i'll just have to join the circus after all...

and yes, it was 70 degrees yesterday afternoon.

a bit of clutter, overshared

2011-11-27T12:45:00.001-05:00

i tend to keep little things together in a quart-size resealable bag so i can find them more easily when tossed in a backpack or bag for school or work. yes, i did this before the TSA decided this was also the optimal way to store miniature liquids in a carry-on. of course, i could use a nice pencil bag for my writing instruments and a quilted bag for toiletries and so on, but then i wouldn't find odd combinations like the one i discovered today. i'm sure there is a perfectly logical reason that this particular bag contained one pen, one pencil, sixteen cents, a cough drop, a pantyliner and a packet of all purpose plant food.

in unrelated news, this morning's longish run was probably ill-advised in view of yesterday's efforts to rake [almost] all the leaves. a good piece of advice, however, would be to go see The Muppets. i laughed, i cried, i only sang along out loud once.

my black friday

2011-11-25T10:43:00.001-05:00

no more turkey, ma! i'm resting my stomach.

i'll be spending a quiet day inside today, dismantling poor Tom and making seventy-eleven billion cups of stock, just as soon as i finish my mashed potato-cheeseball omelet. i added some brussels sprouts, too, so it was completely healthy. oddly, i didn't take a picture of the food yesterday. i had a good time, cooking, making a huge mess in the kitchen, eating and even cleaning up, but i didn't take any pictures. i think the consensus was the pasture-raised farm turkey was better than previous turkeys, definitely moister, although [i thought] harder to carve. it's possible i actually just cooked it better, seeing as i used a meat thermometer instead of just guessing. hmmm... who knew technology with tradition make things better?!

in other Thanksgiving news, i think the parade needs more marching bands and balloons, less performances, celebrities and commercials. and Buddy thinks it's so amazing that everyone raked the leaves into these piles just to make it easier for him to smell every single leaf.

this one!

and this one!

and ALL of these!!

dry brine?

2011-11-22T21:50:00.001-05:00

this year, i have a pasture-raised turkey from the farmers market. i've wet brined in the past, but that was with my grocery store sale priced frozen mass produced bird. the farmer tells me this one will have a different taste due to all the grass and bugs that poor Tom ingested while out to pasture. i don't really want to diminish the texture with a salt water soak, so i'm considering a dry brine. i'm a little late to the process, as i only have about 24 hours before cooking (unless i decide to salt poor Tom tonight). maybe i will half salt/dry brine and air dry for 24 hours? i'm planning to butter under the skin with chopped herb butter, so this may all be moot. hmm... so many choices. so much cooking. so much fun!

i think my menu planning/shopping has gotten a little out of hand. we ate most of the turnips in a turnip, potato and corn chowder Sunday night, but there are still turnip greens, radish greens and some leftover kale to be braised. i'm saving the greens for eating with leftover turkey. meanwhile, there's broccoli and brussels sprouts, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and stuffing, cheeseball, deviled eggs and crudites, and two possible desserts. in fairness, these are small sides: two servings of broccoli, two small sweet potatoes, etc. i'm not baking 9x13 casseroles of sides, just creating options ...

dessert option one is courtesy of one of the folks from the law school clinic, who graciously provided me with 3 cups of fresh pumpkin and a recipe for bourbon pumpkin pie. dessert option two is coming with jordan, but i don't know what it is yet.

i'm looking forward to the holiday, complete with orange-cinnamon rolls and coffee during the parade, followed by feasting with some random football game in the background and then maybe even a movie in the early evening. The Dark Crystal is playing in a local theatre, but i'm tempted to just watch via Netflix and maybe see the new Muppets movie in the theatre?

p.s. official 5k time was 33:19 - a personal record of sorts, but not quite to the 42 goal yet.

how it cost me $78 to help understand the occupy movement, maybe?

2011-11-21T21:56:00.001-05:00

i was mistakenly charged for parking at a hotel. within 5 minutes of the initial transaction (and without ever telling me about the mistake), the hotel clerk reversed the charges on my credit card. had i not checked my balances online after arriving home, because the initial charge had posted to my account, but the reversal/credit had not, i would likely have not known about it until the statement arrived. but i am genetically disposed to exhibit certain OCD tendencies, so i checked. then i confirmed that another sister had also been charged for the parking before calling the hotel, at which point the front desk person kindly explained what had happened and told me that it sometimes takes a few days to reverse the charges.

um, no. i understand we may have complicated the front desk process because we paid via three methods for different portions of a three night stay, but this is a very good example of why some people may feel taken advantage of by (generally speaking) corporations, and, particularly, by banks. after all, it doesn't seem like a difficult concept to take a hotel bill and have portion X prepaid, portion Y paid by card 1 and portion Z paid by card 2.

now i do think that an initial mistake lies with the hotel personnel who did not bother to even mention, much less offer a receipt showing the transactions, that the overcharge and subsequent rectification had occurred. but the larger mistake/problem is that my credit card company can accept charges to my account instantaneously, but cannot apply a credit in the same prompt fashion. the electronic transmission of data was done on the same computer system. it's just plain illogical and allows a bank to make money off of me because of someone else's error. there's an inherent unfairness in that process.

sure, offer me the excuse that oft-occurring fraudulent conduct necessitates this type of action by the bank, but then explain why the bank can still penalize me upon the later clarification of my completely non-fraudulent actions? for example, if i carried a balance on my credit card, i would be paying interest on a charge that felt unauthorized (even if my initial acceptance of incidentals was authorization, it was clear that charge Z was to be applied to a separate card from the card charged) and was clearly an error by the hotel clerk simply because the creditback process is not as quick as the charge process. that feels wrong.

maybe i could call the hotel and complain enough that they might cover the interest fees. meanwhile, i have to weigh the cost of my time and availability to call a corporation, sit on hold, become frustrated listening to really, really bad muzak, attempt to explain the situation to someone who may come across as not caring about me while reading from a script and finally give up on getting a successful resolution to a legitimate grievance. all the while, the bank is charging someone/everyone/me a fee for what?

running

2011-11-19T20:00:00.001-05:00

i don't get it. or maybe i do. i certainly don't feel i've ever experienced the alleged runner's high. but it is a regimen, an escape, an outlet and/or a healthy choice. and it's still weird. i've added two goals to my 42 in addition to a 40-before-40 goal that are running related. that's really weird. i used to say, not an original statement, mind you, that i only run if i'm being chased. fortunately, no one is or has been chasing me. now, i'm more apt to say it's a jogging meditation.

i ran a 5k this morning. although i did not hit the 42 goal time, it may have been a personal record. it may have even been five minutes faster than the last one, but i'm waiting for "official" results to be posted. my unofficial GPS results say it was. those same results say that the race course consisted of: run approximately 1.5 miles downhill; turn around; run approximately 1.5 miles uphill.
oddly, very oddly, my wrists swelled. i finished, turned in a portion of my bib for timing purposes, turned off the GPS tracker on my phone and realized i couldn't bend my wrists. this condition made getting post-race water, bananas and odd bread products a bit difficult. fortunately, some strange man handed me a water because he thought i was his wife. more fortunately, she was standing just to my left, and we all laughed, perhaps a bit too loudly. the swelling went away. after a bit of g00gle-nosing, i think it was a combination of dehydration and poor circulation. hmmm.... good times, this weird running stuff.

meanwhile, i stopped off at a large thrift store on the way home and managed not to buy this:

of course, i mean the Singer sewing machine/table combination, not the old stereo system. the drawers are all functional. the machine is there, tucked into its pocket, along with a few cobwebs. i'm still tempted to go back, as it would make a nice sewing table for my NIB sewing machine. but i am trying to get through what i have before accumulating more. this is a very tough task for me. case in point - instead of new/old furniture, i picked up a few more books.

$5, not $105, spent, but i have so many books. now to read, eh.

did i mention all the food?

2011-11-17T18:01:00.001-05:00

i think someone (or some-four) may have used the "we're on vacation" line to excuse some atypical indulgences more than once. we really did have a lovely time. a Twitter friend recommended many restaurants. one of us had her voice-activated Droid at the ready. so we were never at a loss for tasty food from the moment we arrived, starting with the free beer at lunch on Friday special. i'm not talking mass-produced American beer either. the food was good, the waitstaff was friendly, the local craft beer was free. welcome to sister palooza 2011, indeed.

at dinner, Euclid Hall had a water dish by the outside eating area for canine friends. It also had wild mushroom poutine and hand-cranked sausages and funnel cake fried bananas that paired very well with the s'mores pot de creme.

we had our "1% meal" at Potager on Saturday night, just an hour or so after the Denver police rousted the 99% from their camp in Civic Center Park. i'll admit, we changed our walking course after seeing the riot police still ringing the park and riding down the street in SUVs. i wish i knew what prompted what definitely seems to have been a nation-wide, organized crackdown that night. then again, i also wish i knew what the protestors hope to accomplish. so many messages. so many inequities. so many opportunities. it's a weird time here in America. but the food - well, it's farm-to-table and the menu changes every few weeks, so i can't tell you exactly what we ate, but i can tell you it was tasty. i think the small plates may have been better than the entrees. the executive chef/owner's art also graces the walls, which was neat. and there was rhubarb-apple crumble a la mode for dessert.

we did not eat at the first Quizno's (founded in 1981, so that would be the youngest sister, posing by the lights). on Sunday, we did have pizza at Marco's after seeing Butter as part of the Denver Starz Film Festival. if you get a chance to see it, we'd recommend it. we gave it a 4.5 out of 5. it's not quite Drop Dead Gorgeous, but it's in that genre of silly, satirical, possibly allegorical, movies, but with butter cows. the pizza in the back came with eggs. the pizza in the front was bufula and basil and san marzano tomatoes. there was also a nutella pizza for dessert, but all i have is a shot of the empty plate.

finally, there was more poutine. i know. i know. we went to Denver, not Toronto, but eh. and that's a giant onion ring on top of a fried egg on top of the veggie burger from City O' City. we went to a veg restaurant and managed to order the two likely most unhealthy items on the menu.

i haven't eaten much since i got home.

42

2011-11-16T19:53:00.000-05:00

40 before 40 (perhaps obviously) is not happening in toto. i can say silly Latin things like in toto because i'm almost a real lawyer these days. but don't you worry - i've got a new plan, Stan. If you've read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, you may recall that 42 is the Ultimate Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, The Universe, and Everything. i'm not typically a fan of things that might be considered science fiction, but i am rather likely to be a fan of things that may be considered British humour, so i thoroughly enjoyed this book/series of books the first time i read it/them. ergo, i am borrowing 42 as my goal point. 50-before-50 is simply too far away to contemplate temporally and 101-in-1001 is just far too many goals for this dsythymic to conjure ... therefore, 42 it is. i have, conveniently, loosely, defined seven categories (although not necessarily six goals per): food, knowledge, money, travel, give, house and crazy. i'll leave it to you to categorize and, hopefully, keep me somewhat accountable to the new list on the right.

schnee!

2011-11-16T08:51:00.001-05:00

apparently, my last post was a bit more prophetic than intended. the first question from the Park Ranger was, "is this car two or four wheel drive?" and yes, even the car knew we were in for an adventure.

we, however, fail at the first rule of hiking.

following our no-plan plan, we had four granola bars, two bananas and a water, which we left in the car. we also had three pairs of gloves among the four of us, rather slippy sneakers and zero waterproof layers. one of us may not have even had a coat, just a vest. but we made do!

even though some things were closed for the off-season and/or not necessarily advised for people who don't normally drive in inclement weather and tend to be a bit of a nervous nellie when driving along mountain roads to begin with, we had a scenic drive along the lower parts. we saw an elk herd in Moraine Park and "hiked" about 200 yards of the 2.3 mile Cub Lake trail. i can't wait to go back.

Let's Go Exploring!

2011-11-10T23:36:00.001-05:00

sometimes, i need a reminder. good thing i framed this one.

not my favorite day of this week

2011-11-09T18:52:00.000-05:00

i was introduced as an attorney on Monday. and it felt strangely good. on Tuesday, i had a student ask the pronunciation of my last name, so that she could address me as Professor lastname. i may have giggled aloud, especially as i'm fairly certain i'd have to call her Doctor studentname to be proper. also, for the first time since 1995, no one asked me to account for my time in tenths of hour!

"stop taking my picture." - free bird.

but today, today, i was home and/or running errands in preparation for the weekend. now i've lived alone for 2.4 years. it's generally, and slowly, become a good thing, but today, i was just lonely. i realized a large part of that loneliness comes from having an exciting, slightly nervous start to the week, meeting a bunch of new, interesting people and coming home to the dog, cats and bird, none of whom were particularly impressed by my stories. they were just rather annoyed i hadn't been home all day. in fairness, i'm not sure the bird really cares whether i'm here or not, but the dog and the cats weren't thrilled. of course, i picked up the phone and used the magic of the internets to share some tidbits here and there, but i didn't have a chance to come home and dissect the days over dinner with my best friend. and i was lonely. sad trombone.

Easy Listening - The BLUE Pandas (version 1 unofficial)

2011-11-07T17:43:00.002-05:00

during my more recent efforts to organize all the stuff, i ran across my Rolling Rock beer box stuffed full of cassette tapes. that box may easily outlast the tapes, as it's from approximately 1992 and it's put together from some seriously heavy duty cardboard. anyhow, this was one of my own creations, back in the day...

side A: BLaCK iNK, BLaCK iNK (December 1987-January 1988)

Le Vent - courtesy of Madame Baldwin & 7th period (French poetry)

Do They Know It's Christmas Time At All? - Band-Aid

Candle in the Wind - Elton John

Kiss Me Deadly - Generation X

Pretty in Pink - Psychedelic Furs

Forever Young - Alphaville

? - Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

side B: iT STiNKS, iT STiNKS (January 1988)

Wouldn't It Be Good? - Nik Kershaw

Ironbound/Fancy Poultry - Suzanne Vega

Where the Streets Have No Name - U2

It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine) - REM

Just Like Heaven - The Cure

opening and closing remarks by Steven Wright

i'm thinking of using Audacity to digitally record some of these old-fashioned treasures, as i'm not sure how much longer my cassette player(s) will last. you might think all those years spent with a DJ - the old school turntables have left the building, but 12 inch singles still tower perilously in a corner - would have learned me something about audio recording, but i think i'm on my own here. and it's ok with me if the sound is not quite amazing. i'm just looking for the aural spark of memory.

first day jitters

2011-11-06T17:35:00.000-05:00

i have them! for a non-paying, temporary position. i just so do not want to disappoint. what should i wear? how should i get there? what am i going to be doing? i'll wear dress pants, a sweater and my freshly polished shoes with matching socks, of course. i might have ridden my bike now that i finally bought a U-lock, but i don't have a headlight and i'm not sure what time i'll be headed home. so i'll probably drive and pay for parking. sigh. i'll be sitting in on a client meeting or two and meeting the students and finding out how else i might be helpful, all the while hopefully not tripping over my own tongue too much.

while i knew falling dreams were common, it seems that

. . . falling is an indication of insecurities, instabilities, and anxieties. . . . When you fall, there is nothing that you can hold on to. . . . Falling dreams also often reflect a sense of failure or inferiority in some circumstance or situation. It may be the fear of failing in your job/school, loss of status, or failure in love. . . . [from the link in the previous post's comments]

i'll skip the Freudian and Biblical interpretations for the moment, but i'd say this might be spot on in some regards. here's to remembering i have a parachute.

dreams

2011-11-05T12:27:00.001-05:00

i rarely remember my dreams when i wake up, much less days later, but this week was a bit of an anomaly in many ways.

Wednesday night, i dreamed i was swimming laps. no big deal. it's good exercise. it's relaxing. there's a different sound underwater. i like doing it, particularly outside when you can see the sky, but can't quite hear the sky. and it gets bonus points because there's a set end point, not that far off (short course, not long course, of course), which is good for the chronically exercise-challenged like me. enter my dream: i found myself in dark goggles and a red suit, swimming laps in a pool set on an incline where each lane passed through an MRI tube. it really wasn't too bad. i had to keep my elbows tucked closer to go through the tube, forcing me to work on my form. and, to no great surprise, it was distinctly harder to swim up the incline, although oddly, i don't recall any issues with getting water up my nose on the downhill. very strange. i'm blaming this one on a book i recently read: When She Awoke, by Hillary Jordan. it falls, i suppose, into the category of dystopian novels, which made me pick up Brave New World again, reserve a copy of The Handmaid's Tale at the library and want to watch The Fifth Element. I suppose Blade Runner was the more elegant choice in films, but there you have it. in any event, perhaps that's why i was exercising in this futuristic pool?

and then there is my recurring nightmare of falling. i've fallen off mountain paths, bridges, seaside cliffs and out of hot air ballons, buildings, famous tourist destinations. you name it, i've dreamed of falling off/out of it. the kind of freefall that wakes you up in a breathless panic. thankfully, i don't dream like this often. but Thursday night, i was driving in SF. my sisters and i were meeting for my birthday. we had rented a Jeep, but i apparently forgot that minor detail and allowed the rental car people to hand me the keys for a dark grey, small, very small, but with four doors, sedan in exchange for years of points collected on my credit card. then i had to drive to another airport to collect said sisters. halfway to other airport, i remembered this was NOT THE CAR i was supposed to be driving. so i went back and got the right car, which looked amazingly like someone's 2008 Cherokee, but then i was running late to meet the sisters at the other airport. silly metropolitan areas with multiple airports and price differences and hubs and whatnot. zipping along a highway, er, freeway, er, whatever you call a multi-lane road with on-ramps and exits on the left coast, i noticed the traffic slowing, in the right lane only. naturally, i switched the radio to some obscure AM station that is broadcasting the EMS alert signal. you know, the "this is only a test. had this been an actual emergency, we would not have only burst your eardrums with this sound, but also told you what to do next" signal. (also, AM is a very old form of radio. see Wikipedia if this confused you. my last car had an AM radio only. then again, my last car was a 1972 VW Beetle. oh, Gertrude.). this time, the announcer is saying "earthquake," because those are so predictable. yes, i confused a tornado warning with an earthquake warning, all of which scare the pants of me (when i am wearing pants, that is). anyhow, all the folks in the right lane were trying to exit and seek some sort of safe structure. all the folks in the other lanes were speeding to get to their final destination. i kept going. the airport was the next exit, but first i had to drive through the Hot Wheels LOOP-THE-LOOP that is always a prominent feature in interstate design?! the earthquake hit when i was at the apex. i fell, backwards and upside down, seat belted in a Jeep.

maybe this is all because Ernie has taken to sleeping on my shoulder. i'm hoping for some unmemorable nights this week.

random photos with small notes

2011-11-04T15:31:00.001-05:00

this car is for sale. i cannot drive past it again. i want to stop and write down the phone number. no, i want to stop, call the phone number and wait for the owner to come so i can test drive this car with the top down. it's got the same hubcaps as Gertrude did, but it's definitely redder than she was. in any event, i'm so not allowing my self to drive past this parking lot for a bit.

i love taking pictures of random patterns and textures and lights, so here's two from the pretty + random category - the back of a peeling signpost and some fall leaves. it's been a mostly nice week, weather-wise. i can only manage to "run" three days a week, but i do tend to go out and walk, with camera in hand, on the non-regimented days. (i'm still not getting faster, but whatever. ugh.)

i also managed a slight bit of Halloween decoration at the last minute and ended up with about 65 trick-or-treaters. only one tween/teen came without a costume, but i still treated him as he seemed to be his little brother's and brother's friends' only chaperone. the lack of a doorbell seemed to confuse everyone, but i pulled it off the door as it's been non-functional for some time. seems i just need to replace the battery. one of these days. probably about the same time i finally find a porch light to replace my naked bulb.

of course, i end up taking pictures of the animals as i walk - see, e.g., a spider, a deer and a mockingbird. actually, there were two deer, but the picture(s) of both was(were) not focused. i think it's the same pair i've seen frequently since they were little, spotted fawns.

and it wouldn't be a random picture post without food - pickled green tomatoes (weirdest, weirdest, weirdest thing i've made in a while) and my version of in progress beef stew. i did a homemade roasted soup bone stock the day before the stew, all of which turned out surprisingly well. i don't think i've ever done beef stock before.

less unenforceable commitment for me

2011-11-03T16:58:00.000-05:00

it feels extremely possible that i've suddenly overbooked my november. not to worry, i've unenrolled from NaNoWriMo and never signed up for NaBloPoMo, so i now feel almost zero pressure to write poorly daily. i do intend to be writing cover letters, but likely not on a daily basis and hopefully not poorly. we'll see. who wants to read the résumé again? **crickets**

i finally made it to a tasty, slightly gossipy in a good way lunch with a former co-worker, including a stop by my former office. i really did have a nice office there, but i can't say i miss it terribly. one of the third years looked quite comfy in the space. anyhow... the weather is really just lovely, so i headed off to see how the OccupyDC folks were faring, but was completely sidetracked by the Orange Cow ice cream truck before i even got close to their primary location. there was still a large group of RNs with matching red protest shirts and posters at this particular square, eating boxed lunches and boarding buses to head up to the Hill. and there was even a ubiquitous guy fawkes-masked person giving an interview. so, one scoop of green tea ice cream later, i headed home.

the running part of today was tough. i've heard that happens to people who run all the time - you have a bad day where it just feels off or the legs don't want to go or you turn to look at the beautiful scenery and trip over your own feet. oh, wait, that might have been me. i'm going to keep trying. it's going to get more challenging as the days get shorter and my schedule gets busier, but i have a race to run on the 19th and some future goals to train for. wish me luck.

how is it November and why did i not give the dog his heartworm and flea/tick preventatives yet?

2011-11-01T20:17:00.002-05:00

i try to see each day as a new day, a chance to get something right. now, in all fairness, i usually find myself thinking this because i've failed to accomplish some particular task or some spectacularly long list of tasks that i set out for myself on the previous day. but lately? things are going ok. i'm getting SOME things done each day and not beating myself up quite as much for not getting ALL the things done each day. so yay, progress!

today's getting SOME things done? i revised my resume and then had lunch with a mentor and a brand new person which seems to have resulted in a currently non-paying gig at a local school in my field of interest for the rest of the semester. so basically, i didn't spill anything on myself, or the others, at lunch and didn't put my foot in my mouth too badly when discussing what it is i do. i also didn't notice a few inconsistent comma/semicolon usages in my resume, which i am completely blaming on my old eyes. now if i could just figure out how to incorporate an interrobang in my resume.

then i went to the lake and took pictures of the leafs (see current header) because i didn't need to do ALL the things. i came home and took pictures of the yard leafs as well, at which point i realized why parking at a certain spot in the driveway is not a good idea.

p.s. the French bulldog and his people have moved on to a new place. i'm glad i could give them a launching pad, so to speak, for their new adventures. i'm also grateful they did some cleaning that had become a permanent fixture on my aforementioned to-do lists. maybe i really don't have to do ALL the things.

oh what a week

2011-10-28T19:13:00.004-05:00

you guys know i don't really have any idea how to use the fancy-pants camera, right? fortunately, mother nature is a generally forgiving subject. the camera is a Nikon DSLR that has automatic, inbetween and manual settings. i can change the lenses, but that's about the limit of my technical prowess. i think i took about a hundred pictures over two days and then posted just a handful. there are more that worked and others that just did not. it's a bit like my cooking.

speaking of which, i poached an egg in my soup today. it was a little overdone, but the yolk was still slightly runny. i was pleasantly surprised that it even came close to working because the concept was sound, but the execution was, well, by me. the soup base? my white bean-radish leaf-smoked sausage-tomato soup that i've been eating all week. it was fine, but not good enough to freeze, so i'm glad the last bowl was slurped for dinner. next up is a pan of chicken-green olive enchiladas that i've been craving.

meanwhile it seems we may have some snow tomorrow (?!!?!?!!) and almost definitely a freeze tomorrow night, so i gathered what was left of the piddly tomato harvest. these are Mat's Wild Cherry tomatoes, so they are supposed to be very small clusters, but the production was just slim this summer. i think i'm going to do a refrigerator pickle with them.

in other news? i got a newer model phone that does not require a binder clip to keep it operating (thanks, J). chumbawamba is an anarcho-punk folk group (thanks, wikipedia, and sorry about the ohrwurm, C). oh, and the very first job i found that i want to apply for is in ... San Diego. good grief, Charlie Brown, indeed.

how i found out i passed* the bar exam (knock wood)

2011-10-27T21:44:00.000-05:00

today was just like any other Thursday for the last two months. it is Thursday, right? i got up, fed the zoo and went for a run. intervals. today was twelve quarter-mile at pace intervals. in the rain. then i came home and ate brunch (white bean and radish leaf soup). i checked the mail. i showered. i tried to do something, anything productive. i must have done something. i checked the mail. i ate something else (egg salad with watercress and a radish salad). it finally quit raining for a bit. i checked the mail and recycled the mail - a credit card offer, a donation request and an advertisement. i walked the dog. i blogged. i tried to do something else productive. i fed the zoo and myself dinner (spaetzle with cabbage and applewurst). i watched It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. i got a message on facebook that said:

How come I've got to find out news by going to the DC Bar Exam website  instead of reading it via a Facebook post like a normal person...?

i checked the website, approximately thirty-nine times. i called momsie. i called jordan. i cried. i posted on FB and the Twitter. i checked again, with at least seven tabs open in my browser. i texted a few people. i had this, with three Chips Ahoy cookies:

and now i am going to attempt to wind down, so as not to scare the nice folks downstairs. i guess i'll have to finally finish updating my resume now. hopefully the official letter will come in the mail tomorrow and won't say anything like *pending the results of your moral character application ...

meandering

2011-10-27T11:59:00.001-05:00

i wrote something the other day about being unsure of which path to take, but it came out whiny, so i deleted it all. then i wrote something about opportunities, but it came out way too cheery, so i deleted that, too. here's what you get now.

i watched this skinny, but not so little spider for a bit, weaving its web between the boards on the pier, and got the song Tubthumping from Chumbawamba (circa 1997) stuck in my head. ~~i get knocked down, but i get up again~~ is the chorus, in case you are not familiar. crazy and amazingly efficient spiders.

pictorial

2011-10-23T12:14:00.002-05:00

i'm still trying to get the hang of the fancy-pants camera. what can i say? sometimes the magic works, sometimes it doesn't. here's a few shots from this week.

it's another picture perfect day (ha. i crack myself up sometimes), but after this morning's attempt at longer distance jogging, i'm not so sure i'll make it out and about again. enjoy!

friday ephemera

2011-10-21T17:20:00.000-05:00

this week was busy and not busy. for example,

i spent a lot of time refreshing certain websites because i don't have a date certain for bar results.
i took a nap on the couch one afternoon.
i harvested my sweet potatoes.
i made strange food.

i also ate a can of spaghetti-O's.
i scheduled a meeting with a local school's IP Clinic for next week (now to learn all about that recent patent law this weekend).
i consolidated most of my 401Ks. finally.
i read three books.
i helped (a little) plan our sister meet-up in Denver for my (gulp) 40th birthday.
i walked the dog four days and went jogging three days.
the book club meets tonight.

in random updates and news,

the mystery box was/is ash from Japan for use with incense.
i dropped my phone on the kitchen tile. it won't stay in silent mode without assistance.

the new Beetle looks like, i hate to say it, a PT Cruiser from the back (the sides, front and interior look good though).
the tomatillo-avocado soup would have been better chilled, but i was chilled so i ate it warm.
i'm seeking recommendations on places to eat and things to do in Denver.
two of the neighbors from the housefire house are staying with me while they find a new place. they have a French bulldog. it's really cute.

now with added cheese

2011-10-19T19:24:00.001-05:00

for round two of the green food, i did manage a warm soup by blending veg broth with the leftover tomatillo-avocado salsa. while it simmered, i created a quick quesadilla of sorts with honey-mesquite deli chicken, blue goat cheese, sharp cheddar and pickled peppers instead of merely revisiting the tortilla chips. both soup and quesadilla were garnished with chipotle yogurt. i might eat this again, but yesterday's shrimp salad was better.

well, based on my photography skills and enticing narrative, i will clearly not be becoming a food blogger in the near future, but i hope you don't mind watching me eat.

i spent the better part of my day (going on 4.7 hours) at the car dealership because Merle's airbag light had been illuminated for a few weeks now. they ended up replacing the airbag control module. she also got an oil change, tire rotation, possibly a brake light replacement (hard to check by yourself) and, eventually, a car wash. the receipt said the requested/included car wash had been completed, but the dirt from my last little running adventure still showed in the wheel wells and the floorboards were still grassy at pickup, so i waited the extra .4 hours for a very quick wash and vacuum. jordan came to rescue me during the afternoon. i'm pretty sure that eating a late brunch and returning my library books gave me the necessary patience to last through the final wait.

also, getting to see the 2012 new beetle helped a little. i'm not sold on the rear shaping. what do you think?

10 tortilla chips in a serving?

2011-10-18T18:35:00.000-05:00

well, that explains a lot about my waistline. in better news, this shrimp, tomatillo and avocado salsa was a delicious topping for the paltry tortilla chips allotted for dinner tonight. and, yes, i may have had more in the neighborhood of a serving and a half of chips, what with needing to taste as i was cooking.

ingredients

into the processor

a little juicy, but that's ok*

too hot to focus?

so maybe i can eat a whole avocado.

* i did save half the salsa for tomorrow with the intent to add a bit of veg stock to create a cold soup finished with a little sauteed, spiced shrimp and/or corn and maybe even some chipotle yogurt.

while i am waiting

2011-10-14T12:06:00.003-05:00

sometimes, during quiet moments, i think i hear the theme from Jaws. other times, i think my lungs are trying to stuff themselves into my throat. i sleep well until i dream of things that make no sense and wake up to watch the clock change from three twenty three to four seventeen, minute by minute. i have a love-hate relationship with the mailbox because, however unlikely it is, the results could be there.* i should have results in less than four weeks, likely in two, based on past release dates. so i am waiting.

as part of my cooking for less than an army adventures, i keep a bag of frozen shrimp in the freezer for a quick addition to various dishes. for example, one night this week, i had a thin steak and green beans with bacon, onions and mushrooms. then Jordan popped by for herb crusted tilapia, succotash and rice with peas and carrots.** the leftover steak was sliced into a burrito, but the rest of the veg and rice became fried rice. i added a scrambled egg, a handful of frozen shrimp and some soy sauce. it's not the most picturesque, but it was an appetizing and quick way to use up a bunch of different leftovers without them tasting like the same thing, again and again and again.

i got caught in the rain today, twice. it was raining when i got up. then the sun came out, and there were blue skies. i checked the weather radar and threw on my sneakers. at kilometer 2, i noticed ominous clouds coming across the horizon. by kilometer 3, i had tucked my phone into my shorts and was holding my shirt out to create a tent to shelter the phone. it did occur to me that jogging around a lake in a thunderstorm was not my brightest idea, but i had just a little further to go (plus, i needed to get home; it's a circular route). at kilometer 4, the GPS blipped, announced my workout was complete and my final pace had been a 2:36 mile. if you put a "1" in front of that, it's probably much more accurate. i'm not sure i'm going to make that sub-30 5k in the next four weeks.*** but i did make it home. and the phone was dry, although pretty much nothing else was. the dog was in the shower. then the sun came out. so i threw the leash on the dog and we headed out for the usual trip around the block. yep, it rained. fortunately, it was just drizzle, no thunder.

* in fairness, i always have a love-hate relationship with the mailbox because i love getting mail, but i hate when it's only junk and/or bills, which is pretty much every day.

** i used fresh basil, parsley and garlic cloves pulsed in food processor with panko for the crust, but neglected to use a decent binder, so it was more just baked fish surrounded by toasty, tasty bread crumbs.

*** this may be okay, because i am hatching a new idea to replace the 40-before-40 idea. thirty days and limited resources are just not quite enough to get it all done. hmm, thirty days left as a thirty-something. i wonder if thirtysomething is on Netflix.

sadly kaput

2011-10-13T09:32:00.000-05:00

well, even though one of the categories while sorting through all the stuff is trash, this wasn't something i was planning to ditch.

i've been making an effort to jog outside with the nicer weather and my free time, but the rain came back with a vengeance yesterday, so i thought i'd test the treadmill. as you recall, Hurricane Irene did a number on several electronics with multiple power surges before the longish outage. i used a heavy duty extension cord, plugged in and boom! pop! whoosh! the circuit blew, and little wispy tendrils of white smoke came out of the treadmill. so i sat there for a bit with the fire extinguisher in hand (which is probably too old to be of any use - whoops), but everything seems just fine now.

that's definitely a bummer because, as the days grow shorter and i become employed, i was planning to start using it again. well, at least it wasn't just a clothes hanger for us. it got some good use at the beginning and then sporadically over the years - definitely a better investment than a gym membership would have ever been! and i'm fairly certain this never happened:

third verse, same as the first

2011-10-08T17:14:00.001-05:00

a little bit louder and a little bit worse... it's getting a little tricky here. i found this box:

which contains this bag:

but i have no idea what this is or where it is from. hmm. perhaps, i should not be posting it on the internet. oh well. and then there are these stuffed daisies, won at Circus Circus in Vegas during a stopover after a family wedding in California a few years back. i'm pretty sure we played some variant of chuck-a-chicken and the ubiquitous water gun/exploding balloon/racing horses game, as well as who knows what and ended up winning a small bouquet of flowers. jordan was quite the blackjack aficionado back in the day, and i enjoyed the people watching and giant swimming pool, but i think, if i dust the cat hair off, they could go into the donate box to make some small child (or other adult) happy. it's just a little trickier with anything that's an "us" acquisition as i do not want to hurt anyone's feelings or discard any wanted items. shush, someone could want them.

what to do, what to do ... i'll cook something! with a nod to C's last post, i made a pot of southwestern chicken and bean soup* with coleslaw and cornbread, and invited a different C (& R) over for dinner. the chipotles in yogurt were the perfect addition to a simple soup. we also watched The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, so now i'll be watching the other two movies this weekend. although i may have nodded off in the middle, for just a minute or two.

C & R brought crema y guayaba for dessert. i think i preferred the guava paste portion to the super sweet milk creme. nonetheless, i'll still do my best to finish them off in short order.

* (just for my future reference) 4 c turkey stock, 1 smallish, shredded chicken b00b, 1/2 bell pepper, onion, about 1 c fresh cranberry beans, 1 c shredded cabbage, 1/2 c frozen corn, 1/4 t cinnamon & smoked paprika, 1/2-3/4 t cumin, ancho chili powder & oregano. topped with chipotles in greek yogurt.

stuff, second edition

2011-10-06T19:00:00.007-05:00

Yay! I have a volunteer to re-home my shoes! Watch your mailbox, Chris, because you may just be a winner! I'm kidding. I do have fond memories of a particular Doc Martens shopping extravaganza in London, where I learned what VAT meant. I also remember visiting the National Gallery and seeing something (was it Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat?) on the West End and shopping at Liberty's and rubbings at Westminster and touring the Tower of London and ... oh my, we were/are fortunate.

in today's donate pile: this lovely little matryoshka doll. not to worry, there are two others staying with me. this one came from a young woman who knocked at my door, soliciting funds for an overseas children's support program. oddly, i think she was from Scandinavia, collecting for an organization working in Africa and offering Russian matryoshkas in return. hmm. well, we are one world and all that. clearly, she got my support.

in the trash/recycle pile: expired Swiss motion sickness chewing gum. we had taken a bus trip from Zurich to Luzern. a kind woman traveling further on to hike either Titlis or Pilatus offered a queasy traveler one of her Kaugummi to ease obvious discomfort. i recall a brief, awkward conversation conducted half in German and half in English and half in hand gestures (hey, i went to law school, not math school). my best guesstimate is that she was in her mid-60s and therefore from a generation that was not required/expected/strongly encouraged to learn English in school, but still knew more than a bit. my limited German had met its equivalent. we stopped at an apotheke in Luzern and picked up a packet to both repay her kindness and ward off further discomfort on the return trip. of course, there were a few doses left. three years later, but just one year past expiration, it seems an appropriate time for disposal. after consulting the internets on how to dispose of expired medicines (apparently, some can go in a sealed bag with coffee grounds and/or kitty litter - conveniently, both are in abundance here), the gum went in the trash and the paper bits into the recycling.

in the immortal words of The Muppets, i'm movin' right along.

stuff

2011-10-04T15:18:00.001-05:00

two and a third years ago, i found myself somewhat unexpectedly living on my own. as of now, things haven't changed all that much around the house (furniture, decor, cable subscription, stuff). i kept thinking this was a temporary situation, things would get better, who could not want to live with such a catch as me ... you get the picture. i was also a little busy what with working, finishing the last year of school, working, trying to pass the bar exam, working, trying to pass the bar exam, working, trying to pass the bar exam ... i'm sure you get that picture, too.

consider the four lazy cats who live here.

now that i am not working and am waiting to see if i passed a bar exam, i have time on my hands, but it's still a challenge for me to make changes because i have this pesky little feeling that doesn't quite go away. it's this little feeling that making too many changes would mean that i have given up on what coulda, shoulda, woulda been a lifetime thing. perhaps it's a bit like the pesky little stink bug that keeps reappearing in my house. i can't just squash it, but i probably need to set it free. ok, that could be stretching a metaphor a bit too far, even for me. and this wasn't meant to be a woe-is-me type post. it's meant to be a STUFF, I HAVE TOO MUCH STUFF post. certainly, those who have visited me will have quickly recognized that's not really much of a surprise. consider it more of a warning.*

e.g., see the box labelled VHS? i have no VCR.

a wise person recommended that we sit down together and go through our stuff, remember good times and make one of the standard decisions (yours, mine, donate, recycle, trash), but i don't really see that happening anytime soon. that doesn't mean that i can't remember good times and make my own decisions. therefore, you, my lucky five readers, will get to reminisce with me.

1993 called: it wants its shoes back.

Donating: one pair of Doc Martens. they have always been a little too big for me. darn you, British sizing. i kept them around because they have enough of a sole that this one particular pair of pants wouldn't drag on the ground when i wore them together. the pants are gone; now it's time for the shoes to go as well. they don't exactly scream "professional" or "lawyer," although they may whisper "40 year old who remembers, fondly, R.E.M. before Bill Berry left." don't worry, i'm keeping my eight-hole greasy black 1460s, even if i do wear my Blunnies more often these days.

* don't be too surprised if you get a package in the mail one of these days with STUFF. i'll make it good stuff, promise. and if you don't get a package, but you'd like one - well, send me your address.

ignore the bad lighting in the photography, at least it's no longer September

2011-10-02T19:09:00.001-05:00

September was not necessarily my favorite month so far this year. In fact, it was a borderline terrible, horrible, no good, very bad month. There were certainly some good bits, but it was more of a bummer than I had anticipated. Meh. October seems more promising, even if I did have to turn on the heat. Today's high was 51; inside, the thermostat read approximately 63 at 2 in the afternoon. I say approximately because I have a dial thermostat that is subject to interpretation based on the viewing angle (it may also have questionable temperature sensing accuracy to begin with). Anyhoo, I had three cats and a blanket on the couch with me while finishing my book. And I had to put on socks. It was getting a little chilly in here.

I found zinnias, cranberry beans and itty-bitty gourds at the farmers market this morning, so I broke out the fall tablecloth and arranged a little seasonal decor. I'm looking forward to eating the beans later this week, but I love the colors on the table for now.

calling Patsy Cline*

2011-09-25T13:42:00.004-05:00

i was clearing my desk (i.e., the lovely antique dining table i've partially co-opted because one person really doesn't need all that space for food, even me, although someone suggested it could be less messy) yesterday of miscellaneous stuff, including the most recent weekly free paper. i think it's the gazette. i don't know. it usually ends up sitting wherever it lands, in the driveway and/or yard, until i mow the yard or put the recycling out, whichever comes first. i probably miss a lot of local culture this way. nonetheless, i brought this edition inside and discovered there was a 5k run at my usual neighborhood "running" location. of course, it was mid-Saturday afternoon, and i had missed the morning run. no worries, there was another one today, just up the road a piece. i hemmed and hawed and hemmed some more. (sadly, no pants were shortened during this period of hemming.)

they had me at "whooping crane." i overheard many remarks today about how cute it was that the cranes were wearing running shoes. clearly, these cranes had never had to run the almost entirely uphill course. but in all seriousness, the history of the Patuxent Research Refuge and, in particular, its role in the attempt to rescue the Whooping Crane from extinction is very interesting. i know that there is ongoing debate as to the role of humans in saving and/or causing extinction of other species. i'd welcome your thoughts on any aspect of this debate. what's that PSA? the more you know ...

in any event (ha), i decided if i woke up this morning and Diana Nyad was still swimming from Cuba to Florida again (and i had time to feed the dog and cats and make it to the Refuge on time), i'd do the run. she was stung by Portuguese Man O'War twice. she encountered a pelagic white tip shark. she was still swimming. by the way, pelagic is one of my both favorite and simultaneously frightening words ever (thank you, HSUS internship). i fed the dog and cats, stopped by mickeyD's for an egg mcmuffin and coffee (they gave me a sausage egg muffin - NOT the same. sad jenn.) and arrived at the Refuge.

UNEXPLODED MUNITIONS. LYME DISEASE. UNEXPLODED MUNITIONS. (and don't forget the overabundance of mosquitoes breeding in our unexpectedly damp August-September: WEST NILE VIRUS.) fortunately, i am an unlicensed lawyer (disclaimer: this means NOTHING. it is only meant to be FUNNY. if you did not smile, GO AWAY.), so i ignored the waiver of liability and persevered. naturally, i stayed EXACTLY on the course. i spoke to at least four other people, three of whom responded. i jogged very slowly UPHILL with a larger than i would have liked amount of walking. and i FINISHED (38:29, also a PW: personal worst). this is the third 5k i've run in my entire life, and the first i've run without knowing any other runners and/or spectators. i really would just like to say THANK YOU to the people who clap and cheer at the finish line for every single person who is completing the race. i would also like to say something else to the people who run the course twice while others are still finishing just because they can and it's there. RUDE. (but not all of them. some are actually quite cognizant of, and kind to, the other racers.) For the interwebs record, i was still beaten by a <10 yo kid.

yes, at this point, i am not only wearing a blue bandage on my finger (unrelated, ripped nail injury), but trying not to drop the orange slice and just generally being glad i did not need the ambulance. that sub-30 5k goal before 11/13 may be a bit harder than anticipated. if i could only figure out this concept of intervals training.

* clearly, i'm a little crazy, based on this morning's activities. if you see another application of these particular lyrics, feel free to comment.

somebody bring me a biscuit, stat!

2011-09-22T14:14:00.003-05:00

i bought peaches at the farmers' market last Sunday, but they did that peachy thing of being just fine one moment and then gross and squishy the next, so i needed to do something with the remainder today. enter one of my favorite food blogs, Smitten Kitchen, from which the peach butter recipe was adapted to fit the smaller, yet daunting quantity of peaches on hand here. note that i have the same food mill, although i'm 99.9% certain that hers gets used much more often. my peaches were so close to overripe at this point, i probably could have foregone even more of the already reduced sugar. the neat thing was that the butter actually thickened for me! i'm also 99.9% certain it would be really, really heavenly on an oven-fresh biscuit. please drop (ha!) by any time in the next couple of weeks.

photo credit: @ouij

in other news, one of the many daily deal sites had a deal for last night's DC United game, complete with ball cap (particularly handy because it drizzled off and on throughout). someone i follow on twitter posted the above photo of a crucial, missed penalty in stoppage time. see any familiar fans? who knows, maybe one day we'll "tweet-up," as the kids say these days.

i also had lunch with the former work colleagues and am in the process of arranging another lunch meeting regarding a possible part-time opportunity, so that might be the extent of my networking for the moment. the resume is still under review. onward, eh.

the fridge post

2011-09-17T13:51:00.002-05:00

Mark Menjivar did a series of photographs called You Are What You Eat. I've seen the series before, but I recently revisited it because my cousin did a post of her fridge. It is an interesting thing to show people what we eat. I share select things often because I like to cook (and keep y'all informed), but the usual contents of my fridge or pantry? That's more personal. My comfort foods might make another feel queasy.

in between employment/wannabe attorney | DC suburbia | 1 person household (with 4 cats, 1 dog and a semi-frequent soda drinking visitor) | nothing particularly interesting to add here

The good, bad and ugly? I don't really know. I never drink the water in the filter pitcher; I just drink tap water. Similarly, it's a bit odd the beer is in the fridge. I usually leave it on the counter and drink it at room temperature, but sometimes I do chill it. File that where you will. Thanks to Hurricane Irene's power outage, I got rid of most of the ugly. This is why you aren't seeing three jars of miscellaneous jam, pear butter, horseradish, two stone ground mustards, a peanut butter, lemon juice and a salad dressing from who knows when. You might see the corner of a container of chocolate cherry tomatoes. I thought I wanted to eat tomatoes. I did eat tomatoes. I had bruschetta on slices of homemade, no-knead bread, an omelet with cheese, sauteed onions and diced tomatoes and a caprese salad (so that 40-before-40 item can be crossed off in big, permanent marker), but now I am done with the raw tomatoes.

comfort food example one: tuna noodle casserole

This was in the fridge. It's a pretty straightforward recipe, using the basic can of condensed mushroom soup and frozen peas, gussied up a bit with fresh mushrooms, red onion, red pepper, black olives. The most amazing thing is I managed to make a smaller size casserole with only half a bag of noodles and more veg instead of the usual 9 x 13 pan with an entire bag of noodles. Not exactly cooking for one, but getting a little closer to that goal.

In related news, I saved 50% on my grocery bill today with store bonus card, store coupons and manufacturer coupons. This may be a shopping record, as a typical trip is merely a 30% savings. The savings is deceptive though, because I would never buy, for example, goldfish crackers at regular price. When they are on sale, I buy multiple bags in a variety of flavors.

mulligan

2011-09-14T13:40:00.001-05:00

i'm taking a mulligan on this week, or at least on today. i sat down this morning to work on my resume and reacquaint myself with my skill set, but i did not get very far before my head exploded with a nice little headache. a take two advil, lay down for thirty minutes, head under a pillow, would not go away headache. so i ate two more advil and turned to my trusty avoidance technique of talking a two hour walk. i'm feeling better. whew. anyhow, here's some water comparisons, beginning with the foot bridge from last week's adventures.

You can't even see the normal water level from this angle, but last week was another story. Here's the views from a second foot bridge.

And the views from the road bridge (traffic bridge?):

it's a two-fer

2011-09-12T18:17:00.000-05:00

and it's not even Tuesday!

So I schlepped myself off to career services today for a resume review. I think I got some good ideas that, once combined with the helpful comments from my former colleagues, may yet yield a hireable resume. I'm not always my own best cheerleader, so it's tricky to get the best parts down on paper. I was also reminded that networking is the way to find a job. And temp work is not necessarily a good idea because the hours do not leave time for networking. But it might be okay for me while I'm waiting for bar results, because it would apparently be preferable to have that pesky law license before applying for real jobs. Seeing as I went all the way downtown, I should have set up a networking or social lunch or dinner for today as well, but I didn't. I did return my library books, ate a doner kebab and bought a copy of Street Sense, the Metro Area Street Newspaper - all of which serve to remind me of the good in my life.* Small steps, small steps. So the goal for this week is to revamp the resume and make plans to attend one something in the next few weeks that counts as networking.

from a Tumblr post, but i have no photo credit - eek!

*I write things like this to not only remind myself that I am incredibly fortunate, but to also let my few faithful readers know that I know that while my now doesn't seem that great to me, I will muddle through. Now, I'm going to feed the menagerie dinner and watch Magnolia, my last Netflix DVD for the foreseeable future.

well, that was depressing.

2011-09-12T10:08:00.002-05:00

When I was home in July, my Aunt passed along a book that my Dad gave her that my Mom and we girls had given him some twenty-odd years ago. I may be *pushing 40*, but the Pattersons are not my life. I relate to many of the comic situations, but I also experience a very definite cognitive dissonance as I revisit the Pattersons' lives. I struggle with wondering if I made a mistake by not having kids (although, as a small overshare, my ob/gyn would tell you that I could still - eek!), why i cannot repair my marriage and, as ever, what i really want to be when i grow up?

I updated my 40 before 40 list, but am still only up to 25 goals. For the record, I recognize that some of them are out of reach for the moment, and I've actually completed some of them (yay!). One day I may tell you five readers about those. I'm lonely. and I've written about the challenges with the house before, yet it remains much the same. I know I've got a lot of opportunities in front of me right now, but some days I just want to give up.

The other day, someone asked what albums represented our lives. I decided my life was much more of a mixtape with songs from here and there. Right now, I have Talking Heads' Once in a Lifetime on repeat. Now this is arguably a song about a mid-life crisis of the more stereotypical type, but would it be so bad to be there, letting the days go by?

sun

2011-09-09T21:04:00.002-05:00

There were some words that went with this post, but I think I'll save them for another day.

waterlogged

2011-09-08T19:55:00.003-05:00

it stopped raining today. for five hours. two of which, i spent traipsing around the lake. i couldn't figure out why so few people were out and about until i reached the main entrance with the parking lot. above my knee water spilled across the access road pretty much precluding any visitors from the lot, although i did watch a cyclist ride slowly through it.

here's yesterday's bridge, from both sides. the water in the lower picture was a little over my ankles. i felt comfortable walking through it after the park ranger came across in his hip waders and pronounced it safe. i also talked, er, listened to a retired navy guy on a bike whose daughter is in her final year of law school. he'd ridden south, but turned back when the rushing water got too close to the path for his comfort level.

While there weren't as many people out, i did see more variety in the wildlife than usual, including a beaver, a green heron and an egret.

anyhow, there's a little water in the basement bathroom, but not much. the backyard is a lake and continues its slow crawl into the neighbor's yard, but at least it's not my tree in their pool!

remember that idyllic little creek?

2011-09-07T15:36:00.001-05:00

the one about a half mile from my house, with the clear water and visible rocks, running through a fairly well-defined creek bed? yeah, not so much today.

for the record, the bridge over these troubled waters is a broad arch - i was nowhere near the danger zone. i did misread the radar and get caught in a rain shower, but just a small one.

and in other animal news (or reason 7,187 i need to find a job)

2011-09-05T09:39:00.001-05:00

Ignore all the background clutter, including the stuffed toys that someone's visiting dog, Oreo, left out on the floor. Oreo's cute and fluffy and sweet and all, but he never picks up his toys. Anyhow, just look at Buddy. He's pushing 13, or so. He was abandoned and had been abused as a pup. He's been a part of my family since January 2000, when he came to our house and refused to go outside. period. at all. I had to carry him down the open metal stairs of that rowhouse to the backyard for the first week or so. Then, he finally figured out that if he went outside, we would always let him back inside. He's still scared of thunder and fireworks.

We went to the vet last week for his annual visit. It seems he may be a borderline hypothyroid, of course, because that runs in the family, and he definitely has the arthritis in his lower spine and hindquarters. He's been eating levothyroxine and carprofen for three days now. So, yes, Boo is now getting NSAIDs and thyroid replacement, in addition to his glucosamine chondroitin supplement. He actually seems to be responding. We'll see.
Every morning, we get up, eat breakfast and go for a 1/2 mile saunter around the block. It breaks my heart to see him aging, but i know that is the inevitable outcome when we adopt an animal. i just want him to be happy and healthy for as long as he can, because when he wakes in the morning, s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-s his entire body and shakes it out, i can't help but smile.

state fair pictorial

2011-09-03T15:23:00.003-05:00

Thursday, Jordan came over for quiche. I figured she'd go off to work as usual Friday and I'd be left twiddling my thumbs and entertaining myself, as is my usual. Then I mentioned that I wanted to go to the State Fair. After considering many factors (mostly consisting of me trying to decide when the optimal traffic time would be, in view of rush hour, Labor Day weekend and the Baltimore Grand Prix, as the fair was north of Baltimore), we ended up going Friday.

We started in the gardening exhibit hall. And yes, we may have both touched and squeezed a few things before seeing signs like this:

i don't think i actually saw any tobacco though. We ate lunch in the Maryland food pavilion on the way to the animal exhibits. i had a Maryland lamb gyro and Brewer's Alley hefeweizen; Jordan had Maryland pulled pork and an ear of sweet corn with a not-Coke/not-Maryland carbonated beverage. Then, we went to the animals - chickens, geese, llamas, goats, sheep, pigs, cows ...

Just past the cow judging arena was the birthing center. There were chicks hatching with slightly older chicks available for petting. There were three litters of piglets with their moms. And, while i was still peering at the piglets, a cow in the next pen had a calf.

This was Jordan, still in a bit of shock, having actually seen that "a cow just fell out of that cow." i'm not sure if i'm disappointed or relieved that i missed the actual event. i'd hate to have passed out, which would have probably been a very real possibility.

We also went to the races. I don't know anything about horse racing beyond having watched Secretariat recently and read a lot of Dick Francis novels as a kid. We wagered an extremely modest amount on "my" chosen horse, picked without knowing the field's names or jockey's colors or anything really important about the horses, to place. In a photo finish, #5 Oh Please was third. Apparently, we wanted #5 to show, which would have won us an almost 10x return, i think. Or not. Oh well. We did get to stand right at the fence at they thundered by us.

Then we went to the pig races. Kevin Bacon, Arnold Schwarzenhogger, Lindsay Loham - the shtick was thick, but the piglets were funny.

I think we were both hoping for that one big thing, the must-see, the draw, but we didn't really find it. There was no butter cow. But, as a child/adult of suburbia, i thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the produce and animals and people. Also, I'd say we did pick the optimal day as far as ongoing activities and attendance levels, plus the traffic is never as bad as i imagine it will be, especially when i'm not driving.

Next weekend is the County Fair. Wonder if she wants to go?

in which i apologize to momsie for making quiche

2011-08-31T13:26:00.002-05:00

seriously, if you ask me about my time in the Girl Scouts (all two years that i can recall - 1 as a Brownie, 1 as a Junior? i'm pretty sure i had some badges and sold some cookies. well, i had some badges for something, and my dad sold some cookies at work.), the thing that sticks out most in my memory is the quiche my mom made for me to take to an "international food" troop meeting. quiche. eggs, swiss cheese, it was just grossness in a pie plate. and then i went and did this today:

loosely adapted from Guideposts magazine, September 2011 issue, i beat 8 pre-Irene* eggs with 1.5 cups pre-Irene fat free organic** milk, and then added 6 oz. pre-Irene shredded medium cheddar, 1/2 c diced sweet onion, 10 oz. thawed, squeezed pre-Irene frozen spinach, 2 smaller sprigs chopped fresh dill, and a good sprinkling of smoked paprika, nutmeg, cayenne, white pepper and cinnamon. after baking 45 minutes in a buttered pie plate at 375 degrees, it looked like this:

i served it with a dollop of sour cream and a drizzle of pumpkin seed oil. i think it would actually be good with a small amount of chopped golden raisins stirred in as well. and i might just serve it with a nice tomato, cucumber, onion salad on the side. did i mention i ate grape tomatoes (halved) on a salad the other night and almost, maybe, liked them?

while it was baking, i called the cable company who politely told me it costs almost as much as i pay now to cancel services because there are apparently no savings when you go backwards in the land of tv, internet and phone service. i've been holding off and holding off on cutting services because, well, frankly, i hoped the tv watcher would have been home by now. i have to call the phone company next, which will be interesting as well because there is no phone line to my house. it snapped in another random storm a few years back. better the devil you know than the devil you don't?
honestly, i really just need to convince myself that i'm ok with having only internets and a handy (my all-time favorite word for a mobile or a cell) and let go of some of the trappings of what lingers in my head as stereotypically normal.

*after buying replacement eggs and milk, i had a phone call with the momsie in which she pointed out that eggs were not always a refrigerated commodity. these eggs were from the farmer's market just before Irene, so i made the perhaps logical assumption they were fresher than supermarket eggs to begin with and would be fine, especially for baking. similarly, the hard cheese and most, if not all, of my produce is just fine. i did use this as an opportunity to rid myself of half eaten store bought jams, homemade pear butter and whatnot from long ago. next weekend, i'll clear the freezer of two year old pumpkin puree and random fish bits before the garbage men come. ok, the cats may get the fish bits.

**i buy organic milk because it comes in the cardboard half gallons, which stay fresher longer than the plastic half gallons. this is important when you are only 1 person, and that 1 person uses milk in her two cups of coffee every morning plus the occasional recipe. also, i'd like to think there are happy cows somewhere.

i had so much more to say this morning

2011-08-29T20:04:00.001-05:00

crazy squirrel eating breakfast.

But i actually did stuff today. i've been thinking a lot (perhaps, too much) lately about where i am going and how i am getting there and whether or not i am enjoying the journey, etc., etc., ad nauseum. So today, i just did. i got a fair amount done, but i won't bore you with all the details of today just yet. In good news, the power was only out for about 22 hours, although the fridge was out for closer to 30 because i didn't realize two breakers had flipped when the power surged repeatedly and finally died. i do have a question:

can i superglue this back together?

Good Night, Irene

2011-08-29T08:55:00.000-05:00

> Actually, it was not such a good night when you have a dog that is afraid of the dark and of storms. Gratefully, there was no thunder. The power went out at one am, at which point Buddy attempted to crawl under the bed. We move to the living room and everything was hunky-dory until the power came on, went off, came on, went off, came on and finally a transformer (or two) blew at three am. We spent the next couple of hours huddled near each other on the floor. I even attempted to calm the poor dog with some songs. That may not have been the best idea?
>
> Anyhow, there are trees down and the power remains out as I sit in the car to charge my phone, but there's a lovely breeze and sunshine now!
>
> Sent from my iPhone

i made these.

2011-08-25T07:59:00.002-05:00

i also forgot to put the garlic in the pepper jars and made too much pickling spice for the dill jars, but i think overall this summer's mad scientist canning was a success. check back in a few weeks.

i added a jalapeno to each jar of banana peppers, because they did not have much (i.e., zero) heat. as noted, they should have also had a clove of garlic and maybe a bit of chopped onion. otherwise, that was a roughly 3:1 vinegar/water hot pack. the dills were cold packed with 6:5 salted vinegar/water (1 T salt per 1/2 c vinegar) and a garlic clove, fresh dill sprig, 1/2 t dill seed and 1/2 t pickling spice* per jar. bread and butter chips followed the classic Ball® recipe as closely as i could. yield: 10 oz peppers = 2 pints; 2 # cucumbers = 6 dill or 5 bread and butter pints.

*after consulting the spice cabinet, i combined equal parts black peppercorns, yellow mustard seeds, coriander seeds, hot pepper flakes and crushed bay leaves with smaller parts cloves, ground ginger, allspice and cinnamon.

in other news, i found my earthquake damage in the library. a book about the Winchester Mystery House in California had fallen to the floor. Yep, of all the books on all the shelves, a California book took a dive. now, we are preparing for some rain this weekend, courtesy of Irene. i'm happy to report the sump pump seems to be operational. as long as the power does not go out for too long, we should stay dry in the basement. the roof, on the other hand, still has a problem.

reason 7,113 why i need to go back to work

2011-08-23T18:44:00.004-05:00

i accidentally went on a 28.5 kilometer bike ride today. yes, my cyclometer came set to kilometers and i haven't bothered to read the instructions to learn how to change it. it feels like an even larger accomplishment in kilometers as opposed to mere miles. although, 17.9 miles sounds plenty far enough. i went north out of the neighborhood and around the lake a few times. it was such a gorgeous day, i thought why not see where the southern route goes. so i passed the airport and headed downstream.

apparently, you can go a very long ways. also, sunscreen should be a very important part of your preparation when wearing a tank top.

at one point, there was a great blue heron flying under the trees above the creek bed while i pedaled down the parallel path for at least 200 yards (meters, whatever). that would have easily been the highlight of my day until, as you may have heard, we had an earthquake. Colorado also had an earthquake last night, but i didn't feel that one. the thought progression as the windows began to rattle was a funny one:

why is that helicopter flying so low to the ground again?

why are so many helicopters flying so low to the ground?

there is no helicopter. the entire house is moving.

oh dear god, what exploded in DC?

wait, no ... earthquake? really? do i go downstairs? do i go outside?

right, doorway ... oh, it's done.

fortunately, there seems to be little damage and harm for all the news coverage. i learned a little more about earthquakes and the old crust we have out here, and that heron flying alongside me was probably still the most amazing part of the day.

time - too much or not enough?

2011-08-22T18:42:00.002-05:00

I have about seventy-eleven-point-two million things i think i'd like to do. I have at least thirteen things i should be doing. I have to keep reminding myself that it's okay not to be doing them all, but i do need to get moving forward on something. examples?

to do:

brew beer - the box is sitting here, filled with buckets and tubes and a spigot and bottle tops and hops and malt and other strange brewing things; paint a room - any room, with some of the various gallons of random latex paint stored on the sunporch and in the basement; give away books - i have lots of law school books that are growing more and more outdated, but might still be useful to some folks (particularly, privacy/IP (general, TM, (c))/int'l/animal law, if you're curious/interested); start baking bread - i think this should/would be fun, but i just look at the recipe book; stop contemplating a triathlon - really, the next 5k in November is a more than sufficient goal for this more traditionally non-exerciser, especially since the pool closed and i've only ridden the bike once.

should do:

update resume - who'd like to critique? i do need some advice on the best presentation of my many experiences and varied skills; patch wall and fix toilet - requires a trip to the big box hardware store for bits and pieces, but, as we've established, i have plenty of time to do that; call ophthalmologist - my eyes are still not happy with glasses 4.0, but they're ok.

have done (this week):

made ratatouille - and it didn't suck, even with eggplant, zucchini and gold zucchini. somehow, i don't own the movie (ahem, birthday gift suggestion; coordinate appropriately).

picked up my Clarence Thomas Bobblehead from The Green Bag - which means I successfully negotiated a trip across the Potomac, although i did have help - joey bought me lunch and went with (i'm still not hungry after the cheesesteak and fries, but it seemed the perfect counterpoint to the ratatouille).

will be done:

pickles! i'm planning to make the bread and butter from the Ball recipe and hoping to try some dill ones, as well as some pickled peppers (always open to recipe suggestions?).

p.s. no, i did not really bring the wild little bunny inside, but i'd be lying if i said i didn't wonder why not at least once.

movin' right along

2011-08-20T11:58:00.000-05:00

I think I've plugged this little gem on every social media network people ignore me on, but how can you resist a sneak preview of The Muppets' Green Album streaming on NPR for a few more days. I'm partial to Rachael Yamagata's I'm Going to Go Back There Some Day. Hey, my first car wasn't named Camilla for just any reason.

summer time eating

Meanwhile, the school buses rumbled through the neighborhood this week. This meant that is was also the end of week day swimming at the public pool, so in a valiant effort to obtain my money's worth on my second month pass, I went Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. This, plus three visits last week, must mean that I leveraged the cost of the pass versus single visits. I'm not sure that's the word I want - leveraged? anyhow, yay, me! I still have seven weekend days that I could go. I think they have a lap lane or two out during regular hours. mmm.. we'll see.

Other random news by the numbers?

4 - number of pairs of glasses made by optometrist. also, number of times my eyes continue to feel wonky. i can't describe it any better. it's driving me mad. and the number of times I jogged on the treadmill this week!

1 + a bit - number of books read. I read The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth: Popularity, Quirk Theory and Why Outsiders Thrive After High School for an online book club. The thriving after HS portion never materialized for me (I mean in the book; i think i turned out just fine or at least ok), so I probably wouldn't recommend it unless you have no concept of cliques, which exist in HS and pretty much every adult group I've experienced. whatever. some people are nice, some people are mean, some people are idiots, and some people are just good people. Now I'm reading Silver Sparrow.

introducing the latest dogsburger

2011-08-18T16:54:00.001-05:00

so i decided to bring the little bunny inside and hug him and squeeze him and call him for my very own! also, because i do want to know the difference between levain and yeast, i got a job!

in all seriousness, i did actually consider applying to be a baker's apprentice, but it was downtown and even if they were to hire me, there is no way i could be there at dawn-o'clock every morning. i am trying to motivate myself to start baking through my bread baker's apprentice cookbook. unfortunately, i feel that project is like most/many of my 40-before-40 and general-life goals - likely to be contemplated, unlikely to be finished. i'm not sure how to change that, but i think the answer lies in some of the things i've heard/read this week.

in response to my tweet regarding Diana Nyad (seriously, awesome), someone responded with "[t]his is why I spend a lot of time with [insert generic child name] working on how to 'fail' gracefully."

and then, while watching Athens, Ga: Inside/Out (although i need to go back and figure out who the person speaking is), i heard about this idea, with reference to why the burgeoning music and art scene in the 80s was, of focusing on "the dignity of the making."

i love both of these ideas: failing gracefully and being about the making, not what is made. so therein lies my challenge - no more perfectionist procrastination, no more fear of failure - but rather how to develop a willingness to go all in, to commit to a task and the preparation involved and do the thing that must be done. meet one of my many things:

moby dick, my string trimmer nemesis

in other news, The Calling is worth watching. i did expect it to follow the same people throughout, but some folks were dropped and some new folks were introduced in the second half. that left me wanting to know more about the ones who were only in [either] half. also (!), Edie & Thea is also available through that same streaming service. yay! although i am a bit hesitant to watch for reasons that might be apparent to some. i'm currently plowing through Deepa Mehta's trilogy - Water, Fire and Earth - before my streaming + 1 DVD period comes to an end in two weeks, with a break tonight for Oublier Cheyenne.

The Year of the Bunny

2011-08-13T17:49:00.001-05:00

There are so many rabbits this year. I can't remember this many at any other point in the last decade (because I'm old like that and have been here that long). When Buddy and I walk around the half mile around the block, we see at least one rabbit, no matter the time of day. One day, we saw four. Well, in all fairness, I saw four. Buddy only occasionally sees their fleeing white tails. He doesn't hear so much either. It's all about the nose. We have to smell every third blade of grass, twice. Today, he failed to notice the annoying boxer and the friendly boxer just across the street, straining to greet him, because the shrubbery was just so odorous.

After it rained today, this little bunny was trimming the yard for me. Unfortunately, they don't do a very complete job and I'm going to have to try to get that weed eater working for me again, soon. Then again, it will be the second time I've mowed and attempted to trim since the fourth of July, so I really shouldn't complain much.

Then Buddy decided to finally venture out back, where we chased two larger bunnies out of the sweet potato patch. I'm not fully convinced there are sweet potatoes growing under the weeds, especially without their leaves. Then again, given my love of sweet potatoes, that may just be okay.

Now we're watching The Calling, a PBS documentary I had recorded last December. I figure if I'm going to give up cable, I'd better watch the things I've recorded. Unfortunately, I seem to have deleted Edie & Thea: A Very Long Engagement. But I will see it.

"ah ha"

2011-08-10T14:35:00.000-05:00

i'm not usually one to read the Pennysaver when it comes in the mail, but i have a little more free time these days. now i need to call about the free 2 year old Siberian Husky, get a job earning up to $150/day as a mystery shopper and purchase abandoned farm acreage in upstate New York. also, my horoscope says:

Although you have attacked a problem from many angles,

you can't seem to come to a resolution.

Someone will offer the "ah ha" moment this week.

I'll be waiting.

onion jam?

2011-08-07T19:19:00.002-05:00

apparently, if you take this

1 large red onion; 1 large sweet onion; a little butter

and add this

1/2 c brown sugar; 6 oz apple cider vinegar; 2 oz balsamic

and let it do this

slightly carmelize onions; add other stuff 'til it thickens

you get this

(i'd use smaller onion pieces next time)

Jordan brought over several onions, so we made onion jam. it was a very nice addition to the gourmet hot dogs we had for dinner. I may also be trying it on other things this week, as there's a bit left over.

This week's plan: the upstairs bathrooms will get a deep clean and an evaluation for to do items. I'm thinking the back may need a new toilet, but maybe I can fix the leak from the tank. We'll see. Other things to do? Swim, bike, run. Read two books. Update bar applications with recent changes. Revisit resume. Contact former colleagues (social networking). Recheck new glasses with eye doc. Call cable company.

Three guesses which task I dread most?

where to start?

2011-08-06T14:15:00.000-05:00

I went to see my acupuncturist this morning. I started going to the student clinic when a friend was in school to see if it would help with stress management because, while I am pretty darn good at being stressed, I'm not so good at managing stress. Then my friend graduated and moved. So I saw another student, who also graduated, but I followed her into private practice. Today, she said my pulses felt better than ever.

I'll be honest, I don't really know what that means and I'm okay with that. But the gist of it seems to be that spending time with family and with friends and in the outdoors makes me tick better. So the new plan is to figure out how to get more of those things now, while simultaneously attempting to resurrect my career, refurbish bits of the house and care for the zoo.

see how happy i look?

ground cherries?

2011-08-03T20:20:00.006-05:00

we went to Das Märit farmers & artist market after Saturday's grueling 5k (my left foot is still not right; it's tough ~~running~~ jogging while avoiding road apples) and spotted what i thought might be gooseberries. Nope, they were ground cherries. The Amish farmer running the stand told me that the ladies told him that two pints were necessary for a pie, so two pints were purchased from his daughter. And then we scratched our heads and came up with ... Ground Cherry Salsa.

2 pints ground cherries, husked, rinsed and quartered
(it took a while)

1/2 medium sweet onion, diced

1/2 cucumber, mostly peeled, seeded and diced

1 jalapeño, seeded and diced

lime juice and coarse salt to taste.

Mix and eat. Or mix, refrigerate and eat. This might be really good with pork, although it was good with just some store bought chips, too. We diced the onion and cucumber in bits about the same size as the quartered ground cherries. the jalapeño bits were smaller. i think some cilantro might be a nice addition as well. then again, it may be a while before i encounter ground cherries again, so perhaps we'll go with a pie the next time.

situational

2011-07-27T18:37:00.001-05:00

I took this particular barzam at the Catholic University of America, in the shadows of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. There were three crucifixes in the exam room (but only maybe 250 people). There was a plaque on the wall just outside the exam room indicating that Pope Benedict XVI spoke there in July 2008. Even as a graduate of a Jesuit law school, it was still a bit overwhelming. Today, I had a long lunch because it was multiple choice day and I always finish early. For better or worse, I just do. So I took a walk through the Shrine. It is a beautiful place, although it felt somewhat empty to me. Perhaps that's how it should be. Maybe one of these kind ladies will shed some grace my way?

I have some other observations on the process and the exam, but they probably aren't that interesting. I thought it went. I thought I was okay with how it went. But I think it's under my skin more than I realized. On the way home, I stopped at the store and may have said the following things out loud, although they went unheard.

To the woman who unloaded her shopping cart into her car and left it in the parking space on the right side of her car rather than returning it to the cart return, which was immediately on the left side of her car - "you may just be what's wrong with America."

To the two young brothers chasing each other across the entrance to the store, while quite happily and derogatorily calling each other faggots - "better a faggot than a bigot."

And then, i decided it was best that i go home.

501 - that's either above mean or a comfortable pair of jeans?

2011-07-24T20:05:00.002-05:00

hmm. it only took five years to get to five hundred posts. this blog must feel rather like my car, driven just over thirty thousand miles in very close to exactly seven years.

in other news? i can't tell you the exact rules for defamation versus constitutional defamation. every time i see the words race, notice, or race notice, i mostly think "really? you bought property and couldn't be bothered to deal with the legalities? next." i cut some slack for anyone involved in a criminal procedure hypothetical. those are more complicated, given the constant give and take, take, take of the supreme court. fortunately, i only have to remember current constitutional protections through early-ish 2010. then there's family law - all the more ironic because "family" law really means divorce and child custody issues and a side mention that i can marry and create a legal family in just a handful of states (hi, NY!). there is some overlap between the duties of loyalty and care owed by a trustee or a corporate director. i'll let you guess who benefits most. oh, and that check you carried around for all of last year? it's probably not going to be negotiable (i.e., good). meh. at the end of the day, i'm not your lawyer, but if i was - i'd look it up. again and again. because laws change and rules change and common law changes and that's my job (one day) - to look it up and do it right.

blah. my head hurts. i wonder how i got here, but i try, i try to remember that it's just a test. and i look forward to moving forward ... onwards to Thursday.

some like it hot

2011-07-22T16:14:00.000-05:00

but this is perhaps a bit too hot. we're hunkered down inside and very grateful that the electricity has not gone out in our neighborhood (knocks wood). i think i've reached the point of barprep where i'm not sure i can learn any more law between now and Tuesday morning. this is a bit unfortunate, because i can't really explain conflict of laws yet. but i have outlines on the Kindle and flashcards on the iPhone and even a stack of old fashioned books, notes and index cards to keep my mind refreshed. i think there's a lot of mind over matter that needs to happen now through Wednesday afternoon because i'm pretty good at panicking, but i also know that there's not much point to it. i can do this. i will use IRAC and i will explain my answers. i will carefully read the exam admittance ticket and not bring the wrong kind of writing instruments. sadly, i cannot write my answers in pink.

seven days

2011-07-19T09:43:00.004-05:00

thank you! the kind and the kick-in-the-pants words are helping ...

seven days!

also, i got new glasses. if my eyes don't adjust by the end of today's ~~ten~~ eight hour study plan, i'm going to have to go back to the old ones until after the exam. my timing is nothing, if not impeccable. after all, the last time i got new glasses was the week before my first law school finals.

do me a favor?

2011-07-16T16:13:00.001-05:00

this is crunch time. nine days. i don't want to have to do this again. (although i will be taking California again, come February, presuming i have the vacation time from the job i am going to have by then.) in any event, i wasn't feeling particularly well last night and today, so i laid on the couch with Ernie and watched bad movies on Netflix.

here's my request: if you know how to reach me, please do. a text, email, FB, tweet at or call with a daily word of encouragement or a daily few words, such as "get back to work!", would be greatly appreciated.

Ernie and i are watching one more movie, then dinner and an early bedtime before tackling this small obstacle anew.

and a bonsai in a bird cage.

2011-07-11T13:04:00.002-05:00

As the clock continues to inexorably wind down to yet another dreaded examination, I had to find a safe place for my former office bonsai. Evidence suggested that the leaves were far too tempting to at least one of my feline companions; however, there was simply not enough time in the day to hover around the tree, preventing its use as a snack factory, while still accomplishing the other tasks on the never ending to-do list.

Lunch, the free bird, was not forced to share her space. Thanks to a conveniently timed sale at the pet store, she received an upgrade.

I think she's happy, but who really knows?

too many to do's

2011-07-05T19:46:00.002-05:00

After the 4:25 am wake up alarm, i merely had to take Dad to airport; watch 3 hour lecture on Wills & Estates; walk the dog; exercise; shower; do two loads of laundry: wash, fold and put away; library: return books, check out one July book club book; grocery: milk; watch 3 hour lecture on Wills & Estates (another one); Secured Transactions multiple choice quiz: answer and review; Wills & Estates multiple choice quiz: answer and review; update blog; send email re: book club picks for next year; schedule dinner with friend; and write one practice essay. And yes, i think it's completely necessary to include things like "shower" on the list. I did take a break in there to watch a little Women's World Cup soccer in the afternoon, while folding the laundry.

Now it's 8:45, and I am about to fall over. I still have a few things left (email re: book club and practice essay), but I think I'm going to call it a night after the W&E quiz.

Dad was a big help over the weekend, making the yard look presentable again. Of course, the string trimmer worked like a champ for him. In return, I fed him more than just hot dogs and cheerios, although we did eat those as well. We had white bean, sausage and spinach soup, Riesling chicken and Sunday noon dim sum. Then, when his return flight was cancelled, we grilled steaks with a nice salad in keeping with traditions on the 4th.

Titan, 1997-2011

2011-07-02T13:12:00.000-05:00

he was a good friend, usually willing to share the dog's bed with the other cats.

as you know, he enjoyed supervising my studying.

he was self sufficient, if he felt there was not enough food or water available.

he enjoyed vacuuming and bird watching.

mostly, he was just Titan.

i will miss his meow, his outreached paw, his company.

a quick update on the food truck dining experience

2011-06-28T20:50:00.001-05:00

8 bucks - giant pulled pork sandwich with hot sauce

PORCMobile - purveyors of mobile cuisine :)

8 bucks - 1 tofu, 1 bulgogi, 1 bbq pork with kimchi

10 bucks - and yes, those are cannoli for dessert.

8 bucks - giant meatballs over tofu drunken noodles

Sang on Wheels

7 bucks - beef berbere and split peas

fojol bros - benethiopia with sink built into truck

8 bucks? picnic sampler with pork, brisket and chicken.

I've had a lot of fun tasting the different offerings. There are more trucks to try, but I'm down to my last two days. Tomorrow is a group lunch and then a quick stop after work for "cappy hour," with caipirinhas at Cuba Libre (i'm scratching my head on this one, too). Maybe Thursday I'll get to try a last truck?

I think the Fojol Bros. - both Merlindia and Benethiopia - are just top notch. The food is spicy; the trays and silverware are compostable. Porc has amazing smokey joes (veg sloppy joes), but i like the self-saucing at the BBQ Bus better. Basil Thyme's lasagna with salad and parmesan toast point and dessert - that was an amazing meal from a truck.
(In other news, Titan is doing much better at the vet. I'm going to visit him in the morning and will update as appropriate.)

titan has a mystery illness

2011-06-26T18:33:00.000-05:00

he looks beyond pathetic. he has no interest in food. he wants to sleep in a kitchen cupboard or in the bathtub, but has a hard time getting over the edge of the tub. i have to give him subcutaneous fluids twice a day, which not only terrifies me, but has also caused me to stab myself in the hand with an 18 gauge needle (just once, i'm totally fine). four hours at the emergency vet and more blood work last night yielded no definitive answers. thankfully, my former housemate-turned-vet-in-another-state was around to sit with me and give me a refresher lesson on fluid administration.

meanwhile, over the last three days, i've purchased pretty much one of every cat food that costs more than a dollar a can, plus caloric gel in a tube, kitten milk, tuna and baby food. on one trip, i bought a six pack of beer, 2 jars of baby food, 8 ounces of grated cheese and a tube of malt hairball remedy at the grocery. because that's what was on my grocery list for that moment. i really did not appreciate the cashier's stony stare of judgment at all, especially as she was about my age and had just finished explaining to the customer in front of me how her mom pays her visa bill and never questions when she buys pet supplies for her guinea pig. oh, and, fyi, it's actually hard to find baby food that is just meat, instead of thanksgiving dinner in a jar or chicken pot pie in a jar or some other odd flavor combination, but fortunately you can still find pureed meat with broth. not that the cat cares.

meanwhile life goes on. i took buddy on a walk last night, and these chairs scared him. he tried to cross the street as we approached and would not walk within 8 feet of them. i know, i know, the ubiquitous resin chairs can be a bit off-putting, particularly when slightly moldy, but really? they're chairs.

and because i have to eat even if the cat won't, i made fake crab enchilada pie with my yellow-green tomatillo salsa with a side of spiced black beans and slaw. it turned out better than i thought. now i just need someone to help me eat it all?!

so please say a kind word for the not-so-fat-boy Titan. i'm more worried than i want to admit.

new tablecloth, now with fur

2011-06-24T06:38:00.000-05:00

Titan's not been feeling well these past two days. He's been so sickly that he earned himself a trip to the vet later today. Here's hoping they will have some good, and preferably inexpensive, news and that he'll rebound quickly.


helping me study, as usual (pre-illness)

the shoe hits the ground ... running?

2011-06-20T19:25:00.000-05:00

quick update: i have 8 days left at my current job. my relief at arriving at an exit strategy is palpable. there are 6.3 million things that i may miss, but there are also 6.31 million things that i may not miss. examples, you ask? i may miss being the go-to-girl for arcane procedural issues in the particular area we practice. i may not miss the phone call where i was asked what i knew about California state contract law, because, you know, i had recently taken that bar exam. nevermind that i was not tested on California distinctions in that area of law. nevermind that i have not yet passed the California bar exam. (true story. i was so not impressed that someone actually thought this was an appropriate question, but i answered politely and moved on. sort of.)

in other news? i planted the 'maters in the back by the AC again. they've grown well there before, so hopefully we'll have some luck.

stay tuned for a food truck update later this week. i think.

my motivation has left the building

2011-06-19T12:57:00.000-05:00

today's to-do list feels too large to even write down. so i started small, with a quick stroll through the farmer's market. Thirteen dollars later, i have more things to do today, including figuring out where to plant the tomatoes (one matt's wild cherry and one brandywine), digging out the weeds in said area and getting the plants in the ground before the cats notice the new indoor snack. i'm considering putting them in the front flower bed?

meanwhile there is cabbage to slice and tomatillos and peppers to roast. it's going to be taco week here, as there's some fish and pulled pork in the freezer, black beans in the cupboard and a packet of corn tortillas to eat up.

my bigger task is trying to create a budget for the next few months. i've been fortunate with my past employment and relatively sensible with spending, so i never stressed too much about it before. now i'm finding it a bit daunting to consider zero income for the foreseeable future. any tips?

pickled pink

2011-06-15T18:25:00.000-05:00

i am nothing, if not the master (mistress?) of the bad pun today. so we are approximately 72 hours post-pickling and one jar is gone. the radish skins have definitely bled into the vinegar liquid. there is more spiciness each day, with a good crunch to the cucumber and slight softening to the radish and carrot. as noted in a prior comment, i might like to try these with a sliced pepper (banana or jalepeno or both) or different spices, depending what is on hand. i happened to have dill from the farmers' market and the garlic chives from my little garden. the nice thing is that refrigerator pickles are infinitely scalable, so that if you have a handful of veg or way too much veg, just adjust the amount of liquid and be done with it.

oh, and yes, if you look closely, i am in the audience photo from The Go-Go's' show (how do you properly apostrophe that?!). look left, near the incredibly bored teen boy in the white cap...

quick pickled veg

2011-06-13T07:13:00.001-05:00

take 4 cups mostly evenly chopped veg - i had baby carrots, 1 pickling cuke, a handful of aging radishes and a small red onion - and pack into 4 pint jars with a clove of peeled garlic and 3 black peppercorns per jar. combine 1 cup vinegar with 1.5 T sugar, 1 T dry dill, 1 T garlic chives, and 1 t red pepper flakes. split evenly amongst jars; then top off with plain old water. refrigerate and hope for the best! my guess is these will be good for 1-2 months in the fridge and will change slightly in flavor and definitely in texture over time. i'll try the first bits in 24 hours and see what happens.

(mostly posting this so i can re-make them if they end up taste-worthy. well, that and it was a pleasant way to procrastinate instead of scooping the cat litter and taking out the recycling and working and studying and folding laundry and ... )

tapping my toes

2011-06-12T08:40:00.001-05:00

still waiting for the shoe to land, but i had some good and/or illuminating conversations with the guys i've worked with all these years and with the HR lady this week. I have an idea of where things are going, and i've done my best to obtusely, professionally, politically, kindly, yet clearly let everyone know what i think i'd like to do... meanwhile, i'm a bit behind on the studying portion of life, but we're still in the MBE subjects, so it's nothing new and i'll get caught up. i've been trying to reevaluate my approach to studying anyhow, in anticipation of no longer being in the office and commuting for 10+ hours a day.

in what can only be described as the best. surprise. ever. (or at least in recent memory), jordan called me at work on Friday and asked if i wanted to see The Go-Go's. we had been planning to go before the car accident, but between the humid, oppressive heat this week and her aches and pains from the accident, i had just assumed i'd go home, put Beauty and the Beat on repeat play on the iPod and have a quiet evening, laying on the couch.

from Wolf Trap Twitter feed - can you find me?

in review, it was both hot and humid, but these five ladies put on a super fun show. fun is how i've always thought of The Go-Go's. the songs just make me want to hop around and giggle. if you were to ask, Vacation and This Town are probably among my favorite songs of theirs. Vacation might also be one of those must turn-up-the-volume, roll-down-the-windows and sing-along-like-mad anytime-it's-on-the-car-radio songs.

be the blue dot.

getting home was another story. apparently every single road in northern Virginia that goes into the District is under evening construction. i missed a few detour signs. some signs were just plain wrong. and i was driving like a stereotypical old lady because the rental SUV has some blind spots big enough for another SUV. so what should have been a 45 minute drive became a two hour ordeal, but we did see the monuments at night as i ended up driving across Memorial Bridge and through town to get home.

"i'm getting better"

2011-06-08T18:57:00.000-05:00

said with my best Monty Python accent, of course.

That was my train on the way home yesterday. We had to offload due to an emergency situation. Everyone got out and and just stood as close as possible to the train door they had exited. Meanwhile, there was smoke coming out of one of the cars. So I headed upstairs and waited away from the train until it left the station. I've no idea what happened, and fortunately it only ended up adding maybe 15 minutes to the commute home. It was just another thing in a long day of things though, which could explain yesterday's pity party.

I'm fairly certain my excitement level matches Titan, but I am back at the studying this evening. Oh, and I literally ran into the HR person at work today. We discussed cut flowers and ignored the elephant in the room. Good times.

Come back tomorrow, and perhaps I shall taunt you a second time.

pity, party of one

2011-06-07T18:39:00.001-05:00

i know. i know. life hands you lemons, make lemonade. it's always darkest before the dawn. that which does not kill us makes us stronger. blah. blah. blah. but sometimes, just sometimes, i'd like to be able to bitch and moan about my very clearly not so significant and yet also not so insignificant problems. and the worst part of it is that i don't have an ear to blister. yes, my pity party can be boiled down to trying to figure out how to make friends as an adult. specifically, as an adult without kids or organized religion or loads of free time. although arguably, i may have more free time than i'd like, come August 7th or so.

i am intensely private. i am sarcastic. i am smart. i am funny. i am self-deprecating. i am not a particularly good dresser, but strongly prefer that my socks match/complement my shirt. i hate talking for the sake of talking, but i am dying to talk without inflicting guilt or pain or having to explain myself too many times.

in the end, i am okay. i will be okay. but i'd like to vent without too many negative repercussions before i simply implode. there's got to be a breaking point. i do not want to find it.

also, i'd like to be able to take a good picture of this florescent green and not too large (so long as it stays outside) spider that has built a rather intricate web in part of the jungle that is my yard.

not quite shoeless yet

2011-06-04T21:25:00.001-05:00

some things haven't changed, but it has been an eventful week. i'm fairly certain that I am avoiding HR as much as HR is avoiding me. meanwhile, i continue to plug away and am exhausted, and slightly behind schedule, by going to work for 8 hours and coming home to watch 3+ hours of yet another bar review lecture each night.

meanwhile, it's hailed; i've eaten at yet another food truck; jordan was in a nasty car accident while we were on the phone; and the weather was gross at the beginning of the week, but absolutely gorgeous today.

not a marble, but a piece of hail already melting in the heat.

chicken, mushrooms & (not so visible) little potatoes with aioli on skewers for lunch!

amazing she could smile after spending such a long time in the ER, waiting for the CT machine to be available again, just to be sure that new pain in the stomach was ok to go home. (and yes, all seems well - bruises and soft tissue trauma and pain, but hopefully that is the extent of it; we shall see.)

a sad picture of sketcher, the "class"ic jeep with many lives,
but YAY! for airbags and new tires and all the things that keep us safe(r).

now waiting for the shoe to land

2011-05-28T17:55:00.001-05:00

Well, it's officially awkward at work in that while I will definitely be leaving soon, no one is sure exactly when. And no one (myself included) really wants to ask the powers that be. Meanwhile, I had little actual work this week, so I cleared almost all of my working files (paper and electronic) - four years is a lot of time to build up "stuff" anywhere you are. I did get to reminisce about some of the more interesting projects and some of the not so interesting ones, as well, that I worked on over the past few years. The process helped me realize that I have a lot of good experience to offer, if I can just pass the bar and get my foot in the door again. I have to admit that after starting in an office in the old building, then moving to the beige cube farm, then the office with the pole in the middle and the view of the building across the alley, and then finally up to the top floor, I am going to miss this view.

Meanwhile, the new study books have arrived. I keep telling myself that I can do this. I can make some changes in my study habits and I can do this. But I'm nervous and worried and maybe even a little scared. After all, I know I can fail the exam; now I need to know I can pass it, too. I also have to refrain from kicking myself for not just taking the DC exam last February. My personal support systems, both internal and external, have good and bad days, and right now, I need all systems to be go, all the time.

But not to fret, there's still good food. I want to uncover the grill this weekend, although I'm slightly worried about what's been living in there. I found a recipe for peach chipotle bbq sauce that sounds delicious and picked up some chicken thighs to test it on. We'll see. From last week, here's my faux lasagna made with cellentani pasta.

Fairly simple, but really good - here's the quick recipe. Cook 8 oz pasta al dente. Drain, set aside. Remove casings and brown 1 pound spicy italian sausage. While cooking, add some onions (I had 3 good sized spring onions) and garlic (again, 3 good sized cloves). Then, a little bit later, add 8 oz. sliced mushrooms (I had baby bellas). Add 10 oz. package of spinach to wilt down on top, once everything is cooked through. You could probably also drain off any grease before adding the spinach - mine wasn't too bad, so I left it in?! Make a bechamel sauce with 2.5 T butter and 3 T flour in a roux; add 2 cups hot milk and whisk, whisk, whisk - it's a thinner white sauce; you could make it thicker. Then whisk in about 4 oz grated mozzarella. Combine noodles, the "filling" of sausage, etc., the bechamel AND a 14 oz can of diced (petite) tomatoes and a good handful of sliced black olives in a 9x13. Top with about 4 oz grated mozzarella and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.

waiting for the other shoe to drop

2011-05-23T20:47:00.003-05:00

ok, so by now, you know (or may have guessed) ... i was not successful on my second attempt at the bar. i was closer. my multiple guess from july + my writing from february would have made me a real lawyer in just eight days. i'm beyond mortified, but trying to see this as an opportunity for bigger change than i might have otherwise contemplated. and i am waiting for the figurative shoe to drop at the office. my job was dependent on passing - a completely fair and understandable policy, i might add. on the plus side, however, this misstep does put me much closer to accomplishing number 3 on the 40-before-40 list! meanwhile, the jungle is in full bloom.

now if only it would stop threatening to rain this evening so Buddy would go out. he's not gone out once since i got home. and i really would like to sleep through the night. after all, i'm already behind on my bar review (because the books are in the mail)...

food truck lunching

2011-05-13T19:34:00.001-05:00

I don't follow all the controversy - and there is some controversy - about the food truck industry, what with parking too close to traditional brick and mortar restaurants and paying (or not paying) sales taxes, but I do follow the food trucks and have been sampling their wares. I try not to buy lunch more than once a week, but this week I splurged. I had three food truck lunches.

The Fojol Bros. have two trucks - one serves Indian; the other Ethiopian. I've not made it to Benethiopia yet, but Merlindia is often near the office. Today was chicken curry and cauliflower with potatoes over basmati rice. spicy. filling. compostable, disposable spork. seven bucks. They also wear odd outfits and faux mustaches?! I particularly like the green cardomom pods in the rice.

Yesterday, I had chorizo arepas and yucca fries from Sabor'a Street. The fries were sweeter than potatoes. The housemade hot sauce and lime aioli were spot on. nine bucks. Also, they had soft shell crab tacos, but I'm not yet adventurous enough for soft shells. They were the only truck on the square yesterday, so I actually had to wait on line and forgot to photograph the food because i was only too happy to dig in as I walked back to the office. But the weather was gorgeous, the fountain was on, and there were ducks.

Wednesday, I had spicy beef bibimbap from The Yellow Vendor. I really liked the coolness of the carrot and cucumber (and the bean sprouts) against the heat of the beef and kimchee. I wish the egg yolk had been runnier. This could have easily been two meals, if I was not such a hearty eater. just seven bucks.

It's been San Diego weather all week until today - cool breezes with bright sunshine and temperatures in the mid-70s. Today, it's been threatening rain and the air is heavy with humidity. I rushed home to mow the yard as it's supposed to rain all weekend. Now, it won't. You're welcome, DC. :)