Happy Halloween I had a quiet day, in which everyone was pleasant, and, like all my Fridays, ended early. Even better, it started off a three-day weekend. It's cloudy and rainy outside, cozy inside - tea and cat weather, Netflix with sick D. weather. The few leaves that do change color here are, for once, not blinded by sun.
Burn I attempted a soy candle this weekend. Microwaveable soy chips are so easy - just melt 'em down in a small frozen dinner tray, mix in the color and scent, and pour it into the (reused!) glass. It didn't turn out too badly for a first try, I guess.
I didn't add quite enough wax or color (I was going for a rich brown). I used vanilla scent, but decided at the last minute to add some cinnamon, which, as I should have suspected, mostly dropped to the bottom of the candle. Which looks kind of neat - better than in the picture - though. It still smells good, kind of autumny.
I was told that soy burns cleaner and longer. It does seem to burn clean, but I'm beginning to believe that the only reason it burns longer is because it burns so poorly. Unless I'm just using a bad wick. 10/28/03 08:08 AM|Comments
October 27, 2003
E-I-E-I... ewww. So we did go out to Bishop's Pumpkin Farm in Wheatland on Saturday, early enough that we avoided the worst of the heat.
I think the best part of the trip was the drive.
It was as if the worst of humanity decided to congregate in that square mile of land. Entering, there were the two adorable little princesses sitting on the fence, categorizing passersby: "Ugly, beautiful, pretty, pretty... ugly, beautiful." There was the boy who nearly broke that petting zoo goat's back, while Mom and Dad made weak protests while seeming almost amused. And screechy line-cutter lady ended the day with a capital B.
One quarter of the animals seemed diseased, missing feathers or fur. The rest were dispirited in their dirty, tiny, fly-massed pens. And it was, of course, hot, which could hardly be helped. A bunch of exhibits said "KIDS ONLY," the crowds were insane and the lines long. You could "watch" the cidermaking operation - in a hot, cramped room through a filthy window. And my little jug of cider was overfilled and spilled on D's upholstery when I opened it, and it stained, and now I'm in disgrace.
On a brighter note, next Monday is a teacher day, and then the Monday/Tuesday after that is the Veteran's holiday, and the next week begins two off for intersession (cut short this year because July intersession was longer). It's enough to keep me floating for now. 10/27/03 03:14 PM|Comments
October 26, 2003
McBaby Looks like we're feeding our infants crap, too:
"French fries are the most popular vegetable eaten by children 19 to 24 months old," researcher Dr. Kathleen Reidy said at an American Dietetic Association conference. "Twenty to 25 percent of these kids did not eat a single healthy vegetable on the day of the survey, and 25 to 30 percent did not eat a single fruit... She said her research showed soft drinks were being placed into the bottles of infants as young as seven months old."
I'm seriously shocked by this, though I probably shouldn't be. The kids at school are knocking down bags of Cheetos with a side of Drumstik for lunch, but... babies and toddlers? Egads. 10/26/03 11:08 AM|Comments
October 23, 2003
Flashbacks With a Twist Discovering VH1's I Love the 80's series has done nothing whatsoever for my reading or productivity in general. I could, and have, watched for hours at a time. Michael Ian Black is a riot. Tear-inducing.
The Way We Were I nearly finished Blankets in a way-too-late session last night. Good stuff. What makes it even more relevant for me, personally, is the fact that much of his relationship with Raina is taking place in Marquette, Michigan (the snowiest small city in the 48, as the book says), which I wasn't expecting. Of course, attending college there during the same time the book is supposed to be taking place, I had my share of similar experiences. Is the "mountain" they visit Sugarloaf (where I spent too many friendly/drunken/romantic/lovesick/psycho-jogging-class-from-Hell outings to count), I have to wonder??? 10/22/03 03:05 PM|Comments
Rah Rah At least there's Spirit Week. Today I'm a pirate wench, and I've got a big parrot on my head.
You Heard it Here First. It's nearly 90, and October. Nearly 90 - and the end of October. I'm pretty sure that means we get an extra Fall Fun Trip this year, no? Yes.
In other news: I've been nauseous for two days straight (shot nerves, coffee, and too little sleep), I've sanded the biggest rust spots off the UgMobile in prep for some primer and a bad patch job, and my book treats arrived from the Promised Land today. I fell off the WW wagon two weeks ago and didn't have the wherewithal to care, and, related, there are pretzels and cookie dough balls in the freezer from the latest school fundraising scam. My mind, in self-defense, has now resorted to flat-out refusal that there will indeed be a Governator in the neighboring zip code. I never have nightmares anymore, but Sunday I woke up in a cold sweat after I watched a Technicolor roller coaster disaster in a fictitious Vegas. And today I daydreamed of bitch-slapping another adult; related to that, I have made a solemn promise to my circulatory, digestive, and nervous systems that my job and I will no longer be codependent by the end of this calendar year. 10/21/03 04:28 PM|Comments
Yes, That's All I Do Now is Link to the Local Rag The famous Fair Oaks fowl are more contentious than I thought. While I love watching the birds on picnics, I admittedly agree the herd could probably use a bit of thinning. I'm sure I'd quickly tire of my yard and porch being involuntarily whitewashed.
But this... This is just... "It's hard to go to the park for lunch, because they chase you. They come at you in groups when you get out of your car. We got a rubber-band gun, just for them. You can't let them sense your fear." 10/21/03 07:38 AM|Comments
Alas, Poor Nap, I Hardly Knew Thee Today was slightly overcast and more than cool enough for an afternoon nap. I read my book for a bit in the quiet before nodding off.
And I swear, just ten minutes later, three things happened in tandem: the nasty duck started squawking, neighbor dog began to bark, and somebody across the pond got out the ray-dee-o for some good old-fashioned honky-tonk blues.
Your Money's Good Here Dear Shingle Springs Miwok,
I understand that your generous donation has been turned away by a local school district. While they certainly have the right to refuse monies as they see fit, it seems wasteful and imprudent in these times of fiscal need. Especially when funding is being taken from those of questionable integrity with the other hand.
I am part of another underfunded school in the area. Rest assured that any donations made here would be accepted in the spirit with which they are given, considering the needs of students above all else.
Books for Me. Me Me Me! If you're as huge a fan of modern fairy tale retellings as I am, you probably already know about the delightful Gregory Maguire. I didn't realize that a new novel, Mirror Mirror, had just been released, and luckily somehow bumped into it while looking at Craig Thompson stuff. So, yeah. Thompson and Maguire. I don't think I've been this excited to receive a shipment of books in quite some time. Of course, I can't remember the last time I ordered adult novels for myself... 10/14/03 07:30 PM|Comments
October 13, 2003
Your Opinions Wanted I've got this new design, see. But I'm not sure that I want to use it - at least not in its current state. Thing is, it pretty much retains this design as a skeleton. And there've been wildly differing opinions in this household as to whether keeping my blog in a scrolly box is good design (even a stupid fight or two about it). I like keeping it boxed because... well, I just do. It makes me happy to have the design and navigation right there, always, no matter how far back I'm currently reading. Others feel cramped. But you've gotta look at the damned thing, too. So tell me what you think, all anonymous-like.
This is Not Helping My Puppy Lust I just had to share acouple of the pet costume photos I was sent by a friend. 10/10/03 04:49 PM|Comments
Picture Pages I've just ordered my very first (and very substantial) graphic novel. I think reading Stef's posts about them finally pushed me over the edge.
I honestly couldn't say why I'd been avoiding them. When Maus came out in the late eighties/early nineties, it was obvious how powerful the format could be. But beyond that, I stayed away. Maybe it was residual guilt over enjoying Archie as a kid. In any case, I've got to get over it. Graphic novels open up a whole new world of reading motivation for kids, and the smart librarians are getting on board. 10/10/03 06:27 AM|Comments
October 09, 2003
Viva I've been thinking about Vegas again. All color and light and non-depressingness (unless you count those nudie bar brochure passers-outer on every Strip corner). We never got to go downtown, or ride to the top of the Stratosphere, see Star Trek or any bad lounge acts, watch the gondolas glide by, or tour the Hoover Dam. Aladdin, Paris, New York, or the Venetian? Wait, that last one's a wee bit out of my league. It might be kind of fun, though, to ditch the mega-casinos for something more Rat Pack traditional.
Is Moon ever really going to happen, I wonder? Ah, looking at the "Press Releases" section, they still seem to think so.
Timing Beth purchased wonderful things for my library once before. And today, just days after it was announced that the district library budget would be reappropriated for textbooks, I received a postcard from Amazon announcing the imminent arrival of more.
On Fi-aaaah! "At what point did the carving of pumpkins turn into a "cute" event? When did boys stop carving pumpkins and moms start? Where did we lose touch with one of the years coolest events?
"Today we will seize back this ritual. Today is the day we throw away those safe, cute carving tools. Today. We will buy a big, ugly, pumpkin so large one man cannot lift or move it. Today. We will carve that sumbitch into something ugly and plop it on the front porch. October 31st we will light it brightly enough to give visiting children suntans.
I Don't Need No Stinkin' Oven Last night I browned some sausage and pureed some tomatoes. This morning I added those to a jar of sauce, mozzarella, cottage cheese, and lasagna noodles, and plopped it all into the slow cooker (well, layered in a really anal-retentive way, more accurately). Easy peasy. I expect to return to a yummy-smelling apartment later today. Without the kitchen being an oven, yay!
Manners Matter (Even for Salespeople) You've heard me rant plenty about book vendors calling me and even "dropping in" during the day. But today's episode was truly unbelievable.
She left me voicemail yesterday late - late enough so I didn't get it until this morning. Without even giving me time to reply to that one (not that I was planning on calling back, because these people have been annoying me for three years), she left another early today, saying that she'd be in the area, and that she was "just going to stop by" anyhow. Oh, I don't think so, lady. Not cool.
So I asked the folks in the front office not to let her through; she didn't have an appointment and was completely uninvited. But somehow she muscled her way in. And she knew she wasn't supposed to be here - "I know you probably don't want to talk to me, I know how busy you are, I used to do this too, blah, blah." If you know, then why the hell are you here, when I've got classes all day, it's obvious I'm ignoring you, and I've only the tiniest scrape of money to spend in any case? What are you accomplishing by antagonizing me?
Then, as frosting, she actually had the nerve to interrupt me while I was serving a student!!! Which earned her the worst dirty look I had time to muster. On her way out, she turned back and said "You can ask xxxx xxxx for a reference, she orders with us all the time." Haha! What a kidder.
I've no lack of reputable, reasonable vendors to choose from, most of whom don't hassle me. They send me catalogs, and I'm aware they exist. If I like what I see, the price is right, processing options are reasonable, and they've received good marks from the other librarians - I order. If I have questions - I can call. Simple as that. Sure, it's nice to take a look at samples before a purchase. I've done it in the past. If I had all the time and money in the world, it might be nice to do it more often now. But as it is... I don't.
Snackage One of my favorite things ever, JapaneseSnacks.com, is supposedly returning in November (you have to forgive a bit of skepticism; I've been on their mailing list for two years, and promises have been plentiful). Not like I can't get Pocky and Yan Yan a million other places online nowadays, but these guys were selling this stuff back when you were lucky to find it at Cost Plus. 10/01/03 07:31 AM|Comments