the it blog

Killed it: the it blog

2008-09-27T13:38:00.002-04:00

I told myself when I started this blog that I am not going to feel bad when I stop updating it one day.
I don't!
BUT I do need a little resolution.
The IT blog is no more!
Where am I?
Still living in Cary. Still working at the library.
I spend a ridiculous amount of time on facebook. Through facebook I have been able to find lots of people I lost contact with for whatever reason.
My books are updated on goodreads.com
So if you want to find me there, sign up and search for me.
Take Care! until the next blog;)

Polled it: And the weiner is...

2008-02-21T19:41:00.006-05:00

Stalin/ guy down by the river

beard	1 (5%)
fu manchu	2 (11%)
stalin/ guy down by the river	8 (44%)
hitler/ charlie chaplin	3 (16%)
clean cut Jerry	4 (22%)

Total votes: 18

Shaved it: Jerry's face

2008-02-17T10:12:00.006-05:00

Jerry has put an end to his facial hair. We had a good time shaving it in stages. Vote on your favorite Jerry (poll to the right):

FuManChu:

Jerry thinks he looks like Stalin, I'm thinking this Stalin lives in a van down by the river:

The nicest Hitler...er, I mean Charlie Chaplin, ever:

Clean cut Jerry:

Made it: Baby Poncho

2008-02-16T12:33:00.006-05:00

I came across this pattern for a baby poncho in the Lion Brand newsletter and thought it would be cute for little Immy. Immy belongs to Jade and Nigel (my former co-worker and her British husband). She is super cute and has crazy hair. The pattern was pretty easy. It was basically a rectangle with a hole in the middle. The hood is knitted on and picking up the right number of stitches is not so easy. Also there was supposed to be a pocket but I ran out of yarn, plus what the heck does a baby need a pocket for any way? lip balm? a cell phone? nuffin!
We ate at London Fish and Chips, a wildly popular fish n' chips place in Cary. People line up at the door and they sometimes sell out of fish early. Nigel gives it a thumbs up. He says it is less greasy than the standard fish n' chips. Jerry enjoyed it. I feel it is what it is, I am not a huge fan of overly breaded fried things (don't get me wrong, fried IS a food group ya'll).
The highlight was the very fashionable Immy in the poncho and her Union Jack shirt.

Embroidered it: "and all was for an appil"

2008-02-14T20:12:00.005-05:00

This is what I will be working on for the next year or lifetime....
My co-worker Martha showed me a cool website (www.scarlet-letter.com) that sells reproductions of samplers. This is a reproduction of some canvas work from the 17th century. What is really cool about it is that the Adam and Eve motif was not at all common during this time. I like the really primitive look and phrase "and all was for an appil". So this is cross stitched on linen which is not an evenly woven fabric. Seeing this firsthand was overwhelming and I almost started crying, considered sending it back (I was really looking forward to this for weeks). But then I thought about it for a while and decided to pencil in a graph out line on the outside of the piece. That really helped and I have stitched about 20 stitches so far. Hopefully I will give an occasional update. Also overwhelming is the size 13"x 16". According to my calculations there are 696 squares containing 100 stitches- that equals almost 70,000 stitches. However, half of this is negative space so really it is about half that...phew! only 35,000 stitches!
I have not been blogging as much lately. I actually have posts drafted up (like the time we shaved Jerry's facial hair in stages). Maybe I will get around to it over the weekend!

Crocheted it: Scarf

2008-02-06T19:06:00.001-05:00

This is my first time crocheting. I will always prefer knitting BUT there are certain patterns in crochet that you don't see in knitting. For example, a cloche. I had one pattern in knit and it was for a super expert. It had a complicated herringbone pattern. I figured out the pattern but when it came to the pattern and increasing and decreasing....I gave up. I must have tried to knit this 8 or 9 times. I don't feel like it was a failure because I tried several times and the person at the knit shop was impressed that I figure the pattern out and could not really help me when it came to whatever my problem was (yep, so complicated we did not even know what my problem was, just that it wasn't right) . To impress a knitting shop lady is pretty impressive so I just left it at that--pat on back!
So I got the book "Get Hooked Again!" and it is ok. The written instructions are easier than the pics, but I found this to be true of online instructions as well. Knitting seems easier to represent graphically. I did not like the colors of the yarn at the craft store so I chose another brand (Vanna's Choice by Lion Brand Yarn) and bought the hook mentioned in the gauge and am using the pattern in the book. Unfortunately the yarn is acrylic BUT the colors are awesome.
So crocheting is not too bad, everyone says it is quicker but I don't necessarily think so!

Laughed at it: Sprinkle Brigade

2008-02-05T10:21:00.000-05:00

My pal Jill shared this site with me. It is funny and nauseating at the same time:
www.sprinklebrigade.com

Cooked it: Soup Soup Soup

2008-02-03T15:58:00.001-05:00

Since Jerry is sans job we have been making lots of soup. Soup is great because it is usually some what economical and lasts a while. It has been pretty cold here, well, cold for us...ok, it will be 74 degrees on Tuesday...whatever! My favorite thing about the soup is my enameled cast iron soup po t (kind of like this but in apple green) and the ladle (both thoughtful gifts from my soup buddies). However, I do not recommend you drop any part of the enameled pot on your foot....it really hurts.
White Chicken Chili- I like this recipe because it is healthy and easy. Other than sauteeing the onions and peppers (I use red bell peppers only, not the green), everything else is cans. I usually use red kidney beans vs the white beans. Also I dump in a small can of corn (sorry I used dump and corn in the same sentence).
Sausage and Kale soup: Jerry LOVES this soup. We use smoke turkey sausage. Also pretty healthy with the beans and the kale. Kale is really good in this because it stands up flavor and texture wise, something the more delicate greens can't do. (also, this version)
Curried Caulifower Soup: This is a great potato soup alternative, the dominate flavor is definitely onion but the cook down so they are melt in your mouth. It is a little labor intensive (roast the cauliflower, sautee onions, cook together, take out half and puree). We used curry powder and really it does not have a curry flavor. I threw in some red pepper flakes to give it a kick. My friend Scott suggested toasting and grinding some whole spices, I agree it would probably give it a better flavor, more of a true curry, and if you are going through all the trouble any way, you may as well!

Watched it: 3 movies

2008-02-03T15:49:00.000-05:00

3:10 to Yuma: I usually do not care for Russell Crowe, but this was not too bad. Predicatably I fell asleep during the middle part but woke up in time for the end. It was ok for a movie I did not entirely see.

Ratatouille: We decided to see this since it was on a lot of critics top ten picks of 2007. It was pretty good. The best thing on the dvd was the extra about the history of the rat. It was really well done and hilarious. I also enjoyed making Jerry mad by calling the rat a mouse..."Poor mouse" or "Poor Mousatouille".

Stardust: This was pretty good. We are not sure why they cast Claire Danes in it. Why have an American play a role with a British accent. There are enough British actresses out there to avoid her all together (even for American movies....please?!). The other thing was a gay pirate played by Robert Deniro. They should've re-cast it or left this out! One of the pluses a large cameo played by Ricky Gervais.

Read it: Mysteries

2008-02-03T15:39:00.000-05:00

Ok, I am hooked on mysteries... I can't help it. Sometimes with contemporary lit I get so bored. It is so stylized and usually a let down. What I do like about mysteries is the predicatability; there is a murder, the murder is solved. I also like the unexpected twists. I may have it solved but there is usually something I did not see coming.
This would be the case with Kate Morgenroth's book, They Did It With Love. This is a chick lit mystery. There are a ridiculous amount of characters and sometimes it can be a little tedious. It moves along fairly quickly. I think this book is best read in a short period of time since there are so many characters to keep straight. I liked it though. I was hoping she would set it up as the first in a series but I doubt that is the case.
The other mystery of late is Every Secret Thing by Laura Lippman. Lippman has a series but I really enjoy her stand alones (also enjoyed, What the Dead Know). This book was a good quick read. She really depends on the reader making a lot of assumptions only to totally demolish them in the end...very sneaky. I think that is pretty intense and skillful , to write a book knowing the assumptions of the reader is making ...mind-blowing!

Read it: Christine Falls by Benjamin Black

2008-01-21T12:41:00.000-05:00

This was a pretty good mystery from Irish writer John Banville ( winner of the Man Booker award for his novel The Sea) writing under the pseudonym Benjamin Black. This is not a typical whodunit mystery but a peel back the layers type mystery (thanks to Lazygirl's review on goodreads.com for highlighting the difference). This is a pretty quick read. Black gives the plot lots of interesting twists and turns as Quirke, the main character unravels the mystery that involves him without him really being a part of those who know the truth. There are lots of surprises. I guess I was a little disappointed in the final 50 pages or so, but I think that is more because I was expecting a typical whodunit, not something that involves so many people. Also I wonder if the whole "mystery" could have been avoided with a little forthrightness, instead the plot feels almost sitcom like. I almost feel like this could be consider just general fiction.

Petted it: Junior, the Elizabeth Taylor of the dog world

2008-01-20T20:36:00.000-05:00

Yet again, Junior has injured himself. This time it is a torn toenail that is bleeding and painful. I tried to trim it myself, but he yelped and then was shaking (sad and cute at the same time) which required me to give him reassuring hugs "there there, there there". I am perfectly prepared to perform a tracheotomy if needed. I am pretty sure all I need is a ball point pen.
Today is Junior's estimated birthday (he is 45 according to the weight/ year chart at the vet's) , nothing like a trip to the vet. Luckily, he only got the nail trimmed, not as far back as where it is broken. The tech also trimmed the rest of his nails. Junior got a day at the spa for his birthday!

He is worth it though. Yesterday he played gentle giant with Lily (our friend Tom's little girl). She loves petting Junior and he loves being petted. In many circles, Junior is known as the Mr Darcy of the dog world. He is also a super genius and as proof:

Junior prefers standing in two rooms at once, if that isn't brilliant, I don't know what is. Junior, smartest dog ever!

Read it: A Golden Age by Tahmima Anam

2008-01-18T18:07:00.000-05:00

I judged a book by the (beautiful) cover and boy, am I glad I did! This is an excellent first book by Bangladeshi born writer Tahmima Anam. Anam delivers a powerful story about Rehana and her young adult children trying to survive during the liberation war fought against Pakistan. Anam does a good job capturing the strong bond between mother and child as she becomes as involved in the liberation of Bangladesh as her children. This story is very moving and has a surprise ending. It is the first in a trilogy, I look forward to more from this new author.
(you probably cannot tell from the picture but the design on the front has a layered, stamp look---it is really pretty)

Read it: Dearly Devoted Dexter by Jeff Lindsay (audio book)

2008-01-17T21:43:00.000-05:00

This was the most gruesome thing I have ever read/listened to on audio. I wanted to tell Jerry about it but I just couldn't, it was that disturbing. It was suspenseful to the very last minute. The reader on this audio book is also really good. I may even like him more than the actor who portrays Dexter in the Showtime series (Michael C. Hall). I have a feeling the show may not use this plot for the show. I cannot imagine how they would pull it off....

*I tried to go see There Will Be Blood tonight using a free preview pass. I invited lots of people to join me. We got there only to find out that the movie did not come in...d-oh! The good news is we can use the pass for the movie in the future and they are going to mail us two passes for any movie.

Read it: Happiness is an Inside Job: practicing for a joyful life by Sylvia Boorstein PhD

2008-01-14T19:09:00.000-05:00

This is the first time I have ever read a "self-help" book, however, I do think I picked a good one. I just liked the title, and was unsure what the book was about. I really enjoyed it and it has helped me tremendously. I like(d) to dwell on things a little too much, especially things I have no control over, sometimes constantly re-living the past, or imagining the future, anything but living in the present.Sylvia teaches you why and how to avoid this through Buddhist concepts. She is good at explaining things and gives really good examples to illustrate. The book is well written. Sylvia teaches and when reading the book I feel like she is speaking to me. I feel like this book has made a big impact on me already. I will probably read more by her, read similar books or re-read this one. Many of the things she talked about I naturally do. I think you can choose to be happy even when life throws you challenges.

The cold is getting better. I canceled my doctors appointment this am. I still have a few days to go I think, but feeling 100% is on the horizon! I am also happy that I will not need to take an anti-biotic.

Read it: The Innocent Man by John Grisham

2008-01-13T17:26:00.000-05:00

I had been wanting to read this and finally made time for it as a book club selection. I am usually not a big Grisham fan (pretty indifferent, I guess) but I do like my non-fiction. This story is really compelling as he follows the life of Ron Williamson, an all-American small town boy whose only dream is to play major league baseball. Williamson is drafted to play but things don't go as planned. He turns to drugs and alcohol to assuage his lost dreams and mental illness (bipolar). He (and his friend Dennis Fritz-sentenced to life) spent 11 years on death row for a crime he did not commit.
The Innocent Man addresses the American justice system in a fact-based, thoughtful book. Whether or not you are for or against the death penalty, it is not hard to see that the judicial system constantly mocks justice with corruption, prejudice and inefficiencies.

What I also find is heartbreaking is the many years Ron spent getting inadequate care for his mental illness. Part of it you can definitely blame on the system (not being kept on meds while being incarcerated, being over medicated by prison staff, being taunted by prison staff, etc) , but also with mental health problems that is just the nature of the beast. It is very difficult for families to cope with adults who suffer from mental illness and get them the help they need.

Grisham does a great job stepping back and giving people a look at the big picture. I think knowing that the injustices suffered were part of the system is an important part of the book. Also, I think if the injustices were an anomaly, I would probably be less interested and outraged.
Grisham does a fair job writing this, not great but straightforward. I feel like he did the same job anyone else would do, but being John Grisham got some instant recognition.

My cold feels like it could be easing up some. I have an appetite for food with flavor and to celebrate Jerry is making Chicken Parmesan. I have a doctors appointment in the morning but who knows, maybe I will be able to skip it. I look forward to being less couch-ridden, however it did allow for some quality reading time:)

Irrigated it: my nasal passage

2008-01-12T16:34:00.000-05:00

I have had a cold for exactly one week. In desperation I decided to try out a neti pot. I heard of this before and my friend Skip and co-worker Linda swear by it. I have used saline nasal spray in the past, especially during the winter months when the air is dry (ok, when it is not in the low 70s). I love the neti pot. Something was very unsettling about pouring water in my nose. I thought about those times at the pool when I was a kid and got chlorinated water in my nose , not pleasant. But this is awesome. It is warm and then once the saline finally makes it through, you can blow your nose a lot. I even found an old Barbie shoe I shoved up there when I was 5...well, not really...but I did find gold!
My mom and my niece went to Paint a Pot (one of those ceramic you paint it pottery places that my 7 year old niece has been dying to go to forever) today. I wish they had a neti pot to paint: Out , out damn snot!

Read it: Chocolat by Joanne Harris

2008-01-10T09:08:00.001-05:00

I had to read this for work. It was ok. Better than what I imagine the movie to be, but then again, how bad can a movie be if it has Johnny Depp in it. The books was told from the perspective of several main characters. This really got tedious sometimes, not adding to character development or furthering the plot. Many times I wanted to put it down but....
I also found the ending a little confusing and that stinks because I had to suffer through to get to the ending.

Watched it: Jane Eyre

2008-01-08T18:01:00.000-05:00

Jerry and I watched Jane Eyre on PBS. I think it was a really good adaptation of the book. It is hard to cram a story into 4 hours and they did a good even handed job. The only problem I had with the movie is the actress who portrayed Jane Eyre....really not attractive....
Jane Eyre was not supposed to be a looker but come on! She was like Jerry's girlfriend on Seinfeld who was pretty except in certain light...that is the way she looked all the time. I thought maybe it was her circumstance that made her eww but, nope , even when she was happy she was not attractive. Usually they cast someone who is really pretty but then downplay their looks until it is their time to shine.
Rochester was really handsome and fiery. And the love scenes were pretty intense!
I look forward to seeing other adaptations in the future (maybe not the one with George C Scott as Rochester)

Watched it: 3 movie weekend

2008-01-06T21:44:00.000-05:00

Friday night we rented Ocean's Thirteen. It was good. I guess the best thing about it (other than George Clooney, the best thing of anything starring George Clooney) was Casey Affleck. In the movie he was supposed to sabotage some dice in a South of the Border dice factory, instead he led the workers in a revolt. It was entertaining and worth watching, especially if you like heist movies. ~recommend~
Saturday I saw Atonement with my friend Stacy. I read the book by Ian McEwan on her recommendation and loved it. The movie was an excellent representation of the book. James McEvoy is quite the hottie (no George Clooney, of course, that would be impossible). One of my favorite things about the movie was the music. Often they turned a monotonous sound (like the sound of a typewriter) into the beginnings of intense music. I also like how the delicately handled a not so delicate word that plays a big part in the plot, very clever--it was never once uttered, but it still had a huge impact. We both thought reading the book is a good idea before watching the movie. ~highly recommend~

I have been on the couch ever since returning from that movie with the worst cold ever.
Really it is bad. I haven't had a fever, but I feel wretched. Really bad sore throat and stuffy nose. While Jerry and Scott watched football, I watched Waitress upstairs. It was cute. Keri Russell's cohorts in the movie were hilarious. It made me want to bake a pie! ~recommend~

Read it: Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

2008-01-02T09:45:00.000-05:00

This as a quick, entertaining read. Garden Spells is a first novel by Asheville native Sarah Addison Allen (click on her name for her excellent website including recipes mentioned in the novel). Her novel is very reminiscent of Alice Hoffman with lots of magical realism. The main character, Claire, is a caterer who prepares food using flowers and herbs from her special garden (the book includes a back of the book glossary of uses for different flowers). Her and her family are known for their special gifts but this is more of a burden in a lot of ways. Everything changes when her long lost sister returns home.
I look forward to checking out Allen's next novel!

Celebrated it: Happy New Year

2008-01-01T10:28:00.000-05:00

Wow, another year. I almost went to bed last night at quarter till midnight, I forgot about ringing in the new year. But , I made it and we kissed. There were lots of fireworks in the area last night. We could see and hear them from our front porch. That was a pleasant surprise.

No resolutions this year except my usual: refer to the bathroom as the "terlet". This has been my resolution for a few years and it is a good one. Pretty low pressure...the resolution not the terlet....

Petted it: Chippy

2007-12-30T14:31:00.001-05:00

"Chippy"
RIP
?-2007

Chippy was my inlaws chipmunk. They fed him peanuts and sometimes he would visit them on their deck. We sent him a brick of chippy treats for Christmas only to learn that he is dead....
Oh, Chippy, we hardly knew you!

Read it: Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl

2007-12-29T17:30:00.000-05:00

This is Marisha Pessl's first novel (she is an Asheville, NC native by the way). I liked it but it is not for everyone. It is the life story of Blue Van Meer told in the form of a research paper complete with the occasional illustration and parenthetical documentation. At first it is really clever after a while it is annoying and tedious. Skimming is a good idea in the middle of the book. The ending was good enough to suffer through the middle. I think if you liked House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski then you may enjoy this book. It is a cross between it and Secret History by Donna Tartt sprinkled with McSweeneys. The main plot of the book revolves around a cliquey, elitist group of friends and their mysterious leader/ prep school teacher. Blue collects clues to unravel the teacher's identity and discovering a lot about herself at the same time.
Also, the book has a really cool website: http://www.calamityphysics.com/main.htm

Watched it: Juno

2007-12-29T17:05:00.000-05:00

We saw Juno with Scott and Salley Friday night. We were all super excited to see it and super let down. A lot of hype with this movie.

What we did not like:
*the funny stuff is pretty much what you see in the trailers
*the competitive "I am cooler than you" band name dropping (Jerry insists it is "the Stooges", not "Iggy and the Stooges", I concur)
*one of the names she dropped that she thought made her cool was Patti Smith...this could never make someone cool, it could only make them a total loser
*the guy behind us who thought even the most mildly amusing thing to be absolutely hilarious as he howled with laughter

What we did like:
*supporting characters were spot on, clever, but not overly so and very likable
*hamburger phone
*dissed Sonic Youth
*Michael Cera;he can only play one character, we like it, so that is ok
*wears the dorkiest track clothes for most the movie
*there is a plot that is never allude to in the movie that was really interesting and well resolved

Should you see it? Rent it, but save your moolah for another flick currently in theaters.

Watched it: Masterpiece Theater

2007-12-28T19:07:00.000-05:00

I AM SO FREAKING EXCITED!!!!
PBS's Masterpiece Theater is showing Jane Eyre Dec 30 and Jan 6
Then....
They are showing all 6 Jane Austen novels beginning in 2008!!! They call it Sundays with Jane
Holy Cow!
I am so excited...too excited really....

Read it: NOT!

2007-12-28T16:24:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I pick up books and do not finish them...they deserve acknowledgment. You may think "gee, if she didn't like it, it must be good"
It doesn't mean the book was bad, just not for me
No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy: Just could not do it. I read quite a bit. McCarthy is a very skilled author and I can appreciate that...sometimes, I just did not know what was going on and that is no fun. One thing he did that I thought was effective, was using short sentences. The sentences were sometimes not even nouns and verbs. I think this made for a very intense novel. I did see the movie though:)
[a funny story about the movie...Jerry and I were in a shop for people with more money than taste and the shop owner was talking really loud in a really Southern accent about "We jes' saaaw this movie las' niiight, it wuz weird, it wuz called "Too Much Country for Too Tough Men", needless to say we make up our own unique title every time]
Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris: This was a NYT Book Review notable book of 2007. It is about corporate life. I've been there, so I thought this would be entertaining. The problem I had with it was that it was written entirely in first person plural. Yep, everything was "We...". I get it---corporate culture , lack of identity, getting on my last nerve...also, I read that the book was more like loosely tied together stories. I really like a plot that goes from one end of the book to the other. So, probably not bad but I'd rather just watch Office Space. [when I had my old job I would not let Jerry watch this movie if I was home when it was re-running on Comedy Central, I was like "please, I have to go there tomorrow"] We did not like this book, we were not amused. Then we returned it to the library.

Watched it: No Country for Old Men and Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

2007-12-25T16:01:00.001-05:00

We decided to trade holiday cheer for violence and bloodshed in our holiday movie selections!
No Country for Old Men was a dark and bloody Coen brothers film starring Javier Bardem, Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin. It was pretty good; the ending just ends, so don't zone out since there is no rewind button. There was lots of witty (in a dark, unassuming way) conversation taken pretty much directly from the book of the same title by Cormac McCarthy. Woody Harrelson was in it for a bit too, I forgot so it was a nice surprise.

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead was directed by the octogenarian Sidney Lumet. I
hope to be as together as him at that age! It was very well directed. Two brothers decide to rip off their parent's jewelry store for some cash and of course it does not go as planned. The film replays scenes for the days surrounding the robbery from different perspectives. There was some choppy mtv editing I could have done without. It was very intense to say the least.

Highly recommend both. I think NCOM is best on the big screen due to the scenery. I think of the 2 I actually like a little BDKYD better.

Celebrated it: Merry Christmas

2007-12-25T15:54:00.000-05:00

We are having a pretty quiet day here at the Pemberton-Whitfield hacienda. This year instead of buying each other the same ole thing we invested in a photo. This pic was taken by Danny Burke. It was taken along side Lake Superior on the way up to the Porcupine Mountains. We like how you can see the sunset reflected in the trees.

We will have it framed soon (know any good framers??) and hang it on the wall facing our bed, so we can see it first thing in the morning!

Read it: Bitter Sweets by Roopa Farooki

2007-12-20T17:56:00.001-05:00

I read this (amazon, wcpl) last weekend. It was a quick read. It was very soap opera-y with lots of delicate twists, turns and difficult to believe coincidences in the plot. The writer was a little clumsy and haphazard. For example, there is lots of emphasis put on names, naming things etc. The characters spend a lot of time discussing names...who knows why really. All of these instances were overly obvious and then totally forgotten in the end. The main plot revolves around lying, necessary lying and frivolous lying etc.

I know this review sounds...negative...but I still enjoyed to book. It was not too demanding, entertaining and a bit on the fluffy side. A more serious version of Indian chick-lit? a poorly written Brick Road? By the time you start to wonder if you like it is over.

So you need something like reading an Indian tv melodrama...and sometimes you do... this is the book for you!
P.S. the author's name is fun to say
Roopa Farooki
Roopa Farooki
Roopa Farooki

Polled it: Chocolate or Cheese???

2007-12-16T14:20:00.000-05:00

If you could live with one forever, but not the other, which would it be?

I love cheese and choose it to be my forever friend!	2 (66%)
Chocolate is there for me!	1 (33%)
I can't decide, I would have to end it all!	0 (0%)
I am a freak who does not like anything that tastes good.	0 (0%)

Votes : 3

Okay, cheese wins...duh!
Cheese is more versatile and it was decided by Flea and I that even the basest of cheeses have a place. You can make a grilled cheese sandwich with cheese that is both fancy and shmancy OR you can use american cheese slices. Cheez whiz, I 'll eat it, triple cream Brie from France, bring it on!
Cheese, cheese, cheese!

(scroll down to see the results from the Kissa vs Mr Biscuits poll)

Baked it: holiday cookies

2007-12-16T13:57:00.000-05:00

Finally I get to do holiday baking!!! This year I focused on 3 types of cookies. The first was a shortbread with 3 different add ins (one was cranberry and orange, one chocolate chips, one peanut-butter chips--and one plain). This recipe was super easy, especially because of the handy dandy kitchen aid mixer. I will probably not do the peanut butter chips next year, it was blah. The others were really good. I made the dough last weekend. I could have made it up to 3 months ago and kept it in the freezer. (if I ever do make cookie dough that far ahead, punch me).

The second was butterscotch bark. Graham crackers drowned in a butter and brown sugar mixture, baked until "bubbly" and covered in toasted coconut, pecans, chocolate chips, peanutbutter chips and sometimes dried cherries (on the ones without peanut butter chips). [the pic for this really did not look innerrestin']

The last cookies were gingerbread men, women, hearts and stars. I decorated these with royal icing (some appropriately, some inappropriately---got to blow off holiday stress somehow). The royal icing was a first. It was easy. I made it with meringue powder since the egg white kind is not good for certain people...cookies are supposed to be nice, not deadly! The first batch....kinda burnt (so if you think..."gee my cookie tastes kind of burnt", it probably is, what do you expect, it is a free cookie). The second batch turned out much better.If any one has a spicier gingerbread cookie recipe out there I am interested.
If you are wondering "where are my damn cookies?" I gave to people I happened to know I would see. If you want cookies next year, then you should say "hey, I am coming over to pick up my damn cookies" around mid-December next year. If you don't want cookies then steer clear of me for the next holiday season!

Read it: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

2007-12-14T17:58:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I am still on my classics reading jag. I l-o-v-e-d Jane Eyre. I found it to be very readable for a classic, moreso than Pride and Prejudice and just as entertaining. I think the dialogue wasn't as clever as it was in P&P but that is ok. Jane Eyre is a compelling character and Charlotte Bronte is an excellent story teller. I think I remember reading Wuthering Heights back in high school or college, I will probably read it again soon. If you are thinking about reading The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde, I really think I would consider reading Jane Eyre first or at least a really good synopsis (sorry Karen!)
Next I am going to read a couple of contemporary novels and then onto The House of Seven Gables by Nathanial Hawthorne.

Petted it: Poll-who is cuter under the tree?

2007-12-10T21:58:00.000-05:00

Kissa?

or

Mr Biscuits?

The final score:

Kissa	4 66%)
Mr Biscuits	2 (33%)

Votes so far: 6
Jerry voted twice for Kissa (shame on you!)
People who voted for Mr B were apparently only voting for the underdog...er....undercat...whatever.
He drinks the tree water. Not so cute now!

Ate it: Azitra

2007-12-09T12:07:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Jade and Nigel, Jerry and I enjoyed a delicious meal at Azitra, an upscale Indian retaurant in Raleigh. We had a great time going the whole 9 yards with drinks and appetizers etc. I had a Snakecharmer which was basically a ginger margarita. For dinner Jerry had the Lamb Rogan Josh and I had the Chicken Tikki Masala. The chicken was awesome, it was very tender and the sauce was really good (I wish it was a soup). We also had the peshwari nan which is like the usual nan but with cherries and coconut. It was great in combination with the chicken.
The ambiance was also really nice complete with sitar player (he even played a few Christmas songs, every one of which Jerry thought was Feliz Navidad). I worked all day and was too tired to change into something more appropriate. Luckily it was dimly lit!
*Also while we were there a guy walked in who was dressed as a wizard, Jerry said it was Dumbledore. Who knows...I was hoping there was some sort of Harry Potter meet up going on...but no one else, just the lone wizard.

Watched it: The Astronaut's Wife

2007-12-09T08:46:00.000-05:00

We watched this 1999 flick the other night. It was pretty good. It is like a sci-fi Rosemary's Baby. Both Johnny Depp and Charlize Theron are really pretty, almost disturbingly so. In fact, sometimes I feel like they have the same haircut. So if you see it on tv watch it. It is enjoyable. I thought it was going to be a drama or romantic comedy but it is really suspenseful.

Decorated it: Christmas 2007

2007-12-02T17:45:00.000-05:00

We bought our tree today. We get it the same place every year (like Karen and Chris and Jill before she moved to D-town), the Citgo by the fairgrounds. I like their trees because they have a decent selection of small trees. We keep our tree on a table top because it is less stressful with 2 dogs and 2 cats. The tree is perfect. It was 20 bucks, just the right size and in really good shape.

This is our first Christmas in our new house and the first Christmas in a while that I have not been in school! I will definately enjoy decorating and look forward to doing more Christmas baking this year.

Putting the tree up was very unstressful. Everything worked and we did not have to make any adjustments to the tree....a Christmas miracle!

Read it: Look Me in the Eye by John Elder Robison

2007-11-28T17:09:00.000-05:00

Look Me in the Eye (amazon, WCPL) is a memoir written by John Elder Robison, the brother of Augusten Burroughs ( a famous memoirist in his own right, Running with Scissors, Dry, Sellevision). John grows up in a truly dysfunctional family and finds out at age 40 that he has lived his whole life with Aspergers Syndrome. John describes in a very forthright manner the challenges he encounters growing up. He faces many obstacles trying to socialize with others without really knowing how. He also is very skilled mechanically and carves quite a niche for himself by creating special effects for concert tours in the 70's.
As a writer, Robison not very frilly, but that is understandable given his Aspergian nature. Sometimes he tells a little too much detail just to relate an amusing or interesting anecdote. Overall, his story is a fascinating glimpse into the world of Aspergers.
* My co-worker, Gerald, told me John Elder Robison was interviewed on the Diane Rehm Show. He said it was very enlightening. I haven't had a chance to listen to it yet, but hope to soon.

Read it: The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

2007-11-27T18:05:00.000-05:00

The Eyre Affair (amazon, WCPL)was the best thing I have read in a while. Fforde creates and alternate world in which a special operations team fights and investigates crime involving literature. It was a great and witty adventure as Thursday Next tries to put an end to Hades Acheron. There is time travel, there is shape shifting, there are people naming themselves John Milton because they love the poet so much and don't forget the dodo named Pickwick *plock plock*

The WSJ review describes it best and most accurately :
"Filled with clever wordplay, literary allusion and bibliowit...combines elements of Monty Python, Harry Potter, Stephen Hawking and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but its quirky charm is all its own."

If you think this sounds too high falutin or snooty, it is not!

The best thing about this book is that it is the first in a series. There are 3 more novels centered around Thursday Next and her work in SO-27!

Made it: Collaging with Kate Klutz and Janet and Toffy

2007-11-25T18:50:00.000-05:00

(I was going to spell collaging with a K but...that is just wrong) Today I finally had a chance to collage at Kate's house. Kate works at the State Library and rescues things that are destined for the landfill. As a result, she has lots of neat things useful for collaging. I fell in love with her super sharp paper scissors and various paper punches.

She also has lots of stamps from her dad's collection. Not only does she have postage for life she also has stamps letting us know that "Retarded children can be helped" (probably from the 70's? when people still used that word and that helping retarded children was news) and stamps commemorating the Pap test and its founder Dr Pap...something Greek...or Czech...or Polynesian....

(click on stamp for larger view)

Kate also has a swell dog, Toffy and a nice friend from Durham, Janet. Janet works at DesignBox in Raleigh and will probably move to Raleigh soon.

Petted it: Junior's sore neck

2007-11-24T14:48:00.001-05:00

Junior and Addie were playing Thanksgiving Day night and Junior started yelping over and over. We ran in, Jerry held onto Addie because she was freaking out. Junior is ok. He just messed up his neck somehow. I decided to go ahead and take him to the vet this am since I thought it may be something that could get worse. He can walk fine, he just has pain when getting up from laying down and when stretching. I was hoping they would give him a neck brace, that would be so cute! He has to take a muscle relaxant and pain meds for a week or so. Hopefully he will be better by then!

Made it: Cute purse

2007-11-23T16:17:00.000-05:00

This was my first attempt at sewing something more than a seam or a square. It ended up looking pretty good. I learned a lot and thinks I can make one with fewer little mistakes.
I got the pattern from a book called Bend the Rules Sewing (amazon, WCPL catalog). I was pretty confused for a while but after reading the simple pattern 4 million times, I was able to sewing it in an afternoon. The freakiest thing is turning the purse so that the outside is pretty and the inside can be stuffed inside the outside. I messed up a tiny bit on it, but trying to figure out how to correct it would cause an aneurysm. As a reward for actually finishing a project I am going to buy some real sewing/fabric scissors and some sort of sewing box (probably a tool box).
The fabric was from a vintage dress I wish I had worn more. I am going to make another purse out of some curtains with a bird pattern. I would definately recommend this book for easy and cute first sewing projects.

Watched it: Pieces of April

2007-11-23T16:05:00.000-05:00

I rented this via amazon.com. You can rent movies and have them download them to your laptop. Movie prices are similar to Blockbuster etc and the selection is pretty good. Thiswas perfect since I was "couching it" with some sort of stomach bug.
Anyway, this movie was cute. I did not realize it was a Thanksgiving movie. I love Thanksgiving dysfunctional family movies. The other one that comes to mind is "Home for the Holidays" with Holly Hunter and a pre-rehab Robert Downey Jr.
This was starring Katie Holmes before she was brain-washed by Scientology goons and no, she does not "get naked". It was very low budget and filmed in a few weeks. It was heart warming as April tries to get her turkey cooked and gets to know her neighbors and their functioning ovens. April's family finally gets over their past and so does she. They have a great dinner and make a memory, complete with bow on top.

Read it: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

2007-11-23T11:35:00.000-05:00

I have read a lot of new fiction lately so I decided to dust off a classic. Actually the book was brand new since the library system I worked for replenished its classics collection. I only wish I'd returned it in the pristine condition, but books are for readin' and sometimes that's not pretty!
I really like the novel even though I had to muddle through at times. I was used to the quick pace of contemporary literature so it was nice to be forced to slow down. I hope to see the BBC mini-series soon. I have not seen a cinematic representation of this book before, which was nice because I really did not know how it ended until the end. I usually prefer books with a not so tidy ending but every once and a while I cheer for the protagonist and want a happy ending with a bow on top. I am glad their pursuit of love was requited!
The next classic I will pick up is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.