Friday, January 13, 2012

cold as ice

http://witchbyrd.tumblr.com/

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

remember our life?

ahh i've had an uneventful couple of days ! but i'm still gonna write a thing !

i'm pretty swamped at work- i was out for several weeks, and on vacation right before that, and i am taking on a bunch of new projects and responsibilities now (which include a surprise event tomorrow and an event next week)- but if i don't take a minute to like, think my thoughts, i will probably go insane.

last night mouse came over and we went to get coffee at the green line. i have to interrupt myself and say that i'm giving up caffeine for lent. it isn't ACTUALLY for lent, because i am not a practicing catholic and the tyranny and evil of the catholic church makes me sick to my fucking stomach, but i'm still "a catholic" in the way that people who grew up in the catholic church are- real superstitious and preoccupied with the saints and junk. but, anyway, i'm switching to decaf for now in hopes of switching to no caffeine, because i've gone from barely sleeping to not sleeping.

decaf


anyway, i met up with mouse and we went to the green line and had a good talk about ancient history. he's been listening to the hardcore history podcasts about ancient rome (which probably explains why he changed his facebook picture to a bust of caligula, but that could also be the fact that he is like a vegan caligula. minus wine. minus incest. minus vomiting. plus 8 hours of sleep a night.). it was pretty interesting, and boy, he sure taught me a lot about claudius.

claudius


facts about claudius
- super dumb
- ....or was he?!?!?!

in other news, or non-news, my cats still fucking hate each other. well, maybe not HATE. roxy jr. seems to really want to be friends with pizza- he follows her around and tries to sniff her and stuff, and she freaks out and hisses and runs away (or attacks him). here's a picture of him coming to say hi and her trying to run away:

cat friends


i am slowly coming to terms with being a single person with two cats, and it isn't bad so far. i'm conscious of seeming like a "cat person", but in reality i'm an equal opportunity "animal person" who just happens to have cats. if i had a turtle i'd talk about it and anthropomorphize it and dress it in clothing just as much !

i cannot write another interesting thing right now because i'm so swamped with work. i might do some hanging out/movie watching tonight (unfortunately i have to miss ryann's show at the bean, but you should go !), but i'm mostly going to be working from home and possibly eating cream of wheat.

p.s. maybe i should get a turtle

Monday, March 7, 2011

sooooo on friday they announced a major restructuring of my department (basically half of the department- not my half- is being moved to another group, and my half is changing names and taking on some events from a different area) in a meeting that i missed. i didn't have the energy to be anxious about it all weekend but now i'm back at work and everyone is whispering about it and that is making me anxious. we're having a meeting at 11 to "discuss our questions and concerns." my concern is not so much what is happening but like, if i will still have a job at the end of the fiscal year. it's like... 99% likely that i will, but my worry is that my job will change so much that i will hate it. oh well, can't do anything about it now.

i had a very full weekend ! friday was the opening of mike and jeanne's art show at part time studios in fishtown, so mouse and i went down there. their show was sea-junk themed and everything both of them made was absolutely stunning.

across the haunted sea


i'm really proud of both of them. fishtown is... weird, i basically never go there and didn't even realize this block was there, but there was a little block of galleries and junk (including the fabled coffee shop that biz lives over ! where i... saw two of my coworkers? it was like seeing bugs bunny in real life or something). fishtown is full of weird people who look like aliens who heard tell of earth hipsters and tried to emulate their look without the use of the earth internet, so there was lots of weird flapper clothes, giant feathers in peoples' hair, and slouchy socks. i also saw at least two bolo ties. the gallery was pretty crowded because it was first friday, so i got to very briefly see and barely talk to a lot of people i like. here are my two favorite things from the show:

mermaid
unfortunately i don't have a full picture of this, but it is a beautiful melusine by jeanne

leviathan
a leviathan by mike !!!! my actualllll favorite of his was this tiny fiji mermaid but this is my other favorite


afterward, mouse and i went to whole foods and i came home, where i went to bed surprisingly early to avoid cleaning my apartment for company this weekend.

on saturday, i procrastinated so hard i actually played windows solitaire (i use cumulative scoring so i end up in the hole, and always think one more game will get me back in the black), but ended up doing an okay job cleaning my room and getting my laundry together and getting some of my junk off of the couch. my friend brian from connecticut was in town, and luckily was up for a bunch of stationary back pain fun. we got indian buffet and gelato and then watched the naked gun, which i just realized is available on netflix instant !

the naked gun


it kind of fell apart from there because, as you know, there is basically nothing good on netflix instant, but it was fun. i ended up actually going to sleep early, which is sort of a bummer because i go to sleep at 4am on work nights, but i slept for like ten hours, which is unheard of. i think it might be due to the fact that roxy jr. didn't sleep in my room and it was raining so it was like super dark in my bedroom.

oh yeah ! i introduced pizza to roxy jr. on saturday too !

new beginnings


they are not really getting along yet- lots of hissing and growling, though surprisingly pizza seems to be the alpha (do cats have alphas?) and roxy jr. immediately backs down. no real fighting or confrontations, but no grooming and cuddling yet. oh wellllllllll.

on sunday, i met up with brian, christina, nick, and sandi at local 44 for brunch. christina had gone up to nyc to see wild flag with nick and sandi, and then brought them back to see wild flag here. local 44 was kind of disappointing (righttttt after i updated my yelp reviewwwwwwww)- bland bloody marys and the removal of vegetarian disco fries from the menu was pretty heartbreaking. nothing really looked too appealing on the menu, so i chose the new menu item replacing the disco fries with eggs on top that i had last time- weird spicy french fries with eggs on top. i'm not sure why i got this because i'm not really wild about french fries, but it was pretty gross- the fries were super super super super salty, they didn't taste hot at all, and they were pretty dessicated. also the eggs were the size of peanuts.

i tricked everyone into going to cvs with me afterward to get cat supplies, and i also treated myself to some nail polish-

hot cocoa purple rain steel grey
rimmel hot cocoa, purple rain, and steel gray


and then came back home and hung out with nick and sandi while christina napped, and then *i* napped, and then they all went to see wild flag again (i'm bummed that i didn't try to go to this- my back was so messed up when christina strongly urged me to go see them that i thought i'd never be able to go, but it looked fucking amazing and i love mary timony and ahhhhhhhhh). after they got home i had some wonderful drunk bonding with them all, and then watched futurama in bed until it was time to go to sleep- 2am, still pretty early !

so, overall, good weekend. not much on the horizon this week except lots of work, hanging out with mouse, maybe going to ryann's show at the bean if i can make it (the walking junk is still pretty tedious), introducing jeanne to roxy jr, blah blah.

p.s. i love nick and sandi
p.p.s. work is stressful right now

Thursday, March 3, 2011

nothing's ever gonna make me plan tomorrow

first off, let me say that jonthan richman did a cartwheel on tuesday night.

jonathan richman


the show was great, as usual (though jonathan seemed a litttttle off, maybe melancholy or something? i know that sounds hilarious because i'm talking about jonathan richman, but... not his usual melancholy), and he really warmed up toward the end of the night. he did two encores and played a good mix of new songs and old songs (assuming that the songs i didn't recognize are all new, which is a pretty fair assumption). the highlight for me was definitely the very extended version of "when we refuse to suffer". his sincerity and weirdness are like.. the best thing in the universe.

incidentally, the show was the longest i've stood up in about a month. it was really rough at first and my leg actually went numb- i thought i was going to have to sit down or go home or something, but after about an hour, the pain passed... and my back feels better now than it has in weeks. i still can't really bend over and certain movements will catch me off guard, but i feel like... 75% better.

oh. i forgot to upload that jonathan richman solo mix. i'll do that when i get home.

i had a doctor's appointment yesterday and took the afternoon off after that, and ended up going to the green line for a few hours to read and work on some work stuff. i ended up running into my old buddy eric, who talked to me about:

- his cat
- making animated gifs
- skateboarding
- stephen belafonte (a guy he grew up with who dated someone in the belafonte family, changed HIS last name to belafonte, and married scary spice?)

stephen belafonte


i'm sort of frustrated at work right now. i was out for like nine million days because of my back (and a week's vacation before that), and i'm super behind on everything, and i keep getting new projects dumped on me. someone is quitting (more power to her, i would not blame anyone who isn't on my team for quitting) and i have to take something of hers over that is going to be confusing and annoying for me. and will also require me to wear nice clothing occasionally and rub elbows and crap. ugh.

in other news, that cat still hates me. he spends a lot of time hanging out on my bed with me, and occasionally approaches me to be petted (or pets himself on me), and after 30 seconds he's still like I CANNOT FUCKING BELIEVE WE HAVE TO GO OVER THIS AGAIN. he does have a cool snaggle tooth though:

puffy


i worked out cat food costs (based on 3/4 a cup of dry food and 2 pouches a day for pizza, and 2 cans a day for roxy jr.) and ended up with $150/month. that seems kind of insane? my grocery bill/food bill for myself for a month is like $120-$140 and that includes eating out and stuff. i guess there's two of them and one of me, but between them they weigh like under 30 lbs. and that's not even factoring in stuff like flea medicine and litter !!!!

jeez.

i have a meeting right now, but i'll write you guys something good tomorrow.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

the arrow goes straight through my heart

i just microwaved an EVOL bean and rice burrito for lunch (i've had zerooooo appetite since hurting my back and i'm forcing myself to eat at least breakfast and lunch at work) and tossed the wrapper in the (pretty full) trash can, and a coworker came up behind me and picked the wrapper out of the trash and started reading the ingredients.

evol


i asked her what she was doing and she was like, "i just wanted to see what you were eating." 1) why? 2) why not ask me like a normal fucking personnnnn? (so i can tell you to mind your own business).

anyyyyway. i had a crappy day yesterday, so i came home from work and put in some requisite time with pizza- we watched the simpsons on the couch and stared at each other and then she walked on my collarbone and put her butt in my face. i'm pretty psyched that she seems to absolutely love the wellness pouches (the cans are all pate, but the pouches are chunks), butttt sort of disheartened that she seems to have stopped eating her dry food in favor of the pouch. wahhh. my plan to supplement the pouches with dry food might not work ! anyway, after that was taken care of, i retired to my room to read john bellairs books and pet roxy jr..

roxy jr
that pillow looks gross, but it's a cream colored pillow ! it isn't a yellowed white one


1) he is obsessed with this scar on my leg and licked it obsessively a few times.
2) when i was taking some aleve, he obviously remembered what treats sounded like and got all excited to get a treat, and i felt so bad- all the treats i have are crunchy and he has one tooth. i wet one down for him and he didn't seem interested, so i gave him a spoonful of food.
3) he slept behind me on the bed, by my butt, and i farted and he tried to bury the fart :(

things are still a little icy- for most of the night, he slept curled up under my bed, peeking out a little. i kept my hand over the edge and scratched his face while i was reading, and he occasionally growled and gummed my fingers in rage. i think i'm going to keep him in my room til the weekend, and then introduce the cats- i'd like to be at home all day for their first couple of days together.

as i mentioned, i'm on a john bellairs kick. after reading a bunch of depressing stuff about world war II and genocide, i need a break, so i got a collection of the best lewis barnavelt stories (not my selections for 'best', i just got some 'best of' books). i have always loved lewis the most because he is a little fat wimp who cries a lot, and rose rita pottinger is one of my favorite characters ever.

lewis barnavelt
VENIO


i might pick up a few others for super cheap from the last word, if they have them. ideally i'd like to read them alllll again.

i need to sit down serrrriously and make myself a to-do list. i have a few tasks that i need to get done, and i feel so overwhelmed that i can't get everything in order ! i'm going to make a quick work to-do list (which i won't share with you because none of you care about what i do and it would require boring backstory) and a home to-do list. which i will bore you with.

not fun
- clean room
- clean up livingroom
- order catfood on amazon
- get stuff ready for integrating cats this weekend (which requires moving a bunch of my shoes to make room for a new litterbox)
- pick up laundry
- drop off rent
- get new pillows
- try to cook/eat dinner

kind of fun
- possibly start an ugly zooborns blog, suggested by christine
- possibly start a photos of people heismanning their pets blog
- update history blog
- take more pictures of pets
- buy myself some nail polish :( specifically interested in zoya shawn

nail polish


and sephora by OPI leotard optional

leotard optional


- get some other john bellairs books
- go to the library
- hype jeanne and mike's art show here tomorrow !

hmm what else? mouse and i are going to see jonathan richman tonight. last year he played at johnny brendas, which is okay but annoying to get to, and tonight he's playing at the church. i'm pretty excited- his last show was one of the best nights in recent memory.

richman


i've been listening to the jonathan richman solo mix i made for a friend to psych myself up- i can upload it for you guys tomorrow if you want/care.

okay, gotta go !

Monday, February 28, 2011

back on the chain gang

man. i really want to go get a latte but i keep forgetting and putting on this disgusting minted rose lip balm. i accidentally bought it instead of regular smith's rosebud salve :(

salve


what a weekend ! on friday, christina and i went to south philly to go to target and the pet store to get ready for the new cat. my back was bothering me and we were both exhausted, so it wasn't thatttttt exciting of a trip. i got TP for our bungholes, and dish soap, and a pet hair roller, and some cat food. i'm trying very hard to switch pizza to wet food, specifically wellness brand (when she and weirdo ate this together, her dander and shedding reduced by like 100%), but she hates pate style cat food. i got a few of the wellness pouches to see if she liked them, and she does, buttttttt feeding instructions indicate that she would need five pouches a fucking day !

wellness


i think i'm going to try giving her a mix of the wellness wet food and wellness dry food and see if that helps. it will certainly be cheaper than like, $6/day which is more than i spend to feed myself (not counting coffee) per day. i alsoooooooo met up with jeanne's friend jim (MY friend jim now !) who lives on my block and was kind enough to lend me his cat carrier for my trip the next day.

on saturday, christina and i woke up at 6:30am (after both falling asleep at 4:30am) and drove to brooklyn to get my new cat ! we met up with nick and sandi and their friend hanna first at hope and anchor in red hook for brunch. i got a bloody mary (bloody roxy/roxy mary), which was pretty intense (very horseradishy, very strong, pickled asparagus spear, olives, etc !!!!)

roxy mary


but i was pretty disappointed about the other food i ordered. i had a breakfast burrito, which was actually like... 8lbs of breakfast food rolled in a tortilla, which two open ends. it was so gigantic and wasn't meant to be picked up, and it was a big disappointment because i had to basically dissect it to eat it. i also got a root vegetable hash which should have been good, but it was unevenly cooked and underseasoned. i also tried some of their french toast, and it was mediocre. buttttttttttttt i got to see nick and sandi, who are my favorites, and i got to see my old buddy milo, who is just eyes:

milo


after thattttt we went to go pick up my new cat. his previous owners were very nice and gracious and friendly, and seemed sad to see him go (they have toddlers who are just learning to walk, and his personality does not go with that- more on that later). his name was mr. puffins, which... i changed immediately, though his previous owner calling him "puffy" seems to have stuck as a nickname because i keep calling him that ! anyway, meet roxy jr.:

roxy jr


i haven't had a chance to take any good pictures yet, but he's like... the most beautiful animal i've ever seen in person. he has blue eyes (no, he isn't deaf) and the pinkest nose and the longest, silkiest coat. that's the good news. the bad news is that he quite possibly has the world's worst personality? he isn't just getting adjusted or anything, he seems generally pretty comfortable, so i think this is him ! he likes to curl up right next to you and be petted ON HIS HEAD ONLY for less than 10 seconds, and if you touch his body or pet his head for 11 seconds, he starts hissing and growling and swats at you and bites you. this is pretty hilarious because he's wearing soft paws and he only has one tooth. he kind of sadly gums your hand and then gives up.

so far i think it's pretty funny, but i wonder if it will bum me out that i'm now saddled with my dream cat and he fucking hates me. at least he wants to sit next to me all the time? but is that any consolation? because of the forbidden fruit aspect.

roxy jr


i was super exhausted when we got home, so i took a short nap, and then mouse, meesh, and brendan came over to take a look at the cat. he didn't disappoint- he walked around rubbing against everyone's legs and growling like a crazy person !

on sundayyyy, mouse and i went to adobe in manayunk, where i, for some reason ordered a taco pizza? it was pretty rough, i was only able to eat about two of the triangles. i never actually think about what i'm ordering at restaurants and usually end up hating what i get- in this instance, i was like "well i like tacos, and i like pizza"

pizza


we had fun, though- he also helped me run some errands (because of my back)- i dropped my laundry off, bought more aleve, and went grocery shopping (this week's breakfast/lunch menu: cherry greek yogurt and granola, string cheese, cinnamon applesauce, carrots, oranges, and bean burritos. baby food !). it was also nice to hang out with him, because i hadn't in a million years.

soooo. yup. my back is still pretty hopelessly fucked- i can get around and stuff, but every morning the pain resets and it takes a lot to get going. i made an appointment last month with an orthopedic guy, but the earliest available appointment was march 24, so i have another month of miseryyyy. it gets worse on the weekends because i sleep more and sit at a desk less (oddly, sitting at a desk really helps), so i'm already feeling a lot better today.

okay, i have to go do some work !!!

p.s. i'm seeing jonathan richman tomorrow, and i totally forgot ! pleasant surprise.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

oh god, i'm the worst

i already forgot i was doing this again !!!!

i'm updating my blog from home, which i basically never do because i'm a total baby about typing long blocks of text on my laptop at home? i only really enjoy typing sitting up at a desk, and i uh, don't want to clear my desk off enough to put my computer on it.

speaking of that, i'm going to do some cleaning tonight to get ready for my new cat. i haven't been able to move in quite awhile because of this back thing, and my bedroom is a disaster- my clothes are wherever they landed when i struggled out of them and everything i've dropped in the past 2-3 weeks has stayed where it landed. plus i went on vacation in january and haven't unpacked my suitcase.

i started by taking down our christmas tree when i got home. well, sort of- i can't physically move the tree, but i took down the ornaments and lights and packed them up. i loved having it up, but immediately after bringing it indoors in december i discovered that i am horribly allergic to christmas trees. i was miserable for a few weeks and then it leveled off, but tonight (when the branches were breaking off and the needles were falling everywhere) it came back full force. lord. i feel like my head is stuffed with cotton. mouse came over to keep me company and entertain me and he got stuck taking the lights off of the tree. i did let him watch my expensive cable though (we saw an episode of 'good times' that confused both of us a lot).

dunce


this is my first week back at work after being out forever and ever, and it was pretty rough. i did non-standard hours most days so i could catch up without having everyone in my face, and that worked out okay. my sleep schedule is so screwed up from back pain/back pain medicine/no morning obligations so i've felt like a zombie all day. also i think i'm going blind from pain or medication, based on the fact that my vision was blurry today. i mean, other than that, i'm doing okay, but i'm definitely a cranky zombie who is going to blind and is going to die of blindness and pain.

magoo


maybe i'm being melodramatic. i have to keep in mind that being in pain and being stuck laying on my side on my couch with my cat walking on my face, watching the food network, was actually worse than going to work (i love my job and my team but i hate like, putting real clothes on and sitting in an office all day).


hey, it turns out that i spent like two hours procrastinating about writing this and now it's like 10:30 and i don't want to clean. bummer. i'm not even going to advertise this on facebook because it's so boring.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

heroinnnnnnn, be the death of me !

okay, i'm going to give this a whirl again. i'm NOT going to catch you guys up on the months i haven't been updating, because that would be annoying and i don't want to, but i'll fill you in on SOME stuff.

i was out of work for like one billion weeks recently because i gravely injured my back. i have an old injury, and i mysteriously reinjured it a few weeks ago. it was rough- i couldn't get out of bed, i couldn't stand up, and laying in bed was making it way worse. i ended up getting a prescription for vicodin, which i was reluctant to take, but a regimen of vicodin and aleve (and sleeping on my side on the couch) got me to a point where i can like... mostly walk around. it really hurts if i stand still for a long time, but walking isn't too bad and sitting up isn't too bad and sleeping isn't too bad.

sciatica


i'm back at work now, but as a result of laying around for like 2 weeks in my livingroom, basically unable to do anything, a few things happened:

1) i finally learned how to use the appletv and started... watching television. i have a tough time paying attention to television or really WATCHING any show because i just tune it out, but there were entire days where i could literally do nothing but lay on my side facing the telvision. i watched all of parks and recreation, which i loved- actual feminist main character who identifies as feminist, and only ONE JOKE in all 3 seasons that has disappointed me ("on a scale of one to chris brown, how mad is he?"). i was cautious watching the first three seasons because i figured it would turn into a moronic rape joke bonanza like 30 rock, but so far it's smart and funny without selling out women. oh and uh, i also watched top chef.

parks and recreation


2) there was a wasp or hornet in my livingroom and it made me insane. it was a baby, and it landed on me several times without stinging me, so... i decided it thought i was its mother and that it would never sting me. i spent days feebly trying to prevent my cat from attacking him and i named him rodney, and then i leaned on him by accident and he stung my elbow. after four hours of deliberation, i flushed him down the toilet, and i've never felt so guilty. the sting didn't leave a mark for the first two days, but then became so itchy and inflamed that i thought it was infected. it seems to be clearing up now though. alas poor rodney.

rodney


3) i spent a lot of time with biz, my middle school best friend who coincidentally also lives here. she kept me company while i was immobile and dirty and complaining constantly.

toward the end of the week, i was actually able to move a little bit, so i made myself a pair of those stupid twilight mittens :( i'll be done with them tonight, probably. i bought a red/blue/white plaid jacket that only has half sleeves, so i decided to make a pair of red mittens to keep my arms warm.

mittens

berocco vintage sour cherry
in berocco vintage in sour cherry


i also made myself another star-crossed slouchy beret (also berocco vintage, in 'tidepool') but i'm never going to wear it because i hate how i look in hats !

hatxy


hmm. what else? i dropped all of my classes for this semester (i am just too anxious lately and i need some time off to take a breather and reorient) and i really, really need to finish my genocide paper. i just completely choked like i never have in my entire life, ever. i've been doing lots of reading and have my research organized, but the longer i put this paper off, the less i want to do it. i recently got to hang out with my friend natalie (another friend from middle school, who is also great) and she very very sternly chided me about how i need to get this done and not let it hang over my head for the rest of my life (or at least the rest of my school career), and she's totally right. so, maybe soon i'll take a weekend to work on the paper.

not this weekend, though- this weekend, i'm going to brooklyn to adopt a beautiful white fluffy dreamboat cat. i'm sufficiently healed, i think, after weirdo's death from kidney failure, and i'm ready for the cat of my dreams. there's a few things i have to do this week which may be difficult (lots of cleaning and rearranging, which is going to hurt my back) to get ready for the cat, but i think it's worth it.

kitty


his current name is mr. puffins buttttt i'm going to change it. he's 10 years old and only has one tooth and is a big fluffy dreamboat and he's beautiful and i already love him. he's basically my dream cat- his m.o. is to curl up next to you and sleep and is into a LITTLE petting but isn't a petting maniac like my current cat. i'm excited and can't wait to get him and can't wait for him to be best buds with pizza and to put on a fancy dress and pet him all the time and eat out of a goblet with him.

this is a little harried because i have to get back to work, but i swear i'll write much more thorough and better entries in the future. if i keep this up, which i may not.

Monday, January 24, 2011

where have i been?

i've lost some of my ZEST for blogging, but i'm going on vacation this week, and my resolution when i return is to do more blogging. this means that i'll be posting updates both on this blog and on cool thoughts.

some highlights you've missed since thanksgiving
- i started using coconut oil as moisturizer and it has cured me of ingrown hairs
- i got some swamp things to supplement all my genocide/world war II reading
- i did not finish my genocide paper and have an incomplete in the class until i do. i really, really need to do that.
- i am taking one class this semester- creative non-fiction: perspectives on race, class, and gender. i was taking elementary german II, but i dropped it, because it was wayyyy too advanced for me. i think i'm going to take it over the summer.
- i laid in bed a lot and watched simpsons dvds.
- i have been watching every season of the x-files in order. in around 2 weeks, i got to season 5. i'm a little burnt out now, and since i know the story arc, i'm greatly enjoying the monster of the week episodes.
- i've been a hermit this winter
- i've been looking at fluffy white dreamboat cats on petfinder
- i'm in love with my life and my friends and i need to start acting like it. actually this is probably how i'd act if i was in love (moody and jerky and weird), but you know what i mean.

sit tight, dogs. i will try to be back next week. get off my sack a little.

Friday, December 3, 2010

we can finally start a family

i'm uncharacteristically updating my blog on a friday night ! i want to make sure that i cover all the great stuff that happened last week, despite the one major, major, major, major bummer.

last wednesday, nick and sandi came down from nyc and we had the besttttt timmmmmeeeee. we went to south philly tap room, where i got the most delicious eggplant parm i've ever had (and everyone else had the best brussels sprouts they've ever had- but they had bacon) and a really delicious apple and watercress salad, as well as a couple of delicious san diego beers (recommended by gavin, the biggest proponent of san diego ever). nick and sandi were like... fucking adorable and delightful and hilarious as always. nick has a new haircut where he looks like half of a depeche mode video and sandi said a thousand hilarious things. we came home after dinner and (wahhhhh) played with weirdo and had the best family night.

kittens


on thursday, i cooked all day and like... every single thing i made came out weird. it ended up not mattering, though, because jeanne's new roommate alexis made a shitload of super delicious food. jeanne, mike, alexis, ned, and i had a good thanksgiving and watched the kids in the hall.

delicious


the menu was:
- seitan turkey
- vegetarian ham
- stuffing
- cornbread stuffing
- mashed potatoes
- shepherds pie
- cranberry sauce
- orange honey cranberry sauce
- delicious gravy
- roasted vegetables (potatoes, sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, parsnips, carrots)

there was a surprising lack of dessert (the dessert i made was overcooked and i burnt my ganache !) but i'd rather have food than dessert anyway. i had the best time, though ! ned had a good story about his customers that i am still laughing about, alexis is super cute and nice and has a really cool mean cat, mike is my favorite, and jeanne is ESPECIALLY my favorite. vinegar and fig too !

on friday, i worked on school work a little, and then christina and i braved local 44 again. i don't know if i've talked about it here, but i had the worst meal of my life at local 44 when i went with bill and christina- it was like... "mushroom stew" that was just unseasoned boiled mushrooms, pearl onions, carrots, and potatoes, and it tasted like they were boiled, rinsed, and boiled in new water. i seriously like recoil in horror every time i walk by because it was so gross ! anyway, we braved it because we were cold, and the food was awesome. i got a vegan reuben, and we split disco fries (fries with onion gravy and cheese) and it was... very heavy, but delicious.

reuben


i also tried some new scotches- i tried laphroaig and dewars, and of course they were both gross. guys, what's with scotch? why do i keep drinking it? one of these days, though, i'm going to love it. i know it. on saturdayyyyyyyy, mouse came over and we watched a few episodes of it's always sunny in philadelphia and ate delicious food and played with weirdo (wahhhhhh).

on sunday, i met up with mouse and kati to go to berlin mart in new jersey ! we met up with meesh and greg there, and we saw a lot of funny things and mouse made me laugh so hard that all of the people at the flea market thought i was behaving inappropriately for a flea market. it was a great fucking day ! i got:

- a greedo
- a yoda
- two jawas
- a grizzlor (a he-man guy- i got him for jeanne cause someone made him into a magnet)
- some work gloves (even though i don't do work)
- the best possible hairclip

sweetheart of the berlin mart


after that, we went to blackbird pizza, where i was psyched to try a seitan cheesesteak, but they were out of seitan. they had some pizza and stuff butttttttttt i'm not vegan and i can eat real pizza so spending $3 on slices of vegan pizza didn't seem appetizing, so i just had some water and a good, awkward sulk. annnnnnd then we came home and weirdo died.

this past week has just been... stress and studying. next week is my last week of classes, and i have four papers to finish- 1 two page but with heavy research, 2 one page with heavy research, and one 10 page with heavy research. my genocide final paper is stressing me out a lot- i wrote a proposal that was mostly based on like... my strong emotional reaction and not a lot of research that i did, and my professor wrote this back (she actually wrote one email with this praise and then wrote a second cause she forgot she sent the first, with MORE INTENSE PRAISE):

"This is going to be a great paper. In fact, you could probably publish it--if you feel like putting the extra work into it (which need not be done for the version you hand in as a final paper in this class). I would be happy to help you polish it and send it out. The idea you will be pursuing is very innovative and also very important. It could put women on the genocide map, so to speak. And it would bring necessary attention to their suffering--their suffering as survivors not just of a genocidal process, but also of genocide written on their bodies and lives"


i know that someone suggesting that an undergraduate freshman publish something is a big insane compliment, but it put this insane amount of pressure on me- i feel super unsophisticated and emotional and like i barely even know what i'm talking about? like i'm just kind of chauncey gardenering my way through this.

chance the gardener


so, this week? studying reading freaking the fuck out and not being able to do a bunch of shit and alksdlksajdlkjalskjdklsajs alas poor roxy. anyway, i just wanted to get that out.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

i will follow you into the dark

mannnn. not sure how to start this entry, because i really don't want to write it, but weirdo's kidney's failed suddenly on sunday and she had to be put to sleep. she was fine on saturday- playful and energetic and annoying and cute, but she didn't finish her dinner. on sunday morning when i left, she was playful but sleepy (kitten attacked my hand when i petted her goodbye), and on sunday evening when i came home, she was completely lethargic and her gums were white. i didn't notice anything strange at first because she was kind of a little floppy noodle cat when she was tired anyway, but after about a half hour of that, we started to get worried.

mouse dropped me off at the emergency vet, and they took her right back. the first time the vet talked to me, we talked about what i should feed her when i got home (i transitioned her to regular cat food, but they suggested i keep her on kitten food for awhile), and then she went to check her bloodwork results. when she came back, she was carrying a box of tissues.

weirdo
the last picture i took of her


the vet said that it looked like she had congenital kidney problems and at that point, she was so sick that there was nothing she could do. christina came and met me there, and we got to say goodbye to her (and sob and use the entire fucking box of tissues) and hold her and pet her and tell her how much everyone loved her. i had to hold her while she was put to sleep, and she went in about ten seconds.

this... fucking sucks? i don't really know how else to talk about it. i really, really, really miss her and i hate that this happened. like, on saturday specifically i was thinking about what she'd be like when she grew up- any time i picked her up and rested her head on my chest she'd fall asleep, and i was wondering if she'd still do that when she was big.

bleh. what a great little friend.

p.s. christina has been really amazing throughout all of this- i know she loved weirdo just as much as me, but she's been super supportive and great and funny and caring. she also made a donation to citykitties in weirdo's name.
p.p.s. i had a great thanksgiving weekend filled with terrific people who love me and weird stuff and maybe i'll write about that later this week. right now i'm pretty bummed.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

cool thoughts on the present situation

first ! christine, brooke, and i started our history blog, cool thoughts. the name is based on a document brooke and i saw at the benjamin franklin underground museum called cool thoughts on the present situation of our public affairs (authored by one benjamin franklin, alias mrs. silence dogood), and the blog is woefully located on tumblr because the name "cool thoughts" is literally taken everywhere else, and is mostly parked domains or blogs of like, "confucious say..." shit and doors quotes. alas ! anyway, the purpose of the blog is for us to post anything we are reading about or interested in throughout history, in any format, whenever we want. if you'd like to contribute something (anything !), please send it to coolthoughts@nervous.org.

cool thoughts


one of my main goals here is to get comfortable talking about things i know about< without the crippling fear of being wrong or considered "not smart enough"- this is a problem many people have, i'm sure, but women specifically are made to feel intellectually inferior or like they have to apologize for or soften their opinions. it may not seem like i have a big problem with this if you know me, but it's something i struggle with every day- especially in regard to my lack of formal education.

what else ! i've been taking an ill-advised break from reading for the past few days because my brain needed a break, which means i'm going to have to really and sincerely bust ass all weekend to get everything done. i have a research proposal, a few essays, and a rough draft for my genocide paper due. i'm actually waiting for my professor's feedback for the rough draft- she's really awesome but can be a little slow with stuff over e-mail, and our class meeting is canceled this week. anyway, i've been mostly farting around watching simpsons dvds, and it's been... heavenly.

simpsons
i only have seasons 5-9


i also ended up breaking down and buying cataclysm, the next world of warcraft expansion. i am waffling about whether or not i want to play- like, i just don't have time for wow anymore with school, and i have mixed feelings about the new 10 man raiding structure. like, i love the dudes (and two women) i play with, but i often found myself being the 11th man when 10 mans were forming up previously. i'm not the most amazing player, but i was better than some other people who were chosen, and that was because i had a lot of personality conflicts with some shitty random norms in the guild (like a handful of idiot privilege denyin' dudes who wanted to be able to call women bitches and stuff). luckily those dudes were sort of phased out or alienated (by me !) so there's a small chance things will be different now, but who knows? yesterday was a patch day, and the world was ripped apart and orgrimmar was redesigned, and everything honestly looks pretty cool. i also saved the name astralweeks for a goblin shaman. sigh. i really like this fucking game, who am i kidding.

orgrimmar


what else ! oh ! nick and sandi are coming today ! sandi told me not to eat anything in anticipation of a family dinner? which is exciting and also easy to do because i'm only at work for 3 hours today and i forgot to bring lunch and also i have zero groceries that aren't thanksgiving ingredients (actually i have some trader joe's burritos i guess). i'm excited to see them because it's been figuratively forever. also i get to bro down with christina, who just got back from san francisco.

my plans for the break? cooking, hanging out, thanksgiving with jeanne and mike, reading, writing, agonizing, procrastinating, simpsons, history, internet. i gotta get some work done in my last 30 minutes at work, though, so.. ttyl. happy thanksgiving !

Monday, November 22, 2010

he knows where she is

hollllllllyyyyy shit ! everyone is so fucking annoying this morning ! my coworkers will not stop fucking talking to each other ! guys, shut up ! it's fucking monday ! shut up ! stop talking ! that said, we had a staff breakfast this morning and they got vegetarian sausage just for me, but i'm not sure it was worth it i'm currently on hour two of breakfast being THE MOST INTERESTING FUCKING THING TO EVER HAPPEN that everyone can't stop fucking talking about !

morning star


i'm so reluctant to do anything today that i've been read the wikipedia entry for vladimir putin's dog for like 15 minutes.

so ! the weekend ! on friday, i came home and farted around and went to bed super early (midnight, which is early for me), because i had a day of exciting errands planned ! but i was incredibly exhausted all day and ended up... sleeping until 2pm. i didn't even take a shower or get dressed until like... 7? i had a runny nose and headache and was sure i was getting sick, but i think i just needed water and caffeine. i met up with mouse, benji, nate, and anna for all-you-can-eat ethiopian at ethio cafe, a new ethiopian restaurant directly next door to the one i usually go to.

ethio cafe


the staff was super nice, and they specifically referred to everything as "vegan," and the food was good, but i can't eat all that much ethiopian food. a regular entree at abyssinia (the place next door) is the same price, and i probably eat the same amount both ways. i may continue to just go to abyssinia, though i feel guilty cause the women running this place were so attentive and sweet, and the quality of food was not appreciably different.

after dinner, mouse came over and let me windbag him with my incomplete knowledge of genocide- it was a very interesting role reversal, because usually HE is the windbag. it felt like how it probably feels when those high powered businessmen on craigslist have to dress like a baby and get spanked to have an orgasm ! i didn't have an orgasm though, i guess. maybe mouse did, i forgot to ask.

adult baby


on sunday morning, i woke up and met mouse and kev for breakfast at green line, where we had bagels and coffee. i love when jesse (and patchie) are working because they make the best lattes. i love when eric is working too because he's funny and has a great beard, but he makes coffee drinks that actually taste like coffee which isn't really my m.o. it was nice to see kev and catch up, because i haven't seen him in a million years ! after breakfast, i got a car and went to whole foods and got cat food. i'm preparing my menu for our delicious friendsgiving at jeanne's house- she and mike are getting back from romania right before, so we are going to have thanksgiving at their house (plus her friend alexis who i am super super excited to meet will be there and cooking !). here's what i'm making (vegetarian versions of all):

vegetarian ham

vegetarian ham ! i'm going to make an apple cider/brown sugar/mustard glaze, which i don't usually use a recipe for and just WING.

caramelized onion and cornbread stuffing

caramlized onion and cornbread stuffing

roasted vegetables

roasted potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and brussels sprouts

cranberries

orange honey cranberry sauce

cake

mini orange chocolate chunk cakes (jeanne's will be an orange pecan cake since she doesn't like chocolate !)


anyway, after shopping i came home and relaxed and didn't do any school work and felt okay about that. i got through a whole lot of simpsons episodes this weekend- first i flagellated myself with DVR'd recent episodes and then i rewarded myself by watching season 6.

heh heh
no, you owe ME $900 !


my goals right now are to get through this week at work (2.5 days !), get through class tonight, finish my essays for writing class, and write my paper for genocide class. my BIG paper. it's going to be a super fucking busy holiday ! also, brooke, christine, and i are starting a history blog together and i need to work on that !

p.s. christina gets back from SF tonight and i can't wait to hugggggg her