Tuesday, December 07, 2004

Womb with a view?

Knitty does it again. Check out one of their more...interesting projects. Now where did I leave the peach yarn...

Wednesday, December 01, 2004

Patrons.....

Signs we really need to put up in the library:

Do not ring, play with, or touch bell unless you need help.
Really.
We mean it.

Yes, this is a bell. There is no need to pick it up and see how it works. It's a bell. No, there aren't any wires, it is a simple vibrational mechanism that...
Yes, it is really neat that it even rings while it is upside down.
Now put it back on the counter and step away.

Cell phones are not allowed in the library. Hiding under the table while talking on one only means that I'll need to catch my breath after laughing my ass off before I tell you to take it out into the lobby. Again.

More signs to come, I'm sure

Wednesday, November 24, 2004

Things to do when the students are gone

I just went to the back room to get some scotch tape and found the grad student coordinator filming a preservation video, with the help of some circ people. Not a big deal, except that they were using some of the Madagascar hissing cockroaches that we have in a display out in the public area. Yes, live ones.

See, former employers, libraries aren't boring. We even hold roach races during the down-time.

Love. This.

Disclaimer stickers for Science Textbooks. You can print them out as a pdf file, if you like. :-)

Excerpt: "This book was anonymously donated to your school library, to discretely promote religious alternatives to the theory of evolution. When you are finished with it, please refile the book in the fiction section."

Tuesday, November 02, 2004

Jeezus Keerist!

So I'm sitting here at my new job (more on that later!) and anxiously hopping between browser tabs (I love Mozilla/Firefox), reloading several different election-result sites. I think I'm giving myself an ulcer. Only another half-hour t and I can go home...to fret some more. Sheesh.

By the way, I still think the whole Electoral College set-up stinks, even though I originally come from one of the small-population States which benefits from the current set-up. Sigh. Someday we'll be free of the Colonial mind-set that prevails in our modern politics. Or not.

Back to the web.

Thursday, September 09, 2004

Spit-take

So, I picked up breakfast at McDonald's this morning (long story) and as I was leaving I spotted this sign:

2 for $2.42
SMEG

Pttooiee!!!

Laughed. My. Ass. Off.

(It stood for "sausage McMuffin with egg, in case you couldn't figure that out)

Tuesday, August 17, 2004

Compukers

I've had a few people ask me why I haven't blogged or been chatting much lately. Well, aside from being flabbergasted that my little blog is being read, I've been away from my computer. A lot. As in, for pretty much the last 30 days. I've been able to check my email and reply to some email, but other than the quick glimpse at work, where I actually try to be good about surfing the net, I've been undergoing fairly severe computer-withdrawal. But I got my computer back from the chop-shop (after getting a new hard drive, video card, USB port, fan, and motherboard) last Thursday and I've been catching up. So, hang in there, I'll be getting to you soon.

Oh yeah, last night's mowing extravaganza? Went on (and off, and on, and off) until at least 11:30, when I finally gave up and fell asleep. Idiots.

Monday, August 16, 2004

Strange Neighbors

Someone is mowing their lawn right now. Which wouldn't be odd, except that it is 10:00. PM. And pitch black out. Hmm....

At least, I hope they're mowing their lawn and not destroying evidence or something.

Friday, July 30, 2004

More things to read at work, when I should be filing

Some drool-worthy food sites I've recently found.

Bento Moblog
Warning:image heavy. Fellow anthropologist M. Ito photo-documents the daily bento-lunches she makes for her children. Too cool! And a link to her thoughtful essay on the culture of bento.

Holy Shitake
A foodie's blog. Good recipe experiments and interesting menu encounters. Love the June 10th entry: Cheese ball-encrusted chicken cordon bleu recipe. Yum!

Thursday, July 29, 2004

But is it Atkins friendly?

Well, now that I know how to knit....

302 Calories

Yep, you''ll just have to click on it and see what it is.

And you might as well check out the rest of Knitty's summer issue while you're at it, since there is more of the same!

Tips to live by

Just a hint to all the guys out there who have personals ads:

When selecting a photo to use on your profile, don't choose one from your wedding day, no matter how long ago you were married.

Gak.

Saturday, July 24, 2004

So, see-food isn't kosher?

Hee! I laughed so hard I snorted. Here's an excerpt from The Atlantic's article,
Laws Concerning Food and Drink:

When you chew your food, keep your mouth closed until you have swallowed, and do not open it to show your brother or your sister what is within; I say to you, do not so, even if your brother or your sister has done the same to you. Eat your food only; do not eat that which is not food; neither seize the table between your jaws, nor use the raiment of the table to wipe your lips. I say again to you, do not touch it, but leave it as it is. And though your stick of carrot does indeed resemble a marker, draw not with it upon the table, even in pretend, for we do not do that, that is why. And though the pieces of broccoli are very like small trees, do not stand them upright to make a forest, because we do not do that, that is why. Sit just as I have told you, and do not lean to one side or the other, nor slide down until you are nearly slid away. Heed me; for if you sit like that, your hair will go into the syrup. And now behold, even as I have said, it has come to pass.

Wednesday, July 21, 2004

My Dad's new toy



Yes, this is the coup de grace to my family's recent landscaping project. Apparently, it even has lights, so that one can enjoy the scenery deep into the night. The neighbors must be thrilled. I wonder if it is remote controlled...

Tuesday, July 20, 2004

Tattooooo!


My tattoo (at about 5 minutes old)

On Saturday, June 5th, I got my first tattoo. I've been planning on getting one for quite a number of years, but my (now ex) husband didn't like the idea of me having any body mods (beyond my pierced ears). Needless to say, that didn't fly well and eventually (post divorce) I got a very attractive (at least, I think so) tat on my upper left hip, towards the back.

And the story behind the tattoo: My best friend C has lymphoma and after two rounds of chemo and stem-cell replacement therapy has decided against a third. So, I said that we needed to get matching tattoos as a memorial. He came up with the design and I and his other best friend Kathleen got pricked at Cherry Bomb Tattoo in Chicago by Patrick Cornolo (who was pleased to deflower two tattoo virgins in a row). Unfortunately, C decided not to get a tattoo after all, since his immune system is not up to par right now. Which is not a problem, I'm just going to draw it on him with a Sharpie the next time I visit him. :-)

It tool about an hour and a half, and while it hurt, it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. My tat has healed nicely and I love catching a glimpse of it in the mirror and in the shower. I think it is a nice reminder of someone who will soon not be around. I keep telling C that I'll think of him whenever I sit down.

Saturday, July 17, 2004

Just me


A photo of me for the blog profile

Friday, July 16, 2004

Still here

Yeah, I'm still here!  Just been really busy (and have lots to tell) and without a computer at home for three weeks.  Major withdrawal going on.  Finally got it back two days ago and here I am , with a head full of news. 
.
 
.
 
.
 
.
 
What?  Oh, you'd like some news to tide you over?  Okay.
 
I got a tattoo!

Trying something new (no, not cake)


I enjoyed cooking from an early age...



Friday, May 21, 2004

Job

I got a job!

Finally.

I'm going to be working as the Medical Records/Database Specialist at Frances Nelson Health Center. It sounds very similar to the work I did for the Madison Public Health Department, but it pays less (Civil Service vs Federally funded). Luckily, the cost of living in Chambana is less than Madison's (albeit, not by much). Still, it'll be nice to be doing socially-responsible work again.

And let's hear it for benefits! I get health care coverage again (after a year of not having any). Yay!

Tuesday, May 18, 2004

Whoo hoo!

Heh. I need to buy new pants because mine are all too large now! Much better than the other way 'round.

Of course, now I need to buy more pants. Sigh.

Monday, May 03, 2004

Missing: sleep

Sleep has been escaping me recently. I maybe got three hours last night, which, since I usually get nine, is too little.

So, I just made coffee. With artificial sweetener (Splenda, in case you were wondering). And then I went to check email while the coffee brewed. Then, I came back, and added more sweetner. Can you guess how far across the room I spat the coffee? One large mug of coffee + 6 packets of Splenda=ppptttooooiiieee!!!!!

Need more sleep. I can't even make coffee correctly this morning. And I'm off in half an hour to grade 5th-9th graders on their reading ability. This does not bode well.

Friday, April 16, 2004

*Yaaaawwwn....*

How I know that I really need to get some more sleep:

  • While trying to fall asleep two nights ago realized that I had not done my taxes yet. That pretty much ruined me for the rest of the night.
  • Drove to three different post offices yesterday evening before I found one that was open past 8:30pm (okay, that doesn't prove that I was too tired, just that my town sucks)
  • Put sugar in the coffee pot, instead of in my mug
  • Tried to retreive my freshly-toasted bagel from the microwave
  • Put the box of cereal into the fridge

    Good karma points gained:

  • Bought some stamps for a stranger last night at the post office

  • Monday, April 12, 2004

    [*sneeze*]

    Seem to have picked up a cold from somewhere. Or at least that's what the kleenex shoved up my nose is telling me.

    Run down of the past couple weeks:



    • Cats peed on the bed. Twice. They almost ended up as furry houseslippers, but I resisted the impulse to skin them.
    • Did a lot of laundry (see above note)
    • Went on a few dates with Ken (hi!). (Hellboy rocks!)
    • Cooked dinner for Ben (who doesn't read blogs, so no "hi" for him).
    • Decided I'm apparently only going on dates with guys whose names rhyme with mine (sorry Shea)
    • Apologized to Kathleen for flirting with her husband so much (apparently she doesn't share)
    • Apologized to Shea *and* Kathleen for making bad jokes about flirting in this blog (he blushes waaaay too easily)
    • Currently temping at a local company that scores educational tests. I am personally ruining the lives of 5th-9th graders from Ohio

      and

    • Found out my best friend is dying

    Thursday, March 11, 2004

    Too effin' cool: African waterwheel

    This is just amazing. Whee!

    http://www.theworld.org/edpick/pump.shtml

    THe Playpump taps the (considerable) energy of playign children, can generate upwards of 1,400 liters of water per hour, and help prevent diseases such as cholera that can stem from open water supplies.

    Thursday, March 04, 2004

    Weird stuff

    Lately, my tongue has been really hot. No, not that way, temperature-wise. It just feels hot, not in an uncomfortable manner, but noticable. I keep sticking it it and feeling it with my lips. A bit sensual, but mostly just weird. So far, I haven't done this is public, but it is just a matter of time. Weirdo.

    Thursday, February 26, 2004

    Ack!

    I installed IM yesterday. I am either very popular, or female. I'm guessing the second one. Had to ignore some scary people, but met some nice ones. We'll see where this leads. Oh yeah, I'm yanajenn on Yahoo, if anyone cares. But I have boobs, so I'm betting they do.

    Princess Bride Quiz Results

    Buttercup

    Which Princess Bride Character are You?
    this quiz was made by mysti


    Princess Bride Quiz Results

    Wednesday, February 25, 2004

    Laughed. My. Ass. Off. Then I went to the drug store

    Watch this. No, watch this. It isn't very long and it is an actual commercial from Germany. Why can't American commercials be like this?

    Wrap It Commercial

    Tuesday, February 24, 2004

    Accomplishments 101

    New Year's Resolutions
    I am definitely behind on listing these, but I've actually been keeping up with them. Yay me!

    Use up pantry items. Essentially, stop collecting food.
    Eat more healthily (is that grammatical?)
    Exercise regularly. Does once a month count?

    Today's Accomplishments

    Cleaned aquarium. Realized I was missing a fish. Decided he must have been part of the sludge I cleaned out of the filter. Ew, bad fish-mom.

    Baked a loaf of rye bread, sans caraway ('cause they look and taste like mouse turds). It was "meh." Likely due to the recipe and not my cooking skills, mercifully. Now looking for someone to foist it off on, or a recipe to make it into something else. At least I used up rest of mystery flour (see below).

    Cleaned up very floury kitchen.

    Applied for many jobs. Yay me, again!

    Tonight's extravaganza: Taxes. And using up the mystery rice.

    Recent accomplishments, somehow all involving food:

    Baked a loaf of bread, in order to find out what type of flour was in a particular jar. It was white bread flour. The bread was decent.

    Made bread pudding out of the leftover above bread. Pretty good, but needed a custard sauce to go on top of it. Unfortunately, I used up all the eggs making the pudding.

    Roasted a roast (beef). Very nice, juicy, and flavorful. Still have leftovers that need eating, lucky me. need more mayo so I can make beef salad sandwiches.

    Big pat

    Make that 5 jobs. Heh.

    Pat, pat

    Applied for four jobs today and followed up on one previously applied for. I deserve a big hug. i'm calling "extra-help" services tomorrow (University temp-jobs) and kicking myself for not thinking of them sooner, especially since I worked for them years ago. Okay, maybe that's why I didn't think of them.

    Friday, February 20, 2004

    My life

    Bought the kids (the cats) new toys from Farm and Fleet the other day. Love the store, although I always feel like I shouldn't be shopping there, sophisticate that I am. Bought the cats some more real-fur mice, which they love, but I manage to vacuum up all the time. Then they look at me with their sad little faces, 'cause I ate their toys.

    Had to pull off the mice's eyes and noses, though, since the cats were liable to choke on the plastic. Spent ten minutes using my fingernails to inflict Inquisition-style torture on the poor things! Oh well, the cats shredded them with glee, so either way the toys were doomed.

    Wednesday, February 18, 2004

    I always wanted a pony

    Can anyone explain to me the physics of cat feet? I've always thoght of cats as soft-footed, pattering little creatures, but mine sound like miniature horses. Clomp, clomp, clomp all around the house (wood floors). I swear, they are stomping their feet on purpose, especially in the wee morning hours.

    Saturday, February 14, 2004

    Bitter, much?

    And how am I spending Valentine's Day, you ask? Why, pretty much the same exact way I celebrated it when I was married: ALONE. Bah.

    And eating mangoes over the kitchen sink.

    Vagina Dialogues

    I think I've found a new sig-line (no, not really). At least I got a lot of exercise from laughing so hard. From The Ferret:

    "Frankly, I've come to thinking of vaginas as unique little gardens, with a well in the middle and little rows of grass around the edges. Some are well-cultivated, others left to grow wild, and there's pleasure to be had from all of them. Call me Chauncey."

    Gods, I really hope my family doesn't read my blog. Or at least never ever tells me that they do.

    Friday, February 13, 2004

    Too Cool

    Neato squeato! Chocolate sushi, anyone? Best thing in the world for me, since I don't like fish or seafood. Yum!

    Gift Menu

    Wednesday, February 11, 2004

    Umm.....

    Is it okay to be turned off and turned on at the same time?

    This is sure a new type of RPG...

    Book of Erotic Fantasy

    Ah! The warm glow of eeevil!

    Snort! Hee! I-Mockery.com's review of the The Queasy Bake Cookerator Oven!.
    I had the more feminine version of this when I was a kid. Made yummy stuff with it until I ran out of mixes.

    Mom, Brandy yelled at me!

    So, I have been asked, nay, ordered to blog more by my friend Brandy while she was visiting this past weekend. Of course, I don't have too much of interest to say. Hmmm, need to work on the self-pity a bit.

    Okay, I did get to watch Brandy dye Kathleen's hair in lovely shades of black and burgundy (looks good), which may have lowered my personal fears about hair-coloring a bit, so that was good. I've always wanted to try out a new color, but I'm still wary of getting stuck with it for too long, or it never washing out, or some such silly thing. Gotta work on them phobias.

    I am also working on time management. Even though I am unemployed (by choice) I seem to never get things done during the day. In order to address this, and in preparation for grad school, I've decided to examine why I have such a hard time completing or starting projects. I am reading a very good book called Time management from the inside outby Julie Morgenstern (look it up yourself, lazy bums). I bought it about 3 years ago, so you can see how good my management skills are currently. I'm working on my "big-picture goals," as the author calls them, and having fun playing with markers and my big whiteboard. So far, so good, actually. I feel more focused already! And very colorful from all the ink on my hands.

    Friday, February 06, 2004

    "Mee?"

    Yesterday Missy came out of the laundry room post-nap, with her face covered in a cobweb mask. I mean, it covered her entire face. I don't know how she could see through it. Just looked up at me and went "Mee?" Didn't bother her in the slightest (perhaps she thought she was setting a new fashion), but had me rolling on the floor. Yes, I peeled it off of her.

    Friday, January 16, 2004

    Playing by myself

    Ran around like a maniac after winterizing the front door, yelling, “Vere is my caaaawk?” in a strange, pseudo-Russian accent (my friend C would’ve appreciated my performance). You see, I wanted to seal some drafts I found. Still can’t find it. My caulk, that is.

    Managed to seal and lock the bathroom window. Just needed to be done during daylight, so that I could see what the hell I was doing. Now all those backyard peepers can’t get in and bother me.

    All this was prompted by the $170.00 power bill I received this month. Just in case you were wondering, that is fucking high.

    And then I made lunch, yaki soba and leftover hot n’ sour soup. And sung “sooouuup, beautiful sooouuupp!” to myself, shades of the mock turtle from Alice in Wonderland. Had a wonderful 5th grade teacher that read it to us. She had the best voices for all the characters.

    Oh, and cat farts? Very smelly.

    Off to look for my cock, er, caulk. :-)

    Recent Accomplishments and Errata

    Wow. I've been busy. In the past 5 days, I think I have done more "important" stuff than I have in over a year. Let's see...


    • Applied for graduate school. Huge props to Kathleen, who held my hand, edited my essays, and gave me a much needed kick in the butt. And many thanks go to everyone else who helped motivate me along the way. Now I only have to wait until March to see if I am accepted.

      This was hanging over my head for sooo long. Feels very good to have it done. Now I have lots of actual free time, instead of just time that I was procrastinating in. Speaking of which...

    • Applied for a really nice University library job. Not sure if I have a chance, there may be an insider who wants it. But at least I applied.

    • Just (about 3 minutes ago) applied at a temp agency. Time to earn some money instead of just spending it. I'm actually looking forward to bulking up my savings again, and not feeling guilty about buying the extra-fancy toilet paper. My sabbatical has been very good for me, though. Nice post-divorce, post-move, post-everything therapy.


    Time to pull myself out of the essay-induced paper avalanche now.

    And I'm off tonight for dinner with my new squeeze/boyfriend/don't-know-what-to-call-him-because-we-haven't-discussed-it-yet.

    Ta!

    Monday, January 12, 2004

    Another ego boost for myself

    I applied for a job today! If you know me, you also know what an accomplishment this is. Pat me on the back, I might just get a job sometime soon.

    Friday, January 09, 2004

    Evening thought

    Someone on a List that I read just wrote the most brilliant phrase about not letting other people bother you that I have ever heard. It is "don't let other people live rent free in your own head."

    Yeah.

    Stupid ex-library clerk tricks

    So I go to the library last night, to return things. Go and check my account, come back to pick up the holds that are in, and one of the clerks hands me two empty CD cases, saying that I forgot to put the CDs back in. What do I do? I open both cases, and verify that they are, indeed, empty. Idiot. How many times did I roll my eyes at people who did that, when I was a library clerk myself? Idiot.

    Thursday, January 08, 2004

    Link of the day

    Now, this kind of prank I can thoroughly endorse. Probably good that he didn't have any pets, though.

    Man's apartment encased in aluminum foil

    Wednesday, January 07, 2004

    Needed: Ego stroking

    So, I am wondering, who is actually reading this blog? Drop me line and ping me, I'm just curious. Too bad blogger doesn't support comments, like LiveJournal does.

    Procrastination 101

    What do you do when you have a week deadline to write your grad school entrance essays? Why, you clean house, of course!

    Today’s procrastination exercise consisted of me going through my wardrobe (which is looking very shabby) and refolding, tossing, and sorting what is in it. Tons of old socks, t-shirts with crusty underarms (hey, girls sweat too!), and things that simply don’t fit anymore (like the thongs which would likely slice me in half vertically if I tried them on).

    The cats had fun spelunking in the spaces left by the dresser drawers being removed. Of course I took pictures, because I have no life. Missy is now being cuddled on my left shoulder as I type, because the caves were apparently very spooky.

    Yesterday I procrastinated by going through the pantry and resorting everything. I always discover fun items when I do this: spring roll wrappers, a can of mango paste, two boxes of falafel mix. My New Year’s resolution list now includes actually eating the items in the pantry instead of attempting to run a small ethnic grocery in my kitchen.

    I also successfully emptied out the computer/sewing room of all the detritus that has accumulated in it over the past few months (post-move, if that is any excuse). Of course, most of it is now spread over the living room floor (said items were barfed on by one of the cats last night, sigh) where I actually am managing to sort and toss stuff. Items found: my “no religious soliciting” sticker, which will go on the front door (hopefully it will work), my pocket knife (lost since my 2002 trip to London), and the English money I was going to give to my sister, plus other items that were squealed over. Pays to stay organized. Of course, it would be easier to do so if the office wasn't eight degrees cooler than the rest of the house. I swear, there were icicles on my computer monitor this morning.

    Friday, January 02, 2004

    Happy New Year?

    So far today:

    Doorbell rings while I am still in bed. I attempt to sleep through it, but they ring a second time. I get up and fumblingly get dressed, since my robe is in the dryer. It is the washer/dryer company (ironically), here to “upgrade” my machines so that it now costs a dollar to wash/dry a load of laundry instead of 50 cents. Very annoying.

    Then the local Jehovah’s Witnesses came by. They are under the impression (since I was nice to them previously) that I am interested in hearing what they have to day. They said that they are going to make more of an effort to stop by more often. Great.

    Then I broke a mirror.

    This does not bode well for the New Year. Sigh.