Buzz Kill Katie

Summer Planting Calendar

2012-02-12T00:02:00.006-05:00

Finally finished the planting calendar! And have been planting up a small storm, waiting for spring flower seeds to arrive from mail order and got a baby cannabis plant to keep my orchid company. This photo is of the radish sprouts, last week. They are about double in size now and newly transplanted into the permanent garden beds. I had fun this weekend power drilling planks of old wood into the bed to dog-proof it. Understandably, if I were a dog, I would also think the garden bed was meant to be shit in.

I went to the Oakland Zoo the other day, see a few more photos here. And a few things up for sale on my Etsy.

MARCH:

Cilantro - March 7

Chard - March 7

Lettuce - March 7

Radish - March 11

Rhubarb - March 11

Broccoli - March 13 if rain

Endive - March 13 if rain

Kohlrabi - March 22

Asparagus - March 22

APRIL:

Corn - April 4

Basil - April 4

Cabbage - April 5

Tomatoes - April 5

Brussel Sprouts - April 21

Parsnips - April 21

Daikon - April 21

Endive - April 21

Leek - April 21

MAY: (yay!)

Beans - May 5

Cucumber - May 5

Eggplant - May 5

Peppers - May 5

Pumpkins - May 8

Squash - May 8

Tomatoes - May 20

Chives - May 20

Melons - May 20

JUNE:

Corn - June 4

Sunflower - June 4

Chard - June 4

Lettuce - June 4

Celery - June 6

Endive - June 6

Brussel Sprouts - June 6

Carrot - June 6

Cauliflower - June 19

JULY:

Chinese Cabbage - July 4

Mustard Greens - July 4

Lettuce - July 4

Radish - July 7

Cauliflower - July 19

AUGUST:

Mustard Greens - August 2

Turnips - August 5

Leeks - August 5

Spinach - August 17

Gung hay fat choy!

2012-01-26T15:26:00.005-05:00

Happy belated lunar new year! I planted some more Lincoln Peas in celebration, and the radishes are coming along nicely. Roommate Sam had the foresight to cover the sprouts with plastic wrap for the cold nights and I think it made a huge difference. The first round of peas aren't doing so well, probably because they were not covered initially.

I'm working on a few projects but am feeling a bit under the weather the past few days so don't have any photos yet. I am making some art to hang around the house, some campy crafty dried flower collages and owl cut-n-paste watercolors. I never imagined how being a Kindergarden teacher would affect my aesthetics.

Three years ago I was living with Noelle in Tampa, dreaming about how to get laid and how to pass my Marxism class.

Two years ago I was living with Matt in the woods, pissing outside and tending wild grown bromeliads. In this photo is my friend Clay.

Planting Calendar: January, February

2012-01-10T02:07:00.004-05:00

This is the planting calendar I concocted using a myriad of resources and a bit of divine intuition and I want to share it because growing shit is awesome and important. I used the Farmer's Almanac to determine patterns in moon phases, this lunar calendar, and another planting guide. I'm still working on planning the rest of the year, but it will initially all be an experiment with sprouting.

JANUARY:

Cabbage Jan 8
Peas Jan 8
Radish Jan 14-16
Carrots Jan 17-18
Chard Jan 17-18
Collards Jan 17-18
Kale Jan 17-18
Lettuce Jan 17-18
Peas Jan 25-27
Peppers Jan 25-27

FEB:

Chard Feb 6
Chives Feb 6
Spinach Feb 6
Beets Feb 9
Brocolli Feb 13
Celery Feb 13
Leek Feb 13

General Tendencies:

Full Moon good for above ground crops - day before full moon

Waning moon barren days

Last day of waning moon good for roots

6 days after full moon excellent planting, transplanting,

10 days after full moon bad planting

New moon good for root crops

Farmer's Almanac and East Lake

2012-01-02T18:42:00.006-05:00

Newly discovered tin canisters full of hundreds of little seeds begging for germination has led to me track daily the best times for planting using the Farmer's Almanac website. The Farmer's Almanac has been in constant publication since 1818 and is a beautiful resource - I think it would be great to get a copy for my classroom and teach the kids more about naturalist living. This guide put out by the Community Gardening Program is also very useful as a seasonal planting guide for the East Bay.

Three summers ago I stayed and worked at Acorn Community Farm, which runs Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, a nerd bank of heirloom, mostly organic and open-pollinated, plants-in-waiting. If you need seeds or bulbs come spring (or whenever) I suggest ordering from them!

Some photos of my block, round the corner, juxtapositions of plants, dog shit, Victorian sheds, and barred up windows.

Happy New Year

2011-12-30T22:36:00.005-05:00

The Holiday season kind of tricks you into good cheer with sugar highs, booze, sparkling lights, and hugs. Thanks, 2011 for a lot of things among them: moving 4 times, traveling so much, graduating, more gardening and quilting, and beautiful new friendships.

Happy New Year, friends! Sorry, this post reads bottom to top.

December 2011: Rainbow Party and feeling infinite love for Oakland, my friends, my surrogate families, and all things good. Celebrated the Solstice by unceremoniously burning something over the grill while smoking a cigarette...four days later. I sell my banjo.

November 2011: Fly home to Tampa for the holiday and to photograph Mary's wedding. Especially awesome to see my baby cousins run circles around me and to eat cookies with my mom.

Oct, Nov, Dec, etc. 2011: Occupy Camps and marches, rainy season begins again.

October 2011: Visit Portland again, and Cape Perpetua. More trips to Seattle + Las Vegas.

All summer long 2011: Camp in Alameda with 15 Kinder-3rd vs. me

July 2011: My sister, Lauren gets married to her beau Chris and buys a house in Gilbert, Iowa. I see my parents for the first time in 7 months!

June 2011: Rosie and I move into the Happiness Hotel. I buy a bike and a banjo.

May 2011: I visit my Portland people. Not pictured: Lis and Gabby.

March+ April 2011: Rosie and I move to Oakland. Trips to Seattle.

January 2011: Noelle visits before moving to New Orleans.

January 2011: Take Rosie across a lot of states to Berkeley. Here she is licking frost off a window in New Orleans.

Fiber Fun

2011-12-21T18:15:00.004-05:00

Hi, friends, I finally finished this multi-toned scarf for my brother-in-law. Got this yarn for nearly free from the Depot. Hopefully the USPS doesn't collapse into the abyss of holiday mailings and potential anthrax scares. I was reading this morning Mother Jones article on the timeline of beginning the Iraq War. In reflection of this past year, on this winter solstice, I am amazed at how time scurries away from us. Ten years has passed by in a few winks, and 2011 is a hyperventilated exhale. Bring on la fin du monde, 2012.

The Rainbow party was rip-roarin and fun, and my friend Jorge who works at Revere Glass made me this awesome glass pendant as a birthday gift. I made a knit necklace to hold it.

It feels good to exchange joyful greetings in the form of knit love and also glittery postcards - here are a few that I made last week. Most are getting sent out at thank you cards.

Dreamy Daikon

2011-12-14T00:51:00.007-05:00

It's been a while since I've posted a recipe, most likely due to my incessant traveling for the past month and a half. I have another weekend in Seattle to look forward to in the coming year, which will hopefully yield more blueberry picking a la Jenni Kaye, more rain, and more jokes like the one the baker in Pike's Market told me.

"What is the most confusing holiday in Oakland?" ".....Easter?" "No, Father's Day!"

Anyway, I scrambled to market and got some peppers and dill and made these roasted veggies and stuffed pepper for lunch on Saturday.

1 anaheim pepper, whole

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 large daikon

3 whole garlic cloves

bunch of dill

pinch of salt

dash of dried rosemary

1/4 C oil

1/8 C rice

1/8 C cooked red beans

I used leftover rice and beans to stuff my pepper and have estimated how much I used. Of course you can substitute any pepper and any kind of beans to your liking/availability. Use the pepper seeds to spicy it up (or feed them to your parrot).

Toss the ingredients in oil, stuff the whole pepper with rice and beans, roast at 375F for 20 minutes.

As promised to Jessica, here is a photo of my holiday cheer living room which I enjoyed decking out with fake flowers, a Christmas vagina, and various other articles from a box labeled "X-Mas City babies." Thank you, Happiness Hotel.

The Oakland port feels like the end of the world, large boxes filled with anonymous humming shit, well-lit and guarded by 50+ OPD. The winter fog makes everything feel spooky, and apocalyptic. Meanwhile, a group of women in Vermont are arrested for protesting nuclear power plants by performing a citizen's arrest on power company executives. Democracy Now! coverage here.

Full Moon

2011-12-07T23:00:00.003-05:00

Two days until the full moon and Mercury Retrograde is ending the year with an obvious and resounding sigh, thinking about how I've almost been in the Bay Area for a year makes my head spin. Made a delicious dinner of penne, pesto, arugula, black pepper, and raw tomatoes followed by a Morpho Herbal Ale.

More photos from my trip to Florida (above) uploaded on my flickr here.

Ben's Nat Geo photo contest photo here, which you should vote for.

My friend Katie's yoga blog comin at ya from Asheville, North Carolina you should read here.

Have you seen Green Porno?

Went to LA for my birthday and a stranger at a Hermosa Beach vintage store gave me a Wild Heart vinyl for free.

Having an excellent evening and considering stringing Christmas lights in preparation for the upcoming Rainbow party here at the Happiness Hotel.

Tampa, TPA, Trampa, Tampon

2011-11-28T13:47:00.006-05:00

Photos from my trip to Tampa, Florida. View more here, and more to come following my god-awful long layover at Hobby airport.

Where the wave of moonlight glosses The dim grey sands with light, Far off by furthest Rosses We foot it all the night, Weaving olden dances, Mingling hands and mingling glances Till the moon has taken flight; To and fro we leap And chase the frothy bubbles, While the world is full of troubles And is anxious in its sleep. Come away, O human child! To the waters and the wild With a faery, hand in hand, For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand.  Where the wandering water gushes From the hills above Glen-Car,. In pools among the rushes That scarce could bathe a star, We seek for slumbering trout And whispering in their ears Give them unquiet dreams; Leaning softly out From ferns that drop their tears Over the young streams. Come away, O human child! To to waters and the wild With a faery, hand in hand, For to world's more full of weeping than you can understand.

Dakota's Quilt

2011-11-18T13:09:00.004-05:00

Blue moon of Kentucky, early sunset of November, sweet sugar sticking to my blue painted toes from crawling all along the bathroom floor spreading lacquer and love while sugar cookies congeal in the oven. Dark night of six o'clock, sweet promise of a flight leading to the promised land according to ancient Spaniards. Dinosaur bones hiding beneath fern leaves, my mind turns to swampier places including campfire pits tucked behind a bamboo gate. Earth balance and almond milk, the kitchen smells like winter. I will leap from the runway and bound into my loved ones' arms. I will deliver homemade gifts and kisses. I will bake more cookies with my great-grandmother's recipe plus earth balance and almond milk. I will launch into the ancient future on Wednesday and earn the hours back on Monday, having supped my belly full.

At the end of Spring I lived in an apartment on the north side of the lake with two humans and two cats. The cats, as far as I know are the same in number, but the humans have decided to procreate and multiply! Alak, babies need quilts.

Well, it's finished! And shipped on Monday to awaiting arms and bulging stomach.

Mangroves

2011-11-11T11:59:00.005-05:00

I grew up on the Gulf Coast of Florida where mangrove forests thrive and strangle all other shore plants - my friends and I used to collect mangrove seeds, pop em open, and watch the little sprouts struggle for survival. Then we would dive into lagoons full of calcium deposits licking our calloused feet, bleed on limestone shells, and dash across sand to boardwalks to watch crabs hunt.

My roommates and friend has a great series of photos of mangroves in Colombia, which you can peep here.

My own photos below: 1) a cormorant in the Hillsborough River State Forest, the same forest I used to live in. 2) lily pads in Lake Forest subdivision, my home during my last years of college. (above) Lake Forest just before sunset.

So Much

2011-11-04T12:10:00.002-04:00

There is so much happening in our world right now. Occupy Oakland swelled to 8,000 or so on Wednesday, these photos are from the weekend when it was much quieter at city center. There is a lot of public art, for example a "curtain of grief" which are yarn and fabric remnants strung from trees under which you can walk and contribute to numerous shrines. This week I am especially proud to be an Oaklander.

As I write this a group of activists floats towards Gaza in an attempt to defy Israeli tyranny. Video from Democracy Now

As if to deny shifting paradigms and excessive change I am going to Las Vegas for the weekend to be inundated with lights, booze, sad glittery people, and a circus performance. What a world.

Pumpkin Carving

2011-10-26T22:19:00.007-04:00

2011 officially rules with the inception of pumpkins into my life beginning a few weeks ago and ending in the bloodiest pumpkin massacre I have seen with my wee eyes since years ago when Salina and I tried to dissect some orange beauties only to find they were rotten, fell apart, or become depictions of our artistic failures. Oh pumpkin vengeance, your seedy ass is mine!

Roasted pumpkin seeds:

cleaned and degutted seedlings tossed with a bit of oil

dash of nutmeg

sprinkle of cinnamon

pinch of salt

little bit of coriander

Roast for 20 minutes at 400 degrees

Crafternoon

2011-10-23T13:23:00.004-04:00

This here post will be a list a la Noelle Bonnie

waking up at 7:30am every morning whether I have to work or not
Betty Grable sings "Shimmy Like my Sister Kate" better than anyone else.
drinking hot chai and waiting for two batches of biscuits to rise: one vegan, the other gluten-free. Two friends and their new baby need gluten-free goodies and far be it from me to stop the consumption of treats. I have never baked gluten-free before and don't expect magic from this batch because I am not following any rules or using a special recipe, but I have a good feeling about this.

Did I just unintentionally diverge from the list format? I think I did. In two weekends I'll be in Las Vegas at Cirque du Soleil - how lucky am I? These photos are from a crafternoon I spent last week painting and napping with Devo.

Teacher

2011-10-22T11:42:00.003-04:00

Yesterday my mom sent me a wooden pin shaped like an apple. I love being a teacher, and I especially love Fridays because it is an easy day academically for the kids, we went to the library to read Victoria Kann books, played exquisite corpse (drawing), drew pictures of owls, listened to Let it Be, and watched Ponyo.

Self-Portrait

2011-10-12T02:51:00.002-04:00

self-description, age 22. Joyful, bird tail peering out from behind skull.

Radish Rug

2011-10-09T02:27:00.004-04:00

My favorite snack lately is roasted radishes. I toss them with oil, a pinch of salt, and black pepper, then bake them for about 20 minutes at 300°F. (The greens are my favorite part).

I am making a rag rug with no pattern and with complete disregard for technique, let's see how this turns out.

After a dreamy week and weekend, I've got butterflies fluttering out my eyelids and have been puttering out for a daily nap, and especially looking forward to the rainy season coming up because now I have an excuse to start my annual knitting frenzy. Watch out for fiberous gifts coming your way, friends. Just started working on a multi-colored neck warmer, and need to restock my yarn stash - I only moved with four skeins from Florida, two of which are half used and smell unsurprisingly like plywood and oak splinters. Today I took a field trip to Lake Anza and dove off a cliff into the crisp water below, swam like a dog, lifted myself onto a rock like a turtle, and dried my hairy legs in the sun like a lizard.

I've been thinking about making an account on etsy for a while now to sell postcards and knit things and have (which you can find here) but I haven't added any goods to it yet. Because I haven't made them yet. Motivation, kick in soon.

Watermelon Sugar

2011-10-02T18:14:00.006-04:00

Spending the afternoon on the porch with Rosie, taking a break from to-do lists today and getting sticky fingers from sucking on yellow watermelon slices

Old Photos

2011-09-25T13:52:00.004-04:00

After a visit from a friend that I haven't seen in a year, I am feeling particularly nostalgic. I was looking through my trove of photos from over the past 10 (holy shit!) years and wanted to share a few of myself, in a fit of egotistical reflection. Why did I wear so much makeup? Did I really drink that much High Life? What are my best friends doing right now? These are all from high school.

Other things to share: This My Morning Jacket song is getting my through my morning, living life without Facebook and having to explain to my friends why I won't be friends with them online, just send me your physical address already, my in-box is overwhelmingly full (inbox being an envelope taped to the wall), my bird is overwhelmingly adorable and spent the morning preening my hair then playing hide and seek with me as I overcame the hangover of 8am trips to the airport.

I can't complain.

Cupcake Table

2011-09-21T03:34:00.007-04:00

This here little table was painted in primary colors, showcasing the alphabet and big golden cartoon stars. After distributing star stickers, practicing Aa Bb Cc Dd all the way through Qq, endless praising and ice cream all day, the last thing I want is to come home to the same decor that peppers my day. Ok, so I painted this table to look like a cupcake.

The mysteries of our free box are endless and wonderful. I found this matboard and gave it a makeover, I'm thinking of hanging fabric inside of it.

Other projects include a floral pin cushion, a quilt for my former roommates' (when I lived on the Lake) baby girl, finishing the patchwork curtain in the bathroom, and of course more postcards.

Friday is the Equinox!

Baby Blanket

2011-09-13T21:31:00.005-04:00

I have made three quilts for my nieces and nephews, one tapestry for myself (previously bragged about on this here blog), and now am making another for a friend's impending babe. I got all of the fabric and batting from the East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse, which after volunteer discount and other friendly discounts from awesome employees cost me next to nothing (or maybe 3$ at the most). I haven't purchased backing for it yet because I hate measuring (eek!) but will post a finished photo in a few weeks. Watch me keep my own deadline! I intend to line the hem with silk ribbon and try my hand at embellished stitching.

I think the little hand-stitched flannel cowboy appliques are damn adorable.

aaaand more postcards, this time in matching colors!

I am also trading a few for a friend who does glass blowing, in exchange for an implosion marble!

This is a weird skyline that is supposed to be Oakland but also with the Transamerica building in it, no idea. Observe: Lake Merritt, cherry blossoms, Canada geese!

Perpetual Postcards

2011-09-03T18:23:00.003-04:00

It's strange, just as summer is giving way to a warm fall and the trees are giving all they got for the last of the cool perpetual spring, students are beginning a new semester and my own energy is equally concentrated. I got a new classroom with windows, a new bedroom with windows, ran north along a forest shore across a river flowing into the sea, what a beautiful season.

Current projects include a cowboy quilt for my roommates' bun in the oven, more postcards and the participation in Postcrossing so I can send strangers my postcards instead of inundating my friends with them, corresponding as a hobby, sending painted packages with arugula seed and other goodies to far away distant foreign lands such as Iowa... and... Florida Otherwise I am living a life of debaucherous snail keeping and peach munching.

I've added a few photos to my flickr of Cape Perpetua on the Oregon Coast, peep them here. I learned about a cool project while on this field trip, about mapping the ocean floor into a Google interface, which you can peep a preliminary attempt at here.

Red Cabbage Rolls

2011-08-02T22:22:00.004-04:00

Red Cabbage Rolls (3 servings)

In medium pot, bring water to a boil and put in:

3 large red cabbage leaves,

10 or so cauliflower trees,

tbsp minced garlic,

pinch of salt

blanche cabbage leaves until firm but rollable (use extreme intuition - about 5 minutes in water)

in separate pot boil:

1/4 C brown rice

cook rest of vegetable mixture (sans cabbage) about 15 more minutes.

meanwhile, saute:

1 tbsp minced garlic,

1/2 C red bell pepper, diced.

drain water into separate pot (now you have a yummy broth) and put whole veggies in a food processor.

fill cabbage leaves with:

saute mixture,

brown rice,

processed cauliflower goodness

roll so that the seam is on the belly

drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with thyme and black pepper (or whatever)

bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes (or roughly the time it takes to drink a glass of wine)

layover

2011-07-26T21:26:00.005-04:00

I returned from the prairie lands, dreaming of drooling down my chin

as I slept next to the man from Fresno and his wife with the funny jokes.

I'm back to this side of the Rockies, dreaming of swimming pools and rum,

drinking myself into Saturday then Sunday, home sweet home.

After all is said and done, I will never again complain about the cool evenings here. I was immersed in humidity so thick it made me dizzy. I forgot what it's like to have static air, frizzing my hair and making me feel like I'm wandering around with a wet blanket on my shoulders.

This is a river I climbed rickety bridges over in the Republica Dominicana in 2004. I sat on warm rocks and watched people pan for gold. I've got a mean travel bug right now - looking forward to multiple visits to the Northerner Westerner Pacific coast soon and weighing my ability to visit Nawlins before a year passes.

I also lost my shoe in a serious mud pit walking through this forest to this river.

Mint Gin

2011-07-09T19:33:00.003-04:00

Picking blackberries with grill tongs in West Berkeley

Eating blackberries with juicy fingers on a rooftop

Making fire and remembering how good it feels to smell like burnt wood

Making a glittery patch so my backpack shimmers in the Oakland twilight,

and collages for a friend living in a wooded garden in citrus county, fla

Making hot pads and quilted aprons for my sis getting married in under 2 weeks!

Patty Pan

2011-06-27T22:22:00.003-04:00

Hey ya'll happy Monday, marauderin through my day after baking six-dozen unhealthy and gritty (yet fluffy and delicious) sugar/butter cookies for my students at the request of one of my bosses, I am proud to come home and chop up some real food. Patty pan squash roasted with golden beets (fave) and elephant ear garlic, to go alongside spaghetti tossed with saute beet greens, lettuce, and spinach. Rosie and I are waiting outside for our nutritious friends in the oven to come to a tender finish and the Pacific wind is cooling our little bones to a downright chill.

Meanwhile, check out this new music from SBTRKT that I got in my inbox the other morning.

The neighbors to my job in Temescal left two pretty cool looking moss plants outside in pretty ceramic plants which directly coincides with my voiced concern over the lack of green things growing in my room. I have a rescued orchid from work that keeps getting white film on the leaves, I have tried just wiping them off but will now resort to rubbing alcohol - not really feeling replanting especially since I have never cared for an orchid before and don't want to disturb its fragile root system - this flower is way too high maintenance for me.

Wanted to share another blog with you: a friend, Jeri, who I met as she trained me for my Administrative job. She is the Bug Lady and bubbling with buggy information and other cool content over on her page. Speaking of lesser beings, I read in my gastropod book that there are 284 species of snails in California, not including an additional 110 subspecies - aaaaaand how to savor these mollusk marms in a tasty meal. Anyone down for a dinner party?

This is my Sedum rubrotinctum and my arugula flowering.

Bringing living things in

2011-06-18T19:07:00.004-04:00

In an ideal world, we could all sleep under the stars nightly, live on tree fruit and toads, and learn how to chirp to the birds to find what adventures lie along their migration path. To compensate for this serious impediment I like to bring the living things inside to die alongside me, roses from down International Blvd, loquats from the neighbor's tree, tiny cherries & peaches (?) from Jeff's old backyard, and large clippings of mint from the Wiggly House's overgrown effortless garden. Summer is bursting with female parts, fruits and pollen and bees lookin' all plump from nectar and brown ladybugs falling in my hair.

At Urban Ore today I found a seemingly limitless stack of Joan Baez vinyls: Rosie is actually mimicking her operatic croon.

The trees they grow high,

the leaves they do grow green

Many is the time my true love I've seen

Many an hour I have watched him all alone

He's young,

but he's daily growing.

Father, dear father,

you've done me great wrong

You have married me to a boy who is too young

I'm twice twelve and he is but fourteen

He's young,

but he's daily growing.

Daughter, dear daughter,

I've done you no wrong

I have married you to a great lord's son

He'll be a man for you when I am dead and gone

He's young,

but he's daily growing.

Father, dear father, if you see fit

We'll send him to college for another year yet

I'll tie blue ribbons all around his head

To let the maidens know that he's married.

One day I was looking o'er my father's castle wall

I spied all the boys aplaying at the ball

My own true love was the flower of them all

He's young, but he's daily growing.

And so early in the morning

at the dawning of the day

They went out into the hayfield

to have some sport and play;

And what they did there,

she never would declare

But she never more complained of his growing.

At the age of fourteen, he was a married man

At the age of fifteen, the father of a son

At the age of sixteen, his grave it was green

Have gone, to be wasted in battle.

And death had put an end to his growing.

I'll buy my love some flannel

and I will make a shroud

With every stitch I put in it,

the tears they will pour down

With every stitch I put in it,

how the tears will flow

Cruel fate has put an end to his growing.

Secret Slugs

2011-06-16T22:36:00.007-04:00

Wow, it's been a busy two weeks complete with friendly visits, trips to many beaches, moving into a new home, getting a bike, and visiting Seattle! My new home is whimsical, magical, and my sun roof lets in blazing sunshine beginning at six o'clock in the morn, and does not dim until eight o'clock in the evening. It is a sunshine paradise for a homeless orchid, one squawking conure, and a plethora of dusty novels. I woke the other morning and had to bury my face in a pillow because the light so badly interrupted my dozing!

Photo 1: Dinner. I am on a cleanse consisting of no starch, no sugar, no soy or corn (always), no gluten, no dairy (except eggs and greek yogurt). I have been eating a lot of legumes and am a bundle of energy, always on the go. So, dinner tonight was red leaf lettuce, sauteed mushrooms and red bell pepper, pine nuts, cucumber, basil leaves, and a dollop of chipotle hummus! (I am still hungry).

Photo 2: Found this book in a knick-knack shop in Seattle, down by the water front, hidden behind carved wooden figurines and postcards to send to loved ones back home.

Photo 3: Strung some lights to nest a metal bird in, a gift from my Grandmother when I saw her in January. Hung some photos of friends and family to remind myself that this great big country is not so small. I did trek it in under a week, you know.

Portland

2011-05-24T01:25:00.004-04:00

My first arugula harvest of spring topped a dinner of roasted crimini mushrooms and golden beets, on top of black beans and rice. Seasoned with just salt and pepper. After a curry feast for lunch I am taking it easy on the spices. Every day that I can eat food that has just been pulled from the ground is a good one. I will work on expanding my opportunities for that.

Got a leek going in a little pot, some gladiolas from Salina, the bulb of which I'm sure I can eat once the flowers brown.

I remember plucking scorched tops off of kale a few times, eating chard in the middle of West Tampa, thankful

for the sun and dirt tanning my finger tips.

Summer in Oakland is inspiring me to create, teach, and get around where I got to. I'm moving out to another new home in a week and I couldn't be happier. Finally, a home where I can leave my door open and greet housemates and share meals.

I went to Portland this past weekend and had the most drizzly wonderful time with friends. The weather really does set your mood, doesn't it? Everyone in that sleepy Sunday town is laid-back. Even the community center boasts "friendly" streets and courteous pan-handlers. Well, shit, I could just move to the sidewalk if it weren't for that pesky sit-lie law.

This rock garden rivals mine: rocks from the end of the earth, from the center of it, from deep in potato-rich soil, or on the top of an Atlantic cliff, or way at the bottom of Jackson Lake and polished to sit on a dresser. I always like a town that has an entourage of jewelry makers at the Sunday market.

Sights and Sounds

2011-05-15T18:08:00.006-04:00

Spending a lazy Sunday lounging in bed past noon after a long night of fondue and wine, making egg scramble with chick peas and chard for breakfast, listening to my Bare Trees record, thinking about the summer and what I'm going to do with myself until it warms up here a bit. The weather has been so sporadic: its like a Florida winter but its mid-May, the sun is struggling to break through the sheet of silver clouds and my record is scratching after the last track.

I keep a little lemon on my makeshift nightstand to hold nag champa instead of buying a holder, I think it's cute and I can put the stick out inside the lemon and it smells like citrus while the stick is extinguished. I have also used orange. Maybe now that strawberries are in season I will use those!

Next weekend promises a hazy 48 hours in Portland with many friends to speak of and the warm of a friendly hug.

The bird wags her tail as she braces the wind next to a shady spot on my pillow, drying off after an impromptu afternoon bath. Funny, she bathed right after I took a shower; could she be mimicking my hygiene schedule?

Papa San

2011-05-05T22:14:00.006-04:00

I love the way my quilt looks like a crucifix when I tie it up during the daytime. It is so bright and cheery in my bedroom that I do not need to turn the light switch on until past 8 o'clock. Rosie sits by a giant window watching the sun pass through the day while I am out and about being the bread-winning in this family of two. To the left of the window hangs a wooden-framed colored-pencil collage made by Katie with homage to my former residence. It was received graciously. The second notable thing that has happened to me was my discovery of this Papasan chair on my street, smelled clean, no damage, score! Now my pillow patch has a new home atop the bamboo lounger and I rearranged my room in the wee hours of the morning. I always wanted a Papasan.

Saturday is the Beltaine Fest in downtown Berkeley. Have you set your love course to cruise yet this year?

Leaving work today I strode into the corner market across the street from the building and picked through their "seconds" bags: two pounds of zucchini one pound of green beans, one pound of peaches, a few apples, and half a pound of mung sprouts....$4. Yes, I do love Spring. So, for dinner I whipped up some spinach spaghetti and topped it with this bake:

In medium depth pan, layer:

1/2 C jarred pasta sauce

drizzle olive oil

5 small zucchini, thin sliced

half an onion, julianned

a little green pepper

2 tsp rosemary, chopped

2 farmer's market tomatoes (sooo juicy)

cubed hard goat cheese (non melting)

I layered the zucc first, then onion and tomato, then rosemary and cheese: repeat for second layer.

top with flax seeds, salt, thyme, pepper

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

Pizza Pie

2011-04-12T23:52:00.006-04:00

I do love this kitchen. The oven is built into the wall at waist length to minimize bending at the middle, and to maximize heat efficiency throughout the place at the onset of spring when it is still windy and cold at mid-day.

I was delighted when I walked to my room and saw a lone letter propped between the hinge and door, from a long-lost friend far away living like a mile from the Magic Kingdom. I miss Florida sometimes; I miss the humid mornings when blow drying your hair is enough to make you sweat. And I miss the fear of mosquito summers, wearing flip flops at midnight, and not needing to know how to parallel park. Conversely, I love California spring time with cherry blossoms dancing next the Canada geese dancing next to Children's Fairyland: a rainbow bright sign seen from the strip that takes me home each night. I love the cool breeze that carries my nag champa to the ends of the earth and across the Bay. And I am still a terrible parallel parker.

After a long and winding Tuesday the only cure for a sleepy mind is a pizza and a glass of pinot. I used this recipe from Veganize it! for the crust, and topped my pie with a little jarred sauce, crimini mushrooms, diced spring onions, and a salad mix with arugula and daffodil greens. The crust was delicious until it cooled: I may or may not have chipped a tooth on the crunch.

This weekend I saw Amy Goodman speak at the San Francisco Green Festival about the plight of our media, propaganda, Free Bradley Manning!, Let Our People Go!, The Horrors of War!, etc.

I'm so grateful tonight.

Pillow Patch

2011-04-07T01:20:00.004-04:00

Fixin' up the old place by making a pillow patch. I scored a very large bag of fabric samples free from a criaglist posting, once used by an interior designer. They are all good quality, thick fabrics cut into 4 inch squares, or fat-quarters, or 1 inch squares, begging to be quilted! I've made a few so far, and probably need to buy another huge bag of polyfill. Or begin collecting Rosie's molting feathers to stuff one with.

I set out my records, hung my calendar, and my new roommates gave me a table so now I have a desk / sewing table and am feeling so inspired to create things!

I'm also thinking of composting on my roof because

Oakland does not pick up compost and on the roof has a large communal area. Watched the sun set beside a friend on that roof, enjoyed a hearty breeze, and carved a spot for myself - not bad for hump day.

The Japantown cherry blossom festival is this weekend, and I can't wait to have a beer under a tree a la E.S.Collier, and maybe see some more sunsets.

This website by google offering impossible vision of famous art pieces is infinitely interesting, check it out. (Thanks, Cody).

Lake Merritt

2011-04-02T20:15:00.002-04:00

Well, it's official. I moved out. I am on my own, just me and Rosie. I've been having a fabulous sun-shiney kind of day. Last night at the downtown Oakland first Friday event my tarot cards read well, I drew the Sun card first. And I drew the 4 of cups. Flowing water, life is changing, life is a giant lake and on the side of the Lake every Saturday there is a wonderful farmer's market. I bought swiss chard, Jasmine-tea smoked tofu (!!!), crimoni shrooms, teeny carrots, fresh sage, organic almonds, dried persimmons, and samples every damn naval orange there was to offer.

Seattle Spring

2011-03-19T14:01:00.004-04:00

I was recently taken to Seattle for a Chiropractic seminar. The weather was as promised, and rained (lightly drizzled) for the duration of my stay but despite the dismal cold and wetness, the ground was bursting with fresh greens: a sign of spring in the Pacific Northwest. Even now as I sit in a cafe, eating day old scone and wishing the rain would stop, I appreciate the little blooms and the last of the winter flowers: small and pale in color, the deep red and purple winter leaves on otherwise green trees, and ground riddled with crumbling roses from bushes that had seen too much icy thunderstorms. It thundered here last night, and I could hear the neighbors jumping and laughing at the sound. Rosie has always loved the rain and chirped all evening until she fell asleep at the sound of droplets falling on the pavement and hitting my giant windows. Radiation clouds swooping overhead, earthquakes predicted for late next week, but at least I've escaped the perpetual storm of hurricane summers. The rain will subside soon enough and give way to sun and wind, and I can't wait to experience an East Bay spring.

Expansion

2011-02-21T20:19:00.002-05:00

Well, I added the remainder of all my fabric onto the small quilt that I posted a photo of earlier. It is now wide enough to cover both East facing windows, which unfortunately were exposed for a while, and fortunately are right above our bed which rests on the ground. I only brought a little bit of fabric with me here to Berkeley, and only because I had a stash of pre-cut, ready to sew together, squares when I was ambitious and completed only the first part of making a quilt for myself. I have made quilts for my cousin's children a number of times, and finally decided it was my turn! You see, my self-motivation is lacking seriously, which is why a year later this blanket is a window cover with little patchwork, no batting, and no quilting. Some applique makes my complacence more acceptable.

Recently I visited a vintage and antiques fair in south Oakland at Jack London Square and scored a lot of fabric at a very reasonable price and will be making some pot holders and other gadgets out of it, I will post them when I am done! And if I find the motivation I will back my quilt to keep the heat in better too. It gets awfully chilly here in the morning despite the giant East facing windows.

Little Pink Plate

2011-02-11T22:06:00.006-05:00

Love this flatbread recipe from Bobby Flay on the Food Network website. (google Flatbread recipe - should be one of the first results)

I fried the dough in olive oil, and a trick that my friend Dimitris taught me, to throw in a little water to steam the bread a bit too when it's about half way through cooking. I refrigerate my dough overnight too.

Inside:

Arugula and tomato from Berkeley Bowl

salt and lots of pepper, flax seed

Mozzarella (fresh from Trader Joe's)

and a little drizzle of olive oil on top because I like my food extra flavorful :)

The little pink plate I found on the side of the road a few Sundays ago. Matt, Jeff, and I were walking from my car to have Thai Temple brunch (yum) here in Berkeley and a person had graciously left this beauty outside just for me! It has a small chip on the bottom which is most likely the reason it was discarded but I'll take a chipped plate free any day!

Fresh Bread

2011-02-05T20:12:00.006-05:00

Apologies but I will not share the full recipe of my bread, mostly because it changes every time, but also because I think it is too special to just post online. If you really want it, I will hand write it and mail it to you :)

But I will share some tricks that I have learned.

1) If you cannot bear to use 100% wheat flour (I admit, it is awfully dense), you can still use half white and half wheat to keep it healthier. My rule is, to change a 6-C flour recipe to all wheat, double the baking soda for more bounce. Lately I have also been using flax-seed flour, about 20% flax flour and 80% wheat. Double the baking soda, no problems.

2) Placea shallow pan (not too shallow) of water on the bottom rack and place your bread pan(s) on the top rack. This should keep your final product from sticking to the bottom of the pan. The best part of baking bre

ad is turning the pan upside down and plopping out a beautiful hunk of carbs. Nothing worse than scraping burnt dough off of the pan, right?

3) In most recipes, you can swap out cream for yogurt if you do not have any cream handy. Or, you can use almond milk. Soy milk does not thicken properly, but oddly enough almond milk will!

Happy Baking!

Something Blue

2011-01-31T02:26:00.003-05:00

A part of me hopes that my sister readers my blog and keeps up with my life, but I also admit I hope she does not read it because this post will pertain to a surprise for her! My sister is getting married to her man in July of this year, after a quick engagement beginning just before Christmas and I amthrilled for her. I believe she is very happy living in Ames, Iowa doing god-knows-what-corn-business-agro-biology. Anyway, for her wedding I wanted to make her a small romantic gift that fulfilled the "something old, new, borrowed, blue" rhyme. My mother thinks that she does not even know of this rhyme but oh she will. A good friend was visiting Berkeley when I first moved here, a nicetransition to a new home, and we wandered into a Beads emporium in which everything was priced half off because they were sadly closing shop. Lucky for me I found a few beautiful blue beads which I decided to make into a bookmark for sis. The lighter colored bead is actually a salt rock. So I guess if she is having a real hungry moment reading a book she can also lick the gift, or attract deer. The book I am giving it to her in I found inside of my sewing box and I believe it belonged to my mother. I inherited my mom's old sewing box (actually just a giant tackle box) years ago, and in the move somehow I missed this gem. It is a (c) 1946 young women's guide to menstruation and inside contains tidbits like to remember to look good even if you're in pain! And to wear your pad garter tight and wash it regularly! And that your cramps are a normal part of becoming a desirable female! As my sister enters into a possibly scary, definitely new, and exciting time in her life I hope she remembers to stay positive and embrace her femininity, but not become a docile wife. And I hope she appreciates the sentimentality of this "blue gift" :)

Homely House

2011-01-26T14:46:00.004-05:00

It takes a lot to make a house a home. It's an add balance between clean and dirty, new and used, pile to wash and pile to put away. M said to me "thanks for making it feel like home in here." I guess it is true that home is where the heart is, home is where you rest your head. And in our case, home is where you hang your maps on the walls and recreate a room that existed in what seems like another lifetime. Last night I had a horrible dream that Rosie was killed by someone seeking vengeance against me. I woke up to her rattling around in her cage at the foot of our bed which rests on the hardwood floor which is littered with Rosie's pellet crumbs no matter how many times we sweep and suddenly it feels like home! These pictures are of a chair we purchased, a chair we found, a table we purchased covered in my fabric scraps and favorite scarf, on top of which lies some rose petals I found on the pavement outside the laundromat we walked to in our new town. Feels good to have a space to call our own.

We are still missing a few things around here, like furniture, and close friends, but we have each other and plenty of bars to meet people. We have Rosie and our photographs and our maps.

Berkeley Baby

2011-01-16T21:25:00.004-05:00

I'm reviving this old blog so I have somewhere to post my crafts and things I have been doing in and around Berkeley. January 1, 2011 marked the entrance into a new world and a new home which needed some love so I created these pillow cases and this quilted curtain. The pieces for the curtain began back at the cabin but I am such a procrastinator, they made the trip and semi-sewn squares with sort-of decorations on them. In a jam, I decided they would make an easy window-cover. Now it hangs on the wall of our new place which needs an even larger curtain, so the quilt will grow!

Present Ideas

2010-09-24T12:14:00.002-04:00

I have not posted to this blog in a very long time, but might restart it as a jumping jack for ideas, maybe some photography and crafting ideas. Maybe if they become documented and digitally archived, the guilt of not finishing projects will subside with the excuse that at least I wrote it out and thought about it for the length of time it takes to post a blog entry. Ah yes, so here are some images that I have yet to edit, but plan to create a project out of consisting of sexualized photographs of otherwise harmless textures, framed with basic knit rows, printed 11X14 or maybe slightly larger.

Projections

2009-05-25T11:46:00.003-04:00

Salina I am making you a collage book, you know how bad I am with surprises.

planetary mobile, saturn and the sunnew necklace friend

keith-mobile

uhhhhhh

2009-05-10T02:42:00.002-04:00

I'm sorry but the only way I can express my love for david lynch and werner herzog is by a strong desire to fuck them both

2009-04-30T19:35:00.002-04:00

Today at the record store I found for free outside in a box the Peter and the Wolf record, orchestrated by Prokofieff; this is the very record that as I child I would listen to and cry out of fear, evidenced above.

"early one morning, Peter opened the gate and went out into the big green meadow...."

Snapping Toittles

2009-04-25T01:37:00.002-04:00

Oh you know, things drain away. Our bathroom faucet is broken, by the time I get the nozzle to spray every couple of days, I am ready for a nap instead of a shower. I have never taken scalding hot showers, they make me feel tense and less clean than when I started. Pardon me, but I'll sweat before the shower.
Neil Young whispered in my ear something about a sweet tooth.
I saw Fleetwood Mac play for free, they were distant but her tambourine still had tassels dancing with her.
I smoked so much my brain seeped steam and finals were an ancient tradition founded when the world was thought to be made of Reason and Truth. Now that we know the real truth, isn't it funny how we spent all of our time avoiding personal contact and cooped up like old hens?
I read so much now, I feel like a fat child's bursting gut.
New tattoo needs retouching but there it is.

2009-03-23T14:21:00.003-04:00

Today is a rainy day in NPR. When I woke up the sky promised rain and you know, its so predictable this time of year; you can close your eyes and feel the air and know what the day will bring with it, usually. Today I found out that another student from my high school overdosed on pills and died. This is a repeat story, I have heard it over and over again but it still always churns my stomach. He was a good kid, he played sports and planned to move with his girlfriend after high school, leave this town behind. Instead he spent a night alone and forgot to count what he was eating. It breaks my heart.

Vanity

2009-03-05T18:01:00.001-05:00

I don't ever want to forget how good i feel right now, nothing can get me down

the fourth dimention

2009-02-25T12:37:00.004-05:00

I can't believe how quickly time is flying by right now, I only have 7 months left in this house (or 1 year and 7 months), Noelle leaves in September, the semester ends May, my travels start in June, I'm trying to quit my job by April, I have a major paper due Tuesday, why can't I just stop time so I can enjoy my eggs without thinking about tomorrow

I want to capture this moment in time and linger upon it until it has almost been run dry but I will leave it just in time to preserve some for happy memories in the future

Purple flowers

2009-02-23T12:00:00.003-05:00

the other day Kyle and I went for a short ride around the neighborhood and tried to see the light at the end of the tunnel aka how the fuck to get into the woods behind the wooden fences in the back. instead we discovered the other side of my lake that I haven't been courageous enough to explore because usually I go out that way at night and I'm pretty sure if there are any alligators they will be right there!!

last night we had a successful Italian potluck, this picture is funnier when placed in context with the one taken right before it: balloons flying around the room. I am exercising deliberateness and motivation to do things, whether they are the right things or now is insignificant to me at the moment.

Lutz

2009-02-16T16:05:00.004-05:00

So now that I live in Lutz I am happy, surely not coincidental but surely also not entirely responsible.

2008-10-06T00:27:00.005-04:00

A tattered coat upon a stick, unless
Soul clap its hands and sing, and louder sing
For every tatter in its mortal dress...

I want to live in a tree house, there are some real ones for rent in Tallahassee. This isn't one of them, I couldn't find any currently, but wouldn't it be so much fun to have your own livable tree house? (16feet)This is Lightnin' Hopkins! He was a feeder mouse, but now he is sort-of my friend. He loves crunchy food and to nibble on my fingers when i put my hand in his box. I think he needs a mouse friend.
a post in the glass doorknob today made me remember that I wanted to post this picture. This is the Holly tree that my sister and I spent every day up in in the summer time and that we hid things in ala To Kill I Mockingbird; a couple of weeks ago it was uprooted and a circle driveway was paved in its place, r.i.p.

things are hard today but i think tomorrow will be better

Found Film from 2 years ago

2008-09-04T08:31:00.003-04:00

Things I am grateful for:

florida beaches (this photo is from Fred Howard Beach) last month.

baby cousins (this is my cousin Caleb is his playhouse at his third birthday party. He had a balloon animal guy come and a face painter and best of all - cake with the little chocolate crunchies in it).

Old pictures and the promise of change. This is Salina roughly 2 years ago when she decided that blonds with brown roots have more fun!

Sunflowers and their Seeds

2008-08-25T08:27:00.006-04:00

Last night I completed a week long project, this sunflower sleeveless shirt:

I did it without a pattern, in fact I have never used a pattern because they entirely scare me. I'm too much of a non-perfectionist to follow strict measurements and lines. I don't know why I couldn't get a good picture of it, but I like this one because it shows how fucking long my hair is getting, I'm about 2 inches away from my goal.

I got this about 3 weeks ago and just procrastinated on taking a picture of it, so here it is and I don't plan on coloring it in and the next tattoo I want (on my shoulder and light pink) is a sketch drawn by Carson Ellis, most known for her album and artist art for The Decemberists.

Spiders have invaded my back porch but the good things about it is, no more flies and many many beautiful webs.

Introducing Gibbs, now the sixth and newest member of our cat family, officially putting us over the legal limit for domestic animals. Does this make us crazy cat people? I hope so.

A fossil I unearthed at Fred Howard beach, last time I'll be on that beach for a year because they are doing construction to make the bridge safer
Tomorrow is my first day of Fall 08 semester and I am so not ready to give up no homework and no gas money driving to Tampa. But I have so many goals for the next year and I just have to keep pushing forward and shit will work out just fine.

First Attempts

2008-07-24T00:29:00.002-04:00

I started cutting into my extensive sewing list last night and this morning and made a few little things: A white with yellow dots headband from some scrap material. I sewed on a sunflower button as well. I also made a headband from extra apple-pattern fabric, but I forgot to see how long the piece was and it ended up being far too short to tie around my head so I sewed a snap closure onto it and that worked out fine.

apples, apples, apples:

an old pair of earrings from a friend (from Thailand) that I made into a necklace. I feel a little uncomfortable that my camera captured by pores so well haha.

As you can see, this apple has a little mistake in it, but I'll just call it a bite-taken-out. I love the ribbon I used to represent the stick on the top of the apple, is has a cool texture to it that I thought was wildly appropriate.

These little guys are just simple pin cushions I made from scrap fabric (waste not, want not!). I plan to give away all of them but one which I will be using for myself.
I love the adorable ribbon on one; I barely had enough of it left!

Summer List

2008-07-23T01:48:00.003-04:00

(above: Martha Stewart wrapping papers)

This will serve as a reference for the things I would like to accomplish this summer, and for ever I guess because one summer seems like a pitiful amount of time

* paint and set up recycling bins in my garage, including cleaning out the garage of all the clutter
* decoupage my dresser with this new wrapping paper I bought
* make a set of lady-bug bibs for my cousin
* make a number of grocery tote bags and distribute them to my friends and family (any takers?)
*knit a few scarves from yarn that I bought on sale for about 2 bucks a skein at Michael's (look up free online patterns here)
*organize all of my craft supplies into a large clean bin that is currently half empty
*sew and repair a variety of items in my closet that need some TLC
*send a collection of shoes away to Shoes for Souls
*finish photo projects that I have been wanting to do / complete
*make a huge italian dinner and serve it downtown St. Pete to the homeless
*have a gigantic garage sale with all of my friends (potluck garage sale??)
*host a BBQ pool party
*lose 10 more pounds and grow my hair down to my elbows
*turn my fabric remnants into useful things
*properly frame all of my pictures on my wall (some are crudely stapled in, my aura is totally suffering!) just kidding.
*visit Baltimore for a week if possible
*pay off one of my credit cards
*make all of the recipes that I have found but have been too hesitant to try (avocado ice cream, fresh cheese, something carbonara)
*finish outer-space themed mobile that has been on my desk for months
*read at least 15 books off of my shelf
*hook up my printer to my computer
*plant and grow tomatoes and blueberries
*go blueberry picking until my own grow (if they do at all!)
*other sewing projects: place mats with knit trim, felt stars, long hair scarves - possibly patchwork, more quilts with the remaining batting I have, huge throw pillows for my bed, use this model to make little girls' dresses,

Rain Soaked Swim

2008-06-27T23:37:00.015-04:00

This week has gone by quickly, I've been working every day with the exception of today which I used to recuperate from Kristen's party last night. I fell asleep for the majority of the ride home from Tampa with a coffee cup in my hands; doesn't do much good without drinking it.
Kiki and I spent the afternoon together on Wednesday: we went to Panera Bread for lunch and I tried their new soup, corn chowder. I tasted chicken-y to me so I didn't like it, but Kiki got a bowl of it and ate it all up. I had the tomato & mozzarella salad, brought back seasonally. I hope the Spring Pea soup makes a comeback at some point.

Then we went swimming in my pool.

The other picture is of our spa that has algae growing in it because we never use it and the rain water builds up in it. The first day that we had that spa, I fell in it with all of my clothes on, while balancing along the edge and a picture exists somewhere of me on that day with wet hair and a clean dress. The caption of the back reads "Katie fell in the spa, she has no panties on".

I found an old salad dryer/spinner at Salvation Army as well as a good pair of 10g plastic knitting needles, a pretty blue tin with sunflowers all over it, a Corningware casserole dish, and some purple heels with snakeskin embelishments on the sides. That sounds like a disaster but they're great and they were half off.
Tomorrow I have to work at 745am and I'm hoping the weather prevents the day from being wasted at work.

Eggs and Blues

2008-06-24T23:41:00.003-04:00

This morning I carpooled with my mom to work to save some gas and I think from now on I'm going to skip taking my own car; I get more work done in the morning if I get there early anyway.
For breakfast I made my mom and I scrambled eggs. Taking a cue from Breakfast Club (the restaurant, not the movie), I made them with cream cheese and green onions, which turned out delicious. Putting the cream cheese in at the last second worked better for me than putting it in when the eggs are still runny, because I like getting the globs of cream cheese in some bites.

Around 7 Alex and I went to a venue in Hudson to see my dad and his band play. They did well and I think everyone who went had a good time. I'm glad he has something he enjoys doing because he works so much and almost never has time for himself anymore.

Tomorrow I want to make sugared water chestnuts. I also have some mangoes that are going bad soon that I might make into a cake if they have not molded yet. I made macaroni salad today too and it tasted funny at first but after sitting in the fridge all afternoon it developed a yummy taste. I will definitely add more mayo next time because in 5 hours about half of it had dried up.