i am watching one of two great shows on tonight. biggest loser is on and we will watch american idol later.
i am on my second margarita of the night. no only does jeremy make wonderful drinkies, but he also got us dinner at in'n'out. man i love him.
i exercised (kinda) twice. during my walk home from work my legs were complaining about the class i took last night at the gym. i decided to run anyways after dropping my stuff off at home and had the best run ive had in a while - definitely since this stupid ear thing started. very encouraging since my 10k is only a month away.
i have a couple things crossed off my to-do list - the evite has been sent for easter dinner and i have all my ingredients assembled for my new recipe of the week. it is another one from the crockpot lady and i am making it on thursday.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Love Bites Challenge
Whether your preference is vamps, weres or something more exotic - here's a challenge for all you paranormal/urban fantasy lovers!
All you need to do is read three paranormals with a romantic theme between 1st April and 30th June 2009.
That's it! No other rules. You can cross this over with another challenge and change your mind on the books you'd like to read halfway through if you like.
1. city of bones - cassandra clare
2. running hot - jayne anne krentz
3. marked - pc cast and kristin cast
All you need to do is read three paranormals with a romantic theme between 1st April and 30th June 2009.
That's it! No other rules. You can cross this over with another challenge and change your mind on the books you'd like to read halfway through if you like.
1. city of bones - cassandra clare
2. running hot - jayne anne krentz
3. marked - pc cast and kristin cast
Sunday, March 29, 2009
cake class 6: flower basket
everyo
ne was happy with our outcomes of this week's class, the flower basket. we learned a basket weave. it looks rather complicated but was actually easy-ish. the lady who owns kake kreations said she had never seen anyone do the basket weave as fast as all six of us were doing it. we used the flowers we made last week and the ones some of us made during the week as supplemental flowers and made our baskets full of flowers cakes. very springy i think. it was a hard cake to screw up and even those os us with ugly flowers were pleased with the results of all the flowers piled on top. i only wish there was a basket handle. otherwise, i think this cake is the best so far. next week we are learning the basics of fondant. there is an entire 8 week fondant course so i guess this class will help me decide if i think it is worth taking the whole class. fondant makes really cool cakes but it tastes so disgusting!
ne was happy with our outcomes of this week's class, the flower basket. we learned a basket weave. it looks rather complicated but was actually easy-ish. the lady who owns kake kreations said she had never seen anyone do the basket weave as fast as all six of us were doing it. we used the flowers we made last week and the ones some of us made during the week as supplemental flowers and made our baskets full of flowers cakes. very springy i think. it was a hard cake to screw up and even those os us with ugly flowers were pleased with the results of all the flowers piled on top. i only wish there was a basket handle. otherwise, i think this cake is the best so far. next week we are learning the basics of fondant. there is an entire 8 week fondant course so i guess this class will help me decide if i think it is worth taking the whole class. fondant makes really cool cakes but it tastes so disgusting!
making more flowers...
after such a disappointing day at class last week (with my frosting melting everywhere) i made a new batch of royal icing and made more flowers for our cake this weekend. i figured the more the merrier and worked on them wednesday and thursday.
of the flowers we were trying to make (apple blossoms, pansies, daisies, lilies and petunias), i feel like my flowers were a little more realistic looking. i've always liked pansies since i worked at tree top nursery when i turned 14. pansies and wild daisies. i was so much happier with my flowers this week and was really looking forward to class on saturday.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
the magic of motown: week 3 of american idol
lets take some risks!
is everyone sufficiently nervous after ryan's awkward opening monologue about alexis's :shocking" elimination? even though she wasnt that good (and just a little bit annoying) so of course she was eliminated.
first up, matt seems like this might be his thing. skin check! he is singing one of my all time favorite songs EVER. who doesnt like marvin gaye's lets get it on??? thats right, no one. not bad matt.
kris...cheesy and somehow slightly pretenious at the same time. too bad we cant put kris face with matts voice. then we may have something marketable to work with. these first two guys have picked really good song s- everyone is familiar with them so they can sing along and clap, but they arent like celine dion songs that are "untouchable." also because celine dion would be really out of place in motown week for sure.
scott, youre wearing pink pants. was that a prank someone is playing on you or did you actually ask for someone to get you a pair of pink pants? i was saying to jeremy during the commericals before his performance "the weird thing is that he always picks songs sung by women. if he picks a diana ross song tonight someone should take him out back and put him out of his misery." then he sings a freaking majorly gay diana ross song. anyone seen my best friends wedding? yeah that character was gay. thanks scott. please go away now. but im starting to think there may be something to this gift of prophecy thing that people keep telling me i might have.
oh megan, not only do you spell your name incorrectly (or i guess your parents did), but you really are kinda strange. i like the unique qualities of your voice but it never quite translates into a good performance. let adele and amy winehouse do what they do and you can go back to utah. and stop with the weird shoulder shaking. the backup singers were kicking ass and taking names during this song though. go girls!
oooh, noopy, noopy... eh. wasnt bad for sure. definitely wasnt my boy robin thicke either. he can ooh baby baby better than anyone out there.
aint too proud to beg is about a man's last chance with his woman. this might be michaels last chance to beg for our votes. i really like him and his family but i cannot picture myself ever purchasing music made by him. not that his voice is bad is just isnt anything special. sorry mikey!
seriously, who i styling lil rounds? the recession needs to get them out of a job and leave room for someone who knows what they are doing. she is a good singer but did anyone else feel like she was shouting at us through the tv?
we will skip right over adams hair and talk about how sweet that song was. wow. loved it. i am beginning to think he can do no wrong. love him! "one of the best performances of the night" is eight words if i am not mistaken. not six.
how does danny think he knows better than freaking smokey robinson? i believe he was counseled to sing the "outta sight" etc parts himself and he just ignored mr. robinson. those are the best little parts! his performance was good but wasnt extra special. still with the awkward dancing though.
diggin my girls outfil. she is such a bad ass. allison you are awesome. thats it. top three material i think, even if you are only 16.
bottom three prediction: michael, anoop, and megan
paula and simon are whack. crack is whack. therfore, paula and simon = crack.
is everyone sufficiently nervous after ryan's awkward opening monologue about alexis's :shocking" elimination? even though she wasnt that good (and just a little bit annoying) so of course she was eliminated.
first up, matt seems like this might be his thing. skin check! he is singing one of my all time favorite songs EVER. who doesnt like marvin gaye's lets get it on??? thats right, no one. not bad matt.
kris...cheesy and somehow slightly pretenious at the same time. too bad we cant put kris face with matts voice. then we may have something marketable to work with. these first two guys have picked really good song s- everyone is familiar with them so they can sing along and clap, but they arent like celine dion songs that are "untouchable." also because celine dion would be really out of place in motown week for sure.
scott, youre wearing pink pants. was that a prank someone is playing on you or did you actually ask for someone to get you a pair of pink pants? i was saying to jeremy during the commericals before his performance "the weird thing is that he always picks songs sung by women. if he picks a diana ross song tonight someone should take him out back and put him out of his misery." then he sings a freaking majorly gay diana ross song. anyone seen my best friends wedding? yeah that character was gay. thanks scott. please go away now. but im starting to think there may be something to this gift of prophecy thing that people keep telling me i might have.
oh megan, not only do you spell your name incorrectly (or i guess your parents did), but you really are kinda strange. i like the unique qualities of your voice but it never quite translates into a good performance. let adele and amy winehouse do what they do and you can go back to utah. and stop with the weird shoulder shaking. the backup singers were kicking ass and taking names during this song though. go girls!
oooh, noopy, noopy... eh. wasnt bad for sure. definitely wasnt my boy robin thicke either. he can ooh baby baby better than anyone out there.
aint too proud to beg is about a man's last chance with his woman. this might be michaels last chance to beg for our votes. i really like him and his family but i cannot picture myself ever purchasing music made by him. not that his voice is bad is just isnt anything special. sorry mikey!
seriously, who i styling lil rounds? the recession needs to get them out of a job and leave room for someone who knows what they are doing. she is a good singer but did anyone else feel like she was shouting at us through the tv?
we will skip right over adams hair and talk about how sweet that song was. wow. loved it. i am beginning to think he can do no wrong. love him! "one of the best performances of the night" is eight words if i am not mistaken. not six.
how does danny think he knows better than freaking smokey robinson? i believe he was counseled to sing the "outta sight" etc parts himself and he just ignored mr. robinson. those are the best little parts! his performance was good but wasnt extra special. still with the awkward dancing though.
diggin my girls outfil. she is such a bad ass. allison you are awesome. thats it. top three material i think, even if you are only 16.
bottom three prediction: michael, anoop, and megan
paula and simon are whack. crack is whack. therfore, paula and simon = crack.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
earth hour
is this saturday, march 28. 8:30 pm whatever your local time is. turn off all the lights for an hour and just have fun. there are several ideas that the earth hour website gives:
1. Attend a local Earth Hour event or organise your own by throwing an Earth Hour street party with your neighbours
2. Gather family & friends for a night picnic in your local park and look at the stars
3. Enjoy a family dinner by candlelight
4. Organise a treasure hunt in the dark
5. Take the dog for a night walk
6. Have a candle-lit bath
7. Sit in the dark and share stories
8. Organise a family night playing board games
9. Share a romantic night in with your loved one
10. Upload your ‘on the night’ photos and videos to flickr and YouTube respectively, and then add them to the Earth Hour flickr group and the global YouTube Group.
jeremy and i are planning a candle-lit dinner (3) and a bath (6) which i imagine will be rather romantic (9) for 8:30 to 9:30pm pst saturday night. perhaps that was an overshare. still... dont call us during that time. ;)
what will you be doing? got any better ideas than the ten listed?
1. Attend a local Earth Hour event or organise your own by throwing an Earth Hour street party with your neighbours
2. Gather family & friends for a night picnic in your local park and look at the stars
3. Enjoy a family dinner by candlelight
4. Organise a treasure hunt in the dark
5. Take the dog for a night walk
6. Have a candle-lit bath
7. Sit in the dark and share stories
8. Organise a family night playing board games
9. Share a romantic night in with your loved one
10. Upload your ‘on the night’ photos and videos to flickr and YouTube respectively, and then add them to the Earth Hour flickr group and the global YouTube Group.
jeremy and i are planning a candle-lit dinner (3) and a bath (6) which i imagine will be rather romantic (9) for 8:30 to 9:30pm pst saturday night. perhaps that was an overshare. still... dont call us during that time. ;)
what will you be doing? got any better ideas than the ten listed?
dream a little dream for me
last tuesday night i had a dream that a friend was pregnant with her third child. her sister in law came over for dinner on thursday and told me that mandy was indeed pregnant. and tuesday was the day that mandy found out and she hadnt told anyone until wednesday night. so taht was my mildly prophetic dream of last week. (and it isnt the first time a dream has come true... but it happens very rarely).
so last night i had a dream that jeremy and i were babysitting for our friends. they currently have one child and recently found out they are pregnant again. so recently i didnt even know it. anyways, in my dreams i was babysitting their TWO children. weird huh? also we were in a huge house (which they do not currently live in) in a tallgrass style neighborhood (all you wichitans can make the comparison) with a huge backyard. i took the daughter for a walk and we found a stray german shepard puppy taht we took back to the house and put i the back yard. later i looked inthe backyard and there were strangers trying to steal the puppy. i went outside to try and get them off our friends property and they wouldnt leave. i grabbed the puppy and brought him inside and locked the backdoor. i grabbed the portable phone to call 911 because i was terrified for the safety of the two babies we were watching. i locked the front door then opened the garage door to make sure the garage door was closed and there was a strange dark colored suv parked in the garage. i started trying to memorize the license tag (iag was in the middle and there were some ms and ns in there and it was a california tag) and dialing the phone and they peeled out. so i closed the garage and locked the door to the garage and started to talk to 911 when my alarm went off.
what does it all mean?
so last night i had a dream that jeremy and i were babysitting for our friends. they currently have one child and recently found out they are pregnant again. so recently i didnt even know it. anyways, in my dreams i was babysitting their TWO children. weird huh? also we were in a huge house (which they do not currently live in) in a tallgrass style neighborhood (all you wichitans can make the comparison) with a huge backyard. i took the daughter for a walk and we found a stray german shepard puppy taht we took back to the house and put i the back yard. later i looked inthe backyard and there were strangers trying to steal the puppy. i went outside to try and get them off our friends property and they wouldnt leave. i grabbed the puppy and brought him inside and locked the backdoor. i grabbed the portable phone to call 911 because i was terrified for the safety of the two babies we were watching. i locked the front door then opened the garage door to make sure the garage door was closed and there was a strange dark colored suv parked in the garage. i started trying to memorize the license tag (iag was in the middle and there were some ms and ns in there and it was a california tag) and dialing the phone and they peeled out. so i closed the garage and locked the door to the garage and started to talk to 911 when my alarm went off.
what does it all mean?
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Drying basil
because my garden is a forest and I am starting to throw fresh basil away. Horrors!
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
weekend update
Friday night we went over to doug and christines to take them dinner and meet baby jade. she is almost a month old and the most precious thing ever. as soon as jeremy held her, her hiccups stopped and she fell right asleep. all small creatures love him. after we left we headed to the red lion tavern for some german food and so jeremy could smoke his pipe. i love german food! what a great place.saturday morning i had c
ake class. this week's class was all about royal icing flowers. we learned seven different kinds and brought them home to dry for next week's basket of flowers cake. at the beginning things were going great - my petunias were perfect and my lilies were ok (if a little starfish-y. but thats how i was told to make them). it was sometime after this when things for me started to fall apart. my icing, which is supposed to be dry and stiff was melting everywhere. so my violets and pansies and primros
es turned into blobs. i will be retrying those sometime this week when is stops raining. apparently it is too "humid" here. even though i am sure people in florida make royal icing flowers and they dont blob. no on else was having the same problems as me. it was all very frustrating. my drop flowers were about the only thing i could make by the end of class. they are little but awfully cute. next week we will learn the basket weave and put all of this together - very exciting!
saturday night was boys night out. i had a lovely evening catching up on greys anatomy and private practice and hanging out with cricket.
ake class. this week's class was all about royal icing flowers. we learned seven different kinds and brought them home to dry for next week's basket of flowers cake. at the beginning things were going great - my petunias were perfect and my lilies were ok (if a little starfish-y. but thats how i was told to make them). it was sometime after this when things for me started to fall apart. my icing, which is supposed to be dry and stiff was melting everywhere. so my violets and pansies and primros
es turned into blobs. i will be retrying those sometime this week when is stops raining. apparently it is too "humid" here. even though i am sure people in florida make royal icing flowers and they dont blob. no on else was having the same problems as me. it was all very frustrating. my drop flowers were about the only thing i could make by the end of class. they are little but awfully cute. next week we will learn the basket weave and put all of this together - very exciting!saturday night was boys night out. i had a lovely evening catching up on greys anatomy and private practice and hanging out with cricket.Once Upon A Time III Challenge
fan⋅ta⋅sy: a genre that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting.(Wiki)
fairy tale: a fictional story that may feature folkloric characters such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, giants, and talking animals, and usually enchantments, often involving a far-fetched sequence of events. (Wiki)
folk⋅lore: the traditional beliefs, legends, customs, etc., of a people; lore of a people; The traditional beliefs, myths, tales, and practices of a people, transmitted orally. (Dictionary dot com)
my⋅thol⋅o⋅gy: a body of myths, as that of a particular people or that relating to a particular person; a set of stories, traditions, or beliefs associated with a particular group or the history of an event, arising naturally or deliberately fostered. (Dictionary dot com)
Fantasy, fairy tale, folklore and mythology. The definitions above are a jumping off point, but those of us who have unabashedly reveled in between the pages of these genres know that each is so much more.
Reading and the sharing of what we read should be fun, a pleasure…it should never be work. To that end, here are the various ways in which you can participate in Once Upon a Time III:
This is really as simple as the name implies. It means you are participating, but not committing yourself to any specific number of books. All reading is a journey, perhaps none more so than reading fantastical fiction.
The Journey:
By signing up for The Journey you are agreeing to at least read one book within one of the four categories during March 21st to June 20th period. Just one book. If you choose to read more, fantastic! If not, then we have still had the pleasure of your company during this three month reading journey and hopefully you have read a great book, met some interesting people, and enjoyed the various activities that occur during the challenge. It has always been of utmost importance to me that the challenges that I host be all about experiencing enjoyable literature and sharing it with others. I want you to participate. Hence, The Journey.
Quest the First:
Read at least 5 books that fit somewhere within the Once Upon a Time III criteria. They might all be fantasy, or folklore, or fairy tales, or mythology…or your five books might be a combination from the four genres.
Quest the Second:
Read at least one book from each of the four categories. In this quest you will be reading 4 books total: one fantasy, one folklore, one fairy tale, and one mythology. This proves to be one of the more difficult quests each year merely because of the need to classify each read and determine which books fit into which category. I am not a stickler, fear not, but I am endlessly fascinated watching how folks work to find books for each category.
Quest the Third:
Fulfill the requirements for Quest the First or Quest the Second AND top it off with a June reading of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream OR a viewing of one of the many theatrical versions of the play. Love the story, love the films, love the idea of that magical night of the year and so this is my chance to promote the reading of this farcical love story.
Quest the Fourth:
Read two non-fiction books, essay collections, etc. that treat any one or more of the four genres covered in this challenge.
I chose Quest the First:
1. Kushiel's Dart - Jacqueline Carey
2. in the hand of the goddess - tamora pierce
3. the thief - megan whalen turner
4. the sharing knife: legacy - lois mcmaster bujold
5. city of bones - cassandra clare
fairy tale: a fictional story that may feature folkloric characters such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, giants, and talking animals, and usually enchantments, often involving a far-fetched sequence of events. (Wiki)
folk⋅lore: the traditional beliefs, legends, customs, etc., of a people; lore of a people; The traditional beliefs, myths, tales, and practices of a people, transmitted orally. (Dictionary dot com)
my⋅thol⋅o⋅gy: a body of myths, as that of a particular people or that relating to a particular person; a set of stories, traditions, or beliefs associated with a particular group or the history of an event, arising naturally or deliberately fostered. (Dictionary dot com)
Fantasy, fairy tale, folklore and mythology. The definitions above are a jumping off point, but those of us who have unabashedly reveled in between the pages of these genres know that each is so much more.
Reading and the sharing of what we read should be fun, a pleasure…it should never be work. To that end, here are the various ways in which you can participate in Once Upon a Time III:
This is really as simple as the name implies. It means you are participating, but not committing yourself to any specific number of books. All reading is a journey, perhaps none more so than reading fantastical fiction.
The Journey:
By signing up for The Journey you are agreeing to at least read one book within one of the four categories during March 21st to June 20th period. Just one book. If you choose to read more, fantastic! If not, then we have still had the pleasure of your company during this three month reading journey and hopefully you have read a great book, met some interesting people, and enjoyed the various activities that occur during the challenge. It has always been of utmost importance to me that the challenges that I host be all about experiencing enjoyable literature and sharing it with others. I want you to participate. Hence, The Journey.
Quest the First:
Read at least 5 books that fit somewhere within the Once Upon a Time III criteria. They might all be fantasy, or folklore, or fairy tales, or mythology…or your five books might be a combination from the four genres.
Quest the Second:
Read at least one book from each of the four categories. In this quest you will be reading 4 books total: one fantasy, one folklore, one fairy tale, and one mythology. This proves to be one of the more difficult quests each year merely because of the need to classify each read and determine which books fit into which category. I am not a stickler, fear not, but I am endlessly fascinated watching how folks work to find books for each category.
Quest the Third:
Fulfill the requirements for Quest the First or Quest the Second AND top it off with a June reading of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream OR a viewing of one of the many theatrical versions of the play. Love the story, love the films, love the idea of that magical night of the year and so this is my chance to promote the reading of this farcical love story.
Quest the Fourth:
Read two non-fiction books, essay collections, etc. that treat any one or more of the four genres covered in this challenge.
I chose Quest the First:
1. Kushiel's Dart - Jacqueline Carey
2. in the hand of the goddess - tamora pierce
3. the thief - megan whalen turner
4. the sharing knife: legacy - lois mcmaster bujold
5. city of bones - cassandra clare
Book Thief Challenge
This challenge is all about getting to know the thief. You may pick how many books to read (since I know a lot of you have many other books to read!):
1-3 books ~ Pickpocket
3-6 books ~ Candy Shoplifter
6-9 books ~Bank Robber
9-12+ books ~ Grand Thief
Guidelines/Rules/Notes
The book can be of any genre (fiction or nonfiction) but must have some relation to thieves/theft.
The book can have the word “Thief” in the title, can be about thieves, can involve a scene where something is stolen, etc. Use your imagination if necessary.
Since this started later in the year, any thief-related books may be added to your current list.
Please feel free to use books you read here for other challenges too!
It’s not required for you to pre-list your books
The challenge begins today and ends December 31st 2009.
1. slightly tempted - mary balogh
2. the thief - megan whalen turner
3. blue christmas - mary kay andrews
4. shout down the moon - lisa tucker
5. boot camp - todd strausser
6. inkheart - cornelia funke
7. rumors - anna godberson
8. the good thief - hannah tinti
9. city of ashes - cassandra clare
10. fahrenheit 451 - ray bradbury
11. the queen of attolia - megan whalen turner
12. hothouse flower and the nine plants of desire - margot berwin
1-3 books ~ Pickpocket
3-6 books ~ Candy Shoplifter
6-9 books ~Bank Robber
9-12+ books ~ Grand Thief
Guidelines/Rules/Notes
The book can be of any genre (fiction or nonfiction) but must have some relation to thieves/theft.
The book can have the word “Thief” in the title, can be about thieves, can involve a scene where something is stolen, etc. Use your imagination if necessary.
Since this started later in the year, any thief-related books may be added to your current list.
Please feel free to use books you read here for other challenges too!
It’s not required for you to pre-list your books
The challenge begins today and ends December 31st 2009.
1. slightly tempted - mary balogh
2. the thief - megan whalen turner
3. blue christmas - mary kay andrews
4. shout down the moon - lisa tucker
5. boot camp - todd strausser
6. inkheart - cornelia funke
7. rumors - anna godberson
8. the good thief - hannah tinti
9. city of ashes - cassandra clare
10. fahrenheit 451 - ray bradbury
11. the queen of attolia - megan whalen turner
12. hothouse flower and the nine plants of desire - margot berwin
Friday, March 20, 2009
happy anniversary
when i told jeremy happy anniversary on wednesday he looked at his watch. i could see the panic rising as he realized he forgot. then he realized it was march 18 and not may 21 and i was the crazy one. not so! i got a postcard in the mail from toyota... rex the yaris has been a part of our family for two years now. aw. we love him. he got new license plate stickers as a present. it was all very special.
last night sarah came over for dinner. i made albondigas soup. it was amazing if i say so myself. i added potato, cumin and bay leaves to the recipe, according to a recommendation from ceci. we had fun talking about everything, watching youtube videos (if you havent watched one line on the sopranos or everyday normal guy yet - go do it!), and making cookies. apparently my sugar cookie recipe (pillsbury rolls of sugar cookie dough) is a fan favorite!
i have been contemplating what race(s) to sign up for next and trying to run more this week. it has been really hot though! it is supposed to cool off this weekend so i can get some more use out of my running jacket. saturday i may go to the fancy running store to find a short sleeve running shirt with a zippy pocket. there has to be something like that somewhere in the universe! there isnt anything at sports authority or target thats for sure.
last night sarah came over for dinner. i made albondigas soup. it was amazing if i say so myself. i added potato, cumin and bay leaves to the recipe, according to a recommendation from ceci. we had fun talking about everything, watching youtube videos (if you havent watched one line on the sopranos or everyday normal guy yet - go do it!), and making cookies. apparently my sugar cookie recipe (pillsbury rolls of sugar cookie dough) is a fan favorite!
i have been contemplating what race(s) to sign up for next and trying to run more this week. it has been really hot though! it is supposed to cool off this weekend so i can get some more use out of my running jacket. saturday i may go to the fancy running store to find a short sleeve running shirt with a zippy pocket. there has to be something like that somewhere in the universe! there isnt anything at sports authority or target thats for sure.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
week #2: country
oh country week... itll make you or break you! (and randy travis looks a little rough!)
michael was either ahead or behind the lyrics the entire time he was singing. i do love that song though! the harmonica guy on the edge of the stage was weird and distracting but talented.
my favorite red headed 16 year old kicked ass as usual. i love allison!
kris picked one of my favorite songs ever. i think this one suits him well. still not a fan though. dunno why - just one of those things i guess.
lil picked a former idol song. i still have a hard time figuring out why people do that. especially since lils version wasnt spectacular. not bad... just ok. did you guys here that supposedly the voting is fixed and lil, adam, danny and whatsherface with the pink hair are the top 4 already? this is all a sham people. independence day for the american people will be the day when the voting is for real (and not to any phone sex numbers). is that day today? time will tell.
ADAM! ease up on the spray tan. love the blue and green streaks in your hair. you are such a rock star! im digging this version of ring of fire. prolly most people will disagree with me though. at least he didnt try to be johnny cash. thats just not cool. unless you are joaquin phoenix. in which case you can do almost anything you want. except rap.
scott is just not that great of a singer. sorry. why do i feel guilty saying anything negative about him? it is weird to watch someone play the piano and never look down at their fingers even once.
hey pink headed girl: who sings jolene? maybe you should keep it that way.
as if there arent a million country songs that talk about god and jesus - whyd he pick this one? danny is no carrie.
anoop - i have a feeling you will be on our minds for a couple more weeks at least. very nice. MUICH better than last week.
megan - with the shaking dance thing you do you may want to rethink wearing dresses that preclude the wearing of supportive undergarments. yikes. also stop singing. but i do like you eye makeup. is shiny.
matt actually covered carrie underwood well. he prolly wont win but i enjoyed this performance. also, fix your eyebrows.
michael was either ahead or behind the lyrics the entire time he was singing. i do love that song though! the harmonica guy on the edge of the stage was weird and distracting but talented.
my favorite red headed 16 year old kicked ass as usual. i love allison!
kris picked one of my favorite songs ever. i think this one suits him well. still not a fan though. dunno why - just one of those things i guess.
lil picked a former idol song. i still have a hard time figuring out why people do that. especially since lils version wasnt spectacular. not bad... just ok. did you guys here that supposedly the voting is fixed and lil, adam, danny and whatsherface with the pink hair are the top 4 already? this is all a sham people. independence day for the american people will be the day when the voting is for real (and not to any phone sex numbers). is that day today? time will tell.
ADAM! ease up on the spray tan. love the blue and green streaks in your hair. you are such a rock star! im digging this version of ring of fire. prolly most people will disagree with me though. at least he didnt try to be johnny cash. thats just not cool. unless you are joaquin phoenix. in which case you can do almost anything you want. except rap.
scott is just not that great of a singer. sorry. why do i feel guilty saying anything negative about him? it is weird to watch someone play the piano and never look down at their fingers even once.
hey pink headed girl: who sings jolene? maybe you should keep it that way.
as if there arent a million country songs that talk about god and jesus - whyd he pick this one? danny is no carrie.
anoop - i have a feeling you will be on our minds for a couple more weeks at least. very nice. MUICH better than last week.
megan - with the shaking dance thing you do you may want to rethink wearing dresses that preclude the wearing of supportive undergarments. yikes. also stop singing. but i do like you eye makeup. is shiny.
matt actually covered carrie underwood well. he prolly wont win but i enjoyed this performance. also, fix your eyebrows.
A Visit to Oz Challenge
You’ve seen the movie, you’ve seen the musical– but have you read the book? And did you know there’s 13 other books, plus an additional 26 written by non-Baum authors? Not to mention all the apocrypha that’s been published.
If you’ve ever wanted to read the Oz books– any Oz books– but have been to intimidated or just never had a good reason, here’s your chance! Join the Visit to Oz Challenge and have some fun!
Okay, did that tempt you yet?
Here’s some more details:
What sort of books count toward the challenge?
All of ‘em. Every book written about Oz, or about characters from Oz, count towards the challenge. This includes the books written by Gregory Maguire, or any of the Ruth Plumly Thompson books, and so on. I suppose non-fiction books could count too, like a biography about L. Frank Baum or somesuch.
Audiobooks and ebooks count as well.
How many books do I have to read?
A minimum of five books. Why five? Because there’s five countries in the land of Oz! Er, if you count the Emerald City area as a separate country, that is. Here’s a map. Of course there’s more countries outside the main Oz bit– but, er, moving on.
Of course you can read as many as you like after the first five. For those that read all the “canon” Oz books (40 of ‘em!), I’ll have a special prize for you at the end.
How long will the challenge last?
From March 31 to December 31! More than enough time to read at least five Oz books; they’re pretty short. Well, the original books are, at least– the apocryphal ones are normally longer.
1. the marvelous land of oz - l. frank baum
2.
3.
4.
5.
If you’ve ever wanted to read the Oz books– any Oz books– but have been to intimidated or just never had a good reason, here’s your chance! Join the Visit to Oz Challenge and have some fun!
Okay, did that tempt you yet?
Here’s some more details:
What sort of books count toward the challenge?
All of ‘em. Every book written about Oz, or about characters from Oz, count towards the challenge. This includes the books written by Gregory Maguire, or any of the Ruth Plumly Thompson books, and so on. I suppose non-fiction books could count too, like a biography about L. Frank Baum or somesuch.
Audiobooks and ebooks count as well.
How many books do I have to read?
A minimum of five books. Why five? Because there’s five countries in the land of Oz! Er, if you count the Emerald City area as a separate country, that is. Here’s a map. Of course there’s more countries outside the main Oz bit– but, er, moving on.
Of course you can read as many as you like after the first five. For those that read all the “canon” Oz books (40 of ‘em!), I’ll have a special prize for you at the end.
How long will the challenge last?
From March 31 to December 31! More than enough time to read at least five Oz books; they’re pretty short. Well, the original books are, at least– the apocryphal ones are normally longer.
1. the marvelous land of oz - l. frank baum
2.
3.
4.
5.
Happy St Patricks Day!
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Sunday, March 15, 2009
its the end of the world 2 challenge
Dates: March 10, 2009 - October 9, 2009
Read at least four books about "the end of the world." This includes both apocalyptic fiction and post-apocalyptic fiction. There is quite a bit of overlap with dystopic fiction as well. The point being something--be it coming from within or without, natural or unnatural--has changed civilization, society, humanity to such a degree that it radically differs from "life as we now know it." (Aliens, evil governments, war, plague, natural disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, hurricanes, depletion of resources, genetic manipulation, etc.) Here is a wikipedia article on the subject. Also see here. These changes can be small-but-still-significant or huge-and-life-threatening.Books can be classified as children's, young adult, and adult. (Not many children's books go there. But many teen books do. And they're great.)
Graphic novels can count for this challenge.
Audio books allowed.
Crossovers with other challenges are allowed.
You may have one reread that counts toward the challenge. But most should be new-to-you. (Exception: If you read it several years ago, and you can honestly swear that you don't remember anything about it...then I won't stop you from counting it towards the challenge. I know I've forgotten books I read a decade ago.)
Visiting other participants is encouraged.
Suggesting books for other participants (including the challenge host) is encouraged.
No lists are required. If you do post a list, then feel free to change it at any time.
1. the hunger games - suzanne collins
2. the sharing knife: legacy - lois mcmaster bujold
3. the declaration - gemma malley
4. unwind - neil shusterman
Read at least four books about "the end of the world." This includes both apocalyptic fiction and post-apocalyptic fiction. There is quite a bit of overlap with dystopic fiction as well. The point being something--be it coming from within or without, natural or unnatural--has changed civilization, society, humanity to such a degree that it radically differs from "life as we now know it." (Aliens, evil governments, war, plague, natural disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, hurricanes, depletion of resources, genetic manipulation, etc.) Here is a wikipedia article on the subject. Also see here. These changes can be small-but-still-significant or huge-and-life-threatening.Books can be classified as children's, young adult, and adult. (Not many children's books go there. But many teen books do. And they're great.)
Graphic novels can count for this challenge.
Audio books allowed.
Crossovers with other challenges are allowed.
You may have one reread that counts toward the challenge. But most should be new-to-you. (Exception: If you read it several years ago, and you can honestly swear that you don't remember anything about it...then I won't stop you from counting it towards the challenge. I know I've forgotten books I read a decade ago.)
Visiting other participants is encouraged.
Suggesting books for other participants (including the challenge host) is encouraged.
No lists are required. If you do post a list, then feel free to change it at any time.
1. the hunger games - suzanne collins
2. the sharing knife: legacy - lois mcmaster bujold
3. the declaration - gemma malley
4. unwind - neil shusterman
the pasadena triathlon and 5k fun run...
we were a little bit chilly but ready to go (or as ready as we were gonna get anyways). we started out with the 5k run. that equals 3.1 miles. according to my trusty garmin,
our run was actually closer to 3.4 miles. im not whining im just saying. false advertising much? i loved watching the pace on my watch - how fast are we running? how fast are we walking? it also keeps track of hills and calories and all sorts of other things. someday when i learn how to work it i can race against a virtual partner or against myslef, set a pace that i want to run and it will tell me if i go too slow, etc. the best part is after the workout i just wave it by the computer and (assuming i have the usb key plugged in) it wirelessly transmits all my stats to the computer to i can view them and track my progress. hopefully this gets me motivated for some running races that are upcoming. my performance in this 5k certainly wasnt motivational to anyone.
we were a little bit chilly but ready to go (or as ready as we were gonna get anyways). we started out with the 5k run. that equals 3.1 miles. according to my trusty garmin,
our run was actually closer to 3.4 miles. im not whining im just saying. false advertising much? i loved watching the pace on my watch - how fast are we running? how fast are we walking? it also keeps track of hills and calories and all sorts of other things. someday when i learn how to work it i can race against a virtual partner or against myslef, set a pace that i want to run and it will tell me if i go too slow, etc. the best part is after the workout i just wave it by the computer and (assuming i have the usb key plugged in) it wirelessly transmits all my stats to the computer to i can view them and track my progress. hopefully this gets me motivated for some running races that are upcoming. my performance in this 5k certainly wasnt motivational to anyone.after we 
ran to the transition area and donned our biking gear, we raced out to the same track (a large loop around the rose bowl) to circle around 3 times, 15k-ish. the beginning of the track is a large but not steep hill and at the end is a nice downhill coast. i made it through the bike portion, regained my breath and rehydrated. riding a bike in a pack of serious triathletes is not for the faint of heart. some of those people are crazy. they whiz by with only inches to spare. and on the other hand, there are people who look like this is maybe their first time on a bike and they are weaving all over. really really hard to pass these people.
ran to the transition area and donned our biking gear, we raced out to the same track (a large loop around the rose bowl) to circle around 3 times, 15k-ish. the beginning of the track is a large but not steep hill and at the end is a nice downhill coast. i made it through the bike portion, regained my breath and rehydrated. riding a bike in a pack of serious triathletes is not for the faint of heart. some of those people are crazy. they whiz by with only inches to spare. and on the other hand, there are people who look like this is maybe their first time on a bike and they are weaving all over. really really hard to pass these people.i reracked my (lances) bike and stripped down to my swimming suit for the finally por
tion of the race. 150 m swim. it is only three lengths in this olympic pool (not only is it olympic sized, it is actually the pool where the 1984 Summer Olympics diving and other non lap swimming pool event were held. a little piece of history... by this time i was so ready to be finished with this race. i swam my fastest, which im sure wasnt really that fast at all, but i did pass a couple people in the pool. the final results havent been posted yet. i finished around 1:23 which is ok. at least i didnt go over 1:30! kris finished a minute or two ahead of me and we are so proud of ourselves!
tion of the race. 150 m swim. it is only three lengths in this olympic pool (not only is it olympic sized, it is actually the pool where the 1984 Summer Olympics diving and other non lap swimming pool event were held. a little piece of history... by this time i was so ready to be finished with this race. i swam my fastest, which im sure wasnt really that fast at all, but i did pass a couple people in the pool. the final results havent been posted yet. i finished around 1:23 which is ok. at least i didnt go over 1:30! kris finished a minute or two ahead of me and we are so proud of ourselves!this weekend
friday night i went to the renaissance hotel for a fancy party - a thank you from the ampas publicity department. it was really nice. we were on the top (20th) floor of the hotel and the room had walls of windows. we were able to watch the sunset over the hollywood hills while eating and drinking. very nice.
saturday morning was the triathlon. ill have a whle other post about this but suffice it to say these two things: 1. my garmin watch was amazing (and proved we ran and biked WAY more than the advertised 5k/15k) and 2. being 25 is a lot different from being 24.
jeremy came and cheered us on then brought me home to shower and change and eat before heading out to our first flag football game. this was supposed to be a friendly no-touch game. our team wound up with a head wound requiring 13 stitches (good thing lance is on our team and kris works in derm!) (not mine), several bruises and minor cuts (mine) and some seriously skinned knees (jeremys). im sure other members have various aches and pains as well. we played a team of serious thugs and score was too embarrassing to even share. we lost and ill leave it at that. but overall it was fun. there was only one ref which resulted in some really poor calls (including two touchdowns that were out the back end of the endzone and therefore not really touchdowns at all but im not bitter or anything). i wont be at the game in two weeks but after that its on!
we came home from the game after dropping lance off and watching kris stitch ryans head up ( i was the physicians assistant assistant). reminded me of the time bryce was riding his skateborad in the garage during my moms basket party and knocked the wheelbarrow over on himself and we all went to the emergency room and i got to watch them stitch up his arm. pretty sweet. we ate dinner and licked our wounds (lots of icy hot and neosporin) and watched tv. i fell asleep at 8:45 and woke up at 7. not too shabby.
today we are lazing around, trying to catch up on cleaning this house, and this afternoon i am meeting other diana gabaldon fans for cheesecake. back to work tomorrow... :(
saturday morning was the triathlon. ill have a whle other post about this but suffice it to say these two things: 1. my garmin watch was amazing (and proved we ran and biked WAY more than the advertised 5k/15k) and 2. being 25 is a lot different from being 24.
jeremy came and cheered us on then brought me home to shower and change and eat before heading out to our first flag football game. this was supposed to be a friendly no-touch game. our team wound up with a head wound requiring 13 stitches (good thing lance is on our team and kris works in derm!) (not mine), several bruises and minor cuts (mine) and some seriously skinned knees (jeremys). im sure other members have various aches and pains as well. we played a team of serious thugs and score was too embarrassing to even share. we lost and ill leave it at that. but overall it was fun. there was only one ref which resulted in some really poor calls (including two touchdowns that were out the back end of the endzone and therefore not really touchdowns at all but im not bitter or anything). i wont be at the game in two weeks but after that its on!
we came home from the game after dropping lance off and watching kris stitch ryans head up ( i was the physicians assistant assistant). reminded me of the time bryce was riding his skateborad in the garage during my moms basket party and knocked the wheelbarrow over on himself and we all went to the emergency room and i got to watch them stitch up his arm. pretty sweet. we ate dinner and licked our wounds (lots of icy hot and neosporin) and watched tv. i fell asleep at 8:45 and woke up at 7. not too shabby.
today we are lazing around, trying to catch up on cleaning this house, and this afternoon i am meeting other diana gabaldon fans for cheesecake. back to work tomorrow... :(
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Easier than last time
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Thursday, March 12, 2009
Finally!
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Happy birthday to me!
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Wednesday, March 11, 2009
week 1: michael jackson
starting the show - lil rounds has a great voice but i couldnt take my eyes off the huge man bulge caused by the unfortunate fit of her pants, as well as her enormous ass. normally i wouldnt say that but it was totally the pants's fault. white highwaisted pleated pants look good on so few people, possibly no one. certainly not someone who is shaped like a normal person with hips and a butt. i couldnt even listen to her i was so distracted. kind of dug her shirt though.
oh scott. you seem like such a nice person and i think it is wonderful that you are visually impaired and can play the piano. you just dont have a voice that is good enough for me to imagine listening to it on the radio. and commercial music is what this show is about after all.
danny: "we got school tomorrow...early" that whole thing was a little bit ridiculous. thank you producers! i love his glasses. i think he has a bunch of different pairs.
michael, you and your family are adorable. i would be surprised if you make it past the top 6. but i like you. i really like you. apparently, you are one of those who sounds better in person because i was bored but the judges were wowed.
i love that jasmines footage was of her family watching her on american idol. in general im not a fan of people as young as her on the show. i am definitely a different person than i was at 16 and i just dont think these kids have a good enough i dea of themselves much less themselves as an artist. just a thought.
kris... kris who? i dont remember even seeing him before. and i definitely takes two people to pull spaghetti out of a box.
forget what i said earlier about 16 years olds. i love allison and all her red headedness. anyone who performs at la curacao is ok with me.
noop doggie dog - i pity the fool who marries you. i like you but you seem a little bit spoiled. the michael jackson jacket was cool i guess but i wasnt impressed. im waiting to remember why i liked you so much all the way from your auditions... but your mom is adorable!
jorge reminds me a little bit of hector. i think it is his eyes. or curly hair. they dont look anything alike for sure. michale jackson with a little latin accent and flavor. im digging it. not digging his jacket as much though. what is with these people - dont they have stylists by now? if the contestants are making these poor wardrobe decisions thats one thing - they have an excuse. if someone was paid to find these jackets or those horrible white pants they should be shot. or at least fired. i think i am going to have nightmares about the white pants.
i cannot stand the way megan dances. i think i am prejudiced against her because she spells her name wrong but the caw! caw! at the end of her song didnt help matters. i do like her voice. hard to watch though. her hair stylist kind of only did the front of her hair. the back was all ratty and frizzy. weird.
i love adam. hes my fave. what a rockstar. very sexy too. the girls are going crazy over him! he kinda has that seventies rockstar androgynous thing going on. worked for them though huh? i dig the blue streak in his hair too (of course). doesnt he have a background in musical theater too? hes just got it all going on. and the judges loved him too. side note: how does ryan know what a herkie is?
is matt's dad dying? thats how his talking head sounded. the judges liked his performance but i was yawning.
could alexis's skirt be any shorter? i have a feeling she will be getting on my nerves for many weeks to come, unfortunately.
oh scott. you seem like such a nice person and i think it is wonderful that you are visually impaired and can play the piano. you just dont have a voice that is good enough for me to imagine listening to it on the radio. and commercial music is what this show is about after all.
danny: "we got school tomorrow...early" that whole thing was a little bit ridiculous. thank you producers! i love his glasses. i think he has a bunch of different pairs.
michael, you and your family are adorable. i would be surprised if you make it past the top 6. but i like you. i really like you. apparently, you are one of those who sounds better in person because i was bored but the judges were wowed.
i love that jasmines footage was of her family watching her on american idol. in general im not a fan of people as young as her on the show. i am definitely a different person than i was at 16 and i just dont think these kids have a good enough i dea of themselves much less themselves as an artist. just a thought.
kris... kris who? i dont remember even seeing him before. and i definitely takes two people to pull spaghetti out of a box.
forget what i said earlier about 16 years olds. i love allison and all her red headedness. anyone who performs at la curacao is ok with me.
noop doggie dog - i pity the fool who marries you. i like you but you seem a little bit spoiled. the michael jackson jacket was cool i guess but i wasnt impressed. im waiting to remember why i liked you so much all the way from your auditions... but your mom is adorable!
jorge reminds me a little bit of hector. i think it is his eyes. or curly hair. they dont look anything alike for sure. michale jackson with a little latin accent and flavor. im digging it. not digging his jacket as much though. what is with these people - dont they have stylists by now? if the contestants are making these poor wardrobe decisions thats one thing - they have an excuse. if someone was paid to find these jackets or those horrible white pants they should be shot. or at least fired. i think i am going to have nightmares about the white pants.
i cannot stand the way megan dances. i think i am prejudiced against her because she spells her name wrong but the caw! caw! at the end of her song didnt help matters. i do like her voice. hard to watch though. her hair stylist kind of only did the front of her hair. the back was all ratty and frizzy. weird.
i love adam. hes my fave. what a rockstar. very sexy too. the girls are going crazy over him! he kinda has that seventies rockstar androgynous thing going on. worked for them though huh? i dig the blue streak in his hair too (of course). doesnt he have a background in musical theater too? hes just got it all going on. and the judges loved him too. side note: how does ryan know what a herkie is?
is matt's dad dying? thats how his talking head sounded. the judges liked his performance but i was yawning.
could alexis's skirt be any shorter? i have a feeling she will be getting on my nerves for many weeks to come, unfortunately.
weekly update
jeremy and i bought soccer cleats on saturday. i think nikki might be very proud and anna will be apalled. but these opinions would quickly change when they found out that we arent playing soccer, rather, we are starting a flag football league on saturday. yes thats right, saturday is not only my triathlon that i am supremely ill-prepared for but also our first football game. and i missed practice last week. so while i may not end the day with any real sense of accomplishment at least i will get good exercise! originally my goal finishing time for the triathlon was an hour. then i found out last year's women's record was 53 minutes so i bumped it up to 1:15. then i pretty much stopped training because of the oscars and a minor injury so now we all decided we will just be happy to actually finish.
did anyone watch the biggest loser last night? this entire season jeremy and i have been saying how much we prefer this seasons losers over last seasons. they seem to get along and like each other and compete without being too sly or nasty or hateful. then last night, two of our favorites, sione and phillipe had temper tantrums like little kids. nothing like seeing a grown man yell and throw things and storm out of the room in a huff almost crying because its just not fair! then black team won the weigh in that they didnt deserve to with all the drinking and eating and smoking and carrying on they did on their luxury day. we were disappointed in them. cant wait to see what next week has in store for us!
in other news, two of my favorite bands from middle school and sort of high school were dc talk and newsboys. it is possible that my dc talk poster is still hanging on the back of the door in my old room at my parents house. anyways, michael tait (the member of dc talk whose picture was folded under so the poster could fit on my door because he wasnt as cute as tobey and kevin) is the new lead singer of the newsboys because that dude quit. my pre-teen worlds are colliding and life as i know it might just be over. the sky is falling the sky is falling!
did anyone watch the biggest loser last night? this entire season jeremy and i have been saying how much we prefer this seasons losers over last seasons. they seem to get along and like each other and compete without being too sly or nasty or hateful. then last night, two of our favorites, sione and phillipe had temper tantrums like little kids. nothing like seeing a grown man yell and throw things and storm out of the room in a huff almost crying because its just not fair! then black team won the weigh in that they didnt deserve to with all the drinking and eating and smoking and carrying on they did on their luxury day. we were disappointed in them. cant wait to see what next week has in store for us!
in other news, two of my favorite bands from middle school and sort of high school were dc talk and newsboys. it is possible that my dc talk poster is still hanging on the back of the door in my old room at my parents house. anyways, michael tait (the member of dc talk whose picture was folded under so the poster could fit on my door because he wasnt as cute as tobey and kevin) is the new lead singer of the newsboys because that dude quit. my pre-teen worlds are colliding and life as i know it might just be over. the sky is falling the sky is falling!
Sunday, March 8, 2009
my birthday party!!!!
kim threw me the best 25th birthday party ever last night. we started at her house for delicious tapas and cocktails and spent some time catching up. it was great to spend some time with some of my girls (especially the ones i dont get to see very often!) i got a birthday crown and birthday martini glass and lots of other great stuff. i have the best friends ever.
we left kim's and went out to universal citywalk. we started this portion of the eve
ning at howl at the moon, a dueling piano bar. they performers are hilarious (and slightly risque). i got a birthday serenade from the entire place. they had me sit on the piano while they sang a couple songs... it was awesome! i was lucky - some people had to share their birthday glory with others. im just not that kind of girl... ;) then i got a birthday bumper sticket... follow me to the moon!!!we left there and went to the rumba room for a little dancing. the music selection was great at first but wound up poor at best so we left for...
my birthday bul
l ride!!! i rode it like a pro! i made it waaay more than 8 seconds. jeremy was very proud when i told him later. we hung out for a little while at saddle ranch chop house for the last drinks of the night while waiting for jeremy to come pick us up. the music there was way better (songs in english! yay!) kim was taking pictures of me riding the bull like a mom at a soccer match. it was great.
l ride!!! i rode it like a pro! i made it waaay more than 8 seconds. jeremy was very proud when i told him later. we hung out for a little while at saddle ranch chop house for the last drinks of the night while waiting for jeremy to come pick us up. the music there was way better (songs in english! yay!) kim was taking pictures of me riding the bull like a mom at a soccer match. it was great. so the first time i celebrated 25 was amazing. heres hoping next year is just as good!
cake class #4
at class this week we made a purdy cake. i actually remembered all my fgear, which made class way less stressful. last week having to borrow tips and bags from everyone else made me feel stupid for forgetting everything. last week i was the one about the cry the whole time, this week it was caras turn. like manny told gaby, "this class is supposed to be relaxing not stressful!" being prepared definitely made all the difference for me. that and a full night of sleep. :D
we learned a special kind of lace that is often used on wedding cakes. i kep
t calling it chantilly lace but thats not the right name. i cant remember it. i still had trouble with the crumb coating business. i think it is going to take some practice (and maybe some better baking skills) to get that under control. after we did the lace on the sides and the top, we learned a new kind of flower that i hate. they were supposed to be chyrsanthemums but mine did not turn out looking anything like that. no one in the group really liked these - i think we all preferred the roses we learned last week. next week we are skipping but the week after is royal icing and only making flowers - no cake. im excited.
t calling it chantilly lace but thats not the right name. i cant remember it. i still had trouble with the crumb coating business. i think it is going to take some practice (and maybe some better baking skills) to get that under control. after we did the lace on the sides and the top, we learned a new kind of flower that i hate. they were supposed to be chyrsanthemums but mine did not turn out looking anything like that. no one in the group really liked these - i think we all preferred the roses we learned last week. next week we are skipping but the week after is royal icing and only making flowers - no cake. im excited.
the final product - including all my mums, and one of the teacher's. hers is in the middle. it wasnt until my final one that mine looked anything like hers, including the ones i threw out and didnt put on the cake. i really like making leaves though! we also used filling in this cake so that was fun. you make a moat of frosting so the filling doesnt escape down the sides. kim had a blackberry leak on hers... it was kinda funny.
Friday, March 6, 2009
the top 13
after wednesdays episode of american idol was thinking "well this top 9 is ok. kinda boring. but besides tatiana, alot of the contestants seem kinda boring. and i know lil rounds is a good singer, but something about her rubs me the wrong way. oh well." then they announced who was contesding for the other "3" spots in the top "12." most of them i was ambivalent about but i love anoop and was deathly afraid of seeing more of tatiana. last night we watched the show and were happy with the first two girls they picked (although this megan chicks dancing/shaking/seizing thing she does while dancing is really weird to watch i do like her voice) then right before they said who was the final spot in the top 12 our dvr recording stopped. so i had to go online to see who they picked only to find out that they picked 13 instead of 12. and that my boy anoop was #13. woohoo! some of the people in the top 13 i dont really remember at all. so i guess next week they better do a good job of catching up airtime to the crazies that they spent so much time on earlier in the season. overall thoguh, i am just uninspired by this years crop. notice they havent been saying "oh this is the best most talented group of people ever" like they did every five seconds last year (which i disagreed with but whatever).
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
76. the one other food i just cannot stomach is olives. the flavor - ick. i had a really bad experience during a lock-in in 5th grade involving a food eating relay.
77. i used to carry a pager.
78. words i hate hearing or saying (which i only say when forced to for some strange reason): panty, blouse, feminine. i know. random.
79. bryce reminded me about a good one. around about 1995 i knew what my parents bought him for christmas. he kept trying to convince me to tell him so i made up this spaceship/submarine/car thing called a johnny quest 300 (anyone else use to watch that show?) and he was firnly convinced that was what he was getting. apparently to this day he still wants one. maybe i should make up children's toys?
80. salute your shorts and hey dude were my favorite shows in elementary and middle school. we didnt have tv so if i got to watch them randomly at my grandparents house it was the best!
81. if you drew a horizontal line acrossthe center of america, i have visited all of the states the line runs through or below it and only about 2 above it. (hawaii doesnt count)
82. i had never had thai or ethiopian or salvadorian food before we moved to la. thai becuase i didnt know that i liked semi-spicy food and ethiopian becuase wichita and manhattan dont have ethiopian places. tampa maybe does but i was too young to decide for myself where to eat when i lived there. most of the salvi places are little holes in the wall i would be too scared to try for myself but girls at work have recommended.
83. every week day at lunch i drink green tea and eat an apple along with whatever else i brought for lunch. i dont ever drink green tea or eat apples at home though.
84. i drink prolly 100 oz or more of water everyday. i do live in the desert though. im a thirsty girl.
77. i used to carry a pager.
78. words i hate hearing or saying (which i only say when forced to for some strange reason): panty, blouse, feminine. i know. random.
79. bryce reminded me about a good one. around about 1995 i knew what my parents bought him for christmas. he kept trying to convince me to tell him so i made up this spaceship/submarine/car thing called a johnny quest 300 (anyone else use to watch that show?) and he was firnly convinced that was what he was getting. apparently to this day he still wants one. maybe i should make up children's toys?
80. salute your shorts and hey dude were my favorite shows in elementary and middle school. we didnt have tv so if i got to watch them randomly at my grandparents house it was the best!
81. if you drew a horizontal line acrossthe center of america, i have visited all of the states the line runs through or below it and only about 2 above it. (hawaii doesnt count)
82. i had never had thai or ethiopian or salvadorian food before we moved to la. thai becuase i didnt know that i liked semi-spicy food and ethiopian becuase wichita and manhattan dont have ethiopian places. tampa maybe does but i was too young to decide for myself where to eat when i lived there. most of the salvi places are little holes in the wall i would be too scared to try for myself but girls at work have recommended.
83. every week day at lunch i drink green tea and eat an apple along with whatever else i brought for lunch. i dont ever drink green tea or eat apples at home though.
84. i drink prolly 100 oz or more of water everyday. i do live in the desert though. im a thirsty girl.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
banned book challenge
The Pelham Public Library is issuing the third annual "Banned Book Challenge." Set a challenge for yourself to read x number of challenged or banned books between February 22 (Freedom to Read Week in Canada) and June 30. If you are not sure what to read, check our lists of suggested books on the right. These are books that have faced challenges that are available in the Pelham Public Library. Check LibraryThing for other titles or check any of the links on the sidebar to find even more books.
1. inkheart - cornelia funke
2. the curious incident of the dog in the night-time - mark haddon
3. flowers in the attic - v.c. andrews
4. love in the time of cholera - gabriel garcia marquez
5. what my mother doesnt know - sonya sones
6. sophie's choice - william styron
7. gathering blue - lois lowry
8. coraline - neil gaiman
9. wintergirls - laurie halse anderson
10. fahrenheit 451 - ray bradbury
11. the graveyard book - neil gaiman
12. the witches - roald dahl
13. speak - laurie halse anderson
14. summer of my german soldier - bette greene
15. the boy book - e. ockhart
1. inkheart - cornelia funke
2. the curious incident of the dog in the night-time - mark haddon
3. flowers in the attic - v.c. andrews
4. love in the time of cholera - gabriel garcia marquez
5. what my mother doesnt know - sonya sones
6. sophie's choice - william styron
7. gathering blue - lois lowry
8. coraline - neil gaiman
9. wintergirls - laurie halse anderson
10. fahrenheit 451 - ray bradbury
11. the graveyard book - neil gaiman
12. the witches - roald dahl
13. speak - laurie halse anderson
14. summer of my german soldier - bette greene
15. the boy book - e. ockhart
orbis terrarum challenge
Main Challenge Rules:
*The Orbis Terrarum Challenge begins March 1 2009(you are welcome to join later) Through the end of 2009.
*For the challenge each reader is to choose 10 books (for the 10 months).
*Each book must from a different country, I have decided to go by the country of origin of the author, or the country he/she lives in is fine as well.
*You don't have to have a list, that means you can change your mind at any time. As long as there are 10 from 10 different countries, written by 10 different authors: Anything goes.
The bottom line: choose 10 different books, written by 10 different authors, from 10 different countries.
1. the reader - bernhard schlink (germany)
2. whose wedding is it anyway? - melissa senate (usa)
3. revelations - melissa de la cruz (phillipines)
4. does my head look big in this? - randa abdel-fattah (australia)
5. pygmalion - george bernard shaw (ireland)
6. city of bones - cassandra clare (iran)
7. mossflower - brian jacques (england)
8. price of passion - susan napier (new zealand)
9. love in the time of cholera - gabriel garcia marquez (columbia)
10. inkheart - cornelia funke (germany)
*The Orbis Terrarum Challenge begins March 1 2009(you are welcome to join later) Through the end of 2009.
*For the challenge each reader is to choose 10 books (for the 10 months).
*Each book must from a different country, I have decided to go by the country of origin of the author, or the country he/she lives in is fine as well.
*You don't have to have a list, that means you can change your mind at any time. As long as there are 10 from 10 different countries, written by 10 different authors: Anything goes.
The bottom line: choose 10 different books, written by 10 different authors, from 10 different countries.
1. the reader - bernhard schlink (germany)
2. whose wedding is it anyway? - melissa senate (usa)
3. revelations - melissa de la cruz (phillipines)
4. does my head look big in this? - randa abdel-fattah (australia)
5. pygmalion - george bernard shaw (ireland)
6. city of bones - cassandra clare (iran)
7. mossflower - brian jacques (england)
8. price of passion - susan napier (new zealand)
9. love in the time of cholera - gabriel garcia marquez (columbia)
10. inkheart - cornelia funke (germany)
The best part of my day
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Sunday, March 1, 2009
whats been happening lately...
friday night we went out to the blue room with several friends for some drinks and darts. dan got a new set of darts for christmas and he was anxious to show them off. yesterday i went and got a massage at an organic spa in burbank. jeremy bought me the gift certificate for my birthday and it was wonderful. i spent some time in the quiet room drinking spa water and eating strawberries, then got a swedish massage (including hot stones which i have never had before) for an hour before spending some time in the sauna and then coming home. while i was gone jeremy did all the dishes, took the stove apart to kill the roaches living in it (disgurting? yes! but i cant help that i have dirty neighbors...), and cleaned the shower. he is amazing. so we did some laundry and spent time at home. today we stage managed at church then headed straight out to pasadena for owen's first birthday party. we played and watched him open a few presents then headed to the park. he sat in the swing for a while but his favorite thing was the parachute!
cake class #3: the book
we started by taking a regular 9x13 cake and cutting pieces off to make the pages of the book. my cake was completely falling apart and i was insanely frustrated trying to crumb coat it. next week i am baking the hell out of that thing. who cares if it is a brick - it will be easy to frost! you can see the corner of my cake - it had fallen off friday night when i was getting it out of the pan but i did NOT feel like baking a whole other cake (1 and 1/2 boxes of mix!). i really need to find a good recipe for real cake not from a box that is easy to frost.
we started frosting and then added a shell border around the bottom and along the edges of the top. i loaded so much frosting on mine to avoid any crumbs poking through. then we learned how to make roses to put on one page of the book. we made the roses on the flower nail then used the special scissors to transfer them to the cake. i only had to start over three times before getting a usable flower off the nail. not too shabby.
we also learned writing... not really. more like we were told to write something on one side of our ook. since we had the roses on one side i made my book about gardening. the words arent spaced very well and go crooked but next time will be better! making the bookmark was my favorite part. looks really complicated but it wasnt!
cake class #2: the car
although the way to cake class resulted in a small emotional breakdown (i was running on about 2 hours sleep and really late and there was traffic on the freeway and it was my birthday and kind of sucking so i was sobbing but jeremy was amazing and calmed me down on the phone)
the front...
and the back...
and the back...my car had a little bit of a gangsta lean... i didnt cut the circle cake exactly in half. took a lot of stars to cover it so i was really glad my cake was smaller than everyone else's. i loved how different everyone made their cars. natasha got bored waiting for the rest of us to finish so she decorated hers with people and all sorts of other things.
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