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to a brighter office.
corner. office.
with a balcony.
here it is: http://mondeintact.blogspot.com
[see the heart shape in the middle?]
... and beauty...
... everywhere.
and sunshine.
and sunshine.
of course, as anyone who knows me knows, where there is sunshine, i am not far. ;)
and what does this picture show you?
that in my world, there is also a well-maintained coif during my year of not cutting my hair. that's right! still haven't cut it and yet, don't i look like fresh from the set of a pantene ad?
the only questions is, would that be an ad for shampoo, or cover-your-roots? today, i have counted nine grey hairs altogether. when i thought there were three. but, i welcome them.
just as much as i welcome my high forehead up there. come to think of it, i don't find it very high. which might be because i'm used to it.
now, i was going to post photos here of my freshly SELFselfself-upholstered [what i mean is, BY MEEEE] chairs. as you can see, read, i am very proud of my accomplishment. and so happy with the chairs. to sit in them is soothing. comforting. safe, happy, comfortable.
what i was saying, i was going to post a photo. i have before and during photos. and i just tried to take a few after photos, for this post, but with the sun leaving us [don't worry, it will be back tomorrow] no light, photo, shows the color of the new fabric as i see it. so, i shall try again in the morning.
for now i shall leave you, my dear readership, the few, with a wish.
that in my world, there is also a well-maintained coif during my year of not cutting my hair. that's right! still haven't cut it and yet, don't i look like fresh from the set of a pantene ad?
the only questions is, would that be an ad for shampoo, or cover-your-roots? today, i have counted nine grey hairs altogether. when i thought there were three. but, i welcome them.
just as much as i welcome my high forehead up there. come to think of it, i don't find it very high. which might be because i'm used to it.
now, i was going to post photos here of my freshly SELFselfself-upholstered [what i mean is, BY MEEEE] chairs. as you can see, read, i am very proud of my accomplishment. and so happy with the chairs. to sit in them is soothing. comforting. safe, happy, comfortable.
what i was saying, i was going to post a photo. i have before and during photos. and i just tried to take a few after photos, for this post, but with the sun leaving us [don't worry, it will be back tomorrow] no light, photo, shows the color of the new fabric as i see it. so, i shall try again in the morning.
for now i shall leave you, my dear readership, the few, with a wish.
happy halloweeeeen!
and whenever i think, type, say this, i think of one of my favorite scenes from ugly betty.
enjoy.
enjoy.
how that happened, i don't know.
a flower in the front yard.
and a little bark.
a tree across the street. worthy of having its shaky picture taken at sundown.
just like the neighbor's palm tree and our backyard. roses on the side, and a cozy golden girls sunset.
but, creeping around the neighborhood dressed up as a shrub to take photos of magic moments wasn't all i did.
i also -after both my hubby and i scraped our legs at the sharp edge of the bed several times- smoothed the edge of our bed. i bought a pocket plane for the occasion. however. once, at home, i remembered the un-handy, big, paint-splattered plane i bought at the drive-in flea market in san luis obispo with brad months ago for five dollars. that's right. that's what i call it, the un-handy, big, paint-splattered plane i bought at the drive-in flea market in san luis obispo with brad months ago for five dollars. in short: tubppibatdfmislowbmaffd. i will refer to it as 'tubppi' from here on.
even though tubppi is missing one handle, and i had to work a little harder at maneuvering him, her, it, not that i know how to correctly maneuver a plane to begin with [thank god there's usually a pilot on the flight], my enthusiasm and excitement at using something i had bought for its looks made up for it.
and it worked!
i also -after both my hubby and i scraped our legs at the sharp edge of the bed several times- smoothed the edge of our bed. i bought a pocket plane for the occasion. however. once, at home, i remembered the un-handy, big, paint-splattered plane i bought at the drive-in flea market in san luis obispo with brad months ago for five dollars. that's right. that's what i call it, the un-handy, big, paint-splattered plane i bought at the drive-in flea market in san luis obispo with brad months ago for five dollars. in short: tubppibatdfmislowbmaffd. i will refer to it as 'tubppi' from here on.
even though tubppi is missing one handle, and i had to work a little harder at maneuvering him, her, it, not that i know how to correctly maneuver a plane to begin with [thank god there's usually a pilot on the flight], my enthusiasm and excitement at using something i had bought for its looks made up for it.
and it worked!
above you see tubppi and the smoothed edge. i painted the bed black after, so i am very glad of having taken photos of the board's side. isn't it pret-tyy?
please pay no attention to the chipped corner. it's not tubppi's fault.
one of the photos i found on my camera is of a top i sewed:
one of the photos i found on my camera is of a top i sewed:
'twas taken a few months ago. even though lovely, the top is now with the salvation army. or possibly already with a new owneress. the brown part at the top wasn't as stretchy as i thought, or as elastic, or too elastic, so i frequently had to pull it back up when wearing it. adding a strap or two wasn't an option, since it's a strapless top. now someone else's strapless top. i don't have to keep everything i make since i create to learn, too. and there's a photo. what else do i want?
nothing.
i like answering rhetorical questions.
never shall i forget the time i first encountered a rhetorical question. and how clueless i was.
'twas a family reunion. i must have been ten or younger. i would like to flatter myself by telling you that the fine nuances of language, such as rhetorical questions, were part of my conversation skills from age four on, but let's try to stay closer to reality here. i might also have been twelve.
all i remember is that i was sitting at a table, next to my dad. in a room in this big house in lamprecht, with dozens of people present. in comes aunt therese, my great-aunt, and asks into our direction,
"wouldn't christine rather sit with the other children?"
"no, thank you. i like sitting here."
as she left the room, my dad said, "that was a rhetorical question."
ever the advocate for children, my dad didn't even suggest i leave my spot at the adult table. he always took me places with him and never dropped me off at a children's table, or sent me to bed alone because i was a child and "supposed to be in bed." instead, i remember that i once fell asleep at a table in a restaurant, with my arms on the table and my head in my arms. it made me feel safe to always be with my dad.
how do i segue from rhetorical questions to my visit with brad and denise? i don't know.
and that wasn't one.
i spent a lovely weekend in san luis obispo, about three weeks ago. one morning, we went to have breakfast at the madonna inn. something neither of us had done before, despite all having lived there for years. it looks like a casino inside. fantasy world. exceptionally fancy red velvet damask wallpaper.
when we left, we took a photo. were this the year 1989, we would have taken a photo and left.
but, 'tis the year 2009, so of course, we used a digital camera. and of course, we had to look at the photo after we took it. of course, we found things wrong with it. three people in the picture, three opinions on what didn't look right. let me take you on this little journey i shall call "three faces, five photos":
nothing.
i like answering rhetorical questions.
never shall i forget the time i first encountered a rhetorical question. and how clueless i was.
'twas a family reunion. i must have been ten or younger. i would like to flatter myself by telling you that the fine nuances of language, such as rhetorical questions, were part of my conversation skills from age four on, but let's try to stay closer to reality here. i might also have been twelve.
all i remember is that i was sitting at a table, next to my dad. in a room in this big house in lamprecht, with dozens of people present. in comes aunt therese, my great-aunt, and asks into our direction,
"wouldn't christine rather sit with the other children?"
"no, thank you. i like sitting here."
as she left the room, my dad said, "that was a rhetorical question."
ever the advocate for children, my dad didn't even suggest i leave my spot at the adult table. he always took me places with him and never dropped me off at a children's table, or sent me to bed alone because i was a child and "supposed to be in bed." instead, i remember that i once fell asleep at a table in a restaurant, with my arms on the table and my head in my arms. it made me feel safe to always be with my dad.
how do i segue from rhetorical questions to my visit with brad and denise? i don't know.
and that wasn't one.
i spent a lovely weekend in san luis obispo, about three weeks ago. one morning, we went to have breakfast at the madonna inn. something neither of us had done before, despite all having lived there for years. it looks like a casino inside. fantasy world. exceptionally fancy red velvet damask wallpaper.
when we left, we took a photo. were this the year 1989, we would have taken a photo and left.
but, 'tis the year 2009, so of course, we used a digital camera. and of course, we had to look at the photo after we took it. of course, we found things wrong with it. three people in the picture, three opinions on what didn't look right. let me take you on this little journey i shall call "three faces, five photos":
"nah."
"no."
"nnnno."
"getting there."
"this is it!"
if you are now asking yourself the rhetorical question, why would she post a photo of herself with a double chin, for all the world to see?, then worry not, i will answer this rhetorical question for you.
it's because to me, two chins are nothing. no one has said it to my face, but i have heard the phrase "more chins than the chinese phone book."
it's because to me, two chins are nothing. no one has said it to my face, but i have heard the phrase "more chins than the chinese phone book."
or is this what they call a turtle neck?
a turkey neck?
excuse me!
i'm a vegetarian!
a turkey neck?
excuse me!
i'm a vegetarian!
the next day i started nora roberts' conspiracy in death, written under pseudonym j.d. robb. this, too, i read within three days yet only during daylight. my nerves, by their natural condition, are not quite in a shape to read it at night, home alone. i read some in the dark when hubby was home. the first night, though, i had a nightmare. that left me up for an hour, i read a harmless enough magazine, between 5 and 6 a.m. i fell asleep again, had another nightmare, worse this time. got up at eight, went straight back to the book. no nightmare the second night.
today then, after dinner, i started jonathan kellerman, over the edge. there's a knife on the cover [depicted more realistically than it might be on a sidney sheldon novel], but, you see, i needed another crime novel.
the reason i am now on a reading break and able to blog is that the sun went down. i read 45 pages of kellerman, then i became too dark and since i don't want to strain my purposely-unacquainted-with-murder and occasionally chickenshit-when-home-alone-in-the-dark nerves, i stopped reading.
now, how i read. when i'm really into a book, as happened with the last three, reading can climb up the priority ladder to the spot between 'breathing' and 'drinking water'. i noticed this in the last hour. twice, i went into the kitchen to get coffee and chocolate dessert.
i read while the chocolate dessert was warmed by the microwave.
i read while i took the coffee pitcher out of the machine and positioned it by the edge of my cup, but then did avert my eyes to watch the coffee flow into the cup. this is only due to my, ahem, record of clumsiness even when i look.
i read while i ate the chocolate dessert outside and a piece fell off the spoon onto my shirt. i'm still wearing the shirt now because i was reading, so i didn't have time to change it.
i also kept reading while i drank coffee, taking sips without my eyes letting go of the lines.
i read when i walk into the kitchen, although not when i walk out, carrying things.
i read while walking to the bathroom and while i sit and pee. [if that's too much information, you might want to stop reading now.]
i read while tearing toilet paper off the roll which is why i have gotten quite good at tearing it off one-handed.
i read while pulling down my pants before i pee, and while i pull them up, after, even though that takes longer because i have to pull a few inches on the right, then a few inches on the left, with the same hand, then the right again, and so on.
i can't read while i wash my hands, so i just don't do that anymore.
just kidding on the last one.
can you see the christine-on-the-ceramic-throne-with-boo
doesn't "Christine On the Ceramic Throne With Book" sound like the title for a painting from the biedermeier period?
i just opened the folder with photos the webcam in our bathroom takes every 60 seconds and, because i have no shame, would like to share this here picture with you.
are you ready?
ok, that's not really me.
i suppose you knew because
1. i didn't iron my ruffled blouse so i'm not wearing it today, and
2. my hair is not that long yet.
now here's one from the realism period.
i'm calling it:
i suppose you knew because
1. i didn't iron my ruffled blouse so i'm not wearing it today, and
2. my hair is not that long yet.
now here's one from the realism period.
i'm calling it:
"Eyes With No Makeup Under Hair With No 'Do"
looks like you have to click on the above map to see where central city is. just a bit west of denver, colorado. my hubby took me there when we were in colorado a few weeks ago, and 'twas so extraordinarily charming, i thought i'd dedicate a post to it.
central city is a bit up the hill [is that german?]. but first, in the valley, there are casinos. it appears there used to be only one, and now there are many, and a newshinybig one on the rise.
but up the hill from there, it was less artificially old, more old because old, and pretty, and colorful, happy, taken care of; in other words, my kind of place.
and with a couple that is worthy of being featured on this one of the best sites on the web.
and with a couple that is worthy of being featured on this one of the best sites on the web.
central city also has its very own opera. and this here lady was asked if she was with the opera.
was it the hat, you might ask? no. it was the voice.
"hubbyyyyy," the lady shrieked.
"hubbyyyyy," the lady shrieked.
"what, woman! what is it?"
"they said i have a shrill voice!"
"well. see what it says on the church over yonder?"
"they said i have a shrill voice!"
"well. see what it says on the church over yonder?"
"wheeere? i can not seeeee!"
"there, woman! on that sign!"
and thus he had spoken.
and since the lady would never be able to resist a husband who poses with the family dog...
she fluted, "whatever you say, dear."
and they lived happily ever after, in this here house in central city, colorado.
"oh lord, thank you for reading my blog!
i will use styling products, definitely. else it will look like it did when i was growing up, just hanging down, slave to cowlicks and turns as they come. on one side of my head, my hair always turns outward as if a wind is blowing through my head. not that it's hollow :) i think i forget these things and then imagine i will have commercial perfect hair without work once it's long again.
i'm gonna use garnier fructis surfstyle. i first used it 5 years ago when i cut my hair, and it's fabulous. makes my hair look unshiny and a little felty. i love it. looks unkempt. great madwoman-look. by the way, i have noticed that your bangs are always in nice place and shape in photos. so you do have a secret. i now know."
and here's what it looks like on my head today.
freshly washed and brushed and airdried. i went to the dollar tree with earl the dog for the sole purpose of getting some shampoo and a hairbrush. since my brother accidentally took home my hair brush this summer, july, i haven't brushed my hair anymore. but it's barely long enough to do that now. and since i ran out of shampoo, hmmm.. some time in may, or april, i have washed my hair with water or water and soap only. today i felt like it's long enough to earn itself a shiny bottle of one-dollar shampoo and a very similar hairbrush.
so there you have it. washed with 2 pennies of shampoo, brushed, and air dried.
no madwoman-look stuff in it. yet.
i have to keep some suspense in here to keep my readership from dwindling.
not that it's big enough to even dwindle.
so there you have it. washed with 2 pennies of shampoo, brushed, and air dried.
no madwoman-look stuff in it. yet.
i have to keep some suspense in here to keep my readership from dwindling.
not that it's big enough to even dwindle.
i lack the discipline and/or mental wherewithal to take a picture every morning, every day, but i shall do so occasionally, when i remember, or when my cousin tobi reminds me of it. here's the first one.
and, i'm calling this project 'frisur natur'. 'frisur' means hairdo in german.
it has been at least three months since i cut my hair. and then, it was all down to a few millimeters.
i like this project.
i'm gonna look like the madwoman i am!
and for a while, i have felt like dollartree feels the same way, toward me.
it was merely a suspicion, though, until i stepped into the dt next to winco today, unsuspecting. i had already walked past the door, when i turned, looked into the store, and was drawn in.
after a few seconds, i saw it. dollartree's proof of love for me.
christmas decorations! *shriek*
dollartree loves me, too! of course, we're not getting ahead of ourselves here. both dollartree and i know that it's still 116 before christmas. but, it was a strong symbolic gesture to show me those fake conifer garlands on the last day of august. neither dollartree nor i are ashamed to show that we love christmas. and that for us, the season starts in september. and that means: mentally preparing in august.
and preparing for christmas means many things, of course. as to not overwhelm my audience today, let me mention only one: giving earl the dog a bath. not that he wanted to.
but since i am 138 lb. heavier than he is, there was little he could do. i would have taken more photos, but i didn't want to prolong the great inconvenience i thus bestowed upon him.
"there are places to see, bushes to pee."
you see, earl the dog leads a very busy life. for one, he's an icon in the world of meditation/relaxation. and for at least one house each day, he hones his famous surveillance skills.
you see, earl the dog leads a very busy life. for one, he's an icon in the world of meditation/relaxation. and for at least one house each day, he hones his famous surveillance skills.
but pestering earl wasn't the only thing i did in the last few weeks. i also crafted hexagons, folding squares over cardboard hexagons and ironing them to keep their shape.
i also made this seriously most delicious chocolate dessert. and then i made it again. and then, today, again. i need no food but coffee and this dessert.
but where's the dessert in this photo, you might ask? certainly a valid question. and here's the answer:
uncharacteristic for my usual 'clean everything right up' endeavors, my sewing machine has been lounging at the paris room desk for, ahem, a few weeks. since... may 20th around, when my brother came. lord, that's two months! the thing is, i was ready to start sewing again any day. that's what i told myself, and about a week ago i spent a few days sitting there, by the machine, pulled out fabric, laid it out on the floor, for planned projects, but i just didn't feel like sewing and the fabric stayed there for a few days, like an impromptu persian rug. made from linen and cotton.
but yesterday, finally, leadfoot got back to the pedal and i finished my red silk pants. i started them about three months ago, during the start of my clown pants phase. let's briefly revisit that, shall we?
i believe i have worn these pants twice only, so far, once the day i finished them, and once when we drove to the airport to pick up my brother. i had to stage my entrance, you see, being ever the eccentric sister. i have a reputation to uphold, after all.
i have since figured out that pants with fabric gathered all around makes you behind look a little, well, puffed. reminiscent of obelix.
i have since figured out that pants with fabric gathered all around makes you behind look a little, well, puffed. reminiscent of obelix.
he's the fella on the right, wearing pants from the same collection as mine.
with this image in mind, my motivation to finish the red silk pants -second generation to the above butterfly pants- was very slim.
so it took weeks, but i returned to the sewing machine, finished the pants, test-wore them, found i had to add some beltloops, did that, and now i really like the result! let me introduce you to my red silk wrap pants:
and newly found dimples in my cheeks, they must have snuck up on me the same night my grey hair came.
and a look at the former obelix patootie:
what do you know? it's not obelix anymore, it's christine! yes, i took the photo in the bathroom, with the big mirror. i have found that this sort of photography by way of self timer or mirror is common among the garment sewing population.
what else do i have to share? for now, my current favorite breakfast.
what else do i have to share? for now, my current favorite breakfast.
it's been grapenuts for almost a week now. except for the chocolate dessert spell, which was under control once the dessert was gone.
the best way - for me, personally - to eat grape nuts, i have found, is what you see above. i pour some into my clean hand and then munch out of it like a horse. has worked very well, except for once, yesterday, when i must have accidentally inhaled some grape nuts. i don't think snorting any kinds of drugs would ever be an option for me.
and now excuse me, i must get back to sewing. i promised earl the dog i would sew him a tutu.
he has been displaying a newly found passion for classical ballet recently.
the best way - for me, personally - to eat grape nuts, i have found, is what you see above. i pour some into my clean hand and then munch out of it like a horse. has worked very well, except for once, yesterday, when i must have accidentally inhaled some grape nuts. i don't think snorting any kinds of drugs would ever be an option for me.
and now excuse me, i must get back to sewing. i promised earl the dog i would sew him a tutu.
he has been displaying a newly found passion for classical ballet recently.
p.p.s.: now would be the right time to mention that my brother's GPA at graduation was .5 higher than mine.
that's what the dentist said this morning. all right, he didn't use the word 'ivories'. but he did use the word 'fabulous' and said mine are probably the best teeth he will see all day. in all their normal-teeth color.
thank you, mom, for taking a persistent approach to dental hygiene when we were little.
was hänschen nicht lernt, lernt hans nimmermehr.
what mikey won't learn, michael isn't going to learn.
a little german wisdon never harmed anyone, did it?
so, thank you mama, and new dentist, for making my day. today, there is not a mirror i can walk by without snarling into it. as opposed to all the other days in my life, of course.
for anyone living in the fresno area and looking for a superbly qualified dentist with very very nice staff:
robert smith, dds
559-438-4031
here's a photo for my brother, thomas:
it's not even a stretch to post wheatgrass in a post about my teeth, because cows eat wheatgrass [exclusively, before it became en vogue for humans, i'm sure, but i'm not claiming any cows/ diet expertise here], and they chew a lot, so there's the connection. but then, they digest and re-chew, so maybe they didn't chew well enough the first time, and doesn't sound like an ad for my teeth. not that they're for sale.
let's move on to the next photo.
let's move on to the next photo.
this is what all the rage here has been about. The Chocolate Dessert. although i must say, it tastes best fresh and still warm. so i suggest, if you make it, to eat it all on the same day.
if you warm it up later, you might burn your mouth because the chocolate inside gets very hot and the outside doesn't. so you would never know how palate-burning hot it is before you taste it. i hear.
the recipe came from taste of home magazine, and since it's only available to subscribers on the website, lemme share it here.
* in bowl, beat 1 cup butter until fluffy, add 1/2 c sugar, 2 c whwh flour, 1/4 t salt; until crumbly. set aside i cup. press remaining mix into a greased 9x13 in pan [pan really should be that big], bake at 350º f [175ºc] for ten minutes.
* meanwhile, in a small pot, combine 1 can [14 oz] sweetened condensed milk, making sure to taste the quality before you do. that's what it did. ah yes, combine, with 1 1/2 c semisweet chocolate chips. i used cheap sweet ones, worked out well. not that the milk isn't sweet enough. heat and stir until chips are melted. stir in 1t vanilla, i didn't, have to make it again to taste the difference. spread over crust
* combine chopped nuts, flax seeds, or oats with the cup of crust from above and crumble over the whole shebang. bake 15 more minutes.
* let cool barely and then eat. all in one day, if possible
back to taste of home. when i closed the window, another one popped up with an important message. for me.
if you warm it up later, you might burn your mouth because the chocolate inside gets very hot and the outside doesn't. so you would never know how palate-burning hot it is before you taste it. i hear.
the recipe came from taste of home magazine, and since it's only available to subscribers on the website, lemme share it here.
* in bowl, beat 1 cup butter until fluffy, add 1/2 c sugar, 2 c whwh flour, 1/4 t salt; until crumbly. set aside i cup. press remaining mix into a greased 9x13 in pan [pan really should be that big], bake at 350º f [175ºc] for ten minutes.
* meanwhile, in a small pot, combine 1 can [14 oz] sweetened condensed milk, making sure to taste the quality before you do. that's what it did. ah yes, combine, with 1 1/2 c semisweet chocolate chips. i used cheap sweet ones, worked out well. not that the milk isn't sweet enough. heat and stir until chips are melted. stir in 1t vanilla, i didn't, have to make it again to taste the difference. spread over crust
* combine chopped nuts, flax seeds, or oats with the cup of crust from above and crumble over the whole shebang. bake 15 more minutes.
* let cool barely and then eat. all in one day, if possible
back to taste of home. when i closed the window, another one popped up with an important message. for me.
let's zoom in.
instead of spending time on 'what's wrong with this society' [what with knowing how to spell, myself, and not feeling entitled to most everything], i will now fetch me another piece of chocolate dessert and send my resume to taste of home. i think they need me there.
as a proofreader.
as a taster.
as a proofreader.
as a taster.
[ech. i just took a sip of coffee and felt what seemed to be a coffee ground on my lip. so i carefully open my lips a little -not too much since i had a sip of coffee in my mouth that was yet to be swallowed- to fumble away the ground, and guess what it is? an ant! still kicking, too. i dropped it off on my pantleg and may it go from there. these ant are just everywhere. last night two traveled with me to a house seven miles away. how can this be? what do ants normally eat? do i have a lot of that on my skin? i shower.]
back to the camera. i remember, i took it from my electric-gadgets-box in the paris room. from there, my hubby called me into his office, so i took the iPod, too, to hand it over to him. from the office i went back to my computer in the kitchen because i wanted to email him a link. then i got caught up doing important things on the internet, as i always do. [today: cook this here or this?]
then i poured me some coffee with milk and thought, let's go water the plants on the patio and look how the second generation arugula is doing. i pulled some weeds and stacked them up on the edge of the patio, the went to the veggie garden. i harvested a tomato and a bell pepper and pulled all the weeds but dandelion. i hope it will procreate and we'll get some lettuce after all. on the way back i turned off the watering system since the ground was very wet and appears to get enough water from our neighbor's system. saw the squash bud, thought: get the camera and take a photo.
camera wasn't where i thought it was. but found it in the office, retracing my steps. 'twas easy this time!
now let me go take photos.
pff. done. lots of caterpillars there. marigold, meep says. i think i will have to get some this week. it's getting out of hand.
chomping away at the last leaf left of the plant. but i can't kill them. don't have it in me, and also.. i don't want to touch them. being a girl here. as i am.
a little research on the organic gardening website reveals that those are cabbage loopers. the flowers of parsley, dill, or fennel attract insects that will eat the loopers. i'm writing a shopping list.but, there are plenty good news in the garden. a very pretty lantana plant [that's all i know].
and a 132-days-til-christmas plant.
we bought one plant in spring, and it's been growing quite well, i split it into three a few months ago, and now those are all growing well. warms my heart to save money with patience. especially since i'm still working at 'patience'. but the saving money helps, of course. and the conscious "kiss my patootie, instant-gratification culture".
and here's the aforementioned arugula.
and here's the aforementioned arugula.
second generation. this is where it came from:
if you were a seed, i'd be a pod. if you were a wink, i'd be a nod. let's add a little soundtrack to this post, shall we?
and here, the hopeful.
a zucchini flower.
with more little buds already waiting.
i wanted to find me a new desktop background on better homes and gardens, and then was shown to a 'winter wonder' category, so of course, i had to click on those words over any other. contemplated fall images, but nothing beats winter/christmas. and once the words winter+wonder had entered my brain, my grey matter -conditioned as it is- started singing .. walking in a winter wonderland. so, i give in, open iTunes, and here we have it, and jose feliciano, too. and 135 days left until christmas.
i recommend: any bing crosby christmas movie and 'christmas in connecticut'.
christmas flakes start falling on my sun-drenched-and-tired heart in september. tenderly, i admit. christmas is my favorite season. not for a religious reason, but for the lights. the winter, the cozy inside and cold outside. did i mention the lights? the mulled wine. the decoration. make that decorationS.
starting my personal christmas celebratory behavior in due time [i.e. september] is harder here than in germany. in germany, christmas items start showing up in stores around october, i'd say. early enough to work with me, too soon for others in my family - such as my lieblingstante. hallo uschi! :-D
here, however, in california, in the US, halloween and thanksgiving happen before christmas. it pains me to see halloween stuff at stores because i find halloween to be absolutely unnecessary. not only that, it actively fights christmas by sucking attention that should [in october!] be turned to christmas, solely, absolutely.
i can take thanksgiving. it's almost christmas, there is food and coziness inside, so thanksgiving may stay. so long as we can please substitute the fall decorations for christmas lights.
ha! please excuse me while i get a christmas scent candle to light.
sniffsniff. aaah, yes. there is not much of the 21 oz candle left, but christmas is right around the corner. and there are more christmastimescented candles in the pantry. oh, the scent. sigh. i wonder what would go well with that? might there still be christmas tea in my stash?
of course there is! i'm a pro, after all. naturally, i have the cup to go with this tea.
you know what that is? just my cup of tea, that's what.
thank you for this cup, judy. it brings me joy throughout the year, did you know that?
the only thing missing are christmas cookies. since this today's episode of the christmas heart crept up on me, i didn't have the opportunity to bake any. but, as luck would have it...
thank you for this cup, judy. it brings me joy throughout the year, did you know that?
the only thing missing are christmas cookies. since this today's episode of the christmas heart crept up on me, i didn't have the opportunity to bake any. but, as luck would have it...
there was still a box in the pantry containing one and a half christmas cookie! thank you, marlies. my aunt marlies baked these last year, and a tin full of them found its way across the ocean. and brings me joy throughout the year. what you see here is half a fruit star and a whole vanilla hörnchen. despite its age i can still taste christmas. and i generally think christmas cookies are good a year later, too. if there are any left. maybe i will bake vanillekipferl this week. i do have my grandma's recipe.
before my christmas spirit prematurely awoke from its summer slumber, i wanted to start this post with my brother thomas' comment to my last post. freely translated, he said,
"aaaah, do you know how crappy it will look if you just let your hair grow for a year? it won't have any sort of cut, thanks to gravity everything will be hanging. you really DO HAVE TO go to a coiffeur [ok, my word] after half a year and say, "i'd like to have a layer cut, please."
since this comment came from my brother, adhering to my principles i have to disagree. i am well aware that my hairnoncut will pose styling challenges. this experiment will show how much my self image is connected to my haircut. and how i will feel about myself when i, as anticipated, will look roughly like this plant on our patio:
before my christmas spirit prematurely awoke from its summer slumber, i wanted to start this post with my brother thomas' comment to my last post. freely translated, he said,
"aaaah, do you know how crappy it will look if you just let your hair grow for a year? it won't have any sort of cut, thanks to gravity everything will be hanging. you really DO HAVE TO go to a coiffeur [ok, my word] after half a year and say, "i'd like to have a layer cut, please."
since this comment came from my brother, adhering to my principles i have to disagree. i am well aware that my hairnoncut will pose styling challenges. this experiment will show how much my self image is connected to my haircut. and how i will feel about myself when i, as anticipated, will look roughly like this plant on our patio:
furthermore, come christmas [in a month], my hair will be hidden beneath a santa-style hat most of the time. unless i can dye it white and drape it around my chin. moment, i might not even have to dye it.
i look forward to going to farmer's market later today with deb. more fresh food to be bought, so there can be more delicious dishes like last night's.
i look forward to going to farmer's market later today with deb. more fresh food to be bought, so there can be more delicious dishes like last night's.
it also made a good lunch today. with leftover meat from yesterday, for notme.
in tune with the activity already displayed today by me [i had the dishwasher do the dishes, and i had the washing machine wash two loads of laundry], i have also packaged napkins i sewed a while ago, fumbled unstamped stamps off small envelopes and onto a bigger one for the napkins [i like to trick the post office this way, especially after they told me that no, i cannot take a stamp off one letter and use it for another, even if it was erroneously stuck onto the first envelope]. and i walked those napkins to the mailbox [in our driveway] before the postal service brought our mail and picked up the big letter. with the crafty stamps.
so, these napkins are on their way to a hopefully lucky [delighted] recipient.
so, these napkins are on their way to a hopefully lucky [delighted] recipient.
and of course, i won't say who the recipient is because the recipient is known to read this my blog. hehe. this should tell everyone: read my blog, good things might come your way. since having people actually read what i write here flatters me. and whoever said flattery gets you nowhere?
thanks to my friend victoria, yesterday i received an in-depth introduction to the american high school locker. and its culture. i learned that bottom lockers suck [again, my word, and: i agree], but that the lockers off the floor are reserved for older students, higher up in social hierarchy. as sanctioned by the locker gods. who knew? i didn't and i am very glad i'm done with high school. hang in there, victoria! at least now you have a very different and happy locker.
thanks to my friend victoria, yesterday i received an in-depth introduction to the american high school locker. and its culture. i learned that bottom lockers suck [again, my word, and: i agree], but that the lockers off the floor are reserved for older students, higher up in social hierarchy. as sanctioned by the locker gods. who knew? i didn't and i am very glad i'm done with high school. hang in there, victoria! at least now you have a very different and happy locker.
with tres chic interior fabric...
... picked by victoria, as all the other design elements you see. i merely helped attach them and listened to the talk between victoria and her friend, and was reminded of two personal highlights of being done with high school:
1. no one can force me to do PE again!
2. i can pick the books I WANT TO READ, MYSELF!
and we had a lot of fun. thank you for letting me help you with your locker!
and for being as excited about my hands-free device as i am.
it's high time for a post again. i have been thinking about it much, but wanted to post colorado-travel photos, and that kept me. because there are so many, i wouldn't know where to start, or how, and i didn't want to post anything else before.
and here's what turned this into a problem: i like things neat. so, i wasn't going to take the photos off the camera and onto the computer until i blogged them. because once in the pictures > 2009 > colorado folder, i wouldn't look at them for a long time, much less blog them.
so every time i opened my camera to possibly post a photo, there were still all those colorado photos mingling with the others.
creating a separate folder on my camera for colorado wouldn't work. once they're in a folder..
so to relieve myself, in a megapixulous way, i decided to forgo the colorado post for now. dragged all the photos into their folder. phew. done.
now, before dinner, on to what's going on here. events of the day. the week.
twitter! move your glubscherle to the right, you will see the latest in my day. if you're reading my livejournal blog, move over to mondeintact.blogspot.com. because that's where the updates, minutiös, are to be had. so the scant readership of my blog won't have to wait for posts only, and can hear highlights of my life in real time, such as: my credit card bill was $333.33! exciting. also, that once the grocery bill was $74.44 and the week after, $75.55.
i have decided to not cut my hair anymore. last time i cut it was with one of those haircutter things, in evolution ranking only one step beneath the flowbee:
i cut my hair to about 3 mm in length. my theory is, hair doesn't grow with the same speed everywhere on my head. yours, too? my plan now is, i won't cut my hair for about a year. we'll see what kind of haircut this brings. should look very natural. unkempt, to some. reminds me, i need to buy a hairbrush. when my hair's about an inch long.
right now it's at a length that yields an effortless 1999-berlin-loveparade hairdo in the morning:
if it stood like that all around my head, maybe a little higher. gives away my not having showered after getting up. i don't apologize. although, hubby, if you -living with me and all- want to leave an anonymous comment about that, go ahead ;)
while at it, let's see how my grey hair is doing:
while at it, let's see how my grey hair is doing:
growing along nicely. i'm sure it will multiply with the new task i have found for myself: getting the ladder out of the garage every week, to water the plants in the living room.
but they do look very nicely up there, i think. maybe they can take watering twice a month. probieren geht über studieren. and if not, then dem ingenieur ist nichts zu schwör. and those are not german clichees.
aphorisms, i maintain.
aphorisms, i maintain.
it's hot here. sometimes. luckily, we have a nice patio to enjoy the warmth when it's not so baking. right now it is, but that's what we have air conditioning for. or, the ceiling fan. if you position yourself right, it can be comfortably cool, even with 100 outside and no a/c inside. unfortunately, these last few days i have taken a liking to sitting at the red table in the kitchen, and there's no fan. so i try to move as little as possible.
it works surprisingly well.
today, that is. yesterday was a more active day for me. but now the lawn is moved, the leaves are raked [why do leaves fall in the summer at all? thomas?], the dishwasher is emptied, and the marble cake is made.
it works surprisingly well.
today, that is. yesterday was a more active day for me. but now the lawn is moved, the leaves are raked [why do leaves fall in the summer at all? thomas?], the dishwasher is emptied, and the marble cake is made.
was made, that is. and has been eaten. i took my time beating the eggs [certified humane raised and handled, mind you] in one by one, and the result was really noticeable. in the batter, that is. i didn't eat much of the cake. but i always taste the batter. one great thing about baking by yourself, without mom, as when i was little. i get to eat as much of the batter as i like! and no cake later because i feel like i have to lie down on the couch. but it's well worth it.
this marble cake was left unmarbled. i made one two days before, marbling didn't turn out well in the form i used. but i wanted to use this form, because i had just bought it for a buck or so at a thrift store. i also used another form yesterday. for a second cake. didn't work out so well. it's a pipe with a lid. lid at the bottom, but the batter in, klappe zu, affe tot. it starts smelling, i open the oven door, and the dough had come out at the bottom, squeezed through, onto the bottom heating thing. i skillfully ^^ cleaned up the mess and filled what was left into a mini loaf form.
i suppose this is why the form was at the thrift store to begin with? to keep this tragic cake fate from happening to another apronista, i put it into the recycling bin.
speaking of thrift stores. i had yet to find someone who is quite as passionate about themostbeautifulintheworld 50ct cups and the like as i am, when i met deb. before we went on separate trips, we were able to squeeze in a very short excursion [we only had 2 hours]. there were treasures aplenty to be found at the hindes hospice thrift store. for example, two cups for 50 cents each. and little pour thingy that i have already eaten breakfast out of, since i have no use for it but had to have it. at fifty cents, i splurged.
back to the coffee cups. the most perfeitu green color, no handle, curvaceous shape.
this marble cake was left unmarbled. i made one two days before, marbling didn't turn out well in the form i used. but i wanted to use this form, because i had just bought it for a buck or so at a thrift store. i also used another form yesterday. for a second cake. didn't work out so well. it's a pipe with a lid. lid at the bottom, but the batter in, klappe zu, affe tot. it starts smelling, i open the oven door, and the dough had come out at the bottom, squeezed through, onto the bottom heating thing. i skillfully ^^ cleaned up the mess and filled what was left into a mini loaf form.
i suppose this is why the form was at the thrift store to begin with? to keep this tragic cake fate from happening to another apronista, i put it into the recycling bin.
speaking of thrift stores. i had yet to find someone who is quite as passionate about themostbeautifulintheworld 50ct cups and the like as i am, when i met deb. before we went on separate trips, we were able to squeeze in a very short excursion [we only had 2 hours]. there were treasures aplenty to be found at the hindes hospice thrift store. for example, two cups for 50 cents each. and little pour thingy that i have already eaten breakfast out of, since i have no use for it but had to have it. at fifty cents, i splurged.
back to the coffee cups. the most perfeitu green color, no handle, curvaceous shape.
this is one cup with coffee in it. traveling in the car, the sun was shining through the window into the cup, onto the coffee, and mirrored at the wall of the cup. sigh. the beauty.
and here, same cup. nescafe instant coffee with soymilk. mmmmh.
the soymilk even foamed itself. happens when i finish a pack. i always shake before. i'm a shaker.
the soymilk even foamed itself. happens when i finish a pack. i always shake before. i'm a shaker.
whereas earl the dog is a sniffer.
earl the dog always knows what's going on his empire because he never ceases to observe.
and he's very stealth.
just like nescafe instant coffee, the red one.
there's no harm in my world. my days are peaceful and stress is absent.
nice, eh?
also making me happy: spending time with my brother.
i think it makes him happy, too, because he can make me look like a nitwit and take photos for all the world to see.
since i am his sister, i then stand by with my camera until he has a fancy hair moment, and post that on this here blog. and just like that, we're even :-D
did i mention that thomas makes some mean desserts?
when i make baisers, they turn out flat. when thomas makes them, this is what they look like:
when i make baisers, they turn out flat. when thomas makes them, this is what they look like:
i don't think they saw the sunset. this is even more remarkable considering he made banana tiramisu the same day:
the exorbitantly delicious taste is paralleled only by the amount of calories. but oh, worth it. and anyway, thank god, i'm not one to count calories.
part of the preparation for this trip: peppermint tea from debs garden. the leaves, that is. water: tap. taste: delicious.
we drove about 500 miles today. from fresno to st. george, utah. what am i saying, we. these two did most of the driving:
we drove about 500 miles today. from fresno to st. george, utah. what am i saying, we. these two did most of the driving:
i was but the humble shasta-can-opener.
driving through, or over, las vegas, i was delighted to see THEhotel. this one's for cooper.
driving through, or over, las vegas, i was delighted to see THEhotel. this one's for cooper.
and this one here, for my brother. the seattle space needle [am i right?] in las vegas, with rides at the top. absolute insanity. dömmos, can you zoom in to see that? there was an arm that had a cart sliding back and forth on it, as it tipped left and right.
i probably wouldn't even sit in that if it was at ground level.
then, NY in LV.
then, NY in LV.
and an orange building. pretty.
and the wynn. and new, encore.
had i not seen the 60 minutes interview with steve wynn this spring, i would not have known what 'wynn' stands for, and probably looked it up in the french dictionary. what with encore and all. i liked steve wynn in the doc, but i think that was mostly due to his eye illness. he also said he can be rather... upset/mad quickly, and i really don't like that. but, i'm not married to him, and his buildings were the prettiest ones i saw.
that's gotta count for something.
encore!
the style, too. even better than THEhotel.
this was after LV, and after the subway my sweetheart found. unfortunately, there was no free cookie since they didn't take the subway rewards card there. bah.
that's gotta count for something.
encore!
the style, too. even better than THEhotel.
this was after LV, and after the subway my sweetheart found. unfortunately, there was no free cookie since they didn't take the subway rewards card there. bah.
i see. doesn't look so exciting on the screen. and neither does this so artfully framed by me photo:
a little arizona...
.. and a little utah, and i really don't know which is which here anymore..
... because we really did drive a lot, and it was very hot, which was especially hard on our rusty-but-trusty old car.
or should i say trusty but rusty?
the pilots are asleep now. catchin' some zzs, and i will join the mattress-harking-duty in a few minutes.
the pilots are asleep now. catchin' some zzs, and i will join the mattress-harking-duty in a few minutes.
i was inspired.
since i don't know anyone who has a spare dollhouse, and i want to save my bucks these days [spent a lot of dough on doughnuts when my brother was here], i decided:
i'm gonna build it myself!
incidentally, i still have this big, flat piece of wood i bought from the scrap cart at home depot a few months ago. for about a dollar, taller than i am, and i never used it for raised veggie beds. but it's perfect for a doll house. i hope it will make three rooms, two at least. don't know about the proportions or... stories yet.
and i don't think there will be dolls.
people i imagine will live in the house. dolls would be the same, but without dolls, there will be lots of fancy, interesting, plain, mysterious, complacent, happy, content, quietly desperate characters in there.
i could play that wooden board game with the stones and win.
i could make up 16 german states and pretend that they're all for real, and not made up because i didn't know all the actual 16 states.
but since the only reason i could do that is that my brother has left, it doesn't make me happy.
and as he predicted, i miss his burping. i can't burp like he can. i don't drink enough shasta. and i can't burp without, either.
i also miss katia saalfrank and peter zwegat. a year's worth of their shows watched in three weeks. we're disciplined. determined. dangerous.
i'm drinking soymilk, he's chewing his smelly gum. i offer him soymilk, he wrinkles his nose, he offers me chewing gum, i wrinkle my nose. crinkle? what's done with noses?
when i came home from the airport, i saw his bed, and he wasn't there anymore, and i went to the bathroom, and his stuff wasn't there anymore. he even took his hair gel. without teaching me his skills.
i knew i'd miss him, but i am surprised how sad it made me that he isn't here anymore. mind you, he's not dead. just traveling back to germany. i'm distracted now, i read, i'm online, blogging, reading, i'll live.
but we had a fantabulous time here.
and i wish everyone who has siblings a relationship like the one we have.
and i wish my metal brother a magic potion that will make him un-sceptical of flying, so he will come visit us, too, and see how long he can stand kicking it with his sister :-P
this is my brother's photo. he might become a lawyer, so he might sue me for copyright issues here.
but it's a pretty photo, and i didn't know how to start this post, and if he doesn't mention it, i know he's not reading my blog and i will have to... put some extra red pepper flakes into his spaghetti sauce tonight.
hehe.
my brother is here and we are having a wonderful time. i would say that. would he? i think so. we watch 'interesting' tv shows and then imitate people features. our favorite character is herr peter zwegat. the king of facial and verbal expression. until yesterday, i didn't know that the person giving away the shirt on his back is often left naked.
i am wearing red earrings today and purple wooden bead bracelets. this color combination makes me happy. purple and read, the colors of my tattoed flowers on the left arm. the bead bracelets were a gift from my friend melanie, to my birthday. incidentally, today is hers. herzlischn glückwunsch, schnetzelsche! *dischdrigg*
i hope i can convince my brother to make cheese with my today. mozzarella. i think it will we fun, and i hope he's game. right now he's asleep. even though i stood in the door of his room and made "tootootootoooo! tytytytytyyyy!"
i'll just go and try again.
