My mind has been distracted by things other than blog writing. This is unfair of me, I know, but I've got a few good reasons for not wanting to write, I swear.
Let's see... What's new?
1) Last Saturday I went to the Billy Bishop for a few hours of drinking and music listenin'. I didn't mind being the youngest person in a bar for a change. People tend to be much nicer and better mannered at such establishments, so I will gladly give up hipster music-driven places for the calmness of the Billy Bishop. I'm not sure if they reached their goal, but there were a lot of people there in the afternoon and more were coming as we left. If they do have to close down, I feel content knowing I saw Bea one more time. I also got an open invitation to the Vet's Hall for karaoke by my new white-haired friend Tony, who apparently does a kick-ass version of "Mack the Knife." He's got an established set.
2) I've been to all my classes and I can't say I'm that excited by at least one of them, possibly two. These are bad odds since I'm registered in three classes (the fourth is the CBC gig, but isn't really a class, in the traditional sense). The director of the school is teaching the most dull one, though it may be that she's dull and that makes the class dull. I've not heard good things about her teaching style, so I may be fucked for the next 9 weeks. Having two classes on Mondays, those classes are actually only 10 weeks long because of the holidays (three this semester). This is good because there are fewer classes to go to, but bad because there are fewer weeks to get the homework done.
3) Last night I co-made black & tan cupcakes, at his request. Seriously, these are the tastiest cupcakes ever. My co-baker added a bit more lager than was stipulated in the icing recipe, which made the icing really drippy, but it was extra beery and that was good. The next time I think I'll try to make it as a chocolate stout cake. I took a few to the CBC today and the library people were plotting to steal and devour the last one from my supervisor. But the CBC library people do enjoy beer a great deal...
4) Tomorrow I have an interview for a student librarian position on Sundays at a local college. Don't want to say too much about it because I'm not entirely sure what I wrote on my resume/cover letter that makes me interviewable and am nervous about it in general. I have to finish my picketing hours tomorrow (another 6 left), so have to go in really early to the line, walk for a few hours, haul myself to the college for the interview (looking pretty and tidy), figure out how to get the job, and then go back to the line for a couple more hours. I'm tired just thinking about it.
5) Tonight was the first night of the Thursday Nite Dinner Party, involving me and my neighbourly friends Jill and Mark. Tonight was my menu, but a few things didn't work out at the grocery store. I really wanted to make a persimmon salad with a tangy vinegarette, but persimmon season appears to be over. We had wasabi-encrusted cod (we had too much fish and not enough wasabi), cumin yams and steamed green & waxed beans with kosher salt. It was all really tasty, but will cut back on the fish next time; there was way too much! I showed Jill the Epicurious website and she stared at it engrossed for ages.
6) Yesterday on the line, one of the ladies I used to work with brought me some shoes she got that hurt her feet. She never wore them, but couldn't take them back to the store, so gave them to me. They're a smidge big, but with some sort of insole they should be fine. They're cute and I wore them today and got a blister on one foot, but that happens with all new shoes. My feet are freakishly sensitive.
Things of interest upcoming:
- bingo and a flick @ Blim
- karaoke birthday party @ Hoko's
- surprise party in a garage
- wedding reception featuring Nearly Neil and an open bar
- maybe a tweeish show
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Saturday, September 8, 2007
still swooning/spooning
Britt Daniel is my secret boyfriend. This is so secret, in fact, that even he doesn't know it. But he may intrinsicly know, because why else would he move from Austin to Portland but to be closer to me? Other than that his actual girlfriend lives there.
I've seen a proven way to get pulled on stage by bands I like: wear a wedding dress with a guy in a suit and say it's our wedding day. Sure, those people might have actually gotten married on a Friday and come right from the reception to a Spoon concert. It's possible. I'm just doubtful. And jealous because he kept talking to them through the show, even after he chatted for a bit on stage with them. Sigh.
He's a dreamy, dreamy man.
Currently listening :
Girls Can Tell
By Spoon
Release date: 20 February, 2001
I've seen a proven way to get pulled on stage by bands I like: wear a wedding dress with a guy in a suit and say it's our wedding day. Sure, those people might have actually gotten married on a Friday and come right from the reception to a Spoon concert. It's possible. I'm just doubtful. And jealous because he kept talking to them through the show, even after he chatted for a bit on stage with them. Sigh.
He's a dreamy, dreamy man.
Currently listening :
Girls Can Tell
By Spoon
Release date: 20 February, 2001
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
a bit off
Today was a strange day. It seems like I'm having a lot of strange days lately. Generally it's because people give me the finger and yell mean things at me while I'm walking the line. Today was different. Sure, there were a few times that people gave me the finger; it's a pretty classy move, and I would so love to know where those people work so I can go to their workplaces and give them the finger during their coffee breaks. It was strange for completely other reasons.
I started school today and during the break got into a discussion with my prof about the strike, at her prodding. It was weird to discover that the city librarian (one of the main negotiators and one of the reasons no deal has been reached) has been discussing fairly sensitive (read: confidential) information with someone not involved with the negotiations, information that isn't even being shared with the union members, even though it affects us. It was not a great start to class, since I'm not sure how this may affect her view of me. And I kind of have to pass since it's a required class.
In the same class, we had to organise groups for research projects and everyone mentioned some of their interests in the hopes that people with similar interests could work together. One of the older men mentioned earlier in the class that he wanted to ban or burn graphic novels geared towards teens because they were "inappropriate." I realised I didn't want to interact with him at all because I'm pretty pro-choice when it comes to books; I don't think it's my job to censor what other people have access to. When my turn came to express my interests, I mentioned something about censorship through cataloguing choices, effectively preventing access by cataloguing using inappropriate or indistinguishable subject headings. He took that to mean that I was pro-censorship and cornered me, saying we were interested in the same thing. I had to indicate that I was actually interested in doing something related to one of the other interests that other people had mentioned as well. He stormed away angry. I took two steps and was confronted by two other men, saying, "You like crime! We're interested in that, too." (I also said I was interested in theft in libraries, like when people steal books or DVDs from libraries.) After a brief discussion, during which I tried to recover from the previous conversation, we agreed to work together and I just wish they had got to me a minute sooner so I wouldn't have had that other conversation.
Midway through info desk duty, my co-worker asked me what sign I was. I'm reluctant to talk about astrology because I'm often judged based on my birthdate and that can be a little frustrating when people won't talk to you because of a zodiac sign. So I asked her what she thought I was. "Scorpio," she immediately said. I admitted I was and she was so happy about it. "Me, too!" she exclaimed. We then discussed the need to start some sort of support group for Scorpios, the misunderstood sign. She talked about some characteristics I thought were just my little issues. I have a hard time believing I can be explained by the allignment of planets and stars, but commonalities are sometimes pretty persuasive. I believe the support group will mainly drink.
I also discovered that one of the self-serving workers at the library basically tried to sabotage one of the librarians by forcing her to take a photo with the city librarian and then emailing the picture to a media source, saying things were great at the strike lines, which is a total fabrication. He just wanted to see his name in print, which is also why he keeps calling up papers to tell them what he's personally doing for the strike. Seriously, this is not the time to promote yourself unless you're looking for another job, and he sure as hell isn't.
Oh, the trip to Seattle was pretty OK. I was pleased to eat tasty Mexican food with my peeps, and the tour of Seattle's underground tunnels was fascinating. I just hate waiting in lines (3 hours both ways trying to cross the border, an hour in a ticket line) and need to avoid large groups of people for a while. But I did see some friends from Victoria (an unexpected treat), had fantastic food at the Seattle Art Museum cafe's Happy Hour, and saw Ken T. in Belltown. That last one was weird.
I started school today and during the break got into a discussion with my prof about the strike, at her prodding. It was weird to discover that the city librarian (one of the main negotiators and one of the reasons no deal has been reached) has been discussing fairly sensitive (read: confidential) information with someone not involved with the negotiations, information that isn't even being shared with the union members, even though it affects us. It was not a great start to class, since I'm not sure how this may affect her view of me. And I kind of have to pass since it's a required class.
In the same class, we had to organise groups for research projects and everyone mentioned some of their interests in the hopes that people with similar interests could work together. One of the older men mentioned earlier in the class that he wanted to ban or burn graphic novels geared towards teens because they were "inappropriate." I realised I didn't want to interact with him at all because I'm pretty pro-choice when it comes to books; I don't think it's my job to censor what other people have access to. When my turn came to express my interests, I mentioned something about censorship through cataloguing choices, effectively preventing access by cataloguing using inappropriate or indistinguishable subject headings. He took that to mean that I was pro-censorship and cornered me, saying we were interested in the same thing. I had to indicate that I was actually interested in doing something related to one of the other interests that other people had mentioned as well. He stormed away angry. I took two steps and was confronted by two other men, saying, "You like crime! We're interested in that, too." (I also said I was interested in theft in libraries, like when people steal books or DVDs from libraries.) After a brief discussion, during which I tried to recover from the previous conversation, we agreed to work together and I just wish they had got to me a minute sooner so I wouldn't have had that other conversation.
Midway through info desk duty, my co-worker asked me what sign I was. I'm reluctant to talk about astrology because I'm often judged based on my birthdate and that can be a little frustrating when people won't talk to you because of a zodiac sign. So I asked her what she thought I was. "Scorpio," she immediately said. I admitted I was and she was so happy about it. "Me, too!" she exclaimed. We then discussed the need to start some sort of support group for Scorpios, the misunderstood sign. She talked about some characteristics I thought were just my little issues. I have a hard time believing I can be explained by the allignment of planets and stars, but commonalities are sometimes pretty persuasive. I believe the support group will mainly drink.
I also discovered that one of the self-serving workers at the library basically tried to sabotage one of the librarians by forcing her to take a photo with the city librarian and then emailing the picture to a media source, saying things were great at the strike lines, which is a total fabrication. He just wanted to see his name in print, which is also why he keeps calling up papers to tell them what he's personally doing for the strike. Seriously, this is not the time to promote yourself unless you're looking for another job, and he sure as hell isn't.
Oh, the trip to Seattle was pretty OK. I was pleased to eat tasty Mexican food with my peeps, and the tour of Seattle's underground tunnels was fascinating. I just hate waiting in lines (3 hours both ways trying to cross the border, an hour in a ticket line) and need to avoid large groups of people for a while. But I did see some friends from Victoria (an unexpected treat), had fantastic food at the Seattle Art Museum cafe's Happy Hour, and saw Ken T. in Belltown. That last one was weird.
Monday, August 27, 2007
cookin’
I love fruits and vegetables more than almost anything. Seriously.
Last week my friend Bruce holidayed in my hometown and, since my parents still live there, I asked if he could collect a package of stuff from my mom. Thankfully he's a peach and coordinated with her. I got the smallish box/bag yesterday; my mother is the master of packing boxes. So much stuff, including:
- 5 ears of corn
- 15 tomatoes
- 2 green peppers
- 3 cukes
- a bag of green and wax beans
- 10 enormous nectarines
- a bag of prune plums
- an enormous zucchini (probably around 7 cups worth, shredded!)
- 3 ziplocs of walnuts
Most of it is from my parents' garden, including the walnuts. Tonight I made the green tomatoes she packed using a fried green tomatoes recipe from Simply Recipes and they were tasty! I still have a couple of the firmer slices left, so will try them cold in the morning. As soon as I get a baguette and a little parmesan, I will work on the tomato bread pudding from Culinary in the Country.
This might be a good time to figure out what I can make and freeze. I froze a few cups of grated zucchini last week for fritters and/or muffins, but now... so much zucchini to work with. I always have a few bags of walnuts in the freezer, just in case, so have a pretty good stash now and probably should try to figure out how to use large amounts of them at once. (My parents have a ridiculous amount of walnuts, so I'm really doing them a favour by taking them.) The corn and nectarines can easily be frozen (I've done up a few nectarines already and will do more if they get much more ripe). If I make the plums into my mom's plum cake, that can be frozen. Most, if not all, of the tomatoes will be used up by the end of the week. Just need to shove myself full of the rest of it.
Today I also picked up some apricot beer from the booze shop. It's pretty tasty, though not as sweet as some other fruity beers. I almost got a bottle of blackberry porter as well, but then decided against it this time around.
Oh, some fantastic news: dear friends Rachel and Nathan have a baby girl! Lily Ann popped out yesterday morning (a week-and-a-half early) around 9:30am, and is already home. Pretty excited to meet her soon. Being a fake auntie sort of kicks ass.
Currently reading :
Can I Freeze It?: How to Use the Most Versatile Appliance in Your Kitchen
By Susie Theodorou
Release date: 30 January, 2007
Last week my friend Bruce holidayed in my hometown and, since my parents still live there, I asked if he could collect a package of stuff from my mom. Thankfully he's a peach and coordinated with her. I got the smallish box/bag yesterday; my mother is the master of packing boxes. So much stuff, including:
- 5 ears of corn
- 15 tomatoes
- 2 green peppers
- 3 cukes
- a bag of green and wax beans
- 10 enormous nectarines
- a bag of prune plums
- an enormous zucchini (probably around 7 cups worth, shredded!)
- 3 ziplocs of walnuts
Most of it is from my parents' garden, including the walnuts. Tonight I made the green tomatoes she packed using a fried green tomatoes recipe from Simply Recipes and they were tasty! I still have a couple of the firmer slices left, so will try them cold in the morning. As soon as I get a baguette and a little parmesan, I will work on the tomato bread pudding from Culinary in the Country.
This might be a good time to figure out what I can make and freeze. I froze a few cups of grated zucchini last week for fritters and/or muffins, but now... so much zucchini to work with. I always have a few bags of walnuts in the freezer, just in case, so have a pretty good stash now and probably should try to figure out how to use large amounts of them at once. (My parents have a ridiculous amount of walnuts, so I'm really doing them a favour by taking them.) The corn and nectarines can easily be frozen (I've done up a few nectarines already and will do more if they get much more ripe). If I make the plums into my mom's plum cake, that can be frozen. Most, if not all, of the tomatoes will be used up by the end of the week. Just need to shove myself full of the rest of it.
Today I also picked up some apricot beer from the booze shop. It's pretty tasty, though not as sweet as some other fruity beers. I almost got a bottle of blackberry porter as well, but then decided against it this time around.
Oh, some fantastic news: dear friends Rachel and Nathan have a baby girl! Lily Ann popped out yesterday morning (a week-and-a-half early) around 9:30am, and is already home. Pretty excited to meet her soon. Being a fake auntie sort of kicks ass.
Currently reading :
Can I Freeze It?: How to Use the Most Versatile Appliance in Your Kitchen
By Susie Theodorou
Release date: 30 January, 2007
Sunday, August 26, 2007
segoku natsukashii
I shouldn't watch "Lost in Translation" anymore because it always makes me wistful and sad. I miss Japan in a lot of ways and usually it's fine and I can talk myself out of feeling natsukashi about it because I was miserable for a lot of the time I was there. But lately...
It might be because I remember how I felt when I was there, and I always blamed those feelings on being so isolated for so long. But lately I've realised that those feelings weren't just because I was in Japan; I can feel miserable anywhere.
I'm really thinking about leaving town. For good. Vancouver has been unkind in a lot of ways, and if I don't want to be the spinster friend that everyone invites over to balance out the dinner table, I have to get the hell away from here. But I'm such a chickenshit. I'm hoping I'm due for something to work out the way I want it to.
Maybe the weather is getting me down. How quickly I forget how much better I feel when the sun is out. It's probably my brain turning to mush on the line while the City tries to fuck women over in a new way.
Last evening I watched "Pan's Labyrinth" with my sister and Glenn. It has left me a bit out of sorts. Or maybe it's because Glenn encountered a skunk outside my door and I'm worried about being driven out by Pepe Le Puu.
Next weekend I'm heading out of town for a couple of days, so I'm hoping it makes me feel a bit more normal. How great would it be if two days away can fix everything? If not, I get a solid visit from Darcy to amuse me the first week of September. It's nice to have visitors to break up the monotony of the everyday.
Soon, soon I hope to feel like me. Wait for it.
Currently watching :
Lost in Translation
Release date: 03 February, 2004
It might be because I remember how I felt when I was there, and I always blamed those feelings on being so isolated for so long. But lately I've realised that those feelings weren't just because I was in Japan; I can feel miserable anywhere.
I'm really thinking about leaving town. For good. Vancouver has been unkind in a lot of ways, and if I don't want to be the spinster friend that everyone invites over to balance out the dinner table, I have to get the hell away from here. But I'm such a chickenshit. I'm hoping I'm due for something to work out the way I want it to.
Maybe the weather is getting me down. How quickly I forget how much better I feel when the sun is out. It's probably my brain turning to mush on the line while the City tries to fuck women over in a new way.
Last evening I watched "Pan's Labyrinth" with my sister and Glenn. It has left me a bit out of sorts. Or maybe it's because Glenn encountered a skunk outside my door and I'm worried about being driven out by Pepe Le Puu.
Next weekend I'm heading out of town for a couple of days, so I'm hoping it makes me feel a bit more normal. How great would it be if two days away can fix everything? If not, I get a solid visit from Darcy to amuse me the first week of September. It's nice to have visitors to break up the monotony of the everyday.
Soon, soon I hope to feel like me. Wait for it.
Currently watching :
Lost in Translation
Release date: 03 February, 2004
Monday, August 20, 2007
on air
Just saw a Target commercial that had an old Apples in Stereo song. Minutes before that there was an Architecture in Helsinki song on some sort of computer commercial. The AIH song was also on a Canada Post commercial around Christmas last (you may remember that posting), so that doesn't feel as weird as the AIS one. It's been a number of years since I was excited about Elephant6 bands, so I'm sorta surprised I remember that Apples in Stereo song, but it is a good one.
That bands I own records from are now featured in commercials for places... does that make the business cool or me lame for liking such bands? I don't feel lame and those businesses don't seem that much cooler. I do like hearing the songs on TV, though.
One thing I used to love about commercials in Japan was that they listed the band and the song. A lot of the songs in commercials wound up in the singles section of Bunshindo, the closest record store-type place to my J-house. I was a sucker for music from commercials and got some stuff that still sounds fantastic to me: Sentimental Bus, Charcoal Filter, Gigliola Cinquetti, Roboshop Mania. I still lament that commercials in North America don't have the band and song listed; record companies are stupid for not pushing for that as the norm.
Despite the love of music from commercials, I am still unexplicably against the purchase of most soundtracks. I can't explain this.
Currently listening :
Tone Soul Evolution
By The Apples In Stereo
Release date: 10 February, 1998
That bands I own records from are now featured in commercials for places... does that make the business cool or me lame for liking such bands? I don't feel lame and those businesses don't seem that much cooler. I do like hearing the songs on TV, though.
One thing I used to love about commercials in Japan was that they listed the band and the song. A lot of the songs in commercials wound up in the singles section of Bunshindo, the closest record store-type place to my J-house. I was a sucker for music from commercials and got some stuff that still sounds fantastic to me: Sentimental Bus, Charcoal Filter, Gigliola Cinquetti, Roboshop Mania. I still lament that commercials in North America don't have the band and song listed; record companies are stupid for not pushing for that as the norm.
Despite the love of music from commercials, I am still unexplicably against the purchase of most soundtracks. I can't explain this.
Currently listening :
Tone Soul Evolution
By The Apples In Stereo
Release date: 10 February, 1998
Sunday, August 19, 2007
bits and pieces
Things of note in recent days:
1) Yesterday I was put on the emergency baby list. If Rachel goes into labour before her parents come in two weeks, and if no one else is available, I am tending to my little buddy Augie while his baby sister screams her way into the world. I'm not sure how high I am on said list, but I'm on there and that's what counts. It's a good thing Augie likes me enough to fart on me and steal my corn. I can just pack him full of cookies and cupcakes, and we'll be best friends. Until the sugar crash, at which point he may loathe me.
2) Of all the times I've gone to Blim, I've only ever sat on a chair once. I always get the pink velvet couch, and Friday night's screening of "Hausu" afforded the same. It was hilarious to watch with a crowd and I'm not sure I totally understand why everyone had to die, but it was fun. Ken T. and Glinn wanted drinks, so we went to SoMa for a smidge and talked about boy things. It felt like working at the Gateway.
3) I think I might have been hit on by a J-boy at a party I was at last night, but can't be sure. Someone interrupted him to talk about landscaping right around the time he told me he likes white girls and asked if I dated J-boys when I lived in Gunma. A lot of people talked about landscaping last night; I never realised it was such a popular party topic. On the upside, a number of people avoided eye contact with me. Oh, wait, that's a bad thing. I really tried to be sociable with strangers, but a number of them would not be socialised. And I'm pretty sure the boy who invited me doesn't like me, which is unfortunate because I would rather he did. Sigh.
4) My phone rang at 7am this morning for a key drop-off. I think I'm supposed to check on my friends' apartment while they're away, but I might just set up a porn website and host the site from there. I do have to pay tuition in a couple of weeks.......
5) Today I had gelato for possibly the last time this summer. Thankfully it was sunny while Eileen, Lynn and I sat out; still, it wasn't a skirt day. I can't believe the summer is nearly over. Tangiene and I also met up for a wander and a bite at a Chinese restaurant that I'd heard was good. I realised partway through that the place was filled with whiteys, and vowed never to return. It was still fun to hang out with TP.
6) Might be going to another baseball game on Tuesday night (Dog Day at the Park), which will almost definitely be the last one of the year. The Canadians won't be in the playoffs (they're second last in the league) and have just a week-and-a-half of games left. Good times.
7) Today I salted my cast iron pan for the first time ever, and it was much more satisfying than trying to clean it without dunking it in soapy water. This is what my life has become: I'm excited that salting a pan works.
If you want to see me before I go mental with work and school, you've got two weeks to organise with me. After that, I can't guarantee anything, unless you're also going to Spoon and/or Justice.
Currently listening :
Magic and Medicine
By The Coral
Release date: 10 February, 2004
1) Yesterday I was put on the emergency baby list. If Rachel goes into labour before her parents come in two weeks, and if no one else is available, I am tending to my little buddy Augie while his baby sister screams her way into the world. I'm not sure how high I am on said list, but I'm on there and that's what counts. It's a good thing Augie likes me enough to fart on me and steal my corn. I can just pack him full of cookies and cupcakes, and we'll be best friends. Until the sugar crash, at which point he may loathe me.
2) Of all the times I've gone to Blim, I've only ever sat on a chair once. I always get the pink velvet couch, and Friday night's screening of "Hausu" afforded the same. It was hilarious to watch with a crowd and I'm not sure I totally understand why everyone had to die, but it was fun. Ken T. and Glinn wanted drinks, so we went to SoMa for a smidge and talked about boy things. It felt like working at the Gateway.
3) I think I might have been hit on by a J-boy at a party I was at last night, but can't be sure. Someone interrupted him to talk about landscaping right around the time he told me he likes white girls and asked if I dated J-boys when I lived in Gunma. A lot of people talked about landscaping last night; I never realised it was such a popular party topic. On the upside, a number of people avoided eye contact with me. Oh, wait, that's a bad thing. I really tried to be sociable with strangers, but a number of them would not be socialised. And I'm pretty sure the boy who invited me doesn't like me, which is unfortunate because I would rather he did. Sigh.
4) My phone rang at 7am this morning for a key drop-off. I think I'm supposed to check on my friends' apartment while they're away, but I might just set up a porn website and host the site from there. I do have to pay tuition in a couple of weeks.......
5) Today I had gelato for possibly the last time this summer. Thankfully it was sunny while Eileen, Lynn and I sat out; still, it wasn't a skirt day. I can't believe the summer is nearly over. Tangiene and I also met up for a wander and a bite at a Chinese restaurant that I'd heard was good. I realised partway through that the place was filled with whiteys, and vowed never to return. It was still fun to hang out with TP.
6) Might be going to another baseball game on Tuesday night (Dog Day at the Park), which will almost definitely be the last one of the year. The Canadians won't be in the playoffs (they're second last in the league) and have just a week-and-a-half of games left. Good times.
7) Today I salted my cast iron pan for the first time ever, and it was much more satisfying than trying to clean it without dunking it in soapy water. This is what my life has become: I'm excited that salting a pan works.
If you want to see me before I go mental with work and school, you've got two weeks to organise with me. After that, I can't guarantee anything, unless you're also going to Spoon and/or Justice.
Currently listening :
Magic and Medicine
By The Coral
Release date: 10 February, 2004
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