the MAEily daily

NaBloPoMo :: day 8

I have an interview tomorrow for a very part time job, like a few days a month maybe. I'm a little nervous because it's been a while since I've had a proper interview but I think it should be pretty easy. It's nothing to stuffy or serious, I can wear jeans and be plenty fine. So uh, wish me luck. Not cause I need it but cause I want it.

So I didn't cook anything again today. We ended up going out to lunch and it was just a lazy day in general. I did start working on the dishcloth using the sport weight cotton and I think it will turn out perfect. Well it will be thinner like she asked for. She also wanted it a smidge smaller than the first one I made so I started with a smaller chain on this one. I should have just used the chain they used in the pattern because now with the smaller hook and thinner weight yarn I think it's going to be too small. It's hard to tell just yet, but I figure I can just make it longer, more rectangle shaped, if it is way to small at the square. I only had time for a few rows but this is a new pattern and I think a quicker pattern. I should fly through a dishcloth in no time.... if I had some dedicated crocheting time.
Lets see how the kids naps go on Monday.

NaBloPoMo :: day 7

I whipped up a tiny pasta dish, that I've never made before, tonight. I had written it down from a cookbook from children but I ended up doing it from memory and I don't remember the name of the book. What I ended up doing is I made a cheese sauce with gruyère and fontina, added cooked spinach, and stirred in some corn kernels and put it over tiny wheel pasta. It looked interesting, seeing as it was bright green from the spinach, but it tasted great. Nice and smooth and creamy, with little bits of surprise sweetness from the corn. Easy, yummy, I think it's going to end of as one of my last minute go-to recieps.

Thats all I've got. I'm fried.

NaBloPoMo :: day 6

I made chicken soup. Oh, so delicious, so simple. Stock, carrots, celery, parsley, chicken, noodles, S & P. I used the last bowl's worth to experiment with and added some tamari and green onions, and it was wonderful. I don't think I'll have time tomorrow to make anything else, but Satuday I think I should have time. Asian chicken soup and anything else I want to cook will have to wait.

I had a request for thinner, lighter weight dishcloths so I went out an bought some sport weight cotton tonight. I'm not sure how it's going to work out. The worsted weight is already a little loose when wet and in use, I'm afraid the sport weight is going to be useless once wet. I'm going to see if I can make it tomorrow while the babies are sleeping but because I'm planning for them sleeping well they won't.

Unrelated: I'm going to bed on time tonight if it kills me.

NaBloPoMo :: day 5

Last night, as Barack Obama was officially named the new President Elect, I sent a post to twitter via my cell phone. "I have tears in my eyes. I just can't believe it really happened". When I sent it I was referring to Obama and I was happy. When I finally saw that it posted (it took a few hours) I was upset because Prop 8 passed. How odd that my chosen words worked both ways.

I feel such a relief, such hope... I was watching Obama's speech last night and as I saw people standing around holding American flags I realized the negative association I had associated with them had changed. In that instant. Before I had such a negative, holier than thou, almost evil association with it. I think it started with the post 9/11 flag craziness, and then it was pro-war association* or 'you don't support our troops if you're against the war' or 'if you don't support the war/Bush/troops you're not a true American' type mentality. I felt disgust everytime I saw an American flag. Then as they scanned the crowd during Obama's speech I saw hope in those flags, happiness even. It was a surprise to me, and brought tears to my eyes.

I think that gives the general impression of my emotion regarding the 44th President Elect.



Unrelated: I made some delicious chicken stock today and tomorrow I think I'm going to make two different types of chicken soup. Oh, and a mini pasta dish for Matilda that look promising... spinach and cheese sauce over tiny noodles with corn. Ok well that description doesn't sound great but I'll let you know how it goes.

Why?

"Grey's Anatomy" Fires Brooke Smith, De-Gays Melissa George's Character

...Smith shared her surprise at her  character’s shocking exit: “I was floored when they told me [I was being let go]. It was the last thing I expected. In fact, when they told me I asked, ‘When is this happening?’ And they said, ‘The [next episode] is your last,’ which is the one that airs this Thursday. So it was very sudden.”

Click over to AfterEllen to read the rest of the article.

This sucks. That was one of the best lesbian/bisexual relationships on TV right now. I don't watch much TV but I do watch Grey's Anatomy and I really liked that they had this relationship in the show. To me, it seemed to work well with all the other story lines, but what do I know?! Well there's nothing to do about it but I just wanted to say that it sucks.

NaBloPoMo :: day 4

"Pretty girls like to wear pretty shoes."

WAIT WAIT WAIT!

Did you vote? If you haven't you better get out there quick before I come kick your kneecaps up into your spleen.

But to... I'm not sure. I like pretty girls? Yeah and I like pretty shoes but who doesn't? Well nevermind that. Where does one go about getting wood scraps, cheap/free wood scraps for building small crate type boxes? I realized it's the greener option than buying whatever cheap wood I can find at Home Depot, Lowes, or some other handy dandy mass wood/tool/garden emporium. Not sure where to start or where to find what I need. I haven't done the research yet but I just thought I'd throw it out there.

Today is a bit of a stressful day isn't it? I know someone, well someone who's blog I read, now has a script for xanax due to stress, alot of which she has accounted to worry about the election. I know I personally can't seem to look past finding out who wins. It feel like it will make a huge impact in any future plans. How will it impact history? How will it impact my daughter's life? How will it impact me?

I don't know. I guess I'm waiting with you to find out.


Unrelated and lighter topic: I really can't stand the Pussy Cat Dolls, but that short haired blonde is hot! OK well she looks hot every time I see her shaking her booty on TV while flipping channels (they were on Ellen today), but every picture I find online she looks slutty and with 5 lbs of eyeliner. Eh, she likes the men anyways. 

NaBloPoMo :: day 3

I am currently:

• crocheting dishcloths, afghan squares, and scarves
• thinking of attempting to knit a puff daddy even though I can't knit
• thinking about going out, where to go, what to do
• worrying about the boy that I nanny, he's going into the hospital for biopsies
• attempting to get everything done early so I can get to bed before midnight
• and blogging, um hi.

I've only tried knitting once and totally hated it, but I want to make a puff daddy, and I already have someone requesting one from me. I bought what I need for it but I'm a little apprehensive about starting it. I need encouraging words from a cute knitter... maybe a tea and a cupcake too.

Unrelated:

I just had a heavy pee soiled diaper thrown in my face. I feel like I was punched in the jaw. A weak punch but a punch. Don't underestimate urine.

NaBloPoMo :: day 2

I thought I'd share some of the recipes that I'm looking forward to cooking. I frequent a few different food related blogs and here are a few of my favorites:

• Simply Recipes
• delicious:days
• Tea & Cookies
• Vanilla Garlic

From Simply Recipes, I've been eyeing this Chicken Echiladas Verdes recipe for a while and I think I might buy the ingredients and make it later this week. Not to mention the Beef & Broccoli recipe that was just posted today, it looks so yummy and easy. I don't have any experience cooking enchiladas but they can't be that hard.

Next up is the 3-Pepper Spaghetti Carbonara posted just today on delicious:days. I've never had carbonara of any sort. I didn't even know what it was till just 3 days ago, and then this recipe gets posted. What are the odds? I do admit, that when I first heard a friend describing the basic premise of carbonara it sounded disgusting but I was won over this afternoon while reading delicious:days. This looks like such a quick and easy recipe that I might try to pull it off for the first time after a long day of work*.I might have to alter the 3-pepper part because I'm not a huge pepper fan but maybe I'll keep it in the first time just to try it.

Lemon Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes. That's the very first recipe to get me hooked to Tea & Cookies. I love the wonderful backstories that go along with her delicious recipes. She writting a food book and I can't wait to read it. I tried making her Raspberry Curd once. While it tasted wonderful, my batch smelled funky. Funky like I'm worried to eat it funny. And before I relalized that it smelled funky I had already jarred some and gifted it to friends. I learned my lesson... don't hastily make curd in the middle of the night.

And last but not least, while I don't think I'll ever get my hands on some whattleseed, these cupcakes facinate me to no end. I have no idea what the flavor is like but I so desprately want to try it. Vanilla Garlic is my most recent aquiring and I have yet to really dive into it but the very first post I read, about Fermented Black Garlic, got me hooked right in.

I'll keep you updated if I try any of these, or the hundreds of other bookmarked recipes, in the next few weeks. If you decide to try your hand at them let me know how it goes.

Also, if any of you are feeling really adventurous you should check out the Sticky Pig Candy. I can't say that I haven't been tempted.

Long time, no type

It's now officially NaBloPoMo or National Blog Posting Month for those who don't know... or don't blog. Last year I mean 2 years ago, different blog, I believe I crapped out around day 16 or 17, cheated and back posted, then only made it till day 22. I blamed Thanksgiving. I mean why do this in November? Don't we have other things going on? I think that March or June or September could be argued as less conflicting months. But back to the point, I haven't been around on here for a while and now I am. My account lapsed in payment and I forgot to fix that and then I just kinda forgot about blogging. I do have other things to worry about you know. So this is my second NaBloPoMo attempt. Wish me luck.

In other news, I crocheted a dish cloth today that turned out beautifully. As beautiful as a dish cloth could be. I think I'll make some for Christmas gifts, they've been requested before, but I'm going to need to buy alot more yarn cause they eat it up. Any good cotton yarns you'd like to recommend to me?

TVs use more power when off than on.

Well as far as I can tell it's both true and false. From what I've read it's not that it's using more watts per minute of usage, but that they're turned off for more time than they're on; and the accumulative usage during the time off is more that the usage during the short time on. It seems like a 'duh' sort of idea but then again I've never really thought about it. It's not anything that's going to cost you an arm or a leg, but what can you do to combat it? Pretty simple changes actually:

• Unplug all your chargers when you're not using them. This also goes for transformer type plugs(big chunky AC/DC ones), especially if they're warm to the touch when they're not even in use.
• Put your TV/DVD/VCR/Computer/ect on power strips with an ON/OFF switch and turn them off when you aren't using them. For the extra lazy folks, you know who you are, you can even get this version that includes a remote.
• And maybe you should pause and think about installing plasma screen TV's in the bathrooms, closets, refrigerators, and catbox. First plasma TV's use a lot more power than your plain ol' boob tube and second, I think you'll live if you miss 48 seconds of Martha's new 6-layer cake recipe*.

With that said, am I going to do all of that? Probably not. I'll try to remember to unplug the charger, but it's not an easy outlet to reach... maybe I should move it elsewhere. And I share a house with other people who do not like the power strip idea one bit. Apparently it is a HUGE inconvenience to have to flip a little red switch to turn on the TV. Maybe I'll sneak one in there and see what happens. I do know what I will do. I will refrain from installing TV's in the catbox. The cat will live.

*Disclaimer: I am in no way responsible if you somehow die from lack of Martha Stewart.