I couldn’t figure out how to get Blogger to host my Upsaid archives, so in the end I’m opting for WordPress. Come talk to me over there.
The old posts over here will stick around for a few months while I work on transfering the images, etc.
Entry posted by origamifreak on April 11 2008 at 9:47 pm
Spider Patrol
Sunny may be a pest sometimes. Perhaps more often than not, with his habits of scooping out the dry cat food onto the floor as if hunting for a cereal prize, opening the drawers in the bedroom dresser and the kitchen and removing the contents, absconding with small objects and “hiding” them under the fridge and the stove, putting toys in my shoes for my feet to find in the morning, jumping up and pulling down the prisms hanging by the sliding glass door, and knocking down just about anything that’s not already on the floor.
HOWEVER, what he just did tonight offsets all that, in my opinion. He turns out to be a very efficient Master of Spider Patrol. One ran out at me in the bathroom just now, and I managed to knock it down. Of course Miaumoto has only ever had a passing interest in spiders, and at the time was sitting by the side of the sink waiting for me to turn on the tap so he could drink from it.
So, I called Sunny, and eventually he arrived (he takes his own time with these things – I need to spend more effort reinforcing “come” with beef jerky). I showed him the spider, and when he finally saw it, he spent very little time in corraling it, immobilizing it, and, finally, EATING it!
Now THAT is worth all the vet bills and cat food and time spent picking up things that belong in drawers.
Entry posted by origamifreak on April 01 2008 at 11:52 pm
2 comments:
You obviously have not been feeding him a well balanced diet; he felt he needed a tad more venom.
Comment posted by Deborah (ip: 132.236.155.33) on 04 / 04 / 2008 at 3:56 PM
Alba also loves spiders….and every other insect that comes along. She too devours them with glee.
Comment posted by Suz (ip: 64.12.117.14) on 04 / 04 / 2008 at 6:19 PM
Happy Birthday, Miaumoto!
Miaumoto turned 16 today. He’s been through a lot, and now his empty ears flop down to the sides such that he often looks more like an owl than a cat. I’m starting to think of him as my “owlycat.”
He’s become a snuggly sleepy cat, and spends most of his time near me napping when I’m home. He spends most of his time on the cat tree napping when I’m not home. He sleeps all night next to my pillow, except when Sunny wakes him up.
Despite all this napping, he holds his own against the Orange Usurper, and I’ve noticed there is a new respect for him since I returned from Chile.
Good kitty. In another year I’ll have lived with him longer than with any humans, including my family! In a lot of ways, he IS my primary family. An owly one.
Entry posted by origamifreak on March 31 2008 at 11:59 pm
Batteries aren’t the problem
Since my last post about this subject, a second birdie went silent. The batteries arrived today and I duly did careful birdie surgery, under close supervision with many offers of “help.”
In the end, neither birdie vocal box revived. In both they had somehow been chewed through the fur and padding to the point that one doesn’t actuate upon shaking, and the other can only muster a half-hearted, faint squeak.
Oh well, it was worth a shot, anyway. You should have seen the disappointed look I got, though, when the returned birdies did not chirp as expected. They were batted a couple of times and then abandoned.
Entry posted by origamifreak on March 31 2008 at 9:30 pm
Happy Birthday, Deb!
Yesterday evening there was a lovely birthday party for Deb. We had salad, two kinds of soup, tea/coffee, and a high-test chocolate cake while discussing unrepeatable topics as well as sharing Deb anecdotes.
I especially enjoyed hearing about her college years: the do-it-yourself early morning worship sessions, the squirrels eating her peanut butter, the ill-advised (but frugal!) diets of goat milk and pork livers, the free apples with experimental holes in them, the interesting sandwiches made for roommates (raisins, peanut butter, and cucumber), etc. Many had tales of the various dead things she collected as treasures, or rescued us from.
I’m glad I have gotten to enjoy the last few years of her first half-century, and hope to enjoy all of the second one!
Here are some higher-resolution versions of the “movies,” not truncated after 2 minutes (director’s cuts!):
Entry posted by origamifreak on March 30 2008 at 7:43 am
4 comments:
What a pleasure to see these friends I haven’t been with for almost 5 years! Wish I could have been there to celebrate Deb.
Thanks for posting these, Angela!
Comment posted by Jeni (ip: 70.123.135.65) on 03 / 30 / 2008 at 11:17 PM
You’re very welcome – I thought of you, particularly, when I posted them, as one of those who would probably really enjoy them.
Your name came up several times, especially during the college memoirs… 🙂
Comment posted by anja (ip: 66.66.96.65) on 03 / 30 / 2008 at 11:40 PM
Happy Birthday Deb,
These Videos would have made Jane Austin Proud!
Wow that cake looked good, wish I had smell a vision or taste a vision.
RAB
Comment posted by Havasu Rose (ip: 24.121.134.240) on 03 / 31 / 2008 at 7:46 PM
Rose: Suzanne made the cake – perhaps the next best thing to smell-o-vision or taste-o-vision would be for her to send you the recipe! 😉
Comment posted by anja (ip: 66.66.96.65) on 03 / 31 / 2008 at 8:33 PM
Birdie Batteries
Came home to find one of the chirpy birds had gone silent, probably from too much Love.
So now I’m on the hunt for G3-A CNB batteries, which are apparently the same as a Rayovac 392. I’m buying replacement batteries for my cat’s toy. What is wrong with this picture? *sigh*
Entry posted by origamifreak on March 26 2008 at 11:06 pm
2 comments:
I thought you didn’t want to hear a peep from the chirpy birds?
Comment posted by Terminus Est (ip: 24.58.2.0) on 03 / 27 / 2008 at 9:18 PM
I don’t mind hearing a peep, just not when I’m trying to sleep!
(heh. I’m a poet, and I didn’t know it.)
Comment posted by anja (ip: 66.66.96.65) on 03 / 27 / 2008 at 10:10 PM
Easter Moonset
Something I never noticed in New Zealand is that the moon is upside-down. As one French colleague who spent the past few years there says, it looks like a rabbit holding a carrot, rather than a face.
This morning I took a time-lapse photo of the moon setting over the hill to the west. If you look carefully, you might be able to see the rabbit. He’s sideways, lying on his left side, holding the carrot up in the air.
In case it’s too small, maybe this will help:
Entry posted by origamifreak on March 23 2008 at 3:08 pm
Southern Slingshot
This being my third trip to the southern hemisphere, I was determined to see the southern cross and verify the fact. The last two visits were in NZ, where it was cloudy most of the time (it’s not called “the land of the long white cloud” in Maori for nothing).
There are actually several crosses that are mistaken for the “right” one, and sure enough, I was shown two different ones, by a Minnesotan and a native Kiwi. The Minnesotan was correct. I guess we’re lucky to have such a distinctive polar constellation in the north.
Only three of the stars are really visible here (there is a lot of light pollution), so along with the pointers it looks a lot more like a slingshot than pointers and a cross. So I’m revising the constellations to reflect this fact, and from now on will refer to it this way. 🙂
If I had a better camera with me I’d attempt a long exposure to show the star trails around it.
Entry posted by origamifreak on March 23 2008 at 9:06 am
Good Friday
Yesterday I sat in the park across the street from the local church waiting for the procession. All around me were families on holiday, with the kids driving around in little rented electric cars or pedal cars, or even riding on tiny ponies led. I set up my camera on a park bench while waiting and took a time-lapse movie of all the activity.
There were many grandmother-looking ladies waiting anxiously, and finally at one point they all stood up, looking down the street. The police showed up to cordon off an area along the street where a platform with a life-size cross was set up.
I pulled out my camera in anticipation – and the bus pulled up. All the grandmothers got on it and it left. No sign of a procession.
My stomach was growling by this point (it was around 7:30pm and I’d skipped lunch), and there were no more signs of activity, so I got up and sauntered over to a restaurant down the block.
No sooner had my soup arrived, but I could hear the singing down at the corner. So after all, I missed it. I suppose that’s what I get for a) being impatient, b) not bringing a cereal bar, and c) not choosing the restaurant directly across the street from the church!
I did get to see groups of nuns and others walk by the restaurant on their way back to the monastery, but it wasn’t quite the same.
I have finished my pisco sour, and the child has begun shrieking again, so I think it’s time to pay la cuenta and leave. Maybe I’ll go take a swim in the lake.
Entry posted by origamifreak on March 22 2008 at 5:18 pm
Dogs of Pucon
These beasts deserve their own separate entry.
While I have only seen one cat, the dogs here are very much in evidence, and appear to be very happy. They wander around town doing their doggy business, and sleeping in doorways, in the middle of the sidewalk, and just about anywhere else that is horizontal and looks comfortable.
They are very friendly and wag their tails whenever interacting with each other or with people. Many that I’ve seen here and in other villages look like Alsatian mixes, and especially around Pucon they also look like they have lab in them. I have almost never heard them bark. They particularly like frequenting the areas with parrillada (grilling) restaurants.
Entry posted by origamifreak on March 22 2008 at 4:49 pm
Caldillo de Congrio
Today I went on an aborted trip to see the Mapuche culture in a little town near the border with Argentina.
After varying reports of the distance to the Fogon Mapuche (8km? 40km?), my knee was unhappy, so I took a bus back to Pucon while my companion stayed to wander around the dusty, closed-up town. I suspect services may be limited since it’s Easter weekend, and the country got 3 days off (Friday – Sunday).
On the walk back from the bus station to the hotel I stopped for lunch, and the place had caldillo de congrio, which is a conger eel soup made famous by Pablo Neruda’s ode to it. It was similar to the paila de mariscos I had on Wednesday, which was
reminiscent of a boullabaise without the shells. Seafood here really
is fantastic.
It was one of the few meals I’ve had that was just the right amount, rather than Too Much (I’ve begun skipping meals when I’m not hungry – such as breakfast this morning, even though it’s included with the lodging.)
On average I think I’m eating about 1.5 meals a day. Last night I took my palmitos y paltas (marinated palm hearts & avocado slices) with me. The avocados are great. I’m eating them at almost every meal.
I’m glad I brought my hat and my SPF 70 sunscreen, because even with them I’m burned from this morning’s adventures.
On a completely different note, I might have to complain about the permissiveness of parents at this hotel during this holiday. It is an expensive place, and I suspect that many usually rely on their Peruvian nanas, because they do not know how to control their own children.
The room I am currently sitting in has good acoustics due to the bare walls, and there is a family at a table with a child who shrieks at such a high pitch it runs straight up my spine. Now the little monster has stopped shrieking, in favor of pounding one of the hollow coffee tables. I preferred when he was over here, staring at me with giant, wide eyes – at least then he was quiet. Maybe I should turn around and make faces at him.
This is the sort of thing that sometimes makes me wish there were internet access in my room.
There is a “wireless salon” here but the connection is 10x slower than dialup, and times out before connecting, so the best alternative is to sit in the wireless part of the bar, which has a better connection (hence my ability to post), but entails also ordering pisco sours, to keep them happy (life is rough).
Entry posted by origamifreak on March 22 2008 at 4:39 pm
Termas y Comidas y Bebidas
Being a volcanic area, there are a number of hot springs where pools have been created to sit in the nice warm water.
Yesterday one Canadian, three Kiwis, and I went to see a particularly nice one. Beautiful, interesting architecture, lots of different pools at different temperatures to choose from, and a wooden walkway that kept going up and up the ravine with pools on either side and at the very end, a waterfall. The pools were set right into the side of the ravine, so you could just walk over and study the mosses and ferns growing on the rock face while standing in Very Warm Water. It was like hiking, but in your swimsuit, with frequent drops into warm pools whenever you felt like it. It was lovely.
The Kiwis were fascinated by the hummingbirds visiting the wild fuschia. Having grown up in California, I have a hard time imagining someone not having ever seen a hummingbird before – I didn’t even bother mentioning that my sisters have so many in the backyard that they regularly suck their little sugar feeders dry…
Last night we went back to our favorite Meat Restaurant, and this time were better organized. 13 of us shared two plates each designed for 4 people. We had two designated carving stations, and as the side dishes emptied we appropriated them as meat-passing plates. I took some time lapse films of the food disappearing. It’s kind-of reminiscent of those videos they used to show us in school where the mouse carcass is carried away bit-by-bit by the ants.
Sometimes it’s easier just to use the Spanish menu and the phrase book, than try and decipher the English version…
I have also discovered the Pisco Sour, which is like a Margarita on steroids, and Very, Very Good. 🙂
I haven’t tried it yet, but apparently in Chile, chicha is generally made from apples (chicha de manzana), rather than maize. Since I like cider, I imagine I should try it!
Entry posted by origamifreak on March 20 2008 at 10:49 am
One comment:
It isn’t real chicha, then, but try it and file a report.
I want some ‘attacked mushrooms’ with a ‘relative salad’.
And I want some fuschias just growing wild.
Warmer weather would be nice, too. You are missing some beastly cold snowy days here.
Comment posted by Deborah (ip: 132.236.155.208) on 03 / 21 / 2008 at 10:36 am
My boss informed me today that I had to take lots of pictures on the trip to South America they’re sending me on, tomorrow. He meant it in terms of tourism rather than for work, but I was surprised how adamant he sounded.
I explained that my only digital camera is a SLR, and that I don’t even know where my film point and shoot is, so I hadn’t been planning to bring one. If there was a spare floating around work, I’d be happy to oblige.
No, apparently he had it AT HOME. So I was encouraged to go get one (on my dime of course), because “you can get one for under $200, nowadays.”
Sigh. So I grudgingly agreed and gave myself 30 minutes to research them and identify one I could buy locally during lunch. Between CNET and ConsumerSearch I narrowed it down to a Canon PowerShot of the SD variety.
Some browsing around online and a couple of phone calls established that the local Staples had an SD750 for $199 in stock.
So I paid about $25 more than I should have, but overall I guess it’s OK because it is nice to have a convenient little camera, and maybe this way there will be pictures of South America for y’all on here soon…
The Botany of Desire is one of Henry’s favorite books.
Comment posted by Suz (ip: 64.12.117.18) on 03 / 04 / 2008 at 12:06 AM
So have you read FotH? Is it any good? It gets really mixed reviews at Amazon…
Comment posted by anja (ip: 66.66.96.65) on 03 / 04 / 2008 at 9:10 PM
I liked it. I had some fun trying to figure out which frat house was supposed to be the Hobbit House and which gravestone was supposed to be the portal to Faerie. My copy is in storage; I’ll see if I can dig it up for you.
Comment posted by Terminus Est (ip: 24.58.2.0) on 03 / 05 / 2008 at 1:08 AM
Yesterday I went to Ithaca for a bank-related errand and Freeville for a haircut, and spent the rest of the day with Deb and her kids, playing Carcassonne, Ticket to Ride: Europe, and Settlers. It was great fun, and the food and amusement were wonderful. It is especially funny watching the dynamics of a brother and sister playing Settlers. They’re very fond of each other, but just – can’t – help – pushing each other’s buttons.
Based on a report after dinner that the roads were bad, I stayed overnight. This morning we sat at the breakfast table, contemplating the light snow wafting down on a breezeless field, sparkling now and then in the sun.
“It looks almost like – well, like tiny crystals, falling from above,” Deb mused, without a hint of irony.
Entry posted by origamifreak on March 02 2008 at 10:49 am
One comment:
Just call me Pumba.
Comment posted by Deborah (ip: 128.253.49.149) on 03 / 03 / 2008 at 4:24 pm
Back in August I mentioned listening to Patrick O’Brian’s books on my MP3 player.
All 15 of the volumes I have heard so far were read by Simon Vance, and I am very used to his breathy Stephen and Basso Profundo Jack. I am used to how he paces his reading, how he does each of the voices, to the point that I can recognize half a dozen officers and sailors without having to hear the name of the speaker.
Well, now it’s hard again. Because I just started listening to The Wine Dark Sea, and it’s narrated by Patrick Tull. I really want to like his version of the characters, after having read rave reviews of his work. But now, partway through chapter 2 (which is the second disk), I am still having trouble following.
Jack sounds kind of raspy. Stephen has a fairly heavy Irish brogue. Killick isn’t so much nasal as sing-song whiney. The narration is given in fits and starts, with weird pauses and excited delivery during exposition.
One of the strangest effects from this is that I’m so used to Vance’s delivery that when a character uses a favorite phrase, I tend to hear an echo of it in my head in Vance’s voice.
It’s hard to imagine that I’ve been listening to these books pretty much consistently on my commute for over 6 months, but there it is. And I still have 5 and a half books to go.
This is why I have no idea which college has just suffered another shooting, or that beef has been recalled, or any of a number of other things that crop up on the radio to which I am no longer listening.
It was bad enough when I stopped watching TV about 7 years ago, but now I’m not even sure I want to listen to public radio anymore, either. The news is just. so. depressing.
So instead, I’ve wrapped myself in a comfy coccoon of a fictional account taking place in the Age of Sail. Next I imagine I’ll stop using the internet, except to read 19th century books from Project Gutenberg.
What a media luddite, I have become! :-p
Entry posted by origamifreak on February 28 2008 at 8:13 pm
One comment:
Yeah, so much of a Luddite you write about it on your blog.
You who spend your days at a computer.
Ha!
Thanks for the fish jumping upstream. See you tomorrow.
Comment posted by Deborah (ip: 128.253.49.208) on 02 / 29 / 2008 at 12:04 pm
Sunny has always loved this fluffy yellow chick a friend gave me in an Easter basket last year, I suspect because when you squeeze (bite), it chirps.
A couple of days ago I was in the local Walmart buying a collar for a friend’s cat when I saw a Chickadee Chirp toy. It’s about the size of a large mouse toy, but when you bat it, it chirps. Knowing how much Sunny likes the chick, I got it to see what he thought.
He LOVES this new toy. Once he figured out that he could make it chirp, he basically only stops playing with it to take a nap. It goes everywhere with him now, and is usually a little damp from all the chewing and carrying.
It sounds much more like a recording of a finch than a chickadee, and it looks nothing like a chickadee, but I don’t think he cares.
You know it must be the 21st century when our PETS need interactive electronic toys. Yikes.
Entry posted by origamifreak on February 17 2008 at 6:38 pm
Fiber and Games
Well, my sister has gone back to AZ (snif!), but she left me an awesome orange cranberry bran muffin recipe that involves (this is cool) blendering in 2 WHOLE oranges, skin, seeds, white stuff, and all. They taste fantastic, and they’re actually good for you, and have a nice bizarre factor, all at the same time. They freeze well, too.
In the past couple of weeks we’ve spent some really good times playing Settlers with various members of Suz and Deb‘s clans. So much so that I downloaded and printed additional modules for fishing, nomads, goldrushing, a volcano, and a jungle. Deb and her kids liked it so much she ordered a copy for their family…
I guess this wasn’t enough, though, because yesterday I inexplicably had the urge to get the Seafarers expansion & extension, as well as Carcassonne and TTR:E. *sigh* This is all I need, another interest that involves spending Money. At least I got a good deal at Boulder Games, which is not in CO as I’d thought, but in GA. Go figure.
BMI-wise I’m still about where I’ve been since October. It’s time to get back to the grindstone, now that I’m done with the illness and the travelling (at least for a month – when I go to a new continent!)
I’m pretty pleased that I made it through the holidays and the month of illness and travelling without gaining anything – although I’ve probably lost muscle mass due to not working out while sick.
Entry posted by origamifreak on February 11 2008 at 8:03 pm
New cat dishes
M & S have new dishes, thanks to another week-long glass course. We spent most of the week making cylinders and cups with blown feet and half-mereses. Lip wraps on everything. It was very good for me, and I learned and improved a lot.
The last day I asked him to talk me through some Roman bottles (pic later), which were a LOT of fun, and I think I’ll be making more of ’em in the future.
Entry posted by origamifreak on February 11 2008 at 1:26 am
One comment:
Wow! These are A M A Z I N G !!! Steve and I had a really good grin over these! Talk about pampered kitties…
🙂
xx
Lisa
Comment posted by Lisa (ip: 81.102.133.93) on 02 / 23 / 2008 at 4:59 pm
odd. I don’t feel much like this right now.
…maybe in my better moments.
Your score on this personality test was 57%
Others see you as fresh, lively, charming, amusing, practical, and always interesting; someone who’s constantly in the center of attention, but sufficiently well-balanced not to let it go to their head. They also see you as kind, considerate, and understanding; someone who’ll always cheer them up and help them out.
Entry posted by origamifreak on January 25 2008 at 2:19 am
4 comments:
> Maybe you didn’t believe us?
Of course I believed youse guys. It’s just that it sometimes doesn’t feel like that from the inside, to be charming or lively, because some days it is an effort to pull those things off… 🙂
>except for the part about enjoying my company, maybe!
Oh you silly goose, of course we enjoy your company! Would we fly over oceans or endure butt-numbingly long bus rides else? Hehe
Comment posted by anja (ip: 66.66.96.65) on 02 / 13 / 2008 at 9:08 AM
Well I scored 73% and I actually think it’s not too far off the mark – except for the part about enjoying my company, maybe!
And I agree with Deborah about the other quiz! 😉
Me:
“Others see you as an exciting, highly volatile, rather impulsive personality; a natural lead, who’s quick to make decisions, though not always the right ones. They see you as bold and adventuresome, someone who will try anything once; someone who takes chances and enjoys an adventure. They enjoy being in your company because of the excitement you radiate.”
Comment posted by Lisa (ip: 81.102.133.93) on 01 / 31 / 2008 at 6:13 PM
Didn’t we (your friends) indicate these very same characteristics about you to your satisfaction before on a non-quizzy type matrix?
Maybe you didn’t believe us?
Comment posted by Deborah (ip: 128.253.49.244) on 01 / 28 / 2008 at 10:01 AM
Your accent is the lowest common denominator of American speech. Unless you’re a SoCal surfer, no one thinks you have an accent. And really, you may not even be from the West at all, you could easily be from Florida or one of those big Southern cities like Dallas or Atlanta.
Entry posted by origamifreak on January 25 2008 at 1:59 am
3 comments:
Surprise, surprise –
‘Judging by how you talk you are probably from north Jersey, New York City, Connecticut or Rhode Island. Chances are, if you are from New York City (and not those other places) people would probably be able to tell if they actually heard you speak.’
Pretty good, I think!
Comment posted by Lisa (ip: 81.102.133.93) on 02 / 23 / 2008 at 4:56 PM
What American accent do you have?
Your Result: The Inland North
You may think you speak “Standard English straight out of the dictionary” but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like “Are you from Wisconsin?” or “Are you from Chicago?” Chances are you call carbonated drinks “pop.”
Judging by how you talk you are probably from north Jersey, New York City, Connecticut or Rhode Island. Chances are, if you are from New York City (and not those other places) people would probably be able to tell if they actually heard you speak.
Entry posted by origamifreak on January 06 2008 at 1:26 am
Following a trail of breadcrumbs
I love the internet.
Honestly, I never know what it’s going to turn up!
Based on suggestions from Movielens, I got Saving Face from Netflix and watched it. Not a bad film for Alice Wu on her first time out as a director. (She also wrote it.)
So I went to IMDB to see what else she’s done, and noticed that she’s got a new film in pre-production, Foreign Babes in Beijing.
Turns out this is based on an autobiography by Rachel DeWoskin, who went to Beijing after college in 1994. After landing a day job in PR, by a fluke she also fell into a part-time gig acting the part of a homewrecking vixen in a cheesy evening soap opera. She was paid the equivalent of $80 per episode, and the reruns were still on TV six years later.
The book is a self-aware account of her time as an ex-pat and her associates as they and China moved toward the new millenium. An entertaining and insightful read.
Entry posted by origamifreak on January 06 2008 at 12:41 am
One comment:
i loved this book. so, so funny. i heard a rumor natalie portman is going to be playing rachel dewoskin/jiexi in the movie.
Comment posted by moonrat (ip: 69.203.70.128) on 01 / 13 / 2008 at 4:42 pm
Having three cups of tea at lunchtime today was a Bad Idea.
*sigh*
I didn’t end up getting to sleep until after 3am, and woke up still buzzed.
What a lightweight, huh?!
Entry posted by origamifreak on January 04 2008 at 1:07 am
Happy 2008!
Spent the evening at Deb and Jay’s house. Fantastic food, good company, delicious libations.
We also got to play my new game, Gemblo. Session report, here.
Entry posted by origamifreak on January 01 2008 at 11:33 am
Managing knee arthritis with a pedometer
With knee arthritis I use the pedometer to monitor and budget my
steps. Experience has shown that I can go about 7K steps
recreationally before I run into problems.
Used this method to go for a walk in the state park next-door with
friends and their FOUR Newfoundlands, who had a great time off-leash,
chasing, wrestling, and finding puddles to splash in.
It worked great. Walked 3K steps and knew when to turn around and
come back. The total walk was 6445 steps, and my knee feels just fine.
Entry posted by origamifreak on December 30 2007 at 9:48 pm
One comment:
Nice talking to you today! I’ve now seen the snaps of your furry hair-balls – Sunny is very cute! I’m so jealous. I think the last post I looked at was the one with the interesting-looking path lighting… maybe you could tell me a little more about it – it looks cool!
Talk to you again soon!
Lisa
Comment posted by Lisa (ip: 81.102.136.173) on 12 / 31 / 2007 at 1:25 pm
Free Films
I had a lovely couple of days this weekend where I did not need to be anywhere in particular, and have been able to take the opportunity to make a giant batch of curried squash soup and watch interesting movies.
First up, where to get suggestions: Movielens has a nice collaborative filtering engine where you put in your likes and dislikes, and it matches them against those of others and uses the results to suggest movies you’d like. It’s like Amazon’s suggestion engine.
Second: Free movies to download at the Internet Archive. These are mostly older American films, and there are some really nice ones. I watched His Girl Friday (on Friday, appropriately enough). It was fantastic. I also watched Royal Wedding, which was a lot of fun, especially the dancing on the ceiling sequence.
Disagree Iraq Immigration Taxes Stem-Cell Research Health Care Abortion Social Security Line-Item Veto Energy Marriage
Entry posted by origamifreak on December 23 2007 at 9:27 am
cohabitation
Now that Sunny has lived with us for 5 of his 7 months on the planet, he seems to have settled in and figured out how to coexist with his older, grouchier brother (uncle?).
Although sometimes the temptation to annoy is simply too great to resist.
Entry posted by origamifreak on December 14 2007 at 7:49 pm
solar path lights
Lots of people in my neighborhood have those solar-powered path lights on little stalks. God forbid I should be like everyone else, so I went for a different approach:
Entry posted by origamifreak on December 14 2007 at 7:36 pm
4 comments:
Gee, not everybody has a stash of artisan made colored bulbs, either.
Beauteous!
Comment posted by Deborah (ip: 132.236.155.70) on 12 / 18 / 2007 at 8:42 PM
Too bad I only have lopsided, amateur-made glass bulbs!
😉
Comment posted by anja (ip: 66.66.96.65) on 12 / 18 / 2007 at 11:33 PM
Where is the glow in the dark frit?????, that would bypass the need for solar power…..
Comment posted by havasurose (ip: 24.121.134.240) on 01 / 03 / 2008 at 7:14 PM
Nifty!
Comment posted by sharon and sarah (ip: 71.194.100.8) on 12 / 15 / 2007 at 8:35 PM
New silver lining for an old sole
When I went to grad school in CT I started out with an apartment mate from Quebec. She introduced this erstwhile Californian to such things as Super Tacks hockey skates (way more comfortable than figure skates, and very economical to buy used if you wear a boy’s size 4) and Sorel winter boots.
So I have this lovely pair of probably 17-year-old black Sorel Caribou boots with still a reasonable sole, and uppers and laces in great shape. The liners have seen better days, though. The heel seams are gone, and they’re smushed really thin and always come out when my foot does.
Last week I went on an online hunt for replacement liners, and the only place carrying the kind with the matching black fuzzy snow cuff was Zappos. I’d heard of them before, but can I just say they rock? Those liners arrived today (which is lightening fast in a rural area like this), and they have free shipping both directions. (in case you need to return a pair)
Check ’em out.
P.S. I still have the skates too, but the blades are so short that I doubt they could support any more sharpening. You have to admire that Canadian technology. They don’t mess around when it comes to snow and ice. They build things that Work. And Last.
Entry posted by origamifreak on December 11 2007 at 11:01 pm
One comment:
Zappos is where I have purchases all of my sneakers for the last 3 years. I love them!
Comment posted by sharon (ip: 71.194.100.8) on 12 / 12 / 2007 at 7:47 pm
Cats like squash, II
Well. Not only do orange cats like squash skins and seeds, but BLACK cats like a little leftover baked squash, too. So much so, that orange cats are unable to convince them to move over and share.
Hmm.
(the orange one was so anxious for the seeds that he was sticking his paw in the slimy mess, “helping” me remove the strings – which of course made the process go slower)
Entry posted by origamifreak on December 11 2007 at 10:02 pm
BUTTERCUP, by a Landslide!
In my ongoing quest for the ultimate perfect baked winter squash, I’ve been trying different varieties.
Not tonight. I’d read about buttercup and decided it would probably be up my alley (dry, creamy flesh, sweet), and got one at Wegmans last week. Didn’t get around to baking it until tonight, against acorn and butternut. Omigosh, there’s no comparison. Buttercup, hands-down.
Kudos to whomever bred such a lovely thing*. And I don’t care if the seeds are hard to separate. I can buy other squashes just for their seeds, if necessary!
MMMMMMM.
P.S. Nothing that tastes this good should be only ONE POINT for a cup of it**.
* After some hunting around, I have discovered I have AF Yeager and E. Latzke, North Dakota plant breeders to thank:
Yeager, A.F. and E. Latzke. Buttercup Squash: Its Origin and Use. Fargo, ND: Agricultural Experiment Station, North Dakota Agricultural College, 1932. Bulletin/North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station no. 258. 19 p. NAL 100 N813 no.258
In 1922 North Dakota researchers Yeager and Latzke undertook a squash breeding program that was initially focused on the Hubbard squash. Their aim was to develop a desirable variety that would take the place of the sweet potato, which had proved unsatisfactory in variety testing in the region. This report, issued ten years hence, describes the origin of the Buttercup variety, a small turban-shaped squash selected from an accidental cross of Quality and Essex Hybrid, and also considers growing methods and the variety’s cooking and food qualities. A good portion of the bulletin consists of general instructions for cooking and several dozen recipes (p. 13-19). With black-and-white photos, and bibliography (sources cited in footnotes).
** Turns out the SEEDS are where all the fat and calories are. 5 points for 1/4 cup! I guess kittens know this too, because they beg for them (well, at least the orange one does). Yikes. I better put those Away.
Entry posted by origamifreak on December 11 2007 at 9:12 pm
Manifolds 