Friday, November 23, 2012
Catch the grey men when they dive
Don't have a lot to say today.
Took the kitten to the vet for his first visit, shots, a little antibiotic for a possible upper respiratory thing, and scheduled his operation for two weeks from now. He's been lethargic ever since and I'm worried about him.
I don't understand the shopping frenzy the day after thanksgiving. It used to be a day to sit around and watch TV and eat leftovers and hang out with the family and stuff. Now people get in line at 9 pm for midnight door opening sales and lose their damn minds. There is nothing I need that badly. It makes me sad to see the overly materialistic focus, especially the day after we're supposed to be thankful for what we already have.
I've got a horrible cold. That's not helping my mood. Our Thanksgiving dinner was good. My mother made a wonderful turkey dinner and I bought the bird and did the mashed potatoes. We had less people then usual and one more than was strictly necessary-a friend of hers who is a real jerk. I think she is finally fed up with him. We had leftovers today and I have two turkeys stashed in the freezer for later in the year. I generally buy two or three around Thanksgiving because they're too expensive other times of year and we have a nice chest freezer downstairs.
Couldn't even focus to do any crafts today. I finally had it together enough to warp the loom and I did up a quick dishcloth but other than that the day was totally wasted. The scarf I was working on for about a week ended up a disaster. I don't even know what happened. I think the warp was crooked and I was weaving too tight or something because it was all puckered along one side and it's a hot mess, unacceptable for gifting. Will have to come up with something else for my cousin now. Fortunately I've got plenty of yarn and I already have another idea.
Possibly more substance tomorrow-until then, strike all the big red words from your little black book.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Kitty Health at Every Size?
I'm a big proponent of the Health at Every Size concept. I believe that fat is value-neutral, and that a person's quest for fitness and health is private and individual, and they deserve to be treated as a human being whether they are healthy or not, fat or not.
What about pets, though?
We have a whole pile of pets. One dog, four cats, two bunnies. We love and cherish all of them, but Biscuit has been with us longest.
(Biscuit has a facebook page, too, feel free to visit and "like" him.)
Anyway. Biscuit is a very fat kitty. As you can maybe tell.
I think he started getting fat when Anna went away to college. He's her cat, she raised him from an unweaned kitten to the magnificence he is today.
It might be genetic programming, it might be a consequence of depression or separation anxiety, it might be something to do with some urinary tract problems he had as a younger cat. The main point is, this cat is fat. He's not able to clean himself completely and he's been seeming unhappy too, though that might be projection, because I'd damn sure be unhappy if I couldn't clean my ass.
A few months ago we switched to a very high quality protein dense dry food, Merrick Before Grain Tuna flavor. He did lose a little weight on that but not much. We can't do diet cat food (and I wouldn't anyway) because we have three other cats eating, none of whom would fare well on reduced calories, especially the growing kitten.
So I've decided to try to take a HAES approach to Biscuit. To increase his well-being and health as much as possible without considering his weight in and of itself a problem. I'm planning more frequent brushings, engaging with him more often, keeping an eye on his "back end" to see if he needs cleaning more than we have been. And most importantly, finding an exercise he likes and will do. That's going to be hard. He doesn't like to play.
We have two feeding stations, one upstairs and one down. The upstairs one is on a table so the dog doesn't eat it. The downstairs one is on the floor. Biscuit mostly eats from the downstairs bowl and I don't really want to move that one to a high place to make him jump, because I don't want him jumping down. I'm afraid he'll hurt himself and his delicate little feets.
Yoga? Stretching? Flexing? He's not into catnip. He doesn't like to play with the string toys. He won't play "chase me" with the kitten or Figment, though he does like to fight with Biddy if he gets a chance. I don't want to harness him and take him for walks because he is terrified of outside and would freak out.
Chances are he is fine, just a fat, aging cat who is getting curmudgeonly in his older age. But if I can help him get better fitness, I want to do so.
Any suggestions are most welcomed! And appreciated, by all of us.
What about pets, though?
We have a whole pile of pets. One dog, four cats, two bunnies. We love and cherish all of them, but Biscuit has been with us longest.
(Biscuit has a facebook page, too, feel free to visit and "like" him.)
Anyway. Biscuit is a very fat kitty. As you can maybe tell.
I think he started getting fat when Anna went away to college. He's her cat, she raised him from an unweaned kitten to the magnificence he is today.
It might be genetic programming, it might be a consequence of depression or separation anxiety, it might be something to do with some urinary tract problems he had as a younger cat. The main point is, this cat is fat. He's not able to clean himself completely and he's been seeming unhappy too, though that might be projection, because I'd damn sure be unhappy if I couldn't clean my ass.
A few months ago we switched to a very high quality protein dense dry food, Merrick Before Grain Tuna flavor. He did lose a little weight on that but not much. We can't do diet cat food (and I wouldn't anyway) because we have three other cats eating, none of whom would fare well on reduced calories, especially the growing kitten.
So I've decided to try to take a HAES approach to Biscuit. To increase his well-being and health as much as possible without considering his weight in and of itself a problem. I'm planning more frequent brushings, engaging with him more often, keeping an eye on his "back end" to see if he needs cleaning more than we have been. And most importantly, finding an exercise he likes and will do. That's going to be hard. He doesn't like to play.
We have two feeding stations, one upstairs and one down. The upstairs one is on a table so the dog doesn't eat it. The downstairs one is on the floor. Biscuit mostly eats from the downstairs bowl and I don't really want to move that one to a high place to make him jump, because I don't want him jumping down. I'm afraid he'll hurt himself and his delicate little feets.
Yoga? Stretching? Flexing? He's not into catnip. He doesn't like to play with the string toys. He won't play "chase me" with the kitten or Figment, though he does like to fight with Biddy if he gets a chance. I don't want to harness him and take him for walks because he is terrified of outside and would freak out.
Chances are he is fine, just a fat, aging cat who is getting curmudgeonly in his older age. But if I can help him get better fitness, I want to do so.
Any suggestions are most welcomed! And appreciated, by all of us.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
KIP
No, not this guy.
I knit (and occasionally spin) in public. It gets some interesting comments.
A few years ago I saw my first knitter in the wild, on my regular bus. I was a little too excited and I think I scared her off because I never saw her again. Since then I’ve seen knitters and crocheters on transit periodically but I keep quiet unless they say something first.
Earlier this week, a woman told me I had a rare gift. I didn’t understand what she meant. She said being able to knit like I do is a rare gift and that I was very talented. I told her it’s really not that hard, honestly, but thank you.
The truth of the matter is that knitting is really not hard. I’m not even in the top ¾ of knitters I know in terms of skill and etc, I have never done colorwork, I hate cables, I have no interest in anything but basic shaping and lace. I’m really not that skilled or talented or whatever. I think I’m pretty good at spinning for the length of time I’ve been doing it. But again, in very specific ways. I’m not interested in making art yarn, in corespinning, In bulky yarns. I like spinning worsted or finer with a default to three ply fingering weight. At that, I am quite good. Other stuff, not so much, and truth be told, it’s way more practice than talent.
Knitting is only two stitches, knit and purl. And if you break it down, knit and purl are the same thing, just reversed. Compared to crochet, where there are a million stitches to learn, knitting is very basic.
But what you can do with those two stitches!
And that was knit on a bus! I could never. Ever. do that. I need to be at home with the ability to concentrate and have good light. I do have the pattern, though and plan to knit it, from incredibly bright pink silk that I'm spinning on a spindle. I might get the yarn done in ten years.
Anyway, the gist of it is, knitting isn't hard. It's mostly the ability to follow a pattern (or make one up as you go along) and pick the right yarn for the project. With those two simple stitches, done with loops between, more than one at a time, crossing over each other, or in all different colors, you can come up with some amazing stuff.
(For incredible colorwork and cable patterns, see Alice Starmore's designs.)
Here's some of my favorite things I've made from those two simple stitches.
I knit (and occasionally spin) in public. It gets some interesting comments.
A few years ago I saw my first knitter in the wild, on my regular bus. I was a little too excited and I think I scared her off because I never saw her again. Since then I’ve seen knitters and crocheters on transit periodically but I keep quiet unless they say something first.
Earlier this week, a woman told me I had a rare gift. I didn’t understand what she meant. She said being able to knit like I do is a rare gift and that I was very talented. I told her it’s really not that hard, honestly, but thank you.
The truth of the matter is that knitting is really not hard. I’m not even in the top ¾ of knitters I know in terms of skill and etc, I have never done colorwork, I hate cables, I have no interest in anything but basic shaping and lace. I’m really not that skilled or talented or whatever. I think I’m pretty good at spinning for the length of time I’ve been doing it. But again, in very specific ways. I’m not interested in making art yarn, in corespinning, In bulky yarns. I like spinning worsted or finer with a default to three ply fingering weight. At that, I am quite good. Other stuff, not so much, and truth be told, it’s way more practice than talent.
Knitting is only two stitches, knit and purl. And if you break it down, knit and purl are the same thing, just reversed. Compared to crochet, where there are a million stitches to learn, knitting is very basic.
But what you can do with those two stitches!
And that was knit on a bus! I could never. Ever. do that. I need to be at home with the ability to concentrate and have good light. I do have the pattern, though and plan to knit it, from incredibly bright pink silk that I'm spinning on a spindle. I might get the yarn done in ten years.
Anyway, the gist of it is, knitting isn't hard. It's mostly the ability to follow a pattern (or make one up as you go along) and pick the right yarn for the project. With those two simple stitches, done with loops between, more than one at a time, crossing over each other, or in all different colors, you can come up with some amazing stuff.
(For incredible colorwork and cable patterns, see Alice Starmore's designs.)
Here's some of my favorite things I've made from those two simple stitches.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
I.G.Y., or nostalgia for unfulfilled promises
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Geophysical_Year
This is the fall of their discontent, those old white guys* and their allies. They were promised flying cars, they were promised gleaming, groomed suburbia, they were promised sleek lines and plush white carpets and a flying car in every carport
.
They were promised 9 to 5 jobs and a wife at home, raising their perfect children and keeping their perfect home in perfect condition, while she stayed perfectly compliant and perfectly slim. They were promised health, wealth, upward mobility, pipe tobacco that didn’t cause cancer and that Mad Men would end up being true.
All this modern world is just too sloppy and diverse for them. They decry anything resembling government money going to anyone who doesn’t match their narrow definition of worthy, forgetting that the prosperity of midcentury was possible largely because of the New Deal. It was possible largely because a jobs program was initiated under a very liberal Democratic administration to give work to the poor and unskilled and to help pull the country out of a depression. Midcentury American growth was at the hands of the WPA, something Romney/Ryan and their ilk would have greatly disdained. Without the New Deal and the WPA, the suburbs wouldn’t have happened, because the WPA and the New Deal brought electricity, water, and roads.
As usual, the old white guys* and their allies are nostalgic for an America that never existed. They want the America they saw on TV as kids, Beaver and Mayberry and most especially the Jetsons. They want their women like the women in Star Trek, in miniskirts and high heeled boots and even higher hair, mostly ornamental and easily exchanged. They want their minorities in the kitchen and on the trash truck and in places where they don’t have to look at them, where they are in their place, where they don’t get too… uppity. They most decidedly don’t want them in power.
But the old white guys* and their allies are the minorities now. The 99% have risen up and spoken, and voted, and made a difference. The 47% have stood up to accusations of victimhood and laziness, of waiting for handouts, and have taken their hands to the voting booth and to the blogs and to twitter and have said, it is our time. Not yours.
The all-encompassing greed of guys like Romney/Ryan and their enablers and cohorts and allies, they want time rolled back. They want a do-over. They want to take back women’s suffrage, they want to take back the civil rights act, they want to seal the borders and collect all the money and lock the doors while the hordes of the poor and less deserving wail and pound on the gates so they may feel justified in their greed and arrogance. They believe they are chosen. They believe they are superior. They have a plan and we need to SHUT UP and SIT DOWN and let them handle things. They will try to block and shoot down every attempt at a new new deal. They came right out and said, we want America to fail. Because it’s more important for us to be right, for us to be in power, than it is for people to have medicine, or food, or a place to live.
And we said no. We said Hell No. And we need to keep saying it, because the old white guys* aren’t going away. They know how to play the game, how to manipulate people, how to make people wonder, how to make promises they’ll go on to break. We have to keep telling the truth. Keep taping them when they think they’re alone. Keep speaking up about the lies. Keep telling the truth.
The old white guys* are allowed to have a voice in the country. They’re allowed to help. But they’re not in charge any more. And the sooner they learn to cooperate, the better.
*for literary license, the phrase “old white guys” is shorthand for conservative older white temporarily able bodied straight cisgender upper middle class and up Christian males and those odd women, gay men, disabled people, young people, maladjusted poor, and fundamentalists who ally with them. It goes without saying that many old white guys are actually totally awesome people committed to social justice etc but that’s not who I am talking about here.
This is the fall of their discontent, those old white guys* and their allies. They were promised flying cars, they were promised gleaming, groomed suburbia, they were promised sleek lines and plush white carpets and a flying car in every carport
.
They were promised 9 to 5 jobs and a wife at home, raising their perfect children and keeping their perfect home in perfect condition, while she stayed perfectly compliant and perfectly slim. They were promised health, wealth, upward mobility, pipe tobacco that didn’t cause cancer and that Mad Men would end up being true.
All this modern world is just too sloppy and diverse for them. They decry anything resembling government money going to anyone who doesn’t match their narrow definition of worthy, forgetting that the prosperity of midcentury was possible largely because of the New Deal. It was possible largely because a jobs program was initiated under a very liberal Democratic administration to give work to the poor and unskilled and to help pull the country out of a depression. Midcentury American growth was at the hands of the WPA, something Romney/Ryan and their ilk would have greatly disdained. Without the New Deal and the WPA, the suburbs wouldn’t have happened, because the WPA and the New Deal brought electricity, water, and roads.
As usual, the old white guys* and their allies are nostalgic for an America that never existed. They want the America they saw on TV as kids, Beaver and Mayberry and most especially the Jetsons. They want their women like the women in Star Trek, in miniskirts and high heeled boots and even higher hair, mostly ornamental and easily exchanged. They want their minorities in the kitchen and on the trash truck and in places where they don’t have to look at them, where they are in their place, where they don’t get too… uppity. They most decidedly don’t want them in power.
But the old white guys* and their allies are the minorities now. The 99% have risen up and spoken, and voted, and made a difference. The 47% have stood up to accusations of victimhood and laziness, of waiting for handouts, and have taken their hands to the voting booth and to the blogs and to twitter and have said, it is our time. Not yours.
The all-encompassing greed of guys like Romney/Ryan and their enablers and cohorts and allies, they want time rolled back. They want a do-over. They want to take back women’s suffrage, they want to take back the civil rights act, they want to seal the borders and collect all the money and lock the doors while the hordes of the poor and less deserving wail and pound on the gates so they may feel justified in their greed and arrogance. They believe they are chosen. They believe they are superior. They have a plan and we need to SHUT UP and SIT DOWN and let them handle things. They will try to block and shoot down every attempt at a new new deal. They came right out and said, we want America to fail. Because it’s more important for us to be right, for us to be in power, than it is for people to have medicine, or food, or a place to live.
And we said no. We said Hell No. And we need to keep saying it, because the old white guys* aren’t going away. They know how to play the game, how to manipulate people, how to make people wonder, how to make promises they’ll go on to break. We have to keep telling the truth. Keep taping them when they think they’re alone. Keep speaking up about the lies. Keep telling the truth.
The old white guys* are allowed to have a voice in the country. They’re allowed to help. But they’re not in charge any more. And the sooner they learn to cooperate, the better.
*for literary license, the phrase “old white guys” is shorthand for conservative older white temporarily able bodied straight cisgender upper middle class and up Christian males and those odd women, gay men, disabled people, young people, maladjusted poor, and fundamentalists who ally with them. It goes without saying that many old white guys are actually totally awesome people committed to social justice etc but that’s not who I am talking about here.
Monday, November 19, 2012
Discombobulated
Sounds like my husband and I are going out to a 70's themed dance party, but actually, it's about my general confusion to be working on a monday and how I keep forgetting tomorrow's Tuesday, not Wednesday, and why Ru Paul's Drag Race was on a night I worked, and why they're playing football. And due to all this I almost forgot my blog entry. I was literally in bed, Nook in hand, and I had this nagging thought that I Was Forgetting Something. I was. I was forgetting this.
And though this is a supremely pointless entry, the point it has is this-I said I would do this every day this month. I mean to do it every day this month. I would of course prefer to post interesting thought provoking content or at minimum pretty pictures of flowers and yarn, but all that is secondary to the point of doing it every single day.
I've mentioned my lack of dedication to projects before. My lack of motivation to practice, to keep at it. I get bored easily. I'm always ready to move on to the next thing. I am so sick and tired of this scarf I'm weaving and of the traveling socks I'm knitting. I am not sick and tired of writing daily blog entries, but if it happens, it happens. I will do it anyway, just like I'll finish that damned endless scarf and those socks that make me want to scream at the thought of another six inches of mistake rib.
Incidentally, my current read is Joseph Anton, by Salman Rushdie. It's an excellent read, all about his exile/life under protection after the fatwa declared by the ayatollah Khomeni after publication of The Satanic Verses. Rushdie is one of my favorite authors and I have bought and given away many many copies of his book Haroun and the Sea of Stories. His account of this time and his determination to survive and write during it is inspirational. Nobody is out to get me, and this is only for 30 days. His was nine years.
Here are some drag queens, for no apparent reason.
And though this is a supremely pointless entry, the point it has is this-I said I would do this every day this month. I mean to do it every day this month. I would of course prefer to post interesting thought provoking content or at minimum pretty pictures of flowers and yarn, but all that is secondary to the point of doing it every single day.
I've mentioned my lack of dedication to projects before. My lack of motivation to practice, to keep at it. I get bored easily. I'm always ready to move on to the next thing. I am so sick and tired of this scarf I'm weaving and of the traveling socks I'm knitting. I am not sick and tired of writing daily blog entries, but if it happens, it happens. I will do it anyway, just like I'll finish that damned endless scarf and those socks that make me want to scream at the thought of another six inches of mistake rib.
Incidentally, my current read is Joseph Anton, by Salman Rushdie. It's an excellent read, all about his exile/life under protection after the fatwa declared by the ayatollah Khomeni after publication of The Satanic Verses. Rushdie is one of my favorite authors and I have bought and given away many many copies of his book Haroun and the Sea of Stories. His account of this time and his determination to survive and write during it is inspirational. Nobody is out to get me, and this is only for 30 days. His was nine years.
Here are some drag queens, for no apparent reason.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Hooray for three day work weeks.
This week will be nice-a three day work week of shorter than usual days, followed by a five day weekend. Of course, just as all this wonderful relaxation is about to go down, I'm fighting off a cold. Started last night with scratchy throat things and I was up and down all night until I gave up and took some theraflu, then got five solid hours. I can always tell when I'm really getting sick because I can't stand the thought of drinking coffee. So I got up, made a pot of tea, and felt sorry for myself for most of the morning.
We're going to my older daughter's place to have dinner. She is a recently lapsed vegetarian so it should be interesting to see what she makes. She's a very good cook-takes after me in that regard. I'm bringing a container of my butternut squash soup (which is actually butternut-acorn-golden hubbard squash soup) to share.
I've been trying to post something substantive most days, but some days are just personal blathering, of which you've been promised a modicum. Please enjoy these pretty pictures in lieu of actual thought-provoking content.
We're going to my older daughter's place to have dinner. She is a recently lapsed vegetarian so it should be interesting to see what she makes. She's a very good cook-takes after me in that regard. I'm bringing a container of my butternut squash soup (which is actually butternut-acorn-golden hubbard squash soup) to share.
I've been trying to post something substantive most days, but some days are just personal blathering, of which you've been promised a modicum. Please enjoy these pretty pictures in lieu of actual thought-provoking content.
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Fiber Arts in the Burgh
Pittsburgh is fortunate enough to have a lot of great resources for fiber artists of all kinds. As a spinner, I've watched it go from "maybe you can find some roving at one LYS if they're stocking it right now" to at least three major yarn stores featuring a variety of spinning supplies including tools, fiber, and books. Our Knit and Crochet festival attracts vendors from all over the country, featuring all kinds of fibercrafting goods. And now we have the Indie Knit and Spin Marketplace, for the second year. The show focuses on local independent fiber artists and suppliers, and associated products. I wanted to go last year but couldn't. I was happy to get the chance this year!
The marketplace is the brainchild of Cosette Cornelius-Bates, of Cosymakes. I first met Cosy about five years ago, at my very first Handmade Arcade. She was selling hats and yarns and freezing. I loved her designs and have been following her and buying her yarns and fibers ever since. I highly recommend her products, I've never been disappointed.
Anyway. The marketplace was small but what was there was fantastic. It wasn't overwhelmingly crowded either, which was nice. All in all an event I'd encourage folks to attend, in small groups, a little bit at a time so it's nicely spread out. :)
I had a small budget and managed to stay within it. (too much upcoming holiday stuff to buy to buy stuff for myself!)
I got these fun odds and ends of Cosy's falkland. LOVE this fiber-it spins like a dream.
I thought they would play well together.
These washed locks of Debouillet from Fiddlehead Fibers were too tempting. I have never tried this fiber and I love the creamy look of the locks. Reminds me of Cheviot, which is one of my favorites.
I couldn't turn down these fun batts from Gwen Erin. She had so much great stuff in her booth I could have blown my whole budget there and then some. Her handspun yarns were also exceptionally beautiful.
There were lots more great vendors there and I encourage you to visit them via the links on the sidebar of the Indy Knit and Spin page.
The marketplace is the brainchild of Cosette Cornelius-Bates, of Cosymakes. I first met Cosy about five years ago, at my very first Handmade Arcade. She was selling hats and yarns and freezing. I loved her designs and have been following her and buying her yarns and fibers ever since. I highly recommend her products, I've never been disappointed.
Anyway. The marketplace was small but what was there was fantastic. It wasn't overwhelmingly crowded either, which was nice. All in all an event I'd encourage folks to attend, in small groups, a little bit at a time so it's nicely spread out. :)
I had a small budget and managed to stay within it. (too much upcoming holiday stuff to buy to buy stuff for myself!)
I got these fun odds and ends of Cosy's falkland. LOVE this fiber-it spins like a dream.
I thought they would play well together.
These washed locks of Debouillet from Fiddlehead Fibers were too tempting. I have never tried this fiber and I love the creamy look of the locks. Reminds me of Cheviot, which is one of my favorites.
I couldn't turn down these fun batts from Gwen Erin. She had so much great stuff in her booth I could have blown my whole budget there and then some. Her handspun yarns were also exceptionally beautiful.
There were lots more great vendors there and I encourage you to visit them via the links on the sidebar of the Indy Knit and Spin page.
Friday, November 16, 2012
More than halfway!
More than halfway through the month and I've managed to post every day, so woo! It's more sticktuitiveness than I usually have.
I'm in my new lounging caftan with a pot of tea made and I'm ready to finish up a weaving project and possibly start another one. I have knitting to do and a shorter than usual weekend to do it in. I normally work mondays but since next week is a holiday week I have to work Monday. So I'm going to post some of my favorite recent links and be done with it for today!
First up is Lesley Kinzel's brilliant piece on growing up into a highly disordered relationship with food. So much of this could have been about my life.
http://www.xojane.com/issues/hostess-twinkies-and-my-fat-childhood
...except without the jenny craig because that was more than I could afford. The emotions though.. identical.
I have always identified as a feminist and as I get older, I get more radical. This story outrages me on so many levels. This is what the "pro-life" crowd wants for America. We can't let them have it.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2012/1114/1224326575203.html
Another thing I am passionate about is fat acceptance and fat rights. As I recently read, I am fat, and I hold the radical position that I am allowed to exist. This tumblr is really good for those who don't realize how fully how difficult it is to live in a fat body.
http://thisisthinprivilege.tumblr.com
Advanced Style is one of my favorite sites. These fabulous mature folks are styling for sure.
http://advancedstyle.blogspot.com
And finally, Anthroparodie has hilarious interpretations of the twee hipster overpriced crap that Anthropologie makes a zillion dollars on.
http://www.anthroparodie.com
Everyone have a fantastic weekend!
And keep an eye out for that fantastic imported hot and cold water.
I'm in my new lounging caftan with a pot of tea made and I'm ready to finish up a weaving project and possibly start another one. I have knitting to do and a shorter than usual weekend to do it in. I normally work mondays but since next week is a holiday week I have to work Monday. So I'm going to post some of my favorite recent links and be done with it for today!
First up is Lesley Kinzel's brilliant piece on growing up into a highly disordered relationship with food. So much of this could have been about my life.
http://www.xojane.com/issues/hostess-twinkies-and-my-fat-childhood
...except without the jenny craig because that was more than I could afford. The emotions though.. identical.
I have always identified as a feminist and as I get older, I get more radical. This story outrages me on so many levels. This is what the "pro-life" crowd wants for America. We can't let them have it.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2012/1114/1224326575203.html
Another thing I am passionate about is fat acceptance and fat rights. As I recently read, I am fat, and I hold the radical position that I am allowed to exist. This tumblr is really good for those who don't realize how fully how difficult it is to live in a fat body.
http://thisisthinprivilege.tumblr.com
Advanced Style is one of my favorite sites. These fabulous mature folks are styling for sure.
http://advancedstyle.blogspot.com
And finally, Anthroparodie has hilarious interpretations of the twee hipster overpriced crap that Anthropologie makes a zillion dollars on.
http://www.anthroparodie.com
Everyone have a fantastic weekend!
And keep an eye out for that fantastic imported hot and cold water.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
I got the music in me
From as far back as I can remember, I wanted to be a musician. Second grade, I got piano lessons from the nuns at my school. I didn’t have a piano at home to practice on, but my grandmother had a little home organ thing with a couple of octaves and that was good enough for my needs. I loved it. I’ve had a piano in my home most of my life, up to and including our current lovely 1900’s grand that is in desperate need of repairs and tuning.
When I was in 4th grade, my mother signed me up to be in the grade school orchestra. She asked me what instrument I wanted to play, and I said French Horn. My mother was a teacher. She couldn’t afford a French Horn, obviously, and I had no idea how expensive they were. She got me a flute instead. I was mildly disappointed but got over it quickly and have continued to play for most of my life. I don’t play much now as I’m rather self-conscious plus it makes the dog howl, but it’s there for me if I want it. It’s also good I didn’t get a French Horn because I can’t play any brass instruments without having a total giggle fit from lip tickling. I’m better off in a woodwind. I played in the school orchestra but my real love for flute came when I discovered jazz. Herbie Mann, especially, but I also adored Hubert Laws and Bobbie Humphrey.
I also sang. I don’t remember a time when I didn’t sing but organized singing commenced early in grade school, probably via church. I sang in a church choir all the way up until the 90s when I walked out for good, for reasons that are best kept to another blog entry. I sang at home, sang in the shower, sang with my friend Melissa, and Bob and I go out to sing Karaoke whenever we can. Not often enough. When I was in high school, I was in a special program for musically talented kids. I had voice lessons and sang in the glee club and as a soloist. I wanted to be an opera singer. Seriously. I smoked too much, though, and ruined my voice, and also was too lazy to be committed to it like I needed to be to be for real, if that makes any sense.
I've always been lazy, though. It's probably my biggest personal flaw. If there's an easy way out, I'll find it. I've gotten better as I age, but with the health issues I've been having, now is when I need those easy outs and I can't find them. Anyway, back to the story.
Growing up, I had a lot of exposure to music. My family was very musical. We always had music on or were playing or singing, it seemed. My mother did the Folk Group thing at church, for the cool hippie mass. She played autoharp and guitar, though not at the same time. Later on, when folk group wasn't there any more, we both joined the regular choir and belonged for many years. I even played in the handbell choir and absolutely loved it. We weren't quite this cool, but I got to play the big heavy bells and while everyone else stood there demurely with 2-4 bells, I had about 12 and was flinging them around like a madwoman. Good times.
So there was always music. My mother exposed me to a lot of different types of music, but first and foremost was opera. She listened to the Met broadcast every Saturday. No snob, she also introduced me to PDQ Bach.
We listened to a lot of soul, funk, and R&B in those days. My uncles were into blues and bluegrass. My great aunt listened to big band and old standards. It was up to me to find jazz and rock and roll.
I consumed music at a very high rate. I could not get enough, still can't. Discovering Ella Fitzgerald was a life-changing event. Her voice continues to inspire and uplift me, nearly on a daily basis. When I was a bit older, my dear friend Melissa introduced me to kd lang and that was another revelation. Those are my two favorite musicians, Ella and kd.
Jazz has always been a bit of an obsession for me. When I was a teenager, I went to a lot of good concerts, including Al Jarreau twice (before he sold out), Chuck Mangione, Lee Ritenour, and many more. I saw a lot of local acts, at every opportunity. But again, not enough dedication to make it my life.
To be honest I may have been a bit distracted by recreational drugs. But that's all in the past.
Led Zeppelin was a later love, not until I was in my mid-20s. And boy did I get hooked. I was fortunate enough to see Robert Plant in concert twice. He rocked. Loved The Police and Sting as a solo act, at least at first. He started repeating himself.
So a lot of different stuff, but all of it I loved and continue to love. I try to keep an open mind because you never know what you might miss (I started to appreciate Amy Winehouse not long before she died). But no matter how hard I try, I cannot get into rap or modern country, and anything that uses auto tune is annoying to me.
One of the reasons Bob and I hit it off so well was music. His tastes (encyclopedic) and mine are similar and it has similar importance and meaning to us.
So yeah, it means a lot. It always has. Which is one reason I hope I do manage to keep most of my hearing. It would suck to lose the music.
When I was in 4th grade, my mother signed me up to be in the grade school orchestra. She asked me what instrument I wanted to play, and I said French Horn. My mother was a teacher. She couldn’t afford a French Horn, obviously, and I had no idea how expensive they were. She got me a flute instead. I was mildly disappointed but got over it quickly and have continued to play for most of my life. I don’t play much now as I’m rather self-conscious plus it makes the dog howl, but it’s there for me if I want it. It’s also good I didn’t get a French Horn because I can’t play any brass instruments without having a total giggle fit from lip tickling. I’m better off in a woodwind. I played in the school orchestra but my real love for flute came when I discovered jazz. Herbie Mann, especially, but I also adored Hubert Laws and Bobbie Humphrey.
I also sang. I don’t remember a time when I didn’t sing but organized singing commenced early in grade school, probably via church. I sang in a church choir all the way up until the 90s when I walked out for good, for reasons that are best kept to another blog entry. I sang at home, sang in the shower, sang with my friend Melissa, and Bob and I go out to sing Karaoke whenever we can. Not often enough. When I was in high school, I was in a special program for musically talented kids. I had voice lessons and sang in the glee club and as a soloist. I wanted to be an opera singer. Seriously. I smoked too much, though, and ruined my voice, and also was too lazy to be committed to it like I needed to be to be for real, if that makes any sense.
I've always been lazy, though. It's probably my biggest personal flaw. If there's an easy way out, I'll find it. I've gotten better as I age, but with the health issues I've been having, now is when I need those easy outs and I can't find them. Anyway, back to the story.
Growing up, I had a lot of exposure to music. My family was very musical. We always had music on or were playing or singing, it seemed. My mother did the Folk Group thing at church, for the cool hippie mass. She played autoharp and guitar, though not at the same time. Later on, when folk group wasn't there any more, we both joined the regular choir and belonged for many years. I even played in the handbell choir and absolutely loved it. We weren't quite this cool, but I got to play the big heavy bells and while everyone else stood there demurely with 2-4 bells, I had about 12 and was flinging them around like a madwoman. Good times.
So there was always music. My mother exposed me to a lot of different types of music, but first and foremost was opera. She listened to the Met broadcast every Saturday. No snob, she also introduced me to PDQ Bach.
We listened to a lot of soul, funk, and R&B in those days. My uncles were into blues and bluegrass. My great aunt listened to big band and old standards. It was up to me to find jazz and rock and roll.
I consumed music at a very high rate. I could not get enough, still can't. Discovering Ella Fitzgerald was a life-changing event. Her voice continues to inspire and uplift me, nearly on a daily basis. When I was a bit older, my dear friend Melissa introduced me to kd lang and that was another revelation. Those are my two favorite musicians, Ella and kd.
Jazz has always been a bit of an obsession for me. When I was a teenager, I went to a lot of good concerts, including Al Jarreau twice (before he sold out), Chuck Mangione, Lee Ritenour, and many more. I saw a lot of local acts, at every opportunity. But again, not enough dedication to make it my life.
To be honest I may have been a bit distracted by recreational drugs. But that's all in the past.
Led Zeppelin was a later love, not until I was in my mid-20s. And boy did I get hooked. I was fortunate enough to see Robert Plant in concert twice. He rocked. Loved The Police and Sting as a solo act, at least at first. He started repeating himself.
So a lot of different stuff, but all of it I loved and continue to love. I try to keep an open mind because you never know what you might miss (I started to appreciate Amy Winehouse not long before she died). But no matter how hard I try, I cannot get into rap or modern country, and anything that uses auto tune is annoying to me.
One of the reasons Bob and I hit it off so well was music. His tastes (encyclopedic) and mine are similar and it has similar importance and meaning to us.
So yeah, it means a lot. It always has. Which is one reason I hope I do manage to keep most of my hearing. It would suck to lose the music.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
What is better than Greens and Beans?
That was the question I asked Bob when we got in tonight. The answer of course, is Greens and Beans with Bacon!
This isn't really a recipe as such, more a general "how to do this" guideline. I'm no expert on making greens and beans but the times I've made them, they've come out delicious.
I started with good quality bacon from Penn's Corner Farmstand, one of my favorite places to get food. I had about five pieces, I cut them into chunks and cooked them until they were just starting to crisp, then added a generous spoonful of hot pickled garlic.
Mmmmm, hot pickled garlic. One of my basic food groups. I have no idea how I survived half a century without this stuff, but it is the bomb-diggity, let me tell you.
The greens are the last of our homegrown collards. Look at this magnificent leaf. The collards were far and away the most successful thing from our garden this year. I will definitely be planting them again, probably more of them, because they did way better than anything else. I wish there were more for this meal but we will enjoy them.
Wash and trim the greens as necessary and add to the pot with the bacon and garlic. Normally I would have cut up an onion or shallot and put it in but I forgot. So I added about a tablespoon of dry minced onion. I will report to the foodie police after we eat.
Another essential in my kitchen is unsalted vegetable broth. It is just so useful. I use the boxed kind from Kitchen Essentials and it's delicious. I use a fair amount of soup bases and stocks in my cooking because I do work a full time job and a good quality stock or base can really punch up a meal. Anyway, this stuff is a staple.
I covered the greens and cooked them until they started to wilt, then added a can of Cannellini beans.
Had to add some more stock at this point because for some reason, collard greens drink stock. I don't know why. Chard, mustard greens, turnip greens, most kale (lacinto kale excepted) all give off stock. Collards and Lacinto Kale drink it. Anyway. Cook it until the greens are tender enough to eat then add a splash of balsamic vinegar and a little red pepper flake IF you want it. I left out the red pepper flake this time.
Then eat it! I like a nice crusty bread with it to sop up all that yummy juice.
This isn't really a recipe as such, more a general "how to do this" guideline. I'm no expert on making greens and beans but the times I've made them, they've come out delicious.
I started with good quality bacon from Penn's Corner Farmstand, one of my favorite places to get food. I had about five pieces, I cut them into chunks and cooked them until they were just starting to crisp, then added a generous spoonful of hot pickled garlic.
Mmmmm, hot pickled garlic. One of my basic food groups. I have no idea how I survived half a century without this stuff, but it is the bomb-diggity, let me tell you.
The greens are the last of our homegrown collards. Look at this magnificent leaf. The collards were far and away the most successful thing from our garden this year. I will definitely be planting them again, probably more of them, because they did way better than anything else. I wish there were more for this meal but we will enjoy them.
Wash and trim the greens as necessary and add to the pot with the bacon and garlic. Normally I would have cut up an onion or shallot and put it in but I forgot. So I added about a tablespoon of dry minced onion. I will report to the foodie police after we eat.
Another essential in my kitchen is unsalted vegetable broth. It is just so useful. I use the boxed kind from Kitchen Essentials and it's delicious. I use a fair amount of soup bases and stocks in my cooking because I do work a full time job and a good quality stock or base can really punch up a meal. Anyway, this stuff is a staple.
I covered the greens and cooked them until they started to wilt, then added a can of Cannellini beans.
Had to add some more stock at this point because for some reason, collard greens drink stock. I don't know why. Chard, mustard greens, turnip greens, most kale (lacinto kale excepted) all give off stock. Collards and Lacinto Kale drink it. Anyway. Cook it until the greens are tender enough to eat then add a splash of balsamic vinegar and a little red pepper flake IF you want it. I left out the red pepper flake this time.
Then eat it! I like a nice crusty bread with it to sop up all that yummy juice.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
The answer to WHAT TO BLOG?
I'm too tired and scattered to come up with a reasonable blog entry, so I'm just going to share some body positive/affirming/fun music videos.
Leslie Hall starts us off.
Leslie really can dance, and I love how comfortable she is with her body.
This woman is incredible. I love to belly dance and would give a fat roll to be able to shake it like she does.
Absolutely love that the kick ass drummer is also a woman.
The amazing Beth Ditto smashes every preconceived notion about beauty and what a fat girl can do.
Janelle Monae is pure joy and exuberance. You have to love her, for so many reasons.
Hopefully I'll have something more substantive tomorrow. I knew there'd be days like this, I just hope there aren't many of them, because if there are, it's going to be a long November.
Leslie Hall starts us off.
Leslie really can dance, and I love how comfortable she is with her body.
This woman is incredible. I love to belly dance and would give a fat roll to be able to shake it like she does.
Absolutely love that the kick ass drummer is also a woman.
The amazing Beth Ditto smashes every preconceived notion about beauty and what a fat girl can do.
Janelle Monae is pure joy and exuberance. You have to love her, for so many reasons.
Hopefully I'll have something more substantive tomorrow. I knew there'd be days like this, I just hope there aren't many of them, because if there are, it's going to be a long November.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Get your kicks
I was treated to dinner tonight in honor of our ten year anniversary. Bob asked me where I wanted to go but he must have asked me after a meal or something because I came up blank. When he suggested Paris 66 Bistro, I could not refuse. We had been there once before and it was one of the best meals I'd ever had.
Our reservation was at 5, both to beat any crowds, and to get home in time for the Steeler game on Monday Night Football. (This is Pittsburgh, after all.) There weren't many people there so it was quiet and comfortable, if a bit too warm. The service was very good, accommodating without being overbearing.
One thing I love so much about this place is the bread. This is no ersatz french bread made at the bakery down in the strip district, this is a real french baguette. The taste and texture are incredible and it's really hard to avoid filling up on the bread before your food arrives. It's served with a very high quality unsalted butter.
You can't taste it through the screen but take my word, this stuff is amazing.
We both got the onion soup gratinee, utterly delicious though quite a bit more sweet in taste than last time. I don't know why-maybe they were using a sweeter onion? It didn't taste like an added sweetness, which is what led me to suspect the onion. It might have been a slightly sweeter wine for the broth, too. It was still delicious and unlike any other onion soup, just a bit too sweet for me.
I'm not sure if Bob felt I was threatening his soup but trust me, he enjoyed it.
It took me forever to decide on an entree, there were so many wonderful choices. It's a provincial style restaurant, but I still found it disappointing that there is no classic french fish/beurre blanc dish on the menu. I opted for the Basque Chicken and Bob had the Filet Mignon. I started with a salad.
The dressing was a house creamy dijon sort of thing that was really delicious. I stopped just short of asking for the recipe.
The decor is charming and very french kitsch. Lots of art nouveau posters and the obligatory subway sign.
The walls are a warm buttery yellow and the seating and tables are dark wood, making it super cozy.
The Basque Chicken is a french country classic and very similar in idea and composition to Chicken Cacciatore but with more delicate seasoning, less garlic, and potatoes included. It was a generous portion, deliciously prepared. The chicken had a lot of character; it was no bland, wimpy Giant Eagle fryer but a proper roasting chicken with lots of body.
This is another time you need smell o vision. Yum.
Bob's filet was perfectly cooked, and the sauce, vegetables, and potatoes were all delicious.
He said it was one of those meals when you're finishing it, you feel a little sad that it will be gone soon.
We had a carafe of a perfectly fine merlot with dinner. It was a great accompaniment to the meal. We almost never have wine with dinner out because it's usually prohibitively expensive but Paris 66 has a great wine list and their house wines are pretty reasonably priced.
You can't go there without having a few macarons after your meal. Paris 66's pastry chef apparently learned to make them in the place where the modern macaron was born in Paris, so they're extra authentic and incredibly good. You just have to try a variety.
Mine
Bob's
All in all, as close to a perfect meal as I've ever had.
Our reservation was at 5, both to beat any crowds, and to get home in time for the Steeler game on Monday Night Football. (This is Pittsburgh, after all.) There weren't many people there so it was quiet and comfortable, if a bit too warm. The service was very good, accommodating without being overbearing.
One thing I love so much about this place is the bread. This is no ersatz french bread made at the bakery down in the strip district, this is a real french baguette. The taste and texture are incredible and it's really hard to avoid filling up on the bread before your food arrives. It's served with a very high quality unsalted butter.
You can't taste it through the screen but take my word, this stuff is amazing.
We both got the onion soup gratinee, utterly delicious though quite a bit more sweet in taste than last time. I don't know why-maybe they were using a sweeter onion? It didn't taste like an added sweetness, which is what led me to suspect the onion. It might have been a slightly sweeter wine for the broth, too. It was still delicious and unlike any other onion soup, just a bit too sweet for me.
I'm not sure if Bob felt I was threatening his soup but trust me, he enjoyed it.
It took me forever to decide on an entree, there were so many wonderful choices. It's a provincial style restaurant, but I still found it disappointing that there is no classic french fish/beurre blanc dish on the menu. I opted for the Basque Chicken and Bob had the Filet Mignon. I started with a salad.
The dressing was a house creamy dijon sort of thing that was really delicious. I stopped just short of asking for the recipe.
The decor is charming and very french kitsch. Lots of art nouveau posters and the obligatory subway sign.
The walls are a warm buttery yellow and the seating and tables are dark wood, making it super cozy.
The Basque Chicken is a french country classic and very similar in idea and composition to Chicken Cacciatore but with more delicate seasoning, less garlic, and potatoes included. It was a generous portion, deliciously prepared. The chicken had a lot of character; it was no bland, wimpy Giant Eagle fryer but a proper roasting chicken with lots of body.
This is another time you need smell o vision. Yum.
Bob's filet was perfectly cooked, and the sauce, vegetables, and potatoes were all delicious.
He said it was one of those meals when you're finishing it, you feel a little sad that it will be gone soon.
We had a carafe of a perfectly fine merlot with dinner. It was a great accompaniment to the meal. We almost never have wine with dinner out because it's usually prohibitively expensive but Paris 66 has a great wine list and their house wines are pretty reasonably priced.
You can't go there without having a few macarons after your meal. Paris 66's pastry chef apparently learned to make them in the place where the modern macaron was born in Paris, so they're extra authentic and incredibly good. You just have to try a variety.
Mine
Bob's
All in all, as close to a perfect meal as I've ever had.
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