My House, Let Me Show You It

I went over to my new house this weekend and let myself in to check it out. In all the confusion of which model to get, I had only visited "mine" once and was having a hard time visualizing the layout--and after dealing with an awful mortgage broker last week, I wasn't 100% convinced I needed to buy it at all, if it was going to be that difficult.

Well, I like my house. (And I'd better, because the construction deposit check has cleared.) There were birds in the trees outside and space for a garden and it was so! fancy! inside! Plus, it wasn't drafty. Incredible!

Here is the kitchen half of the main floor. I think the kitchen goes in this week, which means I can finally get that sink out of my car.

And here's looking down from the second floor (Toby is going to love these stairs.)

There's even a real entryway, with an actual coat closet!

So in dealing with brokers this week, I just have to remember that it will be worth it. And that there's no going back now.

Friday Unrelated Information

1. I know that it's usually a bad idea to take scientific reports out of their complete context, but Out of Context Science pulls the funniest or strangest lines for your enjoyment.

2. I said I'd spare you the first-world problems of buying a house, but last night's quandary will give you an idea of what it's like in my head right now: I was wondering whether I wanted to upgrade to matching wooden hangers for my new closet. The pro? It would be a fancy matching closet. The con? Wooden hangers take up more space, so would all my clothes still fit? Oh, the dilemma!!

3. And after posting about color this week, I found this quote from Rushkin:
"The purest and most thoughtful minds are those which love color most."

Thinking

There's a lot on my mind lately: House, job, decor, money for decor, and last night I realized that I had better start planning the move, too. So to keep this from becoming a blog of first-world problems, here is a picture of Toby taken with the new camera I got for my birthday (!):
He is thinking, too--thinking of the stairs in the new place that he'll be able to run up and down.

Color!

Here's what Dorothy Draper* has to say about using color in decorating back in 1939:

Select the loveliest colors you can find--throw them together--and your own taste, resourcefulness and independence will carry you through. Above all, never be afraid of color. As I've said before, the day of drab, timid colors is past.

With that said, I am going with white walls in the new place for now. But look at the fabrics I'm considering:


*In this same book (Decorating Is Fun!), Dorothy Draper talks about painting ceilings in a complementary or contrasting shade, a practice that no one I know has ever heard of. As she says, "Just don't treat [the ceiling] like a stepchild."

Tuesday Project Roundup: House Projects

Even though I got a lot of sewing time in yesterday, I don't have anything finished for today. (I forget how long it takes to make actual sleeves with a cuff.) But I have started buying things for the new house. The first thing, of course, was fabric:
This will be a shower curtain for the second bathroom.

I also bought a kitchen sink. It's now in my car, waiting for the kitchen to go in. And wow, could I have bought a lot of fabric in exchange for one sink. I'm going to have to get used to buying home items, I guess.

Happy Birthday To Me

Yes, it is my birthday today! (And Tolkien's, too. I always have to point out that we share one.) 31 is not really a meaningful or special number, but it is still fun to celebrate--and to make a list of things to do this year.

Unlike 29 or 30, I'm scaling back a little for 31. The long lists of goals were getting to be overwhelming, so this year I'm doing 3+1 Things instead of 31 Things. And I'm really going to do them all this year.

Here are the 3 things:

1. Walk, bike, or do yoga once a week.
When I first got an office job, I made it a point to go out for a hike on Sundays. Now that I should have my own washer and dryer and won't have to do laundry at the parents on Sundays, I might start that again. (My new house will be closer to Millcreek Canyon and I want to get an annual pass there.) I also want to try biking to the grocery stores and downtown Sugarhouse. And I need to find a new yoga studio.

2. Learn more sewing techniques.
I tend to want to hurry and finish projects so I can wear them, but this year I want to take a little more time and learn some higher-end techniques, like stabilizing necklines, and underlining, and using a silk organza press cloth, and making bound buttonholes. I also want to learn how to use my serger, since I'll finally have a place to keep it out.

3. Memorize 6 poems.
I've always been bad at memorizing--music, words, anything. I can get pretty close but then I get stuck, or discover that I don't have it down as well as I thought. Sometime over the summer I realized that I had the Mark Strand poem in the Gallivan Center memorized (after visiting it for four years), and it was a revelation when I said it back from memory. I think all poems need to be memorized now, so I'm going to try to get some of my favorites down:

i. "The Poems of Our Climate," Wallace Stevens
ii. Final section (VI) from Ash Wednesday, T.S. Eliot
iii. "Meditation at Lagunitas," Robert Hass
iv. Section XVI from Dark Harbor, Mark Strand
v.. Sonnet 100 from 100 Love Sonnets, Pablo Neruda
vi. "Starlings in Winter," Mary Oliver


And here's the +1 thing. Because it's a +1, I'm calling it optional, just in case I don't get everything accomplished this year:

+1. Go on a date.
Given how quickly the time has passed between 27 (when I last went on a date) and 31, I think it may be wise to ask my friends to set me up a couple times this year. I'm not sure I want to actually get into a relationship--Toby and I have been just fine, thank you very much--but I also don't want to suddenly be 40 and realize that I haven't been on a date in 13 years. I intend to keep my hand in, so to speak.

I have the day off, so I can start on some of the 3 Things already--I'm going to sew and think about Wallace Stevens.

Friday Unrelated Information

1. Happy New Year's Eve! I've been so wrapped up in the house and future house plans that I got confused what year it will be yesterday. I plan on having my tonsils out in 2011, not 2012.

2. The Writer's Almanac tells me that in Scotland, there's a New Year's tradition known as "first footing":
...where right after midnight, a person from outside the house scrambles into the house of a neighbor or friend with some small gifts --- becoming the first person to bring good fortune for the new year. In this Scottish tradition, it’s important that the first-footer is a tall dark-haired male.
If any tall dark-haired males with gifts care to visit tonight, I won't turn them away. I'm just saying.

3. And finally, plan your meteor shower watching for 2011 with this handy guide from NASA.

30 Things Wrap Up

Since today is the 30th (yikes), I thought it would make sense to wrap up the 30 Things today. Like last year, there's only about a 50% success rate, but this year there are other things that I'm proud of that cancel out not buying home furnishings or going to restaurants:
- I found a house to buy.
- I didn't drunk-dial or drunk-email or drunk-text any ex-boyfriends. (I am inordinately proud of that.)

But on to the list I put up at the beginning on the year--green is accomplished, yellow is a sort-of accomplished, and red is a no. Commentary is in italics.

1. Put the money that I was using to pay off debt into savings for a down payment on some sort of house, townhouse, or condo. DONE! I just dipped into the down payment fund for earnest money and a construction deposit. Hooray for a year of saving!
   
2. Learn about real estate and home buying through the Utah State Extension classes. Done! Real Estate for Dummies worked for me!
   
3. Stop buying non-essentials (ready-made clothes, really expensive fabric, shoes, magazines, etc.) for three months (months TBD) I made it a month and then set some limits, and then I fell for J. Crew again.
   
4. Buy that Eames desk chair. I'll use the money I'll be saving from not buying any non-essentials. I do have a new desk, which I needed more than a chair, so I'm calling this done. (On most home furnishings, I just decided to wait and see what happened with the house hunt.)
   
5. Buy that damn garbage can already. See above.
   
6. Buy a living room chair--armless, small-ish, but comfy. This will help with seating to accomplish #22. Done!
   
7. Sew new pillow covers for the living room. Done!
   
8. Buy a vacuum. Done!
   
9. Refresh my yoga skills and then...
10. Start doing yoga once or twice a week. Kind of done. I started in June and then slacked off in the late fall and winter, but at least I went enough to realize that I need to go more.
    
11. Get recycling at the apartment. I haven't had it for three years and I'm tired of feeling guilty every time I throw away some junk mail. Not done. Sorry, Earth--but soon I should have my own recycling!
    
12. Similarly, bring in some actual flatware for the break room at work to cut down on waste. Also not done. Apparently I'd rather feel guilty than go to a thrift store...
    
13. November-March, walk or ride to work at least twice a month. April-September, up it to at least four times a month. Fail on this one. I guess this was the year of Looking At Houses On The Internet Instead Of Exercising.
    
14. Eat at one new restaurant a month--any meal, but it has to be somewhere I haven't been before. I kind of lost count, but I know I didn't go where I planned. I think I'd have a better success rate if I could go to restaurants alone...
    
15. Eat at Red Iguana. Never mind. I'm over you, Red Iguana.
    
16. Go to Bonneville Speed Week. No. It seemed like too much of an insider's club to just drive out to, and the lack of info about it didn't help.
    
17. Go to a roller derby game. Done--but demolition derbies are better.
    
18. Stop biting my fingernails (I mean it this year). DONE! DONE! DONE! All it took was some color...
    
19. Wear more colors of lipstick than "pink" and "darker pink." I bought red lipstick...
    
20. Find a perfume I want to wear regularly. Done!
    
21. Stock and maintain a home bar and keep it stocked. No drinking it up and not replacing it. Done! Yay, booze!
    
22. Have more people over to the apartment--not huge parties, but a few people for dinner, or drinks before a restaurant, etc. I was being really social (for me) at the beginning of the year but petered out in spring and summer. I am planning on my New Year's party, though.
23. Learn more about wine. The wine class in January will have to count.
    
24. Learn and retain the difference between whisk(e)y, bourbon, and scotch. They're all whiskey. Bourbon and scotch are just variations of it. (Thanks, Jason!)
    
25. Learn and retain the difference between brandy and cognac. Likewise, cognac is just a particular type of brandy (from the Cognac region, AOC.)
    
26. Get my eyes checked again, update my prescription, and start wearing glasses in front of the computer. Not yet, but they haven't been bothering me as much.
    
27. Find a dermatologist to look at a couple of moles, if only so I can stop worrying about skin cancer. Um, no. But on the medical front I will schedule a visit with ENT before the end of the year (hello, tonsillectomy 2012!)
    
28. Learn how to can fruits, veggies, or jam. Done! I canned all sorts of things!
    
29. Get a better camera. I've picked out a replacement but I just haven't bought it yet.
    
30. Go to Moab and/or Zion. No. Again, I'd have a better success rate if I went alone, but going on vacation alone when you have a roommate is fun and exciting; going when you live alone is just more of the same, minus your darling cat.

Mine At Last

I like to announce important things on a Wednesday in December, it seems, so here's the big news for this year: I'm under contract to buy a house!

The search was long; the houses were many. I wondered if it was worth it. I wondered if I could go on. I was disappointed and then I was indecisive and then grim determination set in. In the last two weeks of wrangling over offers and addenda there have been innumerable setbacks, but I have emerged triumphant with a signed acceptance on new construction that is only nine blocks south of my desired area.

A new house! That's still being built! That has no upstairs neighbors! That has two bathrooms and room for Toby and modern conveniences like an attached garage! And I am buying it for myself--no one is buying it for me, no one is buying it with me. It's mine...

My own...

MY PRECIOUS!!!

Tuesday Project Roundup: The Homemade Presents

As you know by now, it wouldn't be Christmas if I didn't make things for people. This year my co-workers mostly felt the fury of my crafty storm.

The bosses got the results of my canning:
From the top that's marmalade, rosemary-peach jam, and green tomato chutney.

My work friends got coin purses...

...with contrasting linings!

I did knit something, too: my dad has said several times that he's always wanted a chullo hat. Since I did not get the gene that just wants something and doesn't buy it, I couldn't fathom waiting years and years for a hat and decided it was time to make one for him. So I did:
It's baby alpaca and there are alpacas in the design--douple pacas!

And now I'm going back to sewing for me, I think.

I'm Not Dead Yet!

Well--I hope we all had a Merry Christmas! I'm sorry to disappear on Friday, but I ended up at Instacare for a raging tonsil infection. It was bad enough that I asked my mother to make and deliver chicken soup on Christmas Eve, and then called mid-delivery to ask for ginger ale, too.

But I think the chicken soup and the antibiotics are finally working, because this morning I feel happy! I'm getting better!



I think I'll go for a walk!

Slouching Towards Bethlehem

There's nothing like some Modernist poetry about the end times during the hap-hap-happiest season of the year, right?

The Second Coming, William Butler Yeats

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: a waste of desert sand;
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Wind shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?

Merry Christmas To Me

I know this is the season of buying things for others, but I thought I should let everyone know that I finally have my orange coat:
J .Crew, I wish I could quit you!

In either Playback or The Little Sister (sorry, I'm running too late to look it up), Marlowe takes a cigar "out of a handsome leather humidor an admirer had given him last Christmas--the admirer just happening to have the same name as himself." In that spirit, I'm saying this is from an admirer.

Tuesday Project Roundup: Fancy Things

Here are two projects that are very sophisticated, if only because they aren't kitty blankets or baby clothes.

First up is a shiny tunic that one could wear to adult parties where there is champagne and witty conversation (or one could just wear it to a regular party and be overdressed):Fabric is a run-of-the-mill brocade from JoAnn; pattern is from Simplicity.

And here's a fancy scarf, which I made for a friend who's going through a rough time and needed something nice. The pattern is the "Figure Eight Scarf" and it's really just a big tube. But it looks nice on:


Fabric here was a Liberty of London print backed with some cotton velveteen. Here's a picture that's actually in focus:
Fancy!

Get Out Your Druid Robes

Not only is tonight the winter solstice, but there is a full lunar eclipse, too! The last full moon on the solstice was 20 years ago; the last full lunar eclipse on the solstice was December 21, 1638.

Start here on the NASA site to read up about it--they'll even have a live web cam (!). The eclipse should start about 11:30 p.m. tonight, with totality starting Tuesday morning at 12:41 a.m. and ending at 1:53 a.m. The whole thing will be happening in the western sky. I hope it's not cloudy!

(Bonus activity: sing "Total Eclipse of the Moon" to the Bonnie Tyler tune. You're welcome.)

Friday Unrelated Information

1. Yesterday was Beethoven's birthday. Sorry I missed it, Ludwig!

2. These sci-fi slanted children's book covers have been making the rounds, but they make my heart too happy not to post a couple:


3. And here's the first animated gif I've ever posted--but come on, bees are HILARIOUS.

see more Gifs

Did Judy Garland Ever Sing A Happy Christmas Song?

As you know, she sang "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" in Meet Me in St. Louis, which was such a sad song it featured a small child crying during the performance. But just this week I was watching In The Good Old Summertime and there she was singing another wistful little Christmas song:


Poor Judy. You kind of want her to belt out "Joy to the World" next. (Did she?)

New Snow Boots Make A Big Difference In One's Enjoyment Of Snow

Here's a poem about being happy in the snow (about more than boots).

Manna

by Joseph Stroud

Everywhere, everywhere, snow sifting down,
a world becoming white, no more sounds,
no longer possible to find the heart of the day,
the sun is gone, the sky is nowhere, and of all
I wanted in life – so be it – whatever it is
that brought me here, chance, fortune, whatever
blessing each flake of snow is the hint of, I am
grateful, I bear witness, I hold out my arms,
palms up, I know it is impossible to hold
for long what we love of the world, but look
at me, is it foolish, shameful, arrogant to say this,
see how the snow drifts down, look how happy
I am.

Tuesday Project Roundup: Kitty Blankets!

The blankets that I mentioned (and Toby modeled) a week ago got all tied and ready for the shelter over the weekend.

That's a stack of 20 kitty blankets and the elbow of my work friend (I didn't get a chance to ask if she wanted her picture posted or not so I just cropped it).

There were six ladies--including our mothers--tying blankets for a few hours Saturday at my friend's home and it was a lovely time. We'll deliver the blankets to two different shelters this week, along with food and litter and toys.

What is this feeling? Altruism? I think I like it!

Counting My Blessings, For Reals*

1. It was my sister-in-law's birthday yesterday, which I forgot to mention Friday. Happy birthday!

2. My friends offered to help me out of a technical issue with my laptop and iPod. Hooray, friends!

3. I think I found a house to make an offer on. (I don't want to jinx it so you'll have to be patient.)

4. The sun is shining!


*Some blogs I read are taking a "no complaining for a week" challenge. Do you think I can do it? I'm not sure, which is why I haven't taken the challenge, but I'm going to try.

Friday Unrelated Information

1. Roger Ebert is still being awesome. His review of the third Narnia movie (which is based on my favorite book of the series but sounds like it's been turned into a CGI-fest) contains too many gems to quote, but I liked this one:
No one knows how far away the Dark Island is. Lucky thing they know in which direction to sail. If they overshoot the island, they may sail off the edge of the Earth, Columbus having not existed in Narnia.

2. Have you all seen the Hungover Owls blog? Yes, I said hungover owls.

3. I knew there was a good reason why Toby doesn't get his picture taken with Santa:
This picture makes my heart so happy.

Counting My Blessings

I've been joking lately about "First World Problems," such as not being able to find a suitable new and fancy house, or being irritated with aspects of my specialized office job, or not liking any of the coughfivecough winter coats I have, and you know what? Those are not even problems. It just took Irving Berlin and Bing to remind me.

"Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep," from White Christmas:

Space!

I know I just posted a space picture from the Big Picture Advent Calendar, but this one is REALLY cool:

Each of those specks is a galaxy--which in turn has billions (and billions) of stars in it. The photo caption tells me that, "The amount of mass in this sea of galaxies is huge, and is great enough to visibly bend the fabric of spacetime." Mind boggling!

(And speaking of spacetime, have all the Dr. Who fans seen this video? Jason wrote about it Monday and it made my day.)

Tuesday Project Roundup: !!!!!!

What's this?
No, this isn't for a friend or a co-worker's baby. I haven't lost it and started making clothes for Toby. And I don't have any personal scandal I need to confess. There's a much better explanation:

I'M GOING TO BE AN AUNTIE!!

My brother and sister-in-law are expecting a BOY! It's their first and the first baby on our side of the family at all, so we are all VERY EXCITED.

As you can see, I have some projects planned. I actually have enough projects planned to keep the kid dressed until he's about three, I think. And don't get me going on the toys to make and buy, and the trips to the park to take, and the storybooks to read, and all the free babysitting I will offer...

Very excited indeed! Hooray!

Things That Happened Over The Weekend

1. I had to wake up my upstairs neighbor and tell him his dishwasher was flooding. How did I know this? My ceiling was leaking.

2. I took my parents to see a potential house that wouldn't have any issues caused by an upstairs neighbor, but on a second visit I decided it wasn't The One.

3. I enjoyed some (a lot of) wine while watching my imaginary boyfriend in The Nutcracker.

4. I got some polar fleece kitty blankets ready for a kitty-blanket-tying party next week. (My work friend and I cooked up an idea to donate supplies to local shelters for Christmas.)

5. Toby helped:

Friday Unrelated Information

1. One month from today is my birthday. I don't think I'm going to have a very good success rate on the 30 Things.

2. I'm reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy again after a lapse of about fifteen years. Now that I've seen some Dr. Who, I realize how derivative the book was. It's still fun, though--gotta love Marvin the Paranoid Android.

3. Something to remember:

(From here.)

When I'm Feeling Blah, I LIke To Look At Space Pictures

Yes, it's that time again: The Big Picture Blog of the Boston Globe has the third annual Hubble Space Telescope Advent Calendar up. Get a new space picture a day from now until Christmas!

Because if you're wrapped up in your first-world problems and feeling irritated and put-upon, a picture of new stars forming in a nebula 7,500 light years away really puts things into perspective.
(More details, including a Lord of the Rings reference--thanks, NASA!)

Early Onset Of Winter

The snow came early and deep this year, and I'm trying to be resigned because we have three more months of it. But I think a new winter coat would help me be more resigned. Since I decided I didn't want to make an orange one, I found some colorful alternatives*--because we're going to need color to get through this.

J. Crew, finally on sale a little:


Vintage plaid on Etsy:

And a vintage CAPE (!):

Of course, with a cape you can't wear a bag over your shoulder, so I'd need to get a new winter purse, too. I'd take this one if someone were giving them away:
Oh hai, typewriter purse. You should live with me.


*I have plenty of warm coats already and none of these (especially that purse) are in the budget, but just indulge me in my First World Problem, OK?

Tuesday Project Roundup: Progress During A Long Snowy Weekend

Not leaving the house a lot certainly gave me a lot of time to knock out some projects. For example, I finally have a new winter robe:
The fabric is flannel; I think the print gives the whole thing a sort of Victorian (Holmesian) dressing gown feel.

I used a pattern from the early 70s because I liked the collar and the fact that it was a little more tailored than a standard bathrobe.

And look--I'm knitting, too! This is the top of a pullover that's using yarn I already have. The yarn basket was getting way too full so I'm making myself finish this before I start anything new.

Lots of family talking time = lots of knitting time. I really enjoy being a knitter during the holidays.

On Leaving The House

I left the house twice in five days this holiday weekend. I love staying home, but there's something to be said for going to a job where there are other humans: Friday I caught myself worrying that Toby doesn't go to school (no, don't know where that came from) and Saturday I thought, "If I just don't watch the last two episodes of Doctor Who, then the Doctor and Rose can still be together!"

I think if I were ever to freelance from home I'd have to belong to a gym, or a knitting club, or a book club--just something to remind me that people use words to talk, not meows.

Is It Really Supposed To Work Like This?

I get a weekly newsletter from the yoga studio that I go to, and this Monday's offered ten "yogic tips to survive the holidays." I was expecting breathing, and peace, and love, and then I got this:

2. Be thankful you were reincarnated as yourself and not some one else. Everyone else is holding space for you this time around so you don't have to be them. Be thankful to them for being themselves so you don't have to.

I'm in no way an expert, but I don't think cosmic gloating is really the point of a spiritual practice?

Anyway, happy Thanksgiving--I have a lot to be thankful for (including being reincarnated as myself, apparently). I think I'll take the rest of the week off from posting and make fruitcake and marmalade instead.

Tuesday Project Roundup: It's The Holidays, Let's Wear Plaid

It's plaid season--wear a slightly itchy skirt!

Details: cheap wool/acrylic (with a weird chemical smell) from fabric.com and a 70's pattern that I had in my collection. The plaid is not a perfect match across the front (see how the yellow stripe is flipped?) because I always forget about grain when I cut things crosswise. Oh well; it's still festive.

Also: BLIZZARD WARNING! Fill your bird feeders, bring your animals inside, hide your wife, hide your kids...and don't go outside in a blizzard because YOU WILL DIE!! (The Long Winter taught me that.)

Laurie Colwin On Turkey

Kicking off the holiday week, here's one of my favorite food writers being insightful about Thanksgiving:

So many other people seem to dread turkey [...] In my opinion the poor turkey is merely a scapegoat for the mire of conflicted feelings flooding our psyches at holiday time. It is hard to divorce turkey from the expectations of family, the sibling rivalries, the unspoken resentments, the secret rages that occur in even the happiest families. Add to this the exhaustion of travel or the exhaustion of preparing to welcome traveling relatives, and even the tenderest, juiciest turkey may be as sawdust.

She then goes on to call just a turkey breast "turkey devoid of drama." I wonder what she'd have to say about Tofurkey!

Friday Unrelated Information

1. I knew I shouldn't have put up that chicken post yesterday--not only was it a classic example of a First-World Problem, I went to PetSmart at lunch wearing my leather shoes and bought Toby a supply of cat food made of those same sad chickens. Let she who is without a captive cat cast the first stone against the chicken-eaters.

2. Speaking of being a hypocrite--I mean, speaking of complicated, multifaceted issues--there is scientific proof why cheese is so delicious: it contains trace amounts of morphine. Cheese really is dairy crack!

3. I don't have room for it now and I won't have a house by Christmas, but I found the tree I want someday. I'll pretend I live in Whoville!

Science, Can You Give Us Vat-Grown Meat Already?

I had a post all written last week about factory-farmed eggs and chickens, and I ended up not posting it. Because I don't want to be Angry Vegetarian Girl, and because it was too sad. (An anonymous animal rights group in Israel put a hidden camera in a battery farming operation so you can see chickens stuffed three to cage without enough space to stand up straight, let alone stretch out their wings--on a live feed. It is, needless to say, DEEPLY DISTURBING.)

Battery cages are what the vast majority of chickens producing eggs and meat live in--the hidden camera shows the norm for chicken farming, not some horrifying violation. I find it deeply disturbing, yes--which is why I don't eat chicken and buy "beyond cage free" eggs--but I find it really depressing, too: I may care about chicken welfare, but most of the world either likes $1 chicken sandwiches too much or really believes that food animals are too stupid to notice how they're raised.

Obviously, I disagree. (I've always liked the Jeremy Benthem quote,"The question is not, 'Can they reason?' nor, 'Can they talk?' but rather, 'Can they suffer?' ") So I was pretty happy to read an article in Time yesterday about animal intelligence. In a nice, non-Angry Vegetarian way it pointed out that yes, animals should probably be treated better because they're actually not too stupid to feel things:

If animals can reason — even if it's in a way we'd consider crude — the unavoidable question becomes, Can they feel?...And what does it say about how we treat them?

[...]No matter what any one scientist thinks of animal cognition, nearly all agree that the way we treat domesticated animals is indefensible — though in certain parts of the world, improvements are being made . The European Union's official animal-welfare policies begin with the premise that animals are sentient beings and must be treated accordingly.

Ultimately, a mainstream article like this is going to change more opinions than radical hidden cameras in chicken farms or earnest blog posts from vegetarians. But I dare you to read up on chicken farming anyway.

I Rarely Feel Lonely

I'm pretty happy being a cat lady with Toby, but I heard this song on KRCL Sunday and it made me feel a little wistful. Because who doesn't want someone to bring them booze to ease their suffering from an incurable illness?



...wait, is that just me? Um, I like the singer's voice and he's very in tune. That's what I meant to say. Yeah.

Tuesday Project Roundup: Something Fun

My last two projects have been extra fiddly and, in the case of the pants, not even that wearable. Clearly, it was time for some craft glue.

It's a coin purse! Except I think I need to adjust the size of any future purses because it seems a little big for coins but a little small for anything else. (I made my own pattern for the purse frames from this tutorial, where you can also find frames.)

The sewing and turning are finished in an episode of Saint Paul Sunday, and then there's just waiting for the glue to dry. Fun with glue, fun with contrasting colors. Maybe I need to order more purse frames?

And The Voice Said, "Master Suite," And I Listened

As you know, I've been looking at houses for many months now, telling myself that I'll let go of things like new construction, a second bathroom, a finished basement, and lately even a garage in order to live in my preferred area--close to downtown and easily walkable and bikeable.

That area features houses ranging from 1890 to about 1940--and I've seen the whole range, with different degrees of upkeep. I was looking at one from 1919 a couple weeks ago and the voice of reason in my head spoke up.

It said, "Karen, keep your life from turning into Grey Gardens in 20 years. Buy a house that won't immediately fall apart around you." And then it said, "You don't walk or bike that much anyway--and it's not like you're moving to Daybreak."

So that's why I'm checking out two houses built in 2007 tonight. They're south of 21st South (gasp) but they have things like powder rooms, and insulation, and bathrooms that are attached to your bedroom (!), and garages that are attached to your house (!!).

Did you know that most newer houses have ALL of those things BUILT IN? Can you imagine?

Friday Unrelated Information

1. Guys, the Large Hadron Collider worked! They smashed together ions (instead of protons) and got "quark-gluon plasma," similar to what they think the Big Bang could have produced.

2. Did anyone watch the final new Sherlock episode on PBS? There were lots of in-jokes again, referencing "The Adventure of the Bruce Partington Plans" and "The Five Orange Pips." And it ended on a CLIFFHANGER--I predict that the swimming pool is going to be the Reichenbach Falls of the second series.

3. I'm going to The Paris tonight for a champagne dinner--because how else do you celebrate a year of being single?

EDITED TO ADD #4:
I'm featured on my friend's company blog today--go read about my blog on another blog; it will be very circular.

Cat Poem!

This poem was on the Writer's Almanac earlier this week. I'm putting it up for my parents, who recently adopted two more cats, bringing their kitty total up to four.

exactly right

by Charles Bukowski

the strays keep arriving: now we have 5
cats and they are smart, spontaneous, self-
absorbed, naturally poised and awesomely
beautiful.

one of the finest things about cats is
that when you're feeling down, very down,
if you just look at the cat at rest,
at the way they sit or lie and wait,
it's a grand lesson in preserving
and
if you watch 5 cats at once that's 5
times better.

no matter the extra demands they make
no matter the heavy sacks of food
no matter the dozens of cans of tuna
from the supermarket: it's all just fuel for their
amazing dignity and their
affirmation of a vital
life
we humans can
only envy and
admire from
afar.

Tuesday (Wednesday) Project Roundup: PITA Skirt

This skirt was a royal pain in the you-know-what. It was the Burda pattern I've been making all year but the wool--a nice heavy tweed from B and J Fabrics--just fought me. Herringbone stretches in weird directions! Thick, weirdly stretchy wool needs to be stabilized around the zipper and the waistband! An invisible zipper is not the best choice for a heavy wool! Tweed frays so much you have to finish all the edges before even sewing the pieces together!

BUT--it's done (thank god; I thought it would never end), it looks fine (on the outside), and I got lots of compliments on it Monday, so it's not a failure.
However, I think this project taught me an important lesson: I really don't want to make a coat after all.

We Interrupt This Tuesday Project Roundup

Because it's Carl Sagan's birthday!

Check out carlsagan.com, read up on the SETI Institute, or just watch Cosmos again. Here's a clip from the opening:



The cosmos is full beyond measure of elegant truths, of exquisite interrelationships, of the awesome machinery of nature.

I know you wouldn't approve of this, Carl, but I hope that somewhere, you've found out everything you still wanted to know.

Saturday Morning Cartoons

Last week I saw that Netflix had episodes of DuckTales available, a Disney cartoon that I watched from 1987-1990, probably while drawing unicorns.

Curiosity got the better of me and I watched an episode and a half this weekend, but whatever magic the show had was gone--along with seven-year-old Karen. (Not all cartoons can be as smart as Animaniacs, I guess.)

I did remember every word to the DuckTales theme song, though. And then had it stuck in my head all weekend. You've been warned.

Friday Unrelated Information

1. I have a new upstairs neighbor, whom I met on Wednesday. He asked me about the neighborhood and I started rattling off facts like "these nighbors have a dog named Esme, this one walks to work every morning at 7:30, these people have two cats that don't go outside much, this neighbor works at the liquor store," etc. I sounded like I spent all my time watching the neighbors.

2. In case the elections made you sad, here's something happier. I found it encouraging but don't click if you're offended by swearing: What the F*** Has Obama Done So Far?

3. And finally, I just discovered the genre of redubbed music videos:


Elm! Beef! Elm! Beef!

Thursday Poem

I thought about this Mary Oliver poem the other day and wondered why I never posted it last year. I'd say that this one and the one below are her two most well-known poems, heavily used in the sort of "serenity now" inspirational sites that include pictures of waterfalls. But at least people are reading poems, right?


The Journey

One day you finally knew what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you kept shouting their bad advice ...
though the whole house began to tremble
and you felt the old tug at your ankles.
'Mend my life!' each voice cried.
But you didn't stop.

You knew what you had to do, though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers at the very foundations ...
though their melancholy was terrible.
It was already late enough,
and a wild night, and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.

But little by little, as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice, which you slowly recognized as your own,
that kept you company as you strode deeper and deeper into the world,
determined to do the only thing you could do,
determined to save the only life you could save.

In Which I Gave A Presentation And It Was OK

In maybe the most "professional" moment of my career to date, I went to a college marketing class last night and talked to them about brands. I had a PowerPoint prepared--with animations! I had speakers notes! I brought in a 1995 J. Peterman catalog as a prop! I answered grad students' questions!

I was afraid it would be like this, but it actually went pretty well.


There are four kinds of business. Tourism. Food service. Railroads. And sales.

Tuesday Project Roundup: I Knit Things For Grownups, Too

Hey, remember this project that I started in January? I finally finished it!
The yarn is really lovely--a merino from a farm in Michigan. It's very soft and got nice and fluffy in the final wash. I used this pattern but I kept the silhouette more boxy than fitted, for easy layering. That worked well everywhere except the sleeves, which turned out way too wide. (I might have to rip those back and re-knit them on smaller needles.)

But overall, I'm not going to complain too much. Because it's DONE.

Thing #21, aka IT'S BOOZE TIME

I finally bit the bullet and stocked my home bar over the weekend, accomplishing Thing 21 on my list of 30 Things:
The scotch is for sipping, not for mixing.

Right now my "bar" is in an upper kitchen cabinet but someday I will arrange all the booze on a fancy tray or cart in my imaginary living room:

Yes, it feels good accomplishing my alcohol-related goals.