A Duck's Life

Cilantro

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:13:40 GMT

The cilantro was actually from last week's box and I was worried that it had gotten a little too old. I forgot to put it in some water when I first brought it home. But I was able to collect enough leaves to make the sauce.

I found this recipe on the Mariquita site:

BOB'S FABULOUS YUMMY MARINADE
This marinade can be used to marinate tofu and meats, as a sauce for noodles or rice, and as a dressing for a green salad.

5 tbsp.
1/3 cup
1/4 cup
1/4 cup
1 oz.
6 lg. cloves
1 1/2 tbsp.
1 small

vegetable oil
packed fresh cilantro with stems
fresh lime juice
tamari soy sauce
fresh ginger (about an inch of it?), cut into six 1/4 inch slices
garlic
ground cumin
jalape–o or other chile (optional)

Combine and blend all ingredients together in a food processor or blender until the chile, garlic, ginger and cilantro are finely chopped.

Cooked up it looks like this:

Substitutions: I left out the chili. I had a little more than 1/3 cup of cilantro, so I slightly upped all of the ingredients.

What I might try differently next time: Nothing to change, as of yet. I have only tasted a tiny bit. I will find something to cook with it. All the ingredients have strong flavor, so it kind of jumps out at you.

Overall: TBD

Moroccan Butternut Squash Saute

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 04:45:25 GMT

Tonight I cooked up some butternut squash & zucchini from previous Two Small Farms boxes.

I found this recipe on the recipe page for Meatless Monday:

Moroccan Butternut Squash Saute

Nothing brings in the aroma of autumn like a butternut squash roasting in your oven. Keep it simple with raisins and zucchini or add couscous to make it a heartier meal. This recipe comes to us from Lindsay of Happy Herbivore.

Serves 4

1 small butternut squash
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium zucchini, cut in half and sliced
1/3 cup raisins
1 cup vegetable broth
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoons onion flakes
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1 cup canned adzuki beans*
1 cup couscous, cooked (optional)
fresh cilantro, for garnish

*Optional. A popular, sweet, red bean in East Asia, adzuki beans can now be found in the canned food section of most grocery stores. Cooked carrots or summer squash make a good substitute.
Preheat the oven 400 degrees.

Cut the butternut squash in half and sprinkle with a little olive oil. Roast for 25-40 minutes, or until tender. Set aside to cool.

In a medium saucepan over high heat, combine zucchini, raisins, broth, onion flakes, ginger, cumin, cinnamon, paprika and ground coriander. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook for 5-7 minutes or until zucchini are cooked, but still a little crisp.

While veggies are cooking, seed the butternut squash and cut into bite-sized pieces.

If using, spoon couscous onto the plate or bowl, then add roasted butternut squash, then adzuki beans. Spoon zucchini raisin mixture over the top, pouring on any extra liquid. Garnish with fresh cilantro and enjoy!

Cooked up it looks like this:

Substitutions: I didn't have the special beans, so I skipped that. Instead of onion flakes, I used about a tablespoon of onion powder. I served it over the harvest grains from Trader Joe's.

It doesn't tell you to add the garlic, but I assumed it just gets adds to the zucchini mixture. At first the sauce seemed really strong, but once it was mixed with the squash & the grains, it tasted really good.

What I might try differently next time: It might be nice over the straight couscous or even over quinoa

Overall: Thumbs up.

Chard Dinner

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 03:58:49 GMT

Tonight it's chard. I have actually been craving chard. My body must be craving some good, green, leafy goodness.

Here's the lovely bunch of Red Chard from my Two Small Farms CSA box:

Using a basic recipe found on the Mariquita Farms website & originally from Gourmet magazine...

SAUTEED SWISS CHARD

1 1/2 tbsp.
1 1/2 tbsp.
2 cloves
pinch
2 lg bunches

butter
olive oil
garlic, finely chopped
dried crushed red pepper
Swiss chard, stems trimmed, leaves cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide strips

Melt butter with oil in heavy large pot over medium-low heat. Add garlic and crushed red pepper. Saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chard; stir to coat. Cover; cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Season to taste with salt. Transfer to bowl and serve. Serves 4.

Bon Appétit, March 1999

...I made this:

Substitutions: Not being too much of a spicy person, I used chili powder instead of red pepper flakes. When it was done I added some pine nuts and some grated dry jack cheese.

The pepper flakes would probably have given a stronger flavor, but my version had a nice, subtle garlic-y after taste. This recipes is a good dish to highlight the chard flavor.

What I might try differently next time: maybe I try the pepper flakes, or something not is powder form. A little salt & pepper would be good too. Because the garlic is subtle, but with an after bite, I might use 3 cloves.

Overall: thumbs up

Derailed...but still inspired

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 20:31:44 GMT

On the way to work this morning I was thinking about writing in my live journal again. I was so inspired by my weekend at Maker Faire and I really wanted to talk about that. Then I read about the death of Dr. Tilly and saw people who have missed the point completely celebrating his murder. My tired little body couldn't hold in the amazing rush of sadness and I cried at my desk.

The "real world" is getting harder and harder for me to take on Monday mornings. My weekend activities are so much fun and so fulfilling that, in contrast, the daily drudge seems all the drudgier. I spent Saturday and Sunday at a fairground filled with people making, crafting, creating, knitting, crocheting, pickling, growing, repurposing, designing, building, hacking, experimenting, and playing. Maker Faire was overflowing with people who see the world around them and want to interact with it in possitive ways. People who are excited to just try things. People who respect creativity in all forms, who appreciate science, who consider failure an (important) option, and who do things. Plus they do it all with joy and excitement and they want to share it with other people who might think it is cool too. I was so inspired by being in that atmosphere. In the midst of all of that I felt creativity flowing through me and energizing me. I couldn't fall asleep last night thinking of all the things I could make and try and do. Even though I was dead tired, I was alive with possibility of play.

I know I need to find away to create a job for myself that fills me with even a portion of the energy I felt this weekend. I think creating might actually be my life force.

Two things you can do about the murder of Dr. George Tiller

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 20:06:31 GMT

This is actually an email I wrote today and sent to a small handfull of fellow pro-choice supporters after hearing about the murder of Dr. George Tiller.....

I think you all know me well enough to know that I do not pass along a lot of these kinds of things. I acknowledge that I am tired and my emotions are a little closer to the surface today, but I started to cry when I did a search on Dr. Tiller and found all sorts of people who are celebrating the death of an abortion provider. I dream of a world where women's reproductive health and sex education is available and accessible to all. In that world abortions would most likely be unnecessary, but until we live there is it of the utmost importance to me that abortions remain safe and legal. That also means that all women's health providers deserve to live their lives without fear of being shot.

I don't know that this petition or the decision to donate money to this cause is the real answer to any of this, but I felt the need to do something positive on this issue.

Thank you for letting me share a little of what is is my heart right now,

Elizabeth

Message from Credo Action about their action campaign,

"Tiller the Baby Killer."

That's how FOX News host Bill O'Reilly referred to Dr. George Tiller who was murdered in cold blood Sunday while he attended church.

Tiller's crime? He provided healthcare to women. Including abortion.

What happened Sunday was devastating. And it might not have happened if it wasn't for the hate mongering of Bill O'Reilly and others.

There are two things you can do.

Sign our petition to Bill O'Reilly. Ask him to take responsibility for creating an atmosphere in which the assassination of Dr. George Tiller comes as no surprise. And tell him to stop spreading hateful rhetoric which encourages violence against doctors who provide reproductive healthcare for women: http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/tiller/?r_by=-436038-Ci2.W7x&rc=paste
Make a donation to Medical Students for Choice in honor of Dr. George Tiller. We must lift up a new generation of doctors who are willing and able to provide reproductive healthcare to women.

.............................................................................................................

A few more things, in case you are interested in some of the things I looked at today....

The NARAL press release on this issue:

http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/news/press-releases/2009/pr05312009_tiller.html

The Salon.com article quoted in this petition:

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2009/05/31/tiller/index.html

A Rolling Stone news post (I have not yet read the article they reference):

http://www.rollingstone.com/nationalaffairs/index.php/2009/06/01/the-anti-abortion-campaign-against-dr-george-tiller/

A site with comments from Dr. Tiller's former patients:

(Note- some of this is hard to read. They are written by parents who made a very difficult decision to have a late term abortion due to major pregnancy complications.)

http://www.feministe.us/blog/archives/2009/06/01/patients-remember-dr-tiller/

Daily Quacks

Wed, 13 May 2009 17:26:55 GMT

This is the TEST shipment you asked for

11:59 @wenchofsauce I hope he can find his way back. His little dinosaur buddies miss him. #
11:49 Ack! My smush-faced dinosaur is missing! Where would a triceratops go in this day and age? #
11:37 @brianrubin You beat me to the punch. @nathanfillion definitely eases the pain! #
11:12 Has anyone made homemade pudding? And, if so, do you have a recipe you like? (Note: NOT looking for bread, tapioca, or rice puddings.) #
10:36 @louiseducray I have the same personality, but I am a TALKER, instead of a WRITER. If I am a "talker", what does that make my boss? #
10:22 @nodgarb I am ahead of the curve. I did cool things before they became "cool". I am a trendsetter. (At least I like to tell myself that.) #
10:18 And if you don't know @froggyk, you should. She is the awesomest! #
10:10 Oh, very exciting news... please welcome @froggyk to the world of twitter! She's been lurking for awhile & now she is a full fledged member. #
10:07 Without my knitting I might get to 1000 tweets today. You all better hope that I convinced my mom to stop by my work with my yarn & needles. #
10:04 Hey! @bird2brain are ready twittered about @mariancall and rubber ducks at my house. & yes, @brianrubin, ducks are dangerous. #rubberduck #
09:59 @nodgarb Are there bonus points if I already hosted a @mariancall concert & got duck pictures? tinyurl.com/debywc #rubberduck #
09:55 @ZiggyNJ British tv is the bomb! What did you add? State of Play? Coupling? MI-6? #
09:48 @mariancall You can get beer, pie, and live local music in San Francisco at the Bazaar Cafe. www.bazaarcafe.com/ #
08:44 I forgot my knitting at home. It is going to be a *long* work day! Please keep the fun twitters flowing. #
22:28 @crystorix Naw. @svetz twitters crazy stuff when he is sober. #
22:23 Oh, she might not have heard that. @crystorix asked about a term for twittering drunk. I said: "pulling a @vanessrocks" #
22:18 @crystorix Pulling a Vanessa? #
19:55 Bring garble - drooling slosh #
16:25 Not to be an enabler, but Amazon is having a sale on SciFi dvds: tinyurl.com/dztruu #
16:17 @wenchofsauce Are you good with knitting gauge questions? I am being a good girl & doing a swatch for my sweater, but it is a little off. #

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Can I pull a Bridget Jones?

Wed, 13 May 2009 17:23:45 GMT

I am tempted to give a daily update of what perfume I am wearing and how many times I walked up the stairs instead of taking the elevator. I am not sure if it is a good thing or a bad thing that it makes me feel like Bridget Jones. Here goes:

Today's scent: Rosalind (from BPAL, of course)
Trips UP the stairs: 1, so far. (one of these days I will be able to do it without getting winded)
Actually, both Monday and Tuesday I took the stairs at least once. Plus, I walked home both days. I will work up to more.

It is all the little things, but I am trying to be very good to myself and provide myself a lot of positive feedback. I have piled on enough straw and this camels back is broken. I need to set a real goal that I can keep in my mind as to losing weight. In fact, I need to find a better term for that. Losing weight doesn't mean enough to me. I could way 1,000 pounds and be happy if I felt great and if I fit into my clothes. It is more about losing inches and extra baggage.

I think Comic-Con might be a goal for me. I don't think I can get back down to a size 14 by then, but maybe I can set a concrete goal that has to do with eliminating the muffin-top on these size 16 pants. But it needs to be concrete. I need to be able to hold on to it. If I can't hold on to it, I will easily sit on the couch and eat a bag of potato chips.

Like everything else about me, this is a work in progress

Daily Quacks

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 20:51:23 GMT

This is the TEST shipment you asked for

16:17 @wenchofsauce Are you good with knitting gauge questions? I am being a good girl & doing a swatch for my sweater, but it is a little off. #
16:25 Not to be an enabler, but Amazon is having a sale on SciFi dvds: tinyurl.com/dztruu #
19:55 Bring garble - drooling slosh #
22:18 @crystorix Pulling a Vanessa? #
22:23 Oh, she might not have heard that. @crystorix asked about a term for twittering drunk. I said: "pulling a @vanessrocks" #
22:28 @crystorix Naw. @svetz twitters crazy stuff when he is sober. #
08:44 I forgot my knitting at home. It is going to be a *long* work day! Please keep the fun twitters flowing. #
09:48 @mariancall You can get beer, pie, and live local music in San Francisco at the Bazaar Cafe. www.bazaarcafe.com/ #
09:55 @ZiggyNJ British tv is the bomb! What did you add? State of Play? Coupling? MI-6? #
09:59 @nodgarb Are there bonus points if I already hosted a @mariancall concert & got duck pictures? tinyurl.com/debywc #rubberduck #
10:04 Hey! @bird2brain are ready twittered about @mariancall and rubber ducks at my house. & yes, @brianrubin, ducks are dangerous. #rubberduck #
10:07 Without my knitting I might get to 1000 tweets today. You all better hope that I convinced my mom to stop by my work with my yarn & needles. #
10:10 Oh, very exciting news... please welcome @froggyk to the world of twitter! She's been lurking for awhile & now she is a full fledged member. #
10:18 And if you don't know @froggyk, you should. She is the awesomest! #
10:22 @nodgarb I am ahead of the curve. I did cool things before they became "cool". I am a trendsetter. (At least I like to tell myself that.) #
10:36 @louiseducray I have the same personality, but I am a TALKER, instead of a WRITER. If I am a "talker", what does that make my boss? #
11:12 Has anyone made homemade pudding? And, if so, do you have a recipe you like? (Note: NOT looking for bread, tapioca, or rice puddings.) #
11:37 @brianrubin You beat me to the punch. @nathanfillion definitely eases the pain! #
11:49 Ack! My smush-faced dinosaur is missing! Where would a triceratops go in this day and age? #
11:59 @wenchofsauce I hope he can find his way back. His little dinosaur buddies miss him. #

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Missing Tweetage from April 19th

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 20:39:58 GMT

@bird2brain & @svetz. Do we need to separate the two of you?11:18 PM Apr 19th

I just remembered that I have a ginger molasses cookie from Bakesale Betty's. The day just keeps getting better!11:12 AM Apr 19th

@bird2brain HAPPY BIRTHDAY! (again) Have a most awesome day.12:26 AM Apr 19th

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I hope you have an amazing zeppelin ride. Take lots of pictures.12:19 AM Apr 19th

Missing Tweetage from April 18th

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 20:35:35 GMT

I didn't rile up any of the SoCal folks on Twitter. Perhaps I am not very good at my smack talk. Go Earthquakes!10:31 PM Apr 18th

Hey LA, even Beckham doesn't like you.8:31 PM Apr 18th

Beat LA. Go Quakes! LA sucks.7:28 PM Apr 18th

Rockridge Long's, oh how I love you.5:25 PM Apr 18th

Horrchata, oh how I love you.3:51 PM Apr 18th

For the record, we (@louiseducray @vanessrocks @svetz @thadgann & I) were at a burlesque show last night.3:32 PM Apr 18th

@prohibitive & @foodcentric, I still love you in the morning too, but I don't think there was a concern that I wouldn't. It was fun.8:43 AM Apr 18th

@vanessrocks @louiseducray @svetz I still love you in the morning.... now I am going back to sleep.8:38 AM Apr 18th

MIssing Tweetage from April 13th

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 19:48:27 GMT

@svetz Something gayer than Bryan Adams? How about a shower curtain covered in hearts?12:01 AM Apr 14th

I have yet to hear anything about the Cesspool of Death Draining. Did everyone survive? Did you find anything interesting in the blackness?10:37 AM Apr 13th

Missing Tweetage from April 8th

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 19:18:46 GMT

@vanessrocks I am so down for a random musical moment. That YouTube clip made me very happy!9:54 PM Apr 8th from twitterrific in reply to vanessrocks

@thadgann There are dancing ladies waiting here for you.8:24 PM Apr 8th from twitterrific in reply to thadgann

@thadgann I guess Houston really is that bad if you are talking about seriously self medicating. Just get back home safely.8:23 PM Apr 8th from twitterrific in reply to thadgann

@fireflygail We seem to be magnets for crazy old people this week. If I am going to be a magnet, I want attract hot mens instead!8:22 PM Apr 8th from twitterrific in reply to fireflygail

Sorry if I cut anyone off on im. The work internets went all crazy & I decided it was time to go home. Plus it's almost time for @mariancall5:43 PM Apr 8th from twitterrific

@svetz Buffy wants to show Dawn sex? You are a very twisted man, @svetz.4:54 PM Apr 8th from web in reply to svetz

@svetz So jealous that you are watching Buffy right now! Buffy makes everything better.3:19 PM Apr 8th from web in reply to svetz

@lorjeztutt Wear something that makes you feel good.1:33 PM Apr 8th from web in reply to lorjeztutt

Darn, the Meadery is going to be closed this Saturday. Maybe after the May Silicon Gulch meet-up?12:35 PM Apr 8th from web

Thinking ahead...anyone interested in a trip to the Meadery after the Earthquakes game on Saturday? Maybe around 3:30? I have yet to go.11:53 AM Apr 8th from web

It's just past 9am & I am already having one of THOSE days. Please let it be time to see @mariancall very, very soon.9:15 AM Apr 8th from web

Withdrawal

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 18:36:19 GMT

I am going a little crazy ... I forgot my knitting at home today! My knitting was in the bad next to my backpack, I just didn't pick it up on the way out the door and now I am really regretting it. I am antsy and annoyed without my knitting. I know I can surf the internet, but it is not satisfying in the same way. Let's just hope that I was pathetic enough on the phone with my mom and she feels sorry enough for me that she stops by with my knitting.

I was even going to practice some crochet because I need to do a crochet provisional cast-on.

Grrrrr....
...Arg!

Knitting Pattern - Penny Wrist Warmers - complete?

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 21:36:59 GMT

For anyone who might be interested, these are my ramblings/notes about how to knit wrist warmers like the ones Penny wears in Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. The pattern is a work in progress as I have yet to finish a whole wrist warmer yet.

My first attempt to actually write down a knitting pattern:

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino
Needles: Size 6 dpns
+ a friend who crochets

Stripe pattern:
4 rows MC, 4 rows CC

Crochet a chain with at least 42 stitches (I like to have a few extras.)
Using MC and the crochet chain, do a provisional cast on with 42 stitches. Separate the stitches over 3 double pointed needles.
Knit 4 rounds
Purl 1 round
Knit 4 rounds
Fold the crochet end inside the work. Zip off the crochet chain and knit one round picking up the live stitches as you knit around.
Work stripe pattern in the round for 8 rows (2 stripes).
Continuing in the stripe pattern, begin to work the thumb hole.
For the next 16 rows (8 stripes in the stripe pattern) you will essentially be knitting flat.
Knit 24, turn work over and purl 42, turn work right side out again & knit 18. (This should complete 2 full rounds.) CHECK #s!
Repeat for a total of 16 rows (4 stripes)
On the next row, resume knitting in the round.
Knit a total of 13 stripes (7 CC, 6 MC - not including the edging)
Knit 5 round in MC
Purl 1 round
Knit 5 rounds (it may work even better if you knit 4 rounds)
Bind off
Fold the end in (creasing at the purl row) and sew the end down.

Between rows 41 & 42, starting from the top, pick up stitches for the button band. So as not to make a ruffle, you will pick up 3 stitches for every row of stripes. (In other words you will pick up 3 of every four stitches.)
In stockinette, knit 5 rows. (Make sure that when the band is folded towards the thumb hole that the right side of the knitting will be facing up.)
Bind off.
Sewing the button band down to the body of the piece so that it covers the line created by the circular needles. (I used the matress stitch.)

Add buttons. I did one for each MC stripe.

Wear with pride as you start your own homeless shelter.

Pattern Search

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 22:20:54 GMT

I wrote a few days ago about finally picking out yarn and a pattern for my first real sweater, so you may ask why am I looking for more patterns. Well, it is a little bit of an addict right now. I have free time at work, so I browse Ravelry, obsessively. That and I have seen some women wearing this cute looking vests that I want. So, I must look at what it would take to make myself one. The problem is, I don't know what the style is called, so I can't look it up on Ravelry (or anywhere else, really). The closest I have come is a corset from Dark Garden, but I don't really want a corset. It has the right neckline/bustline in the right place, but it is too pointy and too corset-y. With help from elite & CrochetGirl I have come up with a description:

"soft, under the bustline vest that highlights the cleavage and looks like a grown-up school girl without being fetish-y"

I imagining a nice knit, but I suppose it could be fabric too. It would be something I could wear over a button-down shirt. Now if I could just find a pattern, or even a store that sells such things.

Yarn love

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 00:03:11 GMT

My Tuesday knitting group usually meets at Tart to Tart, but last night we met at this cute little store called Urban Fauna Studios. The store owners invited us over and treated us to wine, cheese, & 10% off. They sell a lot of supplies for spinning, as well as the usual yarn and needles. She had some spinning wheels out so those folks in the group who already know how to spin got to try them out. I started asking questions about the spinning process and before I knew it I was learning how to spin on a hand spindle. (I think I have my terminology correct.) It was a very cool thing and I have a little ball of my very own hand-spun yarn. I am not sure that I will be replacing knitting with spinning anytime soon, but it was fascinating to see how some soft fluffy pillow stuffing looking wool was turned into yarn.

As much as I try not to buy yarn without a project in mind, and despite the fact that I have the yarn to start my very first sweater, I splurged with my 10% and bought a yummy skein of hand dyed yarn. (It might also be hand spun, but it doesn't say on the card."

So you might soon see me wearing a scarf or a cowl made from this lovely yarn.

This is a test

Sun, 12 Apr 2009 03:04:54 GMT

This is just a test. I am wondering what it is like to use the live journal app on my iPhone. I am on the bus headed to see Mary Elizabeth play at the Bazaar Cafe. The show is actually half over already, but I want to show my support. I am dead tired from the Marian Call house concert & the Earthquakes game, but I have missed most of ME's recent shows. The very busy Browncoat calendar usually hooks me in before I know that she has a gig. It's not like this is a chore. I love live singer-songwriter music.

Posted via LiveJournal.app.

Pushing Daisies Final Three

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 22:34:43 GMT

From Ain't It Cool News:

ABC will air the final TV adventures of Ned, Chuck, Emerson and Olive over three consecutive Saturdays, from May 30 to June 13. (Their stories may continue in funnybooks written by series mastermind Bryan Fuller.)

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!

Sweater Knitting

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 19:03:04 GMT

The yarn store ArticlePract was having a sale this weekend and I made an impulse buy of yarn for a sweater. Against my better judgment (& a rule I made for myself) I bought supplies before I selected a project. So I spent a good part of the last day trying to figure out what kind of sweater I can make with the 10 balls of yarn I bought. It turns out I really should have bought more of the yarn to have enough for a sweater. But, I think I found a pattern that will work & that I like. It is knit from the top down, which means I can try it on as I go to make sure it fits. This pattern has some detailing in contrast colors, so I can buy another color (one that is not discountinued) to complete the project.

The original pattern is free from Knitty & looks like this:

I like it for the shape. I am not going to do any of embrodery work. I am going to put some contrast color around the neckline and the arm cuffs, but I am not sure if it will be exactly like this picture. Most likely I will get rid of the color on the bottom. I don't need to draw extra attention to my belly. I would rather draw attention to the neckline.

I am a little intimidated about making a sweater. And I am still worried that I don't have enough of my main color of yarn. I am debating another run to the yarn store in the East Bay just to see if they have any single balls of the yarn. I could also buy a contrasting color or two. I don't know if that will ease my nerves or just make me anxious about starting a big project. I do have Penny wrist warmers to make and the chicken/egg to finish before I start something new. Plus, I have all this mohair from my frogged jacket to make into a sweater. Maybe I should try that first.

Missing Daily Tweets

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 17:49:47 GMT

I changed my LJ password and my twiter-feed stop posting. I like having a record of the random tweets, so here are the missing ones:

@ShawnTutt Awwww. I hope you had tissues handy.11:15 PM Apr 4th
Awwwww. I hope you had tissues handy.11:14 PM Apr 4th
@svetz Good thing you are not driving home.11:10 PM Apr 4th
@fireflygail I think they are crazy, but hopefully they where amused by our talk of Pride & Prejudice & Zombies!7:39 PM Apr 4th
@danregal But everything leads back to hot, fake U2!6:24 PM Apr 4th
They gave us bubblewrap at Psycho Donut!12:00 PM Apr 4th
Silly Rabbit, Trix are for kids. But there might be other sugar cereal on our psycho donuts.10:10 AM Apr 4th
Are the donuts really as psycho as the say? I am willing to take the plunge and find out. Hopefully I won't end up in a sugar coma.9:18 AM Apr 4th
FYI: Even the annoying guy who wanted me to knit leg warmers thinks hot, fake Bono is hot.2:49 AM Apr 4th

@brianrubin Oh no! I have upset the always up-beat Brian. Would it be better if I talked about the Supernatural boys?4:12 PM Apr 3rd
@brianrubin Have we mentioned lately that the boys in the hot U2 tribute bad are hot?3:52 PM Apr 3rd
@danregal You are also invited to stay in San Francisco and see the hot U2 tribute band.3:47 PM Apr 3rd
I will post to the board with more details, but if you want to be added to the @mariancall evite, send me a direct message with your email.2:52 PM Apr 3rd
@danregal upstaged me by plugging the SoCal event first, but us SF Bay Area Folks get to hear @mariancall perform first!2:36 PM Apr 3rd
I have teased you enough. It is (almost) official. Marian Call will be doing a house concert next Friday, April 10th at my house!!2:35 PM Apr 3rd
@Earth2Kim Just make sure you are free next Friday night.2:00 PM Apr 3rd
Like @brianrubin said, I am all about celebrating the Iowans today. I am so proud of my mom's home state.1:58 PM Apr 3rd
@jdtucker I am SO jealous. Have a ginger molasses cookie for me.12:30 PM Apr 3rd
@fireflygail I do. What I can say right now, clear your calendars for next Friday.9:47 AM Apr 3rd
Ooooo...exciting news coming very soon.9:29 AM Apr 3rd
@_oy_ If you go to Farmer Browns you must also have the biscuits and the mac & cheese!8:48 AM Apr 3rd
@_oy_ Good picks. (I <3 Ewan.) The other one I will buy is Waitress. Chick flick + Nathan + pies = WIN!12:06 AM Apr 3rd

I feel like I need to twitter that I saw the founder of Twitter on the Colbert Report, but I am nervous about his revenue stream talk.11:54 PM Apr 2nd
@svetz No spoilers! I just started season 2, disk 2.10:45 PM Apr 2nd
@bird2brain Too bad they are all on laser disk.8:26 PM Apr 2nd
@Earth2Kim Awesome! Are you sitting where people will come take your order for ballpark food? Have some garlic fires (I mean fries) for me.7:31 PM Apr 2nd
I remedied the lack of chick flicks in my collection by buying "Love Actually." (It cost the same as renting 2 dvds.)7:03 PM Apr 2nd
@Uwila Donuts are an anytime treat. How far away is the donut shop from Harry's HofBrau?3:50 PM Apr 2nd from web in reply to Uwila
I think knitting with crappy knitting needles is making my headache worse. I might venture into the bright light of outside to get new ones.2:29 PM Apr 2nd from web
Cordelia is an awesome knitting cat. She sits on my lap while I work without attacking the yarn. Now if I could get her to wear a sweater...1:09 PM Apr 2nd from web
I thought I fought my epic battle with the icepick headache on Tuesday, but it is back. I shall now fight it with drugs & sleep.7:07 AM Apr 2nd
@jimmyaquino I could be, if it meant more Pushing Daisies.12:41 AM Apr 2nd
@jimmyaquino Are you going to share with your Daisy Pusher friends? I am going through major Pushing Daisies withdrawal!12:21 AM Apr 2nd

If you don't butt in, who will? (Or is it but in?)11:28 PM Apr 1st
Who you gonna call?11:24 PM Apr 1st
@_oy_ Oh, he's the creepy 9-12 guy. Please don't let him cry.11:16 PM Apr 1st
Tonight was going to be "chick flick night", but I just realized that I don't own any click flicks.6:39 PM Apr 1st
@crystorix Your podcast is on fire?4:29 PM Apr 1st
@louiseducray We do the weird stuff.2:12 PM Apr 1st
There was a farmer's market 2 blocks from my office at lunch. I have fresh, local food. The day is getting much better!1:03 PM Apr 1st
Yuck! I just got a call from an ex & now I feel like I might throw up.11:24 AM Apr 1st
@louiseducray Mental note: Keep dogs away from Louise.8:50 AM Apr 1st
We just started using a computerized time clock system at work. It all feels so Big Brother or [insert SciFi reference here] to me.8:50 AM Apr 1st

Headaches suck! It feels like I have been poked in the eye with an ice pick. I don't even get to enjoy missing work.8:21 AM Mar 31st

I don't care if you don't watch soccer, vote for the Earthquakes Arturo Alvarez for goal of the week! http://tinyurl.com/cnua6d1:35 PM Mar 30th
There are mens on the roof at my work!!! (Well, just one, but still....)10:15 AM Mar 30th

I found the Earthquakes game on tv! I know what happens, but I can't stop watching. Bonus, on tv you get close ups of the players.1:57 PM Mar 29th
I bought Dorritos & Hostess cup cakes. I need someone to keep me from grocery shopping after midnight!12:34 AM Mar 29th

@Earth2Kim Aren't you going to be at the game tonight? What station? I want to see if it's part of our sports package here.10:40 AM Mar 28th
@vanessrocks Hot, fake U2 playing an acoustic set. Yum.10:38 AM Mar 28th
@vanessrocks It's okay. We will still love you in the morning (even if you are not loving life in the morning).3:17 AM Mar 28th
There are hot mens that work at the Lafayette Safeway at 2 am.2:17 AM Mar 28th
YES! Hot, fake U2 just played "All Along the Watchtower" for us... again! They frakking rock!!12:41 AM Mar 28th

@fireflygail Does that mean that I should stay home tonight?4:14 PM Mar 27th
@fireflygail What am I? Chopped liver?4:05 PM Mar 27th
@Uwila That is very awesome! It must be time to go celebrate by eating ice cream. Bi-Rite Creamery misses us.12:53 PM Mar 27th
Is it time for hot, fake Bono & company yet? 9:46 AM Mar 27th

Daily Quacks

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 09:16:30 GMT

This is the TEST shipment you asked for

12:40 @vanessrocks We are here for you! Let me know if you need company to the yarn store for knitting distraction. #
15:20 My mom brought me beats while I was sleeping & my cat is a fan of Bakesale Betty's scones. I live in a surreal foodie family. #
17:36 Cooking...I mean felting...my chicken/egg project. Hopefully it turns out okay. It is a gift for Easter (next Sunday). #

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Knitting Pattern - Penny Wrist Warmers - a start

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 08:32:47 GMT

For anyone who might be interested, these are my ramblings/notes about how to knit wrist warmers like the ones Penny wears in Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. The pattern is a work in progress as I have yet to finish a whole wrist warmer yet.

My first attempt to actually write down a knitting pattern:

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino
(For Penny colors MC =300008: chocolate brown & CC=300502: lime green)
Gauge: 22 stitches & 30 rows = 4"
Needles: Size 6 dpns
+ a friend who crochets

Stripe pattern:
4 rows MC, 4 rows CC

Crochet a chain with at least 42 stitches (I like to have a few extras.)
Using MC and the crochet chain, do a provisional cast on with 42 stitches. Separate the stitches over 3 double pointed needles.
Knit 4 rounds
Purl 1 round
Knit 4 rounds
Fold the crochet end inside the work. Zip off the crochet chain and knit one round picking up the live stitches as you knit around.
Work stripe pattern in the round for 8 rows (2 stripes).
Continuing in the stripe pattern, begin to work the thumb hole.
For the next 16 rows (8 stripes in the stripe pattern) you will essentially be knitting flat.
Knit 24, turn work over and purl 42, turn work right side out again & knit 20. (This should complete 2 full rounds.)
Repeat for a total of 16 rows (4 stripes)
On the next row, resume knitting in the round.

Knit at least 7 more stripes.....What do I do for my bottom edging?
Then I will need to pick up stitches along the funky row made from knitting in the round. Then a few rows will be knit along the length of the glove. (Hopefully it will look okay to have the knitting going in a different direction from the main body of the glove.) That stripe will need to be secured down & buttons added.

A dream come true...

Sat, 04 Apr 2009 00:04:27 GMT

This might sound silly, but it is a dream come true to have a house concert at my house. I have been going to see live music since I was young. My first memory of a concert must have been from when I was about 5 years old. My parents took me with them to see Maria Muldaur at place called the Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society. (I think it even still exists.) Concerts took place is this super cool house (at least it always seemed like a house to me) over looking the water along the California coast. There were seats on the floor and along the balcony. For the Maria Muldaur show we where seated on the balcony against the wall to the side. I sat with my little legs dangling through the slats on the railing and over the stage. I loved her self-titled album that included her one pop hit, "Midnight at the Oasis." But that wasn't my favorite song on the album. At some point during the show I called over and asked her to play my favorite song. (I wish I remember what that song it was.) She looked up at the chubby, little 5 year old, smiled, & proceeded to play the song. I thought all future concerts would be just as intimate as that one.

In high school I was very luck to have a much older brother living near by that would go to stadium concerts with me. I was influenced by my older siblings tastes in music, so I never asked my brother to see a major pop act or a boy band. (The closest I came was the Howard Jones concert.) He was an awesome companion/chaperone for shows like John Mellencamp, Elvis Costello, The Who, Aerosmith, & Harry Connick Jr. We usually had cheap seats up on the lawn at the big venues like the Concord Pavilion.

Working in the box office in college we sold ticket master tickets so I when I wanted to go to a show, I could get pretty good seats. But the concerts where still huge (Billy Joel, The Eagles). Around that time I started seeing a few bands in smaller venues. I saw the Barenaked Ladies when they where still relatively unknown in the US & when people still threw boxes of mac & cheese during the shows. From what I remember, the venue was smaller than Slim's and is was easy to get with in a few feet of the stage. My college years where also when swing was just starting to become popular (again). When I say them play, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy told us about this movie they had worked on called Swingers.

It was really post college that I found the closest scenario to the Maria Muldaur show. I found this great little coffee show in the Richmond Distract called the Bazaar Cafe. There they had (& still do) live acoustic music almost every night of the week. I would bring my knitting while I listened to music on open mic nights. I got to know the artists and even became friends with some of them. I went there often enough that the owners and the workers knew me too. Like the Maria Muldaur concert, I could request favorite songs from the musicians and they would (usually) play then. The downside was that because I heard music there so often, pretty much every other venue seemed too big and not intimate enough. That is when I started to dream of an even more intimate setting for music, my very own living room!

It has pretty much been a JOKE, but when SGJ mentioned doing a house concert for Marian Call, I realized that my dream might actually become a reality. So, in a week I am going to host a concert in my very own living room!

I spend my Fridays with Paul.

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 07:13:52 GMT

I know it is silly, but I had a need to add this here.
Lately I have actually been spending my Fridays with Zoo Station, but hey.

Are you a Paul Ballard fan?

I am enjoying Dollhouse a lot more, but I still don't love it. Please let it continue to get better. In fact, since the BSG finale, I have been feeling tv ennui. I thought the premiere of Cupid was fun, but ABC has only ordered 7 episodes (down from 13), so It's probably going to be canceled. Grrrr...argh!

Dear ABC, please stop canceling tv shows that I watch. I am still mad at you for taking away my Pushing Daisies! Thank you.

Head Space

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 18:21:18 GMT

There is so much rumbling around in my head. I think that my headaches actually stem from so many things fighting for space in my little brain. You know those pictures of pregnant women's bellies where you can see the babies foot of hand pushing out? That's what I feel like with the ideas in my head. Like you might see sentences or thoughts pushing on my scalp. It is not like the thoughts are upsetting or dramatic, there are just too many of them being held in a small space. Some are things like the grocery list or craft projects that I would like to do some day. There are also bigger things, like what I should be doing with my life. Somehow I need to figure out other places to store the ideas that are busting out of the cages in my head.

Could LJ be part of the solution? I saw someone's site where they had a cool side bar that shows how far along she is on craft projects. If only I could figure out how to add that to my page. It would be like Ravelry, but for everything, including knitting. I could track things like:
- finally doing some photo blogging about my cooking - with notes about the recipes
- knitting (just as a supliment to Ravelry)
- jewelry making (maybe even the button bracelet I started in high school)
- projects that I learning about from the Craft:Blog
- the pudding endeavor (with Jeremy)
- duck pictures (maybe I need a database of people in pictures & when they where taken)
- Bryan-Fuller.com (Now that Pushing Daisies is cancelled, that site needs a lot of help!)
- photography - are there other things I can do with my pictures other than upload them to Flickr?
- movies to watch
- tv to watch
- comics to read
I am sure there is more....