The Dulcinea Speaks

Happy New Year!

2012-01-03T13:43:00.003-06:00

The NYE party was a success, small and mellow. The days following have been incredibly lazy and filled with friends. Nice. Really.

Today I went to volunteer at the Literacy Network and had a great time as usual (looking for a volunteer opportunity? Check them out!). Then visited a friend in the hospital, then home again.

Time to brush up on my algebra in anticipation of this coming semester. Algebra generally makes me very frustrated. I have been known to cry over it. So prepping for my class is of the utmost importance.

And later it's some Rockstar Gomeroke at the High Noon. Always a great time.

New Year is coming

2011-12-30T12:57:00.001-06:00

Prepping for a NYE party and feeling completely frazzled. Hopefully I've got enough time and focus to get everything done. The apartment is really small, I've just figured out, and there isn't room for everything in it once I clean off the surfaces on which I store things. Oops.

Time for a culling of things, I think.

In Gomeroke news, they are having an all-bar-sing-along on NYE from 4-7 at the High Noon. I will definitely be there, it's going to be a blast!

Yay! Christmas!

2011-12-24T14:34:00.003-06:00

I'm a tiny bit sad today because Palmer is spending the weekend in Chicago to be with family, and I'm spending it in Madison to be with my boys and mom. Tonight should be fun as I'm hitting the Chinese buffet with a couple of friends and then probably going to Mickey's for a bit to hear music, if I'm not too beat.

Stayed out until almost 3 this morning and didn't get enough sleep, so I'm a bit sleepy. But not sleepy enough to take a nap. Just malingering.

Finished wrapping gifts and took some cute pics of the cat ruining the Christmas tree, so I'm pretty much all ready for tomorrow! Looking forward to it.

Happy Dance Ensues

2011-12-20T15:11:00.004-06:00

In other news, I got an A on my final for Zoology, which gives me an A in the class *and* gives me a 4.0 for the semester, putting me on the Dean's list.

Yes, I am patting myself on the back right now. And I'm going to celebrate by singing my heart out at Gomeroke tonight.

Semester. Done.

2011-12-19T09:33:00.002-06:00

So glad, just took my final final and am done for the semester. Sold a book back and got some money for Christmas gifts as well, so it's doubly good. Now on to holiday preparations and house cleaning.

Baking cookies, buying and wrapping gifts, sending out Christmas cards (I got Black Santa cards this year from man vs. george. Very cute). All fun things I am looking forward to. House cleaning? Not so much, unsurprisingly.

And as we all know, Gomeroke is tomorrow night! Whoo hoo!

New Year, the Blog Returns

2011-12-17T15:13:00.004-06:00

It's only been three years and some change since I posted here. That's not too long, is it? Since I'm still on Palmer's blogroll I thought I'd start blogging here again. That, plus my years of FB'ing has made me stupid. I need to write long form again.

What's new with me? I'm still going to Gomeroke! Was there last night for Happyoke, in fact.
I'm back in school, one semester to finish up at MATC and then on to UW Madison, or Edgewood, not sure which. My kids are getting really old, 16 and 12 already. That is just strange.

Things in life are going really really really well. I'm looking forward to next year, even though there will be a lot of changes to deal with.

Since I am contractually obligated to mention Gomeroke in every post, I have to say that I am really looking forward to doing New Year's Eve All Bar Sing Along with them. It's going to be great!

Whither the Dulcinea?

2008-08-27T20:52:00.001-05:00

She planned on going to Gomeroke last night, but an 8:30 bedtime beckoned.

Oh well. There will be another Tuesday, another Gomeroke.

These boots were made for walking

2008-08-14T18:10:00.003-05:00

I got a taste for a twice-daily walk while house sitting, but haven't yet gotten myself out for a proper walk with the boy.

This post was gonna be a call for Gomeroke pardners. I usually go by my lonesome, which is fine, but a bit lonesome. Anyone up for a little Gomeroke next Tuesday night?

Here's the thing about having an awesome new TV antenna: I find myself watching way more news than I usually do, and that is thoroughly depressing.

The world sucks, apparently.

And so I pour another drink, to numb the pain.

Yours faithfully,

The Dulcinea

Living in a Gamer's Paradise

2008-08-14T09:58:00.002-05:00

Palmer's friend C is at GenCon in Indiana this week and blogging it. Next year I hope Palmer will be able to attend, as he is a gaming dork par excellence.

Whoo hoo and a boo

2008-08-12T12:32:00.002-05:00

My sofa and loveseat were delivered today. Oops, my living room is not as big as the showroom. We have some rearranging to do.

BUT I HAVE A SOFA!!!!!!!!

That's the whoo hoo.

The boo is that there is no Gomeroke tonight, so I'm going to have to amuse myself for the evening.

Yes, every blog post here at The Dulcinea Speaks HAS to mention Gomeroke. It's in my contract.

You're allowed to be afraid of your totem animal, right?

2008-08-07T06:48:00.003-05:00

Last night Palmer saved me. From a bat. The boy was going to take a bath (we are housesitting in addition to moving this week) when he saw what at first he described as "a bird", but upon closer inspection shrieked, "IT'S A BAT!!!"

He and I hid out in the bedroom for a minute while I tried to remember what to do with a bat in the house. I came up with the best plan available to me: Call my mommy. When that didn't elicite much in the practical idea area, I called Palmer (who was staying at our new pad for the first time last night), and after he gave me some great practical ideas, I got him to come over and help me implement them (he wasn't too excited, from the sound of his voice).

After some towel throwing and sheet waving (and a lightbulb being broken), we ushered the bat out of the front door (although there was a perfectly good door upstairs to fly through, silly thing).

Palmer went home to bed, and the little boy (who had been in the bath and hiding again in the bedroom during Bat-o-mergency 08) tried to wind down after all that excitement.

Later on I found what I assumed was a dead bat in a box fan upstairs. I figure it must have squeezed itself in between two broken slats when the fan was off, and then been stunned by the fan being turned on and eventually died of dehydration.

As the post title suggests, I consider bats, in my completely culture stealing way, to be my totem animal. That is, I feel that bats are special to me (WHEN OUTSIDE) that I have an affinity to them. I once had a cinderella moment when I was walking near my grandmother's house and a bat kept swooping near me. I was a teenager and dressed all in black, and it was very demi-goth and cool. And my first tattoo was of a bat. Her name is Koko (yes, after the sign-language speaking gorilla).

Tonight will be Palmer and my first night together in our new home. I think last night's bat catching and subsequent light bulb sweeping was a good bonding experience. Hopefully he didn't lose too much sleep!

Moving house

2008-08-04T16:38:00.000-05:00

I'm in the midst of moving, will be back by the end of August.

(I did end up doing Creep at Gomeroke, and had a blast).

More Tuesday Gomeroke wishes

2008-07-15T15:33:00.002-05:00

Creep Lyrics

I think this song scrolling through a sparkly heart perfectly sums it up for me.

This is tonight's ponder. Should I make it to Gomeroke, this is probably what I'll pick to sing.

The List

2008-07-08T17:29:00.001-05:00

I really do need to start a proper list of songs I want to do @ Gomeroke. I never seem to know just what I want to sing (with the exception of "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac). Tonight Palmer and I are gaming, but that sometimes ends early and I might find myself yearning to sing a little something tonight... We'll see.

Anyhow, the list will be written one day. You'll be the first to see it.

Ain't No Party LIke A Blogspot Party...

2008-07-01T09:00:00.002-05:00

Cuz a Blogspot Party Don't Stop!

Unless the blogger neglects to post anything on the blog.

It's been a slow summer, but seeing as I have 30 days to be out of my apartment, I do believe things are going to be picking up pace any minute now. Lucky for me half of my stuff is still in boxes, so it's just moving stuff around at first. Then onto packing what was unpacked. I kept most of my boxes from the last move as well, so I'm doing well on that count too! Hooray!

Cute Boys

2008-06-23T14:33:00.002-05:00

Sunday in MKE

2008-06-21T11:51:00.004-05:00

Sunday we went to brunch and head back to Madison. I don't have any pictures of the detour around I-94 though.

Weeks Late: The Birthday Post

2008-06-21T11:46:00.002-05:00

I had a birthday. It was pretty good.

Currently: Drinking Coffee and Playing Spiderman Monopoly

2008-06-20T09:59:00.002-05:00

Oh well, I'm not the best of bloggers lately. But I've been *doing* stuff, so I've been busy.

One thing I did was quit summer school, which makes me pretty happy (although the repercussions may be larger than I thought at first). Our first week of vacation has included bowling trips and a picnic on the Capitol lawn. It's been lovely out too, a nice change from the torrential raininess of a couple of weeks ago.

I do have things to report, so I'll be back with more at some point.

Sort of...

2008-06-10T10:42:00.002-05:00

I'm studying! Sort of. Yesterday was the first day of Geometry, about which I am more excited after the first day than I thought I'd be.

The power is out this morning at my place, so I'm at a local java joint and am very nearly studying. I read two paragraphs in the book. That's a start, right?

I'm also highly caffeinated, so that should help me stay focused. Unless I've had *too* much coffee, in which case, all bets are off.

Anyhow, I'm going to put the 'puter to sleep and go study. Really.

The Three of Us

2008-06-06T20:33:00.001-05:00

Create your own family sticker graphic at pYzam.com

Here Comes The Sun

2008-06-05T09:54:00.003-05:00

A little wishful thinking on this rainy Thursday...

My Home Away from Home

2008-05-31T11:17:00.003-05:00

A place I come to for a bit of R&R.
And the Mother's Milk that is Huber Bock.

Sassy, like a cow

2008-05-25T08:05:00.008-05:00

On Saturday afternoon we had a grand adventure at The Sassy Cow Creamery.

It was their grand opening celebration, so we were treated to not only free milk, ice cream, and cheese, but a tour of both the farm and the processing plant as well.

They have a stock car sponsored by them and Thonys Think Tank, which has the unfortunate distinction of having poor grammar on their portion of the car. I immediately thought of "Eats, Shoots, and Leaves" when I saw this one.

It was a fantastic time, and I was happy to see a thriving family farm.
There was a 5 day old calf, and they had a contest to name her. M chose "Mary", which I suppose we could consider a deceptively simple selection.
Later on we got to see some just-about-to-calve cows, including one who was about to give birth - was actually starting to give birth. I myself was a bit freaked out by it, if only because it reminded me of the last time I gave birth (to M). It was a long time ago, but I won't soon forget the experience. Ah, the circle of life.

The Sassy Cow Creamery processes milk from Baerwolf Farms. Brothers Rob and James are the farmers, and only milk from their cows goes through the dairy.
Chuck the Plant Manager took us through for a tour of the processing facility, which is right behind the retail shop.

They process both organic and conventional milk there, and it all starts here, where milk is pumped in to one of two tanks (organic in one, conventional in the other). Chuck explained that organic milk is always run first and on clean equipment so that no conventional milk is in the product.

There were huge pallets of plastic bottles which looked really cool.
Then we walked through some rubber mats with "soapy" water in them. Chuck explained that the footbath was part of the food safety precautions they took in the plant, because of the potentially dangerous bacteria Listeria. So we all left slightly soapy-looking foot prints in our wake.

All of the processing equipment looked really interesting. We learned how the milk comes in and goes out at 40 degrees, but in between is heated to 166.9, which is the pasteurization point. It goes from that temperature back down to 40 degrees by being run through a chiller.And this thing has something to do with the butterfat content of whatever they are processing, but I can't remember what it does. Basically it sounds as if they separate the milk from the cream and then mix them back up in the right proportions (for skim, 2%, etc.).

The freestall open barn was interesting. The cows who were close to giving birth were on hay but the other cows we saw were "sand bedded", which was supposed to be comfortable for them. The cows were pretty non plussed by all of us walking through, and some were even comfortable getting pet on the head or neck.

Baerwolf Farms/Sassy Cow are going to be coming to the Cows on the Concourse with many other dairy farms and cows on Saturday June 7. It's a fun time with lots and lots of dairy foods to eat and cows to meet. Definitely recommended, especially if you can't get out to the farm.

I picked up some locally produced cheese and the ever-tasty Potter's Crackers from here in Madison, as well as a half-gallon of milk. It tickles me to drink milk from a farm I've seen, touched, and smelled.

Sassy Cow Creamery Milk is sold in Madison (I saw their Organic stuff at Woody's East for a mere 5.79 USD a gallon), and around Dane county. Check out their website for more info about the farms and dairy.

I definitely think a visit to The Sassy Cow Creamery is in our future again, even if they are not having a special event. It is a short drive with some really pretty scenery, and I'm sure we can find more places to visit nearby.

See Palmer's post for more pictures (including the cow about to give birth).

And he's humble too...

2008-05-23T13:42:00.003-05:00

Palmer and I at the Reptile Palace Orchestra show atop Monona Terrace Convention Center.

Lunch

2008-05-23T13:23:00.005-05:00

I had: Sushi from the cart on the corner of King and Pinckney.

Arch had: Coffee and a ham sandwich*.

*(metaphorical).

A Great Success

2008-05-19T12:53:00.006-05:00

Okay, so I didn't win *anything* in the raffle, and there were only three porta-potties this year (I swear there were at least 4 at past events), and I couldn't inveigle anyone in my family to come. Besides those small things, the 11th Annual WORT Block Party was a raging success. I even remembered to wear sun screen on my face so I only have the lightest hint of colour from my hours in the sun.

I think it is fair to say that this Block Party is a must attend tradition for me. Palmer had to be in Chicago, so unfortunately I was on my own for a chunk of the day, but there was plenty to see and do and tons of folks to talk to.

First off, I have to say that WORT volunteers are amazing. I can count myself in their number in an extremely limited capacity, but I see the same dedicated people at event after event, promoting the station, doing community events, and generally just being a presence off air. This was a great block party to be a part of and the block party goers and vendors were all pretty swell.

Cindy is the sweetest poodle. She was rocking a skull and crossbones doggie sweater. Last year I saw her hanging out in the basket of her human's bike. She's a WORT Block Party regular, too!

It was such a fun day! The weather was odd, partly cloudy most of the day, sometimes quite chilly until the sun came out, but it stayed dry. The music was fun, and I took pictures of all the bands but none of them came out very well. The Nob Hill Boys started the day off with bluegrass and had the crowd eating out of their hands by the end of the set.

Conspicuously absent from my photographic record are any pictures of the "No Crap on Tap" beer table, brought out by the Madison Homebrewers and Tasters. Considering how much time I spent near it, I don't know how I got away without even one photograph. How odd.

I did, however, get a picture of my first beer and my lunch. The beer was a Flanders Ned Red from Grumpy Troll in Mount Horeb. It was fresh and tangy with a sour flavour. Really nice beer. Went perfectly with my Dorowat on Injera from Buraka (so happy they were there this year).
I ran into lots of folks I knew, some who I inveigled to come down to the Block Party, some who were staff and volunteers at the station, and the rest just folks I've known from as far back as 18 years and as recently as a month. There were tons of families there, including one with a two-year old who was such a fan of Rockin' John that he made him a card. I overheard his folks saying that they listened to his show every week and the kid couldn't get enough. He was pretty thrilled to meet his radio hero.

Here are the friends of mine I managed to take pictures of, I'm kind of bummed that I didn't take *more* photos. I guess after 3 Grumpy Troll Beers (the Flanders, the Spetznaz Stout and the ass-kicking Maggie IPA) and a delicious Lake Louie Brew that I couldn't even finish, I wasn't much for picture taking.

E and M enjoying a Family Farm Defender's Grilled Cheese sammy.
Miss P and I in and end of the day embrace.N rocking the giraffe umbrella Me and Palmer's friend K
All in all it was a fabulous day. I highly recommend putting this on your to do list for 2009.

And the "lam" lies down on Broadway

2008-05-16T11:12:00.003-05:00

The weirdest thing about being with Palmer is how I will suddenly get a prog rock song stuck in my head and it will take me HOURS to get it out.

Playing Scrabulous just now I hit one out of the park with LAM in a corner (triple word and double letter I think) for 19 points.

And IMMEDIATELY, Genesis pops into my head...

Beers, Beats, Battlestar Galactica

2008-05-14T15:35:00.003-05:00

So I dragged myself out to Gomeroke last night and had a grand time. My dates bailed on me and Palmer had to be up early to travel out of town, so I was on my own. Hesitated on the sign up and found myself near the bottom of the second set - I really *did* try to pace myself (even drank some water, go me!), but I think it's safe to say I was not sober by the time I got up to sing.

Being their anniversary show, there were plenty of performers and audience members who were really revved up about the event, and some great performances. I will definitely be scheduling another Gomeroke night, because it is fun.

It was a good time, people were gracious afterward, and I ended up running into someone that I hadn't seen in a while and bitched about school, which is a nice thing to do every now and again. Got myself a nice cab home and was safe and sound in my bed by 1am watching Battlestar Galactica, which my friend T has been kind enough to addict me to.

Thanks, T!

Dreams

2008-05-13T06:08:00.002-05:00

I've been having lots of dreams lately, half-remembered (if that) once I wake.

Vaguely remember being on/watching a British quiz show where "what is longitude" was described very oddly, but it was the right answer.

A few nights ago had another strange dream which I cannot even remember now, but trust me, it was of the same ilk. I woke half remembering something which felt as though it had happened already.

Being able to describe one's dreams well is a talent I fear I lack at the moment.

The dreams themselves have been very vivid, at least.

Northside Farmer's Market: the non-review

2008-05-11T22:02:00.002-05:00

So Palmer and I managed to get ourselves to the Northside Farmer's Market this morning, and it was cold and rainy, and frankly, I had no patience for taking pictures or noting exactly what vendors were there.

I *do* know that I was able to use my Quest card to purchase tokens which I exchanged with vendors for food items. I picked up a bag of really nice (well washed) spinach, two bags of rhubarb, a few nice hot house tomatoes, some delicious italian sesame seed cookies (which were, apparently, my Mother's Day gift to myself, as I ate them all), and some green onions.

I used the tomatoes and spinach for M Day brunch, and I'm looking forward to making a crumb topped rhubarb pie tomorrow.

At some point later in the season I'll do a proper post with pictures and more of a rundown of what's available at the market. Today there were a lot of gorgeous flowers available, but I'm just not shopping for plants at the moment.

One nice touch were colourful paper bags with "Happy Mother's Day" stamped on them and little pansie plants inside, free for the taking. So I have one plant to try and keep alive. Wish me luck.

Gomeroke!

2008-05-10T15:26:00.003-05:00

This coming Tuesday is the Gomeroke 4 year anniversary party! I'm planning on getting to the show ($5, starts at 9), we'll see how that pans out.

Gomeroke is, to put it plainly, AWESOME.

Check out the Gomers here (MySpace warning), and their song list (and an explanation of Gomeroke) can be found here.

I'm thinking of "Harden my Heart" by Quarterflash, for my primadonna performance. I don't see the song on the list, but I'll email them beforehand to see if they can do it!

Holy Democracy, Batman

2008-05-09T20:45:00.000-05:00

Quest for local foods

2008-05-08T10:27:00.005-05:00

So, in case you didn't know, the Dulcinea is flat broke. Well, not busted, but due to medical complaints she hasn't been working for a while. Wisconsin Foodshare is back in play for our household (money for the little one, but not for me), so I'm looking forward to using our "Quest" card (the electronic replacement for paper food stamps) at the Willy St. Co-op to buy local foods.

The other place I'm even more excited about is the Northside Farmer's Market, where you can use your Quest card to purchase tokens and use those with each vendor (for qualified items).

The Northside Market is on Sundays, and I haven't gone this year (this past Sunday Opened the Market). Perhaps this week, as I'll be in the market for fresh local eggs and honey, never mind some good locally produced meat and whatever vegetable matter has become available thus far (ooh, it looks like RHUBARB and SPINACH are expected!!!! Squee!).

I'm really looking forward to it.

Local Eats

2008-05-07T19:14:00.002-05:00

I've been focusing on eating more locally produced things, which means getting my chocolate from Gail Ambrosius, my beer from anywhere in Wisconsin (more on beer another day) and this evening, my ice cream from The Chocolate Shoppe, via Woodman's.

Bobby Bryan Band at the Brink

2008-05-06T16:49:00.003-05:00

Finally getting out to see a little Non-Progressive rock this week:

Thursday at The Brink Lounge, 8pm.

Be there!

Bobby Bryan Band (warning, music/MySpace page, but if you can, listen to "Forty Days"!)

A little snippet from the last time Palmer and I head out to see the BBB at the BL can be seen here.

Green!

2008-05-05T10:44:00.001-05:00

Veggies at Viet Hoa Grocery store on Monona Drive.

Sunday

2008-05-04T17:54:00.002-05:00

What a beautiful day this turned out to be. For reasons known and unknown, I am thoroughly exhausted and can't seem to wake up fully.

Right now I've got half an hour until I am supposed to go play Legos Star Wars with the boy.

POWER NAP!

David Rees: Comic Genius

2008-04-30T15:19:00.000-05:00

Excuse me, but I have something to say about the Reverend Wright scandal.

Hello? Maybe you didn't hear me: I said, I have something to say about the Reverend Wright scandal.

OMG, You GUYS!!!!!111!!!

2008-04-28T17:00:00.003-05:00

It's been way too long since I have posted. The Dulcinea has been through all kinds of self-inflicted mess lately. Or biochemically inflicted mess, or meteorologically inflicted mess, take your pick.

Anyhow, today Palmer and I very nearly signed the lease for our new place. Very nearly but not quite as the landlady couldn't make it. But I cleaned my apartment and we are on for tomorrow!

Tonight is the 2nd Most exciting night of the month, as PROG is playing at the High Noon Saloon.
Although there is a rumour that they will not be playing "And You and I", it should still be good fun and I heartily recommend the show.

I'm planning on spending more time blogging here, but plans are easily foiled, so we will see. At the moment it's time for leftover Thai curry and sticky rice and maybe a game of Wii bowling to get me ready to ROCK later on tonight. Yes, life is good.

ETA: Forget Wii Bowling, Wii Boxing is where it's at. Wow, what a way to get out my aggressions.

I can't stand the rain

2008-03-31T20:22:00.002-06:00

I'm a little ashamed to admit this is the first time I have heard the original version of this song. I know it best from The Commitments.

But it gave me the shivers. I need to brush up on my R&B. Seriously.

Yeah, really cool

2008-03-19T22:04:00.001-06:00

Holy shite, your heroine is on the YouTube!
My life is now worth something.

The Dulcinea is Dead

2008-03-19T13:36:00.004-06:00

Long Live The Dulcinea!

Yep, Spring time is just around the corner, literally, I feel it licking at me. Unpleasantly. I find the riot of light in spring has a deleterious effect onmy ability to deal with both the inner and outer world.

But after the first rage of LIGHT and GREEN there is a calm, when trees have leaved and birds bred, and I can peek my head up from under the layers of winter hermitage and be a part of the outside world again.

The shades remain drawn, but the windows are open, and the air...the air is SO SWEET. Workmen across the street (one who peppers each sentence with 'fuck' as other people might say 'um') are intermittently making a great deal of noise, and then seeming to disappear, suddenly.

The melancholy Netflix selections (Human Nature, Winter Passing) are just perfect for my not-quite-ready-for-the-world mood today.

I'm trying out new philosophies, ways of thinking of myself my life. "Each day it's own day" is what just occurred to me. Yesterday does not have to be today, and today is not yesterday.

The Dulcinea is Dead, Long Live The Dulcinea!

I was commanded by anonymous to post

2008-02-14T13:02:00.001-06:00

Well, here it is!

Sick in bed, miserable, and angry about being too ill to bake Valentine's Day cookies.

And Hastings, I owe you an email!

Nothing.

2008-01-20T16:55:00.000-06:00

Seriously, there is nothing going on in my life right now. Besides the regular things (school, fam, boyfriend). It's fairly mellow. Downright dull.

And was pointed out to me by one of my three MySpace friends (after I'd bailed from MySpace after a month or so), I have social networking fatigue. I DO! I'm sick of blogging into the ether with little return.

That reminds me. Since I've got nothing going on, and I know you are reading this, why not comment here and let me know what's up with you? That'd be keen.

Fugees and Funyuns

2008-01-10T08:43:00.000-06:00

I need to LAUGH today.

Here's to hoping Hot Rod is way funnier than Talladega Nights.

I keep forgetting to put the Zack Galafinakis DVD onto my Netflix queue, but have rectified that situation this morning.

I can't be the only one

2008-01-06T17:09:00.000-06:00

...who walked out of Sweeny Todd really wanting a meat pie.

Soon to be a picture post

2007-12-28T12:32:00.000-06:00

Yes, soon, this spot will be held by a picture post. My new camera reveals that I am still very much a ham, still love taking self-portraits proving this, and still, IMHO, am totally cute.

So happy Christmas is over, looking forward to New Years Eve (is it New Year's Eve or the way I wrote it first?).

Today I'm pleasantly tired, gently hungover, and grateful that my car did not spin around in circles just now, in the slippery snow.

Ah, winter. Ah, beer (I so am thinking "hair of the dog", but my son has a friend over and I think that would just be wrong...).

So once I get my camera working and pics downloaded, I'll post some pics! Hooray for self-absorption!

Zach Galifiankis

2007-12-21T22:40:00.000-06:00

Wow, something could actually make me laugh today! It's a miracle!

Happy 50th post!

It's OVER!

2007-12-19T11:49:00.000-06:00

The semester from hell is over.
Except for that paper I got an extension on.

Please note, today is for hangovers and movies. And hopefully a nap.

"I need some fucking Whimsy"

2007-12-18T08:48:00.001-06:00

"I need some fucking Whimsy" is my reasoning for wearing the bright pink scarf I've got on today.

Finals Day. I plan to be at Ale Asylum for happy hour, we'll see if I make it there (I've been up since 2am after an early night in).

Hey, it *just* occurred to me that I could hit Gomeroke tonight! That is a very tempting idea. We'll see what I think if I'm still awake that late, lol.

Little Known Facts about The Dulcinea

2007-12-13T08:31:00.000-06:00

Ten Top Trivia Tips about Dulcinea!

The Eskimos have over fifty words for Dulcinea.
In Eastern Africa you can buy beer brewed from Dulcinea.
The colour of Dulcinea is no indication of her spiciness, but size usually is.
99 percent of the pumpkins sold in the US end up as Dulcinea!
Only fifty-five percent of men wash their hands after using Dulcinea.
Dulcinea cannot swim.
Reindeer like to eat Dulcinea!
Dulcineaolatry is the mindless worship of Dulcinea!
Dulcinea has 118 ridges around the edge.
Research indicates that Dulcinea will be attracted to people who have recently eaten bananas.

Do not think rough-housing will end well

2007-12-12T10:07:00.000-06:00

Never, ever, rough-house with me unless you want to a) hurt me and b) piss me off.

Because I *will* get hurt and I *will* hold a grudge.

You have been warned.

New Post / Inka Heritage

2007-12-10T08:47:00.000-06:00

Man, I've not done much of anything but sleep lately. Been sick, getting better, still feel like hell.

One thing I can do is rec a restaurant: Inka Heritage.

Check out their website. They've a gallery with pictures of many of the dishes. The one with the egg and the fried plantain is the Lomo Inka Heritage, which Palmer got, and that was tasty. The plantain in particular was very delicious.

I had the Lomo Saltado, which was very very tasty.

A nice place to bring folks from out of town, take a date or treat yourself. Yum!

OMG, I'm getting another cat

2007-12-03T07:57:00.001-06:00

My kitten (okay, she was a teenager at 14 months, a young [cat]woman), died Thanksgiving morning 2006, and we've thought about getting another cat. I think the "poop in a box" + vet bills (having to put a cat to sleep on a holiday? expensive AND devastating) has kept me from feeling as though I really wanted another cat.

But this? This is really too much to miss.

Kitty Wigs.

Oh yeah.

I think it's too late in the semester to work on adopting a cat from school (and by this time in the semester I'm too crazy to even consider it), but now I know, I need to share a wig, er, my heart and home, with a cat.

4 weeks

2007-11-29T23:30:00.000-06:00

Three weeks, actually, until I'm done with school
Oh man.
I think I just panicked.

Four weeks until Christmas time.
Three weeks until Finals week.

Yikes.
See you in Four weeks!

Melancholic Me.

2007-11-27T18:12:00.000-06:00

Just as I suspected. :P

Which of the Humours are you?

You are Melancholy. Melancholics are often gifted, even prone to genius. You are deep and thoughtful, but this can lead to your being too introspective, to the point of moodiness and depression when you find flaws within your self. You strive for perfection in all things, most especially your self and your immediate world. You are sensitive to the needs of others, and loyal to your friends, but can be hard to please. Melancholics do well in the Arts, science, and math.
Take this quiz!

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I broke my camera!

2007-11-25T09:46:00.001-06:00

Thanksgiving Day morning, I broke it good.

Considering that I had to put my precious 14 month old cat to sleep the Thanksgiving prior, I got off easy.

But now I need a new camera. I could get this one fixed, too.
Actually, that's a swell idea. But I have a weird feeling that it would cost more than an equivalent new camera would cost me...

I'll take it around and get an estimate if I can. It's just the (what's that thingy on the front called?) lens part which won't telescope properly, it's a bit jammed up.

That is all.

Wasting away

2007-11-21T07:12:00.000-06:00

I've been on this mission lately, tracking every thing I eat and trying to keep that mission (fairly unsuccessfully) from becoming an obsession. I've lost three lbs this week and before you congratulate me, I'm actually pretty freaked out about that. Three lbs a week is normal for the first and second weeks of a new weight loss effort, but the third week? That makes me nervous. Partly because it's not very safe for me personally (I can get all kinds of weird around this, it's happened before), partly because there's no guarantee I'm not losing muscle or even bone.

I'm taking a new medication which lists weight loss as a prominent side effect, and seeing as I'm getting random finger and toe tingling (another cool one), the rapid weight loss could be part of it. I'm just not understanding how eating three meals out yesterday (okay, dinner *was* only half a milk shake, not a proper dinner at all) could result in such a loss over three short days.

The other thing that comes with this drug is increased risk of osteoporosis, which has gotten me eating more calcium, in some sort of effort to prevent it from leeching too much from my blood. Who knows.

It's just that I don't want to let my desire to wear my awesome cute smaller summer clothes trump my knowledge of health and nutrition, and considering that my stupid nurse practitioner (the one who prescribed me these pills of doom/joy) was confident that her story of a patient of hers who lost 30 lbs in a month on the drug was "motivational", I'm not sure where I'll go if I do have a concern. My new and awesome Physician's Assistant, I guess.

So far I've been doing this for 23 days and lost 11 lbs. That should taper off ANYTIME now. Maybe Thanksgiving weekend will slow me down a bit. I just don't wanna lose all of my cuddly charm. No one would like that, most of all, me.

The new year approaches

2007-11-19T08:35:00.001-06:00

Okay, check it:

I am not a big fan of "the holiday season". In fact, in my head, I tend to think of it as "the dreaded holiday season". That may seem weird. Because things related to Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years are very pleasing to me.

Can I not eat me some pumpkin and pecan pies? Why yes I can. Do I not adore the nog of egg or the wass of ail? Why yes, I do. Is wrapping a pile full of artfully selected gifts not a singular joy? Why I rather think it is.

Was I not rocking the far too early Christmas tunes on the radio this past Friday as I cooked dinner? Did I not catch myself singing a Christmas carol just this morning as I cleaned the kitchen? Yes, constant reader, and yes.

But the whole: "OMG YAY WE'RE SO HAPPY AND PRESENTS ZOMG!!!! YAY!!!!"?

No.

I hate seeing my family and all of my friends (such as they are) are busy and everyone goes out of town. This year old man Schuck and I have some Hell Raising planned though, as long as his Baby Mamma and my Baby Daddy don't renege on their baby parenting duties.

Seriously, I'm looking forward to obsessive exercise, drinking to excess, and reviewing 18 chapters of Spanish so I don't feel like a fish out of water when I get to Spanish 4 in January. Wow, vacation never sounded so good, did it?

Something funny?

2007-11-14T07:36:00.000-06:00

I've got nothing to write about (and less to read as Palmer seems to have lost his muse over at Fearful Symmetries). Lately I've been relaxing into the rhythms of life (which is no mean feat for me), and working out.

Right now I've got a living room floor full of clean laundry. It had to move there because piled up on my bed, it prevented my going to sleep last night. The Netflix films I've had for 2+ weeks are just sitting there on top of the TV. I guess I wasn't ready to rewatch Children of Men after all. I thought perhaps I'd watch it this morning. But it's gonna be another beautiful and unseasonably warm day (52 in mid-November in Wisconsin!?!?), so spending the morning inside seems criminal.

Here's something funny. I'm nearly ready to start looking for a job. "Nearly Ready" means: I no longer get hives thinking about going to an office day after day. [oh, wait, writing that sentence gave me hives. perhaps I spoke too soon?]

My last exam in Anthro made me realize I've begun to catch up with myself. Actually, surpassed myself, intellectually. It's like my brains aren't any better than they were a few years ago but I've figured out how to USE them. That's a good thing. Still aimless as ever, but I seem to be able to hear and then use information well.

In the next few minutes I will be deciding what the next couple of hours will hold. My deepest yearning is to lay in bed and drink water. I'm not kidding. That sounds so wonderful to me. Hey, that's kind of funny (not intentionally so, but hey I'll take it)! There, I did it.

Cow

2007-11-12T06:53:00.000-06:00

From the Cows on the Concourse 2006 - I wonder where all the cows are now?

Also, why didn't I really take any pictures in 2007? At least I've started up again.

If you can read this, you are a genius!

2007-11-09T09:46:00.001-06:00

Look for the Union Label

2007-11-08T14:52:00.001-06:00

I come from a long line of Union folks, so it's heartening to see a picket line in the news (organized labour is so passe these days!) - here's a video from United Hollywood showing office writers/cast members talking about the strike.

A hot bath

2007-11-06T22:54:00.000-06:00

The weather has turned cold, and I'm saving up for something good so I haven't yet turned on my heat. The apartment is a surprising 70 degrees, which I'm happy about, considering it's 34 with a 27 degree wind chill outside.

I remain adamant about not being quite ready for the weather.

The one nice thing the cold brings back are long hot soaks in the tub, which is where I'm headed momentarily. I'm hoping the hot water will have a soporific effect and I'll be able to sleep closer to 8 hours (my favourite amount of sleep is 9 hours a night, but I haven't pulled that off in a long time) than I have in the past couple of weeks.

UPDATE: I got nearly 7 hours! Maybe I can do it again tonight...

Because I care

2007-11-05T15:30:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I went to look up the telephone number of Walgreens so my poor asthmatic kid can get an inhaler refill, when I notice there is a "Sexual Wellness" tab and of course, I must click on it.

And following some interesting sounding links (come on, "STDs and Ecological Niches"? That is a must click), I get to this CRAZY image.

It is somehow deeply disturbing, I think you will agree. But wait, there's more. Here is the text:

Many sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs) invade the host and reside for long periods of time without killing the host. A good example is syphilis, which may reside in its host for 30 to 50 years. HIV also can take 10 or more years to kill its host, allowing plenty of time to spread the infection.

But really I'm super fascinated that Walgreens will ship a Liberator Wedge or some De La Cruz Super Macho High Potency Formula with Bovine Glandular Concentrate Capsules straight to my home.

It's all so wholesome seeming, but seedy at the same time.

I was born to blog/Talk to me/Thank you for being a friend

2007-11-01T17:41:00.000-06:00

For reals, tho'. I've been a self-involved diarist since I learned how to hide a notebook. When I started blogging I felt so incredibly anonymous, it was great. In this forum I'm known to a few and that's fine. Most of the time I keep my business out of it.

Lately I have begun to see that I have a talent of sorts, and that is getting people to tell me things about themselves. It only works with people I'm actually interested in hearing about, and is strangely ineffective on Palmer. He can resist my verbal charms like no one else on the planet. At least he isn't immune to *all* of my charms.

Today I had a nice conversation with one of my professors and I left feeling as I hope others feel after we talk. As though a burden were lifted from my shoulders, as though someone understood my situation. And that was really nice. I'm not all that good of a counselor, and not always that good of a listener, but I am rediscovering the curative powers of a good conversation.

Later on I had a brief but moving conversation with a woman in my class. She looked really sad and I walked up to her and hugged her (I didn't even ask her permission, and we are not friends in class, but she looked so lost). Then she told me something really sad, her reason for looking so devastated, and I hugged her again, and this time she grabbed me back and held on. I wanted to sit next to her and just hold her. In hind sight I kind of wish I had. She was really hurting.

Apparently my misanthropy isn't as hardcore as I'd thought.

Although I can't recommend that everyone hug people without permission (I can get away with it sometimes for reasons I am hoping are not related to my becoming 'matronly'), I do encourage the offering of a heartfelt condolence to someone who looks sad.

And although it is very difficult to do sometimes, I also offer a recommendation to take the kindness offered freely by others, especially when you need it.

It's not often I get to quote the Spice Girls Movie, but it's true, "a smile costs nothing."

The past couple of weeks have been odd - I'm not sure what it is, but I've been connecting with people as I haven't felt able to in a long time. It is fantastic, but I'm afraid I'm going to overwhelm everyone with my enthusiasm. Ah, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Ween07

2007-10-31T17:27:00.000-06:00

Homestarrunner's Ween 07

I'm so happy, cuz today I found my friends, they're in my head

2007-10-30T22:01:00.000-06:00

I feel like taking pictures of stuff is very important. Helps me remember what happened before now.

I've got some great pictures of Olbrich Gardens. Great, except I realized that I've taken the same picture of a rose about 50 times. They all turn out great, but I guess I don't need that many. I just thought it was pretty amazing that roses were still blooming this late in the season.

Since the next two days are crazy for me, I'm going to forget about posting them until the weekend or next week. But they'll be ~~fantastic~~ ~~worth waiting for~~ fun to see. I promise.

Here's a little live Polyphonic Spree doing Nirvana's "Lithium".

Who do you love?

2007-10-28T13:05:00.000-06:00

This weekend I am totally loving on Beer.

When you feel like you've got not a friend in the world*, a nice cold beer isn't the worst companion.

In other news, my DVD player is acting all crazy and I'm not thrilled about that. I rented crappy movies for a REASON, and that was to WATCH THEM.

At least I have you, Fallen Apple.

*I'm such a sad sack, I had a really lovely brunch with some fantastic women at the not-as-tony-as-I'd-thought Sardine. The White cheddar grits are amazing!

It's not paranoia if they are really out to get you

2007-10-22T17:15:00.000-05:00

Conspiracy theories are a guilty pleasure of mine. I can't buy into much, so they don't take hold for me, but I do like the genre of thrillers-involving-big-government-cover-up.

Today's film, Shooter, which has all of the requisite themes, plot points and characters, has been a fun romp so far. I've got to go pick up the boy from afterschool so the ending will have to wait until after he goes to bed.

I came here for a reason

2007-10-17T09:51:00.000-05:00

Was it to write about the sex dream I had this morning? It *was* pretty awesome, although now I can't remember who the other woman was.

No, that wasn't it.

Perhaps it was to write about the fire I nearly set in my kitchen this morning? I was not at all awesome, but it didn't cause any damage, aside that to my ego.

Nah, I couldn't want to write about that.

Maybe it's the surprising day of unseasonably lovely sunny weather we are having. That is definitely nice. And looking out my windows I see naught but green leaves on the trees. Now *that* is odd.

That could be it. That's why I'm here. To say "it's a beautiful day", and also to mention that I am a big fan of New Glarus Staghorn and Capital Oktoberfest beers this year.

And that I'm nearly a bus rider again. And that I suddenly got a craving for Thin Mint cookies.

Okay, that's it.

The Fat Rant, mark II

2007-10-11T09:37:00.000-05:00

Joy Nash follows up her fabulous Fat Rant with Confessions of the Compulsive.

Let there be funk, and let it begin with me

2007-10-01T19:04:00.000-05:00

Man, what I need is to have a house full of people dancing to some Parliment, the air redolent with marijuana smoke and a tumbler full of sweet red wine.

Also, a halter top.

"sometimes I spend too much time volunteering"

2007-09-28T13:55:00.001-05:00

Last night was the premiere of The Office. I think I speak for many people when I say Jenna Fischer looked really cute.

I don't have much to say about the show, but I do want to say that TV with commercials just sucks. They are so distracting!

Ooh Pasties!

2007-09-25T09:04:00.000-05:00

No, not pasties, pasties! Pervert.

Specifically, Cornish Pasties. This weekend is the Mineral Point Cornish Festival and Palmer, M, and I are heading out Saturday to enjoy the culture, primarily through food.

There is a Miner's buffet featuring Beef Pasty, Beef Pie with Dumplings, Beets with honey and horseradish (yum), and something called figgyhobbin, which absolutely intrigues me.

Why Cornish Fest? Well, firstly there is almost no reason to miss cultural celebrations with food, but more importantly, my youngest is a bit Cornish (indeed, his grandfather has visited the town which bears their surname - I've seen the picture), and I like the idea of learning more about that part of his background. Plus, FIGGYHOBBIN.

Mineral Point is just far enough away to seem like a drive and close enough to not feel too far away. It has a bunch of old buildings and I'm looking forward to seeing people dressed up in 'traditional' Cornish gear.

Oh what a night

2007-09-20T14:58:00.000-05:00

So IRL I've been mired in my bio/brain nightmare and having trouble dealing with the unfeeling bureacracy at school, but on Tuesday night, I kicked up my heels, killed a few brain cells and had a great time which I only half remember.

First things first: I'm officially a big fan of Capital Breweries Oktoberfest. Tasty stuff, and at happy hour at the High Noon, 2-for-1. Secondly, not eating dinner and then drinking all night means a hangover. Nothing more to that. On the up side, not eating means less queasy stomach. It also means smelling like booze the next day, which I'm sure was fun for the moms I drove with to get to our kids' field trip. I chewed gum, but I know when I'm beat...

Thirdly, I have absolutely no idea who played (that is, what show I was supposed to be there watching). I know it was more dirge-y and emo than I could handle, so I spent a great deal of the evening outside talking loudly to strangers (hi everybody!).

And lastly, Gomeroke ROCKS.
I love it, both as a participant and and audience member.

It was fun to talk to people, say inappropriate things to strangers and new friends alike, and general party like I just didn't care. It's been a while. Of course, now I remember *why* it's been a while, because I feel sheepish for being so drunken and insane, plus I'm still tired even after a nap yesterday and a pretty good night's sleep last night.

Oh well, I wasn't driving, and I needed a kick in the pants.

I've got questions.

2007-09-18T08:36:00.000-05:00

All I want are answers.

Suicide Prevention Week

2007-09-15T15:06:00.000-05:00

So I've missed blogging on Suicide Prevention week - or to me more precise, NEARLY missed it.

It's Suicide Prevention week (until midnight tonight*). A fact which has kind of got me down. Maybe because I've got three of the six warning signs (four if you include the bottle of Spanish Red I'm thinking of tucking into)? I dunno.

The Suicide Prevention Resource Center is a good place for lots and lots of info on helping prevent suicides.

I know that when I was trying to get help for someone in my life who was threatening suicide it was very tough. The system is pretending to be on the side of those who need help, but honestly, is made up of individuals who can be as petty and unhelpful as any of us. So if you are in need of help, don't stop looking for it.

Sometimes we ask for help from people who are not able to give it to us, and we need to keep looking. Words to live by.

*You get Sunday off to prepare for National Singles Week, National Rehabilitation Week, National Farm Animals Awareness Week, National Pollution Prevention Week, and National Surgical Technologist Week.

Oh, hell no

2007-09-14T14:57:00.000-05:00

I've had 12 hours sleep over three nights...

So damn tired I can't see straight.

Every time I lay my body down for just a wee bit of a nap?

Nada.

I haven't even had any coffee today, in the vain hope it will help me fall asleep.

I know alcohol is actually bad for deep sleep, but I'm seriously thinking of trying to induce sleep with some red wine...

Wish me luck.

Viva Blackpool!

2007-09-06T10:08:00.000-05:00

I'm in the midst of watching Blackpool, which is absolutely fantastic, and it strikes me what romantics many of us are without realizing it.

On the surface, I don't think of myself as romantic at all, but some things just hit me a certain way (read: in my gut) and I think it's because of that very romantic vein inside me. I suppose it's that romance, like anything else, comes in different flavours, but passion, love, and devotion are (nearly) universal.

The series is very nice, it reminds me a bit of The Sopranos only with less swearing, fewer strippers, and musical numbers. And much less 'whacking'. And...much more endearing characters.

And David Tennant.

Appled out

2007-09-02T22:02:00.000-05:00

Palmer and I visited an apple orchard yesterday, and I have been eating apples ever since. The orchard in Poynette has little DIY kits: Apple muffin mix, apple pie filling in a jar, and what I picked up, a caramel apple set which consists of caramel goop and some sticks. I usually just make my own caramel goop, but this set looked so easy and fuss free, I went for it.

There are no pictures, we only made a few, and then we ate a few, while we watched 'Revenge of the Sith'. I will never ever like that movie, but I will always love the General Grievous/Obi-Wan fight scene, always ~~secretly~~ wishing Grievous would win. I won't get myself started.

Today I think I'm going to throw a mess of apples in the slow cooker for apple sauce. We've got to get these apples eaten as Palmer has designs on returning next week for cider!

Who knew?

2007-08-24T15:00:00.000-05:00

So this is not my "real" blog, not really. My hope for this space was a more anonymous version of my regular blog, one that doesn't contain so much biographical (or biological) information about me. Fewer gripes, less talk about medical diagnosis, economic status and other personal things.

So who knew that I don't actually have much else going on in my life?

Actually, I have lots of films on my plate and under my belt from the past few weeks. I've been watching some TV, most of it unremarkable (well, except to insult). And I've been getting reacquainted with my old stomping grounds, the near East Side.

There are things to talk about but it seems as soon as the tubes were installed at my place (and I figured out how to get my DSL modem to be wireless so I can hang out in the kitchen and look up recipes and stuff!), the muse left me. Took her sisters, shut up shop and went far far away. I'm hoping it's just a late summer vacation and that inspiration isn't moving to the Twin Cities, or Austin, or Portland.

I think I'm going to write about walking, because that is my favourite part of my new neighbourhood. I can WALK places. I've been to Gail Ambrosius and Willy St. Co-op, and some night I'm gonna head over to Babs' for a po' boy, or Mickey's for a drink. Also walking means I am out of doors, which means I see people.

Tonight I'm breaking down boxes and finally finishing the assembly of my new TV "armoire" (it has 27 pages of directions. TWENTY-SEVEN.) - and then putting my new teevee in it (it's funny that I'm putting my TV in the armoire to prevent it from becoming the centerpiece of the living room, when the box for the TV says "the centerpiece for your life"), hooking up the receiver and DVD player (and hell, maybe even the VCR for shits and giggles), and watching a movie. Also, baking a batch of banana bread and chocolate chip cookies. I'm feeling like spending the weekend holed up and watching movies, but the weather is going to clear and when that happens I have to go out. But just in case, there are cookies.

At this very moment my 4 hours of sleep (haven't been able to get to bed this week) are dragging me down and I need to get focused on either slogging through or taking a cat nap. I do have clean sheets...

OH NOES NO TUBES!

2007-08-13T10:21:00.000-05:00

I don't have phone or internet access at my new place yet. I am in psychic pain, and have been drinking too much coffee because I keep going to coffee shops to get a fix of the good stuff.

Srsly. Scks.

Also, I need to unpack. And buy furniture. And get a roll of quarters, because not everything should air dry.

Also?

Hmmm. Other stuff. Lots and lots of it.

K, off to look at more news. I gotta have it!

Sunshine

2007-08-02T22:54:00.000-05:00

Went to see the new Danny Boyle flick, Sunshine, at the ~~rip-off~~ fabulous Sundance 608 theater tonight.

It's being marketed in that stupid way in which really good films too often are, badly. If you've seen an ad for it that doesn't appeal, ignore it and get yourself to the theater.

It's a film which demands to be seen on the big screen. Catch it while you can.

And after you've seen it, check out the movie site.

Love is a Psychopath

2007-08-01T22:38:00.000-05:00

If you haven't been watching Jekyll*, you really ought to.

Palmer and I just finished watching the last of the six episodes and they did a really wonderful job with the mini series overall.

*just started this past weekend on BBC America, or as always, available from a tube on the interweb at your convenience.

Muy interesante

2007-07-28T20:27:00.001-05:00

BBC NEWS | Americas | BBC team make US Spanish journey:

I just lugged my box of Spanish stuff up from Palmer's basement, and at some point tonight I'm going to open it, take out my book, and review the first two chapters. I've got 4 weeks to review for Spanish 3, and considering how little I've practiced, there is much to do. I wonder how a 16 week semester will go - I took two semesters of español in sixteen weeks this spring, and did well, hopefully the slower pace will work for me!

Now back to Harry Potter. It's been a long time since I've read so much in one sitting - I forgot, a bit, how it feels to immerse myself in a book.

Cheesy

2007-07-27T11:55:00.001-05:00

On the way down to the Overture Center last night, we stopped at the House of Cheese and snapped a picture. LOLZ.

I know the cat-captioning thingy is played out, but it makes me laugh anyhow.

Happy Birthday Palmer!

The non-contagious non-epidemic

2007-07-27T10:22:00.001-05:00

I am, by standards such as the BMI, obese. I won't beg to differ with that, I just choose to ignore it. I'm well aware of my body size and composition, and I've decided to use different standards to gauge my physical health.

By now you've likely heard of the new study which "proves" that fat is "contagious". Unfortunately, that representation is just not very accurate, and it makes some annoying (and possibly harmful) assumptions.

Being fat is avoidable
Being fat is abnormal
Being fat is baaaaaaad

Would I rather be less fat? I can cop to that. Should I spend my life worried about it (which is what a diet ends up doing - making me obsess about everything I eat)? No fckng way.

For some people, being fat is unavoidable - they start out in childhood with extra weight and just stay that way - for others it's medication related (example: I gained 30 lbs when I was taking lithium this past fall, the weight just PILED on, and for the most part didn't leave when I stopped the meds), or as for many women, related to a medical condition such as PCOS (Poly-Cystic Ovarian Syndrome).

Being fat is just as normal as being skinny, being thin, being average. Over the whole of human history, there have been fat people. Look to art, folk and fine, for proof of that. Fat men and women are people, just like non fat people are. The idea that fat isn't normal is prevalent and harmful.

This last one is the toughest idea to address - that fat is bad. Fat is fat. Being unhealthy is bad, yes, but FATNESS DOES NOT EQUAL BAD HEALTH. At my heaviest my cholesterol numbers were well below 200, and my overall health good. My blood pressure was also good, although I will concede that it's got better when I was thinner, I do think my life was a lot more stressful (married life, finances), so that was likely a factor.

The "facts" (PDF) that fat people are less healthy, have greater mortality, will always be prone to diabetes and heart disease are not as iron clad as some people would have you believe. The dangers (or to be more mild, harmful effects) of repeated weight loss and gain [yo-yo-ing] are becoming very clear. And the fact is that for people who tend toward heavy, dieting can lead to a slower metabolism, and a weight loss is logically followed by weight gain as their bodies attempt to 'normalize' after a period of deprivation.

Right now in my life I am healthier and happier than I've been in years, really. AND I'm fat. Make of that what you will.

I've ready many, many excellent reactions to this study and how it's being presented (and misrepresented) in the media right now.

Always good are Kate Harding, Harriet Brown and many of the bloggers who are aggregated on this feed.

A good one stop shop for discussion of this study (lots of links) is from On The Whole, and is worth a look.

Please don't think I am not saying that diet, eating habits and other things should not be examined and tweaked to promote optimal health, because I'm not. The food in our school cafeterias alone has me hyperventilating more often than not (filled with hidden sugar, for one thing), nevermind the orgiastic portions at restaurants and the hard-sell advertising to kids and adults alike.

But to base our ideas about what is good for us by if it's "okay" or "good" or "guilt-free" instead of by common sense factors such as if we are hungry, and what our bodies need and request is only asking for trouble. We are given tastebuds and an appetite for a reason. Learning to listen to and respect your body is the best way to open yourself up to better health. I know that when I am craving an apple, I'd better get one, and that when I want chocolate shoppe zanzibar chocolate ice cream, I'm happiest when I *have* it, rather than punishing myself because I *shouldn't*.

Fat Hatred is very real, and it isn't something that fat people can easily avoid. The worst part of it is how it twists EVERYONE's mind up, so that standards of beauty are narrow, and we spend too much time judging ourselves and others by these narrow standards. As hard as it is to re-program my thinking, I'm happy that I've starting to really engage with the struggle to love and accept myself on this level - it has unlocked self acceptance on other levels - in therapy I feel things falling into place and I'm thrilled to be leaving behind messages I got from my parents when I was 6. After 30 years, it's time to let them go.

And too, time to let go of the idea that there is an epidemic. There ARE problems with the way we eat in the US, the way we work, the way health care is distributed, they way we are disconnected from our bodies, but all the fat-free yogurt in the world isn't gonna change that. Free your mind, and the rest will follow.

That tasted so damned good

2007-07-26T15:59:00.000-05:00

It made me want to jump back and kiss myself, this lunch I ate today:

Yesterday I picked up a bunch of groceries at Willy St. Co-op. I don't shop there often (once a month, I'd guess), but when I do, I get something delicious that I can't get elsewhere.

This time, I picked up some Willy St. Guac (insanely expensive) and some of their Salsa de Cilantro, which I'd never tried before.

Anyhow, long story short, both the guac and the salsa were excellent. I'd go so far as to say that they were both sublime. Srsly.

With some blue corn chips and some really flavorful organic celery, it was a pretty tasty lunch.

Tonight we're heading downtown to see Palmer's bff, Matt Rothschild, and before hand we are gonna try out that new Neopolitan pizza place.

If I were a good blogger, that last sentence would have three links in it. But I am in a hurry, so it doesn't.

Also, Palmer is turning 35 tomorrow! Boyfriend Birthday Blogging imminent.

Brain Candy

2007-07-25T14:46:00.000-05:00

One of my favourite things about staying with Palmer, besides the wonderful company, is the cable. I am taking a day off from being productive and doing things I haven't done in a while, mainly sitting on the couch, painting my nails and watching TV.

I watched Brain Candy just now. That was amusing.

Tomorrow I start brushing up on Spanish in anticipation of Spanish 3 this fall.

Today, no plans but cooking dinner and making M's lunch for camp tomorrow.

Impulse shopping

2007-07-21T00:52:00.000-05:00

Going to the Mac store with a months-long desire for a macbook and a healthy bank balance reminds me of going out on a perfect summer night horny and looking hott: you are not going home alone.

M and I went to the mall (which is something I do a few times a year), and I went to "look" at macbooks. An hour later I walked out with a shiny white macbook and a "free" ipod. I am feeling a bit of guilt for spending money on myself, but right now I am very very happy with my purchase.

M and I started the day by going to see three apartments, one of which thrilled us both to pieces. M was incredibly excited to see the play area, and we both loved the sunniness of the apartment. They are taking out the carpet in the common areas and replacing it with cork before the next tenants come in - we put our application in this afternoon and hopefully we are gonna get it.

Wish us luck.

Home. For now.

2007-07-18T06:19:00.000-05:00

Here I am in Palmer's inner sanctum, feeling neither witty nor particularly inspired. I'm fucking tired! Staying at Palmer's place while I find an apartment, and while it's my home away from home anyway, I'm still getting used to being here during the times I'd usually be at home. It's a great house with all of and more than the comforts of home, so that makes it easier.

Here's what I'm thinking of doing (for the rest of) this summer:

Milwaukee:
Public Museum
Art Museum
Hang out at Alterra Coffee (the one near the lake)
Visit Miss Pam and Neko and Bill
Africa Fest (M's B-day weekend)
Wisconsin State Fair
Sprecher Tour

NY:
Visit my friend B in Brooklyn
Show at the Public Theater
Buy another pair of Hello Kitty knock off earrings.

Greater WI:
Brewery Tours up Nort'
Mustard Museum, Trollway, etc. - Mount Horeb
Spring Green and Timon of Athens at APT
Sun Prairie Corn Fest
Devil's Lake daytrip

With this ring...I thee biodamp

2007-07-13T12:24:00.001-05:00

M and I are taking a lunch break, eating subs (man, I forgot how much crap one eats while in the midst of packing - I can't wait for a relaxed homecooked meal again), watching the Doctor Who Christmas special from last year. It's good fun.

I have been up since midnight, and I'm ready to go to bed, thank you very much.

Economy, $1,300 - First class, $13,000

2007-07-12T01:16:00.000-05:00

No kidding.
Contemplating a ticket to the Edinburgh fringe festival (three weeks hence) and found a round trip economy ticket for between $1200 USD and $1450 USD.

Decide to check on how much first class tix would cost and just have to say -wha?!?

They are 10x the cost of economy! WTP?

In other news, why am I looking at round trip tix to events half way around the world? ~~Three words~~ Six syllables: coffee at 9pm.