it's alive!

I always thought I had the least green thumb ever; I almost always kill every single houseplant I bring home, unless I can manage to bring it to my parents' house in time so that my father can nurse it back to health (and ultimately keep it). However, of all things, I have somehow managed to cultivate what people say is one of the most difficult houseplants to keep alive -- an orchid. It's just started budding again:


Maybe there's something to that whole "labor of love" thing -- Dan brought it home for me last Valentine's Day, so it could be that I have some kind of subconcious desire to really keep it thriving. But, with that superstition in mind, I dread the day that the plant starts dying! :(

I'll just keep my fingers crossed (and my plant watered). xoxo

Currently Reading:
	TITLE: Cunt: A Declaration of Independence AUTHOR: Inga Muscio

yummy

This weekend was pretty quiet; I spent several hours on Friday stress-testing Lord of the Rings Online, but I can't really say much about that (confidentiality agreements & whatnot).

On Saturday, my sister Bethany & I went to the BPL to help set up for the book sale (held every few months) that will be taking place next week (10-4 at Copley!). We had a great time going through old books (especially cookbooks), and we even picked up some treasures to take home for ourselves (I got a beautiful copy of The Two Towers, and a vegetable cookbook). I spent the rest of the day not doing much of anything (knitting & watching movies & reading, mostly, with a bit of LotRO beta-testing again), until I ran out to meet Sally for a cup of coffee, and then Dan & I went to see Children of Men. (I couldn't get over how packed it still was; it's been out for a month! But it is a good movie, even on a repeat viewing, so I guess the crowd makes sense.)


On Sunday, I finally got to spend some time with Karen again! We don't get to see each other nearly as often as we should, but luckily we both had a free day yesterday & managed to get together. Karen came to the North End & we spent the afternoon baking delicious cookies (recipe here) with loads of chocolate on top (we went a bit crazy with the drizzling, hehe), talking lots, and eating Chinese. It was such a fun day! We had a ton to catch up on.

Now, it's back to the grind of the normal work week. I don't have much planned for this week's evenings, but I do love my quiet nights at home (at least, for the time being), so I am not complaining. xoxo

p.s. Duh, I almost completely forgot: I finished another scarf this morning! This one was made for my sister Sarah, requested after she saw the one I knitted Tanya:


pattern: Knit Star Scarf
yarn: Bernat Satin in Crimson & Ebony

Currently Reading:
	TITLE: Cunt: A Declaration of Independence AUTHOR: Inga Muscio

people of the sun

Dan & I are now the proud owners of a pair of 3-day passes to Coachella! I've always wanted to go, but in the past that's been because Tool was playing. This year, they aren't expected (I'm very disappointed), but Dan is thrilled to see that Rage Against the Machine is playing their first set together in years! I'm excited for several other performances, too: Against Me!, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Willie Nelson, Air, the Roots, Crowded House, Jose Gonzalez, etc., etc., etc.!

Now, we just have to make our travel plans: flights, hotels, etc. Lots to get settled & only about 90 days to do it! Eep. But, I think it will be well worth it (despite the cost I cannot afford right now; this will largely be Dan's trip, with me pitching in as I can, sigh).

I just wish we were going to be at all close to the few people I know out in California...xoxo

Currently Reading:
	TITLE: Cunt: A Declaration of Independence AUTHOR: Inga Muscio
	TITLE: The Dirty Girls Social Club AUTHOR: Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez

Mr. Penguin

Dear Marsha,

I love it!!!


So adorable. Thank you so much.

love & kisses,
Arianna

p.s. For those of you who aren't Marsha, that's a clever Harry & David "tower" filled with yummy goodies. Yay!

p.p.s. I suppose I should have taken the tape off the top of his head before snapping a picture, but oh well. He's still great.

Currently Reading:
	TITLE: Cunt: A Declaration of Independence AUTHOR: Inga Muscio
	TITLE: The Dirty Girls Social Club AUTHOR: Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez

rah rah FHS

I stole this from Jess, although she did it as a MySpace post. I am afraid, because of the level of detail, that this might not be interesting to anyone that didn't go to high school with me...and even then, maybe still not! Feel free to skip it.

Fill this out about your YEARS of high school:

1. Who was your best friend?
Jen, Marsha, Chandra, Steph, JB.

2. What sports did you play?
Volleyball.

3. What kind of car did you drive?
The Tercel from Hell (red, with a sunflower painted on the gas door, courtesy of Bethany) until it broke on me (several times, in the middle of intersections!), then my lovely grey Honda Accord, after learning to drive standard (I'll never go back).

4. It's Friday night, where were you?
Oh, probably either at one of Kasia's infamous co-ed sleepover parties, or hanging out with the girls.

5. Were you a party animal?
Hah! No.

6. Were you considered a flirt?
Apparently I grew into that role because I was told in college that I was the flirtiest person my friends knew, but I never ever felt comfortable being that way...I think I just tried to be friendly to everyone, but when it came to the boys I actually liked, I would clam up & get all anxious! Lame.

7. Ever skip school?
No, although because I was "good", I was able to leave school early at times, especially if I had to do something like run errands for Student Council (yes, THAT is the kind of high schooler I was!).

8. Were you a nerd?
I liked computers at the time, but I didn't live them (not like now, heh). I wasn't on the popular end of the spectrum (not by a long shot), but I had my friends & had my fun. But I definitely did take the nerdy AP classes & stuff, so yeah. Although I didn't spend nearly as much time studying as I probably should have.

9. Did you get suspended/expelled?
Nope, worst I got was detention! And that was only once or twice....

10. Can you sing the fight song?
Ugh, yes, thanks to our volleyball bus rides requiring we sing that & "three cheers for the bus driver" on the way back from every away game.

"Dear old Farmington High School,
We'll be true to thee.
Maroon and grey our colors,
May they always float to the sky.
Praise our sweet victories,
And may they always say
(HEY HEY HEY!)
Forever we'll be loyal,
To dear old Farmington Hi-i-igh!"

Hey, I said I knew how to sing it, I never said I liked it! In fact, I find it pretty ridiculous.

11. Who was your favorite teacher?
Mr. Nelson & Bart (I can't spell his full last name, but that is what we called him!). Both by leaps and bounds, I think because they treated us much more like college students than high schoolers. Mr. Brewster (art) was pretty great, too. And Ms. Antonio was a fantastic yearbook advisor, although I can't vouch for her teaching skills!

12. Favorite class?
Every English class, no question. I also liked Computer Science when I was allowed to do extra credit projects (because they wouldn't let me automatically enter AP Computer Science, even though I knew what I was doing in regular CS!). And I have good memories of art class.

13. What was your school's full name?
Farmington (Senior?) High School.

14. School mascot?
The Indian...so not PC.

15. Did you go to Prom?
Yes, my senior & the senior when I was a junior, but not my own junior prom.

16. If you could go back and do it over, would you?
I don't think I want to go BACK, but I wouldn't mind being able to "redo" with the perspective & knowledge I have now...would be so interesting to see...but then again, I do (now) think the learning experience was worthwhile. So, probably no.

17. What do you remember most about graduation?
Hugging Andrew's mom (she was the board of ed. president) onstage, because I was just that happy about graduating! Haha.

18. Who was your high school sweetheart?
There's a difference between my high school crush (that I harbored for 4 years, including one after I had graduated) vs. sweetheart, isn't there? I didn't have the typical "sweetheart", although at various times I would have considered the boys I dated (Ryan, James, another Ryan, Jon) to be that.

19. Where were you on senior skip day?
Did we have one? I was probably at school, then....

20. Did you have a job your Senior year?
I did right after I graduated, but that probably doesn't count. I didn't have time between all my activities, especially yearbook editing, which kept me & Renee after school at times until 8 or 9 at night! (And I was lucky enough not to have to get one.)

21. Where did you go most often for lunch?
Well, that changed a lot because our cafeteria had a complete overhaul after my sophomore year, but in general it was the same table everyday, with the people I knew the best (I wouldn't say "friends" because while I think they were now, I was too shy & self-effacing to allow myself to consider them that, then. And my closest friends were never in the same lunch wave as me!).

22. Have you gained weight since then?
I don't think so -- I think I can still fit into any of the clothes I wore. In fact, I might have lost a bit (but I don't know for sure).

23. What did you do after graduation?
That night? The chem-free grad party, then breakfast at the Apple-something Diner with a big group (they hated us there). Then...? Who knows. Probably tried to spend a lot of time with my friends.

24. When did you graduate?
1999!

25. Who was your Senior prom date?
Jon; he didn't go to my school. We met at YAG. So I had to ask him. :) (And even though we were dating, he didn't take me to his own, because his stupid best friend Kathleen didn't have a date because her older boyfriend thought proms were stupid! Which I generally agree with, but still.)

26. Are you going to your 10 year class reunion?
Meh, probably, although I'm not really looking forward to it. Our 5 year one (a gathering in a local bar, basically) was just kind of weird.

27. Who was your home room teacher?
Um, it changed every year, but...I remember it being Bart when I was a sophomore, and then that cute little grey-haired lady who taught sociology for my junior or senior year...? Hmm. I am bad at this. I do remember my junior year homeroom was in a new wing that hadn't yet been connected, so during the wintertime when we had to go to our lockers, I was bitching nonstop about having to freeze just to get our books! Oh, and freshman year my homeroom was upstairs, so I had some language teacher or another for homeroom...maybe Mme Christolini?

28. Who will repost this after you?
Will anyone? This isn't the best meme, but it was interesting to remember all this.

POST THIS WITH YOUR SCHOOL NAME

Currently Reading:
	TITLE: Cunt: A Declaration of Independence AUTHOR: Inga Muscio
	TITLE: The Dirty Girls Social Club AUTHOR: Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez

adieu, my dear NHC...

Oh nooo; it makes me so very sad to see institutions such as the New Haven Coliseum being taken down. I saw my first real concert there: the Smashing Pumpkins (♥), in 1995. I don't so much remember the Coliseum itself, but I'll definitely never forget that night.

The systematic removal-of-my-teenage-institutions continues, following the shutdown of the El N Gee (although they did revive that), and the loss of Radio 104, to name but a few. Le sigh.

Well, I'll soldier on. Hopefully this bittersweetly nostalgiac moment isn't indicative of the rest of the weekend! xoxo

Currently Reading:
	TITLE: Everything Bad Is Good For You AUTHOR: Steven Johnson
	TITLE: Cunt: A Declaration of Independence AUTHOR: Inga Muscio
	TITLE: The Dirty Girls Social Club AUTHOR: Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez

restart

Yesterday, while Bethany & I watched (and were thoroughly enchanted by) The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, I worked on a sweater I had just started earlier that day.


I'm trying to use up stash yarn, so I'm knitting the very basic Hourglass pattern in a not-so-good yarn, but it'll do -- I mostly just wanted a semi-mindless project to work on, so that I can zone out while doing stockinette. In any case, I did some gauge swatches but on straight needles; for some reason when I realized I only had circulars in a needle size bigger than the one I had gotten gauge in, I figured what the hell, and cast on. Everything seemed to be actually going swimmingly, but then again I have difficulty getting a handle on how something is turning out in the beginning. So I got about 30 mindless rows into it (after a certain point, I just didn't even think to check!), before I realized that I was knitting a sweater that was at least 1/3 too big (wide) for me. Oops! :) I guess I will have to frog that & restart. Good thing I'm not itching for the final product -- I mostly just want to knit. Tomorrow, I'll have to run out & get myself the smaller circ. :)

In the meantime, I've got some fun socks I am working on! So it's all good.

Tonight, apparently I am joining Hrithik & Kirsten in Brighton for a karaoke party! Not sure if I will stick around for the actual karaoke part (they're getting a room at Do Re Mi later in the evening), but I am at least looking forward to seeing them: for some reason, every time they have a gathering, I always seem to be out of town for when it is scheduled! So I am finally going to see them after about a year...whew. I am glad they still even like me, since last time Kyle drew on their hallway wall. But, luckily they don't blame me for that....

Anyway, I hope all of you have a great weekend! I am looking forward to some downtime. And, hopefully finally Freecycling those chairs that are cluttering up my living room! xoxo

Currently Reading:
	TITLE: Everything Bad Is Good For You AUTHOR: Steven Johnson
	TITLE: Cunt: A Declaration of Independence AUTHOR: Inga Muscio
	TITLE: The Dirty Girls Social Club AUTHOR: Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez

we are family

Had a great but busy past weekend; my cousin Daniel drove up to Boston to hang out, as he is currently on winter break from school. He's awesome, so I figured we wouldn't have trouble finding fun things to do, and I was right: technically, we didn't really do anything, but I still had so much fun (despite a bout of grumpiness that struck on Saturday night).

Friday evening, cuz & I hung out and ate Hickory Farms cheese & crackers (courtesy of Dan's "Cheese Grandparents", as Bethany's dubbed them) until Dan came home, all excited about making a trip out to Micro Center! Since the 3 of us are big geeks, we thought it would be such a fun thing to do on a Friday night, so we headed up to Cambridge. We had quite the time wandering the aisles (my Dan was building a server), although I was terribly disappointed that they no longer carry Game Developer magazine (not that I am one, but it's always been a pipe dream of mine...). Anyway, everything was successfully purchased (or so we thought; some components turned out to be problematic, but that's another story), so we went back to the North End to drop everything off & meet Bethany for dinner.

Another disappointment quickly cropped up, when I realized that our favorite Chinatown restaurant, Gourmet Seafood, looks like it is no longer! :( I was so upset; I was really looking forward to their spicy green beans, calamari, and bok choy. We don't know what is up; there was scaffolding all over the place, and it looks like renovations are being done on the building that housed it, but we're not sure if it is temporarily out of service, or permanently! Sigh. In any case, we ended up across the street at a perfectly fine (but not nearly as good) substitute, where we shared an entire duck, among other things. Needless to say, we were stuffed as we left.

The 4 of us returned to the apartment, where I tried to both help build the new machine and hang out with Bethany; I ended up not getting to work much on the computer, but it was a nice night. We were all exhausted when we finally went to bed.

Saturday when we all finally woke up, I ran out quickly to pick up some supplies and then cousin Dan made us all orange medallion pancakes, yum!


Cousin Daniel's awesome pancakes
We had a long breakfast, and then Bethany, cuz, and I headed out to do some more errands: Haymarket & the local small grocery store to pick up ingredients for the dinner we were planning that evening. My cousin wowed us again with his culinary skills, making both an artichoke dip and an unbelievably good pumpkin cake! He & Bethany (with some crust help from my Dan) made a couple of strange-but-good pizzas for dinner, as well, and then we just kinda all hung out for the rest of the evening. Low-key, but I really enjoyed it (when I wasn't in a bad mood!).


Bethany made some food art while we waited for dinner to cook
And on Sunday, my cousin & I went to see The Children of Men, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I want to take my Dan to see it, now! It was very engaging, and I just loved the premise of it, and all of the ramifications on our society that it would entail. Anyway, I suggest that you all go see it if you haven't, especially if you are a fan of futuristic sci-fi movies like Minority Report, for instance. I don't know what I'd liken it to, but I did really enjoy it. And I don't even really like Clive Owen!

When we got back from the movie, I had to say goodbye to my cousin and book over to Brookline to make my CodePink meeting in time. I was surprised to see that I was only the 3rd person there, so it was a rather quiet meeting (only 5 people all told, probably because of the weather & long weekend), but it was rather nice. We got a lot of talking in, which we really needed.

So, I feel like the weekend was packed, even though we didn't really actually do much! But I really enjoyed the visit. I just also have been feeling lately like I'm a nonstop eating machine, and all the delicious food we consumed over the weekend certainly didn't help! But, I guess I'll just have to try to be a bit more disciplined now that it's just me making my food decisions, again... =\

Okay, gotta get back to work! xo

Currently Reading:
	TITLE: Everything Bad Is Good For You AUTHOR: Steven Johnson
	TITLE: Cunt: A Declaration of Independence AUTHOR: Inga Muscio