Friday, July 29, 2005
Leave of Absence
To all who read my blog:I must bid you adieu for a while as we pack up the remaining items (including my laptop) and put all of our earthly possessions into a UHaul truck tomorrow morning. I hope and pray that the truck will not be stolen or broken into as we leave it on our street overnight. (We don't embark on our journey to Nashville until 4 a.m. Sunday.) Wish us luck, especially Cambridge, as she'll be drugged up and clueless as to why we are making her stay in a carrier for 10 plus hours! As soon as internet is set up (fingers crossed - for some reason I'm having a hell of a time establishing service in Nashville) and I'm able to find a chair and a desk, I'll say hello and let you know how it's all going.
Also, wish me luck on my 2 job interviews next Tuesday!
VW |
Thursday, July 28, 2005
She's a Regular Houdini, Folks.
We thought we were all smart by putting boxes down on the floor and then the baby gate on top. After all, it kept Cambridge in the living room for 2 whole days.Until.Last.Night.
That's right, she flew over a 3.3 foot barrier all because she was more interested in what Huz was doing in the kitchen than being with me watching "So You Think You Can Dance" last night. She squatted and propelled herself up to the top of the gate (which is all of 2 inches wide on the top) in one smooth leap. I plucked her off the gate in disbelief.
So, we added more boxes (we have several to spare) to the bottom of the barrier. This made it 4.4 feet tall (as high as my shoulders). This kept her in there last night while we slept and we thought, "Surely she can't get out now." As I walked by to go to the bathroom this morning, though, she was looking at me longingly through the bars (cue the swelling instrumental here). I went back to bed and immediately heard a noise from the living room, so I got up to see what she was up to. Well, she was up to my shoulders as she stood perched on top of the baby gate looking straight into my eyes. Un.Be.Liev.Able.*
Short of buying some bricks and mortar, I think we're going to have to deal with our little Houdini escaping for 2 more days!
*Frustrated AND proud at the same time, we are.**
**Feeling like Yoda too, apparently. |
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Cardboard Everywhere!
Here's a glimpse into my world:
It's a world of cardboard boxes and empty kitchens.
Here's Cambridge getting used to her new carrier that I bought her for the move. She digs it and spends many hours a day napping in it. Good thing, 'cause she'll be in it for a 10 hour drive this Sunday!
Due to the incident, we've confined her to one room by getting a baby gate to block the living room entrance. It lasted for about 10 minutes before she jumped right over it. So, I taped a strip of cardboard above it to make it even higher in order to prevent another escape. Any bets on how long that lasted? 5 minutes. She sailed right over the cardboard (well, actually right into it), effectively knocking it to the ground. Huz was no help at this point, as he laughed and cheered her on, saying, "Free Willy!!" So, we had to take a deep breath and assert our intellectual superiority over her by coming up with yet another idea to keep her in prison. It was this - 2 boxes of books on the bottom and the baby gate on top. It makes for a hell of a time trying to get in and out of the living room (we use a stool on one side and a step ladder on the other to do it), but it keeps her in there.
That's all for now, friends. Oh, unless you want to see a picture that Huz took of me in a ridiculous sleeping position the other night after I passed out tired as hell from all the packing. (I can't believe I'm sharing it with the world - it makes my ass look humungous!)
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Sunday, July 24, 2005
Non-Sleep Activity
A friend of mine recently asked me how Cambridge was doing with the packing and general upheaval of her environment (a.k.a. our apartment) and I said she was doing fine. Because she was doing fine. No problems adjusting to the boxes being dragged in from the basement every day and no problems with the familiar things disappearing into those boxes every day. She has had no problems whatsoever. Not until this past weekend. You see, we had an incident. And, no, I'm not talking about stolen mail or a stolen gas grill (although both of these things happened to us last week - I'm kinda glad to be leaving Chicago, people!) I'm talking about something that happened in the bedroom. Something that happened when Huz and I were on the bed and, no, we weren't sleeping.Now that I've got your attention...
While Huz and I were not sleeping on the bed, Cambridge jumped up to see what was going on, which is totally normal. She usually finds out if we're napping or getting it on and then promptly leaves us alone, but this time she got hyper and was digging around in the sheets. All of a sudden I felt warm liquid on my arm. (Now, don't be sick. It wasn't Huz. He may miss the toilet bowl on occasion, but this one he's got down.) I looked over to see what the hell happened only to discover that Cambridge had peed on the bed and on my arm. DURING LOVE MAKING! Way to ruin the moment, cat! GROSS! Needless to say, no more non-sleeping action ensued that day. Instead, cat was yelled at, sheets were swept off the mattress and washed.
When we adopted her last September, the paperwork on her said that her current owner gave her up because she "occasionally wet the bed," which we thought was total bullshit because in almost one year of owning her, several visits to the vet, and one major surgery, she has never had an accident. But I guess all animals have their stress point. We've decided to confine her to one room which is pretty much intact (the living room) in an attempt to give her a stable environment. I also went out and bought some behavior modification spray (Feliway) that was thirty stinkin' bucks, but is supposed to really help calm cats down and stop any kind of spraying caused by stress. So far, so good.
Word to the wise: when non-sleep activity occurs, shut the bedroom door. |
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Howdy
Readers,Sorry my blog has been so boring lately. I've just been crazy busy with packing and getting electricity, water, phone and internet (still working on that one!) set up in our new home in Nashville. Also, I decided to volunteer at a local out-patient physical therapy clinic where a friend of mine works. I'm doing this
That's right, I got stuck in a huge-ass rain storm on my way home from volunteering. Wonderful. Normally, I would have run up my 3 flights of stairs (shoes squishing water out with every step) and straight into the bathroom for a shower, but being the awesome blogger that I am, I ran to the digital camera first and then to the bathroom. (You're welcome.) I was literally dripping. Can you see the water pouring off of me in this picture?
Everything was soaked - my socks, my shoes, my jeans, my bra, my shirt, my hair, my face - everything.
Then, then I tell you, I went to volunteer again this morning and the cosmos was against me AGAIN! No, I didn't get stuck in another rain storm, instead I got stuck in the heat and humidity while waiting almost 45 minutes for the late-ass bus to arrive on the corner of a not-so-nice intersection. The hot wind was blowing street refuse in my face, sweat was perched on my lip and pooling under the sisters (which, as you know, I HATE), car horns were blasting, and booming car radios were pulsating all around a very hot and increasingly irritable Victoria.
When the CTA finally decided to dispatch a bus, I boarded it, paid my $1.75, and sat down trying to absorb the air conditioning. Two and a half blocks later, the bus broke down. No kidding. It just stopped (as did the oh-so-needed air conditioning). We sat there for a while as the driver fiddled with the controls and I decided TO HELL WITH IT and got off. I walked 5 blocks back home (getting there an hour after I had left) pissed off and hot as hell. Guess volunteering isn't meant to be! |
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Stuffed Zucchini Recipe
For those of you who can't see the last recipe I posted about, here's the recipe!4 large zucchini
2 TBSP butter
2 TBSP olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded & chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper
2 TBSP capers, drained and coursely chopped
2 cups grated Fontina cheese (or Parmesan)
Cut zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out the flesh. Chop flesh
finely. Melt butter with 1 TBSP olive oil in a saucepan. When butter
is foaming, add onion and cook 3-5 min. until softened, but not brown.
Add zucchini flesh, tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper (to taste) and
cook, stirring, for 5 min. Brush insides of zucchini shells with
remaining oil and arrange in lightly oiled shallow baking dish. Bake
shells at 350 degrees for 5-10 min. Divide half of the tomato mixutre
among shells. Cover with capers and chhese. Spoon remaining tomato
mixture on top of cheese layer and cover with remaining cheese. Return
to oven and bake for 10-15 min., until cheese is melted. Enjoy! |
Monday, July 18, 2005
Food Math
This
plus this
plus this
equals this
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Sunday, July 17, 2005
Craft of the Week
When Huz and I went to Belgium, it was his goal to have as many different kinds of Belgian beer as possible (sans being drunk). Well, he didn't do too bad, considering that he had 18 beers in 11 days (only 6 of which were in Belgium). He wanted to have all 6 of the Trappist beers (the ones made specially by Trappist monks), but had a hell of a time finding the last one because even in Belgium it was a rarity. Well, (concidentally? I think not.) on our last night there we went to a cafe and they actually had it. He was so excited that he asked the bartender to let him keep the cap. He brought it home and had no idea what to do with it, but knew he wanted to keep it as a momento.I decided it may be kinda cool to frame it in a shadowbox frame, so I went to Target and bought one and then used some oragami paper that some friends gave me as the background. Cute, eh?
Now if only I could come up with a cool display idea for all of our foreign coins we've collected. Any ideas? |
Thursday, July 14, 2005
Parent in Training
You know, having a cat is all about practicing parenting for me. I think I'll be a really great Mom; I mean I dole out love and kisses like there's no tomorrow and I've shelled out mega bucks for doctor's visits and a major surgery. I feed her good food that doesn't have crap in it (did you know that Purina has bone meal in it!? Ground bones! Ick!) I give her fresh, filtered water everyday and I buy her toys. I'm going to be a great parent, don't you think?
What!? What's the problem?
She's a good daughter, but I just found out that she's been posing for not very nice pictures. Take a look:
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Wednesday, July 13, 2005
All About Me
I was tagged for this meme by KVB-E. Enjoy! :)10 years ago: I was a newly married girl (yes, a girl. I was 19.) and found myself in a strange new world called Baton Rouge. Huz and I were new Christians and ended up in one of the most fundamentalist Bible Colleges in the country. Sadly, we didn't know what a screwed up place we were in until 2 more years went by. Luckily, we got out of there and became progressive Christians who think for ourselves and are now truly free and happy in Christ.
5 years ago: I was working full-time, supporting Huz as he worked through grad school in Illinois. I was taking part-time college classes and was also enjoying the creative outlet of pottery class in my neighborhood community center in the evenings. I had a bunch of girlfriends from work, whom I affectionately called the "Ya Ya's," and we would go out for dinner and margaritas on a whim. We had great spontaneous fun together.
1 year ago: I had just moved from a third-floor apartment in Chicago to another third-floor apartment 2 buildings down the street. Why? Because our landlady had died and the newly sold building was going under construction. What a pain THAT move was, let me tell you! Down three flights and up three flights with all of our stuff! Ack. Our friends are truly friends because they helped us with that sucker! I was also finishing up my final year in college and had decided to quit my part-time job with an asshole lawyer I worked for in order to bump up my class load to 18 credit hours per semester. I did this so that I could graduate faster (my goal was to finish before I turned 30!) and to let Huz get on with his Ph.D. studies (he was now working full-time and supporting me through school).
Yesterday: Nothing terribly exciting. I blogged, checked email a few times, and packed up some books. I also played with Cambridge (of course) and gave her medicine two times for her eye (she's got a viral infection, but it seems to be finally clearing up). I applied for several jobs online, like I do every day, and started reading a novel I had neglected since my trip to Nashville. It's so well written; you really should read it. When Huz got home from work, we made dinner together and afterwards he studied German and I talked to my Mom on the phone.
Today: No plans today, I'm afraid. Normally I would be calling up friends and making lunch plans, but we're not used to being on only one income, so things are tight. So, I'll do some more packing, apply for more jobs, and cuddle with Cambridge. Of course I'll also wash dishes and make dinner. Ho hum. Boring life, eh? I guess it's the lull before the storm of moving to another state and finding a new job.
5 snacks I enjoy:
1. I really dig crunchy Cheetos. Sometimes I'll break down and buy them, but it's a rarity. But the cheesy goodness...how can I resist!?
2. I enjoy a snack that my Mom used to have when I was a kid, even though Huz thinks it's gross. Freeto's corn chips dipped in cottage cheese. Mmmmm. Try it before you judge!
3. Chips and salsa is always a good snack because we always have it in the house.
4. Leftovers are fine to snack on, like Margarita Watermelon. Oh yeah. Huz made this for my graduation party and it went over very well. There weren't leftovers from that, but I made some more for the 4th of July and am still finishing it up. If you're interested, I'll post a recipe for it.
5. As much as I kiss it, I should really add Cambridge's head to my snack list. Mmmmm...kiss...kiss.
5 bands I know the lyrics to:
1. Van Morrison (usually, but "I'm in heaven" does NOT sound English to me!)
2. U2
3. John Mayer
4. Jeb Loy Nichols
5. Guster
5 things I would do with a million dollars: I'm not convinced that I could actually do 5 things with a million bucks anymore. Once I buy a dream home and furnish it, there ain't much left! That would be the first thing I would do with the money, though. If anything was left over, I'd pay off my and Huz's school loans and then go to grad school without worrying about accruing more loans.
5 locations I would like to run away to:
1. Ghent, Belgium
2. Paris (if I won the money mentioned above, otherwise it's just too expensive!)
3. Alaska
4. Colorado (home sweet home)
5. New Zealand (no, I haven't been there, but LOTR has sold me on it)
5 bad habits I have:
1. Self-doubt
2. Picking my face (I'm getting better, though!)
3. Being quick to criticize others
4. Getting road rage
5. Telling Huz I love him all the time (that's not so bad, is it?)
5 things I like doing:
1. "Playing" with Huz (heh heh)
2. Laughing with friends
3. Entertaining people (throwing make-your-own-tamale parties, cocktail parties, and costume parties)
4. Making things (pottery, soap, lip gloss, lotion, candles, cards, food, photography, etc.)
5. Being outside (hiking, biking, boating, camping, etc.)
5 things I would never wear:
(I'm assuming this means in public.)
1. My birthday suit
2. Ugly shoes
3. A midriff-baring shirt
4. A thong bikini (sorry, Huz!)
5. Anything even resembling 80s clothing
5 TV shows I like:
1. 24
2. Super Nanny (I'm taking notes for the future!)
3. West Wing
4. Cooking Under Fire (on PBS)
5. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (I cry every single time I watch it.)
6. It's not on anymore, but I loved the BBC version of The Office.
5 movies I like:
1. Breakfast at Tiffany's
2. Rear Window
3. The Sea Inside (it's a Spanish film and very touching)
4. Tortilla Soup
5. A.I.
5 famous people I would like to meet:
1. Freud (I'd ask him where on earth he got his Oedipal complex)
2. Foucault (he has some really interesting ideas about sexuality and society in general, but I'd need to sit down and talk to him about it, asking him to translate it all for me in simple English!)
3. Charlotte Perkins Gilman (pioneering feminist writer)
4. Virginia Woolf (powerhouse stream of consciousness writer and a feminist to boot!)
5. Brad Pitt (come on! I had to slip a non-intellectual in there somewhere!)
5 biggest joys at the moment:
1. My sweet cat who is curled up in the crook of my arm right now purring and kneading her paws. :)
2. My best friend and life mate, Huz.
3. Seeing the trajectory of my life - where I've been and how much I've progressed. The journey is only beginning!
4. The hope of a future family.
5. Friendships - though I leave some behind in Illinois, they will always be dear to me and we will keep in touch (right!?). I also look forward to making new ones in Nashville.
5 favorite toys:
This question sounds naughty to me. I'll leave it at that. :)
5 people to tag:
Whoever wants to! Maybe karnerblue, random9q, Stace, or IsaakGrrrl are game!?
[Editor's Note: Oops. I just noticed that it was 100 million dollars that I had to spend! Ok, then I would buy and furnish a dream home, pay off all debt, give some to my family, set up a college fund for my future children, and donate to some charities that focused on humanitarian needs, especially for women and children.] |
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Shorty Shorter Short
Well, apparently I have a tall personality - that or the internet puts on inches (do I look fat in this template?). These guys guessed that I was taller than I really am and so far all of you blogger buddies have guessed heights that I've only dreamed of. No, I'm not a midget, but I DO round up to have my driver's license say 5'3". That's right. I'm 5'2 1/2"! Surprised? What else do you wanna know about me? You can forget about my weight, but I may be game to let other cats out of the bag. (No, not you Cambie!)I'm offended.
Not by you Internet(s), but by my neighbors. See, I decided to be nice and give away a large Mexican floor vase with a rubber flower arrangement that I made years ago. I decided to part with it because it's just not my style anymore (any flowers that aren't real are NOT my style anymore). I could have just trashed the thing, but it's big and somebody may find it a pretty addition to their living room or bedroom. So I carried it down to the lobby of my apartment building and put a sign next to it that said, "FREE! Please take me." Well, I went down there a little bit ago to check my mail and somebody took the sign, but left the vase and flowers! Now, that means one of two things to me: either the person decided that my hand-printed sign was nicer looking than the flowers (and that the flowers were just downright ugly) or the person is a complete moron and thought that the sign was to be taken for free, as opposed to the flowers. Of course, there is a third option, which I also considered. The flowers look nice in the lobby and maybe that's where the neighbors want them to stay.
*shrug* |
Monday, July 11, 2005
Pictures
I spent a ton of time this morning organizing our (that would be Huz's and my) photos on Flickr. So, go see 'em!They're in nice little categories now, including: Cambridge (oh my God do I take a lot of pictures of my cat - is there a self-help group for cat addicts? I need to join.), crafts (check out my handmade soaps, pottery, and magnets), food (oh yeah!), friends (gotta have THEM!), family (love 'em dearly even if I don't see them much), beer (that would be Huz's hobby), etc.
Ciao!
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Nash Stuff
Presenting our new home in Nashville:
Though it doesn't have what we were initially hoping for in our new place (central air and a dishwasher) it does have hardwood floors and loads of space (3 bedrooms!). It's less than a minute walk from our new friends, Thunder and Emily, and close to Vandy for Huz. The area is really nice and safe and I think we'll be very happy here. What a relief to have this done with! (As you can see, there is some construction going on next to it - it's by a school that's building a parking lot, but there will be a tall, wooden privacy fence put up, so we don't have to look at it.)
It was really quite cool meeting people that I only knew through the internet. Meeting them face to face and hearing their voices (and wonderful laugh) was great. Thunder and Emily are wonderful people and I'm so glad I had the honor of getting to know them. They were so helpful and spent four days driving me around and looking at rentals with me. Thunder even cooked for me.
Behold the meal: Cheesy Grits with Shrimp, Bacon and Mushrooms
It was yummy, even though Thunder kinda made me doubt it when he described it on the phone the night before as "kinda dicey." Too funny.
They both thought I would be taller than I am. How tall do YOU think I am? (People who already know me can't guess, sorry.) Maybe I'll send you a prize if you get it right. :) |
Something That Made Me Smile Yesterday
As I was driving down Touhy Avenue, I looked over at the car next to me and saw a double-chinned, older woman jiving in her seat and singing along to "All We Need Is Love" that was playing on my radio too. She was really getting into it. Made my day, don't know why. |Thursday, July 7, 2005
Ayuda me
For some reason these pesky bullets showed up on my sidebar and I don't know how to get rid of them. Any suggestions? |Nashville Update
Hi y'all!I'm down in Nashville and have had some success finding a place to live! Yay! I decided on a 3 bedroom rental house that is in a great neighborhood close to our friends. It will give us a lot of space to entertain and do our mutual hobbies (my soapmaking and cardmaking and Huz's beermaking) and we will feel safe to run and walk in our neighborhood. It's only a 5-7 minute drive from Vandy too. PHHHEEEEWWWWW. Major sigh of relief from Victoria, let me tell you. I have a job interview tomorrow and then I fly home. All in all, it's been an extremely productive week and I'm so glad I came.
Also, I discovered that I like cheesy grits - who knew!? |
Sunday, July 3, 2005
Fruit of the Earth
Huz and I went to one of my favorite places yesterday: the Evanston Farmer's Market. It is a large market set up every Saturday morning and it's full of fresh produce that makes me a happy Victoria. Here's some photos of it for ya.
The best part of going to the Farmer's Market, besides enjoying the cool, sunny morning by getting out and supporting local farmers, was the meal I got to enjoy at the end of the day. Huz decided to cook one of his dee-freakin-licious meals for me to see me off to Nashville in style. He made me Salmon steaks with dill cream sauce, crushed heirloom potatoes with argula, blue cheese and walnuts, and roasted sugar snap peas with coarse salt and a spash of olive oil. For dessert he made lemon pudding cake with cream and fresh blueberries. All of the fruit and veggies were fresh from farms and you just can't beat that flavor! Here's my oh-so-yummy dinner.
I love my husband. |
Friday, July 1, 2005
Not Much
I don't have much to say today, other than War of the Worlds is actually pretty good and isn't my cat cute!?
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