So my waters have not run smoothly for a while, with one thing and another (including, but not limited to, dead cats), so I have been in need of The Silly.
If Strindberg and Helium don’t make you smile, you may have had your sense of humor surgically removed. Possibly by aliens. “Absinthe and Women” is my favorite.
The other day I was poking around on the intenet, as one does when one does not wish to edit anymore, no no no no no, and I came across a journal I hadn’t heard of before.
They have themes and such. “Hm,” says I, “that is an interesting theme. Too bad the deadline is so soon. There’s no way I could write something that quickly.”
Then, in the car on the way home, some unknown person made an unknown comment about an unknown subject, and my brain clicked. I reached for my notebook, and by 9:00 pm the piece was done.
If ONLY it were always so easy.
(Then I suppose I’d have permanent hand strain.)
I have a new gadget:
It is actually an old gadget, my having inherited Dingo’s old one, but it’s new to me. I am such a Luddite to own a miniature supercomputer.
For the first few days I played Peggle nonstop. Thankfully, I’ve gotten to a stage of the game that’s annoying, so I have a life again.
And frankly, I’m astounded by the amount of music that fits on this thing. My old, shabby iPod was full, so I mostly listened to the same playlists and Runrig albums over and over.
I’m having a good time redsicovering old favorites.
That Dog’s Retreat from the Sun was introduced to me by my friend Suwi (whom I miss desperately). They have a great cover of “Punk Rock Girl” on their earlier album That Dog, but Retreat from the Sun is a far better album: more consistent, more mature. The songs are funny and fun: when Dingo and I were in a long-distance relationship, “I’m Gonna See You” was my theme song. “Gagged and Tied” is a funny riff on BDSM. It’s an album full of garage bands, crushes, and misery, all at a beat fast enough to pogo to. You need a pair of Chuck Taylor high-tops and a witty, tiny t-shirt to listen to it.
I’m a little out of shape for tiny t-shirts at the moment.
Here’s “Gagged and Tied”:
In Norwood, it was always sparklers and red hot dogs. We’d crowd around the dinner table, eating red hot dogs on white bread with yellow mustard, fresh corn on the cob, and red, white, and blue ice cream for dessert.
Oh, I hated that ice cream: worse than Neapolitan (Grandmom’s favorite): the chocolate was replaced with blueberry, and I would wriggle in agony, dreading that horrible blue stuff.
Then the cousins would all go out in the yard, and Grandmom would light our sparklers for us. She always had a big box of them, but we were only allowed one at a time. We would jump and dance in the dark, confusing the fireflies, making stars.
::
One year in Vermont, the Whelihan boys brought fireworks and set them off in the field. It was loud and fun, but I worried about a grass fire.
::
Fourth of July is a busy day in the upper village: the firemen cook up a barbecue (hamburgers, hot dogs, and such: not what a Carolinian or a Texan would call a barbecue), and there’s a parade. Lots of the horse owners ride in the parade, or dust off their old-fashioned carriages.
Best of all, though, is the kilt and kazoo band: paper hats, lengths of tartan strapped on over shorts (topping sandals and sneakers), and a bunch of kazoos played off-key. I’ve never participated (why??), but I’ve cheered on my dad, uncles, cousins.
Town-sponsored silliness. I can really get behind that.
If your eyes need a rest, spend some time at The Sartorialist.
My old post with pictures of knitting disappeared: I should probably take some more. I’m working on a pattern called Clapotis, in yarn that’s shades of pink and purple.
I’m sick to death of it. That’s what I get for knitting yet another shawl.
A friend and I went to my local yarn shop a few weeks ago to knit hats for soldiers in Afghanistan, and I won a door prize. I hate knitting socks, but I could always knit … a shawl …
*scream*
My craft to-do list is very long. It makes me hate the 40-hour work week more than ever.
Here is a soup I made recently:
6 oz plain yogurt (homemade, very tangy, lovely)
1 c. cottage cheese
couple fingers-full of feta
lots of dried dill (fresh would be better)
1 chopped scallion
1 peeled, seeded, chopped cucumber
Blended until smooth and served very cold. Sounds like tzatziki sauce but is actually a lovely cold soup. Excellent for a week when the temperature has topped 100 most days.
The Houston climate is horrible. The soup is very nice, especially served in a jade green bowl.
Dingo put up new wine-colored curtains in our living room. Not only do they look marvelous with the pistachio-green dining-room wall, but they make it so that we don’t anymore want to wear sunglasses inside of a morning. It’s like a miracle! And after only 6 years of living here!
Whew, my home life is so exciting I wear myself out just writing about it. *grin*