- I think I may take voice acting lessons at the Guthrie.
- We rented a car this morning. We ended up with a Mustang. Watch out, Iowa!
- French vanilla iced coffee may be the perfect summer beverage.
- I woke up with a scratchy throat and I'm having a mini freakout because I may have been snoring last night.
- I have to get new contacts. I can't ignore this anymore. I can't even wear my current pair anymore. At least I have cute glasses.
- Our boy cat Grady was super affectionate this morning but when he was scratching at the blanket to try and get under it and cuddle with me he scratched my back. A few more scars and I'm going to look like I got mauled by a rabid marmoset.
- I love my job. I'm leaving at noon today.
- I ate a POUND of bun chay from Quang last night. I didn't mean to. I looked down and it was all gone. Oops. So like an idiot I'm skipping breakfast this morning.
- It was chilly on my scooter ride this morning! It was so nice yesterday. What happened?
- Dang it, I'm hungry. I should go eat the salad I didn't eat yesterday.
- Is it noon yet?
- I'm still feeling the afterglow of the creative spurt I had the other night. I've been bouncing this comic idea around in my head for about two years. I had characters and a very skeletal plot *sorta* but I just couldn't seem to make it work. I finally came up with a story outline that I like. Phew! I may just be getting my creative mojo back after all. Maybe one day I'll restart my webcomic that I abandoned because of derby. I let the domain name expire and everything.
- I am excited about seeing Dan's grandma this weekend.
- Is it noon yet?
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Monday, June 30, 2008
Wow, weekend.
My entire Saturday was taken up by a commercial shoot in Nordeast. I was unexpectantly placed in a co-starring role. WEIRD. It's going to be super dorky and cheesy and awesome.
Yesterday we slept in until 10:30. I can't remember the last time I was able to sleep in that long. This was, of course, after getting up at 5:00 AM to let the dogs out and feed them breakfast. Husband was hungover so it took some convincing to get him up. I was starving and full of energy. We had breakfast at Hot Plate, then I had to go to Michael's to pick up stuff to make the Greatest Skate Bag of All Time©™§µω.
Neither of us was excited about going home so we went to Como. After fighting off the hoardes for a parking space (there may have been chainsaws and golf clubs involved) we took a stroll around the zoo. The Como Zoo is much smaller when you don't go through the buildings. And what happened to the bears? It's been a few years since I've been there. I used to go almost every weekend when I lived in St. Paul. Almost had a social anxiety meltdown in the Conservatory so we got the heck out of there and went down to the lake. We wanted to rent a paddleboat but srsly? $15/hour? No thanks, guys.
I got soaked in the big fountain and was fully expecting to hang out there until I dried off but Husband wanted to get moving. So we took my damp ass to the Humane Society to pet the fuzzies.
Husband was having a serious sushi craving so we checked the ol' bank account to see if my paycheck cleared and -- woo hoo! -- it did. Too bad Tanpopo was closed because I was having my own udon craving. It's OK because it looks like they don't have much for sushi anymore. We went back to our 'hood, went to Ba-Gu and feasted. Unfortunately the patio was full but whatever; the food was good and it was happy hour. I had some of the best tako nigiri I've ever had.
Yesterday we slept in until 10:30. I can't remember the last time I was able to sleep in that long. This was, of course, after getting up at 5:00 AM to let the dogs out and feed them breakfast. Husband was hungover so it took some convincing to get him up. I was starving and full of energy. We had breakfast at Hot Plate, then I had to go to Michael's to pick up stuff to make the Greatest Skate Bag of All Time©™§µω.
Neither of us was excited about going home so we went to Como. After fighting off the hoardes for a parking space (there may have been chainsaws and golf clubs involved) we took a stroll around the zoo. The Como Zoo is much smaller when you don't go through the buildings. And what happened to the bears? It's been a few years since I've been there. I used to go almost every weekend when I lived in St. Paul. Almost had a social anxiety meltdown in the Conservatory so we got the heck out of there and went down to the lake. We wanted to rent a paddleboat but srsly? $15/hour? No thanks, guys.
I got soaked in the big fountain and was fully expecting to hang out there until I dried off but Husband wanted to get moving. So we took my damp ass to the Humane Society to pet the fuzzies.
Husband was having a serious sushi craving so we checked the ol' bank account to see if my paycheck cleared and -- woo hoo! -- it did. Too bad Tanpopo was closed because I was having my own udon craving. It's OK because it looks like they don't have much for sushi anymore. We went back to our 'hood, went to Ba-Gu and feasted. Unfortunately the patio was full but whatever; the food was good and it was happy hour. I had some of the best tako nigiri I've ever had.
Friday, June 27, 2008
It's Friday!
From the Alt Friday Five:
1. Do you like to have music playing while you work? Why or why not? If yes, what is your favourite music or type of music to hear then?
I occasionally listen to music at work but mostly I'm an FM107 junkie.
2. Do you like to have music playing while you travel (walk, drive, ride, etc.)? Why or why not? If yes, what is your favourite music or type of music to hear then?
Yes! I need music when I'm driving. It's imperative when I'm driving by myself because that's my chance to sing. So naturally I choose singable stuff. Tori Amos and Lily Allen are frequent guests in my car. Whenever I wear my full face helmet on my scooter it's like I'm in my own personal recording booth so I get to sing to myself without anybody knowing.
3. Do you like to have music playing while you have sex? Why or why not? If yes, what is your favourite music or type of music to hear then?
Yes. Metal. Never found anyone who also enjoys this, however.
4. Do you like to have music playing while you're relaxing or having fun? Why or why not? If yes, what is your favourite music or type of music to hear then?
Yes, of course. My playlists include punk rock, metal, rock, pop, j-pop, classical, classic rock, oldies, and a tiny smidge of hip hop -- Brother Ali.
5. In general, what role does music play in your daily life?
Huge.
***
Friday Five
1. You have the summer and plenty of money to travel abroad. Where all would you go?
Southeast Asia. Thailand, Vietnam, Bali, Indonesia, maybe up into China.
2. What foods would you be sure you got to eat?
Everything without bird, mammal, or insect! Everything! NOM NOM NOM
3. What landmarks would you be sure you got to see?
Everything!
4. What airline would you use?
Whatever had the best deal.
5. Would your knowledge of other languages influence where you went? (i.e. would you be more likely to go to France if you spoke French)
No.
1. Who would you take with you on a road trip?
My husband, duh.
2. What states would you visit?
The Southwest and West Coast.
3. What national parks and/or monuments would you go see?
The Grand Canyon, any number of desert national parks, the Pacific Coast Highway, Yellowstone, Devil's Tower.
4. Las Vegas: Overrated or a Must-See?
Eh. I'd mostly go to eat.
5. How long would you be gone?
Ideally 2.5-3 weeks.
1. Do you like to have music playing while you work? Why or why not? If yes, what is your favourite music or type of music to hear then?
I occasionally listen to music at work but mostly I'm an FM107 junkie.
2. Do you like to have music playing while you travel (walk, drive, ride, etc.)? Why or why not? If yes, what is your favourite music or type of music to hear then?
Yes! I need music when I'm driving. It's imperative when I'm driving by myself because that's my chance to sing. So naturally I choose singable stuff. Tori Amos and Lily Allen are frequent guests in my car. Whenever I wear my full face helmet on my scooter it's like I'm in my own personal recording booth so I get to sing to myself without anybody knowing.
3. Do you like to have music playing while you have sex? Why or why not? If yes, what is your favourite music or type of music to hear then?
Yes. Metal. Never found anyone who also enjoys this, however.
4. Do you like to have music playing while you're relaxing or having fun? Why or why not? If yes, what is your favourite music or type of music to hear then?
Yes, of course. My playlists include punk rock, metal, rock, pop, j-pop, classical, classic rock, oldies, and a tiny smidge of hip hop -- Brother Ali.
5. In general, what role does music play in your daily life?
Huge.
Friday Five
1. You have the summer and plenty of money to travel abroad. Where all would you go?
Southeast Asia. Thailand, Vietnam, Bali, Indonesia, maybe up into China.
2. What foods would you be sure you got to eat?
Everything without bird, mammal, or insect! Everything! NOM NOM NOM
3. What landmarks would you be sure you got to see?
Everything!
4. What airline would you use?
Whatever had the best deal.
5. Would your knowledge of other languages influence where you went? (i.e. would you be more likely to go to France if you spoke French)
No.
1. Who would you take with you on a road trip?
My husband, duh.
2. What states would you visit?
The Southwest and West Coast.
3. What national parks and/or monuments would you go see?
The Grand Canyon, any number of desert national parks, the Pacific Coast Highway, Yellowstone, Devil's Tower.
4. Las Vegas: Overrated or a Must-See?
Eh. I'd mostly go to eat.
5. How long would you be gone?
Ideally 2.5-3 weeks.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
The state of the parenting union
This valuable life lesson on avoiding real life is brought to you by Cleveland Beachwood, Ohio.
Edit: thanks, Spicehound! I've only been to Ohio once (Dayton) and was traumatized. No offense. ;)
Edit: thanks, Spicehound! I've only been to Ohio once (Dayton) and was traumatized. No offense. ;)
A perfect summer day
Yesterday was an absolutely stunning day. It was my non-running day (I'm trying to do two on, one off) so I buckled down for a strength training challenge from a group on SparkPeople that has been kicking my ass, Project Mayhem. Yes, like Fight Club. I started with 20 minutes of moderate cardio, then did 20 minutes of circuit training working mostly the abs. Husband came home and I hemmed and hawed and ultimately decided to join him on his mile run. Whoops, I wore the wrong bra and only got half a block (OW). I walked home, put on a proper boob holster, then met up with him halfway on his route.
We ate some leftovers but we were still hungry so we decided to go to the store and get stuff for salad. At the last minute husband decided we shouldn't waste the beautiful day so we grabbed the dogs and went to Minnehaha. Dodged the Minneapolis Park Police (whoops -- we're not paying for off-leash licenses!) and took the back trail down to the dog park.
Shillelagh, the puppy, has been thus far very non-Chessie-like when it comes to water. She would only reluctantly go in and she wasn't too happy about it. Like a light switch being flipped, she decided that water is the COOLEST thing EVARRR. Dada and Mama threw sticks for her to retrieve all night. Bindi even got in for a swim, which is really, really, really weird. So after a couple of hours of hiking around we went back to the truck with two dogs who were not as exhausted as they should have been and two humans who were paying the price of stupidly forgetting to bring bug spray.
Side note: if you've never been to Minnehaha Falls or the dog park, GO THERE. It's absolutely the most beautiful park in the Twin Cities. Even if you don't have dogs, take a walk down to the dog park. It's worth it, trust me. Just remember to bring bug spray.
We stopped by the store and got our salad supplies, went home, and had pre-bedtime giant salad.
Yay.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Old news, but nonetheless horrifying
Lesbians sentenced for self-defenseRead the rest here.
All-white jury convicts Black women
By Imani Henry
New York
Published Jun 21, 2007 2:58 AM
On June 14, four African-American women—Venice Brown (19), Terrain Dandridge (20), Patreese Johnson (20) and Renata Hill (24)—received sentences ranging from three-and-a-half to 11 years in prison. None of them had previous criminal records. Two of them are parents of small children.
Their crime? Defending themselves from a physical attack by a man who held them down and choked them, ripped hair from their scalps, spat on them, and threatened to sexually assault them—all because they are lesbians.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Wait, what? Or, the tale of the unnecessarily confrontational neighbors
Like probably everyone, we have good neighbors and we have not-so-good neighbors. The not-so-good neighbors have people coming and going at all hours, weekly shouting matches outside, toys spread out everywhere -- you know, the usual. We're not sure who exactly owns the home or who, exactly, is the parent of which of the five or so children.
Oh, the children.
The oldest one, a girl, is polite and not a problem. The boys are rude, foul-mouthed, and disrespectful. They range in age from probably about six or seven to maybe ten. The boys like to shout things at me and anyone in our backyard from their upstairs window. Rude things. Horrible things. personal things. They've done this to just me, me and my husband, our friends, my family, and my husband's family. We have up until now been taking the high road and just ignoring it. We didn't want to encourage it or make it escalate into anything worse, if that was possible.
Last night after an extremely long and taxing weekend entertaining out-of-town guests my husband and I were sitting out back and trying to decompress. From the window come the familiar voices. "Hey! Hey you two! Look up here! Hey! Hey girl! Hey young girl!" ("Young girl?" I guess I'll take that as a kind of compliment.) "That's an ugly outfit you're wearing!"
I pleaded with my husband with my eyes. He wasn't aware of the things that they said to me when he wasn't around. I told him. Sure, I may have been baiting him a little bit but I was just tired of it. I am a non-confrontational person 99% of the time. He's got the deep, booming voice and communication skills. I'm 5' tall, apparently young-looking, and I have a stuttering/stammering problem when I get flustered.
Our backyard is supposed to be our sanctuary. These kids have desecrated that.
The kids came running outside (they had been going in and out all night, alternating running down the alley and yelling from the window). My husband got up and told them to listen up. The kids froze. I guess they thought the young white kids were going to let them walk all over them forever. One of the adults was further down the alley and they called him over.
My husband told him that the harassment needed to stop. The man was huffy and puffing out his chest. Why? I don't know. We've never so much as had words with him. I've said hi to one of the adult ladies several times and was only met with blank stares. I don't know what we've ever done to piss any of them off. I wasn't about to start a deep, meaningful conversation and question the household's parenting skills. We were just letting them know that we weren't going to take it anymore.
"Why wasn't I told?" the guy kept interrupting.
"I'm telling you right now!" said my husband. I mean, seriously, duh.
The guy finally backed down. "Oh, well then that's cool."
And to my amazement, he (mostly calmly, which was unexpected) talked to the kids and told them to knock it off.
Is it finally over? We'll see. If those kids so much as utter a sound in my direction I'm marching my ass over there again. And if it happens one more time I'm filing harassment charges. I hope to hell it doesn't come to that.
All I'm asking is to live and let live.
Oh, the children.
The oldest one, a girl, is polite and not a problem. The boys are rude, foul-mouthed, and disrespectful. They range in age from probably about six or seven to maybe ten. The boys like to shout things at me and anyone in our backyard from their upstairs window. Rude things. Horrible things. personal things. They've done this to just me, me and my husband, our friends, my family, and my husband's family. We have up until now been taking the high road and just ignoring it. We didn't want to encourage it or make it escalate into anything worse, if that was possible.
Last night after an extremely long and taxing weekend entertaining out-of-town guests my husband and I were sitting out back and trying to decompress. From the window come the familiar voices. "Hey! Hey you two! Look up here! Hey! Hey girl! Hey young girl!" ("Young girl?" I guess I'll take that as a kind of compliment.) "That's an ugly outfit you're wearing!"
I pleaded with my husband with my eyes. He wasn't aware of the things that they said to me when he wasn't around. I told him. Sure, I may have been baiting him a little bit but I was just tired of it. I am a non-confrontational person 99% of the time. He's got the deep, booming voice and communication skills. I'm 5' tall, apparently young-looking, and I have a stuttering/stammering problem when I get flustered.
Our backyard is supposed to be our sanctuary. These kids have desecrated that.
The kids came running outside (they had been going in and out all night, alternating running down the alley and yelling from the window). My husband got up and told them to listen up. The kids froze. I guess they thought the young white kids were going to let them walk all over them forever. One of the adults was further down the alley and they called him over.
My husband told him that the harassment needed to stop. The man was huffy and puffing out his chest. Why? I don't know. We've never so much as had words with him. I've said hi to one of the adult ladies several times and was only met with blank stares. I don't know what we've ever done to piss any of them off. I wasn't about to start a deep, meaningful conversation and question the household's parenting skills. We were just letting them know that we weren't going to take it anymore.
"Why wasn't I told?" the guy kept interrupting.
"I'm telling you right now!" said my husband. I mean, seriously, duh.
The guy finally backed down. "Oh, well then that's cool."
And to my amazement, he (mostly calmly, which was unexpected) talked to the kids and told them to knock it off.
Is it finally over? We'll see. If those kids so much as utter a sound in my direction I'm marching my ass over there again. And if it happens one more time I'm filing harassment charges. I hope to hell it doesn't come to that.
All I'm asking is to live and let live.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Things things things
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