Smoking Loon

Smoking Loon 2004 California Syrah is simple, juicy, and peppery. And cheap. And funny.

Why I can't I get a job designing for people who like crazy things printed on corks?

All Your Trilobites Are Belong To Us

At Least Someone Enjoys the Expensive Bird Seed

I've been flinging handfuls of peanuts and sunflower seeds across the yard in the hopes of attracting birds. The snow is trammeled with squirrel and bunny tracks. When I opened the door this morning, this orange little one bounded to the fence and waited for my departure. So far, no one's figured out how to shimmy up the pole to the feeder. I give it til the weekend.

Sleepy Sunday

Having a quiet day at home in my pajamas with the cat nestled down in the blanket basket.

No football this weekend. *Yawn*

Scottie

I was too slow with the camera to capture Sylvie's reaction to the momentous event of a Scottie dog snuffling along our street this afternoon.

There's also a tri-color Cardigan Welsh corgi in the neighborhood. Very cute.

Wet Burrito

Lunch at Tios.

Dinner was popcorn at Law School P.'s for movie night. Sorry, no pix of Tucco and Blondie.

More Interesting than a Pine Cone

Locations of the first 100 visits to Hawk in the Rain in January 2007. Sort of. There's a sneaky IP in southern California that pretends it's out of Virginia.

I had been using a free Web stat service called Tracksy. At the New Year, Tracksy died. When the servers finally came back up, all of my data, my account, and I imagine tons of other people's accounts, were simply gone.

Tracksy begged for forgiveness. I think I'm a fairly forgiving person, but I could not continue to give no money to a tech company that didn't have a RAID back-up. So now I spend my $0.00 on StatCounter, which I like better anyway. Mainly because of the map. And because it's capturing dozens of visits Tracksy missed.

So thanks for crashing, Tracksy. You're like that bad break-up that opens the door for a fulfilling new relationship.

Pine Cone

Trois Pistoles

A Belgian Strong Dark Ale from Unibroue in Quebec. Creamy and fruity at the same time: raisins, plums, a hint of chocolate. Toasted malt. And oh yes, candy sugar. Did I mention the 9% ABV? Toasted Kimmijo.

Golden Crane

"I will write peace on your wings and you will fly all over the world." - Sadako Sasaki

Washtenaw Avenue

Surprised I wasn't late for class.

Well-Fed Writers

Every four to six weeks for the past year and a half, I have met with four other women to workshop our writing. For a while we moved each meeting to various coffee shops and restaurants around town, but the past few months we have settled on the Carlyle Bar and Grill on the western outskirts of Ann Arbor.

Lately there's been more eating than writing.

The calamari appetizer is our perennial favorite. Instead of the usual deep-fried rings, the dish comprises thick strips of calamari steak, tossed with artichoke, spinach, cucumbers, peppers, and capers in a lemony sauce. We also recommend the shrimp and chorizo quesadillas and the chinoise chicken salad.

Link Farm

Ironic Sans posts letters from a former downstairs neighbor.
A new way to flush money, literally, down the toilet.
Banish these words for 2007.
Little People: A Tiny Street-Art Project.

Seasonally Appropriate Weather

Passed three road accidents on my way to this peaceful scene.

Meet Fluffy

Six months ago, during a visioning session, the new president and CEO stressed that she was more relaxed than our previous fearless leader, and that we could burn candles and have fish at our desks.

Six weeks ago, a co-worker brought me a vase, along with dechlorinator and fish food, that had been rattling around in the trunk of her car and that she didn't want. I set it on the floor next to my computer tower.

This morning this was on my desk when I arrived to work. One of the volunteers got it for me. Now wouldn't that just make your day too?

Chicken

Fryers on sale at Meijer.

Shoulda got two.

Swarovski Crystal

Had nuthin' on the trees today.



My modest camera and photography skills do not capture the beauty. Driving along the fields of Scio Township proved difficult - not because of any road conditions, but because I kept staring at the gorgeous crystal forests. Every corn stub, blackberry runner, and cattail was sheathed in sparkling prisms. When an accipiter sliced across the sky, I nearly went off the road.

At night, the town lights made the trees into glass.

Ice Storm

Farmhouse in the Rain

Near Burbank, Wayne County, oHIo. Driving back from Wooster.

Breakfast

Law School P. covets my Italian omelet at Afternoon Delight.

Friday Cat Blogging

Sylvie got a window perch for Christmas. She likes it better when the blinds are open. She also likes that the perch is arms-length from the desk, and she can watch me while I work.

Found: Gypsy Wagon

Mysteriously appeared in the ginky weeds behind the Coney Island in Scio Township. Owner may claim in comments.

Triangle Shawl

The very beginning of a new project.

Yarn: Lion Brand Trellis in color #302 "Ocean"
Needles: US Size 13

Random Update(s)

Almost no picture today, because I did not have the camera with me. But then I discovered that the Macs in the one computer lab at the college have built-in cameras. Kinda weird, but there ya have it.

I have been invited to join a Flickr photo group for people who take pictures of meals that include beans.

Do not trust the judgment of naked cats in sweaters.

The Sphynx Makes Her BCS Championship Prediction

Seriously Big Crow

Cawing across the street on yet another afternoon of drizzle.

Sausage and White Bean Cassoulet

Dinner for two on a chilly night.

If There Were an Award for "Honorary Frugal Yankee," Then Surely I Would Win It

You know how you buy those big jar candles that smell really, really good, but then the wick burns down the right-hand side and you’re all like, “Noooo!” ‘cuz when the wick burns down like that you know when it sputters out it’s gonna leave a huge chunk of, like, 60% of the wax in the jar? Dontcha hate that? I hate that, ‘cuz it takes, like, two hours of work to gross enough pesos to buy one of those big jar candles and I hate throwing out 60% of what I worked two hours for, even if it does make the trash can smell good like the candle for a day or two.

Solution: metal cups and wicks purchased for a couple o’ bucks at the local craft store. Boil a pot of water on the stove and put the jar candle in it ‘til the wax melts, then pour. Voila! New candles, in all your favorite scents, at a fraction of the cost.

Reality is a Dirty Keyboard

First day back to work in 2007. I seriously need some canned air.

How long d'you think I'll be able to keep posting a photo a day?

Drive-By Shooting

Was in Chelsea today for the first time since October. The new library is finished and I would have liked to have gone in, except I had the cat's insulin with me and needed to get it to a refrigerator. I always enjoyed walking to the library in Chelsea, which, even though it was small, usually managed to get the books I put on reserve to me within a week. In contrast, I can never find anything I want at the Ann Arbor libraries and placing items on reserve means a month or more wait.

I coudn't resist driving by the old apartment on the way out of town. I miss the porch, the tall windows, and the birds that came to the windowsills for peanuts. I miss the bathtub and walking up to the corner store on Sunday to buy the newspaper and a day-old Zingerman's muffin.

Seed catalogue arrived today. Will need to figure out where to put in a garden here. Six months later, I still think of this place as "new."

New Year, New Curly-Hair Products

Sorry for the horrid white flash. No sun here for months.

First birds of 2007 were the seven or eight pigeons wheeling around the gray sky yesterday morning. Too bad the turkey vulture I saw this afternoon wasn't around a little earlier.

Knitting Socks

Yarn: Regia Bamboo Color, color 1064 "Ethno"
Needles: Double-pointed US size 2

Socks knit in the round are my hand-made specialty. I've made scarves, mittens, fingerless gloves, hats, and a short-sleeved sweater (too small), but I keep coming back to the socks. They're seamless and comfortable, the yarns are fabulous, and a pair takes two or three football games to knit on the double-points.

Knitting in the round means that every row is knit, instead of going back and forth on straight needles alternating knit and purl rows. The sock starts at the top and is knit in a tube until my favorite part - turning the heel - where the knitting makes a 90-degree turn in a few short rows. After the gusset and foot, I finish the toe with kitchener stitch to avoid a seam across the tootsies.