You Can Find Me in Da Tub, Bottle Full of Bub

This Finnish sauna soap seriously makes me want to run out and jump in a snowdrift after a hot bath.

Note from P.

I love mail from friends!

The Jones Soda cap reads: "A change of heart may lead to a new living environment."

Once I got a fortune cookie slip that read "You will journey to a land of sunshine." A week before a trip to Arizona. Coincidence? Or something more?

Another Portrait of the Blogger as a Young Girl

Fishing with dad, 1976.

There was a Jamesway, a sort of proto-Wal-mart, in the Burg back in the day, where families would buy bean bag chairs, Converse sneakers, and those upside-down 7-Up glasses. The summer when I was five, I got a Pittsburgh Pirates ball cap at Jamesway, and it stayed plastered to my head until the team won the World Series.

One day that summer when I was five, dad took me, hat on head and plastic sunglasses on nose, to Jamesway to get some fishing bobbers when a lady asked me for my opinion. She explained she needed to buy a present for a boy, and she couldn't decide between two Mickey Mouse watches. Would I tell her which one I preferred?

She leaned over and held out the two watches: one with a dark navy blue band and one with a medium blue band. This was a very serious decision, which I undertook quite gravely, and I deliberated for several seconds in the flickering fluorescent light before selecting the medium blue one.

"Oh, now I don't know what to do," she said to my dad. "That other little boy over there liked the darker one better, but he likes the other one."

"Probably because she's a girl."

Hot Pepper and Garlic Shrimp

This is more properly served with penne, which I was unaware I did not have in the cupboard, or else I would have picked some up when I stopped for the asparagus. The tricolor fusilli detracts from the presentation.

Heat a good splash of olive oil and about a tablespoon of butter on medium-high until just before smoking-point. Add as much chopped fresh garlic and hot pepper flakes as you can take (tonight I used four cloves of garlic and six shakah-shakahs of red pepper). Saute until garlic starts to brown. Add shrimp. When shrimp start to turn pink, turn them over and add the asparagus tips. Cover and cook for three minutes. Serve on bed of pasta and top with crumbled pepper-coated chevre.

Add a lemon wedge if you're taking a picture for your blog.

Ponder why some people complain that cooking for one is hard, since this took less than 20 minutes and it's really, really good.

If You Dig a Very Deep Hole

where do you wind up?

The Perils of Long-Distance Dating

Ohio Turnpike rest stop, mile marker 100.

Brr

We're holding a fund-raising event in a few weeks for the non-profit where I work. The event has a beach theme, and our marketing has centered on the idea of "come enjoy summer during one of the coldest months of the year." Weeks of 50-degree weather had us somewhat concerned that this idea was not going to make sense to people this year.

I think it's cold enough now.

Hockey Night in Michigan

Stood on the bleachers in the student section all night. While gearing up for the second period, a guy in a shirt and tie showed up amid the sea of bright maize.

Friend: "Where were you?"
Guy: "I was speed dating."
Friend: "What?"
Guy: "Speed dating."
Friend: "..."
Hockey Fan: "Social hour's over. Drop the puck!"

Imbolc

Halfway to the spring equinox.

The Bunny Stops Here

And turns around.