23 December 2006
Here's a Google maps link to
where
I'll be living in Rome for eight
months. At least, I think this is the street I'll be living on. :) It's
not exactly in the city, and it's about a mile from the nearest metro
stop, but it's free. I hope there's heat.
Posted at 1605.
22 December 2006
I was following some links in Wikipedia just now, learning more about a
new Linux distribution I hadn't heard of (because I'm reeeeeeally bored),
and happened to click through to find...
my high school
boyfriend has his very own Wikipedia page. And has since December of
2002. It was more than creepy to suddenly see his never-aging visage
staring back at me. My favorite part? "This article is a stub. You can
help Wikipedia by expanding it." Do I dare? ;)
Posted at 2231.
21 December 2006
Another brilliant invention!
Pixy Stix for
Adults
Somewhere in my semi-somnolent haze this morning, between Patrick's
leaving for work and Lethe's waking me up by clawing our crappy metal
closet, I came up with a brilliant invention. I remembered dinner on
Monday, when I made mashed potatoes and accidentally put in too much milk.
I had to whip the crap out of them, but they were still pretty much potato
soup. If I only had some extra instant potatoes, I could have saved the
side dish. I was imagining touching my tongue to a heaping spoonful of
flakes, which would melt in my mouth and magically turn into tubers, and
realized a great addition would be some powdered cheese a la mac-n-cheese.
E voilà! The idea for a cheesy mashed potato Pixy Stix was born!
Now, I've done extensive research on the flavors of Pixy Stix since I got
up 10 minutes ago, and there are
only
fruit flavors (and cinnamon, which
is close enough). If Jones can make things like
turkey and
sweet potato
flavored soda (which is sold at Target, no less), surely there's a
market for strange flavors of Pixy
Stix. I should run down to the
Shur Fine today and pick up
some
ingredients, then surprise Patrick with my haute cuisine après-dinner
treat! Hey, it can't be any worse than astronaut ice cream.
Posted at 0928.
18 December 2006
I was just sitting on the floor in the living room, minding my own
business, and suddenly there was a giant *THWACK* on the window. I looked
up in time to see a grey blob ricochet away, raining feathers in its wake
in the morning dreariness of a drizzly day. All the feathers floated
gracefully to the ground, but there was one last feather that took its
time wafting and drifting down. I feel like I'm in some sort of twisted
Bergman movie. At any rate, I didn't see a bird flopping and dying on our
lawn, so I suspect it's OK. Not quite as cool as Patrick's story of the
deer hanging outside our bedroom window one night, but I suspect I'll have
far more wildlife stories as I spend more time in rural upstate NY.
Posted at 1034.
13 December 2006
Well, that's it. I'm leaving North Carolina tomorrow morning. No more
Cosmic, no more grits, no more Cheerwine, no more hormonal lacrosse
players, no more Republican state leaders. I'm stupidly sad about this
move considering I've been a squatter for months. Liminality
carries a suitcase. But I guess I was sad when I graduated from high
school, even though I only went 10 miles away to college. I always think
of myself as a homebody, but it's not about the place. We bought and sold
our very first home here, but growing into the people we are today was a
far better accomplishment. Cleaning out my desk and bookshelf
reminded me that the Alumni building is, let's face it, a hole no matter
how many shiny new openings they festoon it with. But it also brings to
mind the friends I made, the beer I drank, and the conversations I had.
So to all of you who remain in the great state of my birth, celebrate
chitlins and chimichangas, James Taylor and hog lagoons, Murphy and
Manteo. And save a spot on your couch for me. :)
Posted at 1652.
5 December 2006
And now for Deep Thoughts: If you go to Whole Foods and get bulk spices,
it's a good idea to label which one is cayenne and which one is paprika.
Posted at 1834.
4 December 2006
I was riding the bus this morning (the N/S for any Chapel Hillian who
cares) around 10am, so not during morning rush hour. Somewhere around the
hospital, these two guys got on the bus. One looked like he might be
homeless, but the other didn't (he later revealed he was on disability).
Disability Guy was talking to Homeless Guy about the women's basketball
game the previous night, which seemed innocuous enough. Somewhere around
the Health Sciences Library, though, Disability Guy decided to launch into
a rant about people who ride the bus. He said, "It's ridiculous the
number of people who ride the bus when they have cars. Buses should be
reserved only for those people who don't have cars or who are disabled and
need transportation. During rush hour, people crowd onto the buses, and
they don't know where they're going, and they don't know when to get off.
They're idiots. If they can afford to own a car, they should have to
drive it to work. I mean, why aren't they driving? To save money?
That's the stupidest thing I've heard. Just suck it up and pay for the
gas!" I glanced over at Homeless Guy to see his reaction, and I was
happy to see he was also staring at Disabled Guy in disbelief. I
unfortunately had to get off the bus a stop early because the woman
sitting next to me reeked so badly of stale nicotine that my eyes
were burning.
Posted at 2221.