have yourself a merry little christmas

Be safe and have fun!

~ Susie

(P.S. - It's unlikely I'll post anything over the next week as I'll be traveling around the southwest. Just thought I'd save y'all some mouse clicks. But be sure to come back next year!!)

ghost of christmas past?

So last year when I actually decorated the house for Christmas, I decided to take a bunch of pics so I'd have proof for the doubters but mostly so I could practice taking pics in low light. Which I still suck at. They're always blurry, so I guess I need a tripod and maybe a better camera too. Or something. Anyway, when I was going through them, something on one of them caught my eye...

In the picture below, there is a small dark humanoid form in front of the fireplace. What the hell is that???? Now let me say, I took a bunch of pics in a row and it's only on this one, there is no ordinary object inadvertently placed in front of the lens that could be mistaken for whatever this is, and I even showed it to B and some other friends (all skeptics) and none of them could figure out what it is either!


Here I've lightened the exposure and zoomed in, so you can get a better look.

Now I'm not saying I think it IS a shadow person or something like that (uh, that would be bad), but it's been a year and I still can't solve the mystery which is kind of creepy but in a fun way. We've had a handful of other unexplained phenomena happen here over the years, nothing scary just... unexplainable. I'll have to do a post about those things someday. But for now, any idea what this might be? It does appear to reflect light, supernatural beings probably don't do that... right? Can you see it???

cranberry crunch cookies & italian cookies

So our office party was pretty small & quiet this year (we were hoping for better), and there was way more food than hungry people, so my cookies were largely untouched. Which sucks ass because I spent three freaking nights baking them. At least, everyone who ate them seemed to like them, which is cool since I crave that sort of validation. All the cookies are very good, you can't go wrong with any of these, assuming you like what's in them.

The cranberry crunch cookies are chock full of goodies: dried cranberries, toasted almonds, oatmeal, and graham cracker crumbs which gives them a fun, unusual crispy/crunchiness. Yet they're chewy at the same time. Like I said, unusual and fun. I found this one here on Cookie Madness; Anna links to the original recipe on her post. (Which is what I used.) The prep on these is a bit of a pain compared to some cookies, as you have to toast the almonds, grind up the graham crackers, zest the orange. But there's nothing difficult about any of it. Also, these are pretty sweet, so I might skip rolling them in turbinado sugar (though that lends a pleasing sparkle and crunch) OR I might just cut back on the brown sugar some, if I make them again. But they're not cloyingly sweet or anything, I just personally prefer a bit less sweetness.

And I found these Italian cookies here on Noble Pig. Are these the cutest cookies in the universe or what? OK, maybe not, but they are definitely the cutest cookies I've ever made. I have a thing for sprinkles, what can I say. The original recipe calls for anise extract, but um, no I did not want licorice flavored cookies under my sprinkles, so I used lemon extract in both the dough and the glaze. Also, I added the zest of two lemons to the dough. Otherwise I think I followed the recipe exactly. When dipping the cooled cookies into the glaze, I did about 5 at a time, then sprinkled, then repeated. You want to get the sprinkles on there while the glaze is still wet. Oh, and this is my first foray into Crisco usage. It's a super small amount when you spread it over this many cookies, and I wanted to get the texture right, so I figured what the hell. (I am usually a butter purist.) No regrets with that here, though I will stick to butter-based recipes most of the time. Besides being adorable, these taste great, and they make your mouth happy because it thinks it is eating a teeny tiny cake - WITH SPRINKLES!!

happy happy joy joy happy happy joy joy...

quick FYI

Do you ever feel like all those cutie pie animals out there on the internet must be getting smug and uppity with all the adoration? Well, this site takes their adorable fuzzy asses down several pegs, and it is hysterically funny! So I want to give it special mention because I think it's one of the funniest blogs I have ever come across. Really, as far as cute animal blogs go, the only thing that rivals this one, in my opinion, is ICHC. It's called &*#$ You, Penguin and there's a link over there as well --->. (I certainly love the F word, but since I don't know who is looking at this - could be lil' nieces and nephews sometimes - I do limit my use of it on here. So that's why I have the word itself bleeped out. But on the site, there's a copious amount of cussin', fair warning.) Anyway y'all, check it out - it's twisted and hilarious, and we all need more twisted hilarity in our lives!

peppermint bark chocolate cookies

Well, the wedding I was in was a rousing success, I had a nice visit with my folks who came down for the weekend, I got all my shopping done (I think), and I made one out of the three cookie recipes I need to have baked for the potluck on Thursday. I probably should make the second recipe tonight, but it's already 10:00 and it's just not going to happen. I'm still feeling overwhelmed, but it's good to know I have accomplished something.

These cookies are really good. They pretty much taste exactly like you'd expect, in a good way. The recipe can be found here. No surprise that I did the "bark" the lazy way: used a scant half cup of crushed 'soft' peppermint candies* and a heaping half cup of white chocolate chips. (This dough is thick; I think my 20 year old hand-me-down hand mixer was about to overheat! Someday you will be mine, KitchenAid stand mixer... someday.) Keep the dough in the fridge between batches. All my batches were done in 10 minutes, which never happens when I make cookies, so be sure to check these at 10. Oh, and someone in the comments suggested adding a bit of peppermint extract but I did not and I would not in the future. Too much mint is overwhelming, the candy adds plenty of it, trust me. I got about 46 cookies or so. I will wrap these in wax paper and put them in an airtight container, then freeze till Thurs so they stay fresh-tasting. I'll try to post the other cookie recipes later in the week, but no hard and fast promises! G'night.

* Like these. They're hardish but sort of melty when you chew them. I wouldn't even think about using the totally hard kind; these were a pain enough to crush as it was. I unwrapped a bunch, put them in a freezer bag and went after it with a rolling pin. They crush better if you throw your weight into pressing the pin down on them, rather than bashing them.

super long post full of random things

Last night we had a power outage that lasted 3 hours. Something blew up on top of some pole and several blocks went down. Luckily it was back on by 11:30 so we didn't freeze too bad, but never mind all the stuff I was hoping to accomplish. The good thing is, the moon was bright and the stars were shining and I spent a long time gazing at them. Wouldn't have done that otherwise.

I am FREAKING OUT about Christmas. I haven't done a single card or bought a single gift. And I can't do much this weekend because I'm in a wedding. And I have to bake 3 kinds of cookies for my office potluck. At some point. FREAKING OUT. And I didn't even decorate this year. Y'all people with mad skilz in time management - HOW DO YOU DO IT??? Seriously. Please tell me how. (If you're wondering how I have time to write this post, the answer is, by writing it at work, of course! heh)

The foliage around Austin is unbelievably gorgeous these days. I guess drought is good for one thing. I like to commute on prettier roads, and all along Mopac and downtown in the Clarksville area it's a feast for the eyes. So many colors, some trees are just glowing I swear. Please look around if you haven't yet, it won't last much longer!! Here are a few pics I took in Dallas over the holiday weekend, more coming later from here at home. Maybe. (See above plea for help.)

Haagen Dazs has a Limited Edition out right now, which is Peppermint Bark. Holy crap is it good. I ate three-fourths of the pint in one sitting. No, I'm not proud of that.

Why do those "Classmates" and "Reunion" sites keep emailing me that people are searching for me or signing my guest book, but then they won't let me see who's searching or even see my own guestbook without paying for a subscription? Fuck you, classmates and reunion.

I wish I could take pictures of smells. The other morning some guys were chopping down a tree behind my office and the fresh lumber smelled so good, I wished I could capture it and share it somehow. Poor tree though.

Over Thanksgiving, I learned that my brother and I apparently have exceptionally small ears.

It was a good holiday. Everyone got along, there was no real drama (though one nephew did squeeze out a few tears after losing at monopoly), it was downright pleasant all around! Plus I won the pot, twice I think?, in the card game we always play at B's family get-togethers. Suckas.

Also over Thanksgiving, I went to half a bachelorette party and I had a birthday.

37 feels a lot older than 36. (Hence, the attendance of only half a bachelorette party.)

My mom made me my "signature" birthday cake: devilsfood cake with chocolate frosting with M&Ms all over it. YU-HUH-HUMMY!

On the way home from Thanksgiving, we hit terrible traffic. No shock there, but it sucked anyway. B wanted to try a new alternate route, east of 35, so we did do that for a while. It was great, no traffic, just country roads and farms and fields and sky and grass and trees. Really pretty area (east of Hillsboro basically). The dying grass along the highway was sort of glowing greenish white. We had vast unobstructed views of the sky, silverlined clouds heading on towards sunset. (So many times when I'm driving, I see things that would make beautiful photos, and I'm not in a position to take any. This is very disappointing, but I suppose the bright side is it forces me to just enjoy the moment without filtering it through the lens, which can cause a detachment from the situation happening in real life.) I wanted to get back on the highway before dark, so we went back to 35 and the rest of trip was congested and annoying. Except for two things: the atomic sunset and later, our view of the moon's alignment with Venus and Jupiter. That was awesome! (Can you see the smiley face created by this alignment? Pic from Astronomy Pic of the Day. I love that site. As you might can tell, I love the skies.)




How about some more pics from the holiday weekend, even though it was like two weeks ago. This is my parents' dog, Zelda. Isn't she cute? My aunt thinks she looks like Falcor from The Neverending Story. hee hee

Not so much here!

If you can't be with the one you love, hook him up to a webcam. (My nephew was sick this day so he stayed home, but he still got to join us!)

Here's another nephew, preparing for his performace of All I Want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth. He's a method actor.

How many screens can one roomful of people look at? Is this weird?

Internet addiction starts young these days. And it's no wonder considering the environment. ^

B really likes pie. He ate two pieces of leftover pumpkin pie in a row, knowing that we were about to eat my birthday cake. He ate some of that too.

The formatting here on blogger drives me crazy!

Is that all for now? I think so. If any of you actually read the whole thing, I'm impressed. I mean it with those time management tips. I am in desperate need here. (After 37 years of extreme procrastination, though, it might just be too late.)

i can has lazy post?

I promise I won't keep posting ICHC pics instead of writing something. Eh, I can't actually promise that, but I will try not to do it very often. But sometimes one just comes along that is so frickin frackin awesome, I have to share it with my loyal readers. If you're not checking this site every day (link is over there somewhere --->), you are simply missing out on one of life's very real, very simple, daily pleasures.



more animals


Oh yeah, that "real" post is coming soon. And by soon I mean sometime before the apocalypse of 2012. Did you know that there will be an apocalypse on 12-21-2012? * All the other doomsdays and apocalypses I've experienced (Y2k, 6-6-06, etc etc etc) have been perfectly pleasant, so I'm not too worried. Also, by then, all the Harry Potter movies, and The Hobbit movie, will have been released, and maybe even the "other" hobbit movie that's to follow it. (Though that one could be dicey as it has a Dec 2012 release date.) We've seen a black man elected to office (please don't screw up please don't screw up) and we've seen dogs and cats living together. And there won't be any ice caps left to worry about. So basically, I'm cool with it, though I do want to get to Europe one more time before it happens. And I have a lot of books to read and movies to see and wines to taste and restaurants to visit and recipes to make (oh man do I have a lot of recipes to make). So I better get busy living or get busy dying, as a wise movie character once said. 4 years - what will you do with your time?

* Disclaimer 1 - there are all kinds of wild theories about the end of the Mayan calendar indicating the end of the world. I don't actually believe it, I'm being flippant with the above paragraph. Uh, just in case any of you were wondering. (Though "carpe diem" is always a worthy goal.) ** I know as it gets closer crooks and hucksters will prey on people's fears for the purposes of making a buck and/or scaring people into their churches. There's a movie coming out about it, too, for which I saw a teaser the other night before James Bond. *** Apocalypses are big business. Of course if any of these people actually BELIEVED it, they wouldn't give a flip about making money, b/c really, what would be the point? So there you go. And just in case, like me, you want to read a little more about it b/c there is this teeny tiny weensy part of you which you are ashamed to admit exists that feels the tiniest bit of anxiety about it, go ahead and read this article and move on with your life.

** Disclamer 2 - I totally think we could wipe ourselves out at any time, mind you. I just don't think some ancient calendar will have anything to do with it.

*** James Bond is very good. I have fairly neutral feelings regarding the franchise in general but thoroughly enjoyed this movie, and I love the gravitas and all-around badassness that Craig brings to the role.

PS - This turned into a real post, didn't it? Yay!

I AM NOT A FREAK!

Y'all, check out what my friend "Anonymous" just put in the comments on the nostril post. I will copy it here:

Having upper and lower jaw surgery on Monday, I have the answer to this question! My surgeon is about to alter the dimensions of my nose and airways, so, he asked me if I breathe out of one nostril all the time, or if it goes back and forth. Back and forth was my answer, and he said, "good". I always thought that was a problem, too. He said it was normal. He called it 'cycling', and said that if it didn't cycle between nostrils, then one side would get dry as a bone and have problems. I guess one side opens for awhile, then the other side closes via the tissue re-inflaming, thereby prepping it to open back up later, breathe air and warm it, catch particles, etc. So, I guess 'cycling' is good, normal, and not a problem!

That's right - I am totally good and normal and all y'all two-nostril breathers are the freaks!!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHHAAAAA

CD cover meme

I have a vague notion that I will put together a post to sum up my holiday weekend, but in the meantime, here's a fun little meme. Y'all should play, too, and tell me what you get on your blogs or in the comments!

(And if you think it's really too late to be recapping Thanksgiving, consider that I still haven't unpacked yet from that trip. Timely is not my middle name.)

Step 1, click here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
The name of the article is the name of your band.

Mine: Okay High School

Step 2: http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last four words of the last quote is the name of your album

Mine: Politics is applesauce. (My quote only had three words.)

Step 3: http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days/
The third image, from left to right, is your cover art.

Mine: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ingedegroot/3082493790/

I think it all works beautifully together, actually!! This must be how some bands actually name themselves. For would-be evidence, check out this article:

http://new.ca.music.yahoo.com/blogs/mojo/718/whats-the-worst-band-name-like-ever/

Reminds me of the fake band name that B and I came up with years ago - 24 Hour Emergency. Not bad, right? Right??

i know, i know

I need a new blog entry! Even if you were thinking about trying those enchiladas, you are probably so sick of looking at them that you will refuse to do so now. I am going to try to put up something of substance (as much as anything ever is) soon, but for now, I have a question for my loyal readers and the universe at large:

Is it normal to only breathe out of one nostril at a time? Which nostril is clear varies, but I can rarely breathe through both at the same, and that's even when I'm NOT congested. Is this true for everyone, or am I a freak? (Meaning: am I freak in this regard - no need to debate my freakishness at large!)

And because posts are always better with pictures, I will leave you with this:

The cuteness... it burns...

spicy pumpkin enchiladas

I can't stand pumpkin pie. I don't know what it is, I like those flavors and I like creamy pies, but blech, something about it just wigs me out. However, I will pretty much eat pumpkin in any and every other way imaginable. And it's good for you, too - bonus!

I found this recipe where I find a ton of my recipes, from the Cooking Light bulletin board. I'm just a lurker, I don't need yet another cyber place to waste spend time posting stuff. If you ever want to kill a few minutes between projects, or just get some ideas for dinner, I highly recommend stopping by and browsing around. There's a link to the main page over there somewhere. ---->

These babies came from this thread; my notes and changes are below. You could do whatever you want for the filling, though beans and/or chicken sound better than beef or pork in this case, at least to me. The only thing that some people might have a problem with is that they're pretty mushy, esp. the first night. So if that bothers you, well you should try to get over it because these are so yummy. But if it really really bothers you, you might want to skip these.

SPICY PUMPKIN SAUCE/ENCHILADAS

1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
4 garlic cloves, peeled (I used 3 and it was PLENTY)
1 jalapeno, quartered (remove ribs and seeds for less heat, if wimpy)
1 tsp. chili powder (I also added a dash of cumin)
8 corn tortillas (6 inch)
Filling of choice (see below)
1-1/2 cups grated sharp white cheddar (or just enough to cover it)

Serves 4
* Prep time: 20 mins.
*Total time: 1 hour

Preheat oven to 425. In a blender, puree pumpkin, garlic, jalapeno, chili powder, 2-1/2 cups water, 2 tsps. salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper until smooth. (Hold blender top firmly as blender will be quite full.) Pour 1 cup of the sauce into the bottom of an 8 inch square or other shallow baking dish. (** I used a 9x11 inch dish, I think - I would NOT use anything smaller than that, it was FULL.)

Nuke the tortillas for a few seconds or dip in simmering water or whatever you do to make them pliable. Roll tortillas with filling: mound on half of the tortilla and roll up; place seam side down in baking dish. Pour remaining sauce on top; sprinkle with cheese.

Place dish on a baking sheet (I didn't, but remember I used a bigger dish); bake until cheese is golden and sauce is bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool five minutes before serving.

FILLING: I used a can of black beans, drained and rinsed, combined with half a carton of Fage plain Greek yogurt, a small can of diced Hatch chilis (HOT of course), and about half a bunch of green onions, thinly sliced.

in which she leaves politics aside and resumes her inane perspicacious musings

Love is a Stranger - the best Eurythmics song in the history of Eurythmics? I think we all know the answer is yes, but if you have a cogent argument you may attempt to dissuade me. And the video, oh how it reminds me of the glorious days of early MTV. I have no idea if MTV even plays videos anymore, but if they do, I bet there are few as good as the masters of the 80s. Duran Duran's repertoire alone is proof!

But back to Eurythmics. This video is classic - cool, sleek, dark, and a bit dangerous, and Annie Lennox is completely fabulous. Unfortunately youtube is not allowing the video to be embedded, which pisses me off, but what can you do? I'll tell you what you can do - go to this link and reminisce about a bygone era, and a band and network whose better days are behind them.

Love is a Stranger

Do it! I'll know if you don't do it! And then I will also know that you suck!

PS - I will be doing these types of posts regularly.

PPS - Maybe.

best New Yorker cartoon ever?

words of hope

I read a lot of comments yesterday regarding the election. Many of them touched me, a few of them disturbed me, and couple of them just confused me. But this one, which was posted on the Margaret and Helen blog, brought tears to my eyes.

By: Red (White) and Blue on November 5, 2008 at 2:37 pm

I’m a Republican.
I’m white.
I’m straight.
I’m what I consider to be fairly conservative.
Yesterday, I went to my polling place and voted for Barack Hussein Obama.
And I’ll tell you why.
It wasn’t because of the economy.
It wasn’t because of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
It wasn’t because Sarah Palin is a dingbat.
It wasn’t because John McCain is just like George Bush.
I did it because I’m tired of being afraid.
And, what’s more, I’m tired of being TOLD I should be afraid.
I should fear terrorists.
I should fear Muslims.
I should fear gays.
I should fear liberals.
I should fear taxes.
I should fear welfare recipients.
In fact, I should fear anyone who doesn’t look, act and think exactly as I’m told I should.

Enough.

Yesterday that’s what I said and so did a sizeable number of other Republicans, apparently.
Yesterday, most of us chose hope over hate.
Compasion over cruelty.
Discourse over violence.
Tolerance over intolerance.
Courage over fear.

THAT’S the America I learned about as a child.
The country where hope and courage overcame every challenge.
The country that holds Great Britain as its closest foreign ally.
Yes, Great Britain.
The same country from where our earliest settlers fled persecution.
The country that subjugated our forefathers’ colonies.
The country with which we fought a bloody war of independence.
The country that later invaded our sovereign nation and burned our capitol to the ground.
And we are allies.
Yet many of us see no hope of reconciling our current differences with other nations and peoples?

Come now. That’s just what we’re being told.
Yesterday, I stopped listening.

Thank you, Red (White) and Blue. This is simply beautiful.

cautious optimism, with a hint of free-floating anxiety...

... and a whole lot of hope.

CONGRATULATIONS PRESIDENT-ELECT OBAMA!!!!!!

Please don't screw this up.

2 winners from Giada

The first recipe I found by lurking on the Cooking Light board, from this thread. That's also where I got the idea to serve it over greens; in this case, a mix of arugula, baby spinach, and herbs. It was easy and delicious!



Orechiette with Sausage, Beans and Mascarpone

Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 15 min
Level: Easy
Serves: 4 to 6 servings

1 pound orechiette pasta (I used whole wheat farfalle, and only 1/2 a pound which is plenty)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound turkey sausage, casing removed (I used 2 links of sweet Italian turkey sausage)
1 small onion, chopped
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (predictably, my store didn't have cannellini beans so I used great northern beans and they were fine - I'm sure any white bean will do)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano leaves (I used dried, eyeballed amount)
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

In a large, heavy skillet warm the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and onions. Using a wooden spoon break up the sausage into bite-sized pieces as it browns.Continue cooking until the sausage is golden and the onions are tender. Add the beans and oregano cook for 2 more minutes. Add the cup of pasta cooking liquid and stir, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the mascarpone cheese and stir until it dissolves into a light sauce. Add the salt, pepper, and hot pasta. Stir until coated and serve. (And if you're me, sprinkle with freshly grated Parm.)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I actually saw her make the second recipe on her show, which I hardly ever watch, but happened to catch for some reason. This one is also fairly easy and definitely delicious!

Halloween Spice Cake

Prep Time: 12 min
Cook Time: 50 min
Level: Intermediate
Serves: 6 to 8 servings

Butter (**)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan (** I did not butter and flour the pan, I just sprayed it with that cooking (baking) spray that has flour in it)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt (um, yeah, I just used table salt)
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger (I thought I had some but didn't, used pumpkin pie spice instead)
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice (omitted this but added a very small dash of ground cloves)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Powdered sugar, for dusting

For the cake: Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour (or spray) a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cocoa powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice. (I like to use a whisk to mix dry ingredients.)

In a large bowl, beat the sugars, oil, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla extract to blend. Add the dry ingredients (in 2 batches) and stir (don't beat) until just blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool the cake for 10 minutes. Unmold the cake and place on a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar and cut into slices for serving.
(I think I had to bake mine for about 50 minutes for the center to cook completely. By that time, the outer edges were slightly burned. So I basically just cut the worst parts off. I think perhaps making this in a square pan instead of a loaf pan might help things cook more evenly. But I dunno. Still, very good overall and aside from the edges, it was moist as well.)

halloween then and now + a story

This was our very first Halloween together, waaaaay back in 95. I don't have a story for this pic, but B & I both looked damn good, so I'm posting it anyway.


Here we are last year, at the most kick-ass Halloween party I have ever been to. Sometimes my inner dorkiness builds up and has to be released. That's what happened last year when I was looking at this picture and proceeded to write the following silly story in about a 15 minute burst of creativity. Unfortunately, the great majority of people (like, 4 out of 5) who read this blog have already seen it, but I'm putting it out into the blogger universe because you never know who else might stop by. And I'm cool with putting my dorkiness on public display. Which must be terribly obvious by now.

So here's me and Indy, my longtime BF. I'm the one on the left. My proper name is The Angel of Death, but I prefer Angie D on the street. Some people think we make for a strange couple, but the truth is, we are perfect for each other. We first met long ago in some remote jungle or rain forest or something, I can't remember. I had been keeping an eye on him, because Indy here is a bigtime risk-taker, so I knew it wouldn't be long before I got to meet him in person. I thought he was cute, so the prospect of finally meeting him was kind of a double-edged sickle. I don't get much of a chance to get to know the people I meet, if you know what I mean. But I really liked this guy. So I was pretty bummed when he finally went too far and I saw him staggering around with a poison dart sticking out of his rear end. But a job is a job, so off I went to harvest him. Well, something about me must have really stirred him up, because he couldn't keep his hands off of me! (Yeah, he was drugged, but he wasn't dead yet! ) He said facing impending death was his biggest turn-on, and that thought (plus his freely roaming hands) just made me go weak in the knees.

You have to understand, it had been an eternity since I'd had any action. (And when I say an eternity, I mean: an eternity.) And I had such a crush on him already. I had never been so tempted to bend the rules as I was that day. I think the crippling heat combined with the high humidity and all those colorful little frogs hopping around everywhere just made me go a little crazy. So I spared him. First time I ever did that, cross my scythe and hope to... well you know.

I'm all for honesty in a relationship, so I told him flat-out who I was and what I was going to do. He seemed to be relieved but it was hard to tell considering that at this point he was barely conscious. But he suddenly rallied for a second and I saw a glimmer of sheer terror flash behind his eyes. "Wait, wait, you aren't going to turn into a snake, are you? I really, REALLY, hate snakes." Geez louise, I don't know WHY people are always thinking I might do that, but I assured him that NO, I didn't operate that way, that was Satan, and despite everyone's assumptions we are NOT affiliated with one another. He looked really happy about that, right before he slipped into the coma. Personally, I was really excited to imagine all the fun we were going to have once he got back on his feet. I knew there would be hell to pay later (just an expression, remember, I don't have anything to do with all that business), but I didn't care.

Ever since that day we have been just as happy as a man and a harbinger of death can be together. There's a lot of extra paperwork and "misplaced files" on my end, and a lot of extremely painful injuries on his, but it's all worth it. He gets to keep taking all of his silly risks, since he has someone fixing the system for him from the inside, and I finally have a real live man, one who isn't afraid to love me for who - and what - I really am.

more fun with photoshop

In honor of the coolest holiday, here is one of my most favorite pictures.

(I took this in Salem, Mass. which makes it even cooler.)


(It looks better large but this is as big as I can get it on here.)

Here's the fairly mundane original:

Decent, but nothing special.

But once I messed with it a billion different ways, I was able to achieve the exact tone/look/feel I wanted. The diffuse glow filter is especially cool.

Creepalicious!

would you give up immortality for this man?

Would I? Ummm.... YES. (And even a few years of a normal lifespan.) It's not the king thing, I mean, that's cool and all, but this guy kicks all kinds of ass regardless of his royal destiny. He's fierce and grim and noble, but also gentle and kind and fair. He is a healer, but he will not hesitate to lop off the heads of vile evil creatures. With his Really Big Sword.

And he's hopelessly devoted to one lucky elven lady. If I were her, hell yeah I would give up immortality to be with him. For one thing, the Grey Havens would probably be a drag. But mostly, Aragorn is just one fine specimen of masculine perfection. And by perfection, I mean he is not perfect at all, which is what makes him so, uh, perfect.

I freely admit, I prefer movie Aragorn to book Aragorn. And it's not just because I have lust in my heart, and elsewhere, for Viggo. Well maybe it is, but I also like how movie Aragorn was warmer and had more humanity. Purists will probably object, but I think Peter Jackson changed Aragorn for the better in the movie. And Viggo was simply exceptional. Lust aside.

I was actually going to write a serious post about the melancholy that I always feel when finishing a LOTR book or movie, because I just finished rereading the whole series. And maybe I still will, but not tonight, because I should be sleeping and I'm going to be so tired in the morning and my eyes are dry and my contacts are about to pop out, all because I've been looking at pictures of Viggo for the past hour and a half. (Totally worth it of course.) And so, this post has now devolved into shameless fangirl lust.

Man I love google images.

fun with photoshop

I love to take an ordinary, boring picture and turn it into something cool and interesting. If it weren't for digital photography and photoshop, not only wouldn't I be able to do that, I probably would never have gotten into photography at all. You see, I am an impatient procrastinator. If I used film, I would probably have 53 undeveloped rolls hanging about at any given time. Actually, that's not true. I would be so impatient to see my pictures, but would procrastinate so long about getting them developed, I'd probably take a couple rolls and give up. Also, I hate reading manuals and instructions and really learning how to do things the right way. I mostly just wing it. I know I need to learn more about f stops and shutter speed and... all that other stuff. But with my digital camera, I can just take several pictures of something until I get it right.

I do the same thing with photoshop. I don't know what I'm doing really, just playing around until my pictures look how I want them to. Some get very little editing, just a bit of cropping, others get more heavily tweaked, either to "fix" something, or just because it's fun. Usually it's for the fun reason, because a truly crappy picture can't really be fixed with photoshop.

Except... every once in a while I see potential in a crappy picture. I think, maybe with a little help, there is something cool there after all. And sometimes, it works.

For example. A grackle. Ho hum. I was planning to get a picture of a little woodpecker I had spied in our front pecan, but of course he was gone by the time I came back with the camera. But this guy hung around, so what the hell. Here's my SOOC shot:

Blurry, boring, blah. Headed straight for the virtual garbage can if it weren't for the PS.

But after playing around with it, I was able to make this:

Which is still blurry, but in an artistic way. (Or so I tell myself. Ha.) I love spooky stuff though and this gives me that vibe. It also has a graphic, tenuous quality to it: the idea or essence of a bird. But mostly, I just think it looks cool. Thank you, photoshop!

trip report the last

We continued our circuit of small town attractions by going to the Koffee Kup in Hico, known for its large assortment of homemade pies.

See?

It's also apparently known for its wide appeal to biker-type people. And I'm not talking Lance Armstrong here either. I think we were the only dorks in the whole joint. Well I'm a dork. B isn't. B actually rides a motorcyle, much to my chagrin, but he definitely doesn't fit the profile of a biker-type person. I never knew pie was so popular with that crowd.

Anyway, our waiter was a non-biker type too, and he was very friendly, but not in a weird way, and look what he did to our pie!

I guess the waiter is a dork too. Maybe that's why he was so friendly to me, he sensed in me a kindred spirit.

Or maybe he serves everyone their pie this way, and I am really really a dork for even thinking he did it just for me.

But at least I didn't say, now that is service with a smile! That would have been super dorky!

I would be remiss if I did not mention the other big part of our day - the cows.

It's quite possible that I have never seen so many cows in a 6 hour period in my life.

I guess there's not much else to do round those parts except operate ranches. It does have a certain romantic appeal to me, and I blame this lady. But I just kept wondering where in the world do these people buy their groceries??? Do they have to pack dry ice with them when they go to the store for milk and yogurt and ice cream? They eat milk and yogurt and ice cream, don't they?? Especially ice cream????? Then I started to feel the panic rising from my vicarious dairy-withdrawal and decided it might not be all that romantic to live on a ranch in the middle of nowhere after all.

OK this is the same cow from up there ^ but trust me, there were a bajillion cows, we were just driving by too fast to take pictures.

There were also a lot of goats. Despite this limited photographic documentation, the cow activities we observed were quite varied. Sure, there was plenty of eating/grazing/chewing the cud, but also there was hanging out and chilling with the homies, gettin down wid (or up on) the ladies, sleeping, swatting flies, aimless wandering, all kinds of stuff. But the goats - every single one of them, every single time we saw them, were always, ALWAYS eating. I get a sort of sick pleasure when I see stereotypes in action.

Which brings me to Walburg and its "world famous" German restaurant. Which is where we ate that night. It's kind of like the Salt Lick in that you are driving for miles and miles in the middle of nowhere and then all of a sudden there are hundreds of cars and people all converged in this one spot. It was a beautiful night so we sat outside in their biergarten. There was a traditional German band playing, and even some traditionally clad dancers (including lederhosen I kid you not), a big German beer selection, delicious schnitzel, pucker-inducing vinegary potato salad, and a whole helluva lot of white people. Like I said... heh heh.

So, that about covers our tiny little trip. I think I've gotten a lot of blog mileage out of it considering all we really did was drive around a lot.

Oh, and the pie?

Key lime, baby.

And it was delicious.

The end.