Completed:
Persuasion

Seen:
The Women (2008 version)

Book Total for 2008... 27

Total Austen: five of her six novels (I read Emma in 2007)
Total Fforde: six of his seven (I read The Big Over Easy in 2007)
Total memoirs: six.
Total series completed: two (Thursday Next, Twilight)
Total semi-embarrassing YA: five
Total books referencing 9/11 as semi-significant plot points: two
Total rereads: only one, Persuasion, which was a favorite of 2008 and the last book I read for the year, finished on the 31st.
Most surprising book discovery: that I did not complete a single Bryson this year... I finished one at the end of 2007 and read, but did not complete The Mother Tongue.

one long three-month wrap up

Oy. Terrible with the updating, I am.

Reading:
Persuasion - Jane Austen (reread #1... possibly the only reread I've done this year)
The Mother Tongue - Bill Bryson (I may not be able to get through this one and I feel like I'm betraying a favorite author)

Completed:
The Fourth Bear - Jasper Fforde
Paper Towns - John Green
Harry, A History - Melissa Anelli
Shakespeare Wrote for Money - Nick Hornby
perhaps more?

Bought:
Jane Eyre (for 25c at the rummage sale)
Paper Towns
Harry, A History
Shakespeare Wrote for Money

Seen:
Young @ Heart
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2
Leatherheads
Tape (second viewing, but I forgot how much I like this one)
and I'm sure some others that I don't remember at the moment...

Notes on being an only child...

I am selfish with my time.

I learned long ago how to share my toys, share my food, even share my feelings... but not so much my time. I don't do well with adjusting my personal system to how other folks do it. I am a creature of habit.

I've always been shy. I've also always been fairly mature and responsible and still I had to grow up very quickly. I like to think that I don't need any people who I don't already know. I am jaded and have been for a while now. I gave up on love or any kind of meaningful romantic relationship what feels like ages ago.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm okay with being alone. Quite frankly I'm more than okay with it. For now, that is. But I know that in the future I may have other thoughts. The question is whether to follow my heart deeper into the solitary life that feels so right to me or to force myself into situations I'm not all that interested in for the sake of experience.

A lot to think about, so it would seem.

Reading:
The Fourth Bear

Completed:
Thursday Next: First Among Sequels

Reading:
probably will start First Among Sequels soon

Completed:
Such a Pretty Fat

Bought:
First Among Sequels

Reading:
TBD

Completed:
The Well of Lost Plots
Breaking Dawn
Lost in Austen: A Create Your Own Jane Austen Adventure
The Idiot Girl and the Flaming Tantrum of Death
Something Rotten

Bought:
Breaking Dawn

Seen:
Manos, the Hand of Fate ala MST3K
Mama Mia

Reading:
The Well of Lost Plots

Completed:
Mansfield Park! finally!!

Bought:
The Well of Lost Plots - Jasper Fforde

Seen:
The Dark Knight
The Other Boleyn Girl
Slings and Arrows Season 3

Reading:
Mansfield Park (still, maybe one day I'll finish it)

Completed:
On Call

Bought:
Atonement
The Darjeeling Limited

Seen:
Slings and Arrows Season 2
WALL-E (x2, with the cousin, one of which was his special advance copy)
The Tudors Season 1
Mansfield Park
Sex and the City

Reading:
I suppose Mansfield Park and On Call, the same as I was before I was packing and started Twilight

Completed:
Eclipse (read back to back over seven days)
New Moon
Twilight

Bought:
Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer
New Moon - Stephenie Meyer
Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
Such a Pretty Fat - Jen Lancaster
(definitely something else here)

Seen:
Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Shaun of the Dead

Quick photo-sample of the move...

The boxes pre-packing, freshly taped, no cat yet frolicking in them.

I have a lot of books.
Here they are arranged by size and shape for easier packing.

Dad trying to squash down the mattress pad in the hopes of fitting it into a box.

Charlie and dad taking a break in the empty apartment after all their hard work.

Evidence

Found when I walked into the hall this morning...

My cat had discovered the hidden location of his much-loved Greenies from the move. These two bags were inside a sealed ziplock, inside a tote bag with the rest of his stuff. He found the ziplock and proceeded to chew a large hole straight across the top. He then pulled the unopened Greenies bag out and chewed two large holes in it. This bag was much emptier than it should have been when I found it.

Oh, he was in big trouble. We had a talk.

Fashion goldmine

I am one step closer to my dream of finding my mom's fabric and yarn stash. Ok, so I don't actually know if she had a stash. I assume she stashed, because that's what all us crafty folks do, however, it is likely that my aunt took it upon herself to remove from our house.

I spotted these two boxes in the stacks of our basement, guessing correctly at the genre of their contents.

I wore all of the pictured outfits. L-R: I made that printed denim skirt and pouch combo (the pattern is titled "Kids Can Sew". My mom made that pink and white polka-dot number (mine was all pink with tiny white Swiss dots) in the middle for a wedding we went to when I was maybe four or five... the dress is still hanging around here someplace. The bottom pattern was the pretty much the design for the dress she made when I was nine and a "junior bridesmaid" at my cousin Ellen's wedding. The flower girl had this dress with a frilly apron thing over it.

I think these dresses are kinda way awesome.

These crack me up... "How to Measure, Alter, and Fit" actually looks very useful. It was priced at 20 cents; lord knows how old it may be. The lingerie book has an entertaining suggestion of embellishing your creations with "a monogram or astrological sign". Ah, the 70s.

Fabulous last-minute fun.

Nicole was stranded in DC (technically, Virginia) last weekend when her flight was canceled for over a day. So, I drove down to Dulles at midnight to pick her up since we haven't hung out in a year. On Sunday, Jess came over and we bummed around just like old times. Really, it was just like college, only better, because we didn't have studying to worry about and my apartment is way bigger than the dorm.

I love these girls.

Jessica posing as Paris Hilton with her tiny dog (Harry Elephante).

It was really really fun.
(p.s... in this photo you see that, due to perspective, jessica's boob is pretty much the size of my head)

Reading:
Mansfield Park

Completed:
Lost in a Good Book

Bought:
Mansfield Park - Jane Austen

Five Things about Baltimore I...

Will Miss:

1. The amazing group of nurses and support personnel I have been lucky enough to work with.
2. My vet's office; a wonderful, friendly staff who have taken great care of Charlie.
   
3. Being in walking distance of Barnes and Noble, Chipotle, Panera, etc.
4. Seeing the water daily.
   
5. The ability to easily go out and drink and walk home quite safely.

Will Not Miss:

1. Tiny streets, one-way streets, and those that veer off into turns or become parking lanes with no warning.
2. The weather; it very rarely snows and is way too hot about 8 months of the year.
3. This god-awful, teeth-knocked-out accent.
4. Not being able to buy beer, wine, or liquor in the grocery or convenience store.
5. How bands generally do not come here, they go to DC and/or Philly instead.
   

Reading:
On Call

Completed:
Northanger Abbey

Bought:
Lost in a Good Book - Jasper Fforde
The Mother Tongue - Bill Bryson

Seen:
Northanger Abbey (2007)
Smart People
Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Reading:
Northanger Abbey

Completed:
The Eyre Affair

Seen:
Sense and Sensibility (1995)
Sense and Sensibility (2008)

Reading:
The Eyre Affair - Jasper Fforde

Completed:
Sense and Sensibility

Bought:
Northanger Abby - Jane Austen
The Family That Couldn't Sleep - D. T. Max

Seen:
Semi-Pro

Drunk and watching 1960's Vault Disney classic Swiss Family Robinson.

Felt the need to blog.

Completed:
Persuasion
Atonement

Bought:
Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

Seen:
Death at a Funeral
Once
Penelope

I believe!

Upon the mention of craft-guru Amy Karol, I purchased the book, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, last week. It contains a multitude of recipes for super-quick, minimal-effort bread doughs in addition to other tasty accompaniments. I whipped up a half-batch in the middle of Wednesday/Thursday night, right before I was struck by violent chills and later that morning, a two-day bout of flu.

The dough keeps for about two weeks and I finally managed to bake up my first loaf on Sunday. The book recommends baking on a pizza stone. I most certainly do not have a pizza stone. I do, however, have an earthenware casserole dish that can be upturned and has the same porous effect.

The bread came out wonderfully- golden brown and crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and all together delicious. I was concerned that it might have a... different flavor, not having proofed or kneaded it, but it was amazing. Nothing beats warm, fresh bread just kissed with butter. Call me converted; I want to tell everyone.

Baltimore pot o' gold?

We had a very brief rainstorm today, in the midst of another of the power outages that strikes the Federal Hill area all too frequently. Immediately afterwards, this giant rainbow appeared, complete with shadow-rainbow seen just to the left here.

Wonder where it ends...

Completed:
Atonement

Seen:
Be Kind Rewind

I kick culinary ass.

For about a year now I've had a drastic, burning desire for chocolate mousse. Not so much to eat it, but to make it, and make it well. A good mousse has always seemed to be one of those cooking mysticisms, like making mayonnaise or a really fabulous reduced pan sauce. Something I've seen numerous times on the Food Network and is made to look so stupid easy, but the minute I go to look up a recipe, suddenly appears terribly complex and off-putting. (the one time I did try a reduced sauce, some balsamic vinegar thing for salmon, it ended up caramelizing and we ate salmon with balsamic candy topping, though it was pretty darn tasty all the same.)

Last night I finally pulled my wits together and remembered The Dessert Bible, the gigantic volume from America's Test Kitchen/Cook's Illustrated that makes up half of The Classic Cookbook. Aha, success. I found the easiest mousse recipe I've seen yet. No stove use required, which seems to be what scares me away from other methods.

Melted the semisweet Ghirardelli chocolate with butter in the microwave, separated eggs, whipped a couple things, and folded my little heart out. I think I managed to maintain a bit of streakiness, one of the hallmarks of a proper mousse to me.

And another note, I listed to Weezer's Pinkerton for the duration of this project (perfect because both take about a half hour). It's been a while since I listened to that album in its entirety and it always takes me back to very comfortable early-college times. Also, there's something really perfect about the combo of making a fancy-schmancy dessert you have no one to share with and songs like "Across the Sea" and "Pink Triangle" all about being starved for emotional closeness. I watched Becoming Jane while they chilled too, so it was really one big unrequited love kinda night.

The finished product (in my favorite highball glasses I've had no use for until now) on its merry way into the fridge for a chill-down.

Fast forward 2.5 hours and this stuff is damn delicious. Creamy, light and fluffy, nice smooth bitter chocolate flavor (though I think I'd throw in a bit of espresso powder next time) and that perfect mousse-detachment sound when you pull a bite off the spoon. I want to try adding Oreo cookie bits the next batch I make. For future reference, I need to pay attention to the serving size... the recipe is for 12-16 servings and can easily be scaled back.

Next stop, mayonnaise and pan sauces?

Reading:
Atonement (not quite begun yet, but it's sitting right in front of me)

Completed:
Pride and Prejudice
Julie and Julia

Bought:
Napoleon's Buttons - Penny Le Couteur and Jay Burreson
Persuasion - Jane Austen
On Call - Emily R. Transue

Seen:
27 Dresses
Pride and Prejudice (2005)
Atonement
The Santa Clause 3
Arrested Development Seasons 1 and 2

Crafty bastard.

One of my new favorite things... reusable coffee sleeves! Pattern from Sew Simple magazine, but changed a bit so it works better. The green on the left was my first attempt, and it's a bit wonky (though that doesn't show up so much in the photo). It's one of my favorite fabrics, a green check with bees all over it, then I embroidered "buzz", because you know, it's bees... and coffee... get it? I think I made the blue one next, it's Em's birthday gift and she'll get it late this week when they're visiting. It has a silly tiny pocket for god knows what, but I embroidered a monogram "E" for her there. The third one is my favorite. I adore this drip drop fabric I bought off Etsy (have I mentioned how much I love Etsy nowadays? Well, it's a lot). I've learned that it's better to do the finishing/edgestitching in embroidery floss instead of sewing, because it looks more neat and adds a nice punch of color. One of these lives in my bag, one at home. Begone stupid paper sleeves!

The floss card with two sad little strands of floss was a beautiful color in my box that I ran out of after finishing my sampler this week. I knew I wanted to replenish, so I went off to JoAnn yesterday armed with the scrap card. Standing in front of the giant rack o'floss, I glanced briefly over the many shades, and aha! There it was, DMC #902. It was a great match, extremely close, if not the same (which it might not be, as I've probably had that skein remnant for upwards of 15 years). I stood there for another few minutes, just checking that there wasn't something better. I have color-matching skills, folks. Oh, and I have taken to labeling my cards with the number so eventually this sort of nonsense won't happen any more.

And finally, the current state of my floss box. It appears I need to expand. Ooh, and there's my card-winder-gizmo, which I have loved for many years.

"I'm not a goddamn pioneer"

Sunday night, after working long and busy shifts all weekend, I turned onto my street to see, well, nothing. Black hole of light. Blackout due to crazy winds. I kept driving, confirming that my building was out also and then turned straight off to the grocery store. The plan was to a) kill time in hopes that the power would come back and b) buy a flashlight.

I wandered around the grocery store in a haze for as long as I possibly could, walking out with four purchases (ice cream, grapes, toothbrush, mozzarella balls). No flashlights... so I ran across the strip mall parking lot to the Rite Aid. Thawed out in there (oh, did I mention it was colder this night that it's been in a long time, like 20?), and finally struck flashlight gold. The pimply kid at the counter asked me why I bought a flashlight, saying several people had bought them today. I replied that I didn't have power, and they probably didn't either.

I'll say now how eerie it is to drive around for blocks without electricity. Like some kinda zombie movie, not that I watch zombie movies.

Power still off when I get back, so I grab a bowl of ice cream, prop the flashlight and try to prevent Charlie from playing with the cord and knocking it over. The power came back on about 45 minutes later, and I see from my stove clock that it went off at 5, so it's been off for 4 hours. I had been planning on holing up in the bathroom and propping the light against the mirror so I could read. I used to sit in my half-closet over the stairs and read with a flashlight when I was little. It would have been like old times. Oh well.

End of story, I'd make a crappy pioneer.

Photos I love, part the first

Charlie, looking very much at ease, sitting on my back. Moments before, I had been trying to dry my hair. Charlie of course, saw a flat surface and an opportunity to have a rest. He has a very stressful life, you know.

This picture reminds me that I am loved and that I have two of the most wonderful friends that have ever existed.

Three little cousins, all in a row, rapidly escaping from me.

Grandmother's 95th birthday cake, which I slaved over for half a day and which she has chosen to stick her thumb in the side of. Further proof that you may do whatever you like when you are old.

This is the rare Telletubby Strawberry. Discovered in 2003 while perusing the offerings of a Case Western Reserve University dormitory cafeteria, it was quickly swept away from its fellows. This photo is the only lasting evidence of such a phenomenon. Sadly, the Telletubby Strawberry was lost to a hungry belly later that night.

Completed:
Early Bird - Rodney Rothman
Identical Strangers - Elyse Schein & Paula Bernstein

Seen:
The Wedding Date
Juno
Mad Money