Runs with Needles

Well, I could have done without THAT

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 20:49:20 GMT

Home from the ER a bit ago - Will had the classic forehead-to-coffeetable-corner encounter. Four stitches and he is just fine - he says he was not even scared - but I need to go rock in a corner for a little while.

Sad news

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:12:18 GMT

With great sorrow, I must announce the passing of Owen's father, Robert Hutchins. He died on Friday morning after a brief and very difficult fight with esophageal cancer.

He will be profoundly missed. Information on a memorial celebration to come.

coming out of lurkdom to say

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 13:43:55 GMT

Happy birthday, auntiero! Hope you have a great year!

(and I'm right behind ya....)

Wow.

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 15:09:27 GMT

anyone ever see "A Knight's Tale?"

"You have been weighed. You have been measured, And you have been found oh, so wanting.

Welcome to the new world."

Now the really hard work begins!

Writer's Block: Eat Your Vegetables

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:11:16 GMT

The fall harvest is showing up in markets now, including many of the green vegetables children find so disgusting and yet are forced to eat. What is the most disgusting thing you’ve eaten, either by choice or against your will?

Submitted By bloodcurdling

View 500 Answers

Uni (that's sea urchin, for those not conversant with sushi.) Hands down, the nastiest thing ever. Sandy-textured seaweed-flavored goo.

It is raining...

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 22:44:18 GMT

like a cow pissing on a flat rock, as my father so quaintly puts it.

Wow.

Is anyone else as amused as I am...

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:24:27 GMT

by the media frenzy over ComicCon this year?

Comic Con coverage

Yet again.... the Geek shall inherit the Earth.

LOL

Investiture!

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 16:12:06 GMT

woodwindy and the LC are now officially Baron and Baroness of Bhakail. Vivant! Vivant! Vivant! Yippee!

It was a good day. Their Excellencies ran their First Court as smoothly as if they’d been doing it forever -- not a cue missed, not a transition botched, and they easily commanded the attention of the room. There was some schtick with the Wetlands Alliance group that had me fighting madly not to laugh out loud. Suffice it to say that it may be an interesting Fall… our new Baron has decided to shake things up a bit. (“Alliance? Us? No thanks. I’ve read your treaty and we don’t need your little alliance limiting us to our borders…”). HRM Konrad had to break it up and command that hostilities be deferred until after Pennsic.

The event overall was incredibly well run. I had the rare treat of being there with no kids, all day (Owen took them to Toys-R-Us and a birthday party), and no responsibilities. I went with the intention of making myself useful, but everything was entirely under (someone else’s) control. Props to suba_al_hadid the event steward, and the too-many-to-name-even-on-LJ who did it! Also a shout-out to baronessjuliana, who cooked a fabulous feast I didn’t get to eat nearly enough of (because I kept wandering off to talk to people).

auntiero gave me a ride, and performed her duties as chief lady-in-waiting with her usual grace and formidable organizational skills. kevinarcher, their Excellencies’ ~~Grand Vizier~~ major-domo looked less stressed than he might have been, which is always a good thing … for everyone else.

I got to catch up with people, including gustavvs and bearassed, whom I don’t see often enough, and have conversations that consisted of more than “howhowareyougreattoseeyougottogochasemykidbye!”

Being at loose ends at one point, I went and poked my head into the Musician’s Room (have I mentioned how well-run the event was? A whole room for musicians and our stuff? Dude!). E.G.I.S. handed me a sheet with a song I’d never seen before, in a language I don’t know, and said “Here! Want to sing this at dinner tonight?”

… and that is how I wound up at High Table, singing a Sephardic love song, in Ladino, for the King, Queen, Prince and Princess of the East, the Queen of Northshield, Duquessa Isabella of York, and our new Baron and Baroness, while EGIS played backup on the oud. All things considered, we didn’t sound too bad.

Acoustical Liberation of Books in the Public Domain

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 18:44:36 GMT

This is an amazing project: LibriVox

A bunch of folks got together and decided to record audiobooks of public-domain works and publish them free on the Internet.

You can volunteer to read books to the world!

My uncle's the doctor's going to be on Oprah tomorrow!

Tue, 20 May 2008 15:52:17 GMT

Too cool for words. His name is John Grayson; he's a psychologist who specializes in treating obsessive-compulsive disorder; they're doing a whole segment.

Yay!!

Second coolest. thing. evar. (this week, anyway)

The very coolest thing is that his mother, my Nana, is turning 90 on Thursday. Hippo birdies, Nana!

Greening

Mon, 19 May 2008 19:34:10 GMT

Between rising gas prices, rising food costs and the ongoing need to be nicer to the planet, here’s the list of stuff we’re working on to save money and energy. How about you? Suggestions are most welcome...

Things we already do:

CFLs in all the lights
Electronic thermostat for the heat
Foil on the windows for summer; plastic for winter
Clipping coupons/shopping the sales aggressively (and shamelessly trash-picking the Sunday circulars on Wednesdays when the recycling goes out…)
Bake bread
Pack lunches for all of us
Do a carefully planned major grocery run for staples every 2 or 3 weeks to save time and gas; fill in with fresh stuff picked up via a walk or on the way to/from somewhere else (like work)
Plan meals to take advantage of sales and pantry, to make ordering out a deliberate choice, not an emergency measure
due to either exhaustion or empty cupboards

New or newly re-emphasized things:

Looking into buying a scooter for O’s commute (which is too far to bike thru less than stellar neighborhoods, else he’d do that) – this will cut our gasoline costs quite a bit. At the rate gas prices are going, the thing will pay for itself in a year and save energy, too. (I already take the train to work.)
Consciously reducing/reusing/recycling a bit more (I got the hairy eyeball from a grocery cashier at my not-favorite-but-walkable market the other day for bringing bags, but at my regular market they give us $0.02 credit per bag!). Less packaging = good. (I admit I can’t bring myself to go as far as ditching juice boxes and kids’ yogurt cups, however)
Switch out to eco-friendly soaps and cleaners, including trying some home-made ones – not always cheaper, but definitely greener
Buy locally: shop the food co-op/farmers markets/etc. more often (I don’t miss much about working downtown, but I do miss shopping at Reading Terminal). The co-op also has quite a bit in bulk, saving on packaging.
Less meat, more vegetarian meals (grain and bean salads! hummus! tabbouleh! ah, summer...)
Growing a few herbs and veggies
Drying some clothes on a rack rather than using the energy-guzzling electric dryer (sadly we can’t hang outside, too many trees…)
No leisure travel more than 1.5 hours out (and we have to think REAL hard about more than an hour), unless there’s carpooling involved.

New Bhakail Baronial Investiture Date

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 19:15:51 GMT

Putting on my Seneschal's hat for a moment:

For any who haven't heard this yet, Bhakail's Baronial Investiture (incoming Coronets still TBA), originally scheduled for May 17, is now being held on June 28. An irreconcilable schedule conflict came up for TRH Konrad and Brenwen and we sort of have to have the Crown there for this, you know?

Further details to be determined, but I have no doubt we're going to throw one heck of a good party!

Now returning you to your (ir)regularly scheduled blog...

/Seneschal stuff

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 14:25:29 GMT

Swiped from ellen_kushner (read the post here)

When the great Rabbi Israel Baal Shem-Tov saw misfortune threatening the Jews, it was his custom to go into a certain part of the forest to meditate. There he would light a fire, say a special prayer, and the miracle would be accomplished and the misfortune averted. Later, when his disciple...had occasion...to intercede with heaven, he would go to the same place in the forest and say 'Master of the Universe, listen! I do not know how to light the fire, but I am still able to say the prayer.' Again the miracle would be accomplished.

Still later, Rabbi Moshe-Lieb of Sasov, in order to save his people once more, would go into the forest and say: 'I do not know how to light the fire, I do not know the prayer, but I know the place and this must be sufficient.' It was sufficient and the miracle was accomplished.

Then it fell to Rabbi Israel of Rizhyn to overcome misfortune. Sitting in his armchair, his head in his hands, he spoke to God: ' I am unable to light the fire and I do not know the prayer; I cannot even find the place in the forest. All I can do is to tell the story, and this must be sufficient.'

And it was sufficient.

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 21:21:04 GMT

What a cool holiday weekend!

Owen’s dad hosted Thanksgiving dinner – I did all of the cooking ahead, brought it over, warmed it up (as the kitchen in the apartment is impossible) and fed us, the boys, Owen’s dad and lady friend, brother and sis-in-law, our friends R and S, and a fellow professor of Owen’s dad. Not a huge crowd, so I managed not to overdo too terribly much … I got to have all of the fun of cooking, with none of the stress of cleaning a) my house or b) the dishes. Woot! We had a lovely time, and ate darn well if I do say so myself. Plus, I finally made a piecrust I’m happy with, and I still have a little leftover pumpkin pie for breakfast…

Friday morning we hauled ourselves up to the Berkshires to visit sarahbracha and family at her parents’ vacation house. The boys were amazingly tolerant of the long car trip, bless their hearts, and Jake was beyond excited to see his partner-in-crime, S's eldest. We chucked ‘em down to the basement playroom and let them hammer around with tennis balls for a while. (Note to self: need a finished basement!) Lovely Shabbos dinner (Josh has a good touch with a roasted chicken).

We briefly experimented with letting the older boys share a bed – extremely cute for about 15 minutes, but ultimately a little too exciting to allow preschoolers to actually sleep!

The kids all had a rough night, between coughs and excitement and exhaustion and strange places, but we made it through and dragged ourselves out of bed and made breakfast. The buckwheat pancakes didn’t work out, but we managed just fine with challah French toast, veggie sausages and scrambled eggs.

Leaving the menfolk to cope for a while, S. took me out for a manicure and lunch for my birthday. Bliss! Plus, as an added bonus – turns out the manicurist was a knitter, and gave me the lead on the town’s yarn store (proof of Stephanie’s assertion that a knitter’s internal compass will always point to yarn). The manicurist said she didn’t often go because the shop smelled a bit musty, so I figured – well, it might not be a big place but a yarn store’s always worth a stop… S. was perfectly happy to be an enabler and get another half-hour away from the kids, so we decided to drop by.

Oh. My. Goodness. So. Much. Yarn.

Room after room of it – I’d turn a corner and there was another nook stuffed to the rafters with anything and everything. Gorgeous, glorious stuff, and I didn’t even look at patterns. Overwhelming. I decided to beat a strategic retreat, since I could have stayed for hours, turning in circles and gaping. That kind of shop requires dedicated plan, and possibly a map and provisions.

I managed to escape with only two skeins of extremely self-indulgent hand-painted superwash merino sock yarn (moved right up to the top of the sock queue), one book, and two very clever wooden toys for the boys’ Channukah gifts (a semitrailer that breaks down into three little cars for Jacob, and a pull-toy dragon for Will).

Back at the house, we spent the rest of the day chasing children and generally bumming around. Bedtime was much less dramatic, and we had a nice grown-ups’ dinner afterward.

Thanks to excellent directions from Josh, we managed to avoid nearly all of the traffic on Sunday, and got home in one piece. Once again, amazingly tolerant children, and a gorgeous drive!

SO – I had a happy birthday, and a weekend full of things I’m very, very thankful for.

Then I came to work and found out that we had to delay having furniture installed in working offices because the carpet guys didn't do their jobs over the weekend. Indeed, the universe seeks balance.

Foodie meme

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 01:00:17 GMT

I rarely do memes, but how can I pass this up? Ganked from chargirlgenius:

1. Can you cook? Yep - I've gotten to the point that I don't suck at it, and don't feel that I have to use a recipe for everything.
2. What is your signature main dish? I really don't have one, though Owen is especially fond of spinach frittata
3. What is the largest group of people you have cooked for? I've done holidays for upwards of 15. I did bread for 300 for a Coronation feast once. That was fun - I got to play with a Hobart mixer and deck ovens!
4. Organic or regular groceries? Regular, usually - organic produce when I can afford it, organic yogurt and soymilk because thosehappen to be the best brands. Minimally processed otherwise. No rgbh in the milk if possible.
5. Do buy you food through a CSA or at a Farmers Market? Nope,but we're members of Weavers Way Co-op.
6. Are you allergic to any foods? Nope - I used to have a reaction to chocolate, but it seems to have vanished, thank goodness.
7. What is your comfort food? Chocolate, oatmeal, mashed potatoes, fresh bead...
8. Chocolate good? Chocolate vital!
9. What is the most exotic food item you have eaten? Umi - sea urchin sushi.. Disgusting.
10. Do you have a unforgettable memory of a dining experience? All by myself in Paris as a college student, ordering blind off the prix fixe menu in a cafe, having mussels and an entire carafe of wine. Left my hat behind and had to go back for it!
11. Do you collect Cookbooks? :looks guiltily at dining room shelve: Collect? No. Accumulate? Yepper.
12. Are you good at Baking? Very.
13. What is your best item you bake? On a good day, I make a kickass loaf of bread.
14. Do you drink alcohol? Yep.
15. Your favorite drink? Sierra Nevada Pale Ale if I'm having beer; otherwise a margarita, straight up, no salt.
16. Name your favorite Dessert. Impossible... but if pressed, either cheesecake or creme brulee.
17. What is your favorite Snack food? Fruit. Yeah, I know. Shut up.
18a. Would you share food off your plate at a Restaurant? I have two small children. I never get my plate all to myself. but even at grown-up meals, yes - that's part of the fun.
18b. Do you think breakfast food is just for breakfast? Nope. Cereal is a good snack, and I've been known to have pancakes for lunch or dinner at a diner...

Decadence is...

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 14:56:38 GMT

stepping out of the front door, snipping off a few springs of herbs, and going back to the kitchen and adding them to dinner. Roasted potatoes with rosemary and thyme, spinach frittata with parsley, sauteed zucchini with basil, tomato salad with basil and mint...

There are a few benefits to summer!

We're doomed.

Wed, 22 Aug 2007 13:40:37 GMT

William is walking. Not the two-steps-and-fall-over kind of walking. More along the lines of see-ya-Mom-I'm-outta-here-WALKING.

Yikes.

Too cool for words!

Wed, 20 Jun 2007 13:35:19 GMT

Kinetic Sculpture

More astonishing cuteness from teh boyz

Mon, 28 May 2007 01:04:48 GMT

I was upstairs this morning, putting away laundry (so what else is new?). The boys were on the bed, of course, and William toppled over backward and got stuck between the pillows, much to his frustration. Jake tried to pull him up but didn't have the leverage, and said, "Mommy, help me!"

Cute enough, right?

So I reached over and righted William (Yay! Happy baby again!).

And Jacob said, "You did it, Mommy! Great job!"

(This sort of thing is why the children have survived this long.)

In other news, William is crawling and has cut his first tooth. Eeep.

Memeage!

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 13:47:26 GMT

What American accent do you have?
Created by Xavier on Memegen.net

Mid-Atlantic. This is what everyone calls a Philadelphia accent although it's also the accent of south Jersey, Baltimore, and Wilmington. Well, everyone that lives near there, that is. Outsiders can tell you talk differently from them even though they can't tell what your accent is.

Take this quiz now - it's easy!

It's good to be back at work

Tue, 03 Apr 2007 14:11:06 GMT

Since I spent several work-days at home with sick kids!

Thanks to all who came to the party - it was loads of fun! To those who couldn't come - we missed you!

Found after the bash: one lightweight blue quilted jacket. Anyone?

William is six months old, and he rolled over from front to back this morning! Yay baby!!

Cabin fever!

Thu, 29 Mar 2007 18:03:13 GMT

I was home yesterday and today with Jacob, who is getting over a cough-and-cold-with-fever thingie, fortunately not too severe or long term. He's at that stage where he feels great but isn't able to go back to school yet, so he spent this morning bouncing off the walls.

We went for a walk (with him in the stroller) so i wouldn't lose my mind...

Tonight - dinner out and SPAMALOT!!! Squee!

Friday - shopping, cooking and cleaning for Saturday's party. (AIIGH!)

See y'all soon...

Yes, I'm still here!

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 18:28:49 GMT

Crazy-busy, but here!

The boys are doing well. Will has discovered food and thinks it's great (clearly his momma's child). Jacob continues to be his wildly enthusiastic self. Favorite game for both: baby gotcha!!

I will be at Mudthaw for Curia tomorrow, with just the littlest one with me. Yay!

We have a new couch, a new washing machine and a working kitchen sink. Party is next Saturday. Life is good.

EARWORM!

Wed, 31 Jan 2007 18:19:53 GMT

Life is good, the kids are fabulous (Will is going to be four months old on Friday - ack!), Owen continuues to be the Best Dad Evah . . . and I watch too much Sesame Street. Remember this one?

Veggie Order

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Ten tiny turtles on the telephone
Talking to the grocery man

We would like some lettuce,
Will you send us ten heads please,
And ten sweet potatoes
And ten rutabagas with the dimples on their knees.

And send us 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Artichokes
Ten eggplants over easy
That's one of our little jokes ( ha ha ha )
Ten leafy, leafy collard greens
And please make sure they're washed!
Light up our eyes
Brighten our lives
With ten banana squash.

We'll need ten cans of black-eyed peas
They give you good strong muscles
Ten of those tasty sprouts
The ones that they call brussels
We'd also like ten mangos
They're the favorite of our sister Gert
And one last thing
Please do include ten apples for dessert!

10!

I'm alive!

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 16:45:11 GMT

Back at work, more or less surviving, kids are doing well! Too much to post right now, though, so I will be lazy and leave you with this, ganked from everyone:

On the twelfth day of Christmas, mama_grainne sent to me...

Twelve ladysheeps drumming

Eleven lilmasterhenrys piping

Ten stonetimbers a-leaping

Nine ursulavs reading

Eight kevinarchers a-knitting

Seven gearworlds a-spinning

Six chargirlgenius a-baking

Five ta-a-a-ashamcganns

Four dragonflybytes

Three suba_al_hadids

Two cats

...and a sca in a fantasy.