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July 31, 2006
note to self: bring towel
it rained IN the car today. i didn't even think i was taking a risk-- it was overcast, but not ominous, and no rain was predicted today.
it was a short but very fierce blast of rain. i had to pull over on the interstate to put up the top. tried to ride it out-- it started out as a heavy sprinkle-- but i couldn't make it.
of course, once i arrived in durham it appeared to be dry as a bone here. i wish it would actually rain dammit!
Posted by lisa at 07:19 PM
July 27, 2006
westeeeeeey!
another evening's work done. found lots of body filler on the sliding door, so most of my work was with the Big Guns, the belt sander and wire brush, which are more physically taxing to use. i ran out of steam after just over an hour.
Posted by lisa at 09:34 PM
July 26, 2006
cake is better than metal
"Captain, we are being probed."
i've been watching a lot of star trek: the next generation re-runs lately. it's somehow comforting and satisfying at the same time.
this morning, my hands smelled like metal. it occured to me that despite having showered twice and washed my hands numerous times and washed dishes since i was last covered in the powdered exterior of my van, there might be some lingering metallic particles in my skin.
the scent faded through the day but even so tonight i was inspired to mix up a batch of lotion scented with Midway, a perfume oil that smells like funnel cake.
CAAAAKE!
i took a break from westy sanding tonight, mainly because my evening schedule was pushed back very late due to stuff out of my control, plus the fact that i decided to cook a large, proper dinner, and that took a long time.
for those interested, i grilled a steak and made a spinach casserole; for starters i picked bitter greens from my garden and dressed them with dressing i made with buttermilk, sour cream, garlic powder, sea salt, pepper, and basil.
Posted by lisa at 10:00 PM
it's not the heat, it's the SUN
i observed today that my tolerance for heat and humidity is greatly increased when it's overcast or dark outside. i fucking hate the sun.
the entire weekend was overcast, and spent in excellent company, so was therefore lovely.
on saturday, we canned tomatoes. theoretically, i know how to can now, although i'd need to consult a reference to figure out the amount of time and pounds of pressure needed for my elevation and for whatever i would be canning.
the coolest part was that the stuff inside the jars kept boiling for a long time after we took them out of the canner.
on sunday we went to lowes and while wandering through the appliance section it suddenly occured to me that i think i have a way to include a dishwasher in my kitchen without a renovation. after having lived my entire adult life without a dishwasher, i can tell you that this is pretty damned exciting.
later we went for a long walk along the sea wall at ft. monroe.
:|:
i have set for myself an ambitious task: to work on the westy every night this week. it's good to have focus.
Posted by lisa at 12:24 AM
July 22, 2006
in the neighborhood
these things happened today in my town:
a marching band composed of local rock musicians performed a pauline oliveros composition (among other things) while marching around downtown durham.
the guy who has been protesting in front of Large Southern Software Company (with whom i may or may not be affiliated) finally got some media coverage.
i could swear there was something else. oh well.
Posted by lisa at 12:16 AM
July 20, 2006
Hustle: best show ever!
i was already pretty enamored of Hustle, but this week's episode went right over the edge: they worked a full-scale bollywood dance number into it, and used it to further the plot.
oh yeah.
Posted by lisa at 11:29 PM
July 17, 2006
let's go to camp!
summer camp. did you go? what kind? did you like it?
i ran across some summer camp photos on flickr and had a sudden memory of the family-style meals they served at camp mary atkinson. i remember them being not bad and sort of comforting-- big bowls of mashed potatoes and green beans, big platters of roast beef or whatever.
i have, of course, other memories of camp besides food-- shampooing my hair outside, the time one of my cabin-mates barfed in her bed during the night, causing the cabin to smell weird the next morning. oddly, the smell of the lysol they used to clean up didn't smell much different.
plus of course, "snipe hunts" through the woods, and dim memories of archery classes. oh, and how they'd inject our ears with rubbing alchohol after swimming in the lake. i learned how to tip a canoe over by standing on the edges and rocking it. i can't believe they let us do that.
later i went to horseback riding camp, then young writers' camp. i was a lucky kid. maybe that's why i have no problem asking to be sent to conferences for work.
anyway. tell me about your camp.
Posted by lisa at 12:22 AM
July 15, 2006
no joy in the bedroom
today i drove out to downtown raleigh to visit father & son antiques, which now has little in the way of furniture and has trended toward being a hipster vintage clothes store. (of course-- is there any other kind?)
after ten minutes of being lost in the construction zone that is our state's capitol (despite having directions from father and son to my next destination) i successfully pointed the spacepod toward pittsboro, nc, home of beggars and choosers. i blew past the raleigh flea market because i was concerned that if i stopped i wouldn't make it to b&c before closing time.
as it turns out, there was no way i could make it before closing time... because they're closed all fucking summer, dammit. i hit a couple of other places in pittsboro but their antique stores are too high-end for me, and besides a seven-foot-high french antique armoire probably wouldn't, you know, work in my circa 1946 bedroom.
i did some searching on ebay this morning, and nothing seemed to be catching my eye but i'll keep looking there.
this was all brought about by the sudden (though a long time in coming) realization that i'm tired of my bedroom furniture being almost entirely semi-decrepit yard sale crap that is completely mismatched and doesn't compliment the gorgeous color i painted the room over a year ago.
:|:
last night i ate at city beverage for the first time. it's a cute little place, with apparent pretentions of being a tiki bar, though we didn't entirely realize that until we were seated (after a very long wait at the bar) and they handed us a huge menu of tiki drinks along with the dinner menu.
the food was ok, but we all found our dishes to be overly flavorful. i can't remember ever hearing that criticism of food before, but there you have it. in addition, my dish was over-salted.
afterwards, s. and i met xta for a trashy girl movie featuring meryl streep channelling cruella deville (or at least her hair), which was actually quite enjoyable.
in fact, meryl streep's hair was almost a separate character in the movie. somehow, her hair spoke volumes.
Posted by lisa at 06:04 PM
July 13, 2006
NYC in august
so, it appears that i'll be spending five days in NYC in august. the weather notwithstanding, i'm looking forward to my first visit to the city in probably ten years.
so, i'm not really up to date on fun things to do in the city (although i do have a few things in mind)... perhaps those of you who live there or have visited recently could make some suggestions!
i think we've already found a good, cheap place to stay.
Posted by lisa at 08:09 PM
July 12, 2006
still employed
hey, guess what division we were recently moved out of? that would be Marketing. once again, the axe breezes by but misses.
i really can't describe the feeling of having worked at the most stable employer in town for seventeen years and then to be present the year they finally decide to start firing people.
Posted by lisa at 10:46 PM
adventure kitty
the Mo, he worried me so tonight! he acted like his old self of ten years ago, went out in the evening, wouldn't come in, then poof! disappeared for several hours into the wee hours of the night.
he's home now, never fear. he appeared magically on the side stoop just before i was about to give up and go to bed.
i used to be used to this, but nowadays i don't like my elderly kitty to go off adventuring, especially at night. i not only called and called, but searched for him in a neighbor's yard with my flashlight, wandered up and down the block (oddly, a woman, perhaps my neighbor, was sitting on a small stool on the street talking on a cell phone the entire time he was gone) and contemplated braving the woods behind the house.
he seems happy and healthy lately, in fact i was remarking to j this weekend that it's as if the hyperthyroid never happened. right now he's on the ottoman beside me, pupils dialiated, belly exposed, tail moving, and telling me that it is time to PLAY.
Posted by lisa at 01:06 AM
July 04, 2006
the heat is here
the heat, it is here now, which means it's really summer. i find myself imagining fall a lot (or some idealized version of fall, when it's always cool, just a bit damp, sweater but not coat weather). i try to catch myself from doing this, and imagine my idealized view of summer in its place.
but in reality, i have decided the correct response to 100+ degree weather is to have a 'six feet under' marathon and putter around the house until 7pm, at which time it is safe to venture into the out-of-doors and do a bit of mowing or weeding or whatnot.
oh yes, how i wish i'd gotten the pool set up by now.
for errands, i find the spacepod is the better choice of transport; i think the tinted windows keep him cooler, and i just don't want to have the top down, anyway.
i go back to work tomorrow.
Posted by lisa at 03:21 PM
July 03, 2006
a three page essay titled "what i did this summer"
after two and a half weeks away from work, i find i'm dreading discussing my vacation with co-workers.
what did you do? i dunno. stuff.
did you set up your pool? uh... no...
how was vegas? pretty fun.
i bet you had a hard time coming back to work, huh? uh.. yeah...
:|:
the other night i went over to christa and ray's for mojitoes and pool time. i hadn't had a substantive conversation with a live person for about four days. i made an announcement to this effect in the kitchen as the drinks and salsa were being prepared. my friends, having been my friends for many years, were able to figure out the implications of this. "so you've lost your social skills?" someone said (probably christa). yeah. something like that.
Posted by lisa at 02:57 PM
all up in my grill
moses, who is usually a fairly reticent cat (except when food is on the line), had a lot to say about this one.
i woke up quite late, rather groggy, and settled into some pre-breakfast surfing on the sofa with the back door open. mo' assumed position to my right, on the ottoman.
it is not uncommon for there to be a pair of squirrels in the walnut tree out back. we are used to their sounds.
today there was a lot of sound. moses abandoned his post to check it out, ears forward, scooting along as quick as his stiff little legs would take him.
he returned a few moments later, tail bristling. the din reached new, larger proportions. i decided to see for myself.
this was no pair of squirrels. the walnut was overrun with them-- i counted six, but perhaps there were more. this didn't seem like squirrel play, but more like squirrel wars. there was biting, definitely biting. agression. it moved from the tree to the roof of the house, down the gutter, into the basement stairwell, and back up on to the patio.
and then the really big one was chased under my grill, which is very, very close to where moses and i were standing on the screen porch. and it started to make very strange noises. it occured to me that, if i was seeing agression and strange behavior, it could be a result of more than a territorial conflict. the word "rabies" floated through my head, and i hustled moses off into the living room and shut the door. i remained on the porch, but barricaded the gap at the bottom of the screen door with furniture.
and then, abruptly, they were gone, chasing each other off down the yard, across the tops of the hollies, and toward the woods.
Mo', having given me his perspective on the activities, is now back in position on the ottoman, and I think perhaps I should have breakfast.
Posted by lisa at 11:37 AM