Yikes!

Well, the MacBook's wireless is not okay. I took some pics while enjoying the 60 degree weather today, but they will probably not get uploaded to flickr until we've made a trip to the genius bar. Sunday night. Pray for us.

Wigs

We watched the first half of Season 4 of Alias last week, all in one go because I had checked it out from the library and someone was waiting for it. Jennifer Garner's various disguises have me thinking about wigs, which I haven't worn since playing dress-up as a child. I'll take one of each of these.

As I was saying...

Sorry for the extended blog break, peeps. I wish I could tell you I'd been traveling to exotic ports or had descended into a crafting maelstrom, but the sad truth is I've just been doing my usual putzing around. Getting over the sickness + shivering through the coldest of our winter weather + nursing an ailing laptop = two weeks without a post. But now I'm feeling better, Hell's Kitchen is slowly thawing out, and the MacBook is recovering. Glad to be back!

Giddy-up!

One small element of an enormous cowboy-themed balloon bouquet I sent to M. Panique's office for his 30th birthday.

Happy Birthday, mon amour!

Totaled

These two cars were parked a couple blocks from us, just down from the local precinct. The maroon one was the subject of an article in the New York Times.

Books I will never read...

...because they are in Japanese. But that doesn't mean I won't use them, because those Japanese can diagram like nobody's business.



I justify my purchases with the knowledge that ten dollars spent at BOOK OFF saves me 45 dollars at Kinokuniya on the other side of Bryant Park.

And yes, that is a book about friendship bracelets, though it is mysteriously titled Promise Ring.

Time travel

Yesterday felt like April, and today feels like May.

If the weatherman is to be believed, tomorrow will seem like March, and by Friday we'll be back to mid-February, where we belong.

Guess whose sinuses are going cra-zy?

Detreehousification

Back in September I watched the installation of this piece by Tadashi Kawamata and today they started taking it down. I thought it was lovely, but everyone else I've talked to about it was unmoved by the artist's nostalgic engagement with nature and public space. To each his or her own, I suppose.

Flowing already

The creative juices, that is. I finished my purse renovations this morning, and now they have a pop of color and won't get up under my armpits anymore. Hooray!

I forgot to take a "before" photo, but you can see the bag in its original form on one of my favorite blogs.

Heartwarming to see...

Radiohead and the USC Marching Band @ the Grammy Awards, originally uploaded by beastandbean.

...Thom Yorke acting like the rock star he is, and...


Swagga Like Us, originally uploaded by Ethan Hein.

... a nine-months-pregnant MIA proving she will be the coolest mother on the planet.

Debookification

I'm trying to simplify the space around me; my hope is that I'll be able to move forward more easily on creative projects and career goals if there is less clutter to distract and depress me. To that end, I packed up five boxes of books today and we hauled them to the basement. I made myself an inventory sheet, and joined Library Thing, and now I'm starting an overdue sort of art supplies.

Elephant mail

I've been accumulating supplies to renovate two of my purses. The last piece arrived today, from Thailand, with elephants.

Salad soup and crispy crackers

Since my bodily functions seem to have returned to normal, I am celebrating by cooking two recipes I've had in mind for several weeks.

The soup is gumbo z'herbes, with a few changes. My "herbes" ended up being mustard and collard greens, green cabbage, spinach, watercress, parsley, tarragon, and green onions, long-simmered in garlic, onions, celery, thyme, and chicken and beef broth, on top of a quick roux. And I didn't have a ham hock handy, so I subbed in a smoked turkey leg and wing. Um... yum. I will definitely make this again, but won't need to for a while, as it made approximately 5 quarts.

I didn't put the gumbo over rice because I had those gorgeous crackers you see, still warm from the oven. I used Mark Bittmann's recipe, except for the food processor I subbed in a dough blender (which we called a pastry cutter when I was growing up, but that now seems to refer to a different gadget entirely, which I would call a pastry wheel, but whatever) and a heaping cup of elbow grease (trans-fat free!). Easy, worth it, and will absolutely make them again, perhaps in cheddar, with a hint of thyme.

Blink

Wow. It's like I lost the entire last week to illness. Hadn't realized how incredibly isolated I'd been feeling until I got into the work/study gig today and almost cried with happiness over a packing-and-shipping assignment. Then I got to go pick up the laundry. Joy!

Still on a diet of bananas and bagels, but at least it's something to chew.

Feeling better, but not this much better.

They Might Be Giants - New Music - More Music Videos

The Crap-Yourself-Thin Diet

Enough all ready. M. Panique kicked this in about three days, but it feels like I'm starting all over again. Ugh.

Still mending

Feeling well enough to gingerly make my way to Brooklyn to watch the Super Bowl.

Wish me luck.