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Kashi. "Seven Whole Grains On a Mission". I totally hate those commercials. It always seems like the Kashi line of products would taste like cardboard. But, that being said, the pictures on the boxes of their line of frozen food just look good. And, they have neat names like "lemongrass coconut chicken, lime cilantro shrimp". So I was at WF and I picked up a box. I tried it last night as dinner for Miss B. Can I just say? It was so surprisingly good that while at Wegman's today we got two more. For dinner tonight was a whole wheat pasta in a tomato sauce with yellow squash and broccoli. Last night's coconut chicken was in quinoa (which I have to honestly say I never expected to eat), with carrots and broccoli. Miss B. enjoyed both-- tonight's pasta dish especially. Kudos to Kashi for making tasty, healthy, toddler tested mom-approved frozen goodies!
The Code. Has been on Starz! continuously this evening. I feel like it's the selection on a transatlantic flight.
Friday, September 05, 2008
Knobs!
(or more accurately, handles...)
These are our hardware choices. Thoughts?
Below are pictures of our lighting. The first picture was taken without a flash so you can get an idea of the amount of light actually in the room. We'll be adding three pendant lights over the island (you can see the three receptacles up in the ceiling)...
These are our low-voltage lights-- pretty nifty. We plan to have pictures hung on the wall where the light is shining.
Cabinets? Yeah, they're now partly in the garage and partly sitting in the kitchen. Istalled? Not so much. Tony our installer (who looks just like Rick Rossovich, only aged) expressed concern about the height of the sink drain vis-a-vis our farm sink, so Anthony, our plumber, has to come back out tomorrow to deal with that. Then, of course, other "issues" arose which prevented him from beginning installation. But, he'll be back on Monday. We'll see how that goes.
These are our hardware choices. Thoughts?Below are pictures of our lighting. The first picture was taken without a flash so you can get an idea of the amount of light actually in the room. We'll be adding three pendant lights over the island (you can see the three receptacles up in the ceiling)...
These are our low-voltage lights-- pretty nifty. We plan to have pictures hung on the wall where the light is shining.
Cabinets? Yeah, they're now partly in the garage and partly sitting in the kitchen. Istalled? Not so much. Tony our installer (who looks just like Rick Rossovich, only aged) expressed concern about the height of the sink drain vis-a-vis our farm sink, so Anthony, our plumber, has to come back out tomorrow to deal with that. Then, of course, other "issues" arose which prevented him from beginning installation. But, he'll be back on Monday. We'll see how that goes.
Updates.
Devi, our Ukrainian electrician, and his Ziskind-Esque helper installed the bulk of our lighting today! "Let there be light" has never sounded so good. Sadly, I can never look at a Lutron light-switch dimmer without thinking of Bob Moskowitz, but that's a story for another time. Of course, Devi was supposed to hard-wire our double oven today as well (which would have meant a dinner baked in a real, as opposed to toaster, oven) but that would have required the cabinet installer to actually come in and do the installation of the double oven cabinet. Yes, our installer was scheduled to come today and indeed he sat out in our driveway between about 7:15 and 8:21 before driving away. He claims that he did see our two cars in the driveway but since no lights were on, he thought maybe there was an emergency that called us away (the fact that it was daytime and thus lights might not be needed didn't seem to cross his mind). He also said that he thought about ringing the doorbell but he looked at it and thought it might be broken. As for knocking? He claims he did so, but apparently, not loud enough so we could hear him, even though we were listening.
He's coming back tomorrow. He advised that he's an early riser so he could be here as early as seven am! I told him he could start at 8. You see, when you've hired someone to do work and they've already wasted 6 weeks of your life not installing cabinets, that extra hour really no longer makes a difference. I'd rather sleep in. Of course, Devi won't be back now until after our tile backsplash is in, which can't happen until our countertops are in (which can't happen until our cabinets are in, and even then it takes 2-3 weeks for the stone people to do their thing) therefore, our lack of a double oven has just become HD's problem. They're sending a regional manager out to the house tomorrow between 10:30 and 11 to discuss the "job". I'll let you know how it goes!
BTW, thanks to the Mom, without whom we would not have gotten the attention of the district manager!
And, our Wolf Rangetop and our vent hood arrived too! Woo-hoo!
He's coming back tomorrow. He advised that he's an early riser so he could be here as early as seven am! I told him he could start at 8. You see, when you've hired someone to do work and they've already wasted 6 weeks of your life not installing cabinets, that extra hour really no longer makes a difference. I'd rather sleep in. Of course, Devi won't be back now until after our tile backsplash is in, which can't happen until our countertops are in (which can't happen until our cabinets are in, and even then it takes 2-3 weeks for the stone people to do their thing) therefore, our lack of a double oven has just become HD's problem. They're sending a regional manager out to the house tomorrow between 10:30 and 11 to discuss the "job". I'll let you know how it goes!
BTW, thanks to the Mom, without whom we would not have gotten the attention of the district manager!
And, our Wolf Rangetop and our vent hood arrived too! Woo-hoo!
Thursday, September 04, 2008
"I'm asking you to believe" says the Barack Obama Official Website. That's great, but what exactly am I supposed to be believing? Can I actually find a statement of policies that isn't dumbed down but is detailed and fleshed out?
Today's question? The Payroll Tax. What's the Plan?
This AP report says that "[Obama] would raise payroll taxes on taxpayers with incomes above $250,000,"
Just as an FYI, the "payroll tax" is Social Security. It is the money that is taken out of your paycheck for your contribution to that mystical entity known as "Social Security". Currently, the cut off is $97,500. That means if you make more than $97,500 in any given calendar year, the SSI deductions stop once your gross income hits $97,500. (Unless you switch jobs, in which case you are treated differently, with SSI withholdings continuing beyond the cutoff, resulting in a refund after you file that year's tax return). Now, if Obama's "plan" is to raise the payroll tax on taxpayers with income above $250,000 that would mean that folks earning between $97,500 and $250,000 would still have a break and have a portion of their gross income exempt from the payroll tax [i.e. there would be an unexplained GAP], while alternatively, people earning above $250,000 would continue to contribute, even though EVERYONE'S SSI benefits are capped (i.e. Warren Buffet isn't paying more in social security so that you'll get a higher benefit paid out when you're 62). I haven't seen a plan from Obama to *increase* people's social security benefits, so exactly what will happen to all of that extra money? That seems like a blank check to continue to empty out the Social Security Coffers. Not to say that George Bush has been any better, since he's been writing the checks out of Social Security for the past 8 years but, really, "Change"? It seems to me just like more big government, looking for more ways to finance exactly who-knows-what.
So, I searched for an explanation of the Payroll Tax Gap and clarification on the mysterious $250,000 number thrown out by the AP as "fact".
On Obama's website under the tab "issues" "Taxes" is not listed. I thought, okay, I'll go to Fiscal-- that leads to a discussion of "fiscal discipline". Where can I actually find a written description of his Tax plan? How can I find out about this Payroll Tax gap?
I went to the "Economy" tab and got this:
"Obama will cut income taxes by $1,000 for working families to offset the payroll tax they pay.
Provide a Tax Cut for Working Families: Obama will restore fairness to the tax code and provide 150 million workers the tax relief they need. Obama will create a new "Making Work Pay" tax credit of up to $500 per person, or $1,000 per working family. The "Making Work Pay" tax credit will completely eliminate income taxes for 10 million Americans.
Eliminate Income Taxes for Seniors Making Less than $50,000: Barack Obama will eliminate all income taxation of seniors making less than $50,000 per year. This proposal will eliminate income taxes for 7 million seniors and provide these seniors with an average savings of $1,400 each year. Under the Obama plan, 27 million American seniors will also not need to file an income tax return."
Okay. That answers part of the question, but what if you're not middle income? What if you're above-middle income, or (gasp!) below middle income? (BTW, Instead of eliminating income taxes for seniors making $50,000 or less, why not also eliminate all income tax on social security? Isn't it enough that the government deducts FICA from your pay throughout your adult life only to give it back to you at 62, 65 or 70, let alone wanting to take tax out of it then??)
Also, as an FYI, the AP report says that: "McCain's plan, which cuts taxes across all income levels, would raise after tax-income for middle-income taxpayers by 3 percent, the [Tax Policy] center concluded." (Apparently, Obama's plan cuts taxes for middle income earners by 5%, because god forbid we should share a tax cut across all income levels!)
But, back to the Payroll Tax search... Barack Obama's Economic Agenda (as found on his website) only reiterates the "Make Work Pay" $1000 tax credit against the payroll tax for certain middle-income Americans.
Obama's Plan for Fiscal Discipline a search of the pdf from the website revealed no mention of "payroll tax".
Ah, finally: Page 11 of the "Blueprint for Change" states:
"Obama believes that the first place to look for ways to strengthen Social Security is the payroll tax system. Currently, the Social Security payroll tax applies to only the first $97,500 a worker makes. Obama supports increasing the maximum amount of earnings covered by Social Security and he will work with Congress and the American people to choose a payroll tax reform package that will keep Social Security solvent for at least the next half century."
Great. Now we're getting somewhere. Let's break this down, sentence by sentence.
First: "Obama believes that the first place to look for ways to strengthen Social Security is the payroll tax system". Well, that seems to be a fancy way of saying not much at all since the payroll tax system is exactly the mechanism for collecting the funds which make up Social Security.
The next sentence, regarding the $97,500 is factually accurate.
Finally, the third sentence: "Obama supports increasing the maximum amount of earnings covered by Social Security and he will work with Congress and the American people to choose a payroll tax reform package that will keep Social Security Solvent for at least the next half century." Terrific! But what does it mean to support increasing the maximum amount of earnings covered? Can you give us some idea of just what it is you might support there? Can we have a ballpark? Is it raising the cut off from $97,500 to $300,000? Will there be no cut off? Can you throw us a bone? Should I pick a number and you can tell me (or text message me) whether I'm hot or cold? Oh, and by the way, thanks for saying you'd work with Congress. If my Constitutional Law courses serve me correctly, I think, as President, you're obligated to do that. One more thing-- when you say you're going to "work with the American people to choose a payroll tax reform package" will we be doing conference calls on that, or should I clear my schedule for a lunch meeting?
Now, for all of you crazy Manchurian-Candidate brainwashed Uber-democrats out there, hold the nasty comments and blog-votes. The Republican convention this week has certainly looked like a bunch of zombies got together in (of all places, St. Paul! Not even Minneapolis!) I'm not jumping on the McCain/Palin bandwagon and waving their flag like it's the second coming, but really, the zealotry with which many Obama supporters seem to lap up the "Change" message without really going behind it to ask detailed questions amazes me. And. CNN? I guess somebody at CNN felt that they needed to be the counterpoint to Fox. When was the last time any American media news outlet was actually *not* biased? I've taken to watching the BBC. At least they call the rhetoric as they see it.
Today's question? The Payroll Tax. What's the Plan?
This AP report says that "[Obama] would raise payroll taxes on taxpayers with incomes above $250,000,"
Just as an FYI, the "payroll tax" is Social Security. It is the money that is taken out of your paycheck for your contribution to that mystical entity known as "Social Security". Currently, the cut off is $97,500. That means if you make more than $97,500 in any given calendar year, the SSI deductions stop once your gross income hits $97,500. (Unless you switch jobs, in which case you are treated differently, with SSI withholdings continuing beyond the cutoff, resulting in a refund after you file that year's tax return). Now, if Obama's "plan" is to raise the payroll tax on taxpayers with income above $250,000 that would mean that folks earning between $97,500 and $250,000 would still have a break and have a portion of their gross income exempt from the payroll tax [i.e. there would be an unexplained GAP], while alternatively, people earning above $250,000 would continue to contribute, even though EVERYONE'S SSI benefits are capped (i.e. Warren Buffet isn't paying more in social security so that you'll get a higher benefit paid out when you're 62). I haven't seen a plan from Obama to *increase* people's social security benefits, so exactly what will happen to all of that extra money? That seems like a blank check to continue to empty out the Social Security Coffers. Not to say that George Bush has been any better, since he's been writing the checks out of Social Security for the past 8 years but, really, "Change"? It seems to me just like more big government, looking for more ways to finance exactly who-knows-what.
So, I searched for an explanation of the Payroll Tax Gap and clarification on the mysterious $250,000 number thrown out by the AP as "fact".
On Obama's website under the tab "issues" "Taxes" is not listed. I thought, okay, I'll go to Fiscal-- that leads to a discussion of "fiscal discipline". Where can I actually find a written description of his Tax plan? How can I find out about this Payroll Tax gap?
I went to the "Economy" tab and got this:
"Obama will cut income taxes by $1,000 for working families to offset the payroll tax they pay.
Provide a Tax Cut for Working Families: Obama will restore fairness to the tax code and provide 150 million workers the tax relief they need. Obama will create a new "Making Work Pay" tax credit of up to $500 per person, or $1,000 per working family. The "Making Work Pay" tax credit will completely eliminate income taxes for 10 million Americans.
Eliminate Income Taxes for Seniors Making Less than $50,000: Barack Obama will eliminate all income taxation of seniors making less than $50,000 per year. This proposal will eliminate income taxes for 7 million seniors and provide these seniors with an average savings of $1,400 each year. Under the Obama plan, 27 million American seniors will also not need to file an income tax return."
Okay. That answers part of the question, but what if you're not middle income? What if you're above-middle income, or (gasp!) below middle income? (BTW, Instead of eliminating income taxes for seniors making $50,000 or less, why not also eliminate all income tax on social security? Isn't it enough that the government deducts FICA from your pay throughout your adult life only to give it back to you at 62, 65 or 70, let alone wanting to take tax out of it then??)
Also, as an FYI, the AP report says that: "McCain's plan, which cuts taxes across all income levels, would raise after tax-income for middle-income taxpayers by 3 percent, the [Tax Policy] center concluded." (Apparently, Obama's plan cuts taxes for middle income earners by 5%, because god forbid we should share a tax cut across all income levels!)
But, back to the Payroll Tax search... Barack Obama's Economic Agenda (as found on his website) only reiterates the "Make Work Pay" $1000 tax credit against the payroll tax for certain middle-income Americans.
Obama's Plan for Fiscal Discipline a search of the pdf from the website revealed no mention of "payroll tax".
Ah, finally: Page 11 of the "Blueprint for Change" states:
"Obama believes that the first place to look for ways to strengthen Social Security is the payroll tax system. Currently, the Social Security payroll tax applies to only the first $97,500 a worker makes. Obama supports increasing the maximum amount of earnings covered by Social Security and he will work with Congress and the American people to choose a payroll tax reform package that will keep Social Security solvent for at least the next half century."
Great. Now we're getting somewhere. Let's break this down, sentence by sentence.
First: "Obama believes that the first place to look for ways to strengthen Social Security is the payroll tax system". Well, that seems to be a fancy way of saying not much at all since the payroll tax system is exactly the mechanism for collecting the funds which make up Social Security.
The next sentence, regarding the $97,500 is factually accurate.
Finally, the third sentence: "Obama supports increasing the maximum amount of earnings covered by Social Security and he will work with Congress and the American people to choose a payroll tax reform package that will keep Social Security Solvent for at least the next half century." Terrific! But what does it mean to support increasing the maximum amount of earnings covered? Can you give us some idea of just what it is you might support there? Can we have a ballpark? Is it raising the cut off from $97,500 to $300,000? Will there be no cut off? Can you throw us a bone? Should I pick a number and you can tell me (or text message me) whether I'm hot or cold? Oh, and by the way, thanks for saying you'd work with Congress. If my Constitutional Law courses serve me correctly, I think, as President, you're obligated to do that. One more thing-- when you say you're going to "work with the American people to choose a payroll tax reform package" will we be doing conference calls on that, or should I clear my schedule for a lunch meeting?
Now, for all of you crazy Manchurian-Candidate brainwashed Uber-democrats out there, hold the nasty comments and blog-votes. The Republican convention this week has certainly looked like a bunch of zombies got together in (of all places, St. Paul! Not even Minneapolis!) I'm not jumping on the McCain/Palin bandwagon and waving their flag like it's the second coming, but really, the zealotry with which many Obama supporters seem to lap up the "Change" message without really going behind it to ask detailed questions amazes me. And. CNN? I guess somebody at CNN felt that they needed to be the counterpoint to Fox. When was the last time any American media news outlet was actually *not* biased? I've taken to watching the BBC. At least they call the rhetoric as they see it.
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
On the Roof with Jeff Koons!
Today we visited the Met's Roof Garden and checked out the Jeff Koons exhibit! Not only does Miss B. like sculpture but she also loves dogs and balloons, so needless to say "Balloon Dog" was a hit! Afterwards we had a lovely lunch at Serafina with Mel, and then we wandered around with Mel for the rest of the afternoon. We actually ended up walking like forty blocks(!) It was a lovely day!
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Politics Schmolitics
So this afternoon
Thisbe and I had a brief discussion of the current political climate. As most readers of this blog know, Obama scares me (tax hike guarantee-- egads!) and McCain is very, very old. So, I have a new plan. With just a few tweaks to that dusty old Constitution of ours, I would like to present the *perfect* ticket: Miss B. for President and her running mate, the Honorable Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger! What could be better? Experience? Of course she's got experience. She's been running this household like a champ for the past 15 months and now she's gotten really good at taking all of her MegaBloks out of their bag and then putting them back in. She's already made a few cabinet picks-- why none other than Miss Kitty for Secretary of Defense (and Chief Mouser) and I hear that Elmo may be a shoe in for that coveted post of Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago. And as for Arnold, need we say more? He's been single-handedly keeping California from falling off into the Pacific Ocean for years now. A toddler and an Austrian, I think we could just win this!
Thisbe and I had a brief discussion of the current political climate. As most readers of this blog know, Obama scares me (tax hike guarantee-- egads!) and McCain is very, very old. So, I have a new plan. With just a few tweaks to that dusty old Constitution of ours, I would like to present the *perfect* ticket: Miss B. for President and her running mate, the Honorable Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger! What could be better? Experience? Of course she's got experience. She's been running this household like a champ for the past 15 months and now she's gotten really good at taking all of her MegaBloks out of their bag and then putting them back in. She's already made a few cabinet picks-- why none other than Miss Kitty for Secretary of Defense (and Chief Mouser) and I hear that Elmo may be a shoe in for that coveted post of Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago. And as for Arnold, need we say more? He's been single-handedly keeping California from falling off into the Pacific Ocean for years now. A toddler and an Austrian, I think we could just win this!
Man Hands!
Yesterday Miss B. and I visited the Statute of Liberty.
Sophie seemed quite impressed.
Though not quite impressed enough to want to wear her commemorative crown.
NKOTB
Okay so they're on The View and a) they're too old for synchronized dancing and b) sometimes lip synching should be mandatory.
Monday, September 01, 2008
Kitchen Pictures!
The Mom and Dad asked for a photo-update... here goes!
(wall where cabinets, double oven and sink will be...) knee wall to cover drain line still needs to be put in. Unstained floorboards show where cabinets will be.
Sub-Z. Both base and wall cabinets will be next to Sub-Z. Wine rack on the bottom, upper cabinet will hold glasses.
New Wolf Rangetop will be next to door... scary snake wire in the middle of the room is electrical to go into Island. (Note: lighting courtesy of Dad...)
Ceiling, with cutouts for island lights and other recessed lighting. We wanted to use smaller cans for the recessed lighting, but alas the space between the ceiling and the floor above was too short... what else is new??
Close up of floorboards. Can I just say... thank god I came down and checked out the stain before the guys finished. They had laid on the Gunstock *thick* and hadn't wiped any of it off. I looked into the kitchen and the WHOLE FLOOR looked like one continous patch of MAROON. Scary! Thankfully, the guys quickly got out rags and began furiously wiping off the stain... to reveal great coloring and nice variation in the boards.
(wall where cabinets, double oven and sink will be...) knee wall to cover drain line still needs to be put in. Unstained floorboards show where cabinets will be.
Sub-Z. Both base and wall cabinets will be next to Sub-Z. Wine rack on the bottom, upper cabinet will hold glasses.
New Wolf Rangetop will be next to door... scary snake wire in the middle of the room is electrical to go into Island. (Note: lighting courtesy of Dad...)
Ceiling, with cutouts for island lights and other recessed lighting. We wanted to use smaller cans for the recessed lighting, but alas the space between the ceiling and the floor above was too short... what else is new??
Close up of floorboards. Can I just say... thank god I came down and checked out the stain before the guys finished. They had laid on the Gunstock *thick* and hadn't wiped any of it off. I looked into the kitchen and the WHOLE FLOOR looked like one continous patch of MAROON. Scary! Thankfully, the guys quickly got out rags and began furiously wiping off the stain... to reveal great coloring and nice variation in the boards.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Is That Chinese Food?
[That was the question posed to us by one of the wood floor workers yesterday evening as we sat at the dining room table having dinner...]
Yes. [By which we mean you can't have any.]
Where'd you get it?
[Presumably a Chinese restaurant?!?]
Sunny Garden [And no, you still can't have any.]
How far?
[Fumbled attempts at directions] [And NO, you really can't have any.]
It's okay. I have GPS.
He then proceeded to leave, we guess buy some food, and then sit in our driveway in a parked and darkened van for three hours until the floor dried. [Alas, they had foolishly shellacked their equipment into our utility room and we weren't amenable to letting them come back in the morning to retrieve it.]
Yes. [By which we mean you can't have any.]
Where'd you get it?
[Presumably a Chinese restaurant?!?]
Sunny Garden [And no, you still can't have any.]
How far?
[Fumbled attempts at directions] [And NO, you really can't have any.]
It's okay. I have GPS.
He then proceeded to leave, we guess buy some food, and then sit in our driveway in a parked and darkened van for three hours until the floor dried. [Alas, they had foolishly shellacked their equipment into our utility room and we weren't amenable to letting them come back in the morning to retrieve it.]
Bag o' Yarn!
Yesterday I got a surprise bag o' yarn in the mail from KK in Manhattan!! What a wonderful surprise! Big shout out thank you. Got to love crafters!!
Comic Timing
Today while we were out, we had a bag of Miss B.'s toys with us. One of the toys is a round dog thing that laughs and giggles when you shake it. At one point we're driving along and the Husband made a comment about what gas prices should be given inflation, etc. and as soon as he made mention of gas being $1.97 per gallon we heard a laugh from out of the toy bag. Then, not too much later, when the Husband made a statement to the effect that the road we were taking had a marginally better chance of us not getting into an accident, again, incredulous laughter from the toy bag.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Update on the Sting.
Okay so, if you know me well then you know that I'm a sweller. I get a mosquito bite and the thing swells up like a golf ball. I don't understand it, but that's just how my body works (this may explain a lot of why I tend not to be outdoorsy, that and what happens to me when I'm exposed to poison ivy... but that's a whole other thing entirely). I got stung on Tuesday and yesterday I got really swollen. This morning? I could actually bearly open my left eye. I looked like Quasimodo. I called my doctor's office and they suggested going with Benadryl instead of Trichlormiton (or however it's spelled/said...) and that I could put cortizone cream on the area as well (which is totally counterintuitive since those creams always say to *AVOID THE EYE AREA*!!!) I've done this and the swelling has gone down a bit (thankfully) but now I have a giant red ring around my eye. Earlier today I had to go to Pins and Needles, my local knitting shop, to exchange a pair of needles and I took off my sunglasses and the woman just stared. I half-heartedly said: "I got stung in the eye by a bee" Her response? "I was going to ask you about that, it's not black and blue so I knew you weren't punched." Not really your typical knitting store banter. I have tried to limit my contact with the outside world for the past two days because I really can't get used to wearing sunglasses indoors or when interacting with others. It just seems way too Lindsay Lohan. Though, in the words of Posh Spice, quoted from an article in a recent Allure Magazine, "Sunglasses hide a multitude of sins". True, and who even suspected she knew how to use the word multitude?!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Floor!
Below is a picture of the floor, after staining. The folks from The Best Little Floor House in Jersey were here today and did a great job with the sanding/staining. The color is a bit darker than it was before, but up close and in person it looks really great. They'll be back on Friday to do the polyurethane. Also, you'll note there are walls (at least some walls...)
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
I Don't Think There's Anything Else to Say...
other than I got stung in the eyebrow by a bee/hornet/wasp/yellow jacket. I'm not sure which. All I know is two of whatever did a very kamikaze-esque attack on me as I attempted to get the mail.
Soundtrack for Life
The Husband had noted what a great soundtrack Casino Royale (2006) had. We got him the disk and he was nice enough to leave it for us in the wagon today. It's pretty cool because you're driving around and you almost feel like you could be in a Bond movie (he has been known to drive a BMW, even if it wasn't a wagon and I'm sure even JB could scare up some intrigue at Home Depot and the post office if given the chance).
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Faber Birren!
Woo-hoo! Today I got notification in the mail from the good folks at the Stamford Art Association that one of my photos from the Paris trip has been selected to appear in the 28th Annual Faber Birren Color Award Show (which, this year is being jurored by a curatorial assistant from MoMA... as in the real MoMA, not the MoMA of Des Moines or something). How neat is that? There's an opening reception on September 28th and if you're in the neighborhood you should check out the show!
What Weef Brings to the Remodeling Table.
iPod! Yes, during last night's master drywall session (which of course, only could begin once Miss B. went to bed...) I offered a helping hand, but most importantly I was in the kitchen for moral support and to work the Bose iPod Sound-dock. First Song? Nothing says kitchen remodel quite like "Woman in Love" by Barbra Streisand. Kudos to the Husband for putting up with that one (it would have only been better if it was one of Barbra's duets with Barry Gibb!!!)
Tonight is day two of Wall Watch '08 (What is wall watch? well, given that some of the walls are afixed with liquid nails, you figure it out.) I also add good advice to any remodeling job. Such as, when the Husband noted that one of the old bombshelter walls was bowed, what was my answer? Break some of that concrete off with a hammer!
Today we painted drylock on the concrete portion of the walls of the kitchen which are exterior. The Husband is also installing all of our floorboards. Yes, Virginia, not only do we have walls, but we have a floor too!
Tonight is day two of Wall Watch '08 (What is wall watch? well, given that some of the walls are afixed with liquid nails, you figure it out.) I also add good advice to any remodeling job. Such as, when the Husband noted that one of the old bombshelter walls was bowed, what was my answer? Break some of that concrete off with a hammer!
Today we painted drylock on the concrete portion of the walls of the kitchen which are exterior. The Husband is also installing all of our floorboards. Yes, Virginia, not only do we have walls, but we have a floor too!
Walls, We Have Walls!
Yes, we have walls (some of them at least) and a ceiling! How exciting.
Scarily, below is wall and not-wall. The not-wall is what's left of what was under our cabinet/tiled wall where our cooktop used to be. It is the heart of the "bombshelter" mentality that whomever did the kitchen last implemented. Let's just say that nothing really can penetrate cinderblock that's been sheathed in metal lathe and an inch and a half of concrete.
Scarily, below is wall and not-wall. The not-wall is what's left of what was under our cabinet/tiled wall where our cooktop used to be. It is the heart of the "bombshelter" mentality that whomever did the kitchen last implemented. Let's just say that nothing really can penetrate cinderblock that's been sheathed in metal lathe and an inch and a half of concrete.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Stuff
Today Hector from Mr. Handyman finished up his work on the ceiling! (Yes, we have a ceiling!) He even did the soffit area above the windows which had been ripped to shreds during the demo process. The state of the kitchen reminds me of the line from The Money Pit: "Are you testing missles here?" At least we have a ceiling. Game Plan: we're putting up walls (most of them) between now and Monday when Mr. Handyman comes back to do the mudwork. Wednesday? Floor is being refinished. At least things are moving.
In other news, again trying to prove that there is an evolutionary connection between humans and apes, I used my big toe to unlock the wagon the other day. What? My hands were full and the keys were in my purse.
In other news, again trying to prove that there is an evolutionary connection between humans and apes, I used my big toe to unlock the wagon the other day. What? My hands were full and the keys were in my purse.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
update...
The train is stopped, in North Elizabeth (I think) and we're waiting for an ambulance for one of the passengers. I've already read People and now I'm half way through InStyle. I fear I may run out of reading material.
Chris Isaak, Again
Tonight I headed in to the city to see Chris Isaak at the Nokia Theater in Times Square! Thanks to Mel for joining me!! The Nokia theater is pretty neat, kind of like a big night club. We were in the general admission/standing section and got pretty great views of the stage. At one point, during a rendition of "Are You Lonesome Tonight" Chris Isaak walked through the crowd and came *this close* to us! So close, in fact, we were touched by the security staff. The show was great fun! Now its back to P-town by train (at least its a doubledecker) oh, and, it was a beautiful night too- 75, breezy and no humidity! A perfect evening to visit Times Square and environs.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Gymboree
We went to Gymboree this afternoon. The regular crowd of kids weren't there (though there were a couple of familiar faces including Luke-y and his mom and Tattooed biker mom and her baby... who's name we've never known...) Mostly, though, class was inhabited by newcomers including a baby named Siddartha and one named Giada. Next week we're expecting to be introduced to Ivanhoe and Bobby Flay.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Clean and Jerk
In the spirit of the women's weightlifting competition that the Husband watched the other night, today I went to HD to pick up some supplies for the kitchen job. Mr. Handyman is coming on Wednesday to do the ceiling but we're providing the materials. I was in the building materials aisle and I got a big bucket of joint compound. It was heavy, but it didn't have to go far to get onto the bottom of the cart.
When I got out to the car I picked this thing up off the cart and moved it to the ground. I tried to pick it up and realized there was no way I was getting it all the way into the trunk, so I figured I'd bring it around and put it in the front passenger wheel well. I looked at the bucket to see just how much it weighed. 6.1 pounds? I thought, no, that can't be right. It's not right, my eyesight must be going too... it's a SIXTY-ONE pound bucket of joint compound. Or the equivilent of carrying three Miss Babys. That's more than half of my body weight! But I did managed to get it both into the car and back out once we got home. This, however, reinforcing the idea that I no longer want to have to lift heavy objects EVER again!
When I got out to the car I picked this thing up off the cart and moved it to the ground. I tried to pick it up and realized there was no way I was getting it all the way into the trunk, so I figured I'd bring it around and put it in the front passenger wheel well. I looked at the bucket to see just how much it weighed. 6.1 pounds? I thought, no, that can't be right. It's not right, my eyesight must be going too... it's a SIXTY-ONE pound bucket of joint compound. Or the equivilent of carrying three Miss Babys. That's more than half of my body weight! But I did managed to get it both into the car and back out once we got home. This, however, reinforcing the idea that I no longer want to have to lift heavy objects EVER again!
Wasting Time...
Okay, I should be doing my ICLE homework. Ugh.
Today I felt tired and then later in the day I started to get a little light-headed/nauseous (okay, mom, don't worry, blood pressure is fine)... but if you're already lightheaded, I wouldn't recommend pulling out some pesky-not-yet-dissolved dissolveable stitches from one's wisdom tooth hole with a tweezer. Yeah, that really won't help matters much.
Today I felt tired and then later in the day I started to get a little light-headed/nauseous (okay, mom, don't worry, blood pressure is fine)... but if you're already lightheaded, I wouldn't recommend pulling out some pesky-not-yet-dissolved dissolveable stitches from one's wisdom tooth hole with a tweezer. Yeah, that really won't help matters much.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
And the list continues....
HD wants $2200 to put down a tile floor in our *laundry room* (all 106 square feet of it). Plumbing's done and the inspector has signed off... woo-hoo! We're scheduled to pick up our new floor boards on Sunday. Next Tuesday? Floor refinishing estimate is scheduled, additional cabinets are being delivered and Verizon is coming to install a new cable line for the kitchen tv! Wednesday? Drywall.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
What's Going On?
Wisdom tooth removal worked out well on Monday (thanks for everybody's well wishes), and was followed in the afternoon by a meeting with our HD kitchen designer, the representative from HD's contracting company and their subcontractor. The question is, was it better or worse that I had Novocaine earlier in the day? Did it make me more subdued or did the wisdom tooth extraction discomfort make me more agitated? Who knows, all I do know is that for the first part of the meeting I still had a gauze pad in my gum area so I was talking like Peter Sellers impersonating Marlon Brando. Halfway through the meeting I pulled out the gauze pad so I could speak more easily and by the end of the meeting the subcontractor quit. What, he had attitude issues!? Now we're waiting to hear back from HD on what work they will be doing and just how much money they're going to be crediting us since they didn't do any of the plumbing work we had contracted for, and the plumbers who did the work had to do additional work that HD's contractor had assured us wouldn't need to be done.
In other news, the Mom and Dad left to go back to ATL this afternoon-- big Kudos to the Mom and Dad for both staying with us while our kitchen upheaval is afoot (and thus, living with plastic silverware and a make-shift cooking situation) and for watching Miss B while I did the infamous NJCLE.
Here's a new look by Miss B, we like to call it "Oh, no you di-n't"
In other news, the Mom and Dad left to go back to ATL this afternoon-- big Kudos to the Mom and Dad for both staying with us while our kitchen upheaval is afoot (and thus, living with plastic silverware and a make-shift cooking situation) and for watching Miss B while I did the infamous NJCLE.
Here's a new look by Miss B, we like to call it "Oh, no you di-n't"
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Badminton
Yup, its an Olympic sport. And they swiffer the court between sets. Who knew? (You expect the judges to be barbequeing on the sidelines...)
Sunday, August 10, 2008
More Progress...
In connection with the new main drain and the general clearing out of the crappy plumbing nightmare that used to reside behind our "access panel" in the kitchen, today the Husband (with help of the Dad) put in some new subflooring.
You can also check out the stone wall!
And, look at that brandy-new PVC. Thank goodness, no more cast iron. Not to mention that, now we no longer have a rubber drainhose from the washing machine running *under* our floor! Talk about progress.
You can also check out the stone wall!
And, look at that brandy-new PVC. Thank goodness, no more cast iron. Not to mention that, now we no longer have a rubber drainhose from the washing machine running *under* our floor! Talk about progress.
Statcounter!
So, I do love the whole statcounter application and like to check periodically to see what google searches and otherwise are bringing visitors to the site. Lately we've had a decline in folks searching for either Sting's favorite pasta or Tom Selleck's Avocado ranch. Instead, people have been searching for "corn chowder" (seasonal, I guess...), toy assembly instructions and chuck taylor low tops. I also got a random search for "scarlett johannson boob feel". Do remember this is a family-friendly blog, so please keep the boob feel requests to a minimum.
In other statcounter news, to our mysterious reader from the Minneapolis area, I do hope you go to visit the AZ Gallery to check out the photo I'll have on display! I have read that the gallery is next door (or in some other close proximity) to the Tanpopo Noodle House!
In other statcounter news, to our mysterious reader from the Minneapolis area, I do hope you go to visit the AZ Gallery to check out the photo I'll have on display! I have read that the gallery is next door (or in some other close proximity) to the Tanpopo Noodle House!
I Think This Image Speaks for Itself...
That was the small backhoe in the yard to work on the drainline. Now that's done and the plumbers are coming back on Tuesday to finish the work and sometime next week we'll have the plumbing inspected. Downside? Tonight the washer hook-up must have come undone again because I had a utility room floor full of standing water. (Second time in four or five days... Ugh.)
But, on the bright side, we did give our materials list to Frank and he expects to have our floorboards in two or three days. We also did some test matching of stain on one of our old boards that the Husband had planed and a pumpkin pine board that Frank gave us and Minwax's "Gunstock" oil-based stain was a near perfect match for the color that our floors are now. It's just a shade lighter, which given that one of the goals of this remodel is to make the kitchen brighter, lighter should work.
Once the pluming inspection is done we can drywall the ceiling and essentially every other wall in the place, then once the new floorboards are down we can get the floor sanded. Once the drywall is done and the floor sanded the cabinets can go in. Once the cabinets are in, we can get the countertop templates made and have the floor stained/refinished. Meanwhile, Tuesday is the measure day for the utility room floor... the utility room floor will need to be installed at some point preferably before the kitchen floor is sanded (as the w/d will need to be moved out of the utility room and most likely into the kitchen while the work is being done...)
Monday is our big meeting with the folks from the HD and their subcontractor Carlos. So far all Carlos' guys have done was some light demo (while they did remove the cabinets and the ceiling, the plumbers and electricians have removed more of the walls than they did...) they have done nothing else. Carlos started off on a slightly wrong foot initially by filing our permits with the wrong township (who called me and then I had to pick them up and take them to the right township). Then when he and his guys showed up to do the demo he argued that while he would demo the ceiling, carting away the demolished ceiling wasn't in the contract (because that makes so much sense!) We figured that it was a good idea to meet with Carlos, our HD designer and the contracting company who hired Carlos to go over exactly what is in our contract, since Carlos seems to think that much of cabinetry installation is our burden, even though at this stage it seems like that's all we're really paying HD to do.
Tomorrow? Some plastering.
Thursday, August 07, 2008
More Stuff and Dinner.
One backhoe later, we have a new drain pipe. We also have a large hole in the backyard. But the backhoe is still in the yard and supposedly tomorrow it will be filled and reseeded. The plumbers think they'll actually be able to finish all of their work tomorrow... then we have drywall people coming on Tuesday and a floor measure scheduled for the utility/laundry room also on Tuesday.
What's left? Well, a lot. We have to make our materials list for the hardwood floor this weekend and get that to Agincourt for fabrication of our floorboards. Then I have to find a new person to refinish the floors since Blue Knight wasn't going to be available until September (and they didn't seem too thrilled about doing the work anyway). Then we have to have the range hood vented to the outside, have the cabinets installed, have the granite templates made and have the finish electrical done. I also still need to order my faucet, pick out a disposal and compactor and order subway tile for the backsplash. But we do feel like we're making progress.
In other news, on the cooking front we bought a rice cooker! Last night we barbequed chicken kabobs on the grill and had yellow rice from the ye old rice cooker. Tonight? We grilled salmon on cedar planks (which caught fire, just a little bit), had more yellow rice and made fruit/bell pepper salsa. It was generally yummy. Shout out to the Mom who was in charge of grilling the salmon!
What's left? Well, a lot. We have to make our materials list for the hardwood floor this weekend and get that to Agincourt for fabrication of our floorboards. Then I have to find a new person to refinish the floors since Blue Knight wasn't going to be available until September (and they didn't seem too thrilled about doing the work anyway). Then we have to have the range hood vented to the outside, have the cabinets installed, have the granite templates made and have the finish electrical done. I also still need to order my faucet, pick out a disposal and compactor and order subway tile for the backsplash. But we do feel like we're making progress.
In other news, on the cooking front we bought a rice cooker! Last night we barbequed chicken kabobs on the grill and had yellow rice from the ye old rice cooker. Tonight? We grilled salmon on cedar planks (which caught fire, just a little bit), had more yellow rice and made fruit/bell pepper salsa. It was generally yummy. Shout out to the Mom who was in charge of grilling the salmon!
One More Thing.
Cashmerino Aran. I had been knitting a sweater for Baby out of Debbie Bliss' Cashmerino Aran and I ran out of yarn. Really I think I probably have the extra ball of yarn somewhere but I can't find it. Does my local yarn store have this? No. The Wooly Lamb? They do but not in colorway 300205. What about Rowan Denim? The Itty Bitty Hats book (which, I found thanks to Thisbe and could quite possibly be the best baby hat book ever!) has a nifty hat made in denim with a felted flower attached. Nobody carries denim, or at least it seems that way. Thankfully the Cucumberpatch has both! and they're being shipped *from the UK* for only $5 flat rate. How cool is that?
Today's Updates
Vin Diesel and his crew showed up this morning (I think there were at least three guys, possibly four, there were easily three trucks in the driveway...) to begin the day by putting a camera in the drain line. Yeah. That just sounds like already we're going to get expensive.
Then, I'm here at CLE. It's Professional Responsibility day. Midway through the first hour we lose sound. When this happened on the first day immediately an Eddie Haskell from the audience jumped up and went outside to complain. Today? We all just sat here. You hear a few chuckles from the back of the room. Then somebody says "we're getting as much out of this as we were before". They fix the sound after about 5-6 minutes. Is the tape rewound? Nope.
Next thing, the guy on the video says that we're going to be watching a few vignettes. I hadn't thought much of it. Then I realize we're watching the people on the tape watch vignettes. You hear music start, the lights go down. They're watching a video and we're watching a video of people watching a video. After a few moments the person who did the tape actually moved the camera and focused in on the screen, but it was a bit surreal-- watching a videotape of a show projected on the screen that we're watching this show projected on. Clearly film quality and sound were issues.
At least today I'm utilizing the free (?) wi-fi.
Then, I'm here at CLE. It's Professional Responsibility day. Midway through the first hour we lose sound. When this happened on the first day immediately an Eddie Haskell from the audience jumped up and went outside to complain. Today? We all just sat here. You hear a few chuckles from the back of the room. Then somebody says "we're getting as much out of this as we were before". They fix the sound after about 5-6 minutes. Is the tape rewound? Nope.
Next thing, the guy on the video says that we're going to be watching a few vignettes. I hadn't thought much of it. Then I realize we're watching the people on the tape watch vignettes. You hear music start, the lights go down. They're watching a video and we're watching a video of people watching a video. After a few moments the person who did the tape actually moved the camera and focused in on the screen, but it was a bit surreal-- watching a videotape of a show projected on the screen that we're watching this show projected on. Clearly film quality and sound were issues.
At least today I'm utilizing the free (?) wi-fi.
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Zzzzzz
For some reason I am *so* sleepy right now (I suppose it could have something to do with sitting through this lecture on how to fill out the NJ transfer inheritance tax form...) I went to sleep not too late, woke up not to early and have been caffineated, but still... at any time my head is going to hit the desk.
What's Next?
Plumbing! We got a call this morning bright and early to say that the plumbers will be starting work tomorrow morning.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
CLE: Day Two
Today's lecture is "Real Estate Closings" complex real estate financing transactions? Leasing? REITs? Nope. Residential house closings. Yeah, because I don't know anything about this. So far we've gone through a title report, survey, line-by-line of a form of house sale contract and right now we're going through a HUD statement. Line by line.
Again, this would be great for a first year who has never practiced and who plans to be a sole practictioner. If that's not you, then you've just wasted 6 hours of your life that you're never getting back.
Again, this would be great for a first year who has never practiced and who plans to be a sole practictioner. If that's not you, then you've just wasted 6 hours of your life that you're never getting back.
Monday, August 04, 2008
The Batman
Sorry to go against conventional wisdom but, The Dark Knight? I thought it was boring. Really boring. We went to a 10:35pm showing and there was something wrong with the reels so they just kept showing us preview after preview such that the movie didn't start until 11! Then it was like two and a half hours long. We had watched a behind the scenes thing on tv and it talked about how Christopher Nolan didn't want to use CGI. Normally I would agree with that but come on, Gotham is supposed to be kind of creepy, not sunny Chicago. And Maggie Gyllenhaal? Sorry, I have to say even Katie Holmes was better. Thoughts?
OMFG
Today I'm doing my CLE for NJ. Unfortunately, for those of us who have joined the NJ Bar late, even if you have been practicing in another state for a dog's age you're stuck doing a first year CLE course (for a week, with homework). I'm at the seminar, I walk in and there's a giant projector screen with a lecture being shown. Is it live? Are we doing a video conference where the lecturer can see us too? Nope. It's a videotape. We've now actually lost sound.
I get to look forward to a whole week of this in an uncomfortable chair in a room with insufficient air conditioning! In NY I've been practicing long enough where I can do CLE via videotape, but I can do that at home, on my couch, thanks to a webcast (oh, and no homework).
Now the silence has just been broken by a Bon Jovi ringtone. Which I guess proves I'm in New Jersey.
Can I just say, my compatriots here are taking this very seriously, about half of them are taking notes on laptops. I'm getting bad flashbacks to law school.
I get to look forward to a whole week of this in an uncomfortable chair in a room with insufficient air conditioning! In NY I've been practicing long enough where I can do CLE via videotape, but I can do that at home, on my couch, thanks to a webcast (oh, and no homework).
Now the silence has just been broken by a Bon Jovi ringtone. Which I guess proves I'm in New Jersey.
Can I just say, my compatriots here are taking this very seriously, about half of them are taking notes on laptops. I'm getting bad flashbacks to law school.
Sunday, August 03, 2008
A Portrait of America
I've had another photo chosen for a show! A picture I took on the Paris trip will be shown in the "Portrait of America" show at the AZ Gallery in St. Paul, Minnesota (the show is going on during the Republican Convention... so we'll see if they get some good foot traffic!)
Let Me Tell You About My Floor...
The hardwood floor people, as I mentioned before, really don't want to have anything to do with our floor. "It's below grade" Apparently, the American Association of Wood Floor Workers or something or other doesn't recommend installing hardwoods below grade. Okay, but 80% of the floor is already covered with hardwoods that looked pretty neat, why would I want to rip that up? So, we found a local guy who has pumpkin pine and other reclaimed woods at decent prices and they'll mill them for us. As with the bulk of our home improvement projects that which starts out with people doing the work for us usually devolves into us doing the work ourselves. For now it looks like we're going to be figuring out how to rearrange certain of the floor boards (very Tetris-esque) in order to patch the areas which don't have wood currently, and then attaching the boards to the subfloor (omg, there actually is a subfloor! Who knew!?!) Then either we'll be sanding the floor down or perhaps we can find someone who will do it... and then refinishing. Oy!
Otherwise, still waiting for the plumbing permit.
Otherwise, still waiting for the plumbing permit.
Friday, August 01, 2008
What Else is New
Today we passed our rough electrical inspection but it was day two of no work while we await word on our plumbing permit. The hardwood floor guy came by to give an estimate and basically wanted nothing to do with our floor, suggesting we pull it up and use tile or laminate. Needless to say that's not happening so instead we're off to find reclaimed pumpkin pine as there was no floor under the cabinets. Interestingly, though the floor boards did appear to be notched for the cabinets so it is not completely clear what came first... the floor or the cabinets? Either way it's staying.
On other fronts, tonight I made stuffed shells in the toaster oven... in an Emile Henry loaf pan (as I didn't buy a tinfoil pan when I was at Wegmans and the "disposable" bakeware that I did buy at Wegmans was not rated for either toaster oven use or for baking longer than an hour (neither of which was clear until you unwrapped the packaging...) The shells actually weren't bad!
On other fronts, tonight I made stuffed shells in the toaster oven... in an Emile Henry loaf pan (as I didn't buy a tinfoil pan when I was at Wegmans and the "disposable" bakeware that I did buy at Wegmans was not rated for either toaster oven use or for baking longer than an hour (neither of which was clear until you unwrapped the packaging...) The shells actually weren't bad!
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Today!
I don't have any new updates on the kitchen, except to say our plumber looks like Vin Diesel.
In other news, today Miss Baby and I spent the day traversing the tri-state area. On the last Wednesday of each month Grant Wilfley does an open casting call for SAG and non-SAG extras at their Connecticut satellite office in Stamford. We headed up north today to visit with Leda and to register. We met up with Miss Leda at her office and she showed us around the world's largest trading floor-- it was pretty nifty. It was like an airport terminal that someone filled with Bloomberg screens and traders. It was pretty neat that they have a catwalk above the trading floor so you can look down at everybody in the "pit" and get that human zoo feeling!
Next it was over to Progress Drive for our casting call (which Leda joined us for)... there were a few other people there including at least one real stage mom who brought props with her to make sure her tots smiled for the camera-- she also mentioned that one of her little boys had gotten a black eye this week and she was thinking she'd cover it with make-up. (Okay, can we say taking this a bit too seriously??) Of course she also had her own picture taken too (sorry to be mean but she really could have used make-up more than her tot...) If you're going to go there and everything you may as well comb your hair and throw on some lipstick, no?
Afterwards Miss B and I headed in to Greenwich to do some wandering around on Greenwich Ave. We stopped in to the world's smallest Saks (to replace a pair of sunglasses which have gone missing) and I actually got asked where I get my haircut! (I do have to say it was fun being able to say that I got my hair done in Paris!) It is starting to get a bit shaggy though so I'm going to have to visit Julien at FF sometime soon. We also hit up Jacadi (big sale), Vineyard Vines (small sale) and Starbucks for a slice of marble pound cake.
Unfortunately we didn't time things too great so on the way home we hit a *ton* of traffic once we hit the Bronx. We jumped off of 95 up the Bronx River Parkway to Fordham Road/Route 1 and proceeded to cross the Bronx on surface streets until we got to the Henry Hudson Parkway. The Garmin spent the whole time trying to get us back on 95. I think by now the British Garmin lady's head is spinning. Can I also say, something's telling me not too many people combine shopping in Greenwich with crossing the Bronx.
Plans for tomorrow? Stay local.
In other news, today Miss Baby and I spent the day traversing the tri-state area. On the last Wednesday of each month Grant Wilfley does an open casting call for SAG and non-SAG extras at their Connecticut satellite office in Stamford. We headed up north today to visit with Leda and to register. We met up with Miss Leda at her office and she showed us around the world's largest trading floor-- it was pretty nifty. It was like an airport terminal that someone filled with Bloomberg screens and traders. It was pretty neat that they have a catwalk above the trading floor so you can look down at everybody in the "pit" and get that human zoo feeling!
Next it was over to Progress Drive for our casting call (which Leda joined us for)... there were a few other people there including at least one real stage mom who brought props with her to make sure her tots smiled for the camera-- she also mentioned that one of her little boys had gotten a black eye this week and she was thinking she'd cover it with make-up. (Okay, can we say taking this a bit too seriously??) Of course she also had her own picture taken too (sorry to be mean but she really could have used make-up more than her tot...) If you're going to go there and everything you may as well comb your hair and throw on some lipstick, no?
Afterwards Miss B and I headed in to Greenwich to do some wandering around on Greenwich Ave. We stopped in to the world's smallest Saks (to replace a pair of sunglasses which have gone missing) and I actually got asked where I get my haircut! (I do have to say it was fun being able to say that I got my hair done in Paris!) It is starting to get a bit shaggy though so I'm going to have to visit Julien at FF sometime soon. We also hit up Jacadi (big sale), Vineyard Vines (small sale) and Starbucks for a slice of marble pound cake.
Unfortunately we didn't time things too great so on the way home we hit a *ton* of traffic once we hit the Bronx. We jumped off of 95 up the Bronx River Parkway to Fordham Road/Route 1 and proceeded to cross the Bronx on surface streets until we got to the Henry Hudson Parkway. The Garmin spent the whole time trying to get us back on 95. I think by now the British Garmin lady's head is spinning. Can I also say, something's telling me not too many people combine shopping in Greenwich with crossing the Bronx.
Plans for tomorrow? Stay local.
The Fortune Cookie
Tonight we got Chinese food from Tiger Noodles. The Husband's fortune was: "No job is so simple that it cannot be done wrong." I think quite an apropos nugget of wisdom for our current remodeling circumstances.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Take My Freezer, Please
More updates: Today should be the last day of the electrical work. Devi has brought another guy with him today who looks as though if Dave Ziskind has a relative in the electrical trade this guy is it.
While lunching in the dining room/make-shift kitchen today we heard a knock on the front door. It was a large tatooed guy (with headscarf) out in the drive way asking if he could take the old freezer (noting his similarly tattooed friend already had it on its side about to go into a pickup truck). (Thank God!)
Other news? The washing machine drains through a small rubber hose that has been snaked underneath our pumpkin pine floor. Sure, that's up to code.
While lunching in the dining room/make-shift kitchen today we heard a knock on the front door. It was a large tatooed guy (with headscarf) out in the drive way asking if he could take the old freezer (noting his similarly tattooed friend already had it on its side about to go into a pickup truck). (Thank God!)
Other news? The washing machine drains through a small rubber hose that has been snaked underneath our pumpkin pine floor. Sure, that's up to code.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Tour Notes...
So, what with all the kitchen stuff going on we've had less time to focus on the important stuff in life like... the Tour de France. Yup its been going on for the past few weeks and it ended today with the peloton cycling into Paris to do their last run on the Champs Elysses. This year's tour coverage on Versus was kind of lame. One of the guys who had been doing it for the past couple of years is no longer with them (but I have heard his distinctive voice on NBC lately... don't ask his name though, I have no idea...) and Versus loves to play the same four commercials over and over again. It's like they couldn't sell airtime to anybody but four sponsors. One of the sponsors is Saab (who's slogan should be: "born from old Jet parts"). What's made this worse is the Saab commercial in and of itself is repitious so you really feel like blowing your brains out after you've seen it by about the third or fourth time. Another Tour observation? Teams. The cyclying teams are always weird-- for example, why was Lance Armstrong sponsored by the US Postal Service for all those years?? Our stamp prices increase so Lance can get a new bike? But I digress. This year's winner of the wackiest team award has to go to the Garmin-Chipotle Team. I have visions of the Garmin side of the team leading the riders off of the scheduled route in order to get to the finish line faster but doing so in a way that is utterly circuitious and nonsensical (as this is what our Garmin ususally does when it's giving us directions). As for the Chipotle side of the team-- well, why don't you tell me... how well do you think Mexican food and endurance cycling would go together?
And, as usual there have been the "doping" scandals. Every other day it seemed like somebody was being thrown out of the race because they were using performance enhancing drugs... as if they thought they weren't going to be tested??
Finally, our hats off to Oscar Perrero who managed to fall off of the side of one of the cliffs during the race and land on the same road he had been riding on, just quite a distance below while running into some of the other cyclists. Oscar was out of the race but at least he only broke a femur.
And, as usual there have been the "doping" scandals. Every other day it seemed like somebody was being thrown out of the race because they were using performance enhancing drugs... as if they thought they weren't going to be tested??
Finally, our hats off to Oscar Perrero who managed to fall off of the side of one of the cliffs during the race and land on the same road he had been riding on, just quite a distance below while running into some of the other cyclists. Oscar was out of the race but at least he only broke a femur.
Friday, July 25, 2008
A Few More Pictures...
Here's a picture of the large pile of electrical accoutrement that were unceremoniously ripped from the ceiling, etc. 
Oh, and that larger hole in the center of the wall? That is where a junction box with four live wires was hidden behind the drywall. But, in our favor is the fact that whoever put in the outlet below that hole left a note inside the box that the outlet was attached to "for the electrician" which diagrammed where the live wires were hidden! It's like a treasure map! (In fact, if you click on the picture you can see the note which has been tacked onto the wall near the larger hole-- the front side is addressed to the next electrician, the back side which you can't see shows the diagram...)
This is a picture of the doorway sized hole that was behind our fridge. If you were to cut a hole in the drywall that covers the backside of this hole you'd have a doorway to our boiler-room... woo-hoo! Guess that cinder block wall between the kitchen and utility/boiler room isn't load bearing after all!
Here's the remnant of another receptacle that was walled up behind a false wall... if you click on the picture you can see the spiffy wallpaper that used to adorn the kitchen. It looks to be some sort of red/maroon argyle pattern. Any guesses as to what decade that's from??
Oh, and that larger hole in the center of the wall? That is where a junction box with four live wires was hidden behind the drywall. But, in our favor is the fact that whoever put in the outlet below that hole left a note inside the box that the outlet was attached to "for the electrician" which diagrammed where the live wires were hidden! It's like a treasure map! (In fact, if you click on the picture you can see the note which has been tacked onto the wall near the larger hole-- the front side is addressed to the next electrician, the back side which you can't see shows the diagram...)
This is a picture of the doorway sized hole that was behind our fridge. If you were to cut a hole in the drywall that covers the backside of this hole you'd have a doorway to our boiler-room... woo-hoo! Guess that cinder block wall between the kitchen and utility/boiler room isn't load bearing after all!
Here's the remnant of another receptacle that was walled up behind a false wall... if you click on the picture you can see the spiffy wallpaper that used to adorn the kitchen. It looks to be some sort of red/maroon argyle pattern. Any guesses as to what decade that's from??
Thursday, July 24, 2008
PR!
Okay so Stella totally thinks she's Cher circa 1976 and what's with Suede talking in the third person?? Carry on!
Food Glorious Food
Having to prepare all of our food in the dining room in a make-shift kitchen has started off as a good test in how to feed a toddler. When all you've got is a panini maker, toaster oven, toaster and a microwave you need to be creative. This morning I made scrambled eggs in the microwave (thanks to all those years watching the guys at Ess-a-bagel do it. However, I struck a miss this evening at dinner when I attempted to give the little lady the equivalent of a toddler-sized MRE. I should have known when the "Graduates Lil' Entree" didn't need to be refrigerated. At first she was a good sport, trying the chicken, mashed potatoes and carrots but after about three bites she just looked at me as if to say, "Lady, you took me to Paris and you expect me to eat *this*?"
During the first week of August, while I'm toiling away at a week long NJCLE seminar, the Mom and Dad will be watching Miss B so I've complied a few food tips for the care and feeding of Miss Baby.
If "Cheese" is in the name, it's usually fair game. Case in point, macaroni and cheese, ham and cheese, cheeseburger.
If "Dog" is in the name, it's a no-go.. for instance: corn dog, devil dog.
Much like conjugating latin verbs, there are always irregularities. Chili Cheese dog? Well, cheese does appear in the name, but cheese is always overruled by the use of "dog". Chili cheese dog? That'd be a no.
Other irregularities include "roll" "roll" on its own, as in a round bread product, works. Lobster roll? That might work. Taylor pork roll? While I have succumbed to the unique goodness that is pressed pork roll I really think there is no place in Miss B's internal workings for that particular food product.
During the first week of August, while I'm toiling away at a week long NJCLE seminar, the Mom and Dad will be watching Miss B so I've complied a few food tips for the care and feeding of Miss Baby.
If "Cheese" is in the name, it's usually fair game. Case in point, macaroni and cheese, ham and cheese, cheeseburger.
If "Dog" is in the name, it's a no-go.. for instance: corn dog, devil dog.
Much like conjugating latin verbs, there are always irregularities. Chili Cheese dog? Well, cheese does appear in the name, but cheese is always overruled by the use of "dog". Chili cheese dog? That'd be a no.
Other irregularities include "roll" "roll" on its own, as in a round bread product, works. Lobster roll? That might work. Taylor pork roll? While I have succumbed to the unique goodness that is pressed pork roll I really think there is no place in Miss B's internal workings for that particular food product.
All this Kitchen Renovation Work
is making me sleepy...
Today we have the electricians! Devi has been our electrician from the start and he's very nice but he always seems to be a bit on the inexperienced side. Kind of like he might very well be a brain surgeon back in the Ukraine but lighting doesn't seem to be his thing. Thankfully, the electricians travel in pairs and they've paired him up with someone who supposedly has 23 years of experience, but either way electrician #2 has the appearance of someone who knows what they're doing. First they measured out the room and went according to the design to layout outlets/appliance receptacles and then they went over all of the placement with me. Now they're ripping out all of the old wiring that we don't need or is outdated (we requested this since the kitchen wiring has always been spotty at best). Then they're planning to bring back an extra guy tomorrow to start on the lighting, etc.
On other fronts, we think we may go with a hood inside of a piece of cabinetry rather than a hood with a chimney... I contacted H&H Gas and Appliance and they're willing to match Ferguson's price on the Wolf Rangetop and the hood price (which includes the needed blower) is much more reasonable than the hood plus chimney plus blower... of course then you have to add in the cost of the vent cover, but we'll deal with that. I'm supposed to visit Marilyn at the HD tomorrow...
Oh, by the way, did I mention the giant-door-sized hole that was behind the frige? Clearly, that's going to need to be fixed. And, for some reason the "wall" behind where the old cooktop used to be is some sort of metal sheeting afixed to a metal netting which was 'afixed' (by a method which is unclear) to the underlying cinderblock. Even our Ukrainian friend indicated that this was reminscient of a bomb shelter.
Today we have the electricians! Devi has been our electrician from the start and he's very nice but he always seems to be a bit on the inexperienced side. Kind of like he might very well be a brain surgeon back in the Ukraine but lighting doesn't seem to be his thing. Thankfully, the electricians travel in pairs and they've paired him up with someone who supposedly has 23 years of experience, but either way electrician #2 has the appearance of someone who knows what they're doing. First they measured out the room and went according to the design to layout outlets/appliance receptacles and then they went over all of the placement with me. Now they're ripping out all of the old wiring that we don't need or is outdated (we requested this since the kitchen wiring has always been spotty at best). Then they're planning to bring back an extra guy tomorrow to start on the lighting, etc.
On other fronts, we think we may go with a hood inside of a piece of cabinetry rather than a hood with a chimney... I contacted H&H Gas and Appliance and they're willing to match Ferguson's price on the Wolf Rangetop and the hood price (which includes the needed blower) is much more reasonable than the hood plus chimney plus blower... of course then you have to add in the cost of the vent cover, but we'll deal with that. I'm supposed to visit Marilyn at the HD tomorrow...
Oh, by the way, did I mention the giant-door-sized hole that was behind the frige? Clearly, that's going to need to be fixed. And, for some reason the "wall" behind where the old cooktop used to be is some sort of metal sheeting afixed to a metal netting which was 'afixed' (by a method which is unclear) to the underlying cinderblock. Even our Ukrainian friend indicated that this was reminscient of a bomb shelter.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Real-Time Remodel Blogging...
So the guys are at the house now demo-ing the ceiling in the kitchen. They were supposed to come back and do it yesterday but there was a little mishap with the burglar alarm and alas they fled the scene (seemed fishy... can you say undocumented worker? That, alas, is Home Depot's problem...) anyhoo. They were supposed to come "this afternoon" which interestingly enough meant 4:15 but they didn't actually enter the house until 4:30 since it was raining outside and they didn't seem to want to leave their truck. By the way, the truck? It's got the road runner painted on it in multiple places and there are flames by the grill (you can draw your own conclusions, but it certainly is a spiffy custom paint job for whatever that is worth... pictures will follow). I think that someone out there is conspiring against me however as Baby went down for a nap a few minutes before the guys arrived (and began blowing the horn of their truck to get my attention... (said truck is of course outfitted with a novelty horn). I was hoping to catch a bit of a nap myself but alas, while so far it seems to not have disturbed Baby I can't really see myself falling asleep during demo. So instead I made crispy crowns in the new toaster oven which has been set up in our dining room kitchenette. Nothing says "new toaster oven" like that burning plastic smell you get the first time you use it. Especially when you have to put it on 450. I'm just shocked that the Dining Room fuse didn't blow. The sheer fact that I had the nerve to have the microwave plugged in simultaneously while using the toaster oven (let's not even think about *using* it simultaneously, I'm just talking plugged in here...) normally would have blown the fuse!
Tomorrow's adventure will be a visit from the electricians. We'll see how that goes. Oh, one last thing. Our Kitchen sink's drain line is the last drain connected into the main drain line for the house-- every other drain is above the drain line but the kitchen sink drain is more parallel to the line and it links a short distance before the drain leaves the house. Carlos and the boys forgot to cap the drain line last night when they left. This obviously necessitated a trip to HD to pick up a cap. Oh, and let's not forget that while they did "shut off" the gas line to the cooktop (there is an emergency shut off valve about an inch from where they cut the line), they didn't cap the cut line for that either-- they just put some electrical tape over the end. Thank god we're not smokers.
Tomorrow's adventure will be a visit from the electricians. We'll see how that goes. Oh, one last thing. Our Kitchen sink's drain line is the last drain connected into the main drain line for the house-- every other drain is above the drain line but the kitchen sink drain is more parallel to the line and it links a short distance before the drain leaves the house. Carlos and the boys forgot to cap the drain line last night when they left. This obviously necessitated a trip to HD to pick up a cap. Oh, and let's not forget that while they did "shut off" the gas line to the cooktop (there is an emergency shut off valve about an inch from where they cut the line), they didn't cap the cut line for that either-- they just put some electrical tape over the end. Thank god we're not smokers.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Weef in the City!
As noted in the post below, yesterday started off with a bang! Then, as I'm walking into Penn Station (okay, fighting through the horde of passengers exiting my train in order to get up off the platform and into the station...) I hear the muffled ring of my cell phone. It's the Husband. Turns out Bar Americain, though having taken our 11:30am reservation via Open Table last week, is "closed" and has to cancel our reservation. Emily from Bar Americain didn't say why (I'm guessing private party, though who knows, it could have been the health department ;) she was nice enough to get me another reservation at The Modern once I told her Mesa Grill was too far for our travels. However, after thinking on it, I remembered Blue Fin located right in Times Square... called them and got us a 12pm reservation (as power was down on portions of the New Haven line the ladies were running a few minutes behind...). I headed to TKTS where the ladies met up with me and we got tickets to Young Frankenstein! I was a bit shocked that the TKTS 50% off price was still $66 (mostly shocked that it meant the tickets regularly go for over $120!) eeoch! We managed to get out of TKTS by 11:15 so we headed over to Muji at 40th and 8th in the New York Times Building to do some shopping-- neat store, kind of a higher priced, much more serene IKEA (with clothes) I got a set of the New York Blocks and some office products. After shopping we headed back uptown to Blue Fin where KK joined us for brunch.
Once we finished brunching we headed over to the Hilton theater for Young Frankenstein. The show was funny and the Mom would have enjoyed the tap dancing routine to "Puttin' on the Ritz". One of the most exciting parts of the day came next-- when we went to Juniors for little fella cheesecakes after the show! Can anyone say sugar high? Unfortunately it was like 95 degrees while doing all of this but the gals were troupers and we did take shelter in air conditioning wherever we could. Looking forward next to our knitting circle this fall!
oh, and ps. I got another double decker train on the way home.... double woo-hoo!
Once we finished brunching we headed over to the Hilton theater for Young Frankenstein. The show was funny and the Mom would have enjoyed the tap dancing routine to "Puttin' on the Ritz". One of the most exciting parts of the day came next-- when we went to Juniors for little fella cheesecakes after the show! Can anyone say sugar high? Unfortunately it was like 95 degrees while doing all of this but the gals were troupers and we did take shelter in air conditioning wherever we could. Looking forward next to our knitting circle this fall!
oh, and ps. I got another double decker train on the way home.... double woo-hoo!
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Woo-hoo!
I'm off to the city to visit with Leda and Mel... I'm on the 9:44am and shock of shocks, its a double decker! It is a perfect convergence of train travel-- a 67 minute train, air conditioning and I got an aisle seat with a normal looking lady next to me at the window. The rest of the car is full-- no stress about picking up sweaty stragglers in Elizabeth or being stuck sitting next to who-knows-who! I actually remembered my iPod and headphones and have knitting! Let's hope TKTS has tickets for something good!
Friday, July 18, 2008
Manic Crafting!
So the Husband had to go back to the office to work on a lease abstract (Hi Husband!) and Carlos the contractor left a message earlier today saying that our permits are in and the kitchen demo can begin which means I'm going to lose my sewing space for a while... what does all of this amount to? Manic crafting!
Yes, this evening while watching a) Jimmy Kimmel (until I found the remote under a pile of laundry) and b) French language television (apres remote recovery) I sewed up this nifty little sundress for Miss Baby.
The plan had been to finish the pants for the pants/top set that I made with the fabric from KK, but alas, my bobbin had navy thread and so I decided to be lazy and do that project which could be pulled off with said navy thread. Voila! navy polka dot sundress. Bloomers will follow under separate cover (I got too tired...) but thankfully the dress is long enough I think I can get away with coordinating bloomers from another one of Miss B's outfits in the mean time.
This project was pretty simple given that the fabric (it was a remnant!) came pre-smocked... all I had to do was sew up the seams, sew front and back panel together and make the straps.
It's all very Project Runway. I find that during Top Chef, I really put the cooking into high gear and PR inspires more daring crafting. If only Bravo would come up with some sort of knitting-based reality competition I might finally be able to finish my backlog of knitwear projects. (Don't even get me started on my needlepoint...)
Yes, this evening while watching a) Jimmy Kimmel (until I found the remote under a pile of laundry) and b) French language television (apres remote recovery) I sewed up this nifty little sundress for Miss Baby.
The plan had been to finish the pants for the pants/top set that I made with the fabric from KK, but alas, my bobbin had navy thread and so I decided to be lazy and do that project which could be pulled off with said navy thread. Voila! navy polka dot sundress. Bloomers will follow under separate cover (I got too tired...) but thankfully the dress is long enough I think I can get away with coordinating bloomers from another one of Miss B's outfits in the mean time.
This project was pretty simple given that the fabric (it was a remnant!) came pre-smocked... all I had to do was sew up the seams, sew front and back panel together and make the straps.
It's all very Project Runway. I find that during Top Chef, I really put the cooking into high gear and PR inspires more daring crafting. If only Bravo would come up with some sort of knitting-based reality competition I might finally be able to finish my backlog of knitwear projects. (Don't even get me started on my needlepoint...)
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Henry Moore at the Botanical Garden!
The New York Botanical Garden is having an exhibition of Henry Moore sculpture (and they're hosting a photo contest about it!) Who's with me?
The Flux Capacitor
Our electricians came by today. It seems as though the permit from the township for the new electrical work in the kitchen has been issued, so they wanted to take a closer look at things and put together a material list. Today we had two guys-- the same guy who came by to give us the initial quote and a second guy who seemed, at first, like he had a better grasp of electricity than the other guy. Things were going fine until he started to give us the sales pitch about some of their other "products". This is electrical work. The only products we want are lights, light switches and wire. What more is there? Apparently there is this "machine" that can both act as a whole-house surge protector and can also reduce the amount of watts (or amps, I really wasn't paying attention) that one actually pulls from the main feed, thus reducing your electricity bill. The guy gave us some mumbo jumbo about how when you flip the switch on the machine it acts to somehow control the extra "wasted" electricity which isn't being used by inefficient motorized items in our home (such as air conditioners, the pool pump, ceiling fans, etc.) He claimed that motors are generally inefficient and they pull more power off of the line than they actually use. All of this sounded to me like the ye old "descrambler" boxes that people used to sell out of the trunks of their car so you could tap into premium cable channels (I'm not pointing any fingers or anything, 410e9th... ;) )... what was even better still was when one of the electricians went out to the van and came back in with a giant black suitcase to demonstrate this "product"! Inside the case was an electric meter, a box with two switches on it and a small motor. I felt like I was in an episode of Doctor Who, or better yet, that we were about to generate 1.21 Gigawatts!
I'm sorry, if I'm not erecting a giant windmill in my backyard through which I can actually sell power back to the Power Company and out onto the "grid", then I'm just not interested.
I'm sorry, if I'm not erecting a giant windmill in my backyard through which I can actually sell power back to the Power Company and out onto the "grid", then I'm just not interested.
It's 2:26am, What Do You Think You're Doing??
I just finished watching Cassandra's Dream. I have mixed feelings. But it does make me more curious to see In Bruges as Colin Farell wasn't bad. I guess he's trying to make up for Miami Vice.
Long Way Down!
Will be airing on Fox Reality starting August 2nd! Check out Charley and Ewan as they travel from John O'Groats to Johannesburg!
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Houston, We Have Problem.
So I'm furiously trying to revise a 142 page Loan Agreement while the Husband and Miss Baby are heading up to Chipotle to pick up dinner. I get a call. It's a cell phone number I'm not familiar with. On the other end? "This is Mike from Chipotle." "Okay." "We are in the process of making your order and we've encountered a problem." (I submitted our order via web about a half an hour ago, so no standing in line for the Fam!). "You've asked for pinto beans in your vegetarian bol." To which I respond that I know that the pinto beans are made with bacon and that the Husband isn't really a vegetarian he just likes the vegetables (which is a polite way of saying he wouldn't hit a dead dog in the butt with the Chipotle meat products...)
Do we really need to waste human energy with things like this?
And here I am, telling you about it. And, you're reading it!
Maybe next time in the "notes" portion of my internet order I can say-- I KNOW, THE BEANS ARE MADE WITH BACON!!!
Who knew vegetarians could be taken so seriously.
Do we really need to waste human energy with things like this?
And here I am, telling you about it. And, you're reading it!
Maybe next time in the "notes" portion of my internet order I can say-- I KNOW, THE BEANS ARE MADE WITH BACON!!!
Who knew vegetarians could be taken so seriously.
The Regular Baby Look
Grown out of that onesie? Just cut off the snap part and voila! you've got a t-shirt!
Monday, July 14, 2008
The New Yorker...
With all this hullabaloo about this week's New Yorker cover... I think it's suspicious that mine hasn't shown up. Sure, last week, the Town Topics arrived a day late, today no New Yorker... if US isn't in the box on Friday, I'm calling the postmaster, that's all I'm saying.
Facebook.
Thanks to the magic of Facebook I can now know that the random guy I was poorly set-up with on a "blind" date in college (you know, the 5 foot 6 inch gymnast who kind of looked like Steven Spielberg and who was sent to Kiribati by the Peace Corps after graduation) has a hairline that appears to have receded all the way to Detroit.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
France's Newest Additions...
The Jolie-Pitt Twins have arrived! (As the Mom noted, Kathy Lee Gifford mentioned on the Today show that this will quickly take the wind out of the sails of Matthew McConaughey's son being the "most beautiful baby" in Hollywood.)
An American Haunting...
We live in a house that is from 1760. Okay, so not all of the house is from 1760 (though from the wiring in the kitchen you'd never guess it wasn't that old!), but our dining room/library/nursery are, and in houses that old there are bound to be some wacky things that have happened in all those years. A while back, the Mom swore that one day during one of her visits she could hear footsteps following her down our lower staircase. Ever since she's be convinced our house is haunted. Now I've heard rumbles and grumbles before (finally figuring out that some very large grumbles are actually emanating out of the local quarry when they do blasting activities (!), but I really didn't think too much about the haunted thing until just recently.
One night the Husband came home late from work and I had been hanging out in the kitchen. He came into the kitchen and we were chatting and then we both heard a woman's voice, from behind where the Husband was standing. Husband though he heard her say "Anna". I heard a distinct voice with a two-syllable sound. We looked around-- no talking toys (a frequent contributor to household background noise these days), the cat hasn't learned to speak, the Husband's talking cell phone was in the family room. Nothing. Now I'm sure there is a logical non-paranormal explanation for all of this, but it was a bit creepy.
When you have a house this old (and you're a bit of a type A) you might find yourself doing research on the ownership. Needless to say I happened to have researched the census records for our town, cross-referenced against the deed records that the Husband had pulled together at Middlesex County's recorder's office. Turns out, according to the 1820 census there was an Anna who lived in our town with the family who owned our parcel. She was 19 at the time. In 1870 there was another Anna (though, based on age information, not the same Anna from 1820).
Then, there's the picture, below-- this was taken in our family room. It looks like there's a hand in the frame. I took the picture, it's not my hand and my mom swears its not her hand. Wacky, no?
One night the Husband came home late from work and I had been hanging out in the kitchen. He came into the kitchen and we were chatting and then we both heard a woman's voice, from behind where the Husband was standing. Husband though he heard her say "Anna". I heard a distinct voice with a two-syllable sound. We looked around-- no talking toys (a frequent contributor to household background noise these days), the cat hasn't learned to speak, the Husband's talking cell phone was in the family room. Nothing. Now I'm sure there is a logical non-paranormal explanation for all of this, but it was a bit creepy.
When you have a house this old (and you're a bit of a type A) you might find yourself doing research on the ownership. Needless to say I happened to have researched the census records for our town, cross-referenced against the deed records that the Husband had pulled together at Middlesex County's recorder's office. Turns out, according to the 1820 census there was an Anna who lived in our town with the family who owned our parcel. She was 19 at the time. In 1870 there was another Anna (though, based on age information, not the same Anna from 1820).
Then, there's the picture, below-- this was taken in our family room. It looks like there's a hand in the frame. I took the picture, it's not my hand and my mom swears its not her hand. Wacky, no?
Radio Days...
So I'm kind of like John McCain in that I really don't listen to the radio anymore. (I had heard somewhere that Mr. McCain claims that he never got back into popular music after having been in the prison camp for 5 years...) for me it's been a considerably less drastic decline from radio listening. I blame the iPod. Now that I can have every song I own at my fingertips I have no need to listen to the radio. The radio makes me too tense anyway... to paraphrase Carrie Fisher-- I need instant gratification. I always found myself toggling between the various stations on the car radio because somewhere out in the airwaves might be that *perfect* song. Now, with the iPod on shuffle, it's just one button away... I can continually go through music I already know that I like.
To be fair, I do still listen to public radio (NPR and the Met's live Opera broadcasts-- which used to be a fave in college... sit on a Saturday afternoon with a dijon burger from the Ivy room studying to live opera? let me tell you that's a way to pack on those freshman fifteen... but I digress).
Before the iPod and a format change I was also a big fan of Mix 102.7 (the old Disco/Dance station out of NYC). Out of all radio stations I find that a disco channel has the highest likelihood of playing music I'll like.
Luckily, though, not listening to the radio has not made me completely out of touch with "today's music". I noticed this the other night when I was up to the wee hours drafting a Loan Agreement. I was in the kitchen and had on one of the music choice channels on tv-- it was "adult alternative" (I'm not sure why I stopped on this particular station...) but in the end I actually heard enough songs that are of the genre typically played in Starbucks/JCrew's dressing room/commercials for cars or soap operas that I recognized a few as one's I'd want to download. Finally, I knew the name of such and such and whatnot. Better than the radio which never seems to tell you who sang the song that you actually liked.
The other song-listening anomaly which I suffer from is repetition. Ana once remarked how in high school I would listen to the same song over and over again (in particular, "Get Connected" by Stereo MCs, which thanks to Miss A's mention I went and downloaded). Yes, even over fifteen years later my listening style remains the same. I'll get a song in my head and I'll listen to it literally like a broken record. How else could I have learned all of the words to "Whatta Man", "Shoop" and "It's the End of the World as We Know It"?
Moral of the story? iTunes gift certificates are always welcome.
To be fair, I do still listen to public radio (NPR and the Met's live Opera broadcasts-- which used to be a fave in college... sit on a Saturday afternoon with a dijon burger from the Ivy room studying to live opera? let me tell you that's a way to pack on those freshman fifteen... but I digress).
Before the iPod and a format change I was also a big fan of Mix 102.7 (the old Disco/Dance station out of NYC). Out of all radio stations I find that a disco channel has the highest likelihood of playing music I'll like.
Luckily, though, not listening to the radio has not made me completely out of touch with "today's music". I noticed this the other night when I was up to the wee hours drafting a Loan Agreement. I was in the kitchen and had on one of the music choice channels on tv-- it was "adult alternative" (I'm not sure why I stopped on this particular station...) but in the end I actually heard enough songs that are of the genre typically played in Starbucks/JCrew's dressing room/commercials for cars or soap operas that I recognized a few as one's I'd want to download. Finally, I knew the name of such and such and whatnot. Better than the radio which never seems to tell you who sang the song that you actually liked.
The other song-listening anomaly which I suffer from is repetition. Ana once remarked how in high school I would listen to the same song over and over again (in particular, "Get Connected" by Stereo MCs, which thanks to Miss A's mention I went and downloaded). Yes, even over fifteen years later my listening style remains the same. I'll get a song in my head and I'll listen to it literally like a broken record. How else could I have learned all of the words to "Whatta Man", "Shoop" and "It's the End of the World as We Know It"?
Moral of the story? iTunes gift certificates are always welcome.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Babysitter!
Okay, so today is the first day when Baby seemed to be comfortable with Miss Babysitter. Since sneaking away from the family room (which I know, you're not supposed to sneak away-- but trust me, it works best)... I've been able to: 1) move wet laundry to dryer and put new laundry in washer, 2) unload/load dishwasher, 3) clean 2 tubs, 2 sinks and 2 toilets (whoopie!), 3) take pictures for two Ebay auctions, 4) send some work emails and 5) send some emails to prospective kitchen cabinet purchasers. I feel accomplished! ;)
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Maternity Wear...
So, now that I have (thankfully) gone back to my pre-pregnancy weight, I still have these lingering items in my wardrobe known as "maternity clothes". Now don't get me wrong-- I had some maternity items that were really neat-- I got a really great dress on sale from Cadeau, I had a little (okay, large) Lilly Pulitzer dress and a neat DVF blouse. I also had some maternity items which weren't fashionable at all but served their purpose at the time and I couldn't have lived without (read: keds flip flops once my feet got huge and Liz Lange sweat-suit material capri pants that always kind of reminded me of those torn pants that the Hulk wears...) I also had a couple of great items that weren't maternity but were big enough to cover the bump (a great purple CK top, a black Club Monaco stretchy dress that I had had forever... etc.)
In order to have gotten to the place that I am today I not only had to lose a bazillion pounds of water weight and actual weight, but I also had to donate/throw away/burn things like the Hulk pants noted above. You can't lose weight if you still have clothes that comfortably fit your post-pregnancy body-- hulk pants? You're out. This brings us to yet another category of clothes: Transition items bought after Miss B arrived but before I could fit into my old clothes. While I have some things that I wore while pregnant that I will still wear today (the CK top noted above, the club monaco dress and a few other things that only walk that fine line between "is it maternity or is it memorex"), some of the transition items are things I never want to see again. Case in point-- a generic pink Ralph Lauren polo shirt. I wore it so many times last summer I never want to see it again.
One more thing to add: Luckily, my feet went back to their old size.
In order to have gotten to the place that I am today I not only had to lose a bazillion pounds of water weight and actual weight, but I also had to donate/throw away/burn things like the Hulk pants noted above. You can't lose weight if you still have clothes that comfortably fit your post-pregnancy body-- hulk pants? You're out. This brings us to yet another category of clothes: Transition items bought after Miss B arrived but before I could fit into my old clothes. While I have some things that I wore while pregnant that I will still wear today (the CK top noted above, the club monaco dress and a few other things that only walk that fine line between "is it maternity or is it memorex"), some of the transition items are things I never want to see again. Case in point-- a generic pink Ralph Lauren polo shirt. I wore it so many times last summer I never want to see it again.
One more thing to add: Luckily, my feet went back to their old size.
Dinner!
Tonight I made Ina Garten's take on Chicken Milanese and it was good (we've made this before!) In addition I made a vegetable/couscous dish. I sauteed onions (half of one sweet onion, sliced) and then added a yellow pepper (cut in large chunks), zuchini-- sliced thin and then quartered, and eggplant quarters. (I had cut up the eggplant ahead of time and tossed it with kosher salt to draw out any bitterness). I added olive oil and some balsamic vinegar to the mix together with freshly ground black pepper, some salt, basil and oregano. Once the vegetables began to soften I added a half a can of diced tomatoes to the mix. I let this simmer, covered until the vegetables were tender. Then I wanted to add a box of Near East Couscous (Parmesan flavor...). I poured the contents of the couscous spice sack into a bowl and added some water-- eyeballing it to make sure that once the water and spice sack mixture was added to the vegetables there wouldn't be too much liquid for making the couscous. I whisked the spice sack contents with the water and then added the mixture to the vegetables. I turned the heat up and once the liquid in the vegetables was bubbling I added the couscous, turned off the heat and covered the pot. Five minutes later-- poof! Puffy couscous surrounded by tasty vegetables.
Monday, July 07, 2008
Cry for Help (aka Save Me from Dessert...)
Okay, someone needs to take away the peanut butter and jelly bars because I just keep eating them!
La Samaritaine....
So, here's the latest news on La Samaritaine... looks like LVMH will be turning the old girl into a river-front hotel, to open in 2013, so long as the "town hall" approves it. Let's hope they'll keep their rooftop cafe, complete with croque monsieurs!
The Numerology of Bruce Willis...
While watching The Fifth Element this evening, the Husband took stock of all of the movies that Bruce Willis has been in with numbers in their titles.
We've got: Die Hard 2, Die Hard with a Vengance (aka Die Hard 3), Live Free or Die Hard (aka Die Hard 4.0), Four Rooms, the Fifth Element, the Sixth Sense, Lucky Number Slevin (we think this is close enough...), The Whole Nine Yards, the Whole Ten Yards, Twelve Monkeys (and Ocean's Twelve), Sixteen Blocks and That '70's Show.
These were just the ones we could remember. A quick IMdB search revealed that he was also in a movie called "The First Deadly Sin" and did a cameo in Loaded Weapon 1
Now if only we could somehow harness this in to a fomula for accurately predicting lotto numbers...
We've got: Die Hard 2, Die Hard with a Vengance (aka Die Hard 3), Live Free or Die Hard (aka Die Hard 4.0), Four Rooms, the Fifth Element, the Sixth Sense, Lucky Number Slevin (we think this is close enough...), The Whole Nine Yards, the Whole Ten Yards, Twelve Monkeys (and Ocean's Twelve), Sixteen Blocks and That '70's Show.
These were just the ones we could remember. A quick IMdB search revealed that he was also in a movie called "The First Deadly Sin" and did a cameo in Loaded Weapon 1
Now if only we could somehow harness this in to a fomula for accurately predicting lotto numbers...
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Weekend!
Yesterday we went to visit the Thisbe Family for their annual Fourth of July bash (which yes, was technically on the Fifth of July!) Much fun was had by all and the sliders were *really* tasty!!
Today's big excitment was a short trip to
Sesame Place!
Today's big excitment was a short trip to
Sesame Place!
Friday, July 04, 2008
Five Seasons of Fabulous!
Project Runway is back on Bravo!, this month... as they say, "watch what happens"!
Random Observations...
Two nights ago the Husband called me out in to the backyard. With all the lights off and the moon dark all we could see in the woods next to the yard were a thousand fire flies. Their twinkle reminded me of the random sparkling of the Eiffel Tower (but slower, in New Jersey, and with bugs).
Today makes day two both i) with no bottle for Miss B, and ii) abandonment of the big plastic tub in favor of the really big tub!
I feel as though I'm clearly getting waaay too old. I saw another add for Lollapalooza 2008. I remember fondly Lollapalooza 1992. Eeek.
Tonight we made a well calculated run to our local Baskin Robbins for their new soft serve (meaning that we no longer have to drive all the way to Hamilton to get drive-thru Dairy Queen!) (And people wonder why their is an obesity problem in America-- here we are during dinner googling BR to find the nearest drive-thru ice cream joint.)...
Today makes day two both i) with no bottle for Miss B, and ii) abandonment of the big plastic tub in favor of the really big tub!
I feel as though I'm clearly getting waaay too old. I saw another add for Lollapalooza 2008. I remember fondly Lollapalooza 1992. Eeek.
Tonight we made a well calculated run to our local Baskin Robbins for their new soft serve (meaning that we no longer have to drive all the way to Hamilton to get drive-thru Dairy Queen!) (And people wonder why their is an obesity problem in America-- here we are during dinner googling BR to find the nearest drive-thru ice cream joint.)...
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Dinner and an Update!
Tonight's dinner was carrot soup, inspired by a vegetable soup that we had while we were in Paris. I started by sauteeing mire poix, then adding a bit of white wine and two cans of vegetable broth. To that I added half a bag of petite carrots (rough cut), about 6 or 7 small red skin potatoes (also rough cut) and some cut leeks. I let the vegetables simmer in the broth/mire poix until tender. I also added a bit of garlic, salt and pepper. Once the vegetables were tender I added a box of Pacific organic Roasted Carrot Soup (from WF) and a touch of cream. Used the immersion blender to puree the soup, served with herbed goat cheese toasts, umm!
In other fronts, we got a call today from the delivery folks to schedule delivery of.... the kitchen cabinets! They're going to arrive next Thursday! (Let the demolition begin!) Now we must begin the search in earnest for i) lighting, ii) an acceptable alternative to our poorly located radiator, iii) backsplash materials and iv) a faucet! Woo-hoo!
In other fronts, we got a call today from the delivery folks to schedule delivery of.... the kitchen cabinets! They're going to arrive next Thursday! (Let the demolition begin!) Now we must begin the search in earnest for i) lighting, ii) an acceptable alternative to our poorly located radiator, iii) backsplash materials and iv) a faucet! Woo-hoo!
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Would Someone Please
tell me why I'm paying for HBO when one of tonight's movie selections is Fletch??
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