iPod

I think it is time for me to get a new iPod. I have a 1st generation mini. Which means that it is outdated for those of you who still used a diskman :)

So I'm going to get a black 80GB iPod classic. I'm stuck though. I can get stuff engraved on the back of it. 2 lines. 20ish characters each (it depends on capital letters or if there are numbers or stuff in there).

What should I get engraved on it? I could be boring and just get my first name. Or I could be cool and get something else. Any ideas? If you have my email address and want to make suggestions that way instead of in the comments, feel free.

Embroiderying

I got it in my head a monthish ago that I wanted to relearn how to embroider. I did some when I was in elementary school. I remember hand sewing little pillows, doll sized I'd say, and then embroiderying them to give to my grandparents as gifts when I was in 2nd-4th grade. The fabric was checked so I had a line to sew along and it made embroidery easy (I think I only learned one stitch, probably the only one that my mom knew to teach me).

In 5th or maybe 6th grade, my grandma on my mom's side taught me a bit more embroidery. I think I got as far as buying one of those pre-stamped pillow cases, doing an hour or two of work on it and then getting bored with it.

I don't think I've touched it since then. But I had a sudden urge to learn. I bought supplies on my way home from work one day - needles, hoop, red floss and black floss (I won't mention the snap attacher thingy that jumped in my bag or the tatting thread). I went home and did this...



and with a flash...you can see the stitches better in this maybe...it is small, maybe an inch and a half square...


I have a ton of tannish colored cotton fabric (it was a skirt I made in high school that has been cut apart and used for sooo many things, it was floor length and super gathered, so it is a ton of fabric). I drew the Pi on freehand and backstitched.

Later I bought the Sublime Stitching book. I'm doing a modified version of the sampler in that now on the same cotton fabric. It is almost done and has been a lot of fun to work on.

I'm really glad that I was introduced to all of this as a kid. It makes it so easy to jump back into it now. I still enjoy the same parts that I did then (I love having a needle and thread in my hand) and I've changed enough to enjoy the parts that I didn't enjoy then (that it takes forever is one). I'll have to find out if anyone still has any of those little pillows...I'm sure that my granny kept hers somewhere, it is entirely possible it is still on the guest room bed where it was everytime we visited when I was young.

Columbus Day

I know, I know. That was like weeks ago. So I'm a bit behind.

Batman and I went on a "vacation" for Columbus day since it is a somewhat recognized holiday here. Side note - we didn't celebrate it anywhere that I lived growing up, they get out of school for it here. He had it off, I took it off.

We packed a bag and walked to downtown Boston for our vacation. We got a sweet deal on a room at Nine Zero.

View from our room

We had dinner at Mistral. It was very nice (I wore my heels and a cute, clingy green dress!). We each got a salad, mine was lambs leaf lettuce with pecans and something else (Batman's had cheese too). Then for the main course they brought us a veggie plate. Roasted red peppers, green beans, little roasted tomatoes, yellow beets, mini onions, squash, maybe something else. It was all done perfectly and while a bit uninspired, was very tasty. Dessert for me was a dark chocolate sorbet...OMG yum! Batman had some oozing chocolate cake thing. Service was great and it was fun.

We walked back to the hotel through the Public Gardens and the Common. The rats were all out, it was cute. There were a ton of them in the trash cans and when Batman tapped it with his foot they would run out of it one at a time.

The next morning we had a late breakfast (nothing great), and then went to Newbury Street. We window shopped and each bought some jeans, had lunch at Trident and then made our way back to the hotel to pick up our bags. I haven't had a good chunk of time to spend on Newbury St. in a while, so it was lots of fun. Actually just being able to enjoy our time and not worry about doing anything else was great.

This is in the Public Garden...so tropical looking!

So overall a very successful local vacation!

Catnaps

What I wish I could be doing right now.

Mac and Cheese

New Farm Mac and Cheese, recipe from the PPK.

I ate a whole pot of this stuff about a month ago and here I am doing it again! It has a great texture. The flavor is great the first day. I add some salt and pepper to it when I'm reheating it after that though. I also like it with the Trader Joes meatless meatballs (or anti-meat spheres as Batman referred to them).

With a chocolate cupcake for dessert, I'll be eating pretty good for a few days!

Recipe changes: I just dumped in a whole pound of pasta, I don't know how many cups that is. I cut the oil in half at the end this time and I like it better that way.

Some crafty stuff is happening. Not much, but is there ever much. I'll see what I can do about getting pictures of it tonite or tomorrow nite.

Reading Update

Another one! I'm going to try to do these oftenish so I don't fall super behind. This is what I've read since my last reading update.



Harry Potter (the new one) by JK Rowling. It was a good read as all the others were a good read. I was happy with it and am glad to know how it all ended.


Fluke by Christopher Moore. Some researchers are researchering why whales sing in Hawaii. One has "bite me" written on its tail. There is a hot research assistant and a white kid from NJ who talks in a combination of slangs/accents. Researchers are sabotaged and the crazy lady tells them to take a sandwich to the whale.


Little Children by Tom Perrotta. One of the worst books I've read in a long time. Stay at home parents with little kids have an affair. There is a convicted child molester in the town that lives with his mother and the retired cop decides that it is his job to make the guy's life miserable. Totally predictable, well written, and completely dull.


The Return of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs. 2nd in the series. Read through Project Gutenburg. Tarzan is still being annoyed by the russian guy. He meets a friend of Jane's and returns to the jungle where he finds Jane again when they are all, surprise, shipwrecked in the exact same place again!

The Beasts of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs. 3rd in the series. Read from Project Gutenburg. The Russian dude steals the kid and Jane follows. Tarzan ends up on an island and makes friends with the local animal population. The apes learn to row a boat and he takes his animal army to rescue his wife/kid.

In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick. Very good book. Based on the true story of the sinking of the whale boat the Essex that came from Nantucket. This one is based more off of the cabin boys papers that were found recentlyish, there is another book that the first mate wrote shortly after it happened. Very interesting tale of survival at sea.