Deviant Dispatches

Last night, Spousal Unit and I rescued this dresser from ultimate destruction down by the dumpster. It's pretty gorgeous - I haven't cleaned it off yet to see how badly the top is actually scratched, but even if it's terrible, I don't care. We got this thing for free. My back hates me for it, because it's about as sturdy as it looks. Plus, it's one more thing to move at the end of October. Again, though: it, like most of our furniture, was free.

There are approximately five million things I love about fall. But I especially love a couple of them. This is a new one for me: a plant finally blossoming for the first time, at the end of summer. At its peak, my African violet had 21 blossoms at once. I finally got to wear my colorful new pink Asian-style jacket. Remember when I bought it ? I also picked up two awesome fall shirts, a really comfy pair of pants, and silky pajama pants to replace my old ones. (They had holes at both hips. One was the size of my head.) Leaves are turning everywhere! The library parking lot (above) is especially resplendent right now, but I'm also impressed by the tree outside our window. It's almost chartreuse at sunset. This photo is not edited at all.  Wow. My least favorite color for a long time was yellow - and it was least favorite by a wide margin. Now, I may not wear yellow, but I appreciate it a lot more. I used to think yellow trees were boring, but that's not...

Two differing calls Dear NFL, Please stop being miserly jackasses and give the real refs what they want, so we can stop watching utter B.S. every week. I don't blame the replacement refs - I don't think anyone really does. They're doing the best they can with a crappy situation. They have no training for this level of football; it's like being thrown in the deep end and expected to swim. NFL, your replacement refs are drowning in the middle of the Astroturf. Throw them a frickin' life jacket. As a result of these ridiculous calls that have been made, we now have at least one game whose outcome was called incorrectly. Regardless of which team caught the ball, there should have been a pass interference penalty - which would have won it for the Packers instead of the Seahawks. I'm hereby ignoring the official ruling. NFL, I've had a long and tumultuous relationship with you in the past. At this point, I almost can't believe I ever loved you. Y...

So. Part of me was kind of looking forward to the upcoming move as being a bit easier than usual, because this time, I was going to have the same job throughout it all. I still won't be switching jobs when we move, but I am before the move. Yes, I will start a new job in a couple of weeks. This all happened very quickly, once things got rolling. I found out about this position a month ago, through the temp agency that got Spousal Unit his job. Copy editing for a non-profit? It was exactly what I've been looking for since we moved back to Wisconsin last summer. I called the temp agency and tried not to sound like a dog begging for a Milk Bone. (I succeeded. I think.) The company wasn't ready to hire yet, but they'd let me know as soon as the opportunity came. The call came on Monday last week; the interview was set on Tuesday; I interviewed on Wednesday; I got the job on Friday. Throw into that whirlwind an unreasonable leasing agent, a night-before-the-interview d...

It's the start of the most wonderful time of the year! No, not Christmas (not yet, anyway) - I'm talking autumn! That wonderful time when we get to pull out the sweaters, enjoy a cup of hot cider, and wear our favorite slippers. I love it. What I especially love are fall crafts. It's the perfect time to pull that wool close to you and watch the leaves fly outside, while ensconced in your favorite cozy chair. I always start too many projects at this time of year. Fall Breeze Shawl by Denise Twum  Imagine this one in an orange-red yarn - or even a variegated one with lots of fall colors ! Fall coasters  by Melissa Hill These little crocheted coasters are adorable, plus they're a quick, easy gift! If it was me, I'd make the leaves all different shades of fall - light green, red, orange, and yellow, all in one set. Tibetan Clouds Beaded Stole by Sivia Harding I've wanted to make this one for ages now. Maybe this is the year! Look at all...

All the physical therapy I've been doing this summer has at least marginally paid off: I've gone for three runs in the last week and a half. Okay, that statement is kind of misleading. When I say "runs," I mean "10 minute bouts of exercise featuring alternating walking and running." Which is still more than I've done in far too long. And the most excellent part of this? No back pain immediately after! Unfortunately, I am still getting teh painz of DOOM - they just happen when I've been lifting things. Like books. Oh wait - that's my job. Awesome. One of the more delightful moments in PT happened this morning, when the therapist was examining my spine. "Well, that's interesting," he said suddenly. (That's the phrase that's second most likely to mean something bad, directly behind "Whoops!" You don't want to hear either of these from your doctor, dentist, or waiter.) Luckily, the items causing the ...

A new Ben Folds Five, now with more Fraggles!

Spousal Unit and I had the most amazing dinner in the world last night, and the thing that really made it was the basil cream sauce. When we went to Vegas (the one with the lights and the shows and the hey-hey), one of the first things we ate was a noodle dish with this amazing sauce in it. I decided to try my hand at it, over the stuffed tomato you see above. Problem: I meant to pick up half and half while I was out, and I totally forgot. So I improvised by adding milk, butter, and cream cheese. And it turned out smooth, delectable, and rich. The base for this sauce? Just a recipe of your favorite pesto. I love what can be done with pesto. The tomato itself isn't stuffed with anything too special: squash, banana peppers, garlic, couscous, chickpeas, arugula, more tomato, and some pesto, to tie the flavors together (though next time, I'm adding cayenne instead). After stuffing the hollow tomatoes, I baked them at 350 for about 20 minutes. Pretty much everything you see...

The Packers kicked some serious butt last night. Clay Matthews' enormous arms are a bit terrifying, but I'm glad he uses them for a good purpose, like tearing the Bears apart. There was some amazing stuff in that game - mostly defense and special teams related - and I'm glad to leave the previous week's game behind. Hopefully we won't see offense that pathetic for the rest of the season. In news unrelated to that, I have two hilarious things to share with you: some reviews of a book called (and I'm not joking), What are These Strawberries Doing on My Nipples?...I Need Them for the Fruit Salad . Worst. Book. Ever. And if you thought that was hilarious, Bic made pens (yes, pens) for women . Because otherwise, women wouldn't use them. The reviews are to die for. Enjoy. I'll be in the Bat Cave, packing books.

Spousal Unit and I have found a new place to live, and we're moving in a month and a half! This may confuse some of you, as we are in a place already, and we are living there right now. I can see how that might be a head-scratcher. But our lease is up at the end of October on our current place, and we've decided to move out of one 'burb and into another. It's not necessarily a better small town, and we're going to miss the one we're in now. Over the past year, we've found favorite restaurants, discovered great places for walks and runs, delved into a great library, and reveled in the joy of a full wall of windows. Think they're awesome now? You should see it on a sunny day. On the other hand, we've discovered a drunk in our hallway, been surprised by the car next to ours with four slashed tires, kept the windows closed all summer because of highway traffic, and had to commute a half hour or more to work. The commute will be cut in ha...

Yesterday, a huge jug of apple juice in the fridge ran dry, and I was going to recycle it. But then Spousal Unit said, "You could use it for watering plants. Maybe you could even poke some holes in the lid." That boy has a lot of smart. I'd been casually keeping an eye out for a cheap watering can at the secondhand stores - till now, I've just used a regular-sized water bottle, which I have to refill two or three times to satisfy all the plants. But even better than a secondhand watering device is a reused jug. It's not pretty, but it does the job, and that's all I need. The lid was pretty sturdy, so I used a nail and hammer to pound holes in the lid. They weren't big enough, so I got a bigger nail and cracked the lid. The test run showed it worked okay, and then I realized the jug needed to let air out, too. So I pounded some holes in the jug itself, just above the handle. (I had to be careful to choose a spot that wouldn't...

Today, I have a lot to work on. I have an apartment application to fill out, cookies to bake, a cake to bake, a care package to send, a doctor to inquire after, CDs to return to the library, a budget to balance, a scarf to work on, a novel to work on, a kitchen to clean, wine to buy, and tomato sauce to make. (The last two are directly related.) I also have the incredible goals of buying a spatula and taking a bath, though not at the same time. I'll be amazed if I accomplish even half of those things - I have a terrible tendency to make an extensive, unreachable to-do list for my days off, which leaves me feeling half accomplished and very tired. That, or I give up after the first two are crossed off because the tasks ahead are too daunting. But not today. I can feel the days speeding up as we approach the end of our lease, and it's time to start getting ready for the next part of our lives, whatever that might entail. The crisp weather delights me, but also worries me - ...

It's been kind of a rough week. Today may be Friday, but it's my Thursday - I still work tomorrow night before my weekend begins. To encourage myself to get through it, I'm going to use some good ol' positivity in today's post - here are some things that are awesome in my life. - My African violet now has seven flowers. - The weather is trending toward sweaters! It's beginning to look a lot like autumn! - I finished an adorable hat earlier this week - can't share with you yet, because it's a gift! - I started reading Splendid Solution  by Jeffrey Kluger, about Jonas Salk and the polio vaccine. (Novel research!) Usually nonfiction doesn't thrill me, but this is a very exciting read so far! - I only have a five-hour shift at work today. Maybe I'll make a wine cake tonight. - We're looking at two apartments tomorrow - I hope one of them is our next home! - I shredded one  zucchini earlier this week and made two loaves of bread....

Dear first-year students plaguing my bookstore, STFU already. I've had the good fortune of only working two days so far this new semester, but I still have a forty-hour work week. I know classes have just started, and you're exhausted and inattentive already. (Believe me, I was there once.) But allow me to give you a brief lesson that will make things a lot easier for you. 1. The first price I state for a book is the price you have to pay. Being indignant or pissed off at me personally will not change that. I did not choose your whiny tendencies, but you don't see me scowling at you for that. 2. When I tell you there are no used copies of a book, I am telling the truth. I promise you, we do not have all the used copies sequestered in a dank basement. We are not torturing them with fire and mold; we are not forcing them to give us the answers to life's persistent questions before we set them free. The used copies have already been taken home by loving families of...

Say hello to my little friend. It's an African violet, which finally bloomed for the first time since I got it from my mom, a year and a half ago. Apparently, the key was just more sunlight - look at all those buds waiting to burst into glorious flower! It was Spousal Unit's birthday this weekend, so I got him a cake. We let Luke cut it, but he seemed rather distraught about the whole thing. Maybe because it was his X-Wing on the cake.  Or maybe because his little hand pops off.