lake effect

2008-02-19T23:28:00.000-08:00

While I’m day dreaming the garden layout and the imaginary bounty of my vegetable garden, can we talk about peas?

Oh how much I hated the grayish army green peas that tasted like can and reliably appeared as the designated vegetable perched on the edge of every single plate of spaghetti threatening to contaminate the noodles with watery iridescent can juice. I had to always eat at least one forkful. I don’t think I ever ate more. Imagine whirled peas, indeed. My wily sister figured a way to smash the wrinkly waterlogged orbs to the underside of her plate and flick the vegetable interlopers to the dogs while she was clearing her place to the dishwasher. (There was also the time she taught my mom never to force her to eat anything ever again, when she threw up on the curtains in the kitchen and again on the carpet on the way to the bathroom- but that is a different vegetable.)

Dear peas, how could I have misunderstood you so? I love the flirtatious wispy tendrils of your early vines barely sautéed in garlic and olive oil or butter. I love the early delicate harvest that can be eaten pod and all. So sweet that cooking is just a formality. The wet crunch snapping the later peas, then unzipping the tough string from the edge of the pods and slipping a finger inside to pop each pea out one prayer bead at a time. Stray ones escape skittering across the counter and bouncing their pointy heads irregularly on floor. The dogs run after them knocking rugs and furniture aside to tilt their heads and dart their tongues into crevices that even good housekeeping (unlike mine) would miss.

On the phone with my grandmother the other day we were probably talking about my fantasy vegetable league draft picks from the seed catalog when she reminded me of the carrot salad she used to get from the Gentilly Pap’s market especially for me for family dinners. Apparently I was the only one who even liked it. I hadn’t known that she didn’t make it from scratch either.

As a kid who didn’t like to eat almost everything, my mom at some point figured out the carrot salad recipe:(mayo-phobes should stop reading here.)

Shredded carrots (I remember being tasked to help prepare dinner with a stack of carrots, the potato peeler, and the box shredder.)
1 can of pineapple chunks with 2/3 the juice drained off
Dollop of mayo
Handful of raisins or 2 of the small red boxes full

I’ve been thinking about it since the call but it is one of those kinds of coveted kid foods that may not work for an adult palate (like twinkies), so I wasn’t willing to invest in new ingredients to make it happen. No, not for a mayo based salad, but tonight the refrigerator remnants all fell together.

3 Shredded carrots (I should have peeled them and it would have been prettier bright orange but I was feeling lazy)
All the nearly done citrus in the fruit basket (zest, skinned chunks and juice of 1 blood orange, and 1 ½ tangerines)
Handful of golden raisins
Handful of dried cranberries
Spoonful of soy-naise
Ruby grapefruit, dried cherries and chopped walnuts or pecans would have also been good additions or substitutions.

Is it too trite to say I was thrilled that it was just as good as I remembered?

Also isn't it weird that citrus is a winter crop? Doesn't it seem like it's you know essence is hot?

Also my dad used to mix his peas into the spaghetti and meat sauce. I'm no longer a plate food seperatist, but this is still disgusting.

Also, remember the carrots and peas candy? What did it taste like?

Something about this reminds me of Hawaii. Maybe because the original was made with pineapple? It seems like the sort of thing that would be right at home in a plate lunch. But what do I know? I don't see anything wrong with buttered rice.

2008-02-04T20:39:00.000-08:00

Happy Super Fat Tuesday everybody, or is it Fat Super Tuesday... some clarification from those who know would be greatly appreciated.

2008-02-03T15:31:00.000-08:00

For those of you who knew about Carbon/Silicon and did not tell me: I loved you just a little less, just for a moment.

2008-01-16T11:00:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year everyone

2008-01-11T06:26:00.000-08:00

Hey, look at that. It is 2008. I just woke up from a long 2 year nap.

2008-01-01T22:10:00.000-08:00

whadda you know. how did it get to be 2008 already? happy new year and god bless us every one.

2007-01-12T13:12:00.000-08:00

It's been sooooooo stinkin' long since I've posted here that I nearly forgot my user name and password. That my friends is a bad thing.

Mike: just read about your bad ass class. How fucking cool are you? I forwarded the article to a few friends who are into old punk. I'm sure they'll enjoy it.

Zach: where is your top albums of 2006 list?

2006-09-10T20:46:00.000-07:00

DIY Network
Knitty Gritty
Episode DKNG-411
Sept 11:30 am EST
Sept 16 4:30 pm EST
Oct 10, 11:30 am EST
link to DIY page

2006-08-18T09:19:00.000-07:00

Yeah, some of us got tired of waiting on the LE summit to happen so we took matters into our own hands. For me, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to make it to the island.

I *still* dream about the partial ocean view from my hotel room.

Yes, my friends, Hawaii lived up to its tropical paradise reputation. But with our tour guide extraordinaire, it was beyond human comprehension. We ate, ate, ate, ate and ate some more. A good time was had by all.

2006-07-18T13:57:00.000-07:00

Ladies of Hawaii (visitors and resident) - thank you so much for the postcard. And Angie, I loved seeing all the photos - esp. of all that you guys ate. So jealous over here. It looks like a wonderful time - though that submarine tour gave me claustrophobia just looking at it, cute turtles aside.

2006-07-11T00:10:00.000-07:00

Mini-summit: Honolulu

What's in the box?

For them, it was just a nice cooling drink. For me, it was dammit I have to try to walk now.

"Partial ocean view"

2006-03-19T13:01:00.000-08:00

k,
i'm so glad you are ok. it's so funny to think that paradise has real problems too.

i'm watching basketball right now.

2006-03-14T22:22:00.000-08:00

So on Sunday, 13 utility poles fell over and blocked all four lanes of the highway out on my side of the island. I didn't go home until Monday night.

photo album of downed poles

newspaper article about the incident.

A friend of mine who lives on the side of the island that has been experiencing flooding due to torrential rains pointed out that my side of the island was overdue for a highway closure due to flooding/water main breaking/brush fires/hostage situations. The mountain pass (dirt, switchbacks, no lights) is opened for emergencies, but only during the day, and runs through military property, so vehicle and ID checks have to be done, slowing things down even more. It's been an unusual winter; most of my island has been under a flash flood watch for much of the past few weeks. The weather in general has been very Seattle-like, with tropical storm moments.

The dam that broke was on another island (Kaua'i), and has shut down pretty much the entire island.

I'm fine, the goats are a little tired of being damp, but the dry streambed behind the property is clear and so far the biggest damage I've had to suffer was the purchase of a set of work clothes. I usually have a full set of work clothing at my sister's house, but I'd used it on Saturday and hadn't replaced it yet. I was going to do that on Monday, ha ha. The tourists who have been trying to work on their tans, on the other hand, not so happy.

In other completely unrelated news, I have been watching Wonderfalls on DVD and look forward to the day I can just download TV shows for viewing and do not have to actually watch TV.

2006-02-07T23:00:00.000-08:00

National Park visit of 2006 #2: Haleakala. At sunrise, which was not my idea. I understand the nature of the social beast which dictates going to certain places and whatnot because it's what everyone does, therefore it is safe and sanctioned and you can share it with everyone when you get home. Still, listening to the other tourists around me spew inanities ("oh there it is!" "yep, it's coming up" "whoo that's bright!") instills in me the desire to punch people in the face. Add in their tendency to crowd the window (just stand back a couple of feet, please, the view is the same and it's easier for everyone else to see) and take flash photos of the sunrise through the window (...), and I would have left the enclosed lookout but it was 38 degrees with a stiff wind outside, and I'd left my shoes in my car back at the HNL airport. Also rather amusing to note the palpable disappointment afterwards. Yes, people, you drove 37 miles up a switchback riddled mountainside in the dark to see the sunrise. And that's all that happens. It comes up. If you pay $60, though, you can go up in a bus and ride a bicycle down.

No photos, because a friend's camera crapped out and I gave her the batteries from mine (her camera takes vastly superior photos, which I will get copies of).

2006-01-18T18:27:00.000-08:00

I left out an entire day, which was one big highlight in itself - the day we flew back from the Big Island to O'ahu. I would leave out the part about my getting the flight time wrong and arriving at the airport an hour after the plane had taken off, but Mike would probably bring it up.

It's okay, Mike was just going to be guesting on a college radio show (KTUH, Catharsis w/ DJ Dirty). I got him there in time for the second half of the show, which worked out well as there was another guest and both Mike and Motely Woo are rock geek windbags. They were on the air together briefly and I had to kick a path clear after all the name-dropping and band geneaologies. They spent most of the remaining time making out in the stacks. Then we had Greek food because the manager at the place down the street has a crush on the dj and let us order takeout even though they weren't going to open for another two hours. Dessert at Bubbies, a locally owned and operated ice cream shop that specializes in the unusual (so of course Mike had...Oreo cookie ice cream). I had chocolate eggnog mochi ice cream, which is a little disc of ice cream wrapped in a skin of mochi (sweet sticky rice paste). I like to let them soften and then bite a hole in the side and suck the ice cream out.

Later in the week, we ate at a noodle shop and watched Brokeback Mountain, and Mike wanted to know if I was okay to drive 'cause I cried during the movie. How Mike managed to not cry during a beautifully done romance film, I dunno.

2006-01-17T22:02:00.000-08:00

I kicked off the new year with a trip to a national park, something I've been meaning to do. I don't know that I'll wind up getting a National Parks Passport and hectoring the park rangers for a stamp, but I do intend to begin planning trips to include a visit to a national park.

Volcanoes National Park has, well, volcanoes. Plus Mike F was in town, and what's niftier for a New Hampshire Boy Scout than a National Park with volcanoes?

(this is not the caldera I was looking at while standing behind the Volcano House hotel. I didn't take pictures there; I was too busy realizing that I could tell the difference between the canteloupe and honeydew melon in my fruit cup only by the color and watching Mike chase a food container lid around).

Standing out back of the Volcano House hotel (located in the park, historical significance for being there for a long time or something), looking out over the caldera, I figured this is what tourism on the moon will look like. Standing there with a cup of watery orange juice, watching people mill around and take photos, looking out at the blasted landscape and seeing tour buses pull up and unload groups that dutifully trot out and take pictures of the scenic vista and then get back into the bus, on to the next photo opportunity. Looking around and thinking, “I’m not one of these tourist people,” then realizing that I so am. After all, I was standing next to the guy taking photos of the view with his mobile phone while having a chili dog for breakfast.

I should have known better and checked when making the reservations, but the rooms don’t have television sets, a serious drawback when the Patriots are playing. Mike said he could live without seeing the game; I said he could also live without a kidney, but it wouldn’t be fun. He found a television in the hotel bar and booted the elderly man watching golf, to the delight of a handful of diehard football fans.
Highlights of Mike’s visit include: Mike moving the car to a different part of the hotel parking lot while I ran back in to get my notebook. Mike thinking he had gone colorblind in a shopping mall parking lot (red car + yellow/orange lighting = car looks gray). Back on O'ahu, me trying to avoid going to dinner with both my sisters and my nephew (sister saying, "have you eaten yet? me saying "uh gee, just picking up his luggage, have to get him to his cousins house, really"), failing, putting up with the torment all through dinner, the kids deciding Mike is much more fun than I am. My nephew and Mike throwing down over football (the kid thinks the Patriots suck). Going to the Poke Stop*, where Mike was brought to his knees by the menu and I got a soft shell shrimp po’boy with Hawaiian chili pepper remoulade, which made the inside of my mouth feel filthy in a really good way. Mike ate an entire tempura sushi roll, paused for a beer and a breather, then had a poke wrap sandwich. I could only manage half of my bowl of seafood gumbo, which I described to my brother as chicken and seafood in gravy over rice. Oh, and I picked up Mike when he arrived from LA (Mike, refresh my memory - what were you doing in LA?) and took him to my college surrogate parents house, where he was plied with local microbrew beers, Larry Byrd DVDs, and ice cream.

Zach, if the Appalachian Trail doesn't get emo enough for you, I'll take you to Volcanoes National and we can take a hike. Turn back? Hell no! Turn right!

Yes! Devastation! thisishowifeelontheinside! imagine what this looks like at night!

But only if you get down off your high horse, mister.

*I have already subjected Angie to the lowdown on the Poke Stop - local boy trains under a couple of the big-shot chefs here, does an internship in VA, works for Emeril Lagasse in New Orleans, decides he wants to a) move home and b) spend more time with his children. So he opens up a small poke shop. Pronounced poh-kay, poke refers to seafood (usually raw) in bite-sized pieces, dressed lightly and served as a snack or an appetizer (especially with beer). High-end restaurants have fancy-schmancy versions, grocery stores usually have 2 - 3 kinds in the seafood department, including ahi (tuna) poke (usually dressed with soy sauce, sesame oil, and onions) and tako (octopus) poke. Small fish shops generally carry the best poke, both in terms of variety and quality, but there aren’t many of those shops left. The chef who opened the poke stop opened his shop in a small working-class town, offering a mix of the familiar standbys, new variations, and what he calls “Casian” (Cajun-Asian). It started out as takeout only, but there are now two small tables with umbrellas, forced upon the shop by the landlord. A good move; I had only a short drive back to my sisters house with the aromas filling the car, but the tempura sushi roll is something that must be eaten hot. Anyone with a longer drive would otherwise be reduced to eating in the car or standing up in the parking lot.

2006-01-03T14:47:00.000-08:00

I did nothing whatsoever on New Year's Eve. I worked a bunch of overtime and went home. Hurrah!

Man, I can't wait to get on the Trail. I'm losing it in Greensboro. I'm so bored I can't take it.

2006-01-02T13:04:00.000-08:00

Year End Briefs

Best moment: went to a Muslim wedding. The ceremony and reception were held at the same place. Men and women were separated the entire time. I’m talking two different halls. I never saw the groom, not even a glimpse. It was really cool but far different from anything I’d ever experienced. I only had to wear a head scarf during the religious ceremony.

Albums: A friend of mine let me borrow copies of Elvis Costello’s Greatest Hits and the Rolling Stones’ “Exile on Main Street.” I was really surprised to learn how many of Elvis Costello’s songs that I know and love. “Exile” is an awesome album, and I wish that I would have discovered it sooner in life. I might just have to invest $100 the next time the Stones come around these parts for a tour.

Food stuff: Attended two foodie parties recently. Highlights were green tea pork loin, butternut squash lasagna, crabmeat and hearts of palm salad over avocado halves, fig tapenade served over goat cheese and crackers.

New favorite dessert: blue cheese over honey comb (not the cereal) and bread with a sparkling dessert wine.

Movie suggestion: “Crash.” It was one of the most profound films that I’ve seen my entire life. If you haven’t watched it yet, make it a priority. I’ve had numerous, in-depth conversations about the film, and I plan on watching it again with a group of friends.

Reading recommendation: “Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini. I managed to finish the book in two days. It’s about two Afghani boys – one is a have, the other is a have not.

My best holiday gifts: a necklace made of Venetian blown glass, purse note cards and a pet massager for Sandy.

A cocktail recommendation: toasted almond martini. Hmmmmmm, so good.

Resolution: be more spontaneous.

==

Z: I’ve only given Cold Roses a good listen, and I really like it. I’ll get to the other ones at some point. What do you think of Filter Magazine?

2006-01-01T22:39:00.000-08:00

My New Year's Eve tendency for the past several years has been to skip it. This year, it involved going to the Navy commissary, cutting pieces for a baby quilt, and using up the last of my Lush cupcake facial mask. The livestock and pets were all fine and nothing on the property caught on fire.

This year marked my first attempt to make New Year's Day more festive. It's mostly a way for me to have a baked ham. Thanksgiving and Christmas are turkey, because both of my sisters prefer turkey to ham and we can fit only one of the two into the oven. There really isn't any other time of the year when I have the time and enough people to feed to justify doing a ham - hello NYD! This year I didn't have to work, so we'll see if I do this next year, when I may have to work. Baked ham glazed with brown sugar, orange juice, and ground cloves, surrounded by canned sliced pineapple. Green beans, collard greens, lentil-tomato soup made with the remains of the Xmas turkey, red-eye gravy, and black japonica rice. I would have served black-eyed peas but I didn't buy any yesterday, thinking that I still had some at the house. I was a) wrong, and b) don't spend any money during NYD.

I love red-eye gravy. I made it with a coffee labeled "Goat Rock Roast"; similar to cooking with wine, I think using a coffee one would happily drink is important. Goat Rock Roast did not disappoint.

2006-01-01T08:05:00.000-08:00

Quickly:

2005

1. Crooked Fingers - Dignity and Shame
Favorite record of the year, just barely beating the Decemberists. This one is so full of surprises that it never gets old.

2. The Decemberists - Picaresque
So much better than their second album. Better even than their great first record.

3. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
It's amazing that people's brains can conceive of albums like this. Beauty.

4. Magnolia Electric Co. - Trials and Errors
This is what Neil Young and Crazy Horse would sound like if Neil Young would stop writing shitty concept albums and boring acoustic albums.

5. Spoon - Gimme Fiction
I have tried a hundred times to rip off Spoon for Dawn Chorus songs and it never works out.

6. My Morning Jacket - Z
Shorter than their last album and more varied in sound. Much, much better than anything they've ever done.

7. Uwharria half of the Crimson Spectre/Uwharria split
The Spectre stuff is good, but Uwharria are unbelievable. "Winter Bear" is the jam of the decade. "Porcupine turd bed!"

8. Death Cab for Cutie - Plans
Did not like this record at first, but it has really grown on me. A few of the songs are a little dopey, though.

9. Lungfish - Feral Hymns
Lungfish is more raw here than on any record in their last few. This one doesn't come close to touch their last, Love Is Love, but still Lungfish is the world's most awesome band.

10. Sun Kil Moon - Tiny Cities
I don't know most the original versions of these songs. Maybe that's the best way to experience this album.

---

Ajoe - I've only heard the Ryan Adams album(s) a couple of times. I'd like to have them, but I haven't gotten either yet. I like that he openly admits to trying to write Grateful Dead-like songs for Cold Roses.

2005-12-29T09:55:00.000-08:00

Ok, we're all due for an end-of-year update.

Is JT still alive?

Zach, I'm anxiously awaiting your best albums of 2005. In particular, what do you think of Ryan Adams' new albums?

2005-11-11T22:13:00.000-08:00

Dear Z,

Two nuns, a rabbi, a man with a duck on his head and a penguin walk into a bar. The bartender looks up and says "what is this? Some kind of joke?"

2005-11-01T01:26:00.000-08:00

Z, have you been reading Bill Bixby's A Walk in the Woods? I wanted to walk the AT after reading that too, but only a little bit of it. I would suggest meeting up with you for a part of it, but you might find that when it comes to it, you can indeed follow through with shoving me off the nearest handy cliff, wrapped with smoked salmon.

2005-10-31T21:22:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure when I posted last. It's been a long, long time. For a while, I wasn't feeling very reflective. My life has been steadily improving for a few years now, which is really good. But, it doesn't inspire as much introspection. My situation, as it stands today, is this: I live by myself now, on Wright Ave - still in Greensboro. I work at Edward McKay bookstore. I worked my last shift at Gate City Noise, the record store, last week. Andrew is moving his shop downtown and I'm too busy to volunteer after the move. Working at that store hasn't been fun for over a year. A dying business is a sad thing.

My rock band is running in low gear at the moment. Our drummer is overseas again, so we're playing with a new guy - Marc, ex of Softward. I'd like to say that we're still having a lot of fun with it, but honestly, I think we're getting really burned out on all of the old songs, and the new ones are slooow in coming. I wish I had a good explaination for why, but I don't. I don't have much fear of the band breaking up though. We just have to pough through the slow times.

I got sucked into an emotional scene with a girl about this time last year. It played out really slow, and then blew up at the beginning of the summer. The blow up was my fault and I take responsiblity for it. The whole scene was lame. But, divorcing myself from it gave me some time to get perspective on a bunch of things. I started thinking about how you can't apply external solutions to internal problems. So, I decided to find a way to get to where I'd like to be. I know these things about myself: I'm lazy, I'm unhealthy physically, I'm afraid of being lonely, I'm unsure of my ability to follow through when time comes.

While all of this was happening in my head, I got into another thing. I started reading about the Appalachan Trail. Basically the AT is a footpath that runs from Georgia to Maine. Every year thousands of people walk all or part of it. The people that walk all of it in a single season take about six months out of their lives to do it. In 2006, I'm going to hike the AT.

A lot of things are still up in the air about it. Money is the biggest concern. I'll need close to $3000 dollars and I don't have anything like that now. But, I feel like I can do it. The whole thing is really exciting. And incredibly scary. It hits at almost all of my biggest fears. I'll be hiking southbound, which means more alone time. The physical labor of it is intense. Especially in the first months. The dropout rate is high. Only about 10% of thruhikers finish the hike. I can't imagine that I won't make it if I start. I've got to keep that attitude. Most of the literature I've read about the trail says that it changes your life - that you're a new man when you step off of it. But, I'm trying to be a new man before a step onto it. And to that end, I'm looking on the bright side of things. I'm pretty close to happy these days.

A few months ago, I made some moves to apologize to the girl. We're friends, which is harder for me than it is for her, but it's working out. In a weird irony, that I'll spare you the details of, I'm actually leaving town (for the hike) before she's leaving for grad school. It's load off my mind that I'll be walking while she's packing.

I've got a long walk to do in the morning, so I'd better be off. Shelly, I'd love to hear more about what's happening with your family, if you're up for talking about it.

Goodnight.

2005-10-30T20:15:00.000-08:00

Hello friends. It's been quite a while since my last post. Here are some highlights:

About three weeks ago my parents moved back to the NOLA area. The structure of their home is intact but the contents were completely destroyed. I mean everything. The sofa that was in the den was in the kitchen. The chest of drawers in my childhood bedroom completely collapsed. The refrigerator was upside down. Mud and debris were everywhere. They've since gutted the house but still have a long road ahead. I'm going to NOLA this weekend to check things out.

My family was subjected to a second hurricane in a matter of weeks. My parents decided to stay. I tried to evacuate to Austin but in my attempt I traveled only 10 miles in six hours time. Entire interstates were parking lots. Gas stations were closed because they had no fuel. Tempers were flaring. I chose to turn around to ride a CAT two or three hurricane in my home as opposed to riding out a tropical storm in my car stuck in a tiny Texas town. It took me less than 15 minutes to get home (see above about traveling six hours). With Rita, I started taking natural disasters personally. But after about 30 minutes of feeling sorry for myself, I got over the shit. That night a friend of mine and I went to a local bar for a hurricane party of our own. Low and behold, I ran into a guy from church at the pub. As my friend Christine says, "You can take the girl out of the New Orleans but not the New Orleans out of the girl." Oh yeah. Did I mention that I also missed the Austin City Limits Festival thanks to Rita the Ho?

I nearly adopted a second dog, but things didn't work out after all.

The Astros won the NLCS and the NLDS but were swept by the Chicago White Sox. Talk about an emotional ride. Truth be told, we should have never made it as far as we did. While I didn't expect us to win the World Series, I was upset that we lost four straight games, all nail biters. But I'm proud of my boys. We'll see what next season brings.

Don't even waste your time with the book "Wicked." I've been stuck on page 76 for four weeks now.

I learned that I absolutely love Cuban cigars. Hmmmmm.

In music news. Last week I saw Roert Cray and Marcia Ball. If you ever have the chance, Marcia Ball puts on a great show. HEr CD's don't do it justice.

Fri. night I went to the sold out U2 concert. Talk about an amazing show. I can only imagine how much time is put into production. They had strings of lights that resembled a curtain. Images moved up and down and back and forth around. There was a projection screen above the stage. Most of the time it showed individual band members. At one point, there were three images of Bono with a hologram of him in the middle. My only complaint? They didn't play "All I Want is You" and "Mysterious Ways."

All for now.

2005-10-27T10:17:00.000-07:00

Not only did I know who was playing in the World Series this year, I actually saw a bit of one of the games (theone that went into overtime) while it was on in the Wok & Grill. After working 12 hours, I wolfed down combination fried rice, and joined the banter. Mike, Angie, you would have been proud. "That pitch was SO outside even the catcher couldn't frame it!"

2005-09-18T00:33:00.000-07:00

A year of classes, months of apprenticeship, much brain squishage later, I am happy to report that I passed the danged state licensing exam.

2005-09-05T03:05:00.000-07:00

By Friday we'd had no word from my mom and grandparents for four days. They'd been in a Slidell areas hospital unable to evacuate. My sister had been on the phone with my mom when the hurricane was hitting. My sister, evacuated to Baton Rouge, was tracking the storm on the internet via phone for my mom. My mom kept asking if they were near the eye yet, because the winds were so intense. I'm not sure if the hospital had lost power yet or not. My mom and PawPaw were unable to keep Granny dry from water coming in the broken window. I'm not sure if my sister's power or the cell connection went out first.
For the next four days everyone in the family tried every means they could think of to get communication into the black hole. Eventually we heard from my dad, he was able to evacuate my other grandmother out of the city. Media reports started stating that the hospital building where they'd been had fared better than most of the others in the area. That they had some supplies, some sporadic back up power, and the building was under guard. I combed google alerts of news, message boards of the lost and found people, text messages, cell phones, land lines, hospital email forms, phone lines went up but were busy, then were down again. Media reports on the hospital conditions started to seem worse. Phone lines seemed to get slightly more stable. The hospital set up a patient information hotline. It never had any information. I called the hospital again and again. No new information, but please keep calling.
Friday afternoon, my cell phone rang displaying my mom's cell number. I answered. The call was static-y, my mom was crying. Granny had died. She and PawPaw were able to escape the hospital. They'd try to make some preliminary arrangements for Granny. I let Mom know that we'd been in contact with my dad as recently as the night before. She told me they were in Diamondhead and planning to head to my great uncle's house in Baton Rouge. I was trying to dissuade them from going to Baton Rouge and send them in the direction of friends in areas that had been less overwhelmed by refugees or at least get my uncle's current address and phone number to her (they had an old one in the address book.) The line went dead. The call had been so short I hadn't even had time to verify what she meant by "in Diamondhead."
Were they on the road headed there? On the roads within Diamondhead? Were they at or headed to my grandparents house? The southern part of Diamondhead seemed to have been removed from the map. The portion where Granny and PawPaw lived had much more conflicting damage reports. I tried again and again to reach my mom's cell number, PawPaw's cell, his house line. Nothing. I had to start calling the family.
After crying a little and fretting over what to do next, first I called the Houston hotel where my 2 aunts and 2 uncles, cousin and her husband, and uncle's mom, and their three dogs were all staying, since it was the easiest line to reach, and since Granny's other two daughters were there. I delivered the news to my uncle. I had very few answers to most of the questions he asked, my phone call with my mom was about two minutes before we lost contact. I left him to break the news to my aunts and cousins. He also promised to try to get through to my grandmother's sister, her family, and the old family friends who also evacuated to Baton Rouge.
Then I tried calling my sister. Getting through to the 225 area code where she was staying, or 504 area code of her cell was impossible. I called my brother-in-law, since he travels frequently for work and had a cell phone with another area code exchange. Eventually I was able to get through to him. I told him the news to relay to my sister when she returned.
Then I had to try and contact my dad. Up until this point I had never been successful in reaching him by phone. He'd been able to contact me a few times for brief late night calls before the signal dropped out. After he reached me by phone the second time, he'd given me a land line to try, but it was dead the next day. Since then they'd found one cell phone among all the men living and working there which sometimes worked. It sporadically could connect late at night from the roof balcony of the rescue workers' shelter. I tried this cell number even though it was still early in the day. As I dialed I practiced what I would say so that if I could actually get through I could keep it succinct in case the connection was lost or someone else needed the phone. I finally got a live connection. Someone answered. I kept repeating who I was trying to reach through the static. The phone was handed off a few times and I could hear people in the background scuffling around and calling for my dad. After a minute a different man answered and said he'd take a mesage while they looked for my dad. I began the message. The line faded out. I called back repeatedly. I hit voicemail and was unable to leave a mesage. I was really afraid my dad would get a garbled version of the message and we'd be unable to contact him and correct it for days. I called back and got voicemail and this time it was woking properly. I tried to leave the message quickly and clearly, even though I knew they'd been unable to retrieve messages up till then. I kept trying for a live connection with no success. My line clicked, on the other line, one of the men who had answered the phone said my dad was out but to give him the message quickly and he'd relay it. He repeated it back to me. Wife safe. Father in law safe. Mother in law deceased.
Somewhere in there my mom called back. We spoke briefly, she was on the road to Baton Rouge, without an address or phone number, without knowing if my uncle had stayed in Baton Rouge or evacuated. We lost the connection again. My dad called and could only talk a minute. I confirmed the message but was really unable to answer any questions. My sister called back and cried. I gave her what I thought was the current address and phone of my great uncle, where mom and PawPaw were headed. My uncle in Houston called back with questions to which I didn't know the answers. I called my other grandmother to check on her and deliver the news.
Late that night I was able to get through to Baton Rouge again. My mom and grandfather had arrived safely and had at least a temporary place to stay. They had been in a complete communications black hole since Monday and hadn't yet seen or heard anything about the storm which they hadn't experienced directly. They said the medical staff had all been wonderful. Wearing security ambands, they had to try several ways to get out of the hospital which was under lockdown with several agencies and surrounded by crowds of desperate people. Apparently one of their cars still worked. They'd tried to find an open funeral home, failed, and gotten on the road to Diamondhead. They'd stopped briefly at my grandparents' house which was missing a wall and part of the roof, and had shifted off the foundation. The water damage was only rain, not flooding.They showered there and had called me. Since then the Baton Rouge family & evacuees have all called and gathered. My mom got to speak very briefly with my dad before we talked again.
She asked me to fill her in on the damage to the family houses. For days I've been asking no questions in the stilted and unreliable phone calls, simply noting the information offered, getting relevant details, relaying it to other family and friends. She'd only been in range of any media communications for several hours and her questions indicated that she still had no idea of the scope of the devstation. It was all still personal accounting. She'd seen her parents house. My other grandmother's house is still entirely under water. The dog which could not be evacuated probably drowned. My cousin's house in a neighboring area likely suffered a similar fate. One of her sister's house is also likely still entirely underwater. The other sister's house is the family house with the best chance of surviving. Appeared to have no water damage though a tree had fallen on the roof. Her other daughter's house had certainly taken water. How much was still speculation. Her own house was probably in water only up to the first story. I'd forgotten that she hadn't been talking about it and watching the news for days. "Only" under eight feet of water was how we'd already starting think about it. She wanted to know if anyone had been able to get to the house to check on the dogs which we couldn't evacuate. I had to tell her I didn't think so, but they still had the second storey to escape and had been left food and water upstairs. I figured she'd see the news soon enough, I didn't need to try to communicate the totality of the devastation from three thousand miles away on the night of her mother's death. I slept a little that night because it seemed like I hadn't in days.
Some friends of mine in Seattle were having a wedding several hours outside of town. Obviously I'd skipped all the Friday festivities and was uncertain of whether to go to the Saturday festivities. I'd been acting as the switchboard for over six days, but now that my mom was located I thought about taking a break and try to honor my friends life together. On the drive there I got a return call from one of my friends whose family I hadn't yet been able to track down. They were ill, but out of the city, in DC and Arkansas.
We arrived at the wedding grounds. The wedding was too far to get there and back in the same day so I had to stay overnight. It was really hard being in a jovial atmosphere though people were very kind and thoughtful. I felt guilty being part of a joyous day and celebration. I felt guilty sharing their joy when so many others I love are in such pain. I felt guilty being a specter of pain on their day of celebration. I tried to enjoy it but of course concerned friends would ask how I was, how my family was... It was hard to talk about in that setting. Their wedding was a beautiful personal ceremony in the mountains performed by another friend who was also beginning a new life. The rector and his wife had all of their things packed and were heading to Mexico to open the retreat they'd purchased a few months before.
I was worried that being close to the mountains, I wouldn't be able get reception and my dad would be unable to reach anyone if he was able to call that night. I left early and found a place on the campgrounds with the best reception. I did some electronic finagalling so a missed call would forward to my hotel room. Dad called, Mom called, disconnections all around. I sat outside trying to decide whether or not I was up to rejoining the party. I decided to try again to contact the last unaccounted friend of the list I'd made myself of people I needed to find. I've known her and her family since around first grade. I'd been worried about her because she and her family all lived near the levee and her father has been quite ill. I sent a text message. A few minutes later I actually got a response.
She is in a house near Gonzales with 19 other people, without phone or power. One is her toddler. Two others are also women I've known since childhood. All three are nurses. One of their mothers is missing and presumed dead. They have food and water for now, but have spent most of their money on gas to get into Baton Rouge where they've waited all day in lines for FEMA service which ran out. The baby is upset and confused. My friend's brother and sister-in-law are doctors. I'm not sure if they're among the 20 in the house now, but the sister-in-law was one of the doctors who were trapped in one of the New Orleans hospitals which was stranded. With the imprecise nature of text messages, I'm not sure where the sister-in-law is now. I think she got out of the hospital and in touch with them before it was completely shut down. The nurses all want to go help do relief in the hospitals but are afraid for their safety, and of getting stranded, and are running out of money for transportation. I was trying to get enough details to get them help but the messages stopped and mine went without reply.
Most of my family has always lived less than an hour away from each other. Actually most of them live within fifteen minutes of each other. My family isn't really that large, (I only have two aunts and two first cousins) but everyone counts, and we're in touch with almost all of them, the great aunts and uncles, the numbered cousins of several generations, the in-laws, the close families of the in-laws . With the news of my grandmother's death, people took a deep breath and started filling me in on news they'd neglected to tell me in the choppy communiques of the past week.
They'd been turning down and redirecting the aid they were offered, because as they said, "we're obviously not the real victims here." As the damage became evident, both my aunt's found temporary/permanent work within their companies in Houston. One uncle can work remotely from there, one had a recruiter seeking work for him in the area. His mother had been put in a Houston hospital for heart and vision problems and would return to her daughter in Baton Rouge when she gets out. My cousin can stay with friends and work for a branch of her comapany in Lafayette. Her husband will seek new work there. My sister's husband's office was setting up in Baton Rouge too. My sister will likely lose her job because she is unwilling to be 3-4 hours away from him to work at a Shreveport or Lake Charles branch. The family friends of 35 years, and my parents neighbors for almost 25, were setting up in Baton Rouge. Their grandkids had gone to Dallas. My dad's mom is in rural Texas with her sister indefinitely. We're pretty lucky that with the exception of my parents, all the families have at least one person who works for a company large enough to absorb and redistrute the employees elsewhere. So while they're all technicaly homeless, they still won't be completely without means.
I am very worried about where my mom will go. Her father too. I'm very worried about the stuations my dad is still in and when he'll ever be able to get out of there. Although I've been far away for years, it hit me hard to realize that it is unlikely that my family will ever all be collected so closely in one place ever again. I have been dealing with the loss of the physical places. The news of the loss of people will be a slow creep for years into the future. This feels like the loss of the community too, even of the ones who survive. My mom is always the organizer, the bossy older sister and mother who gathers everyone together to mark occasions large and small. I think she will feel this loss profoundly once it sinks in. The level of familial obligations was sometimes annoying but it was also really comforting to have such a network of people and place and history gathered around and connected. I don't know where else I'll ever feel rooted to the ground like I did in New Orleans. Sometimes that was a positive thing, and sometimes it was negative, but even when I felt like my parents' house was no longer Home, when I'd made homes of my own other places across the country, New Orleans and family and friends there, were Home. Everyone everywhere you'd go there was someone you knew, or someone who knew someone you knew. When I think about the city now and the challenges ahead, each person or place I recall brings to mind dozens of people and places, those I knew well, and those I didn't. People in the background of your mind. Ones you don't stay in touch with but exchange genuine pleasantries with when you run into them every so many years. I wonder did they get out? did they survive? I think we will all be mourning for such a long time.
Extreme hardheadedness runs in my family on both sides. My grandfather is determined to have a proper burial for Granny. With a contact from a friend, and what I suspect quite a lot of stubborness of the standing-in-someone's-office-until-you-get-satisfaction variety, they've arranged for a funeral home in Baton Rouge to go pick up her body from the morgue in Slidell. Two days went by and nothing was done, so my mom and grandfather insisted on riding with the funeral director that day to Slidell to set up the pick up (phones still down.) The women of the family had spent the day before picking out an appropriate outfit to dress her. My grandfather and his brother spent a day waiting in the emergency room for a doctor to check on his recent surgery recovery. In a normal situation he'd be monitored by a doctor twice a week, they told him he seemed ok, come back next month. I can't believe my mom and grandfather got back on the road and headed back in that direction. I feel slightly guilty at the amount of resources they are directing toward a funeral when so many living people are still suffering but I guess they are coping and trying to get closure in an awful situation.
My sister and brother-in-law, in my opinion foolishly, decided to try to get back to their house in the 12 hour window allowed by Aaron Broussard. I spent a lot of today worried about people in dangerous situations on the road or getting re-stranded somewhere. The idea of people returning to check on "stuff" makes me angry , because it is resources spent resaving people who were already safe. It prolongs the amount of time people like my dad remain in danger trying to save people. At any rate my sister returned to her house. It had taken three feet of water which had mostly receded already. She tried to salvage a few things and grab some work clothes which looked cleanable so she can start job hunting again. I heard of their safe return from my mom.
Shortly thereafter I heard via my sister that my dad had been in contact with news from my parents' house. My dad said things are slowly getting a little bit safer, which indicates to me how bad they must have been before. Crews had been working in their neighborhood area and had found our dogs in the house alive. The old dog was very weak and both dogs were very frightened. They got to my dad and hope to get them to my sister and mom in Baton Rouge if my dad can get a couple of hours to be reunited with my mom he'll bring the dogs too. The older one probably won't make it, but I think it will comfort my mom to get to see him again. I feel guilty that dogs were saved and so many people weren't, though I love those dogs and I'm relieved at one fewer loss. My sister also delivered word that a police officer cousin on my dad's side, who'd been presumed dead, was actually located and had been pulled from a flooded rooftop. His son, (my fourth cousin?) tracked me down and we checked in, compared the lists everyone from here has, of those who are found safe, and those who are still lost. A (second?) cousin on my mom's side was able to contact me from where they'd evacuated to Baton Rouge. Her mom (Granny's sister) and dad were further evacuating to a son in Colorado, who could ensure that my aunt contined to receive medical treatment. They'd heard about Granny from the hospital. I put them directly in contact with my mom and grandfather at my great uncle's house. I kept trying to send more text messages to my friend the nurse. She finally responded that they'd had to rush someone in the house to the hospital. I'll get more information later if she can get through. If I can figure out where exactly she is, I can get them to some alternate shelter with friends in the region, or at least get them some food. I'll just keep trying.
If my family can arrange a service, I may be in Baton Rouge by the end of the week. I was told by my mom and grandfather to "absolutely not even consider" going. Again with the genetic hard head. A temporary mauseleum will be arranged, and Granny's body will be moved to New Orleans in a year or more, whenever such a thing is feasible. I'll probably spend some time with family near Houma, but I may need to find a place to stay in Baton Rouge for a night or so because I don't want to further burden the already overfull family homes there.
I can't easily imagine what it is like for people who are where the storm hit. Being here is awful enough. I've been so busy trying to track people down and relay messages that I haven't had too much time to reflect yet. Different things trigger a jumble of memories of people and places and things. I worry that what I am doing isn't the right thing, or isn't enough, cause it can never be enough. The feelings of loss are not prioritized, here a lost pet, there a restaurant I'd looked forward to revisiting, a particular tree, the greatgrandchildren Granny will never hold, a photo in my parents house, the buildings where I attended school, and the people and the people and the people, the ones I knew and didn't. I'm trying to do whatever I can to help my family and friends. I'm directing people where I live on how to help, and not to forget this once it is no longer top of the news. I'm so sad and angry and sad. And sad.

2005-09-03T06:57:00.000-07:00

Those of you who know Johnny, might want to know that Johnny's safe and sound. He evacuated before the storm and has been living in Florida for a week now. Through some okay luck in a time of terrible, terrible luck, it looks like his house and possessions might have been spared in the flooding. There's no way to no for sure until he can return, but it seem our Johnny have been uncommonly blessed in this situation.

Thanks for the updates, Shell. And congratulations on your house.

I saw this at CNN.com this morning. I hope all is well.

"The North Shore Regional Medical Center in Slidell, La., just outside New Orleans, remained fully operational with 174 beds, said Steve Campanini, spokesman for Tenet HealthCare, which operates it. Nurses have been flown in from other Tenet hospitals, and Tenet has launched its own private rescue flights, he said, aided by Coast Guard helicopters."

2005-09-02T03:16:00.000-07:00

i used the hospital website "send an email to a patient" function, though printing these and delivering them to patients is probably not priority for the staff there right now.

allegedly the hospital is being used as a temporary evacuation layover for patients from other hospitals being evacuated. they plan to eventually evacuate all of the patients. also allegedly the building has some energy and supplies and is being guarded from looters by machine gun.

when i tracked down and reached the hospital parent company PR/media department by phone, i was informed the general condition of the building, that electric and phone service were being restored.

i spent several hours redialing the hospital directly. through the hours of carpal tunnel busy signals, (not the recorded "hurricane" mesages, not the "circuits are busy" message, not the too-fast disconnected line busy signal, but a normal, "someone else is already on this line" sound of times before call-waiting.) the first time i actually got through an exhausted and slightly annoyed female voice answered "mmmhhello?" and hung up when i asked about the hospital.

thinking i'd dialed wrong (for hours) i verified the number (but it was correct) and decided to try another general info number for the same hospital. when i eventually got a ringing tone, voicemail picked up. a random, personal home voicemail message, not a business office or hospital desk. apparently the phone lines were crossed somehow and misconnecting.

this evening, the hospital opened a hotline where you can call to get information about patients and employees. got through, but so far the only information in my grandmother's file which they're allowed to share, is that she was indeed admitted to that hospital.

2005-09-01T15:03:00.000-07:00

Shell/Steph, I'm so glad the families are OK.

This afternoon, I read in horror about how there were sniper shots at a helicopter carrying supplies, and how a truck filled with provisions was held at gunpoint. Truly unreal.

Many reporters are being reassigned to cover follow up stories about the hurricane. Two people cancelled out on stories for me, but at least they are covering something near and dear to my heart.

My school is taking displaced students so that their studies are not interrupted. So I've been trying to send out info on that, in addition to keeping up with the news, looking after my family and convincing displaced refugees to talk about their experiences. It's been exhausting, but every little bit counts.

The very best part has been the generosity toward my family. Many friends that have absolutely no ties to the city are donating money to relief efforts. One friend dropped off a Target gift card last night. Former co-workers are putting in for yet another gift card. This morning, a 70 year old neighbor gave me a pack of chocolate chip cookies that she made.

Keep it up, kids. There's plenty more to come.

2005-08-31T19:10:00.000-07:00

Still no direct information on my mom & her parents. I got in touch with the PR/ media information department of the hospital's parent company Tenet. Their rep told me NorthShore had fared the best of all their hospitals in the region with very little damage. It had supplies and backup power, with much of the regular power & phone lines expected to be up again by the end of today. I am still getting the busy signal there, but a regular busy, not the recorded message or the super fast no-connection busy signal. So I can just keep calling.

I was also relieved to learn that a dialysis machine can be hand cranked without electricity.

My dad was able to evacuate his mom from the West Bank to Baton Rouge where my sister and her mother in law picked up the relay to take my grandmother to my great aunt, her sister's house in Texas. She can stay there indefinitely, which seems necessary at the moment.

My dad headed back to New Orleans to continue efforts there.

I had some news to tell all of y'all but I was waiting because it isn't official yet, but Jacob & I bought a house. The contrast to what so many people I love are going through right now is very disconcerting.

That's the latest.

2005-08-31T15:02:00.000-07:00

Angie and Shelly - thanks for the family updates - I'm thinking about you guys. My folks and sister are in Houston right now with friends and plan on coming to Austin this weekend. I think they're just taking things a few days at a time - trying to plan for the future seems so overwhelming. My heart goes out to all the people in New Orleans, Mississippi and Alabama. Right now I'm waiting for the Red Cross page to load so I can make a donation. It seems a good sign how busy their website is.

2005-08-31T14:06:00.000-07:00

I went to New Orleans to meet internet friends, way back when this was not a commonplace event. Shelly and I both lied to our parents about it. I broke Z with a shrimp po'boy. JT played a tape of his trumpet sonata and a sample of the work he was doing with Snapple caps.

Mike, you've been to NO, right?

2005-08-31T01:14:00.000-07:00

What I've seen so far:
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/business/national/12516228.htm Kenner Regional Medical Center in Kenner, La., Meadowcrest Hospital in Gretna, La., and NorthShore Regional Medical Center in Slidell, La., remained open with back-up power but suffered water and wind damage, the company said. Damage included flooding, broken windows and leaking roofs. All the hospitals were without local power and phone service, Tenet said Tuesday.

http://www.dentonrc.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/texassouthwest/stories/083105dntexkatrinamedical.ceff2f9.html The company's 203-bed Kenner Regional Medical Center in Kenner, 207-bed Meadowcrest Hospital in Gretna, and 174-bed NorthShore Regional Medical Center in Slidell, remain open with back-up power but also suffered water and wind damage. Most hospitals had supplies and generator power for three to five days, but the effects of Katrina would last much longer. “They're short of suplies and diesel, and without people to get to them,” Zeuschlag said. Hospitals elsewhere in the state were in trouble, but the extent of the damage wasn't clear, the Louisiana Hospital Association said. Association President John Matessino said his group was working with the Office of Emergency Preparedness, FEMA and other authorities.

2005-08-30T23:57:00.000-07:00

So in the confusion of the extremely brief phone call with my dad this morning, we miscommunicated. He actually has NOT spoken to my mom or her parents since the storm hit. My sister got to speak with Dad briefly tonight and she said he sounded better than I described this morning. They'd been pulling hundreds of people from rooftops and chopping people out of their attics. I probably spoke to him immediately after a long shift of that.
My sister reported that dad sounded cautiously optimistic. He said that though it is really terrible, the news is sensationalizing it a little bit, and the destruction is not (yet) quite as even handed as the media reports lead you to believe. I hope the abandonment of the levees and pumping stations won't make national news reports an accurate foretelling, as lake waters contine to rise in all of the city on the east side of the river. Dad and his mom have been evacuated from the downtown to the Westbank somewhere, probably Gretna. He's going to try to get my grandma to my sister in BR, and she'll bring my grandmother to my great aunt's house outside of Houston where she can stay indefinitely until there is someplace to return. It also sounds like with the arrival of the National Guard, my dad won't be doing as much of the really dangerous work for a while. He was actually going to get to sleep tonight.

My mom and her parents are in the NorthShore Regional Medical Center in Slidell. I know Slidell in general looks really really bad, but based on what we've heard about the hospitals in that area, we're hoping they should be ok. Another hospital in the area was evacuated, but power, water, food, etc to the remaining ones was being made a priority. Anyone who happens to see any specific information about conditions at the North Shore Regional Medical Center in Slidell please email me the link or post it here. That area has been in total communication blackout since the storm, which was why it was so unbelievable that my dad had news about them this morning. As it turns out, it was unbelievable, but a miscommunication the family was all eager to believe. We can actually reach voicemail ocasionally now, so I'm hoping some of the grids are coming back up and we'll be able to get in touch with them by cell or land line tomorrow.

Those of the family who work for national or even statewide companies are beginning to try to work out arrangements to work remotely or in a Houston, Alexandria, Baton Rouge, or Layfayette office. Now out of direct harm's way, those who still might have jobs are desprately trying to keep income coming in. So many businesses will be gone cause small locals can't afford to rebuild or larger companies will simply close up the New Orleans branch and relocate. A family group of aunts and cousins are examining the possibility of extended stay housing in Houston. most of them only have a change of clothes or so, but that is already so much more than so many others right now.

No one has talked much about property though we've all been scouring the forums for reports on neighborhood conditions. Some of our homes we know are total loss. For one or two we hold out hope they may be on slightly higher ground, but none of that may matter tomorrow morning as waters continue to flow through the breached levees they've abandoned trying to fix. I'm also hoping the dogs were able to get high enough up in the second story of the house to stay out of trouble. I know that seems a pretty petty concern given everything else, but I do think it all the same.

2005-08-30T06:55:00.000-07:00

Thanks to y'all who've sent well wishes. I'm so glad to hear that Steph's & Angie's families were out of harm's way. The pictures coming in today look pretty grim.
My sister evacuated to stay with friends in Baton Rouge. My aunts and cousins evacuated to Houston. My dad had to stay in New Orleans for his job. His mom went with him to the "vertical evacation" staging area, one of the downtown hotels. Thank goodness he managed to convince her to evacuate at least that far. Her neighborhood seems to be part of the lake now.
My mom stayed with her parents. My grandmother is in the hospital and my grandfather just had surgery, so my mom stayed in the NorthShore Regional hospital to the east of the city, with them.
The last time I know someone talked to them was before the eye had reached where they are, Monday morning. At that time water was leaking into the hospital room. Yesterday no one could get in touch with my parents or grandparents as all the phone lines and cell towers are jammed or out of service.
My parents had to leave the family dogs in the house because no one else could get to them to evacuate them.
Late last night I was able to get my dad's voicemail so I left a message telling him I love him. First thing this morning he called back waking me up. The call was twenty seconds or less, and not a great connection. So my dad is ok, and indicated that my mom and grandparents are as well. I wish I'd had more composure to ask for details of when and how he talked to them. He's a stoic, but he sounded quite choked up. I'm sure he's already exhausted and doesn't have much sleep in store, because there are lots of people to rescue while there is still time.
I hadn't really cried, even watching the incomprehensible aerial footage where familiar places are nearly unrecognizable submerged rooftops. When I got off the phone though I just started bawling.

2005-08-29T10:26:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I forgot about the where are you from disagreement. I now recall K's answer, "You know, WARS...."

Mike, I hope that you are either in Austin or back home.

Shelly, Steph, I'm thinking about your families.

========

As the Gulf Coast braces for Hurricane Katrina, my family is safe, sound and dry.

The fam arrived Sunday morning around 6:30 a.m. When they left NOLA, the hurricane was not a category 5. After they arrived and realized Katrina’s magnitude, they wished that they brought more stuff: official paper work, clothes, keepsakes. Frankly though, I’m glad they’re not in the Superdome with 10K people, no A/C or electricity and two holes in the roof.

I have an aunt that lives in the southwest part of town, but her A/C broke down over the weekend. Originally my grandmother, aunt, mom and dad were all to stay at my house, with all of two bedrooms, one bath and one remote control. Fortunately though, my aunt’s A/C was repaired on Sunday. Now it’s just my parents and me.

The worst part so far was being subjected to Fox News most of yesterday.

A reporter from the local paper called to interview my family yesterday. But there are two things that people of color avoid: the cops and the media. So, I did the interview. I wasn’t in the paper though, so I’m assuming either that they dropped the story or that I give crappy quotes. Given my profession, I prefer to think the former.

People from New Orleans always know in their hearts that the city could wash away in a few days’ time. This mentality explains why the city has such a care-free, live-for-today attitude. Still, knowing and living something are two totally different things.

I appreciate your thoughts and concerns. More updates as they come.

2005-08-27T23:49:00.000-07:00

Hey Mike - Jandek?

2005-08-26T13:23:00.000-07:00

AJ, omg, you are from hell too? Which circle? 'Cause I'm from hell too! Can't believe it took this long to find out!

Years ago, on a trip to NoCal, a group of us were going out to dinner and had all agreed on a Small Local Diner we'd been to before. Then an uninvited s.o. showed up and announced that we would not go to the diner 'cause she didn't like it, and that she wanted to go to the Strip-Mall Chain Restaurant. And we went, to keep the peace. Ugh.

2005-08-26T04:59:00.000-07:00

yeah. we've disagreed about this before. it doesn't bother me most times when people are curious about what my ethnicity is. it doesn't bother me that most times they ask "where are you from," most people are just not enlightened and most people just never will be. we're not a leftist country, (or a leftist world for that matter), and most people will just never please me. so, when an unenlightened (or even an enlightened one for that matter) is curious about where i'm from, or what my ethnicity is, i'm pleased to oblige. anything to make the world smarter. people are curious about me... i'm curious about other people. i want to know where people are from, and what their family history is, i totally get off on that stuff. anyway... i better get back to work.

more importantly, phillies v astros soon. what do you think about that?

2005-08-25T08:38:00.000-07:00

Ok, people who say that they "eat anything" don't really mean it. When I suggest Vietnamese, Thai, sushi, Indian, raw oysters or soul food, they look at me as if I just grew five heads. Maybe it's just that I eat NEARLY EVERYTHING?

Another thing that irks me -- when people ask me "where are you from," when they really mean, "what is your ethnicity?" In answering the former, I've been known to cave into temptation and respond with, "From hell." If I'm not feeling like a smart ass and answer truthfully, they then proceed with, "Where are your parents from?" Ugh.

2005-08-18T01:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I agreed to design a teacozy. Today, Mom knocked over and broke my teapot, which was the only teapot because she broke hers last week. Maybe Mom needs to switch to decaf?

2005-08-05T21:16:00.000-07:00

I was in the San Francisco Bay Area for a week. Among the notable places that I ate at:

Last Supper Club (Mission) -- baked halibut in a garlic butter wine sauce and a side of roasted potatoes.

Sam Tung (Sunset) -- one of my all-time fav Chinese restaurants. They make their own noodles. We had the dried fried chicken (spicy orange chicken which is finger lickin' good), garlic stir-fried green beans, potstickers, seafood noodles in peanut sauce.

Sushi House (Alameada) -- one of the best places for sushi rolls ever. The rolls hvae double the amount of seafood and just the right amount of rice (I despice places that overdo the rice). The most notable was the lion roll (baked salmon). Did I mention the freshness factor??? It was reasonable, too. I think it was $45 for two of us.

Amber India on Santana Row (Santa Clara) -- This restaurant was beautiful. Vivid colors (hues of purple, gold, silver), high ceilings. The bathrooms sinks were made of cobolt blue decorative tile. They served the entrees in copper dishes. I had a stewed lamb dish. My cousin had a chicken curry dish.

Noah's Bagels (various locations) -- my favorite local stand-by. I got the asiago cheese and spinach bagel with a sun-dried tomato spread and a side cup of fruit.

a neighborhood Thai place -- I found a new Thai fav -- pad se yu -- flat rice noodles made with beef. We also got the chicken satay, fish cakes, a soup, and the tofu with the sweet and spicy yellow curry (can't remember the name).

some Korean friends made a home-cooked meal -- we had marinated beef (Korean BBQ style), squash, tempah, spicy soy bean paste, bean sprout and tofu soup, spciy dried squid. The next morning, they made me breakfast and baked the bacon. I'd never had baked bacon but I'm sold on it from here forward.

Dim Sum -- discovered a dish that I love -- stuffed bean curd with shrimp and pork.

a Chinese bakery (Richmond) -- had my stand-bys: egg custard, pork buns, read bean paste buns and sweet buns stuffed with custard.

Eastern Bakery (Chinatown) -- one of the oldest bakeries in San Francisco. They do lots of tours. They are famous for their moon cakes, which are served around the August Moon Festival.

Thanh Long (three locations in SF, one in Hollywood Beach I think) -- this place is famous for its roasted crab and garlic noodles. People, the garlic noodles were to die for!!!!! They used udon noodles or the like, and the garlic clung to each noodle. I would love to figure out how this shit is made. I'm convinced it's laced with coke. It was so addictive. I also had the Saigon beef which was decent. Next time, I'm ordering two plates of garlic noodles.

2005-08-05T11:59:00.000-07:00

What Dog Are You?

An Australian Kelpie. A fine sheepdog and makes a good, loyal companion. It is hardy and can sustain itself without water for considerable periods. Famous for running on sheep's backs to reach the front of the herd.

I swear the questions didn't include anything about knitting.

2005-08-04T15:00:00.000-07:00

i just discovered a new VH1 show called Kept. mmmmm

i miss playing online scrabble. anyone wanna make a date?

go see Muderball.

2005-08-03T01:15:00.000-07:00

Fried Green Tomatoes: I may not be the real authority here on this; I season some cornmeal with salt and pepper and dredge the tomato slices in it and fry them in hot bacon grease. I have had them made with egg and I don't like it as much.

Travel dreaming:
Fall 2005: L.A., S.F., Pacific Northwest.

Winter 2005: Volcano National Park, Haleakala National Park.

Spring 2006: jogging and eating with Upma in Philly, NYC, Toronto, morel hunting in Indiana.

2005-08-02T17:25:00.000-07:00

am insanely jealous of mike f's trip to austin. was contemplating going to ACL fest, but boss kinda shot that idea down. *sigh* oh well.
should get shipment of mosquito spray and deer repellent for the backyard. yes. deer repellent in center city philadelphia. why? because it is supposed to also repel squirrels... from my tomato crop. so far, there have been 3 ripe tomatoes, and all 3 have been consumed by squirrels. if the plants survive (they don't look so good), we should have many more tomatoes in the next two months. i would like at least one. from each plant. the yellow one already bit the dust. but the red one is hanging on, as is the black one. it's actually dark purple, but they call them black. the green plant is doing pretty well still... anyone ever had fried green tomatas? good?
the cucumbers are an entirely different story. if you're in town, lemme know, i've got a cucumber for you!

went to three weddings this spring. one was in the town i grew up in till i was 15. hadn't been back to that town in 15 years. it was really good to see people, some of whom i didn't remember at all, but most of whom i did. i had forgotten how cool, classy, sophisticated and smart these people are. all in this small, middle-of-nowhere town. i guess it would be more accurate to say that i didn't understand how good they were to begin with.
the next wedding was a traditional catholic one with a bbq lunch in the basement of the church.
and the last one was at a local brewery, their friend efficiated, and he was funny. he quoted from that song... Escape. "if you like piña coladas and getting caught in the rain...." there were booms of thunder at the same time, and the timing of them made it really funny. there was bbq at this wedding also, it was soooo goood. and a local bluegrass band. i didn't go to the wedding after party, but it started at around 7 or 8 in the evening, and went till about 7 or 8 in the morning. good times.

i guess that's all i have to babble on about at the moment.

2005-08-01T00:34:00.000-07:00

So Mike, do you plan on proposing to Jandek in Austin or in New Orleans?

I found a pair of decent running shoes on sale today for $16.99, took the hint from the universe, went for a 1.5 mile jog with my sister. She's very supportive and encouraging and didn't need to use a gun or even a sharp and pointy stick! I did have to wear a gigantic bright orange shirt, since I'd forgotten to bring one of my own, but come on - one look at my head will tell you I don't have a problem with bright colors (natural black on the sides, top is purple in the back, fading to red/purple, pink, and blonde as it moves to the front). I feel very very relaxed now - I understand why people jog to de-stress. Can't think about anything but breathing, very Zen. I'm also worried that I won't be able to get out of bed tomorrow morning. One of the members of my SNB told me she's been taking a trail-running clinic that sounds awesome - one of the runs is up a trail I used to hike frequently when I was at the university. I figure I'll start saving up for a pair of trail running shoes now and keep jogging with my sister and hopefully I'll be able to fit the clinic in with my schedule next year.

2005-07-16T16:04:00.000-07:00

i wonder where people are.
i have FINALLY acquired an internet connection at my home. this is v good.
more soon!

2005-06-20T14:09:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I went into my utility room to get food for Sandy. I was greeted by a swarm of what I thought might be termites. After further investigation, I think they might be carpenter ants.

At any rate, I called a termite guy this morning, and he asked if I saved any of the bugs I killed. I said, "Oh no. I pulled a 'frantic woman' and sprayed the entire utility room with a vengence." He sort of chuckled.

Apparently you are to save what you killed and you are not to spray.

Consider it a lesson learned for all.

I saw Cinderella Man this weekend. It was surprisingly good. I even shed a few tears.

2005-06-10T00:25:00.000-07:00

How fun is summer?

Conversation with Midwestern-bred friend about the joys of summer:

Don't eat that potato salad, it's been out for an hour and could give you FOOD POISONING and you'll DIE.
Don't go running in that field, you could step on a nail and get LOCKJAW and DIE.
Don't go swimming in that lake, you could drown and DIE. If you somehow manage to not drown, every biting fly in the vicinity will descend upon you and you will be covered with welts that could get INFECTED and then you'd DIE.
Don't go walking around in the woods, you could get BITTEN by a rattler and DIE.
If you tell lies, the dragonflies will sew your lips shut and you'll STARVE and DIE.
Don't play with that dog, it might have rabies and bite you and you'll DIE.

In general, LOCKJAW is the biggest threat. There are many ways to GET LOCKJAW AND DIE, like rusty fences and old tire rims and tin cans and of course nails. Apparently rusty nails breed in high grass, along with chiggers and rattlesnakes. Here in the lovely tropical paradise, I was threatened with LOCKJAW but more often with RINGWORM. You know it is paradise because ringworm will make you a social pariah but you won't DIE from it, just from the shame of having it.

Don't touch that, you'll get RINGWORM.
Don't sit on that, you'll get RINGWORM.
Don't play with that dog, you'll get RINGWORM.
Don't draw on yourself with a pen, you'll get RINGWORM.

2005-06-09T11:45:00.000-07:00

Angie - Susie Bright's Blog has a couple of recent entries about the romance novel genre and subgenres. Interesting read, probably not worksafe.

I just finished Christine Todd Whitman's book It's My Party Too. I could almost be a moderate conservative for her.

2005-06-09T09:49:00.000-07:00

I've become a crazy dog lady, to the point where I broke down to purchase a freakin' $500 vaccum cleaner. My old piece of shit was just pushing crap around, not even picking anything up. Plus Sandy sheds so much that I'm surprised that she ain't bald yet! It HAD to be done. At least that is what I've been telling myself.

One of the girls in my book club selected a freakin' Harlequin romance with Fabio on the cover. Ok, maybe not quite but close enough. I can't even begin to imagine what we'll discuss.

Went out to an open mic earlier this week. Was surprised because a Christian group got on stage to sing praise songs, with beer advertisements in the background.

It's summer time in the city so I've been eating lots of sushi. Yum.

Been restless lately, so I'll head to the Bay Area sometime next month.

My world has become increasingly smaller and smaller. Last month for instance, I became reaquainted with a family friend. The last time I spoke to him at length, I was about 8 years old. He's lived in the same city for the last decade.

Big Mike: You need to read "Wait Till Next Year" by Doris Kearns Goodwin, the presidential biographer. Have you read "Three Nights in August" yet?

2005-06-07T07:18:00.000-07:00

Hey dudes and dudettes. I'm going to change to one of the generic backgrounds for a little while. I don't have internet access at home, so I can't do a new season one.

I really do what to write you guys an update on how I'm doing, but I just haven't yet. Soon, I promise.

2005-05-21T00:50:00.000-07:00

I can't get mad at the teenager for somehow failing to record the season finale of CSI:Vegas with DVR. Her disappointment at not being able to watch it until who knows when (quite possibly forever)is more punishment than I would ever be able to mete out. Now I have to pray I know someone who has used the primitive VCR to tape that episode so I can get my hands on it before the soldier sister comes home to discover that we have failed her on the home front (all she asked was that we keep the place clean and record the CSI season finale, how hard is that?).

2005-05-13T04:49:00.000-07:00

guess what. STILL no home access. it's a little frustrating, i didn't really realize how much i depended on it. neverthless, i joined netflix, i figure i have enough downtime here and there at work to update my list when needed. other than that, most is good.
my summer is so free. come visit. eat burgers.

2005-05-10T14:57:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I attended the funeral of a childhood friend's father who passed away unexpectedly. I've known the friend since the third grade, and I had maybe a dozen brief exchanges with his dad. But for some reason, the funeral hit me pretty hard...especially when my friend was at the podium talking about how his dad would want to be remembered. I guess I was just picturing myself in my friend's shoes, talking about the loss of one of my parents.

On a happy note. I ran into some high school friends that I hadn't seen in years. One of them reminded me of how I got so pissed off at him that I left him stranded at school. What's so funny is that I can see myself pulling the same shit all over again today. Who says that time makes you grow up?

2005-05-02T14:46:00.000-07:00

If I start behaving irrationally, it's because I'm snorting pollen. It looks like I'm just smelling flowers but I'm really snorting pollen. I can't get enough of the way it gets me all congested and sleepless.

2005-04-25T00:56:00.000-07:00

South Park Studio has provided me with an hour of procrastinating on doing boring work. And the hair color is surprisingly accurate.

2005-04-24T23:52:00.000-07:00

Stopped by India Market again today, and dinner tonight was rasaam (with tomatoes and onion), rice, mango pickle, lime pickle, and yogurt. My dad and brother were very enthusiastic about the rasaam. Finished off with lychee jelly (vegetarian gelatin); when I showed the little one the package and said "it's vegetarian Jell-O!" she said "the other one has meat in it?" Um. We can talk about it later. "No, tell me!" Well, I've gone and ruined gummy candy and jellybeans for her, yay me. Big meanie.

2005-04-20T00:20:00.000-07:00

There's this article about Dawn Chorus that makes me think about Z nude.

2005-04-19T13:38:00.000-07:00

still no internet at home, may have exhausted all options, scheming toward a next step.

new pad kicks hard arse. new bed, new sofa, new TV, new outdoor furniture all purchased. still looking for new dining room table, curtains, bed spread, rugs, other decor.

one year with boy on sunday.

more later
xoxox

2005-04-19T00:15:00.000-07:00

(Thanks Angie!)

I was CPR/First Aid certified in high school and have now renewed it. Please don't have a heart attack near me unless we are standing in the emergency room of a really good hospital having a slow day.

Do you know what happens if you Google JT's name?

Current favorite snack: almond butter and sour pickle sandwiches.

2005-04-18T10:05:00.000-07:00

I'm writing to provide temporary relief to Kainui's one-woman show.

Been out of my mind busy the last several weeks. Some highlights follow:

Planned two day-long conferences. One was a work retreat. The other was a state-wide convention for a professional organization. I also attended yet a third all-day conference on Asian American activism in the area. All in three weeks. Made some great contacts but phew am I wiped! I don't really care to put on conferences, but it drives me crazy when events are disorganized or useless. That's probably why they put me in charge!

Went to a pig roast in South central Louisiana. They cooked the meat in a homemade "Cajun mircrowave." We had roast pork, sausage, chicken, white beans, rice dressing, corn casserole, a ton of desserts. Hmmmm, good.

Joined an official fantasy baseball league. Shel and Steph: 11 of the 12 people in the league are Franklin alums, most of whom were in our class.

My home was filled with three dogs this weekend. Learned how to make authentic tortilla soup, carne guisada and empanadas. Am considering an Astros, 10-game mini-season ticket plan.

2005-04-15T19:45:00.000-07:00

Wombs on Washington is April 25th. The organizers are getting a little worried - only ONE person has confirmed that they will be there, and so far less than ten wombs have arrived at the mailing address. Mike, you saw it pop up on a number of forums - any word out there?

2005-04-12T13:32:00.000-07:00

This is the best eulogy of Andrea Dworkin I've read so far.

2005-04-11T12:31:00.000-07:00

My home state is ranked at the very bottom for collection of child-support payments, my hometown is in the news because one of the schools is being investigated for improprieties in a state assessment test, and VA nursing homes here are about to get their financial support drastically reduced (thank you Mr President!). So it's nice for my parents to see an article they can share with family and friends without shame, even with a few misquotes.

2005-04-10T22:40:00.000-07:00

My current condiment fixations:
lime pickle
lemon-tahini sauce
ume vinegar
lemon olive oil

Rice with plain yogurt and lime pickle - I could live on this. Interrupted by quinoa with lemon-tahini sauce and salads dressed with ume vinegar, lemon olive oil, salt, mustard, honey, and a little garlic.

2005-04-02T13:41:00.000-08:00

Oo! Unexpected hour off for myself! Thank you, stupid kids who punched the door lock on my car (and did a really crap job of it) but didn't manage to get in and steal the change in the ashtray and the soda cans (honestly, if you know of a redemption center that's convenient and open on normal hours, you can take the cans)! Thank you, nice police officers who showed up less than 10 minutes after I placed my call (the call in which I spent 0 minutes on hold ->!). Thank you little sister for living in a nice middle-class neighborhood where the cops show up almost instantly! Thank you me for calling in to work to let them know what was up and work for assuming that this would delay me far longer than it did. Also quite glad that the dead rodent stench is in down cycle this week, so when the nice officer opened the car door he didn't get a faceful of eau de corpse.

Other things that have occured since I last posted include:
Relay in car burned out, causing radiator to overheat and blow a hose. I'm either incredibly calm about getting the car into a safe parking place (in this case, a shopping mall parking structure) before the overheating gets out of control (car started smoking 30 seconds before I found a parking space) or teenagers really are completely oblivious ("what's that smell?" "That would be the smoke coming out of the hood and steering column." "oh.").

Letting a student color my hair with bad results. Badly fried, old lady lavender. I've dyed it myself to a very nice deep blood red with almost black sections, but I'm going to have to buy a big container of conditioner to deal with the fried-ness.
Glad that my hair is v. v. short right now and the damage will grow out quickly.

While babysitting my nephew (who was sick with the flu and refusing to budge from the couch), the only movie I could find on TV that didn't have loud explosions was Steel Magnolias. I didn't remember it as being great...it's quite bad. Julia, if this is what you had to do in order to be able to star in Closer later on in your career, I forgive you. A trip to the video rental around the corner yielded: Spongebob Squarepants The Movie, much better than Steel Magnolias. Even if I weren't comparing it to SM, SpongeBob is a well done roadtrip story.

Wombs on Washington has scheduled April 25th as the official day.

Driving to work, realizing that the 5 cars ahead of me and at least 3 cars behind me in the same lane were all white (incl. my car).

2005-04-01T04:43:00.000-08:00

happy spring.
sorry to be so absent, i'm internetless for a while. will write more when technology returns.
xo

2005-03-20T22:52:00.000-08:00

Hey Mike - do you write SF? John Scalzi is looking for submissions.

2005-03-11T05:38:00.000-08:00

Phrase of the week: "I ain't got nothing but a whole lotta 'Leave Me Alone's' for you!"

2005-03-10T06:23:00.000-08:00

I heard the Drive By Truckers at an outdoor festival a few years back. From what I recall, they were a little "heavy" for me. I.e., too hard, too loud. Then again, I've been listening to sensitive chick Americana and of course the booty shakin' bit.

Last night I heard some live music in a local bar for the first time in months. Even ran into some old friends unexpectedly. That was a lot of fun. Found out that one of my friends (white male, in his mid-50's) has taken to drinking on a street corner in the middle of the 'hood with some old blues muscicians. I cracked up at his ass, informing him that he should know better than to air his dirty habits out in public. As much as I made fun of him, I'm sure I'll meet him out there one day. Too funny.

Last week, I got into a heated debate about whether or not poor people "choose" to be poor. Some people really amaze me with the shit that they think.

Stephanie: I have my Austin City Limits Fest tix. Whewhoo!

2005-03-08T13:46:00.000-08:00

Z, I'm more interested in the older stuff - I've listened to samples from the new album and don't feel inclined to buy it. I heard a couple of tracks from compilation promo cds that I liked, though.

2005-03-08T06:48:00.000-08:00

The few times I've listened to that most recent Driveby Truckers album, I've liked it. But I haven't been motivated to go out and buy it. It's a little gimmicky for me. Very hillbilly schtick. But, like I said, I think it's good, just maybe not enough for me to get for myself.

2005-03-06T23:13:00.000-08:00

Z, any thoughts on the Drive-By Truckers? The only album iTunes has is Southern Rock Opera, and in lieu of listening to samples, I'll take your recommendation.

2005-03-04T22:10:00.000-08:00

How parents wind up with more than one child, I dunno. The sisterkid's viral conjuctivitis keeps flaring back up again, perhaps because I decided that a full night of sleep was well deserved after the nights of getting up 3-4 times to clean dried pus out of her eye. That, and it looked like it had cleared up. Hah! This morning she woke up with a cough that makes me think pneumonia - sounded like she couldn't get much air in her lungs, which makes me think of them filling up with fluid or mucus or both. It sucks to be her and it's not much fun to be me this week. I'm also having to deal with what's been dubbed the "mommy drive-by", which is teaching me the valuable lesson of Shut Up and Be Sympathetic instead of telling a child's parent/caretaker that they are doing it all wrong and should be doing it like this. I've gotten the drive-bys before, which often ended in them wrecking themselves (flashback 6 years to me with The Neon Hair and Art School Girl of Doom kit with a 2 yr old and 9 yr old at the zoo, or how about Seattle where two women + baby = lesbian mommie poster children), but now it's co-workers and I have to grit my teeth and be nice and not say for the millionth time that the stupid eyedrops just made it worse so please shut up please I'm saying it nicely. And oh yes, the heated gel pack that was working such wonders exploded in the microwave yesterday because she just tossed it in there and didn't pay attention to the time she set, so the frozen gel pack I was using for my knee is now her heated gel pack for The Eye.

See? Now I sound just like that freaked-out sleep-deprived parent you know at work who needs to have a drink and chill the fuck out already. U, remember how we talked about me answering personal ads so I could show up with my camera crew (you) and stage The Worst Date Ever? When we do that, remind me to have a photo album with lots of shots of the pinkeye child.

I just talked to the child on the phone. I know she's feeling better, 'cause she's energetic enough to be bratty!

2005-03-04T00:22:00.000-08:00

This week's theme: rechargable batteries. I've had my current bottom-of-the-line mobile phone for over a year, so it shouldn't surprise me that the moment I actually use the phone you can watch the charge meter drop. I believe I have no choice but to replace the *&$% phone; for now I'm carrying the charger around in my bag. If I do absolutely nothing with my laptop, it will hold a charge for several hours. Similar to the phone, the instant I start doing anything with it, the charge just melts away and 20 minutes later it's telling me to plug it in or it will shut off. So that's one more item to carry around with me. Fortunately the rechargables in my digital camera are still juicy. Someone hurry up and make me little solar panels for my stuff already.

2005-03-01T01:10:00.000-08:00

Z, you can't eat jellybeans. Gelatin, y'know. Send them to me. I'll give them a good ~~final resting place~~ home. You should have cake in a bowl instead. I have a vegan chocolate cake recipe at home...uses loads of olive oil.

Steph, I'm loving the photos.

2005-02-28T21:24:00.000-08:00

My parent's came down yesterday and my mom brought me a giant bag of jelly beans. Seriously, like five pounds of jelly beans. I think she wants me dead.

I don't want to be the kind of person that can eat five pounds of jelly beans.

Does the Salvation Army take jelly beans?

I will not eat them. I will not eat them.

Maybe I should just throw them away.

2005-02-28T09:57:00.000-08:00

2005-02-28T09:50:00.001-08:00

2005-02-28T09:50:00.000-08:00

2005-02-26T22:39:00.000-08:00

Forgot to mention minor baking discovery. When I made my sister's birthday cake earlier this week, I put the leftover batter in a Pyrex bowl, tucked the leftover chocolate chips into the center, and baked it. It's awesome - you can eat the cake right out of the bowl! Can't quite explain why eating it right out of the bowl is so brilliant, so you just have to try it.

2005-02-25T23:26:00.000-08:00

The PR finale was unbelievably good, even if they didn't give Austin's "decoy" show airtime. There is a video clip on the Bravo website, but the quality is crappy and I want to see the clothes, damnit. Reportedly he had only a month to put his collection together, so I can understand some of the quality not being quite up to his usual. I didn't love his collection as much as I wanted to, either, but I've been reading about the French Revolution so maybe his tricornes and leather have unfair competition from transparent diaphanous gowns accessorized with thin red ribbon chokers. One of my sisters will not be swayed and thinks Kara was robbed; I admit I'm biased because I would wear just about everything in Jay's collection and I love his use of knits, hand-crocheted items, and mad quilting. That beaded aqua lace ponchette is going to get copied a lot. And dang the man is good for a soundbite. Now if you will excuse me I have to go sell my plasma so I can buy one of those skirts (yes I could make one myself but let me tell you the extent of that man's genius is such that selling my own plasma would be so worth it).

2005-02-24T11:13:00.000-08:00

Hello all. Sorry I've been out of pocket.

Since my last post, I've celebrated a b-day, and I attended a Buddhist pufication smoke offering.

The purification thing was the coolest. We were celebrating the 80th b-day of the teacher of that particular sect. He's in Southeast Asia somewhere.

Last night I talked my neighbor into watching West Wing at his house, so that I could tape Alias at mine. We both have dogs, so I brought Sandy for the visit. The neighbor lives just around the corner, so I didn't feel the need to bring a poop baggy. Of course, we pull up to the house, and she lays down a huge pile of a present. I apologized profusely and offered to clean up after her but my neighbor was cool about it.

Anyone going to South by Southwest this year?

2005-02-24T07:59:00.000-08:00

highlights of the week:
The Project Runway finale, I love Jay! Kanui - wasn't that awesome.
Also - attending a midnight showing of a Buffy Musical sing-a-long. The MC was great, we had props, I dorked out and sang every song.
Spending President's Day working on my new photo series, Outside the Greenhouse.

2005-02-21T15:04:00.000-08:00

I am way behind deadline for one of my submissions and I'm biting my lip about a submission proposal I'm putting together. The announcement was short notice, the deadline is coming up fast, and I don't want my mouth to write a check my ass can't cash. I also get out of bed two or three times a night to scribble down more notes and do quick sketches as things pop into my head. Dangit. Trip to the yarn store tomorrow morning and a serious sit-down talk with myself.

Also quite annoyed that I haven't seen the most recent episode of PR - I had to work late that night and haven't had a chance to see the rerun yet. The episode that caused me such grief appears to be on every time I turn on the TV, though.

Recent bad dreams:

Standing in the kitchen with a serial killer. I'm really pissed off at him and we're arguing about something. I think he's wearing a hockey mask. I'm getting angrier and start yelling for someone to call 911 already and then I wake up, still really pissed off.

One of my friends tells me she's pregnant and my blood runs cold. U, you know how this is. I don't even have to be the pregnant one for it to go all nightmare in a dream.

2005-02-18T00:36:00.000-08:00

Your mother.

2005-02-18T00:15:00.000-08:00

And then, of course, there is the question of the year in which the joke takes place. If it's between 1969 and 1974, for example. Post-1974 there's the Hank Aaron situation, and then post-1999 the Ruth vs DiMaggio debate takes on new meaning (re: 1969).

Honestly, though, I'm just provoking you. In the question of who is the greatest, don't mess with the Sicilians.

2005-02-18T00:10:00.000-08:00

You'll have to wait for the tell-all book, to be published when I am old and gray. Suffice to say that ratings are skewed based on factors like who looked the best in tight pants. At the end of the day, Vince, Dominic and Joe were all great guys. Just ask their mother!

2005-02-18T00:05:00.000-08:00

The dog doesn't specify which DiMaggio.

2005-02-17T23:41:00.000-08:00

Didn't the dog mean to say "Ted?"

2005-02-15T13:18:00.000-08:00

I had the best singles V-day ever. A couple friend of mine asked me to dinner, and they invited a gay friend of theirs. The gay friend's partner was out of town, so he was my hot date. After last night, he went around telling people what a great kisser I am!

Also, some friends of mine got me a gift card to Build-A-Bear. Over the weekend, I made me a monkey in a V-day outfit ("love bug" complete with wings). I named him Manny, because he's my MAN. I brought him to the office, and he was a big hit!

2005-02-14T18:18:00.000-08:00

yes yes yes, i want THAT vodka!
i picked up the keys to my new place today. that place is so much better than i remembered. please come visit sometime!
i still think valentines day is the worst. but, i do like those cards, k.
24 is so great.
i think i finally found a swimming pool in center city. but membership is steeeeeeeeeep. it still might be worth it.

2005-02-13T23:06:00.000-08:00

U, I think Z is using elementary (school) logic to make a V-Day appeal to the ladies with the jokes. Want some of this vodka that increases intelligence, improves judgement, contains more antioxidants than a bucket of blueberries and makes Grey Goose taste cheap? Oh, just have a bottle, I've got a case sitting right here. You'll need it; I'm feeling a little immature tonight:

A neutron walks into a bar. "I'd like a beer" he says.
The bartender promptly serves up a beer.
"How much will that be?" asks the neutron.
"For you?" replies the bartender, "no charge"

2005-02-12T20:03:00.000-08:00

Mike, that horse joke is my favorite joke of all time.

2005-02-11T21:33:00.000-08:00

are you getting all these jokes from foxy chris?
or are you super bored at work and the only good book is _100 Bad Jokes_?

2005-02-11T17:57:00.000-08:00

Okay guys, two more jokes:

A bear walks into a bar.

The bartender asks, "What can I get you?"

The bear replies, "I'll have a gin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . and tonic."

The bartender asks, "Why the big pause?"

The bear replies, "I was born with them."

---

A skeleton walked into a bar.

"What'll it be?", asked the barman.

"I'll have a beer and a mop," said the skeleton.