Archive for February, 2008
- Something…. happened to us this past week. I don’t know how it happened or what brought it on, but some switch in our brains flipped. Let’s just say that there are lists, file folders, Moleskines, and a whole lot of streamlining going on. With our lives getting increasingly more complicated and busy, and with things starting to pile up and fall through the cracks at home, it was time to finally get organized. And boy does it feel good.
- In order to make room for a filing cabinet in our desk area, I had to make some adjustments to our computer setup. With space at a premium, it was time to finally deal with some cord and cable management issues that have been bugging me. With the help of some Industrial Strength Velcro, it’s all under control. All cables are velcroed to the back wall and underside of the desk, including my router, power bricks, and powerstrips. Seriously, I think I could hang from the ceiling with this stuff.
- We’ve discovered what it’s like to live with a mobile child. The Lovely Tess started scooting all over the place on her butt, so emergency babyproofing is under way. This little girl is trouble. Poor George is worried already.
- We’ve finally had the conversation with our upstairs neighbors about buying a snowblower for next winter, and it’s a go. Thank God. We’re too old for shoveling. I can’t frgging wait. We got hit with another winter storm last week, which is hopefully the last one of the year. It’s Mother Nature saying “Hey, just so you know who’s still in charge, don’t think that the 60 degree day last week means that winter is over.” It happens every year.
- As you can tell from my Last.fm, I’ve been listening to Vampire Weekend a lot lately. I can’t remember the last time I listened to an album this much, but with all of the hype they’ve been getting of late, it’s hard to avoid them. It’s become the official soundtrack of dancing around the house with the Lovely Tess.
- We now have a giant bread paddle hanging in our kitchen. I just hope that it doesn’t fall down and kill some one.
- Is it just me or does Spring Training start earlier and earlier every year? I never remember it starting just a couple of weeks after the Super Bowl. Not that I’m complaining.
- Well, we no longer have an exploding furnace in our basement, which is nice. The large chunk of change we had to shell out to make that happen isn’t so nice. Plumbers make some good cash, huh?
- In the process of leaving our side door open for the plumber last week, I discovered the weatherstripping on the door was pretty much completely worthless. The note that I taped to the inside of the door was literally blowing in the breeze from the drafts that were coming in. Not good. I fixed that with some new weatherstripping and a new storm door bottom so now we should be sealed tight. Oh, and nothing is more frustrating then getting the stripping installed all nice and snug to the door and then after a half hour of work screwing it in realize that the door no longer closes. Twice. The first time the door wouldn’t close all the way. The second time the deadbolt wouldn’t close. I’m obviously an idiot.
- Our old 27 inch tv has a new home somewhere in Brooklyn. The struggle to get it out of the house was nothing compared to what it would have been trying to get it down into the basement to sit and rot for years. I hope it enjoys its new home.
- Speaking of our rotting basement, we spent yesterday morning cleaning it up. The only word I can use to descibe it was “shameful”. The amount of baby crap and boxes that had accumulated had gotten out of control, and the place needed a serious vacuuming. I filled an entire vacuum bag with the amount of dirt and dust and cobwebs that were there. It was long overdue and we managed to get rid of/recycle/donate lots of stuff.
- Here’s a little known fact about me: I have never drank a cup of coffee in my entire life. Until yesterday. I don’t know where the aversion of coffee came from, but it’s just something that I never started drinking. Maybe it was because I didn’t want the caffeine (despite the availability of decaf) or maybe I didn’t want to become one of those people who couldn’t get going in the morning with a cup. Or maybe I didn’t want to be one of those people who would hold up a dinner table while I drank my coffee (nothing was more excruciating growing up than having to wait at a restaurant for my parents to finish their coffee after dinner). It’s not that I didn’t like the smell or flavor it it, both of which I really like (I’ve had sips of it and like coffee flavored things). I just never started and I figured, hey, why start now? Well, that all changed after recently seeing some one on tv use a Bialetti Moka Express. Something about it just struck a chord with me. I loved the design and the simplicity of it and the coffee that came out of it looked really rich and good. I wanted one. I didn’t know if I would actually enjoy the coffee, but I liked the idea of it. We finally picked one up yesterday along with some Illy coffee and brewed up our first pot. It was tasty. I don’t see myself drinking it every day, but as a social thing or as a treat I’m up for it.
- The best baby toys ever: a wooden spoon and Tupperware.
- We deep fried things twice this weekend. Once we we made burgers and fries on Saturday night and then again on Sunday when we made falafel. But as the Lovely Suse says “I don’t really consider falafel deep fried.” Sure, that works. It’s nice to know that our falafel mix freezes well also.
- Another new show from the fine folks at BBC America: Last Restaurant Standing. Those Brits just do such a fantastic job with food reality shows. I’ll expect Fox to do a terrible version of it sometime in the near future.
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