But not my word.
It's funny that this is the topic, because I was thinking about something similar the other day. If this were the era in Pride and Prejudice (Elizabethan? Victorian? I should know this...), my one word would be "accomplished", I think. Well, here's an excerpt:
``All young ladies accomplished! My dear Charles, what do you mean?''
``Yes all of them, I think. They all paint tables, cover skreens, and net purses. I scarcely know any one who cannot do all this, and I am sure I never heard a young lady spoken of for the first time, without being informed that she was very accomplished''
``Your list of the common extent of accomplishments,'' said Darcy, ``has too much truth. The word is applied to many a woman who deserves it no otherwise than by netting a purse, or covering a skreen. But I am very far from agreeing with you in your estimation of ladies in general. I cannot boast of knowing more than half a dozen, in the whole range of my acquaintance, that are really accomplished.''
``Nor I, I am sure,'' said Miss Bingley.
`
`Then,'' observed Elizabeth, ``you must comprehend a great deal in your idea of an accomplished women.''
``Yes; I do comprehend a great deal in it.''
``Oh! certainly,'' cried his faithful assistant, ``no one can be really esteemed accomplished, who does not greatly surpass what is usually met with. A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages, to deserve the word; and besides all this, she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word will be but half deserved.''
``All this she must possess,'' added Darcy, ``and to all this she must yet add something more substantial, in the improvement of her mind by extensive reading.''
Painting, music, singing, modern languages, extensive reading - I'm there! Mr. Darcy, I'm yours! Though "accomplished" was really only a status wealthier women could claim, so odds are, my word would have been "homely" and I would have been someone's chambermaid somewhere.
So my word? I would love to say "witty", but does that really describe me and all that I do or think about? I think "creative" would certainly fit, but I like the term "artsy" a little more. (Dubbed by one of my coworkers upon seeing my self-given henna tattoo) It conveys a little more of an attitude, though it may also have the connotation of "flighty", which I would not attribute to myself. "Creative" can be applied to all sorts of people, from Martha Stewart-like crafters to Van Gogh, but "artsy" implies more of a way of being. Since I do more than just paint or draw - like sing, act, write, and um - other stuff - it fits.
Is "artsy" the word for Lake City? Hardly. Nor do I think that's the word for Orlando (where I went to school - in case you didn't . When I think of Orlando words like "entertainment", "tacky", and "money" come to mind. So where does one who's "artsy" reside? Austin, TX? I've heard good things about that place, though I'm not so sure about living in Texas. New Orleans? Hmmm...probably not a good idea, esp. since I'd like to move away from the south to someplace a little colder. Of course maybe the good thing about being "artsy" is that you can always find a way to make the city you live in fit with your word.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Monday, December 17, 2007
One Word
I've recently been reading and long-distance-book-clubbing Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. You may have seen 4 million copies of this book prominently displayed in the front of your local large chain bookstore since the author went on Oprah. Although this is not at all the type of book I would usually pick up for myself, one of my friends saw the Oprah interview, told me about it, and we decided to read it together. And, a little surprisingly, I've really enjoyed it so far.
The basic idea is that the author goes through a rough divorce and a minor mental breakdown and realizes when it's all over that she's unhappy and has the means and desire to basically take a year off. She spends 4 months in Italy eating pasta, eating pastries, drinking cappuccinos, eating delicious cheeses, and gaining a lot of weight, and she's delighted by it. Then she spends 4 months in India at an ashram studying yoga, practicing meditation, regaining self-confidence, and getting her spiritual life in order again. This is as far as I've read, but in the final section she travels to Indonesia to live with a monk or something.
Throughout the book she has a lot of interesting insights and presents them with an unapologetic but not preachy voice. In Rome, she picks up the idea of finding one word to describe a person or place. Here's the dialogue, picking up where the author is talking with an Italian friend and realizing that, as much as she loves Rome, she's really just a tourist:
Giulio said, "Maybe you and Rome just have different words."
"What do you mean?"
He said, "Don't you know that the secret to understanding a city and its people is to learn--what is the word of the street?"
Then he went on to explain, in a mixture of English, Italian and hand gestures, that every city has a single word that defines it, that identifies most people who live there. If you could read people's thoughts as they were passing you on the street of any given place, you would discover that most of them are thinking the same thought. Whatever that majority thought might be--that is the word of the city. And if your personal word does not match the word of the city, then you don't really belong there.
"What's Rome's word?" I asked.
"SEX," he announced.
"But isn't that a stereotype about Rome?"
"No."
"But surely there are some people in Rome thinking about other things than sex?"
Giulio insisted: "No. All of them, all day, all they are thinking about is SEX."
"Even over at the Vatican?"
"That's different. The Vatican isn't part of Rome. They have a different word over there. Their word is POWER."
"You'd think it would be FAITH."
"It's POWER," he repeated. "Trust me. But the word in Rome--it's SEX."
...
Giulio asked, "What's the word in New York City?"
I thought about this for a moment, then decided. "It's a verb, of course. I think it's ACHIEVE."
(Which is subtly but significantly different from the word in Los Angeles, I believe, which is also a verb: SUCCEED. Later, I will share this whole theory with my Swedish friend Sofie, and she will offer her opinion that the word on the streets of Stockholm is CONFORM, which depresses both of us.)
I asked Giulio, "What's the word in Naples?" He knows the south of Italy well.
"FIGHT," he decides.
I've talked with a few people about this. My friend who's reading this with me decided her word is create, as she's constantly creating creative creations, if you will. My word is zest, as I try to always look at life with passion, excitement, and, well, zest. Talking with another DC-dweller, we decided DC's word is politics, but in a way that reflects more than what happens on Capitol Hill. In DC, politics invades the lives of everyone who lives there on many levels. I know several people who, after leaving a job on bad terms, were reminded of what a "small town" Washington is. Networking is king, lasting friendships are an afterthought.
I've realized that zest does not fit well with politics, and this is fine, because a lot of other people fit better with DC and I'm sure a lot of cities fit better with me. Since I've only been in Columbus for 24 hours so far, I can't choose it's word yet-- I think you have to live some place for at least two years before you know it well enough to pick a word for it.
What about your word? or the word for some of the places you've lived? Or for people you know? How does your word fit with the place you are now? And does this all mean anything?
The basic idea is that the author goes through a rough divorce and a minor mental breakdown and realizes when it's all over that she's unhappy and has the means and desire to basically take a year off. She spends 4 months in Italy eating pasta, eating pastries, drinking cappuccinos, eating delicious cheeses, and gaining a lot of weight, and she's delighted by it. Then she spends 4 months in India at an ashram studying yoga, practicing meditation, regaining self-confidence, and getting her spiritual life in order again. This is as far as I've read, but in the final section she travels to Indonesia to live with a monk or something.
Throughout the book she has a lot of interesting insights and presents them with an unapologetic but not preachy voice. In Rome, she picks up the idea of finding one word to describe a person or place. Here's the dialogue, picking up where the author is talking with an Italian friend and realizing that, as much as she loves Rome, she's really just a tourist:
Giulio said, "Maybe you and Rome just have different words."
"What do you mean?"
He said, "Don't you know that the secret to understanding a city and its people is to learn--what is the word of the street?"
Then he went on to explain, in a mixture of English, Italian and hand gestures, that every city has a single word that defines it, that identifies most people who live there. If you could read people's thoughts as they were passing you on the street of any given place, you would discover that most of them are thinking the same thought. Whatever that majority thought might be--that is the word of the city. And if your personal word does not match the word of the city, then you don't really belong there.
"What's Rome's word?" I asked.
"SEX," he announced.
"But isn't that a stereotype about Rome?"
"No."
"But surely there are some people in Rome thinking about other things than sex?"
Giulio insisted: "No. All of them, all day, all they are thinking about is SEX."
"Even over at the Vatican?"
"That's different. The Vatican isn't part of Rome. They have a different word over there. Their word is POWER."
"You'd think it would be FAITH."
"It's POWER," he repeated. "Trust me. But the word in Rome--it's SEX."
...
Giulio asked, "What's the word in New York City?"
I thought about this for a moment, then decided. "It's a verb, of course. I think it's ACHIEVE."
(Which is subtly but significantly different from the word in Los Angeles, I believe, which is also a verb: SUCCEED. Later, I will share this whole theory with my Swedish friend Sofie, and she will offer her opinion that the word on the streets of Stockholm is CONFORM, which depresses both of us.)
I asked Giulio, "What's the word in Naples?" He knows the south of Italy well.
"FIGHT," he decides.
I've talked with a few people about this. My friend who's reading this with me decided her word is create, as she's constantly creating creative creations, if you will. My word is zest, as I try to always look at life with passion, excitement, and, well, zest. Talking with another DC-dweller, we decided DC's word is politics, but in a way that reflects more than what happens on Capitol Hill. In DC, politics invades the lives of everyone who lives there on many levels. I know several people who, after leaving a job on bad terms, were reminded of what a "small town" Washington is. Networking is king, lasting friendships are an afterthought.
I've realized that zest does not fit well with politics, and this is fine, because a lot of other people fit better with DC and I'm sure a lot of cities fit better with me. Since I've only been in Columbus for 24 hours so far, I can't choose it's word yet-- I think you have to live some place for at least two years before you know it well enough to pick a word for it.
What about your word? or the word for some of the places you've lived? Or for people you know? How does your word fit with the place you are now? And does this all mean anything?
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
I like alone time
Although I definitely see the appeal of performing in front of large groups of applauding people (in a perfect world, I would be a Broadway musical actress), most of the activities I do that I would call "hobbies" involve sitting quietly by myself, possibly in front of the TV after dinner.
I've found that after working eight hours plus commuting, my brain is tired. It wants to relax and detox a little after the day. But I can't usually sit still in front of the TV, vegging out. I have to keep busy with something.
Just recently I finished my 4-year project of putting all my (pre-digital) photos, maps, ticket stubs, etc., from the 4 months I lived in London and traveled through Europe in scrapbooks. These weren't those fancy-schmancy scrapbooks with the cropping shears and gingham paper and crazy stickers... and yet, it still took me 4 years to make about 6 books total. I felt super-accomplished after this.
But then I needed other things to do in the evenings. I designed and printed a couple t-shirts for myself, one of Glenn's poetry (did I ever send you a picture of that, Glenn?) and one of my friend Evan's poetry, both of which I've gotten a lot of compliments on. I plan to do more of this next week when I move to Columbus because I've had too much going on to develop more (and now I have PhotoShop, so that should be easier). I've designed a couple other shirts for myself by cutting out images on some of my favorite old shirts that had gotten way too small (I'm sure it wasn't that I got too big) and sewing them in different ways to new shirts.
I also try to keep myself doing and learning something physical, although I haven't had the opportunity lately. I recently was a regular practicer of yoga, kick boxing, and flamenco dancing. Every one of those was really fun, but I'm especially hoping to get back into yoga and possibly some meditation in Columbus.
Now that I'm moving and won't have a basic nine-to-six-plus-metro-time job, I'll be able to set my own schedule more to keep myself from getting so burnt out during the day. Who knows what will develop from there!
I've found that after working eight hours plus commuting, my brain is tired. It wants to relax and detox a little after the day. But I can't usually sit still in front of the TV, vegging out. I have to keep busy with something.
Just recently I finished my 4-year project of putting all my (pre-digital) photos, maps, ticket stubs, etc., from the 4 months I lived in London and traveled through Europe in scrapbooks. These weren't those fancy-schmancy scrapbooks with the cropping shears and gingham paper and crazy stickers... and yet, it still took me 4 years to make about 6 books total. I felt super-accomplished after this.
But then I needed other things to do in the evenings. I designed and printed a couple t-shirts for myself, one of Glenn's poetry (did I ever send you a picture of that, Glenn?) and one of my friend Evan's poetry, both of which I've gotten a lot of compliments on. I plan to do more of this next week when I move to Columbus because I've had too much going on to develop more (and now I have PhotoShop, so that should be easier). I've designed a couple other shirts for myself by cutting out images on some of my favorite old shirts that had gotten way too small (I'm sure it wasn't that I got too big) and sewing them in different ways to new shirts.
I also try to keep myself doing and learning something physical, although I haven't had the opportunity lately. I recently was a regular practicer of yoga, kick boxing, and flamenco dancing. Every one of those was really fun, but I'm especially hoping to get back into yoga and possibly some meditation in Columbus.
Now that I'm moving and won't have a basic nine-to-six-plus-metro-time job, I'll be able to set my own schedule more to keep myself from getting so burnt out during the day. Who knows what will develop from there!
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
I Like Attention
That's pretty much the motive behind my hobbies. Theater, singing, blogging/writing, art - not only do I get to be creative, but generally I also get all sorts of praise for doing it.
I suppose that's not the only reason. I do get a thrill knowing I actually entertained someone else. Knowing that I made someone laugh is more of a reward than anything I can think of (well - besides money - if anyone wants to pay me for doing what I love, I'm there)(wait - that doesn't make me a whore, does it?).
Hmmm...that's not very long for a post - I suppose I'd better go a little more in depth. With theater, I can act like the biggest idiot onstage, and as long as it's part of the character, I'm not vulnerable to ridicule for acting that way. That, and well, theater people in general act like complete idiots around each other, so I can get away with it even when I'm not onstage. It's a nice break from having to act all smart, resonsible, and nice when I'm at work - cathartic, if you will.
The same can go for blogging. I can vent all the frustrations I have and then pretty much forget about it. Or, if I can't forget about it, I can generally present it in an amusing way that makes the situation not seem as bad as it is. It's also a great way to let all my friends know what's going on in my life without having to write each of them individually. I'm terrible at keeping in touch, so odds are without my blog, I wouldn't hear much from any of my friends. (Alright, that may be a little bit of a lie - myspace and facebook help me keep in touch as well)
As far as art goes, I hate to call that a hobby. It doesn't seem like I should, since I have a BFA and all. However, as time goes on, I'm spending less and less time on my artwork. I make time for everything else, and I suppose this is one more thing I should try to make time for. But I don't just do it to entertain others or for the praise - that makes it sound like I put more value on the opinions of others than I really do. I don't suppose that's why I do any of these things. Something in my soul just needs it to get by.
But don't get me wrong - I'm still an attention-whore despite that.
I suppose that's not the only reason. I do get a thrill knowing I actually entertained someone else. Knowing that I made someone laugh is more of a reward than anything I can think of (well - besides money - if anyone wants to pay me for doing what I love, I'm there)(wait - that doesn't make me a whore, does it?).
Hmmm...that's not very long for a post - I suppose I'd better go a little more in depth. With theater, I can act like the biggest idiot onstage, and as long as it's part of the character, I'm not vulnerable to ridicule for acting that way. That, and well, theater people in general act like complete idiots around each other, so I can get away with it even when I'm not onstage. It's a nice break from having to act all smart, resonsible, and nice when I'm at work - cathartic, if you will.
The same can go for blogging. I can vent all the frustrations I have and then pretty much forget about it. Or, if I can't forget about it, I can generally present it in an amusing way that makes the situation not seem as bad as it is. It's also a great way to let all my friends know what's going on in my life without having to write each of them individually. I'm terrible at keeping in touch, so odds are without my blog, I wouldn't hear much from any of my friends. (Alright, that may be a little bit of a lie - myspace and facebook help me keep in touch as well)
As far as art goes, I hate to call that a hobby. It doesn't seem like I should, since I have a BFA and all. However, as time goes on, I'm spending less and less time on my artwork. I make time for everything else, and I suppose this is one more thing I should try to make time for. But I don't just do it to entertain others or for the praise - that makes it sound like I put more value on the opinions of others than I really do. I don't suppose that's why I do any of these things. Something in my soul just needs it to get by.
But don't get me wrong - I'm still an attention-whore despite that.
Sunday, December 09, 2007
why do we...?
okay, this is filling in for jane's topic:
i'm sure i've mentioned the half-marathon a few times. i ran it last weekend in tucson, and didn't do so badly, if i do say so myself. i hadn't trained enough though(read: had barely trained at all) so my muscles paid for the run all this week. and yet, i'm already excited about the next run. "Next?!?!? i catch myself asking,'what the hell is wrong with you?!?"
which brings me to this week's topic: hobbies. why do we (personally or humanity as a whole) do all those weird things that have no practical value? stamp collecting? genealogcal research? playing musical instruments when one isn't any good? watching/following professional sports... what's the motivation?
sure, some things are for therapy or entertainment.
i guess i'm asking:
1)what are your hobbies/why? and
2)what reasons do you think there are for hobbies to exist as part of the human experience/what actual purpose does the practice of a hobby serve?
i've already mentioned running, which i forsee becoming more of a hobby than it has been. i'm excited to train this time instead of dreading it - look for me in the san diego rock 'n' roll marathon next june if i don't get some kind of an injury before then...
then there's the writing. i've yet to gain any money/fame/what have you from the writing, and if i'm depressed/angry and i write about it i generally get more frustrated, so i don't see a physical or mental benefit, but i continue to scribble or type random snippets, poems, short prose, chunks of historical fiction novels, etc. i have no clue why i so often want to put things on paper/screen.
i also like baking. this has a benefit: i get to eat yummy stuff. i could, however, purchase very nearly as yummy and significantly cheaper goodies at the dollar store. since i'm fairly poor, that might be a more reasonable option, but i don't take advantage of it. i stand on the hard floor until my legs and feet ache stir and knead until my hands hurt, burn myself pretty often, risk knife cuts, and get dry skin on my hands from washing/drying so often. then sometimes whatever i'm making doesn't turn out and i waste everything. there might be some instinctive domestic urges involved in this hobby, since my ancestors have been "happy" homemakers for pretty much all of recorded history. i like to think that i choose to bake though - maybe so i can share the goodies and feel important when people like them...?
last hobby to mention is that i voluntarily go clean up animal poop on a regular basis. sure, there's some fun stuff connected with that: i get to interact and play with most of the animals, and i get to spend time outdoors using the muscles that would atrophy with my desk job (if i hadn't just taken up running). the fact is though, that most of the time i spend working at the wildlife center is scooping poop and other debris up from enclosures and putting it in a dumpster. this one, i know why i do it. humans create false environments and put animals in them. now the animals don't know how to survive in their natural habitats and are past the age where they could learn how, so they have to remain in captivity. since humans created the problem, it's up to humans to take care of it. i'm a human. thus i feel a sense of responsiblity to help out however i can - especially when i see how it hurts the animals to be captive: they'll get frustrated and pace around their enclosure when i know if they were free they'd be running miles on end just because they could. then i really don't like people. i could go on for hours about how much it bugs me when people don't take responsibility for their actions, but hey, this is about hobbies. so i clean up poop, refill food and water dishes, hand out snacks, and give whatever kind of attention each animal seems to want (sometimes i get it wrong and get beat up). in return - they look forward to seeing me. there is nothing in the world like a cougar recognizing your car and running to fence to greet you, or like a wild fox finally (after 4 years) letting me touch her and feel that stunningly gorgeous fur. i know most people don't have the opportunity to interact with cougars, but so many people keep domestic pets - why?
there are my hobbies, how about yours?
ready, set, go!
i'm sure i've mentioned the half-marathon a few times. i ran it last weekend in tucson, and didn't do so badly, if i do say so myself. i hadn't trained enough though(read: had barely trained at all) so my muscles paid for the run all this week. and yet, i'm already excited about the next run. "Next?!?!? i catch myself asking,'what the hell is wrong with you?!?"
which brings me to this week's topic: hobbies. why do we (personally or humanity as a whole) do all those weird things that have no practical value? stamp collecting? genealogcal research? playing musical instruments when one isn't any good? watching/following professional sports... what's the motivation?
sure, some things are for therapy or entertainment.
i guess i'm asking:
1)what are your hobbies/why? and
2)what reasons do you think there are for hobbies to exist as part of the human experience/what actual purpose does the practice of a hobby serve?
i've already mentioned running, which i forsee becoming more of a hobby than it has been. i'm excited to train this time instead of dreading it - look for me in the san diego rock 'n' roll marathon next june if i don't get some kind of an injury before then...
then there's the writing. i've yet to gain any money/fame/what have you from the writing, and if i'm depressed/angry and i write about it i generally get more frustrated, so i don't see a physical or mental benefit, but i continue to scribble or type random snippets, poems, short prose, chunks of historical fiction novels, etc. i have no clue why i so often want to put things on paper/screen.
i also like baking. this has a benefit: i get to eat yummy stuff. i could, however, purchase very nearly as yummy and significantly cheaper goodies at the dollar store. since i'm fairly poor, that might be a more reasonable option, but i don't take advantage of it. i stand on the hard floor until my legs and feet ache stir and knead until my hands hurt, burn myself pretty often, risk knife cuts, and get dry skin on my hands from washing/drying so often. then sometimes whatever i'm making doesn't turn out and i waste everything. there might be some instinctive domestic urges involved in this hobby, since my ancestors have been "happy" homemakers for pretty much all of recorded history. i like to think that i choose to bake though - maybe so i can share the goodies and feel important when people like them...?
last hobby to mention is that i voluntarily go clean up animal poop on a regular basis. sure, there's some fun stuff connected with that: i get to interact and play with most of the animals, and i get to spend time outdoors using the muscles that would atrophy with my desk job (if i hadn't just taken up running). the fact is though, that most of the time i spend working at the wildlife center is scooping poop and other debris up from enclosures and putting it in a dumpster. this one, i know why i do it. humans create false environments and put animals in them. now the animals don't know how to survive in their natural habitats and are past the age where they could learn how, so they have to remain in captivity. since humans created the problem, it's up to humans to take care of it. i'm a human. thus i feel a sense of responsiblity to help out however i can - especially when i see how it hurts the animals to be captive: they'll get frustrated and pace around their enclosure when i know if they were free they'd be running miles on end just because they could. then i really don't like people. i could go on for hours about how much it bugs me when people don't take responsibility for their actions, but hey, this is about hobbies. so i clean up poop, refill food and water dishes, hand out snacks, and give whatever kind of attention each animal seems to want (sometimes i get it wrong and get beat up). in return - they look forward to seeing me. there is nothing in the world like a cougar recognizing your car and running to fence to greet you, or like a wild fox finally (after 4 years) letting me touch her and feel that stunningly gorgeous fur. i know most people don't have the opportunity to interact with cougars, but so many people keep domestic pets - why?
there are my hobbies, how about yours?
ready, set, go!
Saturday, December 08, 2007
insomnia helps this time of year
well, i guess i’m one of those crafty people that gets on other people’s nerves, but i really do make cheap homemade gifts on a fairly regular basis (except for one year when shaggy worked for dss with jane, and we had a lot of money). i own a dehydrator, and love it, so home-dried herbal teas and soup mixes are pretty standard. i’ve also dried craploads of veggies for some pretty good chunky spaghetti sauce mix.... then there’s the sewing. on one occasion i made someone a quilt, but usually it’s something easier – i frequently make and give “butt pillows”. they’re pretty fun, quirky presents that are so simple it’s almost silly:
1) buy cheap multi-packs of boxer shorts, any size, any design (ross, tj maxx, etc. are great places to pay less than $1 per pair). if you want to get really funky, this also works with tighty-whiteys.
2) sew the fly closed first, otherwise you’ll forget
3) turn shorts inside out to sew leg holes closed. then turn them right side out again. the reason for this is that the stitches won’t show, so you can sew as sloppily as you want to (i’m interested to know if one could make these drunk, so if anyone tries, please let me know).
4) sew part of the elastic top closed – be sure to stretch out the elastic while sewing so the thread won’t rip out later.
5) fill with stuffing – this can be bought at a fabric/craft store or ripped out of old pillows/stuffed animals, etc.
6) sew the rest of the top closed.
7) ta-daa!
i find the butt pillows are pretty popular in those white elephant swap-the-gift kind of games. if you want to get really complicated, smaller boxers/briefs can be made into purses/handbags, etc. when i get the copyright, this line will be called “the brief-case”... i know, it’s awful.
another fun cheap gift is home-canned anything. this year i had fun with my crock-pot and turned out both cranberry sauce and apple butter, which i then sealed in jars and tied ribbons on. i was once given a pumpkin-loaf cake that had been baked in the jar and then sealed. i haven’t tried to make them yet because i ran out of jars, but i will try someday. canning really isn’t as difficult as people make it sound either – as long as you have jars and lids with that seal-y ring thing. just fill the jars almost all the way, put the lids on, put the jars in a pot of water, and boil for about 15 minutes. supposedly the jars only seal if there is an inch of water above them, but i’ve found (since my jars were too tall) that as long as the boiling water bubbles over the tops of them, they’ll seal just fine. after the jars have boiled, use tongs or two sticks or whatever you’ve got handy to lift them out of the water. twist the lids on tighter. as the jars cool, the top should “pop” in, creating the seal. if they don’t pop, put them back in the water and boil a few more minutes.
the whole home canning thing can be really fun if you use tiny jars to re-bottle something like ragu sauce. you can legitimately tell someone you home-bottled the spaghetti sauce, and it only takes about 20 minutes to do.
another easy-peasy fun gift is a fleece scarf. most fabric stores have cheap scrap sections, and if you can find a chunk of fleece that’s long enough for a scarf, you’re practically done. some people try to get fancy and hem the edges, but fleece is really cool in that you don’t have to do that. i just fringe the ends by cutting multiple snips of the same lengh into each end and then tying knots in all the fringe pieces. done!
this year i went a tad further with fleece and made some herbal neck wraps – a square of fleece folded in half with the edges sewn together makes the outer pouch, and a square of some other random fabric with a tiny weave with the edges sewn together makes an inner pouch to be stuffed with lavender, sage, mint, cloves, and some rice. herbal neck wraps can be microwaved (i haven’t ever used a glass of water, but i’ve never nuked ‘em for more than a minute at a time either... go ahead and use the glass of water i guess. i’ve also had pretty good success freezing them for a cold pack.
finally, the holiday greeting card is simple – construction paper, scissors, glue, markers, and a bit of glitter paint are super fun to play with, and if the cards come out stupid, you could always tell people your little nephew made them. unless of course you don’t have a nephew. then you’ll have to make up your own lie i guess.
of course, if the cheap present you’re attempting to make is for me... (unless it’s pecans, which are awesome) just send me the two bucks.
cheers!
1) buy cheap multi-packs of boxer shorts, any size, any design (ross, tj maxx, etc. are great places to pay less than $1 per pair). if you want to get really funky, this also works with tighty-whiteys.
2) sew the fly closed first, otherwise you’ll forget
3) turn shorts inside out to sew leg holes closed. then turn them right side out again. the reason for this is that the stitches won’t show, so you can sew as sloppily as you want to (i’m interested to know if one could make these drunk, so if anyone tries, please let me know).
4) sew part of the elastic top closed – be sure to stretch out the elastic while sewing so the thread won’t rip out later.
5) fill with stuffing – this can be bought at a fabric/craft store or ripped out of old pillows/stuffed animals, etc.
6) sew the rest of the top closed.
7) ta-daa!
i find the butt pillows are pretty popular in those white elephant swap-the-gift kind of games. if you want to get really complicated, smaller boxers/briefs can be made into purses/handbags, etc. when i get the copyright, this line will be called “the brief-case”... i know, it’s awful.
another fun cheap gift is home-canned anything. this year i had fun with my crock-pot and turned out both cranberry sauce and apple butter, which i then sealed in jars and tied ribbons on. i was once given a pumpkin-loaf cake that had been baked in the jar and then sealed. i haven’t tried to make them yet because i ran out of jars, but i will try someday. canning really isn’t as difficult as people make it sound either – as long as you have jars and lids with that seal-y ring thing. just fill the jars almost all the way, put the lids on, put the jars in a pot of water, and boil for about 15 minutes. supposedly the jars only seal if there is an inch of water above them, but i’ve found (since my jars were too tall) that as long as the boiling water bubbles over the tops of them, they’ll seal just fine. after the jars have boiled, use tongs or two sticks or whatever you’ve got handy to lift them out of the water. twist the lids on tighter. as the jars cool, the top should “pop” in, creating the seal. if they don’t pop, put them back in the water and boil a few more minutes.
the whole home canning thing can be really fun if you use tiny jars to re-bottle something like ragu sauce. you can legitimately tell someone you home-bottled the spaghetti sauce, and it only takes about 20 minutes to do.
another easy-peasy fun gift is a fleece scarf. most fabric stores have cheap scrap sections, and if you can find a chunk of fleece that’s long enough for a scarf, you’re practically done. some people try to get fancy and hem the edges, but fleece is really cool in that you don’t have to do that. i just fringe the ends by cutting multiple snips of the same lengh into each end and then tying knots in all the fringe pieces. done!
this year i went a tad further with fleece and made some herbal neck wraps – a square of fleece folded in half with the edges sewn together makes the outer pouch, and a square of some other random fabric with a tiny weave with the edges sewn together makes an inner pouch to be stuffed with lavender, sage, mint, cloves, and some rice. herbal neck wraps can be microwaved (i haven’t ever used a glass of water, but i’ve never nuked ‘em for more than a minute at a time either... go ahead and use the glass of water i guess. i’ve also had pretty good success freezing them for a cold pack.
finally, the holiday greeting card is simple – construction paper, scissors, glue, markers, and a bit of glitter paint are super fun to play with, and if the cards come out stupid, you could always tell people your little nephew made them. unless of course you don’t have a nephew. then you’ll have to make up your own lie i guess.
of course, if the cheap present you’re attempting to make is for me... (unless it’s pecans, which are awesome) just send me the two bucks.
cheers!
Friday, December 07, 2007
Gifts to Impress
In an increasingly consumer-driven holiday, giving a homemade gift is nice way of bringing a more personal touch to your gift-giving. Below, I offer up some ideas that go above and beyond making some crafty ornament or a tin of cookies.
The Gift of Life - Give blood or donate an organ. The easy way to do it would be to sign up for a list or go to a blood bank, sure, but if you really want the WOW! factor, get into DIY mode. Imagine the look on your loved one's face when they open up a package and see your kidney waiting inside! You don't need to be a phlebotomist or a surgeon, you just need an exacto (or utility) knife, alcohol, a cooler or fridge, and a bit of nerve. And don't think you can't get anything out of it - if you're really creative you can give yourself great decorative scars. Decorate yourself for Christmas by carving a Christmas tree into your forearm. It's the gift that keeps on giving! If you're really in the giving mood, why not hack off a whole limb? The technology for a bionic arm is already here, it's probably only another 20-25 years before it's available to the public. Surely you can live with just one arm for that long, if it means that your sister has a cool new coat rack for her room.
For Her - Two words - pubic hair. It's the next best thing to "Dick in a Box". There's no bigger turn on - really. You can take the least subtle route and place on on a can of Pepsi the next time she asks you for a drink, and sex is guarranteed. It worked for Clarence Thomas, right? Or you could be a little more clever. Remember the Victorian hair jewelry/artwork Caitlin talked about? Why not make a landscape or a potrait of her? (Note: The portrait will really only work if the woman you are trying to impress is the bearded lady - or one of those people with hypertrichosis).
For Him - Sorry ladies, vagina in a box is a little hard to pull off, not to mention a bit redundant. (Think about it - your "box" in a box?) So you'll have to come up with something a little different. Make a plaster cast of his penis. (He'll probably enjoy this step) Then you can make a mold of it, and make some wonderful items for around the house. Depending on his size, you can either come out with a nice set of salt and pepper shakers, a sinlge bud vase, or perhaps a poker for the fire. Another idea is for you to get some rubber and make a nice chew toy for the dog. Depending on your creativity and gusto (and the amount of objects you make), eventually he'll be so tired of seeing his penis all over the place, he'll be less likely to want to put it in your face. It's a gift that's a win for both giver and givee.
I hope these tips bring some joy to your giving and excitement to your holday season!
The Gift of Life - Give blood or donate an organ. The easy way to do it would be to sign up for a list or go to a blood bank, sure, but if you really want the WOW! factor, get into DIY mode. Imagine the look on your loved one's face when they open up a package and see your kidney waiting inside! You don't need to be a phlebotomist or a surgeon, you just need an exacto (or utility) knife, alcohol, a cooler or fridge, and a bit of nerve. And don't think you can't get anything out of it - if you're really creative you can give yourself great decorative scars. Decorate yourself for Christmas by carving a Christmas tree into your forearm. It's the gift that keeps on giving! If you're really in the giving mood, why not hack off a whole limb? The technology for a bionic arm is already here, it's probably only another 20-25 years before it's available to the public. Surely you can live with just one arm for that long, if it means that your sister has a cool new coat rack for her room.
For Her - Two words - pubic hair. It's the next best thing to "Dick in a Box". There's no bigger turn on - really. You can take the least subtle route and place on on a can of Pepsi the next time she asks you for a drink, and sex is guarranteed. It worked for Clarence Thomas, right? Or you could be a little more clever. Remember the Victorian hair jewelry/artwork Caitlin talked about? Why not make a landscape or a potrait of her? (Note: The portrait will really only work if the woman you are trying to impress is the bearded lady - or one of those people with hypertrichosis).
For Him - Sorry ladies, vagina in a box is a little hard to pull off, not to mention a bit redundant. (Think about it - your "box" in a box?) So you'll have to come up with something a little different. Make a plaster cast of his penis. (He'll probably enjoy this step) Then you can make a mold of it, and make some wonderful items for around the house. Depending on his size, you can either come out with a nice set of salt and pepper shakers, a sinlge bud vase, or perhaps a poker for the fire. Another idea is for you to get some rubber and make a nice chew toy for the dog. Depending on your creativity and gusto (and the amount of objects you make), eventually he'll be so tired of seeing his penis all over the place, he'll be less likely to want to put it in your face. It's a gift that's a win for both giver and givee.
I hope these tips bring some joy to your giving and excitement to your holday season!
Nuts!
My house has one pecan tree in its yard. My mom's house has four. Every other year, these trees drop ginormous loads of pecans onto the ground below them. All we have to do is pick them up and - voila! Presents! There's a place here in town called The Nut House which will crack the pecans for you, so you don't have to go through the arduous process yourself. Some of you might be getting pecans this holiday season. Hell, some of you have already received pecans!
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Plagiarism is quick and easy!
I'm in the process of moving and scrambling to finish my projects at work before my last day (tomorrow), so I will confess to having completely ripped off this post from one of my favorite sites, WikiHow. What's more amazing than the weird stuff that people know how do to is the fact that they find it worth sharing with the rest of the world! So here's how to make a bunch of unique gifts with little more than some old socks:
How to Recycle Your Socks
You've just cleaned out your drawer, and in front of you is a huge pile of old, holey, mismatched socks. You're thinking about throwing them away, but that's just wasteful. Here are some great ways to recycle those socks - perhaps you never realized just how useful socks can be beyond wearing them!
Steps:
1. Make a dust rag. Slip the sock on your hand. Dampen it with water or a furniture polish and clean away! Socks are good for furniture, window sills, computer screens, floor spills, handles, and blinds.
2. Polish your shoes. Old socks make great shoe polishers. You can also use them to shine the shoe after polishing.
3. Make a homemade hacky sack. A hacky sack is a small cloth ball filled with small beads or beans. Cut off about half the top part of a long sock and about three quarters for a short sock. Fill the sock with dried rice, dried peas, or beads. Sew the opening together in a ball shape.
4. Make a drink cozy. This requires a long sock. Cut the whole top of the sock off. Slide it over a bottle to keep the bottle cool (insulated). A shorter sock can be used for cups and cans.
5. Make a coin purse. You'll need an anklet-sized sock for this project. Use the whole sock and decorate this sock bag with sequins, beads, glitter, or any other decorative items you have about the house. Sew a strip of fabric onto the top for a handle, or a zipper across the opening.
6. Make sock dolls. You can also make a sock monkey or a sock puppet. Fill the sock with beans or rice. Glue, sew, or draw on eyes, nose, and mouth. Cut up another old sock into strips and sew on for hair.
7. Keep a pet's paws warm. If you have an ailing animal that is suffering from the cold, old socks can be helpful in keeping their paws warm. If you are a wildlife rehabilitator, another great use for socks is as temporary pouches for baby animals in your temporary care, such as baby joeys, bats, or possums. Any creature that likes a springy and soft warm place to snuggle into will appreciate this and you will be able to hang the sock up if it is a strong old woolen type, to mimic mother animal's pouch.
8. Make muscle relaxing packs. Fill with rice or wheat and sew up the open end. Place in the microwave with a glass of water to heat for 1 minute. Hang around your neck or place on other sore muscles for instant relief. (Note: Always include the glass of water to provide moisture or the pack can catch on fire if it dries out too much after repeated use.)
9. Make a hard-to-reach cleaning stick. Get a ruler (the longer the better) and slip the sock over the end. Attach with an elastic band or staple. Use this to run underneath stoves, fridges, and other hard to reach places. The sock-covered ruler will return lots of fluff and dust and it is easy to wash the sock after each use.
10. Make horse bandages. Cut the foot off the end of a long sock and make a horse bandage. Smaller socks might be suitable for smaller animal bandages on dogs or cats (try children's socks).
11. Make garden soap holders. Gardening can be messy and dirty. Pop a soap bar into the bottom of an old sock and tie a knot around the soap part of the sock. Leave the long part of the sock for tying onto a faucet in the garden. It will be ready for you whenever you need to clean up outside after a gardening session.
12. Sew a quilt or a sock rug. You will need to find the instructions on how to do this (do an internet search) but it is possible to make quilts and rugs from old socks. This gives them extra utility for years to come and is especially neat for those socks with cute patterns or designs that you can't bear to part with.
13. Wash the car or bike. A sock over the hand and you have an instant cleaning cloth that is soft enough for the car body or bike frame. Use one for washing and one for buffing.
14. Make draft protectors. Fill a long sock (knee-high is good) with beans, rice, or other spare filling that you have around the house. Sew or tie up one end and you have an instant, rounded draft protector. If you want to enhance its appearance, add eyes, nose, mouth and maybe feelers or whiskers - whatever sort of animal that you can imagine.
15. Add a tennis ball. The purpose of adding a tennis ball to an old sock can be twofold:
* Make a back and neck soother. Tie the tennis ball inside the end of a long sock. Taking the long end of the sock, toss the sock over your shoulder so that the ball lands on your back. Stand against a wall and lean against the sock and ball. Rub your back up and down against the ball that is squeezed into the wall and it will massage away aches and pains from sport, sitting too long at the computer or any other activities that may have caused back tension. Use a shorter sock for a neck massaging version.
* Make a dog pull-toy. In the same way, place the tennis ball in the end of the sock and tie around it. Take the long end of the sock and tempt your dog to take it. If your dog is playful, a fun tug-of-war is likely to ensue. See Warnings below.
16. Make a sock jump rope. All you have to do is tie about 15 or so long socks in a line and you have a neat jump rope! It's also fun to use different colored socks!
17. Make a dog toy.
* Take a dog's chew bone and put it in an old sock. You can bunch it into a ball and play fetch. The dog will have fun trying to get the bone out. See Warnings below.
* Put an empty plastic water bottle in the sock, tie the end and give to dog. Many dogs seem to love crunching water bottles and the sock stops the plastic from decorating your yard.
18. Save them for moving day. Place valuable glasses, or knick knacks inside the sock sole and wrap the higher part around the bottom. This will give more protection. Add a tag on the outside of the sock, so you remember what is inside. Place in a moving box or inside one of your dresser drawers.
19. Make potpourri holders. Place potpourri inside and sew closed. Great in closets and dresser drawers. Gives off a gentle smell for months.
20. Make a cat toy. Pour Catnip into an old sock and tie it off. Cats love them. Just watch for holes.
21. Start a new trend. Wear two socks of different colors. Make sure that each color matches your outfit. It'd probably work well with Harajuku style. Art from the Middle Ages c. 1300's ("Les Tres Riches Heures de Duc du Berry--January) shows that royalty and the neighborhood landowner wore socks or stockings of different colors. They were actually very fashionable.
22. Make Fingerless gloves. Cut a hole in the heel and cut off the toe of the sock. Stick your thumb in the heel hole and your fingers out the toes. If you want you can tuck under the raw edges where you made the cuts or sew a simple hem.
23. Make a Rifle Rest Bag. Simply fill a tube sock with rice and tie off the open end. Use it to steady the fore-end of your rifle at the shooting range. Make several and put them under the fore-end and the stock to improve your accuracy.
Tips
* You don't have to use only these ideas - use your imagination as well!
* Always launder socks before using them in any of the projects.
* Always sew up any holes in old socks that are destined for any projects required filling. Obviously if you don't, the filling will pour straight out of the hole.
Warnings
* Using a sock as a dog chew toy poses two dangers: it might teach your dog that all socks are chew toys, so try to ensure that it does not look like a sock before you let your dog use it; and ingested socks can cause bowel blockage, a serious concern for your canine companion, so if the sock becomes damaged, you should take it back.
* Young kids will probably need an adult to help with the ideas that involve sewing.
* Be careful when microwaving a sock containing rice, beans, or deer corn. Microwave it for no more than two minutes, and monitor it, as there is a remote chance that it may overheat and catch fire. To ensure that this doesn't happen, always place a mug full of water in the microwave along with the sock.
Things You'll Need
* Old socks
* Dried peas, rices or beads
* Yarn, markers, sequins, or other decorative items
* Needles and thread
* Large cardboard box to store your odd and old socks - to avoid the temptation to toss them away
* Potpourri
* Tennis ball
How to Recycle Your Socks
You've just cleaned out your drawer, and in front of you is a huge pile of old, holey, mismatched socks. You're thinking about throwing them away, but that's just wasteful. Here are some great ways to recycle those socks - perhaps you never realized just how useful socks can be beyond wearing them!
Steps:
1. Make a dust rag. Slip the sock on your hand. Dampen it with water or a furniture polish and clean away! Socks are good for furniture, window sills, computer screens, floor spills, handles, and blinds.
2. Polish your shoes. Old socks make great shoe polishers. You can also use them to shine the shoe after polishing.
3. Make a homemade hacky sack. A hacky sack is a small cloth ball filled with small beads or beans. Cut off about half the top part of a long sock and about three quarters for a short sock. Fill the sock with dried rice, dried peas, or beads. Sew the opening together in a ball shape.
4. Make a drink cozy. This requires a long sock. Cut the whole top of the sock off. Slide it over a bottle to keep the bottle cool (insulated). A shorter sock can be used for cups and cans.
5. Make a coin purse. You'll need an anklet-sized sock for this project. Use the whole sock and decorate this sock bag with sequins, beads, glitter, or any other decorative items you have about the house. Sew a strip of fabric onto the top for a handle, or a zipper across the opening.
6. Make sock dolls. You can also make a sock monkey or a sock puppet. Fill the sock with beans or rice. Glue, sew, or draw on eyes, nose, and mouth. Cut up another old sock into strips and sew on for hair.
7. Keep a pet's paws warm. If you have an ailing animal that is suffering from the cold, old socks can be helpful in keeping their paws warm. If you are a wildlife rehabilitator, another great use for socks is as temporary pouches for baby animals in your temporary care, such as baby joeys, bats, or possums. Any creature that likes a springy and soft warm place to snuggle into will appreciate this and you will be able to hang the sock up if it is a strong old woolen type, to mimic mother animal's pouch.
8. Make muscle relaxing packs. Fill with rice or wheat and sew up the open end. Place in the microwave with a glass of water to heat for 1 minute. Hang around your neck or place on other sore muscles for instant relief. (Note: Always include the glass of water to provide moisture or the pack can catch on fire if it dries out too much after repeated use.)
9. Make a hard-to-reach cleaning stick. Get a ruler (the longer the better) and slip the sock over the end. Attach with an elastic band or staple. Use this to run underneath stoves, fridges, and other hard to reach places. The sock-covered ruler will return lots of fluff and dust and it is easy to wash the sock after each use.
10. Make horse bandages. Cut the foot off the end of a long sock and make a horse bandage. Smaller socks might be suitable for smaller animal bandages on dogs or cats (try children's socks).
11. Make garden soap holders. Gardening can be messy and dirty. Pop a soap bar into the bottom of an old sock and tie a knot around the soap part of the sock. Leave the long part of the sock for tying onto a faucet in the garden. It will be ready for you whenever you need to clean up outside after a gardening session.
12. Sew a quilt or a sock rug. You will need to find the instructions on how to do this (do an internet search) but it is possible to make quilts and rugs from old socks. This gives them extra utility for years to come and is especially neat for those socks with cute patterns or designs that you can't bear to part with.
13. Wash the car or bike. A sock over the hand and you have an instant cleaning cloth that is soft enough for the car body or bike frame. Use one for washing and one for buffing.
14. Make draft protectors. Fill a long sock (knee-high is good) with beans, rice, or other spare filling that you have around the house. Sew or tie up one end and you have an instant, rounded draft protector. If you want to enhance its appearance, add eyes, nose, mouth and maybe feelers or whiskers - whatever sort of animal that you can imagine.
15. Add a tennis ball. The purpose of adding a tennis ball to an old sock can be twofold:
* Make a back and neck soother. Tie the tennis ball inside the end of a long sock. Taking the long end of the sock, toss the sock over your shoulder so that the ball lands on your back. Stand against a wall and lean against the sock and ball. Rub your back up and down against the ball that is squeezed into the wall and it will massage away aches and pains from sport, sitting too long at the computer or any other activities that may have caused back tension. Use a shorter sock for a neck massaging version.
* Make a dog pull-toy. In the same way, place the tennis ball in the end of the sock and tie around it. Take the long end of the sock and tempt your dog to take it. If your dog is playful, a fun tug-of-war is likely to ensue. See Warnings below.
16. Make a sock jump rope. All you have to do is tie about 15 or so long socks in a line and you have a neat jump rope! It's also fun to use different colored socks!
17. Make a dog toy.
* Take a dog's chew bone and put it in an old sock. You can bunch it into a ball and play fetch. The dog will have fun trying to get the bone out. See Warnings below.
* Put an empty plastic water bottle in the sock, tie the end and give to dog. Many dogs seem to love crunching water bottles and the sock stops the plastic from decorating your yard.
18. Save them for moving day. Place valuable glasses, or knick knacks inside the sock sole and wrap the higher part around the bottom. This will give more protection. Add a tag on the outside of the sock, so you remember what is inside. Place in a moving box or inside one of your dresser drawers.
19. Make potpourri holders. Place potpourri inside and sew closed. Great in closets and dresser drawers. Gives off a gentle smell for months.
20. Make a cat toy. Pour Catnip into an old sock and tie it off. Cats love them. Just watch for holes.
21. Start a new trend. Wear two socks of different colors. Make sure that each color matches your outfit. It'd probably work well with Harajuku style. Art from the Middle Ages c. 1300's ("Les Tres Riches Heures de Duc du Berry--January) shows that royalty and the neighborhood landowner wore socks or stockings of different colors. They were actually very fashionable.
22. Make Fingerless gloves. Cut a hole in the heel and cut off the toe of the sock. Stick your thumb in the heel hole and your fingers out the toes. If you want you can tuck under the raw edges where you made the cuts or sew a simple hem.
23. Make a Rifle Rest Bag. Simply fill a tube sock with rice and tie off the open end. Use it to steady the fore-end of your rifle at the shooting range. Make several and put them under the fore-end and the stock to improve your accuracy.
Tips
* You don't have to use only these ideas - use your imagination as well!
* Always launder socks before using them in any of the projects.
* Always sew up any holes in old socks that are destined for any projects required filling. Obviously if you don't, the filling will pour straight out of the hole.
Warnings
* Using a sock as a dog chew toy poses two dangers: it might teach your dog that all socks are chew toys, so try to ensure that it does not look like a sock before you let your dog use it; and ingested socks can cause bowel blockage, a serious concern for your canine companion, so if the sock becomes damaged, you should take it back.
* Young kids will probably need an adult to help with the ideas that involve sewing.
* Be careful when microwaving a sock containing rice, beans, or deer corn. Microwave it for no more than two minutes, and monitor it, as there is a remote chance that it may overheat and catch fire. To ensure that this doesn't happen, always place a mug full of water in the microwave along with the sock.
Things You'll Need
* Old socks
* Dried peas, rices or beads
* Yarn, markers, sequins, or other decorative items
* Needles and thread
* Large cardboard box to store your odd and old socks - to avoid the temptation to toss them away
* Potpourri
* Tennis ball
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
The Season Of Giving (And Getting)
My friend Ashley suggested that the topic this week be cheap homemade gifts people can make in order to save some dough. (I'll expand that to say feel free to talk about consumerism and Christmas in general if you want.)
As you all know, I am broke. I will probably be broke for the rest of my life. That's a choice I make. (Obviously I am not literally broke, since I am on a computer and not starving to death, but you know, perspective or somethings). So homemade gifts are something that appeal to me. Here's a few ideas for homemade gifts I have, and easy directions you can follow to make them yourself. Enjoy!
1 - Write a nice poem for the person to show you care about them - First, go to graduate school for poetry. Then, find a person you like and start to care about them. (These steps can be reversed). Then write a poem about them. In order to make it good, though, you have to complicate the issues and remove rhymes like "love, dove, glove" or "soul, hole, pole." Replace them with phrases like "a plant starves in winter," "Jupiter in the Heavens and the intricate map of asphalt on earth," or "I want to do it to your butt big time." Give poem to person. Actually, probably you shouldn't give poem to person. They will think you are totally weird and cheap. Unless you went the butt route. Then give the poem to person for sure.
2 - Bake a big double chocolate fudge cake - First, find a friend. Then, make sure his name is Glenn Shaheen. Then, find some recipe or something. Who am I, Emeril? Finally, give Glenn Shaheen the cake. You can leave now.
3 - Make a collage that isn't creepy - First, get a bunch of magazines. Make sure they are not Hustler, Penthouse, Jugs, Big Black Butts, Suffering Sapphotage!, Monster Cocks In Tiny Socks Quaterly, or *vagina: the journal of new experimental feminist pornography. Then, cut out some pictures that represent the relationship you share with the person. Try not to just cut out teeth or mouths or thumbs and glue them everywhere in the shape of stars. Then, paste the pieces onto a backdrop. If you are so broke you can't afford glue, try not to make a huge deal of how you used your saliva, tears, etc, to make the collage. Also, present the collage to the friend face to face. Don't nail it to their door, pet, or put it on their sleeping body in the middle of the night. Voila! Collage!
4 - Send an E-Card! - Just kidding. Don't fucking send an E-Card.
5 - Make some homemade jewelery - Perhaps you have 100 spoons like I do for some reason. Here's a great excuse to get rid of some of those spoons! First, get a small caliber pistol. Then, shoot holes in like 20 spoons. Try to hold them a little away from your face for safety. Then put a string or some other flexible slender thing through the spoons. There you have it! Christmas necklace! It's like the ear necklace in Universal Soldier. Remember that movie? (I really do have way too many spoons, though. I don't get it).
There you have it! Five cheap, homemade gift ideas from yours truly!
I only have one thing to say about Christmas and commercialism right now. I'm not a Christian, so the dereligiousing of Christmas doesn't bother me. On the other hand, I don't get upset when stores say Merry Christmas or whatever. But as you all know, my favorite holiday for candy's sake is Easter. They have Cadbury creme eggs, and the mini eggs too. And they hadn't infiltrated other holidays. But a couple of weeks ago Laurie (my girlfriend in Houston, not Laurie who posts here) came back from New York with some "Cadbury Ornament Eggs." We thought they might be minty on the inside, because that's Christmassy, but when we bit into them they were just regular Cadbury Creme Eggs. As much as I love those eggs, I was a little disappointed that they had made the leap. And they didn't even change the design of them at all! I mean, eggs? At Christmas? Easter is the thinly veiled pagan fertility festival. Christmas has nothing to do with eggs and fertility. Christmas is the thinly veiled pagan solstice festival.
Oh well, I'll still buy and eat them.
As you all know, I am broke. I will probably be broke for the rest of my life. That's a choice I make. (Obviously I am not literally broke, since I am on a computer and not starving to death, but you know, perspective or somethings). So homemade gifts are something that appeal to me. Here's a few ideas for homemade gifts I have, and easy directions you can follow to make them yourself. Enjoy!
1 - Write a nice poem for the person to show you care about them - First, go to graduate school for poetry. Then, find a person you like and start to care about them. (These steps can be reversed). Then write a poem about them. In order to make it good, though, you have to complicate the issues and remove rhymes like "love, dove, glove" or "soul, hole, pole." Replace them with phrases like "a plant starves in winter," "Jupiter in the Heavens and the intricate map of asphalt on earth," or "I want to do it to your butt big time." Give poem to person. Actually, probably you shouldn't give poem to person. They will think you are totally weird and cheap. Unless you went the butt route. Then give the poem to person for sure.
2 - Bake a big double chocolate fudge cake - First, find a friend. Then, make sure his name is Glenn Shaheen. Then, find some recipe or something. Who am I, Emeril? Finally, give Glenn Shaheen the cake. You can leave now.
3 - Make a collage that isn't creepy - First, get a bunch of magazines. Make sure they are not Hustler, Penthouse, Jugs, Big Black Butts, Suffering Sapphotage!, Monster Cocks In Tiny Socks Quaterly, or *vagina: the journal of new experimental feminist pornography. Then, cut out some pictures that represent the relationship you share with the person. Try not to just cut out teeth or mouths or thumbs and glue them everywhere in the shape of stars. Then, paste the pieces onto a backdrop. If you are so broke you can't afford glue, try not to make a huge deal of how you used your saliva, tears, etc, to make the collage. Also, present the collage to the friend face to face. Don't nail it to their door, pet, or put it on their sleeping body in the middle of the night. Voila! Collage!
4 - Send an E-Card! - Just kidding. Don't fucking send an E-Card.
5 - Make some homemade jewelery - Perhaps you have 100 spoons like I do for some reason. Here's a great excuse to get rid of some of those spoons! First, get a small caliber pistol. Then, shoot holes in like 20 spoons. Try to hold them a little away from your face for safety. Then put a string or some other flexible slender thing through the spoons. There you have it! Christmas necklace! It's like the ear necklace in Universal Soldier. Remember that movie? (I really do have way too many spoons, though. I don't get it).
There you have it! Five cheap, homemade gift ideas from yours truly!
I only have one thing to say about Christmas and commercialism right now. I'm not a Christian, so the dereligiousing of Christmas doesn't bother me. On the other hand, I don't get upset when stores say Merry Christmas or whatever. But as you all know, my favorite holiday for candy's sake is Easter. They have Cadbury creme eggs, and the mini eggs too. And they hadn't infiltrated other holidays. But a couple of weeks ago Laurie (my girlfriend in Houston, not Laurie who posts here) came back from New York with some "Cadbury Ornament Eggs." We thought they might be minty on the inside, because that's Christmassy, but when we bit into them they were just regular Cadbury Creme Eggs. As much as I love those eggs, I was a little disappointed that they had made the leap. And they didn't even change the design of them at all! I mean, eggs? At Christmas? Easter is the thinly veiled pagan fertility festival. Christmas has nothing to do with eggs and fertility. Christmas is the thinly veiled pagan solstice festival.
Oh well, I'll still buy and eat them.
Monday, December 03, 2007
1/4Life
I suppose I've been having a quarter-life crisis for several years now.
Like Jane, I got out of college and couldn't get a job in my field. In fact, I couldn't really get any job. I tried for art teacher, secretary, retail, etc. However, when they saw the degree in animation on my application they all had the same question. "Where do you think you'll be 5 years from now?" I wasn't about to answer that I thought I'd still be working at a crappy paper company (yes, I would've been Pam from The Office), so I told the truth, and of course didn't get the job. In my mind I hoped that I would be working for some fabulous animation company. OK - honestly, I would've been happy at a crappy animation company - just to be doing the work in my field.
The one thing I wouldn't have answered would be that I thought I'd be working at a library and living back at home with my mother. 5 years haven't passed yet - I still have a little under 2 years, so maybe there's still hope. I don't think I'll get a job at an animation company, but at least there's still time to move away. The library isn't that bad, though I'm not entirely sure I want it as a career.
During the last 3 years and 3 months, I've bounced back and forth between what I thought should be the next step. I've thought about law school, a masters in fashion or interior design, tattooing, and even culinary school. I've toyed with the idea of opening an art store here in Lake City. I'm caught between the idea of staying where I am and moving. (Though usually that's hindered by the fact that I can't ever seem to save any money)
Of course, maybe all of this isn't a true "crisis", just life. It takes time to figure shit out sometimes, and while I may not be sure about the future, I'm not too bad off where I am.
Like Jane, I got out of college and couldn't get a job in my field. In fact, I couldn't really get any job. I tried for art teacher, secretary, retail, etc. However, when they saw the degree in animation on my application they all had the same question. "Where do you think you'll be 5 years from now?" I wasn't about to answer that I thought I'd still be working at a crappy paper company (yes, I would've been Pam from The Office), so I told the truth, and of course didn't get the job. In my mind I hoped that I would be working for some fabulous animation company. OK - honestly, I would've been happy at a crappy animation company - just to be doing the work in my field.
The one thing I wouldn't have answered would be that I thought I'd be working at a library and living back at home with my mother. 5 years haven't passed yet - I still have a little under 2 years, so maybe there's still hope. I don't think I'll get a job at an animation company, but at least there's still time to move away. The library isn't that bad, though I'm not entirely sure I want it as a career.
During the last 3 years and 3 months, I've bounced back and forth between what I thought should be the next step. I've thought about law school, a masters in fashion or interior design, tattooing, and even culinary school. I've toyed with the idea of opening an art store here in Lake City. I'm caught between the idea of staying where I am and moving. (Though usually that's hindered by the fact that I can't ever seem to save any money)
Of course, maybe all of this isn't a true "crisis", just life. It takes time to figure shit out sometimes, and while I may not be sure about the future, I'm not too bad off where I am.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Late Bloomer?
I remember talking about the quarter-life crisis phenomenon near the end of college, but I've never really felt like I was in one. Of course, I didn't hit my big teenage rebellion until I was 19, so maybe it's still coming.
Like most people my age, though, I have been doing my own share of wandering and looking for "my place" in society/the world/the universe. I moved up to DC a few months after college, sight unseen, not knowing any one. I can confess now that I did this mainly for two reasons: 1.) to have something to propel me out of Florida (which is not a terrible place, just the place where I was born, grew up, and went to school, and I wanted something new) and 2.) to get away from living in my parents' house. My parents are pretty great, but eventually that arrangement would probably have ended tragically.
After my first DC job left me ready to come running back to my parents' house in Florida and to declare defeat by DC, I managed to find another one that I've (generally speaking) liked.
But now it's time to move on from that as well. I suppose now is as good a time as any to announce it, so here goes! Over Labor Day, I proposed to my long-term and long-distance boyfriend, and he said yes, which is always nice. He teaches in Columbus, Ohio, and can't relocate, so I'm moving from DC to join him. I have just over a week of work left here, then a week to finish packing, and then I'm off! I plan to work as a consultant to my current company from Columbus and concentrate much more on free-lance and creative writing (and possibly other art projects). And no, no date yet. I'm not ready to get into all the wedding hysteria yet.
Now that I write it out so briefly here, that does seem like a quarter-life crisis (I just turned 26 a couple weeks ago). But it really doesn't feel like that while I'm living it. I feel more like I've given DC a chance and realized that, although it has a lot to offer and I've enjoyed most of my time here, it's not the city for me (more on this in a couple weeks when I pick the topic). On the other hand, I've found someone who is the person for me, so I might as well be with him while I give a new city a try. My visits to Columbus have really impressed me--so far the city (away from the campus) seems to have a good soul--and I'm really excited about the move. Plus, it will be nice to have Congressional representation again, although I don't yet know who those people will be.
Like most people my age, though, I have been doing my own share of wandering and looking for "my place" in society/the world/the universe. I moved up to DC a few months after college, sight unseen, not knowing any one. I can confess now that I did this mainly for two reasons: 1.) to have something to propel me out of Florida (which is not a terrible place, just the place where I was born, grew up, and went to school, and I wanted something new) and 2.) to get away from living in my parents' house. My parents are pretty great, but eventually that arrangement would probably have ended tragically.
After my first DC job left me ready to come running back to my parents' house in Florida and to declare defeat by DC, I managed to find another one that I've (generally speaking) liked.
But now it's time to move on from that as well. I suppose now is as good a time as any to announce it, so here goes! Over Labor Day, I proposed to my long-term and long-distance boyfriend, and he said yes, which is always nice. He teaches in Columbus, Ohio, and can't relocate, so I'm moving from DC to join him. I have just over a week of work left here, then a week to finish packing, and then I'm off! I plan to work as a consultant to my current company from Columbus and concentrate much more on free-lance and creative writing (and possibly other art projects). And no, no date yet. I'm not ready to get into all the wedding hysteria yet.
Now that I write it out so briefly here, that does seem like a quarter-life crisis (I just turned 26 a couple weeks ago). But it really doesn't feel like that while I'm living it. I feel more like I've given DC a chance and realized that, although it has a lot to offer and I've enjoyed most of my time here, it's not the city for me (more on this in a couple weeks when I pick the topic). On the other hand, I've found someone who is the person for me, so I might as well be with him while I give a new city a try. My visits to Columbus have really impressed me--so far the city (away from the campus) seems to have a good soul--and I'm really excited about the move. Plus, it will be nice to have Congressional representation again, although I don't yet know who those people will be.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
MFA
I sort of think my whole life has been a series of unending kinds of crises, so I'm not too sure if I can call my current reevaluation of my life any different than when I decided to be a filmmaker in high school.
See, that's what is called starting "in medias res," because I didn't explain what my crisis was before I started talking about it. Hooked? Well, as you all know and could probably tell from the title, my current situation-that-might-be-viewed-as-a-crisis-by-losers-in-law-school is me going to poetry school for an MFA. See, for a couple of brief semesters I was taking pre-med classes a few years ago, and then I decided that poetry was what I wanted to do, so even though it would put me in a substantial amount of debt and not guarantee me any kind of steady income in my life ever for as long as I live, I dropped all of the pre-med and applied to MFA programs. Now I'm almost done with my MFA here in Houston.
But maybe what is different about this phase in my life is that unlike rock star/astronaut/filmmaker/rock star/novelist/doctor/rock star, I am fully planning on continuing with the poetry writing and hopefully eventually teaching. So much so that I am applying to phds right now, which would be another 5 years of edumacation. So I guess I can understand the need to evaluate one's life in the mid-twenties.
For me the major catalyst for all of this latest change and evaluation started when I taught middle school. Long story short (you've all heard it before)- Sucked, people dumb, students lame, public school bureaucracy unsalvageable. That's when I was really in a funk for a while. I applied to 50 fucking jobs, and the only two I got were at a call center in Lake City where they hire everybody (I quit after I discovered they were going to pay me less than they had promised) and a job as a bag boy at Publix. I moved in with Laurie and her then boyfriend in a house in the Tallahassee ghetto at which we routinely had prostitutes bringing their johns onto our porch. I reenrolled in school to take pre-med classes. I aced them all, but all the pre-med students were whiny jerks, and it just wasn't any fun. My friends in Tallahassee who were all doing poetry stuff seemed to have so much fun, and although I could talk to them about poetry, I felt disconnected from the academic group. So after taking a class with Barbara Hamby, I decided "Fuck all this financial security business, Jeeves, I want to go to poetry school." Poetry was what I did that I liked the best, so why shouldn't I find a way to do that and get paid (someday, perhaps in crackers. Maybe the kind with peanut butter in the middle.) So I applied and got in the end.
Now things are going pretty well, and I'm happy with the decisions I've made, even if I can't get any of you guys to read or like poetry. Oh well! At least I've managed to talk everybody into agreeing that the Original Series is way better than Next Gen.
PS - A BSG milestone - this is the 800th time on Blog Supergroup that I've posted about poetry. A celebration is in order, I believe!
See, that's what is called starting "in medias res," because I didn't explain what my crisis was before I started talking about it. Hooked? Well, as you all know and could probably tell from the title, my current situation-that-might-be-viewed-as-a-crisis-by-losers-in-law-school is me going to poetry school for an MFA. See, for a couple of brief semesters I was taking pre-med classes a few years ago, and then I decided that poetry was what I wanted to do, so even though it would put me in a substantial amount of debt and not guarantee me any kind of steady income in my life ever for as long as I live, I dropped all of the pre-med and applied to MFA programs. Now I'm almost done with my MFA here in Houston.
But maybe what is different about this phase in my life is that unlike rock star/astronaut/filmmaker/rock star/novelist/doctor/rock star, I am fully planning on continuing with the poetry writing and hopefully eventually teaching. So much so that I am applying to phds right now, which would be another 5 years of edumacation. So I guess I can understand the need to evaluate one's life in the mid-twenties.
For me the major catalyst for all of this latest change and evaluation started when I taught middle school. Long story short (you've all heard it before)- Sucked, people dumb, students lame, public school bureaucracy unsalvageable. That's when I was really in a funk for a while. I applied to 50 fucking jobs, and the only two I got were at a call center in Lake City where they hire everybody (I quit after I discovered they were going to pay me less than they had promised) and a job as a bag boy at Publix. I moved in with Laurie and her then boyfriend in a house in the Tallahassee ghetto at which we routinely had prostitutes bringing their johns onto our porch. I reenrolled in school to take pre-med classes. I aced them all, but all the pre-med students were whiny jerks, and it just wasn't any fun. My friends in Tallahassee who were all doing poetry stuff seemed to have so much fun, and although I could talk to them about poetry, I felt disconnected from the academic group. So after taking a class with Barbara Hamby, I decided "Fuck all this financial security business, Jeeves, I want to go to poetry school." Poetry was what I did that I liked the best, so why shouldn't I find a way to do that and get paid (someday, perhaps in crackers. Maybe the kind with peanut butter in the middle.) So I applied and got in the end.
Now things are going pretty well, and I'm happy with the decisions I've made, even if I can't get any of you guys to read or like poetry. Oh well! At least I've managed to talk everybody into agreeing that the Original Series is way better than Next Gen.
PS - A BSG milestone - this is the 800th time on Blog Supergroup that I've posted about poetry. A celebration is in order, I believe!
Monday, November 26, 2007
i really didn't mean to suck...
i missed my day!!!
thanks for picking it up jane, and i'll cover yours.
i spent pretty much the whole day sunday on the phone with a very good friend i hadn't spoken to in a really long time, so the post didn't happen.
anyway, my connection ain't the speediest right now, so i'm gonna have to catch the show later.
i just hit the big 25 myself, so i guess i'm really at the QLC point, but i think i'm okay - i'm in a job that could potentially be a long-term career, which is great since i dropped out of college: my boss has expressed that she wouldn't mind my succeeding her when she retires in a few years, so if i want to stay in human resources forever, i could do that. it would eventually pay enough to get by on, even though the ymca is non-profit. i might not mind sticking with it, since it allows me to be nit-picky about details, and nobody else knows labor law at all so i can make up whatever bull-honkey i want and they'll believe it. that's kind of fun. i would like to own a home, but i'm resigned to renting as long as we live in southern cal, and we've got a retirement place set up in washington state as soon as we have enough money... so if i ever do write the books i keep thinking about, that might be sooner rather than later.
i'm basically content with life, or would be if we had a little more cash. anyone need a personal trainer?
thanks for picking it up jane, and i'll cover yours.
i spent pretty much the whole day sunday on the phone with a very good friend i hadn't spoken to in a really long time, so the post didn't happen.
anyway, my connection ain't the speediest right now, so i'm gonna have to catch the show later.
i just hit the big 25 myself, so i guess i'm really at the QLC point, but i think i'm okay - i'm in a job that could potentially be a long-term career, which is great since i dropped out of college: my boss has expressed that she wouldn't mind my succeeding her when she retires in a few years, so if i want to stay in human resources forever, i could do that. it would eventually pay enough to get by on, even though the ymca is non-profit. i might not mind sticking with it, since it allows me to be nit-picky about details, and nobody else knows labor law at all so i can make up whatever bull-honkey i want and they'll believe it. that's kind of fun. i would like to own a home, but i'm resigned to renting as long as we live in southern cal, and we've got a retirement place set up in washington state as soon as we have enough money... so if i ever do write the books i keep thinking about, that might be sooner rather than later.
i'm basically content with life, or would be if we had a little more cash. anyone need a personal trainer?
Quarterlife crisis, anyone?
Hi guys, it's me, Jane. I know I'm posting out of turn, but I'm covering Linda's spot this week. My topic of choice is rather multifaceted, so for you commenters and other BSG posters, feel free to address any (or all) aspects. Whichever moves you. Our topic of the week, if you can't guess, is the Quarterlife Crisis. We BSG bloggers are all in our mid (or in my case, late, but we don't need to focus on that) twenties, and I suspect that most of us have had, are having or will have a quarterlife crisis at some point pretty soon.
So what is a quarterlife crisis (QLC)? Growing up, I'd always heard of The Midlife Crisis, where stereotypically one freaks out at the impending arrival of old age, gets divorced, dates people way too young for one's age bracket, and buys a sports car. I first heard about QLCs when I was in the middle of mine. I'd say mine began my senior year of college (2001) - when I discovered that despite having been told all my life that a college degree would land me a great job, no one wanted to hire me - and ended with the penning of my manifesto in Fall 2005. I don't know if Melissa will remember this, but she was the one who first brought the term QLC to my attention. We had just returned from our first (and hellish) trip to South Korea, had no job, no job prospects and no real interest in real jobs anyway. I don't remember how she heard about QLCs, but when she described it to me I knew that it fit what I was going through exactly.
But what *is* a QLC? you ask. Well, according to wikipedia a QLC is a psychological "crisis" akin to the midlife-crisis, but occurring amongst those ages 21-29. Symptoms include (among other things) feeling "not good enough" because one can't find a job that is at one's academic/intellectual level, frustration with relationships, the working world, and finding a suitable job or career, confusion of identity, insecurity regarding the near future, and insecurity regarding present accomplishments. (That came from the wikipedia article on QLCs, which I highly recommend reading in its entirety.)
Anyhow, roughly six years after I first heard about this QLC concept, it seems to have hit the mainstream via... well, I was going to write TV show, but that's not the case at all. Quarterlife is an internet-based show. It's shown ONLY on the internet. However, it's not some sort of low-budget, made-for-the-net kind of production; it's got the production quality of a legit TV show. (I heard on NPR that because of the TV writers' strike, TV channels are negotiating with Quarterlife to air it on regular TV, as that show - being set entirely in new-media - had already negotiated a completely different contract with their writers. No clue as to how that will pan out.) Episodes last about fifteen minutes, and are posted on the Quarterlife site every Sunday and Thursday. I've actually found the show pretty engaging, thus far.
In addition to simply being a net show, quarterlife has its own social networking site (a la MySpace and Facebook) as well, where you can create your own profile, upload blogs, vlogs, etc, and even befriend the characters from the show. As a social networking site, quarterlife leaves much to be desired, as it's new and there are still quite a few kinks in the programming. But, never fear! The Quarterlife characters have MySpace pages! No, I don't mean that the actors playing these people have MySpace pages, I mean the characters have them. These pages are maintained as though these characters were real people [example]. They even have blogs, where they blog about things that have happened in the show... and entirely unrelated things like Hillary's candidacy and class divisions in the US. Which totally weirds me out. These are not real people!
So, things to think on this week: What do you think about quarterlife crises as a concept? Have you had one, or are you having one now? What were/are your QLC experiences? What are your thoughts on the Quarterlife internet show? What do you think about the idea of internet based "tv"? What do you think about being able to interact with characters from shows? Have fun!
Friday, November 23, 2007
Churkey (and other yummy goodness)
Yesterday was Thanksgiving, and I hope everyone had a great one. My Aunt Kathy is currently living with my mom, so there were three of us for the feast. My mom decided to cook (and stuff!) a chicken instead of a turkey. (Heehee, churkey.) I'm not entirely sure why she decided this, but it was fine by me, as I don't particularly like turkey. We also had three pies: pumpkin, sweetpotato and pecan. I really dislike sweetpotato pie. For years my mother has insisted that I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between pumpkin and sweetpotato, so yesterday I had a blind taste test. I immediately knew which one was yummy pumpkin pie and which was nasty sweetpotato. Hah! Anyway, the food was delicious, and even without a tryptophan-containing turkey, we all needed a serious nap after dinner. Here are some pictures of our feast:
And now for some random Thanksgiving tales:
While in college: Those of you from Lake City might possibly know who Cleopatra J. Steele is. For those of you who don't, she is a pastor of a somewhat cult-like church which operates just north of downtown Lake City in the rather, shall we say, ghettoish part of town. In addition to a church, she runs a thrift store and several halfway houses and homeless shelters, all in that neck of the woods. (My Aunt Kathy, the one currently living with my mom, suffers from severe mental illness. She has lived in a couple of Cleopatra's shelters, attended her church, and has known Cleopatra for years.) I've never been able to decide if Cleopatra is actually doing good, or if she's simply running a really good scam. Anyway, every year for Thanksgiving her church sponsors a dinner for the homeless and otherwise needy in an empty lot near her church. For two or three years while I was in college, Melissa and I (and sometimes her mom, sometimes my mom) would go to help serve the meals. Or well, the first year we went to help serve. After that we just went to eat. Yeah.
Thanksgiving 2001: Melissa and I had just returned from our really horrific trip to Korea. Melissa and most of her family went somewhere (North Carolina?). However, Alex (at the time Melissa's boyfriend, now her husband) and I remained in Lake City, taking care of Melissa's mentally and physically handicapped brother. Alex went home (to Macclenny, FL) for Thanksgiving dinner, and returned bearing tons of really yummy food. Yay! We watched a twenty-four hour Star Trek: The Next Generation marathon. Also, at some point during that weekend, Glenn and Stephanie stopped by. I'd just woken up and looked like crap and didn't want them to see me. I told Alex to tell them I wasn't there, but instead he invited them in and told them I was hiding behind the TV. Thanks a lot.
Thanksgiving 2003: I was living in San Diego, CA, and had been dating a certain guy since Halloween. Said certain guy had essentially no good qualities, except that he was a really good cook. He wanted to cook a true turkey-day feast, but between the supermarket workers strike and the fact that we didn't get around to shopping until the day before Thanksgiving, we couldn't find a turkey. So we bought and stuffed a chicken - my first churkey experience. And it was a delicious feast. If only said certain dude hadn't turned out to be a racist, sexist, alcoholic jackass, because he sure could cook.
Thanksgiving 2005: I was in Russia, and it was AWESOME. That day has it's own lengthy and picture-filled blog post, which you should totally check out by clicking here.
Thanksgiving 2006: For American Thanksgiving, I did not a damn thing. See, Korea has its own holiday of thanksgiving, called Chuseok. Chuseok 2006 was in early October (the date varies as it's based on the lunar calendar; Chuseok 2007 actually fell on my birthday, although I was no longer in Korea at the time). Anyhow, for Chuseok, I went with Gwen and Samson to his hometown for their family gathering and feast. It, too, was awesome and has it's own lengthy and picture-filled blog post, which you should most definitely check out by clicking here.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Making a Home for the Holidays
I love Thanksgiving. This is easily explained by another 3-word sentence: I love food. The last several years have been kind of unusual Thanksgivings, as I've not spent a lot of time within 1000 miles of my family in Florida.
2003: Montreal (1370 miles away)
2004: Montreal (ditto)
2005: Switzerland (4766 miles away)
2006: Florida (there's still a story here)
2007: Kitchener, Ontario (923 miles away)
When I can't get to my family for Thanksgiving, whether they are in Florida or North Carolina, I like to either 1) find a surrogate family (like Glenn does), or 2) have a nice meal anyway.
The first year in Montreal I kind of did a bit of both: a friend of ours -- who is actually from Luxembourg, not the US -- hosted a Thanksgiving with her roommates and other pals with turkey, crazy desserts, and all sorts of trimmings with a bizarre continental twist. It wasn't quite like a family occasion, since Sean was the only guy there and we were all in our twenties and unrelated, but there was a nice atmosphere and our hostess was/is a spectacular cook. Unfortunately, our friend didn't do Thanksgiving, part deux, for 2004. I don't really even remember what Sean and I did that year, so I am going to guess it involved going out to eat or something. Which is a nice idea, but not a proper Thanksgiving.
The Swiss Thanksgiving experience, though, was a really, really good time: a great excuse to round up a couple Americans, along with three Brits and a Canuck, and celebrate the food culture of the New World with some native English conversation as accompaniment. I found a 15 lb turkey somehow (turkeys are not so popular...) and called upon the spirit of "Holiday Mom" to pull off a roasted bird, stuffing, carrot souffle and mashed potatoes with some help from Sean and his roommate, Tavis. Unfortunately, while I had the day off, Sean and Tavis (American! from Alaska!) had to work. Tavis got off just in time to help me turn the turkey over, which would have been very difficult to do all by myself. He is also a really fabulous foodie and came through for us by cooking these Bailey's Irish Cream Molten Pots of Love (a kind of brownie with an oozy center and lots of booze) AND an apple pie completely from scratch! Holy shit! The Brits brought wine. The last American, a guy I met online, brought Ocean Spray cranberry sauce! It was a beautiful experience. I made sure to play my Christmas mp3s in lieu of watching the Charlie Brown special on TV.
Last year I WAS with my family. But we didn't have a proper Thanksgiving dinner: we were traveling on the Thursday and probably had frozen pizza or something. And on Friday we were in Sarasota eating a fancy seafood dinner on the beach with my brother's then-fiancee's family. Note the "then." It was magical.
And this year: it's 7:30am. I have been up for an hour and a half. I just did the dishes. I am about to start a turkey pot pie with roasted veg, veg gravy from stock cubes, store-bought pre-cooked turkey, and a frozen pie crust. When that is finished it's on to the pumpkin pie, again with store-bought crust. And at 1pm I start my shift at work, which goes til 6pm (to be fair, my boss offered me the day off...but Thanksgiving is not for daytime television by yourself). The food will be good, I know. The company (Sean) will be great, too. The Christmas wreath I bought for the front door doesn't fit behind the screen door and I have to make at least three long-distance phone calls later to get in touch with my family. I'm feeling kind of maudlin at this point, especially knowing that my two brothers at least have access to a pre-made frozen feast my parents left for them at their house and that my parents themselves will be enjoying a fine spread with some of our closest family friends.
But that's Thanksgiving as I know it: improvising, searching out turkey in foreign lands, and enjoying the best (foodiest) holiday of all with as many other willing parties as possible. I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and hope you have a great, gluttonous time, however you manage to celebrate!
2003: Montreal (1370 miles away)
2004: Montreal (ditto)
2005: Switzerland (4766 miles away)
2006: Florida (there's still a story here)
2007: Kitchener, Ontario (923 miles away)
When I can't get to my family for Thanksgiving, whether they are in Florida or North Carolina, I like to either 1) find a surrogate family (like Glenn does), or 2) have a nice meal anyway.
The first year in Montreal I kind of did a bit of both: a friend of ours -- who is actually from Luxembourg, not the US -- hosted a Thanksgiving with her roommates and other pals with turkey, crazy desserts, and all sorts of trimmings with a bizarre continental twist. It wasn't quite like a family occasion, since Sean was the only guy there and we were all in our twenties and unrelated, but there was a nice atmosphere and our hostess was/is a spectacular cook. Unfortunately, our friend didn't do Thanksgiving, part deux, for 2004. I don't really even remember what Sean and I did that year, so I am going to guess it involved going out to eat or something. Which is a nice idea, but not a proper Thanksgiving.
The Swiss Thanksgiving experience, though, was a really, really good time: a great excuse to round up a couple Americans, along with three Brits and a Canuck, and celebrate the food culture of the New World with some native English conversation as accompaniment. I found a 15 lb turkey somehow (turkeys are not so popular...) and called upon the spirit of "Holiday Mom" to pull off a roasted bird, stuffing, carrot souffle and mashed potatoes with some help from Sean and his roommate, Tavis. Unfortunately, while I had the day off, Sean and Tavis (American! from Alaska!) had to work. Tavis got off just in time to help me turn the turkey over, which would have been very difficult to do all by myself. He is also a really fabulous foodie and came through for us by cooking these Bailey's Irish Cream Molten Pots of Love (a kind of brownie with an oozy center and lots of booze) AND an apple pie completely from scratch! Holy shit! The Brits brought wine. The last American, a guy I met online, brought Ocean Spray cranberry sauce! It was a beautiful experience. I made sure to play my Christmas mp3s in lieu of watching the Charlie Brown special on TV.
Last year I WAS with my family. But we didn't have a proper Thanksgiving dinner: we were traveling on the Thursday and probably had frozen pizza or something. And on Friday we were in Sarasota eating a fancy seafood dinner on the beach with my brother's then-fiancee's family. Note the "then." It was magical.
And this year: it's 7:30am. I have been up for an hour and a half. I just did the dishes. I am about to start a turkey pot pie with roasted veg, veg gravy from stock cubes, store-bought pre-cooked turkey, and a frozen pie crust. When that is finished it's on to the pumpkin pie, again with store-bought crust. And at 1pm I start my shift at work, which goes til 6pm (to be fair, my boss offered me the day off...but Thanksgiving is not for daytime television by yourself). The food will be good, I know. The company (Sean) will be great, too. The Christmas wreath I bought for the front door doesn't fit behind the screen door and I have to make at least three long-distance phone calls later to get in touch with my family. I'm feeling kind of maudlin at this point, especially knowing that my two brothers at least have access to a pre-made frozen feast my parents left for them at their house and that my parents themselves will be enjoying a fine spread with some of our closest family friends.
But that's Thanksgiving as I know it: improvising, searching out turkey in foreign lands, and enjoying the best (foodiest) holiday of all with as many other willing parties as possible. I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and hope you have a great, gluttonous time, however you manage to celebrate!
Give thanks and whatnot
So it's that time of year again- Thanksgiving! And it's also the time of year that those of us who are blessed with OCD and of thinking way too much reassess the year that is almost over and what the heck just happened, and what there is to be thankful for.
For me, this year has been quite the tumultuous one. I had a major existential crisis and a bit of a breakdown. I was forced, by the aforementioned crisis as well as other factors, to evaluate my life here and everything I am doing. I missed two weeks of work, after which I got called into my boss' office, told to shut the door...and received a promotion. I got my own office and the responsibility of nine City departments' budgets. I broke up with my girlfriend of almost three years. I got saddled with the financial burden of suddenly having to take care of things I hadn't had to before. I attempted to somewhat get back into the dating scene, and the first person I met, well, let's just say it turned into a huge disaster very quickly. I had to undergo heart tests, one of which took six hours rendered me basically unconscious. I was handed down a disastrously wrong diagnosis and ended up going to the doctor to get reevaluated more times than I'd care to remember for something false. I deal by proxy with some family crises. I ran out of money on more than one occasion (many more, frankly). My "faith" was shaken and I was forced to evaluate my spirituality, or lack thereof, which was a hugely difficult situation considering it was not one I was concerned with for 20-something years. I turned 27 and watched friends move on in their lives, some getting married, etc., while I continued to live the so-called "bachelor" life and pursued my own ends.
But I still have a lot to be thankful for. My family continues to recover from some issues from the past couple of years and seems to be doing better than ever. Most importantly, they are all still here. I keep in touch with friends, for the most part regardless of our distances and differences, and feel blessed that I get to share in their joys. I just reconnected with an old friend I love very dearly and just to my excitement found out I will get to see him again after nearly three years of not even being able to speak with him. I have found some amount of "faith" in my life and a newfound spirituality which seems to have filled a void in my life. My crises reaffirmed my passions in life and reaffirmed to myself that I am on the right track; stepping back from my situation gave me the wonderful chance to see, from the outside, just how lucky I've been and just how happy I am and how right my choices have been. My relationship with my ex has blossomed into a wonderful, caring and comfortable friendship, one which we never had before. My biggest crisis this year also forced also to grow up, and to learn what it actually meant to be an adult and to be grown up and responsible, independent of any outside forces or expectations. I've had to take a hard look at my personality and figure out what defines me and "who" I am and am going to be. I've come out of the ordeals of this past year stronger, more grown up, and more mature, while also holding a newfound appreciation for the people, places, and things in my life, as well as my all-important sense of humor, which has only gotten stronger. And this year saw me come out of the other end of my struggles a stronger person and more passionate, and one more step on the way to achieving my dreams.
I have spent the last several months thinking that 2007 has been the worst, or at least the most exceedingly difficult, year I've had in my 27 years of living, at least from what I can remember (there are some high school times that would be hard to beat if I really thought about it). And 2007 has been the worst year of my (at least adult) life, no question. However, now I also realize that it might have been just what I needed; that the trials actually made me a much stronger, and much happier person. Don't make any mistake though: I'm still a curmudgeon. I wouldn't be Nick if I weren't grouchy. (A funny story: when I was going through the worst of my breakdown earlier this year, for several weeks I was not grouchy, not complaining about stuff, getting worked up about something on the news or in the car. One day, I saw something on TV and became very grouchy and began yelling at the TV. The person who was in the room with me, my ex and current best friend I believe, commented "Nick's back")
This year, I am thankful for my family and their love and support, especially my baby brother who is growing up too fast- this will be his last Thanksgiving at home before he goes off to college. I am thankful that he has listened to his big brother and has not made the same mistakes that I made. I am thankful for the beautiful friends that I have. I'm thankful that I have been given the opportunities I have been given, and that even in the middle of my crises, I was able to rise to the occasion. And yes, I'm thankful for my breakdown this year and the trials I have had. I'm thankful for the appreciation for my life it has afforded me, as well as he fact that I am now a more responsible, ethical, better person, with a clear picture of who I want to be and where I am going. I'm more confident now than I was before. I feel complete just being myself, not feeling I need any outside forces or influences to be "complete." And, of course, I'm thankful that I'm here to be thankful at all.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving.
For me, this year has been quite the tumultuous one. I had a major existential crisis and a bit of a breakdown. I was forced, by the aforementioned crisis as well as other factors, to evaluate my life here and everything I am doing. I missed two weeks of work, after which I got called into my boss' office, told to shut the door...and received a promotion. I got my own office and the responsibility of nine City departments' budgets. I broke up with my girlfriend of almost three years. I got saddled with the financial burden of suddenly having to take care of things I hadn't had to before. I attempted to somewhat get back into the dating scene, and the first person I met, well, let's just say it turned into a huge disaster very quickly. I had to undergo heart tests, one of which took six hours rendered me basically unconscious. I was handed down a disastrously wrong diagnosis and ended up going to the doctor to get reevaluated more times than I'd care to remember for something false. I deal by proxy with some family crises. I ran out of money on more than one occasion (many more, frankly). My "faith" was shaken and I was forced to evaluate my spirituality, or lack thereof, which was a hugely difficult situation considering it was not one I was concerned with for 20-something years. I turned 27 and watched friends move on in their lives, some getting married, etc., while I continued to live the so-called "bachelor" life and pursued my own ends.
But I still have a lot to be thankful for. My family continues to recover from some issues from the past couple of years and seems to be doing better than ever. Most importantly, they are all still here. I keep in touch with friends, for the most part regardless of our distances and differences, and feel blessed that I get to share in their joys. I just reconnected with an old friend I love very dearly and just to my excitement found out I will get to see him again after nearly three years of not even being able to speak with him. I have found some amount of "faith" in my life and a newfound spirituality which seems to have filled a void in my life. My crises reaffirmed my passions in life and reaffirmed to myself that I am on the right track; stepping back from my situation gave me the wonderful chance to see, from the outside, just how lucky I've been and just how happy I am and how right my choices have been. My relationship with my ex has blossomed into a wonderful, caring and comfortable friendship, one which we never had before. My biggest crisis this year also forced also to grow up, and to learn what it actually meant to be an adult and to be grown up and responsible, independent of any outside forces or expectations. I've had to take a hard look at my personality and figure out what defines me and "who" I am and am going to be. I've come out of the ordeals of this past year stronger, more grown up, and more mature, while also holding a newfound appreciation for the people, places, and things in my life, as well as my all-important sense of humor, which has only gotten stronger. And this year saw me come out of the other end of my struggles a stronger person and more passionate, and one more step on the way to achieving my dreams.
I have spent the last several months thinking that 2007 has been the worst, or at least the most exceedingly difficult, year I've had in my 27 years of living, at least from what I can remember (there are some high school times that would be hard to beat if I really thought about it). And 2007 has been the worst year of my (at least adult) life, no question. However, now I also realize that it might have been just what I needed; that the trials actually made me a much stronger, and much happier person. Don't make any mistake though: I'm still a curmudgeon. I wouldn't be Nick if I weren't grouchy. (A funny story: when I was going through the worst of my breakdown earlier this year, for several weeks I was not grouchy, not complaining about stuff, getting worked up about something on the news or in the car. One day, I saw something on TV and became very grouchy and began yelling at the TV. The person who was in the room with me, my ex and current best friend I believe, commented "Nick's back")
This year, I am thankful for my family and their love and support, especially my baby brother who is growing up too fast- this will be his last Thanksgiving at home before he goes off to college. I am thankful that he has listened to his big brother and has not made the same mistakes that I made. I am thankful for the beautiful friends that I have. I'm thankful that I have been given the opportunities I have been given, and that even in the middle of my crises, I was able to rise to the occasion. And yes, I'm thankful for my breakdown this year and the trials I have had. I'm thankful for the appreciation for my life it has afforded me, as well as he fact that I am now a more responsible, ethical, better person, with a clear picture of who I want to be and where I am going. I'm more confident now than I was before. I feel complete just being myself, not feeling I need any outside forces or influences to be "complete." And, of course, I'm thankful that I'm here to be thankful at all.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
I love pumpkin pie.
Thanksgiving has never been too much of a big deal for me. It's not that big a holiday in the old country (just one Monday off), and while it was nice to have a 4 or 5 day weekend whenever we moved to the States, it's just never been that special. We used to eat every meal together as a family as kids, and we never had extended family over.
But I haven't even been home for Thanksgiving in almost 10 years. Maybe I went my freshman year of college. I don't remember. Usually I would just buddy up with some friends (the Killians a few times, and the Schulzes) and eat with their families. The past few years I've just done things with other people who weren't going home with their families.
One thing that I get excited around this time of year for is pumpkin pie, and other pumpkin flavored items. (They have pumpkin spice beer at a lot of bars around town right now, but every single one is always out of it, so I think it's a big lie and none of them really have it. Also, people just equate "cinnamon" with "pumpkin spice," so it's probably gross anyway). Pumpkin is my favorite seasonal flavor. It's way better than peppermint (Christmas), peep (Easter), watermelon (summertime), and even cadbury filling (Easter). Maybe it isn't way better than cadbury filling, but it's still better. Even as I write this out (and maybe that's why I'm writing it out) I am wondering who in the Houston area I can call to go grab some pumpkin pie from House of Pies. This morning for breakfast I had an english muffin with pumpkin butter on it. I wish there was pumpkin flavored Cheerios or some other cereal.
Other food items I like at Thanksgiving: turkey, dressing, green bean casserole.
Does Jones Soda have a pumpkin flavored item this year?
It's been so long I forget how to conclude a blog entry.
Forsooth?
But I haven't even been home for Thanksgiving in almost 10 years. Maybe I went my freshman year of college. I don't remember. Usually I would just buddy up with some friends (the Killians a few times, and the Schulzes) and eat with their families. The past few years I've just done things with other people who weren't going home with their families.
One thing that I get excited around this time of year for is pumpkin pie, and other pumpkin flavored items. (They have pumpkin spice beer at a lot of bars around town right now, but every single one is always out of it, so I think it's a big lie and none of them really have it. Also, people just equate "cinnamon" with "pumpkin spice," so it's probably gross anyway). Pumpkin is my favorite seasonal flavor. It's way better than peppermint (Christmas), peep (Easter), watermelon (summertime), and even cadbury filling (Easter). Maybe it isn't way better than cadbury filling, but it's still better. Even as I write this out (and maybe that's why I'm writing it out) I am wondering who in the Houston area I can call to go grab some pumpkin pie from House of Pies. This morning for breakfast I had an english muffin with pumpkin butter on it. I wish there was pumpkin flavored Cheerios or some other cereal.
Other food items I like at Thanksgiving: turkey, dressing, green bean casserole.
Does Jones Soda have a pumpkin flavored item this year?
It's been so long I forget how to conclude a blog entry.
Forsooth?
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Wandering thanks
Almost every year, my immediate family spends Thanksgiving in the North Carolina mountains. My aunt and uncle have owned a cabin up there for years (they, like my parents, live in Florida), and they like my family to go up for Thanksgiving to air it out and clean it up before they come up for Christmas. We love it because it was usually the only time of year we could really see fall colors (sometimes) and every once in a while, it would snow!! This is super-exciting for a Florida family, and we spent a lot of time building snowpeople and sledding and throwing snowballs.
The best story to come from this, though, is a lot funnier in retrospect than it was at the time. On Thanksgiving day several years ago, before we put the turkey in the oven but after breakfast, we decided to go on a mid-morning hike. Not long after we started up the gravel road, we all agreed that we were pretty tough and adventurous and capable (a sudden infusion of mountain air can do strange things to otherwise sane people), and we decided to instead to climb straight up one of the mountains to see what was on the other side. This was no towering peak, so when we scrambled up and saw what was there, we felt unchallenged enough to climb up the next hill. I can't remember how long this went on before one of us finally stopped and noticed that we'd all lost track of which direction we'd come from.
While my family does go camping sometimes, we are expressly not hunters. I don't think there's ever been a gun in my house. In fact, I pretty much grew up equating guns with TV murderers (which I don't think is probably a bad thing, but that's another topic). So we were all getting a little nervous when we started hearing the ricocheting echoes of gun shots. My dad assured us people were just out hunting turkeys (my brother and I had seen more than enough cartoons to find this reasonable), but then we started hearing some turkeys gobbling nearby and moved away from them quickly. Later, we came across an old hunting shed with a few wooden benches, no locks, and bullet holes in the windows. I thought for sure there would be a dead body, but luckily there wasn't.
This went on for several more hours until finally we stumbled into an open pasture sloping down into a farm (farmers often don't put fences on the higher side of their farms in that area because the animals don't go up to far and what kind of crazy people would be wandering down from up there?). We passed a few cows, who ignored us, some dogs (my mom swore they were wolves, but I think they were dogs since they were in the farm and not eating things) who followed us suspiciously, then a pig pen with a sow suckling a whole litter of piglets. Eventually, and somehow without getting shot at by the farm's owner, we found the house trailer, complete with a deer strung up from a tree out front, bleeding out. I don't think any of us had EVER seen something like that deer: back feet tied at the ankles to a thick tree branch, both snout and front hooves reaching for the ground, bright white stomach, eyes open, blood dripping slowly off the nose. Ick. My mom stayed with my brother and me in the front while my dad knocked on the door to ask directions back to our cabin.
Following the directions along the road, we found we were still quite a few miles from where we had started. We were exhausted and hungry, but we followed the driveway back down to the hard road, hobbled along it for at least another hour, then turned up our gravel drive for another 30 minutes or so right up the side of the mountain.
All told, I think the whole "walk" was about 4 or 5 hours. As soon as we got home we collapsed in exhaustion for a while, then got up to make Thanksgiving dinner! There weren't very many leftovers.
This year, we have a new place to visit! The aunt and uncle who own the cabin we usually stay in bought the land across the gravel road and built a few houses with one of their contractor friends who lives year-round farther up the mountain. My parents bought one and I think it just finished construction, so this year we'll be staying in the new cabin. Eventually, my aunt and uncle want to tear down their small, comfortable cabin and build a big one to retire in (there's talk about donating it to the fire department to use as a practice house, but we'll see). We've had a lot of fun memories in that cabin, and it will be hard to give up. But I guess all traditions fade away eventually. For example, now when we take pre-dinner hikes, we try to stick to the roads.
The best story to come from this, though, is a lot funnier in retrospect than it was at the time. On Thanksgiving day several years ago, before we put the turkey in the oven but after breakfast, we decided to go on a mid-morning hike. Not long after we started up the gravel road, we all agreed that we were pretty tough and adventurous and capable (a sudden infusion of mountain air can do strange things to otherwise sane people), and we decided to instead to climb straight up one of the mountains to see what was on the other side. This was no towering peak, so when we scrambled up and saw what was there, we felt unchallenged enough to climb up the next hill. I can't remember how long this went on before one of us finally stopped and noticed that we'd all lost track of which direction we'd come from.
While my family does go camping sometimes, we are expressly not hunters. I don't think there's ever been a gun in my house. In fact, I pretty much grew up equating guns with TV murderers (which I don't think is probably a bad thing, but that's another topic). So we were all getting a little nervous when we started hearing the ricocheting echoes of gun shots. My dad assured us people were just out hunting turkeys (my brother and I had seen more than enough cartoons to find this reasonable), but then we started hearing some turkeys gobbling nearby and moved away from them quickly. Later, we came across an old hunting shed with a few wooden benches, no locks, and bullet holes in the windows. I thought for sure there would be a dead body, but luckily there wasn't.
This went on for several more hours until finally we stumbled into an open pasture sloping down into a farm (farmers often don't put fences on the higher side of their farms in that area because the animals don't go up to far and what kind of crazy people would be wandering down from up there?). We passed a few cows, who ignored us, some dogs (my mom swore they were wolves, but I think they were dogs since they were in the farm and not eating things) who followed us suspiciously, then a pig pen with a sow suckling a whole litter of piglets. Eventually, and somehow without getting shot at by the farm's owner, we found the house trailer, complete with a deer strung up from a tree out front, bleeding out. I don't think any of us had EVER seen something like that deer: back feet tied at the ankles to a thick tree branch, both snout and front hooves reaching for the ground, bright white stomach, eyes open, blood dripping slowly off the nose. Ick. My mom stayed with my brother and me in the front while my dad knocked on the door to ask directions back to our cabin.
Following the directions along the road, we found we were still quite a few miles from where we had started. We were exhausted and hungry, but we followed the driveway back down to the hard road, hobbled along it for at least another hour, then turned up our gravel drive for another 30 minutes or so right up the side of the mountain.
All told, I think the whole "walk" was about 4 or 5 hours. As soon as we got home we collapsed in exhaustion for a while, then got up to make Thanksgiving dinner! There weren't very many leftovers.
This year, we have a new place to visit! The aunt and uncle who own the cabin we usually stay in bought the land across the gravel road and built a few houses with one of their contractor friends who lives year-round farther up the mountain. My parents bought one and I think it just finished construction, so this year we'll be staying in the new cabin. Eventually, my aunt and uncle want to tear down their small, comfortable cabin and build a big one to retire in (there's talk about donating it to the fire department to use as a practice house, but we'll see). We've had a lot of fun memories in that cabin, and it will be hard to give up. But I guess all traditions fade away eventually. For example, now when we take pre-dinner hikes, we try to stick to the roads.
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