Uninterested Cat Bento. Ha! Nice one, Eva. Now you just need to create a bento of a 7 pound cat leaping on a sleeping person's stomach and you've basically documented half my life.
[1]
I know cane toads are a menace and everything, but good grief - MEAT ANTS?! The very name is going to give me nightmares. Monday, March 30, 2009
[3]
Major power outage in Sydney CBD. Now that was fun! At about 4:45pm this afternoon, everything went ZAP! And all the computers shut off. We all looked around. There was a few minutes of joking while the office manager ran to find out what we should do. I sent an SMS to the Snook saying that our power was out. His reply: "Ours too!" Okay, THAT changes things! (His new office is at the Rocks.) Somebody noticed that the traffic lights were all out on William Street. We stood at the windows and looked down at the growing rush hour traffic chaos. Somebody joked, "You should be twittering this." HELL YEAH, I should! I grabbed my iPhone but the 3G network kept crapping out before my tweet went through. I called my friend Kunaal whose office is at Wynyard, but oddly they had power! (But no Internet, so he had no idea what was happening.) Eventually most of us decided to leave, so I shuffled down ten flights of fire stairs with everybody else. Then I hiked up to the park and towards the city. While waiting for a bus on Castlereagh, I managed to get through to Twitter and did a search on blackout. That's when I discovered that everyone was attributing it to zombie attack. Oh man, that was fun. I tweeted* all the way home. Snookums managed to train it to Central and met me at the house. Thankfully, Chippendale seems to have power (and Internet). And now here we are, enjoying a beer and feeling sorry for all those still trying to head north over the bridge!
* I really think this may have been a turning point in my relationship with Twitter. The explosion of the zombie blackout meme was fun and addictive. I told the Snook it was like this amazing spontaneous virtual chat room with folks from all over the city. Plus I picked up seven new followers thanks to my tweets!
B.A. Baracas Sock Monkey. As an accomplished sock monkey artist myself, I have to say that's one of the best ones I've ever seen! I'm all about people who push the sock monkey medium. Saturday, March 28, 2009
[3]
Earth Hour has started! The only light in the house is coming from two candles and two laptops (on battery power).
Lamb and Barley Stew The Snook and I watched the "Barley" episode of Good Eats last weekend, and I became obsessed with his lamb and barley stew. I picked up the ingredients Monday night (one lamb shoulder, one bag pearl barley, three carrots). I soon realized I had a problem. The original recipe actually calls for barley grits. Well, neither Coles nor Harris Farm had that. Snookums did some research and found this recipe, where someone in the same dilemma decided to make her own. We decided to follow her advice. (You can't just substitute plain pearl barley, as it takes a lot longer to cook.)
Thursday night Snookums roasted the barley in a pan on low heat for an hour, stirring occasionally. Then he whizzed it up in our spice grinder (an old coffee grinder) to chop it up a bit. Meanwhile, I went to town on the lamb shoulder with a big sharp knife. We browned the lamb in seasoned flour, then combined the carrot, lamb, barley, and chicken stock. It then cooked for about 35 minutes. I was worried that with so few ingredients, it might be bland. I WAS SO WRONG. It was all nutty, roasty, lamby goodness. I couldn't get enough of it. It's so warming and filling. This is the perfect recipe for winter. I highly, highly recommend it, especially if you can find the barley grits pre-made. But I'd say it's still worth the extra work even if you can't...
[10]
Na Craga It's finished! I dragged the Snook out for a photoshoot this morning. There's a slight visible line from my drying rack across the front, but I've already steamed it out for Show delivery. The light was too nice not to go for the photographs right away.
As I said on Ravelry, I kinda feel like crying a little bit, like when I finished my first half-marathon. This WAS a marathon. Getting to the finish line is just such a relief. Regardless of whether it wins anything, I think this may be the knitting project that I am most proud of. Thanks to all you guys for your great comments, advice, and encouragement.
Hooray! Mikey Filmmaker (who won this year's Oscar Contest) has finally received his Batman and Joker sock monkeys. I'm glad they went to somebody who truly appreciates them! :)
[4]
Wait wait wait... Someone in Chippendale has a pet goat?! THAT. IS. SO. COOL. Screw Rent-a-Chook; I want a little billy goat!
[1]
Good Morning. I feel the best I have in the past fortnight. I did my first boxing workout in a week yesterday, and it felt great to be active again (though I'm pretty sore today!). The Snook and I tried out a recipe from Good Eats last night that turned out GREAT. (Recipe and photos coming soon.) I got a good night's sleep. When I weighed myself, I found that the extra pound I picked up last week had vanished. (It really was just water weight, presumably related to getting sick.) I finished Na Craga this morning, soaked it with water, and pinned it out to block. (Wool is amazing. For all my lamenting of my tight tension, once I got it wet I was easily able to pull it out to the correct dimensions.) When I got to work this morning, there was a bottle of champagne on my desk as a birthday present from my company. (All the March birthdays got one.) And today's the Snook's last day at Komosion, so we'll be celebrating tonight. He starts at Geekdom on Monday.
And how was YOUR week?
[1]
We support Notre Dame and its President, Father John Jenkins, for inviting President Obama to speak at the 2009 commencement. Sign the petition, folks. Thursday, March 26, 2009
[4]
Fun with the Muggles I took Na Craga in to work today (since I'm hoping to finish it off at the Stitch & Bitch tonight). I was showing it off to a couple people in the office.
Co-worker: How long have you been knitting for? Me: Oh, five or six years. This jumper's taken me about four months. Her: Can you purl too? Me: Yeah. I can purl too.
[5]
I have half a dozen big balls of pastel cotton that really need to become a granny square blanket for my brother's upcoming new baby... Wednesday, March 25, 2009
[20]
The "No 'Poo" Movement Gael linked to a couple articles about a topic that fascinates me: this idea that if you stop shampooing your hair, you'll reach a point where your natural oils reach equilibrium and it looks fantastic. I pretty much have to wash my hair every day or it feels lank and greasy 24 hours later. (Note: I don't know that it actually is lank and greasy; it just feels that way to me.) Of course, now that I have a non-traditional hair colour, I know that it'll last longer the less I shampoo it. It's just difficult. The idea of going six weeks without washing it makes my skin crawl. I'm sure it works for some people, but I fear I'd be like the 2nd and 3rd women quoted in that article, tying scarves around my head and feeling like a smelly leper. Don't these "no poo" people ever exercise? Don't they sweat? And then there's this lady, who's blogging about her family's experiment with it. Her shower ritual now includes scrubbing her head with half a lemon, conditioning the tips, and then sprinkling it with lavendar oil. What the hell? WHO DOES THAT? So really it's all about replacing shampoo (which is convenient and relatively cheap) with some complicated exotic ritual? Bah.
Still, Snookums is convinced that it would totally work, and that if I'd just grit my teeth and wait it out, I could break free of my dependence on Pantene. What do you think? Anybody up for a greaseball experiment?
[1]
Hey Snookums... I think we might need another pet. Tuesday, March 24, 2009
[1]
Concerned Homeowners We attended our first Strata AGM tonight! Well, technically not our first, seeing as how last year we didn't go on account of the Strata Manager having our address wrong. But this was the first one that we'd actually been invited to, so we went. I was surprised that only about half of the units in the building were represented. (Is that normal?) The meeting went well, and the stupid Manager really copped it for everything they'd screwed up in the past year. (We may boot them entirely. Any recommendations?) Snookums decided to join the Executive Committee, which made me very proud. We got to meet a lot of our neighbours, and they're all really awesome and nice. We all had a good whinge about the "doof-doof" idiot across the street who parties every weekend. Five of us walked home together, and I got to proudly show off my little macadamia tree and herbs (which I replanted last weekend). It's nice to finally feel like we're part of the building!
[7]
In the home stretch! Only two more seams to go on Na Craga! I'm hoping to finish it by Thursday night so I can give it one more wet block before I drop it off at the Show on Saturday.
UNINTERESTED CAT IS UNINTERESTED BY YOUR CATALOG POSES.
[4]
Sally is doing a FANTASTIC job organising this year's WWKIP Day in Sydney. I'll be doing an order for T-shirts and swag from the Cafepress store in a month or so, so let me know if you want to combine shipping.
Who will be my 100th Twitter follower? I nearly fell over last night when I had a notification that my MOM was following me. (She was #93.)
I'm back at work and feeling mostly recovered. Back to your regularly scheduled Kris-programming...
[3]
Holy crap! How did I miss that President Obama will be delivering the commencement address this year at Notre Dame? That's fantastic! Of course, some of the more strict Catholics are predictably outraged. I find that... somewhat hypocritical. Why aren't they launching petitions over ROTC's large presence on campus? Why don't they protest the number of non-Catholics (myself included) who attend and earn degrees? We should be HONORED that the President has chosen to come and speak. I can't even imagine how the (very few) African-American students on campus are feeling. Monday, March 23, 2009
[2]
Bex and Fin have rescued an adorable kitten. Kittens for everyone!
[1]
Diagnosis. I saw Dr. Chin this morning, who confirmed that I've got a virus of some sort. I'm still feverish and my lymph nodes are swollen. He said to stay home and rest today, possibly even tomorrow. I've heard from a few Sydneysiders that a cold/flu/plague is going around, but so far I don't have any symptoms below the neck. I'm hoping this means I'm fighting it off... Sunday, March 22, 2009
[1]
Sick. I've slept pretty much all day long. I'm still groggy. My lymph nodes are all swollen and painful. No idea if it's just from the cold sore, or whether I'm fighting off something else and the cold sore is just a consequence of my weakened immune system. Going to see the doctor tomorrow morning. Saturday, March 21, 2009
[3]
Split Pea and Ham Frustration Inspired by Eileen's site this week, I bought a ham hock and a bag of split peas last night to make crock pot split pea and ham soup today. I put it in this morning and the whole house has been filled with the most wonderful smells. A few hours I ago I was researching remedies for cold sores, when I discovered that you should avoid foods high in arginine while having an outbreak. What has loads of arginine? PEAS. So I had scrambled eggs on toast for dinner while Snookums partook of my beautiful soup. At least I know that it freezes well, and it'll still taste good in a few days when I'm all healed up. Still, MEGA FRUSTRATION.
Crap. You know what you really DON'T NEED when your self-esteem has already taken a beating? A frickin' cold sore. It's early stages; I'm going nuclear with the lysine and Zovirax. (Interestingly, I only get them when my system is stressed. Am I getting sick? Was it my lack of sleep last week courtesy of the cats? Was my depression over the diet situation the cause... or just another symptom?) Friday, March 20, 2009
TrumpetHero. OHMYGOD, WANT! I need to play "Sweet Home Alabama" on an electronic trumpet.
[12]
Depressed. Snookums is threatening to hide our scales again because of the way they can wreck my entire self-worth in two seconds. I just don't understand how I can work out five times a week, guzzle liters of water every day, cut out all snacks and fizzy drinks, eat nothing but three square meals a day (with no seconds) and STILL gain two pounds in three days. Obviously it's not a real gain; either my lower number was false due to dehydration (which means I've essentially stayed the same weight for the past week), or my higher number is false due to water retention (for no comprehensible reason). But WHY? I haven't done anything differently. I need to live in a universe that is controllable. I need to think that 2+2=4. Because to accept otherwise renders this whole exercise pointless. If nothing I do makes any difference, why not give up?
Yeah, he probably should hide those scales. Thursday, March 19, 2009
In case you didn't notice, Snookums has finally restored CouchCam. (He upgraded our MythTV box to "Mythbuntu" a couple weeks ago, and that broke the web cam uploading.) Of course, he mispelled his own wife's website name on the captioning...
I can confirm that Whoopie Pies are a staple in northeastern Indiana. My Mom used to make both the chocolate and the pumpkin versions. I believe that the local version used the Crisco-and-sugar mixture in the middle. Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Today's xkcd. I have had that exact dream SO MANY TIMES. Actually, the one I've been having more frequently lately is of moving into my college dorm room, and freaking out about how I was going to hide the cat from the R.A.
[2]
Roger Ebert thinks you should visit another country. I couldn't agree more. Coincidentally, there's currently a price war going on between Qantas, Delta, and Virgin over the LA-Sydney route, with flights as low as $598 return. THAT'S NUTS. Tuesday, March 17, 2009
[5]
Birthday Skirt I was coming home from SSK on Saturday afternoon when I spotted a market stall on King Street selling handmade skirts. They were so cute! I hemmed and hawed while I waited for my bus. I knew that Fee and Tia and Bex would tell me that an A-line skirt is the simplest thing in the world to sew, and that I should just make one myself. And they'd be right. But these were right there, and the various embellishments she had on them were so gorgeous. I decided to go for it. I modelled it for Snookums at home and he pronounced it very pretty. The applique circles are made from old kimono fabric! I wore it to tea on Sunday and felt very special indeed. The seller emailed me today (we exchanged details) to say that she's working on getting a website set up. More details when I have them!
The Sound Advice Project turns voice recording waveforms into bracelets. Hmm. I bet I could knit a waveform.
Ugh. I have a horrible feeling that the Snook and I may be amortals. We don't, like, use Botox or anything, of course. But our natural lifestyle is probably closer to that of college students than I'd like to admit. Monday, March 16, 2009
[2]
High Tea at the Victoria Room I'd say our reaction to the Victoria Room was mixed. I like the idea of it far more than the execution. My first impression of the place was that it was very dark (just as Grab Your Fork noted), and together with the eclectic decor it really created a unique atmosphere. Unfortunately the place was absolutely HEAVING with people, 95% of whom seemed to be women at either Hen's Nights or Baby Showers. (I'm not kidding. I could only see three guys in the whole place who weren't working behind the bar.) It was quite noisy, and the tables really were crammed in together closely. We opted for the "Royal" Tea, which meant we started with a glass of champagne. Our tea and nibblies came not long after. The food was all very good, though you certainly don't get very much! We did have to ask for milk to put in our tea though, which really is a shocking oversight in a place like that. Snookums was most disappointed in the place settings: it was just plain white stoneware, like something you'd get at IKEA. He thought he was taking me somewhere a bit more special. Still, I had my first cucumber sandwich and my first pot of Earl Grey, and I'm glad I did. We stumbled back out into the sunlight feeling that we'd had an "elegant sufficiency," but that the whole experience was sorely lacking in romance and tradition.
[3]
New hair! I took the day off today to get my hair done, have a massage, and generally just take it easy. I told my hairdresser Desiree that I wanted something a bit shorter, and I wanted a more interesting colour. She did foils in "vibrant purple" and "hot pink," and then did the re-did the base in aubergine.
And there it is! If you're in Sydney and you need a new stylist, I can't recommend Partners Hair Glebe enough. Desiree's taken me blonde and short, allover pink, my chocolate Katie Holmes bob (Why can I not find a photo??), and even retro as Lucy. I love her!
It's my birthday so we're off to the Victoria Room for High Tea. Yay! Saturday, March 14, 2009
I thought I was over my sock knitting addiction... until I saw Absinthe. And I even have the perfect yarn! (MUST. NOT. CAST-ON until Show jumper is finished!) Also, I covet those shoes. Does anybody know what brand they are?
Edited to add: They're Dansko Marcelles. Now I just have to figure out how to get a pair.
[3]
Happy 50th Anniversary to my Grandparents My mother's side of the family are gathering in Indiana to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of my grandparents, Jim and Soon Harter. This is their wedding photo, which ran in the paper with the announcement. Aren't they gorgeous? Grandpa looks so dashing and strong and handsome, and Grandma looks exotic and beautiful and brave. I like to think I can see a little of myself in them. I'm heartbroken that I can't be there to help them celebrate at the party my Mom has organised. My sister is going though, and she's taking their youngest great-grandchild along. I'm going to try to get up early Monday morning and call them during the party. I love you and miss you guys!
[1]
Inner City Guild Meeting Today was my first meeting as Convenor of the Knitting Guild's Inner City Group, and it was also our first meeting at our new location in Customs House Library. I was stressing out a little bit beforehand, but I shouldn't have worried. It was one of our best meetings ever. Everyone was in such a good mood! We had 31 people in attendance (plus Rae's adorable baby Zara), and several of those were brand new members. Our new meeting format worked well, and folks seemed to appreciate our aim of finishing off the business quickly so we could just knit and chat. I've put some photos up on the group website.
Of course, the best part was that Miss Fee made me special cupcakes for my birthday! And then she made the whole group sing to me. It was very sweet. Thanks, Fee! Kate also brought a cake, and I made a Spanish tortilla. (I used thesetwo sites for tortilla recipe guidance. Flipping that thing on my own was, like, the scariest culinary feat I've ever attempted. It came out really good though!) Thanks to everybody who came to the meeting, and to my fellow officers Rosemary and Geraldine for all their help. I'm looking forward to next month! Friday, March 13, 2009
[2]
Anthony Bourdain's Guide to Food Television. That is just brilliant. I like that he gives props to Martha Stewart and Alton Brown, and that he basically admits Gordon Ramsay is selling out by becoming a total caricature of himself.
Ratatouille No, I don't mean the Pixar movie (which I still haven't seen). I mean the real stuff. Eileen asked for "easy and tasty" recipes, and this is my contribution. You can eat it as a side dish on its own, put it on pasta as a sauce, or even just spoon it over bread. (It tastes even better the next day!) There's not much to the prep other than chopping, and it freezes pretty well. Also, we had a surplus of eggplants, zucchinis, and tomatoes from our last two veggie boxes so it was a good way to clear the backlog. Read on for the recipe and photos of the preparation. [more...] Wednesday, March 11, 2009
[5]
Feeling a little stressed? You need more purring kitten in your life.
Petey was being very cuddly and affectionate last night, so I grabbed my camera and decided to share. For the record, he really likes having his head rubbed and held. If you have your hand hanging anywhere, he will come up and literally headbutt your knuckles. So that's why I'm grabbing his head like that.
Hooray! Sydney Buses decided to give me an early birthday present today. The 461, 480, and 483 are once again travelling to the Domain (i.e. right by my office). Fantastic news, especially since the Snook will have a different commute in a few weeks.
[3]
RunningBlog:
Great - and relevant - running question in today's Ask Penguin: "What do you do after you achieve your big running goal? Why does it feel anti-climactic?" Last May that's pretty much exactly how I was feeling. Tuesday, March 10, 2009
RunningBlog:
Those of you who've been watching my Twitter feed or Facebook page over the past month know a secret: I've been running again! I finally managed to get going again after taking most of the summer off. (For those that don't know, I did a lot of running last year.) I've been easing back into it gently. My speed's taken a bit of a hit, but my fitness level is better than I expected. I had a vague idea that I might run the Sydney Half-Marathon again in May, but I scrapped that plan this week. I'd like to do another Half this year, but I don't think mentally I'm quite prepared to do it again yet. Instead I've decided to focus on shorter distances right now. I registered last week for the Mother's Day Classic, which is an 8K event that I ran last year. My previous time was 55 minutes, but this year I'd like to do it in 48 (which would equate to a 60 minute 10K time). The race is in 9 weeks, so I started my training plan this morning. So far so good!
Also, I'm using some new software to track my runs. I downloaded RunKeeper for my iPhone, which tracks your progress via GPS. It seems to be a lot more accurate than the Nike+. You can see today's run here. (It auto-tweets a link when you finish a workout!) I was using the free ad-supported version before, but yesterday I upgraded to RunKeeper Pro. The Pro version just introduced audio feedback, so you can tap the screen to hear your current distance and pace. It's not quite up to Nike+ standard yet (you can't set a workout goal yet or challenge people on the site), but the developer seems to have a lot more planned. (They also give great support via Twitter.) RunKeeper has a few distinct advantages too: you can use it while cycling, and you don't need any special shoes (or a hack to hold an accelerometer). If you'd like to track walking/running/hiking/cycling and you've got an iPhone, you should definitely try it out. Monday, March 9, 2009
I Asked MetaFilter a question about e-commerce websites tonight.
Watchmen cupcakes. Neat! And no, still haven't seen it. *sigh* Sunday, March 8, 2009
[2]
Everything else... (Ha! I just had an email asking if I was all right, seeing as how I hadn't blogged in two days. At least I know I'll never go missing with you folks around.) Anyhoo, I spent most of Saturday afternoon working on a new knitting project: Rusted Root. It's a little cotton T-shirt with a puffy sleeves and a lace panel down the front. It's knitted from the top down, which is nice because you can try it on for size as you go! I'm probably a third of the way done with it. Saturday night we headed into the city for a friend's surprise birthday party. Unfortunately it was also Mardi Gras, which meant fighting our way through crowds of slutted-up freshers in sparkly cowboy hats. (Theory: Mardi Gras in Sydney is like Halloween in Sunnydale. Most of the actual gay people stay far, far away, and you're just left with kids playing in costume.) We had a fantastic meal at Bar Reggio in Darlinghurst. I walk past there every day on my way to work, and it always smells fantastic. The service was execrable, but the food made up for it. (Excitement! The Snook spotted the Critic from The Chopping Block unsuccessfully trying to get a table.) We got home very late, and Sunday we slept in as long as the cats would let us. I spent most of Sunday setting up my new Macbook, which we bought Thursday night. The Snook managed to remove the hard drive from my dead iMac and set it up so I could transfer everything to the new computer. Then we took the iMac back to the Apple Store where they - as expected - quoted me like $1500 to fix it. Eek. I spent hours futzing around with iLife '09, including the fun "Faces" feature within iPhoto. I also got DeskCam working again, in case you missed it. I had planned to go for a long run this evening, but the skies opened and it poured rain. So it was a quiet night in for me.
And did I mention that the Snook has a new job? No? It's pretty cool. He starts in three weeks. :)
Knitters Guild AGM 2009 Saturday started with a bang with the 2009 Knitters' Guild of NSW Annual General Meeting. I'm always a little nervous for these, seeing as how I have to give an official report on the state of our website. There was added tension this year due to various guild-related scandals of the last six months: Ravelrygate, allegations of election fraud, members of the Executive Committee openly insulting members, secret spies tattling to the Guild about online discussions, etc etc. After all was said and done, three of "our people" had been elected (well, there weren't enough nominations so no election was needed) to the Executive, and it seemed unlikely that some of the Old Guard would be willing to let go gracefully. I decided to embrace the madness with my outfit. I wore my Ravelry T-shirt and "Hello my name is: webgoddess" badge, along with my Guild lanyard and convenor's pin. I also wore my Space Invaders socks (with a skirt so you couldn't miss 'em). I got there to see that our folks had pretty much stacked an entire aisle across the auditorium, right down in front. It was a veritable who's who of the Sydney Ravelry community: me, missfee, redambition, RandomKnits, knitabulous, WittyKnitter, yarna, Pompom, KatieV, GrandmaFlea, diane, gemma, sandrah, 1funkyknitwit, and probably a few others I didn't even recognise. It was on. [more...] Friday, March 6, 2009
[5]
We Can Do It! Man, I totally want that Michelle Obama shirt. Too bad the stupid company won't ship overseas.
Taronga Zoo in Sydney has a new baby wombat and its cuteness will reduce you to babbling baby talk at your computer screen. Ooohh, who's a cute bubbeh boo?
Ebert gives Watchmenfour stars. Wow. Maybe it won't suck after all.
Edited to add: He's already gone back to see it a second time on IMAX and has written an essay about it. Thursday, March 5, 2009
RunningBlog:The Biggest Liar One of the recently eliminated contestants on the American version of The Biggest Loser was shown to have completed his first marathon in under four hours. Inspirational, right? Except it was a big, fat lie. His real time was actually six hours, and he and his wife were driven in a van by producers for several miles towards the end. Everyone involved has issued an apology, but runners are pissed off and calling for him to give back his finisher's medal. I totally agree. I'm going to run one of those suckers someday, and I'm not gonna cheat when I do it.
We really need to remodel the bathroom... Wednesday, March 4, 2009
[1]
Petey Update: He's fine, just as the vet said he would be. Snookums took him into the house while I was parking the car, and he said that he seemed really excited to be back at home. We weren't supposed to give him any food for a while, but he didn't seem in the mood for eating anyway. He hid under the futon for a few hours to recuperate. Then about 8:30 he emerged, gave a stretch, and was back to his old self. I might be imagining it, but he seems more affectionate now too. He cuddled with us for a while when we went to bed, and he sat on my lap for a while this morning at breakfast. Dr. Amy, of course, was rather put out to discover that the interloper had returned. So we had to give her some extra cuddles too...
Venks just sent me this list of knitting apps for the iPhone. I knew about StitchMinder, but the others were new to me. I did a search on the App Store and there are even more now! I just downloaded Yarn Pirateer, which is a free stash organiser. Tuesday, March 3, 2009
[4]
Petey Update: Today's the day our little kitten gets neutered. I know we have to do it; it's what responsible pet owners do. But I was still dreading taking him in. We had to take away the cat food at 9pm last night, which meant that by morning he was a very pissed-off little fellow. We managed to shut him up in the laundry so Amy could have her breakfast. Then we had to get him to the carrier and over to the vet. They keep him all day and we pick him up after work. Apparently the procedure for boy cats is pretty simple, and he should be back to normal within a day or two. I just feel guilty over causing pain to a little creature when I can't explain that it's for his own good. (This is another reason I don't have kids.)
Update: Just spoke to the vet. He's doing fine! We'll pick him up in a couple hours.
[3]
And this is an Awesome Animated Gif from a South Indian movie. (I'm trying to get it identified.) This is the day of awesome links!
[1]
Do you know that this is? This is the President of the United States of American being AWESOME. (Link courtesy of Nora.) Monday, March 2, 2009
Bait & Switch Remember our discussion about blog advertising last year? I just got a doozy today. I was contacted by [company that shall remain nameless] this afternoon with an offer of a couple free tickets to see Zack and Miri Make a Porno. The email straight up says: "[w]e would like to offer you two free tickets to the movie screening." Hey, fun, right? I like Kevin Smith movies. I'd be willing to blog about it. So I wrote back to claim the tickets... only to be told that instead, I'd have to register with their blog advertising service and submit a contest entry to possibly win them. Uh, what? I went from feeling like a special, hand-picked "blog personality" to being just another googled email address. I wrote back saying that I didn't appreciate being spammed. The sad thing is, when I checked out their service I actually recognized a few of the blogs I read regularly. I was actually thinking about signing up. I also forwarded the request to my boss, with a note that this type of non-traditional advertising might be what we need for some of the mobile projects we have coming up. Instead, I had to send him correction ten minutes later saying that I was wrong, that this company definitely Doesn't Get It. How disappointing.
[11]
Review: Balsamiq Mockups Back at my previous job, I was using a piece of software called "Axure" to generate mockups of web applications. When I started at the new job and they asked me what software I needed, I suggested that one. I nearly had a heart attack when I realized it's $600 for a single user license! That's nuts. So I started looking around. I toyed with the idea of using Visio (it's just so clunky!) before somebody recommended Balsamiq Mockups to me. It looked like just the thing I needed, and the license is only $70. I was debating on buying it when I noticed that they offer free licenses to "do-gooders" and bloggers. I sent them an email, and they wrote back with a license the very next day! I was floored by the business and I hadn't even started using the software yet. Of course, I wasn't going to give them a glowing review for nothing. I've spent the last month or so putting Mockups through its paces. [more...]
[1]
So Senator Xenaphon has effectively killed the web censorship plan? GREAT! I hereby forgive him for nearly scuppering the forthcoming economic stimulus payments. Sunday, March 1, 2009
[7]
Spicy Pork Tacos Yesterday the Snook and I tried out the recipe for Spicy Shredded Pork that my sister recommended a few days ago. We got a 2kg pork shoulder and roasted it in the Le Creuset casserole in the oven. It smelled fantastic. We had it in for about four hours, and then we cranked the heat to try to crisp the skin. (That part didn't really work.) Snookums shredded it and we ate it with tortillas, avocado, lettuce, and a bit of sour cream. It was so good! Better than any Mexican I've had in Sydney.
[4]
bmp Socks I started these socks back in November as a prize for the Colony of Gamers charity raffle. I sat them aside in December to wait to hear who won (so I could knit the feet the correct size). And I waited... and I waited... and no email! I contacted them a few weeks ago asking what was happening, and still no reply. I figure that means they're mine, right? Right. So this weekend I finally finished 'em.
The pattern is from Knitty. I happened to have a lot of black and white 5ply in my stash, so I used that instead of traditional sock wool. (I took the needle up to a 3mm.) They look pretty big, but fairisle doesn't stretch much and they fit me well. I knit them on two circs and followed the pattern pretty much exactly. The shooter was done in duplicate stitch. Cute and retro, huh? (More pics and details on Ravelry.)
Birthday Skirt
Happy 50th Anniversary to my Grandparents
Inner City Guild Meeting
Ratatouille
Everything else...
Knitters Guild AGM 2009
Spicy Pork Tacos
