free cat!

puddin in a basket, originally uploaded by pinprick.

she's onery, old and supremely crotchety. however, i'm pretty sure i can hand her off in her basket and she wouldn't notice she was someplace new until she got out 20 hours later for a nibble and a pee. true story. dear new yarn basket, sorry the evil kitten moved in. maybe when she's gone we'll actually put yarn in you!

our roommate moves out this week. it feels kind of sudden, but only because the end of the month totally snuck up on us. on the one hand, having the place all to ourselves is kind of nice, and we'll have more room, but i feel kind of bad about it too. i hope he's moving because he's found an awesome place and is excited about it, not because he feels like he has to. i know living with a couple isn't everyone's cup of tea, and i did just kind of happen to that house without much of a preamble. i just hope the roommie knows that we like him very much*, and having him in the house wasn't a big deal at all. it doesn't feel like an angry split; if we were a celebrity couple i'm sure the headlines would all talk about how amicable this all is and how we all have deep respect for one another and will continue being friends. just once i'd love to see a headline along the lines of "demi and ashton split, demi says ashton is a douchebag!"

our weekend was spent rearranging stuff, lounging in the sun, discovering a new asian grocery in bellingham (whoo!), and tending ot D's fussy tummy. he's got something going on down there, which has got me all paranoid about every little burp and rumble; both from his tummy and mine. i made an awesome green curry with noodles last night, though, and even though they were probably too spicy, he ate some and seemed to enjoy them. i also picked up some super cute patterns and fabric, hopefully sometime this week i'll get to work on them. work has been crazy busy, which is good for the pocketbook, and hopefully this time next month we'll have the kinks worked out of our budget and have some savings started.

*i will admit i'm not a huge fan of his girlfriend. although lately i've found her a lot more pleasant than normal, so huh. of course she's not disagreeable now, she's on her way out!

cheerleaders

cheerleaders, originally uploaded by pinprick.

it's really no wonder this already has 48 views, even WITHOUT a cheerleader tag. i love flickr, but sometimes it's all pervs, all the time.

took a long drive this afternoon with my man, bought the stuff to make kimchi as well as a jar to get us through the next few days. not to give you too much information, but our guts LOVE the probiotic goodness of kimchi. we've been out the past week, and agree that we feel a lot more awesome when we're full of kimchi. true story.

i have to say at first i was simply surprised about michael jackson, but now i am in fact, kind of sad. watching old videos of his the other night with the boychik i realized how awesome his dance moves were and how far-reaching his influence was (is). his lifestyle and the stories about him the past few years were nothing but sad and/or weird, but his passing is still untimely and unfortunate. what a strange week with farrah, billy mays, ed mcmahon... crazy celebrity deaths!

and now, a book review

i've been doing a lot of reading so far this summer. part of it has to do with moving closer to the library, part of it has to do with my father's untimely passing (i had to do something other than cry, and when i couldn't sleep i read), and part of it is just how i like to spend my summers. for years i've lamented missing out on summer reading programs just because i'm a grown-up, but this year i discovered my library has a grown-up summer reading program! by writing review of books i read, i can win fun stuff like dinners and free coffee. i might review away here all summer long!

black hole by charles burns is a comic book, or graphic novel, if you prefer. i don't mind calling it a comic, i think comics are awesome, but not everyone feels the same way. whatever you call it, it's about a group of teens in seattle in the 70's that are dealing with various issues of adolescence as well as a strange sexually transmitted disease that turns them into monsters. some become fairly obviously disfigured; one kids looks like teenwolf while another grows huge boils all over their face. some are less noticeable, like the girl with a tail, or the one who sheds her skin. the hows and whys of the disease, how the public is reacting are all parts of the story that burns spends the least amount of time on. he just lays it out that this is how you get it, this is how it looks on some, and that's all. the real focus is on the teens themselves; their relationships with their families and each other. the sense of loneliness and isolation burns captures is palpable as well as nostalgic. the issues and diseases of one's own youth may differ, but the feelings are timeless. the alienation, the awkwardness, the bright hope of being young and earnest. the art itself is also gorgeous. how it can be so stark and lush at the same time is beyond me. it's very visually appealing and strong, and compliments the text beautifully. it's a bit melancholy, sometimes funny, and thoroughly unforgettable. if you run into this book at the library or the bookstore, i'd highly recommend it. even if you aren't a huge fan of comics or graphic novels, if you were ever a teen you should read it. (it will also appeal to anyone who's ever lived in seattle. the city references are great!)

stung!

last night a whole flock of mosquitoes found their way inside the house. (this probably has something to do with all the doors we leave open when it's nice out.) in any case, i got bitten something fierce, including two big bites on my face. i'm mildly allergic to mosquito bites; on me they swell to a giant size, and the one on my forehead has visibly misshapen my brown. read that last part slowly and out loud, "visibly misshapen my brow." i'm a monster i tell you! the lump is about the size of half a golf ball, and combined with the bite on my cheek, one side of my face is all lumpy and itchy and red. when i pointed it out to a co-worker this morning she said, "oh my gosh..." and didn't even try to tell me it wasn't that noticeable. that's how bad it is.

i feel like the elephant man.

long weekend

me and mag, originally uploaded by pinprick.

my sister and maggie came over on saturday to hit the parade with us! it was super fun, i think maggie had a good time. we drove her to my mom's in the afternoon, and she was sad to see the kids go. she followed the girlchild everywhere, and when we left she said, "you come back soon!" and gave out kisses. man, i love that baby.

i couldn't for the life of me find my bike lock key this weekend, so i had the boychik use bolt cutters to cut it off. he felt like a hoodlum, which was fun, and i finally could use my bike! i rode it all over this weekend, and even did a test run riding to work. it's a little over two and half miles from my house to work and the ride itself only took about 17 mins (i timed it with my fancy watch). not a bad ride, not too long, but i didn't do it this morning because i had to be here at 6:30, and also because i rode so much this weekend my butt's a bit sore. i haven't been out riding my bike in forever, so it was awesome to get back out on it. i figure i'll try riding to work a few times week, or at least take rides when i get off work. it will take me a while to get back into shape enough to not be tired after five miles, but it will totally be worth it.

shortie

while unpacking i've uncovered approximately 5,000 random tampons. by random i mean not in tampon boxes, not in boxes of bathroom stuff, but rather in kitchen, bedroom, and cereal boxes. (not really that last one!) i also ran into an expired pregnancy test that i think i've drug to three different apartments and two states, which cracked me up. i was going to just toss it out, but i thought i would pee on it first because, hey, that's why i bought it. i should have made the boychik pee on it for laughs, but i think that would have freaked him a little. weird how feminine hygiene products are so freaking invasive. if tampons were rats, i'd be infested!

it was negative, by the way. this wasn't a fancy segway into "OMG I'M KNOCKED UP!" D's been fixed, or have i told you that already?

good morning starshine

there is a whole hell of a lot on today's agenda, which is unusual for a saturday at our house. to wit,

• my sister and niece are coming over! for breakfast and then...
• local berry dairy parade! if maggie loves anything more than a parade, i'm not sure what it is.
• i've already made a whole, 12-cup, pot of coffee. when the girlchild, my sister and i hit it, we'll need all 12 cups.
  
• making some sort of fun father's day craft for D. the girlchild has already made him something fabulous, i'm going to try to talk the boychik into doing something for his pop.
  
• berry dairy also involves the park across the way being overtaken with food and crafts and stuff, so there will be lots of wandering and stuff going on as well.
• after that, i really should unpack some stuff. honestly. last night i started, then took a nap, then watched a whole lot of cartoons on our new cable tv.
  

whew. this is just our morning plans. the rest of the day is wide open; my mom is supposed to come over to pick up my lovely niece so she'll see our house for the first time. this made D nervous and he did a whole lot of cleaning yesterday. i think the house looks great, even with my boxes everywhere, but i want to do some more work. having my sister over will help; she's good at helping me sort the wheat from the chaff, as it were. i need to get rid of a lot of stuff, and she's the girl to help me out.

i should be in the shower now, cleaning myself up! hopefully tomorrow i'll have photos of our day!

to deity, or not to deity

i've missed my pop a lot this week. i missed him last week as well, but this week felt especially crappy. maybe it's the rain, maybe it's talking to some of his old college buddies, maybe it's just how grief works. you get respite sometimes, just so you don't go nuts, but it doesn't go away, necessarily. just comes in waves. this morning i put on a bracelet he and my mom sent me while i was in alaska. i'm sure my mom picked it out; it's one of those wooden stretchy bracelets with the saints and mary pasted on the square wooden beads. campy and funny and right in line with my love of catholic tchotchkes. even though i know mom picked it out and put it in the mail, it came from both of them and when i got it i wore it i thought of them both. i understood then how lucky i was to have both my folks, and how lucky i was that they would love me even when i was being a pain in their collective asses. wearing the bracelet then, and now, reminds me of that. it has nothing to do with belief in god, because i don't have any.

of course, i know a lot of people actually think that the glow-in-the-dark mary in my car, my religious themed jewelry, and plethora of rosaries means i have faith. most of the people i know are protestant christian of some sort, and my being apparently catholic means they don't talk religion to me. a lot of people are surprised when i tell them i don't actually believe, that i don't have faith in god or saints or hell or heaven. some folks don't believe me. my atheism happened over time, and it wasn't until a little over two years ago i felt okay talking about it with anyone. it's not something i talk about often, for sure, because in some ways it feels like a non-issue. i still enjoy christian holidays, although i feel like they're just a good way to enjoy time with my friends and family and do some serious cooking/eating. at times, though, i wonder if i know any other atheists. D has faith of a sort (non-denominational), feels fairly sure there's a god and that god is okay with him. my co-worker M is a devout and serious seventh-day adventist. my mom is still catholic. i live and work and love people with faith, but just don't have it myself. when i wear my little saintly bracelet i wonder who i might know who is also an atheist. is it you? do you talk about it? were you once but now aren't? i'm curious.

not kosher, but...

on a hot day, this is my new favorite thing to drink. i understand it's not an authentic chelada, but honestly, i could care less. it's tomato-y, salty, beery and delicious. i'm having one right now, if you must know the truth.

ding dong

the witch is dead! i got my last batch of belongings out of my bitch-ass roommate's house and i feel fan-fucking-tastic. i did not want to do it today, no--i lay in bed all morning telling D i was tired and didn't want to go, but once i put my bike on the back of my car, left my key, and drove on out of there i felt like a brand-new woman. a relieved one! if i never talk to her again, it might be too soon. my roommate's house was a good fit for me at first, but once i moved out of the bad place i was (mopey and freaked out by the end of my relationship with the fisherman) it was like a too-tight pair of pants. serviceable, but not comfortable.

we've been working on integrating my stuff into the family's, and so far it's going well. D has been seriously conscious of giving me enough space and making sure i feel welcome. it's true we've been de-facto shacking up for a while now, but moving in for real feels different. i'm looking forward to getting the rest of my stuff out of storage and finishing my nomad days once and for all.

this weekend the kids and i went to the drive-in again. we saw land of the lost and the newest terminator movie. land of the lost was absurdly retarded; kind of like watching a surrealist painting with sex jokes, but don't let that make you think we didn't enjoy it. we did. i will say this, however, not a kid's movie. i fell asleep and missed the beginning of the terminator movie, but what i saw was totally enjoyable. the boychik loved it, so i have a feeling we'll be renting it so he can watch it with his pop too. on the way into town we stopped at Saars Marketplace in Oak Harbor to pick up groceries. specifically: ramen. we love the spicy ramen, as well as the other awesome asian flavors, and there really isn't anyplace in the skagit valley that has a good selection.* we loaded up on noodles, kimchi, mochi, hello pandas and ramune sodas (the kid's first). speaking of kimchi; D has been convinced he doesn't like it for a long time now. whenever i mention a craving for it, he balks. this morning we got up late and had ramen for brunch and i opened up the kimchi to add a little to mine. he tried a bite, and that's all it took. we spent all morning looking up kimchi recipes, eating it, and making plans to make our own batch this weekend. the little jar i bought is over 3/4 of the way gone, and we've spent most of this afternoon trying to convince the kids that it's amazing and they need to try it. dear kimchi, i love you. thanks for being so crunchy and spicy and awesome!

*unless there is and i don't know about it! if you know something i don't, please feel free to let me know.

ideas?

i was just thinking today that i need to start working on any presents i want to knit this year for christmas. i started thinking about it when i found out a co-worker got successfully knocked up (i think she and her husband started talking about trying again last week, seriously), but now i need some ideas for things that are fun, or things you would be stoked to get as a gift. keep in mind that i'm a so-so knitter; i can do socks, and i can do some hard stuff, but am still real bad at fair isle/intarsia. i'm especially stumped about what to possibly make the girlchild. she'll be 11, she's not super girly but she does enjoy kittens and puppies, and her favorite movie lately has been mallrats. i have a feeling the girlchild might be hard to shop for at least for the next few years....

oh money, where are thou?

ugh. one of the things that sucks the most about adulthood is dealing with money. i suspect i wouldn't feel this way if, you know, i had money, but i don't and managing micro-amounts of it is exhausting. i actually had to take out a pay-day loan this month, which was pretty humbling. before anyone gets too upset let me explain; it wasn't for much, the terms aren't too terrible, and it will be all paid back and okay by this friday. i'm just at a point in my life where it's worth it for me to spend $37 to get a few hundred dollars as a loan rather than ask my mom for it. we needed just a little for wiggle room, gas and food and a small bill or two, and it made this last week a lot less stressful. D didn't work a few weekends last month, and while no waiter on earth makes a lot in hourly wages, he did miss out on tips as well and that's where the money is. he picked up extra shifts this week and next, we sat down last night and made out a budget, and i am confident that by the end of this summer we'll be fiscally a hell of a lot more responsible.

we still have work to do, and our budget is pretty cursory right now, but the first thing we did this month was to cut way back on going out to eat and other fun stuff that cost money. the biggest expense we've incurred lately for entertainment is the drive-in; which is under $20 for all of us to go, and we can pack snacks and it's a whole night of fun. we've been renting movies from the library, reading lots of books out in the sun, and the kids have been working on various art and craft projects. i'm not worried about them getting too bent out of shape going out less, since we're just doing more fun stuff at home. barbecuing is easy and can be cheap, and we all get to hang around outside playing frisbee while things cook. everyone loves ramen. beans and rice are so nice! i do still drive to work, but am thinking i could quit that some days and ride my bike (it's only 6 miles). on the weekends, we walk as many places as we can. i gave up my cell phone. i will admit we tend to favor good beer, which makes us bad grown-ups, but buying the occasional 6 pack of good stuff is still way cheaper than going out for drinks.

we'll never be able to retire, and we'll have to cross our fingers that the kids get into college based on their good looks and charm, but hopefully we'll pay off some of our debt, put some money into savings, and not be too crabby doing it. i'll never understand how money can be so stressful and boring at the same time.

this is post 1,100! crazy.

(i am composing this post while half-heartedly listening to a work conference call. just so you know.)

you've known me long enough to know that i hate moving. moving makes me depressed in a strange way, even when i'm moving out of one awful place into an awesome one. this time, i'm leaving behind a drunken drama queen who's morbidly obese daughter steals my shit to move in with my handsome husband-to-be and his rad kids. yet i still find myself kind of melancholy. i haven't actually lived there in over two months, but for some reason packing my shit up and getting it out makes me sad and pokey. i was trying to explain that to D and i ended up just saying, "it's just one of my little nuerosis." because really, that's it. there's no good reason to feel sad about leaving a house i didn't enjoy to move in with people i love, but it's there anyhow. i haven't been over there in over a week, even, to get the last of my things because the thought of that house makes my tummy hurt. god, i am such a baby. i just need to get some big plastic garbage bag together, grab my boxes and get over there and get my shit. i'll take the boychik over later this week; having him there is a nice buffer. no one messes with me when the kids are around because they know that's something i absolutely will not tolerate. my roommate can be a bitch to me, but if she starts with my boy, she's likely to get a moutful of my fist. wow. that last sentence made me sound like a badass!

we barbequed giant, ridiculously massive turkey legs last night for dinner. (see above!) i highly recommend doing this if you run into them at the store. it takes some time to cook them, but it is totally worth it. we rubbed them down with a blend of smoked salt, garlic, olive oil and smoked paprika. we made three of them to feed the four of us, and had enough left over to make turkey burritos with the leftovers today. they were also cheap, which is nice in these tough economic times (cue sad NPR music here). in short, if i were to suggest an unusual cut of meat for cookig on fire, i'd like to nominate turkey legs. i'd also like to encourage everyone to bbq more, out back, with your friends and family, drinking beer and playing frisbee while meat and veggies cook. it's just a nice way to end your day.

unhappily ever after

we went to a wedding yesterday that had a less than happy vibe going on. it wasn't overtly terrible and nothing dramatic happened, but it didn't feel like a very joyous day for anyone involved. it was the sort of wedding where every one's toast to the bride and groom alluded to "trials" and "rough times," instead of "mazel tov!" and "i love you, man!" i was kind of hoping the sister of the groom would get wasted and cause a scene, and she almost did when she bought a formal, white gown to wear that day, but she was talked out of it at the last minute and it was a cash bar, so no dice there. dammit! there was nothing you could really put a finger on, but when i think of a wedding, i think of an awesome party and hopefully a short service that makes people want to hug and kiss their loved ones and then dance all night. this was not that scene.

D made the cake and it was as delicious as it was lovely. the kids and i got to get dressed up and go, and the buffet dinner was great. overall, it was a pretty fun day, even if the wedding was a bit lackluster. i also thought the pastor was a bit of a dick. sure, the wedding was held at a casino, in one of the banquet rooms; but did he really need to make a big point of asking people to "put aside their drinks and cigarettes so we may make this a holy moment" before starting the service? for one thing, no one even had a cocktail at this point, and for another, you weren't allowed to smoke in the room. it was an odd and jerky touch, if you ask me. this was the pastor D grew up with, but i hope he doesn't think he's going to get near our wedding. when he tried to make small talk with me, i shoved some food in my face and nodded vacantly. it's my hope he thinks i'm mildly retarded and doesn't try again.

at some point i know i won't think of my pop so much, but the father-daughter dance part of the wedding made me sad. i don't even think pop liked dancing (besides with mom in the kitchen), but it was a nice moment for the bride and her dad and it left me misty and a bit melancholy. it also makes me wonder if i should walk down the aisle alone or commandeer an uncle for the occasion. maybe i'll drop in via helicopter just to sidestep the whole issue. or be shot out of a cannon and right into the middle of the festivities. maybe we can rent a tiny clown car and all pile out of it at once, or i can learn to ride a unicycle and roll in juggling. i have a whole year and a half to learn...

lazy summer days

it's been impossibly hot in the pacific northwest. muggy, too. part of me is loving it, part of me wants to hide out until it's over. i literally get nothing done on hot days. the lizard part of my brain takes over and all i can do is go bake my brain in the sun. nights, though, i'm up and about and want to stay up as last as i can and make stuff. since i have a job now where i work in the mornings, this tendency of mine isn't doing my any good. oh well.

today is the boychik's birthday! he's now officially ready to start his tenure as surly teenager, since he is now 15. he's been downplaying it the past few weeks, but i'm excited for him. we got him a copy of serenity, since we just finished watching firefly (it was my second time, their first), some awesome sparkly bouncy balls because he's into contact juggling at the moment, fishy snacks, and birthday donuts. when i kept harassing him about what he wanted for his birthday dinner, he finally settled on gruel. oh, how funny. he was actually rolling his eyes at me one day when i asked him for the umpteenth time what he wanted when i explained that i myself am not a huge fan of birthdays or parties, however, i do believe in the importance of the birthday dinner. it's the one day you can have whatever you want, however you want it. he admitted, grudgingly, that it didn't sound so bad. he still wouldn't pick anything out though! we took the task from him, and will be making grilled prawn tacos. he'll love it, and it will be fun to make. i know that birthdays aren't technically that big a deal, and have been trying to eschew them for years now, but i want him to have a happy day. i don't think that's too much to ask!

we have a wedding to go to this weekend. D is making a massive, fondant covered chocolate cake. it's his brother's wedding, so i'll get to meet more family. the last time i met that many of them was at his uncle's funeral, and to be honest, not such a fun way to meet. the kids are stoked they have the day off school, even though we're down to the last few weeks, and it will be fun to get dressed up and have drinks and watch someone else get hitched. ooh, and eat the giant, fondant covered monstrosity of cake being assembled at home!