I'm friggin' BACK.
Time for a little anecdote before I forget, because I was quite taken aback when this happened. There was a guy in the library two days ago who was here filling out job applications. He waved me down and asked, "how to you spell burglary?" I didn't understand the word at first, because I don't believe the word typically belongs on a job application. Then he clarified, "because that's what I went to jail for." He went on to explain to me the reason why he couldn't spell the word "burglary". It was, he says, because when he was a teenager he got thrown from a moving vehicle resulting in brain trauma, he was in a coma and had amnesia. When he awoke from the coma he could no longer understand how to sound words out. And, he boasted, "I've failed Hooked On Phonics four times!" Wonderful.
Yesterday Oliver and I made our batch of Belgian White ale. It went off without a hitch this time, we didn't make any mistakes. We put the hops in a mesh bag, so that we did not have to filter them out after the wort was chilled.
In other beer news: our German Kolsch is done, it's currently sitting in a refrigerated soda keg hooked up to a CO2 tank. It's awesome. And that's not even an exaggeration.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Ack, sick.
Long time, no blog.
Don't expect any glittering jewels of wisdom from this one. I'm sick. Cold or allergies or sinus something. Hope I'm well for tomorrow, I have to go to work.
I'm trying this whole vegetarian thing. Not because I feel sorry for the animals (really, I do, but I've managed to push that issue out of my mind for the past 24 years), but more just to see if I can do it. And to see if I lose any weight by cutting out animal fat. Today is the second day, and I'm planning to do it at least until Thanksgiving. So far so good, I was never that much of a meat person, so it's not such a shock. Oliver would absolutely die if he tried it--he is a carnivorous beast.
Last night I ate a veggie burger for the first time. I was super impressed, it was the most delicious! I don't like homemade hamburgers, but the pan-fried veggie burger hit the spot. I had sweet potato fries with it. Yum.
Here's what I expect from this little experiment--it's going to force me to cook at home more than I eat out (eating out is my downfall), because I can't count on tasty vegetarian options at every restaurant. This will lead to me eating less grease, less harmful animal fat, more vegetables. I bet I'll lose about 5 lbs.
For supper I made bowtie pasta with alfredo sauce containing gorgonzola cheese, grilled onions, broccoli, peas and spinach. Didn't even miss the chicken.
But it's only day 2.
Don't expect any glittering jewels of wisdom from this one. I'm sick. Cold or allergies or sinus something. Hope I'm well for tomorrow, I have to go to work.
I'm trying this whole vegetarian thing. Not because I feel sorry for the animals (really, I do, but I've managed to push that issue out of my mind for the past 24 years), but more just to see if I can do it. And to see if I lose any weight by cutting out animal fat. Today is the second day, and I'm planning to do it at least until Thanksgiving. So far so good, I was never that much of a meat person, so it's not such a shock. Oliver would absolutely die if he tried it--he is a carnivorous beast.
Last night I ate a veggie burger for the first time. I was super impressed, it was the most delicious! I don't like homemade hamburgers, but the pan-fried veggie burger hit the spot. I had sweet potato fries with it. Yum.
Here's what I expect from this little experiment--it's going to force me to cook at home more than I eat out (eating out is my downfall), because I can't count on tasty vegetarian options at every restaurant. This will lead to me eating less grease, less harmful animal fat, more vegetables. I bet I'll lose about 5 lbs.
For supper I made bowtie pasta with alfredo sauce containing gorgonzola cheese, grilled onions, broccoli, peas and spinach. Didn't even miss the chicken.
But it's only day 2.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Boycott Twilight!!
Recently I was a fan of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series, and even more recently I came to strongly dislike it. I found out a little piece of information last night that is spurring me to write this blog. So, with no further ado, let me present:
20 Reasons Why Twilight SUCKS
1. The Twilight movie is the reason why the opening of Harry Potter has been pushed to July 2009
2. The book is based on the author's forbidden Mormon wet dream.
3. I firmly believe that Stephenie Meyer TOTALLY RIPPED OFF Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse series which came out four years before Twilight.
4. Stephenie Meyer won't admit that she ripped anyone off--she denies that she's ever read any vampire literature before.
5. The Twilight series is infused with the author's anti-feminist Mormon values.
6. The main character's name is Isabella (which means beautiful) Swann. Barf.
7. Renesmee.
8. Bella is the most pathetic dependent person an author could have conceived, who can't function when Edward is gone. The book implies that a woman is nothing without a man.
9. Another Mormon infusion: Bella graduates high school, gets married to a MUCH older man, and IMMEDIATELY has a baby.
10. Werewolves "imprinting" on babies and children. Gross. Reminds me of medieval betrothing.
11. Plot holes pepper the last book.
12. Meyer spends three books writing about the terror of newborn vampires, but when Bella becomes a vamp this is a non-issue, and there is no explanation why not.
13. Half of the last book is spent building up for a fight that never happens. Meyer probably wants to make some money off another book.
14. Edward is very controlling.
15. Weird bruise-causing vampire sex.
16. Edward and Bella can't have sex before they're married, and personally I'm a huge fan of premarital sex :P
17. The author calls vampire spit "venom"--it just always bothered me.
18. Twilight devoured valuable hours of my life that I can never have back--on my deathbed I will be saying, "Need...more.......time..........Shouldn't....have...read...............Twilight."
19. Renesmee--that IS a stupid made-up name a young teenage mother would choose, almost like Abcde.
20. Disgusting bone-breaking demon baby pregnancy.
2. The book is based on the author's forbidden Mormon wet dream.
3. I firmly believe that Stephenie Meyer TOTALLY RIPPED OFF Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse series which came out four years before Twilight.
4. Stephenie Meyer won't admit that she ripped anyone off--she denies that she's ever read any vampire literature before.
5. The Twilight series is infused with the author's anti-feminist Mormon values.
6. The main character's name is Isabella (which means beautiful) Swann. Barf.
7. Renesmee.
8. Bella is the most pathetic dependent person an author could have conceived, who can't function when Edward is gone. The book implies that a woman is nothing without a man.
9. Another Mormon infusion: Bella graduates high school, gets married to a MUCH older man, and IMMEDIATELY has a baby.
10. Werewolves "imprinting" on babies and children. Gross. Reminds me of medieval betrothing.
11. Plot holes pepper the last book.
12. Meyer spends three books writing about the terror of newborn vampires, but when Bella becomes a vamp this is a non-issue, and there is no explanation why not.
13. Half of the last book is spent building up for a fight that never happens. Meyer probably wants to make some money off another book.
14. Edward is very controlling.
15. Weird bruise-causing vampire sex.
16. Edward and Bella can't have sex before they're married, and personally I'm a huge fan of premarital sex :P
17. The author calls vampire spit "venom"--it just always bothered me.
18. Twilight devoured valuable hours of my life that I can never have back--on my deathbed I will be saying, "Need...more.......time..........Shouldn't....have...read...............Twilight."
19. Renesmee--that IS a stupid made-up name a young teenage mother would choose, almost like Abcde.
20. Disgusting bone-breaking demon baby pregnancy.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Lizzie's Coming!
I am using the computer at Oliver's house. The S and D keys on this keyboard don't always work. I will try my best to correct misspellings, but if anything is missing d's and s's, don't blame me, kay?
I'm not sure I have any astute observation tonight. I feel like my brain is basically fried, having played Sims all day. The problem with the Sims is that I compose these elaborate schemes in my head for my characters, and then I obsessively play the game until the schemes come to fruition. Sometimes this takes an absurdly long time. I just spent the last hour and a half trying to turn one of my sims into a werewolf because she's the roommate/sister of vampires. I just keep waiting for the glowing-eyed head werewolf dog to come over, but he hasn't yet. I think I give up for tonight.
I'm also watching movies in the background. I watched all of Interview with the Vampire, and a part of Lagaan. Lagaan is this very good Bollywood-ish movie with bad ass dance sequences. I think I envy the women their saris, I think they're beautiful.
Lizzie is in San Antonio. I realized tonight that I miss her a whole bunch--every time she comes to visit (which is seldom) Em and I only get to see her for like an hour. She's my vanishing bridesmaid.
I am supposed to go running at 11. Been putting it off, but someone has to run off these jelly rolls to fit in her wedding dress. Luckily I ate ALL the cookie dough last week, which means I will not be eating cookie dough this week. Is that sound logic or what?
I'm not sure I have any astute observation tonight. I feel like my brain is basically fried, having played Sims all day. The problem with the Sims is that I compose these elaborate schemes in my head for my characters, and then I obsessively play the game until the schemes come to fruition. Sometimes this takes an absurdly long time. I just spent the last hour and a half trying to turn one of my sims into a werewolf because she's the roommate/sister of vampires. I just keep waiting for the glowing-eyed head werewolf dog to come over, but he hasn't yet. I think I give up for tonight.
I'm also watching movies in the background. I watched all of Interview with the Vampire, and a part of Lagaan. Lagaan is this very good Bollywood-ish movie with bad ass dance sequences. I think I envy the women their saris, I think they're beautiful.
Lizzie is in San Antonio. I realized tonight that I miss her a whole bunch--every time she comes to visit (which is seldom) Em and I only get to see her for like an hour. She's my vanishing bridesmaid.
I am supposed to go running at 11. Been putting it off, but someone has to run off these jelly rolls to fit in her wedding dress. Luckily I ate ALL the cookie dough last week, which means I will not be eating cookie dough this week. Is that sound logic or what?
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Grilled Cheese Aspiration
So I'm playing Sims 2 again. It's a total time suck. I recently discovered Grilled Cheese Aspiration. A Sim with grilled cheese aspiration has wants and needs almost entirely based on grilled cheese sandwiches: Eat grilled cheese, influence someone to serve grilled cheese, make grilled cheese for so-and-so, talk about grilled cheese, serve grilled cheese. Their new greatest fear, which is equal to the fear of fire is to eat a bad grilled cheese. Another fear is to have a bad conversation about grilled cheese.
If only life were this simple. I sometimes wish I had the ability to become interested in something, and devote myself to learning that one thing until I mastered it. This never happens with me. My interests constantly change--I typically become completely obsessed with an idea of something, learn how to do it very basically, and become interested in something completely different. This means I do everything (at best) mediocre, and nothing fantastic. I've made simple quilts, simple crocheted pieces, simple knits, simple cross-stitch, simple clothing sewed with sewing machine, I'm an okay artist, I play very little banjo, I've done a little backpacking, I do all sorts of crafts so lousily that they break the second I put them down because I'm too impatient to learn to do them correctly, I buy exercise videos I only try once, buy things I'll never use again. Tiring.
To go in a completely different direction--the Mission Flea Market here in San Antonio is open on Saturdays, Sundays, and Wednesdays. Don't people have jobs? I went past there today on the way to work and noticed that the parking lot was just as full as it is on Saturdays and Sundays. Maybe if the flea market patrons would get jobs they WOULDN'T HAVE TO SHOP AT THE FLEA MARKET!!!
I wonder the same thing about our library's patrons sometimes. There's this one redneck family that always comes in on weekdays, in the middle of the day. Like the whole family, extended family, and Grandma. The men are all super skinny, the women are all fat, they all have snaggle teeth, and they all smell. One time I was talking to the women and they asked, "Do y'all have any audio books about birds? I think Grandma would like to listen to it while she's driving." I said, "I doubt it, but let me look on the computer. Did you want CD or cassette?" They looked at me like I was retarded and responded, "it's for the CAR." Because apparently in hillbilly world, CD players do not exist in cars. Didn't I know that?
So I think I'm going to get back to playing Sims.
Spread the love (of grilled cheese).
-Rachel Felis silvestrus catus
If only life were this simple. I sometimes wish I had the ability to become interested in something, and devote myself to learning that one thing until I mastered it. This never happens with me. My interests constantly change--I typically become completely obsessed with an idea of something, learn how to do it very basically, and become interested in something completely different. This means I do everything (at best) mediocre, and nothing fantastic. I've made simple quilts, simple crocheted pieces, simple knits, simple cross-stitch, simple clothing sewed with sewing machine, I'm an okay artist, I play very little banjo, I've done a little backpacking, I do all sorts of crafts so lousily that they break the second I put them down because I'm too impatient to learn to do them correctly, I buy exercise videos I only try once, buy things I'll never use again. Tiring.
To go in a completely different direction--the Mission Flea Market here in San Antonio is open on Saturdays, Sundays, and Wednesdays. Don't people have jobs? I went past there today on the way to work and noticed that the parking lot was just as full as it is on Saturdays and Sundays. Maybe if the flea market patrons would get jobs they WOULDN'T HAVE TO SHOP AT THE FLEA MARKET!!!
I wonder the same thing about our library's patrons sometimes. There's this one redneck family that always comes in on weekdays, in the middle of the day. Like the whole family, extended family, and Grandma. The men are all super skinny, the women are all fat, they all have snaggle teeth, and they all smell. One time I was talking to the women and they asked, "Do y'all have any audio books about birds? I think Grandma would like to listen to it while she's driving." I said, "I doubt it, but let me look on the computer. Did you want CD or cassette?" They looked at me like I was retarded and responded, "it's for the CAR." Because apparently in hillbilly world, CD players do not exist in cars. Didn't I know that?
So I think I'm going to get back to playing Sims.
Spread the love (of grilled cheese).
-Rachel Felis silvestrus catus
Monday, October 27, 2008
Parking Lot Bloggin'
I'm sitting in my car, blogging away. While ago I was playing Sims. There was intermittent driving involved. It's hot in here, but I feel SO lucky to have a parking spot today at work. Lately our parking has been overflowing into the HEB parking next door, due to the high turnout of early voters visiting our branch.
I had "executive coaching" this morning--which really mean that a nice lady explained to me the meanings of the numbers on my Birkman test. It was revealing, but I don't think I learned anything I didn't already know. That left me at Central Library at 12:00, when I didn't need to be at work until 3:15. So I got some Wendy's and played Sims in my car (they can be witches now!). I support the use of double punctuation when there are parentheses present, and there is a dire need. Sims as witches=dire need.
Someone was trying to sell their truck camper, but it said "canper" instead. In two spots. How do you even pronounce that? Learn English much?
I also succeeded in losing $10. Don't ask how, but I accomplished it. Maybe it'll turn up. Maybe it's just jumbled up lost under the seat of my car crying for help. Oh bother.
I walked around Target for a few minutes, until I realized my money was gone, and led a hasty retreat. No use being tempted to use the debit card. Then went to McDonalds because I knew they had wireless interent. I didn't know they made you PAY FOR IT!? You have to pay $2.99 for two hours. At the library we just give it away, like everything else. Screw McDonalds. The greedy bastards.
Okay, I have wasted enough time. I'm going to go to work now, and screw around for 15 minutes. Blah.
-Rachel
I had "executive coaching" this morning--which really mean that a nice lady explained to me the meanings of the numbers on my Birkman test. It was revealing, but I don't think I learned anything I didn't already know. That left me at Central Library at 12:00, when I didn't need to be at work until 3:15. So I got some Wendy's and played Sims in my car (they can be witches now!). I support the use of double punctuation when there are parentheses present, and there is a dire need. Sims as witches=dire need.
Someone was trying to sell their truck camper, but it said "canper" instead. In two spots. How do you even pronounce that? Learn English much?
I also succeeded in losing $10. Don't ask how, but I accomplished it. Maybe it'll turn up. Maybe it's just jumbled up lost under the seat of my car crying for help. Oh bother.
I walked around Target for a few minutes, until I realized my money was gone, and led a hasty retreat. No use being tempted to use the debit card. Then went to McDonalds because I knew they had wireless interent. I didn't know they made you PAY FOR IT!? You have to pay $2.99 for two hours. At the library we just give it away, like everything else. Screw McDonalds. The greedy bastards.
Okay, I have wasted enough time. I'm going to go to work now, and screw around for 15 minutes. Blah.
-Rachel
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