Here is how we know spring is here in VA, a whole day early:
Open windows = happy kitties.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Sunday, March 13, 2011
some of the SanFran food
Bobby G's Pizzeria - our last night there
Point Reyes Station - The Station House Cafe
Fried oysters. Big portions.
sugary thing + pretzel croissant + free coffee = $5 (so yum and such a deal)
pupusas and black bean empanadas
long wait, but the nicest staff we encountered on our trip
Cream - a warm cookie sandwich for $1.50
XOXO Truffles - tiny bits of goodness
Saturday, March 12, 2011
San Francisco
Last week we traveled to the distant land of California, where we saw many new and wondrous things, and became accustomed to their strange ways. Their pagan gods make sure that they always have fresh fruit available, at half the cost of what it would be in a VA grocery store. To appease these gods and continue to receive bountiful produce, Californians must participate in a ritual referred to as "recycling". While other places simply dabble in recycling, California recycles with a calculated and detailed vengeance. Discarding of our trash there was daunting, and I began to look forward to finding a standalone trash cans whenever we needed to do so - without a row of additional recycling bins available, we were free to continue our lazy, wasteful ways.
Clearly, our semi-grown-up vacation taught us a lot. For example, we got lost and stuck going over bridges on both sides of the country, but these misadventures did take us to exciting new places, such as "Yerba Buena Island" and "Maryland". Here are some of the more "typical" San Francisco city photos.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Berry picking without the berries
A trip just south of here brought us to tiny Raphine, VA. Since the name "Raphine" is derived from the Greek for "to sew", it's fitting that we stopped at the Orchardside Yarn Shop. Since shopping for knitting yarn is not an activity that appeals to my male counterpart, it's fortunate that this aptly-named shop is part of a larger orchard. We tromped around in the January snow and pretended it was summer.
Other things to visit in Raphine include (and may actually be limited to) alpacas, wine, and flour.
Other things to visit in Raphine include (and may actually be limited to) alpacas, wine, and flour.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Lexington and Robert E. Lee.
A recent trip to Lexington taught me all I never knew about Robert E. Lee:
He was big on details, precision, and real-world utility. He studied intensely, and was a master at topography, artillery placement and a ton of other specialties that would make him a good guy to go camping with. He would probably be a strong contender to win "Survivor". He would most definitely be depressed (even more so than he was in his day) to see the descendants of those he fought for using a GPS to get to the McDonald's two blocks away.
He was big on gentlemen being gentlemen, and instilled manners and courtesy as a tenant of education at Washington College (now Washington and Lee University). A glance at the Rules of Civility and Decent Behaviour, which follow this school of thought, shows how far we've fallen as a society. My personal favorite: "When in Company, put not your Hands to any Part of the Body, not usualy Discovered." Point taken.
Lee was big on useful education, and he created the nation's first school of journalism, along with law and business schools that would complement the existing liberal arts curriculum at Washington College. This arrangement was unheard of at the time; however, I have not yet found a market for my college essays on female identity in The Great Gatsby, so I can say with some certainty that Lee might have been on to something.
He was also upfront with his strengths and weaknesses, which was probably for the better of his college's students. On teaching (and why he didn't do it):
"There is an art in making a subject agreeable which I have never found I possessed."
If only we could all be that self-aware. All this intense Civil War history, and the part that gets me the most? He was a sucker for animals (like, buried-with-his-horse kind of a sucker):
"Traveller is my only companion . . . he and I wander out in the mountains and enjoy sweet confidence."
Sweet confidence = loving what you have in front of you, and needing nothing else. If that doesn't sum up what it is to love a pet, I'm not sure what does.
He was big on details, precision, and real-world utility. He studied intensely, and was a master at topography, artillery placement and a ton of other specialties that would make him a good guy to go camping with. He would probably be a strong contender to win "Survivor". He would most definitely be depressed (even more so than he was in his day) to see the descendants of those he fought for using a GPS to get to the McDonald's two blocks away.
He was big on gentlemen being gentlemen, and instilled manners and courtesy as a tenant of education at Washington College (now Washington and Lee University). A glance at the Rules of Civility and Decent Behaviour, which follow this school of thought, shows how far we've fallen as a society. My personal favorite: "When in Company, put not your Hands to any Part of the Body, not usualy Discovered." Point taken.
Lee was big on useful education, and he created the nation's first school of journalism, along with law and business schools that would complement the existing liberal arts curriculum at Washington College. This arrangement was unheard of at the time; however, I have not yet found a market for my college essays on female identity in The Great Gatsby, so I can say with some certainty that Lee might have been on to something.
He was also upfront with his strengths and weaknesses, which was probably for the better of his college's students. On teaching (and why he didn't do it):
"There is an art in making a subject agreeable which I have never found I possessed."
If only we could all be that self-aware. All this intense Civil War history, and the part that gets me the most? He was a sucker for animals (like, buried-with-his-horse kind of a sucker):
"Traveller is my only companion . . . he and I wander out in the mountains and enjoy sweet confidence."
Sweet confidence = loving what you have in front of you, and needing nothing else. If that doesn't sum up what it is to love a pet, I'm not sure what does.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Do not look at me in the eyes!
For years, it's been pretty clear to me that Tina Fey and I are meant to be the best of friends. I don't mean this in a crazy stalker way*. I just think that we have enough in common to create a lasting friendship - including a shared world view rooted almost entirely in how obnoxious other people can be.
Exhibit A: In the latest issue of The New Yorker, Tina takes to task all those who ask way-too-personal life questions and dispense unneeded advice. In her case, it's about balancing work and a family, and she touches on the perverse, startling, and all-too-common question, "So, when are you having kids?"
My number one principle is "Get out of my face. Now." This partially explains why this question (and others like it) dig at me, but there is also a more general disrespect at play that I think many other 20-something women experience as well, married or not. I poked around to see what others had to say on the subject, and I found a surprising number of "What's the big deal with asking?" responses mixed into the vitriol of "none of your beeswax."
I culled a few sassy responses to this question, but my all-time favorite has to be this e-card.
*Please ignore the fact that this is exactly what a crazy stalker would say
Exhibit A: In the latest issue of The New Yorker, Tina takes to task all those who ask way-too-personal life questions and dispense unneeded advice. In her case, it's about balancing work and a family, and she touches on the perverse, startling, and all-too-common question, "So, when are you having kids?"
My number one principle is "Get out of my face. Now." This partially explains why this question (and others like it) dig at me, but there is also a more general disrespect at play that I think many other 20-something women experience as well, married or not. I poked around to see what others had to say on the subject, and I found a surprising number of "What's the big deal with asking?" responses mixed into the vitriol of "none of your beeswax."
I culled a few sassy responses to this question, but my all-time favorite has to be this e-card.
*Please ignore the fact that this is exactly what a crazy stalker would say
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Knowing what it means...
BBQ shrimp Po-Boy and some incredible Gumbo at Luizza's
Some kind of dessert creation from the restaurant at The Mariott
Bananas Foster stuffed French toast, migas con chorizo, and a pumpkin pancake at Surrey's Cafe
Sunday, January 2, 2011
They're not tricks! They're illusions!
Yes, I knit.
No, I'm not elderly. I do enjoy Scrabble, and being asleep by 10 pm. I may also have two cats. Now, stop trying to build a wacky stereotype out of all of that. Knitting is badass. And, by the way, I do stay up past 10 sometimes. (Usually to knit...)
Many people are not aware of the fact that knitting is badass. They may happen upon me knitting and offer me some dried prunes, or ask me when Murder, She Wrote comes on. These people are not the smartest. They also are not getting any hats from me.
This blog focuses on the mathematical side of knitting and other crafts. This take on knitting is no surprise to actual knitters, though it is hard to ignore the rote mathy-ness of the website itself (check out the home page for step by step instructions on how to navigate the website).
Aside from the obvious combo-nerdiness of the site topic, the best thing about the site is the World of Illusion Knitting. A cult, you ask? Nah, that's what this place is for. Illusion knitting, or shadow knitting, is a technique that creates a picture in your project - one that is only viewable from a given angle.
If you like this concept, but have no patience to make things for yourself, try going 90's kitsch and getting yourself a T-shirt. Then, if you like that idea, click here in case you need to be explicitly shown why it is (and probably always was) a bad idea. As you might suspect, I suggest taking up knitting instead.
And if you're just into illusions, hypercolor, knitted or otherwise:
No, I'm not elderly. I do enjoy Scrabble, and being asleep by 10 pm. I may also have two cats. Now, stop trying to build a wacky stereotype out of all of that. Knitting is badass. And, by the way, I do stay up past 10 sometimes. (Usually to knit...)
Many people are not aware of the fact that knitting is badass. They may happen upon me knitting and offer me some dried prunes, or ask me when Murder, She Wrote comes on. These people are not the smartest. They also are not getting any hats from me.
This blog focuses on the mathematical side of knitting and other crafts. This take on knitting is no surprise to actual knitters, though it is hard to ignore the rote mathy-ness of the website itself (check out the home page for step by step instructions on how to navigate the website).
Aside from the obvious combo-nerdiness of the site topic, the best thing about the site is the World of Illusion Knitting. A cult, you ask? Nah, that's what this place is for. Illusion knitting, or shadow knitting, is a technique that creates a picture in your project - one that is only viewable from a given angle.
If you like this concept, but have no patience to make things for yourself, try going 90's kitsch and getting yourself a T-shirt. Then, if you like that idea, click here in case you need to be explicitly shown why it is (and probably always was) a bad idea. As you might suspect, I suggest taking up knitting instead.
And if you're just into illusions, hypercolor, knitted or otherwise:
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
There is nothing unappealing to me about this video. I love this Swedish man. I love his fancy Minority Report-style screen. I even love the weird, slightly abandoned-looking studio space they're in. Granted, it's probably better off that he has these things. I would most like to rollerblade around the building while chasing my cats, before settling down to knit and watch Interactive 30 Rock. Hans, however, has chosen to use his awesomeness to educate us about global health:
And I might have shared this before, but since it's so cool, I shall share it again:
http://www.visualizing.org/
Data visualization techniques make me feel fairly smart with minimal effort on my part, and all through some pretty little pictures.
And I might have shared this before, but since it's so cool, I shall share it again:
http://www.visualizing.org/
Data visualization techniques make me feel fairly smart with minimal effort on my part, and all through some pretty little pictures.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
I think I'll go to Boston
Boston lit their Faneuil Hall Christmas tree just two nights before this picture was taken. Shouldn't we save the intensive decorating for when all of the natural decorations fall off the trees?
All this walking around, and I'm still stuffed from all of the good food we ate. Cheap, yummy Thai food? Yes please. How about eating handmade pasta in the North End, while an adorable older gentleman plays the accordion and sings to you? Indian food? Crab rolls? Oh sure, but only because you're twisting my arm.
Chicken curry dumplings and something else that was way too delicious to ponder for very long
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