March 2003 Archive

Thursday, March 27, 2003

Wednesday, March 26, 2003

1000 Directions
I haven't had the will to blog because my brain has been going in a 1000 directions at once. And there's stuff I want to blog about because it's on my brain, but it's not so blogable. So, I've refrained, for the good of all of us. I mentioned this to Gail who said,

"I am imagining your grey matter splitting into many smaller brains with little hash marks connecting the brains. One little brain writes, one little brain sews, one little brain is on the phone, you get the pic!"

I do. I like that. One little brain is going to go fold laundry while listening to Mercer and Darin.

posted on 3/26/2003 04:28:37 PM

Sunday, March 23, 2003

The bad part of tonight was arriving to the bar to go dancing with dance-ready girlfriends and my i.d. being in my pants pocket at home. And the doorman was officious. Ridiculous that it wasn't in my wallet. I literally use it maybe 10 times a year and last Saturday I just happen to be comparing i.d's with Ann. So, I waited for the friggin' bus for 30 minutes, then finally took a cab to the train. Many explitives went through my brain.

Now I will curl into bed with the best bedding ever.

posted on 3/23/2003 12:53:31 AM

Friday, March 21, 2003

Fog Lifting
About an hour ago I was going to write a sad little blog about how slumpy and tired I feel. It's been a long week, lots of gray. Lots of limbo. I love change, but hate limbo. An open window, the emerging sun and loud music helps a lot.

Friday Five
(more info here)
1. If you had the chance to meet someone you've never met, from the past or present, who would it be?
Charles and Ray Eames. Yeah, it's two people.
2. If you had to live in a different century, past or future, which would it be?
I like this one quite a bit. Maybe just earlier in the 20th c.
3. If you had to move anywhere else on Earth, where would it be?
Iceland.
4. If you had to be a fictional character, who would it be?
Maybe a fortuitous and macabre character from a Grimms' fairy tale?
5. If you had to live with having someone else's face as your own for the rest of your life, whose would it be?
What the hell kind of question is that?

posted on 3/21/2003 11:55:42 AM

Tuesday, March 18, 2003

Uh, yeah.

Originally, I tested as ENFJ, only one point difference in my Introversion and Extroversion scale. When I was taking the MBTI course (I actually took the official week-long class, which now allows me to administer the test. I took it for fun. *gasp*), I totally identified with the Introverts, especially in the auxiliary and inferior function of the type. So, I think of myself as a INFJ with loads of ENFJ. And the difference between two explains lots of inner conflicts I had growing up - lots of Love People/Hate People fun. Now, happily, I get to choose my social circles and the majority of that emotional mess is behind me.

There's a shitload of Myers-Briggs stuff online. It can be informative, but it's the tip of the iceberg. The way the four dichotomies form the sixteen types and how they relate is fantastic. If you dig it, look beyond just your specific type profile and read more about the structure of the MBTI.
posted on 3/18/2003 11:14:52 AM

Skim Milk
My favorite Christmas song is the relatively obscure Marshmallow World - "It's a Marshmallow World in the winter, when the snow comes to cover the ground." Today it's a Skim Milk Sky with all the fog outside my 12th floor apartment.

posted on 3/18/2003 09:51:12 AM

Monday, March 17, 2003

"You know...the little one."

The world sees me as a 5'2" little one. In my brain, I'm over six feet tall.

posted on 3/17/2003 06:59:51 PM

An Embarrassment of Riches
Again, I am terribly, terribly fortunate. I've got the best friends in the world. Three cases:

[1] In a dispatch from my brilliant writer friend Mark, upon receiving another compilation from me:
"You have beautiful taste in music, my friend! And has anyone told you this: your CDs are like soundtracks to some as-yet unfilmed beautiful movie. Perhaps I will have to write one sometime to fill in the gap...."

I wish he would! I'm sure it would be a fantastic, quirky, delightful movie.

[2] I returned from Pittsburgh to find my ubercosmopolitan law student friend Larisa had sent me a hand-knitted scarf! Look to the right for a pic of my wearing it in all it's blue, black and white lashiness. It's all fringey, lashy and it tickles a bit. And if I'm looking down and can watch the threads sway to my breath.

[3] My man-of-many-talents writer/musician friend Zebulun gave me a furry copy of his latest book of poetry, No for An Answer, and a film canister of wiggly eyes. Zebulun's one of the most generous people I know, and if that's not enough, I was touched to see I was among a great crowd on the dedication page.

Like I said, an embarrassment of riches.

posted on 3/17/2003 06:39:19 PM

Why I Love Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Det. Goren: "I've got to use my most important investigative tool...my library card."
(See, this is why Goren is my fictional character boyfriend.)

Signs of Spring
I hear jackhammers...

Stellar Weekend
I had an exhausting, but fantastic weekend. Saturday was the Ides of March brunch at Ann, Tim and Jason's (the roommate Jason, not the aforementioned band-forming Jason). I called up right before leaving. I said to Ann, "I'm asking the girl question, 'Is there anything I can bring.'"

Her hollandaise sauce was stalled because she didn't have any lemons. She asked me to pick up a lemon. I went to the store and the tiny lemons were still on sale 10 for a dollar. I bought 20. I took the stickers off of them, so I could present them in all of their uninterrupted lemonness. I brought in the lemons. Soon, Mateo, "The Italian Communist" arrived with six cartons of orange juice. 10 people, six cartons. As Tim said (or was it Ann), "Damn those communists, they're always sharing."

Another favorite quote of the day - Ann and Tim about their cat Camille:
Ann: Camille likes anything sweet. Like Cinnabon frosting.
Tim: It's kitty crack.

On Sunday, I taught Anne C. and Sonya how to sew skirts. Both of theirs turned out super! I was a little too pooped to tackle my own creation while teaching them, so I just ate the good food they brought and laughed my ever-lovin' ass off!

Check out the Art/Work blog for pics.

Now, today it's techincally a work day, but it feels like Sunday. I was woefully indoors most of the weekend.

Just now I walked around my 'hood and did some errands, enjoying the weather. I went to the grocery store and bought the following: 20 lemons (I envied Ann's), 4 large Golden Delicious apples, Sushi - Shoreline Combo, one package yellow Peeps and the 2003 Vanity Fair Hollywood issue. I sat on the rocks on Lake Michigan and ate my sushi blithely looking out at the water and enjoying the cool air.

Right now I want to lay on my window seats and daydream. Perhaps I will.

posted on 3/17/2003 01:54:57 PM

Saturday, March 15, 2003

Brandy's Sex Life
Jason has decided that he's going to start a band called "Brandy's Sex Life." It was a topic of conversation on the car ride to brunch and a often skirted topic at the brunch. Write your own joke here: ______________

posted on 3/15/2003 07:12:48 PM

Friday, March 14, 2003

Phones are only good for making quick plans to see someone, and for long talks with folks who are far away.
2. Who is the last person you talked to on the phone?
Jim, just now, to make plans tonight.
3. About how many telephones do you have at home?
Two. The home phone and the never used Visor phone.
4. Have you encountered anyone who has really bad phone manners? What happened?
I'm sure if I really thought about it, I could dredge up a rant, but happily nothing spring to mind.
5. Would you rather pick up the phone and call someone or write them an e-mail or a letter? Why or why not?
Email is my number one choice. I can tackle my Inbox on my own schedule. I used to be a big letter writer. I've wanted to get back into it, but my hands get angry.

posted on 3/14/2003 05:40:59 PM

Thursday, March 13, 2003

Wednesday, March 12, 2003

Train was quieter last night. Slept pretty solidly until a couple yammering Amish tykes sat behind me early this morning. I swear they said, "1, 2, 3, 4...Train" over 200 times.

I gotta go check my business mail, get a few groceries and take a MUCH needed shower!

posted on 3/12/2003 10:49:24 AM

Monday, March 10, 2003

After my neighbor on the train stopped snoring it was peaceful sleeping on the overnight Amtrak route. I woke up and nodded off a couple times in the morning, but really only wrote up when the conductor said, "Ten minutes to Pittsburgh!" The train left Chicago at 10:30 at night, arrived in Da Burgh at 9:30 in the morning. With the help of headphones and Excedrin PM, a very easy trip.

Diane's surprise birthday party went off without a hitch on Saturday night. I met all the Resaca neighbors and had great conversations. Saturday was the first real Spring day and got up to a sunny gorgeous 60 degrees.

No dice on Sunday. Back to bitter cold. We trekked to the Carnegie Science Museum and learned lots about bodily functions from the IMAX movie, "The Human Body", and the Grossology exhibit. Could have lived without seeing the two foot tall zits being popped. But it was snazzy to see how our eardrum cells move to soundwaves. Dance-y little buggers. I avoided much of the Grossology exhibit, except for the quiz game. The girl next to me was cheating, very unsubtley watching to see what I pushed. I'm sure her 6 year old self wasn't adept at reading the board, but I still wanted to chide her for cheating. The museum was packed with knee biters, so first thing I said was, "I'm wearing my patience hat today."

The Science Museum had a display about natural disasters. One spinning pie chart showed the giant majority slice of the U.S. Population along with the tiny 'Deaths Due to Natural Disaster" and "Death by Other Causes" slices. The other spinnnig pie chart split up the Natural Disaster Deaths by Natural Disaster. Each of us spun the wheel of natural misfortune. I landed on the teensy, tiny Mudslide slice.

Last night, Diane Peter and I curled up and slightly napped through the Gleaners and I. That's a result of our day in the cold and around lots of munchins and stimuli - not the result of the movie. The movie was fantastic. we compared all our Gleaning tendencies, and Peter said, "But Brandy's the Gleaning Champion in her 400 square feet."

I was proud.

Today, I'm been a distraction at Diane and Peter's Alphachimp space at Launchcyte.

Good vacation.

posted on 3/10/2003 03:41:11 PM

Friday, March 07, 2003

Friday Five
(more info here)
All are working backwards
1. What was the last song you heard?
Just now? Wild Women Don't Get the Blues - The Big Three - I belted it out three times.

"Well, these women always ravin' about their monkey men,
about their trifling husbands and their no good friends.

Well, peaceful women they sit around all day and moan.
They're wonderin' why their wanderin' Papa don't come home

Wild women don't worry, wild women don't get the blues.

Well, I've gotta disposition and a way of my own.
If my man don't act right, he better find a new home.

I go out and drink good whiskey, walk the streets all night,
then I kick my man out, if he don't do me right.

Wild women don't worry. Wild women don't get the blues.

Well, you never get nothin', by being an angel child.
Girls, better change you way of livin' and get real wild.

I want to tell you something, you know I wouldn't tell you no lies,
Wild women are the only kind that ever get by.

'Cause wild women don't worry, wild women don't get the blues.

I said - Wild women don't worry, wild women don't get the blues.

No, no, no, no..."

2. What were the last two movies you saw?
Bandits and 8 Women, both on DVD.
3. What were the last three things you purchased?
A pint of coffee Haagen Das, $10 on my CTA card, zipper and ribbon to fix skirt.
4. What four things do you need to do this weekend?
Get on the Amtrak train, go to Pittburgh, celebrate Diane's birthday with her (my arrival isn't a surprise anymore) and enjoy myself!
5. Who are the last five people you talked to?
Burgundy (my sis), Peggy (a client), the son who works at the corner store, Lawrence bus driver, Jim (good friend).

posted on 3/7/2003 12:00:12 PM

Sense Memory
Just now I was gathering laundry in the bathroom. Between the scent of detergent and the stale Spaghettio's wafting in form the vent, I was transported to first grade day care. I think it was Eric's mom. Eric was missing with two front teeth. He lived in a trailer home with plastic on the living room furniture, and it was quickly established that we were only allowed in the yard and in the wood-paneled playroom at the end of the hallway to the left. I distinctly remember entering the playroom while Tiny Tim was warbling on a 45. Being an introvert at heart and born 40, I scoffed and thought to myself, "Why do I have to be in here with all these stinky, annoying kids. No good can come of this."

posted on 3/7/2003 11:49:52 AM

Fame and Snack Foods
Read this. Favorite snippet "size of a small lemon."

posted on 3/7/2003 12:49:47 AM

Thursday, March 06, 2003

The smell persisted, but it wasn't constant. I would try to sniff it out, but to no avail. Tonight, about 3 minutes before I had to head out to class, I caught it. I've got one of those hanging basket thingies in the kitchen. In the lowest/largest basket were 4 potatoes, in my possession for about 10 days, maybe 2 weeks. One had a wound and there was something dark brown foaming out of the small gash.

THE EVIL! THE EVIL!

So, then I hurriedly try to contain and remove the offending potatoes and it's neighbors. It was awful. I was trying not to puke. I close up the garbage bag, crack the windows and get my ass out of apartment.

Next, was the period of the hoping the stink hadn't permeated my clothing. I think I was spared.

I hope.

While out, I realized that the EVIL had probably dripped onto the counter. Sure 'nuff. That's cleaned up now.

I don't know what the fuck was wrong with that potato, but I never want to meet up with one of those again.

posted on 3/6/2003 09:07:19 PM

Life is Good #4783
Eating a spearmint "granny candy" while I listen to Oliver 69's "Good Morning Starshine" while I cut brussel sprouts for lunch. Woke up earlier to an Inbox filled with messages from loved ones.

Still have a great To Do list ahead of me.

posted on 3/6/2003 03:51:50 PM

Diane: "I was just reading your blog."
Brandy: "I just blogged."
[Pause]
Brandy: "It sounds like a biological function."
Diane: "Make sure you blog every day...
Otherwise you'll get clogged."

posted on 3/6/2003 01:54:05 PM

Morning Brain Songs
So, the way my brain works, I wake up most mornings with a song running through my head. I may have blogged about the phenomenon before. Sometimes it's songs I didn't even know I knew. One morning it was a Brown's Chicken jingle - that was slightly frightening.

This morning it was one of Johnnie Ray's ballads "Give Me Time"

Give me time, I'll give you love
Give me time, I'll give you rapture, dear.

If you only knew what I'll give to you
You'll give me time.

posted on 3/6/2003 01:39:28 PM

Wednesday, March 05, 2003

After the shower my favorite meal of jasmine rice and edamame.

Hot damn.

posted on 3/5/2003 05:39:04 PM

Tuesday, March 04, 2003

Sunday, March 02, 2003

'Cept mine. I've re-threaded mine, but it's still not right. First the safety pins, with by chunky plastic beads on them, were too crowded. Then I restrung them with bigger spacer beads. Still not quite right. Then I restrung with more spacer beads, but took out some pins. Now it's just slightly too tight.

*sigh*

Then I turned back to the sewing that Dawn and I were doing earlier. We bought the most gorgeous green on green patterned cotton (demin-y weight) of a big silhouette floral pattern. Dawn skirt turned out great, especially for the first sewing since middle school. Mine... I didn't make the side zipper long enough to get the skirt past the hips AND the waist band's too tight! CURSES. But those thing can be fixed with a second zipper and lowering the waistband - there's room to move it down, and make it wider.

Favorite moment - While I was tying a knot in some elastic cord, Annmarie said, "You've got my hands!" And we do! We both have those little doughy hands, with puffy knuckles.

And I've got good things to work tonight, but I think I just gotta rest myself.

On the upside, I had great conversation with the ladies, and will definitely repeat the crafting day. Also, my apartment is clean!! Niiiiice.

Now I'm stepping away from the keyboard.

posted on 3/2/2003 10:20:53 PM

Saturday, March 01, 2003

I feel weird.

This was the second time in my life I've bought alcohol. Not any need since I don't drink. Never have.

I'm not a big fan of breads. I'm a teetotaler. Despite these two facts, I love beer bread. So, my short run of mooching beers off of friends to make beer bread was interrupted today.

Yesterday I went into Dominick's and had a few brief awkward moments in the liquor section. Everything looked to expensive. I had no idea what to choose. Another woman was looking too, so that just made me feel dumb, like she was thinking, "Does this woman not know how to shop for liquor?!" Uh, no. I went home with my pizza, eggs, yogurt and evaporated milk.

Today, I persevered and went into Osco. I was left alone in the strange beer corner, but I think the employee in a nearby aisle noticed my pacing. I looked at the Corona on the end cap and thought, "Is Corona beer?" Yes, that's just how dense I am. I mulled some more and bought a six pack of Bud. Cheap. Works for beer bread.

Waiting in line, I thought, "Am I going to get carded?" No. On the way home, I thought, "I wonder if people can see through my double grocery bags that I've got Budweiser?" I don't think anyone could, and I know no one cared anyhow. But that's just how foreign this stuff feels to me.

Mmmm... six cans of beer...six loaves of beer bread.

Here's my favorite recipe from AllRecipes.com:
WHOLE WHEAT BEER BREAD
Submitted by: B. L. Chrisman
Makes 1 - 9x5 inch loaf

Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 50 Minutes
Ready in: 1 Hour

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer

Directions
1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2 In a large mixing bowl, combine all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt and brown sugar. Pour in beer, stir until a stiff batter is formed. It may be necessary to mix dough with your hands. Scrape dough into prepared loaf pan.
3 Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean.
______________

So few ingredients that magically becomes beer bread! Enjoy.

posted on 3/1/2003 08:17:49 PM