I don’t care if it’s so last year…I found some Domo-kun wallpaper last night that made the little man and I both happy (I swear, the boy spends nearly as much time at my computer as I do). The last wallpaper image we settled on was a lovely Calvin and Hobbes scene. I was sorta sad to see it go (so I saved a copy from here), but I love me some Domo-kun.

I realize I’ve been poor about posting the visual aids lately. Maybe it’s because I haven’t been leaving the house much. Or because I misplaced my camera for a few days. And I’ve still got quite a few items left to locate on my 26 things list. Can’t participate in a photographic scavenger hunt if I can’t even find my camera. Thankfully it turned up this morning. Made a little headway today, but I’ll save those pix for December 1st. In the mean time I’ll share several random shots. The first being of my belly. I’m getting a little more comfortable with the bump. I popped out earlier this time than I did with the little man. But at least it’s looking less like an out of control beer gut, and more like a bun in the oven.

I must be getting old. When I stumbled across Vegan Erotica this morning I had quite the chuckle. Back in the day it was hard to find the basics…like soy milk, veggie burgers and non-leather shoes. But now vegan-friendly collars, harnesses, hitting toys and restraints are just a click away. I have to admit, I like a few of their belts…another item which is much easier to find these days. But I also like the selection over at Vegetarian Belts. And so many non-veg*n focused stores are carrying vegan-friendly belts (among other things) nowadays. It’s getting easier all the time.

I’d gotten a heads up about yesterday’s publicity stunt in NYC, but I still wish I could have seen it for myself.
“To celebrate the November 18th DVD and VHS release of the Special Extended Edition of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, NYC commuters are invited to ride the ‘Middle-earth Shuttle’ (otherwise known as the Times Square-Grand Central Shuttle).”
Sounds deliciously geeky, no? And from Salon:
“Ents storm Grand Central! And Gollum rides the Times Square shuttle, as New Line’s publicity machine brings Middle-earth to America’s city of myth.”
Unfortunately that article is Salon premium content, and the only one I’ve seen with a photograph. Sorry folks. Anyhow, a copy of said DVD was promised to us as a wedding gift (by friends who know us well). We should be getting it by the end of the week. I’ve seen Two Towers a number of times so I’m looking forward to the extras the most…though I don’t know that I’ve made my way through all the extras from the first film yet. I swear I must have watched about twelve hours worth, but there might be more. In other LoTR news, I’m thinking I should’ve gotten tickets to the one day showing of all three LOTR movies after all. As MeFi pointed out, it would have been a good investment.
Update: Kottke went, he sorta saw, and he was disappointed. Sounds like it was a better idea in theory than in practice.

Having another quiet day at the homestead. Can’t think of anything wrong with that. Before lunch I finished reading the tenth Lemony Snicket book in A Series of Unfortunate Events (borrowed the lot of ‘em on Friday). Now I’ll have to wait with bated breath for the final three volumes (for a grand total of, yes, thirteen). For lunch I whipped up a homemade version of Seward Cafe’s Super Green Earth breakfast…comprised of seasoned tofu, broccoli, potatoes and garlic. The little man scored serious brownie points at the lunch table. He looked up at me and said, with gusto, “Mmmmmmmm, deeeeeeeeelicious mom”. That made my day. Sometimes it doesn’t take much. The husband also claimed he would play Scrabble with me tonight. If only it were so. I fear he’ll squirm out of it somehow. He is currently at another eye doc appointment. Likely having more stitches ripped out of his cornea. Ew. In other news, the house being built next door still isn’t finished yet…but some progress is being made. A few weeks ago a ridiculously large garage was erected, ensuring that my neighbors-to-be will have no yard to speak of. More recently a twee deck was added on to the back of the house, taking up just a tidge more of the limited yardspace. But it looks as though there’s hardly room for two people to stand on the danged thing. Today the construction workers finally started to put up insulation and siding. For some time I’ve been curious to see what color the house would end up being, as I’ll have to look upon it daily from my kitchen windows. I am displeased to report that it is…ack…beige.

The husband brought a lot of things to the marriage…many of them fabulous. A few, well, not so much (and likewise I’m sure). Accentuating the positive, two of my favorite categories are: 1) his often unexpectedly funny sense of humor, and 2) his kitchen gear. From the amazing All-Clad pots and pans to the ludicrously expensive cast-iron Le Creuset ovenware, his kitchen accouterments are all top drawer. I’ve been craving pumpkin pie like mad lately, so I thought I’d avail myself of said gear this morning. I’m too intimidated by his monster-sized Cuisinart food processor though, so I opted for his fancy Cuisinart blender instead. I thought the blender could handle the load, but once all the ingredients were in and I’d hit the purée button…well, there was the smell of burning rubber. And then the blender started to vibrate across the counter. Things went steadily downhill from there, with one of the cats trying to escape out the back door (I’d opened the patio door, as it was getting mighty hot in the kitchen, but she knows how to slide open the danged screen door), the little man pestering me for pie every five minutes (should’ve told him I was making sauerkraut), and my inherent clutziness getting the best of me. At one point I opened a kitchen drawer and the whole thing flew out, crashing down and depositing its contents all over the floor. Then I realized the crust recipe I was making yielded enough dough for two pies, while the filling recipe yields just enough for one. I really only intended to make one pie, and we certainly don’t *need* two of ‘em. After putting the first pie in the oven, I was starting to feel better…until I realized I’d forgotten an ingredient in the filling. One third of a cup of flour. For the second pie there wasn’t quite enough tofu, so I put the crust into a smaller pie plate and adjusted the filling recipe accordingly. Hopefully one or both of the pies will turn out well. I’ve already promised a slice or two to one of the ladies, who has had a rough start to the week. I don’t want to make her week any crappier by offering her lousy tasting pie.

The holiday season will soon be upon us. If you’ve got the cash flow, I know of one worthy cause you could direct your funds to. Our local indie bookstore, Ruminator Books (formerly Hungry Mind) has been in dire financial straits for some time. But many authors are coming to their aid with an artifact auction happening on ebay, starting today. I wouldn’t mind the Jonathan Lethem signed original cover art, the Edward Gorey signed illustration, the Neil Gaiman autographed t-shirt, or Andrei Codrescu’s Romanian Revolution flag. But I imagine if you’re bidding on any of these items, you’re likely to want to keep them for yourself…or give them to some schmoe you actually know (instead of the schmoe you don’t know). So I’ve got an alternate item on my wish list. I have oodles of vinyl I’d love to listen to, but not the means to make it happen. My busted ass turntable has been sitting in a box…oh, since before I bought this house. I believe it’s currently located in the basement, but it’s probably not worth repairing. The Vestax Handy Trax Portable Turntable would make a lovely replacement. But seriously, check out the auction on Ruminator’s behalf. Lots of interesting stuff to look at…and to buy, if you have the means.

Maybe I should have dressed the little man up as The Hulk for Halloween. I don’t believe he’s ever been exposed to gamma radiation, yet sometimes I worry he’s turning into some sort of mini Hulk. He’s long had a problem with not knowing his own strength, but a couple of recent incidents lead me to believe the situation is getting worse. For instance, last week we were playing when I noticed his pants had a teeny tiny pinhole in one knee. I thought to myself “hmmm, self, better patch that up soon”. The next thing I know there’s a ripping sound and his leg, from knee to ankle, has busted out of the pants…leaving said pants irreparable. He looked as surprised as I was. I continued to observe him for some time…he didn’t seem to be mutating, but still. On another day he was goofing off in the bathroom. He likes to jump in and out of our clawfoot bathtub (in exactly the same way our fattest cat no longer can…hopefully he’s not doing it to make her jealous). We generally discourage this behavior, even when he is actually *taking* a bath. I went in to order him out of the bathroom, and to redirect his attention to his extensive toy collection. At that moment he leapt out of the tub and, for reasons unknown, ripped one of the towel bars from the wall…causing chunks of plaster to fall to the floor. Again, he looked as surprised as I was. At least he didn’t seem angry. I don’t think I’d like that.

Lamer than lame, lower than low…I skipped out on the Ted Leo show. Instead I was asleep by 9:30. Sure, I’ve got my excuses. We’d had a busy day…I’ve got that bun in the oven…the husband and I decided to rearrange some furniture, and the evening got away from me. But excuses don’t get you to the rock shows. Or maybe this is just subterfuge, to hide the fact that I really stayed home…to secretly engage in pregnancy exercises as suggested by Chuck. Aww yeah, I’m gettin’ my kicks.

In my younger days I would sometimes go to a show every night of the week, if the stars were aligned. Or something. Even in the slower show seasons there would still be someone to see a few evenings out of every week…schoolnights be damned. But these days I’m a homebody. I’m a little pickier about who and what’s going to get me out of the house. And that’ll generally happen not more than one night per week. Which means I’m frequently faced with dilemmas. Thankfully this week’s choice is an easy one. I punked out the last time Ted Leo was in town…and I don’t mean to do it again. Tonight I’ll be having some rock’n'roll fun, heading out to see him play the Triple Rock. I’ll finally get to experience one of his much-lauded shows for myself. Unfortunately there’s another show I’d like to catch tomorrow night. The Aislers Set will be warming up the main room for oft-hyped hipsters, The Shins. But I bet I’ll be warming up my comfy chair instead.