I have unintentionally upheld my annual tradition of hurling on or around New Year’s, even though I don’t drink. This time the projectile vomiting started AT WORK on Wednesday. Gah. And continued at the little man’s school, when I retrieved him from childcare. And went on and on at home. It’s the hugely fun “food poisoning or flu?” game. I don’t recommend it. Being sick seems to have turned into a semi-permanent condition for me. Spent yesterday napping and watching 24 Hour Party People, which, I realized, I first saw at the theater when suffering from the flu.
Oh wells. I think I’ve recuperated just enough to push my luck for the weekend. Tonight I plan to stop by my friend Ericka’s art opening. Tomorrow will be the usual cupcakes and sledding (though I might just be photographing at both and not partaking of either). And tomorrow night Sheela and I have a date to go to the Turf Club for a show that will be completely kickass.
Other 2008 related items of note:
- Back in 2005 I signed up for the 365 days project on flickr, but didn’t start participating until now. And this year it’s actually 366 days, because of leap year and all. I think I’m off to a good start so hopefully I can sustain it. Happily Emily, Ericka and Megan are onboard as well so we can give one another a kick in the pants if we falter.
- Though I don’t imbibe, I can appreciate the effort…behind my friend Rett’s Brew 52 project. The goal is to sample one Minnesota-made beer per week for the entire year.
- Fresh for the new year the vegguide.org launched their redesign.
Bonus: The documentary Billy the Kid will be released soon. The subject is a teenaged-boy diagnosed with Asperger’s, and how his community interacts with him and vice versa. As the mother of a son on the autism spectrum I feel like this is something I should see, but the thought of it leaves me cringing. Maybe I’m just not ready yet.
Plus: If I shot film, I’d be all over the Polaroid Spectra.
And: Please help me choose between two not-so-hot choices. Planning to take the little man to the Riverview on Sunday. But will it be Bee Movie or Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium?
Monday, December 31, 2007
Predictably my New Year’s Eve plans didn’t quite pan out. I will be staying in town and my friend will be staying in his town (stuck working tonight). But I will be going out. On New Year’s Eve. That’s got to be the first time in at least a decade. Today, though, the little man and I are going to run errands and hit up the Children’s Museum. Then he’ll head off to grandma’s. Tonight I’ve got a few options to choose from before the shows begin in the Midway. Go see a movie? Take a nap? Stop by an old friend’s house party? He’s dubbed it The Superbeast Social Mishap, so color me intrigued.
Five things that have been making me happy:
- Sledding. We went twice over the weekend. I love it, even if I did bounce around and break my butt yesterday.
- Crofter’s pomegranate jelly. Good stuff.
- Pushing Daisies. I devoured the four episodes currently available on ABC’s site. I’d gladly consume the rest.
- Listening to Emergency & I for the first time in ages and remembering how much I like The Dismemberment Plan.
- Phone calls from Wichita.
Bonus: Overall I’d say my year contained more pros than cons. But you know what would really have tipped the scales in 2007’s favor? If I’d been able to hold a panda on my lap.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
It’s been a couple of years since I’ve actively participated in NaNoWriMo, but I still receive (and read) the emails, and totally adore Chris Baty. His latest missive is essentially about new year’s resolutions, but with a better spin on it. 2008 is already shaping up to be a BFS year for me. Not sure just which feat I’ll focus my energies on…
A random list:
- I was dismayed to find that my Muddy Paws has relocated from Uptown to the suburbs. Lame lame lame. I love their vegan cheesecake, but I’m not driving to St. Louis Park for it.
- A marriage of two awesome, unrelated things. Curry + gorillas. There should be a vegan-friendly version of GoGoCurryUSA (sadly they use pork in all of their dishes).
- My Friday night? Spent watching Razor, finally, and sending funny photos of my friends to my phone, to be used as their contact pix. I do know how to live it up. Sigh.
- Claudine’s photos reminded me that I want an Eye-Fi card.
- I’ve got leftovers from three fabulous meals to choose from, yet I want to make something completely different. Preferably with my new panini sandwich press thingie. I can be such a fickle girl.
- I am not a hippie. As a fellow “mildly healthy eater/somewhat regular recycler” I can totally relate to Barrett’s most recent post.
- Spending my Saturday morning lounging and loafing, and realizing there’s been an explosion in quality vegan food blogs out there. I’ve somehow missed out on Don’t Eat Off the Sidewalk, My Zoetrope, A Stranger in the Alps, Cake Maker to the Stars, Vegan Dad, and more. Maybe this’ll get me out of my cooking rut and inspire me to try some new recipes (or just waste more time in the Post Punk Kitchen forums). Also? Feel free to point out any others I’ve missed!
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Yesterday’s serious disappointment turned into a series of disappointments today. An out of town friend was going to come up for New Year’s Eve. Then that wasn’t going to work out, for a number of reasons, so the plan morphed into me meeting him in Iowa City for a show. Now that’s unraveling too. The universe seems to be conspiring against us, throwing out fresh obstacles at every turn. Maybe I should take this as a sign? I’ve gotten used to being alone. But I won’t be, completely, if I stay in town and spend NYE in the Midway Corridor among friends. I’ve even got two lovely ladies lined up to keep me company when the ball drops at midnight.
The day wasn’t all bad. Childcare was closed so the little man and I stayed home. Boy, was there ever a lot of homecare to be done. I barreled my way through loads of laundry and dishes, swept, vacuumed, hauled out trash, whipped up a batch of mac’n'cheeze, and went out to shovel the sidewalks and driveway. The lad joined me for a bit until boredom led him to the backyard. When I was done with the crucial stuff we made snow angels. Back inside we played with his new toys (so many!) and built forts out of furniture and blankets. Then there was our accidental discovery…of the world of Pingu. I am a fan of claymation, and he’s into penguins, so we sampled a few clips on youtube. What have we learned? Well, Pingu has trippy and creeeepy dreams. Don’t let Pingu drink too much, or he will pee all over your floor. Pingu likes to boogie and so do his fans. Some of whom are famous. I couldn’t make this bit up…sometime in the 80s David Hasselhoff recorded the Pingu Dance Rap.
Bonus: A trailer just premiered for Hellboy: The Golden Army at Rotten Tomatoes. Hopefully it’s better than the first movie. I still wish Mike Mignola’s The Amazing Screw-On Head animated series had gotten picked up. The pilot was so so good.
Plus: I generally can’t stand Colin Farrell, but I adore Brendan Gleeson - so the two sort of cancel each other - but In Bruges looks compelling. And it’s funny that the little man’s grandma was just there.
And: When the mail arrived today it was mostly junk, as usual, but there was also a happy little something from mathewh of hellaboss. Thanks so much!
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
This Christmas has been a mixed bag, as usual.
Highlights:
- Trying on some of my Dad’s riot gear on Christmas Eve, with my stepbrother’s son.
- Made a few QOOP calendars for family (a year’s worth of little man photos). They were a big hit, and super easy to make too.
- Keeping in touch with friends who have gone home for the holidays and comparing our experiences. I love my people.
- Mark E. Smith reads an xmas story for the BBC. Largely unintelligible, but oddly soothing when he falls into his usual The Fall cadence.
- Didn’t even know I wanted one until just now, but the very idea of this panda bear skillet makes me ridiculously happy. So kawaii!
- Spent today at two ex’s parents’ houses. The little man and I are lucky we’ve all remained on such good terms, and that there are so many folks who love the lad.
- I received some old photos of my brother, Dad and myself from 1984. I’m happy to have them but they are bittersweet beyond belief. Guess this could be filed under lowlights…
Lowlights:
- The little man woke me up at 5am wanting to open presents.
- My house is a mess and so am I.
- My wireless has been flaky as hell the last couple of days.
- Had a white knuckle drive home on sloppy roads. Arrived safely but I don’t have the energy to shovel, yet again.
- The little man accidentally broke something at my Dad’s house. His wife was not well pleased.
- Some NYE plans won’t be working out after all. A serious disappointment.
Looks like the year will be ending the same way it began. All ups and downs and not-quite right.
Monday, December 24, 2007
I am sick, yet again. Merry Fucking Christmas! This has been the year of frequent, annoying minor illnesses. My throat is burning. And my earlobes too, but that’s my own fault. I finally popped in my 4g earrings yesterday, all by myself. I’m a big girl now! Anyhow, I’m cranky as hell because I feel like crap and I feel like crap because I’m cranky as hell. Right now a perfect xmas eve would be one where I knock back some Nyquil and lose consciousness for a while. But I don’t want to harsh the little man’s mellow. He’s so over the top excited about Christmas this year. I woke up to find the kid running around the house wearing nothing but boxers and a Santa hat. Le sigh.
Bonus: Been zoning out in my sick bed, re-listening to In Rainbows and Drum’s Not Dead. Two very fine albums.
Plus: Started watching Superbad yesterday. Very funny, yes, but so many cringe-worthy moments. Maybe I’ll finish watching it later.
And: Still playing way too much Scrabulous. Sometimes it feels like it’s my only contact with the outside world. So pitiful.
Friday, December 21, 2007
The little man decided to write a letter to Santa this year, all on his own. He wrote out his list, stuffed it into an envelope, addressed it to “Santa at North Pole” then handed it to me and demanded I place a stamp on it. That same day I drove him down to a mailbox so that he could deposit it himself (I know how satisfying that can be). Now he’s been unduly concerned by our lack of a fireplace and has been wanting to leave a window open, so that Santa can get in to drop off his gifts. I blame repeat viewings of Elf for this preoccupation (seriously, Santa hasn’t really been as issue for us in Christmases past). In related news…
Bonus: A friend took some lovely photos of the Andrew Bird show at the Guthrie, for City Pages. My favorite shot is the one of Mr. Bird’s stripey socks.
Plus: I can’t believe I missed this. It’s been around for over a year, I guess. Even though it is a full flash usability nightmare it still made my day: We Are the Web. It also made me sad that I missed Leslie Hall when she was here not too long ago (I found out about it after the fact).
And: Looks like I’ll be visiting Lawrence, KS in 2008. More on that soon.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
The ball is finally rolling, for real this time. Over six months ago J and I picked up our DIY divorce paperwork. Last night we finally finished filling it out. Today he returned the packet to We The People. It’ll take them about a month to process. At which point I’ll file the final documents with the court. Then we’re looking at another 20-50 days before our divorce is final. But it’s not yet too late to change my name to Tarquin Fin-tim-lin-bin-whin-bim-lim-bus-stop-F’tang-F’tang-Olé-Biscuitbarrel, or whatever else my little heart might desire.
Bonus: Hard Times Cafe has had some hard times. Somehow their one month renovation turned into a five month closure. But they’ve finally re-opened. Hooray! I popped by with friends today, just to hang out. Will have to get a proper meal there soon.
Plus: Even though he’s not real, these Sticky Man videos caused me a fair amount of anxiety while viewing.
And: A co-worker gave me the heads up about a veg-friendly Mediterranean restaurant not far from my hood. I need to hit up Shish and add my findings to the VegGuide. Maybe this weekend.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Night falling by 5pm? Not a fan. I fight the urge to crawl into a cave, or my bedroom, to hibernate until spring. But being so sleepy doesn’t prevent me from having wicked insomnia. After last night’s unplanned evening nap I was up for a manic midnight cleaning sesh. Tonight I’ve fallen into the same trap. Hopefully this doesn’t become part of the routine.
Thankfully I’ve gotten all my holiday biznass buttoned up (purchases made, gifts wrapped, packages and cards mailed out, etc.) so now I can just kick back and ride out the holidays. And after New Year’s Eve? I think 2008 is going to shine a little bit brighter.
Bonus: Tom Waits to tour? Now that would be something.
Plus: I think Summer Glau is great, and I love the character of Sarah Connor (not quite as much as Ripley) but Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles - hmmm, dubious.
And: Completely forgot about the Twin Cities Interactive Community party. But I’d been looking forward to a quiet night in anyhow.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
The weekend was jam-packed with fun and productivity - which flowed on in to today - so by the time I got home tonight I was feeling fried. Passed out for a while listening to the Dirty Three and now I’m wide awake. Perhaps the fresh scent of pine is to blame. Yesterday I went out to run errands and returned with our very own Charlie Brown Christmas tree. Seriously, it’s the saddest yet most endearing tree ever. And it has to be in my room, with the door shut, because Freddy is insane and will destroy it otherwise. It added something extra to last night, though, when the little man escorted each of our holiday party guests up to my room, individually, for private showings of the hallowed tree. That was before he crashed and burned and went into little old man mode. He put himself to bed early just as the party was getting started. And at one point stomped out, in nothing but his boxers, complaining that we were all being too loud. Doh. I think it was that afternoon sledding session with J that wore him right out. And tonight he brought back Mr. Crabbypants. He hung out with his Dad after school while J and I saw Juno, and then the three of us had dinner at Kinh Do. Once home he was too tired to wait for me to brush my teeth before story time and slammed his door in my face. A quiet evening at home is most definitely in order for tomorrow night.
Saturday was somewhat quieter. We left for Savage in the morning, for a kid’s birthday party in the land of cul de sacs and McMansions. I dropped the lad off to whoop it up while I did some solo shopping. It was way too suburban and I was relieved when we were safely back in the city.
Friday was more my speed. I had an enjoyable afternoon, stopping by Sheela’s to hang out and take some behind-the-scenes of Cupcake Saturday shots. It was touch and go at times Friday night, on the way to the Andrew Bird show, but somehow everything worked out just right. An old friend made for an awesome date. She handed off her single ticket to someone just as I was procuring our fourth row seats from someone else. One of the show’s highlights? Early on Mr. Bird played an old song off of Weather Systems. Throughout an animation rolled in the background featuring a giant red squid (not unlike the one on my arm) kidnapping a man. At the end there were half-human / half-cephalopod babies. It was neat.
Bonus: Been hearing some buzz about the Fight: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Ass-Kicking but Were Afraid You’d Get Your Ass Kicked for Asking book. The author will be at both Magers & Quinn and the Turf Club on January 10th.
Plus: The Sigur Ros movie, Heima, played at the Uptown at midnight last weekend but I missed it. It looks lovely.
And: Behold, The Dark Knight trailer.
