suddenly i can see blue skies again

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Frog

I’m coming up with a list of projects to do in the coming months. One of those is to paint part of the front porch. I have mentioned that there are two different colors of paint (or maybe it’s just primer) on the front porch rails and posts. I discovered this while cleaning the green funk off of them one day (holy cow that was 2010). Yesterday, the better-half and I significantly trimmed the bushes out front.

Here’s one side of the house before:

Here’s the after:

Here’s the other side of the house (the windows look into the garage):

Since those bushes weren’t as overgrown, the after isn’t as dramatic. The hostas are gargantuan and they’ll eventually take over all of the ground space:

The most overgrown and the biggest impediment to me painting had to be the area around the steps:

The acuba will either come back or they will be yanked out and something more appropriately sized will go in there instead:

Assuming the weather cooperates, the painting project will begin next week.

Posted in House Proud | Comments Off

Perok Fail

Posted on April 12, 2012 by Frog

In the April 2012 Eating Well magazine there was an article about sustainable salmon from Alaska. When I saw the recipe for what amounts to a salmon pot pie (perok), I knew I had to make it. I used Wild Planet canned salmon. I even cut out a little fish shape for the top. The recipe called for cutting out a salmon shape, but seriously.

I don’t make brown rice, but I had to buy a bag to make this recipe. The rice took at least an hour to make and I will spend that time again because it was delicious. It had a teaspoon of dried thyme in it which sounds like not so much, but in practice it is a ton of thyme.

The other ingredients were a cup of frozen peas (I know. I say I hate peas and yet I use them in recipes.), caramelized onions and salmon. The top crust was a blend of whole wheat flour, AP flour, salt, thyme, cayenne and nutmeg. I used up the last of an olive oil the better-half didn’t like. I made the dough ahead of time and let it rest in the refrigerator.

Here’s the perok with a scoop out of it:

The little fish shape on the top came out pretty well when you consider I’m not an artist. It was probably the thing I liked best about this recipe (except for the rice). I don’t know what went wrong but it did not float my boat in the least. The better-half wasn’t thrilled either. It’s a shame because it ended up being a lot to throw away. Thankfully, there are some stray cats, perhaps I’ve mentioned them, who will eat it.

Posted in Eating | 2 Comments

Over and Done

Posted on April 9, 2012 by Frog

I just cut the grass out near the road and I can hardly see now. The wind in combination with dirt, leaves, pine tags, pine cones and tasseled grass has turned my eyes into crazy puffed creatures.

Usually at lunch I watch something either I’ve DVR’d or something like the Big Bang Theory that I can get on demand. Today I was watching a recording of Grimm. I’ve been watching this when the DVR feels like recording it and today in the middle of it, I stopped it. Deleted it. Deleted the whole recording process forever. Seriously, NBC you should be ashamed. It’s a pretty interesting concept but your pacing is slow and I swear I am sick to death of shows that have a VERY LONG side plot of nefarious plotting that is SO DAMN BORING that no one cares what in the hell is going on with that side plot. (I loved the X-Files until the last season or so when I wanted to stab everyone with an alien probe device. So thanks for nothing every show runner who follows that show’s lead.) I am sorry that I couldn’t continue with the show because I really liked the Monroe character and the H-O-T Sasha Roiz was in it but, sadly, he is the main point of the VERY LONG AND BORING AS HELL side plot (he is good at nefarious plotting but jeez). NBC should also know that if Joyce Summers could get over the fact that her daughter was a vampire slayer then Nick’s girlfriend could certainly handle the fact that he is a Grimm. Unless she is as stupid as stupid gets, she knows something is going on. Discuss it already.

Posted in Watching | 1 Comment

Jim on Saturday

Posted on April 8, 2012 by Frog

Yesterday evening when the better-half got home from running a few errands, he was greeted by Jim on the front sidewalk:

Jim was probably saying something along the lines of “Let me in. I am starving.”

You may have noticed something odd about his face in the above picture. Perhaps, it was the dirt:

Posted in Generic Thoughts | 2 Comments

Quick bit of insanity

Posted on April 6, 2012 by Frog

I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned that we’re totally cutting back on the garden this year and plan on ripping out part of the deer fence so we reclaim what is basically yard or field, or a big mess, whatever.

I took a picture of the garden the other weekend from my office. It does not do justice to how big it is, but short of standing on the porch roof and leaning way around the house or flying like a pixie this is the best I can do.

In the above photo, the blue lines show the existing lines of the fence. The red lines show where we’re going to cut the garden in 2. It looks basically the same in the picture because there is no perspective. We’re keeping the asparagus, the raspberries, the blackberries, grapes and a garden plot in the fence. The red arrow points out our version of a raised bed/aka the garden plot. There’s nothing raised about it, but we are hoping that the boards will help with the gd weeds. We built a little bench out of leftover cinder blocks and a board that was once part of the cold frames we had out there (those were also recycled to outline my garden plot).

When I think about it, I will walk out there with a camera and show you how significant the garden is from the ground and how much smaller it will be this summer. We can’t cope with the weeds without polluting the entire Chesapeake Bay watershed with the smackdown and that’s not how it works around here. And, every year we’ve had that garden it has been a complete letdown. If it wasn’t the weeds:

  • it was the tomato blight
  • it was the freaking squash bugs from hell
  • it was whatever else happens when you build on an ancient burial ground

    • I hate weeding, but should be able to handle that little plot. I’ll show those weeds!

    I’m seriously thinking of plucking a few of the tiny little bean plants that sprouted in our compost pile and moving them to my garden plot. Those dried beans were ancient when I pitched them…who knew they were just waiting for some compost to start growing?

    Posted in Gardening | Comments Off

    Fried and Frazzled

    Posted on April 5, 2012 by Frog

    The better-half has performed a remote desktop support call to me TWICE this week. That’s embarrassing. But, it’s the damn HTML and CSS that’s killing me. I am turning in my class project tomorrow. There are flaws but those will be cleaned up after the evaluation segment. Of course that all depends on whether I’m still alive at that point because my head is very close to exploding from either the crap I really don’t understand or the MFing pollen.

    I hope I’ve learned something this week (doubtful) because I need to burn rubber next week in dumping content for the course I’m being paid to work on into HTML. Jeez Louise. At least the content was approved and folks are happy about my progress. HA! Wait another week and a half and that may not be true.

    So here I am fried and frazzled. Turns out the AV Club had just what I needed:

    Punch Brothers cover The Cars

    Posted in Generic Thoughts, Listening | 2 Comments

    Out like a lamb?

    Posted on March 28, 2012 by Frog

    March came in with a ton of wind and now it’s leaving with it too. Go figure with the moody months. Also, sick of itchy eyes, but I really want to sit outside this afternoon and read my HTML book. I’m just about at the point where I’m going to need to know more about that then instructional methods and content and I feel so far behind. Perhaps I’ll pop a claritin and brave the pollen encrusted wind.

    In other news:

  • I changed out the lawn mower battery by myself and am proud to say the mower now starts. Girl power.
  • I’m sick of stores not opening until 10. I had an early doctor’s appointment and a bunch of errands I wanted to run. I only did two things because the stores don’t open until 10. I was home by then. Perhaps, I need to get better about hanging out in coffee shops to kill time.
  • When I got home, I noticed an unfamiliar van driving around the neighborhood. Turns out the Jehovah Witnesses were out in force. The better-half has their propaganda on his desk as if it were mail just for him.
  • I turned in the content document for review yesterday. Hopefully, I’ll get some good feedback. Although, at this point, I just want some feedback.
  • Asked the other professor for feedback on my project before I begin the major push. He said it would be done by yesterday. Still waiting.
  • The first asparagus are coming up.
  • Woke up last night to use the bathroom and could hear the better-half rocking out to something. Turns out some Alan Parsons and Elton John were recently played on Spotify. Busted.
  • Finished a graphic novel yesterday. I can see why people are drawn to comics (no pun intended).
    • Posted in Gardening, Generic Thoughts, Listening | Comments Off

    In the World

    Posted on March 25, 2012 by Frog

    Friday night we went to Pasture for our anniversary. It’s a newish place on a forgotten block of Grace downtown. I like that there are pockets of the city coming back. Pasture serves small plates and we ordered seven of them to share. Sounds like a lot but it was the perfect amount. We also ended up with a free drink due to a misunderstanding and, as it turns out, we were both mad for it and will be making it in the near future. Prosecco, St. Germain and grapefruit juice. I’m not supposed to eat grapefruit because it interrupts the effectiveness of a drug I take, but the hell with it. This is a drink that would be perfect on a warm summer night.

    Friday afternoon a friend emailed me and asked if we wanted to go out to dinner on Saturday. We had an excellent time at Arcadia down in Shockoe Bottom. A wise restaurant that closes at 10pm but we didn’t know that until about 9:50! Once again, we’ve closed a place, but probably for the first time in 15 years. For those of you not familiar with Shockoe Bottom, it has lots of clubs, young people running amok and, sadly, recent violence. Fancy pants restaurants should close up before the running amok happens. I’m sure it keeps their bathrooms cleaner.

    Today we went to see The Hunger Games. It’s probably been two (or three) years since we’ve been to the movies. And, with all the gosh darn ads and people getting up to go out of the theater, it might be another two years. Jeez, take a piss before the show starts and shut up already.

    I read the trilogy at Christmas and liked the story well enough. The better-half was pleased with the movie even though he had no expectations. There was one significant change that I was sad to see because I think that part of the story was, in the book, integral to understanding how the world of Panem works. Oh well, it will be interesting to see how things go in the other movies…see, it probably will be another two years.

    Posted in Generic Thoughts | Comments Off

    Baby Come As You Are

    Posted on March 22, 2012 by Frog

    I bought these shoes today while shopping for bras* at Target:

    When I was a teen, I would have killed for these shoes or a pair of Chucks. In fact, I once begged and was denied so I took what cash I had and went to the Dollar General and bought knock-offs. How sad is that? The shoes today were $35. Can you imagine how cheap they were in 1984? I’m no economist, but I’m thinking they were probably $15? Whatever.

    We also had to drink powdered milk because regular milk was too expensive. Now, I know that some families have to do that stuff because they live at the poverty level. My parents did not earn a dollar an hour. They just like to play the game, CheapAssBastards. Perhaps you’ve heard of it?

    *I think I’ve found replacements for the raggedy-ass bras that I purchased from Lands’ End years ago. Lands’ End doesn’t even sell that stuff any more that’s old those bras are. Anyway, I’ve tried other brands. But because I’m a delicate flower, I haven’t been able to find ones I like. I think I finally have in the Barely There line.

    Posted in Thinking | 3 Comments

    It’s that time of year or wherein I ramble

    Posted on March 20, 2012 by Frog

    It’s a bit early, I suppose, but I’m in the throes of the sprint to the end of the semester. I am writing two courses and have to defend myself in April. One of the courses I’m working on is for use by the university’s faculty/staff. And, if that’s not enough pressure, it’s also the thing that I’m going to use to help defend myself. Am I babbling? Probably.

    One course is just that…3 credits, peers will review my work, we’ll all come up with evaluation plans for our courses and then we get a grade. I’m assuming the professor will get around to finally looking at my work. He hasn’t said a thing since late February and something like 4 submissions ago. Did I mention that I’m learning Dreamweaver too so I can produce the course? I’m so confused about containers, tags, divs, blah-the-freakin-blah.

    The course for faculty/staff is my job this semester and it happens to be the last of my credit hours. I won’t actually finish this one until after I graduate. Funny how that stuff works. I have to have a pretty serious demo ready the third week in April which is also the week I talk to my committee about letting me graduate. I have no idea how to prepare for that hour-long meeting. I suppose I should find out what sorts of questions will be asked so I have a clue. I have a feeling they’ll review my design document (which my professor was THRILLED* with a few weeks ago) and then talk about what decisions I’ve made in relationship to content and instructional strategies. Who the hell knows. I haven’t even met two of the professors on my committee–although one is that professor I mentioned above that hasn’t given me feedback in a month. I think I’ll skip asking him about that.

    So, what else is new? I ordered a handmade bracelet for Niece1′s birthday and the maker is MIA. I’ve filed a complaint and am in the process of getting my money back. A new gift is on its way to the niece now. She was very sweet about not getting a gift to unwrap at her party. That kid is a good one. I think we should keep her.

    Tonight we’re going to a restaurant that just opened in town. It’s run by a guy who is kind-of famous. He’s had restaurants in several cities which get amazing reviews, but he never stays anywhere very long. I hope by going on a Tuesday night we’ll not have a problem with getting a table. Can you guess that I’m not fond of standing around waiting?

    Later this week it’s our sixteenth anniversary. The better-half is also a good one and I think I’ll keep him too.

    *The caps on THRILLED are necessary because she was very pleased with the whole package. It seems crazy that she’d be that happy about it, but she was.

    Posted in Generic Thoughts | 2 Comments