reception!

she is handsome she is pretty

My favorite song from last weekend at Irish Fest in Milwaukee. Not my video.

this too shall pass

I've mentioned before, but I love LOVE Ok Go. I love this video. I love pretty much any song that incorporates a marching band. Reading The AV Club's article on love-at-first-sight art made me think of Ok Go. One of Erich's friends bought their first album because he thought the cover art was cool (I'm not sure if he had heard of them or not... the cover art was the explanation I heard). Loved the it. Bought the second album for Kari for Christmas, but then realized I probably liked them more than she did. Not that she didn't like them, just that I anticipated she was a bigger fan than she actually was. Oops. I won't lie; that's what happened.

Also - The Jerk. I remember watching it when I was a kid and thinking it was so funny. I didn't see it again for years, partially out of the idea that it might not be as good as I remembered, that my memory built it up to epic proportions. When I finally did see it again a few years back, it lived up to my memory, which is saying something.

Hmmm, what else. Today is the reception for family and friends after our wedding earlier this summer. Everyone coming to one place just for Andrew and I. I have a love/hate relationship with being the center of attention. I really don't like blowing out candles while people watch me and sing Happy Birthday (or an equally appropriate song in the public domain). Opening presents at a wedding shower a few weeks ago was equally unnerving. But at the same time, I like parties, especially parties in my honor.

I should go wash dishes before my mom gets here. I don't want her to think that I actually use my kitchen. Use it a lot, by the pile of dishes in the sink.

twins game!!

Last night we went to a Twins game for Andrew's birthday. Why, wasn't that in mid-July? You're right! I bought the tickets in June and then we had to wait nearly 10 weeks for the actual game. It was a pretty good game, though. Twins won 7-6, which is exciting.


We had pretty good seats, but I think people are right when they say there's not a bad seat in the place. We were actually a lot closer than the picture makes it look - I didn't have to zoom for this picture, if that makes a difference. We also were in a wheelchair row, which meant padded folding chairs. Not too shabby, actually. I get uncomfortable sitting in the same position all the time, so it was easy for me to wiggle around.

Also, Joe Mauer hit his first Target Field home run yesterday! I wore a Joe Mauer shirt because I would leave Andrew in a heart beat for him. And not just because he's a gazillionare - he looks good in a baseball uniform too, if you know what I mean.


The stadium has a pretty good view of the MPLS skyline. It's also close enough to our home that we were able to walk to the game.


I remembered my glasses so I could see the game! I kept squinting at the scoreboard and then realizing that I didn't have to - I couldn't see because I was squinting.


Hands down, my favorite part about the field. I LOVE this sign. If you can't tell what it is, it's two guys shaking hands over a river - Minne and Paul. The sign lights up for a strikeout or run too. I would not be opposed to getting some variation of this at some point in my life, either.

Hopefully we'll be able to make it to another game this season. It was really fun and I'm slowly becoming a bigger baseball fan. Andrew said we couldn't ask for Twins tickets or jerseys on our registry, which I think is bunk. Also, the local stations don't show the games - you have to have cable to watch 99% of Twins games. I even hooked up the TV converter box and pulled the bunny ears out of the closet! All for nothing.

my completely uninteresting story about magazines

Awhile back I got "free" subscriptions to a running magazine and a bicycling magazine by registering for a race online. They were offered as an incentive for registering through that website, which meant 15 months of the magazines without paying for them. It was nice to get fun mail, not bills, plus they were interesting - I found a really great recipe in one of them; it was motivating when I was training for the Bellin, etc.

However, I checked my bank account today and saw that they automatically renewed for $39 and $32 each. Aw, hell no. I called up and canceled the biking one, since I'm not a huge biker. I was going to cancel the running magazine, then resubscribe through the cheaper deals they have online or as a tear out in the magazine. However, the automatic cancel system offered 6 months for $6, plus a refund of the $39. I'll pay $6 for the magazine - I like it and it really does get me out the door at least once after reading it.

Moral of the story: Check your bank accounts often and look for discounts.

Moral of the story 2: I'm utterly bor(ed)/(ing).

I'm also making bread that needs to rise for 6 hours between mixing and baking. 3 hours to go...

not even close to being the field of cornflowers at dusk

SOMEBODY told me I should post more (mother!). I find this beautiful.



Litany
Billy Collins

You are the bread and the knife,
the crystal goblet and the wine.
You are the dew on the morning grass
and the burning wheel of the sun.
You are the white apron of the baker,
and the marsh birds suddenly in flight.

However, you are not the wind in the orchard,
the plums on the counter,
or the house of cards.
And you are certainly not the pine-scented air.
There is just no way that you are the pine-scented air.

It is possible that you are the fish under the bridge,
maybe even the pigeon on the general's head,
but you are not even close
to being the field of cornflowers at dusk.

And a quick look in the mirror will show
that you are neither the boots in the corner
nor the boat asleep in its boathouse.

It might interest you to know,
speaking of the plentiful imagery of the world,
that I am the sound of rain on the roof.

I also happen to be the shooting star,
the evening paper blowing down an alley
and the basket of chestnuts on the kitchen table.

I am also the moon in the trees
and the blind woman's tea cup.
But don't worry, I'm not the bread and the knife.
You are still the bread and the knife.
You will always be the bread and the knife,
not to mention the crystal goblet and--somehow--the wine.

food and a dog

Dinner from the other night - kind of a "what do we have?" type meal. What was supposed to be tomato sauce ended up being tomato chunks, but that's ok. It's got fresh basil, chicken, broccoli, garlic, and onions (I know! Onions? I hate onions! But they're ok cooked in tomato sauce. Big pieces where I know I'm eating them).


Proof I am incapable of cooking a grilled cheese without burning it. Andrew will have to be the grilled cheese maker for the rest of our lives. Douse it in Franks!

My berry/OJ/banana smoothie to make myself feel better for burning the grilled cheese. We got a new blender/food processor (the Ninja Master Prep) from some of Andrew's relatives and have been making a lot of smoothies, you know, to test it out and make sure it's working. A good percentage of my food intake is smoothie-fied, if you must know. If you like fruit smoothies, put some OJ in it. It's delicious.


Oscar, Erich and KT's dog! He's cute and fun.


The sunset on the way home from a surprise party for my mom's 50th birthday (she's old!).

a little bit of everything

So... I haven't written anything for awhile. Not because my life has been particularly exciting, because it hasn't. Well, maybe a little bit.



Scones with raisins and nuts.


Chocolate cheesecake for Andrew's birthday! It got a little cracked in the middle - I think if I had taken it out of the oven 3 minutes earlier it wouldn't have cracked... next time.

Chicken Parmesan (with window ledge basil) for Andrew's birthday dinner, recipe from Food Matters by Mark Bittman. We substituted eggplant for mushrooms.


My bruise from giving blood. Pictures are of Day 2 and Day 10. I had the bruise for two weeks, just disappearing before heading east for the JCLorst wedding.

We're not very coordinated. Also, Jake is a fight instigator while Rachel just wants to love.

And then Andrew's high school friends Ross and Linnea got married last weekend, which meant Andrew stood up in the wedding and got to dress classy-like. I enjoyed it.

They really liked those suspenders. I may or may not have encouraged some suspender-action. Your call. Also, I think that's a fantastic picture of Ross (red tie).

Window ledge basil and cilantro! It's doing pretty well in its present condition. I switch between worrying about over-watering and under-watering. They get plenty of sunlight and it's been so hot lately that I've been watering them daily to make sure they don't die. If they die, I can't eat them.

This little cilantro plant didn't turn out too well... I think too much sunlight/heat. Oh well, I can put something else in that pot.


The street broke open and gushed water last week. They're still fixing it (often loudly at 7 AM). There was literally a crack in the street and a bubble of water coming out of it. I don't know how it happened, but it flowed for 24 hours before the city had someone down there. You can see in the picture where the crack is - at a downward angle away from orange vested-dude where the water is shiny.

My DJ set from DDPP last week:

Kari - expect a CD with your package. It's sitting on my counter and I just have to write a letter, burn some CDs, find a present and then mail it. Also, I really wanted to buy a Toy Story 3 padded envelope to send to you, but I thought it might look too fun and someone would steal it.

I am on book 53 for the year, which makes me within sight of my 6o books goal. My last ten books have been Codex, Lev Grossman (Not as good as The Magicians - skip Codex); Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, Barbara Kingsolver (seasonal recipes!); Buying In, Rob Walker; God in the White House, Randall "what I like to call ..." Balmer; Pearl of China, Anchee Min (very good! couldn't get into her Madame Mao book though); Picking Bones From Ash, Marie Mutsuki Mockett (recommend it); Sherlock Holmes and the Red Demon, Larry Millett (Holmes in Minnesota - yes!); The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin (enjoyed it); Black is the New White, Paul Mooney (really funny. I want to see more of his stand-up now); Where Men Win Glory, Jon Krakauer (about Pat Tillman's life, death and ensuing military cover up).

Ok. I have to go buy some QTips. I ran out on Saturday and it's hard for me to do without them. They're one of the things I'd bring to a deserted island. Yesterday it was difficult for me to shower and then not QTip my ears. I can't go on like this much longer.

Bacher out.