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[25 May 2007|12:14pm] |
HAPPY 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE RELEASE OF STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MAY THE FORCE BE WITH ALL Y'ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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[21 Mar 2007|07:17pm] |
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Have I mentioned lately that I LOVE AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL? Any show that has somebody named Benny Ninja making the contestants crawl through a room full of lasers for a diamond bracelet is just awesome.
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[23 Feb 2007|01:57pm] |
Should I or should I not run away alone and try to find the woods on Sunday?
Also, last night (or possibly this morning) I dreamed that my cat (who is in Florida) jumped on me to wake me up (in my bed in Louisiana) and then proceeded to talk to me an awful lot and I finally realized she was talking and shouldn't be (since she's a cat), but I was mostly just REALLY excited because I've wished for my cat to be able to talk since, like, sixth grade, and then we were outside this building somewhere and somebody being really mean was up in a window way up high and was threatening to drop this fish in its bowl out of the window unless I did something I can't remember, but I didn't do it, so they dropped the fish (and it wasn't my fish, but it was a fish I was somehow responsible for) (Charlie much?), so, in a moment of panic, I used a remote control-type device to stop time just before the fish bowl hit the ground, but it only stopped time around the fish bowl and nowhere else, so I thought I'd saved it, but then the fish died anyway, apparently from the shock of having been dropped out of a really high window, and then I felt guilty for not having saved it, but then Portia de Rossi (who came from who knows where) (and who was wearing an ADORABLE sun dress that I wanted A LOT that was a kind of yellow-golden with small dusty-rose colored flower things patterned all over it, and the same colored pink piping around the edges and on vertical lines down the skirt) (SO CUTE!) told me it was okay and that maybe the fish was just pretending (again, Charlie?) and we should leave it alone and come check on it again later, so we headed off to some kind of banquet (my cat was still there and chatting away, by the way) which was supposed to be super swank and ended up being held in some kind of church fellowship hall-type place, and that's all I really remember. I'm pretty sure the fish was really dead.
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| Public Service Announcement |
[18 Feb 2007|11:20pm] |
If you ever happen to be in the same room as me and a game of Cranium is about to start, PLEASE do your best to call any partner but me. I apparently REALLY, REALLY suck at Cranium. Especially when alcohol is involved. Although that may have just been an excuse and I would suck at it anyway. There. You've all been warned.
Also, I love my cousins who are older than me. Curses that none of them live nearby.
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[18 Feb 2007|05:08pm] |
I just got back from a Mardi Gras parade. Not in new Orleans. I'm not that cool. But I am now covered in almost four pounds of beads, scored five plastic cups, and ALMOST caught a coozie. I had a hand on it, but didn't catch it, it fell on the ground, and this old woman behind me swept done and took it. I was so angry! It was about ten minutes into the parade before I managed to catch anything, but when I finally put down my vodka and Red Bull, I got a lot more action. I was trying to refrain from shouting "Throw me something, Mister!" but I finally caved and did. I'm just about to the point where I could not be wearing a shirt and you wouldn't be able to tell. I didn't flash anybody. There were kids and cops and it was 3:00 in the afternoon. But you know if any of those factors had been different I would have just been topless the whole time. Because that's just what I do.
P.S. My cousin Ruth definitely got hit in the head with some really big beads and now has three bead-shaped knots on her forehead. It's pretty much hilarious.
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[25 Jan 2007|10:16pm] |
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It's already over. I forgot that Old King Cole was the merry old soul. Also, don't hate me music people, but I couldn't think that a set of 30 Bach variations were the Goldberg ones. Also, don't hate me psych people, but I couldn't think of different words for Freud's id, or whatever. BUT I did get that Diana Ross was the main Supreme, that an old French word for cradle that is now used to describe a nativity scene is "creche," and that Vernon is the largest parish in Louisiana. Hopefully all that made up for thinking it was the Pinta that ran aground on the island of Hispaniola in 1492, when it was, in fact, the Santa Maria. Oh well.
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[25 Jan 2007|09:53pm] |
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I am aproximately 11 minutes and 21 seconds away from taking the "Be a Jeopardy Contestant Online Test." I'm doing it so late because I missed the test last night that would have started at 8:00 in the central time zone and had to wait till it was 8:00 on the Pacific coast. I briefly scanned through some stuff about art history, because I know nothing about it, and then called myself ready and have been watching tv with my cousin ever since. (I'm calling it getting ready for the popular culture questions.) I'm probably going to do terribly, as this was a spur of the minute decision, but who knows. I don't get to find out tonight, either. But, anyway, I'm gonna go watch the little countdown and try to remember things about geography now. Seven minutes, 13 seconds.
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[22 Jan 2007|06:34pm] |
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Vanna White is wearing a dress that looks EXACTLY like a dress one of my Barbies had when I was little and my brothers were playing with them. EXACTLY.
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[23 Dec 2006|05:29pm] |
Why is Google sporting a couple of kangaroos knitting on Christmas Eve Eve? I don't really get it, but it does make me feel like Google knows precisely how I've been spending my time. In fact, I shouldn't even be taking the time to check the internet for these things. I have a scarf, two potholders, and a sweater to finish by Monday morning. I really don't want a repeat of the staying up all night on Christmas Eve that happened last year (as much fun as it was to watch "Hannukah from the Planet Matzah Ball" at 5:00 in the morning). It think I can do it, though. I wouldn't let myself go to sleep last night until both sleeves of the sweater were done. They were finally bound off at 2:00 and I'm happy with them, even if they did make me watch way too much of "My Super Sweet Sixteen" during their creation. The back is done, too. Just the two front panels need finishing. And they're already mostly done. I should have measured how many square inches I have left to do, but alas. BUT after they're all made, I still have to sew them together, crochet a border around all the edges (yikes), sew on the buttons, and tuck all the straggly ends in somewhere. I'll be having late nights.
Also on the agenda between now and Christmas: Practice for and perform at three Christmas Eve services, bake a couple batches of pecan pie bars, make some shrimp and crab dip (easy), CLEAN MY ROOM, wrap every present I have, and hang out with my family, who should be arriving tonight around midnight. With all that said, I should go keep working. Christmas is so stressful.
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| An Update from Domestic Goddess Land |
[18 Dec 2006|05:12pm] |
So last night I decided to bake. It should have been totally fine and not taken all that long. It was supposed to be a throw-these-together-and-get-to-bed-early kind of night. But oh no! It certainly wasn't! And it's all my fault. Well, also my second cousin's wife's fault for having a stroke and going to the hospital and thus throwing a wrench in all our plans, but it was mostly my fault for failing to read my cookie recipe all the way through before I started. Here's what happened:
The first major snag occured whilst I was looking for the blended my grandmother assured me she owns. I was very close to rearranging all the cabinets and still hadn't found any such thing when my eyes lit upon a food processor that seemed to have been born circa 1972. But the odd colors it was painted didn't bother me in the least! So I proceeded to measure out my five cups of oatmeal to be ground into a fine powder when I realized that five cups of oatmeal is kind of a lot of oatmeal. But maybe not. I don't know. Maybe it cooks down. So I proceeded (measuring and scouring the food processor clean) to the point when I victoriously hit the "On" button. And nothing happened. I fiddled with everything I could think of and still nothing. Which then found me, at 8:30 at night, trudging through the yard in my slippers, being careful not to trip over the masses of Christmas light extension chords everywhere, on my way to Neighbor Nancy's, the ex-home-ec teacher, who would surely have a working blender. She did, and she let me borrow it, but the story would be better if there was some other obstacle to my finely ground oatmeal.
Anyway, I finally prevailed in getting it all ground, at which point I was sure that it really was an awful lot of oatmeal. So I decided to revisit the recipe. Now, I had read most of it. But when recipes get to the point where they tell you oven temperatures and baking times, I kind of glaze over, because I'm not going to remember, and I'll just look when it's time. Except that on this recipe, doing so made me miss a rather crucial piece of information. I failed to read the last sentence which would have told me that this recipe makes TEN DOZEN cookies! But I'd already started! I couldn't stop! So, 90 minutes, four cups of flour, four cups of sugar, four sticks of butter, a whole bag of chocolate chips, two emptied bottles of vanilla extract, three cups of nuts, a HUGE chocolate bar that had to be totally shaved, and one very angry electric mixer later, it's 10:30 and I am standing amidst a rather messy kitchen, with flour, chocolate shavings, oatmeal, and pecans all over the flour, butter creamed with sugar flung on a couple of walls, and a HUGE bowl of dough which I now have to roll into a million tiny balls and bake. And it was at this point that I decided I should start documenting. So now my story has pictures! Well, I'll end it first and then you can look at pictures. To get to the point, I ended up with 127 cookies. Well, 157, actually, because I made a quick 30 cookie bunch of another kind, too. But they were easy and therefore unnoteworthy. So the moral of the story is, always read instructions all the way through before beginning or you may end up with more delicious goodness than you know what to do with. ( Okay, look at my pictures! )
And actually, the highlight of the whole night was when the very last bunch was in the oven and I was fixing my lunch for today. I opened a cabinet to look for the store-bought cookies and was totally bummed out when I remembered we'd eaten them all. It was terrible! Because I'd really wanted to pack a couple of cookies in my lunch today! I was completely seriously thinking of where on earth was I going to find some. And then I remembered the 157 cookies right behind me. Oops.
Also, I'm pretty sure my grandma is planning on giving me cookie sheets for Christmas. Hooray!
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[07 Dec 2006|06:57pm] |
I just finished THE GIG FROM HELL.
It was all freaking day long, it was a tea with three seatings, so I had to play for 90 minutes at 10:30, at 1:30, and at 4. During the first one, I was on carpet and fighting to be heard, so I was playing really hard. So hard that as soon as I started the second time, my ring and middle fingers on my left hand had blisters that popped and they became totally out of commission. I had to play for three more hours with just two fingers covered the whole bottom, and my right hand was trying to overcompensate the whole time, too. I can actually barely type right now, my fingers are so sore. And I'm going to need them soon; I have a three hour rehearsal and a giant cantata to play Saturday and Sunday.
But back to tonight, as soon as I finally left, I walked out the door with my harp and the wind was so strong it seriously almost blew my harp over. I was so ready to be out of there. And now my back is sore from sitting up straight all day and my harp is in the car where it's cold, so I need to go.
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[04 Dec 2006|03:25pm] |
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Friday night and Saturday night I had gigs at the Alexandria Zoo. They have all their holiday lights up and whatever, so I went and played Christmasy music. And after I finished Friday night, I got to hold a snake named Rocky and decided that snakes are just about the coolest things ever, until Saturday night when I got to pet a baby tiger cub. However, I sort of forgot that "baby tiger cub" still contains the word "tiger" and he didn't end up being as cuddly as I would have liked. Especially after he saw the shiny brooch I was wearing, decided he wanted it, and ended up with three of my four layers in his teeth. And the whole time I was more worried about my outfit than about my own well being. Because I'd just cut the tag off that sweater! If a tiger ripped a hole in it after I'd only gotten to wear it once, I would have been angry. But, miraculously, it was fine. Somebody took pictures. If I ever get my hands on them, I'll post them.
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[28 Nov 2006|09:03pm] |
Today I saw the house where they filmed "Steel Magnolias."
Also, tonight I found a book called "Knitting for Peace" that I really want to own. It's by Betty Christiansen if anybody needs a Christmas idea for me.
Also, last night I dreamed that Lizzy Schwartz and I got married for real. But it was an extremely stressful ceremony, due mostly to the fact that there were a lot of alligators walking around. Okay Freudians, that's all you get. Ready, set, go!
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[19 Nov 2006|09:11pm] |
I am a little sleepy and need to go home, but I just thought I'd let you all know what I ate for dinner tonight:
SOUP
Creole Cauliflower and Roasted Duck Soup
A creamy soup of pureed cauliflower and slow-roasted duck, garnished with a duck crisp
SALAD
White Oak Plantation House Salad
Vine-ripened tomatoes, cucumber slices and seasonal greens tossed in a cane syrup vinaigrette
ENTREE
Stuffed Pheasant
Seafood-stuffed breast of free-range pheasant over pecan ruce dressing and sauce naturale accompanied by asparagus tips
DESSERT
Double Chocolate Creole Cream Cheese Cheesecake
RIch chocolate cheesecake made with Bittersweet Plantation Dairy Creole Cream Cheese with creme anglaise and rasberry coulis
Plus a glass and a half of Merlot, a cup of coffee, and I suppose a little H2O, too.
It was Kent House's big fundraiser night tonight and Chef John Folse cooked. Well, he was there, but his people did most of the cooking. He's this big time Louisiana/Cajun/Creole chef. He's cooked at the White House and was the first non-Italian chef to ever cook for the Pope. The food was good; the soup was the best, I think; the entree was good; the salad was just a salad; and the dessert was okay. I mean, anything called Double Chocolate Creole Cream Cheese Cheesecake can't be too bad, but it wasn't as extraordinary as I was led to believe. But I am not complaining, as I got it all for free (tickets for everyone else were $65) and got to spend the evening watching Alexandria's new mayor getting cozy with his wife at the next table. At least, I presume she was his wife.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I am super sleepy from having gotten up before 7 to go play at a crazy church this morning (there was a lot of hand raising and amen shouting and the preacher preached for 52 MINUTES and was very emphatic for most of the time). I'm going to go get warm and crawl in bed with some sort of nicely feminist book and go to sleep.
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[15 Nov 2006|04:06pm] |
I have spent the better part of the past two days at work folding 3,538 pieces of paper, stuffing them into 1,769 envelopes, sticking on 1,769 labels, and then sealing them 1,769 times. One other girl and I have been doing this, and we're about 2/3 of the way done, I think. We were halfway done when we realized we'd done them all, up to that point, the wrong way. But it's okay! We recovered. And now maybe a few of the 1,769 people we're sending these things to will turn around and send us money. Apparently plantations just don't pay for themselves the way they used to. Especially plantations located on five acres of land, with a grand total of six cotton bushes and about as many sugar cane stalks.
In other news....umm....today is my brother's birthday! He is 17! Ack! Oh my gosh! He's 17! (Excuse me while I go die a little.) But relatedly, I've been having a very hard time keeping track of how old I am lately. For over a month I have really, truly believed that I am 23. I have told people that I am 23. I think about starting to play the harp when I was 13 and that I've been doing it 10 years, and ta da! 23! Also, in my head, it makes sense that one is 22 during one's last year of college, then 23 when one enters the world. Since I am no longer in school, I clearly must be 23. That is all. Oh, except that I also can't tend to remember what season it is, either.
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[12 Nov 2006|06:03pm] |
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Yesterday I churned butter, petted a stripeless white tiger, and secured an audition and interview with a real professional orchestra. Today I sat feet away from a 281 year old Stradivarius cello being played by the grandson of a famous Russian cellist, and then later got to touch it's case after eating bakalava made by some old Jewish women. Now I'm going to go home, read some recipes in preparation for Thanksgiving, rehearse a few pieces in preparation for my audition, knit for a little while thinking about the theory behind using a spinning wheel in preparation for Christmas, and figure out how to keep my hair up in a bun with nothing but five bobby pins in preparation for life.
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