I think the frost is gone

133/365
May 15, 2010

I'm not sure why those last two posts are showing up backwards, but I'm sure you're all smart enough to handle it.

This is one of my little patches of dirt at our apartment right after I planted impatiens. Later I'll post their progress. In the past they have really taken over the area so I hope they do it again.

Missing file

131/365
May 13, 2010

Another missing photo. I don't always use the same camera or even the same memory card in a the same camera and I think I've lost some images. I really thought I had only missed one day recently, but with several missing days, I think I lost some photos.

A break from news on oil spills and bombings

132/365
May 14, 2010

As it might look, this was a last minute photo.

The Onion is a weekly satirical newspaper. I read it online for years and never even thought of it as being available in print. BUT, here in New York, it's one of the free papers in the boxes on the corners. I pick it up every week and it floats around our apartment as we both read it. The first half is fake news stories and the second half is interviews and reviews of mostly music and movies. One of my favorite sections is the horoscopes. They are dark and witty, and nothing like "real" horoscopes. Some of the videos on the Onion website are hilarious and worth a few minutes for the laughs.

Some horoscopes from this week's Onion:
Capricorn
You never thought you'd end up a billionaire, living in a palatial mansion, and jet-setting around the world. So it's no real disappointment, when you don't.
Aquarius
Your lucky compound modifiers for this week are: long-term, hard-fought and military-history.
Pisces
Lately it seems like nobody respects your feelings, but why don't you just shut up for a second and let the stars worry about it.

Home Pedicure

130/365
May 12, 2010

I feel naked if my toenails are not painted in the summer and on display in sandals. The problem is that getting a pedicure in a nail salon has always kind of grossed me out, and my public health classes have only confirmed my fears (skin fungus anyone?). Is anyone else grossed out by sticking your feet in a tub that has housed many other feet or using a polish brush that has painted the nails of strangers? Am I the only one?

I am thus left to do my own nails. No matter how many times I paint them, my skills seem to have shown zero improvement, but I have at least perfected my whole technique. I basically just paint the top of the whole toe, as seen in this photo, and use a toothpick to outline the nail. Once it dries, it is pretty easy to wipe the polish off of the skin. Wearing socks and sneakers for a long walk or jog helps the process, as does a warm bath. After the excess paint is wiped off, the end product usually looks good, in my opinion. Anyone else use this method or want to teach me a better way?

Animal Cruelty

129/365
May 11, 2010

That's the title Shep would give these photos, but I disagree. The first one is him, in the bathroom after realizing he's about to get put in the tub for a bath. He is refusing to look at me because he is not happy and a little nervous (he hates getting wet). The second one is kind of blurry because the humidity in the bathroom fogged up my lens, but you can still see how happy he is to be clean -insert sarcasm-. I let him get a few shakes out before taking the second picture so you don't get to see him totally drenched and skinny. It sure is hard to get all of that hair wet, but he has no trouble shaking the water off all over the house.

Mexican hot chocolate

128/365
May 10, 2010

This has been a great product to have in my pantry. You can mix it with milk to make a spicy hot chocolate. I've also put it in cake frosting for a spicy taste with a little texture from it's crunchy bits. It's also good on vanilla ice-cream. All of my chocolate frostings have had this as the chocolate portion lately, for the record.

Are you getting hungry, yet?

127/365
May 9, 2010

This is one of my new favorite cookies. There's usually some sort of cookie or cake (all home-made of course) to eat when I visit my folks, and when I went in April, one of the sweets was lemon cookies. They were delicious so I got the recipe for Lemon Ice-box Cookies and made some soon after getting home to Brooklyn. This dough is good a one to make in bulk then freeze rolls of it. Just pull a roll out, slice, and bake when you need cookies for a party or a snack. The dough is a little sticky to work with, so using wax paper to roll it in makes things easier.

Craig gets dirty

126/365
May 8, 2010

(Remember, I missed 125 somehow, or lost the file)

Every now and then, Craig gets a burst of energy and does something useful around the house. He disappeared outside for a while and I went out to find him putting the new garden shears we bought, to work. That pile of greenery above his head is all trash.

All gone

124/365
May 6, 2010

This is an empty cake box which was previously full of cupcakes. Coming soon will have to be a post about getting the waist of our pants let out ;)

In the garden

123/365
May 5, 2010

I put off posting for a while because I'm missing a few days that I was sure I took photos for, but I cannot find them. May 4th and 7th (photos # 122 and 125) are apparently non-existent.

This is the flowering end of a brussels sprout plant I planted last summer. I guess we don't get enough sun b/c it never really did much but this summer it came back and is full of flowers and seed pods.

cup.cakes

121/365
May 3, 2010

Practicing my icing skills from the cupcake class. Chocolate chiffon cake with spicy (hot) mexican chocolate icing or banana icing. These were a success, in my humble opinion. Luckily others came over to help eat them so Craig and I didn't consume them all.