Damn Fine Cup o' Coffee

Actually, as much as I wanted to emulate Kyle MacLachlan at the Twin Peaks Cafe in North Bend, WA, I did not have coffee or cherry pie.  I had a grilled cheese sandwich and a damn fine order of french fries.

Popcorn, Peanuts & Elephants

It's summer. I'm craving the circus.

I've been having fun with Polyvore, a site which lets you make 

colleges of clothing items and interior design components and 

post them. It's a little like modern day, electronic paper dolls, 

without the dolls, though you could add those too if you wanted.

1. Messy bun; 2. CP Shades blouse; 3. Rhino scarf by Sofia Costas; 

4. Pant by Old Navy; 5.  Maddison Shoes by Asos; 6. Blackwing 

reproduction pencils by Palomino and ; 7. Rolf wood glasses.

Power of the Pentatonic Scale

The Power of the Pentatonic Scale was demonstrated at the World Science Festival 

in 3 minutes by Bobby McFerrin.  This is lovely.

Fake Magazine? Container Gardens

In anticipation of fixing up my tiny backyard, I purchased a magazine
today called "Container Gardens".  I have a few containers going now,
hope to have more soon, but the main thing that caught my eye was
this blurb on the cover: "Can't Fail Combos for Sun and Shade".

        Unfortunately, there was no such
         article in the magazine. Thinking
         I'd shoot them an email asking for
         guidance and page numbers, I found
         no contact information or letter
         section in the magazine (which is
         published by Harris Publications).
         There is no website for the publication
         either. Also, no publication month. It
          is apparently an annual magazine.


I haven't bought a magazine for a long time. They are too expensive and
in most cases a waste of time. This was was one those cases and I've
learned my lesson: check the initial pages to make sure it is a legitimate,
regular publication with an internet presence or full contact information
and a real editor and staff. Who knew due diligence was necessary before
purchasing a magazine?

Travel Bug

The recent few days of sunshine combined with news that some of my 

friends are either in the midst of, or about to take, adventurous journeys 

to Paris, Marrakesh and London, has me jonesing for travel.  I’m going 

to California in June, not quite as adventurous but I’m quite excited 

about it nonetheless.  Oh how I wish the Francesa Woodman exhibit 

would still be up at the SFMOMA. For those of you in Northern California, 

it runs through February 20 and shouldn’t be missed.

I’m getting my taxes done today and if I get a refund my plans are four-fold: 

first, purchase this exhibit related book from SFMOMA; 

Second, sock away some money for California, Third, pay off some debt 

and fourth, allow myself the purchase of one new clothing item (as opposed 

to the second hand items I usually buy (happily). Fingers crossed that HR 

Block pulls through for me.

Broken ankle: One Year Later

It's been over a year since I broke and dislocated my ankle: a trimalleolar break (three
bones) as well as a dislocation (my foot bent down and backwards).  Here's my six
month update which has links to my other ankle posts.

Now it is 14 months later and as snow has hit the town Im living in - I find myself
thinking of my fall last winter and struggling with Snow PTSD. I'm a very slow walker
on icy surfaces now.

I also:
- still have ankle pain daily, but for shorter periods of time. I would guess I pop
    painkillers (2-3 aleve usually) about four days a week.
- still have swelling. every day. Sometimes by noon. Sometimes by the end of the day.
- limp sometimes. Not a lot.  If I have been sitting at my desk for a long time I will
    limp for a minute when I get up.  Or if I take the dogs on a long walk I sometimes
    limp a little afterwards.  I usually try to disguise it as a jaunty boho walk (whatever
    that is!)
- don't wear any sort of heel. No way. fear of wobbling.
- still have visible scars on both sides of my ankle wear I had the surgery. Visible to me
   at least.  I don't think anyone else would notice unless they were sitting right beside
    me and looking straight at them.

All in all, I think I've been pretty lucky.  And if you are reading this due to your own injury,
I hope you'll be lucky too.

Dog People

My dogs spend quite a bit of time in my front yard when the weather is fair as it 

has been lately.  Living near several public places, (the historical society, the 1912 

Center, the high school), ensures a good amount of foot traffic past my house and 

both Nosey and Seamus have their regulars - friends and admirers who stop to see 

them, pet them, give them treats and throw the frisbee.  Occasionally some cold 

hearted person will walk by without even a glance at their sweet and friendly faces, 

but that doesn’t happen very often.

And then some times you get someone like today. A guy stops, pets them, talks to

 them for a minute and then - WAVES to them and says "b’bye".  Wow.  What a great 

guy!

Dog Advice on Metafilter

I’ve had a couple of promising second interviews and in hopes of starting full time work 

soon, I asked the following on Metafilter:

“Dog advice needed - How to keep my dogs happy while I'm at work?”

I’ve gotten some great responses including this one:

Other things - get a big Kong for each of them and fill it with treats in the morning. Hide 

treats around the house. Leave the TV on. Get someone to check in on them during the 

day. Hire a walker. If your house is set up that way, some folks swear by a doggie door 

so they can go in and out at leisure.

Sometimes I call home home and talk to my dogs when the answering machine picks 

up. I have no idea if they listen or not, but it makes me feel better (and kind of weird, 

but whatever.)

Read all the responses here.

Boycotting Urban Outfitters

I like Urban Outfitters but their propensity for copying
the designs of independent artists is just plain greedy.

Why not buy from the artist, instead of creating knock-
offs?  Here's their latest copy and for now, I've decided
not to shop there anymore.

Broken Ankle: Six Months Later

This week marks the six month anniversary of my ankle fracture: 

a trimalleolar fracture that resulted in surgery and metal plates and 

screws being put in my ankle.

If you came across my blog by searching for “broken ankle” because you have just 

experienced this yourself, I’d first like to send you warm and empathetic thoughts.  It 

hurts like hell, doesn’t it?  And it’s a bit traumatic.  But believe me when I say that things 

will get better.

Here’s my first post about my break, then there’s one here and here and here is the 

three month update.

Six months later I am walking pretty well.  I have a slight limp, but my guess is that if you 

do the physical therapy you won’t have a limp at six months.  I didn’t have medical 

insurance, so couldn’t get the physical therapy.  My limp is lessening though so I hope in 

another month or two it will be gone completely.

I used a cane from month four-five.  I don’t use it much now but I keep it around for certain 

things like shopping at the mall with my daughter or anything else when I am going to be 

doing lots of walking on a hard surface.  I’d say I am without it 95% of the time

I still have ankle pain every day - though it is MUCH, much less than the first two months.

My ankle still swells every day.  I’m not sure when that will end.  Some days it is bad enough 

that I put ice on it,  some days it isn’t that bad. My right ankle (the broken one) is still bigger 

than my left ankle.  (See photo above) Maybe it will always be this way.

If you have friends and family to help you, things will be easier for you.  (I couldn’t have 

made it without my 18 year old daughter - Thanks Del! And my dogs were my constant 

companions - Thanks Nosey and Seamus!) 

 If you don’t have much support I’d advise surrounding yourself with your favorite books 

or watching seasons of your favorite tv shows on Netflix.  During my non-weight bearing 

time I watched all of PBS’ Bleak House, Battlestar Gallatica and the first four seasons of 

Rescue Me.  I also read lots of Henning Mankill and Jasper Fforde.

The time I spent with Esther Summerson, WIlliam Adama, Tommy Gavin, Thursday Next and 

Kurt Wallander saved me from a slow death by boredom.

So things do get better.  Keep the faith.  The first three months are the hardest but then things 

look up considerably.  Warm wishes going out to you for an easy recuperation.

Now... if I could just find a job...

Employment Issues on Metafilter

Conducting an efficient job search 

ASKED: How do I prioritize all the tasks that come with being unemployed, 

from getting help to finding a job?

I liked this kindhearted answer:

“Have a plan. Stick to the plan. Keep yourself healthy. Keep perspective. Be 

gentle on yourself and realise that you WILL get a new job. It WILL be a bit 

rough in the meantime. There's a lot you can do to make it LESS rough.“

And this on Temping

ASKED: “Should I apply for a temp agency to kickstart my stalled career??” 

I found this answer by “Patheral” interesting:

“San Francisco is big enough that you can sign up for several temp agencies 

and get enough work (if you're skilled enough) to make a good living and get 

the experience you need and desire. I did this for many many years in a 

different city/state but for different reasons. Don't just go with one temp 

agency, sign up with two or three - I had my resume in at five and I hardly 

ever wanted for work. Yes, some weeks I made a little above minimum wage 

but others I made a lot more than minimum wage - that was one of the things 

I liked about working temp... that and the variety of work places.” 

Laser Monks No More

A few years I wrote about a monastery company called Laser Monks, that sold 

printer cartridges to fund their monastery and other nonprofit entities.

I raved about them, citing their “900 year tradition of community service 

and outreach.” 

 I  have been ordering from them for years now but my last order, made March 

29th, never came.  I tried to log into their website but it was down for repair - and 

still is.  I finally found a number to call (their other number had been disconnected) 

and received a call back this morning from 303-468-0962, the number of Laser 

Monks Distributors.  He informed me that Laser Monks has liquidated and the only 

way to get my money back is to dispute the charges on my credit card, which I have 

done.

Apparently there are many, many people who had their money taken, and never 

received their orders.

Not what I expected from monks. But I guess being a monk-owned business doesn't
give one sanctuary from the recession.

Whole Wheat Shortbread

I set out to make Ina Garten’s shortbread but had no white flour.  

So I substituted whole wheat flour.  To compensate for the heavier 

flour I double sifted it and changed it from 3 1/2 cups to 3 1/4 cups.  

It was still quite heavy and dense so I added a splash of lowfat milk 

and then everything came together nicely.  It took the whole 25 

minutes to cook them and they turned out  scumptiously well.  

Here’s the recipe - my changes are in italics.

Whole Wheat Shortbread Cookies (adapted from Ina Garten’s recipe)

3/4 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature (3 sticks)

1 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling (I used colored sugar for the top)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 1/4 cups whole wheat flour, double sifted

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup milk

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, 

or use a regular hand mixer, mix together the butter and 1 cup of sugar 

until they are just combined. Add the vanilla.

3. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them 

to the butter-and-sugar mixture.

4. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together.

5. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. 

Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes. Roll the dough 1/2-inch thick and 

cut with a 3 by 1-inch finger-shaped cutter. Place the cookies on an un-

greased baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar. Alternately, roll the dough 

into a long, 2-inch cylinder before refrigerating. Once chilled, slice the 

cylinder into 1/4-inch circles. Place the cookies on an ungreased baking 

sheet and sprinkle with sugar.

6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow 

to cool to room temperature. Makes 20-30 cookies.

Bad News for Fitzgerald Fans

Daisy Buchanan’s house has been demolished!

Jay Gatsby seems as shocked as I am.

The owners demolished "Land's End" , which had fallen into

disrepair, because they wanted to build five luxury homes to 

be sold there for 10 million each.

I find this both sad and nauseating.

See the demolished view, if you have the heart, here.  

Seamus and Nosey Flynn Wait for Spring

Look! The cold, white ground is gone,

The grey still comes and goes

But sun comes near as often now.

We remember the road to the green fields,

We remember the smell of the light dew 

As the ball goes sailing over the grass,

The flight of the birds as we come near

The sound of the bees, the sight of the stream,

And running down the trail through the big, tall trees.

Wait for us green fields

We are coming.

Sunday Dinner

This  is what I made for dinner last night.  The
chicken was spicy and yummy!  I paired it with
an amazing Silverlake Riesling.  Photo and
recipe courtesy of On the Woodside .

Making an Apron

Last week I made my daughter an apron for St. Patrick’s Day.  When 

she was young I made her a St. Patty’s dress every year but gave 

that up once she hit fifth grade.  

I found a cute Cynthia Rowley apron that was easy to duplicate without 

a pattern.

I had forgotten how much I dislike JoAnn’s fabrics.  There is their stingy 

fabric cutting as well as the way they treat their customers .

and now a new reason: they plaster their fabrics with self ads - a waste of 

good fabric!  I dislike having to pay for fabric that they have blazoned with 

their logo.

But it is the only fabric store in my town so ... I bought 

the fabric and some trim and made the apron in one night.

It turned out pretty well!

Job Hunting in the Northwest

Here are a few sites with job listings for the Northwest - specifically, jobs in Washington, 

Oregon and California.  Craigslist is great, of course, but not all employers post their jobs 

there.  If you are looking for a job in more than one area you can use Site Mash .  It is 

supposed to list entries for craigslists nationwide though it is not 100% complete.  You 

enter the type of job you want into the blank, e.g. writer, and then it will pull listings from 

all (or most) Craigslists.

One of the best sites for Seattle jobs is the Kings County job site  and if you are looking 

throughout Washington you can find state listings here. 

Here’s the City of Portland’s job listings .  The State of Oregon lists their openings here

and you can also check out Multnomah County’s listings.

Of Oregon, Washington and California, California has the most cumbersome job site.  Many 

of the jobs listed are only available to people who have already taken an exam in that job’s 

category.  But if you want to give it a try, it’s located here .  

This site  lists many California government entities and also lists sites for many cities and 

counties in California.

I really don’t need more job hunting competition but I can’t help but feel empathy for those 

of you who are, like me,  out there looking for work and not finding it.  Best of luck to you.

Snoqualmie Pass

My daughter is going to Emerald City ComicCon in Seattle this 

weekend.  Captain Kirk, Data, Cmmdr. Riker and the Steward of 

Gondor are all going to be there.

It’s a bad weekend for driving though.  We’ve had a few feet of 

snow this week. Today it was 38 degrees and some of the huge

mounds of snow melted away.  But to get to Seattle from Moscow 

one has to drive over Snoqualmie Pass.

This website by the Washington State Dept of Transportation

has webcams stationed along the trickier portions of Highway 90.

It updates them every 6 minutes. Thanks Washington!  I’ll probably 

be checking it all weekend.