otpid/web huggingface dataset:
This evening I was just sitting around when I decided I needed to start training for my Guatemala trip coming up next month (too much computer time, not enough hoofing it time)!  I headed out into the dusk thinking I'd just do a quick mile walk down by the creek, but I was enjoying it so much I decided to turn it into a three (plus) mile hike over to the store and back to grab some milk.  I was glad I did when I heard an  Eastern Screech-Owl  whinny down along the Perkiomen Creek.  Very cool, and a new BIGBY bird.   2008 BIGBY List : 107
It's been a little over two weeks since my mother died, and it's difficult to articulate exactly how I feel about it.  I've had some moments of leaden sadness, but, for the most part, I quite honestly don't feel much at all.  The ability to deny appropriate emotions, or at least to suppress them deeply, is something I inherited from my mom, so perhaps it's appropriate that I'm having a hard time feeling as though I'm having a hard time.  We were estranged--first partially, then entirely--during the last few years of her life, but the lack of emotional response strikes me as a bit odd.  I have had significant interaction with my sister in the past couple of weeks.  She contracted a nasty sinus infection that quickly turned into pneumonia, landing her in the hospital.  That was pretty crappy, coming right on the heels of the funeral.  She is astonishingly better and more in-control than she was a couple of years ago; I hope she is able to maintain her current frame of mind and keep body and soul together on the scant financial resources she will have.  I'm going to do what I can to help her set things up.  Beyond that, I'll take things very slowly--much slower than she would like, I'm afraid.
That's my new favorite t-shirt, which I saw at the  Ren Fest  last Saturday. I had a great time! I went with my friend Christine and my two kids. They were all in costume: Christine ("I feel pretty. I'm pretty!") was a wench, Zoe was a queen, and Xander was a gladiator (time travel is acceptable at the Ren Fest). I broke down and bought and wore a classy wench costume, too, and was cinched into it so tight that I had a boob. I'll post real pix when I get them, but in the meanwhile, let me introduce you to Ariana Swordswallower.  If you have a minute, go to  Bill's blog , scroll down to the Hobbit post, and check out the Infinite Cat Project. I can't stop thinking about it!  And now, I begin to write August Moon. Wish me luck.
I am back on the train again.  This time heading home, finally.  I am done travelling for the month...oh wait, the month is over, sin't it? heh....        My visit with friends was absolutely wonderful.  I did absoluteloy nothing.  And absolutely nothing was required of me.  It was glorious.  I only went out of the house once in the past four days.  Now THAT'S what I call a vacation.      Friend was worried that she let me down.  Heck NO!  I enjoyed doing nothing and having no where to go.  It was great.      Now, if this train ride would end, I would be in business.   The first leg of this ride was late to arrive....whcih worked out well as we were late getting to the train station.   Once I got on the train,  it took forever to get to Ft. Worth....freight traffic has priority.     I originally had a four hour layover in Ft. Worth- but my first train was so late, I got to the station in time to get on my c9onnector...then sit there while we waited for more freight traffic to get out of the way.      Now I am in southern Oklahoma having recently left Gainesville, Texas.....we should have been here over an hour ago....but you guessed it, freight traffic.      I'm due in to OKC at 9:39pm originally.....I think we'll be late.      So if anyo9ne ever thinks about taking the train anywhere- it's a great way to travel- cheaper than gas- but you GOTTA HAVE THE TIME because trust me, freight goes first!
Because the muscles of my right arm are in open rebellion against me for the torture they endured this evening.  They clamor for the days when I made my money from playing the piano, said days being last week.   The collective customer of the day was all my friends who stopped by- were all my friends- fuck, there's no way to make that at all grammatically correct.  YAY FRIENDS?!  What is that question mark doing there?   I  didn't put it there.  Right hand?  Was that you? Anyway, lots of friends stopped by.
A few weeks before my 40th birthday in 2003, Rich told me that he didn't wanted to be married anymore because he was unhappy so he moved out. It was completely devastating to me and to our poor 5 year old daughter. I will never get that picture out of my head. Lillianna was sitting on Rich's lap and she held his face in her hands and cried,"Why Daddy?....Why??" That memory still makes me sick.  All marriages have their ups and downs. I don't know anyone with a fairytale marriage. So imagine my surprise when Lillianna and I came home after a fun dinner at her favorite Chinese restaurant and we saw Rich's car in the lot. He was supposed to be at his night job until 10pm.  The first thing I noticed was that the end of the table where Rich paints his soldiers was empty. I asked him why he put his stuff away. He gave a vague answer but I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. Finally he said he was moving out.  Just like that...he wasn't happy and he was leaving. When he moved back in 5 years ago he had said that he would  never    ever   leave me and Lillianna again but lo and behold he lied.   So in the end I told him to just go tonight. I didn't want him here anymore. He left. Now it's just me and Lillianna and that's just fine with me.
I had a great day of shopping without children today. I started in Freeport at  L.L. Bean  and  Bridgham & Cook .  Then a friend from Massachusetts drove up to meet me for lunch in York, ME at  Stonewall Kitchen . I spent the afternoon in the Kittery outlets, especially  Hanna Andersson  and  Crate & Barrel . The day ended back at Stonewall for a  cooking class  with  Sara Foster , of  Foster's Market  fame. What an environment for watching a great cook in action! The food was incredible and the staff was knowledgeable and friendly.    The menu was really special. Easy and impressive for a party, though the dishes could also be used for a casual dinner, and leaving lots of improvisation opportunities. Sara's philosophy is pretty simple: Start with the best ingredients, especially whatever is in season in your area, and you can't go wrong.         Sara Foster & Jim Stott
Back from Somers and The Country Quilter after a fun class (what else??) and a great time with Jane Davila.  I also left a few $$ at the store for exotic items like sewing machine needles, a magnetic pin holder thingie, small scissors, and thread.  There is no fabric store around here since the Rag Shop closed (not that it was a REAL fabric store, but at least you could buy pins and needles).  I stayed at Claire's beautiful house and when I opened my eyes this morning, this was the view out the window.  The blind slats reminded me of the lines in the pictures I took at home last week and I couldn't resist grabbing my camera, eyes half-open, and shooting this.      We had all made our gelatin plates according to the same recipe but some stayed intact       while others decomposed and got dings and dents and scratches in them.        And still others came completely apart.       We couldn't figure out why some of them stayed so pristine until Vivien posited the theory that the plates of the people who were near the air conditioners were the ones that didn't break.  Seems she had something there.  She was NOT near the air conditioner, nor was I.  But Jane, whose plate is at the top, was right in front of it.  Hmmm....  Here is Vivien with one of the pieces she monoprinted with a gelatin plate.  Why can't mine look like that?     And here are a whole bunch of fabrics drying in the sun. Large confetti scattered across the lawn!    Of course, my battery ran out in the middle of taking pictures so that's all I have.  But there was lots of variety and much fun.
Considering how nonchalant my child was about eating an entire  pig's foot , it shouldn't be especially shocking to learn that he didn't bat an eyelash when sampling snails the other night, and proceeded to polish off almost the entire plate of those chewy slugs.  At the time we were dining with Grandpa Joe ( an unabashed snail fan) and C. who happily kept his distance from the dish. Since they were the only witnesses to this culinary milestone I couldn't wait to share it with others, especially his papa. I gushed over Izzy's gleeful eating experience and when finished, the reply I received left me dumbfounded.    "How do you know they weren't calves' lungs? You must have heard that the French snail population is scarce and many restaurants have been using substitutions. Apparently most people can't tell the difference between snails and calves' lungs since they have the same texture  ."  I had to question this esoteric tidbit. From where did he glean this information? What proof did he have? I resolved to research it for myself and found that my husband must have gained access to this antiquated news story, straight from the  New York Times of 1908.  Yes, a century ago, those French were scarfing down snails like there was no tomorrow, leaving a dearth of snails. Nothing left to do but make the old calves' lung substitutions.   Could it be that the very same act of culinary treachery is going on today? If you have any knowledge of this, please send it along. Until then I will still kvell over Izzy's first snail sampling.
Well, thank you to all you blog readers who voted  "Aye" for kayaking  for Regena. She was sufficiently encouraged and we took a sea kayaking adventure in Bay Bulls. We explored caves, saw white starfish, spotted a puffin, and returned to our hotel sore in places where we did not know muscles existed in our body.  Here are some of the scenes.  Our fellow kayakers Mark and Michelle. They were a bit better than us. :)      Regena paddling in a cave.      Our amazing guide Steve from Devon, England. He's going to start his own business one day, so you should all support it. And if you ever go sea kayaking with  The Outfitters , request Steve. He was awesome.       Afterwards, we grabbed some lunch and headed out again for Torbay, Pouch Cove, and Portugal Cove. Once again, in the rain and fog. Ugh.  Um, who do you think lives here? Look at the size of their lawn chair.      Have I mentioned that I love the bendy tripod thingy that Bekah recommended? (I think the technical name for it is  Gorillapod ).  I was busy experimenting while Regena was collecting the famed smooth stones of Torbay Beach (Laura-- I did  not  monitor her rock acquisitions).      Did I mention the fog?      Tomorrow, we are going to make a second attempt to catch the sunrise at Cape Spear and then head south along the Irish Loop.
Yesterday I was a little under the weather, so I hung out in my pajamas all day. Not sweats and a t-shirt but pretty pink silky pjs. It was late afternoon when I noticed the light coming in through the windows turn an odd golden color. Not like a sundown or anything usual, but the sort of coloring that only happens when a really bad storm is coming.   I look out the back door and see this amazing double rainbow. Grab my camera. Get a few photos, but this thing is huge, I have to see it from the front of the house as well. No time to change into real clothes, rainbows are like smoke, they dissipate quickly.
This is sort of turning into a “cool things we did on the weekend” themed blog, isn’t it? Anyway, that cool thing on the weekend, let me show you it!  We went back up to the same  neck o’ the woods  as that Firefly Shindig to see a local production of  Evil Dead: The Musical .  We didn’t sit in the “splatter zone”, which was probably a good idea because the fake blood smelled really gross* plus the theater was set up like a nightclub, with individual tables and chairs and waiters, so the blood would have gotten in our food and drinks. The production was marred a bit by a terrible sound system, but the tunes are  really catchy  and I'm glad R:tAG was so keen on going (Saturday night was the last show until next January)  In more recent news, R:tAG managed to hurt his back  again  and is pretty much laid up. Ah, the joys of  getting old . It’s very bad timing; there was quite a lot of stuff we wanted to do in the next few days so I hope he can get some physio attention soon and get fixed up. Plus I  suppose  there’s the whole not-wanting-to-see-a-loved-one-in-pain thing…     * Not like blood. Not like anything organic, really. Plus it was really really pale, so the overall effect was more like a Pepto Bismo fight.
Carver’s  in Durango just forced me on a most unpleasant diet, much against my will. It was the Southwest Chicken Omelette that did me in. Not sure which lovely form of  bacteria  they decided to serve me on the side, but I was a walking textbook for all the symptoms of food poisoning.   I’d met Sue, Danielle and Jen for a tasty breakfast at this food joint, which I usually like. I haven’t gotten sick here before, but I have gotten questionable belly aches here before. It’s odd, my food is most often served luke-warm, whether it’s supposed to be hot or cold. Yet I eat it without complaining…it’s a small town, afterall. In fact, the only HOT thing I’ve ever gotten out of their kitchen is the Chicken Potato Pie. I think that should have been a sign that bad things were to come if I continued to dine here.
[More:]  I ordered these  two   hats  a week ago. I kept checking their website but their listed as 'Pending.' Of course, a shirt I ordered and recieved from them a year and a half ago is still listed as pending, too. So I called last night. They said the Tip-Tops one is backordered but that the Vancouver one shipped Monday. It's coming priority mail, but it probably won't fit through the slot. I checked at the  cheapo dentist  on the first floor, which seems to be staffed completely by hijab wearing women. If I see either them or my octogenarian Greek landlady wearing that hat, I'm going to get suspicious.
This morning I was sitting there enjoying my breakfast and the early morning quiet when a woman who was parked a few planes down (so she arrived the same time as me) came over to chew me out for nearly hitting her when I turned final on Saturday.  I told her that while I don’t remember it exactly, I’m pretty sure my base had been called by the tower, so I really don’t know how that could have happened.  Although in retrospect, I could have been focusing too hard on the Mooney I was told to follow, and not enough on looking around.   Now I’m all nervous about just how bad a job I did arriving here, and I’m even more sure that I shouldn’t do the VFR arrival without a second pair of eyes on board.
things were looking pretty good. even though i had to park about seven hundred miles from the airport and had to take a  shuttle  to get to my terminal and had to pay $2.85 for 500ml of Evian (ps. thanks random stranger who gave me the extra 13 cents i needed to pay for my water. who knew it would be that much $?!??!), i got to my gate with time to spare. i sat down to read my new book
Nothing like a birthday dinner at Efrain's--undisputably the best Mexican restaurant on the planet with only possible contenders being from other planets or galexies! And of course, it's just not a birthday dinner without the Lambs and Wilcoxes.      We had dinner in the library where we've brought our treasures and souvenirs over the years--including one of three bound copies of my doctoral dissertation--where the odds drastically increase that someone will read it. I think we're safe on that one since over a year ago I put a crisp $20 bill within, and after checking tonight...yep it is still there!
My sister-in-law, Dot, arrived for a short visit today just in time for the two of us to load up all the kidlets, the big double stroller, a massive water bottle and my monster camera bag into the van to drive down to the lake to see three 19th Century ships sail across the lake and under the lift bridge into the Harbor for the  Maritime Festival.  We parked our car and walked down the Lakewalk to a patch of shore where we could watch the boats sailing in the lake.  Dr. Peds just got me a great set of binoculars, and we all had a magnificent time watching things up close!.
Darlings! Hello! Yes, we're just back from the ski slopes, and what a thrill it was. I was cruising down those black diamond runs like nobody's business, inbetween perfecting my aerial jumps and...  Oh heck, who am I kidding? Yes, we did go skiing, at the lovely  Falls Creek , but I'm more of an invalid shuffler skiier than anything else. Seriously - I look like I should be holding a zimmer frame, rather than being perched precariously on skis. When I do actually move it's so timid and pathetic, especially when 5 year olds zoom past with condescening looks. And heaven help me if I come to a slight hill that requires me going down it. My legs don't make the pizza shape like they are supposed to, and I end up sprawling my way down in a flurry of arms, stocks, and ski rage. Very attractive!  As for the head skiier of the family, Galumph - well, he came down with a nasty cold  as we were driving up  to the ski fields, and spent most of his skiing break curled up in bed. The poor old thing felt so miserable that he didn't even have the energy to vocally lament that fact that he wasn't out in it, and trust me, the man  loves  to ski. Why else would he don those ridiculous glasses?  My highlight was trying to get some cross country skiing done in what is predominately a downhill resort. My friend and I shuffled our way to the ski bowl at the aptly named  Windy Corner  in what felt like a force 10 blizzard. The wind howled and the snow sandblasted the skin off our very faces, resulting in a bit of a lobster look for the next few days. At one stage we were being blown backwards by the wind, and only the action of digging our stocks in the snow kept up from being blown up in the air, Mary Poppins style. I tried to laugh, as the whole escapade was an absolute skiing farce, but the wind kept whipping the air out of my throat, I couldn't even see more than 2 feet in front of me and I was beginning to get drenched by my running nose.  If you wish to apply for the recently vacated position of Ski Bunny, please email me at jorth-can't-ski-for-shite.com. Sigh.
Last time out I reported on all the things I missed on Thursday; it was a long list. What I saw on Thursday was actually a very short list.  This year we were staying at the  DoubleTree  near the freeway and about a mile from the Convention Center. Except for a couple of strange happenstances with room service, we really liked the hotel and it was a lot less expensive than the  W  where we stayed last year. We actually got into our room earlier than we expected and headed down and waited about 10 minutes for  the shuttle to arrive.  We were at the convention center in about 10 minutes and amazingly had our badges about 10 minutes after that. The lack of on-site registration really seemed to streamline the whole process.  As we always do, we headed directly to Room 8, home of most of the  Mark Evanier -led panels. As we got there he was interviewing letterer  Todd Klein . I found it fascinating, wife wife may have found it boring. We sat through it and moved closer to the front when it ended to get a better seat for the  Golden/Silver Age of Comics  panel that is a yearly highlight of the con for me, and this year was no different.  Mark presided over a panel of comic greats:  Al Jaffee, Russ Heath, Larry Lieber, Jerry Robinson  and  Al Feldstein.  Jaffee was the only one I had never seen before, but I could sit and listen to these guys for hours, though we only had an hour and a half. It flew by. I don't remember right now a thing anyone said during the panel, but I do recall that I was surprised at how much work Jaffee and Feldstein had done pre-EC/Mad.  After that, I wanted to hang around for the  Dexter  panel, but neither of us felt like standing in the outrageously long line.  The whole town was plastered with  Dexter  billboards declaring  "Power-Saw To The People."  As an aside, I really dislike the way the con now handles the lines for 6A, 6B and the ginormous 6CDEF. The weave them in and out of the hallways in long narrow lines, that does not seem to be much of an improvement to the old days, when you just walked into any door to the room and took a seat. Now all the rooms have designated entrances and exits and it doesn't improve much, if you ask me; but no one is.
For a while now, there been some schmutz in the drain of my bathroom sink. I’m convinced that my favourite toothpaste is the culprit - it’s these weird black kind of semi-solid that I in no way wish to touch. Anyway, I got the coat hanger out because drainage was slowing down and I poked around a bit and got some of it out, but some of it clearly went further down.   Because over a week ago, it got really slow. I couldn’t use a drain cleaner because the automatic stopper part rotted off a while ago and I have duct tape around the open hole where it used to be.
This afternoon, I was just  bragging to  telling my friend about how Faith really helped me this morning by [drum roll, please!] taking her waffle out of the toaster, spreading it with peanut butter, and cutting in half like she likes.   She did this herself?!!!   I was so proud of her.  It's true that it took her about three years to accomplish this feat.  Since I have tried a few times over the years to get her to do this herself.  I'm really into sharing the load around here.   Hey, better late than never!!   Next up:  Get Elijah to brush his own teeth.  Because I'm just tired of  that  fight.  [sigh]
That would be me, apparently - a  walking  Mary Kay  Cosmetics Target  to be exact.  It's bad enough that I have an addiction to shopping at  Target , but when I'm standing there in the children's underwear aisle looking for some NON-pink-flowery-or-Hannah-Montana-y bikini briefs for the Catholic Girlie, I really don't expect to be approached by a  Mary Kay  representative giving away free facials.  And yet, that's exactly what happened yesterday.  Underwear aisle and all.   Huh?    So here's how it all went down - I'm standing there smack dab in the girl's section of the local  Super Target  looking baffled because I cannot find plain 'ole white or beige undies in my daughter's size when this 20 year old-ish woman approaches me:
Every six months I have a new picture of Ally with her youngest cousins, and each time they all look so much older and, I have to say, they are so much more  fun !  At this visit, they all swam together in our community pool.  I was stunned to see how much better they all have become at swimming, and Ally finally ventured into the big pool and tried bouncing on a noodle.  Supervision?  Hah.  “I want to do it all by myself, Mommy.”
This weekend Kelly and I went camping at a friend’s property a little way south-east of Salem. The host (Bernard, aka Bernie) has a house and several acres along a clean, mountain-fed river, and invited a group to join him camping, swimming, and drinking beer. Both Kelly and I had a really good time catching up with friends, walking through the woods, swimming, and absorbing that campfire smell.   Our first night sleeping in the tent, a deer or elk  almost killed Kelly and I ! I (unsurprisingly) slept through the event, but around 3am a fellow camper heard some crashing and saw a large shape run off. When I woke up I found a hole in our tent, and one of the polls out of it’s peg and the whole corner of the tent was smooshed in. Dunno, could have been sasquatch. All I know is we almost could have  died . *gasp*