August 26, 2008 at 7:26 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
I’m tired of my hair. It’s boring. It never looks good unless it is in a ponytail and what’s the point of that? I’m considering going back to a bob haircut, but I’m afraid I’ll be like, “Oh… but this isn’t any better than long and now I can’t put it in a ponytail.” Maybe I should get a fauxhawk.
Speaking of hair. Jewel doesn’t have great hair. I’m watching her perform live and she’s got kind of stringy hair with a ton of flyaways. I’d like to think if I had her kind of income, my hair would be shiny, bouncy and lovely. But apparently, if you have bad hair, you have bad hair. Well, SCREW YOU, HAIR!
August 25, 2008 at 10:07 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
On Jan. 1, 2009, I will have been a vegetarian for five years. That is a long time not just avoiding meat, but abstaining from it all together. Once I hit that anniversary, I’m going to consider adding fish back into my diet. Fish offends me the least (although pigs are sure tasty).
Anyway, here are some of the frequently asked questions I have gotten as a vegetarian over the past four-plus years:
1.) Why are you a vegetarian?
There are three reasons. I consider myself both an ethical vegetarian and an aesthetic vegetarian. I don’t like the aesthetics of eating meat. It’s flesh. I can’t really get past that. I also don’t like the ethics of eating meat. Most meat is not slaughtered humanely. It’s also hard to justify eating meat when it is so unsustainable and hard on the environment. The third reason? It really bugs my dad.
2.) So, you eat fish, though?
No, I don’t eat fish. That’s meat. That was the last meat I gave up. And, as I mentioned above, it’s probably the first (and only?) meat, I’ll add back.
3.) Isn’t it hard to find vegetarian options at restaurants?
I’d be lying if I said “no.” It can be challenging. A lot of places have one token pasta dish on their menus. Applebee’s is a huge offender. By far the biggest offender in terms of vacation locales is Disney World. It is damn hard to be a vegetarian at Disney World. That said, it has gotten easier over the last five years to be a vegetarian. A lot more places let you choose a veggie burger instead of a regular burger. My favorite fare is Mexican, which has proven to be among the most veggie-friendly ethnic food. Now, if I were a vegan, I think it would be close to impossible as most vegetarian dishes at restaurants substitute cheese for meat.
4.) You must have no problems keeping your weight down?
Ha! Haha! When I first became a vegetarian, I gained quite a bit of weight. Pasta and cheese were my fall-backs. And everyone knows that pasta and cheese are not diet friendly… not to mention quite tasty and easy to over consume.
5.) Is your husband a vegetarian?
No. He considers himself a flexitarian, as we don’t eat meat in our home but he does eat meat when we go to restaurants.
6.) Does it annoy him?
I hope not. He’s been insanely accommodating. I couldn’t have made it on this journey this long if he hadn’t rolled up his sleeves and said, “OK…so…beans?” I have a good mate. A good mate who probably really is hoping that in four months I’ll add fish back to my diet.
August 24, 2008 at 7:03 pm · Filed under This Old House
Our kitchen project is, for all intents and purposes, done. Just niggling little, tiny details that no one else will notice remain.
New cabinet doors, hardware, countertop, sink, faucet, light over the sink, overhead lights, stove and a newly poly-ed floor. Twenty-plus visits to Lowes, Menards and Home Depot. Three paint colors. 100s of hours of labor. < $2,000.
And so, we unveil for you:
Before:
And after:
August 24, 2008 at 9:26 am · Filed under Uncategorized
I don’t think I posted this before. Here is our new headboard, constructed over the Fourth of July weekend. You know, the one I am allergic to? It’s currently in the basement, awaiting a couple of coats of primer. Good times.
Anyway, it is constructed of MDF with pressed-tin wallpaper covering it. It is capped with crown molding. And yes, it is backlit. I concocted the crazy plan, but Dave came up with the backlighting idea. Dude is a genius.
August 24, 2008 at 9:00 am · Filed under Uncategorized
Does being married make you more like your partner? As Dave and I rapidly approach ten years (also known as “the majors”), I’ve noticed that we’ve become more and more alike — to the point that a friend refers to us as the “Hunt Hive Mind”.
Perhaps the most interesting shift has come in the area of our political views. When we began dating, I was probably one of the most liberal folks on the planet and Dave was quite conservative. Dave has certainly come more my way than I have gone his way, I have become a little more conservative. In fact, on one high-profile issue that divides the liberals from the conservatives, DAVE is actually now more liberal than I am! But we’ll probably vote for the same folks this year, which absolutely didn’t happen 10 years ago.
The net affect is that we can actually talk politics without pulling out one another’s hair.
August 19, 2008 at 7:45 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
This morning WPR interviewed the vice president of communications for Special Olympics Wisconsin about the organization’s boycott of “Tropic Thunder” because of its offensive use of the word “retard” in the movie. This probably isn’t news to most of the folks who read this blog, but Special Olympics has launched a full campaign for the elimination of what they are calling the “R Word.”
OK, that’s fair. It is offensive, yadda yadda yadda. But I was very troubled by the analogy that the interviewee made. She said:
“Think about the consequence of what you are saying … You’re not going to want to say the “N” word if you’re in a bad part of town in any city. That might be offensive.”
It’s statements like those that are even more troubling to me. It was just a statement, with no intention of being funny or racist. She didn’t mean to be offensive, at all. But it is still a fundamentally racist statement. It’s a pretty f-ing racist statement, actually. Holy crap. You can listen to it for yourself (about 15:30 in). It’s troubling because the implication is that black people make a neighborhood bad. Even at its least offensive it implies that black people live in bad neighborhoods.
Yeah, I still think she has a point about the use of the word “retard.” But what she’s saying speaks to a much larger issue in our society — we are a fundamentally racist people. And that’s wrong. Every bit as wrong.
August 17, 2008 at 9:59 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
What you missed on the movie quote quiz:
6.) When I came out into society I was 15. I already knew then that the role I was condemned to, namely to keep quiet and do what I was told, gave me the perfect opportunity to listen and observe. Not to what people told me, which naturally was of no interest to me, but to whatever it was they were trying to hide. I practiced detachment. I learn how to look cheerful while under the table I stuck a fork onto the back of my hand. I became a virtuoso of deceit. I consulted the strictest moralists to learn how to appear, philosophers to find out what to think, and novelists to see what I could get away with, and in the end it all came down to one wonderfully simple principle: win or die. - Dangerous Liaisons
12.) Each cut, each scar, each burn, a different mood or time. I told him what the first one was, told him where the second one came from. I remembered them all. And for the first time in my life I felt beautiful. Finally part of the earth. I touched the soil and he loved me back. - Secretary
14.) As for me, I lost everything: my wife, my book, my job, everything that I thought was important. But I finally knew where I wanted to go. And now I have someone to help me get there. - Wonder Boys
15.) E.g., i.e., fuck you! The point is this: is that, When I say “jump”, you say “OK”, okay? - Get Shorty
August 16, 2008 at 10:12 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
Spent most of the night waiting. First waiting for my sisters to come out of their alcoholic stupors and get ready to go out to dinner. Then waiting for them to get ready. Then waiting for Michelle to pick up her new boyfriend from Loretto. Then waiting for a table. And waiting for a table. And waiting for a table. Then waiting for the food to show up. And waiting and waiting. And then waiting for everyone to figure out a plan for what to do next. Then figuring out that we’re all tired and not up for much. Now we wait for bedtime.
August 13, 2008 at 6:27 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
We’re going back to MN for one of my favorite people’s (peoples’?) weddings this weekend. I’m pretty psyched. The couple had planned to elope to Canada but now they’re having the whole shabang in MN and I can’t wait! I remember before they started dating when I TOTALLY wanted them to be a couple and felt like it was going WAY TOO SLOWLY. And I remember when I got the text message about the engagement…. I was so excited! I am so glad they decided not to elope so that all their friends and family can show their support. And I’m excited I was asked to take pictures at their reception, though I am nervous that I’ll screw it up. But mostly, I am excited that they’ve decided to make a life together — I love a wedding!
August 12, 2008 at 5:29 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
A lot of quotes remain. I’m taking the left overs and choosing more obvious quotes to make it easier.
2.) As God is my witness, as God is my witness they’re not going to lick me. I’m going to live through this and when it’s all over, I’ll never be hungry again. No, nor any of my folk. If I have to lie, steal, cheat or kill. As God is my witness, I’ll never be hungry again. - Lady (Gone with the Wind)
3.) You’re gonna need a bigger boat. - Abby (Jaws)
4.)A: Vodka-martini.
B: Shaken or stirred?
A: Do I look like I give a damn? - Lady (Casino Royale)
5.) I don’t want you to be the guy in the PG-13 movie everyone’s *really* hoping makes it happen. I want you to be like the guy in the rated R movie, you know, the guy you’re not sure whether or not you like yet. You’re not sure where he’s coming from. Okay? You’re a bad man. You’re a bad man, Mikey. You’re a bad man, bad man. John (Swingers)
6.) When I came out into society I was 15. I already knew then that the role I was condemned to, namely to keep quiet and do what I was told, gave me the perfect opportunity to listen and observe. Not to what people told me, which naturally was of no interest to me, but to whatever it was they were trying to hide. I practiced detachment. I learn how to look cheerful while under the table I stuck a fork onto the back of my hand. I became a virtuoso of deceit. I consulted the strictest moralists to learn how to appear, philosophers to find out what to think, and novelists to see what I could get away with, and in the end it all came down to one wonderfully simple principle: win or die.
10.) You know what I’m going to get you next Christmas, Mom? A big wooden cross, so that every time you feel unappreciated for your sacrifices, you can climb on up and nail yourself to it. - John (The Ref)
12.) Iach cut, each scar, each burn, a different mood or time. I told him what the first one was, told him where the second one came from. I remembered them all. And for the first time in my life I felt beautiful. Finally part of the earth. I touched the soil and he loved me back.
14.) As for me, I lost everything: my wife, my book, my job, everything that I thought was important. But I finally knew where I wanted to go. And now I have someone to help me get there.
15.) E.g., i.e., fuck you! The point is this: is that, When I say “jump”, you say “OK”, okay?
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