Broken

So yesterday will not go down as one of my finest. It started off with Maggie sleeping in, and by sleeping in I mean 7:45. Usually she is awake around 6, which is why when I made an appointment to get a Tetanus shot at 8:30 in the morning, I assumed it would be no problem getting there on time. I hear you all out there, a Tetanus shot? What did you do, step on a nail or something? No. I was building this:



Not the doghouse part, just the wire part. Chicken wire is really sharp, and I being super smart was not wearing gloves and sliced the crap out of my hands more than once. While I was bleeding and stapling I thought, Hmmm I wonder when the last time I had a tetanus shot was? I called my doctor's office who informed me, not since high-school. They also informed me that I should come in and get one within the next 48 hours so I don't get lockjaw. I'm not really sure what lockjaw is, but it sounds painful and like it would seriously inhibit my ability to talk.

I'm not afraid of shots, I'm tough. Maggie was super excited to come with me to see Mama get a shot, which I thought would be good. Anyhow, she woke up late, so I woke up late and just had time to take a shower, get both of us dressed and run out the door. It is important to note that I did NOT consume either any food, or more importantly coffee before I left. Shot was uneventful. Though I will note, they also updated my Pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine, there has been a huge resurgence of the disease because people (in Maine especially) haven't been vaccinating their kids and so these diseases which aren't usually around are back, intermingling with us vaccinated people and making super bugs, so now they are re-vaccinating adults. Thanks Hippies!

After the appointment I really really needed coffee. I need coffee like a crack whore needs crack. In fact, the previous evening I was discussing coffee with my grandmother, who is, to be blunt, on her death bed. She is not allowed to have coffee for a number of reasons most of which would contribute to her dying much more quickly than she is. Anyhow I told her that I pretty much don't even want people to speak to me before I have coffee in the morning, which is not an exaggeration. I really don't. The one place in Wiscasset that is on the way back to my house which might have served coffee, and I made the mistake of telling Maggie also has huge cookies, doesn't open until 10. WTF! 10? They are missing out on a lot of angry people that need coffee and huge cookies. Maggie was promised a huge cookie because she has successfully filled in an entire row on her potty chart. I am some how adding this onto the 30 list, even though technically it's her accomplishment, it's a big fracking deal around here. No more diapers.

No coffee, no cookie, now add screaming kid because no cookie. Get home attempt to make coffee. Once about every six months or so, the coffee pot freaks out - I don't think it's human error since I make coffee successfully every other day so I attribute it to an act of god, or kitchen elves - and the coffee just spews everywhere but the pot. Grounds and water run everywhere. As you can guess that is what happened yesterday morning. So, I did this:



What is that you ask? Oh that's my cabinet door sans panel, because I kicked it and busted it out. Wow! I'm strong! No, not really I kicked it pretty lightly, ok moderately with the toe of my ugly dress shoes. Clearly my cabinets are not made of very strong stuff. Am I embarrassed I had a temper tantrum and kicked out the panel of my cabinet door? Yes indeed I am. I should be made of stronger stuff. Lack of coffee and a shot first thing in the morning should not send me off the rails, but it did, so there you have it.

Ok, but that's not all. In a cruel ironic twist - later on in the afternoon I was running across my living room barefoot. I don't recall why. However, I smashed my pinkie toe on our hearth which is made of huge rocks. I am quite sure it's broken. I'm quite sure there isn't much that can be done for a broken pinkie toe. I am quite sure this is going to put a major crimp in my jogging since it hurts so bad I can barely walk. It should be noted, my arm hurts like a bastard where I got the shot yesterday I can't even lift it over my head.

On to the actually 30list update: I knit this bag:




It just needs to have the button sewn on and it will be 100% done.

We disconnected Directv which contributes to a few categories: less tv watching, more movie watching, something I've been meaning to do, and reducing household expenses. Don't worry, we still have netflix - we aren't neanderthals for god sakes. But honestly, we were paying like $70 per month to watch Lost and Battle Star, and now since they are both over until January - goodbye TV!

I finished a fantastic book: Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates, by Tom Robbins. For some reason it took me a long time to get into reading Tom Robbins, a lot of my friends read his stuff in high school, but I'm glad I'm discovering it now, I think it makes a lot more sense to me than if I was 18. Anyhow, what can be said about this book without giving too much away. It's about this guy named Switters who is an ex-CIA agent confined to a wheelchair and goes on some crazy adventures around the world. Um, I can't really say too much more than that. It's really hard to sum up a Robbins novel. Seriously, please check it, or anything else he's written, you will like it. Double Woot!

We watched Part 1 of Grind House - Planet Terror, the other night and I absolutely loved it. Grind House was that Double Feature homage to B-movies that Tarrantino and Rodriguez did a few years ago. Planet Terror is a super cheesy zombie movie. A lot of people didn't like these movies because of their cheese, but hello, it's mimicking these particular movies. It was hilarious, super gross but so over the top gross it was grosser than gross and so not that gross, if that makes any sense at all. If you like zombies and super cheese, you will love this movie. Double Woot.

Ok, that's enough for now. Practically a novel.

I'm glad I added Meh...

Watched Wedding Crashers last night. It rates a big old Meh. Had some great sort of ad libbed dialog, but the whole story line was very predictable. It was kind of weird though because in one scene Owen Wilson is all depressed and turns into a drunk and is reading a book about not killing yourself, and then you know like 6 months ago he did just that very thing. Why are you watching all these dumb comedies you ask? I dunno, I'm in a comedy sort of mood. All I want to watch are comedies and documentaries. Maybe it's something in the air. Who knows. In fact, next up - 40 year old virgin. I'm going to predict right now it get's a Meh.....too. But I do love Steve Carrell so I could be wrong. Although can I just give out a woot woot because Lost is back on the air this week! Yes it's only 8 episodes, yes they had to cut the season short because of the writers strike, but oh Lost how I love thee.....

Should finish another knitting project as well as my book in the next couple days. I'm out!

Superbad is well....superbad

Another movie down. I watched Superbad last night, and it was super boring. In fact while I was watching it I schemed up a new Kate rating system for movies. A movie can receive one of four ratings - A Double Woot! (like V for Vendetta) - A single Woot! (Knocked Up) - 1/2 a poop sandwich (Superbad) - or a whole poop sandwich (luckily have yet to see one yet for the list, but an example would be Lost In Translation.Don't e-mail me about this movie. It sucked. You're not going to change my mind.) Superbad receives 1/2 a poop sandwich because it sucked, yet I did not turn it off, fall asleep, OR end up pissed off for wasting my time watching it. Plus I would say it had about 15 minutes of actually funny material. I have a special place in my heart for the coming of age high school movie. Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Breakfast Club, Clueless, Mean Girls, and of course Dazed and Confused all are in my top favorite movies. These movies kind of get it right, they have a realness and are actually funny. This movie was just a bunch of kids swearing and saying very bad words. OOOOOO. They said Vagina like 90 times. I'm shocked! Look, I have a two year old that has said worse words than vagina. I myself descend from a family of pirates that - especially my dad - have made up some of the most fantastic swearwords of all times. I'm trying to keep this blog "clean" but if you e-mail me I will treat you to my favorites. Anyhow, this movie was trying too hard to be funny and gross. OOO Teens drinking and having sex - wow controversial! In an effort to counteract this negative review (I'm trying to be more positive) I highly recommend The Point. It gets a Double Woot! of the highest order. Yeah, it's a kids movie, but probably one of the best ones ever made. You all need to watch it. First off, it's narrated by Ringo. Secondly, you will probably cry because it's about finding "The Point." anyway just take my word for it. SO to sum up - Superbad - 1/2 a poop sandwich. The Point = Double Woot!

I identified 2 more bird species - Cedar Waxwing and Grossbeak. I identified these at my parent's house. I have given up on the illusion that I will identify 30 different species at my feeder. I'm gonna make a list on this site with all my birdies. Can I just say that Grossbeaks are so cool - it's the closest thing Maine has to a parrot. They are either bright red or bright yellow and green, and they have those cute parrot beaks.

I tried a new thing yesterday but, I don't really want to say what it is because it's kind of embarrassing. No it doesn't involve sex. Anyway take my word for it.

I'm in the middle of a series of books, but they are really long so I think I'm going to take a break and read Trading Up by Candace Bushnell, because it's basically the mental equivalent of cotton candy.

Mittens are kind of at a standstill, mostly because I'm at that point where I'm too far along to rip it out and start over, but not super excited about the pattern, mostly because they are knit back and forth on two needles instead of in the round on dbl points. Now if you don't knit this is probably a lot of blah blahing to you, but you should know because in my opinion everyone should knit, the world would be a better place if we were all marching around sporting our own hand knit hats. There's a certain satisfaction in knowing that knitting is so simple - tying knots with sticks, and there are only two stitches in different combinations - knitting and purling - and either adding or subtracting either that make such cool patterns. Anyhow, I have been intimidated for a long time by knitting on double pointed needles, which is basically splitting your stitches between 3 or 4 needles and knitting in the round. It takes a while to get used to all the needles, I usually use circular needles which also makes things in the round, but you are limited to how small you can go. Long story long, it's much easier to knit mittens in the round on dbl pts. in one nice tube than it is to knit them flat and stitch them up. That's the other thing about knitting, you really are just knitting tubes all the time because really, our bodies are just a series of long skinny pieces that are covered up by tubes . Ok, after all this I think I might rip them out anyway....

And Finally, I have a bunch of new words I've learned - Thank you Scrabble! That I will be posting later. I'm out.

Bulking Up

I am really enjoying the neurosis of the list. I highly recommend starting one of your own, it's very interesting to chart my days, and satisfying to see the little bars move even if it's only a tiny bit at a time. Yesterday I was able to achieve two goals at the same time, that being reducing weekly spending, and reducing waste. The reducing waste number is going to tracked very unscientifically since I am not nearly neurotic enough to measure how much waste we produce on a weekly basis. I got the idea after cleaning out our cabinets of all expired foods (an alarming amount) and stacking the folded up boxes in the entryway. Combined with the 3 or 4 snow storms we had after Xmas, and the garbage trucks inability to come up the slippery slope, we quickly amassed what I thought was an astounding amount of boxes. As many of you know although recycling is a good thing to do, the best answer is to not create the waste in the first place. I decided to combat the waste problem in two ways. 1. Buy as much as possible in bulk 2. Compost. Composting is something I have tried to do sporadically and it always ends up with a nasty bowl of garbage on my counter and me trudging angrily out to the edge of the lawn, where I dump the rotten food - which my dog promptly eats and then treats us to her lovely dog farts for at least two days. This time I am going to go to the hardware store and buy one of those nice black composting boxes and put it in a convenient location, and a small bucket with a lid for the counter. The bulk food is another story all together. This is actually a lot of fun. Yesterday when I was shopping I happened to have 3 different kinds of spices on my list. Usually that would put a pretty heavy dent in my weekly shopping budget. This week, I FINALLY checked out the bulk spices at the food co-op. All I have to say is duh. Why I hadn't done this sooner I don't know. I was able to buy enough ginger, red pepper flakes and chili powder to fill up a glass spice jar with some left over, for about a dollar each. Last time I bought red pepper flakes, it cost me about 4.00. Duh. Another huge savings was the bulk coffee. I got some really fancy Italian espresso for 8.99 per pound. Right now your thinking hey - that's about how much I pay for my little vacuum sealed packs. Oh really? Go look at the label right now, how many ounces in the pkg. I'm guessing 12. A friend tipped me off to this fact recently. A pkg of coffee costs .83 per oz but bulk coffee costs .56 oz. We drink an astounding amount of coffee here, so this is going to add up super fast. I filled an old PB jar with organic raisins for a dollar, which I have paid around 4.00 for in the past as well. I also bought lentils and granola in bulk at a huge savings. The bulk foods are going to be stored in just some standard Ball Jars which you can buy anywhere for about 7.00 per 12. I like this because I think they look nice, plus I can see how much of any one item we have at a glance.

Enough about bulk food! Last night we watched Knocked Up. This movie was hilarious. I'm not sure if it's as funny for people who haven't had kids or are married, but it was probably one of the best comedies I have seen in a long time. So far I have watched 2 good movies and 0 stinkers - yay!

That's all for today. I'm out.