12.20.2009

Deluxe Crap Closet

I just wrote an entire post about how I shoved some oversized Ikea shelves into one of our closets to create a deluxe storage closet capable of holding more junk than I ever thought possible. I was up to 4 whole paragraphs before I realized that it was legitimately on of the most boring posts I'd ever written (while I must say it was quite an ingenious feat, the details of how I wiggled it in there are not too thrilling).

Why was I writing a post at midnight about my shelving maneuvers? Because I don't want to pack. How many posts have I written about hating to pack? Probably about 15. Every time I have to take a trip anywhere I am always leaving it to the last possible minute and doing absolutely every activity I can think of that I don't need to be doing instead of packing. So far tonight I finished a sloppy video editing job, mailed it to all my friends, ate a bowl of grapes, finished Percy Jackson, took some gingerbread photos, put them on Facebook, picked up the apartment, watched a documentary on JK Rowling and posted on Twitter about how much I hate to pack... oh, and now I am writing this.

I'm not perfect, and I do hate to pack, but nobody can ever say I'm talentless... I truly excel at procrastination!

Anyhow... tomorrow I am off to NH for the holidays, so I probably will take a bit of a break from posting so much on this blog. I know - my riveting stories will be missed! - but somehow I think life will go on. :-)

Happy holidays to you all!

12.18.2009

Regular Expression Dictionary

Today I was trying to come up with a domain name (which, these days, is insanely difficult to do) for a web site I want to create, and I was trying to combine words relating to the site's content and my personal interests to make a short, memorable name. I found myself trying to come up with words that contained part of my name (like nutmeg or megalomania) or parts of other words, and somewhere amidst the process of wracking my brain for words ending in ical or ism or ist, I had a genius idea: dictionary search using regular expressions.

For those of you who are not familiar with regex's, let me just say they are one of my favorite things about computer programming. Crafting the perfect regular expression is a true art form, and it is almost as satisfying as hot tea after an afternoon of sledding through a snowstorm (almost... but not quite). Anyhow, let's say I wanted to find words containing "ical" at the end: I would use the expression ".*ical" - the dot meaning any character, the star meaning any number of characters, and the ical obviously searching for that character combination. If I wanted to match meg, I could simply do a search for "meg" and no matter where in the word that letter combination showed up, the words would show up as matches to the expression. I was using fairly simple expressions for my purposes, but you could do rather complex searches to find very specific words (like words with only one vowel and other such randomness).

See how amazingly helpful this can be? It's like the ultimate rhyming dictionary, but 10,000 times better. Anyhow, luckily someone else thought it was a pretty sweet idea, too, and they put it online. So today I spent the better portion of my day and night on this site searching like a mad woman. I even considered skipping my guitar lesson (for shame!), though in the end I pried myself away from my new favorite online toy and marched my butt to the subway station.

Anyhow, you should give it a whirl. It's pretty fun.

12.17.2009

L'Accro

12.16.2009

Serious Stuff

After a full day of work and living of life, I've not come up with any serious or worthwhile topics to discuss as I had hoped. After last night, I was really looking forward to a shot at redemption.

Since I don't personally have any "deep" topics on hand, I thought I would share a beautiful song that I heard performed live a few weeks back. It made me cry, and I'm not one to usually cry about war and soldiers. This isn't to say that I don't care, but I don't forward those emails people always send around or put the bumper stickers you always see on my car... you know. One reason I love this song, though, is because it helps me to understand where my grandfather is coming from when he talks about his experience in the war. Before hearing this song, I thought of my grandfather's stories were just him droning on ad infinitum and it was hard for me to sit through; this song, however, simply explained to me why his stories means so much to him, and why he tears up when telling them. I hope I have the opportunity to pay attention a little more closely the next time I see him.

You can listen to the song here, or just read the lyrics below. The guy who wrote it (Barry Privett of Carbon Leaf) is one of the most thoughtful songwriters I know of, and so I'll leave it to him to bring further reflection and thoughtfulness to this blog. Enjoy if you've not heard this already!

The War was in Color      Carbon Leaf

I see you've found a box of my things -
Infantries, tanks and smoldering airplane wings.
These old pictures are cool. Tell me some stories
Was it like the old war movies?
Sit down son. Let me fill you in

Where to begin? Let's start with the end
This black and white photo don't capture the skin
From the flash of a gun to a soldier who's done
Trust me grandson
The war was in color

From shipyard to sea, From factory to sky
From rivet to rifle, from boot camp to battle cry
I wore the mask up high on a daylight run
That held my face in its clammy hand
Crawled over coconut logs and corpses in the coral sand

Where to begin? Let¹s start with the end
This black and white photo don't capture the skin
From the shock of a shell or the memory of smell
If red is for Hell
The war was in color

I held the canvas bag over the railing
The dead released, with the ship still sailing,
Out of our hands and into the swallowing sea
I felt the crossfire stitching up soldiers
Into a blanket of dead, and as the night grows colder
In a window back home, a Blue Star is traded for Gold.

Where to begin? Let's start with the end
This black and white photo don't capture the skin
When metal is churned. And bodies are burned
Victory earned
The War was in color

Now I lay in my grave at age 21
Long before you were born
Before I bore a son
What good did it do?
Well hopefully for you
A world without war
A life full of color

Where to begin? Let's start with the end
This black and white photo never captured my skin
Once it was torn from an enemy thorn
Straight through the core
The war was in color

Where to begin? Let's start with the end
This black and white photo never captured my skin
From the flash of a gun, to a soldier who's done
Trust me Grandson,
The war was in color
Trust me Grandson,
The war was in color
Trust me Grandson,
The war was in color

12.15.2009

Crafty!

Today I was going to try and blog about something serious, but then I stumbled upon this gem. I don't really know what to say about this, except for that I think it is hilarious.


I came across it when I was bumbling around on Etsy. The artist is asking $30 for this piece, and I'd be really curious to find out if they actually find someone willing to pay that much for it. Seriously, though, I think this crafter has entered new territory with their work in world of needlepoint.

I suppose there is always tomorrow for a legitimate post... we'll see what Wednesday brings!

12.14.2009

Apple Advertisements

I love the Apple advertisements. I love the PC vs. Mac ones which are hilarious. I like the poster-sized advertisements I see on the subway and on billboards across the city. Most recently, though, I've really enjoyed the iPod nano advertisement that I saw on YouTube.


I'm not sure why I like it so much, but it is delightful! It makes me want to get up and dance with my own iPod.

(Not that I don't do that already...)

12.13.2009

Brittany's Poem

While Brittany was here this week we went to Pinkberry. A lot. Because Pinkberry is the love of our lives. I don't know what it is about the pebble floors and the modern picnic furniture that is so alluring... anyhow.

This week they were asking people to fill out surveys, and Brittany filled them out every time because she loved writing nice things about the Pinkberry establishment. Last night, we were particularly inspired and we set about crafting a Pinkberry poem on the back of the survey. As Ini Kamoze would say, we are lyrical gangsters, and the poem was so amazing that Brittany read it aloud to everyone in the store. I feel it only appropriate to share this poem with you now, being as it is clearly poetic genius.


Told you so. Brittany came up with the last line herself, which I thought was particularly inspired.

12.12.2009

Regreigerator

What is a regreigerator, exactly? That's just how I happened to type refrigerator on the first try. I sort of like it, so for this post I will refer to the household appliance as a regreigerator.

We threw a party back in August, and today when I opened the greige I uncovered what I'm pretty sure were the remains of what I think may have been a bean dip from said party (though honestly at this point it was hard to tell). So, I decided that it was probably a good idea to throw out some things that were probably good and dead by now, and also perhaps clean that unidentifiable brown... goop... stuff... off the bottom shelf.

After a half hour of cleaning and gagging, our regreigerator looked nice and clean! It was also shockingly empty. Take a look:


I find it funny that after all the purging we are left with dairy products almost exclusively: milk, eggnog, yogurt, and 6 different kinds of cheese.

12.11.2009

Winter Has Arrived!

It's official, everyone! Winter has arrived. Last night as I was wandering down the road and doing my best to maintain a somewhat upright stature in the face of a seriously strong headwind I realized that the delightful NYC winter is now in full swing.


I love how the wind chill easily knocks off 15 degrees from the temperature. I guess that means I'll be wearing long underwear today!

12.09.2009

Chocoholics Beware

Brittany and I are making cookies right now that literally require 4 different kinds of chocolate. It's the main ingredient, followed by crushed peppermints (basically my idea of heaven).

Brittany and I of course couldn't help but doctor the recipe a little. Instead of 8 oz. of bittersweet chocolate, we used 1/2 bittersweet, 1/4 mint chips, and 1/4 dark chocolate. Brittany also wanted to use 13 cups of sugar instead of 13 tablespoons (we made a double batch) but we ultimately decided that might not work out. In her defense, Brittany said, "Neither math nor memory is my strong suit." Fair enough!

We got the recipe from Epicurious. In case you don't care to click or, heaven forbid, they ever take down the recipe, here are the instructions:



* 8 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
* 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
* 1 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
* 1/2 cup finely crushed red-and-white-striped hard peppermint candies
* 6 1/2 tablespoons sugar

* 3 large eggs
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
* 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
* 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup (about 3 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

* Coarsely crushed peppermints
* Powdered sugar

Combine first 3 ingredients in heavy large saucepan. Stir over low heat until chocolates melt and mixture is smooth. Remove pan from heat. Mix in finely crushed mints and 6 1/2 tablespoons sugar. Cool mixture to lukewarm, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Whisk eggs into chocolate mixture, 1 at a time, then whisk in vanilla extract and peppermint extract. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in small bowl to blend. Whisk flour mixture, then chocolate chips into chocolate mixture. Cover batter and chill until firm enough to shape, at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Using 1 generous tablespoonful for each cookie, roll dough between moistened palms into 1 1/4-inch-diameter balls, then arrange on prepared baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until puffed and cracked on top but still soft to touch in center, about 11 minutes. Let stand on sheets 5 minutes. Press coarsely crushed mints onto tops of cookies or sprinkle with powdered sugar. Transfer to racks; cool completely. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Store airtight between sheets of waxed paper in refrigerator.)

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12.08.2009

Football

I joined a football league (much to the dismay of my mother) and was feeling really good about it until I got 23 emails today from the league about rules, regulations and planning and therefore realized how serious they were.

Plus tomorrow we have to say bye to our kitties. :-(

On the bright side, Brittany is visiting so that's really fun. And hey, it's a good thing she is visiting now because in a month I may be dead from a tragic football casualty!

Haha. Hope that turns out to be a joke.

12.07.2009

Going Down the Manhole

Yesterday I went to an event with a college friend of mine that I've been meaning to go to for a long time now: the Atlantic Avenue Tunnel Tour. Ladies and gentleman, let me tell you, it was amazing!

The tour lasted for two hours and the man who ended up finding the tunnel (at age 19!) was the one who told us all about the history, and how he eventually ended up searching for and finding the tunnel. It was a really amazing story, and standing in the tunnel to hear it was a really special opportunity.

Even more special are the plans that my friend and I came up with for the next time we go on the tunnel tour: attending the shindig in full-blown ninja turtle costumes. Yeah, that's how we roll.



PS - my roommate thinks that I should refer to any future first dates as, "going down the manhole." TMI? Perhaps. Now that I've typed it, though, it's staying.

12.06.2009

Composure Liquid (revisited)

Emily and I have been dutifully force feeding the cats their composure liquid despite their hissing and frenzied escape attempts. (Actually, to be fair Lulu is very good about it; Coco is devilish enough for the both of them!)

I digress... the funny thing is, though, that each time we have to to give it to them they are easier and easier to catch (because they have more and more calming herbal supplements in their system). I'm quite convinced that by Wednesday Coco will achieve an unprecedented state of apathetic nonchalance.

Is it redundant to use "apathetic" and "nonchalant" together? I should have paid more attention in 4th grade English.

12.04.2009

Cat Medecine

The cats we've been cat sitting for six months are going to be leaving us in a few days. Their owners came to bring them to the vet on Wednesday, because they had to have a pre-flight checkup (that's right - these cats are going to Germany!). When they came back they had a whole list of things we needed to do in the final days of preparation.

Most of these prep things are not that big of a deal, but there is one task that I find to be particularly daunting: squirting their pre-flight sedatives into their mouths. "You want me to put what into Coco's mouth via syringe? Very funny."

Even funnier than the thought of me trying to chase the cats around with their sedative goo is the name of this all-natural product: Compusure Liquid.

I sort of wish there were a composure liquid for humans. Whenever the going get's rough, just down a teaspoon to regain your composure! How awesome would that be...

12.03.2009

Bumping Into People

I have only bumped into someone I've known while wandering around the streets of New York once my whole time living here. Well, I've bumped into my roommates while in transit, too, but that doesn't count. So yes, only one time.

Tonight I was feeling a bit down about having trouble making friends and whatnot, so I was terribly excited when I saw someone I know from school on the way to my guitar lesson this evening - delight! I was not only glad to run into someone I know, but I was also surprised to run into someone I actually recognized from school (since I know all of 10 people, what are the odds?).

Frustration can often lead me into bouts of wild productivity and change! I am having trouble making friends, so I got in touch with someone I met at a party several months ago and invited them to our upcoming holiday party, emailed a high school friend new to the city and scored myself in an invitation to a cookie baking party with 5 people I don't know (don't even ask how I managed that). Oh, I also joined a touch football league (yeah, we'll have to see about that one). I've done all of this in the past 36 hours!

I tell you, there is nothing like a busy schedule to distract you from your doldrums. :-)

12.02.2009

Kenny Loggins

I really feel like Kenny Loggins has multiple personalities. How can someone who wrote "The Real Thing" and "Return to Pooh Corner" also be responsible for "Playing with the Boys," "Danger Zone" and "I'm Alright?"

Truly. It boggles my mind.

12.01.2009

I'm Awesome

Wow! What a week. Of course I had a lovely time going home to visit my family and eat my heart out, and I also had a lovely time at an amazing concert with my sister in NY.

On top of all the normal holiday hubbub, I had to write an admissions essay. It's been a long time since I've had to write an essay... like, a really. long. time. Gone are the days that I used to whip out line after line and have them somehow, magically, all flow together. Here to stay are the hair-pulling 5-hour writing sessions just to get 3 sentences down. Ouch! I ultimately finished the essay, but it was a challenge; it's hard to write about yourself without feeling cocky or egotistical.

On the plus side, writing the essay really helped me clarify some of my goals for the next few years. Also, I was forced to update my resume! I did it in InDesign, and it looks awesome. :-)

Now I'm drinking wine. Just 'cause.