Bittersweet Lane

a haiku

2005-11-16T12:21:00.000-08:00

Morning accidents
First we Crashed into a Car
Then spilled my mocha.

Pictures

2005-06-29T10:55:00.000-07:00

The eldest of the Haskell children, Michelle, recently bought a camera phone. Her reasoning was that it was for taking pictures of Colin because she didn't have a lot of pictures from his growing up and she regrets that now. I'm just not sure that makes sense. Ok - so now she may have pictures bc her phone is always ready and on her at all times. However, they'll all be crappy pictures. Is that really much better?

I can't relate anyway. I don't usually take pictures of people. My motivation for taking a picture is usually the wish for a beautiful and/or interesting photograph. One that can be appreciated even without context. I even take pictures of family events etc. i just tend not to take pictures of the people.

I do have a lot of pictures of cats though. I'm not sure I entirely like what that says about me.

2005-05-02T20:03:00.001-07:00

Not actual size

2005-05-02T20:03:00.000-07:00

This guy was pretty fun. He actually had a lot of control over this giant puppet. At one point the dinosaur skeleton stole a kids hat and tried to eat it.

2005-05-02T20:01:00.002-07:00

Piggies?

2005-05-02T20:01:00.001-07:00

Ok - so these guys reminded me of the piggies from the Ender series by Orson Scott Card. They would beat on the trunk with sticks and one of them would go inside. I'm not sure if I made that association on my own or what.

2005-05-02T20:01:00.000-07:00

This was a symbol of credit card companies and predatory lending. Part of the "No War but the Class War" segment. It's a pretty large "float" for this parade.

Puts the "Crammed in a Van" tour in perspective

2005-05-02T20:00:00.001-07:00

Along with tall bikes there were also cannabalized bike-mobiles - some with a band.
I was sad that I didn't get a picture of the guy who built the bike that does flips. I think they have a picture of it on their website, but it's just so much cooler in person.

Scallywags on parade

2005-05-02T20:00:00.000-07:00

I must admit I always enjoy the tall bikes. This is not the tallest - but it's a cool one.
This is an interesting group that is always a part of the May Day parade (at least every time that I've been there). You can also see them around Minneapolis on their bikes of various sorts. I also just find the idea of punk-Christian-bicycle-enthusiasts interesting. I'm not sure if punk is really the right word - but I think it fits because they seem subversive in a postive way.
Anyway I think the Scallywags are interesting.

2005-05-02T19:47:00.002-07:00

Earthworms are Easy

2005-05-02T19:47:00.001-07:00

The theme of the story part of the parade was "Where do we go from here?". This was part of the "Into the Earth" segment. I enjoyed it.

2005-05-02T19:47:00.000-07:00

This woman was really nice and actually posed for me. I had other pictures of the butterfly people but they were terrible. I couldn't catch the wings at the right time. Thank You anonymous Butterfly woman.

2005-05-02T19:46:00.001-07:00

2005-05-02T19:46:00.000-07:00

2005-05-02T19:45:00.000-07:00

Look Big Heads

2005-05-02T19:44:00.000-07:00

I thought this dog was pretty hilarious.

May Day

2005-05-02T11:37:00.000-07:00

We went to the May Day parade yesterday in Minneapolis. A yearly spring event that I always enjoy - despite the weather. Quite a few times it has been cold, but yesterday was especially bad. It actually snowed. It was interesting though because it would switch back and forth between somewhat warm and sunny and then cold, dark, and snowy.

Marla

2005-04-28T09:45:00.000-07:00

Today I made my car payment over the phone and the woman I spoke to had the name of Marla Singer. I'm hoping she's undercover and will somehow make all my debts disappear - or maybe just what I owe on the car.

85th rule of fight club - you must verify the name, address, and routing number.

just a suggestion

2005-04-25T12:34:00.000-07:00

Wondering what's in store for the Catholic Church?
Well if this anagram is any indication it sounds like a party.
Pope Benedict XVI - Expect Bovine Dip

perhaps sour cream?

I think we should note that he is against factory farming and genetic manipulation - so this will be hormone free non-GMO bovine dip...

OK - I need to just stop with the anagrams now

Who knew I was such a dork?Oh, yeah - everyone.

anagram

2005-04-25T11:31:00.000-07:00

Cool - i found a site that makes up anagrams. It's random of course so you have to search for good ones.

My favorites so far are Emily Haskell = Keylime Halls, Cherish Haskell = Search Hell Sikh (nothing against sikhs), and Denise Purvis= Dive Up, Sirens.

http://www.wordsmith.org/anagram/

Most amazing life changing thing ever....

2005-04-22T11:20:00.000-07:00

... but i can't afford it.

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=104910&RN=53

I am seriously impressed by this garbage can. OK - $200 bucks for a garbage can is a lot. But our CATS drive us insane and get sick from knocking over the garbage can and eating from it. They do this if we are asleep, leave the house, or even leave the room. We have a flip top lid one now - bu the problem there is that they get their paws under the lid and then wrap same paws around the top and WHAM it's a kitty smorgasbord. Also (and of more concern to me) the plastic bag sticks out a little bit from the top and they tear at it with their teeth. Cats eating palstic in NOT a good thing. It can actually get wrapped around their intestines and they can die. Also a problem if your cat is on who tries to eat his glitter balls (like Spaz).

I can't believe I did this - again

2005-04-21T18:08:00.000-07:00

I locked myself out of my house. I had a job interview today for a hotel desk clerk position (ok not a great job but i need to get out of my house). It went really well - in fact I was really early and then it didn't last very long (in a good way though).

Anyway - I was headed home and I rounded the bike path to my house and realized I had no keys. I locked myself out of my house for the third time this year (that I remember anyway). So CJ is in the city until about 9 (maybe later tonight). So I've been wandering around town by myself. It hasn't been too horrible actually.

Minnetonka Orchards

2005-04-21T10:30:00.000-07:00

I think CJ and I found the perfect wedding site yesterday. We could get it for later this summer but twe are considering moving it up until next spring. I'm actually excited. I wasn't before the whole thing was causing me stress and I was finding no joy in it.

Actually the whole area around the orchard was nice as well. It reminded CJ and I of New England quite a bit. I sent Blake a link to website and he commented on how it looked like New England as well.

Here's an arial view.
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=6530+County+Road+26,+Mound,+MN+55364&ll=44.976085,-93.690709&spn=0.004882,0.007607&t=k&hl=en

Childhood

2005-04-06T15:26:00.000-07:00

I found a song yesterday that was called 28 Bittersweet Lane. Very close to my childhood home address - 29 Bittersweet Lane. Pretty sure it wasn't the same Lane though - there were mentions of a lemon grove? No lemon groves on Cape Cod - cranberry bogs, yes - lemon groves- no.

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=wareham+massachusetts&ll=41.793237,-70.635223&spn=0.004216,0.007253&t=k&hl=en

Ah - the old neighborhood.

Dee - Lish - Us

2005-04-04T15:23:00.000-07:00

So yummy.

I've been cooking a lot lately. I forgot how much I really like to cook.
I've been thinking I should actually write down recipes or something.

Today I made some Leek and Potato Soup. Mmmmm... I used yukon gold potatoes and chicken stock rather than vegetable.

Also - I have a pot roast in my slow cooker. Not sure how that will turn out. iwas being sort of nostalgic. I didn't have any carrots though. That made me sad. I couldn't find a recipe that I liked so I sort of winged it. I considered using the roast too make a shredded beef for sandwiches - but that's a lot of beef. THis is a little more versatile. It can be used for sandwiches and maybe even a stew made with the leftovers.

Yesterday for dinner Cj and I had turkey sandwiches made with roast Turkey, Muenster cheese, avocado, romaine lettuce and a yummy basil and garlic pesto sauce - all on toasted whole wheat. Mmmmmm.... put it in the oven until it's all melty and warm.

Sadly there is a somewhat lackluster chicken soup in the fridge as well. It's good - but not amazing. I was thinking about adding some andouille to it. I did add some hot sauce and that helped.

Ignorant Americans

2005-04-01T07:11:00.000-08:00

This whole Terri Schiavo fiasco has reminded me why so many people in this country annoy me. When they are uninformed they rush to make a quick decision and stick to it like glue. The sound bite media doesn't help much. I know that I and many of my friends are rare because when we hear a quick news story we then look into it more in depth. Most people I've run across don't do this.

This has resulted in many assinine comments and actions that I'm sure we've all had to endure. Recently (this morning) I read that Michael Schiavo and his legal team have had death threats against them. The right-to-life people making death threats? "No one has the right to take someone else's life except God... and me!" Do these people stop and think ever? I'm pretty sure they don't.I've heard and read so many comments from people about how evil this man is and how he deserves to die as well. These are people who have never met any of the people involved. They know nothing about the medical state this woman is in and they don't want to know anything. They've made their decision and they know they are right and everyone is not only wrong - but EVIL.

On a related note I recall some very white Minnesotans who live in Northfield (which is not a diverse town really) who made the comment "I just don't like black people right now". What the hell does that even mean? I didn't understand how they had come to that conclusion living in a town with a handful of black people who to my knowledge seem like normal people. Well - apparently they had been watching BET and then reached their confusion (that's a typo - I meant conclusion, but I'll leave it bc it's more accurate). This happened at my old job at a certain Pet Food Store. The scariest thing was that they are of the opinion that they are not racist!?! Apparently, saying "I'm not racist, but..." clears the way for you to don a hood for a day or something.

How do we fix this? How do you get people to question things when they think they are always right? I think many Americans seem to have the idea that their opinion matters as much as the next guys. Seems very democratic at first - we are all equal blah blah blah. Ok - no we are not all equal. We are all equal under the eyes of the law. Stephen Hawking can't order you shot and then walk away just because he's really fucking smart. However, if we start needing to know about how the universe is born then yeah he's way above most of us.

It's good to have opinions on things - but I think strong opinions should have something to back them up before you share them with the world. Certainly before you force them on the world. I have many strong opinions - in fact I've been told that I have opinions on things that are not a matter of opinion - but I always try to see both sides of an issue. I try to think about things outside my own life and my own experiences - in fact I welcome it. Yeah, it makes life a little harder because I have to question myself a lot. I try to make choices deliberately and I'm getting better at it as time moves on.

I do speak up when I hear these people. I don't yell at them and call them stupid or anything. I ask them why they think the way they do. The BET thing I pointed out that there are many black people in this country who are offended by the portrayal of black people on BET (don't these people read Boondocks?). My hopes are that some of these people stop and THINK. I'm sure most don't. It's really scary and overwhelming, but how do we reach these people who want the easy answers. Truth is never easy and is never simple.

OK - this was so rambling, but hopefully you'll be understanding because I woke up ten minutes ago then read the news. It's a topic that could have MUCH more in depth discussion, but I guess it's a start for me. I don't usually share my opinions so publicly bc of the whole not knowing if i am right aspect.

2005-03-31T07:52:00.000-08:00

I was feeling pretty crappy this morning - but I found something to cheer me up.
http://www.paperdollheaven.com/conanobrien.php
It's absolutely the funniest thing ever. OK - maybe not because there's also
http://www.paperdollheaven.com/conanfeaturingusher.php and http://www.paperdollheaven.com/usherfeaturingconan.php .

Yep - I feel pretty cheered up now.

Scrappy Memorial

2005-03-29T08:23:00.000-08:00

Today Scrappy the Corydora passed away.

He will be missed by all who knew and loved him

2005-03-22T12:24:00.000-08:00

Nice to see the homeland make news every now and again. About a week ago my mom was pointing out an article about lots of old people dying in the space of 2 weeks in Berrien County. Now we have confirmation that Hogzilla was not a hoax. A bit overestimated, but not a hoax. An 800+ lb 8 foot long wild pig is plenty scary enough for me even if he wasn't as big as thought.

Hilarious

2005-03-10T14:23:00.000-08:00

OK - I found this site because I was bored and trying to find out where Alton Brown got that really cool teakettle with the flying airplane thingy. It's the funniest nostalgic food comedy EVER, people.

Also a bit horrifying.

Wedding plans

2005-03-08T13:22:00.000-08:00

I'm already frustrated with planning this wedding. I was pretty okay with having a small private little celebration with just parents and siblings - but now it's bigger. Bigger = more complicated.

2005-02-23T13:44:00.000-08:00

This is an early picture of Sophie. Actually her name is Sophia bc she is small and grey and vicious, but Sophie has less syllables so that's what she gets called most often. This was taken soon after we first took her in. She is a little bit fuzzier now and no longer has squirrel fur. She's pretty adorable now when she's not attacking my feet or another cat.

2005-02-23T13:42:00.000-08:00

This is my favorite picture of Sketchy bc she looks sort of bitchy and well - she is.

2005-02-23T13:41:00.000-08:00

CJ complained that I didn't have enough cat pics on here. So Oscar gets to be next in line. He's an absurdly cute cat who is afraid of anything and everything... but most especially the vaccuum and (gasp) going outside.

2005-02-23T13:38:00.000-08:00

Here is Tricksy - this is one of the few pictures I have of her where she doesn't look stoned. Usually, she half closes her eyes and it makes her a not very photogenic cat.

2005-02-23T13:35:00.000-08:00

I am so tired of my back hurting all the time. Yesterday it was fine and then today it hurts if i stand. It's just so hard to get anything done.

2005-02-23T11:09:00.000-08:00

I was talking to Denise the other day and she actually brought up those stupid metal things from inside the magnetic barcode thingies and how they cut up your hand and you don't realize it until later. I think you have to understand that this is a friend who would also join me in slamming our hands together so hard that bruises would form and the pain would last for days. Oh the memories!

Also - yesterday Tricksy and I learned a new trick... I guess it just A trick considering she doesn't know any others. She is a very whiny and clingy cat when I'm annoyed with her. When she's been good I prefer to call her "talkative" and "affectionate". Yesterday I would say she was better than most days - she didn't break anything. She has this habit of standing on things next to you (chair, couch, table, desk, etc) and reaching her paws upward and stretching as far as she can in an effort to get you to notice her, pick her up, and pet her until she gets sleepy or distracted. So yesterday she did this and I took a step back. She held her paw out into the air like she was trying to reach me - but there was no way she could. So I faced her and said "Jump, Tricksy" and she did. ha ha ha. It was the cutest thing she's ever done. I got her to do it two other times throughout the day. I'll have to make sure to do this often so she gets used to it.

For those who worry this could cause another injury - no need to be concerned. She's a pretty slim kitty and she has no front claws. So it's pretty much 100% cute.

2005-02-19T22:57:00.000-08:00

Today I noticed a new injury. Those who know me well also know that I somehow get injured a lot - usually it's pretty much my own fault. This is sadly not an exception.

Yesterday, Cj took one of those magnetic strips off the back of a cd. I tore it apart to get to the metal strip. I started relating a story to CJ about one night in HS when I was at the mall and accidentally cut my fingertips with one of those.

"I don't think they really make them thin enough to do that anymore - let me check" - at which point I half heartedly ran it on his arm.

"Stop!" - CJ

"ok, fine, but I already told you that it won't do that anymore. See." and I demostrated on the back of my hand. It seemed that nothing had happened, but this afternoon I noticed a cluster of little thin cuts on that hand.

Sometimes I'm an idiot. Fool me once - shame on me. Fool me twice... um.. well yeah.

(sigh)

2005-02-18T10:04:00.000-08:00

So sad that people have lost all perspective whatsoever. Reading Salon today and they had a link to Powerline about how low the Democrats and the "far left" have sunk. Yes - I would say the shoe shoe thrower was a nut. He in no way represents me or I'm pretty sure about 99.99% of the Democratic party.

My question is "How low has someone sunk when they constantly look for things to hate from 'the left' that they can't differentiate between one kook's actions and the acts and thoughts of half the country?"

Seriously, people - just grow up. This irritates me on both sides. What the hell ever happened to intellectual discourse? Discussing ideas. Name calling and finger pointing will get us nowhere. This goes for any extremist. Both sides - or all sides rather because this isn't just Dems and the GOP, it's also Greens, Libertarians, and whoever else chooses to join the fracas.

I'm as disgusted by the bumper stickers proclaiming "So many Christians... so few Lions" as I am Rush Limbaugh. Let's go back to kindergarten. Doesn't matter who throws the first shoe - two wrongs don't make a right.

2005-02-18T07:58:00.000-08:00

The Spizzlemeister - also known as Spaz, Stinky McButton Eater, Boots, and whatever else happens to pop into Cherish's head

Cherish thought that I should put pictures of all the cats on my blog. I generally humor here when it takes so little effort and doesn't hurt anyone. Plus - he looks so cute here.

2005-02-18T07:51:00.000-08:00

the infamous shoe

2005-02-18T07:27:00.000-08:00

I have way too much time to read news every day. Mostly online because it's free. I make my way through cnn.com, the New York Times, Salon, StarTribune, BBC, and whatever else I come across every day. So I wouls be a very well informed person if I had a better memory. Alas - my long term memory has always sucked. Through the years I've gotten much better at remembering the general idea of things - but the details really don't stick very well.

Anyway - I saw this headline and laughed today "Shoe tossed at ex-Pentagon adviser during debate". I do NOT approve of throwing shoes at people - but the ridiculousness of it was funny. See - it's funny. I think it's made funnier by the fact that they highlighted the shoe.

woo hoo

2005-02-18T07:07:00.000-08:00

My back is back!

That's the quickest recovery yet. I reinjured my back this past Sunday and today it's back to where it was before. I could walk pretty normally on Wednesday but it still hurt. Today it didn't even hurt when I got out of bed. It's definitely a nice way to start my day.

Thoughts

2005-02-16T12:11:00.000-08:00

Ok - so this is a quote from about a year ago - but it's still relevant.

"I want an America where mothers can take their children to a
family doctor, instead of going to the emergency room every time because there's
no health insurance.
I want an America where hard-working Americans don't live in
fear of losing their jobs because that means losing their health care too.
Where corporations care as much about the communities that make
their products and buy their goods as they do about their profit sheets.
Where CEO's don't make 531 times what workers earn, even as they
ship their headquarters to Bermuda and their jobs to China.
I want an America where men and women have an opportunity to go
to college, get good jobs, and maybe even start their own businesses -
regardless of their background. Where the kitchen table is a place to share
dreams - not to worry and struggle over paying the credit card bills, the
mortgage, the tuition payments.
I want an America where 'no child left behind' is something we
pay for and guarantee, not an empty promise sold by Washington politicians to
the rest of us.
I want a fair America that doesn't let soldiers risk their lives
for us only to be told they can't get overtime pay for jobs that use the skills
they learned in the military.
I want an America where we are more than cogs in a machine,
where there is nourishment for our human souls. Where there is true community,
and we recognize and affirm that we are all in this together.That's the type of
America I want us to take back."
Governor Howard Dean, M.D, February 17, 2004