spell with flickr

yes we did!

According to Richard, who monitors my blog stats via Google Analytics, there was a huge spike in visits to my blog on election day, which leads me to believe that 40 of you (or ten of you who visited four times) were curious to know my thoughts on that momentous day. Here's the scoop -- I couldn't possibly blog that day because we were so busy electing Barack Obama!

Lucy and I headed over to the Bellefonte Fire Station at 7 am, and waited in line for about 40 minutes to vote, which seemed like a good sign to me. After our annual trip to the cardiologist (Lucy is fine! Come back in a year! Yay!), we went to Obama HQ in Wilmington, and were sent to Chester for GOTV activities, from a church basement in a housing project. It was an incredible operation -- people in and out all day -- tons of them from Delaware. Lucy, Richard and I knocked on about 75 doors in an African-American working class neighborhood. Most of the people we talked to were lovely, and most had already voted (we were on the second pass of three through the neighborhood). We were amazed (and frankly, appalled) by the polling station there -- it was the dilapidated clubhouse for the abandoned neighborhood swimming pool. According to one of the residents, the polls had closed for about 30 minutes because part of the ceiling had collapsed on some voters....Nice.

After canvassing, we headed back to Wilmington HQ. I made some phone calls to Virginia voters, and Richard made calls on behalf of the Delaware Dems. Lucy made signs. We saw Andrew and his friend Mandy, who had also volunteered to GOTV in Chester, got yelled at by the Delaware Campaign Director for chatting, but had a good time nonetheless. The energy in the room was high -- people were really optimistic about how the race was going to go. While we were there, we got the info on the planned Victory Party, and the Campaign Director (who I know from my last job) invited us to come to the Obama Volunteers Party room, which Lucy thought was pretty special.

Headed home to let out the dogs, and stopped by to visit our next door neighbors, who had also been on a GOTV mission, and ended up hanging out with them and their extended family for dinner and to watch early returns. It was nerve-wracking. As McCain-heavy returns would come in, Richard would remind everyone that these were tiny fractions of the precincts that had reported, or that the returns were from states McCain was expected to win, and that they were not signs of an apocalypse. We finally got too antsy to stay, and since the returns had started to move in Obama's favor, we decided to head downtown for the Victory Party (we didn't want to go the a Victory Party if McCain won -- how depressing would that have been?).

The party was fun -- most of the Delaware democrats were there giving victory speeches (we were standing right behind John Carney while Jack Markell gave his speech -- it seemed so sad, and I kind of wanted to give John a hug -- but Richard assures me that he will be OK). There was a balloon drop, which is always fun, although it seemed kind of early in the night. We saw tons of people we knew, which was cool --as I have said before, I like to surround myself with people who agree with me politically. Poor Lucy was exhausted, and really wanted to go into the special Obama Volunteers room, which had been on lockdown for some reason. At around 9:30, we finally got to go into the room, which just had marginally better food than the main ballroom, but worse TV. By 10:30, Lucy was about to collapse, so we headed home, just in time to see the election called for Obama.

Incredible. For the first time in 8 years, I was crying with happiness and pride, instead of sobbing in despair and threatening to leave the country. A couple of people have sent me messages thanking Richard, Lucy and me for our hard work on the campaign -- and I appreciate that -- but honestly, it was one of the most gratifying experiences of my life. As cliched as it is to say, it was so cool to see a truly diverse group of people (young, old, black, white, men, women, dogs, etc.) coming together for a common purpose. And despite the terrible state of the economy, and the war, and the general shittiness of the world right now, I do have hope for the future, and a belief that Obama will help get us headed back in the right direction. And I am particularly glad that Lucy was able to be a part of all of this, too.

On Thursday, flickr created a group photo pool of messages for Obama. You should check it out -- the messages range from funny to inspiring (and a lot of people really want to make sure that the Obamas adopt a rescue dog). Here is mine (you may recognize a certain PostSecret-ness about it), which sums up my feelings about the election:

(To see the image larger, click here.) And thanks for visiting. Now that the election is over, I will have more time for blogging (if I can stop playing so much WordTwist on Facebook....).

the beckoning of lovely

Today I got an email from the author of my favorite book (see previous blog references here and here), Amy Krouse Rosenthal, that said the following:

"hello kirsten,
a) i save all my nice emails
b) yours falls into that category [i sent Amy an email two years ago thanking her for writing my favorite book, in particular the entry about NPR's Sylvia Poggioli -- a copy of my e-mail was included at the bottom of Amy's e-mail today -- impressive!]
c) i do not send out formal/official/mass updates or newsletters about my work
d) however, every once in a blue moon, i stumble into something that i might feel is worth letting you (someone who expressed interest in my work) personally know about
e) this is one of those moons
f) so here it is. it just launched a few days ago
g) PLEASE...if you want to be taken out of my "saved forever" email folder, just say the word in a reply email and consider it done. and accept my apology now.
h) if you do like the above, please feel free to pass it along to friends. the more people who see it and participate, the better... (this will make sense after viewing)

all my very best today and beyond,
amy k.r."

Needless to say, I viewed the video, and it choked me up a little, so I thought I would share it with my faithful blog readers. Watch the video, and see if you want to participate in the action with me.

all my very best today and beyond,
kirsten b.o.

if i were 17...

he would be on my boyfriend list. but he's not. because i am not a total perv.

not for the faint of heart

Weight watchers food was hilarious in 1974.

what i learned from NPR today

people are weird.

back in the saddle

After a good (actually bad) two years of terrible job stress and personal life craziness, including anti-anxiety meds (MAY CAUSE WEIGHT GAIN! REALLY!) and abandonment of the gym...I have turned into a complete blob. But that is changing! Last week, I started Weight Watchers online (which I have used very successfully in the past), and headed back to the Y. Three good workouts on the elliptical last week made me think I should try a Saturday morning (pre-Brew Ha Ha) step class. Amazingly, I survived the 50-minute workout -- muscle memory is a good thing. I was feeling awfully impressed with myself...until about 3 PM Saturday when my knee started locking up and my calves began throbbing. But hey -- it's all part of the process, right? It's funny though -- sometimes the gym can seem like such a chore -- another obligation in an already busy day. But once I get there, I remember that I actually enjoy it. Step class is so fun, and bopping away on the ellipse, having an awesome gay 80s disco party in my head (George Michael! Erasure! Duran Duran! and some Dixie Chicks for good measure...) while watching Giada DiLaurentis do food porn on the big TV -- super. The only downside -- it is really hard for me not to sing out loud to my ipod. Like really hard. I want to do elliptical karaoke. I can picture the disco ball over my head perfectly.

hope-a-rama

We went down to the Wilmington Obama-Biden (or joeBAMA as we like to call it) headquarters today to sign up to volunteer. We ran in to lots of people we know, which was great -- like I said to someone earlier this week, I like to surround myself with people who agree with my politics -- I don't have time for the others' foolishness. We signed up to come back to help out in the office next week, bought a few pins (wanted a T-shirt but they didn't have my size, and really, will I ever wear it?), and took Lucy's picture with Barack himself. It's always exciting to participate in the democratic process.

stress test

stress test
Originally uploaded by kjerstieb

Lucy visited the Nemours Cardiac Center on Friday for a stress test (or an exercise test, which we were calling it to make it seem more benign). Not only did she look super-cool in all the gear (look how her shirt matches the headgear, nose clamps, and breathing tube!), but more importantly, she passed with flying colors. Her two-chambered heart performed as well as your standard four-chambered heart. She is such a star!

cakewrecks

I was introduced to this hilarious blog this week and had to share. Please check it out -- and keep scrolling -- you won't be disappointed.

oooh...another movie

Once. Best movie I have seen in recent times. Just a sweet story with great music. And Glen Hansard was in the Commitments. Can you find him here?

movies...part II

It has been so long since I posted the first part of my movie list that I am not sure I even remember what movies I was planning to discuss for Part II. Hmmm....let's see. OK, I remember (actually, I found the scrap of the paper I wrote the list on):

Run Lola Run. I am not usually one for foreign films (subtitles = boring), but the three variations on Lola's attempts to save her boyfriend from almost certain disaster in this German movie are so different and so compelling, and Franka Potente's red hair is amazing. (I loved her again in the Bourne movies.)

The Royal Tenenbaums. I loved Wes Anderson's Rushmore too, which marked the welcomed return of Bill Murray to the screen, but the beautifully detailed set pieces, narration by Alec Baldwin and fantastic accompanying soundtrack to the Royal Tenenbaums make this one a favorite. The costumes are fantastic (especially Gwyneth Paltrow's wooden finger), the backstories are dry and funny, and while I'm usually not a fan of Ben Stiller, his portrayal of the widowed father panicked at the thought of losing his family is touching. Gene Hackman rocks my socks, as always. And Luke Wilson? See my list of boyfriends. 'Nuff said.

Dave Chappelle's Block Party. I had no expectation that I would like this movie -- to me, Dave Chappelle's humor teeters terribly close to the brink of offensive, and I am not overly familiar with or "into" R & B, rap, or hip hop artists. But I LOVED this movie. I found Dave Chappelle and his quest to bring the high school marching band to NY for the block party incredibly winning, the musical performances electrifying, and the story about the weird couple living in their creepy unfinished house fascinating. This is a great feel-good movie.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I watched this again last night, and fell in love all over again. This movie is so cleverly made, with the chronology bouncing all around but coming together perfectly in the end. When Joel's last memory of Clementine is erased, I always cry....but have hope that they will end up together again because that's what's meant to be. Plus, Mark Ruffalo in Ray Bans (see "boyfriends," again) and Kate Winslet with multi-colored hair (see "girlfriends"). Perfect.

Knocked Up. What can I say? I am a big fan of the Apatow oeuvre, from Freaks and Geeks to Superbad. (Haven't seen Forgetting Sarah Marshall or Pineapple Express yet, but I will.) I loved The 40-Year Old Virgin (oops...I forgot to put Catherine Keener on the girlfriends list...but she is on it in my heart) -- thought it was raunchy and sweet in a perfect mix, and Superbad features Michael Cera who I love love love, but Knocked Up wins it for me. Seth Rogen is so appealing as the father-to-be, I don't hate Katherine Heigl as much as I usually do, and Seth Rogen's roommates are HILARIOUS (and don't get me started on Kristin Wiig as the bitter TV producer, Craig Robinson as the brutally honest bouncer, and Judd Apatow/Leslie Mann's kids as the kids). But, my favorite thing about the movie is the subplot featuring Paul Rudd (boyfriend alert!) and Leslie Mann, who are painfully believable as a long-married couple. Plus, this movie features one of the best dialogue exchanges ever, including the line: "You look like a chollo on Easter." I am laughing while I type that.

Movies are awesome, right?

delicious

very tasty but expensive.

hilarious

this is surprisingly funny.

a note for people who use public bathrooms...

...if you are a "hoverer" and you piss all over the seat, please please please wipe it up. really. that's gross.

i'm not a lesbian...but i sure have a lot of girlfriends

You've met my boyfriends, and not one of you had a comment. Now I am going to list my girlfriends. For non-lesbians like myself (really, I am not a lesbian), I think girl crushes are more to do with wanting to be LIKE the person you are in love with, than to be WITH them...so here they are, in no particular order.

Tina Fey...if Franco liked me, he would introduce me to Tina. I know we would be besties, and she would tell me all about how she got her scar.
Heidi Klum...every time I see her, I have to say how pretty she is. And when she laughs her maniacal laugh, I laugh too.
Maggie Gyllenhaal...so much cuter than Jake. And did you see her in "Secretary"?
Helen Mirren....Forget "The Queen." Helen is the hottest cougar I know. You really must click the link and look at the picture. Amazing.
Courtney Cox...has shiny hair. Just ask Richard.
Scarlett Johanssen....so obvious. A terrible actress, but unbelievable voice, boobs, and lips.
And my favorite girlfriend of all, Kate Winslet....She is incredibly naturally pretty and so sure of herself, with a hot body to boot. And you should see her in "Extras" -- dressed as a nun and cursing like a sailor -- hilarious.

OK -- who did I miss?

my boyfriends

I have decided to do the list of my boyfriends before I finish my movie list. Remember, these are MY boyfriends...you can't have them. (And if you don't think they are cute, keep it to yourself.)

In no particular order:

Hugh Laurie....loved him as a comedian in multiple BBC shows ("A Bit of Fry and Laurie," "Blackadder"), but on "House," he is gorgeous.
Christian Bale...from floppy-haired Laurie in "Little Women" to sociopathic Patrick Bateman in "American Psycho" to Batman in a codpiece (everyone looks better in a codpiece).
Mark Ruffalo...hangdog puppy man. I heart him.
Casey Affleck...my newest boyfriend, after watching "Gone Baby Gone." I will have to see if this one sticks.
Gordon Ramsay...so ugly he is hot. I love a man who curses.
Luke Wilson...he has a lantern jaw.
Justin Long...too young for me, but so adorable...and he shills for Mac.
Dave Grohl...the nicest man in Rock and Roll, according to Richard.
Paul Rudd...hilarious AND handsome.
Ewan MacGregor...He is my favorite boyfriend (and not that this matters, but he's kind of a big deal, if you know what I mean).

Richard wants me to make sure that I let you all know that he is my Number 1 Boyfriend. Note to Richard: you can also console yourself with the fact that 90% of my boyfriends are tall men with dark hair, just like you.

Note to everyone else: remind me if I left anyone else out.

it's a list, it's a list, it's a list list list

As you probably know by now, I am a fan of lists, and had some time to think of a few during the drive back and forth to Rehoboth this weekend. I even wrote stuff down on a post-it pad I found in the glove compartment, like a real writer. But instead of deep philosophical musings, or lyrical prose, you are getting a list of my favorite movies (to be followed shortly by a list of boys I think are cute...informally known as "My Boyfriends" -- watch this space!). Like my list of favorite songs, this list includes movies that I have a nostalgiac attachment to for some reason, as well as movies that I just think are amazing. I am relatively picky about movies, but I am not a movie snob -- you will not find any Fellini or Bergman on my list. I think I am putting this list in chronological order. Let's start with the early years.

1) Grease. This movie came out in 1978, to much fanfare. I was seven, and I wanted to see the movie so badly, and my mom promised she would take me. And she did. Unfortunately, on the way to the movie theater, the clutch went out on the car, and my mom knew that if she stopped the car, she wouldn't be able to start it again, so instead of going to the movie, we had to take the car to the repair shop. I was wailing the whole way, saying "You promised! You promised!", completely unable to understand why we couldn't go see the movie. Looking back, I feel sorry for my mom -- I know it killed her to disappoint me -- but at the time, I just thought she was mean. She got so sick of listening to me wail that she decided to take me home before taking the car to the shop -- but since she couldn't stop the car, I had to jump out while it was moving. It was very exciting. My mom did take me to see the movie a few days later, at the fabulous Tri-State Mall theater, which had about 2 inches of standing water on the floor. Didn't matter. I was mesmerized. And I was lucky enough to get the soundtrack album, which had 2 records, and an amazingly lifelike pencil on the cover. As my friend Lindsay will be happy to tell you, we sang the songs over and over, and I always made her sing John Travolta's part. I was bossy -- so shoot me.

2) The Outsiders. This is not a good movie by any means. But if you saw this movie when you were a 12-year-old girl, like I did, this movie had it all. Lots of cute boys (C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Rob Lowe, Tom Cruise before he became a freaky scientologist), teenagers living wild without parents, star-crossed lovers from opposite sides of the tracks, a tragic hero burned in a fire, a rumble in the rain, and the classic Robert Frost poem, "Nothing Gold Can Stay".

3) Footloose. Yes, the scene where Kevin Bacon dances alone in the empty grain warehouse is almost unbearably awkward, and no, Lori Singer is not a very good actress. But honestly, if you haven't seen this movie in awhile (and why would you have, really?), it is actually still pretty cute. John Lithgow and Dianne Weist are great as the repressed parents, and Sarah Jessica Parker is cute as the nerdy best friend (she was so much cuter before she became a fashion icon), but Chris Penn (may he rest in peace) steals the show as Willard, Ren's dopey sidekick. And I had a huge crush on Kevin Bacon throughout sixth grade. Just ask my sixth grade diary.

4) Sixteen Candles. If you were a teenager in the 80s, you had a favorite John Hughes movie. I can quote widely from The Breakfast Club, found Some Kind of Wonderful almost too painful to watch because I identified with it so much at the time, and loved my cassette tape of the Pretty in Pink soundtrack (sidenote: the Psychadelic Furs played at my college's Spring Weekend one year and both opened and closed their set with "Pretty in Pink" because, really, that's all they had), but the John Hughes movie I could watch again and again is Sixteen Candles. It is so tragic and funny and digressive...and when Jake shows up to get Sam after her sister's wedding, and she turns around to look behind her to see who he is looking for, and she points at herself and says "Me?" and he mouths "Yeah, you," because really all the time, he was looking for her....words cannot express the eternal and repeated melting of my heart. And then, to top it all off, the final scene with the birthday cake and the Thompson Twins song? Perfect. (I do have some trouble with the whole Anthony Michael Hall/Rich Girl drunken sex scenario -- is it date rape? But I try not to think about that too much.)

5) Truly Madly Deeply. Have you seen this movie? If you haven't, you should. It is a touching and goofy love story featuring the amazing Alan Rickman. Plot summary: Nina and Jamie are soul mates, he dies suddenly, she can't cope, he comes back as a ghost, and bittersweet events ensue. If you think it sounds like "Ghost" with British people, you are wrong. I don't have much else to say about it except that I love it, and you will too.

This is long, and I want you to read and enjoy all of my opinions, so I will finish the more modern era of the list in a separate post. Stay tuned.

eat cake

eat cake
Originally uploaded by kjerstieb

done and done.

isn't it ironic?

Today, we were driving along Philadelphia Pike (which is a well-travelled 4-lane road with a 45 MPH speed limit) when two teenage girls ran across the street, in front of traffic, pushing a stroller. Of course, I cursed them and called them idiots, because who runs across traffic with a baby in a stroller? Then we realized that they were running across the street to join their friends protesting outside the Planned Parenthood. Clearly, actual living babies are significantly less important than their "pre-born" counterparts. And this is the idiocy of the anti-choice movement in a nutshell.

One Man Show

We saw this ad when we were in NYC this weekend, and wondered how we could get tickets to see Harlan, the Two-Spirit Gay Man in Recovery from Alcohol, but alas, we realized that it was not actually an ad for a show, but for an LGBT community center. Bummer. If you know Harlan, tell him he should really get a show.

WHYY...Why?

So I got this email from our local PBS/NPR station today, excerpted below. It made me laugh.

"If this week's heat wave is any indication, summer is definitely here to stay. And what is everyone's favorite summertime treat? Ice cream, of course! WHYY is teaming up with Bassetts Ice Cream to create a new flavor — called the "WHYY Experience" — and you can help decide what it will taste like!"

Baby boomers and doo wop, obviously.

i love this

First of all:
I am tired.
I am true of heart!

And also:
You are tired.
You are true of heart!

Dave Eggers
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius

For some reason, this quote just kills me. Tattoo?

This is just to say....

A few weeks ago, This American Life did a feature on the poem, "This is just to say" by William Carlos Williams. It's a simple poem, but incredibly evocative, and often-imitated. Several of the regular TAL contributors composed their own versions of the poem, and the results ranged from funny to tragic.

Here is the original poem:

This Is Just To Say
I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast.

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold.

-- William Carlos Williams

Here is my attempt (it's autobiographical, even):

This is just to say that
I ate your chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream
from the Happy Harry's

and which apparently,
you were
saving for a before-bed snack
Lucy ate some too.

Forgive us
it was chocolatey
and chippy
and so sweet.

-- Kirsten

And here is Richard's entry, in his favorite creative style, LOLcats (click on the picture to make it bigger):

Christmas in May

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Originally uploaded by kjerstieb

For Christmas, my mother gave all of us kids a weekend at the beach, staying in a great B&B owned by a friend of hers. Mia and her boyfriend Josh came out from California for a visit, so we were all together for the first time in ages (along with Marianne, Andrea and Brian). The weather on Saturday was amazing and we took a wholesome family bike ride to Gordon's Pond (except for Richard whose broken knee gave him the perfect excuse to stay at the B&B and read a book), where we collected tadpoles from a giant puddle, and found whelk egg cases and baby horseshoe crabs on the beach. We ate and drank way too much all weekend, and spent an excessive amount of time watching what we dubbed "Train Wreck Karaoke" at the Purple Parrot, and all in all, had a lovely time. Merry Christmas!

the horror

the horror
Originally uploaded by kjerstieb

We went to our friend Olivia's First Communion on Saturday (Lucy wore black pants and a blue polo shirt). After the ceremony, we went back to Olivia's house, and Olivia's grandmother, the very persuasive Nonna Bibia, convinced Lucy to try on Olivia's Easter dress. This was the result.

birfday or no birfday

cupcakes
Originally uploaded by kjerstieb

happy birthday to marianne.

travelogue part 2

I have been meaning to wrap up the travelogue for a few weeks, but just haven't gotten around to it. I know you all have been waiting with bated breath, so let's get this over with.

The second week of our England trip was spent in a lovely little canal town called Bulbourne. We rented a great house right next to the canal, which we shared with Richard's family -- his mother (aka "English Grandma"), brother Duncan and his wife Tracie, and their 2 kids Katie and Ben. The week was relaxing -- a much slower pace than the week in London. And by this point in the vacation, Richard was getting around much better, which was good for everyone.

For the sake of brevity, I am going to post a Jocelyn-style list of highlights:

1) Watching canal boats go by the front of the house, and learning about canal locks
2) Feeding ducks (we named one set King George and Queen Elizabeth, and for some reason, I took about 20 pictures of them throughout the week -- they're just regular old mallards. There was also a set of gay ducks -- two males -- that we named Drake and Josh.)
DRINKING TEA
3) Going to quiz night at the local pub (we came in 4th -- not too shabby)
4) Visiting the Roald Dahl Museum in Great Missenden, and sitting in Roald Dahl's actual writing chair
DRINKING TEA
5) A trip to the Whipsnade Zoo which was huge, but distinctly lacking in animals
6) A walk around the ruins of Berkhamstead Castle
DRINKING TEA
7) Watching the clouds and snow (!!!) pass across the field behind the house
8) Eating a delicious English roast chicken and potatoes
9) Spending time with Richard's family
10) And did I mention, DRINKING TEA??? Man, did we drink a LOT of tea.

All in all, a lovely week. Lucy got a little sick of her younger cousins --- the poor thing is an only child at heart -- and Richard got a lot sick of his mother, nothing new there.

The End.

inapprop

I saw a very disturbing sight today while driving Lucy to the skating rink. I tried to get a picture of it with my camera phone, but it didn't work out.

It was a minivan, with a license plate that had one of those holders around it which said "Clergy." Now that in and of itself may be disturbing to some -- perhaps to heathens like myself who hate to share the road with god's messengers on earth. But no, the ick-factor does not stop there. The license plate was a vanity tag which said BACKRUB. Eeeew. Should I call the Pope?

misery loves company

For a long time, I have been working on a mixtape in my head called "Misery Loves Company" -- a mix of all the best (i.e. most tragic) love-gone-wrong songs. I was thinking about my list today while cranking my iPod on a trip to scenic Dover, and thought I would post a list of the five songs I have come up with so far.

5. "The Art Teacher" -- Rufus Wainwright. A great song about a woman remembering her unrequited love for her high school art teacher. Lucy and I were singing this throughout London as we visited art museums..."I looked at the Rubens and Rembrandts. I liked the John Singer Sargents. He told me he liked Turner. Never have I turned since then. No, never have I turned to any other man."

4. "Simple Kind of Life" -- No Doubt. Back when they were just a couple of kids growing up in the OC, Gwen Stefani and Tony Kanal fell in love. After years of hard work, touring the country with their little ska band, life got in the way, and Gwen and Tony broke up. But despite the band's success, all Gwen ever wanted was a simple kind of life. "I always thought that I'd be a mom. Sometimes I wish for a mistake. The longer that I wait the more selfish that it gets. You look like you'd be a good dad." Now Gwen has Gavin, and baby Kingston, with another on the way, so she is living the dream, and I am happy for her. But if Tony needs someone to carry his baby, so he can find out if he would indeed be a good dad, I could probably make myself available.

3. "You Were Mine" -- Dixie Chicks. Country music. Key changes. Cheating men. Do you really need anything more for a great break-up song? Well, how about if we throw in an additional dagger to the heart (Justin, if Ally is reading this to you, brace yourself.....), kids caught in the middle. "I can give you two good reasons to show your love's not blind. He's two and she's four and you know they adore you, so how can I tell them that you've changed your mind?" Cue weeping.

2. "No Children" --Mountain Goats. More bitter than working class voters in Pennsylvania, and at least twice as witty. "I hope it stays dark forever, I hope the worst isn't over. I hope you blink before I do, I hope I never get sober. And I hope when you think of me years down the line, you can't find one good thing to say....And I hope you die, I hope we both die..." Hey, at least they don't have kids.

1. "Fairytale of New York"-- the Pogues with Kirsty McColl. This song gets me every time. Poor Shane McGowan is in the drunk tank on Christmas Eve, pining away for Kirsty, and Kirsty is totally over him, calling him a "scumbag" and a "maggot", among other choice words. This one is made so much more poignant by the fact that Shane McGowan really is a horrible drunk, and Kirsty McColl met a tragic end, decapitated by a boat. You can't make that shit up.

Now you have to tell me what other songs I should put on my mixtape (and by mixtape, I mean iTunes playlist). Thanks for your help.

blog this

Multimedia message
Originally uploaded by kjerstieb

Lucy took this picture of me yesterday when I was dropping her off at school. I really like this shirt (which Lucy insisted I buy), and think that my blog is the perfect place to share mundane facts like that. Also, I like Doritos a lot. Had some for lunch today and boy, were they tasty.

picnik

tower bridge duo
Originally uploaded by kjerstieb

My latest obsession is the editing software that interfaces with flickr, called picnik. I am applying duotones to all my pictures. I think it looks cool. I am working my slowly towards a project that I bought art supplies for about 6 months ago-- applying encaustic to photos. I am thinking it will look cool with the duotones. I'll let you know in another 6 months.

a haiku for you

I would like to dedicate this to Lucy and Jen. Prepare to be touched.

"Mutter Museum
has floaty bits of babies
perfect but for brains."

(Some backstory: We were at the Mutter Museum once looking at all the deformed babies in jars, including one with no brain. These women in front of us said one of the funniest things I have ever heard: "Oh! That baby is so cute! It would have been perfect if it only had a brain!" I was inspired to write this haiku because Jen sent me a picture of her standing alarmingly close to a brain in a jar with a delighted grin on her face, and Lucy has been writing haikus at school.)

good news...

...all of my england photos are up on flickr. i am still working on tags, but check them out.

happy accident

I did not take this picture on purpose at all, and didn't even know I had taken it. If you enlarge the picture of Lucy standing in front of Shakespeare's Globe, posted below, you will see this reflection -- Shakespeare superimposed on a perfect London streetscape, bookended by St. Paul's Cathedral. It looks cool, doesn't it?

commercial break

Multimedia message
Originally uploaded by kjerstieb

We interrupt this gripping travelogue to bring you a picture of the previously referenced mayonnaise cake, which I made for my dad's birthday. I did not beat the icing for as long as I should have so it was a little weird (hence the brightly colored sprinkle disguise), but the cake itself was delicious.

travelogue

As promised, a not-so-brief travelogue of our adventures abroad. (Going abroad sounds so fancy. It's also fun to say that we went to Europe. But several people have asked me how our "trip across the pond" was -- that just sounds lame.) I am going break the travelogue into two posts because otherwise, I am afraid it will be too long for my loyal readers to get through on their daily tours around the internets.

We had planned our trip to be divided into 2 stages -- a week in London, doing major sightseeing, inhaling bus fumes, and generally enjoying all the excitement that a major metropolitan location (in Europe) has to offer, followed by a more relaxed week in a small market-town in a rented cottage (cottages are cute, houses are boring) with Richard's family. Unfortunately, given the fact that Richard was still in a lot of pain and not particularly mobile the first week, London was not the best place to be, and it may have been better if the weeks had been reversed, but it all worked out just fine.

Week One --London.

Richard spent a lot of time in the hotel while Lucy and I traipsed around the city. Luckily, the hotel owner, also named Lucy, was just incredible. Before arrived, Richard had called the hotel to request a first floor room. We had booked a triple room, but because she did not have a triple on the first floor, she gave us an adjoining double and a single. The only bummer of this was that we did not feel comfortable letting Lucy sleep in the single by herself (and she didn't like that idea either), so poor Richard was banished to sleep alone. From the minute we arrived at the hotel, Big Lucy, as we called her, was just lovely. Each morning, they would prepare a breakfast tray for Old Gimpy, as we called him, since he couldn't make it down the steps into the dining room. And a couple of times, Lucy looked in on RIchard to make sure he was faring ok on his own while his wife and child, who had ditched his ass, were roaming London. When we left, she gave Little Lucy a small Easter present. Honestly, I can't say enough about her. (If you are ever in London, please stay at the Merlyn Court Hotel in Earl's Court. Tell Lucy we sent you.) But anyway....here are some highlights of the week.

Tate Modern. I really enjoyed this museum. The most interesting installation is this huge artist-made crack in the floor. I can't imagine that it would fly in the States (that's what you call America when you are abroad, by the way) -- definitely a lawsuit waiting to happen -- I could just see ankles snapping (and one of my worst fears in life is a broken ankle. Just ask Richard.). This visit was definitely a highlight for Lucy because for some reason, a group of Harajuku girls were there taking photos. Lucy was enthralled.

Shakespeare's Globe. Surprisingly fun. When we got there, it was mobbed with American school groups, so we could not do the full tour. Lucy was gutted. (She has loved Shakespeare since Jocelyn et al. gave her a book of poems for Christmas. Next time you see Lucy, ask her to do her recitation of the Battle of Agincourt scene from Henry V. It is superb.) We did, however, get to have a "Quick Peek" as they were calling it, which allowed us to go into the theater and look around. They had a school group there rehearsing for a kids production of Hamlet (or Blamlet, as we were calling it). Definitely cool. And the museum was nice too.

Sir John Soane's Museum. This is an under-appreciated gem. Really. John Soane was the architect for the Bank of England, and he built this incredible house on Lincoln's Inn Fields that is just full of fascinating stuff. He even has an Egyptian sarcophagus in the house. And he had so much artwork that it did not fit on his walls, so he built these hidden panels that fold out again and again. It was just super-cool. Lucy and I loved it.

Tower of London. This is a no-brainer. I have been there a couple of times, and think it is so fun. If I never saw the crown jewels again, it would be too soon (although I was interested in how they have that display set up now to keep the line moving -- they have moving walkways, so there is NO lingering), but everything else is great. Unfortunately, it was pouring, so our Beefeater cancelled the tour halfway through. We had a good time poking around nonetheless. (Fun Fact: they feed the ravens bunnies and bunny blood. Poor bunnies.)

National Gallery. I am not a huge fan of gigantic traditional art museums (the Louvre kills me), but Lucy and I enjoyed the National Gallery because they had a really good audio tour for kids. And they have a great cafe. Chicken and mushroom pie to die for.

Cabinet War Rooms and Churchill Museum. I am not a history buff at all, and only went here because for some reason, Lucy wanted to, but I loved it. The Cabinet War Rooms are the underground bunker used by Churchill and his cabinet during WW II, left virtually untouched. So cool. And the Churchill Museum is pretty new, and really well done. I enjoyed this way more than I would have expected, and would definitely go again.

Some other highlights: Lucy participating in street theater in Covent Garden....a solo trip to Portobello Road market....a quick stop in the sketchiest coffee shop ever, featuring a giant English tranny and a smacked out couple nodding on the couch (you should have seen poor Lucy's face)....free Irish yogurt as part of a St. Patrick's Day Irish food fest....dinner at a new Gordon Ramsay pub in Docklands with Richard's friend Alan....a day with our friends Tariq, Trish and their kids (8-year old English kids love Hannah Montana too). I really could go on and on. It was a fabulous week for me and Lucy (not so much for Richard since London is not handicapped-accessible at all, but he did not complain overmuch).

More to come.....I will let you know when I get all 500 of my pictures up on Flickr so you can take your time perusing them.

home again home again

Just wanted to let my loyal readers know that we made it back from England safe and sound. Despite the craziness before we left, we had a great trip. I'll post a mini-travelogue soon (you know you want me to). In the meantime, here are a few photos to tide you over.

pear-shaped update

Richard had his knee put back together yesterday and is at home resting relatively comfortably thanks to the help of some heavy-duty pharmaceuticals (Matthew Perry, if you're reading this, we can hook you up. That joke is old, right?) and this crazy mini-cooler with tubing that pumps ice water up under his knee immobilizer (it will be great for beer later). The doctor cleared him to fly to England on Friday, and put him on injections of a blood thinner called Lovenox to try to prevent any clots. He is now making lots of phone calls to various vacation-related places -- hotel for a first floor room, airline for some kind of seat where he can stretch out his leg, doctor for the prescription for a wheelchair. When we get back, I will have the shoulders of Gwen Stefani from pushing his ass all over England.

So....the last-minute preparations are underway, and with any luck, a meteor will not fall out of the sky onto our house between now and Friday evening. Think good thoughts for us, please.

pear-shaped

I am really starting to think the universe is out to get my family. Since January 5th, things have gone pear-shaped, to use my friend Lindsay's excellent expression. First, my aunt died unexpectedly, and this brought with it a whole host of family drama, which I won't go into detail about, but which continues to spiral. This past week (while I was at my first-ever therapy appointment, thank you very much), Lucy had a skating accident -- her fingers were run over by the freshly-sharpened blades of her 14-year old skating partner. We spent 5 hours in the emergency room at AI, and Lucy got 8 stitches. But, you know, it was all ok because we were looking forward to our vacation -- a 2-week trip to England starting on Friday, March 14th.

Cue Saturday. Richard goes down to the basement to clean out the dog pen. The basement floor is wet because it has been pouring rain all day. Richard's croc-clad foot slips out from under him and he pile-drives his knee straight down onto the cement floor. Ambulance is called, we go to Wilmington Hospital (where we received fabulous and attentive treatment, seriously), and it turns out that Richard has broken his kneecap into three pieces
(we are calling it a dinner plate fracture TM). He is now in a knee-immobilizer, and is scheduled to see the orthopedic surgeon to make a plan to put the pieces back together. He is really being a good sport about the whole thing --much more than I am. We are just hoping against hope that he will be cleared to fly on Friday. Word on the street is that Virgin airlines will upgrade us if we can fly -- fingers crossed, dear readers.

I think it will all work out though because this morning, I saw a sign. Not the Virgin Mary in a stick of butter, mind you, or Jesus in a potato -- but for an atheist like myself, even better -- a smily face on a plate. It's a good sign, right?

"Once," sweded

I loved the movie "Once" and was so excited that Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova won the Best Song Oscar, but this "sweded" version of the trailer is pretty funny. It's no "30-second movie with bunnies," but amusing nonetheless.

West Philly Saturday

West Philly Saturday
Originally uploaded by kjerstieb

whoopie pies from the clark park farmers market are the best. this week i had to be a good mom and give mine to lucy after she dropped hers on the ground. in spite of the invocation of the 5-second rule, it was inedible.

richard

richard is hungry
Originally uploaded by kjerstieb

look how handsome richard is. taken today at dock street brewery in west phila.

lucy

lomo lucy sleeping
Originally uploaded by kjerstieb

I took this picture last year at the end of an awesome southern road trip that Lucy, Margit, and I took. Lucy looks so peaceful and gorgeous. I wish I could feel this peaceful....

you know you're a middle-aged middle-class white lady...

...when you spend a good half-hour on the couch (that you bought at Crate and Barrel) with your middle-aged middle-class white husband looking at pictures of NPR correspondents on their NPR bios and discussing which one is your favorite (Sylvia Poggioli), which one has the best name (David Folkenflik), which one looks like he/she sounds (Nina Totenberg), and which one is the hottest (both Sylvia Poggioli and David Folkenflik are quite the lookers, actually). Yikes.

eat cake, for real

Richard installed Google analytics on my blog so that I can learn more about my several readers. I thought I knew all three of you since I obsessively read your blogs, but it turns out that not only do I have readers in Delaware (Ran and myself), New York (Jocelyn), and California (Ally), but someone also visited my blog from Canada, and someone (maybe the same person) stumbled onto "Eat Cake" while looking for a recipe for cake, of all things.

So, for that person, and the rest of my faithful readers, I am posting my favorite cake recipe. Growing up, this is the cake that I always requested for my birthday. It was handed down to my mom by the cook in her sorority house, name of Smitty (if you know my mom, the idea of her in a sorority is pretty hilarious, by-the-bye). It sounds gross, but it is delicious, really.

Mayonnaise Cake (Smitty)
Makes a 3-layer cake

3 C. flour
2 C. sugar
10 T. cocoa
4 t. baking soda
1 1/2 C. mayonnaise
2 C. cold water
2 t. vanilla
1/4 t. salt

Sift together dry ingredients. Add water and beat 1 minute. Add mayonnaise and beat 1 minute. Add vanilla and beat 1 minute.

Pour batter into 3 greased, floured 9-inch round pans. Bake at 350 degrees for approx. 30 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean (this part of the instructions is missing....so use your best judgment!)

Butter Icing (Jesse)
(this recipe is courtesy of the sister of our old neighbor, Cookie)

3 T. flour
1 C. milk
1 C. butter, softened
1 C. sugar
1 t. vanilla

Combine flour and milk. Strain to remove any lumps. Cook over medium heat until boils and becomes very thick, stirring constantly. Cool completely.

Cream butter. Add sugar. Add vanilla. Add flour mixture and beat with electric mixer until fluffy.

I am becoming a Buddhist....

...and I am going to this temple. Fo' sho'.

shout out to the passport people

Richard, Lucy and I are planning a big trip to England in March -- we've booked our plane tickets, London hotel, and English country cottage -- so exciting. In order to complete the planning, both Lucy and I needed passports (mine had gathered dust in the office for 10 years before finally expiring). Because we waited until the last minute in passport terms (about 8 weeks before departure -- the passport wait time is 6-8 weeks), we paid extra to expedite service. (On a side note, let me just say that the passport agent that we dealt with at the 30th St. Post Office in Philly was just lovely -- perfectly pleasant and helpful, in stark contrast to my expectations.) Expediting the passport was supposed to bring the delivery time down to 3 weeks, which would have worked just fine. Imagine my surprise when the passports arrived in the mail yesterday, just 10 days after we applied! That is service. Have you seen the recently redesigned passports though? They are hilarious. It looks to me like George Bush commissioned the Happy Painter Bob Ross (may he rest in peace) to paint the most patriotic scenes they could think of. There are the requisite pictures of eagles and flags and the Statue of Liberty, and then we have steamboats and Mt. Rushmore and cowboys. But the best? The picture of the moon and outer space on the inside back cover. Apparently, if Lance Bass ever gets that trip on the Space Shuttle, he will have to bring his passport.

obama 2008

I often feel like I am copying Jocelyn's blog...but, hey, she's super cool and imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Like Jocelyn, I am using my highly-read blog to endorse a political candidate: Barack Obama, of course. He came to Wilmington yesterday, and I was one of the 20,000 or so people who waited around in Rodney Square for several hours to see him and hear him speak. The frozen toes were totally worth it. He was amazing -- just an incredible speaker with tons of charisma, saying all the right things. And hey -- it is a rare political candidate that can be bothered to spend time in little ol' Delaware, so that meant a lot. I hope that Super Duper Tuesday goes Obama's way. Yes we can, right?

parumpumpumpum

Lucy got a pretty awesome set of drums for Christmas, and has just started drum lessons. Tonight, I am making her practice and she is so annoyed with me. She is in the "music room" (which now has 2 acoustic guitars, an electric guitar with amp, an electric keyboard, and a drum set -- can you say "living vicariously?"), muttering and stomping. I have heard that playing the drums is a good way to get rid of frustration, though. I'll let you know how that all works out.

it's been awhile

It has been almost a month since I last posted, and lots of stuff has happened, some good, some bad. Here's a recap.

The Christmas holiday was really fun this year. Started out with what I am calling "The LGBTQ Bar Crawl" with Margit, Marianne, Andrew, Brian, Michelle, Grant, Scott, Caitlin (Camp Tockwogh, represent!), and our new friend, karaoke-bartender Tinh. So much fun. Then had a fantastic time at the Trigg-Lowry-Lebbern Christmas Eve happening, with an incredible "fresh ham" (which it turns out is just a gigantic pork roast, amazing), and convivial good cheer with my favorite family that I am not actually related to. And then Christmas Day with the actual family was really low-key and relaxing (we did miss Mia though, who was stuck in California). In spite of scheduling a bunch of vacation days over the holiday, I ended up working a lot, but I didn't really mind for some reason.

2008 got off to a rocky start. My aunt died suddenly and unexpectedly, leaving behind quite a mess to deal with. It sounds trite, but I've been spending a lot of time thinking about Aunt Jud, remembering the good times we had, and all of the nice things she did for people. When Lucy was a baby, just diagnosed with her heart defect, Aunt Jud took charge of a paper crane "drive" on her behalf, ultimately folding 1,000 origami paper cranes (along with my cousins and their friends), all to bring health and good fortune to Lucy. Then, when Lucy was in the hospital having a surgery when she was one, Aunt Jud came to stay at our house to help take care of the dog, and to be nearby to offer support. When Lucy got spaghetti sauce all over her special blankie, Aunt Jud spent hours using different tricks to get the stains out (the blanket turned from lavender to pink, but, no spaghetti sauce!). It is all very sad the way things turned out, and I will miss her a lot. We are having her funeral this weekend, with a "prayer card" featuring the Dalai Lama, and lots of paper cranes. I think she would have approved.

I turned 37 on Tuesday. That sounds old, doesn't it? (I just hope all of my 25-ish year old friends will still hang out with me when I turn 40. Some of them will be in their 30s by then though, so that will be ok.) But, because I am actually old, I celebrated my birthday by working late, then having a delicious dinner of pork chops and arugula salad, with a yummy cake from the Acme. I topped it off by watching the Democratic debates. Crazy fun.