The Trite Tryst

28 is the new 18

2009-02-12T14:48:00.005-05:00

At least that's what it's felt like lately.

After 15 months of waiting, Stella got a spot at PIC!!!
Believe me it's three exclamation points worthy.

So, Although we've been there for about a month, I haven't had a chance to meet all the parents of the children in the room (different schedules...). A mom I hadn't met before came in to drop off her baby as I was helping Stella get settled in. She introduced herself to me assuming I was a new teacher or volunteer. Not to say that the teachers are particularly young or that it's weird I'm hanging out with the kids, plenty if not most parents do this as part of their morning routine, it's just that when I introduced myself I introduced Stella at the same time. Hi, I'm so and so and this is so and so. Totally missing the connection,she responded that yeah, she knew who Stella was but she didn't know who I was and if I was new to the room.
I started speaking in plurals: oh, we've been here for almost a month... She just looked at me funny and went on with her day. I think she never really caught on that I was related to Stella. But I guess it's better than getting that "look". The "oh, you're her mom?" look.
Granted, I may look a tad bit younger than I am, or so I think, and I'm not walking in wearing scrubs but really? OK, that's a bit much, not all moms are doctors or married to one but being surrounded by HUP, Presby, and CHOP doesn't help. Do I just not look like I should have an almost 1 year old?
Yeah, I'm not 28 anymore but when surrounded by so many professionals and not being one myself, it really feels like I just got out of high school and started popping them out.

So, I know I haven't posted for ages. I once more hope this is not a fluke and more will be on the way. Here's to hoping I've eased into my new role and now have time for things I use to do in a care free manner.

Inga Update

2008-09-12T11:51:00.002-04:00

It's slow, I know. It's something, I guess. I did enjoy making the braids and went ahead with making two like Hello Yarn. Hope to finish it soon. We'll see.

$150 Delicious

2008-09-12T11:30:00.006-04:00

So, here it is: The infamous rocking chair. It's AWESOME! Sorry, I can't put it any other way.
It looked a little short once out of the box and assembled but you forget about all that once seated. I think that explains why most online nursery stores only show pictures of kids sitting in it. Besides being a good looking chair, it's most definitely functional. The past couple of night time feedings have calmed my fears of it being uncomfortable. I may not have shoulder support but I do get the appropriate mid to lower back support. Even Jason has warmed up to it, kind of.

I love TV

2008-09-04T11:51:00.003-04:00

Also, can someone please explain why "community organizer" is now a bad word?

Labor Day Weekend Plans

2008-08-26T08:15:00.006-04:00

This labor day weekend Jason will be going to Gainesville to meet Dylan for the first time (wish I could go too) since it's his turn to go on vacation. I went to Barney's Joy and he goes to Gainesville -- somehow that worked out the way it did.
Since Stella was born I haven't had the time to knit anything. I've started a few projects here and there but nothing worth mentioning and really nothing I've managed to finish. Although I'd rather hold her, I do miss having needles and yarn in hand. I also miss that feeling of excitement when you're about to start and later finish a project. This weekend I'm going to try my hardest to really start and commit to something. I figure I'll start small with the little inga hat and work up the courage for the Shetland Shorty.
Wish me luck. Maybe I'll even have time to update my ravelry. Maybe it's all wishful thinking.

In other very sad news, my favorite cupcake blog - Cupcake Bakeshop - was closed and I didn't find out until this week when I thought of possibly baking over the break. It was a great inspiration while it lasted. Chockylit will be sorely missed.

To Eames or Not To Eames

2008-08-20T08:56:00.005-04:00

I'm a bit overwhelmed with how one little thing, like a desire for a rocking chair for Stella's nursery, keeps unfolding into more and more options. Choices are great, don't get me wrong, but they make me a bit dizzy.
I tried out and fell in love with the orange Monte Alto Rocker at GENES in Center City but then died when told that it goes for $795. It was such a comfortable and good looking glider.

Alia used some of her spare time, now that she's in Philly, and found us an Eames-like (I guess the manufacturer doesn't have license to the name) RAR (rocker-armchair-rod) that's very nice on the pocket book and even nicer on the eye. Even though, Jason hates it - clearly, he has no taste - he encouraged me to buy it if it's what I really want.
So, that got me thinking on form vs. function. I was curious to know how other parents faired with this cool but maybe not so comfortable option. I find that the biggest complaint out there is that it provides no support for your shoulders (something you might appreciate during night time feeding) but overall everyone is happy with their choice. I felt though, that a lot of opinions rested more on the fact that this is a design darling and concerns lied more on whether or not to go for the new fiberglass (as it was originally made), the new licensed polypropylene manufactured by Herman Miller, or the vintage.

I conclude that:
1) As nice as it would be, I'm not a purist/collector, or at least my budget doesn't allow it
2) My head hurts
3) I blame Alia for her contagious fixation of all things mid-century-modern

The future is now!

2008-08-01T08:28:00.003-04:00

Josh and Alia are going to be here tomorrow! It takes a while but soon you'll learn to like Philly. I promise. Besides, it'll be so much easier when you have something like this to look forward to:

What will they think of next?

2008-07-24T08:22:00.005-04:00

I was scrolling through the babies r us website and came across the premium furniture collection. I had never seen this section before so I curiously clicked into it and found these.
For a mere $350-700 you can start training your kid to have an eye for mod furniture.
Too much! I don't even have furniture that nice. Playing house just got a little too cool for me.

Week One Down!

2008-06-28T21:05:00.002-04:00

Went back to work and survived. Although, I felt like dying by Friday. It helped a lot that my grandmother is here and I don't have to worry about dropping off and picking up Stella from anywhere. Pumping has also been interesting -- My boss' office, the supply closet...It's amazing what we do for our kids.
Although I have to say, it's been really sweet to come home and have her smiling and even laughing. Any stress or worry of the day, no matter how beat up I feel, just melts away.
In other news, I cut my hair today. It was meant to look like this (by the way, I'm dying to make that cardigan). I would say it's not quite there but it'll do. I can't expect too much when I pay $16 to a student.

It's Official!

2008-06-18T17:01:00.004-04:00

I've been priced out!
I've always wondered why so many women are not taking care of their reproductive issues. Turns out that although some can hack it up to sheer laziness and/or ignorance, others are just tired of all the incredible hoops they must jump through to get anything done.

Now that Stella is here and we don't intend to have another baby for some years, I was considering an IUD. We figured it would be less hassle, just as effective, and more "cost" effective than the pill (or the minipill in my case since I'm breast feeding). Oh yeah, and I wouldn't have to worry about forgetting. It's a pretty routine procedure and I was all for it. Well, thanks to my doctor who warned me about health insurance coverage, I went on a hunt for information before we scheduled the visit. I seriously spoke to more than ten people in different departments and at first I got no straight answers. Today I got the harsh reality. The facts are that the actual implant is covered partly by my prescription plan (a copay of about $150, not bad) but the procedure is not covered by my health insurance plan. Why? Because: 1) the prescription plan would have to be via the health insurance company and I guess to cut cost my employer decided to go elsewhere, and 2) my employer decided not to cover contraception under the women's health clause for what I can only guess is a cost issue. Why be redundant?
How much would the procedure cost anyway? I called my doctor's office and it's but a mere $875.
Not so cost effective in the end. I know that there are other ways and really I won't be irresponsible but I feel a bit underwhelmed by this whole medical coverage system. Especially one set up by what one would think is a progressive academic institution. If it wouldn't have been for my physician I would have just gone ahead full steam. I guess he sees a lot of cases like mine. That was pretty honest of him. I wouldn't be surprised if some doctors just play dumb.

More hormones for me please. Oh well, lets just stare at this gratuitous picture of Stella with big eyes:

What's Taken Me So Long

2008-06-11T09:18:00.016-04:00

I'm sure there have been many things for me to blog about in the past three months but none have been important enough to keep me away from this little one:

Too cute! I can't believe she's already more than 2 months old and I have to go back to work in less than two weeks. Now that I think about it, I haven't been away from her for more than 2hrs since she was born (let alone conceived). I just might have a break down. At least I'll have the reassurance that she's well taken care of by my Grandmother for the first couple of months.
Here's hoping for a seamless transition...

You Try and You Hope

2008-03-12T16:07:00.003-04:00

but it doesn't seem to be enough sometimes.

I wanted to donate my/her/our umbilical cord blood to the National Marrow Donor Program and thought it would be a fairly easy process. Turns out just finding the information on how to go about donating it is daunting onto itself. It's a bit sad that you're constantly bombarded in your doctor's office and in baby books about keeping the stem cells for yourself and the ways, or companies I should say, that you have at your disposal. Nobody is talking about the public cord blood banks that supply lukemia patients or research labs.

We decided not to store ours privately not just because of cost (an initial fee of $1200-$1800 and a yearly fee of $125-200) and because neither of us has a history of any genetic/cancerous diseases but also because we feel that there is no clear understanding of what can actually be done in the future and whether those applications will be available considering the method in which the cells are collected and stored today. We also felt it would be better to put them to use now, to provide them to someone that has a need for them now in ways that have been shown to make a difference.

So, it turns out there's a lot of legal and cost issues that make donation almost impossible. The first hurdle is that the public registries only work with certain hospitals. The list is depressingly short and did not include my hospital. Once you find a public registry, like Cryobanks International, you have to fill out a slew of forms and have your doctor fill out a slew of forms and have all that mailed to them before the end of your 34th week of pregnancy. Here is where the process stopped for me since I'm well past that. So, unless you know that you want to donate from the moment you find out your pregnant don't even think about donating. In the process of being pregnant and figuring out all the different things you have to figure out for the changes that occur to you and the changes that are about to occur once the baby is here you're so overwhelmed that you fear you're forgetting something. In my case it turned out to be this issue and I'm pretty heart broken about it.

I also had the somewhat foolish assumption that it was standard procedure for the hospital to ask you if you wanted to donate or discard. I was especially surprised that a hospital linked to an academic institution such as Penn doesn't have this option for it's patients. It would be great. You have all these births occuring in your hospital, you have a core set up for storage and profiling (like you would do with blood, screen for malignancies such as HIV), provide them to patients in your hospital system (i.e. CHOP) who are waiting for a transplant, and give some to researchers in your vast medical research departments. But this is a way of thinking that is way too simple and way too optimistic. Again, cost and legal issues have made it far from standard. Being in the research world, apparently a bubble of a place, I keep forgetting that the current administration has made stem cell research a "red tape" area and that money still runs the world. Then there must be a few ethical issues I'm forgetting or shrugging off as not a big deal such as patient privacy rights (but I thought that was what HIPPA was for) or who do the stem cells ultimately belong to (If it's the baby's wouldn't the parent be considered negligent for not storing them in the first place? Could they sue a parent once 18?).

Even if I had made it in time to donate to the NMDP I would have been disuaded to do so since I would still have to cover the doctor/hospital fees involved in the collection -- an amount that again I can't afford and the public banks can't afford to reimburse me on.

And then I wonder why I'm so cynical about most things...

So Cool

2008-02-25T18:01:00.005-05:00

I got this pleasant little surprise in my email today:

So ask away! We invite you to email your knitting and fiber-related questions to YouAskedIt@knittingdailytv.com. We'll choose a handful of the ones submitted to be answered on our new public television show, Knitting Daily TV, which will begin airing on PBS this July. Watch for the regular show segment titled "You Asked It!" and see if one of the hosts (maybe even Eunny Jang, editor of Interweave Knits!) answers your questions.

Can't wait to see how it turns out.

Been looking forward to this

2008-02-01T10:08:00.001-05:00

Finally! Tickets for the Kahlo exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art are officially on sale. It's only $20 ($17 for students) and will be featuring 40 of her paintings as well as photographs of her. It will be here from February 20th to May 18th and then move on to San Francisco. If it's anything like the Dali exhibit a few years ago, it will be more than worth it.

Mystery Knitting

2008-01-25T16:10:00.000-05:00

So, I've been knitting.
Thing is, it's all for other people. Although I want to write about it, I don't want them to know what it is until I'm finished and have given it to them.
Here are a few sneak peaks of what I've been working on:

1)This is an accessory I just finished making. It's the first time I attempt to make something like this and am often puzzled why so many in the knitting community love to make this. I've decided that, although it was enjoyable and would make it again, I'm not that kind of knitter.

2)This is for a baby that is due two weeks before Stella. We don't know what gender it is, thus the neutral color. What cute little baby thing will it be?

3)This is for a baby that is due two weeks after Stella. Babies, Babies every where!!! Here we know it'll be a girl who's name is yet undetermined. Her parents affectionately call her CJ (long story). It's a pretty hot item on Ravelry. Everyone seems to be making this or at least they have it on their queue. I like the pattern because of it's simplicity which in turn lends itself to personalization. The possibilities are endless.

In other knitting news, I have the yarn for Stella's picot dress thanks to a generous Christmas gift certificate to Loop. One of the best gifts ever. I decided on a color that's between peach and melon. You'll see, I'll show you once I've started. I'd like to finish another one of the projects above before I get into making it though.

What I did this winter break

2008-01-06T21:20:00.001-05:00

Here is the vibrant green hooded kaftan (Debbie Bliss, Special Knits) minus the embroidery that I managed to start and finish while in Miami for the holidays. It was nice to be at my grandma's with no particular itinerary and most of the morning to knit in peace and quiet. Of course, not having a car down there determined the pace. Miami is,well, unforgiving to those without their own means of transportation. I was ok with staying home to start a new project for Stella but poor Jason was starting to show signs of an animal in captivity after a few days, i.e. pacing back and forth in one spot. I'm still not sure if I even want to add the embroidery seeing that my sewing skills are not up to par with my knitting ones. We'll see, I guess I'll give it a try. Next I might give a try at the picot dress but in a different color. For those of you who have Ravelry I will post details on the pattern, yarn and so on. Just give me some time since apparently my blogging/internet pace is on snail mode lately.

So, besides knitting and relaxing, need I mention the enormous amounts of delicious Cuban food we had. Especially, my grandma's cooking. Oh, I paid for it in the end by being 3 pounds over my target weight.
The funniest thing while there was that because of the heat, it was in the mid 80's + humidity the whole of our vacation, I started to show major signs of edema in my hands, ankles, and nose. Funnier yet, is that it all went away as soon as I returned to the cold here in Philly. Believe me, edema does not help when you're already so self conscious of your body image.

The little bun in my oven has recently made me aware of how precious sleep is. For some reason I've had a real hard time staying asleep at night. Besides reading I've been taking advantage of this time to do some baking. I know it sounds crazy to be stooped over the oven at four or five in the morning but I imagine this is what they mean by baker's hours. I managed to make bagels from scratch on two separate occasions. Pictured here is my first attempt and it shows. I didn't knead the dough enough causing the final product to be far from a complete ring. The second time around was much better. They came out really crispy on the outside and nice and doughy on the inside. Now I just have to get better at making them smaller like the ones we had in Montreal. That dough is a little deceiving. Just when you think you've made them nice and small they blow up while poaching.
Besides bagels I also made a batch of cinnamon rolls from Nigella's How to be a Domestic Goddess and a batch of Christmas tree cookies (Martha of course) pictured below.

These cookies look intimidating at first but are really not that hard to make. I think the hardest part was to crush the candy to pieces -- Jason had fun figuring that one out. The other hard part was finding a cookie cutter shaped like a tree in the middle of Christmas season -- Jason did not have fun figuring that one out. I never would have thought that mixing cookies with candy would have been a good idea. I'm still not sure if I agree with the whole thing. I mean, they were way too sweat for my taste but a lot of people liked them. It was funny that they were so amazed that you could get a cookie to taste like a jolly rancher when in fact that was what they were made of. I guess you get lost in the effect to associate the center with this candy. I would say that in the end they look pretty and would make great ornaments but would not recommend for ingesting unless you have an unimaginable sweet tooth.

Back in the swing of things, I hope

2007-11-16T15:15:00.000-05:00

So, I haven't been blogging much lately. Mostly because much hasn't been going on, or at least nothing worth writing about. I mean, there is a big things but I'm reluctant to write about it in fear that it will take over and become the sole topic of this space. Believe me, there is plenty to say (although,I'm sure it's all been said before) and I don't want to spoil it for everyone else. So, enough of that for now.

I'm so glad the holiday's are creeping up. They seem to give me, now more than ever, a renewed interest in the things I love and feared were drifting away a bit. I'm pretty excited about hosting thanksgiving this year. The menu is beginning to take it's shape and I'm basing on the previous two years (it doesn't seem to be the same without pumpkin cheesecake and twice-baked sweet potatoes). As a warm up, I made rugelach for the first time and brought it in to the lab for the monthly b-day celebration and they turned out pretty good.

Also, with christmas I'm starting to get ideas of what I'd like to knit and for who. I'll get into the details of all that as soon as I get a chance. It will be all organized and pretty thanks to ravelry. I know I haven't raved enough about this site but don't worry it's coming. I was finally invited to join and couldn't be more eager about project planning and so on.

All and all, I feel like I'm back and hope to keep it that way (with little spurts of absence here and there).

Week Fifty-two = I'm DONE!

2007-11-05T12:09:00.001-05:00

I know I'm late in posting (about three weeks behind to be exact) but at least I finished what I set out to do. Need I mention that I am so far the only one who has shown evidence of completion.

It was definitely fun, as well as a drag. Overall, I'm happy with the end result and the experience of the process in general. I find myself looking for things to picture even now, though I'm glad it's ok to let it go by captured only in my mind's eye.

I'm finishing with a work picture, which I think is appropriate since my first picture a year ago was also work related. This one is of a project that has taken us almost a year and close to completion. These little pups are genetic chimeras and believe me it was not easy to get to this point.

I would recommend this exercise to anyone with the slightest interest in photography (even if they are novices, as I clearly was, and they don't have the latest and greatest camera, as was also my case). Sometimes you surprise even yourself. I would warn that you need a lot of encouragement, especially towards the end, to keep going and no fear of looking like a complete fool around your neighborhood and public places when you stop mid-pace to photograph something random on you path.

10.17.07

70% chimera cuties.
10.16.07

10.15.07

10.14.07

Two more babies due in November = more booties to be made.

10.13.07

10.12.07

10.11.07

10.10.07

10.09.07

Week Fifty-one

2007-11-05T11:55:00.001-05:00

10.08.07

View from the Hill Pavilion.

10.07.07

10.06.07

Friendly feet in DC

10.05.07

10.04.07

The view from my window -- CHOP is on fire!

10.03.07

10.02.07

Week Fifty

2007-11-05T11:40:00.000-05:00

10.01.07

09.30.07

09.29.07

09.28.07

09.27.07

09.26.07

09.25.07

Week Fourty-nine

2007-09-28T12:33:00.001-04:00

09.24.07

He's back!

09.23.07

09.22.07

09.21.07

09.20.07

09.19.07

09.18.07

Week Fourty-eight

2007-09-28T12:28:00.000-04:00

09.17.07

09.16.07

09.15.07

Found this guy on 40th and Walnut, similar to the little red guy I found in August.

09.14.07

Leticia's surprise baby shower at work. Vicente got a whole lot of cool things he'll be needing come October.

09.13.07

My version of Lamingtons, which I made for the baby shower/september birthdays.

09.12.07

09.11.07

I can't tell if this will be pumpkin or squash, I'll let you know in a few month.

Week Fourty-seven

2007-09-14T15:03:00.001-04:00

09.10.07

09.09.07

09.08.07

09.07.07

09.06.07

09.05.07

09.04.07

Week Fourty-six

2007-09-14T14:27:00.000-04:00

Yeah, yeah, I haven't posted in a while. I'm tired! What else do you want from me?

09.03.07

09.02.07

09.01.07

08.31.07

08.30.07

08.29.07

08.28.07

Week Fourty-five

2007-08-29T11:54:00.001-04:00

08.27.07

For Mary and I it's all about the ketchup. I mean, why else would fries exist?

08.26.07

Fancy vanilla & pear soap I purchased in Canada. The 13.5% tax was so worth it.

08.25.07

08.24.07

New Deck on one of Mary's many goodbye happy hours.

08.23.07

Both of these pieces, today and previous day, are from Cara Lyndon, a great site for cute, vintage inspired gifts.

08.23.07

08.22.07

Week Fourty-four

2007-08-29T11:50:00.000-04:00

08.20.07

Rainy day, back in Philly.

08.19.07

Au revoir Canada.

08.18.07

Koy at the Japanese garden in Montreal's Botanical Garden.

08.17.07

Jason having fun on the edge of Mount Royal.

08.16.07

Yummy truffles near Rue St. Denis. Passion fruit, basil, lychee, earl gray, salt...

08.15.07

Hotel de Ville Montreal near the tourist trap of Place Jaques-Cartier. No, we did not stay there. Our hotel was still pretty sweet.

08.14.07

Megan's new fur-baby Luke.

Week Fourty-three

2007-08-13T10:10:00.001-04:00

08.13.07

I'm golden! Canada, here we come. Talk about by the skin of your teeth.

08.12.07

08.11.07

Went to the Jersey shore (don't ask why, it's a beach ok) and left my camera at home. It's not so bad since there wasn't much to take pictures of.
So, what's the deal with charging people $10/person to go to the beach?
Oh, yeah, I got a little burned. Luckily, that will be brown in a couple of days.

08.10.07

Banana Split Brownies I made for work's august b-day celebration.
Scharffen Berger made all the difference.

08.09.07

08.08.07

A colleague's work.

08.07.07

Week Fourty-two

2007-08-13T08:39:00.000-04:00

I'm a week behind, I know. Haven't had much impetus to post lately. It's summer, I like to be outside, been really tired, been bored with my blog, been reading, been knitting, been thinking about Montreal (two more days!). You get what I'm saying. The sad thing is that I actually have a bit to talk about, especially in the FO department. Maybe later today or when I get back. We'll see.

08.06.07

Somebody tacked this little guy to the middle of the street, straight onto the asphalt, inches away from the trolley tracks.

08.05.07

So this is what a skein of super bulky looks like! Saddly, the bumpy texture is not the best for the Twinkle hoodie.

08.04.07

I finished this weeks ago. It's the knitty coachella. I used knitpick's shine worsted in reef, about 3.5 skeins. I think I went a little too long but otherwise it came out pretty nice.

08.03.07

These were strawberry cupcakes I made for Mary's party. I changed the recipe a bit by adding thinly chopped strawberries to the cake mix.

08.02.07

08.01.07

These are the mod benches they expect you to sit on at TRL. Haven't tried them, so I guess I shouldn't judge but they really don't look comfortable.

07.31.07

Work, work, work.

Week Fourty-one

2007-07-31T07:02:00.001-04:00

07.30.07

For Vicente, Leticia's baby due late October.
The pattern was one of the simplest to follow.
Finished them in one day.

07.29.07

One of my favorite smells from the kitchen: sofrito, the way my Grandma makes it.

07.28.07

Adios Carlos. Te vamos a extranar muchisimo. Demasiado!

07.27.07

A cloud of dry ice, it seems.

07.26.07

My camera took a picture of it's reflection. How vain.
Yeah, I was bored that day.

07.25.07

My loving husband will loose his ring one of these days.

07.24.07

Week Fourty

2007-07-26T07:46:00.000-04:00

07.23.07

07.22.07

Gus and Varee in Philly, taking in the sights at Rittenhouse Square.

07.21.07

Amy and Christian's Engagement party.

07.20.07

Blueberry lemon tart anyone?

07.19.07

07.18.07

07.17.07

Week Thirty-nine

2007-07-17T19:43:00.001-04:00

07.16.07

Yay! Happy knitting for me. I hope.

07.15.07

07.14.07

07.13.07

Abuela's Flan meet Margarita Cheesecake. Margarita Cheesecake meet Abuela's Flan.

07.12.07

Had an impromptu dinner at Giwa in Center City. Yummy and fresh Korean food was just right for the summer heat.

07.11.07

A rainy day.

07.10.07

Nothing like home made pizza. Artichokes and Black olives for me please.

Week Thirty-eight

2007-07-11T17:54:00.001-04:00

07.09.07

07.08.07

07.07.07

07.06.07

07.05.07

07.04.07

07.03.07

Hurry, Hurry Already!

2007-07-06T16:27:00.001-04:00

This looks AWESOME! I can't wait till it's ready for general use. Just in case I added myself to the list as a beta user. Doubt I'll get it though. This is just what I need to get me to enter in all the details I keeps putting off in my flickr FOs.

In other knit news, I'm totally obsessing over Twinkle's Big City Knits like there's no tomorrow. The patterns are really cool. Although, they seem to cater to the emaciated types). While flipping though the book, I couldn't stop starring at the chunkiness and beauty of these pieces but was also a bit alarmed by the skeletal models. Needless to say that dissuaded me from purchasing it. Now, all I can do is think about it. Ahh! I did find someone who's body type is comparable to mine (I hope, she could be lying), knit lit, who made The Best Friend Cardigan and looks pretty good in it. And don't get me started on the yarn, it's just lovely! Expensive, but lovely none the less. The colors are so bright and it's hard to decide on just one.
I've got a problem. I think I've fessed up to it before. Oh well, oh well.

Week Thirty-seven

2007-07-02T20:37:00.001-04:00

07.02.07

My hands are getting old, old, old!

07.01.07

06.30.07

Creepy ghost ship seems out of place amidst shopping plaza.
Can you guess where this picture is taken from?

06.29.07

Alia, this one's for you.

06.28.07

07.27.07

Jason with paper bangs (while having lunch at White Dog with Sophia and me).
No, still not over it. Getting there.

06.26.07

Week Thirty-six

2007-06-27T21:01:00.001-04:00

DC = lunch at Ben's Chilly Bowl, an awkward hike in Rock Creek Park, a walk in Mount Pleasant, and good times with hookahs & dirty martinis.
More importantly, DC = where great friends live and gather, for now.

Wednesday's picture is of a neighborhood fungi, a beauty.

06.25.07

06.24.07

06.23.07

06.22.07

06.21.07

06.20.07

06.19.07

Bangs, Bitches! Bangs!

2007-06-24T18:59:00.000-04:00

Today, partly on a whim and partly because I've been wanting to for a long time, I cut my hair. More specifically, Alia cut my hair and gave me full-on-all-the-way-across-my-forehead bangs.
It's a bit drastic, I know, but not as drastic as something that would warrant the reaction I got from Jason. He HATED them! Still does.

To that I want to say : Deal with it, but sadly can't.

I know I look different and considerably so, but I'm still the same person.
Needless to say, although my haircut was free, it cost me many, many tears.
I like them, as uneven as they may be, and hope to wear them for a while to come.
Hopefully he'll get over it, for as much as he says that they're the least flattering thing I could have done to myself.

Disposable Income

2007-06-21T12:08:00.000-04:00

Ha! Disposable Income! What a concept!
A myth in these parts.
But if I had $40 and had to spend it on a t-shirt it would be this one:

Week Thirty-five

2007-06-18T22:26:00.001-04:00

06.18.07

06.17.07

06.16.07

06.15.07

06.14.07

06.13.07

06.12.07

Who, oh Who?

2007-06-15T13:11:00.000-04:00

Will go with me to see this one?
A silent, black and white, Freudian (vampire) melodrama?
This has "Valeska-good" written all over it. I think I lost Jason at silent.

So you know what you're getting into

2007-06-12T22:50:00.000-04:00

From today and until next Tuesday you can hear Icky Thump in its entirety before its release. Yeah, it's MTV, so? Did you really need to be convinced though?
Aren't these buttons just too cute?

It's just not meant to be

2007-06-12T09:00:00.000-04:00

OK, so I finished this a while ago (right before memorial day) and just have no desire to start talking about it right away. I wanted it done and out of sight for a while. Can you tell I'm disappointed? It looks beautiful, pretty much what I had envisioned in my head -- especially the sleeves that took me longer than I would have liked because of the color/needle changes along the pattern. The problem is when I try it on...
In this picture I'm cheating (holding the excess with my left hand). Lengthwise it's OK, maybe a little too long but nothing too terrible. It's width wise where the problem lies. Extremely too wide! I know, I know, I have no one to blame except myself. GAUGE, GAUGE, GAUGE! I was so good too, or so I thought. Checking every once in a while but I guess not often enough. Sadly, unless I use it as layering in the winter (it's actually pretty warm even as cotton, very dense cotton) I will never be able to show this beauty off. I honestly look awful in it, with all the lumps and what not. To think I followed the instructions for the XS.
My second failed attempt with this poor yarn and I have only weeks of agony to show for it. Heart breaking.
Perhaps the third time is the charm? The summer knitty issue is up.
Perhaps a sophie or a coachella?
Perhaps I'm not that much of a masochist?
Perhaps I should just forget it and go for the wisp or the chapeau marnier in a dark chocolate?

Week Thirty-four

2007-06-11T22:06:00.001-04:00

No feedback, no comments, no descriptions.

06.11.07

06.10.07

06.09.07

06.08.07

06.07.07

06.06.07

06.05.07

Abuela, te quiero

2007-06-10T13:06:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we had a party for Jason's B-day and, as usual, he requested I make cuban food. So I called my grandma in miami and asked her for some recipes. She's great at this; tells you in great detail what the ingredients are but don't even ask her in what amount. "Ay hija, yo no se, un poquito..."
My grandmother cooks from the heart, or at least that's how I feel about it. She just knows when it's right without measuring cups or written recipes. This is how I ventured into making frijoles blancos (white beans) and pierna de lechon asada (oven roasted pork shoulder). The provisions (tostones, yuca fries, and fufu) are pretty straight forward but the other two had me worried.

I can say that the outcome was truly amazing even to myself. It all came together at once. I knew I was going in the right path the minute my apartment was filled with the aroma of my grandmother's house on saturday afternoons when we would have our late family lunches. Imagine the smell of softened beans as they come out of the pressure cooker alongside the sofrito (onion, garlic, green and red pepper, salt, cumin, oregano, and bay leaves) placed on the fire, and the oven giving off an indication of the melding of bitter orange, lime, and garlic to the pork meat.

The party was great fun -- Leticia and Mariano got Jason an almost indestructible donkey pinata. I think the makers made it to "the drunken adult" specifications.
The birthday cake was a strawberry cheesecake (big surprise considering last year it was passion fruit cheesecake, and the year before that a margarita cheesecake, and the year before that a plain cheesecake, and the year before that...) which, I spent all of friday night making. Oh yeah, Kieran and Luke are here visiting.

Now, I'm a little exhausted but overall content with the outcome. I hope our guests had as much fun as I did.

Abuela, quizas nunca podras leer estas palabras, pero tu sabes que te quiero.
Has enriquezido mi vida en una manera que no podre describir con palabras.
Esto quiero que el mundo entero lo sepa.

Week Thirty-three

2007-06-04T17:56:00.001-04:00

Maybe things are best left to the imagination.
You let me know.

06.04.07

06.03.07

06.02.07

06.01.07

05.31.07

05.30.07

05.29.07

Lets Go!

2007-06-01T10:37:00.000-04:00

Week Thirty-two

2007-05-28T19:15:00.000-04:00

05.28.07

Memorial day. Had the day off. Decided to make a nice breakfast.
I don't remember what these are called exactly but for now I'll call them "egg in a basket". They're really simple to make: Just make a dimple into the middle of a slice of bread, break an egg, cover with whatever (in this case tomato + colby), salt, pepper, 350F for about 10 min or until bread = toast and egg whites are cooked.
These came out ok but I cooked them for too long -- I like the yolk to be a little more runny -- and they were missing something green, like asparagus or green onion. Cilantro? Beside that they cost me dearly - a chunk off my index finger's knuckle. I was a little too enthusiastic in my cheese shredding. I won't go into gruesome details. Lets just say, I have no kind of dermis left. Ouch!

05.27.07

One of the many murals in Philly. This one on the walls of an overpass above I-76. I've been pondering my next picture oriented project and decided that it may be about all the (or most, I should say) murals throughout the city. There are at least 2700 of them. OK, maybe just my favorites. This is hardly a novel idea. Maybe I'm just being sentimental about Philly in general. Who knows where we'll land next year.

05.26.07

Shadows, lines, the man I wake up next to. Need I say more?

05.25.07

Shoes. Shoes. Lets get some shoes.

05.24.07

My books are here and I can't start reading them. I promised.

05.23.07

During lunch, on the green square, while Megan gives me that look. You know, oh that picture thing again look.

05.22.07

On my walk home from work, I looked down.

Hair Helmet Night

2007-05-26T15:31:00.000-04:00

One of my guilty pleasures (besides shoes, yarn, books, and so on) is HBO.
Every time I tell myself to cancel my subscription something else keeps me hooked. First it was Carnivale (that died out terribly), then the cathartic genius of David Miltch's Deadwood (also dead but one of the best written shows on tv ever). Now it's Six Feet Under "on demand" and soon it'll be Flight of the Conchords.

This show is like the live action version of Home Movies on Adult Swim. Random. But instead of movies it's music, hilarious music. You can watch the whole first episode here so you see for yourself what I'm talking about. Granted, this humor is not for everyone. If you like to see silly (New Zealand) boys acting out, you'll love it as much as I do.

Who am I living with?

2007-05-25T10:57:00.000-04:00

Upon getting his grade for his surgery rotation -

V: "See. I told you not to worry. Why are you so silly and worry so much."

J:"I have to do good so I can crush my enemies. I have lots of enemies. And I have to crush them all."

Imagine, while he says this, his hand formed into an upturned claw "crushing" an imaginary small "enemy". All this with a straight face.

Me, rolling my eyes.

Women and their Choices

2007-05-24T08:30:00.000-04:00

I'm so disgusted this morning I fear this won't come out right.
Yesterday a 60 year old woman gave birth to twins thanks to the marvels of invitro. Need I say more?
In the interview she talked a great talk about choice and how as a baby boomer she's paved the way for future generations -- "I hope to be a role model to other women out there. To show them that anything is possible".
What kind of SELFISH future is that to have. Woman, I don't want any part of it!

Then you get to the whole mess of the life these children are in store for. More importantly, their health. C'mon, at 60 that uterus is far from functional. That means that not only did she conceive by artificial means (a treatment out there for women of bearing age who have difficulties) but she was probably also pumped with hormones throughout her pregnancy just to be able to carry them to term.

When are people going to understand that maybe things are designed a certain way, for a reason beyond the confines of science, that just because we can do certain things thanks to technology doesn't mean we should. If you're so attuned to your choices then make them and stick to them. I know that you're allowed to change your mind, you can make mistakes, but to defy nature so blatantly just because you had a fleeting fancy...

We've reached an age where women must be superheros, capable of doing anything and everything, all at once and in a perfect manner. Have your career, and your children. Get married, change your mind, or don't do it at all. But we don't stress the responsibility that comes along with those choices. So choose, and choose wisely. Live in the moment while not being crippled by the past but don't even set foot without a slight notion of what your choices mean for tomorrow. You're an individual and have every right to choose how you live but you're not in bubble. This world was not made for you and you alone.

Yeah, this means I'm back to the news in the mornings...where is the lull of the new peter bjorn and john song when you need it?

Have you heard this one before?

2007-05-22T21:00:00.000-04:00

Seeing that this evening was really beautiful, Jason and I went for a long walk up and down Spruce Hill. On the last leg of our stroll we were approached by a young woman who appeared to be pregnant and asked us for some money to help her get to Newark. She's pregnant, her boyfriend left her stranded, she has no way to get home and not enough money to buy a $25 dollar bus ticket.
She emphasized that she has nothing to her name and if she did would not be standing in the middle of the street asking for money while pregnant. She doesn't know anyone in Philly and is in no condition to stay in a shelter.

Here's the kicker: we ran into the same exact girl a month ago, a few blocks from home. She told us the exact same story with the same key points. The only difference was that it was raining that day. I suppose that's why she couldn't remember us. Or maybe it's that we look like all the other bozo kids who live in this neighborhood. Who can blame her. In both cases, since I was on a walk, I didn't have my wallet on me. Jason only had a few quarters. I guess seeing that her pregnancy seemed evident, he felt bad and gave her what he had. What's worse is that, even though she said she would take anything, she complained that she was getting change and asked if he didn't at least have a dollar. Although I felt bad for her the first time, I'm not quite sure what to feel now. If she's really truly pregnant, then that's just sad in so many levels. I can't even begin to explain.

Week Thirty-one

2007-05-21T20:24:00.000-04:00

05.21.07

Here are the Gladiolus growing in front of our building waiting to greet us home on a beautiful afternoon.

05.20.07

On Sunday we went with Josh and Alia to the Italian Market Festival on 9th St. It was rather fun and the food was really good. Alia and I shared the greatest cannoli I've ever had. It was definitely crowded, as you can see. Frank Rizzo in the background really gives this picture a different feel, i.e. kinda creepy.

05.19.07

On Saturday we took Josh and Alia on a stroll around the neighborhood. We came across this beautiful peony on Baltimore while on our way to Clark Park. I saw it again on my way home today and was saddened to see it wilting already. Beauty is so fleeting.

05.18.07

Great times at Ten Stone.

05.17.07

More candies at work...These truffles come all the way from Russia. A coworker who went back to visit brought them back to share.

05.16.07

I never thought that in my adult life someone would still make fun of my lunch. This was though one of the smallest oranges I've ever seen. Instead of crying in shame I thought I would use some perspective to make it look ginormous.

05.15.07

Here is "cat" (I'll find out his/her name one of these days) who frequents Sam's Place. It was really early in the morning on my way to work. Sam's wasn't even open yet, that's really early. I think cat was pretty upset about that.

Tee Hee

2007-05-17T17:13:00.000-04:00

This was in an article in The Economist a coworker forwarded me:

"As one of the most prominent female
baby-boomers, Mrs Clinton is whatever people want to see in her. She is lionised by feminists and demonised by cookie-baking traditionalists."

Oh my, what would a cookie-baking feminist see?

Travesuras de la nina mala

2007-05-16T14:13:00.000-04:00

Not too long ago, hours in fact, I bought 2 new books in Spanish. I've had this craving lately for something different. So, why not another language. They haven't even processed the order and I'm already really, really wanting this book.
I'm so bad, I should just finish reading all the half read book I already own and finish the next two in line before I even think about this one.
Besides, isn't that why I asked for the New Yorker, so that I can read the short fiction stories. Those are piling up too. I just read "still life" by Don Delillo and have a Sadie Smith waiting. So much to read, too little time.

How do you cry and laugh at the same time?

2007-05-15T12:21:00.000-04:00

You read Dave Eggers.
Here's an excerpt from what I'm reading right now (thanks for the quote idea Matt) in A Heart Breaking Work of Staggering Genius:

But six moths later she began to have pain again -- Was it indigestion? It could just be indigestion, of course, the burping and the pain, the leaning over the kitchen table at dinner; people have indigestion; people take Tums; Hey Mom, should I get you some Tums? -- but when she went in again and they had "opened her up" -- a phrase they used -- and had looked inside, it was staring out at them, at the doctors, like a thousand writhing worms under a rock, swarming, shimmering, wet and oily -- Good God! -- or maybe not like worms but like a million little podules, each a tiny city of cancer, each with an unruly, sprawling, environmentally careless citizenry with no zoning laws whatsoever. When the doctors opened her up, and there was suddenly light thrown upon the world of cancer-podules, they were annoyed by the disturbance, and defiant. Turn off. The fucking. Light. They glared at the doctor, each podule, though a city onto itself, having one single eye, one blind evil eye in the middle, which stared imperiously, as only a blind eye can do, out at the doctor. Go. The. Fuck. Away. The doctors did what they could, took the whole stomach out, connected what was left, this part to that, and sewed her back up, leaving the city as is, the colonist to their manifest destiny, their fossil fuels, their strip malls and suburban sprawl, and replaced the stomach with tube and a portable external IV bag. It's kind of cute, the IV bag. She use to carry it with her, in a gray back-pack -- it's futuristic-looking, like a synthetic ice pack crossed with this liquid food pouches engineered for space travel. We have a name for it, we call it "the bag."

On Being an Independent

2007-05-15T11:32:00.000-04:00

Today is the Philadelphia primary for the Mayoral Election and perhaps one of the only occasions where it sucks to be registered as an independent.
No voice for me.
Philly is pretty much a Dem town (5 candidates running for Dem party). Unless one of these guys decides to run as an independent after today (I don't know the logistics of that and whether this is even possible), the choice will be made today.

In other news, I'm at work and wondering why the hell I'm here. I thought I felt better but quickly loosing energy. I hope my workaholic guilt (the little bit that I have that is) won't bite me on the ass tomorrow. It doesn't help that it's evaluation time. I expletive hate expletive expletive self evaluations (open avenue for self deprication or self exaltion -- either way you loose). I'm not in the habit of censoring my blog from four letter words but using them right now would just be too obvious and I'm afraid you wouldn't grasp just how much I hate them.

In other other news, I saw the most depressing documentary on Sundance last night. It's called Shakespeare Behind Bars and is about inmates in a Louisville prison who put on a Shakespeare play every year. This particular year it was The Tempest. The documentary came out in 2005 so all you NetFlix/BlockBuster people can most likely rent it. It's worth it. Not just because of Shakespeare but because there is so much tragedy and so much heart in the lives of these men who we often forget are men at all.

Week Thirty

2007-05-14T13:30:00.000-04:00

05.14.07

Seeing how I didn't do myself the favor of staying in bed over the weekend, I stayed home sick today. I have this really dry cough (sound like a dog), a slight fever, and an eye that won't stop crying. Don't worry guys, I'll be better by Friday when you're here.
So, since I stayed home, I got to see multiple episodes of The Twilight Zone. This one featured a very young Denis Hopper as an American post-WWII neo-nazi that "has a hunger that craves for a greatness in his diet". I think the episode was called He Still Lives. To satiate his hunger he gets Hitler's ghost as a mentor. The episode ended with telling words by the narrator stating that while hate exists so does the spirit of those who before us have acted on and lived off of hate. Raising them back from the dead so to speak. Now that's good TV.

05.13.07

We were so close to AC and seeing how I'd never been I agreed to be a trooper and tag along. New sites, new pictures, gotta at least do it once so you know what it's like. I was feeling slightly shittier with my cold and being in a room with countless machines chiming in at once (chiming is not quite right, it's more like a hypnotized lull induced by meds) wasn't quite the best thing I could have done to myself. Again, I was being a trooper. I took this at Cesar's. There were a few other good ones, especially of the boardwalk and the sea, but I have this thing for lines and light. In other news, I don't see myself going back to AC, even when I'm better. Maybe I needed to be drunk. It wasn't as depressing or terrible as I though it would be (these are all adults right) but there was definitely a lot of gaudiness and I did feel pretty dirty on the way out. Meg was the only one who really gambled (Jason did a slot and won 15c). It was funny because Jason was her "cooler". She would loose when he was around and win the minute he walked away from us.

05.12.07

We went to the Jersey shore for the first time this weekend --Brigantine beach to be exact. Megan's parents have a shore house there and she was kind enough to invite us. Sadly, it was way to windy to sit out and watch the waves come and go. It didn't help that I was starting to come down with something. I was trying to capture this tumultuous environment and came up with this (otherwise I would have posted one of my hair going crazy in all different directions but you know how self-conscious I am about self portraits).

05.11.07

This was a pleasant surprise when I uploaded it to my computer. At first, when I took it on Hamilton walk on my way back home, I didn't think it would be this vibrant since the light just wasn't quite right seeing that it was already later in the afternoon. Then again, we are getting more light this time of year. No complaints there. One more to attest to my love of green. I think I could stare at this one for a while longer...

05.10.07

We get lots of candies at work. If you ever want to see sweets disappear in a matter of minutes, this is the place to be. These guys just look so bright sitting there I had to take a picture.

05.09.07

At first it was the tandem bike that caught my attention. Then it was the fact that it was a Shwinn and that there were lines and shadows dissecting it. But finally, it was the vacuum that convinced me.

05.08.07

I don't know quite how to start for this one. It's a quote from one of my coworkers that resulted from a previous discussion of an incident on the news. He felt so strongly about it that he thought it would be funny/assertive to put it down in writing. I don't quite think it's funny but rather telling of an underlining symptom that is more prevalent than I would like to know. He (along with others) believes it to be so shameful for a man to be raped by another man, that death or never confessing to it are the only options. Death preferred over silence, silence over claim. More importantly, no man in his right mind would allow another to commit such a crime against him. This leads to thoughts of what exactly makes a man and the idea of a double standard when it comes to the victimization of the male gender. Sadly, I need this picture to remind me that homophobia, bigotry, and misogyny are still very much alive, even in the "educated" world.

Waitress

2007-05-13T22:41:00.000-04:00

Can we please, please, please go see this? You know I could never go to the theater on my own, all by my self. Who does that? Anyway, baking as catharsis? I'm in.

Cupcakes Galore

2007-05-11T09:54:00.001-04:00

Some are mine, some Nigella's, and some (most) Chocklylit's. I agree that you can never make too many and thanks to The Cupcake Bakeshop the variety seems endless. Now that we do monthly birthday celebrations at work, I've had the perfect excuse to try out these recipes. My latest (raspberry mint pictured at the end) has me a bit apprehensive. I'll get feedback later today but I'm worried about the raspberry mouse as icing. Too much heavy cream? Did all the gelatin fully dissolve or are people going to be unpleasantly surprised? I'm my worst critic when it comes to my cooking. I always have a idea of all the flavors in my head but never satisfied with the final product.
Also, now that I've been bringing them to work I found the coolest carrier ever. Although I OBSESS over the color GREEN, I thought the sage was too muted for my taste. So, I went with the sky blue and I love it.

Two Words:

2007-05-10T10:38:00.000-04:00

DADDY
ISSUES

That's what I think of Lost.
Prevalent throughout the characters.
Confirmed in last night's episode.

I forget our culture still lives under a patriarchy.

Are you ever too old for videos?

2007-05-09T09:12:00.000-04:00

Music videos that is?
In the past couple of weeks I've grown tired of the news. It's actually not a fun way to start your day. Who really wants to be informed? The world sucks and most people in it are shitty people. Tell me something I don't already know.
So, I started adding music videos as part of my morning routine. Like when I was in college. Yeah, I know, kinda pathetic.

I tend to prefer Fuse to the other two channels but still change between commercials. Again, who wants to wake up to that? And I have to say, that while reclaiming my youth (wow, I take myself way too seriously), I feel very very old. OK, I exaggerate, but still. I don't know (and perhaps more so don't care to know) most of today's so called musically talented. As always there are diamonds in the rough. Sadly, I feel that without the video half the songs I like I may not have even payed attention to if it was on the radio. The video completes these particular songs, I feel. Right, video killed the radio star and what not...

One particular video is Lazy Eye by Silversun Pickups (who are they?) where these two cute emo kids (girl with very short hair, boy with shaggy long hair) do the eye game where you're looking for the other person all over the bar (in this case) but when they're around you pretend they're not even there or you could care less. Actually, it's the girl that does this (here is where Jason would chime in and ask why girls have to be so cruel). I really like this song, can't seem to get it out of my head, but if it weren't for the emo kids I would have paid no mind.

There's this other video by a band who's name is not worth remembering, much less their song, but I'm hypnotized each time by the frailest of frames on the lead singer. He wears the skinniest of skinny jeans I've ever seen. It's like a wreck I can't stop staring at.

Maybe in a month or two, when the repertoire gets too repetitive, I'll go back to the news and wonder what it was I was thinking.

Week Twenty-nine

2007-05-07T11:33:00.000-04:00

Once again, first three are spring...
On Friday I waited for Jason, a really long time, at the Green Line. I had a chamomile and something tea and read a really, really long article, as is usually the case for The New Yorker, on Obama as the conciliator. We'll see how things play out but I'm definitely excited.
On Saturday we sat around at Clark Park and watched these cute kids play soccer and on Sunday I made the Lemon Sandwich Cookies from this month's Everyday Food. They disappeared in less than an hour at work.
Monday's pic is of media we use throughout the lab for our tissue culture cells.

05.07.07

05.06.07

05.05.07

05.04.07

05.03.07

05.02.07

05.01.07

They're up

2007-05-04T16:31:00.000-04:00

Finally!
Here are the pics if you want to see what we did on our San Francisco etc. trip.
It only took me almost two months. Honestly I don't know why.
And I'm not apologizing.

Green's Return

2007-05-04T09:53:00.000-04:00

It's days like this that make you aware of every breath you take and how precious they are. How amazing everything around you looks and feels. The fear that you're about to miss everything starts to creep up but beauty impedes it, for just another minute. Possibility is but a few steps away.

All we take for granted starts to lineup neatly and endlessly.
How is it that we have faith that it will all come back next year?
Here are the leaves, just as before, as if they had never left us.

Week Twenty-eight

2007-04-30T14:10:00.000-04:00

Here are more Spring pictures and the missing-its-sleeves-Ribena.
On Thursday's picture you can see the many faces of CC (aka Nathalie's Cool Cat).

On Saturday, after taking care of my cells, Megan and I went to MoMa. The Jeff Wall exhibit along with all the heavyweights on the 5th and 4th floor are more than worth it but the real treat was Project 85: Dan Perjovschi. It was just such a great way to start the day/museum experience. We also went to Republic for a late and amazingly great lunch. Of course I stopped at Mariebelle's. C'mon, that was a no brainer. I almost went to Purl, but I think by then I had tortured myself enough. I can't fathom leaving empty handed and I really didn't want to spend too much as it was. Let's be real here.

Sunday I made a flan to take to Christian and Amy's house for dinner. Christian's Mom, who was visiting for his birthday, made us delicious homemade Brazilian food.
So, this week was in some ways about eating good.

04.30.07

04.29.07

04.28.07

04.27.07

04.26.07

04.25.07

04.24.07

Week Twenty-seven

2007-04-23T16:39:00.001-04:00

I love, love, love spring. I think this past week's pictures clearly state that. If there's one thing I am grateful for in this whole Philadelphia venture, is the experience of what spring is all about.
The first three pictures are of the various fauna I encounter during my daily walk to and from work -- the bio-pond, a neighborhood garden, and Hamilton Walk.
On Friday, after drinks at Ten Stone, we walked over to Rittenhouse Square. It was beautiful and everyone was out. While taking pictures of random children, I caught this lady walking by and her leg, perhaps a little bit more, just disappearing into thin air.
On Saturday I planted a mini herb garden on the windowsill of my kitchen. Pictured here is my hopefully-blooming-soon-lavender. I also have cilantro, rosemary, mint, basil, and cayenne peppers. Jason doesn't seem to think they'll last very long. I really hope to prove him wrong.
On Sunday we went to Clark Park where I knitted to the beat of these guys' drums.
Monday's picture is of the Pennsylvania Hospital in center city -- the 1st Philadelphia/National hospital. I'm pretty sure Ben Franklin had something to do with it. It was around 11am when I left from my Dr.'s appointment and it took me a long time to try and convince myself to go to work. Oh yeah, I'm healthy and normal. I don't know why but I always get anxious when I go, even if it's just for a routine annual check up. Maybe it's the prevalent paranoia of our culture that is constantly looking for things to worry about... I always feel like there is some hidden obscure thing they're going to discover. Sad.
Anyway, the day was GORGEOUS!

04.23.07

04.22.07

04.21.07

04.20.07

04.19.07

04.18.07

04.17.07

The Sun is Here!

2007-04-20T11:59:00.000-04:00

Please forgive me but it's been more than 7 days.
Earlier I said this weekend was going to be in the mid 60's, edit that to mid to upper 70's.
And it's the Free Library's Book Fest.
Even though I still have to come in to work I'm going to try to make it.
YAY for SPRING!

Week Twenty-six

2007-04-16T08:58:00.000-04:00

Spring is here and you wouldn't even know it. With out April showers there will be no May flowers but must there be snow too? That is the scene this morning in front of my apartment and apparently throughout most of the eastern seaboard. I'm glad this didn't happen the first year we moved here or I might of just packed my bags and gone back to Miami. At least I know better now that it's just a fluke, or is it?
They're promising mid 60s this weekend. I really hope that's the case so we can finally enjoy the out doors. We're so sad (at the brink of tears) Josh and Alia won't be able to come. Libraries up and running of Sundays; what is this world coming to?

My Ribena is coming along. I'm working in the arm hole shaping and although I complained earlier that it's going slow I have found my new inspiration in Brooklyntweed. His latest is a true beauty and it only took him a month.

Speaking of inspiration, on Wednesday I saw the placard bellow at the TRL building. I think I might be Madame Curie next Halloween.

On Friday we were Wiid out at Megan and Nicole's. I did hold the boxing championship tittle until Jason stripped it away (or maybe I let him, we'll never know).

Finally, on Saturday, after my haircut at Jean Madeline/Aveda Institute (salon hair cut $16 and I'm super excited since a new one is about to open in University City) we went for sushi at Mizu. What we did before brown rice sushi and udon noodle soup is beyond me.

04.16.07

04.15.07

04.14.07

04.13.07

04.12.07

04.11.07

04.10.07

My Ribena

2007-04-12T08:44:00.000-04:00

I'm pretty excited about this project, as tends to be the case in the beginning, but it's coming along slower than I first thought. Mostly since you have all these awkwardly placed needles of different sizes in order to get the most dramatic rib effect. It also doesn't help that I was on vacation. I did attempt to make one of the sleeves but I kept making mistakes (vacation mode not the best for following patterns especially when your trying to figure out gauge and so on). Long story short, I will have to redo the sleeve when I make it's pair. Although frustrating, in knitting no mistake is permanent. Oooh, EZ is rubbing off on me.

Week Twenty-five

2007-04-10T08:03:00.000-04:00

I have a few oddballs this week that I feel I must explain.
First, for all you non-science-nerds Wednesday and Friday's pictured depict what few of us take part in during "down time". The first is an eppy-bomb encased in a larger tube for safety reasons (gosh that sounds super nerdy). An eppy-bomb is a small tube filled to capacity with dry ice. As the dry ice sublimates (believe me we have countless observers) the pressure builds up until the lid is literally blown off. The second is part of a series of "peep experiments" (there is much research in this field) where you subject the little guys to endless torture. Here it's going under the pressure test and, as previously observed by other groups, it grows to about double its size.
Although I understand the need to de-stress, I must clarify that I did not take part in any of these activities. Simply, I was an observer/recorder of such events.

The rest are a few pictures of the somewhat spring we are having around here. The magnolias/cherry blossoms (not pictured) are out but the winter coats are still lingering about. I think this year we'll just plunge right into summer. Here you see the mini LOVE sculpture on campus -- it's larger and rather famous sibbling (by Robert Indiana) is near city hall in JFK plaza/love park -- and the Rodin musseum with The Thinker at it's entrance.

Finally, my Saturday picture is the scene from the Walt Whitman Bridge (which turns 50 this year) and boy is it dreary. Sorry Megan, although not always the case, your hometown is dreary.

04.09.07

04.08.07

04.07.07

04.06.07

04.05.07

04.04.07

04.03.07

Week Twenty-four

2007-04-02T22:55:00.000-04:00

So we're back in Philly and back to reality. We had a great time in San Francisco (Berkeley/Oakland/Sonoma/Alameda...) mostly since our hosts Derek and Anne truly went out of their way to show us around and keep us entertained.
I'll post more details on our trip once I have my pictures in order. But you've gotten a taste so far. Here you see part of our tour of the Scharffen Berger factory, Jason's obsession with samurai swords (not to mention the samurai way) in Chinatown, and a wonderful sunset from The Claremont.
By the way, I don't know if this is a common occurrence, but when we went to see 300, Jason couldn't stop obsessing on having a six pack for abs. To the point of making an abs pact with Derek. It doesn't matter if you point out that it's a movie and most of those six packs were enhanced. He might as well come out growling leaving the theater.

04.02.07

04.01.07

03.31.07

03.30.07

03.29.07

03.28.07

03.27.07

Green Thai Curry Shots

2007-03-27T11:57:00.000-04:00

I apologise for the video quality but I couldn't help myself.

Week Twenty-three

2007-03-27T10:44:00.000-04:00

This week we left a dreary, rainy Philly for a not-dreary-at-all, somewhat rainy San Francisco (or I should clarify, bay area). Jason is finally done with his surgery rotation and now we're having a wonderful time with Derek and Anne -- the most gracious of hosts.

The 5+ hr flight wasn't as bad as I'd imagine. Especially, since I was frogging my kimono sweater along to that very well known Weezer tune.
So far, we've explored the vastness of wine country and found ourselves giddy with the aftereffects of going from wine tasting to wine tasting. Yesterday we toured one of the happiest places on earth: The Jelly Belly factory. As expected, Jason was the grumpiest/saddest person there (sorry I have no pictured of this but cameras were kept to a minimum due to the secret to jelly bean goodness). We did walk away with a 4 pound bag of "belly flops" that at a distance look like tumors or molars, depending on the color. So far it's been great.

03.26.07

03.25.07

03.24.07

03.23.07

03.22.07

03.21.07

03.20.07

Week Twenty-two

2007-03-19T21:03:00.000-04:00

This week we had close to 80F degree weather early on, perfect for a drink at La Terrace, and annoying last minute snow. On St. Patty's day I was good to my body by not getting sloshed and instead going to Horizons (all vegan/organic all the time) for dinner. The Pacific Rim Tofu was amazing and the pomegranate sangria/peanut butter chocolate bomb combo were extra yum.

03.19.07

03.18.07

03.17.07

03.16.07

03.15.07

03.14.07

03.13.07

I can't make up my mind

2007-03-15T09:19:00.001-04:00

Kyoto Kimono
Originally uploaded by imix_kib.

I can ususally get it down to two but then have the hardest time making it to one.
Will you help?
Pictured here is the Kyoto Kimono I made a couple of years ago and saddly never wear. It looks weird on me -- the common predicament of most sweaters.
So, I've decided to frog it and use the yarn for either the Anthropologie Capelet or Ribena w/o the arms. Let me know what you think.

Week Twenty-one

2007-03-12T17:47:00.000-04:00

03.12.07

03.11.07

03.10.07

03.09.07

03.08.07

03.07.07

03.06.07

2007-03-07T16:20:00.000-05:00

Here are a few picture of my 1/2 Afghan blanket. I haven't blocked it yet but I just couldn't resist to take pictures.

I think the color scheme worked pretty well and the yarn -- Knit Picks, Sierra -- was really nice to work with. It had a softness to it but was bulky enough not to be flimsy.

I'm actually not really looking forward to blocking this one and I'm using my lack of enough rust-free pins as an excuse.

Here is my favorite square: the popcorn stitch with the crochet finished edge.

The size is less than perfect but good as a legwarmer type blanket. Jason already got to use it yesterday. Sadly he was really sick with food poisoning...I stayed home to take care of him. He's doing much better now.

Week Twenty

2007-03-05T10:31:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to wish Alia a Happy Birthday!

03.05.07

03.04.07

03.03.07

03.02.07

03.01.07

02.28.07

02.27.07

Knit Crazy

2007-03-01T16:01:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures of me waring the finished product. It all started with the Knit Picks catalog. In it I noticed the most beautiful colored brushed alpaca blended yarn (these pictured don't do it justice -- it's a lot more vibrant), Suri Dream in Ocean. I first started using it, as seen in the post for 365 week seventeen on a pattern I found on Knitty -- Lacey. Although I loved the lace pattern, I was a bit apprehensive toward the poofy sleeves. I'm not sure I could have pooled that off.

Then came the knitting blog sphere where I found my new heroes: The Spiders. One of it's members posted the pattern for the Circular Shrug (fashioned after an Urban Outfitters shrug. It is a really easy pattern and I'm sure looks great with any kind of yarn. I opted for this almost mohair like yarn that gives it that extra luxe factor. Sadly, it looks so fancy I feel I can't use it as often as I'd like. Peony Knits also posted the pattern for an Anthropologie Caplet I may attempt to make in the next couple of months.

The other project of green and brown squares you've seen on various of my 365 entries is an Afghan blanket; pattern I saw on The Knitty Gritty over the holidays. The tittle clearly states that this should be a project set up by more than one knitter and I agree. I may only make it half the size intended for I'm a little exhausted/bored. It took a lot for me to get bored with this one though since It's composed of 7 different patterns done in 3 different colors. The instructions used more than three colors but I decided to simplify by using Knit Picks' Sierra in Bud, Lettuce, Cinnamon, and Natural for the border. I'll probably finish grafting it this weekend and I'll post pics then.

In between these projects I've made the Piggle for Kayla as her B-day gift in a soft pink (I'll post pics on my shutterfly "my knits" when I get a chance) as well as a scarf for Jason in a pesto + natural wool yarn (see week fifteen) that I made up off the top of my head. The pic of Jason's scarf also doesn't show the true color either but it reminds me of my favorite Indian dish: palak paneer & basmati rice.

Now I'm actually trying to make the Le Slouch that I've seen a few knit bloggers make with some left over mulberry colored yarn I had in my stash (look out for it next week on 365). But I'm already lusting after the Anemoi Mittens pattern and an Elizabeth Zimmermmann (EZ) book.

I'm short of saying I have a problem...

Happy Hour at Zocalo

2007-02-27T10:06:00.000-05:00

On Friday the lab got together for another of our rather frequent happy hours. We've been a little reluctant to go lately seeing our usual place was not only getting boring but the service is worse and worse by the week. Not to mention, the crowd of Penn students making it difficult for a big group such as our to get a table. No reservation, don't even bother.

So, this time we ventured off to Zocalo. It's a bit of a longer walk (on 36th and Lancaster) but well worth it. Pictured here is the zocalo sangria : white wine + the fruit of the season. In this case it was berries. Honestly, I don't know what's up with me and going to places where I can eat/imbibe things that are so berrylicious. I almost ordered the Pablotini (vodka martini + habanero chilies) but it wasn't at happy hour prices and Jason wasn't around to ensure I got home OK. So, definitely next time.

The appetizers, which like the house drinks were also 25% off, were really great. I ordered/shared the Volcan, a layered dip of refried beans, melted cheese, pico de gallo, and sour cream. It came with their in-house-made tortilla chips. Delicious! Some one else ordered the Plato Surtido: beef empanada, pico de gallo, and an amazing guacamole. On the other side of the table I saw the much acclaimed Queso Fundido. Although seeing that gooey cheese was more than tempting, I decided I'll leave the mini heart attack for next time. Though, I'll make sure to add the portobello mushrooms and the poblano peppers for extra taste.

Overall, we had a great time. One thing that made a difference is the fact that it was practically empty. Apparently, it's like this most of the time. This has me a bit concerned, for I wouldn't want this venue, recently made known to us, to go out of business. At the same, time the emptiness made it more pleasant for us and the waiting staff was a lot more attentive. I figure it's either one of "powelton village's" best kept secret or most people only associate margaritas and sangrias with summer. Maybe, it's that although their happy hour specials are at a fair price, the same can't readily be said about their dinner menu -- I'm not in the habit of paying close to $18 for enchiladas verdes.

Week Nineteen

2007-02-27T09:18:00.000-05:00

So I finished one of my many projects (more on that later) and on Friday there was a PBS filming crew in the lab. They're filming for a three part series on the heart and my PI/lab is going to be part of it. I don't think it airs until November...

02.26.07

02.25.07

02.24.07

02.23.07

02.22.07

02.21.07

02.20.07

Week Eighteen

2007-02-20T19:12:00.000-05:00

02.19.07

02.18.07

02.17.07

02.16.07

02.15.07

02.14.07

02.13.07

click and drag to donate

2007-02-14T10:04:00.000-05:00

Help women's shelters in your state.

Valentine's Day is for Suckers

2007-02-14T09:23:00.000-05:00

It's a bit harsh but kinda on the mark.

Your Candy Heart Says "Get Real"

You're a bit of a cynic when it comes to love.
You don't lose your head, and hardly anyone penetrates your heart.

Your ideal Valentine's Day date: is all about the person you're seeing (with no mentions of v-day!)

Your flirting style: honest and even slightly sarcastic

What turns you off: romantic expectations and "greeting card" holidays

Why you're hot: you don't just play hard to get - you are hard to get

What Does Your Candy Heart Say?

Week Seventeen

2007-02-13T16:14:00.000-05:00

02.12.07

02.11.07

02.10.07

02.09.07

02.08.07

02.07.07

02.06.07

Because I Promised

2007-02-13T10:42:00.000-05:00

Here is the recipe for the Toffee Cake (or pudding) I promised Andrew, since he was so nice to heed to my advice. It's from: Everyday Food, December 2006. In case this picture isn't good enough you can find the recipe on their web site.

Banana Leaf & Naked Chocolate Cafe

2007-02-12T16:59:00.000-05:00

So, on Sunday, Jason's last day of his last golden weekend during his surgery rotation, we decided to have a fun day in center city.
Seeing how the weather permitted it, mid 30s, we took a walking tour with our friend Sarah. Our first attempt was to go to a late lunch at Aqua on 7th and Chestnut. It's a recently new Malaysian and Thai fusion BYO whose chef was previously from Penang, NYC. Unfortunately, it was closed.
Seeing how we craved Malaysian, we decided to go to another fairly new place in Chinatown -- Banana Leaf on 10th and Arch. The food was delicious. As appetizers we had the Roti with chicken and potato gravy (on the side) and fried tofu with cucumber and peanut sauce. The hearty peanut sauce, which was generously piled on top of the tofu, had a noticeable crunch and a pleasant bit of spice.
As entree we had the pineapple fried rice, mango with shrimp, and fried spare ribs. I can't say much for the ribs but the mango/shrimp was my favorite so far.

We then happily walked over to 13th and Walnut to another place we hadn't been to: The Naked Chocolate Cafe.

The minute you step in you feel like a kid in Candy Land. There's an almost endless array of chocolates, cupcakes, brittle, cakes, sweets...you get the picture.
I had the Spicy Hot Chocolate and although it didn't have the same kick as MarieBelle's spicy hot chocolate it had the same velvety ganache like consistency that's to die for. A small is more than you can ask for. To accompany it, we shared a Strawberry-Vanilla cupcake. It was honestly the first time I've had frosting that actually tastes like strawberry.
To finish this very fun day we went to see Almodovar's latest, Volver. It had a surprising amount of humor intertwined into a slew of very serious subjects. Once again, Almodovar has produced a gem.

Week Sixteen

2007-02-07T18:13:00.000-05:00

This week was mostly about knitting (I'm becoming more and more addicted -- I think it's the cold), tragic things like Barbaro and taking the PATCO to NJ, and Shwetha's B-day.

02.05.07

02.04.07

02.03.07

02.02.07

02.01.07

01.31.07

01.30.07

The last thing you want to hear

2007-02-06T09:18:00.000-05:00

when you wake up is "get ready for a BITTER COLD DAY".
When the wind chill brings it down to -7, walking to work is not an option.

It's Official

2007-02-05T11:42:00.000-05:00

We're going to San Francisco on Jason's Spring Break!
I'm mostly looking forward to spending some time in the warmth (9 degrees is not cool) of the west coat while exploring wine country. Oh yeah, and Derek too.
Just shoot me if I ever call it Frisco.

Terror, Terror, Everywhere

2007-02-02T11:40:00.000-05:00

In this (un)Brave New World Humor seems at times dead. Saddly, it is often confused for sarcasm, apathy, ill will... Who's to blame the authorities for over reacting? I mean, Mooninites are a terrorizing force not to be reckoned with. Their two highest ranking (and possibly only) members have admited countless times to schemes towards world domination. To Ignignokt and Err the earth is but their moon.
In all seriousness though, these things (~60 in Philly alone) have been around for more than two weeks! If they were truly intended as a terror plot we'd all be dead by now, or at least seriously injured. Over reaction is just covering up for apparent incompetence.
Then there's the claim that this is just another example of "corporate greed" and guerrilla advertising. In this environment of branding and "consumer greed", what else is new? For a limited time, or until ebay finds out, you can own a piece of terror yourself. Place bids here.

Week Fifteen

2007-02-01T15:42:00.000-05:00

01.29.07

01.28.07

01.27.07

01.26.07

01.25.07

01.24.07

01.23.07

Oh Simon...

2007-01-22T19:25:00.000-05:00

I know you're only about 12 weeks old, but that's no reason to let Jason recruit you into his little tricks.
I know, I know, you're super cute together and Jason is just trying to prove he's got great daddy skills.
It's not your fault.

Week Fourteen

2007-01-22T19:11:00.000-05:00

01.22.07

01.21.07

01.20.07

01.19.07

01.18.07

01.17.07

01.16.07

The End of an Era

2007-01-22T09:43:00.000-05:00

Finally!
It took us a couple of years but we found it.
Lemongrass is seriously the best Thai I've had in Philadelphia.
Their Green Curry is just right and the Pad Thai is one of those things you suddendly crave.

Week Thirteen

2007-01-15T19:33:00.000-05:00

01.15.07

01.14.07

01.13.07

01.12.07

01.11.07

01.10.07

01.09.07

A Few Great Things Out There

2007-01-15T10:42:00.000-05:00

I.Loop (my favorite yarn store) is on Blogger @ http://loopknits.blogspot.com/

II.Best movie this year, without a doubt, is El Laberinto del Fauno (Pan's labyrinth).
Guillermo Del Toro truly out did himself with this one. Alongside the plot and the acting, the soundtrack is awesome and I really like that they interposed green and red for Ophelia's character (my favorite contrasting colors, often used in film).

III.Last night the premier of Extras (2nd season) was incredibly funny. I love what they did with Orlando Bloom. Just another reason why it's worth it to have HBO. I'm pretty sure the 1st season is out on DVD. I really hope this first episode is just a taste of what's to come.

IV.The Shins new album -- Wincing the Night Away -- comes out on the 23rd of this month.

Week Twelve

2007-01-08T21:27:00.000-05:00

01.08.07

01.07.07

01.06.07

01.05.06

01.04.07

01.03.07

01.02.07

Week Eleven

2007-01-08T21:09:00.000-05:00

01.01.07

12.31.06

12.30.06

12.29.06

12.28.06

12.27.06

12.26.06

Week Ten

2007-01-08T20:56:00.000-05:00

12.25.06

12.24.06

12.23.06

12.22.06

12.21.06

12.20.06

12.19.06

Week Nine

2006-12-20T17:00:00.000-05:00

I can't guarantee I'll be posting the next two weeks since I don't have a laptop and borrowing peoples computers can be annoying. I'll try but I promise I'll update once I'm off vacation mode.

12.18.06

12.17.06

12.16.06

12.15.06

12.14.06

12.13.06

12.12.06