Yippee! Snow on the mountains this morning! Just mere days before I'm scuffling through drifts down here in the town. Last year, Paul and I drove up to the snow line and had fun jumping back and forth. Snow here, rain here, just inches apart. The magic of elevation.
Did anyone know that Brian Hanna purchased a condo? Not rent --purchase. Paul and I are so intrigued by this developement that we are considering a holiday trip to Ohio soley to see this condominium. I'm not sure where it is -- somewhere in Cleveland.
posted by Jen at 5:44 PM link/comments
YOUR LOVE IS LIKE BAAAAAAD MEDICINE! BAD MEDICINE IS WHAT I NEED! WHOA-OH-OH, SHAKE IT UP JUST LIKE BAAAAAAD MEDICINE! THERE AIN'T NO DOCTOR THAT CAN CURE MY DISEASE! That's been going through my head all day. Now it will be going through your head, too. So there. *curtsies* Exeunt Kate, pursued by a bear
posted by Kate at 2:48 PM link/comments
Sunday, October 27, 2002
Mmm... I enjoy a post work marguirita, one dolla, at a nearby mexican resteraunt. Not the best things, but damn tasty. And for a dollar, it's better than buyng tequila shots one at a time. And these days I find more reason to drink leaving work. My promotion has been put off until after the holidays, and the job itself is slowly driving me crazy listening to everyone else complain. Sucks.
Also went to the new Spy Museum downtown today, pretty cool. Lotsa gadgets and history. They had single shot gun rings, video cameras that strapped onto passenger pigeons. Amazing the stuff they came up with in the cold war era. I highly reccommend a trip there if you guys come out.
posted by Mike at 2:51 AM link/comments
Friday, October 25, 2002
Hmm. That's not a bad idea, although I have to admit that rum-and-coke-type drinks fell out of favor with me after college. I was a huge fan of Captain Morgan for years, and then one day my palate said, "Whoa! This crap is way too sweet! Order something else!" Last week Holly and Laura (coworker and new friend) and I discovered the joys of 6 p.m. bloody marys at this semi-upscale joint at Cedar-Fairmount called NightTown. For $8 each we get the best bloody marys in the city along with a camembert/cracker/fruit platter appetizer. This is possibly the most satisfying post-work activity known to man.
posted by Kate at 10:30 AM link/comments
Wednesday, October 23, 2002
On the rum and vanilla coke thread, the bar crowd in Northern Idaho was elated to realize that you can mix plain vodka and vanilla coke and achieve the same taste yet higher alcohol content than the previous mix of Vanilla Stoli and plain coke. I guess the flavored Stolis have less alcohol.
posted by Jen at 1:53 PM link/comments
It could be, soda frequenly is, you can check for the symbol on the side of the can, and feel closer to god.
Incidentlay the kids are quite fond of the Rum and Vanilla Coke. Unfortunaltly it too is quite tasty.
posted by Nat at 12:11 PM link/comments
Tuesday, October 22, 2002
Oh. I don't want to be kosher, then. I'm sort of against being slaughtered. Although it's nice to know that I could be, seeing as how I don't have an exoskeleten, and I don't chew cud. Thanks, Nat. Jen, it wasn't so much that the hotel staff tried to smuggle pork as much as they tried to serve it. I think someone forgot that bacon is made of pig. In other news, diet Vanilla Coke, much to my chagrin, is very tasty. I have no idea whether it's kosher.
posted by Kate at 12:57 PM link/comments
Kosher. . . Ok I admit that I am no expert on Kosher foods, but I have had some experience with this stuff, hell I lived in New York and if you don't learn a thing about kosher by living in New York, you have apparently been drunk and in the gutter too many times (not that that never happened but only a few time. . .). Of course Kosher foods have to be amongst thoes listed in the Hebrew Bible (there is an extensive list of things that are fit to eat and thoes not fit to eat, but roughly they break down to things that are easily classifiable and thoes that are not. Cloven hooved that chew cud: OK (ie beef) cloven hooved that do not chew cud: bad (ie pork). Also Fish ok lobster bad.) Things also need to be prepared in a certian way. Specific ways of slaughtering and bleeding and all of that. And of course it must be blessed. So I am pretty sure that a Rabbi would not be able to make pork or lobster kosher, but milk probably. And Kate perhaps if you were slaughtered and bleed appropriately you could be kosher too.
Again this is not my area so if I am wrong on this don't go telling the U of M to kick me out of the program.
As for the lap dog, she dosen't climb up on the lap too often, but it does happen. And when it does it only happens for long enough for my legs to go numb and then I need to get up and she gives me a balefull look and hops down.
posted by Nat at 12:42 PM link/comments
Monday, October 21, 2002
I agree -- the whole kosher thing is freaky. I'd be pleased to have the authority to bless or condemn food. Did the catering staff really try to smuggle pork? Do they have nothing better to do?
posted by Jen at 3:03 PM link/comments
Hello, loves. Nice to see you all. YepYep. Just spent the past 30 hours at a conference the "non-web" part of my office was hosting (for the record, the "web" part of my office -- and of the whole College of Arts and Sciences -- consists entirely of me *waves merrily from behind a pile of zip disks*). In any event, this was a big conference for Jewish folks to come and discuss lots of Jewish Intellectual Things, and I signed up to help, sacrificing a perfectly good Sunday's worth of lying around watching football with Marc, in exchange for overtime and comp time hours. Feeding Jewish people, particularly those who are very serious about being Jewish, is an activity jaw-dropping in scope. We had both "kosher-style" and Kosher meals, and I'm still not all that clear on the difference between them. Later in the evening, after my coworkers and I painstakingly made sure the meat and dairy foods were on separate tables, wagged collective fingers at the catering staff for trying to smuggle in pork, and had massive conniptions because we were afraid we'd be short on Kosher meals, one of the head honchoes told my coworker Laura that if it came right down to it, one of the attendee rabbis had the authority to "just make all the food kosher." What?? Just like that? How does that work? Does he just wave his arms and say some hebrew? Are there rules about this sort of thing, or can he be like, "Hey, that cheeseburger looks tasty. Abra-cadabra, it's kosher!" I asked Laura if I could ask the rabbi to make me kosher, but she said that wouldn't be a good idea. Disclaimer: This post is in no way meant to offend or ridicule Jewish folks. I'm genuinely curious about this stuff. If you can answer my questions, email kate-at-sixlayerkate-dot-com.
posted by Kate at 2:23 PM link/comments
Thursday, October 17, 2002
Yeah, the demon hunter essay -- so Paul distributed it in the workshop, for all to read, and the general consensus was one of two reactions: Reaction A was "Paul, you are a liar. Go back to the fiction class." Reaction B was "Paul, are you OK? Do you want to talk about this?"
Nat -- nice dog. Does she sit on your lap like that often? Because she's kinda too big. Just an observation.
posted by Jen at 2:18 PM link/comments
*Tackles Nat* Greetings to the vapid world of Blog. Where weather discussion, demon hunting freaks, and soul-sucking espresso machines are par for the course.
Mark, aka Marc, aka, That guy, flee this corporation of nit wits! I stay only to find someway of corruptng it from the inside. I'm secure in my own soullesness, and true bizarre nature that I can overcome their drudgery. Seek solace in the arms of loose women my friend, and finish Steve's computer so I can stop hearing him complain about not having it.
Er... in recent news, we had the big minor Burn, also known as Playa Del Fuego. Where hippies, freaks, bikers, pagans and voyeurs mingle for four days intent on burning works of art. Oh, and on drinking as much alcohol as possible. All in tents. Thought of you Nat while doing so. Camping in any shape or form makes me wish you were there to whip out some odd, yet convenient device that makes things more comfortable or manageable. And your fine company. Not that I didn't invite ALL of you to try and come out there. *Sniff* And only Steve and Zack came.
Yet, fun was had by all so I hear. Zack managed to spin fire and only burn himself once, and only offened I think two total people the entire time. There was an Iron Chef-like competition where Steve (Hardesty) competed against Iron Chef Mushroom aka Buddy, of course, the challenger lost. But the food was good.
Lots of stuff went on, it'd take long minutes for me to type it all out, and I frankly don't wanna. But it was all good. I'll dole out bits and pieces in the future as I recollect them.
Hmm Jen, I knew Paul was odd, we've all known Paul was odd. And I'm not saying I had the most normal childhood fantasies, but wow. Are we sure I deserve the tenatcle at this point?
posted by Mike at 3:14 AM link/comments
Wednesday, October 16, 2002
Welcome to BlogLand, Nat. I hope you're happily swathed in fleece, warding off the elements. Anyone wishing to view snapshots of the below-mentioned dog should click here.
posted by Kate at 10:15 AM link/comments
Tuesday, October 15, 2002
Ah at last I have access! All of my dreams have come true.
And of course with my newfound powers I am going to squander them by talking inanely about the weather.
But Goddam it is cold here. It is going to get all the way up to freezing today. Lucky us.
At least the dog things that she is a lap dog and there is nothing like 66 pounds of K9 to keep you warm throught the long Manitoba nights.
posted by Nat at 5:14 PM link/comments
Whoa, Paul. A demon hunter?? Whoa. Jen, talk Paul into coming back to the blog. Tales of demon hunting are exactly what we need around here. Burton, stop trying to convince Marc to keep working for that rotten entity. It's tasty coffee, but I'm pretty sure the espresso machine is secretly an evil soul-sucker. Froth, my ass. That noise you hear is the sound of your life's energy being slurped out of you. Off to a staff meeting. *skitters off*
posted by Kate at 2:00 PM link/comments
Monday, October 14, 2002
Amusing...the secret victorian vanity of pill protectors...mine come with this silly little fake velveteen mini checkbook cover, and you can slip the pills in the clear pocket or the covered pocket. The thing is, each month's pills come with a brand new checkbook, which is ridiculous. As if the old cover gets worn out. So I have plenty of mini checkbooks, should anyone need one.
Kate, I think you should explore the dead-octopus-in-the-purse idea. It has possibilities. Also, Kate, (and Mike) you two may be amused to know that Paul has written an excellent and hilarious essay about his teenage time as a "demon hunter," wherein his high school friend totally convinced him (Paul) that he had magical powers and could slay demons in the astral world using only his keen powers of perception. I was like, "Uh, perhaps we should talk about this little episode of your past that I had no idea existed...FREAK."
posted by Jen at 3:17 PM link/comments
Saturday, October 12, 2002
Damnit Burton, I can't be swayed when you spell my name wrong! Ass. I would quit the team tomorrow if the opportunity presented itself, something about not being appreciated and wanting to get this computer business out of the basement and at least to the first floor......spent my day testing motherboards, memory, power supply and working on a website that should have been done months ago *nudge, nudge to you know who*, what a Saturday, woohoo!
posted by Marc at 11:22 PM link/comments
Friday, October 11, 2002
Via a flyer in my refill package, my birth control pill company has been trying for 6 months now to get me to buy fashion-designed pill dispensers. The company touts this as a way women can be "discreet" about taking the Pill, because now if someone looks in your purse and sees the dispenser there, they'll think it's a compact rather than a pill container. First of all, who are all these women worried about having their purses rifled through? No one looks in my purse. I could keep a dead octopus in there, and no one would notice unless a tentacle was hanging out. Secondly, why are we suddenly being so Victorian about taking the Pill? God forbid someone in the general populice sees you taking it. They'll know! They'll know that you're having sex, and that you don't want to get knocked up! Just like everyone else! And lastly, why-god-why do we need Pill dispensers designed by Nicole Miller? Christ, what's next? Velour carrying bags for our diaphragms? Hip-hugger adult diapers?
posted by Kate at 4:06 PM link/comments
Wow, the blog comes to life...This week I've hosted my usual Octoberfest sinus cold, complete with sore throat, hacking cough, and the overwhelming desire to cancel all my classes, commune with the couch, and eat applesauce. Haven't gone to yoga in two weeks, but with that sphincter comment I doubt I could keep a straight face anyway.
posted by Jen at 1:15 PM link/comments
Thursday, October 10, 2002
Hee hee, that yoga tape was mine, and it came out here with me. God bless Dave and his golden pajamas.
Don't quit the team Mark! Down with offices and their fake walls! Stand on your feet all day and at least feel good in your superiority to your fellow man.
All packed for the Burn. I can't belive how excited I am about attending some hippie artfest in the middle of nowhere. I think it's more the four days of no work, no worries, no headaches I'm craving.
posted by Mike at 1:48 AM link/comments
Wednesday, October 09, 2002
Yes, I think it's definitely time for you to pursue an office job, love. I'm a fan of the idea of your having weekends and evenings off. I'm even willing to come to terms with the fact that if you're no longer working at Starbucks, I'll no longer get free coffee. I'll take one for the team. Yoga? We had a yoga video tape lying around the old house for awhile. It was hosted by David Carradine. I don't remember much except that he kept insisting that we "push the energy through the anal sphincter." Mature adult that I am, I couldn't stop giggling long enough to pay attention to the Yoga part. I got a new car *insert mad dance of joy here*. It's shiny and blue and only 1 year old and a Chevy Malibu. Boring Old Person Car. I love it. It smells nice and has lots of room and gets good mileage. So there.
posted by Kate at 5:05 PM link/comments
Tuesday, October 08, 2002
I have pretty much decided that even being overpaid to get up at 5am leaves one problem, it is 5am! I try to justify being up 3-4 days a week at 5 with the I am making way too much money so it is ok that I am not snuggled up in my warm bed, but who they hell can function at all when one gets off? "Zombieland is on line 1, do you want them to call back sir?" I think it is time to locate officejob101,102 or even 405. Idiot line of the day "Does your coffee have caffeine in it?" Idiot line of the day 2 "Can I get my Vanilla Latte without Vanilla?" Now about that topless car wash in Newfoundland, any backers?......ok, signing off for now.
posted by Marc at 6:19 PM link/comments
Tuesday, October 01, 2002
I've been dabbling in yoga classes this semester (which is great fun) and the instructor has this intriguing habit of asking us to "make space between your ribs and hips! Make space!" It has become this silly mantra I haul out once a day in non-sequitor situations. But I seem to be the only person who finds it funny.
posted by Jen at 1:55 PM link/comments