I feel horribly cheated, because when these commercials for the United States Census first showed up on tv, I thought another Christopher Guest movie was coming out. Wrong. Sad.
February 28, 2010
February 25, 2010
The snowless wonder
Well, I have to tell you; Canada is hardly Siberia. Of course, we aren't much further north than where I grew up in Chicagoland, but it's the vague perception of Canada, you know? Igloos and dog sleds and hockey and all that. Well, the hockey part is legit. But I'm pretty sure Texas has gotten more snow in the past ten days than we have. For serious.
And then on Monday, we couldn't have gotten more than 20cm (I'm learning! I'm learning! And p.s., $.99 per liter of gas is NOT AS GOOD AS IT SOUNDS.) of snow, but it sifted down in between 2pm and 7pm, and what normally takes me 20 minutes turned into a remarkable two hours rolling along at 10 kilometers per hour (learning!) on the highway. Yikes.
I was Captain Crankypants, let me tell you, but after I changed into some sweatpants and my new outrageous sweaterboots I felt better. Thanks, Mashley.
Turns out walking through the snow is about 18 times better than driving in it. Also, Toby is fun to throw snowballs at.
So, we are having ourselves a slice of winter after all.
And then on Monday, we couldn't have gotten more than 20cm (I'm learning! I'm learning! And p.s., $.99 per liter of gas is NOT AS GOOD AS IT SOUNDS.) of snow, but it sifted down in between 2pm and 7pm, and what normally takes me 20 minutes turned into a remarkable two hours rolling along at 10 kilometers per hour (learning!) on the highway. Yikes.
I was Captain Crankypants, let me tell you, but after I changed into some sweatpants and my new outrageous sweaterboots I felt better. Thanks, Mashley.
Canadian Care Package from Anna Dyer on Vimeo.
Turns out walking through the snow is about 18 times better than driving in it. Also, Toby is fun to throw snowballs at.
So, we are having ourselves a slice of winter after all.
February 13, 2010
how the Dyers celebrate....
...because--huge sigh of relief!--glory be, I finally found myself a job. We can pay rent! And feed the dog! And occasionally ourselves! And maybe even buy some wine once in awhile! It's a receptionist gig, so nothing fancy, but I'm definitely looking forward to more normal office hours and normal weekends and NOT working nights. No love lost between me and the world of retail, that's for sure.
So, this is how we celebrated: with greasy chinese food, the first of what is bound to be many Take-Out Tests. That's how you find your favorite places, right? Trial and error.
Spring roll, good. Egg roll, not so good. Probably why the egg rolls were free. But overall, I gave it an 8 and Bryan gave it a 7.
The next day, I attempted this chocolate pie truly from scratch, and glory be AGAIN, it is as good as it looks.
This moment could not have been possible without The Pioneer Woman, and you can find her pie crust recipe here and the pie + chocolate curls recipe here. I even whipped that cream myself, people! The jobless funemployment era has definitely led to some Domestic Diva tendencies.
But that's all over now.
(I'm mostly kidding. But this recipe is firmly planted in my repertoire now. Come visit, and I'll make it for you! How's that for incentive!)
So, this is how we celebrated: with greasy chinese food, the first of what is bound to be many Take-Out Tests. That's how you find your favorite places, right? Trial and error.
Spring roll, good. Egg roll, not so good. Probably why the egg rolls were free. But overall, I gave it an 8 and Bryan gave it a 7.The next day, I attempted this chocolate pie truly from scratch, and glory be AGAIN, it is as good as it looks.
This moment could not have been possible without The Pioneer Woman, and you can find her pie crust recipe here and the pie + chocolate curls recipe here. I even whipped that cream myself, people! The jobless funemployment era has definitely led to some Domestic Diva tendencies.But that's all over now.
(I'm mostly kidding. But this recipe is firmly planted in my repertoire now. Come visit, and I'll make it for you! How's that for incentive!)
February 9, 2010
the appeal of the thrift
I just found this blog this morning (thanks to Mama Loan!) and I can already tell it's going to become a favorite of mine. Thrifting is an ecological, frugal answer to the horrible world of retail, (not to mention an awesome treasure hunt) and the mindset just makes so much sense to me.
For people whose skin starts crawling at the idea of buying used stuff, browse through this blog a little and maybe you'll reconsider. I know I have, more than once, bought something at a huge chain retailer that had been used, NOT cleaned, returned, and thrown right back on the shelf at regular price... in other words, NOT NEW. Thrift stores demand more time and flexibility, but the payoff can be so, so sweet.
For people whose skin starts crawling at the idea of buying used stuff, browse through this blog a little and maybe you'll reconsider. I know I have, more than once, bought something at a huge chain retailer that had been used, NOT cleaned, returned, and thrown right back on the shelf at regular price... in other words, NOT NEW. Thrift stores demand more time and flexibility, but the payoff can be so, so sweet.
February 2, 2010
RUFIO!
All he needs are some red spiky streaks in his hair and some spandex.
(sweaty moustache guy creeps me out a little, though)
(sweaty moustache guy creeps me out a little, though)
February 1, 2010
Snippets
Besides losing my mind doing horrid job searches through the Black Hole known as The Internet, I have been reading, walking Toby, knitting, cooking, skypeing(which is hilarious) and getting excited about the last season of LOST. I'm also pre-mourning the last season of LOST, but mostly excited. Grieving comes later.
Thanks to some gorgeous purchases made possible by Santa in the form of my thoughtful family members, this is my most recent project:
I used every last scrap of that chunky baby Alpaca wool, and it was the perfect amount for this shrug + a small headband. So soft! That lower hem is a little loose, but I can live with it.
I don't know why I always choose the bathroom as my backdrop.
I like this stitching that separates the sleeves. (This was the pattern I used, and it's repeated and altered all over Ravelry.) I would love to keep knitting just for me, but that's just not an option with all the babies due to arrive this year. Not to ME, but to plenty of other people I love. Hopefully projects for little people will fall off the needles a little faster cause they're smaller.
Just in case you're worried I've aged 50 years since you last saw me, what with all the knitting and reading, here's some evidence that I am actually 10 years old: literally a week ago I skinned my knee. Big time. I was walking Toby in the morning, hit a hidden patch of ice and catapulted myself forward. I will spare you a photo full of juicy scabs and green-and-purple bruises, but the knee is still so stiff that when I bend over or try to sit on the floor, I have to execute a bowling stance. Something like this:
And I look about that graceful doing it. Plus lots of sound effects. Minus the shoes.
That is all I have to report. What does that tell you about the level of excitement and activity around here?
Thanks to some gorgeous purchases made possible by Santa in the form of my thoughtful family members, this is my most recent project:
I used every last scrap of that chunky baby Alpaca wool, and it was the perfect amount for this shrug + a small headband. So soft! That lower hem is a little loose, but I can live with it.
I don't know why I always choose the bathroom as my backdrop.
I like this stitching that separates the sleeves. (This was the pattern I used, and it's repeated and altered all over Ravelry.) I would love to keep knitting just for me, but that's just not an option with all the babies due to arrive this year. Not to ME, but to plenty of other people I love. Hopefully projects for little people will fall off the needles a little faster cause they're smaller.
Just in case you're worried I've aged 50 years since you last saw me, what with all the knitting and reading, here's some evidence that I am actually 10 years old: literally a week ago I skinned my knee. Big time. I was walking Toby in the morning, hit a hidden patch of ice and catapulted myself forward. I will spare you a photo full of juicy scabs and green-and-purple bruises, but the knee is still so stiff that when I bend over or try to sit on the floor, I have to execute a bowling stance. Something like this:
And I look about that graceful doing it. Plus lots of sound effects. Minus the shoes.That is all I have to report. What does that tell you about the level of excitement and activity around here?
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