While I’ve been goofing off with the glamour of environmental engineering, it’s SPRING! And, also, I have turned 26 years old. Amazing.
A birthday story:
When we moved here from Tennessee I was the new kid, and I was (and am) very very shy. It’s a big surprise to everyone now, because I fake it pretty good, but I was so nervous about being the new kid, and having people over for my birthday. I can’t remember exactly what I wanted to happen, but I wanted to have a great party, and have an outdoor part, with the good smelling lilac bush and the cottonwood trees and green green grass. I wanted it to be a magical outdoors experience. So, I was waiting for people to come over for the party and I noticed something. It was snowing. Snowing! April 15, and it snows. Welcome to the northeast! That’s the way it is around here, I guess. Stinkers.
So I wasn’t surprised when it started snowing a couple of weeks ago. Welcome to the northeast! Where Mother Nature likes to tease us a little with good warm beautiful sunny weather, and then drop some snowfall on us. (A good thing about the snow was that parking rules were suspended and I didn’t have to move my car!)
An Easter story:
So usually I don’t do much for Easter. I have in the past had people over for Easter egg fun, boiling dozens and dozens of eggs and setting up an egg-dying table, raiding the neighbors garbage for paper to put down under the vinegary paas kits. At cooper we had a big “Spring� dinner one Easter, wherein we had 14(?) people at the dinner table and we ate and ate and laughed and ate. It was fun, and also hard to find seating for everyone. This year, I went back to Brigantine to spend the evening with Dad and Maggie. It was fun, they’re staying at a timeshare on a very different part of Brigantine than I saw. It’s grassier, more houses, and on the ocean side. I can’t understand how Brigantine stays so small town while the only car access is directly through Atlantic City. It doesn’t make any sense. Although, a fellow from the condo who saw us in church on Easter assured us that Brigantine was a very Catholic community, and actually, so Catholic that if all of the Catholics came to church they’d have to build 3 or 4 more.
Paul Harvey officiated over Easter Mass. No, really. The priest had a deep sonorous voice that boomed out, and his elocution? Full stops in the middle of sentences just like Paul Harvey. I honestly was waiting for him to end the homily with “and now you know…. The rest. Of the story.� He didn’t, though. Maybe because the Easter story isn’t too esoteric, and most people attending church on Easter Sunday already know the rest. Of the story.
Then in the spirit of Easter we went to Atlantic City and walked on the boardwalk. It was lots of fun, and early early morning is the best time of all to hit the Atlantic City scene. As in, not too many people. And I am still shocked by people smoking indoors!
After AC I drove up to my Beau’s Parent’s house for dinner, which was very nice. And I made a cake which seemed to go over very well. I think the cake is super-fantastico, a flourless chocolate cake with a chocolate cream topping and mini-chocolate Easter eggs floating on the chocolatly “nest.� It is a wonderful Nigella Lawson creation. That woman is so fine. And what a good cook! The cake is from the NYTimes, and I don’t know how long the link will last but I do think you should all read the “At my table� column every week because the way the woman writes about food is an inspiration. She alone is well worth the free registration required for viewing the NY Times.
A story about my nephew:
My brother used to date a woman who once had a dog named Sweetness. This dog was a wiry little boxer/pitt bull kind of dog, all coiled muscle and beautiful eyes. She was a sweet sweet pup. My nephew loved standing out in the yard and yelling “Sweetness! Sweetness!� It’s better if you imagine my nephew with a high-pitched baby voice and a habit of dragging out the vowels in the word so it sounded more like “Sweeeeeaaaaatnaaaaas!�
The Crafty void in my life:
Heck, but I haven’t been making anything lately. People ask me what I’ve been up to and I have nothing to say. Um, working? I go out of town a lot lately? I don’t know what I’ve been doing. This is what I NEED to be doing:
* Making use of the fun great wonderful beautiful embroidery patterns I have.
* Finishing dad’s Christmas mittens! And Maggie’s Christmas scarf! I am A Bad Gift Giver.
* Cooking at home more, and not eating out as much.
* Making socks! I have so much sock yarn and even the right size needles. I have good instructions for using the self patterned yarn. But do I have socks? No.
* Sewing aprons from my cool “how to get a husband� fabric. It’s neat and ironic. I love it.
* Knitting the Sitcom Chic cardigan from Knitty. Because I need it! Really! Plus, all of my other cardigans are falling apart. Especially in the elbows.
The Book I’m reading:
“Woman: An Intimate Geographyâ€? by Natalie Angier. It is so fantastic and interesting, like taking a tour of my woman parts. I have learned so many cool things that I had no idea about. The author is a science writer for the NYTimes and does a fantastic job tearing down our preconceived feelings about our bodies, based on old scientific theories since disproved, and rebuilding the concept of “woman” as an evolutionary gem. This book goes on my list of books that all women should read.
Um, maybe it won’t be so long until next time? Maybe?
