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Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008
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2:54 pm - FUCKING BICYCLE OW
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This week just keeps getting better - I was hit by a bicyclist today. While escorting a couple of grad students to my car to go to a testing session, I waited patiently at the curb in front of MIT's main building until the chirping walk signal appeared, stepped into the incredibly well-marked and signaled crosswalk, and was promptly clobbered by some young woman on a bicycle. POW. Like something out of a cartoon.
Fortunately I seem to have escaped without major injury, although my shoulder joint is awfully sore from where I attempted to stop 160+ pounds of woman and bicycle moving at 25 MPH with my puny girl-bicep. OWIE. Clearly the cure is bubble tea. *gimps off*
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| Friday, July 11th, 2008
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1:46 pm - Globetrotting Gear Geekout
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I'm going to attempt to spend 3 weeks in various climates in SE Asia with everything I need in one 46 litre bag.
To give you a sense of how small that is, that's roughly the capacity of an L.L. Bean bookbag.
I thought about all the things I'll probably have to do on this trip - squeezing onto crowded buses and river boats, swinging up onto the back of motorcycle taxis, sprinting to catch trains, navigating crowded streets and marketplaces - and I really don't want to have to do all that with a giant backpack while sprinting between countries and 6-9 cities. ("It's Tuesday, this must be Phnom Penh.")
So, after dragging a giant duffel bag around Europe and Africa and nearly giving myself a hernia in the most exotic of locations, I've decided to stop cheaping out and buy a real backpack, and invest in a few articles of lightweight travel clothing that are breathable and quick-drying so I can wash and hang them up every night. I'm also planning on avoiding the whole sandals vs. sneakers vs. hiking boots thing buy ponying up for a pair of hybrid hiking sandals and wearing those everywhere.
I'm particularly excited about the backpack I've chosen - its designed to be compressible so it can fit into the overhead compartment, so I'll be able to carry all the stuff I need for a 3 week trip in the developing world onto the plane - with the number of connections I have to make, my luggage being lost forever is a very real possibility, so it'll be good to have it on hand. (Though I will have to leave my knife and bottle of Oban at home. How am I supposed to keep myself amused for 18 hours?) And the bag is waterproof - not optional in the monsoon season. I am a bit shocked at how much travel backpacks cost, though. This was easily the cheapest one I could find without resorting to Sketchy Joe's Fly By Night Luggage on ebay. I mean, they're specifically marketed towards people who plan on carrying everything on their backs through the third world because they have no money for travel - do manufacturers really expect backpackers to have 350 dollars to shell out for a bag?
Thank god for REI Outlet Online, is all I can say. Oh, REI. You so sexy.
I'm also doing a lot of consolidation - I'll forgo bringing soap, shampoo, and laundry detergent in favor of a 2 ounce bottle of concentrated biodegradable all purpose camp soap, and leaving behind a rather frightening amount of stuff.
This does mean that I will have to get through a three week vacation with nothing but a small toiletries bag and first aid kit, some guidebooks, one long skirt, two blouses, one pair of convertible hiking pants (I'll be pre-soaking my clothes in Permethrin before we go), a fleece pullover, one pair of hiking sandals, two pairs of socks, some undies, my camera, a notebook, a paperback, a collapsible daypack, rain gear, sunglasses, a bathing suit and a bandanna. I've decided to forgo T-shirts and shorts, as apparently nothing screams I AM A WESTERN TOOL more than wearing t shirts and shorts abroad, especially in Asia. Not like I'm going to blend in, exactly, but I would like to look like I am respectful of the social norms of the area and, accordingly, deserve to be treated with respect.
This should be interesting. Well, like they say - when packing for a vacation, take half as much stuff and twice as much money. If only I didn't have to spend so much to take less.
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| Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008
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6:59 pm - Where the Hell is Hedge
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I've been a fan of "Where the Hell is Matt" through its various iterations. If you haven't seen it, you really should:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNF_P281Uu4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlfKdbWwruY&feature=user
(![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) siriel, thanks for reminding me of this with your post.)
With my upcoming trip to Southeast Asia, I was thinking I'd like to have a similar way of sharing some of my travels. Slideshows just aren't as entertaining or uplifting as the Where the Hell is Matt phenomenon. No, I can't capture the lightning in a bottle of WtHiM, but rather than becoming the next YouTube celebrity, I'm just trying to think of a more engaging way to make a shared record of my travels.
Is there a some silly thing you'd like to see me doing in various exotic locations, or some other approach to the humorous/uplifting travelogue you'd like to see?
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| Friday, June 27th, 2008
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12:08 pm - Good Times Meetup
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Good Times, everyone's favorite carnival of seediness, is leaving the Somerville landscape forever. Insert "good ol days" ramble about gentrification here.
That said, pelgar has pointed out that there's a meetup happening there tonight - and while I have to check with the Invisible Canadian Boyfriend, I'm thinking of going. Anyone else interested?
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| Thursday, June 12th, 2008
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11:02 am - Memo to Steve Jobs: I will punch you in the junk
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| Tuesday, June 10th, 2008
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9:10 pm - The mounted combat cleric special: Two-handed Club (Sandwich) with Lame-ass Horseradish Aioli
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Ingredients:
4 slices whole grain artisan sandwich bread
4-6 thin slices Granny Smith Apple
1 handful baby spinach, washed
3-4 ounces smoked gouda, thinly sliced
2-4 slices honey smoked deli ham
2-4 slices smoked deli turkey breast
2 tablespoons olive oil
Lame-ass aioli:
1/8th cup good quality mayo (I used Cains light)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/8th cup horseradish (or to taste; this is fairly spicy and you may want to cut back)
1 teaspoon each freshly ground green and black pepper (or to taste)
generous pinch dried basil
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Top 2 slices bread with smoked gouda, place in skillet, cover, and reduce heat to low. Allow to cook until cheese is soft and bread is crisp and browned on underside, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and top with, in order: apples, ham, spinach, turkey. Top with remaining slices of bread. Place sandwiches back in pan, uncooked side down, and cook until bread is crisp, about another 8 minutes. While sandwiches cook, combine remaining olive oil, mayo, horseradish, pepper, and basil in a small bowl. Remove sandwiches from pan, slice in half diagonally, slather inside of non-cheesy bread generously with lame-ass aioli, and serve immediately.
I came up with this sandwich idea today while I was walking my usual 1.5 miles home through the sweltering heat, and began to have visions of something salty and satisfying, but not too heavy and that would require minimal effort and stove usage. This was the result, and The Boyfriend and I were quite pleased with the results. It went quite well with dill pickles, a garlicky spinach salad, and gin-and-Limcas.
And yeah, if you can't tell by the silly name I gave this dish, I'm seriously jonesing to play some 4th edition. Man, I need to start a game night...
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| Friday, May 30th, 2008
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2:36 pm - BEST MUSIC VIDEO EVAR
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Ok, it may not be the best music video ever. (I still think that award goes to the video for Muse's Knights of Cydonia.) But it might just be the BEST MUSIC VIDEO EVAR IN THE HISTORY OF THE INTARTUBES. If you haven't seen it yet, this is the video for Weezer's new single, Pork and Beans. As is usually the case with all things Weezer, I fell in love with the single when it came out, but I was unprepared for the cavalcade of meta-awesome that is this video.
Shameless attempt at Web 2.0 pandering to get this video to go viral? Oh, most assuredly. But in the words of Rivers Cuomo, I don't care. I don't caaaare, I don't care I don't care I don't care I don't caaaaaaaare......
Many thanks to Steve S. for pointing this out. Steve, you are the man.
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| Wednesday, May 21st, 2008
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8:09 pm - Indiana Jones Says Come Hang In Somerville
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8:20 am - DONE.
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Done. Done. DONE, mother#$%@er. I just emailed in my last paper. That is it. That is it forever. I have finished Twentieth Grade and all I have to do is fill out my evaluations and pay my term bill, and I will graduate in a couple of weeks.
I AM THE MAN. WHO IS A BAD MOTHER? THAT WOULD BE ME.
And, on top of that, I got the following itinerary in my inbox this morning.
Fri, July 25
Depart: Boston Logan International, MA (BOS)
Connections: Detroit Wayne County Metropolitan Airport, MI (DTW), Tokyo Narita, Japan (NRT)
Sat. July. 26 11:40 PM Arrive: MOTHER@#$%ING BANGKOK Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Thailand (BKK) I AM GOING TO MOTHER$@#^ING THAILAND for three and a half weeks. Also to @#(!ING VIETNAM AND CAMBODIA, with stops in Kanchanaburi province, The Tiger Temple (contemporary Buddhist monks raising orphaned tigers in a temple - no, this is not a Radiant plotline, you MUST click on that one), Hoi An, Halong Bay, and ANGKOR FREAKING WAT. Amod and I will be backpacking through the country by train, plane and motorbike, eating awesome dysentery-inducing local street food, geeking out over temples, riding elephants through nature preserves, and generally having the time of our lives on about 30 dollars a day. I'll still have to sell my car to finance the trip but it will be TOTALLY WORTH IT. And on top of it all, Amod's moving in on Saturday! Sometime this week I need to have some kind of outing to celebrate, but let me say this in the meantime: I RULE. Life is pretty sweet right now. |
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| Wednesday, May 14th, 2008
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4:18 pm
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| Sunday, May 11th, 2008
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2:46 pm - Momentary grad school/new job stress freakout
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| Monday, April 21st, 2008
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7:34 pm - Car for sale
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Anyone want to buy a car?
I need to sell my 1994 Toyota Camry LE, as I now walk to work and live in Somerville, where buses are plentiful and car insurance rates necessitate selling my corneas or the car. It has 98,500 miles on it, as well as automatic transmission, power steering, locks, and windows (no remote), and front seat airbags.
"Obvious" (she's the vessel, I'm the captain, that makes me The Captain of the Obvious, har) is shabby and missing a couple of hubcaps but generally in good running condition. The car has one problem: it occasionally gets stuck in park. This can be circumvented through a ritual involving overdrive and the parking brake, which I will gladly demonstrate to anyone interested in the car. Also, the car alarm has been disabled, because car alarms are evil. For a sedan, it makes a pretty good expedition/larpmobile; the back seats fold down to allow you to shove skis, fishing poles, polearms, or antitank artillery down the center of the car.
The Kelly Blue Book Value for this make/model/year with this mileage in this condition is $2,725. I'll be discounting the car based on how much it would take to repair the sticky parking issue - I'll gladly take it to a mechanic and bring back an estimate of needed repairs in writing, after which we can negotiate to something fair.
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| Wednesday, April 9th, 2008
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2:36 pm - Birthday!
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| Thursday, February 28th, 2008
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1:14 pm - Free LARP crap
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Who wants some free LARP crap?
After realizing during my move that I have become a total consumer whore, I have decided to downsize my possessions a bit. One category that's getting significantly downsized is my LARP stuff - I no longer run plot and have decided to get rid of some of my costuming and most of my module setup kit.
All LARP crap is free for the taking, though I certainly wouldn't refuse CP if people felt generous. Nor would I mind if any burly types wanted to, say, help me move a dresser or something in exchange.
I will give preference to anyone offering CP, other than that it's first come first served.
From the module set up kit:
Various small multipurpose items: a few blood capsules, thumbtacks, a few glow sticks/glow necklaces, a spool of twine with cutter, a few lengths of black chain.
Two big pseudo-Celtic tapestries (not actually tapestries, but those printed wall hangings you find in every dorm room and PC cabin). One black and white, one black and maroon.
Two faceless masks.
One tube of glow in the dark creme makeup.
Larp craft stuff:
A bunch of fake bear claws, black plastic, with holes drilled in them for stringing on necklaces. Also some ivory Fimo clay, suitable for making beads or barbarian tooth necklaces.
Several never-used hanks of silver-white Kanekalon synthetic hair, suitable for braiding, making extensions, etc.
Miscellaneous sewing bits - thread, frogs, some silver/green trim, curved needles, stuff like that.
Big bolt of black and silver lace fabric.
Costuming:
Pink ruffly Victorian blouse, size 10ish.
White polyester victorian-style wedding dress with train, some small stains, size 6 ish.
Elastic waist jester pants - one blue leg, one teal leg.
1 tan striped wool poncho.
And probably other stuff I'm forgetting.
I'm getting rid of a bunch of other stuff that anyone is free to take for LARPs or other purposes: moving boxes, some women's clothing (black wool business suit, dress shoes/boots, quick drying jogging shirt, shorts, silly earflap hat), household goods (plastic pitchers, a small fondue crock pot, food mill, small TV) and so on that I'd be happy to get rid of. Come on over, say hi, see the new place and get some free crap!I
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1:05 pm - Moving on
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I need to give a major, major shout-out to my peeps for helping me move on Sunday.
Andy, Ayesha, Beth, Bryce, Jane, JP, Palmer, Sharon, Tim - you guys are gods and goddesses among men and women. Even in the face of my realizing I had way more crap than I expected, that it wouldn't all fit in the truck, that those "last few things" would take so long to pack, that the utilities weren't on in the apartment, that the boxspring had to be hoisted over the !@#%#$%^ balcony, that the "portable dishwasher" I bought wasn't so fucking portable, that my couch is made of dark matter, that my delightful new neighbor parked in the moving van zone that I paid the city to designate, that the hardware store and pizza place were both closed at 3 on a Sunday for some reason, and that I would basically be cognitively useless for the majority of the move, you showed Herculean and Atalantean feats of strength, leadership, loyalty, and devotion. I am humbled. I am truly lucky to have you all as friends, and would move mountains for you guys. I expect you all to take me up on that offer, as I have a lot of karmic debt to pay down now...
Thank you, thank you, thank you all.
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| Wednesday, February 13th, 2008
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11:41 am - Dire need of moving boxes
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I am in dire need of moving boxes. Anyone out there have some I can take off your hands? I'd be willing to pay a small sum.
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| Thursday, January 31st, 2008
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11:10 am - I has can cheeseburger
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| Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008
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3:50 pm - Hedge's guide to deciphering apartment ads
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When they say......They mean
2 bedroom...................1 bedroom with a broom closet
1 bedroom...................Refrigerator box
Clean, simple...............Looks like something out of THX 1138
Dining area..................Kitchen is large enough to turn around without injuring self
Hardwood floors.............splinter farm
Wall to wall carpeting......porntastic decor. bow chicka wow wow
Colorful....................paint job would blind a Smurf
Historical building.........Floors move like tectonic plates
Recent renovation...........bland and characterless
Classic.....................drafty
Modern......................looks like some kind of IKEA-induced seizure
A great deal................hideous
Quaint......................hideous
Charming....................hideous
Unique......................hideous
Cute........................hideous and too small
Pets welcome................Chia pets only
Dogs welcome................Provided they are no larger than gerbils
New kitchen.................Most appliances work
Parking.....................On street five blocks away with city permit, proof of residence, and 3 forms of ID
Laundry.....................At laundromat three blocks over
Professional
Neighborhood................Neighbors will call the cops if you sneeze loudly
Hip neighborhood............Neighborhood was hip when your parents were 20
Happening neighborhood......Hope you like sidewalk vomit
Just what you're
looking for.................Already gone
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| Friday, January 18th, 2008
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7:46 pm - Ed tech is in the hizzouse
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| Thursday, December 20th, 2007
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10:32 am - Oh for...
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Just last night I was talking to my mom, and she asked me what I wanted for Christmas. (We're both huge procrastinators.) I thought about it, and really, there wasn't a lot I wanted. There were a few things I wanted that didn't make good gifts, because it made more sense for me to scrounge around on Craigslist for a deal (digital video camera) or required too much personal input/opinion for someone else to get me (travel backpack, clothes). So I asked for a few practical things, like serving trays and socks. And Scrabble, because Scrabble is awesome and I'm a nerd.
And then this morning, out of the blue, I gave into some latent curiosity, looked at a certain website, and was struck with absurd little-kid gift lust.
I want Rockband.
I want it SO BAD.
Here's the thing - not only is it somewhat absurd for a 27 year old to ask her parents for @#$@ing ROCKBAND for Christmas, with only 4 days to go (oh yeah, tracking that down at this point would real fun) -- I don't own a PS3 or an X Box. On top of that, I DON'T EVEN OWN A TELEVISION. Oh, I have a loaner in the closet that I'm hanging on to for a certain expat geologist, but the screen is approximately eight microns across, and I really don't think anyone's going to come over to play Rockband in teeny-weeny Eye-Strain-O-Vision.
But the urge to rock cannot be stopped.
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