Unsure...

Just... not... sure. I mean, they are delicious. But really? I mean, I still think it's wrong to have Peeps any time other than Easter -- so I can't really support other candy horning in on the Easter action...

...but then again, I love Starburst jelly beans.

Okay, you did it!

The Current finally sold me on someone.

In my defense, I'd been thinking that I would enjoy Jeremy Messersmith for a whie now. However, the only time I would ever seem to think of it would be while I was at Best Buy -- and Best Buy does not carry Jeremy Messersmith albums.

Anyway, I was cruising along, minding my own business when... WHAM. It's on, and I love it. I don't even know what song it is so I fly to get some internets and thank heaven that the Current posts their playlist online.

So it's not there... but I figure it's just over, so there must be some kind of delay.

So I hit refresh.

Still nothing.

Now I'm feeling a bit like when I'm getting my oil changed, or some other time when I have internet access but not a lot to keep me occupied and I keep hitting refresh on Facebook and wondering why no one else is posting on Friday/Saturday night. (Why not, indeed?)

Frustration is mounting, so I Google what little I can remember from the lyrics.

FOUND!

Except... apparently this song is only available on a special album. For free. At "local CD stores."

...So the long of it is that I still don't have that song.

But the short of it is that I now have all 3 of Jeremy's albums... and the Current to thank for it.

30-Day Win!

Totally Blowing the Whistle on This One...

I was so positive that when I looked for this on Google I would find it. Some expose about awkward IKEA toys. Something featuring the likes of the Nipple Cat (taken off the shelves and gone without a trace!)

Guess it's just me on this one.

Picture an adorable garden playset. Felt, cutouts... greenhouse, trees, carrots. It folds up into a cute little house shape with an adorable rainbow carrying strap... Idyllic. Then picture the pooping bunny. And this bunny is serious about his contribution to the gardening "circle of life." Maybe he's allergic to carrots?

Anyway... the playset is still adorable. Check out the bucket -- full of rabbit pellets that the gardener will use to fertilize the carrots, which the rabbit will then eat. A great teaching opportunity -- but avoid discussing the bunny.

I *heart* Accessories!

(Oooo... looks like a sneak preview post for April: 30 Days of Biking returns!)

Today I received my super-awesome bike bell! I didn't think that it would be such a challenge to pick a bike bell... and let's be honest -- for most people it probably wouldn't be. However, once I knew there were choices available I couldn't settle for one until I'd really researched my options.

Besides, I want something that coordinates. This is the same reason why I will take my standard black-finished rack and paint it yellow. Who ever heard of a yellow bike rack? You all will see one, soon!

I'm not convinced that I will be riding my bike on April first -- I'm wanting a little more pavement and a little less snow. Also, I'd like to give road crews some more time to fill some of the more cavernous pot holes. But I will do something!

Making Lemonade Out of Lemons

Last Saturday I had the second in my series of Team Ortho races: The Get Lucky 7k.

One of the cool things about Team Ortho Races is that they give you awesome swag. For example, this time we had a faboo full-zip hoodie. After the race you get goodies (this time in a paper sack) which usually include a small Salted Nut Roll. Nom. This time around, I got LOW SODIUM CHIPS! (I know, right? What do you need low sodium for? In fact, you should have sodium! Post-race replenishment!)

(Also, some of the people got ripple Dill chips and I was super jealous about that.)

Of course, the chips are sitting out on my counter... calling to me... 300 calories of low-sodium nonsense... So what do you do?

DIP THEM IN CHOCOLATE!!!

So that's what I did. They were delicious.

Mid-Month Check-in

Okay, so I'm still kind of on the fence about the whole Current experience so far.

On the plus side, I can tolerate it better now. By tolerate, I mean I have fewer impulses to switch to something else.

Anything else.

I am gaining some familiarity with songs... and I'm sad to admit that the next time I heard "Socialite Death Squad" I not only didn't scream (as I had previously threatened) but was excited to hear it because I knew it.

Now, on St. Patrick's day the Current had a GREAT run, as far as I'm concerned, with Cake, U2, The Decemberists, and Thin Lizzy. But I am still missing that something something that makes me want to jump in my car and run to my local CD store to buy an album.

I'm still waiting.

Look what I MADE!!!

Another UFO done!

I wanted to get one of my very own photographs professionally framed and hung in my house. And here it is.

This photo of the Bryant Lake Bowl in Minneapolis is one of my favorites I've every taken. I was a little disappointed, because I got the enlargement from an online source and they had specific dimensions available -- so it got cropped a little from the original.

However, I think it looks sharp. I think I might enter it in the fair this year!

You can crush my finger...

...but you will never crush my spirit!!

I really whaled on my finger today. The picture doesn't really do it justice. I mean, the colors --- eggplant, teal, some green and yellow... pink... it's really something to behold.

Don't worry... it's not broken. At least, I don't think it is. What? Doctor, shmoctor!

Egg-In-Hole, but better!

Though I don't think I've ever had them, I have seen recipes for the traditional egg-in-hole (an egg fried in a bread "ring.") I found this recipe for "Bell Pepper Egg-In-Hole" and thought it sounded great. Plus, after a few months of oatmeal for breakfast I was looking for a change and something a little more "Springy."

I'm struggling a little with getting the whites done, but also having the yolk be a little runny. (I love yolk and toast!) However, I think I've given up and decided that peanut butter is just fine. It's really yummy and looks so cute in the pan!

(Too bad you have to flip it over.)

Also, my juice is super happy, too!

Getting Geared Up!

Session One of 30 Days of Biking starts April first!!

I just signed up, I'm totally psyched!

(Appropriately, I bought cycling socks at REI tonight...they have pirate cats on them.)

I am still equipped thanks to the generosity of my sister, but I am hopeful that I will have my own set of wheels n the coming weeks.

Hooray for spring!!!

Pizza Time!

I love pizza. I was going to make some adorable food, but realized I had some pizza dough that had been chilling in the freezer for a long time.

This pizza features veggie sausage (also from the freezer) mushrooms, onions, and "leftover" bell pepper (from my awesome breakfasts -- to be detailed later.)

Feeling Better!

Today has been a good day of listening to The Current. I have been mostly pleased all day!

I'm pretty excited about tomorrow's "The Current Presents." It's all covers (titled, appropriately, "Under the Covers") and PLUS it is " including a Doobie Brothers cover recorded entirely on toy instruments."

Sounds right up my alley... except it starts at 9pm.

Know what I'm doing at 9pm on Sunday night?

Sleeping. Or at least in bed.

(Especially the Sunday after "Spring Forward!")

We shall see if I make it... or if I find some way to tape it.

...I think I have a tape player.

Mid-Week Check-In

So I'm feeling a bit better about the Current so far this week.

First, they started off my Monday with "Monday, Monday" by the Mamas & Papas. I can dig it.

Otherwise, I am digging the new REM single (though they are playing it pretty frequently... I may tire of it soon.)

Other songs I have enjoyed thus far:

• The Dandy Warhols, "All the Money"

• Old 97's, "Rollerskate Skinny"

• The Twilight Hours, "Queen of Tomorrow"

...incidentally, I have not heard "Socialite Death Squad" since I threatened the screaming.

A Real February Follow-Up

I finally got around to reconciling my computer register with my February bank statement.  I only missed 18 out of a total of 42 transactions... Which sounds abysmal at 33%.  However, 8 of those transactions were online bill pay, which doesn't automatically generate a paper receipt.  SO I just need to figure out some kind of process to keep track of that.

Taking that into account, my missing receipt rate drops to around 15% and I think that's pretty darn good.

I'm trying again in March!

Cute Food!

Cute food is kind of a sort of craft, right? In any case, at BORDERS the other day I picked up Cute Yummy Time, a bento recipe book. I have oh so much bento things squirreled away, and I've kind of been lax in my "adorable lunch" making. So, one of the recipes sounded way yummy, and the tiger looked adorable too... so I was on board!

Everything went pretty well! The cooking, and the converting of brown rice into sushi rice... then it came to the decorating of the tiger. Now, in the author's recipe the whole thing is put into a single dish -- therefore you only have to make one (relatively large) tiger. In MY plan, I had to make five (small) tigers.

I gave up after the first one.

And after a not particularly well-executed one at that. I needed darker greens, and apparently a set of tweezers to place the decorations, and the rice was really sticky and making his little paws was hard...

...I hope it's delicious.

But fear not! I will not be discouraged! Next week I'm going to try Panda Tofu Soba Noodles!

I may have made a mistake.

I find that 50-60% of the time I'm listening to the Current, I want to change the station.

Maybe it's time to face up to the fact that I am NOT hip?

(And seriously, if I have to hear "Socialite Death Squad" one more time I'm going to scream. I don't know why I thought the Current would be less likely to overplay a song. And I guess if I liked it I would't be complaining... but still.)

I did enjoy a little throwback Dee-lite the other day, and some Jayhawks. The Current is not all bad. I'll stick it out!

Banana LOAF!

Finally! I have made a banana bread product in a loaf shape. (Thanks to a dear friend's noble sacrifice. She has doomed herself to a loaf-free existence... for me! *sniff*)

It's really tasty! I was going to bring it in to work, because I didn't think I could trust myself to have it in the house... but I think it will be okay!

Cake...not just a great dessert!

Heard a nice interview with the frontman of Cake today. They've got a new album out and I caught the new single on the Current tonight. What I did learn, which I haven't noticed in the years I've been a fan, is the prevalence of the 'vibraslap' in their music.

I've been a fan of the vibraslap since we were introduced in elementary music class.

So now I want to re-listen to all my Cake albums and pick it out!

Now for my confession... I heard said interview while cheating on my30-day pledge of listening to The Current.

I heard the interview on NPR.

But see... Good this can come from broken promises. :)

(PS - the Monkees, minus Mike Nesbitt, will be in concert at the MN Zoo on Fourth of July weekend! I was excited until I saw the $75 price tag. Perhaps I should just pull out my 'Best of the Monkees' CD and be content with that.)

Really? With the Chipmunks?

I couldn't listen to confirm, but it looks as though the chipmunk Motown song was Ike and Tina Turner singing "Betcha Can't Kiss Me Just One Time."

Interesting.

I have also heard The Idle Hands sing "Socialist Death Club" far too many times, and I've only been on this kick for 3 days. I think what bugs me the most is that the intro to the song sounds familiar, and I think it's a song I like -- but then it isn't.

I am really glad that the Current updates its playlist all day long, and I can go back and look at days past too. Then I can make note of a time and not have to worry about catching the chorus to Google later on. (And remember the lyrics.)

More Photos!

I finally acquired a picture ledge from IKEA, and now the no-man's land above my TV is full of photos! Hooray! I also FINALLY got a frame for the 5x7 cat prints I bought after Christmas. Finally my pictures are getting off hard-drives and out of boxes, and onto shelves and walls where I can appreciate them!

All I have left to square away is the BIG print I bought. One of these days I'll take it out to get it framed. It's just a bit more effort and planning!

March 1

I decided that one of my goals/efforts of the month was going to be to not rely on NPR News for my entertainment, but instead to switch to The Current.  There was a time (back when I was in college radio) that I had a handle on what was hip and happening in new music.  I feel like more recently I've been relying on bands and music that I already know.  So... The Current is my new driving companion!

Today's Observations:
This morning I heard a song with a Motown vibe that I swear had backup vocals by Alvin and the Chipmunks.  Then this afternoon I heard a cover of Kenny Rogers' "Islands in the Stream."  Really, did that need to be covered?  (Here is where I confess that for most of my youth, I thought the lyrics were "Highland's Industry... That is what we are...")  Regardless... unnecessary.

I hope tomorrow's discoveries are better.