Almost Six Feet Worth O Crazy!

Bringing on the spring with my State of the Union (and its punditry aftermath) one of a kind, dead Easter Bunneh Scarf!!!

The Cheese War Rages On

Stoopid Lactose Intolerance.
Ahem... S T O O P I D.

So... the urban legend was that goat cheese and sheep cheese have magical powers that make them digestible to us poor lactose intolerant types.

MYTH CONFIRMED: 
Goat cheese rules my world.

MYTH BUSTED: 
Sheep cheese can go suck a big one.  Kris has been pushing me to try some sheep cheese because we have been scoping out a different grocery store for the past two weeks, and they have jack all in the way of goat cheese.

So... we got some sheep cheese, and I put it on my turkey burger... and... play this video to hear my tummy.

I have taken 1.5 times the recommended dosage of Tums.  My thinking behind that is that 2 times the recommended dosage is typically referred to as prescription strength, but I am not a doctor, so I shall only half ass it.  There is no arguing Tamara Logic...

More Fancy Yarn....

When do you know you have a problem?
Yeah, when I hit that clearance section at Ben Franklin, I hit it HARD.

Easter Bunny Carcass Yarn!

Originally, I was planning on making two different scarves with these, and then I realized... they will be crazy beautiful together.  Emphasis on the crazy.  The skeins in the back are... interesting.  On first glance I thought the were ugly as sin.  Then, upon closer inspection, I was filled with joy as I realized that it is actually a super cute yarn made from the carcass of an Easter Bunny.  It is so me.  Adding the ragged ribbon yarn will minimize the gross factor and put it over the top into SQUEE! 

I have started the dead bunny scarf tonight... we'll see how long it takes.  The ruffle scarf took 3 episodes of Twin Peaks, and 5 episodes of Downton Abbey.

There is this super awesome scarf with that ribbon yarn that I did last week, but it is unfinished, and will probably remain that way... FOREVER.  That one I simply have to chalk up as a learning experience.  I got the scarf to the last row, but had not yet learned how to finish a scarf and pull it off the loom without it unraveling. (I have since learned this trick with the ruffle scarf)  So, as I went to finish it, it unraveled... a lot.  But because the yarn is so... PSYCHO... it is now sitting hopelessly tangled, with the last few inches in varying states of unravelmentation.  It was infuriating, because really, it is an awesome looking scarf.  So, when I went back after deciding to commit to knitting as a hobby for a while, I sprang for some more of the ribbon yarn.

Rage Knitting is not pretty.

Fancy Yarn = Fancy Results

Cha Cha from Trendsetter Yarns
I like fancy yarns, they help me make super cool looking stuff while I basically have no real knitting skill.  A big YAY for the clearance section! This fancy yarn was originally THIRTY DAMN DOLLARS A SKEIN! I was able to get this one for a mere 16.89 over at the Redmond Ben Franklin. This was the only skein in this color, so I am happy there was enough for a decent length, if narrow, scarf.  They had about 8 or 9 in their discontinued Dark Denim... but that color didn't speak to me.

There is another yarn they have there that is structured the same as this one, in a metallic tinsel-like hot pink and black that is more affordable.  But that color combo is so not me.  So so not me.  Angela maybe... and I DO owe her something crafted by the end of the year... all she has to do is let me know.  :)

I suppose when I think of it in terms of the price one would have to pay for my fancy new scarf, even 30 dollars isn't so bad. I mean, how much would a person have to pay for a scarf like this at Nordstroms? 

I knitted this while watching Downton Abbey on Netflix.  I can see why that show has won so many awards.  There was something a touch too cliche for me though about how I have spent a majority of the weekend... sitting on the couch, knitting, watching PBS Masterpiece Classics.  And yet, it felt so right.  

Ruffles!

Motivation! Why Hast Thou Forsaken Moi?

Waaaaanh.
I am too lazy!
Waaaaaaaaaaaanh!
There are so many things I want to do, but they are soooo much work!
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanh!

For example:

• Create a real live fancy portfolio type website. (which is held back by)
• Learn to use Flash like a boss. (which is held back by)
• Make the Princess Superstar song I commissioned into an actual cartoon (which is held back by)
• Put my animation desk back together (which is held back by)
• Finish painting the art studio (which is held back by)
• Buy one of those things that repels spiders (which is currently held back by)
• Shovel the driveway in hopes that Nigel might be able to move more than 4 feet before getting stuck again (which is held back by)
• I dun wanna shovel.  Lazy WINS!

That is just one chain of wants/goals.  Then there is the kitchen.  :)

The GOP Debate

Newt Gingrich didn't look the other candidates in the eye when he shook their hand.  Douche.

A Cozy House Has A White Roof

So...
One great thing about the blanket of snow covering the house is that we have some proof positive that the insulation in the attic works.  When snow happens in the Seattle area, it does not stay long.  As it is typically a rare occurrence, I usually remember when it happens to check out my roof.  Then, on the way to work, I check out the roofs of the houses we drive by, and have an internal struggle between the compassion for the unfortunate people whose roofs have lost all their snow because they have crappy insulation, and the strangely gleeful snicker of self satisfaction for being smart enough to recognize an effective litmus test.

And in follow up-
DAMN INTERNET!  Way to pull off a protest!  It appears that many members of Congress realized today that SOPA/PIPA are toxic to their tenure as public servants.  I just wish Reddit was getting more props.

It was quite the trip home

As they said on the radio, Snowpocalypse is so 2011. This is now Snowmaggedon.

Kris and I left work around noonish. It took us about 20 minutes to take that normally 8 minute drive. We stopped at the grocery store to stock up, like everyone else in the world.

Last Saturday, the flat tire warning light appeared, which really is typical when it gets colder. Usually I just need to top them off and we are good to go.

So, as we are putting the groceries into the car, I check on the tires again, and DAMN! That bad boy looks sickly low. We zoom as much as we safely can in these conditions down the block to the gas station to top them bad boys off. Yeah. The rear passenger side has 0 pressure. AND, since the tire is soaking wet, there is no mistaking that strong hiss as I pump it up to 45 psi.

So... We head straight to the tire store, where Nigel once again got to fly. I do not like how much he likes to fly. Looking at him now, even with his back tire off, he is quite plainly comfortable up there on that pedestal.

 

Silly Nigel!  Cars don't really fly!

Turns out there was a small sharp rock that punctured the tire.  Thankfully, there was no charge on the fix.   We finally made it home, safe and sound shortly after 3pm.  The roads... were no problem at all.

The Looming SOPA/PIPA Storm

I am very excited for Wednesday. 
Wednesday, January 18, 2012 is the day of the SOPA/PIPA Blackout. (Stop Online Piracy Act, and  Protect IP Act)

On Wednesday, many websites, some of them central to an average user's typical day of relaxing and surfing the internet will potentially show the US Government that it is a force to be reckoned with.  They plan to do this by going dark, and redirecting people to information about why SOPA sucks, and instructions on how to contact your congressmen.
 
I am excited to see what all websites actually follow through with it, and which ones might unexpectedly join in. 

Imagine the reaction of the unaware mainstream masses if Facebook, eBay, Pay-Pal, Amazon, Yahoo, Mozilla, LinkedIn, Twitter, AOL, Zynga, and GOOGLE, joined in with already on board Wikipedia and Reddit (and countless other littler sites) as they go dark on Wednesday in protest. The sites I listed above are all sites that have already formally expressed their opposition to SOPA.  Will they take a loss in revenue for 12 hours to fight for the future?  Will they risk the potential backlash of the theoretical sloth/lemming masses who just want to buy crap and jerk off on their precious internet, and don't give a crap about the rights of groups like Wiki-leaks and Anonymous, because my guess is that when/if Fox News HAS to report about the blackout, those names could be bandied about.

I am excited to see what kind of fall out there will be.  I am interested to discover if people will simply indignantly slough it off as an irritation for a day, or if they will actually take notice of what SOPA means for the internet.  What it means for... GASP - YouTube!?  That it means you could literally go to jail for posting to Facebook some funny/cool/stupid video/picture/story you found somewhere.

I am also excited to see what happens when the mainstream media is forced to talk about it.  If they will.  It will be very interesting from a political science/sociology level.

Piracy is going to happen.  The piracy of movies, music, and games is horrible, and I would love to see something be done about it.  As someone who makes a living doing work that is in the group of things being pirated, I really really do hate it.  But giving the government the power to shut down an entire website because of one link.  These bills lay the groundwork for the power to control the masses by censoring and limiting information. If the groundwork is created, it will only be a matter of time before loopholes in the bureaucracy are used to abuse the system.

There was a t-shirt catalog that I used to read when I was a kid.  It was this amazing encapsulation of liberalism.  Intellectual humor,  political movements, women's rights, civil rights, and I loved it.  There was a list of slogans that you could buy as a bumper sticker or a button.  It was 2 pages long, single spaced, 2 columns each page, in a super tiny font.  It was fascinating.

I took special note of the slogans that were available as buttons, bumper stickers, t-shirts and posters.  The slogans that made it to the posters section were the special ones.  The posters were the ones that were the most expensive, only the subjects that brought in the most sales would justify being made into posters.  These were the truisms of their customer demographic.

One of those posters had this amazingly intense poem/statement on it.  It is one of those ground shaking revelation types of things.  I used to look at it and think, wow... imagine being in that position.  Where this poem isn't some sort of waxing philosophic romantic type of thing.  No.  This poem was about life and death.  Literally.  Historically.  This shit happened.

Now, this poem does not directly relate to the issues being raised by SOPA.  But, if the poem was maybe another 50 lines longer, and traced the history of its lineage farther back... something along the lines of SOPA could very well be near the beginning.  Or, I am delusional, and trying to act smart.

First they came for the communists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn't speak out because I was a Protestant.

Then they came for me,
and there was no one left to speak out for me.  

- Martin Niemöller

On Wednesday, I wonder if we could be seeing an opening salvo to the "Mayan Prophecy of 2012!" Which some have suggested is not really so much the apocalypse as it is a sociological sea change.

FUN!
EXCITING!
INTERESTING!

Do I have this right?

Is the whole "mid-life crisis" thing that point in your life where you try to reconcile the difference between what you wanted, what you have, what you thought you wanted, and what you really want now that you have what you have?

I recently saw a job listing that sent a small chill through me.  It was the type of job that the fresh, hungry, idealistic, and naive version of myself would have wanted for older me.  But, now that I actually am older me, and could qualify for that job, I look at it and think- Jesus, I do not want THAT level of stress in my life.  I am older, more self aware, and I have been trying to come to terms with my limitations throughout my entire life.  It is just now starting to sink in that I might not actually be super human.  Shock horror! 

An old friend of mine used to drive me crazy.  He was incredibly brilliant, and incredibly talented, but had no motivation to use, improve, or hone those skills towards some sort of creative career.  I used to try to push him to do something more with his talents, and he resisted at every poke and prod.  It seemed like an absolute waste to me.  His stance was, in effect, "someone has to do the non-glamorous jobs."

Now I look back on that struggle I had internally with him, and I think I get it.  Not only do I think I get it, I think I am very much in favor of that point of view being applied to my own life.

What good is reaching for that glamorous brass ring when right underneath you is this super happy, super cute and super fun carousel pony?

Settling?  I think not!

I think sometimes, you just gotta stop, look around yourself, and realize all the good stuff you've got going on.  Then, make a conscious decision to be happy... because really, life is kinda awesome.

/mid-life crisis
(oh look, code humor)
 

In My Opinion...

Attention to detail is the difference between "crafted with love," and "shoveled out the door."

Wait... so when did I learn to do this?

Yay!  I'm an old lady!

My Mom sent me a set of knitting looms for X-mas.  I have never knitted before. 
I remember making a 8 foot long single chain with a crochet hook when I was about 10, but I never bothered to learn more than that.  I made a hat!  I started it last night, and  24 hours after I started it, it is finished!  That felt good!  The loom made this stupid easy to do.

Next I'ma start making a banky to take naps wif!

Sneak Peek: Political Art

I have been working on this piece at a snail's pace.  I hope to finish it before the GOP primary season is over.



I'm a passionately passive political news junkie.  I love watching the drama, the posturing, the bullshit.  It is better than any soap opera, and makes me feel more intellectual (something I sorely need)

There was a time when I wanted to grow up to be an editorial cartoonist... until I found out what a grueling job that really is.  /sigh

The Quest for the Perfect Pizza Crust

Link to the recipe I have been working off of.

 The first time I made my own pizza dough, this "pizza in a bread bowl" monster was the result.

I am currently waiting for the dough to rise.  This is the second time I have tried the recipe I linked above.  The first time I made it, it was too big for our pizza stone, and too bland for our snooty high end taste buds to be happy with.  However, it had a fantastic texture.  Because we, passive food snobs that we are, value the texture of our food over all other aspects, I figured it was worth a second attempt.

I have altered the recipe to the following: (copy/pasted and altered from link above)

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 teaspoons salt (trying Alderwood smoked salt this time)
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

1. In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and brown sugar in the water, and let sit for 10 minutes.
2. Stir the salt and oil into the yeast solution. Mix in 2 1/2 cups of the flour.
3. Turn dough out onto a clean, well floured surface, and knead in more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. 
4. Cut dough in half.  Put one half into a well oiled container, cover, and stick that bad boy in the fridge for tomorrow.
5. Place the dough into a well oiled bowl, and cover with a cloth. Let the dough rise until double; this should take about 1 hour. Punch down the dough, and form a tight ball. Allow the dough to relax for a minute before rolling out. Use for your favorite pizza recipe.
6. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). If you are baking the dough on a pizza stone, you may place your toppings on the dough, and bake immediately. If you are baking your pizza in a pan, lightly oil the pan, and let the dough rise for 15 or 20 minutes before topping and baking it.
7. Bake pizza in preheated oven, until the cheese and crust are golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. 

Update 1: It be in the oven YO!
Cutting the dough in half was right thing to do.  It actually fit on the pizza stone this time.  Last time I tried to use the whole mess, and it was just that- a whole mess.

Update 2: Om Nom Nom

This was tonight's result.

It was the right size, and actually had flavor this time!  But it was a touch over cooked, so that crunchy outer shell on the crust got a little brutal at times.  I had it in the oven for 20 minutes because 15 hadn't been enough.  I'm thinking the second half that is in the fridge will be cooked for 16-17 minutes.

Also, the first time I made this crust, I was feeling all "chef-y" so I actually brushed the crust with garlic butter when I first took it out of the oven.  That would have helped this time... the coating of flour was a bit much.

Improved over the first time, I think I am on the right track!


Update 3:  WTF CHEESE?
I am lactose intolerant = NO CHEESE
My husband Kris is allergic to soy = NO SOY CHEESE
Not well enough known secret = Some people who are lactose intolerant can actually handle Goat Cheese.  It works for me, and I don't question it.

It was a struggle to find a goat cheese that worked well for both of us.  The local yuppie pizza joint actually has goat cheese, but they use the more readily available cream cheese consistency type, and apply it in "artistic" sporadic blobs.  It tastes good enough, if you can't have "real cheese" - but Kris couldn't get on board with that flavor for our regular food rotation so I searched for something else. 
Besides, common goat cheese really only goes nicely with a chicken pizza in my opinion.  I can't imagine mixing that with pepperoni.

Then, I stumbled upon THIS:

 

This cheese rocks our world. 

 Admittedly, it has been ~9 years since I have been able to eat cow cheese, but this tastes just like the cow milk version, melts almost like the cow milk version, and... yeah.  Awesome stuff. 

Never too late to start a New Year's resolution right?

One of my resolutions this year has been to limit myself to one status update on Facebook per day.  Eight days in, and it is clear to me that I have more to say than that resolution allows.

My most wonderful, closest, bestest friend in the whole wide world - real and web - is Angela.  Her New Year's resolution was to be faithful to her blog, and to post every day.  I am not sure I am ready to make that level of commitment to a blog, but I certainly want to cheer her on, and I certainly would like an outlet for all this excess crap I want to say, and keep track of.  Let's see how this goes!