The Just Posts went up today, offering up their sumptuous display of tasty activism-oriented morsels. Go pay a visit to Su, jen or Mad, and see what tastiness they have to offer.
In case you haven’t encountered it (them?) before, the Just Posts is (are?)¹ a monthly roundtable of posts from around the blogosphere on topics of social justice and activism. They are posted on the 10th of each month, and anyone can send in nominations to jen, Mad or Su.
I usually take it upon myself to nominate posts that I’ve come across each month. And since there’s no limit on how many one may contribute, and since I read so many great blogs, I like to nominate a generous-sized serving. I’m a bit lazy (and maybe even a bit timid) when it come to letting people know about the nominations. However, this month, I’ll put them out here in the open. (And spread a little more link love.)
Posts about topics of social value benefits writer and reader alike, and the Just Posts are a great way to spread awareness and share ideas and ideals. I really encourage any of you out there to participate, either by writing and nominating posts of your own, or by nominating posts by others who have inspired you and made you think. And certainly I encourage you to go read! (Go. Now. What are you waiting for?)
Damn. It’s now less than an hour before Thursday’s over, and I haven’t put up my Themed Things list. I always think I’ll find more time…
Anyhow, my lost keys of yesterday (which have now been found, by the way) had me digging around in my mind to find various key-related things. Here are some keys I found in the cluttered piles of my head.
A few key things
key. An item used to unlock something. Traditionally a metal object which fits a lock, but extended to refer to other things that give some sort of access, such as cards, passwords and codes.
the key to X: an idiom meaning “the means to achieve X, or gain access to X.” (eg. the key to success, the key to happiness, the key to my heart, the key to my pants…)
key. an adjective meaning crucial or primary. As in “the key participants” or “getting sleep is key.”
Dawn, the character introduced in Buffy, season 6.
Zero Effect (1998). A movie where a detective is hired to find a set of lost keys.
the key to the city. An award that is “presented to esteemed visitors, residents, or others the city wishes to honor,” typically in the form of an ornamental key. At least in TV and movies.
keys. The things you push on a typewriter or, um, keyboard. Or piano.
key. a musical term about the tonality of a composition such as “in a minor key”
“Musical Key.” A song by the Cowboy Junkies.
movie/TV cliches featuring keys: I feel like I’ve seen tons of movies and or TV episodes where a character is in a jail cell, and tries to escape by means of reaching keys either left unattended (eg. Harold & Kumar) or held by a dog (eg. the first Pirates of the Caribbean). The spy/heist genre also frequently features the need to sneak a key away from a character who keeps a key on their body. (eg. in Danny Kaye’s Court Jester, or apparently in the second Pirates of the Caribbean) If you can think of examples of these, please share. My brain couldn’t dig up more.
Then there’s the scene from The Princess Bride where Wesley, Inigo and Fezzig storm the castle and confront the gatekeeper:
“Give us the gate key.”
“I have no gate key.”
“Fezzig, tear his arms off.”
“Oh, you mean this gate key.”
And my time is a piece of wax
Falling on a termite
That’s choking on the splinters
-Beck
I lost my car keys today. I hate losing things.
Theo has been fussy the past couple days. Phoebe went to daycare yesterday (she still goes 3 days a week, which helps us maintain some sanity, and which helps me preserve the illusion that I will be able to get some of my research done), but it was such a fussy day that I was clearly not going to accomplish anything requiring either more than one hand or more than half a brain. I hoped to at least get out of the house, but I barely managed to get dressed and eat breakfast by the time Phoebe was due to come home. By the end of the day I was going a bit stir-crazy.
Theo seemed more calm today, and I was bound and determined to get out. I got a bit of extra sleep, and then managed to get us out the door some time before one. Theo needs some warmer pajamas, so I decided to head to a used children’s clothing store. (I try to explore the reuse options for kids’ clothing. We’ve been lucky to have a large number of hand-me-downs for Theo, including many of Phoebe’s old things.) Then I was going to stop by a fabric store to further my goals of getting together some Halloween costumes. I also thought I might pick up some lunch, as I hadn’t wanted to delay leaving by eating.
My first stop was the used clothing store. Theo was asleep when I got there, and I carried him into the store in his carrier. I spent quite a bit of time in the store, poking around for things for Phoebe as well as Theo, checking out the sale racks and Halloween costumes. Digging through bins of winter hats and mittens. Basically roaming the whole store. I bought quite a few things for both Phoebe and Theo, and took my big bag of clothes and my still-sleeping bucket of baby back to the car. Only to find that I could not actually get in the car. My keys were not in my pocket.
The keys were clearly not in the car, as I’d used the remote to lock the car. Also not on the ground. So I went back in the store to see if they’d been found. I figured that the keys must have fallen out of my pocket while I was shopping. I seriously expected to find them quite quickly. It’s a fairly small, if densely stocked, store. But I looked all over the store, as did the manager and other empoyees. We looked on the floor, in the bins of hats, around the register, in my bag of purchases, the car seat… Nothing. I expect they will find the keys some day, probably stuck to a hanger or in the folds of some hanging item of clothing. Or perhaps one of the various kids that had been playing in the store pocketed them, or stashed them in some toy or shoe.
The people at the store were very helpful, and were nice enough to let me sit in the back room to feed Theo. The manager let me use her phone to call John, and suggested that we could get the car dealership to make a new key for us. Remarkably, John had gone to a meeting in the same town as our car dealership, so this was faster than having him go home and hunt for the other keys.
I ended up spending about 3 hours in the store, what with the time spent shopping, then looking for the keys, then tending to Theo, then waiting for John. I could have gone to lunch, but by the time the plans were underway, it was 3:00, and the closest feasible food options closed at 3:00. I didn’t want to walk too far, as I didn’t have my cell phone. (I also left the diaper bag in the car, as I hadn’t planned to be in the store very long. Sigh.)
Really, things were not that bad. John was able to get and bring me a replacement key (4, actually), all in time to get Phoebe from daycare. Meanwhile, I was in a safe, moderately comfortable place. Theo was with me, and I was able to feed him and walk and bounce him around to calm him, which is largely what I do all day at home anyhow. There was a bathroom, water to drink, a chair to sit in, and the manager even found me some nuts to eat. It was hardly harrowing.
But damn I felt like a loser.
Update: The store called. A customer found my keys stuck to a sweater on one of the racks. Yay. I guess.
It was John’s birthday today (well, yesterday, seeing as it’s now after midnight), and I’m ashamed to say that I had no present for him. His birthday sort of sneaked up on me, and then jumped out at me from behind the bushes a couple of days ago. “I’ll have time to figure something out,” I thought to myself. And then promptly set aside all thought of the date.
In a last ditch attempt to disqualify myself from the lamest spouse competition (in which I have been a strong contender for many of John’s past birthdays), I determined that I was going to bake a cake.
And lo and behold, I baked a cake.
More amazingly, I managed my first solo outing with both kidlets. You see, we needed groceries in order for me to accomplish my baking goals.
I felt ever-so-capable as I let John sleep in, and managed to get Phoebe breakfast, eat breakfast myself, wrangle Phoebe into her clothing and get myself dressed, while intermittantly either feeding or otherwise tending to Theo. I got Phoebe into her shoes, strapped Theo into the infant carrier/carseat, and we headed out to the car. Stepping outside I realized it was much colder than I’d expected. So we headed back in to get Phoebe’s jacket. Then after running around looking for the jacket, and further toddler-wrangling, we headed out back to the car. I realized as we were in the driveway that I had told Phoebe we’d bring some milk in a sippy cup for her, but not wanting to delay further, I pushed us forward. I plopped Theo’s carrier into the carseat base, buckled Phoebe in, and we headed out. And it was barely past 11:00.
We were about 3 houses up the road when I realized that I’d forgotten our cloth bags for the grocery store. “Gah!” I said. After some internal debate, I turned around and went home. I decided that I should get Phoebe the promised sippy cup of milk, and a snack for the road, too. I bundled us all back into the house, gathered the bags and provisions, and bundled us all back into the car once more.
Amazingly, we made it to the store before noon. I wore Theo in the Bjorn, and Phoebe rode in the cart. (Lifting Phoebe, who weighs a good 35 pounds, was quite a challenge while wearing Theo.) And we shopped without further incident. (At least for the most part. There was a minor meltdown from Phoebe when we arrived at the parking lot when she realized we had forgotten to bring her book, and when I told her we were not going back for it.)
As for the baking, I wasn’t able to make any pretense of surprising John with a baked cake. But bake it I did. Yes, from a mix. But I preheated, measured and stirred with love, dammit.
The cake, unfrosted. Phoebe helps frost the cake. (This photo does not show her stabbing the cake in her enthusiasm for the task.)Phoebe sprinkles on the sprinkles.Phoebe proclaims the cake decorating to be done.Phoebe loves birthdays. The whole party. (Notice the phone, which had John's parents on speaker phone.)
It’s fall now up here in the Northern Hemisphere, and the squirrels are busy squirreling away their nuts for the winter. Meanwhile, I’ve been eating a lot of nuts, and going a little nuts. And reading about nuts¹. It’s almost as if nuts have been falling out of the trees and bonking me on the head². So, grab your nutcracker³, because I’ve gathered up a few nuts to share with you for this week’s list o’ Things.
a selection of mixed nuts
nuts. (adj.) An expression meaning “crazy.” As in “you are totally nuts.” There are also other nut-themed variations, such as the additional adjectives nutty and nutso, and nouns like nutjob and nutcase.
Nuts (1987) A movie starring Richard Dreyfuss and Barbra Streisand.
Nuts (2007) A short movie directed by Irvine Welsh. (You can actually watch it on IMDB.)
nut: a piece of hardware: “a type of hardware fastener with a threaded hole.” Typically used with a bolt.
wingnut: a kind of nut (the hardware kind) with the appearance of wings
wingnut: someone with extremely right-wing political views. As in “please don’t let us have a wingnut for vice president!”
nuts: a slang term for testicles.
Mr. Peanut. The mascot for Planter’s nuts. An anthropomorphic peanut wearing a tophat.
in a nutshell: an expression meaning “in summary” or “in brief,” evoking the compact size of a nutshell, and what can be stuffed in it.
The Nutshell Library: A box set collection of miniature books by Maurice Sendak. Not about technical topics.
“Death in a Nut“: A folktale (in various versions) about a boy who tries to save his mother from death by stuffing Death into a nut shell.
“Thumbelina“: a fairytale about a tiny girl. She had a cradle made of a walnut shell.
Kate Crackernuts: an English fairytale about a girl who frees her stepsister from a curse that hides her beauty. The nuts are somewhat peripheral to the story. Kate collects them while going about her tasks and eats them for breakfast.
Nutcracker: a device used to access nuts that are encased in a hard shell. Decorative ones sometimes are made to look like people.
Harlan Pepper, played by Christopher Guest in Best in Show, likes to name nuts:
I used to be able to name every nut that there was. And it used to drive my mother crazy, because she used to say, “Harlan Pepper, if you don’t stop naming nuts,” and the joke was that we lived in Pine Nut, and I think that’s what put it in my mind at that point. So she would hear me in the other room, and she’d just start yelling. I’d say, “Peanut. Hazelnut. Cashew nut. Macadamia nut.” That was the one that would send her into going crazy. She’d say, “Would you stop naming nuts!” And Hubert used to be able to make the sound, he couldn’t talk, but he’d go “rrrawr rrawr” and that sounded like Macadamia nut. Pine nut, which is a nut, but it’s also the name of a town. Pistachio nut. Red pistachio nut. Natural, all natural white pistachio nut.
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¹ Two of my favorite bloggers coincidentally (or perhaps both sparked by the start of school) wrote about how they are dealing with nut restrictions in their schools. Emily wrote Nutty, and Denguy wrote Aw, Nuts, two thoughtful posts that raise awareness about nut allergies. (I’d like to add that neither of them has a child with a nut allergy, and in fact have kids who love peanut butter. But they are both concerned and considerate.)
² That happened to me once with a chestnut. It hurt.
³ …or your epipen…
Thumbelina image from Hans Christian Andersen, Fairy Tales (Chicago: W. B. Conkey Company, ND).
Ah. I have a bit of time to type with two hands. Theo is snoozing away in a swing, after a long day of fussing. (I’m starting to think that perhaps Theo is not “ultra mellow,” as babies go, but perhaps merely “not colicky.” Which, compared to Phoebe, seems mellow. But we’ve had a few rough days. Especially since Theo’s cold, which lasted a good week or more.)
Anyhow, I’m feeling less cranky the last few days. I’ve still been busy, but have been enjoying myself more. Part of the crankiness has been coming from the feeling that I should be getting stuff done, and as a result, (in addition to not getting stuff done) I have not been giving myself much of a break. I had a great weekend, though. A cousin was in the state on business, and stayed with us a few nights. We played scrabble (on a real board with real wooden tiles) and chatted, and had dinner out at a Japanese buffet. (I had sushi for the first time since before my pregnancy.)
John and I have also watched a couple of silly movies. (Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, and The Forbidden Kingdom. An interesting pair of quest movies, now that I think about it. I’d actually commented last night that the Forbidden Kingdom was a bit like cinematic junk food. Enjoyable, but not a masterpiece. And in Harold and Kumar, there is a quest for junk food.)
Now I’m looking forward to having a Halloween party. I’ve been missing seeing friends, most of whom live closer to Boston. (We live out in the boonies.) And some of whom don’t have cars. And pretty much all of whom are quite busy. (Only one friend has been able to come visit us since Theo was born–Thanks Erica!) Anyhow, I hope to get a bunch of people over here for the party. (If you are reading this, and live in or near New England, and are not a crazy psycho-stalker, consider yourself invited. Leave a comment, and I can email you the details.)
I still have plenty of stuff I need to get to. It’s so hard to accomplish things when time is so limited. I find myself wasting the little availble time that I have. (Damn those word games on Facebook. I found one that I can play with one hand, though.) I keep meaning to make to do list. (You know how I love me some lists.) Here, I’ll make a bit of one here. That way I can feel like posting is productive, and not merely procrastination…
To Do List
Write a to do list
put laundry in dryer
Update my about page to include Theo
Update Phoebe’s blog
Post pictures of Theo
Print/send birth announcements
organize/pay bills
clean/organize house
finish PhD
There. 9 items. That doesn’t look so bad, does it? (Well, I may have left a few items off. And perhaps condensed one or two.)
Oh, on the productivity front. I have good news. Phoebe has graduated to wearing “big girl underwear” to daycare. I feel like that deserves a ceremony.
I can’t believe how big she is getting.
My big little baby, today.My little little baby, a couple weeks ago.
Here are sister and brother, together, from Friday: Phoebe and Theo
And here is Theo, as of a minute ago or so. See, eyes are still closed: Theo swings left.Theo swings right.
Theo is one month old today, and I can’t believe how fast it’s flown by. So different from my previous experience with the newborn phase. (I’ve been known to say that the first 4 weeks of Phoebe’s life were the longest 6 months of my life.)
But I admit it. I’m going a little stir crazy. Having a newborn is very isolating.
I actually wrote up some longer whining, but it was too whiny. Life is good. I just miss adult conversation. And the ease of electronic communication afforded by having two hands available for typing. And unfettered leisure time that can be measured in increments of longer than 5 minutes. Okay, I’m getting whiny again. Sorry.
But I do like having an excuse to post some Joy Division.
A couple of weeks ago, WrekeHavoc (who herself kicks ass) bestowed upon me this lovely award:
I’m usually pretty lame about passing on such awards, for my own various reasons, though I am flattered when people think of me for them. However, I feel compelled to pass this one along.
So, I hereby proclaim that azahar, of casa az, is a kick-ass blogger.
She finds and posts quirky tidbits she finds about the web, as well as writing a bit about herself and her life. She also writes and posts appetizing photos about her epicurean adventures as she explores the restaurants of Sevilla. (She even has a whole blog dedicated to tapas in Sevilla.) You can be pretty much assured of finding some sort of treat every time you visit her.
What I find most endearing about az is that she makes it easy for me to forget that I haven’t met her in “real life.” She has created a very warm and friendly atmosphere at her blog, inviting commenters to come in and stay for a chat. It’s no surprise that you’ll always find a few friendly folks (or interesting characters) stopping in. (Mind the cat hair, though. I’m pretty sure her kitties are always lurking nearby.)
Now azahar is going through some major life trials. A few months ago, she was diagnosed with cancer. She has been sharing her experiences and thoughts, writing with both humor and sincerity, as she navigates the perilous seas of cancer treatment.¹ Right now, she’s in the hospital recovering from what hopefully was a very successful operation to remove cancer from her liver.
Anyhow, if you have a chance, stop by and say “hi” to her. She’s got internet access there at the hospital, and I know she’d love to have more visitors. No need to check in at the front desk; go right on up.² I’m sure she can use the distraction from hospital food, which probably doesn’t hold a candle to the offerings of Sevilla’s finest tapas bars.
This year, I prepare for the occasion with a list. Barely making it under the wire for this Thursday (at least in my time zone) is this pirate-themed ThThTh list. (This list be just a smattering of things piratical o’ me own choosin’. If ye be craving more, ye scurvy dogs, ye may want to drink o’ the grog offered by the scalliwags o’er at the official Talk Like a Pirate Day website. )
Yo, ho, ho.
Get yerself a pirate name with this quiz. (Oddly, me own name has changed since last year, when I were Black Anne Cash.)
My pirate name is:
Black Anne Bonney
Like anyone confronted with the harshness of robbery on the high seas, you can be pessimistic at times. You can be a little bit unpredictable, but a pirate’s life is far from full of certainties, so that fits in pretty well. Arr!
Treasure Island. Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel of pirates. Adapted into various movies. Including one with muppets.
The Pirates of Penzance. A comic opera by Gilbert and Sullivan. A young man be apprenticed to pirates until his 21st birthday. (Which seeing as he was born on February 29th, won’t happen till he’s in his 80s.)
“Pirate Jenny“. A song from the Threepenny Opera. I know the version by Nina Simone, which I didn’t find on YouTube. I did find (among others) a Dresden Dolls version of what may be the original German version of the song. (I can’t get the sound on YouTube right now, so I can’t tell…)
Cutthroat Island (1995). Geena Davis plays a pirate. She kicks ass, in spite of the general suckiness of the movie.
Pirates of the Caribbean. A Disneyland ride. Also some movies.
The Dread Pirate Roberts. A character from The Princess Bride (book and movie). A pirate whose identity is used serially by various individuals.
If ye want to get your swashes well buckled, loads more pirate movies can be found on a pretty comprehensive list by a pirate fan.
MythBusters Episode 71: “Pirate Special”. Various pirate-related myths are tested, including the efficacy of rum as a laundry detergent and the use of an eye patch to preserve night vision. (Find the results here, if ye dare.)
Pirate’s Booty. A tasty cheesy-puffy snack food by Robert’s Gourmet.
For more cheesy piratical goodness, check out The Skwib’s tale of curdaneer’s and exploding cheese on the high seas.
My favorite pirate joke. (Adapted from this version.)
A sailor meets a pirate in a bar, and they take turns telling about their adventures on the seas. The sailor notes that the pirate has a peg-leg, a hook and an eye patch.
The sailor asks “So, how did you end up with the peg-leg?”
The pirate replies: “We were in a storm at sea, and I were swept overboard into a school of sharrks. Just as me men were pullin; me out, a shark bit me leg off.”
“Wow!” said the sailor. “What about the hook?”
“We were boarding an enemy ship and were battling the other sailors with swords. One of the enemy cut me hand off.”
“Incredible!” said the sailor. “And how did you get the eye patch?”
“Arr. That were from a seagull-dropping fell into my eye,” replied the pirate.
“You lost your eye to a seagull-dropping?” the sailor asked incredulously.
“Aye,” said the pirate,”it was me first day with the hook…”
The Just Posts went up today, offering up their sumptuous display of tasty activism-oriented morsels. Go pay a visit to Su, jen or Mad, and see what tastiness they have to offer. 
collecting tokens 