Sunday, April 18, 2010

Vim and vinegar

I was laid up sick yesterday, but in a Sudafed-induced burst of energy, decided that I *had* to do something semi-productive, so I went on a kitchen-cleaning rampage. I decided today that I need to share with you all the beauty of vinegar, something I've slowly been discovering over the last year. It is cheap, easy to find, and a total multi-tasker.

Three Practical and Awesome Uses for Vinegar:

1) Unclogging drains. In New York, one is often worried about the condition of a building's old wiring or plumbing. Take it easy on your pipes next time your drains are clogged: Make a mini drain volcano with baking soda and vinegar. The bubbles jostle out the clog. Plus, it is wicked fun, like 3rd grade science fair. This has worked in our tub several times. Once the clog was so bad we had to resort to both chemicals and an auger. But in most normal situations, vinegar can probably take care of the problem.

2) Odor eater. I'm a pescetarian (ick, I really don't like that long word, but it's an accurate description of my diet). I tend not to make too much fish at home because I can't stand the smell that lingers in the kitchen. But leaving a bowl of plain white vinegar on your counter while you cook fish can help combat the smell! (And if any smell lingers afterwards, boiling some sugar, cinnamon, and cloves can tackle the rest.)

And my personal favorite...

3) Copper pot shiner. We are such lucky ducks and got 2 gorgeous copper pots as wedding gifts. They make me ridiculously happy, sitting there and casting their soft, warm gleam over the kitchen. Imagine my heartbreak as they began to tarnish! Alas, a quick Internet search revealed the solution: Salt and vinegar. Good on chips, great on copper. Shininess restored.

There you have it! I'm still sick today, but need to plow through my last orchestra concert of the season. Hoping the cold meds will see me through! Then back to my PJs and contemplating any number of the following matters: where to live, where to work, how Roger has not yet gone bald and whether there is a viable market for cat hair (if I had a dollar for every time I emptied the vacuum, I'd be a rich, rich lady).

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

The crash

Boy:

Cat:

Yep, that's the state of affairs here at our house right now. This is the crash. We're running on nothing but Red Bull and a dream. (Well, I can't drink that poisonous slime, so I'm running on its less-poisonous cousin, coffee. And we're running on at least four dreams at any given moment. But you get my point.) Crashing's no good, but sometimes quiet time is just the ticket. I think I'm gonna see if I can nudge myself in next to one of these guys and turn off the old brain for a bit!

(This was from yesterday, but no Blogger crashed when I tried to post. Apparently everything was crashing yesterday!)

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Buffy: Does it ever get easy?


Giles: You mean life?
Buffy: Yeah. Does it get easy?
Giles: What do you want me to say?
Buffy: Lie to me.
Giles: Yes, it's terribly simple. The good guys are always stalwart and true, the bad guys are easily distinguished by their pointy horns or black hats, and, uh, we always defeat them and save the day. No one ever dies, and everybody lives happily ever after.
Buffy: Liar.

Ah, Buffy. Thanks for being so kick-ass. I slayed some (figurative) vampires today. It wasn't easy, but it was awesome. Speaking of chicks who kick ass...
I have been listening to "Queens of Noise" nonstop and can't wait to see the movie The Runways!! It's a really simple song, but it's the attitude I can't get enough of.

I also can't get enough of this...

That's right, friends—I've gone electric! If anything is ever really annoying you, the best way to vent your frustrations is to crank up the volume on your electric guitar, turn on some weird-ass distortion, and make all the screamy sounds you wish you could make yourself. MAN is that theraputic!

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Funny Face

HOW did it take me 26 years to see this film? Magazine editors? Greenwich Village used-book shops? Trip to Paris?Singing and dancing??

This is what our friend Sam calls "Beth catnip."

Another good film choice I made this week: The original Fame. I had never seen that either. Also enjoyed the snot out of that one.

But I *must* stop staying up so late to watch movies! I can't resist these days. I seem to need the separation from the day, and the day ends later than usual lately. We have this nifty device that allows us to stream Netflix rentals through the TV...this is bound to be the death of me!

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Brooklyn

Happy St. Patrick's Day! How appropriate that I finished Colm Tóibín's Brooklyn today. It's about a girl named Eilis who leaves her family in Enniscorthy, Ireland to find work in Brooklyn. It's set in a post-WWII era—the description of Eilis's boat journey to America will certainly stay with me for a while.

I have been reading this book in small doses because I was afraid of racing through it and having it be over. I finished the last page of this book on the train today and wanted to immediately start over.

(I was also thrilled last weekend to see the author chat a bit about Jane Austen in a film shown at the Morgan Library, the precursor to an exhibit showcasing Austen's letters, manuscripts, etc.)

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Stuff I don't do anymore

26 feels like a weird age. I feel like time is flying by. I started to think about stuff I haven't been doing these days:

1) Blog. Indeed, I have been remiss.

2) Clean my house. I was feeling like I was prioritizing a clean house a little *too* much, when I could be using the time to either do fun things and relax or take steps toward bigger goals. There is a certain amount of messiness I am OK with (and indeed, I want to maintain this, because I don't want to someday be *that* mom who freaks out over every little crumb or finger-paint accident). But with how little I've been truly "at home" these days, the apartment has been acting as a crash-pad—a very dusty one, at that! Today I finally snapped and had to start cleaning crazily. I really do feel the best when home feels like home—and when I get to be at home a lot!

3) Go to the gym. Work has been in explosion mode and I have made it to the gym about 2 or 3 times in the last month. I've been trying to jam in some Wii Fit when I can to make up for the lack of physical activity!

Whew. Planning on getting a lot done this week, and am going to use tonight to rest up. Then I'm off to see my family this weekend!

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Computer skills

I think I need some computer skills so I can work in IT. Those guys are funny. Sighted: Poster of the "happy" bunny ("hey, you made me throw up a little"), bottle of Lemon Pledge, remote-controlled race cars, poster of Muppet hanging his head in front of a computer. Good times.