Aug 27th 2006 04:57:45 pm

I bought a new cookbook today: Lidia’s Italian – American Kitchen. Every once in a while I catch Lidia’s television show on public television and all of the recipes look so delicious. Some are a little complicated or call for strange ingredients, but I think most of them are things that I can handle preparing. I am going to attempt to make this Zuppa di Pesce (Savory Seafood Stew) next Saturday for us and a few friends. It may turn out to be an expensive disaster, but it looks so delicious that I just have to give it a try. The recipe calls for calamari, salmon, mussels, shrimp, and scallops. I have been craving seafood and we have a fish market right around the corner from our house. Hopefully, the stew will be fabulous . . . after all, I did manage to prepare a Martha Stewart Thanksgiving meal last year!

3 Comments » Categories: Books, Food

Aug 26th 2006 02:55:00 pm

Travis and I attended Right Media night at the Eugene Emeralds baseball game last night. The Ems are the minor league baseball team in Eugene. They lost the game last night, but we had a fun time anyway. I got to eat some chili cheese fries and I got a plastic commemorative cup!

2 Comments » Categories: Friends, Just for Fun

Aug 19th 2006 10:08:22 am

Travis and I, along with some friends (Joe, Jessica, Summer & Dave), went to the Lane County Fair last night. This fair is a traditional 4-h competition/carnival rides/corn dog-type fair, not to be confused with the Oregon Country Fair. The fairgrounds also happen to be only a few blocks from our house, so we had to check it out. We ate a lot of junk food (fried cheese, cotton candy, funnel cakes, etc…) and went on a haunted house ride and the ferris wheel. Above is the view from the ferris wheel taken by Travis’ camera phone. The guys also tried the Strong Man hammer game, but sadly they were all bested by a long-haired dude in rolled-up jean shorts and a sleevless flannel shirt. Overall, the evening was a bit pricey for two rides and some fair food, but I think it was worth it. I had a fun time and it brought back memories of going to carnivals as a little kid.

4 Comments » Categories: Friends, Just for Fun

Aug 17th 2006 07:23:14 pm

It took me a few months, but I have finally finished Mr. Wilson’s Cabinet of Wonder by Lawrence Weschler. For a museum nerd like me, it was just about the most fascinating and entertaining nonfiction book I have ever read. It was a bit intellectual at times (I mean, it was first published as an essay in The New Yorker, for goodness sake!), but I think I kept up. I was often laughing out loud. I don’t know if someone completely uninterested in museums would enjoy the book, but it does cover the broader themes of human knowledge and scientific curiosity. Very philisophical, but also totally funny and down to earth. All of that in only 163 pages!

Anyway, you might be wondering what exactly it is about . . . well, there is this guy, Mr. Wilson, in Los Angeles who has devoted his life to running his own “Museum of Jurassic Technology.” The museum shows all sorts of crazy, eclectic exhibits that seem almost too strange to be true. Yet, all of the text used in the exhibits and in the museum publications includes an elaborate (and eccentric) system of reference citations. The book basically follows the author as he tracks down the many references used in the museum in order to find out if anything in the exhibits is true. (Or, if it is not true, why Mr. Wilson put it in his museum.) One example of the unusual exhibits is a sinlge horn, mounted on a wood plaque, supposedly retrieved from the head of one Mary Davis of Saughall in Cheshire. Odd.

I am tempted, but I won’t tell you what Mr. Weschler learns throughout the course of his search. I will promise that it will change the way you think about knowledge, belief, intellectual authority, and science.

1 Comment » Categories: Books

Aug 17th 2006 06:29:29 pm

At the museum the other day, I got to conduct a condition report on a new acquisition. The new piece is a large encaustic painting by Pacific NW artist, Betsy Eby. Her translucent beeswax painting is one of my most favorite pieces of artwork I have seen in a while. It is just so beautiful and serene, yet active and a bit fun. The texture is so smooth on the surface, but there is a depth to the surface with paint trapped in the wax at different levels. All of her paintings are done in just about the same style. Go check out her website to see the beauty for yourself!

1 Comment » Categories: Art

Aug 17th 2006 04:11:26 pm

We got our cable internet installed today! I am super-excited. We also got “Enhanced Cable” for a special deal, which basically means we have more tv than I can ever watch. I am so glad school doesn’t start for four more weeks!

Anyway, I am back and I will post more asap.

No Comments » Categories: Just for Fun, Television

Aug 15th 2006 04:32:29 pm

Hi. I am at the U of O library using the computer. I have been without internet for far too long! I have not even been able to check my email. Thankfully, the cable guy is coming to our house on Thursday morning, so we should be back to our regular online activities after that.

Travis and I have been keeping busy doing lots of “offline” stuff. Over the weekend we went to a lovely wedding reception of some of our friends from my school program. Plus, we got to go to the lake again with friends from Travis’ work. Very fun! I went tubing again and managed to bruise my arm pretty bad, but it was worth it! Last night we had our last softball game of the season (sadly we lost). And, today while working at the museum my friend and I found a Mongolian headpiece made out of human hair in the storage vaults that was totally creepy! So, as you can see, my life has been pretty exciting lately…

2 Comments » Categories: Misc

Aug 9th 2006 10:29:54 am

Travis and I moved into our house last weekend, so we have been very busy. (Read more about the house here.) The moving process also meant that we didn’t have internet for a bit. Right now we are using a DSL-type service that is not very fast, so we are going to switch to cable next week. The switch means that we will be without internet again for a few days… oh, well.

I bought a few things on the internet from two of my favorite crafters/artists and had them sent to my new house as a house warming gift to myself. I got both of the packages successfully, so I thought I would show off my new goodies.

I got some cute and funny 1″ buttons from Nat at the Moustache Factory. Nat does such great illustrations that all have their own little personalities. My favorite is the button set that goes together to create a weiner dog. So cute!

I also ordered this vintage wallpaper pack from Posy Press. It came with 10 sheets of vintage wallpaper and 2 yards of vintage ribbon. I don’t know what I am going to do with it all yet, but everything is very pretty. I may frame a few sheets of the wallpaper because the colors match my house just right…

4 Comments » Categories: Cute Things, Feeling Happy

Aug 5th 2006 09:24:37 am

We are moving into the house all day today, so you probably won’t hear from us for a while. The house is looking great, but we still have a ton of work to do! xoxo

2 Comments » Categories: Home

Aug 2nd 2006 11:02:57 pm

Travis and I went to see Al Gore’s movie, An Inconvenient Truth, at the local art theater with some friends last weekend. (You can get nutritional yeast on top of your popcorn at the theater, but that is another story…) It was a fine movie and it was very informative. At times I felt like I was sitting in class at school, but it was worth it to learn the lessons Gore is trying to teach. His charge to viewers is to spread the word about the climate crisis and global warming.

I thought I would list out all of the things he suggests that people do to help reduce Co2 emmissions… Travis and I already do some of the things, but there are others that we need to work on. Which things are you currently doing, or could start doing, to help the environment?

Things we are already doing:

• Replace a regular incandescent light bulbs with a compact fluorescent light bulbs.
• Move your thermostat down 2° in winter and up 2° in summer – we actually don’t have air conditioning at all, so I think that counts.
• Wrap your water heater in an insulation blanket – done, but we probably will need a new water heater soon.
• Be sure you’re recycling at home – easy to do in Eugene!
• Buy fresh foods instead of frozen – I don’t like frozen food anyway.
• Buy organic foods as much as possible.
• Eat less meat – we eat meat very rarely.
• Reduce the number of miles you drive by walking, biking, carpooling or taking mass transit wherever possible.
• Keep your car tuned up.
• Try car sharing – well, Travis and I carshare.

Things we are working on doing:

• Clean or replace filters on your furnace and air conditioner – we will do this asap.
• Choose energy efficient appliances when making new purchases – we are buying a new washer and dryer soon and we will make sure they are energy effiecient.
• Use less hot water – we are going to try to take shorter showers.
• Use a clothesline instead of a dryer whenever possible – I hang a lot of my clothes to dry, but I could do better.
• Turn off electronic devices you’re not using.
• Buy recycled paper products.
• Switch to green power – we are going to switch to wind power asap!
• Buy locally grown and produced foods – we need to shop at the Saturday Market more often.
• Seek out and support local farmers markets – see above.
• Avoid heavily packaged products.
• Fly less.

Things we are not yet doing, but should be:

• Install a programmable thermostat.
• Unplug electronics from the wall when you’re not using them.
• Only run your dishwasher when there’s a full load and use the energy-saving setting – um… we don’t have a dish washer.
• Insulate and weatherize your home – but we live in a very mild climate.
• Plant a tree.
• Get a home energy audit.
• When it is time for a new car, choose a more fuel efficient vehicle.
• Try telecommuting from home.

Whew! That is a long list! Check out the Climate Crisis website for a complete list of suggestions and more information about the movie.

9 Comments » Categories: Movies, Thinking