Being Tom Cruise
Fuz and I went to see War of the Worlds last night. The inescapable conclusion was that the only sure way to survive a major disaster is to be Tom Cruise, or a member of his immediate family. Merely being near Tom Cruise is not enough, indeed, people in close proximity to him get vaporized at an alarming rate. Nor is having a name enough; several people are introduced with names only to die seconds later. No, the only real protection is to be Tom Cruise. Or descended from or previously married to Tom Cruise.
Excuse me. The aliens might be coming at any moment. I have to go seduce Tom Cruise. I'm in the right age category, right?
Old Songs
Fuz and I went to Old Songs this weekend. It's a wonderful folk songs festival in Altamont, NY. I loved, loved, loved it.
High points:
- Faith Petric. I can only hope that when I am ninety years of age, I will be like Faith. I wish I was more like her right now. She's a Wobbly, a lovely woman, and a great singer. And she's so
happy.
- Michael Cooney. The man has wonderful shoes. Also a great musician.
- Nightingale. Good music on New England and French Canadian themes, such as mills, unhappiness, and black flies.
- The Arrogant Worms. Actual song lyrics (disowned by 66.66% of the band, but sung with great joy by Mike) "I pulled my groin! I pulled my groin! It hurts when I skate, but it doesn't hurt when I master- I pulled my groin! I pulled my groin!"
- The IWW songs workshop. V. powerful. Great to listen to Faith talk about the history of the IWW, much of which she witnessed.
- Pesto Crepes.
- Murder Most Foul workshop. A whole hour of songs based on my favorite theme. What could be better?
Low Points:
- It was really, really hot and sticky.
- Port-a-potties. In the heat, y'all. Not so good.
- I'm realizing that while I would really like to be the sort of person who enjoys camping, I am most definitely the sort of person who enjoys air-conditioning. Also real beds.
Conclusion:
Going back next year.
I will never be too old.
bunny hoodie
Originally uploaded by Adridne.So, some time ago, I put an ad up in the wanted section of craigslist dc looking for a serger. Four days later with no responses I had given up. Then I got the most wonderful e-mail ever. A very kind woman was moving to a smaller apartment and wanted me to take her serger and some fabric she no longer wanted. No money, please, just take it away. How could I refuse?
I pictured three, perhaps four bags of fabric. Instead, I was presented with twenty-four boxes. My god. Twenty-four boxes of every kind of fabric you can imagine. Teeny-tiny silk scraps. A bolt of cream stretch velour. Two bolts of cotton batiste. More tricot than I really want to think about.
The serger is in the shop. But I present the first of my free-fabric projects. A bunny-eared hoodie. Grey velour with light pink satin lining the ears. Comfy. Warm. Unutterably cute.
As promised, strawberries and vinegar
So, for our anniversary/his birthday, I bought Fuz
an ice cream machine. This was a poor idea. I should have bought Fuz some nice black socks and kept the ice cream machine for myself.
Number of times Fuz has made ice cream: 1
Number of times I have made ice cream: waaay too many.
I have become an ice cream maniac. And sorbet. Let us not forget the sorbet. Anyone who does not own an ice cream maker should go out and buy one right now. They are so worth it.
Strawberry and Balsamic Vinegar Sorbet
1 c water
1/2 c sugar
1 lb strawberries, leaves and bad bits cut off
2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
Over medium heat in a heavy saucepan, dissolve the sugar in the water to make simple syrup. Remove from heat. Put this in a bowl in the fridge. Puree the strawberries in a food processor. Put them through a strainer or two* layers of cheesecloth to get out the seeds. Add the juice (and some solids will get through. This is a good thing) and the vinegar to the syrup in the fridge. Chill. This is wicked important, yo. The mixture needs to be really cold when you put it in the machine. This is what my short but intense life as an ice cream chef has taught me. When it's really, truly cold, process it in the machine according to the instructions.
I know what you're thinking. You're thinking "Vinegar? In
sorbet? Eeeeew!" Trust me, okay?
*Two is the correct number. One is not enough, three doesn't really let anything through.
The Kraken emerges
I have a Flickr account! I have a blog! I am slowly reaching out to conquer the web! Does this mean I have to join Friendster?
