Saturday, July 29, 2006

I cannot concentrate with all this heat!

I am not a complainer when it comes to weather. I actually like the heat and humidity.
I have been totally unable to deal with this heat though. I can't seem to get anything done on time at all, which is frustrating to no end. I hate being outside, even to garden.
Speaking of gardening, here's the vegetable report: My tomatoes are fruiting nicely, but the leaves are looking a bit yellow around the edges. This is due to lack of nitrogen in the soil, something I will add with the next batch og organic fertilizer. My okra is huge, and the peppers are doing well. All the herbs are doing well, and I am going to start drying them soon. I may even take Annie's suggestion and make a butter compose thingy.
I am disappointed in the edamame. Everything I read made it seem like they would flourish, but no matter what I tried, they just went to the insects. Marigolds, soapy water, chili paste spray, nothing could keep the bugs from making holes in the leaves. I may get about a handful of beanpods from them, but I doubt I will try to grow them again. Oh well, I learn a bit more each year.
I finished the latest pair of socks, which were a birthday present for someone who reads this blog, so I couldn't post pictures of them on here. Rest assured that they are off to their new home, and that they are really cute! I love making ankle socks. They take almost no time and usually no more than one skein. I am going to have to expand into lace or a different ribbing pattern soon though, I am getting a bit bored with the ones I've been using.
On the knitting front now: baby socks. Jessica, Kate, and Sarah at work are all expecting babies. Shawna's got one coming soon too. Jackson has arrived and at some point will have cold feet, though probably not in the immediate future.
I will have pictures of Jackson on this very blog as soon as I find my camera cable. Aaron Maye and I spent a lot of time together on Wednesday and we both took pictures of him. He is beautiful and perfect. I love him.
Oh, I am too beat to talk about Roller Derby right now, lets just say that the F&F bout on the 16th went well. We made some mistakes, we learned what we need to do, we will be better prepared for September 10th.
Today is the Hel-Kat's birthday, I hope she has a happy one, and I'm sure her mom won't since the party is of the slumber variety. I'll check on her tonight.
That's all you get now, I'm going to grab a bite before I go to work tonight.

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Latest obsession

Ichigo Mashimaro.

I am totally fixated on this Manga and Anime. It is so cute it makes me ill.

Friday, July 21, 2006

blogging from a disaster zone

Half a million people are without electricity in the City and County of St. Louis due to power outages from terrible thunderstorms on Wednesday Night.
I'm one of the lucky few. Our block is one of the only areas in the whole fox park/tower grove east neighborhood with power. We only have electricity on our side of the street. I guess we are on some magic grid, that we lucked out and didn't anger the gods of electricity.
The entire St. Louis metropolitan area has been declared a disaster zone. There's a boil order in effect for north county and the east side for all municipal water supplies.
Trees are down everywhere, walking or driving is like playing a lifesized game of frogger.
Forest Park Parkway, which only recently reopened is a minefield of downed trees and debris.
I had to cut Hazel and Nu's walk short this morning because the of the many electric lines that are down all over the neighborhood.
It took Helen and I forty-five minutes to find a gas station that had working pumps yesterday. I try to conserve gasoline by driving as little as possible, but I can't take the metrolink to work when the electricity is out all over the city. Everyone waiting in line for gas was very relaxed, the man in front of me said "It's really not that bad. Think about New Orleans last year. Those folks had it bad. Some still do." It was nice to hear someone put it into perspective.
I know that for some people though, it is really that bad.
This afternoon, a watermain broke on the south side, and now parts of The Hill and Clifton Heights are without water as well.
fortunately the thunderstorms brought cooler weather, which is a huge relief since the 107 degree highs were starting to take their toll. People were starting to get really sick.

Sunday, July 16, 2006

Get your gameface on

Okay.
Today is it.
The big day.
ARRG's St Louis debut.
I am going with Matt to Duff's to borrow the P.A. right now. The rest of the day should be organized chaos. I'm digging in and hanging on. I'll let you know how it turns out.


My stomach is all butterfly-y.

Saturday, July 15, 2006

My big secret- meme

I saw this meme on Annie's blog and I decided that it was high time I aired my dirty laundry too.
So here goes...
I saw a really good movie the other night while I was suffering from a bit of insomnia. Now, I don't really want to admit what movie it was. See, I have this guilty pleasure most of my friends and aquaintances who read the blog don't know about. It dates back to childhood and I feel it is either a genetic affliction or a delibratley implanted preference.
Deep breath, this is really hard.
I love baseball movies. Especially the cheesy ones. Any movie that is even remotely about baseball in any way. Bull Durham- loved it. Major League- loved it. The Natural- loved it, Feild of Dreams- loved it. (I've actually been to the field in Iowa whre the movie was filmed, thanks Dad.)
My father is a huge Baseball fan. I've gone on and on about learning to love the game from him countless times, anyone who knows me has heard it all before. (This is where the idea for implanted preferences came from), But I am so tickled by this stupid little movie that I just have t o tell everyone I know to go watch it.
It's called Fever Pitch. It stars Jimmy Fallon and the lovely and talented Ms. Drew Barrymore. It's a romantic comedy (I usually hate those with a passion) about an obsessive Red Sox fan and the woman he falls for the year the Sox break the "Curse of the
Bambino. " I could seriously consider watching it again.
Bonus point: The Dropkick Murphys, a Boston punk band that I like, has a song on the soundtrack. It is a remake of a 1906 rally song called "Tessie" that Sox fans used to sing when their team was a major force in baseball. They recorded it the year before Boston broke the curse. Lesson: Punk Rock saved Boston Baseball. Go figure.

Friday, July 14, 2006

You know you've arrived when...

... the Tivoli Theatre in the University City Loop's "Late Late Shows" Myspace account refers to you as "the empress of STL Roller Derby" No, for real. So You all are gonna join me for The Midnight Pulp Fiction show after Jac's party tonight, right? Maybe Saturday?

No more practices til the big day

I didn't get down to the Skatium Last night because my car was acting up. Matt and I are going to take it in to the dealership later to have it checked out. Last night's practice was the final one before Sunday's big event. I talked to a couple of the girls and they said it went well.
I'm going to try not to think too much about this bout for the next few days.
Instead, here are some cool pictures from last Tuesday's practice.
Pack Ready? Jammers Ready?

Get Set Ladies!

And They're Off!

Red Ass Jac's Killer Bruise and Awesome Tattoo

Hel-Kat took this picture of Miss Lippy because she says "Lippy is my favorie Rollergirl, she's really fast!"

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

no blog post = I'm getting things done

Sorry for the long hiatus folks, but yours truly has been up to her eyeballs in preparations and paperwork. The Arch Rival Rollergirls are rushing to get all of our ducks in a row. We now have four days left til the Friends and Family bout. Our test run, our dress rehersal, our St. Louis Debut. I am a tad bit worried (big surprise) but we are getting things done.
We have chairs ordered, payed for and ready to deliver, thanks Jawbreaker!
We have a timeline worked out for the entire afternoon, thanks Teacher's Pet!
We have secured the dates for our first season, thanks Tornado Alli!
The media has been contacted, thanks Joanie Rollmoan!
The tickets have been printed and have arrived, thanks Shanghai Lily!
The P.A. Situation is under control, thanks Fojammi!
The beer situation is under control, thanks Susie Scratch'n'sniff!
Sid Stitches and I are meeting on Saturday to finalize our banter. Everything is coming together, just like it did for the demo in Columbia. I am so excited. We are actually going to pull it off.
I have no idea what I am going to wear, and that is huge for me.

Saturday, July 08, 2006

All the build up

I've got no time. All my time is for work and Derby. I'm sorry. Please stick with me for a few more days, I promise a really good post on Monday night.
Go see a pirate movie or something.

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

just a taste...

More later. For now, feast your eyes on our fourth of July spread. Mmmmm... pork steak!

Monday, July 03, 2006

tired feet

nothing to report.
work work work.
tomorrow is the 4th of July.
Family BBq pictures.
blegh.

Saturday, July 01, 2006

Rare Form

I don't hang out after work. This is unusual in a restaurant employee. I can safely say this because I've been in the industry for about half my life. Most of my coworkers do, and I am not judging, merely observing, and reporting what I see. I followed the standard restaurant worker routine myself for many years. The routine has a straight-forward pattern: Work insane hours (double shifts, triple shifts, swing shifts, third shift, whatever. Many many hours, til the wee-est of the wee hours.) then drink until you pass out. Get up the next day, consume crappy food and do it all over again. I am almost completely reformed. I rarely drink more than two beers at one sitting. I don't work fourteen million doubles in a row anymore, and I manage to get a decent amount of sleep.

This is Kimmie, isn't she gorgeous? Tonight was Kimmie's last night at BbH. She's finished school and moving on to greener pastures in the medical coding industry. I love Kimmie and will sincerely miss working with her. So I stuck around for a bit after work to hang out.

This is Justin, who we call Ra. (He's the Sun God! He's the fun God! Ra! Ra! Ra!) He's leaving on tour with his band, Burnt Ninja, tomorrow. Justin is going to be a huge Rockstar someday and I will say I knew him when. As soon as he returns form tour I will secure his fine musical ensemble to perform at one of our Roller Derby Bouts so you all can bask in his glory. I know he looks a bit surly, and some of you may be thinking, "What a total rockstar. I bet he's really (insert rockstar appropriate adjective here)" but I'm telling you, he's a sweetie.

This is Diana acting goofy. She was slightly drunk. Like me, Diana doesn't usually get all trashed after work. It was fun watching her down all those shots. I only put these pictures up here because I know she will be horrified by them, and I know she reads my blog.



Last but not least, we have Rachel and Dan. I love Rachel and Dan. I want to spend more time with them, outside of work. I will make a concerted effort to hang out with them as friends. Also, they have the cutest kitties on the planet. Even cuter than mine.
So I stayed out late and drank a beer with my friends at work. I realized that I miss doing this. I miss the camaraderie that is created when you work long hours in a high stress job. I'm always complaining about my job, and I'm starting to think that I need to shut up and get back into it. I really like working with these people, I like what I do for a living. I make a decent living, I have tons of time to work on other projects that are important to me, I have more flexibility with my work schedule than anyone I know. I need to know how good I've got it.