The Land of Rach

Hey, I like these bats, OK?

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 10:25:13 -0800

Today is December 2. I think I will stick to the Halloween flavored background for the time being. Maybe in the 2009 I will find another gif I want to tile (or more likely go back to the old lavendar one)

Last night I decorated my Christmas tree that was a hand-me-down from GHazel. It's a pre-lit tree with white lights. I decorated it with my ornaments from childhood. Some years ago, I got a bug up my butt about something and removed all of "my" ornaments from the family ornament boxes and put them in a chicken box. Then when I moved to the house and had enough storage space, Dad brought the box down. I think it looks pretty good, and the tree is well-covered. I also have a bunch of plain ornaments (from Grandma, and my own) but it turned out I didn't need them. It felt a little bit hollow decorating the tree by myself, but I rationalized it because I decided I should take a pic of the finished product and show Grandma how I am using her tree. The cats have been pretty good about leaving it alone, though they do bat at the low-hanging tinsel sometimes. For this reason, there aren't any ornaments on the lowest row of branches, and only soft ornaments on the next row up.

We had some snow on Sunday so Monday saw me doing my first shoveling of the season. It made my left arm and hand hurty! To my credit, I still made it to the gym today.

Seven things. Seven beautiful things, ah-ah-ah.

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 10:25:13 -0800

Today is December 3. My buddy Faith (you may remember her from such films as - the sidebar) has tagged me to share seven things about myself. I will try to pick things that I haven't blogged about before. So here goes!

The only time I've had a serious boyfriend was when I didn't have a cat. Check it - Daisy was alive from 82-01, I dated Chris from 02-04 (March), and then I got Calypso in 04 (October). Sure, I've had a few dates since the age of the Orange One, but nothing I'd call a real relationship. I just figured this out today (I originally was going to post about how the only time I've been catless was from April 01 to October 04, and then I realized what else happened in that time period) and now I am slightly worried that it Means Something. Actually, a few weeks ago I was thinking about how much more lonely I would be if I didn't have the cats. So it's probably a chicken/egg situation.

There are several things I was not allowed to do/have when I was a child that I embraced with a vengeance as I got older. For example, we were not allowed to watch much tv, or eat sugared cereal, but I was frequently found in the dorms, watching my cable and eating a big bowl of Marshmallow Mateys. Also my mom did not want me to have Barbies, but then I got into making custom dolls out of Bratz (and, ok, just playing with them for fun). Those are the big ones, but there's little things too. Like I was repeatedly told never to wear sneakers without socks, but I do that sometimes nowadays. It still feels a bit rebellious.

I often had nightmares on Christmas Eve growing up. I remember one very vividly where Santa Claus had a pet sheep with razor-sharp teeth. At the end of the dream (it was done in a 1930's style cartoon) the sheep grew a second head. Is it little wonder that I do not like Santa Claus stuff as a grownup? I do think Father Christmas is ok though.

Maybe some people would like to know the roots of my pineapple obsession. In 5th grade I was taking a little individual can of pineapple in my lunchbox (not every day, but when I didn't want the school lunch) and really digging it. Then my mom bought me a t-shirt with a silk-screened parrot and pineapple on it, and then at some point I got a purple scoop-neck shirt with an allover pineapple print. I was still pretty into dolphins at this time so it took a while to make the transition.

Another big thing for me, my love of '70s music, also began in those pre-teen years. I was in the 1993 VEISHEA parade with the Scandinavian Dancing group, and then I came home and was flipping through radio stations and I heard "YMCA." Now I had only been exposed to that song recently, at a birthday party for a girl in our grade. I still enjoyed the novelty of it. And that radio program I was listening to......was Star 102.5's '70s Saturday Night. I discovered so many great disco, pop, r&b, and rock songs through listening to that show. It was my Saturday companion for the rest of middle school, high school, and the first year of college (before I joined S.U.B.) I even got into Yes after hearing "Roundabout" on there!

The first time I remember using a computer was playing Memory with my cousin Eric on what I assume was an Apple IIE. Black screen with green typing, and Eric whooped my ass at the game.

One of my reasons for quitting my previous job was that I didn't want to deal with iPhones. Not the whole reason, but it was up there. Most people were super excited about the prospect of an Apple Phone, but to me it just seemed like a giant hassle. I had heard a lot of horror tales from my assistant manager about working at Verizon, and I didn't want any part of that. So, with my self esteem on the floor, and the iPhone on the horizon, I said my goodbyes. I miss being able to hug people at work - even a half-arm side-hug, but overall I'm quite glad I've moved onto the Big Blue Triangle.

Halloween Costume Awards!

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:10:14 -0700

Today is October 31. Last night I was SUPER PUMPED to hand out candy for my first real trick-or-treat. In the apartment, we had a few kids come by but this is the real deal. House, porch light, the whole shebang. Without further ado, here are my picks for best costumes that I saw.

Favorite (boy): Cowboy Mouse. A little guy, in a cowboy costume, with mouse ears, whiskers, and a tail. As Jesriedl pointed out, like Fievel Goes West. It was just so surprising and random and cute. His dad was pleased when I 'got' the costume because he said no one else had. Cowboy mouse. I've been repeating it to myself ever since. Another good mash-up I saw was Clown Policeman.

Favorite (girl): Pirate. Yes I know pirates are kind of old meme, and truth be told, I'm more of a ninja person anyway, but I was a girl pirate way back in 4th grade so that will always be cool with me. This girl's costume was very well done (perhaps homemade? Her mom & grandma were accompanying her) and she just had every detail in place. I saw several pirates (girls and boys) but she was easily the best.

Most surprising (boy): Monkey! Again, kind of old meme, but the best thing about this costume is that I thought he was a bear until he turned around and I saw his long monkey tail. So that made me laugh. Another very well done costume, fuzzy and such. Actually it wasn't very cold last night but on a typical chilly Halloween it would keep a kid warm.

Most surprising (girl): Stewardess. Mainly because she reminded me of the video for Toxic. Her costume had the added benefits of not having a weird open front, and also being blue/teal lamé. She had a little hat and everything. Plus she was the only stewardess that came by, so it showed she was creative in her choice.

Worst costume (girl): The two non-costumed teens who came after I turned off my porch light. All I had left was 3 Starburst Sour 2-packs, so I gave them to the girls. At least they said thank you, and it did not turn into an incident for me like it did for Larry David. I also saw another older girl kid in pj's and I'm not sure what that was about but it works for Homecoming so I guess it can work for Halloween.

Worst costume (boy): The fact that my skateboarding neighbors (Black Tony Hawk) didn't come by and get candy. Maybe they thought they were too old. I should say (in fairness to the aforementioned girls), I'm pretty sure there were some un-costumed boy teens who came by too, but when you are the last guest of the night you are that much more memorable.

Brought to you by Frankie the Forgetful Blog Frog

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:10:14 -0700

Today is October 26. For me and my crew, the day of the new Guitar Hero. "My Crew" refers to "people who are like me and enjoy guitar-based video games." I am mostly pumped b/c of Steely Dan, the Mars Volta, and the fact that it's still coming out for PS2. Roommate's plans to buy an Xbox 360 never came to fruition, and you know I'm not gonna splash out for a new console until I am thoroughly bored with the games for the ones I have now ;-)

It is a Talking Heads Sunday. One of my chatting compadres mentioned feeling like "the luckiest girl in town" which made me think of "the smartest girl in town" from Uh-Oh, Love Comes To Town. I realize it would take a miracle (David Byrne has a tendency to act like a jerk to his old bandmates) but it would be incredibly sweet to see a TH show someday. For a long time I held out for a Cars reunion, but after Benjamin Orr passed away, it went kaput. Do not even ask me about The New Cars.

It has been brought to my attention that Trinity is getting heavier since I brought her home from the pound. The main reason, I'm guessing, is that she has food available all the time here and maybe didn't at her old house. Calypso free-feeds and I think he is the same size he has always been. The other possible explanation I have thought of is that she was *always* this size, until she was sent to the shelter and then got stressed and stopped eating. So maybe we got her at an unnaturally low weight. Someday when I have unlimited time (and unlimited tolerance for touching gross stuff) maybe I'll put them on that cat diet where you have to go to the butcher and get chicken hearts and kidneys and stuff. Also: bones, so I will need a fancy grinder for that. I really hope I do not have to start feeding them separately. That would be a real hassle. But I suppose it beats insulin injections for the 'beetus

Knitting continues to go well. I finished a more leg-shaped legwarmer and it looks pretty okay! Although I did order some "real" Stevie-Style legwarmers from a cool chica on the etsy. I'm completely hoping they get here by Friday. But just in case, I have started a second knitted legwarmer. Also I might could wear the hat too, perched atop my wig, since Stevie was known to wear berets sometimes too.

It's hard to imagine that nothing ever could be so exciting
Could be this much fun

Rachel's haiku about knitting

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:10:14 -0700

Started out as a
Leg warmer, but it ended
Up being a hat.

This is based on a true story. I will post a pic of the hat when it's done. Also if I ever figure out how to make legwarmers the right way. Today is October 12, by the way. I've been up watching 3rd Rock from the Sun on TVLand since 12:15 and it's now 2:30 and I just bothered to check the tv listings and they're going to be showing it until 5AM. So I don't think I'm gonna win this one.

Wrong era, wrong side of the 49th Parallel

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:10:14 -0700

Today is October 10. Some argue that I have a major obsession with Canada. (Heck yeah, it's out of stock. Out of stock b/c I bought it and had it ironed on to a hoodie!) I mean, Rush, Kids in the Hall, the bulk of the SCTV cast, Neil Young, the list goes on. Well I am somewhat of a hockey fan too. My team is the Blues I started liking them after The Mighty Ducks movie came out and I decided hockey was awesome. I picked them because I was already a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals and I thought the STL was a pretty cool city.

For the past few years, I've been slacking on my Blues Fan duties, but now that I have pay TV again I think I might get back into it. I got an e-mail from DirecTV about a free preview of NHL Center Ice so I got all pumped and sat down to watch their home opener against Nashville tonight. Then I sort of got bummed out, thinking, well, I'll get to watch this game, and then whenever they play the Blackhawks. The only fancy, regional sports channel I thought I got was Comcast Chicago or something. Turns out, I also get Fox Sports Midwest. So now the only thing stopping me from watching the Blues games is the fact that I can't handle looking at that much white on the screen for the duration of a game.

I done got made over

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:10:14 -0700

Today is October 4. Last night I went to a Mary Kay party at a friend's house in Ankeny. Abigail checked my skin color using this set of color swatches, and I was the lightest color they had. Yes, I rock the paleness. Once I put the foundation on, I looked like a ghost! Then I put on my "color" and I just looked "tarted up" as Jess H. would say ;-)

After the Ladies' Makeup Pary for Ladies (although there was one boy there, fifteen-week-old Eli who belonged to one of the other guests) Jess and I met up with her pal Wags and went to Billy Joe's for a litle empty orchestra action. We did "Rio" which was symbolic because it's the first song we sang together the first time meeting face-to-face. Of course that was on Singstar, in a tiny room, and not in front of people on a stage. But I think we worked it. Also I sang Mr. Big's "To Be With You" which always goes over 'uge. We teamed up once again to close down the night with a little Rickroll action. I am completely serious. It was actually kind of hard to sing because the backing track didn't appear to be in "any key."

This morning I am watching a program on current_ tv called InfoMania. I heard about it from the linked "Target:Women" videos on Feministing. They had a round-up of top five searches on Imeem and you must believe me when I say that the new Nelly song sounds like a missing "KidBreak" segment from Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! The entire song is about getting mad at someone for stepping on your sneakers.

And finally, since it is a contentious topic, I bring you an article on hipsters

Welcome to Rocktober

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:10:14 -0700

Today is October 1. I celebrated the first day of Rocktober with a Steely Dan Wednesday. When I first got heavily into Yes, I remember bemoaning the fact that I was born too late, and wishing that I had been around in the '70s. Well I have this feeling again when listening to The Dan. Also the outfit I had on today was pretty earth tone-fab. I only needed my giant plastic tinted sunglasses to complete the look. And maybe a necklace with large wooden beads.

Cats are pretty much the best of all possible pets. For me, anyway. Anyone who complains that cats are too aloof or not loving, try making it about 5-10 degrees colder in your house. Suddenly your kits will remember how much they love you =)

Tomorrow I plan to get my last workout in for the week and then Friday I'm going to a Mary Kay night at a friend's house. This is the wife of a work friend, but I'd like to think we're friends in our own right. I think it should be a good time. I enjoy the Satin hands set. I am kind of a sucker for n-step processes (my clinique skin care, my hair club stuff) plus it just makes your hands feel really nice.

I ain't got many friends left to talk to

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 00:11:31 -0700

Today is September 27. No one's around when I'm in trouble. Thanks to The Outfield for the lyrical intro to this post. I suppose I shouldn't complain too much about being alone on this Saturday night as I had a pretty good rest of the day.

This morning I went to a memorial service for Faith and Eric's baby. It was very sad but also I think helpful for them. Not much to say here really. Glad to see some Roland/Story City community folks, one of the nice benefits of coming from a close-knit community is that everyone supports each other in the bad times. (note I did not say "small town," you can have a community in a neighborhood in a big city too. we don't really have that in my neighborhood yet, maybe someday. I just get tired of this "small town values" bs because I should think that being a good person and treating others with respect are not exclusive to a small town. sorry for derailment.)

After the service, I hung out with Jess H. and we went shopping. Then I was really tired and oh crap I just remembered Jesriedl wanted me to stop by sometime during the day. I forgot and I apologize. Via this blog entry.

When I got back to DSM, I got some carryout pizza, which is to say I went in and placed my order, and then went and listened to "A Prairie Home Companion" in my car for fifteen minutes. When I went back in at the appointed time to pick up my pizza, they had marked it with phone number "555-5555" (since it was a walk-in order). "I feel like I'm in a movie!" I quipped aloud. The guys laughed.

Right now I'm watching the doc A League of Ordinary Gentlemen which is about the Pro Bowlers Association. The league commissioner (?) is just insane. He gave a good, rousing speech to the players at their annual meeting.

Speaking of APHC, they have a podcast for the News from Lake Wobegon. This is pretty exciting because I always forget to listen to it on the radio.

Oh irony, you are a cruel mistress

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 21:42:09 -0700

Today is September 19. Day two of home sick with the flu. I can't eat food, process complex sentences, or leave the house, but at least I'm not running to the bathroom every 5 minutes. Also, I get to watch the Cubs/Cardinals game. Just saw Zambrano give up a grand-slam, craziness.

So I have further proof that Republicans just don't get it. Sure, 1988 was 20 years ago, but I can't be the only one who remembers one of the most widely-ridiculed catchphrases in political history. Also. A GOP-supporting friend at work has stated that he doesn't like The Daily Show because it's "too mean." (paraphrased). Well I recently watched several episodes in a row (bed rest + Hulu) and I realized that listing a bunch of unflattering facts about your team is indeed pretty mean. Yah. Get it straight: Pinhead=opinion, Charged victims for their own rape kits=fact.

Oh irony, you are a cruel mistress

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 15:00:18 -0700

I wear many hats

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 20:43:28 -0700

Today is September 12. I almost won $5 from my dad in a debate about "who was that guy in that movie that was in that TV show" but it turned out that we had different ideas about what "the dad from Six Feet Under" meant. I was referring to Richard Jenkins, who we saw in Burn After Reading tonight. He was thinking of James Cromwell, who was *not* in the Coen Bros' latest. Anyway. Burn was a good movie, worth checking out for people who like a comedy with an edge.

What else have I been up to. I picked out some vinyl for my basement floor, to replace the carpet we tore out earlier in the year. The installers are coming to measure on Wednesday. It will definitely be a classier look for the basement.

Been slacking on the exercise this week. Have reselved to get back "at it" come Sunday. Once you skip one day it just becomes so easy to keep skipping the rest of the week. Bad bad Rachie.

An Impersonal Gift Basket

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:59:26 -0700

Today is August 26. Remember how that guy made a Christmas present for his friend based on Patton Oswalt's Feelin' Kinda Patton album? Like he took all the things mentioned on that disc and made a gift out of it. Well today I was thinking how you could do that with Paul F. Tompkin's Impersonal album. Right off the bat, you've got the autographed bushel basket ("To Randy, keep reachin' for the cherries") which would not only be awesome, but which could also hold all the rest of the items! Items such as...

A jazz cd
A loaf-of-bread-sized bear
A stromboli
The Apple Dumpling Gang (VHS)
A giant lollipop
Shirt from Banana Republic (B-Rep)
A toy iguana you can carry around on your shoulder
Can of peanut brittle
A potato
Copy of Entertainment Weekly

Of course the basket would be topped off by some elegant balloons.

I realize this entry makes no sense for folks who have not heard the album. Although, you really should listen to it, because it's hilarious. Probably the highest replay value of any comedy cd I have. And it's got a loaf-of-bread-sized bear, what's not to love??

Rachel the DSM Song Machine

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:59:26 -0700

Today is August 16. My roommate is playing Final Fantasy on my PS2. I am irritating him by asking him where the chocobos and moogles are, and also asking what the difference is between WoW and FF. Also he keeps saying little phrases that remind me of cool songs. He said "the river" and it made me think of South Side of the Sky: a river, a mountain to be crossed. The sunshine, in mountains sometimes lost. Then he said something about how he thought he'd been here before so that made me think of Your Gold Teeth: Got a feeling I've been here before/ watching as you cross the killing floor. Although, full disclosure, my mind remembered it as "kitchen" floor until I went and looked up the lyrics ;-)

Plan today is to eat some food and stand by the mailbox and see if my Netflix get here. Also my friend Stephie Mac is coming over for dinner. Steak, potato salad, the works. Should be a good time. I'm laying low b/c of being on call.

Tips 'n' Tricks

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:59:26 -0700

Today is August 2. I know everyone reads the Land of Rach for the excellent Mac OS X tips, so here is another I just figured out. If you have a folder in your dock, and it makes the little pop-up list of documents (properly known as a stack) you can just drag stuff from there RIGHT INTO THE TRASH. Amazing, I know. I always have stupid stuff in my "downloads" folder so this will make it very easy to get rid of those things!

I wanted to point out I think the title of this entry could be a good rap album title. Tipz 'n' Trickz. Tips meaning nail tips, and tricks, well, yeah. although, also this.

I woke up really early this morning because the on-call phone was buzzin'. There was an e-mail that had been stuck in an inbox overnight. I freed it and the messages stopped. I forgot to go back to bed though. I think I'm gonna go find some breakfast.

The Land of Rach

Hey, I like these bats, OK?

Seven things. Seven *beautiful* things, ah-ah-ah.

Halloween Costume Awards!

Brought to you by Frankie the Forgetful Blog Frog

Rachel's haiku about knitting

Wrong era, wrong side of the 49th Parallel

I done got made over

Welcome to Rocktober

I ain't got many friends left to talk to

Oh irony, you are a cruel mistress

Oh irony, you are a cruel mistress

I wear many hats

An Impersonal Gift Basket

Rachel the DSM Song Machine

Tips 'n' Tricks

Seven things. Seven beautiful things, ah-ah-ah.