Recommendations

Busy busy busy

Friday I saw Vaclav Havel's first play in 20 years "Leaving". It was really good, but I think I enjoy it more now than I did while in the theatre. I definitely recommend it, and don't get fidgety: its worth sitting through.

Saturday and Monday were gatherings at Erika and Becky's houses respectively. Both were a really good time. Sunday M.E. got locked out of her apartment so we got to hang out for the first time really. I like my new neighbors very much.

I indulged myself yesterday by purchasing two cookbooks that I really don't need but wanted! I mean really, what the hell am I supposed to do with 18 herbs constantly growing outside my window?! The Herbal Kitchen by Jerry Traunfeld, and Melissa's Everyday Cooking with Organic Produce by Cathy Thomas, which is actually more for the CSA stuff but, its just really well organized with great recipes. I did a fair amount of research before purchasing them, and then spent a lot of time in the bookstore looking through them. I already have several herb books, but none specifically on cooking, with recipes. Also, I don't cook a lot of meat so I hate to buy cookbooks where meat is always the main dish. So, recommendations all over the place!

This weekend is another Puppet Uprising show! Right by my house, at 2313 Emerald St. from 8:00-10:00 pm. See you then!

Woolly Pockets and !@#$%^ Pumpkins!

Design*Sponge just posted this wonderful new product called Woolley Pockets! I was sort of doubtful at first, and you definitely need lots of light, but, seriously these are awesome. Especially the Wallys.


I need an electric shock collar so I won't buy anymore plant items. I planted some pumpkin seeds from a kit mom bought me last year, and only realized in September that it said to plant them in June. So, now I have fucking PUMPKINS growing in my apartment. Ugh. HAHAHA... totally loosing it.


And Avocado has leaves!

The roof garden at Leslie's is epic, and we had our first big summer evening rainstorm last night. I had just gotten to the studio and soon everything was glowing and green.

Itching for the Future, Enjoying Today!

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An update on my herbs! They look great! I finally cooked with some of them last night: mashed potatoes with cilantro and scallions, and mushrooms with onions and a whole mix of herbs! Just threw em in the pot! It was a bit overwhelming, but I'll get the hang of it. Oh and also, I've decided to add sage to the list. So soon it'll be 18 herbs! Good number, and the rightmost smartpot is a little empty looking anyway.


So I have officially moved down to 3 days a week at the Mutter, the Census is all but over, I have a lot of ghost tours, including one tonight just for Elizabeth, her mom, and Celia- free of charge of course!

I have been in the studio a lot, soon to bake some faces and generally getting things going. I've also been reading a lot. I finished Helen Fisher's Why We Love, and if you'd like a briefing on the subject, you can watch the following video:



I am reading Murakami's Norwegian Wood, but mostly while at work. And at home I am reading Diarmaid Macculloh's Christianity. Both incredible books, but for different reasons, obviously.

I found this pudgy little cappytiller on the herbs I didn't plant in the garden. I potted them in a pot and then gave them to Amelia when she was here last week. But by then he had disappeared.


This guy got repotted today!
Look at this lovely avocado! It has lots of attempted stems, so I'm not sure if I did something wrong... several times... or if he just likes to try things to see what the difference is. But this one seems to be the guy, he's got little leaves on the top ready to spread their wings.

It finally cooled off today, but Hans is getting shaved soon!

And all this warm weather and good literature and herbs just make me itch for a good Kerouacian adventure... even just a few days of craziness... I'm looking forward to my trip to Boston and Providence in the fall. But that's so far away. Itching for the future is the opposite of enjoying today!

TasteSpotting!

Sandy Boyer just told me about TasteSpotting, and brilliant website which enables you to search the best of the food blogs!

In other news, I went to Puppet Uprising on Friday with Amelia, Erika D, and Becky. It was awesome! The next event is June 26 right by my house, so feel free to join me!

Becca and Yelena Strike Again

So, I am at work at the Mutter again, and after I check gmail and facebook, I move on to npr and then design sponge, only to find that Yelena Brynksenkova is featured on Design Sponge today!

Then I go to blogspot and see that Becca has posted that she is featured in the 69th issue Oxford American magazine!


These girls really are too much!

Hans&Oscar, and 17 Rooftop Friends

Last week, Hans started sleeping in my closet, behind my skirts, above my little plastic dresser. Its almost time to shave him down!

The CSA started last Thursday! Erika is on vacation, and last minute Celia went to visit her grandmother, and Elizabeth is too busy to collect her share: leaving me with 4 CSA quarter-shares to consume myself! But I made some kale chips, and have been eating a lot of mixed greens salad with strawberries, and tonight I made some zucchini casserole, so I can freeze some and give to the others.

I also made mulberry muffins, after being informed by my ex-downstairs neighbor Nicole (she moved back to Massachusetts this morning) that the trees outside our building are in fact mulberry trees, and quite edible and delicious!
I finally bought my herbs from Greensgrow, the same day I got my CSA! What herbs do I have? Left to right: dill, parsley, marjoram, mint, oregano, and tarragon; catnip, cilantro, basil, thyme, and lemongrass; sweet fennel, rosemary, St Johns wort, chamomile and lavender. Scallions are separate, but I need to drill a hole in the bottom of that spare bed riser!



I haven't used any of them yet, as I want to give them plenty of time to adjust. I am determined to learn the art of drying so I can have tea all winter! And Hannah has gotten me so excited about making wine and preserves, so I might have to do that too! Now I know I have mulberries, and the leaves make good tea too! And I think I'm going to get a goji plant, I have a hook above to the right of my window, for a hanging basket. Goji's are really big right now, and I actually have a credit to use at Greensgrow: the very helpful girls sold me a block of coconut peat moss or something like that, to mix in with the mushroom compost. But as I only had about 2 hours to plant everything, before work on Friday, chopping from the brick was awful. I only used a little bit of it, and ended up having enough potting soil to mix, and then I added more from the NKCDC nursery that evening, since they were open after work and I was able to buy a big bag from them. Ah, sometimes I think I do too much. Anyway, the folks at Greensgrow said I could bring the partially used brick back in exchange for a plant or something, so I intend to do just that.

In other news, Hans has finally met his new boyfriend Oscar: Lizzy's cat.

Their meeting was rather chill, with Oscar hissing just a little, and then them mostly ignoring each other. Hans finally showed that he is submissive in Oscar's territory and also since Oscar is two years older and several pounds heavier.
Since that day they've hung out a few more times, mostly sitting on opposite sides of the table until Hans tries to play with Oscar, something in which he has yet to succeed. Soon though Hans, soon.

Movement Makes My Heart Sing!

I have been so incredibly busy! I even have some photos to prove it! But for now, I just had to share these images by Pablo Zuleta Zahr, featured on Daily Serving today. The movement in these makes my heart sing!