win

if you ever want to win an argument in your american work place, just say "hey, it's science" and the naysayer will back down, real fast.

yum yum pesto tofu zuke pasta

although my family was in italy for christmas, alas, i was not, due to extenuating circumstances and an unfortunate series of events which resulted in non-EU residing.

adam was very worried about holiday malaise, being as i was alone for the actual holiday. truthfully, i didn’t mind. on christmas eve, the kittens and i made sushi and sashimi, enjoyed some champagne in front of the wood stove and watched “the office”. it was perfect.

upon the re-entry of the fam, we celebrated second christmas, a heart-touching and sentimental holiday, full of foreign gifts, including the individual serving-size packs of nutella, farro (=/ spelt!) soup, and, of course, a bookmark calendar of rome’s gattos.

one particularly nice present was a jar of pesto, from up north in italy, made from sunflower seeds and basil. the cupboards are a bit bare here, so to speak, but there was a mélange of vegetables, some half-thawed tofu, a sad little stub of zucchini, along with whole wheat pasta. i was all pumped about a tasty vegan meal, but forgot the italians lovveeeeeee to pump up pesto with some parm.

adam was going out to a show (buckman page) later on, i had (overly ambitious) plans to join him, so it was a quick dinner – sauteed broccoli, zucchini and ½ package of frozen and thawed tofu, when brown and tasty, i threw in some pesto to warm up a bit. splash over pasta and done! easy.

i turned out to be a total old lady, did some etsy crocheting (stay tuned!) and passed out at 9. so sad.

oh, for shame

dear reader(s),

once again, i apologize for the lack of posts. this is due mostly to a 40-hour work week, which, unsurprisingly enough, does not leave much time for the interwebs.

in the interim, i have (in list form)

came across a place to live rent-free for january 16^th to march 1^st

sold my first piece on etsy

pieced two more log-cabin squares for a queen-sized quilt

finished the corrugated ribbing on a second komi mitten

acquired a pith helmet at a twelfth night party, along with a hangover

nursed said acquisition delicately and lovingly (hangover, not helmet. must find way to return pith)

enjoyed a delicious vegan tofu, sweet potato and kale hash at the flying saucer

learned my first fiddle song

counted the days until i will never have to listen to quark again

frolicked about in the snow

stumbled upon a free wine tasting, every Friday at five.

adam and i will be moving into a gorgeous two bedroom wicker park apartment for the next six weeks, in exchange for providing cat care. expect pictures of cats soon! and then, by march 1, hopefully we will both have full-time employment and be able to rent our own place, without fears of hobo-like eviction.

there have been many discussions in the past couple of weeks re: life plans, and the general consensus seems to be that staying in chicago is the goal. there were opportunities to relocate elsewhere, most notably honolulu, hi or portland, or, but i have been living in chicago for three months now. i have a gym membership, i’m taking fiddle lessons, i’ve met some neat folks. i want to have cats, and pictures, and weird thrifted furniture. adam and i have been nomadic squatters, or so it seems, since august. it’s time to stop moving about and settle down for a little while (never fear, marriage is not part of this settling, although it is a weird feeling to have adam referred to as my husband at parties).

HAPPY NEW YEAR

new year’s resolutions.

one. gym. shooting for 3 or 4 times a week.

two. get jacqueminot.etsy off the ground.

three. make some new lady friends in chicago. if you are a funny lady who enjoys baking and thrift stores, please get in touch.

four. stop worrying!

five. get into phd program.

six. adopt kittens.

those are my goals . . . stay tuned if they miraculously all happen.

here is a unnecessary and irrelevant picture of nora-cat. KITTENS.

thrift founds

took a foray into the salvation army in brunswick, maine. and, boy howdy, what a great trip! i spent the evening taking up hems and sewing in side seams.

i do find it difficult to find clothes in thrift stores that are in my sizes (generally 2-6, depending on vintage or not/particular manufacturer), but many clothes in the size 10 and up range. so, either my fellow petite ladies of chicago, montreal and maine are buying up these sizes before i do so, or larger women donate more clothes to thrift stores, or the populations of these cities are skewed towards those specific sizes. i believe the average woman is a size 8, so perhaps that is a factor. it seems as if there is some belief that the surrounding area heavily influences the selection found; i have certainly heard the advice "go to thrift stores in wealthy areas" often, but i am curious to whether those stores offer a better selection. i do not shop at particularly "affluent" thrift stores, and i come across designer brands fairly often. can you predict demographics through donations made to thrift stores? CURIOUS.


tshirts for mr. adam. wolves, a la flight of the concords. tacky gold fish (jury is out whether or not he will wear this). adam is building a collection of old portland sports-themed tshirts, and the purple one is courtesy of "hamlin", number 11. thanks.



deadstock birthday cards.

bike license plates! never mind neither adam nor i have bicycles at the moment . . . all in good time.

they were (apparently) dead-stock, which accounts for the lack of names that were not "ron", "craig", "debbie", "christy". same names as those fantastic birthday cards above. and since i do not have any friends who were born during the 70s, we have taken on alter egos. good for quick bike get-aways.

what a great thrift trip, about $16 in all. i found a couple of neat mugs and books at the goodwill, but that can be photographed in a bit.

tomorrow = chicago!

i am looking forward to seeing adam . . . i miss him very much.

29.12.08

worn.

cut my hair very very short in april, right after i had (2) chest tattoos done. it was a couple of very drastic physical changes in short time, and left me looking quizzically into the mirror for a couple of weeks.

having short hair was great - it dried on its own, didn't have to worry about pins and elastics or straighting - but i prefer something a little longer. the growing-out front is going well, but we have reached an awkward stage.

thank you cat for the br gift certificate! i love this cardigan.

scarf: h+m
earrings: banana republic
cardigan: banana republic
tshirt: jcrew
skirt: aa
leggins: llbean
shoes: target

26.12.08

what i wore today.

headband: tortoise-shell, mystery
turtleneck : banana republic, outlet
necklace : h+m
skirt: thrifted, hemmed
underskirt: thrifted, vintage french school uniform
leggings: llbean silkweight long underwear
shoes: black patent-leather t-bars, target

llbean long underwear = saving grace in winter. looks like shiny tights, insulates like a muvfabitch.

angry-face is due to a "check-engine" light that will. not. disappear. blergh.