police convention

just another day in the neighborhood. when i first noticed, they had a guy cuffed across the street. but then, they uncuffed and walked with him back to the house next door. i guess it's "shoot first, ask questions later" ?

of course, this brings on all kinds of onlookers. including myself. but, i have a very clear view from my upstairs apartment, right next door to the house that's always involved with the action.

wonder what was going on to bring out 5 cars including k-9? ... must be a slow day .....

overdue art

when i was in the domenican republic last december, on my next to last day i was in santo domingo. i spent the day wandering around, looking for my souvenier. funny thing was, my souvenier was the first thing i had spotted when i got to my hotel earlier ... but across the street.

on the other side of the street was an artist with a tiny tiny studio space. he had lots of drawings and paintings, some on display outside, most in stacks inside.

after wandering around the city all day, i went back to him to negotiate for the painting i loved. i think we worked something out to please us both.



i've had this since december. people ask me "what is it?" ... hmmm ... to me, it's two robots riding unicycles. to me, it's the experience of an artist doing his thing every day, in a small small space, hoping tourists will like his work. and to me, it's a bookmark in my life.

leanne was instrumental in me getting this up on the wall. the canvas had been removed from the stretcher to get it home. i had no idea it was a standard size (16x20") until leanne said, "i bet that's ____". and she was right. we bought a cheap canvas at a craft store, stripped off the cheapie stuff and used the frame to stretch mine over it.

and today, i put the hardware on the back to hang. it's up, above my desk.

dios mios!

so, apparently when i am gone for an extended trip, my home becomes a mousie playhouse. i have found evidence, in places not expected (ie: bedside nightstand?!).

i posted on ravelry a shout out asking for advice as to what to do regarding exterminating. i quickly received some excellent advice and shared experiences.

i chose to go the traditional route, though, i fear the "clean up". ick ....


holy crap, look at the size difference between the mouse and rat traps!


... baited with some yummy peanut butter !


if traditional traps don't work, i will get one of these and electrocute the little bastards.

light house day

the day before our departure from cozumel, my family rented a car and drove around the southern half of the island. one of the destinations was the lighthouse at the southern tip. it was skinny ! but the view from the top was spectacular!

sigh

... so tired, and i want to update. but, soooo tired! finally, i am going to bed.

bundt cake!!!

i made a mad dash to the mall today to pick up one of these ...


i have this strange fascination with bundt cakes. i don't even remember if i've had a bundt cake, ever. but, something about their history and style is so appealing to me. plus, their recipes can be either sweet or savory, and of course, i prefer the savory.

while i was trying to figure out which pan to purchase (and where i could get it locally w/o having to have it shipped), i ran across a link to martha stewart. there is/was a martha stewart episode where her guest is one of the co-founders of nordic ware, and this woman, Dorothy Dalquist, made this fabulous sweet potato bourbon bundt cake.

i'm going to make it. i got all the stuff today. but today, with it being so late, the best i can do tonight is to go ahead and cook the sweet potatoes, so they'll be ready to roll tomorrow.

and the next time i go to the mall, i'm picking up one of these too ... holy crap! SO CUTE !!!!



$34 to make bug cakes !!!! got. to. have. it.

details on buggy pan over here.

seriously ....

8pm and still ! 94* outside. sh*t.

little things ...

... make me happy :)

like, my new laptop lunchbox! i had seen these long ago, on the blog vegan lunch box.

since i have been commuting, taking my lunch daily had become a greater daily challenge. at first, i was driving, so the container didn't matter so much (ie: i could take a big heavy pyrex thing with saran wrap over it). but, when i started having to walk a lot further, and riding the bus, i switched to what leak proof plastic containers i had. it takes me about an hour to get from my home to work ((includes walking to the bus stop, waiting for the (usually late) bus, transit time, and walking from the drop off to work)). so, keeping the meal cool, especially now in the early HOT summer temperatures, has become an issue as well.

so, i got this ....


well ... it's in there ..... amongst the other dishes .......

it's pretty cool. i also got the bento sleeve with ice pack to keep the coolness snug against my lunchbox, w/o the excess bulk of a "proper" case.

and you know, another cool thing is there's a flickr group if i'm looking for some inspiration or ideas about what to pack.

i think what i like most is the idea of portioning and variety. that's what all those spaces/places make me think of.

ps. i found an online coupon for a 10% discount ... though, i cannot find it right now to post here ......

happy birthday GOOMBA !!!

happy birthday to my BBF

don't be deceived ....

... by this pretty flower ... nothing is at it appears!


it was one of those days .... lately, i have been waking up before my alarm, as it's pretty light out before 7am. i'm pretty good about getting up, usually. if it's light. if i know i won't fall back asleep, i just pop out of bed. it amazes me how bright it is now compared to when daylight savings changed. it was hopeless then. i could not get out of bed when it was still darkish at 7am!

but, that doesn't really have much to do with this. unless, you think, "gosh, you got up at 6:50am, surely you could get to work on time!".

i could, if the buses displayed the correct route in their electronic signs !!! i missed two buses today because 1) i am a rookie and 2) the buses had their signs wrong.

what i did not realize is that only one tta bus comes down my street. and, if i am ever in doubt, i should stop the bus and ask. so, now i know. and i was 30min late to work.

but, i should not have to do that. i did my part. i got up, i got up early, did my "stuff". got to the bus stop on time ... and the first two buses screwed up. i did my part, they need to do their part !

(sigh) ... i finished knitting a sock on today's ride(s). and on the way home, i was a 'big girl' and "mastered the system" !

i got off tta at a requested stop, walked X blocks to the shopping center with the grocery store, did my shopping, and then proceeded to wait at the stop for the city bus that could take me as close to home .....

i do not mind riding the bus at all.

it's always an experience ... interesting folks, questions about my socks, and the weather is a constant consideration .....

i understand that at times it may not be on schedule, or conducive to my schedule. but, it's a good thing overall.

tomorrow will be better .....

regarding flower ... i often buy bunches of spider mums at my local grocery store. they're inexpensive, and stay in bloom for 10 to 14 days.and, they're pretty !