wet dog smell

The Greenhouse - Wave 1

2010-03-11T21:04:00.001-08:00

All I have to say right now is, "Heliotrope, why do you hate life so?"

Nummy

2010-03-09T22:28:00.000-08:00

Two things...

First, I tried on Vera. It was divine.

Second, I like the idea of Hydrangea petals instead of rose petals.

That is all... for now.

Damn good cheese and crackers (and shrimp)

2010-01-30T19:54:00.000-08:00

Tonight we made a trip to Uwajimaya to look at folding screens. We didn't come home with one, but we came home with two pounds of shrimp which we promptly breaded and fried ala Emeril. We chickened out of making a full pound - so we needed a little extra to fill us up. Jason broke out the cheese and crackers. We had a little slice of heaven from PCC called Ewephoria Gouda, a Sheep's Milk Gouda. And Jason had picked up a package of rice crackers who-knows-where that I had never tried before. They were so good that I had to go out the kitchen and look at the label. I have to say, my new favorite gluten-free cracker is the Edward and Sons Unsalted and Plain Brown Rice Snaps. They're not too salty and have a fuller flavor than white rice crackers, IMHO. Anyway, both were so good that I had to blog about them... which, given my low blogging frequency, says a lot!

a comment on marriage by melville dewey

2010-01-25T23:11:00.001-08:00

a comment on marriage by melville dewey - qwickening

as an escape, i wandered through the aisle of the local library on sunday.

i have to confess that i have a fair amount of fear about getting married -- and the close proximity of the wedding books to the books on mummies didn't make it easier to sleep at night.

Plan vs Execution

2009-12-08T17:23:00.000-08:00

Plan

3:45 Leave desk

3:50/54 Catch 41 in the tunnel at Pioneer Station. [3:50 = ID; 3:54 = University Station; No timestop for Pioneer Station.]

4:10 Arrive at Northgate transit center

4:14 Depart via the 75

4:30 Jump off the 75 at 115th

Trundle downhill to my house and wander in the door around 4:36 pm.

Execution

3:45 Leave desk.

3:52 Arrive in tunnel just as a light rail train pulled away northbound

3:54 Catch 41 in the tunnel at Pioneer Station. FWIW, I believe this may have been my originally intended bus since it was labeled "Northgate only" and my planned bus 3:50/3:54 doesn't go to LCW.

4:14 Leap off the back of the 41, flash my badge to the driver in the front, and RUN-HANDS-IN-THE-AIR after the 75, just BARELY missing it pull away from the bay, as in, I almost touched the back of the bus...

4:15 *sigh*

4:17 Catch the next 41 to LCW from the Northgate transit center. (Alternative: Wait until 4:44 for the next 75 and get home around 5:02.)

4:30 Hop off the bus at 125th and 30th.

Speed walk in the cold for 16-18 minutes until I walked in the door at 4:48 pm

Action Items

Clearly, for this plan to ever succeed, I need to catch an earlier 41.

i like

2009-09-08T22:47:00.000-07:00

From adorn.

i would like this shot - with a different dog and a different bride and groom

2009-09-08T22:32:00.001-07:00

From junebug weddings.

i heart the blue and gray

2009-09-08T22:05:00.000-07:00

Inspired by this blog post by Carissa of JL Designs, I have to confess a love of alliums... but I would much rather have blue than purple any day. From Brecks.

I also like curl willow used in moderation.

And finally, I love this little gray succulent boutonniere Carissa made! (It's just a simple succulent accented by some cream colored reindeer moss and finished in off white grosgrain according to her comment here.)

cute cute cute

2009-09-06T12:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Jason was sitting on the back porch watching the birds, and he commented, "It's like living in a bird sanctuary."

Our number one common love is plants, but just being outside and enjoying the sun and the sound of the birds is probably somewhere in the top ten.

Too bad these cards are $1 each. [etsy] They're adorable.

the dress that got away

2009-09-04T20:09:00.001-07:00

It is terribly unfortunate that this dress is probably too short for the future in-laws.

Style PL238 | Priscilla of Boston

It is also unfortunate that it's only name is PL238. It needs a cute - but scandalous - girl's name like Trixie

Let's get serious

2009-09-04T19:40:00.000-07:00

The boy is away tonight.

He worked hard last weekend taming the lilac trees in the backyard.

So tonight he's out with his friend Rishi.

And I'm getting serious about the wedding planning.

It helps that this OJ isn't just OJ.

Last night, while we were cuddled in bed, I tried looking at evening gowns at Nordstrom's to get inspired. You see, I've reached white-poofly-marshmallow-overload with real wedding dresses. I desperately needed to see something in color.

Jason then suggested that I look at various other sites like bliss because he had thought he had seen some cool dresses there. (We realized later that we just liked the photography and there were few "inspirational" dresses to be found there.)

But... BUT!

This got me thinking that I need to start collecting ideas. I'm running out of time, and I need the wedding to be perfect.

It's time to get serious folks. No more kittens for this blog. It's time to talk weddings.

Two for one special on... kittens!!

2009-08-26T13:27:00.000-07:00

This just in from the Seattle Animal Shelter volunteer email list... They're having a 2-for-1 special on kittens!

-----
Hi Everyone!

As many of you know, this Sunday from 10am-12noon, we will have a special kitten adoption event here at the shelter. [...]

Also, starting with this event and running through September, we will be doing a 2-for-1 adoption fees on all pairs of cats or kittens that are adopted. Total cost will be around $129 instead of $214 for two. Licensing fees still apply for both cats.

Of course, the screening process is still the same, but we hope this convinces adopters to take home two kittens instead of one. It's better for the kittens to have a buddy to grow up with.

----

Whooo! Hurry on down to get your basket full of kittens!

Thanks for being so "helpful"

2009-06-12T13:19:00.000-07:00

Frank and Aaron aren't at work today, so I have no way of venting my frustration other than to blog about it.

I asked folks at work about finding someone to service a commercial range. The responses have ranged from somewhat helpful to downright annoying.

Here's my first email request:

This is a long shot, but why not…

Does anyone on this list have a commercial stove in their home?

If so, who do you get to service it?

FWIW, it turns out a lot of folks licensed to work on commercial stoves in commercial installations don’t want to touch them in residential installations,

Here's the first "helpful" response - not too bad really:

Liability is probably why they don’t touch them. Commercial stoves are not as well insulated as residential ones, and therefore get much hotter on their outer surface. I have heard a couple horror stories involving children when these stove/ovens were used residentially.

Here's my clarification email where I try to steer back to my question:

> Liability is probably why they don’t touch them.

Yep. Agreed. I’ve read all about them.

For those that are curious and want to know more about pros and cons of commercial stoves, this is a great resource:
http://ths.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/appl/2004064556019303.html

People do have them though.
e.g. http://www.redfin.com/WA/Seattle/811-14th-Ave-E-98112/home/135289
(This is NOT the house I’m buying, btw.)

We are inheriting one with our new house, and the only “con” that we are finding difficult to deal with is the servicing.
FWIW, we know Seattle Home Appliance in Bothell will take a look at them, but it would be good to have a second opinion.
(We’ve asked the sellers to have it serviced before closing.)

Thanks for any solid leads on servicing you guys can provide!

And HERE is the one that set me off and caused me to feel the need to blog my frustration with "helpful" people:

At one time I was the housemate of a guy who’d had a catering business, and he had moved its commercial stove into the house when the business ended. It was an unbelievable nuisance. Using that thing for anything like normal home cooking was a nightmare. It got way too hot (this was Texas, too), and it was so large that it was actually physically difficult to work around. We actually ended up using the gas grill in the yard for a lot of cooking!

If it hadn’t been the last vestige of a bankruptcy, it would have seemed like an preposterous indulgence, like putting a mounted polar bear in the bathroom or something.

Yeah. You read it right.

Mounted polar bear.

WTF?

Thanks for your "help" finding someone to SERVICE THE STOVE.

Arson dog!

2009-06-04T12:04:00.000-07:00

The most exciting post I've found on Everyblock so far:

Incident type Arson dog assisting other district

This occurs when the fire department sends the arson dog and the captain of the fire investigation unit to assist another jurisdiction.
Units MAR50

http://seattle.everyblock.com/fire-dispatch/by-date/2009/6/2/729814/

Who could resist that face!!!

2009-06-01T09:46:00.001-07:00

From yesterday's photo shoot at the shelter...

Sam

More pictures from the shelter

2009-05-29T16:03:00.000-07:00

Thomas

Roxie
I have to admit. I really liked Roxie. She reminded me of Grete in some indescribable way.

Don't wake me. I must be dreaming.

2009-05-28T07:55:00.000-07:00

Last night we got to a verbal agreement with the sellers of our dream home. I'm still in shock.

It was such a roller coaster evening. We just got home from doing another walk through, and I thought for sure the sellers were going to walk away from our offer. I was down in the dumps. Then our mortgage broker called. We were on the phone with our mortgage broker who alerted us to the craziness that happened in the markets / 30 year rates -- and then our agent (mid mortgage broker call) finally called with their offer and we accepted it. Hopefully fear of raising rates didn't cloud our vision. I really don't think it did. The house is really a dream home. I keep saying that -- and someday you will all believe me. :-)

Regarding rates... Apparently the 10-year Treasury yields spiked because of massive debt being sold off, and that sent the 30 year mortgage rates up. [1] Here's a slightly better explanation of the yield issue and some alluding to the future. [2]. There is a potential for the rates to inch back down. We'll see. In any event, for now, we locked in 5.125% with no points. (APR 5.1719) We're pretty sure there isn't a better deal in town that can be sure to close in time. *knock on wood*

Jason blogged about the house here Thirty-eight, and the pictures are here: Thirty-eight Set on Flickr.

Really... it is a dream house. We would never be able (both mentally and financially) to afford a remodel like this. We're just to frugal. However, when the end result is presented in a format we can afford... it is just too beautiful to resist.

Branching out...

2009-04-28T22:47:00.000-07:00

I've recently joined the Seattle Animal Shelter's digital photography team. Last Tuesday was my first shift, but my regular shift will be on Sundays. Someday, I hope to be as cool as The Food Lady at Three Woofs and a Woo, but until then... here are my first three shelter pictures.

Cheeky

Howie

Laurah

There were two more cats, but I can't find them which means they were already adopted. Yay!

Disconnected

2009-03-26T22:06:00.000-07:00

We've subscribed to the Seattle Times via the Kindle. I've been feeling more "in touch" with news. Or so I thought...

This afternoon my physical therapist mentioned flooding in the Midwest, and I told her about the Fargo flood of 97 that I survived in college. I figured not much could top that.

Tonight I went online. Wow. The flood in Fargo / Moorhead going on right now is much worse than the flood of 97 -- many feet worse. Tonight, my college closed and asked everyone to evacuate. That area of town is "protected" and in 97, we never shut down. (Students were excused to volunteer to go sandbag the homes of friends, family, and professors, but the college did not close.)

Clearly, I need a better and/or more personalized national news source than the Seattle Times if I'm going to be truly connected.

The Quest for Cubic Feet

2009-03-05T21:38:00.000-08:00

[Reposting because I accidentally left this in draft mode when adding a vehicle to the list]

Before it gets lost in the sea of useless information on my hard drive, here are the alleged cubic feet of most of the AWD SUVs (and one or two minivans) that I've at one time or another considered. I find it humorous and a little unbelievable that the Sienna has more room behind its 3rd seat than I have in my entire Golf.

My Current Tiny Car: VW Golf
Cargo to 3 NA
Cargo to 2 18.0
Cargo to 1 41.8

BMW X5
Cargo to 3 NA
Cargo to 2 21.9
Cargo to 1 61.8

Subaru Forester
Cargo to 3 NA
Cargo to 2 30.8
Cargo to 1 63.0

Ford Escape
Cargo to 3 NA
Cargo to 2 29.2
Cargo to 1 66.3

Grand Cherokee
Cargo to 3 NA
Cargo to 2 29.5
Cargo to 1 66.8

Dodge Journey
Cargo to 3 NA
Cargo to 2 37.1
Cargo to 1 67.6

Jeep Commander
Cargo to 3 7.5
Cargo to 2 36.3
Cargo to 1 68.5

Jason's Subaru
Cargo to 3 NA
Cargo to 2 36.1
Cargo to 1 69.5

Mazda Mazda5
Cargo to 3 NA
Cargo to 2 44.4
Cargo to 1 70.9

Volkswagon Toureg
Cargo to 3 NA
Cargo to 2 31
Cargo to 1 71

Subaru Tribeca
Cargo to 3 8.3
Cargo to 2 37.6
Cargo to 1 74.4

Toyota 4runner
Cargo to 3 NA
Cargo to 2 42.2
Cargo to 1 75.1

Nissan Pathfinder
Cargo to 3 16.5
Cargo to 2 49.2
Cargo to 1 79.2

Chevy Trailblazer
Cargo to 3 NA
Cargo to 2 41.0
Cargo to 1 80.1

2007 Highlander Hybrid
Cargo to 3 10.5
Cargo to 2 39.7
Cargo to 1 80.6

Jeep Wrangler Unlimited
Cargo to 3 NA
Cargo to 2 46.4
Cargo to 1 82.0

Lexus 400h
Cargo to 3 NA
Cargo to 2 38.3
Cargo to 1 84.7

Ford Explorer
Cargo to 3 NA
Cargo to 2 45.1
Cargo to 1 85.8

Ford Taurus-X
Cargo to 3 20.8
Cargo to 2 47.0
Cargo to 1 85.5

Honda Pilot
Cargo to 3 18.0
Cargo to 2 47.7
Cargo to 1 87.0

2009 Highlander Hybrid
Cargo to 3 10.3
Cargo to 2 42.3
Cargo to 1 94.1

Mazda CX-9
Cargo to 3 17.2
Cargo to 2 48.4
Cargo to 1 100.7

Chrysler Aspen
Cargo to 3 19.0
Cargo to 2 67.25
Cargo to 1 102.4

Ford Expedition
Cargo to 3 ..
Cargo to 2 55
Cargo to 1 106.3

Saturn Outlook
Cargo to 3 24.1
Cargo to 2 68.6
Cargo to 1 115.9

GMC Acadia
Cargo to 3 21.4
Cargo to 2 68.9
Cargo to 1 116.9

Chevy Traverse
Cargo to 3 26.1
Cargo to 2 68.3
Cargo to 1 117.9

Toyota Sequoia
Cargo to 3 18.9
Cargo to 2 66.6
Cargo to 1 120.8

Toyota Sienna
Cargo to 3 43.6
Cargo to 2 94.5
Cargo to 1 148.9

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

2009-03-01T17:09:00.001-08:00

10" of hair - qwickening

I had been growing my hair out for a few years for various reasons. At first, it was to get past a weird phenomena of my hair where it "wings out" just above my shoulders. Then, I got engaged and "wedding hair" was just around the corner. Then, we decided to postpone the wedding a year so "wedding hair" was no longer an immediate excuse. So... why not? Time for some change!

Yes, I consulted with Jason before hand. He re-iterated his love of short hair, and we agreed on a length. It will soon be summer. :-)

At the salon, Lyndsay mentioned that I might be cutting off enough to donate it -- and, bing! That was it. I was so excited about having enough to donate that concerns of the "wing out" phenomena were secondary. I proclaimed bravely, "Hair grows! I can learn to use a blow dryer and a flat iron if necessary!"

Leaving the salon, I actually skipped like a little girl. I felt good about my cut and I felt extra good about donating my hair to Locks of Love.

Right now, I have no regrets. I'm off to hop in the shower soon. We'll see if the "wing out" demon returns. But even if it does... whatever. :-)

Either way, you should check out the cute-cute-cute pictures that Jason took of me immediately after my hair cut.

Jason's photos of my new hairdo

The Brown Boot Quest

2009-02-25T17:30:00.000-08:00

Fashionistas of the world, I need your help. I'm looking for the perfect (cheap) brown boot. Requirements include: the color brown, mid-calf or taller, some buckle / ruggedness to it, and less than $125.

At $61.59, the Rampage Women's Murphy Tall Boot is leading the race, but I would like a slightly shorter heel... maybe. Maybe not. Maybe this is perfect.

my pizza tastes like fajitas

2009-02-06T13:02:00.001-08:00

my pizza tastes like fajitas - qwickening

The cafe has been alternating Asian noodle bowl with fajitas. Tuesday and Thursday had fajitas. Today, the pizza with peppers is clearly recycled fajitas. It is decidedly weird. (And thank goodness they didn't decide to provide an Asian noodle pizza option! Eew.)

but will it make me happy?

2009-01-16T22:51:00.001-08:00

I've got a problem; I've got an addiction. Seriously. I get on a "kick" researching something, and I can NOT let it go. When I bought my house, I was obsessed with the various sites that provide MLS listings. For years, I was addicted to Petfinder. (Actually, I still am.) I didn't even mind shopping for new appliances because it involved research. Hours and hours and hours of research. I like sites that have list pages and search results. Bonus points for drill downs and comparison engines.

Research skills are an asset. Addictions are a liability.

So, it is with this in mind that I admit that I'm addicted to researching a new car. My reasons for wanting a new car range far and wide, and I'm not sure any of them are honestly good reasons to buy a new car right now. The truth is that almost all my dog agility crap fits in the Golf now that I've rearranged it a bit. I don't NEED a new car. The Golf doesn't even have 37K on it. It runs perfect. It gets average-to-above-average mpg. It was once my dream car. Why isn't it still good enough? The only thing that the Golf lacks that I'm still tempted by is AWD, but perhaps new tires and maybe shifting my commute times to daylight hours are the simplest answer. Really... The only thing the Golf lacks is a confident night time city driver.

But now... There's a really good deal in play, and suddenly I am forced to ask myself if a new car will make me happy? Will getting this really good deal mitigate buyer's remorse? Will it make me love my commute more and hate my job less? Will it make it make my relationship with Jason easier? Will driving suddenly become fun? Will I have the confidence to drive in the middle lane on the Aurora bridge on a dark and stormy night? Will it give me ninja night vision? Probably not.

I'm tired. I've been researching the perfect cargo liner for a car that I may never buy. Time for bed.

Yeah, that's red f'n meat

2009-01-15T19:24:00.001-08:00

Yeah, that's red f'n meat - EightBallDefense

Jason is in New York for work, and his gluten-free-ness was communicated, but the vegetarian-ness was somehow lost.

I was pretty upset when he told me that they served him a steak. Just looking at this picture makes me upset.

Dealer Update

2009-01-15T11:18:00.000-08:00

For the record, all three Toyota dealerships gave me painless quotes below MSRP. I thought I was 2 for 3, but it turns out one was in my spam folder. I blame Yahoo, not the dealer.

On the other side of the fence, I've gotten 1 quote out of 3 Ford Dealers. The quote was outrageous. (See previous post.) The other two Ford Dealers seem unable to use email to provide quotes. They called on Monday, but despite my pinging them via email repeatedly, I have received little love from them via email. I might call them this weekend, but then again, I'm starting to feel less of a patriotic need to save Ford and more of a capitalistic need to see the inferior merchant go down in flames.

As far as the Mercury Mariner goes, one of 2 dealers got back to me and told me the following: "We have been having tremendous success with the Hybrid, so much that they are only building sold orders and will not ship Hybrids for store stock." As much as I want to be part of the hybrid market demand, I don't know how I feel about paying full MSRP (or worse) for a built-to-order car.

And finally, I've started looking at used cars more. There's a beat up old Jeep Grand Cherokee on a lot on Aurora for less than $4k that looks tempting. Nice and square. Boxy is my friend. :-)

Surely You're Joking, Mr. Ford!

2009-01-13T11:50:00.000-08:00

I just received a quote from Bill Pierre Ford for a Ford Escape Hybrid and nearly shit my pants once I got past the sticker he presented.

As you can see, the MSRP is $34,455. Along with that we are asking for a $2,995 mark up because of the small availability of these highly demaded vehicles. Your total price would be $37,450. I understand you are shopping around, and looking at the toyota product along with the Mercury. I know from my previous Hybrid customers that the toyota product is running anywhere from $4,000 - $6,000 more with the same equipment. And being an informative internet based consumer, I'm sure you know this already. As for the Mercury product, it is the same vehicle with minor cosmetic differences, and pricing should be very close. Please let me know when would be a good time for you to come in so I can go over all the finer details with you. I look forward in meeting you and have a great day.

$3k mark up ABOVE MSRP? Seriously?? Surely you're joking, Mr. Ford!

And, furthermore, Toyota isn't pulling any of this "high demand" shit for their Highlander. I've been quoted prices well below MSRP. In fact, I've been quoted what I would consider as fairly fair prices above invoice. At the very least, they're definitely prices I am not offended by.

Gah! And the reason I would pay another $4-5k for the Highlander is because it's a bigger vehicle! GAH! AND the Toyota dealers spell check their emails!

Gluten Free Pancake Success!

2008-11-28T10:53:00.001-08:00

Gluten Free Pancake Success! - qwickening

Holy Beautiful Buckwheat, Batman!

I just made great gluten-free pancakes. Not just good, but GRRRReat.

Now, I know what you're thinking. Pancakes shouldn't be hard. Flour + heat-activated leavening + milk + egg, right? Totally.

However, the last time I tried to make them, I found some recipe that said 2 tsp of baking powder. (I might have also experimented with the flours, but when do I not?) That last batch of pancakes was barely edible in my book. They took forever to cook because they were rising so fast -- like hungry and hollow ghosts from the grave.

The experience traumatized me.

Fast forward to this batch. Heavenly!! I confess that the recipe is based (but modified) on the one I found in The Gluten-Free Vegetarian Kitchen. Instead of using ALL buckwheat, I substituted rice flour and potato starch. Rice flour because it's free. (89 cents at the Asian markets) Potato starch because I've been hankering to use the potato starch for something and potato pancakes are a good thing. Also, pure buckwheat is just too darn darn and heavy for both Jason and I. He often mixes in 1/3 cup or less of buckwheat into the mixes we have just to get a hint of flavor without feeling overwhelmed. It really works for us. Trust us.

I think what really, really, makes these pancakes is the play of the 1/4 cup of buckwheat versus the nutmeg. That + the earthy sweetness of the brown sugar meant that we could eat them directly from the pan without condiments like syrup or berries. They were perfect entities all by themselves. Even Grete flipped for them -- following Jason and I around begging for another bite.

I am so proud of myself.

Heck, this is even more exciting: I took notes!! I can recreate these! Bring on gluten free bunch. I got this one nailed.

Here's the recipe:

1/2 c white rice flour
1/4 c potato starch
1/4 c bucketwheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 c fat free milk
1 egg

Tastes like food

2008-11-28T10:31:00.001-08:00

Tastes like food - EightBallDefense

Jason's pictures of me and my gluten-free cracker experiments.

improv night with gluten-free crackers

2008-11-22T20:29:00.000-08:00

inspired by maggi (who was in turn inspired by 101 cookbooks), we tried to make crackers from scatch tonight -- gluten-free crackers, of course!

the first recipe (found on some gluten-free blog somewhere) tasted, as jason says, "like its constituent ingredients." yum. flour. i love tasting flour.

so we improvised a new recipe.

here's my best recollection of what we threw together..

1/2 cup rice flour
1/2 cup quinoa flour
1/3 cup (or less) of flax seed meal
sprinklings of black and white sesame seeds for color / texture
(just make it look artisan - you'll know when you've got enough seeds)
2.5 tsp of wheat free tamari
...
and here's where it gets really improvised...
...
i think it was probably about 1.5 tsp of Smart Balance
i think it was about 4-5 tablespoons of water
and i salted, kneaded, tasted, salted, kneaded, tasted... until one point when i thought "oh no - that was it - that was too much"

turns out - they're pretty darn good. not too salty at all.

they taste, as jason says, "like food."

that's a high complement indeed.

pictures to come later.

iphone 2.2

2008-11-21T11:24:00.000-08:00

About 2 hours ago, I was waiting for the bus. As I sat waiting with 8 other people for a bus that seemed a little late, I futzed around with metro's bus tracker on the iPhone. Or I should say, I attempted to futz around with it. It didn't really enlighten me.

About 1 hour ago, I was sitting on the company shuttle wondering if there was an iPhone app that would make finding out bus statuses easier. There were a couple, but they weren't free.

14 minutes ago, I received a very exciting email from Apple. Updates to the Maps application include: "Public Transit and Walking Directions. Get walking directions, find public transit schedules, check fares, and estimate your travel time."

Here's the Gizmodo write-up: iPhone 2.2 Update Review: Go Get It Now

I'm super excited. This is the second odd coincidence in my life in the past 24 hours. (I still need to post about yesterday's creepy coincidence.)

* Now... If you know me well, you're probably wondering why I care. I generally don't look at the bus schedule before heading out the door, preferring not to rush and preferring not to know if I just missed one. I do, however, succumb to the anxiousness of crowds. This morning, my spidey sense told me that something might be amiss with the bus. Also, given that I had to stand until the bus got to Fremont, I kept wondering if there was another less crowded bus just minutes behind us.

one up mushroom

2008-11-20T16:40:00.000-08:00

Frank points out that the Sinéad O'Connor song I just blogged about was, in fact, itself a cover of a Prince song.

Check it out on wikipedia.

I had never even heard of The Family.

So it goes...

Prince & The Family <- Original
Sinéad O'Connor <- Original.cover
The Coconutz <- Original.cover.cover

Meta.

nothing compares 2 u

2008-11-20T16:29:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, I worked from home. While working from home, I watched "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." (Yeah. I'm a slacker.)

In the credits of that movie, I discovered the best Sinead O'Connor cover ever.

Nothing Compares 2 U

switched at birth?

2008-11-19T18:50:00.000-08:00

My office mate and I have been listening to "Sirius XMS" (XM Radio Channel 43)

The DJ's name is "Josiah"

Via Internet staking, I think he's Josiah Lambert.

The funny thing is... He sounds a lot like Troy Nelson of KEXP.

The extra funny thing is that I'm related to BOTH the Nelson family name AND Lambert family name.

Creepy Midwest connections abound!

* I'm pretty sure I'm not really related to either of them.

Doom and Gloom

2008-11-17T10:30:00.000-08:00

Where has the U.S. bailout money gone?
...
Citigroup (C.N: Quote, Profile, Research) $25 billion
...

Citigroup Prepares To Cut 53,000 Jobs

finding the perfect man while searching for the perfect coat rack

2008-11-14T14:35:00.000-08:00

here is jason's response to my coat rack post.

searching for the perfect coat rack

2008-11-12T20:19:00.000-08:00

All practical concerns aside (like finding studs) I'm looking for the perfect coat rack. Here's my research so far.

1 Good round-up of ideas. This is where I started.

2 I think this is cool, and it might look good with the metal mirror.

3 4 Really like both of these. Not sure what we would spell.

5 6 Might be fun -- but probably not for the front entry.

7 Cute - but might not hold coats well. Neat site though.

8 9 10 Many simple options.

11 Hoodoo is just fun to say

12 Not really our style - but kinda both ironic and hip - kinda

13 Cool stand alone option.

14 Funny - but scary funny.

15 16 17 Again - funny - but scary funny.

18 Probably too rustic for our style - but kinda neat that you can just keep the mountain range going and going and going...

19 Too expensive. Very cool. Too expensive.

20 Available in gun metal and white. Not sure what color would look best.

21 22 I like that these fold away.

The Saga of the Rice Chex

2008-11-12T16:02:00.001-08:00

I placed an order for 6 boxes of Rice Chex on October 27th with an estimated delivery date of November 5th.

On November 4th, Amazon wrote, "We're still trying to obtain [it]. Still want it? We'll keep on trying. To keep your order for this item open, please click the link below."

After I clicked on the magic "I really still want it" link, Amazon wrote, "We now have delivery date for the order. Estimated arrival date: 11/12/2008"

Today, November 11th, Amazon writes, "We're writing about the order you placed on October 27. Unfortunately, we are unable to ship the item(s) as soon as we expected and need to provide you with a new estimate of when the item(s) may be delivered. Estimated arrival date: 11/17/2008 - 11/19/2008"

Really? Amazon, please don't lead me on again.
I need my 6 boxes of Rice Chex. Really, I do.

Sunday-Night Chef

2008-11-10T22:56:00.001-08:00

Sunday-Night Chef
Originally uploaded by qwickening

I'm a slooooooooooow cook. Chopping things takes a lot of time for me, and I'm generally too impatient to want to cook on weeknights. Weekends are a different matter. I don't mind (and somewhat enjoy) cooking on weekends. Lots of time. Lots of snacks to tide me over. Good times.

This past Sunday, I made lasagna using Tinkyada's rice noodles. You can buy them on Amazon Fresh or at PCC. I basically followed the recipe on the side of the box, minus the mushrooms, plus a little extra eggplant. I also used pre-made pasta sauce instead of straight-up tomato sauce.

I have to say, I'm really impressed with the results. The Tinkyada stuck together a little bit, but that's my fault for not stirring it enough. (I added a glug of olive oil to the pot, but maybe I could have added another one.) The noodles weren't perfect, but it's lasagna -- who cares! What mattered was the taste and texture, and it was goooood. (Better than the Amy's frozen rice lasagna -- and way cheaper.) BTW, I still can't quite get over how fast Jason's Viking range cooks. Gas is crazy fast compared to my old coil electric stove.

Fall leaves on Queen Anne

2008-11-10T22:44:00.001-08:00

I like orange.

Fall leaves on Queen Anne
Originally uploaded by qwickening

seeing the light at el diablo

2008-11-10T22:43:00.001-08:00

Light at El Diablo
Originally uploaded by qwickening

I recently splurged on a fancy digital SLR camera, the Nikon D90. Jason has a good selections of lenses already, so the choice to go with Nikon was simple. I'm fairly new the this SLR thing. Despite being a Person Who Reads Manuals, I'm learning more from Jason than from the manual. Important things like... Don't use the manual focus ring when your camera is on auto-focus. Buy a UV filter for the end of your lens so you don't have to worry about dirt and scratches as much.

In any event, I brought my new toy with me to Saturday knitting with Maggi and the other girls. I'm particularly proud of this photo because it was my first manual focus photo that turned out. Go me.

Why am I bothering with manual focus, you ask? Because sometimes I feel like the auto-focus is just wrong. It often feels like the camera "knows best" and refuses to take a picture. I'm sure that's a whole chapter in my manual that I've skimmed over. :-) I'm still learning...

It's not the Jedi way

2008-11-10T10:52:00.000-08:00

Today, at 9:41 am, there was a man wearing a black Star Wars t-shirt that said, "It's not the Jedi way," on the northwest corner of 85th and Aurora. He was whooping and howling nonsense at southbound traffic. He was black with cornrows, not your typical Star Wars fan. At the same time, there was a white man with a folding chair and a sign on the southwest corner who appeared to be scowling at the Star Wars fan. As the light held me there, I watched as the white man hobbled across Aurora with his folding chair to the southeast corner, opposite the Star Wars fan. Then the light turned green, and I turned on to 85th and got on the highway, thinking, "Wow. You're right. That just isn't the Jedi way..."

Four-eyed cat! Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T12:28:00.001-07:00

focus
Originally uploaded by EightBallDefense

In honor of Halloween, Jason and Gesso bring you the terrible and terror-rific... four-eyed cat!

Gluten-Free bread... A Reprise

2008-10-11T10:37:00.001-07:00

Gluten-Free bread (Shaded shot)
Originally uploaded by qwickening

Ok. I think I've got it... Finally.

In the bottom of the pan, I toss...

1 cup of warm water

Many recipes call for 1 1/4 cups of water. They're crazy. Here in Seattle, the Breadman TR875 can't really handle that much moisture.

2-3 tablespoons of Brown Sugar

I never really measure this. I just take out a big spoon and drop the brown sugar in the bottom of that pan. It seems loosely related to how much sugar I'm craving at the time.

2-3 tablespoons of Smart Balance

I used to warm this up. It doesn't matter. I just grab a clean butterknife and slap a few large chunks into the bottom of the pan with the warm water and brown sugar.

1 warmed egg

When I start the process, I fill a cereal bowl with warm/hot water and throw an egg in it. When I'm done mixing the flour, I throw the egg in the bottom and swoosh it around with a fork or breadknife to break up the egg yoke. To be honest, I'm not sure if this is even necessary.

That's the end off the wet ingredients.

In a separate metal mixing bowl, I toss...

1 cup of rice flour.

My current rice flour is a mix of brown and white. (Laziness. Lack of proper flour storage devices. Etc.) It's mostly white flour. It's the cheap stuff from Lenny's or HT Market. (~89 cents a bag.)

1/2 cup of tapioca starch

This is also the cheap stuff from Lenny's or HT Market (~79 cents a bag)

1/2 cup of "exotic" flour

For the loaf pictured, it was 1/2 of sorghum. For the loaf currently in the oven, it's millet flour.

1/2 cup oats (optional)

If I don't throw in oats, I usually up the flour amounts to 1/3 cup. (e.g. 1 1/3 rice; 2/3 tapioca; 2/3 sorghum.) The goal is to have UNDER 3 cups of dry stuff. (Around 2.5 cups.)

3 teaspoons of X

Xanthan gum. The magical X powder. I try to keep the total flour / oat amount less than 3 cups -- but I always put in 3 tablespoons of X to get a decent amount of "stretch." (X allows us to have that nice structure you see in this loaf -- i.e. those air bubbles wouldn't be possible without gluten or X.)

1 scant teaspoon of salt

Sometimes I forget the salt and nobody notices. :P

Mix all the flour / oats / salt / X really, really well.

Drop the dry ingredients gently on the wet ingredients in the mixing bowl of the bread machine.

Make a tiny divot in the top of the dry ingredients and drop in 1 heaping tsp of yeast.

Then... let the machine do its thing...

I let it get mixed up to the wet dough stage, sometimes using a spatula to get the sides pulled in.. and then I drop potato starch on it to give it that "freshly floured" look on the outside. I am pretty liberal with the starch. (This can be my downfall.) Perhaps this is where the last 1/3 - 1/4 of dry ingredients can come from.

And finally... WAIT to cut into it. This is a "good thing" for gluten breads, but it seems even more crucial with dense/wet gluten free breads. They need that "rest" period to even out the moisture content internally.

Sized Up: MacAir vs Asus N10 vs Asus S101

2008-10-03T14:33:00.000-07:00

I'm tempted by the S101. Aaron is tempted by the N10. Neither of us is tempted by the MacAir. :P

Sized Up: MacAir vs Asus N10 vs Asus S101

The Care and Feeding of a 12 year old slightly-overweight cat...

2008-10-02T16:06:00.001-07:00

Gesso is not a morning cat
Originally uploaded by EightBallDefense

As always, Gesso needs to lose weight. She's like a supermodel. always trying the latest fad diet.

The only thing that has worked in the past was Purina DM at 1 wet can per day. (That's 194 kcal.) She hates it. I hate it. It's gross, and I have a hunch that it makes her poo smell bad. It also seems to generate more vomit that other foods. It's fired.

We're trying to find something better.

We've had her on Sensible Choice Reduced Calorie at 1/2 cup dry per day. (That's 177 kcal.) Magically, she gains weight on this. Keep in mind, though, that she doesn't like to finish wet food, and she always craves more dry food. Also, there is that whole moisture content / protein content / gluten content mumbo jumbo. Who knows.

Her are some option's we're considering...

Dry...

Sensible Choice Reduced Calorie (Here for comparison mostly)
3646 kcal/kg
354 kcal/cup

Royal Canin Indoor Mature 27.
3856 kcal / kilogram
283 kcal/cup (??)

Natural Balance Reduced Calorie
3,215 kcal / kilogram
312 - 319 - kcal/cup (est)

Felidae Platinum
3,534 kcal / kilogram
351 kcal / cup

Nutro Max Cat Senior
3590 kcal/kg

Nutro Max Cat Weight Control
?? Unknown ??

Wet ...

Nutro Lite Wet
895 kcal/kg
156g in a can
140 kcal in a 156g can

Felidae Wet
1095 kcal/kg
172 kcal/can

Purina DM (Here for comparison only.)
1243 kcal/kg
194 kcal/can

Evo Chicken and Turkey Wet
504.8 kcal / big can of 374g
210 kcal in a 156g can

I have to say, I like the ingredient lists on Felidae and Natural Balance the best. Evo is nice too, but the calories are just too high.

Boy, Dough

2008-09-21T16:56:00.000-07:00

When my fiance was first diagnosed with Celiac Disease, I somehow hit home runs (or almost home runs) with my attempts at gluten-free bread. However, as of late, I've been trying harder and harder to get a less-doughy result. I've tried dropping one egg from the recipe. I've tried leaving out a 1/4 cup of water. (Most recipes call for 1.25 cups of water, so I just round down to 1.) I've tried baking it for an extra 10-20 minutes. (This just resulted in an extra hard crust.)

I have a sinking feeling it is in the ingredients. Namely the flours I'm using. Today I tried to liven things up with some gluten-free oats and millet flour. This, in combination with the brown rice flour and a meager amount of potato starch, should have made a decent bread -- and it did, but it's still too damp for my taste. It's just too doughy.

GYB

2008-09-10T14:14:00.000-07:00

I got a new laptop at work today.
Here's my request and the subsequent replies from Deskside support.
I thought it was mildly entertaining.

==========

My Dell laptop, GYB4G81 or "Gyb" for short, has hit the end of his support lifetime.

Gyb tried his best, but he was always pretty sluggish. Really, Gyb was a good ol' boy with a great work ethic. He just couldn't handle the demands of this job. Specifically, he just couldn't handle Outlook + Firefox + Spark without swapping to disk. It was a painful 3 year relationship for both of us. (He only had 1G of RAM. I should have asked for more this year, but I knew his end was near.)

If at all possible, I would like a brand new laptop. (Seriously. A smells-like-new-ozone laptop would really make my day. In fact, I would wait for a brand new laptop if necessary.)

Here's proof that I waited...

[link to dell]

Service Contracts and Warranties
Description Provider Start Date End Date Days Left
Next Business Day Support UNY 9/10/2006 9/9/2008 0

No real rush. Gyb and I are still saying our goodbyes. I'm still zipping up my stuff and moving out.

Thanks!

:q!

==========
09/10/2008 12:03:10 help desk
Unfortunately, due to the nature of this request, I will have to deny a new laptop under the indications that this could cause a serious and detrimental blow to GYB's stability and future as an EOL laptop. Deskside and I have had a meeting and come to the conclusion that GYB would be better off in the hands of You, [my name here], as it's sole-caregiver under it's strenuous, day to day, week to week, firefox+outlook+spark activities. Although this may cause some headaches and heartaches, we do feel that GYB's wellbeing would be happier and even safer at your desk, instead of the EOL graveyard in a warehouse at an undisclosed location. Please feel free to contact the BoEOL (Board of End of Life) which can process your request upon a further date. Sincerely, ~Deskside

:) Just Kidding. Let us know a good time to swap. Has everything been backed up?

==========
09/10/2008 12:33:45 Me
While I completely understand the BoEOL's decision, and I realize they have Gyb's best interests in mind, I will be filing an appeal.

Certainly there is a better, more fulfilling life in the EOL graveyard for Gyb.

Perhaps he will find his way through the EOL graveyard to the Almighty's Company Store, and from there, he will find his way into the hands of a young child whose parents were too cheap to buy him a new laptop.

Perhaps from there, hand in hand, the child and Gyb will work to take over the world. You see, as Nietzsche says, "That which does not kill us makes us stronger." Gyb's 1G of RAM limitation will strengthen this young child's coding skills, and that one child will one day write The Über Code. The Über Code will allow the development of everything from a real perpetual motion machine to a solution to global warming and maybe even a cure for cancer.

So you see... Gyb's true place is obviously not at our company and certainly not at my desk.

Please forward my concerns to the BoEOL.

--

Backups done: Yes.

Time: Does 3:00 work for you?

Thanks!

==========
09/10/2008 13:45:42 help desk
LOL!! Yes, that works for us (I just can't compete!)

Lots and lots of Grete

2008-09-04T23:00:00.000-07:00

For those of you not following us on twitter and just in case you missed it... I just posted a ton of stuff over at Grete's blog. http://metagrete.blogspot.com/

And I promise... One of these days I'll get around to posting about life outside of Grete. Really.

The Final House Timeline

2008-08-25T12:02:00.000-07:00

July 19 (Evening) - Enter MLS
July 20 (Afternoon) - Open house
July 22 (Late Evening) - Full price offer (with closing cost concession)
July 23 (Afternoon) - Accept offer
July 29 (Afternoon) - Inspection
July 31 (Afternoon) - Inspection response sent to me - Pain begins.
July 31 (Afternoon) - Got a useless low bid.
August 3 (Afternoon) - Got the worst estimate ever on the sewer and almost died.
August 4 (Afternoon) - Got a decent bid from Budget Sewer
August 6 (afternoon) - Bounced the ball back into their court.
August 9 (Morning) - Began fussing over language of "joint connection w/neighbor"
August 11 (Morning) - Sewer work begins
August 14 (Morning) - Paid for sewer at 9:00 am; Signed documents at 10 am
August 15 (All Day) - Moved(almost) everything out
August 17 (Evening) - Sold Ikea Closet
August 18 (Evening) - Went over to the house for the last time; Said good-bye
August 19 (Evening) - Officially Closed; Closed WSG, Electric, and Gas accounts
August 20 - (Afternoon) Got check in mail
August 23 - (Morning) Deposited check
August 26 - (Evening) Will start investing funds

signs of the apocalypse... or at least hard economic times.

2008-08-25T11:59:00.000-07:00

Google has stopped its free dinner program.

Google Closes Its Soup Kitchen

Parachutes

2008-07-31T21:40:00.000-07:00

Image via WikipediaOn April 10, 2000, I began my career at Amazon.com. It's been full of generic ups and generic downs, but I've been hankering for a serious change.

In the past, I've entertained a few career changes.

A little over four years ago, I took the classes to become a Real Estate Agent, and I even got a job offer. Looking back on it, I think it would have been worth trying then, but now... never. My newly developed distaste for home ownership and my absolute hatred for driving would make that career unbearable for me.

A year or two ago, I started enlisting a gardener to teach me how to garden. I still have a passion for plant names, and I like the idea of being employed by a nursery or greenhouse. Plants just make me happy. I like touching them. I like watching them grow. I love learning their names and their quirks. However being a for-hire gardener also involves driving, so that's right out.

Back in late 2006, I started baking bread regularly, and I entertained the notion of being a baker. However, remembering my days as a pseudo-baker at Perkins, I remembered the long hours and the early mornings and dissuaded myself of that idea. I do love the chemistry of baking. I love making the yeast work for me. I love reading multiple recipes and distilling them to their essence -- and yet learning why someone might twiddle this bit or that bit.

Most recently, I've been taking a ton of dog training courses. I confess that I have entertained the idea of dog trainer, but really... that career should be called "human trainer." I think with time, as Grete and I progress, I might reconsider this as a career, but for now, I'm still building up a knowledge base and some muscle memory and confidence. That career should be on the back burner, I think. I do love all things dog, and I wouldn't mind finding time to volunteer to work with dogs at a shelter. I just don't think I'm ready to train humans, ya know?

So what can we take away from this?

I want my next career to involve as little driving as possible. I LOATHE my car commute. A nice bus ride might be ok. Working from home might be ok. Walking would be ideal.

I find it easy to fall in love with learning new things. Learning real estate law, comparing bread baking recipes, memorizing new plant names, and learning new techniques for teaching my dog -- these are all new and fresh and fun. Turning these things around into a career -- I know it's possible, but I haven't found the right recipe yet.

More on this later -- right now I need to check on my first gluten-free loaf of bread!

Where are we now?

2008-07-31T21:07:00.000-07:00

July 19 (Evening) - Enter MLS
July 20 (Afternoon) - Open house
July 22 (Late Evening) - Full price offer (with closing cost concession)
July 23 (Afternoon) - Accept offer
July 29 (Afternoon) - Inspection
July 31 (Afternoon) - Inspection response sent

The ball is now in my court. Deadline: Monday, August 3.

I won't get into the details -- but we're grumpy. Really grumpy. Ready to take our ball and go home grumpy.

Hopefully we'll have some concrete numbers and a reasonable response ready for them tomorrow, but yeah... Home ownership still sucks.

Subject To Inspection

2008-07-23T23:04:00.000-07:00

July 19 (Evening) - Enter MLS
July 20 (Afternoon) - Open house
July 22 (Late Evening) - Full price offer (with closing cost concession)
July 23 (Afternoon) - Accept offer

The ball is in the buyer's court.

In other news, my MLS # is going to change since my agent is moving Windermere offices.

I'm tuckered out from all the fretting. More on house selling another time.

For fear of a more modern kitchen...

2008-07-15T15:49:00.000-07:00

The open house is still on track for the 20th. In a bizarre twist of real estate fate, there is a slightly-bigger copy of my house recently listed just a block away for $399,950. They are also having an open house on the 20th. Mine will be listed at a TBD price -- but it will be lower than that.

Their kitchen > My kitchen
My garage and general access > Their garage and access
My yard > Their yard
The rest of the house is probably a wash.

Wish me luck!

home ownership sucks, but home selling sucks even more

2008-07-12T23:00:00.000-07:00

It's all a blur. Everywhere I look, I see surfaces that need a squirt of Simple Green, a scrub, and a rinse. When I see walls, doors, nooks, and crannies that need touch up paint, I become wicked anxious wondering, "Do I have that color on hand?" and "Was that paint can mixed in the last decade?"

We started working on my house on the 4th of July. Since we refused to completely give up our lives, we've probably clocked 80-100 man hours on the house. (Props to Rishi and Melissa for chipping in. Props to The Best Neighbors On Earth, DJ and Emily, for working on their projects that face my house.) We MIGHT be finally getting close to the finish line, but there are some nasty problems to solve. Two nasty plumbing related problems. (One small ugly rusty leak in the bathroom and one gushes-when-front-watering-spigot-is-used leak in the crawl space.) We've left messages with 3 different plumbers but haven't heard back from them, probably because of the weekend.

The goal is to have an open house on the 20th -- but this all depends on the water issues.

Tomorrow... More of the same... Squirt, scrub, rinse, repeat. And then if that doesn't make it look presentable, go hit the paint can stash one more time. All the while, whispering soft prayers under our breath that a plumber will call us back soon.

Launched! Page Recommender Widget on Amazon

2008-07-01T12:17:00.001-07:00

My team launched a new Amazon Associates widget last night. If you have a blog, you should check it out. Go to http://widgets.amazon.com and look for the "Page Recommender Widget."

HT Market

2008-06-17T19:36:00.001-07:00

photo.jpg
Originally uploaded by qwickening

I've recently moved from an ideal spot equal distant between Trader Joes and Whole Foods to a spot that, until tonight's revelation, I thought was slightly less ideal.

The closest grocery store to my new home is HT Market. There's a great write-up of HT Market at ilikefood.

For those of you familiar with Uwajimaya, I have to say... HT Market takes it up a notch. If a regular grocery store is a Mac. Uwajimaya is a PC. HT Market is X Windows running TWM.

That said, tonight I found the "vege" frozen foods. I couldn't resist the "Vege Chicken Ball" or the "Vege Black Pepper Steak."

And so it begins...

2008-06-17T19:03:00.000-07:00

There are times - just a few times - when I feel like blogging about something that isn't exactly Grete related. This blog is for those times. Title credit goes to my officemate. He came up with the name "Wet Dog" for a blog about a girl living in Seattle with a dog. "Wet Dog Smell" came from the fact that "Wet Dog" was already taken on blogger, and here we are. A blog, not necessarily about a dog, and yet... one that has "dog" in the title. It's a catchall blog. The title doesn't necessarily have to make sense.