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October 31, 2005
non sequiturs
I'm missing Portland, but getting to become comfortable with small town life. It's a gradual process.
Tonight is Halloween, so I need to hurry to the store to buy some candy and something to put on our door. I haven't had trick or treaters knock once during my four Halloweens in the Pacific Northwest, because I've always lived in apartment complexes. Ben and I are in an apartment complex again, but I have hope that we'll get a few knocks.
I don't think I'm going to make all of my Christmas presents after all this year. Yes, I'm still broke, but I'm also lazy. So I will be giving away cheap, meaningless trinkets. Sorry, folks.
Our apartment is infested with millipedes. They cluster near the front door and in the bathroom. The cats kill some of them, and scatter chunks of millipede body all over the place. Other millipedes drown when they wander in to puddles of water on the bathroom floor. Some I sweep out the front door onto the sidewalk. Others I flush down the toilet. It's not as bad as it sounds, but it's pretty bad.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 03:24 PM | Comments (1)
October 26, 2005
Weather, seasons.
It's not even 7 p.m. yet, and it's already pitch black. Most of Wednesday was gray as the rain fell down. It must be winter.
We don't seem to have autumns or springs, much, here in the Pacific Northwest. Summers are sunny and mild. A few long, long days reach into the 90s. Winters are rainy and mild, with maybe a week hovering near freezing. The temperatures are moderate, but the sunlight and darkness are extremely variable.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 06:48 PM | Comments (1)
October 23, 2005
Ben and I are watching "Cupcake Cook-Off" on the Food Network, and we just saw a heart-rending moment when one of the leading contendors had his chocolate-walled cupcake house collapse. I felt awful.
Then I wondered: Could be a sign that our society has gotten too decadent, that there is competitive cupcake baking and design?
"I think it's just silly," Ben said. I think he's on to something.
The baker's assistant said she felt like a doctor who had lost her patient. Cupcakes! Good cupcakes! And it's not like the cupcakes are destroyed, they're still tasty, they're just not in a well-designed tower any more.
Cut to commercial, where the announcer asks us to wait to find out what happens after "Six punishing hours of baking!"
Punishing hours!
If competitive cupcake baking is punishing, don't do it! There's enough pain and suffering in the world, as it is.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 03:38 PM | Comments (0)
October 21, 2005
I got a flu shot today. It didn't hurt at all, and for a long time neither did my arm. I've had a lot of deep, painful shots over the years, and a lot of shots that leave my arm sore or even make me sick. So when I went for more than four hours without feeling any negative effects, I was pleasantly surprised. Now, though, my arm and shoulder hurt and I feel mildly icky. It's not terribly bad, but it's annoying.
I also had a cholesterol, triglyceride and blood pressure screening. All of my numbers were very good, so I guess I win the healthy award!
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 08:54 PM | Comments (0)
October 20, 2005
Cheers!
Wedding planning insanity descended while my mom was in town. She took lots of pictures, but it turns out I've used all the space I'm allowed on my free hosting page. The top three pictures here were all I could upload.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 09:05 PM | Comments (3)
I have eaten almost two pounds of oatmeal since June. Maybe I should say "oats," not "oatmeal." Sometimes I don't even cook before eating. Often, even.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 06:29 PM | Comments (0)
October 18, 2005
And now my mom is gone.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 07:58 AM | Comments (1)
October 14, 2005
My mom is here!
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 07:09 AM | Comments (0)
October 10, 2005
We had a pie bake off at work today. Make that "pah," apparently a southern pronunciation. I took pictures. (Or just watch the slideshow.)
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 09:41 PM | Comments (0)
I've been watching the new HBO series Rome, which tells of Julius Caesar's return from Gaul. At the end of last week's episode, a town crier-type stood in a public square calling out news about the city's latest happenings. When he was done, he announced that the news was sponsored by a local consortium of millers, producers of the finest flour around.
What a great touch. The year is 54 B.C., and already there's a news industry. Already it's supported by advertisers. It's nice to be reminded that whatever the struggles in my particular medium, there will always be a demand for news.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 07:05 AM | Comments (0)
October 07, 2005
Today I met with the event coordinator for the Lewis River Golf Course to put down the deposit for our wedding reception and start ironing out some details. Looks like July 30, 2006, will be the big day, with the ceremony around 10 a.m. and a brunch to follow.
After accepting a big gob of money, the coordinator asked me to hammer out some details. Stuff like how I want my napkins folded and where I want them placed. I just about turned green. Do people really care about this stuff?
Ben and I talked about a couple of different locations, and in the end I voted for the golf course. They returned all my phone calls and they agreed do all the work -- set up, break down, catering, etc. Plus, being not-particularly-famous and located in Woodland, their prices were lower than places in Portland. But really, it was them doing all the work that I liked.
Now it turns out that we still have work to do. We have to design some kind of centerpiece, figure out how to orient the napkins, decide whether a "candle ceremony" or a "sand ceremony" might be appropriate for us, and meet with a chef to finalize the food details. It's kind of funny how much the event coordinator cares about all this.
Isn't gathering awesome people for good food and fun music good enough, no matter what your napkins look like? This party had better rawk by the time all this silly decision-making is at an end.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 07:27 PM | Comments (2)
October 03, 2005
Anyone who's lived with me knows of my ability to create a mess by doing nothing more than breathing. This weekend, I did a great deal more than breathe.
I made a new personal organizer with index cards.
I stirred a fry and baked a pie.
I also started work on Christmas presents. No pics there, obviously.
Needless to say, the apartment is a wreck. I'm glad Ben is so good natured about it all.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 06:20 AM | Comments (2)
October 01, 2005
My winter trip to Virginia is booked. Ben is coming with me this time.
We're not going to be there on the dates we originally predicted. Instead, we'll be arriving at Dulles Airport the evening of Dec. 20 -- a Tuesday -- and leaving Dec. 26 at 6 p.m.
This will be my first Christmas day with my parents and brothers since 2001.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 12:49 PM | Comments (0)