Friday Five - October 29, 2010

1. What has there been too much of in your life lately?
Too much drama. Too much going on in my head. Too much time wasted.
2. In what areas of your life might you currently be overextended?
I'm the parent to a special needs child. I think that speaks for itself.
3. What seems about to be going into overtime?
Our Medicaid application.
4. In what way does your cup runneth over?
My loving family - despite all the ups and downs, I am surrounded by love, joy, and beauty.
5. What’s your favorite INXS song?
All I can think of is Need You Tonight, but I really was a huge INXS fan in the 80s/90s. I had Shabooh Shoobah! Sassy magazine did it to me - I even had the INXS poster from Sassy on my wall.

Fifteen years - October 28, 2010

Fifteen years ago (on either the 28th or 29th of October, but let's just say it was the 28th), I dressed up as a goth girl and went out to see some bands at TT the Bear's in Cambridge, MA. My friend pointed out a cute guy, and we went over to talk to him between sets.

We've been married for seven years now and have one beautiful daughter.

And hey, we didn't have mutual friends introduce us and we didn't meet via any dating service and we didn't meet on the Internet! We met at a club! Go figure.

Happy Anniversary Lance!

Tuesday rambles - October 26, 2010

• Today I drove to Kroger again. It's only the second time I've done that particular drive, but it was actually really easy. 
• I'm pleased that I'm getting better about driving. I've done things like drive to a friend's house, gone to the farmer's market in the late afternoon, and the aforementioned Kroger trip.
• I saved about 54% at Kroger today, but the entire trip was frustrating. The cereal deal I wanted to do wasn't clearly marked. I tried guessing and doing the whole thing at self checkout, but I guessed wrong and had to void the whole transaction. I found a manager helping another woman with the same deal - he too was stumped. It just wasn't worth the hassle, so I skipped it. Then the cashier forgot to scan one of my coupons and another e-coupon didn't come off. I've written the company about all of this. We'll see what happens.
• I did get my favorite soup - Campbell's tomato - for a great price. I also got very cheap hand soap (in fun holiday scents) and 9 cent bags of rice to donate to the food pantry. But the deals and the service at Publix are both consistently better and I'll probably stick to them instead.
• My bottle openers, mirrors, interchangeable necklaces, and buttons are all now for sale at HomeGrown Decatur. I'm excited about this new development.
• I am going to a Halloween party where the theme is to dress as a rock star. I realized *I* am a rock star and therefore I think I may just dress up in my funkiest outfit.
• I sold the following bottle opener this morning on Etsy and it is now relisted:

Monday morning deals - October 25, 2010

It's a dark and stormy morning, but we haven't had any rainy days in a while so I figure we're due. What brightened my Monday a little bit was the plethora of amazing deals from the half-price sites today. As in, I bought more than I probably should have...

[Note that the Groupon and Plum District links are referral links - it would make me so happy if you'd use them though!]

Groupon Atlanta's deal of the day is $20 for $40 worth of stuff at the Body Shop. While I personally cannot resist good-smelling bathy stuff and could probably spend this all on myself, I think it will instead make for some great teacher/therapist gifts for the holidays. This deal is limited (but they don't say how limited), so if you're interested you might want to hop on it ASAP.

Plum District's deal of the day is $25 for $50 worth of toys/puzzles/clothes (and more) at ShopZoolu.com. Shipping for orders from $25-$50 is $5, so that's $30 for $50 worth of toys. I scored my daughter's Hanukkah haul: three Melissa & Doug puzzles, a Melissa and Doug stacking train, and a juice box holder (she rarely gets juice boxes/milk boxes, but when she does she squeezes them and makes a mess - this should help) for $36 total, including shipping. Woo!

Scoutmob Atlanta's deal of the day (this isn't a referral link, by the way) is 50% off clothes at Boogaloo's boutique in Decatur. Scoutmob deals are free free FREEEEEE so of course I grabbed this one. I still probably can't afford nor fit into Boogaloo's clothing, but this deal will definitely bring me into the store to check.

I had planned to bring my new inventory over to HomeGrown Decatur so they could start selling my interchangeable magnet necklaces, bottle openers, mirrors, and one-inch buttons, but the weather may keep me home. We'll see.

Friday Five - October 22, 2010

Courtesy of Friday5.org.

1. What gives you the heebie-jeebies?
Cockroaches/palmetto bugs. When the cat sits up and stares intently at something that I can't see. Total darkness.
2. When were you most recently in double trouble?
I can't think of a witty answer to this one.
3. What puts you in the mood for some hanky-panky?
Ha. I don't really want to get into that - this isn't that sort of blog.
4. What easy-breezy task is still a pain in the neck to accomplish?
Button making! It's so easy to do, and it's so fun to do, but it requires me going to another room and making myself sit down and concentrate.
5. What area in your life seems especially rife with mumbo-jumbo?
My daughter's medical issues - including specialists and health insurance and Medicaid. Blah. 

I've been busy making things for both my Etsy store and the new retail store (a local artist coop) that will be selling my products.

Many boxes of interchangeable necklaces, all destined for HomeGrown Decatur.

Interchangeable magnet necklace inspired by the Magic 8 Ball. For sale now in my Etsy store.

Book Review: Room by Emma Donoghue

Room by Emma Donoghue

Oddly enough, I came across this book via a post on Oh No They Didn't, which is really a celebrity gossip site. Someone thought that the trailer for this book (by the way, video trailers for books amuse me greatly) was worthy of a post. I clicked and was intrigued. The book has been on my library request list for a bit, and I finally got to pick it up yesterday. I read the whole thing in about three hours, unable to put it down.

The book, as you may already know because it's on various bestseller charts and is getting lots of press, is told from the perspective of Jack. Jack lives in Room with Ma. And we find out that Ma was kidnapped when she was 19 and has been kept in Room ever since. She's now 27, Jack is five. All Jack has ever known is this Room, and Ma works hard to make sure he doesn't question his living situation. She also makes sure he's educated and doesn't let him watch too much TV, using it as a tool only when necessary. And as I said to a friend who had already read the book, 200+ pages set just inside Room would probably be a bit much...but I'll refrain from giving you any true spoilers.

Jack talks and thinks like a five year old. A five year old who has never been outside and who has no concept of what's real and what's not. He's the traditional unreliable narrator in that respect. So it might take you some time to get into the rhythm of his world (I jumped right in, but I'd also read a bit about the story ahead of time). It's worth it though. And I had to read a section of about five pages midway through reallyreallyreallyfast because it was so intense. But there were times when I did wish the camera would swing away from Jack and show me other parts of the world, or where I wished Jack would overheard just a few of the conversations he simply reports are muffled. I always want more detail though.

This isn't a happy book, but it's also not gory or graphic. It's a fast read and a haunting one. I can't stop thinking about it, since it's unfortunately based on a few true stories. And it made me cry, but not for the reason you'd think. (I can't tell you or I'll spoil it for you, but there was a scene that is very close to my heart.) So yes, I'd say this is worth picking up if you can. I rarely read fiction and I liked it, so that should say something. Now I'm going to run back to the Great Typo Hunt, which I had started but put aside, to cleanse my palate.

And no, I guess I'm not giving you a full on review of Medium Raw after all. Here are my brief thoughts:

• It was disjointed and uneven, with some chapters telling far more interesting stories than others. I skipped a few.
• Parts of it were weirdly redundant within a few sentences; where was his editor?
• I loved reading about his attempts to turn his kid off of McDonald's.
• I was less interested in the autobiographical bits and the where-are-they-now pieces.
• Bourdain has a way with words that always sucks me in. I can't help it.
• And I'm a vegetarian who reads his work and is always amused at his vitriol. But I appreciated his honesty in how he reacted to a vegan asking him for support just after returning from a war zone.

Kale Chips - October 18, 2010

A snack that's fast, healthy, and tasty? Sign me up. I read about kale chips on Snack Girl's blog and have made them a few times. As lunch approaches (and it's time to get my daughter from preschool), I was hungry and wanted something quick, so I threw these in the oven. I know I called them healthy, but the amount of olive oil and salt I used probably negates that a wee bit.

Behold:

Before - kale coated in olive oil and sea salt.

After - delicious, light, crispy treats

Om nom nom kale chips in a bowl

I also want to tell you about my new favorite snack - Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Nibs. A nib has ONE calorie and fills your mouth with chocolate. They're good when I just want something quick and sweet but not filling. Nom. Plus the tin is adorable and I want to turn it into something crafty. I actually found cocoa nibs at YDFM and am thinking I may try to make something like this myself...

Low calorie chocolate goodness

I have a busy week ahead, full of chiropractor and doctor appointments, dinner with friends, and more. Tomorrow I have a meeting with a local artist coop/store about carrying my mirrors/necklaces/bottle openers/other stuff - wish me luck!

I did finish Medium Raw and am still figuring out if I have enough to say to warrant a full blog post. (I didn't love it, I found it uneven, but parts of it still really got to me.) And I've started the Great Typo Hunt - boys after my own heart, let me tell you.