with cranberry sauce!
I almost feel well. It must be feed a fever...
I wonder how long it will last ;-)
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Small rant on eco bags...
I am getting overwhelmed with eco bags. Everywhere I go someone gives me one. I hate those weird ones that are a cross between paper and cloth, they do not hold up. They are not water proof, they are ugly and feel gross.
I am also not thrilled with the dirty looks I get from people carrying those bags when I get a paper bag from my local market. I live in fairly liberal neighborhood. Usually I walk to the store but today I am ill. Not the usual, I ate something I am allergic to or food poisoning ill. Today I am running a fever that seems to come in waves and is wiping me out. I am also not sleeping still, again, whatever...
I am not hungry, actually I don't care much about anything. My thoughts processes are a bit off. I even unintentionally insulted Al Stewart, my favorite singer songwriter, last night who graciously thanked me afterwards for my "charity." I also perhaps gave a back handed compliment to Steve Forbert, though he really was cute in this video, really, but I could have said it better. Al didn't deserve it. I am told Steve is a very nice guy and he liked the old youtube I found:-)
Anyway, so I drive to the store. drive! wasted gas! I even took the long back route because the state fair traffic has the usual route all backed up. Our state economy is tanking but the fair is more crowded than it has been in years, go figure... Usually, I have my two Ikea bags in the car, the big blue one and the small one that holds 2 gallons of water. They are cute, easy to fold, strong, lightweight, durable, water proof and you can throw them over your shoulder or hold onto the shorter straps. The Apple store back pack bags are almost as cool. However, I forget to unload them from the library and office depot the other day and put them back in the car. In fact, they are currently sitting over there fully loaded, looking cute which I type this.
At the store, I pick up chicken, cranberries, eggs, bananas and an individual Lindt hazelnut chocolate truffle-just your standard I-feel-horrible-fare when you don't have the energy or cash to get or make anything elaborate. I get to the counter to pay, trying hard not to cough or breathe on anyone. When the clerk asks if want a bag and what kind, I say "paper" and the man behind me holding up his his eco blue bag, that shows hard wear, gives me a dirty look! Of course those bags always look pre-destressed anyway, and as I said they don't wear well in comparsion to canvas and decent stitching.
I definitely reuse brown paper bags. They go to the co-op if they are in good condition. I also use them to sort, or put paper recycling in until they rip. Then I use the remaining paper for patterns or book covers. I used to wrap packages in them like my grandmother, but the post office doesn't like that anymore.
Long before the eco bag craze and really cool Ikea blue bags, I was using canvas bags from trade shows, I always have. I am into bags, I store much of my textile collection in these cool bags from sewing trade shows.
Its not that I am against bringing your own bag! I just don't think it gives people the right to look down on others just because they have an eco bag. I wish places would stop pushing them on me, they are everywhere. Next week, when I am well enough to go to the fair, I am going to count how many of those bags I am offered, I am betting at least 5. Maybe I will refashion the ones I have into something else, though I am not sure what they would be good for? Eco bag purse anyone?
I am also not thrilled with the dirty looks I get from people carrying those bags when I get a paper bag from my local market. I live in fairly liberal neighborhood. Usually I walk to the store but today I am ill. Not the usual, I ate something I am allergic to or food poisoning ill. Today I am running a fever that seems to come in waves and is wiping me out. I am also not sleeping still, again, whatever...
I am not hungry, actually I don't care much about anything. My thoughts processes are a bit off. I even unintentionally insulted Al Stewart, my favorite singer songwriter, last night who graciously thanked me afterwards for my "charity." I also perhaps gave a back handed compliment to Steve Forbert, though he really was cute in this video, really, but I could have said it better. Al didn't deserve it. I am told Steve is a very nice guy and he liked the old youtube I found:-)
Anyway, so I drive to the store. drive! wasted gas! I even took the long back route because the state fair traffic has the usual route all backed up. Our state economy is tanking but the fair is more crowded than it has been in years, go figure... Usually, I have my two Ikea bags in the car, the big blue one and the small one that holds 2 gallons of water. They are cute, easy to fold, strong, lightweight, durable, water proof and you can throw them over your shoulder or hold onto the shorter straps. The Apple store back pack bags are almost as cool. However, I forget to unload them from the library and office depot the other day and put them back in the car. In fact, they are currently sitting over there fully loaded, looking cute which I type this.
At the store, I pick up chicken, cranberries, eggs, bananas and an individual Lindt hazelnut chocolate truffle-just your standard I-feel-horrible-fare when you don't have the energy or cash to get or make anything elaborate. I get to the counter to pay, trying hard not to cough or breathe on anyone. When the clerk asks if want a bag and what kind, I say "paper" and the man behind me holding up his his eco blue bag, that shows hard wear, gives me a dirty look! Of course those bags always look pre-destressed anyway, and as I said they don't wear well in comparsion to canvas and decent stitching.
I definitely reuse brown paper bags. They go to the co-op if they are in good condition. I also use them to sort, or put paper recycling in until they rip. Then I use the remaining paper for patterns or book covers. I used to wrap packages in them like my grandmother, but the post office doesn't like that anymore.
Long before the eco bag craze and really cool Ikea blue bags, I was using canvas bags from trade shows, I always have. I am into bags, I store much of my textile collection in these cool bags from sewing trade shows.
Its not that I am against bringing your own bag! I just don't think it gives people the right to look down on others just because they have an eco bag. I wish places would stop pushing them on me, they are everywhere. Next week, when I am well enough to go to the fair, I am going to count how many of those bags I am offered, I am betting at least 5. Maybe I will refashion the ones I have into something else, though I am not sure what they would be good for? Eco bag purse anyone?
Saturday, August 23, 2008
From Ma'am to Miss in under 4 hours
A few weeks ago, I was over at our local art museum because I am working on a blouse and I just had to see a Chinese robe there for some reason. I knew I needed to be there later in the day but I was driving by anyway so I stopped in.
I was wearing sandals, cropped jeans which displayed my henna lotus tattoo around my left ankle quite nicely, a blue sleeveless shirt, my blue sun jacket and my hair up in a twist. After seeing the robe, and visiting my favorite pieces, I wandered over to see where the event was to be set up. A couple cute catering guys came over and explained what was going to be there and as I was leaving they said "see you later, Ma'am." I noticed it mainly because around here its unusually to be called anything, esp. by 20 somethings working in the museum.
So I went home, took a shower, washed my hair, the usual stuff. Put on a blue floral Liberty lawn skirt , a light moss colored silk sweater, my favorite necklace, a lighter pair of sandals and went back to the museum in a few hours. Went to the annual meeting, said "hi" to everyone, and ran into the caterer guys again. This time they called me "miss" and didn't seem to remember speaking to me earlier. I looked around me, I wasn't the youngest person in the room, but many of the people there could have been my parents or grand parents, but that didn't seem to account for it. I wasn't wearing make up in either occasion, nor I wasn't wearing form fitting clothes.
I saw a lot of these two guys because they kept bring me plates of stuff I liked and could eat. I had so much shrimp, polenta, buffalo cheese bacon wrapped figs and I don't know what else, I didn't want dinner or anything until breakfast. They also had this non alcoholic pear cider, which was actually de-alcoholized. Ikea has it, and I really like it. Its so much better than the usual stuff at parties. I was pretty thrilled food and drink wise because for years, decades even, I have been requesting that they have non-alcoholic drinks that are not just club soda or fizzy water and food that is dairy free and gluten free! I wrote the museum a nice note after wards, of course :-)
I started really thinking about the clothes I was wearing and started experimenting. After a couple weeks, I concluded it was the jeans. Most of the women around here who wear jeans like that are my age or older, or at least look older. Younger women around who wear cropped jeans pants wear skin tight pairs. I don't particularly like cropped pants in general but they were what I could find when I needed something, cost about $7 on sale and met the needs that I had at the time. They are great for working in the garden and food coop.
This has begun a general experiment with clothes period. I like experimenting, and I also practice things a lot. The route I walk everyday through my neighborhood is great for experimenting since you run into a a wide variety of people. The past couple weeks I have been testing reactions to t-shirt colors. Now when I walk you can't see more than 12 x 18 inches of the t-shirt since I wear a sun jacket open on top which is blue, kind of like this one only longer parka length and no gathered bottom. I tried the following colored t-shirts, all of which are in my colors and look nice on me, salmon, moss green, various blues, red and a nice brown. Nothing else in the outfit was different. Oh I also wear a hat outside , pretty much always, this hat which I attach various scarves to sometimes, this time I wore it unadorned.
I made no approach to people other than to briefly look at them the same way I always do. I found that if I wore the blue t-shirts, medium to lighter blue, people would say hi to me, other colors they might nod or smile but not the same reaction. Also if I knew them and I was wearing the blue shirts, they would stop and chat, otherwise they didn't. I remember reading years ago that variations on sky blue and light lemon yellow were friendly colors, but I never tested it out before.
I am going to put on the Ma'am pants and go volunteer at the coop now, it will make me appear more stern to the kids, and stop the younger guys hitting on me, except of course the "I like older women" ones, what is it with those guys anyway?
Ha! Cotton Incorporated "The touch the feel of cotton, the fabric of our lives" basically says they are for the mature market!
I was wearing sandals, cropped jeans which displayed my henna lotus tattoo around my left ankle quite nicely, a blue sleeveless shirt, my blue sun jacket and my hair up in a twist. After seeing the robe, and visiting my favorite pieces, I wandered over to see where the event was to be set up. A couple cute catering guys came over and explained what was going to be there and as I was leaving they said "see you later, Ma'am." I noticed it mainly because around here its unusually to be called anything, esp. by 20 somethings working in the museum.
So I went home, took a shower, washed my hair, the usual stuff. Put on a blue floral Liberty lawn skirt , a light moss colored silk sweater, my favorite necklace, a lighter pair of sandals and went back to the museum in a few hours. Went to the annual meeting, said "hi" to everyone, and ran into the caterer guys again. This time they called me "miss" and didn't seem to remember speaking to me earlier. I looked around me, I wasn't the youngest person in the room, but many of the people there could have been my parents or grand parents, but that didn't seem to account for it. I wasn't wearing make up in either occasion, nor I wasn't wearing form fitting clothes.
I saw a lot of these two guys because they kept bring me plates of stuff I liked and could eat. I had so much shrimp, polenta, buffalo cheese bacon wrapped figs and I don't know what else, I didn't want dinner or anything until breakfast. They also had this non alcoholic pear cider, which was actually de-alcoholized. Ikea has it, and I really like it. Its so much better than the usual stuff at parties. I was pretty thrilled food and drink wise because for years, decades even, I have been requesting that they have non-alcoholic drinks that are not just club soda or fizzy water and food that is dairy free and gluten free! I wrote the museum a nice note after wards, of course :-)
I started really thinking about the clothes I was wearing and started experimenting. After a couple weeks, I concluded it was the jeans. Most of the women around here who wear jeans like that are my age or older, or at least look older. Younger women around who wear cropped jeans pants wear skin tight pairs. I don't particularly like cropped pants in general but they were what I could find when I needed something, cost about $7 on sale and met the needs that I had at the time. They are great for working in the garden and food coop.
This has begun a general experiment with clothes period. I like experimenting, and I also practice things a lot. The route I walk everyday through my neighborhood is great for experimenting since you run into a a wide variety of people. The past couple weeks I have been testing reactions to t-shirt colors. Now when I walk you can't see more than 12 x 18 inches of the t-shirt since I wear a sun jacket open on top which is blue, kind of like this one only longer parka length and no gathered bottom. I tried the following colored t-shirts, all of which are in my colors and look nice on me, salmon, moss green, various blues, red and a nice brown. Nothing else in the outfit was different. Oh I also wear a hat outside , pretty much always, this hat which I attach various scarves to sometimes, this time I wore it unadorned.
I made no approach to people other than to briefly look at them the same way I always do. I found that if I wore the blue t-shirts, medium to lighter blue, people would say hi to me, other colors they might nod or smile but not the same reaction. Also if I knew them and I was wearing the blue shirts, they would stop and chat, otherwise they didn't. I remember reading years ago that variations on sky blue and light lemon yellow were friendly colors, but I never tested it out before.
I am going to put on the Ma'am pants and go volunteer at the coop now, it will make me appear more stern to the kids, and stop the younger guys hitting on me, except of course the "I like older women" ones, what is it with those guys anyway?
Ha! Cotton Incorporated "The touch the feel of cotton, the fabric of our lives" basically says they are for the mature market!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
On a Stick...
Its MN state fair time and once again there is new food to be had!
The fair is referred to as the great Minnesota Get Together, but really its all about food.
My sewing guild/textile/artist friends will ask what I saw at the 4-H, creative activity center and senior center then we will discuss various entries of people we know. However most people, when you say you were at the fair, will ask "what did you eat?"
There are 261 places to buy food at the fair. Most people get mini donuts, a pronto pup, fried cheese curds and Martha's chocolate chip cookies as well as other assorted fast and diner food. I always get the same food: pink cotton candy, strawberry crepes, key lime pie on a stick, $1 mini shrimp cup, pickle on a stick and sometimes apples with caramel sauce or a lemon aid. If my parents are with me I also have corn on the cob. I always taste nitro ice cream and chocolate soy milk. Even if I go to the fair for several days I only get one of each of the above, except I occasionally get 2 cotton candies. I only get it freshly spun and from one particular vendor.
I doubt I will vary from that, but if I do, I will let you know. I have a coupon book this year so its possible, but not probable ;-)
People here like food "on a stick." One of the newest is Big Fat Bacon 1/3 lb slice of bacon fried and caramelized with maple syrup, served on a stick with dipping sauces.
The following is available for purchase this year at the fair "on a stick":
Popcorn, caramel corn, cheese corn, cotton candy, snow cones, gourmet roasted nuts, hand dipped caramel apples on-a-stick with gourmet toppings to include nuts, candies, marshmallows
Batter dipped, deep fried candy bars on-a-stick (Snickers, Milky Way, Three Musketeers, Reeses Peanut Butter Cups)
Shrimp (breaded, grilled, cocktail) on-a-stick
Chocolate covered cheesecake on-a-stick (vanilla, key lime)
Cajun seasoned alligator sausage on-a-stick
Deep fried Spudsters on-a-stick
Batter dipped deep fried fruit in a variety of the following combinations served on-a-stick: grapes, honeydew melon, cantaloupe, strawberry, pineapple, apple, banana, kiwi, peaches, cherries, pears
Oriental lemon chicken on-a-stick
Scones on-a-stick (caramel, chocolate, marshmallow)
Blackened Cajun steak-on-a-stick
Big Fat Bacon 1/3 lb slice of bacon fried and caramelized with maple syrup, served on a stick with dipping sauces
Lamb (burgers, gyros, wraps, leg of lamb (marinated on-a-stick)
Fresh dipped (6", 12", 1/3 lb 12" Dogzilla) corn dog on-a-stick
Grilled shrimp on-a-stick with butter garlic seasonings
Frozen key lime pie dipped in chocolate on-a-stick
Cotton candy on-a-stick, in a bag
Grilled pork chops on-a-stick
Nut rolls made on site (peanut, pecan, cashew) may be dipped in chocolate and served on-a-stick
Fudge puppies (a Belgium waffle on-a-stick dipped in swiss chocolate) topped with choices of (whipped topping, crunch coating, strawberries)
Steak on-a-stick
Caramel apples on-a-stick
Foot long pizza on-a-stick
Grilled pork chop on-a-stick
Jerk pork chop on-a-stick
Whole dill pickle on-a-stick
Ice cream on-a-stick
On-a-stick cookies and biscotti
Walleye on a Stick
Scotch Eggs on-a-stick (hard boiled egg, wrapped in sausage, rolled in bread crumbs and deep fried)
Scotch Meatball on-a-stick
Butterscotch cake (cream filled and dipped in butterscotch) on-a-stick
Cheesecake on-a-stick (regular or fresh) (dipped in chocolate, cherry or butterscotch coatings)
Frozen bananas on-a-stick dipped in chocolate and rolled in nuts,
Strawberries on-a-stick dipped in chocolate
Puff Daddy on-a-stick
Thai One On sausage on-a-stick,
Pork chops on-a-stick
Chicken breast on-a-stick
Fried Swiss cheese on-a-stick
Fried jalapeno pepper cheese on-a-stick
Watermelon, frozen grapes on-a-stick
Pineapple, oranges, cherries on-a-stick,
Spaghetti and meatballs on-a-stick
Deep fried smores on-a-stick (marshmallow, chocolate, graham cracker batter)
Tater tot hot dish on-a-stick with cream of mushroom dipping sauce
Pronto Pup on-a-stick (6" flour battered, deep fried hot dog)
Pappa Pup on-a-stick (10" flour battered, deep fried hot dog)
Hot dog wrap (hot dog in a wrap deep fried) on-a-stick,
Bull Bites (blackened tenderloin tips with horseradish sauce), chicken bites, macaroni and cheese on-a-stick
Special Tator tots (hash browns formed with cheddar cheese, bacon, green onion, sour cream) deep fried on-a-stick
Chocolate covered cheesecake on-a-stick
Salmon on-a-stick
Porcupine meatballs on-a-stick (wild rice and ground pork),
Rueben on-a-stick
Green battered corn dogs with green ketchup
Corned beef and cabbage dipped in batter on-a-stick,
Cotton candy on-a-stick, in a bag
Taffy pop on-a-stick
The fair is referred to as the great Minnesota Get Together, but really its all about food.
My sewing guild/textile/artist friends will ask what I saw at the 4-H, creative activity center and senior center then we will discuss various entries of people we know. However most people, when you say you were at the fair, will ask "what did you eat?"
There are 261 places to buy food at the fair. Most people get mini donuts, a pronto pup, fried cheese curds and Martha's chocolate chip cookies as well as other assorted fast and diner food. I always get the same food: pink cotton candy, strawberry crepes, key lime pie on a stick, $1 mini shrimp cup, pickle on a stick and sometimes apples with caramel sauce or a lemon aid. If my parents are with me I also have corn on the cob. I always taste nitro ice cream and chocolate soy milk. Even if I go to the fair for several days I only get one of each of the above, except I occasionally get 2 cotton candies. I only get it freshly spun and from one particular vendor.
I doubt I will vary from that, but if I do, I will let you know. I have a coupon book this year so its possible, but not probable ;-)
People here like food "on a stick." One of the newest is Big Fat Bacon 1/3 lb slice of bacon fried and caramelized with maple syrup, served on a stick with dipping sauces.
The following is available for purchase this year at the fair "on a stick":
Popcorn, caramel corn, cheese corn, cotton candy, snow cones, gourmet roasted nuts, hand dipped caramel apples on-a-stick with gourmet toppings to include nuts, candies, marshmallows
Batter dipped, deep fried candy bars on-a-stick (Snickers, Milky Way, Three Musketeers, Reeses Peanut Butter Cups)
Shrimp (breaded, grilled, cocktail) on-a-stick
Chocolate covered cheesecake on-a-stick (vanilla, key lime)
Cajun seasoned alligator sausage on-a-stick
Deep fried Spudsters on-a-stick
Batter dipped deep fried fruit in a variety of the following combinations served on-a-stick: grapes, honeydew melon, cantaloupe, strawberry, pineapple, apple, banana, kiwi, peaches, cherries, pears
Oriental lemon chicken on-a-stick
Scones on-a-stick (caramel, chocolate, marshmallow)
Blackened Cajun steak-on-a-stick
Big Fat Bacon 1/3 lb slice of bacon fried and caramelized with maple syrup, served on a stick with dipping sauces
Lamb (burgers, gyros, wraps, leg of lamb (marinated on-a-stick)
Fresh dipped (6", 12", 1/3 lb 12" Dogzilla) corn dog on-a-stick
Grilled shrimp on-a-stick with butter garlic seasonings
Frozen key lime pie dipped in chocolate on-a-stick
Cotton candy on-a-stick, in a bag
Grilled pork chops on-a-stick
Nut rolls made on site (peanut, pecan, cashew) may be dipped in chocolate and served on-a-stick
Fudge puppies (a Belgium waffle on-a-stick dipped in swiss chocolate) topped with choices of (whipped topping, crunch coating, strawberries)
Steak on-a-stick
Caramel apples on-a-stick
Foot long pizza on-a-stick
Grilled pork chop on-a-stick
Jerk pork chop on-a-stick
Whole dill pickle on-a-stick
Ice cream on-a-stick
On-a-stick cookies and biscotti
Walleye on a Stick
Scotch Eggs on-a-stick (hard boiled egg, wrapped in sausage, rolled in bread crumbs and deep fried)
Scotch Meatball on-a-stick
Butterscotch cake (cream filled and dipped in butterscotch) on-a-stick
Cheesecake on-a-stick (regular or fresh) (dipped in chocolate, cherry or butterscotch coatings)
Frozen bananas on-a-stick dipped in chocolate and rolled in nuts,
Strawberries on-a-stick dipped in chocolate
Puff Daddy on-a-stick
Thai One On sausage on-a-stick,
Pork chops on-a-stick
Chicken breast on-a-stick
Fried Swiss cheese on-a-stick
Fried jalapeno pepper cheese on-a-stick
Watermelon, frozen grapes on-a-stick
Pineapple, oranges, cherries on-a-stick,
Spaghetti and meatballs on-a-stick
Deep fried smores on-a-stick (marshmallow, chocolate, graham cracker batter)
Tater tot hot dish on-a-stick with cream of mushroom dipping sauce
Pronto Pup on-a-stick (6" flour battered, deep fried hot dog)
Pappa Pup on-a-stick (10" flour battered, deep fried hot dog)
Hot dog wrap (hot dog in a wrap deep fried) on-a-stick,
Bull Bites (blackened tenderloin tips with horseradish sauce), chicken bites, macaroni and cheese on-a-stick
Special Tator tots (hash browns formed with cheddar cheese, bacon, green onion, sour cream) deep fried on-a-stick
Chocolate covered cheesecake on-a-stick
Salmon on-a-stick
Porcupine meatballs on-a-stick (wild rice and ground pork),
Rueben on-a-stick
Green battered corn dogs with green ketchup
Corned beef and cabbage dipped in batter on-a-stick,
Cotton candy on-a-stick, in a bag
Taffy pop on-a-stick
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