There is a Santa Claus!

Not only is the film, Inland Empire, showing in Silver Spring in a few weeks, but David Lynch will be there for a Q&A. How awesome is that!

This is too exciting.

Wanna Smell Like Play-Doh All Day?

Well, now you can! You can also smell like a cigar, sawdust, glue, paint, vinyl, mary jane, or sushi. Although, I don't know where the appeal lies there.

If you desire, you can order them
here.

Overheard in Baltimore

There's this hilarious website called Overheard in New York where people submit various interactions between people they've overheard. Hence the title...

Last night, I had my own little version of that in Baltimore. I attended an open house for a gym with my friends. This was not your grandmother's open house. There was tons of free food and beer. Yes, beer. Specifically Christmas Ale from the Wharf Rat, which is quite good this year, I might add. The Ravens Cheerleaders were there and so were some bellydancers. I'm not quite sure how belly dancers fit into this event, but they were there nonetheless.

There was this guy walking around who was dressed kind of like the question mark man. Come to think of it, it might have been him, only in a beige blazer and fake Burberry plaid pants.

The DJ started playing this song and a bunch of people got up to line dance to it. A majority of these people were African American. The plaid pants wearing question mark man look alike turned to his friend and said "Look, there's a whole herd of them out there."

It was the most racist thing I've ever heard in public. The guy kept talking (loudly) to his friend...but after that "statement", I didn't hear anymore.

So, I am officially starting "Overheard in Baltimore". For all of my 20 readers (I think I might actually be up to 20 now)...post 'em here.

Funny Dream

Last night, I had a dream I went to Manderley again.

That's not true. I had a dream that I was a contestant/judge on Project Runway. The other contestants I remember were Alison from season 3 and Carson, also known as the fashion guy with the incredibly shitty fashion sense from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. (and might I interject here...WHY is this show still on the air? It was funny at first, but after a quadrillion seasons, I think they're finished)

So, the challenge was to dress up in an outfit that didn't match and see what the public reaction was when you walked the streets. I wore a yellow stretchy Morrisey Pop 1994 skirt, and this incredibly gaudy and heavy yellow beaded necklace ala Wilma Flintstone.

There was another team too, and they were dressed like 50's sock hop people.

Flash to the judging. I was a judge and the lowest scoring people were Alison and Carson. The judges were telling Alison that she thought she was a talented designer, but that she had to be eliminated. Immediately, I started throwing a fit saying "But, Carson doesn't even know how to dress HIMSELF. Let alone design for other people!"

and, then I awoke to the sounds of npr and my beeping alarm clock.

If anyone has some insight as to what this means other than I need to stop watching television, please let me know. Thank you.

I Had Almost Forgotten

there was a new David Lynch movie coming out! I remember reading some stuff about it. Now, I'm too excited! It opens this Friday in limited release. Bunny rabbits in living rooms? Altered realities between one or more people? Laura Palmer's mother spouting off some crazy shit?

All this and more, I'm sure.

These Are Too Cute

Someone over at craftster made these. They are so cute! Knitted backyard companions.

Art Show Recap

Both of the shows I participated in last week were a success! Everyone loved the cupcake paintings. A big shout out to Heather for actually buying two of them. Sure, she's my friend, but it was still my first sale, and that counts for something. Also, thanks to Erika for helping to put this event together, and for replacing all of the plastic cupcake adornments with cherries to match my paintings.

My knitted armwarmers and scarves were a hit over at the Columbia Art Center. So far, I've sold 5 pairs of armwarmers! How exciting.

Below are some pics from the Hampden show. The Columbia photos are being held captive on my very cute and fabulous MAC book at home.

It's That Time of Year Again

Time for the end of the year lists. For some reason, 2006 seemed a little musically mellow to me. Maybe it was the Les Savy Fav hiatus (that is now finally over, thankfully), or the fact that I just haven't been out to many shows, but it was a little blah. However, there were some shining moments. Like the Neko Case/Martha Wainright show at the 930, or getting the chance to see one of the last Sleater-Kinney shows ever, even though a blown transformer threatened the show. So, without blabbing on for too long, here's the list of my favorite albums of 2006 (in no particular order)


Beck - The Information

It think this is one of his more creative ventures. When it was first released, I could not get "Nausea" out of my head. Sure, by song 10, it's a little too much Beck, but in small doses, this album is one of his best.


Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit

I'm a pretty big fan of Belle and Sebastian. I think they're terrific Saturday morning with coffee music. And, their use of the word launderette on this album can't be beat. Who says launderette anymore? Belle and Sebastian, that's who.


Built to Spill - You In Reverse

This is the first Built to Spill album that I had heard. Yes, I know that's an indie-rock listener faux pas, but this made me want to go buy more Built to Spill albums, which I did after listening to this one. Plus, the song "Goin' Against Your Mind" will be in your head all day.


Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out of This Country

I just got around to buying this album a few weeks ago. It reminds me of Belle and Sebastian, only sweeter (as if that were possible!). "Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken" is one of my favorite songs of the year.


The Decemberists - The Crane Wife

I think this is certainly their best album yet. Full of different sounds and fantastic songs. "The Island-Come & See/The Landlord’s Daughter/You’ll Not Feel The Drowning" wins my favorite song of the year. It's almost a little too Boston/Journey sounding, but not quite. And, that's why I think it's brilliant.


Love Is All - Nine Times That Same Song

Yes, I know they were pitchfork darlings, but this album is really fun. A good summer driving around album. I listened to this alot in those months. Not so much a winter album, but worth a listen.


Madonna - Confessions on a Dance Floor

Ah, my guilty pleasure album of the year. Just fun and flirty and Madonna. I'm still sad I was denied tickets to this concert, even though she doesn't let venues turn on the air conditioning. I'm sure it would've been a kick ass time.


Morrissey - Ringleader of the Tormentors

I'm not as big a fan of Morrissey as some other people I know, but you can't deny that this is his best album in years. If you haven't heard this yet, go buy it immediately! (or wait until early next year when he re-releases it with all the b-sides)


Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood

Her voice can't be beat and she's cute as a button. Need I say more?


Peaches - Impeach My Bush

Anyone who sings about the stuff she sings about deserves a spot on this list. She's raunchy, she's hot, and her music is pretty good too.


Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins - Rabbit Fur Coat

Jenny Lewis is a little bit Neko Case and a little bit Aimee Mann. This album is really comforting and great for late night drives.


Honorable Mentions:

Wolfmother (self titled)
Tapes N Tapes - The Loon
Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere

There are several albums that I've either just bought, or haven't gotten to listen to yet. I'm sure that these would've made the list had I gotten around to it:

Tom Waits - Orphans
Bob Dylan - Modern Times
Metric - Live It Out
Islands - Return to the sea
Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs - Under the Covers Vol. 1

Disappointments of 2006:

I know I said I liked these albums at first, but upon further listening, I decided that the lyrics on the Muse album totally sucked, and I've only listened to At War with the Mystics twice. Oh well.

I also felt like the Rapture - Pieces of the People We Love wasn't as good as it could have been, but that's alright.

Programming Note

My knitted stuff and one of my cupcake paintings (pictured above) are currently on display and for sale at the Columbia Art Center. The knitted stuff is going fast! Last night I sold a scarf and a pair of armwarmers...

Also, this weekend is the Last Big Thing in Hampden with five of my cupcake paintings on display. Four of them will be included in the silent art auction.

So, come out, drink some beer and wine, and bid on some art! Thank you.

Okay, It was Called Smurf Berry Crunch

yummy.

Fruity Cheerios!

I don't know if any of you remember eating Smurfberry Cereal or not, but Fruity Cheerios taste JUST like them. They are so good.

I know I may be a little late jumping on this bandwagon, but now that I'm on...I'm staying.

Belated Happy Birthday!

To my blog...you're a little over a year old!

how cute.

To celebrate my blog's birthday, here's a license plate cover I saw last night in Baltimore. It read, "I am USCizen I love USA"

It was weird.

New Cupcake Paintings

Here's pictures of 2 of my cupcake paintings. I have 3 more finished. I think the colors look better in person, but these will have to suffice. They are oil on wooden block.

Busy Bee

I know it's been a while since my last post. I've been super busy knitting and painting away! I've gotten many things finished for the Columbia Art Center show and for the Last Big Thing art auction.

The Last Big Thing will be held at Bikram Yoga Hampden located at 911 West 36th Street ("The Avenue"). Tickets are 25 dollars. The proceeds benefit the Hampden Community Council. I'll have 4 paintings up for auction there! It's exciting for me because it's my first non-Columbia Art Center show.

Additional Info can be found here.

I'll try and post some pictures of the stuff I've been working on tomorrow.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

Come See (and maybe buy) My Art

My paintings and knitted things will be on display, and for sale, as part of the student and staff art show at the Columbia Art Center from December 7-17. The opening is the 7th with free wine and food. Everything will be priced 150 dollars and below.

The Art Center is located on Cloudleap Ct. in the Long Reach Shopping Center. (yes, I know all the street names in Columbia sound lame, but I can't help that)

So please come out and support local artists like myself.

Thanks!

It's Back!

Jennine, you will be very excited with the words I am about to type...

The crab dip is back on the menu at Friends.

I couldn't be more pleased.

And yes, it tastes the same.

Headlines

A girl goes out of town for a few days and the entire country gets better. Here are a few headlines I found this morning. I cannot tell you how happy inside this makes me. At least for a few days...

"Dems Edge Closer to Senate Control"
"Rumsfeld Resigns; Bush Vows to 'Find Common Ground'"
"Nancy Pelosi is Ready to be Voice of the Majority"
"In Statehouses too, Dems Post Sizeable Gains"
"Liberals Find Rays of Hope on Ballot Measures"

Congratulations to the citizens of South Dakota for keeping abortion legal in their state!

Nightmare Before Christmas 3-D Review

I went to see the Nightmare Before Christmas 3-D yesterday. One of my personal goals in life is to someday be the only person in a huge movie theater watching a film. I almost accomplished it yesterday, but three people walked in at the last minute, spoiling my excitement.

The movie itself was so much better than watching it at home. I never got the chance to see it in the theater the first time around. I found that I appreciated the scenery and general artistry of the film more on the big screen.

As for the 3-D aspect of the film, I felt it could have been done a little better. Some of the images seemed a little blurry to me. Especially when compared with the cute short movie they showed beforehand. However, the overall three dimensionality (is that a word?) of the film was brilliant.

The short shown before the movie was about a snowman trapped in a snow globe. This won me over, particularly since I collect cheesy snow globes from funny places and states. So, if you're going to the Corn Palace in South Dakota this year, please buy me one and send it to me. Thanks.

If you're not, I'd still recommend you give this movie a watching. It was worth it.

Tonight....BORAT! I can't wait!

GO MOUNTAINEERS!

Beat the living crap out of Louisville tonight! WOO HOO!

Nightmare Before Christmas 3-D

I am going to see it today. I'll be back tomorrow with a short review.

Voting Day Thoughts - The Governor's Race

It's voting day next Tuesday, November 7th. Be sure to get out there and vote. As to some of my thoughts about the current state of affairs, here they are. Take 'em or leave 'em:

Governor of Maryland:

I don't want Maryland to have casinos because of what I've seen it do to other towns and states. I think Maryland should raise the minimum wage, and that workers should have health insurance. I certainly don't believe that our park lands and seemingly protected open space should be sold to developers who contribute large sums of money to campaigns.

Those are some of the reasons why I won't be voting for our current governor, Bob Ehrlich on election day.

For a short history on Ehrlich's views on open space click here.

On the subject of cupcakes

As many of my loyal readers are aware, I am currently obsessed with cupcakes. So, I decided that in order to help get some of this excitement out of my system, I would start a series of cupcake paintings. I'm hoping to have some finished for selling at Hampden's Last Big Thing if you want one for your wall.

Eventually, I will also have some up on my etsy site. One of them is finished. But, I'm keeping it since it's the first one.

These are a few of my favorite things...

Hello Kitty and a cupcake! How cute.

Sweater Pics

Front:


Back:

It's finished!

I finished the sweater this weekend. (yes, I know you were all sitting by the computer for that news)

I'll post some pics next week.

Remind me to tell you about the people I met on the plane.

Have a great week everyone!

I don't know if this will be finished

I'm about 1/2 way finished one sleeve! One sleeve left to go, and I still have to sew it together! Before Sunday.

But, for a first sweater, and a first attempt at a cabled sweater, it's looking alright. A few mistakes, but alright.

The front:



The back:

Recommendations

If you're bored at work today, or just need something to pass the time, I suggest listening to last night's Wilco concert from the 930 club. Tickets were impossible to come by this time around, but we can all listen here for free!

The new Beck album is pretty good. You should buy it.

I'm also finally getting around to really listening to the Ballad of the Broken Seas album. They're the former lead frontman of the Screaming Trees and the girl who left Belle and Sebastian. There's some real gems on this record.

Hope everyone is having a terrific Friday thus far. Don't forget it's Flugtag this weekend in Baltimore! And Oktoberfest at Blob's Park! Carry your wife contests!

Sweater Knitting

It's apparently that time of my life when all of my friends decide they want to be parents. I know 10 people who are having babies either later this year, or early next. So, that means alot of knitting for babies on my end. I started this sweater last week. It's my first real sweater attempt. I'm not doing very well on the armhole decreases. But, I'm hoping my friend will understand. I'm also hoping that when I attach the arms to the body of the sweater, everything will work out and not look stupid. Anyway, here's a picture of what it's supposed to look like. I'm knitting it in orange. They don't know if it's a boy or a girl, and I figure they'll get enough green clothes.



I will have it finished by Sunday, even if that means not getting any sleep this week. So far, the back, left, and 1/3 of the right sides are finished.

My First Lace Scarf is Complete!

I finished this a few weeks ago, but am just getting around to posting pictures. Here's the finished "Branching Out" scarf from knitty. Once I finally got the hang of the pattern, it was actually very simple. But, the first few tries were a little difficult.

Detail view:



Overall:

Project Runway - Season Finale - Part One

Last night was the first part of the season finale of Project Runway. (It was also another episode of Lost, but that discussion is for a different post)

This episode of the series is always my favorite. I love Tim and he just seems like he can get along with anyone. It's interesting to see where the designers work, and the condition of their regular work space.

Of course, I think Jeffrey's designs are the most interesting out of the four. But, that is my taste. One thing I'm really enjoying about this season is how the taste of each designers differs greatly from one to the other.

Laura accused Jeffrey of cheating. I can't stand her. I think she is mean.

BUT, Jeffrey did seem flustered when he had to turn in his receipts. AND he admitted to having some of the garments pleated. AND, Tim said on his podcast that Jeffrey maintains a professional staff of workers in his day to day operation.

Personally, I'll be so sad if Jeffrey is disqualified for next week. I just have this awful feeling that they let him show, but they wouldn't let him win.

I guess we'll just have to wait to find out next week!

Until then...

Baby Pandas Are So Cute!

The Departed

I went to see the new Martin Sorcese film, The Departed, yesterday. It was really good. I wanted to go see it again immediately after the credits started rolling.

You should go to see it too.

Project Runway Update

The final four have been announced! Personally, I think having all four go to fashion week was a cop-out, but I'll play along.

My new favorite is Jeffery. Why? Because I hate Angela, and he does too. But, seriously, I think his designs for fashion week were the best.

You can view their creations here if you like spoiling it for yourself.

I also think that Jeffery was unfairly edited to be the "asshole" of the show. When, clearly, that asshole was Vincent.

Country Music

Eariler this week in spinning class, I heard one of the most offensive songs ever. I know that spinning class isn't supposed to be the bastion of all cool music, but for some reason, this song got me thinking...what ever happened to cool country music?

The song in question, Trace Adkins "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk". For the record, I had to look the title and the "artist" up on google and I had no idea how to spell "badonkadonk". The title alone of this song screams "This song is crap!" to me. And it is.

Whatever happened to Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard singing about drinking and getting into bar fights? That's when country music was great. Now, it's just about your daddy letting you drive his truck, or butts, or how great it is to be a gun totin', war fightin' American.

Recently, Toby Keith went on Larry King and ratted out Willie Nelson for smoking pot. The next day, Mr. Nelson got arrested for having a pound of pot on his tour bus. I'm guessing Toby Keith is trying to make himself look cool to his fans, but to me, he's just another modern singer douchebag ratting out one of the great song writers of our time.

When I was out west last week, the radio station choices were few and far between. I was listening to one station play some old time country songs. One of the songs had lyrics that talked about how ever since his woman left him, he'd been drinking himself into a stupor. The chorus went something like "everytime I hit the bottle, I drive those nails further into my coffin". That was a serious country song. A real one, about love, hurt, and pain. Toby Keith and Trace Adkins should take a trip out to Montana and listen to some of that.

I leave you know with a pictoral representation of how I feel about the country music of today (as if I haven't said enough already).

The West

Sorry it's been a while. I was assigned to a two week trip through Washington, Oregon, and Montana. A little of Idaho was thrown in too, just for fun. It's definitely pretty out here. But I AM missing a few things about the east coast. Here are a few:

1. Drivers who drive over the speed limit in the fast lane.
2. Drivers who don't wait until there are no cars coming before they turn right onto a road.
3. Food I cooked myself.
4. Cynical people.

Everyone out west is so nice. Where are the angry people?

I'll be back on my coast next week. I'm sure I'll have more to say.

If any of you will be in Seattle in the near future, PLEASE go to Restaurant Zoe for dinner. It's the best meal I've had in years.

Until next week,

me

Burgers I've Eaten - Part 5

Labor Day weekend, I visited the fine establishment that is Southside 815 in Alexandria, Virginia. I only ate 1/2 a burger that day, but it was juicy and filled with great grill flavor. The bun did not overwhelm the burger, and it was accompanied by a great pint of Guiness.

While not a burger, the peach pound cake served with vanilla ice cream was sublime.

You should go there and try their food. Just don't forget to give very large tips to the bartender.

An Open Letter to the Guys Who Run Without Shirts

Dear Mr. Suburban Man,

Please stop running around the neighborhood without wearing a shirt. I understand your desire to not be fat. However, one thing you missed while becoming inspired when watching that commercial with "Times They Are A Changin'", was that the guy had a shirt on while running down the street.

I like running on the paths in the "woods" near my house. It is distracting to be nearing the end and having to notice your man boobs bouncing. Not to mention your hairy back glistening in the sun when you're running in front of me.

Yes, I know I could turn away, or not look in front of me, or run faster so I don't have to see you at all. But, that is a difficult task. It's a hell of a lot more difficult than you just wearing a shirt when you walk out your door.

So, please, for the comfort of others, cover it up. Bob Dylan will thank you, and so will I.

Sincerely,

That girl who's always making the weird face at you when you're running without wearing a shirt

Tag, I'm It

This is Paige's idea....

Four Things About Me

Things you may not have known about me.....

A) Four jobs I have had:

1. Jean folder at the Gap
2. Barista and maker of sandwiches at Donna's
3. Thrift store vintage clothes sorter extraordinaire
4. Teaching kids about the Chesapeake Bay aboard a sailboat

B) Four movies I would watch over and over:
1. American Beauty
2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
3. The Big Lebowski
4. The Royal Tennenbaums

C ) Four Places I have Lived:
1. Baltimore, MD
2. Pylesville, MD
3. Huntingdon, PA
4. Columbia, MD

D) Four TV shows I love to watch:
1. Lost
2. Project Runway
3. Everyday Italian
4. The Colbert Report

E) Four places I have been on vacation:
1. London, England
2. The Entire United States (cross country driving trip)
3. Dubin, Ireland
4. Ottowa, Canada

F) Websites I visit daily:
1. pitchforkmedia
2. myspace
3. mcsweeney's
4. perez hilton

G) Four of my favorite foods:
1. Pizza
2. queso and chips at Cal Tort
3. Whole wheat pasta
4. Cheese

H) Four places I would like to be right now:

1. Home
2. Sitting on my parents' front porch
3. London
4. Chicago


I) Tag your next

1.Jennine
2.Jen
3.Chris
4.Jenny Penny

Upcoming Films

I have a lot of time on my hands today, so I thought I'd make a list of upcoming films I'd like to see. I know I won't get to all of them in the theater, but here they are, nevertheless.

Half Nelson opens soon in B'more. It looks good.

I'm super excited about the upcoming Nightmare Before Christmas in 3-D! With the glasses and everything!

There's a new Michel Gondry movie coming out called The Science of Sleep. I really didn't like Being John Malcovich or Adaptation. But I loved Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. If you haven't seen this movie, take of work early and rent it. You won't be sorry. You can watch the preview for The Science of Sleep here.

I don't know how I feel about a fiction version of the non-fiction book, Fast Food Nation. I've really liked some of Richard Linklater's movies though. (But not the freakishly animated ones. They scare me)

I really think this will be one of the funniest movies I've seen in a long time.

The Prestige is written and directed by the same guy who won me over when I saw Memento. Plus, Christian Bale is in it and I've thought he was cute ever since he was in that crap film, Newsies, in the early 90's. Preview

Hollywoodland is brought to you by the same dudes who did L.A. Confidential, which I loved.

Stranger than Fiction is Will Farrel's first non-naked (hopefully) role. I think this may be a sleeper.

p.s. Movie guys - Stop ruining all the things I loved in the 80's. This makes me sad.

Fortunes

I stole a bunch of fortune cookies when I ate lunch at my favorite American Chinese food restaurant, and here's what they said:

"You and your spouse will be happy in your life together"

"You will be advanced socially, without any special effort"

"Nothing can keep you from reaching your goals"

"You will live long and enjoy life"

"You or a close friend will be married within a year"

"Your ability for accomplishment will follow with success"

"An important business venture may soon develop for you"

"You are headed in the right direction. Thrust your instincts"

"Share your abundant humor with others"

As you can see, I really like fortune cookies. More for the cookie, than the fortune. It bothers me that they don't put periods at the end of the fortunes, but they put them in the middle.

I can only hope that the stuff about business means that people will actually buy the stuff I make, when I get around to putting things for sale in my internet store.

Fortunes in general scare me though because of this episode of the Twilight Zone I saw as a little girl where the guy goes to a Chinese restaurant and his fortune comes true. But, then he gets greedy and keeps going back. And at the end of the episode, it says "You will die soon". It really scared the crap out of me. Still does.

Everyone Else Is Doing It

This weekend, I went to see the number one movie in America. That movie?

Snakes on a Plane

Was it terrible? Yes. Was it devoid of any sort of script writing? Almost. (that one line was great, but came a little late in the film, as far I was concerned)

Was it entertaining?

hell yes.

Should you go to see it?

If you have a gift certificate or a free pass, I would go. If you have to pay with your own hard earned cash, wait until DVD.

Little Miss Sunshine

My husband and I decided to go out on a date this weekend to see the film, Little Miss Sunshine.

It was really sweet, and one of my favorite kinds of films, where it's just people living their lives.

Parts of it reminded me of the Big Lebowski, as their van was in various states of disrepair in the movie. That was one of my favorite overall parts of the movie.

I don't want to give too much of the non-plot away, but you should all go to see it. I laughed so hard in some parts, I had to run to the bathroom when it was over to make sure my mascara hadn't run all down my face.

Who's Your Pick For Project Runway?

I am typically not a fan of reality television. But, my friend Louella in Chicago suggested that I give this show a shot last season. Now, I am hooked. I am also finding out that as I discuss this show in bars with my friends, that the people around us start talking about it too. So, who are your picks?

So far, mine are Michael and Kayne. I was hoping that the 3rd finalist would be Allison, but she was kicked off last night. So, she's "out".

I am also hoping that bare chested Laura and insane Vincent get kicked off as soon as possible. Not to mention the ever annoying Angela.

Am I the only person who saw Laura's nipple getting crushed by her dress as she yelled at Vincent last night? It was gross.

The Worst Baked Good I've Ever Tasted

A few weeks ago, my friend and I went to see Sleater-Kinney at the 930 Club. I was excited because in addition to the usual visits to Ben's Chili Bowl and The Saloon, we were going to venture to Cake Love's Cafe to get cupcakes.

The guy who owns Cake Love is the same guy who hosts the show, Sugar Rush, on the Food Network. One would assume a person would have to show a certain apptitude for making cakes and sugary treats if you have your own show travelling the country, tasting other people's concoctions, and talking about them. I'm convinced now that the Food Network people who gave this guy his own show were drunk on absinthe at the time.

My friend and I ventured 20 blocks in the blistering heat on a Tuesday to buy some cupcakes from Cake Love (their cafe is called Love Cafe). I decided to order two cupcakes (because who can eat just one?). I purchased a vanilla on vanilla and a strawberry on choclate.

My friend and I both ate our vanilla on vanilla cupcakes about 5 minutes after leaving the store. They ask that you let the cakes come to room temperature, since they have to keep them refrigerated. Upon first bite, I noticed that there was hardly any icing at all on the cupcake, and the cake was a bit tough. Still, it wasn't the worst thing I've ever eaten. But definitely not worth the $3.30 it cost to buy the damn thing.

I carried my cupcake in it's cute little box to Ben's Chili Bowl for dinner as I was saving the Strawberry on Choclate for dessert. All of the workers in the Chili Bowl kept asking me for my cupcake. I considered just letting them have it, because I was full from chili cheese fries. But, I didn't.

Our final stop before the show was The Saloon for big German beers. I could no longer wait to eat my cupcake and took a bite. My first reaction was that it had been previously frozen and not quite thawed properly. My second thought was that when it had been dethawed, it was placed in a very old sneaker. The strawberry buttercream frosting tasted rotten, and the choclate cake was the consistency of dirt. I instantly felt compelled to walk the billion blocks in the insane heat back to the bakery just to take a bite and spit it out on the counter in front of the other customers.

It was terrible. Of course, I made my friend share in my misery and take a bite. He too agreed that it was the worst baked good he'd ever tasted.

I threw away the remainder of the disgusting, overpriced, piece of crap cake. I almost wished I'd handed it over to the workers at Ben's Chili Bowl. But, then they would've thought I didn't like them and spit or pee in my fries the next time I went there. Or worse, banned me from the restaurant for giving them the worst cake ever.

So, don't go to Cake Love, and if you do....consider yourself WARNED!

"Improving" Fells Point?

Yesterday, I came across this article in the Baltimore Sun. It talks about the wishes of a developer to "improve" the Broadway in Fells Point by basically taking all the local flavor out of the block and replacing it with Banana Republics and Restoration Hardware stores.

I will be so sad if a bunch of bullshit national chains move to Fells Point. I do all my Christmas shopping at the "ma and pa" stores here and in Hampden. Personally, I like the fact that this part of Baltimore does not look like every other part of America with its Best Buys and Gaps.

Can't we just leave those retailers in the Inner Harbor? Why does America WANT every part of their existence to look the same as their local shopping mall?

This makes me sick, and I really hope it doesn't happen.

Burgers I've Eaten - Part 3

The Red Star Naked Burger

The Red Star is this cozy place located on the edge of Fells Point. I recently ventured there for a taste of what my friends were calling "the best burger in town". I had high expectations for this place, especially since I think Friends makes the best tasting piece of ground beef I've ever eaten.

I ordered the Naked Burger, which comes sans roll, and topped with blue cheese. Personally, I found the burger to be a bit dry and flavorless. I ordered it prepared medium, and it seemed well done. I was not impressed.

I was even less impressed the last time we were there when all the beers on tap were out of order and the service was super slow and completely inattentive.

Apparently, I was supposed to order the Good Burger. Next time, I will. Hopefully, I'll be able to get a beer in a glass then too.

Almost Effortless Activity

From Jennine's blog:

1. Pick up any book.
2. Go to page 127.
3. Find third sentence
4. Post it on your blog (plus these instructions)
5. Don't choose the book, just pick up the one closest to you

From, The Molds and Man:

"In the olden days a mixture of wood ashes, cow dung, and putrified urine was used, the idea being that the worse the dressing smelled the better it would be."

The author is talking about what people used to use to dress the wounds of trees.

Fascinating.

I can knit cables!

After much frogging, I FINALLY finished the "Hurry Up Spring" armwarmers. I'll post pics when I get a chance.

Currently, I'm working on finishing my very first sweater. It's not my favorite, but I think it'll make a fine Christmas present.

Sleater-Kinney

One of my favorite bands, Sleater-Kinney, is breaking up at the end of the summer. I am saddened by this news, but glad I get to go to one of their last shows!

Get your tickets for the August 1st show at the 930 club starting tomorrow at 10am.

Lucky for me, my friend picked me up some pre-sale tickets.

See you there!

Knitting is Fun...Until...

I recently decided I've been knitting long enough to begin more complicated projects, like lace and cables. My first lace scarf (that I blogged about previously) is going pretty well after a rough start.

So, with that firmly in progress, I started the "Hurry Up Spring Armwarmers" from the Stitch N Bitch Nation book. I finished the right armwarmer after starting it over only three times. Then, I began the left one.

(Note: It is not wise to knit when stressed)

After starting the left one over twice, I was on track. I was reversing the chart just like I was supposed to. Or so I thought. THE LEFT ONE LOOKS NOTHING LIKE THE RIGHT ONE!

Not to mention that there are 3 major things wrong with my pattern from typographic errors in the book. These books have so many errors! GET AN EDITOR, DEBBIE STOLLER!
I know it is my fault for not double checking first, but geez.

So, I also found out I am not reversing the pattern properly.

Maybe I should've just stuck with stockinette stitch.

Summer Albums

It's summer! Here are some of my favorite albums to listen to while I'm driving around in my car. These are in no particular order.

REM - Document and Green
10,000 Maniacs - Our Time in Eden
Grateful Dead - American Beauty
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Self Titled
Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend
Sleater Kinney - Call the Doctor (yes, I know they are breaking up and yes, I am super sad about it)
Muse - Absolution
Pixies - Surfer Rosa
Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
Paul Simon - Graceland
Wilco - Summerteeth
Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited
Modest Mouse - The Moon and Antarctica
David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust
Fugazi - 14 Songs
Pinback - Summer in Abaddon

New Muse Album on Myspace Today

You should all listen to it. It's yummy.

Black Holes and Revelations

I wish they were coming to the MD/DC area this time around. Guess we'll have to wait until the fall.

Diet Coke and Mentos

It works. You should try it. Best $3.50 I've ever spent.

(Note: This is someone else's picture.)

Multiple Carriers

As most of my ten readers know, I recently traveled to the other coast. I did this using multiple airline carriers. Why would I do such a thing? Because it was cheap, that's why. Well, it seems there's a reason for these discounted flights.

I bought my ticket through Northwest Airlines. After purchasing the tickets, I realized that the "to other coast" trip was operated by Delta airlines. We would only be flying Northwest on the return trip. This seemed alright to me after clicking the confirm button.

A few weeks later, an email was received stating that our original return flight (on Northwest) was cancelled. We were supposed to red-eye it back on Sunday night and return on Monday morning to rest. The new flight had us leaving on Monday afternoon and not returning until Tuesday morning. I called Northwest airlines and worked out a new schedule with the customer service representative. We would now be leaving on Monday morning and returning on Monday afternoon. We would be flying from Portland to Minneapolis and then to Baltimore. She informed me that she had waived the fee for changing the flights. (How nice of her to do so after they screwed us out of a day of rest!)

I thought we had it all figured out.

Fast forward to the day of departure. The airport shuttle picks us up at 3:15am for our 6:00am flight. We check the monitors. Our flight is right on time. The little check in yourself convenience kiosks do not open until 4:55am. No problem. Still more than enough time to get through security and onto the plane. Did I mention we were waiting in the Northwest line? We get to the front of the line and are told to go wait in the Delta line. Had it not been 4:55am, we probably would've already figured that out.

We get to the little check in kiosk. We type in our names. We say we each have one bag to check. The prompt tells us it cannot print out our boarding passes. The following is what ensues after this message:

(note: Delta customer service representative is merely a nice term I'm using for this guy who works at the ticket counter who has no idea what's going on and I think was hired by another airline merely to piss people off so that they will never fly Delta again. He will hereby be referred to as DCSR)

DCSR: How are you getting from Minneapolis to Baltimore?
US: We are flying from Portland to Minneapolis and then to Baltimore. See, it says so on our itinerary computer print out.
DCSR: But, how are you getting from Minneapolis to Baltimore? There is something wrong. You must go to Northwest and figure it out.

(We walk back over to the Northwest counter and stand in line. The Northwest guy shakes his head because the Delta people cannot figure anything out. He prints us out an itinerary of our trip and sends us back. We walk back to the Delta counter and stand in line)

US: Here's our itinerary (that we already had before). See, we're going from Portland to Minneapolis and then to Baltimore.
DCSR: But, how are you getting from Minneapolis to Baltimore? See, today is June 7th. How are you getting from Minneapolis to Baltimore on your way home?
US: Well sir, if you look at the itinerary, it clearly states with flight numbers that on the 12th, we will be traveling from Minneapolis to Baltimore.
DCSR: But, how are you getting from Minneapolis to Baltimore? See, (pointing to itinerary clearly typed in black ink) today is the 7th.

(At this point, I am pretty much freaking out. This guy is being ridiculous. It is now 5:20am and we are getting nowhere with this person. He is not helping and, as you can read, just keeps asking us the same question.)

US: What is it about this that you don't understand?
DCSR: What is it about this that YOU dont understand?

(My husband tells me to calm down and the DCSR says "yes, I think that's a good idea". Had I actually heard him say this, I probably would've punched him in his bullshit face and gotten arrested. But, luckily I'm half deaf and I missed it)

At this point, I motioned for someone else to help us at the ticket counter. I think the guy who was helping us was a reject for a bad version of some heavy metal cover band. It was now 5:25am and he told us we had "plenty of time". He took about 10 minutes on the computer and printed out our boarding passes. It seems they had every single flight originally booked on Northwest. So, in Delta's computer, we were coming home on multiple days and it wasn't allowing us to print out our boarding passes.

We made it through security and just made our plane. Vowing never ever to fly multiple carriers again.

ever.

Please don't let this happen to you. Don't fly multiple carriers! It is not worth saving 80 bucks a ticket!

If you've made it through this incredibly long post, thanks. I promise the next one will be shorter.

Cupcakes

I love cupcakes. They are my own little serving of cake. They feel like they were made especially for me. They are aesthetically pleasing to my eye. They are so cute.

I remember going to my Nana's house every weekend when I was a little girl. She always had a container of cupcakes with sprinkles sitting in her kitchen. I think this is where my obsession with all things cupcake began. I always loved when it was someone's birthday in school because I would get to eat cupcakes for lunch. I especially loved the ones baked in ice cream cones.

I had repressed my childhood obsession until a few years ago when I tasted a cupcake from Magnolia Bakery in New York City. The icing is plentiful and the cake is divine. Every time I go to New York, I try a different bakery. I've also been to the Sugar Sweet Sunshine bakery and Baked. My next venture will be to the Buttercup Bake Shop.

I recently visited Portland, Oregon with a stop off at Saint Cupcake. They have a different cupcake menu every day and they're super tasty. That's me with my cupcake at the bakery. Yes, I'm wearing a Johnny Cupcakes t-shirt (because I'm a dork, that's why).

Here in my hometown of Baltimore, we have our own cupcake store called the Baltimore Cupcake Company. The interior of the store makes you as happy as eating one of their bakery concoctions! Visit it soon!

Finally, a story of a tragedy narrowly averted. My friend Becca kindly offered to bring me a box of Magnolia Bakery Cupcakes when she visited from New York. On the way back to her house, she ran into the side of a bridge and split her leg open while trying to balance the box of cupcakes on her bike handlebars and avoiding traffic. The cupcakes were unharmed. Thanks Becca, for your heroic endeavor. The cupcakes were delicious.

Pictures of Cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery (above) and Saint Cupcake(below)



Cupcake Bakeries:
Baltimore Cupcake Company
Sugar Sweet Sunshine
Baked
Saint Cupcake
Yes, they're pricey, but they're worth it

Burgers I've Eaten - West Coast Edition

My lovely Aunt, Uncle and cousin took us to a riverside restaurant, Northbank, run by microbrew moguls, McMenamin's. The view, as you can see in the picture above, was very nice. The burgers were not.

I would like to be writing you about how much I loved my West Coast burger, but alas, I did not. It was a little too dry, and the patty was too thin. The toppings and the bun were very good though.

However, the accompanying tater tots and fantastic beer made up for the mediocre burger.



Sorry West Coast. Better luck next time.

Enough With The Magnetic Ribbons On Your Car

Haven't they been there long enough? I am tired of seeing them. Kindly remove them. Thank you.

A Diversion from Burgers. The grilled cheese from Tweede's

Last weekend, I had the wonderful opportunity to go on a pilgrimage to the little town of North Bend, Washington. Never heard of this town? Well, you probably weren't a fan of Twin Peaks then. I am a huge fan of Twin Peaks. I remember eating cherry pie and drinking black coffee at the ripe old age of 13 during every episode. I would sit and analyze the characters' every move. Yes, I was a big dork (and still am).

Tweede's Diner, as it is now called, was used as the exterior shots for both the show and the movie. In the show, it's called the "TT Diner". The original interior of the diner, before it was set on fire in the late 1990's was used in the pilot episode of Twin Peaks. Now, the interior is lined with hundreds of Tweedy birds, which is quite creepy, if you ask me.

I ordered the grilled cheese on wheat toast. It comes with all you can eat fries. The grilled cheese was perfectly prepared. The cheese was very melted, and just enough butter was put on the bread, so it wasn't greasy, but crunchy. This is the best grilled cheese I've had in years.

The fries were fresh, and tasted like they were fried in peanut oil. They were also all you can eat.

But, I had to save room for pie.

The pie was good, but the crust was a little soggy for me. I still enjoyed it thought because it was "the" cherry pie. Doesn't it look delicious?

Burgers I've Eaten - Part 2

Today, the chain, Five Guys. Five Guys has locations throughout the east coast. They have a simple menu of burgers, hot dogs, grilled cheese, and fries. The fries are made from fresh potatoes and fried Thrashers style in peanut oil. but, this isn't a blog entry about french fries. Let's get to the burgers.

I ate at Five Guys two times last week. Normally, I don't eat that much red meat in a week, but I couldn't resist taking my husband there last weekend to share in the experience of eating this burger.

The burgers at five guys are hand formed patties. Hand formed patties of goodness. They are cooked on a grill until they are well done. There are two options for your burger enjoyment at Five Guys. You can get the little burger with one patty, or the regular burger with two. Personally, I am not a fan of the double decker burger, so both times, I went with the little burger.

This burger is far from "little". The patty is not too thin, not too thick. The burger is grilled until it is juicy and slightly greasy, but not greasy enough that it impacts the bun. The bun stays a bread consistency and doesn't congeal into a gooey, oily mess while you're eating it, another positive aspect of eating this burger. This may have something to do with the buns being grilled before assembling the burger.

The selection of free toppings for the burger is also impressive. Fresh onions, fried onions, pickles, mushrooms, Jalapeno peppers, hot sauce, bbq sauce, A-1 sauce, along with the standards of mayo, ketchup, and mustard. (Although my husband informed me it's rude to smother a perfectly good burger with A-1 sauce. Still, I'm glad the option is there).

For the first burger, I chose ketchup, fried onions, pickles, and cheese. The second burger was adorned with fresh onions, ketchup, cheese, and pickles. I liked the fresh onions better, but had to pick off some of them, because I thought the sheer number of them overwhelmed the taste of the burger. I recently made friends with the pickle, and am now enjoying its tartness on burgers.

Another positive aspect of Five Guys is that it's cheap. Two little cheeseburgers, a large fry, and a drink will run you about twelve bucks. Not bad for a fulfilling Saturday afternoon lunch.

I'm venturing to the west coast this week. Hopefully, I'll return with another exciting installment of "Burgers I've Eaten - West Coast Edition". Until then, happy eating.

Burgers I've Eaten - Part 1

Today, I embark on a new series of posts about burgers I've eaten. Those of you who know me, know that I am relatively new to the burger eating experience. I am a former vegetarian of 12 years. Why did I start eating meat again? That story is for another time. Today, the topic is Burgers. More specifically, burgers I've eaten.

I start this off with my favorite of the burgers so far, the Black and Blue burger at Friends. For many years, I would only eat the catfish sandwich, or the bbq chicken pizza, along with an appetizer of crab dip. I didn't even notice they served burgers until a few months ago, and ordered it on a whim.

These days, I am hooked on their Black and Blue burger. I eat it prepared Medium, on a sesame seed bun, with a few red onions. It is not too fat, not too thin, juicy, and perfectly seasoned. The burger is somewhat scorched on the edges, hence the black. And the blue cheese compliments the taste of the meaty burger better than ketchup ever could.

My only complaint is that it's a little too small for the enormous roll. It is served with a side of fantastic fries. It is my favorite burger, in my favorite bar, in my favorite city. And there you have it, a short shout out for the Black and Blue burger at Friends.

(Side Note: The crab dip has since been taken off the regular menu and used to be the best in Baltimore. They did inform me that it would be back sometimes as a special)

O's Fans - Do Your Part!!!!!!!!

Go to www.mlb.com and click on the icon to vote for Orioles players in the All Star Game. Let's vote in Tejada and VOTE OUT Derek Jeter!

You can vote up to 25 times, so please, pretty please, for me?

Thanks!

The End of Season Two

Well, another season of Lost has reached its conclusion. And, unlike last season's cliffhanger, this one left us with many more questions than simply "What's in the hatch?" and "Who in the hell took Walt?".

I'm sure most of my seven readers watched it last night, so no need for recap. What I will post are my questions.

Do you think Walt and Michael are really going to get rescued?

Why don't the others just load up all the survivors and take them to be rescued?

Do you think Kate and Jack have a plan to be rescued? Re: their looks to each other at the end?

Why would they want Kate and Sawyer? It's clear to me that they'd want Jack b/c he's a doctor.

Do you think Desmond, Locke, and Eko blew up?

Will Sayid, Sun, and Jin find them?

Do you think Henry is "him"?

Do you think that the others really are the good guys who were left after something went terribly wrong on the island?

Is Desmond's girlfriend going to find the island next season?

What was that bird who was saying "Hurley" all about? Did it have a Dharma logo on it? I'm guessing it did.


I really hope that Michael and Walt are taking the boat to get Sayid, Jin, and Sun.

And a Summer of Frustration Begins

Tonight is the final episode of season two of Lost. We will supposedly find out the answers to such nagging questions as "Why did the plane crash?" and "What really happens if the button is not pushed?"

I personally, cannot wait. This is my favorite show since ABC aired Twin Peaks.

I'll give my opinion on this one tomorrow.

Get In On It

No, it's not the latest slogan for the newest sports drink, sneaker, or alcoholic beverage.

It's Baltimore's new slogan.

Yes, my home town, my favorite city in America, has YET ANOTHER shit ass poorly imagined slogan to paint on the benches all over town. The announcement of the new slogan comes after Baltimore invested 9.5 million dollars for people to sit around and think of this new phrase. It also follows such other slogans like "The Greatest City in America" and "The City that Reads".

Who are the people picking this slogans for Baltimore? And who are the idiots thinking up these slogans? Clearly they are from New York, Chicago, or Philadelphia. They're inventing really bad slogans for Baltimore so that no one will ever visit, and will go to their cities instead. Or, maybe they're dedicated locals who want to keep others out.

And what, exactly, are we "getting in on?" Are we getting in on our insanely high murder rate? How about some of the worst air pollution in the country (thank you midwest)?

Baltimore does have really great restaurants. And, for the most part, the people are nice.

Alot nicer than this bullshit slogan.

I Want This Shirt

The description on McSweeneys for this shirt says the following:'

It's the perfect shirt for people who like babies and want to make that clear. Moreover, you're not just doting--you're saying that babies can be as helpful as the rest of us. You're taking a stand! Bravo

I think the opposite is true of this shirt. I'm not the biggest fan of babies though. They scare me (I do like knitting things for little ones though).

This shirt looks fun, nevertheless.

My Grandparents

The Recovering Journalist recently posted a wonderful story about her grandparents for their anniversary. It's inspired me to tell the story of my Grandparents, and how they came to be a married couple. My Grandfather's name was William B. Rose. My Grandmother's name is Margaret Rose.

In World War II, William B. Rose flew B-17 bombers (almost 50 missions!). His co-pilot was Margaret's brother. Margaret would frequently write letters to the pilot of the plane, sending prayers and well wishes to my Grandfather and the rest of the crew.

William visited Margaret's hometown of Latrobe, Pennsylvania once during his leave from duty. There, he met his co-pilot's family, and joined them for a picnic. Margaret was engaged to a man from the community.

William had a girlfriend of his own in Ohio. When he had completed his service in the Army Air Force, he returned home to the United States. He asked to borrow his girlfriends' car for a trip, and drove to Latrobe to visit Margaret.

He and Margaret went to dinner. Bill noticed the engagement ring was no longer present on her finger. He asked her for a dance. He asked her for her hand in marriage. They kissed for the first time. They were married a few weeks later. Margaret wore a blue suit and a corsage of Gardenias.

She didn't tell him that she had hid the ring in her purse until some time later. There is still a picture of Margaret and Bill from their first picnic together in the family photo album.

I Do Not Care About the Da Vinci Code

I haven't read the book. I'm not going to read the book. I'm sure the book is terrible. The readers of this book are all part of a master conspiracy. A conspiracy to do what? I'm not sure, but that many people don't read a book that doesn't sound like it's all that great unless they're part of a plot.

I am also not going to see the movie. I don't care that the cutie from Amelie is in it. Tom Hanks hair is reason alone not to pay 12 bucks to see this film.

Thank you. You can all go about your day now. And, if you have read this book, please fill me in on the plot to rule humanity.

On the needles this week

I just finished another baby blanket for a friend of a friend. Thought I'd try my hand at some more lace work. I find it challenging, but am still doing smaller projects, like this scarf I started yesterday from www.knitty.com. I'm using the same wool in the picture, but beige in color.

So I lied...

I ended up purchasing lots more than one skein of yarn this weekend. I couldn't help it! It was all to wonderful to resist!

Thanks to my friend, Sarah, who helped me pick out some of the yarn, who bought more than I did, and who thought it was a good idea NOT to go back on Sunday for more "browsing".

Here's some pics of the stuff I bought. The colors aren't exact, but you'll get the idea.