One year draws to an end...

Well I have my car back and my emergency fund has served its purpose. No I need to build it back up.

I had a lovely Christmas with my family in VA. We went to see the lights at the National Zoo. I also got a wonderful Sunday dinner at Dixie Bones Barbecue. Yummm.

I'm looking forward to the new year, which will start with a bang as friends come to visit.

car broke

It's official. It's more than a small repair. I need a new transmission. But the rest of the car is fine, so I'll pay for a new transmission before I seek out another used car. I won't have access to my car until middle of next week, so I'm caging rides for Tamale Day tomorrow and Sandwich night on Sunday. Can't miss those events. Need to find a way to Xmas shop, though. That's more than creeping up on me, it's hanging out in the living room waiting for me to come down the stairs.

Too much to do and not enough time

I need an extra couple of weeks before Christmas. One weekend is not enough time. I still need to buy a tree, for goodness sake. I've got several work and home projects that are all clamoring for attention and waving their deadlines around. And to make everything more fun, my car is acting up (probably the transmission). She's at the shop right now and I'm just hoping the repairs don't take too big a bite out of me.

Still having fun, though.

Thai, soon

Man, is it good to be home. I'm really enjoying the travel, but the last three weeks were pretty much non-stop. I miss my co-workers. In fact, we are just about to go pick up some Thai food for lunch. Yum!

I'm itching to get back to work on the house, too. New Years will be here before I know it and it would be nice to have the closet hardware installed before that. Can't wait to have guests. We'll have a blast.

A very warm house

I had my housewarming on Saturday. It's not like the house is all that ready, but it was now or not until after the New Year. So I tidied up (which was actually a boon to me as I dislike having my living space be disorganized. Makes me all cranky.)

I had grand plans of cooking up a storm, but ran out of time, so Trader Joe's 'catered' the event. I had butternut apple soup (served warm out of mugs), mulled cider (also served warm out of mugs), crackers, smoked trout spread (actually-that's from a local provider - Prairie Star, sooo good), three kinds of cheese (gouda, brie, and sharp cheddar), and chocolate-covered peanut-butter-filled pretzles. Add to that beer, rum for the cider, and an assortment of sodas and juices. It turned out to be a nice spread.

Just having people over made the house feel cozy. It was so nice to have friends in. I just wish my far away friends could have been there, too.

Post-move rundown

The move went surprisingly smoothly. I packed some stuff, and then I paid the movers to come in and finish the job. Really took the pressure off. They got everything packed and moved to the new place. Then I had to clean the old place which took a night and a morning. As of Saturday, I was completely out of the old place.

Everything fit into the new space (which is bigger than the old one) except for my box springs. Those are still in my dining room. I need to split the box spring or buy a divided set in order to get them up the stairs. I did find out something interesting - There are no springs in my box spring! Guess I can't complain because I've been sleeping well on this bed for many years. But I may need to replace it, rather than hack it apart to get it upstairs, because I've confirmed that it's the source of my bed's loud 'voice'. It was squeaking pretty loudly by the end. The matress, however, is ready to go for several more years.

I've even made a big dent in the unpacking (greater than I thought). With the exception of books and pictures (not an unsizable group), everything is out of its box. Now I just need to start figuring out where things will wind up. I'm taking the more organic approach and trying to see where my hand falls when I look for something and then moving the something there. Its a long and messy project, but the end result is much better.

I did have trick or treaters this Halloween! I was so happy. I had a goodly number and gave out all but a handful of my candy. And according to my neighbors, this was a slow year. I loved having a door, and a porch and a doorbell (not that anyone had to ring it. I was outside as soon as they opened the gate). I'm looking forward to next year and putting real time and energy into my decorations. I've also got really good neighbors. Seems like everyone has stopped by to say hi and folks seem really willing to help out and keep an eye on each other. My left side (as you look at the house) neighbors are extra nice. They tend to sit on their deck and chat. They've also got a cute dog (Nana-mini doberman) and cute kids (Lily is three and Leila is 9 months). Lily's already come for a visit and then dragged me back to her house. Feels so nice to have friendly neighbors.

Moved!

I'm in! The movers came this morning and, with a few exceptions, my stuff is now located in the new house. I left a very curious cat sniffing everything and came into work for a few hours.

Now to clean the old place.

I'm a HOMEOWNER!

Closing went pretty smoothly (completely smoothly from my end, the seller caused a few hiccups, but my folks got tough on them and it's all straightened out.) As of noon on Friday, I own my home.

I'm not sure it's sinking in yet that I own the house. It's so much bigger than the apartments I've been living in. It's got a whole extra story for crissakes! And a yard!

My folks were in town this weekend to see the house (and me). We got lots of good stuff done. We blew insulation into the attic, changed the locks and all of the smoke detectors, amongst other things. My dad is so happy to have a house to putter in for his little girl.

The weather was nice, so I did some work outside. I met a bunch of my neighbors. It's a very close and friendly neighborhood.

More later.

New closing date

New closing date was approved. I'll be a homeowner on the 19th! Yay!!!

Inspection passed

So the house passed inspection. YAY! There are, of course, a few things to take care of but nothing that puts the kybosh on the purchase. So now we head in to the final weeks of stuff before closing. Whew.

Bid accepted!

Yay! The owner/bank accepted my first bid (finally - took them an excruciatingly long five days). I'm on my way to homeownership.

Want to see pictures? http://picasaweb.google.com/karen.pollard/GoodrichHouse

The bid is in!

That's right. I put a bid on a house. 420 Goodrich to be exact. Now I wait and see how the process unfolds.

For house photos, check out http://picasaweb.google.com/karen.pollard/GoodrichHouse.

House hunting

So the first trip went well. Found a couple of possibilities, but no real winners. Enough, though, that I feel like I will find something that will suit me well. There are some SCARY houses out there, though. And some crazy ideas of decorating.

This week - we explore the few St Paul houses that are in my price range.

Fall is approaching

The trees are thinking about turning color. There's a yellow/orange/red aura about their leaves. They can't wait to show off.

The muggy weather disappeared in a torrent of rain last night as I was leaving the bar. Ethan and I were soaked. Today dawned crisp and clear. Sky so blue you want to swim in it. And tomorrow is my first day of looking at houses. Good omens, I think.

Alas, State Fair, I hardly knew ye

Thus ends this year's State Fair. I went twice and tried lots of new and familiar foods. Road some new rides and generally had fun. I'll miss it until it arrives next year.

Added bonus - I got 2nd place for my crop art this year!

Turns out my crop art was due Monday. It was a bit of a scramble, but I got it in in time. This is what I did this year.


The catagory is special occasion, which is broader than I expected. Seems like almost any occasion will do. Ah well. I like mine and I had fun making it. Here's me with some of my competition. Wish me luck.

Full of Accomplishment

I had a lovely weekend. It rained almost the whole time so getting outside felt extra heroic and staying in with a mug of tea felt cozy. I made it to the Midtown Farmer's Market for the first time. Quite nice. Smaller than my St Paul market with a more obvious influx of Hmong fav veggies. I grabbed some huge Hmong cucumbers and salsa fixins. They've got a crepe stand there so I had a buckwheat crepe with market sausage, gouda and market veg. It was steamy and savory, perfect for a cold rainy morning as I ate it in my car.

I had a huge To Do list on the white board - just a ton of stuff I had put off until the travel was dine (like 5 loads of laundry, house cleaning, bills, etc) and I made a hefty dent in it. I also have my crop art for this year 95% finished. Filling in the background with poppy seeds was tougher than I imagined. It was exactly like working with glitter when I was 10. The seeds stick everywhere and the hard part is getting them off the places where you don't want them. Tonight I'll check for any bare spots or lumps and try to smooth everything out. State Fair starts this weekend so I take the crop art in sometime this week.

Whew...

I love traveling and seeing friends and new places, but I'm glad to be home. Especially with the knowledge that I don't have to go anywhere this weekend. I've got a mountain of laundry calling my name and I'm looking forward to buying some fresh stuff (and having time to eat it before it goes bad).

Thanks again to everyone who hosted me. I'm happy and sated and looking forward to returning the favor.

I'm alive

Weird night last night. I left work around 7:30 and got a message from my dad asking about the bridge collapse. I had no idea what had happened. Then I saw the footage. It's not a road I take very often, but the weird thing is - Because of the free tickets to Bourne, I was going over that bridge on Tuesday at exactly the time the bridge fell the following day. Creeped me out.

Keeping up with the curve

I spent a lovely long weekend with Susan and Brian in Philly. The house is lovely and I can officially recommend the guest room. In addition to catching up on some missed foods, we also cooked in a bunch (Brian makes out of this world breakfast potatoes). Susan and I went to see the new Harry Potter movie and Ratatouille. We also managed to both tear our way through the last Harry Potter book. There was a plethora of Potter dishing going on this weekend.

After a much longer than necessary trip home, I arrived back to discover I won two free tickets to an advance preview of the final Bourne movie. Yay! Rebecca and I went and rotted our brains on fantastic car chases and fight scenes. It was a wonderful third act.

This is a big travel month. I leave on Sunday for St. Louis. City Museum - Here I come!

Reigning in the home frenzy?

I attended a home buyers workshop this weekend and I'm struggling now to keep my terror and excitement in check. Just about everyone knows I'm buying a house now and everytime they ask me about it I get all bubbly and giddy. But I'm not ready to jump in with both feet yet. I've got some more budget rearrangement to do and I'd like to pay down my debt some more.

I've got three trips on three consecutive weekends coming up (Philly, St Louis, and VA). Then I'll take a weekend off to recover. That gives me a month to chill out, look around and educate myself more. Then I'll find a realtor and things will really take off.

News

I've managed to fit in two (2!) games of putt putt today. This is a great day.

The news is...I've decided to buy a house. So I'm starting to do all that background research and reading and stuff. I've got a workshop next week that's offered by the state of MN for first time homebuyers. I'll know more after that. But I've started spreading the news and getting recommendations for agents and inspectors and stuff. Fun!

FYI - the headache lasted the entire day, but was gone by morning. Now I'm reveling in 80 degree weather and crystal clear skies. Did I ever mention how good the air smells here? Funny detail, but true.

Am I paying for last nights fun?

I had a lovely night last night. Talked with Dennis (Hi, Dennis!) and then went to a wine tasting. The theme was interesting labels. Surprisingly, the wine was really good, too. My favorite was one of the ones I brought, a lovely pinot verde that turned out to be sparkling, too. It was perfect for summer.

I'd like to point out that I did not overindulge (maybe a glass and a half total) and I went home at a reasonable hour (9pm) and yet today I'm afflicted with a wretched headache. One of those that feels like someone is stabbing you in the temple with an icepick (the left temple, in case you are interested). Plus I overslept this morning by a lot (not sure if the headache is tied in with this, but I was having some crazy dreams). Luckily, the meeting I missed was cancelled instead. Whew. Now the question is, can I make it through the rest of the day. And with that cliffhanger, I leave you.

Hot

But the east coast is hotter. Actually our 95 degree weather broke on Sunday with an smashing downpour that lasted a few hours. But before that happened, I got a good visit in to the farmer's market. Picked up all sorts of lovelies. Mixed lettuces, shelling peas and mint, tomatoes and basil, the first corn of the season, some tiny first carrots (to small to peel, you just eat them), tender zucchini. I went with a chowhound friend and we split some of our purchases (since you get a lot for a little and there is no sense in letting this stuff go bad before you get to it). Thanks to Kate, I've got a baby bok choy in my crisper, too. I want to see if I can recreate the Napa Snappa that I used to enjoy in Norfolk.

Predictably, after a lovely morning at the market, I did not feel like cooking anything I had purchased. So I scraped together a bit of cash and ordered chinese. I'll eat the leftovers for lunch and start on my fresh veg haul tonight.

Birthday fun...

My family came up from Virginia to help me celebrate my birthday. I picked them up from the airport on Saturday and we headed to the Science Museum. They checked out my Light exhibit and then we headed outside for mini-golf. Mom won, but I was a close second. Dad and MF cheated and still lost (of course, they say it's only cheating if you win.) We had dinner at Sara and Brian's house, grilled pizzas - which were a revelation to Mom and MF, and then we played Mexican Train dominos. So nice.

Sunday, we went to the MN Arb (the big one, far away out near Lake Minnetonka, not the small, close one at Como). They have an Art to A-Maze walk which is a bunch of installed art exhibits throughout the grounds that form a trail which leads to their new garden maze. The weather was perfect and we had a lovely time wandering around and then conquering the maze. MF and I made it through first, but Dad was the most crafty. If I'm ever lost, I'll follow him.

Monday was my birthday and I had my birthday meal at Hell's Kitchen. Best bloody mary every, plus lemon ricotta pancakes and a cup of mahnomin porridge all to myself. I was in heaven. Plus, the server carded me for the bloody mary (yay!) and when he found out it was my birthday, he comped us a caramel pecan roll. So decadent.

All in all, it was a wonderful weekend. Full of sweet and salty and dominos and family. Couldn't have asked for better.

Green tea cake with red bean filling

One does not expect to see this when one wanders through the break room. Yummy, though. The green tea cake was light and spongy. Not too sweet with a pronounced green tea taste. The red bean paste was sweet and textured just like in bean cakes (the bun kind, not the layered kind). The icing is whipped cream (not whipped cream icing, just whipped cream very lightly sweetened. The whole cake was topped with fruits....and parsley.

biking in

So I walked about half a block away from my apartment when I realized that I really wanted to bike in today.
Oh so nice - It's mostly downhill to work so it's lots of wind-in-my-hair time. Plus, on my way in, I found a park I've never seen before. I may try to get out and check it out today. Just got to figure out lunch plans first. I'm pretty much out and since I ate out at Ngon last night (it was a chowdown), I'm out of lunch-y things to bring to work. Must grocery shop soon.

A very full weekend

Want to hear about my weekend? Of course you do.

I had a great weekend. Went strawberry picking on Saturday (see photo), then went out to dinner with Rebecca (A Rebours for fresh oysters, chilled pea soup - delicious, and escargot) and a play (Taking Steps - farce).

Sunday, Sara and I went to the farmer's market (I found secret empanadas!! I overheard someone else ask and turns out they make them on the side for those in the know. OMG - tuna empanada was soooo good, flaky crust, spicy insides. And now I know the secret). Then I went kayaking with Tilly and Jackie (her boss) (I borrowed the kayak from a friend of Tilly's) after which we relaxed with a bottle of wine (I smooshed a strawberry in mine - pretty color). And if that wasn't enough - I ended up watching Children of Men with Ethan that night and eating hawaiian pizza and beer.

I was knocked out on Monday. Whew.

Heat brings good things

So the heat continues, almost wave-like. We're in the 90 to almost 90's every day. I baked cookies for my Dad for Father's day and I sweat my ....face off. Luckily the rain we had earlier, followed by this heat has brought the local fruit out in full force. For the last three days I've slipped down to the backyard (with accomplices) and nibbled at whatever fruit was ripe. Yesterday, in addition to the cherries, we snapped up some red currents and a tiny few raspberries.

I also found a fantastic french cafe in S SP. I had a chicken pear sandwich yesterday and I think I "accidentally" forgot to bring lunch today, just so I could go back there today.

Seeds and Ice Cream

Last night, Cari and I went to a seed art class. Can't say I learned anything, but I got to root around through some new seeds. I planned my design for this year and heard about a new competition (Ramsey Co has a fair, too and just introduced a crop art catagory). It's soon, so I'd have to hurry if I wanted to enter that one. Cari was fun to hang with and we really enjoyed picking seeds for her designs (she's choosing between two).

After the class, we went to Conny's Cones for some soft serve. Cari used to work at a place just like it in FL (It's just a little roadside stand). Warm night and fresh peach ice cream. Sounds like heaven to me.

I've extended the Pantry Game (do you know what you get if you leave the 'r' out of Pantry...a whole new kind of game). I still allow myself to buy eggs, milk and butter and I've opened the field a bit more to singular ingredient adds (that must be used up in the making of the dish).

This week the single ingredient is a whole watermelon. It is really hot here (almost 90 on most days) and even the nights are still warm. One of these hot nights, I'm looking forward to cracking open that watermelon and just sucking down all that cold sweet wet fruit.

I also managed to finish my Chicken Sink mess. I made this a while back with what my CSA identified as "soup meat." It was more like ground chicken, but a really odd texture. I used it to make Chicken Sink (as in everything but the kitchen sink, but I mispronounced kitchen when I named it). It dates from a previous round of the Pantry Game (last fall) and includes lentils, corn, spinach and any other dribs and drabs that had been hanging around. It looked disgusting and tasted like a blank palate. It was really tasty once you dressed it up (with curry or herbs or spices) but you had to get past the way it looked.

This was the last batch that I had frozen and I finally figured out the best way to eat it. Lots of cumin and chili powder, salsa and cheese on top, serve with corn tortillas. Tear corn tortillas in to pieces, load with a bite of chicken mess, eat. Yummy. Not sure I'll make this again, but good to know where it wanted to go.

First fruits

I got out into the Big Backyard today to play a round of mini golf. The strawberries have just ripened (there were only about 3 ripe ones on the very small plant). The cherry tree is overflowing, though, with luscious sour fruit. I snuck a strawberry (sooo sweet) and a cherry (sooo sour). The were both sunwarmed and they kind of melted in my mouth. It's like you are eating pure flavor. Ahhhhh....

1000 photos

I've really been enjoying the digital camera...especially the freedom to take photos that I want to share, but necessarily save.

But over time, a bunch of those saveable photos have crept in to my collection. And I've started to worry about the fact that I did not have a hard copy of any of those shots. yeah, yeah...backup...blah, blah...save to CDs. Nothing makes me feel better than holding the photo in my hand. Kodak had a sale and I took the plunge and had about 1000 photos printed. No extra zeros there, that's about one thousand photos. The best part of the deal is that I did not even have to pay for shipping. They sent them to the CVS one block from my house and I picked them up there (to the astonishment of the girl behind the counter).

So now I know what 1000 photos looks like all packed together. Looks tall.

Exploring

I spent part of this weekend exploring St. Paul. I found Conny's Cones (fresh soft serve) and, armed with a yummy strawberry milkshake, I headed off to Como Park. There was something going on at the zoo and conservatory (not to mention a bunch of weddings) so I skipped those and instead lazed around on the dock at the lake. So nice. Felt like being on a boat (I was on the floaty bit of the dock). They rent paddleboats there but I wasn't sure if one person could go forward or would only go in circles.

On Sunday - after the home mani/pedi - I walked Ripley (Ethan's dog). I had also picked Ripley up at her house and brought her to the warehouse for Friday Happy Hour. Soooo nice. Hung out with friends for several hours and watched the sky change as the sunset. Took a bunch of photos for no reason.

All in all, a very relaxed weekend.

Chicago

I'm uploading my Chicago photos today. I took a bunch so I'm subdividing them to spare the carpal tunnel syndrome of clicking through them all.

The Backyard just opened and I've already got a putt putt game in. Monday - and I won! I think I've kicked last year's losing streak.

Of course, I probably just jinxed myself.

I'm alive!

I had a great time in Chicago. What a great city!

I'm working on posting my photos for the last few months (I know, I'm behind). Soon, I promise.

good news

Last night I found out the results of my Aunt's scan - Looks like the cancer is confined to her lungs. That's very good news. Plus she's been given a place in a trial treatment that should be good, as well.

Today, my dad underwent surgery for a heart catheterization. The found less blockage than expected and proclaim him to be in good health (all things considered).

So today is a day to celebrate.

Winding back up

So - Disney was great. I'll send a link for pictures soon. The best part was hanging out with my mom and sister. Of course, Tower of Terror rocked my world, too.

I've been getting back into the MN groove. We've had lovely sunny and warm weather (as opposed to the East Coast). That slushy stuff you guys had last week was crazy!

I've got some bad news, too. My Aunt Em (my Dad's little sister) has been diagnosed with lung cancer. It's not good. She's an amazing person and a real fighter, so I'm trying to keep a positive frame of mind.

Work continues. Crazy clients, fun projects.

I miss you guys. I'll try to call soon.

On my way to Disney World

I'm leaving in less than an hour and I'll be gone for a week. I promise to post photos when I get back.

Missing bed

Man - I did not want to get up today. It's bright and sunny and all I wanted to do was burrow under the covers and sleep. I managed to drag myself into work in time for the morning conference call. Once I got here, I got perky again.

I did some blowout shopping at Trader Joe's on Tuesday. Love their prepared foods. I had a very tasty chicken sausage calzone with mushrooms that actually tasted like mushrooms. I picked up some haricort vert, too. I eat them all the time when I dine out. I want to start messing around with them at home.

Slight delay

The show last night was sold out. We've rescheduled for Saturday (which is now looking full).

But I did get to share a lovely dinner at Birchwood Cafe. I chose to eat backwards. I started with a pot of tea and the sublimely delicious chocolate carrot cake. Mmmmmm.

90th Birthday

I was in Tennessee last weekend for my Grandmother's 90th Birthday. It was great to see my family, including cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. Mom, MF, Dad and I went shoe shopping while we were there (there was a place my sister knew). I got some new sandals and spent less than anyone else.

My grandmother really enjoyed her birthday. She was wide-eyed, alert and coherent that afternoon. She really liked my present (which was a perfume she had requested I buy for her once over 10 years ago - I couldn't remember exactly which scent was correct, so I purchased a selection of three. It was the lilac. When she smelled it, she said that it brought back memories and she dabbed some on herself. Perfect.)

Now I'm home and beginning a buys week, chock full of theater. Yea!

I love a list.

I keep them at home and at work. I sometimes cross reference them. I love lists so much, I'll add things to them, just so I can cross something off.

I've gotten a bunch off my list this week, including a trip to the auto shop for maintenance (want to keep Twee running smoothly). But there is still more, as is the nature of lists.

And to square my list love (as if I'm not already square), grocery shopping - with a list - is on my list.

Course, I'm out of money until next week and I'm going to happy hour tonight (to scam some free beer).

But the lists still beckon.

Snowtubing

STILL ROCKS!

Went on Sunday. The day was warm and the sun was bright. The hills were full of tubers (and I don't mean potatoes). We spent some time drowsing in the sun at the bottom of the hill, but most of it was spent whizzing down the lanes in various formations. We even snuck in one 5-person chain. That was our first jaunt down the hill. After that, the Man made us limit it to groups of 2 or 3.

I just love that wind in your hair, snow in your face, screaming to let the joy out feeling.

Snow!!

We finally got some snow. Only about 2 inches worth, but it's finally feeling like winter. I hear that the ice storm that socked in the lower midwest, also hit the northeast. Hope everyone is okay.

I had a movie fest this weekend. Watched Prairie Home Companion with Kate, Howl's Moving Castle by myself (probably for the best since I prefer to use the original Japanese soundtrack with captions), and V for Vendetta with Rebecca. All good movies and different enough to keep the whole thing interesting. Now I'll turn the movies in for 3 more from my local Blockbuster and I'm done with their free offer.

Rebecca and I went to dinner before the last movie. Heartland was fantastic. The chef specializes in local ingredients. Very creative. Too bad Rebecca ate all the cheese.

Chowdown

Tonight, there is an impromptu chowdown at Midtown Global Market. Some will be people I've met before (at the dim sum chowdown). Some will be new. Food will be good, for certain.

Lake Street

I went to a new massage therapist last night. He offers 1/2 off prices if you fill an empty spot in his schedule, so the price was right. Nice massage. He used unscented oil that was all natural, non-staining and very moisturising.

On the way home, I stopped for tacos al pastor. That's right, I've got a local connection now. Yummy and I got horchata, too. A little sweet, but still tasty. I'll be back for more (probably after my next massage).

My plotted way home did not work the way I expected. I can see the highway...I can see the southbound entrance to the highway. Why can I not go north? Ah well - I drove home Lake Street instead, which is currently my favorite street since it contains so many of my favorite things (Bryant Lake Bowl, Town Talk Diner, Midtown Global Market and now...Taquiera La Hacienda).

Nano, nano

Susan got me an iPod Nano for my birthday. I'm enamored with it. I never though I could fill 2 GBs but now I have to delete before I add. Music is lovely (especially the Shuffle function), but my preciouses are podcasts. I've got about a dozen to which I subscribe. All that great NPR and PRI stuff I could never manage to catch on the radio. Mine now. Short bits on grammer, money and manners to keep me in line. Got 'em. And I haven't even dipped into old radio plays.

May podcasts whisper in my ear forever.

Happy New Year

It was wonderful to talk to everyone at New Years. I missed seeing my friends, but I wound up enjoying a quiet evening at home. Seems like lots of folks around here did the same, since it had been raining for a few days and then turned to snow midday on NYE. From inside my cozy home, it was all beautiful.

My hair has gotten really long. I'm kind of enjoying it. One of my new year's resolutions is to wear it down more often. Hence, today's photo, taken moments ago at my desk.