I'm a genius!

This will likely be of no interest to anyone other than knitters.

I finished the blue sweater (yay!) but realized that if the red bolero barely fit in the bathroom sink that I had no hope for the blue sweater to fit (boo!). I scrounged around, looking for anything that I could use to soak the blue sweater in, and then I remembered that I had an inflatable foot soaking thing that I've never used. Voila! Perfect fit. Tons of water to help the sweater leech out any excess dye, fits in the bathtub (that has a leaky seal) and doesn't overdo it with the water.

I am teh smart. S-M-R-T.

And I've found that I can get a basic Necci sewing maching in the UK for about £100. I should be able to skim that from my part of the budget and then be able to pick up patterns and make skirts for myself rather than spending £40 a pop for a skirt from Marks and Sparks. And have skirts that suit my shape and style. Woo!

Oh, America, how you amuse us

Because, just in time for Easter, we give you...

Milk Chocolate handguns! Is it wrong that I want one and would "eat it" just to watch people freak right the hell out?

What would be the best way to eat this confection? Barrel first? Trigger and trigger guard? Lick the hammer? Suck the grip?

Does the magazine come out? Are there chocolate bullets of pure love?

I'm a sick and twisted fuck, but I am so tempted to get a slew of them and hand them out for the festivus.

Ahh. Chocolate handguns. America, you make us proud.

"In the news today, an 8 year old shot herself with a caramel bullet when eating her Easter chocolate handgun. More news at 11."

Here's the kicker. I'm in support of responsible gun ownership and safety. But how the hell are we going to convince people that we support handgun safety when we make CHOCOLATE in the shape of guns?!

Delays, delays, delays

Sorry for the non-posting. Two things happened over the last week. The Brit found a plane that was heading in my general direction and got on it, and found his way eventually to my little plot of the US. So, there was some distraction with the "but, you're supposed to be in Coventry... WHO ELSE KNEW?!"

And the rediscovery of my love of cricket with the England v. WIndes test match highlights.

Oh yeah. And the arrival of my PSP and the ability to play Patapon and look like a defect on a sugar high. "pon pon PATA pon! Attack my pretties! BWAHAHAHA."

Yeah, it's good.

In preparation for my move across the pond in May, I've discovered places in London that will happily deliver exotic meats such as springbok, reindeer/caribou, alligator, kangaroo, ostrich, and bison to my door if I spend a mere £65. I've already informed the Brit that there will be consumption of meat that he's never thought of before. The venison sausage with pasta went over like gangbusters during the winter trip, so I figure kangaroo helper would be good.

Apparently, in a counterpart in the US, you can get lion ribeye steaks.

I've had bear. It's okay. Nothing to go "omg, this is the bestest meat EVAR!" over, that's for certain. I have to say, I'm not a big fan of eating omnivore (bear) and the carnivore I've had (crocodile and alligator) wasn't that delicious. If I knew that the lions were being fed high quality aurochs, then I might give it a go. But carnivore doesn't equate with really tasty to me.

Now giraffe... I would eat that in an instant. Zebra, too. (I bet it tastes like horse but spicier.)

So basically, I spent the last week torturing the Brit with my cooking, torturing myself with the near-availability of exotic meats, and torturing my roommate with the sounds of *pata pata pata pon*.

Somewhere in there I did coursework and other grad-school related things. I'm really mentally over it. Can I just write my thesis and be done?

Beef stir fry of yumminess

I didn't measure much.

Flank steak, sliced thin. (about a pound)
Frozen stir fry veggies (1/3 bag)
Soy sauce (about 1/3 cup)
1T light brown sugar
Small amount corn starch, 1T soy sauce, 2T cold water - combine, mix well, add.

Serve with rice.

Consume with vigor.

Well, it's blue...

And it's long sleeved.

Yep. Raw photo image. I'll edit this to give a nicer one later.

For the long sleeve, alternating two strands of Malabrigo.
Decrease four stitches at start and end of round over next 40 rows (dec every 10th row)
Decrease seven stitches at start and end of round over next 56 rows (dec every 8th row)
Decrease four stitches at start and end of round over next 24 rows (dec every 6th row)
Knit three rounds.
Drop one strand.
Switch to smaller needles.
Knit in K2P2 ribbing for 4.75", bind off in patt.

I've been wondering this for a while

A look into human population and its interaction with the environment.

Given how radically we alter the world around us, and we have no natural predators, no plagues, nothing that is truly virulent and unsolvable (like the Black Death) I think it is something to look at.

Out of the mouths of the Interwebs..

From a conversation dealing with the medical/healthcare situation in the US

“Ha ha ha! You have a sinus infection? Only the wealthy nobles can afford to see the mythical healer.”

Words I never thought I'd say...

"I promise not to duct tape your child."

It was originally appended by "to the wall" but it was determined that securing an oath in a blanket manner was best.

I'm a little disappointed, but I've only promised not to affix duct tape to one child. There are tons more in the world, and people keep breeding.

Oh, England... How we love thee...

Even though you confuse the hell out of us...

"She warned that children might get the message that 'when things get difficult you should just stay at home and have fun.'"

From this article about the snow closures.

We had snow days when I was a kid. Granted, not often because my state actually knows what to do when white stuff falls from the sky, but we did. It wasn't a "stay at home and have fun" situation for us. It was usually "do work, shovel the deck, help around the house, THEN have fun."

I want to know what kind of household she's raising her kids in.

Thanks, Lucy!

Wanna add "don't marrry an asshole" to this list?

"The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age."
--Lucille Ball

Why the Japanese are cooler than US

Involved in a traffic accident? Most of us will wait for the police to show up, file a report, etc. Hit and run? Well, just a report to file. No one will go through the trouble of a police sketch for a single vehicle damaged in an accident.

But, hey, everyone has a console they love, right? Why not have it engage in the fight for justice!

This guy did.

I love the ingenuity involved in it. And the photographs are awesome.