Ideas for Home

recipes

2007-12-08T14:05:00.001-08:00

I am going to start saving some recipes I might want to cook. I might start a new blog just to keep track of recipes, or I might just paste them into a boring old Word document. When the weather is cool and wintery like this, I start to want to bake. I was thinking that having some healthier recipes on hand would be a good alternative; otherwise it might be chocolate chip cookies all over the place, and I don't really need to eat allllll that many cookies.

Also, I think I will finally make some progress on the spare bedroom (my "office") while on a break from classes.

tidy

2007-11-05T22:35:00.000-08:00

T hired a guy to mow and edge the lawn, and it's the tidiest it's been around here in a long time. Well, in the yard anyway... I keep meaning to buy some winter plants for the yard but keep forgetting. We could get some kale or mums or winter pansies.

We got a pair of new bookshelves that were my brothers, and they are a nice addition!

It actually happened.

2007-10-02T19:09:00.000-07:00

Our apartment is finished! We've been cooking and eating at our kitchen table. Laura is watching a movie with friends in the living room right now. This morning I made coffee and breakfast and ate it on the table, not my bedroom floor.

I'm writing this on my new desk, which I LOVE. It's also from ikea, and i think cost me about maybe....30 dollars? It's HUGE. I can work on multiple projects at once. I can leave drawings out to look at. I also put a shelf above the desk for supplies. It's great.

On Sunday we went to Alan's house and he had to mow the lawn. He hates doing it and let's it get so long. I like watching him mow because he has to wear these goofy looking goggles because of his eyesight. I also held the ladder while he cleaned out his gutter this weekend. It was filled more with bits of the roof than leaves. Alan's roof needs to be repaired badly. He may put a second story on it...which would be smart whenever he rents/sells the place I suppose.

yard

2007-09-25T12:32:00.000-07:00

With school starting, I have let household things fall even more by the wayside, including the yard. I totally need to mow the lawn, and it's not raining today, and my class doesn't meet today, so I might just do it. I have an old-fashioned push mower because I hate the smell of gas/exhaust. I've thought about getting an electric mower but haven't bothered to research it yet--I probably should because the push mower can be a pain as it doesn't cut very closely and is awkward when coming around corners, etc.

We're thinking about buying some of those "leaf guard" gutters because gutter-cleaning is another task I avoid. I hear they are kind of pricey, but two of our neighbors have them and swear by them, and I guess they have a guarantee and stuff. Plus we really haven't spent any money on the house in a while. We bought a new desk and chair for T recently, but that was a pretty small expense as we went to Ikea--the desk was only $25, and it's nice.

getting impatient..

2007-09-17T12:04:00.001-07:00

Well, our apartment still isn't done. A 2 week project is now entering it's 7th. THOUGH I received word that the cabinets & I'm hoping counter tops were delivered today. So Martin(our super) should be installing them this afternoon. I'm hoping to walk into the apartment tomorrow morning and have it look closer to an actual home...

Joan and I left an upset message on our landlords voicemail this weekend and it seems to of had a serious impact. We don't have to pay rent for September. The cabinets are there today and he claims the electrician and plummer will be there today as well, though I'm doubtful about that.

I just scored the former communal bookshelf for my own bedroom. So all of my books are finally in one space also. It's great! Also, My old book shelf went along my wall. It went above my bed and I was always worried it was going to fall down and crush me. Of course, it never even moved.

clean dirty clean

2007-08-28T21:39:00.000-07:00

I had the house pretty clean a couple weeks ago, but it's on the messy side again. I got excited to do printmaking after taking the class, so there are art supplies all over the dining room table. Two steps that need to happen: I need to haul the art supplies into my "office" (spare bedroom), and I need to tidy up the office to the state where I could actually DO projects at my desk.

My brother is doing some remodeling, and he's getting rid of two big bookcases, so I scored those. They are currently in the carport while I figure out where to put them and do the necessary tidying so that they can be positioned into their new spots. My dad and brother will have to move them for me because they are so big. I'm looking forward to finally having enough space for ALL my books and ALL of T's books. Right now our shelves are pretty crammed, and I have stacks of books on the floor of my office.

It's actually happening

2007-08-07T20:40:00.000-07:00

well, the renovation on our apartment is happening sometime early next week. My room isn't all that effected by it, though I'm still going to have to move a bunch of stuff out of my room. I'm going to finally get to put my current "book shelf" (which is really just part of a decorative type shelf that someone was throwing away 2 years ago..) on the curb. The tall book shelf from the living room/joan's room will go in my room. I'm nervous it wont be enough room for all of my books. that's hardly a problem I guess.

Tomorrow and Thursday we'll be packing up the kitchen and bathroom. It'll be a pain but SO BEAUTIFUL when it's done.

We saw a finished version of the re-do on the 1st floor today. Helloo totally tiled bathroom & granite counters & stainless steel appliances in the kitchen.
Good-bye kitchen with absolutely no counter space, no cabinets and crappy floors. peace out ancient floor tiles and just painted plater bathroom walls.....

stay at home

2007-07-04T10:38:00.000-07:00

I am looking at "downshifting" a bit so that I'd have more time off from work. Between teaching and the library, I work a LOT. I am anxious about this, but also SO tired that more time away from work is getting more and more important. But will it be weird to be at home more? Well, it won't be "weird," I guess, but it will be an adjustment.

cats

2007-07-03T12:37:00.000-07:00

I used to think that my dream job would be a stay at home cat mom. That still sounds appealing but I really want a "real job".

Another day of sending out resumes and not much else...

retrenchment

2007-06-05T12:30:00.000-07:00

I've been downsizing over the last week or so. I sold/traded in a bunch of clothes that no longer fit me but have been sitting in my closet anyway. The last two days I've been going through all of the thousands of pieces of paper I've been saving for the last five years. I'm throwing as much as I can out and organizing the rest the best I can.

Up next is CDs and records...

I miss this blog!

2007-05-18T18:58:00.000-07:00

It was nice to check in on this blog and see a new post. Maybe we can start it up again...

I have been thinking about remodeling-type issues myself, but on a much smaller scale because I am not very handy around the house AND because it's hard to find time to do that stuff (and because I am impatient and easily frustrated when it comes to being Ms. Fix-It). There are pictures we need to hang and some painting we could do and plenty of yard work. I dunno what I will actually endeavor to do.

A friend at the library found a cool home decorating book from the 1970s that somebody donated for the book sale (the book sale is tiny, so the lady who runs it can't sell all the old books that get donated) with some neat pictures that I might use to make greeting cards or something. I always like text like this for writing projects, too, but I am kind of in the middle of several other projects, and the pictures are so goofy that they really need to be made into cards.

It's been over 2 months

2007-05-06T20:08:00.000-07:00

I now have a braided rug in my room that I love.

Our landlords may be re-doing our apartment for us to make it a real 3 bedroom. So, come June/July we'd just have to move out for 2 weeks while people are working on it. A much less stressful alternative to moving. What was once the kitchen might be Laura's room - what was Laura's room will be Joan's room and What was Joan's room will be a living room/kitchen. My room would stay the same but I'd rearrange the furniture and get a bigger desk.

We'll see.

yawn

2007-03-03T23:21:00.000-08:00

I am writing poems based on a 2005 almanac somebody donated to the library. There are articles and quotes from all sorts of odd sources, and there are events and birthdays and stuff listed for each calendar day. I take language from the almanac and bits and pieces from my own life and notebooks, and I write some poems. I started participating in this project a writing pal started, and a couple of these almanac-based poems are posted there. The project is just one "assignment" per month, and the first assignment fit with what I was already working on, so that was cool.

Today I have had a backache and after work I sat in the recliner and read some of Neuromancer, which is a pretty weird book. I was thinking of assigning it next quarter, but maybe not. I want to do some work on my syllabus soon.

I think I'd better go on a spring cleaning bender. I saw on TV tonight that Suze Orman thinks you have to be clean and organized in order to be successful. She could be right. Well, maybe.

stuff piled up here, too

2007-02-16T20:46:00.000-08:00

I have piles of papers and books on the kitchen table and a pile on one of the kitchen chairs. I say "kitchen" but it could be called the "dining room" instead--there's just a tiny dining room space in the house. And there are a zillion piles in the spare bedroom that is supposedly my "office." I keep thinking that if I tidy up the "office," I'll get more organized about my writing and feel more organized/clear in general. But why haven't I done this yet?

um, and, um, and

2007-02-07T19:05:00.000-08:00

Papers are piling up here - over the corner by my bookshelf and right here on my desk. I'm forming piles, that have purposes ( bills, assignments, essasy & old articles i've saved, empty notebooks, issues of the prattler, a film submission that has been sitting in an sealed envelope for over a week, artforum, the believer...)And well, I can't see myself doing anything with these piles anytime soon.

We finally got the security bars I've been asking for put on our kitchen window. It's really pretty ugly. But, I'm already used to it & kind of like it. It makes this place even more a totally "Brooklyn Apartment".

I'm working for this artist Danica Phelps on Wednesdays. Her studio/apartment are great. Being at "work" is one of the most relaxing things going on right now.

takin' it easy

2007-01-29T20:46:00.000-08:00

I'm tired. I mostly stayed in my bedroom this weekend - only venturing outside to go get something to eat and for a few hours Saturday morning to install my work in the "Mother May I?" show. It was a pretty great weekend, just what i need(ed).

I called the super last week to have him fix up some stuff in our place. He said in a few days. I ran into him today and he said he totally forgot - sometime this week. Here's hopin'. Really, I just want some security bars put in our kitchen window and him to take another look at my peaked floor.

Earlier this week I did this drawing of a cat I really like(see above).

yawn

2007-01-25T23:59:00.000-08:00

Bedtime. Tomorrow I have the day off and need to grade papers and clean house and what-not. I let paper accumulate so quickly/easily.

I have a job interview next Weds, and part of the paper accumulation is from that because I've had to do a bunch of paperwork for the application, and I've been reading stuff relevant to the job (it's in a college writing center, so I'm reading about writing centers...).

I am excited about getting an interview; this is the first job I've applied for (other than part-time teaching gigs) in over 4 years. But I also feel lots of stress over the process, and I'm self-conscious and shy and things like that, which make it worrisome to think of going and talking to people and convince them I'm the right person for the job.

Why can't we all just work from HOME?

donezo

2007-01-23T21:42:00.000-08:00

more & more I'm getting sick of this apartment. I found water damage on the floor under one of my shelves, which damaged a lot of my magazines. I salvaged what I could but, it gave me an opportunity to throw away a bunch of things I probably would have saved for years.

Though I'm totally sick & frustrated with this apartment I haven't wanted to go out much at all lately. There's a Feminist Future conference at MoMA that I have tickets to for friday and I just...don't want to go. and I feel guilty for not wanting to go.

I've been considering what I'd be like to move to a less stressful city.

furniture

2007-01-22T23:44:00.000-08:00

T says she wants new furniture because the couch is hurting her back. We bought it like 5 years ago. How long should it take for a couch to wear out? Sometimes I think we'd be better off with matching recliners in front of the TV, that we should just accept ourselves as little old ladies. But then again, I also like to lie on the couch sometimes. And we have a recliner in the other room.

I need to vacuum. I need to mow the lawn. I need to clear the kitchen table of its stacks of papers and projects.

What is it?

2007-01-16T07:27:00.000-08:00

I noticed it sometime early last week - these crazy noises outside. I made Laura come in my room and asked her "What the hell, right?". It sounded like a warzone or something. She said she was pretty sure it's just cars, the BQE, planes, city traffic , wind , and possibly a news helicopter - normal stuff. I noticed them again this morning. I'm wondering if it's because I've been sitting at my desk, next to the window, more often during the day because of my computer. Or maybe do I just always have music playing? Always? Maybe it's just my newish more anxious state. Whatever it is, I just put on some tunes and I'm going back to my interneting.

Long Island

2007-01-15T13:37:00.000-08:00

I've taken a chill-out break from Brooklyn since friday night. It's definitely been helpful. I've mostly stayed at A's house, which is where I usually want to be - Last night Lenny the cat slept on my head for a little while.
I'm at my mom's house now, hangin' out. I have the house to myself since my mom's working and my brother is working out, or something. I ate some chips before and looked through some old stuff in the basement.
I finally finished the reviews I've been meaning to write for a month now & it feels great to have that weight off my shoulders. I start up school again tomorrow. My first classes will be Modern Drama & Feminist Film Theory. I've never taken any sort of offical "feminism class" so, I'm kind of excited about that.
I guess I'll watch some TV, because I've got the time.

enough with ice

2007-01-13T21:34:00.000-08:00

Temps in the teens and twenties and low thirties. Brrr. It snowed Wednesday and has been too cold for things to melt very much, and then it snowed again today. Not a lot of snow, but enough that the roads are coated with a thin layer of ice. I was so stressed out driving home from the library after work today! I could feel the wheels sliding a bit, and I'm not clever enough as a driver to know how to effectively steer out of a skid, etc. My main strategy is to drive slowly and try not to panic. We don't get enough snow here for me to be practiced. There's snow in the mountains, but nobody goes there unless they ski or something (I don't) or if they have relatives on the other side of the state (T has relatives there, but if we visit, we wait until spring).

Today my brother turns 28, and I gave him the deluxe Napoleon Dynamite dvd. It's weird to think of him this old; in my head he's usually still 12. I imagine it's even more amazing to my parents, to have kids who are 28 and 30; we're probably eternally kids in their heads, too.

Hard times are hard

2007-01-12T14:37:00.000-08:00

and even harder when you're alone in the apartment. I've been struggling with anxiety the last few weeks and feeling as if I'm just falling apart or unravelling more and more by the minute. It was a slow build up - minor worry incidents and general saddness happening sporadically in isolated incidents. Now, I don't know. It's just hard. This apartment wasn't made for one, and it becomes such a lonely place when no one else is here. I may go to one of my parent's homes tonight.

dining room and a cake

2007-01-08T10:51:00.000-08:00

Today I need to clean the dining room. A bunch of papers and books and mail and receipts have collected on the dining room table, which is where I generally sit to do crafts, balance the checkbook, etc. I've let things collect, and I've ignored the checkbook, and I need to make sure there aren't any overdue bills or anything like that on the table. I'm pretty sure there's at least one bill I need to pay, but I don't think it's overdue. I need a better system of organization, but I typically spend the time I could spend organizing doing something else... T wants me to transfer a lot of the stuff that accumulates on the table to the desk in the spare bedroom/office, but that hasn't happened yet.

Today my mom turns 57, and she asked me to bake her an upside-down cake with pears and raisins. It's a tasty cake and good for fall/winter especially AND especially with vanilla ice cream. So I need to go to the store for some ingredients.

My Closet

2007-01-05T11:46:00.000-08:00

home poem for a new year

2007-01-03T19:17:00.000-08:00

New Year’s Eve

Everyone else is celebrating
with wine coolers. All that’s left
in the beer and wine aisle are bottles
of seasonal ales, “warmers”

nobody warmed to. Time to buy
cleaning supplies and new boxes
of baking soda for the back of the freezer
and fridge. Out with the old

jars of applesauce and ranch dressing.
In with lemon-scented bleach.

the whole wide world/the world wide web

2007-01-03T11:18:00.000-08:00

I finally got my own computer. I missed the FedEx delivery yesterday, so I set my alarm for 8:30 am today and it was here by 9. It's a MacBook, it's beautiful, it's fast. I love it.

I hereby swear to post more regularly here, now that I have a computer sitting on my desk in my bedroom, always.

feeling a little better

2006-12-21T23:13:00.000-08:00

Feeling a little better today, but don't want to jinx it! Still a sore throat and very tired. Stayed home from work again. I'm lucky to have sick leave saved up to cover these days out.

We got a fresh Christmas tree, and it's so pretty. It's in the living room. The cat is mostly ignoring it, preferring to attack cardboard boxes. I still need to wrap presents.

Wrote a new poem today, which helped me feel a little better...

Wonderful

Wonderful things are happening
to walls thanks to textiles
in styles exactly right

for you--part country, part fancy,
strippable, scrubbable,
pre-pasted and pre-trimmed.

Do walls to last your lifetime
or the lives of your whims.

here's hopin' this works

2006-12-20T10:11:00.000-08:00

i wrote a long post on here the other day and then my internet browser "unexpectedly quit". bummer!

anyway, the hairdresser was pretty nice - not awkward at all. my "real" haircut isn't so different from the haircut i've been sporting for the last i don't know - 5 years? ( shortish, maybe uh? shaggy? whatever) but, getting a haircut was pretty sweet.

we had our second annual holiday party on friday. our apartment is decked out in x mas lights, dradles, tiny white christmas trees and tacky garland to boot. it was a good party; hot spiced wine, egg nog, cookies and a lot of dancing.

the last few days i've been buying & making xmas gifts for people. so, there are bags and markers and needles and felt all over the place.

new home poem

2006-12-15T21:17:00.000-08:00

Seed

There’s no foolproof way
to welcome birds to the garden

even in winter with a line
of feeders. Two jays

in ten minutes give me confidence.

how was the hairdresser?

2006-12-13T21:48:00.000-08:00

I wouldn't know what to say while having my hair done, either. My hair is long and straight (and I'm thinking "unstylish" but that's OK).

Here's a new poem I worked on today. Deck the halls...

Decorating with Native Plants

Red hot pokers bloom at Christmas
in the hottest parts of the west, so what

to do when you want a wreath
of silvery foliage? You might have luck

to find sugar pine branches
with cones attached, or easy enough

to buy cones at a variety store
and tie them on for the same effect.

I still have a miserable cold and am trying to drink lots of fluids and not be too depressed, but it's depressing to have lost my voice and be so tired. If I have no voice again tomorrow, I'll need to call in sick again. I haven't worked since Sunday; what a relief that it's between academic quarters.

Where I want to be

2006-12-12T14:21:00.000-08:00

I'm not at home, I'm in a computer lab at school. I'm writing the final paper I have to finish for the semester to be over. Looking forward to spending a month relaxing, sitting on my bed or lauras, drawing, drinking coffee , watching movies and whatever else.

I did a major clean/sweeping of my bedroom floor on Friday. The room looks a lot bigger and hanging around in there now feels a lot more...normal? No, not normal, but it's not as easy to fall into the "Oh no, am I actually crazy and I've duped all these people into thinking I'm smart and a good artist?" rut when there aren't scraps of paper everywhere. Maybe?

Tomorrow I'm getting my first "real" haircut of my life at the Beehive Salon. I'm kind of psyched. I'm wondering what the conversation will be like with the hairdresser.

not feeling well

2006-12-10T09:59:00.000-08:00

We came back from Oregon on Friday, and T already had a cold Friday night, and now I'm getting it. Ugh. The dishes need to be done, and a few days of mail is cluttering the kitchen table. I'm thinking about working with local newspapers and junk mail as found texts; we have a suburban newspaper that comes out every week that could be good for this, and I made some notes last night based on an article in this paper about the recent snowstorm.

The nice thing about not feeling well is that it's a good excuse to sit still and read, and yesterday I brought home Barack Obama's new book for T and a book by Chuck Klosterman for me (this is a benefit of working in the library, so easy to find books to read). I hadn't read Chuck Klosterman before, and I find him kind of sexist and strangely macho in parts, but mostly he is funny and kind of insightful, and I've read half of Killing Yourself to Live since last night.

Today I have to fill out the open-enrollment insurance paperwork for the library and then work 12:30-5:00. Then I'll come home, and I bet we have soup for dinner, or maybe scrambled eggs.

Might as well

2006-12-01T10:43:00.000-08:00

Start with the questions -

so, What's on your wall?

Well, here, in the joan's room/the living room there is a mural painted by an old friend. I'm not sure we're still friends.

In my room - some shelves laura & I put up one stormy summer day. Sometimes I get paranoid about the shelf above my bed falling on me while i'm sleeping. the odds of that happening and probably slim to none, BUT, it kind of looks like it couldpossiblymaybe.
- A giant woodcut printed on fabric laura made me with images of animals kissing and hanging out and the two of us talking shit in the corner.
-an emrboidery of joey ramone made for me by megan. at the top it says " i wanna be yr joey ramone" and there a bows and 3 sequines.
-a small print laura made of 2 friendship trees.
-an autographed 8x10 of pat's dad.
-a silk screen from the last LTTR publication.
-above my desk - some small things - a drawing by anne, a postcard from megan, a postcard sent from devon from portland, a nicole j georges calender that was a gift from an "ex", various small drawings from people.

our bathroom walls are painted bright pink.

our kitchen wall has godseyes we made in the summer tacked in with upolstry tacks. small wooden bird pictures. and a flag of bob marley - which is funny.

cool blog

2006-11-27T13:59:00.000-08:00

Here is a cool blog where people are posting photos taken to show the views from their windows.

It's still strangely wintery around here. The college is closing early today, cancelling all night classes. A bunch of my students stayed home today. When I get home, I need to shovel the driveway before the slush freezes over and makes a big mess!

brrrrr

2006-11-26T20:54:00.000-08:00

It hardly ever snows here, but it's been snowing most of today. It was mostly rainy snow earlier, but it got colder, and now there are a few inches on the ground. It's supposed to freeze up overnight, which will create a mess for people who have to commute in the morning, but luckily I don't have to go anywhere until around noon.

The snow covers up everything so nicely, like the neighbor's dirty trucks. It's funny to watch the local news when it snows because the snow becomes the top story, and there are segments where the reporters interview kids who are building snowmen and throwing snowballs.

cold,cold apartment

2006-11-21T10:36:00.000-08:00

It's funny- this is my third winter here & I'm still not used to the fact that sometimes, when it's really cold, the heat just isn't on. It's always a suprise when you walk outside and it's warmer than in your room.

chores

2006-11-20T16:56:00.000-08:00

I need to clean house but keep avoiding it. It's too rainy to do any yard work, and there are leaves all over the lawn, surrounding the bird bath. We're thinking about having a little party, just to create a deadline for some serious cleaning.

Tonight I'll take the garbage out and change the kitty litter.

I guess I'm already there

2006-11-19T18:25:00.000-08:00

I'm home now. I'd rather be a different home, the house i spent the weekend in- so warm and comforting with burritos and pumpkin ale and bagels and coffee for breakfast.

poem from your posts

2006-11-16T23:33:00.000-08:00

Recovery

Home from the hospital, she worries
about bacteria, spraying bleach

where her sponge and mop
can’t reach. No rings around the tub

or dishes in the sink. She’s quiet
like doctor’s orders, moving

softly across vacuumed floors.

new poem about the yard

2006-11-16T17:23:00.000-08:00

For a Flower Bed

My leg like a jackhammer
loosens hardpan soil. One bucket
fills with rocks, another
with weeds, a third with roots
from the blue spruce. My leg
will need heat, rest, heat.

Half clean

2006-11-16T15:50:00.000-08:00

Laura went on a cleaning rampage. Since she got sick she's worried about bacteria. So, our bathrub is really clean, which is wonderful. There are no dishes in the sink- a releif because I'm normally the one washing them.

Last night I was working on some videos in my room so now it is a total mess. Cards with lyrics written on them in sharpie laying around. Books scattered, cables & chords all over the place and a tripod on it's side.

Rainy

2006-11-15T08:27:00.000-08:00

Our floor, too, has a slight warp just in front of the sliding glass door. Hardly enough to notice and not enough to impair the function of the door.

Today there's a 100% chance of rain, and the wind might make the power go out. There's a flashlight in the bathroom. Where are the candles? Probably the power won't really go out.

The other day (Monday) I pulled the old sunflower stalks out of the front yard and put them in the yard waste bin. I wanted to save some seeds for next year, but it's been so rainy that the seeds didn't dry properly. I tried to salvage some, but I'm not sure if they'll dry out.

What's going on in 159 Willoughby today?

2006-11-14T17:17:00.000-08:00

Laura has E Coli.
Two floor boards in my bedroom are rising & forming a peak. It looks like there's a ball or something under my rug but, it's just the floor. I'm not sure why this is happening - my guess is water damage.

2006-11-13T23:52:00.001-08:00

OK, now we can share ideas for writing and art about HOME...!