Sooo Confused. . .

Had to run to the grocery to get stuff for the block party. I'm doing good sticking to the list.

We need brown sugar. Do I buy the 7 dollar organic fair trade certified or the 99 cents Domino (which has local operations?)

UGH!!!!

Where to store 48 rolls of paper towels?

I thought I'd check out Amazon.com's subscription delivery service. They deliver at a set frequency so you don't have to shop and shipping appears to be free.

Very good indeed.

However, these appear to be "bulk" items and unfortunately our house doesn't have much storage space.

I'll need to think this through. Ideally if we had a neighbor that wanted to particpiate too we could split the orders. What are the odds one of our neighbors likes all the same household products we do?

Our block party is tomorrow night. I guess its not cool to inquire about our neighbors' opinions on recycled toilet paper huh?

The Fat Ass Dispatch #8

Ok. Technically Wednesdays are "weigh in" days. But I put them off until I feel thin! I have a science background so I try to keep all outside variables the same. I try to be very strict the day prior, I tinkle, brush, rinse, and step on the scale in my birthday suit.

This morning, the scale indicated that I was back at my original weight plus three. Hmmmmmmm. . .Is it humanly possible to put on that much weight in one week? Don't get me wrong, I've been a complete slacker this week. Still I didn't feel as if I had gained THAT MUCH!!!

I checked out my gear. In my haste to purchase the cheapest scale, I purchased one that has the "tare" or zero that's controlled by a little dial. Yes, It's that low tech.

As best as I can tell, last Thursday, when C moved it to clean the floors, he bumped the dial. . He bumped it way up. . .Good news? I didn't gain 10 pounds after losing 7. Bad news? I didn't really lose any this week either. And I deserve that. . .From hereafter, we'll just refer to this week as the blue cheese ball episode of '09. It's a week that will live in infamy.

It's not the first. . .nor will it be the last. . .

Allister Loves a Dog Hair Free Floor

If the floor is dirty, he hangs somewhere elevated.

Tilgh is feeling better. He's starting to resume his crazy playful ways - which we have to discourage for another couple of days/weeks depending on his progress.

Looking forward to a very busy but fun weekend.

Fall is starting to announce her arrival very, very subtlely. If you look closely, you can see and hear her.

Autumn calls softly and gently. I like this time of year a lot. It's a low key transition - full of nature's beautiful bounty. It encourages you to take stock, consider how you will celebrate the end of the sun's less direct light. It affords you the chance to think about how you will spend the days with less warmth and light.

It is a perfect time to celebrate summer's swan song. It allows us the opportunity to connect with nature and cycles that are age old and important . . . And often forgotten in the "world" we "create"

Tilghman's Bone Chip

Monday evening Tilghman was ping-ponging around the house when I got home from work. Best as we can tell, he slid a little on the floor and jammed his toe on the desk.

The wincing and limping started immediately. We knew pretty quickly it seemed to be the foot and not the leg.

Last night a trip to the vet revealed a bone chip on the smallest toe on his right rear leg.

If you look to the far right digit in this pic, just below the first joint you can see a triangular bit of bone - which should be attached to the larger bone to its immediate left.

Ouch.

www.docsidevet.com

The Fat Ass Dispatch #6 (I think)

These little Wasa light "crackers" are only 60 calories for 3, have some decent nutritional value (far as snacks go), and just barely have the texture of cardboard!

Tilghman at Rest

Keeping the pressure off his hurt back paw. Poor little fellow is definitely not his exuberant self. Vet says give it 5 to 7 days. Until then no walks, no playing, and Rimadryl twice a day. Hopefully he'll be good as new in no time!

Haha for Today

I was clearing pics out of my Blackberry and found this.

A few weekends ago C and I went to the Waters Art Gallery. Their collection is much more extensive than I thought.

This was part of it. Clearly its a depiction of Madonna and Child.

Come on!! It's creepy as hell! Baby Jesus resembles an angry Bruce Willis.
And the breast feeding? Couldn't we have been a little more subtle? That's suppopsed to be the Virgin Mary - was nipple really necessary?!

Guess Where We Are (again)!?

d's Fav Sleepless Internet Haunts. . .

Or even when I'm not so sleepless. . .In no particular order. . .Here's what I'm checking out tonight. . .

1. Jon Katz - Bedlam Farm Journal - He's known for his writing. Get to know his photos. The farm journal also gives you a glimpse into his heart. Katz inspires with enough regularity it's worth hitting the subscribe button. http://www.bedlamfarm.com/

2. Jen Lancaster - Jennsylvania - She's hilariously honest and mildy unkind towards herself and others. She's shown us behind her proper pearls is a riotous intelligent shrew and behind that is a genuine sweetheart. Big hugs and love to Jen Lancaster.
http://www.jennsylvania.com/

3. Danny Evans at Dad Gone Mad - He's hilarious, refers to his wife as "Hot Wife" clearly adores his children. He also bravely chronicles his bout with depression in a newly released book that is getting rave reviews http://www.dadgonemad.com/

4. Sonnie at Sunshine Recycles. She offers all the creative encouragement of your Mom. She offers more zen and centering than your yoga instructor. She offers all the wicked sense of humor of your best friend. She offers awesome environmentally sound advice and products. http://www.sunshinerecycles.com/

5. Anonymous Lawyer - we all know he's a fictional hiring partner at a major law firm. . .We all love him anyway. Jeremy Blachman continues to make my career path a continual (and far more interesting) adventure! http://www.anonymouslawyer.com/

The Fat Ass Dispatch #6

With all my shopping cessation euphoria, the fact that I lost two more pounds last week nearly escaped me. I got the following message from Weight Watchers (dot) com when I logged my weight last week: "Congratulations, you've lost weight this week. Keep doing what you're doing."

They might want to re-think that kind of encouraging message. I drank enough "sociables" to float a boat the prior weekend with my sisters. I followed that up with one day of eating predominately dairy items to recover (cheese, ice cream, cheese flavored popcorn). I've read there are "comfort producing" chemicals in dairy products - which I guess makes sense since milk's original purpose was to feed and comfort newborn mammals. . .Apparently it also comforts a hung over homeeckwreck.

I was better behaved this weekend BUT my Aunt came to visit with a deliciously notorious bluecheeseball. I am powerless against it. I have never dared ask her for the recipe. She's a sweet soul and I know she would share. I'm not enlightened enough in the food department to possess that kind of knowledge. We'd be eating blue cheese ball for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

I. Am. So. Expletive. Serious.

That thing is so astounding, exceptional, and excellent it should win a Nobel prize!

I'm pretty sure if C and I had a conflict we couldn't resolve we could hunker down in the kitchen with the blue cheese ball and some crackers and eat in silent satisfied ecstasy until that glorious firm, creamy, delicately veined orb of goodness erased away all of our stubbornness and ill will.

I wonder if I could develop a treaty on my Aunt Pattie's Blue Cheese Ball? Surely it could solve world hunger. Surely it could resolve conflicts.

It's that freaking sublime!

LOL!! But seriously, it rocks!!! And if I have to walk around the currently smelly Inner Harbor East extra to partake of such gluttonous glory, that's a penance I'll happily pay.

Summertime and the Shopping is Easy!

I can't believe it's C and not me! I really can't.

We saw a concert this weekend and apparently C wanted to load up his iPod with a few tunes.

d coming into the basement, C camped out in front of the computer:

"What are you doing?" I say.

"Downloading some music" says he.

"You mean you're BUYING music!?"

Random stammering on his part.

Oh my. Six months may prove very long indeed.

Oh My!

Looks as if someone has made themselves very comfy on a high quality throw pillow! Oy.

Saturday Night in your Early Thirties!

See what you have to look forward to?

Sticky-eeeeeeeee

Been a rather sticky past 8 hours. Sticky with big spray and humidity at the concert, sticky fingers after sampling funnel cake, sticky icky and stuck to the floor of the spot a pot, sticking paper to canvas after the concert, contacts sticking to eyeballs! Stuck in the middle (of the night) with you, loyal blog follower, at quarter to two!

Non-toxic rocks!

Just wrestled this away from Tilghman - clearly marked Non-toxic. Whew!!

Oh Effing Yuck!

Since we moved here about eight years ago, we have had a pest control service do routine checks. It's a necessity in the city really.

We seldomn have concerns and often a routine service call includes leaving these little sticky paper traps just to see what bugs we can catch (none).
I guess if we have an issue this month, we'll never know seeing as how I had to fish this from Tilghman's mouth a few minutes ago.

This service is yet another thing we paid for today.

P Puggle

Parsipenny Puggle sips delicately from puddles. . .

What else she does will likely be a task for my imagination on another day.

Parsnipenny Puggle

Friends Bret and Kim were blessed with twins earlier this summer. . .

They will soon be "blessed" with some original art/insanity!