The Future is Now

''I think we will look back in 10 years' time and say we should not have done this but we did because we forgot the lessons of the past, and that that which is true in the 1930's is true in 2010"

2009: Thing 2, Dove Softie

I had the idea for this little guy at the end of my yoga class tonight when I was supposed to be thinking of nothing...and I got all excited to get home and figure out the pattern.
It's not crochet, but it's adorable. I love it. It's tiny: about 2" by 1" and I made it for a friend because, really, how can this not make you smile?


(note: the pincushion comes from "the daily pincushion" on Etsy...she is so talented!)

2009: Thing 1, The Office

Spent most of the day Sunday on this project, and became intimate with the practice of "cutting" sans painters tape.* It's hard. I feel like I felt a little bit of Michelangelo's pain. Just a little. The end result is a stunning display of "Northern Pear Tree"** and all that's left to do is the white, glossy trim followed by a Rip Up The Carpet Party! The hardwood that's hidden under here appears to be in beautiful shape and our fingers are crossed that there are no major stains or warping waiting to be uncovered. Of course, that's what area rugs are for.

It feels really good to get this far on this room. It was tough to tackle, and next up is the hallway...

*to be fair: the room was painted with tape, and it was only the closet that I had to paint without tape. Really, I'm whining for no good reason.

**I tend to pick paint colors based on names, just like I've been known to pick wine based on the label. So far, I've yet to be truly disappointed.

Chef!

I'm feeling quite proud of myself tonight. I managed to accomplish everything on the list-in-my-head before crashing into bed:
I cooked not one, but TWO dinners -

1. Sauteed chicken with a roasted sweet potato salad for tonight and in about 15min I'll turn on my crock-pot for the...
2. Pulled Pork soft taco's we'll be eating tomorrow night before going to see The Reader.

In between all that, I caught up with Brie, watched LOST (wtf? spoiler alert...sort of: I'm not sure I even care about Charlotte) and even managed to work out with Comcast Exercise TV (I heart the Biggest Loser CardioMax). Dishes are clean, coffee is ready for tomorrow & I'm updating my blog. Check, Check and CHECK. Of course, next time I'll try to have something a little more interesting to blog about other than the fact that I've crossed a lot of things off Wednesday's To Do's :)

I'm getting psyched for Thing-A-Day 2009, and have started putting together a string of project ideas to keep me from procrastinating on a day when I think I can't possibly get something done. Yay Creativity! I'm hoping there's someone out there that can help me learn to crochet "softies". I think they're adorable, but I'm pretty sure they require a skill level above and beyond what I'm capable of. (Christa, your lesson was wonderful but I think I need a tutor! Help!) Right now, in my head, I want to crochet and owl and a pencil. Oh, and some newborn beanies for our friend's new baby twins!

iiiiiiit's BUDGET TIME

It's January 6th, and I'm going to be out of debt this year. Well, mostly anyway. I think it's absurd that I'm still IN debt anyway. I used to be crazy-scared of credit cards...took me YEARS to get my first one, which I only ever put my gas purchases on. It was 2 years after that before I got another one, the sole purpose of that one being the 0%APR for my first camera purchase. Unfortunately, the world of professional digital photography is not a cheap one...and that first camera purchase was 5 years ago. Now, it's 2009 and I'm staring all that equipment in the face every month as I make another payment to the credit card company.

Don't get me wrong...me and Suze Orman are besties. I know exactly what I need to do to get out of debt (stop buying coffees, eating out at work, eating out - period). It's the actual implementation of it that baffles me. Somehow I start off so good...only to be scraping pennies and pulling from my savings account every month. I have a hard time saying "no", but that's a whole other post.

This has to stop.

For a full week, I am going to keep track of absolutely everything I spend money on. Then, after that, I'm going to do it for the rest of January. I've already bought the swimsuit, and that goes in the "fitness" part of the budget. To me, it's akin to the race fees I pay every few months for the 5K's, 5milers and 10K's I run through the year. I have factored "fun" into the budget since I know that a budget can be like a diet and if I deprive myself of everything I'll end up spend-binging and then crying myself to sleep.

Step one: Paying myself first. I'm setting up an ING account tomorrow (mostly because Emmy nearly had a heart attack when I told her that none of my savings accounts were interest bearing).

Step two: Learning to "window shop". I hear that just gazing at the things you desire can leave you just as fulfilled as actually purchasing them! Who knew!

Step three: Eat more meals at home. This should not actually be a hard thing to do, but living alone means that I usually will opt for a sandwich at Panera with other humans before eating a similar sandwich at home with my cat and the TV. I have to overcome this.

Okay, starting there. See how it goes. All these "ambitions"...I'm going to need a daily checklist!

Swimming 101

I refuse to call them "resolutions" even though that's exactly what they are. Instead, they are ambitions. So, one of my "ambitions" for 2009 is to become a better swimmer! Possibly enter a sprint-tri in 2010?



So, tonight I wen to Dick's to purchase my gear. I hauled about 25 bathing suits into the fitting room only to realize that I have absolutely no idea how swimsuit sizing works. Attempt #2 yielded better (though still depressing) results. I love the blue/white combo and I'm excited to start! First swim-session will be next week. I have no idea how to build up swimming stamina, having only a background in running...so we'll see how it goes.

Made in the USA

Made in the USA
Originally uploaded by Becca Elizabeth

Sitting at my desk and surrounded by prototypes, samples, packaging and spec sheets for even more of the above (all manufactured in China), I realized I was out of scotch tape. When I grabbed the refill pack, I noticed the little American flag in the corner along with the "Made in USA" label. Suddenly, it struck me how much of what we buy and consume these days comes from overseas, and I took pride in the fact that here I was using scotch tape, Made in the USA.
It's a small thing, but it's better than nothing.

Thank you, Herb

100% Quality Assured
Originally uploaded by Becca Elizabeth

On the news last night and then again this morning Herb Peterson’s smiling face looked back at me as the Media remembered the man who brought us the Egg McMuffin. I love the combination of egg, cheese, ham and English muffin…and so with the coupon Debby had given me on Tuesday* I got myself one this morning.

*Debby gets coffee every morning at McDonald’s and Tuesday morning she waited longer than 90 seconds from when her order was placed to when she got her coffee…so they gave her a coupon for a free breakfast sandwich, which she passed on to me.

Dessert & Wine

Dessert & Wine
Originally uploaded by Becca Elizabeth

To celebrate Purim this year, Josh and I made what I call "Hammertime" cookies, but are actually "Hamentashen". What? "Hammertime" is more fun to say? I agree.
We used three different types of jam and then they exploded in the oven. We covered them with fresh berries and all was well.

Reeses in Four Parts

Reeses in Four Parts...March 19
Originally uploaded by Becca Elizabeth

In an homage to Josh's Cadbury pics (www.flickr.com/photos/21675418@N06/) I had to do this when I found myself eating a Reeses this morning.

Fun fact: 3 Reeses were used in the making of this. They were all harmed. They were delicious.

Last night's Supper

I felt like Top Chef!

Roasted Acorn Squash and Gorgonzola Flat Bread

Yield: 4 side dish servings

1 (1- pound) acorn squash
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (we used a ¼ tsp total – still great)
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus 1/4 teaspoon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1/4 teaspoon
1 pound pizza dough (we used pre-made dough from Trader Joe’s, also avail at Genuardis)
1 cup shredded whole milk mozzarella (we sliced up some fresh stuff b/c it was cheaper)
1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola
1 cup arugula (we used spinach b/c we couldn’t find arugula)
Squeeze of lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Slice the squash in half from top to bottom. Scoop out the seeds. Slice the squash into 1/2 to 3/4-inch wide half moons and place in a medium bowl. Toss the squash with the syrup, olive oil, red pepper flakes, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place the squash on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake the squash until tender and golden, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Keep the temperature on the oven at 375 degrees F. Roll out the pizza dough on a flour dusted piece of parchment paper to a 13-inch diameter. Place the pizza and the parchment paper on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese and the Gorgonzola on the pizza dough. Bake in the oven until golden and cooked through, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Peel the skins off the squash. Top the cooked pizza with the cooked squash. Toss with arugula with the squeeze of lemon juice and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Slice and serve.

Original recipe can be found here.

Roasted Acorn Squash Pizza

Pre-Cutting
Originally uploaded by Becca Elizabeth

I really don't think I'll be able to go back to regular pizza, this was just too good. I got the recipe from Smitten Kitchen (link on the right) and found out just how easy this was to pull together. Minimal ingredient shopping, too! The recipe took longer than it should have, but only because we were busy trying to photograph all the steps. Definitely part of the fun.
Also good - the manchego cheese (oh my) and the vino! Vidal Blanc from Vintage Ridge winery in Virginia (Thanks Mom & Dad!).

I'll be making more Smitten recipes, and soon.

Comfy

Jack can melt my heart in an instant...

The Devil + Daniel Johnston

The documentary came out a couple years ago, and I had the pleasure of seeing it at the Philadelphia Film Festival when it came to town. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. It sent me to A.K.A. Music in search of his CD's and even made me contemplate trying to dig out my old Sony Walkman so I could purchase cassette tapes from his previous manager. The high lasted a couple months, and then eventually his albums became standard rotation in my ipod. Then, in January, I saw "Daniel Johnston coming to Philadelphia!" and had to read it twice. Within minutes I had my ticket. And now the day is here.

Now the snow just needs to stop.

Pink Pills for Pale People

There was an article in Sunday's Inquirer about an exhibit at Haverford college called "Selling Happiness: Advertising in China during the early 1900's". I was instantly intrigued. I love advertising. I love commercials. My friends tease me because I am every retailer's dream consumer. I appreciate good commercials. I don't usually fast forward through them on something I've recorded. It's amazing that I didn't go into marketing & advertising in college. So, without anyone to drag along with me, I headed out to see the collection of posters saved from the early 20th century that had launched advertising in China. I was not disappointed. The allure of these posters was most certainly the depictions of demure, beautiful women, but it was also sometimes a snapshot from a folkloric tale or popular play at the time. The artwork in the posters was so arresting that the drawings of the product they were selling seemed hilariously out of place. In the one I photographed (and I'm sorry, Haverford, if that was not allowed...I couldn't help it!) entitled Pink Pills for Pale People we see a young child with his older sibling and caretaker playing with pill bottles. The horror! I laughed out loud, which I realized was insensitive of me when I read the description and learned that the "pink pills" of the time were attempting to cure a disease still very much relevant today. People began to collect the posters, which were often handed out for free, to use as art in their homes. Portraits of women that had started out being rather conservative (with only the tip of a bound foot peeking out from beneath full dress) began to evolve into something more provocative. Their expressions began to have more personality, their clothing suddenly developed slits up the side, and v-neck collars.
It was a fun exhibit, especially for someone like myself who enjoys ads in general, and my only complaint would be that I wish there had been more information on each of the posters. Due my lack of knowledge when it comes to the Chinese language, I assume that much of the content was lost on me, as I was not able to read the clever slogan at the top, or realize that they'd included a calendar at the bottom.

It did leave me wanting more, and I'm sure to spend a better part of the evening researching more about it. It whet my appetite.

$4.19 a gallon

Really? I mean, Really?

unphotographable

A friend of mine just sent me this website: Unphotographable

The picture I didn't take was Wednesday morning in North Philly as I drove to the PSPCA. My directions took me down 8th street towards Erie Avenue and on my left I passed a house with a vigil set up on the front steps with pictures and teddy bears and an assortment of real and fabric flowers. It was raining, and sad, and then I looked up and on the opposite corner was a deli-type store with a big stenciled sign advertising a sale on "Gravesite Markers: $3.o0" and in front was a selection of just the type of things set up on the porch of the house I had just passed.

The whole experience saddened me, and I'm not even sure I would have wanted to take the picture...but there it is, burned in my head.

Second Skin

Good friends of mine have been toiling away the last 2 years in the universe of internet gaming, all in the name of their first feature-length documentary: Second Skin. It's currently in the final round for SXSW, and they'll hear officially if they get in by Feb 5th. All appendages crossed.


They're talented kids. Kudos, boys.

City Hall Light Bright

Coming back from dinner on the town, took this while crossing the street. It's a popular shot, and I wanted to take it differently than you'd see it every other time...but sometimes the most obvious one really works.

Sunday, Perfect Sunday (in theory)

I was excited to wake up this morning and have my coffee while reading the Sunday paper, the 5 week subscription gifted to me this past Christmas, but when I went outside to pick it up it was the thinnest Sunday paper I'd ever felt. It like like Sunday News Lite. Confused, I made sure it was in fact the weekend paper before allowing myself to realize that someone had ripped me off. No Arts & Entertainment, no Image, no Currents, no coupons or comics. Bummer.
My Paper Thief was kind enough to leave me the front page though, Obama wins South Carolina! Maybe my thief is a Hillary fan, or a republican.
At least I have my coffee and half of last week's news.