Future IKEA lovers of America...Unite!

I Y my Poang chair and Flannery does too.

My new favorite movie

I haven't seen it yet, but I'm hoping.

http://licensetowedthemovie.warnerbros.com/

Step Two

If the drawing was step one, here's how far I got today. I'm going to a dinner for the 4th, but I think I'll get a second coat of stain on tonight.

What Will This Become?

What a fun project for the 4th of July! I have the day off from all my jobs and I am very excited to make this BBQ table. It'll be two feet square and stained green. I'm also pleased because this photo came from my phone. Didn't know I could do that until recently. Should have been doing it that way for years! Don't worry, I'll be showing off the result on Wednesday.

Why I Want XM Radio...

• Jonathan Katz "Three Hobbies"
• Chonda Pierce "Church"
• Maryellen Hooper "Rewire the Outlets"
• Smothers Brothers "Cabbage"

The Laugh USA channel. I was working late in the trailer punching tens of thousands of holes and I was listening and enjoying good clean stand up comedy. There's about a million other fun things to listen to on XM. Selling subscriptions to satellite radio was the one part about selling cars I totally, 100%, believed in. Too bad I never sold a car that was able to play it... But someday, I'm going to buy a car with it. Maybe a truck... hmmm... Whenever that money starts rolling in, I'll know how to spend it!

Some Cooking Adventures

Last Friday some friends invited me up and I said I would bring a salad becuase I had the stuff for it and I had (accidentally, of course!) bought a load of iffy produce so I wanted to use it up before it used itself up. I don't know what I was thinking as I was shopping. So I made the salad, sliced the tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots and lettuce and dumped a pile of parmesean cheese on it. Only to look in the cheese bag and see a HUGE clump of mold. I then stuck my nose in the salad and discovered that it, too, smelled. But I had to bring it because I said I would bring a salad. But these folks are -- rightly so -- pretty paranoid about stuff like raw meat, I didn't think they would like moldy cheese. So I, slowly, by hand, picked all the lettuce and carrots and broccoli (forgot to mention that earlier) and cucumbers, and tomatoes and put it in a new bowl, leaving the old cheese behind. I then put good cheese on it, in the new bowl. It took so long and I felt like such an idiot!

Fast forward to Saturday...
I still had that salmon so I cooked it without too much problem. Except I forgot about marinade, so I had to wait because I remembered before I cooked it. But I couldn't find the correct recipe for the dip, so whatever I did find to use called for dijon. EK! I put in a lot more sour cream and it was then ok. But while I was cooking the salmon, I also grilled some chicken so I could have it on salads throughout this week (using the salad fixings I had just used up and didn't have any more of. I didn't really think about changing my weekend cooking plans just because my food supply had changed since I had shopped...). So I started the grill, and waited for it to get hot enough to scrape it clean. But I left the scraper on the grill while I waited so it melted. Eventually I got the chicken out there and it started to cook. But then I realized (worst thing yet!) that I didn't have any idea where any thing to turn over the chicken would be. I started frantically going through boxes and opening cupboards. By the time I was done the kitchen floor was a sea of crumpled newspaper and I found a sort of soup serving spoon/ladle and a normal dinner fork. But I was too late. Two chicken breasts were ruined. But then, I still don't have any salad...

I win! Twice!

I never win anything. Until recently.

On Saturday I went over to Moscow Building Supply because I had been hearing ads on the radio for about a week about the sale. And I wanted to eat the free hot dog. And they are only about three blocks from my house. So I went and the hog dog bun was cut crooked, the dog was cold and the portable Pepsi fountain blew wet gunk all over my pants. So it looked like the day was going to be a bust. Except for one (two) thing(s).

I entered for door prizes. I entered myself and Rachel. And both names were drawn. I now have a red kerosene lantern and a nice cedar box planter!

I'm trying to decide between snap dragons and pansies for the the planter and I guess I'll have to learn a little somethin' somethin' about kerosene...

I want to Go!

http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSL1233058520070412?feedType=RSS

Thanks, Richard.

man! why did I graduate?

I'm reading the posts about Austen on Dr. Leithart's blog and I want to be in that class so bad!

Vaguely Indecent

If it were me in the situation, I would have done the same thing (I guess) but I still think what happened was non-ideal.

About three minutes after my shift started, about a week ago, two ladies approached me from the rear and asked where the scissors are. I directed them to the wall a few feet away and I started to walk off. They then asked if any were open packages. I said "No." As it turned out, they needed to cut something. They showed me what and I sort of paused. One of the ladies had used the public restroom and had gotten the pocket of her jeans stuck in the zipper. Therefore she could not zip her jeans. To this day, I still can't figure out how this happened exactly. I try not to think about it too much but, somehow, I can't help myself; I can't figure it out. I went up to the front and brought her the cashier's scissors. She was rescued.

Another victory for the best darn sales associate Michael's Arts and Crafts has ever seen!