January 28: Small world

First of all, my friend Cecily is now a super famous blogger -- she's interviewed in part II of "Related Audio." (This is not a blog, OK?)

And, in the Philly is a small, small town non-news: Spiritual Thunder has a new name, Thunderbird, and a new drummer, Dallas Formerly-of-Thorazine. I know Dallas through two friends, Jo-Ann Formerly-of-Thorazine and Devo Who-Went-to-New-Orleans. So, look and listen for Thunderbird playing around town. Robb says the sound will be more rock, a harder sound.

Now, back to the cabbage.

January 27: Ixnay on the Oorflay

If you see Jorj, don't ask about the floor.

January 21

January 18: Still here

Still here. Not much changed. Gena wants pictures of the kitchen, but most of them are from Jorj's new camera and consequently GIHUGEANT. Speaking of Jorj's new camera, you can see what he's doing other than laundry. He's developed a very, very good eye. And now I'm going to make an update with what I've been up to.

Speaking of the Jorj's new toy, he just got a new lens for portraits. It seems he expected me to talk him out of the new toy. Well, why would I do that when I can get toy parity? It's time for new silverware, I love European designs, especially WMF and Dansk, and Jorj hates them. With the new lens, I have leverage!

New Years Day

We started the new year with Anne and Greg's wedding. It was just lovely. Anne's family -- from Ireland and Philadelphia -- are wonderful. Greg's parents -- divorced for nearly 30 years -- actually sat next to each other during the reception. Jorj was best man, and I did the cake. Greg and Anne hired no photographer -- Anne's life has a simplicity beyond many Quakers, including us -- so every guest seemed to be there with (digital) camera in hand. Jorj had his new toy, and made some beautiful pictures. I took my camera, the "old" Olympus, to ensure some pictures of Jorj. Immediately after we walked into the church, the camera fell out of my bag and exploded on the floor of the narthex. When he had time today, Jorj macgyvered it together with a hair tie. However, it was out of commission for the whole wedding.

More new pictures:

• Dim Sum with Anne and Rob, March 2002
• Manayunk with Tobi, Sebastian, Mom, Fred, May 2004
• Getting artistic with a picture of Tobi in the Vietnamese market

December 27: Pictures, finally!

Apparently, Apple realized that iPhoto was unusuable for all but the most amateur photgraphers because of the XML "database" back end. The newest version, part of "iLife" and worth the $45 upgrade fee, runs much faster and doesn't suck down batteries. I am finally getting some photos up, such as these from Lutz and Renate's first day in Philly. This one is really good, if I say so!

And these photos from poker in November.

Boxing Day

Spent most of the holiday just relaxing.

We started with dinner with Scott, Lynn, Gena and Steve Thursday. Great present from Steve -- a book on kitchen chemistry. Gena gave us kitchen stuff, which we are already using. Kraftwerk gave presents to Bob, Peace and Sasha; she's very generous, but asked me to wrap them. Kraftie herself got a new bag of treats and six real-fur mice. She loved the mousie, chasing after it for five minutes, growling, shaking it to break its neck, and finally leaving a soggy lump of stuffed fur on the carpet.

Thurday, Jim installed a temporary sink and faucet in the plywood "counter." It's such a joy to wash dishes somewhere other than the sink. The biggest relief was baking Hefekrantz and Stollen, letting the mixer do all of the work. Reading Cookwise by Shirley Corriher and discussing genuine Dresden Stollen with Tobi convinced me to try a new mixing method. Mmmm, much richer than previous methods.

We managed to be very low-key with presents this year. Mary had decreed no presents for adults, just the kids. Jorj and I agreed not to exchange presents at all, and kept the presents to one apiece. Mom also had too much going on to do big shopping, and Fred's always happy with something baked.

We brought brunch to Jorj's Mom's and had a lovely time. Jorj's Mom is always difficult to buy for, so I dropped back to gift certificate (and snow-man patterned hot mits and dish towel). Scott wanted athletic socks, work socks and a new pillow. We added a set of sheets, but I couldn't find the exact socks he wanted. Yep, he really wanted socks for Christmas. Now it's socks for his birthday. Jorj took his newest toy, which has a cable to show pictures on television, which Scott loved. We've promised him prints of some of the pictures. We took a quick walk through the cemetary, where Jorj took this picture. Then it was dinner with Mom and Fred, where Jorj took more pictures. Finally, we wound up at Aunt Gert and Uncle Elmer's just before Santa arrived. (I forget it starts at 6, not 7, each year.) Santa's sermon was mercifully short this year. The annual German was David and Kathy's au pair, Vivia, from Hamburg. Had a great time catching up with the family, learned that Lisa hyphenated when she got married (didn't know she was that radical), and was greeted with astonishment when I said I was still lifting Mom. Well, duh!

Stayed home today too, missing another meeting because of the stupid colds. I practiced decorative icing techniques for Greg and Anne's wedding cake -- the wedding is this Friday, and I gave the cakes their last drink of whiskey today. The cakes will get a layer of almond paste, then be iced with royal icing. Anne sent some pictures of possible cakes and her brother's wedding cake. I'll be off Thursday to ice the cakes.

December 17: I told you I'd update when there was progress

And there was kitchen progress this week.

December 13: Christmas is coming

Watching a musical version of A Christmas Carol with Kelsey Grammar. I never thought there would be a version of Carol that I didn't like. Muppets is my favorite, and I'll even change the channel for Scrooged, but, this, this is awful. It's like Circus of the Stars does Dickens; just look at that cast list. We're watching to see how bad it gets. So far, bad pop psychology, Freudian references, Rockette knockoffs and bad singing. I'm waiting for the rap. The songs do nothing for the plot; they appear in place of plot and are dull.

Christmas decorations have been limited to wreaths on the doors, possibly with the addition of gold ribbon. I've made Springerle at Mom's for Mom and Jorj. I also made the world's worst diabetic cookies, although the two diabetics insisted they've had worse. This is a new mission for Christmas Baking with SusieJ: palatable low-sugar cookies. Cards are decorating the cabinets.

Speaking of which: don't ask about the kitchen.

It's hard to see the forest for the frustrations these days. Hard to see how lucky I am to be able to get a new kitchen, and without the new kitchen there would be no schedule slip. Hard to see that the pregnancy will end with something wonderful. Hard to see how cute and fluffy the cat is while she whines for food as I run downstairs to take a sudafed.

So, life is tilting in the sucky direction right now, but is not, actually, sucky.

And should be less sucky come spring, when all my boys will be in Philly. Yep, Tobi will be returning for Easter. We're as excited as we can get.s

James P., however, has come home early from California for Christmas. His father is in hospital with sepsis, which developed when he was in hospital for dehydration after his first round of chemo. Dave P. was my ueber-boss at my first real job: co-oping at NADC. He hired many co-ops, gave them real work (Steve is still jealous), and got them clearances. It was a great job, one I would have stayed with if I hadn't wanted to stay downtown for my next co-op. He retired when the base moved south, and drove Carrie nuts until he got something to do. Like his sons, he's a nut and a crackpot, and one of my favorite people.

When James first told me of his esophogeal cancer, I wanted to say something to the parents of my friends. So, kids, go get your parents, I'll wait.

Would you stop smoking? Please? Because, you know, we -- your kids and I -- are fond of you, and no matter how long you are with us, it will still be too short.

I watched my father die of cancer at 61, althought he was convinced he would live into his 80s despite the smoking, the drinking, and the annual bronchitis. It's not pretty. Even if it's fast, it's still ugly, ugly, ugly. At the end, he could barely breathe. He'll never see my children. He can't help me renovate my kitchen (and he owed me a kitchen -- I helped with his kitchen when I was eight). Nearly eight years later, I'm still pissed at him for dying.

By know, you probably know what it's like to lose a parent, how adrift one feels. Do you want to inflict that feeling on your children before you have to? So please, take care of yourself. You can send your kids back to the web page.

(And I'm not sure if Dave smokes, but I know Carrie does. So Carrie, it's time to stop.)

Anyhow, thanks for letting me scold your parents. I really wish I could have found the words that would have gotten my father to listen in time.

October & November 2004 February 2005 & March 2005

What I'm reading

The Christmas issues of Savuer, Bon Appetit and Martha Stewart Living. You want to get the Christmas issue of Savuer (actually, it's a December issue, they focus more on winter than a specific holiday) for Anne Mendelson's essay. I know she's been published nationwide (and won awards) for decades now, but it still thrills me to see her byline.

• Bourne Supremacy, Robert Ludlum. The movie looked good. Maybe it was Franke Potente (I love seeing Germans make good in America). Maybe I have a thing for spy thrillers/crimis set in Europe. If the movie looked good, the book had to be better, right? Right? Eh. It's got too much of the female lead trying to convince the male lead he's not a dirtbag; and too much of the male lead agonizing over whether he is a dirtbag. The agonizing would be okay if he agonized differently each time. But, it fits in my bag, and I'm sitting in doctors offices a lot lately.
• China Milleville, King Rat. A wildcard.
• Neil Gaiman, Sandman, vol I. I always thought I should like "graphic novels" more, me being a geek and all.

What I'm listening to

Christmas music of course!

• The Edge of Christmas new-wavy Christmas music, including David and Bing's duet. Bought this from CDNow. Ahh, how I miss you, CDNow, Amazon just doesn't have the interface for selling music. They should have bought the code, not just the name.
• Mahalia Jackson, Mahalia Jackson Sings Songs of Christmas and Silent Night Christmas with Mahalia Jackson Some overlap, but this woman could convert Madelaine Murray O'Hair. She gives me chills without even hitting a "big" note. If you want a Christmas album that focuses on Christmas and not the holiday, buy Sings Songs of Christmas.
• Vince Guaraldi, A Charlie Brown Christmas. I can still see the CBS (or NBC?) logo for a special program: the word SPECIAL, each letter a different color, twisting from upside down to right-side up, with a trail of fainter letters behind, and that drumbeat track. Which, considering the decade -- the 70s -- was a real drummer. Now it's some cable station with the 25 Days of Christmas, showing the Grinch and Charlie Brown every week. In the same vein, A Classic Cartoon Christmas.
• Sandi Patty, Celebrate Christmas The first Christmas CD I owned, includes performances by Canadian Brass. Just a nice, traditional Christmas album.
• The Nutcracker I was very shocked to discover that the Baryshnakov version PBS showed each year was not the definitive version, that, in fact, there is no definitive version of a live performance work, unlike a movie or book, which never changes. Well, until the special edition, plantinum edition, collector's edition, annotated edition, writer/director's original manuscript/cut, etc., etc.

Things that make me happy (in no particular order)

• Sudden understanding
• Honeysuckle: this year they've been very strong, and can be smelled even in the car with only the vent open.
• Fastnachttag
• Chanel No. 5
• Spontaneous entertaining -- just drop on by!
• Wool socks
• Hearing Schwäbisch -- in Germany, in the deli, on CD
• Hot tea
• Spätzle
• Math, especially algebra
• Inclement weather
• Getting a good workout in the garden
• Mokka
• Watching Jorj
• Clap boxes and label printers
• Green tea