Feeling Crabby in Maryland

While at a friend's wedding in Maryland, I experienced my first crab feast. It was pretty awesome.

Meredith experienced her first oyster.

Seafood delights abound.

Play

I'm probably biased, but I think these pictures of Meredith playing on the beach in Yachats are pretty fantastic.

Cabin Modality

We spent part of vacation at my family's cabin on the Umpqua River.


Cabin modality equals sitting on the deck, reading, sitting around the fire, watching old VHS movies at night, sitting on the dock, and of course, ideal swimming conditions. Cameras are easily forgotten, but I did manage to snap a few gems that capture fun on the Umpqua.


I call this one, "Waterhorse Legend of the Deep."

Trapped

Sprout usually greets us at the door, wagging her nubbin and flopping on the floor with excitement. The other day, we arrived home from a brunch with friends, only this time there was no dog to meet us. We called her name, but there was no sign of her. The apartment is not that big, and it wasn't taking long for me to get worried. Luckily, Meredith quickly found her in the office, the door shut behind her. When the window is open (which it always is during this disgusting heat wave) a moderately strong gust of wind will blow the door closed. Sprout generally doesn't hang out in there while we're gone, but since we hadn't yet put away the air mattress used by the aforementioned house guests, the office had quickly become Sprout's favorite spot. Poor doggy was probably in there for several hours, although she seemed no worse for the wear. Just a little thirsty, and ready to bound to greet us with an extra amount of glee.

Houseguests

On two occasions this July, Meredith has had old pals passing through NYC, and we've had the pleasure of hostessing. Sprout has really enjoyed the extra laps on which to curl up and cuddle.

Hello? Anyone Out There?

Well, it's certainly been awhile, hasn't it? Just look at all those spam comments on my last post!

I realize I've been totally M.I.A. the past few months, and I guess I'll just chalk it up to adjusting to a new full time job that demands very long hours from March through mid-May. I hadn't blogged for so long, that at a certain point I thought that good old Reappropriate This had just died a natural death. But that crazy work time is (thankfully) over, which has given me more time to read other people's blogs, which has made me realize how much I miss having my own blog. So I'm back, attempted to resurrect this site.

Here are a few new things that have happened since January.


I've wasted many seeds and killed many delicate seedlings, but I've perservered with my indoor garden. In a few instances, I caved and bought already healthy plants at the store (see basil on left). I'm trying to grow an avocado tree (center) and, in my one success story, I grew this out-of-control tomato plant from a seed.


Meredith and Jamie's joint birthday picnic at Prospect Park got rained out, but Chris and Michael saved the day by inviting us over for an indoor picnic.


Our CSA started! It's still the time of year where we're getting mostly greens (lettuce and mesclun and spinach and bok choy and kale!!!) but it's still totally awesome. Maybe I'll share some meals in some upcoming posts.

Here's to being back in the blogging saddle.

13th of the Month

Slippers

Sprout
Sewing

Bullet Points

Oops. My blogging skills are totally deteriorating. When I noticed it's been well over a week since my last post, I racked my brain for some witty or noteworthy events, thoughts, or observations I might share with you, Internet. But I came up short, and will instead resort to some classic bullet points. Over the past couple of weeks I have:

- Celebrated Janet's 25th birthday with a night of hearty fall food and beeswax candle making. Here's a picture of the birthday girl in action that I stole from her Facebook page:
- Convinced the landlord to repaint the ceilings which were stained after a leak caused by their faulty washer & dryer. A small domestic success.

- Waited in line for an hour for dinner at Westville with Jamie, Ned, Meredith & Lisa. There are about a million other fine dining establishments in the vicinity, but we were a determined bunch. After dinner, we went to Sweet Revenge-- a gimmicky but great cafe that pairs cupcakes with exotic beers.

- Babysat for a (very cute but) fussy, teething baby who could only be consoled by a) repeatedly doing the Hokey-Pokey or b) Schnappi.

- Finally bought a humidifier after several winters of vowing I would buy one for the next year. It has transformed my room from a dry, scratchy nightmare to a cozy, luxurious oasis. Here's Meredith enjoying its wonderful steaminess:If we Photoshopped out the plastic top, I think this would make for fine evidence of ectoplasm in a ghostly encounter hoax. Which, appropriately, is one of Ms. Bak's primary scholarly interests.

- Watched Sprout's nesting tendencies kick into high gear as the weather has gotten colder. It's not uncommon for me to notice she's left the room, only to find she's retreated to the bedroom to curl up on my pillow and snuggle under blankets. How she manages to do this on her own, without opposable thumbs, is amazing and cute. Amazingly cute:

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

Halloween has come and gone, but Santa Barbara pumpkin picking memories remain.

Country Dog Kerchief

Vermont Memories, #4



I remembered last year I visited Vermont right in the middle of hunting season, and that the dogs had to wear brightly colored scraps tied on their collars when we went on walks in the woods so that hunters knew not to shoot should they see them rustling in the bushes. I figured they might like something a little more fashionable this year, and enlisted Meredith's help in a craft project. She whipped up a couple of apple-patterned kerchiefs for little miss Sprout and our host dog Peanut. The only thing Sprout enjoyed more than wearing her new fall accessory was rolling in horse poop, so the kerchief only made it through the first day.

What I Did on My Summer Vacation

I just returned from a whirlwind vacation: Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Phoenix and Sedona all in under two weeks. Admidst all the to & fro, I did manage to secure at least a couple of days comprised of nothing but TV watching. I am now officially obsessed with HGTV's Property Virgins and My First Place. I didn't do a very good job of photographically documenting my time, but a few highlights (I'm sure I've forgotten plenty) include:

- Korean foot massages with Meredith and my mom. Don't let the name fool you, they massage way more than your feet. Their techniques include pressing pressure points incredibly hard, rotating bones in the sockets, and scratching the tips of toes with their finger nails. Fantastic.

- Watching Meredith present at Visible Evidence XVI, held at USC's very fancy, brand new George Lucas and Steven Spielberg McMansion buildings.

- Getting to see Nat's new bachelor pad in Koreatown.

- Eating bimbimbob with Hye-Jean in Koreatown (do you see a theme here?)

- Meeting baby Theo, who squawked a bit and then promptly took a nap in my arms. He made me ponder the question: do babies dream?

- Dinner at Garland's with my dad and Laura. Such a magical place-- an old wooden lodge adorned with Navajo rugs and deer heads. Cocktails are served to you on picnic benches outside while you wait for the dinner bell to ring. Dinner involves things like crab apples and honey bourbon BBQ sauce. You have to drive over a little stream to get there.

And now, the one and only event that got properly documented, walking along Oak Creek with the pack. It was great to see Sprout getting in touch with her desert-self.


She got a cactus spine in her paw but didn't even whimper. Her white hair was stained with red dust for a days.

Ready for the Wild Rumpus

Meredith spotted this while strolling the neighborhood this weekend: a miniature Max along for the ride. Here's a somewhat blurry close-up:

Happy Birthday MAB

Today is one of those days when I'm especially sad that California and New York are so very far apart. A belated celebration awaits you in the City of Dreams!

The Happiest Place on Earth, Even on Memorial Day Weekend

This past Saturday, Meredith, Nat & I ventured to Disneyland. We set out early, fueled by Burger King breakfast, and braced ourselves for horrendous holiday weekend crowds. It was Meredith's first visit, and I had warned her that we might only get to do a handful of rides if the lines were too long, but I'm happy to report that we managed to hit not only the big name "Mountain" rides (Splash, Big Thunder, Space) but also some of the less-thrilling but more-charming classic rides, like Small World and Jungle Cruise [see animatronic baby elephant above]. The longest we had to wait for a ride was 20 minutes. Actually, the lunch line at The Golden Horseshoe was the longest we had to wait for anything, but the chili fries were worth it. All in all, a very successful visit. Some highlights of our happy day included:

- Meredith screaming so loudly on Big Thunder Mountain that the entire line of waiting riders were staring at us by the time the ride ended.
- Nat overcoming a traumatic childhood experience and riding Mr. Toad's Wild Ride without crying.
- Eating churros before noon.
- Getting to ride Space Mountain two times in a row after the attendant accidentally advanced our car instead of stopping it at the exit. Apparently, harmless mishaps abound at Space Mountain-- Disneyland fans might enjoy this video of the ride with the lights on.

And now for some photographic evidence. Funnily, we didn't manage to capture any pictures of us that actually demonstrate we were at Disneyland, so you'll have to take my word for it.

Jungle Cruisin'

Nat's funny face

Cotton Candy fingers

Nat getting in touch with his Japanese tourist side, and me holding the trusty map.
A ha! Finally some proof of Disneyland!

All Aboard the Disneyland Railroad

More details on the recent Disneyland adventure coming soon...

Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens

Calm Assertive

In my family, there has long been a tradition of getting presents from the dogs. Sprout (Meredith) recently caught on to this practice, and for my birthday last week, I was delighted to find one present with a card that read: "To Mama, Love Treat Sprout."

Sprout's pick for me was a great little book called The Daily Coyote. It is based on a blog of the same name, and is about a woman who raised an orphaned coyote pup. Sometimes I think Sprout looks like a coyote, but as I learned, it's a lot easier to raise Sprout. The book is a really easy and enjoyable read with lots of color photographs, and if you're the kind of person who likes the idea of getting presents from your dog, chances are you'll like the book.

The Week in Review

I have been 25 for a week now, and what a week it has been.

Friday

Meredith (who had surprised me the day before by taking an earlier flight than expected) and I journeyed to Beacon, NY where we visited Dia:Beacon, explored Main Street, and ate at Homespun Foods.

Saturday

I met up with pals for a delicious brunch at DuMont. It was a great first day of spring; I had made little seed packet party favors, and was given tulips by both Meng & Kashmira. After eggs benedict, a handful of us went to PS 1. The best thing thing there was Leandro Erlich's swimming pool. Afterward we headed back to Brooklyn for a neighborhood promenade. We eventually ended up at our old haunt, Brooklyn Ale House, where sadly, the free bagel brunch was not happening. But there were plenty of peanuts.

Sunday

The day began with brunch, my favorite meal, at Enid's, followed by a routine stop-in at Spoonbill & Sugartown and Catbird. On the way home, we decided to brave the moody proprietor of Cheeks to pick up a dozen cupcakes. Later that evening we met up with the old museum gang for bowling (and the aforementioned cupcakes) at The Gutter. Even though I lost, I bowled a strike for the last two frames, so that was pretty sweet.

Monday

We met up for brunch with a couple of Meredith's pals at Clinton Street Baking Company. We shoe-shopped unsuccessfully. We had a Sprout photo shoot.

Tuesday
We went to hear Heather Armstrong (aka dooce) read from her new book at B&N and dreamt of one day being Internet moguls, too. Then we saw Sunshine Cleaning at the Landmark Sunshine.

Wednesday
Double trouble. We met Megha for delicious food in Prospect Heights: Mexican at at Chavella's and ice cream at Blue Marble. I think my dreams came true when I saw they offered banana chip. Then we headed to trivia night at Pete's Candy Store with Meredith's pal, Katie. We placed 7th (out of about 16, not too shabby) and learned what a philtrum is.

Thursday

Dinner at Westville East, where we enjoyed brussell sprouts, beets, artichoke hearts, plantains, and many more vegetable delights.

Friday
Today we had brunch at Shopsin's with James. They have macaroni and cheese pancakes, and they're delicious. After we checked out Economy Candy, we walked up to Union Square to catch a matinee showing of A Haunting in Connecticut. The theater was full of rowdy high schoolers, but the ectoplasm was cool. Now we're about to head up up uptown for a sleep over at Stiggy's. Fun fun fun.

Koala Yummy