Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in Margot (aka Moomont)'s LiveJournal:

[ << Previous 20 ]

Thursday, July 9th, 2009
3:51 pm	What the Hell Tony? Since when is Baltimore in the Rust Belt?  Damn it, man!  Is it not enough that the only good things that can be said about my hometown are crabs, sports teams and deeply violent and dark TV shows?  The only cheery thing I ever get about Baltimore is Ace of Cakes!  Don't you dare put us in the Rust Belt.  Hello, Baltimore is not full of car factories or steel plants.  I might as well say that NYC is in Appalachia!  May Bloomberg reign for the rest of your days! Current Mood: quixotic (6 Comments |Comment on this)
2:13 pm	The problem with the Internet Well, just one of them, actually. Things we already know: I have a bit of a book problem.  For the sake of my wallet (and having furnishings other than bookshelves) I get a lot of books from the library.  But even I can only read so fast.  I have to do all this other stuff, like work and cook adn eat and sleep, and sometimes I like to crochet and watch TV and you just can't read a book and do all that at the same time.  ( I have discovered that I can knit and read a hardback, provided I'm a little ways into the book and sitting on the floor.  But I can't crochet this way, that requires too much looking.) Things you may not know: The Seattle Public Library lets you request books online.  I also read the blog of a Sci-Fi author (John Scalzi).  This leads me to learning about all kinds of new books I've never heard of.  Which I then immediately want to read.  And it's so easy to just pop over the library webiste and request them.  Right now I have 4 books out, two of which I've finished, two of which are giant conglomerations of 20's pulp which can be surprisingly challenging to read.  And I have ... 10 books on request, two of which are on their way.  I've already had to return at least 1 book this summer unread becasue I just ran out of time. I'm not complaining (not in the least!) but I do know that before I had access to the nifty library website I would have never remembered even half of these books to think to check them out.  And before I started reading that blog, I wouldn't have known about most of them, and many of the ones I did see I wouldn't have checked out. Ain't life grand? Current Mood: pleased (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, July 8th, 2009
9:47 pm	On my trip to Napa Valley I:  Was felt up by a 1-year-old (boobs provide good leverage for standing, provided the owner of the boobs is sitting on the floor). Played musical rooms in a seriously lame motel. Drank wine at 10:30 in the morning.  And sparkling wine at 3 in the afternoon. Got mud in places it's never been before, and sat in a room naked with my mom.  (steam room) Swam in a naturally 95degree pool. Wandered around downtown Napa (it's kind of lame). Went to the CIA  and watched a demonstration of roasted chili, corn and chicken chowder. Took my picture by the French Laundry, and looked at their veg gardens. Got a macroon at the Bouchon Bakery ( and was roundly complimented on my choice of snack shop). Rented my very first car.  A PT Cruiser, whoopie. Got to be a living chair for my baby cousins.  They're so damn cute! Learned all kinds of interesting things about my great-grandfather (on the Swedish side). Helped cook some amazing food. Ate more amazing food. Was subjected to 5 birthday cakes (only ate from 2). Got to see almosty 30 of my relative, only missing two older cousins and two terrifed uncles. Saw artichokes in their natural growning state.  I have no idea what possesed anyone to eat them! And generally had a great time!  I'll post pics when Ig et them off the camera/phone. Current Mood: happy (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, June 30th, 2009
6:02 pm	Ballet!  I had my first ballet class yesterday.  It went pretty well, considering I've never done ballet before, even if I did have years of dance for school.  I was every so slightly disappointed, however, that even though I was wearing the leotard, tights and ballet slippers, I could still not touch my toes.  Perhaps someday. That said, ballet is a very good workout, and anyone who thinks all that prancing about is easy, well, think again.  It's hard work and one might well be quite sore afterwards. Current Mood: accomplished (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, June 25th, 2009
4:47 pm	iCrack  So I have an iPhone now (just a 3G, not a 3GS).  I really like it (though I'd like it better if Paul would stop stealing it).  But now that I have it, what should i do with it?   What Apps should I have? Any suggestions on a case?  I'm thinking a soft, grippy silicone, but I'm not sure. (Not posted form my iPhone) Current Mood: bouncy (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, June 18th, 2009
9:56 pm	That was fast!  I have never before gotten a thank-you note for a wedding gift in less that 3 months, let alone barely two weeks, with trans-continental transit time!  Ben and Molly are crazy-organized, and way cool. Current Mood: pleased (Comment on this)
Friday, June 12th, 2009
9:50 pm	Food: What is ethnic? This is something I've been thinking about recently, and I've discovered that there are two major factors that determine what you define as "ethnic food" as opposed to "regular food". The first is age.  I was talking with Paul's mother tonight, and it became very clear that what she thinks of as "ethnic" is not anywhere near what we think of as "ethnic".  It's not about being adventuresome, or not, it's about the things that are part of your day-to-day eating.  Italian, for example, is not ethnic.  Specific, yes, ethnic, no.  Pho borders ethnic for me, but Mexican does not.   In some ways 'ethnic' is about  where you draw your boundaries.  (This came up when "Northwest" was defined as too ethnic.) I think that where you live also has something to do with how you define ethnic food; if the most different place to eat in your town is Chi-Chi's, well, then actual Mexican food would be ethnic. I'll now be off to dream about sticky rice withg mango, sorta-sushi, fresh rolls and hummus.  MMmmmmm..... Current Mood: confused (Comment on this)
Sunday, June 7th, 2009
6:40 pm	The map LIED!  Foolish: using the tourist map to walk from Woods Hole to Falmoth (about 5 miles) thinking it will be a short stroll for people in non-hiking shoes, on roads without sidewalks. Stupid: walking back, knowing how far it was to walk back, and that we were short on time, but not getting a cab.   I have some lovely blisters. But the wedding was delightful! (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009
2:17 pm	Well, I have a really nice post about manners and whatnot, but for some reason I can't paste form OpenOffice to LJ in chrome.  Annoying.  You'll just have to enjoy that i cam currently at 37,000 feet moving ~500mph. (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, May 31st, 2009
9:59 pm	Ack! How do I forget these things?  Dear Lazyweb (or Other People Who Have Read Miss Manners), Where are Ben and Molly registered?  I know they're not really supposed to tell anyone, we're supposed to ask around, or something, because that's more polite.  Well, Miss Manners, I know what you're trying to say, but really, it's irksome to have to try and poke through the grapevine to find out where your friends are registered.   Thanks! (7 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, May 24th, 2009
8:55 am	Dude, you're not the next Agassi! Let us imagine, for a moment, that we are a young dude, maybe living at home, maybe not.  And then let us imiagine that we love us some tennis.  But we don't have a tennis court, though there are two at the park near our house.  And then let us imagine that it is midnight on a Saturday.  What should we do? Clearly, we should get our buddy and go play half-court tennis agains the wall of the parish hall of the local Catholic church.  And because the sidewalk isn't quite wide enough, we should stand in the street.  And slam tennis balls against the wall.  In the middle of the night.  But we're not talking, so no one can hear us, so it's OK. Now I understand the impulse to scream "Get off my lawn!" Why the heck didn't they just go break into the actual tennis courts?  Maybe there aren't enough street lights there.   Current Mood: old (Comment on this)
Saturday, May 16th, 2009
6:38 am	Farmers Markets  So the Farmers Markets (Farmers' Markets?) have started up again this year, and even if the only things I've bought so far are a tomato plant and a pepper plant, I am amazed by how much these markets have grown. The Capitol Hill market now takes up the entire BoA parking lot (which means there isn't anywhere to put your car, but oh well), with a really nice range of stuff.  Especially this early in the season there is a lot of bread, cheese, fish, meat and a few things, in addition to the veg and flowers. It's still way to early to have any local, outdoor fruit.  I'm not quite sure what the tomato people do, but they always have good looking tomatoes, May to November. The Madrona/Madison Park farmers market has undergone the biggest transformation.  (It's the Friday market, while Cap Hill is Sunday.)  3 years ago it was in a crummy location with about 10 vendors, maybe half of which were selling produce.  Then it moved to the Grocery Outlet parking lot (way more visible, if a very strange combination) and the number and quality of the vendors just keeps going up.  Yesterday, when the only produce anyone had was greens and radishes, there were at least 20 vendors, and only a few of them overlapped with the Cap Hill market.  I imagine, as the season goes on, that both markets will expand considerably, as the folks with produce come in. It is really nice to have all of the promise of a farmers market available, even if we don't do all our shopping there. Current Mood: hungry (Comment on this)
Monday, May 11th, 2009
10:22 am	Problem? No, I don't have a problem.... Except that I might be totally nuts!  Why?  Because on Saturday I made two gallons of yogurt.  Yeah. Why?  Because I need pots, and a gallon of milk at $1.99 is the cheapest gallon pot you can buy.  The milk is just gravy. Why do I need plastic pots, when I have plenty of nice terra cotta pots? Because we are building a Arduino-controlled self-watering, self-lighting garden system in our guest bathtub.  Of course.  What else are we going to do with that bathtub?  So I still need a few gallon milk jugs, but I think I'm done with the yogurt for now.  I've still got most of it in the fridge, waiting to be pressed into cheese.  But at least now I can use a foil-covered brick! Current Mood: productive (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Sunday, May 10th, 2009
8:26 pm	Something about size vs time...  I like Ikea.  This shouldn't be surprising, my Scandinavian heritage coming to the fore.  And I like to eat at Ikea.  But, as some of you might know, I'm not great at eating a lot at once.  So when I got to Ikea, I get a kid's meatball plate.  It's a whopping 5 meatballs, french fries, and a drink in a reusable cup.  (It's also $1.99, so I have money and room for desert.) Now, we don't go to Ikea all that often, but usually at least once a year.  So I have a few of these cups.  And you can see in the picture below, that the size has changed significantly. So which one is most recent?  If you guessed the one on the left you're wrong.  That's my first Ikea cup (I use it for smoothies now, no one will take it).  The one on the right, without a lid, is the cup I got yesterday.  And while it doesn't have a lid, so you can't really have it full while shopping, I only wanted one refill, which makes me think that a little blue (or 5 other colors) cup is plenty for any child, and that the first cup I had, which isn't that huge, is probably too big for most children. So while most serving sized in America are getting bigger, at Ikea, they're getting back to reasonable. Current Mood: thoughtful (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, May 7th, 2009
5:35 pm	Hmm...  So Berta took and posted this 'quiz', and I thought I'd like to see where I come up in the religion department.    For the most part the answers are just what I'd expected: 1.             Secular Humanism (100%) 2.             Unitarian Universalism (93%) 3.             Nontheist (81%) 4.             Liberal Quakers (72%) 5.             Theravada Buddhism (68%) 6.             Neo-Pagan (63%) 7.             Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (58%) 8.             Taoism (47%) 9.             New Age (44%) 10.             Reform Judaism (43%) 11.             Mahayana Buddhism (31%) 12.             Orthodox Quaker (31%) 13.             Sikhism (27%) 14.             Scientology (25%) 15.             Baha'i Faith (24%) 16.             New Thought (23%) 17.             Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (21%) 18.             Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (17%) 19.             Jainism (16%) 20.             Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (15%) 21.             Seventh Day Adventist (15%) 22.             Eastern Orthodox (13%) 23.             Islam (13%) 24.             Orthodox Judaism (13%) 25.             Roman Catholic (13%) 26.             Hinduism (9%) 27.             Jehovah's Witness (0%) I'm a little confused why some of those frankly crazy "religions" are so high up (Scientology? Please.)  But I always knew I liked those nice Quakers, except for the no booze, no fancy clothes thing.  I imagine it wouldn't make my godfather very happy, so I just won't tell him, now will I? (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, May 6th, 2009
10:06 am	Thank you, Nate at the AT&T store in UVillage Seriously.  Last Sunday my phone refused to make or receive calls from my house (and surrounding area).  I was convinced it was dead, but wasn't ready to suck up the price of a new phone (since I was thinking iPhone.)  So on Monday I went to the AT&T store in UVillage.  I had been the day before, but the line was so long I gave up and left.  On Monday I didn't wait too long before I got Nate.  I explained that I love my phone, but it is 4 years old (ancient, I know) and I wasn't hopeful about fixing it.  Insead of trying to sell me an iPhone, he suggested that my sim card had died, and that I should get a new one, which he then handed to me, after transfering all my phone numbers onto the new card.  He would have activated it, but there are ... issues with our account.  When I got home Paul acitivated the sim card, and fixed our account, and my phone works again!  The best part?  He didn't even charge me for the sim card.  So, Thanks. Current Mood: pleased (Comment on this)
Monday, May 4th, 2009
10:22 pm	'Cause I didn't get enough of it at Mudd  I'm thinking about taking some classes.  Fun classes!  So, doe anyone in Seattle know about: Archery classes ( I think I'll try to get my brother's bow when I'm back East next month.) Drop-spindle spinning class (a wheel just takes up too much space) Adult ballet class (really, really beginner) Thoughts? Current Mood: geeky (7 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, May 3rd, 2009
9:02 pm	Mexico by the numbers  Cases of swine flu in Puerto Vallarta: 0 Cost of a taxi back from town: 50 pesos Temperature of the condo pool: 83F Average SPF: 30 Number of maragritas: Um... Bottles of Rum: 1.2  Bottles of Tequila (consumed): 0.75 Bottles of Tequila (bought): 3 Number of times turned on TV: 0 Books read: 5.2 Magazines read: 4 Bathing suits worn: 3 Propositions (Amanda and I): 2 Wolf-whistles/honks (Amanda and I): 3 Avacados eaten: 8 (?) Best mangos ever: 2 People who got seasick snorkling: 1 (me) Coati who joined us for dinner: 6 (see the Wikipedia entry) Taxis taken: ~5 Pesos to the dollar: ~13 Trips to the farmacia: 2 Other Washingtonians at the condo: 8 Teeny tiny ants: thousands Sunburns: 2-3 (depends if you count each foot independently) Games played: 5 (Cribbage, Gloom, Munchkins, Monty Python Flux, Pinochle) Bug bites: Too darn many (~22 per person) Times we said we wanted to go back: Every day. Distance from home to nearest school closed for swine flu: 1 block  Current Mood: grateful (2 Comments |Comment on this)
7:01 am	Back!  Still no swine flu!  But they did check our temperatures at the airport, using a nifty laser thingy; they just pointed it at your cheek and had a temp (in C).  We had to stop in San Fran, which normally wouldn't have been anything, it was just a stop without a plane change, but because we landed we all had to get off, go through immigration, collect our checked luggage, go through customs, recheck our luggage, and go back through security.  And they didn't really tell us when our next flight was leaving.   But it was way better for us than the poor guy sitting next to me.  He lost his passport in the Puerto Vallarta airport, and had gotten on the plane anyway. He didn't get on our next leg.  I felt really bad for him, but I was kinda glad to have his seat. I'd love to tell you more, but the cat is very needy right now, and I have some annoying bug bites that need attending. Current Mood: tired (Comment on this)
Thursday, April 30th, 2009
5:31 pm	Still don't have swine flu Hey there.  Still don't have swine flu.  I really hope they don't close the border.  That would be a very ... awkward  conversation with my boss.  "Sorry I won't be back to work on Monday; I'm trapped in a tropical paradise"  never goes down well.  Particularly after last year when it was almost "Sorry I can't come back to work , I'm trapped in Hawaii."  Clearly my life is terrible.  :)   But one thing that is terrible are my bargaining skills.  I'm just dreadful. Those merchants had a field day with me.  But I got some nice thingies.  And tamarind candy for the office.  We'll see how that goes down.      Current Mood: recumbent (Comment on this)