riding the bus

I had an absolutely lovely Indian dinner in Harvard Square with Amy and Aaron then we walked around Old Hahvahd Yahd for a bit afterward. We parted ways and I sat on the busride home pretty much with an empty mind, busy digesting in that food coma stage. Just before getting to my stop, a woman got on the bus. I didn't really notice her at all in the midst of my coma until she hollered, "Hold on, I'm coming!" Naturally that aroused me to semi-consciousness, and I watched her stuffing her hand in her sweatshirt pocket and holler again, "Hold on, I'm coming!" She didn't really seem to be looking at anyone in particular, and she kind of smiled and sat down in the front by some woman. Then she pulled a cell phone out of her pocket and answered it! It was really cute.

It's also funny because at dinner we had talked a little about weird bus/T experiences. So, since we're on the subject, let me just tell my other favorite one. I may have written about it before, but it's my all-time favorite, so I'll write about it again.

Around Halloween, one evening I was walking home on the sidewalk on the left side of the street (so I'm facing oncoming traffic). It must have been cold and/or late because not many people were out. It was dark out at least, and suddenly a bus goes barrelling by, a moving, lit box with all the bright blue seats empty, except for one very large reddish-brownish gorilla in the very back. It was great. A kodak moment.

daylight savings

I love it being light for a couple hours after work- it's incredible! My running options double, and it just feels good to be in sunlight.

So according to the national designation, we are now in the period of saving out daylight. This period also just got extended so it's a little longer than it used to be. My question is, why don't we just save daylight all year?? I mean, why wouldn't you want to save daylight? Not only would it be easier on our memories and circadian rhythms, we would get the joys of more sunshine giving us vitamin D. Who gets up that early anyway? I'd rather get up in the dark and come home in the setting sun than get up in the dark anyway and go home in the dark too...

maybe I'm wrong, but that's how it seems to me.

It was Leslie, in the kitchen, with the scissors!

I think I'm out to get myself. Let me just relate to you these recent... unrelated?... events.

About one week ago: Turning the pages in my Asian cookbook. I think, "I sense a papercut coming." Another part of me says, "These thick pages can't possibly slice your skin open- you're turning about 12 pages at a time here." Sure enough, got the cut right on the tip of my left index finger. (For the record, I also got another papercut on the bottom of my right pinkie, but I don't recall the circumstances.)

Last Thursday: Chopping hot, cooked chicken. Somehow the knife bounces off the chicken breast and aims itself onto the side of my left middle fingertip. Luckily the chicken was tender so I wasn't using a terrible amount of force to cut it and the knife hasn't been sharpened in awhile so I got away with just a knick.

Also last Thursday: Chopping onions. This time I was using a little more power. The knife slipped and sliced about a third across the very tip of my left thumb. The blow came from the front, so it sliced my thumbnail and the skin next to it, but not all the way through to the back or all the way across. Once again, thank goodness my knife is not brand new.

Today or yesterday: Cutting open something in the kitchen. The scissors tried to go a little too far and nip the skin on my hand, but no damage done.

Just now: Cutting open a bubble envelope. The scissors compensated for their mistake last time and took a solid bite out of the pad of skin right below my left index finger (whatever you call that- if it were your feet, it would be the ball of your foot).

So what's going on here?? Does my right hand have a vendetta out against my left hand?? This has been happening a little too often for comfort...

well, I need to go run before I lose motivation. wish me luck!

happy birthday to you

Last night I had a birthday dinner for Aaron. It was a small party; I only invited a few people, but that number is automatically doubled after you add all of the default people (roommates, any boyfriends of roommates). So there were 10 of us, which is bordering crowded in our apartment, but I think it was still a good number. Things never work out as planned- I always run out of time... maybe I should start considering zero time the norm...

I made a lemon merengue pie the night before (Aaron's favorite) and last night I made some Chicken Vindaloo. Jessica made Ras Malai (or something like that) - a tasty Indian dessert. She even made her own cheese for it! very impressive. The pie was gorgeous (imho) but I put plastic over it in the fridge and it sweated so it got little sugar-water beads all over the merengue and lost it's straight-out-of-the-Williams-Sonoma-cookbook look. I dabbed off the sugar-water beads a little then put 26 skinny crazy curly candles all over the top, and those distracted from it's otherwise sad appearance. It looked wicked sweet.

The best part of the night was lighting the candles. I wanted the pie to be a surprise for Aaron since it's his favorite. Now, it's important here to remember our looooong hallway, with the kitchen at the back and the living room up front, and my room with two sliding doors that lead into the living room. Everyone was hanging out in the living room, and Jamie and I put candles on the pie in the kitchen. Then we didn't want to a)make the candles blow out while walking and b)risk the candles melting all the way down to the pie during the long trek, so we decided to light them in my room then bust through my sliding doors- all the better since Aaron was sitting right on the other side of them!

We, well I, started lighting candles with a lighter, and Jamie had a book of matches. Bless her heart, the girl pulled off a match and was flicking it on the little strip on the match booklet. So I took it away from her (no time to lose- some candles were already melting and there were 23 more to go!), and gave her the lighter... which she didn't know how to use either. So I showed her how to light a match by putting it in the candle flame, and we were able to get under way. Remember, again, that everybody is right on the other side of these sliding doors which offer absolutely no sound barrier. We are lighting candles, Jamie keeps letting the matches burn too long til the flame nearly nips her fingertips, and we are trying to stifle giggles, a few of which blew out some candles, which incited another burst of giggles, which is detremental to candle flames... you see where this is going. My favorite moment was when Jamie actually let the flame get to her fingers, so she dropped the burning match onto my floor, and pampered her finger while disregarding the match. However, at that point we were both laughing so hard (silently, mind you, or as quietly as we could at least) that neither of us was capable of blowing out the match. So Jamie ingeniously smothers it with her finger, then blows on her scorched finger amid bouts of "ouch,ouch,ouch!"

Incredibly, we did get all 26 candles lit simultaneously and Jamie ran and turned out the hall and living room lights, then threw open my double doors, and the pie made it's glorious appearance to the birthday boy. And everyone lived happily every after. (It was pretty tasty too, if I may say so myself! )

That's how this day has gone.

I stared at my pot of water, waiting for it to boil. Then I realized the stove wasn't on.

creepy

yesterday I saw this on my way to work and then again at the end of the day when I went home: On the earth next to the sidewalk there was a dead squirrel. But here's the creepy part: It was sprawled spread-eagle on its belly. There was a small piece of white cotton knit over it like a blanket. There was a small stick about 6 inches tall in the ground at its head. There was a cracker with cheese and a little tupperware bowl of water next to it. It was all gone this morning, except for the stick.

I actually felt quite disturbed each time I passed it. I'm not sure why it should affect me so strongly, but I definitely felt quite creeped out for at least a good 3 blocks after that. It was really strange.

our house mouse

so we have this mouse in the house...tonight he and I had a close encounter.

We have two bathrooms and the mine is in the back off of the kitchen. It's the small one- has a full bathtub, shower and toilet, but the rest is barely enough room to dry off.

so I was getting ready for bed after having returned from a friend's Gangsta bday Party* and in the bathroom suddenly this mouse that is now the bane of our existence** suddenly was running around in there with me. I'd already been in there and washed my face and brushed my teeth, all with the door shut, so he musta been hiding and finally freaked out and started running everywhere in a panic. At any rate, I didn't relish the thought of a little mouse running on me and perched on the edge of the bathtub. I decided my only option was to arm myself with the toilet plunger and try to trap him under it. Trouble is, he's a quick sucker- it's like playing some carnival game or arcade game where you just keep barely missing. He'd run a couple laps around the bathroom then hid behind the toilet and trash can. So I'd bonk the trash can around with the plunger to make him run out again and see if I could get him. I don't really get why he likes to hang out in our bathroom***, and I guess there's no escape except through the door. I actually almost got him once. I caught his foot and he even issued a faint squeak but it wasn't enough to keep him trapped under the plunger. I think it motivated him to work harder at getting out cuz on his next lap he really pushed and wriggled his way under the door and into the kitchen****. cursed mouse.
So I put fresh peanut butter and reset the trap, and tomorrow I'll freshen up the other one and try a new location. My mom said to put just enough pb on that he'll have to lick hard to get it off without getting away with a free dinner, but I think I put it on a little too thin last time cuz we didn't catch anybody*****.

* RepRezeNtiN wit ma girlz from harvard st...good times :)
**since we seem to have conquered the moths
***he was sighted there previously, running laps and all
****cursed mouse.
*****except we almost got Anna's toes once...