Short Girl Tall City

What is this witchcraft?

2015-04-09T12:41:00.001-11:00

Wow, there are certainly a strange and sudden influx of blogposts happening over here am I right??

Okay, but I had to post something, because today I accidentally performed serious hair alchemy.

Like actually…

Some of you may be aware of the strange obsession part of the internet has with going "no 'poo"

(hint, this is not what it means)

Basically, the idea is to scrap your shampoo and conditioner for baking soda and vinegar, resulting in magical hair powers, and total life transformation (I may be exaggerating their claims slightly). So what does this all have to do with hair alchemy you ask. Well, behold, here is my tale:

This morning my hairs were in need of some serious washing, but there wasn't enough time for me to do the whole full-shower situation. Remembering the claims of baking soda's miraculous de-greasing powers of the hair, I decided to try it for myself on a whim. The method was simple: dump about a cup of baking soda water on my head, let it sit for maybe 5 minutes, and then wash it out under the faucet. Bam. If it worked, great. If not, there are worse things than weird oily hair for a day.

However… I was seriously shocked when my hair dried.

It looked awesome. Awesome, and totally clean!

Seriously though, this hair hasn't been washed for 3 days, it has no right to look this acceptable with something so ridiculous as baking soda!!

Accidental quasi-glamour shot!

NOW, I'm not going to throw all my shampoo out the window and run around touting the glories of "no 'poo" because:

1: this was the first time I have done this, longterm results are something much different.

2: i'm pretty sure a lot of people would get confused and pour baking soda and vinegar on their heads, leading to a recreation of those volcanos everyone made in middle school. For the record, this is not how you are supposed to do it…

3: I would have to change the name, because "no 'poo" just sounds absurd. Poo is a necessary part of life yallz!

Hairs…why you look acceptable????

So for a last minute magical hair de-greaser, baking soda apparently works fantastically with my hair! Of course, I have no idea how much I used, or what the proportions were, or what would happen if I did this regularly! If anyone did try this say once a week, I would probably recommend (with my absolute lack of knowledge or experience) that you make sure to keep your hair from drying out too much, either by redistributing the natural oils with a good brush, or some sort of light oil or conditioner.

And may I reiterate the fact that I am totally, and completely NOT qualified to talk or give suggestions about this?

Happy hair days!

(don't) Trust me, I have some hair on my cranium!

Happy Spring (rolls)!

2015-04-05T11:44:00.000-11:00

Spring has sprung!

...and so have the SPRING rolls!

and the SPRING decorating!

what makes you SPRING?

My One True Love

2015-03-29T10:39:00.000-11:00

Today I was reunited (a day and a half early!) with my one true love...

MY BICYCLE!!!!

After all I put that beautiful piece of metal through, it's a wonder we are still together. Still, that bike and I are an unbeatable team. It might seem ridiculous, but my bike was my rock throughout college. When there was no one to go adventuring with, my bike was there. When I needed to freak out and just get away - bike. When the day was just too gorgeous to pass up, so was my bike. Alone for holidays? Not with my bike! It takes me everywhere: food, class, friends, treks, quick jaunts, snow, rain, sun, etc. I know how it works, and I know how we work best together. I love it.

....

SO. Now that everyone is thoroughly convinced of my insanity, here's some pictures from this past fourth of July in honor of my kick-ass bike!

(aren't we a cute couple?)

Happy spring, now get out there and bike!

Barbie Girl

2014-12-09T16:55:00.000-11:00

Some people celebrate Christmas in July, but over here at SGTC, we celebrate

HALLOWEEN AT (sort-of-almost) CHRISTMAS!!

(wuuuut!)

So without further ado, I bring you:

Life in plastic...

it's fantastic!

but actually I think I would weep toxic tears if I suddenly turned into blow-molded plastic! However, for an evening it was pretty fun to terrify the innocent!

and then terrify myself at the end of the evening when I had to take this absurd amount of makeup off my face...

So why Barbie you may ask? It was a simple outcome of supply and demand (sort of). You see, earlier I ran across a pair of FREE and outrageously hot pink heels.

Being the sort of human who would never wear these in real life (shoes must past the sprint-test) I knew they were costume material at its finest!

Back-track to March in Cunning Little Vixen when I was made to wear an outrageously long pair of falsies, and voila...BARBIE!

Brushing my hair is so much FUN!

My favorite part of the evening was definitely walking mechanically up to people grinning manically and trying to get them to shake my hand. All this while saying in a Barbie-pitched-voice "Hi, I'm BARBIE! What's YOUR name?!"

So, did I get pretty close? There's no way I was going to bleach my hair, but you know...details!

~ Happy December! ~

It's Coming…

2014-11-12T17:11:00.001-11:00

Halloween Post 2014…

be prepared.

Also, I made a poll (see left hand side), please fill it out lovely readers!

September through the lens

2014-09-17T14:14:00.000-11:00

IMAGES & VIBES OF EARLY AUTUMN.

a time for reading and reflection

for enjoying the color and warmth

for celebrations

and a time for introducing a very special guest to S.G.T.C

THE GIF!

should the gif be a permanent guest? Or a one-time stand-in?

thoughts?

Taste of Summer

2014-07-29T14:59:00.000-11:00

Ah that beautiful thing they call summer. Sky high temps, radios playing, gatherings, so much water, and summer school...?

Well ignoring the last part, it's been a pretty good run of the middle months so far! But friends, that is not why I have gathered you here today. The fact of the matter is: I have a cooking secret that just might change the way you look at a certain homemade delectable forever...

BE PREPARED.

..but first...behold what glorious free aquatic festivities are found in my current city of residence!

Well that was fun wasn't it? The cherry to that most beautiful day you might ask...well prepare yourselves lovers of Neapolitan pizza everywhere, because this just might change your life.

The answer my friends: A CAST IRON SKILLET!

I don't think these photos can possibly do it justice, but this method produces gorgeously bubbly and perfectly charred crust, not to mention excellently melty cheese!

I don't exactly remember how this all came about, but I was thinking about how one might make a nice oven fired pizza without the brick oven, and suddenly it hit me:
THE BROILER.
Pour ol' broiler is so forgotten and overlooked when it comes to homemade pizza (at least in the circles I run in) but it should be glorified and celebrated! Anyway...a quick internet scavenge later I had discovered that this method had been done before and was relatively simple. It is now with great excitement that I present to you the directions for a fabulous (and cheap!) pizza experience.
1.) Prepare you ingredients

Get a nice high-protein dough or whatever floats your boat (I'm not exactly sure what I did...as usual I didn't follow the recipe) and get your toppings 100% prepped because this baby is time sensitive!
2.) During the prep:
- set your broiler to high with the rack moved up
- get a cast iron skillet on a heat element cranked up pretty darn hot
3.) Now that your pan is smokin' and your oven is ready the fun begins...
- stretch out your dough to the size that will fit your pan
- quickly dust the skillet with four/cornmeal/whatever
- throw the dough on the fiery skillet and artfully place your sauce/toppings on an quickly as humanly possible.
This is going to give your bottom crust a nice toast or char (depending on the time/temp of the skillet) and start things going in the right direction.

4.) After about a minute check your dough with a spatula to see if the desired amount of char has been reached. If satisfied move onto the next step, if not leave on, but proceed with caution!
5.) Stick the whole darn thing (skillet and all) into the oven on the topmost rack with the broiler on high. Let that crust and cheese bubble like a happy cauldron until everything looks good and ready!

6.) EAT IT AND ENJOY THE FRUITS OF YOUR NOT-SO-LABORIOUS-LABOR!

(holy yum batman.)

For more information that you could possibly want see link:

http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2010/09/how-to-make-great-neapolitan-pizza-at-home.html#

It is also good to note that the author of said link claims that reversing the order (broiling, then stove-topping works better for puffier crust. I did not use this method and was still pretty happy with my crust, but also my crust was sort of weird to begin with as it was rather recipe-less so I'd say try both! The more pizzas the merrier right?

I would love to hear if anyone tries this method - after all, summer is pretty much ultimate pizza season.

Happy pie-making! (don't let it get in your eye though...)

Adventures in Alcohol (pt.1)

2014-06-13T14:31:00.000-11:00

It all began with…

21 years:

That's me with a representation of my one-true-love aka my bicycle.

You may know this, you may not - but on your birthday every year (unless you have some sort of magical twice-a-year event) many establishments will give you free goodies! How lovely is that? So naturally, I took it upon myself that day to bask in the free glories as much as possible. I call it deserved mooching.

That's a free bagel (with added extra accoutrements by me) and mocha cappuccino.

And here's the product of one of my presents: a milk frother! I am in love with frothed milk, I have no idea why. I would probably drink warm, frothed milk on the daily if I really wanted.

And now the moment you have all been waiting for with undoubtably baited breath…

(that's baited alright)

THE SIP!

THE verdict:

Pear cider actually tastes surprisingly good! Slightly fermented-fizz on top of a nice light and fruity base with minimal perceivable alcohol to ruin the experience. (It actually was quite high;

6-point-something which is a lot by my standards!)

THE friends:

THE me (at the BOGO free froyo birthday special)

Being the big 2 - 1 is looking to be a pretty good age after all. Although despite many people's best attempts, I still sort of hate alcohol, and really don't appreciate bars. As a college student, this grants me many looks of confusion and concern (as illustrated by the gentleman below).

Still, that can't get me down! A birthday puts you on the top of the world! (or at least the top of a very slippery and treacherous metal sculpture…)

Join me in the next post for:

Adventures in Alcohol part 2: The Unexpected Bartender!

May Day!

2014-05-01T14:01:00.001-11:00

~Happiest of May Days!~

Boy…its sure been a while hasn't it?

Since we seem to be playing catchup, allow me to fill you in on the life that's gone down so far:

1) I went to a rather epic production of Othello (complete with mysterious and haunting mist!)

2) It was winter for a really, really long time…

3)…and then it was SPRING (-break, not the actual weather mind you)!

During which, I got to go HERE:

…and see THIS:

And this cat!!

(this dude has got purrsonality! Oops, that was a pun sorry)

4) I was in an opera: The Cunning Little Vixen! I got to scamper around on stage and sing as the baby version of the main character. Claim to fame man…claim to fame.

5) Nice weather came at last! Outdoor concerts, baseball games, and festivals occurred!

Whatever you celebrate, enjoy your Mayday/Beltane/New-Month/Day-Rent-is-Due!!
In lieu of spring, all things growing, and music, check out this absolutely MIND BLOWING video. All I will say is tree ring slices = records…
If you watch it let me know what you thought! I am currently under the impression that this man is a genius.

Beets & Bangs

2014-01-03T10:01:00.000-11:00

It's time to fess up...

I did something rash, and outrageous...involving scissors...

JANUARY FOOLS!

The real issue around here is that I never know what time it is!

But back to when I faked you out into thinking I had bangs - are those some killer look-alikes or what?!

It's actually just the ends of my hair (which are about 500 shades lighter than my current follicle hue so everyone thought I had cut AND bleached it!) with a headband and bun to complete the disguise.

I quite like it actually! This means you can have bangs one day and none the next - no hassle!

For those of you at home wanting to try this for yourselves, the instructions are quite simple:

1.) gather hair into a nice top-of-your-head-bun, wrapping it around the center, making sure to leave out some of the ends for the "bangs"

2.) Sweep the ends of your hair down over your forehead as if they are your bangs.
3.) With your "bang" extras in place, pin the bun in to your head, and put a headband across the "bang-line" to complete the illusion.
4.) Rock your sweet new temporary 'do!

And on the subject of words starting with the letter B I've got beets to share!

These beauties where made from our summer beet harvest this past summer. Originally they were these lovely pink and white striped rings, but they seem to have simply all blended together into one fabulous fuchsia-esque concoction. I've never made pickles before, so it was a bit of a daunting process initially. The overall taste test was positive!

I'm not very into sweet pickles or those candy-tasting pickled beets, so I used a more dill-oriented recipe to give them a nice sour kick.

Look at that! I would probably just line up the jars and use them as stained glass if it wouldn't make them totally inedible!

Here's my artistic question:

Which makes for a better photograph? The textured background, or the sun-blinded plain white background?

Here are your choices:

(you can click on each of them for a larger image)

I'm torn - some thoughts from the peanut gallery perhaps?

A Spangly New Year

2014-01-01T15:20:00.000-11:00

~Sparkles!~

Look folks, I could not tell you why I really love sparkles, but I just do. And if nothing says "super spangly new year!" like two hands full of sparkles then I don't know what does!

So here we are - the year 2014 - and all I have to show for it so far is some glittery flanges.

Also, on the subject of party-ifying body extensions: I once more have pink hair!

(and sparkly nails! Have I said that already?)

But all sparkles and jokes aside, I really have a spectacular feeling about this whole 2014 business. Usually new years are exciting, fresh, new, and all - but this one seems extra potential-filled for some reason. There's already so much I'm looking forward to, but I'm also excited to see what unexpected adventures happen to drop by from time to time!

If you were hoping for a more in-depth look at pink-haired-person: you are in luck!

If you were hoping for a new image to haunt your nightmares: you are in luck!

If you were hoping for free synthesized music to be played whenever you walk through doorways: sorry, play again later!

Peace out, and have a positively rocket-powered start, middle, and finish to your 2014!

NEW miracle health product!

2013-11-16T07:12:00.000-11:00

That's right! We're finally getting a Halloween recap around here, as well as a mind-blowing health tip!

CURIOUS?

Raisin Brahms!!

Watch here for the hilarious Brahms-osity that inspired my costume for this year!

Johannes says: "For a healthy and fun life, make sure you get at least 2 servings of the Arts each day!"

Let's get real here folks: the arts are awesome. They inspire us, they challenge us, they bring us together, and help foster creativity, dedication, and humor in those who partake in them. The arts can provide much needed human-connection in communities, families, institutions, and even whole nations! The arts allow us to escape, but they can also wake us up to the world around us. They can be as irrelevant and old, or as fascinating and cutting-edge as our imaginations allow them to be.

Basically...whether it be forms of textiles, theatre, music, etc etc etc - the arts rock and everyone should have access to them in their life and community!

So go ahead - get your full serving of Arts each day and everyday! You'll be glad you did, I promise.

(or Brahms will be quite upset with you...and you don't want that now do you?)

For those of you wondering, YES OF COURSE I burst into my Jazz theory class yelling "GUTEN TAGGGggggggggg!!!!!" and was greeted by a chorus of "JOHANNES BRAHMS!?!"

(I admit, I made sure that at least 3 people knew I was coming so that I would have a few responders)

To my immense delight, I actually got a bunch of unsuspecting class-goers to to yell back in total spontaneity!! I also got a "you are officially my favorite" and a "everyone around the school of music is talking about you - in a good way!" which made me feel very proud indeed.

Also, check out the Pumpkin the H-roomie and I carved!

So remember folks - get your arts in for a good healthy life, and if you every hear anyone yell "guten tag" the only appropriate response is:

Johannes Brahms!!

Sunday Sustenance

2013-10-27T14:20:00.001-11:00

ARE YOU PREPARED FOR...

I actually think this might be the most delicious dish I have ever made in my life. Well maybe that's an over-statement, but BELIEVE me when I say this things is DELICIOUS!

(just look at this bite...)

Now are you ready for the kicker?

THERE ARE NO NOODLES IN THIS DISH.

Terrifying right? Well fear not, because one man's empty pantry is another man's full stomach! (In this case I was both of those men...)

Now before you dismiss this as your average boring ol' souped-up lasagna recipe trying to fit a load of veggies in a perfectly good dish - here me out! Not only is this dish full of meaty, cheesy, warm goodness, it is also simply put - delicious (have I said that already?)

The story is as follows: I had not a noodle to be found, and a serious lasagna-on-the-brain. I also had a fridge full of eggplant from 2 weeks ago that needed a happy home before they went bad. With the help of the internet, I learned that both zucchini and eggplant could make wonderful lasagna noodles...so off I went!

Should you wish to experiment, my very crude details are below:

1.) Slice your zucchini or eggplant into very thin strips or rounds (I used a combo of both). You want them to be approximately noodle thickness, but a little more or less really won't matter.

2.) Do something to your "noodles" to take some of the moisture out. Here's where I didn't do a very good job, and ended up pouring off the entire Atlantic ocean from my finish lasagna before I ate it. It still turned out amazingly, and none of the flavor was sacrificed - still I would recommend trying to reduce the water if possible. Here are some ideas that have floated around:

- baking the "noodles" for a few mins while your oven is pre-heating

- crisping them up a bit on a hot pan

You don't want them to be crispy, just a bit less water-filled. If you don't do any of these, don't worry to much, you'll just have to pour off a lot of liquid after the baking stages.

3.) Brown your meat and slice up all the fixings for your layers that you desire

4.) Artistically assemble your layers. Mine consisted of: Classico tomato basil sauce, mushrooms, ground beef cooked with parsley basil and fennel seed, more basil, red pepper, purple pepper, cottage cheese, Parmigian-Reggiano (gettin' fancy I know!), and of course your "noodles" in-between!

5.) Bake for about 35 mins. My oven was at 375 I believe (in a 4-serving glass pan).

6.) Force yourself to let it sit for about 10 mins and ENJOY!

Who says you can't make absolutely awesome food at college? All you need is a little farmers market love, and about 30 mins of prep on a weekend!

Also, a personal preferance note: I think I enjoyed the combo of zucchini AND eggplant, because sometimes eggplant can just get so...I don't know...eggplanty! You know, that taste that's just slightly too much eggplant than you really wanted? This dish however, struck the perfect balance!

What do you think? Are veggies (although eggplant is technically a berry!) a viable noodle-option, or is this a disturbing attack on the classic dish?

For the Love of October

2013-10-10T15:00:00.000-11:00

It's certainly been a while hasn't it?

I am currently blaming the lack of blog-o-sphere action on the fact that I actually thought I was forever locked out of my account due to google owning every email service on the planet. Let's just say things got rather complicated and I now have to log in with an address that includes % signs and words that don't make sense...(oh technology)

In case you've been in a box for the last few weeks, I am here to inform you that it is gloriously, and most officially AUTUMN.

Let's take a look, shall we?

It smelled like fall today. That crispy, comforting smell of fallen leaves beginning their transition back into dirt. I'm tellin' you - I love it! (although my unenthused face in this picture would beg to differ...)

What's another thing I love might you ask? Why it's this absurdly bat-winged-flowy shirt that I plucked from a heaping clothes dumpster pile at the end of last year!

(Just look at how it immediately improves my otherwise hopeless attempts at modern dance!)

And looking stoic. I'm telling you, if you ever need to look stoic, nothing will do it like loopy-shoulder-cut-outs.

Also, there were many lovely trees with many gnarly roots that were just begging for me to creepily smash my face of them. I mean, it's almost Halloween right?

But enough of me...let's get back to this autumn I'm talking about!

These next two pictures were taken from opposite sides of the same bridge. One side is the more metropolis-view, the other a much more natural one. It's quite amazing really.

So happy continued autumn and October!

Take all the paths that intrigue you, and don't forget to crunch around in some leaves!

Jersey knit & Tennis skirts

2013-07-18T15:47:00.000-11:00

Wheee.. Another 98˚ day with a heat index of over 100!

The day was only just bearable after 9pm, hence the dusky photographs. Luckily, it's a pretty great time of day for accidentally ghostin' out in pictures!

oooOOOooo

What dimension was this photo taken in? In what layer of the universe? We'll never know!

Quizzical human questions your scientific reasonings.

(and shows off her bracelets recently made with some old t-shirt scraps lying about)

Internet, meet my lucky penny necklace, penny necklace, meet the internet.

Also, I love this shirt my lovely friend painted upon before letting me snatch it from her!

But back to the bracelets!

They are the simplest things in the world, and sure they may not look as swanky as some of those crazy finger-knitted-contraptions out there, but I like 'em. If you can braid you can make them. If you can tie a knot, you can make them. If you can sew literally 3 stitches with a needle and thread, you can make them.

(oh and you need some old t-shirt fabric too!)

Mine are attached only by a mere fabric loop and knot, but you could do buttons, snaps, whatever really!

If anyone makes any, let me know, I want to see your creations!

Until next time -

don't die of heat, and keep stepping where the grass is green!

Under Wide Open Skies

2013-07-09T16:34:00.005-11:00

Q: what do you get when you pour rain on a hot, dry plain?

A: a high temp of 92 with a max humidity of 94%

(summer dresses are required.)

On my way back from ballroom lessons, the sky was absolutely fantastic! That's fantastic to the point that the neighbors saw a girl wizzing down the street on a bicycle shouting out things like

"wowahweewah!" and "now that's what I call a sky!"

Behold the sky à la 9:15pm!

My dad said it looked like two dogs kissing...

What do YOU see?

Luckily I remembered to turn the ISO waaaaaay down. I don't really know anything about photography, but I'm glad I remembered that, because it makes such a difference! (above)

There's really nothing like a sweeping mid-western summer sky to make you want to kick off your shoes and dance!

Spring at Last!

2013-05-12T07:42:00.000-11:00

PSYCH!

Happy May 3rd everyone...

Okay - so it actually DID turn into spring eventually (about four days after the *crosses fingers* final snow of the year)!

Any what a glorious spring it turned out to be!

BEHOLD - the time for cracking out shorts has arrived!

Just because it's spring, doesn't mean you can go completely nuts! Always keep a good head on your shoulders:

(oo)

I grew a robot head guys! (above)

aaaand...zee new shoes!

Happy spring, happy mother's day, happy May, happy green growing things!

Go home mother nature, you're drunk!

2013-04-27T17:29:00.002-11:00

Ah sweet April...

filled with rain,

rain boots,

and...SNOW?!

And we all thought the weather was joking when it snowed on April 5th...oh boy were we so very mistaken.

APRIL 10TH:

(insert small period of melt and slush)

APRIL 13TH:

(insert small hopeful period of melt)

APRIL 18TH:

APRIL 19TH:

(insert once again and few days of glorious melting)

APRIL 22ND: (folks I kid you not...)

same day video.

I'm sorry weather, but it's time that you and I sat down for a serious chat!

It was looking hopeless, and I had finally accepted the fact that we were coming up on the next

ice age. What we needed were some serious:

Which by some unnatural miracle were gifted to us finally on APRIL 26TH in the form of nearly 70 degrees of glorious sun!

(took you long enough weather!)

This is not my favorite

2013-04-26T17:31:00.000-11:00

...but I really needed to say it.

"Love you babe"

On a lighter note - the thing in the corner is supposed to be part of a nose. Because you probably couldn't tell seeing as it looks like a tiny whale trying to photo-bomb this drawing!

Snow?! (and un expected camping)

2013-04-08T16:33:00.000-11:00

DEAR WEATHER:

I thought we were done with this.

Now don't think I didn't appreciate your wonderful show this winter!

Truly, it was incredibly admirable considering what you put us through last year

(we won't discuss that for your sake).

But back to the point on hand,

I think I speak for the population when I ask you:

was this actually planned?

Luckily, the roommate happened to be gifted a tent recently! Not that we had anything planned involving camping (or that unexpected April snow has anything to do with tents). Maybe it was rage at the weather clouding our judgement, maybe it was the lack of warm, fresh air - whatever the cause, our brains decided that a minuscule dorm room would be the perfect place to debut said tent!

I think it was a pretty good decision myself, despite making across-room travel almost impossible...

Naturally, we had to camp out for the night.

Funny thing about mesh-roofed tents:

your plastic glow-in-the-dark stars looks astonishingly real through a canopy of fuzzy polyester!

So if you're looking for a way to spice up your weekend (or weeknight for that matter!) dust off that ol' tent you've got packed in the back of your closet and take it for a spin!

I don't got pneumonia and we stole David Tennant!

2013-03-08T16:21:00.001-11:00

Today I got my lungs x-rayed out to make sure I didn't have me any of that pneumonia - and thankfully I don't! The plague has been present in our room since about Friday. A wonderful thing about shared living is that naturally everyone gets what everyone else has, which may I say again is thankfully not pneumonia!

I believe it is time to update the internet on a most wonderful heist that went down a couple of weeks ago involving one tenth doctor, and one excellent plan.

That's right...we stole the doctor.

Some residents across the river known by C&M have this lovely cardboard cut out that gets stolen may times by other residents in their complex as a sort of wonderful joke. Recently, it was stolen by residents of our humble building, and ended up all the way across campus (conveniently on the floor below us...)

Now the proud thieves made the single mistake of showing us said cardboard cutout and bragging about their thief, which naturally sounded like a challenge to me. So the quest began.

Our mission was simple: Lure them up to C&M's room with the promise (truthful!) of baked goods. While they are out, strike team will make a dash downstairs, enter the room, steal the Tennant, and secure him in J&H's room.

As the night approached, tensions and expectations ran high - everyone wanted this heist to be successful. Afterall, if we could pull it off, we could not only say that we thieved the doctor, but that we thieved him from thieves! Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. I wildly threw myself at the peekhole, to see one the the thieves standing there.

ONE?! One was good, but our plan depended on both being absent from the room.

Quickly, H and I scurried over to our room while Thief 1 was admitted into C&M's room. Listening through the door in the dark, we contemplated rushing into the thieves room and stealing Tennant, even though Thief 2 was still in the room. At last we decided that would ruin our plan, and decided to wait...for the opportune moment...

That moment arrived, when Thief 1 got a text from Thief 2 saying something to the extent that he was joining us in C&M's room. My heart rate spiked - was this in fact the opportune moment?

Hannah and I made our exits, and quickly convened to decide that only one of us should go to avoid suspicion. So Hannah went back into C&M's room, while I waited in the darkness, ready to strike. When I knew Thief 2 was safely inside of C&M's room, I reaching out for the door handle. As quietly as I could, I exited the room, and crept for the stairwell.

In the stairwell, my quest turned into a mad dash! I raced down one flight, out the door, and ran straight into the Thieve's room.

There he was.

The lonely angle. The last of the time lords. THE DOCTOR.

He stood there, starring at me with that look of someone who had seen so much that graces his face too often in The End of Time.

But this was no time for reminiscing - they could walk back in at any moment!

So without another though, I grabbed Tennant, and dashed back up the stairwell. Once safe inside my room again, I knew I had to hide Tennant somewhere for the time being since our room is connected to C&M's. But where do you hide a life-size cardboard cutout?

The closet door was too small. The middle of the room wouldn't do. The only other option was the bed. With the speed of a fiery chariot I vaulted Tennant onto my lofted bed and quickly covered him with blankets.

THE CARGO WAS SECURE.

I suddenly realized that I hadn't left any sort of ransom - a grave error! Without a second thought I scrawled a note on a piece of scratch paper, dashed back downstairs and placed our demands where Tennant formerly stood. Then it was back upstairs once more!

I changed into my pajamas, made tea (for an innocent i-havn't-just-stolen-your-Tennant-sort-of-look) and sauntered back into C&M's room to enjoy watching strange music videos with the roomies and the Thieves - not to mention giving meaningful eyebeams all around so that the other heist-ers knew of my success. It was quite wonderful.

On that Sunday eve, we were ready to collect our random. Through much peer pressure and pleading I was able to convince C&M to wear mustaches on sticks while accompanying me to gather the ransom. M also brought a plastic gun that pathetically shot out colored balls now and then...

I'm pretty sure we made the man in the stairways night - he seemed a bit confused, but also very amused when he saw 3 folk with mustaches on sticks holding a plastic ball gun to the head of a cardboard cutout of the doctor!

Thief 1 arrived to give hand over the ransom, and we reluctantly parted with our stolen gem in exchange for the haikus.

Maybe if you are good internet viewers I will share them with you someday.

So there you have it!

The wonderful Tennant heist and the absence of pneumonia!

Happy weekend, and don't anyone die from the plague please.

just go

2013-02-27T09:57:00.001-11:00

Some times you just have to count to five and go for it, trusting that everything will work out.

Because it will!

Today I am so grateful for kindness and teachers.

Day of Valentines

2013-02-14T16:33:00.001-11:00

ALAS - to be single on Valentines Day!

PSYCH!

Honestly Valentines day has never really been about couples for me. Instead it is another occasion to use skirts as dresses, an opportunity to craft geeky, fandom oriented cards, the promise of baked goods, and another reason to listen to good jazzy love songs.

Example:

Ella and Louis!

So really - things aint too bad at all!

Especially when you receive a wonderful package will tiny envelopes stuffed with goodies!

And a crafty entryway.

braided newspaper...who knew!

Also, life is perpetually good when you have a really spin-erific skirt!

So even though I am so culturally uninformed that I don't actually know what a certain St. Valentine has to do with love - I still manage to get my fair share of pink, red and white out of the day!

Also: is the white background & new font working out?

Should the grey background be restored?

Savers Unite!

2013-02-11T18:11:00.000-11:00

It seems like the 'green' trend is in full force these days, causing celebrations for some, and eye-rolling for others. While 'eco' and 'anti-eco' citizens tend to but heads when it comes to lifestyle - they really don't have to be that different. So whether you are looking to save some serious cash, or save the planet - I have some something excellent for you!

Today I present:

3 Awesome Tips for super-savers!

Written for cash-$avers and eco-savers - simply read which ever description best fits you and your lifestyle.

$AVERS:

Whole 'green' movement not to your taste? No problem - save you own hard-earned 'green' (cash) with these easy and fun tips!

ECO-SAVERS:

Is 'going green' your thing? Try these tips to further reduce your impact in a fun and easy way!

#1: Unplug Baby!

$AVERS:

Did you know when you leave your laptop plugged into the charger all day and night it is costing you $77.76 dollars of wasted energy per year? Not to mention it's bad for the battery, and can even shorten your laptop's life. The Quick fix? Only plug in when you run below 20% and unplug the entire charger from the wall when finished. Chargers suck up your money and raise your electricity bill even with out a computer plugged in on the other end. Apply this to cellphone chargers too, and just think of all the money you could save annually!

ECO-SAVERS:

Leaving your laptop, cellphone and other electronics plugged into their chargers is causing you to admit an additional 650 lbs. of CO2 emissions per year? No sweat, by simply unplugging the charger from the wall, you cut off the power completely! Better yet - try an alternative, non-electric way to relax or veg after work or school.

#2: Hang it all out!

$AVERS:

Using your electric clothes dryer cost you about $193 dollars annually. Want to spend that money on an unbeatable night out instead? Get some rope, or folding drying racks and try letting your clothes air dry. All you have to do is hand them up and walk away. The next day your clothes will be 100% dry - no effort required!

ECO-SAVERS:

You all know about just one spin the the dryer using 1.8kg of CO2 right? If not, now you do! Not to mention releasing toxic exhaust. Instead, slash your output, and get outside for some good old fashioned laundry hanging! Can't do it outside? Invest in some quality folding drying racks that can be tucked away when not in use.

#3: Bike!

$AVERS:

Have you seen gas prices recently? Not pretty on your pocketbook, and not pretty on your health either! With more cities putting in bike lanes, you can save yourself some serious cash by biking to work, school, or the store. Not to mention get a little movement into your limbs, and get those feel-good endorphins kicking in! Going to work? Many workplaces offer benefits and free prizes to bike-commuters, so get a helmet, and get winning and saving!

ECO-SAVERS:

Chugging along in a gas dependent box doesn't sound like a very positive, forward-thinking way to get around does it? Get the legs pedaling, along with that sense that you're doing your part for the planet and trade the seatbelt for a helmet! After all, doesn't apple pie sound like better fuel than gasoline?

So regardless of whether you are a super cash, or super planet saver, I hope these tips can help everyone, and introduce a little more fun into your daily lives!

Got more tips?

Want more tips?

Dork pants and high ponies

2013-02-04T14:07:00.002-11:00

I present to you a wonderful pair of "dorky pants" passed along down to me from the illustrious fashion headquarters: Davenport's own House of G-ma.

yay bad photoshopping!

While I was introduced to them as "dorky pants" all those I met today who chose to speak their minds about these fine trousers thought they were anything but!

I'm telling you, corduroy+ florals + high waisted pants = one wonderful combo!

Every time I look at these pants I can't help but feel they came whizzing straight out of the 90s to smack me in the face. A pleasant smack in the face, mind you.

I felt they would be best accompanied with the top-of-the-head-ponytail. But of course there is always one problem with wearing a high ponytail...

It's tendency to migrate down the side of your head as the day wears on!

But keep a spring in your step never-the-less,

and do a jig like a wee leprechaun!

(also don't get the flu. None is allowed to get the flu.)