I’ve created a Posterous site strictly for sharing recipes, you’ll find it here http://purplelara.posterous.com/

I’ve also un-shared (!) the recipes previously shared in Google Reader, so if you were relying on finding them there, please either subscribe to my Posterous feed (by becoming a Posterous user yourself) or by grabbing the feed http://purplelara.posterous.com/rss.xml for your favorite reader.

And yes, sorry, I’m going to “Share” my own post in Google Reader (how déclassé!), just so anyone who was following my feed via Google Reader or RSS can update their feeds.

I’m excited about the new (again) recipes on my Posterous site, so check it out!

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?

• Traveled cross-country by myself
• Shared living space with Andrew
• Joined a bootcamp
• Took swimming lessons (I haven’t done this since my mom registered me, so this counts as something I did for myself for the first time)
• Walked to work on a daily basis (this technically started December 22 of last year, but it became part of my life in 2009)

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I made the usual exercise more, eat less resolutions and for a time, yes I kept them. I have not maintained them over the last few months, which of course leads me to yes, I will make more for next year.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

No.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

No, thankfully. I lost my beloved grandfather in December of last year, but no one in calendar year 2009.

5. What countries did you visit?

Just the good old US of A.  I went to Washington, DC in June and loved it.

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?

A vacation!

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

I don’t think there are specific dates, but periods:

• Quarter 1, adjusting to the new job (a huge change, as I’d been with my previous employer for over 16 years)
• Quarter 2, adjusting to sharing my living space, traveling to DC
• Quarter 3, a great summer
• Quarter 4, to be honest, feeling a little blue as my fitness goals slid, my travel plans fell apart and my 40th birthday approached

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Again, settling into a new job. Leaving my previous job was a huge step for me, and although that occurred very late in 2008, this year (at work) was all about learning new things, meeting new people and trusting that I did have something to bring to the table. My course in DC strengthened my belief in myself, since I scored 97.5% on the exam (which was pretty tough).

9. What was your biggest failure?

Falling off the exercise bandwagon, see next question for my excuse.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

In January I had a mystery hip owie, which I somewhat corrected through massage and physio. In June I joined a bootcamp, which was tough (and also a big achievement for me, I should add). I don’t think my knock-knee’d body is designed for running, and we did a lot of running at bootcamp and I developed plantar fasciitis, which, fuck – ow. It turns out the hip bone IS connected to the thigh bone, etc and so on. My core muscles are weak, which lead my hip to turn incorrectly, which makes my knees MORE knock-knee’d, which makes my arch fall, which lead to the fasciitis. Bootcamp, OUT!

I started swimming as soon as I quit bootcamp but haven’t kept to a very strict schedule in the last few months, which I regret.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

My iPhone. Hands down, no question. I don’t know how I lived without it. It completes me.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

Hmmm. Whomever is the opposite of Tiger Woods?

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

See above and also this post about him.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Lord, lord. Food and wine, likely.

15. What did you get really excited about?

My trip that never happened. Ugh.

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?

I’m going to have to go with Single Ladies because I spent all summer drinking and laughing on my patio with the boyfriend and the best friend and every time it came on, the boyfriend busted out his butt-slapping version of the dance and it is truly one of the funniest things you’ll ever see.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

– happier or sadder? Happier.
– thinner or fatter? Fatter, but not by a lot.
– richer or poorer? Income, higher. Disposable income, lower. Go figure.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Swimming.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Chasing at windmills.

20. How did you spend Christmas?

Brunch and stockings and my mom’s place, a quick visit with my dad, and then dinner with Andrew’s family.

21. Did you fall in love in 2009?

WITH MY iPHONE!

22. What was your favorite TV program?

I discovered Mad Men on the plane home from DC and we immediately went on a Mad Men bender. I am in love with everything about that show.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

No.

24. What was the best book you read?

Hmmm. I loved Under the Banner of Heaven, although it took me FOREVER to read (not sure why). I am currently reading the Book of Negroes, which is amazing.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Pass.

26. What did you want and get?

Love.

27. What did you want and not get?

A vacation.

28. What was your favorite film of this year?

Avatar 3D. Absolutely. I don’t say “literally” very often, but I “literally” had my mouth hanging open for most of the show. And I’m going to see it again before I go back to work on Monday. GO NOW.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

40! 40! 40!

My birthday and Andrew’s are within a few days of each others, which resulted in SIX, yes SIX dinners over the space of a week. We went out with friends on Saturday night, had his official birthday dinner on Sunday, my official birthday dinner on Wednesday, dinner at my mom’s on Thursday, dinner at his mom’s on Saturday and dinner at my dad’s on Sunday.

I need new pants.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

A vacation.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?

What fits?

32. What kept you sane?

Andrew. Swiming. Friends.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Fancy? That word seems to go well with a stiff Old Fashioned, so I’m going to go with Jon Hamm.

34. What political issue stirred you the most?

I suppose same-sex marriage (mostly in the States, since we’re all good with that here). Honestly, CHRIST, who cares what other people do and why, oh WHY, can’t you see that YOUR values aren’t more important than someone else’s values? Live and let live. Also, shut up.

35. Who did you miss?

I missed my friends at my old job. While I know, 100%, that making the move was the right thing to do, I miss the daily interactions with them.

36. Who was the best new person you met?

I met so many new people this year, online and off, that I couldn’t possibly say.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.

People who stomp their feet the loudest aren’t necessarily the most correct, but sometimes it’s better to let them think they are. By better, I mean easier on your own mental health.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

I’m with Linda, I’ll use a quote instead:

A man who views the world the same at 50 as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life. – Muhammad Ali

At 40, I’ve learned a lot. But I still have a lot to learn. A lot to learn about myself. A lot to learn about other people. Hopefully I’ll continue to do so in 2010.

Oh lord, I think I smell the “dead rat rotting on top of my built in dishwasher” smell. Again.

Which, in retrospect, was kind of stupid, because all of a sudden had @ replies and DM’s saying “WTF” and “EW WHAT?” and I can’t tell the story in under 140 characters, so…blog post!

Last winter we started suspecting we may have a moose loose in the hoose, so to speak. We heard little noises in the night and eventually started finding poop droppings in cupboards and so forth. Now, before you picture my ghetto kitchen, I have to say I HAVE AN AWESOME KITCHEN.

it’s not actually crooked, I’m simply a crap photographer

And now before you say “BRAG MUCH?” here is the kitchen from the same angle, taken shortly after I bought this place:

I know. You can’t see it, right? Because we knocked down a motherfucking WALL. Here is it from another angle:

So I am kind of proud and defensive of my formerly ghetto kitchen.

Where was I?

Oh right poop droppings.

We set traps but the little bastard(s) eluded us. We’d hear the traps SNAP in the night and in the morning we’d cautiously peer into cabinets preparing to see dismembered mice, yet we’d find only empty mousetraps and more poop droppings.

We left the traps set and plugged up holes in the radiators. The poop disappeared and we went about our lives, as you do.

Some weeks later, I started noticing The Smell. I couldn’t identify The Smell other than something smelled *off*. I drove myself nuts, seeking out the source of The Smell – opening cabinets, pulling out the fridge and sniff, sniff, sniffing. Oddly, The Smell seemed strongest when we ran the dishwasher.

(You may see where this is going, I did not).

My best guess, at the time, was that The Smell was due to a leak in the dishwasher hose or pipe or whatever the hell is back there, rotting out the drywall and possibly my floors. I was concerned if the wall was damaged, I could be on the hook for a repair bill for the strata property.

The Smell was getting worse. Much worse.

One day, immediately after Andrew left for work (naturally), I decided to pull out the dishwasher and see if dampness, wall or floor rot lurked in the space behind it.

I pulled out the screws holding the dishwasher to the underside of the counter and slowly pulled the it out of place. I had it about six inches out when I saw it.

IT. WAS. FURRY.

IT.WAS. BLOODY.

IT. WAS. DEAD.

IT. WAS. A. RAT.

I did what any calm, rational, adult woman would do in the situation. I screamed and ran behind the counter and texted Andrew:

DEAD FUCKING RAT DEAD FUCKING RAT OMG DEAD FUCKING RAT

To which he replied something like “Ew. What are you going to do?”

(Freak the fuck out, is what I’m going to do! The hell?)

My next move was to send the same text to my fearless best friend, who immediately said she was on her way. She arrived, pulled the dishwasher all the way out, gagged, wrapped the dead body up in dishwasher insulation and tossed it in the dumpster. I remained on the other side of the apartment, trying not to heave.

The Smell, you see, was the body of the dead rat, rotting, inches below my countertop. Rotting more quickly every time we ran the nice hot dishwasher and nice hot dry cycle.

The Smell was Dead Rotting Rat, Slow Cooker Style.

As it happens, I think my Twitter panic earlier tonight was premature. Sometimes simply the smell of the dishwasher triggers my PTSD, as you may well imagine.

Serene cows

I’m a (devoutly religious Indian) Barbie Girl

Tea in the colonial gahhhhden (quite possibly the shortest, yet funniest, India post)

Ghandi Ghat, Snake Charmers and Kingfishers

Gordon House Rules

Delhi Drools

I like Big Ones

We started our Mumbai tour down at the Gateway to India, by the Taj Hotel. Read all about the tour, and how we can be assholes anytime, anywhere, here.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

On our second day in Mumbai, we went on a tour, which was lots of fun.  I don’t have enough time to type up the details yet, but here’s a taste, via a couple of our conversations:

walking past a street vendor selling watches, clocks, etc.:
vendor: Hello ma’am, ma’am? I have a huge clock.
me: heeeee ha ha ha
jeff: <apu voice> no thank you, I already have an enormous clock.
me: ya right.
jeff: shut up.

: : : : :

me: heeeee ha ha ha
jeff: why are you laughing?
me: the guide said that this is called the Hanging Garden because unemployed people come here to hang out…
jeff: no. he said unemployed people come here to hang themselves…
me: …oh.

: : : : :

coming out of the restroom at the ghandi house/museum:
me: I peed in Ghandi’s house!
jeff: oh.my.god.
me: what? do you know anyone else who can say that??
jeff: no, and you should totally change your messenger name to that.
me: awesome!!

: : : : :

at a restaurant, having a late lunch:
me: could I have a diet coke please? in a can?
server: 4 o’clock.
jeff & me: <blank stare>
me: diet coke? in a can?
server: oh diet coke ok ma’am <walks away>
jeff: <apu voice> hellloooo? what time is it please? in a can?
me: <laughing hysterically>

(ps, in the restaurant again? Staring Lady. I shit you not)

After attempting to sleep off the jet lag, we headed down to the Gateway to India:

We were approached by a holy man who gave us sugar pills (we assume) and tied string around our wrists.

I’m not sure what it meant either. Oh, also I got a “dot”.

As we were sitting there, looking around and yapping, we realized that to our left (where we’d walked in) there were hundreds and hundreds of people…and yet not a soul where we were sitting.

“uhh…are we allowed over here?”

So we left. We walked around a bit and tried to find another hotel because ours was quite expensive and we planned on being in Mumbai for about a week, but everything was fully booked.

We stopped at the Hotel Harbour View for a drink, thinking it would be cooler on the rooftop deck. Wrong. It was 1,432 degrees up there (Celsius).

The hotel had a dinky, tiny elevator with an old fashioned gated door where you can see the floors pass. Jeff and I are both really claustrophobic, so it was great when Jeff said “I guess this gate doesn’t even need to be closed” and yanked it open. We stopped – in between floors. One point two seconds of sheer terror. We looked at each all “AAAAAAAAAHH!!” and he quickly threw the door closed again.  Thankfully it started up again right away. Idiot.

We walked exploring for a while after that and found the “travelers’ area”, much like Khoa San Road in Bangkok. We sat down and had a bite to eat at Leopold’s (so! good!) and watched people and life in Mumbai for a while. (Guess who is sitting at the next table? Wonky Eyed Staring Lady from the plane…weird).

We went back to our hotel for a nap and ended up staying in for the evening – jet lag’s a bitch.