the writing on the wall

So every year, bloggers everywhere write a New Year’s Resolution post. I myself have done so 2 times; at the beginning of 2009, and also 2008. This upcoming year change is no different.

In the past, I have discussed Wordpress Themes, typical New Year’s Resolution ideas, end-of-year layoffs, Harry Potter, Tae Kwon Do, blogging, Wii bowling, and knitting. This year, I have put off writing this post for several days. I’ve had my resolutions typed up. I’ve even maybe discussed one or two with a friend. But publishing said list of resolutions is almost like making a promise you know you can’t keep.

This year, I believe I’ve kept my list of resolutions to a much more abstract theme. Nothing you can really put your finger on. Nothing you can PROVE I am doing or not doing.

So without further ado…

• i resolve to focus more on the important things in life
• i resolve to be less judgmental and more forgiving
• i resolve to be less bitter and more appreciative
• i resolve to write more, write better, write neater
• i resolve to listen, and have more patience

(ok, maybe you can prove or disprove item 4 but who’s counting?)

I do have a more concrete list of resolutions, solely related to my knitting. You can read about those, as well.

What have you resolved for 2010?  Anyway, Happy New Year!  Hope it is  a great one for you and yours!

So, I have spent several days asking my kids, over and over and over, what it is that they want for Christmas. Specifically, what do they hope Santa will bring, and what would they like us to get for them. I have also asked, with the kids present, what their father would like for Christmas. Only once, in all the weeks of asking, has anyone asked me what I want. So I’m going to take this opportunity to tell the world what I would like for Christmas. Santa can bring it. My husband can get it. My kids can get it (although I don’t think they can afford any of it). Any of you are welcome to send it to me.

Without Further Ado…

1. Apple iTouch. This would read Apple iPhone if I was an AT&T Wireless Subscriber. But I am happy with my phone service…mostly because it allows me to talk to my family on the other side of the country, for free.

2. GPS Navigation. I have had the Garmin Nuvi recommended to me. It looks great. And really…it’ll do the job. Matt…if you don’t want me to get lost…get me one of these please.

3. Yarn. Lots of it. Merino. Cashmere. Silk. And Patterns to go with it. Not to mention, the needles I’d need to knit up the patterns.

4. Time. I suppose a nice wrist watch will do, but really, I want time. More of it. More than I have now. Can you give that to me? There just aren’t enough hours in the day.

5. Clothes. Shoes. M.A.C. Cosmetics. It’s all good.

6. Apple MacBook Pro. 15″ is sufficient. Dual-boot, so I can game. I’m not really expecting this. It’d be nice though.

7. A Clean House. Ok, maybe the kids can work on this one. If you have an inside line to my kids’ consciences, please give a ring. Lay it on thick. Maybe coming from someone other than Mom and Dad it’ll mean something.

8. World peace. Who doesn’t want this? Ok, so it’s a little unrealistic.

9. A winning lottery ticket. Oh…actually I might have one of those. I haven’t checked last night’s numbers yet.

10. Some good quality family time without stress, argument, or temper tantrums. Yes, I suppose the kids can work on this one too.

My wish for you is a Happy Holiday Season…and a year full of Holiday wishes of your own. Maybe they won’t come true. Maybe they will. But they’ll be yours. And you can dream.

With nine days to go until Christmas dawns, I find myself in the not-so-unique position of trying to find that *perfect* gift. No, not for my husband, or my on-the-verge-of-tweenhood daughter. Not for my mother or sister or brother. My in-laws are good. Everyone is good. I can think of plenty of things to get for myself…but that isn’t really in the spirit of giving.

The gift that is giving me problems…That would be my seven year old daughter. She wants an Easy-bake Oven. I always wanted one. I never got one. I don’t want her to have one. Not because I never had one. But because I think she will learn more about cooking if I teach her how to use the real oven.

She’s a girl’s girl. She is into make-up and dresses, and pretty girly things. She is into music and arts and crafts. She is into everything. And I can’t think of one thing I would be willing to get for her, that doesn’t require attention to care and feeding.

If anyone has suggestions for a gift…I’d love to hear them.

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

with the introduction of javastix.com, i have decided to redirect my efforts here at the writing on the wall. i will be focusing more on life online, and other various pursuits. knitting will appear rarely, and i will always talk about games, food, anonymity, and the idea that people believe that life behind the keys makes them immune to all things disciplinary. i will wax eloquent on all sorts of topics, and eventually, maybe i’ll find a focus!

So, I haven’t blogged in a bit, and I was in the mood to write. I haven’t been tremendously inspired lately, so I sent out a tweet to my followers to send me a muse. I received one response, “go carts.”

All I knew about go carts were that you could race them. You could find them at amusement parks sometimes. And if I was ever lucky, I could maybe out-race Matt. But luck is never on my side in situations like that. Fear is usually present however, and fear of losing control of a small vehicle far outweighs any luck that I might carry with me.

So what did an internet search of go carts and go carting come up with?

First, I should take the time to correct myself here. In all search results, the term is spelled with a ‘k’ not a ‘c’ and so go-karts, go-karting or karting are all acceptable. Rod and Custom Magazine has a nice article about vintage karts. The first one was created by Art Ingels in 1956. With a few steel tubes, some wheels and a two-cycle engine, he created the first kart.

The racing of karts is now popular world-wide, and has a tremendous following in Europe. It is the perfect introduction to motor sports and is regulated by different organizations in different parts of the world. Racing can start as early as age 7 and you can take racing classes at that age as well.

There are three formats to the race: Sprints, Endurance, and Speedway. Sprints have three qualifying heats with a final for trophy position. Championships take place in this manner.

I think I might have to head up to Funspot. There is a go-kart racing place right across the street which could provide ample fun for the whole family.

If I had a little more time to write, I would have gotten some more information, but breaks are limited. Enjoy. If you have information about go-karting in New England, I would love to hear more.

Greetings!

I realize we are almost at the end of March, and here I am discussing a ‘FEBRUARY’ sweater…

So, I saw the picture and pattern for the February Lady Sweater on Ravelry.  Pippin and I decided we had to make it.  Not only that, we decided that we had to take the class being run at The Woolpack so that we would be disciplined enough to make it.

I have opted to use Berrocco Comfort in Primary Red/9750.  It really is a nice yarn.  It’ll be machine washable when it is done, and it will be light enough to use spring/summer, and warm enough in fall.  I can even layer it in the winter.  It is my greatest undertaking yet, and I hope that I don’t screw it up too much.

I was going to post pictures, but I haven’t taken any yet.  I really should.  Progress for progress’s sake, and all that good stuff.

I am a pretty open person. I like to talk. I like to talk about myself. But I like to be careful about what I say to whom. And it all comes down to trust.

Let me profile my best friend for you. She is an extremely hard-worker. She teaches. She soothes. She loves to cook. She loves to help her friends. She is devoted to those she loves. She never lets up when things need doing. She never betrays a trust. The biggest display of how much I trust her, is the fact that I will leave my kids in her care. I will let her drive my kids. And I know that, heaven forbid, something bad should happen, she will have done everything in her power to not let something bad happen. She will go to the ends of the earth for a friend in need, never asking for anything in return (although, she is always deserving).

What I like best about Tiffany is her ability to understand me.  I don’t have to explain myself too much.  She ‘gets’ me.  She ‘gets’ what I’m about.

What I envy most about Tiffany is her self-discipline and her relationships with others.  No, I don’t mean I am jealous that she has other friends…what kind of friend would that make me?  I envy, for example, her relationship with her mother.  I envy her relationship with her brother.  I was just telling her the other day that I always got the impression that she and her brother were twins in utero and she just decided to take an extra year and a half to make her presence known to the world.  That’s how connected they are.

So, for you, Tiffany, my friend, a toast.  A little wine, maybe some brie to go with it.  And definitely some laughter and good times.

Alright…so the combination really isn’t THAT out of the ordinary…and didn’t require a whole lot of imagination.  I mean…I could have done a roast chicken with garlic mashed…or garlic chicken with roasted potatoes…And really, who doesn’t like Po-Ta-Toes?  You can Boil ‘em, Mash ‘em, Stick ‘em in a stew…

But what did I do?  Well, my kids…for being half-Asian, and half-Irish…and all-American, of course…have a certain affinity for Italian cuisine.  So I made a basic Chicken Parm with garlic bread…and potato gnocchi.  Granted, I didn’t make the gnocchi from scratch…didn’t really have a whole lot of time.  So I bought the gnocchi from the frozen food section at Trader Joes.  It has marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese.  I thought it was delicious.  My kids gave it an ‘ok’ rating.

My next adventure will hopefully be…more adventurous.  I’ll keep you posted.

Ok.  So, you see a title like BBQ Ribs…and it elicits feelings of summer…backyard barbecues, messy hands, sticky fingers…or maybe it makes you think of places like the Outback Steakhouse or maybe Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse.  Today, I’m talking about my kitchen, my almost-7-year-old, and Emeril Lagasse’s “There’s A Chef in My World“.  She took the book out of the library a week and a half ago, and I told her that she could pick dinner for Saturday, and help me make it. She chose BBQ Ribs.

Now, I really enjoy BBQ ribs, especially when they’re done right.  Sticky and sweet…meat falls off the bone, melts in your mouth.  And I’ve made, and watched them made, using a braising technique.  The meat is usually tender, and falls off the bone, just like you expect it to.

And so, Thing 2 and I buckled down…washed our hands and began working on these ribs.  Emeril doesn’t braise, but he puts a pan of water in the oven to provide a constant circulation of moisture.  This is a really nice idea.  The idea of braising ribs in a bucket of water just seemed wrong to me, but ribs cooked that way have always tasted delicious.  So this was a new method of providing moist cooking, that I had never attempted.

The result was, I’d say, 85% acceptable.  First of all, Emeril’s barbecue sauce is delicious.  It’s a bit hot, a little too hot for my kids’ taste, but sweet at the same time.  I’m always up for a sweet barbecue sauce.  The meat was tender, and cooked perfectly.  My one disappointment was that the meat did not just fall off the bone, or melt in your mouth.  That’s what I look for in ribs.  I’ll have to try another method soon.

Would I recommend this recipe?  Absolutely.  It is definitely worth trying.  Would I make it again?  Maybe.  Will I go buy Curly’s BBQ Ribs in the spring when I can throw them on the grill?  Definitely.

“If something can go wrong…it will go wrong…” and a number of other variations. I have always found myself, or those I’m close to, to be in that category. “Ma’am, there is a 1% chance that something will go wrong.” Something goes wrong.

On the flip side, “There is about a 1% chance of winning…” and I don’t win.

In my journey to find myself, over the last 20 years, I’ve discovered a number of things. Always in the bad luck category. I have a short temper. I don’t like to admit it, but if you know how to push my buttons, I will explode all crazy like. I am a poor correspondent. If it’s easy (email, phone call) I’ll do it. Sit down and write a letter? Like pulling teeth. I am a poor house keeper. Once something is clean, I am fanatical about keeping it that way, but if just one thing falls by the wayside, or is pushed off ‘until tomorrow’ it’s all over. I am a good listener. I am prone to depression. I have grand ideas, but fear their execution.

In continuing in this vein, I have, just today, reconnected with a friend from grade school, only to discover that he is a chef at a country club on Long Island. The one place I would both love and hate to live. And he’s looking for a sous chef. O. M. G. Why is it that chances like this…and by ‘this’ I mean, the chance to meet with him, and MAYBE ask him for a job…only come around when there is NO WAY I can follow through?