According to Gas Buddy this afternoon, the “cheapest” gas is at the Hess down the road from us. The gas station on base is usually only a couple of cents less than Hess; I didn’t stop to see what they were charging this morning.  

Dad and S (stepmom) are coming for a visit tomorrow, and will be here for just under a week. To prepare for their visit, I have cleaned and grocery shopped, gotten Shelby’s room ready for guests and … had my nose pierced. Obviously I didn’t get pierced FOR my dad and S. They hate piercings other than those “normal” ones in the ear lobes, and those should be on women ONLY, thankyouverymuch! I’ve always like pierced nostrils on other people, and the studs can be discreet and tasteful, so on Monday, after I got the oil changed in the Volvo, I decided to get my nose pierced. A logical series of events, don’t you agree? Typical day in the life of a housewife. So, I headed on over to Flat’s Tattoos and Body Piercing at noon and ordered a hasty nostril piercing. It wasn’t painful… it felt a bit like a slightly prolonged flu shot, but one which makes your eyes water excessively. Once the stud was in, the “omg-there’s-a-needle-in-my-nose” sensation was gone. Since then, it really only feels like I need to blow my nose, which is also decreasing each day as I get used to the jewelry in my nose. (Photos as soon as the swelling is completely gone!) So, what drove me to get a nose piercing when I’m just a few months shy of turning 30? Is it because I’m turning 30 this year? There was a bit of an “it’s now or never” feeling as I was debating whether or not to go ahead with it.Whatever the reason, I like it.  

Hello, my sad, neglected blog. I often think about writing in you, but when I actually find the time I am too tired to write anything terribly interesting. Anyway…. Last week I completed my first semester back in university classes after a 6 year “break”. I ended up with a 3.65 GPA for the semester. Not terribly shabby, considering I have two small kids, a dog, a husband, a house to care for, another house in Charleston to deal with long-distance, a 70-mile commute every day, etc., etc. I still want to have at least one 4.0 semester by the time I graduate, though. So, there’s my goal for the fall or next spring.

I have tried several majors on for size… english/writing, art, psychology… and I have never loved any so much as I love sociology. It does have a reputation for being a “cupcake major”,  but the subject matter fascinates me. Delightfully controversial, much of it!

I’m eyeing various graduate programs to apply to when we prepare to move back to South Carolina next year. There’s the clinical counseling option at the Citadel right there in Charleston, and then there’s the MSW at the University of SC in Columbia, which can be combined with MPH course work for a dual degree which can be finished in 3 years. Decisions, decisions.

Since I last posted I also had the opportunity to catch Eddie Izzard in Providence, RI at the VMA; it was a “warm-up” show before he officially started the Stripped tour. He was hilarious. Can’t wait to see him in NYC next month.

Some photos I took at the show:

… and some video I took…

Oh, he’s so dreamy…Good times. Is it June 27 yet?

I got out of the shower this morning, and found the fabled Laundry Fairy in the laundry room, preparing to wash our clothes. If only she would fold, hang, and put them away, too…

I’ve been craving paneer dishes lately, but with the budget stretched tight from childcare, gasoline, and tuition, I haven’t bee n ordering out much lately (which is how I’ve satiated my cravings for Indian cuisine in the past).

I had never looked for paneer in the supermarkets, mom & pop markets, or local co-ops, so I had no idea whether it was actually available for purchase in my area. On a whim, I decided to look for a paneer recipe online, just to see what I could find. I am thrilled with the results returned by Google!

I was pointed toward a recipe called “Delightful Paneer” on a food and photo blog called Mahanandi. I was thrilled to learn of the simple ingredients (a lime, whole milk, and cheesecloth) and simple process of homemade paneer, and decided right then that it’s what we would be having Friday night.

Mahanandi is written and illustrated in such a way that one can’t simply jot down one recipe and quickly move on to the next daily task. The photographs are artistic and beautiful - truly feasts for the eyes. Indira’s manner of writing and cooking makes apparent the love and consciousness she puts into preparing meals. She has respect for the food itself, the cooking process, and the mind, body, and soul of not only herself, but everyone. One can’t help but wish to be invited to a dinner party hosted by this woman, sharing delicious food and delightful company.

For the rest of the meal, I decided on Sarson da Saag (mustard greens, spinach, paneer), accompanies by a simple blackeye pea salad.

My dinner companion and I savored each bite. My three-year-old daughter loved it, as well. I look forward to cooking more of Indira’s recipes!

On March 19, 2008, the fifth anniversary of the US’s invasion of Iraq, I boarded a bus with 50+ fellow members of All Souls UU Congregation in New London, CT. Our destination was downtown Hartford, CT where we gathered, along with a few hundred peaceful souls of various backgrounds and faiths, for a Lamentation and Protest organized and led by Reclaiming the Prophetic Voice.

I was a bit worried about skipping class that day (gasp! scandalous!) to attend a peace rally, and there were several moments in between our minister’s sermon, On Peace, and boarding the bus that I seriously considered choosing school over a protest, especially when I woke up on the morning of the 19th and saw what a cold, rainy day it was turning out to be.

I’m so glad I decided to board that bus.

More of my photos from the Lamentation and Protest.

UUA article about the protest.

Hartford Courant article about the protest.

Alrighty, then.

This blog is stayin’ put this time, for real. No, seriously. It is. Y’all know how long it takes me to decide on something…

So, I changed my domain name. No real point in keeping the kristen******* one, since I’m not doing the photo biz thing anymore. This domain name felt more blog-like and the semi-anonymity gives me a nice false sense of security.

If you’re just joining me, you didn’t miss much from the old photo website-turned-blog-turned-blog-with-a-new-domain name. I posted about some ugly stuff I found on eBay, and about buying tickets to see Eddie Izzard at Radio City Music Hall on June 27, 2008. I am incontinent with excitement about the Eddie Izzard thing, because I have a silly fangirl crush on him. Yes, even when he’s tarted up. No, I’m not upset that he’s in “full bloke mode” these days. He’s cool as hell no matter what he’s wearing.

So, yeah. New name. New blog. There it is.