Category: To Occupy my Time

Confusing messages in packaging

I had a total impulse buying moment at Powell’s today.  And all stuff for me.  It’s the worst.

But anyway. I was seduced by this Tangle Art kit, inspired by Zentangle, which I learned about through Postcrossing.
 

On the front there is talk of a 40-page book!
 
On the back, it has become a 33 page book.  Plus 7 blank sketchbook pages.
 

Home

From a series in the Oregonian about US 26:

“This is where the rubber hits the road.  This to me is what eastern Oregon is all about.  This is where you can picture pioneers slogging through the desert, running low on water and wondering how much longer it will take.  This is a very lonely section of the road before arriving in Vale close to the Idaho border.”  Thomas Boyd.

Or, as I call it:  home.

Laurel dress. Cutting of fabric.

I love that I can sqeeze both front and back on one fold of this material.
 
I also love my new Bluetooth speaker I bought at Fred Meyer.  Much easier to listen to podcasts while I work.
 
Sleeves.
 
And I have this much left.  What to do, what to do?  Don’t worry, I already have a plan.
 
Waiting to be sewn.
 

More good finds.

Aside from the Caboodle, I also brought home a few framed pictures.

This is the Residence Assisstant (RA) group from the year at Cottey I was an RA.  I’m thinking the frame was purchased at the store full of good gifts that opened during my tenure there.  Before that, we had to buy all our gifts at Walmart.  And Walmart wouldn’t have such a nice frame as this.
 

Let’s see if I can do all the names.
Top row:  Karen (Robertson Hall Adult), I can’t remember the next lady’s name, (maybe it was Doris?) but she was very cool (PEO Hall Adult) Eden (PEO Hall) Helen Lodge (Director of Housing and we always referred to her by both names)
Second Row:  Eva (Robertson Hall) Teresa (Robertson Hall) Susan (Robertson Hall) Corey (PEO Hall) Kitty (Reeves Hall)
Third Row: Betsey (Reeves Hall) Jen (Reeves Hall Adult) Meghan (Reeves Hall)
Bottom Row:  Jenye (Reeves Hall) Me (Robertson Hall), Jen Comeau (Robertson Hall)
Not too shabby.
 
Here’s a great picture of my brother and myself.  He’s 16 and I’m 18.
 
Our parents let us go to Worlds of Fun, an amusement park outside of Kansas City, by ourselves.  We even got to drive there and back unaccompanied.  I wanted to get our picture taken because we had a family one done, probably at Worlds of Fun four years before, and I felt that too many people had smiled in that photo, making it not authentic.  So we did not smile. 

I also found an early Sue Tirrell.
 

Who knew full well I wasn’t going to be drinking coffee from this.
 

An Amazing Find!

I went looking for some missing letters and journals and was not successful in finding them.  But I did find something else very exciting!

My Caboodle!  Which, as you know, (assuming you are a middle-class white female born in the early 70s and susceptible to advertising) is a handy (and cute) place to keep all your makeup.
 

AND IT STILL HAS ALL THE MAKEUP IN IT!
Note the matches from the Village Inn (from when every restaurant had matches and there were smoking sections, in fact, it was a big deal that there were NON-smoking sections) which were used to melt the eyeliner so it would be easier to apply.
 
Here are the teardrops I would sometimes affix to my face in high school
 
Here are some false eyelashes, an awesome turquoise pick (partially obscured by an excellent primer on eye makeup) as well as more things I stuck on my face and a very cool Avon brush that I had wondered, now and again, what ever happened to it.
 
Plus, two kinds of Avon eye shadow I borrowed from my mother around 1987 and never returned.

“Now you can go fishin’ for man!” Sara commented when I texted her the photos.  Instead I packed it all back up and hid it away for another happy surprise in a few decades.  But maybe I will go back for that brush.

Turkey Trot

Kelly and I signed up for the Turkey Trot back when I didn’t have to wear a coat when leaving the house.  Now I’m wearing a layer of long johns, pants, shirt and a jacket.  It must be Thanksgiving.
 
Some Pilgrims showed up to run.
 
This turkey looks like it’s already been slaughtered.
 
There were a lot of fun hats.
 
And headbands.
 
Pre-race photo.
 
There was an entire group of Thanksgiving dinner items. I first spotted “Sweet Potato” a kid wearing (what else?) an orange shirt.  The later saw Stuffing and Turkey.
 
The Turkey Trot ends in the Zoo and we stopped to look at the Leopards on our way out.  This one is investigating his Thanksgiving surprise.
 
I didn’t realize my camera was on the Fish-Eye setting.
 
Looks like my cat.  But much, much bigger.
 
Kelly’s wingspan is not as great as a California Condor.
 
But she’s giving the Bald Eagle a run for its money.
 

Special Edition

When the Oregonian was preparing all of us paper subscribers for the crappy conversion, they had a question-and-answer section about the Brave New World.  My favorite question was something like, “I always enjoy the Thanksgiving Sale Edition.  If you aren’t going to publish on Thursday, how will I know about the sales?”  The answer was something to the effect of, “Not to worry!  We’ll publish a SPECIAL Thanksgiving Edition with all of the ads!”

And so it has come to pass.
 

And so it is chock full of ads.  On the left:  the paper.  On the right:  the ads.

And that isn’t really even correct, because if you crack open that front page you will find it is 90% full-page ads.  The pile on the right:  straight to the recycle bin.  The pile on the left:  I read it.  But I skipped all the ads.

Signs of the Hunger Games in Cosmetics.


Would Katniss be shooting naked?  Maybe if it was a really hot day.  But perhaps not.


I think the ad people haven’t really grasped that it’s not so cool to be from Panem.

Because when there is revolution afoot, don’t forget to apply makeup for best results!

Interestingly enough, the only time Katniss Everdeen is seen in makeup someone else puts it on her.  She takes it off as soon as she can.

Cooking Tales


Here are five pounds of home-grown potatoes, ready to be made into mashed potatoes for the holiday.


How is it that the vegan ended up seemingly the only full-time employee of the FoodDay staff?


I am bringing ingredients for cheese bread over to Kelly’s tonight.  I decided to specially make Sandwich Bread.  Two hours into the rise I realized the bread wasn’t rising because I forgot to put in the yeast.  Blast!  I ended up buying some sourdough.