Archive for March, 2009
#78 – Buy a new car (we’ve got wheels!)
Elizabeth March 28th, 2009
Part of my 101 Things in 1001 Days challenge.
After twelve months of working on my list I decided to review all my goals. I made sure that my 101 things still reflected the things that were most important to me and were still achievable. Right from the start I gave myself permission to replace tasks that no longer inspired me with something equally challenging.
There was really only one item that didn’t “fit”, so it got the flick.
It happened to coincide with a time when we were beginning to talk about buying a car. We’ve been so lucky to live in an area that is serviced well by public transport, so it has been very easy to be carless for the past 18 months. Every so often we’ve treated ourselves to a hire car for a special occasion, but on the whole we’ve coped really well with the tram system. The ability to buy our groceries online definitely contributed to our sanity throughout this period.
Anyway, we have reached the point where we really want to explore beyond the tram tracks, particularly on weekends. It’s especially timely now that daylight savings is about to end and the days will start to get shorter, colder and wetter. I certainly have no intention of trading in my monthly tram ticket, but I can’t even begin to explain how luxurious it will be to bring home a 12-pack of toilet paper without having to march it home on foot along a busy road!
This morning we signed up for this cute little number – a Mazda2 Maxx in metropolitan grey.
I can’t wait until we can pick it up in a week or so! I’m sure that I can put our new car to good use with some of the other tasks on my list too.
Tiny Concept
Elizabeth March 24th, 2009
I came across the cutest site tonight, and couldn’t keep it to myself!
Tiny Concept is the creation of Kristina Snerling, a Brisbane-based dollmaker with a former career in fashion design. I discovered her beautiful work via Blossom Creations, which is another inspiring crafty blog that I follow.
In particular, I completely fell in love with the “Mermaid” line of dolls that Kristina creates. Some of them are literally mermaid-shaped, tails and all, but it’s the leggy ones that grabbed me! The basic shape of the dolls is very pretty, right down to the feet. I really appreciate the attention to detail.
Here are a few of my favourites:
Kristina also makes babushkas, policemen and soldiers. They all have such happy little faces!
Visit Tiny Concept to continue exploring, and don’t forget to bookmark the blog!
Almost forgot…
Elizabeth March 22nd, 2009
I had a birthday!
Thalassotherapy, along with a pony, are among the many things that I did not get for my birthday. However, I did get three bouquets – one of them chocolate!
The gorgeous Crumpler camera bag that I’ve been lusting after for about 2 years, from Tim:
A shiny jewellery tree from Mum & Dad (plus some Pandora beads!):
And – from the “you know me so well” files…
A vintage book from Sally, re-bound with lots of blank pages to use as a journal or sketchbook. Every so often there’s an illustration or page from the original novel – it’s really beautiful. Created by Aunty Art Studios, check them out!
Thanks to everyone who got in touch on the day – turning 29 was pretty grand.
- Cool stuff , Family , Friends , Life
- Comments(2)
#73 – Have my dog’s teeth cleaned
Elizabeth March 22nd, 2009
Part of my 101 Things in 1001 Days challenge.
Last year we were warned by our vet that we would need to think about having Harry’s teeth cleaned in the near future. His gums were nice and healthy, but there was a buildup of tartar along his gumline that would have caused serious problems later if we didn’t attend to it. And since it’s a procedure that’s done under general anaesthetic, it was obviously better to do it while he was young enough to withstand all the risks.
Harry turned 7 a couple of weeks ago, and for his birthday he gave himself a nasty knee injury. After a course of anti-inflammatories his leg wasn’t any better, so the vet decided to put him under and manipulate his leg to see what was going on. It seemed like a good opportunity to get his teeth sorted out too.
I didn’t take any “before” shots, but here is an hilarious attempt at photographing the final result:
Luckily, his teeth were pretty healthy under the tartar, and he didn’t have to have any removed. My vet tells me that tartar buildup often gets into the bloodstream and ends up in a dog’s heart so it’s worth making sure that your pet’s teeth are ok. (It’s the same for people, so brush your teeth!)
And of course, there was the small matter of his leg injury. She confirmed that his knee is dislocated (although he’s comfortable with it in or out, so it’s probably been that way for years) and that he has a ruptured cruciate ligament. It’s a really common injury in dogs, but pretty painful. He’s struggling to put any weight on the affected foot, and because of his age treating it with medication isn’t ideal.
So we’re taking the $3000 (!) quote for surgery, shopping around some other vets that my coworkers have recommended to me, and trying to keep him quiet in the meantime. It’s not easy when he’s throwing his OWN toys and running after them to keep himself amused!
Two dogs.
Elizabeth March 22nd, 2009
Another lightweight post, but at least it will make you laugh!
Found this brilliant Frontline ad at Idle Musings. Spotted in an Indonesian shopping centre.
And I know that most of you will have seen this by now, but I’m posting it here in case anybody has missed it. But be warned – this will probably make you want to go out immediately and buy a dog…
I could watch this video every day for the rest of my life and never get tired of it.
Baby Got Back (The Latin version)
Elizabeth March 21st, 2009
Nothing makes me happier than discovering new forms of full frontal nerdity. Please enjoy this elegant piece of translation from quislibet.
De clunibus magnis amandis oratio
Mixaloti equitismehercle!
(By Hercules!)
Rebecca, ecce! tantae clunes isti sunt!
(Rebecca, behold! Such large buttocks she has!)amica esse videtur istorum hominum rhythmicorum.
(She appears to be a girlfriend of one of those rhythmic-oration people.)
sed, ut scis,
(But, as you know)
quis homines huiusmodi intellegere potest?
(Who can understand persons of this sort?)
colloquuntur equidem cum ista eo tantum, quod scortum perfectum esse videtur.
(Verily, they converse with her for this reason only, namely, that she appears to be a complete whore.)
clunes, aio, maiores esse!
(Her buttocks, I say, are rather large!)
nec possum credere quam rotondae sint.
(Nor am I able to believe how round they are.)
en! quam exstant! nonne piget te earum?
(Lo! How they stand forth! Do they not disgust you?)
ecce mulier Aethiops!
(Behold the black woman!)magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
(Large buttocks are pleasing to me, nor am I able to lie concerning this matter.)
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur,
(For who, colleagues, would not admit,)
cum puella incedit minore medio corpore
(Whenever a girl comes by with a rather small middle part of the body)
sub quo manifestus globus, inflammare animos
(Beneath which is an obvious spherical mass, that it inflames the spirits)
virtute praestare ut velitis, notantes bracas eius
(So that you want to be conspicuous for manly virtue, noticing her breeches)
clunibus profunde fartas(*1) esse
(Have been deeply stuffed with buttock?)
a! captus sum, nec desinere intueri possum.
(Alas! I am captured, nor am I able to desist from gazing.)
o dominola mea, volo tecum congredi
(My dear lady, I want to come together with you)
pingereque picturam tui.
(And make a picture of you.)
familiares mei me monebant
(My companions were trying to warn me)
sed clunes istae libidinem in me concitant.
(But those buttocks of yours arouse lust in me.)
o! cutis rugosa glabraque! (*2)
(O skin wrinkled and smooth!)
dixistine te in meum vehiculum intrare velle?
(Did you say you wish to enter my vehicle?)
in arbitrio tuo totus veni
(I am entirely at your disposal)
quia non es mediocris adsecula.
(Because you are not an average hanger-on.)
vidi illam saltantem.(*3)
(I have seen her dancing.)
obliviscere igitur blanditiarum! (*3a)
(Forget, therefore, about blandishments!)
tantus sudor! tantus umor!
(Such sweat! Such moisture!)
vehor quasi in curru quadrigarum! (*4)
(I am borne along as if by a four-horse chariot!)
taedet me in diurnis legendi
(I am tired of reading in the gazettes)
planas clunes gratiores iudicari.
(That flat buttocks are judged more pleasing.)
rogate quoslibet Aethiopes: responsum erit
(Ask any black men you wish: the answer will be)
se libentius expletiores (*5) anteponere.
(Rather that they prefer fuller ones.)
o consortes (quid est?) o consortes (quid est?)
(O colleagues [What is it?] O colleagues [What is it?])
habent amicae vestrae magnas clunes? (certe habent!)
(Do your girlfriends have large buttocks? [They certainly have!])
hortamini igitur ut eas quatiant (ut quatiant!)
(Encourage them therefore to shake them! [To shake them!])
ut quatiant! (ut quatiant!)
(To shake them! [To shake them!)
ut quatiant illas clunes sanas!
(To shake those healthy buttocks!)
domina mea exstat a tergo! (*6)
(My mistress stands out behind!)
Read the commentary and notes from the original source – it’s worth reading! I particularly enjoyed one commenter’s idea of adding magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri to his company email signature!
7 sleeps!
Elizabeth March 10th, 2009
It’s one week until my birthday, and all I want is a pink dolphin.
NO, you’re not seeing the world through rose-coloured glasses: This albino dolphin is pink.
The unique bottlenose – first spotted in Lake Calcasieu, an inland saltwater estuary in Louisiana, by boat captain Erik Rue, 42, in 2007 – has surfaced again.
And comments from heavy-hitters including the US National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society suggest it’s real.
Is that really too much to ask? I have a really big bathtub, so everything’s ready to go…
Everything is amazing, nobody is happy.
Elizabeth March 8th, 2009
Louis CK, on why nobody is happy.
Today is pretty great so far, so I don’t fall into that category! After a really late night we slept until noon, and now Tim is making coffee and banana pancakes. Afterwards we’re planning to sit down and do some sums on the cars we test drove yesterday.
Life is grand ♥
Chocolate & Hazelnut Cake in a Mug
Elizabeth March 6th, 2009
STOP PRESS: I made this again tonight, adding a mashed up overripe banana and substituting walnuts for the hazelnuts. BEST CAKE EVER! This time I cooked it in a dessert bowl because of the extra volume, and gave it an extra 30 seconds in the microwave. Try it!
It’s been a really long time since I’ve posted anything here, so I thought I’d come back with a gift for my readers!
The 5-minute “cake in a mug” isn’t new, as a google search will quickly prove. I’ve noticed that the recipes out there vary a lot (and so does reader feedback!) so I thought I’d experiment a little myself. This is my own little contribution to the obesity epidemic – the Chocolate & Hazelnut Cake in a Mug.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
4 Tablespoons of Self Raising flour
4 Tablespoons of sugar
2 Tablespoons of cocoa
1 egg
3 Tablespoons of milk
3 Tablespoons of vegetable oil1 mug
1 Tablespoon
I added a small handful of hazelnuts and cooking chocolate, which added a much-needed dose of class to the recipe! I only used about half of the quantity in the picture.
Throw in whatever chocolate you have handy, as it can be a bit dry otherwise.
STEP ONE:
Combine the flour and sugar, and add the egg.
STEP TWO:
Add the cocoa, and mix all the ingredients well with a spoon.
STEP THREE:
Add the oil and milk, mix well.
STEP FOUR:
Add a small handful of chopped hazelnuts and chocolate.
STEP FIVE:
Mix it through, and it should look a little like this.
STEP SIX:
(Here’s somebody else’s mug-of-cake. Mute your speakers if you don’t enjoy the screams of an excited small child.)
Cook the mixture in your microwave for 3 minutes, on high. A perfect cake will rise well above the top of the mug without falling apart, but don’t worry too much if some spills over the side during cooking. This is a tasty cake, not a beautiful one!
Otherwise, do this part in a bowl. Crybaby.
STEP SEVEN:
Here it is! Allow it to rest a little before transferring it to a plate. The cake looks best if you slice it in half down the middle. And besides, it serves at least two people – don’t be a pig!
STEP EIGHT:
Be a total show-off, and serve the cake with icecream and berries. And if you add Haighs Raspberry Sauce you will not only quadruple the cost of each serving, but you will possibly see God.
STEP NINE:
Eat it, quick, before the icecream melts! This cake is absolutely designed to be eaten warm.
Anyway, by now you’ll know that it smells too good to put aside for later.
STEP TEN:
Seek the support of a trusted friend or family member, and promise them that you will not make this cake every day for the next week. For the sake of your arteries it is very important that you be accountable to another person.
Preferably a boring, skinny person.
That’s it! Sadly, cake of any other type will be completely uninteresting to you from this point on.
Next time I want to try a banana & walnut version – just to see if it works. Try this out and tell me how yours was!
