The amazing view outside my kitchen this morning when I got up (with cool retro effect added). It’s grey and rainy now.
Check out the dismal pumpkin result from my Baby Pam pumpkin. I had some other pumpkin in the freezer that I used so I didn’t have to process one of the giant ones Kent gave me.
Pie’s done and out of the oven. I’m going to make the rest of the meal as soon as I log off.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Here’s today’s Photoshop tutorial, before and after. It’s supposed to be a cool retro effect. I’d link to the original tutorial except the guy who wrote it might find his way here and then brain himself thinking that he wrote a poor tutorial or else lock up his site so that color-blind doofs like me don’t sully the world with their attempts at a cool retro effect. But I think if I practice it another 100 times I might get better.
For the past week I’ve been looking forward to reporting that I slept through the night except that it still hasn’t happened. The only night this month I slept through the night was the night I returned from San Diego and that barely counts because I was so sleep deprived I could hardly stand upright.
At least the coughing isn’t waking me up 3-4 times per night.
I’m at about 98% now. I still cough now and then and there’s a slug of extra phlegm in the system but I’m off the cough drops. I’m exercising. I’m not going through 57 tissues an hour. No one is afraid to sit next to me on the bus.
When I got home tonight I made a pie. For tonight. Because I can.
I only need one crust for my pumpkin pie tomorrow and my recipe makes enough for two crusts. Since my current pie crust recipe is working for me and I’m afraid to mess with it, I decided, what the hell, I’ll make an extra pie. And I randomly decided on cherry while I was at the market. I bought a can of dark cherries and a can of tart cherries. I put bunch of orange zest in. I just took it out of the oven and it looks great.
I decided I’m going to try to do a few Photoshop tutorials every week and learn some tricks. I think this came out looking like a 9 year old girl was playing with filters and not the tricky effect promised. But that’s the tutorial I did, so enjoy. No one became a genius at Photoshop overnight.
When we got the bathroom remodeled they put in a shower unit that has a scald guard. I’m sure a scald guard is a good thing except since the first shower I’ve felt like I spend most of my bathing time trying to trick the thing into staying hot enough to be worth my while. I don’t spend an unreasonable amount of time showering. I want to enjoy the time that I’m there.
It seems like it’s gotten worse to the point that now that even the shortest shower ends with the gadget at the hottest possible setting and me taking a sad lukewarm shower. I’ve always wondered how it worked and I bingled it and duh, there’s a doohickey that can be adjusted. I think it’s too tricky to do myself since the articles say things like “adjustable rotational limit” and “pressure balance spool and sleeve” and “probably not a good idea to do this yourself.” At least I know someone can help me. Hot showers in my future.
I’m going to regret putting all these things in one post later this week when I’m scrounging for things to write about. But I’m tired of looking at this post-it full of notes on my desk.
I would really like to take the person who decided that Word needs to default by putting a line between every paragraph and flog him or her to death. Why would anyone do this? Yes, I know I can change the default but that is completely not the point. What if they decided that the default was all-caps or Comic Sans 14 pt bold? I shouldn’t even put that energy out into the Universe. I actually collected notes for awhile about how much I hate Office 2010 but I stopped because I’m trying to focus on not hating things so much.
This weekend was my first time for rolling out the hot cocoa, one of my favorite cold weather treats. I lost my touch over the summer. The first one I boiled over and the second one tasted flat. I’m going to need more practice to perfect my execution.
How is it possible that Big Bang Theory is in its 5th season and I didn’t even know about it? I don’t even remember why I decided to watch one. Maybe an actor on the show won an award? That was about two weeks ago. I want to stay home and watch it all day long. Bob and I are watching it together. We haven’t had a live action sitcom in the rotation for eons. I love watching Bob squirm during programs where nerds are trying to get with girls.
This morning I woke up to a cover of Do They Know Its Christmas? which seems like something that should be at the top of things the world doesn’t need. Then I looked it up and it was Glee. There is nothing horrible out there that Glee can’t make a little bit worse? (Truth: I actually like the Do They Know Its Christmas? song *original*.)
I was going to crop this differently but check out my Mom’s boots! You can’t really tell from this photo but her vest has an awesome Indian design.
There’s a man in our neighborhood. Bob noticed him before I did. He walks up and down this steep hill, regularly, in every kind of weather. He wears a yellow jacket and hat when it rains so I think of him as the man with the yellow hat.
At one point I thought he might have a few screws loose because every time I drove home from the park-n-ride I’d see him walking. But then I realized that I drive home from the park-n-ride at the same time every day and that’s probably his workout time.
He’s doesn’t look lumpy but he doesn’t look super-fit either.
I haven’t seen him lately but maybe his schedule has changed.
Bridgelift on Interstate bridge. I took this picture from inside the bus, that’s why that funky strip of dark blue at the top.
I just saw that Actung Baby is 20 years old today. It’s almost old enough to go out and drink. This aging thing gets more and more painful all the time.
I went to see Twilight yesterday. I think that’s my first time to the movies since my birthday which was in December. That used to be my thing to see a matinee on Friday afternoons. Now it seems like its takes too much time. And when I do have time there’s nothing I want to see.
I’ve never pretended that I was all high-brow about movies. There is a flavor of goofyass movies that I enjoy a great deal.
I don’t know what to tell you about his one. As I watched it I tried to imagine bringing in a person who knows nothing about Twilight and then trying to prevent that person from gouging his/her eyes out.
This thing was a mess and I still can’t decide if it was so bad it was good. I had a stomachache from laughing at it. The special effects were goofy. The soundtrack was used as a blunt object to beat the audience in the face. We already knew the story is dopey but it could be fun dopey except it wasn’t. Execution clumsy on all levels. Good parts: sheesh, these kids are pretty and there is some skin, a couple of cute scenes with the leads. Also a nod to how stupid the name Renesemee is. That’s about all it has to offer.
My time would have been better spent seeing the new Pedro movie. Maybe next weekend.
You can slap the Timbers logo on anything and I will buy it.
Atlanta
I was just thinking that I’m tired of this post-a-day thing but I’ve come this far and I hate quitting so I’ll just keep slogging. Right now it feels like my whole life is a phoned-in slog. Maybe when I’ve finally stopped coughing every 15 seconds (yes, that San Diego souvenir cough refuses to release me from its horky grasp) I’ll have a better attitude.
Meanwhile, I found a URL in my comment spam from this company that I can hire to write my content. What a great idea. I can’t believe I haven’t thought of it before.
It’s only a penny a word and you can pick the topics. I’m sorta of dying to try it.
I have a piece of paper by my desk to jot my ideas for potential topics. So far I have: pumpkin juggling, me (I’d love to see a 500 article written about me by a stranger getting paid .01 a word), clowns with chainsaws, and how to get trapped in a locker room with a professional soccer team for a weekend.
Oh, so you thought the endless nattering about the Timbers was over just because soccer season is finished?
Nope. Not yet.
This is the Timbers’ Shrine at the office. Co-worker is my ticket partner and they give season ticket holders a lot of gifts but only one per pair so we keep everything at the office. Remember the story about my axe photo? That’s the poster. I finally got it framed. The signed t-shirt and signed photo co-worker won in auctions.
The mini-soccer ball on the left is something the players throw into the stands before the game starts. I had to elbow a little kid in the head so I could get that, thrown by Darlington Nagbe who won Goal of the Year.
They also give away things at the games. We missed the t-shirts and the plastic replica of the stadium (darn!) But that big thing on the right is a skateboard deck. I was going to take it in and get wheels put on it but I was afraid the urge to then try to ride it would be too great and I’d break my neck and feel like a moron.
I don’t know where we’re going to put the stuff we get next year.
Dig those ponchos!
Shamu!
So what is that thing? A seal?
Those dressed up characters always used to scare me. There must be some photos in the vault of me standing in the vicinity of Tigger, crying.
