Monthly Archives: June 2001

So I am still up to my elbows in the big move over to my new domain. It’s a lot more labor intensive than I expected. The PamNewsletters are going to take forever. I have no idea when I’ll be finished but I’m thinking I’d like to spend some time outdoors today so it’s going to sit for right now. I think I did get the blog moved over and I need to do some testing to see how it’s all working.

I always think I’m going to have more time to blog later. I have a list of about six things that I want(ed) to put up here. We’ll see if I ever get that far.

Yesterday I registered my domain. The registration form was online and included a line for “organization” which I left blank because it’s just me, not an organization. Now that I think about it, I should have put organization: “superior” or “God-like” since being organized is the thing that keeps me glued to this planet. But back to the order form, it got kicked back to me demanding I fill in the line for organization so in an impulsive smart ass moment I typed in: Insane Genius Posse. Now I’m wondering how this is going to come back to haunt me.

Since I started my whole web-hosting thing I’ve been working on my pages for the re-launch and finally last night I viewed some of the pages in Netscape instead of Dreamweaver (where they look spectacular, for me), and they looked like crap. Since I’m a style sheet novice I’ve been trying to figure out if it will be faster to just bail on the style sheets and put everything back OR if I can tweak the style sheet and make it work. I’m thinking the style sheets are going away.

PERFORATION QUESTION

Does anyone know anything about perforations? Like on your bills. I mean, have you ever noticed how the perf that you tear for the little section you put in the envelope to mail back with your check — it doesn’t line up with the natural crease of the paper the way it’s folded to go into the envelope — like by about 3 microns? Okay, well I have noticed this and it’s on lots of different bills. This makes no sense, why not design your bill so it lines up? There must be some sort of techno-mechano reason that a form can’t be made that lines up the crease and the perforation.

Finally, I’m back here. I have some stories to tell but I was busy this week.

The backstory: last summer me and Billy started going to Happy Hour on Thursday (my Friday) at The Patio – outdoor tables on the Esplanade by the RiverPlace Hotel. The Patio closes in winter and since April, every time there was a nice day we’d start talking about The Patio re-opening. A couple weeks ago they put the tables outside and we were all in anticipation and finally they opened last Friday so yesterday was the first day of Happy Hour at The Patio. I had to look at documents on the coast and I was extremely motivated to get the job done quickly and efficiently so I could get back in time for Happy Hour.

We go to The Patio and we’re both starving and we’re all happy about first day out at The Patio and having a snack and then: WTF?

First of all, The Patio serves beer in 12 oz plastic cups for the same price as the hotel bar which serves beer in pint glasses. (The Patio is run by the hotel). We get the menu and where are the fun normal snacky bar snacks? No, it’s like “Baby New Zealand Artichokes steamed in Bavarian butter and Serengeti seared raspberries over a bed of wild marsh goatnut ricepatties and percolated snaplings” for $19.95. WTF? This is a friggin outdoor patio. So the gal serving us is helpful and sweet and we’ve already complained that they no long have MacTarnahans Ale and we have to get Fat Tire and I ask her about the menu and what happened to the snacky snacks and she explains that they have a new chef, from France, and how they still have snacky snacks but Americans might not recognize them as that. So she points out the “East Atlantic popcorn shrimp, served with wilted red pepper aioli and truffle sauce and capers” for $4.95 which I knew was going to be three little shrimp the size of my pinky-nail and not going to do squat for our hunger problem. So we’re sort of lukewarm so she points out the “Northern Idaho baby roasted potatoes” with some sort of Frenchy huey-palooey sauce that American’s wouldn’t know so they called it chili nut sauce and I look at her and I say, “Does this feel like a baby roasted potato moment to you?”

I mean, come on. We’re on a friggin outdoor patio — total black bean quesadilla territory, it’s like 80 degrees out and I’m drinking a beer and I’m going to order a plate of potatoes?

It was quite the disappointment. I felt bad because the gal was being so sincerely helpful although Billy suggested the whole “we have a French chef” routine sounded snotty. We ended up going back to the hotel bar and since we’re regulars there (“everybody knows our name”) we told them our issues with the menu and I’ll bet last night Pascal French Chef went home to his significant other bitching and moaning about those low brow Americans who want mini pizzas at the bar instead of the “Newfoundland foie gras pinwheels with roasted Arizona baby pepper syrup and unleavened croissant wedges.”

I finally finished my brick books! You know, the swords and dragons thing by Tad “insomniac” Williams. I liked the story but 3,000 pages is going to try your reader’s patience. Well, your reader who is not a regular brick-book-swords-and-dragons person. I was telling my Mom about the story this morning and she says, “Oh, so it’s like a good v. evil thing?” and I’m like, “aren’t they all?” Since I finished I’ve been finishing up my various odds and ends like New Yorkers. I thought our subscription had died and much as I LOVE the magazine, it’s just too friggin much when you only have limited reading time. But we got a (sigh) double issue yesterday so I STILL have a New Yorkers in my pile. There is no way to catch up. Unless you are in prison and I’m not making a wish here.

Yesterday I tried to cook these chili rellenos from Trader Joe’s. They come frozen and I followed the package directions and had them covered with foil and baked in the oven for about 30 minutes. When I took them out, the top still felt frozen. I threw them in the microwave for 2 minutes thinking that would do the trick and when I took them out they were still frozen on top. So I put them back in for another minute. Took them out — the top still felt frozen. Okay, what kind of food, or any earthly substance for that matter, still feels frozen after all this heating? I tried to scrape the top frozen part off the top and it was like a layer of frosty sponge. The relleno thing underneath looked hard and yellow so I ended up throwing the whole thing in the trash. It scared me.

Microplane zester — great product. You can grate Parmesan, chocolate, garlic, excellent tool for lemon/orange zest. And works great on the human body too. I did a number on my thumb last night that was extremely gross. I had to clean the zester after I was done swearing and applying pressure with a thickly wadded paper towel — nothing like skin zest to kill an appetite. Today I have a lovely moist, pink area on my thumb.

Why is it always so hard to come back from vacation? So many things to do, the yard (weeds) is out of control and there are so many maintenance things to do – you know, bills to pay, big pile of crap to sort through, tape of Daily Shows to watch.

I got back from Orleans yesterday. I had the best time and have a lot to write about later. One point is that I only got one good night of sleep the whole time I was gone so I’m still a little tired. I took a nap yesterday and we went to Rhonnda’s birthday party at the Green Room last night but we sneaked out pretty early. I slept in until 8:30am (amazingly late for me). Tonight we have Ray Charles and tomorrow already back to work.

I’m a little overwhelmed at the moment since I’m tired, the yard needs much attention and I have all these notes and things to do to follow up on my adventure last week. I think my intention will be to not get so wound up.

More to come.

Okay, here’s a story for you. I have a festival of plantar warts on my left foot. About 10 years ago I had a major plantar wart on my big toe, right foot. I ignored it, thinking it would go away, until finally it hurt to put on shoes.

At that time I had no doctor and for my “health insurance” you went by your zip code and I lived in North Hollywood. That was how they referred me to a doctor. Huge reading between the lines here.

So I make my appointment with the foot doctor and I arrive at my appointment at the lovely clinic in a strip mall and my doctor never came in that day so some other doctor says he can handle it and proceeds to give me the shot to numb my foot. Imagine a big long needle (and I’m not afraid of needles, normally) BENDING into my big toe to numb it for my procedure. My unfortunate but very devoted boyfriend at the time, Brian, (who is still a good friend, and all bow heads and think nice thoughts for B who is in Montana right now finishing his undergrad degree after all these years – go guy!) came in with me and I almost killed him squeezing his hand off. The doctor’s assistant complimented me for not screaming. So the witch Dr. carves the thing out of my toe and wraps it up.

Brian took me to Dances with Wolves after this nightmare medical office experience — which haunts me to this day. Although I will go into a medical office, I cannot hear about Dances with Wolves or Kevin Costner without telling them about my plantar wart.

So now how do I handle this new crop?