Flushed Away

I seriously think I'm going to be sick right now. A plumber just left and said it's going to cost us over $160 plus parts and tax to fix our toilet that won't stop running. Yes, it's going to cost 15 times the cost of the $12 part that needs to be repaired. $140 in labor, plus a $20 fuel fee. Are you kidding me? For the two minutes it's going to take to put the piece in, that works out to hundreds of dollars an hour in labor costs. You're not a brain surgeon! Plus, he has to go and get the part, probably at Home Depot. Am I being charged for the time to do that as well? We have GOT to learn to do home repairs. If you know someone who's handy, please give me their name. I'll pay them half of what a plumber would cost and still come out ahead. Sigh...

I think I'm just on edge because we're going out of town this weekend, our first time since the draconian luggage charges have gone into effect. Yep, on Northwest Airlines they now charge you to check even one bag. So, being cheap, I am going to shove everything into my one carry-on suitcase. Thankfully, I am a champion at packing light.

Buckeye Fever

We swore it would never happen. Andy I moved to Ohio and saw the obsession (neé MANIA) that is Ohio State football and rolled our eyes a bit. People told us that on gamedays everyone would be decked out in Buckeye attire and that grocery stores would be empty because everyone was home watching the game. The time I went to the store I was surprised to hear the radio commentary being broadcast over the store's loudspeaker so that patrons wouldn't miss a minute of the game.

Fast forward a year and here we are decked out in scarlet and gray (don't call it red) for a party celebrating a friend's acceptance at OSU. We don't own a scrap of Buckeye clothing and had to borrow some to fit the party's dress code. I felt like a fish out of water since I don't know much about the school's proud history or landmarks, but I have to admit that that Buckeye fever is contagious. Ohio Stadium is a sight to behold maybe in a few years we'll be cursing Michigan as well. Personally, I really love Ann Arbor. Sorry to you die-hard OSU fans, give us time. We're not there yet. But perhaps we'll find that resistance is futile.

Eating Local

Earlier this summer, Ben and I were taking a walk around our neighborhood and discovered a basket filled with cucumbers and a hand-lettered sign reading "Free Garden Vegetables." It was sitting on the fence, behind which lies a beatifully restored old farmhouse with a large and productive garden. Never one to pass up free food, and especially not homegrown veggies, Ben and I happily loaded up our arms and brought home three delicious cukes. Ben was very sure that there was one for each person in our family. Ever since then, I've checked outside each day to see if the basket is out and Ben and I often take walks to check and see if there are any cucumbers waiting for us.

According to a neighbor, the cute old couple who lives in the farmhouse carries on this tradition each summer, sharing their surplus produce with the people in our neighborhood. I don't know if anyone else takes advantage of it, but I've found it quite charming and something I look forward to very much. It's the little things like this that increase the quality of life and make a place feel like home.

I feel like in a tiny way we're becoming "locavores," the hip term for people who eat locally grown food so as to cut down on the resources used to ship food so we can have fresh fruits and vegetables year-round. So really, the whole thing is mutually beneficial: Their food doesn't get wasted, we save money on groceries, and no one has to buy gas to produce or harvest the food. If this is how I have to sacrifice to help the environment, count me in any day.This house is currently for sale and I'll be sad if the new owners let the garden go to waste. Today's bounty from the basket: I can't wait to make pesto pasta with cherry tomatoes and chicken and a big green salad.

You're Killing Me Smalls!

Clarification: There was some confusion about my last post, due to my comment about being tired for a variety of reasons. No, I am not pregnant, if that's what you're wondering. If only wishing could make it so. But I digress...

I am pooped from staying up to watch the dang Olympics. I have a love/hate relationship with them. Love because they remind me of all the hours spent watching them during my childhood and how fun it is to have a reason to veg in front of the TV every night. It is also fun to watch swimming history being made (M.P. and Dara Torres, a.k.a. The Bionic Woman) and to watch the amazing feats of the gymnasts (yes, I think the Chinese women are underage). On the swimming note, I know lots of women who lust after Michael Phelps because of his freakishly toned body. But I think lots of guys have man-crushes on Michael Phelps as well because, to quote Andy: "He's Bad-A**." (No, he didn't swear when he said it, for all you who are gasping in shock right now). So now I tease him that he has another possible career to add to his list if the insurance business doesn't work out. His other option is being Jason Bourne from the Bourne Trilogy. Admit it all you guys out there, you wish you were Jason Bourne as well. But again, I digress...

The hate part of my relationship with the Olympics is that they are broadcast so darn late. We are exactly 12 hours later than Beijing time, so the good stuff doesn't even START until 10:30 p.m. or later. I stayed up until 1 a.m. last Thursday night because I couldn't turn it off until I saw who won the women's all-around final. Note to Nastia: I loved the pink leotard, very chic and gymnast sassy. So now I'm a bit burned out and haven't watched much since Saturday night. Track and field is great so I've got to get back in the groove and watch some of that.

Some musings about the Olympics in general:

1. Do other countries get into the Olympics as much as we Americans do, or is it just because we have so many athletes and know that we'll win lots of medals, plus it's broadcast ad nauseum all of the two weeks of the Games. I know the Chinese, Australians, Russians, etc. are into it, but what about the smaller countries? My little sister is a high school English teacher in AZ, where many of her students are immigrants from Hispanic or African countries. She asked them about watching the Olympics and they looked at her like she was from another planet. She also wondered if it was a middle class American thing, to be more specific.

2. Would American have been able to pull off the Opening Ceremonies spectacle like the Chinese? Particularly the perfectly choreographed drumming and the part in the middle with the boxes undulating up and down that we thought were machine controlled, but really had people inside. Another of my sisters brought this up. We came to the conclusion that Americans wouldn't have put up with endless hours and months of practice to get the routines just so without some form of serious compensation. Whereas I got the impression that the Chinese did it out of national pride and saw the apparent drudgery of practice as an honor.

3. Before the Games started there were tons of articles about the smog in Beijing and how it was so dangerous for the athletes. Since the games have started, I haven't read anything about the smog and how it's affecting them, if at all. Was it just muckraking journalism for the sake of controversey and to tweak China or is it really as bad as they said but we're so caught up in the spirit of the Games that it seems petty to dwell on it?

4. A grammar lesson courtesy of NPR: I learned that apparently NBC commentators have been pronouncing "Beijing" incorrectly. According to the China correspondent, the capital city's name is said "Bei-jing" with a strong "j" like "jump." Not "Bei-shzing" like in "azure." Now you know.

Have you been watching the Olympics? What do you think of it all?

Something Mindless

I'm pooped today for a variety of reasons and want to post something just for a connection with the outside world, but don't have the brainpower to do anything mentally taxing. So here's a little eye candy that's totally frivolous. I spied this coat and think it's adorable. Even better, it also comes in raspberry, green, turquoise, navy, and black. It's a cheaper version of the trés chic JCrew Plaza Coat that I have been in love with for the last three years. Unfortunately, said jacket costs a mere $325 and is, for obvious reasons, waaaay out of my price range.

My obsession with jackets is wide-ranging and includes tailored coats as well. It's a byproduct of living on the East Coast where such a piece is a staple of every woman's winter wardrobe. But on the East Coast, naturally the color of choice would be black.

The Taste of Summer

Oh, how I love gathering my own produce! One of the wonderful things about Columbus is the profusion of U-Pick farms that keep you busy all summer and your freezer stocked all winter. Today we went to Sullivan's Farm to pick blackberries, which are some of my newfound favorite delights. The weather was cool and not very humid and Ben is now old enough to help out, so he and I had a great time and ended up with almost 12 pounds of blackberries. Yikes! I wasn't prepared for that when we weighed in on the old scales. So as not to waste a single juicy jewel, I've spent the afternoon sorting, freezing, and making blackberry cobblers from our haul. A shout out to Laurie A. in fabulous Butte, MT: As requested, I ate a pound for you. :)

I think I love Sullivan's so much because of the positive memories I had from last year. We were new in Columbus and I tagged along with some gals who were going and had a wonderful time. Those same people are now dear friends.

I showed Ben which ones to pick (only the big black ones) and he did great! For the record, harvesting blackberries is much easier than getting strawberries (so much hunching over) or raspberries (brambles and bugs!).
Photos courtesy of Charlotte F., thank you!

The recipe for delicious cobbler:

Northwest Blackberry Cobbler

1 c flour
1 c sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 c milk
1/2 c butter, melted
2 c blackberries, fresh or frozen (I used 2-3 cups)
2 tsp. almond or vanilla extract

Mix flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in an 8"x8" glass baking dish. Stir in milk; blend. Pour melted butter over dough. Toss blackberries with almond/vanilla extract. Spoon over top of dough. Bake 45-50 minutes at 350 degrees, or until dough rises to top and is brown. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy!

North and South

If you're a fan of Pride and Prejudice, especially the BBC version, you'll like this movie. A friend lent it to me this week and I stayed up watching until 1 a.m. last night to find out how it ends. My initial impression from the title was that it was set in Civil War times, but it's really about two people during the Industrial Revolution from Northern and Southern England. Margaret is a well-bred clergyman's daughter from genteel southern England who moves up to a dirty, coarse mill town in Northern England where she is initially dismissive of the people and their ways. A mill owner, the brooding Mr. Thornton, falls in love with her, despite her disdain for him, and from there we go on a journey of starcrossed lovers.

Not only are the charachters and storyline engrossing, but I loved the historical setting of the strife between millworkers and masters. In some ways, it's even better than P&P (heresy, I know). The relationship between Thornton and his mother is touching and Mrs. Thornton isn't so one-dimensional as Mrs. Bennett or Lady Catherine DeBourgh. She is proud, but able to admit when she is wrong.

So if you're in the market for something new, check it out at your local library. There's a whole world of BBC period dramas out there waiting for me.

Making Progress

Yesterday Ben earned his first big potty training reward, a Lightning McQueen car. He had to stay clean and dry all day and it took almost a week, but he did it and we are thrilled. We bought the car last Wednesday and he carried it around everywhere, showing it to everyone. He kept telling me that the car wanted to come out and I told him I agreed, but reminded him of the stipulations. We had to retape the car shut once when he tried to sneak it out, but he learned quickly not to try that again when I stuck it up on the fridge. We're still far from being totally potty trained, but I've seen major progress in just this one week. So there's light at the end of the tunnel.

Hardly able to contain himself as Andy opens the car...
Bouncing for joy with his new car!

Midnight Madness

Spill it. Were you at the midnight book release party breathlessly awaiting your copy of Breaking Dawn to discover Bella's fate? Have you already devoured your copy and are rejoicing or bemoaning the outcome? Are you currently ignoring everything else in your life until you finish the book? Or, cruel, cruel world, are you one of the millions on a library waiting list (like a friend of mine who is something like 627th in line) for your chance to get a crack at it, while you subliminally urge everyone ahead of you to read faster, dangit!

As someone who proudly stood in line at midnight for the last four Harry Potter books, I admire an ardent literary fan. But I have to take exception when people compare the Twilight series to my beloved Harry Potter. Granted, they are both publishing phenomenons, have sold unbelievably well and spawned legions of obsessed fans. But really? Epic saga of good against evil vs. a teenage vampire romance. Hmm... Yes, I know I'm going to incite some rage for that comment, but I do love to stir the pot. :)

So here's some poetic justice for all of you who secretly (or not so secretly) pine for Edward. I am curious to find out what happens to Bella and Edward. Does she become a vampire so they can be together forever? Does she choose Jacob instead? Yes, I am asking someone to be a spoiler and save me from having to read it myself. If you don't want to know, read the comments at your own risk. For those of you who don't want to be a spoiler, let me know where you fall on the Twilight spectrum and what you thought of the final installment.