tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71807883229801744592024-02-06T20:31:21.807-08:00THE BOSS OF ONEJenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193949366709192552noreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180788322980174459.post-60554500066990925042009-07-24T13:57:00.000-07:002009-07-24T14:06:30.384-07:00PickerI went blueberry picking today at <a href="http://www.localharvest.org/farms/M14428">my favorite farm</a> with some friends. I didn't get any pictures unfortunately as it's hard to hold a baby and pick berries. I also didn't get very many berries, as the baby was eating them out of the container as fast as I could put them in (that's going to be a really fun diaper change later).<br /><br />So why am I babbling on about spending a morning out in the sun, bugs, and briars? Because that's what berries are all about. Summer berries aren't hard little underripe nuggets picked up at your local market. They're ripe, bright, juicy fruits hanging in bunches from trees and bushes ready for picking. Berries to me are summer mornings spent listening to kids laughing, eating as much as you pick, and chins and fingers sticky with juice. They're about long drives in the country with the windows down and sunroof open, arms in the wind and sun, and children asleep in the back seat.<br /><br />Or at least that's what they are to me.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193949366709192552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180788322980174459.post-76016090152915284212009-07-22T05:54:00.000-07:002009-07-22T06:02:37.099-07:00Working Girl<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.kalamazooweekly.com/images/NewKWN.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 617px; height: 130px;" src="http://www.kalamazooweekly.com/images/NewKWN.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />So because I have SO much free time, I've taken another job writing for the Kalamazoo Weekly News. It's a free paper, distributed throughout the Kalamazoo county area, and is available by subscription for the cost of the shipping. Please check it out, <a href="mailto:%20nardi@kalamazooweekly.com">forward</a> your story suggestions, and offer your comments.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193949366709192552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180788322980174459.post-23329988776169307702009-07-22T05:50:00.000-07:002009-07-22T05:53:32.288-07:00World Breastfeeding Week<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://worldbreastfeedingweek.org/images/logo_01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 270px; height: 270px;" src="http://worldbreastfeedingweek.org/images/logo_01.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>World breastfeeding week will be celebrated August 1st to 7th this year. Even if you're not breastfeeding, you can help those who are by encouraging and supporting their breastfeeding journey. Please support this important and lifesaving initiative. I am!Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193949366709192552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180788322980174459.post-39251510165189051062009-07-09T09:29:00.002-07:002009-07-09T09:32:57.269-07:00Eye on the HomefrontI don’t want to beat a dead horse here but the economy – yeah well, it sucks. Millions of Americans are feeling the pinch, and though I’ve tried to put it off as long as possible, I’m worried too. I’m concerned for our local economy – the small business struggling to survive in our area and the talented, unemployed folks in our town who will be forced to search for work elsewhere if the status quo doesn’t change.<br /><br />So what can you do to show your support? Simple. Keep your dollars<a href="http://www.bookbugkids.com/whatsnew.htm"> in your town</a>. <a href="http://www.buylocalkalamazoo.org/">Buy local</a> if at all possible, and as directly from the producer as you can. Sure, it’s going to cost you a little more, but I’d rather invest a little more into the <a href="http://simpleorganizedlife.com/purposeful-shopping-money-spent-in-the-local-economy-goes-a-lot-further/">health of my hometown</a> then send one more cent overseas.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193949366709192552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180788322980174459.post-41235079634572783292009-07-07T19:40:00.001-07:002009-07-07T19:46:37.197-07:00Breaking NewsWhat's going on with the whole gossip is news phenomenon we've got going on today? A funeral for an accused (and later cleared) child molester is the topic of most note today, while real news like the President's overseas goodwill missions or the end to the terror inflicted by a serial killer gets buried some stories back. Heck, I'm even giving it more press by talking about it!Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193949366709192552noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180788322980174459.post-43217642128534708442008-11-19T14:09:00.000-08:002008-11-19T14:17:28.805-08:00Wistful thinkingLaurie was right. <a href="http://snuzzy.com/">Snuzzy</a> IS my new favorite site.<object width="425" height="344"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/r0E-0ntoNWo&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193949366709192552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180788322980174459.post-46853965876338664922008-11-04T20:14:00.000-08:002008-11-04T20:18:19.599-08:00Winds of ChangeToday I'm proud to be an American; proud to witness this historic moment and excited and thankful my daughter has been born in this amazing era. <br /><br />Congratulations to our president elect, and congratulations to the people of America - it is you, and only you, who are responsible for this change.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193949366709192552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180788322980174459.post-16027953828448197472008-11-04T04:53:00.001-08:002008-11-04T04:53:36.334-08:00PSAGet out and vote.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193949366709192552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180788322980174459.post-37348964104464368802008-11-04T04:28:00.000-08:002008-11-04T04:52:36.738-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMap_s2dNBnitT6568hyGKcDRFu2axDS5jcGkZw7NZHQXIwsl_Cq_arxPBYctGKn0JOy0qZeB6fcNLT-6ER0dJ777kuMHKMCYZOEOeKED867w9NN26pf33IeRl0UK2A_Xlu5tGADAcxBc/s1600-h/cover_gourmet_190.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 108px; height: 147px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMap_s2dNBnitT6568hyGKcDRFu2axDS5jcGkZw7NZHQXIwsl_Cq_arxPBYctGKn0JOy0qZeB6fcNLT-6ER0dJ777kuMHKMCYZOEOeKED867w9NN26pf33IeRl0UK2A_Xlu5tGADAcxBc/s200/cover_gourmet_190.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264781709050557666" border="0" /></a><br /><img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/user/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot.jpg" alt="" /><img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/user/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-1.jpg" alt="" />Fall is my favorite season. Not only is it the season of my birthday, fresh donuts and cider, finally cooler temperatures, agricultural bounty, but it's also the start of the holiday season and the time for my favorite annual publications - the thanksgiving editions of the food magazines. Oh there's nothing better - it's food porn and I'm an addict. I love the pictures decorating the shiny pages of perfect food; golden turkeys, fluffy potatoes, browned casseroles, vibrantly colored vegetables.<br /><br />My addiction to Thanksgiving isn't limited to the food. The seasonal decorations and the table settings are also a focus of my addiction. Autumnal colored linens, elegant holiday china, cornucopias, leaves, pumpkins and gourds, mums; I can't get enough. I hit the store to collect all the Thanksgiving editions of magazines I don't already subscribe to (yes, there are ones that I don't subscribe to thankyouverymuch), then I head to the library to check out all the cookbooks they have too. I plot and plan the menu, the table, the snacks, and the dessert with my mom and sister beginning more than a month in advance - discussing holiday menus past and assigning items for preparation.<br /><br />This year we have an additional reason to be excited (and thankful) - two new family members trying holiday food for the first time (well, one actually trying it herself, one trying it second hand).<br /><br />We have favorite dishes that return yearly to grace the holiday table (sausage stuffing, sweet potato casserole) and new items being tested for the first time. What are favorites on your holiday table?Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193949366709192552noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180788322980174459.post-40180370078495087222008-10-14T07:02:00.000-07:002008-10-14T07:03:48.823-07:00Hi. I'm new here.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqaAinRAY7DKrC3lhyPcb9qcuu1jKSTrq4hHMZ_IxNioTJKEQKLH5K8bfWIKI6l1whqYONszcptxqwuDpXf4-XhpqDPq6foA6qIj9Wzbl8ApxjAFSpdAUgyu4fbkMUxgCgcpa38sUufmE/s1600-h/DSCN3715.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqaAinRAY7DKrC3lhyPcb9qcuu1jKSTrq4hHMZ_IxNioTJKEQKLH5K8bfWIKI6l1whqYONszcptxqwuDpXf4-XhpqDPq6foA6qIj9Wzbl8ApxjAFSpdAUgyu4fbkMUxgCgcpa38sUufmE/s320/DSCN3715.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257009961232990578" border="0" /></a>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193949366709192552noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180788322980174459.post-80796332099687182312008-08-30T08:07:00.000-07:002008-08-30T08:27:17.788-07:00Shut up and eat your greens<span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So the government has decided to allow irradiation of your food. OMG! What <span style="font-style: italic;">should</span> you do?<br /><br />Hysteria!?<br /><br />Mass pandemonium!?<br /><br />Riots!?<br /><br />Hmmm....Too much effort, too little return.<br /><br />Maybe instead..<br /><br />Urban homesteading? Buying local? Joining a CSA?<br /><br />Better...but still requires actual thought and effort. I like to sit on my bum in front of the computer.<br /><br />Whatever <span style="font-style: italic;">could</span> you do?<br /><br />How about exercising your constitutional right to do what we do best... Complain! The FDA is currently allowing a <a href="http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=SubmitComment&o=09000064806d2f95">30 day comment period</a> on its new ruling to allow irradiation of commercially grown leafy greens (to begin in September). The information is out there - <a href="http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/8/22/7437/91702">educate yourself </a>and <a href="http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=SubmitComment&o=09000064806d2f95">let the man know what you think</a>.<br /><br />(Hey, I'm biased, but I'm not against freedom of information. Check out this info too.<br /><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/DBMD/diseaseinfo/foodirradiation.htm">Yummy radiation</a><br /><a href="http://uw-food-irradiation.engr.wisc.edu/Facts.html">Shut up and eat your toxic greens</a><br /><a href="http://www.fda.gov/opacom/catalog/irradbro.html">But we promise it's safe (winkwink)</a><br /><a href="http://www.purefood.org/irrad/irradfact.cfm">I'm no robot</a><br /><a href="http://www.mindfully.org/Food/Food-Last-Forever-TOC.htm">More shit disturbing</a><br /><br />Oh, and BTW, the reason we have to fry our food is because commercial production is in short, nasty. Any wonder why this requirement was suggested by commercial food producers??<br /><br /><a href="http://www.organicconsumers.org/irrad/irradiationcomment.htm" target="_blank"></a></span>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193949366709192552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180788322980174459.post-83796068279108329342008-08-04T07:42:00.001-07:002008-08-04T07:57:36.143-07:00Revisiting a basic lessonWith rising gas prices capping now where in sight and well paying jobs moving into the past, many people in my town have turned to a new form of transportation. Their bicycle. Bikes are great. They're small, easy to park, manuverable, free to operate, self cooled (who doesn't like the wind in their hair), and offer an added benefit of providing the operator exercise. Operated according to the applicable laws and with the proper protective equipment (reflectors, lights for riding in the dark, a helmet worn by the operator) bikes are a safe and efficient method of transportation. Well, relatively safe. Unfortunately there seems to be a certain segment of the population who have forgotten that basic Kindergarden lesson called sharing. So let's review sharing as it relates to the road.<br /><br />1) You do not "own" the road. The road is owned by the city/township/municipality/county and the citizens who reside there. And since we all pay taxes to use the road, whether we're walking, biking, or driving, we have as much right as you to be there.<br />2) Speed limits are posted for a reason. While you may not care about your safety (and frankly neither do we), we do care about the safety of everyone else on the road, so drive within the speed limits and keep them safe.<br />2.5) Driving with intoxicated/impaired/flat out drunk is illegal for a reason. Again, while you may not care about your safety, it's usually not the drunkard who gets hurt. If you're drunk, stay off the road.<br />3) Yelling obsenities is inappropriate, no matter how stressed/angry/tired/much of a jerk you are.<br /><br />My hubby rides his bike to work, and I've been known pre-pregnancy to ride mine to run errands or to avoid having to find parking. I've had friends that have been hit by cars while riding their bikes, and I'm a daily witness to people harassing/disrespecting/endangering bikers (and everyone else on the road) with their inability to share the road and agressive driving.<br /><br />A bicyclist was hit early this morning and killed on Sprinkle road by a driver (and alcohol is suspected to be a factor). Please, let's have this be the last one.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193949366709192552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180788322980174459.post-11765919559072846812008-07-28T09:24:00.000-07:002008-07-28T09:26:10.544-07:00How to make your businss warm and fuzzy the Walmart wayI'm not a Walmart shopper so I'm a little behind in their logo rebranding news but here's an interesting article on how their logo change is being analyzed.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.thestreet.com/story/10424677/1/small-biz-change-your-logo-like-wal-mart.html">http://www.thestreet.com/story/10424677/1/small-biz-change-your-logo-like-wal-mart.html</a>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193949366709192552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180788322980174459.post-44534411618455207962008-07-28T08:34:00.000-07:002008-07-28T08:36:09.577-07:00Home Gardening on the riseCheck out this article on the rise in home gardening from GMPro.<br /><br /><a href="http://branchsmith.typepad.com/project_green_industry/2008/07/home-gardens-ga.html">http://branchsmith.typepad.com/project_green_industry/2008/07/home-gardens-ga.html</a>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193949366709192552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180788322980174459.post-82822362454444288632008-06-26T05:07:00.000-07:002008-06-26T05:19:41.823-07:00Hear ye, Hear yeI have a new water softener and I'm excited. Which is kind of sad now that I think about it. I still remember the days (thankfully pregnancy brain hasn't caused me to forget everything) when I was excited for new Barbies, Christmas presents, first dates, and gossip. Now all it takes for me to get worked up is my husband doing chores, new water softeners, and reruns of Law & Order. Oh, and not having to work tomorrow (but who wouldn't find that exciting.)<br /><br />The hubby will be having a birthday this weekend, which I still think is exciting though he's insisting he doesn't want to celebrate. I don't understand this refusal to have fun on birthdays thing that's come up lately. I mean, think about the alternative. Sound more fun? Didn't think so. So suck it up and have a good time. In my opinion you're lucky to have one.<br /><br />The only downer to this birthday-shmirthday jazz was the following conversation I had with the hubby (recorded below for your shock and appall).<br /><br />Crappy Hubby: "You realize I'm still going to be in my twenties when you're in your thirties?"<br />Fantastically Irritated Me: "Yes. Thanks for the reminder."<br />Crappy Hubby: "And you're going to be in your fourties while I'm still in my thirties?"<br />Fantastically More Irritated Me: "Do you want to see this birthday that's coming up or are you looking to end it right here?"<br /><br />No one likes to be reminded of their own mortality.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193949366709192552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180788322980174459.post-16943867684992033942008-06-24T09:19:00.000-07:002008-06-24T09:29:28.669-07:00SuckerpunchLet's get one thing straight. I don't believe that all problems can be solved with violence, nor do I believe it should be a solution even considered in the majority of situations. I do believe that education and appropriate consequences are the best and most effective solution in most situations. However, there are a few situations where I find a straight up punch in the face to be the most effective method for dealing with the offending parties.<br /><br />1. Animal abuse (see <a href="http://www.woodtv.com/global/story.asp?S=8544329">this article</a>)<br />2. Spousal or child abuse<br />3. If nothing else works<br /><br />Seriously though. If you think abusing animals is fun, or you believe in doing it just because you can, you deserve to have everyone you meet punch you in the face until you realize what a j--k a-s you are. And if you don't realize it, well you'll still get what's coming to you.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193949366709192552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180788322980174459.post-66053810056850875582008-06-23T17:29:00.001-07:002008-06-23T17:29:55.771-07:00QuestionWhat does a loving wife get for a husband who claims he wants nothing for his birthday (but Jack's Naturally rising crust pizza and corn)?Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193949366709192552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180788322980174459.post-42791859820159782412008-06-23T17:08:00.000-07:002008-06-23T17:28:09.850-07:00Life is beautifulNot much to report on of late. I enjoyed a fantastic Friday lounging at the beach with my fellow bloghers <a href="http://jojotheknitster.blogspot.com/">JoJotheKnitster</a> and <a href="http://punkrockhr.com/">Punk Rock HR</a>, as well as my <a href="http://jessepalmer.blogspot.com/">fantastic hubby</a>, who insisted on driving the gas guzzler as the check engine light is once again on in the vdub. A minor irritation however I'll let it slide as long as it continues to get me where I need to go on 28 mpg.<br /><br />After our beachisode we were desperately in need of snacks and beverages so we headed to the Idler to waste the rest of our day in nothing to do luxury with our much more motivated friends (who had just woken up from a nap after biking the 34 miles from Kalamazoo to South Haven). And I thought waddling my phat pregnant ass around all day was tough.<br /><br />I just took a glance around and noticed laziness seems to have taken over my household this evening. (And shakiness apparently has overtaken my arm.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgezazsPIzRiqye1rfiZrkHzOoVcJxOabagm3M4tbCO4UyuFUGMME5YTeXqrbBfRm1_IXTWu8-5GrsOXPIt8u_FH7TrBV88i1b8fnhYFyBKKbguuXsbdNxXNUyBOM3a5JsZPYzmUR2CDYw/s1600-h/DSCN3500.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgezazsPIzRiqye1rfiZrkHzOoVcJxOabagm3M4tbCO4UyuFUGMME5YTeXqrbBfRm1_IXTWu8-5GrsOXPIt8u_FH7TrBV88i1b8fnhYFyBKKbguuXsbdNxXNUyBOM3a5JsZPYzmUR2CDYw/s320/DSCN3500.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215234880458645970" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht7UHCoUHnUurD6AP0uLCJrtMdHM_4a84EgaKI95FWmgL4W1HhdmOBr5e4c0Wa-43vDETRZ5unnhwekQT5F4t-IcigkYuonwkHtLk9lGYYVj4uyUHFw-yW00jk2JID38WtPQMCCRgN7YI/s1600-h/DSCN3501.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht7UHCoUHnUurD6AP0uLCJrtMdHM_4a84EgaKI95FWmgL4W1HhdmOBr5e4c0Wa-43vDETRZ5unnhwekQT5F4t-IcigkYuonwkHtLk9lGYYVj4uyUHFw-yW00jk2JID38WtPQMCCRgN7YI/s320/DSCN3501.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215234662072746098" border="0" /></a>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193949366709192552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180788322980174459.post-13071573002892937962008-06-17T05:35:00.001-07:002008-06-17T05:37:37.687-07:00This cracks me up<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_MxEPPCgaHDaCb4OIvAufgvPgkVJiA1XTUR1J1D1-8Wf9s7K0zLY5MTNPftvjIDQ-AcjSvlyhpgjt0vCATdKJhkvTrZMx_U-vZXcxPKbde7G1qLNMQNaBLgmKxdzebzK4WtX6Cj7xa_U/s1600-h/Surprised+baby.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212828654958822866" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_MxEPPCgaHDaCb4OIvAufgvPgkVJiA1XTUR1J1D1-8Wf9s7K0zLY5MTNPftvjIDQ-AcjSvlyhpgjt0vCATdKJhkvTrZMx_U-vZXcxPKbde7G1qLNMQNaBLgmKxdzebzK4WtX6Cj7xa_U/s320/Surprised+baby.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://www.thebakfamily.net/gallery/v/Month+7/IMG_0651.jpg.html?g2_imageViewsIndex=1"></a></div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193949366709192552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180788322980174459.post-17268897858062556562008-06-12T19:09:00.001-07:002008-06-12T19:19:12.140-07:00Let's play a gameFirst I totally admit this post is stolen from <a href="http://http://notesfromthegardenspot.blogspot.com/">Notes from the Garden Spot of the World.</a><br /><br />Next, let's play this game. I love to read - love it- and am always reading something. Last week it was The Bradley Method of Childbirth, over the weekend it was Eat Pray Love and Super Natural Cooking and this week it's Family Dinners.<br /><br />The following list of books are the top 106 books tagged "unread" at <a href="http://www.librarything.com/">LibraryThing</a> . Let's see how well read we are.<br /><br />Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell<br />Anna Karenina<br />One Hundred Years of Solitude<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Crime and Punishment</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Wuthering Heights</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Catch-22</span><br />The Silmarillion<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Don Quixote</span><br /><strong style="font-weight: bold;">The Odyssey </strong><br />The Brothers Karamazov<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ulysses</span><em></em><br />Madame Bovary<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">War and Peace</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A Tale of Two Cities</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jane Eyre</span><br />The Name of the Rose<br /><strong style="font-weight: bold;">Moby Dick </strong><br />Emma<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Iliad</span><br />Vanity Fair<br />Love in the Time of Cholera<br />The Blind Assassin<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pride and Prejudice</span><em style="font-weight: bold;"></em><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Canterbury Tales</span><br />The Historian: A Novel<br />The Kite Runner<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Great Expectations</span><br />Life of Pi<br />The Time Traveler's Wife<br />Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies<br /><strong style="font-weight: bold;">Atlas Shrugged</strong><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />Foucault's Pendulum<br /><strong style="font-weight: bold;">Dracula </strong><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Grapes of Wrath</span><br /><strong style="font-weight: bold;">Frankenstein </strong><br />A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius<br /><strong style="font-weight: normal;">Mrs. Dalloway</strong><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sense and Sensibility</span><br />Middlemarch<br />Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Count of Monte Cristo</span><em style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br /></em><strong style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Memoirs of a Geisha</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Sound and the Fury</span><br /></strong><strong style="font-weight: bold;">Brave New World</strong><br />Quicksilver<br />American Gods<br />Middlesex<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Poisonwood Bible</span><br /><strong style="font-weight: normal;">Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West</strong><br />The Picture of Dorian Gray<br />Dune<br />A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man<br />The Satanic Verses<br />Mansfield Park<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Gulliver's Travels</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Three Musketeers</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Inferno</span><br />The Corrections<br /><strong style="font-weight: normal;">The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay</strong><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Fountainhead</span><br />Tess of the D'Urbervilles<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Oliver Twist</span><br /><strong style="font-weight: normal;">To the Lighthouse</strong><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A Clockwork Orange</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Robinson Crusoe</span><br />Persuasion<br /><strong style="font-weight: bold;">The Scarlet Letter </strong><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest</span><br /><strong style="font-weight: normal;">The Once and Future King </strong><br />Anansi Boys<br />Atonement<br />The God of Small Things<br />A Short History of Nearly Everything<br />Cryptonomicon<br />Dubliners<br />Oryx and Crake<br />Angela's Ashes<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Beloved</span><br />Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Hunchback of Notre Dame</span><br />In Cold Blood<br />Lady Chatterley's Lover<br />A Confederacy of Dunces<br /><em style="font-weight: bold;">Les Misérables</em><br />The Amber Spyglass<br />The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Watership Down</span><br /><strong style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Beowulf</span></strong><br /><strong style="font-weight: bold;">The Aeneid</strong><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A Farewell to Arms</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Treasure Island</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">David Copperfield</span><br />Sons and Lovers<br />Possession<br />The Book Thief<br />The history of Tom Jones<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Road</span><br />Tender is the Night<br />The War of the WorldsJenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193949366709192552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180788322980174459.post-74398481838594438722008-06-12T04:20:00.000-07:002008-06-24T09:28:00.460-07:00Ramblin'It's been a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">loooonngg</span> week. I'm not sure if its the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">pregnancy</span> or my zeal for <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">over scheduling</span> and packing as much as possible into every day, but I'm feeling a little worn down and over tired. So far this week I've worked, cleaned, made cookies to celebrate a birthday, walked the dog, swam, volunteered, knitted, shopped, gardened, and tried to sleep - though the heat is kicking my ass. Miser that I am, over the weekend we ran the central air AND the window unit in our bedroom and I was still dreaming of a bathtub full of cold water. It's interesting how all winter I dreamed of laying out in the hot sun on the beach only to find myself this summer trying to find a walk-in cooler to crawl into.<br /><br />I've also noticed this week that it seems like I'm having increasing trouble breathing - almost like I can't get enough air in. It's likely due to the baby taking up more and more space but this doesn't help to quell my already high anxiety level at all, but I just keep thinking about the 15 more weeks to go.<br /><br />Thanks to the slightly less humid weather this week the garden is finally mostly in - I do need to stop and get some straw to mulch the onions and greens but other than that most of the hard labor is done. The tomatoes, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">zucchini</span>, and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">cukes</span> are quickly making twining the supports necessary, and the eggplant and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">brussel</span> sprouts are creeping higher and higher. I'm hoping to get some pictures up this weekend when I get the mulch down.<br /><br />On another pregnancy caused accident prone note, last weekend I endured an almost injury - while sleeping. I had just gotten back to bed after spending some time in front of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">tv</span> - I was having some problems sleeping so I had gotten up extremely early and gone down to watch some <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">tv</span> until I was able to snooze again - and I was looking forward to a few delicious hours of sleeping late with nothing to do. The hubby and the critters were of course still snoozing away as I snuggled into my (tiny) spot. I had no sooner started to drift off when the hubby started to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">snore</span> - loud. Frustrated and half asleep, I flopped my giant pregnant self over (which is getting to be a production) and ...fell off the bed.<br /><br />NO, I wasn't hurt at all, but I was a little "<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">surprised</span>" to say it nicely. On a brighter note, it woke the hubby up so I was able to get back into bed and asleep before he started snoring again.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193949366709192552noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180788322980174459.post-41126428487398902762008-05-30T06:58:00.001-07:002008-05-30T07:07:28.765-07:00Working on Fridays is for SuckersI love lazy Fridays. Let me rephrase. I love not working on Fridays. I love having a day of laziness that isn't on a weekend and getting to laugh at all the suckers spending their last day before the weekend slaving away.<br />I'm spending the day in girlish luxury. A massage and a movie with friends. Relaxing in the yard with a new magazine and a delicious iced tea. Eating leftover Chinese food cold out of the container for breakfast. (Hey, I didn't say it was YOUR idea of luxury.)<br />The hubby is spending the day in bed, recovering from food poisoning. For the second time this week. Yes, after eating something that gave him food poisoning earlier this week, yesterday he proceeded to then eat the leftovers, causing him to be sick yet again.<br /><br />Don't ask me, I wouldn't have eaten it.<br /><br />I'm thinking about heading to the library for some perspective widening new reads. And doing some volunteering. Isn't it fantastic to have a day where you can choose what to do?<br /><br />I love Fridays.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193949366709192552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180788322980174459.post-23113330033977334262008-05-27T05:32:00.000-07:002008-05-30T07:07:43.276-07:00Long days aheadMy hubby installed the air conditioner in our bedroom window last night insisting he was too hot to sleep anywhere but the basement without it. It's going to be a LONG summer at this rate.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193949366709192552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180788322980174459.post-2921338289603367302008-05-26T15:37:00.000-07:002008-05-30T07:09:19.602-07:00Food not lawnsI finally planted some things in the garden this weekend - tomatoes (yellow pear, roma, currant, paste and beefsteak), eggplant, cukes (pickling and burpless), zucchini squash, and brussel sprouts. This week I need to get in the peppers (sweet and jalapeño), greens (lettuce, kale, spinach, swiss chard and collards), herbs, beans, onions, beets, and radishes. I'm trying a new "caging" system for the tomatoes and vine crops that was recommended in my Veg Gardening 101 class through MSU's extension program - it involves building "fences" for the vines to grow up, reducing the amount of horizontal space they take up (and allowing hopefully for more plants in a smaller space). Courtesy of my overzealous hubby our garden is also larger this year - almost double the space of last year and slowly encroaching over more and more of our yard. (Food not lawns!) We've also got plans in the works to add a new back door to the house onto a new back patio - to be complete with space for a fire pit and seating area, so I'm slowly inching closer to my goal of no wasted lawnscape.<br />I spent Saturday afternoon volunteering at Gull Meadows Farms in Richland and we all know no trip to a greenhouse can be complete without a purchase...hence two new shade loving perennials joined me for the trip home. Though we disappointingly didn't get very many questions (other than where do I find x?) I did enjoy my time wandering among the greenhouse plants and watching people excitedly fill their carts. It's nice to know people do care about and want to add to their landscape - I did even see a couple filling several carts with perennials (awesome) for their house.<br />As much as I'm still dedicated to it, it is harder this year to work on the yard - harder to bend over and I'm so much slower at working through things. The heat definitely is having a greater effect on me as well. I'm determined though to spend as much time as I can on it hoping it will have a positive effect on the little person in utero and they'll come out a little garden loving dirty footed hippie child.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193949366709192552noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180788322980174459.post-51734708926741135152008-04-27T15:51:00.000-07:002008-05-30T07:08:55.078-07:00PregnancyPregnancy is such an magical process. One day your body is it's own, strong and flexible and energetic. Suddenly it becomes a vessel for a tiny idea, a promise months from becoming reality. Your body swells and changes shape, still hiding a treasure that it feeds and protects, encouraging it to develop and grow. And suddenly in a act of true strength and physical endurance, it opens to allow this tiny idea to become a reality. And even after your body no longer carries this treasure in it's cocoon, your body still provides it food and comfort as it returns to it's more normal shape.<br /><br />I want to say being pregnant is one of the best times of my life. I want to say I feel strong and beautiful and sensual. I want to say I'm proud of my body for being able to accomplish this wonderful act of creation, to grow and nourish and change. Unfortunately the way I feel is mainly tired and full and unattractive. I feel ashamed of my stretch marks and uncomfortable in my own changing shape.<br /><br />Today at a birthday party I reconnected with a wonderful girl full of love and excitement and energy. She's also a doula. She reminded me what a fantastic adventure the next 20 weeks (and beyond) should be. How amazing and natural this process is. And I'm trying to remember. I want to remember.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193949366709192552noreply@blogger.com0