What demographic am I in?

I read today that Facebook is introducing more targeting tools for advertisers. I'm all for that -- I really don't mind seeing ads on a free service, especially if they're actually for things I might be interested in.

I'm hoping that targeting isn't fully in place yet, however... otherwise I wonder what my profile says about me that I just received *this* ad!

Time to up my game

Hmm... my infinitely wittier, well-read, interestingly-opinionated and altogether more erudite brother-in-law now has a blog. Must up my game. Write more. And get some opinions somewhere. Or at least do some things worth opining on. (On which I feel worthy of opining?)

Paige's new baby group

It's a bit hard to see, because everyone moves around quite a bit, but Paige is in the back on the right...

Thanks Nana!!

Thanks very much Nana for these very cute pants, made by hand with love. And I think Paige's keister is about the only place that doesn't get sticky banana-sweet potato-pea-carrot goop on it whenever she eats, so the lovely handiwork should stay clean!

Where did 6 months go??

Phew! Thank goodness it didn't rain this past Saturday -- the date set for the "Can-you-believe-they're-six-months-already" picnic. Five of the six couples who started NCT classes last November as twosomes (with bumps) met up in Kew Gardens as trios. We found the shadiest spot possible, spread our many blankets, and ate far too much food (with still plenty of leftovers -- isn't that always the way).

The babies were (mostly) happy and playful, and relatively easy to manage. If we have another picnic next summer, I imagine no more relaxing on blankets -- rather we'll all be chasing every which way. And a group photo will be even more difficult to capture!

Not that it was particularly easy to get a great shot of all of them now -- sure, they'll all lie there. But look at the camera? All 5 at the same time? Hmm... This photo is the best shot I think; I've also attached the 'Making of...' video!

(Babies l to r)
Paige (well, duh - no idea what she's doing here); Zack (Nathalie & John's); Oscar (Juliet & Nick's); Evie (Helen & Andrew's); Ben (Katrina & Phil's)

Jumptastic!

A million thank-yous to Janelle for Paige's new favourite toy, the Fisher Price Rainforest Jumperoo. Given how active Paige is, we had a feeling she'd like it -- but it was good to see theory in action. She LOOOOOOVES it -- the photo and video can only convey about 1% of how much.

Now we just need to convince her to stop growing for a while, so she doesn't outgrow it too quickly!

Cheep Cheep

According to the Economist, chickens are the new thing... Of course, Lucy could've told them that already!

What a difference a day makes!

Well, a couple of days... only 2 days ago, Paige could only sit up with support -- and today? Look mom, no hands! OK, so she can only stay up for about 10 - 15 seconds, but today 15 seconds, tomorrow who knows?!

Happy 1/2 Birthday Paige

OMG, cannot believe it's been nearly 2 months since I've posted anything -- belated birthday resolution: must do better!

And will start by saying Happy Half-Birthday Paige. So that's where my posting time's gone! Recent accomplishments of the nearly 16-pound darling:
--eating (ish) real food... likes: apple, banana, peach, pear; dislikes: broccoli, peas, vegetables of all sorts
--turning over from front to back. Occasionally, that is, when she can remember where to move her arm.
--sitting up, nearly. Sooooo close...

erm -- looks like she's got a bunch of almost and nearly-theres.... guess that means I'd better post more regularly, to keep those updates coming.

And here's what a difference 6 months makes...

Hair today, gone tomorrow

If only these hair bands had existed when I was a baby -- no more taping bows onto my fuzzy head. Although I am a teeny bit suspicious that there are no photos in the gallery (am I missing something), and the how-to instructions are illustrated with photos of a doll. I can't imagine Paige sitting still for the styling, and definitely not the hair spray!

Maybe we'll just wait for her to acquire hair the old-fashioned way...

Happy 1/3 Birthday Paige!

Yep, 4 months have gone by, amazing. Even more amazing when I compare pictures from those first weeks with today.

I think my favourite thing about her getting older is every day discovering new things she's learned... in the past few weeks, she's started grabbing for toys (which go straight into her mouth, assuming a pacifier's not there already), and she's able to hold her head a bit more when on her stomach for tummy time. She's also begun to blow bubbles and make raspberry sounds -- supposedly on the way to talking (and if she's anything like her mom, once she starts, that's it for us all!)

Even more fun is finding out the little things that make her laugh... like for some reason, she goes crazy with giggles if you make snorting noises at her. And today I discovered that if I have her on my knees while I do sit ups, she laughs almost every time I pull myself up to look at her -- but only if I count the sit up at the same time. Now there's an incentive to exercise!

So happy 4 months Paige, here's looking forward to the many changes that will happen over the next 4!!

If I won the lottery...

... sure I'd get the house, travel, etc... but THIS would be my frivolous purchase. I can't explain why, but I love, Love, LOVE this bag.

Have passport, will travel!

Paige's passport came today, complete with bruiser convict photo... I cannot believe THIS is what she'll be travelling with for the next 5 years. Of course, we still need to get her a US one -- maybe that will look a tiny bit more like her!

Happy Mum's Day! (UK style)

To my wonderful mother -- I heard this story about later-in-life Bat Mitzvahs on NPR, and thought of you. I'm still so proud of your efforts (at much younger than 91!), and so happy I was able to be there to support you Mom!

Sitcom Map

Saw this the other day, thanks DanMeth.com... clearly there's a gap in the market for a sitcom based in the Montana/Wyoming/Idaho area. Possibly an adopted-at-birth, raised-on-the-upper-West-Side man is disowned by his parents, and comes to live with his newly-discovered neo-Nazi militia brother, and hilarious wacky odd-couple-esque adventures ensue...

Happy 1/4 Birthday Paige

Wow -- we've made it to 3 months. And amazingly enough, things are actually getting into a little more of a routine, just as everyone says. What changes have we racked up over the past 3 months?

• Nearly doubling in size -- at last weigh in, over a week ago, Paige tipped the scales at 11 1/2 pounds... she must be hitting near 12 by now
• Much more focusing of the eyes -- especially when she looks at her parents, which of course melts their hearts
• Smiling, smiling and more smiling -- which results in more heart melting -- though we do have a difficult time capturing this on camera (the smiling, not the heart melting)
• Cooing, gurgling, and other adorable baby noises -- I'll miss them once they turn into real words like 'I WANT' or 'NO!'
• And the most recent accomplishment? More sleep -- yay! It's only been a few days, but we're getting 5 - 7 hour stretches each night, which should only get more frequent (I hope).

So not bad, and only more exciting advances to come over the next 3 -- can't wait!

Say cheese!

Yesterday's grand adventure? Getting Paige her passport photos -- this little girl is definitely going to be an international jetsetter, so need to get her a passport ASAP.

According to British Passport Service rules, for a baby, the eyes don't have to be open, but it does need to be face forward, and with both ears showing. And Mom cannot be in the picture -- not even a few fingers propping Baby in place. Hmm... how to achieve this with a not-quite-3-month-old who can't even hold her head up?

Luckily, our friendly neighbourhood Snappy-Snaps is all prepared for baby shots, and it turned out to be much easier than expected. They have a little white pillow head rest -- you just lay the baby's head on the pillow and get out of the shot, holding up the rest of the body underneath. They then take the photo from overhead.

And as you can see from the photo, it worked a treat. And like all passport photos, it doesn't look anything like her. And it will look even less like her as she uses it over time -- as I understand, this passport will be good until her 5th birthday... I'm thinking her appearance may have changed a bit by then!

Incredible growing baby

OK, it may not be incredible that a baby is growing. I guess really that's what said baby is supposed to be doing, what with all that feeding and sleeping. But still -- it seems pretty amazing that just on milk Paige can nearly double in size in 10 weeks. As of today, she's 5.05 kg (or 11 lb 2 oz for you imperialists)

To see what almost doubling in size looks like -- the picture on the left is at about 2 weeks; on the right is today...

Same great taste??

Starbucks selling instant coffee?? What the??? If it's as good as Starbucks, then why buy the real stuff. And if it's not, how can it possible help the company to sell an inferior product?

Howie, Howie, Howie... how can this be restoring Starbucks to its original glory?

Reading list

I finally got around to reading the December 2005 (eek - I'm a little behind) issue of the Swarthmore Bulletin, and found an article about the 'Essential Reading' for every Swarthmore student... Looks like I need to go back -- 4 years at Swat and I only managed 3 from the list. (Pride & Prejudice, Lord of the Rings, and Stephen Jay Gould's Burgess Shale, in case anyone's wondering...)

Pinksplosion

When did it become impossible to buy baby girl clothes in anything but pink?? I don't remember what I wore as a baby (er, what I was dressed in) but I've certainly seen pictures of little-girl me, in all shades of orange, yellow, greens (well - it was the 70's, after all). I even remember a red plaid pant suit. But no pink.

But today - that's all there is... As you can see in this photo of all the clothes we've bought/received for Paige so far... aside from a little beige and white -- it's pink, pink and more pink.

A few recent articles have been highlighting this, thanks to PR efforts around the book Toxic Childhood. I especially like the nugget from the BBC that pink used to be for boys because it is 'a more decided and stronger colour'. Is pink inherently bad? No, of course not. And if you truly like pink, hey, great, go for it. But how boring is a world where 50% of the population is marked out by one and only one colour? What happened to variety?

And of course, as a non- girly-girl myself... why does it have to be pink?

Books into art

If I could afford real, proper, grown-up art, this is the sort of thing I'd buy. Su Blackwell turns books into intricately cut paper sculptures -- unlike anything I've seen. A few of her pieces were displayed at the V&A recently as part of their Blood on Paper exhibit. V&A? Books? Books as modern art?? My kind of trifecta!

Public transport travails

Finally took Paige on public transport yesterday -- tube and bus -- and must say, it takes military planning. Not only are you faced with the normal baby-related stuff (pack enough nappies, possible change of clothes, when/where will you be able to feed, etc...) but you also need to consider which stations (if any) are stroller-accessible.

You'd think in this age of disability-awareness, all would be (if a station is wheelchair accessible, then it's buggy-friendly as well) but no such luck. So to get to the hospital for her appointment, I needed to change lines just to make sure that when I got to Earl's Court station, I was on the line that has the lift (Piccadilly), not the one with the stairs (District.).

And according to this news release, only about a sixth of the tube stations are accessible - and they're on track to have 1/4 accessible by 2010. That's ridiculous! And looking at the map, most of the accessible stops are suburban -- making any central London visits a challenge at best.

Hmm... I wonder what other big-city subway accessibility is like... And in the meantime, buses are definitely the way to go.

Merry Christmas!!

O'bama

Caught this song on tv this morning -- a little late, but made me laugh!

First outing

It took us 8 days, but we've finally made it out of the house. (to be fair, the first few days we were in the hospital, so that doesn't count).

Yep, it was time to leave the cozy home nest, and venture into the big bad world. Or perhaps not so bad -- fittingly enough for a baby with at least a little Seattle in her blood, where else could we make our first stroll but to Starbucks. Double tall skinny wet latte please. Er, and one for mom as well.

No, no, no -- but in time, it will be babycinos all around!

*ps -- the pram is actually red, but this picture was taken with my not-so-great camera phone

Statistics gone mad...

Amusing Frank Deford piece on stupidest statistics on NPR. Well, I guess they need to find something to put on the Jumbotron...

Baby classes

We had our first NCT class this Saturday. 5 sessions with other local first-time parents, trying to give us a better idea of what to expect for the birth... and beyond, for when you take this strange little creature home and have to look after it. Eek.

Five weeks to go, though (if all goes according to schedule) and we're slowly getting organised. We've got the car seat - thanks Cat! - and a crib - thanks Jon & Julie! - and even a rocking chair. And I think the baby monitor is powerful enough to stretch to the pub next door (thanks Margot!) And thanks to the fabulous shower 2 weeks ago, complete with suprise appearance (thanks Mom!) we've got books, toys, clothes, and an heirloom-to-be handmade blanket (thanks thanks thanks Stephanie!). Just a few more practicalities and we'll be set. Then it's just sit back and wait time. And wait. And wait!

Stitchery Show

After an incredibly busy couple of weeks, it was great to be able to take off Friday and make my semi-annual pilgrimage to the Twisted Thread Knitting and Stitching Show. And to shake things up a bit, I decided to go all the way to Harrogate for this autumn's show (well, because I missed the recent London one, thanks to our lovely trip to Portugal).

While I'm not sure I'd make the 8+ hour round trip again just for the show, I will say it was a pretty good one. It seemed to have a much broader spread of needle crafts than the London shows -- though still had my favourite, Michael Powell and others I like, including Nutmeg (those 3d kits are tricky, but look fantastic).

To give my feet a rest, I also took in a workshop -- and now have a slightly better idea of how to do a patchwork quilt, however 1 hour was not *quite* enough to finish a project, even the small one the teacher started us off with. I must must must complete it at home soon - or risk a) forgetting how and b) adding yet another item to my unfinished projects file!

The most impressive part of the show -- like every year -- was the textile art exhibition -- so so so inspirational. Where do they get their ideas?!

My favourites this year? Roy and Barbara Hirst retrospective -- who do absolutely amazing stump work (also called, I learned, raised embroidery). Unfortunately I didn't have my cameras, so no photos. So meticulous.

I also enjoyed a more modern artist, Claire Moynihan, and her witty 'Moth Balls'. I don't know why, but they just grabbed my attention. Clever, beautiful, intricate -- just the sort of thing I'd love to come up with one day... when of course I begin my new career as an international textile artist. Hmm...

Baby on board

Probably the worst thing about being pregnant and working in London is the public transport commute. For some reason (British reserve? Yes, I know I'm not actually British, but I've been here long enough to acquire some local habits) I just cannot bring myself to ask for a seat. And yet, on a crowded tube, after a long day at work, that's what I want more than anything.

That same British reserve, however, is what stops people from offering seats I think. "Hmm... is she pregnant? Or just fat? I wouldn't want to insult her... so I just won't say anything at all." So I stand, and sigh, and stick my belly out to make it look more pregnant-y, not just wobbly over-eating-y. And I've even taken to wearing this somewhat embarrassing Baby on Board pin Transport for London gives out to help my case.

Of course, for any of these tactics to work, I need to at least be standing somewhere near a seat, rather than in the crush near the door. In addition, fellow passengers need to actually be looking around, rather than the usual state of eyes-in-book/paper/magazine or vacantly looking nowhere in particular.

So, I stand for a few stops, and usually manage to nab a seat at some point in the journey when something opens up. Occasionally, though, the offer does come, and is gratefully accepted. Perhaps not surprisingly, it's pretty much almost women, and usually at least 30+ I'd guess. There are still a few months left for men and yoof to prove themselves, however, so we'll see how things go until December.

But I'll certainly be standing for any pregnant women I see in the future -- er, after I'm no longer one of them, that is!

Vote Barack!

I cannot possibly keep track of all the Obama songs and videos on YouTube... but do like this one!

Sports team name puzzle

Thanks NPR for another enjoyable Sunday challenge. I only say enjoyable because it's one I managed to solve!

""Nonclassical analysis" contains eight different letters. Two of them occur once, two of them occur twice, two of them occur three times, and two of them occur four times each. Which sports team's name has this same property?"

Answers on a card, please, by Thursday 3pm. Or submit online -- you've just got to be near a phone at 3pm Thursday Eastern time.

Tiny bubbles...

I'm not sure if I should tsk-tsk or applaud the work of 'Mr Bubbles' -- who recently turned the Trafalgar Square fountains into a massive bubble bath. Ok, yes, it probably cost a little to clean it up, but it looks like it was relatively safe material (household detergents, etc), and I'm sure that if I had just happened to be walking by and saw a foamy fountain, it would've brought a smile to my face.

More Portugal photos...

Online at Flickr -- I know there should be some way to embed them here, but too tired to figure it out. Also I'm not sure why, when my photos were in order when I uploaded them, they're now all over the place... so the chronology is a bit off -- but hey, we were only there for 3 days, so it shouldn't be that confusing!

Quite interesting encounter

So, a couple weeks ago, I wandered into Stanfords, the amazing travel bookstore in Covent Garden, on the lookout for a suitable guidebook to the Algarve.

Culinary-suggestion-filled Top 10 Guide in hand, I wandered to the check out to pay for my purchase, when I realised the store seemed a bit more crowded than usual, even for a sunny Saturday afternoon. And then I realised the crowd wasn't milling about or shopping. No, they were standing. And looking. And taking pictures. All in the direction of a single man, at a desk, signing books.

Who? What? Could it be? None other than my ultimate dream dinner party guest, the erudite, self-deprecatingly pompous but never annoyingly arrogant, current QI and former Bafta presenter, raconteur, comic actor, dork, and all around national treasure that is Stephen Fry. Ok Mom, maybe not Prince William for celeb-ness, but between the two, I know who I'd rather have a real conversation with.

I promptly grabbed his most recent book, jumped in the queue, and agonised during the 25 minute wait over something suitably witty to say in my 15 second encounter. Aaaagh, the pressure. One of the assistants manning the line gave me a Post-It note on which I was to write any personalisation I requested. Double aaack! How could I possibly presume to put words in the pen of one of my idols?

But presume I did, and as I finally got to his side, I handed over the book -- a photo-heavy travelogue of his journey around all 50 US States in a black cab, companion piece to his current BBC show. And my Post-it, full of scribbles and re-writes, finally saying simply: "To Ashley & Stefanie: All 50 states, catch me if you can."

And I told him about our family state 'contest', and mumbled I felt silly telling him of all people what to write. But he was gracious despite his hours of signing (I was one of the last to go), and asked me what state I was from (probably only the 500th person he'd asked that of, as there appeared to be an American-heavy bias to the crowd), and even remarked on the spelling of my name, to ensure he got it correct.

Sadly our conversation ended there, just as we were about to become bosom buddies, and I went away smiling and clutching my prize.

I wonder if would accept my Facebook friend request? I'm sure he'd remember me -- y'know -- Stefanie-with-an-f...

PlanetWulfagar and the quest for arroz do polvo

Before heading to Portugal for a lovely long weekend (or 'babymoon', according to my brother), I found myself wondering if there were any dishes particular to Portugal. I mean, I've heard of the custard pastries in Lisbon, but main meals? Y'know, like Spain has its paella and tapas?

Fortunately I had the Top 10 Guide to the Algarve to tell me. Turns out one of the specialities of this southern coastal region is arroz do polvo -- "a regional speciality which evokes the Algarve's love affair with the sea". In other words, a bubbling stew of octopus and rice, in a garlicky tomato-y broth. And so with reading, the quest began.

And yes, in our long weekend in the eastern town of Tavira, we had sunning by the pool, wanders through a traditional market a short train ride away in Olhao, snooping round the old run down castelo (no more than walls and a garden - not exactly Edinburgh Castle, but a great view), reading, napping, and walks along the shore... but we knew the weekend woldn't be complete without that polvo!

And so on our first night, we headed to the seafront, ordered our treat at a little local spot and... were told about 10 minutes later, after munching on bread and wine, it was no go, they were all out of the popular dish. That's ok, plenty of time left. And the grilled chicken was finger lickin' good.

Friday night - take 2. A more upscale restaurant this time. And unfortunately, a little too upscale for this more peasanty fare. D'oh! (But had some yummy black pork loin... I mean, I had to eat)

Saturday, last day -- taking no chances, we opted for ordering it at lunch, at restaurant number 3, confirming it was on the menu as we entered. Or so we thought. But -- noooooo -- after placing our order we were informed that in fact the octopus wasn't fresh enough, and we wouldn't be happy. Foiled again! (Though did get to try out speciality number two, cataplana, a different sort of 'succulent seafood delight', thanks for the recommendation, Top 10)

However, as I think someone somewhere said, good things come to those who wait (and someone else said, 'an-ti-ci-pay-ay-tion'), and so we were to be rewarded in our very own last supper (of our trip at least). Back at restaurant number 1, Jaoa de Belhi... success! And definitely worth the wait.




So, great trip, great sights, and great food. And little Stashley's country count and culinary adventures continue to grow!

Where has the time gone??

Things have been manic, and I've got SOOOO much I want to write about - cricketastic weekends, including one more tea, and the annual quiz; my latest crafty girl project; how little Stashley is coming along (very nicely thank you); my recent London celebrity encounter... oh I could go on & on!

Unfortunately, I'll have to keep my extensive base of loyal readers in suspense just a leeeetle bit longer -- as I'm off to Portugal early tomorrow morning for a little sunshine and relaxation. And to generate even more adventures to not have time to write about!

Karma in action

I was delighted to for the first time be offered a seat on the very crowded Tube today -- so thanks to the woman who relinquished her seat, as I was feeling especially tired this morning, and the carriage was incredibly stuffy.

And Earl would be happy to see karma working -- another seat opened up the next stop, and she was able to sit back down again.

McCain gets Barack-Rolled

Too too funny*




*of course, more relevant if you are actually familiar with Rick rolling... um, Mom, Dad - you hip with the kids on this one?

Welcome Hugo

They say when a couple gets a dog, a baby's not long after.

Well, we've got the baby on the way -- so seemed only right to get that dog in quickly.

Therefore we wish a warm Planet Wulfagar welcome to Hugo, our new, charmingly sweet, full-size Dalmatian. And fortunately for us and our lease, Hugo is extremely well behaved. House AND outdoor trained, doesn't need any exercise, and doesn't bark. Not even a little whine or whimper.

Amazingly well brought up by his previous owners? Or maybe perhaps not entirely real? Could it be perhaps he was won at a local fun fair via 3 carefully aimed baseball throws by Ashley, which knocked all 6 cans off a shelf?

We'll never tell! (though if you come for a visit, you'll probably find out the truth for yourself...)

We did it!

So, Sunday dawned gray, and as predicted, rainy. However, the intrepid walkers made their way boldly to the park known as Hyde, prepared to do battle against the elements and crowds alike. And lo, upon arrival, the heavens cleared (well, at least the rain stopped), a clear sign that theirs was a worthy fight.

Ok, enough hyperbole. Suffice it to say, Verity and I and little one-month-old Jessica and littler minus-four-month-old Stashley made it around the very tight 5k Challenge course of the with 14,998 others (including a few Olympians and someone who looked a lot like the Queen) in a respectable time of 56:38 (pushing a pram in a crowd of thousands is *not* easy -- so well done to Verity for her talent in spotting gaps to zip ahead into). So at least we scraped in under an hour, and have a more than achievable target to beat for next year.

And we managed to enjoy a lovely chat along the way, while gathering sponsorship for a great charity. So thanks to those who donated -- and for those who didn't... now that you know I actually did the race, there's still time to contribute! ;-)

'Bliss'-ful outing

The weather forecast today? Rain, with showers and a little precipitation. Same as it's been all week and it seems all summer. (frankly I'm not sure what those little yellow lines indicate -- I do not expect any sunshine!)

Activity today? Participation in the Adidas 5k Women's Challenge. Why oh why did they ever move this run from July to September?? (not that July guarantees sun any more than September does, but it just sounds sunnier). If it weren't for the facts that...

1) I've already collected sponsorship for this, for an excellent charity, Bliss (still time to donate, even after I've run!)

2) I'm committed to entering with a good friend -- and her 1-month old baby. If *she* can do this race in the rain pushing a baby in a pram, ONE MONTH after giving birth, I can certainly do it in the rain, carrying a baby in my insides (much easier, doesn't cry yet, nothing extra to push, no diaper bag needed)

3) This is the last race of the season, and I love road races, despite my decreasing speed. And given various travel conflicts and baby protection, I've only done one other race this summer, so I can't pass on this one.

4) And finally, I've been doing this race since it started in the summer of '98, so this is my 11th Women's Challenge (those silly women, you'd think they would've cracked it by now) -- so I can't let a little rain stop me now. Plus, if I walk this one it'll give me a time to shoot for next year.

...I might be tempted to stay home!

How many calories??

The Economist* has finally written about yet another New York law to help (?) consumers avoid obesity and associated public health ills. After banning trans-fats, this January saw the introduction of mandatory calorie counts on all menu items. And it works. When I was in New York last summer, I thought I'd treat myself to a muffin. Now, I've never been one to kid myself that a blueberry muffin would be a healthy item. But 522 calories?? 522???

Er, one biscotti, please.

*Yes, it does appear that the only media I consume is the Economist and NPR podcasts... note to self: must branch out.

Productive Sunday afternoon

I definitely miss Ashley while he's away in Cinci this week (boo-hoo), but I certainly get more done around the house! (not sure if that's a good thing...)

This Sunday afternoon, with grey skies and rain thundering on the windows, was a perfect time to finally tackle my boxes/drawers/bags of myriad needlework projects in various states of completion. I'm happy to say that after some ruthless pruning I've consolidated from 4 large boxes to 3 smaller ones, mostly by tossing random leftover thread / packaging / etc. from completed kits.

I had little pangs every time I threw another handful into the trash bag -- but seriously, if I was really really going to come up with some clever use for them, I would've by now. And it's not like I don't have plenty of properly labelled, well organised floss and other equipment handy, y'know, for when inspiration strikes.

And for posterity, I've saved the photo from any kits I've completed & pasted them into a scrapbook. Er, portfolio -- that sounds a bit more professional.

Now on to that stack of old magazines!

Farewell to yearbooks

This article in the Economist regarding the decline of yearbooks is so sad!! Or so I think as a former yearbook nerd and one who has recently been going through my old high school yearbooks 20 years later.

Don't get me wrong, I'm no luddite & am all for Facebook and My Space and whatever new online (mobile? refrigerator-based?) communications tools come along. But these are great immediate tools - nothing beats flipping through real paper several years later and reliving (or re-cringing) old memories.

Plus -- wherever will young whippersnappers of tomorrow write 'You're great, stay sweet! Wish I'd known you better while we were in school!'

Another quiet weekend

An especially quiet one this time -- we headed over to Henley Saturday mid-morning, for a delightful lunch chez Agar (senior), and then Ashley headed off to play cricket for the day, leaving me sunning, napping, reading, and more napping. Bliss.

And Sunday was a little more of the same -- less the sunning. Oh, and a little less napping as well -- rather I headed out to watch Ashley play yet another day of cricket, after first stopping by the gorgeous Stonor Park grounds for the annual Craft Fair. Hmm... mostly jewellery and clothing I'd be unlikely to wear. However there were some clever crafts, my favourites being the guy who reclaims and frames prints from dilapidated childrens' books (Babar and Winnie-the-Pooh) seemed to be his speciality; and the woman who frames old postcards with glass on front *and* back, so you can still read the message should you choose. I kept my wallet in my purse, however, and came home empty handed, but with some interesting crafty ideas!

Monday -- the 'August Bank Holiday' -- like Labor Day but without an ostensible honoree. Home this day, a little more active. We started the morning with the 'Best Breakfast on the Green' -- our local has started serving breakfast, and the menu is quite extensive, including some American treats. Note to Mel (the landlady), however: If you serve pancakes & bacon, the former should definitely outnumber the latter! A welcome addition to the food choices on the Green, though - and we'll definitely be back.

The afternoon saw us traipsing around the Gardens with friends -- and of course more food; tea and cakes this time. Movie on the couch in the evening, and sadly the 3-day weekend crept to a close, along with the summer. Bring on woolly jumpers and chilly nights, it's time for Autumn coziness!

Psycho Buildings

Finally made it to the Hayward this weekend at Southbank to see the Psycho Buildings exhibit -- phew, closing in 2 weeks so got there just under the wire. The exhibit has installations from a number of artists showing their take on architecture -- it's all quite fantastical, this is *not* an architecture show, it's an exhibition. I like the Hayward because it's not too big -- you can really take in a show in full, rather than feeling like you're rushing and only skimming by, like in so many massive museums.

There were about 10 - 11 pieces, each taking most of a room, and each taking a different take on space, enclosure, and architecture. My absolute favourite was Do Ho Suh's 'Fallen Star 1/5', which was an amazingly detailed 1/5 recreation of two homes from past (Korean and American) colliding, literally. It was reminscent of Dorthy's house colliding with the new amazing world of Oz. The way the exhibit was arranged, you first came across the piece from the outside -- seeing this simple Korean cottage crashed into the corner of a large New England-style home. And on the inside? Room after room showing the incredible detail from miniature Syracuse and Boston banners and a Rhode Island School of Design sweatshirt, to mini-Metallica posters (must be a boy's room!) And then all the internal destruction that would happen if one home collided with another. It was like a surreal take on the Smithsonian Dollhouse. (Oh, how I looooved to visit that dollhouse. And so wish I could find the book I once had elaborating room-by-room... )

Unfortunately, the Hayward wouldn't allow photos -- so the best I could do was this pic of the shot in the exhibit catalogue (hey -- I liked the show, but not enough to buy the book!)

I'm famous-ish

How cool is this?! My absolute favourite cross-stitch designer, Michael Powell Art, has started a stitcher's gallery, and my personalisation effort made it in! Here's a link to the 'standard' design from the little gems series, and here's my work in the gallery. (Stefanie from London, 2nd entry down - that's me!)

Today Michael Powell, tomorrow the world!

Dog-tastic

If I had a dog, I would make him wear this shirt. And looking at this site, the majority of the online dog-t-shirt buying public is Democrat as well... (or even non-buying, as my vote seems to have counted too!) Not that I take this as a very accurate poll, but still, it's cute.

Elton John beats my parents to 50 states...

And ol' Elt has stricter rules than our family's 'must eat in a state to count' guideline. Nope, to get on John's list of states, he has to perform. And last Monday, after 39 years of American shows, he added his 50th state -- Vermont!

And not only did he achieve the magical full complement of states -- but he got an even rarer treat: his own Ben & Jerry's icecream, Goodbye Yellow Brickle Road. Ok, I have no interest whatsoever in purchasing icecream described as "an outrageous symphony of decadent chocolate ice cream, peanut butter cookie dough, butter brickle and white chocolate chunks", but still, pretty cool. Congrats Reggie.

Up, up & away

Now really really congratulations & happy anniversary Mom & Dad -- and enjoy your balloon ride over the wilds of Seattle! (I was so keen on sending my best wishes I got a little ahead of myself this weekend & thought Saturday was the 21st!)

Look forward to seeing the pictures!

Left is all right

I always knew lefties were the better half -- but nice to have Frank Deford confirm it for me on NPR. And we all know statistics never lie! (er, but not so sure about the 'goofier' comment at the end of the article...)

Happy Ruby-versary Mom & Dad

Here's to many many more years of exciting, fantastic adventures!

Goodnight Bush...

I can't decide if I find this clever and amusing, or a sacriligeous desecration of a beloved classic... hmm...

Note to self: for any future holidays, be sure to plan an extra day between return home and back to work. Coming back 5pm Sunday evening and into work 8:30 Monday a.m. means it's Wednesday already and I'm still not fully unpacked!

Roll on the weekend is all I can say...

I'm hooked

The publishers of kidult novel The Knife of Never Letting Go appear to have done a deal with Starbucks -- if you use your coffee card, you get 'your exclusive taster' of the first three chapters of the book.

And it worked. I'm hooked. Three chapters of this story of the 'last boy in Prentisstown', some mysterious place where all the women have been killed by some virus, and the remaining men are going crazy because they can all hear each others thoughts has been enough to grab me. Yet another potential item to add to my 'things to buy when I'm in the US' list. Phew - better bring another suitcase!

Seven words I *can* say on my blog

Farewell George Carlin, you'll be @@!!$1&bleep@#$# missed!

Get your head in the game

Ok, I know I'm about a quarter-of-a-century too old for this... but how much do I want to see High School Musical: Live on Stage when it comes to the Hammersmith Apollo?? Anyone know any tweens I can borrow?

One stitch at a time

So, nine weeks and multiple seams, bindings, darts, pleats, tucks and more, my sewing class has ended, and I am the proud owner of one home-made (er, class-made) blouse, made by my own fair hands. And one Pfaff sewing machine. Ok, so the shoulders are a bit wonky. And so what if I can't actually wear it yet (the class ended before we got to buttons, and, more importantly, button holes) -- but minor points. I'm just excited to have sewn mostly straight seams, with sleeves and darts and everything, and you can recognise the (near) finished project as a piece of clothing, rather than a random collection of stitches.

And I feel 1000 times more comfortable with a sewing machine -- yay! On my way to fulfilling one of my 2008 resolutions: to make a quilt out of old running t-shirts.

Next step? Buy my own machine... just as soon as I clear some space off the table for it to go!

London 2012 Mascot

After the logo debacle, can LOCOG (er, London Olympics Committee Organizing Group??) choose a more acceptable mascot for the 2012 London Olympics. A talking phone box? A Spitting Image of the Queen? And how many previous mascots can you remember? I'm drawing a blank -- was there a Sam the Eagle in the US one year? Or is that the Muppets?

Happy birthday!

Happy Birthday Dad!

65?? You don't look a day over 30!

Belated farewell, Harvey Korman

Sigh... another person I remember from my childhood...especially his inability to keep a straight face in any sketch with Tim Conway. Thanks for the many laughs!

Fairy Tale Friday

So, I saw Sex and the City (the movie) Friday night and it was... just as I expected. Frothy, fun, frocks, and, er, feisty female friends... you get my drift. But I can't decide if I really liked it or not. Well, I laughed at the appropriate places, and oohed & ahhed over the amaaaazing apartment, and even got a little teary at the more emotional moments. So I guess I liked it. And, going with a group of 8 other women, dressed in our NYC finest (while a bit cliche, considering the other 80% of the audience doing the same thing) was enjoyable -- always a good night if I get to wear a favourite dress.

But was it any good? More undecided over that. I think Cynthia Nixon is by far the best actress of the 4 (perhaps having the most realistic story line helped). So well done her. But if it was trying to be more than a feel good fantasy, (which, by reading any of the nine million interviews with SJP that have been written, appears to have been their aim) I'm not sure they succeeded. The movie is a fairy tale, pure and simple.

And there's nothing wrong with that -- just don't attempt to be otherwise. I'm still not sure the point of having Carrie reading Cinderella to Charlotte's little girl Lily, and -- after quoting 'And they lived happily ever after' -- telling her oh-so-wisely, "Things don't always work out that way Lily -- you should know that sooner rather than later."

But if you watch this movie, the message is actually, things do work out that way. Down to the princess and her form-fitting slipper (Manolo, not glass in this case, but does the same trick).

So I say, SatC: TM -- embrace your fun and fantasy and friendship, and be happy to have crowds of women cheering along across the country and around the world. We can all use a fairy tale now and then. Just don't make it out to be any more than that.

All that glitters...

...may be gold. Or silver. Platinum, diamond, pearl, even? Certainly all and more were glittering, glistening, and shining their little hearts out at the re-opening of the V&A's jewellery gallery, which I went to Friday night with jewelophile friend Margot.

The galleries are impressively done, albeit a bit overwhelming, and frankly less bling than I was expecting. The Crown Jewels these are not -- instead the visitor is presented with an historic march from some of the earliest known adornments (including those darn Etruscans) through to the most modern of pieces, looking more like works of art than something you could (or would) actually wear.

The panel after panel crowded with samples perhaps got just a little samey to all but the true aficianado (how many signet rings can you look at? Really, the ones from the 1600s didn't look that different from ones from the 1800s, at least to my philistine eye.) I think I would've preferred examples of 'the best' of this, or 'most distinctive' of that -- which they did have in some cases, highlighted in the centre of the galleries. And I did learn a few things -- such as what a "chatelaine" is. I knew the word to mean mistress of a large house / estate / castle. Turns out it also was a chain women wore in the days before pockets & purses, on which would hang tools for the house -- keys, scissors, a watch, etc. A Swiss Army belt. Ish.

I was also impressed by the gemstone colour wheel at the end of the exhibit -- ranging from diamonds to pearls, the wheel swirled together jewels in every imaginable colour. I can never decide if saphires or emeralds are my favourite... sigh -- I guess I'll have to take both.

There were also a few multimedia aspects -- the most amazing of which was a touch screen computer where you could design your own ring. My efforts weren't too fantastic, as I ran out of time, but I was hugely impressed by the instant 3D nature of the design -- you could rotate, resize, recolour, cut, etc, your jewels and ring onscreen and see your creation from every angle. Pretty cool.

Next on the exhibition schedule -- Psycho Buildings. Or should I see Skin & Bones -- about fashion and architecture? Aaah -- too many choices.

Sunday evening again

And time for my normal refrain -- where *has* the weekend gone?!

I can tell you where some of it went -- my monthly V&A afternoon. After talking about it for yeeeears, I've finally started volunteering at my favourite London museum. It's not the most taxing of jobs, sitting there as I do at the membership desk. Mostly a lot of 'Bathroom? Just down those stairs.' and 'You can get back to the Tube a couple of ways...' But I do sign up a few new members each time, and I enjoy chatting to the visitors who stop by (perhaps a little too much. I'm sure the visitor from St Petersburg, FL, today simply wanted to know if the central hall chandelier was a Chihuly, not a discourse on the glassblower's recent UK exhibits, but hey - she started it).

And I especially enjoy getting there a little before my shift to check out the latest exhibitions, even if I only get a quick glimpse. And today was particularly fun -- a visit to the newly opened Story of the Supremes exhibit, courtesy of the Mary Wells collection. Unlike the recent Couture exhibit, which was vast, but mostly dress after dress, with relatively little context, the Supremes show packs in not only a variety of stage outfits from various incarnations of the group but also a plethora of contextual background panels, covering Motown, the civil rights movement, growth of girl groups, general Americana... phew! A bit much to take in in my whirlwind 20 minutes -- I was mostly looking at the sequins -- but I look forward to going back.

I also restrained myself in the gift shop, though I quite liked the Love Child t-shirt for some reason. And I realised my CD collection is remarkably -- and sadly -- bereft of any classic girl-group sound, but held off addressing that lack with the Best of Supremes double album. One item that did make me laugh, however, was the serving bowl, made from a real live gen-yoo-ine LP record (don't see many of those any more). The laugh came from the price -- £25!! Man, I gotta get me some of that action. I remembered reading about how easy these are to make on Web-Goddess, (who herself credits Get Crafty) -- and now I see them for sale for £25??!

M... is for the many things she gave me...

Happy (American) Mother's Day, Mom. Rather than a card, I thought I'd celebrate in proper Mother's Day 2.0 style, with this blog post -- I couldn't say it better myself.



Now, imagine this with 3 children (and, er, 2 of them female)



Happy Mother's Day to a Mom I can laugh with -- thanks for the years of smile lines I've got -- every one of them is worth it!

366 days later

Happy anniversary to my husband – 1 year on, and just getting better and better.

I’d write more, but I’m afraid it would descend into schmaltzy Hallmark quality... or worse still, be sub-Apprentice, and we can’t have that.

I just wish we could invite everyone back for another party! At least that would give me an excuse to update the website...

Puzzle time again...

Two weeks in a row - (pause to give myself a little pat on the back. Pause again to take it back when I remember NPR received 3,000 entries last week - one of the larger numbers, so suppose it was a pretty easy one...)

Let's see how many right answers they get this time - Alright, Mr deShortz... I'm ready for my phone call...

And the question is:

"Insert a long E sound after the first letter of "bond" and phonetically you get "be-ond." Insert a long E sound after the first letter of "renter" and you get "re-enter." Name something found in outer space. Insert a long E sound after the first letter, and you'll name a resident of a major American city. What are the words?"

Answers to NPR Puzzle by 3pm Thursday as usual... Or below. Though I make no promises of calling anyone to play puzzle on air Sunday morning -- you'll have a slightly better chance of that with NPR...

More money than sense

So, I'm reading Daily Candy today, and what's the featured hip new fashionable item du jour? Ooh - a stunning necklace, each one individually crafted, and all the more covetable because of its ephemeral nature. And more than being simply beautiful, the necklace is a wearable piece of social commentary -- rather than purchase something momentarily trendy, which you then tire of after wearing it twice and it gets old and faded and then you send it to the charity shop but no one wants it there either and then it adds to our ever growing mountains of rubbish threatening to swamp the earth -- rather than that, it just melts away in a few weeks. Ah, beautiful and eco-friendly. And only from £120. What a triumph of jewellery making.

Er, no. It's ROCK CANDY people! As the designer herself says - sugar, water, and string. Get a do-it-yourself kit here. Or go to the grocery store - I think you may be able to find the rare ingredients there...

[BTW, I realise this rant may make me sound like either a philistine or a grumpy old woman -- but really! Rock Candy necklaces 'from £120'??? What happened to the recession?]

NPR puzzle - about TV, so how can I miss?

To enter this week's NPR puzzle:

"If you take the title "Candid Camera." and write down the first appearance of each letter, in the order they appear, ignoring any repeated letters, you get C, A, N, D, I, M, E, R. Or "LA Law" would be L, A, W.

By doing the same thing to the title of what other well-known TV program do you get the letters S, E, A, M, T, R?"

If you can get the answer by 3pm Eastern time (about 11 hours from now as I write), be sure to submit it to NPR, and maybe you too can play the Sunday Puzzle on the air with Will Shortz. Not sure he calls London, but have my phone ready if he does!

On the road to domestic goddessness

I took one more step closer last night, courtesy of the London College of Fashion, with the first night of my... (drum roll) SEWING CLASSES!! Yes, I've finally enrolled in a basic machine sewing course after talking about it for ages and eons and even years.

No faffing about, we got straight on the machines, industrial ones at that (ooh, scary. Very fast, and very powerful). I learned that in some beginner courses you start on paper, with no thread (huh?) just to get the feel of the machine - but not us. Nope, right into bobbin winding, needle threading, and line after line on squares of calico. (which, by the way, is not the printed floral cotton I knew it as in the US, but rather a plain unbleached material -- like thicker muslin. Thanks, Wikipedia, for clearing up my confusion!). By the end of the first class I was feeling quite in control of my machine, ooh miss, look at me and my straight seams.

Until it was, erm, miss - I seem to have broken my needle... The industrial machines may be powerful, but clearly no match for me. Stay tuned for next week's installment: what can she break next!?

Where did the week go?

How did it get to be Saturday already, with only a few minutes until we head off on our lovely (we hope!) long weekend in Lugano??

My week off playing hometown tourist disappeared far too quickly -- however I did manage to do more than just sit around watching Rockford*. To wit:

*finally taking in Ice Station Antarctica at the Natural History Museum -- great exhibit... if I were about 30 years younger. Impressive for kids, would've been better if they had more things to keep the parents amused
*didn't take in the Russians at the Royal Academy -- lesson: book in advance for popular shows in their final week!
*took lesson to heart - and successfully booked in advance for Vanity Fair Portraits at National Portrait Gallery. Fab. Will get the book, definitely.
*window shopped -- including the new Banana Republic, first in Europe. Great dresses, I wanted most of them - however disappointingly, either they believe all Londoners are between size 0 - 4, or the larger sizes had sold out.

And now, off to Adventures in Switzerland!

*the fact I'd seen them all before may have helped

Rhythm-tastic at the Kenton

Why were we in Stoke Row at all to experience the great April snow of aught eight? The now annual appearance of the Roy Bailey Band at Henley's Kenton Theatre (featuring Ed Hall on drums -- aka Ashley's Dad). This year's theme was Fascinating Rhythm, which allowed them to pull together quite an eclectic mix of differently-timed (but all toe-tapping) tunes. From the title track to Abba, from Oye Como Va to West Side Story and In The Mood, it was a well rounded musical evening to say the least - and once again, it was all I could do not to jump up and start dancing (or worse - start singing along!)

Speaking of singing, in addition to keeping the fascinating beat throughout, Ed led vocals on one number... take it away, Ed Hall, with his take on The Lady is a Tramp:

If April showers bring May flowers...

...what do April snows bring?

I guess we'll find out, as this past weekend saw temperatures across the UK dive from a lovely spring-like 68 degrees on Friday, to below freezing by Saturday evening. And *this* is what I saw out the bedroom window when I woke up in Stoke Row (at the in-laws) Sunday morning:

I think this is more snow than I've seen in the UK in the 10+ years I've been here. Granted, I was outside London, but still --it's not like I was in the wild Scottish north! Stoke Row still counts as the South East. (at least I think so - my English geography is still pretty poor...)

Poor daffodils in the back garden...

Taking Millie for a walk by the sports field (she didn't fancy too much walking or ball chasing -- preferring instead to lie in the snow...)

All I can say is, pretty as the snow may be, the flowers and I hope spring returns soon...

A-a-a-and STRETCH

So, last night was the last of my 6-week beginners Pilates class (for you Pilatophiles out there - it was floor- not machine-based). I think I liked it less and then more than I thought I would -- which just about evens itself out. On the positive side -- the class was small (6 - 8), and we were all starting out from the same super novice beginner state. And the instructor was great -- very hands on, physically moving us each into the correct position if we didn't quite get it from just watching her movements. And we went over the basics, quite thoroughly. So I do think I learned a lot.

And yet. I'm not sure I really felt like I was DOING anything. I did start to feel the exercises properly after the first few lessons -- but still. We'd do one exercise about 5 times, and then she'd say 'ooh, that's enough, don't over do it'. So at the end of the hour class, I felt quite relaxed, but not sure I felt that, um, exercised. I think the only way pilates works to 'sculpt your body', a la every magazine cover, is to do it more than once a week.

Hmm... will have to think about that one...

What will they think of next??

Thanks, Kris, for pointing me to this fab new application from Google. Why review the past when you can search the future!? I wonder if it only works Down Under, however...

WWLD?

I woke up this morning to film crews on the Green AGAIN. Yep, Kew Green appears to be quite the picturesque spot for commercials -- Mars last week, Activia today. And -- sigh -- 2 more opportunities to get my big break lost through lack of initiative on my part.

If I were Lucy, I would've manufactured 101 ways to get into either of those commercials. Perhaps impress the director by scarfing 100 Snickers bars in 10 minutes, for a little product knowledge? (and then of course being too sick to film the actual commercial...)

Of course, if I *were* Lucy, then my husband would already be in the commercial himself and I'd spend most of the day trying to get on camera while simultaneously disguising myself so he had no idea I was there. And hilarity and hijinks would ensue.

Ah - simpler days... I've just decided my new life motto: What Would Lucy Do?

Margot in the kitchen

No, not the sequel to Margot at the Wedding . Rather, Saturday afternoon saw me at my friend Margot's flat, trying to cook as many freezable recipes as possible in a couple of hours. Why? To see her through the next couple of weeks as she recuperates from surgery to repair a skiing mishap-caused torn ACL. So, sending many get-well-soon wishes to Margot -- hope you enjoy the defrosted veggie soup, chicken cacciatore, and teriyaki chicken! It's amazing what you can freeze -- did you know there's a whole movement dedicated to freezing food for a month, so you only cook that one day a month. I think that requires more dedication and planning than I'm capable of!

And to Kim, who suffered the SAME injury on the same ill-fated trip -- I wish I could come to New York & cook with you as well! At least home delivery is that much more prevalent in NYC...

mmm... steak

What goes better with last week's potatoes than a juicy steak? And now, having been sucked into watching Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares for the first time (I swear - I only turned it on while folding laundry!), I now want to try a steak at the Olde Stone Mill Steakhouse in Tuckahoe -- according to Google Maps, only 7.2 miles from White Plains! Though I'm slightly disappointed Gordon took the signature funnel salad off the menu -- that would have been a sight to behold.



View Larger Map
*really - I'm not being ironic -- I do want to check this place out. Gee, I guess I *am* influenced by celebrity, however tenuous.

My cup runneth over

Can you believe it? It seems that not only is this British Pie Week, it is in fact the whole Year of the Potato. And that’s backed by the mighty UN, so it must be for serious.

Some little known facts about the potato:

• It does not, in fact, end in the letter ‘e’ (ok, most people know that already, but in an election year, I thought it was a fun reminder of some lighter moments in Republican party ineptitude. Makes a change from the more serious ineptitude of late)
• There’s not only a year dedicated to it, but a new book -- and Marie Antoinette was a potato promoter... so perhaps she could've said 'let them eat pommes de terre'
• The potato is the world's fourth most important food crop (answers to 1,2,3 most important below)
• The potato was first domesticated by hunters and gatherers around Lake Titicaca (I think it probably looked something like this)
• If you're lucky, you too can read the very first issue of the Frozen Potato Product Newsletter -- and get in there on the ground floor
• There are 7500 varieties of potatoes (how come there are only about 3 or so at the grocery store then -- tiny, a little bigger, and baking size?)
• And finally, the best mashed potatoes in the whole world are made by none other than Ashley Paul Agar. And reader, I married him.

*top 3 crops ahead of potatoes are maize, wheat & rice, btw

mmmmm.... pie.....

Clearly I was meant to live in the UK, given my love for foods stodgy and carbohydrate-intensive. Baked beans -- mmm. Mash? Can't go wrong. But nothing beats a good savoury pie. Yum and double yum, so let's all celebrate British Pie Week.

Of course - I completely disagree with Jus-Rol's site -- puff pastry topping is *not* the way to go. Far too light and fluffy. You need a good solid crust, such as found on Square Pie pies.

Only 5 more days left of Pie Week, and I've yet to have a single pie. Guess I know what's for dinner tonight! (I wonder if I can get take-out from the Greyhound next door...)