Don't act like you didn't know this was coming

It's frickin' freezing in Portland!  I heart the fall, I really do.  But it's so damn cold in my apartment that my toes are about to snap off.  I just want to snuggle into my new fleece sheets and come back out next June.

Feline email exchanges

from: stubbyandannie@gmail.com

to: mom@gmail.com

date: Sat, Sep 20, 2008 at 12:46pm

subject: Where is "home" really?

Annie and I have talked, and we decided we'd like to stay here at Katie's awhile longer.  Annie loves the chicken here and is afraid she won't get the same home cooked meals in your kitchen.  I mean lets face it, you don't even like to cook for humans.  I don't want to live with those rambunctious, blonde beasts again.  And don't even get me started on traveling with them.  Why don't we say we'll stay at least through the end of the year.  That way you can get to Arizona and get settled and then we can talk about this again.  And besides, Katie really needs us here.  She'd be SO lonely without us, and we really like it here.  We enjoy being "city kitties" and all the attention she gives us.  Please consider...

Love you (but not the dogs),

Stubby-butthole

from: stubbyandannie@gmail.com

to: katie@gmail.com

date: Sat, Sep 20, 2008 at 12:51pm

subject: Please don't make us go!

Oh-so-lovely Katie,

We got word that we're being taken to Redmond, held captive for a couple of days, and then being taken on that dreadful trip back to Arizona.  Please don't let it happen just yet!  We want to spend more time here with you.  We love being here in the city!  Remember when we lived with you for a whole year before Mom & Dad moved?  That was the best!  And we want to stay with you for a while longer.  Please, please can we stay?

Love,

Stubby and Annie

from: katie@gmail.com

to: mom@gmail.com

date: Sat, Sep 20, 2008 at 12:56pm

subject: Fwd: Please don't make us go!

Look what I got from the kitties...

They must really want to stay to go through all the trouble of creating an email account without opposable thumbs.  How can you deny them?  And you know I really, really , REALLY want them to stay longer!  Plllllllllllease?  Pretty please with sugar on top!  I love Stubby and Annie SO much!

from: mom@gmail.com

to: katie@gmail.com

date: Sun, Sep 21, 2008 at 6:03am

subject: kitties

My darling Kathryn:

Valiant attempt, but not happening!

A flood of emotions

I've been all over the place tonight.  Much too much to write about, but just a little bit ago I received a text from a friend.  Attached was a picture of her brand new baby BOY!  What a wonderful, beautiful surprise it was to see his little face.  It immediately brought tears of joy to my eyes.  Her story is one of great faith and hope and redemption.  And it's been amazing to see her carry it out.  This one little cell phone picture wrapped it all up.  All of what she's been through to come to this.  This miracle.  I look forward to her continuing story with this new love in her life.  So beautiful!  I love her dearly and I'm so thankful to call her friend.

Everybody's a hypocrite

Surely you've seen the Daily Show clips of Rove badmouthing the dem's potential picks, but then later praising the very same things, which Palin embodies.  It's funny.   I don't care which side you're on.  It's the typical spin of politics.  Everybody does it. 

Anyway, this talk of smaller government has had me thinking a lot lately, and now I'm all confused over the GOP's take on community organizers and how completely unimportant it is.  To quote Palin as she shook her finger, "I was mayor of my hometown.  And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves.  I guess a small town mayor is sort of like a community organizer, except you have actual responsibilities."

Well, thank you for that explanation.  What were you saying about less government, more community and voluntary action?  I mean, I know they have to rip each other apart, that's what American politics seems to be all about... but this?  I kinda don't get the point.

I miss them

I miss them.  I miss them more than anyone could possibly miss someone they met for only a day or two and couldn't even speak their language.  My heart longs for them.  I find myself staring at their pictures and smiling!

Laptop lunchin' it

I haven't read this book, but I beg to differ! Because I am totally interested in what these people are eating for lunch.  I've been watching this flickr group for awhile now, and I'm totally hooked. I got myself a little bento box so I could join in the fun.  It has totally made me want to pack a lunch before work, and I can't even begin to tell you what a feat that is.  I haven't been going to the market much (except for baking ingredients!), so I've just been throwing stuff together.  There isn't a lot of thought or variety in my bento yet.  But you just wait!  I'm so excited for fall and winter and all the yummy comfort foods.  And for extra motivation to pack my lunch: I don't want to have to leave work and walk in the rain to eat.  This lunch box is going to get a lot of use!

Since Maggie says y'all don't care what I have for lunch I'll try to contain myself.  But if you want to know... it'll be on flickr!  And if the LL bug bites you, too, I want to know!

Experiments in whole wheat and rambling

I decided to make these fabulous scones again this morning.  This time to keep all for myself.  Muahahhahahaha.  Then I decided to try them with a little whole wheat.  I'm sure you are thinking: Don't Mess With The Scone, Katie.  And you would be right.  These scones are purely delightful, and once you dump in cream and butter what's a little white flour?  Seriously.  Don't mess with the scone.  I did 1/4 whole wheat pastry flour to 3/4 white just as a small test.  They are still edible, good even.  Just not the delicious wonder they are when not messed with.  Oh, and did I mention I used the left over cream from last week and it was lumpy?  But I called Katie (who was also baking this morning!) and she reminded me that we eat sour cream, cottage cheese and all sorts of other nasty, curdled dairy, so I wasn't likely to die.

Leah requested a photo of my apron.  Did I mention I actually made this apron, too?  Seriously, I can get so much dorkier if you just stick around.  So here it is: me in all my nerdy glory, frosting a cake.

To lessen the complete loser I've proven myself to be, last night I went out for happy hour.  Betsy and I checked out the Sweet Basil in our neighborhood.  We weren't sure what to order, so our server said he would just pick a few things for us and bring them out.  So adventurous!  (This is seriously the exciting part of the evening.  Now that I've written this I'm not sure why it's the part that makes me feel like less of a loser.)  Everything was great, and the food was like $2.50 but the catch is you have to buy a full price drink for about $7.  Kinda silly.  After dinner we walked up to Washington Park.  I hadn't been there before.  The rose garden is amazing!  It just keeps going forever.  We also walked around Twenty-third and stopped at Bleuet for frozen yogurt.  This was like serious frozen yogurt, not the stuff that tastes like ice cream.  It was more like someone put plain old yogurt right in the freezer, ate it, thought it was good and opened a yogurt shop.  I didn't like it so much, but the shop design was cute!

Betsy borrowed the book Jesus for President and is getting ready to read it, so we talked about politics a little.  I was saying how I just wish someone could please explain to me how in the world the Republican party thinks it lines up with Christian values, because it makes absolutely no sense to me.  She said the thing she liked was the idea of smaller government.  She felt that if all of the government programs weren't around then people would help people at a more personal level, rather than a large government agency that loses track of people and money.  She said it more eloquently, of course, but it was the first time I could see where they were coming from with that idea.  I still don't agree at all.  It's totally idealistic and I don't think it would ever work for many, many, many reasons, but at least she didn't have to attack anyone to get her idea across.  It was a nice change.  Because reading comments from posts like this, this and this only fuel the fire of hatred that burns in my soul towards the extreme right.  And I know they feel the same toward liberals.  How are ever going to get over ourselves and DO instead of ARGUE?  I'm so over the sides and corrupted politicians and the hate I feel... and suddenly I remember there is another option.  Jesus.

Oh, the ideas swirling through my brain

Elevators are funny.  Well, not the elevators themselves, but the way people behave in them. I've noticed this a lot lately, working on the ninth floor... a bunch of strangers cram into a box that moves up and down, and no one talks or makes eye contact. It's SO WEIRD! Makes me want to burst into The Sound of Music soundtrack - just to see what would happen.