Whahhhhh!

That's how I feel about writing this whole summer. I don't think I'm the kind of writer who does well with changes in my routine, so needless to say, I can't wait for September. I will have to physically restrain myself from kissing Fiona's 1st grade teacher on the mouth when I meet the woman. She's the one who will take my child away from me! Hooray!

On the nice side of things, we had no neighbors last night, so John and I snuck into the back yard with blankets, beer and snacks and watched the stars. Or at least the stars in each other's eyes. It's mind-boggling that Funyuns can be so romantic.

American Gods

Summer has not been good for reading. With my transit time eaten up entertaining a midget (at least the latest kid book, Ballet Shoes, has been a good one), I just haven't been able to get in as much reading as I'd really like. But now I've picked up American Gods, by Neil Gaiman, and am finding it fairly absorbing. Maybe I'll read a bunch right now!

Also, I would like to point out that I am sitting in my basement right now, because the upstairs is hot enough to melt cheese. No, I am not exaggerating. I left a bag of shredded cheese on the counter for 25 minutes and came back to make a snack to find it melted into greasy lumps. And while I have to admit that one small sick part of me has been sort of enjoying the heat, I was a little grossed out by this.

Run and catch up!

Last week's adventures in a wrap: kid breaks arm; apartment next door needs viewing and applicants (and that's my job); Harry Potter 6 until 1 am (talking afterward til 2); picnic in park with Lunch Bunch; Maelstrom the Zombie Opera followed by flaming deep-fried Snickers; art adventures at the Portland Art Museum.

Whew.

This is just a pause to catch my breath before taking a trip to the coast! I can't wait to taste a Sugar Shack Bakery donut for the first time in 2 years.

22 & 1/4 pounds of blueberries!

That's how many blueberries we picked yesterday at Morningshade Farms! Oh, it was lovely. I am not sure how many blueberries I ate yesterday, but I know I consumed more than 1 pint on my own. That's not counting the blueberries in our delicious blueberry cobbler for dessert.

You know, I've never had enough blueberries before. They're always so expensive at the grocery store. I've never been able to just gorge on them, eat to the very brink of a blueberry overload, and then dip down into the depths of cooked blueberry deliciousness. Wow. And now, not only have I eaten massive quantities of raw blues, I've loaded up the freezer, baked a dessert, and I'm bracing myself for a canning session tonight.

Oh! And I even made a blueberry juice cocktail last night. Now that's a day of blueberry madness!

"That's Why We Don't Eat Animals"

I would say that 80% of the time, I feel pretty mainstream about being a vegetarian, but some times are harder than others. Poor Fiona. She was the only vegetarian in her kindergarten, and now she's the only vegetarian in camp. They had broccoli and chicken strips for a snack the other day and it just about broke her heart.

Not that it's always easy for me, either. For example, a few weeks ago the Zombie Squad forum got sidetracked talking about meat. It was a thread about scheduling a meeting, and I kept checking it, excited, and then getting another rave about Kobe beef burgers or fois gras sandwiches or shit like that. And after a while, I just blew up. I was like "this thread isn't for food, it's for scheduling meetings, and plus, I'm a vegetarian, and this is bothering me." So then somebody (okay, he is the slightly crazy old guy, but still) posts:

So lets set this straight;It's summer time; I lived through 7 months of winter; It was 36 degrees last night but if I mention BBQ I'm a Hater? Or is she just a VICTIM?Since the area I live in is surrounded by appox 3000 head of beef cattle, whom after eating grass nourished by sun and soil, are DOOMED to die by being slaughtered and consumed by omnivores offends thee Winnie3K, I only have one suggestion. Stay Away!

This from a guy who was always pretty friendly. Now, a foe.

Needless to say, I was pretty happy to find the very cute kids book That's Why We Don't Eat Animals at the library. It has charming pictures and discusses clearly (and a little depressingly) what life is like for animals who live on factory farms. It's the kind of thing that makes you feel pretty damn good about being a vegetarian, which you need sometimes--especially after the twentieth time you've heard some along the lines of "I'll stop eating X when they stop tasting so good."

Yeah, the worst thing about being a vegetarian? Being tormented by something the vast majority of people think of only as a matter of taste. To me, a restaurant menu reads like a horror novel. A disagreement over BBQ styles is like a news report from the subSahara--fucking depressing with overtones of the macabre. And the "normal" people around me just shake their heads and wonder how I can live without the flavor.

Cuteness!

The northern flicker came back to the feeder this morning. I can't even believe how cute those guys are. This bird feeder thing is the best thing EVER.

In semi-related notes, I just want to point out that gardening is an emotional roller coaster. One second you're like: Yee-haw! The first tomato of the season! And then you're like: NOOOO!! Powder mildew on the strawberry plants! You don't know whether to rend your clothes or dance.

In the world of writing, another rejection. Coupled with this week's general exhaustion and no work since Monday, I am not feeling very groovy about work. In fact, I feel destined to spend the rest of my days at the museum, bitter and grouchy. Sigh. Maybe tonight's moviefest -- CHINATOWN! -- will cheer me up.