Thursday, August 24, 2006

bikeeeeeee...

I'm not sure if I mentioned it when it happened, like a month ago, but I got a kid's bike at a yardsale. It was $30. But then I started riding it a lot and my right knee went CRAZY on me. As in c-r-a-z-y. I'd be sitting on the couch and suddenly I felt like someone had hit me in the knee with a hammer. Regardless... this is the bike. It's purple, and has a sticker that says "AWESOME" on it. Eventually I'm going to gussy it up with a "Counter Culture Coffee" sticker, and a few misc. stickers I have laying around (probably including one of the GammaGo Yeti stickers Timoni gave me a while back, and assorted Tare Panda representations :)


So I've been thinking and thinking about what to do, and I *think* I just need a better bike. One that actually fits me, and that all of the gears work on. At the moment I have my eye on the bike Kiki suggested ages ago on this very blog (thanks, Kiki!!) It's the Paul Frank 'Scurvy' chopper. It's pretty cute, and also fits my criteria of a. Pink, and b. a basket. I also want what my legendary 'Pink Lady' had - a light that was powered by your peddling (if you'd turned it on). Two out of Three isn't bad, though... But I'm not sure how functional it actually is, so I'm still looking around.


Plus, I'm going to New York this weekend, and I don't want to spend $300 on a bike before I get a chance to spend that money on millions of clothes from NYC ^_^

hellllo, I am a gpeeeee!!!


hellllo, I am a gpeeeee!!!
Originally uploaded by domo_arigato.
GP was a present for Katie C, because she toooootally loves guinea pigs :)

This little one enjoys sitting at coffee shops, nursing the same cup of coffee for 8 hours, just so he can use their free wireless. And also check out/hit on women.

He is a little bit depressed, and a little bit overweight, but also very web-savvy and music-literate, so people don't totally mind him (IOW: he's not altogehter creepy. Just a little odd).

Names under consideration:
+ Horace
+ Nelson
+ Charles
+ Fabbi
+ Antoinne
+ Mercutio
+ Javier
+ Anything Katie C decides she likes!

ps - his backside is a baby blue faux-velvet.

Marianne, making lattes, #1!


Marianne, making lattes, #1!
Originally uploaded by domo_arigato.
I've started trying to take photos at work. It's kinda fun. Also, Goodrow is the most photographed Murky person on the face of the planet, so we need pictures of other people representing. Of course this is me. Steaming Milk. Hooray!

For the record, I'm wearing a tie because Friday is Tie day at Murky coffee. Not because I'm a wannabe rock star.

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

cleaning, cleaning, cleeeeeeeeeeeeeeaning

I'm busy cleaning today. It will probably go on, late into the night. I'm cleaning out my closet, cleaning out all of my fabrics, etc, and trying to reorganze them. YIKES!

Somehow I envisioned my summer "break" (actually, only 3 weeks off, and still working, so not TOTALLY a break), as me sitting around, making softies, shopping for clothes, etc, etc. But today is my first day actually free after classes ended two weeks ago, and somehow I decided to use it to clean?? What was I thinking.

Now that I'm sitting amonst piles of textiles and clothing (which I guess can also be filed loosley under textiles), I'm wishing I was walking around Georgetown or something. But I can't.

Maybe if I finish enough to take a short break by 7 I'll make a quick trip to H&M or something, to satiate my desire to spend money on shoes, trinkets, and silly outfits. The chances that I'll finish anything by then, however, are slim to none. And tomorrow I'm totally busy, and Thursday I need to sit myself down and sew some new softies... and I work Friday and Saturday. Soooo.... I'll probably go through my 3rd week of wanting to go to Tyson's by... not going to Tyson's.

*sigh*

Saturday, August 05, 2006

You lear nsomething new...

Today I learned:

1. About global warming:
- when 9-11 occured, and planes were grounded for several days, the average daily temperatures rose 2-3 degrees acoss the entire nation. That's when scientists realized that the effects of global warming are much farther along, and worse than previoiusly thought - in an odd twist of fate, one of the things that is protecting us from the more severe effects is the layer of "protective" smog in our atmosphere.

2. About Spiders:
- There is currently an "infestation" of spiders in Australia that is causing mass panic. An article can be found here:
  • Crazy Spiders! AUG!!


  • 3. About Venomous snakes:
    - Bottles of (very expensive) "Habu sake" are sold in almost any alcohol store on the big island of Okinawa prefecture. The venom of 'Okinawa Habu', one of Japan's most poisonous snakes, is present in the sake (along with a dead snake on the bottom)... and it is reputed to increase male virility!

    - The King Cobra is the world’s largest venomous snake. The record length for a King was measured at 18 feet, 4 inches. King cobra bites can kill a full grown elephant in less than 3 hours.

    A FULL GROWN ELEPHANT!!


    4. About me:
    - (I actually already knew this, sort of, but was reminded of it today when looking at snakes, and it's a sort-of interesting story, so here I go) I found a picture of this guy, who I swam with while scuba diving in Indonesia. Sea snakes are very curioius creatures, and like to inspect things. And inspect me, he did! He swam gracefully up to my face, bumped his nose against my goggles, moved backwards, looked at me for a moment, and then swam peacefully on his way.

    Of course, it's only in the last year that I've discovered that this particular sea snake has the most powerful neurotoxin venom in the world, 10x stronger than a rattlesnake's... I don't think I would have been filled with such wonderment, or been so pleased with himbumping his face against mine if I'd known that. Instead it would have been more... well... panic.

    I'll say, though, that it was worth it to see him. I did lots of incredibly (and sometimes stupidly) dangeroius things when I was living in Indonesia, and this was the least of my worries. Because sea snakes are, in addition to being the most poisonoius snake in the world, the most docile snakes in the world. IOW: cases of them biting humans withoiut being provoked are rare, if not non-existant. So I wasn't actually in any danger.

    **of note: I also got to swim with an ADORABLE orange blowfish, shaped like a little square box, and covered in tiny black polkadots. He looked just like this, except more square. And orange.

    And also... a sea turtle! Hooray ^_^