You Win Some, You Lose Some

In the game of life, there are some rounds you win, and some you lose.

Here are a few rounds of both this week:

Since everyone wants to hear the bad news first, my mother and I tried to make Living Without's Elegant Chocolate Cake with Coconut Cream filling. I was sort of against the whole cake to begin with, I'm not always a fan of coconut custard and it sounded a little too much like coconut custard filling. However as we proceeded that coconut cream filling was horrible to create. It was almost a total fail as a filling. Despite this, the cake itself looked joyful ;)

And after I didn't like as a cake, she layered it up with some coconut vanilla yogurt and cherry pie filling for a lovely chocolate cherry trifle. 

On the winning side,

we must congratulate a dear reader and friend 

who gave me what everybody's got already

a water buffalo.

(If you do not understand this reference, I pass you on to

  VeggieTales' Silly Song with Larry and you will  understand.)

((Please send complaints about your water buffalo or lack thereof to:

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

or Yoda's address if you know where she is.))

Last, but not least the Jedi Master and I won against Make Magazine's MintyBoost USB Charger today.

I learned how to solder! 

(Okay, question: why don't we say the l in solder?)

I am just so amazed and happy with being able to make this thing.

I also learned a lot about resistors and capacitors.

It is supposed to fit in an Altoids Gum tin, but I could not find them anywhere, so we just used old Altoids mint tins. Now we have extra room for the cord.

Its so cool! 

(My new iPhone 4S takes such better pictures than my last phone did. All of this post's pictures are from my phone. Gotta give credit where credit is due, Sonic.)

:)

The Humble Amble of Love

Since returning to my family's seat, I have had some rest and time to relax.
Thus,
"I'm afraid I've been thinking."

"A dangerous pastime." "I know."
(name that song and movie... go!)

One thing of which I have been thinking is
Love.
Seems pertinent to the season.

Now, just stay with me here.
You know that lovely R&B hit by Martin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, Ain't No Mountain High Enough? Well, the lyrics definitely say:
          Just call my name
          I'll be there in a hurry
         You don't have to worry
         'Cause baby,
         There ain't no mountain high enough
         Ain't no valley low enough
         Ain't no river wide enough
         To keep me from getting to you

 which definitely seems to suggest some sort of hyperlink between those in love. All that has to happen is a calling of the name, and whaboom! presto! the other is present to help.

And while obviously, I don't necessarily believe such a thing can happen, the idea remains in the air so it seems, in a general way. I never had a problem with it until I was listening to Chris Isaak's Somebody's Crying. (on the good Latro's suggestion) His song says,
         I know somebody and they called your name. 
         A million times and still you never came. 
         They go on loving you just the same I know that somebody's trying. 
and that seems so much more true of love. There isn't any mind reading, or hyperlinks, or space portals that connect a person so that they feel less alone in those moments they call out for the one they love. Yet, just saying the loved one's name does help and they keep loving the person anyway. It seems much more humbling and human.

I was thinking about it further and I guess part of the reason we have hope in ideas about people even when they seem so ordinarily human is all that dirty stuff right alongside the good stuff. That is the way human life goes these days. The uproar about Mother Theresa and Jesus being what we like to think of as ideals of greatness in Christian virtue, yet feeling forsaken in their missions at times. Even those who are not Christian, there are those humans beings who stand for the goodness of humanity and take that stand in the dark. They remind and testify to us that we can be good in the dark even though it is so terribly dark. We don't need light to know that we aren't alone.

For theists (those who believe in God), like Henry Vaughan,
         There is in God (some say)/A deep, but dazzling darkness;
and Dionysius,
        "unchangeable mysteries of heavenly Truth lie hidden in the dazzling darkness of the secret Silence, outshining all brilliance with the intensity of their darkness."


We don't need light to know God.
We don't even need light to know love.
But they both take a little humility.

The December Road Trip, Esq.

I survived my first semester at seminary.
And I am going to miss it here.
Seriously.

...

After three days of traveling and many hours sitting around talking with friends and family, all we have to report is that South Carolina was warm, we received some good loot, we don't remember North Carolina, but the wine and food was good, and happy birthday to both our aunts!

Flat tire? Come again, what is that?

I am sorry to report today.
Adventure has been abounding in our lives but we lack time to report.
However yesterday proved too much for my sensibilities.
First does everyone know what a car is?
If you don't, don't bother reading farther.

If you have a car, do you know where the tires are? 
(I included this lovely diagram because it shows the spare tire floating in the middle of the car... even though the tires are not label. For those who still don't know where the tires are, they are the black circular bits near the bottom.)

Sadly I have some news about those circular black objects.
They can go flat.
Just like balloons.

In cases of this it is best not to panic.
(Remember Hitchhiker's Guide and DON'T PANIC)

Instead, remember what you are about to le arn.
A flat tire should be changed.

This can be done in a few ways:
A. Call AAA (or some other road service)
B. Change the tire yourself

I know this latter option sounds really scary, I mean, manual labor?!
But take a deep breath

(inhale, exhale)

you can handle this

Here is my Easy STEP BY STEP Guide to changing a flat tire. :)
Step 1: pull over to the side of the road and stop if you haven't already.
Step 2: turn off the car.
Step 3: get out of the car and look at the tire (just to check that it is indeed flat - that is, not fully round and plump)
Step 4. Take another deep breath
Step 5: open your trunk and look under the trunk floor to see if you have a spare tire.
Step 6: if you do, breath a sigh of relief
Step 7: take the tire out of the pocket
Step 8: look to see if you have a tire jack
Step 9: gather the appropriate tools - in the picture below we have the spare tire, the jack, the jack turner dohicky, and the wrench thingamabob


Step 10: If you managed to find all these things hanging out in the trunk of your car, rejoice! You are a third of the way through this ordeal.
Step 11: figure out which Side of the jack goes on the ground and put that side on the ground under the car next to the flat tire towards the middle of the car
Step 12: pump the Jack so that it gets bigger and lifts the car up
Step 13: use the wrench thingamabob to loosen the lug nuts (lefty 1oosey righty tighty)
Step 14: remove the lug nuts and remove the flat tire
Step 15: rejoice to be another third of the Way through!
Step 16: roll the spare tire to the spot and put it on
Step 17: put the lug nuts back on and tighten and tighten and tighten
Step 18: check that the lugnuts are tight
Step 19: look at the Spare tire and determine it it needs air - if it does go to Step 21
Step 20: otherwise, put everything back into the car
(Step 21: drive to the nearest gas station
Step 22: put air into tire)
Step 23: return to your life.
Step 24: rejoice in your new skill

Please Always Remember that you can do things too!
You don't always need a machine or someone else!

"Life will go on, I promise. Whether you are in it or not, well, that's between you and God."

What I'm Thankful For (Travel Edition)

So I was thinking of what I was thankful for traveling wise while heading up to NY for the holiday last night. Here's what I came up with:

1) The fact that I traveled on I-95 North as opposed to South
2) Dunkin Donuts hazelnut coffee
3) Google Navigator and its Traffic View
4) Cars that shift back to the right lane immediately after passing
5) Green arrows for those in the left turn signal lane
6) Giant flashing signs displaying "HOLIDAY TRAFFIC AHEAD"
7) Pandora Radio
8) Cup holders that hold so much more than cups
9) > 30 MPG
10) Family waiting for me!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving! And eat lots of turkey (that's an order!)

Don't get the wagon stuck, bloodstains, and other adventures oftheCharacters Crew

So this marvelous weekend with Sonic consisted of:

1. Some hiking (read here, through the woods near Parth Galen where Boromir dies in the Lord of the Rings series, over some raging rivers where we did not get our supply wagon stuck and thus did not die like in Oregon Trail, around the ever elusive Paradise Falls from Up, and over rock climbing challenges)

2. An adventure in hitting ones head on a kitchen cabinet and 5 minutes later realizing the ice pack had blood on it

3. Two different kinds of cake! (that would be marble pound cake and pumpkin ginger cake)

4. Seeing a lovely, on the mountain, rendition of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead

5. Some thing good and funny that I was going to share here, but since have completely forgotten. Oh well, a lot of things have gone out the window since hitting my head... enjoy the pictures!

An interesting trail sign!

One of the many forded rivers

I'm not quite sure why I took this picture... what do you see in it?

I am convinced I caught an Ent smoking a pipe in this picture. 

An odd rock. 

I hope you enjoy this picture.

Waterfall!

All in all

we had a good time.

:)

A Reunion of Characters

So today is a big day in the old enough to know better, too young to care world.
After three and a half months, Sonic is coming to visit Yoda.
Mischief is on the way
;)

Toe Nails

This is one of those crazy reflections that begs the question how ever did you come up with that!? However, the answer is quite simple, lack of sleep and an interesting life.

See, despite the crazinesses of life, some things, such as painted toe nails, last a whole lot longer than you ever think they will.

(In thinking about this, it's seems rather obvious that painted toe nails which are almost always covered by socks and/or shoes would not chip so quickly, however in the state of mind that I mentioned before, it seemed rather spectacular that despite the mental/emotional/spatial week(s) that I have had, my toe nails are still the same color they were three weeks ago.

It all rather puts me in the mind to quote the matrix: "some things change, and some things never do."

Its all Very Profound.
I know.

A day (or two) in the life of an air traveler...

I traveled home this weekend for a wedding and decided to catalog my travel time. Enjoy!

10/06 9:00pm - I'm packing up my suitcase (small enough to carry on). I don't like to check a bag unless I have to so I get to squeeze some shampoo and conditioner into travel sized 3oz bottles and cram them in a little baggy. I do have to say though, the mini toothpaste tubes are very cute!

10/07 7:05am - Printing my boarding pass. Made sure I had a window seat! Although there may be some wing obstruction. No prob, I'll just have em zap any interfering pieces with their fancy laser guns.

10/07 5:37pm - Taking off for the airport. It's Friday and my brain is fried so I find myself singing along to songs by the likes of Kelly Clarkson, Katy Perry, and this. Also, it's still up for debate whether cars come from factories or trees.

10/07 6:43pm - Finally found a spot in the airport parking lot and caught the shuttle.

10/07 7:13 - Got through security pretty quick, can't say the same for the guy in the line next to me who was struggling to understand the phrase "make sure there's nothing in your pockets."

10/07 8:04 - Finishing up dinner. It's so busy, I'm sharing a table with a random person. He gives me tips on how to board the airplane after you've been drinking.

10/07 9:03pm - Boarding the plane. Some kid was in my window seat but I didn't want to make a scene so I just sat in the aisle seat. The window wasn't ideally located anyway.

10/07 10:12pm - Landed earlier than expected. Almost home!

10/07 11:16pm - Final destination. We missed an exit and got a little lost, but made it eventually.

Total arrival trip travel time: 5hr 39min

10/09 9:53pm - Leaving the house after having ticket printing issues, I'll have to print it at the airport.

10/09 10:37pm - Arrived at the airport.

10/09 10:50pm - Printed my ticket and got through security all ready! Time for some breakfast (and caffeine).

10/09 11:34pm - Boarding. Warning! Rant incoming! So because baggage fees are so ridiculous people take on these large carry on bags. And because of this there's not enough space for everyone's bags on a full flight. Therefore they recommend that the people that are in the later boarding zones check their bags at the gate because by the time they board there won't be any space left in the overhead bins. So being in the second to last zone I decided to check mine (it's free of charge at this point). Then, in order to get my bag checked and scanned, I'm one of the first to board. I suppose I just find it ironic.

10/09 1:03pm - Landed! It was a somewhat interesting flight. Apparently we were being driven by The Boy Wonder (according to the pilot). Also, I learned that instead of working out a way to organize the multiple implementations of various algorithms out there, the open source software community is debating the "potential market demand for fire that can be applied nasally." Thank you, CACM, for that image.

10/09 1:34pm - I grabbed my bag from baggage claim, caught the parking lot shuttle, and located my car.

10/09 2:38pm - Mission complete! I survived the traffic home via windows down and sunglasses on. It's a beautiful day!

Total return trip travel time: 4hrs 45 mins
Total trip travel time: 10 hrs 24 mins (624 mins)
Estimated trip cost (airfare, parking, gas* to airport): $259.14

Estimated total trip time by car**: 16 hours (960 minutes)
Estimated trip cost by car*: $83.02 (407 miles)

So, I saved 5.6 hours by flying but spent an extra $176.12 ($31.45/hour). There are other factors to consider when deciding whether to fly or drive:

• Duration of trip. It might have been kind of crazy to drive all night Friday, visit for one day on Saturday and then drive back most of the day Sunday
• If you really don't like driving. It doesn't bother me (actually most of the time I rather enjoy it), but it's definitely a major factor for some people.
• Fuel emissions. Doing a tiny bit of web searching, the general consensus is, on a per-passenger basis, driving releases less CO2 emissions than flying. (Except for some crazy situations like driving a 15 mpg car from India to France.)
• Love of flying. OK, so I love watching out of the window of an airplane, although I don't think it would be an overwhelming factor for most people. But who knows?
• Some other point that I didn't think of.

* Assuming 31.3 mpg average given by my car and $3.19/gallon gas price given by the station across from my apartment complex.

** Google Maps says one way is 7 hours, 36 minutes. If memory serves me right, my trip down a few months ago took close to 7 hours exactly. I added an extra hour (each way) to account for traffic (especially since I would have left during rush hour).

Macaroni Comes Home

After a few days of wandering adventure in our home, Macaroni and I came to a final battle this morning in the bathroom. The best woman won (that being me) and Macaroni returned to her cage under duress.

I think she has gotten fatter. We tried to entice her out with carrots and peanut butter... And I found out this morning that she had found the food supply. However, a few days on her mouse wheel will have her back in tip top shape.

Perhaps we will have a quiet week, without mishap and stupidity.
Perhaps not.
:)

OH, go wish Sonic a belated birthday! (it was yesterday, but I think she is still accepting gifts and cards)

We all fall down...

It is fall again. I don't care if it feels like fall again where you are, there is no denying it is fall. There are people raking leaves and there are apples galore.

Ring around the Rosie is definitely a song that has many layers, but in thinking of fall and the leaves falling and spiraling down from their tree abodes, it occurred to me that we all fall down in many different ways. Just a mental image for you.

Less mental are the chair, fence, and disappointed prom I found in the woods.

I hope you enjoy august Autumn!

Macaroni's Adventure

This is a true old enough to know better, too young to care moment.

I decided to take Macaroni out of the cage to hold her for a while. I do this occasionally because I think that since I have pets, I should be able to pet them. These girls do not always agree with me on this point however.

Today, I took Macaroni out of the cage and into my room to come look at something on the computer. I got out my ipad, sat down on the floor, put Macaroni down...

and this is where almost anyone can say: DUMB YODA DUMB!

(oh by the way, I learned today in Hebrew class that the verb yada means to know and one of its forms is yodea.)

Needless to say, Macaroni is currently holed up under my dresser and I have put a carrot and a piece of food in front of the hole in order to entice Macaroni out. She has poked her nose out a few times, but never ventured farther than that.

Perhaps she really just wants to join Ralph in his motorcycle gang.
Or perhaps she wants a cookie....

Still Alive

Yes, indeed. A month later and we are Still Alive.

(yes, I did just make a Portal reference. I like that song.)

I am infusing myself with Almonds in Tennessee relatively happily.
I have tons of pictures and poems and ideas to share, alas, no time however.

Sonic is infusing herself with her Android phone. (oh! Look! It can do this too...)

Here is one set of pictures. I had to stake out a small plot of land for a year long project and write about it every week.
This is my hidden land encasing a tree.

And this week it seems to be infected with bugs or something because it is covering up its holes with sap. I hope it is doing alright.

I was just thinking I wish I could do that. Then I realize I do. Its called blood and it makes scabs. I think this is indicative of my Saturday morning, end of the week, brain being on vacation state. 

Its called grad school.

Enjoy!

Macaroni and Cheese

Two lovely things happened last night

(of course, more than two lovely things happened,

but for the sake of time and reading pleasure

I shall only share two. 

Though since three is the magic number,

I have three things overall to share.)

Thus, again,

Two lovely things happened last night.

The first was the creation of a chocolate peanut butter pie.

(Think giant reeses for those who cannot have gluten/dairy/soy)

I mean, does it not look delicious?

The second thing was that the venerable H. D. and I 

were given two mice

Miss Macaroni and Miss Cheese

Lastly I suppose for today,

was this plaque I saw on a wall

Choo Choo Darling, Once in Tennessee: Return of the Seminarian

Sadly I completely screwed myself over

I waited way too long to even start to be able to explain

so all I can offer is bits and pieces at this time

In some places there are turtles

and there is peace waiting

In other places there are stars

and life is more wondrous in natural color

In some places it is truly hard to tell

between what thrives and what survives

In some place the brute force of struggle

maintains a sleeping presence in power

In every place there are eyes

always watching, always seeing, always quacking at your trying

In some places privacy is allowed

yet other places know no such thing

In other places there is obvious challenge

working to change your mind, your heart, your soul

In some places there is singing

following tradition and lending joy to ear and heart

But in all places there is love

wrapped up in danger, comfort and companionship

And every place needs a little fun

something surprising and never quite the same

All in all, in the end

there is no place like home

Oh, the Joys of Moving

Finally, I have moved into my new apartment! It's a nice, small place and I'm still waiting for most of my furniture and other belongings, but it is becoming home. Lacking some of the bigger and somewhat necessary furniture items, I have had to be slightly creative, using a storage bin as a table and some cardboard boxes as a TV stand, among others.

I have even made a friend!



Now, I spend my days unpacking, relaxing a bit, and getting used to the southern heat. I'm interested in experiencing a winter down here in comparison to those in central New York and northwest PA.

There's also much more traffic than I'm used to in the quiet bustle of both of my other previous places of residence. But I suppose no one can have too much patience training.

I await the visiting of Master Yoda herself tomorrow! And then I will be traveling to South Carolina at the end of the week for one last trip this summer before starting my days in the real working world.

Stay cool!

T-shirt Masterpiece

After 5 years of dreaming

35 plus t-shirts-

free and bought for

clean and dirty

all with memories

of people, places, times-

and 5 pairs of torn jeans

(some even with paint still attached)

it's done

After almost no measurements involved

and lots of redefining what it means to be square

and some very sloppy hems

it's done

After countless episodes of Psych

and Mythbusters

and even Twin Peaks

multicolored spools of thread

and the left-over spools from other things

it's done

After sewing machine trouble

and confusion and woe

and the thump and the bump

of the hand-me-down Viking 5710

it's done

 

After 100 square inches 

(that's larger than king size)

of cutting

and sewing

and ripping

and tearing

and sewing again

making good use of color

and logo to spare

my t-shirt and jean quilt

is finally done!

(the picture shows both top (with logos) and bottom (solid colors))

it's done!

Fun in the Sun

I know, I know, we haven't posted in a while.

We have been rather busy these hot, hot, hot (HOT!) July days.

Sonic helped throw a graduation party yesterday,

and moves in less than a week!!

I, as befitting my Master Yoda status, have been protecting the children of the world

from drowning.

of course.

And I move in a week and two days

Not that I am counting.

(who me? of course not!)

So, I have some pictures to share with y'all.

My friends are touring Italy for the week so I am looking after their pool and garden.

Sadly yesterday I went to water their garden,

in the seven minutes from my house to theirs,

it started drizzling.

It stopped before I got there... only to realize I had forgotten the keys.

I hopped the fence - delicately! 

(being a lady and all in a Sunday skirt)

only to start watering the garden

and have it start raining on me.

However!

All of this, cucumbers, tomatoes, and zucchini have come from their garden

I want to make pickles with these cucumbers...

And with zucchini not pictured above, 

I made these delights

chocolate zucchini cupcakes

(they have vanilla cream icing to go on top

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm

and of course they are gluten-, dairy-, and soy- free!)

My family went to barnes and nobles yesterday....

look at these gems!

A builder's guide to building everything Harry Potter out of legos!

This does not need explaining.

(its a yoda figure with a book of yoda wisdom)

I hope you are having fun in the sun

:)

The South Mountain Frisbee Golf Tournament

Perhaps we have been a little quiet around here.
Perhaps it is summer....
But perhaps Sonic and Yoda have been reunited for a week adventure.
Trust me, we haven't exactly been quiet.

Sunday we tried our hands at frisbee golf at the local course. The course was having a tournament, but the people in the tent told us we could play through. We tried.

First off, we were using normal frisbees instead of disc golf frisbees.
Hence,

Secondly,
we couldn't find hole 6. We spent a good while looking for it and found holes 8 and 9 and a post that might have been 7, before finding hole 6. But then we didn't actually play hole 7 because we couldn't find that after finishing hole 6. We figure the time spent wandering around like idiots makes up for the time we would have spent playing hole 7.

Three,
we were really bad.
I mean, our lowest score during the entire game was a 4.
And we couldn't believe it happened.

Lucky Thirteen ?

However,

we had a lot of fun.

And needless to say, we were winners in the Frisbee golf Tournament.

We even baked an apple pie in celebration.

Yum.

That's good.

HAPPY FOURTH!

Happy Fourth of July from us here at Headquarters!

Summer has been going fairly well here so far as we work our summer jobs as well as try to get together our post-undergrad lives.

I have been gathering items from wine glasses to a toilet bowl scrubber for moving down to Virginia and, as Yoda so kindly puts it, become more "domesticated."

I hope everyone is having a good summer!

Can You See the Landscape of Your Soul?

^^^^
can you see the mountain tops?
the peaks and ridges of distant sight
where we hid in plain view
and find clarity in height

@@@@ 

(those are hills)

can you see the hills?

where the sun sets gracefully

where the stars in glory shine

and give knowledge to the soul

-- ___ _ _ --- -_ - -_ 

-_ _ -- _ _ _-_----

_ -  - _ - - -_-_--- __

can you see the desert?

the waste land of vitality

where growth is so hard

but nothing else is quite as worth it

 **       **      **    ** *

***      ***    ***   *****

 |   |      /    \      |  |     /     \

can you see the forest?

where life swings from the trees

where competition makes you grow strong and tall

but you know you are alive!

/   \< 

|   |

|   |

|   |^|____ 

                ~~~~~~~~~~~

can you see the ocean?

where life was started

and has not been forgotten

where the depths teach more than darkness

can you see your feet?
is there dust there from your road?
marked from those before
or clean from uncharted possibilities?

For The Love Of... Road Trips!

Since both Sonic and I, Master Yoda, are out of town on road trips, I figured something ought to said for the joys of road trips.

Specifically...

1. New cars! And that new car smell....
2. Traffic! And going 20 miles in 2 hrs! However, we did get to see sone awesome license plates. Our favorite so far was: USE SOAP
3. Trying to buy food with allergies in the South... "It's fine hunny, it's just fried"
Actually... No, that isn't fine...
4. Men.
5. Seeing friends! :)

I hope everyone is having a good summer! Enjoy your Road Trips!

A Next Generation Batmobile

It has finally come folks! I, Sonic, have gotten my first car! It is a brand spanking new metallic gray 2011 Toyota Corolla. (Look out Batman there's a new ultimate crime fighting mobile in town.)

It is quite the beaut, in my (totally unbiased) opinion. Road trip plans are already set to visit Our Beloved Ewok Friend and others this weekend. The wise Master Yoda will be my next victim!

I'm still in the process of naming this totally rad machine.

Food Shopping with the "Oh, I Can't Eat THAT" Brigade

I gave this post that title for a reason.
You will understand by the end of the tale.
If you don't, I can't help you.

Food is a big deal in my family.
Partly because the Homeless Man is picky,
Partly because of Celiac Disease,
and partly because of my own current dairy-free, soy-free diet.
But we all love banana bread
(I mean, who actually eats these outside of delicious banana creations??)

However, banana bread requires this little thing called butter.
You've probably heard of it.
Its infamous really.
(If you haven't heard of butter... I don't even know what to say, but look it up.)

So I've been looking around for dairy-free, soy-free, gluten-free butter alternative.
Such a thing is actually made
By Earth Balance it seems.
However, even the Wegmans near me doesn't carry that variety of Earth Balance.

And so I got what seems to be
the best
the safest
and the most like-butter consistency alternative

Lard.












And thats all that can be said about that.