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Month: April 2013

springsummer!!

springsummer!!

IMG_6568
things i like about warm days finally showing up:

  1. flippy floppies
  2. rolling the car windows down
  3. going outside without having to worry about bundling up
  4. running outside without feeling like my throat is freezing*
  5. sweat
  6. not feeling cold ALL THE TIME
  7. driving barefoot
  8. light past 6 p.m.
  9. grilling**
  10. slow greening

* my 5k today, for those of you who don’t have FB, went awesome! i ran it in 38 minutes, and i did a 12:19min/mile, which is my best time yet. i really booked it the first mile; i will really have to watch that during my 10k next month so i don’t get worn out too soon.
** so our gas grill is on the front porch, but i’m afraid if i bring it out; it might disappear. we’re in the not so great part of town on one major road and two blocks from another major road. options i’ve considered: 1) bring the grill out and buy some bike locks to secure it to the gas line/handrail or 2) buy a cheapo charcoal grill for this summer. i can’t imagine with everything it would cost more than $35-40 (which is about what i pay for propane during a summer anyway…). only drawback to charcoal: wait time. hmmmmm.

revelation

revelation

between some previous knowledge on poverty levels in the US and my current “big farm” research, i came to realization today. my powers of deduction came up with this (in all caps so i wouldn’t lose it in my very long document of quotes):
THE GOVERNMENT POVERTY LEVEL IN THE US IS BASED ON COST OF FOOD FOR FAMILY OF FOUR. THE COST OF FOOD HAS NOT RISEN RELATIVE TO EVERYTHING ELSE WITH INFLATION. THE COST OF FOOD REMAINS LOW DUE TO SUBSIDIES FROM FARM BILL TO INDUSTRIAL AGRICULTURE. GOVERNMENT POVERTY LEVEL REMAINS TOO LOW FOR WORKING PEOPLE TO GET A HAND UP. THE GOVERNMENT IS REGULATING THE POVERTY LEVEL THROUGH FARM BILL (WHICH IRONICALLY INCLUDES FOOD STAMPS) – INSTEAD OF GIVING THE HANDOUTS TO POOR PEOPLE THROUGH GOVT PROGRAMS, IT IS GIVING THE HANDOUTS TO BIG INDUSTRIAL AG.
*sudden clarity clarence*

warm!

warm!

hello, blogees! this week was cold at first, mid 20s on overnight, and then by sunday it will be id 70s. that’s minnesota for you! hurr hurr hurr.
my monsanto research was sidetracked by watching “hemlock grove” on netflix. they are trying to be true blood/dexter, and it kind of works? either way, i watched all 13 episodes in 3 days. now back to the grindstone with monsanto.
i’m going to a fancy thing on friday! i get to get dressed up and everything. wearing my fancy red shoes, woowoo. my mom’s new work hosts a fundraiser auction once a year and i get to go keep my dad company. i’m hoping it’ll be fun and maybe there will be something cheap enough there for me to bid on.
then 5k on sunday morning, which i am excited about because the weather’s supposed to be awesome (but windy – bleh). might make it worth it having to get up at 7:30 on a weekend. i’m hoping for sub-13min/mile time. that’s all i ask!

happy flippin' earth day

happy flippin' earth day

we've only got one of these.
we’ve only got one of these.

i am pissed off at the idea of earth day. maybe it’s because i grew up in a household where recycling, reusing, and composting were second nature, but why aren’t people more aware of what’s happening with the climate and dwindling resources, especially potable water? why do we only allot ONE DAY to awareness of this subject? EVERY DAY should be earth day.
yes, i’m passionate about the environment – if we don’t care for the environment, THAT’S IT. no need to worry about health care, gun control, autism, civil wars, etc., because *poof* we’re goners. part of the reason i’m so passionate about devil’s syrup? look at what monoculture (corn and soybean) farmlands are doing to the earth – erosion and diminishing water tables.
so: one day? not going to cut it. i know people who don’t recycle because they just don’t care – they say one person isn’t going to make or break it, so why should it be them? WHY NOT YOU? – something like this STARTS with one person. one day of the year to focus on the earth is not going to convince these people to start being a little more environmentally conservative. not even a month, a lá black history month or sexual assault awareness month, is going to do it. we need EARTH YEARS, aka, every. single. day.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”  – Margaret Mead

happy earth day.

weather

weather

write about some big weather you experienced.
one of my early summers was hot and dry, and the rain held off long throughout the summer months. i remember my elders talking about the crops and how no rain will affect the corn in the fields, their green stalks already taller than i. in the evenings, while i ran around outside through stubbly grass, the sun continued to beat down, low and orange in the sky as i stared out over the field on the north side of the farm. the winds blew across the field from the pig farm, from across our field and again the fields of my aunt and uncle. days and days like this.
then one afternoon the sky turned greenish yellow, and humidity hung in the air so thick i felt like i could stick out my tongue to get it wetter than it was in my mouth. my dad hung around outside on the porch, walking the driveway, hiking out to the edge of the field, even though it was not his corn. my mom turned on the tv and watched the local channel to see if there would be a tornado warning.
eventually the sirens rang, alerting us that a tornado had been spotted. by this time rain had started to dot the dust in our gravel driveway, making large, dark spots out of light tan. soon the spots melted together and the driveway was no longer dust.
my mom hustled me down to the cellar, which was in the back-back room underneath a piece of floorboards that swung up to reveal crumbling cement steps that led to a dark, damp hole in the ground with one small window on the east-facing side. i remember seeing my dad still watching the outside from the doorway in the room as i descended into the hole.  my mom went back up to get liz – a baby – and came back down, now with my dad, and the long, heavy cellar door came down on her head as she was making her way down the steps.
we waited in the cellar, which had a lantern and a weather radio in it as far as i can remember, until the threat of tornado passed.
by this time, my uncle squire had come out to the farm, and he, my dad, and i got in my dad’s orange and white pickup in the rain, drove the short distance to the edge of the cornfield, and watched the rain come down, windshield wipers steady against the rain. afterwards, one of the wallace men claimed to have seen the corn actually grow.

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i was requested to analyze the meaning to flo-rida’s “blow my whistle” song, i think since my “p-control” review went down so well (i guess i wouldn’t know since no one commented on it?).

so, uh, here we go:
Can you blow my whistle baby, whistle baby
Let me know
Girl I’m gonna show you how to do it
And we start real slow
You just put your lips together
And you come real close
Can you blow my whistle baby, whistle baby
Here we go
mr. rida is asking some novice to come on over and give him a bj and he will show her how to do it.
(Look) I’m betting you like people
And I’m betting you love freak mode
And I’m betting you like girls that give love to girls
And stroke your little ego
I bet you I’m guilty your honor
That’s just how we live in my genre
Who in the hell done paved the road wider?
There’s only one flo, and one rida
I’m a damn shame
Order more champagne, pull a damn hamstring
Tryna put it on ya
Bet your lips spin back around corner
Slow it down baby take a little longer
this woman obvs likes attention and he’s guilty of giving it to her, so keep on going, just slow down a little bit.
Can you blow my whistle baby, whistle baby
Let me know
Girl I’m gonna show you how to do it
And we start real slow
You just put your lips together
And you come real close
Can you blow my whistle baby, whistle baby
Here we go
(chorus)
Whistle baby, whistle baby,
Whistle baby, whistle baby
Whi-whistle baby, whistle baby
Whistle baby, whistle baby
Whi-whistle baby, whistle baby
It’s like everywhere I go
My whistle ready to blow
Shawty don’t leave a note
She can get any by the low
Told me she’s not a pro
It’s okay, it’s under control
Show me soprano, ’cause girl you can handle
Baby we start snagging, you come up in part clothes
Girl I’m losing wing, my Bugatti the same road
Show me your perfect pitch, you got it my banjo
Talented with your lips, like you blew out a candle
So amusing, now you can make a whistle with the music
Hope you ain’t got no issue, you can do it
Give me the perfect pitch, ya never lose it
mr. rida is horny all the time, apparently, and it’s ok that she doesn’t know how to give a beej (because, like pizza, even a bad bj is a good bj, amirite). she’s getting better.
Can you blow my whistle baby, whistle baby
Let me know
Girl I’m gonna show you how to do it
And we start real slow
You just put your lips together
And you come real close
Can you blow my whistle baby, whistle baby
Here we go
(chorus)
Whistle baby, whistle baby,
Whi-whistle baby, whistle baby
Whistle baby, whistle baby,
Whi-whistle baby, whistle baby
Go girl you can twerk it
Let me see you whistle while you work it
I’mma lay it back, don’t stop it
‘Cause I love it how you drop it, drop it, drop it on me
Now, shawty let that whistle blow-oh, oh oh
Yeah, baby let that whistle blow-oh oh!
get your nasty grinding dance on, woman, i will watch you. then give me a bj.
Can you blow my whistle baby, whistle baby
Let me know
Girl I’m gonna show you how to do it
And we start real slow
You just put your lips together
And you come real close
Can you blow my whistle baby, whistle baby
Here we go
(chorus)
Whistle baby, whistle baby,
Whi-whistle baby, whistle baby,
Whistle baby, whistle baby,
Whistle baby, whistle baby
yeah….this song is just about blowjobs. unless you believe it’s about netball

surprising

surprising

stopped at sephora and got some $9 nail polish, named "dreamscicle", or as some people lovingly refer to it, "whore pink".
a picture to liven up my post. stopped at sephora and got some $9 nail polish, named “dreamscicle”, or as some people lovingly refer to it, “whore pink”.

after 4 months of living in rochester, i KIND OF have a hang of where things are and how to get places. i’ve also had a chance to poke around at the overall scene of the place (as scene as i get, anyway) to get a sense of how things compare to ol’ cloudtown.
surprising things about rochester:
1. the generic shopping is not that great. i feel like i have to drive all over town to get the same experience as i did at crossroads mall in STC. maybe it’s because there’s no target anchoring one end, but the mall in STC is grossly superior to apache mall here in roch. not that i am that enthralled by malls, but when i’m christmas shopping with my mom, the mall is the mainstay.
2. the downtown is awesome though. downtown STC is all about friday and saturday nights and the bars. sometimes the paramount. and mexican village. but downtown rochester is full of people, mostly because mayo is downtown. there is a galleria mall down there as well as some upscale clothing stores and some fancy schmancy restaurants. plus it looks better.
3. the amount of bike/walking trails around here is AMAZING. not surprising since it’s the health capital of the world, but i still shocked me, especially when i went into the running store and they HANDED ME A MAP of the trails. 😮
4. the amount of post-secondary education opportunities is astoundingly low. STC has 2 private universities, state university, state 2-year tech, rasmussen (for profit?), MN school of business (def. for profit), not to mention the beauty schools. here in roch we have RCTC, MN school of business, UofMRochester. i think it’s odd there are no privates here (well, SMU has a “presence”) and no 4-year state school (UMR is very medically oriented, and WSU has a “presence”). but winona is only 45 mins away and that town has the missing pieces. just weird,though.
5. the library here is abysmally outdated. not in books terms, but in terms of look and construction. granted, STC just built a brand new library, but you would think a town of this size would keep the look and feel of its library up-to-date. it could certainly use a facelift.
6. the cost of a house here is on par with, if not lower than STC, which i find really really really confusing. rentals are about the same, if not a little bit higher, but from looking at houses in the area, i feel like i could get more of a house down here than up in STC.
7. my outside running routes here suck 🙁 i miss st. joe traffic.

ice cream

ice cream

smooth, cool, drippy ice cream. in the dead of summer, those 95-degree days when the humidity is so high that your sweat can’t even ooze out of you pores because it has no where to go, the best place to be during the eveningtime, after supper has settled in your stomach and your tongue is craving something sweet, is dairy queen.
nowadays i get a hot fudge sundae, hfcs-laden as it is, but back when i was small, and trips to the DQ meant driving across austin to the west-side of town (the posh side), usually funded by my aunt colettie, i got a small vanilla ice cream cone dipped in chocolate shell. the DQ was small, and normally so packed that we would take our cones outside and sit on the hard, plasticated metal picnic tables that left diamond shaped red marks on the backs of my legs from sitting on them.
before the ice cream melted, you had to lick it up, starting with the tiny droplets of white ice cream creeping out the pores in the chocolate shells. starting at the top, you bit into the  shell, taking a chunk of the white ice cream with it, and suddenly your mouth was quelled; the coolness slipped down your throat and brought a shiver of delight in the middle of the hot. but you couldn’t dwell too long on the feeling. you had to beat the heat.
licking along the top of the cone often to lap up the ice cream, you slowly ate away all the shell, leaving a small mound of ice cream atop the beige cone, always one step ahead of the heat. sometimes you just licked at it. sometimes you bit a chunk of ice cream off the top, leaving teeth marks in their wake. eventually you were down to the cone, and it was pretty smooth sailing from there (unless, of course, you waited TOO long and the cone started disintegrating).
crunching your way into the cone, you eat your way to the bottom, where the criss cross of cone helped keep disintegration at bay. usually at this point the ice cream was gone – the shivers had subsided and even thought the heat was still heavy, you were a little less hot with the cool ice cream in your belly. at this point you had two choices – throw the nub of remaining cone in the trash or jam it in your mouth, drying out the last remnants of sweetness still hiding in crevices. usually i couldn’t throw it away – it felt like a disservice to the cone.
sticky fingers, sticky mouths, but sated, it was time to peel the backs of bare legs from red plastic and back into the reality of heat. it was a short respite, but it was a respite.

wool

wool

amazing! if you like your dystopian future catastrophic earth as much as i do, this book is for you. the most amazing part of it is that this is actually billed as an adult novel, and i could swear that if you just changed the ages of the main characters, it would read like a YA novel. not that there’s anything wrong with that; just goes to show that you shouldn’t shun YA.
i read the print version – the digital version was published in 5 novellas, and after much self-published success was picked up by a traditional publisher (thank god – otherwise my luddite butt wouldn’t have read it). i busted through the 5 novellas (printed as one book) in two days. i can’t imagine having to wait for each novella to come out! fast-paced, interesting, and a more than happy ending. what more could you ask for.