AWARE and Stephen Colbert I love you!

Pop quiz : how do you define a 'feminist'? No peeking at the dictionary. I'll explain why later in the post.

Right on the heels of Simian showing me this, I found this article. Why it is that conservatives seem to have no sense of humour? Make sure you watch the clip - this is why Stephen Colbert is a genius.

It couldn't come at a better time too. I saw this in the morning and hopped up and down several times. In the first place, what does that even MEAN? The old guard were hijacked? They were the ones promoting family values.

More news on the AWARE saga - an ex co-worker (who is attending) told me that she had spoken with several women friends. None of them are going. They feel it has nothing to do with them, or that it's too political. I spoke to another young ex co-worker online, and she isn't going either because she's too busy. On the other hand, several people, including Imp, are going.

This brings me back to my point on feminism. I asked two friends earlier what they thought. One said she wouldn't define herself as a feminist (or anything else actually because she doesn't believe in labels - fair enough), and Impy, said she did. Then we both googled the definition to make sure :)

So of course, feminism is just equal rights for women. Not, as Impy said, MORE rights for women, less for men.

I think many young women take for granted the rights that we have. They expect to get equal pay for equal work, have their husbands have an equal share in raising the children, and basically get what they want. So why bother with women's rights?

I was saying to Imp that I hope someone poses the question to the new AWARE Exco on Saturday. It'll be interesting to hear what that means to them. One thing I did disagree with AWARE on - men should be allowed to be members too, because certainly they can be feminists. A friend of mine, whose wife worked for AWARE said that's why he hasn't joined for years. He says when he gets full participation rights, he'd certainly join.

Oh and Jon Stewart - I love you too!

Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

The very territorial hummingbird at the feeder prefers to chase his rival away than to eat!

Hummingbird rival

Hummingbird rival
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

Here's the rival coming to the feeder!

What is he looking at?

What is he looking at?
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

Cardinal at house feeder

Cardinal at house feeder
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

Today was another scorcher - seriously, where did spring go?

The trees are starting to flower, the birds are brilliantly coloured and the clothes can now be dried outside. Incidentally my little Ikea rack was insufficient and I had to take clothes in and out several times. Simian is now suggesting that he build me a rack. It was really nice to have sun dried clothes though I almost melted pegging the clothes out! :)

I tried to take more photos of the hummings but the female was shy. The male was bolder but perhaps they're not quite used to me yet.

10X

G likes Simian's 10X so Simian obliged by cooking up a batch. He put in stuffed olives, corn, spinach, mushrooms and beef strips. He topped it with paste and chilli sauce. The grain was wheat and the result was delicious. We had it with the lovely bottle of wine G bought.

Hummingbird

Hummingbird
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

Simian and I were just discussing this morning what flowers to buy to attract hummingbirds. I've been asking everyone around here if they've seen the hummers and no one has yet. Just as Simian and I were talking, a humming flew up to the feeder. G and Simian saw a few hummers as well. I snapped this photo this evening.

This hummer is fairly shy though - which is really unusual!

Tortilleria

Simian and I went for a run this morning and it was also extremely warm.

Simian wanted to show G Tractor Supply Co, so we headed down. G wanted to head down to Tortilleria in downtown Baltimore and it was pretty small but the food was excellent. They make their own tortillas fresh and they come out on the machine above. You can buy a kg for $2. The menu is in Spanish, and G ordered for us. I had nachos and the sauce was lovely. G said that the food there is very authentic and that there is nothing as good in Boston :)

We went to the lab afterward, and Simian did some work. G and I headed to Filene's Basement to get him a new pair of jeans - his jeans were mysteriously torn during the camp last night. Then K, G and Simian and I went to Pitango's to have gelato.

All of us were wilting in the heat, so Simian, G and I headed home.

I also spoke to M, who landed in NYC this afternoon. She complained that it was extremely hot. Hope she gets a good rest and has a fun time in NYC!

Psych Camp

Simian, G and I went to Psych camp, held at Codorus State Park, which is about 30 miles or so away. I brought my lemon cake - Simian said it was gone so fast he didn't get to try a piece.

Will and K were also there and K was at her fire making best.

G brought us these cool presents :) I got the googly eyed monster.

The darling buds of May

The darling buds of May
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

The buds are out - in a few days, the tree is going to be covered in leaves! I know it's not May yet - but we're almost there. It's also summer like weather - today it's 30 degrees Celsius out!

D read Shiva and gave me some very helpful comments!

Sour cherry tree

Sour cherry tree
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

I was saying to my neighbour A, yesterday that one minute the trees are absolutely bare, and then suddenly, they're in full flower. It's amazing and happens within a few days.

Lemon glazed butter cake

Lemon glazed butter cake
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

I made this recipe and the cake looks promising. I have a similar recipe from Nigella Lawson so we'll see how the two compare.

Banana Apple Nut bread

Banana Apple Nut bread
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

I made banana apple walnut bread a little while ago. Simian is out now helping someone to record a tape for a singing contest.

G, who is in town for the weekend is over, and taking a nap on the sofa.

Lovely weather

Today's weather was gorgeous - sunny and warm. There was a frost warning last night and then it warmed up. I went over to my neighbour, A's house, and walked around her garden.

G is in town - Simian picked him up and loaned him his car. I picked Simian up from the train station and we went to 5 Guys Fries.

M was so excited to be getting some spring weather - but it's going up to 30 degrees this weekend.

Bringing light to the ignorant

How utterly condescending - thankfully we have a feminist mentor who will teach us 'ignorant' people (read the sidebar).

You know, that was basically like lesson one in NGO work - do not use the word 'teach' or 'educate'. I don't think anyone even envisioned the use of the word 'ignorant'.

Savory bread casserole

Savory bread casserole
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

We had some leftover bread which I made into this mushroom, tomato casserole.

ORCs

ORCs
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

It's been a while so I made Simian some ORCs (Oatmeal Raisin Cookies). I brought some over to my neighbours. Apparently D, whom I brought some blueberry crumble bars liked them so much he offered to pay me to make him some :)

Food

After a busy morning, I went down to meet K, K and JH for lunch. We went to Liquid Earth - the food was okay but service was terribly slow. When we enquired how long the food would take after waiting for almost half an hour, we were told another 5 to 10 minutes - and this was for soup, salad and hummus. The server looked horribly offended that we had asked too (unlike 5 Guys fries tonight where the girl behind the counter not only remembered what I ordered but almost ALL my toppings too!).

Afterward, we dropped K and JH back at the lab and then K and I went to s.com/home.htm">Holabird Sports. K wanted running shoes and I picked up a pair too. Then we got a new suitcase for K from Walmart (M - good news for when you come, they're pretty cheap!) to put all her stuff to take back to Sweden!

Simian also hacked together a plumbing solution for the guest bathroom after spending a LOT of time trying to figure out why we only get hot water in the shower. Now the water is warm - and can be controlled from downstairs.

Tofu, Brussel sprout chilli stir fry

Tofu, Brussel sprout chilli stir fry
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

I made this for dinner last night - tofu, tofu strips, Brussel sprouts and dumplings and topped off by wonderful Singapore chili. It was great - it also made my eyes water from the chili last night as I was making it, and gave Simian and I some tummy discomfort today. Perhaps less spice next time - but it WAS awesome.

Miss California

Wow I like how Miss California basically says that she lost BECAUSE of her answer. Maybe she didn't win because she's a moron.

Matt Lauer and Carrie Prejean make it seem like such a huge tragedy that she lost - seriously, it's a beauty pageant, not the Nobel Prize.

I like how she also says that she studied up on the topic - and that was the best answer she can give? It's not that the answer was politically incorrect - it was just a really stupid way of putting it across. She could have for example said that her personal beliefs don't mesh with gay marriage, but that's the beauty of America to take into account different opinions (because she said right at the beginning that she was glad people had a choice). Or that stealing a page from Ron Paul, that it's really a state decision, and not a federal one. Or that she doesn't believe in gay marriage, but that it's really up to the American people to decide as a whole and that she will respect that decision as a democracy, etc, etc.

Instead she mentioned 'opposite' marriage (when Simian came home tonight, I said, hey honey we have an opposite marriage!). If it's 'opposite marriage' then really does it make gay marriage the norm by definition?

Plus, you know, California is not a country. I have to disagree that this was the worst answer ever though - that goes to Ms Teen South Carolina.

And Matt Lauer, yes, technically, Miss USA is supposed to be the 'perfect Miss USA' - that's kind of the point of these stupid beauty pageants in the first place.

It does make you reconsider yet again - why do we still have these beauty pageants? If it's really supposed to be about beauty and brains, then why are such bimbos running? Let's just forget about the answer round and be honest - it's a chance to let them smile and pose in swimsuits.

Tomato, Potato, Zucchini bake

Tomato, Potato, Zucchini bake
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

After two glorious days of sunny weather, it rained all day. It was fine as I spent the day cleaning the house after K and Simian left for work.

I also spent the day reading about the AWARE takeover and getting mad about it. Unfortunately I won't be around for the EOGM. If you're in Singapore at the time, please go. Imp?

Cold Saturday Farm

We went for a walk this evening at Cold Saturday Farm. Some of the flowers are starting to bloom. We came home and I made a quick (and very simple) dinner.

Fixing the door

Fixing the door
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

So this is what we do with friends in our house - we make them work :) The weather was pretty warm (though not as warm as yesterday), so we asked both Ks to help us change the door. We had gone shopping with K today and she picked up some stuff she needed, then K drove down from Bmore. The door was soon fixed by Simian with the help of the ladies.

Maryland Store

Maryland Store
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

We went to the Maryland Store, a few miles from our home. It's housed in a small church. K's sister is going to be an ordained minister, and she found an antique holder for all the communion cups. It's a perfect present :)

Dr Love sign

Dr Love sign
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

We saw this funny sign downtown :)

Car Show

K, Simian and I went to Westminster today to try and get lunch at Johansson's. Unfortuntely they only had their buffet - and for $20, it really wasn't worth it for vegetarians because they had a LOT of meat and seafood (piles of oysters, meat, etc). They also had an egg station, a pasta station and alcohol but we decided to go to Panara's instead.

We did however stumble on this car show. It was the Spring Thaw car show apparently and was fascinating, even if I'm not usually a car person at all!

Party at K's

K flew in from Sweden today and K threw her a party - it was a pizza making party which was great. We had one a few years ago, which K also threw - the amount of food flying around was scary, but it was fun!

Everyone made a pizza and K also made dip, there was lovely fried Zucchini and cheese galore. Instead of making a dessert, I made dessert pizza - I made caramelised apples which I brought along and we sliced it, put it on melted chocolate and then sprinkled bananas on it. On top of that, the final touch - DINOSAUR sprinkles :)

Weather today was beautiful - went into the 20s (degrees Celsius). We drove to Dulles and drove through the world's weirdest toll booth - you had to throw change down, even though it said bills were accepted. It wouldn't take my dollar bill and we had to scrounge for change as the guy behind beeped at me!

Tractor Supply Co

Simian stayed home today to try and repair in one of the spare bathrooms. We have hot water but no cold water in the shower there. Simian tried to use a snake to find the leak, and unscrewed the whole shower tap, but no dice. He's come up with a hack, so we went to Home Depot to get parts - I learnt more about the parts of a shower in an hour today then I have in the last 33 years :)

We also stopped by Tractor Supply Co. We've always gone by and wondered what was inside - and it was great. They even carry cat and dog vaccinations Mom!

The weather was gorgeous too - t-shirt weather. We stopped to get bird food as well.

Charlie the Unicorn

Simian sent me this, and now is super sorry he did since I am now imitating squeaky Unicorn voices all day. I LOVE CHARLIE!!!! Watch the sequels too.

SHUNNNNNNNN

Brewer's Art food

Brewer's Art food
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

I went down town to meet Simian and people from his lab because one of his colleagues is leaving. We had drinks at Brewer's. Simian, K and I also had dinner. They regularly change their menu and as always, the food was fantastic. I had the fava bean ravioli, Simian had the portobello mushroom sandwich and of course we had rosemary garlic fries. There are a whole lot of other things I need to try when we go back.

Squirrel eating seed

Squirrel eating seed
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

I was relieved to see this little guy (or girl). When running yesterday, two squirrels became road kill. I only saw the one squirrel today though, so I'm not sure if the other was killed.

What was the weather like today?

If you guessed wet, you'd be absolutely right. We're supposed to be in for much warmer, sunnier weather starting tomorrow though!

TGI Friday's

I met with K as she had to pick up some presents. We went to Reisterstown, and Simian came to meet us. By the time we were done, there was nothing still open - except TGI Friday's. When was the last time YOU went there? :) It's been years since I stepped into one too.

I had a broccoli cheese soup, and excellent fried green beans. Simian had an interesting fried Mac & Cheese. We all shared a brownie.

It's been wet and rainy all day.

Story

Imp read my entire story over the weekend and sent back useful comments and help with grammar. However certain sections were written in the present tense, but refer to comments in the PAST tense - so I'm not sure if they were clear enough.

If anyone wants to take a crack at reading it and cleaning it up, I would be most honoured (and grateful) but I'm warning you, it's a 109 page read. I will pay you back with a drink or a cake or cookies (or ice cream if you so wish!).

Imp and I are still arguing over whether it's a novel or novella :) Technically she's right, but 50K is the minimum for a novel so I'm going with that :))

Simian Egg Hunt

Simian and I planned an Easter Egg hunt today. Simian came up with the instructions, and we planted 48 eggs. We had to remember where we left them. I told simian that considering how competitive our friends are, I was pretty sure they would find all the eggs. Not only did they find all the eggs, they found it in a record 22 minutes (we allocated them half an hour).

There were prizes for the highest number of eggs found (depending on the colour) and the median. K, her friend L, Will, A, HJ and E played. The top 'prize' was the monkey head above which is also a speaker and you can plug your MP3 player in, which L won. HJ won the monkey piggy bank which makes simian sounds when you deposit cash in. Will won the chocolate Cross. Baby N who wasn't really playing managed to find two eggs with the help of M (not bad for a baby who can't walk yet!).

K also brought over a German Easter tradition - fighting eggs, which she dyed. Apparently, you use your egg and hit your opponent's egg with them till only one egg is left standing. Simian was my partner and my egg had a tiny hairline fracture after our first foray - I turned to ask K if it counted and Simian smashed my egg. He ended up surprising his other two opponents till he was the last one standing - he also ended up getting called a cheater by all of us :)

I made these matzo crackers and they were pretty good. We all also ate so much candy that we were all stuffed. HJ also brought over tons of stuff to make a salad and we threw in a bunch of other things so it was a huge salad. Simian and Will bought pizza and drinks for dinner which I forgot to take photos of.

Easter Egg Cake

I made this Easter Egg cake from Nigella's Feast - Simian helped me to decorate it. It tasted pretty good :)

Suntaneye - hope you're feeling better. I used your cake stand!

Day out

Simian and I had a busy day out. There's a loose seal in the main door that is letting the draft in (and ants - and possibly the mouse!) so we went to get some supplies. We also went and got some groceries and we stopped in for lunch at Johansson's - we had gone by but never stopped in. The place looked really nice inside but surprisingly, the prices were not too bad at all. The food was also delicious. Simian's portobello mushroom burger had caramalised onions on it. We're definitely going back.

We also stopped by an Antique Mart, Locust Books in downtown Westminster (where we bought a few books) and tried to get some soil, but the place had just closed.

Full moon through trees

Full moon through trees
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

Full moon out tonight.

Cheech and Chong

Cheech and Chong
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

I went down and met Simian, K and Will for dinner. We went to (where else?) Tutti Gusti. Saw this funny sign on the way.

After dinner, we dropped Will back at the lab and on the way to dropping K off, we saw a dog right on the main road. He looked like he was going to get run over, but he made it across. We tried to get close, but he made a run for it every time we tried to get out of the car. He did however eat one of the buns K had taken home.

Unfortunately he ran into a pretty unsavoury neighbourhood - right at the spot where K was mugged in fact. Simian suggested we couldn't do anymore when he ran into a park there. K and I felt especially bad though - the dog was young, well groomed and had a collar. I hope he makes it home :(

Jay with seed

Jay with seed
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

Simian was able to work from home today, which was nice. I cleaned house :)

We headed out this afternoon to get some stuff for the house. Weather was lovely - sunny and warm.

We're planning an Easter Egg hunt this weekend with a twist!

Saw this great article - told Simian about it, and he said, "how do you think I decided to marry you?"

What are you looking at?

What are you looking at
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

Simian stayed home today to work on his income tax. It got pretty cold again, and when I looked out the window, there were a few snow flurries, though it was too warm for the snow to stick. It may snow tonight. It's spring already! Time to warm up :)

SHIVA

SHIVA
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

It's done - the first draft at least, and at just under 50000 words (49090 to be exact). Not that there isn't still a lot of work to be done. For one thing : if you're writing a story in parts (which I didn't intend to at the time), please don't leave one part for months, and then come back and write the second part in a different tense. It is very confusing and makes for a lot of changes.

Incidentally, I am very impressed at my printer which spit it out very quickly.

Standing up

Standing up
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

One of the squirrels is still doing the amazing tree climbing stunt, lets himself down like in Mission Impossible and then eats the seed. Since the little guy tries so hard, we leave him be :)

Some of the others have found the squirrel feeder, but the rest seem to be eating the stuff the birds dropped. There also seem to be MORE of them :)

Simian has been busy around the house. He's been mulching, killing weeds, building a new cart to haul stuff around and clearing out the garage. He also changed the light in our kitchen we both hate and replaced the fixture.