Forr_Jenn's Journey of Life

June 11th, 2009

Way too long since last Kute Kitteh post

6/11/09 11:41 am

When Sandy and Luna first arrived they were... skittish. Ok, freaking out whenever we looked at them.

They were ok with us when we were seated or lying down, but as soon as we stood up and walked (and God forbid, walked *toward* them) it was panic city. Fur flying, cats disappearing, mass hysteria.

NOW.... it's "Oh, did you want to walk here? Right here? You mean I have to move two inches to the left to let you get by? Geeeez."

Or... "You're going across the room? Wait, let me walk between your legs. Several times. Togetherness is good, right?"

Walking in this house has become hazardous. Hazardous indeed.

I keep asking if they remember those happy days when they were terrified of us and hid all day. They have no idea what we're talking about.

Here's the cute pic of the week.

June 4th, 2009

Life without Tomatoes

6/4/09 09:47 am

Most of my friends have heard me whine that I can't eat tomatoes any more. It causes nasty acid-indegestion and I don't want to talk about what else. It's usually a three-day recovery. So... no more red stuff.

At first I was in despair, because, I'm sorry everything has tomatoes in it. I even stopped cooking altogether.

But being determined and resourceful I managed to discover that not eating tomatoes gives me an amazing variety of food choices. Not everything has to be drowned in red sauce.

So for recipes using tomato sauce or tomatoes (chili, soups, mole, pizza, Mexican food, etc.) I've found that these work well instead

beef, chicken, or vegetable broth (the Swanson canned stuff; I don't have time to make my own)
good chili powder (the mild stuff that adds flavor, not heat)
spices like cinammon, cumin, cloves (in the broth)
tomatillo sauce or salsa (tomatillos are NOT green tomatoes--they're a completely different species of plant, and mm, mm good).
meat cooked in broth and spices, spread on pizza dough
ricotta cheese mixed with olive oil and Trader Joe's 21-herb/spice mix, spread on pizza dough
olive oil and 21-spice mix spread on pizza dough
garlic and basil sauteed in olive oil, then pasta tossed in it
Chinese food!! (most of which is tomato-less)
veggie soups and "cream of" soup
at Mexican restaurants--green corn tamales, green sauce, cheese enchiladas (not in red sauce), most moles (that's molE, a sauce that is made with spices and unsweetened chocolate, not little creatures that burrow into lawns.)

I'm always anxious to discover more non-tomato Italian and Mexican dishes (that aren't super-high-calorie), so please share if you got em.

May 19th, 2009

Searching for Bonnie's Brain

5/19/09 04:28 pm

My friend Bonnie posted a very good Star Trek parody of the search for her own brain:

http://thechatelaines.blogspot.com/2009/05/wheres-bonnies-brain.html

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April 28th, 2009

Anniversary of... Luna and Sandy

4/28/09 05:32 pm

It's been about a year since Sandy and Luna moved in to the Ashley household.

Yeah, we might keep the humans.

After all, they turned their expensive office chair into a cat tree.

And gave us our own bed.

Now, where you gonna sleep?

(Psst: Message from the humans: What the kittehs don't know is that it's been a year, which means it's time to update... shots. Moo ha ha ha.)

(Psst: What the humans don't know is... we ate the cat carriers.)

Meow.

April 13th, 2009

Amazon admits to it's "Glitch"

4/13/09 10:24 am

It's a computer "Glitch"! Amazon cries. We didn't mean to come off as gay-bashers.

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6651080.html?desc=topstory

An eye-rolling good time.

Current Mood: nauseated

April 12th, 2009

Amazon "hiding" its GL and erotic fiction

4/12/09 01:58 pm

Here's a fine state of affairs:

http://markprobst.livejournal.com/15293.html

Amazon has stripped rankings (removing them from bestseller lists and search functions) of "adult" novels (including mine).

They seem to consider any Gay and Lesbian books to be "adult" , whether or not they have erotic or explicit scenes.

What stripping the rankings means is: Searches in Amazon are based on sales rank. If it has no rank, it won't turn up on a search. Nor will the book turn up on any bestseller lists at Amazon.

So if you search for, say "coming of age" novels, you will not be directed to any that might be about a young boy or girl discovering he or she is gay.

Or if you search "romance" -- you'll not find MY books published by Berkley or Ellora's Cave.

An even better explanation of all this is at

http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2009/04/12/amazon-rank/

Way to go, Amazon.

Current Mood: enraged

April 10th, 2009

Heads Up Mystery Fans! Laurie R. King & Lindsey Davis

4/10/09 11:59 am

Laurie R. King will be at Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale Saturday May 9 at 3:00 PM

Lyndsey Davis will be at PP Saturday May 16 at 2:00 PM

I will try to get to the Davis one. If you haven't heard her speak, she is hysterical. Her newest book is called Alexandria--I've been hoping she'd send Falco to Egypt. It will be hardback, but they always have paperback backlist available if you can't spring for hardback big bucks.

Jennifer

April 9th, 2009

I am annoyed with harmonyheifer...

4/9/09 09:08 pm

... for getting me hooked on Slings and Arrows!!

A seriously funny show, especially after the hours and hours and hours of Shakespeare seminars I took as an undergrad and grad student.

If you don't know the show, it's about an acting company in Canada who put on a yearly festival of Shakespeare plays. The director gets hit by a car in the first episode and haunts the replacement director (who he formerly mentored). Is Geoffrey crazy, or is Richard really haunting the theatre? (And why is Geoffrey the only one who can see him?)

Add in a cast of quirky characters with their own dramas and it's edgy, funny, and unpredictable. Who knew an iguana could save a play?

So damn you

harmonyheifer

We've finished season one and have season two in the queue.

To add my gratitudes to the list:

1. Finding a new copy of a Josephine Tey novel I hadn't read tucked into my shelf. I bought it a couple years ago, shelved it, forgot. Nice surprise!

2. A brand new Midsomer Murders disc arriving from Netflix today.

3. Nearing the end of a draft of a novel due May 1.

4. Having Forr with me today.

5. Having two cats that make me laugh and laugh and laugh.

April 1st, 2009

Nothing gets the taste of humiliation out of your mouth...

4/1/09 11:58 am

Like Bee Bop A Ree Bop, Rhubarb Pie.

I need a slice. I can't seem to stop upsetting and annoying people. Or doing everything wrong.

I think I'll go back to reading about veneer (cousin of Lanier...no, just kidding).

Just one thing can revive a [girl]
and that is homemade Rhubarb pie
Serve it up, nice and hot
Maybe things aren't as bad as you thought...

March 30th, 2009

So I watched #1 Ladies Detective Agency

3/30/09 08:04 pm

And it was good! Two-hour pilot: They followed the first book pretty closely with only a few minor alterations. All the characters were much as I pictured them: Precious Ramostwe is a pretty, lush lady. Her secretary, Grace, with her big glasses, and Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni have predominant roles. They added one character--the gay hairdresser who has the shop next to the detective agency. He's hilarious (if he's a character in the books, I don't remember him or I haven't met him yet; I've only read four of the books).

The plot followed the book very closely, as I said, and they filmed it in Botswana, so the flavor of the series is definitely there.

It's been turned into a series (whether they'll follow the books exactly or go off on a tangent, I'll know next week). It's a bit weepy toward the end, though, so whenever you get a chance to see it, have kleenex ready.

Anyway, I gave it thumbs up. Nicely done.
I liked that they didn't turn it into a dark/gore-fest with lots of sex. On HBO--who would have thought?

Current Mood: calm

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March 15th, 2009

Forr has a theory . . .

3/15/09 08:15 pm

That Dark Matter is really cat hair.

It could be true.

In that case, our whole house is filled with Dark Matter.

In happy news, I have a new table saw. Ooooo, power tools!! I love 'em. Now I get to saw things....

Current Mood: chipper

March 8th, 2009

I'm too Cute for my Fur

3/8/09 01:25 pm

Yes, another deluge of cute kitty pictures.

Hi, my name is Luna. Sometimes known as the Spawn of Satan.

I discovered that my new humans will spoil me rotten just for being cute. So I've learned how to be cute SIDEWAYS....

UPSIDE DOWN....

AND RIGHT SIDE UP...

AND I GET ALL THE SALMON TREATS I WANT.

Ok, I wish

What does my brother think of all this?

"You call that little runt cute?? THIS is cute. So give me his treats."

March 5th, 2009

Be Careful What You Spray on Your Feet

3/5/09 06:39 pm

Yesterday my massage therapist worked on my aching feet. To cool and soothe them, she sprinkled them with peppermint oil. Ahhh.

But.... what other plant shares a family with peppermint?

Catnip!!!

So I'm sitting in my armchair. Both cats materialize, sniffing, seeking.

Luna discovers this heavenly odor is coming from my stocking feet!

Two seconds later, the little darling has my foot clutched between his paws, his ears folded flat on his head, his eyes closed, licking, licking, licking my sock.

Oh, wow, this is some good stuff, man.

Sandy watches: hey, you gonna give me some of that?

I didn't want the sweeties to get sick, so I went and took a shower. Sandy discovered my socks in the dirty clothes basket and burrowed in. Sniff, rub, roll.

Sadly for them, I washed the clothes right after that.

But dang, they enjoyed it while it lasted.

Kitties stoned on peppermint oil. Not a pretty sight.

February 24th, 2009

Can you spot the Cat in this picture?

2/24/09 08:36 pm

( See Secret Answer behind the cut! .... )

February 11th, 2009

70s Rock

2/11/09 08:20 pm

Last Thurs. I satisfied my inner high school girl and saw Heart at Celebrity Theatre.

She still has the pipes. Wish I could sound that good after thirty-five years of singing. (Wish I could sound that good ever.)

The lead guitarist they had this time looked a bit like

mysticfig (At least from the 10th row under weird stage lighting.) Why didn't cha invite us backstage,

mysticfig ? :-)

But how times change--no lighters allowed now so people waved their...lighted cell phones.

I enjoyed the show and the inner high school girl went to bed happy.

January 29th, 2009

TT playing west side to benefit Leukemia research

1/29/09 09:41 am

Just FYI, if you're not on Tom T's email list:

"Hey, everybody: This Saturday night I am playing a gig at Donna Jean's Libations, a fine little bar on the NE corner of 67th Avenue and Bell. I and several other bands will be playing to raise money for the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society.

This organization is one I support any way I can. I lost my sister to Leukemia eight years ago. It's a nasty disease and must be stopped.

Five bucks admission; it all goes to LLS.

Five acts:

Me, and four others, with the featured act being the Blue Rose Band.

I kick things off at 8 p.m. I get to play 45 minutes to an hour so this will be an all-out no-holds-barred Tuerff show with the props and noisemakers and scary instruments.

A portion of any CD sales I make Saturday night will go to LLS as well, so bring friends with money and come on out!

Come help support a good cause and check out some great music -- and ME, too!

TT"

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January 18th, 2009

The Very Best "Thank you for your order" email Evah

1/18/09 11:32 am

If you've ordered from CD Baby before, you won't be impressed, but I laughed my *ss off at their "thank you for your order" email:

and I quote:

"Your CD has been gently taken from our CD Baby shelves with
sterilized contamination-free gloves and placed onto a satin pillow.

A team of 50 employees inspected your CD and polished it to make sure
it was in the best possible condition before mailing.

Our packing specialist from Japan lit a candle and a hush fell over
the crowd as he put your CD into the finest gold-lined box that money
can buy.

We all had a wonderful celebration afterwards and the whole party
marched down the street to the post office where the entire town of
Portland waved "Bon Voyage!" to your package, on its way to you, in
our private CD Baby jet on this day, Tuesday, January 6th.

I hope you had a wonderful time shopping at CD Baby. We sure did.
Your picture is on our wall as "Customer of the Year." We're all
exhausted but can't wait for you to come back to CDBABY.COM!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Sigh... "

BTW, Anchored to the Wind showed up at my door very quickly, and it sounds beautiful. I had forgotten how much I loved "Friend, I Never Knew," both musically and lyrically. It just . . . works.

(imagining

nimuejohn 's face if I requested it at the next house filk... moo ha ha ha)

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January 16th, 2009

A whole mess o' coot kiteh pictures!

1/16/09 09:06 pm

Sandy and Luna have been here since April. I think they've settled in. Or at least, know how to be very, very Koot.

Current Mood: chipper

January 6th, 2009

Testing out new Icon

1/6/09 08:17 pm

That's all.

Really, that's all.

Nothing going on here. Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

Back to you guys.

December 20th, 2008

Tomatoes are Evil

12/20/08 04:39 pm

It's not just me. While hunting for recipes for no-tomato lasagna I came across this site:

http://www.tomatoesareevil.com/index.html

They're eeeeeevillll. Like leather pants. Obviously.

Current Mood: amused