the carters take the south

we're moving

2009-02-01T15:18:00.001-05:00

http://hbcarterfam.tumblr.com/

halloween

2008-11-02T17:16:00.005-05:00

everyone loves a halloween post.

what's not to love about dressing up, going to parties, and eating like a pig? we didn't get a ton of trick-or-treaters this year, so the kids who came to our house after 8pm had the ultimate treat experience - we were literally dumping candy into their bags. with one pair of sisters, brian said, "dig in," and did they ever. their faces were classic. we still have quite a lot left. hmm. guess we'll have to eat it. we had friends over - we had some pertinent information to announce, which i am not at liberty to post on the internet at this time - so the few kids we did have were greeted enthusiastically with cheers and "yay! spiderman's here to save us!"

some better results at home :)

2008-10-31T08:34:00.006-04:00

So, now that I have 99% of what I need to make espresso that I am happy with, and spent plenty of time understanding how finicky our machine is when it comes to steaming... I've finally managed a couple of pours that are WAY better than anything I ever did while working at delicious:

This is a heart from a couple of days ago. I was really happy with this one!

Here's a sort of failed tulip. I didn't make it tall enough, but I still think that it looks cool.

The most interesting aspect of all this latte pouring is that once I scored some proper cups, it all became much easier! For whatever reason, the shallow bowl shape of a demitasse cup really encourages the correct action in the cup. I guess that means all the time I spent struggling with regular shaped coffee cups paid off after all! The best part about all of this is that not only are these coffees nice-looking, they are extremely tasty :)

I've also managed to find some really decent local-ish beans, which is nice. These guys started their business in Wilmington, NC and have since branched out with a bunch of franchises. I don't really trust the people that work at the shops to make me anything drinkable, but at $10/pound, I'll buy my beans from them any day. There is a new shop opening a few miles from our house as well, so it will even be a convenient place to stop. Their beans are certainly not much when compared to the ones that I ordered from Counter Culture a few weeks ago, but I'd say for half the price, Port City Java is doing a pretty bang-up job.

Go Obama!

2008-10-26T19:33:00.002-04:00

So, I spent my afternoon/evening canvassing door-to-door in East Greensboro for the Obama campaign. I was paired with a friend of a friend, and we were out there trying to educate folks about early voting. I got some cool stickers, and a sense of being part of it all - pretty neat. They still need LOTS of volunteers.

If you are in Greensboro and reading this, and have some time to give, call Meredith at 336.624.9450 - they need people to do more canvassing, make phone calls, drive people to their polling places, etc.

VOTE FOR CHANGE!

This made me laugh out loud

2008-09-19T16:23:00.000-04:00

So, you want to be a doctor, eh?

2008-09-17T13:40:00.003-04:00

I thought that I'd post some reflections after the first few weeks of being a new doctoral student whilst being a new faculty person at the same time.

* I have never practiced this much in my life.
* I have never had to practice more efficiently in my life.
* (most)College students actually take you seriously if you know what you are talking about.
* Even the easy 600-level classes are not very easy.
* Have I mentioned that I have been practicing a lot?
* I knew that I loved coffee before - but it has never felt so necessary!
* 8:45am rehearsal is evil. Undergrads are just not very alert at that hour.

I basically just feel tired all the time now. Having to jet back and forth across town all the time to be present at two schools has its annoyances. I constantly feel like I am a bag-man, except with a cello, which is heavier.

I do, however, love the challenges that have been set before me, and I am really enjoying the whole school process again. I feel like I have a lot more control over my life this time around - which was not the case when I got my Masters.

Well, I think that I should be practicing right now...

The complete set-up!

2008-09-13T14:53:00.003-04:00

I picked up a nice, entry-level burr grinder today: The Capresso Infinity (all together now - ooooohhhhh!)

Here's what the coffee counter looks like now:

After some playing around with fineness settings, I got it dialed-in and produced some very tasty lattes for Hannah and I.

I feel complete now :)

that's right, Matt Damon!

2008-09-11T17:42:00.000-04:00

this is EXACTLY how I feel:

home at last

2008-09-03T18:21:00.002-04:00

Well, the espresso machine arrived last week, and after some tinkering it now works like a charm!
Here's a shot of it in its new home - our kitchen counter!

a new arrival

2008-08-26T13:15:00.003-04:00

It's not here yet - but I won this little baby on ebay:

It's safe to say that I am very excited about its impending arrival. I can't wait to start making nice espresso at home, because apparently, there is nowhere to get any in Greensboro. Even at the few places that seem like they would certainly have qualified baristas, I am getting foamy, soapy milk on my cappuccinos, coupled with poorly extracted espresso. lame.

stretched too far

2008-08-21T15:06:00.002-04:00

Well, this was my last latte art pour at the bakery - forever. My last day was on Wednesday, and it felt nice to be done there. In regards to this particular pour, I was going for a curvy leaf, but as usual (at least lately), I over-stretched the milk, which results in the super-fat stem that obliterated most of the leaves on the right side. You may be wondering what constitutes "over-stretching," or even what the hell I'm talking about...

Stretching the milk is the first, very short phase of steaming milk. It is when you introduce a small amount of air into the milk, thus expanding or stretching the milk molecules. Unfortunately, I have a tendency to allow this initial phase to last too long. This produces a final product which is too think and bubbly to create successful latte art with. Oh well.

a real job!

2008-08-15T11:52:00.002-04:00

Color me validated - I've been appointed as adjunct lecturer of cello at Guilford College here in Greensboro. It was an opportunity that sort of fell in to my lap, and luckily my interview went really well, and even luckier - they liked me! (they really, really liked me!)

It's a smallish job at the moment, but it is a department that is growing, and it's going to look great on ye olde CV whenever I am ready to move on.

This also means that I am now earning 100% of my income with my cello. That is pretty sweet if you ask me!

adventures in latte art

2008-08-08T12:31:00.011-04:00

Since Hannah's photoblog is her new source of awesomeness, this is Brian, attempting to revive our blog. So....here goes!

As many of you know, I have become increasingly more and more interested in the finer points of espresso making. This heightened interest has led me to the exploration of the most frustrating, thought-consuming hobby I've encountered yet - latte art.

Here is a sweet picture of some craziness that I can't even fathom yet:

Pouring latte art is a skill that requires the perfect marriage of three elements: a crema-laden espresso pull; temperature of the espresso, milk, and cup; and the ever-daunting micro foam.

Since starting down the path towards latte perfection, I have discovered that I am a rather inconsistent milk steamer. It's gotten better over the last week or so, but I still have a really hard time getting that variable to be the same every single time. I have also learned that having a dogmatic routine when pulling shots is the only way to get remotely consistent results.

Here's a couple of pictures of probably my best pours so far:

So, I think that I'm doing alright. What I really need to do is pay off my damn credit cards so that I can justifiably spend some cash on a nice/functional machine for the house.

old school

2008-07-31T11:58:00.002-04:00

best mix cd i ever made. circa 2000.

i got a girl (tripping daisy)
talk show host (radiohead)
big bang baby (stone temple pilots)
undone - the sweater song (weezer)
angry johnny (poe)
possum kingdom (the toadies)
say it ain't so (weezer)
the way (fastball)
bulls on parade (rage against the machine)
the perfect drug (nine inch nails)
superman's dead (our lady peace)
inside out (eve 6)
i don't like the drugs, but the drugs like me (marilyn manson)
familiar (incubus)
paranoid android (radiohead)
song 2 (blur)
i'm afraid of americans (david bowie feat. trent reznor)

let me know if you want a copy. :D

george carlin

2008-06-23T16:51:00.001-04:00

r.i.p. dude

belle hearts popcorn

2008-06-23T16:31:00.002-04:00

i popped up some popcorn this afternoon, and this is belle's reaction. oh yes.

365 project

2008-06-23T16:17:00.003-04:00

like i need one more thing to do.

the latest photojojo newsletter inspired me. i have a good feeling about this year. and i like taking pictures anyway. win win win.

hannah's 365 project here

add it to your list of time wasters.

blue ridge wine tour

2008-06-18T16:00:00.007-04:00

we spent this past weekend living large in the mountains of virginia. we joined forces with the dicamillos and the wengers for a few days of beer, monopoly, long windy drives, gorgeous views, cigars, and hanging out. we learned that joel's dream career is "international man of mystery" and that most of us did not play sports in high school - brian made up for all of us by playing three. one big bag of coffee, two cases of sam, and three pounds of salmon later, we didn't do our immune systems any favors, and i think half of showed our age and came down with something immediately upon returning home. but here are some shots.

the view from our cabin

seriously bad ass

heading out for the first day of the tour

yummy cider

mead

after the first day of tasting

and then there was monopoly

"i'll give you all my property for a dollar"
(never have there been more serious fighting words)

amrhein winery on day two - all around favorite with
a band, great food, awesome wine

cute dog at amrhein

the carters

shooting creek brewery - no beer, but delicious ginger beer

bocce at villa appalacchia winery

there are more shots for your viewing pleasure on my shutterfly page

"i'm (not) voting republican"

2008-06-17T16:52:00.000-04:00

props, molly

hello weather

2008-06-08T15:29:00.005-04:00

so, here's what was going on in greensboro two saturdays ago:

freak hail storm

huge hail

the result

last pepper standing

and, this is what we had this weekend. granted, the thermometer is in direct sun around 4pm when this was taken, but damn.

but, you're right. global warming's all politics.

phone hatred

2008-06-03T12:40:00.002-04:00

i'm going to punch my cell phone in the face. i've had it.

it can't hold a charge to save its little life. even on vibrate, the descending beedle-boop announces to anyone in a 50-foot radius that my phone needs to be plugged in. you can hear it over choir rehearsal. and my preschool class.

when i hear the "new voicemail" chirp in the silent aftermath of an apparently-your-house-is-a-black-hole-of-no-reception missed call, obscenities that would embarrass pirates spew from my lips. and scare the dog.

"hey hannah! it's kkkkkkktskkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk the car on the way to the kkkkkkksfsdskkkkkkkkkkkk"

"what? what? hang on, i can't hear you."

"kkkkkkkkkkkk now? is this shhhhhkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkffffffsskkkkkkkkk anything?"

"no, i still... hello? hello? UHHHHHHH you've got to be fu-" as i hang up.

figaro

2008-05-30T09:42:00.005-04:00

this is figaro dicamillo. he sits like a person. he does not actually drink beer. he catches and tortures small rodents, then leaves them as gifts for his family - who are delighted, as i'm sure you can imagine. he used to be fat. now he's just manly and "big boned."

one year down

2008-05-30T08:32:00.002-04:00

things i’ve learning this year:

repeating yourself is less obnoxious when the people not listening are kids.

talking to children like they’re actual people yields a far better response than talking to them the way you talk to your puppy.

diaper/potty duty is a lot less scary than I originally imagined.

preschool performances are way more impressive than community theater performances. and about a million times more satisfying.

i am awesome with kids.

a well-timed “time out” produces a short bout of tears, a genuine apology, and an end to the foul behavior.

some kids like “time out.” some kids are sneaky jerks.

kids think coffee smells disgusting. they’re also quick to tell you if you have coffee breath.

i’m good at photographing children. i adore photographing children.

i can’t wait to have my own children.

generally sucky parents beget generally sucky kids.

churches resent outsiders - even education-based, child-centered, rent-paying ones.

a good sense of humor goes a long way (though i guess i already knew that).

five year olds are some of the most creative, articulate people i’ve ever met.

never underestimate the power of your response - or lack thereof.

you can’t and shouldn’t be everyone’s friend.

don’t let anyone tell you your music class is unstructured. because it’s not.

not every child wants to sing and dance. and that’s okay. there is a reason, and it’s probably not me.

don’t wear nice clothes to school. any number of things can (and will) happen.

teaching preschool makes me very, very happy.

2008-05-20T12:35:00.003-04:00

toothpastefordinner.com

hahahahahaha. oh crap.

file under genius.

2008-05-14T13:02:00.000-04:00

'nuff said.

Global Warming

2008-05-12T12:29:00.003-04:00

The recent disasters in China and Myanmar, combined with my personal feelings/opinions about global warming have made me want to share my thoughts with you!

I happen to believe that humans, especially ones in developed, industrialized nations, are the cause of global warming.

The following video presents what I believe to be a really sound way to think about global warming:

You can also visit this link: http://wonderingmind42.com/
Once there, you'll find the video's home, which contains links to tons of other videos that deal with questions that may arise after viewing the above video.

Also, Hannah and I cannot be the only ones who are concerned with the rising fuel prices. We both really think that everyone needs to start thinking about what is going to happen when gas prices make their way to $7.00/gallon. So, maybe we can all think more carefully about what our impact is on the environment, and how we can make changes to our habits to counteract the damaging effect that we are having on the planet...

oops, that's not funny

2008-05-02T21:16:00.003-04:00

marriedtothesea.com

oh, indy

2008-05-01T06:37:00.000-04:00

i don't know about you, but i'm pretty excited.

classy eats

2008-04-28T19:14:00.004-04:00

aren't these the prettiest damn plates you ever seen?
happy birthday to me!

chapel of the cross

2008-04-28T16:47:00.004-04:00

i was in chapel hill this weekend, and out of the 30 pictures i took, i got one good one. i will learn how to take arty looking pictures. damn it.

i'm looking for a summer photography class, preferably an affordable one. any suggestions? i do feel kind of weird about wanting to get better at something some of my friends are really very good at. i don't want anyone to think i'm trying to compete with them. which i realize is an odd thing to worry about. and probably makes me sound like an asshole. i guess being accused, at one point, of being single-handedly responsible for bringing down a local children's music program and the international company it represents went to my head. go figure.

feeling messy?

2008-04-20T22:47:00.001-04:00

don't. you're fine. :)

mr. a - z

2008-04-17T00:36:00.002-04:00

our "row 29" seats turned into "row 5 bitches!" seats.

what an awesome freakin show!

love
(and yes, that's pretty much what he looks like in real life)

made a new friend: www.bushwalla.net
(okay, not really, but his music is hilarious and funk-tastic)

i took one picture with my camera phone. i'll upload THAT awesomeness tomorrow.

p.s. our plants look like crap

2008-04-15T16:51:00.003-04:00

it's true. gotta love april for 30+ degree temperature swings - and my antigreen thumb. (dare i call it my "wilted-and-keeled-over thumb?" just give me time.)

it was so pretty before.

and what the hell is that? mold?

check out this little eco-system. this is what remains of the basil. lame.

at least belle is cute.

jason mraz

2008-04-15T15:51:00.003-04:00

WOOOOOOOO!

in case you missed the memo, he's coming to wait chapel in winston wednesday night.

yeah, you could say i'm stoked. 27 hours and counting.

think spring

2008-04-13T15:21:00.004-04:00

spring. what's not to love?

long dog walks
watching belle pass out after said walks
daylight past 7:30p
the smell of hose water
watching erin's garden grow
summer plans
baseball games we forget to attend
cooking out
leaving the windows open
blustery weather
warm rain
the way the sunlight changes color
countdown to tomato sandwiches
baby-fever
driving home from work with all the windows down
budding trees
cheapest-ever gas and energy bills
more natural light in the house
birthdays
perfect snuggling temperature
seasonal affective disorder takes an up-turn
more wedding gigs
birds in the morning

sweet connor

2008-04-02T15:11:00.002-04:00

happy 200

2008-03-29T12:11:00.005-04:00

posing

parachuters (so cool, btw)

and popcorn

vogue

2008-03-29T11:40:00.004-04:00

"what's the big freakin deal, bitch?" - eric cartman

seriously.

i think it's ridiculous and disappointing that putting a black man and a white woman together on the cover of a FASHION magazine has people up in arms. can we move on please? tagging it as something that "perpetuates a negative image of black athletes" is what contributes to the stereotype. why is that the first thing that comes to mind? you better check yo self before you wreck yo self. actually reading the contents summary on the cover reveals the not-so-hidden agenda: hot bodies, namely star athletes and top models. i think it's fair to say we have two a-list representatives of those categories with gisele bundchen and lebron james.

my educated analysis?
1. what an awkward body position, gisele. what would tyra say? *tsk tsk*
2. love the green dress, even with the air-brushing on her thighs. i do with they'd picked a color other than red for the text. ugly ugly. why not just black so the dress pops even more?
3. wow, his feet are huge.
4. i already know the secrets of the best bodies: time, genetics, personal trainer, personal chef. bam.

fast food

2008-03-25T10:04:00.001-04:00

a picture is worth a thousand words. and calories. and trips to the bathroom.

http://www.thewvsr.com/adsvsreality.htm

conversating

2008-03-24T10:53:00.002-04:00

last night, we had a very chilled-out dinner (and chimenea-heated evening) with our family-away-from-home. i'm still kind of amazed by the broad scope of our conversation: dogs, kids, education, politics, the future, china, foreign policy, religion, space, war, co-ops, organic farming and food, tomorrow's plans to start eating better.

i'm trying to figure out what a person actually needs to eat. after extensive research on the web (clearly the most reliable source for any and all information...), i'm left (again) wondering what to believe. everything is a racket; everything is sponsored by someone i'm pretty sure i can't trust. can i get a little truth?

happy easter

2008-03-24T10:36:00.006-04:00

an egg

and my peeps

happy st. patty's day (child-friendly version)

2008-03-17T16:48:00.008-04:00

shamrock cookie. jealous?

mean and green

some leprechauns

new greens

2008-03-17T16:12:00.006-04:00

we were (and constantly are...) inspired by our green-thumb friends, and have made some additions to our sad little collection of plants. our only requirements: easy to care for and hearty. VERY hearty. and pretty, of course.

twin "assorted houseplants"
(if you know what these are, please comment)

this lovely mandarin
(pot from big lots - $16, hello?!)

we officially chopped the basil. it made a valiant effort to survive the winter, but everything that lived was pretty droopy.

i'm kind of anxious about these stumpy remains... we'll see. it comes from a very long, wise line of basil.

and eat it, too

2008-03-15T13:44:00.002-04:00

a few days late, but check out brian's awesome birthday cake!

courtesy of delicious

pretty

2008-03-12T16:47:00.001-04:00

yay for spring!

coming soon

2008-03-11T15:52:00.004-04:00

erin, clear your calendar. :D

seriously though, this is going to be a cool concert. i hope my poster does it justice.

chess before beer

2008-03-06T15:10:00.004-05:00

toothpastefordinner.com

saturday evening post

2008-03-01T16:47:00.004-05:00

there's nothing like a beautiful day, free patio furniture, and some manual labor (in the form of scrubbing the hell out of said free patio furniture) to lift your spirits.

they really cleaned up well

enjoying the weather

belle looking kinda weird

pacey rising from eternal slumber

don't let this picture of pacey fool you. this is what she's actually been up to all weekend:

how sweet is this?

2008-02-27T13:28:00.000-05:00

killer robots

2008-02-26T22:35:00.003-05:00

this was just a headline on yahoo news:

Killer robots could become the weapon of choice for militants

come the f on. retarded.

heidi and will

2008-02-24T22:17:00.007-05:00

i like heidi klum. i currently have mixed feelings about will ferrell. BUT, these photos from sports illustrated (found on the superficial) crack my shit up.

i also have extreme heidi klum hair envy.

local news, etc.

2008-02-20T18:24:00.007-05:00

i hate it.

so why do i continue to watch it? they talk about shit like "triad clash of the choirs," and feature jackasses who sing "amazing grace" instead of giving an actual interview. they SHOW the police video that got the guy arrested for animal abuse. they give props to wal-mart for "getting back to their roots" by slashing prices even further. they give an inordinate amount of air-time to the weather woman, who is lame with lame hair. (and the infamous "double doppler" is seriously not all it's cracked up to be.) i don't care that lottery ticket sales are up, and, yes, i know, the housing market sucks.

here are some important and pressing questions for you, local news:

why did my dog poop FOUR times today on our walk?

why can't they make pants the right length for my legs? (i'm 5'4'', this is not rocket science.)

how can a person go into target to buy tissues, and leave with $25 worth of stuff? (the car-ride-home speech-prep goes something like this: "can you believe this frame was only $3.74? and these socks were $2!!")

why is it so difficult to coordinate 10 people's schedules for a first-quarter novemberfest training session?

should i have had two glasses of wine before 5pm?

do i have to go to church choir tonight?

back at 11 with answers.

valentine's day haul

2008-02-15T14:41:00.004-05:00

i've never in my life received so many valentines.

the lovebug

2008-02-14T18:43:00.004-05:00

they ALL had the lovebug today. let's just say there's something really special about passing out valentine cards - and even more so when you get to deposit them in a mailbox. what is it about the act of sorting and delivering that's so ultimately satisfying?

by the way, we actually got some snow. this is what our "backyard" looked like this morning:

the trees behind our condo - so pretty at 7:30am!

and this is what it looked like around 4pm. and don't make fun our grass. there's a drought. i swear.

happy v-day.

cure for the common cold

2008-02-08T18:21:00.000-05:00

my immune system sucks.

but - when i exercise regularly, it seems i'm sick less of the time. so, this being my first year as a full-time teacher, i've made a mostly-consistent effort to take belle on long walks and do exercise videos "regularly." i don't know how much of a difference it's made, since i've had some kind of affliction, oh, 80% of this school year.

BUT - WebMD (the hypochondriacs first choice for an "informed" self-diagnosis) has, for once, shone a tiny ray of hope on my ever-waning health:

#7 Do Aerobic Exercise Regularly

Aerobic exercise speeds up the heart to pump larger quantities of blood; makes you breathe faster to help transfer oxygen from your lungs to your blood; and makes you sweat once your body heats up. These exercises help increase the body's natural virus-killing cells.

i knew i loved you, billy. and not just for those sassy spandex numbers.

kids look away

2008-02-05T19:14:00.000-05:00

Where Are The Dogs Humping.com

work it

2008-02-05T15:32:00.001-05:00

sorry about the previous version of this post. something was funky with the youtube link. this will actually work.

give it a minute. it's worth it.

yes, we can.

2008-02-05T15:29:00.001-05:00

Offensive.

2008-01-31T11:52:00.000-05:00

So, I am an avid NPR-listener. Every week, they usually read some letters/emails from listeners who found something or other to be offensive, blah blah blah. Until today, I had never been personally offended by anything that I had heard on NPR.

On my way home from the bakery, I heard the Senator from South Carolina answering questions about a book he had recently written. The book is basically about how putting an end to legalized abortions is a matter of national interest, and how abortions are having a negative effect on the welfare of our country.

He also fielded a question about his views on homosexuality. Here are some quotes:
"...the average cost of an AIDS patient is about $200,000 - statistics show that 50% of all sexually transmitted diseases occur amongst homosexuals. The costs associated with the treatment of those diseases is a major burden on the pocketbooks and wallets of the American people."

"I don't see how it's right to teach our children about Homosexuality, when it is known to be a destructive behavior."

Okay, buddy... first of all, if the statistics show that 50% of all STD's are a result of homosexual behavior, then it's half-and-half. That means that you're no less likely to get one if you are heterosexual. So, I guess if we follow his logic, being straight is just as wrong and damaging and immoral as being gay.

Also, since when is homosexuality a proven damaging behavior? Damaging to whom?

I really hate knowing that closed-minded, prejudicial people like this are in roles of power in our country. These are the same dumb-asses who decided that the electric car should be taken out of production.

king hunter weeks

2008-01-30T21:58:00.000-05:00

sweet darby

2008-01-28T18:14:00.000-05:00

while in philadelphia this weekend, i got to meet my "first cousin once removed," darby. that's right, isn't it? my first cousin's kids? anyway, she's the most curious, sweet-faced 4-month old i've ever seen. here she is with her sisters and grandma (my aunt).

and here she is with my dad - baby's love him. it's really something.

and just to make sure this post doesn't get too sappy, here's a classic pap-style shot of my little sis in the beer store. one of her thigh-highs kept slipping. she might kill me for posting this, but seriously, look at those legs. who ISN'T jealous?

funny cat

2008-01-28T18:05:00.000-05:00

my older sis showed us this video this weekend.

landlords

2008-01-23T18:37:00.000-05:00

been doing a lot of blog-thieving lately... figured i'd keep it up.

erin and joel, you should send a copy of this to your old landlord. think she'd appreciate it? :D either way, you have an awesome house and you don't have to deal with her anymore. so you win.

toothpastefordinner.com

hedwig

2008-01-19T22:31:00.001-05:00

hedwig and the angry inch

loved it.

if you enjoy stories told through poignant glam rock songs, performed by a transgender beauty with a dysfunctional past and an incredible voice (and a fierce talent for make-up), this is the movie for you. john cameron mitchell stars in his own creation, and i can't imagine it played any better.

master's degree

2008-01-17T15:28:00.000-05:00

erin - this is something to keep in mind...

marriedtothesea.com

marshall's

2008-01-16T21:25:00.000-05:00

... is having a like-whoa sale.

got me some new jeans. dark, uniform wash. no flaps on the butt. see, i'm learning.

i heart billy

2008-01-14T17:25:00.000-05:00

+

out of shape

=

legs made of

added bonus: not sure i'll be able to stand up OR sit down without help tomorrow

unproductive

2008-01-07T18:04:00.001-05:00

utterly

#1 - pouting hollywood starlet

#2 - nicole richie

#3 - i don't know

#4 - lindsay lohan

you know you're jealous of outright disregard for productivity

let's play a game. leave comments with emotion/situation descriptors for the picture of your choice.

for example: #2 - wants to kiss you, but is unsure of the consequences and quite drunk

it ain't easy

2008-01-07T07:52:00.000-05:00

I don't know how many of you caught Oprah's "How to be Green" episode last week, but it was great. I remember when 'being green' meant you had to be a hippie. So, I'd like to extend a big thank you to Oprah for making it okay to like the environment. Here;s a list of the stuff that we are doing here at our house:
1.) We recycle. You can too!
2.) We are going to be buying Compact Florescent lightbulbs and replacing all of our crappy, inefficient incandescents.
3.) We will be insulating behind all of our power outlets that are on an outside wall. (This one is pretty amazing - go put your hand in front of any outlet on an outside wall. Feel the breeze?)
4.) We own a couple of reusable grocery bags - looks like its time to start using them.
5.) We do our best to only buy Fair Trade coffee. If you don't think it matters, read this: http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/fairtrade/coffee/
6.) We use cloth napkins. This also really makes a difference - If you are a paper napkin user, at least try to use one less a day.
7.) Purchasing of low-flow diffusers for all of our faucets. If you get the laminar flow variety, you won't even notice the difference. Most household faucets run at 2.5 gallons per minute and up, with a low-flow diffuser, you can get good water flow at rates as low as 0.75 GPM.

Here some resources:
1.) watch "An Inconvenient Truth." Even if you don't like Al Gore, the information is really solid, and really important.
2.) Check out sites like http://www.treehugger.com

So, I think what I'm trying to say is that 'being green' isn't actually very hard at all, and if everyone who reads this blog did their thing, it just might help to make sure that Kermit doesn't end up like this:

hannah's new favorite band

2007-12-24T10:25:00.001-05:00

this group is called 'paramore,' and i think they're great. sort of like a real-live 'jem and the holograms.'

here's a video

lemme know what you think

o holy be-jesus

2007-12-23T17:48:00.001-05:00

okay. this is funny. and don't give up on it - it only gets better.

http://www.thesneeze.com/mt-archives/000570.php

'tis the season

christmas vaca: day two

2007-12-23T13:17:00.000-05:00

oh, i know what i want for christmas:

so much so that i can't really think about it anymore, lest i suffer a small stroke out of jealousy and excitement and resentful poverty. though the starting price of about $12,000 could be a whole lot worse for a mercedes-benz product.

check out the website

stocking stuffers

2007-12-22T16:52:00.000-05:00

as the proud owner of the 120-pack of crayons (with crayon-shaped sharpener), i'm not ashamed to confess my long-standing love affair with coloring. since starting at the preschool, the flames have been rekindled - in fact, i might just go out and buy a new barbie coloring book. that would, at least, give me something to do in buffalo. something aside from drinking. or to accompany the drinking... hmmm...

i used "pink flamingo" and "meadow green" to decorate my stocking. here's our list:

$100,000
camry door handle
new wardrobes
tailor for one year
"magical water car"
good health insurance
mac book pro
personal trainer

is that really so much to ask for?

christmas vaca: day one

2007-12-22T11:29:00.000-05:00

it's a blue steel christmas, ma bitches. check out my sweet new hoodie, courtesy of brian.

plans for the day include crapping around, drinking some sam adams winter pack (a steal at costco - full case for $22.99), playing nintendo, walking belle, cleaning up the house, crapping around, and maybe watching zoolander for further inspiration in my modeling career.

better go back downstairs and stop ignoring my husband.

christmas bling

2007-12-17T20:10:00.000-05:00

i'm sure you can imagine how, before you're a real-live teacher (or grandma), your collection of christmas accessories would be somewhat limited. i was no exception. officially, i owned one pair of semi-tasteful christmas tree earrings, which were acquired within the last twelve months.

but today, a holiday angel opened up her treasure chest of tacky christmas jewelry to me.

here's what i picked:

get it?

p.s. erin, you can thank me later for that long-ass blog. :D

winter wonderland

2007-12-17T18:47:00.000-05:00

this past friday was my directorial debut. oh, yes. the program was titled "winter wonderland: a holiday program," presented by the talented students of the learning palette preschool.

as music director (a.k.a. song-singer and butt-wiper) of this fine academic institute, i played a big role in preparing the program. after a week of intense dress rehearsals, it went off without nearly as many hitches as we were anticipating. :) one of the littlest ones cried, i forgot to give the youngest group their bow, and there were a couple uncharacteristic clam-ups, but with the proud parents (and grandparents and uncles and cousins and siblings and sitters) sitting three feet away, nothing could stop this juggernaut.

it was a media circus. i knew there would be as many cameras as parents, but i guess some part of me wasn't prepared for the unending flashes and multi-station film crews. hilarious.

so, we started by filing in a few at a time with our snowflakes and sweet snowman hats. the first few numbers were prepared by ms. heather: winter wonderland, snowflake flurry, jolly snowman (which concludes with everyone melting down to the floor), and sing-a-ling with jingle bells.

some minor stage fright

apparently, I LOVE SNOWFLAKES!!!!

you know you want one of these hats

next came my masterfully choreographed frosty the musical. i hope the parents keep track of who they send their videos to - i'm going to be pissed if i see these moves in high school musical 3. then, each age group was showcased: the littlest ones performed jingles bells, the 3's & 4's danced the snowy buffalo dance, and the big kids sang and played rhythm sticks to che che koolay.

jingle bells with a side of christmas tears

buffalo grazing in the snow

then they gather and make a circle

for che che, they're supposed to take tiny steps,
but always end up on top of each other

when the small groups finished showing off, it was time for the yoga demonstration. every wednesday, mrs. fortune does yoga with the kids. originally, she was going to try to fit some yoga poses into 'twas the night before christmas, but that wasn't happening. so, i wrote a "holiday" poem that incorporated about twelve poses. (on a side note: writing the poem made me sincerely think about writing children's books. after doing some research, i've since written that idea off as a tuesday-afternoon tangent.)

mouse pose

several things here: classic clam-up on the left, lingering dog pose
in the middle, and everyone else seems to be doing snake pose

lion pose

the finale was frere jacques sung in a round - a pretty mean feat for your average church choir, let alone a bunch of 2 - 5 year olds. the show received a standing ovation, and then we had dessert while opening a few presents from the pta. not a bad way to end the week.

things i do know

2007-12-11T17:52:00.000-05:00

i know you have to take everything with a grain of salt, including 'zeitgeist.' but i think i'm about to gag on that tiny granule. we've all read 1984. we've all read brave new world. i'll admit a small amount of depraved and exhibitionistic romance at the idea of living a perpetually-observed life, but the fun evaporates when it ultimately affects my ability to function as a free-thinking individual. "i'm a human being, god damn it! my life has value!"

it's weird to be blogging about something not completely flippant. i don't really like to take things SO seriously.

i know you can't believe everything the media puts in your face. i know the more information you have, the better choices you're going to make. but where do you get good information? i'm feeling a little like agent mulder: trust no one. i know that there is more corruption than anyone expects or imagines. i know that a society living in fear is scarily susceptible to the power of suggestion.

so now what?

i know that i'm a good and generally moral person. i doubt i would have ever needed a law or commandment to convince me not to kill someone or to vandalize someone else's property. i know that i'm happy for the most part. i know that, even when i feel incredibly and inconsolably poor, i'm rich in love, friends, a good sense of humor, and an open-minded, can-do attitude. i have a job that's rewarding in a way that money can't be. i have a faithful, honest, kind husband, who is my partner in finding the light in the dark and getting shit done.

i know that no future is set in stone, and i know that i won't and can't be consumed by conspiracy theories. that's not the point. i don't know what else to do but be responsible for myself and rally around other good, smart, capable people.

"when the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace."

well said, jimi.

you should watch this movie.

2007-12-10T10:46:00.000-05:00

http://zeitgeistmovie.com/

This is a very fascinating, fact-filled, question-laden film about our country. It focuses on 3 basic topics: reiligion, 9/11, and $$$.

I know that there are plenty of folks who will find at least something offensive in there, but I promise, that if viewed with an open minded, "that's certainly plausible" point of view, it might alter your view of our country and its leaders.

*****************************************************

I've been thinking some more after finishing this film. While some of the facts presented are probably dubious at best, I think that this movie does a great job pointing out the holes and problems with some of these major events. It's the whole idea that while we may not be able to prove some of the claims made here or by Michael Moore in his movies, the U.S. Government and the folks involved haven't done much to disprove this stuff. For me, the simple fact that these conspiracy ideas are so convincing and plausible is worrisome enough. It reminds me of a scene from HBO's Carnivale where the boss is confronted by a local sheriff, and he claims that he is running a legit operation. The sheriff replies that he's "never once heard an honest man use the word legit." I feel like George Bush and his administration have been using the word legit a whole lot. They don't say legit, of course, they say things like terrorists, and weapons of mass destruction, and insurgency, and the war on terror, etc., etc., etc.

anyways - watch the movie - draw your own conclusions - ask your own questions.

in the potty

2007-12-07T16:01:00.000-05:00

in each bathroom at school, there's a sign next to the toilet that says things like, "PLEASE do not flush tampons, maxi pads, paper towels, or anything aside from toilet paper down the toilet. the septic system is old and can't handle it."

about once a day, one of the kids asks me what the sign says. i usually tell them it says, "please do not flush your elephant down the toilet." they giggle. and i giggle.

today, it was this cutie.

"What's that say?"

"It says, 'Please do not flush your elephant down the toilet.'"

"'Cause he'll get mad."

(smiling. nodding.) "Yup, he'd be pretty upset, huh."

"Uh huh. All done."

must be the leaves

2007-12-04T16:10:00.000-05:00

you know that game kids like to play where they'll hide behind their mom's back and she'll say things like, "where's elijah? i know he came in with me, but now i can't find him. have you guys seen him?" cute, right? and hilarious to elijah, who does it every morning when he's dropped off at school, and all the kids who shout, "HE'S BEHIND YOU! HE'S BEHIND YOUR BACK!!"

now, imagine that same game with me and five four-year-olds. there's no way they're actually concealing themselves back there (i can actually see the cluster curving around one side), and when i shuffle around to look for them, their group breaks apart and they laugh loud enough to momentarily distract the kids sliding into the leaf pile. and this goes on for five solid minutes.

and this is why my job is awesome.

here's me and ben.

flip cup championship

2007-12-04T15:21:00.000-05:00

captured forever. in all its glory.

NovemberFest 2007: the aftermath

2007-12-01T10:07:00.000-05:00

i guess "aftermath" isn't really the right word. but i figured our fans (hahaha) would want an update after all the hype.

the final standings:

champion supreme - the hop happy "hocks"

first loser - liberal lager lovers

flashbrew champion - the sudsy balls
flip cup individual champ - the sudsy balls

flip cup:
1st place - the sudsy balls
2nd place - the red stripes
3rd place - the hop happy "hocks"

beer pong:
1st place - liberal lager lovers
2nd place - the hop happy "hocks"
3rd place - the downtown browns

asshole:
1st place - the hop happy "hocks"
2nd place - liberal lager lovers
3rd place - the downtown browns

it's sad, but true that the red stripes didn't even win one event. looks like we'll need to some additional training for next year. our uniforms were pretty sweet though.

gotta give props to the downtown browns and the non-competing chuggs of fury for their invaluable contributions (of yelling, swearing, and hysterical fits of laughter).

want more pictures? check it out.

the keg has landed

2007-11-24T11:11:00.000-05:00

we're off to a chilly start....

... but the keg has arrived.

novemberfest preview

2007-11-21T21:18:00.000-05:00

if you're not coming to novemberfest, don't be offended. but we're really excited. :D

here's just a preview...

competitors: last-chance training begins tomorrow morning!

fire boy

2007-11-21T00:05:00.001-05:00

also, i'm really pleased with this photo.

the proof is in the shank

2007-11-20T23:54:00.001-05:00

this is our dog, belle.

she's probably going to kill us.

inspirations

2007-11-20T09:18:00.000-05:00

lately I've been pondering the idea of inspiration. What is it? Where does it come from? Is it different for different people?

As this year gets closer to being over, I decided it might be a good time to look back and think about what things inspired me.

Most of these are musical things, since that's what I do, and I tend to be fairly single-minded.

In August, I got to play the Rutter Requiem with none other than John Rutter conducting. For those of you who aren't familiar with the work, it has a sizable cello solo. I don't really even like the piece, but Rutter was so into his music, and had so much energy/passion/etc., that it was really hard not to get caught up in that. As a musician, I think that I often forget about the emotional aspects of most of what I play. Yes, I have been lucky enough to largely pick my own repertoire through both of my degrees, and yes I sure do love all of the pieces that I've worked on, but after spending so much time and energy working out the hows, it's easy to lose sight of what the point is. I think that music is the best thing out there, and sometimes it takes some slightly cheesy music (like the Requiem) paired with a composer/conductor who showed us all how to be demanding, yet totally enveloped by his music to show us that you can be both exacting in execution, but still allow your heart to be in it.

The other thing that comes to mind (yes, sadly I can only think of 2 really inspiring musical things from the past year!) is the week that I spent at the Suzuki Institute. My teacher there, Dr. Beth, was/is the image of what I think good teaching is all about. I've studied with a variety of different personalities over the years, some of whom I would classify in the category of "never teach like that person ever." She helped me figure out how to put myself in the position of being a good teacher, and showing my students how to have fun while learning this very awkward, difficult instrument. nice. Prior to arriving at the Institute, I only had 7-8 students, and I wasn't feeling like my success rate was doing so hot. Each student had different weaknesses/needs (they still do), and I didn't feel as though I was really understanding how to address them. Fast-forward to now. Now, I only have maybe 2 students (out of 16) who I don't feel are achieving real success/progress. I can dig that.

So, that's that. I've been needing to remind myself of what inspires me, because for me, inspiration = motivation, and I am in need of some honest-to-goodness motivation these days.

back in the day

2007-11-12T21:50:00.000-05:00

we can take absolutely no credit for this. thank you, molly, for the ever-hilarious forwards. enjoy.

Strap in, shut up and hold on. We're going back.

A JC Penney catalog from 1977. It's not often blog fodder just falls in my lap, but holy hell this was two solid inches of it, right there for the taking. I thumbed through it quickl y and found my next dining room set, which is apparently made by simply adding upholstery to old barrels:

Also, I am totally getting this for my bathroom, because obviously nothing absorbs errant pee like a nice, thick shag:

There's plenty more home furnishings where those came from, however I'm not going to bore you with that. Instead, I'm going to bore you with something else. The clothes.

The clothes are fantastic.

Here's how to get your ass kicked in elementary school:

Just look at that belt. It's like a boob-job for your pants. He probably needed help just to lift it into place The belt loops have to be three inches long, for god's sake. And way to pull your pants up to your armpits, grandpa.

Here's how to get your ass kicked in high school:

This kid looks like he's pretending to be David Soul, who is pretending to be a cop who is pretending to be a pimp that everyone knows is really an undercover cop. Who is pretending to be 15.

Here's how to get your ass kicked on the golf course:

This "all purpose jumpsuit" is, according to the description, equally appropriate for playing golf or simply relaxing around the house. Personally, I can't see wearing this unless you happen to be relaxing around your cell in D-block. Even then, the only reason you should put this thing on is because the warden forced you to, and as a one-piece, it's a slightly better deterrent against ass-rapery.

Here's how to get your ass kicked pretty much anywhere:

I'll bet these guys do ok with the ladies. If you look at that picture quickly, it looks like Mr. Bob "No-pants" Saget has his hand in the other guy's pocket. In this case, he doesn't, although you can tell just by looking at them that it's happened - or if it hasn't happened it will. Oh yes. It will. As soon as he puts down his color-coordinated coffee cup.

Here's how to get your ass kicked at the beach:

He looks like he's reaching for a gun, but you know it's probably just a bottle of suntan lotion in a holster.

How to get your ass kicked in a meeting:

If you wear this suit and don't sell used cars for a living, I believe you can be fi ned and face serious repercussions, up to and including termination. Or imprisonment, in which case you'd be forced to wear that orange jumpsuit; which, frankly, is a step up.

How to get your ass kicked on every day up to and including St. Patrick's Day

Dear god in heaven, I don't believe that color exists in nature. There is NO excuse for wearing either of these ensembles unless you're working as a body guard for the Lucky Charms leprechaun.

In this next one, Your Search For VALUE Ends at Penneys.

As does your search for chest hair.

And this -- Seriously. No words.

Oh wait, it turns out that there are words after all. Those words are What. The. Fuck. I'm guessing the snap front gives you quick access to the chest hair. I think the little tie must be the pull tab. If you look really closely, it says, "In case of chest hair emergency, pull tab quickly and back away."

Also, judging by the sheer amount of matching his/hers outfits, in 1977 it was apparently considered pretty stylish for couples to dress alike. These couples look happy, don't they?

I am especially fond of this one, which I have entitled "Cowboy Chachi Loves You Best."

And nothing showcases your everlasting love more than the commitment of matching bathing suits. That, and an appreciative blonde with a look on her face that says "I love the way your junk fights against that fabric."

Then, after the lovin', you can relax in your one-piece matching terry cloth jumpsuits:

I could go on, but I'm tired, and my eyes hurt from this trip back in time. I think it's the colors. I will leave you with these tasteful little numbers:

Man, that's sexy.

ha!

2007-11-08T09:02:00.001-05:00

nataliedee.com

post-teaching boozin'

2007-11-07T20:23:00.001-05:00

Let me open this one with a fact: I love teaching cello lessons. LOVE it.

*sigh* Now that I've gotten that out of the way....

I will never understand folks who opt for private instruction, and then flat out do not practice. Tonight, I saw a student's practice chart for school. Not only was this student using our lesson time to count as 45 minutes of practicing, the other days had numbers like 6 minutes, or 5 minutes, and even a few 4 minute days sprinkled in. 4 minutes!?!@?!?!?!? I wanted to commit suicide right there. In fact, if one were to remove the 45 minute "practice" sessions that are our lessons, this particular student was never practicing more than 40 minutes TOTAL during the course of the week. This, my friends, this makes me f*cking crazy. This student is someone who takes weekly lessons, 45 minutes in length, and is assigned to practice scales, note reading, and Suzuki songs. I have made this student promise to practice 4-5 days per week, for at least 30 minutes per practice day. This is also a student who is very smart, able, full of potential, and seems to really love music.

I just pulled off of my music shelf my method book from when I was in 4th grade. Stapled to the back cover is my practice log.
Here is what the end-of-week totals look like:
130 minutes
120 minutes
150 minutes
180 minutes
185 minutes
180 minutes
etc. etc. etc.

4th grade was the year that I began playing cello. I didn't have a private teacher yet.

f.

those Patriots

2007-11-02T15:21:00.000-04:00

Well, I've been watching some football this year. The American kind. I've also been reading online about football. A lot of people seem to hate the Patriots - because they are awesome. People are accusing them of running up scores, and not being very sportsman-like. Here's a story:

When I was in High School, our JV soccer team had a rule - we never put double digits on the scoreboard. So, If we were beating, say, Niagara Falls High School 9-0, nobody was allowed to score number 10. If that happened, you got benched. It was supposedly a fairness thing. Well, during one game, we were up 9-0. I was standing at midfield for the entire second half (I was the goalkeeper), and our best forward got the ball, and a breakaway. He dribbled the ball to about 10 yards from the other teams goal, and just stopped, left the ball there, and ran the other way. I was embarrassed for the other team. Isn't that worse than scoring lots of goals? To me, it was like, "Hey look, we are so much better than you, we are choosing not to score any more goals against you, because we can."

Here's another situation:

One of the better travel teams I played on had a similar rule. No double digits. There were exceptions on that team though. For the entire first half, we were allowed to play as usual, no matter what the score (we never scored 10 times in one half). If, at half time, we were up by 5 goals, a two-touch rule was put into effect. That meant that nobody on our team was allowed to touch the ball more than twice before passing it to someone else. That went on until we got to 9 goals. At that point, not only was the two-touch rule in effect, in order to score another goal, each of the 11 players on the field had to touch the ball, uninterrupted, in order for someone to be allowed to even take a shot on goal. If we happened to score again, nobody was in trouble. I liked that better. Sure, it was still an unabashed display of how much better we were than the other guys, but at least it was useful - it was not easy to make goal number 10 happen. It required a lot of skill, from everyone involved, and it required us to really focus on our system. Those 10-0 blow-outs actually enabled us to be a much better team when we had tough games.

So, back to the Patriots. What do people really expect? Should they just not run the ball back for a touchdown when the other team's quarterback fumbles the ball repeatedly? These are professional athletes, true competitors. These are folks who are paid millions of dollars to be amazing at what they do. I say, let them score until someone figures out a way to stop them. I don't think that the Patriots should be told to play worse, everyone else just needs to play better!

today is the last day...

2007-11-02T08:30:00.000-04:00

of my glorious, lazy Fridays. I know, how depressing, right?
Starting next week, I will be officially at the bakery every Wednesday and Friday, with a sprinkling of Thursdays and Saturdays.

I had a really fun first day on Wednesday this week - I learned all about espresso, and how I can control the tastiness level of the drinks. The coffee-guy said I was a natural.

toothpastefordinner.com

I really love toothpastefordinner.

Anyways... I don't know why I always feel the need to small-talk people in to my blog posts.
Here is what I actually feel like writing about today:
It dawned on me through reading a post at the Internet Cello Society Forums that most people really don't have any idea what the Suzuki Method is all about. I am a relative newbie to the Suzuki Method, but now that I understand it, I can't believe that I ever taught in a different way.

Dr. Sinichi Suzuki was a Japanese violinist who at some point noticed that all children learn to speak their native tongue through nothing more than repetition and praise. He let that idea germinate for a while, and then he started experimenting teaching the violin to children the very same way. Naturally, he very quickly had really young kids playing at an extremely high level. There is much more to it, but the native tongue idea is one of the major building blocks of this teaching method. Like most people, I too was under the impression that "Suzuki kids don't read music." This is a huge misconception. reading IS introduced, but only when it is appropriate. When a child is learning to speak English, you don't give them a Proust novel, right? In Suzuki's method, reading can wait - this allows the student to truly focus on what they are doing. It's not easy to really concentrate on your bow, if you are busy looking at a bunch of gobbledygook (otherwise known as musical notation) on a page. Aside from the native tongue theory (repetition and praise), is the notion that children will succeed if you give them attainable goals. In "traditional" string teaching, a goal is often too large, too general, or too difficult to attain quickly. In the Suzuki method, a goal can be something as simple as sitting upright, in good playing position for 30 seconds (this is hard for a 5 year-old!).

In my recent teaching experiences, I have found the following things:
Since returning from teacher training in August, my students now demonstrate the following things:
* Beautiful bow hands
* Great tone, as a result of a free moving bow arm
* Great playing posture/seating position
* Understanding "The Facts" (what note, which finger, and on which string)

Before I went the Suzuki route, I couldn't honestly say any of those things.

I think that a big issue in the Suzuki world is that the materials are SO readily available. Any schmuck can have their students use the books, or pay their dues to the Suzuki Association and call themselves a Suzuki Teacher. Heck, once you are trained on Book 1, their aren't any guidelines set up to make someone continue their teacher training. What is the result of this? A lot of bad teaching is being done out there under the guise of being the Suzuki Method.

Regardless, I know that there is good teaching going on out there - I saw it growing up in Buffalo (where there is an incredible Suzuki School), I saw it this past weekend at a workshop in Hickory, and I saw it at the Institute where I did my training.

Happy Friday :)

in-depth article

2007-10-29T21:47:00.000-04:00

I found this article in GQ Magazine about Brian's beer. Check it out!
GQ: So! Beer, huh? How's it going?

Brian Carter: Woohoo! Home brew!

GQ: Uh okay. How's it going? How's the BEER going?

BC: The beer's ready. I'm drinking it right now.

GQ: Well, holy shit. Now, I know the bottles are supposed to sit for something like 2 weeks, right? How long has it been and how do you feel about the results?

BC: The recommended bottle conditioning time is one to two weeks. It's been eight days. Ummm, I'm really impatient when it comes to homemade alcoholic beverages.

GQ: Of course, of course. Has the carbonation problem sort of taken care of itself? We heard there was... gushing.

BC: That's right. The bottle I opened after three days at room temperature exploded on me a little bit. After some reading, I figured out that the temperature was a factor, and refrigeration solved that problem. Ale yeast works at a very specific temperature, and the colder conditions rendered the yeast inactive.

GQ: And how's the color? How's the head?

BC: Color's perfect - exactly how an amber ale should look. Head's perfect - head retention is what's really important, and it's a nice, light, tightly-packed, bubbly head, which is what you're looking for.

GQ: Rock on brother. What's next on the horizon?

BC: My brewing partner and I have been talking about making a brown ale.

GQ: Kinky!

BC: Given that the temps have been dropping, we figured a darker brew is in order. GFY, on the kinky.

GQ: Good for me!

BC: Uh, no. The other one.

GQ: This interview is over. Give me a beer.

BC: [laughs. drinks.]

kem cho

2007-10-27T08:56:00.000-04:00

happy weekend-before-halloween. i love halloween... and i couldn't really tell you why. same reason i love scary movies, playing dress-up, and going to parties. see. it all comes together. i have a beautiful costume this year. i'll try to post some actual pics this week, but here's a preview. i'm sure you can imagine how my night went: get dressed up, go to a party, sample some spectacular sangria, spend more time playing jenga with the 2nd graders than chatting up the adults i don't know, leave kind of early, pick up a bottle of wine on the way home, love on some very competitive and needy dogs, take some pictures, send some drunk facebook messages, go to bed. enjoy.

by the way, 'kem cho' means 'hello' in gujarati - one of the eight languages my fabulous friend and colleague jyo speaks. this is her sari. did i mention she's fabulous?

breach of beer

2007-10-23T18:10:00.000-04:00

the seal has been breached! someone busted open a three-day old bottle of home-brew.

and i think they tasted it.

item #1: the bottle
notice the bent cap, which is clearly labeled "#1," and the bottle, completely devoid of BEER

item #2: the case
notice anything? something MISSING??

there is one suspect in custody.
SOMEone may have some explaining to do...

Bottling Day!

2007-10-20T22:15:00.001-04:00

And on the Sixth Day, there was homebrew.

Matt, Hannah, and I bottled the homebrew yesterday. It was quite fun :)
Here are some pictures!
Clean Bottles - These were dishwashed the night before, and at this point were awaiting a final bath in the sanitizing solution.

The wort! This is the "raw" beer. The yeast has done its job, and now the beer is ready to be transferred to the second tub, where it will meet the priming sugar.

Siphoning the beer into the bottling bucket. We had already added our dissolved corn sugar/water mixture to the bottom of the bucket. This priming sugar is what the yeast will use to create new CO2 in the bottles, carbonating the beer. This method is called bottle conditioning.

Transferring the beer to the bottles. We used an auto-siphon device, which when fully depressed at the bottom of the bottle, allows a perfect, steady stream of beer to fill the bottle, and as soon as you lift up, it cuts off the flow. It's great!

The first bottle!

Now we have to wait 7-14 days for the yeast to do its thing. I can't wait. The beer we made was a pretty straight-forward amber ale. Since it was our first go at it, we used a kit, which contained all of the ingredients and supplies, everything perfectly measured out, etc. If it's tasty, we will be making a brown ale from a recipe next. If it's not tasty, we'll probably need to try a kit beer again to make sure that we can get one of those right :)

my two cents

2007-10-18T16:36:00.000-04:00

as the unexpected co-author of this blog, i figured i should at least say, "uh, hi."

and now that i've deleted and restarted this sentence five times, i'm going to walk away until i find something useful to talk about.

hey, husband, do we need to come up with sassy nicknames for ourselves? like "ms. carter" and "cellofan"? that seems like a blogger-y thing to do.

Here goes nothing.

2007-10-18T12:43:00.000-04:00

Okay folks. We know a lot of people with blogs. It's our time now. If I can make a prediction: Hannah and I will post about wildly different things, in wildly different styles. She's a better writer than I, and she also thinks these type of things through more than I do.

Anyways... back to my first post.

As many of you know, I quit my hotel job (finally) about a month ago. I am teaching cello lessons in 3 different parts of NC, and I have been doing a lot of playing. I hated my job with a passion that I was unaware of until I left. I just got another part-time job this week. Apparently, it takes a while for a private cello teacher to attain true, real financial stability. I will be the A.M. counter person/barista/smiley morning person at the Delicious Bakery. I can't wait. I love coffee, and they make the best damn cakes I've ever tasted! There is no "dress code," there is no stuffiness, there is only cool, hippyish bakers, tasty treats and coffee.

In the meantime, I've rekindled my interest (obsession) with detailed, effective practicing, I've done a lot of dog-walking, and I've made a batch of Amber Lager with my friend Matt (we're bottling on Sunday!!). I've also done quite a bit of lazing around. I'm pretty far along in Metroid Prime, I've read a few books, and I've had time to read about 1,000 blog posts (hence the blog).

So, here's to actually attempting to maintain a blog, and to staying busy, and to enjoying my life now that there is no more stupid job that I hate involved.

Oh, and here's a video of insane cello playing, courtesy of Rostropovich.