Archive for April, 2006

Two weeks and counting…

Published by kindli on April 29, 2006 in wedding prep. 0 Comments

This time two weeks from now I will be married and on my Hunnymoon.

Between now and two weeks from now I need to remember where I put the marriage license, finish packing my things, and remind Gavin not to forget the rings.

I need to make sure my dress fits, and I need to pray the weather holds up and the temperatures stay in the low-to-mid 80s with relatively low humidity.

Then there is the impressive list that I made awhile back with the things I need to do before the wedding… I need to find it… I know I made one, and I know it’ll show up.

Spinning with Bombeck

Published by kindli on April 28, 2006 in books and reading. 0 Comments

I have found spinning along on the stationary bicycle goes by faster when one has a book to read, and even more quickly when the books is amusing. Recently I have been reading Erma Bombeck’s When you look like your passport photo, it’s time to go home, and listening to A Marriage Made in Heaven : Or Too Tired for an Affair.

Having traveled with my parents, and on my own, I could relate to the special situations that arose. Her chapter on Restrooms and Death by Drivers were both rather close to home. I can remember lines of us propping the door open so the next girl would not have to find small change to pay for the bathrooms, and praying that the crazed little Italian man would not run the tour bus off the mountain into the Austrian country side.

I have filled several travel journals with such experiences, although more recently it was edited somewhat so it would be appropriate for my professor to read (and it was for a grade). It was still full of little quirky experiences like the 1/2 Price Book store were a fellow student and I sought out a copy of “Wissenschaft und Gesundheit,” or the quirky exploits of our German teacher, Herwig, who entertained and enthralled us with round about stories of his Italian wife.

Pages could be filled with the political ideas of my host families, one in Vienna mused that once the EU added Turkey the EU’s borders would extend to Iraq and then everyone would have to love Bush. This was all told to me in German as she watched the evening news on TV. She wasn’t particularly enamored with Bush, but Americans were nice to Vienna after WW2, so they can’t be all bad.

I found A Marriage Made in Heaven : Or Too Tired for an Affair to be rather amusing. I found myself agreeing with some of her ideas, the idea of being out numbered by three children terrifies me, I don’t want to be out voted by little people I gave birth to. Logically, I have two arms, two legs, and there are two windows in the car, therefore, two children seems like a good number.

The tale of the house that needed to be fixed up sent chills down my spine. I’ve never been enamored with the idea of a fixer-upper and I try to avoid such undertakings. I could see restoring the occasional piece of furniture, but to renovate an entire house? May that madness never strike me. May I always see the large lawn that must be mowed, the the poor plumbing, and the roof that has problems before we sign the finalizing paperwork. Marriage, yes, the idea of living anywhere but a civilized suburban, or urban area in an apartment or civilized townhouse, not for quite a while.

Admittedly, I would not have thought to read Erma Bombeck’s work. Awhile back Gavin insisted I would enjoy her books and said he had read them when he was younger, apparently that made him a feminist. When I was younger I read Animal Farm (a cute story about talking animals, I want sheep that can dance and spew propaganda), 1984, Brave New World, The End of the Dream, and one that supposedly made On the Beach look like a Sunday School picnic (I can’t remember the title, but I recall it was rather mild). I did very much enjoy the books, I have a third one, but it is in Boston already, so I shall read it once I get there.

Lets go read Horse Training Manuals

Published by kindli on April 27, 2006 in books and reading. 0 Comments

With my own impending marriage rapidly approaching in sixteen days, I have picked up several books on the topic in the last few weeks. In an attempt to learn more about the nebulous institution I recently picked up a copy of Marriage, a History; from Obedience to Intimacy or How Love Conquered Marriage.

The book certainly lives up to the title, it is very much a history, and reads similarly to some college text books I have come across. Unlike The New Wife, which I would happily lend to a friend about to enter into marriage and wifehood, I would hesitate to lend out Marriage, a History to any one who was not a history major (or equally crazy, and even then I would have my doubts).

It is a slow, plodding read, not to be attempted in one sitting. I could see the book being of value if one was taking a history class on the middle ages and picked the obscure “culture” (as opposed to art, music, literature, religion, government, etc.) as an obscure topic to write about.

Occasionally there is something great like on page 118: “The few manuals directed at husbands invariably sound more like tips for training a horse than building a marriage.”

If I am not mistaken, Marriage, a History, like Sex with Kings and Seduction, also has the story of Cleopatra in it. Sex with Kings talks about the affairs that Cleopatra had with Caesar and Mark Anthony. Seduction points out Cleopatra was ugly and used her innate Goddess-seduction powers to get into bed with them. Marriage, a History shows that love took the back burner as she was motivated by politics and a desire to get the power that she craved.

Marriage, a History does not seem to care if Cleopatra liked, or even loved Mark Anthony when she eventually married him. Coontz simply points out the political mess surrounding the union. Emotion is left out of the book, although it was certainly not left out of the political intrigue.

Adding to the dryness, the book concludes with one hundred pages of endnotes and documentation. I would recommend the book for a library or as supplemental readings for a women’s studies or history class. It is an interesting read, but rather dry at best.

They Put out a New Stamp

Published by kindli on April 26, 2006 in fun. 0 Comments

The long awaited “Priority Mail” envelope finally arrived, rather mangled, but in one piece, six days after it shipped. I have gotten postcards from Hawaii in shorter periods of time and they only cost twenty-three cents.

The mail also took longer to be delivered. As I waited on the front steps it became immediately apparent why: Howard, our usual mailman, was not the one delivering mail. In his place, was some young man with a rather hideous safari-style hat who spent the entire time talking loudly on his cell phone as he jammed the mail into the boxes.

I prefer Howard, he is a very nice slightly older man, and he almost always manages to have the mail neatly tucked into our box by three in the afternoon (at the latest). The young upstart didn’t get the mail here until 3:45.

I have come to the conclusion “priority mail” is a colossal joke being played upon us by the U.S. Postal system. Items shipped in this manner seem to take longer and arrive in worse condition than the rest of the mail. In six days I could have driven to Boston, cruised around the Bahamas, or taken a transatlantic journey on a dinghy.

One would think “priority mail” would have priority and arrive in an unmangeled condition. I recently received a “Three-day residential” package shipped via UPS, it arrived a day before it was predicted to (I knew it was going to be early, I tracked it online). Then, I got a letter from my Uncle in Hurricane Ravished New Orleans, in three days… but priority from Boston took seven. Rather overrated.

Fortunately UPS is not the USPS. UPS is trying to make a profit and stay ahead of its competitors like FedEx and DHL. For one of my classes at Prin I did a presentation on how UPS was adopting wireless technology to help track packages in a quicker and more efficient manner.

The theme of the project was “Teaching an elephant to dance” –based on a quote by the CEO talking about how UPS was like an elephant and running the company was like teaching it to dance. The powerpoint got me an “A” (my animated elephants “dancing” won over the class). I found all sorts of diagrams and charts and pictures of the new technology UPS was using. Occasionally, and with much fanfare, USPS puts out a new, more expensive stamp.

Heartwarming. The new stamp doesn’t get me mail any quicker.

My Demented Sand Castle Cake

Published by kindli on April 25, 2006 in cooking and family. 0 Comments

Every now and then I like to try my hand at something new and different, so to celebrate Dad’s birthday (he is as old as dirt, and Sean Connery) I decided to make a Pineapple Upside-down cake. Everything was going fine until I noticed the recipe called for “6 tbsp. of cake flour, 6 tbsp. of almond flour,” nor did I have the pretty pineapple rings… I had pineapple chunks…

Minor set backs. I don’t care how aesthetically pleasing it is as long as it cooks thoroughly and tastes fantastic (sort of like my black forest cherry cake from a previous post).

You would have thought that by now I would know NOT to measure vanilla (or any other potent highly flavored liquid) directly over the mixing bowl… I’ll leave it at the recipe called for 3/4 teaspoon, oops there. I also should have added the eggs separately (my hands were already gooey from the first egg that collapsed, what was I supposed to do? get the mixer eggy?)

The recipe really should have had more than 3 directions (that or I should’ve read ahead), but Step 2 should have been divided up into several smaller steps instead of a block paragraph. I don’t think it matters in the end, it is all going in the same funky pineapple ringed cake pan. I think I also might have added a bit much baking powder, as it baked, the cake looked like it was trying to grow out of the pan.

After an hour in the oven, the cake still had a rather liquid center, I was forewarned about this by the recipe. After an extra 15 minutes in the oven, the “tester,” an over sized toothpick, came out with out any goo on it. Then I had to wait… and wait… and wait, fifteen long agonizing minutes, oops there, 10 long agonizing minutes.

I sat looking at it, wondering how it would turn out. Would it fall apart when I rotated it upside down? Would it really be baked all the way through, never mind that I stabbed my “tester” into it about thirty times to check… Would the pineapple and brown sugar unstick nicely from the top of the pan?

The moment of truth was arrived quicker than I realized. I carefully rotated the cake on to the platter, and I went to lift the mold off using a dishtowel to protect myself from the hot metal. It was stuck. I had used a “nonstick” baking pan that dated back to my grandmother’s day. Great. Not to be deterred I attempted to lift it with by hand, which only resulted in the scalding of my fingertips.

So much for that. I found two forks and slowly pried the cake free. Success was mine! The cake looked… edible, a bit heavy on the bottom where it had tied to escape over the pan, but not all together bad either. You could tell what it was supposed to be. The pineapple chunks looked like sea junk that had been imbedded in fresh wet sand, and the cake sloped down gently to the pooched rim around the bottom. It looked sort of like a demented sand castle.

The crumbs encrusted around the rim of the pan were quite good. I didn’t dare slice into the cake just yet. That was for Dad’s birthday.

It was kind of fun, he’d come into the kitchen a few times and asked what I was baking. I muttered something new and different, he peeked in the oven: “Corn bread?” he guessed. “Angel food cake?” I grinned. He went to check his e-mail.

I had mentioned it to him earlier in the morning, but he was busy checking his comics and I don’t think he quite realized I was talking to him about something I was going to undertake later, but he did respect my wishes to leave some eggs for me and not to move the butter I’d put out to warm up to a near-liquid state (it said room temperature, and mom likes to keep the house at about 80).

With the cake safely hidden under the ugly green pot (so Dad theoretically wouldn’t see it) I went off to do other grand things. The cake wouldn’t be unveiled until his birthday, April 25.

The phone rang and mom announced that she was having a lunch break from substituting, she then announced that we would be having a small surprise party for Dad at 3:30 that afternoon. That was nice, I had returned to bed and was continuing a midmorning nap.

Dutifully I dragged out of bed, plodded down the stairs and went about straightening up the dining room table. I doubted it would stay cleared long, it never stays clear long. After the table was cleared, I returned to my napping.

After lunch, I did the dishes, finished clearing and de-crumbing the table. Then I found the placemats, pretty plates and fancy silver dessert forks. I was pretty sure Dad hadn’t peeked under the ugly green pot. He hadn’t.

The pineapple upside down cake was a terrific success.

Coming soon to a Mail Box near you: a little part of the Amazonian Rain Forest

Published by kindli on April 25, 2006 in wedding prep. 0 Comments

The announcements arrived by UPS today. 200 of them, letter pressed on thick creamy cotton paper, the periwinkle and light gray ink perfectly set, they were perfect, everything I ever could have dreamed of… then I noticed they needed to be folded.

The folding process was amusing, although they folded easily, they refused to lay flat once folded. The announcements would spring up taking on a life of their own not wanting to stay with the others, or be confined to an envelope.

Looking over the sea of announcements, paper, labels, stamps and other wedding paraphernalia on the desk, I feel confident that I have done my part to help diminish several hectares of old hard wood Amazonian Rain Forest.

I wonder what Mama would think if she saw how her formal dining room table was being used. I would like to think she would be pleased that it was being frequently, actively and uniquely used. I remember Easters and Thanksgivings at that table while it was still in the home on 88 North Wren, and Dad talking about how he wasn’t allowed in the same room as the regal mahogany set until he was in his teens.

Today it has under gone several uses, it has been used to cut sewing patters for Renaissance Costumes, hold Mary Kay facials classes, host a Sweet 16 Formal Dinner where we all dressed up like it was Prom, and numerous Family Gatherings at the Appropriate Holidays. It has been used to hold, sort, and file any number of important documents, Financial Aid for college, taxes every April. Now it is being used as the Head Quarters for my the undertaking of over 160 Announcements (Mom is still working on her lists).

As I stuffed envelopes I looked at addresses, I’m willing to bet about 1/3 of the people getting them are people that I’ve never met, or met but don’t remember meeting. Other names look familiar because they send Christmas letters every year talking about their child’s accomplishments, although I’ve never met them, or their children, I still cringe as their third grader takes on more in the month of May then I take on in a year.

It is a unique and varied list of people that announcements are going out to, there are cousins, second cousins, and distantly related some how cousins. Then there are a few former Sunday School teachers who got all the tough questions, “Why do good things happen to bad people?” and “Does the church have an official political stance?”

The inspiring professors who made my years at college memorable, a token high school teacher who managed to make the four years slightly more bearable, a former mayor, a minor diplomat or two, some millionaires and some rather broke college students. A few former “best friends for ever,” former coworkers, employers, and friends. College friends, wonderful roommates, and people who made a difference are scattered among those that my parents felt should be on the list.

The envelopes filled quickly, and I was left fighting the urge to slip little personalized notes into a few of them to thank special people who had made a difference in my life. I think I’ll refrain and send them little notes at Christmas.

20 days… no that was yesterday…

Published by kindli on April 24, 2006 in wedding prep. 0 Comments


In 19 days I will be walking down the aisle in what was described by the Alfred Angelo website as “a strapless tea-length princess gown of organza over satin, with crystal beading, florettes, and a satin belt with bow at the waist; the back bodice is accented with covered buttons.”

Saturday night, the Maid of Honor, (who will be wearing a “Georgette spaghetti strap drop waist tea length dress” in a “delicate shade of peridot“) suggested as a festive way to count down the days I should make a paper-chain and rip off a link as the Big Day approaches.

So Saturday night I found some paper scraps and made a paper-chain. It reaches from the closet by the hammock to the first fingerhook on my bed. It is going to shrink.

For more information about the wedding check out the Q&A section of AvidInkling.com!

Above, the festive paperchain to count down the days

… and 3 cans with their labels removed.

Published by kindli on April 22, 2006 in fun. 0 Comments

Today I attended a Bridal Luncheon hosted by one of the Church Ladies. It was a Luncheon, not a shower, so I was quite surprised when the first guest showed up with a beautiful bag with ornate wrappings.

More guests arrived, many of them also bore beautifully wrapped gifts. Those that did not bring beautifully wrapped gifts brought plastic grocery bags, or in one case, an arm full of cans. I was a little confused, then Polly (the hostess) passed me a copy of the invitation she sent out:

Just for fun and as a surprise …. please bring three tried and true recipes, and 3 cans for her pantry with their labels removed (mark the tops of the cans F for fruit, J for juice, M for meat, V for vegetable, D for dessert … it ought to make newlywed meals interesting!)

I thought newlywed meals would be interesting anyway. I’ve never cooked with gas before, and Gavin’s apartment has a gas range. These cans will add a new dimension of interesting to the cooking experience.

Polly later confessed to Mom that she had seen it done when she was in college and she had waited quite awhile for the opportunity to do something similar.

The Lunch was fantastic, we had chicken crepes, salad, sweet rolls, followed by cheesecake for dessert. The company was also quite enjoyable. It was wonderful to see many people that no longer regularly attend our church.

After the Luncheon, disaster struck: my grandmother had left her make up bag in our car, she was in my Uncle’s mini-van speeding on her way to New Orleans, and we had her make up bag.

It was a race against time to get the make up bag to Oma. Fortunately, Uncle Bernie had not gone too far so we were able to rendezvous at the Whataburger and deliver it, Oma was much relived.

Two pieces of cheesecake are now safe in the refrigerator for Dad.

Alien Invasion… in my own front yard

Published by kindli on April 21, 2006 in fun. 0 Comments

The rain thundered down on the roof and lighting streaked across the sky I grumbled and rolled over in bed. Looking out my slightly rotated mini-blinds I saw lights flashing just over the junipers in the front yard.

Great, the Weekly World News and Grocery Store Tabloids accounts of Alien Invasions are finally coming true, I thought to myself. I don’t care, I just want another half hour or so more of sleep.

At 6:45 am I must confess I was more interested in sleep than any imminent alien invasion. I was quite sure humanity could survive with out my added assistance as I snuggled deeper under my down comforter.

It was around 7:45 when I realized the idea of more sleep was ludicrous. Rolling over I looked out the window again, there were more of those orange flashing lights hovering just over the junipers.

The rain had let up a little which is when I noticed the sign between the orange flashing lights, it read “SCHOOL BUS.” Not quite aliens, decidedly less comfortable than a space ship, and infinatly more ugly.

Thomas watches out the front window for aliens, photo by Kindli

The Incredible Shrinking Dress

Published by kindli on April 20, 2006 in wedding prep. 0 Comments

In the process of preventing my wedding dress from shrinking, I have noticed other items in my closet are fitting differently than they previously did.

I am becoming increasingly suspicious of this clothing conspiracy. It has to be a Plot, there is no other logical explanation. The jeans that once clung to my every curve now hang loosely, unless they’re fresh out of the dryer, and even then, that doesn’t last long. The skirt that once fit perfectly now shifts when I walk and refuses to hang properly, while other skirts fit better than they previously did.

I checked the labels, all the items claim to be the same size… the jeans, skirts and wedding dress’ labels all have the same little number written on the tag. My clothes have had this number in them since I was in high school and while my weight has modified itself drastically since then, the clothes continued to have the same number.

Curiouser and curiouser… I find a measuring tape. I periodically measure myself before I order clothes online from LandsEnd to make sure I still fit with in their artificial boundaries set for the little number printed on my jeans. The numbers have been fairly consistent for the last few years. Up a little in some spots, down a little in others.

How does this relate to the Incredible Shrinking Dress that is hanging in Elle’s side of the closet? My measurements were taken when I bought it and I have a rough idea of my approximate weight when I got it. All those numbers have changed. The dress was admittedly a little snug when it came home, but the larger size was HUGELY too big.

Following Dad’s suggestion I have been trying on the dress about once every two weeks or so. He told me the story of a girl he knew from New Orleans, she bought the dress of her dreams, only to find out on the day of her wedding it no longer zipped up the back.

Ironically, as I work on shrinking my incredible ME the dress seems to be shrinking proportionally, we have been losing our pounds and inches together. What the dress doesn’t know is that it is an inanimate object and I am Kindli and I will triumph over it.