Category: friends

  • teatime


    I’ll be in Salt Lake City soon, and would like to meet with some of my readers while I’m in town! It’s my intention to be at the Beehive Tearoom on the afternoons of Wednesday, Aug 8th and Thursday, Aug 9th. If you’re available to meet on those afternoons, please drop me a line (phddillyATyahooDAWTcom) and we’ll plan a firm meetup time. Ok? Can’t wait to see you there!! :)

  • Moanday, Moanday!


    Perhaps it isn’t at all ironic that Sara’s meme tag came after nearly 24 hours straight of moaning and complaining as I had to prepare our home for termite fumigation (I only slept a few hours last night and just grabbed the last few belongings as they were posting the DO NOT ENTER signs on our door….). So I am now sitting cross-leg on the questionably clean carpet in a temporary apartment and watching “The Belle of Amherst” on DVD as I try to calm the kitties down a bit. They have never lived anywhere besides our place and (poor things) Toby won’t even come out from under one of the beds for tuna. Ellycat has glued herself to my side as if to let me know that she knows no vet will come after her in the place of strange smells & sounds as long as I am nearby. Once the kitties calm down a bit they will be delighted to learn that there is a nest on the eaves of the backporch here with the sweetest little orange-throated finch-looking birdies chirping up a storm.

    The Moaning Meme
    5 people who will be annoyed you tagged them.

    -John & Miko
    -CatBonny
    -Brooke
    -TanyaSue
    -Caroline
    But to everyone else, consider yourself tagged and please play along!

    4 things that should go into room 101 and be removed from the face of the earth.

    -Packing for moving.
    We had to to a mini-packing this week (all food, toiletries, and catstuff and anything we needed to survive in a bare-bones apartment) to prepare for the tenting & termite fumigation. Pain.

    -War.
    Really. And any activity done with the intent to harm another person or creature.

    -Rodents.
    ‘Nuff said.

    -Body Odor
    There are good body smells and bad body smells. I’m talking about the bad ones.

    -Cancer.
    Yah, duh. And while we’re at it we can just eliminate disease in general. (Note: I know this is #5 on my list of 4 things, but I’m not much of a rule-follower…)

    3 things people do that make you want to shake them violently. (Ok, really I can’t think of wanting to shake anyone badly, so I’m playing along in the spirit of the meme if not literally)

    -parents or teachers talking smack to little kids
    -praise for our current presidential regime
    -folks who voluntarily join the military (and the corrupt gov’t who sends them on fighting missions)

    2 things you find yourself moaning about.

    -dictatorial community garden members
    -health insurance woes

    1 thing the above answers tell you about yourself.

    -I’m quite sure that my opinions are correct and that everyone else should acknowledge my wisdom.

  • friends


    dora-chan, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

    Went to the WACK feminist art exhibit this afternoon with friends, including four of the X2 bloggers and some AROOM participants. So fun! As we toured the exhibit that showcased feminist art from the 1970s and 80s I couldn’t help but think of our collective sisterhood that’s grown out of our affinity for the work started by the feminist foremothers of Exponent II in the 80s. The early X2’ers, like the WACK women, had a growing consciousness of oppression based on sex and gender. They organized themselves and produced books and a newspaper. They wrote poetry, fiction, and personal essays, created art, and aimed to change the world.

    An important legacy that we now carry on as Exponent bloggers and blogreaders.

    And while I recognize the significance of this legacy, I’m also just thrilled to have this bright and beautiful bunch of women to call my friends. :)

    So at the exhibit there were numerous provocative pieces of art. Many challenged gender stereotypes or highlighted the social violence directed towards women. My favorite art piece was a small closet-sized room where all of the walls were painted black. Suspended from the ceiling and from each of the walls was an irregularly woven web of white crocheted yarn. I stood in that room for quite awhile alone. Feeling the warmth and security of being wrapped in a cocoon. But also feeling the connectedness of each of the fibers that composed the web that surrounded me. That experience was, for me, symbolic of the relationships that I have with the world. Yes, there are many patterns and textures to my ties to the people around me–as there were in this particular art installation–but it’s the variety and strength of those relationships that make my life so meaningful, that give my days their joy and purpose.

  • fantasy

    The following youtube clip shows a group of LARPers (Live Action Role Players) and their devotion to “acting out” the fantasy worlds of games like D&D and World of Warcraft. From this trailer I get the sense that the director of this film is poking fun at the LARPers. I’m particularly uncomfortable with the depiction of the woman using a wheelchair who discusses how role-playing allows her to to be free from the restrictions of her disability.

    I know people who LARP and people who play D&D and people who very intensely play fantasy games. They are smart and articulate and fun to be with, perhaps even more so than some of my friends who are involved in more ‘mainstream’ types of hobbies.

    So much of life is a fantasy–from dressing up to go ‘clubbing’ to driving an SUV to participating in esoteric religious rituals. I see no reason to ridicule or pity folks who participate in fantasy play. Not even those who have disabilities.

  • Contact

    Friends: If you want to get in touch with me, feel free to contact me at my email address (phddillyATyahooDAWTcom). I’m not much for returning phonecalls from unknown blogreaders (protecting my privacy, I am).

  • 8 Random Things, a meme

    Playing along with this meme from BiV and JourneyGal:

    1) I have difficulty with auditory discrimination. Meaning that if I have several incoming sounds my brain can’t prioritize the sounds very well and I don’t end up hearing much of anything. So chatting in crowded restaurants is tough and I usually sit at the front of classrooms. It also means that I have a really hard time “hearing” the words of songs or movie dialog. If I like a song I search out the words and I watch movies with the subtitles on.

    2) I rarely wear nail polish although I like the idea of wearing it. My favorite color of polish is pale pink. I have strong fingernails that I can easily grow out very long.

    3) Like most other people in my family, my second toe is longer than my big toe.

    4) Until about 5 years ago I hated cats. I thought they were whiny, annoying, and they made me sick (quite literally, because of severe allergies). I resented my friends (and my sister) who liked cats. Now I am a zealous cat lover and the allergies are gone. Nearly every day I cuddle my kitties, sing them songs, and feed them their favorite treats. I find them an endless source of joy and delight.

    5) Until about 5 years ago I hated chocolate. I liked chocolate-flavored things like cake, but hated the taste and texture of chocolate itself (PayDay was my fav candy bar because of its lack of chocolate). Yet at some point I got some very fine dark chocolate and fell head over heels. Now I don’t do milk chocolate and I only eat fine (as in 73% or above) organic dark chocolate. I almost always have a bar in my cupboard and nibble away at a few squares of chocolate per week.

    6) I can touch my tongue to the tip of my nose. And I can do “the wave” with my eyebrows. I can also wiggle my ears–even one at a time.

    7) Vanilla is one of my favorite smells. I am particularly fond of The Body Shop’s vanilla body spray and of Yankee Candle’s French Vanilla scent.

    8) In the spirit of BiV’s “famous-people” list, I’ll add a few of my own. I’ve already written about my relationships with the Broncos. During my cancer treatments I had a few other brushes with famous folks, including Kenny Loggins. At a summer camp for cancer patients I took a drama class from an actress on the then-popular show “Hill Street Blues.” When I was a college student I dated a Japanese Chippendales dancer a few times (my roommate was dating his best buddy so we frequently went out together or hung out at our apartment). That was an ‘interesting’ experience–the hubris of someone who carried 8×10 glossies of his (mostly naked) self at all times. Yah.

  • SCONES

    This recipe from a friend that I met through JourneyGal:

    Cranberry Orange Scones

    4 cups plus 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
    1/4 cup sugar, plus additional for sprinkling
    2 tablespoons baking powder
    2 teaspoons kosher salt
    1 tablespoon grated orange zest
    3/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
    4 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
    1 cup cold heavy cream
    1 cup dried cranberries
    1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water or milk, for egg wash
    1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
    4 teaspoons freshly squeezed orange juice

    Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

    In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix 4 cups of flour, 1/4 cup sugar, the baking powder, salt and orange zest. Add the cold butter and mix at the lowest speed until the butter is the size of peas. Combine the eggs and heavy cream and, with the mixer on low speed, slowly pour into the flour and butter mixture. Mix until just blended. The dough will look lumpy! Combine the dried cranberries and 1/4 cup of flour, add to the dough, and mix on low speed until blended.

    Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead it into a ball. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough 3/4-inch thick. You should see small bits of butter in the dough. Keep moving the dough on the floured board so it doesn’t stick. Flour a 3-inch round plain or fluted cutter and cut circles of dough. Place the scones on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Collect the scraps neatly, roll them out, and cut more circles.

    Brush the tops of the scones with egg wash, sprinkle with sugar, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are browned and the insides are fully baked. The scones will be firm to the touch. Allow the scones to cool for 15 minutes and then whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and orange juice, and drizzle over the scones.

    Note: This recipe also works well for lemon-blueberry scones or for Orange-cherry scones. Although the frosting part is super-yummy it’s not necesssary–the scones taste fabulous w/o it. But if you do add frosting then add a tsp of vanilla and you will be in for an extra-special treat. :)
    Oh, and I found that 15 min in the oven was plenty of time to cook them all the way through (any longer and they end up with black bottoms–blech)

  • columbine


    from below, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

    This flower is a ‘volunteer’ in my garden–perhaps growing from some seeds that a friend shared with us 3 or 4 years ago. Now there’s a big cluster of them growing in the center of my flower garden. Just lovely.

    This afternoon our family attended a party at the home of some folks that I met while traveling in China two years ago What fun to see them and many of our other traveling companions again! They have a gorgeous garden, primarily composed of unknown plants that T dug up for other folks’ gardens (with their permission, of course). He readily dug up a funky yellow flower and a cactus-y type plant that he’s nicknamed ‘the pickle’ for me. I can’t wait to get them in the ground in my own garden. And I love that every time I see them I will think of my good friends from China. :)

  • mushy gushy warm & fuzzy

    The folks over at FMH have written such thoughtful and interesting replies to my post about blogging and books, that my heart is just feeling all happy and warm right now. Some days I think this blogging thing is just a load of hooey, other days I realize how many bright folks I’ve met via this venue and I thank my lucky stars. Today is definitely a star day. :)

  • Mayday


    jasmine, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

    Picture: A closeup photo of two white jasmine blossoms.

    Happy Mayday my friends!

    If you were here with me, I’d cut you a petite bouquet of flowers from my garden. But since we’re only virtual neighbors, you’ll have to feel my good flowery wishes headed to you via cyberspace…

    When I was a little girl I remember making paper cones, filling them with flowers, and hanging them on neighbors’ doorknobs. Yet I don’t think my kids have ever commemorated this particular holiday in school. What about you, do you have childhood memories of MayDay? And/Or do you still celebrate it somehow?
    :)

  • 5 questions

    A meme from alisonwonderland:

    1. What is your favorite color?

    Ack, I’m just not good at favorite questions! I like every color! I have a new yoga top that’s orange and it makes me feel powerful. Right now I’m eating red strawberries and they are as tasty as they are beautiful. Today CatGirl is wearing her favorite all-green outfit and she is adorable. My kitties: B&W and shady-gray are just about the loveliest things ever. And in clothes I’m particularly enjoying wearing a rich cocoa-y brown. It’s a bit softer than wearing black and it hides the garden dirt well. :)

    2. If you could travel back through time and view any moment, what would it be? And why?

    In my mind I already live in the nineteenth century. It’d be nice to actually experience it for myself sometime. I think I’d like to time-travel to Nauvoo, IL in its heyday.

    3. Name a favorite Evanescence song and a favorite Sarah McLachlan song, and tell why they are favorites.

    Evanescence–“My Immortal”
    Sarah McLachlan–“Wear Your Love Like Heaven”

    I like just about all of the songs by these artists, but I’ll say the two above just to narrow it down a bit. I like these songs because I never tire of listening to them and they take me to a more beautiful place when I hear them.

    4. What is something you liked about growing up in Oklahoma that you miss now living in Southern California?

    Fireflies. We saw some on our trip to North Carolina last summer and it was such a thrill to share them (finally) with my kids. It was dusk and we were sitting in a plaza on the UNC campus and watching them wink in and out of the hedges. So magical!

    5. You just finished your Ph.D. qualifying exams! What are you going to do next?

    I’m spending a bunch of time in my garden right now, also cleaning house (yuck), spending lots of time with friends, dreaming about the future, kissing my cats on their noses and rubbing their tummies, and reading for pleasure (Just started The Architect of Desireand Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close)

    If you want to play along with this meme:

    1. Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.” If I don’t have your email address, leave it for me in the comments or email it to me at phddillyatyahoo dawtcom.

    2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.

    3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.

    4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.

    5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

  • because I’m full of thoughts…

    My friend Alison nominated me for the following award:


    Wow, I am quite flattered. So now I am supposed to choose 5 blogs that make me think (I actually despise choosing favorite anythings…I’m just not good at it, but I’ll play along anyways…)!

    So here’s my try at 5 Thoughtful Blogs (Note: limiting this to people I’ve actually corresponded with, or met in person, so the chances of them acknowledging the award is fairly high. Also, if your blog isn’t listed here it doesn’t mean that I don’t find it thoughtful! I love reading all of your blogs–add your URL in the comments if you’re new to pilgrimgirl and I’ll add you to my googlereader)

    200 Things
    Even when Brooke isn’t wearing geese on her head, her blog is chock-full of thoughtful and artistic writing and links. Her photos are also delightful.

    Catbonny
    Bonny’s blog is honest, insightful, and fun to read. I like hearing about her journey and I like that she’s my Friend. She’s also a wickedly good Ticket to Ride player! :)

    Bored in Vernal
    I like how BiV and I often see eye-to-eye on social issues, feminism, etc, yet we’re at different stages of life and circumstances. I’m grateful for the magic of the internet that’s allowed me to get to know her better!

    The Observant Woman
    Add this one to your daily checklist of blogs. SL digests important issues related to women’s health. Her commentary is both incisive and provocative.

    Readathon
    Deborah’s posts on ExponentII are always great, but I’m also enjoying her literary insights. Having been a bibliophile since childhood, with a continued fondness for YA lit, I love reading her book reviews!

    For those I tagged, please read the following rules…
    The Thinking Blogger Award is also a meme. The participation rules are simple:

    1. If you get tagged, write a post with links to five blogs that make you think.
    2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme.
    3. (Optional) Proudly display the “Thinking Blogger Award” with a link to the post that you wrote.