Just call me Flex

Ok, I just think this is really funny. It will calculate what your name would be, if you were one of Sarah Palin's children...

http://politsk.blogspot.com/2008/09/sarah_13.html


Just call me Flex Gunship Palin.

Wierdest Advertising Campaign Ever

So, I secretly subscribe to a cheezy fashion magazine, which is very very out of character since I am not particularly fashionable or girly. But, nonetheless, I have subscribed for years and I am very excited when it appears in my mailbox every month. I figure, it costs something like $12 a year for a subscription, and I _more_ than get a dollar worth of enjoyment out of it.

But anyways. It arrived the other day, and I was very excited and decided to read it before I went to sleep. I admit, I was groggy. But, when I turned the page to this ad, it seriously took more time than I want to admit to figure out what the hell was going on... lets see if you can tell...

Pretty, right? It's 3-dimensional, with little colored things held in the air by curled plastic pieces. Very elaborate. But, what is it? Look closer...

And then, there is a lightening bolt moment...

Yes, its true. These are flying underpants. A garden of flying underpant-butterflies, in fact.

I get what they're trying to do. But seriously, this thing is ELABORATE, it must have been no small thing to put together this 3-d twirly plasticy 2 page ad. And, I'm not really convinced that I'm any closer to buying Fruit of the Loom underwear after having seen it. I'm also not convinced I want my underpants to fly- I have enough trouble finding my socks as it is. I do have to give them points for entertainment value, though.

Corny, but good

This was a delicious salad type thing I made the other day when it was really hot! I do not have any kind of clever name for it, although it could be something like "Cold Corn, Feta, Bean, Lime, and Chili Salad". I was going to make a snappy acronym but when I typed it I realized there are no vowels, so it might be rough. If you think of something good by all means let me know.

At any rate, here it is:

1-2 ears corn, cut off cob (I did 1, but also added some Trader Joes fire roasted corn kernels I had in the freezer, because I wanted to get rid of them.)
1 anaheim or other mildly spicy pepper, diced
1 can black beans drained and rinsed well
a couple scallions, diced
some crumbled feta (I used fat free, but thats all up to you)
juice of 1 to 1.5 to 2 limes, depending on how juicy they are
chili powder
salt

I was weirded out by the idea of eating totally raw corn, so I really quickly sauteed the corn and pepper in olive oil. It was just enough to slightly cook it, but it was still very crispy. Then basically dump everything in a bowl, add chili and salt to taste, and put it in the fridge for a bit to let all the flavors get acquainted. I served it with little pieces of avocado on top, and it was delicious. I wouldn't put the avocado in the bowl because it might get mushy, but definitely consider it as a topping. Yum!

An Unfilled Market: Calling all Crafters

Well, part of the reason my posting has been kind of sporadic lately is because while I was off meeting these guys I had an unfortunate run-in with a very surly tick. After much running around in circles and much consulting of a wide range of medical professionals, I got outfitted with a picc line- a permanent IV type thing, which if you are curious about, you can see here, so as to better pump me full of antibiotics for a month or so. Finally, my dreams of being the bionic woman have been realized.

But, here's where the crafty sorts are needed. Tons of people have these things (for Lyme like me, or chemo, or whatever), and let me tell you, they are not pretty. You can cover it up with an ace bandage, or some other similarly orthopedic looking thing, but you know, where's the fun in that? Personally, I have arrived at a system heavily reliant on ridiculous socks from Rite Aid which I chop up and throw on my elbow, as you can see here:


And don't let yourself be fooled into thinking I'd be happy with only one model... here are the rest of them:


Here's the thing though. Socks are not really ideal for this purpose- they have to be really long to be the right size, the heel is perfect for the bend of your elbow except that its really not always in the right location, and once you've cut them up, there isn't really any elastic at the top to grab your arm so they kind of roll down.

This is where the crafty fabricy people should be interested. I looked all over etsy, and no one makes anything to cover these things. No one! There are people selling every completely random thing you can possibly imagine (and there is even medical stuff! hats for chemo, stethoscope covers, scrubs, cute med alert bracelets etc, etc). There's totally a market for this, you just might have to look- but all kinds of people have them (kids, adults, old people, everyone) and some people have them for a year! or more! These people are on the internet, too, there are message boards all over the place. Someone should make covers. Ideally it would have elastic at the top and bottom and be sort of stretchy, be washable, and be in a wide variety of colors, patterns, etc.

As a side note, this has also led me to search for "elbow warmers" on etsy, and given the vast range of body parts people have decided it is trendy to put warmers on, the elbow has been woefully neglected. I'm hoping that if I don't get anything else out of this experience, at least maybe I can start some kind of trend, here.

As Tim Gunn would say, come on people, make it work!