What are you thinking?

Living in an old, quiet, tree-lined neighborhood, I see a lot of basic suburban wildlife around my house : tons of different songbirds, hawks, squirrels, rabbits, and the occasional hilarious chipmunk. You get used to the rhythms and patterns certain creatures have. Last evening i went into my bedroom to grab a CD and saw this bunny sitting outside of my window. It wasn't eating. It wasn't looking around. It wasn't in that crazy "i'm holding really still cause i think i heard a predator and if i don't move maybe it won't see me and eat me" posture. It was just sitting. You gotta wonder what it was thinking. Was he enjoying the evening breeze? Was he relaxing after a big clover supper? Was he considering how he was going to support the rest of the warren in the current economic climate? This is not normal, people. When was the last time you saw a primary consumer sitting in the open completely exposed? I mean, it is a prey animal; normally i see our rabbits hopping purposefully from yard to yard, scurrying under fences and around bushes. Not this guy. He's just sitting. In the driveway. Why the driveway? Don't ya think the grass would feel better on your little paws than the asphalt? The grass is right there - why are you hanging in the driveway? I walked back into the living room, rooted around for a few minutes and then went back to the window with my camera expecting that he would have moved on. Nope. He was still there, chilling in the driveway. After i took several pictures (shooting through the screen was interesting) the rabbit kinda glanced over its shoulder at me and moved toward cover. But he didn't run; he sauntered. Did you know rabbits were even capable of sauntering? He took a step, then a long hop, a few more steps and then kind of a full body stretch Really, he didn't go more that three feet. He didn't even go under the forsythia bush; he just had a seat under a low hanging branch. Then he just chilled some more. It was the most uncharacteristic behavior for a fluffy woodland creature that i've ever seen: he wasn't darting about, he wasn't rummaging for food, he wasn't even hiding. Does this rabbit not KNOW that he is at the bottom of the food chain? About 30 minutes later when i was leaving the house i drove by this bush. He was stretched out under it, just looking around. It looked for all the world like he was surveying his kingdom. I wish i was that chill.

Objects Found

I think that i have mentioned here that back at the beginning of the summer i started working at an antique store on Sundays. That is why my life has become so boring, as evidenced by this here lackluster blog! Working a 6-day work week and then being sick for the last 2 weeks on top of it (no, i didn't miss any work from being sick) has made me life one long yawn-fest. I figured since i'm not doing anything interesting right now, i may as well tell you about work. Objects Found was a cute little consignment and antiques store that i used to frequent. At the beginning of the year they moved to a much bigger location directly on Catonsville's main street. In March i started working there occasionally, kinda on-call for when Reggie (that's the owner) had gaps in her schedule. Then she started renting the space next to the store to expand and needed permanent weekend staff. Enter Niki. The work is really easy. I spend 10-6 every Sunday talking to customers and pricing consignments that people bring in to sell. Since i collect vintage jewelry i have become the unofficial "jewelry person" which means that at this point i spend nearly every Sunday sifting through bags and boxes of jewelry. SO FUN!!! I get to research and learn about makers i'm unfamiliar with and touch things that i could never afford to buy. Last week i had to research and price a lady's pocket watch that was made in 1889 - that would be 100 years before i graduated from high school. And it still works! It is really neat to get paid to learn things. One of the good/bad aspects of sifting through all this jewelry is that i get to see everything first so i can put aside what i want to buy. Of course that means i have to set firm rules for myself : anything i desperately love i can not price myself to avoid the temptation of underpricing; i can only buy one item a week or a few items every few weeks (whichever works out better); i can still only buy things that are within my natural price range after my employee discount. I've done a good job abiding by the rules so far. I have a little pile of items waiting to be purchased when their time comes. Here is what has actually gotten to come home with me in the last 2 months: Ten items in nine weeks seems reasonable to me (the 2 single earrings don't count cause they were free) and i did not pay more that $5 for any item. My favorite purchase so far since i've worked there is the rhinestone upright telephone pin that ended up costing me $3.40! It's so 80s-tastic: Since this post appears to have ended up being about jewelry, my favorite find this year didn't actually come from my store. I got these beads at a Goodwill Superstore during lunch one day this Spring: The beads are a light dusty pink color (i know they look more topaz-y in the picture, but you'll have to trust me on this) and they are multi-faceted glass. At 58 inches this is a really long necklace (waist length on me) and it is hand-knotted That may not mean much to you, but to me it means that they are at least 40 years old (probably older) and worth quite a bit of money. In fact, the whole thing is so heavy that they just might be made of crystal instead of plain glass; i am unclear on how to tell the difference when the bead is so heavily cut. When i saw it in the case at the Goodwill i thought they were plastic, but it was an interesting color so i asked for a look. When i felt the weight i knew that i couldn't possibly afford them, but couldn't resist looking at the price (sometimes the Goodwill has crazy prices on things, you know?). There wasn't one marked. So i asked the girl behind the counter "How much?" She kinda looked at me, looked at the beads and said, "A dollar." ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! I almost felt bad buying them at that price - almost.

Sweet Relief

I couldn't hear for 3 days. Technically i was only deaf in the left ear, but that was bad enough. Everything was muted from the outside, but crazy loud on the inside. I couldn't have on the radio in the car. When i ate it sounded like i was chewing glass. Work was a nightmare : i had no way to judge my volume on stage and i couldn't hear my volunteers when they'd talk to me (volunteers stand on my left on stage). It was awful. I knew, intellectually, that my hearing was gone because of the infection and that it would come back. eventually. But there was a tiny part of me that was still afraid. What if it never came back? What if the antibiotics and decongestants and steroids (i've had more prescriptions in the last 10 days than in the previous 5 years) didn't work? Or what if they worked, but there was irreversible damage? Or if the pressure got so bad that my eardrum ruptured?!? I am not someone who took my hearing for granted; in fact, i always said that unlike most people, i would choose being blind over being deaf. I love sound : crickets outside of my window, the fan over my head, the tap of the keys as i type and of course, music. Living the last 3 days without music has been more difficult than being sick. What if i had to go the rest of my life only hearing half of what was there? Last night my hearing popped back on - it hurt like you wouldn't believe but it is wonderful. It's still not at 100%, but i now know that it is going to be okay. Don't take your hearing for granted, people. And go listen to some GREAT music.

Balance

Here in the Nikiverse balance is not necessarily found in the middle; generally, balance is struck with the extremes existing at the same time. You've met me, right? Extrovert and introvert, thoughtful and bombastic, intellectual and emotional. Somehow, it works for me. It also seems that my life is usually balanced in the same way - no middle-of-the-road path for us, oh no. Today, i had not one, but TWO new people start at work! We are fully staffed for the first time in 14 months! YES!!! What seemed to be a summer cold was actually an impacted infection that has been resistant to antibiotics. I'm running a fever that won't break and my ear has closed up like it is stuffed with cotton. So basically i had a great first day getting to know team members AJ and Alex, but was kinda high on prescriptions and couldn't really hear what they were saying. nice.

Refreshing

Are you hot? It was hotter than Hades around here this past week - i mean it wasn't Florida or Texas hot, but then again there is a reason i don't live there. In Maryland we get heat plus humidity, which after several days with no rain makes the very air you breath oppressive. I was having my friend Justin over for dinner [shrimp cocktail (i'm trying to teach myself to like seafood) and Phad Thai with chicken] and in an apartment with no air-conditioning i knew that i was going to need something really cold and refreshing to combat the heat. Enter watermelon margaritas. I had them once years ago at Franci's wedding shower and figured i could make up a recipe. Firstly, the night before i cubed up some watermelon and stuck it in the freezer: (i'm not sure what the contents of this side of my freezer - 3 bags of spinach and a bottle of Vox - say about me; sounds like a research project - Mel?) Normally to make Nikiritas i use 1 part tequila, 3 parts mixer and .5 part of the Secret Ingredient (which most people know by now but i insist on calling a secret ingredient cause i'm like that) vigorously shaken (of course since i broke my shaker 2 years ago i don't drink them much at home any more) and served over ice with an orange wedge. Building from that base i put one cup of tequila, 2 cups of mixer and a BUNCH of frozen watermelon chunks in a blender and got spinning. Depending on the watermelon and your texture preference you may not need any ice, which means you don't water down the taste. I added a handful of chunks and blended three times, adding 1 handful of ice, a healthy pinch of sugar (cause i'm more of a sweet than a sour) and a shake of salt (to bring out the fruit's natural sweetness) on the last blend. It should look like this: YUM! I made the pitcher about 30 minutes before Justin was coming over so that i could put it in the freezer along with the glasses i was using to serve - lovely Indiana Blue Harvest Carnival goblets, in case you were wondering (which, btw, were introduced into the market in 1971 which is the same year yours truly was introduced to the market) The great thing about watermelon is that depending on your taste you can either salt or sugar the rims of the glasses, or serve it the way i like it naked rim with a tiny coordinating umbrella. If you don't like tequila, you can always go with rum for a daiquiri instead or skip the alcohol altogether - just remember that without the alcohol it will freeze rather solid if you put it back in the freezer. OOOOOHHHHHH.... i bet that means you could then scoop it and serve it as SORBET - i'm trying that next time. If you still want refreshing, but you can't be bothered with the work or the mess or you're allergic to tiny umbrellas, buy the watermelon already cut up, freeze it and just eat the frozen chunks. They're cold and delicious.

Have a Nice Day!

Crimson-tuffed Snarvelgass

We were at a library that had a lovely community garden. There were all shapes and sizes of botanical delights and right in front of our parking space was this What the?!?!?!?!? Its leaves are giant and pink and vaguely marijuana shaped. It has red poms-poms on it - living, growing pom-poms. It's like something that would grow wild in the Nikiverse. Team member Miriam looked at it and said "Wow; that's like something out of Dr. Seuss." Yes, yes it is. Does anyone know what this thing actually IS?

Perspective

Yesterday i was napping in the van between shows. I opened my eyes for a moment (probably to adjust the radio or something) and i noticed this AAAAAUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHHH! Do you see the troll - the scary, sharp-eared, pointy-nosed troll halfway up that tree, holding long vines like he intends to tie us up and drag us off to slavery or (more likely) a cooking pot. I pointed it out to team member Miriam, who she said "oh yeah; that one with the sharp teeth." YIKES! I didn't even notice the teeth. Cripes. How am i supposed to nap knowing that is looking at me? Right before we left for the next show i got closer, thinking that the closer i got the perspective would change and hungry, angry Mr Troll would become benign wood again. nope.

So good it hurts me

All Hail Joss Whedon. So this link is posted on several blogs that i read, but i know that there are people here that don't read any of those, so excuse the redundancy for some of you and for everyone else: Go watch Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-Long Blog right now. Go. GO! (i'll wait here for you) Wasn't it good? Wasn't it hilarious? Wasn't it poignant at the end? I love that no matter how funny Joss Whedon can be, he always rings a true emotion. Who knew Nathan Fillion could sing? Yes, many of the songs sound uncannily like Once More With Feeling, but i can live with that. Neil Patrick Harris was awesome - i love you Doogie; his expression at the opening of Act II was great. Did you read the message from Joss about trying to do something different in entertainment? I really hope that people will respond well and actually pay to download it once it is removed from the site. (tomorrow night - July 20th) If the public can prove that there is an audience AND market for things like this perhaps we'll see more. Personally, I can't wait to get the DVD. I loves me some DVD extras.

Lost on purpose

I like to go driving : roll down the windows, crank up the music, point the car in any direction and GO! When the sun is shining i want to be on the open road, but with my schedule and gas prices there has been a major curtailing in the adventure department. One of my favorite things to do when driving is trying to get lost. With my job I go everywhere in Maryland so it is very difficult to find places that i don't recognize. I love to make random turns and see how long i can go before i know where i am. It amazes me that i still can find new places in this tiny state, but normally i have to be in the middle of nowhere. Luckily, last week i was in the middle of nowhere so I just threw caution (and my budget) to the wind; after picnicking i turned left out of the park instead of right and just went. Did you know that there is a regional airpark in Montgomery County set up for flying model airplanes and helicopters? Me neither. Did you know that there is a renovated turn of the century Negro school in Boyd's? Me neither. Did you even know there was a town in Maryland called Boyd's (significant cause that is my sister's married name)? Me neither! Gosh i do love exploring. While driving i saw a little side road with this sign on it: hmmmmmmmm... i've never seen that sign before... "ford"... that makes me think of Western movies where cowboys have to drive mustangs across raging rivers. That is what "ford" means, right - crossing a river or something to that effect? I wasn't sure and am intrigued by traffic signs i don't recognize (i mean i do spend like 2-6 hours a day in the car) so i made a last minute turn down the road. It was a lovely, twisty little road with some houses on it: kinda narrow, but perfect for adventure driving. About 2 miles down, the pavement abruptly ended About two tenths of a mile down the gravel road i saw what looked like a puddle Nope. It was a stream. A stream that just cut right across the road. Really. I guess that's what the "ford" sign meant - a stream crosses the road. I bet when it rains you can't drive across it without 4-wheel drive. I bet when it REALLY rains you can't cross it at all. Cool. I wonder what is on the other side. I wonder if anyone is crazy enough to live down there. I wish i had a jeep (can't you just see me in a Wrangler with the top down and the door off, off-roading it, giving the "jeep wave" to all the other jeep drivers... sigh). But even I wasn't about to attempt that in my beautiful, wonderful, faithful Hyndai Elantra - she's great, but she's no Jeep. Instead it was back up the twists and turns and several more random turns. For 11 glorious miles i saw new scenery and had absolutely no idea where i was. It was lovely.