Attack of the Cheap Cape Codders

I've mentioned before that my parents like to fondly believe that a house and things in a house can regenerate without any maintenance. I'm doing my part to persuade that life in the 21st century can be good.

Me: "Yeah, it's down on the list, but we'd like to re-do the bathroom at some point."

My Mom: "Oh. Is there something broken?"

Me: "It would be nice to have a bathroom with a new toilet and tub that are not beat to hell and falling apart and also not Harvest Gold circa 1975."

My Mom: "But they're not broken or anything? They still work?"

No joy at the old mill

I visited the *Old Mill in Brewster yesterday. There are hordes of seagulls around so I was expecting to still see herring. In fact, I really looked forward to seeing herring because I missed them last year. I walked all over and NO HERRING. Stupid gulls. I've missed the herring again and won't see them before another long winter. Wah!

*The Significant Other has noted that long-time residents of the Cape all have different names for things. "The old mill" is also "the herring run" and "the Brewster Gristmill". The funny part is that we all use the different terms in conversation interchangably and we all know what we're talking about.

I worship Dan Savage

I just ran across while reading this week's Savage Love,

"Researchers have been hard at work on two vaccines for HPV, vaccines that could save thousands of women's lives. In clinical trials the vaccines have prevented 90 percent of new HPV infections. Good news, huh? Not for the religious right. Bridget Maher of the Family Research Council told New Scientist magazine that "giving the HPV vaccine to young women could be potentially harmful, because they may see it as a license to engage in premarital sex."

"While the religious right's war on gay rights gets all the headlines, their war on straight rights gains ground daily. They've destroyed sex education in this country, undermined abortion rights, and successfully prevented emergency contraception from being made available over the counter. Now they're going to block the HPV vaccine. Why? Because the American Taliban would rather see sexually active women dead than vaccinated."

"Hello, straight people? If you don't want to live in a world where you need a license from the likes of Bridget Maher to have sex, pre-marital or otherwise, you had better start speaking up. Most of you seem content to merely rubberneck while gay people have the shit kicked out of us, and while that's maddening, I suppose it's understandable. It's not your fight. But what explains your passivity when your own rights are being attacked?"

Yup.

Mass Moments

Mass Moments is a daily almanac of Massachusetts history to run throughout 2005. The Moments appear on the website, radio or you can get them sent to you via email.

Very cool.

Lurking in the medicine cabinet

Our house's interior has some of the lousiest paint jobs imaginable. A particularly cheap and nasty builder's white. I'm finally getting around to putting some color on the walls and I remembered a painter friend had told me that isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) was effective at removing latex paint splatters. I was searching for Googled confirmation of this use, and oh my, this stuff is toxic. I had no idea it could poison you through skin exposure. I'll wear gloves. Thick ones.

And yes, it does remove latex paint spatters.

Speaking of hazardous household items, remember mercurochrome? I remember getting a cut and painting it rusty red with mercurochrome and then painting little designs around the cut. I miss mercurochrome.

I tried, I really did.

My mother and father are Cheap Cape Codders (tm) and are hoping to wake up one day to find the house has mysteriously repaired itself. I occasionally try to persuade them of the advantages of calling in a contractor before the roof falls in.

Me: "Oh yeah, we're getting our septic tank pumped next Friday."

My Mom: "Ho hum."

Me: "They say every four years. When was the last time yours' was done?"

My Mom: "A while ago. But the inspector said it's over-engineered. And anyway, there's only two of us."

Me: "Mom? Get the septic pumped before poop comes up the shower drain...AGAIN."

Okay, I didn't really say that last part. However, it did really happen and seeing it happen once was enough for me. I don't understand why once wasn't enough for my parents.

I really am this much of a slacker

I've been quietly congratulating myself for requesting a contractor visit this coming Friday afternoon. A jump-start on my weekend and the quicker and more efficiently they work, the quicker they get a jump-start on *their* weekend.

Lovecraft meets Livejournal

Dear Stupid Skateboarder Kid...

I feel your pain, really I do. I remember being a tween girl and cursing the sandy narrow roads that interfered with roller-skating.

But teetering on your skateboard in the road while a semi and my car try to squeeze past you? Not so smart. You are little. We are big. You need to bug your parents to drive you some place where you can skateboard safely.

Spring on Cape Cod

Pictures of my daffodils being whipped around by a chill wind under a grey sky pouring dismal rain won't work. So, I don't think I'm going to have any submissions for Dave's photo challenge in the near future.

Not related to anything,

Whether you use it for cuddling, warmth, or to hide from the media, this blanket will come in handy and folds easily during police lineups.

I am a fermentation fetishist.

Latest Project

A camera bag made from Marimekko remnants. The stitching is embarrassingly primitive in places, but it was a good project to get my hand back into sewing.

You can also see another picture here.

Things that go "crack" in the night

I'm a little scared of chiropractors, but maybe I should consider one. I just rubbed a sore muscle on my side and my neck cracked. That can't be right.

The office watercooler

My desktop wallpaper at work is a picture of Bush sinking in a little cartoon boat with Cheney waving his arms from the cartoon water. It's from this article.

Today my scarily right-wing co-worker got a look at it, asked what it was, giggled when she figured it out and then suddenly realized that she was LAUGHING AT THE PRESIDENT, caught herself and quickly walked away.

Does this mean Bush's popularity really is tanking?

Bead Geekery

SMP Designs presents a special event to celebrate spring!

Trunk Show ~ Saturday May 7, 11am - 5pm

Featuring a beautiful collection from

"THE BEADIN' PATH"

Swarovski Austrian Crystal Beads and Pendants, and an awesome selection of Vintage Lucite and Glass bead strands! Stop by any time Saturday and get inspired to create!

Location is SMP Designs, 619 Main Street, Centerville.

Woot! The Beadin' Path always has great stuff, I have some gorgeous vintage beads from them and clearly I need more. MUCH more.