Turning Man's Trash into My Treasure

Found this little gem on the side of the curb by the AEPi House on North Broad Street. They just renovated their mini-mansion so I assume this is an artifact from that process. But it was just too charming for me to pass up.

I was walking back from class with a friend who happened to be on crutches, so I carried it halfway home and then solicited a neighbor's help the rest of the way.

My plans for this treasure go a little something like this:

1. Rescue abandoned side cabinet from the garbage collectors.
2. Clean and sandpaper the whole thing. Elbow grease!
3. Purchase the perfect shade of cranberry paint, and clear a space on backyard patio where it's okay to make a mess.
4. On a sunny afternoon, do a few coats of this lovely cranberry color.
5. Purchase knobs for the front. I'm thinking either "Celebration" in antique brass or "Native Romance Nonva" in patine.
6. Do some calligraphy on the sides i.e. Chinese or Japanese characters.
7. Fill with bottles, books, or some other useful items.
8. Love.

5 Signs That You're a Tech-Savvy Individual

1. You know the difference between a mouse and mice.
2. You know at least the first step in double-sided printing.
3. You can send an e-mail with an attachment, without any attachment.
4. You have thought about saying "lol" out loud, rather than actually laughing.
5. You can put a white sock in the washing machine and take out a pink sock.

For those of us getting a bit stressed out over finals and life. I thought I'd write this to lighten the mood. Pass on if you liked it!

Don't Worry

I don't have tonsilitis (I don't think) but I did re-publish an old post by accident so it got sent to anyone with an e-mail subscription even though it was from about a year ago.

But I am sick. So your warm wishes are appreciated. I made myself some delicious chicken-less noodle soup last night (I should start a recipe book for the easiest no-measure college meals ever made) and have been drinking a lot of tea and resting, and I have a doctor's appointment bright and early tomorrow so we can figure out what's wrong with me. It feels like something is wrong with my sinuses, and my body is really achy, but it all started out with a sore throat two days ago. Last week's festivities took a toll on my health. I can't say it wasn't worth it, though.

Pictures to come.

Don't forget to vote. My absentee ballot was express mailed yesterday.

Old School icanhascheezburger

Remember when I posted these Lolcats in June? (A few more to refresh your memory...)

(more animals)

Today, I found something remarkably similar, dating back to the 1900's. It's from an archive at Duke University. The illustration is part of a scrapbook collection of cut & pasted images - who knows where this one came from originally. But the comparison of humor in the 1900's to the humor of today is remarkable - seems we are still fascinated by the inner workings of our pets. Its caption reads, "HA! HA! HA! I'VE EATEN THE CANARY!" Click for a larger view:

Image 35 -- Hawley Scrapbook - Item #SB0058
Emergence of Advertising On-Line Project; F. W. Humphrey and Co.
Duke University Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library
http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/eaa/

Although I've never had a cat, I have always wondered what my dog Luci might be thinking. Here's a few images I made for a calendar I gave to my sister last year:

From left: Luci (calm and lazy), Jersey (my cousin's energetic, fiery puppy)

Is it playtime now?

Some things never change. What would your pets say if we could hear them??

CAT got my Tongue

(moar funny pictures here)

Espresso Mess-o

My host family left for Sicily on Thursday morning. Ariana just bought a house there but it's not furnished yet so they're staying with friends. She left me a ton of food in the fridge and wrote out all the important information I need to remember, such as the cleaning lady's number and "Only one home appliance at a time," as not to blow a fuse. But just in case I forget, she also showed me where I might find the fuse box on the ground floor, and left me the key for that room.

One other thing I was delighted to learn before she had left was how to make espresso. I'm the first of the 4 other girls she's hosted to have learned; I guess they didn't drink coffee as much as I do here! You use this cute little metal stovetop machine and pack the espresso grounds into the middle container, fill the bottom one with water, screw the pieces together and set it on the stove to brew.

Unfortunately, the other day I kinda left it on for too long while talking on Skype with my parents, and it was a huge mess. Not only did the plastic handle completely melt off, and the plastic knob on top get all disjointed because of the heat from the metal, but the inside of the container which holds the water pretty much turned to ash since all the water boiled out of it. I tried to clean it as best I could but the burnt metal smell just won't go away. You can't use soap to clean these machines otherwise the coffee will come out all soapy-tasting (Ariana specifically instructed me on this in Italian when I was learning) so basically I'm just going to buy a new espresso machine and hope that Ariana doesn't regret her decision to teach me in the first place.

I swear I'm not completely incompetent in domestic matters, contrary to what she may believe.

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