Words of Lizzardie




Friday, March 31, 2006


Bryan and Susan show us a shoe. I don't remember why - this was many weeks ago.

It's a rare Friday post for me. While I do try and post every day on Monday through Thursday, usually I just don't post anything on Fridays - I guess I'm too busy looking forward to the weekend. And since I know I missed at least one day this week (was it more than that?), I thought I might as well say a few words.

I've been feeling rather down the past couple of days - I think it started on Wednesday, for no particular reason, really - general dissatisfaction with my life, my job, my time, etc... - and really, NOTHING happened to make me feel that way. It was a fairly normal day at work - good, even, as a project came in from one of my clients - followed by dinner at home and then poker, just like every Wednesday, where I finished 3rd - a respectable showing for 17 people. Afterwards, I went home and watched LOST... and then cried myself to sleep because I was so upset over I have no idea what. And then yesterday I just felt awful. Work was no fun (although, again, uneventful), and when I got home, I thought the usual Thursday evening walk would help, which it did, but only momentarily. While I was making dinner, my roommate, whom I haven't had a fight with in many months, chose then to start an argument over something as innocuous as the cable bill (it's like she KNOWS that I'm upset and chooses to make even more so, sometimes). So I cried through The O.C., of all shows to cry through.

But then things got better. I went out for a few drinks with a friend, and had a nice conversation, and while I was driving home, I no longer felt upset. I just felt TIRED (which is to be expected, I think, on a Thursday night at almost 1:30am). And to that I thought, this is a nice feeling - to be going home and just wanting to go to sleep, because that's all I can think about and I no longer have this weight of despair on my shoulders that's been plaguing me for more than a day. It's been a few months since I've had a bad day, so I guess I had forgotten how good it can feel once everything is right again in your world.

Anyhow, I'm fine now, other than being entirely exhausted (which is, again, to be expected since I went out the past two nights). I just wanted to share.

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- Lizzardie, at 1:22 PM Post Link


Thursday, March 30, 2006



Please ignore the fact that the top of my head is cut off in the picture on the right, and that I am making a funny face - I find it difficult to take a picture of myself and look at the camera in a way that does not make me look a little deformed. You're supposed to be looking at the scarf anyway!

I would have only done one picture of the scarf, but neither really came out all that well. With the picture on the chair, you get to see the shaping of the scarf - the wavy ribbing and the way it curves on the edges do the stitches. With the picture of me, you can see the beautiful teal color and fabulous sheen of the yarn. And doesn't the scarf look comfy?

Details, if anyone cares:

Pattern: Wavy from Knitty
Yarn: Cascade 220 (100% Peruvian Wool), #8422
Needles: US 7
Size: 7" by 66" is my guess.

I only did 8 1/2 repeats of the pattern, instead of 10 total, but I did end up with a scarf a little wider and just about as long as the predicted finished measurements. I guess my gauge was off more than I thought.

This scarf still needs to be washed, so that the wool will soften up. I really love the Cascade 220 - it's affordable and I think it makes a nice fabric, with a TON of colors to choose from.

I was listening to another episode of Cast On today, and I heard a song I thought some of you might enjoy. It's called "Presidential Succession," by Deirdre Flint, and it was really funny - I particularly enjoyed the part at the end where she got to Donald Rumsfeld and you heard screaming in the background. Anyhow, I can't find the song anywhere! She's on iTunes, but that song is not. She also has a website, but it's not there either. So, instead of being able to direct you to the song, I can only tell you about it.

Depending on when you decide to read my blog entries, you may end up seeing a new post, with just a picture (and the Picasa icon), no text, no border. This is because I'm done posting through Picasa - I've lost too many entries. Instead, I'm posting the pictures through Picasa and then going back through Blogger to edit - adding a border and ramblings. I just thought I'd give you all a heads up.

Speaking of knitting, I was chatting online with two of my wonderful (male) friends the other day, and suggested to one that he should learn to knit, and to the other that I could teach him to knit - one responded by saying, "Alan Turing knitted - and he led a happy life - no... wait - he ate a cyanide apple after being chemically castrated for gross indecency." The other responded with "deth." I am now done suggesting to my male friends that they have anything to do with knitting, and will now just be happy with possibly knitting things for them.

I've been thinking a lot about cooking recently. This is probably partly because I spend so much time doing it (between the planning meals and shopping for meals and the actual cooking followed by the inevitable cleaning), and partly because I usually post around lunchtime (when I feel it's okay to take a break from work, since I eat at my desk... who am I kidding, though, I take breaks from work whenever I feel like it). The whole cooking thing is a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, I feel a sense of satisfaction in knowing exactly what I'm eating, because I put it all in there, which lets me eliminate a lot of preservatives and fat and sodium. I also like finding new dishes to cook, modifying recipes to fit my mood and taste, and the actual process of cooking. On the other hand, there's the time and the mess and the living with the results of a cooking disaster for 4 meals (I typically cook for 4, and then I have a 2 lunches and 1 extra dinner). There are also days when I just don't want to cook, but know that I have to (Tuesday was one of those days - all I wanted to do when I got home from work was SIT, but it was several hours before I was able to). Also, every time I cook, I think about how difficult this would be if I had a family - having to make dinner EVERY night, after working ALL day. I wish there were more shortcuts that I could take. And there are of course, but every shortcut comes a sacrifice, and a lot of those I'm just not willing to take. It's just frustrating.

I guess this is really on my mind now, because April is coming up, and it's going to be such a busy month at work. Cooking is almost always a problem during the busy months, because I get home so late, or have work to do once I do get home. In the winter, I tried making two big pots of soup on Sunday, so I could eat them all week, and that worked really well - but that's not really an option in April. Maybe I'll do sandwiches and salads at least one week, and see how that goes.

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- Lizzardie, at 1:32 PM Post Link


Tuesday, March 28, 2006

No picture today. Probably a knitting picture tomorrow (I finished a project this weekend and will most likely finish another tonight, then it's on to the sweater, really!). It's a little difficult to write something everyday, I've found, particuarly during the week. My life just isn't that interesting. For example, here is what I've done since I posted yesterday: work (actual work yesterday), go home, eat the snack I would have eaten at 4:30 if my schedule wasn't out of whack, go for a walk, watch Prison Break (can't wait until next week), watch 24 (can't wait until next week), knit during those shows, knit for awhile afterwards, work on the report I needed to have done for today, take knitting breaks, work some more until about 12:30, go to bed, lie awake for an hour, finally get to sleep, get up, waste 45 minutes on the computer, get ready for work, go into work, eat breakfast/make tea, finish report, eat lunch, sit here pretending to do work (mostly). I have, on the bright side, been eating the most amazing salads the past couple of days - they are just bags of spring salad mix (you know what I'm talking about) that I've added canned mandarin oranges, dried cranberries and mixed salted nuts to, along with a homemade balsamic vinaigrette (yes, I'm crazy and make my own salad dressings). Last night and for lunch I added grated parmegiano reggiano, because I have it and it's delicious and expensive and it shall not go to waste. Anyhow, you don't want to hear this stuff every day, so I try and leave it out.

I have, during the last two days, discovered a wonderful knitting podcast. Now, you must think I'm crazy and I almost think that, too. I tried podcasts once before - I thought maybe I could listen to news during work, which would be great. But if you know me, then you know that my ability to absorb information through listening is severely limited. Also, most podcasts (at least in the beginning) are generally of low sound quality, and, well, low quality in general. Since I have limited experience, I can't say they are all like that, but up until yesterday, that was my experience.

But through one of the "knitting" blogs I read (and I use that term a little loosely, because these people tend to talk about other things, too), Go Knit in Your Hat (learned about her due to a fabulous set of posts she made on cost and value of yarn), I heard about Cast On. The podcasts are about an hour long, and have several different components - some of it is chitchat, but there are also essays (read aloud, of course) and music selections and a regular piece about "this week's sweater." I listened to the most recent one yesterday, and then chose a random one today, and I have to say, it was a really enjoyable way to spend an hour (while working of course). The site, where you can download episodes or subscribe through iTunes, even lists some notes about each episode, as well as the songs featured in the episode. This is GREAT for me, who would otherwise have to listen 4-5 times in order to actually remember what was said. Instead, I can be like, ohh, I remember something about this site they talked about, and go and look to see if there's a link. I know most of you (none of you?) knit, and that you patiently endure my posts about this new obsession hobby of mine. But this has made me reconsider podcasts. I don't expect you to go out and listen to it regularly, or at all, but maybe, if you haven't discovered a podcast you love, it might encourage you to go out and find one that fits your needs/interests. I bet there's something out there. :-)

- Lizzardie, at 4:07 PM Post Link


Monday, March 27, 2006


I had a reason for taking a picture of my stuffed lizard on my duvet cover, really. Okay, it wasn't a great reason, but I did find a need for a digital picture of a lizard with some red in it this weekend. A google image search did not produce anything useful, so I was forced to make something myself.

I woke up at 10am this morning. Yes, that is late, even for me, for a Monday morning. Last night, before going to bed, I set my alarm for 7:30am, which was good. Of course, I forgot to actually turn on the alarm, which was bad. Combine that with my friend insomnia (I woke up around 4am, after going to bed around 12am, and didn't get back to sleep until almost 6am) and you get 10am. Ugh.

For a long while, sleeping until 10am would be unheard of for me (I know what some of you are thinking - since when? - since I left school and started working, of course). Even if I go to bed late on the weekend (we're talking 1 or 2 here), I'd wake up no later than 9am. But the last 2 weekends have seen 4/4:30am Fridays, and that does not help the sleep cycle. This Friday I was at Herb's for a poker tournament, which was a lot of fun. It was mostly people from the Wednesday night poker fun at Sally O'Brien's - it was a little strange to see them on a different night and in bright light (it's dim in the bar, of course)! It was the first time I played for money in a long time, and I wound up breaking even - I didn't do well in the tournament, which was a $10 buy-in, but I did win $10 in the more informal play later on. And by the time I drove Elenka, Herb's coworker (who is very nice and it's been great to meet her and hang out with her the past two Fridays - ironically, she is the permanent replacement of my roommate, Jamie, who left that company for a new job in November!), home and got home myself, it was 4am. This time, though, I took some Excedrin PM, which I find is great after a night of drinking, and I got 8 hours of sleep. There's not that much of a hangover when I do that, so Saturday was not a wasted day, like last Saturday. Though of course I did the same things - watching TV, knitting (the same scarf, in fact, which I finished yesterday morning) - but at least I wasn't in agony.

Perhaps this weekend I will be good and not stay up until 4am. But you all know me and know that I miss those days, so you never know. :-)

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- Lizzardie, at 12:41 PM Post Link


Thursday, March 23, 2006



I haven't posted about knitting in awhile (or at least it feels like I haven't posted about knitting in awhile. So here it is - lots and lots about knitting!

This is the scarf I made for my aunt Chris for Christmas, but did not give to her until February. Oops. This scarf was actually finished BEFORE Christmas, but I also made a scarf for my cousin (who'd actually asked for demanded a scarf), my Godson (cousin's son) and my aunt's husband (which makes him my uncle? they got married so recently that it feels weird to say that). Those took until February. And I didn't take pictures of those, or of the scarf I gave to my sister, because I wound up giving the scarves out while I was in Illinois and it was a rush to get the blocking done.

Details about this scarf:

Pattern: Edgar from Knitty
Yarn: Noro Kureyon #157, 2 skeins (100% wool, absolutely stunning colorways)
Needles: US 9

This is the same pattern I used for Emilee's scarf for her birthday. I absolutely love the pattern, because it's a really easy knit once you get the hang of the pattern, and I think it does a great job of showing off the yarn, but makes the knit stitch look really interesting! I will eventually make one for myself, but I'm going to use Big Kureyon, I think, and larger needles so that it will be a little warmer and longer (I love me some warm scarves).

Details about the other scarves I made that I do not have pictures of (maybe I'll get the relative's to take pictures and send them to me):

Tricia's scarf: Latifa from Knitty
Yarn: I used the yarn called for in the pattern, for the first colorway. This was mostly Garnstudio Silke-Tweed in #02, #15, #01 and #21, one skein apiece. The Koigu KPPPM colorway was discontinued, but I found that #P153 (only one skein) looks really good.
Needles: US 3

When I saw this pattern, I absolutely had to make it, and in the color they used. It reminded me of spumoni. I actually bought the yarn to make myself one (though turns out I didn't need to - you dont' actually use that much of the Silke-Tweed, and I bought an extra skein of the Koigu thinking I'd need it for Tricia's scarf - but since I bought MORE Silke-Tweed, I'm going to have to figure out what to do with it!). One day I'll make mine and show a picture.

During the course of making this scarf, I learned why my knitting was so tight, and stopped doing what I was doing. That meant I radically changed gauge partway through the scarf! Luckily, blocking helped with this, but it still looked a little lopsided to me. I hope Tricia doesn't mind!

Daven's scarf: Toddle from Knitty
Yarn: Classic Elite Yarns Princess in Cobalt, a little more than 1 skein.
Needles: US 8

This was a fabulous yarn to work with, since it's 40% Mohair, 28% Viscose, 10% Cashmere, 7% Angora and 15% Nylon - very soft and appropriate for a 3-4 year-old like Daven. This was also my first experience with cables - they're amazing! I used a double pointed needle, but have since gone out and bought cable needles, because the DPN method is annoying. I didn't do the keyhole in the scarf, because, well, I forgot. The only thing I regret with this one is not making it a little wider, and also blocking it. I blocked because I wanted to to lay a little flatter, but I think it looked much better prior to blocking - maybe because I dunked it in water and I think some of the yarn felted a little - shouldn't do that with cashmere blends. So if I do this again, with this yarn, there will be no blocking!

Bob's scarf: "Double" seed stitch scarf
Yarn: Cascade 220 in a taupe color (not sure of the actual number - don't know what happened to the labels - EDIT: it's #8013), 2 skeins
Needles: US 7

This wasn't from a pattern, per say, just a method. Over an even number of stitches, you K2 P2 across for 2 rows. Then you switch to P2 K2 for 2 rows. Then you repeat these 4 rows until you want to tear your hair out because switching between knitting and purling so often as an English-style knitter is annoying. And it's only one color, so you don't even have that to look forward to.

Anyhow, I made this extra-wide because my uncle is a big guy. And then blocking of course. Everyone kept telling me as I was making it how "pretty" it was, and I freaked out that despite choosing a masculine (at least to me, but what do I know) color and a simple but interesting stitch, it would be exactly that - pretty. Blocking it helped smooth out the fabric, so it still had the interesting stitch without being so obviously textured. I wasn't sure if my uncle was even a scarf guy (you can tell how well I know him) but he seemed to like it, so that makes me happy.

Christina's scarf: My So-Called Scarf
Yarn: Noro Transitions #01, 2 skeins
Needles: US 11

I LOVE this yarn and had been wanting to knit something with it for awhile. Problem is, it's very expensive - $25 for a 100g skein (which is double the normal skein size, but still) - so I bought it off of Ebay! Why is it so special? Not only does it change colors like most Noro yarns, it also changes textures. It's a 55% wool, 10% silk, 7% cashmere, 7% angora, 7% alpaca, 7% kid mohair, 7% camel blend, and I guess the wool is blending with each of the other fibers and it changes textures between those - pretty cool. The yarn is fun to work with, and the stitch pattern isn't as difficult as it looks. Which made a cool looking scarf, which Christina says she really liked (I guess she likes browns and grays, but I wouldn't know since I hardly ever see her).

So that's the gift knitting update. I've gotten through 2 sisters! Now only 2 sisters to go (ordered the yarn for Rebecca's scarf yesterday, still unsure what to do with Kim), and my parents. After that is other relatives and some friends. Not that any of this will come any time soon - this sort of gifting is SLOW! Plus, I want some more stuff for myself. :-)

This concludes a very long post about knitting.

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- Lizzardie, at 12:31 PM Post Link


Wednesday, March 22, 2006



*sigh* Picasa finally let me publish a picture. And it also lost another long post (this one my review of the RAZR). I'll update this post later on today to have the review, but I'm not writing it again right now.

EDIT: All right, I guess I'm ready to rewrite this thing.

I got my Motorola RAZR V3c for Verizon via Federal Express last Monday, which was pretty good, considering I paid nothing for the phone and nothing for the shipping, and had only ordered it 4 days prior.

There are many things I like about the phone (other than the free part). It's thin, which is awesome - fits into my pocket really well, without it feeling burdensome. It's about the same height and width of my old phone (which Susan now has), which I also like - a phone that's too small doesn't work for me. It also has a good weight to it, so it doesn't feel flimsy.

Verizon seems to be standardizing to one user interface, which happens to be the same as my old LG phone. I've read that this bothers some people, but it doesn't bother me, as I'm used to it. There are also a few decent pictures for a display image, and I was able to get a free ringtone (Linus and Lucy), so the strange already-there ringtones don't bother me either. Thus far, I've found that sounds are pretty clear, from hearing it ring (and I don't even have it turned up all the way) to hearing people talk while on the phone. There's Bluetooth, but I don't yet have a Bluetooth headset (note: you can use a wired headset with this phone, but not a normal one - there's no regular headset jack, only the connection you use to charge the phone, which I guess is like a mini-USB - I can connect it to my computer with my digital camera cable).

A few minor complaints would be that the 1.3 MP camera doesn't have flash or even a light - but I never use my cell phone camera. Also, it automatically assigned EVERY number I entered a speed dial value, in the order I entered them. Wouldn't have been so bad if I'd known this and entered them in appropriately, but I entered in alphabetically, as my contacts appear in my Contact List. Ohh, and hi, I don't need people to be consecutive speed dial numbers for their cell phone, home phone and work phone - one number would be enough.

The thing that really bugs me about the phone is the lack of ring and vibrate feature. It will ring, or it will vibrate, but it won't do both at the same time. Some phones have vibrate then ring - this doesn't have that, either. Or I shouldn't say that - the phone has the capability, the software does not. Ugh. This is not a feature that you think to research before buying the phone (not that I did that, but still). I really miss that.

I actually CALLED Verizon and Motorola about this. Verizon person told me that it was Motorola's fault, and then she gave me a (wrong) phone number for Motorola. Motorola told me it was Verizon's fault (hmm) before transfering me to a guy who deals especially with grumpy RAZR customers, I guess. He informed me that several people have called about this (the manual says the features there, no surprise) and that there MAY BE a software upgrade in the future, but he doesn't know for sure or when. I kept him on the phone until he talked to engineering, and he relayed back to me that both Verizon and Motorola engineers work on the phone (a ha! both of the previous people were lying) and the reason the feature isn't there is that there's not enough memory with the software - which I think he might be making up, but whatever - I know how often customer service lies to customers.

One of my coworkers thought this attempt was futile, but I would argue that if every customer did this every time they were unhappy, companies would be a whole hell of a lot likelier to respond (particularly if they returned the products because they were unhappy). At least I feel like I was doing my part to get my opinion across (and if a phone comes out soon with the ring/vibrate option, I may bitch at Verizon until to see if they'll give me one).

So, the summary is, other than ring/vibrate, I like my RAZR, particularly for the price (free). And Picasa, I hate you right now.

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- Lizzardie, at 12:22 PM Post Link


Monday, March 20, 2006

Things that will prevent me from posting my review (so far) of the RAZR:
  • I left my purse (not just my phone, my whole purse) at home today. I am dumb.
  • Picasa hates me, and doesn't want to post a picture.
  • I don't have a picture of the RAZR already, though I suppose I could steal one from the internet (but wouldn't it be better if I posted one of me, possibly beaming, with my brand new pretty phone?).

Anyway. (Why is that extra line in there? Ugh.) I guess instead I will talk about the wonderful weekend I had.

Friday was St. Patrick's Day. We were promised lunch at work if we wore green, but of course that was an empty promise (supposedly we'll do something this week - RIGHT). I did wear green, though. :-) Friday night, there was an odd sequence of events that led to what I ended up doing. On Wednesday, Herb said that he would probably go to Sally O'Brien's (the bar where there is poker on Wednesdays, where we were when he actually said that), but I had no interest in possibly meeting him at a bar that he might be at. Thursday I got an email from Patrick, who wanted to do something, so I figured that could be fun, particularly if there were a whole bunch of people involved. Friday, Patrick called to say that no one had any interest in coming to Cambridge/Somerville from Salem, would I like to join them up there? Fine - I went home and got dolled up (green eye makeup!). Right before I was ready to leave, I heard from Patrick AGAIN, saying no one really wanted to do anything. But Patrick would come down to Somerville - so the night is not a lost cause. We decide that we'll go to The Burren in Davis Square.

We get down to Davis Square, and I hit the ATM, which I discovered was possessed by some other force. The screen was very messed up and unreadable, so my attempt at taking $20 out resulted in a $60 withdrawal (and yes, that is reflected on my account, no free money there). Across the street at The Burren, we are greeted with a nice long line (and it's nice and cold out). Half an hour later, and maybe halfway up the line, we're close enough to see that there is a $20 cover. Utterly. Insane. We decide we're not paying that, and we'll instead go back to my apartment and drink Jameson. Somewhat of a failed attempt at celebrating St. Patrick's Day, but whatever - most of my attempts to go out are failures.

Patrick stuck around for about an hour and a half. Right when he was thinking about leaving, I got a phone call from Herb, who was not quite decipherable, but I did manage to get out of the conversation that he'd be at Sally O'Brien's in about half an hour. After Patrick left, I decided it couldn't hurt to head up there. I found parking rather easily, and headed to the bar (first time I've ever been carded at the door there, and probably only the second time I've been carded at all, but then again, I only go on Wednesday nights). I order myself a Guinness, say hi to the bartenders I know, and manage to find myself a stool so that I can sit and enjoy the music. Somewhat sketchy guy tries to ask me to dance, but thankfully the music stops then (I didn't realize that he was THAT sketchy until much later in the night, but it made me glad that he left me alone). A few minutes later Herb walked in with 5 of his coworkers.

I'd have to say that it was at that point, right around midnight, that the night really began and I had a lot of fun. There was drinking and a little dancing and general hanging out, both with Herb and his coworkers (who were a lot of fun and very nice, which I'd come to expect from both Herb and Jamie's stories), as well as some of the regulars at the bar. I had been a little unsure if I should try going out for a second time that night, but I'm glad I did.

There were a few missteps of course, but I think all and all it was a good time. They were: leaving my car in Union Square until the next afternoon, because I didn't realize what was going on (this is what happens when you follow drunk people), resulting in a $20 meter violation ticket; ditching 2 of Herb's coworkers in Union Square without giving them any sense of how to get back to their cars (which were parked in front of Herb's apartment) - that was not my doing, but I feel a little bad about not trying to fix it, even though I barely knew them; and mixing whiskey, beer and wine all in one night, resulting in an unpleasant hangover on Saturday, even though I barely felt even tipsy all night.

And yet what did I do Saturday night? I went over to Susan's, to drink some more! Patrick came down from Salem for the second night in a row, and Kim came over as well. There was a shot of Bailey's and Jameson, which was okay, but the real joy was Bailey's and milk, with freshly whipped cream, as well as strawberries to eat with the whipped cream. YUM. I don't think my stomach or my liver were very happy about that, but the rest of me was. Ohh, and 10 hours of sleep Saturday night was one of the better sleeps I've had in a long time.

And Sunday I was productive! I did 3 loads of laundry, did this week's grocery shopping, made dinner (homemade macaroni and cheese - which is much healthier than it sounds - and pork tenderloin with the delicious berry and onion sauce that I love), did all of the dishes and even cleaned up the counters a little. Plus there was knitting and all of my Sunday TV shows and all withing the 12 1/2 hours I was awake yesterday.

So yeah, great weekend. :-) It was nice to be out Friday and Saturday nights, and be able to waste Saturday, since there just wasn't that much on my plate to get done during the weekend. I'm still tired - didn't sleep as well last night as the night before, ohh well - but then again, I'm always tired.

I wish I'd taken pictures.

Tomorrow, I will do my very best to get to the review of my new phone. :-)

- Lizzardie, at 1:31 PM Post Link


Saturday, March 18, 2006

If you're wondering why I haven't posted in over a week, I have a semi-valid reason! I created a nice long post on Tuesday, complete with random picture, and hit publish.... and it was gone. I was annoyed enough that I just didn't feel like recreating the post. I still don't, given I'm hungover from St. Patrick's Day (which I'll eventually talk about), but I'm not doing anything else (other than watching Law & Order), so why not.

There's still no picture, though, because Picasa is acting up. Damn you, Picasa.

Anyhow, this post will be about last weekend. There will also be a post eventually about my new RAZR and about St. Patrick's Day. And then we should be all caught up on my life.

So last weekend included my second restaurant week dinner and the Land, Air and Sea dinner party that Susan, Kim and I threw. For the restaurant week dinner, we went to Terramia in the North End (my favorite area to eat in Boston, for those who don't know). I actually went against my instincts for this dinner, which I sorta regret doing. I guess you have to do that sort of thing every once in awhile to remember why your favorite foods are what they are. I had:

* Baby Lentil and Chestnut Soup, crispy Pancetta, Crostini (which I'd gotten Organic Baby Greens, olive oil balsamic dressing, shaved Reggiano cheese - I eyed Cheryl and John's salads through my whole bowl of soup!)
* Agro & Dolce grilled Quail, Sicilian peperonata, Mashe and Fennel, Vincotto (this was pretty good, particularly the greens and sauces, but quail is so tiny and difficult to eat - I of course wish I'd gotten the Caprese Salad)
* Free range Chicken Statler breast, warm polenta, smoked tomato, Kalamata olives, crispy Pancetta (it was the olives that did this one in for me - all of the tomato part tasted like them, even though I took them out. The polenta was good, but not as good as my dad's polenta. The chicken was good for chicken, but I don't really like chicken to begin with. I wish I'd gotten the Wild King Salmon, mustard crab crust, spinach, saffron sauce)

We also had a 2003 Speria Valpolicella Classico "Vigneto La Roverino", which was delicious - Valpolicella is a good wine.

After dinner, we went to Mike's Pastry, where I got a cone of tiramisu gelato, which was tasty but tasted nothing like tiramisu. I was hoping we'd go out after dinner, but everyone else was tired, so we parted ways and everyone went home.

The dinner party was on Sunday at my apartment, so I spent some time Saturday planning and shopping and cooking. Sunday was the big shopping/cooking day, though, which meant Kim and Susan were at my apartment all afternoon. I was rather impressed that most of the dishes were clean by the time dinner started, but that of course still meant a ton of dishes for me to do over the next 3 days! Other than Kim and Susan, Jeff, Kristen and Bryan came. Herb informed me a few days later that if he'd known about it (he didn't get the email until after the party) he would have ocme - serves me right for trying to get out of planning the whole thing but then planning it on short notice! I made rosemary and thyme crusted seared tuna, couscous chicken salad (the most popular dish!), Caprese salad (because neither Susan or I got it on Friday) and bread with olive oil/garlic/basil dipping sauce. Susan (with our help) made a whole roasted duck with raspberry wine cassis sauce, as well as chocolate covered strawberries. Kim made springrolls with shrimp and pork. Jeff and Kristen brought lamb stew - I enjoyed this, but I still want to make roast lamb or something because I really love that - I think the flavor is better served, just like any meat. Bryan brought red wine, which was against the rules of the dinner party, but we let it slide. All and all, I'd say it was a pretty successful little party, even if not that many people were able to come (Cheryl and John were supposed to, but Cheryl was sick). Next time we'll have to plan a little bit more, in order to make it a little more successful. :-)

Okay, now I will copy and paste, before publishing, because if I lose this one, no one will ever hear about Terramia or the Land, Air and Sea dinner!

- Lizzardie, at 8:17 PM Post Link


Thursday, March 09, 2006



I played Apples to Apples a few weeks ago with Susan, Kim, Brian and Susan's roommate Heather (I actually went out and purchased the game, but it was totally an investment!). Heather had a new take on it - at the end, once a winner has been determined, everyone looks at their green cards (which are adjectives, for those of you who haven't played). The green cards that you're holding describe you. :-) So I think these were the green cards I had after the first game (read, I think - I mucked the cards together before I decided I wanted to take a picture - I know that I got most of them right but one or two might have been wrong). I liked the description they give, so I took the picture. :-)

Other news... I "bought" a RAZR today! I've been wanting a new phone for awhile now, for no other reason but to have one (my vanity level is skyrocketing right now, btw). I hadn't looked at the prices lately, but had been waiting for the E815 to be free (despite having had my phone for less than 2 years, Verizon has decided that I'm eligible for New Every 2 and have been for more than a year - they have crappy customer service but I don't mind this screw up). When I looked today I saw the RAZR was also free, so I got it, without hesitation. I imagine it will be here next week!

Also, my J.Crew dress came. I had a $100 Rewards card, so I bought this dress in Mint (the color is a little brighter, but that's okay). No idea what I'll wear it for, but it's pretty and I'm sure I'll find something. I've been in a gift-card spending mood (also used the newly rediscovered Borders gift card to buy Garden State and the Post Secret book). Spending free money is definitely better than spending my money!

I did not get home last night until about 1:30am, but I didn't mind. It reminded me of the times I used to go out in the middle of the night or just stay up until 3am or 4am. Sadly, I feel like I did the next morning, too, which means my tolerance for staying up late has gone way done (then again, the amount of sleep is probably about the same since I was up before 8am this morning and that never happened when I stayed up past 3am). I might have to go to bed early tonight (which may be good, because other than the dishes, I can't think of anything to do - not knitting is frustrating! - but my wrist does feel a little better thanks to the break).

I should really concentrate on work now....

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- Lizzardie, at 12:53 PM Post Link


Wednesday, March 08, 2006

The picture in the top right corner is your picture for today. It's sorta cheating because I put it up there last night (while watching Monday's 24 - I feel restless now when watching TV and NOT eating or knitting), but I don't care. I also feel a little vain for putting it up there. And I also don't care.

Anyhow, the picture comes from a couple weeks ago (you may have noticed a theme over the last few days - yes, I am playing catchup still) when I had my hair highlighted and cut. My wonderful stylist, Nicole, not only did an amazing job on the cut and color, but she also made my hair look utterly fabulous when straight. Seriously, no-time-on-my-hair-ever me thought about straightening it everyday. That of course will never happen, but I do now enjoy the look, so I bought a brush and I'm straightening it more often than never (like once a week). Like today! It's kinda nice to have different styles, and I think straighter hair (and makeup, which is pretty much a must with the straight hair) make me look a little more mature (which is something you worry about when you're 24? or not).

The day of the picture was one of those days where just looking great made me feel great. I wanted to go out and have a good time and meet someone and in general have my life be changed. I did go out (with Susan, Kim and Bryan to watch the Harvard-Cornell hockey game in a bar) and we did briefly talk to new people, but I didn't exactly meet someone and my life wasn't changed, though I did have a good time (we bought Apples to Apples afterward and played that while drinking wine). I guess if I want a life-altering experience, I'm going to have to try a little harder.

Today I "worked from home" while waiting for the RCN guy to come. I now have a DVR cable box! Ohh, and the RCN guy thinks I'm crazy, but really it's my TV (who would suspect that you would have to wiggle the cable in the back of the TV even though the cable box isn't even CONNECTED through said cable? not that guy or anyone else, that's for sure). I also spent an hour in line at the Somerville Traffic and Parking Office. Turns out that middle of the month, middle of the day is not the ideal time to go, as I might have though - ohh well. The woman behind me talked/complained the whole time. I did find out that she lives on the next street over from me (Ossipee) and owns the condo that's for sale down the street from me. I actually really like that house, and even though I've never seen the inside of it, I've thought many times when I've passed it (it's been on the market pretty much since I moved in) that if I had any money to buy a condo, I might consider that one. Maybe it'll never sell and then be really cheap and I can buy it years from now when I actually do have money! Wheee!

- Lizzardie, at 1:57 PM Post Link


Tuesday, March 07, 2006



Red Sox tickets for September. These also arrived a few weeks ago - ironically the same day as the wine fridge. I'm excited for the game - it'll almost complete my football-basketball-baseball-hockey sweep of Boston sports (damn that sprained ankle). And, this one is a little more special, because it's against a Chicago team! (Okay, not the Chicago team I cheer for, but maybe it's better this way.) And of course it's a game against the World Series winners from the last two years.

Dinner at 33 Restaurant & Lounge last night was fun. I met up with Corinne beforehand and we went to Sephora in the Prudential Center. I love that store. :-) Corinne bought sparkly eyeshadow and blush, while I purchased a purple eyeshadow/eyeliner duo. Then we met up with Cheryl and John for dinner. I had:

Garden Lettuce salad: Crumbled Chevre, tiny tomatoes with pecans and raisins, white balsamic vinaigrette
Sesame Salmon: Nori-coconut rice, lemongrass mussel curry broth
Bread pudding: with warm white chocolate banana soup, butterscotch ice cream

We also got a 2004 Forefathers Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, which I have to say was quite tasty. It was pretty light, but had a strong enough grapefruit flavor to it.

All in all, a good dinner. Now I'm really excited for Italian dinner on Friday. :-)

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- Lizzardie, at 12:20 PM Post Link


Monday, March 06, 2006


This is my new toy. :-) It finally arrived a few weeks ago, making it the latest I've ever received a Christmas present from my parents (unless you count the Borders gift card I lost within a day last year and my mom gave back to me when I was home a week ago - she had forgotten at Thanksgiving and I guess she shudders at the thought of mail).

As you can tell, I'm running low on wine. I have four more bottles on the other wine rack, but STILL. NOT ACCEPTABLE. :-P

It was a pretty quiet weekend. Despite the opportunity for plans, I spent all day Saturday literally doing nothing (except TV and knitting, which don't count). Sunday I had odds and ends to take care, and pretty much got through what I wanted.

I did manage to knit a sock this weekend, which turned out pretty good. I like sock knitting. Now that I've done it once, I see that I don't really need a pattern, just some match and a general algorithm, and there's lots I can do! This is exciting to me.

What is not exciting is the amount of pain I'm in because of the knitting. My right hand is killing me, which is unfortunate, since I'm right-handed. Jar opening, doors, typing is much more difficult than it used to be. Saturday night I kept waking up because I was in so much pain. I think I need to make an appointment with the doctor, and I've read that seeing a chiropractor or an accupucturist can help these sorts of aches and pains. In the meantime, I'm making it my goal to not knit this week (meaning Monday thru Friday). I figure this shouldn't be too hard of a task, since I have plans tonight (dinner at 33 Restaurant & Lounge for Restaurant Week), Wednesday (poker) and Friday (dinner at Terramia, again for Restaurant Week). I think I can find enough things to occupy my time tomorrow and Thursday evenings.

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- Lizzardie, at 12:11 PM Post Link


Friday, March 03, 2006



I had previously written about wanting to knit Clapotis, and almost two weeks ago, I actually finished! Details, if anyone cares:

Pattern: Clapotis from Knitty.com
Needles: US 8 (I used both straight needles and circular ones, but that's preference - I find circs to be easier to use for larger things)
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden #088 (discontinued, I got a great deal on Ebay), a little more than 7 balls
Size: It's about 21" x 60"

Last night was Stitch 'n Bitch, at my apartment. Small group this time -just me, Susan and Kim. I made guacamole, though, and it came out much better than when Tricia and I tried to make it last week. I also made a garlic olive oil dipping sauce for French bread - lots of chopped up garlic, fresh basil, salt and pepper, and of course plenty of olive oil. My parents make this a lot, particularly when they're cooking for other people, and we always descend like hawks. I have some left, and I'm looking forward to eating it tonight since it's had so much time to sit and get flavor. Yum.

A few links, to brighten up your Friday (definitely made my better, particularly since I still have the cold that will not go away):

Wine lovers can now take home unfinished bottles from restaurants It rarely happens that I go to a restaurant and fail to finish a bottle of wine. But it's good to know that I could take it home if I wanted to. :-D

You Knit What?? This was sent to me by Kathy last night, and it's pretty amusing. Sounds like these people are writing from Chicago and while I don't agree with all of their choices, most of them are dead on. I love the internet knitting community. :-)

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- Lizzardie, at 10:28 AM Post Link


Thursday, March 02, 2006


I spend a lot of time at work looking at Cute Overload, so this is my contribution. Meet Betty Boop, my aunt's bulldog, who stayed at my parents' house while I was also there. I have never seen a bulldog sleep like this (and my uncle has 6 of them).

I'm trying to get back into the swing of things, but being sick is making it difficult. All I want to do is crawl back into bed and sleep. Either that, or
knit. :-D One of the positive aspects of going home was that my sisters and I went to visit my grandparents (on my dad's side), and we got to go "shopping" in Grandma's yarn stash. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with all of this yarn, but there's lots of novelty yarn that I chose, which I'm sure will come in handy for something. She's going to send the yarn to me (so that I didn't have to take it back on the plane), so it'll be exciting when that arrives. I'm going to need to buy something to keep my yarn in, with the rate that I'm going.

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- Lizzardie, at 11:09 AM Post Link


Wednesday, March 01, 2006


My mom and my aunt put this collage together for the funeral. The basic theme was cheesy black and white (mostly older) photographs of my grandmother. I know it's hard to see them all, given the glare from my camera, but I think you get the idea.

This has turned out to be a much harder experience for me than I thought it would be. These are not the circumstances under which you want to see your family, particularly my family that likes to blow every little thing out of proportion. However, I will say that the trip went about as well as could be expected. I even got to go to the casino (riverboats in Illinois)! I also saw my other grandparents (it gets harder and harder to see them, even though I love them and want to spend time with them, because it's hard to see them get older) and my dad made dinner Saturday night (which is always a treat).

Still, it's been a little bit difficult to come back (and it doesn't help that I now have a not-fun cold). While I may not get along with my family, at least they understand what this whole process has been like for me, because they've had to go through it, too. So as happy as I am to be back in Boston, as nice as it is to get back to my routine, I've been feeling pretty alone. I suppose that's part of the experience, part of the process of losing someone important to you.

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- Lizzardie, at 9:55 AM Post Link


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