…on my face, ears, chin, legs, and arms. All I want to do is scratch, yet that is the one thing you’re not supposed to do with poison ivy. Of course it would have helped if I immediately scrubbed down with Tecnu, unfortunately that didn’t happen until after I had had it for 48 hours. Argh. That’s what I get for petting dogs that have been running around in the woods (or my backyard as the case may be)!

..but I finally baked a pie from scratch.

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So exciting and out of the ordinary, I had to make a new blog category for it.

I think all my posts are going to be behind schedule this spring…oh well, some are worth the wait! At least some people’s are, in the case–Plant Dreaming Deep’s Love Lives post.

that I used to take a for granted, but don’t anymore:

* forge a connection
* strike while the iron is hot
* back to the grind/ nose to the grind stone
* irons in the fire
* galvanizing
* riveting
* set in stone
* nuts and bolts

I’m not sure if idiom is the right word for it… In anycase, since I’ve started working with metal, the above terms have more meaning to them. I really have had to deal with the nuts and bolts of a situation (figuring out the right shank length, material, diameter etc) and have had literal riveting experiences….with rivets. One time I was leaving a mid-day lunch with friends and said I was headed back to the grindstone…and then I paused, and realized I was — literally.

I just saw my first roach of the season…in the kitchen sink at work. I don’t think I will ever be used to them. They are too big, move too fast, and have antenni that are longer than they are. Eww. Eww. Eww.

Don’t know if it’s possible, but my boss’s dog sure seems to have come pretty close.

The music fest has begun! The streets, sidewalks, and bus stops are filled with hipsters from out of town. And as usual, the music seems to be everywhere, all the time. Today it started up at about 10 am….in the parking lot of the pawn shop a few doors down from where I work.

and even though I will never be in the income bracket to buy a wrist band….I appreciate the free shows and festive atmosphere.

Do you know what it is “to chunder?” Take a guess.

My head continues to be in the 80’s … and for some reason I’m digging into Men at Work (my passion for their music may rival my passion for Hall and Oats!) So I’m thinking about some of their lyrics and poking around on You Tube and I find this:

I think it may be one of the most arbitrary music videos I’ve ever seen…from beginning to end. And what is that thing that one guy pulls around on a string attached to his underwear? A Koala? You Tube is a little to grainy too make it out….

Remember Daryl Hall and John Oats?

Of course you do! You must. Unless you’re in your early 20’s. Or late 70’s. They’re in my top 10 of favorite 80’s artists…possibly even in my top 5. You might be asking, why am I posting about them…well–I just rediscovered them…and… maybe I’m in the minority here…but I just think Hall and Oats are awesome! Maneater, One on One, Rich Girl, Private Eyes, of course the infamous and oft sampled: “I can’t go for that…no can do…..” sooo goood.

I remember when I used to make regular blog posts. Guess I’ve fallen off the blogging horse.

Humm, what’s new….

There are pink blossoms and blooms on some of the trees around town…and the days are finally getting longer! woohoo to that. Sure we loose an hour of sleep, but who cares! We get more light. I think this has been longest darkest winter I’ve experienced and been affected by in awhile. The weather hasn’t been that bad (no “snow” days like we had last year), but I think I’ve had to spend a lot more time outdoors with work, hence what the weather is doing matters more. After living in Austin for two and a half years, I’ve found I’ve come to love and depend on the sun and the warm weather that comes with it. The cold weather is not for me!

ps-Hopefully the winter depression and lack of posting ends soon…and that when I do post, I post about things besides the weather.

pps-Wow, in February of 2007 I made 26 posts.…and this past February I only made 3! And they were so much more interesting last year…must have been because I was in school and doing research. Every once in a great while, in rare moments like this, I miss being in grad school….

…that spring is right around the corner. Sun, thunderstorms, tiny but verdant leaf buds sprouting off a few of the barren branches around town, the murmur of crickets and cicadas in the evening, jacketless and sockless scooter rides…the past few days have had all those things, and I want more…

I work right down the street from this place (vintage 1948!)…and drive by it most days of the week…but had never ventured in until today. (It is a little intimidating with the big orange Tee-Rex looming above the parking lot!)

I don’t think I had played mini-golf in over 10 years…maybe more. As a child visiting family in Wisconsin every summer, it was one of my favorite pastimes. Unexpectedly playing a round of mini golf this evening allowed me to tap into that long buried part of my childhood, let my hair down, and be a little goofy. It seems obvious now, but I had forgotten that there’s just something about the “sport” that demands that kind of silly behavior, which I totally love. I may be frequenting Peter Pan more often now…

I didn’t want to do it….but I pretty much had to–because apparently it’s the law. I didn’t realize that that was the case until I had a police officer writing me a ticket for speeding. He mentioned that he could write me a ticket for living here (as a non-fulltime student) for 30 days or longer and not registering my car in Texas as well. Yipe. And before I could deal with the speeding ticket I had to deal with the registration…so today was the I handed over my California registration. I never thought I’d see the day. But, like I said, I didn’t really have a choice.

I like Austin when it’s hot. Not so much when it’s cold. So it comes as no surprise that the winter weather we’ve had of late is for the birds. This evening it’s supposed to drop down into the 20’s. The 20’s!! Sheesh!

…cast by the sun. It truly is the pit of winter here in Austin. Days and days of cold dank weather and heavy cloud cover have cast a somber grey over my whole mood. Bring back the sun I say! Now please.