Pittsboro

After Drag Bingo, I decide Naomi & Chris need a drive in the country. So, we head to Pittsboro.

Stop and visit Clyde Jones

Try to blend in with the penguins


Then to the Carnivore Preservation Trust where they keep the big kitties. I'm talking Tigers, not big like Nick, Diane's grumpy hissing cat (I have a feeling Nick is going to make it into the blog).

I am noticing that some of my activities of late are repeats. Time to get on it and find some new stuff. But, for friends in from out of town, OK to go with what I know.

Drag Bingo & Carleton

My college roommate Naomi was in town today. I'm flattered that she decided to head towards North Carolina for her Spring Break (there was also a stop in Asheville, so it wasn't all me).

So, I decide to give her a glimpse of a possible Saturday night in Durham and take her to Drag Bingo. It's exactly what it sounds like.

Some other Carls were in attendance so we did a group shot to submit to the college magazine. To hell with all those wedding photos they post.

The theme of the night was "March Madness" - note the design of the BVD's (Bingo Verifying Diva's) skirt.

What fun!

Er, dancing in church?

Went swing dancing at UNC tonight.
The dance was in a church.
Not sure how I feel about that.

Mmmmmmm Steak and Eggs

I'm in Denver today for work. I order steak and eggs for breakfast.
They are delicious.
Even better, I'm full for the entire day.
I return to Raleigh that night, still full, and order a water.
(I did end up getting a shot, but that wasn't because I was hungry)

Incredible.

I'm actually looking forward to the trip back to Denver next week.

I thought my Fruity Pebbles were the Breakfast of Champions. A new Champion has prevailed.

Pub Quiz: We had a win. A low score, but a win nonetheless.

Cupcaking

The North Carolina Carleton Book Club met today.

We read a book called "Positivity."

The book was selected by a Carleton psychology professor who was supposed to come down and facilitate the discussion (why he didn't? that's a whole 'nuther story). The author of the book is also a Carleton grad and we had her join our book club which was neat.

Since I've been on a cupcake kick, I decided I would bring cupcakes to book club.

First Attempt: Saturday Night.

Diane directed me to a recipe on the side of some cocoa but I couldn't find it so I consulted my friend the internet (yes, even though Diane has a library of cookbooks). I actually Googled "really delicious vanilla cupcakes" and found a recipe by Amy Sedaris. I like David Sedaris books, so why wouldn't I like Amy Sedaris cupcakes (I know, the logic is flawed).

The first instruction was to put butter in the mixer. Diane has a really awesome mixer so I popped a stick of butter in there. I started to blend. The butter just got lodged in the mixing thing (I know these parts all have names. I just don't know them) and looked more like it was taking a ride in the blender than it was getting blended. Didn't seem right (but I found it kind of funny).

I realized the butter was too hard. So, I put it in the microwave which liquified it. Err, also didn't seem right.

So, I got out a fork and mashed at another stick and moved on.

I am amazed at the power of Diane's mixer and just to see what would happen, I cranked it up to ten. It mixed so fast there were bubbles. "Bubbles! Air!" I thought to myself "Air makes for light and fluffy cupcakes." Wrong again. At a later date, Diane taught me some baking chemistry.

I put them in the oven. They oozed. It was gross. When I tasted them I was convinced I had forgotten the sugar or used something else that I thought was sugar. They tasted more like cornbread or a muffin than they did a cupcake.

At this point I decided I was going to have to bring this nasty batch to Tobias's party as a gesture more than an actual dessert. I wanted to do Swedish flags but Diane suggested I layer on some fudge frosting to mask the taste of the cake part (Diane was out of town that weekend, but I caught her on IM during the "my cupcakes are pussing!" phase).

The next morning I successfully made the cupcakes Diane suggested. And, I did some decorating using the themes of the book as a guide. Diane has a toolbox for decoration and I had to chose from 48 different nozzles. This is the end result. The writing took a while to get the hang of but I worked it out and the author was thankful.


When Diane returned she did a cupcake autopsy. Her first reaction was "Did you use sugar?" She was going to do an experiment where she made the cupcakes and compared but when she gave the recipe a close look she concluded it was just a bad recipe. There's hope for me yet - hooray!

Goodbye Swedish Prince

I attended a goodbye party tonight for one of my favorite friends down here.

Tobias.

Everyone loves Tobias. The ladies especially (and he loves the ladies back).

There's something very joyful about Tobias. Dancing with him especially. He's always smiling, even when I mess up. Which I do often.

Most importantly, Tobias was the most welcoming person to me from the dance scene. He posted an Orienteering Event on the dance message board, I attended and he walked me through the woods and we were friends ever since.

He also didn't get too upset when at first I pronounced his name like the Tobias on Arrested Development. I think I had just finished the second season.

The good news is that Tobias is moving to Colorado. I place, for work, I visit often. So maybe it's not goodbye, maybe it's just see you later.

This is a cheesy post but you know what, I really mean it all.

That's not me hugging Tobias, by the way. But it's a sweet picture, no?

Photo by Colin. Nice one, Colin.

Too many movies.

I liked the art-direction of my old apartment but it was no fun.

Diane's place: Fun.

We have X-Box, Wii, games, books, magazines, a cookie jar with cookies in it, kitty cats and tons of movies to name a few of the amusements.

Being a rainy Friday night, opted to stay in a watch one of the hundreds of DVD's in Diane's collection. Here's the thing, tho, we only ended up watching 10 minutes of about 5 DVD's. That's what happens when you know you've got options. In the end we didn't watch anything start to finish.

Except for the special features on my one DVD. Heh.

Swap

I've inspired Diane to minimalize (different from minimize). She planned to get rid of so much stuff, a clothing swap was in order. Based on the volume of stuff we anticipated and the friends likely to attend, we decided to hold the clothing swap at Loafers - the club where we dance every other Thursday (or not).

It was jarring to walk in and see all these clothes strewn across what is essentially a bar. Almost like they had been washed on shore, which is somewhat fitting for a beach club. I took a picture but it was of such poor quality (um, lighting) that I deleted it on the spot.

It was also jarring to see a bunch of leads (generally guys) standing around while the follows (generally ladies) scavenged for clothes. It's usually the other way around. How does it feel, gents?

So, we've made a little more room.

I did end up taking a few of Diane's things, which sorta defeated the purpose because it's just a redistribution of the stuff. But now I have dance shoes! Hooray. Diane's foot is a touch smaller than mine so I felt a little bit like Cinderella's stepsister when I was trying them on.

Diane meets Jamie, Part Two.

Poll:
How many garbage cans do you have in your house?
Your bathroom garbage? Visible or not (not = under the sink)?

OK, So Diane and I just moved in and are in the midst of getting settled. It's going well, but there's a teeny tiny bit of negotiation involved. Right now, we are embroiled in what has been dubbed "The Great Garbage Can Debate."

Here's the deal. I'm a minimalist. To the extreme. The "layout" of my belongings is all about art direction. Practicality is an afterthought.

Diane on the other hand. Practical. So, she's got garbage cans on either side of the couch. If it were me, there would be end tables on either side of the couch.

In the end, we got it down to one garbage can in the living room. Several people were polled. Most people don't think or care about garbage cans that much. The thing I didn't quite process during the great debate was that Diane has allergies and actually had a frequent need for disposal of tissues. I feel a little bad now.

But not enough to give back that garbage can.

I have a very small DVD collection.

It's quality, not quantity that counts.

I'm not stuck in here with you.

You're stuck in here with me.

Um, Happy St. Patty's Day?

I'm going to Chicago for work.

No I'm not.
Yes I am.
No I'm not.
Yes I am.
No I'm not.

Sigh.

Rain, rain rain.

Helped pals Luke & Laura warm their house.

Diane meets Jamie, Part One

One of the reasons I was excited about Lucky Charms was because I know cereal. Because I eat a lot of it. Because it's easy and yummy and serves one. Unlike baking and cooking which are not as easy (relative to cereal prep).

I've just moved in with a woman who bakes cakes for weddings. Not as her full time job, but it could be. I'm going to take this roommate thingy as an opportunity to learn a bit without having to invest in all sorts of pots and pans and crap like that (I bet the amount of stuff that goes with cooking and baking is part of my hesitation).

So, today is my bosses birthday and I decided what better way to start my journey into the oven (or what better way to lose my job, should the cooking effort go awry).

Diane and I decided on cupcakes. I described my boss as "Grumpy, but funny about it" and Diane had a flash of genius (intermittent wipers!) and we decided to do Rod the Grouch.

I actually did all the measurin' and mixin' - I had wine with dinner and I was feeling it a little bit which could have been disastrous but apparently I did alright.

Diane finished them off while I hung pictures (When it comes to interior decoration, I'm the baker).

Here's the final result


And here's my boss with an extra grumpy pose for his birthday.

I'm all talk.

Last night Team Bob Saget had to suffer through St. Patty's Day Trivia. I was not a fan. As a lover of junk cereal (Fruity Pebbles is my latest fave) I joked "Well, if there's a Lucky Charms question, I'm all over that" - and then of course there was a Lucky Charms question (what are the original four shapes) and I didn't know.

I know stuff, really.

Windshield Wipers

Rented this movie. Fell asleep for a good solid 1/2 hour but enjoyed it nonetheless. I admire anyone who has that type of passion and commitment, no matter the cause. It does beg the question, however, of the cost of that commitment?

It's not part of foreplay but still very important.

Diane attempted to wrangle more Tarot players for a game night. We played some Tarot but also played some Taboo, a game which is most beloved to me, indeed.

On a separate note (but soon to be related note) I was recently introduced to "Flight of the Conchords" and am quite fond of their music. And videos.

Anyway, I was de-lighted when one of my Taboo words was "Recycling" and I gave the clue "It's not part of foreplay, but it's still very important."

How awesome, you ask?

I have awesome friends.
"How awesome?" you ask.
So awesome, they agree to help me move across town.
And when an unidentified object flies out of the back of the truck on I-40.
They go back.
And get it.
It was a lunch bag that a co-worker got for free from Self Magazine and gave to me.
So not worth any amount of highway risk, but so sweet of my pals nonetheless.

Moving was a little disorienting, just because moving can be that way.

Happy Anniversary

Jamie + North Carolina.

*Three Years.

I felt a bit disoriented when I first moved down here. I promised myself three years. Three years to connect.

*I flew in on the night of 3.5.06, actually. I remember when someone on the plane asked me if I was from NYC or NC I burst into tears. Because at that moment in time the answer felt like neither.

It was Oscar Night. There was no food in my apartment except some mints. I had mints for dinner. I remember when someone on the plane asked me where I was from I burst into tears. Because at that moment in time I was no longer from or in New York, but not yet in NC.

Mmmmm. Tacos.

And then I read a book about positivity. For a book club.
This is a fine way to spend a Thursday night.

We win. For the third time.

Back to victory. I successfully answer a question about "Friends." With confirmation from others. There were no New York questions this week. In weeks past I found myself babbling about my life in New York and how fabulous I am because I lived there and then am unable to answer trivia questions about New York.

Another Reason Why I Like Where I Work

"Why don't you put it in your break room at work?"

"The whole place is a break room."

Scrabbling

This is a fine way to spend a Monday night (and Tuesday morning, if you want to get technical since we stayed up so late).

This was depressing.