Tie a Knot and Hang on…?

• As I compose this, I’m sipping on some divine smelling Kyoto Cherry Rose organic green tea, part of a care package from lovely Kathryn. Also included in the pick-me-up: fancy salt and the “hot” version of my favorite smoked paprika. (We use the version of the latter on salmon pretty frequently. Can’t wait to taste the difference.) Thank you, Ms. K.
• Oh, ouch. The housing market in the midwest has T-A-N-K-E-D. A house down the street from us just sold at auction this weekend for $109K.
• Had the pleasure of Danyon’s company for a day yesterday and looking forward to brunch with him again on Sunday. What a peach! I wish we lived closer.
• My friend Sarah is making an effort to eat locally this summer and is blogging her efforts here.
• Rantz has opened a new forum for those who will be left homeless once the Engine closes its doors at the end of the month. Rantz is a good guy and will no doubt make a great host, but I admit to being turned off by a thread that seeks to name 50 bad autobio comics. Less than classy, if you ask me. [Mind you, no one did. This is unsolicited opinion-giving.] I mean, really: isn’t this a discussion we’ve had a zillion times? The threshold to comics publishing is so low that bad comics are just not hard to find. (I have a love-hate relationship with that low-threshold, but that’s a conversation for another day.) What’s to be gained from this list? We could also make a list of embarrassing semi-autobiographical first novels if we really wanted to get our snark on. Isn’t it more interesting and more challenging to find and talk about the good stuff? Le sigh. Rantz has cautioned the guy already but I suspect that thread will devolve and fast.
• Yesterday was a big day for ticking things off the monstrous and intimidating to do list. Also? For spending money. We got this glider for the nursery (and its ottoman) and despite my concerns that it may not actually FIT in our tiny little nursery, I think it’s a good buy. Fraction and I were both comfortable enough to sleep in it and it’s hard to find a chair that’s comfy for us both, what with the foot of height difference. We also ordered the breast pump and bottles. Fraction and Danyon installed the car seat — we just need to run by the hospital and have them check it and make sure it’s in there properly. What else? Oh, we did our shopping for Kara and Tony’s wedding, too!
• Lee is starting up his Fast Fiction Challenge again. Go check it out here.
• T2 was kind enough to package up my purchases from SDCC and send them, sparing me the trouble of carting heavy luggage home. Even better? He threw some goodies into the box, including an AWESOME rubber stamp of a pirate baby and the Kid’s handmade baby book. I believe we have a plans for that; I’ll confirm with Fraction and fill you in later.
• Adrian got a fancy new camera lens. EVERYTHING that girl makes is beautiful. It’s both uncanny and unfair. Good thing I adore her. (Speaking of women I adore who make pretty pictures, check out Lauren Martin’s lomo set on Flickr. Stunning.)
• …Aaaand the glider is here. Aaaaand it takes up more room than I’d hoped. We did figure a work-around, but it’s going to involve a lot of, well, work. We’re going to have to move the changing station to where the shelves are now, which means taking shelves, pictures and a mirror off two walls, patching, repainting and rehanging. Ugh. When we’re done, though, we’ll have space for the crib, the changing table/dresser, the chair and a small table next to it for a lamp, some books and oh, I dunno, a breast pump, maybe.