hanging in there.

So. I'm afraid this post isn't going to be very interesting, but life is throwing me a crazy jab cross combo, and it's all I can do to roll with the punches. However: it doesn't stop the boring rubbish that I feel compelled to write about piling up, nor this blog guilting me with it's taunting last post date. So. Bear with me.

I mentioned my upstream Secret Pal, Ayumi, but I forgot to mention my lovely downstream parner, Kat. The posts of the parcels I sent here are here, here and here, fyi. I've just finished (yet another) Carla beret with Ayumi's beautiful pink 'sublime' wool, and I think it's going to be perfect for France. The wool is very soft, and not at all itchy, and although it came out a little big (again), I'm going to thread a little elastic through the band which I think will actually make it the perfect size/fit. I'll try and post a photo when I can - my camera has been conveniently left at work for Christmas. If you're desperate (yeah, right), just look at this older Carla and imagine it in a fluffy pretty pink.

I've started running, using these podcasts following the Couch to 5k method (also available on iTunes). It's going pretty well, and I'd really recommend it to anyone who's a bit unfit, doesn't have much time, hates paying for the gym, feels inadequate in sporting teams, and needs structured motivation. The music's a bit meh unfortunately, but it's only for 8 weeks and then you can listen to whatever you want when you're running like the wind. 4 weeks down, 4 to go.

I've gotten a little out of date with my sidebar watching/listening/reading. The Shadow of the Wind is on hold, as I needed something a little less intellectually/emotionally taxing, so I went back to the Thursday Next books by Jasper Fforde.

'First Among Sequels' is ok. It doesn't have the same magic as the earlier books, and it seemed kind of internally inconsistent (if you can take that seriously as a criticism in a work of sci-fi) but it was enjoyable and in no way taxing which was pretty much all I wanted. I'd thoroughly recommend the first book 'The Eyre Affair', especially to literature nerds looking for some light reading, but this latest book was merely adequate. Don't rush out and get it, but if you've read the first four, you can pretty much predict what you're going to get, so you'll probably already know if you can be bothered or not. It's fine, it's just not as good as it could've been, and feels like Fforde just realised he was onto a good thing and decided to churn one more out. Oh well. It did its job.

feeling like a dungbeetle ear deep in meadow muffins.

Loot from Baldock's, the wrapping mecca:




















And from Nanna's
pantry: jackpot!

having fun at Kim Wang.

Still life: 'Asian greens with rotting fruit'.

This brilliant mound of Asian 'greens' were a buck for a giganto bunch. Unfortunately, they were quite bitter and stalky, so my excellent greens were somewhat less excellent than usual.

Fish-shaped icecream. Why? Because fish-flavoured icecream would not be as appealing.

Cone filled with vanilla icecream and a thin layer of red-bean (?). Quite tasty.

@ the opera.

I'm not big on opera, but last night I went to see the Con's performance of Cosi fan Tutte. It's a really small production (only 6 cast members and an onstage chamber orchestra), modernised (Emo maid), and in English (thank God!). The only criticism I had, was that not knowing the story I was waiting for another switcheroo, and it never materialised. But I guess that's really a criticisim of da Ponte (and who am I to judge) rather than this particular production. It was actually really good; one of the best student productions I've ever seen - and heck, one of the most enjoyable operas I've ever seen - and I would recommend it to anyone who has a hole in their schedule tonight or tomorrow. It's only $18 for adults, and is in the Little Theatre. Information about tickets is here.

there and back again.

Had a fun surprise weekend in the Melbuns: caught a ride over with the family footy-goers (or more accurately, they caught a ride with me, since I did most of the driving). We mostly lazed around, and did a little catching up with friends which was just what the doctor ordered. I also found a lovely dress which will be useful for some upcoming weddings, and some Cosby Show DVDs half price. Awesome!

Tom and I went to France-Soir for a posh dinner which was great. It was posh in the moderately pricey sense, but otherwise it was just a 'nice' bustling suburban restaurant. The food was excellent, but nothing fancy - good traditional food done well rather than novel but pretentious and dissatisfying stacks of tiny art. I had the Monday-only couscous which was heaped with different meats all cooked to perfection, with a vegetable broth to spoon over the lot, and French fries on the side. Beforehand we had agreed mains only (in an attempt to curtail the bill early) but of course I couldn't resist the Ile Flottante - a barely cooked meringe floating in custard. Yum. Unfortunately we didn't sample any grape juice - but the wine list is extensive and renowned. The OJ, however, was freshly squeezed, just like Mamma makes. I also enjoyed the smart-alec lady next to us showing off her French and ordering a 'cafe au lait' - I'm told 'cafe au lait' is a breakfast coffee only, and outside the home it's a 'cafe creme' that you order. Har har har.

To give myself a little more time, I flew back, and as we were taxi-ing into Adelaide airport, I looked out of the plane window and noticed that on the green banks of a runway traffic island, there was a teddy bear, all kitted up in ground-staff yellow safety vest sitting on a deck chair and fishing in the drain. How bizzare!

And finally, a trip to Ikea heralded good news and bad: they're now selling the Asker containers I've wanted for ages (mentioned and pictured here), but they were out of stock. They're getting more in tomorrow, but you can't order or hold them, so I guess I'll be heading back soon...

seriously considering buying a camera that focusses properly.

Proceeds of the weekend jaunt to Melbourne:






















Melbourne or New York? Purple lit trees on Collins St.























Street Art/Graffito.

















One of these things is not like the others... pink birds, Collins St.

















My camera has inbuilt sparklers!

















Handmaking Langzhou noodles, Noodle Kindom, Russell St.

















$15 Cafe Vue Lunch Box. Value ticks for quality and presentation, if not quantity.

happily compartmentalising.

My new spice tin - discovered at the Indian cooking class I went to on Sunday. The teacher had one just like this, and I found this one at the Indian grocer on Market St in the city for $22! In here I've got (clockwise from left) turmeric, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, curry powder, fennel seeds, mustard seeds and garam marsala in the centre. On the left is the tray that sits inside above the spices, itself sitting in the upside down lid to the whole container. On it I'm keeping cinnamon, cloves, cardamom pods and nutmeg. I think I will buy one more and hopefully that will be enough space to have done with the nightmare basket of spice bottles and packets in the pantry. Woohoo! So organised and happy!

The cooking class itself was quite a lot of fun! It was taken by Promila Gupta, an Indian nutritionist by training and ex-restaurant owner who seems to be grabbing life by the ears now that her kids are grown up - she's also the president of the Indian Association here and a whole heap else besides. Her approach kind of demonstrated the basic structure of a curry rather than giving exact recipes - I quite liked it because it seemed kind of controlled slap-dash which is how I prefer to cook (by feel rather than measurement), but within a clear set of constraints. And everything tasted great! She said most of the classes she takes are when people get together a group of 10 and then they can choose the dishes they'd like to learn. It sounds pretty tempting to me - I'm dying to know how to get that saag paneer right!

At the class, I learnt the secret to great raita: black salt (actually a mauve-ish colour). It really does make the raita taste more like the restaurant variety. Unfortunatly it's one of those ingredients that stinks on its own, and once you know what the undiluted stuff smells like, you may have trouble with the dish itself as well.

We learnt 10 different dishes, and last night I tried two - a Pea Pulao (Indian fried rice), and a chicken and mushroom curry. Here are the recipes, which are not exactly as we were given them, but rather how I made them, and they were yum-o!

Pea Pulao
1 cup of basmati rice
1 onion
1 -2ish cups of frozen peas
1 carrot, cut thinly into rounds
2 bay leaves,
1 inch cinnamon stick
6 green cardamom pods
6 cloves
1 teaspoon turmeric
1-2 teaspoons Bombay Biryani Marsala (in a box from the Indian grocer)
salt and garam marsala to taste

1. Chop the onion finely, and chop the carrot.
2. Fry the onion in a little oil until brown.
3. Add the cinnamon, bay leaves, cardamom and cloves, fry a minute more.
4. Add the rice and stir and fry for a minute, coating well with the oil already in the pan.
5. Add the peas, carrot, Bombay Biryani Marsala, turmeric, a little salt, and 2 cups of water. Stir well and bring to the boil.
6. When boiling, cover and gently cook until the water is absorbed.
7. When ready season with a little garam marsala if desired (1/2 a teaspoon at a time), and adjust the salt if necessary.

Notes: If you wanted to make more or less you could just adjust the rice and water amounts and nothing else. The water just needs to be double the amount of rice you use. (This is true to a point, I think you could double the rice before you'd need to adjust the other stuff). I'm not sure the turmeric was necessary - I think there's turmeric in the BBM so if you don't have it I think it would be ok, but it does make it a pretty yellow colour. Lest you be tempted - don't substitute the BBM for garam marsala. We tried this and it was a nasty brown failure. Track down the right stuff - it should be easy enough to find in the Indian grocer, and pretty cheap too.

Chicken and Mushroom Curry
2 chicken breasts, chopped into chunks
1 onion, chopped
1 inch piece of ginger, grated
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 tub of tomato paste
1 small handful of finely chopped coriander
5-10 button mushrooms, cleaned and halved
2 tablespoons of natural yoghurt (approx)
garam marsala
salt
chilli powder

1. Fry the chicken and set aside.
2. Fry the onion and ginger until brown and add the cumin seeds and fry a little longer.
3. Add the tomato paste and most of the coriander leaves.
4. Add the chicken and mushroom and mix, and cook until the chicken is thoroughly reheated and the mushrooms are cooked. If the sauce is too 'dry' add the yoghurt - more or less depending.
5. Add in garam marsala to taste (1/2 teaspoon at a time), and salt and chilli powder. Garnish with the remaining coriander.

Notes: You could use a tin of tomatoes or fresh tomatoes instead of the tomato paste. As this will be 'wetter', you may need to simmer it for a while until it thickens before adding the chicken, and you may not need the yoghurt. Alternatively, you could use cream or coconut milk instead of the yoghurt. My teacher said that you can add almond or cashew meal and/or spinach if you'd like.

jumbling things together.

I'm back from Melbourne, and not many exciting stories to tell I'm afraid. I had grand plans of taking lots of pretty pictures, but it sort of didn't happen what with the horrible weather and the shooting and all. I had a great time though - I had a couple of fun catch-up dinners and coffees, did some knitting, and discovered the magic of foxtel (I heart old episodes of The Bill). Normally my trips are a bit frantic because I try to pack so much in, so having a really lazy one was great.

I also listened to a couple of French learning cds which were excellent - by Michel Thomas who seems a bit cheesy, but his method of introducing new things by linking them to things you already know really helped things stay put and just made so much sense. Much less arbitrary. I also liked his French way of saying 'yes, uh-huh' after everything.

I just found these awesome brooches made by Simon McEwan in Melbourne. Next trip I will definitely have to track them down, although I don't think it will be easy. For my memory, leads are here, here and here.

*warning: rant begins here*: I read an article confirming the 5 second rule the other day. Well kind of. They reckon it takes more like 30 seconds for enough bacteria to collect on food for it to be too dangerous to eat. Today, I brought a beautiful Perryman's chocolate doughnut for lunch. The chocolate on these doughnuts is not like normal chocolate doughnut topping - it's so rich and chocolaty and not sticky or gross at all. It's almost solid in fact. It's sublime. So when I accidentally dropped a 2 inch piece of this into my office bin, I wondered. It's only just on the top of the bin - it hasn't fallen the whole way in, I thought. My bin is lined with a bin bag, so it's not even touching the bin itself. There's nothing gross in there, and hardly ever is, so really, that piece of chocolate is only touching a clean piece of plastic. Maybe I should just eat it. No-one will see me... Then of course I remember that it took 6 months for the cleaners to vacuum my floor after the builders munched my ceiling, so it's probable that the bin liner is not being changed each day when the bin is emptied. Also, I am nothing if not overly terrified of germs. I did not eat it. In hindsight I should have. I just went to the health insurers to pay the exorbitant rate which they forgot to bill me for. Surprise surprise not only do they provide a poor product, their customer service is also a nightmare: their office closes at 4:45. I should've seen it coming, but really, what on earth is the point of that? What other business closes at this time? Presumably it is so that I will instead call their useless customer service line instead of leaving the comfort of my office to go out in the cold and waste time lining up in their shop. Because that would be my first option too. Yes I am so sure. Grrrr. It turns out that being young, healthy, clean-living and paranoid is not a good combination. I am getting ripped off and jerked around by these charlatans. I should've eaten that bit of chocolate topping, and at least if I'd gotten sick I would've gotten my money's worth. *end rant*

back from the Melbuns.

In Melbourne I
saw:

• Miss Saigon (very good, but the story made me cross).
• 'My Cousin Vinny' (watchable, but I can't believe Marissa Tomei won an Oscar).
• the Australian Impressionist exhibition at NGV (Huge. interesting and beautiful, but ultimately not my thing).
• 2 identically dressed 10 year old identical twins, and one OCD mother.
• A WHOLE SHOP of teapots.
  

ate/drank at:

• The Richmond Hill Larder (part-owned by Stephanie Alexander, excellent potato soup with floaty melty blue brie bits, except I ordered tomato soup).
  
• Somewhere Italian on Lygon St (very ordinary, but lots of freebies, including a surprisingly good red; a fun experience [not to be repeated] because of all the restauranteurs [literally] cornering you with deals to get you into their restaurant).
• Cafe e Cucina (Tobie Puttock from Jamie Oliver 15 fame used to work here. We just had [spectacular!] hot chocolates, but I'm convinced it would be an excellent [if expensive] dinner choice. At 4pm on a Sunday it was full of Italians).
  
• Canteen (lovely breakfast, if a bit nippy. Lukewarm coffee in a good way, and nice views).
  
• Bar None (Old-Fashioned - my new favourite drink. Amused by the two stock-brokers we were obliged to sit with - unbelievably obnoxious and arrogant, but hilariously self-deprecating with severe foot-in-mouth syndrome).
  
• Chinta Ria Soul (on Acland St. Great laksa!).
• Thai Saffron (Riversdale Road, good cheap Pad Thai).
  

got:

• delayed at the airport on the way home due to a broken spring on the plane door
• accidentally on the wrong tram once or twice...

nearly bought:

• the same boots I ummed and aahed about last year, 50% off (still not quite right).
• the most beautiful brown leather Camper mary-janes in the world (out of my size).

actually bought:

• Spacecraft 9-way gray wrap dress, hand-printed with peppercorn tree pattern
• Fibre Red green skirt (reduced becuase it's a [near perfect] second), and brick laceweight headband.
• Nick the Rose clear resin necklace/pendant, with red thread scribbled inside.

missed:

• Lord of the Fries (walked past at least 3 times, and restrained myself. Unbelievable).
  
• Great Wall of China exhibition at the Museum.
• The place up in the hills we tried to go to that was booked out (can't be more specific, sorry).
  

Today I had to turn down a $90/hour gig because I'd already agreed to a $10/hour one. How annoyment.

somehow, not chocolated out yet.

Ok, so I'm officially doing Carousel The Worst Show In The World. Sorry Molly (and also Messrs. Rogers and Hammerstein), but childbeating and saccherine americana songs where I have to play 'pom pom pom pom' for three hours under OH&S nightmare conditions does not a party make. Can someone please give me a human-sized sound-proof bubble for my birthday? Thank God it's for charity, otherwise i'd be snapping off my fingers by now in lieu of actually being able to say 'no'.

Also: here is my ordered list of the best places to sit on a plane.

1. Window seat 'a' next to overwing exit (lots of leg room). Usually 12a but they can be tricky.
2. Any seat on a row all to yourself.
3. Window seat 'a' in the front half of the plane (closer to the exit/entrance).
4. Window seat 'f' in the front half of the plane.
5. Window seat 'a' in the back half of the plane.
6. Window seat 'f' in the back half of the plane.
7. Aisle seat in the front half of the plane.
8. Aisle seat in the back half of the plane.
9. Front of the plane.
10. Back of the plane.

So now you know. I feel so much better now that I've cleared that up.

running down.

A short history of my weekend:

Friday night:

• played a gig (money!)
  
• tried the new Sarah's on Leigh St (disappointing - more later)

Saturday:

• went to big book sale (it was so full they made us line up around the block, and we were on time! At lest they didn't card us...)
  
• went to Mela Indian festival (ate some yummy food [and NATURA's], bought a scarf for $5, saw a cooking demo, ate some sweets)

Saturday night:

• went to cousine's engagment party, saw the 2nd worst karaoke ever (but good on them for having a red hot go); did not participate in said bad karaoke (that would've made it the worst). Reminded of funny anecdote to tell another day.

Sunday:

• read book
  
• studied French
  
• ate a Big Mac (oops)
• did some washing (replaced fabric softener with vinegar and essential oil [better for environment]. No appreciable difference in cleaning power, neither smells like vinegar nor essential oil).
  
• made Traveller's Lunchbox watermelon salad (yum!)
  
• watched hilarious doco on Star Trek fans "Trekkies"
  
• read more book

Close.

out of the loop.

I had quite a full weekend! On Saturday I went collecting for the Red Cross, went to Kathy's farewell (she's moving to Germany for any that know her and haven't heard) and caught up with my schoolfriends.

On Friday night I went to see the Marmalade Circus play at the Queens Arms. I must've seen the Marmies 10 or 15 times, starting probably not that long after they were formed in 1997. They're a great local little (big?) jazz band that play quirky oft-latin-influenced originals. My 18th birthday (some of you may remember) was spent listening to them play at the now-replaced-with-a-hole Fox and Hounds on North Tce. I have their first two cds. But as it turns out, all of those 10 or 15 times must've all been before about 2004, because at this gig, out of 2 hours of playing, I knew only 2 songs. Since I last paid attention, they've put out another cd and two eps, put together a new website, and the format has changed totally, from being a small bunch of the cream of the Adelaide Jazz scene circa 2000 (many of whom have now moved interstate or overseas), to a much larger group with a few of the originals, but mainly made up of the best young musicians Adelaide has. Wow.

I had really better get with the program.

honestly? A bit ooky. I think I have a funny tummy...

Not much is happening here today. The maintenance stuff on my floor seems to have halted, which could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your perspective. There's not so much banging and crashing happening, or stinky painting, or coin-slots littering the hall way. This is the good part. The bad part is that everything's been left incomplete. There's still chunky white dust all over the floor, which is a bit of a worry for three reasons: 1. the builders are clearly not taking much pride in their work, and they're still a long way from finished; 2. the cleaners do not consider vacuuming within their sphere of responsibility; and last but not least, 3. my building is full of asbestos. If I develop respiratory problems in a few years, y'all will know why.

They've also replaced my office door. They decided to paint it after they installed it, but again, it's incomplete, so at the moment it's got undercoat and spackle all over it. It's also got a big hole in it, where the vent (to let the noise in when they start banging again I imagine) will presumably go once they've finished painting. The problem with this is that you can actually reach through from the outside and open the door, even if it's locked. Excellent!

The other problem with this door is that it's a glass filled admin office door. I am not admin. I do not like it when snotty teenagers come and demand their graded essays back. I guess the builders looked in, saw my beloved counter, and decided I was an office lady. That I would love an admin door, to reinforce the idea that anyone wandering by with a question should ask me. That I would tell them where to go. Even though there are now no numbers or names on the doors of my floor. After a few walk-ins today, I'm thinking of telling them exactly where to go. Answers on the back of a postcard.

(Actually, I don't mind helping the multitude of people who come knocking on my door. I mind how rude 95% of them are about it).

Yesterday I went to the Yarn Barn and bought my beautiful Filatura di Crosa wool for my headband. Between comfort shopping, genuinely being indecisive, and not wanting to make a return trip anytime soon, I walked away with three different balls. I restrained myself from the fourth ball in the bargain bin. It's ok. I will use them up. Eventually. I bought the red and the brown that I was considering, and I also bought a beautiful magenta colour. My favourite. Although the internet tells me that there's a maroon colour out there. My favourite favourite. I'll get you one day, my pretty, one day! I'm quite excited about starting the project - I haven't knitted anything for a while, and I haven't had anything new to wear for a while. Two birds with one stone. Excitement city!