Cutting and using herbs like basil make them grow better! Use 'em!

It's seems extra zippy in here tonight.

In a fit of...something, I started pulling up the carpet on my stairs tonight. To find an even older uglier carpet glued down underneath. I don't think my littler sander will handle that. Time to rent a bigger sander.

I'pm with -t. I'm even killing the succulents out front. I can't keep plants alive.

I'm invested just enough in keeping my landscaping alive that a basil plant won't tax me. Hell, benign neglect and even a little hostility and I still have a bumper crop of chocolate mint out back! (I was poisoning vines, accidentally got some of the mint. And I've accidentally 'weeded' it too, only realizing my error when the fragrance hits me.) I don't use the mint for anything except when my trash is super stinky, or the city is, I roll over some of it, and suddenly it smells so much better out back!

I'm also told it deters rats, but who knows. Not even daylight and traffic deters the rats. As I was pulling home tonight, one of the Elizabeths was going to her car and did a freakout dance. I stopped to ask if she was ok, and it turns out a rat had run under my car as I was turning onto our street. She really doesn't like rodents- I'm always on call to dispose of mice her cat catches when the housemate is unavailable.

We had a mouse that was died. I think Mr. Pug caught and left it partially in the yard and K stepped on it. yuck.

The mint in our yard is nutso right now, which is great. But our citrus trees are now done and we have only a single lemon and two oranges left. Sad.

I resolved my nook issues and now I need to see if I can transfer my harry potter audio files to my ipod.

The only one of my Montreal friends still in Canada that I am in touch with was (maybe even is) a perfect Clark Kent. But def not a Superman. Which wasn't that harsh--I mean, he's really hot. He had the whole blue-eyed, square jawed, curl slipping down over his forehead, and the glasses. He was a journalist to boot. But no way was he going to have the imposing physicality. Of course, now I think he looks like Alexis Denisof: [link]

It would be kinda funny to have one actor play Clark, and another Superman--and not just body double. Face too. I remember one explanation that they were magic glasses, that's why no one ever worked it out.

But then there was this guy in my TKD classes who was majorly dreamy, and all the androphiles had a big crush on him. I had an actual double take when I saw him in glasses--or rather when I heard him speak while wearing glasses--I had not noticed he was the guy ten feet away. Still cute, but some juju in the frames or something.

I made the mistake of buying a six pack of Redd's Apple Ale today, hoping it would taste like a dry cider with a little malty goodness for good measure. It's like somebody stirred fermented apple jolly ranchers into apple juice from concentrate, then carbonated it. Uggh.

Ugh, sorry. I'm not much of a cider person, but the Crispin ciders have been interesting to me- they have one that's brewed with an irish stout yeast that has a really interesting flavor and mouthfeel.

Thanks for mentioning lemons, Kat, I have been forgetting to check if mine were ripe. I just gathered several off the ground that might well be edible, so that's exciting. And the path I cleared last week to the orange trees is still passable, which is great. I don't understand my orange trees, but they appear to both have a lot of unripe fruit, somehow, so I need to keep an eye on them.

My mint is struggling. Mint! But the lemon balm is thriving, so that's something.

I helped my brother edit his eulogy of Dad because I knew I couldn't hold it together to speak. Which was good for me because I could feel like I was still in the words. And he gave an amazing eulogy. I think in situations like that, a vague plan at least helps but anything spoken from what you feel will be good. I definitely was impromptu at my Grandma's memorial but I was really content after. If writing helps you, write. If just speaking is your thing, that will work too.

Watching Amy Adams on Ellen, I don't think I knew that there was supposed to be a Superman with Matt Bomer! He is so perfect for it. (She auditioned for it, as well as the last one, before finally getting this one.)

But ... he's Nightwing. Someone just needs to write it and fund it and make it. But he's Nightwing.

Lemon balm and oregano are mint family, and they take over the garden like mint does. I'm not much a fan of mint--we had some weird type in the backyard in NC and...nuh uh. Nothing you'd ever want to eat or garnish with. But a lemon balm yard? Or oregano? Heaven.

I bought a strawberry pot pre-planted with a different herb in each pocket. In two years, everything but the oregano and chives had died. There was oregano out every opening, bright and healthy and thriving, and a tuft of chives out the top like a bizarre hairdo. We couldn't bring with--I assume it's still oreganoing and chiveing away without me.