It all happened kind of by accident when my family moved and I started the tenth grade at a different high school.  As my guidance counselor was going over the classes I had chosen to take that year at my previous school, she enrolled me in their equivalents at the current school.  Trigonometry, Physical Education, Chorus, American Studies, and English were all available at my grade level but as she made her way down my schedule she couldn’t seem to find a match for my last elective, Keyboarding.  

When the guidance counselor at the new school asked me what “this Keyboarding” was, I told her that Keyboarding was a typing class where students were taught how to type on an electric typewriter keyboard.  I informed her that I took it as a “fun thing to do” during activity period and decided that I liked typing so much that I wanted to take on the full-blown class the next semester.  ”Oh,” she said, “we don’t have Keyboarding here but we do have BASIC.”  ”What’s BASIC?” I asked, to which she replied, “It’s like Keyboarding.” 

Now every time I think of what she said, “It’s like Keyboarding,” I always think of the scene in Three Amigos when the Amigos walk into a Mexican bar and ask for a beer.  When the bartender informs the three that the bar only serves tequila, they ask what tequila is.  The bartender replies “Oh, it’s like beer.”  Makes me laugh every single time because to me the situation could not be more relevant. 

Who knows where I would be if I realized that taking that one BASIC course would mean years of learning difficult, complex concepts and having to take Calculus and eventually Statistical Inference.  In high school I stayed as far away from math and science as I possibly could.  Why would I want to pursue a career where those two things would be blended into a something that I would use daily?  In the end I’m thankful that guidance counselor had no clue what BASIC was.  She may never realize it, but  that misunderstanding is the single reason I am where I am today and I could not be happier.

This year, I resolve to:

• Focus on quality time with my daughter and realize that I will never be able to spend the quantity of time with her that I want.
• Distinguish wants from needs and act appropriately when confronted with the overwhelming desire to purchase yet another item that I will use for two weeks and then put away forever.
• Keep my extremely personal life personal and not divulge every detail to those I do not truly consider my best friends.  Because I frequently open myself up to people I feel close to, I provide them with ammunition that frequently gets used against me, hurting only myself.
• Not be too emotional at work.  I tend to get upset too easily and my emotion comes through.  Although I am a human, this is not acceptable in professional situations.
• Improve my programming skills and read at least one new technical book per month.
• Blog at least once per week.
• Be true to myself and not be made into someone others want me to be.
• Don’t take life for granted and realize that I should appreciate the small miracles around me.  I believe this will make me a happier person.  I’ve been struggling with a sort of depression lately and it’s very easy in this state to overlook the simple things that bring joy to life.

That’s quite a long list of resolutions to try to meet but they are all very important things that I have been striving to do, even lately.  We’ll see how I do as I blog this year… if I keep that one.

I thought that maybe a new ‘do would cheer me up. I’m notorious for changing my hair on a whim and suffering the consequences later, but what could I do with it? Well, my hair is already shorter than I would like it to be so cutting it was not an option. Ah, yes! I would color my hair. A nice, cheery, brilliant golden blonde. That should make me feel better, right? Ok. So I gathered all of my tools:

• L’Oreal Hair Stripper - To remove the red that was already in my hair so that I could go lighter
• A nice L’Oreal Medium Golden Blonde hair color kit
• An hour of time
• Lots of conditioner

Yikes!

Terrible picture but back to normal!

Planning is Key

The first thing I did in regards to the party was plan.  How hard is it to plan a small party for a four year-old?  Not very, but if you forget tiny details they begin to add up to big expenses.  Crafting your budget will enable you to know how many people you can invite, what you can spend on necessities including cake, ice cream, and supplies, and will keep you from making impulse purchases as you near the party date.  My budget was $30.

Aidyn decided a while ago that she wanted to have a Barbie-themed party.  When I first sat down to determine the supplies I needed to accomplish this, I came up with the following and noted the cost if I were to take a more non-DIY approach:

• Spaghetti dinner for 18 - $20 (includes salad with fixings, spaghetti, homemade sauce, and garlic bread)
• A Barbie cake - $15-$30 for a round or sheet cake from the local bakery
• Themed plates - $2.99 for 8 (I would need two packages)
• Themed cups - $3.39 for 8 (Again, would need two packages)
• Themed napkins  - $3.39 for 16 (At last, something I don’t need to purchase two of)
• Pink cutlery - $2.49 for 24 (8 of each, forks, knives, and spoons… would need two)
• Balloons - $2.49 each for mylar balloons at Giant Eagle or Wal-Mart (would most likely need two)
• Ice Cream - $2.50 on sale for each container (need two, Chocolate and Vanilla) 
• Potato Chips - Anywhere from $1.50 per package to $3.00 per package (would need two)
• Pop - Anywhere from $1.25 each 2 liter (would need three) to $6.98 for a case of Pepsi.
• Coffee - Already have that at home
• Children’s beverages - Already have a variety of sugar-free Kool-Aid like drinks in the house

How I did it

The first thing I decided to do was to nix the dinner idea.  Just because my child has a party does not require me to feed dinner to every person who walks through the door.  Would dinner be fun?  Of course, but it is a lot of extra preparation, expense, and clean-up to deal with, especially for a party honoring a four year-old child.  We decided to have the party at 4 p.m. and only serve cake and ice cream.

Next, onto the cake.  I detest store-bought cakes because, not only are they expensive, they are impersonal, sometimes sloppy, and you never truly get what you want unless it is made from a template they have made hundreds of times before (back to impersonal).  At first, I thought I would buy a pre-molded cake pan from JoAnn Fabrics (anywhere from $9 to $14 depending if a 40% off coupon was used), buy cake mix, make my own icing, color it myself and decorate the cake, but when I searched the internet for Barbie Cake ideas, I saw a wealth of possibility.  Barbie cakes that featured dolls with cake skirts were everywhere and seemed very nice and very doable and although I knew I would put more time into this type of cake, I knew it would be worth it.  Total cost of cake was $11: $2 for the doll, $2 for the cake mix, $5 for homemade fondant and icing, and an additional $2 for eggs and oil.

Decorations are always very costly.  Because party plates and cups are generally used and then thrown away, I decided to forego the Barbie plates and purchase a package of 20 pink plates for $1 at the dollar store.  I also picked up a package of pink napkins for the same price.  I already had plastic cutlery and cups at my house, so we used those, but even if we didn’t have these things, we would have purchased cups and used regular silverware.  As far as balloons go, we purchased two Barbie mylar balloons from the dollar store for $1 each and had six balloons, that we already had on hand, inflated with helium at Wal-Mart for $0.25 each.  My sister had the excellent idea of creating big poofy decorations from pastel tissue paper which cost $2 for two packages.  The poofs turned out beautiful and matched the girly Barbie theme perfectly.  Total cost for decorations: $7.50.

I didn’t have much leeway on the ice cream and potato chips.  I purchased two half-gallons of ice cream on sale for $2.50 each and purchased two bags of potato chips (one plain and one barbeque) for $1.50 each, also on sale.  I went the 2 liter route with pop and purchased three two liters (Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, and Orange) for $1.25 each.  I also made coffee and Kool-Aid that I had on hand.  Food and beverage total: $11.75.

Grand total for party: $30.25.

Sometimes it’s the Little Things that Mean the Most

Beautiful cakes ultimately get cut into and eaten, plates are covered with frosting and tossed in the trash, and even the most beautiful decorations get taken down.  It’s the memories that last.  What my daughter will remember is helping me bake her birthday cake, crafting decorations, spending time with her closest family and friends, and of course, receiving lots of little girl gifts.  She told me it was the best birthday party she ever had, not that she’s had many to compare with, but it really meant a lot to me that she had a nice time.  

Also important to me is that as she grows, I’m teaching her a valuable lesson - that there is benefit in being creative with how money is spent and how memories are created.  For Aidyn, doing much of the work for the party together was fun and it undoubtedly made for some great memories.  Working together with the help of family and the fact that we are willing to put in extra effort to provide her with a wonderful party shows her exactly how important she is to all of us.  That’s something she will cherish for a lifetime.

Banana Pepper Relish

This past Saturday I did the last of my canning for this year.  My daughter and I went down to the garden early in the morning and picked enough banana peppers to fill a round clothes basket.  I decided the night before that I was going to attempt to make a hot pepper relish, much like what is served with lamb when ordered out at nearby restaurants.  Unfortunately I haven’t the first clue how to cook lamb, so we use it mostly on venison, in spaghetti, and on crackers.

A lot of people have been asking for recipes and photos of my canning sessions so I have decided to post what I did this past Saturday to make the relish.  It’s all very easy, but quite time-consuming and did use up a lot of the peppers that were in the garden.  Even after the relish was made I still had enough peppers left over to make two loaves of banana pepper bread and a batch of stuffed banana peppers.  Suffice it to say that I really don’t care if I ever see another pepper again.

The Recipe

Yield: 10 pints

• 1 bushel banana peppers 
• 1 pint apple cider vinegar
• 1 pint water
• 1 C. sugar
• 2 tsp. tumeric
• 2 tsp. celery seed
• 2 tsp. mustard seed
• 2 T. salt

Sterilize 10 pint jars, rings, and lids.  Wearing gloves to protect hands, cut the tops off peppers, remove seeds and rinse.  In large pot prepare brine by combining remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.  Meanwhile, grind peppers in a meat grinder or finely chop.  Add banana peppers to boiling brine, bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.  Pack mixture into hot jar and seal.  Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Warning:  Always wear gloves when handling peppers and do not touch your face or skin while handling peppers!  They’re not called “Hot Peppers” for nothing!

I cannot count how many times I have heard this phrase used in reference to me and the way that I am.  I’m a country girl.  I always have been and I always will be.  Some people might look down on this, saying that I’m a little backwards or set in ways that were popular back in the 1800’s but I’m quite proud of where I come from and the lifestyle I choose to lead.

In my jewelry box drawer, buried under a stack of small pictures, is a cigarette lighter with a cowboy boot and the word “Country” etched into the leather-like exterior.  It was given to me while I was in college by one of my best friends who told me that as soon as he saw it on the counter at the convenience store he had to buy it for me.  You see, he used to call me “Country” because he always said that I seemed so out of place with all of the city kids that came to the school seeking higher education.  He would call me simple and naive yet strange because, like him, I was a Computer Science major.  In his mind, the quaint life associated with living in the country and technology blended together as well as oil and water.  I just didn’t fit the mold of your typical geek.

Truth be told, I love the conveniences of modern life.  The loss of power to my home due to wind storms as a result of Ike last week was terrible.  I didn’t know what to do with myself having no electricity, running water, and God forbid, no internet.  Although I enjoy all of those things, I still appreciate the the serenity and simplicity living in the country provides.

Growing up, I always believed that I would move away from this tiny spot on the map, and I managed to do so for a while. I went to college but somehow found my way back.  I never thought I would take after my parents, who have an affinity for all things hick like none I have ever known.  It is because of them I’ve embraced gardening and a little bit of farming, the idea of putting up food by way of canning for the winter, and being able to walk out my door into the beauty of the state game lands that border my property.

So go ahead.  Take me out of the country.  I’ll probably embarrass you with my weird, backwoods accent and my inability to handle myself in a large city but know I’ll be true to myself.  I’m a high-tech sort of redneck, a strange breed who, if you take the chance to get to know, will talk about everything from Ruby to raising chickens and why I love my Mac to why I love my Ball Blue Book of Preservation.  Be a good friend and I might even knit you a pair of socks.  Just don’t try to change my ways.  One thing I will never do is look down on someone for their “city ways,” as my dad would put it, and in return I ask that people not try to strip the country out of me.

I don’t know if I hated it because when I was in college it was something that students didn’t do or if carrying one just made for something extra to haul around and potentially get lost or stolen if I were going out to a club for the evening.  Everywhere I went I made sure to bring everything I needed but also made sure everything I was carrying would fit into my back pocket.  I can even remember one of my boyfriends in college constantly nagging me about how many items I would empty out of my pockets when I came over to visit.

No matter what I was carrying - Keys, money, identification, the rent check, or the cat, all that would fit went into my back right pocket.  Ok.  I was just kidding about the cat, but for a reason, unknown to me even now, I would fill that pocket with everything that I possibly could.  Any pair of jeans that I wore during my college years showed white stretch marks of wear, even after only a few weeks after purchase.

When I left college and took my first job, I soon realized that I was not able to wear jeans every day to work and having no other place to deposit my belongings, I purchased the first purse of my adult life.  It was a simple, inexpensive black carry-all.  Although I felt awkward at first, hating the feeling of the bag hanging off of my shoulder and tugging on my fingers as I carried it, I eventually grew accustomed to carrying around this “necessary” piece of luggage.  When I would wear jeans, however, I would still catch myself slipping things into that all too comfortable back pocket - usually receipts from stores and paper money I would get as change, only to be surprised with these gifts on laundry day when they had already been long forgotten.

I realize today that even though I carry a purse (and even enjoy it), I always catch myself trying to fill my back right pocket with items out of habit, usually my iPhone, money or receipts.  I also have discovered that as I get older I tend to keep many things in virtual pockets - old, worn, comfortable places in my brain that the same things keep ending up in. These ideas, dreams, hopes, and fears have worn some areas of my pocket thin over time, yet I keep taking them out and shoving them back in, over and over.  Some items are just too personal to be carrying around in something detached from my body.

No matter where I’m at, I always have my pockets with me, or at least the ones in my mind.  The most important things I think about are always right there.  They can’t get lost or stolen and are ready at a moment’s notice; I just pull them out when I need them.  Occasionally an idea or thought will slip out of the pocket and fill my mind, overtaking everything else, almost beyond my control.  I guess I am one of those people whose thoughts race through their heads, often colliding and intermingling, but always being filed away for later.

Unlike that real back pocket in my jeans, limited by the constraints of the stiff denim fabric, the pockets in my head seem expand to hold an almost infinite amount of information, much of which others would consider useless.  Comforting things - like the lyrics to my favorite songs, pictures of places I’ve been, the sound of my daughter’s laughter, and the recipe for the pancakes my grandmother used to make on Sunday afternoons after church - are some of what’s in there.  Scary things reside there too, like worries for my daughter’s future, the fear I used to feel when the Wicked Witch of the West came on the television during The Wizard of Oz, and what would happen to my family and home should an emergency take place.  

Sure, like that old ex-boyfriend, there are people who may complain about the quantity of things I empty out of my brain pockets.  This, however, does not bother me.  Sometimes it’s just not comfortable to sit on things.

I, however, could care less about all of these downfalls.  Twitter is a free service.  If you don’t want to use it and think that it’s doing you a disservice then by all means do not use it!  If you can look past the negatives, you may discover a tool useful for networking, friendship, and entertainment.

Twitter, when it comes down to it, is pretty entertaining

My Twitter following breakdown goes something like this:

• News/media outlets
• Internet/media celebrities
• Family/friends
• Coworkers
• People I do not know personally but find worthwhile to follow

I follow news and media outlets such as Fox News, CNN, Fark, and various gossip sites because I find it convenient for news to come to me rather than the other way around.  I have Twitter set up on my mac to use Growl, so any time a tweet comes through, I see a visual notification.  Sometimes this creates a lot of noise, but I never miss a headline.

I’ve always been the type that loves celebrity gossip.  Maybe it’s that voyeuristic look into a life that I know I’ll never have, but there is something about celebrities that fascinate me.  Following them, even minor internet celebrities, on twitter gives me a little more of a personal peek inside their heads.  It’s surprising sometimes what is revealed.

Following family and friends is a given.  I love to see what everyone is up to on a day-to-day basis.  Yes, my friends are boring in the whole scheme of things, but it is important to me to know how they are doing and feel a connection with those I cannot physically see or talk to daily.

I’m fortunate to work with people who are funny, talented, laid-back, and intelligent and I follow them because of these reasons.  On Twitter, there is always a running inside joke going on between us and it’s fun to take stabs at each other knowing the rest of the group will read it and get a kick out of it.  It’s also nice to see what project people are currently working on or what they feel like having for lunch.  Yes, we all sit next to each other in cubes.  It’s difficult to explain.

People who I don’t know very well provide a wealth of entertainment.  I tend to follow people who are interesting or funny.   Some tweets from “Twitter friends” keep me hanging on, waiting for more and others make me laugh out loud.

Twitter friendships are worthwhile

I love my Twitter friends - the people who I have met and know from Twitter alone.  They are people who I have never seen face-to-face but feel a connection with through the tweets that they post and my interaction with them.  

I’ve sought advice from and given advice to these friends, have laughed with them at the silly things that happen around them, sympathized with them through their trials and have viewed their posted blogs, Facebook pages and photos to get to know them more.  When I view my received tweets, I am delighted to be greeted with posts from these once strangers, now friends.

Twitter is by far the best networking tool I have used

I am usually a shy person.  In order to go up and talk to someone I do not know and attempt to carry on a conversation, I have to mentally prepare myself well in advance.  This does not always work out in social situations.  

A couple of weeks ago I attended erubycon.  It is a conference that is presented and attended by many influential people in the Ruby community.  Before the conference, I started following erubycon on Twitter and shortly after the organizer, Joe, started following me and I followed him in return.  

Through Twitter I was able to learn what Joe was doing to organize the conference, discovered his love for fine scotch, and realize how passionate he is about what he does.  It is so interesting getting to know someone this way.  

When I arrived at the conference, I was excited to meet him because of all I had read about him.  Had our Twitter relationship not been established prior to the conference, I doubt that I would have talked to him at all, which would have been terrible!  I probably would have never attended the after-conference get-together, at which I was able to get a lot of face time with some truly exceptional people in the Ruby community.  It was, without a doubt, one of the most positive experiences of my professional career.

Keep on keepin’ on

Say what you want about Twitter.  Complain when you see the “Whale of Fail” and gripe about it’s unreliability.  I will continue to use the service to keep me informed, make me laugh, meet new friends, and establish contacts.

Oh look, I haven’t tweeted in a few hours.  Time to take care of that…

Short term (1-3 months)

1. Knit the partner to the sock I finished in August - I’ve started it, I just need to devote some time to it.
2. Finish my iPhone app and get it released - Still have a way to go on this one.
3. Run my first 5K - Was almost up to running a 5K about a year ago.  There is a 5K run/walk at the Zoo this October and I would like to participate.