Being Switzerland is not all it was made out to be.  This shit is tough, yo.

Cake decorating, take 3!

This week we had to bring in cupcakes, which we filled with a filling of our choice, worked on a new cake border (shells), learned how to do leaves, rosettes, star and swirl drop flowers, shaggy mums, and used a flower nail to make pom-pom flowers (that was my favorite!).

Ladies and gentlemen, may I present you with my very first decorated cake:


Sorry for the crappiness of my cell phone picture (which has a slightly orange tint in every damn picture).  I'm a little impressed with my skills here--everything on this cake is what we learned in class last night (the dots, the zig-zag, the vine-type stretches, and the blobby shapes [I can't remember their proper name]).  Go me!

Apparently I need a "nom nom nom" icon as well.  Eh.  Anyway, on to the real entry!

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When I was young, and my mom would bring my brother and I along while she did the grocery shopping, we would station ourselves in the bakery and watch the cake decorators do their thing.  It was fascinating.

Now that I’m all grown up, I still have a fascination with cake decorating—I watch Cake Boss and Ace of Cakes, and the cake competition shows.  If I could change professions, and be anything I wanted to be, I’d probably decorate cakes (or at least, it would be one of the things I did).

But, I never really learned how.  So, since I’ve been “side-lined” at work because of my knee injuries and was actually in town for once, I decided to break down and take a class—I enrolled in the first Wilton course at a nearby Michaels (crafts).

Last week we had our first lesson, which went over icing consistencies, basic information on how to level a cake, how to make the icing, and working with a star tip to decorate some cookies.  Mine didn’t turn out too horribly:

Tonight is my second class, and we had to bake a cake for it and prepare icing in advance.  I’m extremely excited about it—if my cake doesn’t turn out too horribly, I’ll post a picture :D  Actually, I'll probably post a picture anyway, cause horrible!cake is equally entertaining as awesome!cake.

I finished reading The Hunger Games series over the weekend, and quite liked it.  I really liked the first two, but the last one threw me for a loop--I'm still not quite sure how I feel about it.  I could go on quite a diatribe about it, but I'll spare you all for now--besides, there are reviews out there that express my views much more eloquently (this one and this one, on Amazon.  There are some really interesting comments from someone who liked the book in the first thread in response to the review, which got me thinking more positively.  Which is why I probably need to think about it some more, or re-read it, heh!) I think my main issue is that there were a few things I thought weren't resolved well; it wasn't as engaging as the other two (which may have been the point?)

I dunno.  I'll have to dwell on it some more, I think.  I didn't hate it, but it made me feel way more depressed than I would have liked.  I know that a bunch of people who liked it say that people who didn't like it are upset because they wanted a "fairytale ending," but I honestly wasn't expecting that either.  However, I wish I knew a little more definitely that my heroes were okay.  It's kind of foggy and vague.  I'm interested to see how they handle the movie, to be honest.

I had finally switched out some of my icons, and discovered for this entry I need one that's someone being pensive/thoughtful.  It never ends!

Anyway, in a shocking turn of events, I found myself missing the field this morning.  I haven't been in the field since early June of last year, when I managed to re-injure my knee by getting caught up in fence wire, tripping, and hyper-extending it.  It's still not right and I'm still dealing with worker's comp, but we won't go into that nonsense right now.  At any rate, I hadn't really been missing the field, because being in the office let's me do things I want to do--not just at work (I much prefer doing research and writing than hiking around), but also in my day-to-day life.  I can make PLANS.  I can make appointments without worrying my schedule will change at the last minute.  It's amazing. 

But I miss per diem.  For those who don't know, per diem is basically a daily cash allowance the company pays when you're in the field to compensate you for food and lodging.  Different companies pay different rates--some will give you money for food, but set you up in a hotel themselves (often with a roommate).  Sometimes they only pay you exactly what you shell out and you have to give them receipts and return any extra money.  My company is kind of awesome, though, because they give you a flat amount and you can do with it whatever you please, meaning if you can find cheap enough lodging, or camp, or whatever, you can save a LOT of money.  This was how I funded a lot of my fancy computer-getting and camera buying in the past.  It was like a second income, and now that I haven't had it in nearly two years (the project I re-injured myself on was local, so we didn't get per diem), I'm sort of missing it because there's all kinds of things I'd like to buy, and now I can't afford them without saving up for quite some time.

In particular, I really want an iPad.  They're just kind of awesome and pretty and shiny. When I thought about it this morning, I realized that if I was to go in the field and save just HALF of the per diem I'd get, I would be enough to buy an iPad.  Isn't that ridiculous?  If I was able to go out for just one 10-day session, I could buy an iPad!  And probably some accessories, too. 

However, when I was in the field, and getting all this extra cash to buy things, I was fucking miserable.  I dreaded going to work each and every day.  I hated being hot, sweaty and dirty every day (or cold, stiff and miserable, depending on the time of year).  In the end I've realized that the old saying is true:  money does not buy happiness.  I'm so much happier now that I get to be in town all the time, and go home to my cats and my own bed every evening.

But I still want an iPad.

I grew up in Colorado, and we lived in a very, very old house; it was built in 1902.  Well, the top half, anyway.  Before the 1940s, it sat on the back of the lot, but later they moved it up on top of a basement.  Remnants of its previous location were still evident in my childhood--the path of the old driveway could still be seen on one side of the backyard.

Living in such an old house has its interesting moments.  Anytime my father had to make repairs, he wasn't sure what he'd find encased in the walls (weird wiring, actual 2x4s, etc.)  Also, as you might expect, the house was haunted.

I was convinced of this from a fairly early age, and its validity only got stronger as I got older.  At one point, during my teenage years, I swear that I heard typing on my computer keyboard in the middle of the night.  Doors would slam shut by themselves.  I often got a creepy feeling I was being watched.

Not too long ago, my family got to discussing the "haunting."  I was surprised when we all came to an agreement on one matter:  the basement was creepy.

I've been really into Ghost Adventures again lately (some of which I think is a crock and some of which creeps me out), but I can't watch it alone, so I always go over to my parents house and watch it with my dad, who finds Zak, Aaron and Nick equally entertaining.  The other night I started talking to my dad about the show, and thought about our old house back in Colorado, and we started talking about it.  I was thinking to myself about how the laundry room/stairs creeped me out, and how half the time I'd go down there to do laundry and then RACE back up because I felt like someone/thing was watching me.  I never really thought my dad believed in the "haunting" but then he surprised me by saying that sometimes when he'd go up the stairs, he felt like he was being watched.

I got to thinking, and when I talked to my mom asked her, "What part of the basement creeped you out the most?"  Without a pause she said, "The area by the laundry sink."  (the same area my dad and I had talked about).  Last but not least, I asked my brother the same question.  His response?  "Right by the stairs/under the stairs, like the whole laundry area..."

o_O  Later, my brother and I discussed it more (via text message), and the ensuing conversation was so entertaining that I'm going to post it here for posterity (edited slightly for clarity. and spelling).

J: Yea, there may have been some electromagnetic stuff going on there.  I always hated going down there, even at the age of 21 during the middle of the day.
Me: Don't believe in ghosts, I take it? :P
J: No, I'm open to the idea of some unexplainable things, but I can't say ghost as I've never seen one with my own eyes...but yea, because of the open hole under the stairs, and all the old as shit electrical stuff, I lean more towards some other natural phenomenon.
Me:  That's a good point.  Too bad we can't get any meters and investigate!
J: That or the old owner killed and buried prostitutes under the stairwell.  I'm going with those two options.
  : Prostitutes and transients.  All buried under the stairwell.  Or orphans.  One of those 3.
  : I've spent the last 10 minutes building his back story.  And how he would dress as a traveling salesman and prey on innocent hookers on Colfax.
  : Or offer homeless men a hot meal in return for yard work, then smash them in the head with a shovel when their back was turned.  Then he would eat the meal he promised them while crying and whimpering, "Not again."
Me: "Innocent" hookers?"
J: Yes, innocent.  Its not her fault she was born into an abusive family and had to resort to turning tricks to support herself and her crippling opium addiction.  It's the only thing that would numb the pain.

It's too bad I can't get any real information on the house (if any exists) without actually going back to Colorado.  Ah, well, someday maybe we'll solve the mystery.

I tend to get into obsessions/phases with different things.  For awhile, I was a knitting maniac.  Now I don't even want to look at the pair of socks I've been meaning to finish for my mother.  I was also obsessed with Tumblr for a time, then that went away, and now its back (damnit, Tumblr!)  We won't go into my WoW obsession (which, actually, I haven't had in awhile either--I actually stopped my account back in July or August--CRAZY TALK).

Now I find myself back here.  I think part of it has to do with the fact that I was going through my computer and discovered I have about eleventy billion livejournal icons; it made me want to switch some of mine out, so I signed on.  Instead of switching icons, however, I thought to myself, "Gee, I should blog."  And here we are.

Besides getting into activity phases, I also tend to get into non-activity phases.  I went for nearly a month and a half not wanting to go out at ALL, which was apparently distressing to some of my friends, but its just how I roll.  I'd just rather go home, put on my PJs and sit on my ass.  I think different people "recharge" in different ways, and as I am a more introverted type, my recharging does not involve going out and drinking, etc.  Mine requires actually laziness and sleep ;)  But to each their own!  I seem to have recovered from this phase, though, because I am TOTALLY BORED right now.  Also likely why I'm back on ye olde elle jay.

But you know you missed me!

On a completely different note, sometimes I wish the person I am in my head could be the person I am out loud.  Being socially awkward and inept is not a fun thing.