Brain reformating begins.....

How important exactly is it to know the language of a country you desire to visit?!

In my current quest of Norway I have been doing lotsa fun research. Research that is revealing that having a basic understanding of a language (especially in a Nordic country)will get you farther with the hard headed people of that region. (I am 1/4th Norwegian so I hope I do not offend any one nationality with the previous sentence....)

Sigh, the cities speak English but once you wander outside to the smaller towns and farm steads I think it will come in handy at least to know the basics!

Which is why I have also decided I am going to learn the Norwegian Language. Let me rephrase that....I am going to TRY to learn SOME Norwegian language. I have books, a dictionary, a great learning tool on the internet that teaches you 10 words a day. The only problem is, I have been thinking about learning Norwegian for about 3 months now.....and all I know how to say is uffda (which I picked up as a child anyhow) and himmel, which means sky.

NOTHING ELSE WILL STICK IN MY BRAIN!!!!

As of last week I am sure we are going (as me and my aunt purchaesed our tickets to OSLO!!!) So, no turning back now!!

Now I am more determined than ever to learn as much as I can in less than 5 months, gah when I actually type the length of time I have left it looks a bit....um, gulp.

So I bought some tapes and uploaded an application on my ipad (which has a flirting section in it as well *grin* what, everyone needs to know how to learn to flirt in Norwegian, right?!!)

And I ordered a subliminal CD which consists of 6 classical songs that apparantly have Norwegian learning basics laced through them. I patiently sit and listen to it on a nightly basis and shall get back to you with my final conclusion on "if" it works. God I hope Im not being brainwashed.

To be continued.......

I was born this way

Mae West said it best: "Im single because I was born that way."

I dont mind people asking if I have a boyfriend, I will even usually give them an honest answer.

I only slightly mind when people are trying to hook me up with "a really really really nice guy." Really? Why is he single- or better yet; why dont you date him then?!

What I DO mind, is when through the grapevine, someones friends, brothers, friends nephew; asks about me but will not talk to me in person. I find out this sort of entertaining information from an older gentleman that is also a friend of my fathers. Then I am told by the same man: "To stop being scary to the young men your age"

Really? Am I scary? Yes, I suppose so. I like knowing who these guys are in order to find out more about them, if I dont likey- yes its in my best interest to use scare tactics to get myself (as quickly and painlessly) away.

Darn grapevine anyway. Why is it not so normal NOT to be in a relationship? A big percentage of the relationships out there are unhealthy anyhow. I am learning that I am not so attracted to the guys who are interested and come after me, so I suppose I am also learning how to go after the guys I want to get to know. And thats a serious challenge for me. So Im waiting. Waiting for the right situation. Waiting for the right guy. Just waiting. But dont worry Im also learning how to jump!!!

Dont assume Im not enjoying the wait either!
Im learning to speak out, just like Mae! She had some
pretty good quotes, here are a few of my favorites:

"I never said it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it."
— Mae West

"Don't keep a man guessing too long - he's sure to find the answer somewhere else"
— Mae West

"It is better to be looked over than overlooked."
— Mae West

"I'm no model lady. A model's just an imitation of the real thing."
— Mae West

"You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough."
— Mae West

Lets go dancing Mae!! Wheeeeee!!!!
Its my birthday week! Happy birthday to meeeee!!!

Yellow underwear

Do you ever accidentally leave your door unlocked?

I first walk in my humble abode and oddly I see some movies stacked on top of my vacuum cleaner. Strange, I thought to myself, but my brother must have dropped them off after borrowing them. I absent mindlessly replace them to where they belong. And go down my hallway into my bedroom where something just doesnt seem right.....
Something is different.
Something is moved.
Someone has been in my house.

The curtain over my window has been moved an inch and it was not me that moved it. A tingle of sensation begins to prickle my spine as I turn and look towards my file cabin that is opened a crack, and also not by my doing. I walk towards it and pull it open to look into it and I see exactly what is supposed to be in there: sewing odds and ends, fabric and some pictures in an old musty box that I think to myself oh yeah I need to sort those...

I close the cabinet and turn to go back out to the living area, except, wait! How did I miss this the first time I walked by it? The top drawer of my dresser is also open just a crack.

The day before I had dropped some things off at my house and left with the door unlocked, thinking I would be returning....only I didnt come back until the next day.... as I slid open the wooden drawer my heart almost leapt out of my throat as I realized not only had my personal belonging been ravaged through...but most of my undergarments (particularly my cute underwear) was gone.

Im so disgusted right now. I have to tell someone, so I call a friend. Only she does not answer, so, I resort to posting a rant on facebook, going something like this:

is utterly disgusted... someone entered my house (yes I left it unlocked) riffled through some stuff, took out movies (and left them sitting there) then proceeded to steal my cheerleader beer, and, sadly need I say completely morally wrong...my fucking underwear!!! seriously? PERVERT!!!! I hope you get shit on by a diarrhea diseased seagull that just ate a rotten deer carcass thats been sitting for weeks decomposing!

Ahem, yeah, pardon that little outburst. I wouldnt usually put that on my profile but desperate times result in desperate measures?....

I dont want to point fingers or accuse anyone, but I do have a suspicion of who it is. As much as I feel exposed and vulnerable I dont wish to get the police involved. And Im not the type to start rumors because of an injured pride, but im watching YOU. Truely you are a pervert and if you think you didnt do wrong I hope karma bites you in your stinking arse!!

Sigh even though this was written in a present tense, this actually happened about 4 months ago (August 2010) And recently a woman approached me and the first thing out of her mouth was that she was really embarrased.....turns out it was her boyfriend at the time who was drunk and came home with an armload of- you guessed it- ladies intimates. At first she didnt know they were MY items, but through the grapevine it turns out that my post on my facebook page led her to the information and the need to tell the truth.

It hasnt come around full circle yet, but I know the sick man fairly well, though I did not trust him before and I dont ever want to encounter him again during his life. I dont know what will be said and I dont wish to think more on it. My friends urge me to report it, and I h0nestly dont know why I hesitate. Im still in shock I suppose.

On a happier note with underwear(and also a more recent facebook status):

I heard on the radio today that if you wear yellow underwear to ring in the New Year it will bring you luck and potential mates. Will you be wearing yellow tonight? Bring it on!!!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!!!

Happy New Year- Be Safe!!!!

Diabetes Questionnaire

Hello!

This request may sound unusual (or maybe not unusual at all) but please take some time to answer these interview type questions about me when I was first diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. I am working on a project and YOUR feedback would be wonderful! If you don't feel comfortable answering the questions or if they do not apply to you please feel free to leave them blank :)

Any additional thoughts/comments/worries would also be greatly welcomed!!

Interview questions:

1. How do you know Kate Petraborg?

2. What did you think was happening to her in 1990? Could you tell she needed help/that something was seriously wrong?

3. Had you ever heard of Diabetes before she was diagnosed, what did you think Diabetes was?

4.What did you do to help?

5.What scared you the most about her situation?

6. How do you think her parents/friends felt?

7. How do you think it affected her younger brother?

8. Do you think being diagnosed at age 7 was difficult or easier for her to accept than if she learned she had it at an older/younger age?

9. How do you think Diabetes affects her daily life?

10. Do you think living with Diabetes has changed her outlook on life?

11.Do you think she has control over the disease now?

12. Have you ever tried to stop eating sugar? I dare you to try it for 4 days! ;)

Thank you so much for your support (in 1990 AND now!!)


this is just something I recently sent out so by no means do I expect any readers to reply, but of course comments and ideas are always welcome ;)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

Alaskan Antics

FINALLY!

This week has been so SO busy, housesitting, family in town, rolling black outs, work has been crazier than usual (blame it on the full moon coming up) Now, you have waited so patiently, (as have I) to see this darn dress that has been causing me so much frustration, a friend actually ended up calling a relative up North and sending some fringe here to Sitka!

So, here it is without delay(and without the fringe in front):

and here is the completely finished product just in time for dancing at the Alaska Day ball:

It still requires a few more adjustments, and I need to learn to be more patient with our local crafts store(though the guys at the hardware store are surely gonna miss me)but Im glad the skirt is finished, so next year, I can design and make the top!! Sigh.

Will I ever have time to learn Norwegian?!

Happy Alaska Day!!!

Alaskan update

Soooo, just a little update to the peeps following this Alaskan episode in hilarious endeavors....because , really, what would you be doing online if not to follow my frustrations?

I mean- ahem- Im a bit frazzled with my results so far. It looks... okay. And I was on a roll the first couple days, had some pretty good ideas (some that I had to undo thanks to "expert" advice from a wonderful sewfully skilled friend)

But now Im....... stuck. Our local crafts store has run out of the ball fringe I decided to use to embellish my dress. I got rude(really, imagine that, me?) when they told me it would take 3 weeks to get more ball fringe in...!!

I left the store, pondered my options, since I had already put on the other half of the fringe onto the back of the skirt so therefore came to the conclusion that I NEED this damn fringe. I then tromp back to the store, buy white ball fringe and a box of black dye. (If you didnt guess I need black)

Fun with dye..... and hours later, I rinse the material and...

it didnt work!!!!!

I now have a pretty gray color though.....

The material was not as much cotton as I hoped it would be, this science experiment was truly a synthetic flop.

So off I frolic (can you tell im having too much fun) to our hardware store, and proceed to buy what I hope will turn my fringe black?

I reach the counter and the man asks me if I have found everything I was looking for today?

"Erm, kinda" I say with an enormous sigh that results in me deftly explaining to him my ordeal, by the time I leave the store I have 4 male clerks laughing at my antics (dont worry Im laughing as well as I have just bought black craft paint.....sigh) and rush home between the raindrops so I can spray it outside before another down pour begins (it is October and wet out here as is usual)

Sigh

T minus 6 days to get this dress in wearable order! Sorry no pictures as my computer is being difficult (or maybe Its me being difficult?!) and plus I cant spoil the end results!

Off to the sweat factory for me again at the moment!! Ta ta for now!

Alaskan Accessories

So I've been busy lately (maybe you could tell as I have not been blogging as much as I'd like) I even thought things were starting to slow down, but boy, was I wrong. Cuz then remembered that Alaska Day is coming up!!!!!

So I went to our lovely local thrift store -the White Elephant- today and bought this questionable piece for $3.00:

"Why?" you ask me, well because I'm going to turn it into something worth wearing. There goes the time I thought I could use by curling up with a book and actually relaxing. Now I will be ripping, cutting, pinning, sewing, cursing and most likely poking myself with safety pins! All for the love of Alaska.

Really, if you have never been to an Alaska Day festival, particularly Sitka....do I need to state you have been missing out?!

I can see I've got a fair bit of thinking to do.....

And some possible frustrations....
There IS potential there yes?Okay time to stop typing and see what I can do with this baby!Do you think it matches my eyes? Tune back in for the final results.......

3 week rosemary garlic flat bread

3 weeks....

For 3 weekends I have been attempting to make fresh bread, the first weekend I got my ingredients together; then had a quick trip out of town for a unexpected funeral. Funerals are no fun. Then when we got back into town we proceeded to unload a freezer and dump dirt on a helpful passerbys head as he was helping 2 damsels in distress. (us, if you hadnt of already guessed)

The second week I realized that because I did not refridgerate my rosemary, it decided to get moldy on me.... Not to worry though, because the same friend that helped me dump dirt on the guys head was growing rosemary in their garden! What is better than using fresh herbs from a local garden?! Then the weather got so nice on me (really what a drag it was ;) that I could not stay inside and bake- NO I had to go out hiking!! Every. Single. Day. Nope, no time for bread baking that weekend.

Finally, the third and this last weekend, SUCCESS! Ooh there is barely anything nicer than the smell of fresh baked bread straight outta the oven.

The conclusion of the long wait: Um....GULP! Eaten basically all in one sitting.

3 weeks=2 loaves=gone in 1 day!

Guess I better start planning my next 3 weeks of bread making now! Also better triple the recipe.... cuz it was already doubled and 2 loaves were not enough! And you can make your own dip with olive oil, leftover garlic and rosemary for a yummy mediteranean style sauce!Here is the recipe from Beard on Bread by James Beard:

Pizza Caccia Nanza or Rosemary garlic flat bread

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (100 to 115 degrees approx)
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 T rosemary
3 T olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine the flour, salt, yeast and water in a mixing bowl. Blend well, then turn dough onto a lightly floured board. Knead well, for about 15 minutes, and shape dough into a ball. Place in a lightly greased bowl. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place until double in size 1- 1 1/2 hours.

Turn the dough onto board and knead once more. Put it back into bowl and let rise again for about an hour. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Then punch dough down and turn onto a lightly floured board. Roll in 1/2 inch thickness. Rub the surface of baking sheet with oil. Transfer the round of dough to a baking sheet. Make indentations over the surface of the dough and insert a sliver of garlic and a bit of rosemary into each indentation. Pour the olive oil over the round and rub gently with the hands. Sprinkle with pepper and bake 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy!