The Three F's

Auntie K is now officially a part of the Best Company Ever, having attended Target Team Member orientation last night. I've read lots of comments on the Internet from disgruntled Target employees, but my first night was just fine. I got a free soda and a free banana (both times I've been in the break room, there were quite a few bananas on the counter, free for the taking). And I heard some interesting fraud stories from the Target Protection Specialist who spoke to us about Assets Protection.

I also learned that the Target experience, for both guests and team members, is supposed to be Fast, Fun, and Friendly. What a coincidence--that's just how I've always thought of myself :-)

Well, OK

I saw a picture of NordicWare's latest offering in the newspaper, a stadium-shaped Bundt pan, and was going to write a post about how silly it is, but then when I looked at the NordicWare Web site, I decided it's not so bad. It would make for a clever, if probably underappreciated, dessert for your next football-watching party.

Me, I think I'll wait for a basketball arena-shaped pan, and then decorate the cake with blue, black, and silver.

Slow on the Uptake

It only took me 36 years to realize that the perfect place to put my keyring as soon as I get out of the car at home is straight into my purse. That way, I never have to hunt for my keys when it's time to go out again.

Great Combination

While researching a particular knitting pattern online, I came across this blog post with a picture of the hat in the pattern, and the post coincidentally begins by talking about Nancy Pearl and the Librarian Action Figure. I love when I find such sympathetic pairings in the world (e.g., library-stuff and knitting).

ps - Thinking the hat would be cute for little nephew-to-be, though I had better finish his Christmas stocking before I worry about anything else.

pps - yes, if you're wondering, I do own a Librarian Action Figure and two of Nancy Pearl's books. Starr, however, owns the deluxe action figure set.

In the House of Mirrors, or, A Cop-Out Post

Birth of a Pretzel

Post-Formation

After Boiling

Fresh from the Oven

The Times They Are A-Changin'

Apparently, the local public library at which I interviewed a couple of weeks ago did not see the wisdom in offering me a job. So, next week I will become a Team Member at everyone's favorite discount department store. You may be interested to know that my hourly wage will be less than 25% of what I was earning 13 months ago.

But, I never said money was everything, did I? And, we hope that this is only a temporary situation, with bigger and better things beyond it. In the meantime, I'm investing in a mini-wardrobe of red and khaki.

It's a Calling

"What on earth d'you think [an aunt is] here for, I should like to know?

To be a pattern and example to all aunts . . .; to be a delight to boys [and girls] and a comfort to their parents; and to show that at least one daughter in every generation ought to remain unmarried, [and] raise the profession of auntship to a fine art."

Jan Struther. (1940). Mrs. Miniver. Harcourt, Brace, & Co.

(with thanks to Starr for enlightening me as to the existence of this passage)

Ugh

Did you know that if you neglect to check your Yahoo! mail account for 3 weeks, you may have as many as 566 e-mails in your spam folder?

Happiness Is

not having to set the alarm clock for the morning.

Crocs Count

Another drawback about leaving UNT is that I just hit upon the idea of starting a Crocs Count in my sidebar. It's taken a while, but just lately, I've finally started seeing Crocs on campus, probably 4-5 pairs a week. I don't see many in the general population (discounting my own house, where there are many pairs of Crocs), so I'm not sure it's worth it to start a count now.

Still, Crocs aren't threatening to take over as the footwear of choice even on campus. Way too many flip-flops, skimmers, and high heels for that.

All Good Things . . .

Today is my last day at UNT, though if I don't quit fooling with my blog and get back to work, it's going to be a l-o-n-g day. One thing this means is that I will have few opportunities to listen to audiobooks in the car. It's good timing though, since I'm almost through the current book, with no new ones on the immediate horizon.

The other thing this means is that my library item count will be back to a less-inflated number--15 once I turn in the two I still have from UNT. Guess that's good--I need all the shelf space I can get at home!

Guest Blogger

I hate checking in on Auntie K's Blog only to find she hasn't posted in three days. I suspect she has nothing to say at the moment, and is just not motivated to come up with anything. Tsk, tsk, Auntie K. I do know that last night, she had time two watch Proof twice in a row, the second time with the director's commentary, and that today she is in Denton, panicking a bit over the fact that her "volunteer" status at UNT is supposed to end tomorrow and she has barely started working on the project she wanted to finish. What else is new?

-a guest

Doesn't Make Sense

If modern civilization can put a man on the moon, why can it not figure out a surefire way to get black ink spots off an irreplaceable, much-loved stone color chino skirt?

A Bit Awkward

I love the Pottery Barn look, but I'm not sure this manner of bookshelf use would be any good for anyone who actually reads the books she owns.

Yummy in My Tummy

One more blog to add to the list . . .

Fat, Dumb, and Happy

I've long believed that there is a link, for some people, between stress and fat. So why, if my life is now relatively stress-free, am I fat (BTW, do you agree that "fat" as an adjective is an ugly word?)?

Apparently, lack of stress and fat have some connection for me as well. I seem content to meander through life these days, eating what I want and when I want, growing more and more "chunky." Certainly, I don't want to go back to the stress-filled life where I had to hide in a bathroom stall at work once a week to cry, but maybe there's such a thing as too much contentment.

Anyone's Guess

I finally had my first job interview today, at a local public library. I really have no idea how I did. It wasn't a total disaster, but I know I could and should have done much better. On the other hand, I'm often more critical of my work than are others, so I may not be the best judge of reality.

Either way, it's out of my hands now. The job is part-time, a fact that is both good and bad. So, I'm prepared to accept whatever outcome arises, and to move on from there. The selection committee will be narrowing to a list of candidates to invite for second interviews with the library director, and I should hear about that next week.

Will keep you posted!

Taken In, or, If It Sounds Too Good to Be True...

There's a reason I try not to watch commercials on television. I rarely watch any of "my shows" at the very time they air, because I refuse to sit through the commercials, and thanks to that magical invention, the DVR, I don't have to.

But on Labor Day, while doing some monotonous work on the bedroom computer, I turned on TNT to listen to the all-day reruns of The Closer. Alas, I have only an old-fashioned non-DVR receiver in the bedroom, so I had to listen to commercials unless I was quick on the mute button.

So, when Keri Russell asked if I was tired of wearing lip gloss that wore off after a few hours (uh, more like minutes in my case), I ran out to buy the CoverGirl product she swore would last for 10 hours.

Ugh. A complete waste of $7, for a toxic paint-like liquid that you apply underneath a separate, shiny balm from a different tube. Yes, it will last for 10 hours, even on your teeth (when it smudged on my teeth, the only way I got rid of it all was with a toothbrush.) Turns out, I didn't buy the exact product Keri is touting--I bought something similar--but it probably doesn't make a difference. That's what I get for listening to a commercial.

BTW, don't bother trying George Hamilton's Pita Thins either. They're too salty even for me, and I have a pretty high tolerance for salt.

Deja Vu All Over Again

I had the distinct non-pleasure of driving to my former place of employment this morning, after being rudely awakened by a ringing telephone, at the other end of which was a plea from a certain family member for someone to deliver an item forgotten at home. Since Oscar doesn't drive, I was tapped for the job. (To tell the truth, I half expected such a call, and therefore put the phone on the bedside table last night, so I wouldn't have to grope my way to my handbag when it rang.)

The beauty of unemployment, however, is that now that I'm home again, I can crawl back into bed if I wish (but of course I won't, because I don't believe in napping).

Incidentally, the reason I wasn't already awake when the phone rang at 7:22 a.m. in the morning is because I stayed up to finish Folly, a book I can't imagine anyone (with a brain) not devouring, both for its suspenseful plot and beautiful scenery (San Juan Islands), as well as for its rich, mature writing. I read it so quickly, in two sittings, that it never even made it onto the "Currently Reading" sidebar.

Another Letter

Dear A and O,

Today is the big day--the first day of your school career. Ah, the smell of freshly sharpened pencils, the shiny laminated bulletin board cut-outs, the new clothes. There's so much to love about the first day of school.

I hope you'll indulge your aunt and let her give you some advice. I went to kindergarten many years ago, but I still remember much of it as if it were yesterday. I hope you will be able to learn from my experiences and not repeat the same mistakes.

1) If your mother lets you take a tube of ChapStick to school, don't turn the dial so that the whole stick of ChapStick comes out of the tube. It will break off and you will have a mess on your hands that you will have to hide under your poncho.

2) Don't pull the chair out from under one of your tablemates as they are about to sit down. I know it's funny to watch this happen to someone, but it's not a very nice thing to do. Even if you don't get in trouble for it, that doesn't make it ok.

3) Beware of wearing sandals to school if you're going to be outside on the track. When the sandal strap breaks, it can be a real pain.

4) Don't stick your finger into a classmate's Afro hairdo to see how thick it is. Even if you think it's an innocent gesture, your teacher might not interpret it as such (I only know this from secondhand experience. When I was in kindergarten, I had more sense than to do something like this, but some people apparently didn't. Ask around your house and see if anyone 'fesses up to knowing about this incident).

5) Most of all--have fun. And go to the school library as often as you are able!

Fondly,

Auntie K

No Caption Needed

Celebrity Blogger

Did you know that Rose Levy Berenbaum blogs? I found her blog while I was looking for errata listings for the America's Test Kitchen cookbooks. If you're like me and spend more time reading about activities like baking and knitting than actually doing the activities themselves, then you'll love Rose. Her "Vanilla Bible" article for Food Arts Magazine looks like a good, albeit lengthy, read. (Don't worry--Rose's Web designers have done their job, and you can print the post with ease.)

Incidentally, America's Test Kitchen has no errata in evidence on their Web site. Do you think it's because none of their cookbooks have errors?

No, I don't think so either. In fact, I searched their site and found reference in an e-newsletter to errata for Baking Illustrated, the very book in which I'm interested. You have to be a paid Website member, however, to access the newsletter. That's what I call poor customer service.

Who Knew? (A Link-Happy Post)

Went to the Half Price mothership store this week in search of Get on the Ball and any of the Cook's Illustrated Best Recipe books (tried to give you a link to the magazine itself, but their server is down).

Struck out on both of those, of course, but came home with a few board books for Curly, a Nancy Drew (The Clue in the Diary, where she meets hunky Ned Nickerson), and The Best of Dr. Seuss.

If I had to compile three books for a best of Dr. Seuss volume, they would be Hop on Pop, Green Eggs and Ham, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas! But, no one asked me, so this volume contains The Cat in the Hat, The Cat in the Hat Comes Back, and Dr. Seuss's ABC.

Turns out, I don't like The Cat in the Hat (oh, did I say that aloud? Does it make me un-American?). It's way too chaotic and out of control for me. The Cat comes in and turns the house into a total disaster zone, almost as if he had evil intentions. Yeah, he puts it right before the mother comes home, but that doesn't make what he did ok.

The other interesting thing about this book is that it was published in England, so that it refers to "Dad's £7 shoes."

Incidentally, if you've never perused Dr. Seuss's wartime political cartoons (or even if you have), be sure to check out this exhibition.