Thank you, Eco Experts!

Nerdiest spam subject ever: "Receive a government backed RPI linked 25 year incentive!"

What?  No v1agra?  No ci4li$?  I AM INSULTED.  I DEMAND PENIS MEDICATION OFFERS IMMEDIATELY.

FYI - they were trying to sell me solar panels.  In England.

Wut.

Borrowed time runs out.

When you adopt an adult pet, the moment they're yours, you're immediately buying time.  An eleven year old Maltese might have another 5 years in him.  Six, if you're lucky and can afford trips to the Pet ER.

This is the table you're invited to sit down at when you adopt any animal.  Your new host will let other guests come and take a little bit with them if they leave.  Such is the greed of Illness and Accidents.  Sometimes Lost comes to take your host from the table for a while, but hopefully not for long and not meeting with Accidents on the way home.

Yet, at some point you will have to leave the table yourself, and it's a hard, sad goodbye.

Yesterday I said my goodbyes to Lester.  He was my sweet, sweet boy, and I won't ever forget him as long as I live.

Recipe: Chicken and Onion Pie

This is another recipe in the vein of "what do I have sitting around the house and what can I make out of it?" Last night's dinner was conceived during my drive home from work keeping a few things in mind.  It is getting colder, so I wanted to cook something warming.  We haven't gone grocery shopping in a while and I was feeling lazy so it needed to be stuff we had in the house.  I did a mental inventory: I roasted a chicken a few days ago that needed to either become soup or be frozen in the next few days.  We had a sack of onions that was starting to look a little peaky when I roasted the chicken.  We had flour, and butter, and some milk and eggs.

SAVORY PIE.  I noodled around on the internet and got the basic idea from a few different websites.  I decided to do an entirely different crust and voila: Chicken and Onion Pie!

Recipe after the jump!

Oh, hello there.

What I have been up to in the last little while:

- SPX was AWESOME.  I got busy shortly after and never got a chance to post about it, but I managed to wrangle hand-shakes out of several of my favorite internet celebrities. I still haven't washed my hands. [this is possibly a lie.]
- Readying our house for a swinging Halloween party. Happy Hallo-Whedon, everyone! I'm dressing up as Saffron. [wiki]
- Readying our stuff to move into a new house. [Coming in December! WE ARE SUPER EXCITED. Same neighborhood-ish - on the other side of JHU.]
- Devoting all the squees over my niece Eleanor. SHE IS SO GREAT. I went out there in early August and got to snorfle her for DAYS.
- Resisting the nigh-irresistible urge to both gnaw my hands off and claw my eyes out whilst waiting for the Machine of Death Vol. 2 stories to be announced. I submitted mine back in July and I have been on tenterhooks ever since.
- Private personal health issues [Sorry, curious kitties, the only health stuff I'll ever blog about is colds and if I ever get pregnant.] [I'm totes not pregnant.].
- Other personal stuff.

Various and sundry media and literary news:

- Got my roommate hooked on The Guild.
- We love Once Upon a Time so far.  We're going to start watching Grimm this week.
- I am deeply in love with the new seasons of Leverage, Castle, Psych, and Community.  I am going to have all of their television babies.
- I quite liked Game of Thrones.  I cannot wait until season 2 arrives.  Then I'll have to actually finish book 3 and start 4.  Maybe I should do that anyway.  THEY'RE SO LONG.
- I've just re-read the Abhorsen series by Garth Nix.  Y'all, read these books.  They're available on all e-readers, and they are the very best kind of fantasy.  Strong, autonomous female characters, an interesting and new magical premise, mystery, love, sadness, sacrifice, friendship.  THEY'RE REALLY GOOD.

So there you have it. And by "it" I mean random factoids about three months of my life.  ARE YOU HAPPY NOW.

I am.

<3

I am testing jumps.

Things My Momma Taught Me

Today is my Momma's birthday, so I decided to share a poem that I wrote for her on Mother's Day this year. Here's hoping she lives forever!

Things My Momma Taught Me:

How to read.
How to say “please.”
How to poop in a toilet.

How to knit.
How to make a pie.
How to drive a stick shift [Dad helped].

To enjoy strong tea.
To enjoy music.
To enjoy naps.

To think before I speak [an ongoing lesson].
To consider others before myself.
To smile before frowning.

To love words.
To love people.
To love myself.


Happy Mother's Day Birthday, Momma. I love you.

Heart Walk!

I am so close to my goal [which was v. modest, because I am reasonable] and I could sure use your help! I've had wonderful support by my friends and family, and I am so grateful. A little push is all I need to make the goal [and blow it away, if possible!].



All donations will be rewarded with a big floppy hug and a few excited squees. <3

related posts: Heart Health Walk!

SPX is here again!

SPX is finally upon us again! I don't know about y'all, but I will be at that hotel in Bethesda on Saturday morning, helping out. AND I AM REALLY EXCITED.

Pls see last years post about it, and then add on a few more exclamation points of excited.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Compost, naturally.

So, I don't garden. I've got a black thumb and a bad track record with anything alive that can't tell me when it's hungry. [At least fish move and catch my attention...]

But my roommates and I eat a lot of fresh produce [woooo co-op!], and I feel terrible just... throwing those scraps away.

So I have a proposition. We have a large, shaded yard, and plenty of space to keep a compost bin. Would anyone out there who uses a community garden, [or container pots, or something else along those lines] like to get in on some sweet sweet composting action?

I'd like to vermicompost, with some red wrigglers, so if that interests any of y'all, drop me a line! molly [at] mollyprice [dot] net.

As much as I'm sure people would like it to be straight-up organic, it won't be. I'm more concerned with supporting local farms, whether they're organic or not. Luckily, many of them are IPM at least, so there's that.

So, whaddaya say? Want my worm poop?

Heart Health Walk!

This October, I'll be participating in the American Heart Association's Baltimore Heart Walk with my office.

My grandmother died of heart disease, and I know countless others who are affected by heart disease daily.  The American Heart Association works constantly to perform research and promote heart healthy activities, and offers CPR programs at all levels.  It is one of my favorite organizations.

If you'd like to support me, and in turn, promote heart health, then please donate some money to me and my team here!  I will be eternally grateful, and if I ever see you in person, I'll give you a HUGE HUG.

Or a medium-sized one.  Depending on my mood.  And how big your donation is.  

<3

Wondermark caption contest!

So, y'all may or may not know that I am a web comics nerd.  I attend SPX and volunteer every year [*ahem* take a look at the author of this little announcement...], and my google reader feed for comics alone numbers in the hundreds.

I love web comics.

So, you can imagine my delight when I saw that David Malki ! was hosting his third caption contest!

I went and entered at least a hundred times.  Okay, so it was probably closer to twelve [ETA: I went back and counted, and it was thirty-three.  Um.  haaaaah...], but that's beside the point.

The point is: I almost won!  I don't even mind that I didn't actually win, because, guys, I. ALMOST. WON.


Today is a fantastic day!  Now, all I need to do is get accepted for the Machine of Death Volume 2, and my life's work will be complete.  WHERE COULD I POSSIBLY GO FROM THERE.

Google+, and various other links.

I'm on it! If you'd like to add me, I can be found here.

And as always, the Mollexicon continues to be updated Wednesdays.  Stop by and see the latest definition!

I said "other links" in the subject, but I guess I really only had the one.  Here, have a Wikipedia article.

HAPPY MONDAY, Y'ALL.  GO HUG SOMEONE YOU LOVE.

Recipe: Accidental Chicken Stew

So, it all started on Monday evening. Lisa and I went to the grocery store after work and stocked up on a ton of fruits and veggies and some chicken, both a whole roaster and some boneless & skinless breasts [there was a buy one get one sale!].

We get home, put stuff away, and I turn on the oven in preparation to roast this bird. I am a pro at roasting chickens, y'all, and it's quite possibly the easiest and most rewarding recipe ever. Whole chicken, couple tablespoons of oil, salt, pepper, half an onion and lemon. You shove the lemon and onion bits up the chicken's... cavity, and then rub down with oil and salt and pepper. Then I put it in a pan breast-side down [that is important] and roast at 450 for about half an hour. Then I flip it over and roast at 400 until it's done and golden [165 degrees Fahrenheit].

This is a recipe that has NEVER FAILED ME. The chicken comes out golden and succulent, with crispy, salty skin, and everyone ends up fat and happy.

Well, on Monday night? The oven didn't heat up. At all. We turned it off, we turned it back on, we tried lighting it manually, nothing. Bupkiss. So, I wrapped the chicken up, called the landlord, and we ate sandwiches and fruit.

Tuesday came and the landlord hadn't come by, so there was no chicken again. My roommates were at work and class, so I ate another sandwich [ham, mustard, avocado = YUM.] and some ice cream [what, I am a grown-up, I can eat ice cream whenever I want.] and stared mournfully at the chicken while chewing.

Last night: still no landlord, and dammit, I wanted chicken. So I improvized, and oh sweet jesus am I glad I did.

Recipe after the jump!

Change of plans!

Does anyone want to buy MY ticket to the Senator? $10: I accept paypal, and can e-mail the ticket to you.

<3 eta: Alright, I've had a taker. Hope everyone gets to see it where and with whom they want!

And now for something completely different...

Do you guys have, or know of anyone who has, an extra ticket [preferably 2] for the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 at the Senator in Baltimore/Towson? I already have mine, but my roommate waited too long [part 1 totally threw us off, they didn't sell out] and now they're sold out. We'll pay the online convenience charge, too!

Please pass this along to anyone you can think of! You'll have my eternal gratitude, and if they're your tickets we buy, some money too!

<3333333333

Happy Things - June 2011 edition, y'all

HAPPY STUFF, Y'ALL.
My new niece, Eleanor!

new bras [it's not TMI, it is a fact of LIFE, people.]
iced coffee beverages
pockets of wind on my walk to work.
pony tails
restaurants that give your dog a bowl of water when you're eating out side.
sweet tea
asparagus
love
bare feet
wall calendars
notes
secret codes
books
anti-heroes
alcohol swabs
sun spots
space [♥!]
Baltimore.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn

So, you're probably aware that this is going on.

Can we take a minute and talk about the bravery of the survivor? It takes tremendous guts to come forward and report a sexual assault in any situation, but this woman is now probably facing death threats, extreme invasion of her personal life and privacy, and now threats on her credibility.

I agree with prosecutor Illuzzi-Orbon. It is extremely troubling that the defense is making public remarks about her credibility as a witness and survivor. It is, in fact, appalling. I would even go so far as to say it is nothing less than victim intimidation. If this woman was simply a witness, they would be guilty of witness intimidation. The right to a fair trial goes both ways.

I call shenanigans, Dominique Strauss-Kahn. You and your defense ought to be ashamed of yourselves. If you're innocent, the evidence will prove it. If you're not, don't be a coward.

New Mollexicon Post!

Shakings.

[I am in Portland right now, eagerly awaiting my sister and brother-in-law's first child. Tomorrow is my birthday, I hope I get a baby!]

Testing out flickr to twitter!

Testing out flickr to twitter!, a photo by spillingvelvet on Flickr.

New Mollexicon Post: Yeab

This week: Yeab.

Happy Things - On a Tumultuous Day...

It's been an emotional day, and I think I've said all I want to say about it so far on my twitter. So let's jump in with some Happy Things.

love.
compassion.
peace.


What else do you need, in the end?

Recipe: Hobbit Risotto

I've been making this for YEARS and it's consistently my favorite dish to make for company. I first learned how to make risotto in Bizzy and Nina's happy yellow kitchen, about five years ago, from a Best Recipe book. It was the perfect thing for me: kind of fiddly, easy to modify, really hard to screw up. I make it with sausage, I make it with bacon, I sometimes make it with chicken or maybe asparagus. Risotto is awesome, guys. As usual, my recipe style gets a little ramble-y - DON'T BE PUT OFF. I promise it's easy.  Recipe after the jump!

New Mollexicon Post: Thent

And we continue with the madness. This week: Thent!

A Vignette, by Molly Price.

My writers group did a wee holiday exchange this year.  We each picked names out of a hat, and wrote that person a secret story to be read aloud at our December meeting.  My roommate and I picked each other, yet managed to keep it a secret, despite writing the stories side by side on the couch.  This is for Lisa.

Georgia gets home from work at eight o'clock in the evening. She parks her car outside her apartment building and sits for a moment, listening to the radio. The street is quiet and the trees and pavements glitter from the constant rain of the past month.

She thinks about microwaving some leftover pasta for dinner and maybe watching a movie before bed. If she can stay awake.

With a tired sigh, she gets out of the car and slams the door. She feels her phone shift in her sweater pocket and it clatters to the ground before she can stop it.

"Crap," she mutters and bends over to pick it up.

There's a gust of cold wind that whips her skirt around her legs and when Georgia stands upright, snow is falling all around her. She stares up at the sky in disbelief, catching snowflakes in her eyelashes.

Behind her, the car rocks and groans, and she whirls around.

A boy dressed in deep red is crouching on the roof, staring at her with eyes so pale and vague it's like he's looking right through her.

"What are --" she starts, but can't seem to finish the sentence.

"Merry Christmas," the boy whispers, and wiggles his fingers in front of his face. The snow begins falling even harder, blanketing the street in white.

"Christmas is in December," Georgia tells him.

The boy stops wiggling his fingers and drops his hand.

"What month is this?" he asks.

"April," Georgia says patiently.

"Aw, man, I missed it again." The boy stands and digs a small book out of his pocket. He flips through a few pages and looks at his watch. "Shit."

Georgia stands mutely, watching him fiddle with his watch.

"Sorry!" he says and snaps his fingers, disappearing with a crack.

Georgia looks around at the snow.

Damn weather fairies.

New Mollexicon Post: LunchTim

LunchTim.

NOW I REALLY WANT SOME EGG SALAD.

Please bear with me while I indulge myself with this insanity.

New Blog: Mollexicon

A new blog where I amuse myself by making up words and definitions. WHY DON'T YOU COME BY AND SAY HELLO.

First definition: SUGARO - n, 2010. An amputee Mexican wrestler famous for his signature moves, the Hamhock, the Whirling Dervish, the Fiesta Buster, and the Giant Fly.

I don't really have an excuse for this. <3

Happy Things - Crap, I Skipped a Few Months.

Oops! Let's just get right to it.

teeny binder clips.
alcohol swabs.
coffee coffee coffee.
Flying.
clementines.
homemade plum gin.
comics
flan in a cup.
ribbons.
sassy hair.
ribbons in sassy hair.
the color green.
my iPod.
Mythbusters.
my pink scarf.
oatmeal.
the TRON: Legacy soundtrack.
making up stuff.
canned air.
ears.
giant fluffy akitas.
cupcakes.
Community.
the letter "V" vivacious, voltage, various, vivid, vacant, vexing, verisimilitude, verdigris.
blue mugs.
the sky:

Internet Explorer? Really?

Are people really still using IE? Like, for casual browsing? Really?

It boggles my mind.

Lent, y'all.

I wrote this two years ago, and while I no longer even consider myself religious [sorry, Mom.], that's not the point of the essay. Happy Lent, y'all. Go learn something about yourselves.

The following text is taken from the February 2009 entry, "Not Your Typical Jesus Post."

I wished someone a "Happy Lent" the other day, and didn't stop to think until later that they may feel I was telling them to revel in deprivation.

But see, to me Lent isn't about doing without - it's about taking on an experiment that you normally wouldn't put much energy into. I am all about self-discovery. And my mother is always very adamant about the specifics. She is careful to call it her "Lenten Discipline", and never, "What she's giving up". The same way that how, in highschool, when a friend asked "Is Molly there?" when calling me, she would answer, "Yes," and then wait for them to ask to speak to me. Thanks, Mom.

Now, It's pretty obvious that I am not a traditional Christian. I'm not even a traditional Episcopalian, although they are the denomination with whom I identify best. Because I don't necessarily believe that Jesus was the son of whatever God is up there [Sorry, Mom, still mulling that one over...]. I do, however, think he was a pretty rad guy, who preached about love and acceptance and genuinely cared for the welfare of the people he touched. How can you argue with something like that?

But, regardless of what you believe, Lent is a good time to try taking on a task. When you think about it, it's more realistic than most New Years resolutions. You can see the end of it if you really can't stand what you've committed to. And then you learn about yourself. In fact, if you're successful with your Lenten Discipline, try commiting yourself to something new each month! Learn French. Master baking. Master French Baking. Take your dog [or hamster!] for obedience classes, and then enter them in an agility show. Your possibilities are endless, because it's not about doing without, it's about what you can do, and being grateful for the time that you are given.

So, this year, for my Lenten Discipline, I am resolving to be neater. Both in my appearance and apartment. I will do all of my dishes as they are dirtied. I will iron clothes that are wrinkled. I will think more carefully about the food I eat. I will sweep my kitchen floor before the popcorn that was dropped on it gets ground into a fine dust. I'll stick to Lent as best as I can, and I won't think too hard about the science of Easter apart from celebrating new life and enjoying my family.

I do like zombies, though.

Recipe: Lisa's Pasta

Lisa's Pasta
[Gluten Free if you use rice pasta or similar, Vegetarian] serves 4-5 [or three roommates with a few lunch leftovers.]

2 TBSP olive oil
2-3 large onions [or like, 4 medium ones. Use as many as you want, they're delicious.] halved and then in thin strips
3 large bell peppers [4-5 smallish organic ones - I like the purple ones best] sliced into thin strips
3 large portabella caps, sliced into finger-size and then in thirds or quarters.
3 large zucchini [4-5 small ones - i like to mix and match yellow and green] sliced into thin half-moons if zucchini is large, or rounds if small.
1C balsamic vinegar. [this is an approximation - you may not need all of it, or you might want more. I basically pour until it's slightly saucier than I want, and then I let it reduce for a while.]
3 TBSP pesto. [this is what really makes this dish awesome - I have gone without pesto, and it's just not as good.]
1lb pasta [shapes work better than strands here, but knock yourself out. also, use rice pasta for gluten-freeness.]
parmesan cheese to sprinkle on.
salt and pepper to taste.

Start the water for pasta and before everything else. I like to add lots of salt and garlic powder to my pasta water before the pasta goes in.

In a large skillet, saute the onions in the olive oil until caramelized. Anyone in the house with you will wander into the kitchen and miraculously keep you company the rest of the time you're cooking. You're welcome.

Add in the bell peppers, mushrooms, and zucchini and let cook for a few minutes until things start to soften.

Add the vinegar until it's a tad saucier than you want. Let things mellow for a few minutes with a lid before adding the pesto. Add some cracked pepper and salt if you think it could use some more - just wait until after adding the pesto as it is sure to be salty.

Side note - I make a batch of pesto and then freeze it in ice-cube trays for individual servings. This recipe works best with 2 cubes, which I've calculated to be roughly 3 tablespoons. The more the merrier, though. This dish can only be improved by it, and I really believe you can't add too much.

Let everything hang out for 10 to 15 minutes on low heat with a lid, stirring occasionally.

Serve over pasta with copious amounts of Parmesan cheese.


I know the photo is terrible, but when I'm hungry I'd rather be cooking than taking arty food shots. *shrug*

It was time.

Attired to please herself: no gems of any kind
She wore, nor aught of borrowed gloss in Nature's stead;
And, then her long, loose hair flung round her head
Fell carelessly behind.
~Publius Terentius Afer

I got my hair cut this weekend. All of them, actually. The story in photos after the jump.

Happy Things - January times

Alright, let's just dive right back in here with a Happy Things list!

new bed frames.
clean sheets.
smelly candles [but only cinnamon, vanilla, or eucalpytus spearmint.] [maybe sometimes gingerbread.] [chocolate is nice, too.]
Robots.
snowman pencils.
wild hair.
small children that shake hands when being introduced.
calvin and hobbes.
brand new journals. [I have a journal problem.]
my dog. [he's been huddling into a nest on my bed every morning when I leave for work.]
herd immunity. [whatever, you all knew I was a nerd.]
ramen noodles.
my kindle.
my family.
my friends.
cherry coke.
yoga.
sweet-tea flavored vodka.
new tattoos:

science.
you all. <3