Long time no post!

A lot has happened since my last post, the biggest event being the decision to buy a house!

I'm not completely sure why I am bothering to blog about it because anyone who might be following my blog has surely heard all about my arduous search, but what they heck.  There is a LONG waiting period between agreeing to buy the house and actually taking possession of it, so I am trying to occupy my time and keep up my enthusiasm while I wait.

Here are a couple of pictures of the house, from the front and the side:

 The house was built circa 1899, but was completely renovated in 2003...new roof, new floors, new plumbing, new appliances...they basically gutted the house and completely redid everything.  The house is in Bloomington's Historic Near West Side Neighborhood.  According to our inspector, the neighborhood is significant because it used to be the only district where African Americans could own land.

James and I have lived in historic houses since we got married, so we knew we wanted something with historic character.  We looked at several houses in Bloomington's many historic neighborhoods, but all of them were either too expensive or needed too much work.  This house was listed at the very top of our budget, but I kept it in the back of my mind as a sort of back-up in case we didn't find anything before the first time home buyers tax credit expired.

When we finally went to look at it, we fell in love with it right away.  The huge windows let in a lot of light, the entire house looks new, it has so much character and charm...and has a big kitchen.  The house just has a great feel inside.  So many of the older homes we had seen were dark and grubby inside and felt sort of like a maze or seemed to have bad energy.  So many of the houses in our price range had been rentals and the owners had tacked on rooms here and there to make them more profitable rentals...but what they ended up with were what James called "Frankenstein Houses."

This one, although it is a rental, is basically in it's original condition.  The kitchen had been added on at some point, but each room flowed nicely into the next, making the house feel comfortable and easy.  We felt happy being in it...good energy, I guess.  :)

After some hemming and hawing, we eventually made an offer.  The house is perfect for us.  We love the neighborhood, we love the style of the house, and we were pretty sure we could get them to lower the proce.  And did we ever!  They went down $12,000 on the price...over 10%!  That house, at the price we got it for, was perfect.

We had the inspection a couple of weeks ago and the sellers are fixing a few things.  Due to the big snowstorm this past week, some repair work to the roof had to be delayed, but they are making every effort to take care of business.

James and I are so excited about buying this house...after looking for such a long time, it was such a releif to find one that suits us so well.

Winter's getting to me.

We are all alone, born alone, die alone, and -- in spite of True Romance magazines -- we shall all someday look back on our lives and see that, in spite of our company, we were alone the whole way. I do not say lonely -- at least, not all the time -- but essentially, and finally, alone.

— Hunter S. Thompson (The Proud Highway: Saga of a Desperate Southern Gentleman, 1955-1967)

Ahhh...summer

So, its summer. The days are long, the electric bill is high, and in spite of running a window unit AC in every single room in the house, I am still so sweaty that I have to eat my lunch in skivies, just to get some relief from the hot hot HOT afternoon blaze. I will surely be complaining just as much this winter, but DAMN I frigging hate the heat.

That said, summer is one of the most wonderful times of the year, too. The time when all of the fragile, needy, worrisome green vines that have overtaken much of the yard on my rented house now take hold and start to bear the fruit they have been promising since they first peeped their little heads out of the soil nearly 7 months ago.

Behold! The front of the house!

And the side!!



I somehow neglected to get a good picture of the back, where the real monsters are. We have not pruned out tomato plants at all, and the ones in the front have grown so tall that they are now cascading back over the top of the half wall onto the porch. It's pretty serious.

Here is one suprising little gem. Its called the Green Zebra. It stays green, even after it has ripened, turning just slightly yellow, with pronounced dark green stripes. It is tangy and delicious, absolutely beautiful in a tomato salad.








One of our first varietiest of large tomatoes to ripen was the crnkovic tomato, an heirloom from Yugoslavia. It tastes just about like a typical slicing tomato, nice and juicy, slightly sweet. Perfect for a sandwich, or salad.



Then, of course we have our "bumper crop of tiny little cherry and currant tomatoes. The little yellow ones are called White Currants and they are the sweetest, most delicious tomatoes that I have ever had. james has been joking that I should add them to a pie...he's not too far off. The larger red are called Tommy Toe. They taste just about like a typical roma or cherry tomato, but I like them because they are much larger than a standard cherry, but still smaller and sweeter than a roma. these will be perfect to "put up" at the end of the season. The smaller red ones are calle Isis Candy, and they certainly are sweet and delicious. The brown ones are called chocolate cherry tomatoes...these were our big find last year. they are so sweet and rich, with only a little acidity. They are absolutely delicious. It is nearly impossible to pick which ones that I like the best, they are all so good in their own way.

And beyond being delicious on their own, they are absolutely breathtaking when paired with some fresh orange segments and herbs.

And, of course we have more in our garden than just tomatoes! but, really the tomatoes have stoled the show. I have a watermelon vine that looks as if it will be producing one single fruit for me. And to make matters worse, I have no idea how to tell when it is ripe. It think it has stopped growing, but it's impossible to tell. And what if it's about to hit a growth spirt?? No way to know.

We have also had a lot of luck with the greens this year. We have Rainbow Chard and some kind of purple Kale. Both have been delicious. James makes the awesome potato and kale soup with sausage and when he made it with our kale, it was the best soup I have ever had. He has been instructed to make it again this week.

And finally, we have our peppers! We have these lovely jalapenos, some serranos that have turned out to be quite nice, and some habaneros that have just now started to fruit. I'm hoping that somewhere along the line, those tomatoes and those peppers might meet up with an avacado in a bowl next to some tortilla chips. YUM!

So, yeah, we have an awesome garden, the sun is shining, the birds are chirping! I love summer!

I GOT THE JOB!!

I GOT THE JOB! I GOT THE JOOO-OOB! Ok, if you are reading this, then you know by now that I received a job offer yesterday. I have been looking for a change for quite a while, and I am happy to say that I may well have found the perfect job...it is at least a step up, on every level.

Here is the original job description:

Coordinates functions involved with the administration of the IUB Human Subjects Committee (HSC) daily activities and all operational procedures involved with processing research using human subjects on the IUB campus. Ensures that the integrity of research protocol review conforms to federal audit policies and regulations covered by the IU Assurance Office with the federal Office for Human Research Protection. Manages ongoing success of all research at IUB. Advises regional campus compliance coordinators. Participates in educational activities for IUB researchers and departments. Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree and two years of progressive responsibility and experience with human subjects regulations required. A combination of related education and experience may be considered. Must have high level of proficiency in computer-based and electronic office technology and excellent organizational skills with the ability to work independently and accurately and manage multiple priorities. The ability to work well with a wide range of people in a high-traffic area essential. Five years experience preferred. Note: Include a reference section in your resume with contact information for three professional references.

And as if THAT is not enough, get a load of the title: Assistant Director of Reasearch Compliance-Human Subjects

WHOA! That is actually what drew me to the position in the first place. When I originally read the description, I had no idea what the position actuall was, but I loved the title and the fact that it is a professional level position at IU. On a whim, I wrote up a quick cover letter and adjusted my resume a little bit and submitted it without a second though. A few weeks later, I got a phone call inviting me for a telephone interview! Woo-hoo. This led to an interview with three Human Subjects Services Directors and ultimately to my job offer.

I have to tell you, I spent more time preparing for this interview than I ever have for any interview that I have ever had. I learned all about the company, spent hours carefully crafting the perfect answers to anticipated interview questions, and trying to come up with a "theme" that I would try to stick to if I got caught off guard. It totally worked.

So, let me now tell you what I know about the job. Despite the fancy title, this position does not have quite as much cloute as one might expect with a title like "Assitant Director." There are two other people in the same position, and they call us "screeners." The primary responsibility is to review applications for research involving the use of human subjects. This involvement could include surveys, simple behavioral observation, medical tests and other clinical trials...anything that involves gathering any kind of information and using it for research with the intention to publish.

I will be responsible for reviewing these applications for completeness and to make sure that all studies comply with human subjects research laws and regulations.

I guess that's really all I know about the work. Lots of reading and writing, which is what I am looking forward to most. My office will be in the Carmichael Center in downtown Bloomington...very close to a lot fo great restaurants...so maybe not so good for my diet. BUT I can walk or bike to work in the same amount of time that it currently takes to drive, so hopefully the added opportunity for exercise will offset the added temptation to run to dunkin donuts for an iced latte.

And most important of all, the salary. It is classified as a professional position throguh IU, so you get excellent benefits...more PTO, better retirement contributions, and more money! I'm not going to be so gouche as to reveal the exact salary, but I will say that I will be getting a 28% raise in addition to an increase in benefits. Not too shabby!!

Summer

The first day of summer is officially June 21st, but to me, summer began right after I tasted my first fresh raspberry of the season.


I bought a half pint yesterday and I finished them in less than 12 hours. They are on sale at Bloomingfoods this week! What's next?? Raspberry pie? White chocolate raspberry cheesecake? Raspberry tart with mascarpone custard?? Probably none of the above because we are on spending lock-down, but I will be indulging in a few more containers before the summer's over, that's for sure.

It's ALIVE!!!!!

No, that's no zombie. That's my lovely, dirty hands showing off all of the hard work they have just done-mixing together potting soil, potting mix, bat poop, worm poop, and mushroom compost-to create the perfect environment for this year's garden. James and I started our container garden from seeds this year and it has been an educational and sometimes tenuous process. We had some initial frustration with the dampening off of several of our first little seedlings, disagreement over the use of hydrogen peroxide, and the struggle to get up early enough to bottom-water two flats every morning, but now, as we see our little guys thriving, we know that our hard work is about to pay off big time.

A couple of weeks ago, we potted some of our heartier plants and herbs that looked like they really needed to get outside. As you can see, our front porch is lines with small pots and filled with gardening paraphernalia of all sorts. Had I turned around and taken a picture of our neighbor's side of the porch, you would see a neat little sitting area with a couple of nice chairs and a table...hmm...it is a symbiotic relationship.
As you can probably tell from the broader photo above, one plant has really taken off. Our Parisian Pickling cucumbers are growing fast and making little cucumbers faster than I can count them. We have three more little seedlings that are just about ready to be planted...the only problem is where to put them! I planted two separate vines in this pot and they seem to be thriving together, but it could be a little cumbersome to have to build two more trellises just for these guys. I am toying with the idea of putting most of the rest of our climbing plants in a raised flower bed on the side of the house and just building one very large trellis for all of them, but it's still up in the air. That area gets a lot of late day sun, so it might not be the best environment for tender little cukes.
We actually got three kinds of cucumbers this year...the afore mentioned Parisians, dome standard K-mart pickling cucumbers, and another interesting variety called the Mexican Sour Gherkin. Allegedly, these cucumbers have a lightly acidic sourish flavor that makes them taste as if they have already been pickled. We have about three more of these in the works, too.

Another plant that I am particularly interested in is my Blacktail Mountain Watermelon. I really wanted to try to grow a watermelon this year, but my decision is meeting up with mixed reviews. Some people say that it is easy to grow watermelons in a pot, some say that it is nearly impossible...or at least impossible to grow one that produces an edible melon. And everyone agrees: It is impossible to tell for sure when they are pie. I guess we'll see about that. I am a little nervous about how big these guys will get. Now that it's getting hotter, this one has more than doubled in size in about a week. This picture doesn't really show of his full majesty..he is starting to grow tendrils and looking for things to climb and even sprouting some little flower buds. He need a bigger pot ASAP. The watermelons are the primary reason for considering the huge trellis...I am so excited about them that I want to make sure that they have every opportunity to be delicious. I want to make watermelon iced cream and pickled rinds...not to eat at the same time, of course! That's just one of my dreams for these guys.

I also decided to buy a couple of little strawberry plants this year. I have a ground cherry plant, too, but it's still inside and didn't feel like having it's picture taken today. The strawberry pants are small and I don't know much about how big they will get or how much fruit they will produce, but it makes me happy to have them there. I planted them in a little decorative area out in the parking lot. I had to dig up all of the dirt and fill it in with nice potting soil, but I think it looks nice there. It will also be easier to keep out the weeds because it's in an isolated location and I also like it because it looks like something was meant to be planted there...and my little strawberry plants fit the bill! I had considered buying another set of three so that I could be sure to have enough to bake a pie this summer, but changed my mind when I realized how many plants we already have that need attention. Maybe a strawberry and ground cherry pie..that sounds delicious....

Of course, the pride and joy of this year's garden is going to be our tomato plants. We have 8 varieties of heirloom tomatoes from the Seed Saver's Exchange online catalogue and some from a local grower and we have been completely pleased with them. Once we got the seed starting process down, the seeds have shot up and have been hearty and healthy even in their current cramped quarters in the windowsill. Over the weekend, James and I build this simple raised bed that is going to be perfect for our our little guys and we put one of each variety in the box. We now have about 30 more individual tomato plants looking for homes...hmmm....I hope to plant at least 2 more of each variety, but we are just not sure about the spacing issues...I mean, 24 tomato plants are gonna take up some space. Last year we had 5! In reality, we may have to settle for one more of each with maybe 2 more of the ones we are especially interested in. But, man...i cannot wait to have those delicious tomatoes straight from our garden. We were not wanting for any tomatoes last year, but we did have to scrounge them up on occasion and not eat any to make sure that we had enough for salads and this year, I want to be able to eat them without a second thought. I. Can't. Wait.

Finally, we have our biggest experiment so far this year...potatoes. Holy crap. Purple Peruvian Potatoes and some variety of red, I think. We are growing them in trash cans, and allegedly they can also be grown inside old tires...or planted in rows in a garden, of course. They are really growing fast, too. They say that you put dirt over them every couple of weeks and once the plants start to flower, you could begin to harvest them, then once the flowers fall off, you can harvest all of them. A lady we met at our seed starting class said that she bought one vine at the farmer's market last year and it produced nearly 40 lbs of potatoes. Woot! I'm really excited to see how these guys turn out. I have a feeling that we are going to end up with a lot more potatoes than we can possibly eat, but I bet that my family will be happy to have our left overs.

Yes, our little above-ground garden is thriving and each warm day makes me even more excited to indulge in the sumptuous bounty that awaits us. I almost can't believe that a couple of short months ago all we had were a bunch of envelopes full of seeds and now, we are bursting at the seams with more plants than we know what to do with. We have put a lot of work into our garden this year and it is going to be really great once we finally get to enjoy the fruits of our labor...so to speak.

A Wild Hair Revisited

I did it! I did it! I finally went for it and got myself a whole new style. I went in with my booklet of Asian girl hair-dos and I told the stylist that my husband likes the rocker-mullet look, but I was afraid to end up looking like some kind of NASCAR mom, and I ended up with a great haircut that I can actually pull off. I really wanted something a little edgy, but not too edgy...something kinda rocker, but not too rocker...after all, I don't wear make-up and I don't wear awesome clothes, so I really need something that makes a statement, but doesn't scream "hard-core." Before I reveal the final product, I will include a few icons to which my hair may be a reflection...Ms. Jett over to our right has a nice look.

When I got home, one of the first things I said was, "I love it! I look like Heart!" And I do think that is still one of the best celebrity comparisons I've made for my hair so far. I have been wearing my bangs straight down, but my hair really does look a lot like the blonder lady in that photo.

As for The Runaways, I totally could have been in that band, rocking my shaggy mullet out with the rest of those troubled teens. And of course, what crazy rocker mullet photo journal would be complete without the kind of the underworld: David Bowie from Labyrinth!

I might not mind having a hair-do like that, actually. It has a nice shape to it. I'm sure that it would be very flattering.

So, what I like best about this new do is that it completely changed the way that I look and how I feel about my appearance. My hair has a good shape (no more triangle-head), the bangs frame my face really nicely, and it makes me look and feel more confident. I have been trying a little harder to put together outfits and I have even started wearing a little eyeliner and mascara. Not that make-up is so essential, but it's just a general feeling of wanting to get noticed, I suppose, instead of wishing I was invisible. It's a nice change, all the way around. And now for the big reveal!





Blogger won't let me put my pics in a row.
Oh well!