potluck birthday monsters

Last night potluck was at cthulhia's in honor of her roommate's birthday. I was pleased to be asked to make a (vegan chocolate) cake for the event. I missed the beginning of potluck with major food consumption (carousing with actuaries again, as well as running into hammercock by the bike path (It always makes me feel good when I see people on the street that I know. The city is not faceless, it is more home than I'd thought, or something like that.)).

Happily, I returned before the s inging of "Happy Birthday," so got to see the enthusiastic cake consumption that ensued. It was also a surprise (pleasant, of course) to see prog there.

Many people enjoyed the green silly putty I'm using for therapy, either trying it out, or e nding up in geeky discussions of silly putty properties or buying silly putty in bulk.

I saw disturbing photos digitally made of a cucumber exterior sliced to show orange (the fruit, not just the color) inside. Also an orange with onion inside, and vice versa.

And this birthday monster included herself on the birthday monster clean up crew as well. (Has anyone else read this book?)

Ooh, and how could I forget? I was greatly surprised and pleased by pheromone's gift of a stash of white Icehouse pieces. White Ice! (shouldn't that be the name of a mixed drink?)

(I'm sure there were other pieces of the evening I'm forgetting, but a great wave of tiredness descended upon me before I wanted to leave...)

I wish my place were as well laid out for larger group entertaining... definite apartment jealousy...
L

tivo

Somehow this always sounds like either sandals or some Israeli vegetarian patty.

handy artichoke

(Now I should put two more lines
to make a haiku.)

Yet another physical therapy session this afternoon. I was a bit concerned - I seem to have done more than I should've yesterday - my finger was tired. Even so, everyone was impressed with how much of a fist I can make... the new stretch-the-finger splint I was to have gotten has been nixed :-). Instead, I got a new piece of equipment, plastic and rubberbands, that makes me think I should be shooting staples out of it. This is for building up strength. And when she saw how much I'd done with the green silly putty, she got out the blue stuff, for only some of the exercises, though - this stuff is hard. She said she only expects to give this color "to construction workers" - time to go out and get some muscle shirts... The doctor came by and looked at what I could do, then said I was getting to the end. I was surprised - last I'd heard it was still "early days!" I think there's still a ways to go, but perhaps it's stuff I'll mostly be doing on my own. (If only he tells me I can bike....)
(End of the handy stuff.)

I had an artichoke before therapy. I realized that what I so like about it is not quite its flavor, but that it causes a kind of tingle in my mouth that nothing else does, almost as if it were just the beginning of numbness. My favorite thistle...

[Driving home, there was a truck that had "New England Home Exercises" on it.... I'd like to get my living room some stretches, please, so I can fit some more people in it. And if the floors had more strength training in their routine, perhaps I could put in some more bookshelves.... :-)]

something I've never managed before

I was transplanting the greenery I got earlier, and noticed that the rosemary I'd put out last year & never took in & it didn't freeze after all.... has flowers on it! They're just barely touched with violet, really pretty. And when I looked closer, I found lots more flower buds. :-)