Every time the man gets me down, I go outside onto my quiet little balcony and remember that I live where it’s peaceful, quiet, and I can occasionally see wildlife. While city living can be convenient, I don’t miss Geno’s, the constant noise, the vermin, or getting taxed out the ass for everything.

Now I just have to find some reasonably priced, well made patio chairs and we can officially declare this a mint julep kind of summer.

That’s right. Gardening.

I have been working on this scarf for two years.  Oh, a simple skinny scarf knitted on 10 gauge needles with black wool yarn shouldn’t take two years, but you know how it is.  I’d get busy and put it down for awhile.  One of my original bamboo needles got too badly warped to knit with.  The aluminum needles my ex lent me got warped and were just hard in my hands.

Basically, all I had were excuses, excuses, excuses.

This fall, I made it my mission to finish this scarf before it got too warm to warm.  Luckily, I just finished it last week.  Huzzah!  Finally, a winter with a warm scarf!

I’ve started working on my next project, a scarf knitted with striped eyelash yarn.  I have some photos of the beginnings of it, but I’m going to tear it all out and restart it.  I realized that I had cast on way too many stitches to make a scarf out of only two skeins.

These are the things that are keeping me slightly sane this Christmas.  Well, that and paper crafts, but considering that some of them are being incorporated into my Christmas gifts for family, I’m going to have to wait to post them until this weekend.

Our impending move is really stressing and tiring me out.  I’m hoping that once we move and get internet in the new apartment, I’ll keep up on my blog the way I was over the summer.  Until then, I’m rolling with sporadic updates and trying to keep from referring to vodka as “medicinal.”

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Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World with (non-vegan) Cream Cheese-Cinnamon icing.  And lots of sprinkles.  Yes, that was a mouthful.

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Oh yeah, and this huge bastard:

WTF did we buy? I blame it on how hungry we were when we walked in the door.

Okay, so we made the plans to head into Jersey specifically so I could get four things: pizzelles, pumpkin butter (out of stock), apple cider doughnuts, and a pumpkin, because roasted pumpkin is so awesome. (So is pumpkin risotto, curried pumpkin, roasted winter vegetables…oh hell, I could eat the shit in a kabob. YUM!) When we got to Duffield’s, though, I realized that I couldn’t remember what kind of pumpkins are sugar pumpkins. I thought about it, thought I had the right ones, but Libertarian Boyfriend wanted to double-check. The girls at the bakery pointed us in the direction of the above pictured pumpkin.

While it wasn’t the type I was looking for, I have no idea if they are correct about us being able to cook it and eat it. (Side note: though I love Duffield’s, I am selective about when I’ll ask a store employee for help. This drives Libertarian Boyfriend crazy.) At worst, we’ll just have a batch of really expensive roasted pumpkin seeds; at best, we’ll have enough roasted pumpkin in the freezer to last us for a month or so.

I’m still going to roast it, but I’m curious to know wtf it is. Multiple Google searches have been unhelpful, and I’m starting to get a little concerned that this isn’t a pumpkin, but some mutated freak gourd. Do any of you lovely e-readers have any insight on what type of squash this is? I’d hate to have to follow raging clues on this one and would be so appreciative if anyone in cyberspace could help!

Thanks!

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1. Let’s start with the depressing: Afghanistan General Stanley McCrystal sees no indication of an al-Qaeda presence in Afghanistan.  So, could we maybe, GTFO or is killing brown people too much fun?
2. Sheldon Richman of the Foundation for Economic Education discusses some of the problems with raising tariffs on cheap Chinese tires.  I liked this quick synopsis a little bit better than Reason’s.
3. Here is some information about why Philadelphia is broke.  Most of the commenters are fucking brain donors, so don’t bother reading.  Note, there are no confirmed cop firings in that article.
4. Can Rihanna even remember the World Trade Center collapse?
5. In neato news: the New York Times does a small writeup on bento boxes.  Despite the fact that it makes me sound like a Wapanese asshole, I fucking love the things.  They are so cute!
6. In fucking “duh” news: Rob Miller isn’t the only one who has raised $1M for his congressional bid.
7. Abortion is a medical procedure, therefore, I expect it to be covered under my health care plan.  Instead, Obama is not going to cover it, presumably because pro-lifers don’t want their tax money going towards abortion.  Too bad that morality doesn’t extend to elective procedures like surgical starvation, which I’m assuming will be covered.
8. Apparently, Tila Tequila was assaulted, allegedly by her boyfriend.  I won’t be following the story too closely, because I’m sure the interwebz have been buzzing with “she was asking for it”esque statements because she’s Tila Tequila.
9. In much less irritating news: enjoy this short blurb from Chow.com about the “lobster boom.”
10. In “at least it involves a cockface getting pummeled news”: Main Line Animal Rescue (based out of DC), will be donating 5 bags of dog food to a DC based animal shelter for every time Michael Vick is tackled during the Eagles’ October 26th game.
11. It’s getting chilly out, so have my favorite knitting tutorial site.
12. If you’re wondering why I don’t support the whole Tea Party thing, CNN can hand you a ton of reasons.
13. In a similar vein to link #11, it’s getting chilly out, which means it is almost my favorite season ever: PUMPKIN SEASON!  SHAZZAM!

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Mmmm! You scream, I scream, we all scream for Jewish Shiksa Apple Cake!

Because apples at the Vietnamese/Chinese grocery store are dirt cheap, making Shiksa Apple Cake readily available at a moment’s notice!

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1. In response to the “no one should have to go broke because they get sick” Facebook meme, a bunch of conservatives and libertarians started with a “no one should have to go thirsty because they can’t afford good beer” which led to this video by Reason.tv.  Full disclosure: I have not watched it, but based on the accompanying commentaries I’ve seen, it’s problematic for a lot of reasons.  (It’s called nuance, guys!)
2. Philadelphia Free Library is closing every single branch.  Apparently, all the libraries in the state are also fighting to stay open.  I’m so thrilled that the library is getting closed down, but the last time I checked, there were NO cuts to the Philadelphia Police Department.
3. Roderick Long breaks down the major theses of left libertarianism.
4. For a not-cliched, but still 9/11-y link: Will Wilkinson wishes for a return to a 9/10/01 America.
5. In “wtf”news: While this case is certainly horrifying, I love how the commenters, the shrink, and the reporter are all acting like it’s super duper extra special worse than what happens to little girls and teenaged girls every single fucking day.  I guess that’s just normal, expected rape, right?
6. The state of Texas destroyed an elderly couple’s lives and wiped out their life savings by having the division of “Adult Protective Services” deem them unfit. But guiz, the gubment is totes not gunna fuck up health care!
7. In “duh” news: Oh, lookie here!  Apparently it wasn’t that evil, chinky chang bitch Yoko Ono who broke up The Beatles, but stifling taxes on the band.  I’ll bet that a lot of teenaged guitar playing white guys are pissed that they’re just racist and sexist.
8. Oh man, this 9/11 post is too fucking awesome to not share.  And by “awesome,” I mean as fucking awesome as a Fat Elvis velvet painting: April Winchell Presents The Second Annual Mother of All 9/11 Posts.  I feel like I should dust off a blink or marquee tag for this shit.
9. Hi, Joyce Slaton, I agree wholeheartedly.  Chopped is the best food tv show on the air.  I am ADDICTED to that show.
10. In more fucking “duh” news: sports venues are not a great way for cities to bring in cash money.  Question: why can’t the corporations whose names are splashed all over the damn stadiums actually pay for this shit instead of taxpayers?
11. This is slightly old, but necessary.  Since Cash for Clunkers went so well, the government is now thinking about running a Cash for Appliances program.
12. In even more fucking “duh” news: an Atlanta gay bar was raided last night.  Don’t worry, I’m not holding my breath that we’ll see any coverage of this incident on Reason.
13. And wrapping things up: Lulu may be one hell of a dog, but the very surly looking and adorable little girl English Bulldog is one lucky pup.

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1. To kick things off, go visit Lauren at Oh Dear Lauren.com, a collection of open letters she’s written to various individuals, entities, random objects, and body parts.
2. Arkansas Fire Chief Don Payne launches into a long overdue tirade about police abuse of power while fighting multiple traffic tickets in court.  The police response?  Shooting him in the ass.
3. Blah blah blah dude who has no problem eating meat gets a bug up his ass when he is served whale in Japan.  Oy, whiners like him are enough to make me want to go vegan again.
4. Vice writer Thomas Morton complains about the extreme nature in which writers love to discuss Detroit.  Though I’m not fond of the (accurate, IMO) comparisons between Philly & Detroit, I do enjoy that neither city gets articles focusing on regular people just doing their thing.  It’s either gotta be about drugs and abject poverty or some hipster sustainable green collaborative hopeful change led by college educated yuppies.
5. As someone who is technically homeless, I understand why some people view Brianna Karp’s story as problematic.  Initially, I did as well, until I read her introduction and something about it just resonated with me.  No, she might not look or act like the guys panhandling on the Delaware Ave median, but she understands why “omg! just, like, get, like, a j-o-b” is dismissive, problematic, and makes you look like a fucking idiot.
6. Cops fuck up and kill a Georgia man during a drug bust.  The man was a preacher, which is naturally becoming the focus of the story.  Personally, I don’t care if he had a brick of smack shoved up his ass, if I saw a team of cops who frankly looked like carjackers, I wouldn’t be clamoring to stop.
7. In shocking news: I agree with something Katherine Mangu-Ward has written regarding Teh Grate Gmail Outage 2009!
8. Courtesy of The Tax Foundation’s blog: Is Twix Candy? Don’t answer that question without first reading.
9. In “other blogs that amuse me” news: check out 11points.com, a blog of Top 11 (not 10!) lists.
10. I think that Lew Rockwell got too excitable by the Union-hating language in the first line of this little diddy of retardation; it’s the only valid explanation for his linking it: John Zmirak blames the rising cost of college tuition on the lack of COLLEGIATE LEVEL remedial classes and other gibberish.  I guess the concept that some people weren’t meant for college is just inconceivable.
11. Speaking of people who weren’t meant for college: this fucking winner thinks it’s a great idea to “help a guy with his baby seat” when his car is running in the middle of Center City.  What’s even worse is that the Phila. SVU CAPTAIN has apparently never heard of that little known serial killer….TED BUNDY, who, despite Cpt. Darby’s claims to the contrary, used pretty similar methods when kidnapping women.
12. But you know what?  I can excuse her idiocy, because at least she can chalk it up to ingrained female politeness (and maybe she will tap into her feminist fury in the future).  But this fucking idiot thought it was a great idea to stop his bike to watch a flash mob get out of control. Shockingly, he wound up getting assaulted by the out of control mob.
13. We’ll wrap up with some oh-so-encouraging news: Capmark distress may signal bank failures topping 100.  But I thought stimulus funds were ‘sposed to fix ev’rything?

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Pork tenderloin medallions with apple cider sauce on a bed of pickled red cabbage accompanied by latkes topped with homemade applesauce and sour cream.

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