Oct 26, 2006

Woody Wants to Die


Today Mikey sent me a link to a funny site. One of Mike's coworkers is deliciously twisted. It seems that Woody is oh so bored at work, and he just can't take it anymore. Woody tries to off himself again and again - he's the hapless Harold of the toothpick set.


You have to visit the site to see the rest of Woody's failed suicide attempts. His real life tormentor has a wonderfully vivid imagination and a wicked sense of humor. I give this site two severed thumbs up.

Oct 21, 2006

Eleanor Rigby

The last book I read was just prior to our move. I started to blog it, but didn't get the chance to finish it before everything became too hectic.

After reading this book, I still have to say Douglas Coupland is still one of my favorite authors. In Eleanor Rigby, Coupland tells the story of a woman in her 40's who is not married, lives alone, and has only her work as a source of social activity. She doesn't particularly like her work, but she is good at her job. As her life goes on the same, day in and day out until one day something unexpected changes her life and her world forever. She receives a call from a hospital, where a young man has listed her as his emergency contact. The young man listed her as his mother.

Whenever I read Douglas Coupland's books, I feel like I know the characters. The people he writes about seem like people I've met or worked with before, so his stories always feel familiar and somehow comforting. Douglas Coupland has a knack for telling stories about ordinary people living ordinary lives, but as Coupland develops his characters, it become apparent that they are more complex than they seem at first glance. His characters become strange and extraordinary, after the reader discovers unusual events in their history. Coupland's characters are proof that life story of every person is profound when viewed in the context of what circumstances they have survived.

Oct 13, 2006

Moon Cake

Moon Cake - Red Lotus Paste with Two Egg.



I went to Chinatown a couple of weeks ago and saw a table piled high with these beautiful red tins. The lady behind the counter informed me that they were for the Moon Festival, which fell on October 6th this year.

I was feeling adventurous, so I bought one of the tins of moon cakes and took them home. Unfortunately, I forgot that I bought them, so they have been sitting in the pantry until today.

There are four moon cakes to a tin and I was told by the lady behind the counter that they are to be cut in quarters, and each person is only supposed to eat one of the quarters because they are very filling. I was also told that I should eat them with a cup of green tea.

I bought the Red Lotus with Two Egg variety, because I was told they are the "most beautiful." They are definitely the most interesting. I like the lotus paste, but I am not sold on the egg yoke, and they are more than a little oily. I don't think I am going to crave moon cakes in the future, but I'm glad I tried them. Now, who do I make a gift of the remaining moon cakes to?

Oct 11, 2006

Entirely Too Much Cat for One Basket

This is a relatively small basket and about 25 lbs worth of cat spilling out of it. Lena is resting her soft little cheek against Bodhi's soft little cheek.

Welcome to the World Ada!

I love this little girl!Introducing: Ada Isabel Dukes, the newest member of our motley clan.
This is Gina, Ada's happy, glowing mommy.
Ada and her Daddy in peaceful repose. You can't tell it from looking at this picture, but she already owns him - he never stood a chance.

You can find more pictures of our darling Adabel at: http://stephendukes.com/adafamily/

Oct 2, 2006

Casa Mantequilla

This is Casa Mantequilla. The focus of much of my distraction for the last couple of months.
Casa Mantequilla from another angle. Two weeks after La Loca made her final exit, we moved into our first house.
The previous owner loved to garden, so the back yard is quite lovely. The patio is now full of my plants, but I will probably put most of them in the ground before long.
This is a view from the living room out into the back yard. We have more birds, butterflies, and squirrels than I would have guessed could fit into a back yard in the city. Yesterday we saw nine little birds having a grand time in the bird bath.

This is Connor sitting in the living room floor during our inspection of the house. He's playing his PSP and oblivious to all that is going on around him.

This is a view of my desk, the same view as the picture above, but with furniture.
This is the view from my desk. The couch is in front of the desk, but you can get a really good view of the TV, as long as Marilyn's unusually large noggin is not centered on the horizon.
I will post a daytime view through the windows from the computer soon - it is one of the best things about having the computer in the livingroom.
This is Saffie sprawling across the kitchen floor. It took her a week, but she is finally acting like she's at home in her new house.