Author: erinreeve

The (oh so real) dangers of Hyper-Cerebral Electrosis

Was perusing some Darwin Awards and came across this list of signs that your head might be about to explode.  Thought I would post it for my friends who think too much, eat too much sugar, and all that stuff.

How to Tell if Your Head’s About To Explode

Although HCE is very rare, it can kill. Dr. Martinenko says that being aware of the condition can greatly improve your odds of surviving it. A yes answer to any three of the following seven questions could mean that you have HCE:

1. Does your head sometimes ache when you think too hard? Head pain can indicate overloaded brain circuits.

2. Do you ever hear a faint ringing or humming sound in your ears? It could be the sound of electrical activity in the skull cavity.

3. Do you sometimes find yourself unable to get a thought out of your head? This is a sign of too much electrical activity in the cerebral cortex.

4. Do you spend more than five hours a day reading, balancing your checkbook, or other thoughtful activity? A common symptom of HCE is a tendency to over-use the brain.

5. When you get angry or frustrated, do you feel pressure in your temples? Friends of people who died of HCE say the victims often complained of head pressure in times of strong emotion.

6. Do you overeat ice cream, doughnuts and other sweets? A craving for sugar is typical of people with too much electrical pressure in the cranium.

7. Do you tend to analyze yourself too much? HCE sufferers are often introspective, over-reflective of their lives.

Source: http://darwinawards.com/legends/legends1999-10.html

Cake

So here’s the final product. It’s red velvet cake with a peppermint glaze. I wondered about that combination, since cream cheese frosting is practically essential to a red velvet cake. But…I didn’t have cream cheese and wasn’t sure how that would do in a glaze anyway, so since red velvet is basically just chocolate cake, I figured peppermint ought to go. And it does!

IMG_2426.JPG

brainstorming skull cakes

Making a dessert to take to a friend’s house tomorrow, and am debating which skull cake pan I want to use.  Here’s what I have.

Nordic Ware Halloween Mini Skull Cakelet Pan #williamssonoma

Am thinking of making the little ones.  In red velvet.  Though, it actually might be fun to do both, especially since I only have one of the mini skull pans, and they only make 6 at a time.  Hmmmm.

Preliminarily, (why is that not a word?) am thinking of doing some kind of glaze on the outside.  Last time I tried to make a skull cake (using the big pan), I made some fondant which did NOT turn out very well.  I actually still have a picture, because I thought it looked fairly creepy despite not being anything close to what I was aiming for.  (Also the cake was super dry because I filled the pans too full – so if I make it again it’ll be smaller than this.)

cake

(I know, it’s extremely ugly.)

So…..red velvet cake, maybe a lavender glaze (because I love lavender), and some sprinkles or some such.  Need to go to Publix for some of this.  Will post picture if they turn out.  Might bake the cakes tonight and then decorate tomorrow?  Hm.  Well, anyway.  Was just getting some ideas out.

EDIT!!!

These pans are amazing.  Turns out that glaze is waaaay easier than fondant.

jot ———-

Listening to the Best of Arvo Part this morning.  Somewhat incongruous with the sunny fall day outside, but from my seat it might as well be snowing.

This music (Summa for String Orchestra at the moment) is so heart-wrenchingly beautiful.  It makes me want to lie on my back in the middle of a field, or in the middle of the woods – somewhere away from other humans.

I know…about 50% of my entries are to complain about the fact that I’m stuck in an office until 5pm.  Sorry.

Dying of boredom here.

Slow as molasses Friday morning.  Seriously trying not to die, and obviously have been successful so far but am not hopeful about the afternoon.  May be my last blog entry ever.

Instead of finding busy work for myself (which would probably only help hasten my demise), have been thinking about reorganizing my kitchen.  I love my kitchen, and I love my kitchen equipment and all that.  I do not love the way my kitchen is set up now, though.  I don’t love my kitchen table, even though I do love it’s color and the color of the chairs.  Needs to be smaller.  And less cluttered.  It tends to be a catch-all for, you know, all.  Should work on being more organized in that aspect.

Brainstorming more shelving ideas…like installing wall shelves and moving the kitchen table (somewhere?  where?  my house is already too full!  anyone want to trade a kitchen table for a cute little island or kitchen cart?) …..maybe moving the bookshelf I currently have in the kitchen – and painting it too.  Starting to dislike my cutting board display because I feel like it takes up valuable wall real estate.  Want to reorganize my cabinets and remove some cabinet doors, to make the kitchen feel more open.  Granted, would have to put them all back together whenever I move, but should I let that stop me from enjoying the space now?

Might go to Big Lots on my lunch break, to see what kind of stuff they have that might be useful.  Also to help me not to die.  It’s a grey fall day outside and I really wish I could do something about the horrible fluorescent lighting in this office.  I’m sure they’ve done studies to show that office workers who are miserable are tamer…easier to control…etc, because this lighting just puts me into something of a coma if I’m not actively busy.  Coma.  Can barely move anything besides my fingers and eyelids.  Barely.

Going to wait another hour to take lunch.  And then going to take a full hour because my soul needs it.  If I didn’t think it would be frowned on, I would be reading a book or crocheting and not comatose.

Also have been perusing Pinterest for kitchen ideas which was not a good call on my part, as it so far has had these effects on me — 1) it’s depressing because my kitchen is small and lack-luster (which isn’t even true), 2) it’s depressing because I’m at work and cannot actually work on my kitchen right now, and 3) it’s given me one or two ideas.  But mostly the first two.

I’m going to do keyboard proficiency tests until 12:00.

Edit:
wpm
OK, so what’s the point in doing more now?

Had an amazing weekend – I pretty much loved every minute of it.

Friday ended up being an extremely slow day at work, so I mostly sat around trying to practice portrait-drawing.  If you’re unfamiliar with this type of drawing, let me just tell you that it is entirely dependent on getting shapes and proportions correct, and if you make a nose even a tad too big, the face will look like a distant cousin of the person you’re trying to draw.  It’s not easy to get those proportions correct, so practicing (with an eraser…) can be beneficial and gratifying.  Was fairly happy with the way these turned out (except I realize that the one on the left is kinda cross-eyed)….

pictures

Anyway, it was fun.  After work I went to hang out with Mar, whom I see infrequently these days.  We drank wine and ate cheese and talked about life — it was a lot of fun.

On Saturday, Katie came into Nashville and we went to get lunch and coffee at Cafe Coco, then walked over to Centennial Park for TACA (which is now called Tennessee Craft…..whatever).  I got these gorgeous earrings and ran into a couple of friends.  It was warm outside but pleasant enough in the shade.  Had a good time.  Then we made a pit stop at my house and went on to Percy Warner where we mainly drove around looking for that one field near Old Hickory, and once we found it we spread out a quilt and sat, or lied down, or read, or talked, or whatever.  I brought my quilt to sew, but didn’t end up getting much work done.  Which was perfectly fine with me.

Katie went home after, and I cleaned the house a little, took a shower, etc.  Stephen got home that evening so I went over to see him, which was also great.  We ended up going to Fido on Sunday morning, which he does every Sunday if he can — he takes a book of poetry and braves the line which usually doubles back around the front counter… and apparently if you’re lucky, some days it goes out the front door.  Nearly as bad as Pancake Pantry!  But anyway – the company was good and we had books so I didn’t mind.  After, went back to TACA again, because I would go all three days if it was feasible and I could control my spending compulsions.  I bought a pie dish that I’d picked up and loved on Saturday but didn’t feel good buying as I’d already spent money on the earrings.  (Sunday was a new day though….)  After TACA, went to the Brewhouse for a couple of beers and then back to his house where he made pork chops and artichokes, with a dipping sauce consisting of mayonnaise, butter, herbs, lime juice, hot sauce, etc etc etc — basically it was amazing.  And went perfectly with the pork and the artichokes, and the cheese.  And wine.  Watched the Simpsons season premiere with dinner, which was probably pretty funny but honestly I think I was mostly focused on food at that point…….

Anyway, it was an absolutely lovely weekend.  I am SO glad that it’s fall now, and so excited about seeing more and more colors in the trees.  Oh Fall, how I love you.

Today has been a very average Monday.  I was pretty groggy this morning and am still yawning, actually, but I’m awake.  Also – am excited about tomorrow; we have tickets to see Chris Thile and Edgar Meyer play at …I think the Blair school of music or something.  I’ve been listening to their new CD, Bass and Mandolin, and I think it’s just fantastic.

ballet shoes and a broken pencil

Sorry guys, boring day.  Had decided to start discretely sketching instead of wasting time on reddit or Pinterest, but then my mechanical pencil broke.  I was actually enjoying my afternoon, until now.  Must remember to bring more pencils to work.  I’m disappointed because not only am I going to have to spend the rest of the afternoon staring at a screen, but also because I actually was liking the way this sketch was turning out.  Bah.

sketch

anxious!

Naw, not actually anxious.  Just wishing to be home, rather than at work – although, come to think of it, if I didn’t feel that way it would likely be cause for some alarm.

Feeling quite significantly better than I was this time yesterday; I won’t go into details except to say that I don’t know how people don’t write.  If I didn’t write, my brain would be a huge jumbled mess that I would never want to tackle because of the backlog of unresolved, unanalyzed, and ignored problems.  Writing is the thing I do to understand myself; how do people who don’t write understand their motives and impulses and feelings?  Oh well – at any rate, wrote a bunch yesterday and feel better today.  Also got some work done on my quilt yesterday, after cleaning the kitchen and making homemade pizza, so it was a good evening.

I’ve been thinking about delving into oil pastels or watercolors again.  Or both?  I haven’t really mixed mediums before (except for watercolors and acrylics and I was never any good at that at all).  Didn’t last night because the quilt was just right there, asking for me to work on it (plus I put on How I Met Your Mother and that show isn’t particularly conducive to artistic creativity).  But anyway.  I may go home today and watch Babette’s Feast or a Wes Anderson movie, and do some oil pastel-ing.  Wonder if I have any blank canvases.  Hm.

excerpts

these passages are bringing me peace this morning.

Stephen is en route to LA and will be gone until the weekend.  I’m reading Hannah Coulter which made me cry last night – it describes love and grief with such raw beauty.  what would be my 4th anniversary is a week from tomorrow.  I feel discouraged and hopeful at the same time, which is a confusing mixture of emotions.  so …… I just thought I’d type up a few of these excerpts which I’m reading this morning, and which I should read every morning.

If you close your mind in judgments

and traffic with desires,

your heart will be troubled.

If you keep your mind from judging

and aren’t led by the senses,

your heart will find peace.

Seeing into darkness is clarity.

Knowing how to yield is strength.

Use your own light

and return to the source of light.

This is called practicing eternity.

(52)

Fill your bowl to the brim

and it will spill.

Keep sharpening your knife

and it will blunt.

Chase after money and security

and your heart will never unclench.

Care about people’s approval

and you will be their prisoner.

Do your work, then step back.

The only path to serenity.

(9)

Colors blind the eye.

Sounds deafen the eart.

Flavors numb the taste.

Thoughts weaken the mind.

Desires wither the heart.

The Master observes the world

but trusts his inner vision.

He allows things to come and go.

His heart is open as the sky.

(12)

Knowing others is intelligence;

knowing yourself is true wisdom.

Mastering others is strength;

mastering yourself is true power.

If you realize that you have enough,

you are truly rich.

If you stay in the center

and embrace death with your whole heart,

you will endure forever.

(33)

The Tao is always at ease.

It overcomes without competing,

answers without speaking a word,

arrives without being summoned,

accomplishes without a plan.

(73)

If you realize that all things change,

there is nothing you will try to hold on to.

(74)

That last one is going to probably take my whole life to master, and I doubt that will even be enough time.  However – I feel so much more peaceful right now than I did when I started this entry, so the words are doing me good.