TraniWreck

Best quotes of the night:
"This whole night reminds me of 'Better Than Chocolate'"

"I just didn't wanna go up on stage. I'm wearing too many clothes for that."

"Oh my, what did I miss??!"

Chronicles of Beaufort Life

What fall really looks like:

No more fake seasons for me!  I'm in the northeast now.

Cake In A Jar!!!

CAKE IN A JAR INGREDIENTS - all vegan!


Chocolate/Vanilla swirl cake with cranberries and chocolate chips



Snickerdoodle cake with a cinnamon/buttery topping

Delicious!

not writing a blog post

I have stopped writing since I moved/became employed again.  It's a daunting task to  start writing totally out of the blue again.  Just think of all the time, and things, that I've missed talking about.  So I am not writing a blog post.  In any case, here is (some of) what I have been doing the past 3 months:

Wayside Youth and Family
The Whitehaus
The Woodrow Wilsons
Ohiopyle
Confluence, PA
Lilith Fair
1982 Yamaha Seca
Biking
Northampton, MA
Arboretum
Boston Derby Dames
CRI


There.  Updated.  Now I can continue writing as usual.

<3

heat in the kitchen, pot on the stove

          it.  is.  hot.

'lay back cause this is summertime'

The past week has really felt like summertime.  Not quite the Austin summer that I had grown accustomed to... but definitely summer.  This past week I got my first sunburn of the season; cruised around on my motorcycle; and spent the afternoon at an amusement park riding roller coasters and watching Elvis impersonators. 


While I could definitely complain about the heat and humidity (nothing compared to the rain forest, I mean, Houston), especially because of the lack of air conditioning in my residence, but to be honest it has been wonderful.  It feels so good to get a dose of heat and sunlight.  This past week I spent Thursday and Friday at the beach with my grandparents and even brought Roswell (whom Papou renamed 'Roswella' by the second day to better fit her 'shemale' self.)  The weather was beautiful - we went walking a bit, had delicious food, and even got Papou up on his feet playing with the pup.  Plus I got my first sunburn of the season!


Then on Saturday, I joined some housemates for Dale's birthday celebration.  She LOVES rollercoasters and grew up in the area, so we went back to an old, small amusement park that she would frequent as a kid.  It was a really fun, relaxed afternoon - five housemate went, and we went on log rides and coasters and swings, had pizza and funnel cake, and watched Elvis, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw.  A wonderful day overall.  And so summertime.


Then, to top it off, I saw my cousins for the first time since being in Boston.  They live just about a half hour away, outside of Boston, but I hadn't had the time to go out there.  So I joined them and my grandparents for a delicious dinner.  Also, Roswell met her cousin, Riley, who is a 6 month old Boykin puppy.  They ran and wrestled and Roswell provoked him like crazy just as she always does.

There's talk of bike rides and swimming in the lake and iced coffee.  There's fresh strawberries and blooming sunflowers and raspberry muffins baking...  this season has officially begun.

Sunny

The first sunflower of the season in front of my home. And I can see the others bursting to get out!!!

more mixed up

I'm in Pittsburgh this week. Yet another week of upheaval. Going on 6 weeks of this now. This week is a little different - my Gramma passed away last Friday. It was the best for her; at least that's how I feel. Haley and I had the pleasure of stopping through on our drive up during the move. We spent the afternoon and an overnight at their house. She was doing well the day we came. She had been released from the hospital after being stabilized from heart trouble. When we visited she was set up in her living room with oxygen, a hospital bed, etc. She was obviously uncomfortable and unhappy with the situation, but we got to visit and chat. It was the first time Haley had met any of my Dad's family. I'm eternally grateful that we stopped and stayed there for a short time.

Because I'm still unemployed (and beginning to get worried) I was able to come out on Monday and I'm staying until tomorrow afternoon. There were viewings and catching up with family and the funeral service of course. And today we spent some time sight seeing and went out to et (eat) at the casino dahntahn (down town.)

Perhaps this is the beginning of my gambling problem. Actually I played the penny slots, put in two dollars total and lost it all before I figured out what all the buttons meant. Great experience. Vegas here I come!

It will be good to get back home. But I'm sick of feeling so aimless without a way to support myself. I think ASAP I'll be heading to City Feed, a neighborhood grocery/cafe, to turn in an application with some 'references' from housemates who used to work there. If I'm going to get $11 an hour, I may as well be surrounded by good food.

At least I got to spend some time with family - that I really enjoyed.

On the road again

On the road to Northampton for a weekend visit...

Puppy: why the eff are you waking me up mama

Me: because you're so darn cute i need to photograph you! and watch your language.

great quote

if you practice chicken, you’re going to get nowhere with the turkey.

relaxing

relaxing
Originally uploaded by lmobstar

- A shot from my self guided bike tour of Boston. After spending the first few days driving from place to place (by necessity) and sitting in traffic over and over and over at every random time throughout the day, I decided enough driving. The scooter was only a tiny bit better, as you couldn't completely avoid traffic - so I took to my bike. A housemate gave me a little explanation of the good paths and neighborhoods around. My route was basically up Columbus into downtown, across the river and down the Charles for a little and then back across, through the commons and back home. But of course I got lost a thousand times and it started drizzling halfway through as well.

It was a great time overall. Also, funny experience, I was completely called out in the middle of Boston Commons. A couple girls strolling by casually handed me a flier and called out 'Have you heard about the dyke march?' I just said thanks. Guess that's that.

i been gone

I haven't posted since May 8th. That's basically when we started moving. Shenanigans of the last month include cleaning out our apartment; countless trips to goodwill, half price, and the used video game store; giving away furniture; craigslisting valuables; cleaning out my room at my parents (countless trips to goodwill, half price, and the used video game store); moving the cats to the Woodlands; packing for storage at my parents; loading their trailer and car; packing for MA; loading our scooter; loading the futon; unloading the futon; crying about not having room to load the futon (or TV, or bookshelves, or planters, or massage table); loading our trailer; loading our puppy; cleaning our apartment; catching our puppy when she ran out of the apartment and went ape-shit in the parking lot for 25 minutes; driving to Arkansass, Ohio, Pittsburgh (visiting family - breathing), Northampton, Boston. Then meeting everyone; half celebrating H's birthday; unpacking my scooter; unpacking the trailer and car; unpacking the boxes; buying shelves (because we couldn't fit our old ones); cleaning the room; driving H to Northampton; unpacking her boxes; going to a job interview; receiving a job that pays too little (what else is new); being a single mama for my puppy; getting lost countless times all over Boston; having my scooter stolen; crying about my scooter being stolen; wondering what the hell I was thinking about wanting to move to Boston; sucking it all up and keeping on keepin' on.

Then I went to the beach, spent some time with family, and feel much better. Although I still don't have my scooter.

In the past couple weeks I have lost a lot of pieces of me - my kitty cats, my home in Austin, all my amazing friends and family in Texas, my lady, and now my scooter. No doubt I am feeling a little scattered.

Sitting in Whole Foods right now in Framingham (where my 4pm interview is) so that I have NO trouble with traffic or getting lost. But if you have to be stuck somewhere, Whole Foods is the place to be. Deli food, organic peanut butter cups and Kombucha = feeling better.

Posts soon to come of my self guided bike tour around Boston.

delicious in a jar

what you see below is the most delicious idea since sliced cake. these recently appeared in Austin Java's around Austin, and they are wonderful!

there are not even words to explain the magnificence. the flavor pictured is fuggedabodit (fudge, espresso, italian cream, mmmm.) some of their flavors that make me giggle are austin creme pie and armadillo jar (red velvet and chocolate mouse, get it?) the beauty is that they are freezable, as they seal just like when you're 'canning' fruit, jam, etc. then once the seal is popped they keep in the fridge for a little bit.

apparently, though, deliciousness in a jar is NOT a new idea (these guys just got to me i suppose.) so i was inspired to research how to create my own delicious in a jar. there are great recipes for cake in a jar around the world wide web, and even how to seal them so they can be given as gifts, mailed across the world, etc. here's a sweet resource i found for tons of different gifts in a jar. (not all immediately edible, however. the cake in a jar is unique and not replicable.)

i had to share these stupendous discoveries. my conclusion from this whole experience is that ball jars rock my socks.

jumpy

Listening to 'This American Life' podcast, late night and home alone, about urban legends. Specifically a story of a sewer rat climbing through pipes into someones toilet. Then I walk into my dark room to see this...

my goal

leaving atx

I'm starting to accept it. I will be leaving Austin soon. It's my choice really; something that I've been wanting for a little while now. Not that I don't LOVE Austin, actually, it may be that I love it too much. About a year or so ago I started thinking that this is only city where I've lived as an adult so I figured it was time to start traveling. Thankfully, H agreed (perhaps reluctantly in the beginning) and a city we have both always wanted to experience also has tons of wonderful graduate schools. So off the Boston it is - in June for H and at the end of the summer for me. In the meantime here is our list of things that we must do one last time before leaving home.

**UPDATE - GOOGLE CALENDAR WITH EVENTS AND TIMES! JOIN US!!**


First thursday (missed it :( )
Trailer food day
Row
Kayak on lady bird
Snow cone at snow beach!
O. Henry Pun off
Karaoke highball
Gus fruh pool
Photo booth at amys
Tattoos
Group bike ride
Zilker park train
Barton springs
French bread and cheese picnic
Kite flying
Threadgills
Longboard at night
Broken spoke dancing
Sisters edge
Yellow spaghetti?
P terrys
Stubbs Sunday brunch
Whole foods sat samples
Hamilton pool
Float river
3 am magnolia
Epoch
Free movie at central market/Whole foods
Alamo movie
Town lake jog - 7 mile
Hideout comedy
Casa de Luz
Women art gallery
Drag walk
Outlet shopping
South Austin museum at planet k
Hippie Hollow

bumming out

i got on a really sad tandem of news stories after talking to my mom just a moment ago. turns out the mississippi girl who's prom was canceled when she asked to bring her gf is STILL being bullied by the adults of that town. pretty sick. and a few stories/searches later, here's the conclusion i've come to.

clearly, we need to wake the fuck up.

twin pups

At P Terrys for our 2pm breakfast today we saw a Boston that was so similar to Roswell it was amazing. I stopped in my tracks when I saw her and we cracked jokes back and forth with the owners about how strange it was to see one that looked like then. The other pup was about 11 yes old, and you can tell the difference in temperament just by the crazy look in Roswell's eyes. Good to know that she'll calm down someday. Even if it is ten years from now.

Anyway, they were so amused they asked to take a picture of the two 'twins' together and then emailed it to me. Ah, technology.

inspiration

folk

the kind of beauty that moves

Ahhhhh!!! Another amazing Ani show that I now have to file away in my memory. She was wonderful, exciting, gorgeous, well-spoken, etc., etc., etc. Of course she was. Buddy Wakefield opened. I have seen him at past shows as well; he's on her label. He is such a superb performer though. I bought a CD of his a couple years ago and it is great, but nothing compares to seeing him, so large and commanding, moving and shaking on stage when he speaks like the words are just the sound that his instrument makes.

And then Ani. I am amazed every time I see her in the flesh of how physically tiny she is. 5'almost nothin''. Because she is nowhere near that size in her music. Her messages, her emotions, her melodies have the ability to take over; to reach so much farther and higher and stronger than her very petite stature lets on. She played so many new songs and I loved every one of them. She hilariously completely forgot a chord of a song after playing the whole intro, and then decided to fill in the space with a different chord that worked well enough but was not actually correct. Also, she played an old folk song that she covered recently for Pete Seeger's birthday celebration. She modernized it slightly and politicized it beautifully, no surprise there. I hope I have hundreds more opportunities to see that woman perform.

packed like pickles

I made pickles tonight. It was sort of ad-libbed, as I lost my pickle recipe but had bought pickle making cucumbers (they have a real name, I know) almost a whole week ago and they were going bad. I search the world wide web and found one that I had most of the ingredients for... I hope they turn out delicious. The first, and only other, time I made pickles was at the strangest, most wonderful show I have seen. It was a show put on by the Rubber Repertory called "The casket of passing fancy." I can't even hope to explain it adequately... you can find a bit of video on youtube (from the VERY show that H and I attended!!), and apparently you can request a 'script.' The Rubber Rep is issuing a challenge, of sorts, to other theatre companies around the country to produce something similar to that amazing fiasco.

Without too much attempt at an explanation, I'll share Haley and I's experiences. I had to privilege of a one-on-one lesson of how to make pickles from a family recipe passed down to one of the duchess' domestics. It was hands on, I chopped and sliced and combined everything right there and then got to take home the recipe and my creation. (That's the recipe I've now misplaced.) Haley was privy to a naughty horse ride, which consisted of a very gender neutral woman whipping her while she rode a rocking horse. Honestly, I think our experiences were on the tame side compared to some people's 'fancies.'

Here's their final blog post on the duchess herself -

THE RUBBER REPERTORY!?: R.I.P. Duchess 1920-2009

I'll never eat pickles the same way again.

Mombian » Blog Archive » New Research Shows Children of LGBT Parents More Likely to Win Nobel Prizes

Mombian » Blog Archive » New Research Shows Children of LGBT Parents More Likely to Win Nobel Prizes

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worthless things

I feel the need to share these. Even though they're mostly worthless.

Ricky Martin says he's 'a fortunate homosexual man'

I'm awesome, I would run away from a brawl. I'm awesome, I can't afford to buy eight balls and I talk to myself on my facebook wall.

indeed

Sexual Assault Prevention Tips Guaranteed to Work!

1. Don’t put drugs in people’s drinks in order to control their behavior.

2. When you see someone walking by themselves, leave them alone!

3. If you pull over to help someone with car problems, remember not to assault them!

4. NEVER open an unlocked door or window uninvited.

5. If you are in an elevator and someone else gets in, DON’T ASSAULT THEM!

6. Remember, people go to laundry to do their laundry, do not attempt to molest someone who is alone in a laundry room.

7. USE THE BUDDY SYSTEM! If you are not able to stop yourself from assaulting people, ask a friend to stay with you while you are in public.

8. Always be honest with people! Don’t pretend to be a caring friend in order to gain the trust of someone you want to assault. Consider telling them you plan to assault them. If you don’t communicate your intentions, the other person may take that as a sign that you do not plan to rape them.

9. Don’t forget: you can’t have sex with someone unless they are awake!

10. Carry a whistle! If you are worried you might assault someone “on accident” you can hand it to the person you are with, so they can blow it if you do.

quoted from http://girlwpen.com/?p=1729

rude boy

Such a horrible clash of ideals just happened with the inspiration of the title of this post and the topic of it. I think we'll survive though.

Here's a wonderfully interesting article from the Opinions section of the Washington Post:

In Iraq, women serving in the military are more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire.

(It's about women in general in the U.S., not just in the military... it's just that line stuck me a little.) I try not to approach life with an attitude of anger or bitterness, but sometimes it seems like the right attitude to have. It's also strange (or blessed?) to have a daily life that leaves you feeling appreciated, satisfied, worthy; and, yet, intellectually know that is not the reality of so many others. I wonder if there is any possibility of a compromise between these two opposites.

drip

This winter has been quite cold and lately there's all day rain over half the week... so I boosted my spirits with something different than beautiful skies.


Now when I hear the rain I get giddy and run to slip on my rain boots! The day I bought them was truly serendipitous. I stopped by the apartment office for a package and they were getting rid of some unused junk. I was offered a PERFECT side table, with a small drawer and a couple shelves. I know I'm a bit strange for getting excited about furniture, but I seriously have been wanting one (so much so that H was going to buy me an old table from a second hand shop for V-Day.) Then while running errands I stopped by Target to pick up some rain boots. I asked an employee for the boot section and she sadly pointed to rows and rows of empty boxes with only one pair left. So cute, and they fit perfectly. The whole day was meant to be.

Heart Hug Pillow

Here's the original idea found at TreeHuggingFamily.com

And here's how my finished product came out:

I'm quite proud to have followed a pattern, cut, sewed and stuffed successfully. And all that with no help and no instruction. It was well received for sure.

Chocolate Mousse Pastry Puffs

Chocolate Mousse Pastry Puffs
Originally uploaded by liannaburton

My (our) latest and greatest creation. The pastry was bought by mistake for a recipe many weeks ago, and finally I was inspired. They came out deliciously! But really I think they look far more impressive then anything else. I whipped that mousse myself!

Carlotta

The Carlotta
Apples, Carrots, Celery and a Lemon squeezed in

I'm at work listening to Animal Collective (because of this review) and drinking my first ever creation on my new juicer. Delicious! There will be many more to come

overheard at a coffee shop

Customer: Boy, it's raining!
Barista: It is. Cats and dogs.
Customer: I know, I just stepped in a poodle

Prop 8 trial coverage

Prop 8 lawyer Nicole Moss was trying to ask plaintiffs expert Letitia Peplau, a UCLA prof, whether gay couples could "accidentally" have children out of wedlock. "If your question is whether two lesbians can, accidentally, spontaneously, impregnate each other, not to my knowledge," she said, prompting laughter in the courtroom. "I would agree that same-sex couples do not have accidental pregnancies."

"crisis" mitchell gold

"So parents and teachers and preachers beware. Your unexamined fears and prejudices are powerfully contagious and can infect and deform the young, whereas mindfulness and loving-kindness will free their spirits to fly toward great things."

Newsweek cover story!

Americans who believe in the words of the Declaration of Independence, in Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, in the 14th Amendment, and in the Constitution's guarantees of equal protection and equal dignity before the law cannot sit by while this wrong continues. This is not a conservative or liberal issue; it is an American one, and it is time that we, as Americans, embraced it.