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Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in
Dayna's LiveJournal:
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| Friday, July 10th, 2009 | | 11:53 am |
Hiking
I want to go hiking this Saturday at Patapsco State Park. Anyone interested in joining me? | | Tuesday, June 30th, 2009 | | 9:14 pm |
Denver
I enjoyed my trip to Denver even though I didn't spend much time there and didn't get to see the actual city. Colorado is a place that I will have to return someday when I have more time and energy to enjoy it. I loved that you could see the rockies from my hotel with their snow-capped peaks. The sunsets were beautiful and the weather was fantastic. The wedding was pretty awesome too. It was nice seeing sorority sisters (especially since there were none of the drama sisters). It was good connecting with old friends; I feel like I should expend more energy keeping in contact with them. My only complaint is that Noah wasn't there to dance with me. Current Mood:  chipper | | Saturday, June 27th, 2009 | | 7:53 am |
Shout Out
This is my shout out for all of your un-used plastic grocery bags!! I will be out of town this weekend, but please bring me plastic bags (without holes in them) next time you see me! Thanks. | | Sunday, June 14th, 2009 | | 4:36 pm |
Green Thumb Update
All my plants seem to be doing pretty well. I have about 10-15 green tomatoes on my tomato plant, so I hope to have those ready for eating within the next week or two. My bell pepper plant is doing well too and I saw the first bell pepper bud today so I'm looking forward to having fresh bells in another few weeks as well. My basil, dill, spearmint and cilantro are blossoming like crazy too. The chives are a bit on the slow side but still look promising. I need to figure out what to make with fresh herbs asap. I know pesto is good for basil, but I don't really know what to do with the mint, dill or cilantro. I also just received my first batch of produce from the CSA. I had red chard, romaine lettuce, garlic scapes and strawberries. The strawberries and some of the scapes are still in the fridge, but the chard went into some delicious enchiladas and the romaine went toward salad. Even though I only have half a share at the CSA, I'm going to need a lot of help eating all the veggies and produce I'll have this summer. I know I wouldn't be able to use all the romaine and the chard just cooking for myself. Today I harvested a good portion of my basil for my first use of my new food processor! I decided to make pesto from scratch using home-grown basil! I also included a bit of spinach from the grocery store since I had it on had and it doesn't change the taste much. I think the basil would have been supurb for pesto, but I over-did it on the garlic. I think this is because I used one of the garlic scapes in the recipe. They are very strong and overpowering, plus I'm a garlic lover so I also used one more clove than the recipe called for. Anyway, I personally think the pesto turned out well, but next time I will cut back on the garlic so the other flavors can stand out too. For anyone interested, I have almost a pound of pasta with a good pesto on it. Feel free to come buy and take some home! There is no way I'll be able to eat it all myself! Of course, you have to looooooove garlic, and you'll probably want to invest in some breath mints or gum after you eat this because the garlic is STRONG!!! Current Mood:  accomplished | | Monday, June 8th, 2009 | | 8:07 pm |
Hon Fest
Next weekend is Hon Fest. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Hon Fest is basically a celebration of Baltimore's white-trashy "hon" background. There are street vendors, bands, beer, etc. It's usually fun to drop in for a bit when it's within walking distance. This year I live ONE BLOCK away from 36th street which is the main hub for Hon Fest. Basically what this means is that I will be trapped in my house. If I decide to drive anywhere I will not be able to find a parking spot upon my return unless I come back later than 11pm. I suppose that not going out for the weekend wouldn't be the end of the world... but I'll end up being really damn bored. Another alternative is that I can go somewhere else for the weekend... but where? I'd have to bring Max with me or find daycare for him. Any thoughts, ideas, suggestions? Current Mood:  sore | | Saturday, May 30th, 2009 | | 7:26 pm |
Cell Phone Question
I hate updating technology. Why? Because it confuses me. This is why I try to avoid updating whenever it's possible to stick to what I've already got. Cell phones, however, have about a 2 year lifespan. As such, updating is inevitable. Because my old razor seems to be on it's last legs, I purchased a Samsung SGH-a777 phone. I purchased this based on the fact that it was the only phone in stock that is the size I wanted (about the same size as the razor). So far I don't like the set up of this phone. However, I keep reminding myself that I didn't like the set up of the Razor when I got that either. At the moment I have come to a state of general acceptance of the phone. I have set it up to my liking (mostly), and a configuration that I can learn and live with. However, I have hit a wall in the text messaging department. I have two gripes thus far... I may end up with more later. First, when I go to send a text message, the phone doesn't go automatically to my contacts list. I have to scroll through a number of message options to get to my contact list. Who the hell else am I gonna text? I just want it to go to my contacts. Also, on my old phone there was a specific button that I could press to go to my "text message center." This meant that I didn't have to scroll through a bunch of menu options (the bane of my existence is menu options) to get there. If anyone would be so kind as to give me advice on how to fix these issues, I would greatly appreciate it. If you need to check out the phone to do so, I'll be back in Baltimore Monday night. Let's set up a date. P.S. Yes, I'm a techno n00b. Current Mood:  annoyed | | Wednesday, May 20th, 2009 | | 7:08 am |
HELP!
I need someone to help me fix the J key on my computer... it feel off. | | Sunday, May 10th, 2009 | | 8:37 pm |
Coca-Cola Logo
Today I bought a bottle of Coke. Apparently Coca-Cola classic has a new logo. The first thing I thought when I saw this new logo was "Why is there a silhouette of Darth Vader on the coke bottles?" I then looked a little more closely and realized that there was no Darth Vader at all... it's sunglasses. Go take a look and you'll see what I mean, but I felt like a huge geek :) Current Mood:  geeky | | Saturday, May 2nd, 2009 | | 9:06 pm |
Green Thumb Update
Today I decided that my bell peppers were a lost cause, and possibly most of my herbs as well (basil, dill, cilantro and chives) so I went to the garden store and picked up another pepper plant (easy to replace in the topsy turvey planter) along with some basil and mint. When I got home, I re-planted the peppers which was a wise decision. I don't think the previous pepper plant would have done well at all in the planter because I had accidentally ripped off all the leaves from the plant when I planted it the first time which is a big hinderance considering the design of the planter. We'll see how the peppers do from now on... since it's gotten warmer I think they will do well and I'll have a good pepper crop. As for the herbs, when I got home I noticed that the dill plant which had previously appeared totally dead had sprouted two small leaves. Also, the cilantro plant which I previously believed was nearly dead had just begun to sprout actual cilantro leaves (as opposed to the non-herb buds associated with early growth after seed planting). I hope that this means there is still hope for all 4 of my herbs. I opted not to toss the dill or cilantro in favor of the new basil and mint. I will have to go out and get pots for those two tomorrow or later this week perhaps. There are also two small "trees" in the yard and the alley behind the yard which I had not previously noticed during the winter because they had no leaves. They looked more like weeds in fact. I'm a little worried that the leaves will block out some of the sun for my veggies and flowers. I'm considering trimming back some of the leaves but I don't want to do so quite yet because they make the yard look a bit prettier than when it's barren. I will have to decide based on how well the veggies seem to be growing over the next week or two. My tomato plant is currently doing wonderfully. It loves the warm weather and has sprouted numerous new growths. The first tomatoes themselves may not be far off. I'm excited. Current Mood: chipper | | Tuesday, April 28th, 2009 | | 8:41 pm |
Green Thumb Update
Thus far I seem to have had mixed results with my garden. My tomatoes are absolutely loving this warm weather. My morning glories are doing well too and just sprouted their first real buds this weekend. The jury is still out on the black raspberries. I'm not sure if the bell peppers are a lost cause. When you plant something in the topsy-turvey planters I'm using, you're supposed to ensure that a part of the plant is sticking out to get the light. I accidentally ripped off almost all of the leaves of the bell peppers and so I'm left with just a tiny stem... so I may have messed those up from the beginng. My herb garden may also be a lost cause. It was doing okay indoors for a while and then started losing some lustre. I decided that since this weekend was so warm I'd try putting them outside. It hasn't helped. First I drowned them when it rained on Saturday night... now it seems like they're baking in the sun. The dill is totally dead... that is a lost cause. The cilantro and chives aren't doing well... the basil is thus far doing the best out of the bunch, but even that seems to be on it's last legs. I'm very disappointed about this. As long as at least one of my veggies does well I will be satisfied. So far it's looking like the tomatoes will be the big winners... and I don't think it's possible to go wrong with the morning glories, but they'r not nearly as exciting and edible as veggies. I'll be sure to post more updates as the season continues. Current Mood:  satisfied | | Sunday, April 5th, 2009 | | 3:39 pm |
A busy day of firsts & CSA
Today has been a busy day. This morning I went to my very first yoga class ever. It was a beginners class, so it didn't seem to have as many as the strengthening/toning elements as I'm looking for, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. My body felt good afterward and relaxed and it was well stretched out. I am looking forward to going again and perhaps joining a second class once I feel confidant that I have the basics down. After yoga I ran to the mall to pick up sunglasses since I lost mine yesterday and I knew I'd be out in the sun a lot today. I ended up picking up some cute clothes too, all on sale, and some body products. I bought a bath-bomb at a store called Lush, and I'm thinking about using it tonight since I'll need some relaxation. I also went to Petco to pick up food for Max. They had two dogs there from the Maryland SPCA that were looking for homes. It made me sad that I can't get another doggie. Then I came back home to start work on my garden. I had already gotten started Friday by trimming back the dead weeds that had grown almost up to 4 feet high outside my back gate. I pulled out most of the roots, but I probably still need to do some cleanup back there. That will have to wait until next weekend. Anyway, I hung my three topsy-turvy tomato planters. One has tomatoes, one has red bell peppers and the final one has black raspberries. We'll see if any of them turn out well. After hanging the agricultural planters, I covered the overhang above my gate (hard to describe, but I'll eventually post pictures) with trellis netting. I am planting morning glories and moon beams so that they can grow over the fence in the back yard and make it look pretier. The trellis netting will probably help encourage them to attach to the overhang thingy that runs over the gate. In between planting the potters and the morning glories, I had to run out to buy more potting soil. I tried to run over to the mill valley garden center, which is a very cute garden store I found that's about a mile from my house. It's close and the people there are very helpful, so I wanted to support their business, but the road was closed and I couldn't get around. I eventually just picked up more soil at the grocery store, but I went to check out the Mill Valley Farms website and discovered that they are associated with a Community Agriculture farm called One Straw Farm, which is a Maryland Community Supported Agriculture farm. Apparently you can buy a share to support the farm and in return you can get produce each week which you pick up at the mill vally farms store. This would be super convenient for me, since I could go on the weekend. With a full share you can get 8 "items" of produce per week. This is too much for me, and it costs around <$500. That would be appropriate for a family. You can also buy a half share, which is less expensive and only 4 items per week. This would be more appropriate for me. However, you can't get a half share if your pickup site is mill valley farm store. WTF? I'd have to get another location, which sucks. There are two other possible locations that are close that I could pick up from, but those are both only 1 day a week. I have until June 1st to decide, so I'm still considering this. I would like to support CSA and get fresh organic veggies all summer, but it's kinda annoying that they seem to have screwed my best option. What do you think? | | Thursday, April 2nd, 2009 | | 9:09 pm |
| | Sunday, March 29th, 2009 | | 1:45 pm |
My Green Thumb (or lack thereof)
This weekend I went up to Westminster to help ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) greymaiden set up her vegetable and herb garden... although I didn't do much work. However, seeing her set up a garden motivated me to get to re-potting my chia herb-garden. I went to home depot today to pick up pots, potting soil, etc. and I saw that they had these upside down tomato planters. Although I can't plant a normal vegetable garden because I have no soil in my backyard, I probably could try one of these things out. I would like to try to plant tomatoes, peppers and zucchini if possible. I'm going to have to look into this a little more, but I think it would be a good pay off. I'm also considering buying a planter to plant lavendar in outside. I really wish I could have lavendar all year round, but I don't think I'll be able to grow it in the window I have since it doesn't get much light. I'm not even sure my herbs will be able to deal with such low light... I'm probably going to have to start putting them outside when it warms but, but I'll be sad if they don't make it through the winter. Thoughts? Current Mood: motivated | | Sunday, March 22nd, 2009 | | 9:50 am |
Spaghetti squash
Last night I made spaghetti squash for the first time. I served it as a pasta dish and it was really good. I put olive oil, salt, pepper and parmesan cheese. Then I topped the whole thing with a wilted spinach, garlic and red pepper mixture and crushed almonds. The whole meal was delicious, and I'm proud of myself :) This one is definitely going in my recipe book!! | | Monday, March 9th, 2009 | | 12:59 pm |
| | Tuesday, February 24th, 2009 | | 1:15 pm |
| | Thursday, February 12th, 2009 | | 6:38 pm |
Dinner Success
Adam canceled on me tonight, so instead of making tacos like I had planned (too much food for just me), I decided to try to make a quesadilla. Usually my problems with quesadillas are that if I put anything more than cheese inside them, they don't stick together. But not tonight! I made my quesadilla directly on the stove-top rather than in the microwave (I have no microwave). Although I did run into a bit of a snag when I tried to flip the quesadilla (it only fell apart a tiny bit), my culinary adventure was nonetheless successful! I was able to make the quesadilla stick to itself. Huzzah! It was delicious too. I used red and green peppers, onions and spinach with pre-shreaded cheddar cheese and whole-wheat quesadillas. I rule :) Current Mood: accomplished | | Sunday, February 8th, 2009 | | 6:43 pm |
Beautiful Day
Today was such a beautiful day... I wish I had taken Max to the park. Instead I spent most of the day in the house getting chores done that I really needed to do. First, I ironed all my work shirts so I can have something to wear to work tomorrow. I swiffered the floor for my whole apartment and I'm surprised how well the Swiffer works when used in conjunction with a dust-buster for large pieces of dirt that the Swiffer didn't pick up. I can tell that the floor feels cleaner when I walk around... although it's still not 100% perfect (I doubt I'll ever get there with wood floors). I also used my brand-new vacuum (the Bissel pet hair eraser!). It seems to work pretty well... my black carpet looks clean anyway, but since the carpet is new the vacuum picked up all the loose carpet hairs so I can't tell how much other stuff it picked up. On the up side... it was very easy to clean out since there was a much larger ratio of carpet to dirt and dust in the vacuum canister. We'll see how it holds up next time. I also went grocery shopping today which was an interesting task since I had to pick out food that can be cooked with minimal preparation since I own absolutely no kitchen knives other than butter knives. I ended up with some chicken breast tenderloins, asparagus, orzo pasta, shake n' bake (probably won't use that again), pre-cut green beans, pre-cut bell peppers and onions, pears, canned fruit, canned corn, canned beans and I already had a few other staples at home like cereal and milk. We'll see if these can last me until I get the knives I ordered on amazon... I feel fairly accomplished. I did manage to take Max on a long walk both today and yesterday down 36th Street (the Avenue) to enjoy the weather. I think both of us really had a good time. It's not the uber-cold weather that makes me miss California so much as the first beautiful days of the season (particularly since I know it's going to get cold again this season). I hate the cold, but I can deal with it... however on the beautiful days I miss having every day be a beautiful day! Current Mood:  optimistic | | 6:25 pm |
ZOMGBSG
Friday night greymaiden and I watched BSG on her awesome TV. It was amusing because I think that HD actually makes some of the "sci-fi" parts look more fake than just normal TV (for example, a ship landing on a hanger deck... obviously CG). Anyway, if she'll let me maybe we'll make it a weekly event. Even though I can down-load it next day and watch online, it's much more fun to watch with people and on the nice TV. Maybe others will join us. ( *warning* spoilers )Anyway, I'm really looking forward to the rest of this season, and I'm sad that it will be the final season though :( Current Mood: geeky | | Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009 | | 2:25 pm |
This Sucks
I need to buy a vacuum ASAP. I'll probably go to Target sometime this weekend to pick one out, but I have a dilemma. Should I go with the bagless vacuum or not? Bagless vacuums are pretty convenient. Dealing with the vacuum bag is honestly a big pain. On the other hand, bagless vacuums are disgusting. Emptying all the dirty and dust that the vacuum picks up is pretty gross. Plus you have to empty the container almost every time you vacuum otherwise it overfills and the vacuum stops working.
So tell me what you thing. Bag or bagless? Current Mood: dorky |
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