Disqus - Latest Comments for lcarrigg

Re: The Results — or, Hold Me Closer, Tiny Dancer.

lcarrigg — Wed, 02 Apr 2014 12:04:07 -0000

HA! The Elton situation was a random moment for sure. I won't make it a regular habit, I promise. Thanks for reading!

Re: In Which You Are Made to Work Through Some Issues With Me

lcarrigg — Wed, 26 Mar 2014 19:39:18 -0000

Do it! DO IT!! Although, I'm not sure where you'd actually find a checkered skirt these days...are you handy with a sewing machine? :)

Re: In Which You Are Made to Work Through Some Issues With Me

lcarrigg — Wed, 26 Mar 2014 19:38:21 -0000

In a way, I wish that, too. And in another way, not! HAHAHA. I didn't even go into my home-styled haircuts. I was quite a sight.

Re: To BP or not to BP? That is the question.

lcarrigg — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 18:37:59 -0000

Thanks, Jeff. Without being too righteous I do think we all need to remember that the best boycott of Big Oil -- actually, the only effective boycott at all -- is to use less of it.

Re: Will Power

lcarrigg — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 15:36:42 -0000

Ya know, that's what I've been thinking, too. If it gets to ten pounds or more I will reconsider but for now, I am feelin' good. Thanks for reading!

Re: Will Power

lcarrigg — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 15:35:23 -0000

That does make me feel better. Thank you. On the other hand, you will probably go to the gym and play basketball and tennis and golf later today.

Re: Will Power

lcarrigg — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 07:39:38 -0000

I had no idea! They must have a bin for the stale ones that they're allowed to give away.

Re: “What do YOU do?”

lcarrigg — Thu, 27 May 2010 21:30:08 -0000

thanks for reading, jennifer! are you jennifer g, i wonder? :)

Re: “What do YOU do?”

lcarrigg — Thu, 27 May 2010 21:29:23 -0000

Yes, I am replying a month later and you may never read this but I was struck by the similarities in our situations, and how the situation really colors my answer to The Question. My mother has early-onset Alzheimer's and I spend a lot of time either with her, or trying to help my parents in other ways (making food, research online, etc). it is not something I want to go on and on about to people because it is a private issue and also I would sound like I'm trying to be a martyr, but that takes up a lot of my time! And since I don't really want to discuss that I am left with my ramblings about assorted other activities which really aren't how I spend most of my time.

Re: You are Here.

lcarrigg — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 16:58:57 -0000

It's possible that living in a city could play into it, but I still think it's something you either have or your don't. When I lived in NYC I think I was even more aware of where I was on the giant grid. Don't worry, I still like you. ;)

Re: Is retail dead?

lcarrigg — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 07:52:46 -0000

A friend just asked me on FB whether I'd heard of this: http://www.the350project.net. I had not but it looks worthy of a mention. I know that we are so committed to eating locally and supporting local agriculture; I need to find a way to harness some of that when it comes to other retail establishments. It is so interesting to see this issue from "the other side," having owned a shop for years. Then again, many things have changed since then.

Re: Is retail dead?

lcarrigg — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 19:55:00 -0000

And also :) ...I struggle with being ridiculously long-winded when I write and so I am constantly trying to cut things out of my posts but in this case I must point out the ridiculousness of my not having mentioned ebay, the total game-changer.

Re: Television. For Kids?

lcarrigg — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 15:11:42 -0000

Sorry it took me so long to see this! Yes, I definitely have more to say and feel free to use this post.

Re: Television. For Kids?

lcarrigg — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 09:42:05 -0000

Darla, I also often remind myself that when I was little our babysitter basically encouraged us to watch TV all day (she did this by turning on the TV and then ignoring us). I can almost remember the line-up, it was something like Wheel of Fortune, the Price Is Right, then we had to suffer through her soaps to get back on track in the late afternoon with The Brady Bunch. And, like you, me not too stupid either. The funny thing is, we would get so sick of watching TV that we would go find stuff to do outside, so I guess it worked out okay.

As a PS to this whole thing, I took Caralena to Disney on Ice last weekend. Why? Because she saw the commercial on the Disney channel and kept bugging me about it until I relented. (Since she goes to a daycare/preschool they do not have any scheduled school vacations so I felt kinda guilty and figured we would do one typical school vacation-type activity.) It was AWFUL. I mean, she liked it fine but I wouldn't say she loved it. I don't know what I expected but the production values were awful -- the sound was all muffled and the whole thing (okay, with the exception of a cute and fun Hawaiian dance number inspired by Lilo and Stitch) was so incredibly stupid. The worst part was the merchandising. They charged $22 for a crappy, plastic, light-up wand that probably cost .20 to make in China. I was irate. Really, Disney?! It's not enough that I paid a ridiculous amount for these tickets but now you want $22 US dollars on top of that?! I felt so disgusting after, knowing that she would have had just as much (more?) fun if we'd invited a friend over and made Play Dough. Lesson learned.

Re: Television. For Kids?

lcarrigg — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 16:39:59 -0000

Right now we are on a really good kick with the PBS shows like Fetch with Ruff Ruffman, WordGirl and Martha Speaks but we still have some Olivia and Max and Ruby mixed in on a pretty regular basis. We have the same problem as Clare with the Disney channel -- Caralena will watch something like Little Einsteins and then next time we turn on the TV it is still on that channel and she sees the "big kids" and immediately starts in with "I want to watch that show!"

Flo, Discovery Kids is a great suggestion. I will check it out pronto. I have many friends who only let their kids watch movies but it just doesn't seem like a realistic option for me -- we often just need a little half hour diversion and I can't see telling Caralena that I am going to turn off her movie just as it's getting good! Plus, I LIKE WATCHING TV. And it doesn't seem fair to have a big TV and then to tell her that she can't watch it.

You ladies are so nice to read and reply to my blog. Thank you. :)

Re: The Big Purge

lcarrigg — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 12:29:43 -0000

I definitely agree that part of my "urge to purge" comes from my parents having accumulated soooooooooo much stuff over the years. Even things that actually do have value in my mind, like books, I now choose very carefully. It is tough to find that middle ground, for sure, where you feel like you kept a few things that have a great history or sentimental value but got rid of the ten other things that are similar. And yes, C also wants to keep old valentines, five blankets from when she was a baby, crappy stuffed animals that she "won" at the Topsfield Fair (after I paid for her to play a game). It will be a life-long battle for sure. I just need to always remember that attic.

Re: Eat Local… Meat

lcarrigg — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:02:50 -0000

That was my bad -- sorry for the mistake!

Re: The Big Purge

lcarrigg — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 08:29:00 -0000

Thanks! Now we just need you to go through your boxes and boxes and boxes of old books! :)

I said that no one ever complains about stuff on freecycle but I neglected to go into some of the ridiculous emails that are exchanged and the wackadoodles who make elaborate plans to pick up a half box of dishwashing detergent. Yesterday I dropped off an item for someone who doesn't have a car or a phone. Well, at least now they have a clock radio!

Re: Live to Eat: Part 2 of 2

lcarrigg — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:16:55 -0000

Very interesting stuff. Synthetic meat, you say? I am trying to wrap my little pea brain around the implications. If I could eat meat all day and night without the ethical or health implications, would I? ...

Re: Ten Good Things

lcarrigg — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 20:08:21 -0000

Cathy - Happy New Year and thank you so much for your comment! I am totally loving this silly blog and it means a lot to me to get your feedback. And not only your feedback, but some visitors - I was looking at my stats and you've sent a couple people my way! Thanks.

-Lise

Re: Ten Good Things

lcarrigg — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 09:48:30 -0000

Clare - Thanks so much for being my #1 fan. This list was thrown together so quickly, you were probably feeling all itchy with the need to edit. (Feel free to notify me of any glaring errors in this post or any others!) I think we should make a plan for 2-3 years down the line. NoCal, baby. Happy New Year! xoxoxoxo

Re: Live to Eat: Part 1 of 2

lcarrigg — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 08:30:54 -0000

Thanks for reading. I've been "good" so far and also realized that there's a restaurant in the area that only uses meat from local farms. It makes me happy to know that I *could* still go out to dinner and order a lamb chop or steak. I am fine if I don't eat meat for 3-4-5 days but after that I definitely get a craving.

As for the stock, I always make stock after we have a roasted chicken but now my issue is more finding a chicken that fits my parameters. If I'm really going to play by my own rules than those labels like "free range" are pretty meaningless.

It gets waaaaaayyyyy more complicated when Caralena is thrown into the mix. I will try to work on that post in the next couple of days.

Re: Live to Eat: Part 1 of 2

lcarrigg — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 09:23:31 -0000

Hahaha, that's what I mean - once you start thinking about it you realize how much it's easier said than done, right? It would probably actually be easier to just go veggie! I started out just looking for the free-range grass-fed stuff, too, but the more I read the more it seems like that's all BS and that lable can be slapped on even if they have a tiny door in the corner of a giant room filled with chicken so that, theoretically, they *could* go outside (if they could find that one tiny door in the dark).

Love the guy who only eats meat at other people's houses.

Re: Your Baby Definitely Can’t Read. Sorry.

lcarrigg — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:29:10 -0000

I have also heard of that crazy potty stuff. Are some parents driven by fear? Like, being afraid that their kid won't eventually do all the stuff that most kids do, so they feel like they have to jump start everything so that in their minds they are ahead of the pack? I rarely make any comments about kid-related stuff or parenting because a) it's such a minefield, and b) I am REALLY far from the perfect parent myself. This one just pissed me off enough that I needed to rant. Thanks for reading.

Re: How to Survive this Winter: A Self-Help Guide

lcarrigg — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:18:57 -0000

Before this week, when it got freezing and snowed, we were enjoying an absolutely gorgeous fall. Just one week ago I was at a Red Sox game under a blue sky, wearing jeans and a t-shirt, and there were also days where we'd walk on the beach in the afternoon and the air was chilly but the sun was warm and it was so, so good. the days felt so specifically New England and they were so amazing that I thought more than once, Okay, maybe winter is just the price we have to pay for days like this. So I definitely hear you and I think I would also die from sameness in SoCal. Honestly, it's the length of winter that kills me. It is fine for a while, the snow is pretty and it works with the holidays...and then it is mid-January and you realize that you're going to be freezing until April. We'll see how things pan out on the vacays. I may fly out there just to eat a guava or mango or something. Fruititude, indeed.