Help me! (closet edition)

My closet is horrible right now. It’s a complete mess, and I hate looking in there right now. I need help!

My first plan of attack is to find some new storage containers. I currently have all my Flamenco costumes and rarely used accesories in bankers boxes, and they are UGLY. Does anyone out there in the interwebs know of a good storage solution? My closet shelf is 57 inches long and 11 inches deep. I’d prefer opaque boxes, as I don’t want to stare at the contents all the time - I know what’s in there.

HELP!

Great Moments in Mace History: My 1st Mouse

We caught a mouse!, originally uploaded by maceelaine.

The signs of a mouse were unmistakable. The most obvious was the pellets it left behind all over my kitchen. But there were others, too. Paw prints in the butter, items half dragged out of the garbage, bite marks on anything left unattended overnight. Worst off all, I found out the hard way that mice like bacon fat. I was grossed out every other day.

I slowly mouse-proofed my kitchen. Everything went into sealable secondary containers. Bread was left in the fridge. Food scraps were taken directly to the compost bin, no stopping go, no $200. The only thing I was missing was actually catching the mouse itself.

I had been contemplating different methods, but hadn’t decided on the best way to eradicate this creature. I can be a little squeamish at times, so I wasn’t to fond with the idea of handling a dead mouse. Luckily for me, the mouse caught itself.

I have pull out garbage cans, and as I pulled them out one day, I saw movement. The mouse had been digging in the garbage, and was running away. Except that it hadn’t; my pull had knocked it off balance and into my almost empty recycling bin. Full disclosure: there was a certain amount of squealing. I’m not scared of much, but surprise me and there will be noise.

The squealing started again when I moved the bin. These were squeals of delight, though, as the mouse tried to jump out of the bin (the sides were too high). It was bouncing like a little furry ball. I was laughing so hard I actually had to sit down and catch my breath.

After much debate about what to do with the mouse, Trevor and I decided to let it go. Mostly because neither of us were brave enough to kill it. I went to the farthest corner of my property and flung it as best I could out of the bin.

Suddenly there was a huge movement slightly past where I had thrown the mouse. (more squealing) Having no idea what on earth there could be in the garden next door, I logically came to the conclusion that there was a snake and I should high tail it inside. I was going through the door when I realized Trevor was near shaking in laughter. Evidently he had thrown a stick at the mouse, to discourage it from coming back. He thought I had seen him throw it, but once he heard me freaking out about the imaginary snake he played along. He’s sweet that way.

Sadly, a few weeks later, the mouse trails were back. I’m not sure if it was a different mouse, but I like to think it was this same mouse, for some reason desperate to get back into my place.

This year, for Easter, the baskets were supposed to tell a story, if you knew one. I got a basket based on this story. See? It’s a recycling basket (in this case full of pre-recycling), with a big bronze mouse. Carly is awesome.

I actually have more mouse stories, but those will have to wait for another time.

Operation Beside Lamp: Complete

I love lamp!, originally uploaded by maceelaine.

After months of searching and fretting over surprisingly high prices, I have finally found a bedside lamp. I found it on craigslist, as a rather cute man was moving out of the city and looking to lighten his load. It’s a very nice lamp, from a reputable maker, and about half of what he could have charged due to some scratches on the base when he removed the sticker (which you may notice are completely impossible to see unless you’re about 6 inches from it) (at which point I really have to ask why you’re in my bed).

I cannot express enough how happy I am to be able to stay in my warm nesty spot and simply reach up to turn off the bedroom light. I go to bed with a smile on my face.

Next bedroom project: a small table to go in the corner for pajama and plant purposes.

On Spring Goals

1. Better Oral Hygiene. Now that my life is pretty awesome (seriously, I say this to at least one person a day), I have no excuse to not take good care of myself. Teeth are important, and it’s not really that hard to keep them up. I usually change my electric toothbrush head at the start of each season, so it’s been on my mind. I am going to try and floss, damnit. Now I’m very bad at these kinds of things, so I think I might actually post a small calendar in my medicine cabinet and give myself a gold star every time I brush and floss. I know, it sounds like I’m in 3rd grade, but there’s definitely something to be said for visual confirmation of a job well done.
2. Use the phone for its intended purpose. Last week, I was standing, waiting for Bart, and texting someone. My dance teacher asked me how that was easier than just calling someone. I replied that the person then has time to reply at their convenience, to which she pointed out the purpose of answering machines. I have a limited amount of texts, and a gazillion phone hours (thanks, rollover!), so there’s no real reason NOT to call people. If they don’t want to talk to me, they don’t have to pick up. It’s also just a better way to communicate, since I have a tendency towards the sarcastic, and that doesn’t always work in text.
3. Check out the gym. Evidently there’s a gym here at work. They even have classes at said gym. I am, however, too shy to ask anyone which building the gym is in, and our company intranet is not helpful AT ALL w/r/t this. So, sometime this quarter, I will get my butt over to the gym and check it out. Possibly even take a class (they have yoga!).

So, gentle readers, I need your help. I have several ideas for what I’m going to give up next month, but I thought I’d open it to a poll, since I’m having a hard time deciding. Leave me a comment with your choice! The options:

• chocolate
• caffeine
• fried foods
• alcohol (I’ve done this one before, though)

A few little things on a lonely Saturday night before Easter

1. Buttermilk, Kahlua, and whole milk are pretty tasty together.
2. If anyone reading this is eating my potato salad tomorrow, I apologize in advance for slightly overcooking the potatoes. Please don’t hate me.
3. Said last night in my sleep: “Gross. [pause] Well, I guess we found where we’ll take our nap. We should probably vacuum it first.”

On lunching at Ikea

(which I should never do again from work, as it took me over an hour and a half. Shhhhhhhhhhhh don’t tell)

I had the chicken caesar salad. To keep the salad from getting soggy, the dressing and Parmesan cheese are separated. So, even when you eat at Ikea, YOU HAVE TO PUT IT TOGETHER YOURSELF.

In which I shill for Macy’s and kind of hate myself for it

La Mora with Fan, originally uploaded by maceelaine.

This month is the annual Macy’s Flower Show. This year’s theme is “A Mosaic of Spain,” which means the entire downtown store(s) are completely decked out in Spanish accoutrement. It’s pretty fantastic. There are mannequins in traditional costumes, ranging from Flamenco dancers to matadors, all sorts of neat Spanish foods and goods that usually are much harder to find, and a range of special events on Saturdays. This includes, of course, Flamenco dancers near the doors.

Which is how I ended up there. My dance teacher, seen above, was asked (well, paid) to dance in-store. She brought her two best students, Izabel and Jeanette, and were set up next to the Lancome counter. They were basically dancing in the aisle, blocking foot traffic and having a grand time. Evidently two other local dancers were put over in the men’s department, and the first floor there… yeah, underpants.

Laurie and I went over there to support them and to see what they were up to, and ended up getting swept in and “forced” to dance ourselves. For the most part, though, we stood back and did palmas. That ended up being extremely helpful, actually, since the music didn’t carry at all through the store, but the sound of our hands clapping certainly did, and it helped attract a crowd.

So I urge everyone to head over to Macy’s, if you have time this Saturday. If you get made over at the Lancome counter, try to find Roberto. He’s a peach!

 

On baking, or rather, not baking

While I have several friends who are amazingly proficient at whipping things up from scratch, I realized recently that I have no desire to bake. I quite enjoy the fruits of my friends’ labors, and I do enjoy the smell and heat of the oven, but there is nothing inherent in me. The only reason I want a fancy mixer is so I can paint flames on it.

I don’t feel any less domestic than my friends. I am, after all, a chemist, and chemists are nothing but frustrated cooks. I spend my days following recipes, except that I’m making dyes and acids instead of tasty treats.  I sitting at my desk, eating a seven layer bar from the company cafeteria (which I am THRILLED about,  as I am lazy and avoiding fast food, but not, evidently, incredibly unhealthy snacks), and wondering what on earth would end up in my seven layer bars, if I had to make them out of what was available in my kitchen. It would probably go like this:

1. Tortillas
2. Brie
3. Almonds
4. Vodka
5. Peanut Butter
6. Soy Sauce
7. Um, love?

Not a shrew

Someone managed to get to my blog by searching for “Taming the Mace.” Evidently this is one of the tasks you must master to get your Brown Belt in Kenpo, according to many of the 49,000 responses one can find on google.

According to this site, Taming the Mace is as follows:

• Step to 9:00 with your left foot and bring your right foot toward your left into a right Cat Stance while doing a low left Inward Parry and a right inward glancing Middle Knuckle to attackers bicep. Rebound into a right Back Knuckle to temple as you step forward with your right foot into a right Neutral Bow facing 1:30. Make sure your right leg checks off their right leg.
• Grab attackers shirt with both hands as you step to 3:00 with your left foot. Immediately unwind counter clockwise, throwing attacker against the wall behind you as you do a right Inward Elbow to attackers face and a right knee to attackers groin.
• After the knee, do a right Front Cross Over and do a left spinning Rear Kick.

This is completely wrong (crotch shot! No!). Here is how you Tame the Mace:

• Give Mace a well-made lemon drop and some walnut blue cheese bread
• Tell her that Jeopardy is on
• Rub her belly until she falls asleep

That’s considerably easier than a left spinning rear kick. Yes, indeedy.

Where everyone knows your name

I’m going to say something I didn’t dream I would say: I am enjoying my job.

It’s a slow, on-going process, but I’m learning. This week I actually got to formulate product! Sure, it was one of the easiest products they make, and sure, I have little pink spots all over my hands (it’s a pretty potent dye, that’s all I can say), but I feel entirely accomplished. I’m also currently running my HPLC all by my lonesome for the first time RIGHT NOW!

I’m adjusting to the new location. The people here are very nice, though they mostly keep to themselves. I’m so used to my old job, where everyone was in your face all the time. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVED the camaraderie at TF, but it’s also nice to just have some quiet time alone, especially when you need to read a billion documents to learn how to do your job. I’ve met about three dozen people so far, and I can remember about half their names. The other employees are good about introducing themselves and seem interested in me. Everyone seems to remember my name.

This has been an ongoing problem through-out my life. When you have an interesting, unusual name (and Mace definitely falls into that category), people remember it. (It also helps that I’m totally hot. Ha.) I definitely remember the names of the people in my group, but it’s attempting to branch out that’s getting me stuck. Everyone around here wears a badge, but it seems a little rude to stare at someone’s crotch in an attempt to catch a glimpse. I’ve taken to occasionally wandering around the cube area and peeking at people while they’re sitting at their desks, since it’s WAY easier to read the tag on the wall.

Again, like everything at this job, I just need to take a deep breath and be patient. It’ll come to me. Heck, I knew about 200 people’s names at my old job. It is, evidently, possible. In the mean time, people around here will here a lot of “Hello” (period).