Granulated Sugar

Better Think Quick

2007-07-30T11:08:00.000-07:00

Idaho

My Lord has it really been nearly 6 months!!
Yes...
Cielle do you read this anymore?
Do you want to keep this shit alive?
We can make it happen, if we're willing.

Well, Cielle and I had a rough year. I told you I wouldn't be your overpowering sidekick, but I just appreciate you and all that you have given me, seriously. So thanks.
Now that its two months into summer what have I done?
-Finished the school year with a 4.0
-Rocked out at AIH in June with Cielle
-Helped an ol' artist with a mosaic mural
-Vacationed on the coast
-Went and saw my insane relatives
-Drove in hellish Portland traffic (life-altering)
-Saw Harry Potter 5 with Cielle (best one yet)
-Sat around wallowing-Made cake
-Downloaded a buttload of tunes
-Did robotics stuff
-Almost bought a cat
-Made 3 music videos (Powerout Neighborhood #3, From My Own True Love (Lost at Sea), Autumn Sweater)
-Went to Da Vinci Days, saw PINK MARTINI
-Read HP!!
-Sat on blanket listened to man with cancer sing blues funk
-Made a pita sandwich, with cream/feta cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, Greek food rocks.

I am taking it easy, I've been watching Fallon 3 weeks straight and my mind is numb. I worked some volunteer hours at the lame ass volunteer core. I really don't want two of the same T-shirts so I'm not doing a second week.
Whats with this weather?
No Wilco: No Fun
When I was down on the Sewage River, I actually did some pretty good stone skipping. Not stoned tripping.
Fudgesicles. Ice Cream. Pie. Fireworks. Rivers. Sun. Concerts. Sunglasses. Sandals. Art. Fairs. Laughter. Reading. Blogging. Sleeping. Relaxing. SUMMER!

T'is The Season for: Russian Tea Cakes

2006-12-27T20:00:00.000-08:00

1 cup butter
1/2 cup confectioners (powdered) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup finely chopped nuts (walnuts)

Preheat oven: 400 F. Mix butter, sugar, vanilla. Slowly work in four. Shape dough into small balls. Put them on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 mins. Once cooled a bit roll in powdered sugar (mix in sprinkles). Cool more and roll in sugar again.
makes 4 dozen [but thats a lie, you really should double it or you'll only get 2 dozen - no joke!]

Brought to you by a worn Betty Crocker cookbook from the '60's.
Santa's #1 choice for a Christmas cookie treat.

I love these buttery cakes. Make some.
The picture above was taken with my new camera. But its still a damn kodak easyshare but this time its a kodak easyshare c643 instead of that other number the other one was. And this one has a zoom lense that doesn't suck, and it takes sound video. It's truely fantastic. So thanks Santa, and sorry I didn't make the tea cake cookies until last night, but I'm sure it'll be different next year.
I wanted a computer so I could put music on it without it crashing and dying and weasing under the pain of being so last century. (windows 98)
Fallon had a good christmas she racked in 2 huge presents aside from all her other Christmas presents and birthday gifts a week ago. She got a build-your-own-fort set and her very own bistro stand (its very stylish). The neon colors of the build-a-fort set is rather out of place in our living room next to that bistro set. Fallon doesn't need anything else...the brat.

Happy New Year.

Star Wars Exhibit: I

2006-11-22T17:20:00.000-08:00

I guess I’ll blog about Star Wars.

There are some perks to being on a nerdy high school robotics team, and that is - we got free admission into OMSI and the Star Wars exhibit. The catch was we had to actually be present at the robot scrimmage for a few hours. That time moved quickly. Cielle and I wandered around OMSI getting free passage most everywhere. We smashed Einstein’s head onto a penny, gawked at the crazy shit in the gift shop, smiled at OMSI staff, and generally had a blast. OMSI was our bitch.

In the fun-land Star Wars exhibit on display were models and costumes used in the various episodes. My favorite had to be the Millennium Falcon, surrounded by glass and hanging by thin wires to simulate it flying. Awesome to the extreme. Check out Our Flickr to see some Star Wars props. While waiting in line for a “meeting with C-P30” a cool staff member with a purple vest over a red-stripped sweater started to talk about the robotics scrimmage and R2D2. He was holding a little Lego® robot scorpion. The scorpion could sense things in front of it and then “sting you”. So we enjoyed this entertainment for a few minutes.

Later we saw the same guy again in the food court. He waved to us as though we knew him, and told us that the Portobello mushroom sandwich was excellent, but he got it with tomatoes not onions…then we bought nachos beans and rice instead, poor guy, he probably felt insulted. “They didn’t get the mushroom sandwich!!”

At the gift shop I bought a voice transformer. Cielle bought Star Wars tattoos and freeze-dried ice cream (have you eaten that yet?) I think it was the ice cream cookie kind.

Oh yay, here comes thanksgiving and all its great food. Enjoy it everyone!!!

Flipbook

2006-11-01T16:34:00.000-08:00

Neat-o.

News Flash

2006-10-23T19:39:00.000-07:00

This is my new music wish list: http://cielle.tadalist.com/lists/public/435643
If you have any of these, be a dear, and we can make a trade. I have a lot of strange things you might be interested in.
Last week we saw Yo la Tengo at the Crystal ballroom, with my brother and our friend Ben, it was fun. Here's a picture I like from the show, look at flickr for more.
We have a 4 day weekend coming up, I will be in Portland for a few days, but if you want to do something, give me a ring.
lovingly yours, Cielle

Gordan Smith

2006-10-23T17:44:00.000-07:00

Actual conversation between me and a senator.

Gordan Smith: Hi this is Gordan Smith...state senator...
Me: Whhhyy?
Gordan Smith: Please vote for me to support the activist judges in the senate...
Me: I am not sure I care about activist judges...yet...
Gordan: I support...
Me: please shut up, my nose is bleeding. *click*

I don't like electronic senators.

Cosmo

2006-09-28T22:53:00.000-07:00

My evil twin would shoot people in the face with laser guns of various colors. And I would call her Cosmo.

3 Things

2006-09-22T20:25:00.000-07:00

1. I have been color coordinating my lunches.

2. I have been told I should be a comedian. I have been told I should be an historian. What should I do?
Maybe a comedy CD with jokes about American history. "And whats up with this Custer guy? Can you tell me about him?"

3. My parents bought a mattress from a man named Gage Smiley.

Lovingly yours, Cielle

Cars Trains Cars, Oh My

2006-09-19T20:55:00.000-07:00

I chased a legendary steam train with my pop last weekend. We had fun. Driving around aimlessly figuring out what we were going to do as we went. We reached spots to watch the train, and we'd wait and wait.As soon as it flashed by us and left us in its steam, we, and the many other spectators, ran into our cars and tried to catch up to this Orange steamer. There was a lot of, "wait, wait, go go go!" We chased it through the gorge, past The Dalles and up towards Bend. We were accompanied by many other train-enthusists, some had tripods some had video cameras, some with nice green trucks. We followed all these people along the way and we watched where they watched. It was a beautiful day for train chasing. Apparently my dad follows this train year after year.
I drove from the quaint city of Madras to Sisters (two long hours), where we stopped for buffalo wings and salad. Too bad we couldn't stay for the Jazz festival.
People in eastern Oregon like to drive 10 miles above posted speeds and like to tailgate you until you speed up or they pass you.
I've had my share of car scares in the past two days.
On sunday a large truck pulled out behind an innocent lady walking her pup, and almost hit her, she turned around just in time also the time she probably had a heartattack.
Yesterday, after school there was a black jeep in a ditch outside of our school, and some mingling students tryed to pry the jeep out of its crash site. Some other cars were involved in the accident. I think some drugs and ill-thinking set up this disaster. The kids probably didn't tell anyone.

A Day

2006-09-12T18:52:00.000-07:00

Today my uncle (mom's brother) would be 50, so in his honor we are
drinking his favorite beer (Dos Equis).
My dad and I just had a fight. I mentioned the new 80Gb iPod and he
flipped-out about me wasting money just so I could have all my music.
Totally unprovoked he started yelling, and insulting me. 5 adjectives
to describe my dad: 1. hypocritical 2. childish 3. selfish 4.
inconsiderate 5. brash. Well, needless to say, things were said that
should have not have been said ( I need to work on how I talk to him,
but he is in no way innocent either) and he stormed out and said "I'm
going to Squirrels" (a bar). Way to handle it dad! My mom threatened
with family counseling

Web Searching

2006-09-11T19:59:00.000-07:00

I am drawn to informational articles. Oblivious minds want to know!

Hey, this is neat!

2006-08-30T18:17:00.000-07:00

My brother's old band has a song on the new "Yeti" compilation. You know, Yeti, the magazine put out by Mike McGonigal. Well anyhow, it's really neat, especially because it is one of the songs that Austin actually wrote. Pitchfork has a little thing about it today, look at that. The song is "Corvallis" by Fauna Polly, and when the new yeti comes out, any day now, buy it, and listen to it.

151

2006-08-27T19:13:00.000-07:00

Our last post was the 150th one, and we completely passed it by without notice, like we should.
Just to say: I think small innocent posts are better than long controversial ones, especially when you don't know what you're talking about, like I usually don't. Also they're better when nothing is to be said, and/or no one reads your shit anyway.

P.S.Whats really making these last few weeks of my summer special, is that the Oregonian is putting out a weekly 1960's origianl Spiderman comic magazine for his 40th anniversary. It's pretty sweet. Peter Parker-spiderman started out as a real jerk.

This and last Sunday's Editions:Hilarious!

MoNa LiSa & that lorenzo di uhmm

2006-08-22T13:23:00.000-07:00

Being in a festival is not only entertaining but extremely funny, funny mostly if you get to dress up in a strange costume for a whole day. An Alfo Romeo stroll around the artsified park and people in tents telling you how hot we're going to get. We took pictures in buggy seats, cars and with strange old men. Cielle got a picture with an adorable little girl in a nice blue dress, they matched. The girl kept yelling and pointing, "There she is!" Tehe

That was pretty cool.

Waiting Patiently

2006-08-17T15:29:00.000-07:00

Things I'm waiting for in the mail:
Multiple postcards
4 letters from pen pals
book on superheros
package for a day reading
9 ATCs (artist trading cards)
3 mix CDs
2 mystery shirts
Andrew Bird shirt
Woody Allen shirt
Harold and Maude Shirt
Vladimir Nabokov shirt
10 yards of mystery ribbon

When will they come?!

Lovingly yours, Cielle

What Album?

2006-08-15T23:56:00.000-07:00

I recently had the joy of becoming a published artist, another thing I can cross off my summer thing to-do list.

Heres the cover, and later I might post a song but uh, later.

The Boss!

2006-08-14T12:47:00.000-07:00

Bruce Springsteen's Born In The U.S.A is Amazing!

One Thing

2006-08-13T20:26:00.000-07:00

Don't risk your life, you can't get rid of the poppies.

Birthday

2006-08-11T14:05:00.000-07:00

My brother and I had a lovely birthday the other day, the big 15/21!
Although I spent half the day alone, and he went to work, we have a great time once everyone got home. Our cake was in Russian (my name was spelled incorrectly). It was going to be partly in French as well, but they had no room. It still tasted great, especially with the huckleberry ice cream!
Other than my family, Lacey was the only one to wish me a happy birthday (even 4 of 5 grandparents forgot)
I don't mean to brag, but I did get some darling gifts, especially from Lacey, who brought me a wonderful gift pack and birthday parade (her mom and her niece) right when I had given up on anyone remembering.
Here's a little list of gifts:
From Lacey:
-Giant bubble kit
-green polka-dot ribbon
-lots of stickers
-glow in the dark ceiling constellation kit
very kind Lacey, I love it, thank you!
From Family:
-The Stories Of Vladimir Nabokov (collected short stories)
-$225
- Beautiful hand made card/frame
-Camera Obscura, Let's Get Out Of This Country
-hand bag
-chocolate covered sunflower seeds
-and of corse, DC comic stamps
Thank you every one!

In other news, I'm trying to get all my pictures from my trip on Flickr before our pro account expires in a few hours. Wish me luck!

Lovingly Yours, Cielle

Summer Is Pretty

2006-08-01T18:16:00.000-07:00

They are better, bigger.
Enjoy.

Up The Hill Backwards

2006-07-29T20:37:00.000-07:00

"The vacuum created by the arrival of freedom
And the possibilities it seems to offer
It's got nothing to do with you, if one can grasp it"

In the heart of a valley, majestically rising from the other hills and torturing me through my window stood, "My Hill". Mysteriously it has the most identifiable features, yet it doesn't have a name, such as Dimple Hill, like everyone thinks. No, that's not it. It's just another hill I guess. For a while now this hill has been taunting me to come climb it, it has an adorable bald face, which would make an excellent viewpoint to see the entire valley. There are even mystery tracks in the wheat growing up there! As a hope to cross another thing off my summer to-do list, I took the time to trek up as close as I could come to "My Hill". Which wasn't anywhere close anyway (I found out later). When I thought my hill was Dimple Hill, I assumed I was headed in the right direction, following Dimple Hill trail markers and such. I wandered further and further, and soon I was into a steep climb. I endured this for a while, but when the switchbacks continued and I could see them continue up and up and up, I stopped and my dire desire reduced to a mere headache (too much walking). I must have gone several miles, most uphill. I never knew so many trails existed in such a small area behind our town (The blood red "L" in the picture below means "You're Lost!"). I always thought that maybe this hill would lead me to my future. I'll take the rigorous journey up and then, once there, everything will just fall in place, and I'll be able to figure out my retirement plan, right there on the hilltop. I guess that didn't happen this time. The lucky thing is…I wasn't surprise mauled by cougars.

DC Stamps

2006-07-27T17:42:00.000-07:00

I want these!

wishing things would calmly fall together

2006-07-26T17:10:00.000-07:00

I figure awesome things only come around every so often. It seems like I need to plan something out ridiculously meticulously for it to be even the slightest bit sweet. It may be just my optimistic nature, so I have to think pessimistcly in order to not be disheartended if something doesn't work out. Although something worked out last weekend for our Sunday Sailing Sensation.
We had excellent sailing conditions aside from the grueling heat, but that’s just summer (and global warming). After 6 o'clock the motor boat waves had greatly decreased, the water became beautiful and placid. Even for a reservoir the scenery was pretty especially after 6 o'clock when the pink/blue sky was amazingly reflected in the water. We had a new friend from Portland come up, we were astonished when he said he'd come because he'd never driven I-5 alone, and really who'd want to. We still really appreciate it, my mom thinks he'll make a great doctor. With any luck, next year we'll go on a sailing camping trip, the boat would obviously be the sleeping area. Or not, whatever.
Check our flickr for the mirthful details.
Cielle will be gone for around 3 weeks and at which the time she returns, school registration will only be a week away, which means I hate that. Luckily Navarre will be an, icky ewy freshman. I remember when that jerk went up to my neck, damn he grew like 4-5 inches!
Yesterday I had another education-filled Driver Ed class, but this time I had teatime to look forward to after class. Teatime in the tea room for two! Cielle had peach-ginger tea, and I had rasberry herbal. I think they equally had a tasteful elegance. We realized that Corvallis riverfront go-ers are amazing smokers. Cielle was able to spell her name with the cigarette butts, and we were about to spell Cielle & Lacey except a crowd of overseeing elders moved too close for needed comfort. They eyed us very very carefully, I could just tell they were wondering if we had smoked all those. So we settled on spelling with clover.
Speaking of clover I found two four leaf clovers in the span of a month, I am thrilled. Is it bad luck to loose them? I lost one, one I gave away and they lost it.
Everyone enjoy your summers. And Cielle enjoy Montana. I'll be Van Gogh when you get back.

What's up with Cielle?

2006-07-21T14:16:00.000-07:00

Like it? Yeah, we do too. It's new! It's different. It's colorful! It doesn't remind us of our schools robotics team!
Summer is going well, but it's also going very fast. We need to make more time for little summer things, like climbing trees and running in sprinklers. It's a perfect week for sprinklers, it is so hot!
My schedule is pretty packed for a while. Next Thursday, I'm going up to Portland to hang out at the PDX Pop festival for a day, and then my family is coming to get me, and we head off to Montana for about a week+. When we get back I'm hear for a few days, and then (on my birthday) head of with a few friends, going to Arizona and then Disneyland for a few days. If I counted right, I think that makes 6 states this summer. I know I know, Disneyland twice in one year!? But really, scenes I hadn't been there scenes I was four, and don't really remember it, I'm just catching up on my missed childhood experience. Plus, it is ridiculous how happy that place makes me. After that, I don't have much. I promised a few friends we could hang out, and I really want to do that. So, if your my friend, and you want to do something, call me, I really need to see people.

*Man, I'm getting back to posting really selfish posts again, I need to stop that!

-Lovingly yours, Cielle

I'll Keep it Brief As Well

2006-07-11T18:08:00.000-07:00

What I did today:
Talked to a policemen on a roof
Listened to my memorial day dance mix
Hit a lawyer with a shovel ( well, I assume he was a lawyer)

What I did a few weeks ago:
Got a dog
Went to the Enchanted Forest

My new favorite picture of myself:

I think this was taken when I was about.... 8-9?
It was the day I look liked Courtney Love