It's been a very long time since we blogged, and in that time we've moved back to our old apartment from the farm (bummer!), but it's probably for the best in terms of workload...
Jim's trying to finish his PhD this summer, and I'm studying for my comprehensives, as well as writing and doing some image work... busy busy.
I did see something I wanted to share,- it's important to do everything we can to
decrease our impact on the earth, and how better but to walk or bike! Especially during this time of year, when it's beginning to be warm and beautiful outdoors, why not take a few minutes, enjoy your surroundings, and use non-motorized transport to get places, run your errands, and get some exercise! In many areas (including our current location) it's easier and quicker to take a bike to the store than it is to drive- I know it's not an option for everyone's location, but I think that once you start, it becomes more attractive to bike or walk instead of driving (not to mention horrible gas prices...)
Anyway, here you can see what locations are within just 2 miles of your home/office/wherever- and a 2 mile bike ride just takes a few minutes! Enjoy :-)
http://2milechallenge.com/home.html
Friday, April 25, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Tuesday Sketch
So the sketch is a little late this week, but here's the conclusion of "A Cautionary Tale..." (presented with the earlier installments as a recap).
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Christmas mold!
One of my big Christmas presents this year was a box of mold! Although any mold would be interesting (fungi rank a close second behind insects in terms of my scientific fascination), this particular mold went above and beyond because I can eat it! That's right-I got a mushroom growing kit! And in the past week it's finally started to yield!
The pictures below are of the portabellas we had last week, but just last night we had our first round of white button mushrooms. We sauteed both types in garlic and butter and added a dash of white wine to the button mushrooms. They were absolutely delicious! I think the fact that they were eaten minutes from being harvested had a lot to do with their tastiness. If you ever get the opportunity to eat very fresh mushrooms, I highly recommend it.
The pictures below are of the portabellas we had last week, but just last night we had our first round of white button mushrooms. We sauteed both types in garlic and butter and added a dash of white wine to the button mushrooms. They were absolutely delicious! I think the fact that they were eaten minutes from being harvested had a lot to do with their tastiness. If you ever get the opportunity to eat very fresh mushrooms, I highly recommend it.
A pile of perfect portobellos
Mushrooms are delicious...CRAZY delicious!
Mushrooms are delicious...CRAZY delicious!
Sunday Sketch (on Wednesday again)
Once again due to photoshop wrangling and a lack of time, the sketch is on Wednesday. Here's page 2 of "A Cautionary Tale..."
Thursday, February 14, 2008
NOT moving
I'm a little frustrated by people who put up houses for rent, let you come see them, pressure you to accept quickly so that they don't have to show it anymore, and then give it to someone else.
We just saw this great house in Pine Grove Mills. The woman who showed it to us said that her friend had been interested in taking over their lease, but hadn't been able to get someone to rent her own place, so had given it up, leaving them with only a few weeks to find a new tenant. We agreed to take it that night. The house was perfect for us.
We got in touch with the real estate people who own it, they knew we were taking it, and said we could drop off the security deposit today along with the application. Today, we got a call from the woman currently renting, plus the real estate people, saying that they had changed their mind and were renting it to their friend after all. The friend also dropped off a security deposit yesterday.
I know that legally, verbal agreements don't count as contracts. However, if you don't intend to actually rent your property, don't advertise it. And don't say to prospective tenants that the apartment is theirs and that it won't be shown anymore. I feel as though we were just used as an excuse to pressure her friend to rent the house. I don't think they ever intended to rent it to us. We just provided leverage at the right time.
This happened to us earlier this year, too. We found a house in Lemont that we really liked. We kept in close touch with the owner, who was for some reason slow on committing the property to us. We eventually found out that she was also trying to sell it, and had found a buyer for the property that she was trying to woo. Again, if you don't intend to actually rent the property, don't advertise it. Don't lead on people who are looking for a place to live.
Now, we're still stuck in an apartment that creeps me out when the floor squishes beneath my feet and, much worse, makes Jim sick with all of mold that doesn't exist (according to the landlord). Unfortunately, except for the mold, it's a great place, and really hard to live up to.
I'm sure we'll find a house eventually. Hopefully sooner rather than later.
Rant over.
We just saw this great house in Pine Grove Mills. The woman who showed it to us said that her friend had been interested in taking over their lease, but hadn't been able to get someone to rent her own place, so had given it up, leaving them with only a few weeks to find a new tenant. We agreed to take it that night. The house was perfect for us.
We got in touch with the real estate people who own it, they knew we were taking it, and said we could drop off the security deposit today along with the application. Today, we got a call from the woman currently renting, plus the real estate people, saying that they had changed their mind and were renting it to their friend after all. The friend also dropped off a security deposit yesterday.
I know that legally, verbal agreements don't count as contracts. However, if you don't intend to actually rent your property, don't advertise it. And don't say to prospective tenants that the apartment is theirs and that it won't be shown anymore. I feel as though we were just used as an excuse to pressure her friend to rent the house. I don't think they ever intended to rent it to us. We just provided leverage at the right time.
This happened to us earlier this year, too. We found a house in Lemont that we really liked. We kept in close touch with the owner, who was for some reason slow on committing the property to us. We eventually found out that she was also trying to sell it, and had found a buyer for the property that she was trying to woo. Again, if you don't intend to actually rent the property, don't advertise it. Don't lead on people who are looking for a place to live.
Now, we're still stuck in an apartment that creeps me out when the floor squishes beneath my feet and, much worse, makes Jim sick with all of mold that doesn't exist (according to the landlord). Unfortunately, except for the mold, it's a great place, and really hard to live up to.
I'm sure we'll find a house eventually. Hopefully sooner rather than later.
Rant over.
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