Below are the 13 most recent journal entries recorded in ursulas_mom's LiveJournal:

Wednesday, June 17th, 2009
7:01 am	No kiwis yet and I have been told that I probably won't. I did see two weka and thought they were kiwi, but was then informed. We went to a sanctuary near by where we saw the afore mentioned weka, also two kaka (tee hee), a fantail, a tui, and a saddleback, all native birds, then a tuatara which is the only remaining species in its reptile family (?) not a lizard, and a tree weta (eek) which is in the cricket family and huge. I have not seen any sheep nor hobbits, but perhaps this weekend. We did watch a rugby game on TV thinking we might go to the one here this Saturday but we were both lost and bored. I think we my participate in other local aspects of rugby by going to a pub on Saturday instead of sitting in the open stadium, in potentially rainy, cold weather and paying for the privilege. I thought I was doing ok as far as jet lag, but I keep crashing at 8:30-9 and consequently am up at 5-5:30. oh well. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Sunday, June 14th, 2009
5:53 am	New Zealand observations so far: For those who don't already know, Matt and I are in New Zealand for the summer (its actually winter here, but more on that) because I have an internship at Te Papa. We arrived Friday morning, local, and did our best to stay awake all day to reset our clocks. We have visited the grocery twice, a department store once, and explored the area on foot. Here are some things I have noticed: 1) In NZ people tend to walk on the left. This means that Matt and I have been getting in many peoples way and made some older couples very miffed. I have been trying to keep left, but my instinct is to move right when confronted with an obstacle/person in my way. The grocery store with a cart..., lets just leave it at that. 2) Milk comes in original, skinny, and thin. I figured out original, but the difference between skinny and thin has yet to be determined. It seems more like a judgment on the milk. 3) Its winter here. Its 60 degrees. Many people are relatively bundled in hats, gloves, scarves, and lightweight coats. I find this amusing. Yet, many people are out walking about and eating outside. It was drizzling. I found this amazing. No restaurant in Indiana would have there outdoor seating available if it were 60 and raining (no restaurant in Delaware has outdoor seating). I have been told that this is unusually warm, so I will report back when I see more regular weather. Current Mood: amused (Comment on this)
Saturday, July 12th, 2008
1:25 pm	Felted purse! I started knitting last year and have just moved beyond the rectangle. I have to share with someone. I felted it this morning and its drying. That is why there is a box inside. I am very pleased with myself and will now partake of an adult beverage. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, June 9th, 2008
6:09 pm	the past six months Hello all! I know its been a while, but you should be used to that by now. I'm done with my first year and I think I have survived. It was certainly hit or miss for a while and Matt has a few choice words about the whole process. I'm currently in Cambridge, MA. I started my summer internship today at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. http://www.peabody.harvard.edu/ It is going to be an awesome summer. Matt, sadly, will be in Delaware, or what I like to call the ninth circle but a little search reveals that the fourth circle maybe more appropriate, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Divine_Comedy#Fourth_Circle I will be working with archaeological and ethnographic textiles (!!!). This will involve devising and creating custom storage boxes for peruvian archaeological textile fragments, exhibit design and preparation for central american textiles, and some other work on pieces from the northwest coast. I am giddy. That could also be the beer. I know I probably have more to tell you all, but this is all I can think about right now. (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, May 10th, 2008
11:28 am	58% Geek (Comment on this)
Monday, December 31st, 2007
10:59 pm	Duck Gumbo!!!! I made gumbo with the leftover duck from Xmas. It was so good. I used the duck fat (those little suckers are full of it) to made a dark roux. WE stirred the roux for 2 hours to bring it to "semi-sweet chocolate" color and gave up on getting to "dark chocolate". It really hadn't budged past semi-sweet for 45 minutes. I am all for being true, or accurate, or paying attention to details but there are limits to my OCD. Anyway, I had made stock from the carcass and picked the meat, both of which went into the pot along with chicken/turkey andouille sausage, okra, etc. This is the beat gumbo ever. The consistency was incredible. It was really thick with this great mouth feel. I followed this recipe mostly. http://www.globalgourmet.com/food/special/2005/soup/duck.html I did not add the tomato paste, did add a couple of cloves of garlic ( Everything should have garlic), and a bit of worcestershire after the first taste test. Oh, the recipe was for smoked duck, so I put a little liquid smoke on the meat and shook it around before dumping it in the pot. I did feel very greasy after cooking and the house smells of cooking duck fat today. Tonight's special New Year's meal was steamed mussels! I love mussels. Steamed in white wine with herbs de provence with some bread on the side. No frittes. I draw the line at deep frying. That is not something I need to take up. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Friday, December 28th, 2007
8:21 pm	One semester down, five to go OMG! That is all I can say about this past semester. That feeling is shared by my classmates, so it isn't just me being lazy or melodramatic or procrastinating, all things of which I am more than capable. inpetto will agree with me about both. It has been very intense and all consuming. I think it would be safe to say I've been working about 70-80 hours a week for 12 credit hours of class. We've (my classmates and I) decided that this is more like med school than grad school. Given all of that, I am really happy to be here and still very excited about the field. I'm not sure we need to be driven to exhaustion, but I don't have any better ideas right now. I've spent my break thus far doing as little as possible. As little as I can anyway. I've actually been cooking. Whipped up a very yummy Indian creamy, spicy shrimp meal using what ever was in the fridge. Used a Madhur Jaffrey cookbook that Simms gave me for xmas or b-day a few years ago for the base recipe and then improvised. I then made tofu shepherds pie from the Sundays at Moosewood for xmas eve dinner. That is the best tofu recipe ever. Several members of Matt's meat loving family have asked me for the recipe. I think it is a great homey/special meal especially with broccoli. For xmas, we made a two person feast of roast duck with an orange ancho sauce, creamed spinach, homemade mac and cheese, pan fried potatoes, and rolls with pear/pumpkin upside-down cake. It was all very yummy. I think I'm going to make gumbo with the left over duck and duck stock I made with the carcass. I am enjoying it while I can before I will only have time for frozen lunch pockets and yogurt. I've been doing some sewing and embroidery also. I made some flannel pj pants from my stash and it has been difficult to wear anything else. Really, there is nothing like new flannel against your skin. inpetto had his favorite frog/bug print pjs repaired. He had worn the waist band out totally and the bottom cuffs were very frayed. He is also going to get a new pair of pj pants before the break is over and I hope to make up a skirt. We went to the Mutter Museum today (http://www.collphyphil.org/mutter.asp). I've wanted to go there since I was a wee lass. I think I saw it on "Ripley's Believe it or Not." It was pretty cool in a "body parts in jars" way. Actually there were more wax models of disease manifestations than anything. They have an extensive collection of conjoined twin fetuses, skeletons, casts, etc. as well as other typically fatal birth defect fetuses. I just wanted to share my goings on with all of you and I'm not sure I will have have the chance ever again. Current Music: Warren Zevon covers (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, August 29th, 2007
6:51 pm	I love conservation I'm in my 4th week of classes here at Winterthur. I love it. I come home so excited about everything we have talked about during the day. There are days of exhaustion, really, who can sit through 8 hours of power point and not be tired. Everyday affirms that this was the right decision and that all of the hoops were worth it. I just wanted to share that with everyone. (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, May 14th, 2007
10:23 pm	In case you hadn't heard... I have been accepted to the University of Delaware/Winterthur graduate program for art conservation. :) Matt, Ursula, and I will be moving to the Wilmington area at the beginning of July. I am very excited. I must pack. (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, October 9th, 2005
9:42 am	For Sale Here is a Semi-annual update of the most recent event of my life. There is a fucking FOR SALE sign in my yard! I have been working on the house since classes ended in May and I have finally gotten it to this point. Finally. I can't believe it took so long and I can't believe we are doing this. We aren't actually going to begin showing until next week because there is still cleaning, some yard work to do, and a bedroom that I have no control over. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, February 1st, 2005
6:40 pm	Grad school applications All my applications are done and sent! Now we wait. (11 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, August 30th, 2004
11:28 am	my second post As you may have noticed, my grand attempt at becoming more communicative is not going well. Here is another shot. Today is the first day of the fall semester. I am registered for painting and have attended the first class. I am afraid of the colorful oil blobs. I could play along in drawing and come up with stuff that resembled drawings, but this painting thing is going to be a different beast. Not only is the medium wet, its also toxic and contains heavy metals (which are also toxic). Actually toxicity doesn't both me that much, its trying to make something out out of the paint. I am babbling. I took the last chemistry class that I need this summer, but caused no major explosions. That was a personal goal, blow something up. I did spill acid and I have holes from unknown substances in many articles of clothing. I am also going to be taking a textile arts class, hopefully, this semester. I am really looking forward to it. I will endeavor to be more regular in updating my journal from now on. (8 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, June 11th, 2004
7:00 pm	first entry Ok, so I'm hopping on this blog bandwagon. I am actually doing this because I my writing skills are very poor. I typically feel that writing is like giving birth, but I hate children. Therefore, I will try to dissociate this form of communication with small parasites and liberate my mind by exposing my written word to the rest of the world. God, this sounds like a really bad idea. On another note. I tried many different clever usernames, but, big surprise, they were all taken. I tried Ursulas mom figuring it would be taken too, but alas, I will be forever known as Ursulas mom. Current Mood: drunk (3 Comments |Comment on this)