In Response To Your Many Requests

Well, the public has spoken, and as it turns out, you want MORE pictures of me doing mundane things. So as per your requests, here are 3 pictures of me taking the Capital Corridor train from Sacramento to San Jose. The last picture is Rachel's attempt at being "artistic." Right now you are maybe wondering, "What requests? I don't remember requesting this. Who else reads this, anyway?" Ok, to be perfectly honest with you, no one requested this. And no one else reads this.

While I silently craft, my friends...

My friends have just endeared themselves to the richest man in Vicksburg! Check out this news article chronicling their strange adventure.

Artichoke Debauch

Do you ever buy way too much of one kind of food because it's on sale, and then wonder how in the hell you're going to eat it all before it spoils? If you're like me, this kind of bargain-hunting consequence happens all the time. The solution? Have a food-specific party, and pawn it off on your friends! Last week I bought over 30 artichokes at a roadside stand in Castroville, simply because it was a "better deal" than buying the 2 or 3 that I actually wanted! Also, my dad popped in with a crate of Mexican Cokes, clearly another victim of the Fredenburg Grocery Shopping Complex. So really, I couldn't think of a better time to host an Artichoke and Mexican Coke Soiree. Rachel took some hideous photos which are typical of her "style." I can't explain why everyone looks so crazed. Maybe in addition to the use of real sugar instead of corn syrup, Mexican cokes also still include cocaine. In any case, I think they were a hit.

Doubting Thomas

Here's just a snippet of a conversation Rach and I had about my habit of ironing plastic bags together to make a tarp-like fabric:

Rachel: So what are the advantages of ironing plastic bags together, exactly?
Me: Well if you have a billion plastic bags and you only want one plastic bag...

God, isn't it obvious what the advantages are? Frankly I'm sick of dealing with these doubting Thomases! Maybe that's why I only leave the house once a day to buy specialty yogurt from the health food store.
Sometimes I think I'm just destined to go it alone, for there is no place for ingenuity such as mine in this world of conventional thinkers. And so I remain,
a sailor out to sea,
Julia

My Blackberry Pie: Welcome to Flavor Country

The other night I had a soiree to celebrate a blackberry pie I made. In keeping with the DIY spirit with which I perform all tasks (but especially tooth brushing), a friend and I picked each and every blackberry used in the pie! It took over 5 hours, and I withstood many injuries, and the friend I picked them with won't return my calls, but I think it was worth it. I wish there were pictures, but my photographer was too busy guzzling table wine to notice that my pie was the best thing she'll probably ever eat. Maybe when she recovers from her hangover she'll realize that my pie makes a Marie Callendar pie look like it was baked with all the artistry of a 13 year old boy in a home economics class.