web-goddess

Whoooooaaaah, what a wookie!
Chewbacca blogs. That amused me far too much. I started laughing as soon as I saw the URL. Be sure to scroll down through all the posts. Chewie likes cute animals in funny hats, Domokun, and photoshopping himself onto famous pictures. (I personally love the one of Nick Nolte’s mugshot.)

Tonight’s low-fat recipe experiment: Butternut Pumpkin Salad. (That’s plain ol’ butternut squash to us Yanks.) I knew I’d like this one, but the final result tasted a lot different than I expected. The apple juice, vinegar, and sugar make it really sweet. We had it with salad and the leftover bits from last night’s steak, and it was a lovely cool way to end a hot day. Recommended.

Speaking as a clumsy person, this is, like, my nightmare. It reminds me of the (one and only) time I wore my backpack in the bead shop on Enmore Road, and I knocked an entire bowl of itty-bitty seed beads EVERYWHERE. Except they weren’t worth millions, and the guy was just able to vacuum them up.

Shhh! For Valentine’s Day, I’m going to make the Snook a card that has this on it.

Nah, just kidding. I can’t post any surprises for him here anymore because he’s a regular reader nowadays. Still a lurker, but he’s definitely reading…

If any of you Weight Watchers (or Fat Fighters) need extra inspiration this week, check out Georgie’s site. Damn. Her before and after is way more dramatic than mine!

Happy Chinese New Year! And dog owners, don’t forget to wish your pup a happy birthday tomorrow. (I’m amused by the fact that I’m supposed to stay home and not visit anyone on February 2nd to invite the God of Wealth into our home. Given that the other two wisdom teeth are coming out that morning, I don’t think I’ll have any trouble complying!)

It looks like knitters all over the world are gearing up for Yarn Harlot’s 2006 Knitting Olympics. Even more amusing, people are forming “teams” and making buttons so you can show your participation. There’s Team Boston, Team Wales, Team Germany, Team South Africa, a bunch of American and Canadian Teams… even Team Goth and Team Caffeine. Yet in all my wanderings, I have yet to come across an official mention of Team Australia. (It was suggested on Amy’s site, but interest kinda petered out.) Folks, it’s time to rectify that. Who’s with me? I know crumpet and Amy are in. I’m definitely “competing” but I haven’t decided on the project yet. Anyone else want to join us? Leave a comment telling us what you’re going to attempt!

Feel free to grab one of the buttons above, or make your own and leave a comment so other folks can find it. (If you use one of mine, please right-click and save the image to your own server.)

Two social engagements down, one to go. I’ve been sticking to my healthy-eating plan pretty well. It helps that I’ve been making healthy salads and dips to bring to each gathering. The big winner so far was the home-made guacamole. I doubled the garlic and added loads of fresh coriander. Delicious! I also tried out the curried yoghurt tip (I didn’t think it was very special, but other folks liked it) and beans with tomato (which I liked a lot).

I’m almost embarrassed to post this…
One of my WW tasks this week is to sort through my clothes and get rid of all the too big, “just in case” stuff. So I was poking around in the underbed drawers today, and I pulled out a Notre Dame tank top completely *covered* in cat fur. Upon cleaning it off, I realized that it’s the same top I’m wearing in my “before” picture, the one I keep posted on the fridge and carry with me to meetings for inspiration. (Everyone I show it to refuses to believe that it’s even me. I look like a fatter, older distant relation.) Curious, I tried the top on and took a picture of myself in roughly the same sort of pose. And now, of course, you all want to see the comparison.  

The “before” shot is from a barbecue in 2002 over at the Snook’s sister’s place. Pretty night and day, huh? Who knew that I had collarbones? I’m swimming in this top now. It’s stretched all to hell. In fact, it’s so loose that it probably borders on a little skanky, what with my bra occasionally poking out, but I think I’m going to wear it outside today anyway. Skank it up, baby! I’ve earned it.

After squash this morning, my bathroom scales read 83kg. I know that’s not an accurate reading, but it’s still the lowest number that thing’s ever given me. I’m excited.

This one’s for the boys: Top Ten Cricket Sledges. (Not safe for work, and probaby not interesting for anybody who doesn’t know cricket.)