Angela Law

animal lover, gardener, knitter, and gourmet cook
 
music

bassist for hire

Last night, unadulterated by alcohol, I recorded the bass line for one of the two East of Eve songs requiring my attention. I had enough problems playing this one sober, so I decided to forgo my usual recording drink. It came out pretty good if I do say so myself. There was this one part I kept screwing up, but thanks to technology, I was able to re-record the goofs and it all sounds good now.

Playing bass is kind of fun especially when I’m playing along with something a little more difficult (i.e. Shawn’s guitar parts). Of course, the first day I try to figure out any of his stuff I end up frustrated and am ready to give up music altogether. But, normally by the third day I have things figured out for the most part. Brian has learned to stay out of the room on the first day I’m working on a new song, lest I bite his head off.

pets

caught up on shit

And I mean that quite literally…

My dogs go to the bathroom in the yard. I normally clean up after them every couple of days. In the winter, this usually isn’t possible because the snow covers up the deed before I get a chance to clean it up. I suppose I could go out there each time they go out to do their business and clean up after them. But, despite all of the torment it causes me, I’m not quite that motivated.

Normally, I find myself outside at the first thaw of the season (that’d be in February or March) chipping dog shit from the ice like an archaeologist excavating through strata on a dig. It doesn’t help that the area that our dogs do their business in is in the coldest spot in all of Upper Yoder–our entire yard can be thawed, yet that one spot is still frozen like a hockey rink. And, as you may recall from the days when there was hockey, a hockey rink is composed of ice. So I’m out there skating in my shoes, a shovel in one hand, a pooper scooper in the other. It is quite a sight. It normally takes me a few weeks until I gain the upper hand on the situation.

Needless to say, this winter’s weather has allowed me to avoid my usual winter woes. I mean I’m already two months ahead (given that the snow usually starts to fall in November), so you cannot imagine how happy this makes me. You know what they say, it’s the little things in life that count.

weather

60s and sunny

That was the weather today. In Johnstown, of all places. Yes, I’m referring to Johnstown, Pennsylvania. You might want to hold onto your (winter) hats, though. Starting tomorrow, and continuing for the next few weeks, we’re going to have some winter-like weather in the region (whoa–for a minute there I think I was channelling Jay Panic and the Accu-never forecast). You know, cold, snowy and all that. But the good news is that January is nearly half over so just how bad can the rest of the winter be? I mean, I think it’s only snowed once so far. So, even if we have snow on the ground through April, this winter would be better than most. Alleluia.

food & drink

marbled chocolate banana bread

I’ve always been skeptical of people who eat things like ‘banana bread’, ‘zucchini bread’, and ‘carrot cake’. I mean, why are they eating these things? Do they think they’re healthy because they have fruit/vegetables in them or what? It sure can’t be for the taste. I mean, if you want dessert, eat a piece of chocolate cake or something. Really. I guess I can understand the banana thing. I just don’t care for bananas in recipes that much so I was never a fan. That is, until I found this recipe. As it turns out, if you add some chocolate to your banana bread, it is quite tasty. Who’d have thought it?

health & wellness

exercise! exercise! each and every day

Looks like Brian and I are back on the exercise bandwagon. We started strength training again this evening. I call it ‘strength training’ rather than ‘lifting weights’ because we have one of those fancy Nordic Flex Gold machines, so we’re not really lifting anything–we’re just moving the pulleys, really.

Strength training is something we’ve done off and on since we moved into our house and bought the machine. Usually, we end up stopping exercising in the summer because there’s just too much going on and a lot of it is sort of like exercise–like gardening, landscaping, working on the house, chasing after Jake, etc. Well, it’s enough like exercise such that I don’t feel bad about not exercising in the summer. Last year, we had the shed to keep us in shape. Once it was done, we were supposed to start exercising again in October. October became November. November became December. And then it was the New Year. I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions, but I thought it was about time that we got back into our routine. I mean, it’s going to be summer before you know it.