Marie Javins's Blog, page 46
December 14, 2019
Not That Secret Santa
I made this for DC editor Jessica Chen, whose name I pulled in Secret Santa. I'm pretty pleased with it. Fortunately, she was too.
Of course, she knew immediately who her Secret Santa was, since I make lots of bags.
Of course, she knew immediately who her Secret Santa was, since I make lots of bags.
December 5, 2019
LAX
Here's a view I don't see every day. When I got to LAX (while en route to a meeting on Long Island), the escalator to Departures was out of service. I went to the elevator, but it was full of Marines, so I went over to the elevator in the parking garage instead.
Turns out the Marines did me a favor.
Turns out the Marines did me a favor.
December 4, 2019
Conversations in Lyfts
Two more for the road:
11/16 Lyft driver: "New York City is now a ghost town, because everyone has moved to LA after becoming sick of paying $15,000 a month for studio apartments."
12/4 Lyft driver: “You know that movie Willy Wonka? My theory is that it’s based on LA. Because people come here and they indulge too much and it destroys them. They have to moderate their behavior like Charlie and his grandfather. And the 405 is the chocolate river.”
11/16 Lyft driver: "New York City is now a ghost town, because everyone has moved to LA after becoming sick of paying $15,000 a month for studio apartments."
12/4 Lyft driver: “You know that movie Willy Wonka? My theory is that it’s based on LA. Because people come here and they indulge too much and it destroys them. They have to moderate their behavior like Charlie and his grandfather. And the 405 is the chocolate river.”
November 30, 2019
Yard Work
Do you remember when I discovered my backyard leaking water into my Jersey City basement on New Year's Eve?
Water was pouring in through the closed-off hatch (maybe an old coal chute? hard to say) and through cracks in the wall nearby. I had a hard time finding anyone to deal with it. I called the landscapers in town—the best-known of them sent over a guy who showed up with alcohol on his breath, then kept saying he'd send me an estimate.
He never did.
Another one showed up and seemed efficient, and offered me the unexpected price of $19,000 to redo my yard. It's about 13.5 feet by about 10 feet, so I was stunned. When I said that was vastly over my budget, she said maybe it would be less and she'd send her builder over to give her a price.
She never did.
Everyone else I contacted either ignored me or told me they didn't really do that kind of work. Apparently, my basement is fine—it has the little trenches, sump pump, and waterproofing it needs and the problem was how the water came off the roof and funneled up against the house.
Eventually, I google-fooed the name of the $19k woman's builder, and he came by and blocked up the hatch into my basement for a totally reasonable fee in the hundreds rather than thousands.
Then he fixed my yard for a totally reasonable fee. He showed up early, got the downstairs key from the woman who stays there once a month, charmed the nuns next door into unlocking their driveway gate, and work proceeded.
He and his team did a beautiful job. I look forward to putting up the patio umbrella in the summer and enjoying coffee in my yard.
If the backyard wildlife will have me, I mean.
Water was pouring in through the closed-off hatch (maybe an old coal chute? hard to say) and through cracks in the wall nearby. I had a hard time finding anyone to deal with it. I called the landscapers in town—the best-known of them sent over a guy who showed up with alcohol on his breath, then kept saying he'd send me an estimate.
He never did.
Another one showed up and seemed efficient, and offered me the unexpected price of $19,000 to redo my yard. It's about 13.5 feet by about 10 feet, so I was stunned. When I said that was vastly over my budget, she said maybe it would be less and she'd send her builder over to give her a price.
She never did.
Everyone else I contacted either ignored me or told me they didn't really do that kind of work. Apparently, my basement is fine—it has the little trenches, sump pump, and waterproofing it needs and the problem was how the water came off the roof and funneled up against the house.
Eventually, I google-fooed the name of the $19k woman's builder, and he came by and blocked up the hatch into my basement for a totally reasonable fee in the hundreds rather than thousands.
Then he fixed my yard for a totally reasonable fee. He showed up early, got the downstairs key from the woman who stays there once a month, charmed the nuns next door into unlocking their driveway gate, and work proceeded.
He and his team did a beautiful job. I look forward to putting up the patio umbrella in the summer and enjoying coffee in my yard.
If the backyard wildlife will have me, I mean.
November 29, 2019
Scavengers
In October, something was happening with squirrels and corn in the backyard. It may be that the nuns grew the corn and the squirrels stole the corn, or maybe they only stole from the nun's trash.
November 26, 2019
Happy Holidays
Los Angeles' train station was all decked out in holiday cheer tonight.
November 22, 2019
Making Stuff
Today's accomplishments!
The mug is too small, but maybe you can't tell from a photo. The bowl is the right size for eating oatmeal or fruit and yogurt or anything that fits in a regular bowl.
The mug is too small, but maybe you can't tell from a photo. The bowl is the right size for eating oatmeal or fruit and yogurt or anything that fits in a regular bowl.
November 15, 2019
National Bundt Day 2019
Today was National Bundt Day!
I haven't celebrated for years, but today I made a Bundt cake and took it to work.
The tunnel of fudge didn't really form this time, but there's always next year.
I haven't celebrated for years, but today I made a Bundt cake and took it to work.
The tunnel of fudge didn't really form this time, but there's always next year.
November 10, 2019
Arrival
September 12, Tokyo Airport.
I mailed a small box to myself, containing work clothes, a few odds and ends, and some Japanese fabric from the Tokyo garment district. I intended to send it airmail so it would beat me home, but the airport post office didn't take credit cards. All the yen in my pocket amounted to enough for sea mail.
My new fabric arrived today!
I mailed a small box to myself, containing work clothes, a few odds and ends, and some Japanese fabric from the Tokyo garment district. I intended to send it airmail so it would beat me home, but the airport post office didn't take credit cards. All the yen in my pocket amounted to enough for sea mail.
My new fabric arrived today!
November 5, 2019
Fun With Ride-Sharing
Last night, as I do every Monday night since the buses stop before pottery class stops, I used my phone to summon a Lyft to take me home from the Burbank Rec Center.
The driver told me her stomach hurt.
She said she'd vomited, but she lives in Sun Valley so at least she didn't too far to drive home.
She thinks it was the fish tacos.
The driver told me her stomach hurt.
She said she'd vomited, but she lives in Sun Valley so at least she didn't too far to drive home.
She thinks it was the fish tacos.
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