Update! The mint plant seems to be growing back. It's a miracle. Turns out all it took was a week of neglect. Bring on the mojitos and iced tea punch!

A scene from the Research and Development laboratory at the As Seen on TV Network "Say, Larry, I just invented this new product. I think it's a winner!" "What does it do? It can't be better than my GLH #9" "Well, you know when you have to go number 1 really bad, and sometimes you can't make it to the bathroom?" "...uh..." "And you get a little bit (OK, a LOT!) of number 1 on your pants, and you have to go to an important meeting and you're sure everyone can smell the number 1 on your pants?" "...er..." "Well, all you have to do is spray a little of this product on your trousers, and you're good to go! I think I'll call it "Pee Patrol!" "You've been watching too much American Idol, Stan."

Oh boy, time for another Seattle Mariners Stitch n' Pitch game! Last year was pretty fun, but I still have no use for organized sports so I'm not sure if I'll make a return visit. What am I talking about? The first 5000 tickets come with a free tote bag, and I'm a sucker for free stuff. Looks like there are more Stitch n' Pitch events in other cities this summer, so this phenomenon isn't going away anytime soon...

It's growing season again, and my violas are doing quite well already. I haven't made the same mistake as last year, so I think I can keep them better in check. I got some really cool dark purple violas to contrast with my golden oregano, and the medium purple violas are planted alongside some peach nasturtiums. These are going to look awesome in a few months - I can't wait. Here's last year's garden at its mid-August peak:

Inspired by Pimp My Billy (discovered via Amy) we took it upon ourselves to renovate and re-invigorate a slammin' IVAR shelf unit, and turn it into a kickin' TV stand. Does using lots of words that end with an apostrophe convince you that I am cool? Or, chillin'? OK. So IVAR is the second worst furniture that IKEA sells (STEN takes that honor, and yes I have some of that too). Hey, some people even write poetry about these guys. I'll show you a "before" picture once I have an "after" to share, so you'll have to content yourselves with the "during". It's all together now and it's rather bitchin'. This process was tedious but easy, especially if you're an anal retentive perfectionist. Here are some tips: 1. Pick out your IVAR pieces carefully. There aren't any pieces with NO knots, but at least try to select shelves with knots on the undersides. 2. Obsess over stains at Home Depot. Make it easy on yourself and go water-based. You'll need to do 2 coats in order to cover up the streaky flaws in IVAR. And get a pre-stain as well, just for kicks. 3. Sand! Sand those suckers until they're not splintery. And wear a dust mask. 4. Apply that stain! Best with a buddy, so you can work out a careful ballet of applying and wiping stain. 5. Sand! Yes, again. IVAR is some rough stuff. It's freakin' Chinese firewood, so you have to baby it a little. 6. Final touches! Get some Polycrylic matte clear coat to make it look all professional like. You'll want several coats of this as well. 5. Shazam! It almost looks like real furniture. At this point, you'll want to fill your living room with other items from IKEA so that IVAR looks at home. Get ready to soak in the compliments.

Golly gee whiz, I finally finished the Waving Lace socks, carefully wraught in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Watercolor. And this is the only in-focus picture I was able to take, apparently. What a journey we've had. I knit the first one about 3 inches too long, and then bravely frogged and re-knit to the perfect length. And then I knit the second one too long as well (whaaaa?) and had to frog it and fix it again. Luckily, I hadn't actually finished the sock, but it goes to show that counting pattern repeats on the bus can only lead to sorrow. Oy. So they're OK. A little baggy at the ankle, but my ankles are very svelte so that's to be expected. (Who am I kidding?) I also discovered that it's nigh impossible to take flattering photos of one's own feet. Your legs can't help but take up the foreground of the picture, which makes them look giNORmous in comparison to the feet, and you end up staring at Picasa wondering who replaced your calves with twin Christmas hams. Anyway, enjoy. This pattern was fun, but I think it would have been better in a solid. I know the ladies of LFP knits love them just the way they are, but I think the Waving Lace pattern is a little lost in the gooey colorey Lornas goodness.

By popular demand, here's the recipe for my favorite iced tea punch: 3 black tea bags 1 C boiling water 2 T chopped fresh mint (or more) 2/3 C sugar 2 C cold water 2/3 C grapefruit juice 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice _________________ Method: Steep the tea bags and mint in the hot water for 5 minutes. Strain, and stir in the sugar. Add the cold water and juices - the important bit is to add the lemon juice at the end, so it doesn't get "cooked" by the boiling water. Chill and serve over ice. Enjoy!

OK, today's post title is a little unwieldy, but I only spent about 30 seconds thinking up a good Tom Cruise pun. The guy is a big weirdo, but hey, he's pretty yummy in the Mission: Impossible movies. And you have to be living under a rock (or busy worshipping Xenu) to be unaware that MI3 came out this weekend. Although I'd love to give my business to the Neptune, I can't resist going to Cinerama, which has mysteriously reopened just a few weeks after it was mysteriously closed for repairs, and slated to reopen in November. I'll just be on the lookout for exposed wires and gaping holes in the floor. And, because you've all been so good, I'll tell you about a dream I had Saturday night. Now, I had spent all Saturday in the lab toiling away on my dissertation research, so that probably whacked my brain a little. Maybe I inhaled something? Who knows. Anyway, I had a dream that David Duchovny wanted to be my smooch buddy - usually a good thing, right? Except that dream David was in full-on drag. Bright red lipstick, heels, sparkly evening gown, the works. Although I have celebrity dreams with some regularity, this is the first time Mr. Duchovny has appeared on my REM stage. I'll have to see what Freud says about once yummy, now a little weird actors in drag. Maybe this is the start of a trend, and tonight I'll dream of Harrison Ford in a muumuu.

I used to be a little famous among my friends for my love of tea. Iced tea, hot tea, whatever. Since I moved to Seattle, coffee has edged out tea as the "substance most likely to be found in Megan's travel mug". But here are a few interesting tea things I've been thinking about recently. 1. The Tea House. I discovered this tea boutique in 1995, when I was living in England. This adorable shop is located in London's Covent Garden, and they sell so many wonderful varieties and flavors of tea. Unlike so many of the flavored teas available at the grocery store, these black teas are strong, robust, and natural tasting. My two favorites are the Rose Congou with petals (really!) and the Blackcurrant. So, so good. If they could just get their act together and get a website, I'd be first in line to place an order. 2. And the prize for the most complicated and covetable teapot goes to... The TriniTEA Electric Tea Maker! Judging from the reviews and the fact that this sucker is sold out, I'd bet it's pretty awesome. Maybe when I get a bigger kitchen I'll pick one up for myself. 3. Numi Tea! I hate this stuff. So bland. 4. My favorite tea flavors this week: Harney & Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice, Murchie's No. 22 blend, Republic of Tea Mango Ceylon. 5. Whatever happened to Constant Comment? I used to love this stuff, but I swear they've been reducing the amount of tea per teabag. I remember the brewing instructions used to say that each bag would make 2 cups of tea, but it was just perfect for one large mug. Now, one teabag just barely browns the water. OK, that sounded gross. 6. Iced tea punch! Oh boy. If my mint plant ever grows back, I'll be mixing up batch after batch of my favorite iced tea punch, made of tea, fresh mint, lemon juice, grapefruit juice, and sugar. It's strong, baby. But soooo good. 7. Starbucks shaken iced tea. I hate this stuff. When will they realize that a soapy froth floating atop weak iced tea is NOT a good thing? Gah. 8. #1 pet peeve - when dining out, I really hate it when all the ice melts in my iced tea, leaving me with weak, room temperature tea. I love it when the waitperson brings an extra cup of ice without being asked. I can tell they're iced tea kindred spirits. 9. Current blend of iced tea at my house: 2 bags Tazo Awake, 2 bags Stash Black Peach tea, 1 bag Trader Joe's Decaf English Breakfast. Steeped for 5 minutes in 12 ounces of water, then poured over ice. Maybe with a little splash of simple syrup. 10. The tea that got away. I distinctly remember a remarkable iced tea I had years ago on a family vacation. I can't remember what state we were in, but I do remember tall glasses filled with crushed ice and a sweet, highly flavorful tea. It was almost like a tea julep. I tried to replicate it, but I never came close. 11. Tea of the South. One of the best things about having a grandmother from West Virginia is the food. Fried chicken, apple pie, biscuits, sweet iced tea. Every dinner at grandma's house was served up with iced tea poured from a bright orange plastic pitcher, permanently browned on the inside from thousands of batches of iced tea, simply made by dumping boiling water over a bunch of Lipton tea bags and a healthy scoop of sugar. Never measured, always perfect. 12. Scary tea! I've heard some anecdotes about the dangers of liquorice tea. There's a lot of research on the topic, including this paper that describes the cardiovascular and neurological side effects associated with taking liquorice. Even a cup a day can cause severe problems, particularly in people taking anti-high blood pressure medications. To me, this is a prime example of people thinking that "natural" products are less harmful than "chemicals", when in fact many medicines are derived from naturally occuring plants that happen to produce very unusual and toxic substances.

Oh, how to describe the events of the past week or so? Well, they were pretty boring so I'd better use a gimmick to spice them up. OK, recent events chez Pensive Frog, as described by song titles! 1. Play that Funky Music, White Boy Yes, I've become addicted to American Idol. I frankly don't have anything to add that the evil geniuses at TWOP haven't said already. I thought I had this song on a CD (Old School Megamix) but I was thinking of Kung Fu Fighting, which I ordered from Columbia House way back in undergrad for a theme party I threw with my roommate. I do believe that was the party where we poured Albertson's brand vodka into a Smirnoff bottle and served everyone "Smirnoff and OJ" with a straight face. Gawd, I miss living in a state with reasonable liquor laws. 2. Gin and Juice A little shout-out to the blessed soul who gave me a 1.5 liter bottle of Tanqueray for my birthday. 3. Blood on the Dancefloor Finally took those dancing lessons. Charlie Foxtrot. 4. Girl, You'll be a Woman Soon I am officially an old lady. Not because of my birthday or anything, but because I got my first ever pair of cushioned insoles, and I LOVE them. Of course, they're chillin' in a pair of hott urban-chic sneakers I bought at 65% off at the REI outlet, so you can only tell I'm old when I take them off. 5. Black Coffee I finally tested out my little Vietnamese coffee maker! You know, the little metal pot that sits over your mug, slowly dribbling out espresso? It worked great, and made tasty coffee, but it is a major pain to clean. And if you follow the link to get instructions on how to use the coffee maker, don't believe them that "You don't need to worry to leak water. Water remain on the cap." Well, I did that, and coffee leaked in a 1.5 foot diameter pool on the counter. 6. Do it 'Till You're Satisfied Remember my neon pink and green Clapotis? Well, I FROGGED it! How liberating. The yarn was still ugly, so I experimented by overdyeing it with coffee. I used a technique similar to the one outlined here by Sigga Sif. The results are promising - the neon pink and green are much more muted, sort of antique-y looking. I'll post a photo someday. 7. Grillz Thank God it's springtime! The grill has been fired up on several evenings (once literally - oops!) and we've been enjoying all sorts of goodies. I'm really loving grilled asparagus and zucchini these days. 8. Crazy I just got Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury from the library. As if I don't have enough going on. 9. Nothing from Nothing Just received the premiere issue of Blueprint in the mail yesterday. Wow, I'm really impressed by all the ads! Considering the thinness of this issue and the hefty subscription price ($18 for 6 issues) it must really be a challenge to stuff all those ads in there. Bravo. And no, I haven't read it yet. I've got Faulkner to attend to. Sheesh. 10. Wake Me Up Before You Go Go Damn, Heist was cancelled? Say it ain't so. Oh wait, that's another song. 11. Dude (Looks Like a Lady) You wish I had a story to fit this song title. Sorry.