February 6, 2012

There are a lot of people who have suddenly begun following my Tumblr due to a certain post featuring a Sri Lankan pop star who had the gall to tell her entire viewing audience to, “F off.” To those new followers: Thank you for following me, but do be advised that more common posts in my wheelhouse include: matters of literature, matters of girlbands, and the occasional post about gardening.

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(Notes: 6)
  
September 10, 2011
Well hello, zinnias. You are beginning to sprout quite nicely!

Well hello, zinnias. You are beginning to sprout quite nicely!

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May 7, 2011
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

Nadine Coyle, “My Sexy Love Affair”

THIS IS BY FAR THE STUPIDEST SONG ON MY ITUNES. However, if ever you’re looking for new ways to out-gay yourself on a Saturday morning, just put this on blast and frantically start misting your bird of paradise and other house plants.

I’m very grateful my roommate seems to have left for the day.

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April 2, 2011
A budding romance between the avocado plant and the orchid.

A budding romance between the avocado plant and the orchid.

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February 14, 2011
Having deferred my bonsai quest for another day, I decided that this Valentine’s Day weekend needed to result with me being the proud owner of a wild flowering plant. And whether that was purchased by myself or someone else is immaterial because now this gorgeous thing is sitting between one of my cacti and my avocado plant.

Having deferred my bonsai quest for another day, I decided that this Valentine’s Day weekend needed to result with me being the proud owner of a wild flowering plant. And whether that was purchased by myself or someone else is immaterial because now this gorgeous thing is sitting between one of my cacti and my avocado plant.

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January 21, 2011
I was losing sleep because after I repotted the avocado plant into a stylish, but ultimately impractical vessel, it started shedding leaves and I thought it would surely die,

but it’s looking a-OK! Daguerreotypes tomorrow, perhaps!

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October 2, 2010
Cactus Couple: Hey guys what’s up?Ginger Sisters: Avocado Baby’s getting a big head now that he’s growing up.Avocado Baby: Puttin’ down my roots, mmhmm!

Cactus Couple: Hey guys what’s up?
Ginger Sisters: Avocado Baby’s getting a big head now that he’s growing up.
Avocado Baby: Puttin’ down my roots, mmhmm!

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July 18, 2010
The bromeliad, the dracena, and the avocado have gotten a little cliquey as of late.

The bromeliad, the dracena, and the avocado have gotten a little cliquey as of late.

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July 10, 2010
These are the indoor kids. In the front is an avocado pit. It’s well over a month old—and the tap root is finally beginning to sprout additional roots. In another few weeks, a stem should pop up. Probably in the fall, I’ll be ready to move it into a proper planter. Behind that is another avocado pit suspended with toothpicks above water. There’s also a bromeliad—or an “air plant”—that I bought in Williamsburg last month. Further back, you can see the snapped off Dracena top I was talking about here.

These are the indoor kids. In the front is an avocado pit. It’s well over a month old—and the tap root is finally beginning to sprout additional roots. In another few weeks, a stem should pop up. Probably in the fall, I’ll be ready to move it into a proper planter. Behind that is another avocado pit suspended with toothpicks above water.

There’s also a bromeliad—or an “air plant”—that I bought in Williamsburg last month. Further back, you can see the snapped off Dracena top I was talking about here.

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July 10, 2010
So the heat wave this week nearly killed my garlic plant (on the right)—but I’m confident it’ll perk back up with time. It also scorched my ginger plant (left)—but that’s hardier. Also the same ginger bulb has now sprouted three separate plants.

So the heat wave this week nearly killed my garlic plant (on the right)—but I’m confident it’ll perk back up with time. It also scorched my ginger plant (left)—but that’s hardier. Also the same ginger bulb has now sprouted three separate plants.

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July 10, 2010
A group shot. In the pot farthest to the left is a blazing star—plus the two spider plants that were on the verge of dying when the runner snapped. The middle pot has a blazing star…and maybe a ginger bulb, although I can’t confirm the latter. Off to a right is a Dracena, or a “Madagascar Dragon Plant.” There are four of those in that pot (from the same seed, actually)—and you can actually shape and twist these suckers. I got a little too ambitious and accidentally snapped the top off one of the smaller Dracenas. But I didn’t chuck it out.

A group shot. In the pot farthest to the left is a blazing star—plus the two spider plants that were on the verge of dying when the runner snapped. The middle pot has a blazing star…and maybe a ginger bulb, although I can’t confirm the latter. Off to a right is a Dracena, or a “Madagascar Dragon Plant.” There are four of those in that pot (from the same seed, actually)—and you can actually shape and twist these suckers. I got a little too ambitious and accidentally snapped the top off one of the smaller Dracenas. But I didn’t chuck it out.

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July 10, 2010
This is my spider plant. I’ve had this one since the end of my junior year of undergrad—and when I received it, it was an itty-bitty thing that could fit in my palm. It was a daughter plant of an older, larger spider plant that my mom currently has sitting out front of her house in Michigan. From this spider plant, I cut off two daughters and passed them off to Niina and Eve. Then at some point, another two sprang up, but that runner broke and they were about to die. So I have them sharing space with another plant currently.

This is my spider plant. I’ve had this one since the end of my junior year of undergrad—and when I received it, it was an itty-bitty thing that could fit in my palm. It was a daughter plant of an older, larger spider plant that my mom currently has sitting out front of her house in Michigan.

From this spider plant, I cut off two daughters and passed them off to Niina and Eve. Then at some point, another two sprang up, but that runner broke and they were about to die. So I have them sharing space with another plant currently.

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July 10, 2010
This is my bird of paradise. It used to have tall three-to-four foot tall stems. But I pruned too deep and ended up leveling it down to the nub—although the leaves and stems coming up now are actually much healthier-looking than the ones from before.

This is my bird of paradise. It used to have tall three-to-four foot tall stems. But I pruned too deep and ended up leveling it down to the nub—although the leaves and stems coming up now are actually much healthier-looking than the ones from before.

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June 23, 2010
Exciting* gardening developments:

• Of the four avocado pits I’ve got suspended above water, one is getting ready to lay down a taproot. Another month and I may be ready to put it in a planter.
• The ginger has finally sent a shoot a half-inch above the soil.
• Had to chuck out the mango seed after a couple weeks of trying to get it to germinate. It got a bit gnarly.
• The bird of paradise (which I trimmed down to the bulb) has also shot up several new stems.
• Perhaps a family portrait is imminent this weekend.

*Only if you are me and monster truck rallies do not do it for you.

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June 12, 2010
For the reading tonight, Niina Pollari has asked all the readers to dress up as their thirteen year-old selves, but for me, that would mean doing to myself what Charlize Theron did to prepare for her role as Aileen Wuornos in Monster. So instead I shaved the old bird’s nest off and bought a ridiculously gaudy accessory for the event. Then on my walk back, I found a great little florist on Metropolitan Avenue, by Leonard Street and bought an air plant, which requires no soil and is hydrated by dousing the plant in water for a minute or misting it.

For the reading tonight, Niina Pollari has asked all the readers to dress up as their thirteen year-old selves, but for me, that would mean doing to myself what Charlize Theron did to prepare for her role as Aileen Wuornos in Monster. So instead I shaved the old bird’s nest off and bought a ridiculously gaudy accessory for the event.

Then on my walk back, I found a great little florist on Metropolitan Avenue, by Leonard Street and bought an air plant, which requires no soil and is hydrated by dousing the plant in water for a minute or misting it.

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