In important local news, I now officially own the Geisha Kitsch shower curtain. Won it for $16.50! Plus shipping! On eBay! I confess to being in a total froth of anticipation awaiting its arrival. Pictures of geisha kitschy bathroom may more than likely be posted. If this is too much froth for your taste, please feel free to look away.

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The local China Trough burned down just over a week ago in a terrible inferno that collapsed the roof and walls and brought out all the local townsfolk to watch. It took the Volunteer(!) Fire Department almost two hours to put out the blaze, and now there is nothing salvageable left of our beloved local trough-ery.

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My spring cleaning/decorating twitch/spasm/parosyxm/grand-mal-epileptic seizure continues unabated, blazing through my collapsing bank account not unlike the fire at the local China Trough. For me, this type of hard-core, obsessive nesting usually seems to adumbrate a period of intense creative and productive energy. Here's hoping.

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I have been experimenting with learning to recreate some of my favorite Thai dishes, because I find myself so frequently jonesing for food from my beloved Sioux City Thai eatery, Diamond Thai (located next door to the Lovely Hair Salon, whose front window is decorated with styrofoam heads topped off with an unnerving display of oddly dated and dilapidated wigs--and where one can also, apparently: get a passport, have immigration papers translated, and secure a small loan).

Last night I was able to produce a very nice spicy green curry, with zucchini, fresh string beans, yellow pepper, onion, and fresh basil. The curry sauce had green curry paste, coconut milk, a touch of brown sugar, fish sauce, and vegetable broth. I spooned this over brown rice, and it was dee-lish-us! This weekend I might try to fiddle around with a spicy glass noodle salad, and eventually I want to move on to fresh spring rolls.