Monday, December 22

not fair!

--Inspired by:http://belgianwaffling.blogspot.com/2008/10/its-not-faaaaiiiiiiir.html--

When I was a kid I was not allowed:

-To watch over a PG rating
-To have toy guns
-watch Rosanne (dad let us tho)
-to skip doing the dishes (I STILL despise doing dishes)
-go to the mall with just friends until I was 13
-get multiple piercings (prolly would still not be allowed to if i asked..lol)
-no boy girl sleepovers (um. that was probably a good thing)

That's pretty much it. I don't really remember a curfew. I must have had one, but we never really hung out at my house, so it didn't matter. I could go to dances and have boyfriends. But it just bugged me when the littlest brother was allowed to stay up and had toy guns and watch whatever was on TV. *tsk*

Rules I definitely am imposing on my children:
-dishes (muahaha, can't wait for this)
-chores before they leave the house on Saturday.
(why I feel the need for my house to be clean? I dunno)
- no boy girl sleepovers
- no eating on the couch (we don't even do it ourselves!)
- no excessive body mutilations (your father didn't need tattoos to be bad-ass)
- not sure on the swearing....prolly no s or f words. if it is allowed, no swearing AT anyone (no damn you, etc).

otherwise, everything else seems fine.

Right now, it's not fair I have to leave the house when it's super chilly out. bummer.

Friday, December 12

Scrooge, but not by choice

Well. I just fell off the map, huh?

Meh. It was just the craziest month. I couldn't keep up with myself!

Right now I'm "sneak" posting. (at work, shh) It's crazy dead at work. There is NO ONE here from my division. I want to play hookey. I hear that my aunt (who is a teacher) has a snow day. I MISS SNOW DAYS. dang it.

Tonight me and my #1 are going to shop. Yaaay x-mas season. I have stuff set up for everyone else but him. He would be easy to buy for if he did not have such EXPENSIVE TASTE. Sheesh. Maybe he'll be really obvious tonite and point out stuff he wants.

Next week is kind of going to be hell on wheels. I have to leave the area THREE times next week and write THREE reports. Hopefully two reports if I can get my act together today (not likely). Plus, I haven't driven my car since Tuesday because I have ZERO money to get it fixed. The check engine light came on during a marathon site visit so I ignored it and continued to drive, oh, about 100 miles. If at the very worst case scenario (i.e., it's going to cost a billion dollars to fix) I'll have to rent a car to get where I'm goin for work. They will pay me back for it. Then if it's STILL not fixed by the time I have x-mas vacay, I'll have to take a bus back home. Oi. I hope it doesn't come to that. I'm just not ready to go thru all the jazz to get a new car. Thank goodness I'm getting a decent bonus this year. It's too bad I can't use it all up on x-mas gifts. I could easily spend 900 dollars on everyone. :oD

Happy December!

Saturday, November 8

But I don't wanna get up.....

I am totally up at 8 to go to the gym.
I think I'm nuts. It's the perfect day for bed.

My alarm went off at 630 (normal time for workday) and I didn't see the boy. I panicked because I had no idea where he was..."is he in the bathroom? no, I would have heard him..sleeping downstairs? no he never does that...unless he's mad, is he mad at me?"
Seriously, all these things went thru my foggy head before I remember, "oh right, he's at his mothers."

Sometimes, mornings are not my thing.

SO off I go, froggy morning voice and all to "totally condition" my body.
Yeah, right. That will take some time.

But I did do some belly dancing last night.

Friday, November 7

In my life

Here I am.
Typing away.
I have cookies setting up in the fridge.
Two loads of laundry in the cellar.
Neil Young is playing on Pandora and making me feel relaxed, nostalgic, emotional. (Cortez the Killer)

They have been playing a lot of Native American documentaries on public television this week.
They keep making me weepy. Why do we suck? Sometimes I am not so happy I am American.
Most of the time I live in my happy little world, where I just float along, make money spend money, nothing is destroyed...When my naive vision clears, it's a shock every time.

And here I am.
Planning for the weekend.
And that's about it.

My Life seems silly at times.

Thursday, November 6

FAIL

Dah. I'm so ticked-off at myself.

All I had to do was post a little blurb or two. But nooooo....
Obama had to go and make history and all, and then I had to stay up way past my bedtime.

And the second day? Well, I was just so depressed about the whole "I forgot to post" thing (you think I'm kidding...) that I just didn't even turn on my computer.

Tragedy.

Anyhow, I'm trying to move on here. I'm still feeling a little sluggish. Life sucks when your whole body hurts.

Looking forward to the weekend! The madness that will ensue with 8 ladies shopping for wedding dresses. I am only meeting them at the store, and they are having brunch pre-shopping excursion. I'm sure more then one of them will have had plenty of mimosa to make it pretty amusing. :oD And then I will follow them home and have my share of beverages. woo!

Monday, November 3

Energy!

Where did it go??

I guess a gin and tonic after work will do that to ya. The best kind is created with tonic containing quinine. What an interesting wikipedia article! Totally did not relate the pill you take for malaria with the drink you make for um, everything else! And? It's UV reactive. How interesting...

When I went to Costa Rica, they recommended a slew of immunizations and medications. I opted for just the tetanus and the hepatitis I believe. Some of my buddies also opted for the Quinine. My side effects? a sore arm (I swear it was for a month!) And them? Weird-ass dreams. They didn't seem like scary dreams, but it was more like they were so strange, they were spooked. Glad I didn't take it. hm..

I guess tonic with quinine doesn't give the same effects (unless you drink like...30 liters or something). Bummer, it says it helps with arthritis and nocturnal leg cramps. But it's not prescribed anymore for that purpose because the risks associated with the drug are more severe than would warrant the use of it. Psh. They never had my leg cramps.

P.S. Don't forget the lime.

Sunday, November 2

Weekend Crash

Experiencing a tad bit of withdrawal from the visitor crazyness.

We made Pumpkin ice cream and enough vodka sauce to feed part of an army.
We ran a 5K and took a late fall hike.
We re-adopted a kitty and are attempting to train him with some manners.

Now, I'm bummed. (plus one of my favorite food blogs already posted a pumpkin ice cream recipe!) oh well. Here are some sweet photos.

Pop hiking ahead.

Lovely views

Destination: waterfall.

Hedgehog, sleeping in pants cuff!

My favorite tree: the tulip tree. I would recognize
this tree shape anywhere.


Well, here is to a better week. I believe it will be much easier to wake up with that handy time change today.

Good night!





Saturday, November 1

Happy November!

Well, I did it, and it wasn't too horrible.
My dad and I ran about half the 5K, and ran the last .6 miles. Our time? 38:15
Meh, I know, but we were not last! I will definitely run another. Just maybe when it gets warmer out.

Right now we are just hanging out, waiting for the motherly unit to return with food to begin our feasting. I believe the menu tonight is Pasta a la vodka. or something. I know it has vodka in it. Also, my mom purchased an ice cream maker for pumpkin ice cream!! My dad, brother and I used to make it every year with the ice cream maker they had received as a wedding gift. We stopped once the machine died. So my youngest brother was too late to experience the awesomeness that I remember pumpkin ice cream to be. I will take photos and post a recipe.

I also had made a cranberry crumble that I took photos of. It turned out kinda, um, odd...but I'll post it anyway. Good practice.

So, my kitty is re-adjusting to the basement. I heard the trip up wasn't too awful for him. He only whined part of the 3 hour trip. My mom stopped at the vet to pick up some tranquilzers because I didn't want him to feel too awful coming up. But he hadn't been to the vet for 2 years or so, so they wouldn't give it to her. Augh. My dad attemped to give him some benadryl, I know they give it to dogs. Dad mixed it in some wet food, Leo took two bites, and started foaming at the mouth. That didn't work either. Oh well. He seems to be okay. I have a little set-up in the basement for him, a chair off the floor and some blankets that he's been snoozing in. He'll settle in soon enough.

Okay, time to get back to my guests. Hooray for food!!!

Friday, October 31



Happy Halloween, my fine, fabulous friends!

This will be quite the weekend!
Tonite, my family will be arriving for a full weekend. I believe that 5 people will be coming. I do not have enough bedrooms for all of them. In addition, I have a hedgehog that has quite a picky climate preference (a small space heater), and my cat will be joining me here in my new city. And um, he's older and was an outdoor cat. Yeah, he's not going to be allowed outside here. SO! It will be interesting.

Tomorrow, my father and I will be in a 5K run/walk. I added the "/walk" because I'm pretty sure we both will not be running much. Oh well. If anything, this attempt to train to run taught me I'm made to move on a dance floor, not concrete. Following this, a major Autumn feasting. Food all day, and many many people in our apartment. (mother, father, 2 brothers, my niece, my aunt, my uncle, in addition to me and my guy.)

I'm looking forward to all the excitement. Perhaps this is one reason this has been the. longest. week. ever. Seriously, didn't anyone else have a REALLY hard time getting out of bed this week? Man, it was brutal.

Therefore, I'm pretty stoked about the time change.


And, tomorrow begins my quest for daily posting for the month of November.
Be ye prepared. ( that bit is for me...)
Happy Fall everyone!

Thursday, October 23

Just a nice pic and a list for myself this weekend....
- Pick up the house and finish putting clothes away
- make banana bread for Friday
- learn how to do spa facials
- send out cards
- get a new air mattress for guest bedroom?
- carve pumpkins and make pepitas
- make pumpkin puree
- find a temporary storage solution for the kitchen nook
- get Perrin food

Me? Overly ambitious?? Nah...

Tuesday, October 21

For Emma Faye in Autumn

Take my moment in this beautiful light
in this warm yellow sun.
Take my view of these reds, maroons, yellow greens and orange
of these swiftly fading trees.
My little one with few years, I fear you will never see this lovely land.
I capture this memory the only way I can
These acquired tastes for the passion of the movement of life
the changing of tides, the presence of one moment.
This is for you.

Sunday, October 19

My curse

The Boy and I rented a few movies last night. It was about....oh, 11 pm. He got Alien because I have never seen it (I have also never seen Terminator, Gremlins, and a bunch of other "classic" 80's movies....and he thinks it's a travesty).

So, I grab Perrin the hedgehog, dodge his grumpy quills, and settle down on our nice reclining couch.

People, I didn't make it 15 minutes in. I was PASSED OUT. I know it wasn't the exciting part, but I'm not sure I wouldn't have slept thru all the other parts either.

It's a curse, this falling asleep thing. Anytime, anywhere. Dead to the world. I do it while talking too. That gets kinda awkward....

So, fell asleep early, now I'm up early. I'm off to attempt to continue training for this ambitious 5K run November 1st. hooboy.

Saturday, October 18

NaBloPoMo

National Blog Posting Month. It's based on National Novel Writing Month where people try to write a whole novel in one month. Man, I am glad that I just joined up for blogging!

SO, I'm giving it a whirl this time around in November.
It's a good month, lots will be going on. A little shindig for my cousin/sista, Ms. M, my birthday, and who could POSSIBLY forget Thanksgiving. THE best holiday. That is where it might get a little tough to post, because I'm sure I will be partying hearty, and :ahem: playing "water" pong. I'll have to tell that story later on.
Overall, I'm looking forward to it. I have been meaning to get along with blogging, the Boy even set up a nice food site for me. (It does need quite a bit of tweaking tho...)

I think November will be lots of lovely fall pictures and notes, cooking posts, and general mayhem that comes along with knowing me, the little tree hugger!

Cheers!

Saturday, September 27

Overwhelmed

I get so intimidated when I try and make a grocery list.
Because if I make a grocery list, then I need to have meals planned out.
To have meals, then I need to sit down and search through the PLETHORA of recipes in my personal cookbook collection and the internet.
Crap.
I'm sure I get a bit overly ambitious, because I have done it before.
I make a meal plan, but by the time I get home from work and do my gym thing, there is NO WAY I want to stand and cook and wait for a meal for over an hour.
My desire for instant satiation usually wins on weekdays.
SO. What to do. I guess just make meals 2 or 3 times a week.
But then I also have to plan for my lunches because I can't eat out everyday.
Oh yes, then breakfasts!
And Snacks!!!

Oi. I totally have not lived enough for this yet.

Tuesday, September 16

Tempis fugit!

Mamamia.....I had no idea I was so neglectful. I forget sometimes that I like to write.

So, the Boy and I moved. I'm trying to fall in love with a new schedule (drive to work, go to gym, dinners...) but it'll come. It's only the first month. But I like it so far. It's more like a house than an apartment. (attic and basement access!) Also, a dining room. It's very "posh". Sorta. We don't really have furniture. But he have new couches!! Fancy reclining couches. (He won't let me eat snacks on them yet...)

What else....oh yes. Vacations! Wyoming. Awesome. And I got to hang out with my favorite girls? oh yeah. What else could I ask for?? and Maine. OMG. House right on the cliffs. Beautiful. A coupla snaffoos, (plumbing, plumbers and excesses of airborne addictions) but I saw a few whales, seals and got to lay out on the rocks doing nothing at all.

I think I'm made to not work. I just would have so much time to do what I really love. (p.s. - I hate my job. If you need an environmentalist, I'm the girl for you!)

Also....possibly...perhaps changing websites. The Boy has one all made up for me to blog and I haven't had the time to play around with it. Don't look for it anytime soon. Hell, I still gotta unpack!

Back to my growing up home this weekend, it's both of my little brothers b-days. Happy 21 and happy 14!!! (holy crap!)

Thursday, May 8

Few things -

I just need to talk about them or else I won't get any work done.

*As of a week from Monday, I will be a certified asbestos project monitor. As such, I will be missing a week of work starting THIS Monday. I am already behind for THIS week. Weird.

*Mothers day is this weekend and the Boy and I are going to venture to our hometown. I will also (hopefully) be going to an Eve6 concert!! So, I will not be able to stay here to catch up on Friday.

*Physical therapy for my wrists after work (yesssss...heaaat) and then a meeting with a personal trainer to get my crap in shape. I have a 4.1 mile hike with camping equipment to do in August!

*El Boyfriend and I had a rather interesting lunch. We were having burritos (Taco John's on South Ave = Amazing), and he has a direct line of sight to the street. Well, it is apparently located right across from the "halfway house from hell." People wandering around tearing up sticks, talking to themselves, drug deals.... Yeah. I think of myself as pretty clueless, but it was so obvious, even I saw it. My favorite was "tearin' stuff up guy." Such a unique neurosis.

*Office politics. Seriously folks. Chill out.
I just cracked myself up by calling someone a "thuggish brute."

Man, sometimes even I question my sanity.

Monday, May 5

A place to pause

I blew it. Already.

I wonder why it is so hard to keep this going. I'm so easily distractable.

This weekend my cousin and her boyfriend came to visit. We did about a million things (about 4) and were worn out by 1030 pm. Amazing.

My aunt and uncle just moved into a new house. It's a little sad because the one they moved out of was my first home. I also lived there for a time during college, not to mention all of the other times I was there while my parents were away. All of the dinners that were in the kitchen and frisbee golf games, the "playhouse" and the soggy place at the bottom of their yard...the basement (which was perfect for the Halloween haunted houses they had), all the hot chocolate after the sledding trips, all the card games and family chats. Yeah, it was a cute little house on the hill.

However, I hear their new house is beautiful, large and very happy to have a family in it. I hear there is a large 4 season porch, a finished basement with a bar downstairs and 3 full bathrooms. I'm glad they are so happy about the house, they deserve a nice place.

I create attachments to places. My parents are also talking about moving. The house where they live now is TINY, needs a lot of work, and is on the edge of an iffy neighborhood. And yet, I will be sad when they leave that house. That was where I grew up! That was where I had my sleepovers with the seances and that was where my Boyfriend and I would stay up late and watch tv way past when he was supposed to go home.

In reality, houses are just a place, just a stop where life takes place, just like on any vacation or any short term stay. But when you put a personality to a location it's hard to just look away. It was good to hear that is why my aunt and uncle did on the last day before they left. Walked through the empty house, and said their goodbyes. This is my goodbye to the blue house on the hill.

Thanks house. :o)

Thursday, May 1

Possible Reasons why I get Grumpy

1. I'm hungry.
2. I want to sleep.
3. The word that the hypnotist planted in my psyche was spoken. The word was probably "the."
4. That bug finally burrowed its way into my brain and pokes the amygdala for fun.


I'm trying for the NABLOMO the month of May. Posting everyday for one month (at least).
Happy May Day!

Sunday, April 13

Alvin Ailey - Wade in the Water

Okay okay.....I know I just posted, but I have been on YouTube watching some classic modern performances and I just LOVE this one:



This is how I love to move.

Saturday, April 12

Belhurst!

Here we go!! Pictures from the trip! ....two weeks ago! :oD



Belhurst is the name of the castle, but they also run this building; the White Springs Manor.







And the room....and the fireplace.....and...the picture. Here, lemme give you a close up:


















Yowza.


Moving on to: the spiral staircase to downstairs.

Pretty sweet, huh? It was kinda awesome to walk down this to go to the bathroom. They had the fancy bathrobes too, but we didn't touch them cause I was afraid we would get charged for it or something. Everything in there had a price attached to it. Except for the fireplace. So we fired that baby up! then we ate Ben and Jerry's and watched cartoons. The dinner was el sucko (we went to a different restaurant, not the one here) so we went to wegmans, and then we realized they have cable! and we do not! so we caught up on our cartoons. So fun.
I have more, but I am really not a fan of how blogger lets me post pictures...so here is one last good one of the last light of the sunset. It was a great weekend.

Wednesday, April 9

She's a maniac...maaaaniac thats for sure...

Okay, so no pictures yet. I'm sorry.

But not that sorry because it's been a gloriously slow week. My moods are wreaking havoc again, so it's good not to feel pressure to do anything (although I do - house is a mess, need to work out, need to write..).

Anyway, I tried out a dance company class yesterday. I'm a little discouraged because it didn't seem like I would be able to get into the actual company to perform anytime soon. But a woman who teaches there was really nice to me and was telling me about all these trips she takes to Toronto to dance and watch shows up there. Sounds awesome, but I kinda want to get back into the swing of things before I take a master class. But it would be good to get out and see a little culture.

It's been a long time since I've done modern dance, but surprisingly, stuff came back to me quickly. Some of the combinations are a little tough because they require so much trust in your muscles, and quite honestly; I'm not sure they are ready yet. I think I'm going to take more aerobic classes at the gym to get my stamina and core prepared before I cancel it or whatever. But I am really excited!

Saturday, April 5

Things...26-50

26. Fly a plane
27. Invent something
28. Go on a vacation with The Boy
29. Volunteer frequently
30. Teach children about the environment
31. Have high tea in England
32. Go to a French bakery
33. Karaoke in Japan
34. Beat The Boy in a video game
35. Build a Green House
36. Camp out in a tree
37. Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro


Ya know what? I do not think I have lived enough life yet to know what I am missing. So that's my list. (It's been sitting in my edit folder for about 2 weeks now and I haven't thought of anything new.) I say...not too shabby a list.

OK! Today is finally Saturday, so The Boy and I are going to our mini-vaca! hoorah! I will bring my new camera and hopefully get some sweet shots to showoff what it looks like. In the meantime, Happy weekend everyone!

Friday, April 4

You can't eat your pudding if you don't have any meat!!!

Last night, there was a death. Well, near death.
Of a smoke alarm battery.
For safety reasons (of course) there is a feature that warns the occupants that the battery is loosing it's juice. What time of day that feature goes off (ahem, night) is not important.
Most alarms I have heard have a soft beep every minute or so. Not the one upstairs.
A triple beep every 30 seconds. From 330am onward.
In all seriousness, I wanted to stab my temple. I love my sleep, and I actually would wake up about every half hour, and considered getting up at 5, just so I could leave and not hear it anymore. I went up the back stairs hoping that it was in the hallway and I could tear it off the wall (or, ya know, take the battery), no such luck. It was in an apartment. ::siiiiigh::

In other news, nothin' wrong with me. Full panel of blood work and everything is relatively normal. Although, my "albumin levels" were a little low. Heh, the doctor recommended I eat more red meat....nearly raw. Yeah...right doc.
I think I'm going to go to the Park Avenue Dance Company to try it out...I miss dancing. Although this is contemporary dance. It's been awhile since I've done that. I'm picking this company because I know they put on shows. Ideally, I would hope that I could get into this show, but, Em! Take a class first!

It's about time for me to get out of work. (And no, I am not doing this on company time.) Everyone is havin beers and playin mini-golf (a sort of reward party for the company) but I just want to go home. We'll see.

Ta!

Thursday, April 3

Spring?

I love that part of the early morning in spring, just as you notice it is actually light out when you wake up. When the sun seems to shine brighter, has a warmer tone, and you just feel like you have caught something beautiful at the peak of its radiance.

I just wish it would get over 25 degrees in the morning.

Wednesday, April 2

Things on my desk:

~an old tea bag
~a paper penguin from Bri
~NYSDEC Spill reports
~ a receipt for a paid student loan (by another loan company)
~invitation for a baby shower on Feb 2.

I think I need to clean.
However, I think the need for cookies is um...needier.

Sunday, March 30

Eight

There's just something about this crazy, mixed up, inside out love.
It makes me smile,
makes me angry,
makes me loony,
makes me strong,
makes me think,
makes me feel completely warm all over.

Who knew this silly teenage match would end up as a "breakfast in a diner on sundays" kind-of couple?

I like this ride, lets keep going.
<3

Friday, March 7

100 Things to Do Before I Go

This is inspired by MightyGirl Blog. This is one of those blogs I read everyday. It's just a personal blog, but everything she does seems so professional. She's got killer style and she seems like a fun person to be around. Anyway, she decided to invite her readers (that's me! but I lurk... I rarely leave comments) to complete a list of things to do before you croak. However, she put it in a more tactful way. (Ah, that style, I love it!) So: I begin.

1. Visit Japan
2. Write a book
3. Return to Costa Rica
4. Have babies
5. Build an environmentally friendly house
6. Learn how to work an espresso machine
7. Learn Spanish, French, Arabic and conversational Japanese
8. Become a trail guide
9. Go backwoods hiking
10. Plant and maintain a successful garden
11. Own a dog
12. Run a marathon
11. Visit Alaska to see the northern lights
12. Help put my niece thru college (if she wants to go)
13. Live in Washington or Oregon
14. Have family dinners at least 3 times a week
15. Take my parents on a vacation
16. Take Mrs. Z to Ireland
17. Donate a lot of money to my Environmental Studies department
18. Help create a nature preserve
19. Delineate wetlands
20. Learn to do woodworking
21. Drive across country
22. Get myself into a few theater performances
23. Learn to play the piano
24. Carve pumpkins, make snowmen and bake cookies with my kids
25. Keep a goldfish for longer than a month

Breakfast.

It's really hard to eat a good breakfast when all your oatmeal is gone, and you made a big batch of grits for breakfast with honey and cream.

Sound good? It aint.

Wednesday, March 5

Manic

I feel like time is always trying to get away from me.
Like time is trying so very hard not to get cooties from me.
I just want to be able to get everything done. However, I am Ms. Anti-Task apparently.


Work words I now use everyday:
-However
-As such
-Apparently
-Observed
-Visible
-Previous

I tend to get a bit carried away when I go to take a "break" at work. On the internet.
I KNOW!
Such a stupid way to take a break.

Ways to take a 10 minute break at work:
-Take the long way to the water fountain
-Read the editorials in the newspaper
-Take the stairs to the top floor and back down
-Walk to the coffee shop

I get frustrated when work piles up unexpextedly. Liiiike...when I have a due date for a report that afternoon, and I'm really starting to get rolling and someone knocks on the wall of my cube and says: hey, are ya busy?
No, dork. I'm just sitting at work getting some knitting done.

Ways to manage time:
-Make lists
-Buy a calender
-Write in said calender
- .......
(as you can see....not so good at this part.)

::sigh:: I need help.

I have been doing my current job since....the end of October. That means that I have been doing multiple projects at any one time for 4 months now. How come I have not YET gotten the hang of it? That is a long friggin time. (As compared to "Okay, here is this dance sequence. Lets do it 5 times. Okay, now show it to me.) It's very frustrating to me that I am not good at it right away.

Things I want to do tonite that will probably not get done:
- Go running (probably will do this)
- Set out clothes for tomorrow
- clean the bathroom
- make a lunch and snacks for tomorrow
- make apple and cottage cheese pancakes
- finish a report

Things I think about doing all the time and never get to:
- Make jewelry
- Clean
- Write
- Read and have coffee at a cafe
- Time management
- Get my medical responsibilities in order
- Cook and write in the blog
- Backrubs
- Hiking
- Exercising
- Planning trips
- Cleaning out my clothes

I think I expect a lot out of myself.

Wednesday, February 27

Foodie

Few things:
I have started the food blog. Not officially, because I want to get a few things tweaked and get a few more posts up before I really start letting people in on it. Unfortunately, I'm having a hard time getting work done this week (hm...I wonder why....[note the time this was published]), so I don't have much drive to work on it nights.

New Camera! Yes, I have a new camera so I can't wait to really break it in!

Upcoming topics: St. Paddy's Day meal, and some mean chocolate -chip cookies. like, mean as in so good, you will eat them til your face falls off.

'til then...

Saturday, February 16

Monday, January 28

Monday Morning

Its a bit hazy
the ways I get out of bed.
The fears I induce
when waking from death.
The corpse that is me
for about 6 hours
struggles to remember
a reason not to cower
at the thought of a day
when in so many ways
everything goes wrong.
----
these days are good
i tell myself.
these days treat you well
with a home, career, health.
yet this nagging annoyance
that persists and endures
every freakin monday....

....alright. i was trying to be serious, but monday morning poems tend to be a bit one sided.

Tuesday, January 22

Contrary Mary

That's what my mother always called me.
I apologize. It's pretty true.
I'm also "Debbie Downer."
Again...I'm sorry! I'm blaming it on the lack of sunlight and lack of gym availability.
But lo! There is hope, fellow miserables! I have returned to the gym and the work load is getting better! I am also stocking up on recipes and pictures so I can start my food project.
.
.
.
Just a few more weeks.....

Sunday, January 6

Sunday Night, Again.

How crappy.

Another anxiety filled Sunday evening before the work week begins again. I shake my head trying to deduce how I got to dislike my job so much. I'm hoping it's just for the moment. My boss keeps telling me how these are just the busiest months, don't worry. Somehow, I am not convinced.

The tv is broken. This stupid apartment had a electricity surge that foiled the expensive surge protector purchased for the expensive tv. Because the outlets are not grounded.
.....augh.
So my Boy is miserable, no daily Family Guy, no daily video games, and damn it, no nice tv that he really worked hard to get.

And now, the upstairs neighbors are partying like it's flippin new years.
"Its SUNDAY people!! be miserable like the rest of us!!!!"

The nerve.

Man, it will be great when we have our own house.
Until then...we suffer.
Ciao, my fellow miserables!

Tuesday, January 1

New Year!

New year! New post!
(I am letting you know ahead of time that this started off as a personal post, but hey, might as well jump into what I've been thinking about doing for a while. Good luck to ya, reader!)

I actually feel slightly depressed today. (Of course that might be the work load I have awaiting me in a certain building downtown that I spend more than the customary 8 hours a day in.)
I'm bummed that I'm feeling like I hate this job. Because it's environmental, it's a salary, and it's benefits. What else could I possibly ask for??
I know what I really want:
No deadlines.
Man, I freaking HATE deadlines. Nothing makes me want to sit down and do nothing more that deadlines. What's that I hear? You want this by the end of the week? Why, no better time then for me to go looking on the internet and planning out my dinners for the rest of the month. No better time then, for me to catch up with friends on gmail chat!
OI. I tell ya. It even drives ME nuts.

Bitching aside--
My favorite Boy suggested that I start an on-line journal about my cooking "experiments."
Me: "Um, like a Food Blog?"
Boy: "Yeah, where you take pictures of what you are making and say how it comes out and give the recipe."
Me: "Oh man, do you know how many FANTASTIC food blogs are out there? And how professional they look?? Like this one, or this one? Oh geez, and I LOVE this one."

My little obsession with food blogs has not gone unnoticed by him. In fact, I spend so much time oogling over them, they are now referred to as "Food Porn." And all of my favorite ones reside in a bookmark folder of the same name. Sad really.

Finally getting to the point, the Boy has started things off with a Coffee Cake which my guy decided to make while I was away on my vacation.



And...here's the ingredients.
You can see the flour, sugar, brown sugar, butter, generic vanilla (it's still vanilla!) and what appears to be baking powder and soda in shot glasses. Hm.







And the machine that makes it all possible. The Mixer. I love this Mixer. It loves me. We want to have awesome bakery babies together.

Anyway, as you can see: butter and...um...eggs? It looks like the butter was a bit cold still, and that box should probably be moved out of the kitchen if we are going to be doing this more often. I'm not exactly sure what is in there at that point...this was the Boy's project.


Assembly.
Man. I have no clue what that stuff is. Brown sugar? with something? I'm really going to have to be present when we do this again.



And a side view of the nearly finished product.
This is a busy picture. soda in the back ground, with some random spices and the ugly wood wall and the dreaded stove.
The actual act of applying heat to what I've combined really ruins everything for me. Literally. Burning, and overdoing, and underdoing happens a lot more than it probably should.
I blame the stove.




Which brings me to the next point: no pictures of the final product. It was a little bit of a disaster probably based on a two things:
1. No sour cream. The recipe called for sour cream, but there was none in the house and Boy wanted his coffee cake right then. "Hey, I'll just leave it out!" he says. Why not?
2. No bundt pan. He said he didn't know what one was, but that's ok, we don't own one anyway. (FYI - It's the pan that has a hole in the middle and looks like a mold so the finished cake has a shape.) Because of the lack of a hole, it didn't cook evenly. Stupid stove. (See? blame the stove. It's better.)
3. The camera quality is a little shady. The one I have is a little old and doesn't really have a stability thing, so many pictures are pretty bad. The ones here are the best of the bunch. Pretty good considering what he had to work with!
Sure enough, when I got home, there was the remnants of the cake, bubbled over the edge and crusty. Not pretty.
It's a learning experience.

Just like this post. Just trying things out, testing the photos and the posting procedures, blah blah blah.
We'll see how things go.