listy updates mmmm....

I'm back from my trip and I enjoyed an Easter weekend full of church, 19 inches of snow, and my first cup of coffee in six weeks!! Now I have some updates to attend to...

#15 - Last night I started organizing INKYTNMO stuff for the big scrapbook! I could stand to go to town on this thing with fun little popouts and booklets and stuff, so I'm real stoked!!

#49 - Two new recipes:
1. I made mashed cauliflower which rocked my world. Seriously a REAL good alternative to mashed tatos. You just boil them in chicken stock until they're mashable, then add S&P and cheese...it's just that easy!

2. For our Easter Brunch, I literally made up a recipe. So in my mind, I had this idea for a "root hash"...hashbrowns, but made with regular shredded tatos, but also shredded sweet tatos, parsnips, and turnips. (I wanted rutabagas, but apparently Metro Market doesn't have rutabagas right now...blah) Anyway, in my mind, I imagined these hashbrowns with some sort of gravy or au jus just like on the east coast where you have "wet fries" or fries with gravy. So you'd get the crispiness of the hash, but some moisture with the gravy/au jus. Well it was quite an endeavor, but the recipe was a relative success!! I added some rosemary to the hashbrowns, as well as sauteed onions of course. And the sauce did turn out to be more of a gravy than au jus (beef stock, Worchester, and a little apple cider vinegar added to a roux)...but it was good. It was SOOOO much more flavorful than the typical hashbrowns you get. Much more depth because of the different root veggies. And the onions made it sweet! I think I'm going to experiment a bit with it...make the hashbrowns even more crispy (you really gotta stop those starches from exploding all over the place!), and try to make more of an au jus. In any case, the entire Easter Brunch as a whole was amazing. My mom made a spinach soufflé that was absolutely delicious. I don't know if I could make a soufflé! My sister made corn bread muffins from scratch (!) with maple butter...as well as a quick fruit salad (bananas, mango, honeydew). And of course brunch isn't brunch without bacon :) Later in the afternoon we had this outstanding orange cake my mom made for my grandpa for his birthday. It's got triple sec in it I think? Totally soaked in it!! Just to die for...I think I want to start requesting it for MY birthday ;)

#50 - See #49, I switched 'er up to the Turnip which I, of course, added to the hash. Yum stuff!

#54 - I have to make an appt...my hair is getting way too long!

#64 - I made it to the Grand Canyon YIPPIE!!!!!! I will post some AZ pix tomorrow if I get some time :) as well as a nice discussion...

#69 - Well, I completely forgot to donate blood during winter. I was supposed to on Dec 27th but that got pushed back. Then I got the flu and didn't want to endanger anyone? Well, I feel like if I at least get the donation in before March ends, that's fair enough, so I'm donating tonight. Hopefully my arm doesn't suck and I succeed!

#95 - On a Pale Horse is reading real quick! I love it!

Alright more tomorrow...

Please go on an upDate with me?

It feels like it's been awhile! I'm only a weekend and a loooong Monday away from my fabulous vacation in Arizona for a week! Totally exciting!! The wee hours of this morning, however, were not exciting. I had THEE worst dream about the trip...one of your classic trying to pack, trying to get to the airport, and it all failing miserably dreams. We were SUPER late and I forgot my purse at home, so I had to have Mandsi go and get it. She was all frantic and getting lost, but finally made it, only with some other random purse (claaaassic). I mean looking back, the events weren't really that bad, and I'm sure I would've handled them much calmer in real life, but you know how dreams are. I even woke up with a start and had to calm down for a few minutes to convince myself it was 'only a dream'. I blame it on Lost...it definitely had a Lost vibe. Only LAST Friday morning I had a LOVELY dream about Daniel Faraday ;)

Well, a new month is upon us, so on to the update!

#45 Recipes:
For my last Feb recipe, I made this wonderful chicken dish: chicken breasts covered with chopped portobellos, muenster cheese, and chicken stock baked for about 40 mins. I served it with some easy 90 second Uncle Ben's chicken rice and the whole thing was totally on point!
For my first March recipe, last night I made cauliflower "mashed potatoes"...mashed cauliflower essentially :) I didn't have a recipe, but have seen Rachael Ray make them, so I threw together the basic ingredients: boil cauliflower in 3cups chicken broth for 8mins or so until soft. Drain most of the broth, and smash cauliflower with a fork. In another pan, melt butter and sauté a couple garlic cloves...add smashed cauliflower, a tsp of dijon mustard, pepper, dill, and any kind of melty cheese. Stir all together and top with green onions. YUM!!! It was actually a lot better than I expected! And of course a nice healthy alternative to regular mashed tatos!

#50 - My atypical produce item this month will be rutabagas! I've never had them before, so this will be interesting. I found a recipe in my Women's Health so I'm down.

#51 - The sweet bakery give-up from Feb was brutal! But on March 1st at Maggiano's, I indulged in some tiramisu as well as some pound cake covered with hot fudge and sautéed bananas! I also got to have Oreos finally as everyone decided to wave them in front of me all month! ;) And finally, my bestest friend Monica sent me a COOKIE bouquet themed "Thanks a Latté!" So even though I still can't have coffee, I can enjoy a coffee mug shaped cookie ;) Anyway, March's give-up will be chips. I needed something super easy with being on vacay for a week and everything. One of these months, I'm seriously considering giving up meat for a month for kicks! It'll be hard and I know I'll crave meat (that's what she said) like nobody's biz ...but I gotta try it! Plus I have like two dozen veggie recipes in a recent Women's Health that all look really good.

#64 - On the aforementioned trip to AZ, I have the chance to go to the Grand Canyon. WILL it happen??? I just don't know. Fingers crossed!!

#68 - My feeding frenzy for March is definitely the dinner at Maggiano's where not only did I indulge in tiramisu and pound cake, but I also ingested chopped salad, fried zucchini, stuffed mushrooms, gnocchi, four cheese ravioli, garlic mashed potatoes, buttery asparagus, chicken parm, and chicken saltimbocca. Oh...my...god. I thought I was going to explode. Only in America folks. Needless to say, I worked out a lot this week ;)

#87 - new band...that's a big ol' question mark. So in it's place I'm going to put the website Pandora Radio. Just type in any band or artist your little heart desires and they give you an entire "radio station" of similar bands and artists. Registration is free! It's a great way to listen to your old faves and discover new ones!

#95 - I have 30 pages left in A Tale of Two Cities which I will finish this weekend for sure! (The last 100pgs have been fabulous by the way! I can't wait to finish!) Next on the docket is On a Pale Horse by Piers Anthony: the book John gave me for Christmas! I'm going to read on the plane and such :)

And that's that! A good weekend to all and I'll HOPEFULLY chat again on the other side of my vacation!

Dad

This will be a completely random post, but I was listening to Alphaville today and it reminded me of when my sis and I visited my dad in Madison, and, while he was at work, we would play his Alphaville's Forever Young cd over and over. I even sneakily dubbed "Forever Young" onto a mix tape I had with me. This past November 27th marked five years since his death...it's crazy to think that it's been five years already. Well, for some reason this past weekend, I thought about him a lot. Perhaps it was due to the late night dessert with Z at The Knick on Friday, or how Katie asked me if I had any contact with my dad's 'partner' Jeff on Saturday, or maybe the fact that Sunday was Oscar Night...my dad was everywhere! And like I told Z at the Knick, it's so strange but, to this day, I still feel like I see him and when I do, I ALWAYS do a double take to make sure it isn't him. She does the same thing, so I'm not crazy ;) In any case, listening to Alphaville, I was flooded with all kinds of memories of my dad and I thought I'd list a few of them for the heck of it.

In a sort of chronological order:

-When I watched my dad deliver sermons, I'd think he was Jesus? Which is funny because he sooo wasn't, but isn't it a tad adorable coming from a four year old?

-He, my sis, and I would go to Adventureland (a poor man's Six Flag's) in Altoona, IA. And just as we were coming up on the entrance, my dad would stop and say "Wait a minute, this isn't where I want to turn, we're actually going to the dentist!" and it would crack us up!

-Dancing in the living room to Madonna's "La Isla Bonita" and knowing, at age 6, that it was my dad's favorite song, YET completely unaware that he was gay!

-Seeing BOTH my parents dress up as Rocky Horror characters to go to the midnight showing...still oblivious to my dad's homosexuality. Jeez.

-Watching To Kill A Mockingbird in his studio apartment, which was on Cass and very near to where I live now! It could honestly be south of our apartment building right across the parking lot!

-When he took Mandsi and I to La Péniche several times when we visited him in New Orleans circa'93. She and I gave every waiter there a nickname, like after Soap characters and whatnot? Likewise when he took us to Cafe du Monde for late night hot chocolate and beignets.

-Going to the three hour, late night Easter Vigil at St. John's Cathedral and then grabbing some dessert afterwards at what I think was Ma Fischer's or perhaps Annie's cafe (which was replaced by Kohl's and then replaced by my beloved Metro Market!)

-Going to see Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in Chicago and then heading to this diner afterward where this gay guy pretended to strut a runway during the breakdown in Wilson Phillips' "Hold On".

-Driving to Madison late at night in his teal Pontiac Sunbird, the cozy dark countryside, and the sleep inducing buzz of talk radio.

-Being all stoked and feeling awesome when I walked into his favorite bar, the Crystal Corner, to partake in Jeopardy shenanigans after getting my tattoo when I was 18.

-"Letting me" order a rum and coke at a restaurant when I was so not 21!

-The dinners he'd make when we'd visit...nothing extravagant, but there was something about them that rocked. Especially that special barbecue sauce he had.

-His and Jeff's joint birthday parties in October: their apartment stuffed with all kinds of interesting folk, young and old: the air filled with cigarette smoke, we all drank red wine, and Abba, Erasure, Pet Shop Boys, The Talented Mr. Ripley soundtrack, etc would play in the background.

-Many viewings of our favorite musicals: Hair, JC Superstar, Evita...

-His hilarious rants about some customer he had at [insert sales company here, i.e. Steinhafels, Ruben's, the jewelry store in N.O., Jack's Shoes...]

-When he wrote me this very out-of-the-blue email that simply said I love you not too far before he commit suicide.

-And all the little things: his cotton vertical striped dress shirts, when he'd raise one eyebrow to let us know we were in trouble, his singing voice at church, his crazy voice pretending to be a customer, when he'd say "Pardon?" even when we didn't say anything (he had no hearing in his right ear), his kickass apartment in Madison and rad furniture, his record collection, his hilarious sense of humor and his, infrequent, but really great hugs.

To conclude, I think that if my dad were still alive today, he'd get a real kick out of all our lives. I think he'd really enjoy the fact that my mom was writing erotica. I think he'd LOVE the fact that Mandsi lives and breathes film. He'd probably really like our cat Floyd and say that he reminded him of our old cat Steve. He'd enjoy John's decorating style and roll his eyes when I'd tell him that John sort of reminds me of him in some vague way though they're nothing alike! He'd enjoy the fact that I still go to St. John's Cathedral, and am now a member and a Eucharistic minister. And he'd definitely be amazed that Z and I live in the same neighborhood he did after he and my mom separated. Some days I feel like he knows, some days I feel like he doesn't. And I wish we could just grab some coffee and chat for a few hours. The spookiest part is that I feel that that wish isn't all that far fetched. Like one of those things that's so close yet so far away...just out of reach. Because even after five years, it still seems so strange that he's gone. And at the end of the day, maybe that's why I always do double takes when I see a short gray haired man or a teal Sunbird pass me by.

Lunar Mooner Eclipse Slideshow!

Lunar Mooner!

So as I'm sure everyone knows, a total lunar eclipse exploded into our viewing area last night! It was truly quite spectacular and the best part was having a front row seat in my living room!! I set up my tripod on the heat register and took photos throughout American Idol. Then paused the Season Four Project Runway Reunion and took a few more pix outside in the bitter cold. Now my photos aren't the most fabulous, some are blurry because I need one of those remote shutter release things, whatever they're called. Plus, once the total eclipse was in full throttle, it was hard to get enough light from the darkened moon. However, my new camera took MUCH better shots than my old camera ever could. I mean the zoom alone! Imagine if I had a telephoto lens!!

Anyway, enjoy the following shots:






And in the above post, you'll find my makeshift photobucket slideshow of the first half of the eclipse [I want to KILL blogger...it won't let me post this entry BEFORE the slideshow. And I wasn't able to embed it in this post for whatever reason...maybe I'll change it to a flickr slideshow some other time because this photobucket version is just "aight fa me". The slideshow is ruining the ch'i of the lunar eclipse!]

the whole enchilada

New post right away! But I HAD to mention my enchiladas from last night...DIES. I normally don't post my entire recipes...usually I just recap, but I want to just in case one of the two people that read this blog want to make it sometime. I highly recommend because they are FREAKING AWESOME!!!

Tomatillo Salsa Verde!

•6-8 small tomatillos (the larger ones are more bitter, they say)
•1-2 serrano peppers (I used two and it's a pretty hot salsa!)
•quarter of a white onion
•1 garlic clove (or 2 small ones)
•juice of half lime
•a couple generous splashes of white vinegar (I used half rice vinegar/half cider vinegar, but any NON red will work)...it probably totaled about a half cup or so
•TB of extra virgin olive oil (optional)
•small palmful of cilantro
•tsp of cumin
•chicken boullion cube

Boil the husked tomatillos and serrano(s) with stems cut for about 10-12 minutes (until the tomatillos turn an army green and split open a bit). In the meantime, fill a blender or food processor with the vinegar, lime juice, quartered onion, garlic clove(s), cilantro, cumin, and boullion cube. Once the tomatillos/serranos are ready, drain out most of the water (keep a little bit on the side) and add them to the blender/processor. Blend until everything is broken down, and, while on low, at the top of the processor drizzle in the EVOO. The extra boiled water can be used to thin out the salsa if too thick, so add that if you need to.

Enchiladas!
•salsa verde of course!
•tortillas (I got the large size, pack of 8)
•vegetable oil
•a mozzarella/provolone shredded cheese mixture is my personal fave!
•small rotisserie chicken (in the deli) OR a couple boneless chicken breasts
•optional additions like chopped onions, sour cream, cilantro, etc.

Either shred your rotisserie chicken (there will be plenty left over for another recipe or another round of enchiladas) OR poach/boil a couple of chicken breasts and shred those. Preheat oven to about 400 degrees. Add veggie oil to a hot skillet...JUST enough to cover the bottom with a thin layer. Once hot, turn down a touch and add a tortilla to the skillet..."fry" for a minute or so each side until the tortilla is browned and slightly crispy (not TOO crispy though or it will crack when you fold it!). Pour some of the salsa onto a plate and dip the browned tortilla, both sides, in the salsa until it has softened up again. On a baking sheet (covered with foil for no mess!), place the tortilla, add some cheese, the shredded chicken, and some more salsa verde. Fold up the tortilla like you would a burrito. Add some more cheese on top. Repeat for as many enchiladas as you want to make or until salsa runs out. Place into the oven for a few minutes, until cheese is melted and the chicken inside heats up again. Remove and add your choice of toppings!

I had two enchiladas last night and have about half the salsa left over. I also used the rotisserie chicken instead of chicken breasts. I bet that in order to make four enchiladas total, you would use all of the salsa and about half the rotisserie chicken, if that gives you an idea of the total servings here.

Now! This recipe may seem all crazy complicated, but it's not that bad at all! And it's the "REAL" way to make enchiladas as they do in Mexico...not like in some Mexican restaurants here...at least that's what they say :) Anyway, if you decide to take on this challenge, you won't be disappointed. They are delicious and very satisfying!!

couple things...

Nothing exciting here, but I thought I'd update my list a touch. Valentine's Dinner with Johnny was SO delicious!!! I got a salad from the salad bar, and made steaks, mashed sweet potatoes, and Portobello mushroom "fries". Those last two (#45 & #46) were from a Rachael Ray cookbook I think...the sweet tatos were made with bananas, orange juice/zest, chicken broth and nutmeg. Yum. And I grilled the Portobello mushroom caps, cut them into slices, dipped them in egg/Italian breadcrumbs/parsley, and then fried them. THESE were the biggest hit...maybe even more so then the steaks?! Tonight I'm picking up fixins to make my own Tomatillo Salsa Verde and I'm going to whip up some enchiladas! So just one more recipe for the month of Feb.

So I hate to admit it but I blatantly cheated on this month's "give up" sweet bakery. It was Z's last day on Friday and she brought in brownies and mini cupcakes. So I said ENOUGH! FIRST of all, I'm technically giving up TWO things this month because of Lent...and it was three that day because I couldn't have meat either. SECOND of all, it was her last day at work and I wanted to, um, give her the proper sendoff she deserved?? haha! Anyway, I didn't even feel guilty after indulging in BOTH treats ;) And I made up for it all weekend: I ate out TWICE on Friday and didn't eat a smidge of meat, and while I was visiting Monica and Tim in Chicago I was taunted by coffee all over the place, but obediently sipped my Chai at Starbucks, and my Cherry Coke Zero whilst eating the best homemade waffles ever (thanks Chef "Not on Friends" Monica!)

Speaking of my visit, all weekend I played Guitar Hero and I now have a crush on the game. SO MUCH FUN!!! I even went to Best Buy yesterday when I got back and played it. THAT obsessed! But for the time being, I can't really justify getting Playstation, Xbox, or Wii JUST for Guitar Hero...so I guess I'll just patiently wait to visit Monica and Tim again...by which time they will have mastered the game and I'll still be on Easy mode. BLAH!

I surprised Johnny (#17) with a BOWLING PIN from the bowling alley I went to in Chicagoland this weekend. He's always wanted one...we've seen them at antique shops, but for like $35 or so...rip! This one was a steal at $5!! I think he let out a yelp when he opened his eyes...haha!!

This weekend is the Oscars people!! And full fledged Oscars...no weird writers strike version yeehaw!!

Valentine's Day

It's almost over, but right at the end of the day here, I watched this video from the days of yore...Bono wrote this song as an apology to his wife for forgetting her birthday. That's her in the video. It's crazy how stripped down Bono is here...you know, from his usual theatrical antics. He's still theatrical, but in this humble way. Plus I can totally imagine that I'm the one he's singing to. For those of you who don't know, I was a U2 FREAK in high school. I even got a shamrock tattoo as a token of my devotion (I'm not even Irish!) In any case, I thought it would be the perfect little thing to remember good ol' v'day today. Enjoy!

One Year Anniversary come and gone...

So it's almost the middle of the month and I feel like I'm missing out on my life!! Instead of celebrating my one year 101 Things anniversary, I was simultaneously shivering and sweating in my bed fighting a wicked case of Influenza. So here it is the 12th already and I've gotta whip out my survey before the month is up!

February. Quite a month amongst the other months. And by that I mean, it's not the greatest month on the block. Last February, instead of the flu, I dealt with a wicked case of Heartache when John and I broke up. Saturday it'll officially be One Year Later and I cannot BELIEVE the difference 365 days makes. I can imagine February 16, 2007 like it was yesterday, yet I am WORLDS away from the person I was back then. And lucky for me, John is worlds away from the person HE was back then too. I feel like we grew up, mellowed out, and honestly took stock of what is truly important. Life isn't perfect. The relationship isn't perfect. But I'm not complaining!! Any flaws that are here are the kind of flaws that make it beautiful. The flaws that make it organic, something that breathes and changes. The flaws that make it interesting...as opposed to the flaws that make it nightmarish? Ha! Anyway, I digress. I'm here to survey my past year in regards to THE LIST, so here goes!

The official tally:
I have completed 31 tasks on the list.
6 are in progress, but do have an upcoming completion point.
17 are in progress and will be until the end of the 1001 days.
That leaves 47 tasks that I have yet to even START.

I believe June 15th (if I did that math right) is my official halfway point, so I best be halfway through this list by then...? A lot of the tasks have a summer-y quality, so I definitely hope to get going on those. I really really want to do that sailing task this summer. It's the middle of February and a sunset cruise on a sailboat on Lake Michigan sounds like absolute heaven right now.

What else do I foresee for myself in the coming months, task-wise?
-Well, I'm supposed to get on this website portfolio train, but it's taking a back seat to recent freelance projects and, well, end of winter laziness
-I'd like to finish up my photography book and get going on creating some photography lessons for myself. That way I could officially start these Four Seasons photos. An excellent portfolio item!
-And speaking of photography, 26Things has a new website and its fans are all waiting with bated breath for the first word list!
-As I previously mentioned: a lakefront picnic, Jazz in the Park, State Fair, sailing, the Farmer's Market, Six Flags, and even downpours are all right around the corner...well, not RIGHT around the corner, but a girl can daydream...
-And finally, I desperately need to read more often :\

Right now, I think I just really need to concentrate on the creative part of my life. I still make greeting cards, but something's gotta give with this portfolio situation. I am STILL waiting for a spark of inspiration, but it hasn't happened yet. Today during our company's State of the Agency address, instead of listening I thought about how lame my place is, not just in this company, but in life. I mean in the corporate life, MY life isn't lame ;) My good friend/exroomie from college just got into Harvard and she's literally going to change the world one day. Now I don't need to run and join the Peace Corps (something else she did!), but I do need to make some kind of difference. Nothing major, just something. Anyway, I'll find it one of these days. In the meantime, I'm just going to keep at this List and I PROMISE I'll be more creative soon. I just need to get out of February I think. There's next to nothing inspiring about the month of February. Although the fact that it's not Feb '07 is pretty damn close.

up up update and away!

I've got a few updates on the agenda here with the closing of January and beginning of February approaching FINALLY thank all that is holy. I can't begin to describe how achingly long this month has been. Whether it was the fact that every weekend was "cram packed" as mom would say, or that certain someones aren't going to be friends with Chris Klein anymore quite soon, yet they're torturing me evermore before their farewell...I just don't know. 2008 is still pretty awesome, but it's going to be way more awesome starting at 5:01 real soon...

45. My last January recipe was Balsamic Rosemary Chicken and Ravioli for John because his refrigerator has been broken for the last two weeks (two weeks??!) It was aight...I can't make chicken NOT semi-dry for the life of me. I'm all freaking out trying to make sure it's not pink in the middle, but then I cook it TOO long. I don't think it helped that I had to cook it in a pot rather than a skillet. Whatever, it was still really good with the Balsamic rosemary coating mmmm. Speaking of food, check your local market for transOcean Crab Classic! It's imitation crab in a variety of styles (leg, chunk, flake...) and it's made specifically to get your precious omega 3's! It's the best imitation crab I've ever had (and I've had my fair share)...I highly recommend!! I made a cold pasta salad with it: garlic/miracle whip/parsley/green onions and the like. Magnifique!

50. My February atypical produce item will be Tomatillos! I'm going to try making my own tomatillo salsa verde ahhhhhh so delicious....

51. Days shy of eating fried foods again! This time I didn't miss it as much as last February, maybe this 'giving up stuff' is getting a lot easier. I AM looking forward to fried sweet potato chips though or pretty much fries in general. I could go for some McDonald's fries and a couple Double Stuf Oreos (thanks Monica), except starting Feb 1st no more sweet bakery for me for the month! I went sweet bakery CRAZY in January though so it's a good thing. Then starting Feb 6th through March 23rd...no coffee. NO COFFEE??? Tea instead, and in EMERGENCY cases, a Diet Mt Dew like the old days...we'll see how this works.

54. Well I got my seasonal haircut and boy did I get it cut! Instead of long and blonde, it's chin length and dark brown!! Wha??? It was a very welcome change, however. I was walking home from Chris Klein's house like back in October and really pissed off at a couple of his friends and I had this vision of myself as a short brunette. Very strange yeah? Well, I was so sick of the SAME bullshit going on day after day, and this image struck me as something new and exciting. After having pretty much the same length and shade of hair for the last 28 years, I couldn't wait. Well I did have to wait, wait until after Monica's wedding, wait for Christmas to come and go so I could get the cash, etc. The whole thing set me back like $150 if you can believe it!! Between the two appointments and tips, the $17 color shampoo and $19 volumizing spray...haha! I'm such a girl ;) It was way worth it though. Interestingly enough, I'm just going to get tired of this haircut after awhile too...it's not like this style was going to change my life or anything, but I guess it was more than just a change...it was letting go of this image of myself to which I had grown so accustomed. Now every time I look in the mirror I do a double take and that's very refreshing! Something so simple gives me a new outlook. Ok enough rambling about my damn hair jeeeeez!

75. I should bring in celebratory treats this coming Monday.....

80. & 81. I can't even begin to apologize to myself for being so behind on my budgeting and saving. I even have two checks burning a hole in my wallet waiting to go to the bank since the beginning of January. Ugh. It's just that my bank is like THEE most inconvenient bank of all time...I gotta walk there, it's not open on weekends, and it's out of the way and any time I walk at lunch, it's to go home to exercise. Soon soon! But not today as it's 4 outside :(

86. May clean cube tomorrow because I can't take it anymore

87. A suggestion from Monica: Eric Johnson (as she is obsessed with his "Cliffs of Dover") and I'm also stupid and have never heard of Camouflage: Depeche Mode's Doppelgänger?? In a good way though!

96. As of this last Sunday I saw all five Oscar Best Picture Nominees: Atonement, No Country for Old Men, Michael Clayton, There Will Be Blood, and Juno. All undeniably different films! But I really loved them all in their own ways. I'm almost positive No Country will win it though, but the Academy has surprised us before! Let's just hope we get to SEE the Oscars in all their majestic glory this year!

And that's it? I think everyone who knows me is WELL aware that Lost FINALLY starts tomorrow and I couldn't be MORE excited about it. February 1st is a red letter day for many reasons, one of which is my one year anniversary of my 101 Things in 1001 Days list!! One year down, yikes! I can't even believe it's BEEN a year for that matter. But I've got enough to show for it I think. If I have time on Friday, I'd love to do a little recap blog on the past year and my plan for the next. Good stuff...

The Works

First of all: the next time you're in the Way of Sub, order the Veggie Delite on Honey Oat with Pepper Jack cheese, Sweet Onion dressing and The Works, except Spinach instead of Lettuce (The Works is like tomatoes, carrots, olives, green peppers, banana peppers, jalapeños, pickles, red onions, legos, loose leaf paper, AA batteries, a grand piano...) You will not be disappointed! I'm serious, you don't need meat, just try it.

Next stop: My aimless and unsystematic musings about music.

I really like music...I mean aside from the printing press, I think the concept of music is the best invention of all time. This is the reason why, if forced, I would choose blindness of deafness. They should do a study (probably already done, google it) of cases of depression in blind people vs deaf people. Obviously it's much easier to be deaf in terms of getting around, earning a living, etc. You'd still be able to read and write in a typical fashion, and even speak a little if you lost your hearing later in life. If you're blind, you undoubtedly need a lot more help. Obviously we see blind people getting along on their own just fine with the aid of a seeing eye dog, walking stick, the kindness of strangers, but let's face it, there's no way I could be a graphic designer without my vision. If I were deaf though, I could get along just fine. With that said, however, I'd still choose to be blind over being deaf. There's no way I could survive properly without music I don't think. Now I'm no music expert; from knowing every indie band to the Italian names of arias and to which operas they belong...I'm not your lady. But I do have a pretty eclectic taste and it undoubtedly has to do with the vast numbers of music genres I either grew up with or learned about in college.

When I was a wee lass, my parents listened to Simon & Garfunkel, Abba, Cat Stevens, and musicals, to graze the surface. But I was also brought up on classic 80s Radio Top 40. I did the New Kids, Boyz II Men, En Vogue, TLC days too...I admit it. And those were carefree fun times...SIMPLER times! In high school I went through my Complicated Times Pearl Jam Obsession Phase like a majority of teens did in the early/mid 90s...but I also found myself listening to stuff like Great White, Boston, Tesla and Skid Row of all things. Now when my mom remarried, I really loved my step dad's taste in TRUE "Alternative" music of the 80s/90s: your Echo & the Bunnymen, Oingo Boingo, Psychadelic Furs, the Cure... Couple that with my gay father's love of early pop electronica: Erasure, Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys, Alphaville, and continued love for musicals like Evita, Phantom, and JC Superstar, and that's a vast array of genres goin' on.

Once I got to college, music just exploded for me...a now defunct website called cdnow.com answered my prayers and allowed me to search for artists/bands via the "sounds like" feature. SO since I was a fan of Blur (from my stepdad), I found bands like Gene and Ash and Pulp. I also discovered other great lesser known bands like Mono, Air, Portishead, and Morcheeba. Then enter the college classes, from Opera and Symphony to Big Band and Afro-American music throughout the last century: I added Verdi, Wagner, Woody Herman, Glenn Miller, Sam Cooke, Al Green, and Thelonious Monk to the long list of faves.

Right around the time senior year and graduation rolled around, I embarked on probably my longest love of a specific genre to date: Classic Rock. Pink Floyd and Zeppelin is music tailor made for high school and college kids hitting the MJ and eating pizza by the slice at 3am, but I guess I was busy with Morrissey, Otis Redding, and Haydn's Symphony No. 94 in those days?? In any case, my love for all things "Oldies" reminded me of the coziness of childhood. There's something about classic rock that is wrapping yourself in a warm blanket of pea green, ruddy orange, and wood paneling. I didn't even live in that era, but I totally feel its good times.

And now I'm into rap. What? I think being 28 has caused this sudden urge to go back to the "simpler times" of 6th/7th grade when I liked boys and makeup and dressing like a thug. Rap and R&B these days isn't too bad though, I gotta admit. It's fresh and fun and silly and is a good compliment to the ultra seriousness that is Neil Young's "Old Man", Floyd's "Great Gig in the Sky", and S&G's "Only Living Boy in NY".

My itunes "only" contains 7.5 days of music, and my repertoire doesn't contain as much of the new fangled music kids are listening to these days. But my love for Jeff Buckley, The Police, Timbaland, Pavarotti, ELO, Seal, Aimee Mann, Bowie, U2, The Jam, Fleetwood, Mark Ronson, Guster, Keane, CSNY, Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass Band, Dan Fogelberg, The Killers, Jilly Boel, Frank Sinatra, Sam & Dave, Todd Rundgren, My Morning Jacket, Nick Drake, Justin Timberlake, Postal Service, America, Puccini, the Dandy Warhols, Radiohead, Pete Yorn, and the band that inspired this post, Röyksopp, won't fade away with passing fads. Like the music that came out of my childhood or out of my experimental college years, each and every one of these artists came out of something inspirational whether it be a film I liked, a good day on the radio, a sad day when I wanted to make myself cry, or loud coworkers causing me to put on my headphones.

Ahhhh music.

PS, if you're a parent, I don't know if you should let your kid Radio Disney their impressionable childhood years away. Even if you feel like busting out the Dr. Dre while she's sitting in the back seat...I say go for it!

tiniest update ever

#45 - I made some turkey meatloaf patties with gravy for John and I the other night...nothing fancy, but it's hard to cook turkey meat in patty form and hope that the meat cooked through. Haha!

#53 - At Boston Store this weekend, I got a $90 pair black heels for $27. A lady's gotta blog about that, right? And hey, for something so seemingly simple as the black heel...Hardest shoe to shop for EVER. It's really annoying actually.

That's really all I got today. It's Monday and I just can't get myself to open a file this morning. It's awful. But it's Zeetlebug's birthday, and she's off today, so I'll just live vicariously through her...

AAAAAND venting.

The "so-and-so is being promoted after just over a year" and "so-and-so just became Vice Prez after two and a half years" emails this morning are really getting to me. And yet it's only 10am. My boyfriend who doesn't love me any more is rubbing his "better lovers" in my face while I scrape old dried up food gunk off of other people's dishes every morning.

On a brighter note, a couple updates:

#17 (and #45): Recall the cookies my friend made me for my birthday, two batches: chocolate and lemon. Well the lemon cookies are completely out of control. "They taste like little cakes" according to my boyfriend (the nice one, not the cold hearted other one). John reeeeeeally wanted me to make some for him, so last night I pulled the wool over his eyes by buying garlic at the store. I really did need garlic, but a box of lemon cake mix stumbled into my arms on my way out. Lemon cake mix, 2 eggs, 1/3 c veggie oil, lemon juice and zest is all you need! Easiest recipe ever for something that tastes like a bundle of heaven in your mouth!

#45: And speaking of recipes, I made the tato parsnip hash the other night...I really love parsnips!! They're kinda sweet. I wonder if there are any recipes that involve parsnips and sweet tatos. Unfortunately I put the leftovers in a tupperware that I left on the stove, completely open, overnight. No parnsip yum yums for me the next day :(

Well, back to "work" over here...

Ramona Quimby Age Twenty-Eight?

To begin, a la Niki in the Window, I wanted to post my screencap from yesterday's weather widget:

BWWWOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWNNNNGGGGG

...TRIPOD!!!!! And notice the inclusion of January 2008. PS I took this screencap at 5pm!!! 58 degrees at 5pm on January 7th?!?! (That was my 'wicker basket with spring flowers and a bamboo handle' voice) And there might have been tripods disguised as tornadoes in Kenosha last night because that place is trashed today :(

So needless to say, we got some freaky weather this week! I think we either tied or broke the temp high both Sunday and Monday, and "The only other tornado to hit Wisconsin in January since 1844 was in 1967, according to the National Weather Service." And yeah, here's another quote: "The temperature in Milwaukee soared to a record for the date of 63 degrees, far above the previous high of 47 in 1965 and again in 2003." I'm not one for jumping onto the global warming bandwagon, but the strange weather phenomena are vaguely reminiscent of The Day After Tomorrow ;)

Moving right along here, I'm officially 28 as of Sunday the 6th, so that's fun! And a great birthday weekend it was!! My friends are fabulous, I gotta say...every one of them made the weekend absolutely perfect.

[side bar#1: I completed #30 on my list when I ate at Zim's this weekend. Zim's is just a sports bar, thus I wasn't going to include it, but they honestly make a mean veggie melt and their sweet tato fries with marshmallow/maple syrup dipping sauce are to die for...THEREFORE I just had to include Zim's as my final restaurant. DELISH!]

[Side bar #2: my good friend Katie made me a bunch of scrumptious cookies for my birthday. SWEET BAKERY NOOOO!!!! Recalling the five tons of fried food I had this weekend, I'm switching over to omitting that bad food from my diet for the remainder of the month. Once Feb hits, it's back off the sweet bakery.]

Anyway, I think 28 is going to be a good year. I think I might've mistakenly said that about 27, which wasn't awful per se...actually, wait a minute. 27 as an age was good...let's not confuse 27 with 2007 here. I truly did learn crazy oodles about myself. I became a more independent person, I learned some new skills, I honed my craftiness craft, I chipped away at my 101 List like a champ, and I trimmed the fat in terms of the crap in my life that no longer needed to be there. So with that said, I'm hoping age 28 will be the age where I get to reap the benefits of all of my hard work during age 27. Although I've got a seriously difficult year ahead of me. My mental to-do list gets longer by the moment and I've really gotta find a way to get everything done.

And with THAT said, come February 1st (one year anniversary of 101 List), I will revamp said 101 List (not too many changes per se, but maybe more streamlined and appropriate to my current skills and position in life). I will also try to come up with a definitive schedule for the next year in terms of things I know I need to at the very least start, and perhaps even finish. If I really try and make this Productive Attitude a natural habit of mine, once I hit 30, I honestly think I'll be able to sit back, relax, and reap the bennies of my late twenties. Rhyming rocks...true story!

blogcap

Alright this will be your typical update, nothing fancy!

8. I got a sweet Photography book for Christmas (The Betterphoto Guide to Digital Photography by Jim Moitke) and I'm like a quarter way through it. He's absolutely perfect at explaining all the ins and outs...I mean some of it is more basic and obvious, but sometimes relearning the most general stuff is really important! And so to celebrate (even though I'm technically supposed to reward myself AFTER I finish the book)...

9. I bought my camera!!!

(copying Z with her lovely camera photo as well!)
It's a nice transition from my more simple point-and-shoot compact Pentax from 2004...yet not AS complex as an SLR. I can futz with the aperture and shutter speed but I'm not completely out on my own. There are even a few accessories available for the S5...lenswise and such, so that's nice too! Some day down the line, especially if photography truly does become a more serious hobby for me, I can drop a grand on a DSLR ;) Anyway, I'm going to try and find a camera bag tomorrow and get me some sweet Eneloop rechargeable batteries from Amazon!

14. I can't even describe to you the epic amounts of paper craft stuff I got this Christmas...it's INSANE. I could seriously open up my own card shop at this point...just gotta create the product! So on that note...I can seriously go to town on at LEAST coming up with some general ideas for packs of cards that I'd be able to sell at this imaginary craft show. I like the idea of funky monogrammed notes (like a cross between a card and stationary). And I don't know if it's because I know like six pregnant women right now, but I'm drawn to making some fun baby announcement packs. Anyway, I have more than enough paper to do this...it's just a matter of finding the time!

17. While Christmas gifts shouldn't count for my "John surprise" I did put together an entire photo album (200 pix) of Grace pictures for one of his presents! (AND one for his parents too!) I think he really liked it and it'll be nice to keep building Grace centric photo albums in the coming years.

32. OK there's no way we're EVER going to play boardgame at Monica's...I made that one of my tasks back when Monica's was totally still our bar...which was subsequently replaced by Bad Genie, which will undoubtedly be replaced by some other bar when we're sick of it. But anyway, John, Nicole, Z and I did GO to Monica's the night after Christmas and it was a great time until John and I ruined it with our love quarrel *gag* ;) Another reason we'll probably never go back. Sigh. So I completed half of this task...blah blah blah.

43. Z got me a subscription to Women's Health for Christmas! Thanks Zeetlebug!! It will pair nicely with my new twist step machine from Johnny :)

45./50. Kale is really good! I was expecting a more bitter taste I think...but Kale is more savory. I liked it a lot! It's hearty too, so it does make a good winter veggie as they all say! As for the last recipe of the month: I made the kale with some brie and bacon. Ok that was super easy, but December's been busy! ;)

Veggie for January: The Parsnip! I was inspired by some parsnip potato hash dish Rachael Ray made the other day. Oh Rache!

51. And my give-up for January is sweet bakery (but not bagels!) once again. Yeah I think I'm going to have to recycle a few now that it's been about a year. Although I'm not sure I'll ever be able to recycle "No Alcohol except Miller Lite" ever again!

87. Just in the nick of time, Mandsi gave me her annual compilation cd for Christmas on which are three great new-to-me bands: Camera Obscura, Rogue Wave, and Sweet! I definitely need to look into these in more depth...


And that's all she wrote. New Year's Eve was a blast and I think I rang in the new year just right! It might have just been my imagination, but the second the clock struck midnight, I really did feel a weight lifted from my life. Haha! Yeah, just that mind trickery again...but I hope it keeps working. Coming back to work today hasn't been amazing, but it hasn't been awful either. I'll go with boring over awful any day ;)

So to 2008! Mildly entertaining instead of insanely stupid!