Do you watch Rockstar: INXS? HORRIBLY addictive. Last night's episode featured Jordis do a cover of Imagine. It was CRIPPLINGLY beautiful.
That girl's going places, I tell ya!
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Who woulda thought - I like VANILLA yogurt
An added benefit of working out is I tend to eat healthier (oh sure, I made icecream sandwiches with the new soft-baked Chips Ahoy, but I used Dreyers Light and I only had one....and I still need to LIVE, don't I?). My current favorite breakfast is baked oatmeal. My mom found the recipe in a Quaker Oats ad and I have since adapted it to the following gem of textural goodness (I'm telling ya, the textures ROCK):
BAKED OATMEAL
2-1/4 cups Quick Quaker® Oats or 2-3/4 cups Old Fashioned Quaker® Oats, uncooked
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup raisins, dried cranberries, shredded carrot, chopped apple, chopped nuts, or any combination in between
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (nutmeg, ginger, or whatever)
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
3-1/3 cups skim milk
4 egg whites, lightly beaten or 1/2 cup egg substitute (Kay uses 2 eggs – doesn’t like to waste…though now that I have been turned onto Papetti Egg Whites, I may start using that instead)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla
Fat-free milk or nonfat yogurt and fruit (optional) – my fave: Dannon Light & Fit vanilla
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 8-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.
2. In large bowl, combine oats, sugar, raisins, cinnamon and salt; mix well. In medium bowl, combine milk, egg whites, oil and vanilla; mix well. Add to dry ingredients; mix until well blended. Pour into baking dish.
3. Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until center is set and firm to the touch. Cool slightly
4. Serve topped with milk or yogurt and fruit, if desired. Store leftover oatmeal tightly covered in refrigerator
Servings: 8 SERVINGS
Currently, I'm serving a carrot, raisin, cranberry version but I'm also partial to THE banana- almond combo.
This is one of those breakfasts that "sticks to the ribs" in a good way AND it's healthy AND it's delicious.
Bon appetit!
BAKED OATMEAL
2-1/4 cups Quick Quaker® Oats or 2-3/4 cups Old Fashioned Quaker® Oats, uncooked
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup raisins, dried cranberries, shredded carrot, chopped apple, chopped nuts, or any combination in between
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (nutmeg, ginger, or whatever)
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
3-1/3 cups skim milk
4 egg whites, lightly beaten or 1/2 cup egg substitute (Kay uses 2 eggs – doesn’t like to waste…though now that I have been turned onto Papetti Egg Whites, I may start using that instead)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla
Fat-free milk or nonfat yogurt and fruit (optional) – my fave: Dannon Light & Fit vanilla
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 8-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.
2. In large bowl, combine oats, sugar, raisins, cinnamon and salt; mix well. In medium bowl, combine milk, egg whites, oil and vanilla; mix well. Add to dry ingredients; mix until well blended. Pour into baking dish.
3. Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until center is set and firm to the touch. Cool slightly
4. Serve topped with milk or yogurt and fruit, if desired. Store leftover oatmeal tightly covered in refrigerator
Servings: 8 SERVINGS
Currently, I'm serving a carrot, raisin, cranberry version but I'm also partial to THE banana- almond combo.
This is one of those breakfasts that "sticks to the ribs" in a good way AND it's healthy AND it's delicious.
Bon appetit!
I want to look cool running
My rockin' friend Amy V (who I can't wait to see weekend after next!) just started a blog and credited me so I thought I better update.
Big news (and that is a sad reflection of my current state that said news is considered "big"): Tommy and I have started going to the gym. I've wanted to do this forever. We lived on base for a year or so and didn't even go near the gym. Oh sure, I could go without him, and I did (every now and then) when he was out at sea, but it's far more motivating when he goes with me.
Turns out - he loves it. He's never been one for exercise - I think because it is always so forced on him what with the Navy and all - but now that he's doing it for the heck of it, he sees how good you can feel after. And the iPod Shuffle doesn't hurt. He discovered music and running are a delightful mix. And he looks hot doing it. I feel like each step is clumsy and painful and wrong when I run (I've got craptastic knees) but he just looks GOOD. Though I guess he looks good doing anything so I should have known.
So yeah, we got Shuffles. I was going to just get him one but Apple's superior marketing skills helped me decide that my iPod was just too cumbersome - look how little and light the Shuffle is - just the sound of the name sounds breezy - shuffle. And it is just totally precious.
I could not imagine doing anything aerobic without music - especially when it's contained in a device the size of a pack of gum....a thin pack at that! And the current selection definitely shows how manic I can be. My shuffle includes such great songs as [roll credits]:
Gap Band - Burn Rubber
Jem - Save Me
Cibo Matto - Spoon
Orgy - Blue Monday
A couple of those really long techno songs off the Trainspotting Soundtrack
Lenny Kravitz - Lady
Crystal Waters - 100% True Love
Spice Girls - Spice Up Your Life (that's right, I said it)
Golden Earring - Twilight Zone
And many more!
I banish you high cholesterol and excessive jiggle!
Big news (and that is a sad reflection of my current state that said news is considered "big"): Tommy and I have started going to the gym. I've wanted to do this forever. We lived on base for a year or so and didn't even go near the gym. Oh sure, I could go without him, and I did (every now and then) when he was out at sea, but it's far more motivating when he goes with me.
Turns out - he loves it. He's never been one for exercise - I think because it is always so forced on him what with the Navy and all - but now that he's doing it for the heck of it, he sees how good you can feel after. And the iPod Shuffle doesn't hurt. He discovered music and running are a delightful mix. And he looks hot doing it. I feel like each step is clumsy and painful and wrong when I run (I've got craptastic knees) but he just looks GOOD. Though I guess he looks good doing anything so I should have known.
So yeah, we got Shuffles. I was going to just get him one but Apple's superior marketing skills helped me decide that my iPod was just too cumbersome - look how little and light the Shuffle is - just the sound of the name sounds breezy - shuffle. And it is just totally precious.
I could not imagine doing anything aerobic without music - especially when it's contained in a device the size of a pack of gum....a thin pack at that! And the current selection definitely shows how manic I can be. My shuffle includes such great songs as [roll credits]:
Gap Band - Burn Rubber
Jem - Save Me
Cibo Matto - Spoon
Orgy - Blue Monday
A couple of those really long techno songs off the Trainspotting Soundtrack
Lenny Kravitz - Lady
Crystal Waters - 100% True Love
Spice Girls - Spice Up Your Life (that's right, I said it)
Golden Earring - Twilight Zone
And many more!
I banish you high cholesterol and excessive jiggle!
Monday, August 15, 2005
Altered Images
I guess because it was my birthday, I've had Altered Images' Happy Birthday song in my head (that's not true - I OFTEN have that song in my head with or without my birthday nearby) and I was deep into the B&N sale when I decided to see how cheap I could get it on cd. Behold! New Wave Hits of the 70's & 80's - a 3, count 'em, THREE disc collection for only $11.32 with your B&N card! SO very excited.
The Flying Lizards version of Money (That's What I Want) often caresses my brain so I bought Wedding Singer 2 as well for a mere $9.70 with said green card. It's got some gems on it as well - not as many, but still.
AND for a few more purchases, it's all being shipped to my door for FREE. Why go into the average-priced store when online is SO much cheaper?!?
Thanks, Barnes and Noble!
Hella Honda
I am such a baby.
When I was a kid, I was pretty much the last one picked for kickball, got my ass kicked at tetherball, and even though I towered over EVERYONE, I sucked at basketball. Such humiliation tends to stay permanently imprinted on one's brain.
And yet, I try to exorcise.
Tommy is BIG into dirtbikes so when he bought his Yamaha, the Honda became "mine." I want to be tough, really I do, but it is so hard adopting a hobby where you know you're going to fall down...probably while going at a decent speed. Oh and I have no idea how to drive a stickshift and apparently that hinders me as well.
And yet, I try. I've taken the bike out three times. The first was very basic, just back and forth once I got the beast kick started and moving (2 things I tend to have trouble with). The second time I gave myself quite the pep talk and told myself I was going to fall and it would hurt but it wouldn't kill me and it'd be fun overall. Sure enough, I fell, it hurt, but it didn't kill me and I had fun.
Well, time flies - 8 months to be exact, and we went out on Saturday for my third try. It was like it was my first but I got the hang of it after numerous starts and stalls and here are pics to document it. I didn't fall but I was way too hot and tired to push myself to even attempt to do anything that would warrant falling. (Excuses, excuses: I tried to give blood that morning and they rejected me because my hemoglobin count was so low - hence me being beat before I even got out there.) Plus I was just plain scared - which is so stupid. Carpe diem, dammit!
But check out this pic (and others on flickr - I've got the red bike, Tommy's got the blue). It really looks like I can ride, doesn't it?
I'm getting there. Next time I will not be such a baby.
I will not be such a baby.
I will not be such a baby.
Carpe diem, dammit!
When I was a kid, I was pretty much the last one picked for kickball, got my ass kicked at tetherball, and even though I towered over EVERYONE, I sucked at basketball. Such humiliation tends to stay permanently imprinted on one's brain.
And yet, I try to exorcise.
Tommy is BIG into dirtbikes so when he bought his Yamaha, the Honda became "mine." I want to be tough, really I do, but it is so hard adopting a hobby where you know you're going to fall down...probably while going at a decent speed. Oh and I have no idea how to drive a stickshift and apparently that hinders me as well.
And yet, I try. I've taken the bike out three times. The first was very basic, just back and forth once I got the beast kick started and moving (2 things I tend to have trouble with). The second time I gave myself quite the pep talk and told myself I was going to fall and it would hurt but it wouldn't kill me and it'd be fun overall. Sure enough, I fell, it hurt, but it didn't kill me and I had fun.
Well, time flies - 8 months to be exact, and we went out on Saturday for my third try. It was like it was my first but I got the hang of it after numerous starts and stalls and here are pics to document it. I didn't fall but I was way too hot and tired to push myself to even attempt to do anything that would warrant falling. (Excuses, excuses: I tried to give blood that morning and they rejected me because my hemoglobin count was so low - hence me being beat before I even got out there.) Plus I was just plain scared - which is so stupid. Carpe diem, dammit!
But check out this pic (and others on flickr - I've got the red bike, Tommy's got the blue). It really looks like I can ride, doesn't it?
I'm getting there. Next time I will not be such a baby.
I will not be such a baby.
I will not be such a baby.
Carpe diem, dammit!
Seattle skyline 8.12.05
We had a lovely Friday date night. We took the ferry downtown, stopped at Schmancy to see the Plush You! show - I saw many cute stuffed animals and treats but damn, it was hot in that place and we had reservations for dinner at the Pink Door (amazon publishes menus now?!?). The rooftop deck is SO Just Right. Tomatoes and grapes are planted among other herbs and plants all the way around the perimeter in little window boxes. There are big Christmas lights hanging on the pergola overhead, and the plastic table cloths add to the comfortable ambience. I had the Lasagna Pink Door and Tommy had the rigatoni and meatballs. Both were good (mine was better) and the olive oil and bread to start you off was divine...and the house white they serve in Pilsner Urquell bottles didn't hurt either. If we weren't so full I would have wanted to stay for dessert and more wine. But we walked over to Roq la Rue to the Devil's Hobby Hut opening, stopped at Whiskey Bar to have a DOLLAR beer and look at the paintings, then headed back. Dreamy!
(As for the photo - apparently the ferry is bumpier than it feels - I'm not that wasted.)
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Pink frosting
A birthday filled with great company, delicious food, lovely gifts, and a whole lot of pink frosting to one of my favorite people to "pass notes" to, Stef!
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Birthday cake!
Dairy Queen has a great (and I use the term loosely) selection of cake designs. This is the "after" shot of my birthday cake. I think Tommy was getting even for the Tonka truck cake I got him for his b-day.
Today was great. Filled with The Loudest Singing Waitress at Red Robin, great emails and phone calls, GREAT salmon dinner, wonderful gifts, delicious Reese's Blizzard cake, and the dreamiest of friends.
Thank you, thank you!
Today was great. Filled with The Loudest Singing Waitress at Red Robin, great emails and phone calls, GREAT salmon dinner, wonderful gifts, delicious Reese's Blizzard cake, and the dreamiest of friends.
Thank you, thank you!
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
3:10am update
I can see one fish swimming about. Hopefully the other two are safely hiding. Here's a picture of the pond before The Invasion shortly after I got the precious "shiny objects."
I must try to get some sleep - but I just taught myself how to add my flickr pics to this blog so I'm a bit wound up.
I must try to get some sleep - but I just taught myself how to add my flickr pics to this blog so I'm a bit wound up.
There's a varmint in that there cement pond!
We have a great house. It's SO Just Right. The Most Fabulous Detail is what we call The Zen Garden - a small, narrow fenced in area off the master bedroom. In it, there's a gorgeous rhododendron pruned to be tree-like, I planted some hosta and lilies, and various other plants. But the best part is the little pond. When we first moved here, there was a crack in it. I'm really proud of myself that was capable of fixing it and I've been slowly but surely adding plants to it and most recently, three cute little koi (or really large goldfish - not sure which).
Upon a couple of occasions I have come out to mild mayhem - a plant has overturned and made the water murky and the fish ticked - what could do this?
Well, I woke up about an hour ago to splashing.
Now, I started reading Coraline last night and my dreams got all a'fluster. FORTUNATELY I did not read it before bed last night or I would have really panicked. OF COURSE Tommy has duty, meaning he's on the boat and I'm alone so for about 5 minutes I laid in bed wondering what sort of ghost kid is playing in the pond. Eventually I got up enough nerve to tippy-toe into the bathroom (you can't see the pond from the sliding glass doors that lead out of the master bedroom but there's a tall, narrow window in the bathroom that overlooks it). It was too dark and creepy to make out what was a'splashin'. So I tippy-toed back and flipped on the outside light then tippy-toed back to the window. (I'm a raging dork, aren't I?)
Sure enough, there was a racoon IN my pond. I banged on the glass and it skittered away but came back a minute later. I watched it for a minute - he would drag his little front arms through the water in front of him then scoot a few steps then drag his arms through the water again then scoot some more. Now, the last time I had to clean out the pond, I couldn't catch the fish with a net (okay, it was a large strainer - but still) and I resorted to literally catching them with my hands and dropping them in a bucket of water - sure, this took a while but I still did it so I was sure this creature with his cute little mask and his pink little hands would succeed if I let him. So I banged on the glass again (but obviously not before I got my camera).
I remember reading that an effective racoon trap is to put something shiny in a hollowed out log, the racoon would stick his hand through a hole, grab the shiny thing, then get trapped because he can't pull his clenched fist back out through the hole - they're to stubborn to let the shiny object go. Well, that might not make sense but it is 2:44 in the a.m. and I am still feeling the effects of the Nyquil I swigged before going to bed a few hours ago so my point is, this racoon saw THREE shiny thing and did not want to let them go. Loud, hissy noises would scare him away, but he was back in no time. I finally had to fling the screen door and jump out there scaring him and myself a couple times.
I think he's gone now and the pond pump is only trickling (normally it slightly gushes) but I'm too scared to go out there, get on my knees, and forage through the muck to see what's wrong.
Today's my birthday - I'm another year older but you wouldn't be able to tell by my actions.
Monday, August 08, 2005
38 & 364/365ths
Tomorrow is my birthday. Since it's That Close and presents are pending, the age thing isn't bothering me so much. To add to said bliss, Karry, Lauren, and Ijee called this morning and sung in unison [in the style of Annie, as if you couldn't tell]:
Tomorrow! Tomorrow!
Your birthday's tomorrow!
It's only a day a-way!
I am so thankful that I got the job that lead me to these amazing and wonderful friends. This is Lolo (nickname for Lauren) and Ijee (nickname for Elijah). They rock so hard.
Friday, August 05, 2005
Ah luv previews!
I LOVE previews (though I guess "trailers" is the correct term). Some people don’t and I just don’t understand it.
My rather lax job affords me the time to surf the net EXCESSIVELY (when I should be doing my schoolwork at the kinda crappy school I go to online) and I stumbled upon this site thus feeding my preview-lovin’ veins. Here's a few of the things I'm excited about:
Walk the Line - good Lord! Joaquin as Johnny Cash and Reese as June Carter. SO exciting! I saw them (the really Johnny and June) live in Ft. Worth YEARS ago. A friend and I scored front row center tix (same day as the Superbowl - conflict of Texan interest). They were great - he was positively orange from all the cake makeup trawled on but it didn't matter - it was The Man in Black up close and personal. A harelip scar could only make the story that much sexier.
2046 - slick, slick, slick! Can't wait! I LOVED Fallen Angels and In the Mood for Love and Chungking Express (probably in that order) and 2046 looks like the Best Of all those with a bigger budget. EEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
King Kong - I loved the Jessica Lange version but I heard this one is going to be more true to the original (with a much bigger budget). I'm such a sucker for the Frankenstein/misunderstood monster story. I just get weepy thinking of that scene when Kong is about to get fully shot up and Jessica knows that if he's still holding her, they won't shoot so she's screaming, "Don't put me down, you big stupid ape!" So basically if I get weepy at that, stuff like The Green Mile is HORRIBLE for me (why I saw that movie, I'll never know - 3 movie theatre napkins do not cut that kind of weeping).
Revolver - Revolver, revolver, all hail Revolver!!! Lock, Stock & 2 Smoking Barrels is cinematic genius. Snatch was good but too star-studded or something. I'm a little worried about the dazzling cast of Revolver but not so much so that it would prevent me from being giddy with excitement while playing the preview over and over again.
And there's more - Brothers Grimm looks like it has potential, Corpse Bride - OF COURSE, Neil Gaiman's Mirromask has some Bowie/Labyrinth qualities, and many, many more!
Now I'm off to go have a picnic in the park by work - there'll be a magician and everything!
My rather lax job affords me the time to surf the net EXCESSIVELY (when I should be doing my schoolwork at the kinda crappy school I go to online) and I stumbled upon this site thus feeding my preview-lovin’ veins. Here's a few of the things I'm excited about:
Walk the Line - good Lord! Joaquin as Johnny Cash and Reese as June Carter. SO exciting! I saw them (the really Johnny and June) live in Ft. Worth YEARS ago. A friend and I scored front row center tix (same day as the Superbowl - conflict of Texan interest). They were great - he was positively orange from all the cake makeup trawled on but it didn't matter - it was The Man in Black up close and personal. A harelip scar could only make the story that much sexier.
2046 - slick, slick, slick! Can't wait! I LOVED Fallen Angels and In the Mood for Love and Chungking Express (probably in that order) and 2046 looks like the Best Of all those with a bigger budget. EEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
King Kong - I loved the Jessica Lange version but I heard this one is going to be more true to the original (with a much bigger budget). I'm such a sucker for the Frankenstein/misunderstood monster story. I just get weepy thinking of that scene when Kong is about to get fully shot up and Jessica knows that if he's still holding her, they won't shoot so she's screaming, "Don't put me down, you big stupid ape!" So basically if I get weepy at that, stuff like The Green Mile is HORRIBLE for me (why I saw that movie, I'll never know - 3 movie theatre napkins do not cut that kind of weeping).
Revolver - Revolver, revolver, all hail Revolver!!! Lock, Stock & 2 Smoking Barrels is cinematic genius. Snatch was good but too star-studded or something. I'm a little worried about the dazzling cast of Revolver but not so much so that it would prevent me from being giddy with excitement while playing the preview over and over again.
And there's more - Brothers Grimm looks like it has potential, Corpse Bride - OF COURSE, Neil Gaiman's Mirromask has some Bowie/Labyrinth qualities, and many, many more!
Now I'm off to go have a picnic in the park by work - there'll be a magician and everything!
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
The Way I See It #36
Today's coffee cup reads:
"Mother-love is not inevitable.
The good mother is a great artist ever creating beauty out of chaos."
It's kinda sappy but I like it especially since I continue reading the author info:
-- Alice Randall, Novelist, The Wind Done Gone and first black woman to write a No. 1 country song.
That looks good on a resume.
"Mother-love is not inevitable.
The good mother is a great artist ever creating beauty out of chaos."
It's kinda sappy but I like it especially since I continue reading the author info:
-- Alice Randall, Novelist, The Wind Done Gone and first black woman to write a No. 1 country song.
That looks good on a resume.
Monday, July 18, 2005
Huge Grant
Apparently Sandra Bullock and Jesse James got married over the weekend. William Shatner, Jamie Lee Curtis, Keanu, Hugh Grant, and Metallica hottie James Hetfield were in attendance. THAT'S a wide range of attendees! I especially like that E-online spelled it Huge Grant. I wonder how much trouble you get into with typos like that.
And more importantly - I wonder what presents they got - ESPECIALLY from Shatner.
And more importantly - I wonder what presents they got - ESPECIALLY from Shatner.
A "dam" fine weekend
Such, SUCH a great weekend. A while back Tommy and I camped at (in? on?) the Oregon dunes with some friends to go dirtbike and ATV riding. Even though we stayed in this ridiculously small tent (probably 6x6 and we’re both 6’+ tall) that ended up getting soaked and we ended up sleeping in my Civic, we still enjoyed ourselves immensely. A tent, canopy, battery operated air mattress, and various other accoutrements were soon purchased and a plan was devised.
After much research then a big discovery that all the “good” places were booked because I waited so long to book one (what was I thinking?!?), we found a “primitive” site at Lake Alder which is considered a “Tacoma Power Park” (something like 70% of all the power comes from the nearby dam you can walk too – DAM!).
I love serendipity. This place was PERFECT. It was “primitive” but still really close to parking and a decent bathroom (I developed my trick where I took with me a disinfecting wipe in my left hand and a baby wipe in my right). We stayed at #224 if you want a visual. We were surrounded by ferns, blackberries, and tall evergreens. Our site came complete with a picnic bench and cooking/fire pit and a perfectly cut out area for our tent. We set up tent and wandered around the park for a while. The dam is cool just because you don’t see dams much and there’s so many things you can say (a la one of those Vacation movies) – “I sure hope there aren’t too many dam personnel milling about” “I wonder if there’s a dam giftshop” “Where’s the dam bathroom?” or the classic, “Dam!”
We walked around the swimming area and boat docks then headed back to get dinner ready. Tommy made a damn fine fire while I got the grill going (we got a cute little grill on sale from Rite Aid). Dinner totally rocked. I grilled corn on the cob (I go the super lazy way and don’t even remove the silks til after – just set the cobs in there undisturbed shucks on the grill and roll from time to time for about 20 minutes or so – I like to shuck mine and continue rolling them til they get a bit brown in places but you can skip that step if you want to) and Costco buffalo burgers. Buffalo can be tricky to find – Central Market carries a good brand, Trader Joe’s was shockingly disappointing – they tasted like school cafeteria burgers, and Costco’s are wonderful (and cheaper). I made double cheeseburgers with them which was a bit excessive (do I want to finish my corn or my burger?). After, we got our drink on by the fire. Bella Sera makes a damn fine, CHEAP Pinot Grigio. It's WAY too easy to drink, as my sister and I would say. Tommy opted for his tradmark Jack & Coke.
There is nothing like staring into a fire. I learned that from my Daddy probably during Indian Princesses. What’s even better is neither Tommy nor I feels obligated to talk all the time (shut up anyone that wants to comment that that’s a shock with my chatty nature!) so we sat there together and pondered. From time to time we’d talk but overall, we were just pleased with the company and the environment.
The night grew cold. Like REALLY cold. I checked the weather before leaving and the low was supposed to be 55 and apparently in a tent in the middle of nowhere, that translates to COLD. In the middle of the night, after having a weird “too real” dream, we both ended up getting up to put on socks and our hoodies. Next time, we’ll be more prepared with something to kind of keep the floor and thus the mattress warmer plus warmer less bulky jimmies.
So about this dream – in it I had come out of the tent to stand by the fire. Tommy was there (even though he went to bed before me in “real life”) and he was poking at the fire and chiding me to do something I forget but was unsafe or creepy or something but he wouldn’t let up so I said I was going back into the tent. “Fine!” he snapped. Except when I got back into the tent, he was there all cuddled up and said, “Finally” like he’d been waiting for me the whole time – like in “real life.” It creeped me out enough to wake up and realize how cold I was which lead me to think about how supposedly when ghosts are present, it gets really cold which lead me to getting spooked. The dreamy was only mildly –yet effectively - creepy and I started comparing Fire Tommy to Ethan in Lost – did you see the episodes he was in? Ethan was just this basic, nerdy looking guy but he kind of hovered and loomed really creepy….til he threatened to kill everyone on the island one by one….but before that. Needless to say, it took me forever to go back to sleep (I tend to go back into bad dreams only to find newer and more creepy versions of the same dream) but eventually I did. The last dream I had I swear my old dog Jasmine came to me. This sounds corny but I think she just wanted a visit – apparently angels don’t know how to rub her spot just right so I did. I woke up happy but then I started missing her and have been in an on & off funk ever since [I just stepped on a moth by accident and maimed it and that's upset me! RIP Moth]. I don’t want another dog, I want HER. Fortunately, Tommy is great about these things so he puts up with my corniness and makes me feel all better.
Moral of that paragraph is I’m smudging the next campsite we stay in.
I know telling others about your dreams is supposed to be boring and pointless except for those telling it and sometimes for those featured in it but I will use my “this is my blog, it’s a personal journal” card on this one.
We ended up getting up at dawn (we think – neither one of us brought a watch) and Tommy made a fire – this one to cook on (what me nervous?). I made scrambled Egg Beaters, Leavenworth sausage, and tortillas. Tommy wasn’t crazy about the eggs – I think they had a slight reaction to the iron skillet (I will be shopping the Amazon Friday sale this Friday for a good, cheap, nonstick pan). I thought they tasted fine noting the iron-y taste. (What can I say? An iron skillet just sounded camp-y!) We sat around and looked at the fire some more (not as fun as in the dark but nice nonetheless) and for some reason, I guess because it was so early, it was too chilly so we went back to take a long nap. We think we woke up several hours later because it was downright hot. We took down our camp, took a walk back to the dam then headed out.
That sounds like a great weekend, right? But wait! There’s more!
On the way back we stopped at Half Price Books where I found a copy of London Fields for Tommy’s dad, Bel Canto for his mom, and a few books for his sis. While there, I found a first edition hardback of the said Bel Canto, first ed hb of Coraline, and a paperback of The Chosen – possibly my next read. Tommy also found an Ann Rule book (he pretty much reads nothing but true crime – any recommendations would be much appreciated).
To stay on the fun roll, we ate dinner at Chevy’s. I can’t get enough of the shrimp and crab enchiladas and their corn tomalito stuff…but fortunately I have the foresight to ask for a to-go box at the beginning of the meal so I can box up half of it so there’s more room to enjoy their flawless chips and salsa.
Then we went home, unpacked, took MUCH NEEDED showers then went to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (with two, count ‘em TWO previews to The Corpse Bride and a preview to Bad News Bears that made us want to see the movie). I LOVED the first half of the movie with the character development of all the kids especially Charlie – the house he lived in had so many great details. The look of the movie is great – I was in awe of Augustus Gloop’s complexion and the whole cast was perfect. I just thought the movie missed something. Hello? Tim Burton did it! I was dreading the boat seen that scared the hell out of me in the original but there was nothing to be scared about in this one. Plus I couldn't understand most of what the oompa-loompas were singing (sing-along subtitles would have been AWESOME here) in there sometimes overly-modernized-attempted songs. I wouldn’t say, “Don’t see it” just “Don’t be as as excited as I was to see it.” You know how when you get so excited to see a movie that you blow it out of proportion so when you do see it, it doesn't measure up? I think that's what I did.
Then we went home and went to bed. A weekend well spent.
The End
After much research then a big discovery that all the “good” places were booked because I waited so long to book one (what was I thinking?!?), we found a “primitive” site at Lake Alder which is considered a “Tacoma Power Park” (something like 70% of all the power comes from the nearby dam you can walk too – DAM!).
I love serendipity. This place was PERFECT. It was “primitive” but still really close to parking and a decent bathroom (I developed my trick where I took with me a disinfecting wipe in my left hand and a baby wipe in my right). We stayed at #224 if you want a visual. We were surrounded by ferns, blackberries, and tall evergreens. Our site came complete with a picnic bench and cooking/fire pit and a perfectly cut out area for our tent. We set up tent and wandered around the park for a while. The dam is cool just because you don’t see dams much and there’s so many things you can say (a la one of those Vacation movies) – “I sure hope there aren’t too many dam personnel milling about” “I wonder if there’s a dam giftshop” “Where’s the dam bathroom?” or the classic, “Dam!”
We walked around the swimming area and boat docks then headed back to get dinner ready. Tommy made a damn fine fire while I got the grill going (we got a cute little grill on sale from Rite Aid). Dinner totally rocked. I grilled corn on the cob (I go the super lazy way and don’t even remove the silks til after – just set the cobs in there undisturbed shucks on the grill and roll from time to time for about 20 minutes or so – I like to shuck mine and continue rolling them til they get a bit brown in places but you can skip that step if you want to) and Costco buffalo burgers. Buffalo can be tricky to find – Central Market carries a good brand, Trader Joe’s was shockingly disappointing – they tasted like school cafeteria burgers, and Costco’s are wonderful (and cheaper). I made double cheeseburgers with them which was a bit excessive (do I want to finish my corn or my burger?). After, we got our drink on by the fire. Bella Sera makes a damn fine, CHEAP Pinot Grigio. It's WAY too easy to drink, as my sister and I would say. Tommy opted for his tradmark Jack & Coke.
There is nothing like staring into a fire. I learned that from my Daddy probably during Indian Princesses. What’s even better is neither Tommy nor I feels obligated to talk all the time (shut up anyone that wants to comment that that’s a shock with my chatty nature!) so we sat there together and pondered. From time to time we’d talk but overall, we were just pleased with the company and the environment.
The night grew cold. Like REALLY cold. I checked the weather before leaving and the low was supposed to be 55 and apparently in a tent in the middle of nowhere, that translates to COLD. In the middle of the night, after having a weird “too real” dream, we both ended up getting up to put on socks and our hoodies. Next time, we’ll be more prepared with something to kind of keep the floor and thus the mattress warmer plus warmer less bulky jimmies.
So about this dream – in it I had come out of the tent to stand by the fire. Tommy was there (even though he went to bed before me in “real life”) and he was poking at the fire and chiding me to do something I forget but was unsafe or creepy or something but he wouldn’t let up so I said I was going back into the tent. “Fine!” he snapped. Except when I got back into the tent, he was there all cuddled up and said, “Finally” like he’d been waiting for me the whole time – like in “real life.” It creeped me out enough to wake up and realize how cold I was which lead me to think about how supposedly when ghosts are present, it gets really cold which lead me to getting spooked. The dreamy was only mildly –yet effectively - creepy and I started comparing Fire Tommy to Ethan in Lost – did you see the episodes he was in? Ethan was just this basic, nerdy looking guy but he kind of hovered and loomed really creepy….til he threatened to kill everyone on the island one by one….but before that. Needless to say, it took me forever to go back to sleep (I tend to go back into bad dreams only to find newer and more creepy versions of the same dream) but eventually I did. The last dream I had I swear my old dog Jasmine came to me. This sounds corny but I think she just wanted a visit – apparently angels don’t know how to rub her spot just right so I did. I woke up happy but then I started missing her and have been in an on & off funk ever since [I just stepped on a moth by accident and maimed it and that's upset me! RIP Moth]. I don’t want another dog, I want HER. Fortunately, Tommy is great about these things so he puts up with my corniness and makes me feel all better.
Moral of that paragraph is I’m smudging the next campsite we stay in.
I know telling others about your dreams is supposed to be boring and pointless except for those telling it and sometimes for those featured in it but I will use my “this is my blog, it’s a personal journal” card on this one.
We ended up getting up at dawn (we think – neither one of us brought a watch) and Tommy made a fire – this one to cook on (what me nervous?). I made scrambled Egg Beaters, Leavenworth sausage, and tortillas. Tommy wasn’t crazy about the eggs – I think they had a slight reaction to the iron skillet (I will be shopping the Amazon Friday sale this Friday for a good, cheap, nonstick pan). I thought they tasted fine noting the iron-y taste. (What can I say? An iron skillet just sounded camp-y!) We sat around and looked at the fire some more (not as fun as in the dark but nice nonetheless) and for some reason, I guess because it was so early, it was too chilly so we went back to take a long nap. We think we woke up several hours later because it was downright hot. We took down our camp, took a walk back to the dam then headed out.
That sounds like a great weekend, right? But wait! There’s more!
On the way back we stopped at Half Price Books where I found a copy of London Fields for Tommy’s dad, Bel Canto for his mom, and a few books for his sis. While there, I found a first edition hardback of the said Bel Canto, first ed hb of Coraline, and a paperback of The Chosen – possibly my next read. Tommy also found an Ann Rule book (he pretty much reads nothing but true crime – any recommendations would be much appreciated).
To stay on the fun roll, we ate dinner at Chevy’s. I can’t get enough of the shrimp and crab enchiladas and their corn tomalito stuff…but fortunately I have the foresight to ask for a to-go box at the beginning of the meal so I can box up half of it so there’s more room to enjoy their flawless chips and salsa.
Then we went home, unpacked, took MUCH NEEDED showers then went to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (with two, count ‘em TWO previews to The Corpse Bride and a preview to Bad News Bears that made us want to see the movie). I LOVED the first half of the movie with the character development of all the kids especially Charlie – the house he lived in had so many great details. The look of the movie is great – I was in awe of Augustus Gloop’s complexion and the whole cast was perfect. I just thought the movie missed something. Hello? Tim Burton did it! I was dreading the boat seen that scared the hell out of me in the original but there was nothing to be scared about in this one. Plus I couldn't understand most of what the oompa-loompas were singing (sing-along subtitles would have been AWESOME here) in there sometimes overly-modernized-attempted songs. I wouldn’t say, “Don’t see it” just “Don’t be as as excited as I was to see it.” You know how when you get so excited to see a movie that you blow it out of proportion so when you do see it, it doesn't measure up? I think that's what I did.
Then we went home and went to bed. A weekend well spent.
The End
Monday, July 11, 2005
Punk & Polka
We had a such a lovely weekend. I love me some contrast and this one had it!
Saturday we headed to George, WA (we even saw a Martha Inn) to see Warped Tour at the Gorge. Everything I heard about the Gorge was true - it's truly stunning. I often ended up staring at the canyon-y landscape rather than the bands.
I worried about the concert itself - I'm going to be thirty-friggin-nine exactly a month from the show date so I dreaded being around all the young punks. But it turned out to not be too bad. We ran into friends from Tommy's boat and hung out with them on and off. Overall though, Tommy and I are great companions - we have about the same tolerance for all sorts of things which works out great.
OF COURSE the only band I wanted to see - bought my ticket because of, in fact, didn't play til the very end BUT IT WAS SO WORTH IT! The Horrorpops ROCK! I have played the hell out of their Hell Yeah! cd and worried they weren't going to be as awesome live but they SO stood up to the plate. Any band that has a badass babe on stand up bass as a lead singer AND naughty back-up dancers is okay in my book - and the Horrorpops lead the pack! I even got a t-shirt. I can't wait for their next album!
I used to be big into rockabilly but slacked mainly because this area doesn't have much good local stuff but I've got the bug again, I can feel it!
Overall the show was great and the people were decent - though I was taken aback by the staggering amount of boy and girl booty crack I witnessed. Seriously, wear a belt! And apparently the latest girl trend is not to have your thong peeking out but bad granny panties - just say WOAH! Studded belts all around, please and thank you!
Sunday we went to Leavenworth. I was hoping to take part in Polka Rama but found out that it was only on Friday and Saturday (what the?!?). So we walked around the cutesy town and stopped in at some shops. I bought some GREAT yarn at Wooly Bully AND it was 40% off. If you're a knitter and go to Leavenworth, stop there! We also bought some great sausage at Willis Sausage Haus, got a brat at an outdoor stand, then watched the Chicken Dance being performed in the gazebo at the Town Square area. Ya gotta love the lederhosen!
Then we headed home stopping at IKEA for some stuff for our camping trip next weekend. We want to have a tub of stuff we just take camping so we don't have to take our "nice" kitchen stuff. They HAD a rockin cutting board with a knife built in that would have been ideal but they sold out of it and won't be restocking since it's a summer item (drat, drat, double drat) but we found plenty of other stuff to get us by.
And that's our weekend in a nutshell.....oh, and we bought cherries and tuna honey jerky at a roadside stand. I can recommend the former but not the latter.
Saturday we headed to George, WA (we even saw a Martha Inn) to see Warped Tour at the Gorge. Everything I heard about the Gorge was true - it's truly stunning. I often ended up staring at the canyon-y landscape rather than the bands.
I worried about the concert itself - I'm going to be thirty-friggin-nine exactly a month from the show date so I dreaded being around all the young punks. But it turned out to not be too bad. We ran into friends from Tommy's boat and hung out with them on and off. Overall though, Tommy and I are great companions - we have about the same tolerance for all sorts of things which works out great.
OF COURSE the only band I wanted to see - bought my ticket because of, in fact, didn't play til the very end BUT IT WAS SO WORTH IT! The Horrorpops ROCK! I have played the hell out of their Hell Yeah! cd and worried they weren't going to be as awesome live but they SO stood up to the plate. Any band that has a badass babe on stand up bass as a lead singer AND naughty back-up dancers is okay in my book - and the Horrorpops lead the pack! I even got a t-shirt. I can't wait for their next album!
I used to be big into rockabilly but slacked mainly because this area doesn't have much good local stuff but I've got the bug again, I can feel it!
Overall the show was great and the people were decent - though I was taken aback by the staggering amount of boy and girl booty crack I witnessed. Seriously, wear a belt! And apparently the latest girl trend is not to have your thong peeking out but bad granny panties - just say WOAH! Studded belts all around, please and thank you!
Sunday we went to Leavenworth. I was hoping to take part in Polka Rama but found out that it was only on Friday and Saturday (what the?!?). So we walked around the cutesy town and stopped in at some shops. I bought some GREAT yarn at Wooly Bully AND it was 40% off. If you're a knitter and go to Leavenworth, stop there! We also bought some great sausage at Willis Sausage Haus, got a brat at an outdoor stand, then watched the Chicken Dance being performed in the gazebo at the Town Square area. Ya gotta love the lederhosen!
Then we headed home stopping at IKEA for some stuff for our camping trip next weekend. We want to have a tub of stuff we just take camping so we don't have to take our "nice" kitchen stuff. They HAD a rockin cutting board with a knife built in that would have been ideal but they sold out of it and won't be restocking since it's a summer item (drat, drat, double drat) but we found plenty of other stuff to get us by.
And that's our weekend in a nutshell.....oh, and we bought cherries and tuna honey jerky at a roadside stand. I can recommend the former but not the latter.
Thursday, July 07, 2005
Nice distraction
Longmire Does Romance Novels some much needed comic relief. Continue to the reader covers. (discovered on Weird Babe)
Heartache
Would everyone PLEASE stop getting cancer and/or bombing each other? My heart just can't take it.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
The Proverbial Handbasket
I hope you all had a lovely 4th. We discovered that $30 buys you a doozey of a "family pak" of fireworks. Thanks TNT! And though I should be feeling all proud to be an American and whatnot, there are two people that make me cringe a little that we share the same country: Britney and Tom. Well, now that I think about it, more than two people - pretty much any one that has a reality show that I watch like a crack addict (a.k.a. not enjoyable and yet I can't seem to pry myself away) or is just so bad my IQ can't take the abuse so I change the channel to the former or actually read* or something.
But the MAIN two people are Britney Spears-Federline with that God-awful 3-piece-sized wad of gum she smacks on and Tom Cruise.
First, Britney. Granted, she didn't sign up to be a role model but platinum records kind of force you there. I was influenced by music and movies when I was 13 - but who would have thought that Madonna and Def Leppard were actually SAFE? Whitney said it best when she sang, "I believe the children are our future..." and look where she is now! I fear for our future if the (most-recent) mother of Kevin's kids has as much influence as it would appear. I tried watching Chaotic and it hurt my brain. Then just seeing this picture Did Me In (I initially saw a worse/better version of the pic on eonline.com but it's not there anymore). And you KNOW she had a turbo chunk of gum in her mouth, too! I don't care that chewing gum MAY improve your memory and thus make you smarter. You know what else improves your memory and thus makes you smarter? Books*.
And now for Tom. I sing the gospel of SF's Mark Morford. If you don't subscribe to his column, do so. If you've never read his work and have a lot of time on your hands - scroll through his archive. It's like reading the equivalent of really good chocolate pudding. Okay, I'm not quite sure what that means exactly aside from: it's just really good. Today's column is all about the perplexing state of Tom Cruise. Morford reads my mind but types it out far better so I bow to his rant on the subject. Thank you, Mark Morford!
I'm through being bitter and jaded..........for now.
*I was supposed to be reading Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff (which is hilarious, by the way) for Satan's Bookclub but on the drive to Tommy's rockin' grandparents', his really rockin' mom gave me a copy of Secret Life of Bees. If you haven't read it, read the excerpt. It's cripplingly beautiful. I haven't rushed home to be with a book since Bel Canto.
But the MAIN two people are Britney Spears-Federline with that God-awful 3-piece-sized wad of gum she smacks on and Tom Cruise.
First, Britney. Granted, she didn't sign up to be a role model but platinum records kind of force you there. I was influenced by music and movies when I was 13 - but who would have thought that Madonna and Def Leppard were actually SAFE? Whitney said it best when she sang, "I believe the children are our future..." and look where she is now! I fear for our future if the (most-recent) mother of Kevin's kids has as much influence as it would appear. I tried watching Chaotic and it hurt my brain. Then just seeing this picture Did Me In (I initially saw a worse/better version of the pic on eonline.com but it's not there anymore). And you KNOW she had a turbo chunk of gum in her mouth, too! I don't care that chewing gum MAY improve your memory and thus make you smarter. You know what else improves your memory and thus makes you smarter? Books*.
And now for Tom. I sing the gospel of SF's Mark Morford. If you don't subscribe to his column, do so. If you've never read his work and have a lot of time on your hands - scroll through his archive. It's like reading the equivalent of really good chocolate pudding. Okay, I'm not quite sure what that means exactly aside from: it's just really good. Today's column is all about the perplexing state of Tom Cruise. Morford reads my mind but types it out far better so I bow to his rant on the subject. Thank you, Mark Morford!
I'm through being bitter and jaded..........for now.
*I was supposed to be reading Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff (which is hilarious, by the way) for Satan's Bookclub but on the drive to Tommy's rockin' grandparents', his really rockin' mom gave me a copy of Secret Life of Bees. If you haven't read it, read the excerpt. It's cripplingly beautiful. I haven't rushed home to be with a book since Bel Canto.
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Ticktickticktickticktickticktick
Safeway has Buy 7 get 1 Free Starbucks drinks when you use your Safeway card. Stuff like that suckers me in Every Time. I earned my free one last week and have been trying to hold back. That ended today. I craved my new favorite. It even has shards of chocolate throughout - some are so delightfully big they get wedged in your straw. Apparently you can get any size you want for the free one so I upsized it to a grande. Not smart. My eyeballs are quivering.
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