WHOA.

My friend Jackie just sent me this picture of her dog Maverick.

TOO DAMN CUTE.

Blogging? On a WEEKNIGHT??

Yes. Yes I am.

Because I am housesitting for Shelley my laptop can connect to the wireless network they have. Due to this fact, I can blog ON A MONDAY NIGHT. NOT IN A COFFEE SHOP.

Whoa.

Lucky is adorable as ever. He keeps coming over here and licking my feet though. I don't get that. It tickles too.

There he goes again. Tee hee.

It's been nice to be here. It's always nice to be here. It's quiet and Lucky is fun to play with. I can't have a dog at my apartment so babysitting one is the next best thing. Speaking of that, I will be watching Bogie July 1st - 11th AND during that time my friend is coming to visit me ALL THE WAY FROM CANADA.

Yes! Canada!

We're going to have so much fun! Originally she was going to stay at my place but my parents asked if I could housesit for them so we're staying over there. We'll have tons more room and she won't have to sleep on the living room floor (hurrah).

Though I suppose she could sleep on the living room floor if she REALLY wanted to.

Ow.

Next week will be interesting. I work Monday and Tuesday, I'm off Wednesday for the 4th, then I work Thursday, then I'm off Friday through the following Tuesday to be with my friend. Focusing on work is going to be HARD.

Hey I just realized something. This laptop has a trackpad as well as an external mouse. If you're writing a document you can move the cursor with the trackpad instead of fiddling with the arrow keys! Then for other jobs you have an external mouse making it easier!

Good GOD. Did I just write that?? A paragraph about TRACKPADS and MOUSES?

Yeah it's time to go. Maybe this is why I don't blog on Monday nights.

Later!

P.S. Yes the plural form of computer mouse is "mouses" because I said so.

MORE.

Saturday night I went to a birthday party. It was fun! It was at Jordan's parents house so there was a pool and much good grilled food. Mmm. Also my friend Jackie was there as well as Kevin and it's always fabulous to see them.

Now I am at Shelley's house watching Lucky. I actually have my camera so maybe there will be a photo of him on here. Maybe. I don't want to freak him out.

My weekend unofficially started on Wednesday. It has been great. What did you do this weekend?

"Creat" a montage (10 points of you get the reference).

Hi!

So my weekend started on Wednesday. I still worked but the fun started on Wednesday.

LET ME FILL YOU IN.

My sister called and asked if her college friends Kaori and Chikako from Japan could stay with me one night on their way to Yellowstone. I said "Sure!" and we had an awesome time! They came around 10 p.m. Wednesday night and I made some yellow rice for them to snack on. They were extremely gracious and kind. They brought me a kimono, tatami sandals, a graphic novel (in English) and green tea that fights allergies! SCORE!!

Here we are!

Kaori and I.

Chikako and I.

The Rice.

The Kimono and sandals.

The novel (check the spine).

The Tea.

I had to leave for work in the morning so I said goodbye then. When I came back for lunch they had completely cleared away everything from the night before! They had even deflated AND folded the air mattress they used!

What's even more awesome is that they had flown in from Iowa that day where they had been visiting my sister. They had pictures and a video of her on their cameras! It was like visiting my sister too! Kaori and Chikako, you were FABULOUS house guests. You are welcome here any time. Thank you for coming. :-)

Thursday night my parents came by for dinner. They haven't done that yet and it was great to make THEM dinner this time. We had tofuchiladas and they brought salad and a delicious dessert.

My parents!

Friday I stared at the ceiling and watched "As Time Goes By." It's a British sitcom from the early 90's. Have you seen it? They broadcast it on PBS a lot. I like it. Dunno why.

So that was my weekend! Woo! Erm...though it's Saturday today but still...that was my weekend! Woo! Oh...well there's a little more. I have a birthday party to go to tonight and tomorrow I'm watching Lucky! Until Tuesday! Yay!!

How are you?

Fabulous Cellphones!

My cellphone provider, T-Mobile, has a site oddly similar to Tab's new energy drink, Tab Energy.

I'm scared.

Paprikas Rellenas/Stuffed Bell Peppers

Hello!!

Yesterday my friend Jackie and I went to IKEA (are you surprised?) where she found a new alarm clock and I found an extra place setting of my silverware.

Actually, Jackie found it in the clearance bin. It was 99 cents.

Jackie is amazing.

Anyhoo, after that we went running errands, then decided to go back to my place and make vegan stuffed bell peppers. They were AWESOME!

Jackie took a picture with her phone.



Here's the recipe from VegCooking.

‘Beef’ and Orzo-Stuffed Peppers

Beautiful and satisfying stuffed peppers make the perfect presentation for a special dinner with friends or family. Serve them with crusty bread and herbed vegan margarine.

1 cup orzo pasta
4 peppers (green, orange, red, or yellow)
2/3 cup tightly packed fresh parsley
1/4 cup soy parmesan “cheese”
2 Tbsp. chopped walnuts
1 1/2 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. salt, divided
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
12 oz. faux ground beef-style crumbles
1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped
1 12-oz. jar tomato sauce

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.

• Cook the orzo pasta according to the directions on the package. Drain and set aside.

• Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Cut the tops off the peppers (save them) and scrape out the insides, removing the seeds. Place the peppers into the boiling water, simmer for 3 minutes, remove from the water, and invert them onto a paper towel to drain.

• Place the parsley, soy parmesan, walnuts, basil, 1/2 tsp. of the salt, and the garlic into a food processor and pulse until blended. With the food processor running, slowly add 1/4 cup of the olive oil and continue processing to form a smooth pesto.

• In a large skillet, brown the beef-style crumbles in the remaining oil over medium heat. Stir in the orzo, pesto, the remaining 1/2 tsp. of salt, and the chopped tomato. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the mixture is heated through.

• Pour the tomato sauce into an 8-inch glass baking dish. Fill the peppers with the “beef” mixture and place them into the baking dish. Put the pepper tops back on and bake for 20 minutes.

Makes 4 servings

This is what they looked like before we snarfed 'em.





I have two left over. YUM.

Zapatos de compras

I went shopping with Jackie yesterday. Today I was telling my mom about it and how my feet were sore because I wore my flip flops. Her response?

"Oh my no. You should have worn your shopping shoes."

How silly of me.

Pictures 'round my place/Fotos de mi espacio

¿Puede ver mis sillas nuevas?

Here are some pictures of the kitchen. Do you notice anything different?

Yes. I got them exactly where you think I did and yes, they were affordable. Mad crazy affordable, in fact.

I heart IKEA.

Me gusta cocinando/I like cooking

LAST NIGHT WAS THE NIGHT OF A THOUSAND RECIPES.

Or...more accurately...two.

First I made tuna casserole. It wasn't awful (that means you get to see pictures).

Granted, I couldn't remember exactly WHAT goes in a tuna casserole, and was slightly hindered as I have never actually MADE one, but walking around the supermarket was helpful enough. It made sense eventually.

This is what I did.

Michael's Wingin' It T-role (you must say "T-role.")

1 package spaghetti noodles
1 small container lowfat cream cheese
1 regular can of lowfat/low sodium cream of mushroom soup
1 regular size bag of frozen peas
2 cans tuna
Italian seasoned bread crumbs
Parmesan cheese
1 bag shredded 2% milk cheddar cheese

Cook noodles. While cooking mix all the other crap in a bowl except the parmesan and bread crumbs. Add noodles to the bowl when done cooking them. Mix. Put in a 9x13 casserole dish. Cover with parmesan and bread crumbs and bake at 450 for 10 minutes or until bubbly.

Here is the APPROXIMATE nutritional information.

1/6 of a 9x13 pan

410 calories
12g Fat
Something fiber I can't remember but it's a lot because of the bread crumbs.

PICTURES!!

MMM. Taste the flavoury goodness.

After that I made my usual rice dish. The recipe has been posted before here. I was sad though because I forgot the safflower which makes it a nice yellow color.



I didn't figure the nutritional information for the rice but I will do that soon because now I'm curious. Hmm.

Here is a picture of me pretending to fall off the curio in the living room.

Here is a publicity shot with a dangerously hot saucepan.

Food night was a good night.

Piensas/Thoughts

Recently I came to a conclusion about myself. I am old enough to state my interests without questioning if they're the right ones for me. I know myself well enough now that I know what I like.

Don't get me wrong. Trying new things has and will always be a part of my life plan, but if I've tried it multiple times and keep getting the same negative result, perhaps it's not something I should attempt any longer.

Basically, I know who I am now.

Best of all, with this revelation came the strength and confidence needed to handle pressure from other people who are downright convinced they know exactly what I need to do/say/attempt/try/etc.

My new response to them:

Thank you kindly for your concern, but my psyche does not need clarification at this time, nor at any time in the foreseeable future. Have a pleasant day.

I refuse to feel bad about myself. Period.

I should clarify.

Nobody, as far as I can tell, has ever tried purposely to make me feel bad about myself. It's just a common reaction when you try something new and it doesn't go well or you don't enjoy yourself. Don't tell me you haven't felt that way before.

There's nothing wrong with it. It just means whatever it was is not for you.

BFD.

So, that being said, what do I like? These things (grouped in no particular order):

I like to write.
I like to cook.
I like to photograph what I cook (when it's not awful).
I like to drive.
I like to travel to new places.

I like to try new restaurants.
I like to listen to music.
I like to window shop.
I like wine.
I like to take pictures of myself making funny faces.

I like to search for obscure information online.
I like to learn about obscure countries online.
Me gusta hablando y escritando en español.
I like chocolate.
I like cookies.

I like cake.
I like pizza.
I like sushi.
I like enchiladas made with tofu.
I like anything made with tofu.

I like the boxes Parmalat milk comes in.
I like anything made with lingonberries.
I like IKEA.
I like how the inside of a Trader Joe's smells.
I like how Southern California smells (yes, it has its own scent).

I like how the ocean smells.
I like cold weather.
I like coffee.
I like sunshine (go figure).
I like 80's pop music and jazz.

I like being alone.

I like walking past a band playing live jazz (just walking past).
I like palm trees.
I like mountains.
I like the smell of magnolias.
I like the sound of birds outside.

I like walking around with no shoes on.
I like reading poems.
I like watching the Weather Channel.
I like cleaning to 80's pop music.
I like folding socks.

I like wearing shorts.
I like laying in the grass.
I like grocery shopping.
I like both crunchy and creamy peanut butter.
I like setting bugs free rather than killing them.

I like driving on freeways.
I like large malls.
I like the sound of traffic.
I like driving in heavy traffic.
I like airports.

That's all I can think of for now. Basically, this is me. If you're interested, let me know. If you're not, that's okay. I wish you a wonderful life anyhow. :-)

More to come...

Oh...and also...you know those vitamin C tablets flavored with orange? The crunchy ones?

I really like those too.

The Way I See It #208

I found this on the side of my Starbucks cup today. I had to share it with you. This woman brings up a very important point.

"I wish couples who desperately take every means to conceive a child would realize that adoption is a wonderful alternative. A child who becomes your child through adoption completes a family. Just as when you commit to your spouse or partner there are no biological ties, yet a family was formed. This child enters a family the same way! It is not blood and flesh that form a family, but the heart."

Michele Johnson
Wamego, Kansas

Thank you Michele. You lend support to my theories on starting a family. I was not adopted, but I have friends who were. They are just as much well-adjusted and loved as other children who are with their birth parents. No situation is perfect, of course, but if you're a loving person and a good provider, it shouldn't matter whose DNA is in the child you're raising, should it?

La lluvia/RAIN

It's raining.

It's cold.

It's cloudy.

This makes me extremely happy.

That is all.

Bleh.

I am at the coffee shop trying to download Open Office so I can edit a document before my battery goes dead. I've been here roughly 25 minutes and it's already half gone. The power cord is at home.

Needless to say, I am NOT in a good mood right now.

Also I hate Microsoft Paint. It's a horrible program.