Overshare!

Would you like an overshare? I took this picture weeks ago intending to post it but never did UNTIL NOW.

The Medicine Cabinet

Thank you. That is all.

Spring Roll Stir Fry

On Friday night Jordan, Kevin, Jackie and I thought it would be nice to get together and make spring rolls. I was in charge of bringing the ingredients. Being the forward thinker that I am, I left everything to the very last minute and couldn't find spring roll wrappers ANYWHERE at ANY SUPERMARKET as I rushed, already 20 minutes late, to get the crap we needed.

This is how I felt.



But luckily they're all very easy going people so we made do with what we had. I stir-fried (is that a word?) the veggies and served them on top of the vermicelli rather than rolling it all up in a wrapper. This is what I did.

Michael's Spring Roll Stir Fry

1 large red pepper
1 bunch green onions
1 large cucumber (or zucchini)
1 small bag baby carrots
Garlic salt to taste
Parsley flakes to taste
1 package rice noodles
3T soy sauce

Chop all the vegetables into chunks and simmer with soy sauce, garlic salt and parsley covered on very low heat for about 10 minutes like this.



Don't simmer too long lest they get mushy. Soften the vermicelli in hot water (about 10 minutes after the water comes to a boil - it's on the package) with some parsley while the veggies simmer. Drain the noodles and set aside.

Place a bed of noodles on a plate and pile on the veggies.



DELICIOUS WITH WINE.



Have fun!

I would just like to say...

...that washing your B-12 energy vitamins down with Red Bull is NOT a recommended combination.

My head is actually hissing.

WHATcam?

I have no idea what to say about this.

Justine/Justin Cam.

They mounted CAMERAS on their HATS to record their EVERY MOVE on the INTERNET.

It just seems exhausting. Also they look really goofy.

WHOA.

Wouldn’t you know it? All I had to do was write that little blurb in my previous post and suddenly the words came flowing out of my fingers onto the keyboard.

ZZISSHHHHHHH.

SO. Let’s see. My aunt has been visiting us to help with my dad (who is doing phenomenally well by the way) and we had a wonderful time together. She left for Philadelphia this morning and I will miss having her around. Each weekend since she’s been here I’ve taken her around and shown her some fun things in this area. We’ve gone to Ninth and Ninth, the University of Utah’s campus, City Library, Sugarhouse, a really great Vietnamese restaurant and other awesome places.

Let me say this however before I continue. Most of the time I didn’t have my camera. My aunt and I enjoyed the time we had and to be honest, it would have been a bother. I love sharing pictures with all of you but sometimes it’s not possible for whatever reason and that is going to have to be okay. Cool?

Cool.

So…moving on…here are the pictures I DO have of her and I enjoying tea at Tea Grotto. It’s one of my favorite places to go.

Auntie Pat!

The Menu!

Apricot Ginger deliciousness. Mmm.

We also made a stop at City Library and went to the roof garden.

Hi!

Lemongrass I think.

We really had a wonderful time visiting (I haven’t seen her in ten years) and getting to know each other (TEN YEARS). I was also delighted to find she has the same affinity for Asian cuisine that I do. It’s proof I wasn’t adopted! Hooray!

I hope things are going well for all of you and thank you for sticking around. I promise to be more blogilent (?) in the future.

Or something.

What?

Hi.

Just so you know, I'm still here. I have many things to say and pictures to share with you but can't get enough time to blog all about it. Everything is fine, I am just very busy - happy though.

I will see you very soon. :-)

Summer Squash Crunch

Do you have extra squash or zucchini lying about? Try this. I made it last night and it was lovely. Nothing was really measured out (as is my m.o.) so it's really up to you to decide how much to use.

Two people have commented on the deliciousness today (I brought some to share).

Summer Squash Crunch

1 large squash (or zucchini OR EGGPLANT EVEN)
Olive oil
Sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Oregano
Panko bread crumbs
Parmesan cheese
Marinara (for plating)

Wash and slice the squash, lie slices flat on a glass baking dish. Coat one side lightly with olive oil and sprinkle on sea salt, ground black pepper and oregano. Turn the pieces over and repeat, but add the parmesan and bread crumbs.

Bake at 450F for 15-20 minutes or until crispy. When plating, pour marinara on the plate first and place the squash on top.

Delicious with a fresh green salad. Mmm.

Sunday Morning

Hello. My dad is getting better each day and he is enjoying time with his sister. I have also been enjoying visiting with her - I haven't seen her in 10 years!

He is able to walk around at a regular pace and get up from the sofa without help. It's amazing how much you have to re-learn after major surgery! Each day he makes more progress and gains more confidence.

Things are going well. I will, of course, keep you posted.

Home.

My dad has been released from the hospital and is now resting at home. His sister is coming in tomorrow from Philadelphia to help care for him until the 29th and he is relieved to be home.

That is all.

Sunday

My dad needed another pint of blood (his second) because the nurse gave him Plavix, a blood thinner, the night before his surgery - and he wasn't supposed to. Luckily everything worked out. My dad is doing just fine, can talk, can walk around and is eating solid food. He should be moved to a regular room today and is in very good spirits.

Everyone else has been absolutely wonderful. The service my dad has received has really impressed him and put us all at ease. We know he is being cared for extremely well. To view it from another angle, that one mistake could have had a disastrous result had everyone else not been so attentive. Thank goodness for them. Really.

My mom came over for dinner last week and I made salmon with vegetables and broiled ciabatta bread. I feel secure enough to post the picture. Things are getting back to normal.



The salmon was baked at 450F for, well, I wasn't looking at the time. Until it flaked. 20 minutes? Something like that. It was rubbed in olive oil and coated with "Slap Ya Mama" Cajun seasoning (thanks Rebecca), Asian Panko bread crumbs (thanks mom), and a little grated parmesan. The vegetables were steamed and then tossed with raspberry vinaigrette and I think there was some black pepper added too. The bread was just broiled in the oven with part-skim mozzarella on it.

Aaahh. That felt good to write.

Happy Sunday!

Today.

My dad had his surgery this morning around 8 a.m. It all went smoothly. His blood was a little too thin still so they had to give him some platelets, but other than that everything went well.

He was moved into his room in Critical Care at 2 p.m. and we saw him briefly. We went back about an hour and a half ago (6 p.m.) and he was awake and able to move a little bit. He isn't nearly as pale as we thought and he could crack jokes which is definitely a good sign. When we left he even pushed the button to move his bed up to get a better view outside.

Things are going well. Again, we can't thank all of you enough for all your supportive prayers and wishes.

Talk to you soon.

Quick Update.

Hello.

My dad's surgery will be tomorrow at 8 a.m. He is in very good spirits and after talking to the surgeon it looks like he'll be home in about a week and could be golfing by September. Without using his driver, that is.

Again, thank you all for your prayers, good thoughts and wishes. We are very grateful to know all of you.

I will keep in touch.

Another Update.

Hello.

My dad had his angiogram yesterday and they determined they would go for bypass surgery after all...which is what we were hoping for. They identified all the areas (7) that are going to be bypassed and now are waiting until Thursday so his blood can clot sufficiently during surgery. He is a little tired, but is in good spirits and doing really well in the hospital. His cardiologist spoke with him about the procedure and the information was encouraging. There is a very low mortality rate and he is in such good health recovery will be rapid.

Thank you to everyone who has expressed best wishes. We really appreciate it.

I will keep you posted!

Surgery

Let me update you on my dad's condition.

He was scheduled to see his cardiologist for an angiogram on Monday, then bypass surgery after if the angiogram warranted it (which it probably will). The doctor told him to take it very easy and basically just "sit there and read" until then as he has new blockage in areas he didn't before.

That's what he did. He just sat there cautiously waiting for Monday.

Well...on Friday night he was having chest pains. He went into the hospital and they checked him out. Around 3 a.m. Saturday he was released because everything seemed fine.

Around 4 p.m. Saturday he had another heart attack.

My mom called the ambulance and they rushed him to emergency. Letting him go home was clearly a bad idea, but they were only doing what they thought was right. He really did seem to be just fine.

Now he is stable and feeling very good, but they're not taking chances this time. He is going to be under observation until Monday, and the cardiologist on duty may do the angiogram and get him into surgery today if he feels he should.

I will keep you posted. Please send good thoughts.

Electric Weinermobile

Whoa.

Tuesday evening I went to lunch with my mom at Macool's where we had some excellent grilled chicken and sweet potato fries. Mmm. On the way home I noticed something odd in the traffic line. Luckily I had my camera so I documented the discovery.

What's that orange blob thing? Could it be??

OH MY GOD IT'S THE WEINERMOBILE!

HI WEINERMOBILE!

Wow! I didn't think they drove that thing anymore! That was so awesome! Plus I had my camera!

It's incredible what a simple hot dog-shaped car will do to one's mood, isn't it?

After lunch I went to my parents house and chit-chatted a bit. They were quite tickled to see the pictures and didn't seem to mind I had been taking the pictures not only while driving, but while making a left-hand turn as well.

Shhhhh.

Now I am writing this jamming out to Electric Slide. Remember how they played that at the club on Friday? The song just won't get out of my head!

IT'S ELECTRIC!!

Okay bye.

Don't give up on us yet.

Something occurred to me the other day.

When Jeannie and I went to Park City, we were taking pictures at the bottom of Main Street and a woman came by asking if we both wanted to be in the picture. She offered to take our picture and it was nice of her.

She didn’t run off with the camera.

She didn’t need a copy of the photo.

She simply wanted to help us enjoy our vacation.

Things like that renew my faith in humankind. Recently I read this story about Michael Vick’s “not guilty” plea and it boggles my mind how some people can be so selfish and blind to the big picture, and usually on purpose. He actually rode off in an SUV and had his attorney read a statement “from him” to the media. Part of it was an apology to his mother which was read while his mother stood there by herself, her son already leaving the scene.

What a fine gentleman.

Stories like that make me very disappointed with the state of things today. I’m not that old but it just seems to be a much more inconsiderate world than it was before.

But there are still good people out there. People clued in onto what was going on and caught him. People protested at the NFL headquarters on behalf of the defenseless animals. Falcons owner Arthur Blank told Vick to “concentrate on his legal problems, not football” and suspended him from training camp.

Plus…there was that lady in Park City.

These are very important reminders that we are still good for the most part.

I'm holding onto that.

Weekend.

I had a great weekend! On Friday I went to my friend Jordan's birthday dinner and we all dined on a delightful spinach/chicken (depending on your meat preference) alfredo lasagna made by our Jackie, then had a French mixed fruit tart purchased by yours truly from Gourmandie's on 3rd East.

(Go there. MMM.)

After that it was dancing at the club, which at first I didn't want to do/wasn't dressed for, but after some pep talks (and donated "clubwear"), I went after all and had a great time.

They did the ELECTRIC SLIDE.

AWESOME.

Then on Saturday Rebecca and I went to the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale where she found sandals and she also found some great new brown plaid Converse shoes for me!

She has a great eye for these things you know.

After getting the shoes and talking to Jackie (who couldn't sit out a sale of these proportions either), I also found a snazzy North Face jacket in brown with a beige lining FOR 40% OFF.

So it was a good shopping trip.

Rebecca and I went to an antique restorer after Nordie's to have him look at a picture frame of hers. He had two dogs with him in the studio. One was a very sweet brown and white-spotted pitbull named Otis and another was an ADORABLE black pitbull/bassett hound mix named Tank. They were so cute! I only wish I had a picture!

After droppping off the picture frame we went to lunch at Cafe Trio which was marvelous as usual, then headed over to meet up with her husband so they could go to a birthday party in the canyon. They went their way and I went home to crash. Heh.

Sunday I joined Jackie, Ashley, Jordan and Kevin at the coffee house and we chatted for a bit. It was really nice to see them all at once. I can't remember the last time that happened! Coffee was great as always, then we said our goodbyes and I went to my mom's house for dinner. We had Asian Wraps and angel food cake with chocolate pudding and strawberries for dessert. It was delicious! Thank you mom!

After seeing my mom (and Bogie), I came over to Shelley's house to watch Lucky until Tuesday! He's such a sweetheart! Now the two of us are down in the cool basement and are going to sleep.

Good night!

¡Arañas!

Hobo spider.

I’m pretty sure that’s what it was.

After being gone for nearly 3 weeks, I came home and started putting things away. While placing my new body salt in the bathtub I saw it on the side wall, just below the faucet.

Hobo.

Spider.

You may not know this but I am TERRIFIED of spiders. ESPECIALLY ones that are VERY, VERY POISONOUS.

I try not to kill insects. I don’t know what each of them contribute to the environment for certain and don’t want to go killing them willy-nilly unaware that it’s actually contributing to some eventual horrific eco-catastrophe that could have been avoided if we didn’t go around killing insects all willy-nilly.

You never know.

But this was a special case. Hobo spider venom can, in some cases, cause necrosis.

Necrosis would be the DEATH of SKIN TISSUE.

So I killed it. Specifically I grabbed it off the wall with about 300 yards of toilet paper wadded up in my hand and flushed it down to a watery death.

Karma can understand. It was self-defense.

Surprisingly I was able to sleep just fine last night. This morning I did a quick check to make sure there wasn’t another skin-killing spider hanging out in the shower before I stepped in.

Holy crap.

Oh...and don't feel it's necessary to tell me that spiders flushed down the toilet can survive and come back. I don't want to hear it. It's gone so therefore it's dead.

Vegetariano.

I ate chicken.

Twice.

First I was with Jeannie and there wasn’t anything on the menu I could eat besides fish (which I had already eaten three times that week and couldn’t have again lest I develop Mercury poisoning).

So it had to be chicken.

It didn’t make me sick like that turkey burger did awhile back (similar situation with lack of dietary choices), so I figured that was whatever it was, I had the chicken and wouldn’t be doing it again.

OH.

Guess what? Last night I went to another restaurant (why is it always in a restaurant?) and was going to order fish when I realized ONCE AGAIN I had reached the maximum recommended allotment of fish for the week.

Damn.

So I had chicken fajitas. They were okay. A little overcooked but okay. Honestly I can’t say I really love chicken and want more of it, but I can’t say it was horrible to eat it again. I’m in the middle.

Vegetarianism is great, but sometimes it’s hard to find something to eat. I’m not even a full-on vegetarian (eating mercury-laden fish and all) and still have problems! So, until I figure out how to fix that, occasionally I may eat chicken.

Ew.

I feel like I’m giving up.

The Last Day.

MONDAY/LUNES

Monday was the last full day Jeannie was here. We had a very nice time doing things around town.

First we went to Rooster's for brunch. Hooray!

Hummus Platter!

I am trying Polygamy and I like it (it's a beer there).

Jeannie bought this in Park City!

After that we went up to Powder Mountain
and Jeannie took these lovely photos.

After the mountains we went home! She had to leave the next day! :-(

MORE.

SUNDAY/DOMINGO

Sunday was another great day. We went to Park City and walked around Main Street. We found some great touristy things to purchase at various boutiques (yes, even me) and then rode the Main Street Lift! The views were AMAZING but afterward Jeannie and I decided a more accurate description of the lift would be "The Chairs of Terror."

Pictures!!

"Third Floor...Menswear"

"Trees"

"Flying"

"Houses are Little Boxes"

"Coming Back Down with Death Grip"

After all that excitement we needed to chill out. We went to this spa at the bottom of the lift. Do you think they chose that location on purpose?


We had refreshing hand salt treatments, then rehydrated with Fiji water (that was $4.50 a freaking bottle).

"Aaaaah."

What an awesome day!!

Continued!

Hello!

Here's what we did the next day.

SATURDAY/SABADO

Saturday was busy, but busy in a "so many fun things to do and not enough time" kind of way. Good busy.

First we caught brunch at Mimi's Cafe. The sandwich was mine.

Becka! This mustard is from Beaverton!

After brunch we went to Ensign Peak and Jeannie got this photo.

Look at the lavender! She takes good pictures.

We went shopping where she found more great outfits, then stopped at
Red Butte Gardens.

Look! A squirrel!

Look! Bunny!

I am inside a teepee.

More of the gardens. This place is huge!

We grabbed an early dinner at Stoneground which was an amazing spinach and goat cheese pizza with a pesto base. Certainly worth a repeat visit.

That was our Saturday! More to come!

Friendly times are the best times.

Hello!!

Jeannie and I have been having SO MUCH FUN. She goes home tomorrow and I wish she were staying longer! We just looked at the pictures she took and there are over 200.

Heh.

I'm going to give you the highlights to spare you from 40 page blog posts. Let's do Friday.

FRIDAY/VIERNES

Jeannie got in Thursday night so Friday was her first day here. In the morning, she got to meet the people I work with. They are awesome. We talked and laughed and chit-chatted until we realized it was quarter to twelve and neither one of us had eaten.

Oops.

So we said our goodbyes and went to The Oaks for "breakfast." She had an exquisite omelet on a tortilla with black beans and pico de gallo, and I had the veggie scramble with cheese, cheese, some tomatoes, and cheese.

Also cheese.

Jeannie took this picture out the window at our table.



After that we went to the Eccles Community Art Center to pick up some artwork for my mom's friend. They were having a statewide exhibit so we stopped and had a look. It was great!

We dropped off the artwork at home and headed to The Gateway where Jeannie found a ton of great clothes for her new job. Apparently the prices and selection here are better than Canada. She really looked incredible in her new outfits AND bought an orange and red skirt that is gorgeous on her! Go Jeannie!!

Dinner was at Z Tejas following the shopping, then we went home to this silly boy.



Lovely.

Stay tuned for more of her trip!

Canadia!

1. We weren't sure if it was going to happen.

2. The trip was booked and then she got pneumonia. It had to be canceled.

3. Then she rebooked. Hooray!

4. Her work informed her that she had a meeting the day she was to leave.

5. She rebooked a second time.

6. I DIDN'T SAY A WORD FOR FEAR OF JINXING IT.

7. The news reported a million flight delays and cancellations.

8. YET...

9. SHE MADE IT ON TIME.

10. So now my fabulous Canadian friend and I are hanging out! Woohoo!!

I will update you on Tuesday!!

Galletas de queso.

I love Cheez-Its. Recently I had some after they took a very long absence from my palate and MAN were they good. I forgot just how flavorful they were! Just little ol' Cheez-Its!

You wanna know how good they were? They were SO GOOD that I am at my friend's house texting this with my PHONE so I don't forget to tell ALL of you how AMAZING these crackers were. Wow.

Yes I have a problem and I don't care.

I have decided...

...that I like having my Weather Channel desktop utility in Celsius. It helps me get more familiar with the metric system and also makes it not seem as ROASTING HOT as it really is.

Independence Day

Happy Fourth of July!

Well...that is...if you're in the United States. Or...actually you could be in another country but FROM the United States as well I suppose...oh hell...not that you HAVE to be from the United States just to celebrate the Fourth of July...if you...ahh...

Forget it. Just Happy Fourth of July.

SO. What did you do? I don't know what you did but I made soup! Seriously! It's really good too! It was inspired by a recipe I saw last night on t.v. and a recipe on the bag of lentils I bought for the soup because I didn't quite remember the recipe I saw last night and hadn't written it down (of course).

HERE IT IS.

Michael's Fourth of July Lentil Soup

1 lb. lentils
1 small chopped white onion
1 large chopped carrot
1 small chopped zucchini
2 chopped stalks of celery
4 cans stewed tomatoes (the pre-seasoned "Italian" ones are great)
64 oz. vegetable broth
2T Basil
2T Italian Seasoning

Throw everything in a pot. You don't need to add salt because of the tomatoes. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 45 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.

PICTURES

The soup with an inspirational saying.

Bogie wants some.

This is far from over. I want to experiment and tweak the recipe, maybe with spinach added, maybe something else. Sour cream? I dunno. Regardless, this is what was made today and I will keep you posted as more things get tried.

Yum!

Fun with Dad's iMac.

A fringe benefit of housesitting.

"Portrait"

"Pineapple Stuck in Teeth"

"How I Look Without a Special Lens"

Oh yes...and also...

I am now at my parents house watching this goofy boy for three weeks.

(Don't let his innocent look fool you. He was chomping on that hanger behind the blanket right before I took this picture.)

Thank you Michelle!

Hey! Remember my long lost friend Michelle? The one who recently got back in touch with me? Well she sent me gifts from Seattle! Thank you so much Michelle!



The coffee is Tangletown Blend from a local roaster in her area, the CD is a compilation of music she likes and book descriptions are here and here. I cannot wait to delve into them. I was just thinking it would be nice to have something to read for the summer!

Anyway, Michelle, thank you. You will receive something fantastic in return NOT because I think you expect it, but because I WANT to send it to you.

Iowans are funny.

My sister just sent me this picture from a supermarket in Iowa.

I hear it has 25% more hillbilly than Mountain Dew.