The Restaurant Tour- an update

Good news, we started on our Restaurant Tour!

DJ and I headed out for breakfast on Saturday to Hell's Kitchen. It was pretty damn tasty. I had the Chorizo Hash, Sausage Bread and a Bloody Mary. DJ had the The Classic all American Breakfast. I liked my hash, although it was a bit greasy. The sausage bread was fantastic. DJ liked his grub also. Overall a good meal, I would definitely go back again.

On Sunday night we went to Saji Ya for sushi. Take a look at our feast:


Not a bad looking plate of sushi. It was pretty damn tasty. And that wasn't all. We started out with Edamame and Tempura Shrimp for apps and finished off the meal with a Creme Brulee Cheesecake.

I am now stuffed, but it was so damn tasty.

Project 365 Days 26, 27 and 28

This is the one pic I took Friday evening. It's fuzzy, but I tried. We went out for a drink after book club at the Monte Carlo


Saturday Morning DJ and I were heading out for some breakfast and we ended up behind this:


In case you can't read it it says "I wish my girlfriend was this dirty". We got a chuckle out of it.

And later that evening, we headed to our friends home for some fondue. Here is the hostess with one (of many) of the wines we drank that evening.


Royal Bitch. Loved the name. I made some spring rolls to share and they were a hit. The fondue and company were spectacular.

Today, I ran across this.......too cute.


The D and Murph are buds.

Thanks for....Thursday January 25th

Thanks for:

• The little things, a roof over your head, food on the table, a good paying job and people who love me.
• The Joy of Cooking Cookbook. Honestly the greatest cookbook ever.
• Grey's Anatomy. I love me some Grey's.
• An upcoming weekend at home.
• Wine.
  

Project 365 Day 25

Red, Red, Wine.....


Oh How I Love Thee.

Thanks to.........Wednesday January 24th

Thanks for:

• A great, fun group of people that I work with. We sometimes head out for a beer after work and it's really enjoyable.
• Newt and her hubby. We had a fab time at their place. Great hospitality and warmth in their home.
• Tasty Chinese food.
• Fun Games
• 13 days!
  

Project 365 Day 24

DJ and Newt's cute kitty!

Thanks to.....Tuesday, January 23rd

Thanks for

• A very tasty dinner I cooked all by my lonesome. Pork chops and Spanish Rice. mmmmm....good
• Finally getting back into my workout routine from the weekend
• 16 Days to Belize!
• My mom. She rocks.
  
• Turbo Tax. I just completed most of it and it looks like I am getting a hearty refund! Yipee!
  

Project 365 Day 23

I didn't get many today. I was driving home from my workout and passed Lee's Liquor Lounge. I tried to get a shot and really didn't. As I was looking at the photo I noticed you could make out the word liquor and thought it was kinda cool. So I cropped it and posted it:


There you go. As an added bonus here is Moe resting her head on my laptop.

I couldn't say this better myself

Read the following post before reading on.

I came home this weekend feeling a little bit down on myself. Why? Because I saw pictures of myself where I thought I didn't look "skinny" enough. I read this post last night and it resonated with me.

The reality is I could be at my lowest weight, look at pictures of myself and still think that I look fat.

Like Laurie, I have had my weight ups and downs. I have struggled with it all my life. When I was starting a new job and it stressed me out, I got to my hightest weight ever. That was 5-6 years ago. I lost 25 lbs of it, gained 10 back, lost 5, gained 5 and so the cycle goes. I am now about 22-24 lbs below that high weight, but at times I still can't seem to enjoy that and feel good about where I am at.

As it is now, I am a a "decent" weight. Is my BMI a "bit" high over the recommended. Yes, I am at a 26, which is technically considered overweight. Would I like to loose 10-15 lbs? Yes, but not so much that I want to obsess over it and not enjoy food and living. I simply love food too much.

Overall, I need to learn to love myself and my body for what it is. I am healthy and young. My body serves me well everyday. Why is it that I demand to fight with it all the time?

That, is a continual struggle for me.

Project 365 Day 18-22

Ok, so I missed a day or two. Here is a couple from the weekend up North

The view from our back deck at the place we stayed:


And the lovely Lake Superior:


We came home on Sunday to find that my Amaryllis was in bloom.

Goodtimes.

Thanks for Thursday Jan 18th-Monday Jan 22nd

Hey there. DJ and I were out of town all weekend for a weekend of debauchery in Lutsen, MN. Sorry for the lack of posting. I'll post a few things I am thankful for.

• Good friends and a yearly outing with them.
• Great food.
• Good drinks.
• Guitar Hero. I am now officially addicted. I need to get one for us very, very soon.
• The North Shore. I love it there. My mom and I used to head up there yearly. I will miss it when we are not in MN anymore.
• The fact that I will now definitely have a job when we move.
  

Thanks for ....... Wednesday January 17th

Thanks for:

• The near end of a long work week.
• Free lunch and dinner.
  
• Bedtime being soon.
• A beer at the end of a long day.

Project 365 Day 17

When it's the end of the day, you are tired and you haven't taken a damn picture all day shoot a cat (not literally of course).

Moe in her normal spot in the chair with me.

Thanks for.....Tuesday January 16th

Thanks for:

• A short work week.
• Costco. I love me some Costco
• An upcoming mini trip up north.
• A hot shower on a cold day.
• Coffee and Diet Coke
  

Project 365 Day 16

Behold me with makeup....

I look at lot better fresh and ready for the day.

I promise, this is the end of the narcissism for a while.

Thanks to.......Monday January 15th

I know. I didn't do my thanks for the weekend. It was a nice, relaxing, very low key weekend. I rested up and it was needed. I think I am fully back in the swing of things again.

Thanks for:

• Relatives who are cool.
• The snow, it's cool.
• The fact that I didn't have to be out in said snow today.
• DJ
• A great dinner (and finding a way to make good grub from what you have in the freezer and pantry).
  

Project 365 Day 15

Pictures of me....

I barely left the house today because of the weather, so here you go.....

Me trying to be artsy-fartsy:


Didn't really work. Back to the drawing board........Me with no makeup in all my "natural" glory.

Yes, straight from the shower. I don't know why I did this one. I think I will post a pic fully "made up" tomorrow you can see the difference.

It takes a lot of work to be a chick sometimes....

Project 365 Day 14

Took a cooking class today. Here is a sampling of what we made:


Spring Rolls that were very tasty. I rolled them myself.


Egg Rolls......'nuff said. These were also tasty


Cream Cheese and Crab Wantons.

We also made Chicken Lettuce Wraps, I didn't grab a pic of those. I usually love lettuce wraps, but these didn't really do it for me. I may try to vary up the recipe a bit.

Overall a great class. The instructor owns this restaurant in Brooklyn Park. I think I will have to add it to my list of restaurants.

Project 365 Day 13

I know it's blurry....it's the only one I took today


My Dad and Step mom visited today and we enjoyed a game of Dominoes.

Thanks to......Friday January 12th

Thanks for:

• A mellow relaxing night at home.
• Tanning, I know it sounds weird, and I normally don't do it, but it's nice to get a shot of color, especially before an upcoming vacation.
• Friday! I love the weekends.
• This cold being almost over.
• Being curled up, reading a book, being all extra cozy, while it is FREEZING outside.
  

Project 365 Day 12

Moe's paw. I love her little marbled paw. Moe was adopted from the Humane Society, she was fostered before I got her. Her foster family called her Mittens. Yuck.

I know, very random photo, but I just love her little paw.

Thanks to.....Thursday, Jan 11th

Thanks for

• A new season of Gray's Anatomy
• A toasty living room to shelter you from the cold outside
• A flexible job/boss that is willing to work with me on a potential move
• Humidifiers, the one in my bedroom is helping me to sleep at night with this cold
• The end of the work week
  

Project 365 Day 11

Hennepin county doesn't allow smoking in bars. JJ's, that smart bar, leaves these little cards to put out in the case you needed to step out to take care of your needs.

No, I don't smoke, I just thought these were cool.

Thanks to.....Wednesday Jan 10th

Thanks for:

• My mom
• That I worked from home today, I honestly didn't get out of my pajamas and shower until 3pm.
• A tasty dinner
• The Joy of Cooking...GREAT cookbook
• The fact that today, I am only 92% odd (according to some)
  

Project 365

My mom was in town from the sunny (and humid) state of Florida this evening. I made some Fajitas and we had a nice dinner.

Yeah, I know, DJ looks drunk. He refused to keep his eves open for the camera.

Thanks to.....Tuesday Jan 9th

Thanks for:

• A great group or smart and beautiful women that I call book club
• being caught up at work
  
• Exactly 1 month from today, I will be on a beach in Belize
• My mom asking me out for lunch at the last moment (even though I couldn't join her)
• Humidifiers
  

Project 365 Day 9

Random View of Minneapolis on my drive home this evening.

The more I go through this thing, the more I realize I miss a window of opportunity for a good pic. We had book club tonite and I had the cutest dog on my lap most of the evening. He's a great dog and he loves me. Did I think to take a pic of the cute dog? Not at all. I would rather take one driving down the freeway at 65 mph.

Thanks to....Monday Janaury 8th

I am thankful for:

• My friend T (a shoutout to Jersey). I miss him and enjoy our phone conversations
• Making it back to the gym tonite, I had a good workout
• Moe, she rocks. She sits by me an purrs every night. She is a good lap kitty
• The sunshine today
• Our upcoming vacation. 30 days!
  

Project 365 Day 8

DJ camped on the couch enjoying some leftover Bicko. I heart our living room.

Thanks to....Sunday January 7th

Thanks for:

• Sleeping in late
• The first cup of coffee in the morning
• A relaxing Sunday morning (and part of the afternoon)
• Hanging out with an old friend
• Liking where you are at in life....enjoying what you have RIGHT now.
  

Project 365 Day 7

When in doubt take cato pictures.

Duff, sleeping (which he does very well)


And Murphy....looking peeved.


She also does that very well.

Please note, I am still getting used to taking pics without them being blurry. I can't hold the camera still to save my soul. I am working on it. That is part of the learning process of this project.

Thanks to....Saturday January 6th

I am thankful for:

• New friends
• Naps
• The feeling of hot tea on a sore throat
  
• Tasty Juicy Lucys at the 5-8 club
• Saturdays overall, I love Saturdays.
  

Project 365 Day 6

My Pic for today:

My Amaryllis is starting to come up pretty well. I'll be sure to post another picture when it blooms.


The roots are kinda cool also

Thanks to....Friday Jan 5th

Thanks for:

• The weekend is here!
• Great pizza
• A good conversation with a loved one
• Beer
• The mild weather here in MN, it's been great

Project 365 Day 5

Happy First Friday of Jan 07. Here is my pic today:

A couple of guys and I usually go out for a beer (or two) after work on Fridays. We haven't gathered in a while. There you go.

And Later......


Cafe Bicko. DJ and I headed for some kick ass deep dish pizza. I must admit, I am somewhat bummed, because there is a million pizza joints I would like to try, but DJ loves the Bicko. It's like crack to him. You can't blame the guy though. It's some tasty stuff.

P.S. The above photo obviously wasn't taken by me. The first one was, so I filled my obligation for today.

Thanks to....Thursday Jan 4th

I am thankful for:

• DJ's backrubs
• Family Guy
• Diet Coke
• tomorrow is Friday
  
• sleep, I am looking forward to it tonight
  

Project 365 Day 4

Here is my image for today:


This was taken on my drive home from work as I rounded Cedar Lake. It was cloudy and gray in Minneapolis today. Kinda makes your mood somber.

Quote of the Day

Would that there were an award for people who come to understand the concept of enough. Good enough. Successful enough. Thin enough. Rich enough. Socially responsible enough. When you have self-respect you have enough.
- Gail Sheehy

Thanks to.....Wednesday Jan 3rd

I had a great day today. I got a good night's sleep last night and I felt really good today.

I am thankful for......

• a great, productive day at work
• Finally, I got back into the gym tonight to work out. That was fantastic
• a quiet night at home
• cable, I am watching Top Chef for the first time and am now hooked
  
• for Moe, who sits next to me purring as I write this
  

Project 365 Day 3

Here is my picture for today:


Random I know. It's a little LED star thingy that. I think the thingy is kinda cool.

As you were.

Thanks to....Tuesday Jan 2nd

What I am grateful for today

• Work was relatively stress free. I was a bit concerned today would be crazy, but it was completely manageable.
• We finally got the Christmas tree down and the decorations put away.
• That I have the flexibility to work from home when needed.
• I had hives and they are clearing up, that's something to be grateful for.
• For the fairly mild winter weather we have had here in MN lately.
  

Project 365 Day 2

Here is my pic from today:


This morning I was running a bit behind for work. I finally was able to get out the door and tried to leave. Tried is the key operative in that sentence. My car was frozen shut. I have one place to unlock my car and that lock was frozen. Hence, I had to head back inside and work from home until it got warm enough for me to get into my car.

Here is my working from home spot. It's cozy and there usually is a cat that sits behind my head. Today it was Murphy.

Sorry the shot is so fuzzy, I had my morning cup of coffee and for the life of me I couldn't steady my hand.

Thanks to.....Monday, Jan 1

I am pretty tired this evening, but overall a great day. Here is my daily 5.

• A great conversation and a couple of drinks with old friends.
• A fab sig other.
  
• A great home.
• The sunny day today. It snowed in Mpls last night and with the new snowfall and the sun, it was a georgeous day.
• 3 great cats.
  

Project 365 Day 1

This is Duff, my adopted child. One of the coolest cats I know. Duff (or the D) is DJ's cat and I love having him around. He's big, he's got personality and he's a great cuddler.

I gotta say that I missed an opportunity today for this. Every New Year's Day, a group of friends that I know gets together for drinks/food. This year the group of 15 dwindled to 4. We still had a great time and good conversation. I wish I would have taken a picture there. I brought my camera and everything, I just didn't pull it out. That will take some time, getting used to taking pictures. I rarely take photos. This is part of the reason I am doing this, to "force" me to take more pictures.

The Restaurant Tour

Related to one of my new years resolutions, I decided that I should try one new restaurant a month (or at least a place I haven't been to in years). I asked DJ to accompany me and he agreed. Here are the places I haven't been and am interested in trying. Please let me know if you know of any other Mpls area restaurants we shoud check out.

• Town Talk Diner
• Babalou
• Falafel King
• It's Greek to me
• Temple
• Chambers Kitchen
• Mill City Cafe
• 112 Eatery
• Pizza Nea
• Red Savoy Pizza - Visited Friday Feb 23d
  
• Oceanaire
• WA Frost
• Taqueria La Hacienda #2
• Chen Heng Restaurant
• Masa
• La Belle Vie
• Cosmos
• Vincent
• Mortons
• Amore Victoria Restaurant
• Saji Ya- visited Sunday January 25th
  
• Nami
• Luci Ancora
• Ruam Mit Thai
• St. Paul Grill
• Mama Maria's in Hudson, WI
• El Nortino

New Year, New Post

Hi All!

Yes, it's a New Year! I am posting. Unbelievable isn't it.

Anyway, I have been doing some thinking about 2007 and goals that I would like to accomplish. One of them has to do with actually posting in this blog, so hopefully you will be seeing more posts from me in the year to come.

Here are some resolutions/things to strive for in 2007

• Back to the Blog- I am going to try and do the 365 day project. If you are a blog reader I am sure you have heard about it. The goal is simple. 1 picture a day for the entire year. Keep in mind I am no photographer, but it still sounds fun. DJ is going to do it also so we may need to get a new camera. We have a Canon SD300 (I think) that works great and DJ had a very nice Nikon D50 (which is too much for me to operate at times). DJ also gifted me one of his old Sony cameras last year, which I could use for while, so I don't take his trusty Canon from him.

• Back to the Blog (again)- I also am going to journal 5 things at the end of the day that I am grateful for. I used to do that and I found that it helped my outlook. 2006 brought a lot of things to celebrate and I am sure that 2007 will be the same.

• Get back into exercising- Dec I rarely worked out. 1 time per week (perhaps). Like the rest of the world, I need to get back on the wagon. I have 1 month until our trip to Belize and I do not want to be on a beach unless I feel good. Working out helps that. If I loose a couple of lbs that would also be good, but the goal here is to change the behavior.

• Eat when I am hungry- No more mindless munching for me. I need to get back to listening when my body is hungry.

• The Restaurant Tour- I asked DJ if he wanted to try 1 new restaurant per month. He agreed. We haven't been going out to eat all that much, since we are trying to save cash, but 1 time per month shouldn't be too daunting. I'll post a list separately and update as we cross them off. If you are in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area please list places you like.

• Get back to saving money- It's simple. I need to stop the bleeding from my checkbook. The goal is to put $250 per month away.

• Pay Down Debt- I need to get rid of my credit card debt. Goal is to get my debt down by 25% by Jan 2008. That is an aggressive goal, but it's doable. Just quit using it, move the balance to a lower interest card or ask for a lower interest rate, and pay as much as I can per month to it.

• The move- The big plan for the year is for DJ and I to move to LA. DJ moved here to be with me, but the time has come for us to leave. It will be sad to leave loved ones behind, but I am ready for the change. I've lived in Minnesota all my life. The winters are hard on us, so we are off to sunnier places. The plan we currently have it so put the condo on the market in the spring and go from there. Hopefully it will sell so we can be down there by summer. The only thing I have to research is capitol gains. If I have to wait for 2 years then we can't sell until the end of June. DJ has a couple of job options and I am pretty sure I can work my job from LA. I just need to seal that deal with my boss. I will post more as the move approaches.

• The de-cluttering- Associated with the move- I need to get rid of crap. It's that simple. I have gotten rid of some stuff, but I still have a ton. Goal is to start packing up boxes to donate and have a huge sale when we move.

• Learning- Goal is to take 1 to 2 classes per quarter, in whatever I am interested in. This would fall under the following categories- Sewing, Cooking, Language and anything else I can think of. Heck, I could perhaps even take a digital photography class to help me in my 365 day project. I have a good start on this one. I am registered for this class in a couple of weeks. Should be fun!

I know it is a pretty hefty list, but one should aim high, right? I'll be sure to post more as 2007 passes.

Wishing you a very happy and prosperous 2007!

I am a crafty biatch

Hey there, I know it's been a very very long time since I've blogged. I really haven't been into doing the blog thing lately.

In recent news I took a sewing class this evening. About a year ago, I bought a sewing machine at a garage sale. It was an old Kenmore for about $30. The problem is I had no clue how to use it. I finally got around to taking a beginners class at Crafty Planet today and made this..


That is a knitting needle holder. It came in pretty handy. Behold the inside.


It holds most of my knitting stuff very nicely. Prior to making this, I had all my needles shoved in a bag. This works much better.

It also has a cute ribbon.


I had a ton of fun with sewing. It took the instructor some time to get my old Kenmore running, so I used one of the classroom models. It worked great. I thought that sewing was pretty relaxing. I am planning on taking another class in December to make a pair of PJ bottoms. Should be fun.

Finished Project

DJ, you said it would never happen, it would never materialize. Well lookie at this:
Believe it or not I actually finished one of my sweaters. This went on the needles last winter. The pieces sat forever, not finished, simply because I am too lazy to seam them together. I finally did it this last week and finished up the neck.

Not bad, huh. Here is the back:

The pattern is old Rowan (I really miss that Kim Hargreaves isn't designing for them anymore). It is Martha from the Cork Collection. Yarn is Rowan Cork that I bought on E-bay for a song.

I am pretty happy with how it turned out. It is comfy and warm.

Now, perhaps I can actually get to some real knitting. I just need to decide what to pull out of my stash for the next project.

It's starting to get cold here in the Tundra so it is time to settle in and knit.

Salad Toss?

Ok, first of all, my job is seriously like an episode of "The Office".

My job is implementation/project management/sales service. This week happened to be National Customer Service Week. Telecom Giant Inc made a big deal with sending out posters and giving us these cheesy t-shirts to wear. Wed local management has a lunch for us customer service folks. Hey it's a free lunch.

Two co-workers and I head up around noon, hungry, ready to see what is for lunch. We walk into the conference room and look at the goods.

Our "appreciation lunch" consisted of the following:

• A bowl of lettuce, mostly iceberg, with a few pieces of romaine
• A small bowl of dressing packets
• A side plate of some cut meats and cheeses.
• Some deserts you could tell that were purchased at Costco. My co-worker said the chocolate cake thingy tasted like freezer burn.

We saw this and looked around, assuming there were sandwiches that went with the salad. There wasn't.

Delightful.

We ate our salads while we listened to our director had a recognition call. She sounded like the fake cheerleader.

Yeah.

The best part I was in my cube later and we were joking about the lunch. A sales guy that sits right next to me asked if we had tossed salads.

My response back. "They didn't even toss our salads, We had to toss our own salads"

Mouth open insert foot. It was pretty funny though (assuming you get the other meaning)

I am still here

No, I have not died or fallen off the face of the earth. Life happens, I've been busy. Below is the abridged version of what's been up with me.

• Work has been crazy busy. I am working on a project that is killing me. This too will pass.
• I started a pottery class a couple of weeks ago. It's fun. I still haven't made something that is fit for firing but I am learning. Throwing clay is a lot more difficult than I initially thought it would be, but I am slowly starting to get it. Hopefully I will be able to produce something over the course of the 10 week class.
• It is fall here. Fall (the whole 2 weeks of it) is my favorite season. I took a walk around lake Calhoun yesterday. It was stunning. The colors are peaking around the lake. There was even a bald eagle in a tree along the eastern edge. Very cool.
• I still have been working out. I took a cardio training class on Wed and today is the first day that my legs aren't sore. Walking (especially down stairs) was very difficult on Thursday and Friday. That class kicked my ass, which is a good thing.
• I lost 5 lbs without really even trying. It has to be going to the Firm for classes.
  
• DJ is out of town this weekend. I stayed in on Friday, caught up on my magazines, drank wine, watched the Twins loose and talked to T in NYC for 2 hours. Pure delight.
  
• We went to the Summit Big Brew yesterday. When we first got there at 6pm the line for beer was very, very, very long. The wait was over an hour. This was a Bad Thing. Thank god they figured it out and pulled up another beer truck. Saw Cake play, they rock.
• I say really stupid things when I drink. Ask E.
• It was a year ago today that I met DJ. What a year can do to one's life.
  

Now you are all caught up on what's up with me. It's sunny and supposed to be 80 here today. I need to go out and enjoy it.

Corporate Rant

Please note I've had a horribly rough day. This and the fact that things have been festering with me about my job lately. This may sound very bitter, if it is, that's my current truth and where I am at.

I work for a Fortune 500 company. The current rank (according to CNN Money) is 18. Do the math, figure it out, but I am sure it doesn't vary from any other stockholder driven American corporation today.

As an employee that interfaces with current mid to large level corporations for said company, I am not sure what the actual focus is. We, as employees, have heard a lot about continuing to support our customers throughout the current changes we are going through. They say the commitment is customer's first. Great, I am all in. I am all for the customer and doing what is right for them, but at times you feel like you spin you wheels. You can't do anything. It seems to me, that certain corporate cultures doesn't empower employees to do what is best for the customer. Here is some thoughts that I have had swimming in my head.

• Empowerment- In order for your employee base to do what is best for the customer and put them first, they need the access and the tools to get things done. It seems that the more segmented that departments are, the less that gets done. It destroys teamwork. Operational departments that are there to serve the customer have matrices that are intended to better procedures, but it shifts the focus from doing what is right to what will better serve the results that are shown. In my humble opinion the right decision isn't a hard and fast rule, most of the time this is ultimately is a judgement call that is made by an employee. It's a HUMAN decision.
• I understand that the bottom line is important to you large corporate types. Stockholders rule. I get it. But for God's sakes quit saying you are a customer focused company when you keep laying off people. This is beyond "trimming the fat". This is contributing to a negative morale and corporate culture. Everyone that I have worked with lately, is running rapid. This makes people feel overwhelmed. When people feel overwhelmed they tend to become defensive. "It's not my problem". Give us the appropriate resources if you truly think the "Customer comes first". A lot of these people are great but overwhelmed. Any overwhelmed person can not make a healthy contribution to an environment. This distracts from a teamwork environment and makes it a "I'm too busy, it's someone elses problem" world.

OK, really only 2 long drawn out points, but this is the thing. I can't contribute when I am spinning my wheels. I can't promise to deliver when I know my support groups are overwhelmed and are going to criticize what what the customer may have done wrong, versus doing what it takes to fix the situation. This isn't their fault, they are simply too overwhelmed and as I stated above when folks are overwhelmed it leads to them becoming defensive.

Argh. I have used this blog to now vent. If you don't want to read my random ramblings that's fine, I get it. I just had to put it out there. It probably doesn't even make sense, but hey. I believe there is probably a total of 5 people that read this blog, so it won't much matter anyway.

I need either a severe attitude adjustment or a change. I'll let you know what I decide what direction I decide to take.

mmmm....Alpacas

As you can tell from DJ's post. We made it out to the Great Minnesota Get Together on Saturday. Besides eating approximately 10 thousand calories (and 50 bazillion points, this place is NOT points friendly) we were able to see some cute animals.

Meet my favorite:

I first came in touch (literally) with the Alpaca when I got into knitting. They produce a very soft fiber, as soft as cashmere (if not softer). I fell in love with the yarn first. Here is the yarn that I purchased from the farm that had these guys at the fair.


After seeing them on Saturday I did some research and decided that I want to buy an Alpaca. Here is some fun facts that I got from the web while digesting all my deep fried goodness on Sat night:

• Alpacas are gentile, docile and good around children
• They harvest fiber which is sheared once a year (generally in the springtime). The fiber they produce each year can produce 7-8 sweaters.
• Alpacas come in a myriad of natural colors: pure white, the most delicate fawns through to grey tones, from the lightest silver to a warm rose grey, and a true jet black. There are 22 recognized alpaca colors but the fleece also has the additional advantage of being readily dyed.
• Because alpacas and their ancestors are specially suited to the harsh environment of their Andean homeland, alpacas are generally healthy, easy to care for and remarkably disease free.
• Alpacas are very intelligent and easy to train. In just a few repetitions they will pick up and retain many behaviors such as accepting a halter, being led, lifting a foot for toe-nail trimming and loading in or out of a vehicle.
• Alpacas are used for breeding stock, fiber production, companion animals and pet therapy.
• They require less room than other livestock. (3 to 10 alpacas per acre depending on where you live).
• It has been shown that just watching them will lower your blood pressure.
  

There is also some investment facts out there. That got me thinking....raising Alpacas would be cool. But I love the city and want to live there...hmm... I did more reading and found out that you can board them!

Heck, even if I bought one (I saw a few for sale for about 3-5 grand). I could use the roving to make my own yarn. I've been wanting to learn to spin yarn anyway. I bought the yarn listed above for $45 for 200 yards. The price for the yarn is pretty hefty.

I have decided. Someday (not tomorrow, but someday) I want an Alpaca. Who wouldn't want one of these adorable creatures.

A Funny

I was talking to my good friend this evening. He tells me he had a "scary dream" . I asked what it was and he tells me.

"I had a dream you lost your job"

"Wow, that would be awesome"

He laughed and said "Yeah, that's how you are in the dream. I was freaking out for you and you just said you could go back to waitressing"

I don' t know why, but I got a kick out of it.

Perhaps it is a sign.

Stuck

I know that the label of my blog indicates I am a knitting and caffeine addict. The caffeine addiction is still there, but I have been on the wagon with the knitting.

This is not voluntary . I really want to knit again. I just haven't been able too. I haven't knit since February. I haven't been to a yarn store in months. My Vogue and Rowan knitting magazine subscriptions have lapsed. I no longer know the new Rowan yarns. This saddens me.

I honestly think I am "stuck". I have 2 unfinished projects. The culprits are Martha from Rowan Cork Collection and Mary from the Debbie Bliss Cotton Angora Collection. the knitting portion is done. I just have to sew the pieces together. This is my least favorite thing about knitting. For whatever reason I can't get myself to do it. So the 2 unfinished projects have sat for about 7 months. I haven't knit in that long. That is very odd for me. Granted I now have a roommate that entertains me, and I have been reading a lot more. Enough with the excuses. I really need to get those finished, so I can feel like I can really knit again.

I did manage to choke out a pair of baby booties for a friend who is having a baby. But that is less than a 2 hour project. I need to up the ante on knitting. My yarn stash is taunting me.

Below is one of the 2 booties. The other one is with the future mother. This one needs to get to her. Don't ask...

Pattern from Knitting Pretty.

I think I will need to suck it up and get my seaming needle ready this weekend.

I heart the Farmers Market

I can't say any more. I absolutely love the farmers market. You can not get a better deal on flowers, meats and produce and it's top notch. That, my friends, is what the summer is for.

Unfortunately I have only been once before this past weekend. A shame I know, but being out of town a majority of weekends has it's drawbacks.

I woke up late Saturday morning, glanced over at the clock and thought "there's time! I can go!" I woke at approximately 11:30am and was out the door at 11:50. There was no time to be wasted, the market closed at 1. I also needed to get cash, so I raced out of the house, ready to roll.

After stopping at a gas station for cash and driving around for about 10 minutes looking for parking I was there at about noon. I had a whole hour of shopping pleasure.

I wasted no time. I grabbed my bag to carry the soon to be purchased goods and raced down the block to my destination. Aha! People! Plants! Strollers (although I am annoyed by their blocking presence)!. Here at last.

After zig-zaging row by row. I left with my goods in tow. This was approximately 55 minutes later. It didn't take long to load up on the following:



1 whole pineapple
2 fillets sushi grade fresh tuna
1 lb frozen free range ground turkey breast
1 bunch flowers
Approximately 1 lb of fresh blueberries
1 container strawberries
1 large bunch bananas
approx 6 large tomatoes
4 links gourmet chicken sausage (and mighty tasty I might add)
1 bunch fresh asparagus
6 ears sweet corn (for 2 dollars!)
3 cucumbers
3 green peppers
3 red peppers
12 fresh from the farm eggs.

Jackpot! I did go a bit nuts, but it was FUN! We enjoyed some of the goods Saturday evening. We had the tuna seared, mine with a bit of wasabi. The asparagus was sauteed with the red peppers. Toss in a bit of garlic and balsamic and it was a damn tasty side dish.

We also, will have a ton of fruits and veggies to put away this week, but that is a good thing..... right?

I can't enjoy the market again until memorial weekend. I am thinking of buying a bushel of tomatoes for $10 (so CHEAP!), so I can try to make a tasty pasta sauce for winter.

You can't beat the Minneapolis Farmer's Market.

Phew....

For those of you who don't know, I quit my health club late last spring. I was getting sick of the environment and needed a change. I figured I would take the summer off and run (or walk) outside to get exercise.

When I was in New York over Memorial Day my friend Kim and I talked about heading to the Firm together. I was excited. The Firm is a GREAT club. Fantastic, upbeat classes that completely kick your ass. They also have been rated as one of the best gyms by Glamour and Self. That tells you something. I went there regularly a number of years ago, took kickboxing, yoga and other classes there. I also shared a personal trainer with T and got into pretty decent shape.

Kim had wanted to go back (since she used to go also) and I did too. This is the thing. We didn't want to go alone. I am telling you the place used to have this kind of intimidation factor. It's urban, raw and sweaty. There is loud music pulsating throughout the warehouse space it is located in. That and the fact that I remembered everyone running around with half-clothed perfect bodies. We decided to go again together. This way we could force each other to go and get back into the swing of things.

We first went about 2 weeks ago. The place has changed a bit, but it still holds the high energy feel and pulse that it used to have. They also purchased the gym upstairs so they now has an open gym (this was not a thing they used to have, it was all classes..gym was personal training only). The perfect bodies are still there, but the clientele has normalized out a bit. Overall a good thing.

We took a kickboxing class and it was great. I was sore for 2 days afterwards. I can tell that this is the beginning of a good, good thing.

We headed over there tonight for a cardio circuit class. This class was packed. It ends up that the instructor, this high energy guy, used to live next to Kim. He comes over chats us up for a bit and tells us that there are ear plugs available if we need them. I tell you they play the music that loud. It's great.

LOVED the class. I not only got a great workout, but I had a fantastic time. There is something about the vibe of the place, the music pulsating and people crammed into a room sweating their asses off that is fun. Perhaps it is a sexual thing..who knows..who cares. It was FABULOUS!

I've decided....the Firm is my new gym now. Once summer slows down I will be heading back there regularly.

Normal-C! Review and Very Random Ramblings

I was finally able to get the final showing of Normal-C on Sunday night. This is the show that DJ was doing slideshow stuff for and I had a free pass. I really had been wanting to go, but the late showings were too late for my in bed by 11pm ass, so the Sunday showing at 4pm was perfect.

I really liked the show. It was entertaining and it also made one think a bit. Overall a great show.

Some words on Courtney. It amazed me how much of herself she put into this. She really puts it all out there and I have an immense amount of respect for it. I met her for a total of 5 minutes prior to the show. I could immediately tell she was an open person. She really put it all out there for the show. I envy people like that, since I am not at all like that. I guess it must be the Midwestern rearing, but I am a tough nut to crack :).

She did a segment on the Female Midlife Crisis...This which occurred for her in her mid-twenties. I also found that I had a similar situation. Not necessarily a mid-life crisis of sorts, but some sort of restlessness. Society sends us strong signals to do things in an "acceptable" order. Go to college, find a nice job, find a nice mate, produce offspring, move to the suburbs and live "happily ever after". Excuse the tangent here, but I don't think that's for everyone and at this moment in my life I know it isn't for me. Hell, my twenties were a time of self-doubt and reflection. Who was I? What do I want? I was also a lot more insecure at that time. Not that it all was bad, I partied a lot and had a lot of fun during those times as well.

Now that I am in my thirties I feel a lot more settled, but I still don't feel that need to continue down the 2.5 kids and dog route. I still feel like there is so many things I want to do that are in store for me. I haven't found the job that is for me. I understand that most folks don't love their jobs, but why give up that search? I am not ready to settle into corporate America for the rest of my working days. I want to travel, I want to figure out what I am meant to do for a living and I want to experience new things. There is way to many things I haven't done yet. The older I get the more I think that kids may not be in my cards. I want to experience my partner and share things before you have to deal with the stress of bringing up a responsible human being.

Wow, what a tangent....Excuse the roundabout random ramblings...But hey....

Life IS about the journey, n'est pas?

Minnesota Summers

Sorry for the lack of posting lately. Things have been busy here in the former Tundra, since it is now summertime.

Minnesotans do a funny thing during the summer. We cram a year's of activities into the months of June-Sept. That is 52 weeks of activity into 12 fun-filled weekends. With what you may ask. That's a difficult question. In my younger days it used to be weddings. Now it seems everyone is hitched, so that changes the focus a bit. We have been heading up nort' a lot lately to various cabins. Us midwesterners love our cabins and going up nort' as outlined in DJ's previous post. Actually, the more I think about it, we are a lot like birds who migrate. We head south for the winter (snow bird snydrome) and we migrate north for the summer (even if it is only for the weekends). Cabins are great and fun and all, but after a while you crave a weekend at home.

And, that, is exactly what we did last weekend. Relief at last..

Friday was a fun filled time for Ms. Jackson's birthday at the Herk. After a few APPS, drinks and coversation, we headed next door to the VFW. Yes, that is the VFW. Now, you would expect to sit in a VFW when you are a ho-dunk town for a cabin weekend, but there we were in Uptown Minneapolis, at the VFW.

I may have been a bit skeptical at first, but it ended up being great fun. They have karaoke at the VFW on Fridays and it was a good crowd. That and the fact that our waiter didn't have any teeth made the place pretty entertaining.

You can see video of the extravaganza here. Ms. J pulled out all the stops for the karaoke, which she loves. I did have a bit too much fun though. Thank God that DJ forced me to drink to huge glasses of water and take some advil. I would have had a killer headache the next morning if I had not have done that.

For more fun...pics from the evening are here.

The rest of the weekend was quiet. We headed to the Uptown Art Fair on Saturday and hung around the house. I didn't move from home on Sunday and finshed my book. The book was fab. I'll post more about that later.

Safe?

In case any of you were wondering, I was not RIFed last Friday. 2 folks out of my group were, as well as a few other folks in this office and a lot of folks that I work with across the country.

This is never fun. I didn't even really feel a sense of relief when I knew I wasn't loosing my job. A bigger part of me almost wished that I got the package and time off, so that I would have to push to explore other options. Being left behind means that there is more work piled on your desk. I am not sure if it is that way everywhere else though, so it just may be a case of "the grass is greener on the other side".

I think it's time to update my resume, start exploring and putting out feelers. I may also need an attitude adjustment (or a very long vacation).

Mother Daughter outing

First things first. My mom kicks ass. Her friends kick ass. As long as I can remember, my mom and her friends have gotten together at least 4 times a year for an outing of some sort. I have heard stories about mock proms they have had at a cabin where they all wore prom gowns and voted a "prom queen". They do all sorts of fun things together and are a great group of women.

A few years ago, they started the tradition where the invited the daughters along. The first event was in Stillwater...meet for mimosas and breakfast at 8 am, a boat outing and a night of debauchery. It was a fantastic time.

The seconds outing was this year. Plan was to meet for lunch and then head out for a day at Canturbury Downs to try our luck at the horse races. My luck wasn't all that great, but it was a fun time. We had also planned on staying down there for the night and having dinner/drinks together but Mom and I pooped out. The weather was 100 yesterday and the heat wore us out early. We headed back to check into the hotel at about 7 and discovered it was not a place we wanted to stay....pretty gross. We opted against the hotel and headed home. I wish we would have had the energy to continue the festivities into the evening, but the heat was just too much for us.

All in all a great time. I can't wait for the next outing.

My receipe for salsa

As you may have noticed from my previous post I've been itching to make some salsa. The garden is starting to come in....Yeah!

Here are the tomatoes a few weeks back. A few of them have started to turn red. These are the romas, we also have cherry and the big boys (heh) growing.

We got peppers too! These are jalapeno, but we also have green pepper, yellow and habanero. The green ones and jalapenos were ready to harvest.

I grabbed some of the big boys, a roma, a jalapeno pepper and a green pepper. I had on hand, cilantro, cucumber, garlic and some lime juice. I threw it all in my handy Cuisinart food processor and processed away. This is what it came out looking like:

Not bad.....very cheap also considering I will pay in upwards of 3-4 dollars for fresh salsa at the store. It was mighty tasty also. I have a feeling there will be tons of salsa made once the garden starts to come in more. I'll probably also make tomato sauces and soups.

I know I am a geek, but it's fun.

WooHoo

BTW, I stepped on the scale this morning and am now down 2 lbs. Not a bad start.

RIF

I work for a large telecommunications company. In the past 6 years I have sat in the same chair and have worked for a company that has 2 different names, then had the largest SEC bankruptcy filing in history, because of an accounting scandal. Company then changed name, to better the "public image" . Company then was purchased by another huge conglomerate and I now work for a different company, which brings it to a grand total ......how many? Can you follow all that? I can't.

Not surprisingly, RIFs (Reduction in Force) are a common theme around here. I've seen about 12-15 of them since I've been here. The RIF season has arrived once again.

The thing I can't stand is the rumors that always precede these things. EVERYONE has speculations about who's going to go, how many etc. I find it exausting. If I am going to get whacked, whack me. The worst thing is that I get a paid summer vacation off.

My theory is keep my head down and my pencil moving. I'll continue to push paper until they decide to get rid of me, or I decide to get rid of them. There is nothing else I can do.

If you want to shoot me, shoot me, it's nice outside and I would rather be out there then sitting in the confines of my cube.

I've made a decision

Life has been an adjustment for the past few months. Living with someone has been great. Cooking for two has been fun. I love to cook and have been doing a lot of it lately. The inevitable has caught up with me.

I've gained weight.

Not a lot of weight. Maybe a couple of pounds. I have noticed that clothing isn't fitting like it used to, so I think things are "shifting around". Never a good thing. I haven't been exercising as much as I would like and I haven't really watched what I have been eating. New relationship bliss will do that to a girl.

About four years ago, I was pretty big for my height. I decided at 166 lbs that I have had enough and joined weight watchers. It took me some time, but I did manage to drop 26 lbs. I managed to keep it off for a couple years and gained about 10 of it back. I've been wanting to drop those 10 lbs, but I really wasn't all that motivated since I felt pretty good at 150. I swore to myself I would never allow myself to push 170 again. At 5'3" that is simply too much weight.

I've been eating too much lately and not really taking the thought or time to eat healthy foods. I eat whatever I want and that, my friends, is a very slippery slope. It's time.

I decided that after the weekend in Indianapolis and the holiday, I need to get back into shape. I joined weight watchers again, online this time. I weighed myself yesterday and was at 148.5 (it's a new scale so I think it's a bit light). My goal is to get down to 140 and eventually down to 130 or 135. I am happy at 140, so if I feel good there and can maintain it I may just stick with that.

Wish me luck.