January 2012
13 posts
9 tags
it's that time of year again
Or at least, it is here in Phoenix. It’s that time of year where I try desperately to become a somewhat successful gardener because the weather has turned and the herbs are fragrant and my windowsill looks bare without greenery.
It is still too cold for basil, my one friend in the gardening world, so I’m trying to quench my herb needs elsewhere — namely parsley (foreground),...
4 tags
Mighty Be Our Powers by Leymah Gbowee
Mighty Be Our Powers by Leymah Gbowee
I saw Gbowee on the Daily Show and she was so funny and her story was so amazing that I knew I wanted to read this book, and I’m glad I did. It’s worth it. It’s a story of war and the people who suffer for it and the power of demanding change.
My only hesitation, and I’m not sure if it’s a hesitation as much as it is not...
6 tags
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
What a book. It’s massive, sometimes you want to scream “WHAT?!” and shove it in people’s faces to try to explain it to you, and at the same time you get invested in the (several) different stories. It was interesting reading this in a class atmosphere. On the one hand, as a picky reader, I may have given up as the first chapter is difficult...
the semester so far
family and puppy time
thai food between classes
walks with Echo
studying
reading
writing at coffee shops (I like to be surrounded by people… who won’t talk to me. This has been mostly successful — the beginnings of three stories in two weeks)
hot tea with friends (photo by aeolione)
4 tags
Work, School, Books, Sleep, Repeat
See that? That’s 150 pages of a novel, also known as my reading for for this weekend… for one class. Which, hey, I can handle, except… I worked every day this week (and am about to head to work.) Still. I’m getting through it. And loving this book. And next week shouldn’t be nearly as hectic.
Have any of you read Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell? I am loving this book...
4 tags
Bossypants by Tina Fey
Bossypants by Tina Fey
A coworker was nice enough to buy me this for Christmas and I totally devoured it. It’s not particularly deep, you won’t get too many meanderings into politics or social justice (something I kind of like in these types of books), but Fey is extremely funny and knows how to write about her own life in a unique and hilarious way. She also seems to be able to...
2 tags
So this just happened.
From this:
To this:
6 tags
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
I kept seeing this book everywhere, which is a really great way to get me to read a book. Eventually I grabbed it from the library.
For the most part, I thought it was a very good read, consistent, inviting, intriguing. The middle got a little bit over-wrought with description for me (as much as the physical surroundings in this book are important, I...
6 tags
Swamplandia! by Karen Russel
Swamplandia! by Karen Russel
I have complicated feelings about this book. I was totally in love for the first few chapters. The language was rich, it transported me to a very different world, and yet it also felt a little disjointed. The first part felt like rich realism with people I’d never known existed, but somehow did, and then slowly I wasn’t sure if I was dealing with realism...
3 tags
NYE Story
Last night I was serving out on the patio. These two younger guys sit down and I go to greet them. The guy on the right just starts talking and talking and it’s obvious he’s drunk. I try to be friendly but he’s making crude remarks so I tell him I’m going to go get his drinks and remove myself. He’s ordered a margarita and I go tell a manager that we can’t serve...
3 tags
Happy New Year
Happy New Year!
I worked last night until 11:45, pedaled my butt home as fast as I could, and burst in the door at 11:56, so Mark gave me my New Year’s Eve kiss.
This morning I’m going to make the rounds and wake everybody (three of my friends are staying with us, one of them is working) and then we’re going to head out for a scrumptious brunch.
Hope 2012 brings lots of joy...
December 2011
9 posts
6 tags
Let it Rain Coffee by Angie Cruz
Let it Rain Coffee by Angie Cruz
Really enjoyed this book. I felt like it was (abstractly) a criticism of the idea of the American dream (and maybe a little bit consumerism) and it was done beautifully. Non-abstractly it was the story of a family struggling with day-to-day life in an America that was not all it seemed (and what it seemed, to them, was the TV show Dallas). The characters were...
11 tags
Eco(nomically/logically) Gifts in Action
A follow up on this post.
Just so you know that I at least try to practice what I preach, this is what the gifts I’m giving this year look like:
*Please don’t blame the poor wrapping skills on the cloths. Blame it on my inability to attractively wrap things.
The breakdown (without telling you what the gifts are):
ONE Recycled Gift (you can see it — the bag is made out of...
6 tags
A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard
A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard
Don’t think I’m going to say anything you haven’t heard before — Jaycee Dugard’s story is heart wrenching. The things she went through were truly awful and unpleasant to read about. Her story makes it hard to live in a world where people like her kidnapper exist.
The way that she writes is stunted and difficult to get through, which...
9 tags
Eco(nomically/logically)-Friendly Gift Giving
I’m not sure how many of my attempts at being eco-friendly this holiday season are based on actually protecting the planet and how much of it is being kind of broke, but I’ve come up with some pretty decent ideas on how to give quality gifts without breaking the bank or being a super-consumer.
Basic ideas? Refuse. Reuse. Make it at home. Buy local.
Refuse (to buy or receive any more...
Don't mind me...
I’m just gonna sneak in here, no biggie, uhh…
Apparently when life gets stressful and busy blogging gets totally put on the backburner. Apparently blogging is a ‘leisure’ activity that I haven’t had time for. Good to know!
So for the sake of getting caught up, a list!
I got a new bike and sold my own one. Wait, scratch that. I built a new bike. My city has a bike...
Anonymous asked: What high school did you go to? I'm a senior at Horizon, and my boyfriend of 3 years and I plan on getting married this summer!
8 tags
From-Scratch Huevos Rancheros*
*or at least that’s what I’m calling them
I was going through a period of intense cooking obsession and decided I wanted Huevos Rancheros. I’d only ever had the from-the-can kind, with canned green chilis and canned tomatoes and grocery store tortillas. I wanted to do it my own way.
And they were amazing.
I Used This Tortilla Recipe
Huevos Rancheros
Three large roma...
“If you are a woman, if you’re a person of colour, if you are gay, lesbian,...”
– Margaret Cho (via thechocolatebrigade)
Everything about this is so glorious.
(via chubby-bunnies)
November 2011
10 posts
6 tags
In lieu of an actual post...
I’m selling stuff. Do you want it?
I’ve got this Kodak Zi6 HD Pocket Video Camera
and this Solia Tourmaline Ceramic Ion Flat Iron.
I’d like $60 for each. And shipping if you live outside of the U.S. But we can talk! Both are in awesome condition because they haven’t been used much and I’ve kept them in their cases. They’ve just been hanging out in my closet....
4 tags
The Old Pine Tree: I apologize in advance if this... →
oldpinetree:
If I were occupying this is what I would be “fighting” for:
equal access to affordable health care
student loan forgiveness programs
gay rights
energy independence and investment in innovative alternative energy solutions
I am 100% behind the “99%” standing up for these types of things and…
This isn’t even a direct response to you, but one of the things I find...
6 tags
Making fajitas tonight
and just thought I’d share that, in a burst of cooking energy I made these tortillas yesterday. They are AWESOME. I will never buy tortillas from a store again.
(P.S. My fajita recipe.)
5 tags
Mona in the Promised Land by Gish Jen
Mona in the Promised Land by Gish Jen
I wouldn’t call this YA, but it’s reminiscent of it. Mona is a young Chinese American girl who decides to be Jewish. It’s about her growing up navigating the seas of culture and identity in the U.S.
I enjoyed this book. It’s a little chaotic at parts, but also hits home in many places, in particular when Mona is faced with...
5 tags
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee...
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender
This was exactly the book I needed it to be when I read it. My brain was fried from all the homework I’d been doing, the weather was turning cold, I was drinking tea after tea and all I wanted was to cozy up on my couch and read. This did it for me. It’s a novel about a girl who eats a cake her mother has made for her birthday and...
6 tags
Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri
Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri
The pace is slow, but these are powerful short stories that deal with the reality of love, marriage, family, home, immigration, being a minority, class… about what it means to have relationships. Lahiri creates painfully real characters whose motivations are complicated. I wouldn’t call this an “easy read” — someone else in my...
5 tags
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
I’ve also read The Bluest Eye by Morrison but I have to say I enjoyed this book more. There is more myth, more magical realism (though it’s still sparse), more powerful, memorable characters. I loved Pilate’s strength, Hagar’s obsession, Milkman’s realizations toward the end. I felt helpless as Guitar’s resentment toward...
4 tags
Other Ideas For Cheap Entertainment
katiepiemiscellany replied to your post: Things That Are (Basically) Free
Buy a soccer ball- not free, but cheap and awesome fun, and take it to the park with a friend or two! It’s amazing how fun this is.
leannmean replied to your post: Things That Are (Basically) Free
Taking the dog for a walk or taking him to the park are some of my favorites!
cupofchi replied to your post: Things That...
7 tags
Things That Are (Basically) Free
For the broke among us who hate to feel like they’re missing out, here is a list of things that are basically free (nothing is free, but you won’t have to pay upfront money — your taxes pay for your library, for example, but you don’t have to dig in your pockets for books. If you’re reading this, you’re probably already paying for internet service, so things...
October 2011
13 posts
8 tags
Butterscotch Pumpkin Cookies
Last night I made a batch of these Butterscotch Pumpkin Cookies, and I must say, they’re pretty delicious. They were a little too sweet for me so I added some oats (probably a little over a half a cup) which didn’t mess too much with the texture but took away some of the overwhelming sugar flavor.
Keep in mind though, I don’t know if you can get butterscotch without artificial...
6 tags
Make This Now: Spicy Vegetarian Tortilla Soup
I’m gonna be honest, I don’t have a lot of confidence in my soup-cooking abilities. So when this one turned out delicious, I was extremely excited.
The other day I got a craving for tortilla soup, but my favorite part of tortilla soup is the vegetables, not the chicken, so I thought… well, could I make it vegetarian?
A google search told me yes, but none of the recipes had...
6 tags
To the guy who yelled "Safety First!" at me...
Dear Dude,
Tonight, while I was riding my bike on the somewhat well-lit nighttime streets of Phoenix, my bright orange reflective vest over my darker-colored clothes, my helmet buckled under my chin, you yelled “Safety First!” and had a good laugh with your friends.
To be honest, Dude, I wasn’t sure what to do. My first thought was: Why, Dude? You were standing at a crosswalk with a group of...
4 tags
"How was it living with your mom as a young...
If you don’t mind me asking, how was it living as such a very young married couple and with your mum, (assuming you didn’t move out while you were still at high school)? It’s cool that she was totally fine with your marriage but there must have been times you needed your own space and perhaps during arguments (if you had any) she must have found it hard not to interfere and...
4 tags
4 tags
Occupy Phoenix
On Saturday I went to Occupy Phoenix.
There was a pretty amazing crowd. Lots of signs. Lots of people handing out water (people would walk through the crowds with a whole bunch of bottled water and hand it out to whoever wanted some), food (donated by Whole Foods and Sprouts), music, conversations.
There was even a man with a bunch of bananas with things written on them — like...
6 tags
6 tags
Bloom
Most people think of blooming as a part of springtime.
Not in Arizona.
I’ve had this serrano pepper plant since the spring time.
It would go through stages of growing and then not, and I wasn’t sure if I was ever going to see signs of production.
Maybe this plant just didn’t want kids, you know?
But then the other day I noticed small, little buds growing on the plant.
And...
9 tags
Bi-Monthly Farmer's Market
ASU has a Farmer’s Market on Tuesdays.
I’m in class on Tuesdays.
But when I get out?
Be still my heart.
I leave my bike where it is and hightail it to the produce stand.
If I had more of a disposable income, I’d spend all of my money on the little vendors. Raw crackers? Absolutely! Fair trade chocolate? Sure! Cinnamon rolls? I’d love some!
For now, though, I stick to...
1 tag
Weekly Gratitude
In pictures of my face.
Yesterday I had an awesome hair day and was bummed that I had to put it up for work. Then I came home and I was still having an awesome hair day!
My sustainability class opened up and even though I’m a little concerned as to when I’m going to fit another 70+ textbook pages into my life, on top of quizzes, I’m really excited about the content....
A List of Things
I would love to be blogging more but, for the time being, can’t find time. I’m not talking about the time to physically blog (I can grab five minutes here and there) but the time to actually have thoughts about what to blog. If I’m not sleeping, I’m either a) actively engaging in conversation, b) thinking about how to get homework done or c) trying to think about work/how...
1 tag
1 tag
Weekly Gratitude
I got a job! I don’t remember if, in the whole September-hell-month fiasco, I mentioned that I lost my job (the business may be shutting down), but I did. And Friday, I got a job! And they make everything from scratch!
I have five days to learn everything in this stack of papers.
Luckily I have an “If it can be done, then I can do it.” mentality. Study study study.
A full...
September 2011
9 posts
6 tags
Mark's Lunch, An Attempt at Waste-free
Early on, I decided I wanted to give Mark a lunch that was as close to no-waste as possible but totally satisfied him (and that didn’t require special detail — he could do it on his own.)
This is how I do it.
Sandwich: Local bread (has waste — the bread comes in a plastic bag. Still looking for an alternative. I try to reuse the plastic bag), cheese (also has waste, the...
3 tags
How to Fry a Perfect Egg (Without it Sticking)
So me? I suck at eggs. Most of them, no matter what the initial intention was, end up being scrambled.
As a server, if I’m lucky, I get to watch people who make delicious things all day long. And sometimes they teach me a trick or two. I asked a chef how to cook an egg on a stainless steel pan without it sticking.
So he told me.
And it worked.
And now I’m sharing it with you.
What...
1 tag
Weekly Gratitude
September has been a hard month, but this week I’m feeling a lot more positive.
Grateful for the trees outside my office window.
Grateful for how comfy and bright the office is. It makes it so pleasant to do homework.
Grateful for coffee and yerba mate. Something to look forward to when I wake up every morning.
Grateful that, even though my phone wouldn’t turn on and I was...
6 tags
Mom's Blueberry Muffins
I love these muffins because they’re easy, filling, tasty, and a great snack to tide you over or breakfast on the go. Kudos to my mom for finding the recipe (and then passing it on to me!)
Ingredients
—————————
2 cups organic whole spelt flour
½ cup rolled oats
½ cup organic corn meal
1/3 cup sesame...
We're Here
Well, the big change happened.
We moved.
You might remember that we only moved a few months ago, and how excited I was about it.
But in the battle of the roaches, the roaches beat me, and they were beating the owner of the apartment. He didn’t want to accept that. And I couldn’t accept living there any more. I’m not quite sure what the ramifications of that will be, but I am...