an ode to chronicbabe

i no longer remember when i signed up for chronicbabe's newsletters. no, i don't have a chronic illness (*knocks on wood*), but i still read them and every now and then, i get something valuable out of them. like this one:

Just because we're sick and need help - lots of it, sometimes - doesn't mean we have to spend our days begging forgiveness and bowing down in gratitude for every assist. BUT we need to thank the people who help us.

Someone open a door for you? Say thanks. A friend cooked you dinner? Say thanks. The newspaper delivery person always makes sure your paper makes it onto your porch? Say thanks. See a military member coming home at the airport? Say thanks. Doctor give you some good advice? Say thanks. Sprinkle thanks like confetti. Like glitter. Like sprinkles on a cupcake. Fling it around.

Say thanks. Do it. It's so easy. So many people do so many good things for us every day, and many of them never ask for a thing in return. But you can give them something vitally important: gratitude. Especially when you have nothing left to give, gratitude still means a great deal. And just like we need help sometimes, the folks who love us and care for us need to know we care. Sometimes saying thanks is all it takes.

and y'all know i try to keep an attitude of gratitude going whenever possible, right? even on those days when, frankly, i'd love nothing more than to curl up in a ball and drown my sorrows in a bottle of tequila, i try to find at least one thing or person to be thankful for. not saying it instantly cures my mood, but it helps put things in perspective for me, and that's usually all i need in that moment.

with that said - if i haven't publicly said thank you in a while, consider this a big giant public thanks for...well, everything. i'm not gonna name names or list specific things b/c i know i'd forget something or someone and no one wants that. so, thank you. a lot. y'all rock and i'd rather not picture my life without you in it b/c i would have all of the sadness.

oh, and go check out chronicbabe's site and sign up for her newsletter and/or twitter feed if you're so inclined. :-)

"wow, that dream was weird. i should blog about it!"

that was one of the first thoughts i had this morning, after my initial "holy shit it's august!" panic moment and before i managed to get in the shower and finish waking up. in all honesty, though, i should note that i'm using "weird" in that lazy/can't think of another adjective kind of way, so if you're afraid of what you're about to read, don't be. :P

here's what i remember: i was at some sort of church or auditorium or some other large space because i'd been pressed into service at someone's wedding. not as an usher or behind-the-scenes type of person, but an attendant. someone (i'm still trying to figure out the identity of this person - you'll see why as this continues) thought it would be a good idea to set me up on a blind date of sorts with some dude who was also at this wedding.

not a bad thought as far as thoughts go, right? here's where things get "weird," though - this dude and i had nothing in common. he didn't like reading, he didn't like sports, he wasn't really into food or plays or music or any of the myriad things i like checking out when i have time and money to do so...and he wasn't attractive, either. thankfully, we both realized the distinct lack of a love connection and went our separate ways.

later at that wedding, someone else (seriously, i need to figure out who these people are irl and smack them) asked how my conversation with dude i wouldn't even want to be friends with went, and after i told them, they went on a mini-rant about how women my age can't be picky and if i ever wanted to have kids i needed to get it together, etc.

so, yeah. longest.wedding.ever. did i mention that one of my brothers was also an attendant, and he walked down the aisle holding his suit jacket behind him with his fingers instead of actually wearing it? and that all of us just walked down the aisle as opposed to marching in time with any music or anything? and that i have no idea who was actually getting married?

later in that dream (let's assume this wasn't the same day as the wedding, but i really don't know), a couple of my favorite guy friends picked me up and surprised me with a trip to a bar i hadn't been to before, where we were served beer and 25-cent wings, and all was well.

told you it was "weird." also, i think i might order wings for dinner tonight, b/c, well, why not? :P

recipe review: turkey fried rice

at some point last week, l & i were trying to figure out a easy fix for the ground turkey we had for that night's dinner. the original plan may have involved meatballs, but that was going to require more time and effort than either of us felt like expending, so i made turkey sloppy joes with bbq sauce instead. before i made that, though, i flipped through the folder of recipes i've been clipping this year (as opposed to the hundreds of recipes i have on my hard drive, and not to be confused with the binders of recipes i have in storage) and found this one for turkey fried rice. i didn't have all the ingredients on hand at that point, but l & i agreed that it should go in the rotation for this week.

here's what i did differently:

--i cooked 1 cup of rice (instead of 3/4 cup) to yield 3 cups of cooked rice. the rice might have been extra long grain instead of long grain, but that's what i grabbed out of the pantry and i don't think it made much difference

--silly me forgot to put scallions on the shopping list, so i improvised with a little (i mean, probably less than 1/2 teaspoon) onion powder when i added the other ingredients.

--skipped the ginger b/c we didn't have any around

--used a heaping tablespoon of minced garlic vs. chopped b/c there's a giant jar of it in the fridge and l, j, and i are all garlic fans

--used frozen sugar snap peas (vs. snow peas called for in recipe) b/c i was already buying frozen green peas and figured what the hell. i didn't measure these quanities, though - i think each bag was less than 16oz each, and i probably used 1/2 to 3/4 of a bag of each.

--the carrots we bought at the farmers market were a little on the small side, so i used 6 instead of 4

--went with somewhere between 2-3 tablespoons of dark soy sauce instead of hoisin sauce b/c that's what was on hand

and even with all of those substitions, we still proclaimed it nom. the original recipe says it serves 4, but i think my version could probably yield 6 single servings. i'd definitely make it again.

(non-recipe related content coming soon. seriously. it's on my list. it's gonna happen.)

recipe review: maple-soy salmon

i've been in the mood for salmon for at least the past 3 weeks, but whenever i went to the grocery store, the seafood counter would be closed or the store would be out of salmon and my plans for deliciousness would be thwarted. not today, though. since i work thisclose to a whole foods, i knew i could have salmon for dinner tonight and appease my taste buds. when i went to my recipe folder, i was looking for something quick that i wouldn't need to do a lot of additional shopping for (aside from the salmon itself, that is). luckily, the friends i'm catsitting had everything i needed to make this.

a confession, though: it's entirely possible that i've made this before a couple/few years ago. i honestly don't remember, so let's just pretend/assume that this is new to all of us, ok? that said - i used about a pound of salmon that i cut into 4 pieces. if i'd been in the mood to do math, i probably could've adjusted the measurements here so i wouldn't end up with a surplus of sauce. however, i wasn't in the mood to do math therefore i ended up with a surplus of sauce. 

verdict? meh. if i'd had more time (read: if i wasn't already starving by the time i got dinner started), i might have let the fish sit in the sauce for 5-10 minutes, b/c i didn't really pick up that much of the maple/soy/dijon concoction. it was still good, though. i'd make it again. parmesan couscous and roasted broccoli were also served. mmm...roasted broccoli. i'm relatively full and yet i still have to resist the urge to eat what's left of tonight's batch of broccoli. i love it that much. you should try it out, assuming that it's cooled off enough in your area for you to tolerate turning on the oven. 

recipe* review: roasted broccoli

* - i'm pretty sure that i saw a recipe for roasted broccoli somewhere and just decided to "invent" my own take on it. of course, i don't remember what the recipe is or where i found it, so i can't give the recipe creator proper credit. y'all know i'd totally link to the recipe if i had it, right? right. ok, then.

what you'll need:
--fresh broccoli (how much you're buying depending on how many people you're feeding, if you want leftovers, if broccoli's on sale or if you're splurging on the super-organic whole foods stuff, etc. it's your call, really.)
--olive oil
--salt & pepper, plus any additional seasonings of your choice
--baking sheet/dish (you want something large enough so you can spread the broccoli out in a single layer)
--a knife (confession: i almost posted the "chopping broccoli" snl bit here, but i refrained. you're welcome.)

got everything? let's get cooking, then.
--preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
--while the oven heats up, rinse the broccoli and then cut the stems and any other tough pieces off until you have a pile of broccoli florets. if you like having parts of the stems on your florets, then by all means leave them on. depending on how large the florets are, and depending on if you're gonna serve this dish to children, you might need to chop them into smaller/bite-size pieces.
--dump all of the broccoli onto/into your baking vessel of choice.
--drizzle olive oil over the broccoli. the amount of oil really depends on how much broccoli you're working with. you don't need a lot; let's say a couple of tablespoons at the most here.
--add salt, pepper, and whatever other seasoning you'd like. i like to add garlic powder b/c 1) i like garlic and 2) i don't want to worry about burning fresh minced garlic.
--toss the broccoli around so every piece gets a little bit of oil and seasoning. it's best to use your hands for this.
--if you think you skimped on the oil and/or the seasonings, add a little more and then toss everything together again.
--in the oven it goes! depending on how much broccoli you're working with and how large the florets are, you're looking at a cook time of 15-20 minutes. i usually check the broccoli after 10 minutes, give it a stir, and then let it cook a little longer.

i like to still have a little bit of crunch on my broccoli when it's done, but it's also picked up a little browning from the oil and it's gotten a bit tender and omg it's so nom.

and there you have it. now we know why i usually stick to reading/making other folks' recipes instead of writing out my own. :P

today's moment of damn near perfect awesomeness

i have to start by saying that today's been pretty solid, really. had a conversation with bff that lasted for at least an hour and a half, made a bit of progress in my pile of library books to read, remembered to bring in the bins after trash/recycling pickup...nothing major, obviously, but enough so that i felt pretty good about the day.

then i made dinner and sat down to eat my store-bought chicken & four cheese ravioli and the roasted broccoli i made (the "recipe" for which i will share in my next post, promise) and sip my pepsi with anne lamott's latest book to keep me company.

this is where i detour a bit to fawn over anne lamott. she's one of my favorite writers. seriously. her books make me have all of the feelings, sometimes within the same chapter and, if i'm really gonna be honest, sometimes on the same damn page. i love her. i still miss her salon columns even though she hasn't written for them in ages. if you've not read any of her stuff, check it out. please. she's amazeballs.

ok, back to dinner. sitting at the dining room table with my ravioli and my broccoli and my pepsi and my library book. eating. enjoying the silence. feeling pleased about the day's events, even if they were relatively uneventful. pondering a plan for the rest of the evening, which likely will include watching tv, starting to prep for my next adventures in catsitting stint, and finally listening to fiona apple's new release.

but then. i was reading and suddenly a whitney houston song popped into my head. anyone who knows me and my penchant for song snippets appearing out of nowhere (a friend once said i have "musical tourette's") won't be surprised by this, i know. but the song was a bit surprising b/c i haven't listened to it in who knows how long and i wasn't expecting it to come up in my mental jukebox:



sometimes, when i'm at church or while i'm out and about or while i'm in the shower or wherever i happen to be, i try to pay god compliments or otherwise acknowledge that s/he is pretty fucking amazing. (yes, i swear while talking about god. i swear when i'm praying sometimes, too. fight me.) god usually brushes it off, like it's no big deal. not saying that god can't handle compliments, but that s/he doesn't really need the validation, but they're willing to listen b/c that's how they roll.

and then i realized that i hadn't really had one of these intense moments lately. luckily for me, i don't feel compelled to save my worship for when i'm in a church, b/c that doesn't happen on a consistent basis for me, especially with my new work schedule (have i mentioned that i work sundays and i'm really gonna dislike it come football season?). i almost cried. seriously. as weird as it may sound, and i am fully cognizant of the fact that this sounds weird to some of y'all, it was like i had all of the warm and fuzzy feelings at once and if i didn't acknowledge that fact, even with a slient headnod to god, i was going to burst. i both love and hate that feeling - love it b/c i feel so full and happy and i just want to give hugs and high-fives all around, and hate it b/c my inner control freak is all "what in the entire fuck are you doing? stop it!"

even now, as i'm writing this, inner control freak voice is screaming for me to delete this and just give y'all the roasted broccoli hookup. possibly a few of you are wishing i'd listened to that voice instead of all of this emotional fuckery. but if you made it this far and you're still upset about reading this...well, i'm probably not the one you should be upset with. just sayin'.

so this is what solitude feels like...

tonight marks my first night alone, sans pets and/or children, since i had to vacate casa de eulalia back in october. it's glorious and a bit depressing at the same time. glorious b/c, well, i have the house to myself and y'all know how i cherish quiet time. depressing b/c, well, it's not my house. it's gonna happen, though. hopefully sooner rather than later, but i've learned not to put firm timetables on these kinds of things. i'm actually going to use tonight and tomorrow to remind myself of just how much i love (relative) peace and quiet. weirdly motivational, i know, but that's how i roll.

and hey, i'll be in the city this weekend, and for an extended amount of time in july, so it's not all bad. besides, i have that whole part-time job thing going, which is an obvious plus.

hope y'all are having a decent week. isn't this lovely (and by lovely i mean omfg it's so hot) weather we're having? :P

in which i admit to having some, if not all, of the feelings

i have a confession to make. i got a little teary while boarding the metra train back to the 'burbs tonight. it's not that i haven't missed being in chicago before now, because i have. tears have been shed previously over not living here anymore, so this isn't anything new.

it's a combination of things, really. spending 10 days in the city i know and love with some of my favorite people (you know who you are and you're awesome and i love you like i love chocolate and reading and quiet time), plus dealing with yet another father's day w/o daddy even though a part of me really thinks that after 15 years, i shouldn't get as affected by this as i still do, plus feeling grateful for my new part-time gig even though i'm still hoping/praying for an additional part-time job or a full-time one so i can really try to set things in motion to get back to chicago on a permanent basis, plus feeling sad for my oldest brother who just laid his biological father to rest yesterday, which has to be extra-painful given that it's father's day weekend and now he's lost all three of his parents - our mom, my dad, who was technically his stepdad but i honestly don't remember that terminology ever being used, and now his biological father, who he just (re)discovered ~10 years ago - plus losing james a few years ago and i almost sorta kinda but not really wish that our relationship was such that i could call or email him and let him know that i know the shit hurts, but we're not in that space and therefore i feel like an asshole and why on earth do y'all let me run on like this?

so, all of that, plus the unshakable "i really should've been back by now and why the fuck is this taking so long" feeling of frustration i have, plus feeling like shit b/c i am stuck on the sidelines while a colleague/friend is trying to maneuver her mother's pending demise (i would really like cancer to die in a fucking fire right the fuck now), plus dealing w/some other feelings toward some other people that i know good and gotdamn well i have no business even trying to deal with right now b/c i really don't have the emotional and/or mental fortitude to go there, and yeah…i'm kinda surprised i haven't started bawling while i'm typing this on the train.

y'know what's weird, though? the whole time i've been writing this post, one of the voices in my head has been screaming at me for even considering sharing this with y'all. i will readily admit to not being superwoman, and damned if i'm gonna keep all of these feelings bottled up when i have a perfectly good outlet like this blog to get some shit off of my chest and out of my head. i mean, we all know i'm gonna (wo)man up and put on my big girl panties and keep plugging away until i'm back in chicago and am approaching something that could be construed as financial stability, but fuck. this shit is hard. it's really fucking hard and i am so fucking tired and sometimes the only thing that stops me from curling up into a ball and sobbing myself to sleep is knowing that y'all have my back and that some of y'all would, if i asked, quite literally kick my ass and make me get back in gear b/c you know me well enough to know that this is only temporary and for fuck's sake i've run on again. shit.

before i forget, though - and this is really important - please don't let my current insanity stop you from talking to me about any and all major shit (hell, even minor shit) that's going on with you. i really appreciate the fact that you don't want to add to my emotional distress by telling me your troubles/challenges/whatever, but we're friends, gotdammit, and if we can't share the highs and lows of our lives with each other, then we're all doing it wrong. i'll readily admit that i haven't been as communicative as i probably could've/should've been w/some of y'all lately, and i'm sorry. it's never been my intent to use my woes as an excuse to be (more) self-absorbed and uncaring. that's not what i want, and if you see me doing that shit, please tell me to cut it out, mmkay?

hot fun in the summertime*

eta: omg you guys. i have a job. i start on friday. more about it here.

*yes, i know it's not technically summer yet, but i think we're close enough.

i've been in the city since thursday and i am pretty sure i've eaten more pork and drank more alcohol in these past few days than i have in at least 2 months. seriously, i'm amazed that i haven't succumbed to a porcine version of the meat sweats. and ham. and more bacon. i actually had a meatless monday yesterday b/c i know my system isn't accustomed to this much swine anymore. that, and the fact that there's more pork in my future before i head back on sunday. bacon burgers? check. a pork/apple pie? yup. it's all gonna happen and maybe now some of my pants/skirts will stop falling off of me due to the weight i'm sure to gain this week.

have i mentioned lately that i have awesome friends? b/c i do. i've managed to hang with a few of y'all already and there have been lots of laughs and music and nomz and booze and i love y'all for it. it's no wonder that this got stuck in my head before i went to bed last night:

time for a little family feud

when richard dawson died this weekend, this gem of a video popped up in my twitter feed. i just watched it again and if you're having a week like i'm having so far, you could probably use some laughs. enjoy. :-)

can't travel anywhere

oh, cta. you've really gone and done it this time. announcing the closure of the dan ryan branch of the red line (from cermak/chinatown to 95th street) for five months, presumably in the name of saving money & time. 

my initial reaction to today's news was shock. i didn't play the racism card, although there's definitely a strong case to be made there, seeing as how the ridership south of chinatown to 95th is predominantly black. but that's not the case i want to make right now.

people who know me relatively well know that i am a huge fan of the cta. i come by it honestly, seeing as how both daddy and james worked for the chicago transit authority for more than 20 years before they retired. i've always said that cta helped get me through northwestern, thanks to daddy's pension plan. the occasional trips home from evanston didn't hurt, either.

people who know me relatively well also know that i've been attending 1st c. off and on since i was 6 years old. in those 25+ years (holy crap i am old), i have never missed 5 months of sunday service. not when i was in college. not when i was balancing 2 part-time jobs, an internship, and grad school. not even during my current suburban sojourn. 5 weeks, maybe, but not 5 months. 

for those of you who weren't at the urbantherapy wedding or at james' funeral: 1st c. is on the far south side. like 111th street far. as in i take the red line to 95th and then hop on a bus to get to 1st c. this pending closure pretty much means that i'll be fully embracing my heathen status for those 5 months. that also means that i'll be losing a part of my community for 5 months. oh, yeah, and there's that whole "the only time i usually hang with my family is at church" thing, which will go by the wayside for 5 months.

i'm writing this while riding the metra back to the 'burbs and i haven't been online since lunchtime, so i don't know if any major players have made a statement about this cta plan. i'd love to know what the white sox think of having their primary station closed…but i'm willing to guess that having a green line station and a metra station nearby takes some of the sting out of it. i'd presume the same for the university of chicago, esp. since the green line is technically closer to campus and there's also metra access nearby. same goes for iit.

[eta: the tribune article has been updated w/comments from the white sox, who do indeed refer to the nearby green line and metra stations as game day alternatives.]

i wonder what metra has to say. are they planning to boost capacity and/or adjust schedules on their southern routes during these station closures? has cta mentioned anything about changes to their bus lines/schedules, particularly in the areas affected by these closures?

did anyone at cta give voice to the fact that the "shuttles to the green line" option only works for people who aren't south of 63rd street? or that it's entirely possible that some riders may find it cost-prohibitive to switch to metra for those months? or that it's just not a convenient option to get to/from a metra station, or a bus stop, for that matter?

granted, we have a whole year to gear ourselves up for this, but right now? it just doesn't sit well with me. hopefully i can make it to one of the town-hall meetings to see exactly how this is supposed to play out.

recipe review: rosemary chicken

y'know how sometimes, after a (long) weekend, you look in the fridge/freezer and realize that you don't really feel like cooking for the rest of the week? you find yourself coming up with basic dinner plans b/c you already know you're not going to the store for any extra ingredients and the thought of expending any more energy than you absolutely have to is just enough to send you over the edge?

yeah, that was me last night. "let's see...boneless skinless chicken breasts...frozen pizza...um, i think there's a box of mac & cheese in the pantry...yeah, that'll work." tonight was chicken night. actually, it was supposed to be leftovers and/or chicken night, but a last-minute remembrance of just how long the leftovers had been in the fridge crossed them off of the list. luckily i'd already finished making this.

a few substitutions on this one: i used 2 teaspoons of dried rosemary instead of fresh, and about 3/4 of a tablespoon of minced garlic instead of chopped, b/c that's what was on hand.

verdict? somewhere b/t meh and nom. i marinated the chicken for 4-5 hours, give/take 30 minutes in either direction. i think i overcooked it a little bit, but in my defense, these chicken breasts were ginormous even after i cut them in half and i was trying to err on the side of caution.

would i make it again? probably. if i'm organized enough, i might even make the arugula and white beans, instead of the salad & mashed potatoes we had tonight.

hope y'all had a good weekend. :-)

dream journals?

any of y'all down with the whole "write down what you remember of your dreams as soon as you wake up" thing? b/c i think i really need to start. i was in the middle of a really disturbing dream and i actually had to wake myself up to snap out of it. at 5am. once i managed to calm myself down, aka stop shaking and borderline freaking out b/c it was only a dream and hopefully none of that shit will actually happen irl, i was wide awake until 6 or so. of course, one of the twins decided to start waking up just as i started to doze off.

the last dream sequence i remember before i woke up again? i was in philadelphia, riding around with someone. i have no idea who that someone is/was. we'd just dropped someone else off (again, a mystery) and i'd just gotten back in the car. i'd put my seat belt on, but took it off b/c i was wearing a heavy coat and it was warm out and therefore i didn't need it. i strapped myself back in and started singing along to this:



(note: i kinda miss having the ability to hit some of those high notes. i'm pretty sure my voice teacher would say that i still could if i really wanted to, but that's neither here nor there.)

so anyway - i'm in the front passenger seat of this car, singing my heart out, and the car's moving backwards through this parking garage. did i mention that i'm the only person in this car? and i'm too busy singing along to notice the backward movement, let alone grab the wheel? the car somehow exited the garage and was about to back into traffic when my alarm went off.

weird, right? by the time i dragged myself out of bed 15 minutes later (thank god for snooze options), this song was stuck in my head:



i was sober for all of this, btw. i have no idea what my dreams would look like if i was drinking on a regular basis (again), and i'm not entirely sure i want to find out. this is not to say that i don't want to drink on a quasi-regular basis, though. wait. that doesn't sound right. y'all know what i mean, though. i hope.

happy saturday. :-)

recipe review: slow cooker barbecue chicken

believe it or not, there are some folks out there who think that slow cookers should only be used in the winter. they're probably like that guy in those stove-top commercials who thinks that stuffing is only for thanksgiving.

not me. slow cookers and stuffing never go out of season for me. that said, when i was flipping through my files for ideas on what to make with the pack of boneless skinless chicken breasts i'd taken out for tonight's dinner, i came across this recipe. a quick search confirmed that yes, i had everything i needed, and so here we are.

(side note - i've become that person who has hundreds of recipes saved on their computer. let's not even talk about the folder of recipes currently on my desk. or the binders of recipes packed away in a box. what'd i say last night about food pr0n? yeah...)

back to the recipe, though. i started the crockpot around noon and by 3:30, my stomach was growling and the house smelled all nice and barbecue-y. by 5, the chicken was ready to be shredded and yes, the sauce actually thickens like it's supposed to when you add the cornstarch/chicken broth mixture. i had my doubts about this b/c cornstarch and i have had a contentious relationship, even when i mix it with water/broth/whatever as a thickening agent. but it worked, and the chicken went back in the crockpot for just about 40 minutes or so. oh, and i seasoned the chicken with a little bit of black pepper at the beginning, but that was the only substitution/addition i made.

verdict? nom. would make again. my thinking is that the italian dressing added just enough of a vinegar taste to balance out the brown sugar and the bbq sauce. i definitely see this recipe making a comeback during football season (hopefully in my own place), b/c i don't think it'd be a problem to double or triple this recipe for a crowd.

win some, lose some

today? today goes in the win column.

no, i didn't get a job. money didn't magically appear in my bank account, although i haven't checked my paypal since this morning, but i won't hold my breath there. i didn't stumble on a way to be back in chicago full-time (yet!), i didn't win the lottery...nothing really earth-shattering happened. it was all about life's little victories, combined with my #humpdayhustlin, that led to today being a win.

in no particular order:

--e-mail from lane bryant saying they're offering 50% off their entire site, and me having just enough in the bank to order a new bra, which was perfect timing b/c i just had to toss one of my old ones in the trash. and shipping was free b/c i'm having it sent to a store, and it should be there by the time i'm back in the city.

--applied for at least a dozen jobs.

--accomplished 4.5 things on my to-do list, including reconnecting with someone i worked with back in my grad school days. potential professional networking hookup? yeah, maybe. we'll see.

--had enough downtime today/tonight to apply for the aforementioned jobs, make 2 phone calls (which account for 2 of those 4.5 items on my list), and pretty much finish my freelance project for this week. ok, so the project as a whole will probably take me until labor day to finish, but this particular phase of it? pretty much done. i hope. if all goes according to plan, i will have monies while i'm in the city next month. woo!

--won a twitter contest. mmm...free nomz...

--found out that l & j's satellite provider now offers cooking channel. i actually did a little dance of joy when i discovered this. yeah, i spend an inordinate amount of time watching food shows and reading about food and looking at food pr0n. fight me.

like i said...nothing earth-shattering or stupendous, but i was excited and happy and can you really blame me for running with that? i didn't think so.

actually, this whole week so far (*knocks wood*) has been pretty solid. on monday, i found a pair of shoes that i've been searching for since january. my backlog of magazines? done. my chocolate stash has been replenished and i need to lay off of it a bit, b/c last week's stress eating=this week's acne. you'd think that my system would be well-acquainted with my affinity for chocolate and therefore would behave accordingly. oh well.

--------------------------------------------

and now for something completely different - wtf are people doing for memorial day? clearly i can't host anything (sigh), but if someone's gonna grill and/or ply me with alcoholic beverages, i'm in. i might even make brownies, assuming that i get a chance to go to the store and buy the necessary ingredients. i feel like the holiday kinda snuck up on us. that, or i missed a memo somewhere. if something's happening this weekend that resembles a get-together, please let me know so i can start planning transportation and crashpad options.

hope y'all are having a good week. right now i'm resisting the urge to watch penguin cam b/c i really need to go the fuck to sleep. sweet dreams and all that. :-)

i thought i'd be back by now.

first of all, i can't believe that we're already halfway through may. second of all, i can't believe that i'm still in "suburban sojourn" mode. honestly, when i made the decision back in december to do this whole "barter childcare/household help for a stable place to sleep" thing, i figured i'd be back in a few months. definitely in time for spring. maybe summer.

now? i'm hoping to be back in chicago in time for football season, and i'm not even sure if that's going to happen. it's depressing as all hell, really. it's not as if i haven't been trying to move back, what with all of my job hunting and interviewing and babysitting and freelancing and other hustles. but, here i am, still unemployed with no regular income aside from my food stamps and still technically homeless.

i am trying not to complain. i know how good i have it, relatively speaking. i could be in a shelter or riding the red line all day and night with a suitcase or god knows what else. i'm lucky to know folks who would do whatever they could to make sure i didn't end up in a shelter or a permanent cta passenger. and at least i have 'net access so i can apply for jobs and post updates here and on twitter. and my cell phone is still on (barely) b/c of those babysitting and freelance gigs and donations. i get it. i'm blessed. no need to remind me.

and yet...it'd really be nice to take off this damned cape and let myself wallow for a bit. double bonus if there was someone who'd be willing to take some of this proverbial weight off of my shoulders. that's not how i am, though. like the other day, when a heat-and-hormonal induced migraine hit and i tried to keep moving through it, knowing that the best thing for me would be to take my meds and go the fuck to sleep. yeah, but since i only have a few meds left and am trying to save those for my really severe migraines, i popped a couple of tylenol instead and went on with giving the twins their dinner and cleaning up and whatnot until l basically demanded that i go upstairs and go to bed. so i did...for maybe an hour or so, until my stomach decided to join the migraine party and add nausea to the mix.

back downstairs i went, even though i knew i wasn't 100% better and probably looked as wobbly as i felt. didn't matter to me, though, b/c there was still "work" to do and i was still "on the clock" since the twins were still awake. (no, i'm not getting paid and no, i'm not punching in - this is all in my head. yes, i know i'm crazy.)  even though l and her mom and j when he came home from work were all giving me that "why tf aren't you in bed?" look. 

i did come back upstairs eventually, after making myself eat a pb&j and some sun chips (mmm...sun chips) and cleaning up the kitchen and loading the dishwasher and i forget what else.

why do i do this to myself? b/c my type a-minus personality won't let me be lazy and procrastinate all the time. b/c i'm a overachiever. b/c this isn't my house. do i live here? yes, for the moment, but it isn't mine. i'd feel a lot more comfortable doing a whole lot of nothing if i only had to be responsible for myself. if part of the deal didn't involve taking care of the kids and helping out around the house. but that's the deal, and damned if i'm gonna welsh on it.

and now i've forgotten where the hell i was going with this. oh, right - i'm not back in chicago full-time yet, despite my best efforts, i'm tired and thankful at the same time, and i'm looking forward to summer anyway b/c i'll be in the city for a couple of weeks off and on. and, y'know, if you ever wanna visit me here in the lovely north 'burbs, feel free. and there were probably at least two other points i wanted to make, but the twins will be up from their nap soon and i should wrap this up while it's still relatively quiet.

yeah. happy hump day.

music diary - the end

ok, so i didn't watch nearly as much vh1 soul as i thought i would this weekend. i didn't even flip to music choice. so, yeah, these last two entries are super-short.

saturday may 12

be happy - mary j. bilge

o hai vh1 soul!

seven whole days - toni braxton

blessed - jill scott

what they do - the roots

sunday may 13

more vh1 soul!

let go - lalah hathaway

baby don't cry - lalah hathaway

don't stop your love - keith sweat

down here in hell (with you) - van hunt

this could be the night - zo!

candy girl - new edition

who do you love - bernard wright

and there you have it. this was a fun experiment. leave a comment if you participated - i'd love to see your lists. kthx.

music diary 2012 - may 11 edition

friday may 11

sweet dreams (are made of this) - eurythmics

and now we switch to the folder of 500+ songs i've played at ddpp…

addictive - truth hurts

shame - evelyn champagne king

i need more love - robert randolph & the family band

take me out - franz ferdinand

doowutchalike - digital underground

everything - p-money feat. vince harder

funky town - pseudo echo

poison - bell biv devoe

(don't) give hate a chance - jamiroquai

don't stop the music - rihanna

walk with me - mob

paradise - change

mistadobalina - del tha funky homosapien

linus & lucy - george winston

all for love - bilal

west end girls - pet shop boys

hurt - johnny cash

a change is gonna come - sam cooke

everyone nose (all the girls standing in the line for the bathroom) - n*e*r*d

sweet sonora (original mix) - nuboy & sebastien gamboa

good luck - basement jaxx & lisa kekaula

ride like the wind - christopher cross

remember the time (roforo remix) - michael jackson, fela kuti

back to the regular shuffle now…

cherish the day - sade

show me what you got - jay-z

turn me away (get munny) - erykah badu

the pressure, pt. 1 - sounds of blackness

all cried out - lisa lisa & cult jam

my lists from this weekend could be interesting, if i stick to my current plan of catching up on vh1 soul while in the city in addition to my itunes listening. we'll see what happens. :-)

music diary 2012 - wednesday/thursday

wednesday may 9

no you girls - franz ferdinand
up jumps da' boogie - timbaland & magoo feat. aaliyah
the fact is (i need you) - jill scott
mercy - duffy
yes he is (reggie burrell mix) - track & feel events
horse with no name - america
all day - girl talk (i cued this album up around 8:45pm b/c i needed something to keep me awake while i caught up on email and settled in to work on job apps)
black and yellow - wiz khalifa (sometimes listening to girl talk makes me want to listen to other songs that i really shouldn't like. this is one of them.)
single ladies (put a ring on it) - beyonce
i'm bad - ll cool j
whatever that's mine - tanya morgan
you - raheem devaughn
not like crazy - jill scott (i almost always listen to these 2 songs back-to-back. i wish someone would create a quality mashup of them.)
i want you - erykah badu
get gone - fiona apple
take me out - franz ferdinand
one time - the roots
knock power (ll cool j vs. justice) - the hood internet

thursday may 10

got to be there - chaka khan
hear my call - jill scott
get me bodied (extended mix) - beyonce
million dollar bill - whitney houston
full moon - armand van helden feat. common
love ballad - l.t.d.
already mine - dance floor plans
15 step - radiohead
touch it/technologic - daft punk
living in confusion - phyllis hyman
hey young world - slick rick
nothing compares 2 u - sinead o'connor
corners of my mind - nikka costa
honey - erykah badu
sunshower - dr. buzzard's original savannah band
strawberry letter 23 - shuggie otis
skyy, can you feel me - raphael saadiq
sometimes - bilal
ex girl to the next girl - gang starr

feel free to leave a comment if you're participating in music diary 2012, or if you got here via the music diary 2012 site and just wanna say hi. :-)

music diary 2012 - may 8 edition

i watched "smash" this morning and i suppose i could count whatever songs were covered in that episode as part of today's listening, but then i'd have to include any other songs that come up during my tv watching (outside of vh1 soul or music choice, that is) and i don't know if i feel like going that far. that said, here's my playlist from tonight:

don't gotta work it out - fitz & the tantrums
l.o.v. - fitz & the tantrums
rich girls - fitz & the tantrums
moneygrabber - fitz & the tantrums
breakin' the chains of love (brand new karate world remix) - fitz & the tantrums
in case it wasn't obvious, i downloaded a free ep from fitz & the tantrums and decided to give it a spin. you can get your own copy on their site.
(and now, back to the shuffle. actually, i cued up "sideways" 1st b/c it's been stuck in my head all day, thanks to a headline i saw about rommey's criticizing obama for running the country "sideways or worse.")
sideways - suntan feat. citizen cope
adam - me'shell ndegeocello
gold - prince
rock superstar - cypress hill
walk on by - aretha franklin
sunrise - simply red
express yourself - diplo feat. nicky da b
one time - the roots
jump in the line - harry belafonte
got to be there - michael jackson
runaway love - linda clifford
everything - p-money feat. vince harder
sinceran - nina simone
prototype - andre 3000
pastime paradise - stevie wonder (i will never listen to this song, or anything else from the "songs in the key of life" album, the same way again thanks to this book. go read it if you haven't already.)
i'm not in love - 10cc
ain't no fun - snoop
bitter sweet symphony - the verve

music diary 2012 - the beginning

while catching up on some of y'all's pages, i found out about this project. (proverbial tip of the hat to sjb) it sounded cool enough to me - keep a running tally of what i listen to this week. sometimes i tweet about what's playing anyway, so i figured this wouldn't be much of a stretch.

my plan is to post a daily list of what i've been listening. given my recent track record of posting (or lack thereof), it's entirely possible that some days will be combined. my itunes library is set on shuffle, so usually i'll start with whatever comes up and then skip songs until something else catches my ear. if a certain song gets stuck in my head, then i'll cue that up and resume shuffling once i'm done with that selection.

for the purposes of these posts, assume that i did all of my listening via my itunes library on my laptop. i will try to add notes in if another listening method presents itself.

and now i present day one of music diary 2012:

makin' happy - crystal waters

read a book - bomani "d'mite" armah

after the love is gone - mint condition

double pump - girl talk

inside my love - minnie riperton

the getaway - little brother

sexyback - justin timberlake

les fleur - minnie riperton

you & i - rick james

that's right - girl talk

make my heart - toni braxton

pastime paradise - stevie wonder

bright lights bigger city - cee-lo

countdown - beyonce

light & day/reach for the sun - the polyphonic spree

that's the way love is - ten city

one more time - daft punk

come & talk to me (rmx) - jodeci

love's gonna last - jeffree

get right - jennifer lopes

work it out - monie love

peanut butter jelly time - buckwheat boy

all these things that i've done - the killers

controversy - prince

this is it - kenny loggins

because we can - fatboy slim

proud mary - tina turner

i fail at life*

* - by life, i mean blogging. specifically posting on this blog. fuck. i'm sorry. i've been trying to catch up on my piles of magazines and library books, so between that and keeping my other site sorta kinda up-to-date, that pretty much eats up my larger chunks of free time. i mean, right now, i could be working on one of the post ideas i have on my to-do list, but i'd much rather read more of this james brown biography, so that's what i'm gonna do.

my bad, y'all. maybe i'll start working on posts during my metra commutes, since my ipod is dead (note to self - add "new ipod" to the list of things that will hopefully be in my life this year) and i don't feel nearly as nervous about working on laptop on the metra as i would on the cta. i don't think i've ever pulled out my laptop on the cta. sometimes i'm paranoid like that.

anyway...something that resembles content coming soon. i don't even have any recipe reviews for y'all b/c i haven't tried anything new lately. of course, now that i've typed that, i'll suddenly go on a recipe testing spree and then have a backlog of those posts. whee.

but y'all are good though, right? everyone's doing relatively well?

me? that's another post that i'll probably never get around to writing. :P

*taps dust off of microphone*

apologies for the lack of content here as of late. i had every intention of writing something last night, but then i wound up having a nosebleed that, i swear, lasted for at least an hour and by the time i was able to get back online, all i wanted to do was watch penguin cam until i fell asleep.

anyway - i have at least three blog ideas on my to-do list and hopefully i'll get to at least one of them w/in the next week or so. for now, though, i'm going to continue battling whatever illness decided to invade my body this week. whee.

thank you easter bunny!

remember when i had all of the rage on valentine's day? not so much today, b/c i got a totally unexpected and wonderful easter basket! there's chocolate, which, as we well know, everyone loves. and a mini-pedicure set. and a pocket/travel sized hairbrush and mirror. and...a walgreens gift card! now i can go buy more chocolate toiletries w/o having to spend what little cash i have. oh, and a card reminding me not to throw in the proverbial towel. yay! thanks, easter bunny!

in case you're wondering - yes, i know who actually gave me this kick-ass basket and they've been thanked in-person already. i just wanted to share some of the happy with y'all, ok? i have snickers eggs and cadbury caramel eggs and it is taking all i have not to pull a cookie monster and nom the unholy fuck out of all of them right now. seriously. they're right next to my laptop and they're looking at me as if they're shocked to still be intact and in their packaging and oh god i'm totally gonna eat these before i go to bed tonight. no. i will eat some other chocolate that's in my stash and save these until tomorrow at least. yes. that is what i will do.

in other news...does anyone else remember the tom & jerry easter cartoon? i thought of it this morning, specifically the duck wishing any and everyone a happy easter, and then i found this on youtube and all is temporarily well with the world. :-)

1Q2012: a look back

ok, so i haven't been able to cross anything off of my list of things that will be back in my life this year as of yet. it's gonna happen, though.

if my numbers are correct, then i applied for 360 jobs during the first quarter of 2012. there's been some interviews in there, too, but i don't have those numbers readily accesible at the moment. i also read 23 books during 1Q2012, all from the library. i've been able to spend some weekends in the city, hanging out with some of y'all, and that's been great. i've tried out a few new recipes (go back through the old posts for those if you want), and please don't ask me how many new recipes i've saved, b/c i honestly don't know.

i feel like i'm missing some details here, but it could also be because i'm tired and my brain is starting to slow down a bit for the evening. you get the point, though. i hope. maybe.

recipe review: garlic string beans

my m.o. for trying side dish recipes these days goes something like this:

--figure out what vegetable(s) are on hand
--go through the recipe folder on my hard drive to see what looks interesting and wouldn't clash with the main dish i have planned
--figure out if i have all the ingredients for a recipe or, if i don't, if i'd be ok skipping or substituting it
--jot down directions so i don't have to bring my laptop into the kitchen

so when i realized we had green beans, i started looking for ideas that wouldn't clash with the baked chicken i had planned. enter this recipe (no, not the scallops; scroll down for the side dish directions). i used a tablespoon of minced garlic b/c that's what was on hand, and i let the beans cook for a little longer than directed b/c i was working with slightly more than a pound of them and figured they could use a couple more minutes. would i make them again? absolutely.

recipe review: slow-baked salmon with lemon and thyme

i picked up some salmon during this weekend's grocery store outing b/c i was in the mood for seafood and the salmon was only a dollar more per pound than the tilapia, so why not, right? but then i realized last night that i hadn't quite decided how i was going to prepare it for tonight's dinner. lucky for me that i have a good dozen or so salmon recipes saved on my hard drive, and this was one i hadn't tried out yet. i knew i wanted something simple, and i was intrigued by this slow-baking concept, so i went with it.

i used about a teaspoon of dried thyme instead of fresh, b/c buying fresh herbs that i know will go to waste just doesn't make sense to me when i have dried herbs on hand. i didn't serve it with lemon wedges b/c i only had one lemon and i needed that for the lemon zest. the salmon fillets i had were a bit on the thick side, so i cooked them for 18 minutes and then turned the pan around and let them cook for another 5 minutes. end result? nom. would make again. i thought about adding oregano but didn't go through with it - maybe next time.

a open letter to jennifer hudson

so i was watching dreamgirls for, i don't know, the 15th time earlier tonight, and once again found myself unable to move during THE SONG. (for the uninitated - watch this video and come back here.)

and then i remembered something. back in '06, before the movie was released, there was a version of THE SONG floating around teh internets. i listened to it and quite honestly, i wasn't feeling it all that much. probably b/c jennifer holliday's version is one of my favorite songs in the history of everything. seriously, if i had to pick a stranded on a desert island playlist, THE SONG would be on it.

here's what i had to say to a friend in october 2006 after we'd both listened to the new version of THE SONG:

see, i wasn't that dazzled by the new version, but ireadily admit that part of it is sheer "how dare youtry to sing this song" hatred.

hence this open letter. i was wrong. i realized how wrong i was when bff and i saw dreamgirls in the theater in december '06 and it was so quiet during THE SONG that all you could hear was folks crying (self included), and then thunderous applause. i've realized it over again whenever i watch the movie, but since tonight was the first time in a while that i'd watched it while sober, i actually had enough presence of mind to write this.

so, j-hud, i'm sorry for doubting your ability to make THE SONG your own. my bad. forgive me?

and since i'm writing you this open letter, can we please talk about your weight watchers commercials? specifically, can you please reconsider singing in every damn commercial? y'know how mariah sang in her first spot for jenny craig and now she's talking to other women in her latest ads? that's not a bad pattern to follow. i mean no disrespect, but if i hear you doing that sing/scream thing one more time, i'm gonna have to officially quit you. this is especially true of your earlier ww ads with the cover of "feeling good." those make my soul wince every time. please. i'm pretty sure everyone in weight watchers' demographic knows that you lost 80-something pounds using ww. you don't need to yell, scream, and shout (see what i did there?) anymore. just a thought. thanks for reading.

i would save this (e)card forever.

so i saw this on sjb's site and did like 5011 fist pumps in my head. i would have all of the feelings if someone sent me this...and then i would go buy some wine and start going through my movie collection. :-)

fun with recycling

i was going through some files and saw a ipod meme that i did back in february 2009. since i suck at life and haven't come up with any original content lately, i figured i'd revisit said meme for shits and giggles. if i remember the setup correctly, you're supposed to start your ipod or itunes in shuffle mode and answer the questions based on what songs come up. here's the one i just finished, with my notes in italics:

IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
hey sweet man - madeleine peyroux
WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
war of the hearts - sad
WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
i'll write a song for you - earth wind and fire
HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
artistiya - regina carter
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
last of a dying breed - ludacris feat. lil wayne (i know.)
WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
falls (violet) - van hunt
WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
mary jane (all night long) - mary j. bilge (this is funny for reasons.)
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
naughty girl - beyonce (oh. my. *clutches pearls*)
WHAT IS 2+2?
think - aretha franklin
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
wordy rappinghood - tom tom club
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
stop - lizz wright
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
daddy fat sax - big boi
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
lovers in japan/reign of love - coldplay (buh?)
WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
levees - terence blanchard (well, damn.)
WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
don't make me wait too long - barry white (um…)
WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
zerapiky - regina carter
WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
aerodynamic beats/forget about the world - daft punk
WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
let the rhythm hit 'em - eric b. and rakim
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
who's that girl - eurythmics (the hell?)
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
steppin' out - zo! and tigallo
WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
jack in the box - ralphie may
HOW WILL YOU DIE?
c'est la vie - robbie nevil
WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
get busy - sean paul (ok, so there was this one time freshman year, but aside from that…wait, what?)
WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
i've got my love to keep me warm - ella fitzgerald
WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
got to give it up - marvin gaye
WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
submerge: til we become the sun - maxwell
WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
love to love you less - nikka costa
DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
one step ahead - aretha franklin (i want y'all to know that textedit kept autocorrecting aretha to "urethra." i was not amused.)
IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
bring me home - sade
WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
lola - me'shell ndegeocello
WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
i'll be there for you/you're all i need to get by - mary j. bilge feat. method man

and, for comparison's sake, here's the version i did 3 years ago, again with notes in italics:

IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
rock the casbah - the clash
WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
all i wanna do - sheryl crow
WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
housequake - prince
HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
boogie wonderland - earth, wind and fire & the emotions
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
celie’s curse - color purple broadway sdtk
WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
baby elephant walk - quincy jones
WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
a fifth of beethoven - walter murphy
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
mr. moon - jamiroquai
WHAT IS 2+2?
what’s your fantasy (rmx) - ludacris feat trina, shawna & foxy brown
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
sterling, virginia - patton oswalt
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
love hater - andre 3000
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
your song - ewan mcgregor & alessandro safina (moulin rouge sdtk)
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
rapture - blondie
WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
round midnight - ledisi
WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
red red red - fiona apple
WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
warning - notorious b.i.g. (wow.)
WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
the cisco kid - war (wow again.)
WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
baby, baby, baby - joss stone (oh, wtf?)
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
elliptical - me’shell ndege’ocello
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
let’s get married (remarquable rmx) - jagged edge & run
WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
another angel - lizz wright
HOW WILL YOU DIE?
sea of tranquility - kool & the gang (i can only hope to be so lucky)
WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
machete - moby
WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
pick me up i’ll dance - larry levan/melba moore
WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
blackout - lil’ louis
WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
court and spark feat. norah jones - herbie hancock
WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
young americans - david bowie (damned kids today...)
DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
butterflies (demo version) - floetry
IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
never been - mary j. blige
WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
i can’t help it - michael jackson
WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
so fine - howard johnson 

so, yeah. do with that what you will. happy monday. :P

penguin cam!

if you saw my twitter stream today, then you know that i am all about this penguin cam that the discovery channel has set up at seaworld san diego. this is easily my new favorite thing in the whole wide world. true story: a few minutes ago, i was getting worked up about my to-do list and how much of it i really need to complete tomorrow, and then i was just like "fuck this shit. i'm gonna watch some penguins." and now you can watch them, too. you're welcome. :-)



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videos of the week

these are posted in the order i saw them on tv this week. first up is this direct tv ad:



i was giggling at the turkish baths part and damn near on the floor rolling with laughter by the end.

next up, this music video that sjb tweeted in my direction, with a note telling me to pay particular attention around the 40 second mark.



i swear i've watched this video and/or listened to the song no fewer than a dozen times since wednesday. it makes me wanna do hoodrat things with my friends. i have the original and the instrumental on my ipod and it takes all i have not to start dancing in public when it comes on. it's so wonderfully ratchet.

honorable mention goes to the capital one ad with alec baldwin where he references getting kicked off a flight for playing games on his phone. it made me giggle. of course i can't find the ad online right now, so you'll just have to take my word for it.

recipe review: green beans and cherry tomatoes

yes, this recipe is probably as easy as you think it is. i used about 1/2 a pint of grape tomatoes that i cut in half, b/c that's what was in the fridge. i also used about a tablespoon of minced garlic, but if i make this again once i have a kitchen of my own (sigh), i'll probably used chopped garlic instead b/c the minced garlic, surprise surprise, damn near burned within 30 seconds. still nom, though.

fall out boy + prince

equals this gem, which i just rediscovered in my email. proverbial tip of the hat goes to sjb for sharing this with me and for making sure i didn't injure myself when i almost passed out laughing/screaming.

my name is eulalia, and i vote(d).

if memory serves me correctly, i have yet to miss an election since i've been registered to vote. you'd think that with all the recent upheaval in my life, i would've forgotten about changing my voter registration. actually, i did kinda forget about it, but chicago, lovable city that it is, went ahead and changed my registration for me based on my current mailing address. wasn't that nice of them? god forbid the city miss out on a potential vote, right?

since i won't actually be in chicago on election day, i decided to vote early while i was in the city running errands and such. i didn't get a cool "i voted" sticker, but i did get my officlal early voting receipt. i wonder if i can take that to local businesses and get discounts on stuff? no, wait...that implies that i have more than $10 in my wallet and $2 in the bank right now. never mind, then.

y'all should go vote if you haven't already. i figure if my un(der)employed, broke, and, well, technically homeless ass can do my civic duty, then other folks should be able to do the same.

and now i will step down from my soapbox and wish y'all a great weekend. :-)

recipe review: sauteed spinach with mushrooms

i made this as a side dish tonight and i can't shake the feeling that i've made it previously. nothing comes up in my searches on this blog for this recipe though, so maybe i did it back in the urbantherapy days and since that site is no more, i can't confirm or deny prior existence of this review. at any rate - this one comes from the new york times and i'm just gonna copy/paste it here:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 pound mushrooms, wiped clean, trimmed and sliced

1 to 2 garlic cloves (to taste), minced

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 pound baby spinach, rinsed but not dried; or 2 pounds bunch spinach, stemmed and rinsed but not dried, and coarsely chopped

1. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large, heavy skillet, and add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring, until seared and beginning to sweat, about five minutes. Turn the heat to medium, and add the garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Stir together for another minute or two until the mushrooms are tender. Add the spinach, and stir until wilted, about two minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and remove from the heat. Serve hot or warm.

Yield: Serves two to four.

i used about a teaspoon of dried thyme instead of fresh, and i didn't chop the bunches of spinach b/c it was all gonna wilt down anyway and i didn't really see the point. 'twas nom; would make again. the end. :-)

the celebration continues

remember back in december when i said that my birthday celebration would last until pulaski day at the earliest? well, pulaski day is on monday, and honestly, i'm not ready to put an end to this celebration yet. yeah, it'd be nice to actually have something to celebrate, like a job or an apartment or a bank balance that doesn't make me laugh to keep from crying everytime i log into my account, but all of that will happen, and hopefully soon.

in the meantime, though, i'm hereby decreeing that my birthday celebration will indeed continue until at least memorial day. i figure that gives the universe ample time to get its act together and throw some positive outcomes my way. :-)

recipe review: rice, cheddar, and spinach pie

(posts that aren't all about food coming soon. i promise. maybe.)

i was at barnes & noble on saturday and decided to thumb through a few magazines. never mind the fact that i have a huge backlog of magazines waiting for me once i'm done with my current stack of library books. anyway...i was looking at the recipe index for the most recent issue of eating well magazine and saw a listing for rice, cheddar, and spinach pie. usually i clip/save recipes to try out at a later date (read: weeks/months from when i originally see them), but since i knew we had everything except cheddar cheese and onions on hand, i decided to try to give it a whirl this week.

i made a couple of changes/substitutions, though - i used shredded sharp cheddar cheese b/c i wasn't as specific on the grocery list, and i used pre-minced garlic b/c, well, it's there and i might as well use it. for the rice, i used some leftover cooked white rice that was stashed in the freezer from our last chinese food order. i'm looking at the recipe again now and just noticed that it called for brown rice. oh well.

if/when i make this again, i'm adding more seasoning. i didn't measure the salt/pepper this time around and i thought it was a bit bland. i don't know what spice(s) i'd use, but i'd definitely start with more salt/pepper and go from there.

recipe review: balsamic honey chicken

have boneless skinless chicken breasts, will consult folder of recipes for ideas i haven't tried yet. i saved this one from an email i received who knows how long ago, and decided to go for it.

only one substituion this time - i used canned pears instead of fresh b/c that's what was on hand; i'd say maybe a can and a half, however that translates. no, wait, i lied - i used 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts that i cut in half, but that's not a substitution so much as a...oh, i don't know. a change? my brain is refusing to work properly right now, so i'll let y'all figure that one out.

in sum: this recipe was nom and i'd make it again, either with canned pears or actually buying fresh. the end.

a query b/w my brain surprises me sometimes

so i'm finalizing my outfit for a b-day party i'm attending tomorrow evening, and i picked out one of the biggest pairs of earrings i own, mainly b/c i won't be around babies for most of the day tomorrow and therefore can wear them w/o worrying about one of the twins yanking said earrings out of my ears.

then i glanced at the calendar and realized that tomorrow is february 18. february 18 was daddy's birthday. he would've been 79 tomorrow. one of the things i brought with me to the 'burbs is a little keepsake box of stuff that belonged to daddy and to james. it's mostly cta-related paraphernalia, and a bracelet made of coins from 1976 that daddy had someone make for me when i was in high school, and daddy's old masonic ring.

i tried on the bracelet and it's too small. i looked at the ring, tried it on (it actually fits on my ring finger) and, within the space of a minute or less, started a thought process that sorta kinda looked like this:

"what if i started wearing daddy's masonic ring? i could switch my class ring to my left hand and wear daddy's ring on my right. or i could put the ring on my necklace. i have a hard enough time w/the twins yanking at the chain now, though; do i want to give them more ammo? would it be weird for me to wear this ring? are there rules/guidelines for this kind of thing? i don't know. i'll ask the internet!"

and as i was about to go on twitter and pose this quasi-important question, i realized that a blog post would be more appropriate, since this is obviously way more than 140 characters. :-)

anyway...i'm opening this up for discussion. in case it matters, the aforementioned necklace belonged to james and is the one i'm always wearing. the ring on it was my mother's. you can see why the sentimental side of me is leaning toward adding daddy's ring to this mix, but i haven't made an official decision yet.

as for tomorrow - i'm leaving the ring and all the other keepsakes at home. i still have daddy's old cta key on my keychain, so that'll be my memento for the day.

heh.

so, monday's post about the grammys? post number 69 on this blog. giggity.

oh, and to follow-up on yesterday's post - i have enough chocolate in my stash to get me through the end of the week. just sayin'. :-)

why yes, i would like some cheese with that whine

if by "cheese" you mean chocolate, and by "whine" you mean actual alcohol, that is.

before i finally went the fuck to sleep last night, i'd managed to come up with a plan for today's trip into the city. the primary purpose of today's visit was for my monthly date with state-mandated bureaucracy, but i was also going to go to the harold washington library to return books and update my address, pick up my mail and a check from my most recent freelance gig, deposit said check so i could pay my cell phone bill and handle a couple other expenses, maybe have a quick chat with my former boss, go to the evanston library to return books and update my address, and buy chocolate b/c my stash is running low and we all know how dangerous that is, and somehow be done with all of this (and my "date") in enough time to meet j in skokie so we could head back to deerfield so he and l could maybe go out for a quick valentine's day coffee while i stayed home with the (hopefully) sleeping kids. i know that sounds like a lot, but i've actually gotten quite used to packing major amounts of activity into my chicago sojourns, so i had no reason to believe it wouldn't all get done.

i should've known something was up this morning when i found myself being mildly jealous of the 3 y.o. receiving cards & chocolate & presents for v-day. granted, said cards and presents and chocolate were from her grandparents and one of her classmates, but damned if the proverbial knife didn't turn in my heart just a wee bit. irrational, i know, to be even a little jealous of a 3 y.o., but the first step is admitting i have a problem and i promise that if i don't get help at charter, i will get help somewhere.

the fun continued during my trip to the train station. one of the radio stations (i forget which one) was having a segment about "sad and single girls." these women were calling in with their tales of woe in an attempt to win a vacation to...mexico? details are fuzzy b/c the twins were alternating between babbling and crying, and sometimes it takes a while to restore some semblance of calm. i was listening to these women and actually felt a bit proud b/c i wasn't sad. single, yes, but not sad. i'd managed to shake off the earlier feeling of jealousy, primarily b/c i knew there would be copious amounts of chocolate in my future.

i made it downtown, went to the harold washington library and accomplished the tasks of returning books & updating my address (note: there's a self-checkout kiosk at the harold washington library now. woo!), and then went to the red line to head south for my appointment with the state of illinois. that was a bit of a clusterfuck b/c the red line wasn't running normally (as of this writing, i haven't had a chance to find out what the exact problem was), so i went over to the orange line and then eventually wound up on the red line to continue to the link office...

...where i proceeded to wait. and wait. there's normally a good hour or so wait between the time i check in for my appointment and when i actually see a caseworker or other staff member. i figured today would be no different. so very wrong.

an hour went by. 90 minutes went by. 2 hours went by before someone called my name and asked ?s about the reason for my visit. never mind the fact that i had a sheet with all of the pertinent appointment info on it that i presented when i checked in. "oh, you're here to see ms. so-and-so? ok, have a seat and someone will call you."

suffice it to say that i was at the office for a good 3.5 hours, only to be told that no, i couldn't see a caseworker and oh, yeah, btw, my case has been canceled and i need to reapply for benefits and no, they don't know why it took so long and no, they don't know why no one told me last month that my benefits were set to expire. gee, thanks a lot for wasting my entire afternoon. happy valentine's day to me.

by the time i got back on the red line to head north, it was too late to pick up mail and the aforementioned freelance check, let alone stop in for a chat with my former boss. didn't make it to evanston, either. and slightly more painful than not picking up my check? i didn't have time to buy chocolate. which is probably for the best, b/c there's only ~$25 left on my link card and since i'm now in bureaucratic limbo, i'm not even sure i can use that.

so, yeah. fuck today and the three-legged horse it rode in on. i have to now hope that my cell phone provider cuts me a bit of slack and doesn't disconnect me between tomorrow (when my bill's due) and saturday (the next opportunity i'll have to pick up my check). i'm upset that i can't chip in on groceries for l & j and the kids b/c the state of illinois decided to...oh, hell, i can't even pretend to know what the state decided to do. no idea when i'll find out, either, b/c my application has to be reviewed and then i get to have another date with bureaucracy to attempt to figure out what in the actual fuck happened.

but, hey, at least i got to hang at starbucks long enough to write this post while being subjected to seal's cover album(s). the fact that i didn't walk over to binny's instead is a testament to how cold it is, how underdressed i am, and how little money i have in the bank. i'm seriously going to go "home," eat dinner, and figure out how long i can stretch my current stash of chocolate while wishing i could punch today in the face.

hope y'all had a better valentine's day (or tuesday, if this holiday isn't your cup of tea) than i did.

my top 3 moments from the grammys

#3 - this commercial for target:



this is my new favorite commercial. i've been that girl singing on the bus (and on the train, and walking down the street, and in the store) more times than i can count.

#2 - adele's performance:



i couldn't even talk while i was watching this last night. i'm not sure i managed to tweet during the performance, either. i was just so happy to see/hear adele back on stage singing one of my anthems from 2011, i might've just sat in my seat holding my laptop and trying not to jump up and down like a teenage fan. which leads me to my top moment...

#1 - ll cool j as host

to say i was excited when i found out that ll was hosting this year's grammys is a major understatement. y'all know i tend to watch the grammys every year b/c i like being entertained/amused, so it's not as if i needed another reason to tune in, but omg. i had to warn everyone here about my ginormous crush on ll and that i would indeed be squealing like a 12 y.o. girl. and i did. more than once. i can't even pretend to be ashamed. if you followed my tweets last night, then you got a glimpse of just how happy i was. yeah, i'm biased, but i thought ll did a great job, and we all know i'd have no problems with him hosting again next year. :-)

recipe review: skillet chicken & rice with corn and tomatoes

what happens when boneless skinless chicken breasts go on sale? you buy lots of them, and then you find yourself asking "wtf are we gonna do with all this chicken?" ok, maybe not in those exact words, but you get my drift.

anyway - i had this america's test kitchen recipe in my files and figured it was worth trying out. i'm copying it here b/c atk requires a login to view recipes and i'm guessing that some of y'all (myself included, actually) don't have an account with them.

Serves 4

To remove corn kernels from the cob: Use a chef’s knife to cut the cobs in half horizontally, and then stabilize the cobs by standing them on their cut ends before slicing the kernels from the cob. You can substitute 1½ cups frozen corn if fresh corn is not available.

1 cup long-grain white rice
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
Salt and pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1½ pounds)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 scallions, white parts minced, green parts sliced thin
3 ears corn, kernels removed from cobs
2 garlic cloves, minced
1½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 teaspoon grated zest plus 1 tablespoon juice from 1 lime

1. Combine rice, 1 cup broth, and ¾ teaspoon salt in microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave until liquid is absorbed, 10 to 12 minutes. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook chicken until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to plate.

2. Heat remaining oil in empty skillet. Cook scallion whites and corn until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

3. Stir rice and remaining broth into skillet and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, nestle chicken into rice, and cook, covered, until liquid is absorbed and chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to platter. Stir tomatoes, lime zest, and lime juice into skillet with rice and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Stir in scallion greens and season with salt and pepper. Serve with chicken.

i used frozen corn - it is february, after all, but if i made this during farmers market season, i'd probably go with fresh. i think i only used 4-5 scallions, instead of the 8 called for the recipe. i think i had the stove turned up too high and the rice was starting to stick, so i added a little more chicken broth toward the end; maybe 1/2 cup or so. i'd make this again. when sweet delicious swine is back in my life on a quasi-regular basis (read: when i once again have a place of my own), i'll probably try it with boneless pork chops or sliced pork tenderloin.

recipe review: hearty meatball stew

i saw this recipe while watching food network a week or so ago. i told l about it, she bought ground turkey during a trip to the store, and i put it on this week's menu plan.

did i mention that i'm sick? and that most of the folks here have been sick this week? my taste buds aren't working properly, breathing through my nose is becoming a distant memory, and the fact that i had enough energy to do all the prep and pull off a decent, if admittedly bland, meal is impressive to me.

and now, the substitutions/changes. let's start with the meatballs:

--used 2.5 lbs of ground turkey, about 1/2 cup of water, salt, pepper, dried parsley, garlic powder, paprika, and panko. i didn't measure any of the spices. also didn't measure the panko, although i probably should have so i'd know for next time. oops. it all came together the 1st time around, so yay for that. i got about 24 meatballs out of it - 1/2 for this stew, and 1/2 for tomorrow's dinner tbd.

for the stew: a can of green beans (drained) instead of fresh, 2 potatoes instead of one b/c they were a bit on the small side, a large (oh, i dunno, 24-25oz) can of diced tomatoes (drained), about 2 cups of chicken broth, skipped the red pepper flakes, and added extra salt & pepper along with garlic powder & paprika. no, i didn't measure the spices here, either. you'll have to use your own best judgment here, folks.

consensus seems to be that the stew was nom, if a bit bland. i probably could've added more spices, but as mentioned previously, my taste buds aren't fully functional right now and i didn't want to overdo it. that said, i'd probably make this again, possibly with (turkey) italian sausage mixed in.