| culinary dorkitude |
[12 Sep 2008|01:13pm] |
I've realized that I am, in fact, one of those women who can come up with dozens of things to do with a zucchini. And yes, apparently that's an archetype. Or at least it is in my mind.
Having gotten used to having the green veggie practically forced upon me by many gardneing friends and relatives, my ingenuity has come to shine.
One summer I got hooked on making zucchini and black bean tacos with or without soyrizo. Delicious. Another year I made zucchini bread all the time. I've fried slices of a particularly large one and eaten it in a sandwich. I've stuffed and baked it.
This year I've been making sauteed zucchini with cracked black pepper, fresh basil and goat cheese. I've had it on pizza, I've grilled it, and I've sliced it as a crudite with dip. I've made zucchini muffins, and zucchini "fritters." I've made "zucchini carpaccio." I've frozen it in various forms. I've even fed it to Junot (who loves it, but too much gives him the trots.)
Last night I made zucchini parmigiana using fresh mozzarella, GF bread crumbs, free-range eggs and locally-made sauce. It was delicious. I kind of impress myself sometimes, haha.
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| what the hell... |
[27 Jun 2008|08:56am] |
The Big Read reckons that the average adult has only read
6 of the top 100 books they've printed. Well let's see.
1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you intend to read.
3) Underline the books you LOVE.
4) Reprint this list in your own LJ so we can try and track down these people who've read 6 and force books upon them
1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series- JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights
8 Nineteen Eighty Four- George Orwell (i know, i know.)
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22- Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare (i highly doubt that anyone other than shakespearean scholars have really read every single one.)
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With the Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace- Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath- John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland- Lewis Carroll (i've read some of it.)
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis (I read the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and a couple of others. I've forgotten which ones.)
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis (why isn't this part of 33?)
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code- Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White- Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World- Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita- Vladimir Nabokov ( i really have to catch up on my russian lit.)
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On the Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From a Small Island - Bill Bryce
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell (i just finished mitchell's ghostwritten and loved it. this one's next.)
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary- Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom ( i LOATHE Albom. Never again!)
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (I've read several of them.)
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo
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[19 Jun 2008|11:04pm] |
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Lately even just trying to be a halfway decent person seems like an impossibly overwhelming task.
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[29 Feb 2008|06:47am] |
it's 6:47 a.m. and i've been at work for 45 minutes.
'Nuff said.
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[14 Feb 2008|06:06pm] |
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I need to find a mentor....
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[13 Feb 2008|11:01am] |
http://video.westminsterkennelclub.org/player/?id=217305
I've gotten so hooked on the Westminister Dog Show judging videos this year.
I know everyone says this, but "my" dog really is the most adorable thing in the world. I might be in love with him. I have told Dan that if we split, I'm probably going to have to take Junot. I'd be too sad without him. Maybe we could set out to write the modern female equivalent of "Travels with Charley."
Dan's new roommate Kristen has this little love seat that Junot has adopted. At first I tried to be the disciplinarian and make him stay off of it. However, Kristen and Dan encouraged it because he just looks so fucking cute on it. So I relented. Because it really is the most adorable thing in the world to see him sleeping on the love seat.
He LOVES it. He really is just so fucking happy to be sleeping on the love seat. Sometimes he lays on it with all on four paws intertwined. In fact, it's so fucking cute that Dan, Kristen and I keep finding ourselves just watching him for periods of time. This morning he looked like he was sucking his thumb. If there was a Junot Web cam, I'd watch it all the time. At one point, Dan bought a child's race car bed for Junot to sleep in and when he wanted Junie to go into it, he would say "Junot, Vrooom, vroom." So now when you want Junot to go lay down on the love seat, you just have to say "Junot, vroom, vroom" and he runs and gets onto it. Kristen found her dog, Cooper, (an oddly charming llasa apso) sleeping on the loveseat with Junot one morning and snapped a cell phone picture.
Last Saturday, Junot and Cooper were running around and playing before I got out of Dan's bed. Junot started doing this little game where they'd both run into the bedroom, lick my face, run out again and then do the same thing a few minutes later. They must have done it about four times. It was too cute.
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[11 Sep 2007|01:38pm] |
I'm going to Chicago next month to visit my friend Sam in her new digs, maybe check out Medill and of course, have some fun.
I plan on checking out the Day of the Dead exhibit at the National Museum of Mexican Art, eating a lot of good Mexican food in the Pilsen neighborhood, doing some major thrift-shopping, perhaps catching an art film at the Gene Siskel Film Center and hopefully getting to see a live production of Mortified.
I'll be staying with Sam and her boyfriend Josh for most of the trip, although I'd like to get a hotel for at least the Saturday and Sunday night. I'm looking for something that's not super expensive and is close to "the nightlife."
If anyone has any ideas of where I should go or stay and what I should see/do, please let me know. I've never been to the windy city before so I don't know what to expect. I'd love actual advice and ideas from people I know who have been there because I don't always trust online reviews. The last time I relied on online reviews, Dan and I got practically got sick on horrible tasting clams from a lame restaurant in Mystic, Connecticut.
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[05 Sep 2007|12:51pm] |
why am i so terrible at just staying still?
(i think i need to re-teach myself how to relax on my own without always jumping at every call, every urge to go/do/see/be somewhere/something/someone else.)
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[16 Jul 2007|10:40am] |
Internet-Obsessed Couple Let Kids Starve
AP
Posted: 2007-07-16 07:22:19
RENO, Nev. (July 15) - A couple who authorities say were so obsessed with the Internet and video games that they left their babies starving and suffering other health problems have pleaded guilty to child neglect.
The children of Michael and Iana Straw, a boy age 22 months and a girl age 11 months, were severely malnourished and near death last month when doctors saw them after social workers took them to a hospital, authorities said. Both children are doing well and gaining weight in foster care, prosecutor Kelli Ann Viloria told the Reno Gazette-Journal.
Michael Straw, 25, and Iana Straw, 23, pleaded guilty Friday to two counts each of child neglect. Each faces a maximum 12-year prison sentence.
Viloria said the Reno couple were too distracted by online video games, mainly the fantasy role-playing "Dungeons & Dragons" series, to give their children proper care.
"They had food; they just chose not to give it to their kids because they were too busy playing video games," Viloria told the Reno Gazette-Journal.
Police said hospital staff had to shave the head of the girl because her hair was matted with cat urine. The 10-pound girl also had a mouth infection, dry skin and severe dehydration.
Her brother had to be treated for starvation and a genital infection. His lack of muscle development caused him difficulty in walking, investigators said.
The Straws have been given public defenders. Jeremy Bosler, head of the county public defender's office, declined to comment to The Associated Press on Saturday.
Michael Straw is an unemployed cashier, and his wife worked for a temporary staffing agency doing warehouse work, according to court records. He received a $50,000 inheritance that he spent on computer equipment and a large plasma television, authorities said.
While child abuse because of drug addiction is common, abuse rooted in video game addiction is rare, Viloria said.
Last month, experts at an American Medical Association meeting backed away from a proposal to designate video game addiction as a mental disorder, saying it had to be studied further. Some said the issue is like alcoholism, while others said there was no concrete evidence it's a psychological disease.
Patrick Killen, spokesman for Nevada Child Abuse Prevention, said video game addiction's correlation to child abuse is "a new spin on an old problem."
"As we become more technologically advanced, there's more distractions," Killen said. "It's easy for someone to get addicted to something and neglect their children. Whether it's video games or meth, it's a serious issue, and (we) need to become more aware of it."
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[10 Apr 2007|03:19pm] |
i have so much stuff i should be doing, feel obligated to do, desire to do, et cetera, but lately my motivation seems to swirling down the toilet faster and faster.
on the plus side, i have off tonight and dan and i have whiskey, beer, DDR and Guitar Hero 2.
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[09 Apr 2007|06:01pm] |
Is anyone going to be looking for a roommate in the Queens or northern Brooklyn area any time soon?
My best friend Kira is looking to leave her place in Park Slope. She's like to be somewhere closer to Queens, because she will be attending Queens College in the fall for grad school and works at a gallery in Long Island City. She's a very cool girl and I'd love to be able to play a little game of roommate matchmaker if possible.
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[06 Apr 2007|04:23pm] |
HAPPY 26th CRYSTAL!
And congrats on yet another piece at UAG!
You rock!
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[14 Mar 2007|03:45pm] |
So, normally I feel like I'm the only person around who doesn't totally love the Arcade Fire. I felt "Funeral" was completely over-rated.
But "Neon Bible"? I am completely loving it. I actually bought it from iTunes today and listened to it while I got ready for work. I first heard "Black Mirror" on the radio the other day and was totally digging it. I was rather shocked when the DJ announced it was the Arcade Fire's new stuff.
Review from Slate:
The Great Rock Hope: Arcade Fire grabs the baton from Bruce Springsteen and U2
By Jody Rosen
( Read more... )
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[13 Mar 2007|04:07pm] |
FREE EC!
FREE EC at Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood
March 20, 2007
Back up your birth control with emergency contraception (EC)
If the condom breaks, if you forget to take your birth control pill, or if for any reason you have unprotected sex, you CAN still take action to prevent pregnancy. EC can safely and effectively prevent pregnancy if used within five days after unprotected sex. It is 95% effective if taken within 72 hours!
Don't wait until an accident happens.
Stop by a participating UHPP health center on March 20, 2007
and receive FREE EC* to keep at home-just in case.
Please bring photo ID.
Want more information? Call your local UHPP health center!
Albany Health Center: 259 Lark Street (518) 434-5678
Open 3/20 from 8:30am to 5:00pm
Troy Health Center: 200 Broadway (518) 274-5640
Open 3/20 from 8:30am to 5:00pm
Latham Health Center: Shaker Center, Route 155 (518) 785-1146
Open 3/20 from 12:00 noon to 8:00pm
Hudson Health Center: 190 Fairview Ave. Hudson, NY (518) 828-4675
Open 3/20 from 12:00 noon to 8:00pm
*one per person
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[09 Mar 2007|04:33pm] |
Yesterday I was cranky all day for no real reason. I hate when I get in those sorts of moods. And to top it off, both pairs of shoes that I ordered last week had to get sent right back. I hate my irregularly-shaped feet sometimes.
Jamie and I went to Red Square's 80s night on Wednesday and I danced a little too enthusiastically. I felt sore the next day, particularly in my abs, which embarrasses me a little. On the plus side, I had a great time.
Tuesday night I met Crystal and the boys at Trivia Night and we kicked immense amounts of ass. We would have won, were it not for the team of NYPIRG guys who always manage to stay literally one point ahead of us.
This week I have Sunday off and then I have to go back to work from Monday through Friday. It's bumming me out a little, because that's what happened last week too. My "big" plans for the weekend consist of going out to Mexican Radio in Hudson because I'm craving their calamari terribly. I'm justifying this excursion by calling it a celebration of Dan being done with DUI classes and me getting asked by ARTnews magazine to write a piece for them. I'm excited about it, but a little nervous too. My first piece in a major magazine! Ahhhhh!
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| i want to go to one of these shows soooo badly |
[21 Feb 2007|12:50pm] |
Hailed a "cultural phenomenon" by Newsweek and celebrated by the likes of This American Life, The Today Show, The Onion AV Club, Esquire, Entertainment Weekly, Daily Candy and more, Mortified is a comic excavation of teen angst artifacts (journals, letters, poems, lyrics, home movies, stories and more) as shared by their original authors before total strangers. As the largest and longest-running project of its kind, our grassroots comedy collective has spent years sifting through hundreds of otherwise forgotten notebooks on a mission to celebrate the extraordinary lives of ordinary people.
Our stage show, Mortified Live, plays to nonstop packed houses in multiple cities (LA, NYC, San Fran, Boston, Chicago) fueled by intense word-of-mouth and a devoted fanbase. Our book, Mortified: Real Words, Real People, Real Pathetic is currently in stores.Visit www.getmortified.com for more.
After all, where else can you hear grown men and women confront their past with firsthand tales of their... first kiss, first puff, worst prom, fights with mom, life at bible camp, worst hand job, best mall job, and reasons they deserved to marry Bon Jovi? Participants include a wide range of people, from professional performers (comics, celebrities, singers) to total amateurs (architects, ad execs, salesmen) all in the noble pursuit of self-degradation. Witness personal redemption through public humiliation.
Share the shame.
Wed., February 21, 2007 8:00 PM Los Angeles, CA Mortified LA
Wed., February 21, 2007 8:00 PM Boston, MA Mortified Boston
Fri., March 16, 2007 8:00 PM San Francisco, CA MORTIFIED San Francisco
Sat., March 17, 2007 8:00 PM San Francisco, CA MORTIFIED San Francisco
Wed., March 21, 2007 8:00 PM New York City, NY Mortified NYC
Wed., March 21, 2007 8:00 PM Los Angeles, CA Mortified LA
Wed., March 21, 2007 8:00 PM Boston, MA Mortified Boston
Wed., March 28, 2007 8:00 PM Chicago, IL Mortified Chicago
Thu., April 19, 2007 8:00 PM Boston, MA Mortified Boston
nothing amuses me more than people willingly sharing their mortifying moments. everyone should go to these!
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[15 Feb 2007|01:41pm] |
you know you're really loved when:
-your boyfriend brings tea and juice and lunch to your laryngitic, ailing, and whiny-ass as you lay around in his bed until 2:30 p.m.
-and then spends several hours with you attempting to assuage your guilt at not going in to work yesterday (despite the fact that you are sick/ car buried under three feet of snow)by collecting video footage of the snowstorm and then unsuccessfully making multiple attempts to upload it to your co-workers
-listens to you stupidly kvetch over nothing
-and then makes you dinner
-gets up before 5 a.m. to spend two hours shoveling out your car from the parking lot (including getting down to dig out ice with his hands because you stupidly tried to move the car the night before and therefore caused the formerly-powdered snow to turn into icy snow)
-and then insists upon digging it out the rest of the way once the plow comes and gets it all warmed up for you.
who needs flowers or candy or candlelit restaurant meals? not this girl.
i don't think i've ever felt more loved than i did this morning/last night.
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[12 Jan 2007|05:52pm] |
Let's talk sex...
No, seriously.
I want to facilitate discussion on non-monogamy and open relationships.
Do you believe it is possible to maintain a healthy, trusting yet open relationship? That is, if you and your partner both know that you are each other's number one and you have a strong love between you, is it possible to occassionally have noncommittal, casual sex with someone else? And if so, what's the best way to go about this...full disclosure or don't ask-don't tell?
Is monogamy an artificial construction that we think we must have simply because that's what society instills within is? Or is it time to cast off those labels and just live doing what makes you happy? Is monogamy what we really want?
How do you prevent jealousy from taking over? Can you?
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[03 Jan 2007|11:55pm] |
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if anyone is free tomorrow night and would be willing to entertain me to get me out of my slump, please get at me.
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