matters not. Is it strange that I'm surprisingly calm? I must admit, I'm worried that I'm not worried.

Here we go. It's time to get ready for the show. 11am it starts. When will it end? No one knows but as long as the result is Victory then length of time

Less than 24hrs left! I truly hope it's one and done because I don't think I can live through another 60-90 day panic attack.

The Choices We Make

Sometimes it is easier to live in ignorance. To turn a blind eye on the events taking place before us. 

Recently I was introduced to a movie, The Cove, which angered and saddened me.

Human greed, the quest for power, innocent lives lost (human and animal) just so that "they" can make a quick buck regardless of the cost.

Not good. Not good at all.

As soon as the movie was over I made a stance. No more meat for me! Yes, I am from here on out choosing to be a vegetarian. I think this will be an easy feat for me since I hardly eat beef/poultry as it is. So far, it's been 3 days. I've added more vegetables to my diet, cut out processed foods, white flour and white sugar and am feeling lighter already.

But a few more words about The Cove.
Please, please, please! see this movie! and after which, if you feel moved toward action, go here.

Laughed So Hard I Cried a Little

An Absolute Must See

The Dreaded Stairs [HQ]

There is a set of stairs, with a moving escalator next to it .... both of which lead to the same spot on the floor of the upper level. At first no one took the stairs, almost 97% of the people took the escalator. Okay. I think that could be a normal expected result. Then a group of engineers got together, and decided they wanted to change the percentage around. Notice what these scientists did. Clever huh. And now they have reversed the percentages, as a whopping 66% more people take the stairs, than ride the escalator.

Length: 1:47

(watch the video with sound)



...we all need a little fun in our lives, it makes the world a better place!

Ebb and Flow (or, how much can change in a matter of hours)

To be fair, I think the title is a bit melodramatic, but I'm going with it.

I have a cold.
I've been sneezing and my head has been spinning.
The spinning head is presenting some challenges.
Ambulating around the house is akin to walking on the moon and I'm having difficulty with the putting words into sentences part of life.
Yoga, it goes without mention, has ceased. No way am I going to hang upside down when at the present moment down truly is up.    

Thursday night after dinner with wonderful people, Mr. Vincent vomited all over the backseat of Brian's car. Later that night, or maybe early Friday morning, the dog suffered from a large bout of stool incontinence which Brian, to his dismay, was the one to discover. 

Friday evening promised to be better.

There was a screening of "The Illusionist" for senior adult movie night at PCCH. 

Why am I at senior adult movie night? I am the official popcorn maker and damn proud of it! 

Five people were in attendance but the movie was well received by the same seniors who found "The Truman Show" to be confusing. 

The night concluded with several glasses of wine and a few friendly rounds of Yamslam! 

I won once with 280 points. 

Friday into Saturday did not transition as well as I would have liked.

This should have been the omen for things to come, but I don't believe in omens. 

I did not sleep at all Friday night. I have what used to be insomnia which has now morphed into constant nightmares. Fun. 

(I think I should write a novel based on all my nightmares, they are one continuous story after all) 

Saturday morning after the aforementioned sleepless night, I, paranoid and horror stricken, ran downstairs when Mr. Vincent decided to bark at nothing. 

Because barking at nothing early in the morning is unusual for him I automatically assumed he had lost control of his bowels once again.

The kitchen was clean and Mr. Vincent looked at me like I was the crazy one disturbing his quiet time.

Several trips to the bathroom for Mr. Vincent proved to be uneventful and I decided to give my paranoia a rest. 

Fast forward to 10am.

Brian leaves for a breakfast man-date with a friend of his from Florence. 

Vincent and I remain at home.

The front door is locked. 

The back door is locked.

I decide to take the dog for a walk hoping that he can finally do his business and I can treat myself to a nice cup of tea, warm fireplace and a good book after all is said and done. 

We exit the house through the garage. 

We enjoy a 15 minute walk around the development. 

All tasks are accomplished. It is time to go home. 

I enter the house through the garage and discover ... drum-roll please... the door to the house is locked. 

It is cold. 

There is a door and about 25 feet between me, my cup of tea, fireplace and whatever book I decide to start reading. 

I am not happy. 

My dreams are shattered.

What am I to do?

I contemplate my options. 

Walk (ha! about 5 miles if not more) to the restaurant where Brian is and ask for the house key? 

Perhaps. But I have a dog with me and they won't let both of us in.

Use a neighbors phone to call Brian and ask him to come home and let me in?

I foresee several problems: Brian not answering a number he does not know, Brian not hearing his phone ring, Brian not getting my voicemail until much later. Other problems include but are not limited to: I don't want to cut his time short by interrupting. I don't want to freeze to death in the garage. 

I walk next door and ring the bell. No answer. I ring again. No answer. 

I don't even bother trying the other neighbors to our left, I know they aren't home. 

Resigned to my fate, I sit in the garage (with the garage door closed to preserve what little heat there is) and wait for Brian to get home. 

30 minutes later my knight in shinning armor arrives and I am saved from certain death. 

What happened, you ask?

The same knight who saved me was the one to place me, albeit unintentionally, into this predicament.

For you see, before he left for his man-date he tinkered with the [house] door to the garage and inadvertently (I am choosing to believe his innocence) locked it.  

I have been thawing myself since, and I am still not done. 

My Life Rocks!

• I have Brian in my life :)
• Mr. Vincent is growing up which means he's cuddling more (I love his hugs & kisses)
• I'm perfecting my form and it feels Great!
• I know I will reach all my goals and meet all my deadlines successfully
• Vacation Planning begins soon! :)
• Treating myself to a day of Beauty 
• Having dinner tonight with wonderful people :)

The Quest Is On

Nutrition and healthy eating has been on the forefront of my mind for quite sometime. I once took a Nutrition 101 course and I think that forever sparked my interest in food. Additionally, having a mom that performs incredible feats in the kitchen was even more incentive to begin my own culinary adventures. 

Like any child, I was a picky eater and admittedly even now there are certain foods I will not eat: mushrooms, avocado, lamb, certain cheeses, eggs etc. Mostly it's the texture of the food that will either win me over or prevent me from further sampling. Yet, in some ways my palate has grown and I have become adventurous in trying the unusual (haven't had the chance to do it as much as I'd like). My food motto has morphed into "if I'm traveling to a country, I want to experience their local and weirdest cuisine." Pretty daring for me, considering getting sick in a foreign country is not my idea of a good time.   

So, with the help of some friends (read Saveur) I happily embarked on my food adventures. As my affinity for cooking and eating grew so did my sources of inspiration.

Julie and Julia

 

became for me a symbol of the trials, mishaps and delicious accomplishments experienced by one who goes, does and cooks.

Once others received word of my undertakings, I was only supplied with an even greater number of inspiration. Brian's mom subscribed me to Food Network Magazine, the first issue arrived in the beginning of January 2011 and there are delicious pancakes that I want to try my hand at making. Brian bought me The Good Housekeeping Cookbook and my mom bought me Around My French Table.  All in all, I am ready! The only factor stopping me from taking step one is the idea I ingrained into my own head- I want to eat healthy.

How do I combine health and flavor without cutting out ingredients? I don't know but am on a mission to find out! 

It's a [N]ice Day

First act of the day was de-icing the driveway and scrapping the ice off of the grass so that Mr. Vincent could go potty. The splitting of the ice beneath his paws and his unsteady gait as he made his way further down the street to do his other business -he's too proper to soil his own front lawn- I found to be endearing and wanted to keep walking with him for much longer than he would allow. For a dog that drinks anything in liquid form (aside from scotch which he absolutely detests; Lagavulin being most offensive) he sure does not enjoy being precipitated upon.

  

After the nice workout and semi-adrenaline rush I got from shoveling, it was off to the kitchen to perfect breakfast. Perfecting breakfast in my house means making the same egg dish over and over until presentation and taste are up to par. Thankfully, in Brian I have an obliging food tester, and why not, the end result always weighs in his favor.   

Whatever Happened to...

Back in the day I used to be very fit and athletic. A former gymnast, karate/kendo/tae kwon do/aikido (not all at the same time mind you) practitioner, I could twist myself into all sorts of funky shapes, putting pretzels everywhere to shame. Yesterday however, was a rude awakening.

Yesterday I began my first Spin-Yoga Fusion class at my awesome gym. Spin-Yoga Fusion, you ask? It's sheer greatness! 30 minutes of spinning followed by 30 minutes of yoga resulting in an inability to move because muscles that you never knew existed are now awake and damn it, they want their oxygen.

Now, for one who is physically fit, I wonder what they would make of S.Y.F. Me, however, the last time I did any sort of physical activity, aside from carrying large nursing school textbooks from car to class, was in the summer of 2009. Needless to say, I am somewhat out of shape. Worst of all, I didn't realize how my once flexible joints have suddenly become creaky and in need of some WD40 because let me tell you, today getting out of bed and moving around the house was indeed a challenge.

Thankfully, my katana-wielding skills are still intact.

Hiatus. Over.

Hiatus over indeed.

I felt that my return should be accompanied by a new design, a homage to one of my favorite seasons and all the lovely, comforting foods that come with it. 

Ah yes! Food. In addition to a new design, I will be adding new content - Food. 

So with out further ado, I present my first official "culinary entry." 

-Sweet and Spicy Sausage Rounds-

Ingredients

• 1 lb Kielbasa sausage, cut into 1/4" rounds
• 2/3 c blackberry jam
• 1/3 c steak sauce
• 1 Tbsp prepared mustard 
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• add a side dish (I chose to make garlic mashed potatoes)

Slow Cooker Directions

1. place all ingredients except side dish in slow cooker; toss to coat completely. 
2. cook on High 3 hrs or until thickly glazed (I cooked on High 3hrs then Low 2hrs)
3. server over side dish

makes 3 cups

Before I begin with the photos (I'd add instructions, but that would be overkill since this dish is so easy to make), I must say that I used the above recipe more as a guideline and flavored the sausage as I saw fit
(read = added more of everything, but focused mostly on the blackberry jam)

sausage 

adding steak sauce to the sausage & blackberry jam (addition of mustard not shown)

cooking

the final product. tastes much better than it looks, I promise!

The above is courtesy of One Dish, Slow Cooker, Casseroles cookbook lent to me by my mommy ( :] ) an amazing chef who I single-handedly credit with my love for food as well as my passion for cooking.

Sadly, the disconnect from "I love food" to actual cooking, came from me never being one to cook for myself. However, I love having someone to cook for! and now that B and I are homeowners I have a permanent "someone" to stuff full of food (and the accompanying  happiness, well that's just a perk!)

B's critical voice: dinner was exceptional.

Thus ends my first ever culinary post. I hope you enjoyed it my dear readers.         

The College Life, Take 2

There is nothing better in life than giving up financial independence, free time, a carefree existence, time with cherished friends and family, all for the purpose of pursuing a dream. This dream that I speak of was more of a passion, a passion to obtain a greater fulfillment from my life expressed through serving others.

I followed my dream wholeheartedly, my mind shielding me from remembering the penniless existence I used to lead as a [first time] college student. The little naive me that I was, only some 15 months ago, happily threw caution to the wind and embarked on said dream by giving up my adulthood life and all the luxuries that came with it.

Now, the older and wiser me yearns for the simple luxuries of life- a homemade meal, like the ones I used to make from scratch (and let's not forget the Love added in for good measure).

So, yesterday I couldn't help but laugh at myself when I unpacked my groceries and to my amused horror had bought -

And ate this for dinner:

I must say, this takes me back to the days of being a [first time] college student on a small budget and a diet consisting of tater tots, Ramen Noodle Soup and Snapple Ice Tea.

Guess I've upgraded to fancier noodles, added a little nutrition to my meal, and now pay $2 for a half gallon ice tea. Yep, life is good.

My Apologies

Dear Readers, (or, my one and only reader B, who I had to coerce into sitting in front of the computer both times to actually read what I wrote)

I must apologize for my previous (and only) posts. The awful garbage that spewed forth I couldn't even bring myself to read. How you did it is beyond me and even more so, that you came back and are reading this, then all  I have to say is- what's wrong with you? But, if I won your affections, then, yay me!

So, having said all that, here is my declaration:
*raising right hand with left hand placed on an imaginary copy of The Upanishads*
I, author of this blog, hereby solemnly swear that I will no longer publish unmitigated garbage.
All posts by me, author of this blog, will from henceforth be what I consider of the highest quality.*

Sincerely,
Yours Truly

Have a Nice Day.

*definition of "highest quality" is the subjective opinion of the author and if you don't like it, well then, no soup for you!

Independence Day (part two)

In the spirit of continuing to live life beautifully, taking joys in the simplest of pleasures, B and I extended our Independence Day celebration by attempting to watch the sun set on the breathtaking grounds of Bryn Athens.
However good our intentions, "sun set watching" was not in the cards for us as the sun hid behind the trees and out of view.

A quick, little impromptu lunch was thrown together by yours truly; full of small little yummy treats.
B, never having been to Bryn Athens (as he's not originally from the area) very much enjoyed himself and was inspired to talk about Great Ideas and Literature to his and my heart's content.

However, our true intention was to continue the Independence Day festivities by watching a display of fireworks at a local elementary school.

The show, which was scheduled to begin at 9p was delayed by half an hour giving all sorts of creepy crawlies and mosquitoes just plenty of time to make a feast off of our bodies. Thoroughly bitten, dirty and itchy we returned home, happy at having seen some pretty fireworks light up the night sky.

Independence Day (part one)

You have to love a Nation that celebrates its Independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but this is patriotism - Erma Bombeck

Although my Independence Day did not quite play out in the aforementioned way, I still nonetheless had a marvelous day. The perfect lazy Sunday began with a leisurely lounging around the house as B and I waited for the scorching sun to take pity on us before we ventured out.

Our adventure began with a trip to Princeton Record Exchange where hours were spent perusing the many, many titles offered. Thirty five dollars later we happily walked away with an eclectic yet pleasing mix.

We continued our Princeton excursion with stopping by The Bent Spoon where we indulged our sweet tooth with some of the yummiest ice cream my tongue has ever encountered - Hazelnut for B, Sicilian Blood Orange for yours truly.

The evening continued on with a visit to Borders and a happy me walking away with yet another book.

Dinner at Penang concluded our night out.

As a first time visitor I had a difficult time deciding between which dish(es) to hone in on but pleasantly selected the Crispy Honey Squid as my appetizer and Pi Pa Duck with a side of White Rice for my entree. However much I enjoyed my meal, it could not have competed with the deliciousness that was ordered by B- Mango Chicken creatively served in two halves of a mango.

- Crispy Honey Squid - that I was too busy enjoying before I realized I wanted to take a photo (hence, a good portion of the plate is empty)

- Pi Pa Duck - again, I got ahead of myself, ate most of the 1/2 of duck and then realized I wanted to take a photo

- Mango Chicken - the yummiest of the dishes ordered. No wonder B has been ordering the same meal for the past 8 years