Feature image via shutterstock.
image by rory midhani
Happy friday, lightning bugs, and welcome to the Friday Open Thread! A place for photos, a place for GIFs, a place for feelings, a place for weather-related commiseration.
It’s hot. Really hot. I’m catsitting in Ottawa right now (in my former apartment for my former cat, as you do) and when I volunteered a few months ago — back before a week of 35ºC days — I was really excited about the prospect of spending a week cuddling up to what is probably the handsomest cat in existence.
so handsome right now
But right now it’s hot and humid and gross out and I have to keep wetting down the cat so he doesn’t get overheated (and also because he doesn’t like drinking water even if someone puts something interesting in it, but he’ll lick water off his fur all day long), and every time I do he brushes against me lovingly, and my sweaty bare legs get covered in cat hair and while it’s definitely a summer look I am not super excited about it being my summer look, even temporarily.
Another side effect of the heat (also of anxiety lately) is that I’ve gone from elaborate kitchen adventures to single-ingredient meals. Eggs. Cabbage. Watermelon. Tomatoes. Kale. Actually the tomatoes and kale were grown on the balcony which I found pretty impressive, but still not very exciting.
yes that is a drawer being used as a flower box
Anyway because I’m eating mostly boring things and because the cat is just really into bison-based treats right now and not up for talking about anything else, today I want you to ask yourself one question: what is the best thing I ate this week? Then I want you to show me. Ideally with a photo, maybe with a recipe, possibly with words or a curated series of interpretive GIFs or whatever your heart says. I also want to know what else you’re up to this week! Did something good or something terrible or something terribly good happen? Did you get a job or a girl or a parking fine or a cute look from a barista or something interesting in the mail or to try a new thing? I want to know you; I want to know your soul.
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that is a nice looking cat!
lately I have been powering through cooking a lot of things at once and then snacking through them and not bothering otherwise except to eat peaches from our CSA. no pictures though, and this means I’ve been eating a lot of artichoke walnut goat cheese pizza. (walnuts on pizza are really good! our local place that does movies and dinner service has a veggie pizza with walnuts on it, it’s real good)
gf has this pizza recipe from a veggie restaurant in boston where she used to live which is a pizza with goat cheese and grilled onions and roasted squash and it’s called “dinner for henry” which was the restraunteurs cat and genuinely I hope they did not expend all that effort to make pizza for their cat. cats do not understand pizza.
also I made a pizza on the grill last week, which went ok. I have also been getting into make lebneh lately (by straining the fuck out of a bunch of yogurt and putting zahtar on top) and I think I just might make a grilled flatbread with pizza dough this weekend for that purpose.
and I made a hummus cucumber goat cheese sammie yesterday on sourdough wheat bread that was pretty great.
I had dinner with my dad last night (we went to a midscale hippie dippie place and had food that I make for myself at home but mine is better) and he was like “wait so what do you do with all your time” and I was like “dad I literally work all the time or plan a wedding or deal with the emotional fallout of plannning a wedding or make food so I can do all these things because I get home at 8pm at the earliest most nights and it’s all I can manage to roast some vegetables and then make myself go to bed after watching goofy lesbian couples on their respective youtube channels, like I don’t have a lot of extracurriculars these days.”
I am not actually that exhausted by my life I just don’t have a lot of time for people being like “but why aren’t you on a co-rec soccer league exactly?” and it is easier to be like TOO BUSY than to be like “I use my scant free time talking about all the weird things people said to me today to my girlfriend while she falls asleep on my shoulder and we show each other youtube videos of dogs trying to run up slides and sometimes I read novels about what women think about things, which I know you’re not interested in.”
anyway. you should make some lebneh. I made some to go with the gazpacho I made last week (re: the awl) and the gazpacho was ok and the lebneh was incredible. but you’re vegan though maybe? in which case, have some coconut yogurt and stay out of the sun.
I made blackcurrant and lebneh cake, and it was the most incredible sweet ~ tangy deliciousness mmmmmmmmmm…..
WHAT WHAT WHAT IS THIS THING SHOW ME WHERE
I have sadly no photos…but if you’re really interested I can send you a recipe!
I used lebneh because I thought it would offset blackcurrants (which I love) really well. I’m happy to say it worked deliciously well!
Count me as really interested!
Not vegan, just super dairy (and some other things) intolerant, so I’ll still be hanging out over here with my coconut yogurt and drooling at your lebneh.
The amount of goat cheese in this comment makes me very happy.
Also, do you know which veggie place in Boston the “dinner for Henry” pizza is from? I live in Boston and that sounds like a thing I would very much like to try.
She says the restaurant doesn’t exist anymore, but it’s from this book which I bet you could get at the library: http://www.didiemmons.com/content/entertaining-veggie-planet
I will check it out! Thanks so much!
That walnut-goat cheese-artichoke pizza sounds delicious. I’ve never heard of nuts on pizza, but it’s a genius idea.
I like it! I’m partial to walnuts and also I get a lot of sunflower seeds from tj’s that translate pretty well to pizza toppings.
OMG LEBNEH. I need to figure out how to make that shit myself too, bc all the Arab shops are too far away from public transport, and the Sudaness store down the block doesn’t carry it :( I also need to figure out how to scratch my knafeh itch somehow…
I didn’t cook it myself, but the best thing I ate this week was some sushi. I went to the Avocado California Roll & Sushi bar last night, and I had a Crunch tempura roll and a basic red tuna roll.
(I would post the pictures from the site, but I can’t seem to peg down the url.)
http://www.avocadorollnsushi.com/menu.html
As for the best thing I made this week: some lightly curried fried chicken breasts.
Oats with a dollop of jam and yogurt, dried cranberries, blackberries and sunflower seeds. It’s my go to breakfast.
Also, I had my Tomboy Femme shirt mailed to my home address and my mom (who I just came out to) thought it would be a grand idea to open the package. She’s a little confused. “Who’s Tom?!”
Wait are tomboys not “things” where you are?
I think it’s the “femme” part that got her, @carolyn!
and now I know what I’l be having for breakfast tomorrow! That sounds divine
Hey, at least she wasn’t asking you to explain the scissoring teeshirt! :)
That sounds delicious. Breakfast is my favorite meal. Did you pick the blackberries yourself? It’s blackberry season around here where I live, and they’re growing all over.
Unfortunately I didn’t pick them. Trader Joe’s graciously provided them. Gotta love Joe!
I’m the worst at feeding myself, so can’t be much help there, I’m afraid. I guess I made a pretty good smoothie the other day?
In other news… yesterday, after years of serious phobia I accomplished a goal that I really thought I might never be able to do: I successfully completed my road test and got my driver’s license before the age of 40.
For years / decades I would choke up and cry whenever anyone even tried to talk to me about getting my license. The idea terrified me (and still does, to be honest). I had a final warm-up lesson with my instructor yesterday before the exam, and had to pull over at one point because I started having a panic attack. Then while waiting outside the ministry building, I literally almost passed out from anxiety – woozy head, sparkles in my vision, tingling fingers, heavy limbs, etc. I came this >< close to cancelling the whole thing, because what if I fainted while I was in the middle of driving??? But somehow I managed to pull my shit together.
And I did it. I fucking did it. Even if I never drive again, it doesn't matter. I did something I never thought I could do.
WOOHOO! Congrats on conquering the driver’s license – even if you never use it again. Gotta celebrate any victory when you kick the ass of those anxieties/phobias/shit that’s tough…
I kinda understand the fear of driving thing. I couldn’t learn to drive or get my license because I was a foster care kid (in the US – not sure how it works other places). That proved really challenging to learn to drive after I “aged-out” of foster care, since usually it requires a car and some person to teach you to drive. Didn’t have either. Logistics/practical parts aside, I wasn’t ready to drive until my mid-20’s. I lived in a rural state, and kids in my state could learn to drive at 14 and get their license by 14 ½. Lost waaaaayyyy too many friends & classmates along the way due to driving accidents, with and without alcohol & speed being involved (lots a bunch to suicide as well, but that’s another story). When I did finally get the chance to learn how to drive, I was completely freaked out by the idea of having responsibility of operating a 2-ton death machine. Though going through a driving school as a 20-something year old was really interesting when all the other folks in my class were about 15…
I’d post a picture of coffee – that totally counts, right?!? I’ll even bring my teeth together a few times to imitate chewing. The idea of creating my own smoothie boggles my mind – that’s way above my skill level! AS should totally devote a “You Need Help” section to those of us who are pathetic at foraging for sustenance for ourselves.
YAY! Congratulations on rising to the challenge! Now you know you can drive if you have to. I got my license last year, when I was 28, and driving still scares me. People used to make fun of me for not having it, and no one seemed to understand why it scared me, but it’s a lot of power and responsibility and everything just happens so FAST. No interstates for me, at least not for a while – baby steps.
Thanks!! :D Yes, people made fun of me too, and I’m glad that now I can shut them up. Ha. Driving is a perfectly reasonable thing to be scared about.
Thank you!!
Yes, it is SO much more complicated to find people to drive with as a grownup person. Luckily I had several good friends willing to help me out. I also tried taking a driving course in my 20s with a bunch of 16-y-olds, and the instructor thought it was his job to scare the everloving shit out of us. Probably a good approach for teenage boys, but the EXACT WRONG THING for me. I left going “nope, nope, nope” and didn’t get behind the wheel of a car again for several years.
Sorry to hear you lost so many friends to accidents. :( I actually haven’t, but I was in a jeep that flipped over when I was 4, which I suspect is the root of my phobia. I do wish more people were consciously aware of how dangerous it is, because it would make things a lot less terrifying if everyone was more careful.
Congrats!!! (I am 26 and still don’t drive for various reasons but I am so impressed by people who get there “later in life.”)
Also don’t discount your smoothie. Smoothies are great.
Thank you! :)
Smoothies ARE great. They probably keep me from complete malnutrition. The best one I had recently was 1/2 an avocado, frozen blueberries and raspberries, yogurt, ice cubes, almond milk and a scoop of vanilla Vega powder.
Massive congrats!
Mobile won’t let me thumbs up this, but HOLY CRAP GO YOU!!!!!
It’s rough. I experience anxiety while driving. Usually when i’m out of town or at night. People will tease or question “why are you so slow?” with a tone of annoyance. The last friend who did this really got on my nerves. I decided to point out my anxiety and how insensitive her aggression was. People get so sensitive about being called insensitive but if it walks like an insensitive duck…
Yeah, people don’t get it. And judging someone who is feeling anxious is not exactly going to help them relax.
Congratulations! That’s so wonderful.
That’s amazing news. I’m so happy for you. As someone who also deals with anxiety, I know how hard it can be to overcome your fears. Congratulations; this is a huge barrier to overcome.
Thanks so much everyone! :D
I tried eggs again yesterday! I hadn’t eaten them in forever. I was hoping my taste buds had magically evolved. Eggs are the perfect food: easy to make and pack to work, cheap, and a healthy source of protein. I really wanted to like eggs! But nope, boiled eggs still made me want to gag. Maybe if I made them taste less eggy?
Currently I am eating quinoa. I finally joined the quinoa bandwagon when my nutritionist told me to substitute some of my rice for quinoa (and I eat a lot of rice). I made a delicious breakfast with quinoa, pecans, apples, coconut milk, and pineapple, topped with a dollop of almond butter.
In other news I got my autostraddle you do you tee in the mail! :D
also I am going parasailing on Sunday!!! I’ve been wanting to do it for the past year and a half, ever since I moved to my current apartment.
On a somewhat gloomier note, I an feeling a bit worried because I just got my scores of a bone density scan. I already knew I had osteoporosis, but it’s gotten worse. At age 26. It’s probably the result of amenorrhea (no menstruation) from low body fat during my early 20s as a result of an intermittent eating disorder. So I really have nobody to blame but myself. My t score is -4: that’s 4 standard deviations below an average adults peak bone density. That’s scarily low, even for an old person. I’m working on gaining weight, but i don’t know how much is reversible. And I don’t want to tell anyone I know because what’s the point? I don’t want them to worry, and it’s my own fault anyway. The only thing to do is move forward and hope for the best.
Anyway, thanks for listening!
please make me that breakfast
I would teleport it to you if I could! But here’s a recipe!
(Side note: I’m a hypocrite because I think the metric system is far more logical than imperial units, and yet, I have cups and tablespoons in my American kitchen…)
1 c. quinoa
1 c. “So Delicious” (or other brand) original Coconut Milk blend
½ c. oats
3.5 c. water
1/4 c. Coconut Flour
1/4 c.pecan pieces
1 c. Applesauce
1 egg (see? I’m adding eggs to stuff!) :)
¼ c. Dried pineapple pieces
Sweetener of your choice, to taste
Freshly ground almond butter
Combine all except almond butter in crockpot. Cook in crockpot on low until done (I just let it go overnight). Top each serving with a dollop of warm almond butter. Serves 6.
You’re wonderful…thank you!
(and I see you there with the one sneaky egg)
I have had curried boiled eggs before that tasted way more curry-y than eggy – maybe you could try that? There’s probably a recipe online.
Sorry to hear about your bone scan. :/ That sounds scary. I hope you’re able to find ways to help build it up.
Hm, I like curry. I’ll check that out. I can handle eggs in other things, just not by themselves.
Ugh. Eggs. I’m right there with ya. I KNOW they’d be a really really good food to eat, but… I just can’t. They’re too eggy. The texture makes me gag. They smell like Yellowstone Nat’l Park – which is awful. If anyone has ways to sneak eggs into stuff without detection to get the nutrition of them, please share!
Yikes. Sorry to hear about the bone density update. That’s something I hadn’t thought of, and since I have a similar history, I should probably learn where I stand, so to speak. Got a bad stress fracture in my heel bone 5 yrs ago, and was told that’s not normal, but I just couldn’t think about it. Best wishes to ya going forward…
The weird thing is, I actually like the Yellowstone sulfur smell! It’s because it brings back good memories of Yellowstone and Mt. Hood. But not eggs. It’s the taste that bugs me, not the smell.
Thanks for the encouraging words.
Eggs are only tasty when warm, I think. Also, I find it helps when the yolks are runny. Soft-boiled, softly scrambled, or over-easy are all the best. I think they’re good with soy sauce on them, too. Or with veggies/cheese/etc mixed in, to break up the texture and flavor. So many possibilities!
That quinoa situation sounds delish, too.
And sending good vibes for your bones… I think all that hiking you do is supposed to be good for them, right?
Yeah I hope the hiking helps. I love being active in the outdoors so much, it would break my heart if my bones ever became so brittle that I couldn’t go on these adventures without risking injury.
oh no your poor bones! I’m sorry.
are you vegetarian? or could you just get some meat in your protein rotation?
all eggs ever? I am lately so stoked on breakfast sandwiches, which is a vehicle for egg, but if you’re off gluten, maybe egg-friend rice? or like, fried egg on top of rice? doesn’t really maximize the convenience, to which I have nothing to suggest besides suggesting you try a banana with peanut butter? or some veg with hummus? eat the hell out of some hummus and goat cheese? or any kind of cheese?
I’m a pescetarian, and I definitely eat plenty of fish for protein (and yogurt for calcium too). I have vegetarian sources of protein too – eggs just seem so cheap and convenient! Thanks for the suggestions! I like the fried rice idea, since I’m a huge fan of rice dishes (usually I make a big batch and eat it through the week on 12 h shifts.) I should live in Japan; rice and fish are duch big staple foods for me! I have a mild peanut allergy, but I love almond butter on almost anything.
*such
Have you tried cooking them ways besides boiling them? (I eat eggs almost every day but even I find boiled eggs, especially hardboiled, to be too much egg sometimes.) Scrambling them with a shitload of garlic, if you are into garlic, and also vegetables, for instance.
Also many delicate bone-density-related hugs
I decided on boiling since it seemed like the easiest way to pack to work without needing further preparation (I didn’t want to be one of those co-workers who stinks up the communal microwave…). I like the idea of garlic. Or other seasonings or herbs. I like hot/spicy stuff. Maybe a dash of hot sauce? The more of this thread that I read, the more I realize that eggs are pretty versatile. Thanks for the suggestions. And thanks for the hugs and kind words.
I’m a big fan of scrambled eggs with stuff mixed in. I work out often, so I am constantly craving more protein. As a result, I usually mix in more proteins with my eggs, and then throw in some cheese for the dairy aspect. It usually helps take away from the egg-y flavor (which I don’t mind, but I notice it less when they’re mixed with other things).
As for the bone density/being too young for those problems, you have my sincerest condolences. I can semi-relate, as I’ve got the knees of an arthritic 85-year old even though I’m at the ripe old age of 27. It sucks to have such problems when you are so young.
Cheese is a good idea. Actually, I think I’ll try that tomorrow, since I have some swiss cheese on hand. (plus, extra calcium.)
Sorry to hear about your knees. It’s rough having health threats when you’re so young and active. I’m lucky that I haven’t experienced any fractures yet, but it’s worrisome because I know how vulnerable I am, and it feels like a ticking time bomb.
Everyone has so many feelings about eggs lol.
I know, right? That’s no eggaggeration! Thanks for all the eggcellent suggestions! There are certainly a lot of egglectic things you can make with them. What a great eggxample of helpfulness!
(Sorry. Couldn’t help it. When I’m sleep-deprived, my sense of humor becomes rather eggcentric…)
It’s okay, I’m feeling rather meggnanimous this evening…
Glad I haven’t eggxhausted all the puns!
I feel you on the eggs. I can just about manage them if they’re well disguised eg. Mashed and curried on a sandwich or with plenty of cheese in a quiche or well disguised with herbs, just definitely not boiled, poached, fried etc.
Regards the low bone density are you getting enough calcium, vit D/ sunshine and try slowly building up by using low weights and high reps. Also wearing low weight wrist bands and ankle bands while walking can help build bone density. Good Luck.
Yeah, I recall that I liked cheesy quiches with lots of flavoring the last time I had them- the egg taste just has to be disguised.
Thanks for the advice. The weights are a good idea; I haven’t tried ankle or wrist weights. I spend a ton of time outdoors, so I get lots of sunshine during the summer, but not the winter (I still spend time outdoors during the winter, but living in Washington, it’s often overcast during those months). Anyway, I’m meeting with my doctor on Monday, so I’m hoping for some advice and reassurance that it’s repairable.
Just in the off-chance your gp didn’t mention it, make sure you’re getting enough vitamin D3, which is 1200 U per day. The current RDA is only 400 U per day which is only enough to prevent rickets (they haven’t updated it yet) and very few ppl live in climates to get enough sun for their vitD. So basically there’s a lot of ppl without enough D3 that don’t know it. I was one, got diagnosed with very low D3 levels so I’m passing this along. D3 also has cofactors like Mg. For a good reference, check out this link (the summary of dosage recs is at the bottom of the page): http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/vitamins/vitamin-D
I hope you get nice strong bones!
Thanks for the input. I’m meeting with my GP Monday and we’ll discuss some treatment and medication. I’ll bring that up. I live in the Pacific NW, so I am definitely sun-deprived during the rainy months of the year.
I JUST GOT BACK FROM MY PARASAILING ADVENTURE! It was amazing. Photos to be posted later (probably next week’s FOT).
Best thing hands down almost any week – kimchi and brown rice
yes a photo! YUM
yummmmm I love kimchi! Feeling a serious urge to make a fresh batch.
Kimchi! I haven’t had it in forever and I forgot how much I loved it. The spicier the better.
I worked a double yesterday and then sat in the car in the parking lot and ate an entire peach pie with my hands because I was too hungry/tired to drive home. I am a monster.
That is a badass flower box and congratulations on all the big visa/moving stuff.
3 word’s. Pie eating contest…go BIG!
I love this. Your spirit animal is a horse that can only be drawn to peach-pie-water. Never say nay.
When I cook, I end up making pretty tasty stuff, but I also go overboard in both quantity and elaborateness, so I end up not cooking very often. Lately I’ve been enjoying cheese broiled/toasted on baguette rolls, in addition to the commercial prepared food that I really shouldn’t be spending the money on. On the other hand, a couple of weeks ago I had some people over and did the quantity/elaborate thing, and ended up with a pretty darned nice lasagna and a very nearly perfect limncello-mascarpone cream desert thing. So that was nice. (Correction: the dessert cream was absolutely f’king amazing.)
It’s been a very “up” week for me. I took Monday morning off from work in order to see a couple of doctors. For the past three years or so, I’ve been seeing three specialists and a GP, each one every 3 or 4 months. Ends up being a lot of doctoring. But that’s changing: the one specialist on Monday doesn’t want to see me until 6 months from now, and my GP doesn’t want to see me for at least a year. All of the blood work that they had me do brought back numbers that are bang-on in range, and honestly I feel better now than I have in at least 10 years.
I’m also doing pretty well with my resolve to stay more socially active this summer. (Not too hard, since “more” means “any at all” in this case.) This evening I’m going out to a trans community awareness event, where I think I’m probably going to see all of my favorite queer friends, and hopefully make some new friends, too. (Look for me to be wearing my A+ tee!) Even better is tomorrow’s activity: brunch (mimosas!) and shopping with my besties. Also, I think that’s the first time in my life I’ve used the word “besties,” but I think it’s appropriate — and the fact that I can say I have “besties” is a new and wonderful thing for me.
So delighted to hear your good news! My foot is performing a little happy dance on the bus in your honor. Wiggle wiggle wiggle test results yay! Wiggle wiggle rotate dessert hurrah! Wiggle wiggle kickstep wiggle besties woopwoohoooo!
Awww, thanks!
The shopping trip is over. Complete, amazeballs success! Feeling so loved and so lucky to have friends like these.
These are amazing and not much of a pain to make. I’m a big newbie when it comes to making dough so that was a little tricky but it turned out great! The meat and flavors are all delicious. Frying food on a hot day was probably not my smartest idea, but the everyone loved it.
empanadas? I have a theory that the deliciousness of any food can be quadrupled simple by wrapping it in pastry.
This is fact. Pastry makes everything better.
I guess the best thing I ate this week was bbq cooked vegan Italian Sausage from trader joes. A dear friend & I were at the beach just enjoying the sun drinking spiked teas, and relaxing. So, over the open flame using coat hangers and skewers we cooked some vegan dogs. Sadly no one else was able to make it, or was at the other side of the beach watching the US Open of Surfing. Oh, I also had a homemade veggie burger at home that was fairly good, specially with sweet and sour mustard, but the stomach ache today takes it down a few points.
Work actually has been pretty slow, like I mean so bad I was able to upgrade my computer to the new Windows 10, without a loss of productivity. Took a little over an hour, including the time it took to download it. As a side note I really like, but so far battery life isn’t as good as 8.1 and I miss some of the features I have become accustomed too. I am sure that will improve. But, I have my doubts about work improving, at least not until fall rolls around.
On a positive note my parents are technically taking a vacation(going to SF to help my sister move back, but it still counts), so I will have an empty space to play music loudly, eat cookies, and be queer as possible.
Some beach day images
I was too busy with shaving my upper body, I forgot to shave my legs. Did lead to a bit of dysphoria. :-/ But, at least I had tasty tea to enjoy.
Thank you for viewing & reading my post. Have a positive weekend.
Beach! Lovely photos, as usual.
Hey Carolyn, I took a picture of my dinner just for you!
It’s fall weather here and as I’m going in vacation early tomorrow morning, this is a rather heavy salad featuring marinated fried chicken breast, dried tomatoes, marinated artichokes, herbed olives, roasted pine seeds and some red onions to put a bit more feshness into the salad and to also give it a bit of kick.I also veered from my balsamico/olive oil dressing staple by adding a teaspoon of mayonnaise, which goes nicely with the Balsamico.
The drink is “the rest of ami’s fruit put through the juicer” with a dash of oil so the beta carotene from the carrots will get resorbed.
I got myself a juicer last year and I didn’t know that freshly squeezed juice could make me that happy!
For the heat I recommend making a large batch of black tea, pouring it over ice cubes, add a few spoons of mascobado sugar into it and maybe a slice of lemon and keep that in the fridge, or even in the freezer for a couple of hours.
Have a good weekend everyone!!
Mayonnaise balsamic never occurred to me. Or mayonnaise and any vinegar or other sauces…inspiring. Thanks
Yay thank you!
Also iced tea is summer is the best.
Tomorrow is my last day at my current job (that I’ve had for 1.5 years). It’s going to be pretty emotional. BUT next week I start 2 new jobs: one at a theatre company and one at a box office. Things keep changing. I’m going from working 25ish hour weeks at night to working 40+ hour, 7-day weeks starting at 9 am. I’m going to have to reacclimate (is that even a word?!) to being an adult. Being an adult is hard, Autostraddle. It’s realllllllly hard.
Good luck at your new jobs!!
Just think how much awesome you’re going to accomplish!
Being an adult is hard, but you do get to decide stuff like who you spend your free time with, when you go to bed, (and even who with! And if that’s a little stuffed tiger, that’s your damn prerogative).
Just remember most first days are weird and uncertain feeling, and that on day two you’ll already know so much more. Plus, who knows what amazing new friends you may be making!
Big new job hugs and congratulations!
Agreed about being an adult. But I hear it gets easier. I have my fingers crossed, at least.
Your new jobs sound awesome, even with the tough schedule! Congratulations. :)
Good luck with your new jobs! 7 day weeks is a rough schedule, so be sure to take care of you. I did the 7 day week, 2 job thing for about a year and half before I got my current job. I always knew I needed a day off when, about every three months or so, I’d just be angry for no reason. So if you can manage it, take a day off here and there so you don’t go nuts. :)
All I’ve been eating is meat. I told myself (and my friends) that once the flautas frozen in my freezer have been inhaled, I’ll stop eating meat again (I was a vegetarian for seven years, ended that a few years ago in what was supposed to be a temporary, summer-long meat party). It was so easy to stay veg once I got over that first hump so I know it’s doable, but meat.
I’ve now been out of my two year long relationship for three and a half months and I feel like I’m going crazy…I told myself I’d be single for the summer (which is longer than any span of time since I came out four years ago), but now the summer is almost over, and I feel like I’m going stir crazy.
First there was Arkansas girl. She’s been out of the country for the summer so I’ve kind of tried not to get too invested. It’s worked, for the most part. Now, though, we have a situation with a coworker, who I’ve kind of assumed was gay since I started working here, but never confirmed. Everyone pretty much agrees that she’s gay. I’m the only gaymo except for one closeted bisexual, so I’m desperate for community…but I finally let myself admit that I kind of dig her. Which is a problem. Because she’s ten years older, my coworker, maybe straight, most likely does not even a little bit like me like that back. So. I have two coworkers egging me on, but I just feel like this can only go badly. Part of it is that I know I just feel shitty about ever liking a girl, like it’s a bad thing, because in the grand scheme of things I haven’t been out that long and, you know, internalized shit. But it’s just making me feel crazy. I don’t know what to do.
Hey gang,
My week is right up there with wet cat hair leg.
It’s been a week of either bad mojo or tough love. This has yet to be determined. I didn’t attend the most difficult days of training because i didn’t want to drive all over the place to see Jane and family and roll. I didn’t want to wait around during the gaps of time that people are unavailable. I didn’t want to feel exhausted during the times that we would have together. I stayed home on my days off to clean house. My crash pad looks good. When it was time to go back to work i went back to training and was guilty of dropping in for easy street. On a cool note…i was totally throwing knives during this conversation with my trainer. I totally nailed the first throw. I was the only person in class to throw and nail the target. The “Ooooo Awwww” from the others throwing was pretty sweet. My last two knives dropped from the target and my moody yet humorous trainer said “you should have stopped after you nailed the target. You’d still be a bad ass.”
That fleeting feeling of being a bad ass. It’s what i live for!!! but it’s always momentary. With each short-lived badassery achievement comes more grief and soul searching. Yesterday i had my interview. I was a rock star. I worked all night and went straight to bed in preparation for the morning interview. I looked sharp. Nervous yet sharp.
Two of my directors made an appearance at my interview. From what i’m told their attendance is unusual. The directors changed the position on me. The job i applied for is located on easy street. It’s an honor that they have the confidence in me to submit my application for a more complex position BUT if i get this job i’ll be working all the time. One of my coworkers jokes that they pulled the old bait and switch.
Beyond the bait and switch my director and official mentor decided to drop 2 or 3 questions about my degree program. The program i dropped out of while i was on unemployment. The program i pay out of pocket and dont feel comfortable paying for until I feel secure in my position. Not something i feel comfortable paying for during a merger consolidation. All of this information is something i told him in confidence during our mentorship and all of this came up in my interview. Tough love? Masochism? You be the judge.
I had a meeting with him after the interview where we addressed how to improve my interview skills and his advocacy for education. I didn’t get the sense that the role is mine. Not while outlining my stretch goals for this position. Not from him. The rest of the universe and my coworkers feedback and my gut feel there’s a chance the job is mine. And i’m stressed. I’m stressed by the possibility. I’m stressed by the chance of failure. I’m stressed by the $41 dollars left in my bank account after rent cleared on our two bedroom Orange County apartment that rents at a steal for $1750. AND I’m stressed by the run-on sentence.
Oh, and i had a chopped bacon and bleu cheese salad kit. It was pretty good and i saved a dollar thirty.
Later gang. I’ve got work to do.
@sweet4holly tough week! but you know, multiple bad ass moments (I’m including your jacket and handling of the interview) is very impressive for a measly 7 days.
Can’t show you what I’m eating now because I already ate it? But I’m gonna make more because it never seems like enough. (SEE: Kale Chips).
Oh, a question for you lovely people: Say you’re in a meeting and there’s a few amount of people and there’s someone that just can’t stop looking/staring at you. You catch this person because your eyes meet constantly. I quickly look away. What does this mean? Note: This person is NOT single. I am very confused/clueless.
They think you are attractive? Just cause they’re in a relationship doesn’t mean they aren’t gonna notice your cute self across the room :)
It’s just that it’s so blatant and her partner is in the same room so that threw me off a bit. Haha. I’ll try to be less awkward about it. :P
The person is sending you signals on radio waves, or is trying to possess your body, or has intense gas and is staring intently at a fixed space, praying.
In all seriousness, that would weird me out a ton,too.
It’s possible that either there’s something about your appearance that keeps catching her eye for whatever reason, OR the other thing that occurs to me (because I’ve been caught out doing this myself) is that you might remind her of someone and she’s trying to figure out who.
I ate a really nice breakfast that my gf made this morning while I was off walking the dog… it had pancakes, and eggs in a spinach nest (this really cool thing she learned on the internet), and fruit sliced up in yogurt, and she handed me a latte when I walked in the door. No photo, but it was really lovely, y’all.
But generally, the heat has ruined my appetite a bit lately… we’re in for triple digits for weeks and too much physical exertion in the heat has messed up my stomach for anything rich or heavy :/
My relatives have just left after two weeks, so I am feeling incredibly grateful for my lovely kitty:
Ugh my phone hates me right now, and decided to post right when I’d given up on getting this comment to work.
Well I clicked the link and your kitty is adorable!
To commemorate my week…the images from my last post were a total failure. BUT i always throw more than 1 knife. So here we go again.
Hey gang,
My week is right up there with wet cat hair leg.
It’s been a week of either bad mojo or tough love. This has yet to be determined. I didn’t attend the most difficult days of training because i didn’t want to drive all over the place to see Jane and family and roll. I didn’t want to wait around during the gaps of time that people are unavailable. I didn’t want to feel exhausted during the times that we would have together. I stayed home on my days off to clean house. My crash pad looks good. When it was time to go back to work i went back to training and was guilty of dropping in for easy street. On a cool note…i was totally throwing knives during this conversation with my trainer. I totally nailed the first throw. I was the only person in class to throw and nail the target. The “Ooooo Awwww” from the others throwing was pretty sweet. My last two knives dropped from the target and my moody yet humorous trainer said “you should have stopped after you nailed the target. You’d still be a bad ass.”
That fleeting feeling of being a bad ass. It’s what i live for!!! but it’s always momentary. With each short-lived badassery achievement comes more grief and soul searching. Yesterday i had my interview. I was a rock star. I worked all night and went straight to bed in preparation for the morning interview. I looked sharp. Nervous yet sharp.
Two of my directors made an apperance at my interview. From what i’m told their attendance is unusual. The directors changed the position on me. The job i applied for is located on easy street. It’s an honor that they have the confidence in me to submit my application for a more complex position BUT if i get this job i’ll be working all the time. One of my coworkers jokes that they pulled the old bait and switch.
Beyond the bait and switch my director and official mentor decided to drop 2 or 3 questions about my degree program. The program i dropped out of while i was on unemployment. The program i pay out of pocket and dont feel comfortable paying for until I feel secure in my position. Not something i feel comfortable paying for during a merger consolidation. All of this information is something i told him in confidence during our mentorship and all of this came up in my interview. Tough love? Masochism? You be the judge.
I had a meeting with him after the interview where we addressed how to improve my interview skills and his advocacy for education. I didn’t get the sense that the role is mine. Not while outlining my stretch goals for this position. Not from him. The rest of the universe and my coworkers feedback and my gut feel there’s a chance the job is mine. And i’m stressed. I’m stressed by the possibility. I’m stressed by the chance of failure. I’m stressed by the $41 dollars left in my bank account after rent cleared on our two bedroom Orange County apartment that rents at a steal for $1750. AND I’m stressed by the run-on sentence.
Oh, and i had a chopped bacon and bleu cheese salad kit. It was pretty good and i saved a dollar thirty.
Later gang. I’ve got work to do..
so, splain. why you are knife-throwing? that seems exciting.
I attend a mixed martial arts class. Mainly jiu jitsu but some classes focus on judo and striking. That day they decided to start class late and play with knives. The class was pretty sore from the classes i had missed days prior. my training was pretty sore that i showed up with fresh muscles while his felt annihilated. Ideally we train hard early in the week and taper out as the week goes on.
I feel ya, regarding the heat / cooking malaise thing. Here in Phoenix, it’s been around 109 for weeks and weeks now. I usually only cook about twice a week now, rather than every day, as I usually do.
The other night, it was getting late, I couldn’t sleep, and I got a wild hair to clean out the fridge. In there, I had some cashew milk I bought with a coupon, but was full of icky ingredients and some fat free half and half I bought by accident. (The “fat free” was in teeny tiny print!). In the freezer, I stashed the cobs from this really delicious fresh corn I bought from a farm up north, with no specific plan in mind.
And so, corn gelato happened. Add some sugar, a healthy hunk of good butter, a bit of sea salt, some cracked pepper…
Yes, I happen to keep sugar cones in stock — for camping cones. (Thanks, Pinterest!)
It’s super easy to make Sicilian gelato on the fly, since it uses corn starch as a thickener, instead of a custard. Plus, it has a lovely, airy and smooth texture.
It turned out pretty tasty, for some stuff I was going to throw away. I’d definitely give it a go again, with better ingredients — maybe a little sour cream, a squeeze of lime.
You win at cleaning out the fridge, this is amazing.
This is rad!
That looks delicious! One of my life missions is to try as many weird flavours of ice cream as I can find, and it never occurred to me that I could make my own weird ice cream with things in my own kitchen. I have work to do.
I can’t stand cats so am never around them but I can imagine having their wet hair being rubbed off on your sweaty legs would be just about the worst thing ever.
I’m feeling blah, guys. I didn’t eat anything wonderful this week AND I’m in this weird “does she like me/is she even interested in me/oh wait she said something cute/but then why hasn’t she texted me back” dance with this girl. And i’m sure we allll know (or can at least imagine) how much fun that is.
It’s also hot af.
I feel you! I’m currently on that same boat, awaiting a response and trying not to look at my phone every 3 seconds. Feelin’ much like your awesome avatar right now.
Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle…GO GET HER!
Gahhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Tina always knows what’s up.
(Glad i’m not alone but OMG ISNT THIS THE WORST)
The best thing I ate this week was the box of boston baked beans I shoveled into my mouth while watching a satisfyingly teenage movie on tuesday, when tickets to see a show are only $7. There’s something so satisfying about paying half price for a movie, sneaking in crappy candy, and turning to your friend every so often to snicker at the impossible charm of cara delevingne.
This week I’ve been putting together the final touches on a playlist I’m making for a girl who is a friend who I also happen to have crush on and want to impress with music but not too forwardly where all the songs are like “love me!!! pls!!!” Struggle bus fooooor sure. It’s missing something, so I’m now just looking for that final final final song to be like “what’s up I think you’re great you live in different state and I’m cool w/ it just wanna put that out there but like in a casual way pls don’t freak out it’s just that our casual flirting is one of my fav things right now”
………..you know?
Yo, send me that last song when you find it because that’s the story of every playlist I ever try to make for a girl. :/
I should’ve eaten dinner before reading this thread…now I’m starving. The best thing I’ve eaten this week was probably the ham and swiss on a pretzel bun I made the other night. It’s my favorite fall food, and even though it’s hot and humid and gross and summer-y outside, I’m really looking forward to fall.
I also had a busy week. So much stuff happened. I got my first box from Greyscale Goods in the mail. I was not disappointed. Yesterday, my company took everyone that reports up to my director on a team outing. We went and raced go-karts. These things got up to 40 mph and were awesome. I ended up coming in 4th out of about 30 people. I was pretty happy, and I can’t wait to go and do it again sometime.
Then today happened. In the last 12 hours, I have put in my two (technically three) weeks notice at my job, gone to the knee doctor and had horrible things done to me, and taken Watson to the vet. The poor guy has a hotspot and an infection. Since we are both in rough shape, we are planning on being lazy tonight.
On the bright side, this week was a great week for Watson snapchats. He’s got such a great personality. He’s just the best.
Wow, I’m sorry to hear that a week that started out so awesome went to crap today. I hope you both feel better soon and the job situation moves in a positive direction.
Thanks for the Greyscale info, I’ve been considering trying them out and it’s good to hear from someone that is happy with it. And thanks again for the Watson photos, he’s super cute :)
Yeah, after one box, I’m definitely going to be a long-time Greyscale customer. I mean, they were able to assemble a box of clothes that were great for me using the horrible/limited descriptions of my style that I provided. Not going to lie, it kind of felt like magic.
The best thing I ate this week were jammers(biscuit-like pastry with jam in the middle) that I made on my day off. I had enough energy to finally do some baking and I am so glad I did. The next day I brought a bunch into work and everyone loved them. It helped make the day start off right since I get there at 6am. Early mornings are hard. Plus now that I work in the morning I hardly ever see the person who I think is really cute at work cause they mostly work late afternoon/nights. boooo :(
That cat is so handsome!
My week has been okay. I have term papers to finish and exams next week. Procrastinating is a terrible idea.
I dont think I had anything interesting to eat. But I have made a point of eating more fruits during the day. I just need to drink more water now.
Its winter weather here. I got rained on yesterday. By the time i got to a dry place, i was looking like a mess! Why does it always happen to me?
Have you tried putting some of the fruit in the water? Makes it way less boring. (Also — and maybe this is gross but — I find it makes it way easier to remember to wash my glass instead of just refilling it over and over for [redacted].)
The best thing I ate this week was the pizza I had last night. I was RAVENOUSLY hungry and craving a hot, cheesy, double pepperoni pizza from a place near my house. It was everything I wanted at that exact moment in time: hot, salty, greasy goodness with gooey cheese dripping all over the place. I was in heaven.
I had a job interview this week (for a job that I’m less excited about but that is at a cool place so it evens out) and I got a call to come in for a second interview in a week! It’s the first breakthrough I’ve had since I’ve most recently been on the job hunt to it feels really good to have some forward momentum, even if I end up not getting it. I even bought a girlier-than-usual interview outfit which I actually felt pretty good in (not that I have anything against more typically feminine clothing but in my experience it isn’t very flattering on my so I don’t usually seek it out). Although now I have to figure out something else to wear for the next interview…
I also got a credit card for the first time (inspired by the how to use a credit card and not ruin your life article on here a few weeks ago!) and I’ve already devised a plan to keep myself from getting carried away and getting myself in trouble (the plan: pay for things with my credit card that I have money for already, then put that money aside somewhere that I can then put back in my account for when it comes time to pay the balance).
Congrats on the interview! I’ve been looking for a while, too. I’m happy for you that you’ve finally gotten a breakthrough, and I’ll keep my fingers crossed that you get the job!
I’ve made it my goal for august to start working on having a healthy (er) relationship with food because it turns out this chronic stress eating thing just doesn’t work as well at 31 as it did at 21. So I’ve been trying to eat things that actually grow in the ground and also protein and next month I’m swearing off desserts entirely. Also doing a 30 day ab challenge.
Adulting is the worst y’all.
In other news I am seeing Inside Out tomorrow with a super cute girl who I think I might be dating— its early days yet and we’re still using the words “hang out” for everything.
Also I had a long conversation with the teens that I teach about Buffy vs Charmed (Buffy obvi zomg) and when one of the girls brought up “Buffy is better because they have a cannon gay character” I almost lost my mind. Which led to me coming out to them and them coming out to me and plans for a library LGBTQ hang out group coming soon to a theater near you.
So all in all it was a pretty fab week :)
In lieu of a food pic, here is my cat being adorable as usual.
I am so glad I am not the only one who is mystfied by the whole “hanging out” v. dating ing thing!!
Also, adorable kitteh. But aren’t they all.
ugh I love when they sleep like that
she is SO cute. calicos are really beautiful cats. good luck with your health challenge!
I forgot to discuss cats in my previous comment! Your cat is adorable, and I’ve never heard of bison cat snacks. The best thing my cat ate all week was probably bone-in pink salmon. Or maybe sardines. Or mackerel. I can’t eat fish without her running up and begging. (Actually, whenever I’m working in the kitchen, she starts purring/begging/nearly tripping me, in hopes of fish appearing.) We both love fish, and I probably spoil her too much…
I thought they were from a weird organic cat store but I think they might just be Canadian. Seafood was his favourite as a kitten and now he does this I-am-disgusted paw shake thing at everything but this one type of tiny dried shrimp, so weird meats it is.
I have been eating 99% boring stuff, mostly vegetables that need eating up. I did eat a kangaroo burger a couple of weeks ago that was amazing though.
Right now I’m drinking mango vodka though, which is probably the most interesting thing I’ve had all week.
The best thing I ate this week was probably this great chilled corn soup I had at one of my favorite bars Monday during their staff meal night but I didn’t take a photo so here’s a close second, eggs w/red wine vinegar and sauteed beets and greens:
(I cheated and used imgur’s precoded html this week so hopefully that goes…)
It’s been a looong but productive week at work and I’m pretty fried from that, but Monday night I had an awesome acro class that involved being tossed into a backflip so that was pretty fantastic :)
Also Wednesday I went to see the US national tour of Pippin and it was great. If you’re in Chicago or it’s coming to you I highly recommend it.
So last weekend my lady knight and I hosted the Bridal Tea for her twin, for which I made a stupid amount of food (35pax)…. List form seems like a good strat:
Asparagus, brie and thyme vol au vents,
Zucchini slice,
Brie, turkey and lettuce sandwiches cut in the shape of rabbits,
Cucumber sandwiches (also served as rows of bunnies)
Potato salad,
Fig, radicchio, pomegranate, pistachio and pecorino salad,
Earl grey cupcakes with marshmallow and chocolate top hats, with pistachio Persian fairy floss
Hibiscus and Rosella cupcakes with lemon toffee clock faces, with orange blossom fairy floss
(both served as cupcake bouquets in glass bottles filled with peaches and cream or sour cherry and cola boiled candy),
Cherry pastries,
Pistachio pastries,
Blueberry (with Madagascan vanilla),
Strawberry mini cream pies
Hazelnut tortes with pomegranate, pistachios and cream,
Scones with dark berry and lime jam and cream,
Hibiscus and Rosella infused gin,
Russian caravan vodka
French earl grey iced tea with citrus par candied in sweet Prince of Wales tea and ginger ale
Everything was Halal, Kosher and had minimal Fructose, and more than half the food was also gluten and lactose free.
Guys I am the worst at tech so I hope that image worked….
Also, also, we had Champers for mixing with the spirits as well.
Lets try this again….
BRENNA! BRENNA! look I did a scary thing!!!!!
Wow! I am very impressed. Hope everyone was as excited about that tea party as I would have been. :)
You had me at “earl grey”.
Holy crap that is so much food, GOOD WORK.
This is seriously impressive!!!
woah, those sound amazing – just the thought of some of those flavour combinations is making me peckish!
YOU ARE A MAD GENIUS!
GUYS
I FINALLY TALKED ABOUT THE STUFF WITH MY THERAPIST TODAY! LIKE i mean she had to prompt me when she saw me holding something bUT! I OPENED MY MOUTH AND SPOKE WHAT I NEEDED TO SAY AND SHE LISTENED AND UNDERSTOOD AND EVEN SAID IT’S OK IF I NEED TO FIND SOMEONE ELSE! it may sound funny, but im kinda proud of me? I mean, I did it!
Other than that, pride was kinda blah, and I was melancholy, but I got to spend time with wonderful friends. A bunch of us watched The Lion King and ate pizza, and over the course of the weekend I got to hold two snakes that belong to two of my friends, and it made me brighten up a lot. I saw the lil one yawn! And then we had to throw a pillow at the cat to get her to stop stalking the snake.
The last performer on Sunday was really cute though, and I liked their music. They perform with Mal Blum sometimes. She gave us hugs and, I mean, I give real hugs, so I hope they didn’t think I’m a total creeper. Afterwards my one friend was all, “Did you get her number?” and i was like WHAT NO STOP
Then we found condoms and same friend opened one, blew it up till it was huuuuge, then tried to put it on her head. It popped.
*high five* It was a great moment when I finally did manage to actually talk talk to my therapist.
:D -high fiiiiiiiive!!-
yay!!! i am probably older than you, and still haven’t reached this stage. So proud of you!!!
Eeeeeeeee, thank you!!!! :D
That is phenomenal. I’ve had to have that talk, but it was with someone I’d only seen twice. Even that was hard. I am so proud of you! It is a rough ride, but this is tremendous self care. I’m so so happy for you!
Eeeeeeeeeeeee thank you!!! It was so hard to speak at first, and then I managed it. I’m glad I did :)
My week:
She’s not single, don’t fall, don’t fall don’t fall, dear god…
She’s single. *THUD*
She wants to visit. *deep breathing paper bag exercise*
Oh yes, she wants to visit /me/. *melts for once not due to the heat*
I have recently discovered how much I love lettuce-cheese-mayonnaise sandwiches, which is weird because it sounds so boring but is actually amazing. Also I got a vintage cookbook for my birthday today, which means this afternoon I’ll be making caramel cake <3
I am also quite fond of lettuce-cheese-mayo sandwiches, something about them is just so good.
If is is the right season, I like to add a bit of avocado to mine, takes it to the next level.
I kissed a girl!!!! for the first time in my life!!!! she had a lip ring!!!!
LOOK AT YOU !!
YES !!! THAT IS AWESOME FOR YOU.
:D
GOOD WORK
And so it begins :D Much excite!
what my person calls “veggie casserole” but is totally not- it’s carrots and potatoes. cook in butter, even til ya have some crispy parts. i like a little caraway sprinkled on the butter (idk why i think this makes a difference) and dill and garlic. and pepper. my GOLLY it was good.
I can’t think what the best thing I was that I ate this week! Frustrating. In further unhappy news, I have tonsillitis for the second time in three months. Back in April, I wound up in the hospital overnight with a >104*F fever. This time, I caught it early (thankfully) – it’s just throat pain so far and I got antibiotics today.
In much better news, I got a job today after nine-ish months of looking!! It’s at a call center, which may not be the most exciting thing in the world, but it’s working for several causes I really believe in and I’m pretty good at calling people. Plus the hours are flexible, which is key for me. YAY JOB! \o/
In lieu of something I ate and loved this week, here is a picture of something I ate and loved last week! My roommate and I made Middle Eastern tofu-stuffed peppers from a recipe in the Moosewood cookbook, and they came out like this (AKA delicious):
Congrats on the job, that’s so great!! And as it sounds like it will involve lots of talking I hope your throat gets better soon :/
Thank you, on both counts! The antibiotics seem to be helping already. Fingers crossed!
I know it’s technically Saturday now, (but I mean it’s only been 19 minutes) but the best thing I ate this week was a Cuban PB&J. I’m working on coming out right now, and finding this website helped a lot.
Y’all. I think I may be magic. So I’m on my way to our big family vacation out in Alaska. After the 1st flight I was really wishing for a good romance book about flight attendant and who falls in love with an awesome lady pilot. Then I got bummed out because I couldn’t remember a time when I’ve flown and the captain was a woman. Guess what happened on my 2nd flight?!? Did you guess lady pilot? Well you’re right! That’s absolutely what happened. So if somebody can get on writing that story for me, I’d love you forever!
Also. On my way back from Alaska I’ll be spending a few days in Seattle on my own before heading back to the east coast. I welcome any suggestions for my time there, especially anything specifically related to queer culture in the area!
I attended a good friend’s wedding today, which was a super happy and fun time. But! before that I had lunch at a restaurant near to the wedding venue and ordered the most decadent lobster roll ever to exist. I would share a photo but I didn’t take one as I was too busy devouring said deliciousness. It was definitely the best (and most New England-y) thing I have eaten this week…maybe even this year!
HOT. BUTTERED. TOAST.
Grilled Tasty cheese, Spanish onion and tomato on soy and linseed bread. Devine!
Air-popped popcorn + natural peanut butter drizzled on top + sea salt = celestial trumpets, tears of joy, etc.
Oh man. You had me at “air-popped popcorn.” The rest is just a bonus, especially the peanut butter. I might have to make this later!
these aren’t exactly the same, but I’m going to miss the corn fritters they serve at the hospital cafeteria. sometimes they even put jalapenos in them. + goddamn I love me some white peaches, wish they weren’t so expensive.
I finished my internship last week and am back living with my parents for the month before moving to seattle for school. (anybody else at the university of washington?? hit me up because I don’t know anyone in the city hahaha.)
related: wow, getting a room in seattle is hard, even when going through student channels. I guess it’s easier when you already live there. also I think I’m kinda working against regional mentality. like, “oh, she’s from mississippi, must be a conservative hick”? (tig notaro’s stand-up about her relatives really killed me.)
oh my god, guys, okay, today is clearly not my day for html, but it is your day to use google, apparently.
http://i.imgur.com/ddMLrJy.jpg
I just ate this awesome plate at a buffét that I stumbled across in Gothenburg (Sweden)! Some unidentifiable stuff (as long as there’s no meat, I’ll have it) – but the hummus and the cashew nut sauce was pretty great!
I don’t know the city at all, and as I felt kinda like a dork dragging my luggage around town I will spend the saturday night waiting for my nightbus back home to Oslo, yay!
That meal was maybe the highlight of my day. I am heading back to urban/work life after two weeks of volunteering out on an island at a nature/bicycle hostel. It has been quite a turbulent trip emotionally, maybe most of all because I let myself relax completely and that brings up a lot of shit resulting in crying a lot even though I am happy. Existing has felt a little heavy the last days, and I am waiting around for I-don’t-know-what, missing my LDR partner, missing my cat that died, not feeling very productive and gah. Sorry that this is such a negative post, but I felt like I needed to just get it out there.
On a funny note I went by a bookstore, and as I was feeling a bit uninspired I asked if the guy who worked there had any advice on feminist or queer literature, ideally poetry or at least fiction. He gave me a “funny” instruction book called “how to be a lesbian”. Errrr, thanks. But no thanks. I ended up buying a debut novel by a Swedish person. So far it has brought me girl-on-girl, girl-on-boy, and girl-on-self action. I am indeed happier with my own choice.
Embedded picture (hopefully)
Nah, I give up.
so last week i made the most amazing cheese & pasta bake – i made a white sauce and added some cheddar, then mixed it with wholemeal pasta, caramelised red onions, tender broccoli, sweetcorn, spinach and chunks of stilton. SO GOOD!
my week’s been kind of tough but honestly thinking about how good that pasta bake was has been getting me through
Okay, that looks so good, I think I’m gonna try to replicate it this week, so thanks for the idea!
Trying to decide what to eat is always the hardest thing haha.
I got home from Japan about a week ago. I was there for two weeks and basically every chance I got (which was often, as it was also 35 degree heat there) I ate ice cream.
Let me tell you: Japanese ice cream is AMAZING.
There’s one in particular that I can’t stop thinking about: A watermelon ice cream with little fizzy ‘seeds’, and basically the upshot of this is I miss Japan a lot and want to move there based solely on how great their ice cream (and sweets!) are.
Also, am I the only one who thought “my wife” in response to the question (What is the last thing you ate that you loved)?
I hope not
Im shocked and appalled that I had to scroll down this far to get any reference to the one thing we all (most of us I guess? not wanting to cause offence to anyone here) love to eat. I just assumed this comments section would be a unanimous pitch perfect style harmonious chorus of “PUSSY”
Maybe I missed something? I didn’t read all the replys.
I went 100% vegan this month, after being 99% vegetarian for forever. It takes a lot of time to make all the food, but it’s been really interesting to track macros for bodybuilding and training for a triathlon to give me something to focus on besides the pit of despair that is grad school. Idk I’m into it so far, people. I spend less time moping and more time just getting shit done. Like, I can do stuff and have a purpose other than sucking really hard at higher education. Can recommend.
My client with Alzheimer’s was working on a puzzle with me. 7 months ago she could complete a 500 piece puzzle on her own in about 3 hours. Now, she can’t get one piece of a 300 piece puzzle to fit anywhere in under half an hour. She’s normally what my friend calls, “zen,” which can be read as “avoidance is bliss.” This day, she sat there for twenty minutes consecutively remembering that she had no idea what she was doing, when her attention span usually lasts 2. She looked up at me in anger and confusion and said, “I want to find whoever made this puzzle and throw it right at their face, and tell them, ‘if you think this is so interesting, YOU DO IT,’ because it’s an impossible waste of time!” And this entire circumstance, friends, is how I feel about this week.
Oh, and today I ate a vegan/gluten free nanaimo bar, and it tasted fucking delightful.
I was staying on a small island in British Columbia with some of my family and our neighbor brought us a fresh caught spring salmon. We grilled it, then poached the remaining scrap. I picked through the scrap to get a pile of shredded salmon, mixed it in a bread pan with some sundried tomato, seared mushrooms, cubed sourdough, basil, parsley, beaten egg, cream, salt, and pepper and baked it for breakfast the morning we left the island. When we put it on the table, my grandmother said “I hope you made another one of these.”
No pics because it’s not the best looking stuff in the world, but I made a very tasty roasted corn dip for a picnic thing with friends the other day. It consists of:
fresh corn, roasted
poblano and jalapeno peppers, roasted
tomatillos, roasted (I’ve also left them raw before and that’s good too)
tomatoes
avocados
onion
lime juice
queso fresco or cotija cheese, crumbled
spices (chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, coriander, salt)
a dollop of crema
This is better if it marinates in the fridge overnight. The lime juice provides enough acid to keep the avocado from turning brown.
YUMMEH!
I went on a 4 day road trip (8 hour drive each way, nbd) to Berlin this week, which was awesome… history, walls, museums blah blah since this is about food I’ll keep it brief…
Germany is not a culinary world leader, but they have some goddamn awesome burgers. Also cheap as shit, I’m talking decent food for like 4 euros… here in belgium you’re looking at the same thing for 9-15ish euro. Also there are lots of pretzels, strudel and sauerkraut, all delicious things.
The bakeries have really nice things as well, perfect snacks for that brief time between leaving one bar at 6.30am and heading to a club to continue the party as the sun rises above you to cast its non judgemental glow on all of the questionable decisions you made that has lead you to be raving unenthusiastically to industrial house music in essentially a derelict beer garden with humans that are literally chewing their own cheeks at a time when most people are heading to work but its ok just have another beer and go with it and maybe head back to the hostel in time to get breakfast before crashing and when will the feeling come back into my face I told you we should have just gone to the fetish bar.
Also, Berlin is a really nice city, with lots of cool areas and stuff to see.
I have to say though… Beer in Belgium is better.
It was a good week.
I think.