Buffaloaf!

As I mentioned in my previous post, Eric and I went to Mia & Grace on Saturday before leaving for Lansing.

While we were waiting for our food, an order of surprise escargot came out to us! We were surprised, but it's not unusual for Jeremy to send food out to us, and I didn't think anything of it...

until I heard the waitress at the table across from us (after we already dug in), say that their order was brought to the wrong table!!! Talk about feeling like an idiot! But, this was soooo good, and it had cloves of garlic on top, and the crackers are just heavenly. But, whoops.

Before ordering, which was pretty easy this time around, we decided that pork on pork action can never steer you wrong. So, Eric ordered the bacon wrapped pork tenderloin.

This was so good - it had a red wine sauce, and it was delicious. They actually ran out of it while we were there, so it was good we went when we did.

I was intrigued by the "Buffaloaf". Apparently, they get buffalo meat from a farm near Fremont, and then mix it 80/20 with bacon. They had me at the word "bacon". This was so good - it was very lean, yet had that yummy comfort food quality. The sauce was a mushroom sauce, and was so good.

And of course, dessert. Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake. Heavenly...

Again, if you're in Muskegon EVER - GO THERE!!!!

Astounded...

Eric wanted pizza for dinner last night - which now also reminds me that I have to blog on a recent visit to Mia & Grace...hm, that will be my next entry.

Anyway, we went to DeLuca's here in Lansing. I've heard from many people they have great pizza, so we decided to try it (I've been there once before, and had spaghetti - way too much food for one serving!!!)

The pizza was fantastic - it was busy last night, but it wasn't too long of a wait, and we weren't in a hurry. However, I don't have much more to say about the food.

There was a family sitting near us - it looked like a 11 or 12 year old boy, a 5 or 6 year old girl, mom, dad, and maybe grandma? Anyway, at one point, I happened to look over at the boy, whose dad was coming back to the table, and the boy starts whispering to dad from across the table "Dad, there's gay people over there!" Of course, Dad couldn't hear his son, so he said "talk louder, I can't hear you." To which the son replied "no, but there's gay people over there" in his loud whisper.

I'm going to guess the boy was talking about a table where there were two men, drinking red wine - oh no!!!! My first thought was "I cannot believe this kid is saying what he is!" My second thought was "Why is his mother sitting there just letting him say this?" (she was right next to the boy)...my third thought was "Um, I know you're 11 and all, but how in the world do you KNOW they are gay?"

In addition to being shocked, it just made me think about how people jump to conclusions based on what they think they see - I'm guilty of it too. I think we're all guilty of it at some point. And, I know kids say things, but shouldn't the parents be there to tell them "that's not appropriate?" Sigh, maybe I'm wrong...

2008 Book Update...

For those of you who have been loyal readers for a long time, you'll remember that at the beginning of the year, I put together a list of 50 books to read this year. Well, this is the update, and it isn't pretty. I read a total of 12 off the list.

() The Fall (Camus)
() American Creation (Ellis)
(X) Man Gone Down (Thomas)
()World Without End (Follett)
()The Pillars of the Earth - re-read (Follett)
(X)Gentlemen of the Road (Chabon)
(X)The Yiddish Policemen's Union (Chabon)
(X)The Other Boleyn Girl (Gregory)
()Team of Rivals (Kearns)
()The Mascot (Kurzem)
(X)Then We Came to the End (Ferris)
()The Russian Concubine (Furnivall)
(X)Jane Eyre (Bronte)
()Thunderstruck (Larson)
()Schulz and Peanuts (Michaelis)
(X)A Thousand Splendid Suns (Hosseini)
()Tree of Smoke (Johnson)
()On the Road (Kerouac)
()The Savage Detectives (Bolano)
()Midnight's Children (Rushdie)
()The Fortress of Solitude (Lethem)
()A People's History of the United States (Zinn)
()The World is Flat (Friedman)
()Kabul Beauty School (Rodriguez)
()1776 (McCullough)
()My Life (Clinton)
()The Myth of the Rational Voter (Caplan)
()A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
(X)Eat Pray Love (Gilbert)
()The End of Poverty (Sachs)
()The Plot Against America (Roth)
()Ragtime (Doctorow)
()Parting the Waters (Branch)
()From Beirut to Jerusalem (Friedman)
(X)Clapton: The Autobiography (Clapton)
()What is the What (Eggers)
()White Teeth (Smith)
()Breakfast of Champions (Vonnegut)
()The Inheritence of Loss (Desai)
()The Good Earth (Buck)
()Boom! Voices of the Sixties (Brokaw)
(X)Daughter of Fortune (Allende)
(X)The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao (Diaz)
()Manhunt: The 12 Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer (Swanson)
()The Guns of August (Tuchman)
()Catch-22 (Heller)
()The Sun Also Rises (Hemingway)
()Marie Antoinette (Fraser)
()The Crimson Petal and the White (Faber)
()Emma (Austen)
(X)A Free Life (Jin)

The good news is, I still read 41 books this year:


Daughter of Fortune (Allende)
The Handmaid's Tale (Atwood)
Away (Bloom)
Jane Eyre (Bronte)
Debbie Harry Sings in French (Brothers)
Gentlemen of the Road (Chabon)
The Yiddish Policemen's Union (Chabon)
Clapton: The Autobiography (Clapton)
The Chocolate War (Cromier)
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (Diaz)
One for the Money (Evanovich)
Two for the Dough (Evanovich)
Then We Came to the End (Ferris)
Mistress of the Art of Death (Franklin)
The Serpent's Tale (Franklin)
Eat Pray Love (Gilbert)
The Constant Princess (Gregory)
The Other Boleyn Girl (Gregory)
The Nick Adams Stories (Hemingway)
A Thousand Splendid Suns (Hosseini)
A Free Life (Jin)
Darkly Dreaming Dexter (Lindsay)
Memories of My Melancholy Whores (Marquez)
No Country for Old Men (McCarthy)
The Book of Lies (Meltzer)
Twilight (Meyer)
New Moon (Meyer)
American Nerd (Nugent)
Snuff (Palahniuk)
The Golden Compass (Pullman)
The Enchantress of Florence (Rushdie)
Persepolis (Satrapi)
Naked (Sedaris)
Child 44 (Smith)
The Art of Racing in the Rain (Stein)
Man Gone Down (Thomas)
Tell Me Where It Hurts (Trout)
Chasing Harry Winston (Weisberger)
This Common Secret (Wicklund)
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle (Wroblewski)
The Book Thief (Zusak)

Out of the books I read, I would have to say my favorite was "The Art of Racing in the Rain". I read this book while I was on vacation for a few days in Cleveland, and it was hard for me to put down. I fell in love with the main character Enzo, who happens to be a dog. It made me laugh and cry, and I highly recommend this book to everyone.

I haven't decided yet if I am going to make a 2009 list, or just say that I'm going to try to read 50 books. I noticed during the year that my reading tastes change quite a bit, and I did expand my horizons by reading some books I wouldn't normally read. In the process, I've come across some fun reads (such as Janet Evanovich and the Twilight series).

I will keep y'all posted!

An interesting end to the year...and a look forward!

While I've been off of work the last couple of days, I've had a chance to finally take a breath, and figure out what's been going on - I still have lots to do, but laundry was at the top of my list.

However, what's been really odd about the last couple of days is that I've found out that a lot of people that I'm friends with are having various difficulties here at the end of 2008. It's made me think of my year in a little bit different way - it hasn't exactly been the easiest year, but I've had it pretty good. I'm only hoping that this positive feeling and outlook will carry me into 2009 and through it!

I also still have to do a review of my 50 Books to Read in 2008. I didn't do so well (I'm pretty sure I only read about 12 of them), but I did read quite a few books that weren't on the list! I also have to look forward to what my 2009 list might look like...granted it probably won't be 50 books!

I'm also looking forward to serving as the 81st President of the Lansing Jaycees. I believe it will be a huge learning experience for me, and I only hope that I can help our organization be better - because I believe there's always room for improvement.

But that also reminds me that I have to remember to take time for myself, and not let things overwhelm me, even though that's inevitable. I'm lucky to have enough people around to ground me and help me think about things in a different way - which always helps.

So, I hope everyone had a happy holiday season, and makes the most of the new year! I know I will be trying to!

When something sticks with you and you can't shake it...

A few weeks ago I wrote about learning curves. Everyone makes mistakes at some point or another. What I'm trying to work on with that, having been the mistake maker, is to learn from my mistake, and take in the situation and decide what I would have done better, what can happen in order to avoid the mistake in the future, and also remind myself that how others handled it is not necessarily how I would have handled it.

Fast forward to today - I'm attempting to reconcile that I still feel like an ass for making a mistake, and how to let that go. One of my goals for the new year, among many, is to let things roll off my back. Now I'm just trying to figure out what the best way for me to do that is...

Days like today

Days like today remind me that I need to take time for myself. Whether that is staying home with the dog, reading a book, watching a movie, or making a new item, it's very important that I take time for myself.

One thing I want to add back into the rotation is working out in the evenings. And I say evenings because I know myself well enough that I just won't get up in the mornings to do it. I'm more of a night owl than an early morning person. So, I have to put some time aside to get on the exercise bike, or start doing yoga at home. I've been meaning to put aside time for yoga in the evenings, other than my classes, but work has been kicking my butt these last two weeks. Though, lame duck should be over soon (crossing my fingers!!!)

Maybe I can fit that in tomorrow...

Might have to have a higher caffeine intake...

Today has been one of those good days - even though my brain was scattered, I was still very productive and got a lot of stuff done. Though, I meant to exercise tonight, and that didn't happen, but it's all good. Even my dog has been good tonight! She's kept herself occupied for two hours with a bone!

Tomorrow night is our holiday party at work. It's being held at Harem in downtown Lansing. I'm curious to see this place, since I haven't been there, and luckily, we're having our party there before they actually open for the evening. It should be interesting.

I'm hoping this week continues to go well. So far, so good! Though, I'm going to have to increase my caffeine intake...

Sleep?

As it's now after 11:30pm on Thursday night, I started thinking about how I've started staying up later in the last few months. Last night doesn't count, because I didn't feel very well, and went to bed around 9:30pm. But, I used to go to bed between 10 and 10:30pm. It was pretty regular.

The last month or so (maybe a little longer), I haven't been getting to bed most nights until 11 or 11:30, sometimes even a little later. I'm not sure what's causing me to stay up. I'm tired by these times, but I just force myself to stay awake.

I think I'm going to have to roll back my bedtime very soon...

Fighting with myself...

Recently, I've been having an argument with myself about how to look at things. I tend to be a critical person, and can border on negative at times. However, one thing that I try to do with everything is look at it from different angles. I recently just had an exchange with a friend of mine about this. I was told "ah, grasshopper, it's all about mindset."

I've also had a recent yoga practice where we talked about looking at things from a different prespective. Many of the poses we did were variations of the traditional poses. The whole idea was to be able to frame things in a different way.

Unfortunately, I still catch myself thinking negatively. I think it's just what I've always done and am used to. But, I will definitely be working on changing that the rest of this year, and in 2009.

This won't be a happy post...

I was in a good mood most of the day. Now I'm home, and I'm just peeved and annoyed. I have things to do, but really just want to go to bed. Hm, I think that's what I'm going to do.

Getting back into the swing of things...

Yesterday got to be one of those days where everything I hadn't done that last few days caught up to me. By the time I left Muskegon to come back to Lansing, it was about 7pm. And by the time I got back to Lansing it was after 9pm because of the weather.

But there is no end to the to do list. In fact, it keeps growing! This week, my plan is to get all my stuff organized, and clean up my apartment. Here's hoping I am successful in that.

This past weekend, I did get laundry done, I didn't end up reading anything until last night, and I did watch a movie. So, not much done in the vacation department...

I'm supposed to be thankful for something, right?

As Thanksgiving Day is winding down for everyone, I'm sitting here thinking about what I should be thankful for. It's not necessarily the usual "family" answer. My definition of family is much more broad than most definitions. First, there are my parents, but that just always seems to be a rocky relationship and most times, I think it's better for my mental health to just leave it be.

Then there's what I consider my "immediate family" - Eric and Dakota. Yes, I'm including my dog (who right now is laying on the couch, drooling on it). Eric and I are going to have our 6 year anniversary in January, and some times it seems like we've been together forever, and some times it's like it was just yesterday. I'm also thankful that we all have roofs over our heads and food to eat.

I'm also thankful that I've gotten through the last few months. It feels like they just went by so fast, and I almost feel like I missed a lot. Things have been a blur, I did some stupid things, and I'm just still feeling behind with a bunch of things that I should do. I'm thankful for many friends that have been around, listened to me talk (sometimes about certain things, sometimes about random things), and just have been around to hang out. It makes Lansing not feel as lonely as it once did for me.

Anyway, I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. Before we know it, it'll be 2009!

Finally - something new!

It took me awhile last night, but I finally sat down and made something new - here's the unveiling!





Now, with today being my last day of work for the week (I love my boss!), how much reading, movie watching, other random things will I get done??

Learning Curves...

Have you ever had that feeling that you felt like you were going to do well at something, and then it happened, and you feel like you did horrible? That's the nagging feeling that I'm having today.

The last two weeks have been a sort of whirlwind for me. I had a lot going on this past week that I got sidetracked from planning the week before, so things kind of came together at the last minute for me this week. Work was extremely busy for me, even though I had anticipated it would be a quiet week. In the process, there were some mistakes made, and while I know it's part of the learning curve, it can be hard for me to take criticism. Especially when I really believe I did the right thing for the situation, regardless of how some people may have felt about it.

I just hope that people are willing to help me out, answer questions I may have, and understand that I'm going to be on quite the learning curve for the next year or so. I don't expect everyone to do everything right or a certain way, but I do hope that we can learn from things that may or may not have worked. So, please everyone, bear with me.

Things I haven't been doing lately...

As the holidays get closer, it's been more evident that my reading piles have gotten larger because I haven't been reading much, my apartment is a mess because I haven't been cleaning much, and I have a bunch of pictures I've already developed (this isn't even counting the ones I haven't) that still need to be scrapbooked.

So, I finally started reading a book I've been meaning to - the 2nd book in the Twilight series, New Moon. However, I also have to read The Daily Show and Philosophy for a book club, and I've also started Merle's Door about an owner and the dog he found on a trip. Of course, I haven't gotten far in any of them yet.

But of course, I've been thinking of taking up knitting or crocheting - neither of which I know how to do. But, do I really need another hobby?

What have you done for your community lately?

It's coming up to be the time of year when I start to get a little depressed. The holidays are not my favorite time of year, though I love winter. I'm not sure if I'm feeling a little more down this year because money is tight, but I've been thinking a lot lately about how things suck for me right now, but someone else always has it worse. I think that's what motivates me to be as involved in my community as I am.

Some of you know, some of you don't, but I'm a member of the Lansing Jaycees. I'm also a former AmeriCorps member (two years, Volunteer Muskegon!) I've tried to stay actively involved in my community, no matter where I've lived. I think it's important at all times of the year to help those in our community, no matter what their situation or your own personal situation. It keeps me busy, and a stronger community is good for EVERYONE.

Our next Jaycee community event is our Stuff the Bus event. We've adopted 20 children from the Salvation Army in the area, and will be collecting items to give them for the holidays. If you're in the area, and would like to help out, let me know.

If not, what are you doing in your community!?

I just can't part with it...yet

I just made a new necklace, and as I was taking pictures, and tried it on to see how it fit, I can't part with it...

It's sterling silver, Thai silver, and blue goldstone gemstones. The charm says says "Om". There is a swirl on the back of the charm too...

What do you think of it??

Things I want (need) for Christmas...

I'm being practical this year. My number one item I'd love to have is a new wool coat - a long one. My old one has gone through 4+ years and is breaking apart on the inside. It was a great coat (thank you JCrew), but it's time to move on.

The other thing is to get my ears pierced. I think I'm finally ready to do it. Not that I ever wasn't ready, just never really thought about it much until I started making earrings...lol.

Yup, I'm being simple this year. What do you want for Christmas?

What if there were no Mondays?

It's a question I'm asking today, and also the topic of something I ran across earlier today from whatifgear...

And keeping with a sushi theme (like the last blog I wrote) from soaprehab - wasabi ginger soap!

Mmmmm - great shopping on etsy right now, especially for the holidays!

When you thought things were going to get better...

After Election Day, I thought things were going to return to normal. Work had been really slow up until then, and everything else was really busy up until then. However, work has picked up, and nothing else has really gotten slower!

Regardless, I've been able to find time to make new things!!! Here's my newest pair of earrings!!!

And to feature a couple of other items:

From mittens - this beanie! I love the flower on it.

And for all you sushi lovers out there.....this print by FashionCandy!

I'm sure I'll post more over the weekend!

New feature...

I haven't been posting here a lot lately, because I've been pretty busy, and when I do have time, I just want to sleep.

However, now that I've been posting things to my store on Etsy, I figured I would spread the love around and show you all some of the items I'm loving...

Not only do I LOVE the name of this store, but omshanti has this tangerine vanilla lip balm I'm dying to try:

I fell in love with this mala from Healingstones when I saw it...

And last, but certainly not least, for tonight...this cute clipboard from Rista (also in MI like me!!!)

Eh, of course, I have to leave you with one of my newest creations...

I'm still alive...

And kicking!

I know you all were expecting a post from me yesterday about the election, but here's what I'll say about it. WOW.

And moving on - lately I've been putting a lot of my energy into positive use. I've been making jewelry and other various crafts, and posting on my website, www.clockrocks.etsy.com. There's also a listing on my blog. I've been quite the busy bee, but it's given me something to get back into, and instead of letting my mind wander, I've been productive!

So, check it out, and check out some other stores - there's some awesome stuff on there for holiday gifts!!

Puzzled...

I'm a little puzzled. I keep a blog, and when I mention people, it's usually as part of something I did. I ususally don't use full names if it has something to do with work, or if I'm frustrated by my professional life. And I especially don't use the full names of children.

That being said - I'm not a teacher, but if I were, I really don't think it's necessary, or even appropriate to use names of your students in blogs. It's rude, especially when other commenters end up making comments about the student (and especially since some of those people are also former teachers of the student). What if a parent runs across your blog? It doesn't matter if it's on Facebook or MySpace - they can still find it. Can you imagine how that student would feel if they found it? It's hard enough for kids nowadays, without teachers adding to their worries.

Blogs can be a great place to vent frustrations. Everyone has bad days, everyone has funny experiences. However when writing, it's important to keep other names out of it, especially when they are children.

Always look on the bright side of life

Yesterday, I headed to Ann Arbor with my two football tickets for the UM/MSU game in hand. I was meeting my friend Pav for lunch then the game, and it was quite the wacky day. When I woke up, the weather was nice - cool and sunny. The weather report said it might rain in Ann Arbor during the afternoon, but just showers. So, I packed my extra change of clothes, and my poncho, and headed off.

We went to lunch on State Street at Red Hawk - they have yummy burgers. I got mine medium, with cheddar cheese, bacon and barbeque sauce. They come with a side order of steak fries.

After that, we stopped at the Michigan Union for a bathroom break, and then headed down South University to check out Middle Earth. Except we only made it past the law quad, when I realized that my ticket was no longer in my back pocket...

As we rushed back to the Union, checking the sidewalks as we went, we were contemplating what to do if we didn't find the ticket...we got back to the Union, I checked the bathroom, Pav checked the couch we sat down on. Nothing. So, we went to the main desk to watch some kids arguing with the attendant there about having a non-validated student ticket, and asked if a ticket was turned in. Her first question "did a woman lose it?" Yup. "Which stall were you in?" THE END ONE!!! Yay! Someone turned in my ticket!!!!

It went straight into my zippered pocket, and we headed back toward Middle Earth. We both picked up some buttons, and then decided that it was time to head to the game. It was a fun game - the weather was great, and I had already been resigned to my team losing. But, as usual, they decided to give us glimpses of a possible win, getting my hopes up, then ultimately losing. I am appreciative that they've at least won a couple games (unlike the Lions...), but man, they could at least just strive to look mediocre. With that said, I love my Wolverines, no matter what!

Eric is working this weekend in the Ann Arbor area, so Pav and I walked back to our cars (which were north of campus, while the stadium is south). Then we decided to go to dinner at Godaiko, which is in the strip mall next to the Target plaza off Ann Arbor-Saline Rd.

We ordered an appetizer of edamame, which was much better than what we had a few weeks ago at Jelly's.

We ordered the Ocean Roll, which had tuna, salmon, yellowtail, avocado and masago:

A piece of fatty tuna (left) and masago (right):

A spicy california roll - a crab salad california roll with a spicy sauce on top:

And the Salmon Fusion roll - Salmon, avocado and masago, tempura battered:

Everything was much better here than what we had a few weeks ago, but still not quite as good as SanSu, Omi, and Ukai in the Lansing area. So, I really need to have some good sushi sometime soon...

It was a great day overall. It was nice seeing Pav again, it was good to get to have dinner with Eric, and I got home close to 1am, which gave me every reason to sleep in as late as I did this morning! Ah, it's nice to be lazy after a filled day!

Creative Streak?

So, since Saturday, I've made 6 things - 4 pairs of earrings, a bracelet, and a necklace. Whew! And I still have all these ideas...just have to have time to sit down and do it all!

As usual, you can see all my work at http://www.clockrocks.etsy.com/. I wish my camera would focus better, because these earrings are really pretty!!! Darn picture doesn't do them justice.

And, just a reminder that the holiday season is coming up...it kind of snuck up on me, that's for sure. I woke up on Monday of this week, and thought "wow, it's October 20th??"

New Necklace and a relaxing weekend...

Actually, this picture is pretty good, even though I took it on my phone. I made this yesterday, along with 2 pairs of earrings, and made a third today. I don't have pictures of the earrings, but will once I get my camera from my office.

Otherwise, went to SanSu for dinner on Friday night, then took Dakota over to a friend's house to meet her puppy, Hobart. They got along ok - except Dakota isn't socialized very well with other dogs, so when the puppy tries to play with her and nip, she doesn't like it so much. She's very anxious around other dogs usually.

Saturday and today we slept in. Yesterday, Eric and I tried Asia's Finest for lunch, and really liked it. I'm sure we'll be back soon, since it's so close to my apartment. Then we went to Red Robin for dinner, because I was having a craving for red meat. Then we went bowling.

Today, slept in again (sooooo nice), and just been sitting around watching TV. Finished the last disc of Weeds season 3, and now just watching football and the race. Nothing too exciting, but it's much needed...

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...

I had a mixed day with food today. I forgot my camera, so I had to take pictures on my phone. So, the quality might not be as good as usual.

I went to lunch today with my friend Stephanie, and we were going to try this new sushi bar in Grand Haven, but they were only open from 5-11pm, so we went to Mia & Grace.

And there was a new sandwich! When I walked in, I talked to Jaime, one of the chefs, and she told me about the Duck PB&J sandwich. Of course I tried it! It was SOOOOO good.

I also tried a new dessert - the mile high German chocolate cake. YUM!

I then went to get my hair cut and colored, then called Eric, who had gone golfing. I asked him if he was possibly interested in some sushi, so we decided to head to the sushi bar, Jelly's, in Grand Haven. It's part of a group of other restaurants I really like - including Dee-Lite and Snug Harbor.

My first problem with this place was the service. Our waiter was pretty slow, and it took us awhile to even get an order in. The place isn't very big, so it's not like they were overwhelmed, but it still took awhile. Stephanie ordered the roasted butternut squash bisque, which had a good flavor, but was way too thick for my taste.

Eric and I ordered an appetizer of edamame. Not the best - some of them were mushy, and the salt was a little too much.

And then we ordered two Jelly rolls, and the Futomaki. I also ordered a piece of nigiri - eel.

All I can say is that I've had better - a LOT better. The Jelly roll was supposed to have a "spicy sauce" and we didn't really taste any of that. The eel came on a BALL of rice - and whatever flavoring they put in the rice was way too strong for my taste. For the price, the portions were so small. I'm used to getting a large roll for $11 - not really small rolls for the same price. The eel was COLD (I don't remember ever having cold eel). I'm longing for SanSu or Ukai right now.

All in all, I doubt that I'll be heading back to Jelly's, but I will most certainly be back to Mia & Grace, though I don't know when, because it's going to be awhile before I'm in Muskegon again. I wish I could make another one of Mia & Grace and have it in Lansing.

Throwing in the towel for the week

I woke up this morning not feeling well - had a headache, couldn't talk myself into getting out of bed, and my stomach has been bothering me. So, I took a sick day. Then I found out my boss said I could take tomorrow off too - so, no more work for me for the rest of the week.

It's been weird - I've been having headaches lately, and I hadn't had them for awhile. I usually get them when I'm stressed. I suspect I've run myself down, and really need some time to myself. I think I've been pretty successful with it this week. Though, my apartment is still a mess, and I have to try to get it cleaned up.

I've started taking time to do some jewelry stuff, and I've been watching Dexter, season 2. I haven't been reading as much, but I think with winter coming up, I'll get a little more back into it. I know I won't get the 50 books I wanted to read this year done, but I've read a lot of other ones in place of them.

I'm hoping the time off to work and some much needed time to myself will help...

Going back to the hobbies

So, this past weekend, I got inspired to start beading again. Bridget was wearing a pink necklace to bowling on Saturday night, and it gave me an idea. This is what it turned out to be:










It's pewter colored, with clear Swarovski crystals. the spacers are sterling silver daisy spacers and the clasp is sterling also.



Ah, how nice to be using the stuff I have...

Progress is being made...

Today was day 4 in a row of working out. I'm trying to make sure I fit it into my schedule, no matter what time I need to do it. I also took my lunch to work, and came home and made dinner. See?






Rice with Apricot Glazed Pork Tenderloin....yum!!!

Hopefully, I won't eat too badly tomorrow, considering I won't be home early enough to make anything. Back to eating at home on Wednesday!

Photographic proof...

That I cooked something...

Grilled chicken with warm mango salsa. I realize my plating technique isn't good enough for Top Chef, but wait a few more seasons...

Attempting a lifestyle change, Day 3

I didn't originally write about this, because it just kind of happened. I had a huge migraine on Thursday night, and had to cancel everything that I had planned on doing. I feel asleep for a bit before the debate, woke up to watch the debate, then went back to sleep for the night.

In the morning, my shoulders and neck still hurt. I went to work, and had my Friday yoga class, which helped quite a bit. I left work early, and ran some errands. Then I got home, worked out, and read some of The Chocolate War - like, 100 pages worth...

Yesterday was great - I went to the grocery store, armed with a list of ingredients for three recipes that I hope to make this week - yup, that's right, I'm actually going to COOK. And not just bake, because I do that more often than actually cook dinner. I worked out before heading out (day two in a row!), and ate well yesterday too. I went to Ukai for sushi, took a return trip to Barnes & Noble because I have a gift card, and then went to Royal Scot for bowling league.

I ended up purchasing the new Ani DiFranco CD, Red Letter Year. I've listened to it a couple of times so far, but not quite with my ear completely at the CD, but I like what I've heard so far. I stayed up until 2am listening to it, and reading.

So far today, I've eaten at home, finished picking up a few things for my recipes, worked out again, and am finishing up the second disc of season 2 of Dexter. I'm also cleaning up my apartment a little bit - throwing out excess paper, cleaning the kitchen so I can make dinner, and definitely vacuuming - the dog likes to leave her hair all over!

Stay tuned for more updates...

Banned Books Week

This week was Banned Books week. I'm finally getting around to writing, as things have just been really hectic lately.

I picked up The Chocolate War from the library, and I'm hoping to crack it open tonight.

I also wanted to post this list:

The 10 most challenged books of 2007 reflect a range of themes, and are:

And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson/Peter Parnell
Reasons: Anti-Ethnic, Sexism, Homosexuality, Anti-Family, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group
The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Violence
Olive’s Ocean, by Kevin Henkes
Reasons: Sexually Explicit and Offensive Language
The Golden Compass, by Philip Pullman
Reasons: Religious Viewpoint
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
Reasons: Racism
The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
Reasons: Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language,
TTYL, by Lauren Myracle
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
Reasons: Sexually Explicit
It’s Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris
Reasons: Sex Education, Sexually Explicit
The Perks of Being A Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
Reasons: Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group

Books have always been an important part of my life. Wherever I have lived, I have frequented my local library, and those of you that know me, know my love of bookstores (and bringing home something from there...)

This is also an interesting source - it gives a list of challenged novels in the 20th century, and talks about where they were challenged and why they were challenged. I have to say, I don't necessarily agree with everything that every book has written in it, but I think to challenge any book and not allow it to be accessible to the public is a great travesty. People should be able to read what they want, and make up their minds as to what is appropriate for their own family. Parents should be involved and read along with their children.

Many books were written in different times, and context must be taken into account, such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Only by opening our minds to different viewpoints can we truly understand our world.

Bacon ice cream and a long weekend...

All week I was planning on going to Muskegon on Saturday morning. By Friday night, I was just so spent that I decided to just drive there after my Happy Hour event for the Lansing Jaycees.

On Saturday, Eric, his mom, Nancy and I went to Mia & Grace. I could eat there every day if it were possible for me (since I live in Lansing...)

I had the Roasted Butternut Squash soup, and it was amazing - I dug into it before I took a picture.

I ordered the Chicken and Mushroom Ravioli with Roasted Yellow Pepper and Tomato sauce. It was amazing. The seasoning in the ravioli was great, and the pasta is made in house.

Eric ordered the Cornbread Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with a Molasses Blueberry Reduction...this might be my new favorite...the cornbread didn't overpower the pork tenderloin, which was seasoned perfectly. The reduction was soooo yummy.

Nancy got the Pecan Crusted Chicken...so good.

And of course....dessert! I got the carrot cake...

Nancy ordered the Fresh Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream - this was fantastic!!!!

And having this made me order the Creswick Bacon fresh ice cream...

The bacon was fantastic in the ice cream - the ice cream had rum in it also, so the sweet/salty combination was great.

And today, my day off, I'm relaxing, hanging out with the dog, catching up on the blog, and watching Countdown with Keith Olbermann from last week, Dexter Season 1, and I'll probably finish watching a disc of Weeds later. I probably have other things I should be doing, but oh well!!!

Oprah's Book Club

I've been reading The Story of Edgar Sawtelle for about two to three weeks. Then, last Friday, Oprah decided to announce her new Book Club selection. Can you guess what it was? The same book I've been reading.

I don't tend to read Oprah selections because she picked them - a few, like Middlesex and The Pillars of the Earth I read BEFORE they were Oprah selections. Otherwise, I haven't read much in the list.

I am really enjoying this book so far - it's a little slow going, because it's longer and more dense, but it's certainly keeping me interested.

What a weekend...

Eric came to Lansing this weekend, and we started Friday night out with sushi. I left my camera home for this weekend. After the Thursday night fried food fest, I was just in the mood to have some sushi.

Saturday, we ran errands. Eric decided that we would go shop for my birthday present, which I told him that I wanted golf clubs and shoes. After a trip to Dick's Sporting Good in Okemos, the Pro Golf Discount store in Okemos, and the Golf Haus in Lansing, we decided to pick up the Wilson Hope set.






I also ended up with golf shoes!





That's right, those are argyle accents...

Now, time to just learn how to play golf! We also both ended up buying bowling shoes, since we're on a league that plays at Royal Scot every other week until April. Before bowling league, we went with Runs with Spatula and Corky to dinner at Ukai West. Again, no pictures from me, but it was day two of sushi.

Today there was much less going on. Eric made breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast, and then we got ready and went to Forest Akers for some golf. We were there about 2 hours. I did a lot of putting, and found out I'm not too shabby at it. But, of course that's the easy part! Now, at some point, I'll have to learn how to drive...

Then, came home, read a bit, fell asleep for about an hour, and then went to dinner at Emil's on Michigan Ave. Yay for all you can eat pasta!!!!

I need more days in the weekend...

The Michael Phelps diet?

Not quite, but definitely filled the calorie intake! Last night, 6 of us went to Joe's Gizzard City, including Runs with Spatula, CFreaky, Alex, Sheryl, and Angela F. I'm writing this as I eat my Friday breakfast burrito from Jalapeno's. I'm still in awe that I can eat anything this AM...

And so, our trip to Potterville, MI began.

Random bird cage with chicken....

We ordered mass quantities of beer battered, deep fried food.

Pub Pickles - had a little kick to them, and it was cool to have pickles that weren't the chip size...

The Blue Cheese/Buffalo Mozzarella Sticks - these were sooooo good:

The Gizzard Sampler Platter - with original, garlic and herb, and cajun gizzards. There were not super chewy at all, like most gizzards I've had, and the cocktail sauce was a great dipping sauce.

We also got the Veggie Sampler Platter - I didn't get a picture of it. But, it has fried asparagus, fried green beans, fried onion peels, and sweet corn nuggets (which were AWESOME).

This is the Fried Dessert Platter - including fried cheesecake, fried donuts, fried apple cake, fried Oreos, fried Nutter Butters (with grape jelly for dipping!), and fried Cookie Dough...mmmm. Served with chocolate sauce...

I would highly recommend Joe's - it was on the Food Network, featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. All in all, I'm not feeling awful today, but not feeling too great either. This might take a few days to get over...

Recommended only once or twice a year, with full recoup time afterwards...

Wednesday Night Wind Down...

I've been looking forward to this evening since I woke up this morning. I got to leave work a little early, and come home and watch DVD's and read. The dog also got to spend some time running around. I'm sure it was good for her. Granted, she's been a little bit of a pain tonight so far.

This week has actually been somewhat productive - at work, outside of work, and just all around. I've been bringing my lunch to work, and have been mostly successful in not eating out. I feel a little more like things are coming together but there are still some things that are hanging out there that I think are going to hang around for awhile.

But, at this point, I'm off to enjoy my evening!!

ABC's "National Stay at Home Week"

Over the last couple of days, while watching college football and now watching NASCAR, I've seen commercials for various premieres of fall TV, with the ending talking about "National Stay at Home Week". Hm, it's obviously a ploy to get people to try and watch their shows, but it also got me thinking to my weekend.

Today is a stay at home day for me. I'm trying not to go anywhere that I don't have to, and eating at home. There are multiple reasons for this - I have lots of movies to watch that I got at the library, I have a book to finish, I don't want to spend more money on gas and food. The budget is pretty tight right now, and I have to try and make it until pay day on Thursday.

I love lazy Sundays...

Lazy weekend...

I'm enjoying my weekend thus far. Last night the Lansing Jaycees had a Dinner and a Movie night. We had a great turnout, and had dinner at Claddaugh Irish Pub in Eastwood Town Center. I had been looking forward to having fish and chips all day, and it was fantastic.







Afterwards, we went to NCG Cinema to see the new Coen Brothers movie, "Burn After Reading". I enjoyed it - Brad Pitt was hilarious as a gym worker, and there were quite a few moments that made me laugh. Some of the group didn't like it at all, some people liked it and there were also a few in between. The story was somewhat ridiculous, but that's what I tend to expect from their movies.





This morning, I went to the Localvore breakfast at Gone Wired Cafe. It was soooo good. They had pancakes that are so dense, eggs, sausage from AppleSchram farms, and bacon...







The rest of the day, I've been lazy. I did have to go to the Michigan Jaycees Meet the Candidates forum, but that was about an hour or so. I also signed a 6 month lease for my apartment, and picked up some books and movies at the library. Since I've been home, I've been watching college football, reading, and working on some of the things I need to do for the Jaycees.

Tomorrow is going to definitely a movie day...