pop music

I hadn't ever heard this song before I stumbled on it on dooce the other day.  Every time I hear a new pop song I like, I think, I should go back to pop (like thinking you want to give an ex a second chance and then you see him at a coffee shop and, um, no.  So over that, in fact, ew.).  When I try to go back to mainstream pop, flip on the old radio and wade through commercials to get to, some crap I don't want to listen to in between some more Katy Perry, who I also, no longer want to listen to, because after hearing Firework the first time, I loved it, but after hearing it the 61st time, well, not so much.  It takes 15 minutes of mainstream radio and suddenly I realize I'm at dinner with an ex.  I've got to get out!

I've tried to dissect my thing with pop, and here is what I've come up with: I can't wade through the crap (90%) I hate to get to the good (10% (that's being generous isn't it)) stuff.  I also, don't like pop ballads.  That goes for stuff that gets remade on Glee too  (Yes I watch Glee).  But I do love the dance favorites that I love.  Like Lady GaGa.  I listen to a lot of Lady GaGa because, I don't know what else to listen to.  But, now that I run at the gym to pretty much only Lady GaGa, I'm terribly close to getting bored.  I've gone back to my old Gus Gus albums filled with skips because I actually uploaded them from cds(!) and Brazilian Girls.

Conclusion: I don't know what pop songs to listen to that I will actually like, and my impatience shows my grey hairs.  I may not cool enough for music anymore.  How disappointing.

What upbeat pop songs do you love to listen/work out to?

photo no. 19 - snow days, cookie failure

icicles hanging from our bent gutter

This is day three home from work because it snowed.  They said the rain would come on Thursday, that it would melt, but it didn't.  It snowed harder.  Today, the warmth came, and the snow is starting to melt, but so slowly, because it's only 34 degrees.  Instead, I'm working from home.  It's slow because I don't have everything I need and my home mac systems are not set up for some of the things I do on the windows system at work, but, I am working.  I am checking my email as I type this.  I am logging documents from photocopies of drawings.  I am working. 

I have also made dinner, taken a five mile walk in the snow with my G, which wore me out because walking in the snow is much harder than walking in not snow, and made my third batch of failed cookies.  

cranberry oatmeal cookie fail

I think I have only made two successful batches of cookies in my life.  Apricot thumbprint cookies and 7-layer bars.  Whenever I try to make anything else, chocolate chip cookies are burned, oatmeal raisin are tasteless, peanut butter are crumbly, cranberry oatmeal (above) are cakey and blah.  I won't even blame my cookie failures on the recipes, I'm sure I did something wrong, melted not softened the butter, too much dry ingredients, and possibly overprocessing the dough.  (The burning incidents were all due to using a rental house oven that turned out to be 50 degrees too hot - go figure).

So here is what I need, someone send me a recipe for an unfussy, fail-safe cookie.  I need help.  I promise to make a batch, and post the results.  

In the meantime, I'm going back to making apple crumble, plus I can eat it for breakfast with yogurt.  I'll post an updated recipe as soon as I'm done making it. 

quinoa oatmeal for the week

Oatmeal is one of those breakfasts that I love, but never want to make because in my head it has the stigma of taking too long to cook and not really filling me up until lunch.  The trick is to add some fat like butter, milk, and nuts, but somehow that strips away some of the healthy.  Here is my healthier version and enough for a weeks worth of breakfasts.  I make this on sunday and then dish it into containers for me to grab out of the fridge on the way to work.  I just heat it up in the microwave when I get there.

Here is how I've made my oatmeal even healthier.  Quinoa has more protein than oatmeal and it gives my oatmeal a little more texture.  I usually have red quinoa on hand which would give this a nuttier flavor which in oatmeal, would be good, but below I made it with regular blond quinoa.  I also added coconut oil instead of butter because in Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Cooking, she says "coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, which facilitates brain functions and boosts the immune system."  Sounds like the perfect thing for a winter morning.  I've also added flax seed meal, because it's filled with omega 3 fatty acids.  

quinoa oatmeal for the week

This recipe is inspired by Mark Bittman's oatmeal recipe in How to Cook Everything Vegetarian and Heidi Swanson's Seven Way Steel Cut Oats in Super Natural Cooking.


Quinoa Oatmeal

1 cup oatmeal
1 cup quinoa (scrubbed)
2 cups water
dash of salt
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup flax seed meal

In a large saucepan, add the oatmeal, quinoa, and salt to the water and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, turn down the heat to simmer, stir and cover with a lid.  Stir occasionally.  In 10-15 minutes, remove the lid and cook off the rest of the water, if any.  Stir in the coconut oil and flax seed meal.

I top mine with dried cranberries, cherries, sliced almonds, and a chopped apple.  And, organic natural brown sugar.  I know, brown sugar is bad.  I tried to use honey instead of brown sugar, but it just didn't taste as good.  I'm working on it.

new years resolutions

Last night at dinner with some friends, I was asked if I had any new years resolutions to which I answered, I don't know.  I feel like what we understand new years resolutions to be is completely different to what they should be.  These tend to be lofty goals with unrealistic expectations and little or no support system announced flippantly at the end of a season of stress and gluttony that set us up for failure.  Resolutions such as I'm going to the gym every day from now on, or I'll never drink again, you know unrealistic goals.

I actually started a few resolutions in October.  I started going to the gym more regularly.  I'm working up to five days a week and my lofty goal is to work out an hour a day.  So far I can only say I've made it to four, but I did go to the gym two saturday's in a row!!  Last weekend, at 8 pm, which is just weird, and yesterday, even though it had started snowing.  First snow of the season.  I probably should have been terrified to get on the road with so many people who don't know how to drive in the snow but, I was fine.  People hadn't yet started slamming their cars into one another, maybe because it wasn't rush hour traffic.  Anyway, I sit at a desk all day and the pile of things that need to be done now, just never seems to shrink.  I also resolved to leave the office for my lunch everyday but that one hasn't worked out so far, and I really really want that one to happen.

I've resolved to prepare meals for us to eat during the week.  I have been foiling my going to the gym after work by coming home ravenous, snacking, showering, then eating frozen pizza, or take out or some other terrible thing.  But now I'm trying to prepare meals, with vegetables in them.  Also because I don't like to prepare meat, I'm trying to figure out how to get some protein with my vegetables.  I'm making a soup for the week, so at the very least, there is something healthy in the fridge.

I've also begun my fifth year of dry January.  No alcohol for a month.  I think this is my husbands seventh year of dry January.  So we are in it together, but this is the first year that on day three I haven't craved a drink.  Perhaps because I went to the gym instead, perhaps because I'm just tired of poisoning myself.  I don't know, but I've felt good.  I did drink wine on wednesday when we had make-up xmas with G's dad because he was so so sick for xmas.  And I was almost immediately tired, slept like crap, and felt bedraggled the next day.  And then I didn't even go to the gym after work, so I felt even worse.  Did I replace drinking with working out?  Is that even possible?

The confluence of these things is that I feel better, have more energy, and do things that I like to do, like reading, sewing, cooking, and all the fun girlie stuff, that I like to do.  Although I need to do more laundry too, but somehow that doesn't take over all of the other stuff I want to do.  Go figure.  Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go make myself enough quinoa/oatmeal to last me a week's breakfasts, and go to the gym, now that the snow is melting off the roads.

one of the daily workouts at my gym.

copy cat

so I actually have some things to say and things to share but my pieces of technology are disjointed right now and I'm trying to solve that.  translation - while I wait for my ancient (circa 2006) macbook to download software updates so that I can finally take it appart and replace the battery, I am sitting here with a purring cat on my lap communicating to you.  Sure I should sit on this post, edit it, and then actually post it, but we both know if I try to do that, I won't post anything.  so I'm going to copy cat instead.

I just saw this on whorange and love it.

to a new year that is bright with confidence and dare I say, adventure.

Amy Rice Art

 although, Amy, I would love one with a map of Seattle.

12 days until xmas - drink up!

I'm a big fan of consumable gifts for those who are impossible to buy for, or for those who just really like liquor.*  Here are some good consumables for those that are so inclined:

Lazzaroni Amaretto

This is not the amaretto of the scanky commercials.  This is the amaretto of cookies!  The cookies!  If you haven't had them, they'd be a good gift too.  This amaretto is super delicious in hot orange spice tea with a splash of milk.  It's nice and warming on a winters night.

Counter Gin

My husband informs me that gin was once cheaper than food and was consumed by the poorest of London.  Of course now, in a fancy glass, it's classy as hell.**  Actually, I haven't tried this one yet, but I do love proper chaps wearing corsets.  And, after having no gin and tonic for my grandmother on Thanksgiving, it seemed I needed to restock the pantry with something... worth viewing.

Elijah Craig

I don't really drink whiskey.  I like it occasionally in mixed drinks, but my husbands taste in good whiskey makes me never want to tarnish it's flavor with anything.  Frankly, good whiskey is wasted on me.  But if you are looking for something to give a whiskey lover, my husband says this one is a favorite gift.  He usually gives someone a bottle of Elijah Craig once a year.  And the bottle is pretty, no?
* none of these are actual gifts this year, so I'm not giving anything away, yet.
** is hell classy? 

13 days until xmas - art

Yes, I skipped a day.  Yesterday was filled with xmas shopping, tree dressing chaos (including the tree falling over twice because the stand collapsed and we had to buy a new, burlier one), and xmas movie night showing of Love Actually to the one person who could make it, our friend Ellen.  That's what we get for inviting people to our house meer hours before we want them to arrive.  I guess we are just too spontaneous that way.

Anyway, while I was starting to feel rather anti material possessions, and was considering posting as such, there are two things I am always in support of purchasing: books (which I'll go into later) and art.  Here are just a few pieces that I think are fantastic.  Yes, I want them in my house, and yes, I'm in support of them being in yours.

Poster for Rear Window by Claudia Varosio

also:

Magnolia poster by Claudia Varosio 

Claudia reinvents movie posters.  They are all amazing.  

The Butterfly Releaser by Elle Moss

I love pretty much all of what Elle Moss has done from ethereal oddities to nature prints.  They are just lovely. 

Dark Forest "Grimm Path" by Miss Quite Contrary

Miss Quite Contrary's etsy shop is filled with prints of vintage photos, maps, books and other antiquities.  

Also, both Elle Moss and Miss Quite Contrary are having holiday sales.  Am I allowed to buy myself another present?