Mar 29, 2008
Chasing the sunset, part 1
Well, I had an odd dream last night where someone was telling me to stop posting pictures on my blog because the people demand entertainment and I need to get back to writing. The reason it was so odd is because people don't really read this little site of mine and earlier in the day I had begun a post with some of my sunset pictures to be posted at a later time (aka right now). I wish I could remember who the low life in my dream was but I guess sometimes you wake up and what once was there is no longer. I pretty much keep my eye on the sky throughout the day and when the sunset time has been coming around for the last few months I'm there and waiting and hoping that mother nature does its thing. Sometimes I think the clouds have formed perfectly and then I get nothing and other days things turn out better than expected, and lets be honest, as Woody Allen said: half of life is just showing up. So I'm glad I showed up.
Jan 08
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Dec 07
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March 08
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Mar 24, 2008
I've got that spring feeling
Maybe the bump in picture posts will be the final indicator to everyone that I love my powershot. Sure there are many other cameras in a much higher range that I'd be more than happy to own but things are going swimmingly so no complaints here. The following pictures are to show my overwhelming love of spring and with the seasons changing the flowers blooming and the birds chirping and um, all the colors unveiling? Yeah, nevermind. I used my handy dandy color accent feature which isolates one color and greys the rest. I really like the effect and the lines that are shown through this feature. Happy spring!
Mar 22, 2008
P.S. - I'm in culinary school....
I just completed a class called 'the art of creating a wedding cake' and all I have to say is Ace of Cakes makes it all look really easy. Damn you food network! Anyway here is what I have to show for myself after 4 days as well as some pastries from my baking class - regardless of the amateur designs everything tasted incredible. So who needs a summer intern for baking and pastries?
First cake made, and to be honest this is the first cake I ever made that didn't come in a box. It's true. Wait, I made cupcakes from scratch but never an actual cake. Okay, so this would be a white cake with italian meringue butter cream frosting, top flowers are real, decorative roses along the side are piped and the leaves of the roses are ivy which I thought was a nice touch.
This is a dummy cake - I only take responsibility for the decorations which was a homework assignment for the wedding cake class. Royal icing is used in this Rasta themed cake which was inspired by a cop. Yeah, funny story? I'll keep it short: I had been baking for hours and before I was about to start the still undecided decorative process on this cake I took a break to check out the sunset and ran a stop sign which I wasnt aware of until I was pulled over. So I was so bummed about my whole situation (getting my first ever traffic ticket and watching a partial sunset pass by without photo documentation and the quantity of work left for me at home and the overly cocky and unsypathetic cop) so on my way home I got 'I Shot The Sheriff' in my head which made me think of Bob Marley resulting in the idea to do a Rasta cake which suited me pretty well because its semi-traditional designs (well, not the peace sign on top...) but not too wedding cake-ish since I'm not a big fan of super traditional stuff.
This was the wedding cake made the second weekend of class, all partners were assigned to do different techniques - there was a ganache drip, ganache pour, white chocolate, fondant and so on. This cake is chocolate sour cream with ganache filling, white chocolate wrap and fondant adornments. We used a pasta maker to roll out the white chocolate once it molded and the process was difficult to master to say the least. Cake was delish!
Well this was my first cake making start to finish every single ingredient with NO HELP whatsoever. It's only 2 layers and I was exhausted. Lets start off with details - chocolate sour cream cake, cream cheese filling, homemade marshmallow fondant, embellishments were also fondant (red ribbon on top was made out of boxed fondant since the marshmallow kind was 'uncooperative'). This was my idea for my final project, I dont want to say I was disappointed but I spent a lot of time on it and the cake looked fantastic but the marshmallow fondant was really, really, difficult to get fondant-like in the sense of being able to roll it out without cracking and breaking (probably from stickiness). I worked with the fondant for HOURS and I was on a time deadline to finish for when it was due in class so I was bummed that I didnt get to do the red embellishments around the bottom of each cake and my animal prints were so 'organic' due to time but I didn't give up and now I have a platform for next time to improve upon. Yeah, optimism rules!
These are a few goodies made in my baking/pastry class which is taught by the same teacher as the wedding cake class but is for a full semester so we still have a lot more to cover. I have a newfound respect for croissants and all the hard work and butter locking that goes into them!
croissant
raspberry cream cheese danish
almond poppyseed bear claw
Mar 21, 2008
Odie is his name-o?
So I've done the unthinkable - well, two unthinkable things really: 1) I've ressurected this blog. I realize it totally flat lined but I said I'd be back and I am. Little bloggy thoughts are brewing in my mind. So theres that. And 2) I've become a dog owner. To people who know me this is what one would describe as 'shocking'. I'm just not the warm and fuzzy type to say the least. I was totally okay with me living in my non-contact animal life while everyone else has their little Foofy and Fluffy and Buster's running through grass fields, barking endlessly and licking their butts. I didn't want anything to do with it. But here I am and it took awhile but I'm pretty alright with how things are going. Here's a picture of the mystery breed of dog for those who need a visual, and who were possibly doubting my dog ownership authenticity.
Surprisingly the bad stuff hasn't been stuff like dog smell or the hair or just co-existing with an animal. I've barely even noticed the change. It's the constant walking and short term memory that have been obnoxious. For example, Odie (yup - thats his name, and no I didnt pick it out - I was pulling for Cruzer or Marley but the SPCA folks had started calling him Odie and I'm not completely heartless as to inflict further identity confusion upon a dog) is all about associating noises and actions with being taken out for a walk. You open the drawer and take out a plastic bag - oh must mean its time to go out for a walk, even though we just freaking got back! Or, I put my shoes on and walked near the door, walk time again! Seriously, little Pavlov here needs to get a grip and realize the world does not revolve around him and his desire to be outside round the clock. Overall though he adjusted well, rarely barks, no outbursts, no bathroom accidents, knows sit and shake and sleeps and plays and is just pretty chill overall.
So now that I got the good stuff out of the way let me share the most annoying thing about being a non-animal lover who now has a canine - it's talking to other pet owners about their little "babies". Its too much. I dont give a shit. I just want to take my dog for a walk and if I happen to not have headphones in my ears I'm trapped in a conversation that in order to avoid all aspects of anti-socialness must consist of interaction. So if dog owner #1 asks me 'how old is your dog' I have to ask the same thing or a variation of that back which of course turns into more conversation and all I want to do is WALK. Or if dog owner #2 asks me 'what kind of breed is your dog' I have to give the 'he's adopted so I dont really know speech' and then we go back and forth throwing out different possibilities of what breed he may be. And then there is discussion on his mellowness and his markings and I feel like a jerk if I just stand there and let people compliment MY dog while I'm looking at there's with nothing to say back. I just want to say have a nice day and be on with it but I force a 'great choice on that leash' or 'Oh, hey I noticed you're carrying a Savemart bag to pick up your dog's poop - thats great I shop there too' before walking away. But by far the worst dog walking encounter that I've come across went as follows:
I'm walking along and a van pulls up right behind me, I stop and turn thinking that someone is about to either abduct me (they had a van! hello, I watch 20/20) or ask me for directions. As I stop Odie starts sniffing around because thats what dogs do. He then pees on the bush nearby. The man gets out of the van and walks towards a set of four mailboxes atop bricks which are mighty close to the bush my dog just peed on.
Me: "Hi!"
Grumpy Man: "So you're just going to let your dog pee here?"
Me: "Well, thats what dogs do - they kind of just pee anywhere"
Grumpy Man: "Maybe you shouldn't be letting your dog pee on people's mailboxes"
Me: (surveying the mailbox proximity to the bushes and then looking back at grumpy man) "Maybe you should lighten up"
Grumpy man: "Maybe you should just move along" (he does the hand shooing motion! rude!)
Me: "Maybe you should install a security camera so you can see all the other dogs that are peeing near your mailbox while you arent driving by at that exact moment"
He then got in his creep mobile and drove down his long driveway far away from his pee infested mailbox. There are so many other things I wanted to say to him. This literally happened a few days ago and I'm still so annoyed that he thinks he has the right to dictate where dogs can pee! Its not like he was out gardening and I let my dog pee on his cherry tomatoes that he would be eating for dinner later that night. Damn. Oh and my theory on his mailbox being out on the street and his house being down a long driveway in back is that the mail carrier could easily travel back there but the post office refused to allow that to happen because nobody should be subjected to seeing his ugly grumpy ass face when delivery mail. Thats all, end rant.
Nov 29, 2007
PowerShot
The mind is an interesting thing. It can scramble thoughts in your head for endless hours as you attempt to enter into a deep slumber but when that creativity is faced with fingertips hovering restlessly on the keyboard suddenly clarity is the only thing you can think of. Here are some random pictures from October and November since I dont feel like blogging about life right now...
I like trees with personality
I also like trees with color
Thanksgiving pitstop
Monterey Bay
Canon color accent - green be gone
Color accent part 2
flea market is closing - sad.
Nacho Libre looks for bargains at the Flea
still life
yeah, so I like trees and sunsets
May 17, 2007
I heart the library?
Hello America. As you may have noticed I don't have the internet, so blog updates have been few and far between. I'm at the library now. I'm typing away with my rough draft on full display. I can't work like this. Unpaid bloggers have few perks; but music, beverages and privacy are quite important to put the thought process to full effect. Plus ,between responding to the five whole emails a week that I receive and checking wordly stats I'm left with little web browsing time. The Library charges late fees on books and for extra internet time! Did everyone know this???
Anyway, the season finale of both The Office and Grey's Anatomy is on tonight. Go watch one of those shows or read my archives. I'll be baaaaack.
Apr 14, 2007
NyQuil, fun for the whole family.
I started a new job this past week. It went alright I think. Ok, that is a total LIE. The thing is that I've been horribly sick since Wednesday. Sick in a 'run the water as I cough and gag to mask the sound and sit down as I blow my nose because I see stars and might pass out' kinda way. I blame my brother. He is continually sick due to poor choices, therefore inflicting his germs upon me. GOSH.
So Thursday was my first day, and it was a snot filled mess. I refused to shake anyone's hand, yet coughed in everyone’s personal space. Hurray for first impressions. I decided that for my second day I'd wise up and bring in a little backup to help get me through the day. Hello DayQuil. I was so desperate to numb my pain that I OD'D on it. I vaguely remember standing over the sink taking in spoonful after spoonful with the hopes that the more I took the more sinus relief I'd get. At the very least I should have gotten a nice calming buzz. Turns out that a breakfast consisting of teddy grahams and water isn't sufficient enough to balance the powers of the 'Quil. I then spent a good part of Friday in worst shape than when I woke up. After a short stay for day two at the new job I decided enough was enough and told the boss I couldn't hang. As I apologized profusely and gathered my belongings an endless supply of paper towels and rubbing alcohol were put into full effect to sanitize every area I could have contaminated. I dizzily exited the building and half expected a plastic tent with the words ‘quarantine’ to be put up before I even made it out. I mean way to make a girl feel special, right?
Probably against their better judgment they ARE allowing me back on Monday and so project: 'be healthy and win 'em over the second time around' will go into full effect....So that’s what I’ve been up to the last few days, that and having CRAZY NyQuil dreams. I’m talking about the deepest sleep ever, where I marry childhood crushes on a pirate ship and adopt a monkey from South America. I kinda hate it but secretly love it.
Anyhoo, I obviously have many more stories to tell (non-sickness related) – which I’ll get around to when the fever breaks. Peace out.
Mar 10, 2007
What do you call an ant from overseas? Important!
With cold weather comes ants. The little joyous insects think they are all high and mighty and even though they don't pay rent, check the mail or offer up any late night chitchat to compensate for their existence they find it acceptable to move in and setup shop wherever they please. Depending on where you live or who you live with the ant situation varies. For awhile I somewhat forgot that ants existed, something like 'out of sight, out of mind'. Not so anymore. With my current housing companions ants do exist and let me just say that I am not above killing them. I'm not worried about being reincarnated as a paralyzed cockroach for my actions, and if that is my punishment then so be it. I don't use raid or any other fancy chemicals - just a good old fashioned paper towel and water. Then I squish the towel up with the hope that ants can communicate in some way that is silent to the human ear and the other ants can hear the shrieks and cries as their leaders are flushed away. The other day I surprised myself by eyeing a few ants and shaking my head disapprovingly as I wiped up all but one and then told the lone survivor that this is my territory and I spared him so he can go back and tell his family that this is not a safe area and they should relocate. I talked to an ant. Yes, I talked to an ant and I meant it.
Feb 28, 2007
Barely Inspired.
Well here I am, for better or for worse. A few days ago I officially "celebrated" one month of unemployment, which is kind of a wierd thing to be keeping track of. I'm less than enthusiastic to be out of work, but more enthusiastic to not go back. I have been looking for something that seemed right to me, without selling out or selling myself short. There aren't a lot of jobs to choose from here. Apparently I wasn't getting the call back to all of like 6 jobs I actually applied for because my resume is crap. Well, it was crap. My mom didn't even take the time to go over what improvements should be made, she just re-did the entire thing, unsolicited. So now I get to start over on something that I never really started in the first place. Fun!
I recently found out that I type 60wpm. This is exciting news to me. I started out at 8wpm. That was not a typo. EIGHT. I've tried telling people of what I thought was an impressive typing speed but it seems that anything below 75wpm isn't worth bragging about. Who knew? I thought I was the shit.
Anyway, I try and get my interviewers to laugh, its a nervous thing I do to put myself at ease. As soon as I get someone to even snicker-giggle-smirk I feel ten times cooler than I actually am. And I relax and am then able to give wonderfully articulate answers to their interview questions. So the Kelly Services Girl told me my typing score and I tried to make a joke about once typing 8wpm and now being a poster child for following your dreams to being able to type 60wpm with 2% error - this was all an attempt to get the Kelly Girl to think I was hysterically funny and in between gasping for air from laghing, she'd pick up the phone to book me for a temp job at a comedy club. Or anything really. But here I am, day 33.
I'm running on limited resources. With all this time I have I should have written a novel, or atleast an accompanying blog for the month of February. But I've been looking at pictures of Baby Shiloh, and reading about Anna Nicole's death. Not even Crazy Britney could inspire me to get writing any sooner. I've read two books. I recently completed a piece of pottery, that I was informed yesterday was ready for pickup. Excited to see how it turned out. Movies and meals have occupied some space in my life, though I can no longer get my Netflix in the mail in a timely manner. Why? I'm doing nothing! I don't even have an answer for myself.
Other things to occupy time: me googling song lyrics and questions like 'why are there bibles in hotel rooms?' and 'what are the names of our teeth?'. Useless stuff. Right now I'm really into absorbing any information I feel I should already know but don't. I'm even doing these online flashcards to get up to speed the U.S. capitals. Pathetic, yes I am aware. I knew them for 10th grade History, but you don't use it you lose it. So I'm re-learning. Really, really, really learning - like I'll be reciting where everything is geographically in my sleep. Dammit, who doesn't know that Columbia is the capital of South Carolina? Me! This is the site I'm practicing at. Results vary.
Jan 27, 2007
Unemployment.
Ok world, you were right – Ugly Betty is great. It’s more than that actually; it’s free to watch on ABC’s website and highly addictive. I’m now obsessed with pockerchiefs. Seriously now, what self-respecting man would even think about wearing a suit without matching their pockerchief to their tie? I’m so glad I quit my job, otherwise when would I find the time to get caught up on the season and draw hearts on pictures to illustrate my point? Unemployment (day 2) never looked so promising.
Jan 16, 2007
Pain, Decay and Superman
My dentist has become my bff as of January. I’m drilling into my dental plan as much as possible before my insurance is cancelled as I depart my job. It’s very interesting how we hold on to memories from childhood, crazy memories that impair our judgment as adults. For example, I associate pain with the dental experience partly because my childhood dentist enjoyed torturing children and would shush me when I cried (literally CRIED) from the pain associated with filling cavities and being stingy with the novocain. “Yeah, you like that? Well that’ll teach you to brush you little brat” he would scowl at me. What he would say exactly maybe is a bit fuzzy….
My new and improved dentist overcompensates for my early years of dingy helpings of novocain. Let me tell you, my new doc enjoys numbing his patients, and does so in an empathetic, gentle way. Lets call him Dr. Gingerly. Dr. Gingerly will apply pressure and vocalize where I may or may not feel pain, with a soft “ok, ouch, ouch, ouch…just a little ouch, here comes a baby pinch, another round of ouch, ouch, ouch” and then its over. He also goes into long-winded explanations about the level of pulp in my tooth (hello?) and applies helpful color contrasts to my x-rays as we discuss what areas are ‘at risk’.
Just last week I had to undergo the process of being fully conscious for an extraction – bag lady style. My top back tooth had become compromised, Dr. Gingerly’s words – not mine. The tooth mass had been fighting for some time, decay, plaque, gums, toothpaste, all that good stuff. So I owed it – wait, WE owed it a break. So out came the tooth. Dr. Gingerly numbed and pulled, and then numbed and pulled some more. It started out excruciating – just the thought of my sad lifeless tooth being excavated was enough to push me over the edge. But then the actual pain kicked in. Not real pain of course, just the pain that was created in my head. Roots connecting to every nerve end and roots that were trained to hold tight and never let go. Pulling, and tugging and twisting and turning. I wanted to die. But then – suddenly, and I honestly have no idea where it came from but I had a surge of excitement. I was getting a tooth pulled! I was withstanding unbearable pain! I had chosen this over a root canal and dammit I was not going to back down! This was my decision, and for better or worse I was going to stand behind it and enjoy it. So I let the empowering-I-am-every-woman-hear-me-roar moment take over and I am happy to report that you really don’t even need your top back tooth anyway. Plus they give you vicoden, so there ya go.
Aside from being a kind and caring dentist, Dr. Gingerly also plays movies, complete with headphones to enjoy as you get some water, suction, open-wide action in the dental chair. On my first visit I watched Napoleon Dynamite, which proved to be unfortunate as I spit a mouthful of dental fluids onto Dr. G’s helpers as Napoleon took Pedro’s tatertots and shoved them into his side pocket. So during the next visit I decided to play it safe and watch Superman Returns. I’m not completely clear on all the different superhero’s powers….BUT Spiderman, Batman, Robin, Wonderwoman X-men, all those “people” wear masks, right?? Is Lois Lane that stupid? Am I to be convinced that because Superman has plastic action figure hair and no glasses when he’s in full costume he is a different person? This is so confusing to me. Lois Lane is a reporter; I presume she has some brains, no? Anyway, the story was a bore and the special effects weren’t anything worth re-making the film for. Oh, I was also entirely disappointed with the doctors assigned to save Superman. I can’t believe they gave pretty much no effort in the O.R….I’ve watched enough Grey’s Anatomy to know how it’s supposed to be done. Paging McDreamy?
I’ll end my dental story with this – as the night crept on, the temperature in the dental office declined. Dr. G’s wife had turned on the heater but he asked her to turn it off. Something about his tools getting toasty? I don’t really know, but she complained that it was freezing, and after a failed attempt of asking her to spray water and suction he turned to her and said “hon, if you work a little harder you wont be so cold”. Hilarious! Maybe you just had to be there….
Jan 5, 2007
Two Week Notice
Yeah, I did it. It may have taken me almost a full 8-hour work day to muster up the courage to make my resignation official but I did what I intended. All went well - tears were flowing, candles were lit, and both a rabbi and a priest were called in to bless me on my future endeavors. Ok, well maybe not exactly but the following conversation did occur:
Boss Man: Wow, you’re leaving really soon. What are your plans?
Me: I’m moving back to Santa Cruz. I really want to finish school.
Boss Man: Oh, you didn’t go to college?
Me: Well, I’m 22. I’m still IN college.
Boss Man: Oh, yeah well….I was just wondering. It’s a topic where you can’t just ask people if they went to college or not, you have to wait until they bring it up.
Me: Oh.
Boss Man: What’s your major?
Me: Art History
Boss Man: I love Art History.
Me: Yeah, me too.
What was REALLY said in the conversation:
Boss Man: Oh great another person is quitting, how am I going to explain this to the Board of Trustees.
Me: Well, I don’t want to burn any bridges here - so lets just say I want to quit my job to finish school.
Boss Man: Wait, you didn’t go to college?! Who hired you? Wow. Ok, I get it – I initially thought you were just really, really dumb, but you didn’t even go to college so it all makes perfect sense now.
Me: Yeah, cause you went to college and look at you?
Boss Man: I suspected you weren’t a college graduate – I didn’t want to say anything, so thank you for confirming my suspicions.
Me: Sure thing buddy.
Boss Man: What do you possibly think you could earn a degree in?
Me: Art History
Boss Man: Ha! I’ve got more knowledge of Art History in one brain cell than you’ll have in your entire lifetime (cue Doctor Evil laugh). Look around you kiddo – this palace that I call my office is dripping in art and culture and empty glasses from my countless hours of wine tasting. Oh, and my overall fabulousness of course.
Me: Sounds great. Peace out. Good luck with the audit.
End Scene.
Jan 3, 2007
This is it, don't get scared now.
Two-week notice tomorrow. It's in writing here on my little blog that nobody reads. BUT I am a loyal reader to myself so this is my electronic post-it note. Hopefully when I hand in my resignation the paper won't be splotchy with sweat stains because these hands are a-shakin. Must focus. Must carry hand towelettes. No chicken for this vegetarian...
Dec 29, 2006
The End Is Near...
I'm on day two without mobile-to-mobile connections and I'm about to embark upon a little experiment here. Though I am eligible for a phone upgrade I am needing to get detoxed from technology. Yes, the texting queen is about to try life sans the cell. Wish me luck. It's going to be good for me. Yoga and granola to follow...New year, new traditions, new me? I've been a firm believe that New Years Resolutions are like all those other commercial holidays, solely designed to make things more complicated but conflict and controversy create curiosity - so here I am world, take me as I am.
Oh, 2006 - you've been good to me. School and work demands were unreasonable, monetary restraints were through the roof and the cellphone dropping in the toilet incident was quite unexpected - if not humorous. Though illness was scarce and friendships continue to thrive - so I salute you 2006, though I must warn you, 2007 is near so you better watch your back!
Dec 7, 2006
Slacker
I am not dead. Nor am I uninspired. Maybe a bit stressed, which does not put me in a good type of writing mood. Stress also puts me in a 'listen to the same five songs on repeat for an entire eight hour work day' kind of mood, which doesn't really win me any friends. Yes, I was that kid who endured the slightest bit of agony and would sit in their room playing the same song over and over and over again until the track would skip. I don't exactly hate the world right now, just a lot of the people and occurrences in it. Deep breathing - and I'm back. My musical tendencies prove that I've obviously come full circle. Good for me.
Peace out. I'll return soon...
