Three Good Things 1.24&25&26.15

Time got away from me yesterday, so I didn't get a chance to put together a blog post.  Here are my three good things from this weekend:

1. Managed to run 9 miles and got to do the last two with a friend.
2. Finished all the cooking that I planned to do.
3. Had a fun trip to the thrift store and my partner* bought me a dress that makes me giggle whenever I look at it.

The dress is one of those snazzy cotton blend straight up and down dresses from the 90's.  This particular dress is black with zebras and hibiscus flowers.  Who knew that zebras were native to Hawaii?! (hint:  zebras do NOT live in Hawaii unless they are in a zoo.)  I plan to take the dress apart and create something that will fit my shape better--a swirly skirt or a sundress.  Can't wait to show off my Hawaiian zebras!

And now for my three good things from yesterday:

1. My mom sent me a cool pair of short boots with no heel and they fit perfectly.
2. Had a long lunch with a couple of my favorite guys.
3. Nearly finished a project at work much sooner than the higher-ups anticipated (again).

Receiving the boots was extra-lucky because I was on my feet all afternoon.  I was wearing pumps that weren't terribly comfortable, so I was very glad to have more comfortable footwear to get me through the day.
 

The Hawaiian Zebra Hermit Crab is as close as Hawaii comes to a native zebra

*I use the term partner because some of my friends are married and some are dating, and because I believe the terminology should be the same across the board, whether you are gay or straight, married, living together, or dating.  You are romantically involved with that person currently (and if you’re romantically involved with more than one, you have partners—simple as that).  It’s easier all around, but I doubt it will catch on since it doesn’t give anyone a social cue about the status of your romantic relationship or if your significant other (or others) happen to be the same gender as you are. Humans are so illogical.  I did discover that one of my heroes defines it similarly, so if you have a moment check out Laci Green.

 

 

 

Three Good Things 1.22ish.15

Fell off the wagon already, but I’m climbing back on.  I had a day or two where making it through the day without crying was all I could manage, so figuring out good things and writing them down took more effort than I had in me.  But hey—now I have a couple of days to look through, so it should be easier.

1. New Orleans-style snowball break with a friend because sometimes you just need that much sugar all at once.
2. One of my favorite bloggers had good news to share.  Her hubby is a terrific guy by all accounts, so I was really pleased to read about her happeez. 
3. After-work drinks with a couple of my favorite coworkers.  Not too much alcohol, but definitely some interesting conversation.

 

I didn't actually drink enough to be hung over, but I considered it...

Bonus good things: it’s finally Friday and I have a dinner date!

Three Good Things 1.16.15

Spent a good portion of the day trying not to listen to myself.  (My irrational, pointlessly panicky self, not my usual adult-ish self who has some common sense and patience)  Sigh.  When is Spring?

1. Lunch was leftover carnitas and also included potatoes AND cheese.  Yum.
2. Picked up a copy of The Addams Family TV show at the library and thoroughly enjoyed watching an episode with my best guys.
3. Someone else heated up/plated dinner and let me relax with my hurty head.

This list seems a bit sparse, but the other good thing was a conversation that is too personal to share here.  Sometimes we’ve stumbled a bit on the path from mad infatuation to something deeper, but we keep trying.

Pizzukes

New recipe!  My friends had a party this weekend to celebrate their snazzy new grill/smoker.  They provided the meat and the beer and the rest of us brought side dishes and dessert.  A darned good time was had by all.  It also provided me with a captive audience of taste-testers (muahahaha).  I’m forever craving pizza, but money was tight so I invented a new recipe involving zucchini (which is in season and therefore pretty cheap).  You may recognize the sauce from my previous pizza casserole recipe. It’s the best pizza sauce ever IMHO, but I can’t credit the author because I have no idea where it originally came from.  Sorry, pizza genius, I wish I could thank you personally for this sauce.

Pizzukes

Sauce:

2 Tbsp olive oil

6 garlic cloves minced, or 3 heaping tsp of minced garlic from a jar

15 oz can tomato sauce (use a good name brand--Muir Glen organic is my fav)

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Add garlic and cook about 1 minute.  Add herbs, then stir in tomato sauce.  Cook a few minutes until flavors are blended then set aside.

Big pile of zucchini, sliced

1-2 onions, diced

1-2 Tbsp coconut or olive oil

Heat oil in a large frying pan or dutch oven over medium heat.  Add onion and cook 3-5 minutes until translucent.  Add zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, until zucchini texture is where you like it.  Stir in pizza sauce and heat through.  Serve with mozzarella or feta cheese.

I’ve never been a big fan of zucchini.  I come from the sort of place where people leave sacks of it on the neighbors’ porches in the middle of the night and run away.  Pretty sure that one zucchini plant can supply an entire small town, so why does everyone plant a couple?  That said, this is one of the ways that I am willing to eat the green monsters.  (The previously posted zucchini noodles is the other way—tomato sauce and cheese makes everything better).

Drooling commencing now.

 

Starting over

During all the excitement and commuting and packing and unpacking of the last few months, I couldn't find time to run very often.  When I finally got back on the trails, I felt like I was starting over.  My body complained, my lungs were wimpy, and OMGITISSOFUCKINGHOTOUTHERE. EVERY. DAMNED. DAY.  After about a month, it's finally getting easier, and though I haven't gotten my speed back, I'm getting closer all the time.  Both of my pairs of running shoes are over a year old, so I sucked it up and bought a new pair of road shoes and a new pair of trail shoes.  I'm making some running friends here, so I have no excuses to skip.  And my joints won't let me keep trying to run in those worn out shoes.  My new road shoes are quite shiny, and they are high-mileage Asics, so they were pretty cushy to run in.  I was joking with one of my new running friends about shiny shoes making you run faster, but I think I really did run faster last night! 

Ooooooh, shiny!

Of course, I was by myself so I wasn't watching the time or the pace, but I know I was breathing too hard to carry on a conversation.  When I run with others, we generally roll pretty well but not so fast that I can't talk.  (Yeah, I know--you didn't realize it was possible for me to be unable to talk--very funny, smartypantses) It was a good run and hopefully the cushy new shoes will help me get my mileage back up.  I miss being able to cruise through a 10-mile run.  (shaking fist) "As Dog is my witness, I will be a distance runner again! (mumbling) Just as soon as it cools off some.....

Changes keep ringing

Whew.  The new job is still awesome, but dang!  I've been soooo busy.  I am enjoying having weekends mostly free but I still don't have the interwebz in my house, so I haven't gotten around to writing anything new here.  I have finally unpacked though.  And Miss Bella is enjoying our balcony as long as the neighbor's dogs are not sharing her air.  She and I hang out there as often as we can, and I have to admit it's a marvelous place to spend an afternoon with a bottle of wine and a good book.

City Kitty keeps an eye on the passers-by

Got a new phone, which is smarter than my old phone.  As soon as I can figure out how to make it send pictures for real instead of lying to me about it, I'll post the view off the balcony.  I did get my personal library shelved, so you can admire that for the moment:

Paperbacks, over-sized, antique volumes, children's books

collections, non-fiction, misc fiction in hardback, city kitty

In other news, my good old car finally croaked.  It's been towed away, never to return.  The rubber duckie collection from the rear window is languishing in a box inside the apartment.  If anyone has a car for sale that is an automatic, less than 20 years old, less than 200,000 miles, for less than $2000, not required any serious mechanical work--please let me know!  I live about a mile from my new job, so I can walk to work (easy to get my exercise this way, too) but it would be helpful to have a way to get some cat litter home.

I know it's been a while since I posted, but you might recall that I was looking forward to spending time with a certain someone after I moved.  Well, that seems to have dissolved into a morass of anxiety, depression, lies, possibly some drugs or something--I have no clue.  Honestly, I'm not the one who is falling apart.  You can't help someone who won't talk to you. I went through an incredibly similar scenario a couple of years ago with someone else and it sucks just as much (maybe even more) this time around.  If I could borrow Jen and her buddies from "Jen" e sais quoi, I'd really appreciate it.  If a girl can't have a boyfriend, she should at least have some pals to bitch about men with, right? 

PS.  This is my 100th post!  Wo0t!!

Bawk Bawk

Chocolate class + two jobs + half marathon training schedule + a fun new friend = breathless, in a somewhat stressed but also good way.  I’ve thought of two new chocolate flavors to try out.  They might be awesome or they might be nasty—there’s only one way to find out.  Any volunteers?  No?  How about if I give you a hint?  Ants on a log and root beer floats.  Anyone interested in being a guinea pig now?  For those of you who had the misfortune of growing up somewhere besides the Midwest, “ants on a log” is the name of a kid’s snack.  It’s a stalk of celery, filled with peanut butter, with a line of raisins stuck on top of the peanut butter.  I’m serious.  It’s on Wikipedia, so it must be a real thing.  Root beer seems to be one of those “love it or hate it” flavors, so that confection may not be popular with everyone.  My brother is in the “love it” camp, and I haven’t created a candy for him yet.  If it turns out to be delicious, I’ll give him a box to distract him when I visit my brand new niece (next month, when it will hopefully NOT be snowing anymore). 

Speaking of celery—I’ve invented a Primal variation on a coworker’s tasty chicken dip (which I always eat with celery because NO CRACKERS ALLOWED).  If you want something healthier than chocolate, try this:

Non-cheat Chicken Dip

1 large can chicken (10 oz)

½ tsp herbes de Provence or Italian herb blend

¼ tsp garlic powder

½ cup plain Greek yogurt (organic is best, as usual)—I use the kind with fat in it cuz it’s yummier

Drain the chicken, throw it in a bowl and use a fork to break up the lumps.  Crush the herbs a little with your fingers and sprinkle them over the chicken.  Add the garlic powder.  Stir well.  Add the yogurt and stir again.  Eat with celery stalks or spoon into lettuce wraps, or just eat it with the spoon.  Quick, easy, yummy.

So what do you think of the candy ideas (other than that they’re a bit vague)?  Would you taste a root beer float crème?  How about ants on a log, if it was made with chocolate instead of celery?  And if anyone tries the dip recipe, will you let me know how yours turns out?