Monsters

Boo Berry Cereal Wednesday with special guest ME and Sweetheart Bear:



I look lovely. :D

a sticky (ew) reminder

Dawg and I are doing this week's Cereal Wednesday together. Please visit my site or Dawg's site to watch us make fools of ourselves. (Well, ok, Dawg is never a fool, but I'm always a fool. :D )

I assure you, the confercations will continue as writing time permits.

Amy Sedaris might have one too

My guest post about pretty kitties is up at Avi's. Please enjoy.

For those of you too scared to go there I'll scare you with some of my favorite girl from afar, Amy Sedaris, and then you'll go running to Avi's just because it's safer there.

Part 1 of Amy on Martha Stewart - Li'l Smoky Cheese Balls


Part 2 of Amy on Martha Stewart - Li'l Smoky Cheese Balls



Isn't she great? :)

yummy deep fried

Doesn't this look tasty?



Yah, IT FUCKING DOES.

It's a cheesesteak egg roll! Talk about your food corn porn!

(PS - Apparently today is my "FUCK" day. I apologize to the kids.)

Pearl Jam is, too

Poppy flavored spring rolls

My friend with the very adorable kids (the wife of Break Boy) sent me this photo:



Along with it she wrote "this totally reminds me of you" which made me smile and feel some happiness. A step in the right direction. I had been feeling nothing for myself today... essentially numb. So, it's good to feel. :)

My interpretation: I am cute Asian food. Yum!

I wonder what the strawberries are doing there... Palate cleanser? And is that a larger than life smiling Buddha Jordan almond? heeeeeee!

My evil plan has worked!!!

Yesterday I tricked Dawg into writing a post for me today.

Hehehehehehehehehehe.

Dawg, I'm totally the bigger dweeb. Seriously. See this hair? zomg bad. See me standing in the corner facing the wall? See 11000 people walk right past and not acknowledge my existence? Yup, I'm a dweeb!

(And I kid, because neither one of us is a dweeb. At all. Not even a smidge. Other insulting adjectives, sure. But dweeb? Nope! And thank you for giving me a morning giggle. :)

PS - I tooooootally keep forgetting to mention (wtf!) that on my way home from a work conference, meeting Avi and Britt (yah?) and maybe even Crys if she suddenly decides to hit la FL, and seeeeeeeiiiiiiinnnnnnggggggggg B!!!!!! I am hanging out with Dawg in NYC during a layover back to France and we're doing a Cereal Wednesday together!!!!!!! ZOMG I AM SO FUCKING EXCITED I CAN'T FUCKING STAND IT. That might be cuz I just had coffee, but I'm pretty sure it's cuz I get to hang with Dawg for a few hours and eat cereal. :D Mark your calendars for October something-or-other. ;)

wiping the drool from the corner of my eyes

Kim sent me a photo of her boy cuz I'm always all up in her business when it comes to the vicarious living.

Cover your ears. Just do it. Thanks.

ZOMG HE IS FUCKING ADORABLENESS WRAPPED IN A CRESCENT ROLL.

You know the guy from Girls Just Want to Have Fun?!? HE LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE THAT GUY, ONLY ACTUALLY COOL.

Kim is freaking hot herself so I'm not surprised. :) I'm just noting. :)

You wanted to know what I had for dinner, yes?

salad! with Keyser Söze Caesar dressing!

alternate universe

Today I've had two Starbucks coffee-flavored frappuccino drinks, one venti iced mocha (full fat) with whipped cream, and one cookie dough Peace Pop, and yet my pants keep threatening to completely fall down when I'm walking unless I hold onto the belt loop.

Somewhere in the world a woman who ate healthily today is super pissed that she gained 10 pounds anyway. (Sorry!)

a really good friend

Break Boy made me lentil pie at 12:30am last night because he knows I'm in need of pie lately.



His wife added the kitty cat design to it. Do you see it?



That pie? Fucking awesome. Pie crust, tomato, red lentils, onion, and extra sharp cheddar cheese. What is NOT to love?!?!?

This is why I have a friend who I met at age 6 and keep around. He is awesome. I'm pretty sure all the other friends take him completely for granted, but I never will again.

Walken, talkin', chicken hockin'

I'm clearly running low on title creativity.

I think about less than a handful of you look at SGP so I am going to start off with food stuff instead. This morning I was feed reading my food blogs and found this post about Ilan from Top Chef having a big announcement. I can't stand Ilan so I went to leave a comment about how I assume his big announcement is that he's having Sam's baby and found that someone had left a "Christopher Walken cooking chicken and pears" comment. Intrigued, I followed the link, and here's what I found.


The ending is my favorite part. Christopher talking about the pear bottoms as tasty cookies is my second favorite part. The unveiling of the cute chicken after it was cooked is my third. Have I mentioned that I used to hate Christopher Walken because he creeped me out as a kid but now that I'm an adult and understand The Man I think he's awesome? No? Well, pretend I just did.

On to SGP. I did visit the in-laws yesterday. Their gardens take up almost all their lawn, save for foot paths in between the beds, so there was a lot to take in. Some of the photos in this week's set are from my gardens but most are from theirs. Some of my most favorite shots:





The full 118-photo set is at flickr.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!

I'm sorry, I know I just hurt a lot of ear drums. But for a very good reason. Dawg is awesome:

A video would be nice

I have been up since 6:30am for no reason other than that shiny orb outside is evil.

I have since been trying to make you a video but iMovie has gone all tardy on me and keeps crashing when I try to open it from any user account. I'll fix it later.

What I was going to say in a video:

1. Harry Potter dies in the end. It's very macabre. (You know I actually have no idea, right? I didn't see spoilers, I'm just messing with you.)

2. I went to an event last night. At said event:

a. I got to hang out with the crew I used to work with fresh out of college.
b. I ordered "something yummy" from the cash bar and got a Cape Codder (not yummy, who thinks cranberry juice is "yummy"?!??).
c. The hors d'oeuvres were fucking amazing. I ate two black bean and corn empanadas and two veggie egg rolls in an Asian chili sauce.
d. I saw a rabbit. A biiiiiig rabbit.
e. Dinner was fucking amazing: green beans with ginger shallot butter, mixed greens with (tasty something or other) vinaigrette, fresh tomato and basil with balsamic vinegar, herbed rice pilaf, lemon chicken, spinach and cheese ravioli, and marinated flank steak. I ate it all. And I never "eat it all" when I'm at events because usually the food sucks ass. The guy next to me (not Hay, the other guy) went back to get a second plate and I stared longingly at it while I thought of stealing it from him.
f. Dessert sucked. Let me just explain that this is okay with me because dinner was so good that I didn't actually want dessert. The only good thing about dessert was the single, solitary strawberry that I ate. Perfectly sweet and juicy.
g. The after dinner coffee was also amazing. Kudos to whoever put the right amount of grounds into the coffee brewer. I like it BOLD, not like tea.
h. There was a live 80s cover band. I love 80s music so I had a very good time just sitting in my chair singing along and chair dancing (because I'm not coordinated enough to stand-up dance and nobody asked me and I'm not asking anybody there, thanks).
i. There were gift boxes on the table. When I opened mine I found inside of it one of those balls that if you squeeze it the inside flashes different colors of light. It was actually a necklace. One of the other people at the table received a Hello Kitty smarties dispenser (not Pez) and she didn't want it so she gave it to me. I shall be sending it to my mom. :)
j. I had great conversations with people at my table as well as when milling about. When I am completely comfortable with a group of people I'll chat everybody up. Those people are like family (the good members only, thanks) so it was a very enjoyable time.
k. I texted a few of you (Sour, H, and K) from the car when I was leaving the party and you all seemed to be doing very interesting things. Am I the only one who usually just sits at home on a Friday night?! Hmm.

3. I'm mowing the lawn at some point during this absolutely gorgeous day. I wonder what adventures I'll have. (My thumb and hand are completely better, by the way.)

4. I'm probably going to see the Harry Potter movie tonight and getting the book tomorrow or next week. I don't mind if you email me to tell me the ending, it's fine. ;)

Update: Avi told me the ending in IM. Now, now, people. I did ask him to. So, no throwing things at him. I still don't own book 7 and I still haven't gone to the theater to see the current film.

5. I have lots of days off next week because (it's my birthday...oh, you're still reading? hi!) so I'm a bit crazy with work at the moment. I'm probably going to do some of it this weekend so that it's just over with. I get to do mock-ups of a web page (I'm not sure how many I'm doing...20?) and my creative process is hindered by all the work interruptions, so doing this at home just makes sense. Avi's work ethic has rubbed off on me. (Stop humping my leg! YOU ARE SUCH A PERV. ;)

6. Feist is coming to visit me in September. I am quietly excited.

7. Speaking of visit, remember how I said I needed to hurry up and meet bloggers? In a two week period starting at the end of September I will be meeting seven bloggers. I am so very not quietly excited, but I'm (WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT) playing it cool. If Crys gets that Newf this weekend I will be scheming a visit to her swath of the woods as well. (All of you living around her, watch out for the Poppy Tornado. [I'm pretty sure I just made a monkey noise.])

Is it unlucky to end a list at 7? Hm.

dinner

Last night I had the following:

• Harpoon's UFO raspberry hefeweizen*
  
• Pepperidge Farm roasted garlic bread with an arrabiata dipping sauce
  
• MorningStar Farms veggie corn dogs with yellow mustard
  
• Generic brand potato skins, straight up

It's one of the tastiest dinners I've had in a long time. And I love to eat.

Yes, I ate that entire plate of food. I don't know if that's a lot, but I was super full after for sure. :)


*I'm a simple girl and I will generally choose a cheap JW Dundee's honey brown for a flavored beer, but the grocery store only sells it in 12-packs and I just wanted a 6-pack. Cost-wise this is a dumb choice, but fridge space-wise it's a smart choice. :)

pan-fried steak

Have I ever mentioned I love steak? I have? I have. I love steak! And now I love pan-fried steak, thanks to Melting Wok who has shared her recipe for a fantastically crispified hunk of moo.

Pan-fried Rib Eye Steak With Mushrooms And Onions

Ingredients :
1 piece 1/2 inch thick, rib eye steak ( approximately 14 oz )
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce ( preferably Lea & Perrin )
4 tbsp olive oil
7 oz button mushroom, sliced
1/2 a yellow onion, cut into rings

Method :
1) Rub both sides of the steak with salt first. Then with black pepper, cumin powder, cayenne pepper, worcestershire sauce, and lastly olive oil.
2) Refrigerate for an hour or preferably overnight.
3) Remove steak from refrigerator 15 minutes before cooking.
4) Heat pan until really hot. Saute onions until slightly fragrant in 1 tbsp olive oil. Add mushroom and continue stir-frying for 1 minute. Dish up and set aside.
5) Pan-fry steaks in 2 tbsp olive oil using the above cooking tips.

I am choosing to ignore the fact that there are mushrooms in this recipe. Anybody want mine?

the perfect lunch on my day off

MorningStar Farms mini veggie corn dogs and french fries, pan fried in peanut oil.

What's better? (Rhetorical.)

"We are not related."

1. The neighbor across the street who has lived there the entire time I have lived here (5 years) is so hot. Seriously. He's just super hot. I just caught a glimpse of him through the upstairs window so I just needed to mention.

2. I didn't realize that kids had to wait until they were 4'9" before they weren't supposed to be in a car seat anymore!

3. Georgie is headbutting my arm because she wants me to say hi to you all for her. "Hi, everyone!"

4. Kudos instead of tacos for breakfast. Definitely the better choice.

little bits

It's summer, shouldn't you be outside or something? Yah, me too.

I totally forgot that I had set up a recording for Sleepaway Camp on IFC. Now I totally get to see boobies this morning!!!! (What? Boobies are pretty!) Edit: Dammit! No boobies because the twist at the end is that she is really a he. So I think I just saw a prosthetic penis. I think.

It's 9:30am but I'm craving Mexican food. A nice beef taco with pico de gallo would be lovely. And beans and rice. And maybe a chimichanga (I don't care what's in there, it's fried and awesome). Now I am starving... Nice job, Poppy!

I'm pretty sure for the first time since it warmed up I have absolutely no plans for the weekend. Except drinking ice water and watching the cats go nuts. Yup, there goes Ripley now!

We can see our town's fireworks from our backyard because they're launched from *pointing* right over there, so people invite themselves to our house to eat our food and sit in our screened tent, in the front of the tent so that Hay and I get the crappy view of our own fireworks. I'm not quite sure how this happens every year. Except that Hay keeps saying "what time are you coming?" when they say, "hey, we're coming over for the 4th." I'm not opposed to visitors, I'm just opposed to people without common courtesy.

I am still hungry. Bye.

Sugary goodness

I am bringing cake to work today. And I'm going to eat it. I'm sharing, of course, so if you'd like some cake please stop by my work at 11:30am* 10:30am my time, k?


*Honest mistake. :)