Vida

Do you make New Year's Resolutions? I'm very on the fence about it.  Some years I go all out and other years I skip it all together.   I don't think they are bad.  It's never bad to set goals.   My co-workers (one in particular) have definitely made some new year's resolutions/goals.  From taking more public transportation (aka less cabs), drinking tea (rather than soda, etc.), eating out less, learn the fishtail braid, the list goes on... After thinking about it a few days I decided Tuesday what mine will be:  say Yes.  This mostly applies for work because I'm pretty good at giving things a try in my personal life, but for some reason professionally I start thinking of all that has to go into that task  immediately  and then that shows on my face.  (FYI I do not have a poker face!)   So I'm going to try to start thinking anything is possible.  And hopefully this will create an atmosphere where we can do g...

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2012 is here for another 365 days.  (or less, if you believe the world is going to end) i like the sound of 2012 i'm excited do you make resolutions? i made a few, but here's one that i'm really going to start... Thank people too. Maybe that sounds silly. Yes, I thank people with words when I'm at the grocery store, etc.  I say thank you a lot.  But how often are people much more excited/willing to tell a story when something goes wrong or someone is mean rather than when something goes well (or according to plan). Let's take the Christmas megabus trip for example.  Yes, I reported the bus driver and got my money refunded (he really was quite mean and didn't do his job).  I feel kind-of  bad about it.  But you know what, the bus driver I had on the greyhound was very  nice (and not only because I was comparing him to the mean one).  I emailed them to recognize him too.  Because he deserves it. At work the flo...

both these recipes are perfect hearty meals for the cold of winter! cinthya came over one night and we cooked together.  it was so fun and involved a serious catch-up session during and after dinner.   we made a ravioli vegetable lasagna yum! when i'm at my parents, i cook.  i just do.   over thanksgiving i made beans and greens chili .  it was pretty delicious, if i say so myself.  and VERY easy!   how do you know this chili was really good and not just another chili? karen doesn't like chili or anything with too many vegetables.   this chili had both and even she liked it!  if that doesn't give it a high rating, i don't know what can.

Seriously...I'm Kidding - Ellen DeGeneres so now i'm up to two of the four lady comedians who all released books around the same time.  tina fey-check.  ellen-check.  now i feel like since i started i should read mindy kaling and jane lynch too.  i liked ellen's book.  very quick read with short chapters, but it was fun dispersed with serious points that were delivered in a funny manner.  very ellen. Blankets - Craig Thompson back to my surprise that graphic novels are not actually funny.  this is another one.  it's sort-of an autobiography, graphic novel style, of first love.  a little sad, yes.  graphic novels can be an interesting way to switch things up.  i definitely recommend giving them a try. Girls in White Dresses - Jennifer Close this was a chick book (that's what i'm going to call them from here on out.  like chick movies).  i wasn't super impressed to be honest.  it was about a group o...

i've been trying out some new recipes lately (as per usual).   tomorrow one of my friends is coming over to make a new recipe she picked out so i'm excited to give that a try too! pot roast (with tempeh serving as the meat)-who knew there is a vegetarian version of pot roast? apple crisp herb quick bread today i'm going to feature my adventures making pumpkin donuts . (i love sweet recipes that allow me to cut them in half... like this one) i've never made donuts before and i'm not quite sure what i was expecting... suggestion #1 have a donut pan.  i don't (obviously) and didn't do the muffin pan suggestion either.  i decided to use a cookie sheet and form my own donut circles.   donut dough is much stickier than i imagined.  i made artistic circles ;) i left the glaze off and i thought they were delicious.

fleece navidad -maggie sefton grandma lent me this book of mystery.  (her favorite type)  along with the story though there were lots of references to knitting (making me want to knit) and the holidays.  i know the holidays will be here before i know it, which kind-of scares me.  where did this year go? one day -david nicholls hmmm... don't really know what to say about this one.  heartbreaking, just like the movie.  the book was better than the movie (as usual) with the addition of several other characters thoughts and descriptions. it looked different on the model -laurie notaro Karen and i both said our "funny books" were the best.  Mine-Me Talk Pretty One Day.  Karen's-this one.  Coincidentally we both got each other's respective books from the library at the same time.  I kept telling her this one was ok, but it had nothing on Me Talk Pretty One Day.  My favorite stories were the ones involving the author's pare...

Monday I spent some time in my place to get things in order and get ready for the upcoming week in the kitchen too.  i actually really enjoyed it.  at the end of the day I officially knew my mind's converted to fall. I got back in the kitchen and made Tempting Tempeh Chili.  I was a little nervous because I've never cooked with tempeh before.  But it turned out really good.  I'm not quite sure how you can mess up chili.  Oh man is it filling. It was my first recipe from my 1,000 Vegan Recipes book (thanks borders and dad). a nd I didn't even stop there.  I made some delicious cookies .  i left out the chocolate because i don't like super sweet.  the salt on top makes a significant difference (i did some of both because i didn't really trust it).  my taste buds say a good difference.  yum.

2 years ago, last night i was standing in the zocalo celebrating mexican independence day.  when i think back to that night (actually the whole week) i feel so happy.  that was a really happy, exciting time for me.  it's strange how happy you can feel when you understand so little of what the people around you are saying. last night on my bike ride home silly things kept reminding me of that night.  the most obvious were the mexican flags people were flying outside their car windows.  i saw the buckingham fountain light show, which sort-of reminded me of the lights in the zocalo.  no, there weren't fireworks or yelling, "viva mexico."  although, to be honest i did speak out loud in spanish the whole way home (the path was deserted) and may or may not have yelled "viva mexico" myself, alone on the chicago lakefront path (i did).   good times what else have i been up to this week? beer tasting at haymarket , which was super fun!  to be ho...

i know this is so late with the approaching weekend, but i want to do a recap from last weekend.  it was a good one. after working a 15 hour day friday and a half-day saturday i made my way to the airport for my quick flight to missouri.  it didn't end up being quick in any form of the word, but i arrived.  i just don't seem to have luck flying lately.  i told my grandma the story and she even commented on how it seems to be a trend lately (for me). we had all sorts of changes in our plans, but mom, dad, karen & i ended up at  Winslow's Home , in U-City.  it's a farm-to-table restaurant so i was a big fan and i had a delicious Torta Rustica.  yum! while i was looking up ideas of places to go in st. louis it was nice to see farm-to-table restaurants are taking on the scene. sunday we checked out  Duff's  in Central West End, which took awhile to get our food, but was delicious.  we had a lovely walk around the neighborhood be...

I KNEW this week was going to be insane before it started. hence my tattoo for the week No, it's not real.   I've been on a bit of a tattoo kick lately.  I really would like one, but I'm definitely too indecisive for anything like that so I draw pictures depending on my mood. This is tree pose.  I love that your feet keep you grounded, think of it like a tree's roots.  the things and people that are always there for you no matter what.  Then you have your branches and fingers to move around with what life sends you.  There's more to that description, but there's the short form.   I wanted to keep myself grounded as I prepared for the week of insanity. It started Monday at work.  (Yes, I work Tuesday-Saturday, but people don't always respect that schedule.)  We went to a school for their first day.  (track E CPS schools started monday) It went pretty well, just exhausting, as usual.  But the BEST part was what we saw roamin...

what a week!  the madness that was sunday seemed to continue throughout the week. This week included attending the interns "community bash" at the Adler.  They were so proud and I was so happy for them.  I wasn't happy about going in to work on my day off (Monday), but I made myself go in and i was so happy i did.  i think it was important to them because they seemed very excited to see me.  so that's good. i also got to catch-up with a couple girlfriends i hadn't seen in awhile.  one i met at urban vegan , somewhere i've never been before.  it didn't have anything on chicago diner , but it was nice to catch-up with nez.   i had some chat time with emily before checking out beauty and the beast .  she found some crazy discounted tickets for $18 .  it was SOOO good to see her and catch-up.  it's one of those times when you glaze the surface of the things you've been up to so you can get down and dirty with real discussions. ...

oh this market was so much fun.  i met up with my friend who i, sadly, hadn't seen in awhile and we went to the maxwell street market on sunday.  it's a mexican market.  it was perfect.  i told cinthya i came back from mexico july 28, a year ago so this was a perfect flashback.   we walked up and down the street aisles as i reflected on the similarities and differences from real mexican markets... -there was very little yelling.  of course there was still yelling, but it didn't quite compare the the yelling in mexico.  (there's a lot more in mexico.) -there also wasn't chicken and fish hanging everywhere and being chopped up right in front of you.  that was nice.  i think that might be illegal in the US. -there was such an extreme variety of things sold.  that's the same. -lots of spanish.  same. -the stands were further apart so we had more space to walk and chit chat.  i think that might just be because the road was wider. ...

i hopped on my bike sunday night a teensy bit later than i planned.  i quickly remembered everything that was happening in lakeview sunday night.  first, the traffic was insane.  so i just kept going on my way until i got to halsted, where they blocked off the road and i remembered the paul mccartney concert at wrigley field.  i maneuvered my way around that and then realized summer on southport , the street festival was happening.  the music box is on southport, in the middle of the festival. i parked my bike and had to explain i was going to the music box (so i wasn't going to pay). but i made it to Life in a Day , the documentary I mentioned before. it was cute.  there were so many stories and lifestyles and days represented.  it was a little overwhelming, but i just think it means it can appeal to anyone.   i guess i should say, sadly, this was my first trip to the music box.  it was super cute.  i really liked it's size (it...

thursday after a long dome day liz & i made our way back to the adler for a going away picnic for elena (her last day was friday).  it was super fun.  we brought a variety of food and a lot of it.  and we just talked.   Liz & I printed this for Elena's going away "gift" yep... lots of food then we decided we needed to take some pictures.  it's funny how when i tell some people i work at the adler they say "best view of the city" or something like that.  which is true, but we definitely don't appreciate it enough.  so we went over to take some pictures with that beautiful view.   i was still sporting the adler look, which we all dislike i have no idea who's idea it was to try the jumping thing.  it is SO hard to get everyone in the air at the exact same time.  luckily, mark, one of the astronomers, came over and is super techy so immediately figured out the delay on the camera and stuck with us until all our feet w...

i haven't updated you on my read list for awhile so i decided to send a list and just highlight my favorite. naked   by:  David Sedaris funny, funny, funny freedom   by: Jonathan Franzen literally when i finished this one i said, "that was twisted" out loud my enemy's cradle   by: Sara Young this one has anticipation, sadness, fear, and happiness all tied in together.  this book was a way for the author to address how babies were treated in germany and occupied countries during world war II.  i really liked this one. I mentioned that i read something borrowed a few months ago.  then when it came in at the library something blue .  then followed by baby proof and love the one you're with and finally heart of the matter all by emily giffin .  first i will say these are all super girly books.  so know that going into it.  they're all fast, super easy reads.   least favorite:  something blue .  honestly, i didn't like ...

maybe you thought i forgot about my new year's resolution?  no i did not. today after a beautiful run on the lake where i saw the HI GUY!!!!!  i headed to greek town first. a co-worker recommended Artopolis  (just south of jackson on halsted).  it was delicious.  i had a portobello chévre sandwich.  it was a tiny bit pricey (at least in my mind), but i literally took one bite and couldn't help but be overwhelmed by the deliciousness.  yum!   i was really enjoying the bread of the sandwich when i looked up and what did i see?  they sell loaves!  i bought one to bring home. so i have a thing with preservatives.  i don't like them.  so i've been looking for bread places for awhile and haven't found one i love.  one of my planned stops for my ride home was to hit up a bread place.  so this was perfect.  i picked a something olive bread and then still went to the bakery i intended to visit. i stopped at D'amato's...

so i've been trying lots of new recipes lately.  i'm getting pretty comfortable in the kitchen.  basically i use the recipes as guidelines and tailor it to my tastes. SO what have i cooked lately: *chili uno-dos-tres *curry in a hurry *grilled sandwich-this was surprisingly delicious.  i kind-of expected it to just be a sandwich.  the dijon mustard made it.  (although now i have to find something else to use that mustard with...) *easy pot-o-chili-this one had hot peppers in it.  i learned in mexico that if you take the seeds out of the peppers they won't be as hot.  i definitely left the seeds in.  i like spicy food.  i actually wish i added more peppers. *chinese fried rice *potato skillet hash-this was my second favorite.  delicious. *when mom & dad came in december (i think) mom & karen made me spinach balls (mmmm... yummy) and left the stuffing stuff and i realized when i was reaching the bottom of my food that i still had ...

saturday i was running one of the spring break programs (i swear they're going to be the death of me).  this program is way advanced for me.  i am not being modest when i say i am not qualified to run this program.  it's called planet hunters and i have my speech memorized that i say to explain what's happening and that's all.  when more advanced people come in and start asking deeper questions i stumble my way through.  it's bad.  i mean, before the stumbling happens, people ask me if i'm an astronomer.  that's how advanced the program is.  i obviously say no.  luckily, it's developed by an astronomer at the planetarium so i can give out his email so he can get back to them. anyway that's nothing to do with the subject of this post. so saturday this guy comes in and i could tell by the way he was looking at me while i was talking that he was ESL (english as a second language).  so i slowed it down (my speed of talking), so i knew he ...

i've been doing really well on my field trip resolution . yesterday i hit up another one:  the chicago history museum .  it turns out it was a free day there, even though i was going to get in free anyway.  that means it was busy! which is fine, i still got to take a gander around.   I've never been to the history museum before so that in itself was exciting. probably my favorite part was when they talked about the world's fair in chicago (i can't remember the exact name).  the buildings were so much grander than i imagined them in my mind while i read, devil in the white city a couple months ago.  it was fun to see what it was really like.  and wow! there was also an awesome exhibit about workers rights and such. so it was a fun little excursion.  

hot yoga  -  check today i got to go into work late because i was still over on my hours and today was the end of the pay period.  i started thinking and decided this was the PERFECT opportunity to check something off my new year's resolution list.  i could go to a hot yoga class.  i knew the time would be tight, but i could make it work. holy sweat.  that's the shortest, most descriptive thing i can say about my experience. first i went in the room and was super impressed with the wood floors that were sort-of cushy, like bouncy.  i really liked those.  and i didn't think it was all that hot.  so i got comfortable on my mat and got ready to go. so we started.  we moved through each pose rather quickly.  which i think you have to do in hot yoga considering obstacles that aren't necessarily usually there.... for example. my mat was drenched.  most the people in the class brought towels.  i did not.  in downward do...