The Forgotten Yum

In my earlier post, I somehow forgot to mention one of my most favorite of pumpkin delicacies .... Pumpkin Pancakes at IHOP!



Saturday morning, following a bourbon soaked evening of giggles and grins, my BFF Lorney and I went to the brand spanking new IHOP in West AVL where I indulged in the most exquisite pancakes ever. And they come sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and topped with whipped cream. IHOP is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy (so is good bourbon if you ask me ;)

A Proposal, A Questionable ? & Some Amusements

Worst Case Scenario
So I've been in talks lately with fellow Believers-in-Change about what we will do if Old Man McCain and The Running Joke somehow manage to get the great nod in November. Apparently, the rest of the world kinda hates us Americans so running to Canada or Europe or wherever doesn't seem like a very likely choice (unless some dashing young Spanish or Greek or British fellow offers to slip a ring on my finger that is ... then it's bye-bye Old Glory).

I've been thinking perhaps we should start a commune. Wiki defines a commune as "an intentional community of people" who share their lives and their stuff ... I like that. We would need some land (Becky, still got your holding in Mtn City?) and a group of like-minded folks to set up our own little happy world. We'll grow our own food, educate the young'uns and live very green, peaceful lives together. I imagine it's more complicated than that, but I think it's a start. Anybody interested?

Ummmmmm .... I dunno .... Actually, no way
This week, PETA asked Ben & Jerry's to replace the cow's milk used in their yummy-nummy ice cream with ... wait for it ... human breast milk, saying "the breast is best." Now, I am a vegetarian, but I'm not vegan so I still do dairy and the such. So I read the letter on PETA's website to B&J and while the argument is so extremely valid animal-treatment wise ... I dunno. It kinda freaks me out to think the most delicious Mint Chocolate Cookie or Phish Food could be concocted using some random lady's breast milk. Yeah, pretty sure I couldn't eat it whether that's rational or not. Couldn't we replace it with, say, soy milk or rice milk or something?

I'm not big milk drinker, but I LOVE cheese. I guess I've just come to a weird place now having to think about the fact that cows are impregnated every 9 months so they keep producing milk. And while B&Js most likely does things in the most ethical way possible, I don't know that you can get around this fact. And in many cases boy calves are taken from their mothers right after birth to be raised in tiny cages and served as a delicacy. I mean, no human female would want to be pregnant ALL THE TIME.

A friend of mine recently said something to me along the lines of "What you don't know won't hurt you." We were discussing the movie version of Fast Food Nation and also how I am so concerned about my food. (This movie is definitely worth seeing, but it's hard to take at moments.) I highly disagree with the "what you don't know" notion. If I were eating fast food burgers, I sure as hell would like to know if there's fecal matter in them. I want to know how my food is produced if it's at all possible ... if it's organic or if chemicals were used. I like going to the store and being able to not only buy organic produce, but also locally produced food. And yeah, sometimes I don't buy organic because it is quite a bit more expensive and money is tight these days. But I do as much as I can afford and keep hoping that one day, as more and more producers choose an organic route, it will be easier for everyone to eat these healthy products.

I know most of you out there are carnivores and that's absolutely fine. It's just not for me. I came down with a bad case of the "cute little piggy" syndrome a while back. But mostly, I have a huge problem with how animals are raised for food in our society ... the hormones and antibiotics and factory farming. It all reeks of badness if you ask me. I'm pretty sure Oprah has done like 50 shows on puppy mills and people get so angry and upset with the thought of how the cute puppies are treated. But, thing is, seems like people would also be up in arms about how big factory farms work. I mean, people actually eat those animals. Do people really not care that not only are the animals treated poorly, but also the workers (many time immigrants with no recourse) are treated like crap? Seems like eating animals that die in such an awful inhumane way could transmit some very bad chi to a body.

I just know that if I were a meat eater (and in my last days of being one), I would be sure that what I was consuming was raised in a humane way and not pumped full of chemicals and drugs to make it bigger and feather or beak-free (you know, so it's easier to kill). One change of heart that I've had recently concerning all of this is in regards to hunting. I've always been so anti-hunting. But, the more I've thought about it lately, and after several exchanges with an acquaintance who does hunt, it makes more and more sense ... I mean, as long as you're eating what you kill. The thing about hunting is that you know where the meat comes from and that it is "un-messed around with" ... and you know that it was raised wild and free and not in some cramped, filthy sad awful place.

So, anyway ... that might've been too much but it's what I've been thinking about lately. And it also kind of links back to the commune notion because there, we would produce all of our vegetables, fruits and meats and know exactly what was in them. Not sure I'd go back to the carney lifestyle, but I'd sure feel better about it if I did.

Points of Interest (to me at least)
• Natalie Portman is now single and apparently dodged a bullet when she ditched this, um, I'm gonna go with freakshow. She is way too cute for this ... guy?



• This week, 2 frat boys in Arizona decided to vomit milk off a bridge and caused a lady to wreck her car ... with her 6-year-old daughter inside. I bet their parents are damn proud.

• The silly McLame camp posted the ad below online before His Oldness even decided to go ahead with the debate tonight. I really want those people to lead my country ... really. (Oh, and thanks for the McLame bit Fish!)




I guess that's it (enough?) for now. Y'all have a good weekend!

Hooray for Fall!

“Autumn's the mellow time.” ~ William Allingham



What follows are my most favorite things about this delicious season — which begins today — in no particular order.

All Things Pumpkin!
(OK, this probably is my actual Number 1 and will fill most of this post I'm sure) My fancy for this squash-like fruit has evolved over my 30 years from the kid fun stuff to the "Watch out! I will plow you down to get to one of my favorite pumpkin delicacies!"

• Let's start with the (obvious) best-of-pumpkin — Yummy-nummy nutmeg and cinnamon infused pumpkin pie. (I also love its close relatives sweet potato and candy roaster). Oh, and let's not forget pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin bread, pumpkin spice cake ...

• Then there's pumpkin beer. Man, oh man, when I had my first at Brewgrass many years back, I was sold! Dogfish Head Punk at 7% is my favorite followed closely by Cottonwood's Pumpkin Ale. And then there's the most delightful Pumpkin/Porter half-and-half that's so good you almost want to cry a little :)

• Pumpkin coffee — A number of years ago I turned my back on flavored coffee, preferring instead the darkest/strongest/boldest roasts I could find. But when fall comes around and our local roasters stock the shelves with this goodness, I can't resist.

• Pumpkin seeds – These are, in my humble opinion, the best part of slicing up one of the suckers. It stinks to have to dig 'em out of the goo, but when you toss them in Worcestershire sauce and bake 'til crispy, it makes every slimy string worth the effort.

• And I'll round this one out with: pumpkin candles and other home fragrance, pumpkin carving parties (Becky, are you out there?) and, of course, Linus' sweet sweet devotion to the Great Pumpkin.


Saving Energy which Means Saving Money!
I love, love, love that this time of year (at least in its early stages) allows me to turn off the fans and the icky AC, leave a window open at night and not yet have to feed the oil beast for warmth. My power bill this month should be a slight relief compared to the past few, not to mention the ones to come.


Zaps of (Natural) Energy
This one applies to both me and my Old Man Blackie Dog. When we walk outside and get those little gusts of freshness or the chill in the evening, we both feel so much more alive ... and he gets a little spring in his step, a rare occurrence these days. It's like he waits all year long to feel comfortable in his big fur coat.


General Mellow-ness
For some reason, this is a season that lends itself so much to sharing time with friends & family be it around bonfires or sitting on porches, taking drives to see the fall colors, carving pumpkins and going on hayrides, going to football games or just enjoying a good meal together. The big summer vacations, camps, activities and whatnot are over and life is in a nice, mellow place before the big holiday-crazy sets in.

Happy Memories
This time of year always always makes me think of Wilderness Trail. I wasn't the trooper some of my friends were during the summer months, going on Trail for weeks at a time. Instead, I went on the nice, compact 4-day ventures that usually landed us near Damascus, VA, long about the time the leaves were all colored up. I most remember when my friend Leahpet drove 3 or 4 of us girls up (we were probably 16-ish) and we sang Indigo Girls songs at the tops of our lungs as we wound up the mountain, and we were just young and silly and carefree (boy if we had only known then ...) Good times, good times.

And so again I say, "Hooray for Fall!"

So ....

After an evening of quite heavy discussion with a few friends about our "Plan(s) B" (in case our jobs get cut or whatnot in this fabulistic economy) ... I came home to this delightful tidbit (thanks Jed!) After all the talk of babies in China being poisoned, the government having to bail out previously strong financial institutions and yada yada yada ... it sure as hell lightened my load a bit :) And the serious stuff can wait 'til tomorrow. Enjoy!

Brilliant!

I think this should suffice for today ... enjoy!

Food of the Gods

I love cereal ... always have. My preferences have changed through the years, mainly moving to healthier varieties as I got older, but even the healthy kinds can rock. Cereal is a comfort food for me not to mention it's quick and easy to fix when you're hungry ... instant gratification. I like that. And it comes floating in a bowl of vitamin-packed milk (I prefer soy these days) and the healthier varieties can provide other good things for a body.



As a kid, my favorites were Cookie Crisp, Cap'n Crunch, Count Chocula and Cinnamon Toast Crunch ... oh, and anything that brought forth a Great Prize hidden inside. It was like finding a Golden Ticket in every single box! And I have a lot of good memories tied to cereal too: how my grandmother used to put a spoonful of brown sugar into a bowl of Cinnamon Life for me (my mother would have died if she had known); eating Honey Comb and peanut butter sandwiches at a sleepover once; stashing bags of the dry stuff in my backpack to munch on throughout school.

These days, I tend to stick to the healthier adult varieties but will occasionally break down and buy some (Reduced Sugar) Cinnamon Toast Crunch if I'm down in the dumps. It's a pretty instant pick-me-up. I've also started asking people I've just met about their favorites, both when they were kids and now. It's an especially good tool with first dates because if he says his "now" daily favorite is Lucky Charms, you're staring at an overgrown child and should back away slowly ;)

The reason for this random "I like cereal" post is that I just read about the history of this favorite food of mine and how it has impacted our culture so very much. The article is here and if you have a few minutes, I'd really suggest checking it out. From its roots in vegetarian culture as a health and wellness food to its mass market appeal with children and the many hundreds of characters through the years, it's a pretty interesting tale. Check it out.

So ... what's your fave?

Without Further Ado

So it's been almost a week now since Sarah Palin took the stand at the RNC, and it's taken me about that long to calm down and stop wanting to absolutely smack her head off for being such a snot.

I've been discussing her with my friends, family and colleagues every chance I've gotten, and now here they are .... my personal Top 5 Reasons Why Palin Stinks, followed by 2 well cited articles about who she is and what she's done (and they include all the other sketchy things like her special earmarks, how she used to think Alaska should secede from the US, etc etc)

Reason #1:
I pretty much despise that she touts herself as a feminist when in reality, she's anything but a supporter of women's rights. Her "family planning" positions irritate me to no end. Not only does she promote abstinence-only education in Alaska's public schools (because we all know kids aren't having sex), she opposes abortion in all cases except when a mother's life in in danger. It's her right to feel this way (note I said to feel not impose as law), BUT, she has actually said that even if her daughter was raped, she would "choose life" ... meaning "choose life" for her, not give her a choice about her own life. Now, even Cindy McCain has come out and said she doesn't support this.

I am completely pro-choice. I fully believe that it is a woman's decision to do with her body as she sees fit, to live with her decisions and that it is not a matter for government to decide. Now, I understand that not everyone feels as I do and that's fine, it's a free country. But, then again, that's the point isn't it? It's a free country ... freedom to choose what is best for one's own body.

Reason #2:
This one is short and to the point. As Mayor of Wasilla, Palin asked the town's librarian how to go about banning books that she deemed inappropriate. Seriously? What century are we living in that a silly little mayor wants to put a stop to freedom of information? Maybe next she'll move to take down offensive websites, heh heh. Like China.

Reason #3:



Sarah Palin hates polar bears. In May, she threatened (as head of state) to sue if polar bears were put on the endangered species list because ... wait for it ... she thought it would hurt oil and gas development in the northern part of the state. You know, melting sea ice and global warming aren't really reliable indicators that the bears are losing their habitats. She's an oil slut.

Oh, AND she supports gunning down wolves from airplanes and has opposed efforts to protect beluga whales in an Alaskan Inlet because it might negatively affect the oil and gas industries.

Reason #4:
She won't admit that climate change and global warming, which are especially threatening her home state, are caused by human activity ... even though the Republican party has officially adopted this stance. According to the Washington Post, Palin said she "wasn't sure climate change wasn't simply part of a natural warming cycle" ... "I'm not one ... who would attribute it to being man-made." Yep, she's smarter than all those scientists who devote their lives to this research.

Reason #5:
At least 3 of her close friends told Good Morning America that they weren't sure who they were voting for in November. That's just scary if even your closest friends aren't sure they'll vote for you.


Here are the articles I mentioned above ... check 'em out. Pretty interesting stuff.

Top 10 Most Disturbing Facts & Impressions of Sarah Palin
8 More Shocking Revelations ...

Ok, well, guess I can move on with my life now that I officially got that off my chest. Though I'm sure there will be more to come ;)

Hehehehehe

Saw more than a few of these bumper stickers today when visiting my less-than-young client at Deerfield's Retirement Community ... love it!

A Word to the Populace

Verizon is the Devil, and I'm for serious about this one y'all. And if you, like me, aren't aware of how the corporate badness works because you live in a world of good people, pay attention.

Long story (nowhere near) short:
I'm on a family plan with the Evil Empire (EE). Our contract is good through next June, but we were up for our "New Every Two" phones as of last week.

I thought to myself: "Self, you should just order those bad boys online, skip the rebate crap all together and never set foot in that awful store."

A very good friend (VGF) of mine (and a Verizon insider) said: "Sometimes, if you do it online, they make you change your contract."

Me: "But our contract goes through next June. It's no problem. I'll just order our phones online, activate them online, and the world will be happy."

Unfortunately, I could not have been more wrong. Scene is this:
I order the first two "freebie" phones online and it's a breeze ... no text/pix plan needed and the basic model will do. Great! I get to my phone (the main line on the plan) and using my special "credit" a lovely EnV 2 (a pricier model than I would buy flat out) can be mine for only $29.99 with my rebate and upgrade credit. Excellent! As I proceed to purchase this delightful little phone, I realize that the EE is trying to change my text/pix plan ... to double the monthly cost in fact. And there's no way for me to change it back.

VGF calls his buddy at the EE, who in turn calls me and sets me up with a plan of attack, but it must happen in store. Ok, fine then. So, this morning, we march into the EE, tell our Sales Representative (SR) that our plan is fine and we just want our new phones.

SR (NOT VGF's buddy, btw) tries to imply that the two freebie phones will cost $70 each. That apparently includes the accessories package, but he doesn't really indicate that. He just says they'll cost $70. And my phone, online a mere $29.99, will cost, after rebate, $110. What?! Oh, wait ... apparently that includes accessories too. I say as politely as possible: "Thanks but we don't want any accessories. The regular charger will do."

And it was downhill from there. Apparently, the "accessories" are where these folks make their commissions, and after I said that we didn't want them, he simply turned into a complete jackass (JA). For the rest of the time, JA did not once make eye contact with us, did not offer to transfer our phone numbers (even for a fee ... he just didn't mention it at all) and did not even throw out a "Have a good day." He wasn't getting a commission so he turned into a complete jerk.

I guess my biggest problem is with the EE itself ... that its employees must swindle good, unknowing people out of money just so they can make commission; that I couldn't just go online and order new phones without having to change my contract and pay more money; that every day, EE employees walk into that store, most likely freaking hating their jobs, and end up being complete JAs to customers because of the system; that if I hadn't been there, my mother would have forked over $150 for stuff none of us needed or wanted. That's freaking wrong!

I don't know that other places are any better. I don't know if there's another answer. I just know that I absolutely HATE that we as a society allow places to operate like this (and apparently a lot of the Big Box tech retailers do).

I don't know of a solution, but after we left and I fumed for a bit, I told mom maybe I should just go back, give JA a big hug and apologize for the fact that I have a happy job and he works for Satan (but that still doesn't mean he should be rude to loyal customers).

Just a warning to you all ... go into these places with a plan; only get what you need; and don't let the EE pull the wool down.

Color Me Amused

For your Labor Day entertainment ... Note: All tidbits heard on this weekend's Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me! God Bless NPR ... linked a few if you want the whole story.

• In a rant on his video blog Sean "Diddy" Combs revealed that high gas prices have forced him to fly commercial. Poor Diddy! What's next ... only 8 cars in the entourage? What a shame! And then he makes a plea to his Saudi brothers and sisters ... heh sure thing Diddy.
(Here's the rant for your viewing pleasure)

• Apparently, a fella named Jason Slagel was holding 5 people hostage in an Iowa motel and was arrested after the Brilliance sent two of the hostages out to buy beer, and held them to their honor that they would come back! I tell you, people just aren't as reliable as they used to be.

• In Brazil, a couple of thieves broke into a woman's car and ended up leaving some money for her on the seat after they realized what bad shape the vehicle was in. Who said chivalry was dead?

• In order to break up a drug smuggling ring in Bosnia, police have thrown one of the biggest culprits behind bars ... a drug smuggling pigeon who brought the goods to prisoners. Hehehehehe that's too good.

• An elderly woman at an airport in Sweden misunderstood instructions for the baggage chute and instead of putting her bags down it, put herself down the chute. That silly old bag ;)

• And last, but most certainly not least, it seems Alaska's Republican Gov. Sarah Palin — also McCain's new running mate — has a 17-year-old daughter who is unmarried and preggy. I can't wait to see what surfaces next. Guess that's what happens when you pick a VP who you've only met once in person. Of course, I imagine it's only because they're super conservative that anyone actually cares about this. Maybe if they had some sex ed and condoms in their schools ... oh, but wait, conservatives don't support that because it encourages pre-marital sex. And we know kids don't have sex. I'll lay off this now, but there's a funny bit here about the baby's daddy. Again, had they been a more liberal, they could have let her raise the kid alone and kept this brilliant father out of the picture all together.

I guess that's it for today ...