there is always next time........

Wednesday I woke up super late, like 11:30am late.  Not entirely unusual for me, but certainly not the norm.  I stumbled into the bathroom, looked in the mirror, and found my right eye to be almost swollen shut. WTF?!?  Aren't eye infections for kids?  Not really, and being a pharmacist I know that all too well, but I certainly don't remember ever having an eye infection in my adulthood.  I was able to get in to see another MD in my usual MD's office to check out my shanker.  Lucky for me I got the same prescription for the same eye ointment that I remember my mom struggling to put in my eye when I was like 4 years old.  Who decides that an ointment is the best vehicle to get an antibiotic into someones eye?  A person that has never had an eye infection, that's who.  Anyway -- check out my lovely stye -- thankfully it is no longer -- wait for it -- an eye sore on my face.  It's word play people.


Gross

What else to do on my shanker of a day off?  Make a fricking cheesecake is what!!  I've been wanting to get all Pioneer Woman up in diz bitch for awhile now.  And Wednesday was the day to make that happen.  Let's get one thing straight -- I'm a shitty cook.  I have no talent in the food industry.  Bobby Flay will never be throwing down anything that comes out of my kitchen.  I envy the types of cooks that can just throw something awesome together with what is in their fridge.  Emptying a potpourri of different spices into a crockpot and making an orgasmically good meal.  I am not that cook.  I follow recipes to the letter.  Anyway, I've been wanting to try to make a cheesecake from scratch for some time, an Oreo cheesecake if you want specifics.  I found a recipe online, at allrecipes.com.   Easy Philly Oreo Cheesecake.  The ingredients and prep time seemed reasonable, and it was rated almost 5 out of 5 stars.  How could I go wrong?

Ingredients include lots o' Oreos, butter, and one exact load of cream cheese.  The first thing you want to do is leave that cream cheese out of the fridge for a few hours to soften up. 

3 bricks of Philly cream cheese to be accurate.  I'm already loving this recipe just based on the amount of cream cheese involved.  While the cream cheese is working on softening up, you'll want to work on preparing the crust.  This involves 16 Oreo cookies, divided.  You can either crush them up in a resealable plastic bag, or do what I did and pulse the shit out of them in my Kitchen Aid chopper. 

Actually, you don't really want to pulse "the shit" out of them.  More like pulse them gently until they crumble, but leave some chunkiness.  Kinda like this:

After the Oreos are chopped to your liking, add some melted butter and mix it up.  Then press the mixture firmly onto the bottom of a springform pan.  (insert inside joke here: Get me a pan Gina!)  Hopefully yours will look as awesome as mine did:

Then you'll want to take a swig of one of these.  Maybe take a little break to collect your thoughts.

Okay, break is over.  We're not paying you to stand around and drink coffee.  Beat the bricks o' cream cheese, 3/4 cup sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla with a mixer on medium speed until well blended.  Dip finger in mixture and insert in mouth to make sure mixture is not poisonous.  Do this a few times during process.

Here come the eggs!

Add them one at a time, beating until just blended after each addition.  Then chop or crush the remaining 8 cookies.  Add half into the cream cheese batter.  Yum......

Pour the batter into your already prepared springform pan.  Sprinkle the remaining chopped cookies over the top.

Then bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes or until the center is almost set.  This is where I think things for my creation took a nose dive.  I don't know what "set" means.  I think my center was set before 45 minutes and I didn't know it.  I think I overcooked the bastard.  Let it cool, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight. 

Overall, I thought it was a pretty good first cheesecake ever!  I think next time I'll cook it for less than 45 minutes.  It seemed really dense.  I was hoping for a more fluffy cheesecake.  There was nothing fluffy about this cheesecake.  Anyone out there know what I can do differently to make a more fluffy cheesecake?

Here's the recipe if you're interested!!

my new favorite thing

Good god you need to check out WTF with Marc Maron!  It is my new favorite thing.  What is WTF with Marc Maron you ask?  I was asking the same thing when I saw him on the Conan O'Brien show a few weeks ago.  WTF is a podcast, the host is Marc Maron. 

Photo courtesy of the internets -- Thank you internets

Truthfully, I didn't know who Marc Maron was until I saw him on Conan.  Well, I can't say that is entirely true, he looked familiar to me, but I couldn't tell you where I had seen him before.  Anyway, he was really funny and clever on Conan, so I decided to check out his WTF podcast.  The man is freaking awesome.  He's super smart and hilarious.  His podcast has virtually replaced television for me the past few weeks.  He has awesome guests, I've been catching up on his previous podcasts, I've checked out the following: Dave Foley (from Kids in the Hall), Patton Oswalt (comedian), Ira Glass (NPR), Sarah Silverman (comedian), Ken Jeong (actor, comedian), Doug Benson (comedian), and I'm listening to Janeane Garofalo right now.  Also looking forward to checking out Aziz Ansari (actor, comedian), Judd Apatow (director), and Henry Rollins (punk as hell). 

I'm diggin' on the podcast though because I can listen to it while doing other stuff around the house.  If you're looking for something new, interesting, and hilarious -- check out the podcast -- WTF with Marc Maron.       

Goodbye Mr. Pink Nose

I think I've introduced you, faithful readers, to Zeus.....aka: Mr. Pink Nose, Suesser....before.  He is Gina's parent's cat.  Well, the world lost a great feline friend this week.  Zeus has passed away.  He was, get this, 22 years old.  I remember working at Nature's Cache in junior high & high school -- at that point, Zeus was the cat that hung out at the shop.  He was probably like 4 years old at that point.  Crazy. 

Rest in peace Mr. Pink Nose......

love to hate you

Check out my new shoes!  Surprise surprise, they are Dansko.  Ugh.

I say "ugh" because that is how I feel about my shoes these days.  Ugh.  Why?  Because standing on my feet my entire workday for the past 6 years has not been kind to my feet.  I've discovered through trial and error that Dansko's are really the only shoes I can wear every single day, all day long, and my feet don't hurt at the end of the day.  I kinda feel sad about it.  I used to love buying shoes, and I still do, but my choices are pretty much limited to two brands.  Danskos and Clarks.  Gone are the days of wearing ballet flats to work.  I have 4 pairs of Danskos -- two of them are over 6 years old and are falling apart.  And two of them have been purchased in the last year, basically after I resigned to the fact that all I can wear to work is Dansko.  Luckily they make some entertaining colors and patterns.  I'm diggin' on my new black ones -- see above. 

Despite my "ugh" attitude, I'm thankful that I'm able to wear the shit out of these shoes and not have any foot pain.  

Dressing Green

When my sister and I went up to Bellingham last weekend, I bought a couple new products at a store called Whimsy.  Whimsy seems to focus mostly on jewelry, but I found a cool little display of perfumes, lip balms, creams, and cleansers by a company called DressGreen.  After trying out some of the test products, I decided to take home three items.

The mojito lip balm, pure hydration facial cream, and tahitian vanilla perfume oil.  I was drawn to the products for a couple reasons.  The first being they are vegan products, no petroleum, no parabens, and no animal testing.  Not that I am anywhere close to a vegan (see below post about my love of armour thyroid), but I do aspire to be more respectful to our animal friends.  The second being they are super affordable.  Check out their totally reasonable prices.   

So far I LOVE the lip balm.  It is creamy, velvety, and has a great smell.  I'm about finished up with my current facial cream, then I'll try out the pure hydration facial cream on a regular basis.  I have to give a facial cream at least a couple weeks of use before I make a decision of whether my skin likes it.  I traditionally have really sensitive skin (it gets red and irritated really easily), and I usually do better with a thicker facial cream despite the fact that my skin seems oily.  I've tried out the perfume oil a couple times and I like the scent so-so.  It smells a bit sweet to me, usually I like scents that are clean and fresh.  My favorite scent of all time is Philosophy's Pure Grace -- smells like soap and water clean.  If there was a perfume that smelled exactly like clothesline dried laundry, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.     

Read my friend Gina's post about greener living, which includes a link to a informative website.          

Found: Awesome Framer!!

Holy smokes!!  I am in love with my new framed rock posters!  I have been stockpiling rock posters for a few years now, and I finally framed a few of them this past month.  My friend Kym told me about Hangfire Design in the Maple Leaf area of town, so I decided to check it out.  Mark, the owner, had so many awesome ideas for framing -- I basically just stood back and watched his creative ideas flow.  And I am incredibly happy with the results!!  I have two of the three pieces back, so check them out!!

This is a Death Cab for Cutie poster from a show they played at Marymoor Park in 2009, with The New Pornographers and Ra Ra Riot.  The poster was designed by Nat Damm -- it is one of my all-time favorites.

The frame is glossy and super awesome -- you can't really tell from this iPhone photo, but it is blue and black wood grain.  Mark also had the to put gold-leaf paper along the inside edge.  The gold-leaf paper didn't work out, so he actually built a quarter round gold frame to nest along the outside edges of the poster -- it looks really great. 











Here's a close-up of the actual frame -- super cool, no?  So excited about this one!!  Where am I going to put it?  Not sure yet.  I really want to repaint my living room because this color that is going on here is soooooo my Eddie Bauer henley circa 1992 -- like forest green/blue -- not going to do any favors for this frame.  I'm thinking until I have the living room repainted I'll put it up in the bedroom.  Yes, I've decided, it is a bedroom piece. 

This is a Pearl Jam poster from their "Portland" show in the fall of 2009. I put "Portland" in quotes because sure, the show was near Portland, but it was not Portland. It was Vancouver, WA -- Clark County Fairgrounds. Last time I checked, Vancouver is very much not Portland. I digress.  For this one Mark had the idea of doing a frame-in-frame, which I would never think of, but it looks totally cool.

So the outside frame is a glossy, textured, rich reddish merlot color.  The inside frame is different shades of blues and greens, in a kind of pearlized pattern.  Not sure where this one is going up either, but probably the living room for the time being.  Despite the 1992 Henley motif in there. 












The third poster I'm having framed is still in the works -- and I think it is going to be my favorite of the three.  Or it might be a tie for first with the DCFC poster.  Anyway, the third one is also a Pearl Jam poster from a Madison Square Garden show.  I'll post once I get it back, can't wait!!

So if you're looking for an awesome frame/design shop, definitely check out Hangfire!  You will not be disappointed!!

10 things!!!

Here we go!!!

1. My lord -- let me sing sweet praises for my new favorite drug -- Armour Thyroid.  It has changed my life, no joke.  I'm not longer anxious, jittery, heart palpitation-y, dizzy, it is crazy that I put up with those symptoms for as long as I did on synthetic thyroid replacement.  Unfortunately, Armour Thyroid is made from dessicated porcine thyroid.  Say goodbye to Squeaker..... cutest piglet on earth, right?!?

You know what is weird?  When I googled "piglet" a load of images came up of piglets with birth defects, as in lots of two headed piglets.  Kinda creeped me out to tell you the truth.

2.  I love me an iced mocha......but I've learned that I really only love iced mochas from two places in my neighborhood, nay, the world!  Firehouse Coffee down on Market, and Caffe Fiore over by the bluff on 32nd.  All other iced mocha makers can suck it.  The other day Chris and I made one of our twice annual trips to Bellingham and I was burned TWICE in one day!!  It is the absolute worst when you spend money on a drink that you don't really want to finish, and it happened to me twice in one day.  Once on our way out of Seattle -- I should have known better than to go through a drive-thru coffee stand in the parking lot of a Petco.  Shame on me.  I drank about 1/3 of it and gave up.  I felt kind of let down, so I figured I should try one from Tony's in Fairhaven.  Ugh.  Another bust.  I think I'm just so used to how they make them at Firehouse and Caffe Fiore that anything else just tastes like garbage.  I guess I deserve it for spending upwards of $4 on a non-alcoholic beverage.

3. Speaking of our Bellingham trip.... Guess where we had lunch?

You guessed correctly.  Casa Que Pasa!!  I had my favorite burrito ever, the Rancho.  It's a melty, ooey, gooey, potatoey burst of goodness.  And definitely a must if you're ever making a trip up to B-ham.  Oh my lord, it is delicious.  I mean look at it!?!  It is just waiting to jump in your mouth. 

4. Just another Saturday night with my peeps -- So I met up with my usual suspect friends on Saturday night for some standard shenanigans and ballyhoo.  Drinks at the Lauer's beforehand, dinner at the neighborhood Mexican joint, then cruising the 'hood for a place to get a drink that doesn't suck.  On our way to said non-sucky bar we saw this gem:

Yup, it's a creeper van with a plastic unicorn hood ornament.  What else would be found in Greenlake, near midnight, outside the Little Red Hen?  It was either that or a homeless man singing Rat Pack songs for change while heckling passerbys -- oh wait that actually happened outside Old Town Alehouse in Ballard.  It has been a good couple weeks people.  A good couple weeks.

5. I have some new reading material:

Talking To Girls About Duran Duran by Rob Sheffield.  He also wrote the national bestseller Love Is A Mix Tape.  Kinda have a crush on him 'cause he has the job I dreamed of having when I was younger -- music journalist.  I'm diving in to Duran as soon as I finish The Mortal Instruments series.  I'm like an hour away from finishing the second book, but I took a three hour nap this afternoon, so you can tell where my priorities are.  Also on deck -- The Passage, and The Hunger Games.  And possibly trying to finish Pillars of the Earth, good god that book is enormous!  It's like Holy Bible enormous.

6. An unexpected good time was had by all --
Friday night I headed out to the sticks to hang with Casey and Kim.  What's on deck in the suburbs?  Mini-golf, pinball, and Dance Dance Revolution EXTREME at the Family Fun Center.  Throw in some Malibu Rum, Jameson, and After Shock, and we all managed to have a good time.

 
After I tweeted that I was like the Tiger Woods of mini-golf without the loose moral compass, I got a bunch of golf people following me. I still don't understand this whole Twitter thing sometimes.  Just because I mention grocery shopping does not mean I'm soliciting coupons.  Keep your spam in your pantry.  Anyway, the mini-golf course was lame, it was basically like 18 putting greens, no cool windmills or dragon mouths to maneuver around.  Family Fun Center needs to step up their mini-golf situation in a big way. 

Kim and Casey partook in a heated dance off on the Dance Dance Revolution EXTREME game.  Sweat beads were rollin'.  Next time I'm going to wear a sweat band and put on two coats of Arrid Extra Dry. 

 
And the pinball options were glorious.  Well, Lord of the Rings was glorious.  There was also Simpson's Party but it was lousy, it's picture didn't even make it on the blog.  See, that is what you get shitty pinball game!  No blog lovin'.

My precious......

7.  I've discovered some new blogs to stalk, added these to my favorites as of recently -- A Beautiful Mess, Smile and Wave, and notes on paper.   Check them out, stalk-worthy for sures.  Any blogs I need to check out?

8. Have you met Mrs. B.?

 
I got her for my birthday in 2nd grade -- that was 25 years ago if you're trying to do the math.  Mrs. B. is getting old and haggard, but still a constant companion.  She serves as more of a body pillow at this stage in my life than a friend that I bring with me on camping trips like I did as a kid.  Her shredded clippings are all matted -- her floof is gone.  But she's still beautiful in her own special loved teddy bear way. 

9. Twilight has hit the scrapbooking world. Hard.

DCWV now makes The Immortal Love paper and embellishment series.  I had seen the advertisements in the Scrap magazines, but had yet to see them in person.  But I went to JoAnn's bad-ass papercrafting sale today and saw The Immortal Love section had been ravaged -- it was like a pack of werewolves had gotten to it.  Ha!  I couldn't help myself.  Little Twilight humor for ya.  I didn't buy any Twilight paper, because I'm not 12 years old, but I did pick up some Cricut cartridges because they were on super sale.  I'm talking sooper dooper sale.  Bargain basement prices scrap folks. 

10. Frank had a blood draw this morning.  Little guy is holding steady weight-wise, thank you.  He actually gained about 2 ounces over the past month.

Keeping my fingers crossed he continues to stay happy and healthy.  He's my little beast.                              

#nowplaying

So I've been pretty much obsessed with Twitter the past few months -- it has definitely surpassed Facebook as far as my ways to waste time is concerned.  Most of the people I follow aren't actually people I know -- comedians and musicians.  I've noticed a lot of people use the hashtag "#nowplaying" in Tweets regarding what they are currently listening to, so I started doing the same.  So this post is about what is #nowplaying in my living room, in my car, on my iPod, et cetera....

Foster the People -- Pumped Up Kicks



I have no idea who these kids are, but I am in love with this song. And it doesn't hurt that they are pretty easy on the eyes :)

The Decemberists -- The King Is Dead
Seriously haven't listened to much other than this record at home for a few weeks now, I'm addicted. Here is a look at "Down By The Water" from their Conan appearance.



Florence + The Machine -- Lungs
Probably my favorite album of 2010, although it came out in 2009. It didn't really get much radio play in the states until 2010 anyway. And this song "Between Two Lungs" is my favorite.



Other stuff that is #nowplaying......
Born This Way -- Lady GaGa
What the Hell -- Avril Lavigne (catchy as hell I tell ya!)
Love Like Woe -- The Ready Set
Waiting for the End -- Linkin Park
Rhythm of Love -- Plain White T's (cute little love song)
Dance to the Music -- Sly & the Family Stone (classic! makes me want to shake my junk)

What is #nowplaying in your life?

Adventures with Frizz

It has been 5 & 1/2 months that I've been in this new house, and Frank is still figuring out his favorite spots.  Last week, he definitely discovered what will be his favorite spot once the weather is sunny on a more consistent basis..... the front door.  It was a sunny but cold day, and I opened the front door to get the mail.  Frank came trotting over and planted himself in front of the glass door.  He laid in the sun ray and checked out the haps at the front of the house for a couple hours.  One of the neighbor cats even came over to say hello, they exchanged low level growls through the glass door, it was cute.
 

Frank's been looking pretty good these days, thanks to the steroids and Leukeran.  For awhile there, I was convinced he was not long for this world.  And he may not be, for all I know.  I'm just taking things day by day.  He's not eating as ferociously as he was a few months ago, which is probaby a good sign.  It may mean that the treatment is actually working, and he is absorbing nutrients.  He's going to get weighed tomorrow morning, as well as some blood work done. 

When he's not running away from me because of the medication I have to give him, Frank has been quite lovey dovey lately.  I'll take whatever I can get!

His paws are one of my favorite parts of him.  He has these little tufts of white fur that poke out from in between the pads of his feet.  Could he get any more handsome?

Not likely. 

Both Frank and I are excited for more sunshine in our lives.  So looking forward to spring!

Fun with Photoshop

Today I downloaded a bunch of Photoshop Actions from The Pioneer Woman's blog.  Have you ever checked out her blog?  One of my favorites, for sure!  She takes great photos, and she has the most adorable Basset Hound, Charlie.  Makes me miss my Milo when I see her Charlie, but it makes me just love his memory more. 

After downloading the actions, I was just playing around with some photos.  Here is an example of what "actions" can do......

Before:

No actions used on this photo of me taken at Golden Gardens.

















After:

I used the "PW Seventies" action -- now my photo looks all vintage with the press of a button! Being the novice photographer, I think actions are helpful.  Until I learn more about Photoshop, actions are a great way to make your photos look different without actually knowing what you are doing :)














How about these shots of the Jester Basset from the Basset Bash?

Before:

No actions used.












After:

I used the "PW Fresh and Color" action.  It makes the photo look much crisper and the colors more vibrant.  I'm in love! 










This should keep me occupied for awhile!! :)