tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87249382024-03-23T10:56:18.424-07:00Your Sweet BippyGettin' Jiggy Wit ItShananiganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08537301327510516106noreply@blogger.comBlogger194125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8724938.post-61321864276025853902008-01-09T09:48:00.000-08:002008-01-09T17:10:55.746-08:00Happy 2008Happy New Year! Yeah, it’s January 9, but I’m a little behind on everything.<br /><br />My big announcement for the year is that I’m no-kidding-really vegan now, or at least trying really hard! It’s something I feel I’ve been working up to for a while, I just had to stop pretending that I’m kinda sorta a little ok with a little animal exploitation now and then, because I’m really not. I watched <a href="http://www.isawearthlings.com/">Earthlings</a> on <a href="http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1282796533661048967">Google video</a> yesterday. It was not an easy thing to watch, but now I am surer than ever that I really need to do this for my own peace of mind as much as for the animals and the well being of the planet. So far so good, I feel awesome about the decision. :) <br /><br />The Wisconsin primary is coming up in 2/19 so I’ve been doing a little research. I knew I liked Kucinich, but the more I read the more I love him. Check out this <a href="http://www.abolitionist-online.com/_06kucinich.html">abolitionist-online</a> interview. Plus his wife Elizabeth is awesome too, check out her <a href="http://www.dennis4president.com/meet-elizabeth/">amazing accomplishments</a>.<br /><br />I should probably update on more stuff, and I have pictures to post, but I’m not in much of a bloggy mood lately. Maybe over the weekend.Shananiganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08537301327510516106noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8724938.post-4864428873949814802007-12-11T07:19:00.001-08:002007-12-11T08:56:13.444-08:00Happy Chanukah!<div align="left">Talk about last minute, it's the last night! Hope everyone is enjoying the holidays. Hopefully you're enjoing the weather where you are more than I'm enjoying the seemingly endless snow here. It's pretty to look at out the window, but driving 40 miles through mostly country highway to get to work in this crap sucks. Enough bithcing and moaning. Put on your yalmulka, here comes Chanukah, on to the latkes!<br /><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5142753841207975778" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtnZ2hXN_ncP_Rb0q_88Hv2Q5iut8AIEqnygxm7UOwhZ6WKEBiYAXLny2pb1zmmvICfM4JgkY4w2BRW_H9dnssfxmBDtOEixdnA33N-7Ji2a6yozEpsioCMBo6r6JVvXjJsN_H/s400/latke.JPG" border="0" /> <p align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">Autumnal latkes from Veganomicon.</span><br /><br />Mmmmm... fried in greasy goodness, but at least the veggies are a little more nutritious than plain ol' white potatoes, right?<br /><br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLhmnvi1Xng67d-VOCBAGsZy3NL4Y51TSQrXoJ06UnGm1dQA3g6xZhSipAIgEhTpTuisFbndv-NYc_GRGV8HEtEZ0W2pmWHKSnaO3plASQx64gJmxsn2lhWc9UnUCEbC7Kl3iA/s1600-h/latkes+%26+sauce.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5142753909927452530" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLhmnvi1Xng67d-VOCBAGsZy3NL4Y51TSQrXoJ06UnGm1dQA3g6xZhSipAIgEhTpTuisFbndv-NYc_GRGV8HEtEZ0W2pmWHKSnaO3plASQx64gJmxsn2lhWc9UnUCEbC7Kl3iA/s400/latkes+%26+sauce.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I really like these, it's a nice change from the traditional potato and onion latkes. Word of warning: I wouldn't add the 1/4 water, the vegetables have more than enough moisture and if your batter is too wet it will fall apart in the frying pan. I would even suggest adding some breadcrumbs (which I did for the last part of the batch) and letting it chill for a while before frying so they stick together better.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnPmOKXR3o3g3EMwYDO8NhxhIkmSiXJg4Unj01_YotbguwClJR7HGMwv0MHcqnF80ni32H39MWRJAYQxprHq_s_dVqMHPzMXL8KqVpryIAkvXRunEVUeSi7UI7TMaTBH-q85Fm/s1600-h/tofu+%26+biscuits.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5142754206280196002" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnPmOKXR3o3g3EMwYDO8NhxhIkmSiXJg4Unj01_YotbguwClJR7HGMwv0MHcqnF80ni32H39MWRJAYQxprHq_s_dVqMHPzMXL8KqVpryIAkvXRunEVUeSi7UI7TMaTBH-q85Fm/s400/tofu+%26+biscuits.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />This dinner was very loosely based on the stewed tofu in miso gravy recipe in VwaV. As you can see I used red wine, making my tofu purple :) A la the 'nomicon cassoulet I baked some whole wheat biscuits on top. I'm considering baking biscuits on top of every pot of stew from now on, I see no reason not to. I love me some biscuits.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5142754128970784658" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvVIklSLfojqnJ4F7edkB6hfOXDe5ZTNd35acscH8oqVr5mfWakHTsF-zEDDVUDLxya48jo4NbxIs71QJ-_lsAyd6d6kH_Y60DVXipikXHxdJitihn-9TYKOXGXsAEORulMi2e/s400/squash+soup.JPG" border="0" /> <p align="center"><span style="font-size:78%;">sorry the picture is crap<br /></span><br />Butternut squash soup with sparkled ginger cookie (VwaV recipe). If you've never tried putting ginger cookies in squash soup I highly recommend it. It's a great way to get more cookies into your diet :P<br /><br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHhO65o1k28Mefc1oS4Pimfq59CDJaPfZEIaALqV-c1RATmSBuDKGR6GPpuQXUlknkQ1fvt-8JKN9Wj25D18kWJFBfMeUoBOLKIElLjF4ul_Hn6f1cWaStz0FBF1FtpnKNkz39/s1600-h/pie.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5142754051661373314" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHhO65o1k28Mefc1oS4Pimfq59CDJaPfZEIaALqV-c1RATmSBuDKGR6GPpuQXUlknkQ1fvt-8JKN9Wj25D18kWJFBfMeUoBOLKIElLjF4ul_Hn6f1cWaStz0FBF1FtpnKNkz39/s400/pie.JPG" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a><br /><a href="http://www.veganrepresent.com/forums/showpost.php?p=271880&postcount=121">pumpkin cheesecake pie</a><br /></p><p align="left">I brought this home for Thanksgiving. It went pretty fast, I will definitely make this again. So yum!<br /><br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR1Ye9UNizsUn24OTdiqFPrJ6InIWoLqgB4Wn0AQyDKB0v4GLnOeUXdhxOYAlQ8o7U6nM396mhssjZ5uB5O3yU_0byLN9I58xgr82h6wNry2VCwIa1tFTTkG87GCZVjQ_GcT2J/s1600-h/athena.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5142753759603597138" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR1Ye9UNizsUn24OTdiqFPrJ6InIWoLqgB4Wn0AQyDKB0v4GLnOeUXdhxOYAlQ8o7U6nM396mhssjZ5uB5O3yU_0byLN9I58xgr82h6wNry2VCwIa1tFTTkG87GCZVjQ_GcT2J/s400/athena.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />My sister and cousin with one of my aunt's dogs, the Great Dane pup Athena. Athena is about 30 pounds heavier than the last time I saw her, she's about 125 pound now. She's so sweet! She was found wandering in the woods a little over a year ago, she's lucky some deer hunter didn't get her. <br /><br />Annabelle went to her new home on 12/1. Last Saturday we took Smokey home. He's a Basset Hound/Labrador mix, aka Bassador. He already has a nickname at our house, Giant Head.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFDaBJ-dJB6fvzUIjYhJNK5l8JfNOlfmw8IOWBVZNpqWHqMnCXpGUn1FNThu9WKEt3342_CrWKZgf4X-lU1OgyLSdwtSERIq-ttZPjK5Ii3ktmLBH6jYNu5Z79UeDIYRxFE8kX/s1600-h/Smokey-2%5B1%5D.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5142753347286736706" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFDaBJ-dJB6fvzUIjYhJNK5l8JfNOlfmw8IOWBVZNpqWHqMnCXpGUn1FNThu9WKEt3342_CrWKZgf4X-lU1OgyLSdwtSERIq-ttZPjK5Ii3ktmLBH6jYNu5Z79UeDIYRxFE8kX/s400/Smokey-2%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcH7pZYcW7jyvDGeuaOkqQgHp3Gn_Ykm74R62Nr-T_isnVjZhXz1omuWa9kq3ue_I0mN3l3lfWYoVkXWEOpMRgVshiPTwdIOCVvl0pugybmNdxtvQ79u4OE7xIqMFe7pjBpG4k/s1600-h/winkie.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcH7pZYcW7jyvDGeuaOkqQgHp3Gn_Ykm74R62Nr-T_isnVjZhXz1omuWa9kq3ue_I0mN3l3lfWYoVkXWEOpMRgVshiPTwdIOCVvl0pugybmNdxtvQ79u4OE7xIqMFe7pjBpG4k/s400/winkie.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5142760073205522354" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3zKvB1SiC7bq6bqcKHidhN9Z4T8Y16V7N-__fEVWKfqb9a7FM-F1q0FV9VV8kSkTkc2WCMRHMxlOGeaQuOKd7AeSHO3ue62CVGacHVZRtnD1iU280gUk1mPsV8B5b7as-W01n/s1600-h/off+in+the+distance.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5142752771761119026" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3zKvB1SiC7bq6bqcKHidhN9Z4T8Y16V7N-__fEVWKfqb9a7FM-F1q0FV9VV8kSkTkc2WCMRHMxlOGeaQuOKd7AeSHO3ue62CVGacHVZRtnD1iU280gUk1mPsV8B5b7as-W01n/s400/off+in+the+distance.JPG" border="0" /></a> <br /><br />Hehe, I heart him! :)<br /><br />Hope you are all surviving the holidays and have safe travels.Shananiganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08537301327510516106noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8724938.post-52964053615852624072007-11-20T19:16:00.001-08:002007-11-20T19:18:16.373-08:00Annabelle<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyqjkBPE0vfQWniFnXxTSbGnMgFmyZa6R6Kwn7R5mEVsXlksbukweqkA4ASOkFnJkkE5tGJyYMx2qanLNdfM7iiI2S0Hv9xD3ngzak-PkxFnCPw6rSv8_Fhs48eOQ1JhJ-8NhG/s1600-h/Annabelle+-+Window.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyqjkBPE0vfQWniFnXxTSbGnMgFmyZa6R6Kwn7R5mEVsXlksbukweqkA4ASOkFnJkkE5tGJyYMx2qanLNdfM7iiI2S0Hv9xD3ngzak-PkxFnCPw6rSv8_Fhs48eOQ1JhJ-8NhG/s400/Annabelle+-+Window.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5135127573325138866" /></a><br /><br />She's kind of a spaz...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy2ovDTB6_9-Hf7ml3XxMdxefZzNUm8Aw_mvmAtpgGBI1sdk4d79sUkCScv-gd-vgFge2L_totVPRfbXI9ksXqaVO_ch7jI6a3MwEJImjXNq1FSx0hc-k8f1Yf38pvltrHRGkB/s1600-h/Annabelle+-+standing.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy2ovDTB6_9-Hf7ml3XxMdxefZzNUm8Aw_mvmAtpgGBI1sdk4d79sUkCScv-gd-vgFge2L_totVPRfbXI9ksXqaVO_ch7jI6a3MwEJImjXNq1FSx0hc-k8f1Yf38pvltrHRGkB/s400/Annabelle+-+standing.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5135127483130825634" /></a><br /><br />but really sweet. :)Shananiganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08537301327510516106noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8724938.post-26064668396472664012007-11-18T20:44:00.000-08:002007-11-19T06:43:39.917-08:00WeekenomiconMy copy of Veganomicon arrived last week, so I tried out a couple recipes over the weekend. Hope your weekend was a delicious as mine :) <br /><br />Chickpea cutlets<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOhFKFIhqdHnQg23HL_OXvikRlN0p96nLj_e2LIvSAE3O-wSo_YnQyFVowMo2zTvKbzLp_APbI9i58EoBs3Kq1m3fOY2Os55LQyeTYB7Xz1vxCUbzM95K86sCX8oAhigbhAvJp/s1600-h/cutlet.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOhFKFIhqdHnQg23HL_OXvikRlN0p96nLj_e2LIvSAE3O-wSo_YnQyFVowMo2zTvKbzLp_APbI9i58EoBs3Kq1m3fOY2Os55LQyeTYB7Xz1vxCUbzM95K86sCX8oAhigbhAvJp/s400/cutlet.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5134408174892993394" /></a><br /><br />Of course I love chickpeas and seitan so this seems like a match made in heaven, but I only liked them OK. I think next time I'll add some more seasoning and bake them instead of pan-frying. I do like that you can whip these up in about half an hour.<br /><br />With a little chipotle citrus BBQ sauce they made a yummy sammich. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib-vlRw2jm-8HZBI4YPTBL6vYlyOiGKok9Ol2vk3TC3_-Fgosyl_VCTaEbF4fQ5uzDvnK0LOS5nhpKqQWoVuD-NvOwfDTjoUKs-uZ3KRc6Id087UDNdRhLksEIUecpDBDtXfvY/s1600-h/cutletQ.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib-vlRw2jm-8HZBI4YPTBL6vYlyOiGKok9Ol2vk3TC3_-Fgosyl_VCTaEbF4fQ5uzDvnK0LOS5nhpKqQWoVuD-NvOwfDTjoUKs-uZ3KRc6Id087UDNdRhLksEIUecpDBDtXfvY/s400/cutletQ.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5134408286562143106" /></a><br /><br /><br />White bean and leek cassoulet with biscuits (sorry 'bout the crappy pic quality)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxXtoEEzFcQ3Fzwclhjf3nensVoN352YePtIdt-DWll3tqHx7hqHZ_BxLcPdrRzS0Qmq3_G51l0xxddfXtRrsH1OJOnuKNL67-O_cxSzqLaYAJ9lmTWiiKHmrNBuHSj2HF1Fou/s1600-h/cssoulet.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxXtoEEzFcQ3Fzwclhjf3nensVoN352YePtIdt-DWll3tqHx7hqHZ_BxLcPdrRzS0Qmq3_G51l0xxddfXtRrsH1OJOnuKNL67-O_cxSzqLaYAJ9lmTWiiKHmrNBuHSj2HF1Fou/s400/cssoulet.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5134408063223843682" /></a><br /><br />Soooo good! Maybe my new favorite cold weather comfort food. I had some locally grown organic <a href="http://www.woodlandfoods.com/products/TARBAIS_BEANS.html">haricot tarbais</a> from the farmers market that were just waiting for a vegan cassoulet recipe to come along, once I paged to this I knew those beans had found their purpose. I usually go all cheap and use dried herbs, but I highly recommend splurging and going with fresh thyme on this one, at least the first time around. The biscuits are easy to throw together and I love that you get to bake them right on top of the stew. Next time I might try them out with whole wheat pastry flour or spelt. <br /><br />The dish was well received by all.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGE6KYk4mC2u0-wGIWiJNUS9ZgdUZAYkEsRdCmhVhKDI8s-BBkCyXqHzhuOY-4CLnMfA-xbRCzZq3wAwDXoQO0gXs__f_ZiJ4inkxGG-e0XLHEIWcg9WculxUdt2kn0BdErwT5/s1600-h/leftovers.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGE6KYk4mC2u0-wGIWiJNUS9ZgdUZAYkEsRdCmhVhKDI8s-BBkCyXqHzhuOY-4CLnMfA-xbRCzZq3wAwDXoQO0gXs__f_ZiJ4inkxGG-e0XLHEIWcg9WculxUdt2kn0BdErwT5/s400/leftovers.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5134408415411162002" /></a><br /><br />VwaV Gigantoid Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies (with the addition of chocolate chips, because PB and chocolate should always live in harmony)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSgchOGU7PVucrIohV_Xc6jt7EUYztxyi9EfhxW7v4w2LrQDfNk0Kq_AQXKHZVtnYL5tSLkmvjhJcFsbx-D-IzZXbhY542036yg_1YFcX6HLlhfB7Ppqgb3que6FE17pl8bmp4/s1600-h/cookie.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSgchOGU7PVucrIohV_Xc6jt7EUYztxyi9EfhxW7v4w2LrQDfNk0Kq_AQXKHZVtnYL5tSLkmvjhJcFsbx-D-IzZXbhY542036yg_1YFcX6HLlhfB7Ppqgb3que6FE17pl8bmp4/s400/cookie.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5134407947259726674" /></a><br /><br />Mona went to her forever home on Saturday with a nice lady and her German Shepherd. Our new foster is coming home with us tonight. She recently gave birth to a littler of 9 and was spayed just yesterday so I imagine she'll be wearing one of those ridiculous lamp-shade collars for a while. Pictures coming soon!Shananiganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08537301327510516106noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8724938.post-68189962197565853302007-11-11T19:39:00.000-08:002007-11-11T19:56:44.656-08:00Glorious Food!I'm patiently awaiting the arrival of my <a href="http://www.theppk.com/nomicon.html">Veganomicon</a>. In the mean time I've sampled a couple of the recipes available on the <a href="http://theppk.com/">PPK</a>. Here's the <a href="http://theppk.com/recipes/dbrecipes/index.php?RecipeID=2060">Hot Sauce Glazed Tempeh</a>. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEtj1JLBeAq0WZD8Nr1hcyUu3LYvJeHjnQM4jF-AHovAJU2JbEBVkl65UyFdQyBneArjOI65C6iQNM-830oLAkO7cCtusDWBolYKwek3Acc_TwUHzPG6EAqVKcZboIB_4vN0uw/s1600-h/tempah.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEtj1JLBeAq0WZD8Nr1hcyUu3LYvJeHjnQM4jF-AHovAJU2JbEBVkl65UyFdQyBneArjOI65C6iQNM-830oLAkO7cCtusDWBolYKwek3Acc_TwUHzPG6EAqVKcZboIB_4vN0uw/s400/tempah.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5131794137896448274" /></a><br /><br />I've also used the marinade with tofu, it's excellent and easy to whip up with stuff I usually have on hand. I also made the <a href="http://theppk.com/recipes/dbrecipes/index.php?RecipeID=2061">Chickpea Noodle Soup</a> (no pix sorry) and it's really perfect for this chilly weather. <br /><br />Here's a couple test recipes from <a href="http://melomeals.blogspot.com/">Melody</a> that I made recently.<br /><br />Seitan Turkey Breast<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm5PqsKrC-TU6WUzasXp5aZTc-ES6dcBK33X-AnTvs7Cwpz-U1INp7gPOcFVtuzmoJiO-XN7iI4mzJqSTuawNFhpidVz1TGygMN5Sltqs0D5nq5HXjyn5XZL2bcGufwVgqnHif/s1600-h/furkey.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm5PqsKrC-TU6WUzasXp5aZTc-ES6dcBK33X-AnTvs7Cwpz-U1INp7gPOcFVtuzmoJiO-XN7iI4mzJqSTuawNFhpidVz1TGygMN5Sltqs0D5nq5HXjyn5XZL2bcGufwVgqnHif/s400/furkey.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5131795585300427042" /></a><br /><br />Served with mashed potatoes, gravy and steamed asparagus. I don't think I got the texture of the "turkey" quite right here, not a chewy as seitan I've made before. Flavor was still really good, and made for a satisfying meal.<br /><br />This Black Bean and Quinoa Chili was a wonderful spicy dinner. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKVHxJev0yaeVFyqtMklV2wLC4BIyHSGFfEBYb4wUltMAs2YEOlOSZZ1g3pW82rkkdVZ8NYp7nX1BNvmwbiVU4oXCIucTZJYtB9c_o23AYj28BwXl9z3mCFuBr2ftXsQ8wjYm_/s1600-h/chili.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKVHxJev0yaeVFyqtMklV2wLC4BIyHSGFfEBYb4wUltMAs2YEOlOSZZ1g3pW82rkkdVZ8NYp7nX1BNvmwbiVU4oXCIucTZJYtB9c_o23AYj28BwXl9z3mCFuBr2ftXsQ8wjYm_/s400/chili.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5131796525898264882" /></a><br /><br />Both Woodman's and Trader Joe's were out of Quinoa so I settled for TJ's harvest blend, which is cous cous, orzo, baby garbanzos, and red quinoa. Very delicious.<br /><br />I love the fall, it makes me want to cook again. :)Shananiganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08537301327510516106noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8724938.post-91672449126154209112007-11-11T19:24:00.000-08:002007-11-11T19:36:27.100-08:00Country Life GardenLast Sunday I went on a little road trip with my friend Teena up to Portage, WI to meet up with some other area veggies at <a href="http://countrylifegarden.com/">Country Life Garden</a> restaurant. They have an excellent salad bar. I had the Harvest Day Nut Roast<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJNxgKAUfxe3CGzwogu4MPuH1GR7RPcgteoEZCPYhLSLinC7cgrz68OYSvtRsFs3asn7KEyHnW-oM44OtIGWZIGX-8tw8P_XVk1Jr3ImdPJ2Pp5ignddEW0hwW-RAU9AMKbYhh/s1600-h/cl3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJNxgKAUfxe3CGzwogu4MPuH1GR7RPcgteoEZCPYhLSLinC7cgrz68OYSvtRsFs3asn7KEyHnW-oM44OtIGWZIGX-8tw8P_XVk1Jr3ImdPJ2Pp5ignddEW0hwW-RAU9AMKbYhh/s400/cl3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5131791423477117154" /></a><br /><br />and the Simply Silky Cheese Cake<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4_LPgZWT8CQt6aNIw99YmGbt7ruuiEPTweQ7pBHGwPGwIznfURVu6ZV9sCyI9j7L7JIALCTli-geuV9fY8FHMQ_4DOyhWo0x2wb9V_MZtR3L8kZGYo840H9aOLQPKKivyxHKO/s1600-h/cl2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4_LPgZWT8CQt6aNIw99YmGbt7ruuiEPTweQ7pBHGwPGwIznfURVu6ZV9sCyI9j7L7JIALCTli-geuV9fY8FHMQ_4DOyhWo0x2wb9V_MZtR3L8kZGYo840H9aOLQPKKivyxHKO/s400/cl2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5131791762779533554" /></a><br /><br />And this cute little dog greets you and walks you to your car after your meal. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju9V-twWTfZyYNlaWX3f3BtQxHDxL7D0oKbhE-juSAe0HQ3encEXTjcn4v9cJtBbXPqy4k_Jst0uLwD5eG8BJtz9Vu7szghMx0Nwfy1ke1IIgc8xhxKoUqdS798w4xZ6Ofo27z/s1600-h/CL+1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju9V-twWTfZyYNlaWX3f3BtQxHDxL7D0oKbhE-juSAe0HQ3encEXTjcn4v9cJtBbXPqy4k_Jst0uLwD5eG8BJtz9Vu7szghMx0Nwfy1ke1IIgc8xhxKoUqdS798w4xZ6Ofo27z/s400/CL+1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5131792106376917250" /></a><br /><br />Lovely rural atmosphere and nice folks. Hope we can make this trip again. :)Shananiganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08537301327510516106noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8724938.post-48642403933680466522007-11-11T19:06:00.001-08:002007-11-11T19:18:18.816-08:00MonaJason and I have volunteered to foster dogs for <a href="http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/WI209.html">Shelter From the Storm</a> rescue. This is our first foster dog Mona, she came home with us yesterday.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZinE4lQAFCjhHavqxvoPMfIjPcduRDpKOO9LuA6rSzvYfs7er87wHhR3ru1VYG6-9neaRwVepsKse6KOR9MJ3Ph4FyqHuq0Axp_PCSLDlQDi3g0NpcLBUy3DBxICZLm86OceP/s1600-h/Mona-01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZinE4lQAFCjhHavqxvoPMfIjPcduRDpKOO9LuA6rSzvYfs7er87wHhR3ru1VYG6-9neaRwVepsKse6KOR9MJ3Ph4FyqHuq0Axp_PCSLDlQDi3g0NpcLBUy3DBxICZLm86OceP/s400/Mona-01.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5131786656063418578" /></a><br /><br />She likes to sit with her paws crossed like that, very lady like. Mona is about 6 or 7 years old, possibly a shepherd mix. The markings on her face look rottweiler-ish to me. She was picked up as a stray and taken to a shelter in northern Illinois where the rescue org picked her up. Now she'll be with us while she waits to be adopted. She is a little shy and withdrawn, but she's still pretty new here so hopefully we'll see more of her personality as she gets more comfortable. She seems pretty easy going, but does seem to be a bit of a resource guarder around other dogs, thankfully not with people. Today we learned that she likes to rush the door when you come home, I had to chase her down but thankfully we got her safely back without too much trouble. <br /><br />Hopefully we'll have the chance to help out lots of dogs like this.Shananiganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08537301327510516106noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8724938.post-57172533578387527612007-11-11T18:45:00.001-08:002007-11-11T19:04:40.067-08:00Picnic PointWe have precious few days left where being outdoors will be this enjoyable. Picnic Point is a lovely little peninsula near the UW campus that is just perfect for jogging and enjoying the view. Here's a few pix I took last weekend. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwl2ig79i3CVYinBTfSJ4aIbGPHHilM-DzrHagaDEscxnFYc4f5e6acPrFyA2SYBX6ooALyB3ldEqM84xOtaO0RGVCz9M5S4idxPDxy3SuioAfURBUpwg7nkefdEhDdUl1kC7/s1600-h/pp+1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwl2ig79i3CVYinBTfSJ4aIbGPHHilM-DzrHagaDEscxnFYc4f5e6acPrFyA2SYBX6ooALyB3ldEqM84xOtaO0RGVCz9M5S4idxPDxy3SuioAfURBUpwg7nkefdEhDdUl1kC7/s400/pp+1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5131784139212583106" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwSWr5amPrkwfSNT-uLnsArDp7zMNIT-IVy75pCmUunyI9xaMpJ2nxlavZAJl1NEGQppqwJAzBVpUAV2ThBKC3BXqRz7XzSZOVdslRAgI4VhVG7bzemOtWppR0D3O7RZw-Jd4R/s1600-h/pp+2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwSWr5amPrkwfSNT-uLnsArDp7zMNIT-IVy75pCmUunyI9xaMpJ2nxlavZAJl1NEGQppqwJAzBVpUAV2ThBKC3BXqRz7XzSZOVdslRAgI4VhVG7bzemOtWppR0D3O7RZw-Jd4R/s400/pp+2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5131784010363564210" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFKia157x_OLWVZ6l_iNOZ4Dc2Nlhm7kW4vLq_bVK7c130CWK5nOypNTThT4BxH5uXhEcWT2YfXMBOzvZ-okP98XkQrEn1q0UOEmUb3gGExCfEQxrVWM0fmHUgLyhiykM5F2ag/s1600-h/pp+3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFKia157x_OLWVZ6l_iNOZ4Dc2Nlhm7kW4vLq_bVK7c130CWK5nOypNTThT4BxH5uXhEcWT2YfXMBOzvZ-okP98XkQrEn1q0UOEmUb3gGExCfEQxrVWM0fmHUgLyhiykM5F2ag/s400/pp+3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5131783872924610722" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwwPcqyBX6yKsM3gbNuvk51ACzPvqdc9NkX1hxzO0hVRTlFHntvpc70ZH2s_LJFATdYmta2zAkGeTYw7yAcgpbe0xVGIK2ojj7v96Av6QnDVwMZpIYiNuqHXNFw9C2NIOolA7a/s1600-h/pp+5.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwwPcqyBX6yKsM3gbNuvk51ACzPvqdc9NkX1hxzO0hVRTlFHntvpc70ZH2s_LJFATdYmta2zAkGeTYw7yAcgpbe0xVGIK2ojj7v96Av6QnDVwMZpIYiNuqHXNFw9C2NIOolA7a/s400/pp+5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5131783563686965378" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7bBWGXRTlsnF8DjCX7tLuI2mbQjBGLa2tVvbQ7Hvm_M0TgE9hKRbaqocmRQbDGfj57WznVmUe-0b28eimSrjJwdqa9h4wA0BBrTX7hFk9GdWTQsHjVpL344RJ-Sn1TWmjx3Yt/s1600-h/pp+4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7bBWGXRTlsnF8DjCX7tLuI2mbQjBGLa2tVvbQ7Hvm_M0TgE9hKRbaqocmRQbDGfj57WznVmUe-0b28eimSrjJwdqa9h4wA0BBrTX7hFk9GdWTQsHjVpL344RJ-Sn1TWmjx3Yt/s400/pp+4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5131783731190689938" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLYavuH39lRVd1xzDOcZsNW-Di18w9-Nx8-b3E2HMZHl3dVoRLWsFNy_7hoSsTaUfYDuNOaeXNW32UybaG-QEahDVGvOG43aEgdaNjq6WU7KUvUH48yBdgIacmW_cwl4RFVNHy/s1600-h/pp+6.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLYavuH39lRVd1xzDOcZsNW-Di18w9-Nx8-b3E2HMZHl3dVoRLWsFNy_7hoSsTaUfYDuNOaeXNW32UybaG-QEahDVGvOG43aEgdaNjq6WU7KUvUH48yBdgIacmW_cwl4RFVNHy/s400/pp+6.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5131783417658077298" /></a>Shananiganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08537301327510516106noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8724938.post-53262675380959707522007-11-03T15:16:00.000-07:002007-11-03T15:34:20.327-07:00Happy Halloween!We went out for Madison's Halloween festivities last Saturday.<br /><br />This was my costume. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhefWiPkMcFjheCFQ0weWTrZmapYbqPWwhQerbEWM1zt2RGk-Z5uppAFwkrCvkeJJ_6ROMMWJ-ypJsfPGhXAy0tFvbHB24UDxbU36hcqEfg8lV5M8bCedEdXib1DX6cVc4gXMEq/s1600-h/punky.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhefWiPkMcFjheCFQ0weWTrZmapYbqPWwhQerbEWM1zt2RGk-Z5uppAFwkrCvkeJJ_6ROMMWJ-ypJsfPGhXAy0tFvbHB24UDxbU36hcqEfg8lV5M8bCedEdXib1DX6cVc4gXMEq/s320/punky.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128743696157761778" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxvjbeq9sIqmiQSNNXLeuy5Wo4As2objdO4I9zdh79wQRglSbOmnkwB8z3F5wF7aVhfra9rPUp2AbEkk01ImzqmWMS6jwFMauhoPTFwyJEJJThyphenhyphenV8vHyQb136HZs6gZAr4B9h0/s1600-h/punky+2.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxvjbeq9sIqmiQSNNXLeuy5Wo4As2objdO4I9zdh79wQRglSbOmnkwB8z3F5wF7aVhfra9rPUp2AbEkk01ImzqmWMS6jwFMauhoPTFwyJEJJThyphenhyphenV8vHyQb136HZs6gZAr4B9h0/s320/punky+2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128743636028219618" /></a><br /><br />I could totally take Soleil Moon Fry in a cuteness contest. <br /><br />Little known fact: Punky had a drinking problem<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-eIA5YyQtFvbaifjSxhWM8xrxRsRkroOlf7cp-buXM2Ll_xwq2xRVe79mS9k_GG-OI4L1Ji3MYT-uvvIwohSlNInDCUUV47AAVicQNFxLM85gchcFTkLEV82jbN7t5VBU8rU4/s1600-h/punky+3.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-eIA5YyQtFvbaifjSxhWM8xrxRsRkroOlf7cp-buXM2Ll_xwq2xRVe79mS9k_GG-OI4L1Ji3MYT-uvvIwohSlNInDCUUV47AAVicQNFxLM85gchcFTkLEV82jbN7t5VBU8rU4/s320/punky+3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128745349720170802" /></a><br /><br />These are our friends in their costumes. Wicked awesome.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgteDUUn_ywAfsI6LI0i8HXmF0_KVYwmKJ85O6cTDW07H9UgYJWQ4H3rdFa8ollKz6BWeE6WPGAtnemEhPY52SrYG_SjwJEu2w2gnfqqWTb_oqDW5yJ1NVQrcIHix2XGL4SV_qc/s1600-h/ozzy+%26+sharon.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgteDUUn_ywAfsI6LI0i8HXmF0_KVYwmKJ85O6cTDW07H9UgYJWQ4H3rdFa8ollKz6BWeE6WPGAtnemEhPY52SrYG_SjwJEu2w2gnfqqWTb_oqDW5yJ1NVQrcIHix2XGL4SV_qc/s320/ozzy+%26+sharon.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128744048345080066" /></a><br /><br />These clever young folk are dressed as beer pong.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjtwyI9cwfCGT_C0Trl_yWQLTCPxPE0eoa_CoGrPqLuEdWB_Z-bMIrid5MWLxUGbJiiq2oLohZ6-IVZTcIps5POm_F_AXa7HXhYNZi23KLMJkk8BpopNLqLNUnJ37KAbzf0Kdr/s1600-h/pong.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjtwyI9cwfCGT_C0Trl_yWQLTCPxPE0eoa_CoGrPqLuEdWB_Z-bMIrid5MWLxUGbJiiq2oLohZ6-IVZTcIps5POm_F_AXa7HXhYNZi23KLMJkk8BpopNLqLNUnJ37KAbzf0Kdr/s320/pong.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128744233028673810" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAySXfl14fc4bkWdJVHP-82MYf4aFIkI4idijyvrll5my17kOFs_7bHnHNGd39YKgPS6lB5i7pMgBpHV40e4eb5Q7lx4SLRVJVdIQFcvla9l5BqH-uEz7PzDgeNjnJ0D9pdSFM/s1600-h/th_stewie.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAySXfl14fc4bkWdJVHP-82MYf4aFIkI4idijyvrll5my17kOFs_7bHnHNGd39YKgPS6lB5i7pMgBpHV40e4eb5Q7lx4SLRVJVdIQFcvla9l5BqH-uEz7PzDgeNjnJ0D9pdSFM/s320/th_stewie.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128745938130690370" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG3WL9JkcvyVJsN9IVDVYV_KCfJFpKuqk8ThG1NdeMXEQjOGucvx9h6XfweB7UMW-kLACMxyd0iWkz6DG3qXjIdkxEYDVOjjYNs53CEnR_yLW95vH1Q21_3FczYZNGthNDdi2F/s1600-h/ass.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG3WL9JkcvyVJsN9IVDVYV_KCfJFpKuqk8ThG1NdeMXEQjOGucvx9h6XfweB7UMW-kLACMxyd0iWkz6DG3qXjIdkxEYDVOjjYNs53CEnR_yLW95vH1Q21_3FczYZNGthNDdi2F/s320/ass.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128744705475076386" /></a><br /><br />That's some scary shit!<br /><br />Dexter keeps an eye out for ghosts...and trick-or-treaters.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g106/LA_shananigans/DSCF2570.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g106/LA_shananigans/DSCF2570.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Hope you had a great one!Shananiganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08537301327510516106noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8724938.post-36314504409052704762007-10-25T17:13:00.000-07:002007-10-25T17:29:51.612-07:00Life ain't fairThis past Monday my cousin's son suffered a horrible accident and they had to amputate his right arm. I don't know why the universe lets horrible things like this happen, but if you could send good thoughts for his recovery it would be appreciated.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB2RBJPLD3y29dFskagRsJpp4KMTpd40c1XZVzvQKR1_2jM1KEX9P4-D9MIOM3BSArUKMwLA9tYuRJTVHIJYCdTbhTFkdCQhBUeE0MYnvkOByl9WZwGg7CvhLRzFSgAVYooW1Y/s1600-h/bennie.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB2RBJPLD3y29dFskagRsJpp4KMTpd40c1XZVzvQKR1_2jM1KEX9P4-D9MIOM3BSArUKMwLA9tYuRJTVHIJYCdTbhTFkdCQhBUeE0MYnvkOByl9WZwGg7CvhLRzFSgAVYooW1Y/s320/bennie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5125435686576578738" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Thanksgiving 2005 - I meet Bennie for the first time</span><br /></div><br />Little Bennie's surgeries have gone well and they plan to bring him out of sedation tomorrow. He's a trooper like his dad, so even though life is going to be a little different for him I'm hopeful that he'll be just fine.<br /><br />Thanks for lending an ear and sending your healing vibes.Shananiganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08537301327510516106noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8724938.post-57807094123857168492007-10-18T08:16:00.000-07:002007-10-18T08:29:36.158-07:00I don’t think I like you very much anymore…Hey look, I actually have something to say today! This situation just irritates the hell outta me so I had to share. You might have heard about the <a href="http://www.insideedition.com/ourstories/inside_stories/story.aspx?storyid=999">Ellen Degeneres dog debacle</a> in the news. Ellen delivered a sobbing diatribe in place of her usual monologue to open her show on Tuesday, all because she was feeling so sorry for herself and the dog that she adopted and failed to keep. Basically, she and Portia adopted a terrier mix puppy named Iggy from a rescue called Mutts and Mom and decided to re-home the dog with Ellen’s hairdresser after a couple weeks when things didn’t work out with the cats they already had. Like many animal rescues Mutts and Mom has a strict return policy that states in their contract (which Ellen signed) that if you can’t keep the pet for any reason you must return it to the organization so they can place the animal in another pre-screened home. So they violate the contract, and after the rescue finds out about it they re-claim the dog, which is well within their rights. So Ellen proceeded to go on TV sobbing about the little girls who miss their puppy and blah blah blah. Mutts and Mom has been forced to <a href="http://www.petfinder.com/statement.html">pull their listings from petfinder</a> and I imagine is pretty much shut down for the time being due to the public anger and even death threats directed at them. This whole thing pisses me off. Ellen messed up, and instead of owning up to it like an adult and accepting the consequences she used emotional manipulation and her celebrity status to try and get her way.<br /><br />If Ellen really loved animals she would take those girls to a shelter and show them the many other dogs who would desperately love to come home with them. She is doing so much harm by portraying rescues this way in a very public and emotionally charged manner. Some of her viewers may go out and buy a puppy mill dog from a pet store or from a backyard breeder instead of considering a rescue because they don’t want those crazy people coming back to steal their puppy.<br /><br />Other things that bother me about this story:<br /><br />She said she took the puppy home immediately (no holding period) and got him neutered. Why did the rescue allow a dog to leave their care without a home visit to ensure a proper environment (other pets included) and why did they let the dog go anywhere before it was neutered? Ellen also found it necessary to mention that she spent $3,000 on the dog during his brief 2 week stay with her. How is that relevant?<br /><br />She also claims that she has adopted/rescued many animals over the years. Where are those other animals? As far as I’m aware she has just a couple cats. Rumor has it she has a history of adopting animals and getting rid of them because they don’t “work out”.<br /><br />Also, if she loves animals so much, why does she eat them? Perhaps only cute animals that she personally knows are deserving of humane treatment and compassion, not to mention her tears and angst. Please, give me a break.<br /><br />/rant.<br /><br />What say you?Shananiganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08537301327510516106noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8724938.post-52447690848346682682007-10-10T09:55:00.000-07:002007-10-10T10:05:05.328-07:00Random<p>Holy crap, bet you thought you'd never see me 'round these parts again. I'm popping in to do a little meme fun posting thanks to <a href="http://shewalks.blogspot.com/">Kiki</a>. I should promise to catch-up and start posting again regularly, but we all know how those promises end, yes in heartbreak. Well, maybe another photo montage is in order. Even if I don’t write I seem to have managed to keep taking pictures. Let’s see what’s new? My good friends B & T got married, I ran another 5k (the Zoo Run Run, fun to say fun to do), I’m still planning a wedding (it’s so much fun. I mean that…sort of), we went back east for our engagement party last Saturday and it was lovely, work is busy, it’s getting cold, Badgers broke our hearts last Saturday, and I joined the YMCA.<br /><br />OK, on to 8 random things you may or may not have known… but first, da rulz:<br /><br />1. Post these rules before you give the facts.<br /><br />2. Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves.<br /><br />3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.<br /><br />4. At the end of your blog post, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names. (I kind of have a blanket policy about not tagging because I don’t like undue pressure, so if you want in say so in the comments. Also, do 8 people still read this?)<br /><br />5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog. (See addendum to rule 4. Though I do hope to visit and comment on your blog soon!)<br /><br /><strong>Random Thing # 1</strong><br />I can fit my entire fist in my mouth. </p><p><br />I think that pretty much speaks for itself.<br /><br /><strong>Random Thing # 2<br /></strong>I like to analyze and judge people by what they have in their grocery carts. </p><p><br />And not just, “must be single/a bachelor”/ “must have 8 kids”, etc. To be honest, in the running commentary in my head I become a total judgmental bitch. “Ew! Doritos, Mountain Dew, bacon, a gallon of milk, a carton of 18 eggs! They are so going to die of cancer if a heart attack doesn’t get them first.” I know it’s not nice, especially since my eating habits were not always so stellar and like, drinking a bottle of wine or a 6-pack is so healthy. But hey, it’s not like I say anything to them, it’s just check-out line entertainment. </p><p><br /><strong>Random Thing # 3<br /></strong>I used to be on my high school swim team. </p><p><br />And I used to be so happy every season when it ended so I didn’t have to spend 3 hours in the pool every day. Yes, I’ve always been lazy. </p><p><br /><strong>Random Thing # 4</strong><br />I used to play the clarinet in band </p><p><br />'Cause I'm cool like that, yo. </p><p><br /><strong>Random Thing # 5</strong><br />I went to a Catholic School K-8. (that’s 9 long years) </p><p><br />Still one of the worst experiences of my life. </p><p><br /><strong>Random Thing # 6<br /></strong>It takes me forever to finish books these days because I go to bed with the intention of staying up to read, them I fall asleep 2 pages later. </p><p><br /><strong>Random Thing # 7<br /></strong>I always wanted to be an awesome dancer. </p><p>When I was little it was ballet, but now I want to do ballroom. Or hip hop (which is weird cause I don’t like hip hop music. I just want to get down with the booty shakin!) </p><p><br /><strong>Random Thing # 8</strong><br />I’m a total night owl. </p><p>In college I would miss 11am classes pretty often because I couldn’t drag myself out of bed. Maybe because I was up till 4 most nights. These days I get up at 5 or 6, depending on if I’m going for a run that morning. The universe should operate on my schedule, it would really just be better that way. </p><p><br />OK, so if that wasn’t totally riveting I know what is. See you 'round the blogosphere. :)</p>Shananiganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08537301327510516106noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8724938.post-60984900949697467932007-08-12T09:39:00.000-07:002007-08-12T10:19:09.901-07:00Summer ReduxI have been so lazy, sorry I've <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">posted</span> next to nothing all summer. Here's some pictures of all the fun we've been having!<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmJxxXRUekQE1KNz6sIuhcj4QHJqF2kbDtv7V5LFWJrc_cLbcVeygkn8bi-Chae7LjPUGxmA_xpIWHpWtp67lqk7NpwIAnyInceMvSermkcFdgiTeFRfs9JftaUoQn8c9qCDX6/s1600-h/DSCF2230.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmJxxXRUekQE1KNz6sIuhcj4QHJqF2kbDtv7V5LFWJrc_cLbcVeygkn8bi-Chae7LjPUGxmA_xpIWHpWtp67lqk7NpwIAnyInceMvSermkcFdgiTeFRfs9JftaUoQn8c9qCDX6/s400/DSCF2230.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097855965144244722" border="0" /></a> Hooray for veggie brats!</div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMOTq7xn3mRi6Rrp1emuhU4dcREBBBGYd_Lpts5k1vAIP4qRkJS45GwLkSFR7dxtzgcOCGx1aNBl2h0WhVLZMz0NMXajP1Tm-tY4J0_0R71kgl4_J2yEjz5QREPH1_-lBGVYbQ/s1600-h/DSCF2215.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMOTq7xn3mRi6Rrp1emuhU4dcREBBBGYd_Lpts5k1vAIP4qRkJS45GwLkSFR7dxtzgcOCGx1aNBl2h0WhVLZMz0NMXajP1Tm-tY4J0_0R71kgl4_J2yEjz5QREPH1_-lBGVYbQ/s400/DSCF2215.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097857717490901554" border="0" /></a><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Hehe</span>...<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7rVFRSOK7olYZKw-X8ZjuWjfwNnxqXMIRcJNDlMfjDmbxYFJBjRdAOw9VhhY_KnTjsNH7X8i7yiAK-M6YWQcf3rLmc1BdYPnmGhmP8yfzIV4ArISt4mI1cW4cIgd4sMVofaWG/s1600-h/DSCF2222.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7rVFRSOK7olYZKw-X8ZjuWjfwNnxqXMIRcJNDlMfjDmbxYFJBjRdAOw9VhhY_KnTjsNH7X8i7yiAK-M6YWQcf3rLmc1BdYPnmGhmP8yfzIV4ArISt4mI1cW4cIgd4sMVofaWG/s400/DSCF2222.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097857704605999634" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiud5xMrRUUy-1s2qC-2v9jVYh9i6kz62skgn2VUqb8sjElr19Lcx5C84Q1_cgOpVBldKQC7gmvgc2faI5FPgYg_ZLrkCXpMgoS0OxBXfbLKsERJ9YW0ztLiTxJopBQtAKZ7syh/s1600-h/DSCF2221.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiud5xMrRUUy-1s2qC-2v9jVYh9i6kz62skgn2VUqb8sjElr19Lcx5C84Q1_cgOpVBldKQC7gmvgc2faI5FPgYg_ZLrkCXpMgoS0OxBXfbLKsERJ9YW0ztLiTxJopBQtAKZ7syh/s400/DSCF2221.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097857708900966946" border="0" /></a><br />I find I am most <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">attractive</span> when stuffing my face.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBK5eqkeVktcCehK3xgnVImjkMpQJS2av0Z4eJeUDyDaktpjAajRqMnkwAGImJJsWvT2pYujTW5c_Mnp9bGimKljVD1tzkWdOALzVAN4HX8W_gcvHwdia2tjkSR-lVWOnDObj8/s1600-h/DSCF2229.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBK5eqkeVktcCehK3xgnVImjkMpQJS2av0Z4eJeUDyDaktpjAajRqMnkwAGImJJsWvT2pYujTW5c_Mnp9bGimKljVD1tzkWdOALzVAN4HX8W_gcvHwdia2tjkSR-lVWOnDObj8/s400/DSCF2229.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097857700311032322" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Farmers Market Circa April<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc3qwHYQpkuo-j7yixsv0YzIp4_7me_UDJCy6mo6AhR7DrvOD69TWUnE1EoAPE9s6PsEG7g4QH-iA7ALjTBTTPYicORasqpDx332PCs7xjglsudh-pY4JK2hHviIwoKg0zkck8/s1600-h/DSCF2099.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc3qwHYQpkuo-j7yixsv0YzIp4_7me_UDJCy6mo6AhR7DrvOD69TWUnE1EoAPE9s6PsEG7g4QH-iA7ALjTBTTPYicORasqpDx332PCs7xjglsudh-pY4JK2hHviIwoKg0zkck8/s400/DSCF2099.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097858125512794706" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFa__1ydfjpoDZpSHvGVJrksXF4pDSfNz0ZJqZqaVDRn-OSD0gPT1RYQ0UPaKZr4FwPSUL3Z4grQFxi9HutQG6KCdKXRVVyfmSWW2I6-SLAfdnbc083zKyrY0JmW21BMcw2aj6/s1600-h/DSCF2098.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFa__1ydfjpoDZpSHvGVJrksXF4pDSfNz0ZJqZqaVDRn-OSD0gPT1RYQ0UPaKZr4FwPSUL3Z4grQFxi9HutQG6KCdKXRVVyfmSWW2I6-SLAfdnbc083zKyrY0JmW21BMcw2aj6/s400/DSCF2098.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097858129807762018" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3kAvD20cHVofd1NU_gD9mAb4gaKMweFjCQ_-ITfnUkw4tScSwWrgRTE1trdWZtrJM6VTsegWPmDag36ZTEC9ceX7JR-ZqSF1MNPVf4QVfwzDIpGSuQobpByM8bwdhhLD5nMds/s1600-h/DSCF2113.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3kAvD20cHVofd1NU_gD9mAb4gaKMweFjCQ_-ITfnUkw4tScSwWrgRTE1trdWZtrJM6VTsegWPmDag36ZTEC9ceX7JR-ZqSF1MNPVf4QVfwzDIpGSuQobpByM8bwdhhLD5nMds/s400/DSCF2113.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097857721785868866" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Dexter enjoys gazing at his new backyard<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVdbhdvksNgD4ZBzDI96POxzSn7UXWkk_A7KnwFQ1W41GJttsHhTZEOVWzSWfXGlXQkrQiQ8RHhUPaG88jtJ-v87040HGEWfatV0JbrKKZhw9eCiMRUuCbnnsgZW4LG0H7Gz34/s1600-h/DSCF2247.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVdbhdvksNgD4ZBzDI96POxzSn7UXWkk_A7KnwFQ1W41GJttsHhTZEOVWzSWfXGlXQkrQiQ8RHhUPaG88jtJ-v87040HGEWfatV0JbrKKZhw9eCiMRUuCbnnsgZW4LG0H7Gz34/s400/DSCF2247.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097855956554310098" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIbrV4wtpCHBzqGDp3jIWlrC3851CWxgIeXIBdp0ramy0TJjrb-FCQHOZ35tbXkrCKbhIMcHf1iZHs06qvjf1CHMMEAFU5OeweHlQMOO7FRJJgQR11BDPiiGjT6FP7mqvWdR87/s1600-h/DSCF2234.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIbrV4wtpCHBzqGDp3jIWlrC3851CWxgIeXIBdp0ramy0TJjrb-FCQHOZ35tbXkrCKbhIMcHf1iZHs06qvjf1CHMMEAFU5OeweHlQMOO7FRJJgQR11BDPiiGjT6FP7mqvWdR87/s400/DSCF2234.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097855960849277410" border="0" /></a><br />Beer Fest!<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL43CMNp58p_bBzZXpQhd9OnvryEx1oJ98acDR5MCacwyo_CHoQYsvWUXgIJ62IhWdKCBh7L7TtIqnfnQw5qZiPu38wO_LgOY0oDPqxOPVIHJZB5LHtaImOXg0fsSvC8zfV3BF/s1600-h/DSCF2267.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL43CMNp58p_bBzZXpQhd9OnvryEx1oJ98acDR5MCacwyo_CHoQYsvWUXgIJ62IhWdKCBh7L7TtIqnfnQw5qZiPu38wO_LgOY0oDPqxOPVIHJZB5LHtaImOXg0fsSvC8zfV3BF/s400/DSCF2267.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097855956554310082" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEExBzyTzqrghyLmSDKB_Wc8X_FW73tYmYeQvbdkk5Idubxg-B5F5_zYg9XJBFSHqRth5fxQ-shGwlt0ugepLiYMY5hW4-YB8R3M_g6Gxdt2yG0nltG14XT-XKU-ZKvDQUWF98/s1600-h/DSCF2274.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEExBzyTzqrghyLmSDKB_Wc8X_FW73tYmYeQvbdkk5Idubxg-B5F5_zYg9XJBFSHqRth5fxQ-shGwlt0ugepLiYMY5hW4-YB8R3M_g6Gxdt2yG0nltG14XT-XKU-ZKvDQUWF98/s400/DSCF2274.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097855488402874770" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmsQxaOymafgQaYo5hZi0l-PYnyT4ukpSIBjzj_wA0eJvLkASR-yr7ATznGANLLQldnE3d8mJasfzmXBnzQVJMNCExqmcNbjATA8N8sEJ-3qb1a9Kw0shleVOdHLyD-6DLOKtw/s1600-h/DSCF2282.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmsQxaOymafgQaYo5hZi0l-PYnyT4ukpSIBjzj_wA0eJvLkASR-yr7ATznGANLLQldnE3d8mJasfzmXBnzQVJMNCExqmcNbjATA8N8sEJ-3qb1a9Kw0shleVOdHLyD-6DLOKtw/s400/DSCF2282.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097855484107907458" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJBVBTgJySE8s3FuKkHluCHtApdpLTktrQAREqkqPGmb7TQkhMe-1htG8wzeF6eqK1BDXZ4d6N329XTfDkpPR7mASS193GJKIAn5m_TXk0Y84tjMhxprA_acb8UFX1H38bRsW6/s1600-h/DSCF2269.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJBVBTgJySE8s3FuKkHluCHtApdpLTktrQAREqkqPGmb7TQkhMe-1htG8wzeF6eqK1BDXZ4d6N329XTfDkpPR7mASS193GJKIAn5m_TXk0Y84tjMhxprA_acb8UFX1H38bRsW6/s400/DSCF2269.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097855496992809378" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUZu9nYOAiCMhE12WVOjV00v6QpD2utqSP4Lc-XtmzYEHSaeFM-TAkLJ9bIE6LW4iqkR961b5WX6pE9X69_tyTQ5gABfSKjl20CsoFmsGbfauOpkyXwjAO6pQjRPTpAU8i1ufe/s1600-h/DSCF2268.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUZu9nYOAiCMhE12WVOjV00v6QpD2utqSP4Lc-XtmzYEHSaeFM-TAkLJ9bIE6LW4iqkR961b5WX6pE9X69_tyTQ5gABfSKjl20CsoFmsGbfauOpkyXwjAO6pQjRPTpAU8i1ufe/s400/DSCF2268.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097855947964375474" border="0" /></a><br />The Great Taste of the Midwest (aka Beer Fest) was yesterday, and as you can see a good time was had by all. Over 500 beers were available for tasting. I didn't get anywhere near trying all of them. :( <br /><br />This summer I've also been riding my bike, rollerblading, and been to a whole bunch of baseball games. Mostly the Madison Mallards, we'll be going to see their last game of the regular season tonight. Oh, and last week <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Dexter</span> and I were <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">pursued</span> by a coyote while jogging at the Owen Nature Conservatory. That was fun. <br /><br />Hope all <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">y'alls</span> summers have been as much fun as mine. I'll be catching up on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">everyone's</span> blogs soon!Shananiganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08537301327510516106noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8724938.post-67730855558876380822007-07-12T11:24:00.000-07:002007-07-12T11:27:19.599-07:00Oh, hi! Didn’t see you there.Yes, I’ve been a bad absent blogger. I seem to go through these phases. I have been enjoying summer, and going places and busy with work and stuff and not so much with the bloggy lately. I have lots of fun pictures and stuff to share in the near future, so stay tuned. <br /><br />In not so fun news I came down with a viral infection last week. "Luckily" the worst of it was on the 4th, which I already had off and didn’t have plans for anyway. And I had a golf outing to run on Monday so I didn’t really have the time to be sick. Anyway, after feeling better for a couple days and getting through my event I started noticing strange symptoms in the right side of my face and finally went to urgent care last night after I was having trouble closing my right eye. Turns out I have <a href="http://www.webmd.com/brain/tc/Bells-Palsy-Topic-Overview">Bell’s palsy</a>, which can often occur after a viral infection. Most cases are thought to be caused by a virus similar to the one that causes cold sores (I got herpes! heh.). So I’m on anti-viral and steroid meds and following up with an ENT doc next week and it should be fine. In the mean time I look pretty doofy ‘cause half my face don’t work quite right. Yay, fun!<br /><br />Hope everyone is having a fabulous summer. My house with AC and the pool are awesome. Hope to post lot o’ fun stuff this weekend since I don’t have much going on for once. Ciao.Shananiganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08537301327510516106noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8724938.post-20409302310124381552007-06-08T06:10:00.000-07:002007-06-08T06:11:17.223-07:00Home FreeOK, as we all know homes are not free. Today we’re closing on our townhouse. GAH! (I don’t know what sound that is, but it’s really excited). <br /><br />Last weekend I ran a 5k for the Komen Race for the Cure. It was pouring that morning, it was pretty muddy getting through registration, but luckily it cleared up by the time the race started. Great group of people to run with and plenty of cheerleaders along the route (literally, there were squads of little junior cheerleaders, they were freakin’ adorable). I didn’t finish in under 30:00 like I wanted, but I actually won something! I entered in a drawing at the New Balance sponsor table and won a free pair of shoes and a jacket. Now all I have to do is wait patiently for 6 to 8 weeks for delivery. <br /><br />Jason’s mom is in town for the weekend, her birthday is tomorrow and I’ve got a work picnic to run, then we’re planning on moving most of our stuff on Sunday. Good thing I’m taking Monday off. <br /><br />Happy Friday everyone!Shananiganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08537301327510516106noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8724938.post-31973369601172475702007-05-30T06:59:00.000-07:002007-05-30T07:09:15.673-07:00LOL FUR REALZThank you <a href="http://shewalks.blogspot.com/">Kiki</a> for opening my eyes to the phenomenon that is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lolcat">Lolcat</a>, and by association <a href="http://loltapirs.com/">Loltapir</a>. <br /><br /><a href="http://loltapirs.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://loltapirs.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/pot.jpg" border="0" ></a> <br /><br />I love you internet.Shananiganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08537301327510516106noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8724938.post-33277483615613138622007-05-21T12:53:00.001-07:002007-05-21T12:58:25.524-07:00Sugar free, the way to be!In my never ending quest to eliminate the white stuff from my diet, I am always on the lookout for healthier non-chemical sugar substitutes. Enter: <a href="http://www.lundberg.com/products/syrup_nf.shtml">Brown Rice Syrup</a>. I picked up a jar at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodman's_Food_Market">Woodman’s</a>. I am in awe of their extensive organic/veg/natural food isle and freezer section, massive selection with lower prices than standard grocery stores. Oh, how I love thee Woodman’s.<br /><br />I modified my <a href="http://sweetbippy.blogspot.com/2006/06/more-food-pics.html">banana bread</a> recipe to make pumpkin muffins with zero refined sugar. Results are tasty! Here’s the recipe. <br /><br />Pumpkin Cranberry Nut Muffins (or quickbread)<br /><br />2 T whole flax seeds (or 4 T pre-ground)<br />6 T water<br />4 T softened margarine (I use Earth Balance)<br />¼ c applesauce (I use unsweetened) <br />½ c soy milk <br />2/3 c brown rice syrup<br />2 T maple syrup<br />1 T molasses<br />1 t vanilla<br />1 c pumpkin (I use canned, I’m sure any cooked winter squash would work)<br />1 ¾ c flour (I use whole wheat pastry flour)<br />2 t baking powder<br />¾ t baking soda<br />¼ t salt<br />Ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and/or ginger to taste<br />¼ c walnuts <br />¼ c dried cranberries (or any dried fruit you fancy) <br /><br />Banana bread variation: Use 1 c mashed banana in place of pumpkin, decrease soy milk to 2 T. I haven’t tried this with the brown rice syrup sub yet, but it should work just fine. <br /><br />If using whole flax seeds, finely grind in coffee grinder (I have one I use just for spices and seeds) or spice grinder or food processor and put in a large mixing bowl. Add the water. Mix on high speed until mixture becomes thick and glutinous <br /><br />Add margarine, applesauce, soy milk, brown rice syrup, maple syrup, molasses and vanilla, beat until smooth, then add pumpkin (or banana) and beat 1 – 2 min more on high speed.<br /><br />Combine dry ingredients and slowly mix into batter until just combined. Stir in your walnuts and dried fruit.<br /><br />Bake at 350 degrees, 55 – 60 min if you make one larger loaf, about 40 – 45 if you make 2 shallower loaves and about 30 - 35 min for muffins.<br /><br />Not as sweet as the brown sugar version, but still very good!<br /><br />I had some VwaV seitan sitting around in my fridge, and I vaguely remembered <a href="http://vivaciousvegan.blogspot.com/">Vivacious Vegan</a> posting ages ago about some <a href="http://vivaciousvegan.blogspot.com/2006/08/hallelujah-seitan-is-successful.html">country fried seitan</a> that I wanted to try (I remember the most random stuff). After looking it up I did up a quick lunch for myself. I rolled the seitan in flour, dipped in soy milk, rolled in Italian herbed bread crumbs (from a can) and browned them up in my cast iron just lightly coated with 2 t of olive oil. I didn’t really feel like whipping up any gravy since it was only me eating, but I ate it with some boiled purple potatoes from the farmers market and steamed green beans on the side. Delicious! As close to a fried chicken dinner as I’d ever want to get. <br /><br />Sorry, no pictures. :( Jason took my point-n-shoot camera back east with him and I am scared to touch his fancy-pants camera.Shananiganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08537301327510516106noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8724938.post-90452468391409795992007-05-14T12:21:00.000-07:002007-05-15T06:34:42.875-07:00How the other half lives…Sometimes I hang out on this forum for people (mostly women) trying to lose weight and be fit and healthy and so on, and it’s a really great site. Good moderators, nice folks to chat with and get advice, and they really try to make space for a variety of people with different interests, following different plans, etc. One part of the forums I never peeked in before was the “Low Carbohydrate Lifestyle” boards, because (no personal offense intended to anyone who’s into it) low-carb and Atkins sound like complete crap to me. I understand that some people lose weight on it, but I am not convinced that it’s healthy or safe, I’m pretty sure it’s non-sustainable for about 99% of people (Never eat bread or pasta again? Yeah right!), and there is not a single good reason to go to such extremes in any direction to lose weight. It’s just not necessary. I am glad most of the low-carb hype has died down, because if I heard one more person profess the Atkins diet as though it were gospel, I was gonna puke. /rant about stupid low-carb.<br /><br />Anyway, back to the subject of the post. The title of this thread caught my eye because it just sounded like it would be kind of gross. Little did I know. So, after clicking to view the recipe, this is what I found. I swear I’m not making this up:<br /><br /><em>Chili Dog Casserole<br /><br />2 lbs ground beef<br />1 pkg Williams Chili Seasoning for 2 lbs meat<br />8 oz can tomato sauce (look for no sugar added)<br />pkg of 8 hot dogs (I used Bryan Juicy Jumbos at 2 net carbs per dog - you might score some lower carb ones if you look harder than I did)<br />8 tbs sour cream (I use Daisy Pure and Natural - it's JUST sour cream)<br />2 cups shredded cheddar (look for real cheese - not cheese like substances)<br />1/2 cup fine chopped onions<br /><br />1. Prehead [sic] oven to 350.<br /><br />2. In large skillet, crumble and brown beef. Drain well. While cooking - cut hot dogs into bite sized chunks and get the onion chopped.<br /><br />3. Add tomato sauce and chili seasoning to beef. Cook and stir long enough to get it mixed up good.<br /><br />4. Pack meat into bottom of small square casserole or cake pan.<br /><br />5. Layer dogs over beef. Thickly spread cheese over dogs.<br /><br />6. Pop it in the hot oven for 10 mins or until cheese just starts to brown.<br /><br />7. Serve - makes 8 - on top of each serving put 1 Tbs of onion and 1 Tbs of sour cream. If you scoop it out of pan carefully it should hold together.</em><br /><br />Yeah, um. I don’t even know what to say. And do you know why this recipe is supposed to be a good idea if you’re trying to lose weight? Because there are only 6.16 net carbs per serving. I’m sorry, but only a crazy diet has you eating beef, hot dogs, cheese and sour cream all in one dish and thinking this is good for you. Hello, reality check? Sad thing I just realized: there are probably far more people on the Atkins diet than there are vegetarians :(Shananiganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08537301327510516106noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8724938.post-87560308728856397992007-05-11T09:15:00.000-07:002007-05-15T06:37:38.369-07:00Welcome to the World!Jason's sister is now proud mother to a baby boy!<br /><br />Yonaton Sol was born May 10.<br /><br />Grandpapa's e-mail announcement reports:<br /><em>"Happy & Healthy!<br />Mother & baby are bonding! Father is kvelling. Sister is happy to have a brother."</em><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHVsWl_h0O83JBtBTvBfQXUFY2x7pPDxp0mjcEX-1RlgLP-8zn5HzfjbDk_7pZot3HdAAcO2ETW2KEj0is9bz6Soe1exnQ5SnaxgHLNQekrF-gB0pYHWsWJe9wpfFbZQHcySQG/s1600-h/Yonatan_021[1].jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5064779598568988194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHVsWl_h0O83JBtBTvBfQXUFY2x7pPDxp0mjcEX-1RlgLP-8zn5HzfjbDk_7pZot3HdAAcO2ETW2KEj0is9bz6Soe1exnQ5SnaxgHLNQekrF-gB0pYHWsWJe9wpfFbZQHcySQG/s400/Yonatan_021%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />So exciting! I'm so disappointed I'm going to have to miss the briss. I probably won't be able to visit till fall. That is such a long time to wait!<br /><br />Now I will have a fantastic niece <em>and</em> nephew. Life's grand, ain't it?<br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Edited 5/14 because I spelled the name wrong. (It's Yonaton, not Jonatan. I thought it was an odd spelling, but I don't speak Hebrew so what do I know!) Actually grandpa's e-mail had it wrong, that'll teach me to do my own fact checking ;)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Edited 5/15 to add adorable picture.</span>Shananiganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08537301327510516106noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8724938.post-50765146149886742192007-05-09T09:28:00.000-07:002007-05-09T09:32:14.117-07:00News flash: I am officially oldBecause now I have a mortgage. If that doesn’t make you sound like a certifiable A-dult I don’t know what does. <br /><br />Yes, Jason and I have taken the brave step forward into home ownership. I have to give J a lot of the credit for doing much of the legwork and research, and we ended up with a fantastic townhouse after a scant couple weeks of looking. And we got a kick-ass rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage (see? Me old.)<br /><br />We are closing on June 8 and plan to move in the following week. We still need to rent our apartment to someone else, so if you know anyone in the Madison area looking for a great 2 bedroom on the west side, please send them our way. <br /><br />This is a serious upgrade in living space, and the condo association pool and clubhouse are steps from my front door. I will probably post some pictures after we move. OMG, we’re moving in a month! SO EXCITED! <br /><br />PS – Just so you know I’m using “old” in a figurative sense, not indicating that anyone my age or older is actually <em>old</em> old. Just indicating that to me it seems kind of crazy and surreal that I am about to own actual property. I’ve been a renting nomad for so long, it might take a while to adjust. <br /><br />PPS – Happy birthday to T-Bone!Shananiganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08537301327510516106noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8724938.post-73966641765114726022007-05-03T20:22:00.000-07:002007-05-03T20:28:05.143-07:00Say it with me…Frittata!Fun to say, no? Especially of you roll the "r".<br /><br />Inspired by <a href="http://urbanvegan.blogspot.com/2007/05/frittata-non-grata.html">Urban Vegan</a>, I dusted off the old VwaV and actally tried a new recipe. The frittata, p. 14.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNUcijusGCHMX2yjRw4_fBIvmMVOm16e__uCwl07NxQbRHv-MM5IrfbHMCWS-aSsbMl8jfCtM-qafGuLoWe_2QUUdHWS2EiDgucLwKt6rKWnfMeAw29vkS2jHYBh0GHTscIvfz/s1600-h/blog.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNUcijusGCHMX2yjRw4_fBIvmMVOm16e__uCwl07NxQbRHv-MM5IrfbHMCWS-aSsbMl8jfCtM-qafGuLoWe_2QUUdHWS2EiDgucLwKt6rKWnfMeAw29vkS2jHYBh0GHTscIvfz/s400/blog.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5060540826625089042" /></a><br /><br />I ended up making a few subs (sweet-hot mustard instead of Dijon, zucchini instead of asparagus, re-hydrated sun-dried tomatoes instead of oil-packed, and frozen basil cubes + dried basil instead of fresh…I think that’s it.)<br /><br />The verdict: delicious, easy, versatile and filling! This is a good recipe to use up whatever vegetables you might have around waiting to go bad. Reminiscent of tofu scramble, but even easier to make I’d say. Plus, squishing tofu with your fingers is fun. My own omnivore has yet to try it. I thought he might not like the mac n cheez, but he ate it up, so we’ll see.Shananiganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08537301327510516106noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8724938.post-48079346262597414912007-05-01T19:36:00.000-07:002007-05-01T19:40:26.481-07:00It’s been said before......and I’ll say it again. The <a href="http://www.postpunkkitchen.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=15959">Seitan O’ Greatness</a> rules.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNtiDqniVMF-Z_dYILut3Uq5z90VVX-41kAsSF_UvvxyRe9xQO5d6Dpt2cX8fsp1Aj7OTCDYI72h4z6v5elMtK-a-8zisXAXl1FlxqyDTn_qi56ijJ1za-wJ3yWgTfIVcqeY5V/s1600-h/seitan.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNtiDqniVMF-Z_dYILut3Uq5z90VVX-41kAsSF_UvvxyRe9xQO5d6Dpt2cX8fsp1Aj7OTCDYI72h4z6v5elMtK-a-8zisXAXl1FlxqyDTn_qi56ijJ1za-wJ3yWgTfIVcqeY5V/s320/seitan.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5059787154353921538" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Word.Shananiganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08537301327510516106noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8724938.post-85975197283732231962007-04-25T13:21:00.001-07:002007-04-25T13:28:02.768-07:00Meme madnessIt’s been a while since I’ve done one of these here meme things, but this one promises to be fun because each participant gets 5 unique questions asked of them. Thanks <a href="http://shewalks.blogspot.com/2007/04/sharin-love-and-donuts.html">kiki</a> for the awesome questions.<br /><br /><br /><em>1. I LOVE the photo you use as your profile image. But I have always wanted to know more about it. Not just where you were, but why, exactly, YOU love it.<br /></em><br />Thanks! That picture was taken during my sister’s weeklong bachelorette party in Costa Rica last June. After a day of sunbathing, playing in the ocean and consuming local beverage delicacies (Imperial – la cerveza de Costa Rica!) we went to have dinner at this little place on the beach (our chairs and table were literally set in the sand). After dinner the waiter came around with boxes of Cuban cigars, so of course my cousin and I decided we must split one. I love the picture because it reminds me of that perfect evening, the sun setting on the ocean, that superb cigar, the start to one hell of a week. And you look at least 10 times sexier when you’re smoking a cigar ;)<br /><br /><em>2. Was just perusing your 100 things, and saw that you were a redhead for a while. (Me too!) I rather enjoyed it. Why did you do it, what did you like/dislike about it, and why did you let it go?</em><br /><br />My fascination with red heads reaches far back into my childhood. My first Cabbage Patch Kid had red hair, as did every subsequent one. Strawberry Shortcake was my personal hero. I don’t know, I’ve always just loved red hair. When I went away to college it just seemed like the thing to do, so I got me some Feria magic. I liked it because having red hair in some small part fulfilled a sort of fantasy version of me that I always pictured in my head (you know where I’m also tall, thin, and have perfect skin?). I kept it up for about three years, but I am not a high maintenance gal and hate the fumes, so I let it grow out. Now I am marrying a true red head, coincidence?<br /><br /><em>3. I'd love to know your take on astrology. I poo-poo it but love it and think it's really awesomely cool. (I also like infomercials, though, so right.) What's the most seriously you've ever been about astrology?<br /></em><br />Like most things, I like astrology when it confirms something I already believe. If I disagree, it’s a bunch of hogwash anyway, so who cares? I used to read tarot a bit, but that just really confirmed for me that you can make a bunch of stuff up and people will take it seriously if the cards tell them so.<br /><br /><em>4. What's your greatest fear about your wedding? Not your marriage, your wedding? Because if they haven't started yet, let me tell you -- BIZZARO WEDDING dreams will kick in soon enough. Perhaps venting some of your more ridiculous fears will help ease this phenomenon.<br /></em><br />Sadly, I remember very little to nothing about my dreams. Um, I don’t know if I’ve really had time to get freaked out about anything yet. It’s still over a year away, so it’s a pretty low-pressure deal right now. I guess rain might become an issue since the ceremony is outside, but we’ll deal with that with the tent back-up plan if we have to. Also, I really don’t deal well with interpersonal conflict, and I know weddings can be very sensitive for some people, so I hope that everyone in the bridal/groom parties and families all get along through the whole thing.<br /><br /><em>5. If you could just randomly call up some celebrity and have their attention and actually get into a real conversation with them, who would it be, and what would be the gist of your conversation?</em><br /><br />Um, this is a tough one. I don’t really spend any time thinking about celebrities I’d like to chat up. I guess I might call up one of the rich and powerful ones and see if I could get myself a job working for them that would make me famous/rich/and or influential by association. Tom Hanks? Sure, that sounds good.<br /><br /><br />That was fun. First 10 people who want 5 questions get them!Shananiganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08537301327510516106noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8724938.post-65724195565755680632007-04-20T07:10:00.000-07:002007-04-20T07:42:26.099-07:00Nonukah in Santa Monica<div align="left">As I mentioned a while ago, Jason and I got back to sunny LA last month for the annual Nonukah festivities. As usual, friends from all over the country converged to make for one hellava weekend of drinking, eating and general merriment.<br /><br />Here’s some pictures of the legendary party.<br /><br />It begins as every party should, with tequila!<br /><br /><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL_ujsObUkAsLCm74IRXutNTRpTrva596YJBvpZrSwqGhx6tsufqmjktmpooEAMq6OQ8-3LOTc_cmizpzGmBGXQ8kIJy24JAuuZoxxp5ITl0p_9CLSpWZlWTfWWg406kuACvrE/s1600-h/tequila.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5055514432157220130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL_ujsObUkAsLCm74IRXutNTRpTrva596YJBvpZrSwqGhx6tsufqmjktmpooEAMq6OQ8-3LOTc_cmizpzGmBGXQ8kIJy24JAuuZoxxp5ITl0p_9CLSpWZlWTfWWg406kuACvrE/s320/tequila.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULu4no1szB64nhBPZmvea-QtZLGnyxh-0v25ATAcp3wukUDGGo-vdxE0GZUgu_wNNJLSBtljJwIyBQlFmtMdSKeGS4lJbN9FJzfUzlPkts0ec03sijdribd9Rnc06cn1NNajX/s1600-h/booze.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5055514496581729586" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULu4no1szB64nhBPZmvea-QtZLGnyxh-0v25ATAcp3wukUDGGo-vdxE0GZUgu_wNNJLSBtljJwIyBQlFmtMdSKeGS4lJbN9FJzfUzlPkts0ec03sijdribd9Rnc06cn1NNajX/s320/booze.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>Me and my bar buddies.<br /><br /><br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0AH-GVk3adYzwP60E3UkgE3ZlW7PXsDLiusFHpA8o7D_TA0An3TzO6JwqrVD6vFniOlhehkOizzw_XSWruhTggIPVg_sz986ubbZkIRkQhPsXjLM-To41t7IventxbvA7i03/s1600-h/swan.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5055513964005784834" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0AH-GVk3adYzwP60E3UkgE3ZlW7PXsDLiusFHpA8o7D_TA0An3TzO6JwqrVD6vFniOlhehkOizzw_XSWruhTggIPVg_sz986ubbZkIRkQhPsXjLM-To41t7IventxbvA7i03/s320/swan.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>What's classier than an ice swan at a party?<br /><br /></p><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRYGUeeCaHw6cjE-TaAlFdJOtmj-LIEdEwd_B8804Z3V9-BBLC1-MYO-WwyCOpy_Pf8RnR6GByFCycLARe88j6dwlgaOgPgYCWnEsIEjP_larnPh9MAWek21tWSd31_sLvAGI3/s1600-h/luge.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5055514251768593682" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRYGUeeCaHw6cjE-TaAlFdJOtmj-LIEdEwd_B8804Z3V9-BBLC1-MYO-WwyCOpy_Pf8RnR6GByFCycLARe88j6dwlgaOgPgYCWnEsIEjP_larnPh9MAWek21tWSd31_sLvAGI3/s320/luge.jpg" border="0" /></a>Making a shot luge out of the swan. Nice work Yoni! </p><p><br /><br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1rJOkp5XtCIQZflNLAHrYK07xuSezpzUiPSPc-teuZDZNqjtTjQMWwlvjt3V4ZYxISJGm-Kgpf4DbY9BVVQDqyFqmX3t8CYBLFOPayPn-jsu1uZfJz2ElyxlJ-xibWCFauqEW/s1600-h/bar.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5055513800797027570" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1rJOkp5XtCIQZflNLAHrYK07xuSezpzUiPSPc-teuZDZNqjtTjQMWwlvjt3V4ZYxISJGm-Kgpf4DbY9BVVQDqyFqmX3t8CYBLFOPayPn-jsu1uZfJz2ElyxlJ-xibWCFauqEW/s320/bar.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>The joint is jumpin’!<br /><br /></p><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFfOf5J3N5sUmQ2QzvIi2DoRHPHlP89OXvnLjEDces-_0zrMWylJeI3ChYlz-giwnDb1MFsSxGGsJmBnr0jL85XZ2pg6jWXrBAdNVmQ2OvduTJckU6kRtthlwKTiZ7VB_qVCVu/s1600-h/dance.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5055513706307747042" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFfOf5J3N5sUmQ2QzvIi2DoRHPHlP89OXvnLjEDces-_0zrMWylJeI3ChYlz-giwnDb1MFsSxGGsJmBnr0jL85XZ2pg6jWXrBAdNVmQ2OvduTJckU6kRtthlwKTiZ7VB_qVCVu/s320/dance.jpg" border="0" /></a>Woooooo!<br /><br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYZdNowYPbgYaDL0L66wt8JeVDQWmc8NyafmN-7JDGipRALUPr-OcscdaLlP5jM1Ob5G4dhXa2M8EShwPQBNFhbLq59-ZGlEczg_Kw8qOD4VIL8KBsk7gjhrlK1bcMMGMEv3xs/s1600-h/frank+sleep.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5055513611818466514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYZdNowYPbgYaDL0L66wt8JeVDQWmc8NyafmN-7JDGipRALUPr-OcscdaLlP5jM1Ob5G4dhXa2M8EShwPQBNFhbLq59-ZGlEczg_Kw8qOD4VIL8KBsk7gjhrlK1bcMMGMEv3xs/s320/frank+sleep.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>Well, it couldn’t last forever.<br /><br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyMIAyX83X-oAPTeOg4RCrIbzUJb7n5FeWMiGvLVrt7P3ZfPE3YhCG3JZn2N1f-F-4mynFDsmOyMFoEfJ27fBVphQPygGpNPkrqJUgNqTortGJFik7HiLVbjWwKgSRFHnZ7erb/s1600-h/beer+gog+sleep.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5055513525919120578" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyMIAyX83X-oAPTeOg4RCrIbzUJb7n5FeWMiGvLVrt7P3ZfPE3YhCG3JZn2N1f-F-4mynFDsmOyMFoEfJ27fBVphQPygGpNPkrqJUgNqTortGJFik7HiLVbjWwKgSRFHnZ7erb/s320/beer+gog+sleep.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>Yes, I actually fell asleep in that position. I am just glad I didn’t wake up with my bra in the freezer.<br /><br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrTWyRtFD7YEWxoXCxzQWesWxZHg-lG48JDph_ovMQqvhWDthTz2_wyPRxhiWfIhZ9Y8C57UEsrV4I8C6JaVCBwUUtd-ReJrZQAc4uVkf-ee01_q8G0v5BkOfmtAg48mM5MTVZ/s1600-h/night+night.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5055513186616704162" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrTWyRtFD7YEWxoXCxzQWesWxZHg-lG48JDph_ovMQqvhWDthTz2_wyPRxhiWfIhZ9Y8C57UEsrV4I8C6JaVCBwUUtd-ReJrZQAc4uVkf-ee01_q8G0v5BkOfmtAg48mM5MTVZ/s320/night+night.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>My friends are the best, wasn’t it nice of them to make sure I didn’t sustain any head injuries on my way to the floor? </p><p align="left">Obviously I post these pictures because I have a good sense of humor about myself. Oh, and I have no shame. Hey, I’m not the only one who passed out!<br /><br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWuW9UIEG0x2Z8UcjeUsWeoWqg8GBh1Phspv3HklfKv2PSz5iIBedHOxsmc55klmaYSkSdPklFVqyZc_w4XYLf-flSG0-i8sZ0e00oCd_1N_uPuQ-iLCXdM61LfiEV5i125KbG/s1600-h/sleepy.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5055513328350624946" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWuW9UIEG0x2Z8UcjeUsWeoWqg8GBh1Phspv3HklfKv2PSz5iIBedHOxsmc55klmaYSkSdPklFVqyZc_w4XYLf-flSG0-i8sZ0e00oCd_1N_uPuQ-iLCXdM61LfiEV5i125KbG/s320/sleepy.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh8nLA5VK6Hm_D9Zw5hS2BEvpXJtc85pzNwtoiGvVoEREkm9pnokmckVoNOR01XPht9-SVPP0JVp8UzyaI99DnGS0nE8kHL7QPdkTY3q18TsReAjwvB8KRAq5e90gpSpC_fJ6P/s1600-h/champ.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5055514896013688146" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh8nLA5VK6Hm_D9Zw5hS2BEvpXJtc85pzNwtoiGvVoEREkm9pnokmckVoNOR01XPht9-SVPP0JVp8UzyaI99DnGS0nE8kHL7QPdkTY3q18TsReAjwvB8KRAq5e90gpSpC_fJ6P/s320/champ.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>The next day Jason’s dad held a lovely engagement party brunch. Here we sip from our individual size champagne bottles.<br /><br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZBokHowyICwNyGicvOlmpoL_h1rdDCtJlybr2afitM-m9LSyXcZnHYNiVlpjoeVvqFoIElPUZ5eL1kh4WMDlXwBYa-zIMmYi3ReQtLU0l8Tkj55I4fCnwSjpcSMySvkSTflrS/s1600-h/B+&+T.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5055514951848263010" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZBokHowyICwNyGicvOlmpoL_h1rdDCtJlybr2afitM-m9LSyXcZnHYNiVlpjoeVvqFoIElPUZ5eL1kh4WMDlXwBYa-zIMmYi3ReQtLU0l8Tkj55I4fCnwSjpcSMySvkSTflrS/s320/B+%26+T.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>Hey, we’re not the only ones getting married! Ben & Tosha also do the honors. They are getting married in Madison September 2!<br /><br /></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEismm1LDa3zka8bDK3rJIV9tljVW06T4xTraA4oh3WyyPJTdKx5YIeP7rLi196QvlCsT9UZdaFUHW1JJHnwASPXO7OUX12ABxDLI4Hno9uVg5RKZrDSEnLe2cPK3X8jvIIZRVox/s1600-h/gang.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5055514822999244098" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEismm1LDa3zka8bDK3rJIV9tljVW06T4xTraA4oh3WyyPJTdKx5YIeP7rLi196QvlCsT9UZdaFUHW1JJHnwASPXO7OUX12ABxDLI4Hno9uVg5RKZrDSEnLe2cPK3X8jvIIZRVox/s320/gang.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p>It was a lovely day for poolside sunbathing and a hot game of Taboo. Such a great weekend with our awesome friends. We love and miss you guys!</p><p>Photo credits go to T-Bone (aka Tosha) and Jason, since my camera was MIA most of the weekend at Becca’s house. But I did get it back! </p><p><br />Tomorrow is the first outdoor farmers market of the season on the capitol square, I am soooo excited! Happy holiday (you people know what I’m talking about) and have a great weekend. </p>Shananiganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08537301327510516106noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8724938.post-80895044140091208872007-04-14T13:19:00.000-07:002007-04-14T14:04:05.774-07:00The finish line!<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g106/LA_shananigans/1.jpg" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />That’s me :) Official time of 32:31, that's 259th place baby!<br /><br />Here's a few more pictures:<br /><br /><a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g106/LA_shananigans/4.jpg" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g106/LA_shananigans/3.jpg" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g106/LA_shananigans/2.jpg" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">This looks says, "I'm so happy the running part is over!"</span><br /><br />A special thank you to my sponsors and of course Jason and Dexter for being my personal cheering section.Shananiganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08537301327510516106noreply@blogger.com2