polaroid saturday

i am still without my computer, which means i am yet again posting a polaroid from my polaroid blog. i hope that next week i will be getting my computer back, and to step it up.

also, goodness i think i would have rather watched ufc than those GD debates.

i wish i could put mccain in a rear naked choke right now.

first weigh in!

five pounds! woo!

some (non-core) things i ate this week on the core plan: pumpkin spice lattes, apple cider & cider donuts, chips & salsa, garlic tofu & jasmine rice at the thai restaurant.

right now i'm avoiding drinking myself into oblivion while i watch the debates!

busy, busy bears!

we've been busy bears, but ryan & i both had today off this week, which has been awesome!

we've been pretty busy today running some errands and doing a bit of shopping. we went to the antique mall, where i found a full set of pyrex primary colors nesting bowls and some other small pieces.



i also discovered that martha stewart now has a HUGE line of products at macy's... many in a beautiful turquoise color, aptly titled "martha stewart blue." i do love martha, and i'm glad that she makes a potato ricer! i've been trying to find one forever, but haven't been able to...

i have my first weight watchers weigh in tonight, which i hope goes well! i've been earning a good amount of activity points during the week and staying on plan... so... fingers crossed! i feel really good, which matters most to me right now.

honey hill orchard!

today ryno & i went to honey hill orchard to pick apples!

we left early because we wanted to get breakfast on the way, and stopped at a tiny diner in big rock (which, by the way, has a population of 750). ryan had the biscuits & gravy and i had a vegetable omelet & hash browns, both delicious! we picked a lot of apples, had donuts & cider (yes, i stuck to my WW plan!!), and had a ton of fun!









oh and before we left, they put ryan to work!!!

a random entry!

a couple of weekends ago, ryan and i found some new pyrex at some local thrift stores! it was great to find these pieces so cheaply...


weight watchers has been going well... it was tough towards the end of the week because we were running out of groceries, but i was able to be creative. today i made a quick lunch... baked tofu with korean bbq sauce & fried rice with garlic, scallions, bok choy, and corn. it could have used a bit more veggies, but i was feeling pretty lazy.


last, but not least, a rare photo of panda panda!

polaroid saturday

the above polaroid is from my polaroid blog. unfortunately my lap top crapped out on me, and is getting a major virus removed at the moment, so it will be a while before i can blog on a regular basis. if you are feeling like every couple weeks it is something crapping out on us, well we would probably agree with you.

tomorrow we are going apple picking, i am sure we will take some pictures!

weight watchers

so i've decided to start weight watchers again. i had lost my 10%+ last time before falling off the wagon and i've had one or two week "spurts" of healthy eating/exercise since then, but haven't followed through. i think i'm in a much different place this time around - i've learned to cook wonderful, healthful meals in the past year or so and am in an entirely different mindset.

does that mean there's not going to be any more wonderful food pics?!?! no, of course NOT! half of the stuff i eat is inherently core (the plan that i'm on), and some things may just need some tweaks.

no photos, but this week has been my first on core and i have eaten: whole wheat rotini with broccoli rabe and white beans. roasted sweet potatoes with french lentils and couscous. sushi (used points). curried split pea soup. aloo palak.

i'm so excited, because these are things that we've been eating anyway since i've taken an interest in vegan cooking! i just need to be conscious of my portions & not make cupcakes and cookies every weekend ;)

i'm excited and i'm sure this time is for real!

the last week...

this is my last week of work at my current job. next week i will be starting a new one, that involves a better fit in that it requires a degree, it has a better schedule(10 hour work days, so every other weekend will be a four day weekend), pays a bit more and is much closer(my 32 mile bike ride will soon be 4 miles).

it has been bitter sweet for me, especially as i think about what today may bring. today i will be letting the clients i work with know that this is my last week. as i think about how i am going to say everything, and maybe specifically to a few folks, i get a bit overwhelmed. in the end i know that these clients i have worked with have seen people come and go, and i am certain that they will persevere(what kind of ego would i have to think my leaving would be any worse or different), and i believe the feelings will be a bit mutual. i will miss seeing these clients make progress and learn. i will miss teaching the classes i have taught for over a year now. and i am sure i will be missed.

so what do i do with all this? i am unsure at this point. to be here, in the now, inspires me to just take what comes my way. to know that i can do my best this week to remind each individual of their worth and remind them of the tools they have to continue their recovery. to remind them that they have inspired me. and perhaps to tell them that it wasn't so long ago that i was where they were.

in spite of all this, i know this is the right move for me. i know that this is what needs to happen. i am aware of how important it is to close this chapter in my life and begin something different. and that has made all of this a bit easier. but today and the rest of this week will not be easy.

[pardon the vague terms i have used, considering the nature of my job(mental health professional) i prefer to not go into as little detail as possible. for obvious reasons]

polaroid saturday

if i survive this election, it will be a miracle.

really? REALLY?

i don't even have words for this.

at least there's still humor. right?

back to school, back to school...

now that i'm back to school my concern is cooking quick, healthy meals so that i have time to do homework & relax in the evenings. so we've had some tacos, fajitas, & stir fries...





we also got a bunch of french goodies from remi in our food exchange!!!



woohooo!

sunday mornings...

this morning ryan & i went for a bike/run in the lovely (albeit unseasonal) weather. it's so nice to see the weather changing so early, because autumn is my favorite! i can't wait to go apple and pumpkin picking soon and look forward to making a bunch of apple pies & lots of savory pumpkin dishes.


here's a look at our post-run/walk meals...



mine was a bit of an homage to apple pie. i sauteed some chopped apples with a bit of brown sugar, molasses, cinnamon, and nutmeg & ate them over some plain oatmeal. delicious, & made me crave some warm spiced cider!

ryan made a sandwich with some things we had around the kitchen. he toasted half an italian loaf from last week and threw on some vegenaise, mustard, pickles, onions, mushrooms, and red pepper.

most of those foods were what i prepped this morning for during the week, and have some simple, healthy meals planned.

more sarah haskin, target: women!

oh sarah haskin, you make me not want to tear my hair out... so much.

and i'm BACK!

i got my ibook back today & she's running better than ever!

today awakenings participated in an artwalk. there wasn't much of a turn out, but it was still fun.





i also created a postcard for the opening of the new awakenings studio.


(front)

(back)

we went to honey again for dinner, and it was awesome, as expected! this time i tried the double chocolate cupcake, which was delicious.

oh, and here is another collaborative piece for your viewing pleasure...

memories

two summers ago jess and i attempted to collaborate on some art from long distance. while nothing much came of it, i still have an early scan of a piece i put together(that includes i poem within it).


[click on image to fully appreciate]


ummm...and it's way cheesy, and i apologize for that.

polaroid saturday

every saturday i will be posting a polaroid that i have taken. this one is from my polaroid blog. i will be uploading new polaroids every saturday going forward.

enjoy.

medium

i have an obvious fascination with my preferred audio medium. and a couple of months ago i was able to purchase a couple white whales:
[starflyer 59's s/t gold lp and mxpx's teenage politics lp.]
while the phrase "white whale" is used lightly(i mean it isn't as if i had to kill anything or track down these things with a harpoon), i have wanted these albums for quite a while, and was shocked when i was able to get them. great art, and a beautiful medium.

i also was able to complete my damien jurado vinyl collection:

damien jurado
[left to right/top to bottom]

lps:
waters ave s.
where shall you take me?
and now that i'm in your shadow
i break chairs
on my way to absence
four songs[one sided lp w/ b side etching]
the fabulous century

7's:
halo friendly
motorbike
trampoline
vary[clear blue]
big let down
devil in the woods #52 v/a hand #'d 652/666
damien jurado/dolorean split


next week 'caught in the trees' comes out...so i will need to get that, but for now it is complete.

and finally buki is using her scratching post:

blogging out from warrenville!

so this weekend jess and i house/dog sat. it was good, and really relaxing. we mostly laid around, grilled out tons, and watched tons of cable, and drank some too. but really that is all we could ask for. this was jess' first weekend since starting school, and i have been needing a break from work. ideally we prefer a quiet weekend, so when we can do so, we go for it. today may have been our only day of really running around(aside from friday, where we had to drop off jess' laptop at the apple store). today we went to breakfast at the warrenville pancake house, one of our fave diners. and then drove back home. after we settled and put all of our stuff back(one nice thing about house/dog sitting, is that we get our laundry done!), i rode my bike back to my mom's to finish watching the house/dog. since jess has school and work tomorrow, it would have been a very busy morning if i had to drive her back to aurora before i went to work(in wheaton). so this way, i can just ride my bike to work, and then ride it back home after work.

here's some random things...last week we sent out a package of vegan goodies to someone in france, well he already got them, and we are going to be getting some french vegan goodies soon! also, i got a new shirt and some new deadformat stickers last week: my sister in-law amie is getting her blog on nowadays and recently posted about brayden having a great time at a carnival! check it, he looks so adorable! also, you'll see i added kevin's blog to our list of friends, and he recently posted a good pic of his work(read: my new tattoos, DUH!) this weekend i was lucky enough to touch base with my buddy ben, which i play mean phone tag with. in fact, all my friends that live more than a stone throws away, know i am really bad about keeping in touch now that i have a really weak phone plan(300anytime mins, and only free weekends). so it was nice to hear from ben!

so tonight, jess and i will be reminiscing of the days when we were separated by hundreds of miles and only getting to see each other for days at a time, while we talk on the phone and watch intervention, thankful that we are merely a 40min bike ride apart. life is wonderful.