shots from halloween!

happy halloween from electric dream machine!

Day Man!

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simply the best show...

i believe i would dress up like charlie or dennis if i had the proper materials.

so great.

another happy halloween eve...

as soon as i saw this flick group, i knew i needed to jump on the cats in hats bandwagon... of course, halloween is the perfect excuse!

tomorrow we'll dress up, but only if we don't get killed in our sleep for the following photos.







i'm pretty sure the photos say it all, so happy halloween from panda panda & buki!

happy halloween eve!

so tomorrow will be halloween. a day that means very little to me now that i am older. it has been since my freshmen year of college since i went trick or treating(13 years ago, wow). last year i dressed up as jack white of the white stripes. i believe it was a decent costume, but then again i don't think any one that i ran into that day know who i was(which is a factor when you choose your costume, to make sure that the people you will be in the company of know what you are dressing up as). tomorrow i will dress up like a mechanic and jess will dress up like a '50s pin-up gal. she will look smashing and i will look dirty. as usual.

everything is going swimmingly with my new job. i think i am getting the hang of everything, getting to know new clients and new co-workers, learning new processes. i feel like i have so much to learn still, and find myself feeling anxiety occasionally, but by and large i am a lot more comfortable that i was when i began. the commute of two miles is wonderful, especially when i work the 12pm to 10pm shifts. knowing that i am a five minute drive away from parking the car and crawling under the covers with my pandagirl and kitties. my schedule is a lot different, which by and large is great also. working ten hour days isn't too bad, especially when the trade off is 4 day weekends every other week.

tonight i am listening to stars of the lid. their sounds would best be described as ambient and minimalist, and slightly discordant. their music, is sweeping, and epic. it washes over you, and cleans and irks you. it makes you think of the times where you could only here your own internal dialogue and perhaps the sound of distant winds or water pouring so fast from a faucet that it makes a whining noise. it paints a soundscape with a haunting pull, not quite as dark as godspeed you black emperor, but perhaps with a bit more elusiveness and mystery. tonight i am listening to their 2001 release 'the tired sounds of..." and it seems perfect for this night, and the deluge of change and newness that it is appropriate.

goodnight.

autumn bikering we go...

yesterday we took a bike ride on a beautiful fall morning. it was a bit blustery and chilly, but we were bundled up warm. obviously we do not have the technology to post the lovely smells and sounds of our bike ride. but it was great, to hear and see wild life all around, leaves changing to beautiful reds and bright lemon yellow.

polaroid saturday

it's fall.
so beautiful.

reconciling my feminism with weight loss.

i love my body but recognize that i have not been good to it in the past.
for me losing weight is about being healthy above all - respecting, nurturing and doing the things i know are beneficial for my body. while its nice to slip into a pair of jeans that have been sitting in the closet for a bit too long, it's a feeling that pales in comparison to the way your body & mind work when you're taking care of it.

down 4.2 lbs this week, 13.2 lbs total since september 19th. i'm happy.

early votering!!!!!

well jess and i exercised our right to vote this afternoon. we were super psyched and excited to make our voices heard. to do our part. and all that gobbledygook. i hope all of you get out to vote(early if you can since they are expecting record turn out this year) if you are unsure where to vote, when to vote(if yr voting early), check this google link.

cap'n jazzzzzz

i love salsa verde!

i really love salsa verde.
despite my love for spicy food, i actually don't make mine very spicy at all.

(i do prefer my red salsa fiery hot, however!)

i've messed around with several different recipes, and i think this is the real winner. i prefer a chunkier salsa, but i'm sure it'd be just as good blended smooth.

ingredients:
1.5 lbs tomatillos, husks removed, washed & cut in half
2-3 serrano chilies, seeded
1 medium white onion, diced
2-3 large garlic cloves
juice of one lime
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp sugar
salt + pepper to taste

1. preheat oven to 375 degrees. prep veggies.
2. place chilies and tomatillos on a foil-lined baking sheet, cut side down. spray with olive oil and salt + pepper. pop 'em in the oven for 5-7 minutes (or until the tomatillos release their liquid and roast.)
3. ... in the meantime, spray a pan with olive oil and saute onion until softened.
4. add garlic and roasted tomatillos/chilies to pan and cook some more (about 5 minutes). remove from heat.
5. when cooled, transfer to blender and add lime juice, sugar and cilantro.
6. pulse to desired consistency, scraping down sides with a spatula to keep salsa well incorporated. add salt + pepper to taste if desired.
7. serve immediately or allow to cool... its good both ways!


ryan & abby came over for dinner last night and we had tacos with rice and beans. we had found a package of prepared shredded "vegetarian chicken" last weekend at the asian market so i sauteed it up with lots of spices, a yellow bell pepper, tomato, and an onion. totally delicious wrapped up in soft corn tortillas & topped with lots of salsa verde and crunchy purple cabbage. we played poker which was super fun but, as usual, ryno kicked my A and won the $25. boo!!

long overdue ramblings...

so i finally got my lap-top back last week, and i have been gleefully updating and frustrating over my computer. i basically had to start from nothing. but was fortunate enough to have nearly everything backed up. and when i say everything, i mean tons of music(70+ gigs worth) all my pics and scans[except my most recent ones, so i need to re-scan some polaroids:(], all my word docs and even microsoft word. i also had to download my driver for my printer, and update all this junk. basically my computer is now fully functional and works better than it ever has.

so what has been going on you ask? mostly i have been adjusting to a new job. which means a new schedule. which means new people. which means a hell of a lot. as far as work goes, it is a matter of feeling comfortable, getting your own pace, and learning new processes. those are the typical stresses i have been going through. so although annoying and a bit stressful, also normal. my bike ride has obviously been shorter, which means my commute overall is great. i feel as if i work as much at my last job(time wise) becuz i spend far less time en route(even though my new daily shifts are 10 hrs not 8hrs), so in the end i spend about the same amount of time at work than my last job, just one less day. all in all i would say i have traded up, especially when you consider how much gas i am saving.

jess has been doing superb on watch watchers, and i am so proud of her. she really helps me, because i am doubly conscious of what i am putting in my body and doing with my body. so i have been working on being more consistent with running, even more now that i don't get tons of biking in. and as soon as my work routine sets in(i have trainings off and on throughout the month), i think it will be easier for me to take care of me.

as jess mentioned below, i was able to stop at reckless records a few days ago. it was nice, to shop and buy some records that i have been looking forward to. i won't list them all, because i would get carpel tunnel, but here are some stand outs.

deerhoof : offend maggie[oh my goodness! beautiful pop, great drumming, pretty silly vocals] this is my introduction to this band, and they have been around for years, so i have been sleeping on this one, and need to play catch up, BIG TIME] highly-bear-recommended!

jandek : ready for the house[beautiful folk, dark haunting vocals, sparse arrangements, jandek has released over 50 albums in his 30 year recording career. this is a repressing of his first album. so great. not many of his albums available on vinyl, but this is wonderful. this is great for anyone that enjoys nick drake, jurado, and anyone who appreciate rock/folk music history. and most of all anyone who enjoys timeless music/art. not to mention jandek himself, is a bit of an enigma, being mostly a recluse and not touring much in his prolific 30 year career, and self releasing all his albums. an amazing artist] bear-recommended!

son, ambulance : euphmystic[son, ambulance released this album in 2001, at the height of saddle creek's success and when every teenager wanted to boo hoo to bright eyes. this album may be one of saddle creek's most overlooked albums, if not bands. the mainstay of son, ambulance is joe knapp, who has played drums for bright eyes, and is a brilliant pianist/song writer. each song has pop and rock sensibilities in the likeness of the beach boys, but with a wispy darkness. every song feels familiar, even if it is your first time hearing it. the stories he sings, and the diverse vocal harmonies are pretty and intriguing. just plain beautiful. and for those who are interested, connor oberst has a nice vocal cameo in the last track of the album, which is done very well. so to those who like great piano-layered-folk/pop-rock, check this out.] highly-bear-recommended!

this weekend i have off from work, so that will be lovely. jess and i will probably do lots of bike/running, and relax. we need it, and we freakin' deserve it!

oh, one more bit of great news. amie(my sister-in-law) is going to be having another boy(a brother for brayden), so we are very happy for her. and look forward to being wonderful uncle-rynos and aunt-gessos to him!

introducing... dutchess!

yeah we're nerds and name everything... so what?!



the first thing i made with her is a simple red sauce - onion, lots of garlic, some whole peeled tomatoes, & fresh basil. i had a mixed green salad with homemade balsamic vinaigrette on the side.



& i'm down another 3.4 lbs! 9.4 total since September 19th!

lots of fun...

today we went downtown, which was super fun until it started raining like crazy!

we went to reckless records first, but i'm sure ryan will cover that. afterward we went to the chicago diner, which was super fun as expected! i had the jerk sandwich with mac & cheese & ryan had the bacon burger & sweet potato fries... and of course, i got a vegan milkshake to go, which is my favorite part of going to chicago diner.




i also got my hair cut at art & science, but ended up having to run the rain after the stylist flat ironed my hair!

i also ordered this baby from williams sonoma in dijon...

lots going on!!

ryan and i have both been working lots, and i've also been very busy with school stuffs. weight watchers is still going well... i lost another pound at my last weigh in, which is right on track with recommended healthy weight loss. i survived this weekend partly because ryan was working, and i've made some yummy food!

last night we had the leek & bean cassoulet from veganomicon, but i decided to skip the biscuits to keep it core plan-compatible.

tonight i made a super delicious stuffed squash! i adapted it from a weight watchers recipe, and it was surprisingly good.



recipe!

ingredients:

1 acorn squash
8 oz of white mushrooms, sliced thinly
1 shallot, diced
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
2 tsp of soy sauce
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/4 tsp ground savory
1/4 tsp nutmeg
salt + pepper to taste
2 T dry sherry

1. preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. slice acorn squash in half, or get someone strong to do it for you!
3. spray with extra virgin olive oil. i use this nifty thing, but rub with olive oil before using store-bought cooking spray! salt + pepper.
4. roast face down on a baking sheet for about 40-50 minutes, or until soft.
5. while squash is roasting, heat 2 tsp of olive oil in skillet. add mushrooms and cook until they release their liquid.
6. add shallots and garlic and cook until shallots soften.
7. sprinkle herbs and nutmeg on top of mushrooms and let sit to reconstitute for a minute or so. stir to incorporate.
8. add cooked brown rice and stir to combine. add soy sauce and sherry and allow to cook out for a couple minutes or so.
9. when acorn squash is softened, take out of oven and stuff with stuffing! stick it back in the oven for 10 minutes or so to heat through.

ryan finished his side, but i was unable to finish mine so i'd say each "side" is a very generous serving!

finally, a gratuitous kitty shot!