Cooking Adventures

Tonight I tried a different version of a recipe that I've made before. The original recipe is a Baked Ziti with Fire Roasted Tomatoes. The first time I made it, I followed the recipe and it was pretty good. The second time I made the recipe, I substituted turkey for ground beef and penne for ziti and added some spices (basil) and threw all the spices in without really measuring them. I thought this one was better, and I've made this version several times before. But tonight I wanted to try a purely vegetarian version, so I invented a new, longer-named Baked Penne with Zucchini and Mushrooms in a Spicy Fire Roasted Tomato Sauce. I omitted the meat/turkey and added a bunch of mushrooms, both white button mushrooms and portabellas. And again, I seasoned it without measuring anything. But this time I added a bunch of crushed red pepper flakes. Apparently crushed red pepper develops its flavor and heat as it cooks, because when I first added it, it didn't seem spicy, so I added more. It turned out to be spicy, but it wasn't too overwhelming or unbearable. I like spicy food, but don't like it so hot to the point that it burns your taste buds and ruins the meal because after a while you can't taste anything. This amount of spice was just right. Maybe I overdid it with the cheese on top, but who can resist all that ooey, gooey goodness?! My only regret was that I didn't have any wine in the house to drink with the meal!


Current mood: tired
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Faith Hill "Breathe"
Current drink: thinking about breaking my Cognac-only-on-weekends rule...

Earth Hour

Last night, for one hour, it was Earth Hour. This is a time when on the last Saturday of March from 8:30 to 9:30 people are encouraged to turn off their lights and non-essential appliances. The event began in Australia in 2007 and 2.2 million people participated. Since then the event has grown and gone global. This year about 4,000 cities and towns in 88 countries participated. Earth Hour is intended to draw attention to climate change and energy conservation. Seems simple enough, but, naturally, this kind of event is bound to draw a lot of negative reactions. However, I was somewhat surprised to see how passionately negative and angry these reactions were. Many people responded by saying that during Earth Hour they were going to turn ON all of their lights and all of their TVs and appliances. They were going to burn tires in their front yard and drive around the neighborhood in their SUVs. Other people said that it was just the government's way of brainwashing us to believe some kind of hoax. And others said that it is a pointless, useless, and empty gesture that won't solve anything.

I think that it would help to point out that Earth Hour is a largely SYMBOLIC gesture. I think everyone knows that turning off your lights for one hour on one day in the year isn't going to solve the climate crisis. But, like I said, the event is symbolic and it simply calls attention to the situation. It is like wearing red on World AIDS Day. Wearing the color red in and of itself will not solve the AIDS crisis, but it draws attention to the crisis. It is a simple way of making a statement.

Yet, as simple and symbolic as the event was, it was still surprising to see the reactions. But then again, climate change and the environment are just like religion and politics. People are passionate about it and it is polarizing. For the most part I'm a quiet eco-geek. I never preach (except I sort of do in this blog...), but I live by example. However, I have friends who stand at complete opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to opinions about the environment. I have some friends who say that I'm a fool for believing any of "this garbage" because global warming/climate change is really a hoax. Then, on the complete opposite end of the spectrum, I have friends who tell me that I have no right to call myself an environmentalist because I eat meat and wear leather. Unfortunately these are the same friends who tell me that I have a lot of blood on my hands and that I probably deserve to die from heart disease or cancer because I eat meat. Gee, thanks! Fortunately those friends are few among many good ones! Anyway, when you are dealing with people, on either end, who are both extreme and self-righteous, you really don't get anywhere with an argument. I just let them talk and talk until they run out of air. I stay true to my beliefs and do what is right for me and do what I think is right for the rest of the world. That is simply how I live my life in general.

So did I participate in Earth Hour? Yes. What did I do? I drank some wine, lit a lot of candles, and read by candlelight. It was wonderful!

Current mood: rested
Current music: iTunes on shuffle--David Gray "Babylon"
Current drink: it is a little too early for cognac, but that will be my current drink in 30 minutes!

Self-imposed Snow Day

The blizzard has blown through Colorado and things are finally starting to calm down. It has stopped snowing and the winds have quieted down. As I mentioned in my previous Live Blogging post, our office isn't closed today, but instead it is on a delayed start. It officially opens at 10:00, but there was the option to continue working from home. In theory, I should be able to get to work just fine. I'm only a few miles away. But I made the decision to stay home and continue working from home. In my mind, I think that this is only fair. I work about 9 hours every day, and I often bring work home with me and sometimes I even work over the weekend. I justify staying home by saying that this pseudo day off is payment for the salary freeze and all of the unpaid overtime hours I have been putting it. It is a small reward, but I will take what I can get!

Live Blogging - Blizzard 2009!

OK, so maybe it is only kind of live. It's is a little after 1:40 as I start typing this post. When I first woke up this morning, the snow was falling lightly. I made the decision to stay home, then the office officially closed—I don't think that there is any correlation between the two, although I like to think that they can't function without me. Then it started snowing harder. Then the wind started to pick up. The wind was pretty bad and the snow was swirling around. It even started to blow into my balcony. Naturally I've been watching the news all morning, and the reports have been pretty bad. The freeways and roads are a mess and more like parking lots because the cars aren't going anywhere. But, right now it has stopped snowing and the winds have died down. Occasionally a gust of wind will blow the snow of the roof, but for the most part things have calmed down in Boulder. I haven't been outside yet but have only looked at things from my balcony. It looks like we got about a foot of snow.

Even though the storm has quieted down, I bet the drive to work tomorrow morning will still be horrible. Once the temperature drops and things freeze over, that's when things get really bad.

Update, 2:26 p.m. MST: looks like it is snowing again and the winds are picking up...

Update, 4:47 p.m. MST: It is still snowing, and it looks like we might be up to 15 inches by now. But, on brighter news, I just made the best grilled cheese sandwich ever!

Update, 6:23 p.m. MST: It is still snowing, and I'm trying to decide if I want to drink wine or cognac tonight.

Update, 7:16 p.m. MST: It is still snowing, it is really cold, and I chose the wine.

Update, 8:54 p.m. MST: It is dark. I can't quite tell if it is snowing or not, but if it is snowing, it is pretty light. I'm on my second glass of wine, so I don't care too much.

Update, 3/27, 7:37 a.m. MST: The snow has finally stopped falling in Boulder. But I'm watching the news this morning and there seems to be some light snow still falling in Denver. I think that we might have received a total of 15 to 18 inches of snow yesterday. Our office is not closed today but it is on a delayed start and it will officially open at 10:00 this morning. It was stated, however, that you can continue to work from home if you like and if you don't feel safe driving in to work. Right now I'm torn. I live only 3 miles from work, so in theory it should be easiest for me to drive to work. But, because I live on a road that is neither primary nor secondary, my roads probably will not be plowed as well. And, second, I honestly just want to stay home and have a pseudo day off. I have a few hours to think about this, so we'll see what I decide...

Current mood: relaxed (not working! - shh...)
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Melissa Etheridge "I've Loved You Before"
Current drink: Barq's root beer; Update: Penfolds Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz; Update: coffee

Poor Birdie!

This little birdie landed on my balcony, and I think he looks a little uncertain about flying in our latest blizzard!

Responses to Snow

Whenever it snows, you are bound to get absurd reactions from certain people in response to the snow. Some of my favorites include:

1. It's snowing...so much for global warming. If it's cold and snowing, that means that global warming and climate change do not exist! It's called weather people! There is a difference between weather patterns and climate change.

2. It snows in Colorado, why isn't the state prepared, why don't they plow the roads? Well, they do plow the roads, but there is a pattern/system for how they do this. They plow the interstates, freeways, and major roads first. Then they go through the secondary roads and so on. Calm down and be patient, people!

3. People don't know how to drive in the snow, it must be those Californians who are causing all the accidents. I was born in Colorado but I moved around and came here from California. Californians—sometimes justly but mostly unjustly—are not liked in Colorado. Californians are blamed for every bad thing in Colorado, and they are especially blamed for bad driving and not being able to drive in the snow. A few people have jokingly made the stereotypical assumption that I don't know how to drive in the snow because I'm from California. So I take advantage of stereotypes and, jokingly, say, "no, because I'm from California I don't know how to drive in the snow, but, because I'm from California, I do know how to shoot someone while driving 75 mph on the freeway!" I just want to remind people that that is a joke. I'm not violent or crazy, and I would never shoot anyone on the freeway...I would only think about it...

Snow Day!

As I mentioned in my previous post, the weather in Colorado has been changing. For the past few weeks it has felt like spring. Now winter has returned, and it looks like March will go out like a lion not a lamb. When I woke up this morning at 6:00 there was a steady, fairly heavy, snowfall in Boulder. But when I turned on the news, there was no snow falling around the newscasters who were reporting throughout Denver. I called our office "snow line" and checked my work e-mail a few times, and there was no report of the office being closed. At most there were one or two people who made their own decision to stay home. I took my shower, had my breakfast, got dressed and ready like I do every morning. At about 7:30, the snow seemed to be falling harder and the winds seemed to pick up. I sat around my apartment for about 20 minutes and debated whether I should go into the office. I live only 3 miles away from work, and people generally assume that I'll be the only one able to make it into the office. But with the weather already pretty bad this morning and knowing that things will just get worse throughout the day, I made my own decision to stay home. Just as I finished writing an e-mail to the other people in my department to let them know that I wouldn't be coming in (so there!), an e-mail came through from the corporate office that let everyone know that the Boulder office was officially closed. Yay!

I've been wanting (and needing!) to take a day off, so I suppose this is one way that forces me to do that!

This and That

Walking: I mentioned in my previous posts that I have been taking long—and some short—walks around my neighborhood. On Monday, in spite of being utterly exhausted after work, I forced myself to take another walk "around the block." This time when I passed the park near my apartment complex—and I now know that it is called Gunbarrel Commons Park—I noticed that there seem to be some exercise stations in this park. These are stations where you can do some exercises, like pull ups, step ups, triceps dips, and various other exercises. I was somewhat in a hurry to get back home to cook my dinner because I was starving, but I think that running this park and doing the exercise circuit might be a fun thing to do sometime. So I kept walking, and even though I was exhausted when I started my walk, I felt about 100% better by the time I got home. Unfortunately I didn't walk yesterday because I had to do some shopping after work, then I was eager to watch Obama's press conference. And I didn't walk today because there is a snowstorm approaching, and it's pretty cold and windy right now. But I've been enjoying these walks, and feel bad and guilty when I don't/can't walk. So, I think that I'll start walking again in a few days when we get nicer weather.

Weather: as I mentioned above, the weather is changing right now. For the past few weeks it has felt like spring. It's been sunny and warm, but we're expecting snow tonight. The reports coming from the different news sources vary. Some say we'll get a few inches, others say we'll get a foot, and yet others say we'll get over fifteen inches. So tomorrow we could have anything from a dusting to a blizzard. You never know in Colorado. It is safe to say that everyone in the office is hoping for a big snowstorm so that the office will be closed for the day.

Stupid questions: There is such a thing as a stupid question. During the presidential news conference last night, one of the questions was something along the lines of "why haven't you asked for something specific that the public should be sacrificing to participate in this economic recovery?" Um, sacrifice? So, losing jobs, homes, taking pay cuts, not getting raises, bonuses, 401k matches, losing health care and other things like that are not considered enough of a sacrifice?

Impulse buys: I think that Jello pudding cups—both chocolate and vanilla flavors—could possibly be the most impulsive impulse buy I've had to date. I suppose that is why they say make a shopping list and stick with it!

Current mood: full (just ate dinner)
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Tori Amos "A Sorta Fairytale"
Current drink: Silk vanilla soymilk

Walking and Exploring

The weather is absolutely beautiful again, so I thought I'd take another walk. But, instead of walking around Twin Lakes again, I decided to explore the area closer to home. Yes, I've been living in my new apartment for almost 10 months, but I really haven't explored the area that much other than by driving to and fro in my car. So once again I strapped on my walking shoes and out I went.

As I was walking, I discovered a huge park that is pretty close to my apartment. There are lots of open gassy spots, picnic tables, basketball courts, and swings, slides, and jungle gyms for the kids. I went past the park and kept on walking. I've always known that I'm really close to the Celestial Seasonings factory, but I guess I never realized how close I really was. It is only about half a mile away. I continued walking "around the block" and found some really nice areas with great, clear views of the mountains. I have a feeling that these spots could turn into some excellent locations for taking pictures of the mountains, sunsets, storms, or whatever. I continued my tour around the block, but came to the less exciting areas with the office park on one side of me and apartments and condos (but nice apartments and condos) on the other side of me. Eventually, and somewhat too soon, I was back at my apartment.

The walk was about one mile long. I was able to see some nice sights and get in a little bit of exercise, too. Even though I'm a big wanderer and love taking in beautiful scenery, I'm also in this for the exercise. When I came to Colorado for grad school, my first apartment was about a mile and a half from my front door to our department office. Because I was so close, I naturally walked that distance every day. And I walked that distance no matter the weather—100 degrees, rain, snow, 50 mile per hour winds, and, yes, sometimes uphill, all while carrying a backpack full of books! Back then I was really healthy and in really good shape. I had a hearty appetite and I slept well. That all changed once I graduated and entered the working world. Now I spend 8–10 hours a day doing nothing but sitting and reading. And by the end of the day I'm usually too tired to do anything that requires any real effort or exertion. But then my attitude suddenly changed. A few days ago a friend told me that she is training for a half marathon, and naturally I thought that her goal was amazing and impressive. That is when it hit me that I need to get out more and move some more. I'm not going to be running a half marathon any time soon, but I just feel the need to move. I think it will be good for both my health and my sanity.

Current mood: energized
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Maroon 5 "Little of Your Time"
Current drink: Barq's root beer

Long Walk

Lately the weather in Colorado has been absolutely beautiful. It has been sunny, warm, and dry for the past few weeks. This is a double-edged sword, I suppose. On the one hand, I'm thankful that I haven't had to drive over snow and ice to get to work. On the other hand, things are extremely dry here in Colorado and this isn't good for the drought situation. But, with the weather being as nice as it is, I decided to get out and take a long walk around Gunbarrel. There are a few walking, running, and biking trails close to my home, and, sadly, I haven't really taken advantage of them. So today I strapped on my walking shoes and ventured out and explored the area.

I decided to take a walk around the Twin Lakes which are just to the east of my apartment. These are two man-made lakes and they are part of the Twin Lakes Open Space. The west lake of the Twin Lakes was dry and empty, but the east lake had some water in it. I assume that both lakes will be full in the spring, summer, and fall. With the exception of the little gnats that seemed to follow me along the trail, it was a peaceful and relaxing walk. I'm sure it will be even more beautiful once the grass turns green again and once the trees start to sprout some leaves. And, with the walk being somewhere between 2 or 3 miles, I got in some decent moderate exercise, something I'm desperately in need of! Maybe one day I'll work up the endurance to run around the lakes...

Current mood: energized
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Matt Nathanson "Come On Get Higher"

Leaf

Today at work a few co-workers and I made a totally spontaneous decision to go out to lunch today. This is a big deal because we usually, and sadly, eat our lunches at our desks while we keep working. One of these co-workers is a vegetarian and the other is a vegan, so we decided to go to Leaf, an all-vegetarian restaurant in downtown Boulder.

I'm not a vegetarian or a vegan. I guess I'm called an omnivore. I will eat or try just about anything, though Rocky Mountain oysters or snails are pretty low on the bucket list. I love meat and seafood, and, contrary to popular opinion, I do love veggies and I eat them often. Though I have carnivorous tendencies, I'm very open minded. A lot of meat eaters like to make fun of vegetarians and vegans and think that the vegetarian/vegan diet is a joke or some kind of hippie trend. Unlike these staunch meat eaters, I love my vegetarian/vegan friends and I respect them. I never tease them and never force them to eat a piece of steak. My theory is that I don't want anyone to judge me or preach to me about what I eat, so why would I do the same to someone else?

Anyway, rather than force my vegetarian and vegan co-workers to go to a steakhouse or BBQ joint, I joined them at Leaf. Apparently this restaurant has been in Boulder for a few years, but this was the first time I've been to it and after eating there I was wondering why I haven't tried it sooner. I had the BBQ Seitan. I have never had seitan before, so this was completely new to me. Seitan is wheat gluten, but it has the texture of meat. The BBQ Seitan I had tasted like any BBQ you would get in a traditional BBQ joint. It was really, really good and I was really impressed. Now I'm excited to go back there to try new things.

Cooking Adventures

Earlier this week I met a friend for lunch at a wonderful restaurant in downtown Boulder. This restaurant cooks with fresh and organic ingredients and every meal is on the healthy side. I was in the mood for something different, so I had a turkey burger. Yes, it is still a burger, but I justify it by saying that it is healthier because it is a much leaner meat. Anyway, the burger was very good, but I thought that it was also very simple. I could easily make a turkey burger at home and it wouldn't cost $11! So tonight I made my first attempt at a turkey cheeseburger. I seasoned the ground turkey with garlic powder, pepper, and a pinch of salt. With the turkey seasoned, I was ready to cook. I make burgers at home so rarely that I always forget that meat (in this case turkey) tends to shrink when you cook it. My particular turkey burger shrunk in circumference and diameter but somehow it also rose in height. By the time I was finished cooking it, it was about the size of a coaster and was a little bit dwarfed by the size of the bun. Oh well, at least I know what to expect for the next time. And because my burger became so tiny I really couldn't load up on the toppings. In addition to the cheddar cheese that I melted on top of the burger while it was cooking, I also topped it with some lettuce and red onions. I held the tomato because I don't like tomatoes on sandwiches or burgers. I do like tomatoes in sauces, though, but the dissertation on my picky tomato habits will have to wait for another day. Back to my burger. I could have finished my burger toppings with traditional mustard or ketchup or plain mayo, but I still wanted something even more different. So I made some horseradish mayo. Directions: mix mayo and horseradish sauce until the taste is to your liking. Once the burger was all assembled, I placed it on a slightly toasted whole wheat bun. I ate it alongside some baked French fries. In spite of the minor shrinkage of the burger itself, all in all, it was a really yummy and filling meal. I'm pretty happy.

Current mood: full
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Tori Amos "Raspberry Swirl"
Current drink: Barq's root beer

Older and (sometimes) Wiser

A lot of friends and a few people in my office have or are about to turn 30. Thirty seems to be a scary number to a lot of these people—mostly women—and some are taking it pretty hard. A few of them have asked me how my thirties have been, and I said, honestly, that it has been great and wonderful. I know that it is a cliche to say, but I like to think that I have matured and grown a lot over the years. The mid- to late-twenties was a definitely a growing process—not physically, unfortunately—and the thirties have been a maturing process.

Over the past few years I have become very comfortable with where I'm at in my life. I'm not necessarily talking physically, though Boulder is a wonderful place to be. But I've become comfortable with where I'm at psychologically and emotionally. My confidence has grown. I've learned that I'm here living my life for myself and according to my standards and not the standards of society or anyone else. And, to be honest with you, my standards are much higher than society's or anyone else's thanks to a good upbringing! I try to live my life gracefully and respectfully and with some sense of dignity. Most of the time, I succeed (I believe). Occasionally, I might falter, but I am human and at least recognize and learn from the falls.

As I've gotten older, I've become more appreciative of my independence and ability to think independently and freely. I no longer feel the need to do what everyone else is doing. I don't need to follow the leads of my friends like a herd animal. I don't need to like the music they like, watch the movies they watch, wear the clothes they wear, or get the haircut they have. Ok, I've never really done those things, but there are women out there who are in their thirties and still following the leads of their clique. I like that I'm independent and free thinking. I might be a black sheep, I might stick out like a sore thumb, but I'm me. The people who like that about me stick around; the rest are free and welcome to leave.

As I've gotten older, I'm also a much better judge of intentions and character. Mostly I've learned to not want anything from anyone, and I've especially learned not to expect anything from anyone. Some might call this lack of faith. I call it reality. I recognize acquaintances and friendships for what they are, whether they are casual, superficial, or true and genuine. And the older I get the more I realize that I don't need a lot of friends in my life. I appreciate and value the few precious friendships that are true and genuine and that are based on sincere respect and love. Who needs a cliquish mob when you can always trust and count on a few loyal friends?

Anyway, so that brings me to the end of my philosophical oration. Have my thirties been horrible? Not at all. Have they been absolutely perfect? Not in the least. But it's been great and fun. Besides, I'm smarter, hotter, and awesomer than I have ever been!

(I made up awesomer...)

Current mood: content
Current music: The Organ "Brother" from Grab that Gun (a birthday gift from a coworker)
Current drink: orange juice (extra vitamin c to ward off the plague in the office)

Reputation

One of my coworkers, a wonderful man in the IT department, gave me an early birthday present today. It happened to be a miniature bottle of Remy Martin VSOP, and it looks like it is just enough for one glass. This could mean one of two things. Either he is very observant and pays close attention to our conversations and what I'm talking about. Or, I have a reputation for liking Cognac. ...or maybe I have a reputation because I talk about Cognac all the time, and it's not hard to be observant about that...

Anyway, I thought it was a wonderful and thoughtful gift. I love it!

Bottled Water Update

OK, so in a previous post I ranted about the evils of bottled water. Actually I didn't rant about their evils. I mostly just ranted about how perplexing it was to pay for water, but internally and silently I was thinking about how evil they are. Anyway, this evening I stumbled across an article on Planet Green about Charity: Water. Their fresh, thirst-quenching water costs $20. Basically their price is so high to make you think about the fact that you're actually paying for water, but, before there is an uproar, the money goes to a charity that funds well drilling in Africa so that the people have a safe and clean water supply. When other people around the world don't have clean water supplies, it sort of makes you think about that bottled water, doesn't it?

Some links:
Planet Green
Planet Green's article about Charity: Water

Current mood: tired
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Melissa Etheridge "An Unexpected Rain" (a very sexy song!)
Current drink: Jack Daniel's Whiskey (who drinks water??)