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??)

Beautiful Skies

I wish a camera or words could truly capture or describe what I've been seeing in the skies this evening. This has to be the most gorgeous sight I've seen. I went out tonight at about 6:00 to pick up some food for dinner. On my way home I happened to look up and saw the moon and Venus in the sky. The moon was a crescent moon, but it seemed that it was lying on it's back. It was dusk and the skies weren't totally dark and black, so you could still see the terrain, mountains, and craters of the moon. Venus seemed brighter than ever and it was positioned really close to the moon. It was so beautiful and so distracting, I'm surprised I didn't drive off the road. I just now stepped out onto my balcony to look at the sky again, and it still amazes me. Right now I can't see the moon and Venus from my balcony, but the sky still looks amazing. The skies are so clear and there is not a cloud to be seen, and the stars are so incredibly bright. All I can say is that it is absolutely beautiful tonight! And in a few brief moments this evening, I completely forgot all of the stresses that bothered me all week.

More Things That Make Me Question (and Hate) the Human Race

I've read and seen a number of things in the news this week that make me question the intelligence of the human race.

Bottled tap water: One story that caught my attention happened to be a story in the L.A. Times about an entrepreneur who is selling bottled New York tap water. It's tap water, in a bottle, and people are willing to pay $1.50 for it. What? Maybe I'm biased because I could never truly understand the whole bottled water idea and craze. Sure, I can see that there are times when bottled water is important and when it comes in handy. If you're always on the go or constantly traveling, it makes sense. However, you could also use a reusable watter bottle, like a Sigg. If your city's tap water is especially bad, it makes sense to use bottled water. However, you could also buy a water filter, like a Britta. And, naturally, it's usually a good idea to have bottled water in your natural disaster kit. But I honestly don't understand the reasoning behind buying bottled water on a regular basis. It seems wasteful to spend money on water. And, also, the mini-environmentalist in me doesn't like the idea of all that plastic lying around if people don't make an effort to recycle the bottles. Yet, I suppose this entrepreneur is a genius because people seem to be falling for it. It almost makes me wish I had thought of it. People seem foolish enough to fall for any trend that seems hip and/or exotic. Maybe I should go into business of selling manure by telling people it comes from the exotic and endangered lynx of the Swiss Alps. I bet I could sell it for $300 a pound!

Michelle Obama's Arms: There seems to be a kerfuffle and uproar over the dress that Michelle Obama wore when President Obama gave his speech to Congress. I've seen it in news stories and in the reader comments section to those news stories. And, yes, I realize that I mentioned in a previous post that I hate reader comments, but unfortunately I read these because they were so, naturally, idiotic, but I digress. Apparently there are some people out there who were horrified and mortified that she dared to wear a sleeveless dress. "How dare she wear a sleeveless dress during such an event?!" people questioned and exclaimed. "How dare she wear a sleeveless dress during the winter?!" others would later ask. Who are these people? This is what they care about? They need to get a hobby and/or get a life!

Reading directions: Ok, this doesn't have anything to do with something I read in the news, but I'm on a roll with ranting, so why stop... I really hate it when people don't read directions or instructions. I work in publishing. Our lives revolve around words, and our lives revolve around reading those words. So when I write a letter or e-mail or when I fill out a form, I expect people to read what I write. This doesn't always happen, and it drives me out of my mind!

Current mood: agitated
Current drink: vanilla soy milk

Plague

It was another busy week at work. There were deadlines, crises, and crazy people to deal with, but that's a typical week. The worst part of this week is that a new cold or flu is making its way through the office. So far four people in our department alone have already gotten sick—and there is only ten in our department—and now the sickness is making its way through the rest of the office. It really is like a plague. So far—knock on wood—I've been able to avoid it. But, then again, I always seem to avoid whatever disease is spreading through the office. I'm not sure what is wrong with everyone's immune system, or maybe my immune system is just made of steel. Who knows. I just hope I can keep resisting these colds and flus, because based on the looks of some people and the sounds and fluids coming out of their bodies, this latest flu must be really awful.

Current mood: tired
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Anna Nalick "Catalyst"
Current drink: orange juice—preventative measure!

Spoke Too Soon

Just a few days ago I was patting myself on the back because I refused to bring work home with me over the weekend. I made grand statements that I was going to put my foot down and not work overtime! Well, today I worked a 10-hour day. I got to work at 8:00 and left after 6:00. I had lunch, but I ate it at my desk in between tasks. The day just turned into a non-stop race, and I'm exhausted...

But, I treated myself after work and picked up some food from Wahoo's on the way home. I had a giant chicken bowl with tons of black beans and rice and a big glass of root beer... I wish it were a real beer... I still need to go to the liquor store... Sigh...

Current mood: tired and full
Currently watching: Rachel Maddow
Current drink: Barq's root beer

Smart City

Here is a nice piece from NBC's Nightly News about Boulder and their new smart grid.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

This and That, Holiday Edition

I'm coming to the end of a long weekend. Because today is President's Day we had the day off from work. So what have I been doing all weekend? Well, I'll tell you one thing I haven't been doing—working! Because things are so busy at work, I occasionally have to work over the weekends. I really don't like doing it, but sometimes I have to just to keep on top of things. Because I don't get paid overtime and because we're not going to get raises or bonuses this year, I also don't want to make a habit of working more than I get paid for. This weekend, I could very well have brought work home with me. I have plenty to do and a lot of deadlines to meet this week. But I put my foot down and refused to bring work home. This is also the last holiday we have between now and May, so I wanted to take full advantage of the long weekend. I didn't want to work, and I didn't want to even think about work. I put it all out of my mind. And it turned into a great weekend. I spent a lot of time reading and writing and basically doing nothing. It was wonderful and relaxing. And now that I am fully relaxed and rested, I'll be able to tackle the week ahead. I should really do this more often...

Current mood: rested
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Melissa Etheridge "An Unexpected Rain"
Current drink: soy milk—healthy, but really wishing I made a trip to the liquor store for some wine or whiskey or Cognac

Things I'm Sick Of

A small list of things I'm sick of...in no particular order:

The Republican Party: Do I really need to say much other than what a bunch of sore losers, whiners, and hypocrites. I'm so sick of their grandstanding and self-righteous preaching. I'm sick of their attacks on and total lack of support for Obama and his administration. And I seem to remember over the past few years that when anyone opposed Bush they would say that that person was anti-American and unpatriotic. Again, I will say, hypocrites!

Nadya Suleman (a.k.a Octo Mom): I have one word, "crazy." What sane woman with six kids, no job, no income, and no home would want to have another eight kids? I feel bad for her children. And I feel bad for the state of California which will have to pay to support this new dysfunctional family.

Reality TV: Do we really need a reality TV show for everyone and everything out there? I will admit that I've certainly watched my share of reality TV shows. I was in high school when the first Real World came out. Back then it was new and fresh and exciting. Those kids had hopes and dreams and aspirations. They dealt with real issues like racism or homophobia or religion. Now there is a reality show for everything and everyone. You want to marry a complete stranger for a million dollars? There is a show for you. Oh, the sanctity of marriage! You want to hook-up with an aging rock star and call it true love? There is a show for you. Do you want to compete with twenty other men and women to win the heart of a bisexual internet "star"? There is a show for you. Now, thanks to MTV andVH1, we have reality show spinoffs where reality "stars" get reality shows of their own. Soon the reality shows spread and multiply faster than STDs through unprotected orgies. And there really is no better way to describe this. I'll still admit that I watch a few reality shows like Top Chef or Biggest Loser, but these tend to be shows where people are trying to reach a dream or trying to improve their lives. And, sure I watch Man vs. Wild, but that's because Bear is just amazing...and crazy...and pretty good looking.

Reader comments: These days I tend to read the news online instead of through an old fashioned newspaper. It's cheaper (well, free, actually), it's ecofriendly, and it's quicker and more up-to-date. The one disadvantage of online news sources, however, are the reader comments that accompany most stories. There really ought to be an IQ test before you can post a reader comment, because you really see the most idiotic and moronic comments on these sites.

Current mood: glad tomorrow is a holiday
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Michelle Branch "Breathe"

Public Service Announcement

In these tough economic times—to use a popular cliché these days—the people of this country are looking for ways to put more money in their pockets. Some people work two jobs or work freelance or sell eggs or internal organs. However, other people try to get rich quick by spending money on lottery tickets. To be perfectly honest, this might be something I'll start doing soon, too. But a word to the wise: If you buy one of those scratcher lottery tickets, please wait until you are in a safe area before you start scratching away. Scratching your lottery ticket while meandering through a busy and crowded parking lot probably isn't the best or the safest thing to do. How do you expect to collect any winnings if you cluelessly step in front of a racing car? And, I'm sorry, if I run you over and if you have a winning ticket, I'm taking it because I would really like to take a vacation to Greece. So, please, for your own safety, people, wait until you are safely in your car or safely at home before you scratch that lottery ticket.

Current mood: glad it's Friday
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Beth Waters "White Rabbit"

Update

I haven't been posting much lately because there really hasn't been all that much to report. I'm still busy at work, but that goes without saying. Things are still busy and things are still crazy, but that's a good thing. At least I'm still very fortunate to have a job. Life, in general, has been pretty quiet, and I sort of like it that way right now.

That's really all I have right now... I'll try to come up with something more pensive—or more pointless—later.

Current mood: a little tired
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Faith Hill "Breathe"
Current drink: coffee

This and That, Weekend Edition

Weather: For the past week the weather has been warm and beautiful. Temperatures have been in the upper 60s and they even made their way into the 70s. It's been wonderful. But it is Colorado and it is January, so the temperatures are returning to normal. It's only in the upper 30s right now, and we might get some snow. Even though I've been enjoying the springlike weather, we probably need the snow because we really need the moisture. So I'll welcome the snow...

Work: I think it goes without saying that things are still busy at work. I brought a ton of work home with me, and I'm really not looking forward to it. But maybe I can do it on Sunday. If it snows, I'll probably stay in and I might as well do some work. But I'm hoping that this will be the last time that I'll need to work over the weekend. I know it won't be the last time, but hopefully it will be the last time in a long time...

Inauguration: I realized that I never made any comments about inauguration day. At work, we normally have one of our weekly scheduling meetings on Tuesday. Unfortunately our meeting would have fallen right at the time when Obama would be taking his oath. So the manufacturing leader and I (being the good leaders that we are) spoke to each other and we decided to cancel our meeting. We were all set up in our conference room and trying to watch the streaming video from CNN.com, but our feed kept breaking and cutting out. Obviously too many people were trying to watch at the same time. So we missed the actual oath. But then some of us found a radio in the office, and we were at least able to listen to his speech. After his speech we all went back to work, but in the middle of the day when I was eating my lunch—at my desk, of course—I went online and happened to catch the parade down Pennsylvania Avenue. I plugged my headphones into my computer, and I was able to watch and hear the whole thing.

Just seeing and hearing the reaction of the people as the Obamas walked down the street was amazing. You could see the energy and excitement in the air. For the first time in eight years, people seem to have a genuine sense of hope. After being downtrodden for eight years, people can finally feel optimistic. It was inspiring. I think that everyone knows that Obama has a tough road ahead of him. The Bush administration created such a mess, and it is going to take a long time to clean up that mess. We know that Obama will not be able to solve all of the world's problems in the first year with a snap of the fingers. It will take time, but there is some comfort in knowing that he is in charge. He is intelligent and seems willing to listen. He doesn't seem like the type to make rash, impulsive decisions, but rather seems like the type who is open to dialog and discussion. How amazing is that?!

Current mood: rested
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Aerosmith "Rag Doll"
Current drink: coffee

Weather

Because I haven't posted much, I'm making up for lost time. I just had to comment on our weather right now. In a word, it's beautiful. It is bright and sunny, and there are only a few clouds in the sky. It's about 55 degrees. It's so nice outside that I've opened my windows and sliding door to let in some fresh air. It's wonderful! It almost feels like a typical "winter" day in California.

Current mood: rested and relaxed
Current music: iTunes still on shuffle--Melissa Etheridge "Mercy"

This and That, Weekend Edition

Once again it has been quite a while since I've last written a post. As usual, work has been getting in the way and I've been exhausted when I get home at night. Things have been really busy at work. We have a lot of books going to press this month, and at the same time we're getting a lot of new books into production. For someone in my position, the two most time-consuming periods of book production are the first and last stages. Everything in between is a little easier and smoother. Basically you're moving the manuscripts from one person to another. But the busiest times are when you're evaluating a project when it first comes in and then when you're trying to finalize everything before sending it to press. This past week, I've been trying to finish two books and start four. So, needless to say—since I've said it already—I've been busy...and tired...

Fortunately this will be a long weekend, because we have the day off on Monday. I'm looking forward to the extra day of rest. Although, I do hate to admit that I did bring some work home with me, but I'm hoping to not touch it until Monday afternoon. My real plan for this long weekend is to rest and relax as much as I can. I deserve it.

On other news, I'm really hoping that somehow we can watch the inauguration at work on Tuesday. Tuesday will be a rough day because I have a few meetings and a book going to press. But I would also really hate to miss such a historic inauguration, and I think a lot of people in the office feel the same way. We'll see.

Current mood: tired
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—LeAnn Rimes "The Safest Place"
Current drink: coffee

A Sandwich That Could Kill

Today at work we had an almost all-day training seminar. The company was nice enough to cater our lunch, and they brought in boxed lunches from Panera Bread. I've been to Panera a few times before, and I've always liked their sandwiches. They were yummy and tasted great. I picked a Bacon Turkey Bravo sandwich. The sandwich had a lot of turkey, lots of lettuce, tomatoes, smoked Gouda cheese, bacon, and their "signature" dressing. I assumed that it wouldn't be entirely unhealthy because turkey is pretty lean and there were some veggies. Sure, maybe the bacon was unhealthy. I looked at Panera's Web site, mostly because I was curious to see what else was on their menu. I clicked on the nutritional information for the sandwich I had, and I was mortified. 840 calories. 11 grams of saturated fat (55% of your recommended daily allowance). 100mg cholesterol (35% daily allowance). 2930mg sodium (122% daily allowance). Oh my God! Who knew a sandwich could be so bad and unhealthy?! Might as well just eat a cheeseburger.

Now that I have a week's worth of sodium in my body, I suppose I need to double my potassium intake.

Dinner: Bow Tie Pasta with Turkey and Spinach

Because I had a chance to go shopping yesterday, I finally had a chance to cook a dinner for myself. For whatever reason I had about four boxes of farfalle (bow tie) pasta in my pantry. I needed to use them somehow, so tonight I made Bow Tie Pasta with Turkey and Spinach. And it was pretty darn good!

mmmmm.....

Updates

I've been pretty bad about updating my blog lately. To my four, five, or six loyal readers, I apologize for leaving you breathless in anticipation for a new post. Needless to say—if you've read the last few posts—I've been busy, as always. The end of the year, last year I suppose, was busier than expected. Work was naturally busy and because I took some vacations for Thanksgiving and Christmas, things seemed busier. The vacations, though, were wonderful, welcomed, and well-deserved. It was nice to get away from the office to rest, relax, and recuperate.

This week was my first week back to work after my vacation. Even though I was rested, I was also thankful that it was only a two-and-a-half day week. We were able to leave the office early on New Year's Eve, and Friday was a work-from-home day. Technically Friday was a normal work day, but our boss said that we could stay home as long as we check our e-mail every now and then. I checked my e-mail a few times, as required, but also took the opportunity of a day off to do some shopping.

My New Year's Eve was pretty quiet. Instead of going out, I decided to stay home for a quiet evening. I think that the older I get the more I become an antisocial curmudgeon and hermit. I like my quiet, alone time. Besides, I think I might have outgrown the need to stay out late partying and drinking all night long. I'm getting old and I'm usually tired and ready for bed by around 10:00 p.m.—and sometimes I'm even ready for bed at 10:00 a.m.!

This weekend will probably be a quiet one. It will be one of those chore-filled weekends. I need to do some laundry and some cleaning. Not too exciting, but nonetheless important I guess.

Current mood: can't complain
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Maroon 5 "If I Never See Your Face Again"
Current drink: Barq's Root Beer