I'm Going to Stare at this Picture the Rest of the Day

Check it Out

So some of you know that occasionally I blog over at Got2BGreen.com, which was named by TIME as one of the top 25 coolest blogs on the internet (serious business, this).

Anyway, I have a new article up there today, and they happen to like it when I get link clicks, Facebook links, comments, and all that jazz (go figure; it's not like they're trying to run a business or anything).

So I would be much obliged if you would check 'er out!

Back to Reality

1 user conference last week. 12,756 wo-man hours put in. 23 cups of coffee (and I barely even drink coffee). 345 unwashed dishes in my sink at home. 14 loads of laundry to do. 836 emails to answer.

If you haven't heard from me in a week (or more), never fear. I am returning soon. Work has returned back to normal. And now, I am playing my favorite game (see picture above).

Warning: Major Geek Alert

Last night The Mister and I finished A Briefer History of Time (yeah, we went for the condensed version. You wanna make somethin' of it?). We got two copies from the library so we could read it together, because a book that complex requires two people to sort it all out. In our household, anyway.



So I am amazed - seriously astounded - at how brilliant thinkers like Einstein were. I mean, warped space-time? Time as fluid, relative concept instead of a measurable absolute? Gravity...the amount of things this man does with gravity is like the amount of dishes Emeril can make using only his own mass-marketed seasonings. Endless.



I can barely grasp these ideas, much less actually sit around and cook them up. Who thinks of stuff like this?! (Maybe his mom listened to a lot of Mozart while he was in utero?). If it were up to me, we probably wouldn't have even invented the wheel yet, much less got really cranking on ideas like supermassive black holes, and the curved fabric of space. (What? I don't even know what I just typed).



Anyway, my brain is worn out. But, if you're ever looking for a really awesome read, check it out. And then call me and I'll come over and we'll have some coffee while we try to figure out one-tenth of what any of it really is.



But you know what? Reading that book was EXHILARATING!

(Cheerful) Food Rules to Live By

Michael Pollan's 20 Favorite Food Rules to Live By were published recently. I love love love them. I sort of love Michael Pollan too. He makes me want to eat alfalfa sprouts and pear sandwiches and lots of fresh squash. Anyway, the "rules": they make me laugh, and they are quite sensical as a bonus. A few of my favorites:

and my very, very favorite of all:

"Today the average American spends a mere 27 minutes a day on food preparation (another four minutes cleaning up); that’s less than half the time that we spent cooking and cleaning up when Julia Child arrived on our television screens. It’s also less than half the time it takes to watch a single episode of “Top Chef” or “Chopped” or “The Next Food Network Star.” What this suggests is that a great many Americans are spending considerably more time watching images of cooking on television than they are cooking themselves — an increasingly archaic activity they will tell you they no longer have the time for.

What is wrong with this picture?"

- Michael Pollan, my love

Why Candid Shots Are Galaxies Better Than Posed

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

Case closed.

It was the summer of '09

(*edited: How could I have forgotten? This awesome photograph is courtesy of one of my dearest friends Christie. We hang out and I try not to drool over her camera.)

This past weekend I had the perfect Saturday. I slept in, curling up next to the Mister to keep warm in our chilly house because all the windows were open. The crisp morning air was as refreshing as cold lemonade in July. We got up and made ourselves tea and drank it while reading the morning produce weeklies. Then we went to our local farmer's market, where we sampled homemade butters and salsas and crackers and smelled freshly made soaps and candles.

Wonderful.

Then we checked out our new library location (a very important part of our local landscape, since we visit practically every week) and it was loaded with really good books. (Our last library was a beautiful mess of DVD shelves and crappy chick lit). The Mister was perusing a copy of Phoenix magazine and noted that the restaurant reputed to make the best carne asada in Phoenix was nearby. And it was lunchtime. And so we went. And it knocked our socks off. The day ended with more snuggling, a trip to the hot tub, and watching Planet Earth.

This past Saturday, the perfectly cool, silky blue day - it was unmistakably autumn, and no mistake. Fall is incoming.


When I think about the summer of '09 I will remember:


Belting out the Cranberries song "Zombie" in a car full of Jordanian friends


Visiting Le Grand Canyon

Drives to San Diego (with necessary car snack Starbust jelly beans)

Cutting The Mister's hair on the back patio while sweating half my body weight...at 9 a.m

The beginning of a new weekend tradition: Freshly made whole wheat waffles with blueberries and homemade vanilla maple syrup

Too many (a.k.a. just the right amount) trips to Chipotle

Sunday afternoons lounging in Mom and Dad's pool

The smell of brownies in the oven - all for you, EmDes-ers

Riding bicycles down the boardwalk next to the Pacific Ocean on the 4th of July


So tell me in the comments: for you, the summer of '09 was the summer of __________.

25 Things about The Mister

So I got tagged in another one of those "25 Facts about you" thingies on Facebook. But I already did one for myself. And no one besides me thinks that another 25 would be interesting.

However.

The Mister didn't do one.


So I will take this opportunity to enlighten you. 25 weird, random things about my favorite person. Let's have some fun with this, shall we?

1. Hates horses. Hates, hates, hates.

2. Loves little sandwiches. Like burger sliders and such. Why have one big one when you can have several smaller ones?

3. Knows every word to every single A Tribe Called Quest song, even the B-sides. A Tribe Called Quest is an old school early-90s rap group, for those not in the know.

4. Has a strange affinity for male falsettos.

5. Secretly dreams of being Josh Lyman from The West Wing, his hands-down favorite television show ever, and the show that made his interest in politics go from a middling 7 to a piping-hot 10.

6. Is a very lucky parking-space-finder. Especially at Christmas. Trust me, you want him in your car.

7. Reads a ton - mostly non-fiction, but his favorite books are all fiction including Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and some vintage Orson Scott Card stuff.

8. Favorite book of all: Pride and Prejudice

9. Nope, not a joke. For real. Can you see why I had to hang on to this man?

10. Guilty food pleasure: Chef Boyardee. Eats approximately once a year when I put it in his Christmas stocking.

11. Likes dill pickle spears, extra crispy and very cold. Scorns bread-and-butter style pickles.

12. Once won "Employee of the Month" at an enormous corporation. Not easy to do.

13. Resists getting an iPhone because he knows he'd immediately turn into one of those annoying "let-me-look-that-up-in-the-middle-of-the-conversation" curiosity killers. I admire his self-awareness on this one.

14. Loves NFL football but refuses to join any fantasy leagues because it would make him split his loyalties; rooting against his own team (the Redskins) or any of the players would be blasphemous.

15. Is very athletic: high school nickname was "Wheels" because of his speed.

16. Won "Best All Around" award senior year of high school as voted by his fellow classmates - I married him solely for his popularity.

17. His In-N-Out order: Double double. Spread only. No "vegetables". Extra pickles. Order of fries. Lots of ketchup. Cup for water, please. (The Mister really prefers water. So do I. We get accused occasionally by uncharitable friends of being cheap. Because no one can comprehend that we really just like water better. Those people's names are going on a list. And when we procreate, they will be the last to get to hold our child. Water haters.)

18. Wishes he could speak 10 languages.

19. Is one of those people who basically excels at everything. Throw a football? Check. Change a tire? Check. Can tell you the intricacies of the farm subsidies bill in Congress? Check. Can do the math in his head faster that you can type it in your calculator? Check. Photography? Ping Pong? 20 Questions? Rummy? He can pretty much do it all. It's really awe-inspiring/annoying, depending on your mood.

20. Is not grossed out by the concept of soda in the morning. (wife = VERY grossed out)

21. Has never had a cup of coffee. Won't try it. But, has eaten (and enjoyed) frog legs. Go figure.

22. Is quite musical. Has self-taught saxophone, piano, and guitar at different points in life.

23. Is color blind. (yup, really)

24. Is not ticklish.

25. Is really, really, really loved by his wife.


Side note: Don't you love that picture? It's so candid and fun. Food in his mouth, wine at his elbow, surrounded by good friends (okay I know you can't see all that, but trust me, I was there. Thanks Jamie for the rad photography skills!)