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26 October 2011

I love the internets

Odd things found:

The perfect song to play at your next pizza party:




Some of the saddest scense from "classic" TV shows. Carlton makes speed look great:



Tumblr sites can get a bit crazy:

Kanye'd by the Bell - Kanye lyrics placed on screen shots of everyones favorite "Saved by the
Bell"

Ryan Gosling mixed with Cats and Disney: Click Here

24 October 2011

Recipe of the week

I follow loads of cooking blogs. Despite owning dozens of cookbooks I still need to look at some sort of recipe on a daily basis. I used to follow through and make a lot of these recipes. Weekly potluck with the friends was one major reason- I always had to bust out a new and unqiue recipe so I could "beat" everyone else, despite it not being a competition. In the past year our weekly potlucks have faded and I have stopped cooking near as much. I miss it and miss chopping; it always helps me get my anger out. I was driving around looking for errands to run yesterday when I decided to go to the grocery store. I mean if I'm going to stop eating out on a daily basis I might as well stock some food in my fridge to allow me to want to stop eating out. On the drive to hipster Kroger I noticed a printed out recipe in the passenger seat. It was one I printed out just days ago. A healthy macaroni and cheese, or at least a health-IER version. Being Sunday I decided to jump into the cooking pool feet first. No toe dipping for me. I bought the ingredients, not cheap by the way since the cheeses required were not cheap and god forbid I use cheaper cheeses, and rushed home to cook my little heart out. I cooked my heart out so much and chopped so fucking much that I have a blister on my finger. Improper knife holding anyone? Anyhoo despite the pain, the recipe also brought me glory. Glory for getting back into cooking with only 1 blister to show.

This health-IER mac n' cheese contains roasted acorn squash, gruyere, sharp white cheddar, spinach, wheat bread, basil, sour cream, wheat pasta, and tomatoes.

Broccoli-Basil Mac and Cheese
*ever so slightly adapted from 101cookbooks.com

1 small acorn squash, peeled, seeded and cut into tiny chunks
olive oil
1 bunch of basil, stems removed
2 slices wheat bread, stale or dried out in the oven
1/2 a small head of broccoli, roughly chopped
5 tbsp sour cream
slightly less than ½ lb grated white cheddar cheese
slightly less than ½ lb grated gruyere cheese
a large handful of (yellow) cherry tomatoes
1 pkg whole wheat macaroni elbows,

Preheat your oven to 400F with a rack in the middle. Put a large salted pot of water on to boil.

Place the squash on a baking sheet, drizzle with a bit of olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until golden.

In the meantime, pulse half the basil, all of the bread, the broccoli and a lug of olive oil in a food processor until you've got a fine crumb. It'll be a bit damp. Transfer to a small bowl and give the processor a rinse.

In a separate bowl, combine the sour cream and grated cheeses.
Place the cherry tomatoes in the food processor with the remaining basil. Pulse a couple times to break things up, then add to the sour cream/cheese mixture and stir well. Can break into bits if you don’t have large processor.

Boil the pasta in well-salted water for a bit less time than the package suggests - you want it ever so slightly undercooked. Drain, reserving a big cup of the hot pasta water for later use.

Return the hot pasta to the pan and add the cheese mixture to it. Add the squash and give it a good stir. Add pasta water to thin the sauce to the consistency of cream. It can be a bit runny as the pasta will soak it up in the oven.

Transfer everything to a large baking dish or casserole. Sprinkle the green breadcrumbs evenly across the top and bake for 20 -25 minutes at 400F or until the topping is crunchy. Remove from the oven, and wait 10 minutes before serving.
Serves 8 - 10.

20 October 2011

Late to the Game

I love Charlie the Unicorn, so despite being late the the game I have given my heart and soul to llamas with hats. It's sort of my kind of humor. The embedded clip below shows episodes one through four. Just for kicks I am going to post my boy Charlie below in case you are one of the five people left who hasn't heard of dear old Charlie.



18 October 2011

Striving for

enjoy it by i enrapture
enjoy it, a photo by i enrapture on Flickr.

DC trip

A long while ago I promised you DC pictures. Looking through my memory card I found far more pictures of the airport and my friends baby then I did of DC itself. Oh well. Here are a few of my faves from the trip even if they aren't quintessential Washington DC.

A shocked babe

Baby Baby

The freakiest store window I ever did see. Whats up with the lil' chipmuks too?

Beheaded mannequin

Hushed

George

On the tarmac

Planes

Preparing for liftoff

Take off

Father son bonding

10 October 2011

Photography shoot

Told you I would be back with some pictures of the shoot I did a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately I haven't finished editing them all yet since I've been a bit lazy, but the goal is this week. Here are some of the pictures I have done:

The lovely couple:


Grandkids 1:


Grandkids 2:


Friends:


I'll have more later this week, but that's all for now.

27 September 2011

One whole week

I know, I know. It's been a whole week since I got on here chatting about my life and all other kinds of boringness. I don't think much is going to change for today. I do want to bitch (shocker) about how I am the last woman left standing. Literally. Every single F***ing one of my single girlfriends have begun dating someone. (I'm not really sure if it's has or have; both sounded odd). Let me say that I do love my friends and I love that they are finding men who make them happy, but can't a girl get a break and share in the available men. The funny thing is that some of my friends have such reverse dating styles from me. For example a couple have already fallen off the face of the earth or will soon. One of those is 2 months in and already has plans to spend Christmas with her new beaus family. Really? No matter how happy I am for a friend I still throw up in my mouth when I hear them making plans for an event that takes place months longer than the actual relationship. Another one of my friends has found her true "love", but before true "love" was found she went on a date with every one of the hundred guys who contacted her through Match, the online dating web site. Every day for multiple months she had one to two dates scheduled. Again I love said friend, but I don't have the time nor want to put in the effort that it takes to pen pal it up with loads of different men, go out on loads of dates, and keep all of their stories straight.



Anyhoo.. I know me bitching about my dating life can get old so I pre-apologize, but jeez already. This leads me into WTF is wrong with me? I feel like I'm a nice lady. I'm a bit chubby, but strong under the layer of potatoes and fried chicken, which in reality I eat very little of. I know I'm not super model gorgeous, but at the same time I'm not fugly.. or at least no one has ever said that to my face. I feel like I'm semi-smart, tell semi-funny jokes, and am semi-humble. I don't have that many issues. I don't bitch needlessly at men unlike a lot of women I know. I don't tell men what to do, again like lots of women I know. So why can't I find a nice guy who is fairly attractive, semi-smart, semi-funny, and isn't a total tool?


Do y'all have any of these issues? Do y'all get annoyed at friends when they pull the disappearing act? Oh I especially love the friend that tells me while she's single about how miserable it is to be single and how sad she is when she loses touch with new friends who start dating new guys. "It's just so sad that they don't think of their single friends eating home alone because they have company at their house". Funny that she is one of the people who gets a boyfriend and immediately doesn't have time to catch a bite to eat. Makes me sad.


Anyhoo I want to end this bitchfest on a positive note. I am not one of those people that has to be in a relationship. I function perfectly fine on my own and I enjoy not having to compromise on weekend plans and such. So while you think my life is sad and lonely, please know that it's not. I just sometimes get sad when friends go missing and I get left behind so I feel the need to vent:)


And finally check out the map below... maybe that explains why I can't find a decent guy?

21 September 2011

My first REAL pro photog job

I am veering away from my typical bitchy posts about my weight, other people, and how lazy I can be to tell you some exciting news. Well let's just say semi-exciting since I don't want to lose my negative edge that some say I carry around like Linus and his blanket. Anyhoo.. I shot my first paid photography gig this weekend. What what!!! Granted I have done 3 different pregnancy photo shoots and one wedding. but all were done for friend pay which equals nothing of monetary value. This one was done for real money, of which I am rolling in nekkid as we, or better yet I, type. I shot the 50th wedding anniversary of Larry and Olivia; an ultra-sweet couple who were married while Olivia was still attending high school. They were married by the Justice of the Peace with no family present. At the party their kids threw them a surprise renew-your-vows ceremony including a veil, bouquet, and wedding cake. Olivia's mother was also at the ceremony. It was a perfect party for a perfect couple and I enjoyed every minute of it. I will try and post some pictures once I finish editing them.


Other than my one paid gig I am just hanging tough. I have a great project I want to share with y'all soon, but I have to get the item back and take pictures of it. Just wait until you see what I sort-of, kind-of did.



Lady, my former foster dog, is back on the market. She lived with a nice couple for a few months, but it didn't work out so now she needs a new home without small children. If you know anyone who is interested please have them contact Smoky Mountain Great Dane Rescue. She is no longer living with me due to my own dog issues, but they do adopt in the greater Atlanta area.




112/365


































09 September 2011

30 x 30 is done.. for now

Perhaps you don't remember my 30 x 30 list, AKA 30 things I want to accomplish by my 30th birthday, or perhaps you do since I have been chattering about it on this damn blog for the last month. Well if you have no clue what I am talking about you are about to be schooled since I'm posting it below so that you can see how I fared on my list. The ones I didn't do are in Bold RED and I also posted my finished descriptions of each. Also there are a shit ton of hyperlinks so anything that is italized is linked to something, mainly another blog post that's related, but some are to other websites.

30 by 30

Health and Fitness:

1. Lose 20 lbs. I would prefer to lose 30, but we shall see
**I've lost 15. Does that count?

2. Hike a piece of the Appalachian Trail
**Backpacked a piece of this biotch with friends;)

3. Work out on a regular basis
**Back to daily 6 am boot camp. Good for the body, bad for the sleep.

4. Run two 10Ks
**Nothing chased me this year therefore I had no reason to run this far. Actually I'm not going to make excuses; really I just didn't feel like running this far at any one time.

5. Run the ING half again
**This is out- missed the race:( **...not like I would have run it anyway

6. Spend a day biking
**I could have done this, yet I couldn't find any jeans skinny enough that would allow me to look cool on a bike.

Travel and Home:

7. Take a road trip with no destination in mind
**Drove up to a friend’s wedding in Virginia and took random routes and back roads stopping where ever I wanted.

8. Go camping
**Got this done with hiking the AT

9. Go to South Africa
**I decided to replace this with shooting a gun since this shit was never going to happen despite all the WANT in the world.

10. Have a “just the girls” weekend
**I semi did this. It was supposed to happen on my 30th birthday weekend, but that weekend was "rained" out so instead I had a mini staycation with some friends.

11. Spend a day taking pictures of Atlanta
**Did this and did it goooood.

12. Go to the Cotton Picking Festival; it’s been a couple of years
**Went with the moms and a couple of friends. The only thing that I decided I like about this festival now is the amazing homemade fried pies that we sampled to and from the festival.

Relationships with Family, Friends, and Others:

13. Visit a nursing home
**Sadly I didn't do this nor did I even attempt it.

14. Volunteer at the food kitchen
**I tried to do this, but the food kitchen that I have volunteered at before is closed in the spring and summer, then I tried to contact meals on wheels, but they have yet to get back to me.

15. Have a “theme” party at my house
**Oscar party theme what what!

16. Babysit Ben
**I did this a couple of times including one fun filled visit to the 'gogue

17. Pay for someone behind me in the drive through line
**Checked off somewhere near Calhoun, GA at a delightful McDonalds drive thru

18. Don’t say anything negative all day
**I think I did this, but knowing me there is no telling.

Be Selfish/ Finish Things That Need to be Done:

19. Buy all new underwear, just 'cuz
**Done it and in the process I learned that I love me some hanky panky.. it's underwear peepsies, get your nasty little minds out of the gutter.. though I do love what your thinkin' of too.
20. Get fitted at Saks and buy new bras
**Checked this bad boy off the list and I got a sneaky deal too, but I can't tell you what that is or I'd have to kill you.

21. Write a will
**Did it in blood. The judge will take that right?

22. Paint my kitchen
**Painted the cabinets and stuck on new hardware

23. Redo my front yard
**Pops helped me do this project. It was sorta kinda fun.

24. Finish putting my house in order; there is still no art on the walls of the bedrooms
**All is done, but the bedroom and I didn't finish it because of lack of funds. I am counting this as unfinished though.

25. Stain the back deck
**Sadly enough no. I meant to pound it out the weekend before my birthday, but laziness took a hold of me and hasn't let go.

Other:

26. Give away something I own
**Did this with some books and other various assorted items.

27. Take a cooking class
**Checked off thanks to Buford Highway Farmers Market and some bitchy English chef claiming to be a blonde thai. Whatevs.

28. Try baking something complicated
**Does Cauliflower and Parmesan Cake count?

29. Try making a pizza from scratch
**Oh yeah and it was glorious!

30. Learn how to can
**I thought about it, but somehow never got around to it.

EEeeekkkk 19 out of 30 isn't so good is it. That's a 63% success rate. I would have failed if this were college algebra.

30 August 2011

Best blog follower EVER!

I am giving major kudos and claps and snaps and whatever the fuck else a person can give out over the internets to one of my blog followers. To all the rest of you, you had better step up to the plate or I will cut you. This snaps in Z formation goes to Sunny of unknown origins who has decided to bless me and my birthday with a gift certificate to a bad ass spa. I am not sure I know who Sunny is, or maybe I do and the person is just hiding under the cover of the world wide web, but the Sunny I picture in my head looks like this:


If anyone sees the above walking around the streets of the A give them a "Fresh Prince of Bell-Air and DJ Jazzy Jeff "Pssshh"" greeting from me.



26 August 2011

Le sigh and le guns

My birthday is quickly approaching and some shitty things are going on. Leaves me sad and actually ready to get the fuck out of my 20s. I don't really want to talk about it now, but once things get a bit better I will fill you in.

In other news I have 2 more semi-planned (not really since I just made this shit up) 30 x 30 items this weekend. Hopefully I'll get them done so that I can cross more shizzle of the listizle. Also I shot a gun for the first time in my life this past week. Crazy right? That's how I roll. Speaking of the list.. I went to the gun range with 3 co-workers; all of whom are very into the right to bare arms. Oh excuse me, I meant the right to "bear" arms... or did I;) So shooting a gun wasn't really on my 30 x 30, but going to South Africa was which didn't happen. I decided that I would substitute South Africa for shooting a gun. While I realize shooting a gun is a poor substitute for traveling across the Atlantic it has to be done in order to get close to 30 items crossed off. Besides it's my list and I'll say what i can and can't do.

Anyhoo a friend left a gun in my car the other weekend so he said I could have a go with his puppy. That puppy was a mean black glock named Jim Bob. Just kidding. I don't think it has a name, but if it did, it would be Jim Bob 'cuz it sounds mean. Well I played with Jim Bob a bit, but he freaked me the hell out with his constant jumping.. like I was scared he would jump out of my hands.. so I gave Jim Bob up in order to play with a pup named Paulette who was much kinder, nicer, and calmer. She was a .22. While playing with pups I have learned that I am a fairly close shot at close ranges. My co-worker who was showing me the ropes told me it was great that I knew how to use a gun now. Since I'm not planning on owning a gun, I'm not sure how knowing how to pull the trigger will help me. Unless of course there is a zombie attack and I find a gun on a dead comrade who hasn't yet morphed into a blood thirsty zombie. Then knowing how to pull the trigger might help. Let's just hope those zombie guns have large clips because I still don't know how to load the ammo.








**Sorry for the bluriness. My co was taking them on her cellie and they didn't come out so clear which is why I am posting a fabulous picture of myself with Jim Bob below. This was back when I didn't know how to shoot guns. Now I know. :)





16 August 2011

Dos Items

Like I be saying yo'...two more items were crossed off the 30 by 30 list this weekend. #2 Hike a piece of the Appalachian Trail and #8 Go camping are both finished thanks to the help of some friends.




Saturday I borrowed a pack, grabbed a couple of friends, and off we went into the wild wild wilderness. We started off at Walasi-Yi and made our way up Blood Mountain, the highest point in Georgia, via the Appalachian Trail. Our plan was to go up Blood Mountain, take some trails to make a loop, and get back to the car by Sunday afternoon. After the map got dropped on the hike up, we decided a change of plan was in order. We changed the plan to head back down the mountain, cross the street, go under Walasi-YI, the only spot on the whole 2, 200 mile AT where the trail is covered (i.e. a breezeway), and hike the opposite way going southbound on the AT until we got tired and wanted to make our camp. We hiked up a ridge down a steep mountain side, and made camp at the bottom. We never saw any hikers on this part of the AT until the next day when a trail runner past us. We set up camp, T made a banging good camp fire, we cooked up some hot dogs and s'mores, I proceeded to get a bit drunk on my bag of wine, and then I was forced into bed. It was a bit of a rough night. Bella came with and while she is an awesome hiker she couldn't get very comfortable on the ground so she kept moving around, disturbing my tent mates. It also got a bit cold and my fleece was in my pack outside. I didn't get much sleep other than my couple hours of pass out drunk sleep. We woke, ate some delicious cheddar cheese on bagels that I had brought, and hiked out. It was a good time and I now plan on trying to backpack more often.



Next time I am going to need to outfit Bella in some booties (her feet were jacked up from the rocks) and her own pack (I have one, but she chaffed bad last time she had it on). She's also going to need her own blanket to lie on so she will be more comfy. See below for some pics from the trip.




Random rock outcropping











Hiking it up





Close to the top of Blood Mountain










Highest peak on the Georgia piece of the AT trail




Setting up camp. Bella was a bit pooped.





Enjoying a nice glass of wine (or 6) post hike.







Good Morning Appalachian Trail




Bella and I

15 August 2011

Appalachian Trail

Two more items crossed off the list this weekend. I will write about that later, but I wanted you to see this sweet 4.5 minute time lapse with accompanying music of the entire appalachian trail taken by Kevin Gallagher during his six month journey along the 2,200 mile trail. *It doesn't start until 15 seconds in so wait for it.* BTW I was at the 30 second mark this weekend.

Go HERE to see the time lapse.

11 August 2011

Crossings

I just wanted to brag to you fine people about how I just accomplished two more items on my 30 x 30 list and how I will also be completing two more items this weekend. Who's the bees knees? I'm the bees knees! First off I made pizza crust from scratch. I used a Pioneer Woman recipe that didn't call for a rolling pin which is good because I don't have one. Here is the pizza crust recipe:

Pizza Crust
Yield: 2 pizza crusts

Ingredients
1 tsp or 1/2 packet active dry yeast
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

In a mixing bowl, pour the yeast over 1 1/2 cups of warm water, stirring gently. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and salt. Using an electric mixer on low speed, drizzle in the olive oil until just incorporated. Add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture, mixing until the dough forms a ball. (You can also do this by hand.)

Drizzle a little olive oil into a clean bowl. Toss the ball of dough in the bowl and turn over to coat in oil. Cover the bowl with a moist kitchen towel and set in a warm place for 1-2 hours, or cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Divide the dough in half, then using your hands, stretch the dough to the desired shape, pressing it into an oiled pan with your fingers. The thinner the better. The surface of the dough should be lumpy from finger marks -- all the better to receive and hold toppings.
Put Toppings on pizza then bake for 11 minutes at 500 degrees or until pizza crust is browning at bottom.

The other half of the dough may be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerated up to 3 days before use, or frozen for up to 6 months.

The first pizza I made was a grilled veggie pizza. I grilled up some zucchini and roasted some red bell peppers. I started with a layer of store bought pesto on the bottom. Then I sliced fresh mozzarella and placed that atop the pest. I threw the grilled and roasted veggies on top of all that and crumbled goat cheese atop. Half of the pizza is pictured below.








The 2nd pizza I made was a potato leek pizza. It was delicious, but whatever you do don't forget to salt the potatoes. I also subbed out turkey bacon for regular bacon.



Potato-Leek Pizza
Yield: 1 pizza

Ingredients
1/2 recipe for Pizza Crust
extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
6 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 leeks, rinsed well to remove grit and thinly sliced
5 small red or Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced paper thin
1 lb fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced thin
4 oz goat cheese, crumbled
grated Parmesan cheese
freshly ground black pepper



Prepare the pizza crust by drizzling lightly with olive oil and sprinkling lightly with salt.
In a skillet over medium heat, fry the bacon until cooked but not crisp, then remove and set aside. Pour off most of the grease, but do not clean the skillet. Return it to the stove and, over medium-low heat, saute the leeks until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove the leeks from the heat and set aside.

Using a sharp knife or mandoline, slice the potatoes very thin. Be careful not to allow them enough time to oxidize. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer all over the crust, slightly overlapping the edges. Sprinkle the potatoes lightly with salt, then lay the mozzarella slices in a single layer on top of the potatoes. Place the leeks on top of the cheese, then sprinkle the fried bacon pieces over the top. Add a generous dose of crumbled goat cheese, grated Parmesan, and a sprinkle of pepper.



In an oven preheated to 500 degrees F, bake the pie for 8-11 minutes, until the edges of the crust are golden brown and the cheese is melted and bubbly. Slice it into wedges or squares and serve immediately.







The second item I accomplished was paying for someone behind me in the fast food drive thru line. I was on my way home from dropping Kohl, my foster dog, off with the rescue people in Chattanooga... oh did I tell you Kohl got adopted. Yay! It makes me sad that he's gone, but I know he has a great home with a new pug sis. Odd couple you say? Why yes indeed! Anyhoo back to the story. I was on my way home and decided to stop off at the outlet malls to do a little shopping. Post shopping and I was starving I made a quick turn into McDonald's. It occurred me that this was perfect and I could get my list item out of the way. After sitting in the slowest "fast" food line ever I got up to pay and told the country bumpkin lady taking the order that I wanted to pay for the person behind me. "Why you gunna do a thang like that?" she asked. Just said "'cuz" which seemed to placate her and she went on her merry ol' way. I wasn't around long enough to see the person behind me get told their meal was paid for which was a good thing. I hope it was a bright spot in their day though. Getting something for free from a stranger should always be.




Smoochies and I'll be back next week to tell you what 2 things I crossed off my list.

08 August 2011

MOVE

A 1 minute long bad ass movie:


MOVE from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.


05 August 2011

Birfday Gift #2

My #2 birthday gift would be a massage. A nice long, relaxing massage. Sigh, just thinking about it makes me relaxed and calmer already. Who doesn't love a good massage and not one of those sketchy massages at a place called GOLD SPA or green spa or asian love you long time spa?

04 August 2011

Birfday Gift Idea #1

Starting now until my birthday I am going to be posting ideas for birthday gifts for moi. Feel free to get me 1, 2, or as many as you can hold in 2 hands. I'm just sayin'.

Birfday Gift Idea #1 (cost $3999, also known as 4K)

This will probably be the most expensive gift on my birfday gift wish list, but feel free to purchase this excellent gift for me if your heart so desires. My birfday gift idea for today is a trip with REI travel to Bhutan. This trip is called "Festivals of the Thunder Dragon" and consists of a whole lot of hiking, as well as visits to remote villages to check out their local festivals. Anyone who knows me knows I love a good festival. If you wanted to skimp and save $400 I would also accept "Mongolia Multisport: Through the Land of Nomads". Don't be a bitch and not purchase a ticket to the meetup point for me. Also if you buy me one of these trips I would be okay with you buying one for yourself too. I mean, I guess I can hang with you for the 14 days we will be traveling.

02 August 2011

Down an' Out

Another slackadaisical post. I try, I try. Debt deal done. Good thing, since listening to the news caused my anxiety levels to reach new heights. Kind of weird that I would freak that much about governmental money problems, but I gots a lot in the bank and in the markets therefor I need my money to be secure. Besides my own money situations give me anxiety so why shouldn't the free worlds money issues bother me. I am so sick of this fucking government. The petty bullshit politics get on my last nerve. Can we get a multi-party system and get rid of this war between the republicans and the democrats? I think it's like a marriage or any other relationship.. you have to make compromises, not fuck you, fuck you, fuck you, I'm right, you're wrong type of shit. Drives me cu-ray-zay!


Things here are spectaculair and meant to be spelled wrong. OFB (or ol' fat bastard as he is known) has left me alone which is nice. No more heavy breathing in the ear or in the face.. not that heavy breathing in the face under the right circumstances is bad, but when it has to do with OFB it is terrible. My new boss is throwing a party for my co's and I at his lake house which should be interesting. Do I show up with beer? Bottle of wine? Some salvia? The invite said wear a bathing suit, but do I really want to be in a bathing suit around my new co-workers? MMhh, I am gonna skip to hell no on that.


I went on a short trip to Nashvegas this past weekend. It was gravy. Ate at some delicious restaurants, a couple of which I would like to relocate to the A (see Yelp in the next couple days fo deets), took a dip in Mr. Percy Priest, went to a beer fest put on by my homeboys competitor... it was lame; I'm supposed to say that right?, did a bit of downtown bar hopping, and had a couple of Pimm's cups. I'll post some Nashy picks in a couple of days, but until then hold your breath until the count of twelve then go live your life.




Um... lastly my 30th is coming up quick and I have done nothing to prepare. My bomb shelter isn't yet built, this delightful 30 extra pounds are holding on to my body like a vise grip, and I have yet to get anywhere close to finishing my 30 by 30 list. Sort of, kind of, a lot of SAD. My goal is to do a bit o' camping this weekend to at least get one thing out of the way (#8). I am thinking that "#29. Making a pizza from scratch" and "#28. Try baking something complicated" will need to get a move on this week and can I change "#9. Go to South Africa" to "Pay a super speeder fine just for fun.. or because they told you 4 months after the ticket was issued"? Looking at the list makes me want to crawl into a ball. I think I am gonna have to pound this shit out quick like in order for the September 3rd deadline. There are some things that aren't gonna happen like


A. run 2 10Ks... I can do the running, but I can't afford paying for 2 10K races

B. stain the back deck.. a little help please

C. learn how to can...don't have the material and can't afford it:(


But by golly, gee whiz I am going to give it my best procrastination worthy try.








20 July 2011

Climber

Climber by moke076
Climber, a photo by moke076 on Flickr.





Hola! It's been a long time right? Slackers unite. I think only like 3 of you miss me... well 3 and there's probably an extra stalker or two as well. I'm cool with that. So news that's going down right? You want to hear about what's been happening in the life of this ATLien. I'm sure.


Mostly nothing. My "new" job in the same old place is going alright. One of my new "clients" is this super fat, super asshole, micromanaging mouth breather who I don't really get along with, but hey, a girl can't get everything she wants can she? Seriously this one dude is gonna be the death of me and to make matters worse he wants to call me anytime he needs something. I just love hearing breathy noises in between every pause. Guh-rosse. From here on out I am bestowing on him the nickname Fat Bastard. It suits him well. Other than that I'm being treated like the princess I was always meant to be- I mean corner office (I should probably mention it's actually an interior corner office;) though I can see a sliver of window through my door), 1 gig connection (especially for moi), 2 super sized double screens ('cuz that's how I roll), and the constant reassurance of how much they need me. So delightful.


Another delightful thing in my life is that I am about to be the proud new owner of a tankless water heater. Hello environmentalism. Next on my hipster hippy list is a Prius which I would have totally been all over except for the small backseat. Two danes don't fit very well back there. I had this great contractor come out to my hiz to give me a price on redoing my kitchen. I was so amped... new counter tops, sink, back splash, and more here I come. Then for shits and giggles I wanted a quote on the hot water heater. You see that bad boy is tucked away behind my stackable washer and dryer in an unreachable part of the closet. Guy went underneath to check out room under the house and noticed that the hot water heater had been leaking for who knows how long. It was then that I kissed my soon to be bad ass kitchen goodbye and said hello to a piece of equipment that has no bearing on my life other than that it works. I wanted eye candy not a necessary evil. Arg!


On the positive I have a new foster pup. His name is Kohl. He is a 3 1/2 year old SBM Gemini looking for an active partner in crime. He likes long walks, animals, and eating with his mouth open. Interested? Please find out more about him at Smoky Mountain Great Dane Rescue






19 July 2011

Hipster B

167/365 by moke076
167/365, a photo by moke076 on Flickr.

Gonna go shopping for some new chucks and skinny jeans later.

26 May 2011

Old Lady B

Old Lady B by moke076
Old Lady B, a photo by moke076 on Flickr.

Old Lady B and I went to the river yesterday for Potluck dog beach style. It was good times with good friends and extremly well attended. Everyone seemed pumped for this years potlucking evenings so hopefully they will continue to be well attended. Makes me feel good that my baby is taking off;)

In other news, I was offered a job. I can't for the life of me remember, and I'm too lazy to look, to see if I told you that my companies contract was coming up and that my company wasn't bidding for a new contract. That meant a loss in job. So anyhoo the comany that got the contract offered me a J.O.B.!! With a RAISE! and a loss in vacation days:( Eh.. who knows 1 months vacation right.. right.. right? Whatevs... a job in this climate is fantabulous. I still have my head to the grindstone in case anything comes up, but I am at least safe in the seat for a bit.

That is all the news on my end. Good news from you? Answer me bitches!! Is there any good news from you(finger pointing out of the monitor)?

23 May 2011

Adopted!

111/365 by moke076
111/365, a photo by moke076 on Flickr.

Lady has been adopted and is no longer living with Bella and I. Very sad news, but she now lives with her new family approximately 3 streets over from me so she's in the neighborhood. I am keeping my distance right now so that she can have time to bond with her new familia, but I hope to soon see her around.

When I first got her, I thought she was going to be like most other fosters; delightful to have, but more delightful when they leave. I am delighted about the lack of puke in my house now that her and her water issues have gone, but I am truly sad that she isn't around. She was like a younger, semi-better behaved Bella. The semi-better meant that she doesn't bark at every noise she hears and she is nice to pups on off leash, as well as on. Bella certainly isn't. She was a good girl and I will truly miss her.

Cheers to her and her new fur-ever home.

04 May 2011

Lack of Motivation

While I was all about demotivaters the last time I was on here, I really am unmotivated now. I am experiencing some major work/exercising/dieting/writers block at the moment. It's never fun to feel your creativity slide away. I am still doing 365, but the vast majority of photos lately have been taken with my Droid and most are pretty darn shitty. I even forgot a couple of days. I think that brings me to a total of 4 or 5 missed 365 days now. Not good. I am going to try and perservere since I have already hit the 100 mark, but I am not digging my lack of enthusiasm on anything. Going out and drinking doesn't even appeal to me. I just want to curl into a ball and sleep. I know I am not the only one who goes through the spells, but it's certainly not making me feel great. I always wonder how depression feels and maybe this is it. It's probably much more severe, but it still make me wonder. It also makes me want to go on another vacation quick like. Where I would go is the issue. and where I would find the money to go is an even bigger issue.

blah blah blah just trying to get my write back on.

I did get a ticket on one of my vacations for going something like 17 over. I call bullshit;) Ticket turned out to be $300. Not too shabby. I got it in Laurens County, Georgia right outside of Dublin on I-16. This area has to be the worst place in Georgia as far as speed traps and I still got a ticket. Damn cellie. I was using cruise control up until that bad boy rang. I also had my third hyperventilation attack while cop was writing me the ticket. Not sure why.. Dude told me it wasn't a big deal...I said no shit, I have received about 14 speeding tickets in my life. Actually I didn't say that I really said " uh uh uh uh uh uh I uh uh uh know uh uh uh I'm uh uh uh not uh uh uh sure uh uh why uh uh uh uh I'm uh uh uh doing uh this uh uh uh uh". Weird. The other two times I hyperventilated had to do with exercise. The first when I finished my first 3 minutes in the kickboxing ring sparring with this bad ass professional kick boxer. The other was after taking about 7 years off moving and then joining yuppie boot camp.

Here's some beachy drinky bellaliness:

Wish I was back there

Cheers

99/365

'Beach

102/365

96/365

104/365

Almost Over

Quick Break

And here is my newest foster Miss Lady from Smoky Mountain Great Dane Rescue:

112/365

08 April 2011

Scary

Found a new website that is freakin' me out. http://christiannightmares.tumblr.com/ Yeah, Have fun with those videos.

06 April 2011

Demotivaters

This picture sure makes me demotivated....and slightly queasy. Is that really a woman? Or a man with a wig? No matter what Pat is, I sure do feel sorry for her. After all that's a big pile of dishes to wash. To see more demotivators click HERE

05 April 2011

84/365

84/365 by moke076
84/365, a photo by moke076 on Flickr.

Love is in the air...

30 March 2011

77/365

77/365 by moke076
77/365, a photo by moke076 on Flickr.

Hidee hodee neighbor. It's been a long time. You know I am a slack ass so what can I tell ya'. Not much new in my neck o' da woods. I am starting to look harder for a j-o-b since I got 3 months until lights out. I was "approached" by a company who put in a bid for the contract and they told me they would love to hire me on if they get the bid. I guess some fingers should be crossing right about now. Namely my fingers.

I am heading up to Nashvegas next weekend for a booze filled good time. A friend of mine is putting on East Nashville's first Beer Festival. It should be good times. There even might be some photographic evidence.

I've got plans in the works for a week of sun, sand, and old lady bathing suit (for me) with friends. Now if I could just lose that 40 lbs of water weight. MMMhhh! I might actually try and take some photos for this beach trip. My last couple of beach trips were much more sad on the picture taking side of things.

Other than a couple of fun mini vacations I got nothing. What have you been up to lately?

10 March 2011

Boy's a balla

Yup.. that's my nephew bringin' the heat!

new faves

 by moke076
a photo by moke076 on Flickr.

My new favorite photo to date. Love it! Hope you like it to.

23 February 2011

Shit That LeAnne Says


51/365
Originally uploaded by moke076
I am not gonna even get to where the hell I have been. That is for another time and place. Not to say anything spectacular has happen in my life; far from it. Just saying I don't wants to share. However I am going to share with you some new deliciousness from my life that is not in the form of food. I know, shocker!

So I now carpool with a co-worker 3x a week. She rides with me to and from my house were her husband drops her off and picks her up. Let me give you a little background about this co-worker: 60s, southern, from a small town outside Atlanta, sheltered, judgemental, super duper Christian, republican, believes that the man is the ruler of the house, conservative, opinionated, and on, and on, and on. Such a great partner to my open minded, liberal, culturally Jewish, but leans towards the agnostic/atheist side of things, slightly judgemental( actually a lot), opinionated persona.

We normally share a lunch together and have already had such great convos such as her saying all Muslims kill people in the name of their religion. When I disagree and tell her that other religions kill people in the name of their Gods, like the good Christian Scott Roeder who killed abortionist George Tiller, she then tells me I am the most Christian hating person she has ever met. She also came in one day and said "I went to see my doctor today. Oh, he's one of your people". Um.. okay.

Anyhoo you can imagine that hilarity will ensue with us riding together and chatting. Yesterday our conversation some how got on the topic of race and how she believed that "Blacks" are extremely scary and violent, but that "Mexicans" are even worse. "They will just as soon look at you as kill you", she said. She also told me the prefer knives to guns. "How do you know this", I asked. The news. Yes, because our local news is oh so accurate and unbiased. I then explained my reasoning about why she thinks what she does. When she got out of the car she called me a communist. Really.

Pretty fun stuff, which is why I am planning on getting a digital recorder and taping the things that are said so I can get some accurate quotes from our convos. I will be calling these posts "Shit that LeAnne says" so look for them.

**Name changed to protect ME**

15 February 2011

Happy Valentines Day!


44/365
Originally uploaded by moke076
Did you survive the Valentine's Day fallout? The one where you see 5 million couples walking down the street holding hands, whispering sweet nothings to each other. I know I did. I had a good Valentine's Day with a 3.5 mile run, friend time at the dog park, one pet sit, shopping for groceries, cooking lunch and dinner for the following days, and eating a delicious veggie sandwich from the new place near my house, Victory sandwich. I am tired just thinking about it all. I even got to listen to those stupid Bachelor bitches whine about how they have to go on group dates and how it's sooo hard. Don't you dumb bitches watch the show?? That's what happens, so shut it.

Sorry for not dropping in more frequently- I have been a busy girl. What with working, sleeping, and eating I feel like I have time for nothing else. Did I mention that I fit in a work out every now and again;) HooHaa OBC.

This time tomorrow I will be getting new windows installed on my house. Stay tuned for close up shots of the new most expensive thing in my house;)

Love to all from Bella and I. MUAH!

31 January 2011

28/365


28/365
Originally uploaded by moke076
Yo, yo, yo!! Not much to report in life other than lots of work and no play. Last week was deliciously international. Made a Latin American quinoa dish (not surprising) and ate out at 3 different ethnic restaurants- Brazilian, Vietnamese, and Chinese.

Boot camp is going... going.. going...Today was a blast. It was drizzling and they picked the lowest spot in Piedmont Park for us to work out doing different ab and arm exercises. I love being wet, cold, and soggy in the morning. I do love boot camp though. It's gonna be hard to stop. I love the camaraderie with certain people. It's a delight to cut up and joke with friends in the am. Especially when I don't typically see them that much. If only it didn't cost $270 a month. Anyone want to donate to the "poor lil' jewish girl" fund? I'm taking donations.

Third thing on the list of items up for discussion is my loss of friends. Not really the loss of them. I guess technically I would be gaining friends, but I don't really want to gain friends; I've got enough already. What I am talking about is how my group of single girlfriends are slowly dwindling. I made it my mission post-college and post-beau to find single friends to go out with. I love my couple friends too, but going out with them isn't the same. I need wingpeople. Unfortunately the majority of my wingpeople have taken up with boyfriends themselves. While I am really happy for them, I am really sad for me. WTF happens if I don't meet my one and only true love (so corny). I feel like I might spend my life in odd numbered wheel perpetuity. I couldn't stand that shit. For a time or two it's cool and then it gets old and tiring like wet shoes on a long run.