Coffee & Beer Paintings by Karen Eland

This lady is really cool- Karen Eland (@beerpainter on Twitter) she paints using coffee and beer instead of paint and is based out of Bend, Oregon.  She has a cool story and what seems like a fun life and is worth checking out.  What other unusual things could one paint with, I wonder?

Here are a few of my favorites that I found on her website:

25 Habits to Break By Age....?

I just finished reading 25 Habits to Break By Age 25 http://hellogiggles.com/25-habits-to-break-by-age-25 by Laura Donovan (@lauradonovanua).  Besides the rude and incredibly BORING comment (seriously lady, chill the fuck out- I kept reading because I thought someone was being ironically contrary and I kept waiting for the punch line.  It didn't happen.  They were just an asshole that wrote the longest note ever.  BLAH!)

First of all, I clearly am still breaking rules 25, 22, 20, 19, 14, 13, 12, 11, 3, 4,  and obviously 10, because I am revealing too much online, in all capacities, right now as you read.

But that is beside the point.  Oftentimes, I ask someone "How is your day going?" or "Did you have a good weekend?" or "What did you do last night?" and a grunt that communicates the idea "eh-it-was-shitty-but-i-don't-want-to-get-into-it" and absolutely no polite response- including "but how was YOUR weekend? What did YOU do?"  I know that is selfish to think about it in that way and not feel like I feel sorry for those people that respond that way, but that answer is unacceptable when it occurs time after time.  Rude, with a capital R.  I've taken to asking myself the proper etiquette question once the rude person walks away and answering it and laughing snarkily at my ridiculous-ness.  I'm a little worried about myself in a crazy-talks-to-herself kind of way, but NBD.  That's No Big Deal, for all you non-hipsters.

I would really like to say that common courtesy is very much appreciated, even with the internet age, and the cell phones, and everything.  I think all the people that read this probably know such things, but take a moment to think about those ridiculously selfish rude people in your life.  They are heinous a lot of the times.  But they have a sad story behind them.  Sometimes I wonder if that certain person I may or may not be talking about wasn't held as a baby or something.  I would also like to give a shout-out to the McDonald's of *____* (the town I live in) that they are so kind that I go there because they are nicer than the other fast food places and get something gross even though I could be eating supposedly gluten free tacos from another place.  Don't worry, I avoid the dollar menu cheeseburger that I used to eat so often when I worked at Old Navy.  I go for fries and various sugar "coffee" drinks.  And sometimes a real good McFlurry, like last night.  MMMMMMM. 

Ironic Internet Twist

I'm still reading the book, "Faster: The Acceleration of Just About Everything" by James Gleick.  There is a chapter called "Short Term Memory" that I read tonight that made me stop to think about life and this internet data stuff we busy ourselves with (including reading and writing this blog....).  I decided that there was no good way for me to paraphrase, so I'm just going to type a few sections out- feel free to skip around, but I highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys random facts of life and/or sitting, staring absentmindedly at the wall pondering the facts of life.

Watch this clip from Animal House... the conversation between Pinto and Donald Sutherland kind of sums up how I'm feeling with this book right now.

So here it goes, from pages 249-255 of "Faster":

Many of the world's librarians, archivists, and Internet experts see a crisis looming.  They warn that our burgeoning digital culture is heading for oblivion, and fast.  "There has never been a time of such drastic and irretrievable information loss," says Stewart Brand, creator of the Whole Earth Catalog a generation ago.  Our collective memoriy is already beginning to fade away, he argues.  Future anthropologists will find our pottery but not our E-mail....  

..Perhaps the speed and richness of the Internet have lulled us, letting children in Boise read census data from Washington and oral histroy from Hiroshima.  Words swim instantly across the network, not caring about the mileage, and we don't exactly feel information-deprived.  We may be drowning, actually.  but are we sacrificing longevity to gain glut?  

It's scary.  And yet... 

It's the age-old argument of quantity versus quality- there is so much coming at one person in a single day that there is no way for us to catalog and retain every bit.  But ultimately, how do we know the difference between quality information and, for lack of better words, not-so-much quality information?  Who tells?  I for instance, can't get rid of the information I learned on a True Facts video about ducks.  I may get the numbers a little mixed around, but the facts are in there.  Never leaving.  Google that shit and you will never see ducks the same.  It is like the first time I saw my second-favorite university campus animal (after dogs, obviously), the squirrels, getting busy in a tree outside the Literary Arts Building.  Before I really enjoyed the furry little guys and their presumed innocence.  
But I digress.... I remember ducks have anti-rape vaginas, something that I don't need or want to remember, but there are times when I have to think twice before I answer what my age is.  So who determines what information makes it to the next level of humanity?    

The Amazing Merengue Dancing Dog

I think I may have overlooked an exciting career opportunity:

 

This amazing merengue dancing dog is pretty damn impressive and adorable.  I know this is an old video, but the best time wasting website Buzzfeed.com just reminded me of it in this random post, one of many random Buzzfeed posts that are extremely enjoyable.  Tonight, I also read about Bostonians being hardcore Bostonians (the first picture shows a road condition advisory board that reads "Wicked High Tides" and later on, a taxi advertisement for a car wash that reads "Like a Spa For Your Cah"  Phenomenal.)  After that, I looked at the top 20 dog Halloween costumes, followed by the top 20 coolest pug Halloween costumes.  Then I found "34 Times John Krasinski was the Most Perfect Man Alive."  Nailed it.  If you've never buzzfeeded (or is it BuzzFed?) get on there asap.  Get comfortable, though because you'll be cruising it for hours.  I literally started writing this post an hour and a half ago, but have been "getting links" to connect their site to this post and keep getting distracted by even more entertaining lists.  Like right now, I'm watching "Yiddish Words You Should be Using Right Now"  FAKAKTA! 

What I've been reading this summer.... in case you care

So, I realized I never posted this lovely literary section this summer and I have no idea why.  I think I was going to go back and look to see if I'd read anything that I was forgetting in the list.  Or maybe I just forgot to press "Publish."  Either way, I thought I would update with my reading list since I put down the "Cookbook Collector" by Allegra Groodman.  I'm probably going to forget a few....

I'm reading "Bet Me" by Jennifer Crusie

It kind of blows.  Thanks a lot for the glowing review, Mom.  I was quite surprised by my mother's recommendation of this book because it is very frivolous.  I will say, though, that the sexy scenes and sexual tension are pretty A-Okay.  I just finished this book (I've had to come back to this post twice now.... update:  this book: C.  That is all)

"Faster" by James Gleick

This is an awesome book- I still haven't finished it.... it is not like a novel, it is one of those books I pick up between reading other books, there isn't a plotline to remember or anything like that.  It is fascinating, though.  It talks about how impatient and speed-oriented our culture has become and it has all these random facts that of course, I can't remember now that I am writing about it.  One of the facts is about how many millions of floors Otis elevators go up every day and another is how using the microwave to cook food only saves people like an average of 3 minutes a day.....  totally random facts.  **Another random fact from me that has nothing to do with this book:  Don't check out a library book and not return it because you like it and figure you can just go in and pay the price of the book and the fines will hit a 'debt ceiling' if you will.  I just mailed a check to the library for $46.00!!  Yes, I like the book (not this Faster book, it is another one), but I could have bought it (and bought my dad a copy for Christmas last year) for $18.00.  EPIC FAIL, ME.  

I would also like to note that when I googled this book to find the picture to post, there is a Cliff Notes version....  for people that want to read a book about America's fascination with saving time in any way possible in a condensed, hyper shortened version.  Haha.  Silly bitches.

Has anyone read any books they'd recommend (or really hate)?  Please share!! :-)

 

Now, the original post that was never posted:

_____________________________________________________________________

I just (literally moments ago set the book on the floor beside my bed) finished "The Cookbook Collector" and realized that I couldn't remember the book I read before it, so I thought I ought to document my summer reading list for my own benefit.  If anyone happens to find a book they are interested in off the list, so be it.  

I will go in reverse chronological order, starting with "The Cookbook Collector" by Allegra Goodman

"Emily and Jessamine Bach are opposites in every way: Twenty-eight-year-old Emily is the CEO of Veritech, twenty-three-year-old Jess is an environmental activist and graduate student in philosophy. Pragmatic Emily is making a fortune in Silicon Valley, romantic Jess works in an antiquarian bookstore. Emily is rational and driven, while Jess is dreamy and whimsical. Emily’s boyfriend, Jonathan, is fantastically successful. Jess’s boyfriends, not so much.

National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestselling author Allegra Goodman has written a delicious novel about appetite, temptation, and holding on to what is real in a virtual world: love that stays" -Amazon.com- The Cookbook Collector
I wouldn't go so far as to call this novel "delicious," as it hardly delves into the recipes or even food that much, which is kind of what I was hoping for with the title what it is.  But it was worth my week of reading time, so whatever.  It also hit me while I was reading this last night because it goes through the time period of the 9/11 attacks- the book took a surprisingly emotional turn for me.  Then I was wondering how 9/11 effected the face of literature: if this book had been written in a nondescript time frame, would there have been sections with a title and dates given?  Probably not, because why would we care that such and such happened in August of 2011 if not for what happened that specific September?  Just something to ponder, one of the smaller thought-of and less significant things that 9/11 changed...

"If You Were Here" by Jen Lancaster

This book probably would have been way more engrossing had I been a bigger fan of John Hughes' movies.  It isn't that I don't like all those "Brat Pack" movies, I am completely ambivalent.  I've seen a handful of them, and could care less.  Woop-de-doo.  Anyway, this book was about a couple with lots of dogs and cats that move from their urban apartment to the house that the fictional Jake Ryan lived in in the movie "Sixteen Candles."  Of course, that house is in horrible shape and they try to do their own renovations, yada yada yada.  It was cute, but whatever.  (You can quote me on that last line of critique- I know it was so scholarly).

"The Last Summer (of You & Me)" by Ann Brashares

Total un-engrossing "beach read."  It was my "let's read a little before conking out because it is pretty boring and predictable" book of the summer.  Sorry, Ann Brashares.  I loved the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants books, but this is a no-go for me. 



I started reading "Clean" by Alejandro Junger, several books back and am still in process of reading. 
Check out the website to read a little more- there is no way I can effectively explain it other than you eat "cleaner" and detox your thinking, the chemicals you use on a daily basis, and obviously the food you eat for 7-21 days, depending on your commitment, and this cleanse gives your body the time and nutrients it needs to get rid of all the nasty gunk that has accumulated in your innards.  He explains it that our bodies were made to deal with feast and famine back in cave man days and our internal organs were made to be able to filter out a certain amount of bad stuff, but that we have so much bad stuff floating around (in the air, the food, the body products, the technology we use, etc etc.) that our body only has time and energy to get rid of a certain amount of stuff and all this other stuff accumulates and clogs our arteries and makes us fat and gives us cancer and diabetes and all that kind of stuff.  It is actually pretty interesting, even if you aren't going to do a cleanse (I haven't so far because, as I've mentioned before, I am in the thick of wedding season- emotions are running high as it is, if you take away some of my food, I might snap.  Not good.) 

I read "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood at the beginning of the summer- that was quite a sobering little story from the 80's I think it was that had some uncanny similarities to the state of our society these days.  Thank you to my friend Marie for the recommendation, although the storyline really scared the bejeezus out of me.  I don't want to become a handmaid or any other thing in that book.  Ick.  But what religion were they comparing it all to?  I have a bit of a bias and was rooting for it to be Mormonism the whole way through (I can show you proof within the story of the similarities) but there were other religions and government structures that were also evident in the author's inspiration.  Yeeks.

Gotta love BuzzFeed

"21 Reasons You Should Definitely Drink More Beer":

http://www.buzzfeed.com/jessicamisener/21-reasons-you-should-definitely-drink-more-beer

I think the giant space cloud of alcohol is probably one of the coolest random facts I've learned in a long time.  How did they figure that one out I wonder?

The End of Newspapers?

Are newspapers even going to exist in 20 years?  I sure hope so.  Having just watched "Page One: Inside the New York Times,"  I am on a particular rant about the benefits of having an actual, printed-on-paper-that-will-make-your-fingers-dirty newspaper.  There are people who claim that the internet and tablets will obliterate print media, but I believe Americans will hang on to the nostalgia of cracking open a fresh paper that woke you up with a thunk at 5:30 A.M. in its arrival while having their coffee. 

There is an infographic on http://www.takepart.com/pageone/ that puts a little perspective on the state of print media in the past few years without having to watch the documentary, although I highly recommend it.  It says that 99% of stories linked to in blogs come from newspapers and broadcast networks.  On the documentary it goes into a little more detail- if the online writers/bloggers aren't directly taking their info and broadcasting their live reports, they are basing discussions on that info, like I am doing right now.  And it all starts with the news.  But that doesn't really tell us whether or not paper-copies have any effect on anyone.

I don't really know how to conclude this newspaper business, so I just threw in that silly New Yorker cartoon, because for all you guys really know, I could be a dog.  I kind of wish I were, but as my good friend Alison says, you just get to lay around all day, but you don't have any control over the TV or the ability to read, so maybe it wouldn't be so good.  I'd take it.

Longest side note of my life. (Although probably not, I've probably written longer things in parentheses before... I like parentheses! Go go grammar!)

This post makes me feel a lot better about the state of America- there are more libraries and museums in the U.S. than there are Starbucks and McDonalds.  Here's a map: http://www.theatlanticcities.com/neighborhoods/2013/06/every-library-and-museum-america-mapped/5826/

Check it out (haha like a book from a library, get it?)  I'm so funny! 

I guess the next step for the U.S. is getting the kids and 20 somethings who are, lets face it, a bunch of assholes (yeah, I'm in that group. I know what I'm part of.  I'm writing about myself thinking that a whole bunch of people on the internet will be super fascinated and amused by my anecdotes.  Tell me thats not something a 20 something asshole American would do.  And then tell me that children aren't douchebags when they aren't looking cute all asleep or laughing when the dog sneezes or holding hands with their grandpa.  They can be real assholes sometimes.  Scientific fact: that is why God made humans think the weird, lets be honest- misshapen, baby's face is so cute- so we would feel genetically compelled to take care of the obnoxious things.  I'm not joking, that is a fact I learned on a documentary once.  Dogs have evolved to have similar characteristics to a baby so that humans would feel compelled to take care of them.  And look how well they are doing.  Jerry Seinfeld once told a joke about how if an alien spaceship landed, aliens would assume that dogs were running the show because humans were walking around picking up dog's poop.  I gotta say, he's not wrong there.  Wow that was a long side note- I bet you even forgot that this was all in parentheses didn't you?)

Anyway, look at the map of libraries and museums, then take your kids there by bribing them with the promise of a Happy Meal later if they are quiet.  Which they probably won't be.  And you'll probably still buy them a Happy Meal after. 

Food Holiday

Did you know...... that there is a national food holiday for almost every day of the year?  Like June 22 is National Onion Rings Day and the 4th of July is also known as Ceasar Salad Day. 

Fun fact for your day. 

Here's a link to see what all the days are (because I know you want to go right now and see what your birthday food is- mine is coconut cream pie) :
http://www.food.com/food-holidays/corn-on-the-cob-day-0611#./ice-cream-soda-day-0620?&_suid=137099739234805337350928819415

 

5 ways to pass a drug test.....

Number one: don't do drugs. (This is my addition- it seems a little obvious but for some reason when you google"How to pass a drug test" that option is not in the top results... DUH!  idiots...)

I suppose I should start  this off by saying that I am not concerned about passing a drug test.  Sometimes when I type slow enough in the Google search bar, it offers me alternative searches that it thinks I may be trying to type out.  Here is what came up:

 Of course, rather than search how to do anything, the majority of people in my "demographic" search for a TV show.  Of course they do.

I kept typing....

Obviously I know how to take a screenshot.....  Google hasn't hit mind-reading psychic powers yet.

Interesting selection, isn't it?  What if someone had to pass a drug test to get a job painting cars in a body shop, failed the drug test because of their obscene drug habits, so, in a fit of coke-induced brilliance, decided they had to move west and pan for gold.  This grand gesture would obviously need a well packed backpack along for the ride. 

So of course, I was curious and clicked on "how to pass a drug test."  Testing has gotten pretty high-tech and it is pretty hard to trick your way out of.  Again, I'd have to say just don't do the drugs in the first place if you fear drug testing.... 

Fun fact I learned from this WikiHow page (that has been edited by 112 people and read 4,341,707 times) is that it is nearly impossible for a dark haired person to manipulate the test results for a hair sample test because cocaine and other sythetic drugs are detected in the melanin (hair color).  THC, however, is detected by looking at the keratin.  Does that mean you could take fingernail samples to test for pot?  Ah, the deep questions of the world of science. 

P.s.  I was trying to search for "how to paint animals" before I got so sidetracked, in case you were wondering.  I'm having issues with my portrait of Douglas, the classy yet cantankerous pug. 

sorry about that....

I realize it has been a while.......

I really do apologize for that, but life got in the way a little bit.

No, nothing new or uber exciting has been happening.  One friend had a baby.  Another passed their semester with a GPA above 3.5.  And another ran an 8k marathon.  I'm very proud of them all!  Congratulations, friends!  Now back to me:

I have done nothing of note since I have written here.  I participated in a 1.5k fun run (which was mostly walking and had free beer at the end), had a goodbye party for a friend, went on a birthday brewery tour of one of the finest brewery towns in the Northwest (then, subsequently, forgot what I ordered for dinner that evening- because breweries close up at 8 pm around here, so you have to drink up fast!)  then mopped it up with delicious eggs benedict- no english muffin, though, because you know, I'm no gluten (hahahahahahahha  except for the massive amounts of beer I make and drink allll the time)  As a side note, I really want to send an apology to my internal organs, specifically my liver- you do such great things for me and all I do is abuse you.  For that, I am truly sorry.  If there are special herbs or teas or weird foods I can eat to help you, someone please let me know, because my liver deserves a spa day....

Anyway, for all of this neglect, I truly apologize, dear Reader.  Please forgive me and continue to tune in- I promise I'll do better this summer amidst the weekend getaways, wedding planning, and excessive day drinking (which is now wildly inappropriate, seeing as I'm over 25 and there are no football games or birthdays on the horizon.  Maybe I'll just pretend I'm camping... every day)

As my first post back from my hiatus, I'd like to share a quote that I seem to be seeing everywhere these days that I like, even though it is a cliche thing:

"I'm in love with Montana.  For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection.  But with Montana, it is love.  And its difficult to analyze love when you're in it."
--John Steinbeck, from 'Travels with Charley, In Search of America'

"It's Hard out Here for a Pimp"... B+

For those of you that have been wondering what my academic writing was once like, and in case anyone saw a recent facebook post of mine and was intrigued by the title of one of my found essays, here is something I found this evening in a box of old papers and college stuff (Its from a philosophy class....)

"It's Hard out Here for a Pimp"

(But It's Even Harder for a Prostitute)

 

So many different individuals and organizations openly bash the practice of prostitution and the activities that take place involving prostitution.  It is awfully hard to find people who are openly for prostitution and its forthcomings.  Why?  Is prostitution as morally wrong as we are lead to believe?  The allegation that prostitution is is immoral can be found by looking into the principle theories of Kant and the teachings of the Bible.  As we will find, these two sources go along with each other hand in hand, along with some shocking facts about the horrors of the occupation known as prostitution.

 

 

Use your imagination and picture a beautiful woman standing on the next street corner.  She has a stunningly beautiful frame, and has somehow managed to squeeze herself into a skin tight outfit that proves to be very enticing for her potential clients.  Any random man (or woman, for that matter) could approach her at any given moment and offer to purchase a slice of her time and a plethora of her skills.  Looking at this objectively, it seems quite innocent.  It seems to be no more offensive than a professional athlete, displaying their superior athletic skills in front of thousands of fans for a specified amount of time.  But prostitution is different.  Prostitution is, obviously, someone who engages "in sexual intercourse or performs other sex acts in exchange for money," as defined by the English Encarta Dictionary.  If one were to delve into Immanuel Kant's piece, entitled The Moral Law, they would see that his 'Second Formulation of the Categorical Imperative" could easily be applied to the topic of selling one's body and sexual abilities.  In Kant's "Categorical Imperative," he clearly states that using other human  beings as a means to an end, not an end in itself, is most definitely morally wrong (Kant 314)." ...rational beings... are called persons, because their very nature points them out as ends in themselves, that is as something which must not be used merely as means, and so far therefore restricts freedom of action (and is an object of respect)," writes Kant in regards to respect and proper treatment of fellow human beings.  As stated, this is unconditional, and is applied to all forms of bodily practices and trade, even if safe sex is practiced and the prostitute and his or her client partake in such activities on their own will.  Thes two factors are completely disregarded in Kantian theory because these two people are still partaking in prostitution only as a form of using each other as means to their own ends.  As I understand Kant's text, prostitution is merely the use of someone as a way to satisfy sexual urges and financial needs (if you are to examine the other end of the spectrum), and selling sexual favors does not treat the people involved as their absolute worth would ascribe.

 

Of course, as any God fearing Christian would agree, the Bible teaches many millions of people what to practice and accept as their moral codes.  And according to the Bilbe, prostitution is a dreadfully bad thing.  "The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord... Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute?  Never! ... one who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body... For it is said, The two will become one flesh."  This text was found in I Corinthians, 6:13-20 (Lansdown).  Kant would agree with this in a different context in his short essay entitled "On the Place of Sex in Human Existence."  In the introduction to this piece, the editor sums up Kant, saying, "...the trick is to conbine this personal sexual satisfaction with treating the other with dignity..."  Of course, sexual dignity, in Kantian and Biblical terms can only be found within a loving, respecctful relationship between two people- something very rarely, if ever, found within the boundaries of prostitute-client relations.

 

However, if you do not agree with Kant, or you happen to not see eye to eye with Christianity and the teachings of the bible, prostitution is still a moral no-no.  One only has to look at the numbers and statistics to understand that prostitution is not a good and morally sound thing to practice.  The open practice of disrespect towards the human functions and practices may lead to a different, and usually negative, perspecitive of life for the people involved in this different lifestyle.  Who among us hasn't heard the classic headline reading something similar to "string of prostitues brutally murdered and found in plastic bags in convicted man's attic,"?  The martality rate for female prostitues was found to be an average of 204 per 100,000 in Colorado Springs several years ago, which, when compared to the job with the next highest rate of homicide, the male taxi driver, is amazingly high.  For every 100,000 taxi cab drivers, an average of 29 dies (MacCorquodale).  They seem to also be more likely to be targeted by serial killers, as my faux headline above represents.  Take the popular historical reference, Jack the Ripper, as a fine example of a serial prostitute killer.  This occupational hazard is not only a horrendous discovery, but it also scrapes the surface of morality- something that has such a ahigh incidence of murder and violence surely cannot be something that is absolute and morally correct.

 

Surely there must be a reason that noteworthy individuals and organizations are so adamantly against prostitution, and I believe we have found just a few reasons why.  Prostitution is as morally wrong as we are lead to believe, and we can thank such sources as Immanuel Knat's texts, the Bible, and the findings of current studies for allowing us the knowledge and information to base this statement on.  The allegation that prostitutionis immoral is easily found by looking into well known ethical codes and studies.



Delicious beer! Coconut flavored ale from Kona Brewing Co.

Great Irish Proverbs

"Laughter is brightest in the place where food is."
(found on Jo and Sue cooking blog)

"All happy endings are beginnings as well."
p.s. Happy Endings is an awesome tv show.  Check it out if you haven't already discovered it.

"A narrow neck keeps the bottle from being emptied in one swig."
Hmmm....

"A ring on a good woman's finger is no good without a blouse on her back."
(= Hey, don't be a skank!)

"Be kind to those that meet you as you rise, you may pass them again as you fall."

"Handfuls make a load."
(Haha- I know what the proverb is referring to, but I'm also referring to something else, if you know what I'm sayin....)

"A nod is as good as a wink to a blind donkey."
-What does this mean??

And, since it is almost April- a new spin on April showers bring May flowers......
"A soft dropping April brings milk to cows and sheep."

--Most of these were found at http://www.irishabroad.com/culture/proverbs/#top.  There are a TON more, some that are very profound and a lot of really strange ones that take a bit of deciphering.

"Oh, hello. My name is Doug. I'm quite precocious. I kind of look like I should be wearing a monocle right now."

Tuesday T: Tasty Homebrew ;)

Well....
Another Tuesday, unprepared.  In case you hadn't noticed, I have been skimping on my posting.  Because I'm lazy.  Sorry about that.

This week, I'd like to talk about my very first homebrewing experience.  I kind of cheated for my first go around with a post-Christmas Bed Bath & Beyond clearance Mr. Beer kit, just to see what it was all about.  To sum it up- it turned out pretty good!

I used the "American Lager Light" malt and hops extract and straight up sugar in recycled plastic pop bottles to carbonate. 

We cracked open a few last weekend and one (which was conditioned in the fridge.... I'm guessing that is what caused it) wasn't carbonated.  The other 2 were, though, and they had a pretty rich flavor and a good amount of carbonation. 

 

Sunday recipe!

I woke up this morning a little groggy and angry due to daylight savings.  In an effort to combat this cranky mood, and also to feed myself, I got up and made a fritatta.  I had lots of eggs on hand, and I have also been watching The League, so fritatta was on my mind.

 

Here's my version of the recipe:

 

Whisk 11 eggs + 1 Tbs water or milk, salt and pepper, cilantro, oregano, and a dash of hot sauce.  Mix in 1/4 cup sour cream. Set aside.

Saute chopped veggies in olive oil. (I used a frozen mix of peppers and onions) add 1 Tbs minced garlic. I steamed broccoli then added it to the pan. Saute until most of the water has cooked off.

Lightly grease 9 by 13" pan. Evenly spread veggies in pan.  Add 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar to egg mixture and whisk to fluff.  Pour egg over veggies and put pan in 350 degree oven for 30-45 minutes.

Delish!  Happy Sunday :)

Timeline: this week's T

It was difficult to switch to it, it completely disregards any notion of "privacy".... Facebook's Timeline.  I hated it when it first changed over- I still kind of hate it.  Sometimes it sneakily allows random facts to be shown publicly that you thought you had set on "private" or, even worse, something you deleted ages ago because you never wanted it to be seen or read again.  I'm pretty sure my mom found out I have a tattoo thanks to Timeline (although she has yet to say anything out of common family values of NOT talking about anything and I think she doesn't want to confirm her suspicions) 

But there is another aspect that we really don't take advantage of: looking at the past.  I just spent 30 minutes wandering through my photos since joining in 2006 and remembered so many fun times.  So, since I don't have anything meaningful on my mind tonight, I'm going to throw down some random mems I uncovered:

-At high school graduation, all of the graduates tuck money in their caps and donate it to a charity of choice in a big jar right after we get our diploma.

-Hiking in the sunny spring weather, covering up our cute tank tops with fleece coats because there was snow up in the mountains still!  Later that night, we went back to the dorm room and played Grand Theft Auto: Vice City while drinking Mikes (in the dorm room... you do the age math.... )

-Procrastinator Theater Spring Porno- with prizes!

-U-Dash bus rides to football games- usually after a few drinks at 11 am.  The first game we went to there, it was very sunny and the bus was super full, so we tried to race it with our bikes, then realized we were losing our buzz, so we took the bus at the next stop.

-Phi Sig basement parties... so disgusting, so why did we always end up there every weekend?  (P.S. one of my best friends ended up getting married to one of them!)

-The amazing pineapple that is with me forever ;)

-Marlee's 18th birthday- we smoked Swisher Sweet cigarillos, there were 6 of us girls up above the garage and we went through 4 packs of Swisher Sweets and had to run into town for a 5th.....  considering none of us smoked, I think that's a pretty impressive accomplishment.

-Matching Whale Shirt party:  2 of my best friends and I got matching blue shirts with little whales on them at Old Navy and wore them to a house party.  There are a rediculous amount of photos from that one night because I swear, everyone had a camera.  So we look especially rediculous in our matching shirts in so many photo albums.  Also, we ended up very drunk.

-1, 2, 3 of my best friend's weddings in Billings, Seattle, and Kalispell... and another one in Glacier Park on the way!

So as you can see, I really enjoy Facebook's Timeline every now and then, when I want to reminisce.  I will say that when I look at these old pictures, I get a little upset because there are so many cute outfits that I either gave away, lost, don't fit, or wore out/got spilled on/ripped/etc.  It really pisses me off to see so many cute shirts that will never be mine again.  They were so damn cute!  Where did they all go??? 

T is for Tuesday... and Traditions

Okay, so I haven't got any "T" ideas yet.  I'm beginning to think that these T Tuesdays are a bad idea since I have no follow up skills. 

I guess I was just hoping that I could create a tradition that I could come back to and rely on as the time went past.  Scientists (or psychologists or someone with an official title) say that having a tradition can help you relax and become comfortable with a situation.  I'm not sure what all this applies to, but I can think of two things in particular: sleep and marriage.

I think of marriage for several reasons:
1. I just (literally: the credits are still rolling on the screen) finished watching The Five Year Engagement.  It looked like a funny movie, but I probably wouldn't have watched it right away if it weren't for Jason Segal- I really love him.  I fell in love with Marshall on How I Met Your Mother, but I love pretty much everything else I've seen him in.

*Side note: favorite Marshall quote "I want to stay in tonight- I have warm soup tummy"

It was good- I would recommend it, but there were some real bummer moments in it.  I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but they definitely get cold feet in the strung out planning of their wedding. 

2. I just went to the Northwest Montana Wedding Expo last weekend.  I will say that I will never go to that with a combination hangover flu bug ever again.  What is the point of paying to go in somewhere to look at brochures if you don't get to reap the benefits of free booze and elegant snacks?  There was free Tamarack beer, for crying out loud!  Across from the boudoir photographer booth!  But we did see our bridesmaid dresses on the model in the runway show. 

3. Two of my best friends (they are definitely top 5) took me with them to view a possible wedding venue up past Martin City.  Anyone who knows Martin City will immediately go, "Why are they getting married by Martin City?!" But I happen to think anywhere with a Deerlick Saloon is a-okay in my book.  Also, the scenery is fucking gorgeous.  I know I told my friends this repeatedly, but when we drove up that road to go camping the last 2 summers, I always look at that particular field and those horses and cows and think "What a beautiful meadow up here in the woods!"  And now they are getting married there!!!!
So you can see how I have marriage and weddings on the brain.  On the drive back into town from the venue, we were talking about what they would do at the ceremony.  At weddings, there are so many traditions.  We talked about why couples "jump the broomstick," how Jewish people stomp on the glass, those silly candle-lighting-as-one portions of the ceremony (it's symbolically beautiful, but it can end up being so cheesy sometimes!), spending the night away from each other and not seeing each other before the wedding, and all that good stuff.  Why do we go through all that?  It seems silly if you think about it.  Going through these traditions is probably a comforting ritual that calms the nerves of a worried bride and groom. 

Just like sleep- I am a notorious insomniac (See Also: Night Chef, or Creeper Staring Into the Fridge in a Dark Kitchen).  So I have read a LOT about different tips and tricks to aid sleep.  My favorite "Tricks" involve medication, but that isn't the healthiest route, so I look at my alternatives.  One that I've seen several times is creating a bedtime ritual or tradition.  Parents do this with children and most of us don't even think twice about the connotations.  One that I've seen is brewing a cup of tea- I've tried it with mild success.  Unless the tea has a spot of Nyquil with it, then it works pretty good. 

Do we do these little traditions to make ourselves feel better?  Or do they really have some sort of meaning?

P.S. How was that for a T Tuesday?  I lost track of all the T's after counting 100!  Success! 

Cold Mountain

I watched the movie Cold Mountain today for the first time- I never got around to seeing it in its Academy Award hubbub, so I decided to bite the bullet when I saw that my roommate owned it.  It is very gritty, and it makes me glad to live in the 21st century for a number of reasons.  Running water, for one.  I couldn't stand being that dirty all the time!

One thing I noticed is that people will do a lot to make it through in a war.  People make sacrifices and they make choices and they become people that they might not have been.  I absentmindedly thought to myself that I was so glad we weren't in a war right now.  Then I realized we were.  Just because its not in our backyard, there is a war going on.  How can we forget that?  It seems like even up to World War 2 and the Vietnam war, people away from the fighting still had to sacrifice- use less butter, not wear nylon stockings, get temporary jobs in the factories making ammo....  What are we doing when there are thousands of U.S. soldiers over in the middle east?  Having chinese food delivered and watching tv.  Meanwhile, overseas.....

I don't really know what to think of all this, but I think the fact to take away from this is that we should think about this.  Period. 

 

Terrific Tuesdays- Tabasco!

Happy Tuesday everyone!

As part of my ongoing quest for knowledge (I miss college) (hey that rhymes!), I'm going to try and learn something new each week and share it with you, my beloved reader.  Now, I could go the obvious route and only research stuff I really like, but I think everyone would get sick of reading about dogs, Seinfeld, and Snoop Dogg's transformation to Snoop Lion.  Just so I can get this out of the way right now, here is Snoop Lion's debut as a reggae superstar:

 

Are you high yet? 

 

 

So, now that we've shown Snoop with a pug and a pineapple (yes!) and copious amounts of marijuana-induced brain damage, let's move on.  Since today is a Tuesday, which starts with the letter "T", I will do light research on a subject that starts with a "T" once a week and report back to you. 

 

Since I just decided this moments ago, this week's report will be short (hey, I rhymed again!), but stay tuned for more randomly long snippets about common items that begin with 'T'!!

 

TABASCO

Tabasco sauce is a hot sauce made in Louisiana using tabasco peppers, vinegar, and salt in a process that involves 3 years of aging in a barrel like a fine wine.  The first sauce ever made (by Edmund McIlhenny) was bottled using discarded cologne bottles, which inspired the shape and design that we still see today. 

 

You can find Tabasco on the NASA space shuttle, Air Force One, and in Charlie Chaplin's movie, "Modern Times" in 1936. 

 

Tabasco is also a region in Southern Mexico, fyi.

 

Thank you to Wikipedia and www.hotsauce.com for this valuable fun fact information. 

 

Growler Fills - Craft Beer Enthusiasm: Taverns and Breweries: Making Sense of the Mess

Stumbled upon this the other day- the MT Tavern Association is trying to knock tap rooms out of the picture because they are turning into serious competition.  I think it is a bunch of malarkey!  This better not pass, or I may have to step into the political activist role and I really don't want to have to do that.  Anyway, have a look at this- its a good read:

Growler Fills - Craft Beer Enthusiasm: Taverns and Breweries: Making Sense of the Mess: The Montana Tavern Association's recent attempts to stifle brewery tap rooms touched a serious nerve with craft beer fans.  Comments on thi...

*I would also like to say, go and support your local craft breweries!  Shout out to Kettlehouse in Missoula for being the most chill, laid back place to enjoy beer ever!  http://kettlehouse.com/

Day Drinking

Today is Winter Carnival.  If you aren't familiar with Whitefish, every year we have a couple weeks of crazy events, "royalty,"  and treasure hunts that culminate in a big parade down main and a beer barter.  Its pretty sweet.

I love the parade now that I'm a grown, drinking woman.  There was about 10 years there between childhood and drinking age that it kind of sucked ass, but no more!  It made me think deeply about day-drinking, though.  Once you reach 25 or get married (whichever comes first), day drinking is no longer socially acceptable.  It's called alcoholism.  Not a pretty word.

25 is coming up pretty fast, so I'm living it up.  But once 25 hits, what will I do??  Really appreciate day-drunk loopholes, thats what I'm going to do!  For those of you that have passed the golden years, I've created a comprehensive list of these loopholes so that you can really appreciate them, too:

1. College Football Games
No, you don't have to be tailgating or at the stadium, although that helps.  Hundreds of thousands of underage college kids are wasted to the point of being escorted out of the stadium by cops at 11:45 a.m., which means the rest of the country can tastefully enjoy a beer or two.

2. Super Bowl
Go ahead, get together with your buddies (or complete strangers) in somebody's living room or a bar and get a little tipsy.  That's what all the infamously fatty Super Bowl snacks are for: soaking up the alcohol so that you can go to work without a hangover the next day. 

3..... Okay, football games in general- NFL, college, it doesn't matter.  Football and beer are to America's middle class what peanut butter and jelly are to 5 year olds.  Drink up!

4. Your Birthday
I don't think I really need to explain this do I?  You can get away with a lot on your birthday.

5. Camping
What else are you going to do in the middle of the woods?  You can only stare at a bonfire for so long before conversations get a little dull.  And hiking is overrated.  You don't have to drive anywhere, there's no TV or internet to entertain you, and you are sleeping under a thin layer of polyester.  Anything could happen.

6. St. Patrick's Day
It's a day set aside for public drunkenness.

7. Winter Carnival!
Pretend royalty are driving down the street, trashy "Viking" ladies are walking around kissing everybody on the cheek for "protection" from Yetis, and, oh yeah, its cold as fuck and we're voluntarily standing outside for 4+ hours.

Now, please excuse me while I go pour my adult beverage and get silly!  Happy Winter Carnival!

Hi there!

Hi there!

I've done some blogging before, but I want to start up again with a new topic: ME. 

Sometimes I think this life isn't worth living, but I'm constantly reminded that it is by random shit.  So now I'm going to write about random shit as a slap in the forehead that life is actually pretty awesome. 

So welcome, come on in, the water's warm!  ;)