i uh, just wanted to make sure this got out there.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
PAUL MCCARTNEY
I SAW PAUL MCCARTNEY LAST NIGHT AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL AND I AM SEEING HIM AGAIN TONIGHT.
...more on this later.
i uh, just wanted to make sure this got out there.
i uh, just wanted to make sure this got out there.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
pizza factory gets 1 star.
i went to a pizza place on sunday night after matt and i made it down the mountain.
i'll start by quoting my yelp review:
"I must preface this review by saying that while the pizza was indeed quite tasty, the only reason I am writing this review is because of the HORRIBLY RUDE staff, and so I would like my review to reflect this.
We walked in 5 minutes before closing [and I know, this is not good timing. but we had been up at Sequoia Nat'l Park snowshoeing all weekend and were absolutely famished] and when we asked if we could still order food [nobody bothered to ask us if we needed anything] we were greeted with a leer from the girl with the short brown-hair and a tattoo on her collar bone. She stomped around behind the counter making a huuuuge fuss about having had to take our order.
After we paid [and tipped] for our to-go order, we sat down at a table to wait. The same girl was huffing and puffing around the restaurant cleaning up and right as she walked by our table she very loudly said in response to an inaudible question from a co-worker, "well, we're going to be here for another twenty minutes, AT LEAST."
I was BEYOND appalled. I worked in food service for a number of years. I know how much it stinks to have someone come in 5 minutes before close. I've cleaned juicers and blenders only to have to dirty them again for the guy that walked in 2 minutes before we closed. I get it. But you never, NEVER let the customer know how you're feeling. Chances are they already feel a little guilty about walking in so close to closing time. If you don't want to stay open until 9pm, then close at 8:50. If the sign says Open, you graciously take orders until you turn that sign off.
I will not be returning to this establishment."
BITCH. BITCH. BITCH. BITCH.
WHO TREATS THEIR CUSTOMERS LIKE THIS?? WHO?!!
upon entering and receiving not so much as a 'can i help you?' or even a glance our way, i immediately turned to matt and started to suggest that maybe we should just leave. i didn't want to give any business to these lowlifes. but, we were starving. we were in the middle of nowhere, and the next closest meal was an hour away and would have consisted of fast food burgers and fries.
so matt, being the gentlemen that he is, politely asked 'can we still order?' only to receive glares, stomps, sounds of exasperation, and a 'we close in 4 minutes so any orders must be TO GO.'
"ok then, we'd like a medium pepperoni pizza." confident.
:silence: :rings us up: "sixteen dollars"
:hands credit card. swipes. rips receipt off and hands over. tip given. silence.:
we sit at a table with our backs to the front of the restaurant. our girl walks to the back and continues to make her annoyance known with her "20 minutes, at least" comment. i am SO close to getting up and saying something, but am urged to wait at least until we leave so we can assure our pizza is not spit into. i have never been so amped up before. i was absolutely livid. who is SHE to give me shit for walking in when the goddamn restaurant was still open?? FUCKIN CLOSE IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SERVE ME. GOD. GOD!!!!
at matt's suggestion, we remain polite and do not stoop to their level. we take our food and peacefully leave. i figure i'll get them in my own sneaky way.
kill their yelp rating.
and if i'm lucky, get the bitch fired.
i'll start by quoting my yelp review:
"I must preface this review by saying that while the pizza was indeed quite tasty, the only reason I am writing this review is because of the HORRIBLY RUDE staff, and so I would like my review to reflect this.
We walked in 5 minutes before closing [and I know, this is not good timing. but we had been up at Sequoia Nat'l Park snowshoeing all weekend and were absolutely famished] and when we asked if we could still order food [nobody bothered to ask us if we needed anything] we were greeted with a leer from the girl with the short brown-hair and a tattoo on her collar bone. She stomped around behind the counter making a huuuuge fuss about having had to take our order.
After we paid [and tipped] for our to-go order, we sat down at a table to wait. The same girl was huffing and puffing around the restaurant cleaning up and right as she walked by our table she very loudly said in response to an inaudible question from a co-worker, "well, we're going to be here for another twenty minutes, AT LEAST."
I was BEYOND appalled. I worked in food service for a number of years. I know how much it stinks to have someone come in 5 minutes before close. I've cleaned juicers and blenders only to have to dirty them again for the guy that walked in 2 minutes before we closed. I get it. But you never, NEVER let the customer know how you're feeling. Chances are they already feel a little guilty about walking in so close to closing time. If you don't want to stay open until 9pm, then close at 8:50. If the sign says Open, you graciously take orders until you turn that sign off.
I will not be returning to this establishment."
BITCH. BITCH. BITCH. BITCH.
WHO TREATS THEIR CUSTOMERS LIKE THIS?? WHO?!!
upon entering and receiving not so much as a 'can i help you?' or even a glance our way, i immediately turned to matt and started to suggest that maybe we should just leave. i didn't want to give any business to these lowlifes. but, we were starving. we were in the middle of nowhere, and the next closest meal was an hour away and would have consisted of fast food burgers and fries.
so matt, being the gentlemen that he is, politely asked 'can we still order?' only to receive glares, stomps, sounds of exasperation, and a 'we close in 4 minutes so any orders must be TO GO.'
"ok then, we'd like a medium pepperoni pizza." confident.
:silence: :rings us up: "sixteen dollars"
:hands credit card. swipes. rips receipt off and hands over. tip given. silence.:
we sit at a table with our backs to the front of the restaurant. our girl walks to the back and continues to make her annoyance known with her "20 minutes, at least" comment. i am SO close to getting up and saying something, but am urged to wait at least until we leave so we can assure our pizza is not spit into. i have never been so amped up before. i was absolutely livid. who is SHE to give me shit for walking in when the goddamn restaurant was still open?? FUCKIN CLOSE IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SERVE ME. GOD. GOD!!!!
at matt's suggestion, we remain polite and do not stoop to their level. we take our food and peacefully leave. i figure i'll get them in my own sneaky way.
kill their yelp rating.
and if i'm lucky, get the bitch fired.
thank goodness i blog.
i wanted to make banana bread last night.
no, i didn't want to make it, i NEEDED to make it.
i had a cravin' for bakin' alllll day long and so i went out and bought myself some heavy cream after work [because who has heavy cream just sitting around? oh, we do, apparently. though i did not see it until after i had bought mine]. of course.
i started organizing all my ingredients in the kitchen. i went over to the drawer to grab my lil book-o-recipes [a small notebook with a picutre of the eiffel tower that zach and ian taras got for me for my 17th birthday] and it WASN'T THERE. i thought perhaps it was upstairs, but matt and danny were recording, and i thought it best if i don my best Milford School hat and be neither seen nor heard. i started pacing around the kitchen, wondering what the heck i was going to do while my ingredients sat taunting me on the counter. then. it hit me.
I THINK I BLOGGED ABOUT MY BANANA BREAD.
and sure enough.
right there under 'things i cook' lay my prize.
nana's 'nana bread.
thank goodness i blog.
no, i didn't want to make it, i NEEDED to make it.
i had a cravin' for bakin' alllll day long and so i went out and bought myself some heavy cream after work [because who has heavy cream just sitting around? oh, we do, apparently. though i did not see it until after i had bought mine]. of course.
i started organizing all my ingredients in the kitchen. i went over to the drawer to grab my lil book-o-recipes [a small notebook with a picutre of the eiffel tower that zach and ian taras got for me for my 17th birthday] and it WASN'T THERE. i thought perhaps it was upstairs, but matt and danny were recording, and i thought it best if i don my best Milford School hat and be neither seen nor heard. i started pacing around the kitchen, wondering what the heck i was going to do while my ingredients sat taunting me on the counter. then. it hit me.
I THINK I BLOGGED ABOUT MY BANANA BREAD.
and sure enough.
right there under 'things i cook' lay my prize.
nana's 'nana bread.
thank goodness i blog.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
meow. and RED HOOK!!!
a couple things.
first, thanks to kristina and the daily freeman, i was informed that the april issue of men's journal lists red hook, ny, MY red hook, ny, as one of the best places to live.
[click on photo to read the article]
amazing. simply amazing.
second,
on my way to borders to purchase said article, i walked past a parked car in which sat what i can only guess was a man, who beckoned me like a cat.
pss pss pssss.
first, thanks to kristina and the daily freeman, i was informed that the april issue of men's journal lists red hook, ny, MY red hook, ny, as one of the best places to live.
[click on photo to read the article]
amazing. simply amazing.
second,
on my way to borders to purchase said article, i walked past a parked car in which sat what i can only guess was a man, who beckoned me like a cat.
pss pss pssss.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Friday, March 12, 2010
mexican hot chocolate cupcakes
oh. em. gee.
make. these. now.
I got the following recipe from one of my favorite food blogs, Love and Olive Oil.
I had these cupcakes bookmarked for months and finally got around to trying my hand at them last night. These are the most delicious cupcakes I have ever made. They are chocolatey, moist, rich, and the cinnamon and cayenne give them the tiniest kick. So that Matt could enjoy them as well, I used gluten-free baking flour. Although the back of the bag does say that you can substitute it 1:1 for regular flour, they still recommend adding xanthan gum. I didn't do this, as I wasn't in the market for buying a 1/2 lb. bag of something I would probably use 1 1/2 teaspoons of. And my final product came out just fine. A bit of a dip in the center of the cakes, but nothing a bit of frosting can't cover up! If I decide to make gluten-free baking a regular thing, perhaps I will try this recipe with the addition of xanthan gum [I will definitely try it with regular flour, too!].
Anyhow - below is the recipe - the link for the original is here.
I made some modifications, as I didn't have access [read: couldn't afford] some of the ingredients.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes
Makes 12 cupcakes
1 c. coconut milk
1 T ground flaxseed
3/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons corn flour or very fine cornmeal [I bought cornmeal bulk from Whole Foods and then put it in the blender to make it as fine as possible. This was ridiculous. Spend the few extra bucks and buy yourself some corn flour]
1/4 c. almond meal [I had sliced almonds in the freezer. I threw these into a coffee grinder and made my own almond meal]
1/2 c. cocoa powder
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
3/4 t salt
1 t ground cinnamon
1/8 t ground cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)
1 c granulated sugar
1/3 c canola oil
1 t vanilla extract
1 t almond extract
For the frosting [and a note on this: I believe the original recipe is missing the amount of cream cheese..so my frosting consisted of only the ingredients below..and at least to me seemed to be not what was intended..but, if it's looks you're going for, this frosting will do the trick]
1/2 c. butter or margarine, room temperature
1 1/2 c. confectioners' sugar
1/2 t vanilla extract
1/2 t almond extract
2 T milk or soymilk [I used vanilla soymilk]
Preheat oven to 350. Line your cupcake pan with liners.
In a small bowl, whisk together coconut milk and flaxseed. Let sit for 10 minutes and then whisk in sugar, oil, vanilla & almond extracts.
In a larger bowl, sift together flour, corn flour, almond meal, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cayenne.
Gently mix in wet ingredients.
Fill cupcake cups with 1/4 c. of batter [approx. 2/3 full]. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Remove from pan and let cool.
For the frosting, cream the butter [here is where it says to cream butter with cream cheese...but i'm not sure how much cream cheese...my gut says 8 oz, but i didn't have any so i didn't do this]. Slowly add 1 c. of the confectioners' sugar, a 1/2 c. at a time, until mixture is smooth and fluffy. Add soymilk, extracts, and if you wish, food coloring. Add your last bit of powdered sugar, and at this point you can add more if you think the consistency or taste should be different.
You can spread the frosting on the cakes if you'd like, or you can put the frosting in a plastic ziploc bag, cut off one of the bottom corners of the bag, and squeeze the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes. And voila - they look like little dollops of whipped cream!
Then eat, and be sure to share with your friends, who you can bet will ask you to make another batch pronto.
enjoy!!!
make. these. now.
I got the following recipe from one of my favorite food blogs, Love and Olive Oil.
I had these cupcakes bookmarked for months and finally got around to trying my hand at them last night. These are the most delicious cupcakes I have ever made. They are chocolatey, moist, rich, and the cinnamon and cayenne give them the tiniest kick. So that Matt could enjoy them as well, I used gluten-free baking flour. Although the back of the bag does say that you can substitute it 1:1 for regular flour, they still recommend adding xanthan gum. I didn't do this, as I wasn't in the market for buying a 1/2 lb. bag of something I would probably use 1 1/2 teaspoons of. And my final product came out just fine. A bit of a dip in the center of the cakes, but nothing a bit of frosting can't cover up! If I decide to make gluten-free baking a regular thing, perhaps I will try this recipe with the addition of xanthan gum [I will definitely try it with regular flour, too!].
Anyhow - below is the recipe - the link for the original is here.
I made some modifications, as I didn't have access [read: couldn't afford] some of the ingredients.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes
Makes 12 cupcakes
1 c. coconut milk
1 T ground flaxseed
3/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons corn flour or very fine cornmeal [I bought cornmeal bulk from Whole Foods and then put it in the blender to make it as fine as possible. This was ridiculous. Spend the few extra bucks and buy yourself some corn flour]
1/4 c. almond meal [I had sliced almonds in the freezer. I threw these into a coffee grinder and made my own almond meal]
1/2 c. cocoa powder
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
3/4 t salt
1 t ground cinnamon
1/8 t ground cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)
1 c granulated sugar
1/3 c canola oil
1 t vanilla extract
1 t almond extract
For the frosting [and a note on this: I believe the original recipe is missing the amount of cream cheese..so my frosting consisted of only the ingredients below..and at least to me seemed to be not what was intended..but, if it's looks you're going for, this frosting will do the trick]
1/2 c. butter or margarine, room temperature
1 1/2 c. confectioners' sugar
1/2 t vanilla extract
1/2 t almond extract
2 T milk or soymilk [I used vanilla soymilk]
Preheat oven to 350. Line your cupcake pan with liners.
In a small bowl, whisk together coconut milk and flaxseed. Let sit for 10 minutes and then whisk in sugar, oil, vanilla & almond extracts.
In a larger bowl, sift together flour, corn flour, almond meal, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cayenne.
Gently mix in wet ingredients.
Fill cupcake cups with 1/4 c. of batter [approx. 2/3 full]. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Remove from pan and let cool.
For the frosting, cream the butter [here is where it says to cream butter with cream cheese...but i'm not sure how much cream cheese...my gut says 8 oz, but i didn't have any so i didn't do this]. Slowly add 1 c. of the confectioners' sugar, a 1/2 c. at a time, until mixture is smooth and fluffy. Add soymilk, extracts, and if you wish, food coloring. Add your last bit of powdered sugar, and at this point you can add more if you think the consistency or taste should be different.
You can spread the frosting on the cakes if you'd like, or you can put the frosting in a plastic ziploc bag, cut off one of the bottom corners of the bag, and squeeze the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes. And voila - they look like little dollops of whipped cream!
Then eat, and be sure to share with your friends, who you can bet will ask you to make another batch pronto.
enjoy!!!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
synchronous carradine
watching dexter.
one of the actors looked familiar.
looked him up.
name = keith carradine.
moved on with our tv viewing.
stumbled upon weeds main titles.
researched the song "little boxes."
"The song was performed by Keith Carradine in the movie The Californians in 2005."
thanks, wiki.
one of the actors looked familiar.
looked him up.
name = keith carradine.
moved on with our tv viewing.
stumbled upon weeds main titles.
researched the song "little boxes."
"The song was performed by Keith Carradine in the movie The Californians in 2005."
thanks, wiki.
ticky tacky
chris and i just watched the opening sequence to all of seasons 2 and 3 of weeds.
a different artist sings the main title theme ["little boxes," originally by malvina reynolds] in each episode.
this one by man man is GREAT.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCdYE6dwe9c
[sorry. can't embed. ugh.]
a different artist sings the main title theme ["little boxes," originally by malvina reynolds] in each episode.
this one by man man is GREAT.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCdYE6dwe9c
[sorry. can't embed. ugh.]
spitzer, the musical
matt and danny made this song.
they are two very special people in my life, so please support them and watch this!
oh, and NASA made the video.
cool.
they are two very special people in my life, so please support them and watch this!
oh, and NASA made the video.
cool.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
"put the ring on, mr. frodo"
also,
i saw samwise gamgee at real food daily over the weekend.
instead of "oh look, sean astin is walking in the door right next to you," i watch as matt's head darts to the center of our table and loudly whispers "samwise gamgee!" [much as i did the other day at trader joe's]. i follow his eyes behind me and see, yes, samwise gamgee standing at the hostess stand.
awesome.
i saw samwise gamgee at real food daily over the weekend.
instead of "oh look, sean astin is walking in the door right next to you," i watch as matt's head darts to the center of our table and loudly whispers "samwise gamgee!" [much as i did the other day at trader joe's]. i follow his eyes behind me and see, yes, samwise gamgee standing at the hostess stand.
awesome.
i rule.
back in december, i got pulled over for the first time in my life.
i think i meant to blog about it but i never did.
maybe another day.
long story short, my new york registration had been up some months prior, and i had yet to register my car in california.
the truth? my car wouldn't pass the california smog test. therefore it could not be registered.
so i was basically riding around until they got me.
and they got me.
luckily i was in the car with matt and chris so they helped me calm down. and the officers were crazy nice and just gave me a fix-it ticket. get your car registered and show us the proof by february.
awesome!
except...
car still wouldn't pass the smog test.
so when i came back from christmas in new york, i bought myself a new car.
this car was registered and i switched over my car insurance and blah blah blah - all good. i called the court to ask if i had to come in or if i could mail in a copy of the registration. they said i could just mail it in, except... the ticket was for my saab. not my new car. buying a new car does not totally fix the problem [legally, at least]. so they set a court date for me so that i could try my luck at getting out of paying the $256 fine.
that date was today.
this was my first time in a court of any kind.
i finally found the parking garage [on a dead end street behind the court building] and ran through the court yard with the rest of the masses. there was a long line at security. i finally got through and went to the 2nd floor. i waited in line for awhile where i thought that maybe all i had to do was talk to a person behind the counter. wrong. they told me i was supposed to be on the 4th floor.
"it started at 8:30"
8:39.
shit.
i ran upstairs and into my designated courtroom, whereupon i found myself one of about 75 fellow offenders. i signed in and took a seat in the very back. the court officer played us our rights and gave us a detailed description of what we were in for. he was. hilarious. whenever he talked i felt fine, it was only when he stopped that i started shivering and became nauseous with anxiety. 2 1/2 hours i sat in that room. 2 1/2 hours i listened as case after case was brought in front of the judge [failure to stop at a red light, driving without a license, no proof of insurance, driving in the wrong lane, etc etc etc]. 2 1/2 hours i went over in my head the most succinct way to explain my case without pissing off the judge ["this is not the place for you to tell your story - this is an arraignment. i read you your citation and ask you what you want to do and you say "not guilty," "guilty," or "no contest." if you plead not guilty, THEN you will have the opportunity to sit down and explain yourself at a later date"]. the last thing i wanted to do was come back to this place.
i sat through and listened to hours of the guilty and the guiltless, the infractions and the misdemeanors, the spanish and the korean, the young and the old, the women with babies and the woman with breast cancer. my leg shook uncontrollably [much like joe lydon's in french class] and i was freezing. i went to use the bathroom and saw a large sign with the dress-code: no tank tops, mini skirts, etc. my dress is freaking short today. i spent the rest of the morning trying to reveal the least amount of thigh.
finally i heard my name and i moved up front. closer, now.
the rows in front of me all moved up to the bench and i knew my time was near.
it was soon my time to sit before the judge. i moved up to the bench of doom, flanked by 3 older men.
"i can't believe we're the last ones," said the one to my left.
"yeah, but at least now no one else can hear what i did wrong."
i turn around and there are maybe 4 people left in the court room. that's what i get for showing up late. but hey, my stage fright is dissipating.
"ok, next we have jessica neilson"
"hi"
"your ticket is for driving without registration. do you have proof of registration- oh yes, it looks like you do"
:as i hand my new car's registration to the court officer: "my car wouldn't pass the smog test so i couldn't register it so i went out and bought a new car."
"ok, so that's not the registration for the old car. it's for the new car. so that's not reeeally fixing it. "
"...ohh...."
"do you have proof that you no longer have the old car?"
"no-"
"how am i supposed to know? "
"no..i'm in the process of donating it."
"so you still have your old car."
"yes, in my garage."
"ah, ok. well..at least it's good that you're not driving it if it won't pass the smog.."
:looks at me for a moment and gives what i believe to be a tiny smile:
"ok. just this once, i'm going to dismiss this. $25 dismissal fee. just make sure and get rid of the car." :another smile?
i left feeling elated, proud, and like a good person.
the whole time i was up there she was rambling on looking down at her papers, but i swore i sensed something change as soon as she took a moment to make eye contact with me. i felt like for the split second that she looked up and at me that she could tell that i was a good person and that i really did try. i bought a new car, for pete's sake. it was as if she knew i had never been in trouble, had never been pulled over, and would never be back in that court room again.
and who knows, i may be completely crazy. it's very possible i imagined those hints of smiles. and with only 3 more people to go after me, maybe she just wanted to get the hell out of there.
i think i meant to blog about it but i never did.
maybe another day.
long story short, my new york registration had been up some months prior, and i had yet to register my car in california.
the truth? my car wouldn't pass the california smog test. therefore it could not be registered.
so i was basically riding around until they got me.
and they got me.
luckily i was in the car with matt and chris so they helped me calm down. and the officers were crazy nice and just gave me a fix-it ticket. get your car registered and show us the proof by february.
awesome!
except...
car still wouldn't pass the smog test.
so when i came back from christmas in new york, i bought myself a new car.
this car was registered and i switched over my car insurance and blah blah blah - all good. i called the court to ask if i had to come in or if i could mail in a copy of the registration. they said i could just mail it in, except... the ticket was for my saab. not my new car. buying a new car does not totally fix the problem [legally, at least]. so they set a court date for me so that i could try my luck at getting out of paying the $256 fine.
that date was today.
this was my first time in a court of any kind.
i finally found the parking garage [on a dead end street behind the court building] and ran through the court yard with the rest of the masses. there was a long line at security. i finally got through and went to the 2nd floor. i waited in line for awhile where i thought that maybe all i had to do was talk to a person behind the counter. wrong. they told me i was supposed to be on the 4th floor.
"it started at 8:30"
8:39.
shit.
i ran upstairs and into my designated courtroom, whereupon i found myself one of about 75 fellow offenders. i signed in and took a seat in the very back. the court officer played us our rights and gave us a detailed description of what we were in for. he was. hilarious. whenever he talked i felt fine, it was only when he stopped that i started shivering and became nauseous with anxiety. 2 1/2 hours i sat in that room. 2 1/2 hours i listened as case after case was brought in front of the judge [failure to stop at a red light, driving without a license, no proof of insurance, driving in the wrong lane, etc etc etc]. 2 1/2 hours i went over in my head the most succinct way to explain my case without pissing off the judge ["this is not the place for you to tell your story - this is an arraignment. i read you your citation and ask you what you want to do and you say "not guilty," "guilty," or "no contest." if you plead not guilty, THEN you will have the opportunity to sit down and explain yourself at a later date"]. the last thing i wanted to do was come back to this place.
i sat through and listened to hours of the guilty and the guiltless, the infractions and the misdemeanors, the spanish and the korean, the young and the old, the women with babies and the woman with breast cancer. my leg shook uncontrollably [much like joe lydon's in french class] and i was freezing. i went to use the bathroom and saw a large sign with the dress-code: no tank tops, mini skirts, etc. my dress is freaking short today. i spent the rest of the morning trying to reveal the least amount of thigh.
finally i heard my name and i moved up front. closer, now.
the rows in front of me all moved up to the bench and i knew my time was near.
it was soon my time to sit before the judge. i moved up to the bench of doom, flanked by 3 older men.
"i can't believe we're the last ones," said the one to my left.
"yeah, but at least now no one else can hear what i did wrong."
i turn around and there are maybe 4 people left in the court room. that's what i get for showing up late. but hey, my stage fright is dissipating.
"ok, next we have jessica neilson"
"hi"
"your ticket is for driving without registration. do you have proof of registration- oh yes, it looks like you do"
:as i hand my new car's registration to the court officer: "my car wouldn't pass the smog test so i couldn't register it so i went out and bought a new car."
"ok, so that's not the registration for the old car. it's for the new car. so that's not reeeally fixing it. "
"...ohh...."
"do you have proof that you no longer have the old car?"
"no-"
"how am i supposed to know? "
"no..i'm in the process of donating it."
"so you still have your old car."
"yes, in my garage."
"ah, ok. well..at least it's good that you're not driving it if it won't pass the smog.."
:looks at me for a moment and gives what i believe to be a tiny smile:
"ok. just this once, i'm going to dismiss this. $25 dismissal fee. just make sure and get rid of the car." :another smile?
i left feeling elated, proud, and like a good person.
the whole time i was up there she was rambling on looking down at her papers, but i swore i sensed something change as soon as she took a moment to make eye contact with me. i felt like for the split second that she looked up and at me that she could tell that i was a good person and that i really did try. i bought a new car, for pete's sake. it was as if she knew i had never been in trouble, had never been pulled over, and would never be back in that court room again.
and who knows, i may be completely crazy. it's very possible i imagined those hints of smiles. and with only 3 more people to go after me, maybe she just wanted to get the hell out of there.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
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Friday, March 5, 2010
synchronous synchronicity?
i was just overloaded with synchronicity.
i haven't used my lala account in ages, but felt like listening to 'moon river' by andy williams this morning and so i went on to lala and listened, where i had added it to my playlist months and months ago.
just a few moments ago i got an email from a friend, inviting me to join lala.
so i sent him a message telling him about how i had just used it this morning for the first time in forever, and it was funny that he should choose today to invite me.
then he said that right before i had sent him that message, an avett brothers song had come on his lala playlist and he had been thinking of me as my message popped up.
then he said 'there's a word for that..'
and i immediately said 'synchronicity!'
and then told him that i had just been talking about synchronicity this morning after chris ordered sumatran coffee online 30 seconds before i saw on cnn that there had just been an earthquake in sumatra.
my head is about to implode.
i haven't used my lala account in ages, but felt like listening to 'moon river' by andy williams this morning and so i went on to lala and listened, where i had added it to my playlist months and months ago.
just a few moments ago i got an email from a friend, inviting me to join lala.
so i sent him a message telling him about how i had just used it this morning for the first time in forever, and it was funny that he should choose today to invite me.
then he said that right before i had sent him that message, an avett brothers song had come on his lala playlist and he had been thinking of me as my message popped up.
then he said 'there's a word for that..'
and i immediately said 'synchronicity!'
and then told him that i had just been talking about synchronicity this morning after chris ordered sumatran coffee online 30 seconds before i saw on cnn that there had just been an earthquake in sumatra.
my head is about to implode.
blogger annoyance, pt. 3
don't worry, i'm not skipping pt. 2, it was just titled as something else.
this is my 3rd complaint against blogger.
here it is.
why do i get email alerts when i comment on my own blog?
this is my 3rd complaint against blogger.
here it is.
why do i get email alerts when i comment on my own blog?
Thursday, March 4, 2010
just another day in studio city
after buying fresh tangelos and artichokes from the farmers market on sunday, matt and i walked across the street to trader joes to get some steaks for grilling. we checked out at our friend jesse's register, and while she was ringing up our food stuffs, i glanced 2 registers over and saw two very famous people: william h macy and felicity huffman. AH. i turned around to matt and in my best i-see-someone-awesome-and-i-want-to-run-over-there-but-that's-not-cool-so-i'm-going-to-try-really-REALLY-hard-to stay-calm voice i loudly whispered with eyes as big as the moon, 'ah! over there! william h macy! ah!'
'what, you see someone famous?' asked jesse, nonchalantly.
'YES. YES.'
i got a few good glances in before i made an actual attempt at being discreet. william was wearing tiny tiny jogging shorts, had long hair, john lennon sun glasses, and a large wool hat, brown with some pinkish design. felicity was wearing sunglasses and long sleeves and long pants, but very obviously is in very good shape. both of them. i expected william h macy to be a bit scrawnier, but boy is ripped.
we went outside where i pretended to use my iphone for something until they walked out past us. we walked back through the parking lot to get to our bikes across the street and passed them as they got into their big black mercedes.
ugh.
i know 'actors are real people, too' but if that's true, how come i feel as if i am in the presence of GODS when i see some of them?
'what, you see someone famous?' asked jesse, nonchalantly.
'YES. YES.'
i got a few good glances in before i made an actual attempt at being discreet. william was wearing tiny tiny jogging shorts, had long hair, john lennon sun glasses, and a large wool hat, brown with some pinkish design. felicity was wearing sunglasses and long sleeves and long pants, but very obviously is in very good shape. both of them. i expected william h macy to be a bit scrawnier, but boy is ripped.
we went outside where i pretended to use my iphone for something until they walked out past us. we walked back through the parking lot to get to our bikes across the street and passed them as they got into their big black mercedes.
ugh.
i know 'actors are real people, too' but if that's true, how come i feel as if i am in the presence of GODS when i see some of them?
mmmm home depot
i also really REALLY love the smell of hardware stores, specifically lowe's and home depot.
i also enjoy going to the store for one thing and coming home with an entire carful of something else [ie. plants].
tim was mounting the tv on the wall last night, but didn't have the correct screws. it was 8:39 pm. thinking that perhaps our earthquake would hit during the night, and what a shame it would be for the television to fall over after being so close, we decided to jump in the car that instant and get to the store before our assumed 9pm deadline [what hardware store stays open past 9:oo?].
home depot does, it seems.
with minutes to spare we arrived at the front door and found what we were looking for. 9pm came and went, and we realized we had more time than we thought.
to the garden section.
lots of money later, and our offices and rooms are brighter and livelier than they were yesterday.
i love plants.
i also enjoy going to the store for one thing and coming home with an entire carful of something else [ie. plants].
tim was mounting the tv on the wall last night, but didn't have the correct screws. it was 8:39 pm. thinking that perhaps our earthquake would hit during the night, and what a shame it would be for the television to fall over after being so close, we decided to jump in the car that instant and get to the store before our assumed 9pm deadline [what hardware store stays open past 9:oo?].
home depot does, it seems.
with minutes to spare we arrived at the front door and found what we were looking for. 9pm came and went, and we realized we had more time than we thought.
to the garden section.
lots of money later, and our offices and rooms are brighter and livelier than they were yesterday.
i love plants.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
you should dare to eat me.
i made non-traditional rice krispie treats the other day.
they are both dairy and gluten free. though i suppose all rice krispie treats are gluten free...
anyhow -
recipe below.
Crispy Rice Chocolately Treats
4 c brown rice crisps
2/3 cup dark chocolate chips [or some dark chocolate bars all chopped up, like i did]
1/2 cup smooth almond butter
5 T raw agave nectar
1 T vanilla extract
1/2 t ground cinnamon
Place rice krispies and chocolate in a large bowl.
On the stove over medium-low, heat the almond butter and the agave until it is warm and syrup-like. Remove from the heat and add in the vanilla and the cinnamon.
Pour syrup mixture over the cereal and chocolate and mix together until cereal is coated.
Use cooking spray to grease the bottom of a 7x11 or 9x11 baking dish. Pour in the mixture and pat down with a greased fork or wet fingers and let chill in the refrigerator for a bit before serving in small squares.
and that's it!
***********************
they turned out alright. SUPER sweet. they are traditionally made with raisins, not chocolate [ha.] so that could have something to do with it. that, or maybe just add less agave?
either way, this dessert should delight vegans near and far :) enjoy!
they are both dairy and gluten free. though i suppose all rice krispie treats are gluten free...
anyhow -
recipe below.
Crispy Rice Chocolately Treats
4 c brown rice crisps
2/3 cup dark chocolate chips [or some dark chocolate bars all chopped up, like i did]
1/2 cup smooth almond butter
5 T raw agave nectar
1 T vanilla extract
1/2 t ground cinnamon
Place rice krispies and chocolate in a large bowl.
On the stove over medium-low, heat the almond butter and the agave until it is warm and syrup-like. Remove from the heat and add in the vanilla and the cinnamon.
Pour syrup mixture over the cereal and chocolate and mix together until cereal is coated.
Use cooking spray to grease the bottom of a 7x11 or 9x11 baking dish. Pour in the mixture and pat down with a greased fork or wet fingers and let chill in the refrigerator for a bit before serving in small squares.
and that's it!
***********************
they turned out alright. SUPER sweet. they are traditionally made with raisins, not chocolate [ha.] so that could have something to do with it. that, or maybe just add less agave?
either way, this dessert should delight vegans near and far :) enjoy!
spencer tunick
if you have not seen this man's work, you should do so immediately.
it is amazing and beautiful.
and he was raised not far from where i grew up.
so,
that's cool, too.
www.spencertunick.com
Mexico City 3 (Zócalo, MUCA/UNAM Campus) 2007
Switzerland, Aletsch Glacier 1 (Greenpeace) 2007
Barcelona 1 (Institut de Cultura) 2003
Netherlands 6 (Dream Amsterdam Foundation) 2007
it is amazing and beautiful.
and he was raised not far from where i grew up.
so,
that's cool, too.
www.spencertunick.com
Mexico City 3 (Zócalo, MUCA/UNAM Campus) 2007
Switzerland, Aletsch Glacier 1 (Greenpeace) 2007
Barcelona 1 (Institut de Cultura) 2003
Netherlands 6 (Dream Amsterdam Foundation) 2007
hahahahaha. what was that? i wasn't listening.
do you ever find yourself in a conversation with someone, looking them in the eye and even laughing at what they're saying, but honestly having NO idea what they have just said because you can only focus on the horrible cramps you are having?
i do.
.and i don't mean these kind of cramps.
i do.
.and i don't mean these kind of cramps.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
where are your manners?
i just took a quick respite from work to walk down the road to the newsstand to look for last week's issue of Billboard magazine.
while meandering down the walk of fame, past the crowded bus stops, the hokey souvenir shops and the alleys reeking of piss and shit, stepping on the names of those once adored, i passed a homeless man sitting against a building. he asked for the spare change, as per usual, but instead of the oft-heard 'got any change? got any change? got any change?' he made it personal.
'do you have any spare change so i can get some dinner tonight?'
i kept walking, eyes straight ahead, but decided on my way back that i would give him a dollar. for some reason he got me.
flash forward 3 minutes to my arrival at the newsstand. i ask the man at the register, who appears to be writing music, if he has any back issues of the magazine i am looking for. he does not, so i buy this week's issue, on whose cover there is a photo of a guitar case filled with money. "how nice would it be to have a guitar case full of money?" he asks me.
"so nice" i reply.
"what's the first thing you'd buy?"
"a nice vacation."
"oh yeah? where would you go?"
"mmm. africa."
"oh? why africa?"
"well i've always wanted to go to africa, it's just so far and not something i can afford right now."
"where in africa would you go? south africa?"
"well, i think it would be really great to climb mount kilimanjaro someday. so you know, some tanzania action."
"ah! you're an adventurous one! i've always like girls with a little bit of a sense of adventure. what is your name?"
"jessica"
"hi jessica, i'm edward" :shakes hands:
"nice to meet you, edward. thank you!"
"thank YOU, jessica"
after this lovely interaction, i power-walked back in the direction i came. i was feeling good, even after having just spent $7.67 on a magazine [but edward threw in 2 cents for me. what a nice guy.]. i soon saw my homeless man up ahead on the right. i separated my two dollar bills in my pocket so that i wouldn't accidentally give him both. heh. as i was the only one passing him at that moment, i thought he would ask me for change, i would whip out a whole dollar from my pocket, gently place it into his grubby hands, he would give me a huge toothy smile, thank me profusely, maybe a "god bless you," and i would be on my way.
instead:
i approach him and he glances my way. he doesn't ask me for anything, but i've already started fumbling in my pocket, so i hand him money he hasn't requested. he holds his cigarette in one hand, takes my dollar in the other, and immediately goes back to what he was doing. smoking and staring at the ground.
i don't even think he looked me in the eye. no thank you, no "god bless," not even a mumble that i could then try to decipher. nothing.
i kept walking, kind of mad at this homeless, moneyless man for not thanking me. i continued walking, trying to understand why he had seemed so ungrateful, when i looked to my left and saw what was most like human feces sitting in the dirt next to a tree.
awesome.
i just can't win.
while meandering down the walk of fame, past the crowded bus stops, the hokey souvenir shops and the alleys reeking of piss and shit, stepping on the names of those once adored, i passed a homeless man sitting against a building. he asked for the spare change, as per usual, but instead of the oft-heard 'got any change? got any change? got any change?' he made it personal.
'do you have any spare change so i can get some dinner tonight?'
i kept walking, eyes straight ahead, but decided on my way back that i would give him a dollar. for some reason he got me.
flash forward 3 minutes to my arrival at the newsstand. i ask the man at the register, who appears to be writing music, if he has any back issues of the magazine i am looking for. he does not, so i buy this week's issue, on whose cover there is a photo of a guitar case filled with money. "how nice would it be to have a guitar case full of money?" he asks me.
"so nice" i reply.
"what's the first thing you'd buy?"
"a nice vacation."
"oh yeah? where would you go?"
"mmm. africa."
"oh? why africa?"
"well i've always wanted to go to africa, it's just so far and not something i can afford right now."
"where in africa would you go? south africa?"
"well, i think it would be really great to climb mount kilimanjaro someday. so you know, some tanzania action."
"ah! you're an adventurous one! i've always like girls with a little bit of a sense of adventure. what is your name?"
"jessica"
"hi jessica, i'm edward" :shakes hands:
"nice to meet you, edward. thank you!"
"thank YOU, jessica"
after this lovely interaction, i power-walked back in the direction i came. i was feeling good, even after having just spent $7.67 on a magazine [but edward threw in 2 cents for me. what a nice guy.]. i soon saw my homeless man up ahead on the right. i separated my two dollar bills in my pocket so that i wouldn't accidentally give him both. heh. as i was the only one passing him at that moment, i thought he would ask me for change, i would whip out a whole dollar from my pocket, gently place it into his grubby hands, he would give me a huge toothy smile, thank me profusely, maybe a "god bless you," and i would be on my way.
instead:
i approach him and he glances my way. he doesn't ask me for anything, but i've already started fumbling in my pocket, so i hand him money he hasn't requested. he holds his cigarette in one hand, takes my dollar in the other, and immediately goes back to what he was doing. smoking and staring at the ground.
i don't even think he looked me in the eye. no thank you, no "god bless," not even a mumble that i could then try to decipher. nothing.
i kept walking, kind of mad at this homeless, moneyless man for not thanking me. i continued walking, trying to understand why he had seemed so ungrateful, when i looked to my left and saw what was most like human feces sitting in the dirt next to a tree.
awesome.
i just can't win.
Monday, March 1, 2010
right now
this is how i am feeling:
there is a chirping in this office that sounds remarkably like a cricket on crack. it won't stop.
i suppose it could be the light. or something else. i'm not sure how often the 4pm crickets come out in los angeles.
a car just screeched by outside. my car screeched the other day and i got embarrassed, mainly because i didn't intend to squeal and i didn't want people to get the wrong idea about me [what idea would that be? i don't know. that i'm a no-good, careless youth who wants to squeal so everyone will look and see how cool i am when i'm really not cool at all because squealing does not, in fact, make you look cool? at least in my eyes?]. now, my driving habits are not perfect, no. yes, i text while i drive. i eat while i drive. i do things other than keep my eyes on the road. but i don't peel out. you know how you can trust that i don't do such things? i just had to look up whether it was 'peal' or 'peel.'
do you like my new tunic?
i bought it at target [the only place i can afford to get new clothes other than goodwill and erica's closet [yes, a friend, not a store]].
hmm. what else.
i have a good story from friday night, but i will save that for a blog post above this one.
i've been using the burt's bees milk & honey lotion that i got for christmas a lot lately. i keep it in my bag and apply it multiple times a day. it is so nice. i haven't used it in ages. i used to have a burt's bees sample pack with 3 little bottles of different lotions. it was before i understood how great burt's was, and i let these lotions go to waste. they were left in the hot hot heat and became watery and were no longer conducive to moisturizing. but now, i have learned, my friends, and this bottle will not stand to be wasted. i promise you this.
i watched the usa v canada hockey game yesterday afternoon. it was a tough one. i knew if canada won, i would be sad that my country did not win. but i knew if we did win, i would feel worse that canada had lost. so amongst all of the 'USA! USA! USA! HOLY CRAP OT! GO AMERICA! WOO USA! OMG I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS, THIS IS AMAZING, USA USA!! AMERICA IS THE BEST!' facebook statuses, i found myself quietly rooting for a team that was not my own.
and we won :)
there is a chirping in this office that sounds remarkably like a cricket on crack. it won't stop.
i suppose it could be the light. or something else. i'm not sure how often the 4pm crickets come out in los angeles.
a car just screeched by outside. my car screeched the other day and i got embarrassed, mainly because i didn't intend to squeal and i didn't want people to get the wrong idea about me [what idea would that be? i don't know. that i'm a no-good, careless youth who wants to squeal so everyone will look and see how cool i am when i'm really not cool at all because squealing does not, in fact, make you look cool? at least in my eyes?]. now, my driving habits are not perfect, no. yes, i text while i drive. i eat while i drive. i do things other than keep my eyes on the road. but i don't peel out. you know how you can trust that i don't do such things? i just had to look up whether it was 'peal' or 'peel.'
do you like my new tunic?
i bought it at target [the only place i can afford to get new clothes other than goodwill and erica's closet [yes, a friend, not a store]].
hmm. what else.
i have a good story from friday night, but i will save that for a blog post above this one.
i've been using the burt's bees milk & honey lotion that i got for christmas a lot lately. i keep it in my bag and apply it multiple times a day. it is so nice. i haven't used it in ages. i used to have a burt's bees sample pack with 3 little bottles of different lotions. it was before i understood how great burt's was, and i let these lotions go to waste. they were left in the hot hot heat and became watery and were no longer conducive to moisturizing. but now, i have learned, my friends, and this bottle will not stand to be wasted. i promise you this.
i watched the usa v canada hockey game yesterday afternoon. it was a tough one. i knew if canada won, i would be sad that my country did not win. but i knew if we did win, i would feel worse that canada had lost. so amongst all of the 'USA! USA! USA! HOLY CRAP OT! GO AMERICA! WOO USA! OMG I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS, THIS IS AMAZING, USA USA!! AMERICA IS THE BEST!' facebook statuses, i found myself quietly rooting for a team that was not my own.
and we won :)
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