Blog For Free!
Archives
Home
2005 October
2005 August
2005 July
2005 June
2005 May
2005 April
2004 September
2004 August
2004 July
2004 June
My Links
25 ways you can make a difference
Portland Music Co.
Praise & Worship music
tBlog
My Profile
Send tMail
My tFriends
My Images
Sponsored
Blog
|
| Weekend update |
| 08.31.04 (9:45 pm) [edit] |
Last weekend my cousin and her boyfriend came to visit. It was so nice to see them, because it’s been a while since she’s come down here.
On Saturday morning, I woke up at 6:30 am to hear massive snoring. It sounded like someone was blowing their nose into a microphone next to my ear. I tried to ignore it, but I couldn’t go back to sleep. So I purposely set off my alarm to wake her up or at least temporarily deactivate her snoring, which was on auto-pilot. So I made my alarm go off on my cell phone, and sure enough, after a few polyphonic choruses of “Yeah” she started to move around and the snoring ceased. I’m brilliant, what can I say? So I turn off the alarm, but she starts snoring again after a few minutes. So much for that … I can’t remember what time I got up, but I do remember that I wanted to pick up my car that morning. Since my mom is such a nice lady, she dropped me off at the place even though it was pretty early for a Saturday morning. I had to laugh at my mom, though. She was wearing one of those scrub uniforms that nurses and dental assistants wear. It was bright orange and I said to her “Hey mom, do you realize you look like an inmate?” I forgot what she said …
Well, turned out that my car wasn’t ready after all but my mom had already left. So the car shop drove me home and they promised to deliver it to my house on Tuesday. Later that morning, my cousin, her boyfriend, my younger brother and I headed out to the shopping outlet in Woodburn. I got this little violin magnet that annoyed everyone, and my Seattle visitors got some new clothes for work. My brother and I hid in a treehouse from them for a while, and then we got bored. Here’s what it looked like:
We went to the coolest McDonald’s ever, only because it had a TV and a guitar-shaped table. Not quite Hard Rock café, but close enough for us …
I realized at the outlet mall that I couldn’t find my license, and it bugged the heck out of me. I felt really bad later on, because I couldn’t stop thinking about finding my license and I think I may have hurt my cousin’s feelings. Oneswtladee206, if you’re reading this, I’m sorry if I freaked out about my license. =( I really, truly loved having you guys down here and I can’t wait to see you again.
We went to Lloyd Center and then to Old Navy out in Beaverton. I thought my cousin was in the dressing rooms, so I waited outside for a few minutes. I think I called her name a few times but didn’t hear her. So I got a little ball out of the machine and was tossing it up in the air. Two little boys, about 3 and 7, were watching me with their mom and infant sibling. I overheard one of the little boys say he wanted a ball, too – so I gave it to the littlest one, whose eyes got really big and a slow, wide grin swept across his face. His mom said “Now what do you say?” and he said sheepishly “Thank you!” then I started to wish I had one again …
On Sunday, we went to the rose gardens and took pictures.
My cousin looked all pretty and beautiful and I of course was uber casual in a Roxy t-shirt, Abercrombie khakis and $3 flip flops from Target. She wanted to dress up, but honestly, I don’t like dressing up. Maybe I should have been more submissive since the day before WAS her birthday … We were venturing over to the Shakespeare garden – by the way, off subject, but you can buy a nice hardbound set of Shakespeare’s plays and poems at Costco for only $12 – when all of a sudden, I got stuck in some smelly mud! It totally reeked of sewage and even worse, my feet were soaked in it. Fortunately, there was a fountain right where it happened, so I tried to clean off there. This family was taking pictures and I think I may have tainted some of their memories of the rose garden. When we got home, my mom took us for a drive through Ladd’s Addition to show my cousin the rose gardens. In case you haven’t been through Ladd’s Addition, it’s just a neighborhood in SE Hawthorne area that has 4 or 5 gardens in between the major streets. We actually used to go to church around there a few times when we missed earlier services. It was really nice. She then treated us to my favorite, Coffee People. If there was a CP closer to my office I would go there.
Yesterday I got a replacement license yesterday before work. I was thinking it’d cost 35 – 40, but it came out to only 21. On the bright side, even though I have no recollection of where the heck my license could be – at least my new one is a lot cooler! When I came home, the car shop had delivered my car a day early – woo hoo! I am so happy to have it back. I’ve driven the van for too long and it’s just not the same. Only thing is my car smells really weird from being in a shop for over 2 weeks. My dad told me to drive it around and see how it drove. So I decided to drive around the block with Sammy, my cat. I put the windows down for him to breathe which ended up being a pretty dumb idea. As I was driving around the block, Sammy had one foot on my shoulder and was peering out my window. All of a sudden, he sprang from my seat and jumped out the window! At first I panicked; I didn’t run over him but I didn’t see him in my rear view mirror. I was probably going 15 – 20 mph. Then I started to laugh. Can you imagine that? A car driving through your neighborhood, and all of a sudden, a cat leaps out the window … Speaking of Sammy, I’m sitting here typing and Sammy is appearing in the window (which mind you, is 3.5’ from the ground with nothing for a cat to stand on) with a bb gun pointed towards my youngest brother and me. It happened about 10 more times. My other brother was picking him up and making it look like Sammy was trying to shoot us. How nice, huh.
Well, today started off really bad but ended pretty nicely. One of my co-workers left me some orange Gerber daisies and chocolate on my desk; another bought me an Americano and gave me a hug. It was so sweet of them because I felt so terrible this morning. I don’t want to get into details, but I will quote what one of the ladies said:
“If we didn’t have those days we just might believe we really don’t need God when we do!”
|
|
|
| |
| Why I need to wear glasses |
| 08.23.04 (8:27 pm) [edit] |
#1 At the Las Vegas airport, we were waiting in line to get checked in. There were two large lines of people and we were in the left line. The check in area was about 20' away from where we were standing when I overheard people reading off the city names on the wall. I could make out "San Francisco" and only recognized "Orange County" because I heard someone mention it. Then, I saw our city. "Look! It says 'Portland, Oregon'!" I exclaimed to my friend. "Where?" she looked over. "See? 'Portland, Oregon'!" I said. Then she said "No, that says 'Position Open'". I felt pretty dumb after that.
#2 At my friend's wedding on Saturday, the servers were bringing over a tray with white plastic bowls filled with purple-striped food. "Oooh! Ice cream!!" I exclaimed, clapping my hands together. Then they put it on the table. It wasn't ice cream. It was purple cabbage salad that the girls said tastes similar to American coleslaw.
|
|
|
| |
| She's all grown up now |
| 08.23.04 (8:08 pm) [edit] |
On Saturday, my friend came over and we drove to our friend's wedding at the Philadelphia Romanian Pentecostal church (that might be out of order). She got married in Romania, but still had to perform the ceremony here in the States. It was such a beautiful ceremony. Many of the her friends and family sang or performed; there was a lot of singing. The best part was when her soon-to-be-husband sang a song for her that he wrote and composed. It was kinda funny, because I guess all the girls were sighing during the song since his lyrics were, in their words, very deep and romantic. My friend and I were probably the only non-Romanian folk in there, so while we didn't understand a word except for multumesc (thank you) and cu placere (you're welcome), we were still pretty blown away by how sweet that was. Then afterwards, we ate lots of cabbage rolls and then, all of a sudden, the love of my life appeared through the reception hall's kitchen doors. In plastic packages were 5 pieces of cake and a cream-filled roll; each person got one of those love packages. I was a very happy camper. That wasn't even including the wedding cake.
We took pictures and visited with our friend's family and girl friends; then it was time to go home. Honestly, I was rather melancholy for the latter half of the ceremony. No, I wasn't jealous or feeling alone; I was feeling a little blue because my friend was gone. Sure, she's going to stay here in Portland, but once someone gets married to the person they've been praying for and dreaming about all their life (and the other person has been doing so as well) the chances of "just hanging out" go from slim to really slim. I think if I was closer to her I probably wouldn't feel as disconnected. I had so many opportunities to hang out with her and all my other friends during times that I instead decided to allow work and my schedule take higher priority. And now, I can't go back and it really burns. It just seems like all my friends are meeting people and getting married. These aren't just acquaintances that you meet at college and drop after graduation; these are ambitious, funny, unique and conversation-loving individuals with a special calling in this world.
To end on a positive note, her story is just another testimony of God's faithfulness to those who love and live for Him.
|
|
|
| |
| A Vegas Story |
| 08.22.04 (10:32 pm) [edit] |
Ah. The sweet smell of smoke-free air. I must admit, Portland does have its qualities that seal the deal for the undecided. Those were the first thoughts that went through my mind as we entered the PDX gates. No flashy slot machines, no smoky residue; just another beautiful sunny day in Portland. Vegas was a great trip. I think the last time I had that much exercise was back in my freshman and sophomore years at Jesuit as a reluctant P.E. student. Of course, that’s like comparing apples and oranges. In high school, I dreaded that awful mile and counted the minutes until 3rd period was over. In Vegas, I just wanted to relax in the moment because it was vacation.
So on Sunday, my friend picked me up and we headed to PDX. We talked about our Vegas plans to this young guy that sat next to us on the plane. I gave him all the tips my other friend’s mom gave me, despite any real experience on my part. When we got into LAS, I was overwhelmed by how many slot machines there were! I know it’s Vegas, but still … the shuttle picked us up and took us to the Sahara, which is where we stayed the entire time. Can I just say how crazy the shuttle drivers are? A couple of them flew over speed bumps and practically anything else that was upright in the road. Refuge lanes suddenly were game for driving; pedestrians beware. Did you know the law in Vegas is that you have to yield to the shuttle? Watch out – you could just get run over. The first night we were there, we decided to walk down the strip and pretty much see how far we could walk. From the Sahara, we went to Riviera where I won a bunch of quarters. A bunch to me is 50 or 60 quarters. We then walked up to Cathedral Ave by the Frontier and then headed back north, passing Stardust and going into Circus Circus. If you haven’t been to Circus Circus before, I have to warn you that the personnel there are … well … kind of scary. The kids’ section is a lot of fun, but we went to that casino just to walk around and play a couple slot machines. I needed two $1 bills for shuttle money so I went up to the nearest cashier to exchange my quarters for bills. There was a petite older Asian woman behind the counter that had a strange dual resemblance to my grandma in Seattle and Buffalo Bill from Silence of the Lambs. Here was our conversation:
Me: Hi there, I need two $1 bills please.
Lady: (Looks at me with a scowl on her face, and puts a plastic bucket in front of me) Poot the monee in the bawket.
Me: (Perplexed look on my face) No, I don’t want to gamble. I just want bills.
Lady: (Flustered, raised voice and crazy look in her eyes) Poot the monee in the bawket!!
Me: (Getting irritated, and wanting to leave) I don’t want more quarters! I just want two dollars!!!
Lady: (Practically screaming) POOOT the MONEE in the BAWKET!!!!
So, keep in mind I am not into gambling and I’m not familiar with casino etiquette. I figured that since she was so teed off that she must have been right, so I just tossed the quarters in and hoped she wouldn’t keep them. She then put them in the change machine and produced my precious one dollar bills. When I thanked her, she didn’t even look at me. What a mean lady, huh? Every other casino I ended up visiting never asked me to do that. While she didn’t straight out say “PUT THE LOTION IN THE BASKET!!” she sure did a great impression of Buffalo Bill. Then after that, my friend and I were walking out of the casino when another scary incident happened. Have you ever seen those guys that push around safes that look like miniature armored-truck-type paraphernalia? Have you noticed how their grey one piece outfits resemble inmate uniforms? Anyway, we were walking out of the casino and one of those guys was pushing a safe past our way. He had a peculiar resemblance to an older Henry Winkler from his Happy Days stint. As soon as he saw us, he stopped dead in his tracks, let go of the safe, and just stared at us as we walked by with this crazy, I’m-gonna-kill-you look on his face. Maybe it was youth or the smoke tainting my common sense, but I made the mistake of making eye contact with Freaky Fonzie. And let me tell you, those weren’t disco lights in his eyes, but rather sharp daggers and murderous intent. He was probably dating bucket lady and wanted to protect her honor. How sweet.
On Monday, we hit the pool in the late morning/early afternoon and afterwards ate at the buffet. The best food were the scrambled eggs, hash browns, pizza, lasagna and banana cream pie. The coffee was watery so that obviously needed to be fixed. We then got ready and went downstairs. We passed by the Casbar lounge, and an Elvis impersonator was performing with two dancers. We decided to catch his act, and sat ourselves on the far right of the lounge. His last song was Viva Las Vegas, and at that point in his act, he left the stage with his dancers and went into the audience for participation. I knew there was a good chance he could embarrass us, so I whispered audibly enough to my friend “Let’s leave now while we still have a chance!” I swear, a minute later, he turned around from the across the room and pointed at us and exclaimed “Look, it’s the Dixie Chicks!” even though till this day, I can’t see the connection. I felt myself already turning red. Elvis and his entourage then sauntered over to our table, and would not leave until we sang the chorus. It was so embarrassing! He then went into the casino area and chased someone down that he referred to as “Ludacris”. That was funny, too. We then took the shuttle to New York New York. I’ve been to that casino before and it’s still my favorite one because of the immense creativity and variety of features. Anyway, we walked through the casino part to the upstairs area and looked at a couple shops. We went to Coyote Ugly but there was only one coyote there, so we left. All of a sudden, the heavens opened and a Starbucks came into view. Curse capitalism when it’s vacation time. My $1.65 americanos were $3.00 at NYNY, but fortunately thanks to Deming and his 14 points, they taste the same. Hold up, standardization was one of Deming’s TQM darlings, wasn’t it? Goodness, this is what happens when you’re out of school …
We then walked over the skybridge to Excalibur and hit up the gift shops and kids’ arcade. I got one of those princess hats that’s a flower wreath with ribbons flowing in the back, and thought I’d be an embarrassment to society and wear it for the remainder of the evening. We played that one game where you throw the ball into the holes and your horse advances depending on which hole you throw it into. We both won a couple times; I got a stuffed tiger and a strawberry shortcake doll. The reason why I didn’t capitalize that last item is because I’m embarrassed to admit that I still have it in my room. I plan on giving it to a friend’s 4-year old little sister. Honestly! We got our picture taken with the huge purple dragon that greets visitors at the front entrance.
Luxor was our next stop. When I went to Vegas 4 years ago, Luxor was one of the many casinos that I hadn’t seen. Of course, I was 20 so I was confined to the arcades with my pipsqueak cousins and siblings. Sorry guys, I know you’re not young’uns anymore. I was amazed at the pyramid – at how the walls actually housed hotel guests. We walked through the pyramid and ventured to the top, where we had our caricature done by an artist with a color deficiency syndrome. I say that fondly because he made us laugh while I tortured him with avant-garde yet true names of colors, such as burnt sienna, bark, celery, ebony and lilac. Hey, I forgot to tell him to make the sand color yellow ochre!! He also got us to laugh by telling us he was really old, so I asked him if he used to watch Mork & Mindy reruns, and he told us he was actually old enough to watch the sitcom in its original season. I was telling my friend that we probably traumatized him for life; he’ll probably think twice now before asking people what color their eyes are. After our caricature sitting, we walked over to a Photo Magic booth where folks get their head shot inserted into a template featuring all kinds of people, such as Vegas showgirls to race car drivers to those dreadful, everywhere-you-look Chippendale guys. And you know they’re everywhere when you type Chippendale on your word processor and the red squiggly line doesn’t show up underneath. See, even Webster’s dictionary recognizes the guys as an integral part of society. Yeah right! That’s more like the decay of society … Anyway, there were a ton of templates featuring really buff guys in body-builder type poses. As we were standing there watching someone get her picture taken, this elderly man, who was probably 80 years, said to us as he walked by “I told them to stop using my picture without my permission!” it was so hilarious.
After Luxor, we ventured over to Mandalay Bay. I wanted to see the aquarium, and by the time we got there, we found out it wasn’t free. That was okay, because we had a nice time just walking through there. In one of the halls, there is a huge mural of the sea that extended from the bottom of the floor to the ceiling. I had this crazy idea to pretend like I was swimming in the ocean, so I had my friend take a picture of me on my stomach, pretending to do the butterfly stroke. My tummy hurt a little after moving around on the marble floor, but that’s what you get for trying to be stupid. No, not too many people saw me – darn! We ate at the Rainforest Café and enjoyed the routine weather changes …
On Tuesday, we went to the pool again and ate at the buffet. Sadly, they had no more banana cream pie. I was devastated. That is, until the shuttle picked us up and we were looking at more casinos and attractions. I don’t remember the order that day, so I’ll try to list things in order of how they happened. We went to M&M World and it was so adorable. There were 4 floors filled with various types of M&M merchandise. We got lucky and caught a free tour and 3D show. I also got my picture with the yellow M&M. We then went to the Coke Store, and got our picture with the giant polar bear. He was really cute. I got a water bottle shaped like a glass Coke bottle and a nostalgic pill box. I love Coke; it’s my favorite drink in the whole world, so that obviously was really cool. We went to the Hawaiian Marketplace where my friend and I got our first fashionable purchases. She got this really classy green purse and a glamorous crochet poncho. I got this maroon & blue VonDutch hat and the lady gave us both toe rings.
We went to Monte Carlo and then over to Aladdin, which had this amazing illusion over the mall area. The ceiling was painted like the sky, and it was done so precisely that you would think you were truly outside. The Venetian has the same illusion in its shop area as well. We went to Caesar’s Palace and my friend was haunted by a hologram Caesar slot machine. After that, we went to Paris and eventually found ourselves in Bally’s. We walked over to Bellagio and toured the building. I must say, Bellagio was extremely beautiful and swanky – the live jazz music that was playing in one of the restaurants was a nice alternative to the contemporary music heard elsewhere. We got to see the conservatory; that was beautiful as well. We watched a couple water shows and then headed back to the shuttle again. I forgot to mention, every night our feet were killing us earlier and earlier into the day, even though we took the shuttle.
On Wednesday, we passed up the pool and buffet and went to the Fashion Show Mall. When we were in the Fossil store, some random guy asked me which of the two watches he was wearing was better. I told him watch #2 because it was more traditional-looking than #1, which I told him and his wife was way too punk-rocker-I’m-going-t o-smash-my-Fender-in-a-co ncert look. We went to this Hawaiian-theme store, and I overheard the two cashiers freaking out over some video footage of the store that morning. At approximately 6:00 am that day, a lady was seen on the tape walking amidst the store, and apparently the two girls recognized who it was. I heard them call the owner (?) and gush about what they had seen. That was interesting. As we left the store, a loud bell went off, and all of a sudden, a stage protruded through the floor and runway lights and music flooded the mall. We got to see a back to school fashion show, which ran for about 5 – 10 minutes. After that, we went to the Venetian and saw the Grand Canal shops. I’d have to say the Venetian was the most beautiful to me, partly because I have a secret obsession with almost anything related to Italy, and mostly because of how beautiful the hotel and shops were. We saw the statue guy on the platform; I didn’t want to waste a dollar on him to see him move, because odds are someone else was going to drop a dollar. Sure enough, a little boy placed a bill on the platform, and the statue moved. We then headed over to Treasure Island to see Mystere by Cirque Du Soleil, a gift from my friend. If you have never been to the show, here are some tips: arrive no earlier than 5 – 10 minutes before the show, make sure you have bought popcorn, and you must give your tickets to the man in the tux with crazy white hair. He’ll help you. (Insert mischievous giggle). That show was absolutely wonderful; I won’t spoil the rest. It is a production definitely worth seeing due to the creativity and talent. Afterwards, we saw the Sirens of TI (the pirate show) and that was interesting. Earlier we had taken the tram to the Mirage, where we got to see the white tiger exhibit. Lo and behold, there was an actual tiger this time.
Thursday was bittersweet; I didn’t want to leave, but at the same time, my lungs were pleading for nicotine-free air. So I’m back now obviously, pictures are still at Costco and tomorrow’s my first day back at work. I feel like I’ve been gone for a month! Not really looking forward to it, but I have to be thankful because it’s from God and it keeps me solvent. =)
|
|
|
| |
| Off to Vegas we go |
| 08.15.04 (12:44 pm) [edit] |
So it's 1:36 PM on Sunday and in 3.5 hours, my friend and her brother are going to pick me up and go to PDX. We are so excited to leave!! We really need to get away. Anyhew, I just checked the weather in Las Vegas and the weather report showed scattered thunderstorms. Please pray that we get into LV safely. Weather and turbulence (along with random thoughts of terrorists) make me nervous on a flight until I start thinking about something else.
I packed some junk food for our trip since we are oh-so-poor. Wait, I think I mentioned this already. Nevermind! Oh, I did find a tasteful one-piece at Target - and I found some decent-looking shorts on clearance at Fred Meyer. =)
Friday was the day from hell. I wanted to leave work at 3:00, but projects I was working on (plus, waiting for a vendor to get back to me) were taking longer than expected. Didn't leave till almost 6, but overall the day was rather comical. I went over to my best friend's house afterwards, and her mom gave me all these tips about Vegas. She's such a cute lady.
Yesterday, my mom, sister and youngest brother went to Little Mexico (aka Hillsboro). Earlier in the day we dropped off my SUV to get fixed ... I'm hoping for smoother driving experiences from now on.
Well I have to get going now - my dad needs help with his resume again.
|
|
|
| |
| IE alternatives & Lotus Notes |
| 08.12.04 (10:08 pm) [edit] |
I forgot to mention, but recently I've been testing alternative web browsers other than internet explorer and netscape. I've been using Mozilla since Tuesday, and just dl'ed Opera tonight (both on download.com). Right now I'm using Opera and the banner ads on top are barely noticeable. Mozilla so far has been great with the pop up control. Not sure who, but one of the regular tech blogs mentioned security issues with IE. Not too shabby of an investment if you're trying to prevent instances such as identify theft.
Lotus Notes, Lotus Notes ... why did thou get invented? How my heart longs for Outlook again, albeit its monopolistic creator. *sigh* Oh well, the next upgrade we get at work includes a version of Notes that with instant messenging capabilities. Productivity will never be higher! Or was that sarcasm ...
|
|
|
| |
| Bush & Kerry in Portland tomorrow |
| 08.12.04 (9:54 pm) [edit] |
This week has gone by so fast! I can't believe it. Pretty soon, I'll be in Vegas - loungin' by the pool, then watching free shows in the evening with one of my most wonderful friends in the whole world. (You know who you are!) Anyhew, on Tuesday I went over to her place and I met her parents (they're such a cute couple) and we went for a walk around her neighborhood. It was soooo nice! The walk, the weather, the company ... it truly felt like the weekend.
Yesterday I went to Lloyd Center after work to find a pair of shorts, because I only have 1 pair. You'd think I'd find a decent pair in the clearance section. Well, too bad all the shorts I found were short enough to fit a toddler! Good heavens - don't clothing designers know there's plenty of us female folk that SIMPLY ABHOR daisy dukes?? Come on now, do they seriously think all women feel comfortable in material that wasn't suffice enough to make a pair of mittens? So yeah, there went that idea. I also tried to find a TASTEFUL one piece and of course, no luck in that department, either. While I was on my way back to where I parked, I walked by Starbucks and did a double take and went back in. Their 1.65 Americanos are always calming, now that I get them decaf.
I'm mostly packed for the trip, but first I'm going over to another friend's place tomorrow after work. I'm hoping to leave work at 3:00 because both Bush & Kerry are in town tomorrow. Bummer!! This means getting from my side of town to the other side is not going to be fun, especially since I'm in the pearl, and there's already enough construction going on in this place. Oh well, it's actually not so bad - out of imperfection and waiting periods always comes something better, right? One of the employees made a rather funny comment about the two presidential candidates being in town at the same time. He said something like people would be confused - Kerry supporters wouldn't know whether to worship him in person or go protest at the Bush function, and vice versa. Whatever happens, I hope it's far from where I'll be commuting.
|
|
|
| |
| Recipe: veggy feta sandwiches |
| 08.09.04 (8:37 pm) [edit] |
A friend of mine showed me how to make cucumber, tomatoes, yogurt and ranch a good match for pita bread. I embellished her recipe to add feta and basil, and to nix the ranch sauce and switch out the pita for ciabatta rolls. The result? Sheer yumminess for the health-conscious, vegetarians and poor college kids.
What you'll need:
1 cucumber
2 tomatoes
1 6 oz. package of herb & garlic flavored feta
1 Tbsp low fat yogurt
4 basil leaves
8 4-5" ciabatta rolls (Costco)
Slice the cucumber into 1/2" cubes. Throw 'em in a big bowl. Throw in half of the feta cheese and mix. Tear up 2 of the basil leaves and throw in. Slice up the tomatoes into 1/2" cubes. Throw them in as well with the remainder of the feta. Shred up the other 2 basil leaves and mix in as well. Add the yogurt, stir everything for the last time and chill for 10 minutes. Hold the rolls vertically and slice down the middle; do not cut all the way down, leave 1/4 of the room. Think hot dog buns. Add the veggy mixture to the rolls. Serves at least 8.
This recipe uses a lot of feta. If you don't care for a lot, just use 3/4 of the package. Another ingredient to throw in: if you have glazed walnuts, why not throw them in as well?
For the poor in spirit, such as myself, this recipe lasts 5 business days. What's the bottom line? $10 a week, or $2/day.
For the weight watchers: use pita bread. Its density is a fraction of the ciabatta rolls, so it's bound to digest quicker. Also, use non fat yogurt and low fat cheese.
|
|
|
| |
| A couple confessions |
| 08.05.04 (7:53 pm) [edit] |
|
I am a bad girl. I have a couple confessions to make - they're both pretty recent offenses.
My first offense: Purchasing and enjoying "From Justin to Kelly". I tried to hide it from my family members, but my sister caught on rather quickly. She recognized the cheesy lines and pop ballads instantly. What can I say? I'm not a huge American Idol fan, but I am such a teeny bopper when it comes to movies. Ready for more confessions from a twentysomething ixnay on the amadray queen? It was I who bought the Lizzie Maguire movie. It was I who got Freaky Friday & What A Girl Wants during Hollywood Video's 2 for $20 promo. It was my brilliantly schemed idea to see A Cinderella Story when it opened several Fridays ago. I plan on getting Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, New York Minute and the Prince and Me on 3 for $30. And now, Princess Diaries 2 is soon to be mine ...
My second offense: Boredom with a dash of irritability towards First Thursday. (Insert gasps and the sounds of shattering martini glasses on Oba's beautiful-people-ladden floor.) You heard right, I think I'm done with FT. Perhaps it's because I work right in the middle of it all. Maybe it's because there's so many other things to do that most pearlies aren't aware of. Who knows, all I know is that I see the same artists and the same art each and every time. Granted, there's always new artists but right as I'm convincing myself it's a good thing to go, I shrug it off at the last minute. This morning as I read the Oregonian, I saw a spread about First Thursday in the old town area. I actually planned to go today - I wore jack purcell's and my dojo jeans, completely intentional upon walking down there after work. So what the hey happened? I'm not sure, but I kept thinking about going home and getting things done - and frankly, just didn't want to be downtown any longer. One day again I'll go - not just anytime soon.
|
|
|
| |
| Is it the phone or the service? |
| 08.02.04 (6:31 pm) [edit] |
|
I just have to say - what's up with Sprint? Is it my phone or just their service that makes talking on the phone an unhappy experience? Everyone says my phone cuts out and I've tried a couple things to improve reception, but it's of no use. I have the Samsung camera phone & got it back in February, so it's not old. Strange ... if it weren't for the phones, I'd go back to TMobile.
|
|
|
| |
| Last week |
| 08.02.04 (6:24 pm) [edit] |
Wow, I haven't blogged in days. Last week was really great. On Thursday, I went to a friend's bridal shower & stuffed my face with Romanian desserts. My friend's fiance was there, and I must say they are such a beautiful couple. She is so happy she just glows - she radiates like a true woman in love! What makes her story so special is that everything she wanted in a spouse, she got and more - she's such a faithful person and I'm so happy that God blessed her with the wonderful guy she met last year. =)
Friday I had the day off so I could get my oil changed & get my tags renewed. God totally answered a huge prayer of mine the day before. Not sure if I mentioned earlier, but my accident back in June has set me back $500. I couldn't get a measly loan for $400 from my credit union and there was no way I was giving up my trip to California or Vegas this summer. I really believed that I probably wouldn't get my car fixed until late fall. Anyway, when I saw the mail on Friday, I noticed a really thin letter from Wells Fargo. Oh great, I thought - it's surely bad news. Well, it turns out that they increased my credit limit - by just enough for my deductible!! Isn't that cool?? I didn't even ask for it, it just came. Completely unexpectedly. Hopefully it'll be that easy in the future husband department. ;) Anyway, that was a tremendous blessing and I still thank God everyday for that. I've been scared because my car's making more weird noises in the front ... so this is perfect timing.
Friday morning at Jiffy Lube I was reading Purpose Driven Life while waiting for my car. I was reading the chapter on when God feels distant and it was everything I needed to hear. I'll have to admit that for weeks I've been trying to figure out all these things in my life, and I've been begging God to give insight or some sign I'm okay ... sometimes when I don't feel like He answers or acknowledges me, that I start taking control of my life again and I do things to speed up the process. Well, I really needed to hear that He's still there ... He keeps his promises, He's already got everything planned out. I just need to trust Him more. =)
After my car stuff on Friday, I went to Clackamas to see my best friend. By the way, I'm not going to change my friend's names anymore. It actually confuses me. Anyway, we hung out and she showed me some cooking lessons ... as usual, I had a really great time. =)
On Saturday, I met up with a friend from college at one of my favorite coffee shops, the Capitol Coffeehouse & Bistro. She told me about the new love in her life & her newest HR trials. Whenever we get together, especially with our other HR friends, we always ask for/give advice on how to deal with certain things ... and scoff at the things that drive us nuts.
Okay, that's all for now ... I need more coffee!!
|
|
|
| |
|
|
