3.30.2010

alas, poor sandwich, i knew him well...


yes, my digestion is back on track, the fever is gone, the congestion is minimal and i couldn't be happier.

yes, digestion...food is, afterall, one of my only remaining pleasures.

...and with the death of one pleasure (oh, cigarettes, i miss you), my pleasure in food has grown exponentially due to my tastebuds waking from a 13 year coma.

anyway, what i really came to discuss was the relapse in bad weather. not only did mother nature decide to yank the warm loveliness of spring from my desperate grasp in the form of temperatures in the 30's...she also decided that rain would be a good idea.

...because we haven't had enough of that lately.

alright. enough about that. just figured i would mention it.

other news?
it's back to re-motivating myself (or tricking myself) into creative endeavors...pouring over visual inspirations and studying up on film development...planning excursions for photography and daydreaming to kick-start the illustration.

i'm positive good weather will help me along and word on the street is that the weather i'm wishing for is right around the corner.

mayhaps i'll hold my breath till then.

3.26.2010

please, please me


tell me something.

what is the best thing to do upon waking up and realizing that your digestive system has staged a coup against you?

well, there's a process, my friends.

first, you're in denial.
you get ready for work as if it were any other day and realize you've had to excuse yourself between applying your mascara and lipgloss at least three times.

if this doesn't throw red flags up, continue going. get dressed and make breakfast. have another epiphany after you finish eating that you've had to excuse yourself at least three more times since you finished getting dressed.

ultimately, you will be standing at your doorway with reality tugging at your parka sleeve.
reality whines...
there's no way you're getting on public transportation in your condition.

that's when you turn around and started pounding through work emails to make yourself feel less useless. you huff and puff, bored to tears by the prospect of sitting around at home again, trapped in a digestive circle of hell.

when all of that's done and you've sufficiently wound yourself up into an anxious ball of nerves that's convinced you're only valued when you're physically in the office, you sit around and daydream.
well, that's what i do anyway.

i spent many hours winding myself up.
now, to talk about wants...no, no...needs.
  1. the olivetti valentine typewriter: shown in the lovely photo above, this typewriter was designed by ettore sottsass in 1969, it's a beautiful and dreamy sigh in the timeline of design. it would be perfect for writing letters to my confidantes.
  2. a mechanic for my the olivetti lettera 32: i can't seem to part from this one. he's broken and in need of some attention and some new ribbon.
  3. chocolatier classes: you think i'm joking, but i'm seriously looking into this. don't laugh.
  4. all the beautiful, shimmering bossa nova that's in existence: preferably from the 60's. this is paramount to the positive progression of friday's life. she will wither away without it.
  5. warm weather: hey, i'm a simple gal at the end of the day.
  6. a flying pigeon bicycle: yes...alternately, a vespa.
uh huh...the daydreams continue.

back to the work emails and arguing with my stomach.
at least the sun finally decided to come out.

3.25.2010

the all-time low...followed by the all-time high...which will lead back to an all-time low...


i just wanted to note this event down.

in a haze of allergies and a spring flu that has kept me from work for consecutive days, which is unheard in the haus of friday...

in this haze...

in this haze, i cried watching a folgers coffee commercial.

not only is it offensive because it's folgers (instant coffee is an automatic no!)...but i should be punched in the face for that kind of behavior.

the best part of waking up...is going back to sleep again (in the case of being sick).
i should've stuck to that instead of watching several hours of bad television and being caught with my emotional pants down in the complicated web of niche marketing via instant java that makes me question my life, my relationships and whether my father really understands me or not.

...in retrospect, that folgers commercial was way too psychological for my tastes.

screw you, folgers.

in other news, the one good thing that came of dragging myself back to work today was that i got to eat a very large cupcake that has momentarily made me forget about my physical maladies...mainly through intense amounts of sugar.

i'm surprised i still have teeth left. (insert my infamous toothy grin here + remnants of frosting)

...ok. back to work.

3.10.2010

muffin mornings


susan strikes again this morning with these wondrous blueberry muffins. when given the choice between the usual wednesday-morning office bagel or this little delight, the answer is painfully obvious.

i knocked a few things over in the art department to get to the plate of muffins sitting on her table, i was so excited.

it was the perfect punctuation to the beginning of another spring-like day...the last of its kind for the time being (it's supposed to get cloudy and rainy tomorrow).

in other news, i'm forgoing a latte this morning. i had one monday morning and one yesterday morning and, due to my lack of caffeine intake as of late, i felt like i was going to have a heart attack. i couldn't sit still, i couldn't eat and i was trembling.

i'll leave lattes to once or twice a week for really busy days. otherwise, it's good ol' h2o for moi.

i haven't smoked a cigarette either. smoke-free for 29 days and i haven't had much in the way of cravings aside from some very sexy dreams where i'm standing in doorways of beautiful apartment buildings with wet hair in my underwear, puffing away at a pretty little nicotine stick...but that's where the cravings end.

i've successfully packed lunch for almost a month as well, aside from one or two slip-ups and am diligently chipping away at the graphic design portfolio again. now, if i could just get off my butt and work on the illustration.

have been staying active and working out every other day and plan on learning to finally develop my black & white film during my upcoming trip to la to see mon homme.

slowly moving along, folks.

tonight, it's a night at château jolissa.
it's been ages since i've been there and bathed in the tub of animal love and jolissa love.
i missed them. can't wait to finally see their new digs.

alright. back to work.
anyone want to go to the orchid show with me this weekend?

3.02.2010

food, je t'aime


what is it about food that gets me so excited these days?

i have a feeling a lot of it has to do with that whole no-more-cigarettes tastebud recovery thing that happens. nonetheless, i can't help but notice i've come to savor every mouthful of every wonderful food that crosses my path these days.

my packed lunches have become increasingly more luxurious, always making sure i have meats, cheeses, fresh salads or veggies, creamy yogurts and sweet fruits.

i take my entire lunch hour now. i refuse to eat at my desk while doing work and will starve myself if i have to to get things done so that i can prepare all my foods on nice plates with real utensils and a glass of water (in a real glass that i brought from home that i've really come to adore drinking water out of...don't ask me why.)

in the last week, i've indulged in greek, indian, thai, italian, french and japanese foods in 6 fine dining establishments, but here is the problem. i think i'm spending too much money on food. now, part of me is saying "nonsense, food is worth it!"

the other part of me is saying, "you're trying to save money and it's great that you're packing your lunches and have quit smoking, but you're breaking even, if not going over, by eating out every week, more than once!"

so, now we have to think about this...
what did i eat in the last week that i consider memorable?

greek
  • spanakopita (phyllo triangles filled with spinach, feta cheese & herbs)
  • octopodi skharas (grilled octopus, onion & fennel)
  • pikilia (sampling of 4 spreads on warm pita bread)
  • fillet of sole (prepared with olive oil and capers)
  • greek yogurt with liquored pears
  • greek demi-tasse coffee
indian
  • assorted appetizer (veggie samosas & pakoras, papadum & chicken pakoras)
  • nan bread w/ raita (yogurt w/ dills, other herbs and cucumber, i think)
  • palak paneer (homemade cubes of cheese in a thick spinach puree that i poured over basmati rice)
  • gulab jamun (sweet balls fried & soaked in syrup)
  • mango ice cream
  • (i ate a lot of everyone else's food too)
thai
(ok, so i caved for lunch one day this week)
  • pad see-ew (broad, flat rice noodles with chicken and other veggies)
italian
(it was a prix fixe with a good amount of choices)
  • insalata di spinaci (fresh spinach, cherry tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and the loveliest little cubes of feta cheese)
  • penne pomodorini (penne, sundried tomatoes, fresh tomato sauce, fresh basil and gobs of smoked mozzarella)
  • tiramisu (the best tiramisu i've tasted in a long time)
french
(back to the pink pony)
  • steak au poivre (w/ shoestring fries this week and always with a mesclun salad)
  • champagne (i had a rough week and thought i deserved it - it was too sweet, but it made the whole affair seem like a weekend celebration)
  • flourless chocolate cake with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream (again)
  • latte
japanese
  • fresh seaweed salad
  • chilean sea bass with a miso glaze
  • miso soup & rice
  • cream anmitsu (cubes of agar jelly, azuki bean paste, peaches, tangerines and cherries in syrup w/ vanilla ice cream)
my lunches this week have mostly consisted of a serving of white meat (pork or chicken) with various sauces, fresh salads or cucumbers drizzled in olive oil with salt & pepper, i had a thick veggie soup with ginger and lots of veggies one day...most days i have greek yogurt with honey and fresh fruit (usually grapes or berries) and a little cheese.

...so, yeah. my wallet is hurting a bit...
i guess i wouldn't be complaining as much if i hadn't had to drop so much money on a crown i had to get the other day (i'm talking about dental work, people), a filling, an expensive plane ticket and i owed on my taxes this year (but at least i'm done with filing as of today)...

looking back on this past week's deliciousness, i realize that it's all worth it.
i had excellent food and excellent company...and these things make lasting memories.
nope. no regrets when it comes to food.
i'm just going to keep enjoying it.

in the meantime, i guess this means that i won't be shopping for any tangible objects for a while. c'est la vie...just means more tasty experiences in my future.

...speaking of which, i feel like cooking tomorrow.
that should be a nice, therapeutic sunday activity that benefits everyone.