Saturday again

Hello, my name is Tara and I am a shitty blog poster.

I love weekends, so much that I mentally start engaging in it as of about Thursday night; I stay up a little later and start to think forward to what I get to do on those glorious 2 days…ahh.

Here’s some thoughts, bullet style:

• I have a packed weekend: coaching call and networking group this morning, working and yoga this afternoon, housewarming party for a co-worker this evening
• tomorrow is busy, too.  We have a basset hound meet-up in the morning, then I am running a Women in Wellness workshop in the afternoon.
• I would LIKE to get to yoga tomorrow, but I might have to settle for a run after my workshop
• that’s okay with me
• I haven’t made time to run all week, instead I attended events that I thought would be good for networking but actually weren’t.
• I did get my hair done at one of them though, so at the very least, I looked like a rock star when I left.
• I wish I had a crystal ball and could have known these things ahead of time – the bad networking opportunity, not the rockin’ hair.

• I would have spent the time doing other things, although getting my hair styled up all purdy made it kind of worth it. And I got to hang out with a client/friend of mine.
• The workshop is about 25 hours away.  I am freaking out just a tiny bit.
• Ok, a lot.
• I have a lot to do – a whole page worth of a list
• I am tempted to make an office in the backyard, so at least I can get some fresh air while I work
• good plan. I am going to ignore my desire for a margarita and drink lemon water instead. Or sparkling water. Then it will feel like a treat.
• I’m totally going to do that. The sparkling water part, and I suppose the working part as well.
• Crap I have a lot to do.
• See you tomorrow.

Venting and air conditioning

Here’s what pisses me off on any given day (and I’m not actually even in a bad mood, I just feel like sharing): 

• traffic – arbitrary moves to the fast lane for no apparent reason at all, lane changes without signals, general asshole-ness, people for whom the rules of driving seemingly don’t apply, cars treated like moving phone booths, breezing through 4 way stops and almost hitting people as they run (ahem)
• when the dishes find their way out of the dishwasher to random locations in the kitchen, even though their PROPER locations were assigned more than 6 years ago
• when people try to get me to buy shit at my door. I don’t do that.  Ever. Unless you’re a cute kid selling cookies, and even then I shouldn’t
• when people at the gym have no idea what they’re doing and make me afraid that they are going to hurt themselves
• clean kitchen, dirty dishes in the sink.  Perhaps I can introduce you to this CRAZY appliance we have…it WASHES the DISHES
• when freaky people follow me on Twitter – the ones with 1 update, who follow 14,228 people and are followed by 20
• when coworkers clip fingernails over their garbage cans and thump/drum desktops like they’re Animal from the Muppets.  It feels like preschool some days
• when people use all my coffee creamer without asking

And to balance this, here are a bunch of things I like: 

• sitting in a kayak and stopping to chat with an otter
• The Big Bang Theory
• laughing on the phone
• any moment of puppy joy
• finding reasons to celebrate with champagne
• coaching 
• knowing what I am going to wear tomorrow
• getting mail!
• flowers from my sweetie
• pillow talk

K, I have to get some work done.  Bye

Recipe Thursday…new obsession

So I had Book Club last night, and despite our best intentions to actually discuss the book we had miraculously all even READ!, the evening reduced to a lot of eating, wine and sparkling pear juice drinking, gossiping, sharing and being lovely friends.  No complaints from me, although I am going to make sure I bring some sort of discussion questions for next time to aide us in actually speaking about the book…

When I arrived, I plunked myself down next to some humos and that was it for me.  I had been nervious about attending and not being able to eat anything, but I was officially quite tickled to see this pesto humos waiting just for me (at least that’s how I acted all night).  Had I been alone, I may have removed my clothing and rubbed it on myself it was so good…an added bonus is that it is loaded with protein, fiber, and everything that is good in the world, like rainbows and un-expired parking meters. 

It got me thinking, I am entertaining this weekend, and nothing says “Welcome to my Home” like a fresh batch of humos.  I have found this recipe on the big, friendly internet (no copyright issues to worry about…) and fully intend to make it the moment I am next in my kitchen:

What you need:

• 1 (16 ounce) garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup basil leaves
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
• salt and ground black pepper to to taste

What you do:

Combine the garbanzo beans, basil, and garlic in a food processor; pulse several times. Use a spatula to push mixture from sides of processor bowl. Pulse the mixture again while drizzling in the olive oil. Add the vinegar and soy sauce; pulse until combined. Season with salt and pepper.

Deliciousness doesn’t get much better than this.

Shhh..don’t tell anyone…

These are ridiculously healthy.  Truth be told, I made them, and didn’t try a single one as they came out of the oven.  I was nervous about them, the same way I’m nervous about anything *vegan* (sorry, but ICK).  I brought one in my lunch today, and I have to say, it was freaking fantastic!  Not too sweet, rather like a muffin mixed with a cookie, sort of like a muffin top,  and it doesn’t taste like it’s healthy.  Ok, well, maybe a little. 

I have been indoctrinated into the Clean Eating Life with Tosca Reno, and this is one of her recipes in her book The Eat Clean Diet Cookbook (go figure).  I refrained from making them for a long time because I was afraid I would eat them all, but now that I feel somewhat in control of what I am pushing into my cookie hole (and it ain’t cookies), I thought it was time.

Flax is reported to be some sort of magic food (and please do your own research here, I am not one for details and routinely forget the punch lines of jokes, so I might be missing some stuff).

UPDATED…I had to remove the recipe due to copyright issues – received a very polite email this morning.  Apparently we’re not allowed to share!  It’s not like I was claiming the recipe was MINE or anything.  Sheesh.  I was always told that good recipes are meant to be shared, but apparently Tosca wants you to just share your money with her and buy the book.

I will never write sentences again

• it’s Monday, and and as they go, it wasn’t bad.
• I tried something new with my yogurt today: added ground flax and bee pollen along with my slivered almonds, raspberries and steel cut oats
• there was a a lot going on and it was pretty good.
• I actually looked in the bowl and said “Wow, there’re sure a lot going in in there!”  Hm
• We had fish for dinner.  
• I am supposed to be doing my coaching work tonight.  
• I am sure I will get to it at some point, even though it might be midnight when it happens.
• I guess I can sleep when I’m dead.  At least we will have fresh flax seed cookies to eat in the meantime.
• Tomorrow night we are having balsamic chicken and brown rice and peppers.  And cookies.
• I meant for dinner.
• I spent the weekend getting ready for the week and completely forgetting to call people that I love or do anything fun.  It is shitty that life keeps getting in the way of what I really want to do. Like make phone calls. Or achieve some freaking balance.
• And have time for coaching, so it doesn’t feel like yet-another chore I have to cram into the evening before collapsing in a heap under the covers.  
• My poor, unlucky, husband.  Heh, heh.
• I think that Linda is my hero, especially after this post.  I wish I lived in her neighborhood so I could stalk her  bring her flax cookies and become her friend.
• I am trying to find a weekend to go visit my friend Anne.  I wish I could go tomorrow, but again, the JOB is in the way.
• *sigh*
• I have babies on the mind lately.  I have several pregnant friends, some not pregnant anymore (so sad) and I am getting excited about when I might get to have one, too.  A baby, that is, hopefully not a miscarriage.
• All in good time.  I have work to do that will keep me busy until the fall.  Yes, the fall.  I will obviously be announcing any developments in the local papers.  
• The basset hound has sighed loudly several times, which leads me to believe that something dramatic is going on across the room.  I must investigate.  And try to do some actual marketing work for my practice.  As soon as I finish making the cookies. 

Saturday Afternoon Bullets

• I am waiting for the floors to dry, trying to convince the dog that he should stay on his pillow.
• It’s not working.  He’s trying to find an alternate route.
• Contemplating going to yoga today, but am actually having fun making the house look like we HAVEN’T just been robbed.
• It hasn’t been this clean since last fall.
• Really.
• One of my clients is likely putting her dog to sleep this afternoon, I’m thinking of that a lot as I scrub and vacuum.
• Vacuum is surprisingly hard to spell.
• We are going to a BBQ this evening at our friend Rob’s place.  He is a great cook.  I am already thinking of what I will indulge in and what I will not.  I have zero anxiety about this for the first time, like, ever.
• I weighed myself this morning, and found I have lost 10 lbs. 
• Since January.
• Slow, but steady, wins the race.
• I realized today that I haven’t had coffee in about 2 weeks.  Not sure if I should go out and buy a latte or just be okay with that.
• I don’t even miss it.
• I’m not sure I recognize myself.
• I am thankful for the clouds today, so it’s cooler for housework and I don’t feel guilty for the spending the day inside.
• It’s a good thing it’s not hotter; I am sweating like a whore in church and can’t imagine the mess I’d be if it were hotter.
• I am officially in love with bullety posts.  This is a fun way to write.  And I hope to read.  Lots of random information, not much space.  Yay.
• Floors are dry.
• Will now carry on with the rest of the house.  Will go for a run instead of yoga, me thinks.

Mon petit ami

If you have spent even 40 seconds with me in the past 5 years, you’d know that I have a basset hound, whom I adore.  He is turning 5 in eight short weeks, so I thought I would use tonight, dear internet, to wax a little lovin’ about my little buddy. 

Dear Baxter, 

You have made me laugh every day that I have known you, from the first time we met and you fell into an exhausted sleep on my calf as I knelt on the grass to your daily dramatic perceptions of your little world.  You started out a crazy MoFo; playing hard, eating everything in your way, including a package of Advil, a chocolate cake, and one of my favorite shoes.  I learnt 2 things from you in those early days: if you were too quiet, there was trouble brewing, and that you have a stomach that must be made of freaking IRON.  Wow.

You have evolved into a very delightful creature; you mostly listen to me, you don’t eat stuff off the counters anymore (yes, what a fun time that was), you seem to know when I need a friendly nudge from a wet nose, and you have the sweetest disposition of anyone I know.  Humans included.  

You are patient like I wish I could be, but at the same time have a one-track mind for what you want when you want it, which is something I have to admire.  You wear your big huge heart right on your sleeve, and your feelings are never a mystery.  You are happy from the moment you wake up to the moment I tuck you into the kennel at night, and you seem perfectly content to simply be in whichever room we are in, so you can hear our voices, and maybe have a little try of whatever we’re eating.  Though happy a lot, you are also very suspicious, and remind me of Stanley from The Office.  But it’s cute on you, except when it turns to Stubborn, and you cannot be persuaded to do anything that doesn’t make perfect sense to YOU.  I like to pretend I’m Alpha, but your apathy wins most days.

I love that you sleep for about 21 hours of the day, rising only to take care of business, eat, walk, and race about the house with your squeaky chicken in your mouth.  I love that in the middle of playing, you will pause, and run to fetch a toy to add to the fun.  I love that you are so, so gentle with dogs smaller than you are, and that you are fascinated and utterly respectful of children, even with their erratic movements and loud sounds.  I know you desperately want one of your own, but for now you will have to settle with watching them at the park with your tail waving about.  You will make an excellent Big Brother when the time comes.

I love your excited “stories” when I get home from work.  I imagine that you are telling me all about your day – I can honestly say it’s the favorite time of mine, to hear you explaining what you saw on your walk at lunch, and which friends you sniffed, and where you found something good to roll in.  It’s a nice transition into the home we all share, to have you throw a little parade for me to tell me your stories. 

I love that you lie on the sofa in the evenings and snore so loudly that we have to turn the TV up, I love that there is a tiny bump at the top of your head (the Summit of the Basset Hound), and I love that you race around the house after a walk like it’s the most exciting thing that’s happened to ANYONE ALL DAY!  I marvel at your ability to smell when I am making broccoli for dinner, and know to come and wait for the stump to be placed in your bowl.  I love that you vanish on sunny days, and I find you on a beautifully made bed, with a cream quilt, sleeping in a patch of sunlight.  I love that you appear to be utterly and completely exhausted all the time. It’s cute.  I love that you fall over to sleep like you have been shot and that you sigh when you are upset.  I love that I can trust you to hurt no one and that no one we have met feels at all afraid of you.

Don’t get me wrong, you are also a disgusting little creature.  You have houndy smell to you, and you are an endless source of eye goop (which you EAT!  Gross), stinky piles in the backyard, dirt, hair, drool and other nastiness, and you are perhaps the messiest water drinker EVER.  You belch, a lot.  You eat things I cannot even fathom, and turn every walk into a treasure hunt for discarded food, gum and cigarette butts (AKA Basset Buffet).  But we love you, dude.  You are our French Hunting Dog, and you give this house something we never knew was missing.  I will tuck you in tonight and wish you happy puppy dreams.

 

Suspicious, as usual.