My Sister Calls Me a Yuppie

Creepy things to love

2011-12-09T18:02:00.005-06:00

American Horror Story has got people...well, creeped-out. And obsessed!

But there are plenty of things that are creepy that folks latch onto. It's like a seductive call to us, the eerie is incredibly attractive.

The quality of black nail polish has kept going into this ongoing trend. Red and black seem to be synonymous with the sort of "classic" nail polishes that are trendy in the 2000s. But yes, still creepy.

Christopher Walken. OY!

The man is consistently playing creepy roles, but made his big break (at least in my opinion) in The Dead Zone. Even Deerhunter is kind of a "whoa what the hell just happened" kind of film. Creepy, but still awesome. (Although who knows with all of this Natalie Wood investigating...oy!

Oh Fiona Apple...Your criminal video was the toast of 1990s indie art-house means grunge music videos. Those red-eye photographed peepers! Creepy, but still no one would stop watching it, even in 2011...

I'm sure there are plenty more creeptastic things we all like. What can YOU think of? :)

My veggie list!

2011-12-08T10:23:00.004-06:00

Hey everyone!

So a delightful old friend KAYLA from college requested that I give a list of my veggie hot spots. Of course, this will include books :D

ENJOY

The Kind Diet. Pretty much my vegan bible. Sandra, you may ask, why are you using a celebrity guide for your veggie journey? Well, it was published just at the right time.

It was the Babycakes bakery that introduced me to veganism, because I had received an electric mixer for Christmas (still, by far one of my best gifts received!), and I was exploring what delicious baked goods I could make.

Either way, Ms Silverstone's book was a great introduction to why folks go vegan in the first place, could you incorporate veganism without it being this "big deal"? I really developed a passion for vegan cooking from this book, and I loved experimenting. The biggest contribution was her "flirting" section, which seemed tailor made to me. A girl could look into the vegan lifestyle without the worry of labeling herself as "Vegan" with a capital V.

Veganism is by-far one of the most political parties we've got! I hate to say it, but anytime I've tried, I've been in a terrible position to experiment with a new style of eating. Most of the vegans writers I've encountered in this challenge have been less-than-validating.

Thankfully, there are books like The Kind Diet that are more on the "just try it", Meatless Monday, let's-have-everyone-make-as-big-an-effort-as-they-can bus.

Phew! Love it! Girl is looking like she's on bargain via amazon.com :D

I LOVE MY BRITS!

Seriously, Gillian McKeith is fierce. This is basically the book that got me hooked on smoothies! I love that her approach is so militant, not because I think it's practical, but because it's a good read when I'm in a rut and need to remember how to eat well. Indeed, I think I'll be slim for life! :)

Of course, VegNews Magazine

Their website is also pretty awesome. Vegan caramel? How is that possible!?!

They also have great listings, blogs, dedicated to vegan sources re: shoes, coats, lifestyle products.

In general, I have been devoting my time to making sure my cosmetic products are animal/cruelty free, but I have not yet switched to leather-free. I've always thought fur looked pretty tacky (sooo 1980s thrift store....and not in a good way), so that was always a given.

TOMS shoes has a whole Vegan footwear section. Don't say I didn't warn you, they're pretty cute!

Sophie Dahl is my Idol. She's a model, and a delightful cook who just wants to spread the love. She keeps the meat to a minimum, and truly exemplifies what I believe is real beauty. I love it, check out her Voluptuous Delights! I cannot wait for her next book, already available in the UK! (hint hint, Ms. Kayla!)

Check out her video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2ORQbOhVbc

Heidi Swanson. Oh my! SHE IS AMAZING.

Natural foods are a big part of the veggie world, but somehow Americans get stuck in a rut of the same rice and veggie stir-fry meals, and an abundance of pasta that's quick to make. Her writing helped me seek out the use of wheatberries, and roasting vegetables with just the right kind of spices.

Her website, 101cookbooks.com, introduced me to this glorious roasted tomato soup recipe. Fabulous. Of course, the photo credit is her own.

In light of the holidays, I hesitate to make the "these are my favorite things" reference...but why not? :)

Don't forget that this is the time for listening to A Charlie Brown Christmas!

(and don't forget the Arrested Development reference!)

Going Vegan for a Month! :)

2011-10-29T17:39:00.002-05:00

YO YO YO

I am going Vegan for a month, and here is my first VLOG post about it.

We'll see what happens ;)

Peachy keen :)

2011-09-07T15:22:00.006-05:00

First comes the roasted tomato soup, then comes the peach dessert!

I have been obsessing about Sophie Dahl (again), as her newest book just came out in England (boo hoo, not in the states until next year!!)

This post has been a long time coming, and I hope you enjoy the photos.

I will probably update with a few others. For the exception of the cheese on the croutons, and the greek yogurt + honey, everything in this is vegan!

Curvaceous women-Real women have curves!

2011-08-30T11:57:00.002-05:00

Going through my DBT program text, I keep noticing a strong connection between women's upbringing and poor associations with food. I LOVE FOOD, and I've had my fair share of self-hate and fear of getting bigger.

There have been many movements to help women love themselves, but it's an everyday effort. The woman who walks with grace, self-respect, dignity, and who DOESN'T go against her fellow women. The competition and pettyness is the worst. The first step is to love each other. :)

Maria Callas

Jayne Mansfield (mother of Mariska Hargitay!)

Mariska Hargitay (founder of the Joyful Heart Foundation)

Sophia Loren

Kate Winslet (new St Johns ad, in September Vogue issue!)

Sophie Dahl!! One of my favorite cookbook writers....and former model :D

Crystal Renn, author of Hungry- yes, she has lost weight. I'd rather look at a size 8 model than a size 0!

A few ladies with curves- and successful careers! Let's bring healthy back ;)

Upcoming Book Signings

2011-08-01T09:00:00.008-05:00

Hey loves! TIME FOR SOME READING LOVE :D

One Day's author David Nicholls will be discussing his book with Lisa Birnbach, the author of The Official Preppy Handbook at the McNally Jackson Bookstore in Soho; 52 Prince St. THIS WEDNESDAY at 7:00PM (August 3rd!)

Isabel Gillies- I freakin' love her! Mrs. Stabler on Law and Order, and now 2nd time around memoir writer. Yes, it's a little cheesy, but her stories about first, her marriage falling apart (Happens Every Day), and now of her finding love again are sure to strike a cord. She is absolutely perfect on Law and Order: SVU. Who would've known that her "breaks" from the show (i.e. Stabler separation period!) was so she could indulge her husband's academic interests at Oberlin College.

She will be signing at Crawford Doyle on September 15th! :) Go Isabel!

Ahh Little Children. The Abstinence Teacher. Election. Who but a talented writer could create these characters (notably, Tracy Flick , the overachiever who we've all encountered at some point)! I remember when I visited NYC back in the day, the Barnes and Noble near Lincoln Center (now closed!) was doing a book signing for Mr. Perrotta and I was leaving before I could go. Second chances! Tom is coming out with The Leftovers, which based on its description seems a bit of a deviation in terms of "reality-based" writing. Regardless, I am a huge fan- Mr. Perrotta is up there with Ian McEwan, Joyce Carol Oates, and other writing loves!

Tom Perrotta will be signing books September 7th (the day before I turn 24!) at 7:00PM at the Barnes and Noble on E. 86th st!

Isn't the cover beautiful? I think it's the UK edition, but man oh man do I want to read this book! Primarily, she is a badass female writer in England. Secondarily, she is Colin Farrell's ex-girlfriend and a former therapy patient. After her psychotherapist died, she explored her life as well as his, trying to figure things out.

Emma Forrest is beautiful and, probably, a fabulous writer. Can't wait to meet her! :)

I mean, what's another mental health read for a budding DBT clinician?

She is speaking with the author of The Psychopath Test, Jon Ronson.

They read/speak together August 11th at McNally Jackson bookstore.

Hope to see you all there! :D

Things I love!

2011-07-27T19:11:00.006-05:00

Sorry for the lack of an update my friends!

Obviously I have been busy working at a courthouse (yay!) and a failing bookstore (not-so-yay) .

I needed a few pick-me-ups other than the coffee I am downing between shifts!

First, lots of books! I just finished The Hilliker Curse: My Pursuit of Women by James Ellroy, and Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen. Currently, I am on the second of Chelsea Cain's Gretchen Lowell/Archie Sheridan series, entitled Sweetheart. LOVE IT!

As Border's faces its demise, I no longer feel any guilt for helping our fellow bookstores for the future! McNally Jackson has a few book signings coming up, as well as Barnes and Noble.

Tom Perrotta will be at the Barnes and Noble on 86th and Lex on September 7th (day before my birthday- what luck!) Maybe he'll dedicate his next book to me on account of turning 24!!

The above posted pics are from the BabycakesNYC new book! Vegan, gluten-free rice krispies!

I have yet to try any of the recipes for lack of spare change to buy the intense ingredients.

Lucky for me that I received

a free jar of coconut oil from Nutiva! They were already a sweet company, which is why I wrote a letter stating that I like them (they're cheaper than a lot of coconut oil companies, too). I couldn't believe it when I opened the package! A nice surprise!

Let me tell you, the book describes these krispies as perfect for cheapskates and lazy people- mission accomplished Babycakes. Delicious!

New layout with my favorite color: red! (and other things I love!)

2011-04-30T10:15:00.012-05:00

I don't know why I didn't do it before. Red is my favorite color, and my blog needed a change! I still think there's work to be done, but now at least I can get to my blog page and feel a little more at home :)

First up, things I have tried and loved!

Coconut milk yogurt, by So Delicious. Considering that it's made by Turtle Mountain, probably the best vegan ice cream purveyor, it's no surprise to be that there's a lot of saturated fat and sugar. But, for those days when I just can't do the milk thing, this fills in quite nicely. I am told that the plain version only has about 12 grams of sugar, so I might add a post later about a coconut-yogurt mango smoothie. YUM!

The Dress, Design, Decor blog that I came upon is a new obsession. A yoga instructor at my internship (ending next week! so sad!) taught me a little something about how visuals are so necessary to have in our lives. Simply put, looking at pretty things is important for happiness. Kind of explains why I read Vogue, huh? Can't afford a damn thing in that magazine, but it still fulfills an aesthetic need for my brain.

Find Daniela's blog here: http://dressdesigndecor.blogspot.com/

Really, I just love her! :)

Threadless has a cute store in Chicago, and I have really missed their constant presence (on people's shirts!) in the hipster parts of my neighborhood (because I'm in Harlem...not as hipster as Lincoln/Wicker Park!)

But I've tapped into my roots with Urban Librarians Unite, with really sweet, educated men and women of Brooklyn and Queens. The threadless shirt design above mirrors the "We Will Not be Shushed" logo and I love it!

http://savenyclibraries.org/

It's mango season. I've had at least 2 a day. My nails are looking gooooood!

Francisco Goldman's new book Say Her Name is just beautiful. I saw him speak at the McNally Jackson bookstore in Soho, and it was really great to hear his perspective about Aura, his young love who lost her life in a bodysurfing accident. I'm about 50 pages in, and it is just one of the "prettier" books I've read in a while.

I just finished Portia de Rossi's new book, Unbearable Lightness. It was really fascinating, and definitely a different take on a personal eating disorder. You really feel for her pressure to be thin, especially in the Hollywood environment. A great read!

AND OF COURSE...Magnolia cupcakes! I felt a little jilted after BabycakesNYC didn't call me back for a job, but now that I'm employed again I'll probably hit them up again! Nothing like sugar during finals week to curb your stress.

Magnolia has great seating at their Columbus Ave. location, and they recently got a cute cupcake (with a raspberry on top!) that donates a $1.00 the Japan Society's relief fund!

A special shout-out to one of my best friends, Ms. Dana. She got engaged and her fiancée is moving with her to Seattle. They are gonna rock it there, and I am so excited for their new adventures! You two make a beautiful couple, and I am just in awe of the maturity and warmth that went into your decision.

Love is in the air this spring! Spread love as if it were Tofutti cream cheese on a toasted bagel...generously!

2011-04-25T21:31:00.002-05:00

I have been trying to think of what to wear to Green Fest when I'm home in Chicago (and I wanted to wear a vegetarian themed shirt!).

I think this fabulous Threadless design may have won.

Natalie is not my name

2011-04-22T22:47:00.003-05:00

It's hers....

A fellow barista is also a big fan, so I thought I'd post some pics for inspiration :)

(images from google images)

LOVE your library!

2011-04-21T16:37:00.006-05:00

Hey everyone!

I have been super bad about updating, aside from my desire to show how AWESOME Heidi Swanson is. I got her book Super Natural Everyday and it is breathtaking, also featured in Whole Living magazine this month. It's a good thing I pre-ordered...considering that amazon.com sold out! I'll admit I haven't tried a specific recipe yet, but the tips that she gives are always great! Go veggie!

I just finished Mystic River, by Dennis Lehane, and let me tell you it was well worth the procrastinating. So many themes and so much talented writing in one book. After my intense social work research, mixed with lighter chick lit, this deeper read was very welcome. I also read 7th Heaven by James Patterson, which was just so bad that I felt like I couldn't be my normal find-the-good-in-all-social-worker because there were so many clichés and stereotypes that I was not impressed. Next, I'll be reading Unbearable Lightness, by Portia de Rossi. As an LGBTQ advocate, and a huge fan of Arrested Development, I'm excited for this read!

http://www.nytimes.com/ref/books/books-podcast-archive.html

Felt the need to include the NYTimes book review podcast, which keeps me SO updated on the book life whilst commuting for hours to my internship in Queens. I am back working at Borders in NY, and I'm so glad to have the security of employment this summer.

Others aren't so lucky. Libraries have been such a big part of my life, and when my friend Torie and I found out that there were going to be ridiculous budget cuts in NY, we began advocating as a source of our advocacy classwork. However, our need to really help preserve this essential part of the NY communities (esp. Queens and Brooklyn) has become such a big part of us!

Help join the postcard campaign, and join us in June for the Read-In! Seriously, I hope I can get a sweet spot where I can re-live my acting days, haha!

For more info, check out: http://savenyclibraries.org/

I met up with some uber-chic librarians in Greenpoint, and it reminded me so much of Chicago! Love my hipsters out there :)

Be well, and let me know what you're reading!

Everyone needs an update!

2011-04-02T10:42:00.005-05:00

So madame Sandra is here, and feelin' pretty good!

I finally have a break from my staying-up-late-to-finish-procrastinating work, so I have the lovely privilege of entertaining Mr. Andy's sister and one of my best friends.

We are both cupcake lovers who appreciate the baking process, so we've hit Magnolia, BabycakesNYC (Where I am praying for a counter job! Keep your fingers crossed!), and soon Butterlane.

I don't have nearly enough time to divulge into many topics I've wanted to write about, but here's a few.

1) Border's in Evanston closing. As much as I sold my soul to pay my rent, I met a lot of people and solidified my love of literature and everything books. Hopefully the e-books don't take over!

2) Japan. Tragic. My love goes out to absolutely everyone affected. One of my friends from LUC is doing business in Japan and my heart about stopped when I heard the news. Thankfully she's ok, but we realize that life is short. Working in a senior center, I fear for the older generation in Japan who saw Nanking and Hiroshima. They are put in this horrible position of having survived this trauma, only to re-live it.

3) On a lighter note: New cookbooks! I have pre-ordered the books seen above. Super excited!

Sending so much social worker love to all! I was accepted to our Dialectical Behavioral Therapy special project for second years. To learn more, click this link. Marsha Linehan, PhD created this remarkable therapy to help those with suicidal thoughts and who engage in self-injurious behavior. I cannot wait for this exciting and thought-provoking opportunity!

Some extra love to my family. When I was back home I realized just how much I love them, and how much support they have given me over the years.

xoxo!!

P.S. I've started to at least type the recipes!

Cultural competence, a reflection

2011-01-31T14:41:00.001-06:00

In our Direct Practice course (basically clinical work 101) we are studying how to be “culturally competent.” This is a subject that I think social work students could gab about for ages because our sense of justice and equality comes from a very personal place in each of us.

Our current discussion involves the clinical treatment of Native Americans. I wanted to comment on how marginalized this group can be. A social worker in his own right, Marlon Brando’s famous Oscar acceptance (or rejection) where he sent Sacheen Littlefeather in his place to accept the award for Best Actor (the Godfather). The reception was far from inviting, and is still seen by some as a time when the Oscars became too political.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QUacU0I4yU

Even as a huge Natalie Wood fan, the image of Native American culture in the Western “The Searchers” is really laughable.

This reminded me of an episode from when I was in 1st grade: the whole classroom was dressed in typical “cowboys and Indians” garb. Typically mistaken for an ethnicity other than my Polish heritage that I felt so close to, I felt particularly excited to dress as an Indian. For one day, my ethnicity was not in question ~ I was in costume!

My father’s family is from South Dakota, a state that still has a rich Native American culture. Even from a young age, I was always told to respect the culture with the proper terminology. “Indian” was not ok, because the people that my family saw, and the culture surrounding us, was not connected with people from India. As a kid, I thought “gee, that makes sense.”

So, “Native American,” or preferably whichever tribe someone was in, was the most appropriate. I have always loved my parents for this strict “terminological” upbringing. I felt like I could bring myself closer to others, with the given knowledge of how to respect someone.

So, in 1st grade (or come to think about it, maybe even kindergarten), when we were sitting around and talking about what “Thanksgiving” was about (we know now as adults is a water-down representation of a giving ceremony), I felt the need to be a mini-social worker. When we began talking about “cowboys and Indians,” I spoke up and said that I preferred if we said “Native American.”

Possibly out of concern for my feelings, my teacher’s first reply was “Are you Native American, Sandra?” to which I replied, “No.” There was an awkward silence, and then nothing more was done. I felt ashamed and embarrassed that my desire to be warm, inviting, and especially thoughtful, was not met with any encouragement from this teacher. Likewise, the other students kept asking me why I had made such a “big deal” about it.

This is similar to the feelings I get when I defend Latin American/Hispanic people and their plight, being mistaken frequently for being Mexican, Spanish, etc. People find out that I’m Polish and suddenly my opinion is irrelevant.

Without being a member of the oppressed group, we are far too frequently disregarded as having a valid opinion. This also applies to the never-ending plight for gay rights. In college, it was understood by many that I had to be “at least” bisexual (even though, to me, one’s sexuality is not on a greater/lesser scale). I wanted equality for something that spoke to me as inherently equal and necessary. It’s normal for people to fear the “other,” it’s quite another thing to deny rights to people who differ in sexual preference. Although on a superficial level I don’t care (anymore) what people think about whether I “swing that way,” or not, but it says something awful about our culture and our ability to speak on behalf of the RIGHTS of others.

So the next time you hear someone talk about what is right, ethical, proper treatment, biased, tragic….hear what he/she is saying, and not if it directly applies to that one person.

Newbies!

2011-01-30T18:57:00.011-06:00

A few of my new favorite products and/or trends :)

Origins full story mascara. The gentleman at the counter said that even though my hair and eyes were dark, that I should use brown mascara so as not to over-power the rest of my makeup when wearing it at work (everyday makeup, rather than going out). It coated extremely well, and the fact that it's natural and uses recycled packaging, it's about as green as it gets.

ALSO if you bring in your old shampoo bottles, makeup containers, any primary cosmetic container...you get free samples! I have already tried their Checks and Balances facial cleanser (worked very well!), and Modern Friction (their facial scrub- you can tell that there are oils in it, so I would recommend this scrub for ladies and gents with drier skin).

Ahhhh Fresh! One of my faves. Their mascara is wonderful, too, but this fragrance really stood out for me! I'm not sure if it's too sweet for me, but it definitely caught me off guard (and I have sampled MANY fragrances looking for the perfect one). The whole Fresh fragrance line is great to look at, especially for when summer rolls around~ their scents are very light! Their soaps also make pretty presents!

YUM! Now that I have my blender, Sambazon açaí smoothies are back in my life! These packs are about $6.00 and include 4 smoothie packs. I prefer the unsweetened. If you try the juice by itself, it has a dark and sweet flavor that many say resembles chocolate. Delicious!

Nature's Gate has been known for their natural lotions, soaps, etc. I was starting to run out of mine and decided to try their fragrance-free lotion for sensitive skin. My skin is not particularly sensitive, but I didn't want a lotion that conflicted with my perfume, etc. It is great, and at Whole Foods is a mere $7.00 for 18oz.

Up next I will be reviewing the soap bars from Dirty Business Bath Company. After all....they keep it clean so we don't have to! ;)

I'm off to drink some honeydew+pineapple juice...yum!

A moment of quiet in New York City

2011-01-27T05:59:00.013-06:00

I have always been a bit advocate for VALENTINE'S DAY. Singles Awareness Day- haha! I always liked that play on the holiday too :)

From a young age, I decided that I was NOT going to let V-Day get me down!

I know that this cute Chicagoan may seem like she always had it goin' on in the boyfriend department...but NO WAY. I feel like so many of us in our small town suburb of Chicago made it our prerogative to compete about almost everything. One of them was who had the most boyfriends.

As I was rarely able to compete in this category, so I always made it MY day, my day to relax, eat chocolate, watch rom coms, and not care that I was single. The past few years have been different, boyfriend in tow. Although Andy is less inclined to make Valentine's Day a big deal, he knew to schedule his NY trip to be close to February 14th. Smart guy!

So now my few pointers and tips for a FUN Valentine's Day!!!

1) Watch a romantic comedy- duh! :D

These are just a few of my faves! Of course I had to throw in 2 Natalie Wood movies- because she's awesome!

2) Recipe hunt, and try something wonderful!

I love that people are beginning to branch out with new uses for dishes with typical foods/drinks. For example, this fabulous strawberry shortcake recipe (from none other than The Barefoot Contessa herself!) uses martini glasses for strawberries! Don't forget that you can easily use this with gluten free, vegan, or allergen-free biscuit recipes!

As an only occassional drinker, I swoon at the opportunity to utilize the classy use of flutes, Tom Collins glasses, red wine glasses, etc. for non-alcoholic class. The best use recently that I saw was Bestselling author Kris Carr utilizing wine glasses for green juice- genius!

Of course you could also whip up a cute martini, too! Betty Draper loves her gimlets ;)

Don't forget that Martha Stewart's Living magazine has one of the best Valentine's Day recipe issue. This year, however, I might splurge and buy an issue of Donna Hay's Australian cooking magazine. FABULOUS!

3) Write a love letter. Even if it's to your mom, your sister, or yourself. Pen pals are the best! Share the love! Everyone loves to get mail!

4) Wear something red or pink! :) I also like the idea of eating something red at every meal. Lots of "red" foods are really good for you, from the vitamins in strawberries, to the lycopene in tomatoes. (remember...red meat is brown when you cook it- so that doesn't count!!)

Try something like a strawberry smoothie, caprese salad, beet soup/borscht (hey Polish people!), rooibos tea (swoon), ruby red grapefruit (huge bags of deliciousness at Trader Joe's!), red pepper and spinach sandwiches, and of course, red kale ! There is so much to do with food- make it a day for you!

5) Just LOVE yourself! Seriously, do NOT fall into the commercialism trap. This is the one day you can be filled with love for everything and blame it on a holiday! :)

MUAH! xoxo!

Crumbling with love!

2011-01-23T19:31:00.011-06:00

Ah this ridiculous cold has made me want to BAKE BAKE BAKE-

So I went with Kelly Rudnicki's vegan staple of French Puff Muffins. When presented at Fakesgiving 2009 it was met with lots of love! Check out her book Vegan Baking Classics!

Kelly has really whipped some Chicagoland advocacy butt! Check out her posts on her blog about the recent policies (or lack thereof) in Gurnee and surrounding areas: http://www.foodallergymama.com/

This time around, turbinado sugar from Trader Joe's made for a delicious crusty topping...

gluten free (with apple peel and walnuts):
with brown sugar, spelt, and oatmeal:

I also decided to use Sophie Dahl's Voluptuous Cooking for her blackberry apple crumble! (pics above) I AM OBSESSED with this woman's work! I first heard about her in this article from Food and Wine. She makes you want to start saying that you "fancy" your man, and that strawberries are "bloody delicious!"

I had a delicious crumble in individual containers at the Spring St. Natural Restaurant in Soho, so I thought I would adapt Ms. Dahl's recipe to make it myself!

The recipe is originally for a pie dish, but I love ramekins so much that I went to Crate and Barrel and bought their tall ramekins (10 oz). So I used about 5-7 oz of my mixed fruit in each cup, but the baking at 400 degrees for 30 minutes still made it come out perfectly!

Some alternatives:

using margarine instead of butter for the topping makes it vegan

I sliced apple peel and mixed it with walnuts, so my wonderful gluten-free roommate could try the dish without worry for the spelt or oatmeal!

I used brown sugar, but to make it low-glycemic, I would use some blue agave to keep it's delicious warmth.

Try your own mix of fruits for this!

I think for Valentine's Day I might try it with fresh strawberries! ;)

I had the fortunate opportunity to meet Kris Carr at the Barnes and Noble on 82/Broadway, the beautiful and Crazy Sexy Diet author who talks about green juice and loving yourself!

I have been making juice with cucumber, apple, and lemon. DELICIOUS! Truly goes to show that natural foods make you feel wonderful!

Speaking of wonderful: A shoutout to my sister! :) Allison, I love you so much and I AM SO PROUD OF YOU! This genius is doing the creative writing program at Northwestern, and is really kicking up her brunch skills. Maybe I can get this awesome chica to guest blog!

Ok yuppies! Start baking!

New tips for the New Year (well...it's approaching anyway)

2010-12-24T21:40:00.013-06:00

Hey everyone!

I know I've been...nonexistent on my blog, but I had a few requests for a post! So I thought I'd kick start with a few tips for a great winter season. Surprisingly, I survived my first semester of grad school with only one minor cold! *knock on wood*

Hopefully I can keep my streak goin'!

TIPS FOR WINTAHHHH

1) Drink water. I'm really big on trying not to do things "too cold." I think the body just needs replenishment, and I definitely don't like ice cold drinks when it's super cold outside. Lots of magazines feature cute columnists suggesting adding lemon wedges to your water to make it more "spa like". I dig!

2) Herbal tea is the way to be! Of course I can't live without my coffee....because I'm a crazy addict, but non-caffeinated tea is a great way to explore new tastes! It's a great way to nourish your blood at a time when it's hard to keep warm!

3) SPF, my friends! A certain effeminate friend of mine told me that I was depleting my skin and my body of Vitamin D. However, as sunscreen only lasts 2 hours, and you need about 15 minutes of sun to get your daily D needs, so for a crazy walkin' and talkin' city girl that I am, I feel like I get quite a bit of sun even AFTER my sunscreen wears off. So to keep both my friend's vitamin deficiency worries at bay, and to prevent pesky wrinkles and sunspots, just be mindful of sun exposure and be safe!

4) Watch those foreign films that have been on your list! If you're a student, you probably have fewer stressors and more time to focus on reading the television than those mindless films you watch during the year to reduce your stress levels. They also make for great conversations in those hipster spots (Lincoln Park/Wicker Park in Chicago; Williamsburg/The Village in NYC).

5) Freshen up your look! I just got a hair cut, and although my bangs look a little tragic, I generally feel lighter :) I love this Lucky Guide. There are different sections that outline different looks without requiring specifics brand with which to complete your look. I still longing gaze at everything in issues of Vogue, but I know I can't afford it. This guide helps me at least attempt the look! I am very partial to the POSH ECLECTIC look and the GAMINE look :D

6) Use this time to just let yourself think. I like to think of New Year's as a post-breakup opportunity: reflection, rejection, and rejuvenation. In this case....I'm still with my wonderful boyfriend.

7) Speaking of wonderful boyfriend, finding time to really appreciate the people you are close to is ESSENTIAL. Nothing makes me feel better than a good long chat with people I love (which is quite a few!)

8) Read those cheesy romance novels. Better to read something than to NOT read!

9) Try the 29 Day Gift Challenge. Excellent, excellent thing idea that helped me put quite a bit into perspective.

10) Learn to love yourself. If you are reading this, you know that you've at least got one very big fan!! :) If you approach everything with this perspective, people will be much more open to you- in ALL aspect of your life!

New York!

2010-09-14T13:48:00.006-05:00

Hey all,
I have been SUPER busy with this whole "Graduate School" business. Phew! My boyfriend is the one constantly training for 5Ks, half marathons, and marathons....but I have been exhausted from just the first week. Our advisors are always telling us that come December we will "collapse into happy exhaustion"

This does not surprise me one bit.

EXCELLENT things have happened, and some NOT so excellent things have happened.

Given my work that I selected (social work- ta da!), I have to always be mindful of how I am feeling, and try to care for myself.

1) Leaving home was REALLY hard. I have wonderful friends here, but very little can make up for the comfort of family, friends, my boyfriend, and my established sense of independence that I felt in my cramped little studio in Rogers Park. On the other hand, I really lucked out in NYC real estate, and found TWO veggie minded roommates within 10 minutes of campus. One also happens to be a veggie trained chef who works in Chelsea....what?!

2) It's taking a while for me to get my job solidified. This work-aholic is NOT used to this! I am getting a lot of homework done, which is wonderful considering that I have a tendency to procrastinate like CRAZY. (Especially at the beginning of the semester). Hopefully this barista will be serving the thousands of commuters by Madison Sq Garden!

3) I am finally getting the trains/buses here. Chicago= +5000 points for its bus system. NYC= -5000 points for its bus system. NYC= +5000 points for its subway. Chicago= -5000 points for the "el". It all evens out, I guess!

4) Holy vegan friend, Batman! NYC has so many cool vegan restaurants. Too bad that I'm now in a financially compromised position that I can't afford all of them! Oh bother! Candle Cafe and Sacred Chow have already had me, and Scotters and I did my favorite Spring St. Natural Restaurant where I indulged with what I can only describe as the BEST veggie burger I've ever had! EVER! Once the funds come in (and Travis and Jonathan!) I will probably report in more or less detail about these places. Especially Lula's Sweet Apothecary- YUM!

5) Cheese. Oh gosh. When you are on a supreme veggie/student/poor girl budget, it is hard to resist the canned soup and mac/cheese staples for nourishment. I was pretty good about having some hearty fruit/veggie/low fat good foods...until stress and long days came about. I also didn't realize how much I depended on a blender for my quick food smoothie fixes. Thank god for the Mexican fruit and veggie carts throughout the city. If the fruit is right in front of you, how can you NOT eat it?! And hey...PB &J is veggie! Huzzah!

6) My classes rock. I've only had 2 days of class so far (once a week classes....my favorite!), but I can tell that I will be challenged and simultaneously have the ability to thrive. Likewise my field work in Queens looks super cool.

7) I MET JONATHAN FRANZEN! Yep, I'm a book nerd. Always will be. For my birthday I was able to meet the author of Freedom, one of THE most anticipated books of the year- for me AND the NY Times- haha! I told Mr. Franzen my sister's suggestion of his running for Mayor of Chicago. He told me he'd put it on his to-do list. The experience rivaled meeting David Sedaris. Jon Stewart is coming to town as well. So is Jamie Oliver.....

Looks like I need to start writing a book! :D

I miss you all in Chicago, and I feel so welcomed by the NYC crowd.

Now to try to correct the Starbucks folks on what a REAL Red Eye is..... ;)

Time for tea and coffee!

2010-08-06T15:01:00.013-05:00

First off, I want to say a wonderful congratulations to the state of California! By having smart, intelligent educators, lawyers, lobbyists, and one sassy judge, Proposition 8 was ruled UNCONSTITUTIONAL! WOO HOO!

A challenge was set by a group of people bent on controlling what defines marriage, and the GLBTQA community stood strong and used not only superior intellect, but superior love to fight against the minority of people who don't support gay marriage. Enough was enough, and I extend all of my love to the state!

Not to mention my Judaism professor's sister....whose marriage was legally turned down the DAY after she got married. Mazel tov to her family!

Anyhow, onto the main topic! TEA AND COFFEE!

I will soon be departing to Columbia University (YAY!) in NYC (double YAY), and I wasn't sure if I was going to transfer to another coffee shop or not. This got me to thinking off all of the coffee and tea that I've consumed in my short life, and which ones reign as my personal favorites!

So, while I was over-caffeinated at work yesterday morning (calibrating espresso shot you see...), I jotted down a few faves. Hopefully some of the categories will speak to you and inspire you to look into some others :)

COFFEE

BEST DARKS ROASTS:

Corsica Blend at La Columbe (NYC/ Philadelphia)

I visited this place when I was visiting my friend Scott in the Village. I believe its location is in SoHo, but I distinctly remember also hearing about a cortado, the barista's favorite drink. It's been a must-recommend in my cafe ever since.

French Roast & Komodo Dragon Blend at Starbucks (pretty much everywhere)

So I know it's Starbucks, and if I vote democratically I should probably be going off to hug trees instead of drinking from the silver chalice of Corporate America, but Starbucks make a damn good cup of coffee. They're also a part of a big initiative to make all of their coffee organic by 2012. Not bad!

Flourish Blend by Metropolis Coffee Co.

AH! Chicago is so fantastic, and I was so lucky to go to a school so close to this coffee shop. Flourish is a separate blend created for the Flourish cafe off of Bryn Mawr Ave. in Chicago. Too many cooks DEFINITELY don't spoil the coffee! Their vegan spice cookies are a nice touch...just sayin'!

BEST LIGHT ROASTS:

*shudder* normally light roasts are gross to me, but I make some exceptions! My parents love light roast coffee, so I try to do them right when I come home with a few pounds!

Columbian roast- Seattle's Best Coffee

It's light, it has flowers in it. I've brewed it several times....because I have to! (haha) Barely any acid, and a smooth way to wake up in the morning.

Anything from Intelligentsia! A bit more luxurious in taste (and price), but it's some of the most ethical coffee you can buy in Chicago. Lattes here are absolutely amazing!

BEST ESPRESSO

In my limited travels of the world, of course I needed to add a Seattle locale! Caffe' Vita is amazing, and has some of the best brews you can find. Coffee in Seattle is like Wine in Italy...lots of tastes, and people coming in from all over to slurp and taste the best!

There is also Lavazza, an Italian import that just OOZES sexy Italian coffee. Make it a dubio ;)

And now for tea time...a very merry un-birthday to you! (unless it's actually your birthday- ha!)

Green tea... so metabolic, so controversial. Last year, I graced my boyfriend's presence with a box of Daily Green Tea from Republic of Tea. He didn't like it, so of course I was SHOCKED! The tea tasted SO good to me, so I thought there could be a number of things that happened.

1) Foamy tea. Don't be an impatient Polish woman like my mother warns against. The water has to be HOT HOT HOT or else a weird yucky foam comes on top of the tea. Boiling on a stove top instead of in a microwave will prevent this. Let the tea clouds fade away, and just make sure that your tea is immersed in good water!

2) You didn't let it steep enough, or it steeped too long. My dear co-worker Kat is always my go-to Tea Guru at work. We talk about everything from Obama to theater, but with tea I am never an equally informed conversationalist. Kat always recommends not steeping green tea more than 4 minutes! That way that light yummy flavor is there, without the bitterness that resembles my old drama club in high school. Leave the bitter for your lemon wedges! Kat would be proud!

3) You just don't like the tea! I am particularly a fan of tea, and I always have been. There are so many different kinds to choose from though, so if you're new to the tea game, just wait! There's plenty more where your first tastes came from!

TEA TEA TEA

Non-green-tea-discriminants' favorites:

Tazo China Green Tips

Tazo Green Tea Latte concentrated mix (so easy to make those lattes at home- some almond or soy and you have an inexpensive tea latte at home at a FRACTION of the cost!)

The aforementioned Republic of Tea is quite delicious! Very green-tea-i-fied!

For the people who WANT to like green tea (but just don't!)

Tropical Green Tea- Mighty Leaf Tea Company
I get this tea EVERY time I go to Union Station because it's offered at the Corner Bakery franchise. It's also at certain Jamba Juices too! It's kind of pricey, but if you divide up the cost per bag and the price at retail locations, it's at least 75% less than what you'd pay.

Sidenote: Paying for tea outside of the home will almost always be marked up this much. It's a standard. Don't shoot the messenger (aka fellow baristas who don't want to charge this much for tea!) Make tea in a reusable container and bring it with you!

Tazo Zen tea- Absolutely my go-to tea to relax and have a few sips on a cold day. One of my absolute best friends, Dana, remembered this and got it for me for Christmas! Such a simple gift, but it meant so much that she remembered. It's light and doesn't smell like pot like regular mint tea does after it's been sitting out a while (yuck!). DELICIOUS

Tulsi tea- Pomegranate Green Tea
I got my first taste of this at Chicago Green Festival. The taste is just so unique, and the "Original" flavor mimics an authentic tea my first roommate bought for me at a tea sale on Devon Ave (the Indian "district", if you will, of Chicago). Whole Foods has this tea at least on sale or with coupons. Channel your inner Dutch/Polish lady!

Chamomile: yeah also not my fave....but others LOVE it! :) One of my favorite quotes about chamomile regards an exchange between Mamita and Gaston:

M: Would you like a sweet?
G: No, thank you; but I would love a cup of your chamomile tea.

Then, of course, there's more dialogue about how cozy the life of the poor is....psh oh Gigi!

Tazo Calm tea- hit it up! The lemongrass is wonderful, and the "calm" is no joke. It basically makes you fall asleep!

Tulsi also makes a Honey Chamomile that is a bit sweeter. For those who know me, this is exactly why Chamomile isn't one of my favorites, but if that's your bag, go for it! It smells divine!

Non-Chamomile herbal teas:

Passion/Mambo from Tazo

ANY Rooibos Red Tea....Celestial Seasonings has quite a bit and it's CHEAP! I love steeping a bunch of bags in hot water, letting it cool, adding ice and popping it in the fridge. I finally found a good herbal tea that isn't so lemongrass-y!

I don't do a lot of specifically flavored teas, but this one had me SOARING.
After explaining to my dear friend Kelly that black tea was connected to helping people with diabetes lower and maintain their insulin level, she promptly took this opportunity to help a girl out! I have always loved Argo Tea (born and raised in Chicago- hehe!), but their Mango Mambo
flavor just reminds me of going to Chinatown for their Summer Festival, and using what little cash I had to buy tins of loose leaf tea. Strawberry was a good one, but my favorite was mango! Now I can get it all the time...and in NYC now too!

Hope this extensive list brought you guys closer to some sip-worthy beverages! HAPPY WEEKEND! :)

New updates!

2010-07-14T21:50:00.010-05:00

Yes, Mrs. Rudnicki has a new book. And vegan drunk puppy (my mascot on this blog) is VERY pleased :)

My review is currently available here at amazon.com

It's always good to check out easy vegan recipes! Not just because the diet is humane..but come on, no one wants to deal with making sure than eggs/milk are fresh. :) LAZY ME!

So I finished another Lisa Gardner book today! Say Goodbye, a creepy story about spiders and a gruesome tales about kidnappings and a prostitute serial killer. I love getting promo books from my bookstore so I can read the books, and ideally give them back to my employees to read as well.

Interesting tidbit: MANY Lisa's in the game of mystery. Jackson, Scottoline, Gardner.

Lisa Gardner is my favorite, and probably because she pushes the envelope a bit more with the gruesome details and not sparing the reader from any horror. It is my opinion that this is why books are written/read, to not be censored as much as other mediums. Perhaps A Clockwork Orange is an exception...*shiver*

A few summer tidbits anyone?

The Neighbor, by Lisa Gardner (it's now available in Mass Market, which means cheaper and much easier to put in a purse/ carry on the train!)

This came out on hardcover last June, and I believe stills proves to be a good summer thriller. A young mother disappears, the only remaining witness is her 4-year-old daughter. The husband is suspected, and both of the newlyweds come from broken pasts that created an ending that was just what the heart wanted. Cathartic, perhaps a little predictable, but completes the idea of the story in a way that left me closing the book with a long sigh...

I'm getting into some lazy territory, otherwise I'd post more books. I am however in the middle of Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections...very nice :)

Vanity is good for you (I'm back!)

2010-07-05T23:54:00.007-05:00

Ms. Natalie Wood! (Draw whatever comparisons you will-haha!)

Me and Drunk Puppy- with a horrible webcam program! BLECH!

Drunk Puppy love's Gardein! :)

I'll be the first to admit that vanity is what made me a vegetarian. After reading Skinny Bitch, a quote that stuck with me basically said something to the effect of "Why eat a dead carcass...unless I want to look like one" (or something like that)

YEAH! Why should I look like a dead animal? Alicia Silverstone is hot...and she's almost 40! All she does is be gorgeous and not eat animal products... ok- sure!

My obsession with Natalie Wood started in the 6th grade. My family and I had to leave after the 2nd act of West Side Story being performed on stage (tragic to miss it!) , so my dad of course had to rent the movie version. I WAS HOOKED! She was glowing, and beautiful, and even though she wasn't a Latina, she got the ingenue look down! Once I saw a few other films, and read every biography about her published, I grew more and more attached.

I also don't mind the "Oh...you kind of look like her!" comments I get when I tell people she's my fave....but you know! :P

In general I feel like our vanity is there for our confidence and for our self-protection. If we didn't think we were hot stuff, all of us would be in abusive relationships (and women wouldn't have nearly as many rights as they do now!)

Maybe that's a stretch...whatever!

I miss blogging, and I'm sure I'll get back to it once I get in the groove of things.

Until then, follow this blog!
I was referred to it from a male friend of mine- there are some great tips on etiquette and just general live-ability :)

I'm also trying to write some books...yep- plural! :)

MUAH!
-The Yupster/Vegan Mistress

My boo...plural :)

2010-05-01T23:37:00.014-05:00

Before I talk about my boos, a few little treats I got for graduation week! Ebay and Crossroads Trading Co. MAGIC :)

J.Crew...$11.00

Betsey Johnson....$20

J.Crew.....$15.00

I have many "boos" these days. I adapted the phrase from Michael, a coworker of mine in the cafe, who stole my heart with phrases like "kitten" and re-naming himself to BooshalayX (the X is silent). I felt the need to give some pics!

One boo is Vegan Drunk Puppy. It's kind of a joke between friends, but also something cute to alleviate the pressures of being a vegetarian/ vegan activist or supporter. So while we can say "Awww..Vegan Drunk Puppy- stop getting sick near the Seitan!"...I do know that there's more to it. :) Some of my other "boos" are the puppies in my neighbor who get walked all the time...SO CUTE!

Speaking of puppies...hipster puppies...you won't regret it!

Another is my friend, Kelly. Oh Kelly! This girl is going to California to live the dream. YOU GO GIRL! She is one of my inspirations: non-judgemental, and just wanting to do some good for the world. Very litle can go wrong when she's around...

Kelly, the other white meat! JUST KIDDING! :)

Which brings me to a new project! After re-watching the tail end of Julie & Julia (with the lovely Meryl Streep- eep!) , I wanted to see what I could do to channel Julia Child herself, to bring the deliciousness of the French to the veggie community!
Step one was a sort-of creme brulee inspired cupcake. IT WAS DELICIOUS- and on a more egocentric level, photographed quite nicely (see I can still learn, Dad! hehe). I have such a love for food photography after seeing how it was done. YUM! My next step is to try Coq au Vin...veggie style! :)

The Yuppie's Vegan French Creme Cupcake!

Another shout-out to Dan Savage, the sex columnist for The Stranger in Seattle. Much like Anderson Cooper to Perez Hilton, Dan is my boo! He is so open-minded and just lets people get cold and unadulterated advice about their love lives, to the point that I am encouraged to NOT overanalyze my relationship. Seriously, there should be a Nobel prize for that :P

A special "thanks" to my Special Friend, who I'll be seeing in NYC at some point. We'll both be going away from Chicago soon, but we can help each other salvage our love of Chicago in the Big Apple. Vegan fraps for you, boo!

More adventures with Vegan Drunk Puppy!

2010-04-18T09:03:00.007-05:00

So it's been a ROUGH past few weeks. I've been working literally every day, and I have been in a vicious cycle of getting myself sick and tired. I'm very close to needing to make a decision on grad school, and very few have gotten answers back to me on financial aid. Columbia, for one, was not very helpful in the $$ department.

Oh well, I digress and I think I'll have some lovely choices coming to me soon! I just gotta have faith...and coffee.

In veggie news, Vegan Drunk Puppy has tried the DAIYA vegan cheese...and loves it! Certainly no replacement, but helpful on those rough nights when I can't get to a cheap grocery store to buy anything else (read: Amy's Vegan Burritos...such a college girl!)

I'm done in a few weeks, so I'll have more time to blog. In other news, I've been looking up more sustainable practices for being girly! My graduation dress contestants are flying in the mail from providers on ebay.com

I'm also in the market for vegan candles, and may have met my match on etsy. This Kenny CoOp looks just wonderful, pretty cheap, and has great reviews...YES

CHEAP EATS:
Vegan Drunk Puppy tried to steal my Trader Joe's edamame! It's less than $2.00 for a bag, and you just pop in in a pot of boiling water and presto! Not-super-processed soy for your day....delicious!

CHEAP DRINKS:

$8.00 for almost 2 pounds of Organic Coffee..um yes please!

CHEAP CANDLES:
I bought this candle from the Heartland Cafe in Chicago. I've always loved their food, but their adjacent store is always packed with fair trade and organic goodies! This candle isn't my favorite soy candle I've tried, but it did the job...and smelled wonderful!

OTHER GOODIES:
My new favorite blog is Savvy Abby via VegNews! VegNews is absolutely one of my favorite mags, and this blog is a leading example of why. Recognizing their key demographics, this college girl likes seeing cruelty-free stuff for CHEAP! Excellent job :) Her most recent article talks about cheap makeup, and also features Pacifica, absolutely one of my favorite body-product companies. WOOT! $5.00 @ Sephora for cheap hand cream that smells like sorbet...yum!

Yummy!

2010-04-03T16:28:00.006-05:00

[Drunk puppy yelling at my boyfriend to stop drinking the Kahlua- it's got milk!]

My how my last semester is turning into a journey.

My wonderful boyfriend is being absolutely wonderful about the changes in my life, and I feel like we're becoming maturing adults who argue and make up and still love each other at the end of the day. As my english teacher once said in high school "Love is NOT having the butterflies, but the knowledge that if you look across the room at a crowded party, they'll instinctually look back." Pretty soon he'll get me back in shape by making me run/walk...he's the one training for a marathon, so I'm a wee bit scared to just start working out together. I guess that's part of relationships- making yourself vulnerable...extremely vulnerable! (meep!)

As for other aspects of my life, I feel so blessed to have my good friend Kelly. Together we are participating in the 29 Day Gift Giving Challenge. The challenge comes at a good time, as pretty soon she'll be going to San Fransisco, and I'll be embarking on a trip to either NYC or Seattle. Check out the blog to see more!

http://kellysandragiftchallenge.blogspot.com/

In the spirit of giving (and spring weather), I'm trying to completely clean out my stuff. So, I'll be donating a lot of my clothes I don't wear, etc. Hopefully I'll be able to detox my room a bit.

Detoxing in general freaks me out, but I'm committed to my new mantra:

"Eat more green, don't spend it!"

Hopefully as a veggie I'll be able to feel back to my usual, healthy self :)

oh! A new blog?

2010-03-31T23:59:00.000-05:00

http://kellysandragiftchallenge.blogspot.com/

My friend Kelly and I will give 29 gifts in 29 days...YAY :)

More drunk vegan puppy updates to come. :P

Drunk Puppy Goes Vegan!

2010-03-18T22:57:00.010-05:00

So my trip to New York was fantastic. I was lucky enough to get some feedback from Lindsay Wolf of the "Kiss Me, I'm Vegan" blog. She directed me to Sacred Chow, a vegan establishment close to NYU. ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. The menu was delicious, and the waiter was SUPER nice and adorable...he also reminded me of Harvey Milk! :) I love NYC, and I love the food. Most of the restaurants in the area had at least the option of doing some vegan schtuff (like Two Boots in Soho...vegan pizza that got Amy's seal of approval)!

The trip, along with my vegan pal Amy, really made me re-commit to the vegan-ish lifestyle. Again, I'm not 100%, but I'm making my way there!

And speaking of vegan...I had made a delectable wrap, featured in one of the photos up top, w/ whole wheat tortilla, vegan cream cheese, broccoli, and white beans (and rice and seasoning that I added after I took the picture) . Next up I may a yummy Vanilla Rooibos latte w/ soy (that I brought to my ever-outdated Human Sexuality class...ugh! waste of my senioritis time!) SO good, even my wonderful friend Kelly thought so. Kelly's basically my spiritual advisor...or part time therapist, I can't tell :P

My acceptance into Columbia University was a big deal, and now I'm just waiting on a few more. It was comforting to know that I could find a group of old friends, new friends, and even (gasp!) a job? It would be extremely difficult for me to let go of Chicago, but doable (especially for Columbia!).

But now for crazier news!

DRUNK PUPPY!

Now, drunk puppy is a creation of many, many inside jokes. First, my boyfriend and I deciding that if we ever got a dog (and sure enough will, if we stay together long enough to live together), we thought it would be so crazy that it would basically act drunk all the time. For a preview of such experience, "drunk _____insert random animal___" tends to have interesting videos of drugged cats and dogs after their surgery. Humane-ness is questionable, but most of the owners in the videos seem to have what it takes to be a good pet owner.

AND, my job at the local bookstore is what brought my guilt-driven purchase of our friend..Drunk Puppy.

This super cute Beanie Baby-type dog was displayed in a plastic case with a sign that my crafty co-worker had drawn up to say "Buy me, and I'll love you."

My guilt for trapped puppies ensued.

I HAD to buy this super cute fake dog! Normally I'm not a huge girly-girl, and I haven't so much as expected a box of chocolates from my boyfriend, but Goodness Gracious was I feeling some emotions for this puppy! A fake one, too!

So, I had a little chat w/ Drunk Puppy about my eating habits, and what do you know, crazy drunk puppy wanted a white bean wrap as a vodka chaser!

*Mind you, this is obviously not a real dog*

I'm hoping to catch some awesome pics of Vegan Drunk Puppy!

Until then....ruff!

Sugar, Spice, and Everything Veggie!

2010-02-24T07:40:00.003-06:00

Ahh some wonderful health reflections....eep!

So for some of you veggies like myself who grew up in Polish households, perhaps you can commiserate with my constant desire to eat meat. Ok, maybe not constant, but on a quite frequent basis, I continually have to translate my meat cravings for an iron-rich veggie source. Problem: I was never really a salad girl, so what do I do about it now?!

Well, apparently I over-sugar myself. One of the big reasons that I went vegetarian is the overwhelming evidence that (if done correctly), being veggie is the way to go if you've got diabetes....and I was almost there!

The glycemic index diet is a good guide, but I'm hesitant to listen to something that tells me to eat a "deck of cards" worth of chicken rather than a banana. I'll add some peanut butter and call it a day.

I was so happy to meet Kim Barnouin in person! Ms. Skinny Bitch herself was definitely skinny, but there was nothing bitchy about her at all! She's definitely low maintenance, and encourages everyone not to judge each other...um perfect?

Their book was a significant factor in my decision to go veggie- and now more so for me to give up animal products when I can-which is quite often! I just need to moderate the diabetic-non-friendly-stuff!

TWO WEEK UNTIL NEW YORK! :) I've decided to try to cook Indian food..until then the Trader Joe's options sound good to me! :)

CHICAGO DINER ON SATURDAY- introducing friends to seitan and the like....exciting :P

I'm so excited!

2010-02-22T10:56:00.004-06:00

So I work everyday this week...NOOOOOO! It's frustrating when you nanny and you have another job, because sometimes people don't see he childcare aspect as being a job. It is definitely a job, peeps! However, kids are so wonderful, and the babies bring down the stress level. Take that decaf-nonfat-latte-overly-rich-rude-suburban customers!

Phew.

Anyway, some new discoveries! My sister (the one who calls me a yuppie) is always joking about how often I go to Whole Foods. It's right by work, and I almost always need food, so it's just convenient. So like a blissful Jewish mother, I am so pleased to find how many coupons they have! My latest purchases have included Back to Nature products- the ones that I got were vegan (on accident)!! I was so pleased, as one of the treat boxes is their Classic Creme, basically a healthier Oreo cookie. SUPER bad for you, but I've been needing a mental health break, with all of the transitions in my work schedule and school schedule! I first discovered some of the Back to Nature stuff through a family I babysit for, one of the BEST ways that I've gotten health food ideas. Hopefully, I'll make an awesome mom one day who passes on good food to the nannies!

After all, it was through Kelly, the Food Allergy Mama herself, that I first discovered soy milk, and now I have it just about everyday! Her book is still a baking staple for me- she's coming out with a new vegan book and I am SO STOKED!

Onto my latest veggie news: I am so excited for friendly times this week! On Wednesday, one of my best friends from home is visiting me in the city! Ms. Dana is just amazing, and we've been writing letters (with ink and everything) to each other all throughout college. Just wonderful, and she's coming with me to see Kim Barnouin at my school! After reading Skinny Bitch a little over a year ago, I was struck by the logical nature behind keeping your body more pure by getting rid of meat. I will be unable to contain myself! Dana and I will more than likely be baking, too! I was thinking Babycakes NYC's blondies...in honor of Dana (the very non-stereotypical blonde- I LOVE HER!)

Talk about a crazy veggie time! Kim has a very cool website, Healthy Bitch Daily, which gives lots of cool eco-tips. I purchased 7th generation's laundry detergent the other day, to see if it would be any good, so I feel like I'm at least getting back to some of my green roots as well!

My other best friend Caitlin is visiting with her wonderful crazy friend Suzette! Their meeting the boyfriend, and we're visiting The Chicago Diner.I'm so excited! I also just subscribed to VegNews, so that will be an exciting subscription to start getting as well! After all, the chic Vogue needs a companion. I wonder if steak-eating Anna Wintour would ever consider seitan....

Not-feeling-so-good- Being Vegan & sick!

2010-02-17T10:30:00.003-06:00

Hey everyone-
In addition to new nannying experiences (with the cutest baby in the world!), and subscribing to the Savage Lovecast, I have found myself in a predicament- I'm sick again!

I was already sick in January, so the idea of me being all-stuffed-up-getting-everyone-else-sick twice....not so good! My diet has been relatively ok, except for the occasional "whoa! too many carbs!" pre-diabetic business, but I think this is all linked to one thing: STRESS.

Ugh, that awful "s" word that hurts EVERYONE. My boo Travis got the heaping venting on my part, when he felt the desire to really share his interest in raw food. And I snapped! Yuck, no one wants that. I am still trying to eat what I can to be vegan(ish!), but when I am feeling weak, that's when the light foods sorta move away, and I make way for the dairy and egg. Just for a brief period of time though!

Babysitting has also reminded me of how little time I have. Luckily, I do have a home in which I could cook something for myself if I wanted, but rarely do I take the 5 minutes to think about what I should make for myself. In addition, I have night classes, which means little time to prep for din-din.

I've been surviving on Amy's vegan organic burritos, and new Nature Valley Dark Chocolate + Oat granola bars.

And now, Dayquil.

Time to rev up the engine by maybe taking some yoga...and multivitamins!

I hope you all are in good health! I am so happy with my new nannying job, so I hope those of you who are in stressful work positions find a way to relieve the stress! EEP!

Much love <3

P.S. One of the authors of Skinny Bitch is coming to school- yes!

Raw!

2010-02-13T12:10:00.001-06:00

Did you know the Jason Mraz is a raw foodist with an avacado farm? If you've seen him w/ out a shirt on...it's not a big surprise!

I mentioned Ani Phyo's stuff earlier, but without a link!

She's fanastic, and I highly encourage checking out her YouTube channel as well! (She just recently friended me on Facebook-yes!)

V'Day!

2010-02-11T12:04:00.006-06:00

Ahh Valentine's Day...It's my favorite! So many people get depressed, and whine and cry about not having a significant other, but even in my mostly-single-dominanted years, I loved this holiday. I just bought Super Natural Cooking, about a month and a half ago. Included in this beautiful, made from recycled paper, cookbook includes 2 major, holy crap I wish these could be made vegan desserts...panna cotta, and chocolate mousse! Delicious, now I just need some creme brulee! Mi amour and I decided to have a Valentine's Day in this year, and we'll more than likely be vegged out w/ some romantic candles and dark chocolate. What a wonderful year to have such a supportive boyfriend, who definitely TOLERATES my nagging about food.

He took me to The Chicago Diner, and upon one of my best friend's recommendations, tried the Country Fried "Steak." Amazing! Heartland Cafe, also in Chicago, has a delicious BBQ Seitan Sandwich. Pulled pork used to be an absolute favorite, so it was so refreshing to have a veggie version.

My craziness has escalated into my classes. During our mundane discussions about ourselves in my lab class, I mentioned that I had an extensive knowledge of speciality dies and would be happy to help anyone with questions. So, a girl that I used to work with pulled me aside after class and said that her grandmother was just diagnosed with celiac and was anxious about not baking bread anymore. BABYCAKES TO THE RESCUE!

I am very excited that I am getting more connected to the vegan lifestyle, even though I am not vegan myself. More posts to come...including a trip to NYC! :)

Why being vegan is made easier by being in Chicago!

2010-02-03T16:43:00.007-06:00

Hello all,
Amidst making coffee, studying, watching children, and occasionally applying to graduate school, I have indeed been researching the vegan lifestyle, as well as the eco-lifestyle.

The transition has been incredibly strange for me. Throughout the past year, the amount of time that's past since I gave up meat...cold turkey (hehe), I've felt like more and more people have switched to a veggie or moderated veggie lifestyle.

One of the best things about Chicago (and I suppose any urban city) is the amount of cheap European/Mexican markets. My friend Travis and I frequent our local Morse Market, and we're able to stock up on not only cheap produce, but ORGANIC produce. Trav is also experimenting with the Raw lifestyle, which means nothing heated over 100*F to help preserve the food's natural enzymes. I've also read some of Ani Phyo's stuff (and subscribed to her podcast), and in addition to ameliorating some of my dairy-based habits, I've made a larger effort to incorporate some of the raw foodist's dream foods. She makes a peach cobbler on her show that makes me want to convert...or move to Georgia?

My boyfriend and I decided to celebrate a bit of an earlier Valentine's Day, and he took me out to the Blind Faith Cafe (of which I've blogged about before, when first experiencing Ratatouille!) and I had the BEST pasta dish ever! It had sprouts, broccoli (a generous heaping amount too, none of this "Noodles and Company" mostly pasta bullshit), and handmade pasta and tomato sauce....with cheese. My chai was milk based as well, but my boyfriend without realizing it ended up having a completely vegan meal. AWESOME! He's so supportive, and even though he gets a little anxious about what would happen if he had a vegan girlfriend whom he had to introduce to his McCain-lovin' crowd, at dinnertime he's willing to try some animal-free dishes.

*Note about Blind Faith....they're awesome...but don't try the Rice Dream Latte, or any milk alternative latte, without an extra shot of espresso- that's just my coffee snobbery opinion*

So, overall, I've subsided to a 75/25 vegan diet. If I had the time/money to go all the way, I probably would. I think the reason that people are leaning towards this (especially in Chitown) is that it's so much better for the environment, and because it just makes you feel better! Anytime I eat dairy, without my probiotics or zinc supplements, my face BREAKS OUT. Acne is not a fun thing, kids, and when in college...dairy, meat, and alcohol (and stress..duh!) are all super fine contributors. Gross. I'd rather have a "easy, breezy, beautiful Cover Girl" face (a phrase I've gotten accustomed to using during the support group I lead...Travis says I'm getting gay-er everyday!)

There's lot of networking food sites, like Vegan Chicago, but I prefer just a simply yelp.com search.

I'm going back to NYC in March for spring break, and my awesome friend Scott (omnivore extraordinaire) is also looking into getting some vegan/ vegetarian cookbooks. Kiss Me, I'm Vegan is a wonderful blog, as well! Ms. Wolf (Mrs?) has been essential in helping me be less-cruel to animals and find cheap places to eat vegan in NYC (which will be crucial considering how much this veggie girl spent the last time she was there!)

WEEEEE! I hope everyone has a magnificent Valentine's Day. As I always say, don't be bitter on V-Day, eat bittersweet chocolate :)

LOVE YOU!

2009- YEAR OF FOOD

2010-01-16T18:30:00.003-06:00

Hello all, applications to graduate schools, and constant work with nannying and work in the bookstore lead me to NOT have updated in FOREVER.

I thought I'd just throw in a ton of pics, and see what happens :)

All That Jazz

2009-12-08T13:31:00.001-06:00

Two Steppin’

“Oh shit, I’m going to be late,” I scream in my head as I’m dashing down Randolph, still unsure of where the Harris Theater really is. As a genius, I decided to go to my dance performance on November 21, 2009, the same day as the lighting of the Magnificent Mile. I am usually super early to performances, so this day I took a few extra minutes to do my hair and makeup, eat something before leaving. I was also going to a party for a friend afterwards, so I was looking forward to something light and fun to alleviate my awkwardness that I knew would come later to his going-away party (dancing? Yes. Social anxiety? Yes.). But no, the large groups of drunken high school students and puffy jackets that my mom calls “suburban coats” filled the “el” car that I was in, and I tried to read the book I had brought with me. My stuff was NOT going to get stolen, and I was going to get there!

Having already missed the chance to see Mikhail Baryshnikov (sp?), and many other jazz performances, I stuck with Step Afrika!, in conglomeration with the Chicago Human Rhythm Project. Not my first choice, but I was determined to enjoy it and learn something from the dance type.

I rush in and get a ticket, the man at the box office smiling, although whether it was because I particularly looked good, or because he could tell I was relieved to be able to buy a ticket. The ushers were letting people in, in between the performances. We could hear Michael Jackson echoing from the inside of the theater, so only the first performance by the drill team had begun. Based on the amount of Jackson’s songs that had been playing subsequently since his death, I concluded that I wasn’t missing much.

A big group of black women were in front of me, also just having gotten to the box office. We were ushered in, and told to take the seats furthest away, but closest towards the top balcony. I had bought the cheapest tickets, so I wasn’t expecting a good seat. However, this was still a good view. The Harris Theater is underground, and I’d never been before. It is such an interesting layout, and from the time I got there, I knew I’d love it. The women flew in next to me, and after the drill team had finished up, the Trinity Irish Dance School had come in, and performed very percussive and intense work. The lighting kept changing, and you could see the characteristic curly wigs that the girls were wearing. All I could think of was “When did these girls start dancing?” Did they have the same worries as I did about being in a leotard, or were they rail thin from the militaristic stepping that they were performing? I had always seen many similarities between my Polish heritage and the Irish, whether it’s the characteristic potato dishes, excessive drinking, or in this case, folk dancing. Judging from the form of these girls’ dances and the formation of the Polish girls that we see in the Polish Independence Day parades, I could now understand the key difference in weight between the two groups. Polka dancing is much more laid back, although probably carries the same amount of historic and cultural significance. I’ll just tell my Polish cousins to join an Irish dance troupe to stay slim abroad.

A quick glance around, and you could see a definite class difference in the audience. I was in with the super excited black women (and some men, along with their dates), while the majority of the “elite” white men and women were sitting with their children towards the front. I reflected on Shakespeare’s time and how the poorest of people got penny tickets to stand toward the front; yet in the case in this theater, the blacks were pushed to the back of the theater like a city bus in Birmingham, Alabama. A hyperbolic analogy perhaps, but I still wondered who the audience was “meant” to be here, and why ticket pricing was not just one general admission price, with first come- first serve seating arrangement. After all, this is based on African dancing, and if I wanted to see a performance based in white Anglo-Saxon tradition, I would’ve stepped over to the Lyric Opera a few blocks away. Although being a snotty, white opera fan, that kind of trip wouldn’t be completely acting out of character.

After the Irish Dancers left the stage, following a very cute little girl’s solo at about the age of 5, many of the women sitting by me either completely left the theater, or went for a closer seat. I look at the ticket I had purchased, and glanced over to see that someone else was sitting in my seat. “Oh well,” I thought and came back to the seat that I sat at for the first portion. Step Afrika! was about to perform soon. I noticed that I was in a row to myself, and all of my cheering would be met by silence around me. I didn’t care!

The dancers took us on a journey through a variety of step dances. They began with a sort of everyday, contemporary street dance style, and I felt like it was a watered down version of the dancing that might go on in the South Side of Chicago, or as they were basing it off of, Harlem, NYC. I’ve seen Save the Last Dance enough times for me to know that mainstream is definitely not the same, although I’d rather the white kids in the audience get a taste of the culture that they will probably never experience face-to-face. A dance off between the men and women ensues, and the audience gets to participate in the winners. No one was surprised that the women cheered for the women, men cheered for the men. Of course there is a stylistic difference between each set, and at the end there is a “tie.” None of the women onstage are the anorexic types that you see in Ballet, and sometimes Modern pieces. After seeing The Seldoms perform, and meeting the coordinator afterwards, I wanted to offer her a sandwich rather that a round of applause! Real women, performing in a very real way. Women have such a sass and sense of competition during dance performances, but in this way it was woven into the dance and made it less uptight, and more proud than restrictive.

They continued to give us a tour of what it was like for stepping fraternities and sororities. Go figure that my experience at Loyola didn’t teach me where the Greek system had provided an outlet for African- American stepping. Then they danced in a setting prompted by the diamond mines in Africa. I haven’t researched it much, but based on my old roommate’s review of Blood Diamond, I can only infer that the conditions were normally horrendous. The fake “master” of the mine in the dance is stricter in the laughable sense, reminding me of the parents from Disney’s Peter Pan: “A little less noise there,” rather than death threats, and who knows what else. Dancing was seen as a reprieve, and I had an instant appreciation for the group for informing me about this dance, and its function in a society that I know nothing about.

Onward and upward, to the last segment: tap. My dad had rented a bunch of videos from the library after we had learned of Gregory Hines’ death when I was a kid. “You just need to know about talent,” he told me, and I saw his incredible dance style that is rivaled by everyone in the tap industry. The solo artist in this piece wanted everyone to participate, and soon we were all snapping with him. I got to snap! I’ve watched West Side Story over and over, and snapping during a dance is a strange fascination that I have. Probably also reminds me of a Greenwich Village poetry jam, but that’s just one Jack Kerouac book away from making this performance something it’s not. The girls in the audience screaming “Oh damn!” behind me, and I was still so excited to see the tap, all by myself, in my own row.

The group finally got together and ended with a big tapping group, ending the performance. I walked away, thinking “wait…that’s it?” I wanted to keep watching, and wanted to hit myself for the times that I had missed out on other performances. I would say that I have a new appreciation for this type of dance, but sadly I predict that I’ll forget all about it, and my next performance will be that of another Anglo-Saxon performance. But I think I’ll at least try to go to something else in the future. At the very least, I predict that I’ll show my kids some tapes of African dance one day, likewise to teach them what talent really is.

"Me gusta"

2009-11-16T23:12:00.010-06:00

Thank God for Jonathan and Travis. They keep me so motivated to be veggie! (noun into an adjective....YES)

So Jonathan always keeps me in check about my protein (i.e. with cheese [which I'm shying away from] and with Odwalla shakes. In particular, I had their pumpkin protein shake recently, and decided to make it at home!

3/4 cup pumpkin
1 cup almond milk
1/2 cup ice

1 dash of cinnamon

blend well...delicious!

Little known fact is that coffee mugs also make good containers for smoothies on the go! (Especially the stainless steel kind) MY Gevalia mug (with way too much use, the top is broken past the point of convenient use) came from a free deal from the Gevalia coffee company. I'm not so big on their coffee, but a free coffee maker was particularly a plus when I moved into my first apartment.
-------------------------------------------
Now I've already posted about my vegan chili, but I had to go again!

I always add a ton of carrots, as I feel that they take away from having "too much spice." Almost like a break. My dad used to always tell me to eat yogurt/ drink milk, but I find that anything OTHER than water works, too. I was with my friend Joty, celebrating Duwali, the festival of lights, with the Hindu Club at school, and I couldn't get enough of the curry! I used to think that I hated curry, but turns out, it was just thai curry...something about the tart doesn't jive with my tastebuds....

Anyway, so I needed to include some Trader Joe's products, because they're amazing. Basically, tomatoes, beans, chili spice, carrots....it was all organic and under 7 dollars. Travis and I had about 2 servings each, and I still had some leftover. DELISH! (as an aside, I hope my Dad's proud that I used my auto-settings on my digital camera to get that steam coming off of the chili....awesome!)

---------------------------------
Trader Joe's also makes college vegan shopping CHEAP.

Tofutti non-dairy cream cheese is about $2.50, and veggie burgers are always under $3.00.
(Not to mention that they have Tofutti cuties and Soy "Ice Cream" in a chocolate flavor where you can actually TASTE the chocolate....amazing!)

I've been using the term "nosh" quite a bit, because I feel as though I graze like a cow most days....KIND Bars in particular are amazing (and give to the Peaceworks foundation) and raw nuts help me get through my work shifts/ class without having an audible stomach! A pound of almonds for less than $5? Sign me the fuck up.

Time for delish veggie burgers. I went a week or so without a few in my freezer, and it was so sad. It just seems like a nice base to have, especially since I am a meat-eater at heart. The meat that I miss is made up by the "patty-ness" and good spices in the veggie burgers (in this case, Morningstar, but I like just about any kind). In this photo I feature avocado (as my phrase goes, "avocados make any day a good one") , Tofutti cream cheese, and sourdough bread. The burger in the picture is NOT vegan, but there are many other varieties that are. Needless to say, it was amazing.

Next up:
Amanda, soapstress of the stars (like Travis and myself!) has begun another blog entitled "Broke Ass Beauty," and details her experiences with cheap cosmetics and bath and beauty products. I trust her opinion on just about everything, so I think you should, too. Check it out!

http://brokeassbeautyblog.blogspot.com/

I think that about sums it up.

For Lady Gaga critics, all I gotta say is that she references Alfred Hitchcock in her new song "Bad Romance"....awesome.

Until later, let me know if you guys have any veggie faves. Wish me luck on grad apps! OY! :)

Les Perfumes

2009-11-02T11:08:00.013-06:00

I have a serious problem....I can't leave the house without a spritz of perfume....

Although, since the holidays are approaching, Christmas shopping downtown is a surreal experience that is usually accompanied by a quick dash through the Macy's or Lord & Taylor, usually just for me to look for the newest scent that catches my nose!

And so, a brief list of some of my faves.....Who knows which one I'm wearing now?! :)

---------------------------------------

Oh the Chanel no 5....everyone's favorite! Marilyn Monroe is said to have worn it. A word of warning to those who want this cheap: Don't buy it on eBay! I got it and proudly stated to my choir friends that I had found it on eBay for $30.....not my best purchase. It just wasn't the same! Hopefully there is a way that I could access this scent in some authentic, yet not purse breaking fashion, but until then I'll simply take a waft whenever I'm in the dept. stores... (and hopefully channel Audrey Tautou in the French Chanel biopic...stupid Chicago movie theaters)
------------------------------------------------------------------

Marc Jacobs! I was able to go to the Marc by Marc Jacobs store in NYC and could afford some stuff there! How about that?! And so with our American-Apparel-coolness, Scotters and I both entered and saw the interesting fashions that were coming up...but my favorite was always the perfumes :) Marc Jacobs just came out with Lola, and it also smells as cool as the advertisements. He's just a swingin' dude.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My dear friend Anne and I are big fans of Sex and the City...and gay people! :) We write letters of our version of "Poof!" magazine, based on a certain favorite show of mine. She, however, is a particularly big fan of Sarah Jessica Parker, and introduced me to her signature perfume, Lovely. I was able to get Covet: Pure Bloom, for a rather not-so-pricey price, and loved it! So, although I think that her acting abilities are at times questionable, she knows how to franchise a nice and *light* scent.
----------------------------------------------------------

A very memorable scent, indeed. I got this a few summers ago, shopping with my then, boss, now soapstress, Amanda. Other than being a huge fan of Scarlett Johansson (again, not due to acting abilities), I love basically anything that Calvin Klein makes. Although it is not readily made available in Calvin Klein stores, some perfumeries usually have it. I associated scents with many feelings and memories, and with this particular one, it's the feeling of giving into inhibition with a fleeting romance....but maybe that's just the commercial for it...
-----------------------------------------------------------------
My darling old freshman Resident Adviser told me that sometimes men were just for giving you perfume, and allowed me to sample Amazing Grace. I've been a fan ever since! She bought a set for me for the following Christmas, and I can't even begin to say what a funny experience it was to try to squeeze the last of the lotion out, and twist off the top of the glass bottle just to get the last of it....phew! Although Baby Grace confuses me a tad....

As a scent, Amazing Grace just makes me feel graceful.
------------------------------------------------------------
Malachite, named after the color of green. A shade of green that, if I may be so bold, looks really good with my olive skin tone. I liked the color, heard of the perfume, and once again fell in love. It's definitely not as light as some of the others, but it's just...pretty. I guess my scent association with this one is mature.

For those going on the cheap or who maybe don't wear perfume as often, Banana Republic has minis available of their perfumes (good for presents, too!)

I'm thinking this may be my next one for once I'm done with the current scent, but with the coming season, who knows? After all, this was just a sampling of the ones I like, certainly not an exhaustive list.

Now if f only I could reproduce green tea lattes into a perfume.....

My not-so-celebrity crushes

2009-10-29T22:17:00.015-05:00

So...

I'm a bit of a flirt. In fact, my friend Annette and I always laugh about a phone call I had with my current boyfriend when I was in her company when she overheard me say the following:

"Hey! So I really want to talk to you now, but I'm at my friend Annette's place eating ice cream. I'll call you later though and we'll flirt! It'll be awesome!"

We'd probably only been dating about a month, but whatever, it was a "disgustingly cute" moment. Now we're much meaner on the phone :)

So anyway, I have a tendency to like moderately famous people that most of my girl friends respond with..."ummm who?"

I thought after a grueling awful week of nothing but exams and papers, I'd put up a fun post!

Israel Nebeker, lead singer of Blind Pilot (pictured left)
What else can I say about a wonderful man who plays guitar well, HAS to have some kind of Jewish heritage (always a good thing!), and he bikes....everywhere. He's got the whole broad shoulder thing going on, super laid back warmth, and a wonderful voice.

IN ADDITION: Blind Pilot is coming to Chicago! The day prior to Thanksgiving, they'll be playing at Lincoln Hall, and although I'm not sure if I can make it myself, I know that I'll definitely be spreading the word.

-------------------------------------------
Steve McQueen (still a celebrity, but still!)

The prince/king/whatever of coolness. The days that I'm dressed in all black for work, my co-worker Brittany calls me a beatnik....and I immediately think of Mr. Hipster and my imagined gibberish-spoken love poems....just kidding!

Anyway, as an avid Natalie Wood fan, I actually found out about Mr. Handsome from the film Love With a Proper Stranger, a film that my friend Ally and I decided needs to come out on DVD about 10 years ago...Ms. Wood, after all, did receive an Oscar nomination for her acting as a first generation Italian immigrant unsure of whether or not she wanted to go through with an abortion in the 1960s....guess who plays the jazz musician/father of the child?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joseph Fiennes

The only time that I saw any version of Romeo and Juliet that didn't make me want to throw up.
Rumour has it that's not only playing Vivaldi in a movie, but Darwin, too. Smart. Dudes.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My future fiance'...kind of :)

Sondre Lerche!

I found out about Sondre Lerche from Mr. Scottland, when we did one of our infamous CD mixes. However, this one featured Sondre's "It's Over" at the end of the CD. It had particular significance, as Scott was leaving for college (a year older than myself), and we were a little apprehensive about the state of our friendship as he embarked on musical genius school.

As you might imagine, the lyrics actually say /it's not over at all/, and I was completely happy to hear Scott's new "indie" sound.

THEN I saw him perform at Park West in Chicago, and got to meet him and tell him he was my favorite musician. The dialogue went as such:

Me: So, um.....yourmyfavoritemusicianeverohmygoodnessIcan'tbelieveI'mhere....sorry...
SL: Yeah, wow, thanks though!
Me: *superwide grin* Thanks! You're the best!

and then he signed my concert ticket. Yay! Good memories :)

I saw him again this year....still super sweet guy!

-------------------------------------

Oh well, that's it for me on that, but there are plenty of other non- famousy men that I'll probably mention later...

Have a wonderful and safe Halloween! I might post pics of my costume....might ;)

"Kiss me, I'm Vegan!"

2009-10-29T09:07:00.003-05:00

http://kissmyvegan.blogspot.com/

I already mentioned it on facebook, but this girl is just too cute! She ALSO loves the cupcake making :)

I'm trying to see if I can get to a petting zoo/ animal sanctuary by the beginning of winter (which, in Chicago is about, I don't know, yesterday?)

More exciting news for my veggi-ness:

*Fakesgiving with friends!Mr. JZ and "As Gay as it Gets" writer are gonna do a fun Thanksgiving day...sans turkey! We'll see if I feel like trying the turkey alternatives ;)
Bought Alicia Silverstone's "The Kind Diet"- finally! I especially like the section on "flirting"....describes me so well! hehe!
My involvement with Oxfam at school has been helping me meet so many people who are wanting to make wonderful change in the world. And none of them are super extreme! Other than in kindness of course...
I bought a used black argyle sweater on ebay for $10. Hopefully it'll fit, and I can put up a post of the lovely gamine style that I love to support so much. I've pretty much decided that, excluding lingerie and workout clothes, I'm going to only buy used clothing- Chicago and Ebay make it was too easy!

Weeee! I have a ton of papers to write, but with the support of my puppy (aka my boyfriend, Andy) and my lovely friends, things are gonna get easier!

Much, much love

The Kind Diet

2009-10-27T12:08:00.001-05:00

I'm a little obsessed.....

thekindlife.com

To cheat, or not to cheat?

2009-10-18T18:48:00.004-05:00

So I've been a vegetarian since Spring Break of 2009. This came at a good time, as spring-y foods lend themselves to the "wow, I still have 10 lbs. from winter" bullshit that we all go through. In addition, my roommate and I were halfway through our Spring semester at school, and her sustainability class had inspired her to also eat less meat. I made the plunge, and gave up all meat cold turkey...

Which brings me to my next issue. My only meat-based holiday that I had passed through so far was Independence Day, and trading in peach-mango smoothies instead of burgers wasn't too hard. (After all, I always have BBQ sauce on my veggie patties anyway.....so it wasn't like I was missing out on too much) But NOW, my desire to induce much needed sleep during the last week of November puzzled me. I had primarily given up meat because I felt that it was the best thing for my body. Seeing as though a lean baked turkey would probably not send my body into detox mode (like the much-missed Billy Goat's burgers.....no fries, chips!), I wanted to take some time to reconsider this decision.

After some reading about veggie Turkey-Day alternatives, I had made the final decision not to have an extra-marital affair with the diet that has made me feel lighter and happier than ever before. As my dear, darling friend JZ was telling me, an important figure who factors into one third of my decision to be a vegetarian, not eating it will just leave more room for other stuff that I like....PUMPKIN PIE! I'm such a pumpkin fanatic, I'm going to have vitamin A coming out of my ears by the end of the year!

Above all, this had just better not mean that I have to eat onions.....

[For more: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97137098
and http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/vegetarian-thanksgiving-recipes-recipe.html ]

Yupcakes begins!

2009-09-24T08:55:00.004-05:00

So, I don't have pictures up (yet), but I have created "The Amanda," the new Yupcakes Carrot Cake! We're doing a bake sale at school, hoping to promote the LGBTQA Scholarship that the university organization wants to dole out to high school. As Gretchen from Mean Girls would say, "That is so fetch!"

Amanda has been absolutely amazing to me. When I first started working in the campus reservations office at school, I was down on my luck. No boyfriend, no social life, just wanting to stay in Chicago for as long as I could so I could avoid the ennui of the suburbs, she took me under her wing and made me feel like I was a valuable employee, and after working for her for a few years, like a valued younger sister. Regardless of how dramatic I would be, she was always there to listen, and always there to give an honest opinion.

I knew that I needed to dedicate my gluten-free yupcake to her, because she had battled with an almost on/off gluten intolerance. She is always an inspiration to me, and I can't thank her enough for her warm presence in my life :)

In other news, she's off to get married to the love of her life, and I couldn't be happier for her!

Cheer for Amanda and Nathan! May they live a life filled with references to drunken evenings, strict dietary restrictions, and ethical implications of Kant's Deontology. I love you both!

When she's back, check out Amanda's website! My favorite soap of hers is the Three Bears, Fair Trade and Organic! :)

And her blog....

Pictures and Superficial Updates

2009-09-13T19:34:00.006-05:00

So my new apartment has led me to thinking about the wonderfulness of cooking, having a place to myself, and sipping a wonderful cup of tea with a soy candle on a rainy day. Seriously, Chicago, where is our rainy day? Where have all the thunderstorms gone?

I have started to run/walk/jog/dance a lot, and that's been contributing to a wonderful sense of stress relief. This will probably be essential when it comes to grad school apps....ugh

Anyway, I don't have much to post about, other than the usual "social justice" preaching that I impose onto unsuspecting victims, and my stressful life in my last year of college (yes!), but the little things do matter. For example, every time I'm stressed out or over-caffeinated, I get what I call "calm juice." At work, this means a Horizon "organic" chocolate milk (the quotes are a whole other post....). Otherwise, it means a vanilla steamer from various coffee shops. My good friend Travis called me after my morning with the NAMI walk 2009 (leaving my wake-up time at 5:30AM....I'm ok with that!). He informed me that he was going to surprise me with a present, to which I replied "It better be cheap!" After 20 minutes of awkward face-booking, trying to find each other in the black hole that is our computer lab, he surprises me with a vanilla steamer from Starbucks.

WHAT?! Random acts of kindness? So ridiculously simple, but sometimes I forget that the people we love will remember things about us. Even as a self-proclaimed cupcake queen, the fact that my ex-roomie frequently requested my super chocolatel-y cheesecake always brought a smile to my face.

The upper left picture is the McJ Bookstore/Cafe. Amazing, and my best ami Scottland is going to be responsible for me creating a bookstore/cupcake empire someday. I just remember meeting up with him in the heart of yuppie-town NYC (aka the Nolita/ Soho area), and consistently keeping fresh with our inside jokes and comments on Babycakes and our fave depressed French author, Francoise Sagan (emphasis on the Sagaaaaan). :)

All in all, I think that people underestimate the power of making someone's day. Even something as small as ACTUALLY being interested in someone's day can make an impact. Although I spend most of my days trying to be a bitch, a dash of genuineness and being cliche' seems to make for a good recipe....

Let us reflect

2009-09-03T15:54:00.005-05:00

I just left my Health care ethics course, feeling rather reflective (hence the obvious title of my post today).

First, we had a discussion of the Hippocratic Oath, as well as the Ethics Code adopted by the AMA. We were all under the impression that it was a natural duty for those in the profession to the adopt the codes, only adding emphasis to certain parts of them (like patient confidentiality) but never de-emphasizing them.

Right after, we watched a film about a course offered at Harvard Medical School about a student/patient interaction that involves meetings with patients who have life threatening illnesses. The story was a typical patient-changed-a-doctor's-life story, but our discussion afterwords was particularly telling. After our class had agreed that it was a doctor's duty to take the integrity of their position into consideration all of the time, several students remarked that empathy was sort of an "assumed" quality of those who are entering the health care profession.

Um....no? Of course I looked at everything from an extreme psych POV, having not only been to therapy and had other friends/ family members, and people that I actually saw in a therapy-esque situation....not all practitioners are that sensitive to their patients. In some respects, given the demands of the job and the high rates of malpractice suits, etc...I can see why it would be easier to try to maintain objectivity, and perhaps systematic equality, by not reaching out to each individual as an individual person with emotions, yada yada yada.

But, especially with growing research, it seems to me like it's NOT obvious at all that people have empathy. So it seems sad, but shouldn't we be taking a more proactive approach to healthcare in ensuring that all professionals have some sense of care beyond the text and diagrams of grey's anatomy and the DSM-IV? It used to be that psychiatrists (yes, psychiatrists, as in MED SCHOOL professions) had a requirement of attending therapy sessions, partially to always have an outlet for their stressful schooling, but also to be able to get a chance to see what it's like "on the couch." If I'm not mistaken, this requirement has been taken away.

Hopefully we can bridge the so-called empathy gap, at least when it comes to health care. It seems to me that anyone who is in a hospital situation is put at an immediate switch, from their daily lives of running errands and being aware of others, to being completely out of control and having someone essentially making very difficult decisions for them. For any psych student that has taken a developmental (child psych) class, there have been numerous studies about the affection that infants need at a critical age, sometimes resulting in death. (See this link) Attachment is crucial in healing, and this definitely extends to the physical.

As an aside, I would like to take this opportunity to say that yes, health care is a RIGHT not a privilege. There are a disgusting amount of deaths in this country because people did not have the monetary means to receive extremely available care. Letting someone else have insurance does not mean that a) you will be without the opportunity to receive quality care, and b) that our country will be a presto-changeo socialist country. Not only are some of the bills proposed supporting equality for equal coverage and QUALITY OF LIFE for many U.S. citizens, but also provides for preventative care, an essential component of a complete health insurance policy for women and men alike. It would also save us lots of money! Come on!

Happy health to you all. I suggest dancing if you're feeling low....mentally OR physically :)

3 Bears

2009-08-31T21:49:00.001-05:00

3 Bears Soap

Brilliance in a soap.

More to come...

Food Allergy Mama

2009-08-31T11:31:00.002-05:00

Click here to find out about the Food Allergy Mama's new cookbook!

http://www.borders.com/online/store/TitleDetail?type=0&catalogId=10001&simple=1&defaultSearchView=List&keyword=Food+Allergy+Mama&LogData=[search%3A+65%2Cparse%3A+135]&searchData={productId%3Anull%2Csku%3Anull%2Ctype%3A0%2Csort%3Anull%2CcurrPage%3A1%2CresultsPerPage%3A25%2CsimpleSearch%3Atrue%2Cnavigation%3A0%2CmoreValue%3Anull%2CcoverView%3Afalse%2Curl%3Arpp%3D25%26view%3D2%26all_search%3DFood%2BAllergy%2BMama%26type%3D0%26nav%3D0%26simple%3Dtrue%2Cterms%3A{all_search%3DFood+Allergy+Mama}}&storeId=13551&sku=1572841028&ddkey=http:SearchResults

What a wonderful hyperlink!

Anyway, Mrs. Kelly Woyan Rudnicki is a close family friend, I've babysat for her children, and her family has been supportive of every endeavor of mine that I can imagine since they moved into our subdivision back in the burbs. Now, it's my time to be supportive!

Allergies have become an epidemic in the U.S., especially in children. With all of the new research and trends that have come about in the country about our eating habits (or lack thereof), we have to start thinking also in terms of those who have limited options. Children are constantly at a disadvantage if they deviate from the norm in any way, and you can see it in the way that children discuss their limits (whether it be physical or psychological).

Kelly has found an amazing way of recreating a so-called "weakness" in her child's life into a grand strength, not only raising awareness of an affliction that many suffer from, but about the ripple effect that restrictions on eating create for the entire family. Her book has TON of awesome recipes, but also gives a portion of the proceeds to the Food Allergy Initiative Chicago (http://www.faiusa.org/?page=chicago), a non-profit groups that also raises awareness about this.

I will also add that QUITE OBVIOUSLY, I would not be trying to promote this if the Rudnicki family was not one of the nicest and most caring families I've ever met. Her son, John, has SUCH character and personality, while the other kids are such a support system for him.

Can you imagine being a kid today, already absorbing the pressures of family life from the economy and other crises in this time? I can't even imagine. We always have to be looking out for them.

Which brings me to my main point (despite my always overly-caffeinated poor writing skills...I do have one- hehe!) ...we should be baking for these kids! I have always loved baking and found a niche in vegan, gluten free, and allergen free treats. Kelly's recipes are AMAZING, and most of the time much better for you! I had the absolute delight of trying most of them when she was shooting the photos for the book, and let me tell you...I have yet to even want to TRY another oatmeal raisin cookie after eating the one that she features.

She is an absolute inspiration, and I hope to promote the book for her (mostly through the bookstore, Facebook, etc.) AND for all the kids out there that just want to eat a cupcake! And those of you reading KNOW how I feel about cupcakes :)

So here's to Kelly's new book, it comes out in October! Let me know if you know of families that would benefit from the book, and I'll try my best to get you a copy from work. Otherwise, I'm definitely gonna try some more of her recipes, and deviate from my other books for a while. I might even put up a few updates on the 'ole blog, but with school and such...I make no promises.

Now if I could just find a bundt cake pan so I can make that AMAZING cinnamon swirl coffee cake......

Food

2009-08-29T14:23:00.001-05:00

Hello, "all."

So an update on some new favorites:

Blind Faith Cafe in Evanston, IL.
Went there last night with the boyfriend and tried ratatouille for the first time. Delicious! The restaurant was good, too, and would probably be a lot cheaper if you were just getting Intelligensia coffee and a carrot cake on the go. I'm ok with that.

Also....Celestial Seasonings Vanilla Red Tea. Decaf (naturally...not as in obviously, but just herbal) and yummy!

That's about it, I'm super tired. I'll probably update with more later. :)

Product placement

2009-08-26T20:44:00.003-05:00

http://www.honesttea.com/

yeah it was on sale

and yes, it's delicious! :)

nothing like iced tea when it's a....oh wait...it's not hot weather anymore! YES! :)

Class? Gross.

2009-08-26T20:25:00.005-05:00

Apparently, class, both the academic and the riche definitions, is always limited at my university. Walking among the campus, not only do I see women wearing the same things (80's looking sunglasses, tunics that were definitely overpriced at Urban Outifitters, leggings, and gladiator sandals, etc.), but I hear them speaking in the same every-sentence-must-be-a-question way....surely followed by the ever-cringe-worthy "I know...right?"

Sigh. Anyway, my point is that going back to school kinda sucks. It's boring, and I do not get to cook that much...However, I do get to engage in more discourse with my fellow peers, talk with true friends that I've been awfully neglectful to (without reprimand), and still find time to cook.

My mother has this tendency to offer many groceries every time she visits. I love her for wanting to be helpful, but it's usually the most perishable thing you could find, and as I'm living by myself (another adventure), I find it hard to use odd amounts of green peppers and SEVERAL pints of blueberries. Thus, soup and smoothies it is.

Number one:
I mixed raspberries, blueberries, and green tea together....it was amazing

Number two:
Pureed tomatoes and chopped up orange and red peppers for soup.

These were definitely good decisions. My favorite part? Neither came from a recipe.

My next step is to figure out how I'm going to mix orange and dark chocolate flavoring. I had originally suggested to my amazing friend, Michael, at work that I wanted to make scones....but I already did that with blueberries! Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Other news:
I bought a dress at Crossroads for $16, it's really pretty, and I can't wait to wear it. That's probably all I'll spend on clothes for the next year and half, so I'll have to find a way of making what I already own go further. Then again, I'm almost always dressed for work anyway, so it shouldn't be a problem.

The dress is green.... maybe I'll forgive those cliche' freshman girls and wear black leggings, too. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

Oh, and I promise I'll write something more worthwhile. :)

2009-07-23T21:42:00.002-05:00

Look at those bean bags! Whoa! Lots of ingredients for the Babycakes NYC gluten-free cupcakes, but I think the "Healthy Hostess" worked out just fine! Hit up the local library for the recipe! I did not have time to get the ingredients for the frosting (one of which is soymilk powder [not soy powder...much easier to obtain]) so I just dusted them with cinnamon or powdered sugar for a finished effect...although an icing-written expression of Marquez-esque love would also be appropriate :)

Non-vegan, yet very veggie update...

2009-07-23T21:17:00.004-05:00

So my friends, I am INFAMOUS for my chocolate truffle cheesecake. The "cheese" part is probably not hard to replace with the tofu variety, and the eggs that are in are probably just as easily substituted. Don't care! I love my vegan friends, but I would hate to part with this recipe from an old issue of Taste of Home, the magazine that my grandmother in the heart of South Dakota swore by.....(I do not know how to complete this sentence, yet I'm uncomfortable with ending sentence with prepositions...I digress)

This is a delicious recipe to say the least, and I promised I would make this for my roommate before our lease together ended, and we both embark on different living adventures.

This is the cheesecake recipe.

In other news, I noticed that one of my favorite recipe/posh entertaining books recently came out in paperback! I recommend always buying hardcovers used on amazon.com or preferably betterworldbooks.com (as it's an organization that supports literacy with every purchase!). Instyle Parties is a book presented by the editors of the magazine, and if you look past the expensive preferences, you can find some good food recipes and party ideas for yourself! The link to such book is here.

I would like to try the Real Simple Celebrations book as well, but the other books from them on organization are just as good. I swear I'm not really a domestic housewife in the middle of nowhere moonlighting as a college student! I'm just that invested in being a hostess ;)

Pictures! (about time right?) Adventures in Baking!

2009-07-21T00:49:00.006-05:00

This picture is one of many from the Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. This particular recipe is a pumpkin cupcake with chocolate chips. The critique on this one was too much cinnamon (which I tend to add too much of most times!). If you're wondering what that glaze is... it's cinnamon! Not bad lookin' for my first take at vegan cookin'!

VegNews

2009-07-20T14:17:00.001-05:00

http://www.vegnews.com/web/home.do

A trendy look at the life of a vegetarian. To me, it's a nice thing to skim through and get ideas for, especially when it comes to vegan cooking. I will say that some of the more "youth oriented" articles bring up some good topics. For example, surveys asking "Would you date a non-veggie?" etc....

Check it out!

Gillian McKeith

2009-07-20T14:05:00.004-05:00

I LOVE Gillian McKeith. She's this crazy British/Scottish nutritionist who lays down the law with people who have gone out of control with their eating habits. Her first book that I read was "You Are What You Eat," and it was a basic tool on getting in touch with your body a bit more (even if it's getting gross). I will caution you though, some of her detoxing methods I would not recommend. Her newer book, "Slim for Life," is much more up my alley, with just being simplistic and trying to create foods that will make you feel better. It's a good read, especially after I've had a dinner of cheese fries.....

So...Check her out!

It's Been Too Long, and I Need To Recap!!! :)

2009-06-25T18:12:00.006-05:00

Ok,
So New York City. Amazing.

I saw many places and many people. But it was an absolutely ridiculous time for me mentally. Here I was back at the scene of the crime, where I had visited schools for my undergrad years. It was a battle between admitting to myself of a lost chance, and the fear of acknowledging that New York City might be another place for me to live and to attend grad school. Options are more scary than limits to me. In this case, I have to be able to trust myself that I'll be able to make the right decision when deciding on a school (even if it's for 2 years). However, this trip made my schema of decision making thoroughly get tested.

As usually, though, I had an amazing time, and saw two of my absolute best friends. Back in my strongest of nerd years, I associated with our school's "Drama Mafia," and immediately felt at home with a group of people that shared my love of "making scenes" in public and finding obscure musical theme songs on repeat on my CD player. (oh yes, before the magical time of the nano iPods...) These two have been my rocks, and even forgave me as I decided to settle on a place close to home, rather than moving to the East Coast. Any reservations that I've ever had about a friend moving away is met with my cognition regarding these 2 amazing people. Scott and Emily, I will love you forever. (Keep in mind that this yuppie might move in with them one day!)

I digress. As a self-proclaimed yuppie, I had a hard time budgeting. New York City is indeed expensive. During my 4th day, I was wandering around, looking for any place that even had a suggestion of "dollar menu," and couldn't find anything under $20. For Lunch?! That's DEFINITELY not the Chicago way. This kind, presumably Slavic woman (perhaps a Polish woman like myself) led me out of the rain into her cafe. Obviously, I could see that she
had an interest in getting my business, but I was not about to complain about food and warmth. I ordered the cheapest and, what I had hoped to be, the most filling entree on the menu. "Grilled cheese panini," apparently must include bacon and mayonaise in this establishment. Oy! What's a veggie girl to do? I peel off as much as I could.....but was still hungry! Mind you, this is after another trip to Babycakes. There was no way that I was going to pass up their red velvet cakes while I was still in NYC! NYC is the place for cupcakes! I went to Magnolia, and rather than getting the plain of plain, I got a pumpkin cheesecake. Running just under $5, it was worth every penny.

Now, I have a slight obsession with food. Especially baked goods. I find that it is so nice to just work on a project and have a homemade finished product that you can experiment with from time to time. Every major holiday, I have requested some form of kitchenware. Last Christmas, it was an AMAZING mixer. Cheesecake for this girl is a breeze now. Many of the people I know have joked that I am minutes away from quitting my psych degree path and taking on a bakery of my own....To sum up...don't tempt me....

In general, I'm going to stop writing now, as I find it hard to stay on topic when you've got money issues, financial issues, and you're technically still in the office. Tonight I'll be studying and making spelt flour blueberry scones. HUZZAH! :)

More yuppie thoughts later...

Hey Darlings!

2009-06-16T15:32:00.000-05:00

Super busy workin' 2 jobs.....more posts to come :)

including info about NYC...

Cupcakes

2009-05-31T10:36:00.005-05:00

So I will frequently be discussing my obsession with cupcakes. This next place is fantastic for cupcakes, regular and vegan alike.

Molly's Cupcakes was introduced to me by my roommate from my freshman year. Having gotten off to a rough start, we're now very close friends and try to meet up when we can, and she always know what kind of food, tea, coffee, shopping places, etc. that I like! She suggested the Pita Pit (near the Red Line Fullerton stop) for some vegetarian options. After that we took a nice walk to Molly's Cupcakes!

Having already had my morning "cup" (which for me is usually about six) of coffee, perhaps the strong Intelligensia coffee was a mistake for my heart rate. Intelligensia being so delicious (and about as fair trade and organic and wonderful as it can get), I was still not hesitant to order a mug along w/ my strawberry shortcake cupcake. Delicious! Just the right size, price, etc. For any other yuppies out there, I say take it there!

There are a few other cupcake places that I plan to try out, so I'll have to let you know about those as well.

Yay for Molly's! Check it out!

Melody Gardot and Kate Maki

2009-05-30T12:11:00.005-05:00

Very talented women to listen to when you just wanna chill out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hM9JBNRDJzE&feature=channel
http://www.myspace.com/melody
Melody Gardot-
Sexy jazzy music that seems like it should take you back to a different era....I know it's not really "taking me back" because I'm not old enough, but she's got a bit of Edith Piaf plus Peggy Lee in her voice. Stupendous!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ybDRLHvy-g
http://www.myspace.com/katemaki
Kate Maki- She opened for the Great Lake Swimmers when I saw them, and the poor lady had to entertain us as the band was super late after getting stuck in southern IL. Yikes! She's extremely down to earth and soulful. Take a listen! I feel like her Canadian accent just makes her that much more adorable!

So yay for women who can sing and perform!

Crossroads

2009-05-30T11:52:00.003-05:00

Yay for Evanston!

Not a sentence I ever thought I'd write, but the store Crossroads Trading Co. pretty much made my week. I found a Coach wristlet there for 20 bucks. As in a 100 dollar venture turned cheap. Amazing store. A friend of mine suggested also looking for presents! Fantastic. Someone wants to buy me cheap designer stuff? Go ahead by all means!

http://www.crossroadstrading.com/cm/Home.html

Babycakes NYC

2009-05-28T15:08:00.008-05:00

YUM!

You will soon realize that I have a deep obsession with cupcakes. What a perfect confection! My recent athletic jump into the vegetarian lifestyle has also led me to try vegan dishes as well. Upon going to the marvelous Metropolis coffee house (in Rogers Park) they had vegan cupcakes available for purchase. A little guilty for nabbing this yumminess from someone who might've actually been vegan plagued me until me first bite. How. Delicious.

So I looked for vegan cupcakes! Babycakes NYC is a bakery that makes vegan, mostly gluten-free, and lower-refined sugar (important for those of us at risk of diabetes [and in my case, pre-diabetes]) treats for all! An important critique is that many people with coeliac disease (a condition that renders people unable to eat gluten-a little more extreme than just a gluten intolerance) have been upset that the cookbook contains spelt flour, a very not gluten free ingredient. But guess what? She has a gluten intolerance herself and discusses the differences in her cooking in GREAT detail. Maybe I'm just not very sensitive, but I tried out one of the recipes and it came out DELICIOUS. Yay for agave nectar sweetner.

And so I'll begin making more and more cupcakes. Delicious.

Oh, did I mention that I'm definitely going here in NYC? That's what sparked the post. *wink*

http://www.babycakesnyc.com/menu.html

New York City

2009-05-28T14:16:00.005-05:00

I shall be venturing to New York City in less than a week, my third visit in 4 years. I never quite understood my draw to this city, but cannot escape the natural feeling that I have a sense of independence. After all, my visits have all been made alone. My first was to visit my first choice of school: NYU. You'll notice a typical "yuppie" student by those who have my same claim, "Oh yeah I almost went to NYU...." met with an exasperated sigh and the crushed dreams of a potential hipster fashion designer or the next Scorsese with a vision to bring life to film and film to life. Me? I was pre-med. Was being the key word. Having decided that perhaps not over medicating a nation with enough problems (you know, insomnia, eating disorders, depression, Munchausen's by-proxy, etc.- things that clearly can only be solved by popping pills), I switch to the social sciences with psych, a program that I rationalize would have been just as ok at NYU as it is at my current school. I occasionally wonder what would've happened if I'd pursued a theater major, and led a similar lifestyle, perhaps 3 times more expensive, but similar all the same.

I am excited to go back. Now I will be searching for exploration as well as a potential living space. Would I ever re-consider the chance to live in New York at some point? In order to stay neutral, I had vacated the option 3-ish years ago when I started school here and adapted. Adapted and began to love the city that I had been so close to, yet so far away from with my sheltered suburban upbringing. What a wonderful place. I'll continue to think, but more explore. I've realized often enough that life gets to be too difficult when you think too much. Hopefully the scenery of NYC will help me stop for a bit...

Boho Magazine

2009-05-23T10:31:00.002-05:00

http://bohomag.com/

Just check it out. It designed for women, with the whole fashion thing, but the green living tips are really interesting. The blog is updated frequently, and there are almost always tips on food. Check it out?

Black Coffee

2009-05-23T10:09:00.004-05:00

Here goes.

Coffee in my house was almost always available, my overachiever status winning in the ridiculous battle over natural teenage growth once I began drinking that lovely caffeinated substance. I now stand at a non-modelesque 5 ft. 5 inches, with still an ever growing love for the thing that employs me and keeps me awake to go to school full time and carry a job that helps me pay rent. I'm a Caucasian barista/college student hoping to stay awake enough to have unintelligible conversations about current politics and classic literature. Nauseatingly cliche, unforunately. Hehe, just like in "Stuff White People Like," coffee for me is number 1.

However, after having left my random shopping days with 2 good friends of mine (les deux "a"s) (as we frequented the Walker Bros. pancake house, and the local Ulta for the latest in makeup that our high school selves NEVER needed) I selected plain black coffee in lieu of the sugary Dr-Phil-warns-you-against-these Frappucino. In other words, I went with a heathier alternative (and cheaper might I add) on these excursions. Although I certainly wouldn't turn down that trip to the mall and pancake house....

Anyway, my semi-masculine ways of drinking my coffee (as well as tea) is kind of nice. You don't often see a woman ordering a Black Eye without adding cream or sugar. Matter of fact, I hardly serve espresso-laced coffee to women. I do of course "mix it up" on occassion, but perhaps my drinking habits will bend a few gender rules....