Friday, October 31, 2008

Happy Halloween!

from an extremely uncooperative gnome named Fenix...

Monday, October 27, 2008

updates and such


So a lot has been happening over the last two weeks. I haven't talked about it much because frankly it was a lot to process and I've been pretty emotional about it.

The company where I was working laid off most of the people on my team. This came as a devastating surprise to some people while others were just happy to get severance pay and the time off to aggressively look for another job. I would have been cut too but as it turns out I gave my notice just one week prior so the layoffs afforded me a much needed week long break in between jobs. Oh yes I guess I didn't mention that on a positive note, I got a new job!

I'm really excited about my new job but I should also let you know that now I am a full time employee. This is the only downside really. That and the fact that my awesome friend no longer works there and I was REALLY looking forward to sharing a work environment with her - but that is a story for another day. Anyway, I've been having some real sadness about being away from Fenix for 5 days a week. I know a lot of parents do it - hell, J has been doing it since Fee was 2 weeks old! But I... I just always envisioned that I'd be a SAHM and now I'm not and frankly it sucks. I know with time I'll feel better about it. I know that Fenix is doing great with his daycare provider (she is WONDERFUL). And I know that financially this is really the right decision for us as far as planning for the future is concerned.

So with all of that said I will say that I am thankful for the time that I did spend with Fenix at home. This has been the best 11 months of my whole life.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

not disgusting vegan cookies




In spite of my obsession with eating high quality, non-processed foods, I really do not have any desire to ever be vegan. I have done it in the past and I was miserable. I thoroughly enjoy things made with eggs and dairy and can't see myself giving them up unless prompted to do so by circumstances beyond my control. The thought that I'd never have real cheese or yogurt again is too much for me to properly contemplate.

So anyway I know someone that works hard to be a good vegan and so I decided to bake some cookies for her. In the past I've had vegan cookies and they run the gamut from totally inedible to pretty damn delicious. The best vegan cookies that I've had were peanut butter cookies so I thought I'd go with a recipe for those since they have a reasonably high chance of turning out great.

And so I set out to find a good recipe - as it turns out 101 Cookbooks has a decent selection of vegan options so I went with the peanut butter cookie recipe that I found there.

The dough is pretty loose so I did refrigerate it as recommended in the recipe notes. I also experimented with using a variety of cookie cutters both large and small. I found that peanut butter cookies are pretty rich so it's best to keep the cookies on the small side.

I sprinkled some with sanding sugar before they went in the oven and that gave the finished cookies a nice crunch. The texture of the cookies is soft and dense but not at all crumbly or chewy. I froze half of the dough right away and am looking forward to spontaneously baking up a pan full to cure some future late night cookie jonesing.

Monday, October 20, 2008

then vs. now

ok, so, um, at 5 days...

IMG_7939

and at ten months...

IMG_0471

he's quadrupled in weight since birth! wow.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

hey baby...

fenix can't go from sitting to standing without flipping over to his front and crawling forward until he finds something to pull himself up on. so... during a photo shoot today he was flipping over and I saw - I hoped - for a shot to develop... so I waited, at the ready... and not only did the shot materialize, but I snapped it right when i wanted to and the exposure and all that was right. the result? hey, baby... check it out:

Friday, October 17, 2008

first french fry



we checked out a new greek place recently (it was a hit), and gave fee a french fry to see what he'd do with it. first he said father, it's a potato deep fried to perfection - what could be better? then he nommed it.

best of the tubes from yesterday...
this is why you don’t steal
I like how this guy failed right out of his shoes
this makes me say ew! ew!!! while this makes me say huh?
this makes me ask: WTF is with all the blinking?
while this makes me wonder: why so angry?!
this is the cartoon of the day

Thursday, October 16, 2008

kiteboarding



we were at the park recently and... who knew that people strapped a harness on, tied themselves to a kite, and went boarding? wtf? there were a ton of people on the water doing this and on the beach prepping to go in or winding down after a spell. just watching it seemed to me incredibly more intensive than snowboarding, which can be a heckofa workout.

check out this one (you may need to click to enlarge)... check out the air!



and here's one last one for ya....

...aaaand here's my take on the best of the tubes from yesterday:
from the cooking department: cheezburger not ripe yet
from the "my wife would divorce me for that" department: http://tinyurl.com/4h5ym4

My favorite phrase is “tacitly inciting lunatics to violence”... see Keith Olbermann does it again.

trains are fun: don't you think?

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

it's not a trick, it's an illusion

did you know that Fenix can make wood blocks - and his hands - disappear? don't believe me? see for yourself!



I'm working at a level below my competence at the job right now. thank goodness for music and headphones. here's my favorite links from the tubes yesterday:
news: http://tinyurl.com/4qg2u7
funny: http://tinyurl.com/4gku4n
strange: http://tinyurl.com/5y6dgs

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

inspiration

I've been inspired by Rachel: Photo Diary and am attempting to post a bit more often, even if it's brief, and if it's photos - even if the photos come from my phone.



recently I had occasion to be downtown near the stadiums... walking down Occidental there were a couple pictures that I just *had* to take, even though my camera phone... I'm not sure it can do the photo justice.

Monday, October 13, 2008

Ah, October.

I love the fall. It carries with it the promise of soup cooked in crock pots and spiced apple cider. The inherent fun-ness of Halloween parties, where adults can recapture a few minutes of their childhood, simply by playing dress-up.


Two pictures for you today, both Halloween themed. Both pics are “from the cell phone” so forgive the picture quality. . . the first is my best pumpkin carving from last year. The second is a showcase of Reese’s mad sewing skillz and a preview of little Fenix’s Halloween 2008 costume.


Welcome to October, the best month of the year!