Holiday Deconstruction

Before I say ANYTHING, let me show you the one thing that makes me smile EVERY TIME! This is HarMar snuggling in my warming blanket. AWWWWW

Okay, so I lied. This really doesn't have anything to do with the holidays. You can't miss something you've never done. I don't have all these mushy feelings about family and tradition. I'm a vegetarian so I don't even miss eating the food, but still I start to breakdown towards year end.

I see people planning parties, making effort to get together, dressing cute to attend gatherings, cooking, going out of their way to extend kindness, and that's when it starts to eat at me.

I'm lonely.

I feel empty.

I have no place to go. Nothing to do. I just sit here by myself and imagine this is what it's like to be the last person on earth. The stores are closed. There's no one outside. I can't call anyone to do anything, aaaaannnnddddd, that's when I cry and feel bad for myself.  Sure I could go to my parents, but it's not the same. We'd just sit there and watch TV and I'd rather lay on MY couch and nap than try to foce an interaction just to prove to myself I'm not the last person on earth.

I shouldn't even be writing this. Now you guys will call and give me the pity invite to your house. That's not the point either and I won't be attending, so save your breath. Sigh.

It's hard too because I can't shut my brain off. I start reflecting on the past year and pondering what the next year will bring me and it tailspins. Did I accomplish everything I wanted to this year? Where will I be next year? Are my expectations realistic? Have I made big enough personal growth? How can I lose these last pesky 15 pounds? Why are things so hard sometimes? UGH!

On second thought, don't read this, it's just depressing. BUT, if you thought you noticed I was in a funk, yeah I am. Just go on about your business. I'll snap out of it, I promise.

You know what else helps? Nature! Driving around Woodward Lakes is like getting my 1st lesson in COLOR! Just LOOK! WOW - even this picture makes me feel better already!

Olive Oil Obsessions

I recently made a trip down to We Olive in Fig Garden Village. We Olive is great because they have most of their products out on display to try. For those of you who know me, I'm an antipasto plate LOVER and We Olive holds all the little delicacies I need to display quite a spread!

I'm all about bread and dipping oil and drizzling olive oil over my tomatoes and avocados, etc.

My favorite every day olive oil is a garlic infused olive oil from Consorzio. (You can get a giant bottle at Costco for under $10!!)

For dipping I just tried (and might I add, already finished!!) a bottle of Made In Napa Valley Parmesan and Garlic dipping oil. I actually only used it for dipping bread into it, but you could totally pour this on stuff to! ALL THUMBS UP!

The other olive oil I tried is a lime infused olive oil from Pasolivo. The possibilities are endless for this one! I drizzle it on avocado, add it to guacamole, and add a tad to my tortilla soup. It's just about the most heavenly thing ever. This one is a little pricey at $20 a bottle, but you don't need much and it will go far AND IT'S WORTH IT!

Me... the busy little bee! And also a picture of the most miserable bumble bee of all time!

Dude, I've been all over the place this last week!

First, before everything else, have you checked out my 2nd episode of One Heavenly Kitchen? You gotta watch this one because what I plan on doing with the leftovers of this recipe will blow your mind! Tune in and stay tuned please!

Last Thursday, I ventured out and saw a concert at a local venue, Audies Olympic. LITTLE DRAGON!  I was fortunate to see them a few months ago, so when I heard they were coming back to town I made an immediate exception to my, stay in the house til the end of the year rule. You can see some really good pics of the show on Nick Gennock's blog.

Saturday, after many mundane things, I popped over to the tower district for Swede Fest 4. This was my first time going to one of these, but I loved it! Let me tell you what I loved:
1) The Fresno Twitter community is strong! So strong that I actually felt comfortable braving this event alone. I knew quite a few people and that was great!
2) Even though I hadn't seen half the movies they were spoofing, they were hilarious!
3 It's awesome to support people who are doing something different. Something creative. Something extra just for the love of being passionate about something!
4) Even though some of the entries were from Madrid and in Spanish, language didn't mean anything when its the Fresh Prince of BelAir theme song or E.T.  !! SO COOL!

Sunday I could hear all sorts of cheers from my front yard! The 2 cities marathon was running by! Since it was pretty much impossible to drive out of North Fresno, HarMar and I decided to go for a walk and venture out to cheer on the runners. Funny thing - more of the runners cheered at us that we returned the favor. Apparently the cutest dog on earth, wearing an adorable blue bow will catch the attention of anyone - even someone in the throws of near death at the 24 mile marker of a marathon! Wouldn't you yell out too?

I'm sure that would have been enough for the average person, but I wasn't quite feeling enough excitement! What cheers me up? Dressing my dog up in costumes. Feast your eyes on the most MISERABLE bumble bee of all time:

So, what have you been up to? Have any plans for anything exciting?

One Heavenly Kitchen

Hey Hey Everyone, I have exciting news!

For those of you who've been coming around for a while, you may have noticed that nestled in between all the neurosis and sarcasm, there was a pretty strong food theme going.

Well, why not channel that into something more interactive? I've always loved to cook and I've always loved computers, so I decided to make a cooking show! My brother is the camera man and we're having way too much fun!

If you like to eat, please check out my new site One Heavenly Kitchen for weekly videos on what I'm eating and how to make it.

Because it's just a fun side project, it may not have the best designs and graphics, but I hope you enjoy it! Keep me posted on anything you'd like to see me make or what not.

Also, I've been featured on the brand new Taste Fresno site today as a local Fresno foodie/blogger/techie/cook/I don't know - so go check out their new vamped out site too! IT DELICIOUS!

Look, Listen, Learn...

I haven't done a product or place review in a while... So here it goes!

LOOK!

This weekend I took a trip to We Olive in the Fig Garden Village. I just love that place because it has every little thing that I want to taste and cook with and snack on! Besides a bevy of different olive oils, there are dipping oils, spreads, and home marinated olives. Go there, it's heaven.

LISTEN!
 

WHOA - sorry, that may be a bit of a shock from the We Olive thing, huh? Sorry. If you didn't know, I listen to a pretty wide variety of music. The above picture is of Har Mar Superstar doing his "thang" up on stage. I've seen him twice in concert and this shocking display definitely caught my attention. He's sort of a strange unattractive man that has such confidence, such swagger that all the ladies throw themselves at him. Yeah, even I have a bit of a crush on him. Enough that I named my puppy after him. Hey, who's more of a lady killer than him??

ANYWAYS - I just found out that HarMar Superstar just put out a new album - which I immediately bought on iTunes and it hasn't left my CD player YET! Watch the video if you dare:


LEARN:
Seems like everyone I know has been sick lately *knock on wood* and my plan for health involves MASS amounts of Vitamin C and a revolutionary cureall drink. Walk into the light with me and let's all start drinking KAMBUCHA!!!!!!

I think drinking this is a bit of a cult thing, but count me in as a BELIEVER. When I bought the first bottle, the cashier made a special call to someone who took me into a back room and explained to me all it's magical powers. I've heard everything from it can break a 104 fever to cure cancer. It's sort of fermented and kinda tastes like vinegar, but this isn't helping sell you on it, is it?! OMG! Just try the grape flavored one and let me know what you think! I have like 1/2 a cup a day and I get a burst of energy and feel great and I'm still healthy. RAWK!

OK FOLKS... I'm out. Catch ya later!

Welcome to Nevember!

Well, for someone who doesn't talk to her friends or leave the house anymore, I've bee REALLY busy!

I got my hair done yesterday. This is always exciting for me! I've been resisting cutting it and I think this is the longest it's been in 15 years. I keep teasing that I want stripper hair. Not that I'm really sure what stripper hair is, but I'd imagine it's quite long and luxurious and that I could swing my head and it would... okay, I don't know where I was going with that. Anyways, here's a picture.

Speaking of strippers, I darn near was one on Friday, but totally accidentally, I swear! I got a new outfit which I think is pretty cute. I'll grace you with a picture, but ONLY THIS ONCE!

Not too bad, right? I believe my thoughts were more along the lines of "The silhouette of my outfit is bangin' if I do say so myself, but the practical application of moving/wearing said outfit? NOT SO MUCH..."

Let me just tell you, wearing pointed toed 4" high heeled boots is DANGEROUS! We won't get into how expensive it is to find a decent fitting pair of jeans that are long enough to wear over high heels if you're taller than 5'... SO MOVING ON. But this shirt... such a cute shirt. That sucker busts wide open every time I move! I could barely make it through the work day. I had to safety pin it at every button or this stripper dream I have was gonna become a reality. Oh My God!

Anyways, I thought I had a lot of different things to ramble about, but I don't think they're of any consequence. Unless you decide you really want to know my thoughts on cobblers (shoe repair men) or how I can sleep for 12 hours and still be tired when I wake up, then let me know...

Have a good week :)