WWJB?

Also known as Black Friday, Buy Nothing Day has inspired what looks like a brilliant documentary about the "Shopocalypse":

What Would Jesus Buy?

http://wwjbmovie.com/

If We Had No Moon!

A not-so-new Discovery documentary that was news to me, If We Had No Moon was fascinating!! It takes you through the theory of why the moon exists, how it affects the Earth, and what would happen if it weren't there (and how quickly it is drifting away from us! Eeeeeeeek!) It also happens (?!) to be a full moon tonight..

$100 a head...

Garden Pics

These are earlier garden pictures from this summer. I would say June, maybe. I have some other ones on my phone but don't know how to get them here.



The garden was a simple plot of earth with several tons of rocks, concrete, glass, and rusty rebar before it was even this green! Since then it has exploded with kale and chard, which I am still harvesting, and I added three tomato plants. Next year there will be more of a variety, because there is even a limit to my ability to consume leafy greens. Mmmm! Squash!

Orcas Island Anniversary

JD and I have finally downloaded our anniversary trip pictures from August. We stayed at Doe Bay Resort on Orcas Island, where we were married last year, for two days and then moved on to San Juan Island the last night.

We had the opportunity to take the ferry to Lopez Island and bike around on a glorious day. Our favorite stop was at the Lopez Island winery where we tried their 2005-6 wines. We thought that their Madeleine Angevine was the best and decided to relax on their property and enjoy a bottle.






This is me after some Madeleine Angevine, a nice bike ride, and the BEST Reuben sandwich I will ever have! Have I ever looked so radiantly happy?



San Juan Island was our least favorite stop, but we still managed to find some nice wine at the San Juan Vineyards where they were hosting a vintage car convention. We had dinner at a pub right off of the ferry dock where I sampled a number of their beers. The most unusual was their jalapeno beer. Yikes! Glad I only had two ounces of it! The food was not as good as the cafe on Lopez, but in the spirit of our successful Reuben adventure, we ordered a side of their homemade sauerkraut.



The San Juan campsite was not what we had expected, and if it hadn't been for the fact that we had already paid their exorbitant camping fee we probably would have found someplace else. It was all families and RVs cramped together in little campsites with no privacy. Oh, well, we found ways to amuse ourselves...

Olivia's Scarf

MAN! I am so glad this project is over! I get so bored by knitting the same thing over and over! This is the fanciest scarf I have ever knitted for an eight-year-old. Never again! Next time I will teach her how to knit!

Olivia is the sweetest, liveliest girl her age I know, and this design is at her request. She absolutely deserves even more time than I spent on it. I hope it works!

Bubble, bubble...

Not really much toil is involved in infusing your own liqeurs, but it does feel a little like an evil chemistry project!

My latest efforts at infusions have turned to cognac and aquavit. Zac had mentioned that he would be interested in a black truffle cognac for his birthday this summer, but I haven't started experimenting until now. I haven't been able to find truffles, yet, but I did try a vanilla cognac that turned out to be lovely! Really all it involved was tossing half of a vanilla bean into the bottle, but it is very elegant regardless. I have had it on the rocks and with hot water as an unsweetened toddy.

The aquavit is more of a gamble. I was inspired by one of my favorite bars in Ballard called the Coppergate. It used to be considered the penultimate dive bar in Ballard but was sold, remodeled and now serves excellent Scandinavian bites and has a sweet little drink list that includes a variety of aquavit. My favorite there is "Heldig's Own" which is house-made and has saffron, fennel, coriander and horseradish. Yum! A little sweet from the fennel but with nice body which I
attribute to the horseradish. Anyway, there is some knock-off Heldig's Own in a bottle at my house now. Also, a straight horseradish vodka for our friend Muir. I am taking suggestions for the next batches:

Past experiments (and their success ratings!):
Lemon **
Lime ****
Cardamom ***
Raspberry ****
Ginger *****
Jalepeno ****
Black Tea *****
Anise ***
Vanilla ****

New ideas:
Ginger-Lime (because 9 stars total= amazing!)
Cucumber
Cherry-Pomegranate
Wasabi
Tomato (I like tomatoes in any form...)
Gogi Berry (delicious and healthful!)
Mango

Vote for the next one!!

Just One Calamari?!

Who thought I might almost break down over deep fried squid... I have almost finished week two of the cleansing diet. Nuts, grains, and seeds have been added. I am not craving real sugar, I have become a fierce cook with the veggies, and I have loads of energy. I love it! True, I cannot wait to add tofu and fish back in, but really, I thought I was stronger than Jimmy the Squid. It took all my willpower (and a threatened slap from Zac) not to indulge at the sushi restaurant last night. Well, barring some unforseen worldwide catastrophe, Dragonfish's hachimi squid with garlic aioli will be there when I am ready to throw off this experiment. But perhaps I should stock up, just in case?

Awesome Cleansing Diet Experiment

I have just started week two of my cleansing diet, and while it is moderately challenging, I would recommend it to everyone! I have been inspired to re-create my diet, and was luck enough to find this book at Powell's in Portland. (Powell's deserves its own blog posting. Wow!)

If the Buddha Came to Dinner: How to Nourish Your Body to Awaken Your Spirit by Hale Sofia Schatz is a lovely book about nutrition, and nourishing yourself spiritually with your food. Plus, it is also a cleansing diet and recipe book. It is really inspiring and has changed the way I cook.

So, this last week was all veggies and fruit. This week I add grains, seeds, and nuts. Next week proteins: fish, tofu, beans, etc. After the cleanse I will, of course, add poultry and sweeteners back into my diet, but probably not as much sugar as I used to use. Right now, I am still addicted to honey and agave syrup, but not for two more weeks *sigh*...

I thought it would be totally limiting, but it has been really versatile and I have enjoyed it. I have lost a little weight, and have found that I really don't crave sugar or wheat as much as I thought. I miss wine a little...

Here are some of the names of the recipes: Braised Cabbage, Fennel, and Leeks (I used brussels sprouts. Delish!); Kale and Sweet Potato Soup; Silky Asparagus and Celery Soup (tonight's experiment).

Honestly I have been constantly been feeding myself, though, as veggies burn up in your system faster.

I am really looking forward to the Ceviche and the Soul-Satisfying Fish Stew! Oh, and the Baked Pears with Ginger and Cardamom!

More Massage?!

Well, this is the fourth week at my new job (as in the one I added to my other two...) and I LOVE it! It is so relaxed and very flexible. The other therapists have had more experience than me, but have welcomed me open-armed. The whole experience has profoundly changed hpw I do work in the other clinics--with confidence and ease.

So I am at Rejuvenation Tuesday and Thursdays, Waking Life Wednesdays and Fridays, and my private practice Wednesday evenings and Saturdays. I never work before 10AM and usually get off no later than 7PM. Not a bad deal...

www.rejuvenationofballard.com
www.wakinglifemassage.com

(and my own website to come!)

Inspired by my brilliant aunt Heidi, I am embarking on my first adventure into the blogosphere. Not as exciting, perhaps, as launching out of this atmosphere as I was dreaming about yesterday, but an adventure nonetheless! Yay!