Bike ride

Yesterday I went for a bike ride. I rode on a county road heading west of Evansville while listening to "The Notebook." On my ride, I passed about five dairy farms and a lot of cornfields and soybeans. There were some gorgeous farmhouses with big red barns. One of them had a lush, green lawn and a yard full of planted flowers. I had the urge to stop my bike, park it, and lay in the grass beneath the big burr oak tree in their yard. But I refrained.

Sudden thought - what if I didn't refrain from doing things when I go on these little adventures? Like, what if I did lay beneath the oak tree right in someone's front yard? They couldn't actually kill me, could they? Or what if I went skinny-dipping at 7:00am at Picnic Point? If I stopped limiting myself, would I begin to understand what I really want to do with my life? Would my life be more fulfilled? Other things that I wished I could have done during my bike ride:

• pet some horses
• explore what looked like an abandoned barn
• explore what looked like an abandoned house
• run through the corn fields
• lay in the grass on a sunny hillside
• in the winter time, go sledding on that sunny hillside
• work at a farm, renting a room and helping out and living a simpler life

I realize I tend to romanticize, and I'm sure Laura could verify that living on a farm doesn't necessarily mean I'd have a simpler life.

I remember passing a bunch of holsteins (dairy cows), all chillin' in a pasture near the road. They all turned to look at me as I rode by, about 100 cows with their heads turned in my direction, and they looked comical with their tagged ears sticking straight out. In a different fenced-in area I saw some calves, munching on food and laying in the grass. They were so cute!

After a half hour, I turned my bike around and headed back home, making the entire bike ride a 60 minute experience. It was fun.

Today's Lunch:
Leftover stir fry (beef, green beans, summer squash, and yellow zucchini in a light sauce)
Apple
Trail mix that I keep in my desk: peanuts, raisins, Craisins, and semi-sweet chocolate chips

How to install a window

Are you installing or replacing windows any time soon? Make sure there isn't any moisture getting into your window. Check out this pdf from the Building Science Corporation.

Last night I made a chocolate pie, since I needed to use up the pint of whole milk I bought when I was going to make it last week. I made the filling from scratch, and I probably would have gone to the store and bought some Jell-O Cook'n Serve but I didn't have any cash. I have a lot of respect for people who made pudding before the days of Jell-O. Maybe it's because of my thin-bottomed saucepans, but I had a difficult time finding the perfect temperature to simmer the mixture without scorching the milk. But I did it! The recipe is on the AGD Recipe Site.

Today's Lunch:
Turkey sandwich with yellow mustard on whole wheat
Peach
Banana

A night of music

Yesterday was an anomoly. Not only did Zach and I leave the house, but we drove all the way to Madison and stayed out until 11:30. On a work night. And what was our reason, you ask? We wanted to see Aaron, one of his high school friends.

Aaron is the member of a band called Jupiter Sunrise. They're from Los Angeles and are making their way around the country on tour. The band had a gig in Madison, and when Aaron learned that Zach lives in the area, he got ahold of him. Zach wanted to see his old friend, and I'm up for just about anything, so we drove to Madison at a time where we'd usually be watching TV and getting ready for bed. As we were standing on the sidewalk in front of the Slipper Club, looking for Aaron, Zach mentioned that he has curly blond hair. This is true. However, he didn't mention his crazy fashion sense. I almost laughed when I saw the guy approaching us wearing a bright purple polo shirt and orange corduroy bell bottoms, complete with a huge belt buckle.

We went to Frida's to grab some nachos and Mexican beer. This is where I got to know Aaron. He's a wonderfully honest, mature and congenial individual. After meeting five of Zach's Anchorage friends and knowing a lot of his Bet Sig brothers, I'm under the impression that the Anchorage guys are much friendlier and socially apt. When we were leaving Frida's, Aaron approached the the hostess stand and invited the bored-looking (and all-female) staff to his show. The girls tried to act cool and nonchalant, but I could sense some major flirtation taking place. That was just the beginning, as for the remainder of the night Aaron was surrounded by girls.

We headed over to The Slipper Club just as Matt Hopper, the opening act, began playing. I thought his music to be styled similarly to Nick Drake's, but not quite so hopeless. Alas, Nick Drake committed suicide when he was only 24. Considering Matt Hopper is in his late twenties, I can assume that he has not followed the same path as Nick Drake, and that's a good thing because his music is fantastic. Since Matt is an Anchorage native, we had a chance to meet him.

The next act was a local band called The Selfish Gene. Their music was pretty good, but they played for such a long time that we had to go home before they were finished. The band consists of four guys who look like they're barely out of high school, although one guitar player obviously had chest hair, since I could see it poking out of his shirt, so perhaps they are older than they look and just have baby faces. Anyhow, I thought their music had some nice 50's-esque bee-bop harmonies, punky-voices like those emo bands I hear when I'm flipping through radio stations, and rockin' guitar riffs. The lyrics could use some work, though.. I could have sworn one refrain I heard was "Don-ny Ba-ker" and another was "Deeeeeee-voooo." The guy playing bass was obviously trying to fire up the audience by holding is leg up in the air behind Mr. Hairy-chested guitar player, kind of like he was going to wrap his leg around him but didn't want to make contact. Also, when he had a solo during one song, he turned around, his back to the audience, and totally went to town, hunched over and jamming out on his guitar. But it wasn't "that" kind of song and seemed like he was maybe trying too hard. But hey, you can't fairly criticize someone for trying to excite a crowd, so I'll just shut my mouth.

There's something I've noticed when I go to shows like these, and I'm guilty of it, too. The band members are seen almost as gods. For example, when Matt Hopper was onstage, he said something, some kind of comment that wasn't even funny, yet I heard a tittering laugh in the audience. And when The Selfish Gene was up, girls were definitely throwing flirty eyes their way. Let's face it, folks.. musicians get the babes.

The one thing that kind of ticked me off was that The Slipper Club seemed to be handing out free drinks to everyone but me. When I went up to the bar, the guy to my left and the girl in front of me both got free drinks, and they obviously weren't in a band. Not to mention all the people in bands, associated with the bands (like roadies) and god knows who else. I guess it figures, because The Slipper Club is going out of business soon (their last open day is saturday) and probably don't care about making money anymore. Or perhaps it was this kind of practice, giving free drinks to everyone they see, that led to the demise of the business in the first place.

We left at 11:15 and were home a half hour later. I went to bed at midnight and got up five hours later to go to work. As could be predicted, I was a zombie all day.

Today's Lunch:
We had our annual Brat Fry today at work so I had a yummy lunch!
Bratwurst with sauerkraut, mustard, and onions on a bun
Veggies with french onion dip
A few potato chips with french onion dip
1 strawberry
Can of diet Mountain Dew
Bite of a veggie burger

My psychic reading

Okay, okay, I figured I should share my trip to the psychic with everyone.

I went to Monroe, a small town known for its cheese and the Berghoff Brewery, on saturday to look at an antique store. Downtown Monroe consists mainly of a courthouse that takes up an entire block and is surrounded by shops.



So I walked around the square, looking at stores, got some key lime ice cream, and saw a sandwich board outside a head shop advertising a psychic. When I finished my ice cream, I headed into the shop and talked to the guy at the counter. The next available appointment was for 3:00. I still had 1-1/2 hours to kill, so I looked at the rest of the shops on the square and went to the library to entertain myself. That's where I skimmed through "Blogging for Dummies" and a book called "Find the Right Job for your Personality." Apparently I should be working in construction.

At about 2:50 I went back to the head shop and finally got to see the psychic. Her name is Jonna, and she does regular appearances on four radio shows. She offers her services at psychic fairs and appears at the Monroe store monthly. She's about 40-45 years old, looks pretty normal (no big hoop earrings or flowing clothes), and is very down-to-earth. She asked for a personal item for her to hold during our session, so I gave her my car keys. She also used tarot cards in her analysis. Here are some of the things she told me:

• As I walked in the door, she could sense a huge lack of communication from me. She says I need to open up and communicate more with Zach, and he needs to do the same with me.
  
• Sense of humor - she said Zach's sense of humor is different from mine; it's more sarcastic. Many times I get mad at him for saying certain things, but he's just trying to be funny (even though it's not funny to me) and I should cut him some slack.
• The past - she said that right now I'm going through that stage that's common to people my age, and that's trying to find ourselves and figure out who we are. That's true. But she said that I shouldn't base who I am on experiences I've had in the past; I shouldn't let those things define me. Instead, I should mentally visualize a door closing on those things and think about where I am now and what I want in the future.
• She recalled an event from my childhood that I think about every now and then. She said that it will help define who I am, and even though it's not a very good event, I will eventually learn to deal with it and accept it and grow from it.
• About Zach - she said it's hard for me to completely trust him, which is true. However, he thinks I'm the "whole package" and really wants to be with me. She thought that having an engagement ring on my finger would help me feel more secure in the relationship.
• She asked me if Zach or I often ask others for advice before doing something. I am totally guilty of that. She told me I should knock it off and instead ask Zach for advice because it would help our relationship.
• I told her about my discomfort with my job. She said to take night courses in whatever I'm interested in at the time (so I guess that would be cooking right now) and that I should have Zach join me because he needs to feel like he's not being left behind (which I've noticed is true).
• She said Zach and I are a good fit, but we sometimes are too much alike and we could get on each other's nerves that way.
  

Random stuff:

• I should watch my speed when I'm driving (but really, a psychic could say that to anyone because who isn't guilty of speeding at times?)
• She sees a ring in the near future (before we started talking about Zach)
• She asked if my dad expects a lot from me.. I guess he does
• I won't be having kids any time soon, probably not for another 6-8 years

Pretty cool, eh? And all for $25.

Cheap beer

I bought a 24-pack of Hamm's beer for $9.70. It was my turn to provide beer after monday-night softball, and I found some at a supermarket. My brother Joe was always a fan of Hamm's and I had to see what the big deal was. And... yeah, it tastes like any other crappy, cheap, domestic beer.

However, I was glad that I don't live in Michigan anymore because I didn't have to pay the $0.10 per can deposit fee. Ha ha!

In other news.. I'm really pumped about Google Reader. I discovered it saturday when I was killing time at the Monroe library waiting for my 3:00 psychic appointment (very interesting, by the way). There are many reader applications that work the same way, but I chose Google's because I already use their search engine and have an email address with them, so I figured, "why not?" Anyhow, the way it works is you enter the web address for all your favorite blogs and websites, and when they're updated, there's a little window in the Reader that shows who has updated their blog and also shows what they've written. That way you don't have to go to each person's blog website, see that it's not updated (ahem - Jori), and then go about your way searching for more entertainment. It saves time. The only downside is that you actually have to click a link to their website if you want to leave a comment. So I will only be commenting on days that I'm not feeling lazy.

Today's Lunch:
Turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread (not moldy) with mustard
Can of lite fruit cocktail (we'll see if I can find a can opener)
Dannon All-Natural vanilla yogurt

Swimming at Vilas Beach

Yesterday Zach and I went to the beach. It's the first time I've gone swimming in a lake since about 2003. Why the holdup? Well, two summers ago I just didn't go. And last summer there was a blue-green algae problem in the Madison lakes that resulted in many of the local beaches being closed. Plus I had two jobs and was working at least 70 hours per week, so I didn't have time to do anything fun anyway.

The blue-green algae made me wary of swimming for awhile. Madison, which was settled in the 1800s, is in the heart of America's farm country. The four lakes surrounding Madison have been exposed to runoff pollution from factories and farms (fertilizer especially is a problem). Prime growing conditions for algae (warm water with nitrogen and phosphorus) help it grow great amounts, resulting in algae blooms (this is where you can see a layer of green stuff on the water's surface). Sometimes blue-green algae blooms contain toxins that can be harmful to humans, so that's why the city closed some of the local beaches.

So anyway, Zach and I went to Vilas Beach. I prefer to swim in actual lakes. The chemicals from swimming pools kind of freak me out, and I don't like the thought of people peeing in the water. Plus, there generally isn't any nature around pools and I like to feel the wind coming off the lake and hear the tree leaves rustle. I also like playing in the sand.

I half expected the beach to be crowded with hundreds of screaming little kids, since it's right by the zoo and is a very popular park. But there was a nice range of ages; families, college kids, old couples, etc. Lake Wingra is a beautiful lake, unaffected by houses, motor boats, and urbanization. When I summoned the courage to go in the water, the sand beneath my feet was firm and perfectly squishy, not at all weedy or mucky. The water was the perfect temperature.

Zach joined me in the water and we played around, dunking each other and splashing around. Some college-aged people were playing frisbee. When we got out of the water, I sat on the beach and made a sand castle while Zach buried my legs in the sand.

I'm hooked. The next time I drive to work, I'm going to bring my bike and ride to Picnic Point during lunch and go swimming. How refreshing would it be to, during the middle of the day, go for a dip, and then go back to work?

Today's Lunch:
Leftover chicken with sauteed bell peppers and onions from Mexican restaurant
Leftover dilly potato salad
Hershey's chocolate nugget (from secretary's candy dish)

My face matches

The original picture:


My matches:

Woranuch Wongsawan (74%) (from Thai Idol)


Rosanna Arquette (71%)


Mary-Kate Olsen (70%)


Weird. I can see the similarity in Rosanna Arquette, but the other two.. I don't think so.

Book review

Following Lesley's example, I'm going to give a quick review of a couple of books I've recently read.

Battlefield Earth, by L. Ron Hubbard
It's a sci-fi book that reminds me of Planet of the Apes. It takes place on Earth 1000 years from now, where aliens have taken over the planet. The few remaining humans are hunter/gatherers, constantly relocating to avoid the aliens. One of the humans, Johnny "Goodboy" Tyler, gets captured by an alien. He learns how to read, write, and communicate with the aliens, and soon he arranges a group of humans to overthrow the aliens and destroys their home planet. Then the book gets boring. It goes into all this political bullshit that I had trouble following, where other planets thought they owned Earth and were going to take it over, etc. Then our hero, Johnny, outsmarts them and the people on Earth live happily ever after. The end.

I found that the most interesting thing about this book is that L. Ron Hubbard, the author, is kind of the "father" of Scientology, according to this Wikipedia article. It was made into a movie (a really, really bad movie) because John Travolta, a devout Scientologist, kept lobbying for it.

The Devil's Picnic, by Taras Grescoe
This guy, Taras, goes around the world sampling food and drink that is controversial. For example, he goes to Norway, where the government taxes liquor at 84%, and tries Norweigan moonshine, which is illegal. He goes to France and indulges on raw-milk cheese, something that is forbidden in the United States. This was my favorite chapter... our country is not allowed to sell raw-milk products because of the risk of infection. However, we drink milk and eat beef from cows that are fed hormones, animal bi-products (such as chicken poop), and who knows what else. Taras also goes to Spain to eat cow testicles, a local delicacy; Bolivia, to chew coca leaves; San Francisco, to smoke in bars in a city where smoking is forbidden; and Singapore, to see how much he can get away with by chewing gum on the street, walking around his hotel room naked with the window open, etc.

The message is definitely libertarian... don't ban stuff; rather, let people choose what they put into their bodies. I agree with this to a point.

Overall, it was a good book. You get fantastic imagery of what it's like to eat foods from around the world, and learn the history of how these foods were deemed harmful.

The Devil Wears Prada, by Lauren Weisberger
Okay, this book is total chick lit.. you may say it's not artistic or sends a great message or will be the Great American Novel.. but it's soooo good! It's definitely a guilty pleasure. I got it off audible.com and just want to listen to it all the time. Yesterday I rearranged my office while listening to it, and when I was done rearranging, I didn't want to leave it. Today I'll probably take a walk just so I can listen to it. It's similar to my Lost addiction.

Today's Lunch:
Peanut butter (natural) and jelly (plum) sandwich on wheat bread
Banana
Apple
Pluot
Peach
Apple crisp
(that's a long list of food)

I want to be a ... MTU employee

I want to go back to Houghton. I miss that place... the history, the simplicity, the Yooper accents, even the winters. I envision myself working for Michigan Tech as someone in the support staff, like maybe the student advisor for the forestry department. I'd also be interested in teaching a course, but not doing research.

Today I was listening to The Splendid Table, and there was a guy on there who, when he was in college, started a cooking show for other college students. They would make simple foods in his apartment and video tape it, and then show it on TV (maybe the campus TV channel?). I thought this was a cool idea, and it led me to some heavy daydreaming about being the alph gam house mom (or whatever it's called). I'd love to go over to the house once a week and cook up a fantastic meal for the girls, and work with them to see what kinds of foods they like, find the cheapest way possible to make it, etc. Then I started daydreaming about taking pictures of how the finished dishes look, and use that information to advertise for a private chef business. I really think this could be a worthy investment, because a lot of people live the "go-go-go" lifestyle and don't have time to cook for their families, but yet want to save money by not having take-out every night. Plus, there's that feeling of guilt for not serving our families a home-cooked meal. I can imagine a list that I would give to my clients, where I'd list a main dish, side dishes, starches, salads, desserts, etc. and have them rate how much the like different items. Then I would work to determine the best way to go about cooking for them. And take pictures of each dish, and use them to make kind of an album, where the family can have a visual image of the dish to remember it by.

I think this would be so awesome.

I'm still procrastinating from cleaning up my office. I wasn't going to publish this post because I think it's kind of silly, but... why not?

A special little surprise...

This morning when I was walking down the hall to my office, I noticed some papers scattered on the floor of the hallway. I remembered leaving my window open, and we had a huge storm last night. I thought, "oh crap."

Yup. Sure enough, when I got to my office and turned on the light, I was greeted with a catastrophe. I had left my window halfway open, which is about an 18" gap. My three plants that had been sitting on the window sill were on the floor. One of the pots broke, so there are pieces of ceramic on the floor, and soil everywhere. I mean everywhere. There must have been some really strong winds because the soil blew all the way through my office and out into the hallway.

I was pretty hungry when I got to work, so instead of dealing with the mess right away I ate some oatmeal and yogurt. And I know what I'm going to do next...

Today's Lunch:
Leftover baked beans with ham
Apple
Peach
Pluot

What's Your IQ?

Your IQ Is 110

Your Logical Intelligence is Below Average Your Verbal Intelligence is Exceptional Your Mathematical Intelligence is Genius Your General Knowledge is Average

A Quick and Dirty IQ Test

The Doctor Is In

Dr. Pepper, that is. I've been craving caffeine way too much lately.

Must... avoid... addiction...

Cooking up a storm...

Geez, I feel like all my blog entries are about cooking. I guess I don't really have any other cool things to write about, and cooking seems to take up a lot of my life, so by default it's what I'm going to write about.

Yesterday I stopped at the farmer's market on the way home. Here's what I bought:

• 3/4 lb. wax beans
• 3/4 lb. green beans
  
• 3/4 lb. purple beans (yep, betcha didn't know beans came in purple)
• 2 gold zucchini (yep, zucchini isn't always green)
• 2 summer squash
• 1 head broccoli (the ladies at the stand talked me into it)
• multi-colored carrots (orange, yellow, maroon - they were so pretty, I couldn't resist)
• cherry tomatoes

All for about $15! I love Wisconsin. We Michiganders would always make fun of Wisconsin while I was in college, but really.. I like it more than Michigan. The farmland and prairies are so beautiful. And I love the fresh farm food and mild (that's a matter of opinion) weather.

When I got home I had to do some massive cooking. Some people are coming over for dinner tonight, and rather than scramble to do it today after work, I wanted to get most of it done ahead of time.

The menu:

• Grilled chicken breasts in ancho chile and orange marinade (recipe here)
• Dilly potato salad
• Four-bean salad (using my farmer's market beans and kidney beans)
• Corn muffins
• Dessert of some kind

The dessert was going to be chocolate pie, but I didn't have time to do it last night and it needs to chill for awhile before being served. So I think I'll make apple crisp instead.

I was up until 11:30 making the salads and marinade for the chicken. The marinade was very time-consuming! When I get home today all I have to do is make the corn muffins and apple crisp (easy) and grill the chicken (scary, because I'm not good at grilling).

Today's Lunch:
Leftover baked beans with ham
2 slices homemade wheat bread
Peach
Pluot

Cool lightning

I wish I had a picture to go along with this post. Someday I will have to get myself a digital camera.

I had a softball game in Madison last night that lasted until 8:00. We sat around drinking beer until 9:30 (I only had one, mom), then I made my way home.

As I was driving, I could see a storm south of Madison. There wasn't any rain or wind, but I could see lightning on the horizon. It was behind some big clouds, so instead of seeing the actual lightning I just saw flashes of light all around me. I had the window cranked down all the way so I could rest my elbow out the window, and I could experience the smells of the land around me. I was playing an R.E.M. CD (Dead Letter Office), which provided the perfect background music for the experience. And for once, I was going at or below the speed limit and taking my time. The only problem was a semi behind me kind of riding my ass. Its headlights weren't so bright that they hurt my eyes, so it didn't bother me.

When I got home, I parked my car in the driveway. There was a strong wind blowing all around me, and I could still see lightning to the south. Perhaps the storm was in Janesville. It was beautiful. I know we never got rain, because when I woke up today (@11:30) my plants looked very thirsty.

Today's Lunch:
Ham sandwich with yellow mustard on wheat bun
Banana
Peach
2 chocolate chip cookies

My weekend

This is crazy. The highlight of my weekend involved making pizza.

I've been making homemade pizza for at least 5 years. And it always takes the pizza a long time to cook. Like, 40 minutes sometimes. Other times it's more like 20 minutes. The problem is getting the bottom crust to cook all the way - the pizza shouldn't be floppy when it's removed from the pan. So sometimes it takes forever to cook the pizza and by the time the crust is cooked, the cheese and toppings are a little scorched.

On saturday I was making pizza for dinner, and I had a sudden revelation. What if the problem is the placement of the oven racks? For some foods, the rack should be in the center of the oven, the top 1/3, the bottom... I normally have the pizza in the middle of the oven, and maybe it should be somewhere else.

So I quickly consulted my Bible (that would be The Joy of Cooking), and they say to cook pizza on the bottom rack of the oven. So I tried it, and it worked! My pizza came out perfectly. It took about 10 minutes, and the bottom was cooked and the top wasn't burned at all and it looked so beautiful it should be in a book or something. And it tasted fantastic! I was so excited.

As for the rest of my weekend, it was too hot to do anything outside, so I did a lot of cooking and a little bit of cleaning. Zach and I went to the lumber store to get a quote on an Anderson picture window with safety glass and obscure glass to replace the window in our shower. It was $400, and if our measurements were incorrect, we'll need a custom size and that's $550! Argh!

Today's Lunch:
Leftover hamburger (sirloin) on wheat bun with mustard
Stir-fried veggies (orange pepper, mushrooms, zucchini and scallions with a dash of red wine vinegar and fresh lime basil.. awesome)
Apple (golden delicious)
Pluot (it's a fruit that looks like a plum but I think it's a cross between a plum and an apricot)

Restaurant food quiz

This is so scary. I thought I made decent choices when I go out to eat, but there are some nasty foods out there!

My score was 15. What's yours?

http://cspinet.org/nah/quiz/index.html

My cat!

I just really want to express my love to my cat, Kitty. She's kind of a "wild" cat, meaning she gets disturbed by sudden movement and loud noises. I think she had been living on her own for quite some time before being taken to the Humane Society. When I adopted her and brought her home, she immediately began rubbing her face on everything and purring, marking her territory. And she always slept with me on my bed (which at the time was just a twin mattress on the floor).

When I'm at work I can't wait to go home just so I can see her and pet her smooth fur. When I'm laying on my couch she likes to sit on my lap, where I'll pet her and she'll purr. In fact, she purrs a lot. I read somewhere that when cats close their eyes halfway, it means they trust you, and that we should do it to them, too, to show that we trust them. So when she's sitting on a chair or something, I'll crouch down and close my eyes halfway and kind of gaze at her, and sometimes she starts purring. She's so sweet.

There are a few annoying things about her. One is that she meows and meows for canned cat food every morning and every night. I try to feed her, but sometimes I don't have time or I forget or we're out of food. And another thing is that at night, when I'm laying in bed reading, she'll jump from the floor and attack my arm for no reason! (at least, no reason I can see.) Last night she attacked me twice and now I have little pucture-scratches with bruises around them.


Some of my pet names for her:
"My precious little diva"
"My little princess"
"Mommy's little girl"
"My sweet little Kitty"

She really likes it when I talk to her. She kind of meows back and rolls on the floor purring. Here are some of the things I say:

"Aren't you just the sweetest little thing?"
"Hi baby. Hi-iii."
"Aren't you just a little diva?"
"Oh yes. I like you, too."
And I call her many of the above-mentioned pet names

Today's Lunch:
Leftover stir fry from local Chinese restaurant- steamed chicken with snow peas, carrots, water chestnuts and bamboo shoots over white rice with brown sauce (gelatinous but tasty) on the side
Spiced pickled beets
Banana
Two chocolates from secretary's candy dish

My morning walk

This morning, when I got to work, I looked around my office and realized that I didn't want to be there. I was tired of looking at the same old things, reading the same old stuff, and sitting in my crappy chair. So I decided to take a walk to Picnic Point.



I set out on my journey around 7:30. On my way to Picnic Point, I walked along the shore of Lake Mendota. Nothing spectacular there, just a lot of people riding their bikes to work. So I listened to my book on my mp3 player.. it's called Battlefield Earth, by L. Ron Hubbard. It's kind of like Planet of the Apes with aliens instead of apes.

When I reach the entrance to Picnic Point trail, I remove my headphones and put away my sunglasses. The trail is open to pedestrians and bikers are reluctantly allowed to use it, too. The beginning of the trail has an open space of grass that is frequently mowed, perfect for setting out a blanket and having a picnic. I see a rabbit hop from the woods onto the grass and start nibbling some clover. On the right side of the trail is a small stand of trees and shrubs, and beyond them, Lake Mendota. I hear many birds chirping and squawking, and I see them flying around in the trees. I smell the aroma of the lake, the scent of the grass, and at once I feel at peace.

The trail continues to a more wooded area, and I soon find myself enveloped in the trees. There are many deciduous trees with branches that reach over the trail, forming a canopy. The air feels cool and pleasant on my skin.

As I continue my walk, I notice a huge spiderweb on my left, among the branches of the bushes and trees, still moist from the morning dew. There's a spider right in the middle of the web. I realize I wouldn't be able to see that spiderweb if it were later in the day. I think about stopping to take a closer look, but decide to keep moving on.

I have a feeling Picnic Point was once a campground. As I continue my walk, I see spots of open grass, which would be perfect for setting up a tent, and firepits, where many hot dogs and marshmallows were roasted over an open flame. I believe camping is no longer allowed on Picnic Point, but I would like to have a small fire sometime and dine on hot dogs and s'mores while sticking my toes into the lake.

I get to the narrowest part of the trail, which is the location of a sandy beach. There's a slab of concrete with four 2" posts sticking out of each corner, and I know it's where a lifeguard's chair had once been. To the east are some restrooms with vault toilets (some people call them outhouses, but they're not the same thing). By now, even though I'd been walking in the shade and it's morning, I am sweating. I briefly daydream about taking my clothes off and going skinnydipping, but the area gets a lot of traffic and I don't think that would be such a good idea.

At about this point I hear someone speaking over a megaphone on the water. I peer into the lake, and see the UW Rowing Team at their early morning practice. I hear the man on the megaphone for the rest of my walk.

Eventually I reach Picnic Point, a surprising disappointment. For being such a wonderful, glorious piece of land, the actual Point itself isn't much to look at. It's an open, grassy/sandy area with a few wooden benches and a telephone pole. To get to the water, one must trek down a steep bank and even then, there is really no place to stand. I would not want to have a picnic at Picnic Point because it's hot and sunny and there isn't too much shade.

On my way back down the trail, I take a side trail that runs along the water. I am struck by the beauty of two enormous willow trees, and suddenly wish I could climb them. However, the lowest branch is about 20 feet off the ground and I realize that would be impossible. I continue down the trail.

I step through the trees to the water's edge when I see a sandy beach area. I stand on the beach, admiring the fog on the lake and the ducks in the water. The side of the lake I'm on is not in the path of the wind, so the water barely laps up onto the shore. It's very quiet and peaceful. I wish I had worn my sandals so I could wade in the water, but I don't take the time to remove my shoes and socks. I wish I had taken up meditation as a hobby, because this would have been the perfect place to meditate.

When I step out of the trees and back onto the trail, I see a man, a runner, and we almost crash into each other. We both apologize, and the man says I have a beautiful smile. He's about 40, bald, wide smile, average height, stocky. He speaks with a European accent of some kind. As we chat, he asks me where I got my eyes from. I say from my grandparents. Why do foreign dudes have such crappy pick-up lines? I don't mean to generalize, but that seems to be a trend that I've noticed. Anyhow, I tell him I need to get back to my walk and he takes off down the trail.

I was feeling flattered about being noticed by someone, so for the rest of my walk I was kind of daydreaming. I made it back to work, ate some yogurt, and got ready for a day of thinking.

Today's Lunch:
Whole-wheat fettuccini with broccoli, green pepper, carrots, and leftover pork in a spicy peanut sauce (recipe posted on AGD recipe site).
Spiced pickled beets (recipe here)
Apple
Popcorn (yes! Popcorn day at work!)

Strange dream...

I had a dream a couple nights ago.. actually, it was after I looked at these "redneck" wedding pics that Katie G. sent out. Here's one of them:



So in my dream, I met a guy who looked similar to the guy in the photo, except he had better teeth and his facial features didn't look so... neanderthal. But he was also kind of "country."

We met at a party Zach and I were at. As the guy and I talked, we really hit it off and I felt an incredibly strong connection with him. One thing I really remember is that he held up a huge magnifying glass with Saran Wrap covering one side of the glass. He told me the Saran Wrap is what makes the magnifying glass work, and I was just so amazed by that.

After spending only a few hours together, we were ready to plan the rest of our lives together and we proclaiming our undying love to each other. I remember seeing Zach in the other room, kind of wondering what I was doing with this other guy, but not ready to let me go. Then I woke up.

Very strange. Maybe I'll look it up on one of those dream-analysis websites.

Today's Lunch:
Ham sandwich on whole wheat bread with mustard
"Lumberjack" ice cream cone from Babcock Hall Dairy Store
Apple

How to choose and plant a tree in your yard

This post is dedicated to Alanna, whose simple question of "what trees will grow in my soil?" led to a thorough (and wonderful) explanation from my boyfriend Zach. I am relaying this information to everyone, since the world needs to learn a few things about planting trees.

According to Zach, you should purchase a tree from a local, reputable (i.e. not Wal-Mart) nursery. The nursery will stock items that grow in your area, and can help you pick out a tree that's suitable for your wants and needs. However, before you go to the nursery, there are a few questions you need to ask yourself when choosing a tree for your yard.

1. What do I want the tree to do? Do you want it for looks or shade?
2. How big do I want it? Very important! Some trees, like our red bud, only grow up to 15 feet. Others, like maples, will keep growing until they die or until you cut them down. Another thing to consider is how far the crown will spread. Some trees grow straight up, like an ash, and others spread out a lot, like maple. So you need to consider this when you're shopping and when you're planting. If you want a tree for shade, get one with a nice crown and make sure it's spaced sufficiently from other trees and your house. If you want a tree that doesn't get huge, get an ornamental.
   
3. What color? This may sound kind of silly, but it's something to consider. Some trees have leaves that will change color in the fall. Some trees have leaves that will always be the same color. And some trees will have flowers in the spring, green leaves in the summer, and colored leaves in the fall. Think about what colors you like and when you want to see them. If you're going to plant two ornamentals, for example, maybe you want one that flowers in the spring and another that flowers in the summer or fall.
4. What size leaves and flowers? Another thing to think about. The size of leaves can affect how much shade the tree provides, and the size of flowers can affect the "statement" you're trying to make. For example, a magnolia has big, beautiful blossoms and a redbud has smaller blossoms, so maybe you'd want to put the magnolia in a spot where it won't draw attention from other trees and shrubs. Also, some leaves are huge (like maple trees) and some are small (like arborvitaes). Think about the statement you're trying to make with the tree, and decide how big the leaves and flowers should be.

Okay, so hopefully you've thought these questions through and are ready to go to the nursery. When you get to the nursery, you should tell them what you want the tree to do and ask some questions. Considerations:

1. How high will the tree grow? How big will the crown get?
2. What will the tree look like in all 4 seasons? Will it flower in fall or spring?
   
3. What is the general life span of this tree?
4. How far away should I plant it from other trees, my house, etc.?
5. Will this tree need pruning? When's the best time to do it? What other special care should it get?

Zach also said that some nurseries will give a 1-year guarantee on the life of the tree. It doesn't hurt to ask what their policy is on guarantees.

Finally, when you're about to buy the tree, check out the stem. Make sure it hasn't been dinged up while being delivered to the nursery. If the root system of the tree is visible (i.e. in a sack rather than in a pot), look for damaged roots.

Okay, so you bought the tree and are bringing it home. Some important points about planting:

• If the tree is in a container (rather than a sack), plant it as soon as possible.
• When planting the tree, do not plant too deep. This cannot be stressed enough, as Zach sees this happen all the time and people's trees end up dying. Or they put wood chips all around the stem, thus burying the tree in wood chips, which is just as bad as burying it in soil. Bad. Very bad.
  

You want to plant the tree so that the soil ends just above the highest root and you can still see the trunk's flare. I don't know if this is visible on little seedlings, but it's something to consider.

• Lastly, if the tree comes in a burlap sack, take the sack off before planting it. Zach's company does a lot of removals of dead trees where the person who planted it left the sack on. The roots have nowhere to grow and they end up dying. Plus, the sack becomes rotten and that doesn't make the tree happy, either.

So I hope this helps! Zach thought maples, birches, ash, cherry, and redbuds would do well for Alanna, but I'm wondering if the soil is too clay-ey for them. So see what your nursery has and hopefully there's something out there for you.

Today's Lunch:
Egg salad made with celery, pickles, and Light Miracle Whip on whole wheat pita
Apple
Banana
3 Hershey's dark chocolate kisses

Weekend of motivation

I've really been sloughing off around the house lately. I haven't felt like cooking or doing dishes or anything, so Zach and I have been living on mac & cheese and leftovers and going out to eat (bad, because I'm on a budget).

Well, on sunday I became useful again. Here's what I accomplished:

• Washed a stack of dishes
• Cleaned the sink, even used a toothbrush to clean the trim between the sink and the countertop (it was nasty)
  
• Cleaned the bathroom (it was my turn)
• Soaked the tub with Oxy-Clean
• Went grocery shopping
• Put away some clutter that was accumulating in dining room
• Got rid of some old bathroom reading material
  

And I did a lot of cooking. Here's what I made:

• Two French Silk pies (for people at work). They have a pecan crust and the filling is to die for (but contains raw eggs). The recipe is from Martha Stewart.. you can see it here.
• A strawberry-rhubarb pie - it's beautiful!
  
• Pork lo mein.. the recipe is on the AGD Recipe site.

Okay, I guess that doesn't look like a lot, but I spent hours in the kitchen. First I had to grind the pecans for the pie crusts. Then I had to bake the crusts and wait for them to cool. In the meantime, I made the dough for the strawberry-rhubarb pie crust and let it chill. Then I made the French Silk pie filling.. which was very time consuming because I had to wait for the melted chocolate to cool and it took longer than I thought it would. When the F.S. pies were finished, I made the strawberry-rhubarb pie filling, which involved washing and drying strawberries and cutting them up (I already had the rhubarb ready to go). Then I baked the pie.. and in the meantime, I started making my pork lo mein. I bought a pork tenderloin roast at the Pig (Piggly Wiggly for those who don't live in WI) for $1.79/lb (yeah!). So I had to trim the fat and slice it into strips for the stir fry. Then I washed and cut up the veggies. Then I stir-fried it all in my wonderful new wok while my pasta cooked. Then I made the sauce for it. Whew! And throughout this all, I probably did the dishes about 5 times. And if anyone actually made it through this entire paragraph, I am very proud of you, because I realize it's boring. And now I'm going to be done writing...

Today's Lunch:
2 barbecued chicken drumsticks
Green beans
Garlic toast from that Italian restaurant in Horicon
Apple

Evil Art Fair people

On saturday, Zach and I volunteered at the Art Fair on the Square. We worked at a concession stand that sold beer, brats, hot dogs, pre-made subs, and pickles-on-a-stick. I was working the cash register, and Zach started out as a runner (bringing food to the counter). Well, the Art Fair people who were kind of "in charge" of our stand asked Zach to work a beer line, where they gave him a little apron with change in it. So he did that for a while. Then, one of the Art Fair people started working the beer line next to him. The demand for beer wasn't overwhelming, and Zach was like, "wtf?" Then, after awhile, another Evil Art Fair person took his apron from him. So he was kind of kicked out of selling beer. So Zach went to the grill in the back and helped grill the brats and hot dogs. He really enjoyed that because he was in the sun and could work on his tan, and he got free beer. So he did it for the rest of the shift.

When our shift was over, the people who were supposed to work the next shift were short-staffed. So Zach offered to stay and help cook the food. I was tired from yelling food orders and dealing with crabby customers for 3-1/2 hours, so I took a walk to look at the artwork. When I came back, Zach was sitting on the curb. I asked him what happened, and he said the Evil Art Fair people kicked him out because they thought he was just staying after to drink free beer. He said he had filled up his beer cup an hour ago and had been nursing it since. He was very sad that they didn't trust him or want his help any more.

The Art Fair left a bad taste in his mouth. I don't think I'll be volunteering him for this again next year!

I did something important

Finally! I did some work that required brain power and I feel great about it.

I used some calculations to find the amount of water exhaled by kangaroo rats and how it varies by the relative humidity and temperature of the environment. After reading about this stuff for weeks, it feels great to have finally figured it out.

Now I get to go home.

Ropes and my house

Yesterday I took the day off to watch Zach compete in the Wisconsin Arborist Association annual Tree Climbing Competition. It was in West Bend, which is north of Milwaukee. There were 40 competitors who competed in 5 different events. The events were:

• Footlock, where climbers had to climb a 50 foot rope using the footlock method in less than a minute;
• Speed climb, where climbers used a rope and tree limbs to climb a tree in less than a minute;
• Throw line, where climbers stood on the ground and threw a weighted line around a specific branch in a tree. Some branches were worth more points than others;
• Aerial rescue, where climbers had to rescue a 150-lb dummy out of a tree ensuring it made it to the ground safely; and
• Work climb, where climbers started at the top of the tree and worked their way down, completing tasks at five different stations. They had to jump out of the tree and land inside a target.

Now I'm inspired to learn how to footlock, so I'm going to try to master it by practicing on the tree in our backyard.

Hey - I just realized I haven't posted any pictures of my house except the scary basement.

Here's the front of my house:


And the back:


Cute, huh? Yes, that's a 3-season porch in the back. I like to sit out there and read and listen to the birds.

This weekend Z and I are volunteering at the Madison Art Fair on the Square. We're selling beer and brats - nutrition staples for Wisconsinites.

And that's about it, since I'm broke.

Today's Lunch:
Leftover ravioli from Barduccios in Horicon, WI (really good food for a small town)
Nectarine

July 4th

My 4th of July was very laid back. I celebrated our country's independence by eating a hot dog while reading the latest issue of Time magazine. There was a big to-do in Evansville, with baseball games and live music and food stands. So Zach and I checked it out and had some deep-fried cheese curds and strawberry-rhubarb pie a la mode. It was fun.

We skipped the parade because sitting on a hot roadside among crowds of people watching politicians go by is not my idea of a great time. The fireworks didn't start until 9:00, and I needed to go to bed so I didn't watch them (ah, the beauty of riding the state van to work - I get a free commute, but I have to get up at 5:00).

I did notice a commercial on TV with "Born in the U.S.A." by Bruce Springsteen as the background music. I can't remember what the commercial was for - probably a store was having a 4th of July sale. I can understand why people think the song is appropriate for Independence Day - "Born in the U.S.A." sounds pretty freakin' patriotic. However, if you listen to the lyrics carefully, you will notice the song is about the Vietnam War, and how so-called "troublemakers" were encouraged to enlist. Then, upon arrival back in the states, there were no jobs left for these poor people. To make things worse, many were experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder.

Born in the U.S.A.

Born down in a dead man's town
The first kick I took was when I hit the ground
You end up like a dog that's been beat too much
'Til you spend half your life just covering up

[Chorus]
Born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.

I got in a little hometown jam
So they put a rifle in my hand
Sent me off to a foreign land
To go and kill the yellow man

[Chorus]

Come back home to the refinery
Hiring man says "Son, if it was up to me"
Went down to see my V.A. man
He said "Son, don't you understand?"

[Chorus]

I had a buddy at Khe Sahn
Fighting off the Viet Cong
They're still there, he's all gone

He had a woman he loved in Saigon
I got a picture of him in her arms now

Down in the shadow of the penitentiary
Out by the gas fires of the refinery
I'm ten years burning down the road
Nowhere to run, ain't got nowhere to go

Born in the U.S.A. (x3)
I'm a long gone daddy in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A. (x3)
I'm a cool rocking daddy in the U.S.A.

Today's Lunch:
Sara Lee turkey sandwich with yellow mustard on whole wheat
Apple
Nectarine
Maybe some chips

Side effects

Last week my doctor prescribed a new anti-depressant for me. It's called Cymbalta, and it's cool because it regulates serotonin uptake and norepinephrine uptake.

I had previously been taking Lexapro, which was a decent antidepressant, but my doctor thought I needed something to regulate anxiety as well (I guess that's obvious by reading some of my blogs about work - yikes!). Lexapro just regulates serotonin uptake, not norepinephrine uptake, and norepinephrine is the stuff that helps with anxiety.

I first took the 30 mg dose for a week, just to ease into the new stuff. Last night I took my first 60 mg dose, and today I am feeling the side effects. I feel like I'm buzzing, like I've had a few beers or something. And I'm almost kind of dizzy. It's not the unpleasant numbness that I'd been feeling before when I was depressed, it's just this strange sensation in my head. I also feel like I'm having heart palpitations, but when I check my pulse it feels normal, so I'm not worried.

I looked up some of the side effects of Cymbalta on the internet and noticed a few reports of dizziness, but many of the side effects went away within a few weeks. Also, I remember my doctor telling me that the first week I'm on it may be a difficult week for me. Luckily I'm only working 3 days this week, so this is a good week for weird, trippy side effects.

Today's lunch:
Hummus in a whole wheat pita pocket
Carrots and celery
(writing this down made me realize how weak my lunch is. I may have to see my friend the vending machine later on)