Sunday Night Insomnia

For some ungodly reason, I can never manage to get any sleep on Sunday nights. Even if I am extremely tired, without fail I toss and turn in bed and watch in defeat as the clock changes from 12am, to 1, then to 2. This inevitably screws me over Monday and so for the rest of the week I go sleep deprived. Ugh, I hate that!

So with my trusty new laptop in tow, I surfed the hell out of the internet. Here's some sites where I wasted my life tonite. I'm sure y'all will find good use for them when you're having a bored moment as well.

1. www.myspace.com/lanetech97
Egads! 10 year high school reunion! Where has the time flown? After Court mentioned the site when we were at Hooters on Friday, I had to take a peek. Duuuude, I haven't seen most of those faces since we graduated. A good portion of them don't look even remotely familiar. And a lot of peeps have like, 3 kids already. Crazy! Most interesting find: apparently Trey the Chocolate Jock from Power 92.3 graduated with us!

2. Buzzfeed's compilation of Gates vs. Jobs articles. With the purchase of my MacBook Pro last month, in my opinion Jobs wins HANDS DOWN, but it's nice to see all the reasons why he's so great in print. If tech news isn't for you, then you can peruse Buzzfeed's articles on Britney's Lumpy Ass.

3. In another Jobs/Mac related item, if you google "i don't know what to do with my life" (and yes I really did that), Jobs' commencement address to Stanford in 2005 is the first hit. Definitely worth reading.

4. Free Banksy art! Grab some cool wallpapers or print them out.

5. Misc. Chicago food discussion threads. Favorite Tea Cafes, LTHForum's Great Neighborhood Restaurant Awards, and NewCity Chicago's listing of top taco joints. Or check out the 12 restaurants with the most health code violations. Two of them are close to my house!

6. Last but not least, Girlshop is having a huge sale. Girls, have fun going through all the online boutiques.

And even after doing all this I am still not one bit sleepy. It's 3am. Mother f.

It's 10:30 in the morning.

I'm in my pajamas, watching tv in bed with a hot chocolate on my nightstand.

And it's Friday - no work to be had!

The beauty of a SNOW DAY...

I think I'm going to take a nap now :)

A bit late-ish, but let’s put it down for posterity.

T-Day Highlights and Lowlights in no particular order.

Highlights:
Having the kid sis home. Hanging with Emerson and his little bros Friday (we watched WAY too much Borat on YouTube after getting our shop on in Woodfield). The Romanian food at Ella’s cutie pie of a daughter, Allisia’s, 1st b-day party. Hershey Candy Cane Kisses. Purchasing my mom’s Christmas present for 50% off with an additional 20%, then 10% taken off at Macy’s. Successfully resisting the MBP purchase again. Strawberry whipped cream cake from Lutz. Coming back to work with no boss today. Two for $5 deal at Target for a mini Christmas tree and ornaments.

Lowlights:
Making a purchase off of Bluefly only to find it marked 20% down the next friggin’ day. Shopping at Woodfield for almost 5 hours and walking away with only 2 things. Three pairs of shoes in 1 week (!!! Well it’s not really a lowlight but this addiction is a disease I tell ya’). Tighter pants after a weekend of gluttony. Tighter pants after a weekend of gluttony. And...tighter pants after a weekend of gluttony.

Wow Wow Wee Waa!!!

I like Cadbury Creme Eggs but not this much!

The making of this behemoth was found on Pimp That Snack via Slashfood. Impressive 'eh? It's 56 times bigger than the original! Here's the stats-

Standard creme egg - Height: 2" Girth: 4" Weight: 40 g Calories: 175
Creme de la creme egg - Height: 8" Girth: 16.5" Weight: 2.25 kg! Calories: Approx. 10000!

Hehe, just wanted to share with y'all. Happy Friday!

More Lens Lust

It's been a while since I picked up some camera gear, and with Christmas around the corner I've got my eye on some goodies. The one big thing on my wish list is a Lensbaby. Here's a snippet of info from their site:

The Original Lensbaby lens is the hybrid love child of an old-fashioned bellows camera and an up-tight tilt-shift lens. The Original Lensbaby captures images with glowing highlights, subtle prismatic color shifts and the trademark Lensbaby graduated blur. The Original Lensbaby features a single, uncoated optical glass element which is quite sharp at f/5.6 and f/8 but becomes softer and slightly diffused at f/4 and more diffused and impressionistic at f/2.8.

The Original Lensbaby is a favorite among artists, students, and toy camera lovers who enjoy raw, imperfect, and soft images. Portrait and wedding photographers who want to soften features appreciate the Original Lensbaby's romantic possibilities.

It's ironic that in an age of perfectly crisp digital images, lo-fi cameras and their pics are as popular as they are. And while I love the kind of images that Holga's and Diana's produce, I have no patience for film. I've gotten way too accustomed to the instant gratification that digital gives that going back to film is not something I want to do right now. Enter the Lensbaby and voila! Holga-ish images with the convenience of digital. Check out the flickr Lensbaby group here to see some images.

Ever since I switched into developing coffee and tea drinks, I often get the question “So do you like it more than sauces?” In all honesty, both products have really different ingredients and processing that it’s hard to compare. With dressings and sauces I got pretty comfortable playing around with oils, vinegars, and spices to get a certain flavor profile and consistency, so I figured coffee products should be easier right? Isn’t it all about coffee, chocolate and milk? Ummm yes and no.

This is what my first cupping sessions sounded like (cupping = the formal evaluation of the coffee/cocoa/tea product with the customer or marketing peoples):

Panelist 1: Sample A had more creamy notes, with the vanilla upfront and the cocoa pleasantly mild.
Panelist 2: Yes, I agree, in Sample B the coffee was too strong. It’s that god-awful robusta isn’t it? You can’t taste the cocoa at all! And it had no body!
Panelist 3: Ugh B… it tastes so earthy, almost like dirt. I’m tasting coffee first, then the milk, then that offensive finish at the end. Maybe we should try a different blend of Mexican and Colombian. What do you think Joy?
Me: Ummmm…I think I don’t like B either. It ummm, tastes different… Yeah, it doesn’t taste good…

That is the problem with being a newbie in a field where you’re working with people with seriously honed taste buds. At first everything tastes the same! Either that or I get tongue tied trying to find a way to describe what I’m tasting. And heaven forbid if I prepare a cup of coffee wrong. One time I (gasp!) used warm water to prepare a cup (it should be cold going into the brewer). And today I got strange, “you crazy lady” looks after assuming we taste the coffee out of our standard insulated disposable cups (you MUST use ceramic or porcelain).

However I never get tired of observing one thing. Sooo, when you taste straight up coffee you have to slurp it. It’s loud and sounds gross to people passing by but it’s a funny sight when you see a room full of people doing it. After slurping you spit it out. Usually there is a spittoon but a lot of times the tasters resort to using a regular old cup since that’s the most handy. Inevitably the sample cups and make-shift spittoons get mixed up and people end up sampling other people's...well you can guess the rest...

Hello peoples – long time no blog! So let’s catch up... Gosh what hasn’t changed in the state of the world within the past month? Within the groupie circle we’ve gotten new engagements, new jobs, new pads, new cars, and even a new majority in Congress! Now that is one productive month! As for me I have my new RED iPod and I think that is pretty nifty in itself. :)

No complaints about the weekend. X & N’s b-day celebration on Friday was fun with Borat being the perpetual icing on the cake. You must watch this movie! OMG I COULD NOT STOP LAUGHING!!! Saturday’s mission was accomplished with the discovery of THE DRESS for Samantha’s wedding (she looked gorgeous!) and the night finished off with a performance from the Luna Negra Dance Company. I had the perfect seats – Row N dead center. And no tall people in front of me either! Yay! Sunday’s highlights included finding the Gilmore Girls Seasons 1 and 2 on sale for $14.99 at Target. Oh the little things...

But what is it about waking up to rain on a Monday that can put you in a crabby funk? Well I was ok... as good as can be expected after having to be in Elgin at frickin 7 in the morning for a test run. But once I came back to the office everyone at work had these apathetic expressions on their faces. It was shaping up to be "one of those days”...

Eh, whatever. Monday is over and we're one day closer to the weekend. And you are now caught up :)

Cutie Pie

I couldn't resist posting this pic of little Miss Alexandra. Isn't she cute? She had her face painted at the Apple Fest in Long Grove this past weekend where I waited an insane amount of time for apple doughnuts. (Random side note: I really should have bought the apple cider. Omg. So good. Liquid apple dude. Liquid apple. I love the autumn season. But I digress.) The things I will do to satisfy cravings...

So what do we do after spending a good part of the afternoon waiting in line to purchase food? We spend a good part of the evening waiting in line to buy one last ice cream cone from Toot's on Central and Montrose since, as it turned out, everyone and their mama was out to get one last thing from Toots before they move locations. However when I step up to place my usual 'Small Vanilla Twinkle Coat' order the guy says 'No more Twinkle Coat. Gone forever.' Whaaaa??!! Porque? But the sign next to the window said 'Same exact stuff' at their new location...we'll see... I was denied my final twinkle coat and had to make due with a Dipped Top. Oh well, still the best soft serve ice cream around anyways. The perfect cone to get on summer days.

Biggest regret of the night: Not winning the "Lick Me" sign. I would've been the coolest girl in school if I hung that sucker in my cube at work :p

The Weekend Josh Will Never Live Down

Hey y'all! Halleluia this week is half over! This week has been...busy. The work office and lab have officially moved to Downers Grove and I now drive about 50 miles A DAY to get to and from work. Ugh. On the plus side, I've got a nifty new cube, I've met some really interesting people and best of all I've gotten sneak peeks and tastes of what you guys will see early next year. I am liking sharing the same facility with the meat and bakery depts of SL so far. :) Now if only we can get this rain to stop...
Here's some of the pics from the weekend (me and the groupies left Chicago behind for a few days for the quiet of Lake Wisconsin). I will never look at a pontoon or Josh in the same light. :)

Random Family Notes

-Summer is flyin' by again...The little sis was dropped off again at college this past weekend. Doesn't the little bugger look so darn happy? I miss her already. :( (Btw, gas in Indiana was friggin $2.74!!! So cheap!!!)

-This picture of my dad cracks me up every time I see it. My dad falls asleep at the drop of a hat and he always ends up in funny positions or holding random objects. In this case it was both. I tried prying the remote from him but damn he was holding on tight!


-My mother LOVES her some Oprah. However she is in denial. Last year for Christmas, she gave me an Oprah magazine subscription. Among my family members, we all knew it was really a Christmas present for her under the innocent guise as a gift for me. Now for my birthday on Friday, she happily hands me a pink gift bag. I reach in and lo and behold, I am now the proud owner the Oprah 20th anniversary 6 DVD set! Just what she, I mean I, wanted!

This is why I love my family...

Peru: People, Places and Protest

Peru was in one word, amazing! Here's a picture sampler - took a bunch of pics as always but the computer is tempermental so they will trickle slowly into flickr this week. :)

Today is Wednesday I Think

We´re on our way home tomorrow. It´s hard to believe that it was just yesterday when we jumped out of the train at Km 104 and started the trek to Machu Picchu. That trek kicked my booty and handed it to me on a plate. It was soooo hard! I was huffin and puffin and had leg cramps in both friggin legs.

But on the ascent up to the Sungate, you take that one last step up and there it is, Machu Picchu in all its glory below you and then it all becomes worth it. Then this morning we started the day back at Machu Picchu to catch the sunrise from the ruins. Way cool. I mean it´s just so awesome, it´s hard to explain if you haven´t been there. You´re surrounded by stillness and green mountains all around you and you feel like you can touch the sky...

Today we conquered the Sacred Valley. Or shall I say the Sacred Valley conquered us?
Omg...making your way through the ruins and mountains of Peru is no joke people!!!
But we did it! =)
Tip #2 - Bring toilet paper! Especially if you are a girl!

Wish I could post pictures...

Greetings From Peru

Hellloooo everyone!!!
Me and Mich(-elle ´cause that´s what she prefers) are here in Cusco, Peru!
It is COLD. My number one tip is dress like it´s late fall because you will freeze your ass off like I am doing right now.

She found internet!!! Too bad it´s a 15 minute limit.

ok bye =)

Hmph....

IT IS TOO DAMN HOT!

When Life Gives You Lemons

Make lemon cake! I needed a little food therapy, so that's what I did today. Last week was a bit...stressful. Thanks guys for listening to my irrational rants. :) I was (and am still) freakin' out. In a nutshell, a job offer came out of the blue but I didn't count on the old job counteroffering with a different position and title. Things are in limbo until I see the details in writing so in order to distract myself I hit the kitchen.

I regularly check a number of food blogs and an article in last week's Tribune highlighted a few more blogs I had overlooked. Over at Fancy Toast Erielle Bakkum had a recipe for lemon cake that I just had to try for myself. If you like lemon treats you'll definitely like this cake. It's moist and sweet with just the right amount of lemon (the secret is the lemon syrup that is allowed to soak in before the glaze is applied). Chase it with a tall glass o' milk and you are in heaven my friend.

The only addition I would make to the recipe is to heat up the glaze before applying it. My glaze came out looking more like super thick frosting and was in no shape to be drizzled on the cake like the recipe called for. I warmed it up for less than a minute in the microwave and that helped A LOT. By the time I was done the sun was down (which equals crap lighting) so no decent pics of the final product. (Below the lemon syrup is starting to soak in.) But trust me, it was good. :)

Time To Break Out the Haagen Dazs

My horoscopes have been eerily applicable to me lately. For example:

Horoscopes For Today: 7/18/2006
Leo: There's nothing wrong with being indecisive -- it shows that you're taking all your options seriously. So don't listen to folks who tell you to hurry on up today. Don't worry about taking too long to come to your conclusions, because you need to feel comfortable with where you put your energy and time. And if you need to change your mind, that's okay, too -- you're entitled to do that every once in a while. Take the pressure off of yourself!

Don't want to think anymore. I need sleep. Hopefully resolution will come soon.

Uh-oh

I didn't think resignation letters could be denied...
In one day things got topsy turvy.
Today it got a lot more complicated.
I get the feeling I'm gonna get ganged up on tomorrow.
And it doesn't feel too nice.

Hmmm seems I've got template problems...

Summer

A Little Bit of Everything

@ the Printers Row Book Fair Saturday

This weekend was purty nice. I love summer weekends when you wake up to the sun streaming through your window, the birds are chirping and you have the whole day in front of you to do whatever the hell you want. This weekend it included going to the Printers Row Book Fair on Saturday and tickets to a concert in the Symphony Center Sunday. Well the Symphony Center concert was just alright. I had free box seats from work and Daniel Barenboim was performing but I kept falling asleep! He was playing soft piano music and it was dark and cozy in our booth...I couldn't help it. So we decided to cut out during the intermission and get donuts instead :)