Heavy Sleeper?

Well, that's one way to do it.

I Suddenly Want to Move To Austin

I wonder why...

Also, if you don't immediately get it, read this. And then agree with me that the banana on the left is clearly a chocolate penis.

Thank you, Liz, for the shared link via Google Reader, my latest addiction.

Cats Be Crazy!

According to my closest cat expert friend, "Them's fighting words!"

Stew of the Week

Westville, haven of fresh and munchable veggies and foodstuffs galore!

First off, shout out to Alex S for taking me to this great little place. Second off, I want to note that this place was so worth it that we went in spite of the fact that it was located within the Pride Parade's parameters.

So what makes this place so great? Here's the deal: not only do they serve delicious food (including a granola cookie sandwich called a "devin" that will blow your mind) they also have a special (giant) section of food that was all bought at the farmer's market that day and is cooked just for you!

The Rundown:
1) Market Fresh: items include asparagus with parmigiana, beets with goat cheese, sauteed broccoli, chickpea salad (sound familiar?), garlic mashed potatoes, and much more! I listed these because they're what Alex and I got and so you've got a first-hand account of how good they are
2) Eco-Friendly: local groceries = less gas, probably less destructive farming techniques, and helping out the local economy - what's better than that?
3) Healthy, Healthy: There's no two ways about it, everything (except probably the mac and cheese, which looked delicious, btw) is fresh and light. Even the mashed potatoes felt rich in a hearty way, not a buttery, "uuuugh," way. Also, let's all remember how much I hate eating vegetables, but this place practically requires it AND makes them yummy, too.
4) Do It At Home? I will say, most of the dishes seemed pretty simple and probably are easy to whip up at home (case in point, the chickpea salad), so I think after a couple of visits you can probably figure out what's in these sides that makes them sing and then recreate it in your own kitchen. Why not?
5) The Downside: the price is not ideal, $13 for 4 veggie plates, though I will say that it was definitely a dinner sized meal, so if you're looking for a dinner in that price range, you're just fine going here. Also, the other entrees (chicken, pork, fish), were all in the $11-$13 range and most included a market veggie, too, so that definitely seems worth it to me.

Top marks for Alex (and her bf Brendon) for spotting this delicious little nook-in-the-wall that we can all share now! Way to go!

Happy Stewing!

So the college student who (allegedly) created this was charged with larceny and destruction of property. Clearly, these police officers don't have 16 year old children who need some tough Traffic-Cone-Monster love to drive right and stay under the speed limit.

Then again, if I saw this on the street I probably would get in an accident because I was lallygagging and gawking it at for so long. I certainly hope the kid thinks it was worth, because it sure made my day.

So this made my day weirder...

How Stuff Work's Top 5 Strangest Animal Videos

Don't forget to check out the leopard slugs doin' it. Two words: neon penises.

Sasha the Puppy!!

OMG! She has my same name and is blonde, too! If only I could meet and squeeze her and pet her ears, my life would be complete.

Here's her blurb:
"Hi, my name is Sasha and I live with my humans in Dublin, Ireland. I think I'm really gorgeous. I like being pretty in the show ring and mucky in the gun dog trials. My humans like me clean but I'm quite the little muck magnet. My hobbies are playing with my friend Ben in the bluebells and swimming with Ben and the ducks. It's quite nice after a long day to sleep and sleep. Sometimes I sneak into the humans' bed and pretend not to be there, but I just get my belly rubbed. I love life"

To Ireland!

Too Many Puppies!?

Don't be crazy. There can never be too many puppies.

However, I will concede that I do seem to have less to write about when my blog is automatically pup-updated daily. Instead of writing, I just stare at their little faces and waggly tongues and dream of the day when I can run "The Daily (Movie) Puppy" - a website with a different video clip of a pup each day!

What a beautiful world I dream of... One day...

I Wish My Boyfriend Would Sing to Me

Sigh.

If only I was a female mouse in heat, I'd be getting all the songs in the world. Also, I'd probably have like a million babies, which would be less cool. But still!

Kristof is Pisstof

For good reason! Check out his op-ed article on food.

I agree with him, and am excited about seeing "Food, Inc." after it's been out for 2 weeks so I can use my student passes. I also am insanely angered over this whole Tollhouse cookie dough crap - E. Coli in cookie dough? Come on! This particular piece of poor regulation was especially painful for my little cousin and his family. They spent a week and a half in the hospital treating the trooper for an E. Coli infection that could have ended much worse than it did (thankfully, he's back home and getting better every day). It's outrageous!

We should all check out this article and this movie to help mobolize the country into safer eating because we all deserve to live happily and healthily.

Stew of the Week

Guest-Starring Marya and Soula!

Last weekend I had the pleasure of eating a totally scrumptious salad courtesy of my friend Marya (who received and modified the grub from her friend Soula). So I decided to investigate (i.e. ask Marya for the recipe). Now I'm pleased to present Marya/Soula's "Shepherd's Salad"

Shepherd Salad:

1 green bell pepper (chopped coarsely)

1 cucumber (chopped coarsely)

2-4 tomatoes (chopped coarsely)

1 can of chickpeas

Combine all above and dress with the juice of a lemon, olive oil, and dried oregano to taste.

Marya added the chickpeas, "for protein and yumminess," which I agree with completely!

Here was a few quickfire pluses about this salad
1) Easy peasy
2) All of the ingredients have a longer shelf (or fridge) life than your regular salad greens
3) Super healthy - no sodium, and hardly any fat (depending on how much olive oil you use)
4) Super duper delicious! We ate loads, and with the chickpeas this would make a solid small lunch or a super hearty side dish to your main course.

Stew on, Marya and Soula! And Happy Stewing to everyone else!

Happy Father's Day!

Give your Dad a squeeze and tell him you love him!

Things Dads are Great For:
1) Talking about random stuff that has nothing to do with your feelings or emotions ("So, Dad, how 'bout them Cowboys?")
2) Grilling steaks, burgers, veggies - anything that involves charcoal and intense heat
3) Baking cookies and delicious desserts off the Food Network (Ok, this may just be my dad, but it's great!)
4) Fixing broken things, including: the TV, the DVR, your bike, your computer, the pantry shelving, etc
5) Letting you watch whatever you want to on TV even though he hates that show just because he wants to hang out with you
6) Father-Daughter dances in middle/lower school
7) Hugging!

So, like I said, give your dad a squeeze or a call or something because he deserves it!

Wolverine

After 90 Years, The Wolverine (Just One) Returns to Colorado

1) I really don't want to see a 90-year-old Hugh Jackman
2) Didn't he return to Colorado in the 2nd movie? Remember, with the flood and the "Oh my God, my past!"
3) Spoiler Alert: I heard "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" totally blew. Why stir it up again now?

...

But for realzies, Wolverines are a weird but sort of neat animal and I'm glad it's coming back home!

Happy News

A brief pause in the exciting world of TV Development:

My co-intern*: Ugh, it's really getting terrible in Iran.
Me: Yeah, it's horrible.
Co-Intern: Oh, and did I show you these pictures from the France crash? Apparently they were taken while the plane was in the air
Me: No, why would I want to see those? Why do you only read the sad news?
Co-Intern: News is mostly depressing. What do you read?
Me: Happy news.
Co-Intern: Happy news?
Me: Yeah, like the NY Science Times... or the Daily Puppy.
(*My co-intern is not an unhappy guy. It's totally legit that most of the news is depressing)

... Annnnnnd back to work.

I will say, though, that finding the Happy News is a skill. I might just have to create a blog of only happy news. So whenever someone needs cheering up - bam! There it is. Happy news from all around the globe.

Sample articles: Missing people being found, puppies being found, green buildings being built, green cars doing well on the market, a new scientific discovery, cures for illnesses, developing nations getting the help they need to make it, etc etc

Shout Out!

Here's to my friend, Chowdah member, and current Colbert intern, Reni. Watch her as she totally blows everyone's mind with her coffee bit. You da bomb, Reni!

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Warm Memories of Iraq
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Stephen Colbert in Iraq

Why I Like My Internship:

I found this picture while doing research today. So adorable and so never would have found it if I hadn't been doing my job!

Contented sigh.

Rabbits Gone Wild!

Watch the sexy vid here:



Also, check out the article. It's relatively interesting, though the title is wildly, and hilariously, misleading.

Stew of the Week

Sponsored by: Clif and Luna Bars.

... Ugh, I wish. I could use the cash. But no, I am, under no monetary support, giving this week's Stew of the Week to Clif and Luna Bars.

Why? So many reasons. The main one being that they have collectively sustained me for the past month. I feel like I've been eating about a bar a day in conjunction with a meal, in replacement of a meal, or in between meals, and it has been a delicious, extraordinary journey. Here are some of the perks:

1) Why did I start? I had too much money left on my college Dining Dollars card, and I wanted to buy stuff that would last after I graduated. Bam. I believe I bought between 40 - 50 of these guys, and it was a delicious, nutritious investment.
2) Taste: I've tried a bunch of different types of snack bars because I get heartburn if I don't eat between meals (pills!) and these are definitely the tastiest and most filling. The Chocolate Brownie Clif Bar legitimately tastes like a hearty chocolate brownie, and the Chocolate Raspberry Luna bar tastes like chocolate + raspberry. It doesn't get much better than that.
3) What's in it? Unlike a lot of "health" bars, these guys don't contain high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, or other weird sounding crap. While the list of ingredients in them is long, here are some highlights: organic cocoa, organic palm seed oil, organic sunflower oil, organic brown rice syrup, organic unsweetened chocolate, etc etc. They use complex carbohydrates for sustained energy and they use 70% organic ingredients. That's pretty awesome for your body and the world.
4) Why is it good for me? Lots of reasons! One is that it's packed with fiber, so unlike a lot of snack bars, it actually fills you up (maybe not all the way, but the way you want a snack to). It's low in fat (5g) and saturated fat (1-2.5g depending what you get), low sodium, no cholesterol (vegan!), high in protein (9-11g), and chock full of vitamins. The only downside is that the Luna bars come packed with about 14g of sugar and the Clif bars can get up to 22g of sugar - yikes! So definitely make sure you're actually going to be using that energy it gives you or that sugar will just turn into fat - lame!
5) Flavors? My favorites are S'mores and Chocolate Raspberry for Luna Bars, and then Chocolate Brownie and Mint Chocolate for Clif Bars. Avoid the lemon Luna Bars (bleck) and the Carrot Cake Clif Bars (equally bleck). The Chocolate Chip Clif Bars can be pretty good pending your mood, but my staples are definitely the ones I first mentioned.

So there you have it. If you do enjoy them, I suggest keeping a couple in your purse, backpack, or other carrying-around device so you'll never have to go hungry. They've definitely saved me on numerous occasions.

Happy Stewing!

Facebook, Stop Freaking Me Out

I don't like that Facebook seems to know me intimately. I just read two of their sidebar advertisements:

1) 2 Miniature Poodles for sale! Please give them loving homes!

2) Pittsburgh T-shirts for sale! Show your pride!

How do they know that Pittsburgh's secretly been winning me over OR that I have an unhealthy obsession with puppies, specifically poodles!? I don't understand! The internets has invaded my brain!

Also, I should note: Hooray Penguins!!! 2 major wins in one year, how do you do it, Pittsburgh?

Well That's Convenient!

Check out the new "Daily Puppy" widget to your left! Now you can view adorable puppies at your leisure.

To note, I reserve the right to create special posts for Daily Puppies that I deem suitable, as with the ever so cute husky pups.

Mmmm, puppy love.

And now for Adoptable Husky Puppies

Thanks, Daily Puppy!

Mistakes Happen

*Note: This is a serious post. If you'd like puppies and comedy, please wait for an upcoming post or look at the adorable puppy about two posts down*

Unfortunately, they seem to always target me.

Now, I make my fair share of mistakes, but rarely (if ever) do I have someone's life on the line. However, what I've noticed over the past year or so, is that people have a tendency to mess up with me... with my life on the line.

Today's example?

I picked up a prescription for Prograf (my main immunosuppressant) about a week ago. I take 2.5 mg of this stuff twice a day. The script I was picking up was for the .5 mg caps that I take along with the 1 mgs caps. Together, they make the 2.5. This time, though, the caps were tabs. They seemed to be the right size, though, so I thought, 'Huh, guess Prograf just changed the shape of their tabs. Weird, but ok, I guess?' I get my bloodwork this week and my Prograf number is way down. That's when it hits me - my .5's aren't Prograf. I race off to the Duane Reade and it turns out that some pharmacist had given me a DIABETES medication instead! No joke! No wonder I felt super tired. My blood sugar was way low and I wasn't taking enough Prograf!

Fortunately, after about 2 hours, I got my Prograf, but still. It's scary to think how much worse this could have been, and it's also scary to think about how bad it was (7 days on a lowered dose is not good for the kidney. We just have to hope that my level wasn't always 3.9 and had only gotten there yesterday).

And please don't give me the, "doctors/pharmacists/nurses are people, too!" bit. I know they are, but that doesn't give them the right to be irresponsible. And the fact that in the year that I've been dealing seriously with them they've messed up considerably and frequently, putting my health at risk, is troubling. People make mistakes. I just wish they woud stop making them on me.

I've said this before, and I'll say it again: I don't want to be the sad part at the end of a Scrubs episode. I'm nobody's "learning experience." I don't want to be the subject of JD's voice-over.

Singing Bananas!

I want a singing bananagram (read: man in a giant banana suit) to show up to my office bday party!

And yes, this happened at my office today. This is one of the many reasons I'm very much enjoying my internship.

Dream Job

Last night I dreamt I was a professional snake charmer.

Do I want to be a professional snake charmer? No, but that's how I made my living.

Also, in an unrelated dream, the subway ran from New York to Dallas and I got lost somewhere in Tennessee.

I Want to Pet His Ears!

Oh my goodness. Choosing a picture was too hard. Please, just look at all of them for yourself and tell me you don't just want to rub his tiny puppy ears and grab his big puppy paws and let him lick your face. Tell me you don't want to, and then I will call you a liar.

Squirrelmageddon Now: Coming of the Squirrelpocalypse

Thanks to Liz from Bear O'Snark, Bear O'Serious, and her most recent venture, The Daily Roo, for helping dig up this evidence of the upcoming Squirrelmageddon.

Someday, when all seems most quiet... They will come for us... and only you, dear Stew readers, will be prepared...

All It Took Was A Monotreme...

To prove that looks aren't everything.

Also, I want to know just what that crazy terrier-sized, naked porcupine-mole rat is thinking about all day with its ginormous brain. Seriously, is it wondering why it secretes milk through glands instead of out of nips? Or what the crap the eggs are for if its kiddies still need milk after their born? Or just, "If I'm one of the oldest living links to our mammalian ancestors, did they all look this f'd up? Because if so, I would have been damn sexy in that era. Now though..." Well, of course, that's what the lady echidna is thinking. The male one is probably thinking, "If I really have a four-headed penis, does that mean I can do four lady echidnas at once? Otherwise, what's it for?"

Ah, the long-nosed spiny echidna. So much to ponder.

Dream Bloggin'

So last night I dreamt (and yes, Google, dreamt is a word. Both dreamed and dreamt work as past tense.) that I was a professional blogger. My job was to write this blog, another blog which was pretty much just this blog but fancier-looking, and then they wanted me to come up with a new blog, as well. I came up with a comedy blog that follows pre-production on upcoming comedies and and up-and-coming comedians, which I think is a legitimate idea but probably already exists.

Clearly, though, my subconscious is telling me that I need to quit my (unpaid) dayjob and start doing this full-time. Somehow, if I do this, someone will put me in an office and start paying me to keep doing it. Why? I'm not quite sure, but according my night-brain, that's what will happen.

Why, A.O. Scott, Why?

Why is "Drag Me to Hell," the campy Ramis horror flick, on the NY Times' "Critic's Pick" list and not "Up"?

Pure insanity.

Stew of the Week

Cheese and Apples. Not just for snack time anymore.

Remember that pear, goat cheese, and arugula sandwich I was drooling over during our second Stew of the Week? Well, I've got a variation today that will blow your mind:

Cheddar cheese. Crisp, green apples. On toasted whole wheat bread.

Who knew!? Apparently, the Brits.

My first week of work has brought me to the Pret a Manger, a British imported sandwich shop (shoppe?) that gives me fond memories of my lovely trip to the Old Country last summer. Not only is everything local and fresh (albeit expensive), I noticed that they've got this sandwich combination that's just plain delicious: white cheddar cheese and apples (they do put mayo on it, but it seems a bit unnecessary). It's sharper than my goat cheese and pear combination but just as delicious. My stats (health-wise, deliciousness-wise) are comparable to the previous combination, but I've thought of some fun things to add and adjust that might be neat:

1. Cream cheese and Granny Smith apples.
2. Cheddar and gala apples (for a bit of sweetness)
3. Cheddar, GS apples, and a dab of honey or agave.
4. Cheddar, GS, thinly sliced almonds.
5. Gouda, gala.
6. Various breads: a whole-wheat baguette for the fancy, white for the homestyle, a wrap for l0w-carb, etc.
7. Grilled. Mmmm grilled.

Any other thoughts?

So if you're looking for a nice, light lunch (it pairs very well with yogurt) or a midday snack, give a little cheese and apple sandwich a try. I think you'll be delightfully surprised.

Happy Stewing!

His Life as a Woman

Definitely take two minutes out of your day to read this piece in the Well section of the NY Times (it'll make you much happier than the 100,000 cases of swine flu reported and the caution "be careful if you have kidney disease" - bastards).

I'm glad that his treatment is over and he's feeling well again, and I'm glad he learned something about us ladies. I really hope his recovery goes well.

Decades from Now...

According to everyone, my nights will only be filled with this dream and the one where you're at work all day. While I'll fully admit that I've already had both of these dreams and I'm only two weeks post-grad and four days into work, my dream this morning about the virtual-reality, inter-galactic video game I was living in assured me that those will not conflict with my usual morning ritual.

Thank you, Star Trek and black and white cookie.

Health Care Now!

Krugman, you speak the truth.

In the past three months, I've had to juggle three insurance companies all claiming they aren't my primary and therefore they shouldn't have to pay. It's stupid and annoying and completely unnecessary. If they had clear-cut rules and simply communicated with each other none of this would happen. And, let's be honest, it shouldn't be my job to do my insurance's job.

Kidney Now!

After mulling over it for a few weeks, I've decided that I really liked the "30 Rock" season finale.

As you know, I like a good kidney-related joke pending it has an upswing. This year's Varsity Show, for example, pissed me off because of a non-sequiter equating people needing transplants with bitches. It had no point and was mean. Lame. However, when Stephen Colbert mentions a made-up kidney disease in his health section, like, "balloon-animal kidney" or whatever, I think it's hilarious. It has nothing to do with anything and is just plain funny.

So I recently re-watched the 30 Rock season finale and, again, really enjoyed it. None of the jokes were about kidneys so much as "We are the World" concert benefits. And Dr. Spaceman's jokes this time were right on, "Kidney transplants are no laughing matter, so I apologize [laugh]. It's just that word. Kidney. The hard 'k' sound." And, the best part of all, they got a lot of really important facts about living donor kidney transplantation out there in a hilarious way with a catchy song and a lot of celebrity voices. Also, all the proceeds of the sale of the song on iTunes go to the NKF (National Kidney Foundation). That's pretty awesome.

It makes me wonder if one of the writers or someone on the show really is going through this or is close to someone who is. If someone is, then I hope they've gotten their kidney and are well on their way towards a full recovery.

And bravo to 30 Rock. They really did a good job of putting kidney donation out there in a positive, happy way. Hooray!

Wikipedia, I Get You

I just felt a personal connection to an article about Australia on Wikipedia. It has nothing to do with the content, but I noticed that the way they spelled things: centre, generalised, etc. An Australian (or an Englishman) edited this page. And I thought, "there's a person behind this article." That's neat. Good ol' Wikipedia.

Jobs Involve Working!?

Who knew?

Anyway, I apologize for the lack of witty insights and scathing rants. I'll give you your Stew of the Week and other fun items on my day off, I promise!

Not surprisingly, the increase in work has led to a proportional increased intake of PB&J sandwiches. In other news, I recently reintroduced cereal and soy milk into my diet in a desperate attempt to avoid heartburn in the mornings (darn pills!).

A fun little tidbit I learned about myself during this introduction: I enjoy any cereal shaped like a "O" - I don't know why, but I just do. Maybe it's because they remind me of donuts. Thousands of tiny, nutritious donuts.

Yum!

Why I Want to be a Writer:

I work best in my pajamas.