Working 8 days a week

I was so cozy at intelligentsia, I didn't want to leave!

Well, that's what it feels like during the holiday season at the restaurant. Last week I worked 9 days straight. By the seventh day I was desperately trying to give my shifts away. I had just enough time before my shift to grab coffee with a friend, and I was having such a nice time I was sorely tempted to call in sick. By Sunday, I was a Grumps Meister Deluxe. I didn't even care about making money at that point, I just wanted to run errands and spend money! I felt pretty bad, I was snapping at everyone. I just can't wait tables that many days in a row!

Besides work, I've been getting Christmas presents for the family and buying lights to make our apartment a little more festive. My mom sent me a box of my old ornaments-- I'm so excited to put them up on the little tree LP and I bought. Sadly, he's out of town for a couple days for work, so I'm going to finish putting everything up by myself. We're total procrastinators, but better late than never, right? Since we're in agreement that holiday decorations can stay up until at least January 5th, we aren't fretting about getting this done so late. I'll post pictures when it's done!


I also had an audition on Monday that I think went pretty well. It was for a short film, and at the very least, I had a good time at the audition and the guys running the thing were incredibly nice. So, whether or not I get the part or even a callback, we'll call it a success.

Since I still haven't had much time for grocery shopping and I'm not at home to eat or cook much anyway, I've been making some really random meals (supplemented by "stealing" some of the groceries LP has bought). That's a fried egg with salsa and cheddar on a corn tortilla with fresh tomatoes, avocado, and creme fraiche (I still haven't used it all)... I put a little white balsamic vinegar on the "salad" with some salt and pepper.

I'm really relishing having today off. Going to finish up my Christmas shopping, do some laundry, and finish decorating. You know you've been working too much when you look forward to doing laundry!

Too Much Caffeine

Anyone ever experience this?

You've had so much caffeine that you feel like you're going to crawl out of your skin...

Like you're short of breath.

Like you need a shower.

Like you will never sleep again.

You are totally PARANOID and ANXIOUS.

This is me. Right now.

It started with home-brewed coffee around 9 AM. Then a grande non-fat cappuccino from Starbucks. And then finishing up the evening with another double non-fat capp AND a gingerbread latte from Aroma, along with a GINORMOUS piece of chocolate mocha cake. (I didn't eat all of it, by the way! Even with my friend, Amy, helping me, I still brought half of it home!) Everything was delicious, but I definitely overdid it.

It's all catching up with me now and I think I'm going to have a panic attack.

Commence freak out NOW.

Cooking and Voting and LACMA-- oh my! EPIC POST

Okay. So I'm a slacker. It's Saturday and I'm going to write about Monday through Wednesday. It's been a busy week. So sue me. But it's been a great week and I feel like I've had the perfect blend of productive and fun. I've also been submitting for roles on LA Casting and Actors Access every day. I even booked an audition, but the director changed her dates and I couldn't go at the new time. C'est la vie... but it's nice to be considered, at least.

Monday was spent cleaning the apartment and researching for the Tuesday election. I posted to my other blog, as I wrote about last time, and got tons of hits. It was really a shock. But I felt good about making a conscientious effort towards my voting and made myself a tasty veggie medley to nibble on while I researched. Look at the color! Roasted potatoes, carrots, and red onion with just a little EVOO, fresh thyme and basil, salt, pepper, and fresh sauteed spinach. It was soooo tasty and satisfying! I also made a homemade vegetable stock (LP helped, thanks!) to use for a soup recipe the next day. I hadn't been able to cook as much lately, so I felt great about this. I did all this and worked the dinner shift!

Tuesday was just fantastic. I slept in a little, made myself a healthy berry-banana smoothie and an egg on a bed of spinach, then walked to our polling place with my current and former roommate. Yay for voting! I felt really informed and prepared with my little sample ballot filled out and ready to go.

After voting, I took our five full bins of recycling to the center--a herculean task, I assure you! Turns out we actually had $17 worth of stuff! WOW! There was about 72 lbs of glass alone. And I hauled that around by myself! It makes me glad that we don't throw all of that away. (Random side note: when driving back I was listening to Market Place on NPR and even that reporter commented that on Project Runway, MONDO was robbed. Completely unrelated to the topic at hand, and I totally agree. It just had to be said.)

After that, my friend Amy and I got fancy coffee and shared a crepe at Solar de Cahuenga in Hollywood. Nutella and Strawberries....mmm. Amy swears that she saw Josh Radnor of "How I Met Your Mother" out on the patio where we were sitting. I was completely oblivious, but she was probably right.

We waited until 5 PM, which is the magic hour for me in LA, because after that the LACMA is free to local residents. That leaves 3 whole hours for leisurely browsing before they close. The museum has a great collection for being as small as it is and I've been there quite a bit. And I always have to take a peek at my favorite painting of all. I geeked out the first time I realized it was there!

But we especially wanted to see their newest building and the latest exhibit on the History of Fashion. The clothes were GUH-OR-geous. Amy and I had an interesting conversation about feminism and fashion. She regrets not getting to dress so outstandingly today, but I feel like you can dress however you want... hoop skirts and corset? SURE! But if I felt restricted in my clothing options, you can sure as hell bet that I would rebel against whatever it was I was expected to wear. Even as recently as my mother's generation, girls could get sent home from school for wearing pants. PANTS, ladies! I can't imagine not getting to wear jeans, and I love that I have the option of wearing a skirt if I feel like it, men's clothes if I feel like it. Punk one day and feminine the next. Isn't it FANTASTIC that we have choices? I feel privileged.

I love the outside "sculpture" at the LACMA... its iconic light posts. One of my favorite LA image.

After a couple hours at the museum, I took Amy home and then went home to cook! I used my homemade stock in a Butternut Squash, Green Apple, and Leek soup! I took the recipe from the November/December issue of Vegetarian Times. My brother got me a subscription for Christmas and I definitely want to renew. They have a lot of great ideas and are a major source of inspiration for me. I wanted to test-drive the soup before Thanksgiving. It's one of my favorite holidays and I asked off for it this year so I can really make a feast! My oldest brother hosts, but I always bring something vegetarian. The soup was definitely a winner!

Tuesday was a great day, and I was so eager to make Wednesday great, too. LP got me up early when he forgot his keys, but I thanked him for it because that gave me the time to make Vegan Buckwheat Pancakes for breakfast! From a technical and taste standpoint, these were the best pancakes I've ever made. I even had leftovers that I ate the next morning for breakfast, spread with a little peanut butter (to go!). I spent the rest of Wednesday running errands before going to work at night.

And the rest of this week? Well, I doubt I'll have much time to update, but right now I'm in IOWA for my cousin's wedding! I'm so excited to see family that I haven't seen in two years or more, but I'm not so excited about the chilly weather. Going from 98 to 27 degrees is freaking brutal. But more on that to come!

Rainy Day Comfort

My dear friend Amy and I went to Intelligentsia  for some yummy lattes in Silverlake today and then walked down to Lark for some FREE cupcakes. If you go in on Wednesday, it's buy one get one free, but if you don't opt for the second cupcake, you get a little card for a free cupcake or 10% discount the next time you come in! How amazing is that? I swear, they don't pay me.

Amy's latte was so pretty that we both took pictures of it. How gorgeous is that?

Tonight is so cool and rainy, I think I might stab an attempt at a vegetarian clam chowder-ish soup. It might be a colossal failure, as I've never seen a recipe like that before. Although I hate to leave my apartment for groceries when I'm so comfy and the roads are all hydroplane-y.

P.S. I've written before about how much I adore Tim Gunn but now that love has grown tenfold. He just posted a video as a message to young LGBTQ teens about how life does get better, urges them seek help, and he shares personal details about his own struggles as a young man. It's very touching and just shows what a wonderful human being he is.