I am not a chef. I do not enjoy cooking. But even so, every now and then I can create an amazing concoction.

Wild salmon, organic seasoned asparagus, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, capers. Sauteed in a (vegan) butter/lemon sauce. This was a meal worth creating. This was a cheap, yet incredibly decadent meal.

I think I could easily give up beef/fowl. I do not eat pork already. But there is no world I can imagine where I could give up fish and seafood. Meals like this make it impossible.

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November 27, 2009. The biggest shopping day of the year. Do something better. Buy NOTHING.

I've always hated this day and tend to sequester myself to avoid the craziness. This year is helped along by being volunteered by my boss to work instead of enjoying the company holiday like everyone else.

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Citarum River, Indonesia
The Citarum has been called the world's most polluted river. Around five million people live in the river's basin, and most of them rely on its flow for their water supply.

See a river here? I don't. It's sad to see things like this. This isn't just a simple matter of cleaning it up, but a mind-shift that would need to take place along with the money to fix some of these issues.

Rondônia, Brazil is on the list mostly for destruction due to cattle raising. Which is just one place out of the 30% of Earth's land mass used for cattle production. And it is sad how few people realize this. Friday I wore my nifty 'Eat Less Meat' shirt to work from We Add Up and had to explain to almost everyone who saw it the implications of eating a lot of beef. Sure, I'm not a full vegetarian and enjoy the occasional burger or chicken fajitas so I don't wanna sound preachy, but it is depressing to see the results of a meat-heavy diet plastered on your computer. I'm lucky I'm not living it instead.

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And disgusting:

US Patent 7037541 - Alcoholic beverages derived from animal extract, and methods for the production thereof

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Solo-Operable Seesaw
patent#: US 6872145

The pictorial definition of the word "loner".

Why is an invention like this necessary? The inventor claims that demand is on the rise due to declining birth rates. (Hey, only-child, ever hear of a pogo stick?) But the real inspiration came from the schoolyard bully:

"a seesaw plank can be a dangerous object in the hands of a mischievous child who may abruptly pull down on one end when another child is passing by the opposite end, causing the opposite end to rise quickly and potentially striking the passing child."

I never thought I'd see 8-year old bullying tactics so accurately described in a government document. It's like Abu Ghraib, kiddy style:

"because the seesaw operates on the principle of counterbalancing weights, injury can result if a rider suddenly falls or jumps off the seesaw while the opposing rider is high in the air, particularly if one rider is substantially heavier than the other. In this scenario, the opposing rider is sent crashing to the ground and the sudden impact may jar a child's joints or cause spine or tailbone injuries."

Too bad Fatty, your superior weight and clever use of gravity has been stripped from your arsenal.

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So, in honor of my thousandth post, I bring you something completely banal, dull and way too much of my actual life than you wanted to know.

Really, I am proud I have managed this many posts in this little time, not quite three years and I have hit 1K. If I had kept up the speed of 2007, this would be 1.5K, but who is here to argue. It actually makes me wonder how much I posted on LJ and Diaryland back in the day, but not enough to look it up. Mostly, it tells me that since ~2000 I have spent too much time online.

So, here goes. The most interesting post of all times. And all it tells me is I need to buy some ice cream or something. So, taking real advantage of the 'cut' ability:

Freezer
Broccoli 2 bags
Corn 2 1/2 bags
Sugar snap peas 1 bag
Organic Spinach 1/2 bags
Green Giant Vegetable Medley 1/2 bags
Green Giant Healthy Vision pack 2 pks
Van's organic multigrain waffles 1 box
Boca burger flame grilled 1 box
Organic spinach florentine ravioli 1 pk
Organic garlic veggie ravioli 1/2 pk
Frozen wild salmon 3 oz
Wild Patagonian scallops 1/2 pk
Rebecca's poppy seed bread 1/3 loaf

Fridge
Cage free brown eggs 10
Whole wheat flat bread pk of 5
Health nut wheat bread 1/2 loaf
Organic firm tofu 14 oz
Organic sour cream 1 container
Earth Balance soy buttery spread 1/2 containter
Country Crock light butter 1/2 containter
Mott's apple juice 2 bottles
Bonne Maman strawberry preserves 1 jar
Organic spaghetti sauce 1/2 jar
zucchini 2
Purple onion 1
Whole wheat tortillas pk of 12
Colby jack cheese 1/2 pound
Feta cheese crumbles 1/2 lb
Silk soy milk, plain & light 1 container
POM pomegrantate peach white tea 1 bottle
Organic ketchup 1/8 bottle
Miracle whip light 1/2 jar
Wish bone salad sprinter - ranch 1 jar
Cardini's light Greek vinagrette 2/3 jar
Hdden Valley ranch 4 oz
Artichoke hearts in marinade 1 jar
Kalamata olives 1/2 jar
Capers 2/3 jar
Grated Italian style cheese 1 pk
lemon juice 1/4 squeeze bottle
Lime juice 1 squeeze bottle
Minced garlic 1/2 jar

Pantry
Garlic 5 bulbs
Red potatoes 2
Back to Nature crispy wheat crackers 8 oz
Thompson raisins 1 lb
Steel cut rolled oats 1.25 lb
Cheerios 1/2 box
Organic flax plus granola 1/8 box
Generic bran flakes 1 box
Museli 14 oz
Golden flax seeds, ground 6 oz
Organic brown flax seeds, whole 5 oz
Organic sunflower kernels 4 oz
Organic roasted peanuts, unsalted 1/3 lb
Organic walnuts 4 oz
Raw pine nuts 1 oz
Brown rice 1 lb
Popcorn, unbuttered/unsalted microwave packs 2
Organic lasagna noodles 12 oz
Organic whole wheat spaghetti 2 oz
Organic whole grain penne 12 oz
Wheat flour 1/2 lb
White flour 1 lb
Brown sugar 12 oz
Unopened bag of mini Butterfingers 12 oz
Organic cane sugar 4 oz
Indian Spice chai tea 1 box
Yogi detox tea 1 box
Distilled white vinegar 1/2 bottle
Bragg's organic apple cider vinegar 1 bottle
Baking soda 1 box
Aspartame packets 1 box
Agave nectar 1/2 jar
Soy protein powder, chocolate 18 oz
Jif's peanut butter, creamy 2 jars
Roasted garlic EVOO 3 oz
EVOO 1 lt
Aged Basalmic vinegar 12 oz
Quacker's Farm's Mediterranean Vinegar 1/2 jar
Crisco no-stick spray 1 bottle
Honey bear 1/2 bear
Rosemary 3 oz
Lemon pepper salt 1 jar
Garlic powder 1 jar
Italian seasoning herbs 1 jar
Cinnamon 1 jar
Thyme 1/2 jar
Organic basil 1/2 jar
Garlic 'n' herb 1 jar
Packs of assorted Koolaid 8
Jello, watermelon/black cherry 4
Dark chocolate bar 9/10 of the bar

Booze
Tullamore Dew 1.75 lt
Cruzan single barrel 8 oz
360 Organic vodka 750 ml
Leblon cachaca 750 ml
Marcus James - Merlot 750 ml
Marcus James - Cabernet 750 ml
Skulls 2007 - Cabernet 1/2 bottle

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Olden times were as jacked up as modern

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When I was a child I always wondered what it would be like to be on the other side like Alice. I would stare in the bathroom mirror until I almost convinced myself I was on the other side. Never quite worked. Strange, years later, I find myself on the mirror opposite side now looking back and wondering how the original world was acceptable.

My legs will hurt tomorrow from running, my head and dinner was at 1500. But, I love the tired and sore. It is another step in the world of who I want to be, rather than who I have been for so long. I am a work in progress, and I can say, without hesitation, I love what I am becoming and all the things that have been helping me along lately.

This new world is amazing and unbearable at the same time.

And on a side note, pale skin sucks since you always turn bright red when hot and sweaty. When you just ran/walked a few miles to the store, people look at you a bit funny when you come in and drink a bottle of water off the shelf before paying for it, while fanning yourself in the 70 degree weather. :(

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