Click tourism.

So, I was cliking through MSN's Natural Wonders picture story. In it, I saw the Bay of Fundy.

Now, I want to go.

It's near Nova Scotia and it's famous for it's dramatic high and low tides.





I mean, hello gorgeous!

Thrifty is hard sometimes.

It's recently come to my attention that I might have lived a little too large for my meager little paycheck. (Oh thank you, nearly forgotten car payment, for snapping me back to reality.)

Most of my money spent was on food and clothing. Food being the "dining out" variety.

Well, that sucks... a lot. So I'm being forced to, somehow, live on the next two weeks with a spendable budget of less than $100. No restaurants, I guess. Hello to mooching leftovers and eating mayo+tuna sandwiches.

That said, I've realized that, outside of food, clothing purchases have come to make up a large portion of my spending. Not really a good thing. Since I already have a ton of clothes, I might put myself on a clothing freeze. I might get a chance this weekend to re-evaluate my closet and it's residents. I need to do this. I'm allowing myself to enter Gap between the 1st and 4th of October for a sale... but that's it. I need to cut back dramatically. Here is my plan:

1 - Reworking current belongings to make them work in my current wardrobe. Hopefully I can get creative with a few pieces and make something "new." We'll see how that goes.

2 - I'm sure I'll find things that I've forgotten I own. Free shopping is always a good thing.

3 - Consignments. I need to start shopping at second hand stores more often. I use to do this semi-regularly... but lately I've been all about pretty new things rather than new-to-me things -- New-to-me is almost always as good.

4 - Dine out less. (Or less expensively.) This weekend, I'm seeing "The Informant!" with my momma. We were going to eat out somewhere (Olive Garden would have been awesome) but now we're eating popcorn because I found a handy little coupon. We'll kill two birds with one stone this way. Of course, she wants to swing by Starbucks and be a pricey date, but that's no big thing because I still have a giftcard. Haha!

5 - Mooch a little off others. Yes, I stole left overs from my Meemaw last night. I blame the fact that Stephanie Plum (if you are female, you need to read Janet Evanovich's novels, ok?) gets leftovers from her mother all the time. Since I still live with my mother (and she rarely cooks), my Meemaw is next in line.

So... now I just have to make it to next Friday. Payday, you cannot come fast enough. I already have you partially spent.

My P365 has been updated a little bit.

Myself
Originally uploaded by christina85

My flickr's been updated (http://www.flickr.com/photos/dirtythghts4).

I decided to go all B&W since I haven't in a while.
This photo of myself is my favorite.

2 recipes, 2 nights.

Tuesday was Chicken Curry night, tonight was Garlicky Lemony Pasta (this is my official name for it). Both were pretty delicious. I figured, since I haven't updated much lately, I'd take this opportunity to share some recipes with you.

First, the chicken curry.

It takes me about an hour and 30 minutes to make. This is because of all the chopping. I am not super fast and I find that cutting raw chicken breast into cube-like structures is difficult. If you buy the chicken tenders, it's a bit easier.

Ingredients:

2 pounds skinless chicken breast
2-3 onions, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cloves minced garlic
1/3 teaspoon ground ginger
1.5 teaspoon paprika
3.5-4.5 tablespoons curry powder (depending on how spicy you like it)
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more if you want more spice)
1.5 tablespoon tomato paste
1 pinch salt
1/4 cup olive oil
chicken broth (plus water, if needed) to cover
brown or white rice (instant is easiest)

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine cinnamon, ginger, paprika, curry powder, sugar and salt. Mince garlic and set aside.

2. Fry the onions in olive oil until browned. Add the spice mixture and garlic. Continue stirring for 2 minutes. Mixture will become much like a paste.

3. Add chicken pieces and tomato paste. Add enough water to just cover the chicken. Simmer until chicken is done, about 20 minutes. (Now is a good time to start the rice.)

4. Just before serving, add the lemon juice and the cayenne pepper. Simmer for 5 more minutes. Serve over rice.

Once you have everything cut up (and the spices mixed together), it really only takes about half an hour to make.


The Garlicky Lemony Pasta is as follows (and is super easy to make and very fresh/light tasting).

Ingredients:

about 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (two lemons)
about 2 teaspoons grated orange zest (one orange)
4 cloves minced garlic
1/3 cup chopped parsley (I'm told spinach is good, I'm also sure basil would be fantastic)
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice (I just squeezed both lemons over the bowl)
a sprinkle of salt (I like to keep this minimal and allow each person to salt to taste)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1 lb linguine

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, mix grated lemon and orange zests, garlic, parsley (or substitute), lemon juice, salt, pepper and oil.

2. Cook the linguine until done. Drain and toss with sauce.

Yes... it's that easy. It would be great as a side with chicken. I baked some tomatoes with some parmesan cheese, oregano and olive oil. Tonight was meatless.

In fact, I believe my entire day was... weird.

Back to the recipe. I might try making extra sauce one of these days and marinate some chicken in it... see what happens.

So tomorrow, I work late (until 6)... so this will probably be all the cooking I do for the week. And I have very little else to share.

I might be seeing Post Grad this weekend. There's also the company picnic. And reading. I plan on finishing "Fishbowl" at some point this weekend.

Ok, so... bye.

Dear Limited Readers...

Ok, so I'm pretty sure I've mentioned Lush before. If I haven't, let me introduce you.

LUSH.

Soaps, shampoos, lotions and massage bars (etc.) made with natural (or safe synthetics) ingredients.

Anyway, I bought some awesome shampoo and soap when I was in DC (in Georgetown, if you're there and planning on shopping -- I also recommend Paper-Source).

When I got home, I got the itch for more Lush stuff, so in a moment of fiscal irresponsibility, I bought Mask of Magnaminty, Karma shampoo and got a free sample of Vanilla Delite lotion. (The shipping is a little outrageous, but face masques and lotions weigh a lot.)

When I opened the box, my Mask of Magnaminty was wet. I figured it was just a loose cap, so I dried the container off and sat it by the sink. I used it a few days later and I see a ring of wetness around the bottom. Again, I assume water got splashed up, so I dry it up.

A week later (approximately) I go to use it again and I see the same ring. When I open the product, it is noticeably drier (not TOO dry, I can still use it). Now I know it's leaking... so I contact Lush and tell them all this.

And what do they do?

...

They offer to send me another Mask of Magnamity!
Considering I have a big jar though (it's definitely usable once I transfer it to a better container) and the expiration date is approximately 3 months from now, I express interest in one of the samples they sent me.

So, they gave me the option. I can:
A) get another jar of Mask of Magnaminty, no charge.
B) get a refund of the purchase price put back on my credit card or
C) get a jar of Dark Angel (the sample I loved) + a refund of the difference in price to my credit card.

Well, hell. I chose C. That's awesome!

I loved Lush before... now I wish it was a man so I could marry it.

:)

No Matter What I Do, I Always Forget to Forget You.

Link here.

Everytime I come here, I get writers block.

So, not much has been going on. I'm still reading and trying to get back into the gym swing of things. It's hard, but I've got to try and keep myself healthy.

I've been working 6 days a week, so my creativity block has fallen by the wayside. It's cool though... I'll be heading back to my "home branch" next week. I'm actually a little sad about this, but what can I do, really?

It could be so much worse, so I won't complain too much.

My sister is away at the beach this week and it's really strange not having her around. It's giving my time to read though. Hah. It's hard to do that when someone else is demanding your attention.

Imissher.

I'm finishing up "Jennifer Johnson is Sick of Being Single." It's a pretty typical chick lit book... but some of it is hysterical. Overall, it's been a good read and I'm pretty sure I'd recommend it to a girl who's looking for a nice read. Boys -- well -- I don't think they'd enjoy it.

Next up? "Shopaholic Takes Manhattan." Then some romance novel Janet Evanovich wrote with someone else. The name of the game is silly reading. Nothing serious. I'll try and squeeze in a serious book after "High Five."

Um, yeah. Ok. That's my update. Sad, I know.

Some political/race-type rambles.

So, there's this case from Massachusetts regarding a black professor who was arrested for breaking into his own home. A lot of people who've read the news coverage regarding this have strong opinions about it. (And there are A LOT of people talking about it.)

Even the president has thrown his two cents in, which is unfortunate, because he doesn't actually know what exactly went down either.

People who think racism is rampant are up in arms. People who think all is well between whites and minorities are up in arms. I've read and heard some people point out that there are two sides to every story (and then go on to, for all tentative purposes, choose a side) -- I'm going to put my neck out here and point something out.

When two people/entities present their "side of the story" it is rarely what actually occured. There is often much more to it than that single event and there is often much left out (or added) to make their case stronger.

From all media accounts (which is all I can trust, as I'm not in Massachusetts to judge), there is a mistrust between the minority community and the Cambridge police force. I'm not saying that this particular occurrence actually had anything to do with race, but the mistrust is there... and it has been there for some time and that is a problem. It's not something that is easily combated, but steps should be taken to do just that.

Saying that someone is simply "pulling the race card" simplifies it far too much. Perhaps his man has heard of some of the injustices done to others (or maybe he has experienced it in another form or fashion). Perhaps the arrested man did overreact. However, if someone was accusing you of breaking into your own house, wouldn't you be a bit incredulous too? Wouldn't you feel it's a bit extreme that someone is arresting you for walking into your own home?

And as a police officer, if you were called to a reported burglary, wouldn't you want to do everything in your power to prevent it?

The situation might have gotten out of control simply because of a misunderstanding, but those previous suspicions or beliefs amplified a problem and made it larger than necessary.

So, yes. There are two sides to every story... but both sides rarely tell the whole truth. Just keep that in mind before you call someone else stupid, racist or insensitive for their veiws.

Confessions of a Shopaholic.

I have to say, this is one of the few times I thought the movie was better than the book and here's why:

While the movie is entirely unrealistic, (i.e. Everything's ok in the end and she snags the man) at least she has to sacrifice something to get there. In the movie, she gives up her wardrobe, even her green scarf. In the book, she gives up... nothing.

Though, I do like that Derek Smeath is not a slimy mean man who embarrasses her on TV. In that respect, the book is better.

Anyway... she doesn't give up ANYTHING in the book. She simply writes an actual piece of investigative journalism... and she IS a journalist... so she could have done that from the start. It just seems like she stumbled across a career lottery. The story ends with her ordering herself a treat. There was no moral of the story.

Yeah, so I'm slightly disappointed, but I still enjoyed Kinsella's writing style, so I'll read one of her books again. Maybe I won't be so disappointed if I'm not comparing it to a movie (which is completely different) the entire time.

I'm going back to Stephanie Plum now. Book 4 arrived in the mail Tuesday! I think I'll give "Jennifer Johnson Is Sick Of Being Single" a try after that. (Library-borrowing this one, because I've come to the conclusion that chick-lit is fun to read, but not worth an investment -- generally speaking.)

Do you guys have any suggestions? What book should I read? It doesn't have to be chick lit, in fact, I'd welcome a change in scenery. :)

Ok, ok. Work[out] in progress.

Between adjusting to a full-time work schedule and finding time to read and create (not to mention plain old boredom), my workouts have taken a nosedive.

I used to hit the gym before or after work and run the elliptical for 30-60 minutes. This burned anywhere from 300 calories (on a light day) to 650 calories on a kiss-ass day. Then I'd also throw in some strength training. I managed to lose about 15 lbs.

Well, I've put about 5-ish of those pounds back on. I've gotten lazy, but I'm also loving italian subs and cake right now. Needless to say, this cannot continue unchecked.

So, last night, I forced the Y upon myself. The plan was 3 10-minute sessions of cardio with strength training in between. I started with the elliptical because I figured I was most familiar with it. I was bored, did my 10 minutes and got off. I did some inclined sit-ups and seated leg presses and moved onto the stairmaster/elliptical hybrid thingy -- did about 10 minutes on there.

I did a chest press, some tricep pulldown type things and worked my inner and outer thighs.

The stationary bikes were next. Let me tell you what... I had to do about 20 minutes on those to do as much as 10 minutes on the other machines. Unless you are a true-blue beginner, I'd say these are a waste of time. Probably good for warm-ups -- not at all good for actual cardio burn.

Anyway, the weird thing was, the higher sitting bike made my left knee ache. It still hurts a little. It was weird.

I'm going to go back to the elliptical tomorrow. I'll do 10 minutes there, then 10 minutes trying out the row machine and another 10 on the elliptical. Or maybe I'll do those last 10 on the stairmaster/elliptical thingy.

Anyway you slice it, I'm not doing the bike. No way.

But, god, I'm so bored with it.