Monday stuff
All day I’ve been writing an epic blog post in my head, and now that I’m sitting here at the computer screen with a bit of time on my hands, I’m having performance anxiety. :P
~*~
This morning on the way to work, Rusty and I stopped at LottaFrutta. We drive by there every morning and always say we should go, and I’ve read nothing but good things about the place, so this morning we made a point to finally go. And it was awesome!! I’ve definitely found my new favorite place in Atlanta. I’m still thinking about the fruit cup with yogurt and granola I had this morning. There just aren’t many places where you can get really good, fresh fruit quickly and for a reasonable price – and certainly not at this quality! I chatted with the owner for a minute before we left, and she said that’s exactly why she opened the place – to fulfill what she was looking for and could only get all the way out on Buford Highway.
Before we went inside, when we got out of the car and were walking down the street, it just felt like one of those perfect moments. A beautiful day and I was with Rusty and everything was great. We watched some mockingbirds scuffle over a bite of food. Sometimes I think it would be great to live in that neighborhood, but I love our house and I know I can enjoy all the different parts of Atlanta without actually having to live there. But ever since the first time I went to Cabbagetown in 2005, I’ve just had a special feeling for that part of town. Of course, being with the person I love helps as well. And I think part of it is, some moments bring back a feeling from early 2005, when I hadn’t been in Atlanta long and was discovering lots of its treasures, but had been here long enough that I’d gotten past a lot of the rough stuff from 2004. I love it when I can recapture that feeling. I want to maximize those times and that feeling.
Back to Lottafrutta – in one corner, there was an “Energy Lemon” and I had to take a picture of it. The owner caught me in the act and was giving me a funny look, and I said, “I had to take a picture of your energy lemon.” She said, “That’s okay,” and I wondered if I’d committed a cultural faux pas. Probably not, but you never know.
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Saturday was our housewarming party and it was a success. My mom was up for the weekend and had a good time. I’m still thinking about the delicious deviled eggs we made, and I think I’m going to make deviled eggs out of the 6 eggs leftover from the various cooking endeavors.
We definitely want to have people over fairly often – why not take advantage of our wonderful deck, back yard, and grill? But next time, people need to not leave the back door open! I get eaten up by mosquitoes enough as it is, even with mosquito repellent on and citranella candles and torches all around – I don’t need them inside the house, too! (And I don’t even want to talk about what would happen if a cockroach were to come inside. I would FLIP THE FUCK OUT, because that shit is NOT ON.) I will say, though, that even though they blatantly ripped off the WebMD logo, this BiteMD stuff does help after the fact.
At the party, Nikki pointed out that we have two pine trees in the back yard that are perfectly spaced to accommodate a hammock. As far as I’m concerned, this is going to become a top priority.
Sara’s Coca-Cola cupcakes were amazing, and she has posted the recipe on her blog.
My mom took a bunch of pictures and I still need to get them off my camera. I’m going to finally upgrade our DSL speed sometime this week after my most recent payment goes through, so after that, it shouldn’t be such an ordeal to upload pictures to Flickr. So, I don’t yet have pictures of the party to post, but I do have a picture of me with a weed that was taller than I am:
It grew in about 6 weeks in a corner of our back yard.
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The woman who did the renovation on our house (I would say “the seller,” but since we bought it in January, that seems a little dated now) came to the party, and she was telling me all about what the house looked like when she bought it (mostly because I kept prodding her with questions). I find it fascinating. I asked if she would send me “before” pictures, and she was reluctant, saying that usually when people see the before pictures, they like their house less. I find that really bizarre. If anything, I would think it would make someone like their nice renovated house more. My mom told her I was used to it because I grew up w/ parents who renovated houses, so I saw the whole process. That seemed to make her feel better about it. I need to email her a reminder. Anyway, one of the things she said was that they built out the dining room onto what used to be part of the porch. (They did a fabulous job with the floor, because you cannot tell AT ALL where the original hardwoods end and the new hardwoods begin.) That would mean the original dining area was tiny! Barely enough room to fit any kind of table, much less one that would comfortably seat four people. She also said there was a door from the kitchen into the middle bedroom (what we made our bedroom). Trying to picture everything, it seems like this was a really weird house.
I’ll post the before pictures when I get them. For now, Google Maps shows a blurry version of the house in its pre-renovation state, and the porch does indeed wrap around:
I’m glad they got rid of that big stupid shrub in front of the living room window.
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Speaking of things you can see on Google Maps…
Here’s the aerial view of where my birthday photo shoot took place:
Street names are cropped out since there seems to be some sort of urban explorers’ code of ethics in that regard, although if you really want to know where it is, it’s not exactly hard to find out.
You can track the path of a utility easement for as long as there are treetops to be cut away to accommodate its presence. I followed it for probably longer than I should admit.
And one of the places I followed it to was this, in Clayton County. What the hell is this?? It looks disgusting!
I can only assume (hope?) that it’s a sewage treatment plant or some other waste water facility?
Back in Dekalb, there’s what appears to be a giant dirt lot, right beside “Lake Charlotte,” which appears not to have any water. Or maybe the dirt lot is the former lake?
Shifting gears, Google Maps also has a (blurry, not so great) pictures of an early 1960s condo building that I love, and that I fear might not be long for this world, given all the development going on in that area. Here’s Brookwood Forrest:
One of the condos is for sale – $85,000 will get you a 2/1 in a prime location. Parquet flooring has never endeared itself to me, but I could deal…
Besides, look at those original features in the bathroom!!
I’m dying to see what the kitchen and bathrooms looked like in our house prior to the renovation.
Here’s another condo building I love, this one built in 1950 according to the MLS Listing where I got the following photos. This building is on 26th St., right behind the Mellow Mushroom where we used to play trivia. Every time we would go to trivia I’d see the place and think what a cool building it is.
If I were single and buying a place by myself, these are the kinds of places I would have given serious consideration.
I used to not much care for 50s and 60s architecture, but in the past several years it has grown on me. Sure, some of it is crap; but there’s also a lot of really neat stuff. I think my resentment toward the “urban renewal” from which many buildings of that era were borne colored my perception and made me not able to appreciate the unique features in those buildings. It’s not the buildings’ fault that they replaced something older and probably very cool in its own right. And it doesn’t mean we should continue the cycle of knocking it all down and starting over every ~30 years or so.
~*~
I’m going to wrap this up and keep this post relatively upbeat. This is only a smidgen of everything that’s been typing itself out in my head all day long. I don’t have the energy right now to write a screed about why I’m annoyed with pretty much everybody in my former feminist Blogdonia haunts, not to mention the bullshit happening on Tumblr right now. And I feel like I should save my post about my constant underlying fear of Something Very Bad Happening for another day. (The truth is, I’m scared to write it at all.)
The famous dressing
Been meaning to blog this for over a month. I don’t feel like formatting it so I’m just going to dump it in here. This is the recipe for the famous Luis dressing, which was my dad’s recipe which he originally got from his friend Mike and adapted to make it his own. It is, hands-down, no contest, THE BEST dressing ever, and I will hear no protests to the contrary. And, as it goes w/ any devoted cook, this isn’t a hard and fast recipe with exact measurements. You really have to use your eyes and your judgment. This is the framework.
Celery (approx. 3 stalks) – cooked
Onion (approx. 3/4) – cooked
Whole wheat bread – 6-7 slices
French bread – 2 loaves – let sit out overnight to get harder
eggs – 2 or 3 (probably 2; if 3, consistency will be more like a cake; use 3 if making a bigger batch, too)
Craisins
1 red apple (peeled)
Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix (approx. 1/2 bag)
Butter (several small pieces) – cut a small slice off and then cut it into thirds both ways
Salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, celery salt, basil, oregano, pinch of sage – for all the spices (except the sage), use more than you think you’ll need
Paprika on top after spread in baking dish
Put all the ingredients in the biggest container you have, in the sink. Periodically add water from the faucet as you mush it all together with your hands. Initially you’ll think there’s no way everything will fit in your biggest container, but once you’re adding water and mushing it up, it will fit. Your hands will get stuff all over them; you can’t be shy about it. Don’t try to use a spoon or any other ridiculous thing, it won’t work.
Bake at 350 30-45 mins.
Fork needs to come out not gushy
Use two 2-qt. baking dishes for this standard amt.
In 2007, Rusty had his first opportunity to experience making the dressing. Here are some pictures:
My mom and I made it again this Thanksgiving as an homage to my dad. I’ve made it myself for years and will continue to do so. Adding Craisins was my idea, actually. They used to use regular raisins. And my aunt and uncle in upstate New York add almonds. It’s infinitely adaptable!
Cleanse
So as some of you who know me IRL or follow me on Twitter are aware, on Thursday I embarked on a 5-day cleanse program. A coworker and her husband had done it several months ago and she said it was good. Without her recommendation I doubt I would’ve bought that kit off Amazon, because I wouldn’t have had any way of knowing whether it was a crock or legit. Another coworker was going to do it at the same time a few months ago but ended up instead doing a one day on, one day off thing for several weeks (and she said she’s thinking about starting it up again) – eat normally for one day, fast (water only) for one day.
As you might also know if you’re longtime readers of this blog, a little over three years ago I did a 3-day juice fast with some coworkers. It was pretty damn easy. I drank Bolthouse Farms juices (what’s with the quotation marks around “juices” on their site?) which were delicious.
This time was a bit harder – at least at first. I’ve been drinking mainly water, with some apple juice here and there. And of course taking all the pills. The first day, I had a pretty bad headache all day and felt generally “blah.” The second day, I had a slight headache in the morning, but it went away and hasn’t come back since – pretty remarkable since I’m prone to headaches in general. On the afternoon of the second day I had some stomach cramps, but after lying down for a while they went away. Earlier today I had some minor stomach cramps but for the most part felt fine.
I actually broke the fast a couple hours ago by having a bowl of chicken noodle soup. I just felt like it was time. Between now and Monday I’m still going to eat light and keep taking the supplements; but one thing this cleanse did was encourage me to listen to my body, and my body was saying clearly, “Have some soup!”
And I definitely feel like I’ve reaped the cleansing benefits. The most notable effect is that I feel more clear-headed. This afternoon I was starting to feel inexplicably sad but after I had the soup that feeling went away. I also feel less “congested,” which was my main complaint before starting.
I think cleansing your body is an important thing to do and I’d like to make it more of a regular thing. Lots of people do it for a weekend at the start of every season. That sounds good to me! I think doing a weekend detox a few times a year is an excellent goal.
I also have a renewed commitment to eat healthy (or is it healthfully? Jenny, you tell me!). I eat pretty well overall – better than most Americans, I’d venture to say. I don’t eat red meat or white bread; I eat lots of salads and fruit; I don’t drink a ton of caffeine and hardly any alcohol; etc., etc. But I’d like to make a real effort to get more fiber into my diet, because I have a feeling I might not have been getting enough.
Anyway, I guess that’s it. All in all, this was a good experience and I would definitely recommend it to anyone!
Update: Noteworthy quote from the first WebMD article I linked to:
In evaluating Page’s detox diet, Dillard says, “Certainly, the human body carries huge loads of petrochemicals. We know people usually die with the full burden of PCBs they’ve ever been exposed to — from fish, animals — stuck in their liver. DDT sticks around, too.”
But can fasting remove these? “Theoretically, yes,” he says. “When fat is mobilized, anything that is fat-soluble should be mobilized, too — should, that is,” Dillard tells WebMD.
Although there are no studies of juice fasts/diets, water fasting does have some scientific evidence behind it — “but very scant,” admits Strychacz.
In the book Triumph Over Disease, Jack Goldstein, DPM, outlines his true story in overcoming ulcerative colitis by sticking to strict water fasting and a vegetarian diet. Goldstein is one of very few people who has tested his own tongue scrapings, urine, feces, even perspiration during a water fast, Strychacz says. “He found that the contents [during a fast] are different than normal — that toxins like DDT do get removed.”
Five favorite places to eat
I was tagged by Rootie. Lately I have been ignoring various memes that I’ve been tagged for, because I don’t like trying to come up with answers for “8 things no one knows about me” or whatever else. If I haven’t told you after 5+ years of blogging, I’m probably not going to tell you now.
But this meme is one I can do.
- Add a direct link to your post below the name of the person who tagged you. Include the city/state and country you’re in.
- List out your top 5 favorite places to eat at your location.
- Then add your name to the bottom of the list, with location.
- Nicole (Sydney, Australia)
- velverse (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
- LB (San Giovanni in Marignano, Italy)
- Selba (Jakarta, Indonesia)
- Olivia (London, England)
- ML (Utah, USA)
- Lotus (Toronto, Canada)
- tanabata (Saitama, Japan)
- Andi (Dallas [ish], Texas, United States)
- Todd (Louisville, Kentucky, United States)
- miss kendra (los angeles, california, u.s.a)
- Jiggs Casey (Berkeley, CA, USA! USA! USA!)
- Tits McGee (New England, USA)
- Joe (NE Tennessee, USA)
- 10K Monkeys (Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA)
- Big Stupid Tommy (Athens, Tennessee, USA)
- Newscoma (Weakley County, Tennessee, USA)
- Russ McBee (Knoxville, Tennessee, USA)
- Atomictumor Mrs Eaves (Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA)
- Oh Really? LissaKay (Oak Ridge, TN, USA)
- Mark Steel blogitude.com (Knoxville, TN, USA)
- Fracas (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada)
- Jersey Chick (Atlanta, GA, USA)
- Rootietoot (Statesboro, Ga USA)
- Amber Rhea (Atlanta, GA, USA)
My five favorite places to eat:
We haven’t been to the last two very often lately, since moving from Decatur; but I still count them among my favorites.
I am a creature of habit; once I find something I like at a restaurant, that’s what I order every time I eat there. And that’s how I like it. I could eat at these five places every week (assuming I had the expendable income, of course) and be happy.
I tag whoever wants to answer it.
This is some bullshit
Someone stole my potato salad out of the fridge here at work. It had my name and the date written on it, very clearly. Now, heads are going to roll.
Update: I did what I mentioned in the comments; I put a note on the refrigerator door. Here’s what it says:
To the person who stole my food:
Be aware that I make a habit of spitting in all food I bring to the office, and I have a highly contagious GI infection at the moment. I’ll be sure to include that fact alongside my name next time.
Thanks,
Amber
On an unrelated note, a minute ago when I went into the break room there were a bunch of dudes in there talking about the “lying stripper” of Duke rape case fame. I wanted to punch all of them in their respective sacks. Or call HR.
Update #2: It’s Monday morning now… and someone has written a reply on my note on the fridge door. They wrote, “Thanks, it was good!” Them’s fightin’ words. I want to find the jackass who did this. I think maybe I’ll plant some potato salad in the fridge, laced w/ a strong laxative. Then there will be no doubt as to who the culprit it.
Domestic Goddess
Guess what I did, folks? I cooked dinner tonight. Ain’t that some shit? One of the few masticatory concoctions I can make (and make well, dammit) is baked ziti. I inherited the recipe from Matt, who used to make it all the time at NYU. So tonight, it was Amber’s Awesome Baked Ziti with a side of canned green beans. A damn fine meal, if I do say so myself.
The green beans almost didn’t make it out of the can, though. The situation was a prime example of why I don’t spend much time in the kitchen.
Me: [eyeing what I thought to be a can opener] I don’t even know how to use this.
GDBF: That’s a bottle opener.
Me: Oh.
You’ll be happy to know there was a rogue electric can opener lurking under the counter to save the day.
American Food Whore
If I have Chick-Fil-A for lunch today, that’ll make 5 days in a row that I’ve eaten Chick-Fil-A. (Not for the same meal every day, mind you.) Not to mention the Krystals from last night and, I believe, Monday night. I don’t freakin’ care. I have coupons out the wazoo, and I’m hungry, irritable, and pressed for time.
And life’s too short for me to feel guilty about eating fast food. Hey, at least I get the exercise to offset it, beeatches!
[Interesting in light of Nikki's post from this morning.]
Endorsement
Chris and I ate at this new salad place on Ponce last night — Doc Green’s. And it was gooood. Consider this an endorsement… two thumbs way up from the staff at Being Amber Rhea… I think I have found my new favorite restaurant.