Thanksgiving...Finally

It seems like everyone has already blogged about Thanksgiving, and even though I've only been back in town for two days, I'm already late to the party. We had our newly-traditional two Thanksgivings this year, one with the extended family (over 30 people) at my great-Aunt's and one at home with just a few people. It's always a weekend full of food (what Thanksgiving isn't?), and family and friends. All the important F's. It's nice to reconnect with the extended family that we don't see often enough, and it's nice to spend time at home with the smaller group of us as well. It's been a really rough year for my family, and I'm grateful that through whatever hardships we face, we still have each other. With the end of 2009 (thankfully) coming up, and the holidays now suddenly upon us, I am choosing to believe that the new year will bring us new hope with new beginnings. We are scrappy folks, and with the support of the family, I know we can pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and keep moving forward. Maybe it's our Jewish heritage that teaches us perseverance (it certainly sounds very Fiddler on the Roof), maybe it's just who we are.

Anyway, to make up for my delayed Thanksgiving post, and because I just feel like giving right now, I'm going to share a little secret recipe with you. It will change your life. Or maybe it won't. But it will be delicious.

Cranberry Pear Crumble
Serves 8. Or so the recipe says. We have found that there is never enough.

Ingredients:
1 pack (12 oz.) fresh cranberries
2 large, unpeeled pears, cored and sliced thin
1 cup (or slightly less) granulated sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup flour (to be divided - I don't measure it out at the beginning; it's easier to just dole out the tablespoons as the recipe calls for it. I guess just make sure you have 1/4 cup on hand.)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup regular oats
3/4 cup chopped pecans (the original recipe calls for walnuts, but my dad is allergic so we've always used pecans)

This recipe is very easily doubled. I highly recommend doubling it. You will want leftovers. And there may not be any. This dish is delicious served hot, along with your Thanksgiving meal, or cold, right out of the fridge the next morning.

What You Do (with pictures):
In a lightly greased 1 1/2 quart shallow baking dish (like an 8x8 brownie pan - use a 13x9 if you're doubling the recipe), mix well the cranberries, pears, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and 1 tbsp flour. Set aside. You can try using a spoon to mix - I always do - but you will end up using your hands - I always do. It's more fun, and honestly, it's easier.

cranberries, pears, sugar...it just feels festive

all the sugar has been dumped on. looks like snow.

mixed well!

closeup on the well-mixed fruit. so delicious.

In a medium bowl, mix remaining 3 tbs flour with brown sugar. With a pastry blender (or your fingers), cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. It's ok if the butter is melty first - makes it easier to "cut in." Stir in oats and nuts. Sprinkle evenly over fruit mixture. Again, I always start out with a spoon and end up with my fingers.

ready for the oven

you cannot resist my crumble!

Bake in pre-heated oven at 375 degrees for 40 minutes or until lightly browned. Let stand for 10 minutes. If you can. It's better to let it stand...I suggest leaving the room so you are not tempted.

baked crumbly goodness.

Thank goodness my aunt snapped this picture of the finished product (though it's from the batch she brought over on Thanksgiving #2, not the batch that I made the next night - this gets made repeatedly around this time of year). I ate mine too fast to get a picture.

our table for Thanksgiving #2, just for fun

I am feeling festive!

I love this wreath as a nice combination between Chanukkah and Christmas...it just feels very festive! I don't have the patience (or the cash) to make one, so I'll just settle for cheap decorations this year. Post to come...

Jewishirts!

My good friend Cheshire started a T-shirt company (Jewishirts) with his wife, and it is really awesome. Check out their website and stock up for Chanukkah! Some of my favorite designs are below :)

Tree of Life

Get it (it's a maternity shirt)? Personally, I think this is hilarious and cute!

For all you non-Jews, sorta-Jews, friends-of-Jews, and not-too-serious-Jews...

How cute is this? For the little shnookum in your life.

Avon Walk for Breast Cancer

Hey out there blog buddies and readers!

My mom is going to be participating in the 2010 Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, and she's trying to raise money. Any donation, however small, helps! If you are unable or do not want to donate, that's totally fine. But if you would like to donate (suggested donation is $18, find out why by reading the text from my mom below), you can do so at her Avon Walk personal page. Donations are tax-deductible and may be matched by your employer (if they have a donation/gift matching program).

I'm really proud of my mom for doing this - it's a big commitment for a great cause!
Kim

----------------------------
Amy's Big Walk in Santa Barbara: 100 x 18

I am counting on 100 of my closest friends and family members to each give $18.00 towards my walk.

In the Jewish culture, Chai, a word meaning "life" that is made up of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet Het and Yod, and has the numerical value of 18. That is why I am asking for a donation of $18 dollars, symbolizing the life I wish for all women, as we raise money to fight breast cancer.

Thanks for visiting my Avon Walk page. I’ve committed to participating in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. It’s a big commitment, one that will require me to spend the next several months training and fundraising. But breast cancer is a big disease, one that still affects far too many people, and I’m determined to do everything I can to help put an end to it. The money I raise will be managed and disbursed by the Avon Foundation Breast Cancer Crusade to help provide access to care for those that most need it, fund educational programs, and accelerate research into new treatments and potential cures. I’ll be just one of thousands of people that will walk up to a marathon and a half over a weekend, raising awareness of the cause and educating even more people.

I can’t do it without your help. Though I’m required to raise at least $1,800 in donation, I plan to raise much more!

I hope that I can count on your support.

With love and hope,
Amy

One Week, Two Pictures

Every Friday, before work, I pick up the bagels for the office. On my route, I drive by this lovely little hidden view of the bay. It's not much, but it perks me up a little to see the water. Below are two pictures, taken on two Fridays, one week apart. One week, the Golden Gate bridge was remarkably visible - the next, it was buried in the fog and clouds. It's crazy to me how much the weather changed in just a week. I guess it's not so crazy at all, but I liked seeing how my little 'secret' view changed. Today, it was dark and cloudy in the morning, but when I took my lunch break, the sky was blue and it was *almost* warm (I wore a long-sleeved Tshirt and a sweater). Weather is weird. I like it.

Brussels Sprouts for Shanna

Will and I are going through a bit of a brussels sprouts phase at the moment. They have been selling them on the stalk at Berkeley Bowl lately, as shown in this picture that I did not take, and last week, I couldn't resist. Just $2.39 (I think? Maybe $2.49?) got me a gigantic stalk that resulted in enough sprouts for 3 meals (and a little left over for me to take to work tomorrow).

The first batch was the thin-sliced sprouts with nutmeg and cranberry that I posted about a few days ago, but the last two batches have just been our old standby recipe. I'd like to share it with you here, in honor of my dear friend Shannalee who is just learning to love these adorable little mini-cabbages.


The recipe, as it appears in my comment on her blog:

• Line a cookie/baking sheet with foil (so it’s easy to clean up afterwards)
• drizzle a bit of olive oil on the foiled pan… not too much, just sort of zig zag it around.
• slice sprouts in half, and put cut-side down in the oil. shmoosh them around a bit so each one is in some oil, but they’re spread out in the pan. If this doesn’t make sense, I’m sorry I’m a bad explainer.
• sprinkle (fairly generously) with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. I’ve also added crushed red pepper, which was yummy.
• bake at 400 degrees or so until bright green with brown, crispy edges. If your oven is closer to 350, it’ll take 15 min? Closer to 400 degrees, 10 min? Just check up on them after about 8 minutes and see how they’re lookin’.

I usually make these in the toaster oven, since it takes less time to heat than the regular oven. Simple, easy, delicious. Mmmmmmm! Shown here with homemade butternut squash/pumpkin soup and garlic toast made on homemade sourdough bread. I was feeling cozy on Friday night.

Speaking of the soup...it was based on this recipe, though I made quite a few alterations. I only had 1.5 lbs of squash, so I tried to adjust the recipe accordingly. I am not so good at this. It took Will about 2 seconds to realize that I should "third" the recipe (as opposed to "halving" it), while that math was pretty much incomprehensible to me. I just kind of fudged the numbers, because I figured it's soup and as long as it all gets mashed together it would probably taste good.
Anyway, I used my 1.5 lb squash, a 15 oz can of pumpkin, and about 1/2 quart of chicken stock. Per the author's suggestion via email, I added a sprinkling of nutmeg and curry powder, a bit of salt and a lot of pepper. And a fair amount of water (no idea how much) to thin it out a little. I also added some lemon juice (because I can't resist adding lemon juice to just about everything). I think that's it...I just kept adding and stirring until it tasted good.


It ended up being more of a squash mash than a soup (it was very thick), but it tasted good. The pumpkin made it pretty sweet, so I'm glad I added the lemon juice, but it was pretty darn good considering I made it from scratch. We'll eat the leftovers for dinner this week before we head to our respective families' homes for Thanksgiving.

And for your pleasure, a picture of the adorable butternut squash. I bought it at the farmers market a few weeks ago because it was just too cute. Look at those tiny seeds!


In other news, I went on a little Trader Joe's box mix spree this morning...all the wonderful holiday mixes are in stock right now, and since they're only around for a few months and don't expire until 2011, I grabbed a few boxes (2 apple spice bread, 2 gingerbread, 1 pumpkin pancake/waffle, 1 pumpkin bread) and a few cans of pumpkin, just in case I need it in a pinch and can't make from scratch (or because I'm a hoarder). I'll probably end up doing one last stock up before the seasonal mixes go away for another year. They are just so good! I cannot resist! I also got a jar of cranberry apple butter...the pumpkin butter is superb, and I thought the cranberry apple would be a good choice as well.

I am currently making this recipe for chocolate chip pumpkin bread (1 loaf, 12 muffins), though I substituted 1/2 cup apple sauce for 1/2 cup of the oil. It smells divine, and my coworkers will thank me for the muffins, I'm sure! :-) It's chilly up here in Berkeley, but I am staying cozy and enjoying the holiday season so far! I can't believe Thanksgiving is almost here!

Bread.

Remember the other day when I said I was going to make sourdough bread? Ok, so I did. And it didn't turn out quite as I expected. Elissa had made a mistake in her original conversion in the recipe, which resulted in both of us adding too much flour in our respective bread baking experiences. Hers somehow turned out ok, and mine turned out kinda funky. Maybe because I added too much flour and added more water to compensate? I don't know. The texture is ok, but just not quite right. Definitely not like the original recipe.

Fresh out of the oven...

A little dry on top. Not that shiny sourdough look. Not the delicious crust I was hoping for.

It slices ok. It should make good sourdough garlic bread tonight.

I'm thinking about making my own batch of sourdough starter and trying again from scratch. Another try? Perhaps with just making a loaf shape on a pan (like in the original recipe) instead of using the bread pan? Do I need to brush it with an egg wash to get the glossy top crust?

How to (sort of) cook pork

We are not very good at cooking pork. It always turns out dry and just sort of overdone. Thankfully, it always tastes good...even if it's a little tough to cut and chew.

In the past, we've done the ole "stick it in a baking dish, cover it with sauerkraut and let it bake for a while" method, which is salty and delicious, but not entirely creative. So last night, I decided we would attempt this recipe from Real Simple.

Our pork chops were bone-in, and they were probably not thick enough, and of course, they turned out dry and chewy...but they were really, really good. If they hadn't been overcooked, they would have been unstoppable.

A note on the brussels sprouts: I made this recipe from memory, having seen it on the Food Network (a show called Cooking for Real, I believe). Basically, you slice brussels sprouts sorta thin, and heat 'em in a pan with some olive oil. Add dried cranberries and nutmeg at some point. Heat till it is wilted and maybe a little brown. I also added some salt and pepper. Clearly, I have great measuring skills. It was pretty tasty though, and I had some leftovers for lunch today. Excellent hot or cold. Yum!

Anyway, the question of the day: Do you have any tips on not overcooking pork? I didn't eat a lot of it growing up, so I don't have a ton of experience in the matter...the recipe said the internal temperature should be 150 degrees, but my meat thermometer was barely reading 145 when we took it out, and like I said, it was way overdone. Thoughts? Tips? Recipes?

Spotty Chocolate Chips

I make my own trail mix, and I always used to include semi-sweet chocolate chips. The last few times I've made it, the chocolate chips ended up getting...well...spotty. I took some pictures, and need your advice. The pictures are kinda neat, but I was kinda scared to eat them.

Why does this happen?

Sour Salt and Super Soap

The other night, my lovely friend Elissa gave me a little scoop of her sourdough starter. Tonight, I will start the sourdough bread. Tomorrow morning, I will bake it. I'm pretty excited about homemade sourdough. However, in order to begin this endeavor, I had to find some Sour Salt (aka Citric Acid). Elissa didn't use it in hers, but she also said her bread wasn't sour enough...and I am a fan of extra sour sourdough bread, so I definitely wanted to make sure I found some! Unfortunately, nobody has ever heard of this "sour salt" stuff. Ok, I'm exaggerating. But I called Berkeley Bowl, Whole Foods and Safeway, and none of them even knew what I was talking about. I resorted to emailing the Berkeley Freecycle list, because I only needed 1/4 tsp, and I figured maybe someone would just give me a little bit. I got a ton of responses, pointing me to Indian markets and Kosher websites ($1.99 for the bottle, $8.99 for the shipping? I think not!), which struck me as sort of funny...but I guess when you think about it, they're in the same general vicinity, geographically-speaking, so maybe it makes sense that the spice would be a crossover?

Anyway, thanks to one Freecycler's note that most Indian grocery stores would be closed on Mondays, I walked (.8 miles each way, in my Easy Tone shoes, woo hoo) down to the Indus Food Center on my lunch break. I had called in advance, and the woman on the phone confirmed that they were indeed open, and did in fact have what I was looking for. However, when I arrived, they appeared to have sold out. I guess being the only place open on a Monday means you'll sell out of your Citric Acid? Maybe? I don't know. I was disheartened, but thought it was a little funny that I had walked almost a mile to a store only to walk away empty handed. At least I got some exercise, right?

I decided on a whim to walk back to work on the busier storefront-laden street (rather than the quiet residential street). I had some extra time before I had to be back at work, and I figured I could browse around and window shop on my way back. I noticed a store called Middle East Market, and figured I might as well check it out. From the street, they looked like they might have Citric Acid...what can I say? They just looked like that kind of place. And I was right! A giant (considering how much I needed) 4 oz. bag for only 99 cents! What? Crazytalk! I purchased it right away, and the guy working at the register told me about how he and his friends used to eat it straight when they were kids. Like, dip their fingers in the bag and just eat it. He said he didn't recommend doing it though, and I will follow his advice. But hooray for Middle East Market! Love ya!

I had about 15 more minutes to kill, so I thought I would finally check out Juniper Tree, a store I've driven past many times and have always been curious about. As much as I whine about Christmas decorations starting the day after Halloween, I will admit that it was the beautifully decorated Christmas trees in the storefront that initially drew me in yesterday. It smelled so good, even from the sidewalk, and the music (non-Christmas, just good music) was inviting. I couldn't resist those sparkly trees! I'm really glad that I decided to check this place out, because they had 2 and 4 oz. plastic containers that are perfect for the bagged spices that had been smelling up my spice cabinet. Curry and Cayenne powders are delicious, but they sure do stink up a cabinet when they're just kept in plastic baggies. My new plastic containers keep things odor-free, and they look pretty too. Win-win!

I wandered around the store a bit, marveling at all the soap-making equipment and smelling the delicious soap (handmade by the lady working at the counter). They had some beautiful little ornaments and general decorations, though they were a bit out of my current price range. I will definitely be coming back here though, for soaps and containers and little gifty things. And maybe just to wander around, because it just smells so darn good in there!

Warm and Cozy

I don't have any pictures to go with this post, because I don't think I could accurately capture the coziness and warmth I feel right now. Also, I am not in the mood to take and upload pictures. But trust me, it's nice in here. Candles are burning (8 tea lights in various lanterns/holders, 2 apple cinnamon votives, 2 pumpkin spice votives), I just finished a mug of hot apple cider, and a Trader Joe's spiced apple bread just came out of the oven (I added dried cranberries). A load of towels just came out of the dryer, and I'm just feeling warm and cozy right now. Will is at hockey, but I am warm inside on this cold autumn night.

Today, I went to a couple of open houses (just for fun) with good friends. We also browsed around Anthropologie, where the abundance of holiday decor caught me off guard. Fake snow, ornaments, chunky knit hats, sweaters, tons of holiday-scented candles burning...I couldn't figure out the combination that I was smelling, so I didn't buy any (also, I don't want to spend $18 on a candle), but the store just smelled like the holidays. It was very nice. Very cozy. Also? Anthropologie? How about you either stop being so cute or stop being so expensive? I found myself saying "I don't need this! I can't afford this!" over and over...but it was still fun to look.

House Number 1 was this condo, which I have been wanting to check out for a long time. It is really neat from the outside - a fence made of car doors, a gate made of street signs..it looks really neat. The inside didn't disappoint! It was a really nice blend of sleek modern touches and earthy natural elements. Stainless steel with natural wood, raw plaster with stone tile. I wish I had taken pictures inside, but that felt kind of creepy. Hopefully the homeowner/seller will post some on the website so you can check them out. If you're interested.

House Number 2 was this house, which is my current favorite style of house: Craftsman Style Bungalow. It was only listed at $19,000 higher than the condo, and had two huge bedrooms, a medium-sized backyard, and a basement! What? A basement in Berkeley? I didn't even know that existed. Anyway, the house was built in 1927, and was recently remodeled. The real estate agent said that it was a foreclosure that was in terrible condition, and they completely redid it, keeping the integrity of the house intact. It is just beautiful. Lots of built-in cabinetry (and a built-in secretary desk!), a completely renovated bathroom and kitchen (with quartz countertops and cherry cabinets...gorgeous!), and just an all-around beautiful makeover from new paint to original etched glass windows. Le sigh...to have $539,000...

Anyway, now I am settled in on the couch, ready to snuggle up with a book and a blanket. Ah, Sunday evening!

Peacock Room

I love the colors here. Really don't like that one modern chair in the front, but I like the rest.

via Apartment Therapy

Just, um, oy.

I don't know if any of you have been following/paying attention to/unable to avoid the Carrie Prejean drama. The former Miss California, whom I believe is a disgrace to this fine state-o-mine, has been finding herself in a whopping mess of trouble ever since she told Perez Hilton that she was against gay marriage (during her Q&A portion of the Miss America pageant, in case you didn't know).

For the latest, click here (video and article about video). The video is almost too much to bear. But worth watching.

Can't her 15 minutes be up already? Jeez. I almost feel like I shouldn't write anything, because even mentioning her on my tiny little blog is giving her attention she shouldn't be getting. Alas, I could not resist sharing the video.

Wedding(s) Update

So, as I may have mentioned, I am going to be the Maid of Honor for one of my oldest and dearest friends. I haven't been posting many updates, because, well, I don't know why. The date has been set (September next year), as has the venue, and the bride has chosen a dress pattern (her mom is making it). We've started looking into flowers and such, though not too seriously yet. We're talking about bridesmaid dresses, and since she is practically the nicest person ever, she is insisting that we wear something we like and will actually want to wear again. No bridezilla here...not yet anyway (kidding, kidding). She's coming to visit in December (fingers crossed), so hopefully we'll get to do a little planning while she's here. Cupcake tasting, anyone? ;-)

In other bridey news, when I was home a few months ago, I went dress shopping with my other old and dear friend who is getting married next year (in June)...and we actually found her dress! It was a sample sale, so she even got to take it home that day. Ridiculous. Amazing. The dress is gorgeous, and just couldn't be more perfect for her. The color, the style...everything. I know they say that when you try on the right dress, you just know, but I had always been skeptical. Until that day. Man. She walked out in that dress, and I teared up. It was just...right. I'm so glad that I could be there to help find the dress, since I don't live nearby.

Also, there is this cute-looking bridal party shop near me that I always drive by on my way to Curves, and I called them for info on bridesmaid dresses today. They are so nice and helpful! Anyway, I was browsing their website, and then their blog, and I found this. GORGEOUS. Why is it so much fun to look at pretty wedding dresses? One picture below, just for your viewing pleasure. Ya know.

"Vera" dress - Wtoo by Watters

What? I mean, What???

Warning: I use the s-h-i-t word in this post. Get over it.

So, in case you haven't heard, Justin of "Shit My Dad Says" is getting a TV show. Wait. That doesn't provide enough explanation to elicit the "ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!?" response I was looking for. So here's the story (as far as I know it anyway):

A 29-year old dude named Justin lives with his 73-year old dad. His dad says shit. Justin posts the shit his dad says to his Twitter account, aptly named ShitMyDadSays (www.twitter.com/shitmydadsays). Now he has a sitcom deal with CBS.

ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!?!?

I mean, I'll admit that I am one of his 731,509 followers on Twitter, because yeah. That shit is funny. But do I think he deserves a TV show? Heck no. Maybe his dad does, but all this guy has done is capitalize on his dad's sense of humor. I guess you don't have to create the content, you just have to have the idea. And maybe I'm just jealous that I didn't think of it first (see Passive Aggressive Notes, Spam is Poetry - also here), but come on. Really. Seriously. Wow.

It's all over the internet if you don't believe me (because if it's on the internet, it's true). Oh, and I was going to say "Is getting a TV show from your Twitter account the new getting a book deal from your blog?" - you know, all snarky-like - but then I read that he is also getting a book deal.

Seriously. This sounds like an Onion article to me. But it's true. So, so, so very true. Unless it's a big ole hoax - is it April Fools Day yet?

I think this absolutely falls under the label called 'ridiculous' on this here blog. Oof. Seriously. I cannot wrap my head around this ridiculosity.

Tick Tock

Time feels like it's catching up with me lately. I don't mean that there aren't enough hours in the day (though there aren't), or that I feel stressed and rushed (I don't, really), but I do feel like WHOA. All of a sudden (sort of as of several months ago) I am 25. Isn't this that age where you're supposed to be figuring things out? My mind is a sort of jumble of thoughts and things, and I'm going to try to make it all make sense out here. Maybe you can help. I'm going to divide it into the two sections of What's On My Crazy Mind Right Now: Career and Babies. Two things all women deal with in some capacity at some point in their lives. Whether you want babies or not, and whether your career is being a mommy or a CEO, I think it's safe to say that the Career and/versus/or Babies...thing...is something all women take into consideration at a certain age. And no, this isn't a post about whether to have babies or a career or both...it just happens to focus on those two topics. Separately. But equally. Sort of.

Career (TOPIC 1):

I don't know what career path I want to be following, but I feel like this is the time where I'm supposed to be finding that path and starting out along, skipping with my lunch pail. I know that I don't want to be a career assistant, and that at some point, I have to start climbing the proverbial ladder. And I want to. I don't want to keep bouncing around from "ok for now" job to "it's not my career, but it's a job" job. I don't want to be an assistant forever. I want to grow and develop myself as a person, an employee, a contributer to society.

I have an idea of what I want to do career-wise, and I'm starting to do some research as to what it takes to make it in that field, how I might go about gaining experience to end up there, etc. but at the same time, I like my current place of work. I like my coworkers, and I like the company, and it's all groovy here. Besides, I've only been here for 3.5 months - maybe there will be long-term career/growth potential here. Who knows? We shall see...but at the same time, I am a crazy overanalytical planner, and I like to have goals and deadlines and I like to know what I'm working towards. That is hard to do when you're 25 and unsure about what the future holds. That sounded very cheesy. What the future holds? What am I, a writer for Disney cartoons? Sigh. I just want to have an end result and be able to work towards it, slowly but surely.

When we are kids, we are always asked what we want to be when we grow up. And we're expected to give one answer. Fireman, ballerina, doctor, etc. No kid says "well, I want to be an farmer, and perhaps I'll go into teaching, and then I'll transition into being a publisher." Maybe it's because of this that I always operated under that misconception that you have A Career. Like, one. My mom has had A Career - she's been a teacher since before I was born. She loves teaching, and if you are lucky enough to have been a student or parent in her class, you know that she is an amazing teacher. My dad has had a few careers, but for most of my life, he's been in the same industry. I have friends whose parents have had several and drastically different careers. I have a lot of friends who, like me, don't have that One True Passion or Career Goal. I know there is no common path, no thing that everyone does. I know I have friends who will respond to this post saying "I'm in my 30's and I still don't know what my Career is." But I still wish there was some magical career counselor to guide me through finding a "forever" kind of job...Mom and Dad? What did I want to be when I Grew Up?

BABIES (TOPIC 2):

The biological clock is REAL, people. I used to laugh about it, like "oh ha ha, I like babies, biological clock tee hee hee" NO. NO JOKE, THIS THING IS REAL! It defies logic and reason (despite "logic" being right smack in the middle of of "biological"), it doesn't listen to my bullet-pointed, fully rational arguments, and it most certainly has a mind of its own. Where did it come from?

I know a lot of people right now who are either pregnant or new parents, and I think this is significantly impacting my sudden (and undesirable) urge to procreate (except not). I know (I KNOW I KNOW) I don't want to have children right now. Not at all. My career is not at all stable (see point 1), I live in a tiny apartment (albeit with an awesome dude that I love very much), and I just have a lot of life I want to live before kids enter the picture (see: travel, and, um, living life without kids for a while). That was a lot of parenthesis. Sorry.

Anyway, I am fully aware that I don't want to have children in the next 5-10 years. But then I hold a 3-week old wee little thing, and all of a sudden I am awesome. Something just clicks, and I know what to do. The kid's mom actually called me "The Baby Whisperer" the other night. I get that warm, fuzzy feeling and can't help but think of how awesome it will be to have children. These hips were made to hold a baby, I tell you what!

Like I said, I know it's not time. Yesterday, I was all "babies babies babies" and today I'm all "babies are cute, but no way jose, not right now." Babies turn into kids turn into teenagers and once you're a parent, you're a parent for life. And I am soooo not ready for that. So for now, I'm taking my birth control pills like a good baby-free girl (so don't worry, mom), and reading mommyblogs to satisfy this weird craving I have for babies. Cause this bio-illogical clock has made its presence known and there is nothing I can do to stop it.

CAREERS AND BABIES (CONCLUSIONS):

When it comes to the baby-factor, I think it's been on my mind because I know I want to be a mom someday. I know I'm going to be a great mom, and it's a definitive thing that I expect in my future. Is it cocky to say you know you're going to be a great mom? Because I do. I can't explain it, I just feel like it's something I'm going to be really good at. I could go on about my finer qualities, but the bottom line is, I just know that as a mom? I will kick butt. And someday, if the internet still exists, my kids can Google (or whatever it is then) me and find this, and be like, yeah. Our mom is awesome. And wow - she really is psychic, because look! She knew she'd be awesome at momming! And she totally is!

Anyway, on the opposite end of the spectrum...With my career, I don't really know what I want to do, or how to get there, or whether or not I'll even be good at it once I decide. Or how many times I can "start over" in different jobs/careers/whatever before I figure it out. Babies are easy in the sense that I know how to have them, and I know what to do when they come. I'm pretty sure that if the stork dropped a baby (and enough money to support it) in my lap tonight, I wouldn't screw it up. For the most part.

Careers are harder - there are infinitely more possibilities for ways things can go (right and wrong), it's a decision that affects mostly just me, and I don't know...it's more confusing to me. Maybe because there is more active planning, and it's all about me, and it's all my decision, and there is no set path to follow. Nobody to tell you what you're doing is going to (or not going to) screw up your life plan...it's not obvious. I mean, there are no definitive answers in parenthood either, but there is certainly a bit more, well, certainty I think, when it comes to how to raise a child. Or maybe I am just nuts and this is all in my head and raising a child is going to be crazy in unexpected ways and I will be terrible at it. (Just kidding, I'm gonna be awesome at it - just not for another 5-10 years)

Regardless...right now? Babies make sense to me. Planning a career is scary.

So I don't know if this all makes sense to any of you, but this little theory of babies taking over my mind because my career is so unpredictable to me made sense in the car on the way home last night. So I'm rolling with it. Because it makes sense to me. And this is my blog.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter(s) though, so weigh in if you would! If you've read this far, thank you. Wow.

Holy Cow, Internet!

As you may or may not know, Dooce (and crew) launched an interactive community section of her website today. I haven't done much exploring, but I already think it's awesome. Basically, it's a lot of forums...where users post questions and other users answer them. At least that's what I can tell from my not-very-thorough research.

I posted a question** two hours ago, and there are already two pages of comments! What? Who are all these awesome people out there who want to share their stories with me (ok so some of the comments are me replying to people)? Some of these comments made me laugh so hard I almost peed my pants (true story, and now I've found Reasons to be Happy You Don't Have Kids), and some commenters turned out to be instant blog-friends (Hey there, Junket Juice!).

Best comments so far?

From Shood: "Maybe your clock is ticking, but your alarm just hasn't gone off yet."

From Suzanne: "I think women are wired to be a little ahead of the game at all times."

And guys, Dooce (freaking Heather Armstrong herself) commented on my question! I think my life is now complete.

So yeah, check out the new Dooce community. It's pretty fun.

**PS: if you are too lazy or timid or whatever to click the link to read my original question (and thus see proof that people responded to me, wow, I am still in shocok), here's what it was:

"For a 25 year old not planning on children for another 5-10 years, I read an awful lot of mommy blogs. I can't help it! Am I a total weirdo, or does the biological clock just start ticking whether or not you want it to?"

There are some seriously awesome people out there, I tell you what.

PS - I almost forgot to give a shout out to new blogger Suzanne, who has a lovely blog (and it's new!) -- so show her some love too.

PS - EDIT: Holy cow, my question is a featured question? How did THAT happen? Is it randomly generated? How did I become featured? Whatever; it's AWESOME.

PPS - EDIT: I tweeted this and then Jon Armstrong (Dooce's husband/partner in awesome, and author of Blurbomat) tweeted this. My life is now complete, guys.

Identifying With Women On TV

Wow, I bet the title of this post made you think this would be a well-thought out essay or something, dissecting the role of women in television shows or something equally thought-provoking and yet not so original. Sorry. You're wrong. It's about necklaces. And boobs.

Ok, so I don't particularly like the show Community (sorry, Zach) but it is enjoyable when I have to take my lunch break sitting at my desk (and therefore, not actually taking a break). And I must say, I was happy to see that in this recent episode, the continuity people didn't fix this lady's necklace. Because, people? This happens. I call it boob necklace. Or maybe sidenecklaceboob. Or "jeez, my necklace is stuck on my boob again." So thank you, Community, for not fixing her necklace.

This happens to me ALL THE TIME. I know it's normal, but it is very annoying to me! It's like that scene in Thoroughly Modern Millie (at least in the movie with Julie Andrews) where Millie is frustrated that her necklace doesn't hang straight. (see video, 2:30-3:20). And I quote: "Gee, I wish my fronts weren't so full...they sure ruin the line of your beads."

Now I do agree that "it's criminal what women'll do," blah blah blah the issue is that we think our beads should hang straight down and we should accept our bodies and all that...but whatever. Sometimes, your necklace gets caught on your boob, and it's not as amusing as one might think it is. And whenever I see this "problem" reflected in movies/tv, it makes me happy. So there!

Was this blog post inappropriate? Nah.

Free Snuggie?

I may or may not have ordered myself a free Snuggie. Hey...it's free! From what I have gathered, you have to sign up for their mailing list (big whoop), and I'm sure it will result in some spam (but I have a great spam filter - thanks, Gmail!), and I also heard that after you receive it, you may be asked to do a survey over the phone. These are all things I can deal with in order to receive a free blanket with sleeves.

It's supposed to take up to 6 weeks to arrive, so I may not be reporting on my awesome free Snuggie for a while, but I'll definitely let you know what happens.

It never ceases to thrill me

From The Michelle Obama fashion website that I totally subscribe to:

"First Lady Mrs. O dazzled on The Jay Leno Show this evening, wearing Thakoon's inside-out lattice rose print dress, seen more than a year ago for the first presidential debate. Notice that Mrs. O again accessorized with a bow at the collar, though the 2009 version features added sparkle.

What fun facts did we learn about our first lady this evening? She can name all six Brady Bunch children in under 10 seconds, plus Oliver (we don't know who Oliver is!). She felt nervous to meet the Pope, the Queen and 'her musical hero' Stevie Wonder. And on the first lady's iPod? Robin Thicke, Mary J. Blige, Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock and ... hmm, we know we're missing one ...

P.S. Thanks everyone. Oliver is the dog cousin, and Sara Bareilles and Sting are the other artists on Mrs. O's iPod.

Photo via Flickr users Barack Obama / David Katz for Obama for America / Creative Commons"

On her iPod: Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, Mary J. Blige, Robin Thicke (ok so I don't know who that is) Sting, and Sara Bareilles. No big deal.

Walk Everywhere, Park Nowhere.

So, y'all know I love to browse apartment listings, even though I do not want to move no siree not right now not for a while oh lord I hate to move. Moving sucks.

This listing was so good (confusing) that I had to share. Because the listing will eventually expire on Craigslist, I will copy-paste it for you. Here it is, in all its glory. There are too many amazing (awful) things for me to list my favorites...please leave your favs in the comments!

$1400 / 2br - 2nd Floor Apt. on College Ave. Walk Everywhere, Park Nowhere. (oakland rockridge / claremont) (map)

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Date: 2009-10-20, 8:46PM PDT
Reply to: hous-xcx7f-1430748728@craigslist.org ^{[Errors when replying to ads?]}

---

This unit has undergone recent renovations including painting, floor refinishing, drapes and some new windows. The location is right on College Avenue, so there is noise associated with traffic and neighborhood businesses, including a tavern. Additionally, parking is often difficult to find. The apartment features Oak floors and wood moldings. This building was constructed in 1908, so it has some anomalies found in older construction . There is a water heater in the kitchen and electrical outlets are few and often not grounded. There is a single natural gas wall furnace in the living room. Too many electric heaters and a fuse will blow. The apartment occupants downstairs moved in an exuberant dog which now owns the back yard. There is a small deck which has a view of a concrete block wall. Also, despite the difficult economic environment, you will need to pay rent, deposit of one months rent, $700 damage deposit (refundable). Two person may live here, but no pets of any kind including fish.


College Ave at Bryant (google map) (yahoo map)

• it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

This is Possibly Genius

'Green Box' Product Promo (Pizza Box) from Green Box on Vimeo.

So simple, and yet...brilliant.

Lusting over open floorplans...

I just love the layout of this living room. The furniture is a bit modern for me, but oh boy how nice it would be to have this floorplan...and if only that built-in desk thing was a fireplace...

via Apartment Therapy

Feels like Fall

October feels like fall to me, even if the weather is (on most days) sunny and warmish. Fall in Berkeley may not mean scarves and hats, but it does mean long-sleeved sweaters every so often, and maybe only wearing flip-flops once a week! Shockingly fall-ish, I know. Some of you out there are probably gasping in horror that I even wore flip-flops in October at all, but hey - I have worn sweaters for the last two days! It rained yesterday! It's fall!

Maybe the fall season hits me hard in October because that's when stores start carrying pumpkins and gourds and all the lovely fall decor items that make things cozy. I am lighting candles almost every night, and last night, the sheets actually felt cold when I got into bed. Wow.

I love this season, I do. And all of a sudden, October is half-over, and Thanksgiving doesn't seem too far away, and we all know that as soon as Thanksgiving ends it's almost Chanukkah and Christmastime. Which is just crazy. We are talking about booking flights and planning travel for December already...is it really that time of year? It is, apparently, and I couldn't be more pleased about it. There's just something lovely about the weather getting colder and cozier and I have this overwhelming urge just to bake things all the time. And I want a big stock pot and a "hand-stick" blender so I can make soups. This season is all about being a homebody, which is something I am very, very good at! :)

Even the iHome is getting in the spirit of Fall!


Wheat and pumpkins...purdee

With Halloween coming up, it definitely felt like time to visit my favorite creamery/dairy farm, Spring Hill. I've been buying their cheese from the farmer's market for a few years, and every October, they turn part of the dairy farm into what they call the Peter Pumpkin Patch. We finally went on Sunday, and man oh man was it fun! We ate fresh ice cream (and cheese and pumpkin pie), dug for potatoes (which we ate that night and the night after - PS digging for potatoes is the most fun ever!), milked a cow, wandered a hay maze, and of course, picked our own pumpkins! Some pictures from our little adventure in Petaluma...

Cheese! So much cheese, so little time!

Hay maze! Definitely for children!


Petting a baby cow...

Boo! There were so many little baby pumpkins, I could hardly contain myself.

aaand...

Unrelated to the pumpkin patch, but we went camping a few weeks ago at Half Moon Bay, and I liked this picture. Cozy camping at the beach!

Starting Fresh, Mid-October

I haven't written in a while. And yesterday, when I went to Curves, I realized that I hadn't exercised in a while either. 11 days, to be exact. I had thought it was more like 5. How does that happen? How do 5 days turn into 11? How does blogging every day turn into "oh crap, it's been 8 days"? The apartment is mostly clean, work has been busy, I could make excuses all day. But the reality is that I just haven't been doing it. I've been taking a break. And I know, 8 days of no blogging isn't a huge disaster or anything. But 11 days with no exercise (not counting a hike we took while camping last week)? And no excuse other than "I just wanted to come home after work and veg out"? That's not good. Not good for my waistline, not good for my health...not good.

Last night, I joined the Biggest Loser competition at my local Curves. It begins on October 19th, and goes until the end of November. Every competitor has a sheet taped to the wall, and we are supposed to check off (or maybe the staff does it?) every time we come in to work out. I think we also check off when we work out on our own (taking a 30 minute walk, hiking, etc.) - at Curves, you're supposed to do 3x a week of Curves, and then 30 minutes of activity 2-3 times a week as well. We get weighed and measured at the beginning, and then at the end. To join cost $5, and the winners in each category (total pounds lost, inches lost, body fat % points lost) will split the pot at the end.

I joined because maybe (maybe maybe) if I am being held accountable in a public sort of way, I will actually come in on days when I feel like going home and sitting on the couch. Looking up at those check boxes, and seeing other people's boxes checked, will make me want to be able to check mine as well. I won't want to be the only person who looks like a slacker up on that wall! I hope.

Since I have officially signed up as a fully-paying member (instead of being on a cheapo discount "student" plan), I will also be starting to use the Curves Smart electronic monitoring type thingie that they have, where you plug your little card into the reader on each machine, and it tells you if you're working hard enough. I've never used it before, but from what I hear, you enter in your goals, and get measured and all that (just like when I first joined Curves), and then the machines track your progress. If you're not pushing hard enough, it lets you know. I like the idea of tracking my progress, and having a sort of personalized coach type of thing, even if it's just a machine.

So we'll see. Hopefully these things will motivate me to hit the gym after work as the days get shorter and it's darker and darker as I leave work. Because, oh man, when I leave work and it's cold and getting dark, all I want to do is go home, light some candles, and snuggle up on the couch. I do not, however, want to gain 10 pounds this holiday season.

Wish me luck!

Ooh Pretty

I love (love love) this room. I don't particularly like the furniture/decor, but the room itself? Wonderful.

via Apartment Therapy

It's an Addiction

Folks, my name is Kim, and I'm addicted to house hunting. Now for a disclaimer: I love my apartment. Love it. We are settling into living there together very nicely. At the moment, we are not running out of space. In fact, after some nice cleaning this weekend, we actually have plenty of space (thank you, garage storage that we share with the landlord). Ok, maybe not plenty, but certainly enough. I love our cheap rent ($1100 for an approx. 650 sq foot 1-bedroom apartment, literally across the street from BART, with a yard and off-street parking and in-unit laundry). I know we have it pretty darn good.

BUT. But. but. I have an addiction. No matter how much I am ready to just stay put, no matter how much the thought of moving makes my head spin, I just cannot stop looking at real estate listings.

Take a look at this cutie-pie bungalow. It has 3 bedrooms, plus 2 bonus rooms and a detached "garden cottage" and "2+" bathrooms. It is a mere $639,000. That's nothing, right? Ha. Ha. Ha. Anyway, I swear, this house is speaking to me. Keep looking to see what I mean.

Warning: Gratuitous Pictures!!!

oh hi. i am adorable.

i have a beautiful living room, with built-ins and a fireplace.

is that a forest campground? no, it's my yard. complete with hot tub, deck, and tall trees.

you won't even mind the knotty wood paneling once you see this skylight! just pretend you're in a cabin in the forest (see backyard photo)!

ok, i know my kitchen is kind of nonexistent (do i even have a fridge?), but look at how much room you have to develop it on your own! and that kitchen island you bought will look just lovely in here...
*note: this may be a picture of the kitchenette in the detached cottage. but there is no way to be certain, as this is the only kitchen picture on the website*

In other HouseLusting news, I drive past this awesome, bright blue Victorian every day when driving to and from work.

According to Craigslist, it has been completely redone. Everything has been upgraded, and there are fruit trees, native landscaping, and a hot tub in the back yard. I love that it is painted like a Smurf. 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, $589,000. *note: the craigslist listing photo expired, so I pulled this from Google Maps, not at all creepily*

I might go to some open houses...or perhaps I shouldn't feed the addiction. It's just so fun!

Come on, Fall! Come on!

The air is noticeably crisper, and it certainly feels like Fall is in the air (thanks to grocery store displays), but weather-wise, it's just not quite there. The weather forecast for the week says sunny skies and temperatures in the low 70's, and while I'm not complaining about the beautiful weather, I am ready for it to cool down. Sort of.

I love wearing short sleeves, and I love waking up and not freezing my hiney off, but I am SO ready for squash and cinnamon and pumpkin everything! I love when the leaves change colors (even though I know that our few changing trees here are nothing compared to the East Coast), and I love when I can turn the crock pot on in the morning and have a hot pot of chili waiting for me at home. I love decorating my apartment. Which is now our apartment. I hope Will doesn't mind the invasion of squashes that is about to happen, because whether he likes it or not, it's coming!

So yes. The air is slightly more crisp, though it's not really cool enough to justify the soups and squashes that I so desperately crave today. But to get me in the mood...do you have a favorite fall recipe? Easy homemade squash soups? Yummy things for my crock pot? Right now, I'm particularly in the mood for acorn squash, sliced and roasted to perfection. I love me some summer squash, but when fall comes around, I'm always ready for winter squash! This year, I think I will decorate with different kinds of squash, and then find ways to eat them. And then buy more. And then eat them. Rinse and repeat. It's going to be a lovely season, I can already tell.

Shannalee wrote a beautiful post about this season of change, and I highly recommend checking it out if you love fall (or delicious apple desserts).

Wise Children

A friend shared this with me, and I felt the urge to share it with all of you. I feel very strongly about gay marriage, and to me, it's so simple: If two consenting adults want to get married, why should it matter what gender they are? Don't get me started on the "But the Bible says being gay is bad" thing - the Bible says a lot of things that are not applicable to today's society. As always, it is the children who see things in their simplest, most obvious lights. This video has the right idea. I can't say it in the right words...so just check it out.

"When you mention the possibility of teaching — in schools! — young kids about what The Gay is all about,some people freak out and, like a mother throwing her arm around her child sitting shotgun in the car, get all protective. They think even a conversation about homosexuality means seven-year-olds will be learning about anal sex. And yet somehow, when a teacher posits a "boyfriend and girlfriend split the dinner check" to explain an arithmetic problem, or tackles the whole "how babies are made" question, the possibility of telling kids about penis-in-vagina sex isn't such a big concern. But it turns out, there is a way to talk to young people, even grade school kids, about gays. And not only is it possible, it's crucial."

What? PCT?

So yeah, in case you hadn't noticed, Will is back from his PCT hike. Duh. He lost about 20 pounds (probably more, since he gained muscle). And we had to drill a new hole in his belt that was about 1.5" past the hole that was too tight on him before he left. Excuse me? How is THAT fair?

Oh right. He walked 650 miles, carrying 40 pounds on his back. That.

So yes. Things are good, and having him back is wonderful.

He's been slowly updating his trail journal, and will be uploading photos soon, I hear. Slowly but surely, the trip will be documented! I know this is kind of an odd post, but I just realized I had never posted an official "The trip is over, and here's what happened" update.

I'll leave the rest of the actual trip updates to him and his journal, but for those of you not checking it religiously, I'll post a link when it's actually complete.

Ta-dow!

No Butter Cookies

I wanted to make chocolate chip cookies today, to bring to a coworker who is going to be working very late and very early hours today and tomorrow. When I realized I was out of butter, I started to wonder how I might attempt chocolate chip cookies without the blessed butter. I found this recipe, which looked to be the best out of all the butterless chocolate chip cookies out there on the internets. I followed the recipe exactly (I substituted 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour in place of 1/2 a cup of the white flour), but it looked a little dry, and the last bit of flour wouldn't blend in. I thought about adding a second egg, since my usual cookie recipe calls for two, and this called for just one, but I decided not to.

But I did add a little applesauce. I had read that sometimes applesauce could work as a butter substitute - I've used it to replace oil in cake mixes, but never in cookies. I added about 1/2 cup of applesauce, maybe less, and stirred until the batter looked like it was ready. Then I added some oatmeal. I have no idea how much; I just poured some in. Why? I don't know. I'm not always one for precision, and I felt the winds of experimentation brewing. I added the chocolate chips until I was sure I had put too many in the bowl - they didn't all get stuck in the batter. Some were just rolling around in the bowl. I thought, "Wow. These are going to be full of chocolate chips."

And then, I plopped the sticky batter on the baking sheet (on my trusty Silpat), and baked. They turned out...fine. They taste good, but the texture is a little rough. Maybe these are just a different kind of cookie, and I'm not used to butterless cookies. I mean, they don't taste bad. They pretty much taste like your standard chocolate chip cookie. But I do miss the butter.

I am full of chocolate chips. I taste good, but not spectacular.