thievery at its finest

This weekend, Daddydukes and I put on some black ski masks and robbed my sister blind. She has moved out of my parents house, but a lot of her stuff didn't make the trip with her. Not just odds and ends, but good quality, totally covet-able stuff. -insert thievery here-. Honestly, I think I've done her a favor by borrowing some of her things, as now she has less to go through when she finally decides to sort her remaining junk. And trust me, if there's anything left over it's junk. I took ALL the good stuff. Sunday night it all looked so daunting that i left it there to be tackled at a later time, hopefully with a buddy.

Monday morning started off poorly. Dead dog in the middle of the road during my drive to work, surely a bad omen. The second i made it to my desk the phone was ringing with a typical "Monday Morning Things Gone Wrong Because I Suck At My Job" call. Jacket still on, no coffee in my cup, computer still asleep from a long weekend of binge drinking (oh wait, that was me)- I did not deal with that call well. I tried to remind myself that work is about Facts, not Feelings and that crying doesn't solve anything, and was able to mull through my day somewhat successfully.

When it was time to go home, I decided to skip the gym (which I never do) and go straight home instead. Then I treated myself to a spa afternoon (thanks Jess for the idea). I face masked, clarified my scalp, deep conditioned my hair, painted my nails and then settled on the couch to read. Two minutes later I was asleep.

*knock knock knock* I go flying off the couch, heart beating a mile a minute and run to the door (I do not take being waken from sleeping very well). At the door, my neighbor and handy man extraordinaire, Cam, is there like a knight in shining armor, ready to save the day. Three seconds later I've put him to work setting up my TV. Ten minutes later we are snacking, with a pizza cooking in the oven, and watching Bourne Identity. My very first movie at my condo! Took two years to get there, but I did it. Insert cheering crowd noise here.

So thanks Lisa for your TV, I owe you big time (we will discuss terms at a later date), and to Glenn for helping me lug all my new goods over to the chalet, and to Cam for helping me set everything up. If anyone needs me they will find me on my couch staring at my new contraption.

Sir Squash III

so i bet you never knew that i was an ambassador of squash! check it. the last few weeks have been a squashtastic experience. It all started at the iggulden's... insert cameo flashback: nikita and alanna preparing acorn squash using butter and maple syrup. as i have a mad obsession with syrup and am always looking for new things to drench in it- i was instantly hooked.

following this and some advice from my work Phyllis i decided to explore the Spaghetti squash. For those of you who aren't up to speed on squashcabulary, this is a yellow skinned variety that, after it's been roasted, you can pull with a fork into spaghetti like strands. I forked the shit out of it {with katie's help} mixed it with a bolognese sauce [homemade but stolen from carol's house] threw it back into the shells and topped with cheese and parsley and broiled to melty deliciousness.

Why it's amazing: -its so easy it practically makes itself. - it's so vibrant and pretty. -versatile. - crazy low cal with high nutrient content. - winter squash can store for up to a month NBD. [sidenote: winter squash is not named for the season it is grown but becuase it can be stored over the winter]

next adventure was acorn squash.. roasted with butter, syrup, cinnamon, s&p. the texture of this squash kind of offends me. I ate it and pretended to like it but overall it wasn't a winner.

tonight: kabocha squash or courge kabocha if you will. This is a traditional japenese squash which is allegedly similar to pumpkin. I picked this up at superstore with harry. I was intrigued as i've never heard of it before. Did a bit of reasarch today on it and basically it's interchangeable with butternut or pumpkin. Majority of recipes baked it or soup'd it. I've mostly abandoned making soup as i realize i have no soup skills. Cut up the kabocha into 1inch slices and tossed with soy sauce, brown sugar, cayenne, S&P. Baked for 25 min. Tossed the reserved seeds (delightful sidesnack) in butter, s&p. Results: kind of okay.,. lol, it came out a bit dry... i think more sauce is called for and i also think i would half the kabocha next time, then bake it, Then cut it into strips...

I Also have a butternut squash awaiting me. I think i am going to do something dramatic with it.. did u know u can eat squash leaves and squash flowers?

i think i was a squash in another lifetime.