This weekend I lived like a cat

Ok, most of the weekend I lived like a cat. I ate and slept and that is pretty much it.

Oh wait, I did go on an excursion over to Julie's with my ward, Tyler. He somehow found an old ball of Mazzy's and played fetch around the house. I told her fetch does not get old with this dog. He kept losing the ball under the couch. We grew tired of getting it for him. So, he began to wander around the house.

About 10 minutes later I heard him chewing on something. We looked to see what it was, and I swear we both hid mini breakdowns. I respond to highly stressful situations with laughter. I couldn't believe this! FYI, dogs are not like cats. Dogs will dig out weird things from under the stove and eat them, even when they can't possibly taste good. Amazing!

He hadn't ingested anything, luckily. But I spent the entire night watching him. He would be asleep and for some reason I didn't believe he was ok, so I would shake him awake. I think he was done with this by the 6th time.

I made it up to him this morning. We played fetch for an hour.

Not sure about me and dogs...

The Omnivore's Hundred

I completely stole this from Dona's blog, but I'm home sick and bored. So, I think I deserve to steal a blog idea right now.

The Omnivore’s Hundred is a list created by British foodie Andrew Wheeler of Very Good Taste. It’s a list that Andrew believes is ”100 things that I think every good omnivore should have tried at least once in their life. The list includes fine food, strange food, everyday food and even some pretty bad food - but a good omnivore should really try it all.”

Fellow food bloggers, if you want to participate:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

(editor's note, I'm not good at bolding and stuff. So, will just have to write notes to the side)

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison - of course
2. Nettle tea - uh no
3. Huevos rancheros - i just had some the other weekend
4. Steak tartare - YUM!!
5. Crocodile - i know alligator doesn't count, but impressed i ate it
6. Black pudding - no
7. Cheese fondue - was my first date food for a good 4 years
8. Carp - yes, once was enough
9. Borscht - no
10. Baba ghanoush - yes
11. Calamari - often
12. Pho - especially when hung over
13. PB&J sandwich - at least twice a week
14. Aloo gobi - i just learnt how to make this at home about a month ago. come over and have some
15. Hot dog from a street cart - for some reason the cart makes it taste better
16. Epoisses - ???
17. Black truffle - hmmm
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes - cherry, hmm, northern michigan thinks it can make anything out of cherrys, not so much
19. Steamed pork buns - oh, now i'm hungry. might have to have these at dim sum tomorrow
20. Pistachio ice cream - not my favorite
21. Heirloom tomatoes - especially with fresh mozzarella
22. Fresh wild berries - picked boysenberries off of old railroad tracks at carolyn wolf'd farm in 3rd grade. good good memory
23. Foie gras - unfortunately, does not digest so well with me
24. Rice and beans - add some italian sausage and its heaven
25. Brawn, or head cheese - didn't know what it was before i put it in my mouth. never putting it in my mouth again
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper - no
27. Dulce de leche - yes, and i didn't love it
28. Oysters - haven't had them in ages. don't have many friends into them
29. Baklava - three different kinds at afrah
30. Bagna cauda - ???
31. Wasabi peas - every bar is serving them now
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl - even better is lobster bisque, not dissing clam chowder, just saying lobster bisque is better
33. Salted lassi - ???
34. Sauerkraut - unfortunately yes
35. Root beer float - years ago
36. Cognac with a fat cigar - sadly no. i might have to grow some to do this one
37. Clotted cream tea - with grandma
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O - made mine with gray goose and cherry jello
39. Gumbo - yes yes yes
40. Oxtail - no
41. Curried goat - no, haven't done much goat
42. Whole insects - does chocolate covered ants count?
43. Phaal - ??
44. Goat’s milk (does goat’s cheese count?)
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more - i think so without knowing it
46. Fugu - no, i admit, too scared
47. Chicken tikka masala - regularly
48. Eel - regularly
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut - i don't eat these, i inhale them
50. Sea urchin - some say it tastes like the ocean. tastes like galveston to me
51. Prickly pear - does the liquor count?
52. Umeboshi - ??
53. Abalone - at the soggy dollar on Jost Van Dyke. devine!
54. Paneer - yes
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal (I’ve actually never had a Big Mac. Its size has always intimidated me) me too. always been a mcnugget girl
56. Spaetzle - i think michelle rosenberg made it
57. Dirty gin martini - i prefer vodka, but i had to try the gin to compare
58. Beer above 8% ABV - i believe so
59. Poutine - ???
60. Carob chips - my friends hippy mother in fourth grade tried to convince us it tastes the same as chocolate
61. S’mores - i was a girl scout
62. Sweetbreads - yeah, i don't remember being blown away. maybe it was the preperation
63. Kaolin - ??
64. Currywurst - ???
65. Durian - no, but i keep reading about it
66. Frogs’ legs - tastes like chicken
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake - oh, now i'm craving the state fair
68. Haggis - i even had a t-shirt to commemorate it
69. Fried plantain - very good with salsa
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette - hmmm
71. Gazpacho - yes, don't love it though
72. Caviar and blini - favorite brunch food
73. Louche absinthe - the drunk bartender gave me the slotted spoon to take home
74. Gjetost, or brunost - ??
75. Roadkill - no
76. Baijiu - ???
77. Hostess Fruit Pie - hostess products were my childhood
78. Snail - tastes like chicken, kidding.
79. Lapsang souchong - i love tea
80. Bellini - been a long while, keep doing mimosa's
81. Tom yum - love it when i'm sick
82. Eggs Benedict - another favorite brunch food
83. Pocky - fed it constantly by my college roommates
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant - one day
85. Kobe beef - yeah, not sure the big todo
86. Hare - in belgium
87. Goulash - mom's was pretty good
88. Flowers - mostly on desersts
89. Horse - not with my knowlede
90. Criollo chocolate - i don't think so
91. Spam - mom said i did as a baby, been intrigued by the spam onigiri at sushiyama, but haven't had it yet
92. Soft shell crab - yep
93. Rose harissa - ??
94. Catfish - yes, but not a favorite
95. Mole poblano - good mole is my most favorite mexican
96. Bagel and lox - been a while, now i'm craving it
97. Lobster Thermidor - no
98. Polenta - yes
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee - don't really like or experiment with coffee
100. Snake - stole a taste of this jerky in Italy....Texas

August, I'm Glad I knew Ye

This was a hard month. It looks like its going out with a bang. I swear I did have fun. Promise!!

There was the time I got to sit in a new Bentley outside of Steel. Note to men with expensive cars: you may think its cool to be friendly with the valets and park your car directly outside of the restaurant, but be warned. These same valets are men themselves who try to impress women and let them sit in your car while your eating.

I'm having a lovely time with my new ward, Tyler. He is just so cute. I still am not sure if I can do the full blown dog thing. Its just too much responsiblity and the cat is having multiple nervous breakdowns.

I gave in to my Afrin addiction. I try to get off it, but once I have a cold, I immediately reach for the bottle. Oh, its such a lovely thing. Afrin!

A tickle

I felt it in the back of my throat last night. I woke up at 2 am and my throat just hurt. I knew something was coming on.

And now, I have sniffles. I have a feeling this labor day weekend might be spent in bed. I seem to turn into a 3 year old when I'm ill. I call my mom and drink a lot of soup. I pull out old afghans I crochetted years ago and huddle on the couch.

I could have been good and taken some airborne and some vitamin C. I have all that at my desk at work. Its all stacked up, but unfortunately, I spent most of my time trying to get out of the office. So, the vitmain c gets unsused. Best laid plans.

I need to be good though. I have a puppy for the next couple of days. I will have some energy to take him out for a spin once a day. Cross your fingers mistress Penny doesn't take him down!

Break down over

I swear. Work just gets to me sometimes. I probably shouldn't let it. Everyone kept saying "you have so much in your life, why should this affect you so much."

Maybe I should introduce myself. My name is Victoria. I'm a quirky workaholic that has a cat.

Now, ask me that question again...

Seriously. I say work is my life and people give me this look like "you need to revisit that." That just gets me mad. I work so I can enjoy my life. I work so that I can afford things that make my life great. If something bad happens at work, there is a domino affect. There goes the money. There goes the fun things.

I would even understand this more if the people saying this were homeless hippies. People who actually believed in what they were saying to me about how work isn't everything, but no. The people saying it to me are professionals who live in Plano. Talk to me about this when you living in a commune in Denton.

Oh well. I've decided to immerse myself in some impressionists in Fort Worth for the day.

Completely Dehydrated

Today, my skin is like the cracked out bottom of a dry riverbed. I think it's from all the crying

I hit my point. They pushed me too far. I'm so tired of being made to look stupid.

I'm over it, but I just look awful.

I have to suck it up. Clean myself up.

I'm just going to buy a stupidly expensive suit that makes me look skinny and like I should be taken seriously and just march in there with my head held up.

I just need to suck it up. I need to keep telling myself that.

I've got my happy face on

I think it must have been the weather. It was just making me gloomy and depressed. The squirrel incident didn't help, and then yesterday at my client meeting, I had to play bad cop. I hate playing bad cop. At the end, I said I tried to play it in a sweet way. My client just looked at me and said "there is no way to play sweet bad cop." I know I know. But I want everyone to like me. Major character flaw.

Sometimes, you have to be the bad cop, and sometimes, people aren't going to like you so much. Just sucking it up.

I have visitors for the next couple of days. The mother and a friend are coming in for the night tonight. They will have spent the day doing the impressionist exhibit at the Kimball. I'm supposed to take them out to dinner. It has been requested that we don't go anywhere fancy, but they would like nice food. Just rolling my eyes. I think they mean they want to eat a steak but not have to change out of their jeans. I think I'm going to drag them to a new place by my house.

And then Kristine gets in. I think I'm most excited that she will go to the Queen cover band with me. YEAH!!! I love Queen. Radio Gaga, I have the clapping down!!

I'm having a bad day

and its only 8:45. How is that possible?

I'm not going to go over all the events, but I think the thing that affected me the most was I drove over as squirrel. I know I've probably driven over one before, but this morning, for some reason, it got to me. I was speeding down Coit. Speeding because I was half an hour behind schedule. So, the squirrel pulls out in the middle of the street and sees all the oncoming traffic. He/she doesn't know what to do, so they stop. Just stop. And then as I'm driving by, he/she decides to run under my car. I knew what I had done after I had done it.

I'm just not happy. Why did I have to kill something today. That is just not a good omen. Not good at all.

And I get int to a pissy email from one boss and a pissy phone call from another. I still don't get why I have about 5 bosses, but that is a subject for another blog.

Oh well. I think I deserve cheesy Mexican tonight.

It's almost like winter

Over the last week, there has just been something in the air. I went out to lunch, and it was 76 degrees. That's crazy. That's not Dallas August weather. That's Dallas December weather. Get out your parkas.

I don't know. It's like the weather is like me. All over the place.

I'm trying to think of what I did this weekend. I remember Saturday afternoon I was just tuckered out because I did so much that morning. Lets see I had gone to the gym, got my eyebrows threaded, and then had a pedicure. Whooo. What a workout.

I then proceeded to sit around on my butt and take a 2 hour nap.

I live a very active lifestyle. But according to my pedometer, not so much.

Sunday night was good. Tom's brother who is a trainer guessed my body fat percentage was 2% lower then it actually is. I was so happy. Dan said he was just trying to get me into bed. Eh, I will take a compliment, no matter where its coming from.

And last but not least I have a vent. I'm done being aggressive. I try. I do. But to no avail. I'm the kind of chick who needs to be wooed. I don't like this thing where I message people and try to get there attention. Boo.

With genes like these what do you expect

I received a notice from fedex yesterday that I have a package being delivered by Amazon.com. I double clicked and saw it was from my brother.

I knew this was coming.

He had called earlier in the week. We chatted for a spell while I waited for him to spit out why he called me. It turns out he had a gift card to Amazon, and he decided to buy a bunch of hot sauces from around the US. The problem was the vendor would not send them to Sweden. So, he was calling to see if he could have them shipped to me, and then I could ship it to him in Sweden.

I just rolled my eyes. He still hadn't paid me for the $60 box of Nyquil I shipped over months ago. But, its my brother. So, I said ok.

I'm not sure how many hot sauces he bought. I hope they are all Tobasco sized. This could get expensive.

I might hold them hostage until I get my Nyquil money.

Salum

Well, after the three hour ordeal that was Bijoux, I was a bit antsy about how my next restaurant week experience would go. Lets just say it was 180 degrees different.

Starting out we were seated immediately. No half hour wait this time. We kept talking and didn't really look at the menu. I felt a bit sorry for our waiter. Finally, we scanned it, and while I do have to admit, it was pretty standard with ahi tuna and goat cheese confections, I do understand that the chef wanted to have a set menu that would please the most people.

First course was the serrano caprese salad. I being the smarty pants I am asked if this was a caprese salad made of peppers. The guy looked at me and smiled nicely but said no, the salad had serrano ham on top. Oh. Score one for me Ms. Smarty Pants. I went with it anyway. Very good. It was a nice big serving of the salad. They stacked it up with alternating colors of tomatoes with fresh mozzarella. It was topped off with home-made pesto. I devoured all of it.

Then came my main course, the ahi tuna on risotto. Hmmm. I love ahi tuna, and I love it cooked as rare as they will dare to go. And they dared to go pretty rare. You could just eat it with a fork. The risotto was an excellent compliment and the slightly tangy sauce just topped off everything nicely. I have to admit, it was a nice chunk of tuna, and I didn't finish all of it to save room for dessert.

Then came dessert. The menu said trio of desserts. You didn't have a choice. I was a bit put off, but then the plate came out. It was a full serving of creme brulle, a bread pudding, and then some caramel chocolate thing. I have to admit I didn't pay attention to the chocolate thing because creme brulle and bread pudding are my two favorite things. Oh the bread pudding. Hmmm. They served it with big ripe blueberries and a light creme sauce. Just two good. After that, I was so full I only had room for about two bites of the creme brulle, but I wasn't going to give up crunching through the top. So I did and then I put down my spoon.

Overall a very good meal, excellent service and bang for your buck!!

Tonight, no restaurant week. I think I'm being dragged to an asian film with the hope that I'm getting free sushi for my trouble.

Bijoux

Before I go into a description of dinner from last night, I would first like to state that my company has decided to "walk the walk". We put in wellness programs for clients, and yet we don't even have one. My boss has therefore challenged us to take charge. Today, we were given pedometers and had our body fat calculated, and starting Friday we have a contest beginning. Whomever has the most steps or has the largest decrease in % of body fat, wins an iphone.

Why am I telling you this? Because I have until Friday to eat my bodyweight before I go into healthmode for 4 months. Mama wants an iphone or at the least the second prize of a spa gift certificat.

Anyway...

Last night I went to Bijoux for restaurant week with Kerry and Elizabeth. We got there at 8:30, and you could see people lining up down the hallway. They were booked solid. We waited until 9 and were finally sat. I think all of us were starving. I had luckily had a yogurt at 6, but that was 3 hours ealier.

Finally, one of the servers came over and took our order. Still, I don't think we got our first dish, which was a tiny amuse bouche (sp) until 10 minutes later. It was a small slice of cucumber with a little goat cheese and watermelon. It was nice and light. About 15 minutes later, came my appetizer. It was a melon carpacio. Pretty much melon slices with a sprinkling of crab and micro greens. It was very tasty and light.

I choose that because for my main course I had the New York Strip. It was tasty. I devoured that. It was enough for me, but might have been too small a portion for most guys I know who like steak. It was nicely sliced up and served on some mashed potatoes with a couple of carrots.

Then a nice sorbet course. I was surprised when they served that. I would have thought that would have come between appetizer and main course, but I'm not up on my classy meals stuff lately. I just thought a palate cleanser would be earlier in the meal. Anyway, it was a nice bluebery sorbet. I love blueberrys!

Then came dessert. Decadent chocolate mouse with a drizzle of passion fruit. I love passion fruit and chocolate. I'm not a huge chocolate fan, but I think the combination of those two is just heavenly.

Very tasty meal, but by the time we got through all the courses, it was 11. It took them that long to serve us. I think that was a bit much.

I did the wine pairings and they were a wee bit chinzy with the pours. The only decent one was my port at the end, which was ok. I guess that was because it was towards the end of the night.

Overall good meal, but I think they just were not prepared for the crowd.

TONIGHT: Salum

Ripe for a good discussion

A couple of weeks ago I posted a blog about Restaurant Week. I received a few comments, and then last night I got a new one.

http://vneidell.blogspot.com/2008/07/restaurant-week.html

Me being me, I was so excited. A downside to Restaurant Week. Could there be such a thing?

I think a big thing I need to point out to people is that I live to eat. I love good food. My endorphins sit in wait for the next good meal and explode with every mouthful Sitting at home and eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwhich just doesn't cut it for me. I get so unhappy.

I budget so that I can have the ability to go out and try new restaurants. I have a list. Seriously, a list of places I want to try. Right now Bolsa and Rise No. 1 are at the top of it.

Once a month, I have a nice dinner out. I believe in treating myself. I keep my air conditioning at 80 degrees most of the time so that I can afford to eat steak and sushi. Everyone wonders why my cat sheds so much. Poor thing is suffering for my food addiction.

I understand why someone would have issues with people only eating out for Restaurant Week and not really trying to experience a restaurant and its concept in the real world, but I see another side to things. I have had such good experiences at Restaurant Week that I have gone back many many times to places. Restaurant Week is like the appetizer for me.

Also, I have many friends who don't have my food addiction. They don't see the cost benefit ratio of eating out on a regular basis. I'm not going to get at them for only eating out at Restaurant Week. They are trying places they would have usually never gone to. Maybe this will open up their horizons?

Deconstructing the Jonas Brothers

I was watching TV last night and had the pleasure of witnessing the Jonas Brothers perform live*. We will not dwell on what show I was watching. That is just besides the point.

Anyway, these boys fascinate me. Ok, no they don't. Their music gives me gas, but their fashion sense, that is something special. I believe each boy was assigned a certain role and their clothes reflect that. I'm sure each boy has a real name, but I have my own names for them: pirate jonas, duran duran jonas, and underage jonas.

I believe they are standing in that very order in the picture I have attached.

Pirate Jonas: He is always found playing the guitar and walking aimlessly around the stage. I believe he is supposed to be a romantic at heart, which he demonstrates by wearing many scarves and vests. He seems to like layering. That could get hot in concert.

Duran Duran Jonas: Its like he wants to be Simon Lebon*. This is demonstrated by his constant wearing of white ties and skinny jeans. He is the funky fresh Jonas. He is the kind of boy who is just rockin. I would have made fun of him in high school.

Underage Jonas: Enough said. I am precluded by law from making comments about minors. But I will say, he just tries waaayy too hard. His fake ID probably says he is 64 and Jamaican.


* I'm not sure how live it actually was. I think their mikes were turned down, they had vocals playing in the background, and I'm not sure their guitars were plugged in.

** Let me tell you, he ain't no Simon Lebon. He couldn't even shine Simon Lebon's shoes.

Everyone's got a past

This is right up there with "everyone has issues" for me. Everyone, even the sweet mormon 3 cubes over, has a past. Nothing has always gone perfectly for everyone.

I guess I don't dwell on mine anymore.

I was talking to Cherry yesterday afternoon. We chat almost everyday. Yesterday was the first time I had ever told her about my parents divorce or about my father. For a while, that was such a linchpin of my life and made me who I was. Now, its just something that happened.

I guess that is the definition of mental health. Something happens, you work through it, and then you move on. I'm not saying that I have completely forgotten about things. They are there in the back of my mind, but I don't have to dwell on them.

I sometimes just want to shake this into people, but now I've become a bit resigned. I think some people like to dwell. But if you keep dwelling so much in the past, aren't you just missing out on the here and now?

Dream Interpretation

After a very long day, I conked out at 9:30 last night. In all honestly, I crawled in at 9, but sleep didn't happen for a bit. As usual, I had to toss and turn and get comfy.

I don't remember most of anything I dreamed about, except this morning. It was clear as day. I was running an adventure vacation company. Pretty much the theme of the company was run around and do anything you want in another country, but we provide the diapers. There I am in the corporate office watching videos of happy clients running through New Zealand wearing diapers and hiking boots. I do have to note most of the women were wearing sports bras.

We even had trips tailored to certain demographic groups. I watched a bunch of girls running around in diapers, helmets, and very funky fishnets and thought to myself "that must be the roller derby group".

I'm not exactly sure what any of this means. I don't know if I really want to know.

Just too darn hot

I spent the entire weekend melting. I don't even want to know what my electic bill is going to be.

Friday night, I swear David had the house down to a decent degree, but I was processing that wine like it was ethanol. I think it was because I had the weight training earlier in the day.

Sunday, I became a recluse. I went to the gym for a bit, but by the time I got home, it was over 100 again. I was just not going to go out. I holed up on my couch and tried to catch up with life. I know people were at the pool, but even in this heat, I just can't do the pool thing. I pretty much just sit under water with just my head showing, sweating. It makes no sense. I'm in the pool. Why am I sweating?

I did catch up with Melanie late yesterday. Haven't seen her in forever. We are going to schedule a field trip to Fort Worth to see the impressionists at the Kimball. I'm hoping some weekend soon.

All akimbo

Kombucha. My new addiction. Less calories then cherry limeaids and vitamin water, and it's got a bit of a kick to it.

Yesterday, I woke up early. I don't understand how I always wake up at 8 am. Even when I am double booked and tired on Friday night and crash at 1 am, I still wake up Saturday at 8 am. So, I watch a movie, read a couple of chapters of "The Sociopath Next Door", trying to understand human nature, and then the day of dance started.

I ran over to the Dallas rec center for my new ly dancing class. My teacher last spring was very into being classy and sassy. This new teacher is a black earth goddess who seems to want all of us to seduce a man, unfortunately, we are practicing in a gym and the only "men" close by are 13 years old and headed to the pool.

Then it was time for hooping. I have yet to conqure my issue of hooping to the right but overhand hooping to the left. I need to practice being an ambidexterous over hand hooper. Easier said then done.

On the way home I stopped by the new Sprouts. Not impressed, but I was able to get my kombucha fix. They were even more expensive then at Whole Foods, but this was closer. Not sure how I got into drinking fungus. I've convinced myself that its good for me.

I have to mention, I love Rhonda. Friday night my metabolism was all akimbo. Three glasses of wine, and I was a furnace. I show up at Julie's and there is a box of fried chicken. One breast, and I was back to normal. I asked who got the chicken. RHONDA. Such a good girl. I love how the girl who doesn't eat meat buys a box of fried chicken for her slightly intoxicated friends.

Overdosed

As many people know, I'm a sushi-aholic. I could eat it for days and never tire.

Last night, I was just worn out from the past three days of meetings. I thought I deserved a treat. I called up Sushi Sake, Collins just north of Campbell, and placed a very large order. So large in fact that when I went to pick it up they gave me two of everything, soy sauce, chopsticks and to go menus.

If you don't know Sushi Sake, you are missing out. It used to be on Campbell in the strip mall right by 75, but just last year they moved to a great space, slightly hidden on collins. The good luck kitties sit large and looming on the row above the very large L shaped sushi bar. I usually request the bar if I dine in, and I don't look at the menu. I just sit there and ask to get whatever they feel like giving me. Some people are put off because if you sit at a table, they often will put more then one party together. I have never had issues with sharing.

Last night though, I ordered very safe.
Spicy tuna roll
Louisiana roll
Kampachi
Yellow tail
Eel
Salmon
Tuna

Doesn't sound like a lot of food, but my stomache was stretched!!! The spicy tuna and Louisiana are rolls I just love. You can always tell if the sushi place is good if they don't over pack the roll with mayo. I firmly believe that if they have to do that, then the fish ain't so good. It hides the taste. I like a nice little dollop.

After I devoured everything I just sat back on the couch and patted my belly. Oh it was good. I didn't think I could fit in anything else, and then I spotted the sour patch kids on the table. I had caved the other night at Walgreens and bought a bag.

There I was stuffed to the gills, and yet, I felt a need to lean over and get the bag. And I stuffed them in. Ohhhh it was so good. I almost made myself sick, but it was worth it!!