so excited....

i had my lesson on open source CMSs tonight with bilo.. i'm so encouraged/excited to get started on a blog...

i'm going to start by separating out my restaurant reviews to this new domain i set up called cnydigested.com. it'll probably be a little while till i get it up and running.. but i am totally psyched. :)

i see some really long nights in my immediate future. :)

empty weekends are always productive

as you can see by the previous post, i was very productive this weekend. i am most enjoying watching the 2nd season of madmen.. i can totally see why it's received so many awards - it's worth them all. i also see why people fall all over jon hamm as don draper... he's fantastical! there is a new character this season called bobbie barrett, she's the wife of a comedian, when i just hear her talking, she sounds like kathleen turner from peggy sue got married. maybe that is why i like this show/era so much.

i had my oil changed at the dealership on saturday. people wonder why i take the car there, and even though i had a coupon this time, it's still about the same price as valvoline, and they are so nice there. i didn't even have to wait for them to take my car in.

i made recipe for dill pesto cream sauce this weekend to put over gluten free pasta. i had never really had the GF pasta and was skeptical to try it. it took a lot longer to cook than regular pasta, and was a little on the chewy side while it was cooking, but it turned out not bad. i'd eat it again.

however, by the time i was done with all the cooking i was really not that interested in eating it, i think it might be because it had chicken in it, and it took all my strength not to throw up when i was cooking it. i think maybe i was born to be a vegetarian. :)

i didn't mow my lawn this week even though we got a lot of rain. i'll do it next week. here is a pic of my white trash lawn when i let it go for three weeks...



here are the complete pictures i took at aud's birthday.

lots to do... **list updated**

i have so many things to do and little to nothing to do this weekend, so hopefully i will be productive and get some stuff done.

my weekend action items.

email relevant parties about camping at the reunion

get an oil change

do laundry

make chicken with dill pesto cream sauce over gluten free pasta

pick up

post hundreds of pictures i've taken

put away my suitcase from last week

do a ppt about my chicago social networking conference **making good progress**

hang my framed picture from JBP

delete some things off the DVR

activate my new CC

see a movie?

walk p head 3 2 1 times

write a blog

watch some of my downloaded tv shows (FotC S2, MadMen S2)

get a waxing

sweep/swiffer

vaccuum

paint

draw

get notebook from work

get gas

stop in and make sure fatty is not dead

**angelas favorite, run dishwasher

swap summer clothes/shoes for winter clothes/shoes

i think that is enough. i'd like to get my locks changed. but i don't think that is the kind of thing i can call up a locksmith on a saturday and have done that day.

i'm watching jimmy kimmel from last night and shia laboef is the guest, god i love that kid. he is so funny and good looking, i hope he doesn't expire early...

time for wine.

CSA day!

Today was CSA delivery day!! we got such great things!

asparagus, green kale, mizuna greens, romaine lettuce, spring mix lettuce, daikon radish, red radish, garlic scapes, green spinach, cilantro, green broccoli, cauliflower, dill, basil, sugar snap peas and lemon balm i think.

i think i am going to bring some lemon balm with me to work tomorrow and put it in my water, like a watery virgin mojito. :)

we got more this time than last week i think. i am excited to eat it all. i kinda want to eat it all tonight. :)

i plan to make this recipe with the garlic scapes...

Garlic Scape Pesto
1/2 lb. organic scapes (chopped into 1" sections)
1 c. organic olive oil
2 c. grated parmesan cheese
In a blender, combine the scapes and olive oil. Pour mixture into bowl and blend the cheese in by hand.

here are the pics of all the items, and the pod..

some lists..

as my time in PA comes to an end here are some things i am going to miss, and not miss.

things i am going to miss...

E,R&AH. obviously

the sooo cute stone houses

my spacious temporary cube

whole foods/trader joes

the funny noises the cash registers make at the wawa and the general niceness of the cashiers there

having dinner made & someone to share it with each night

radio 104.5 - no djs, just music that reminds me of my younger years

2 starbucks on my way to work

going to bed in the 9s

things i am not going to miss...

the innane, road rage inducing traffic at 5pm.

the severe cold in the office

living from a suitcase

"the long walk"

the mailbox that scratched up my car

hearing danny boneduce's gravel-ly voice when i scan through the channels in the morning

waking up more than an hour earlier than i usually do

i might keep adding to these as the ideas come to me.

PA so far

i'm in pa and having a good time so far. yesterday morning we went to a couple of my favorite store that i don't have in syracuse. whole foods and trader joes. whole foods has the BEST recyclable bags. i will surely go back and buy at least one more. they are colorful, tall, plastic on the outside and cloth-y on the inside.. truly spectacular.

i've had great success at not eating wheat, and yesterday was a true test! at the game i drank quite a bit of wine (they sell it in the "high & inside" bar behind homeplate in case anyone is interested.) and ate a fair amount of food at the game.. crabby fries, nachos and a bunless hot dog.. but more importantly was all the wine. i had no repercussions last night. i didn't even have a hangover this morning.. it was grand.

hee hee. funny note. as i type this i hear a jingling in the hallway.. everyone went to bed at 915, so i am sure it's not E or R.. i open my bedroom door, and sure enough it's p-head.. i don't know how she found me, i accidentally didn't lock up her cage, so she's come for a night-time visit. i might just let her sleep in here because i am too lazy to go downstairs now. unless she gets too annoying in the night.

here are some pictures from the game.


EH decided she needed a new shirt at the game.. this girl is not afraid to change clothes in the middle of a baseball stadium



see us in our umbrella-ella-ella-ella. there was a 95 minute rain delay. pretty sucky.


this is miss A, eating her lunch. she's a real ham...

here are the pics that i've taken so far.

CSA update

we got our first email from the farm tonight sharing what they anticipate will be in our boxes this week.. sounds good. i'm really excited about the greens...

In your boxes you will find asparagus, collards, purple broccoli, arugula greens, spinach, green or red lettuce, shallot greens, and a bunch of radishes. In addition to that, Deluxe shareholders will receive mizuna greens, mint, extra asparagus, and a beautiful mixed spring lettuce mix.

we are deluxe shareholders, so we will get all of it... i am in PA, so cath and mike are going to have a LOT of asparagus to eat. ;)

i wish i was going to be around so i could take photos of it, and the pod pick up place.. next time. :(

*sigh* we are mere mortals...

i went to the greek festival tonight with my former roommates. it was very rainy, but we took good advantage of mikes heart condition and parked in a handicapped spot right next to the church. there seemed to be more greek people there then usual.. maybe because it's the first night? i am glad i decided to drive down to PA tomorrow morning instead of after work tonight. driving in constant rain is very taxing. hopefully the weather will be nicer tomorrow. it was a little sad not being able to eat the honey puffs, but the plastic cup of greek wine more than made up for it.

tomorrow Auds has tubes put in her ears. :( i hope she won't be too cranky about it this week.

tonight i heard news that a former high school art classmate of mine passed away last night. i remember having a crazy crush on him for those HS years. i heard that he was living in boston somehow when i was preparing to move out of boston... apparently after high school he went on to be a successful artist, getting a masters degree from RISD, starting a business and getting married. all while living with brain cancer. how inspiring... you can read the obituary here... Mark Nicholson

i feel a little inundated with cancer lately.. brain cancer even... a guy i used to love listening to from the Adam Carolla Show was recently diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer. his soon to be wife keeps a very compelling blog about all the drs appointments and events that are happening as they go through radiation and chemo. i read every word with tissues close by. i've been moved so far as to donate money.

i don't like when people i know are sick, or die.

one week wheat free

so today marks one week from when i stopped eating wheat. it's been much easier than i imagined... i've not had diarrhea like experiences since i stopped eating wheat. this is probably going to be TMI, but i kind of forgot what it was like to have regular bowel movements. it's pretty awesome, actually. i am sure over this past week i consumed some trace amounts of wheat(flour), but i had none of the symptoms like what i felt last monday. it really baffles me that none of the doctors i've seen and mentioned this to ever brought up a possible food allergy as an explanation to what was happening to me. it seemingly is an allergy to wheat. wtf...

it's not exactly easy to eat wheat free, but here is an idea of what i've been consuming..
rice... i love my rice maker
yogurt
bananas
apples
grapefruit
baked tofu
tortilla chips
baked polenta with cheese melted on top
corn quesadillas
steak
lettuce wraps
corn flakes
rice chex
rice cakes
peanuts
avocados
carrots
stuffed cabbage rolls

so you can see it's not as if i am starving myself. quite the opposite.. i have had a few unexplained instances of daytime heartburn.. i'm not really sure why, but i decided to continue to take my prilosec for a few more weeks. i have not had any night time heartburn during this week. that is fantastic!

i think that this new way of eating is going to coincide nicely with the CSA deliveries. they start next week. i'll be in PA, but cath will get mine and bring it with her to PA. i am really excited about the CSA. i plan on taking photos of each weeks shipments and of the pick-up POD for those of you curious about what CSAs are. hell, i am curious! :)

thursday i drive down to E&Rs house for a red sox game this weekend followed by a week of work in Blue Bell, then it's miss As 1st birthday. i am going to need to give EH some painting lessons.. she's started three paintings and needs some help. another crafty thing we'll be doing is making hello kitty cupcake pops for the big party. too bad i won't be able to eat them, but it will be fun trying to make them look good. :)

this past weekend B&MK visited. we had a good time, i wish they would move up here rather than down south, i always have a good time with BD, but she lives too far away. here are my pics

i heart apple emails.

i look forward to seeing emails from Apple in my inbox. they are usually so well designed. i love the roundy edges on things, i like that they usually use black as a background color, and it makes their colorful products pop. i love the reflections, and i love that their products are by themselves, not as a part of a background photo. apple knows that i have an iPod touch, so my emails are sometimes pointed that way, like this month.. there was a tip in this edition that has made my worklife infinitely easier.

iPod touch tip
If you're in another application while listening to music, you can bring up your music controls simply by double-clicking the Home button.

there wasn't a link to the email on a server somewhere for those whose mail clients have scrambled the email... they must be very confident that their emails work perfectly across the board.

visitors and visiting and mexican food.

this weekend BDK and MK are coming to stay at my house. they have appointments in the 'cuse this weekend. i'll be glad to see them in between their obligations.

tonight i went to S&PFs house for dinner. little K is sooo cute. her hair is so curly.. she also says all kinds of words.. she points out all kinds of things and says their names, she says animal sounds, she blows kisses, crosses her fingers and even fist bumps on command. it's adorable. the Bs were there also.. their daughters are getting so big too.. i haven't seen A since she was a itty bitty baby. S&P have a new stone patio now, it's gorgeous.

i rented the new season of Weeds on my way home from Hollywood Video because i had gift cards, now i have until monday to watch 13 episodes... i have faith in myself.

i'm pretty sure my days are numbered at the station... they're auditioning new people... it was fun while it lasted, but it will also be nice to have some free time.

i went to alto cinco last night for dinner. it was fantastic, i can't believe its taken me this long to dine there. i didn't get a to go menu though, so until i do, the review will have to wait...