After looking at Fiesta Mart Sunday night and not finding Celestial Seasonings Spearmint tea, I went to the CS site to try to find another store that might have it. This was the third grocery store I had searched.

Alas, my favorite tea in the world has been discontinued! How sad and disappointed am I. I have one more bag left. . . I wonder how long I can keep it.

Dost anyone in the blogosphere have a suggestion for a replacement? I may be left with Mint Magic. Or to try any other herbal Spearmint tea brand I can find.

Oh, sad, sad day.
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Sunday afternoon I made onion soup because I had a half an onion sitting in the fridge (it was still good!). I was trying to follow this recipe, but I only used what I had on hand. So here is my adapted recipe for onion soup, using found food items.

about a TB (or more) of olive oil (I just poured what looked right in the pan)
1/2 of a large onion, chopped
up to a TB of garlic
a few dashes of pepper (I don't care for salt)
a tiny dash of chili powder
1 can 98% fat-free low sodium chicken broth (mine was a bit past the expiration date)
leftover shredded parmesan

I chopped up the onion half while the oil heated, then put the onion in. I dashed some pepper on it and let the onions cook. Unfortunately, I didn't read the instructions about the garlic, and added it before the onions were caramelized. And! I used pre-roasted garlic from a small jar. And! I put in too much for my smaller meal. But you know what - I love garlicky soup, and it still came out all right! So you let the onion caramelize and then you add the garlic. I say up to a tablespoon, b/c not everybody likes garlic as much as I do. Then add the chicken broth. Boil and then lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for about 10-15 minutes. I added more pepper and a slight hint of chili powder. I can't taste the chili powder at all, but I know it's in there!

I add the parmesan as a topping, but I'm sure it would be good with croutons and cheese baked in. My version made about two large servings, which is great for the single gal (or guy).

Sidenote: my mother and I made Rachael Ray's Apple and Onion Stuffin' Muffins on Saturday and they didn't keep their form. At all. The stuffing came out very rich, but not that crusty.
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My task to Adam, should he choose to accept it (which he did):

Spend an afternoon in a park or museum people-watching. Write down short vignettes for as many people/characters as you can, and post them here. That's something I'd like to do if I had the gumption.

Here are the results: From the Milwaukee Public Museum
at 4pm until 5pm on 11/23/04

Give Adam a Purpose-Driven Life!
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You Are a Pundit Blogger!

Your blog is smart, insightful, and always a quality read. Truly appreciated by many, surpassed by only a few.

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We're closing the office early, and because of that we are trying to get a lot of work out in a shorter amount of time. We're almost there!

Tomorrow we head to my great-aunt's house for Thanksgiving meal. Unlike a lot of America, we have Thanksgiving lunch. That way, you snack for breakfast and you snack for dinner (or have leftovers if you like). We usually watch the Cowboys game. My family also has a tradition of going to see a movie together on Thanksgiving day or the day after. I have no clue what we will go see. We've already seen "The Incredibles" and there's really nothing else out there I'd want to see with my parents. I would like to see "Kinsey" sometime, but not with my mom and dad. No thanks.

I can't wait til "A Very Long Engagement" comes out (hopefully soon!). I finished the book, and was confused for a good part of it. I am sure, however, that Jeunet will do a great job with it. Part of my confusion was all the French names. I just couldn't keep them straight. I knew who Manech and Matilde were, and that's about it.

Anyway, happy Thanksgiving, everybody! Remember to Buy Nothing on Friday.
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Through IMDB, I found a cute article on my latest addiction, Desperate Housewives.

MSNBC - Sex and the Suburbs
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My dad asked me to go to this concert with him. I don't know too much about George Crumb, but when Eighth Blackbird came to town, they played his "Vox Balanae", and I really liked it. They wore masks and made whale-like music with their instruments. I'm pretty sure that was my favorite piece of the night.

He's going to be at a performance of his works by the New Music Ensemble Tuesday night at 8pm in Bates Recital Hall. Admission is free.

School of Music | Music Calendar Details
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I carpooled with my mom to work yesterday. I usually leave my car in the grass when she drives, but since we had had so much rain, she asked me to park on the street. We left early from work because it was so slow and as we drove into the carport, I saw the door was completely open. The frame was splintered into a jagged hinge, and there was a huge muddy boot-print on the door. I also noticed standing water on the patio beside the house. As my mom talked to the 911 operator, she slowly pulled us out of the driveway and we parked by my car. I remembered that Leah had come by to check on the dog (who was at work with us) earlier that afternoon, so I dialed 411 to get her at work and ask specifically when that was. She was really freaked out when I told her the house had been broken into. I figured it happened after she came by, and after the mail had come, because there was still mail in the box.

My theory is that some stoned teens tried to jimmy the door, got frustrated by the deadbolt and gave up, but were able to kick the door in after a couple of tries. They really cased the place. Work-gloves were pulled out of their drawer, DVD cases were tossed on the living room floor. Our "antique" piggy-bank (it's a rip-off) was torn apart, with the base on one side of the living room, the barrel on another, and the ringmaster on the other. The bedroom mattresses had been completely upturned, and the firebox broken into. Before they left, they made sure to stop up the kitchen sink with a rag and turn it on full blast. The dining room carpet was flooded, and squished when you stepped on it. They left a quarter-eaten apple by a file cabinet in the living room, and we know it was a guy because he left the toilet seat up.

The thing is, they didn't take much. They took a credit card, the digital camera and port we gave Mom last Christmas, my dad's class ring, a necklace my aunt had given Mom on her wedding day, and $15 worth of quarters. At least, that's all we have figured out so far. I wonder if my car had been in the grass, would this still have happened? One of the cops said they might have broken into the car as well, but you never know.

I had to call a water damage company to come deal with the carpet, and they didn't get by until 11pm. Luckily, we have a friend who was able to come by and fix the doorframe, and she stayed with my mom until my dad got home.

I'm glad they didn't take more, but it was freaky nonetheless. It is so cruel, invasive and somewhat violent. I did joke - they left the main bathroom untouched, and left the books on bookshelves alone. I told my mom now we know to hide valuables in the bathroom. She said - yeah, we'll put it in a tampon box and they won't bother it!

Anyway, that's what I had to deal with last night. Fun!
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I'm reading that Cy Coleman has passed on. All the sudden I read this sentence:

Coleman worked again with Simon on his third Broadway musical, "Sweet Charity" (1966), based on Federico Fellini's film, "Nights of Cabiria."

I have seen both of those films, and I didn't figure out the connection until now!! I cannot believe I never put it together!! Perhaps because "Nights of Cabiria" is bizarre, yet uplifting, whereas "Sweet Charity" just annoyed me. Well, since I just saw the Fellini film last year and haven't seen "Sweet Charity" in about ten years, I guess I should give it another try. Maybe I'll understand more.

But maybe not.

Broadway Musical Composer Cy Coleman Dies
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How Would YOU Take Over the World?

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Thanks to Charlie.


Though they rarely caused mankind any serious harm,
these Japanese fox spirits known as kitsune
were well known for playing tricks on people
and could be a real nuisance. They possessed
the ability to transform into any creature,
though they would often retain their fox tail.
One could easily determine the age and level of
maturity of a kitsune by counting it's tails;
An immature, rambunctious kitsune would have
very few tails, while a wise and powerful one
would have as many as nine.

As a kitsune, you are clever, sensual, beautiful,
mysterious and effeminate (even if you are a
guy). You are also somewhat sneaky and like to
pull pranks on people, but otherwise you are
very pleasurable to be around.



Who is your inner Shapeshifter?
brought to you by Quizilla

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This weekend I had something to write in my journal and realized that I had not written in my journal since October of 2003. Good Lord, I'm writing a lot on my blog. I guess if I had more stuff I wanted to keep private I would have more entries in my journal. Too bad.

I've lost my address book and have no idea how I'm going to do Christmas cards with really old addresses. The only book I can find is about three years old. I'm so pissed. I can't figure out where it has gone. I probably lost it in the move. Gosh, I hope not.
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Events I'm going to try and check out this weekend:

La Pena - Women & Fair Trade Sale - Friday, November 19, 2004, 4-8 pm and Saturday, November 20, 2004, 10 am - 8 pm

Melissa told me about this and I'm going to try to make it over. I'm all about free trade and helping women out! Plus, I have yet to visit La Pena, and this is a worthy excuse.

The AAIM twentieth Annual Citywide Interreligious Thanksgiving Service is on Sunday, so I'm going to that, too.

Nothing else planned yet. . .
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Last night Melissa came over to watch The Amazing Race premiere. Since she had cooked me a nice pasta dinner a while ago, I felt like I owed her the favor. I tried this recipe from the Food Network site. It seemed quick, easy, and still yummy. I got off work early to go get supplies at the store. I went and checked on my mom's dog, then went to the apartment and got to work.

I had put the chicken breasts in the fridge to defrost, but they were still frozen. So I had to defrost them. While I was doing that, I cut up the tomatoes. Since I don't care much for tomatoes, I don't use them often, and am afraid I cut them the wrong way. Anyway, I oiled up the foil and set about five tomato slices down. The chicken had defrosted by this time, so I set it on top of the tomatoes and sprinkled thyme and pepper, with lots of shredded Parmesan. I had cut up some large black olives (yum) and sprinkled those on. Then I folded up the package and set it in the fridge.

I got to watch about twenty minutes of Gilmore Girls before Melissa got there. Then I heated the skillet, put some olive oil in it, and added the package. About two minutes after I did that, Melissa commented that she was surprised the detector hadn't gone off, there was so much smoke. It started smelling like something was burning after five minutes, so I removed it from heat. I opened the package and it looked done! The tomatoes had melted and burned on the foil, so we couldn't eat them. I put it on the plates and sat down to watch TV. As I cut into the chicken, the insides were still pink! So we put the chicken back in new foil (added more cheese) and set it in the oven for ten minutes. Still wasn't done, so did it for ten more minutes. Finally it was done (phew) and edible.

It came out pretty good after all that, but next time I won't use so much thyme, because it tasted strange with the Parmesan. And I definitely won't use the skillet idea. I'll just put it in the oven in the first place.
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I have of late become a Food Network groupie. I remember when the network first started, I thought, how ridiculous! A channel devoted to food! But I have grown to love "30 Minute Meals" and "Good Eats". I also find "Paula's Home Cooking" fun to watch.

Rachael Ray did a special this weekend (it is being aired multiple times) where she made a Thanksgiving meal in 60 minutes. It is quite amazing. I think I'm going to attempt the Apple and Onion Stuffin' Muffins recipe. They looked so yummy and crunchy, and I don't even like apples in stuffing!

Anyway, if you get a chance, you should try to catch the show. It was quite enthralling to watch her make two recipes at the same time. I have a feeling if I tried doing all of the recipes she did, it would be more like Thanksgiving in 180 miuntes, at least.

Food Network: Rachael Ray's Thanksgiving in 60
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I just want to state that I love having a blog, but I have yet to fall for anyone over their blog. I find it interesting that this happens, and am intrigued that the New York Times found a blog soap opera they thought juicy enough to publish.

The characters/bloggers involved: The author, the musician boy, and the cute blogger who almost came between them.

Should you fall for someone whose blog you regularly read? Should you blog about your personal life/s*xual prowess/lack there-of?

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I have told my church that I am resigning from the board of MdC. I have no desire to be President anymore. The politics and communication problems are really getting me down. Plus, I am going to leave my church. I haven't figured out which church to join yet (leaning very much towards Central Pres), but don't feel comfortable representing a church I rarely attend on the board. Maybe if I change membership to Central I can represent them on the board. I don't know . . . I think I need a long break before my next board experience.

Thursday night is the last time I lead a meeting (and I'm sure there will be some conflict), and then that's all, folks!

Well, except for a gala I have to attend in early December. Do these people not realize I have no money?! I have no clue what I'll wear to this thing, but I said I'd go.


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Yesterday I went to Central Pres. for church. My parents went along with me. Like me, they are disappointed in the state of our current church. All of the members were recently asked to do pastoral evaluations, and even with that, we know nothing will ever change. Our church will slowly die out, because like us, other members will eventually become tired of the politics and anger in the church. It's just not something you think to deal with at church. Anyway, we went to Central through the wind and rain, and it was a nice service. Even though it was Stewardship Sunday (the give-us-money Sunday), the sermon was still pleasant, humorous, and even pensive in spots.

For lunch we went to Santa Rita, which is much prettier than the Tres Amigos restaurant that used to be there. The walls are vibrant, there are mirrors on the backs of booths, and it is a very open space, very conducive to eating in. I got spinach quesadillas, which were pretty tasty. Our friend Janette coaxed my mom into trying the Suiza sauce on a spinach enchilada plate, and it looked delicious. I look forward to going back there, for sure.

Later on in the afternoon, I made my way over to the Dobie Theatre to catch a showing of Sideways. I took a book and read before the movie began. When the previews started, there were only about 20 people in the theatre. I hope more people are coming to see the film (or have already seen it), because it is quite a wonderful film. Paul Giamatti just continues to impress me with his acting talents. He was as good (if not better) in this film as he was in American Splendor. Both films are a sort of comedy, but Sideways is quite ponderous in comparison. I will admit, about a quarter of the film is spent on wine, which I know nothing about. I don't like the taste, and am definitely not into the culture of wine-tasting and wine and cheese parties. That being said, I still much enjoyed the film. It is mainly about Miles (Giamatti) and his relationship with (Jack). It doesn't seem like there would be much there between them, yet they are very close. What I took from the film was one of the last thoughts stated in it. Mya (Virginia Madsen) has left a message for Miles, telling him not to give up.

I loved the ending of the film, which left things up to interpretation. You got a pretty good idea of where the lives of the characters were headed. I don't think that there was anything I didn't like about the film. Of course there were two spots where I had to cover my eyes because the characters were doing humiliating things (that's another post). I could say I loved this film and I would watch it again. Paul Giamatti is that good.

Even Thomas Haden Church was good, and I haven't seen him since his "Ned and Stacey" days. Both of the female actresses were great, but not as much in the film as I would like. Really, it's a road trip film, and the women are just part of it.

So that was my Sunday.
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You will be smothered under a rug. You're a little
anti-social, and may want to start gaining new
social skills by making prank phone calls.


What horrible Edward Gorey Death will you die?
brought to you by Quizilla
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I just piled the old CPUs we had sitting around the office into the car, along with a defunct monitor and printer. We're going to take them over to Goodwill to be recycled. I didn't realize how easy the city has made it to recycle computers. If Goodwill can make your computer work, then they can sell it in their store or on EBay. If they can't fix it, the city will take it to be recycled.

Another reason to love Austin!


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I think I want this CD for Christmas. I went and listened to a few tracks and it's just wonderful.

Unhappy sidenote, I called my student loan company and the government is slacking off, basically. I now owe for two months. I realize now I should have started the process a tad earlier, but I didn't think it would take this long!

and if you don't get the title of this post, boy, are you missing out. The Three Stooges version is the one I prefer.
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I consider the veterans in my life today. My grandfather who served in the Navy during World War II, my other grandfather who served as an MP in San Francisco during WWII, and my cousin currently serving in Iraq.

The last time I talked to my father's father, he was very reminiscent with me. Before this, I didn't really know a whole lot about him. He told me that he joined the Navy for the GI Bill and worked with ammunition storage. He lost a good deal of his hearing because of it. After his service was up, he was able to go to university and become an engineer.

My mother's father has been dead for over ten years now. I don't really know much about his service. I know he served in San Francisco as an MP because there is a certificate regarding his service in the smallest room of my grandmother's house. He eventually came back to North Texas to work at General Cable and raise cattle on the side.

My cousin is my age. He is my father's oldest sister's son. He lived in Florida for most of his life, so I am not as close to him as my other cousins. He joined the military after high school and went to the language school in San Diego. He studied Arabic. He got married my sophomore year in college, his wife had a baby my junior year, and he was sent to Iraq for a period that same year, I believe. He came back and served at Ft. Hood for a while. His service was almost up when he was sent to Iraq early this year. As far as I know, he is still around, but I wonder every time I hear of military deaths over there. The reason I have the "Books for Soldiers" button on the side of my page is because I know he enjoys reading, so I plug it for everyone.

I appreciate the service of the men and women overseas, but wish that there was a better justification for their sacrifice in Iraq.
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I've been thinking about leaving blogger. It has been so slow lately, plus I feel ready to move on. The only question is, where? I don't know enough about html/css/fill-in-the-blank to fully set up my own page. I can't afford to pay someone to do it for me. I know too much about it to set up with typepad. The blogs I've seen there all have the same basic look about them. Anyway, I'm just considering it.

I should be getting a raise sometime soon, which is good. The last payment I made with my Americorps award to my college loan has yet to go through. Now I owe for two months, because I keep hoping that payment will come through any day now. I know the goverment is slow, but I've never had it be this bad for me before. I've decided that if the payment hasn't gone through by the middle of next week then I will go ahead and pay out of my pocket.

I don't know how, but I've got to.
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If anyone knows where I could find Celestial Seasonings Spearmint Tea in the central Austin area (I'm not a member of Wheatsville Coop, but I know they have it there), I'd be much obliged. I'll buy a box and it lasts me forever, but when I run out, it's pretty difficult to find. Fiesta has been suggested to me. Any other ideas?

The HEB on Red River does not have it.
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I pride myself on knowing lots of random crap trivia, and I'm just now finding out from wonkette that Anderson Cooper is the son of Gloria Vanderbilt. I feel so out of the loop! That is something else I could have added to my lambasts at the Channel One telecasts in high school. My friends and I were forced to watch Channel One in high school because the "network" had donated the TVs to the school. Anyway - even in high school I thought Anderson Cooper took his "journalism" a tad too seriously. Now to find out Gloria Vanderbilt is his mom? Wow.

Is Lisa Ling related to someone famous, too? What about Serena Altschul? Or Tevin Campbell? Oh wait - he was supposed to be famous himself.
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I have decided that Anu who puts together A.Word.A.Day is a Democrat. Or perhaps at least a third party liberal. Why, you ask? I subscribe to this email list and tend to read the quotes of the day, rather than the word. I have surmised that his quote collection during the election always reflected on war, the need for peace, and the sadness of closed-mindedness. After the election, the quotes have started being a tad fatalistic. My example - yesterday's quote:

The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts. -Bertrand Russell, philosopher, mathematician, author, Nobel laureate (1872-1970)

However, today's quote is a bit more comforting:

Patience is also a form of action. -Auguste Rodin, sculptor (1840-1917)

If this is not the case, and Anu really just picks random quotes for no reason, then at least I had fun making up theories. I have a feeling I'm right on base, though. It would go along with paragraph people being Democrats and math people being Republicans (Here's the column I'm referring to).
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MarryAnAmerican - Homepage - No good American will be left behind!

For some reason, blogger isn't letting me post to my other blog this morning. Damn it.

And Kerry has officially conceded.
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I woke up early this morning and I prayed. Then I saw the results of the election, and I wished I could go back to bed.

First thoughts for the day:

I could move to Canada or Mexico. Or Australia! I joked about it, but I'm actually going to start looking into it.

I came up with an idea for a story concerning the draft and how the younger generation is eventually exterminated by a quagmire of a war that never ends.

I stop being a Democrat and give my mind up to the greater power that is the Republican party.

I am so disappointed in this country. I had such faith in it, and am now thoroughly disgusted. I guess I'll have to agree with other bloggers this morning - the people who voted for Bush will surely get what they deserve.

Of course the rest of us will have to suffer also.

I still have a tiny sliver of hope for Ohio, but realize the chance there is extremely small.
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Kristina and I decided last night that at 10am (9am for her) we would have a moment of prayer for Kerry to win the election tonight. Feel free to join us!
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Yesterday I spent a good part of the afternoon volunteering at the Texas Book Festival. I spent about an hour and a half in the author hospitality room where one author handed me his author evaluation and another complained to me about her name being misspelled on her festival paraphenalia (name badge and such).

Then I was an author escort for the Texas Men vs. Texas Women panel, moderated by Sarah Bird. I was very good and didn't act silly with Sarah Bird, holding myself back from admitting what a fan I am. I acted pretty cool - as cool as I could be wearing a huge orange Book festival tee over my black CodePink shirt.

I hadn't heard of any of the authors in the panel, but surprisingly found myself very interested in the panel discussion. All of the authors on the panel were scholars who have devoted works to the writing of Texas authors. Lou Rodenberger and Dr. Sylvia Grider edited Let's Hear It: Stories by Texas Women Writers, Steven Davis wrote Texas Literary Outlaws and James Ward Lee (the only author on the panel whose name sounded previously familiar) recently published Adventures with a Texas Humanist. All of the authors were quite pleasant and the panel was very educational for me. I confess, besides Sarah Bird and Sandra Cisneros, I haven't read much Texas literature.

I know a couple of the authors were disappointed in the lack of turnout at the signing tent. Ultimately, I think there was a lack of turnout for yesterday's events compared with past festivals. When I went year before last to hear Sandra Cisneros and Fannie Flagg, there seemed to be a lot more people. Maybe there weren't many yesterday because it was Halloween? Whatever the reason, I hope this improves for next year.
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Austin Area Interreligious Ministries is having its twentieth Annual Citywide Interreligious Thanksgiving Service on November 21 at Riverbend Church. I've only been to a few so far, two in synagogues and one in a Hindu Temple. This will be my first time to visit Riverbend so I am looking forward to checking their facilities out.

I love this service. It brings together so many different religious traditions, and the celebration afterwards is always fun. I will be interested to see how they celebrate twenty years and how many people will show up for it!

Austin Area Interreligious Ministries - Announcements
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