Australian Burger

After writing this post I realized that it's pretty lame and pointless.  But it's my blog and I'm posting it anyway.  Feel free to stop reading and go to a better site.  It won't hurt my feelings, I promise, because I won't even know.

My co-workers and I often walk over to Innovation Place at lunchtime to eat at the Atrium Cafe.  This week they were featuring an Australian Burger:

Its basically a cheeseburger that is topped with pickled beets and pineapple.  I'm not a big fan of pickled anything, but I thought I'd give this burger a try.  

After eating I thought: Meh.  At least I tried it.

And that was the Australian Burger.

~b~

TV

After I bought the iPhones and started paying for 2 cellphone bills with 2 data packages I decided to "do away" with cable.  I've been pretty happy with my decision, for the most part.

Now, "doing away" with cable, doesn't mean I don't watch TV, it just means I won't pay to watch TV.  This means that I will sometimes watch TV at my mothers house, so I can say that:  Yes, I did see Troy at the end of the EH, OH Canada Go Commercial.  I  will also watch shows from DVD's, like Lost, 30 Rock, and How I Met Your Mother.  Lately, I've been watching shows online: The Amazing Race, The Mentalist, and America's Next Top Model.

One of the ways I have simplified my life is to only buy black ankle socks.  In theory, this means no sorting and matching of socks required.  (In actuality, I still match my black socks based on thickness and the type of elasticy edge.)

I didn't really think that watching TV had any type of influence on my thinking, until this morning when I was getting ready for the day.  This morning I had thrown my clothes on my bed, ready for me to put on.  And when I got out of the shower, I looked at the socks I had randomly thrown on the bed, waiting for my selection.  And I thought:  4 black socks are lying before me, but only two can be put on . . .

You can watch the elimination ceremony of America's Next Top Model HERE.

~b~

Enough of the food posts already

Sorry, I get carried away sometimes.

This beautiful weather has caused me to put down the oven mitts and pick up my Nikon.

I took four hundred and some pictures the other day.  Mostly of dogs, horses, fences, Max's tongue, one very cute little girl, oh, and Max and his tongue.

I think I deleted about three hundred and some.  But I did manage to get a few pictures which I liked.

This one was my favorite:

~b~

Kijiji

Thing #1

The atrocious spelling:

I'm convinced that anyone using this resume writing sercice, I mean sercvice will indeed grab the attention of the busy recruiters and make you stand out.

I'm convinced that anyone using this resume writing sercice, I mean sercvice will indeed grab the attention of the busy recruiters and make you stand out.

Thing #2

When people post ridiculous creative ads like this one:

The ad is pretty long and if you read it to the end the guy throws in free MC Hammer pants.  Now that's incentive.  You can read the rest of the ad HERE.

~b~

Off the Bookshelf: Skinny Bitch

My latest read:

Skinny Bitch looks like another weight-loss book with a fresh angle, it could have been subtitled:  How to get skinny from some smart-mouthed girlfriends.  This book is loaded with information about the importance of healthy food.  Skinny Bitch provides information on a variety of issues involving the ingredients in our diets: from the rampant antibiotic use in the meat industry and the problems with artificial sweeteners to the different types of fasts; to information on vitamins and nutrients and their importance to our bodies.  This book also offers great substitutes such as raw sugar, turbinado sugar, or even agave nectar or syrup as a sugar substitute.  The information is presented in a way that definitely isn't boring, especially with the frequent use of the words: ass, crap, bitch, and even poop.

Skinny Bitch details some of the horrible things that are included in our foods and which we ingest into our bodies.  And slowly, chapter by chapter this book persuades you to eliminate so many things in our diet which is essentially crap for our bodies:  simple carbs, sugar (the devil), and even meat.  You are encouraged to seek out sources of vitamins and enzymes through healthy, wholesome foods:  fruits and vegetables, whole grains, soy and legumes.  And while this book is touted as a How to Get Skinny book, it really is a book on persuading the general consumer to become a vegan.  

I was initially impressed with the many citations of facts, until I checked the sources consulted section and found them to come from highly biased sources such as Peta, milksucks.com and fishinghurts.com.  I also found some of the arguments to be highly skewed.  For example, "meat" is the decomposing, decaying, rotting flesh of a dead animal . . . You want to put a dead animal corpse-that has been rotting away for months - in your mouth?  In your body?  

This statement makes anyone eating meat sound disgusting, until I realized that really anything anybody eats is rotting and decaying to various degrees.  This book advocates a vegan diet that includes "meat substitutes", tofu and soy.  Its interesting that the authors can advocate eating organically and yet eat fake food in the form of meat substitutes.  That they can rely on soy beans as a main part of their vegan diet when (according to Food Inc), 90% of the soy crop planted in the United States is a genetically modified variety of soy bean.

Despite the authors use of highly bias sources and flawed reasoning I found this book to be persuasive.  Very persuasive.  During the time it took me to read this book I quit drinking coffee for 2 days.  Yes, 2 very long days.  (And if anyone knows me well enough, not drinking coffee is pure craziness).

It makes sense that eating natural, wholesome foods will be a healthier choice.  I like the the emphasis on the importance of the ingredient (which should be healthy, wholesome, and pure) rather than counting calories and fat grams.  Plus, any and all vegans and vegetarians I know seem skinny and healthy to me.  These two bitches know a lot of stuff about food and food ingredients and while I can't give up meat, or coffee, (and especially not cheese), I am more aware of what I am putting into my body and am consciously choosing to eat food that is healthy and wholesome.

~b~

Just Call Me Becky Crocker

When my son was in Kindergarden I held the crazy idea that to be a good mother, one must sent cupcakes to school on his birthday for the whole class to share.   And not just store bought cupcakes, but homemade cupcakes.  

And so I went to the store, found the baking isle and quickly located the cake mixes.  I stood there scanning the selections:  Devils Food Cake, Angel Food Cake, Chocolate Fudge Cake, Vanilla Cake, Rainbow Cake . . . the selections seem endless.  Now, all I wanted was a simple white cake so I could bake and then frost the tops with icing.  But I looked and looked and couldn't find any white cupcake mix.

They must be out of stock, I thought, so I left the store and when to a different store looking for some cupcake mix.  Same deal - the shelves were stocked with a ton of selections of cake mix, but not one box of cupcake mix was to be found.  

I was beginning to get frustrated, but knowing that this was the first year my son would be celebrating his birthday at school, I really wanted to send some special homemade cupcakes with him.  

And so, I went to a third store.  Again, the same thing happened - the shelves has so many cake mixes, but not one cupcake mix box could find.  I was starting to get frustrated, so I phone my good friend and relayed the entire story, complaining that I couldn't find a cupcake mix anywhere.

I was met with hystarical laughing coming out of the phone.  

I've come a long way since searching for the elusive Cupcake Mix,  here is my very first, (made from scratch) homemade cake:

Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Icing.   

~b~

I recommend

 I recommend that when you are in a room full of co-workers and a friend offers you a cup of this tea:

that you don't reply with the answer:  No Thanks, I'd rather save it for a special occasion.

~b~