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Monday, December 29, 2008

Funniest Christmas Gift Received 08

Have you heard of these? Well, I had. But it had not occurred to me to try them. And then mom sends them as a fun gift. They are sort of cool. If you ever had a massage or a pedicure and like the feeling of someone putting there fingers through your toes (like hand holding, only this is hand and toe holding) and stretching the space between your toes out, which I do.


I wore them comfortably for about a half hour. About another half hour later they became a bit uncomfortable and I took them off. My feet felt looser. My right foot is noticeably stiffer and it's a tab bit more difficult to get the yogi toe onto it. All in all, since I'm on my feet at work I think I'll stick with them on a nightly basis. Feels pretty good and just like reflexology it has to be good for you!




As an added note, I've been wearing them every night now for about 5 days. While they seem a bit uncomfortable (places stretching that have not in a long time) at first, my feet feel wonderful and lighter once I remove them. Leaving them on for a good half hour or so, especially after a shift at work.

According to their web page;


YogaToes Can Help:
Exercise your feet to stay healthy & in shape.
Improve & prevent foot problems by stretching & aligning your toes.
Ease the discomfort of Hammertoes, Bunions & Plantar Fasciitis.
Recover from stress, strain & overuse.
Improve foot strength, flexibility & appearance.
Increase circulation, straighten bent toes, & realign joints.
Improve & reduce the aches & pains associated with poor posture.



Of course these arrived before the camo-duct tape which might tie as the funniest gift received.












Potato Chip Insantity, I Mean Craving...




On Christmas, we arrived for dinner at K n' K's. Does Christmas dinner ever run on time? Not in any household I've ever been to or held at my own home. So of course, there are the snacks. As if we need to nibble on something before we stuff ourselves silly. But, we do. In my family it was carrots, celery with cream cheese sprinkled with paprika, ranch dressing, chips, and boxes and boxes of See's candy sitting everywhere. Well, low and behold the bowl of potato chips. Actually, not one but two. Not just potato chips, but Ruffles with ridges. Plain and Cheese with Sour Cream. Ugh. I swear they know my name....I can still hear them calling me today. Egads. But, I digress.

Proudly, I managed to only eat a few. Really, I didn't want to ruin my dinner. Besides, salt and my tummy have not been on good terms lately. So I managed to avoid more than one small helping, that day at least.
The next day, we stayed in for the day. Don'tcha know I could hear those damn things calling me. Seducing me into thinking I wanted them. Oh, to actually get dressed and head off to the lovely 711 or our local weirdo vortex (aka The Local Safeway). But, no I would not! I said to myself, "No, you will not bust into this pj wearing, snow falling heavenly day just to go out for a bag of chips you don't even need to eat! You will not cave. You. Will. Stay. Right. Here." And I did.

But....the next day. We swung by Trader Joe's. One of the most wonderful places on earth to shop for groceries, if you happen to actually like shopping for groceries. The crunchy isle. Crackers. Popcorn. CHIPS. Of course, no Ruffles but that's okay. There are other chips, more healthy, or not so healthy if you choose. Well, I thought what the heck, and instead of picking up a regular bag of Kettle Chips I choose another one. That's right, I guilted myself into the new...(drum roll, da da da) Kettle Cooked Potato Chips, white cheddar. The main banner across the bag said "Reduced Guilt." Ya know why??? Because you will eat a few and throw out the rest of the bag. No guilt induced since you didn't eat them! That's right, they have an after taste. A badddddddddd after taste. I am not usually a picky "diet" food eater, but these are gross. I highly recommend you don't try them, that is unless you want to dip them into a big vat of dip!

I still have that bag of Ruffles in the back burners of my mind. Damn, damn, damn.




Sunday, December 28, 2008

Christmas Eve: An Adventure in Vegetarian Dining

Okay, Okay, Okay, I know. Those vegetarians who tell you tofurkey is delicious are out of their iron deprived minds. I couldn't agree more, but I have to confess I LOVED the vegetarian dinner I was served on Christmas Eve.
Yes, it's true Virginia, there is a vegetarian alternative that was absolutely frickin delicious. In fact, I got on-line that very night and found out exactly just where I could procure the item served for myself. http://www.fieldroast.com/recipes.htm It was that good.
Let me back track a bit. Our gracious friends Andrew and his wife Amy invited us for Christmas eve dinner. Not sure of our ability to even get there with the weather storming away, we were glad to be invited. Our last dinner at their home provided us with much laughter, another knock out vegetarian meal (featuring Amy's secret, delicious, healthy sauce), and sparklers in the backyard to cap off our evening. Needless to say, we were looking forward to spending the evening with them.
So, we arrive despite the snow and rain. Thanks to a front wheel drive Acura that just keeps going. Amy and Andrew greet us with open arms and welcome us into their home. It's about 6pm so we sit down to dinner and are immediately served a mouth watering salad. Yes, there is such a thing as a mouth watering salad. Gourmet greens, avocado, fresh pomegranate, toasted sunflower seeds, balsamic vinegar, with a tad of agave sweeter. Delicious. I'm going to need to find another word to describe this dinner!!!
Once we have gobbled up our salad, out comes the main dishes. "Field Roast," roasted vegetables, organic wild rice, mushroom gravy, and fresh cranberries. Now, you are wondering what is vegetarian about Field Roast but it is a company out of Seattle that makes grain meat. Yes, meats out of grain. Let me tell you, it was so light and scrumptious I could have eaten the entire loaf. It was surrounded by a light pastry shell with the goods wrapped inside. Earthy, garlicky, and down right just as good as any old roast I've ever consumed. (As a side note, I have never been a big fan of roasts. You know those veins and fat and all, ugh.) My roast aversion aside, even my girlfriend who is a beef lover ate it up in no time. She even wanted more.
All I kept thinking through dinner was this; Happy, Happy, Happy tongue! My little taste buds were dancing with joy. My tummy happy, full but lite. No indigestion. No heart burn. In fact the next day when we had traditional dinner. Due to the vegetarian meal I consumed the night before I felt light enough to over indulge! Bring on the turkey, stuffing, gravy, and potatoes! Feeling light is not easy for a girl of my size and height. I swear this vegetarian dinner not only satiated my gourmet loving taste buds but was one I vow to make again.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Blatent Disrespect

I'm not catholic. I'm not a mom. I'm not even married anymore but I am respectful enough to go to a "church" celebration/fund raiser and not flaunt my tastes or life style. Today I spent a few hours with my girlfriend and another "girly" couple wandering around the Everett Sausage Festival. Families, young, old, babies, grandparents everywhere you looked all walks of life were represented. Sadly, one from my so called "community" stood out - like the worst sore thumb ya ever saw. Proudly, hair afire with pink and purple, dark sunglasses on, and a t shirt that in bold yellow letters screamed "Fuck That." I have already seen this person at the only alternative bar that existed in Everett many a time, and yes her wardrobe is always tacky but...come on now. Do you have to wear the rudest piece of clothing you own to a "family" event? Could you represent us in any worse fashion? No pun intended. For once, I was thankful I didn't have a child, especially one old enough to read. How would I explain you and your disrespect? How do you think you earn it? Certainly, not by insulting the very crowd you came to be a part of for the afternoon.