I'm Reviewing the Situation

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I hope you're breaking out in song like I do with my blog title. No? Not singing the Oliver song too? Blush. Oh well, I'm a dork, what can I say.

Glee Soundtrack: Since we're singing, let's start with a review of my recent music purchase. I even pre-ordered the album on iTunes since I like the TV show so much. This sums it up: Glee makes me happy. I listen to the album and I'm jammin'...I'm jammin' around the house, at the gym, or on the road. And not only is the music good, but the show is as well. The show is funny, unique, edgy, and just something I look forward to each Wednesday.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society: I just finished this yesterday. Yes, the title is long and strange, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Like the title, this book is unique (sorry I used this word again, but it just fits best in both instances). It is composed of letters--just letters between all the characters. I was worried at first of not being able to keep track of the different people, but as you read on, it just clicks. The setting is post WWII and is about a writer looking for a topic for a book to write and how she enters the lives of the people on an little island in the English Channel. I highly recommend!

Pudding: I thought I'd just throw in a review on a new snack I've been eating lately. Don't fret, it's not replacing my precious froyo in any way, but it's not as chilly in cold weather. What? Pudding! I jazz it up too. I add banana, vanilla wafers, and whip cream with either banana or chocolate pudding. Bowl licking good!

That's the review for today! Like my random entires, you'll see reviews every once in a while too. If you didn't read my earlier review, it's The Critic.

...I think I'd better think it out again! (<--that the end to the Oliver song)

Random II

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You may remember the Random entry I wrote back at the end of September. This is the second Random entry. I plan on doing these types of posts every now and again because they are easy and I often have smaller topics to bring up but not really needing their own entry. Note the II (yes, I'm going to have to learn Roman numerals better, as I think I only know them up until like 19 or something --> yea Internet).

  • Halloween: Josh and I kept the evening low key and decided to stay in. Plus all the kiddies were depending on us to deliver candy and I did not fail them! We actually didn't really end up getting many trick-or-treaters. This was probably because our porch light doesn't work and so it's pretty dark at our door. We got about 4 door bell rings, but each visit had a fair number of kids. The 4th (and last) ring was like 10 kids at around 7:15pm. This 4th ring got me all excited (& worried about having enough candy), but it turned out to be the last ring of the evening. The only costume I recall is an ambulance made from a box, which I though was very creative. Once the trick-or-treaters were apparently not coming, we settled down to watch Interview with a Vampire. I wanted to prove to myself I could watch this and not have nightmares. Yes, I actually had nightmares about vampires last time. Mainly the nightmare was how I would say to myself (in the dream of course) that I didn't believe in vampires; however, Lestat showed up to prove me wrong! So far no nightmares...whew!

  • Big Game: That would be University of Oregon vs. USC football game that happened this past Saturday. Apparently it was even covered as ESPN College Day. The game brought in lots of out-of-towners and I met them all working a shift on Saturday. There were lots and lots of USC fans (there is a hotel near the store). It was fun to see everyone get so hyped up. Seriously, it's big here. I mean you go to the store and you get asked if you are watching the game, etc. (Sorry Uncle Ron, Aunt Pat & Lindsay - it was a sad day for your team).

  • Flowers: Josh was super sweet and surprised me with flowers on the table when I came home from work the other day. I was feeling less-than-perfect at my coffee abilities that morning before work and this really brightened me up. See the bouquet on Flickr.

  • Pizza Takeout: I just had to mention this. We picked up pizza yesterday and the box was beautifully painted with a flower design. This is where we say, "...only in Eugene." See the box on Flick too. By the way, this is one of our favorite restaurants. It's called Pizza Research Institute (or PRI).

  • Baking Crusade: I'm still baking and cooking a lot! I'm still trying to find the perfect muffin. Yesterday I not only made Sweet Potato Carrot muffins (from family cookbook), but a delicious apple crisp (with modifications, so ask me if you actually try this one). Also prepped dinner for tonight which was scrumptious R. Ray dish she called Turkey Chili and Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie (it's very orange for Halloween).

  • Froyo Alert: My froyo radar is still going strong. Apparently Springfield, Eugene's neighboring town, has a froyo place coming soon. It's called Sweety's (corner of Main and 6th St). I'm desperately trying to find when it opens (I'm not around that part of town much, but I might be soon - wink wink).

  • Missing the Bay: This has been on my mind lately, so I thought I'd share. No no no, don't get me wrong, I'm very happy; however, I still miss many things none-the-less. Oh and Josh agrees on many of these too...

    • Here's a few things I'm missing: Friends (this is the biggest miss!), Yumi Yogurt (and the plethora of options), Malls & Shopping (the mall here stinks and nothing compared to Santana Row and Valley Fair - although I shouldn't be spending anyway so this helps stop me!), Radio Stations(really they need better music, but I got iTunes, Pandora, and streaming), YMCA (miss the people, classes, and the little TVs on each treadmill. BUT I'm enjoying Oakway Fitness cycle and interval classes), the Liveliness of the Bay (how in the Bay you are on the cutting edge of what's new and cool...am I missing anything? should I know about anything up and coming?), and Restaurants(very limited here). Sure there is more, but that would be sad to continue. I MISS YOU GUYS!

    • On the flip side, I could list a bunch of things I'm enjoying here in Eugene too: Josh is here (yes, this is #1), Coffee Shops & Bakeries (not just Starbucks either, but Full City and more), Nature & Trails (did you see my hike post from last weekend? enough said), Friendly people (very gun-ho on the sports, just more smiles and hellos while you're out and about), Seasons (pretty colors), and more.



  • Starbucks:

    • Funny Weekend Experience: Josh and I decided to stop at the River Valley Center Mall on Saturday after my shift. As I wanted into various stores I saw our "regulars." I was like "oh there is the "iced venti, 6 pump sugar free vanilla, passion tea" customers! I reminded me of my mom (Mrs. O'Neill, the teacher) going shopping and seeing her students. Hehe.

    • Telephone Game: A customer mentioned this and I thought it pretty right-on...working at Starbucks is like a big game of Telephone (just not whispering). You call it out and then it goes down the line of others calling it out.

    • What's Heather Drinking: I added a sidebar plug-in to share my "drink creations" - check it out on the right. I'm still playing around with this setup, so if it's not there right now then come and check again. Until it's 100% up and running, my newest I've been calling Snickers. This is basically a mocha with hazelnut and caramel syrups. How I "call it" (order it)? Here you go: double tall, 2 pump sugar-free hazelnut, 2 pump sugar free caramel, non-fat, no whip, 1 pump mocha.





  • Josh's Creative Work: To end on a high note, Josh was playing around with the video and photos from my iPhone from our hike last weekend. Here's the result (enjoy!):




Clips From Sahalie Falls from Joshua Brown on Vimeo.

Boiling Lava Hot

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It was Tuesday and just another typical day on the job. However, little did I know that today would be the day soy milk would attack me and my poor wrist. Here's the sad tale:

As I said, the day started out nice; just chilling behind the bar (that's barista talk for making coffee). Then it got busy! Dun dun dun. I tried to work fast and keep up with the orders. A line of empty cups was forming. My brain telling me, "work faster, work faster!" So I did (or tried is probably the better word). To work fast behind the bar, one must multi-task. Set the milk to steam while pulling an espresso shot or blending a Frapp, etc. Well, I was doing just that when suddenly I turn around to see flying soy milk. Correction: flying evil soy milk. My brain pauses...what is going on! I go to grab the pitcher, but Brain says, "bad idea Heather, hot liquid is bad! Hit the off button!" I go hit the button, but as I do so a bit of scalding, lava hot liquid strikes my innocent wrist. Burn! However, in the spirit of true customer service, I continue onward to finish off the rush of drinks and serve the thirsty people.

The good news is that the burn didn't turn out to be major (really, I would have stopped if that were the case). With some ointment added, the next day you could barely even see the "sunburn" redness on my wrist and there wasn't any pain. However, remember this: If you are at a coffee shop, be nice to your barista because she's most likely trying to work as fast as possible AND never underestimate the power of soy milk. And now I think I ought to find a better way to work faster.

On an ending note, since I mentioned "boiling lava hot" you really ought to check out Jim Gaffigian. I LOVE his comedy...Click here! (note: at the 1-min 37-sec mark on the video you'll see about "boiling lava hot")

Forget Lazer Tag, Let's go Bowling

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Okay, so I wasn't very good at lazer tag. However last night's bowling turned out to be a great success (for me that is). Now I wouldn't go far as to say that I'm a great bowler, but I did in fact win and I was better at it than lazer tag. Also, I would like to say for the record, that although there was bumpers up, I did not in fact hit them or use them in any way, so my win (and score) was totally legit. Below is a picture of the score board for proof.

We didn't just randomly decide to go bowling. Our Starbucks store went to celebrate a good customer review score and have some team bonding time. Josh and I were on a alley with my manager, Rebecca. We had a fun time and it was nice to introduce Josh to all my new co-worker friends. What can I say, just another fun Sunday night with Heather and Josh (and I'll admit it...winning did have some factor in making it more fun than not - wink wink).

Bowling..my Fab Score! (see the H) Heather's Score - 135

Meandering the McKenzie River

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Today we thought we'd venture out and explore the area east of Eugene. Josh has a fun Central Oregon trail book and we thought we'd give a hike a try. Although Friday's weather was stormy, the weather today turned out chilly but otherwise sunny and nice (side note: I'm finding out that the weather changes day-to-day and hour-to-hour here in Oregon so layers is key).

After a quick breakfast we headed on the road taking the 126 east toward McKenzie River. The drive was absolutely gorgeous with all the fall colors. We kept saying "pretty" and "look pretty" - yes, that's as far as our vocabulary went, but what can I say, it really was pretty!

As we got closer, we started to lookout for a sign for our decided McKenzie River Trail #61. We stopped at the Ranger Station, but it was closed (you'd think they'd stay open for the weekend, silly). Oh well, onward ho with the tiny book map. Using the book map, we passed all the book's landmarks and then suddenly we were too far. We shrugged and decided trail #62, Sahalie and Koosah Falls, would work just fine.

The trail was took us along a roaring river and waterfalls. And it was not just water, we also went "through forests of 6-foot think Douglas fir and droopy-limbed red cedar." I have quite a few pictures posted on my Flickr site. The waterfalls were my favorite though, mostly because the pounding water created some beautiful rainbows!

On the road home, we made some random stops. Here's the stops:

  1. The first was the Christmas Treasures store. It did not disappoint with the number of Santas and reindeer ornaments. I saw some of my mom's favorite Salvation Army caroler figurines too. But one can only take so much of that store, so we make it a <5 minute stop.

  2. Our next stop was the Goodpasture Bridge, which is a beautiful covered bridge. We drove across it (scary, but cool), took some pictures, and then continued on again.

  3. Lunch was entirely necessary as it was late in the day already. Our lunch stop was at a cute BBQ place along the road. I thought their sign was funny, which said they were open 8 days a week (wowzers!). Josh got to have his Fritos pie - beans, BBQ meat, Frito chips, cheese, jalepanos, and probably some more I don't recall. I just smoked turkey sandwich.

  4. Our last stop was a fruit stand that was extended into a pumpkin patch. There was lots of produce, animals (pigs, ducks, donkeys), and other random things. It was like a miniature Bates Nut Farm for all you So Cali's.


And that completed our fun day outing! And Trail #61 some other day. Check out the "on the road" video:

[flickr video=4040713073]

Fall Favorites

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Rain drops on roses, and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles, and warm woolen mittens...and these are a few of my fall favorite things...

  • Leaves - This is officially my first fall living in a city where the leaves really turn. The bay area had a few trees and some color changes, but not quite like here. I'm seeing all the fall color spectrum - red, orange, yellow, etc. It's really beautiful!  I've taken a few pictures and posting on Flickr, not really capturing the true feeling, but perhaps a glimpse.

  • Flavors - Or should I say the yummiest time of year! I love pumpkins, apples, pears, ginger, sweet potatoes, and squashes (to name only a few). In fact, I have dilemmas. I just don't know what recipes to cook next. I really enjoy pumpkin recipes but there is so much out there. It's driving me nuts. I can only cook/bake so much (not to mention, it does cost to buy ingredients). Do I go with the tried & true or attempt something new that could be potentially fabulous?? I have to choose my recipes wisely. If only more money and more time. Yesterday I made some pumpkin muffins (a new Ellie recipes). You saw the apples last week in Josh's b-day dessert (a tried & true recipe). I want to make cookies, pies, risottos, mashes, crisps/crumbles (whoops drooling there, j/k). All I have left to say is, YUM!

  • Weather/Air - Nature again (see leaves above). The air is just so crisp and fresh and then you get a whiff of fireplaces or something cooking. Deep breathe, close your eyes = happiness. And it's not yet too chilly outside (nor rainy yet - but we are getting some rain).

  • Candles - I feel like I can light up my candles in the cooler weather and so another thing I love about the fall (this applies to winter and early spring too though). I especially love candles with spice smell like pumpkin (big surprise there), cinnamon, and such. Right now I'm burning a Yankee Candle Spiced Pumpkin candle...ahh so nice.

  • TV Show - This is bad, but yes the TV shows are so great in the fall. If I allowed myself I would be plopped down at the TV for hours on end. I'm enjoying all my fall favorite shows like House, Greys, Fringe (a new fav), Glee (a really new fav), SYTYCD and more.


[Remember to check out my photos by going directly to the Flickr site, clicking on the photos on the right sidebar, or clicking the one photo I chose below.]

Fall Leaves The Road Home

Life's not just Beans

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I thought I'd write a quick entry about how work is affecting my life. Let me tell you, it's major. Before coffee was just something nice to have with a scrumptious muffin in the mornings. Now it is taking over my life. It's a muffin with my coffee (exception: the delicious Honey's oat bran muffins from home-home). A recent exchange with Josh make me realize...life isn't all about beans!

Just the other day, I was lounging on the couch in the morning and I decided to ask Josh what I should pick up that afternoon for my weekly mark-out (yes, I get a free bag of beans every week). Josh said, "how about Sumatra?" My response, "well, you know that is going to be more bold and spicy and...." There is was: work at home!

Not only that, but Josh and I are becoming more coffee snobbish. I mean we are flipping through channels and we stop everything to watch Alton Brown episode on coffee. (By the way, if you're interested there is a snippet on YouTube for your viewing pleasure.)

In all seriousness though, I'm enjoying work. In fact, I coming up with my own drink creations (only for myself really, but hey it's fun for me). My newest is a Skinny Caramel Latte with a pump of Pumpkin Spice--sort of a twist on the classic Pumpkin Spice Latte. Also, I'm realizing a job like this makes it tough to keep track the weeks--work weekends, mid-week days off, work mornings but afternoons free (or vice versa), etc. It's a nice change though.

On an ending note, I am drinking tea for a switch-up and in a cup that says, "Coffee isn't just a drink, it's a magic potion that helps me think." I thought it was a fitting quote to end this entry (fyi: it's Josh's cup).

My Starbucks Cup

Where is my store located? Valley River Center.

A Tea Party Without Tea

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This would make just a party. More specifically, a Halloween party. This Saturday one of my Starbucks co-workers threw a big Halloween party. And as the title indicates, I went as Alice from Alice in Wonderland. Sadly, the Mad Hatter couldn't make it to the join me at the party since he was sick (and probably drinking tea celebrating his happy un-birthday). Okay, I'll stop making the Alice in Wonderland references/jokes.

I ventured to the party solo. I thought I was fashionably late (not like the Rabbit--just had to add one more reference), but even so when I arrived nobody from work was there yet...ecck! So I went around introducing myself to the other party-goers. Soon enough my co-worker friends arrived. It was fun because everyone really did dress up--doctors, three amigos, hill-billies, vampires, geishas, and more. It was also great to meet up with co-workers outside of the store. Just a bummer that Josh (em, the Mad Hatter couldn't  join).

Speaking of Alice in Wonderland, for you movie-goers, a Tim Burton and Johnny Depp version of it is coming to theaters soon. I hope it's good (and seems to have promise). Check it out.

Alice in Wonderland

Birthday Boy

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That would be Josh...the birthday boy. As you read earlier, we celebrated it for the most part earlier on the mini coast trip. However, we must celebrate on the actual day a bit too. This means...back to the kitchen. You may not know, but I think I won Josh over with some banana bread senior year.

What was the birthday dinner? It's fall so I thought I'd create harvest meal. Yes, a theme, so clever. In order to prevent disaster dinner (oh geez, horrible memories of the first 2 Josh birthday dinners are flashing in my mind right now), I opted for things I've made previously. Here's the meal: Rachel Ray's Roast Pork Tenderloins with Escalloped Apples, Cooking Light's Caramelized Shallots and Brussels Sprouts with prosciutto, and mashed sweet potatoes and yams. And you can't have a birthday without cake, so I made a Spiced Apple Cake. Whoa-la, no disaster dinner. Full Josh = Happy Birthday Success.

Josh's Bday Cake - Before Before

Josh's Bday Cake - After After

You're It!

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Not quite tag on the elementary school yard, but not too far off. Last night we (law school friend group--Josh, Anne, Val, and Katherine) celebrated our friends Anna and Lacie's birthdays with some Lazer Tag. This was my first time playing and I felt like a kid all over again. We played one session which is four games (about 35 minutes total). My first game score was a joke--eh hem, let me remind you again that this was my first time playing. I couldn't understand why my score totally sucked. Well, apparently you have to hold a red button down and the trigger at the same time! Not to worry, I learned quick and was able to be in the middle of the pack the rest of games.

The place was pretty cool although I have nothing to compare against. It's a dark room that has that special lighting that makes anything white go ultra bright (and some random things go bright too - Josh's teeth?!?). And an extra benefit to going on Sunday night was that we had the place to ourselves.

Fun Fun! And a final side note to my CA friends: the mini golf course--it's a family fun center type place--was indoors!
Lazar Tag

P.S. That's not us in the photo, but I thought it pretty hilarious. And my code name: Froyo Queen

***Josh's Apple Spice Cake Induced Postscript***

The Froyo Queen is scary quick. A spin, a juke and a jig.... and all you're left with is a fading flash of ponytail. Pow....shields down...your dead. (Don't believe her first time talk...she's a pro).

Coastal Cruisin'

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Whenever I say mini trip, I think of Bridget Jones Diary. I'm a dork, but yes that is one of my favorite movies. Bridget says she's going "on a full-blown mini-break holiday weekend." It's cute (or at least I think so). Anyway, I bring this up because Josh and I took our own mini trip to the Oregon coast for his birthday - my gift to him.

We started out Thursday afternoon (he doesn't have school on Fridays and I didn't have work either). We hopped into the car (not a convertible like Bridget, but my reliable Honda) and headed out towards Florence. Florence is the closest beach city to Eugene. We went there in early September with my parents actually (check out that post). I made reservations at a little restaurant called the Waterfront Depot in Florence. We sat at a window seat which looked out onto the inlet. The restaurant was very quaint and was an old train station I believe. I was a bit upset when we first arrived and the hostess said we didn't have reservations and thought we were supposed to come the night before - whatever, I KNOW I made the reservations correctly and when she frantically flipped through the pages, I didn't see my name anywhere. Errr. But, we only had to wait 10 minutes or so and they squeezed us in at the originally requested window-side table. Whew! The food was good seafood fare and we enjoyed the dinner. I had crab encrusted halibut and Josh a seafood linguini.

With full bellies, we continued up the coast to our final destination for the evening, The Shamrock Lodgettes. These were little lodges that are right on the coast. Josh saw them featured in Sunset Magazine's Top 10 Romantic Cottages a while ago while looking up the Waimea Cottages in Kauai (I couldn't afford to take us there unfortunately). We got the Bay View lodge room which was pleasant and had a little wood stove fireplace inside which was cozy (and indeed has a bay view).

The next day we grabbed a muffin and latte at a tiny coffee shop (no Starbucks there) called the Village Bean. We then drove up the coast making random stops when we felt like it - Beachside State Park, Waldport Bridge viewpoint, Seal Rock. We ended the coastal cruising once we hit Newport. There, we popped over to the Rogue Brewery to check out the local Oregon brews. Josh bought an interesting one called Chipotle Ale (I say, "ehh" to beer, but than again he doesn't complain about some of my froyo creations). Also, we grabbed lunch at the same spot we did just about 2 years ago on the day after our engagement! It's a small seafood restaurant called Local Ocean Seafood.

Lastly, we cut inland from Newport over on the 20 (yes, I will and will always say "the" in front of highways) towards Corvallis. The drive inland was also gorgeous with all the fall colors. It also went alongside an old railway route. We pulled over for a stroll in Corvallis and to check out enemy grounds (that's Oregon State which rivals University of Oregon). The town was nice - reminded me a classic college town (that doesn't sound too descriptive, but not sure how else to describe it).

The 5 took us home to Eugene which thus ended our mini trip. We had a great time, and I've posted some pictures on Flickr (and just a few on FaceBook as well).

Window Reflection in Newport

Ice Box

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No, our refrigeration is not broken...the blog title refers to our duplex. It's an ice box! Brrr, so cold and to think it's only October. Man, the winter is going to be CHILLY. The sad part is the temperature outside isn't really all that cold; it's just that our duplex is about 10 degrees colder than it is outside. Imagine, me going outside to warm up - seems backwards. The below picture is how I dealt with the freezing living room while watching a movie (buried under about 4 blankets with a little heating pad thing).

Considering our duplex is already this cold, Josh and I opted to purchase another heater. We headed off to Bed, Bath, and Beyond with our 20% coupon and got ourselves a nice little room heater. Woohoo, Saturday fun! Seriously, these little heaters are mighty I tell you. And I'm happily much cozier this evening as I type this post. I still have my robe on, but not 4 blankets like yesterday.

Unfortunately, these two little heaters are our planned heat source for the winter since according to Eugene EWEB (aka Water and Electric Board) we have the most expensive type of heating in our place - Booo! Like I wrote earlier, flannel lined jeans here I come! (not to mention, I'm really going to need to bundle up when I eat my froyo).

Ice Box Home

VIA Brownies

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Not the road to brownies, but good brownies made with Via...
(note: Via is the Latin name for a Roman road)

I stepped away from muffin making for just a moment to try out a recipe I've had on file for a few years now and never tried. You might ask, why did it take me so long to make them. Well, I've never wanted to buy a whole jar of instant coffee and with Via I don't have to (plus I got some free samples). And no, I'm not trying to trick you with promo talk--it's totally cool stuff. So, I finally made Fudgy Mocha-Toffee Brownies last night. It's a recipe is from my favorite magazine, Cooking Light. They were in the words of Rachael Ray...Yummo! Even my co-workers enjoyed them.

Oh, and I also made some biscuits for Josh. He was in heaven with biscuits, bacon, and eggs this morning. (Thanks Don & Nada!)

Fudgy Mocha-Toffee Brownies Fudgy Mocha-Toffee Brownies

Biscuits Biscuits

Music Buzz

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or DJ Heather...
For those of you who don't know my music habits, I go through song obsessions. I find a song (and sometimes it extends to two songs) and listen to it over and over until I tire of it or find another new song. Right now my song (and it's recent so I'll be listening to it a lot) is Beggin' by Madcon. As I went to find a link for this post, I found some fun facts on Wikipedia. Madcon is a Norwegian hip-hop band, which I find totally hilarious slash awesome. In case you're curious, recent song obsessions include: Replay by Iyaz (a good workout song), Fireflies by Owl City (now a top 10 on iTunes - ha! I got it as a free iTunes download), I Gotta Feeling by Black Eyed Peas (ugh, now way over played on the Radio), and Forever by Chris Brown (from the now popular wedding ceremony video, which Josh found before the hype. Not sure what I'm talking about? Check it out on YouTube).

Life Indoors: Reports from the Weather Underground

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Weather Report: It seems that the Oregon rain season is upon us. The first few days of rain started this past week. I posted a small picture earlier--the official first day. We've had a few rain days intermixed with days of sun this week, so we're still getting some sun. I am worried about the colder weather expected to come. I mean it's only mid to upper 50s and my feet are ice already (not that this isn't typical of me, but not so early in the year). In the coldest of SF area weather I had my feather blanket, quilt, blue blanket, fuzzy tan blanket, and often a throw on me at night. Hmm, we'll see; I might have to invest in an electric blanket, flannel lined jeans, and more fuzzy socks. I appreciated my car's seat warmers previously, but now I think I'm going to come to love them (I picture Josh walking into the garage to find me hanging out in the car just to have the seat warmers and heater blasted on me!). Happy news is that the leaves are starting to turn colors now--it's beautiful! I'm going to take some pictures and post soon.

Movie-Going: Last night we went to the cheap theater to see The Hangover. By the way, the cheap theater is awesome. On weekends it's only $2 to see movies that are not really at main theaters anymore, but not out on tape yet (and it's $1 during the week). The theater isn't stadium sitting, but it's the regular theater experience, so you really can't beat it--great deal! Anyway, The Hangover was a bit over-hyped for me. Everyone said how funny it was, and it was funny but not as funny as everyone said it would be. The movie was really pushing it with some of the humor and it some of it was just wrong. Don't get me wrong, I did think it was funny and I laughed a bunch, but it's just wasn't Old School or me. As for previews, I think Extract looks freakin' hilarious & can't wait for that to release. Our other cheap movie fun is Netflix. Right now we're going through the first season of True Blood (more vampires).

In the Kitchen: I'm still on the muffin quest. Yesterday, I tried bakig Pear and Apple Muffins. These tuned out pretty well. I cooked half of the batter to see how they were, and decided to add more sugar and spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, etc) on the second batch. The second batch was better. But there is something I'm missing. I think it' an oaty, bran texture and nuttiness that I love that my attempts have failed to meet. Josh is the lucky taster (I don't think he minds). I've still got plenty of recipes to try though. Next I might add oat bran to the recipe to see if that helps me with the texture I'm looking for. Again, I'm open to any recipes you might want to share --please send!

SBux: This is going great--I'm enjoying the people and job. The change in weather brought some big crowds to some of my shifts. It can get pretty crazy with a long line-up of cups to make, but it really makes the day go fast (and learn quick). Also, you may have seen all the commercials on the newest product, Via. It's the micro-brew 100% Arabian bean coffee. You should really try it (really, it's good). I used it to bake some biscotti and there are so many more recipes that call for instant coffee which will work perfectly with this stuff.

P.S. I can now wear my Crocs with the soft liner around town unabashedly. Unlike the Bay Area, they are true Oregonian style so nobody judges you wearing them around. I'm enjoying this, although I do think I need to find a nice pair of cute, water proof, versatile, comfy shoes.

Random

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I'm just chugging along like usual, but I thought I'd post some random stuff--things on my mind or going on but nothing worthy of it's own post really.

  • Mouse - No a mouse was not in the house nor was it seen in the front yard like the deer and turkey mentioned previously. Actually, I got a new mouse for my laptop--one that does not make a clicking noise when I scroll. Not only is it functional, but it's pretty too. A nice bright blue color, teal blue (blue being my signature color). It's Microsoft's Wireless Mobile Mouse 4000.

  • Yummy Pumpkin - Fall has arrived and that means pumpkin time. The great news (nay, the fantastic news) is that pumpkin froyo arrived at the Sub Shop this week (see my yogurt post). I was so thrilled that I did a froyo dance when I got home (this sort of scared Josh). I got a quart of it with vanilla...delish!

  • Coffee Art - Should I cheat at try this at work? It's stencils that you can put on coffee form. Hehe. I found this on Rachel Ray's magazine blog. Actually, we did see some awesome coffee art in Vancouver at Caffe Artigiano.

  • Muffins - I'm on a quest for the best muffin recipe. I like oaty, bran type muffins. You know Honey's is my favorite. If only I had their recipe. Sigh. I tried one today from my Moosewood Restaurant Low-fat Cookbook. They weren't bad, but there are still plenty more experimenting to come.

  • Fall TV Season Begins - What I'm watching: House, Glee, Grey's Anatomy, Fringe, So You Think You Can Dance, The Office, and Project Runway. Lots of TV time ahead (and the rain is coming soon so this is a good thing!). Even more exciting: we have the Comcast DVR option so I can just set the recording and watch whenever.

  • Sonic - I got my first taste of Sonic over the weekend. I got a limeade thing. Josh drools about Sonic so we had to make the trip. Seems to me like it's a Dairy Queen alternative with a roller skater twist added. I think I'll stick to the yogurt treats, surprise surprise (but go to Sonic for Josh of course).

  • iPhone - Yup, still enjoying it!


Josh at Sonic