Archive | August, 2012

{foto friday} — it’s a blue moon!

31 Aug

a blue moon occurs when there are TWO full moons in one month.  we had a full moon on august 1st – {uhm, only the most emotional full moon i’ve been through to date} – and now this evening, we will have another full moon.  it will technically be full in the wee hours of the night, but it ought to be quite the display in the big sky.  last night after i watered the garden, i looked up and saw it.  i ran in to grab my camera, got distracted by my cute cat, only to come back to see that the moon was hiding behind some clouds. some COOL clouds!

i work late tonight, so i probably won’t have time to take photos of the full moon, but i thought i’d share these images from last night – as i precariously stood on a patio chair, nervously gripping my neighbour’s fence in hopes of not falling or shaking too much.  shooting at 1600 ISO is NOT my favourite thing ever.  but, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to get some good shots… Continue reading →

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{thirsty thursday} – homemade salsa, guacamole, and ginger ale {{and GO BRONCOS!}}

30 Aug

i like making stuff myself.

salsa and guac are always so easy, super healthy, and a hit for any occasion.  i sometimes just like to have it sitting out while i’m preparing dinner or of course, during any football game. i’m so happy it’s preseason!  the broncos are playing super late tonight, so i look forward to catching the game!!!

Continue reading →

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{wordless wednesday} – opportunity knocks

29 Aug

i ran out of time to rant and rave this week.  so how about NO words, and my favourite fotographic subjects, instead?!

🙂

Continue reading →

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{travel tuesday} — new york, new york

28 Aug

the people have spoken.  and they’ve used the “like” button as their language. for 3-4 weeks i was posting images in “travel tuesday” that were from when i lived in new york.  LOTS of you liked the posts – almost 20 on each one! some were followers, some just newbies to the blog that probably saw “new york” in the tags, and clicked on it.  either way, the message was clear :

“WE LIKE NEW YORK!”

however, wanting/needing/appreciating diversity, i thought i’d try to post a different travel tuesday. variety is the spice of life, i thought… and i’ve been LOTS of other places… and last week i thought, maybe i should post about some OTHER place to travel to… a DIFFERENT place i’ve been or lived…

nope.  no one cares.  i had like, 4 “likes” last week…

so, i listened.  THE PEOPLE WANT NEW YORK!  and i can’t say i blame them…

🙂 Continue reading →

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{meatless monday} – simple and colourful pasta salad

27 Aug

i heart italian dressing.

and i’m always trying to find ways to put in on things.  i would like to come up with a recipe of my own and just make it at home, but somehow i don’t seem to get the combinations right, it’s frustrating.  so i just buy whole foods’ brand.  and it’s probably just about the same cost as buying the ingredients to make yourself, to be honest.  plus i love a light summer salad for dinner, but those days are almost over – womp womp.

mostly i just had this stuff lying around, so i put it all together with some veggie pasta and VIOLA!  something to put italian dressing on!  Continue reading →

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{foto friday} — east village radio

24 Aug

east village radio.  classic.

one of my former co-workers DJed at this spot once a week.  you can listen live to streaming music on their website.  DJs share a small booth right in manhattan’s lower east side and take up about a 2-hour slot, which varies. my buddy JW likes to spin old-school jams like boyz to men, heavy D, bel biv devoe — take ya back.

one day after work, JW and i were leaving at the same time and he asked if i wanted to come along, since i had my camera at work that day.  heck yes, i’ll snap some photos and sip a red stripe while i listen and watch you play with some old records.  sounds awesome! Continue reading →

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{thirsty thursday} – pan-seared sea scallops w/ an old-school abbey ale

23 Aug

did i mention how i got promoted?!

so, when something BIG happens, i like to celebrate with food. and since i can’t eat a dozen maryland blue crabs right now, i opted for other aquatic delicacies…

a huge pile of freshly steamed wild-caught pink shrimp, colorado sweet corn on the cob, and delicious pan-seared sea scallops.

i take a lot of pride in being able to make really really good scallops.  tender, juicy, melt-in-your-mouth amazing scallops!  i call them “meat marshmallows” — so delicious! i’m really missing both the accessibility and lower cost of seafood from living on the east coast… this meal wasn’t cheap. but hey, i just got promoted, and so i wanted to treat myself!  i deserve it!

if you’ve never tried to make your own scallops because you’re scared of screwing up, i’m here to take away that fear my friends.  it’s really very simple to cook them, just keep it like most things should be in life –

low and slow. Continue reading →

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{wordy wednesday} – i am.

22 Aug

hello you faithful readers, you.

so much is happening. a lot of energy is coming from everywhere.

i have been through some of the worst – i mean, the worst depression of my life… i’m comfortable in saying that i’m out of it now. i don’t want to think it has potential to ever surface again, but i’m a rational person – it might. however, i feel so completely different lately that i don’t know if it will ever have as much reign over me as it did this bout.  i’m telling you, it was awful. be thankful i didn’t blog about it, even though sometimes i wanted to – just to get it out of my head.

whatever, i don’t want to waste too much energy even talking about the fact that i suffer{ed} from that horrible debilitating condition.  well, it’s the human condition, actually.  suffering, pain, fear, separation… we all deal with it, in some fashion. some of us talk about it, some of us take it out on others, some of us take it out with drugs, some of us live a secluded life avoiding interacting with anything or anyone at all…

i guess my point is, i have so much to write about lately because now that i’m out of that horrible dark tunnel, i see the light and it’s so incredibly bright i can hardly stand it.  it’s like my favourite quote –

“our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate, our greatest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.  it is our light, not our darkness, which most frightens us.”

yeah.  good stuff.  and so, i’m feeling somewhat like that – only, less afraid, more excited.  i’m like, “holy crap that light is so damn bright – i can’t wait to be sucked up in it and spitting it back out at everything i see!!!” Continue reading →

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{travel tuesday} – a sunset in carmel, california

21 Aug

what an absolutely stunning place – carmel, california.  monterey bay is equally as beautiful – they are almost one in the same.

years ago, when i was in college, i went to visit my dad in san jose, california – also beautiful, and also will be a blog post at some point – and i took lots and lots of drives along the pacific.  only twice now have i ever been to that region… but i tried to soak up as much as possible with each visit – particularly this time since i was studying fotography and wanted to use these images for my portfolio.  and i did – this one :


i am so thankful i got to visit this wonderful place… i miss the ocean a lot since moving back to colorado.  i’ve always been so drawn to it, to the water. i love the sound of the waves, the smell of the ocean air, the breeze from off the shoreline… mmm, i miss it.  the pacific ocean is pretty different than the atlantic, though… and i’m way more used to the atlantic.  if i remember correctly, i was surprised at how much cooler the water temps in the pacific were…

i digress.

here are some shots from that brisk may sunset in carmel : Continue reading →

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{meatless monday} – super easy and pretty rainbow tacos

20 Aug

these could not be simpler.  nor more delicious and healthy and light and good for you.

– whole wheat locally made tortillas, warm them up if you like

– organic black beans, drained and slightly heated via stovetop w/ a little S&P

– fresh avocado, chopped

– organic cherry tomatoes, chopped

– organic sharp cheddar cheese, shredded {normally i’d buy white, but the colour is only from annatto and i’m down with that, because it makes the rainbow in my rainbow tacos look really great…}

– sweet onion, diced Continue reading →

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{foto friday} – the time i watched a praying mantis bathe herself…

17 Aug

this was hands-down, one of the coolest things i’ve ever witnessed with my own eyes.

this post is kind of wordy – as i tend to be when i write.  get me in front of people for a speech?!  pffssthh, forget it.  i’m a hott mess.  but writing — now, writing i can do!

—

last year – around this time, a little later – i’ll say late september… i found a pregnant praying mantis on our front porch, just hanging out in the honeysuckle bush my roommate has planted by the kitchen window.  i about fell over.  i’ve had a total fascination with these neat little creatures my whole life… i never really understood what the draw to them was, but last year when i saw one i did a little research.  there are lots of different opinions and thoughts as to their symbolism.  they are said to bring stillness, sense of peace, and more internalized thinking.  because they are so mindful about their every move, the mantis is known in some parts of the world as being very spiritual and she is looked upon as almost a meditation resource. i thought i read somewhere that they can also represent death… a surrender, a letting go, etc. and ironically enough, i lost my grandmother about 2 months after i saw that praying mantis last year. Continue reading →

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{thirsty thursday} – homemade black bean & tomato hummus w/ a pumpkin ale

16 Aug

too soon?!

it’s not quite autumn, i do realize that — but the air in colorado has been changing and i even saw some yellow leaves on a green tree on my walk around the lake the other day… just sayin’ – pretty soon, they’ll be tons of corn and pumpkins!

and besides, i love blue moon beer.  i’ve tried {almost} all of their beers and i have enjoyed each one.

simple black bean hummus : 

 

– chickpeas {“this” many}

– 1 can or box black beans

– some tomatoes {did i mention how i don’t measure…}

i used these delicious little cherry tomatoes and golden nugget tomatoes. how incredible do just their names sound?!  yum.

throw those three simple ingredients in a food processor, add in a little S&P, and spin in some EVOO as needed – start with a little, add as you go if necessary…

blend until desired texture… you know, like – hummus 🙂

serve with whatever.  for lunch, i smeared some on a slice of naan bread.  pita would work, too. add in some falafel and make a wrap out of it…

or, dip some blue chips in it.  YUM!

i accompanied it with this yummy brew.

who cares if it’s kind of an autumn beer?!  it was spicy-ish, less pumpkin than spicy – at least according to my palate.  i love the colour and i really enjoyed it. warm and complex, it would be good alone as an after-dinner drink, or with a mild dish like this hummus or even a mild cheese.

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{wordy wednesday} – patience.

15 Aug

well well well.  what do we have here?

i’ve been in colorado for exactly a year now.  i’ve been doing the same job for that entire year.  that’s not normal for me – i’m very progressive, often get promoted quickly, move up quickly, etc.  i just have a go-getter attitude and people usually notice that.  hell, i was promoted within 2 months in new york city to one of the top managers of my store… all i gotta do is flash ’em that smile, usually – 😉

hehehe

well, as the universe would have it, i’ve once again been promoted.  i’m back in my stride, doing my thing, and i have the position i needed and wanted since i moved here.

what has the last year taught me then?  what has all that disappointment, struggle, hardship, nonsense, and hidden truth done for me?!  what has waiting, waiting, and waiting, done for me?!  what have i learned in all that?! Continue reading →

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{travel tuesday} – atop the metropolitan museum of art, NYC

14 Aug

this was hands-down one of the most romantic nights of my life to date…

the weather was perfect.  i believe it was right around this time of year… i was on one of the best dates i’ve ever been on in my life — and it started with an amazing dinner at an amazing restaurant – i remember using the word “enamored” several times to describe the food…

then we went to an exhibit on top of the metropolitan museum of art… it was incredible… the view was something like this : Continue reading →

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{meatless monday} – spaghetti squash w/ spinach

13 Aug

i heart spaghetti squash.  a lot.

i love the texture, the colour, the crunch… it’s a great vegan option — in fact, why didn’t i make this on my cleanse?! i think it wasn’t available in organic at the time… anyway, here are the {uber-simple} ingredients i used :

Continue reading →

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{foto friday} – my blog “assistants” and some farm fresh eggs

10 Aug

meet my cats :

ferris bueller loves to help out in the kitchen.  and by help out i mean – get totally in the way and make me always almost step on him and spill stuff… but he’s got so much personality!  super chatty, and no doubt a gemini, just like his owner – my roomie.

callegurl loves to hang in the “studio” and make sure lighting is taken care of and she also provides the cute factor, which she has perfected exceedingly well.  she is most likely a scorpio or cancer, very emotional, independent, and kind of hard to tie down, just like her owner – me. Continue reading →

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{thirsty thursday} — homemade potato chips : a tribute to the east coast

9 Aug

when people ask, “where are you from?” you probably have one solid answer, right – “california, wisconsin, canada, las vegas, china, etc…” ?! well, i usually respond with, “i’m kind of from all over…” because, i am.  i mean, i just never respond with the place i was born and stop — i don’t claim one place as ‘home’ — i am really, kind of, from all over…

a little history on me :

– born in south carolina, didn’t stay long…

– lived in pennsylvania for a year {ish}

– massachusetts for like another year or so, i think…

– then maryland for a while, with some

– long summers in oklahoma

– then colorado for a while…

– long summers in virginia

– colorado again… always came back to colorado

– then back to maryland for a while

– then back to colorado

– then back east to new york

– and now here we are… once again, living in colorado.  i always come back to colorado… i suppose there is something to be said about that…?! Continue reading →

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{wordy wednesday} – the man in the mirror

8 Aug

“i’m starting with the man in the mirror, i’m asking him to change his ways – and no message could’ve been any clearer, if you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and then make that CHANGE!”

— michael jackson, lyrical genius.

———

well, it’s wordy wednesday.  and i have a lot to say this time.  it’s been quite a week. a HUGE full moon last wednesday and i’m not talking viewable by a telescope huge, i mean like – effect me on all levels huge.  i have always talked about how i am a huge astrology buff.  i follow zoe moon astrology, and you should too!  she’s fantastic and always right on!  astrology and horoscopes are NOT exactly the same.  i’m not saying i follow my horoscope and freak out if “my crush” doesn’t ask me out even though my horoscope said it would.  i’m talking about astrology – a study of the movements of the planets.  it’s a very in-depth and fascinating field that i have studied more and more as time has gone on… also, i am very “in tune” with the planetary changes.  and i FELT this last full moon like, with major force.  it was intense!!! Continue reading →

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{travel tuesday} – the famous brooklyn bridge

7 Aug

the BB was always a place i would take visitors.  for one, it’s just classic cool. for two, it’s great exercise to walk it.  and for three, it was close to my apartment.

these photos are from two different visits to the brooklyn bridge.  both times i walked the entire length of the bridge into brooklyn from downtown manhattan.  it’s a great walk, a cool chance to see so much of both boroughs from a unique perspective.  a lot of times, when i had a guest in town – i’d show them the brooklyn bridge, then i’d take them across the staten island ferry, for a chance to see even more of the city from another perspective. i’ve probably walked the brooklyn bridge at lease half a dozen times now…

so, without further ado, here are some photos for travel tuesday… another snippet from my life in new york : Continue reading →

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{meatless monday} – sweet potato, carrot, & falafel open-faced pitas

6 Aug

good morning, happy monday, hope you all had a nice weekend.

i was delightfully lazy yesterday, glued to the couch and the olympics most of the day.  i completely heart sundays for that reason.  if i want to go somewhere, i can – but mostly it’s just my day to rest… and eat.  🙂

this dish was created because i always keep falafel in the house – it’s one of my protein staples, and i love love love it!  i also had another bunch of the purple carrots – and i know they compliment sweet potatoes well.  i had almond milk in the fridge, and i keep the spice on hand because i love curry spice!  i didn’t have any tomatoes around, so i used tomato paste for a little extra flavour : Continue reading →

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