What a Cool Idea!

These little magnetic spice jars are just the cleverest thing.

I found them at World Market, way out on West Broad near Short Pump Suburban Sprawl Center. I would never go to the Short Pump area if World Market wasn't there. That's just how queer I am for that store.

Anyway, these little darlings are just the ticket for my storage challenged kitchen. I can stick them right onto my fridge, freeing up cupboard and drawer space for other, less clever things that aren't magnetic. They have see-through lids so I can immediately see what's in them. One turn of the lid gives me a pour opening or a shake opening. Genius! And I think they look pretty, showcasing all the contrasting colors and shapes of my spices.

I sure hope World Market reordered on these. I kind of swooped them all up when I was there! Sorry.

Getting a Cold

Shoot. I've got that icky all over, head achey, face achey, low fever kid of feeling. Maybe I can fight it with good sound sleep? I hope so. I drank an entire 2 quart pitcher of Crystal Light fake orange juice today. Crystal Light is so trailer trash--it' like drinking Tang. But I'm hydrated and vitaminized.
After all, the rest of my life's going great! I'm happily painting away at my kitchen and I lost 3 pounds last week. I'm succesfully juggling my new part-time job and I still love my boyfriend. That covers all my big stuff.

Gotta Whole Lotta Frittata

I gotta love a frittata. I make them with just about anything that's hanging about in the fridge. Yesterday, it was grape tomatoes, spinach (or as my beau calls it when he's being all hip-hop, "spizz-natch"), a bit of reduced fat cheese and some sauteed onions. It was pretty to look at, delicious, and kept me fueled for several hours.

I cook the bottom on the stovetop, then I pop the pan into a 500 degree oven to cook the top. It puffs up all lovely and lofty! Be careful that the pan handle doesn't melt, though. That is a mess.

It's On.

My boyfriend is a serious and brutal competitor. We are competing (a la The Biggest Loser) to see who loses the greatest percentage of body weight by Thanksgiving morning. I have been just as good as gold this week, but Andy has been positively spartan. He's probably going to win, but I plan to give him a run for his money. Anyway, we both win in the end, right?

Hey wait a minute! That last sentence was bullshit! I forgot who I was for a moment. Of course we both don't win. There will be but one winner here!

Meet Gilda and Maggie

Every night after work, as I pull into my driveway, I am greeted by my two cats, Gilda and Maggie.

Now, I love my kitties. And they say nice things about me ("Love" would be too strong a word for these girls). But these cats can't stand eachother. They've shared a household for 3 1/2 years and they still can't pass one another without a hiss and a swat. They are still struggling to determine who's boss, and I don't see any end in sight.

I've had Gilda (the tabby) since she was a kitten. I got her from my dearest friend, Robyn, for my 39th birthday. Maggie actually belongs to Andy, and joined our household not too long after Andy and I started out together.

Neither cat is particularly affectionate, especially when the weather's hot and they don't need to snuggle me to get warm. I rather like it when the nights turn cold and Gilda burrows under the covers and curls against me to sleep at night. I know it's not about her actually loving me--it's just about being comfortable. But, hey, I could say the same for many human relationships, right?

Maggie snuggles rarely, and only on Andy. She's great at it, though, complete with the ecstatic expressions and the claws digging deliriously into poor Andy's chest.

Maggie is an expert huntress, having presented me with a wide variety of treats like mice, voles, birds, bunnies, and cicadas.
Gilda's specialty seems to be depositing inordinate amounts of cat hair all over my house. She kills an occasional bird to keep up appearances.

A Well-Rounded Girl

I'm what's called a well-rounded girl. Both literally, as I divulged in my last post, and figuratively. I like lots of things that don't appear to go together, like theatre, reality shows where spouses are swapped, practicing my French, and women's roller derby.

If you haven't gone to Skateworld to see the River City Roller Girls, you are in for a treat. It's everything you'd imagine and more. Thrills, spills, tough-looking chicks on roller skates whizzing around the track, all the while bobbling around trying to either get to the front of the pack or block girls from getting to the front of the pack. The part I like the best is when a whole bunch of skaters have a giant wipeout and fall in a big pile right in front of me! It's just plain addictive! Find out more about these rockin' bitches at www.myspace.com/rivercityrollergirls.

Tickets are 10 bucks in advance (a little more at the door) and you can bring your own everything, including booze! You can even bring your own chair, and I recommend that, seeing as they don't have chairs at Skateworld. But look at the place!



It looks like George Jetson designed it. I hear tell it's the oldest skating rink in Richmond. They serve an underwhelming array of food that ranges from A to B. I'm talking real crap, like pretzels and very nasty pizza and possibly Mountain Dew. So bring your own, already!

We Have Reached Critical Mass

My boyfriend, Andy, and I are on a weight loss journey starting today. Each of us is a good 20 pounds overweight. I could actually stand to lose 30. Andy is as weight-obsessed as any of my girlfriends. I kind of like the fact that I actually have a boyfriend that I can obsess about weight with. How many women can say that?

Of course, it's no fun for Andy unless there's a competition involved, so all I can say is bring it on, Andy Cleveland! We'll see who can stay on the wagon and lose the most weight by Thanksgiving.

Tonight's dinner was a delicious vegan stir fry of onion, red bell pepper, broccoli, snap peas, carrots, ginger, and garlic. We made it with a side of brown rice with peas mixed in. I made a spicy/sweet sauce of veg broth, soy sauce, Sriracha (that's an Asian hot pepper sauce that is a staple in my kitchen), Healthy Boy (another Asian sauce that's thick, sweet and dark like molasses) and a bit of cornstarch for thickening.

We are satisfied and fortified for our night out at women's roller derby. We're going to see the Tiger Beat Downs vs. the Flaming Hips. It should be a slammin' good time! Pics to come.

My Little Kitchen, Before

Here's my dinky kitchen. It's currently a sunny yellow, with bits of paint peeling all over the place. The blank spot with primer splotches is where my new washer/dryer will go. I've picked a nice, mellow Tuscan-ish brick color. I'll keep you posted.

The Thrill of a Shiny New Purchase

I just bought a new washer and dryer at the Sears scratched-and-dented outlet. It's a Maytag with a dent right in the front, but it's in perfect working order and I got a great price on it. I'm giddy with excitement, which is really quite tragic, when I think about it. It used to be clothes and jewelry that gave me that shopper's high, but now it's dented appliances. Hmmmm.

My old one wore out after about 9 years. It, too, was from the scratch and dent place. I can't complain. I washed many a happy and heavily soiled load in it. I gave it away on Craigslist and this complete moron came to pick it up. I had a male co-worker come to my house with me to meet him, just in case he was a rapist. This guy was so dense, I don't even think he could have figured out how to take advantage of himself, let alone me. He showed up alone to fetch a stacking washer and dryer, first of all. And as he and my poor co-worker (who, of course, was roped into helping Mr. Moron) were struggling to get this thing in his pickup truck, he says he can't believe he didn't bring his hand truck. If you don't know what a hand truck is, it's a wheeled platform-y thing that was created for moving big heavy objects with ease. I can see why he left his hand truck at home.

Anyway, it's going to be lovely to quit the laundromat. I am just not a good laundromat person. Even though my laundromat has free high speed wireless that is wicked fast, there's an evil, competitive undercurrent in the laundromat. On Sunday afternoons especially, people will do all kinds of subtle things to mark their territory. The basket placed in front of the unused dryer, the bottle of detergent sitting on the unused washer. These are subtle signs that say "I know I have no right to reserve this machine, but if you move my shit I will kick your ass." This is not a good place for me. I'm too fair and too polite to fit in.

I know this entry is not about cooking, but it is about my kitchen. My house is teensy, and my washer/dryer is in my kitchen. So it qualifies.

By the way, I have to paint my kitchen before the shiny new dented baby arrives! Next time, before and after pictures.