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    Thursday, June 11, 2009

    Kitty Toes

    I know it has been a while since I blogged, but I have been super busy. Moving, starting a new job, being separated from my husband and (trying and failing) to write my dissertation has kept me pretty much strapped. I did snap this photo of my kitty Mesha's toes. I just wanted to share them and say "I am still alive!"



    Oh, and if anyone knows of anyone who can help me dread my hair in the Cincinnati area please let me know!

    Friday, May 15, 2009

    I am a writer!!!

    I wrote a little article about future fashion in Viva La Mode magazine! And it is now out on the web for everyone to look at! The whole magazine is a great read... so check it out! I hope to have time to write an article or two for the next issue too!

    VivaLaModa magazine

    Thursday, May 7, 2009

    Joe's Gizzarad City, Potterville, MI: Food Review

    About two years ago my husband and I took a trip to a great little place that I just want to share with the world! This tasty deep fried treat is called Joe's Gizzard City in Potterville, Michigan. First off, I love chicken gizzards and getting to go a place that specializes in them is a rare treat around here. Another added bonus is that half the things on the menu are deep fried. This isnt a place if you have a history of heart problems! The town is tiny, and the place has the look of a classic old dark 'townie' hang-out where they serve their beers in mason jars (seriously!). It is actually a somewhat well known place for bikers spot! Our server, Matt (with two T's), was a great and extremely friendly.

    And now on to the important part... the FOOD!!

    Here is everything that we ordered.

    Appetizer: Sweet Corn Nuggets
    Meals: Gizzard Dinner (me) and Bacon Cheese Burger (my husband)
    Dessert: Deep Fried Dessert Platter (I dont remember the actual name, but that will give you a good idea of what to expect!)


    Appetizer: We decided to try the deep fried sweet corn nuggets because years ago at some random Big Boy my husband and I stopped for breakfast. I am not a big corn fan, but they had some deep fried creamed corn that was absolutely wonderful. I had never seen them since or anything similar until I went to Joe's. The nuggets are served with ranch, which goes well with the crunchy shell. These nuggets seemed to be a mix of creamed corn and chunky corn, but they still tasted good. They didnt seem to burst all over, which some times is an issue with deep fried creamy stuff like jalapeno poppers (I always seem to have those explode all over me, covering me with hot cheese!). I thought it was the perfect food to start off a deep fried meal... it is a veggie so it has to be healthy right?


    Meals - My Husband: My husband 'chickened' out and got one of the more normal items on the menu... a Bacon Cheese Burger. I do have to say, the last time we went, he got the deep fried burger, so I suppose he paid his dues :) The burger came with fries and my husband got the 'Everything Deluxe' version. We have a saying in my house, the more messy a burger it is, the better it tastes. Well, this burger wasnt as messy as my husband would have liked, but the taste was good. It was a solid burger, nothing to be ashamed of, but nothing to write home about either. My husband especially liked the bun. The ketchup they had was Red Gold brand, which definitely tastes different than the standard brands. I like it, but I dont think my husband did as much. That was okay, he ended up dipping his fries in my ranch!


    Meals - Mine: I got the gizzard dinner, with a dozen gizzards, half Traditional Beer Battered Deep Fried and half 'Naked'. It came with coleslaw, bread and a potato. I got mashed potatoes with chicken gravy.


    The coleslaw came out first with a side of bread. The slaw was good, but had a bit of a bite to it... and by a bit, I mean you could definitely taste a lot of what my husband identified as horseradish. If you dont like horseradish, dont get the coleslaw. The bread was like a mix between toast and croutons. Very tasty!

    The mashed potatoes were good, but the real interesting point about them were the gravy. I have never seen such yellow gravy in my life! It was literally the color of mustard! It didnt taste like mustard though... it tasted like a gravy version of Campbell's Cream of Chicken soup. Interesting combo. Oh, and it looked as if the skins on the potatoes were left on for the mashing, wish means they were made at the establishment!


    Now, on to the good part, the gizzards! Just so you know, not only do the gizzards come with marinara sauce, but ranch (not pictured) as well. Both are good. There are pros and cons to both kinds, Traditional and Naked.

    The first kind, traditional is beer battered and deep fried. The breading keeps the gizzards EXTREMELY moist and tender. They just melt in your mouth and some of the best meat I have ever had. The slight issue of the breaded traditional is the breading adds a lot of bulk and you cant eat a lot of them without getting full to quickly... and tearing all the breading off to get to the wonderful morsels seems a bit wasteful.

    The naked gizzards have no batter and because of that, when they are fried, they get a little tough on the outside. They are still tasty, but they are not really as moist and tender as their battered counterpart... but you can eat a lot more of these. I like these better for cold leftovers.

    Dessert: Deep Fried Platter: Deep Fried Strips of Elephant Ears, Deep Fried Oreos, Two Deep Fried Nutter Butters, Joe's Nuts, Deep Fried Cheesecake, and Deep Fried Cookie Dough. Oh, and there are three dipping sauces: Chocolate, Caramel and Strawberry.


    Let me tell you, this is one HUGE dessert platter. You can, of course, order these items individually, but variety is the spice of life right!? (and the destruction of your waistline) Our platter actually came in three 'courses' because first, the cheesecake didnt turn out, then they forgot the Joe's Nuts... so we got a free third doughnut once those came out of the deep fryer!

    First we ate the deep fried elephant ears (the two thin strips of dough on the left hand side of the image). Yep, they taste like elephant ears! Given that elephant ears are normally deep fried, they had to be the least exciting item on the plate.

    Next we moved onto the deep fried Oreos (in the top of the picture, behind the caramel sauce!) OMG those were heavenly! It was like the cookie liquefied and was just a wonderful gushy mess. This was my second favorite dessert on the plate! See the insides in the image? That is pure yummy!


    Third we turned into next item on the first plate and dug into the Deep Fried Nutter-Butters. The peanut butter cookies also seemed to liquefy, but not the extent as the Oreos. They were really good with the chocolate sauce.

    The last item on the only came with a single 'dose', and that was the Deep Fried Cookie Dough. I am going to admit, I am biased. I LOVE anything cookie dough, just about as much as I love bacon. Basically it is a huge lump (probably 2-3 cookies worth) deep fried. The second time we went to Joe's we got a whole plate of these suckers, 3 huge balls! Anyway, this puppy is warm, chocolaty and gooey! It is like a mix between raw cookie dough and a cooked one... I dont know exactly how to describe it. I think this something you either will love or hate, and I love it! Here is a candid shot of the nom-a-riffic insides!


    Our Deep Fried Cheesecakes (second image, the wedges) I think had gram crackers mixed into the deep fried shell. These actually had a tendency to burst when you bit into them, and they were hot... so if you decide to go this route, just be careful. The strawberry sauce went perfectly with these little wedges. They were also high on my list of things that taste wonderful deep fried.

    Lastly, we got Joe's Nuts. These are deep fried mini doughnuts. They were pretty good, but to really enjoy them, I found that you need to eat them cold! We couldnt quite finish our third doughnut so we brought it home with the leftovers. I love cold leftovers, and the cold nut has like caramelized sugar layer under the deep fried batter. Nom nom!


    Overall Impression: I am moving, so I am going to miss this little gem of a grease spot. I would never eat here everyday, but for a special heart clogging treat, it cant be beat. If you are planning a trip of back roads and little town hot spots in Mid-Michigan, give Joe's Gizzards City a try!

    Monday, May 4, 2009

    Gift? I Guess Not!

    A month or so ago I finally figured out what to make out of some scrap yarn I had laying about. I figured I would use it to make a two sided pillow to give as a gift. Fast forward a bit... all done! Custom cut foam pad etc... everything. Now I just have to keep it away from cat hair and cat butts until I can gift it. I should have known better. Just look at her smug face... filling the fibers with feline follicles that will not budge!


    Not only has Mesha decided it makes a great cat pillow, but I have also seen Dot on it as well. I guess it is mine now... even though I hate pink. It does have a gray side... guess I will have to keep that side up!

    Sunday, April 12, 2009

    Sunny Side Up Breakfast Pizza: First Attempt

    My husband and I had an idea the other night that we thought we might try. We have had macaroni and cheese pizza (both from a restaurant... if you can call it that... and homemade) so why not try a breakfast pizza! I am sure someone else has made something like this... but we didnt look up anything and just went with our gut instincts.

    We used store bought ready-made crust, a can of Alfredo sauce, whole eggs (hence the name), bacon, corned beef hash, and cubed Velveeta. Oh, and we salt and peppered it a smidgen. Here is what it looked liked uncooked:


    We let it cook a little long, as we were a little afraid of runny egg yolks. We figured liquid egg yolks in our left over pizza was a bad idea. A side effect of the longer cooking time was the cheese type substance was a little darker than it probably should have been.


    As for the taste, I actually liked it. It was like a compact breakfast! My husband thought it was a little on the salty side because of the corned beef hash. The eggs tended to be a bit rubbery... and had a tendency to come off. Overall, I think it was okay. Next time I would suggest scrambling the eggs and maybe mixing some cheddar or mozzarella (or both!) in with the Velveeta. We used the Velveeta because 1. we had some, which is rare and 2. it melts really easy. Maybe too easily? It makes for a memorable Easter dinner!

    Friday, April 10, 2009

    My New Baby!

    My wonderful hubby has been squirreling away little bits of money of a long time for some mysterious reason. This week I found out why. He was saving money for my graduation gift... a brand new guitar!


    To be exact, an Epiphone Prophesy SG EX! I cant tell you how beautiful this guitar sounds and looks! The kicker is.... I cant play it until I graduate, and because of some scheduling issues that wont be until August at least! She will stay protected in her hard case, and her Vox Mini5 am anxiously waiting to be used. I dont mind, I can stare into her black smokey burl wood and beautiful inlays and just dream of the tunes I will learn. Take that mom!

    Saturday, April 4, 2009

    Product Review: Glilttersniffer Eyeshadows

    I didnt think I would have time to blog this month, but lo and behold... I have a few spare moments! Since I am going to be starting a new (and more grown up) job soon, I decided I needed to replace my ancient cosmetics I have had for years and years and years. I wanted to invest in some nice stuff, but also some more natural stuff. I had been skulking around glittersniffer's shop for a while, just waiting for an excuse to go hog wild. Well, one day she was having a huge sale, so I jumped on it! Glittersniffer is not only really well known on etsy, but she is also a member of DIYscene which I am a member of as well.

    I went crazy and bought 15 new eyeshadows to experiment with. My list included the following:
    Boss
    Shwag
    Money
    Redrum
    Nova
    Liar
    Fusion
    Universe
    Kristin
    Raw cocoa
    Playboy
    Silk sheets
    Roxie
    24k
    Blow
    Kush
    I tried to get a variety of colors so I could mix and match stuff to go with all my work outfits, and still have some fun if I ever decided to get dressed up or go out. Each pot (except for Boss) contains 5 grams of loose powder. This stuff is extremely potent and a little bit goes a LONG way. I have only had them for 2 days, but I just love them so far! They stay on great, and the depth of the color is wonderful. All I need to do now is invest in some good makeup brushes and eyeshadow base. Since I am not used to wearing makeup, I tend to forget and accidentally rub my eye... the base should help with that. I wish I could have bought every color! There are even some shades named after other etsy sellers!

    Here is the very simple look I put together this morning. Nothing special, just some Boss blended with some Universe!



    Overall Impression: I love this eyeshadow and I would recommend Glittersniffer to anyone. Her shadow is 100% pure minerals, plus she has some eyecreams that I need to get my hands on! They might seem a little pricy (at least to me... wet'n'wild used to be my thing) with 5 bucks for 5 grams, but it is worth every penny!!!

    Monday, March 16, 2009

    New Vest Thing Design

    I guess I lied.. I thought I wouldnt have time to finish the project, let alone blog about it, any time soon... but I was wrong. Last night I finished working on a design I had been kicking around for a few months. I am not an "advanced" crocheter, so I get a little intimated when I start creating stuff from scratch. I think, for a first try, it turned out alright.


    This first version I will keep for myself. It took me over a month to make it, so I am uncertain if any will show up in my shop any time soon. It was fun making it.


    The yarn is super soft and warm, but MAN! I used a lot of it! I probably used almost a pound! The self-striping yarn looks a little odd in the round, but I think it has some potential and charm. The colors are just perfect, and now my mom can stop complaining that I dont wear anything white. (BTW, I dont wear anything that is white, this is a very light grey).


    Let me know what you think! I have no idea what to call it... a vest? A chest warmer?

    Saturday, March 14, 2009

    Excuses Excuses

    I just wanted to tell everyone out there in cyber land why I haven’t been posting all that much lately. The reason for that is like 17^6 fold.

    First off I am trying to finish my master’s degree in zoology. It has been quite the bumpy ride, and I don’t expect anything less for the finish. I am spending long hours in the lab trying to finish up my research while trying desperately to write my thesis up at the same time. Let me just say, my experience with my master’s degree has not inspired me to (at least any time soon) pursue any other higher degrees. While it would be nice to be called Doctor, I don’t need that to feel fulfilled in life. I am, in fact, writing this blog entry as I am sectioning with a microtome in the basement of a drab looking university building on the weekend. I would love to be home with my husband right now in my pj’s watching a movie and eating junk, but I can’t. I have to be sequestered away from the world in a windowless hole so I can finish, maybe on time.

    Secondly, I have been trying to find a job, so that once I get said degree, I can be gainfully employed. About once every two weeks for the past two months (really long than that) I have sat down and devoted hours to searching up good jobs in my field. I will let you know, that gets old really quick. There aren’t many widely publicized positions for microscopists. I have, how ever, found a few places interested in me. That leads me to my third reason…

    Thirdly, I have found a job! I am currently waiting for them to send me my official offer letter (UPS tracking is useless). I have had two offers, but I waiting for the second one to come in to make my actual final decision. This job will be awesome, and a welcome change in both venue and revenue! Since the job is in another state, my husband and I have been spending long hours contemplating where to live, how to get there, and in what order to do things. I even worry about how to safely and sanely transport my kitties for the long move. Well, longer than I have ever moved with pets before. This also takes a large chunk of time, neither of which either of us have much of. I, of course, have to focus on school while my husbands is starting this week to work extra long hours as his work. A coworker of his is going in for surgery and he has to train his replacement and take over her job. Fun. Oh, and guess what. This coworkers is scheduled to come back to work the same day I am scheduled to start my new job!

    I have been contemplating putting my etsy shop on vacation mode so I don’t have to worry about that. I was thinking of having a “Moving Sale” but I don’t have time to devote to the higher possible work load that might generate. Oh, I also had my first canceled sale today. That was great pick me up.

    So, there you have it. I have been extremely busy and it wont stop any time soon. I wish I could keep up with everything, but it takes too much time and, even worse, it distracts me from what I really need to be doing right now.

    Tuesday, January 27, 2009

    Fuzzy Philosophy: Life is like a Rubik's Cube

    I dont normally talk about what makes me tick on my blog, or how I see the world really. I dont know if that is a bad thing or not. Today, I want to break my inner silence and share with the world one philosophy I hold that, I think, can be applied to anyone from any time, place, creed, etc. This universal principle is something I like to call:



    Life is like a Rubik's Cube

    Now, I did not come up with this world renown puzzle box, but I see it as the conceptual basis of my argument. If you are not a conceptual person, you may want to stop reading this here... because it is going to get more complex as we go on. In my view, we are all born with a Rubik's cube. It represents our state of being, which has the following properties.

    1. The more complete our cube is, the more happy our life is. People like having all the colors matching, even if the other sides are a mess. A completely solved cube is akin to the "perfect" life and whatever that means to that person. My "perfect" life is not the same as yours etc., but would make me happy and content for the rest of my days.
    2. The less complete our cube is, the more chaotic and unhappy our life is. Most people do not like randomness and sorrow. A completely random, unmatched cube is akin to complete insanity and being completely miserable.
    3. We can occasionally turn our cube through our actions and choices we make, both moving it towards completion or towards chaos. We cant always see all of the aspects (or sides) our choices affect. Like the real life game, strategies, short cuts and hits can be learned and use as a person grows and experiences life. For example, where you choose to go to university, your career, who you become friends with etc are things you control and affect your quality of life well into the future, both positively or negatively.
    4. Others can turn our cube through their actions and choices (both directly and indirectly), wither they realize it or not. For example, having a medical misdiagnosis, being fired by an over zealous boss, a neighbor giving you some brownies they made etc. Not all are bad, not all are good. Some dont seem to affect anything.
    5. Sometimes fate turns our cube. These are things that are not a result of anyone's actions or choices, they just sometimes happen. Natural disasters are an excellent example.
    6. Any or all of these forces can act at any time, and in any combination. You loosing your job because some big wig at a company mismanaged money can be broken down into several categories. Rarely can you categorize something in just one category.
    7. Death is equal to breaking the cube, wither it is natural or caused by another. I am not making any comments about what happens after you die. This only applies to life as far as I have thought it out.
    8. Even with a solved cube, if you continue to live on, things can still turn your cube just as before. For example: You retire in your prefect place with your significant other. All is blissful and great, then your significant other develops cancer.
    9. No matter how many times your cube is turned, the possibility for true happiness (or having a completed cube) still exists, even if it is difficult to unravel the path to get there.
    So, I see my life as a Rubik's cube. All things that happen can have the potential to affect each side, or the path to my happiness. Some people live with only one aspect of their life making them happy, like having a wonderful job, but a totally chaotic (or completely unsolved) personal relationship side. Others are totally content with where they are in life, only to have their lives devastated by disease or accident. What I find is wonderful about applying this way of thinking to you life is, no matter how twisted up your life gets, no matter how chaotic and unhappy, if you work hard enough you can still achieve happiness in the future. Also, attaining happiness is an ongoing task with the ever changing mosaic that a Rubik's cube creates.

    Let me know what you think. I have tried to assess all aspects of my theory, but I am sure there are things I have missed. Maybe you can apply this to your life, either future or past, and work towards your happiness.

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