Vegan Reese's Cups

These took like five minutes to make. I ate one, and I think I'm full forever.

Weekend photo dump!

This weekend I played a show with my new band, The Decorations.

The next day Jace and I drove to Chamblee. The sunset after the crazy thunderstorm that afternoon left a beautiful sunset over our majestic local Walmart.

On Saturday afternoon I hung out with my family in Chamblee. My sister gave me and my mom facials. :)

And on Saturday night Jace and I went to his friend Craig's wedding. Jace caught the garter!

On Sunday my family and I went to see Avenue Q! It was great, and we got this picture of us with the Bad Decision Bears. Afterwards we all went to Savage Pizza. Twas most delicious.

It was such a packed and fun weekend! I loved hanging out with my family and feeling like another fun thing is right around every corner.

Last night after we all ate dinner Jace and I went out to see Tree of Life since its only showing in Atlanta right now. I came away feeling kind of "meh" about it, but after thinking about it overnight I think I generally enjoyed it. Go see it if you enjoy Koyaanisqatsi and that sort of thing. If I had to guess I'd say Tree of Life tries to do what Koyaanisqatsi does while appealing to a wider audience by incorporating a narrative as well. Do they succeed? Eh, I dunno! There were both sincere and touching moments, and overblown and melodramatic moments (think about that plastic bag in American Beauty...*barf*). If you enjoy discussing films with others, you should see it! If nothing else, it is fun to talk about afterward.

Today, I made my unmanly (vegan) sloppy joes and am enjoying trying not to ruin my keyboard with it as I type this. Athfest is coming up this weekend, and I'm thinking about going out and getting some Four Eyes t-shirts made, maybe?! I wonder how long it would take to get 10 shirts printed!

BBQ Seitan!

Another food post! I always get excited when I make a recipe from Veganomicon, because this cookbook is seriously awesome. I definitely credit two books most of all for my slow but steady turn towards veganism. The first is "Eating Animals" by Jonathan Safran Foer, and the second is Veganomicon, for opening up a whole new world of cooking to me.

Tonight I made their Simple Seitan recipe (really easy recipe, but takes an hour to cook) then made their BBQ Seitan and Crispy Coleslaw Sandwich using the seitan I made. Damn. It was so awesome. It was like the perfect summer meal. Jace and I ate it out on the porch and drank PBR's and watched the fireflies (have you seen them? I just started seeing them last weekend). I probably haven't eaten ribs since my junior year in high school, but these definitely satiated any cravings I ever had for them.

Sorry the photograph isn't better, I was starving.

Lunch

I think lunch is becoming my favorite meal of the day. Maybe because I normally work at 5 or 6, so my afternoons are very slow and relaxing. Lately I usually eat hummus and tomato sandwiches, but today I got fancy and made myself some tofu, peppers and rice topped with a lil sriracha sauce.

Summer

This summer has been packed with long, meandering hikes, early morning runs, afternoon band practices, late night shows, bike rides, movie nights, and maybe my favorite of all, Sunday afternoons at Transmet with a cold beer, a great book, and Jace.

Four Eyes

My band Four Eyes has been nominated for a Flagpole Music Award! We've been nominated in the Upstart category and I'm unbelievably pumped about this! I'll post a link to one of our songs below (and a link to vote if you feel so inclined ;) ). Jace and I are mixing our album now, which is taking forever since neither Jace nor I have ever mixed an album before. Hopefully within the week we'll have more tracks up to listen to! :)

"Autobiography" by Four Eyes

"Our Insides" by Four Eyes

Vote for us here!

I did it!

I graduated from college!

Going Vegan

It's not as hard as you might think. :)

Thrift Shop Adventures

Thrift shopping is my favorite thing that involves me willingly handing money over to strangers. Just think about it. You walk through a door, and within that space could be anything, or nothing. It could be a room full of junk, or that thing, that one thing you've been looking for your whole life could be hidden there. Maybe you didn't even know you were looking for it. All you know is that you and this thing--this book or rug or lamp--have finally crossed paths. Maybe the lamp is fifty years old, and it took it that long to find you, living in who knows how many homes before finally becoming yours. It's like discovering buried treasure, or a secret place no one has ever set foot in before. It's so magical to me to think of these things having other owners before me. Who wore these clothes, and were did they were them? The past of these items will always be a mystery to their new owners. It's so wonderful how it has to be that way. So wonderful and strange.

My creature

Ah, the rare glimpse of a reclining chinchilla.

Taco Party

For my friend Shil's birthday he had a taco contest. My last-minute submission, "Spice World," (a taco full of candy and Fudge Rounds) won an honorable mention, and was awarded that little chicken firework. It shot firey pellets from its rump! In the solo cup is an incredibly delicious beverage composed of ginger ale, whiskey, and hibiscus syrup.

Dreams

Spotted on a marquee downtown.

Dog Ear Books

Dog Ear Books is a great independent bookstore in town that is actually pretty new but feels like a store that has been there much longer. It feels warm and comfy inside. Everything feels a little worn-in and loved.

Dog Ear Books has new and used books, records and CD's, a kid's room, and a bookstore cat with whiskers like a koi fish. He is always sleeping.

My Model Boat

The U.S.S. Constitution, also called "Old Ironsides," was named by George Washington, and was the America's first Navy ship. She fought Frenchmen, and Brits, and pirates.

New Song!

I had to work a double at the restaurant yesterday and this is me being a baby about it. Mostly I just wanted to write the most morbid ukulele summertime jam smash hit this year.

Many exciting (to me) details in this video: My cardigan was like a dollar from America's Thrift Store. It is green leopard print! I found it last week when Jace and I took a rainy day to go thrift shopping all around town. The keyboard in the background was found at Goodwill on the same day. Jace and I split the price ($5) in case it was broken, but it works! It's an amazing Yamaha Portasound that has some pretty adorable tones. Just out of the shot is the amazing model boat I also bought at Goodwill that day (also $5). I'll have to post a photo of that. It can only be described as "fancy as shit." My shirt is one my mom got me for Christmas maybe 3 years ago. It's got a New Yorker comic on it about a beaver and a capybara. I have a soft spot for capybara's.

PS: You can watch the video on vimeo where the lyrics are located in the video description.

Feather

I had to sell my bike, but somehow I don't feel too sad. I never rode her--my area is too hilly--and I think now she will be ridden all the time. Farewell, Feather! Have a wonderful life!

Silar Bald

Yesterday Jace and I climbed a mountain. We saw the bluest bluebirds in the world--I think they glowed--that were so light that they could balance on the thinnest of twigs without bowing them. We saw woodpeckers pecking at trees, and trees with dead crooked arms covered in the eeriest green moss. We went into the haunted forest of dead moss-trees, and we felt something neither of us could explain, but we both heard and felt at the exact same moment, and we both thought it came from within ourselves.

Give Yourself a Present

"Harry, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don't plan it. Don't wait for it. Just let it happen. It could be a new shirt at the men's store, a catnap in your office chair, or two cups of good, hot black coffee."

-Agent Cooper, Twin Peaks

Four Years

Me in 2007...

Me in 2011...

Internally, these are two completely different girls.

Externally...yeah, I don't go shopping very often.

Gallery Wall

I have been a little addicted to buying art lately, and a little lazy about buying frames for all of it. Today I felt like finally getting it all up on the wall and here is the result! I've always wanted that "gallery wall" look that seems to be present in every house you see on Apartment Therapy or Design*Sponge, so this is my attempt to have a blog worthy home. The large center print is by my friend Dena Zilber, the poster on the top right is from a charity event last year called Take Back the Night (I think the poster was designed by Winston Parker) which was part of the event that Jace and I played music for--it was our first show ever! The print to the immediate left of Dena's print is by a co-worker, Sarah T. It's called "Handy Eyes"...it's a girl with hands for eyes! The rest are things I've found at thrift stores or online.

I'm not too bad at being a grown-up, I think.

Birthday Lunch with Jace

For my birthday, Jace took me to an amazing vegetarian restaurant in Atlanta called Green Sprout.

Jace posing with my delicious taro bubble tea.

Vegetarian Hot & Sour soup and spring rolls!

There is no meat in this photograph! This restaurant has the most absurdly realistic meat substitutes I've ever seen. I got sweet and sour "chicken" and Jace got some sort of basil "beef" dish and...holy crap. I wish I could eat here every week. I don't eat meat, but Jace does and he was still impressed with how convincing the flavors were.

Enjoying my taro bubble tea. If you've never experienced the flavor "taro" (which I've only ever seen at yogurt shops and Asian restaurants) you must try taro because you are missing out! The only way I can think to describe it is if vanilla wasn't boring. If vanilla was the best thing you'd ever had. If vanilla was purple! And this is coming from a die-hard chocolate lover.

This was a happy day.

A Great Night at the 40 Watt

I'm sad that it's all over.

Tomorrow Night

I am playing at this event. This will be only the second time I've ever performed at the 40 Watt, and this time I won't be playing DEVO covers!

Veganomicon so far

Since I got Veganomicon last month I have tried my hand at a few of the recipes. Here's what I've made and devoured so far.

Vegan cholent. Delicious on chilly days.

Snobby Joes, Mac Daddy, and cornbread. Perfect for warm weather. That vegan mac & cheese is the closest thing to real magic that has come from these two hands.

Friday afternoon at the coffee shop

I think this is what they meant when they said "living the life."

The thug life, that is.