LA Anti-Socialite

In response to my aforementioned feelings...

2012-01-07T11:49:00.000-08:00

I've been feeling the need to detox, as many of us do after the holidays, as much as I can while we're in book development at work. (This is a process that requires me to make semi-regular trips to the kitchen to taste a new recipe or two and weigh in on whether it's good, what it needs, etc. Yeah, it's a rough life.)

Being the Francophile I am and knowing that I'd surely become a crazy person on a juice cleanse and that I'd be unlikely to keep anything going longer than a couple days, I made a choice that was food-like and brief. Mireille Giuliano (of French Women Don't Get Fat fame) has a Leek Soup Kick-Off Weekend plan which is kind of a lead in to eating better in general and flushing your system to get you started off right. While her extremely spartan Magical Leek Soup recipe looked a bit TOO extreme for my purposes (NOTHING BUT LEEK BROTH AND BOILED LEEKS FOR TWO DAYS?! See, I got crazy just thinking about it), the Provencal-inspired Mimosa soup seemed a bit more my speed.

Here's the recipe. The following words, until indicated, are Mireille's... my notes will be in red.

[begin Mireille]

Mimosa Soup Recipe
1 head of lettuce
½ lb. carrots
½ lb. celeriac
½ lb. turnips
½ lb. cauliflower
1 lb. leeks
2 hard boiled eggs chopped
½ cup chopped parsley
Water to cover in a large pot

[TRUTH TIME: I added about 2 tbsp. of miso paste to the very large pot because I just couldn't bear the idea of all that unseasoned soup. But even still...]

1. Clean and chop all ingredients in rough pieces and, except for the cauliflower and parsley, put them a pot. Cover with water, bring to boil and simmer unlidded for 40 minutes. Add the cauliflower and cook for another 15 minutes.

2. Pass all the contents through a food mill. (I used an immersion blender; worked just dandy.)

3. Serve in a bowl and add more parsley and pieces of chopped boiled eggs.

Instructions:
Eat a cup every three hours (room temperature or reheated) or so all day Saturday and Sunday until the same Sunday dinner of fish or meat, 2 steamed vegetables with a dash of butter or olive oil and 1 piece of fruit. Somewhat less liquidy [thank god] and magical [I'll take that to mean maddening] than the leek soup it nevertheless is an effective and tasty alternative.

Both versions are so good [read: bland but tolerable], and an adventure for most palates [read: an exercise in deprivation], that you will have a very hard time seeing them as prison rations. Especially if these tastes are new to you, jot your impressions of flavor and fragrance in your journal. In time, this exercise will intensify your pleasures [read: cravings], and you may want to keep a regular diary of your experiences gastronomiques [read: psychotically maddening cravings for things like bread and cheese], including some wine notes (just as serious oenologues do).

[end Mireille]

I just had my first bowl, and I should be able to keep this up all weekend, due to the fact that I have a pretty rigid and demanding rehearsal schedule that will keep me from going out or having dinner with my boyfriend. I can be pretty sure, though, that my "Sunday dinner of fish or meat, 2 steamed vegetables with a dash of butter or olive oil and 1 piece of fruit" will stray a bit away from the prescribed meal.

Old and Fat

2011-12-21T12:38:00.000-08:00

I feel old and fat and no amount of other people saying "Dude, you're not fat" or reminding me that I'm only 29 can quell it.

(Sidenote: Has this ever helped? Has the response ever been, "Whew! Thank goodness!" I'm not saying I AM fat; I'm saying I feel fat. I know it's in my brain and not my ass but I can't shake it -- the feeling, not my ass.)

*sigh*

I'm blaming the new year.

For some reason, the impending New Year (spellcheck says it should be capped, y'all) has me in a state of self-doubt I haven't seen since my birthday (*cough only 3 months ago cough*). I think this whole year leading up to my 30th birthday is just going to be one long string of anxiety over feeling like I'm aging but not growing up.

Not that this is even outside the norm these days. One of my very favorite websites is written by a group of ladies who appear to always be barraged by others deeming them immature, irresponsible, etc. Which is probably why I love it all so much. Then there's "Young Adult," with Charlize repping for all the lady-girls out there.

But back to me. (FOCUS.)

When I hit 29, I was like "This is is, homes. Last year of your 20's. You better look hot while you can because it's all downhill from here." I can practically feel my metabolism slowing down as I type these words. I've begun to notice a permanent crinkle in my face that isn't related to speaking or smiling (them lines ain't going NOWHERE) or raising my eyebrows in surprise/disdain; it is an inner eyebrow crinkle that is distinctly from excessive squinting and brow-furrowing, much of which I blame on the years I spent avoiding wearing my glasses. Now I'm stuck between my deeply-ingrained lazy ways and my desire to retain my youthful (?) good looks (??) -- I'll obsess much of the day over whether or not to start using a night cream, eye cream, serum (I don't know what serums do, WHAT ARE THEY?), but by the time I'm zonked enough to crash, I'll usually fall asleep with a full face of makeup as per usual.

By the way, I feel like the people who market those face creams are FULLY aware of this kind of paranoid insecurity and how much sway it hold over us when they come up with the pricing. I'm super-cheap and still youngish, so when I look at these creams, I think "Yes, I'm concerned about this, but I'm not $40-a-jar concerned yet." I'm pretty much under-$20-concerned right now. I'm also embarrassed to purchase these items, mostly because I don't want anyone to comment on my selection. I would rather buy a pile of scandalous underwear, tampons, lube, and condoms than walk up to a register with a jar of something marked "anti-aging."

And as for exercise, I really haven't found something that falls in with my Midwestern frugality (read: brutal cheapness), my inability to stick to a routine, and the aforementioned lazy ways. I tried taking a morning walk around my neighborhood, but after a while I got SO BORED with my stupid neighborhood! So I stopped. I've tried workout DVDs which was OK until a) my stupid, newly-motivated boyfriend started getting up earlier too and puttering around while I follow instructions from the television like an asshole (I should mention at this point that I REALLY HATE having other people watch me exercise, mostly because I'm sure it's hilarious) and b) I got SO BORED with the DVDs. I have one of those trainer-things for my bike, (which looks a bit funny, since it's a cruiser with a basket), so I can bike in my living room -- biking while reading was actually working really well for me, until I started having to spend my early morning time waking up to work on other stuff. (Hey, holidays? Let's get this shit over with already.)

Today I keep seeing mentions of pilates. Pilates? Is that something I want? I don't know. I have a pilates DVD I used for a while, and the best thing I learned from it is that pilates was created by a guy named Joseph Pilates. THERE WAS A JOE PILATES. As in "Who do you think you are, Joe Pilates or something?" That doesn't even really work as a burn because Joe Pilates was a real person. Not to mention the fact that the name Joe Pilates sounds like it belongs to a dude who runs a pizza shop in Queens.

If anyone reads this and has actual suggestions as to what might work for my cheap, lazy, self-conscious, easily-bored self in terms of exercise, tell me.

Enough of this for now...

Things I'm embarrassed to do:

2011-11-20T16:25:00.000-08:00

- Enjoy Evian Facial Spray. God, I thought this was stupid when I first saw it. I even got one free in a swag bag that went untouched for eons until I gave it a go. Then I realized how delightful it felt to your skin, when you live in a semi-desert-like climate, to mist your face with tiny droplets of water. Not even just when you're hot. I sit in front of a computer for 8+ hours a day and have found myself sneaking off to the bathroom with my spray hidden to give my face a quick hit of moisture. I can't help feeling like a socialite who just got off an airplane or something when I use it, which makes me feel both ashamed and well-hydrated.

- Try on a pencil skirt at J. Crew. Why? Because the super-fashionable dudes who work there observe and hover around customers (because they're doing their job), and I have a pretty good idea that if I go in there and try one on, it's NOT going to look good on me. Mostly because I'm paranoid, but also because they don't carry petite sizes in-store. So if I try one on, it's going to be too long. And I won't even get a good idea of what actual size I'll need, because the petite sizes are smaller everywhere, not just shorter. SIGH. And so, to spare myself the indignity of looking short and dumpy in a pencil skirt in front of the cool J. Crew employees, I'm just gonna order the petite sucker online.

- Same goes for any vaguely scandalous underwear.

- Take fish oil supplements, not for hearth health, but because I want my skin to be pretty. I'm so vain, I probably think this blog is about me. Which brings me to...

- Be mildly panicking about turning a mere 29. I've started looking at more intensive moisturizers and face care regimens. Luckily, every time I do, my frugality trumps my vanity when I see the prices. YES, I would love a vat of Dr. Perricone's Super Omega face junk. HELL TO THE NO am I paying that much for it. That's why I was super stoked to see some face oils being sold by a DIY blogger I admire for a reasonable price. So I can support her doing work I enjoy and stoke my vanity/self-loathing at the same time.

Enough honesty for today.

Mildly obsessed with DIY nail art

2011-08-17T11:08:00.000-07:00

Here's my attempt at a gradient...

In case you're wondering, I painted on the green first, let it dry, then dabbed on the black polish with a makeup sponge (not one of the shiny sides of the sponge, or else chunks may stick to your nail -- my left thumb is a testament to this). Then top coat. BOOM.

This one's for Foodbully!

2011-08-11T23:06:00.000-07:00

Alright, after acquiring a killer-sounding chocolate-chip biscotti from a Twitter acquaintance, I mentioned how I was reminded of a really good sounding recipe I stumbled across about 5 years ago in a cookbook an old roommate gave me. She requested said recipe, and so here it is.

I have de-Britished the recipe somewhat, as it was full of terms like "caster sugar," "corn flour," and "scant." (OK, I left in "scant," because I couldn't think of a better word to use and I so seldom get the chance to say/write/type "scant.")

Pecan Toffee Shortbread
from The Cookie and Biscuit Bible

Makes 20

1 tbsp. ground coffee
1 tbsp. near-boiling water
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 tbsp. smooth peanut butter
scant 1/2 cup superfine sugar
2/3 cup cornstarch
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

For the topping:
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup soft light brown sugar
2 tbsp. light corn syrup
1 cup shelled pecans, halved

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and line a 7 x 11" pan with waxed paper.

Put the ground coffee in a small heatproof bowl and pour the hot water over it. Leave to steep for 4 minutes. Strain through a sieve into a bowl. Discard the grounds.

Cream the butter, peanut butter, and coffee until light. Sift the cornstarch and flour together and mix in to make a smooth dough.

Press into the base of the baking pan and prick all over with a fork. Bake for 20 minutes. To make the topping, put the butter, sugar, and syrup in a pan and heat until melted. Bring the mixture to a boil.

Simmer for 5 minutes, then stir in the pecans. Spread the topping evenly over the base. Leave in the pan until cold, then cut into squares or bars. Remove from the pan and serve.

Nail fail.

2011-08-04T10:46:00.000-07:00

After attempting a few other nail art projects (and wiping them off immediately thereafter since they looked like hell), I simplified and went with this...

Matt said it looks like a bunch of ellipses.

Having free time tonight, I think I'm gonna apply my ellipsified digits to my neglected ukulele.

(If I write that here, maybe I'll actually do it instead of getting sucked into So You Think You Can Dance.)

The Doctor is In

2011-07-24T09:50:00.000-07:00

Some of the recipes I get asked for most often are my cold-busting tea and soup. Both rely heavily on garlic. I'm not sure of the exact scientific reasons behind WHY garlic has the magic touch, but I've heard many accounts of antibacterial and antiviral properties.

The tea was recommended to me by an elderly Chinese lady (who I used to work with at a mortgage company, just to remove any air of mystery or worldliness that might surround that statement). Over the years, I've learned to listen to pretty much whatever old ladies tell me, because the advice is generally fairly good.

For the tea, the concoction is pretty simple:

1. Smash a clove of garlic with the side of a big knife; discard the skin.

2. Pop the garlic clove into a mug of hot water OR pop the garlic clove into a mug of non-hot water and microwave it for 1 - 1.5 minutes. Let it sit for at least 5 minutes.

3. If you don't have time to let it come to a reasonable temperature, pop an ice cube into the concoction and stir until it dissolves. Or you can just let it cool off on its own.

4. Discard the garlic clove. If you like, add some honey or a squeeze of lemon and stir. If not, don't.

5. Drink it all as quickly as you can.

6. Brush your teeth. (Or at least pop a mint.)

Repeat up to 4 times a day, like you might with Airborne or Emergen-C. Way cheaper than either of those options.

And then there's the mid-day, "I just came home sick from work" Lunchtime Method...

Heat up a pot of chicken or miso broth and load it up with LOTS of sliced garlic. If this is all you have, you can stop there, but I will generally chop and throw in any veggies or noodles/rice I have on hand. (Carrots are particularly good. Let those cook a good long time until they're soft. And at the last second, a handful of spinach leaves is also a good touch; cook just until they're wilted.)

Serve up a cup, add in a healthy squeeze of sriracha hot sauce (as much as you can handle) and mix it in until your soup is a nice shade of orange.

Have a big glass of water, a glass of orange juice, and a box of tissues nearby. Eat the soup, utilizing as much of the water, OJ, and tissues as needed. (That soup should make your nose run like crazy.)

Once the soup is gone, take a nap. You should feel a good deal better when you wake up.

Damn you, meat pies!

2011-07-19T12:12:00.000-07:00

I adore meat pies. Yes, sweet pies are great, but I could eat a savory pie every day for the rest of my life and never come close to getting sick of it.

This is the last remaining meat pie from the batch I made this weekend. It's not the prettiest of the batch -- it's merely the last pie standing.

"Dana, why didn't you take a nicer picture of one of the better-looking pies right after you made them?"

I have several answers to this question...

1. I had company.
2. I was in the middle of a Harry Potter Movie Marathon.
3. I was terribly hungry.
4. I forgot.

I could continue, but those are the only reasons that really count.

The recipe was Frankensteined from this wildly wonderful meat pie recipe, plus my taste buds, my laziness, and a bit of influence from the tastes and dietary restrictions of my guests.

The Amazing Disappearing Mini Meat Pies

Crust

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup cold butter

Pinch of salt

1 tbsp cold water

2 eggs

1 tsp white vinegar

Filling

1 smallish potato
1/2 onion, finely diced

2 stalks celery, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 lb lean ground beef

Olive oil

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

4 sprigs fresh rosemary

4 sprigs fresh thyme

3 tbsp. tomato paste

1 cup beef broth

1 tbsp. miso paste

Handful of grated parmigiano-reggiano

Crust

Mix the flour and salt in the large bowl. Cut the butter into small chunks, and cut the chunks into the flour mixture until it becomes crumbly. (I use a KitchenAid mixer and it does beautifully.) Beat 1 egg with the vinegar and water in a separate bowl or glass. Add the egg mixture to the dough and beat until mixture form a ball. Wrap in plastic and put in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Filling

Cook potato in microwave and set aside. Place onion and celery into a large frying pan on a medium heat with 2 tbsp of olive oil. Pick the rosemary and thyme leaves off the woody stalks, finely chop them, and add to the pan. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Fry and stir for 10 minutes. Put the vegetable mixture into a large bowl.

Place garlic into a large frying pan on a high heat with 1 tbsp of olive oil. Fry and stir for a few minutes, add the ground beef, a pinch of salt and pepper. When the ground beef becomes brown, add the tomato paste, beef broth and miso paste. Lower the heat, simmer for 15 minutes until most of the liquid has reduced. Turn the stove off. Mix in grated Parmesan until it disappears. Add the vegetable mixture into the beef mixture and mix well. Scoop out potato flesh, and mix into filling, roughly mashing the potato bits but allowing some chunks to remain. Allow to cool; add salt and pepper to taste if needed.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Roll out dough thinly and cut into rounds about 4 inches in diameter (working in batches as needed). Have a small glass of water handy and beat remaining egg in another glass or bowl. Using your hands, form meat into small puck-type shapes about an inch smaller in diameter than your dough rounds. Lay a puck on a round of dough, dip your finger in the water and wet the edge of the dough, then place another circle of dough on top. Pinch and seal the edges. Lay mini pie on a greased baking sheet and repeat with the rest of the pies. (You might have leftover filling, which is OK because it tastes great alone.) Brush the tops of the pie with beaten egg, slit the tops of the pies to vent, and pop em in the oven. Bake until golden, about 25 - 30 minutes (depending on whether your oven sucks like mine).

Makes 10 mini pies.

You know you're a dork when...

2011-07-18T11:52:00.000-07:00

... instead of ordering a pizza during your Harry Potter movie marathon, you make this.

Yup. It's Harry Pott-za.

(I'm almost ashamed of myself. But I'm not, because it tasted awesome.)

MAKING PROGRESS

2011-06-15T20:37:00.000-07:00

I'd say it's a good step forward when after exercising, you have the will to do something other than eat a very cold dinner and sit on the couch for 4 hours afterwards.

A while back, I began an on again/off again thing with Cardio Barre.

During the first class I nearly passed out because I wasn't breathing right, I felt like Jell-O afterward, the music was awful, and the instructor kept using the word "booty" and talking about bikini season. If you had asked me at 8:30 that night, while I was eating sushi on my couch, watching Glee, I would have told you that there was no way in HELL I was going back.

But then the crappy feeling subsided and I realized that a) not going back would be defeatist and quitter-esque since b) I had paid for 10 classes. (On LivingSocial, but whatever, I still had 9 more.)

The next class went better, only I had eaten a garlicky turkey burger 3 hours before class and ended up with CRAZY garlic burps after class. I had a smoothie afterward and sat on the couch, watching the Glee finale.

The next class was even better, except I had eaten a hard-boiled egg 2 hours before class and ended up with psycho burps afterwards and, thanks to the burping and excess water in my stomach that I slugged back mid-workout, had a near-vurp situation in my car. I had a smoothie, went home, and thought about how much I was gonna miss Glee. (Not that much.)

Tonight, after a couple weeks off for various reasons (I don't have to explain them to you!), I went back. I was scared that I'd regress to my fainting, vurping ways, so I didn't snack for 3 hours before class and breathed like my life depended on it (which, you know, it did). I was fine. And to my surprise, I didn't feel like I was going to die if I didn't get food in me ASAP, so I went home and made myself a lovely dinner of pasta, fresh peas, and arugula in a yogurt-blue cheese sauce with anchovy bits.

"Where was I?"
"You were growing."

BTW, I haven't heard that instructor use the words "booty" or "bikini season" since. And tonight's music was a lovely Michael & Janet Jackson mix.

I guess those kids in elementary school were right: First really IS the worst.

Subjective adulthood

2011-06-11T18:11:00.000-07:00

A real adult would probably not attempt to drink a whole bottle of wine with a sore throat.

But I never said I was a real adult.

:D

Quiche me, you fool!

2011-06-07T12:36:00.000-07:00

I decided that I wanted to make a quiche. Why? Not sure. I wanted something that I could eat all week long without getting sick of it, I wanted something vaguely substantial when paired with some additional veggies, and I wanted something that required a pie crust because MAN, was I dying to make me some crust!

Quiche was a natural fit. I also had some veggies from the farmer's market I had picked up on Saturday morning and leftover goat cheese from my pizza escapades last week.

After re-watching "Easy A" on Sunday afternoon, I was fully inspired...

Spell-It-With-Your-Peas Quiche

I tried to spell "twat" on this quiche but it didn't work. Stupid peas...

Ingredients:

For the crust...

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 pinch additional salt
1 stick cold salted butter, cut into chunks
1 egg

Mix up the flours and salt; I do all my crusts in my beloved KitchenAid mixer. (It's my fanciest kitchen appliance, and so I use it as often as possible.) Add in your cold chunks of butter (how appealing is THAT?) and let that mix up until the flour just looks kind of chunky and crumbly. Crack an egg into a glass or bowl, add in 2 tbsp. cold water, beat 'em up, and pour into the mixer bowl while the mixer is running. Once it comes together like dough, form it into a flat-thick disc, wrap it in plastic wrap, and pop it in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Hey! 30 minutes have gone by! Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Once it's nice and chilly, roll it into a large circle big enough to fit a 9" pie pan (I go glass). Lay the dough in the pan (transporting the dough loosely rolled onto your rolling pin is a nice way to make sure it doesn't tear or crumple on you) and press to form your shell. Let it cool (in the fridge if necessary; I put mine on a windowsill like a cartoon character) while you make the filling.

For the rest...

1 cup fresh peas (or thawed from frozen peas)
2 cloves garlic (or 1 monster clove if you have mutant garlic like I had), finely chopped
1 medium-sized summer squash, sliced into thin semi-circles
2 cups arugula, roughly chopped
olive oil
4 eggs
1/2 cup 2% milk
1/4 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt
salt and pepper at will
crumbled goat cheese (herbed, if you like)

If you have fresh peas, boil them until tender. (Mine took a long time, but I hear most take more like 4 minutes.) Drain, rinse, and set aside. (Make sure they get nice and dry; I didn't. Mistake.)

Add bit of olive oil to a large saute pan over medium heat. Once warm, add the garlic and cook until it starts to soften. Add squash and cook until THAT starts to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the arugula to pan, and toss until it wilts, about 1 minute. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside to cool slightly.

In a medium bowl or large measuring cup. beat eggs, milk, yogurt, salt, and pepper until smooth. Add to the bowl of vegetables, and mix until it's as evenly mixed as it's going to get. Pour into the cooled crust.

Crumble however much goat cheese strikes your fancy on top. (My boyfriend isn't nuts about cheese, so I only used a bit; I've seen other recipes that call for a whole log. Whatever.) Lay peas in an even layer on top of everything.

Bake 40 minutes, until egg filling is set. Allow to cool slightly, about 5 - 10 minutes, then slice it up! Good hot, cold, at room temperature...

And I tell you now, a slice of this for lunch during the week will REALLY improve your at-work morale.

Hello Giggles = My New Obsession. Also, I am a nail artist.

2011-06-05T11:39:00.000-07:00

I'm kind of hooked on Hello Giggles. If you haven't heard of it yet, it's the new cute girl-collective site launched by Zooey Deschanel and her homies, now being contributed to by many rad girls. (Note to self: I need to write for that website.)

Anyhow, I stumbled across this page, which had a tutorial on how to make your nails look all cool and cheetah-print-y but without the indignity of buying decals for your nails or paying some chick to meticulously detail your tips.

So I had to do it. And so I did.

"Dana, show us your tips!" OK, I will.

Do you see that?! It looks exactly like the tutorial. I am a goddamn nail artist and I never knew it.

I wonder if Hello Giggles could use a segment focusing a little too intensely on pizza...

I may have a problem...

2011-06-03T18:59:00.001-07:00

This is the third pizza I've made this week.

I've discovered how easy making pizza crust is and I'm never going back. I'm sure as hell never buying Trader Joe's pre-made dough again. I'm keeping packets of regular yeast and quickie pizza crust yeast around all time. Because while the regular yeast makes vastly superior dough than the 30-minute pizza yeast, if it's between cooking up a frozen pizza and whipping up a fresh but speedy pizza, I'll take the second every time. And it makes one heck of a way to use up random scrap leftovers.

Pizza. Paltrow. Discuss.

2011-05-31T09:04:00.000-07:00

I have mixed feelings towards Gywneth Paltrow. She seems cool, but she gets on my nerves. I could go into more detail, but I won't right now. When she came out with a cookbook a few months back, I was mighty skeptical (and wildly jealous). But she has been hanging with plenty o' notable chefs, most prominently Mario Batali, who knows a thing or two about pizza. So when she posted a pizza-centered email out to her GOOP mailing list (that's right -- I subscribe to GOOP), I had to give it a whirl. So for Memorial Day, I made pizza.

Below, I have posted Ms. Paltrow's recipe, along with the amendments I made in red within...

(For reference, here is the original recipe I started with before tweaking it.)

[begin Paltrow]

To make the pizza, I adapted Gwyneth Paltrow's recipe from My Father's Daughter:
If you have a wood fire, I kind of hate you. If not, preheat a pizza stone in your oven at the highest heat the oven can go to for at least an hour before eating. (If you don't have a pizza stone, just hold your horses -- I'll have you covered too. Just preheat the oven to 500 degrees about 1/2 hour before you're ready to cook that pizza.)
First, I round up my Pizza Dough Ingredients:

(I shrunk down the recipe from Gwyn's ginormous one; it made 3 times as much dough)

3/4 cups warm water (divided)
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 package active dry yeast
About 1 2/3 cups of flour plus more for kneading and dusting. I used bread flour but you can also use Italian "00" flour if you are Gwyneth Paltrow.
1 1/2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon sea salt

For the dough, whisk together 1/4 cup of the water, the yeast, and the sugar in a large bowl and let stand until the surface has a few little bubbles and is creamy (about 10 minutes).

Add 1/2 cups water, 1 1/4 cups flour, olive oil and salt and stir until smooth. While stirring, gradually add up to another 1/4 cup of flour until the dough starts to pull itself from the edges of the bowl.

Knead the dough on a generously floured surface until it's elastic and smooth—it will take about 8 minutes of lovely fun kneading time. Dust the surface with flour as you go—you don’t want the dough to stick. Work extra flour into the dough as you go if the stuff is still kind of sticky -- I probably added another 1/4 cup a few large pinches at a time.

Form the kneaded dough into a ball, dust with flour, and gently place in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a tea-towel. Let it rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours. You can let it sit for up to a couple of hours or even overnight in the refrigerator.

For the sauce you'll need:

2 tablespoons (or so) extra virgin olive oil
2 medium-sized carrots, peeled and finely diced
1/2 large onion, peeled and finely diced
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped (Gwyn's recipe had no garlic -- WTF, girl?)
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes with their juice
3/4 teaspoon sea salt

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the carrot, onion, and garlic and cook, stirring now and then, until softened but not mushy, about 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juice and the salt. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and let the sauce simmer for 40 minutes; use your sauce-stirring utensil to break up the big tomato pieces a bit while the stuff cooks. Carefully puree in a blender until very smooth. Let it cool before saucing your pizzas. (Or don't, but know that if you top your dough with warm sauce, you risk making the top of the dough a tad mushy and spreading it with the back of the spoon is mildly perilous. Not that this happened to me. {Fine, it did.} But at least let it cool down from lava temps.) This can be made up to a week ahead. (Like I plan a week ahead...)

Here’s my pizza kit ready to get going

Pizza sauce
Mozzarella (I used the pre-sliced stuff that comes in a log at Trader Joe's)
~~There are squash blossoms in season so I tore them over a few of the pizzas~~

Totally adequate olive oil
Herbed goat cheese
Giant basil leaves (from my own garden/single potted plant)
~~White truffle oil~~ ~~(a little goes a long way)~~

To assemble pizzas, stretch dough with your fingers until quite thin. You can also roll your dough out using a rolling pin. (I didn't.)

Now top your pizza. I start with pizza sauce. Be sure not to put too much sauce on (this will weigh it down) and don’t go too close to the edge as this will make it hard to slide your peel under the pizza.

(You may notice at this point that I'm assembling my pizza on the underside of a baking sheet with a lip, dusted with semolina flour. My plan was to attempt to use this as a pizza peel alternative and scoot it onto my heated pizza stone. This did not work as the pizza would not scoot and my pizza stone was acting up anyway after what I can only imagine was a lot of improper non-pizza-cooking usage -- bad Dana -- so I just cooked the pizza on the upside-down cookie sheet, which incidentally worked fine. So now you know.)

And now for the toppings... Sprinkle each pizza with the toppings of your choice and then stick them in the oven.

If your oven is nice and hot, the pizza should be perfectly cooked and crisp in two minutes. (Or if you're using a normal, non-wood-burning oven like the rest of us plebes, it'll take about 10 minutes or so.)

[end Paltrow]

In all honesty, the pizza was magnificent. The phrase "I miss the pizza" was uttered by Matt and I each about 12 times after it was gone. I'm kind of obsessed with that sauce too -- it's a great base and I'll be putting it on damn near everything.

And just so you know, I'm making another pizza tonight.

UPDATE:

Made another pizza using 1/2 cup whole wheat flour in place of a 1/2 cup of the bread flour and topped it off with some wilted spinach. Delicious.

Franco(phile)-American

2011-05-30T17:54:00.000-07:00

Ever since I was a kid, I've had a weird obsession with Paris.

Seriously, far before I had any right or reason to.

As an obnoxiously well-traveled child of 5 living in the suburbs of Amsterdam with my ex-pat family, I don't even know where I first heard of Paris or why I decided I wanted to go there. I'm sure it had something to do with pictures of the Eiffel Tower -- no buildings I knew looked like that, and I sure as heck wanted to see one that did.

So when my parents announced that we were going on a trip around Europe with my grandparents and uncles (and their now ex-wives and ex-girlfriends), my only childlike request was that I wanted to go to Paris. No, the adults said. We'd be driving through France but not stopping and not going to Paris.

"But (I imagine I incredulously continued) why would you NOT stop in Paris if we're going to be in France anyway?"

There was no time, I was told. It was France or Spain, and all the grown-ups wanted to hang out in Spain, so Spain it was. France was to be a mere throughway from our stop in Brussels (where we had distant, distant, distant relatives... three times removed) on the drive to Madrid. I have a distinct memory of being in the van we rented as we passed by the outskirts of the city and seeing the Tour Eiffel far off in the distance. I think I remember this -- it very well may be some formulated faux-memory that my brain has accepted as truth. But real or not, I remember seeing the tower silhouetted in the distance and thinking that one day I was going to go there and noting how close it was and wondering how long it would REALLY take to swing over by there and WHY CAN'T WE JUST STOP IN PARIS???

I was one bitter five-year old.

The funny ending to all of this is that we ended up having a kind of crummy time in Spain -- my dad got his wallet stolen, the adults were fighting a bunch, and then it turned out that my dad thought my grandma wanted to go to Spain and my grandma assumed it was him who wanted to go to Spain when in actuality, no one gave a wet blue fuck about visiting Spain.

(Extra dose of irony: These days when I tell friends of mine that I'm planning a trip to Europe, where do they all tell me I simply MUST go? Fucking Spain.)

Why am I thinking about this? Well, in addition to my impending vacation plans, I just went to see Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris," which is a glowing, gushing love letter to the City of Lights in a way that I suspect only a Francophile will truly get. The opening montage of Parisian streets, from Montmartre to the Champs-Elysees to the Louvre to a series of gorgeous shots of the bridges over the Seine is either just shots of locations around Paris or a swoon-worthy sequence that sets you longing to stroll the cobblestone rues et avenues.

Without giving too much away, the focus of the movie is something called "Golden Age thinking," which basically means longing for an idealized time before your own. For Woody Allen-- uh, I mean his protagonist... Oh, who are we kidding; we all know they're one and the same at this point. The lead is once again a self-deprecating screenwriter obsessed with death, possessing the usual Allen tics. But I don't watch Woody Allen movies for the creative character development; his characters are so recognizable, either from one film to the next or just as being someone so plucked from everyday life, it takes no time to figure out where they're coming from. (Exception: Annie Hall.) I watch Woody Allen movies for very specific reasons -- to laugh, to be charmed, and to see truths about people addressed in that very unique style. And of course, for the opening-jazz tune.

Anyhow, Woody Allen's "Golden Age" is clearly Paris in the 1920's, the haunts of the Fitzgeralds, Ernest Hemingway, surrealist painters, and so forth. Personally, my Golden Age could fall anywhere between the 1920 and 1968 in Paris, but if I has to be more specific, I'd pick Paris in the '60's. Rock 'n roll, French New Wave films... I watch too many movies, but the ones that truly make me want to be in a different time and location take place there and then. (Example: Bertolucci's "The Dreamers.")

But I realized that Woody Allen HAD Paris in the '60's -- when "What's New, Pussycat?" was being shot in 1964, he lived in the city for the duration of the shoot, and that's when he fell in love with it. And I read an interview where he mentioned two of the crew decided that they were staying in Paris, and he considered it for a time, but ultimately returned to New York. (I imagine Woody Allen without NYC is something akin to me walking around missing a shoe. Or a limb.)

In the movie, it becomes clear that every time is someone's Golden Age, and that Golden Age will seem boring to the people who live there and then. The protagonist of "Midnight in Paris" experiences his Golden Age, among others, but [SPOILER ALERT] ultimately decides not to stay. While Woody Allen experienced my personal Golden Age, it wasn't enough to make him stay; I can't even fathom having been in 1964 Paris and not wanting to up and move there. But then again, I've been a great many places which will be Golden Ages to somebody (somewhere, maybe someone is saying "I wish I could have been in Hong Kong in the early '90's") and haven't stayed.

In all honesty, southern California in 2011 ain't bad.

Memorializing my Three-Day Weekend

2011-05-26T13:24:00.000-07:00

Since I'm saving up all my vacation days this year for a big vacation in September, I've been really looking forward to and appreciating every day that my office is officially closed. Wait, that sounds bad -- I really love my job, but taking no vacation days can wear on a person. But as Matt's got work and I've got stuff to do, no mini vacay for us this time around. I had originally been kinda bummed, because I figured my weekend would be just like all my other weekends with an extra day tacked on, since Matt's working Monday BUT I have worked out a reasonable mix of fun things and productive things so that I do not feel like I totally wasted my time come Tuesday morning.

Things I'm doing this weekend:
- going to see a couple friends' plays (like I do most weekends)
- going to an audition (which I do many weekends)
- cooking fun stuff (which is also de rigeur)
- hitting a yoga class (which I do sometimes but not enough)
- going to the friggin beach (I NEVER DO THIS. Not sure if it's gonna be bathing-suit-at-the-beach weather tomorrow morning, but Matt and I are going anyway)
- possibly going to a carnival (I just discovered one freshly set up a few blocks away with all the usual janky rides that I love)
- getting rid of the giant boxes of packing material that have invaded my living room
(This is the stuff that came, minus a large jewelery box, a lamp, and some books...

... and these are the boxes they came in)

- re-pack some of those items for proper storage
- play some ukulele
- do some writing (that does not include what I'm writing now)
- attempt to spend time outside without getting sunburnt
- go see "Midnight in Paris" on Monday while Matt's working (It's a WOODY ALLEN MOVIE set in PARIS and MARION COTILLARD, ADRIEN BRODY, and ALLISON PILL are in it! How Matt has no desire to see it, I have no idea.)
- turn in my passport info-- oh wait, I already did that this morning (super productive)
- possible online shopping (THE SALES! THE SALES!!!)

I'm currently in the midst of a post-pancake stupor, trying to work up the energy to take a shower. One more cup of coffee should do the trick...

I don't want to hear "I don't really like lemon" out of you

2011-05-09T15:05:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite lemon bar recipe. It has never served me wrong. I have seen batches of this disappear before my very eyes. And though I love me some BFC, I can't just follow a recipe to the letter. Since I love limes, I subbed in lime juice for some of the lemon. And it RULES.

The Lemon Bars
Slightly adapted from the Barefoot Contessa -- it's pretty much her recipe though...

[not pictured because they never last long enough for pictures]

Ingredients
For the crust:

* 1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
* 1/2 cup granulated sugar
* 2 cups flour
* 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

For the filling:

* 6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
* 3 cups granulated sugar
* 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (4 to 6 lemons... and maybe some limes)
* 3/4 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice
* 1/4 c. freshly squeezed lime juice
* 1 cup flour
* Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Note: If you use lime zest along with the lemon, it will be tasty BUT there will be little dark-ish flecks in your lovely lemon filling, which isn't quite as pretty. But if you love limes like I do, it may be worth it to just not be so freaking superficial.

Directions

For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine the flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed. Dump the dough into a greased 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking pan (with high sides), and press the bits of dough into a solid layer using your hands, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides. Chill dough and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Once oven is hot and dough is cold, bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack (or upside-down muffin tin, like I use). Leave the oven on.

For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, zest, lemon juice, lime juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set. (Trick: If there is lemon goo touching the edge of the pan above the crust, it may behoove you to run a knife around the inner edge of the pan after it cooks, to keep the most-cooked part of the sugary filling from fusing itself to the pan.) Let cool to room temperature.

Cut into triangles (or squares or rectangles) and dust with confectioners' sugar.

Makes as many as you want it to make. (What, it's true. It can be, like, 60 tiny li'l squares or one massive bar to rule them all... though I can't recommend that unless you're on death row or something.)

Pie Update (or Why I'll Never Really Be a Food Blogger)

2011-04-26T18:41:00.001-07:00

So Ileana came over.

And we made the pie.

I made a super buttery crust.

We filled it with onions, mushrooms, leeks, potato, and other various items.

We baked it.
We ate it.

And at no point did I photograph it.

To be fair (to myself), it wasn't the prettiest pie. Well, on the inside, at least. The crust looked good, and I cut out a star and some slits on the top for steam to escape, but...

OK, I should have taken a picture before I cut into it.

In my defense:
- it smelled really good
- I had 3 super-hungry people waiting to dig into it
- one of whom was me, and I don't think clearly when I'm hungry

Get me around food, and I don't really want to stop and take a picture of it before I taste it. I just want to TASTE IT.

*sigh*
Fine, next time, I'll take pictures. But probably not until a bite is already gone.

[recipe to come as soon as I get my shit together]

Prelude to a Pie

2011-04-22T10:19:00.000-07:00

So last weekend, I attended my friend Adam's birthday celebration, which was tons of fun as expected. I also saw lots of people I haven't hung out with in a while, including a frequent cooking buddy of mine, Ileana.

(That's Ileana & I on her birthday. EXTREME MYSPACE ANGLE!)

I might also include here that, since Matt was driving, I was drinking a bit more heavily than I would on a normal evening.

Now, I do recall having food discussions with Ileana and that we said we needed to hang out and have another cooking night -- something I'm not sure we had done since that time Matt sliced his hand open and had to get stitches immediately after dinner -- but I didn't recall setting an actual date. Luckily, she did and emailed me about it the next day.

It seemed we had planned to make a savory pie.

Which I am SO down with.

She mentioned mushrooms, so... I guess that's what we had discussed including. Having a few recipes bouncing around my collection, I cobbled together something that I think will taste spectacular.

Updates to come likely on Sunday.
YAY, PIE!

Colorful stripey shirt: NO vs. YES

2011-04-15T13:04:00.000-07:00

Madewell, I enjoy your clothing. Like, I don't BUY it, because it's often too expensive, so when I saw this top on your site...

... I liked it, but I didn't $95 like it. This top from Zara on the other hand...

... isn't really the same thing, but at $70 less, I can live with that.

(For real, people...)

An important question

2011-04-10T12:49:00.000-07:00

Boyfriend: "Do you think we can put away the the-earthquake-is-happening-tonight kit?"

Me: "... Maybe."

In my head: "That's just what the earthquake would want."

Pie or Europe? (What kind of question is that?)

2011-04-06T10:20:00.000-07:00

Just saw this:

KCRW’s 3rd Annual Pie Contest at LACMA
We are so excited to announce that KCRW’s 3rd Annual Good Food Pie Contest will be held at LACMA on September 18. Details still to come, but we expect to [sic] be loads of fun.

Oh man. That's right. I told myself I was gonna enter this year. The good news is that it's not 'til September. The bad news is that I haven't even started testing pies in the way that I wanted to test pies ahead of time. However, I also might be in Europe during the contest, so the whole thing might be moot.

*eyeroll*
"I so wanted to enter the KCRW Pie Contest, as a consummate food lover and devoted listener of 'Good Food,' but I'll be traveling Europe, darling. I simply can't."

Who is that person? Is that me? Ye gods...

How I Failed a Resolution Before the Year Even Started

2011-03-28T12:55:00.000-07:00

So at the beginning of the year, in my resolution lineup, I listed this:

Leave myself more free time than last year. I do NOT need to do 2 or more shows at a time, especially when they're not paying me.

Lo and behold, even as I had written that, I was already committed to doing 2 shows. (One which DID pay me!) And I had yet to realize that the week in which I was to be running one of the shows -- daytime performances for school groups -- flowed straight into the weekend in which my other production was going to make up a couple lost performances and do 5 shows instead of 3. Which meant that I was going to be doing 13 shows in 10 days, on top of my 40+ hour a week job.

It was at that point I knew I had to slow the hell down.

But right at the end of all that, I was faced with a possible role in a friend's production (my heart wasn't all in it + small part + unpaid), the chance to take part in a remount of a show I performed in the world premiere of last year for this year's Hollywood Fringe festival (still no pay), and another show (PAID!) for which the AD had personally requested that I come read for after seeing my in the school-group show. All of these would have conflicted with each other in one way or another. I was losing my mind trying to figure out what would be the smart course of action in which I did not anger/hurt friends of mine but did not also screw myself over.

Luckily, it all turned out fine. And now I have free time for a while.

But at the same time, I must look at all of this and say

WHY!??!?!

did I put myself through all that? Is it really worth it?

But then I went to see a few shows put on by various friends of mine this weekend. And after seeing some performances that lacked and yet others that knocked the wind out of me with their power... I remembered,

"Oh yeah. I love this."

So the next time I ask myself WHY I put myself through the stress, sleep-deprivation, worry, rejection, mental anguish, judgement, etc. of doing live theatre, I can just remind myself

that it's because I freaking LOVE it.

Earthquake predictions and things much like them

2011-03-19T01:28:00.000-07:00

I'm out with a group of folks from my show at a local watering hole we frequent, due to the sweet and hospitable nature of the establishment's owners, the low price of drinks, and the patio that's outdoor enough to legally allow smoking while being indoor enough to shield one from the harsh Southern California elements. And during the course of the night, we have fun, as people who hang around one another are prone to do. And as all things must, the night comes to a close and we all drift home.

Common tale.

But the second I hit my car, I start running through the night's events in my head. The things that were said; was everything I took in jest SAID in jest? Were there subtle nuances I didn't pick up on? Did I make an ass of myself? Do these people secretly hate me and I'm just too dumb to notice?

And so on and so forth.
But here's the thing.

Trying to figure out what someone else was/is thinking about you is damn near impossible. Re-running the words of another person over and over in your head, trying to glean if there was hidden meaning behind them or if there were irritated glances exchanged behind your back... it's pointless.

Much like worrying about whether or not an earthquake is going to hit tomorrow or not.

(Not that this admission will stop me from worrying about either one, but the realization at least shows SOME self-awareness, right?)

The first time I encountered an earthquake after moving to LA, I didn't sleep for several days; instead, I lay in bed in my first-story apartment, wondering what would happen if The Big One hit during the night. Would I be crushed? Would my neighbor's bed fall on top of me or did he place his elsewhere in the bedroom? What would be the safest place to go? Should I just sleep in the bathtub???

And so on and so forth.

Right before the show today, my friend mentioned to me that several "experts" were predicting a major earthquake to hit California tomorrow, March 19th. (OK, I guess it's TODAY, March 19th now.) This. Distressed. Me. But I shook it off. But now it's back.

Don't get me wrong -- I'm going to find my earthquake kit that a former employer gave me as a Christmas gift a few years ago and put it by my bed, along with a full bottle of water and my laptop, well-packed and protected. But I'm gonna try real hard not to lose any sleep worrying about earthquakes or people secretly hating me. Because if either thing happens, there's not much I can do about it. All I can do is have my shit ready to go if it does.

(If an earthquake hits later today, and this prophetic blog doesn't go viral, I'm going to be really pissed.)

White pants -- really?

2011-03-15T09:54:00.000-07:00

Does this look really work on anyone in real day-to-day life?

The other day, I was in a store with a pal and commented on how, if I were to put on a pair of the white pants before us (those you see above), I would be terrified that a) I would spill something on them, b) I would sit in something, c) I would spontaneously get my period regardless of the time of the month, and d) that my ass would look like the Great White South. She laughed, but agreed that, no, she would never dare to wear white pants.

WHO CASUALLY WEARS WHITE PANTS?

I want to speculate on this for a bit.

- The rich, who don't give a crap if they ruin a pair of pants.

- Those with intensely high self-esteem, who know they look hot in the pants and anyone who thinks otherwise can SUCK IT.

- The fastidiously neat, for whom mess is not even an option.

- The immensely zen, who would never consider the list of worries I've mentioned.

- The total disaster, who gets the pants and falls prey to the plagues I listed but is too oblivious to notice.

- The fashion victim, who gets the pants and falls prey to ALL of the plagues I listed after wearing the pants once and never wears them again.

(Uhhh, yikes.)

I know that were I to attempt the look, I'd fall squarely on my Great White South into the final category. Probably onto some gum.

I. Am. Slain.

2011-03-15T09:29:00.000-07:00

Madewell. You're killing me.

I adore this skirt found here. Yet I am not prepared to pay that much for the skirt, especially since it's dry clean only.

Really, this entire outfit destroys me. If I were tall enough to pull this look off, I'd wear it every day. (OK, fine, I wouldn't, but I'd want to.) But I can't. Because I'm 5'2" and the skirt is dry clean only.

An open love letter to the notepad function on my iPhone

2011-03-14T10:28:00.000-07:00

Oh, iPhone notepad.

In the days before I had you, I relied so much on regular paper. I went through post-its like (insert something else I use a lot; all I can think of now are post-its). My day-planner was littered with things that had nothing to do with my days or planning them but things I just wanted to remember. Trying to check my appointments through a veil of scribblings on songs to remember, restaurants to try, and vinatge stores to check out was not ideal.

Now, I have you.

My incessant and unnecessary list-making feels like less of a vice with you around. I don't have to rifle through my notebooks, trying to remember which week it was that I couldn't stop thinking about making a quinoa-based lasagna item or when it was that I decided that I really wanted to make a rag rug and detailed exactly what I'd need to do so.

Thank you, you electronic enabler.

New short film -- Cathedral

2011-02-24T16:20:00.000-08:00

Cathedral - based on the short story from Counterbugs on Vimeo.

Posting more clips...

2011-01-07T18:04:00.000-08:00

Because it's after 6 on a Friday and I'm still at work... LINKS!

(almost 300,000 views on this one!)

A couple links to pieces that I've done...

2011-01-07T15:32:00.001-08:00

(Honestly, this is more so I can keep track of them and not just shameless self-promotion, I swear.)

Puppy Love from Brett Gilbert on Vimeo.

Fightin' Guy Lady Tigers of St. Barry High (Pilot Episode) - watch more funny videos

Intent is Nine-Tenths of New Years Resolutions...

2011-01-03T10:17:00.000-08:00

OK, these aren't really resolutions. These are things I want to do that I'm writing down so I don't forget them.

Make bao. Yeah, the little Chinese buns. Imma make 'em from scratch. It's gonna be great.

Buy a hula-hoop. One of those exercisey ones. You know, to offset all those bao I'll be chaoing daon. (See what I did there?...)

Get some headphones. So that I can get work done. Like, you know, I'm not doing now. (Update: These have now been classified -- by me -- as low priority. Mostly because...)

Get a laptop. It's time. That big white eMac from '04 is practically fossilized.

Yoga. There are too many yoga studios in LA for me to get away with not going. Even if it's only for the duration of the Oedipus show I'm doing, which sound like it's gonna kick my ass.

Leave myself more free time than last year. I do NOT need to do 2 or more shows at a time, especially when they're not paying me.

Play my ukulele more. Leaving myself free time should allow more of that.

Write something big. Something fun. Something other than a half-assed brain dump blog. (No offense, blog.)

Make clothes for myself. You know, in that free time I'm leaving myself.

That's all for now/nao. Time to work.

That's right; we've got a dramaturg.

2010-12-21T16:57:00.000-08:00

The production of Oedipus the Tyrant (which I'm in) that will be going up in mid-February has its own blog being run by our dramaturg.

http://oedipusthetyrant.blogspot.com/

Word of the day: dramaturg.

Just so you know, spell-check doesn't even recognize that word.

Hey, you responsibler traveler!

2010-12-21T16:32:00.000-08:00

"Hey, it's 24 hours before your flight back to Chicago which hopefully will not be delayed by inclement weather! Have you checked in online?"

Shit yeah, I have; I'm a responsible adult who knows how to use the internet!

"Have you secured transport to the airport/paid some dude in a van to come pick you up because you're too insecure to bug your friends for a ride?"

You know it.

"Have you had all the Christmas presents you bought online for your family sent to their house so you don't need to be bothered by traveling with them?"

Damn right.

"Have you packed?"

Uh...

A nice way to start the day.

2010-12-13T09:46:00.000-08:00

No, it wasn't the sore throat I woke up with after hanging around outside in a halter dress at midnight one a shoot last night, and it wasn't the extra 20 minutes I spent sitting in traffic on the 101 this morning. Once I got in to work, I found this message on my Facebook account...

Hello! This is a random message from an audience member from one of your recent shows.

I'm just coming by to tell you that yours was my favorite performance of the night. It was really well written and delivered, and it stood out to me even among the other really well written and delivered pieces that night.

Do you dabble in writing often, or are you primarily an actress?

Anyway, thanks for the wonderful performance!
Cheers,
XXXXX

(not posting the person's name out of respect for privacy, politeness, etc.)

My hectic schedule feels a little more justified now.

Hell isn't other people -- TEMPTATION is other people.

2010-12-05T12:04:00.000-08:00

Well, that was a big pile of fail.

Started good, rockin' the smoothie and salad for breakfast and lunch. I even cooked my dinner ahead of time and brought it with me. The thing was, I didn't have enough time between my matinee and my evening shoot to eat it. So I left it in my car. Then I was hungry. Then the director ordered pizza. Had a couple slices, but I had blown my experiment.

Then I jumped back on the wagon this morning -- smoothie, made my salad to bring with me in case I had to go from my morning shoot to my matinee. Then the shoot wrapped early and I came home. And I was working diligently, planning to bust into the salad soon, when Matt came in and asked if I wanted anything from In-N-Out Burger.

And by god, I did.

I'm eating healthy tonight for dinner, so whatever.

Here are my thoughts:

1) Planning meals is not my style.
2) Eating something junky now and then isn't the end of the world if you eat mostly good stuff.
3) Walnuts taste really good covered in balsamic vinegar.
4) If you leave a container of broccoli and fish in your car for 6 hours, your car will smell like a fart the next time you drive it.
5) Trader's Joe's vanilla protein powder is pretty damn tasty.
6) The word "matinee" is easily misread as "manatee."
7) I really like making lists, don't I?

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a #2 Animal Style with an iced tea waiting for me...

I am Dana's flagrant lack of regiment.

2010-12-03T10:33:00.000-08:00

For serious, guys.

I am very much a creature of habit, but only in kind of a territorial way. I like to sit in the same places and have things that are "mine," I'm good in long-term relationships... but that's about it. When it comes to my day-to-day activities, I SUCK at doing the same thing every day at any given time. Can't consistently get up to exercise. If I do, I can't do the same exercises more than a couple days a week. Don't like to eat the same thing too many days in a row. God help me if I'm required to take prescription medication at a set time every day.

(Sidenote: This is hilarious to me because my boyfriend basically eats the exact same thing for breakfast and lunch every day. This baffles me.)

I'm going to set myself a goal.
A teeny tiny goal.

Some Yahoo dietitian (by which I mean she had an article posted on Yahoo, not that she herself is a yahoo) posted some 3-day detox thing, which I saw and said, "Yeah, I can do that!" Only 3 days. Smoothie in the morning. Big ol' salad with nuts and beans in the afternoon. Fish and veggies at night. Shit yeah, I can do that.

But like... CAN I?

In theory, I totally can. But I'm wondering if I can be organized enough to ACTUALLY do this for a few days. I'm wondering if I can find a way to NOT succumb to my whims; my general eating patterns usually go something like, "Oh, food!" -> eat, work, think about other things... "Oh, food!", etc. Now, this "Oh, food!" thing could happen as infrequently as a few times a day or as often as every half-hour. I am terrible about non-meal eating. There are days I don't even really have meals. For the most part, I eat whatever is leftover in the fridge when I'm at work, since there's almost always SOMETHING at my office. As of 10:45 this morning, I've eaten 2 servings of fruit crumble and 3 breadsticks.

This cannot stand.
I'm gonna break the cycle.
You know... for about 3 days, 2 of which are definitely not at work (possibly 3, as I may be on jury duty Monday), not to mention there will be very little at-home time. (That's partly good -- no lazy snacking -- and partly bad -- the urge to grab a bite at a random restaurant is very strong.)

Let's see if this goes as well as my plans to blog about my high school reunion -- maybe I'll do that once I'm on my winter break...

A series of swift blasts from the past.

2010-10-20T13:34:00.000-07:00

So the other day, in anticipation of this weekend's impending reunion, my friend Kate posted a picture of herself, myself, and our buddy Katie from graduation day 2000.

Wow.

(Sidenote: Why must we, on such a day of celebration, be forced to wear such universally unattractive hats? Can we let this tradition die? PLEASE?)

So I posted a pic of my own that I found laying around...

And then this morning, she posted 3 new ones...

Man. Old school. LITERALLY.

(I think I'll have to post a new round of my own when I get home...)

"Oooh, I should blog about this."

2010-10-18T10:56:00.000-07:00

My high school reunion is coming up. If ever there were a topic worth blogging about, this is it. Not serious enough to constitute serious thought and prose, and yet potentially bizarre in an oh-so-relate-able way.

Only I'm not there yet. I'm just writing this here now so I remember to write about it later. So here's my reminder to myself:

Hey Future Dana! I'm sure hoping that in the last few days, flying cars and teleportation devices have been invented. But in the event they haven't, don't forget to write about your high school reunion here, on your blog. I'm sure that the 5 people who occasionally check in on your oft-neglected blog would really be interested to hear about it.

Which reminds me... why HAVEN'T you written anything since July? I mean, you haven't had a show running and you just started rehearsals recently. So what gives? You know, I don't know if you're responsible enough to handle a blog, Dana.

You hear that? You're too irresponsible to BLOG. That's impressive.

Okay, now get back to work, Present Dana. And Future Dana... for god's sake, you better be teleporting to the 20-year reunion.

Fair enough...

2010-07-30T10:05:00.000-07:00

"Perfectionism is not a quest for the best. It is a pursuit of the worst in ourselves, the part that tells us that nothing we do will ever be good enough -- that we should try again."
--Julia Cameron

I can buy that...

Crave Cafe: Lead Us Not Into McDonalds, But Deliver Us From Taco Bell

2010-07-24T08:46:00.000-07:00

Who hasn't had that "It's 3a.m., I'm in the Valley, I'm hungry... Fast food it is!"-rationale slice through their brain. It's inevitable, it's the only option.

Until now.

The beauty of the Crave Cafe is that it's the kind of 24-hour place you'd still want to go, grab some food, sip a tea on the couch, or linger with friends even during normal human business hours. The space is simple but chill, and their menu... Frankly, it's impressive that they're able to stay in business considering their long hours and long list of quality options.

First off, let's walk into Crave -- there's an outdoor seating area with some warming lamps (essential for those native Californians who start to shake the second it gets below 70 degrees), an endearingly haphazard main seating area, and a couple of overstuffed couches on the sides. Off to the left is... oh my, a line of frozen yogurt machines! Straight ahead... dear me, a glass case displaying individually sized (if you're hungry) quiches, colorful mugs of fruit, and layer cakes that might make a first-timer weep. Just looking at the Godiva chocolate cake is enough to send a person into a choco-overdose; stare too long at the Blue Velvet cake, and it's burned into your mind forever.

Once you make it to the counter, your options expand to crepes, panini, omelettes, salads... Again, NOT your standard late-night fare. Anyone who's ever subjected themselves to a Denny's Grand Slam after a particularly late night can appreciate the beauty in having real-food options, even in the wee hours. Peel your eyes away from the massive wall menu to take in the smaller board perched on the counter -- a Nutella menu. Get it on a croissant, in a sandwich (sourdough is HIGHLY recommended), with fruit, whatever. The chocolate-hazelnut spread has some serious devotees (including a certain reviewer), so offering it to a 24-hour crowd is just really smart.

The beverage selection is also lovely, including an array of coffees, teas, juices, and fancy-pants bottled drinks. Also worth mentioning is the fruit cup. Now you might ask, "What on Earth is so special about a fruit cup?" This isn't a sad ramekin loaded with cantaloupe, honeydew, and other filler-fruit staples. These large mugs are stuffed to the brim with watermelon, strawberries, mango, pineapple -- the pieces you'd save for the sacred last few bites if it were any other fruit salad. It's little things like that which set this place apart.

The food itself? It's good. Now, this is not to say anyone's reinventing the wheel here, but this is quality food that is reliable and tasty, won't send you into pangs of post-Burger-King regret, and you can get it any time (EXCEPT Sunday nights after midnight; they gotta shut it down at some point). As previously mentioned, their ability as a 1.5-year-old cafe to keep the doors open is itself impressive in this day and age when even celebrity chefs have trouble making a new restaurant last and Starbucks' and Subway's pop up on every other corner.

So whether it's a lazy morning, a light lunch, or something to satisfy you as you head home crazy-late (you party animal), Crave is worth a stop.

Crave Cafe
14504 Ventura Blvd
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403

Abuelitas: ROAD TRIP!

2010-07-22T22:45:00.000-07:00

Here's a trip I took to Abuelita's Cucina Familiar in Topanga Canyon a while back for the Progressive Dinner Drives video series. (Who shot the video? That would be the talented Steve Yager!)

Cucina Bene: What Happens When I'm Hungry

2010-07-22T21:29:00.000-07:00

Here's what happened...

I was on my second attempt at trying to hit the Blue Dog Tavern. I walked into the place -- farther than I got last time when I had car trouble en route -- and said, "NOPE!" It was packed. And I was hungry. So. Very. Hungry.

Luckily, in the vicinity (on Sepulveda, south of Ventura Blvd.) is a short strip of restaurants and storefronts. Being far too ravenous to make a decision, I left it to my dining companion. "Indian, sushi, or Italian?" He picked Italian, which is how I ended up at Cucina Bene.

Now the translation of "Cucina Bene" is basically "upper-class kitchen." (And yes, I just looked that up online.) If I knew that going in, I probably would have been even more disappointed than I ultimately was.

It all started so well. We walked in. We sat down. We ignored the table of screeching 40-somethings and perused the menus. A plate of quickie amuse-bouche items was dropped off for us -- a pleasant surprise! I reached for the least readily identifiable one; black olive tapenade (VERY finely pureed). Not bad. The white bean and tomato ones were also quite tasty. Ooh, small garlicky rolls! "Score," thought I.

Meh. Lukewarm. Chewy. Clearly the victims of having sat too long under a warming lamp.

Out comes soup and salad. The mixed salad was both mixed and a salad, dressed in what I cannot describe as anything but "house" dressing. My companion didn't fare so well, with a bowl of carrot-artichoke soup that really tasted of nothing but salt. Hmmm...

Seduced by a the seafood lineup of "Tiger Shrimp, Mussels, Clams and Scallops," I caved to the Sapore di Mare. Allow me to dramatize my encounter:

SdM: HELLO! I AM FETTUCCINE WITH TOMATO SAUCE AND SEAFOOD!
Dana: Whoa! Um, okay... So, tell me a bit more about yourself.
SdM: I HAVE SEAFOOD!
Dana: Yes, I can taste that. Very seafoody. What else?
SdM: TOMATO SAUCE!
Dana: Clearly. And I like your noodles. But wait, what's that I taste...?
SdM: IS IT SEAFOOD?!
Dana: Ah yes, that's it.

Now don't get me wrong; I love me some tomato sauce. Can't get enough of it. And because of that, I fully recognize how good as well as how potentially bland it can be if you're not trying (having made plenty of bland tomato sauce in moments of laziness myself). Which brings me to a major, over-arching (if not somewhat tangential) point.

This place seems torn between trying too hard and not trying at all. For example, the decor. It tries very hard to emulate what reads in America as a southern Italian classy-yet-rustic vibe; there was a textured faux-finish on the walls (decently done) and the majority of the place looked nice. And then on each table was a solid plastic flower-ish object. Not even trying; I've seen better fake foliage at Steak 'n Shake. (OK, I made that up, but you get the point.)

So the food. My Sapore di Mare had mussels that were nicely cooked and had one shell removed (thanks, easier that way!), clams with hardly any meat in them (eh, I GUESS that's not their fault), scallops (lovely), and shrimp with the texture of pencil erasers. Seriously. It's not hard to cook shrimp properly, but all too easy to overcook 'em. This was a case of just not trying.

Finally, my companion had the Penne all'Arrabbiata, a dish I really like... generally. This was just a plain yet slightly spicy tomato sauce. The only saving grace was the sausage (crumbled, not linked) he had added to it; that provided some flavor lacking in, well, everything else.

However, the staff was very sweet, and our server was personable and a little jokey, but still very professional. So there's that.

But here's the thing: the quality and the price definitely didn't line up. I have no problem putting down some cash for a good meal; food is one of my great joys in life, thus it's worth indulging now and then. This? Not making the Worth-It List.

And this is why you never tell someone, "I don't care! I just want food!" Because inevitably, you will get that -- just food.

Cucina Bene
4511 Sepulveda Blvd.
Sherman Oks, CA 91403

Chego: Bowl Full of Heat or Hype?

2010-07-22T13:56:00.001-07:00

So, let's bask for a minute in the uncertainty of the "did she like it or not?" moment.

...

Alright, now that's over with.

As a die-hard fan of the Kogi Truck -- there's a reason I tolerate the rapid-fire stream of location tweets cluttering my Twitter feed on a daily basis -- I, of course, had sky-high expectations of the place. What Roy Choi does with flavor is a bit like a symphony orchestra playing Hendrix (on electric guitars... with their teeth) -- the fundamentals are high-class, but the soul is there, with much respect paid to the ingredients.

So one spectacular summer night, I find myself in Culver City, looking for dinner. Jackpot. I locate Chego (the super-cute bright orange sign certainly helps), park on the street (the lot is tiny, but welcome to L.A.), and walk my happy self to the door.

Once in, I see that the place is hopping. There's a communal table space (mostly commandeered by a big group), a stool/bench area (usually my preference, but some rogue children from the big group rendered it temporarily undesirable for me), and a stand-n-eat section (no thanks; I'm taking my time). I zero in on an outdoor table with my name all over it before placing my order with the (intensely friendly) counter guy:

A Sour Cream Hen House bowl
A Sriracha Bar
A Mandarin Jarritos to wash it all down.

When the waiter walked out with my glorious bowl o' food, the splash of color and texture immediately struck me. Some rice bowls are not pretty (see: Yoshinoya). This thing was so gorgeous, it was like the cast of LOST. (Which would make Yoshinoya's bowls akin to the banjo kid from Deliverance. Aww, I miss those pretty LOST people and their island. But I digress...)

My Sour Cream Hen House bowl had a melange of flavors and textures -- spicy, tangy, starchy, crunchy, creamy, cool, crazy... (Annnd now this is starting to sound like West Side Story.) The Chinese broccoli stalks were perfectly crisp, the brown rice was saturated with some terrifically umami flavors, the fried egg was oozy (but not in a worrisome way), and the fresh herb combo (cilantro and Thai basil) added a nice freshness to the dish.

And then there's the spicy stuff. The sour cream sambal paired with red jalapenos is an evil genius duo. First, you taste the spicy sambal, which is balanced by the sour cream in a comforting, cooling, "everything is okay, don't reach for your drink just yet" kind of way. Then POW! come the chilies, sneaking in just when you think all is safe. ADVICE! Wait out the burn -- you're gonna blow through that Jarritos pretty quickly if you're a wuss about every little bite.

After powering through the entire bowl (partly because the spiciness made it nearly impossible to stop, partly because it tasted too good to WANT to stop), I had no room left for the Sriracha Bar, a confection from Chego/Kogi pastry chef Beth Kellerhals's Double Chin Desserts line. So I took it with me...

[cut to the next day]

The bright spot in my otherwise ordinary workday was THE SRIRACHA BAR. That hot-sauce-infused caramel goo sitting on slab of chocolate-coated crisped rice, covered with spicy-sweet peanuts and dark chocolate... Pretty darn good. Truth be told, I had built it up in my head as more, but would absolutely get it again and recommend it to others. And if I ever come across a stash of that sriracha caramel, I will descend upon it like Winnie the Pooh with a pot of 'hunny' and run for my life...

Basically, if you haven't been already, you should be on your way right now.

Chego!
3300 Overland Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90034

When workaholism is the norm...

2010-06-14T21:47:00.000-07:00

Yup, I'm addicted to workahol.

Had to cancel 2 auditions this week because I realized, OH YEAH, I'm actually taking a vacation soon. It didn't even occur to me when I was thinking of possible conflicts before submitting for the projects. I thought about other shows I'm doing and any work issues... but it didn't really register that I will actually be taking a vacation and therefore cannot schedule a show for that chunk of time. Crazy.

But that's not healthy, right?

That's why I'm taking said vacation. Because if you spend all your time working (and that includes plays), then you'll miss out on a lot of unscheduled LIFE stuff. And by "you", I mean "I". And though I've been having fun doing a crazy number of projects this last year, I have quite literally been doing shows non-stop -- sometimes 2 or three at a time -- for 12 months straight. The last time I had any downtime was right before As You Like It, this time last year. And while it's been great, I don't know that I've actually come too far since then.

True, I did stretch myself as a performer with several of my recent projects, and made a lot of new friends. But I keep coming back to a "but". Ah well. It's probably good for me to take some time to NOT be in a play and work on other things, like practicing the ukulele and writing. Speaking of which...

Working on a new project to once again stretch myself -- a colleague asked me to help co-write a web series project with him... which is SO random to me, but rather than linger over "why me?" and "am I right for this?", I'm just gonna run with it and do my best. If it's not good enough, that's yet to be determined and there's no point shutting myself down before I begin.

My dear friend's husband died yesterday out of nowhere. He had a heart defect, but nothing that seemed imminently life-threatening. And it just makes you think...

... yup...

Gloriously imperfect

2010-05-20T14:25:00.000-07:00

So yesterday, I had a bit of an ego blow: I got a *gasp* bad review for a play I'm in.

I know -- "Oooooooh..." I could elaborate, but it would not result in anything productive.

But then I thought about it...

How boring would life be -- heck, how boring would I PERSONALLY be -- if everything I did was right and good? How uninteresting would existence be if everyone everywhere approved of what you did? How painfully predictable would people be if they all liked the same things?

I've done plenty of shows that, while a handful of people I know HATED them, several others REALLY loved them. So who's to say that the show was bad just because not everyone liked it?

You know what "universal appeal" is? It's boring. It doesn't change, it doesn't take risks, it doesn't try. Universal appeal is beige; it doesn't stand out or clash with anything, it doesn't offend anyone's sensibilities.

I'm not beige. Don't know what I am, but it ain't beige.

So you know what? Review away. Pan me. Slam me.

(OK, I'd really rather you didn't, but if that's what you feel you must put into the universe, I'll deal with it.)

Plus, that "review"? Meh, just some dude on a website, posting his (extremely lengthy) 2-cents about a show he saw in the "user review" section. So what do I care about what that dude thinks.

Right?
Right.

Sorry, blog.

2010-04-07T16:36:00.000-07:00

I've neglected you.

I'm sorry.

I've just been so busy!

I HAVE managed to keep a few plants alive, and hang a grow-lamp over them.

I got a tattoo.

I started ukulele lessons.

I've been in about 10 plays/performances/short films/pilots so far this year.

I gave blood.

I contributed to a NY Times #1 Best Seller.

I helped my friends move.

I did my taxes.

I figured out how to cook rice properly.

I did all these things.
I just didn't blog about 'em.

Forgive me?

Blogging from my iPhone

2010-01-15T18:21:00.000-08:00

I know. Just how dorky can I get? AND I'm doing so on a Friday night. Right before I go to rehearsal.

Excuse me, I need to push up the glasses sliding down my nose.

While I am, clearly, lamesauce, it's mostly because I am also busysauce. Got a new show opening next week, shooting a short film this weekend, back in rehearsals for the remount -- heh heh, remount -- of the cabaret show I did in December. All pretty sweet. Still workin' 40 hours a week. And I made soup and bread this week. Pretty sweet as well.

Basically, I just haven't taken the time to write about any of it. Ah well. Big loss.

I did take a ton of pictures of the delicious bread I made though, much in the way that certain others take crazy amounts of pictures of their children. This to me is just further proof that I should not procreate, as I'd likely just eat my young.

An update. A vey angry update.

2009-11-17T21:03:00.000-08:00

So I've got ANOTHER cold.

Not a relapse of the cold I had last week, oh no!
A whole. New. Cold.

Last week I had a chest cold, which I felt pretty confident that I had shaken by Sunday. Alas, I awoke Monday morning with a sore throat. I thought, "Oh no! It's coming back!"

"Oh no!" indeed, Dana. "Oh no!" indeed.

Today I realized... "This feels nothing like last weeks cold. That was a chest cold. This is a head cold. MY GOD, I've contracted another illness!!!"

I'm only over-reacting to this because it's probably been nearly a year since the last time I really got sick. Back in college, I was perpetually sick. I'm just glad they waited till just before I graduated to take pseudoephedrine out of all cold medicines. The new stuff they make doesn't work nearly as well as the old formulas. But I doubt I would have made it to as many classes and rehearsals as I did without good ol' Extra Strength Tylenol Cold.

And now I need to blow my nose 50 more times, drink some tea and go to a late rehearsal. Dammit.

I know, I know...

2009-11-12T19:19:00.000-08:00

I have abandoned my blog!
I have abandoned my blog!
I have abandoned my blog!

Enough.

So I've been ill. Well, it's really my own damn fault. I felt something coming on last week and fought tooth and nail to stave it off... until Saturday.

(Let me point out that what I felt coming on was almost certainly a product of the previous weekend's Halloween festivities, which included bobbing for apples; that didn't sound like such a horrible petri dish of bacteria when we were kids, did it?)

Anyhow, Saturday was my birthday party. 'Round about 4pm the day of the party, my voice began to get lower and lower. I ignored this fact and enjoyed my celebration.

The next morning, I awoke with no voice.

Now I grant that I am prone to hyperbole, but FOR REAL, I had no voice. Which made my 9a.m. singing/dancing rehearsal very interesting. And quiet. But alas, since I am... how do you say... ME, I was not able to simply accept that I had no voice and not push it. NO. I TOTALLY screwed myself by forcing what little voice I had all day long. But I was very thankful that it was just my voice and I wasn't sick.

The next morning, Monday, I awoke to the beginnings of a cold. Awesome.
The NEXT morning, Tuesday, I awoke feeling worse, went to work, and came home half an hour later.
The subsequent Wednesday and Thursday mornings were similar, in that I awoke feeling like ass, cleared my respiratory of grossness, took some DayQuil, and marched myself to work.

Now it's Thursday night. Things have been all-or-nothing today. I'm either feeling fine, not sick at all... or my lungs are trying to escape through my mouth.

I had a fun little incident at The UPS Store just now. I had a full-on coughing fit while trying to send a package, which ended in me nearly choking on my Ricola, being offered a bottle of water by the sweet guys at the counter, and repeatedly assuring them that I do not have the swine flu. Seriously. Really embarrassing.

THEN I went to Coffee Bean to get my free winter 12oz. beverage (YAAAAY FREE STUFF!), trying to hold it together there, and succeeded. The girl at the counter was totally teasing me about how clearly excited I was to be getting a free drink. I'm such a dork. But it was very exciting. I had been waiting for it all day. The Winter Dream Tea Latte? SOOOOO worth it.

THEN a girl came around while I was waiting for my drink handing out little waffle bites and started talking to me about my earrings. This distracted me so much that I crammed the bite of waffle into my mouth -- forgetting about the half-a-coughdrop still therein -- and proceeded to crunch up the tasty morsel of waffle along with my remaining Ricola.

*sigh*

The waffle was still pretty tasty, despite the subtle honey-lemon-echinacea undertones.

And THAT, my friends, is the mark of a good waffle.

Do I have anything interesting to say right now?

2009-10-05T21:48:00.000-07:00

Not really.

But I feel bad when I let this go too long without an update.

Erm.

Alright, I've actually purchased some new music recently. My recent favorites...

Sour Cherry - The Kills: This track rocks so hard. I hadn't realized how much I liked The Kills, but then I did some browsing and ended up plunking down for Midnight Boom. Damn good. Also good: Cheap and Cheerful

Atticus - The Noisettes: Heard it on KCRW a while back, but the new album, Wild Young Hearts, wasn't out yet. Really beautiful song, a lot less bouncy than much of the album, but man... those kids have range. Also good: Wild Young Hearts, Never Forget You (a.k.a. the song Amy Winehouse probably wishes she had recorded)

(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To - Weezer: It's been QUITE some time since I approved of one of Weezer's singles (I'm looking at you, "Pork & Beans". And "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived". And "Beverly Hills". And "We Are All On Drugs".) Because of this, despite my deep and unrelenting affection for The Blue Album and Pinkerton, I have not been an easy sell on their post-Matt Sharp material. But I really do like this track. The upcoming album title, though... Raditude? Really, Rivers? Also good: yet to be determined

Savior - Rise Against: Just a really great, high-energy song. Also good: Audience of One

Percussion Gun - White Rabbits: Seriously, if you're gonna call a song "Percussion Gun", you better have a whole lotta drums going on. This song does not disappoint. Feels like there should be some rock-n-roll belly dancer gyrating along to this tune. Also good: I confess, I know nothing else by this band.

Samson - Regina Spektor: Not new at all, but I fell in love with this tune back during "Gloves Required". Just gorgeous. Also good: You caught me again; I'm not nearly up on my Spektor.

Days Go On - Greg Laswell: One of those songs I hear on KCRW every now and then and it sticks in my head. Finally looked it up and downloaded it. Also goo-- ALRIGHT! I'm giving up on this section. I am not as well versed as I might pretend.

Origin of Love - Hedwig and the Angry Inch: I just re-watched this movie. GODDAMN, it's good. Anyone who hasn't seen it... do so. It's available on Instant Watch on Netflix. Which is great, because that means I can watch it anytime I like. John Cameron Mitchell = genius. "Shortbus" is also incredible... but prudes need not apply. Also good: Wig in a Box, Wicked Little Town, Sugar Daddy

Meh, that's it for now.

insert picture of monkeys trying to assemble a toy train

2009-09-21T21:58:00.000-07:00

Pardon our slowness! We got a little off track!

Alright, I'm busy. Work is nutty what with the whole "new HG book" thing (coming to bookstores everywhere next Spring!). Rehearsals for "Much Ado About Nothing" are well into full swing (go to http://shakespeareca.com/ for info), and I'm trying my damnedest to get my demure face on to adequately portray Hero.

I just ate one of the most delicious dishes of my life. Some kind of butternut squash lasagna made by the goddess Evan Kleiman. That woman RULES.

I took a 3 day vacation in Santa Barbara! It was nice! Matt and I went to the beach! We got sunburnt. We went on a boat! We froze our asses off! We drank beers served by a one-eyed bartender named Jack! We took a wine tour with an awesome renegade wine guide named Hans, who was all like, "I'm supposed to take you to this other winery now, but they suck, so we're going to a place that I like! Screw those guys!" We ate a lot of good food! Right before we left, I had this incredible Crab Cakes Benedict with amazing potatoes on the side and a HUGE friggin' mimosa. Happy ending.

Alright, I'm gonna go run lines and work on my wig.

That's right. Work on my wig.

Things I've made and done and done made.

2009-08-24T21:40:00.000-07:00

I feel the need to redeem myself by posting photos of actual things I've done lately. And so, at long last, the pictures from my ice cream making adventure.

(Just in case you're wondering what the crap is going on, I'm making the custard base.)

I was far too excited by the time I got to the "freezing the ice cream and adding the strawberries" part to photograph anything else. But this is what it looked like.

And a couple of weeks ago, I painted a dresser that I got from Adam that he had gotten from someone else. It had been sitting in a closet for a couple years, so I thought it could use some spiffing up. So spiff I did.

It's somewhere on the continuum between "Little Girl's Dream Dresser" and "Liberace's House of Spangled Blouses".

And then for the cast party, I made a shortbread recipe from a Nigella Lawson cookbook, which of course, I couldn't help but tweak. It came out good, but it wasn't a sure-thing in the "during" process. However, the results were, to quote a fellow cast-member, orgasmic.

I sent a bunch of it with Matt to Bob and Melissa's. Partly because I think they might enjoy it, partly because I don't need to eat that much chocolate-covered, caramel-layered, peanut-filled shortbread.

Hopefully, there are more good things to come...

Aw crap. I'm a Twit.

2009-08-24T20:53:00.001-07:00

I caved.

I joined Twitter.

Just like I always swore up and down that I wouldn't give in to Facebook (and now don't know how I'd keep in touch with anyone without it), I've given in to Twitter. BUT I only did it so that I could get in touch with Kogi BBQ and tell them that they need to come back to the spot behind the Guitar Center in Sherman Oaks because I've been craving their Spicy Pork and Short Rib tacos since they teased me with a brief stint a couple weeks ago.

http://twitter.com/hotcupofdana

Find me there. I have one follower, and I think it's a robot that's going to try and trick me into giving it a lot of money. And I'm a sucker for robots.

Would you believe...

2009-08-24T18:26:00.001-07:00

... that spending most of your day sitting in front of a computer, writing, makes one want to do so MARKEDLY less in your free time? WHO KNEW!

*sigh*

Anyhow, "As You Like It" has closed. We had a fun run, it was a good time with some truly excellent people that I'm lucky to know and will hopefully work with again soon.

The new HG book is in the works... and that's all I can say about that. But we're working on it furiously and simultaneously trying not to let the daily emails suffer. Good times. Good, busy times.

PLUS, I just got cast in California Shakespeare Company's production of "Much Ado About Nothing" (one of my all time favorite plays) in the role of Hero. Last time I did this show, I was Dogberry, the bumbling fool. This time, I'm the pure-as-the-driven-snow damsel character. At least I'm not being typecast.

And finally, I'm making a little resolution to myself (which I'm sure I've resolved to do many times before) to stop worrying so much about everything preemptively, to quit picking on myself for stupid little things, to quit blaming myself for everything, to stop always assuming the worst, to stop stressing about what others think about me (or rather, what I think that others MIGHT be thinking about me). Because 95% of the stuff I find myself obsessing over is stuff that I a) can't do anything about or b) have made up and is all in my head.

Mashed potatoes for dinner tonight. Damn the torpedoes and full speed ahead!

Booooo. Hiiisssssssssssss.

2009-08-01T03:06:00.000-07:00

I officially broke my own self-imposed rule banning homemade martinis in my place of cohabitation. This rule was set into place on November 6...5...7...*&%*)*^%#$#&^... somewhere around there. I decided that they were fine to have in an environment where it was clear I would only have only 1 or 2 (i.e. ANY BAR IN L.A.), but if I was making them at home, the margin of repetitive consumption was far too great. However today, after the opening of "As You Like It"... I feel pretty entitled to a damn martini enjoyed on my couch and finished alongside my computer (an Apple, while my boyfriend ironically enough is asleep in preparation for a day working at the Apple Store).

Get a lawyer and sue me.

Oh my goodness, the slackitude!

2009-07-22T18:41:00.000-07:00

How have I NOT posted about the ice cream that I made and have nearly polished off yet? I think the prospect of going through the entire experience again seems daunting to me. But I have pictures. And the ice cream is good. However, I feel like the next frozen treat I'm going to attempt shall be of the sorbet nature, because I honestly don't NEED a quart of full-fat frozen custard waiting for me in my fridge on these days where the temps are consistently 100+. Oh, you wacky San Fernando Valley, you!

Hmm.

I want to make a necklace out of washers and ribbon like this...
... in the style of Anni Albers. I decided I wanted to when they started selling "kits" to make her kind of "junk jewelery" at Urban Outfitters, and I thought to myself, "THAT DEFEATS THE PURPOSE! I mean, go get some friggin' washers and a piece of ribbon! This thing is MEANT to be easy, but still be a project! Get your lazy, skinny hipster asses off your re-upholstered vintage loveseat and put in the legwork."

So I went to my local Ace Hardware. They didn't have enough of the washers I liked. I figure I'll swing into Lowe's the next time I'm in the area.

(Lazy.)

OH! I DID make a dress, though! Yeah. From scratch and everything. Well, from fabric and string and without a pattern. I didn't weave and loom the cotton or anything. Pics to come...

(Lazy.)

And my recent decision to start going to the Santa Monica Farmers Market on Saturday mornings, in an effort to get me doing stuff on weekends, eating more veggies and fruit, and supporting local farmers has resulted in a grand upswing in my cheese consumption. Sorry, cheesemongers of Santa Monica. Gotta cut myself off.

There's a new (to me) dresser sitting in my living room. (Thanks Adam!) The plan is to paint it, fill it with clothes that currently reside in an old unsightly plastic set of drawers, and use said plastic set of drawers to organize and store some of my craft stuff. The farthest I have gotten into this project is doing my laundry. Crucial, and yet that dresser is still in my living room.

(Lazy.)

New show opens July 31st.

Anyone who'd like to sing me sing the hits of Wham!, The Smiths, Eurhythmics, Duran Duran, and Prince while dressed like Boy George would be well advised to attend.

"But Dana! What does any of that crap have to do with Shakespeare?"

Why are you asking so many questions? It's gonna be fun, okay? And they sell booze at the theatre, so that's ALWAYS a plus.

July 31 through August 23, 2009
Fridays @ 8 p.m., Saturdays @ 8 p.m., Sundays @ 6 p.m.

Click here for more info! And if you order tickets, tell them I sent you. It won't help you any, but apparently there's a cash prize for the cast member who brings in the most paying audience members. This is CLEARLY not going to be me, but it never hurts to throw it out there.

Alright, I've got a date with a man, a margarita, and pollo en mole. Adios.

Pardon my absence.

2009-07-20T09:26:00.000-07:00

It's currently too insanely hot in my workshop to want to spend any large amount of my free time in there. Greg, I don't know how you did it all those years. That room be HOT.

Also, I'm in rehearsal for a show, so that squeezes out any evening blogging.

Excuses, excuses.

Back to work.

Gabrielle Anwar

2009-07-04T13:47:00.000-07:00

I like her a lot. I think she's great. "Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken" is just the kind of movie I was into as a kid, so I was obsessed with it. Now she rocks big time on "Burn Notice", and makes rompers, wedges, and fanny-packs look cooler than they would ever look on anyone else.

My only concern?
She's looking a bit damn skinny.

Gabrielle, in the interest of keeping your fabulous cheekbones from cutting right through your skin, I recommend the book "The Perfect Scoop". Start with the Ice Cream chapter. Work your way through. Repeat.

Reverie Interruptus

2009-07-04T13:02:00.000-07:00

So I AM in the midst of making my own ice cream today, being at the crucial "letting the base chill completely" phase right now. I'm not posting my account of the actual process yet, because it ain't done. But I will tell you this...

After I had finished the custard and was letting it chill in an ice bath before transferring it to the fridge, I was cleaning up after myself in kind of a daze. I tasted the base of my ice cream, and it was so resplendently tasty that it sent me into a "what if ice cream changes my life" kind of cloud. I began envisioning starting from the ground up, making crazy-fantastic ice creams and selling it small-scale locally. I began envisioning opening a cafe that specialized in custard-based ice creams, also selling coffee, eventually expanding to be a full-fledged cafe. And in the midst of this...

I broke a glass in the sink. Luckily, it broke into big pieces and wasn't one that I particularly cared about (hooray for POM Wonderful and their juices/teas that come in reusable glasses!). Funny thing is that Matt recently broke one of 'em too. Luckily, there are 2 brand new glasses Matt got from McDonald's waiting and ready to go.

What are the odds?
Call it the Conservation of Glassware Law.

Meanwhile, in anticipation of the hamburgers/french fries/ice cream I'll be consuming tonight, I'm being all healthy and chowing on a quinoa dish I made a couple days ago with garbanzo beans, basil, sun-dried tomatoes, and some olive oil. Yum.

CRLLL - Impending knowledge, impending doom, impending increased LDL cholesterol level...

2009-07-02T19:45:00.000-07:00

I just ordered an ice cream mixer attachment for my KitchenAid mixer.

Along with this book.

I'm in soooooo much trouble.

However, I feel like I'm more likely to feel like making ice cream than pies. Especially now that it's July, when the regular temperature in the Valley hovers pretty steadily between 90 - 105 mid-day, and the temperature in my apartment can range from "comfortable" to "surface of Mars on a particularly hot, red day".

But please. This book has recipes for things like Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream, Saffron Ice Cream, Tiramisu Ice Cream and Roquefort-Honey Ice Cream.

THAT'S ICE CREAM WITH BLUE CHEESE, FOOL.

When my heart just stops beating, know that I died happy.

Unexpected, but unavoidable.

2009-06-29T22:57:00.000-07:00

This Saturday resulted in a few unexpected acquisitions for me.

First off, I swung by Nic a.k.a. Normandie Wilson's yard sale, because she has impeccable taste and I was looking to pick up some of her stuff on the cheap and do my part to chip in towards her upcoming tour. (Whooo! Music For Smart People!) I got a bunch of eyeshadows and a bottle of nailpolish (awesome, because Nic buys the good stuff), a picnic basket (which I plan to pack with goodies and take with me to see my pal JR's production of The Tempest with ISC this Friday), a mic stand with a nice pop screen for Matt, and a few other things. Fun times. Then I hit up the Santa Monica Farmers Market, which I'm trying to do more often (just going to farmers markets in general) so that I get less intimidated by them and it becomes part of my weekend routine. Then I went to Trader Joe's for a few things I couldn't get at the market... and that's when I saw it.

I was driving past, I saw it, and I went back around the block after thinking about it because I knew that I would regret letting it go if I didn't at least check it out.

As you can deduce by this picture, a) it was a couch, b) it was adorable, and c) I bought it.

I regret nothing!

Recently learned... and NOT learned...

2009-06-24T19:25:00.000-07:00

I tried to teach myself to knit. After about 4 hours, I had this...

... which was looking worse and getting wider with every line. I decided to hold off and wait to actually find someone who can teach me to knit properly.

I also glued some pom-pom trim onto an old bookshelf, which I think looks pretty snazzy.

After Matt's birthday party, he got a cold, so I made him my fail-safe cold busting soup. Guess what the secret ingredient is...

And then last weekend, I made a pie.

I called it Fail Pie. It was actually strawberry rhubarb with a lattice top, but as you can see...

... it was also Fail Pie. Here is a picture of Fail Pie sitting on the windowsill to cool.

However, as you can see, the fact that I put WAY too much filling inside the pie causing it too ooze out like it was trying to escape (due to my refusal to listen to the recommended filling amount) had absolutely no bearing on how it tasted (i.e. delicious).

What did we learn, Dana? If you overload your fruit pie, much of that excess filling will run out, drip onto the bottom of your oven, and burn.

Ahhh, learning.

A photographic recap of Matt's 30th birthday.

2009-06-24T18:39:00.000-07:00

What have I been up to?

Not learning Spanish, that's for damn sure.

*sigh*

I was busy!

First, there was Matt's birthday.

We started out celebrating at the stroke of midnight. So, after Matt's folks dropped us off at home we ran out and got supplies.

Yeah. Champagne and toilet paper. Champagne for celebrating and toilet paper because, well, we were out.

The next day, Matt was definitely looking older.

*shudder* Anyhow, the impending party entailed a lot of prep work. The theme of the evening was "Matt's Too Old For This Shit", in a nod to the line made famous by Danny Glover in Lethal Weapon. So, we got a keg...

... which was rather adorable. And then I made a crap-ton of cupcakes and Jell-O shots.

The cupcakes had a rather obscene amount of food coloring in them. Far too much for anyone over the age of 12 to need. Yes, the batter was JUST that orange.

And you might be able to see them on the bottom shelf in the picture of my fridge, but they were topped with blue-dyed "frosting". They were pina colada cupcakes (as found in Hungry Girl 200 Under 200!) with some minor edits. I did put rum into the cupcake batter, as a nod to my days putting rum into my roommate's pancakes.

Now, during parties, I'm notorious for taking pictures very sporadically. So it's never a really good representation of the event. Never have me try to capture the essence of some special party for you, because you will be sorely disappointed. Anyhow, here are a few snaps. (Oh snap!)

Taken through the ceiling fan. Fail.

Mark, Jonica, and Dylan are all wondering if it's gonna work this time.

Me and Teresa ~~Kryzwyzwyzw~~ Kryzwkicki.

Teresa trying to give Matt a backrub. It looks worse than it is. I swear she wasn't feeling him up.

Orion, just before leaving, stone-cold sober yet for some reason looking drunker than anyone else present.

Me and Teresa and her girls Krystyna (sp?) and Laura, who were my homies by the end of the night.

Our note-board was full of doodles and birthday wishes by the end of the night...

Aaaaaand then I ate Matt's brains.

CRLLL - It's a step!

2009-06-04T20:43:00.000-07:00

For those of you with poor short-term memory, CRLLL = Caring, Responsible Life-Long Learner.

Guess who's learning Spanish?

Damn right, it's me!

Well, that was nice.

2009-06-04T20:35:00.000-07:00

A friend and co-worker looked at me the other day and very earnestly asked, "Why aren't you famous yet?"

I told her that my mother asks that all the time.

And she said that, although she does want success for me, she knows that the day will come when I'll come into work and say "I just booked some amazing job! I have to quit!" And when that day comes, she'll be bummed.

All of these things are nice sentiments.

Thanks Jamie.
You made my day.

Wait, what?

2009-05-30T18:14:00.000-07:00

A plain old can of soda is now too much for my system to handle.

I was feeling a little sleepy in the middle of the afternoon, so I had a Coke. Now I feel jittery and, I kid you not, nauseous. I can drink the equivalent of a whole bottle of wine without really ever feeling too drunk or headache-y afterwards, but not even a whole can of Coca-Cola, and I think I'm gonna yak?

Is this what "getting old" is like? Because it's weird.

How I became the very thing I always laughed at.

2009-05-28T19:51:00.000-07:00

I just discovered that my former high school has a Wikipedia entry.

In the words of actual high-schoolers, OMG.

Sweet Harold Jesus, this is funny.

Alright. Here's the intro...

"Saint Charles East High School is a public four-year high school located in St. Charles, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Community Unit School District 303 which also includes Saint Charles North High School which no one likes."

Awesome. Now please note that I graduated before the split, a.k.a. "Before the year 2000, one high school served all students within the District 303 boundaries." But my sister graduated from North.

Fun fact: St. Charles, Illinois, may be the most redundant town in America! It was bad enough when we were the Saint Charles Saints (creative, guys), but now the town is split between the Saint Charles East Saints and the Saint Charles North North Stars.

*sigh*

Moving on...

The rest is pretty dull. There's a blurb running down the big Black Mold Scandal of 2001, when they "discovered" this mold all up in the walls of the building that was "believed to be the source of some student and teacher illnesses" (over a span of decades). From what I hear, when they tore down the building, there were places where garbage had been stuffed into the walls in place of insulation. Just what I heard. And I think it's pretty dang convenient that they "discovered" it in 2001, coincidentally the first year that the NEW high school was open, after years of "investigating" the poor air-quality at the school. Sure, you discover that there's crazy shit running ALL through this huge building... but where are you gonna put 25,000 teenagers? Better hurry up with that new campus, home-skillet.

OH! And the other most-fun thing about my school? The fight song.

Here's to St. Charles High School
Bring victory back
Heres to our colors---
the Orange and the Black
RAH, RAH, RAH,
Here's to all the fellows
Who bear our name
Fighting to defeat the foe
And win this game
RAH, RAH, RAH,
RAH, RAH, RAH,
RAH, RAH, RAH,
RAH, RAH, RAH,
RAH, RAH, RAH,
RAH, RAH, RAH,
Saaaaaaint Charles!

As horrible-sounding and uncreative as that was (21 "RAH"s in a 16 line song?!), apparently now they've modified it for the new East campus. While they have jammed the word "East" into the first line (which was awkward enough to sing to begin with), the addition of "East" to the end of the last line does eliminate the irritatingly drawn-out "Saaaaaint". However, that did always add a spark of sarcasm to a totally lame cheer, so I think the change may still be for the worse. They have not, however, taken out the line that specifically lauds the "fellows who bear our name". *grunt*

Hey! A girl I graduated with was an American Idol Top 24 finalist. Who knew? Well, I guess people who lived in my town and watched American Idol. Anyhow, it was the season Jordin Sparks won, and from what I remember, Leslie Hunt was and probably is still way cooler than Jordin Sparks. For what that's worth.

The point of all this?
(Sorry. I got side-tracked by Wikipedia!)

I looked up my damn high school because the school motto had always cracked me up. It was "To Create Caring, Responsible, Life-long Learners". My friends and I always made fun of those signs in the classrooms, in a dorky, super dated orange type, laminated and stuck to the walls.

But I realized something.
I AM a caring, responsible, life-long learner.
Son of a bitch.
It worked.

I mean when you think about it, I was in school from the ages of 3 to 21, so a precedent had kind of been set. A person gets used to learning stuff. For a few years, I just felt odd and stagnant, but now I've realized my place as a caring, responsible, life-long learner, and I'm going to embrace it.

I'm gonna learn stuff.

I've been trying to teach myself a few things in vain over the last year or so, but I usually don't stick with it.

Maybe I will if I can write about it afterwards.

SO...
Anyone who reads this blog?
Prepare to hear a lot about this in the future.

And if you don't, be sure to give me crap about it.

Oh, bite me.

2009-05-28T19:38:00.000-07:00

Give me a break, really.

Why is it that every time I browse the "reviews" on items at Urban Outfitter's website, it seems like there is ALMOST ALWAYS one or more comments reading, "I'm 5'8" and 113 lbs. and this just did NOT fit right at all. The top was SOOO baggy and it just looked weird." And I just want there to be a place for me to reply and be like, "Either a) you're lying about your weight and it STILL doesn't fit you right, in which case you don't NEED to give your dimensions in this review and too bad about the fact that the piece you purchased didn't fit, or b) EAT MEALS REGULARLY FOR A WEEK and maybe your clothes will fit like clothes instead of dropcloths."

Unless this person is like my pal Jana and just can't put on the pounds, no matter how much dark chocolate and peanut butter she eats. In which case, I feel for you... but forgive me if I don't want to be seen in the same mirror next to you.

Or if they are actually Jana.

(Hi, Jana!)

Or maybe the bigger problem is mine. And the fact that I troll UO's website. I tell you, if I actually purchased something once for every 100 times I trolled the site, it would STILL be a marked increase from my current spending patterns.

Hey Safari! SCREW YOU!

2009-05-18T19:15:00.000-07:00

Man, how much does the Safari browser suck?

I abandoned it about 8 months ago at work, but it had been doing alright by me on my home computer until today. After having to restart the program 5 times in one sitting and talking myself down from wanting to flip my computer off my desk (I reminded myself that the computer was heavy and my arms were sore), I got Safari to stay functional for just long enough to download Firefox.

I mean, sure, a Safari sounds pretty awesome and wild... but it's nothing compared to a Firefox. A fox on its own is fairly bad-ass, but throw in some fire? WHOA NELLY! Plus, as adventurous and far-off-land-y Safari sounds, we all know that Firefox is a roundhouse-kicking, laser gun-wielding, tough-as-nails intergalactic fighter. Africa is exotic, but not as exotic as frickin' SPACE. It's the final frontier, beeeatch!

*sigh*

So yeah. Firefox and I have been very happy together for the last 20 minutes. He imported ALL of my 8 bazillion bookmarks from Safari in the blink of an eye (the prospect of doing so myself being the only thing that has kept me from making the switch eons ago), and all is well.

However, if it locks up when I go to post this blog, the computer may be upside-down in the hallway when Matt gets home.

And BTW, the way to my heart is...

2009-05-09T18:47:00.001-07:00

... apparently, a small penguin made of rice and seaweed, stuffed with salmon, mayo, and wasabi.

Dear god.

Go ahead, browse this bento website, Cooking Cute, for a while. It will surely (if you're anything like me) send you into A) an uncontrollable fit of needing impeccably-presented, multi-course meals in an itty-bitty box that looks something like the hybrid of a tackle box and Sailor Moon's pencil case, and B) a bit of confused horror as you try to imagine having so much time on your hands (steady and nimble hands, mind you) to create things like this...

Now, just so there's no confusion here, you're looking at hand-crafted sushi rolls, made with salmon rice and rolled up to look like pig faces, teeny-tiny hot dog flowers with carrot centers, fans made out of kamaboko (a processed fish product; yes, I had to look that up on Wikipedia), crazy decorative edibles made from colored sticky rice, nigiri with little Spam pig heads, and finally an egg DYED PINK AND SHAPED INTO A PIG FACE. No, that's not plastic.

I KNOW, right?

I don't think I'm QUITE cut out for the hard-core bento lifestyle, but some of the ideas are very good.

And the lunch-boxes are just adorable.

Did somebody say "WANT!"?
Oh wait, that was me.

Tears for fears... Wow, rather literally.

2009-05-09T18:30:00.000-07:00

You know what makes me sad?

This.
The Vespa GTV 250.

This beautiful piece of machinery.
So stylish.
So classy.

The gas mileage?
65-70 miles per gallon.
Unheard of for a car.

Where can I park it?
Anywhere I damn well please!
It fits EVERYWHERE.

Did I mention how cool-looking it was?

But alas!
I am so terrified of the way other people drive that I could never conceivably talk myself into getting one of these as a replacement for my car because, yes, I am a wuss. And I'm very concerned with the prospect of causing irreparable damage to my person.

Is it any wonder that I have no damn cred?

Challah if ya hear me!

2009-04-26T17:08:00.001-07:00

Heehee.

I made challah rolls just now. No big twisty caper, just simple buns as instructed by my "Les Dames D'Escoffier" cookbook. This is a goooooood recipe.

I'm holding myself back until dinner to start plowing into them, but as you can see, I HAD to test at least one to make sure they were fit for consumption. (And they are.) Those puppies are going in the oven again right before dinner. SO GOOD.

The following are a collection of photos I found on my camera that have accumulated over the last month...

This is a mutant strawberry Matt took a picture of. It's almost like it has an evil twin trying to grow out the side. I'm sure it was delicious.

These are some shoes I bought with my share of the kitty after the DK break-up. They're cute, but I still miss DK.

This is what the apartment looks like these days (for messier or for cleaner). I DID recently move things around to accommodate my new bike trainer attachment. That's right, I exercise now.

Not quite sure why I took this picture, but one can see that my hair had gotten very long (on one side, at least). I cut it this week and am SOOO happy I did. No more sweaty hair on the back of my neck when I'm biking in my living room!

And this was just a day I found myself looking kind of good, which apparently led me to make a smirky Juliet-from-Lost face into the camera.

(Sidenote: Is my nose getting longer and bonier, or is it just the angle of this photo?)

Alright. Enough of this. That bottle o' wine ain't gonna uncork itself.

Don't worry! I did my taxes!

2009-04-09T23:23:00.000-07:00

... And I mailed them out yesterday.

Wow.
I really pushed it this year.

I've been INSANELY zooey busy. Quick rundown of why...

- The new Hungry Girl book comes out/"drops" on Tuesday. Which means my boss is going to be touring the country for the next few weeks, which means we've all been working double-time to get a bunch of stuff taken care of before she's gone. Sure, she can approve emails from the road, but it's a little hard to IM her a low-cal strawberry margarita (that's right; keep an eye out for that recipe)...

- "Gloves Required" is still running.
(I think if you click on that picture, it will take you to a bigger image.)

- I've been working on some short films! YAY! "Attack of the Werenerd" will hopefully be up online soon, and the more intensive project "Puppy Love" will hopefully be eventually making the festival circuit. Rad. Mad props to Brett Gilbert, the ~~fool~~ awesome guy who ~~foolishly~~ wisely cast me in both of those pieces.

- I participated in a staged reading for the Living Room series at the Blank Theatre of "Occupied", a new play by David Misch (who is awesome). I spent my time hanging out with really fun people and eating obscene amounts of pizza. I credit this experience for finally prompting me to buy a bike trainer, so I can get exercise in my living room (it all comes back around), since I have no control around pizza.
- ... Eh, there's been other stuff, but I don't want to go through all of it because --

I'm on Spring Break!

Granted, my "Spring Break" is a long weekend, but I'm gonna make the most of it!
And this is the last time you're gonna see these...

This day in history!

2009-03-13T21:12:00.000-07:00

This year will officially be the year I waited the longest to do my taxes thus far in my life.

And the clock is still ticking.

Maybe Sunday.

UPDATE 3/27

Well, I TRIED to start my taxes tonight after a rehearsal got cancelled, but I got all stopped up on a couple of 1099-MISCs, so I have to wait until someone smarter than me and better at tax crap (read: Matt) is around. But I'm 75% of the way there!

*sigh*

The internet: Inspirational or just distracting?

2009-03-10T19:11:00.000-07:00

Eh, little o' column A, little o' column B.

Today I discovered a fun cooking blog.

(I say "discovered", like it was hiding in a hole until I found it.)

Cook Sister! is a rad little (read: huge and sprawling) blogsite with plenty of dishing on food, posting of pretty photos, and other things I enjoy. What really sold it for me?

This recipe.

Yup, I'm fo shiz making that this Friday night, my first Friday night free in a while.

What else has inspired me today? These damn shortie shorts! Damn you adorable, expensive little bloomers!

So now it's my mission to try and make them. Which should be interesting. I've also started myself a whole new category of bookmarks on my already overloaded toolbar called "Craftwant", filled with items I want to try to emulate and make for myself. Let's see if I ever get around to it.

For now, I'm going to go see what concoctions I can whip up out of the leftovers from this weekend's Watchmen shindig. I set up a bunch of fixins for pita sandwiches (inspired by "300"), along with a chimichurri sauce that went very nicely with the meat (and was a nod to South American actor Rodrigo Santoro). We drank cocktails made with (har har) ABSolut vodka, as a tribute to the 300 six-packs in the damn movie.

(Sidenote: I totally painted on my own abs with stage makeup. Everyone thought I had lost my mind. It was fun.)

If anyone had still been hungry (or didn't want anything I had already made) by the time "V for Vendetta" started, I guess I could have made toad-in-a-holes like V made for Evie.

As for "Watchmen"? Good. Really good. Jackie Earle Haley? Fantastic. Jeffrey Dean Morgan? Pitch perfect. Patrick Wilson? Very good as well, but even though they frumped him down a bunch, he was still too hot with his clothes off for the Night Owl. My only real complaint was with the music. It was REALLY jarring at times. "99 Red Balloons" does fit the themes of the movie, but was really out of place in that dinner sequence. And "Hallelujah"? Sure, hallelujah for sex, but WOW, did it come off cheesy!

Alright. Dinner for reals.

The Portland Theory

2009-03-05T18:20:00.000-08:00

... Well, it's actually less of a theory and more of an observation, but "The Portland Observation" sounds like an old timey newspaper.

Basically, I keep observing that many, many things I enjoy have origins in Portland (Oregonian Origins?) or some kind of links there. The lady who writes Angry Chicken, for example? Lives in Portland. And the other day, I heard an NPR piece on how some of the nation's most prestigious operas are in danger, followed up by a lighter editorial on lessons we can learn from opera, and how when we look at our hardships compared to those of classic operatic characters, ours might not seem so bad. The piece was written, read, and (damn triple threats!) sung beautifully by Marc Acito. I scrawled the name of one of his books, Attack of the Theatre People on my hand at a red light, and put that and his first book, How I Paid for College: A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship & Musical Theatre on my LAPL hold list. After tearing through How I Paid..., I checked the book jacket and saw the sentence, "He lives in Portland, Oregon."

Of course he does.

There have been other such discoveries, and I'll take note of them more staunchly in the future.

I did have the good fortune to visit Portland for a weekend (my very first "business trip"!) and had a HELL of a time. For one thing, they were having a beer festival when I got there. Seeing as I was A) alone in a strange city and B) had to be up at 5:30 the next morning to be on camera, shooting an infomercial, I figured I should sit that bad boy out. But I did stroll into a Thai restaurant, strike up a conversation with a table of people who (having already visited said festival) were feeling friendly and invited me to eat with them. They invited me to go out to some local bar that was having 80's night, but I pleaded Article B and went back to my (really nice) hotel room. The next day, I wandered around the really cool area they put me up in, the Pearl district, and roamed the streets as well as the 4-story Powell's Books. SO AWESOME. I really dug that city. Then, having walked for about 3 hours straight, I went back to my room, sat in my big empty king-sized bed, and watched "Pretty Woman" without any boy-roommates to give me shit about it. Later, I met up with some girls from the shoot and we blew a good chunk of our generous per-diem on a fancy dinner and excellent martinis. The best was one called the Smoky Martini, made with Grey Goose and Glenlivet, garnished with a blue cheese-stuffed olive and a piece of pepperoni. Dear god.

I've got a pretty high opinion of Portland.

Stay tuned for more from The Portland Observation...

"It's not delivery, it's DeRuyck!" and "Old friends, beware!"

2009-03-04T19:05:00.000-08:00

One of these days, I'm going to dig up a whole bunch of old photos of I have of friends I have loved, inevitably moved away from, and reconnected with through the glory of the internet. And I'm going to post them next to pictures of how they look now, so all the world can be as freaked out as I am every single time I discover how a person from my past has changed/not changed since I knew them.

I will have to find some that I'm not in. I'll be damned if I want pictures of my awkward adolescence rolling around online. Then again, they can only stand to make me look better in comparison.

Oh, and here's a pizza I made this weekend.

I'm still too lazy and topping-centric to make my own crust (someday!), but I wasn't entirely snoozeville on this one. Inspired by the meatball pizza at Robbie Mac's, I decided I wanted to make my own meatballs, slice 'em up and bedazzle a pizza with them. However, I realized that this would leave me with many different, unsatisfying sizes of slices... so I made meat-logs and sliced THEM up.

Haha. Meat-log.

I seasoned up some ground turkey with a bunch of salt, garlic, red pepper flakes, ummm... some stuff I can't remember, eggs, wet bread and panko to make it smooth and sticktuitive, and some spinach for... like, health. Good stuff. The red stuff also on the pizza is red bell pepper.

(Who knew?! So foreign! So exotic!)
Shut up, sarcastic-inner-monologue.

And the crust is Trader Joe's superb Garlic & Herb Pizza Dough. Love that stuff.
I DID, however, cook the pizza on a proper pizza stone. I've had the stone for a bit and have made cookies on it (bad idea, hence the little round grease-stains) and bread on it (fared much better), and now an actual pizza.

Hot damn.

Thinking happy thoughts. I've got a bunch of crap lined up ahead of me, so I'm trying to stay positive. If you see me and I'm not being positive, you should probably punch me in the face. Because nothing makes me smile quite like a nice right hook.

(Clearly, I'm hungry and not making sense.)

The best laid plans of Dana DeRuyck often go awry.

2009-02-24T18:34:00.000-08:00

But that doesn't stop me from laying them.

Wait, that didn't sound right.
Oh, forget it.
Here's my new idea.

I bought these really pretty bangle bracelets (4 for $1!) from a really sweet gas station attendant in Burbank. Apparently, she realized that her clientele could be easily distracted by cheap, shiny things. I couldn't resist, so I bought a set. They came in all kinds of terrific colors, and I chose a pale goldish-green bundle.

After wearing and ogling them for a while, I realized how cool they might look strung together into a garland or beaded-curtain-esque configuration. I dismissed this, asking myself, "Where the sweet blue Jesus would I put that?"

And then I decided I would make a "curtain" of them for the little window in my kitchen. They'll look pretty when the sunlight hits 'em, will add a splash of color, but won't block any valuable natural light.

Now I just need to go raid that gas station.

BEHOLD!!!!!

2009-02-18T22:55:00.000-08:00

CUPCAKES IN JARS!!!!!!

"Want" is an understatement.

Damn you, Yummy Cupcakes!!!

I'd also like a pack mule!!!

2009-02-15T12:13:00.000-08:00

I have a tendency to collect quotes. I just came across a computer file with a bunch I had cut and pasted, and I came across this one:

"You can't give up hope just because it's hopeless. You gotta hope even more and cover your ears and go 'blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah!'"

Futurama was so awesome.

I also came across an email that I sent out... I think it was my sophomore year of college. Yeah, because I wrote it while working the front desk at Jewett Hall. Anyhow, this was my April Fools joke that year:

My dear friends and colleagues-
I have been doing a lot of thinking and soul-searching lately, trying to figure out who I am and what I'm doing in my life. Ive been kind of out of it lately and I apologize. I think I have found the solution.
All this time, I've been trying to be someone I'm not. I've been trying to be a serious academic, and it's making me crazy. I've been under a lot of stress lately and school is the reason for it. It has always been my belief that if something is making you miserable, there is no point in doing it. Therefore, I have decided to drop out of college.
At this point, you're probably thinking, "What are you doing? You can't just quit school? What will you do?" I have a plan. Sort of. I'm moving to New York to become one of the city's many out-of-work actors/waiters. Sure, I may not achieve fame and glory. Sure, I'll probably be broke for the rest of my life. But who cares? This is what will make me happy. This is what I need.
I don't expect you to understand. However, I would appreciate your support, as this is not an easy choice to make. This is something I need to do. After all this time of putting myself through hell, trying to achieve a dream I never wanted in the first place, this comes as a huge relief to my psyche.
Thank you for understanding.
-Dana

Ha. Ha. Ha.
Irony!

Tales from the Crypt Kitchen

2009-02-14T10:33:00.000-08:00

I'm currently too full to write anything too coherent. Just know that I've been having way too much fun in my kitchen as of late. The food currently taking residence in my tummy (and in large quantities) is this:

Oh yeah. I made that waffle. And 3 others just like it. Here's the recipe I used in case anyone's interested. Very yummy, got nice and crispy. My ONLY complaint is that they were a little damn heavy. Maybe next time I'll leave out some flour and add another whipped egg white.

Here are a few quick snaps of my "new" kitchen. (Alright, it's not new, but that big long counter-type thing is.) This is from when I was making a winter veggie soup.

It was supposed to have farro, but I couldn't find any, so the recipe said to substitute barley. So I did.
My soup started out looking like this...

(Beautiful, eh?)

... And ended up in a solid gloop as the barley COMPLETELY OVERTOOK THE SOUP.
All your broth are belong to barley.

On Super Bowl Sunday, I made a bad-ass chili (as per usual), which got very promptly snarfed down by myself and the gang (Matt, Adam, Ileana, Mer, Rhett) along with the corn casserole Adam made. He made it last year and I requested it again, as I believe it may be the absolute perfect compliment to chili. All of this was gone far too quickly to photograph. It would have all been a blur of mouths.

Matt and I have also been hard at work making our apartment both functional and awesome. He's working on tables and the cord "situation" for the entertainment area. I need to go get curtains for the bedroom as I've finally had it with blocking the sunlight that leaks through the thin white blinds every morning.
And maybe today I'll finish the living room curtains today. A girl can dream. I also decorated this crappy mirror from IKEA.

(Pardon my PJ's.)

Not so crappy now, eh?

Alright, I think I've digested long enough to go be productive.

Ummm...

2009-02-08T13:35:00.000-08:00

Why is this woman still on my television?

Ugh.

*pours one out for Jamie*

Verrry interesting... but stupid.

2009-02-04T18:18:00.001-08:00

NO! Just kidding. Not stupid. I just can't say something is very interesting without saying that it was also stupid.

So I have a tendency to email myself links and notes while I'm at work so that a) I stay on task and b) I don't forget them once I leave. Oftentimes they are websites, craft/recipe ideas or restaurants I want to try. They frequently get filed into my "Random" Yahoo Mail folder... never to be seen again. I forget to even look in there.

After having sent myself several links today, I decided to take a poke around and mention a few things that have caught my interest and, therefore, may catch someone else's too:

The Little Knittery in Atwater Village. They have free beginner knitting and crocheting classes on the weekends and more advanced classes for a bit of dough. Sounds AWESOME and I'm totally going. (I've got purple knitting needles and a spool of rainbow yarn. I'm ready.)

ReForm School, with their funky "home-ec classes", like Power Tool Empowerment for Women. Fucking rad.

The poutine at Animal (mid-city LA) sounds like basically the craziest, fanciest gravy fries (or "wets") in the area. And I want it inside me.

My apartment is ripe with tissue boxes. I saw this awesome tissue box cover and thought, "I want it!... No, wait, I can make that myself." So I'm gonna.

AK Restaurant + Bar in Venice (on Abbot Kinney, natch) has Scandinavian food. I don't think I've had much of that, but I love me some meatballs. WANT

The Saugus Swap Meet. I want to go there. It sounds cool. THAT'S RIGHT! I THINK SWAP MEETS ARE COOL!

The Wood Cafe sounds all cool and locally-grown, fair-trade, free-range and stuff. And they bake fresh bread all day. I want to go to there.

I'm gonna make myself one of these robes. I warrant very few people will actually see it.

This place, Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab has some CRAZY interesting sounding scents. You could spend a very long time trying to read through all of them. Not that I did that. (OK, I tried to do that, but it took too damn long.)

And of course, there is Nata's Pastries, a Portugese bakery which is probably a whole 5 minutes walk from my apartment. I have been meaning to go for eons now and I always talk myself out of it on the grounds of "Do you really need pastry for breakfast?" I need to schedule to go WITH someone else. THEN it feels more like an occasion and less like me, being a pig right before I shuffle off to write about how many calories are in a Carl's Jr. cheeseburger (which is, by the way, a LOT; don't eat there). But this place sounds incredible.

Alright, enough of that. I'm off to raid my fridge for leftovers.
(Leftover Zankou shawerma and leftover Super Bowl chili = one bad-ass dinner!)

Mariah Carey? What are you doing here?

2009-02-02T21:35:00.000-08:00

I've been having one of those days.

Well, I've been having a few of them.
(You know how days are. Always coming one after the other. Shut up, Dana. Get to the point.)

I've been thinking about what I want. You know? Every now and then, you've got to step back, review the situation (thank you, Fagin), and ask yourself "Am I on the right track to get where I want to be?" And every time, I inevitably end up saying, "No, probably not." That's probably what leads me to ask the damn question in the first place, because I know what the answer is already.

I have a really cool job. It's very neat and very fun and I like it more than I've ever liked any other paying job I've ever had. Except, of course, for that one show I got paid to act in and that one day I spent recording for World of Warcraft. Of course. Sure, one of those jobs lasted a whole 2 hours and the other about a month... but that's not the point. I was finally being paid to do what I REALLY wanted to do. You know, like if someone asked me, "If you could do any job in the world...", I wouldn't even have to let them finish the statement. I'd say, "I would like to be able to make a living as an actor."

So, I started thinking recently. I think it's partly because I've been actually working on a show for the first time since September (it was a cold, hard Fall and Winter) and it's snapped me out of my complacent, go-with-the-flow, take-what-you-get frame of mind. I've been stagnant. I need to get myself back into shape in terms of making the time/effort to audition and not worry all the time about work. "It will all work out." I've got to remember that. Just today, I was thinking about something my buddy Brian used to say: if you're feeling down and shitty, if you say "erry-tins gonnabe arry", out loud and in that horrible fake Jamaican accent, you can't help but smile and believe it a little.

Anyhow, I sat down at my computer, feeling a little bogged down by everything that I want and want to accomplish. All of a sudden, this flashed through my head:

If you believe in yourself enough
And know what you want
You're gonna make it happen
Make it happen

Mariah?
Dude, I haven't heard that song forever.
But, you know, she's right.

My boss said once that she knows that my current job is not what I want for a career. (She said this in a totally cool and accepting way, though.) I need to remind myself of that every now and then. And I've always kept myself in the "don't get your hopes up" frame of mind... but what does that accomplish? You don't hope or aspire to anything, so you don't try too hard to get what you want. I recently came across an audition posting for a show I'd love to go and read for. It's pretty out of my league and the chances are turbo-slim that I'll even get called in, but even still, I'm doing the leg-work just in case. And hell, even if I never hear from them, I'll still have brushed up my Irish accent and read a new play. So even though THAT one may not come through, I'll be more prepared in the future.

I may not have a ton of money to take a ton of classes, but the world is PACKED with knowledge. I've just gotta tap in.

Harassment

2009-01-28T20:26:00.000-08:00

SO, have you seen Urban Death yet?

No?

Why not?

Because we've only had 2 shows and, besides, it's only been a couple days since I put up my first blog post about it?

Fair enough.

So, just a quick update...

I have a new favorite blog. When Vanessa from What Geeks Eat announced that she was taking some time off, I was heartbroken. She's awesome, a smart, witty writer with rockin' recipes, food-porn-y pictures and a genuinely nerdy love for genuinely nerdy things that I love too.

(Sidebar: WHYYYYY did Dualla kill herself???? Everything was going to be okay!!! She just went on a date with Apollo and everything!!! Just because Starbuck is the harbinger of death and Earth is fucked doesn't mean she's gotta die!!!)

Sorry. Don't know what happened there.

Anyhow this new blog, while light on the BSG references, appeals not only to my foodie side but also my turbo crafty side. And this lady, Amy, also seems exceptionally cool. (Why is so much cool stuff in Portland?)

I bring you Angry Chicken.

I've also resolved to learn to either knit or crochet this year. Haven't decided which.

So that goes on the list:
- Get a REAL ukulele and learn to play it
- Set up grow-lights and create an indoor garden
- Sign up for Groundlings classes at the next possible opportunity
- Make my apartment awesome (workin' on it!)
- Work with Matt on shooting "Idiot Box"
- Learn to make light, airy but crisp baguettes
- Make a rug out of Matt's old t-shirts from the Apple store
- Learn to knit/crochet... and make a blanket (I just added that part)
- Make that Paola dress on Burdastyle (ahhhh, sweet Burdastyle!)

I've got my work cut out for me.

Ooh, 20 minutes to Lost!!!

URBAN DEATH: A New Darkness

2009-01-26T13:27:00.000-08:00

...is AWESOME, if I do say so myself...

... because I'm in that show. Yup, I'm branching out. After having seen several of the previous Urban Death shows, I decided I would go balls-out and actually be in one.

Do not be fooled. It's harder than it looks.

My buddy/ex-roomie Greg went last weekend and, as someone who has seen and been in several of these productions, he loved it. See!

Dude, LAist.com mentioned us and they hadn't even SEEN the show yet. They just KNEW it would be good and suggested that people should go.

So GO! We run through Valentine's Day. Our show is super-romantic like that.

$15 a pop. The recession's a bitch for theatre-owners too.

Sweet, sweet spaciousness

2009-01-11T09:06:00.000-08:00

Ahhhh. I'm stretching out nicely in my newly-vacated (Bye, roomie!) space. After being scrunched up with most of what I own into a bedroom with another person for a year and some months, it feels really good. Plus, I've heard that it helps sleep-and-relaxation-wise to have your workspace separate from your sleeping space (not that it's helped at all so far, as I was up at 8:30 on a Sunday morning).

Greg's old room has been converted into "The Workshop". Not the "office" or "den". Fuck those words. This is a workshop.

Here's my corner. It makes me pretty damn happy.

God, that picture took forever to upload. I actually gave up on the one I took from another angle. I've been waiting for them, looking up crap I need at IKEA. The place is in dire need of shelving.

OH! And my new endeavor for this year is going to be an indoor garden. More on that as the story develops. Film at 11.

My new obsession

2008-12-14T21:43:00.000-08:00

*sigh*

Great. A new unhealthy food to crave fortnightly.

Ileana introduced me to the sheer bliss that is Elotes Locos this week. The name basically means "crazy corn" and it had been on my radar as "something to try" for a while, so it was very convenient that she decided to make it for one of our "Hang Out and Cook" nights.

(Note: I think I may already be over my Quotation Marks Quota for this blog entry.)

Imagine corn-on-the-cob. Go ahead, close your eyes and picture it floating in front of you.

Wait a sec. You can't continue reading with your eyes closed. Just picture it floating above your computer.

Now take that imaginary corn-on-the-cob and smear it with mayonnaise. WHOA. Crazy, right? Don't be scared though. NOW sprinkle with/roll in grated parmesan cheese. Traditionally, I don't think that's the exact cheese it's made with, but Ileana is Salvadorean and made it with Parmesan, so I figure it can't be TOO off base. Still delicious. Finally, sprinkle it with cayenne pepper and/or chili powder.

AWESOME.

I wish I had photographed it before I began gnawing on it like it was my only life-support.

It looked something like this...

...Only ours had steak knives poked into the end because we didn't have any corn-cob holders. So we ate them off of said steak knives.

And then Matt cut his hand open.

But that's another blog.

Totally bogus, duder.

2008-12-07T18:30:00.000-08:00

Sorry, I just watched "Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey" for the first time.

I'm majorly bummed (sorry again!) because Vanessa at What Geeks Eat just announced that she's going on hiatus. Anyone who likes food should troll through her archives and, not only ogle her drool-worthy creations, but enjoy her fun, casual and very smart commentary. I was bummed enough when her stint on Accidental Hedonist came to an end, and now I'm double-bummed. Believe you me, I'm going to be checking weekly, just in case she comes back unexpectedly.

I'll miss ya, V!

FYI, some great recipes coming up on Hungry Girl as we inch toward the winter holiday season. Keep checking in there, if you don't already!

Impulse buy? I don't think so.

2008-11-24T19:16:00.000-08:00

So yesterday, I made the glorious mistake of accompanying Matt to Target.

Guys, I can't fucking RESIST Target.

At any given point, there's something in some department that I will decide I desperately need. This time, it was the shoe department.

"Oh Dana, that's such a stereotypical girl vice! Can't you talk about something else more interesting than--"

Shut up, you!
Who was that anyway?
Anyhow...
I found these boots.
Damn them. They were adorable and exactly what I'd been looking for for a while.
Black.
No heel.
Not suede or anything too porous.
Not too fancy.
Not too slutty.
Not shit-kickers.
Not Uggs. (Ugh!)

They were perfect.
Damn them.

But I refused to make an impulse shoe-buy, especially not in front of my male companion.

So I went back after work today and got them, giving myself the excuse that I needed Dran-O to try and work out the ever-growing clog problem in the apartment's bathtub. Here they are...

I'm ALSO stoked because I got a couple of components to throw together with this frozen puff pastry I've had around since Election Night and try to make into a successful and economical dinner.

OH! And the best part of all this? It was kind of like I didn't spend anything at all. See, I used the Visa rebate card that AT&T sent me after purchasing my new cell phone... so the money I SAVED on my phone went to a totally worthy cause.

My feet.
Hell yeah.

A little slow on the cupcake uptake...

2008-11-17T21:06:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note!

I know I'm probably the last person on the planet Earth to have seen it...
(aside from my charming viewing-companion)
...but Forgetting Sarah Marshall is really damn good.
I mean, REALLY.

That Jason Segel. He's goin' places.

I'm a believer slacker really optimistic demi-slacker.

2008-11-17T18:49:00.000-08:00

Man. I think that writing and cooking all day at work have made me want to do it less and less in my free time. Kinda sad, but I am getting, you know, PAID to do it, so I can only sniffle so much.

Currently, a large swath of my free time is being consumed by thinking about/seeking out/creation of Christmas gifts. I've only gotten started on the "projects", have already had to cancel my debit card once because of suspected fraudulent charges, broken the needle on my Hello Kitty sewing machine, been mildly side-lined by a thumb injury, and gotten wildly side-tracked at JoAnn Fabric's crazy-amazing sale, which left me wanting to make a bunch of clothes for myself. Between that and the bajillion Thanksgiving/Christmas/general "Winter Holiday" pieces I've written for work over the last month, I'm burned out on the holidays. And Thanksgiving is still a week and a half away.

Balls.

Well, that's an exaggeration. (From me? Really? You don't say!) I AM still REALLY excited about all the neat gifts I'm hand-crafting for people this year and the thought that's going into anything I'm actually purchasing. Plus, I am DEFINITELY excited about my Thanksgiving "big meal", which I'm planning out in a more balanced manner than last year's. Last year, I did it all from scratch. It was exhausting and it took most of the day. I tried to space part of it out and made my butternut squash gnocchi ahead of time, making a metric crap-ton of the damn things the weekend prior and then freezing them. However, it all fell apart (quite literally) when I failed to recognize the importance of boiling the little buggers (the cooking process that solidifies the dumplings) and went straight to frying them in a pan of sage brown butter sauce and onions, which caused them to merge into one large (although not bad tasting) mushy clump of stuff in a pan. *sigh*

This year is all about balance. All around. Time, taste, health, low-fattitude, etc.

Two years ago, I made a duck. Yummy, very fatty.
Last year, I roasted a chicken and made a tasty pan gravy. Totally delicious, but you know Matt and I picked those bones clean.
This year, I'm going to make actual turkey, but just the breast. Turkey breast is very healthy and good, lean protein. THAT"S RIGHT! My job's comin' home with me! I'm going to season it in a vaguely sweet-n-spicy way, so as to go well with the dish this year is really all about.

Corn Bread Stuffing with Shrimp and Andouille.

Yeah, baby.

Now, I may be good and lighten it up by using a Chicken Andouille that I've seen at Trader Joe's, but this is the big-ticket item on this year's Thanksgiving table. I figured since I was being traditional and making turkey, I'd get back to my untraditional roots by overshadowing the bird. I WILL be making this piecemeal, the cornbread next Tuesday and assembling it Wednesday night (the recipe says I can!), so that on Thursday I can just bring it to room temp and throw it in the oven along with the turkey, which will have defrosted the day prior and marinated overnight.

Along with these, I'll throw together a couple simple sides.

There's a great sounding Caramelized Broccoli recipe I've been ogling for eons. And... I'm going to let HG affect my meal once again and make a batch of our beloved Miracle Mashies, a dish I honestly can't believe works, but it does. I LOVE my mashed potatoes. I eat crazy, vulgar amounts of them when I have them. Therefore, since I plan to make a big pile o' mash, I may as well do myself a favor and lighten the damn things up a bit. Plus, I can't imagine I'll be able to live without gravy, so I'll throw together a quick pan-job to throw on whatever/everything.

For dessert, I'm looking at something fruit-based, mostly because a) I made a pumpkin pie from scratch a month ago and it was exhausting and b) I can't imagine I'll want anything as rich as chocolate/cream/pecan pie. I'm eyeing a Pear Pie recipe I found online, because it's similar to Apple Pie but not as damn boring. I fully intend, though, to buy pre-made pie crust.

The last time I attempted pastry, it wound up so thin because, sadly, one of the things that makes a natural-born pastry chef are naturally cold hands. I don't have 'em. Even still, I may end up dunking my hands in an ice bath before working with my store-bought pie dough. Anyhow, I'll make that in the morning, so I can chill for a while before getting cooking again.

After plotting all this out, though, I ran into a dilemma. In my zeal to craft and ingest this cornbread stuffing full of sausage and seafood, I had forgotten one thing: corn-corns. I'll back the train up for a second to catch up anyone not in the know (i.e. pretty much everyone)...

When I was a kid, my dad used to collect antique cookware, especially anything cast-iron. He had the coolest pieces hanging on the wall in our kitchen, which I now look back upon as something vaguely unsafe for a family with two kids in elementary-school. It also stands to reason that the walls in most of that house, made of a rough-hewn, very splintery type wood, were neat looking but, seeing as you couldn't touch them lest ye be slivered, were probably not the wisest decor with children around... but hell, I made it out alive. And I learned that I would rather dig out my own splinters than have a parent prod me with a sewing needle doused in Ambasol... but I digress. Like, a lot.

One of the most notable pieces in Dad's collection was a cast-iron pan with 7 indentations in the shape of small ears of corn. Using this, he would make cornbread biscuits we called, natch, corn-corns.

Well, about a month or so ago, I was leafing aimlessly through (since I typically never buy anything from) the Crate & Barrel catalog when I saw it.

OMFG. It's the corn-corn pan.
So, I got it.
And I had been 100% planning to make freaking corn-corns on Thanksgiving, but I got sidelined by that crazy devil stuffing!
*sigh*
So, I had no choice but to include a light lunch in the plans. Store-bought butternut squash soup, doctored up with caramelized onions and whatever-the-crap-else I feel like adding, and corn-corns.

Breakfast is going to be a strong cup of coffee, I'm predicting it now.

Oh, and Matt's bringing the can of cranberry sauce. That's my baby!

Shoppers Fatigue: A Very Real Affliction

2008-10-06T22:03:00.001-07:00

Characterized by feeling that something looks fantastic on you which quickly dissolves the second you return home, relax for a bit and try on your new purchase.

When you put on whatever article of clothing you misguidedly bought and glance in the mirror, looking at an image of yourself wearing a horrified expression and something wildly unflattering...

That's when you know.

You've been a victim of Shoppers Fatigue.

Shoppers Fatigue is generally followed with Buyers Remorse. Can be remedied by returning whatever stupid garment you bought; may require a whole new shopping trip.

Look out for the signs and don't let it happen to you.

Yea, noise? Then I'll be brief.

2008-09-29T20:28:00.000-07:00

Oh WaMu. You and your devil-may-care bank nickname and usage of "sure" and "no thanks" in place of a simple "yes" or "no". I'm gonna miss you. Don't let JP Morgan Chase get all up in your business.

And I AM GOING TO SEE SOMEONE WHOM I ADMIRE VERY MUCH IN A COUPLE OF DAYS.

(That didn't really need to be in caps, but I felt the need to express my excitement.)

Charlie Kaufman is doing a Q&A following the screening of his new movie, "Synecdoche, NY". I am going to do everything in my power to ensure that I am THERE.

Alright. More later. Matt's leaving town, so I'll have more boredom/blogging time over the next week.

POSTSCRIPT: Well, THAT was a lie! And CK rules.

I swear, I've got taste. I swear.

2008-09-20T23:46:00.000-07:00

I look around my room these days and, more often than not, I find that I have allowed 2 piles of stuff to build up. One in front of my dresser, generally consisting of various bags and discarded clothing items that couldn't be bothered to make it to my laundry basket; the other around my desk chair, made up of magazines, catalogs, shoes, junk mail and anything else I can arrange my feet to avoid. Also, my desk seems to accumulate drink containers at an alarming rate.

Now I JUST rectified this situation last weekend. Wait, it wasn't last weekend because I was gone then. It was two weekends ago, but the point is that it hasn't built up for THAT long (in Dana Mess Time). Also, I wasn't even around much in the last couple weeks. I work all day and frequently do stuff weekday evenings too and was GONE last weekend so WHY can't I seem to keep my personal area maintained?

*sigh*

Part of it may have to do with the fact that even when everything is "put away" in my room, it still looks like a cluttered mass of boxes and randomness.

I'm trying to resolve not to live like a refugee, but apparently it's difficult.

That wasn't what I meant to write about at all incidentally. I was going to mention my recent desire to actually acquire things that I think will benefit me, be they books, artwork, classes, whatever (and also a demi-promise to support artists I admire by actually purchasing their material, no matter how famous and well-off they already are). I treated myself to a couple of CD's, one of which I had just been talking about to a couple friends 2 days prior. We were talking about Liz Phair, I mentioned that I only had Whitechocolatespaceegg (which is a great album!) and Dirk said I should definitely get Exile in Guyville, that I would really like it. Fast-forward a couple days later, I'm standing in Borders, frustrated (but not surprised) not to see Amanda Palmer's new disc in the racks. Luckily, "Palmer" is pretty close to "Phair", so I saw and I grabbed. Leaving the Music department, the Ting Ting's album caught my eye and, as I have been meaning to get that for some time, I snagged that too. And upon reaching the checkout line, I was faced with Steve Martin's new autobiography Born Standing Up. It was one of those days. I stood in line, panicking a little at the thought of buying ALL THREE when I had a moment of clarity. I asked myself, "Will getting these things improve me in any way?" and I decided, "Yes."

Exile in Guyville is great, despite the fact that my computer refuses to acknowledge it.

We Started Nothing is fun, quirky music that has a great dance beat with a layer of something else going on.

Born Standing Up is terrific. I've always loved Martin's writing and this is no exception.

I'm very affected by my surroundings, so I feel that adapting them to feel like I'm in MY space is important. However that's currently limited to marking my territory with flip-flops and copies of Entertainment Weekly.

UPDATE, THE NEXT MORNING: Just noticed that I blogged on a Saturday night. Who does that?

Fo' Reals.

2008-09-09T22:30:00.000-07:00

Man, having a full-time job is, like, time-consuming.

I mean, doing what I get paid to do at work AND doing things I want to do in my off time... It doesn't leave much time for this.

Blogging was WAY more accessible when I had a job that drove me to it through boredom.

I've also developed some hobbies.

One is theoretically designing my apartment.
This can take as much time as I feel like putting into it. It doesn't matter. I'm not going to do any of it any time soon and I'm probably going to get a whole new pack of ideas in, like, two days.

Another is making clothes.
No shit, I seriously made a shirt this weekend. That's it in the picture. A few weeks ago, I also made that skirt out of an old pair of jeans and turned a t-shirt into a halter-top. I hemmed some pants this weekend too. I AM A MACHINE. And, you know, so is my sewing machine.

Read a book the other day.

Made an impromptu basil aioli from scratch too. It didn't break or anything. I was pretty stoked.
(Foodies know what I'm talking about.)

I want to start writing more too.
Not blogging.
God, no.
REAL writing.
I got my confidence all bolstered by the lone sketch I contributed to DK's recent show (people liked it!), so I'm probably going to try and hack out a few more for the next go-round. Goooooooooo me!
(That was exhausting.)

I'm also thinking of taking another class.
Comedy, that is. Although there is a belly-dancing class I've been eyeballing for a year or so.
Seriously.
No, I figure that since I'm not currently in a show (sweetmammajamma!), I have a regular schedule (hotjambalaya!) and actual disposable income (straightdownthegarbagedisposal!), now is for shiz the time to better myself. I showed a little sack when I took an improv class at the UCB, but I took that class instead of one at the Groundlings because a) it was cheaper and b) I didn't have to audition for it which ix-nays any possible chance of rejection. Thing is I didn't feel I learned that much there. Like, it was GREAT to kick my ass and make myself get out there and do SOMETHING, but I almost feel that my teacher (a VERY sweet person) was almost too nice and didn't kick my ass as much as I may need. Now that I have the money to actually take the Groundlings course AND have a teeny bit more experience doing improv, maybe I can fully sack up and audition for the class I maybe should have taken before.

I've been going to see other people's performances. Feeling pretty good about that.

I've helped out in some Elders sketches, which was way fun. I really wanted to hang out and drink that sangria Dirk made on the Didyaknow day, but alas! I had to go douse myself in sweat and glitter.

I'm also going to be a guest judge for a live-band karaoke contest at The Derby next week. That should be interesting. Hopefully more interesting than disastrous.

Wow.
Little hungry now.
See you at the fridge.

Writing it down so that maybe it will happen

2008-08-04T12:32:00.000-07:00

This is more of a reminder to myself than anything. Maybe a bit of a declaration of intent so that, you know, I already said I was going to do it so I better at least give it a shot.

I'm going to attempt to make clothes.
Yeah.
Gettin crafty.

There's this awesome mint green Hello Kitty sewing machine, a bit smaller than a standard sewing machine, nicely portable, good to store and fucking adorable. It also got really good performance reviews, so this only justifies my desire to purchase a mint green sewing machine with a cartoon cat emblazoned on its casing.

Plus, I've been finding all these sweet websites on how to make things, providing patterns for cute clothes and such. I've been thinking about the sewing machine aspect of this for a while merely for use during DK Sweatshop work. I think that trying to make my own clothes would be bad-ass and empowering and thrifty and artistic and, quite possibly, a total train wreck which ends in me only using the sewing machine to make pirate sashes and genie belts. Even still, not a total loss.

I'm going to make clothes.
It's not going to be Project Runway up in my apartment...
(More like Project Run Away! Hey-Oh!)
... but I think I'll give it a shot.

I don't get it!!!!!

2008-07-30T11:49:00.000-07:00

I never really wanted a Facebook page to begin with.

You see, I'm a staunch fan of the MySpace. I got into that about a year before the damn thing blew up and everybody and their moms got profiles, so I was really happy when it got more popular and I began connecting with people I hadn't heard from forever.

Apparently this wasn't enough for some people.
So I was bullied into getting a Facebook account.
*sigh*
I just. Don't. Get it.

Now with MySpace, sure, there's a fair amount of vapid spamming and people trying to collect friends like the Hungry Hungry Hippos, but you can typically avoid that. People send you messages, comments and event invitations. Cool. Fine, I can handle that. The bulletin system is good because if you want to ignore the damn things, you can. If someone sends too many stupid ones, you have the option to delete them from you friend list on the spot! Instant retribution! You can also personalize your page with a little creative HTML code and don't have to rely on a bunch of applications to fill up your space.

Fucking Facebook? I get hardly any ACTUAL messages or comments from my Facebook connections, who are a group that varies from old college professors to good buddies from school in Hong Kong to a guy I've known since I was about 4 but haven't seen in the last 8 years. I just got a friend-request today from a guy that I know went to my high-school, I was never really buddies with and of whom my strongest memory is him squirting Elmer's glue up his nose in 2nd grade. I added him anyway though. Why? Because I know he will never ACTUALLY attempt to contact me. I never hear from ANY of these people! I'm sure this is partly because I log on about once a month, but this doesn't stop them from "poking" me, sending me "drinks" and "plants" and any number of invitiations to take a quiz or join a group. Allegedly, I'm a Zombie, a Vampire AND a Slayer. I don't think I should be able to be any of these things.

Now one might read this and just feel that I'm being an anti-social Facebook user. This is probably true but in all fairness, Facebook pushed me away. If it wasn't cluttered up with so much stupid, I might give it the time of day.

If you want me, I'll be on MySpace changing my song, updating my preferences and sending personalized messages. And feeling very smug about it.

Intrigued? Then click on it, dammit!

2008-07-15T10:45:00.000-07:00

DK's comin'. Hide your heart, girl.

(What?)