please allow me earplugs

Dear Owl City,
Please write a new song that doesn't sound exactly like all your others.  I really have a hard time telling them apart, and I used to secretly think they were all the same song until I was forced to listen to that strawberry something one 6 (!!!!) times today at work.
Thank you, Liesl


Dear Gap Kids,

Stop playing freaking Owl City songs!!!! They are annoying but still get stuck in your head, and they all sound the same!!
-Liesl

moan and groan

My car just told me it is 109 degrees!  That is just too freaking hot!!!  So I've decided that it should be winter all year round, cause I'd much rather have to wear two sweatshirts at a time than melt to death.  Although whenever I start whining about the evil heat I have to keep telling myself, "at least you're not currently working at the Matterhorn and wanting to legitimately die!"  I don't think I'd mind the heat so much if we had a kick-ass air-conditioner that was totally free.  Wouldn't that just rock?!  Happy thoughts and popsicles...

hot!!!

Why it is past 10pm and still freaking hot!!!? And to make it all worse, I now have every Kiss Me Kate song stuck in my head!  (It all got started with It's Too Darn Hot, cause it is...).  AArg!  Sweating to death while trying to go to sleep when you work at 6am the next morning is so super fun!  Anyone spot the sarcasm?

twitter

So somtimes when I'm bored I'll go to imdb.com and look up random people or movies.  Somehow I came across Russell Brand's page.  IMDB started putting the actor's latest tweets on their pages (if they have twitter, duh), and judging from Russell's latest tweet I am way amused, but also kind of afraid for our future as a people.

"Mum. All is well at the orphanage except the toys come to life at night. I think the cowboy is effing the dinosaur. Send condoms."

(25 June 2010, 3:12 AM, PDT)

Wow...  That's really all I can say.  Wow.

P.S. Is he talking about Toy Story?  Or is he just on crack?  Could be a combination I guess.

spoiled

Yeah, ok, you know how you all thought Luna was spoiled because she has our undivided attention, lots of toys, and her own room?  Yeah, well, we felt bad cause it was hot and she likes water...so it just made sense to get her a kitty pool, right?  And yes, I said "kitty" pool, not "kiddie" pool.  Only, its really a puppy pool, cause we could only find them with bone print, and not fish print like Jeff wanted.  I know its because most cats depise water, but it still would have been cooler.  She was a little confused at first.  Like "why it there a bathtub in my room now?", but she got the hang of it pretty quick.  Although she still hasn't really figured out the whole, water cools you off thing apparentally cause she wants to play in the pool when its cold, and sprawl under the ceiling fans when its hot.  My little oldball.   :)

Sorry Jeff, don't hate me for putting your picture here.  But doesn't he look cute while he's torturing Luna?  Jeez, just look at her face.  Her life is just awful isn't it?

show off

I am so excited!  Jeff and I have only really gardened this year and the year before, so I still get really excited when things don't die!  Look how pretty (and tiny) my veggies are!  And for the record, sun gold tomatoes are soppsed to be tiny (but they taste amazing!!!!!).  When my pepper grows up, it's going to be a red bell.

no I didn't die

Sorry, sometimes it seems like I haven't posted in FOREVER!  and other times I really feel like posting 20 things in an afternoon.  I'm kind of a super spaz.

crazy apple crazies

Anyone who got their new 4G iphone today is a crazy person.  Trust me on this.  I had work today at 6am, but I was a little early, so I got to the mall around 5:30 (I know... ick, right?) and the usually empty parking lot was mad full.  I was kinda confused, but I figured, whatever.  Then as I walked up to the entrance there was this huge crowd of people lined up and two mall cops next to the doors.  I know its crazy, but my first thought was totally "oh my god.  There must be a hostage situation or something."  Yeah, I've seen way to many movies...So I go up to a mall cop and ask what's going on.  He tells me all these losers (my word, not his) are waiting to get their stupid (again, my words, not his) new iphones.  Apparentally some of these crazies had been waiting since 6pm last night.  I have to say, I did feel way VIP when the mall cop unlocked the doors and let me in right in front of the crazies in line.  Woohoo!  At 6:30 the losers were let into the mall to the apple store (which was being all secretive with black material covering the windows) and put in two lines.  One for people who preorders, and one for suckers for didn't.  Each line started at the store entrance, and ended in seperate directions down the mall.  I had an excellant vantage point of this whole charade because my store is right across from Apple.  At 7 the doors opened, the employees ran out past everyone in line (all several thousand of them, and not I am not making up the size!) and clapped and yelled and acted like idiots.  When I left the mall at 10am, the lines had only gotten bigger, despite the fact that the phones had been selling for the past 3 hours.  For those of you who are familiar with the Arden Fair layout, one line exited Apple and wound around past Macy's and in front of The Children's Place.  So yeah, you people are all crazy!  And by the way crazy people, why are you at the mall at 10am on a thursday?  Shouldn't you be at work so you can pay for your expensive monthly phone bill?  What do you people do for a living that THOUSANDS of you can just take the morning off?

wrong time buddy

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't owls supposed to hoot at night and sleep during the day?  Its almost noon, and I've got an owl just chilling in one of the trees surrounding my backyard just hooting to his little heart's content.  Well, it is just one owl.  Maybe he's confused.

If you haven't yet read this book you need to.  So good!  And if you have, then the movie comes out on DVD the first week of July.  I missed it in theaters, so I can't wait to see it now.  I will warn you though that its in Swedish with subtitles.  You know, I don't think I've ever seen a Swedish movie before.  Tak ("thank you" in Swedish -its really the only word I know) for listening.  :)

wrong season

Um, I really think my store is confused about what season it is because when I came in today there were multiple designs and colors of sweatshirts, sweaters, jackets, and thermal shirts for baby and toddler.  I'm kinda confused by this because I was under the impression that I live in California and not Siberia.  I mean, who wants to even THINK about buying fall clothes in mid June?  Eew.  I say bring on the swimsuits! (which, by the way we are running out of, because they are all on sale in a back corner to make room for important things like jackets).

this just looks wrong!

Yes, it realize it is a "dogs" "expo".  But I really think the S should havebeen removed in the web address.  It just looks wrong!  Please tell me its not just me who sees this.

new pillow

So we went to Dave and Busters the other day (for anyone not familiar with it, its like Chuck E Cheese for grownups).  Of course, Jeff kicked butt and won the most tickets.  We got the most random prizes ever, like a monkey stuffed animal/ music speakers (not a joke!), and Jeff HAD to get the tiny Dubble Bubble pillow for nostalgic reasons.  Well, he didn't get to keep it for very long because Luna claimed it.It makes the perfect size pillow for her.  The first night we got it she slept between us with her head of her new pillow.  As you can see, she got kind of mad that we were waking her up and bothering her (especially in the first photo!)

Halloween

Carra, I am totally holding you to it.  You have to be the Santana to my Brittany.  Best halloween ever!

of course I'm brave

So my version of being brave (food-wise at least) is dramatically different from, say the judges on Iron Chef, but I'm still proud.  I ate ice cream made from goat's milk.  If it was easier to find I would only eat it.  It's super yummy and healthier than traditional ice cream.   And the packaging was pretty, which made it even better!  I will ALWAYS go for the pretty packaging.

little lady

Yes, my cat is soooo ladylike.

How To Train Your Dragon

I don't know if you've seen the film How To Train Your Dragon, but the main dragon (Toothless) largely resembles a combination of Stitch and a domestic cat.  Luna also noticed this resemblance and decided she likes this movie.  After watching the beginning of it on my lap she moved to get a closer view.  After a while I looked down and she was sitting about three inches away from the tv, just looking straight up and watching.  I love cats...

all sparkly and new

So I got bored today and decided to change my background and add more color in general.  Let me know if this is too bright or too distracting.  I'll probably change it weekly anyway...I get bored often.  :)

Website of the Week

I actually should have titled this "website of my week", because I don't intend to actually have an official website of the week, unless it is by popular demand.  Let me know.  Anyway, this week is definately peopleofwalmart.com and once you check it out, my reasoning will be obvious.  I suggest you search photos by highest rated.  Let's just say that after scanning a few pages of this, Jeff probably wanted to strangle m because I kept laughing, snorting, and wanting to describe it all to him.  Warning: this is thescariest site I have ever seen!!!!!  This site also makes me want to never ever step foot in a walmart again, cause I don't want to be anywhere near the...well, let's just call them "beings".  Ugh!

hair

So I really think that only a girl could understand the fact that I jut spent three and a half hours getting my hair gone.  Jeff just thinks I'm crazy.

parsnip muffins

Ingredients:
1-ounce sliced almonds
Nonstick spray
8 1/2 ounces all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 whole eggs
3/4 cup plain whole milk yogurt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
8 ounces sugar
10 ounces grated parsnips


Directions:
Place the almonds in a single layer in a pie pan and place in oven. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake the nuts until lightly toasted, approximately 20 minutes while the oven heats. Meanwhile, spray a standard 12-cup muffin tin with the nonstick spray and set aside.
Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt in the bowl of a food processor, and process for 5 seconds.
Whisk the eggs, yogurt, vegetable oil, and sugar in a large mixing bowl until combined. Add the flour mixture and parsnips, and fold with a spatula until all of the flour is moistened, there will be some lumps. Divide the mixture evenly among the muffin cups using a level 2 1/2-ounce disher or 1/3 cup measure. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with the toasted almonds. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the muffins reach an internal temperature of 210 degrees F and are golden brown, rotating halfway through baking. If needed, use a small knife or offset spatula to loosen the muffins and immediately remove them from the tin to a cooling rack, and cool for 15 minutes. Serve warm. Store completely cooled muffins in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Note: I make these without the nuts, and they are just as good.  They might not make it until tomorrow...

Also, much as I would like to take credit for making this recipe up, I pasted it from food network, off the Good Eats page.  I totally heart Alton Brown (only regarding cooking though.  Come on people!)

vampires (kinda) revisited

Um yeah, so it turns out I wasn't done with icky bug drama for the day.  I was taking my pillowcase off to replace it and when I pulled my pillow out, there was a huge black spider in the center of my pillow!  So naturally I freaked out and dropped my pillow.  Luckily the spider tried to run away instead of jump and attack my face (I have found its bad to be freaked of spiders, have an overactive imagination, and a suggestive husband), and I squashed it to hell with a shoe.  Yay me!  Wow, London Tipton reference (which hopefully none of you are nerdy enough to recognize).  So, yeah...check your pillows people.  There could be evil spiders in there waiting to bite you on your neck while you sleep.  All I can say is thank goodness that pillowcase was only used for a week, and no longer!

the hard way

So today I found out the hard (and gross) way that pincherbugs do indeed like strawberries.  Jeff has several thriving strawberry plants, which recently started to (finally!!!) bear fruit.  As the fruit ripens, he's been picking them off one by one, and putting them in the fridge.  I thought I'd be nice today and wash the berries, and put them in tupperware, but when I started washing them and checking to make sure they were still fresh, I found one with a hole in it, and as I started lifting it out of the sink to throw it out, the biggest freakin' pincherbug I've ever seen in my entire life jumped out!  I freaked out!  Though I am proud to say, I did not utter so much as a peep (I hate it in movies when people get freaked out and scream for no real reason).  So I'm hoping that pincherbugs cannot survive a ride down the drain and a quick trip through the garbage disposal (yeah, it sounds mean, but I'm thorough, and I REALLY hate bugs).  Let me just say, I'm really glad only one berry had a bug! Although no bug would have been better... so, to all people out there, please wash the berries before you put them in the fridge ( *ahem* Jeff).

yum

There is nothing better than a vanilla-pineapple smoothie.  Unless you scrap the whole thing and go for chocolate.

empathy for vampire victims

Ok, so I know vampires are completely fictional (with the exception of cute little bats), but I really feel for all the fake victims.  Why, you ask?  I got some random raised bite on the side of my neck and it feels like a BAD sunburn.  That, by the way, is the number one reason I hate bugs, and bug-like creatures.  I don't walk up to people and bite them, so why do they have to?  stop bugs.  Wow, this is such a random rant...

hide and seek (cat style)

Cats remind me of an evil/ sneaky version of Doug from Disney's Up.  No, don't get me wrong, I love cats (I mean, who wouldn't look at these and be jeslous of not owning anything as cute?), but sometimes Luna can look kinda...well, sneaky and evil.  She loves playing (but mostly hiding) under newspapers, and it's really only a matter of time before she jumps out and tries to attack your ankle with the attitude of an ADHD 2 year old on a sugar high (Tova, back me up on this).

Yeah, she looks all sweet and innocent here...

ready to pounce

now she's just grumpy at me for taking her picture and thus ruining her hiding place.

bliss

true bliss is: having a (relatively) clean house; having all three ceiling fans on full blast on a hot day; knowing its your version on friday and hoping the weekend will be fun!

west side

I just saw this shirt this morning.  Wow...

Uh, yeah.  Apparently the wicked witch of the west went ghetto or thug or something.

awesome

So I got kinda bored today, and stumbled upon these fantastic signs.  For the most part, if you know what these signs/ tattoos mean, you are a huge nerd.  Of course, I know what all of them mean, so what does that say...

rough life

Oh yes, it's so difficult to be a cat...

Luna has decided that our guest room belongs to her because that's where all the sun is in the mornings. 
Note the annoyed look on her face.  It's because I disturbed her nap by photographing her.  Yes, our cat suffers.

blogging

Writing a random blog posting while watching "Julie & Julia" and listening to Julie talk about blogging is just kinda funny.  Yeah, I'm a dork.  It's also making me hungry.  I'm trying to be healthy, so here's a healthy recipe.  A cookie recipe that is healthy and yummy.  who'd have thought?

Honey Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup honey
1 large egg
1/4 cup smooth unsalted almond butter (you can also substitute regular unsalted butter)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoonn ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup raisins (optional- Jeff hates raisins)

Preheat the oven to 350.  Mist 2 baking sheets with cooking spray.  Beat the butter, canola oil, honey, egg, almond butter and vanilla extract in a large bowl with a mixer until combined.
In another bowl, whisk the dry milk, flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.  Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir to combine.  Stir in the oats and raisins.
Scoop tablespoonfuls of batter about 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets.  Bake until golden, about 12 minutes.

These are the easiest cookies on the planet to make, but they taste so yummy, especially if you make them kinda huge like I do (it makes them more cake-like and chewy and moist), but because I make them bigger I end up with less cookies, and that simply won't do.  Therefore, I always make at least a double batch.  I just tell myself that the cookies are healthy and it makes the guilt go away.

Green Thumb

Where did the title "green thumb" come from anyway?  I am very proud to say that I no longer have a black thumb, Jeff and I both now are proud owners of green thumbs.  Does that even make sense?  Anyway, Jeff's pride and joy are his strawberry plants, of which he have three varieties.  They are finally starting to bear fruit, and i think he would rather stare at the prettiness of them instead of eat them.  I am on the side of eating them, cause they are super delicious!

My pride and joy is my blueberry bush, which after a year and a half is starting to look good and taste even better.  I swear, the biggest and yummiest berries ever!  Yum!

I know its super cheesy, but my gardening goal is to grow and make my own salsa.  I swear, my mouth is watering right now.

June

June is busting out all over!  All over the meadow and the hill!
(I wish!  I mean, yes, it is indeed June, but it's dark and windy and overcast and I really can't take much more rain.  That's why I live in California and not Oregon.)