The last 24 hours have been very tramatic for me:

• We're housesitting and the couple usually buys several six packs of good beer, this time when they left they said there was beer and food in the fridge. All we found was two beers left in an empty six pack and two frozen pizzas.


• Baddass promised me ice cream and peaches and never paid up.
  
• I don't like housesitting.


• The dogs ate my shoe and I had to go to work with chewn shoe.

• No food = no lunch to take to work = fast food = indigestion.


• The button on my jeans fell off for the 100th time.
  
• I made fried green tomatoes, they were delicious... This wasn't tramatic, I'm hoping its the turning point.

Fried Green Tomatoes

Months and months ago, maybe even a year or so ago, I had this random dream. I dreamed that the Baddass and I were married or at least living together, and I was making fried green tomatoes. This is weird because a) in the house I was raised in we never fried anything at all, b) the idea of me cooking at the time was laughable, c) Baddass and I were still merely dating, and d) it was just a freaky dream. Anyways, as part of my dream, I decided I'd just make some from scratch and happened to have all the ingredients to make it. This is weird now because my kitchen is still in its beginning stages and I'm always needing ingredients that are staples in normal people's kitchens.

Well yesterday I won a bet with a co-worker and we agreed I'd be paid in fresh veggies. Today she brought me tomatoes (the red and green kind) and cucumber. So I decided I'd try the delicacy known as fried green tomatoes. I just googled a recipe and clicked on the first one available. I have every single ingredient... and that's when I remembered the freaky dream I had long ago.

I'm totally freaked out right now.

Good news! Free, unsecured internet is back! Just when I was beginning to get used to the one spot on the couch with the low signal. I do love our couch. I'm actually sitting in the spot right now.

Tonights revelation: I love music. I'm somewhat of a music snob. I am slighty ashamed to admit that I do judge those people who only listen to the top 40 radio station. I only say that I'm ashamed because its wrong to judge. However, if there was anyone to judge it would be those people who can't look beyond the top 40. Don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing all top 40 songs and/or radio stations everywhere. I am merely bashing those people who don't look past it to the other great music out there.

In my office environment I am subjected to the top 40 radio station all day, everyday. I pretty much hate every song they play now. Every one. Except for today they did play the big butt song and you just can't hate that one. Anyways, the work radio often leaves me angry and depressed, but every once in a while I am reminded just how much I love love love music.

These revelations never occur while listening to the work radio -- well maybe occasionally when I'm trying to ignore it and listen to my quietly playing music at my computer. I made a bold move several months ago and brought my own computer speakers for my work computer. Only a couple of the co-workers have speakers. I believe my computer speaker purchase occurred after I was facing a major mental breakdown due to work radio induced stress. (I'm not making this up, it really really really bugs me!) Almost every day I turn my speakers on and down and listen to something that isn't, wasn't, and maybe never be on the Top 40. It refreshes me and keeps me calm. I keep it low so only I can hear it when I'm at desk close to the screen and speakers. I consider this respectful of the open environment I work in. My music makes me feel better most of the time, but I can still hear the work music over my own most of the time, which sucks.

Back to music, the iPod is pretty much my favorite invention ever. It might even top the internet and computers, even though I know one can't exist without the other. I would die without my iPod. It holds my music collection, and its not just a music collection though, its an insight into my life and taste. Its my sedative. It gets me excited about a fun night on the town or relaxes me after an bad day at the office. Its my companion when I'm alone. It was my entertainment.

I didn't mean for this post to become about the work radio or a love song to my iPod. My main point is that I had one of those revelations tonight about how much I love music and what it means to me.

Music is to me what movies at to the Baddass. He went to see the Dark Knight today alone on his day off because I've been dragging my feet to see it. Its okay though, I'm glad he went without me, it just makes the odds better for us seeing Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 in the drive in.

This is the air I breathe

Being a child of Generation Y (I think that's what I am) the internet is pretty much my oxygen. I need it to breathe. Without it is like being lost in the woods with no compass. Its almost unthinkable. However, I have found myself lost in the woods more than I care to talk about lately.

You see, we've had a nice neighbor with an excellent unsecured wireless signal. We've enjoyed it immensely. I might have given up on this living alone and married business and moved right back home to where the internet was as stable as Mr. Rodgers Neighborhood. But earlier this week, our world's air has taken a different shift. Our once excellent source became secured. Damn Comcast.

While sitting on the couch playing Solitaire (I'm attached to my computer at the lap and if I don't have the internet I've got to do something with it, plus its very addictive) when I got a low unsecured signal. Never in my life have I been so excited to see a low signal. And even though its super slow and reminds me of my early days with Internet - oh dial-up, how you teased me. I still, sometimes, get to breathe normal air.

Won't You Be My Neighbor

The Baddass and I live in the coolest place ever. No seriously, it is the coolest place to live in the city. There are so many awesome aspects to our home that I'm not even going to discuss it in this post. But the one negative thing about our abode is our neighbor. Technically we have 3 the way our condos are arranged. We never hear two of them, but the other... that's a different story.

He's one of those people that is loud, he has a loud voice. But he also makes a habit of yelling obscenities. Usually its just random curse words (the f one is his favorite). But every once in a while it gets out of hand.

The neighbor on his other side has told us stories about how loud he can get and one time he came over to tell him to be quiet and a knife was pulled out. We can testify to the facts of this story, but it wouldn't surprise us.

Tonight he was being louder than we've heard yet. We think something might have broken, but he f-in hates someone, we're just not sure if its his cat, the other neighbors, a ghost, or a figment of his imagination. He proceeds to yell for several minutes. Then we hear a pounding on metal outside. We paused what we were doing, looked at each other, then thoughts of cars pop into our heads and we run to door window to make sure he's not beating up our car. He's not. But we're still curious as to what the heck he's doing.

So in Rear Window style we turn off all the lights, go to our bonus space upstairs, climb on the chairs, and look out the window. He has gone into the trash area with a broom and was beating at something. He then went back to his condo. The cat has escaped and is sitting in the middle of the parking lot watching us watch him. Then he proceeds to drag something out of his condo. We can't see it, but we hear it. Whatever he is dragging he doesn't take it to the trash can. He goes back to the trash can area and closes the metal door that encloses the trash cans and then pounds on the door. Then he walks back to his condo mumbling something, obscenties probably.

Thus ends the mysterious behavior. He's quieter now, he's only yelled his favorite word once since the metal banging. Hmmm... crazy behavior. And not the funny crazy, but the I-wonder-where-we-can-stay-tonight-if-this-keeps-up.

Oh well, I guess its just part of living in Midtown.

Newlywed Food

So The Baddass and I like to make our own pizzas. This is a very creative process which usually involves left overs and sometimes a frozen pizza which we just add with my delicious things. I'm not really sure how this came about. I think it was his idea. You see, my husband doesn't like to follow recipes. He just finds what he has and just does something with it. Which I guess is pretty good since we're on a budget (or something like that). Anyways, last night we made one of our best ones yet, we call it: The Steak, Asparagus, & Corn Lover's Pizza.
Here it is before the cheese. I artfully placed the steak and aspargus as The Baddass chopped away. I should have added more corn in hindsight. It was just a whim as we were cutting to add the corn. We had never experimented with a corn pizza yet, but after consuming it, we would recommend corn pizza.

Baking... I thought the heating element added an artsy touch to it, don't ya think?

The Baddass and our concoction. I did not get his permission to post this picture, oh well.

Oh, you should go out and buy this IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!!!!

The Baddass is a little annoyed by my deep love for this product. I make noises that make him jealous when I eat this cheese..... Okay, I'll stop there.

Lately I've been listening to a lot of NPR and public radio, especially on the weekends. I would have laughed at the idea of myself listening voluntarily to public radio a few years ago, maybe even as little as one year ago. But I've been captured by it. I feel like I am learning something as I am in the car listening to the talk shows and news programs. I have something to talk about.

For instance, what do you think about the new bill Congress passed this week allowing telephone companies and whoever else to listen to our phone conversations at will?

This afternoon I was listening to parts of an episode of Speaking of Faith where the host talked to a writer who wrote a book, Animal, Mineral, Miracle. They were discussing food culture. The author said that some people help the planet by not eating meat, she stopped eating bananas to do her part. I laughed at first, but she has a point. Bananas are very hard to transport and come from far away lands (can you tell I really researched this? Really I just discussed it with my husband who heard a NPR story regarding the sensitivity and future extinction of bananas). Her part to help in this global crisis is to eat only locally grown foods. She also discussed the mindset of Americans and eating. Americans, including myself, often think preparing a meal at home is so time consuming. Think of all the new recipes, cookbooks, even cooking shows that are focused on the least amount of time it takes to prepare a meal. We lead busy lives, we come home and need to prepare a meal, feed the family, when all we really want to do is veg out on the couch in front of the boob tube. Hello! TV dinners! There is a whole genre of food created because of this mindset. The author of the book was saying that if we only thought of meal preparation as entertainment, something to do together with the family, of creating something beautiful and delicious, it wouldn't seem so much like a chore.

So I think I'm going to change my thinking on this whole meal food thing, which might even have bigger effects on the why I think about food in general. I often feel guity when eating food, wondering how it will impact how my clothes fit me and my size. When really, if I'm eating fresh locally grown food, prepared in a delicious way, why should I felt guilty? God meant for us to enjoy food and enjoy his creation. This is a whole new outlook.

Tree Rat Victory

{Pretend this post was not published mintues after the previous one}

I must admit my defeat. I should have followed the advice of wiser ones who suggested Seven dust and other methods of preventing something as terrible as this happening yet again. However, I was unwilling to shell out money to stop this pesky rodent.

This is what happened while I was at work today.

See that little round thing down there. About 8 - 9 feet away from where I last saw it this morning?

Yes, that was my last tomato.

Its okay, its natural to be frightened and upset after such an event as this.

Well, Tree Rat, maybe we'll meet again.

The Tree Rat Strikes Again

This actually occured a few days ago, but I've been too tramatized to post it. I've been in denial that a tree rat can reak this much havoc in my life. How!? Why?! These are the questions I keep asking myself.

The other day I left my house and there were two tomatoes riping perfectly. One of them was just showing the first signs of changing colors. My heart was happy. Freshly grown tomatoes from my own porch, how cute!

However, when I returned home that same evening, this is what I discovered. (The pictures aren't the best becuase I'm not a professional photographer, and oh yeah, it was pouring down rain)

Be careful of the tree rats, they are developing enough skills to remove the tomato from the vine and move it a few feet.

Getting married changes things. This might be an obvious statement, but it takes a little while to realize its full effects. For instance, not so long ago I was a fashionista. I was pretty hot, co-workers declared me avant guarde, if thats not cool, I don't know what is. I went to the newest resturants. I had no place to decorate and could care less about home furnishings and especially anything related to the kitchen.

Now, two and a half months after marriage things are very different. I haven't put energy into my closet in a while, which means I'm left with that, "I have nothing to wear and I hate all this crap" feeling daily. Don't get me wrong, I still have cute things, remants of yester-year, but its just not the priority it once was. This deeply saddens me. Fashion and clothes was what defined me as a person. I was the stylish one of my friends. People I hadn't even met yet knew me as this way and had nicknames for me (still wondering if thats good or bad).

In the past three months I've spent more money on things for my apartment and kitchen than I have clothes and shoes. I can't put my finger on the moment when my priorities changed from the closet to the rest of the house? My best guess was when we found the uber cool apartment and I felt the urge to make the inside just as cool as the whole building. (Apartment/Building post to come later)

And now I spend time instead of looking at fashion week photos looking for simple, delicious recipes. My collection has grown by amazing amounts in just a few short months. The jury is still up on whether I actually enjoy cooking.

I do, however, enjoy the life I'm living with my husband. We do have a super cool apartment in an area that I love. I don't mind cooking as long as its something I'm excited about trying. Really my goal in the kitchen and recipe search is what is the easiest to prepare, yet the most delicious? And I love my home that I'm making. Its still definately a work in progress (which means: still more money yet to be spent on decorative objects and projects), but its home.