It’s just a game

Thanks for the well-wishes on my last post, ya’ll! I’m still waiting for people to design the next ORANGE POP LAYOUT!!!! I think Brooke has been the only one, with others suggesting people/places. Can I say that I’m desperate? But I’ll work on it & appreciate anything I can get!

(Per the title of the post:) The other night, I was at Le WalMart & I noticed this on the side of a cereal box for kids!!!! How much more obsessed with #s & calories can we make society… at a young age?! It’s perhaps AppleJacks? But, oh, it’s a game! How… fun? Look:

^ How many calories are in a banana? An apple? A celery stalk?

grrrr… on another note, I have no idea how many calories are in this (though, I’m sure I could figure it out if I wanted. But really, I don’t want to):

 < pre-cook

 < post-oven-cook

I made a “pizza” on a whole wheat piece of Naan, with tomato sauce, mushrooms, onions, eggplant & goat cheese, alongside a more simple salad than some previous ones. It ’twas tasty!!!

On my Tuesday/Thursday classes, I have one class, then an hour & a half break until my next class, soo, here’s how I spent it, last Thursday:

 < laptop, tea, snack in the form of a Luna bar, & those monkey things? Valentine’s! (for the record, I didn’t LOVE this flavor… I don’t know, it seemed chalky, like I was eating “puppy chow” or something. oh, well, I still love my girl Luna!)

I also brought my own teabag & asked the school cafe for hot water. A free tea! yay (I’m soo frugal, it’s great right?!)

Have a great Sunday & start of a new week!!! *What are you looking forward to today & this week?*

I’m looking forward to a nutrition appointment on Thursday & hanging out with family & friends, writing & sending the rest of my Valentine’s, cooking, working on the blog more… still waiting for YOUR IDEAS, lovelies! 

Any inspiration on cooking new meals, since you’ve gotten to know some of my tastes & new(er)-found-eating techniques!!! Happy day to you & yours!

Skool iz Cool!

School has begun once again (Monday). I’m taking 12 credit-hours, after the 16 I took last semester. I felt pretty overwhelmed & spread pretty thinly over all my subjects…I just wasn’t satisfied with my focus & how I did in all of my classes. I excelled mainly in those that interested me & got by in the others. So, I lightened the load (minus 1 class & 1 lab). Here’s what it looks like:

• Mon/Wed– 9:35-12:15 pm (with a break in there) –> I get 6 credits for 1 class (2-for-1), which blends Composition 2 + Humanities 2
• Tues/Thurs– 8-9:25 am –> Applied Ethics
• Tues/Thurs– 11-12:15 pm –> Cultural Anthropology

I am most looking forward to the Cultural Anthropology course. My teacher is really enthusiastic, it’s a big class in a teaching auditorium & we’ll have some hands-on assignments. 

It looks like I’ll have a lot of reading. And, I was asking for book recommendations, & I found one before classes started. I’ll finish it, for sure now! I just love it!

  < true story & inspiring!

Last semester I had all male teachers!!! In 6 classes! All of them! This semester, I have 3 males + 1 female (in the blended class). I like it this way. I think I perform better in class taught by a male teacher… I don’t know why! I was the same way with coaches, when I played sports. **What is everyone’s preference in this? Nervous with males, but excel with females? Don’t care?** I find it interesting in how many men are teaching now! Cool!

I might have an edu-crush on them, meaning I respect their styles, accomplishments, & knowledge so much, that I like them! Even if they’re older? Eek! I just feel like I don’t want to let them down sometimes, yanno?! It’s all good. No trouble here. I see the line.

You want food, you say? Okay:

^ Dinner the other night: tempeh in Annie’s ginger marinade; green beans; broiled tomato; red + regular quinoa

Today, I went to class (so long that my lil’ Mac ran out of power from taking notes on it!), walked Bella (gosh, she’s a bundle of energy!), went to the gym, then made something, starting with this:

… then I had a wonderful Elvis-inspired fave-rave:

…in the blender-upper:

I also added some sogurt, ice & water to thin it out. It was thick & indulgent! I stuck it in the freezer while I took a shower, like this:

< in my Shrek cup, over-flowing with goodness! I started drinking it with a straw, but it was too milk-shakey for me, so I got out a long, thin, diner-style spoon. Wow! It was a great combo, but I’m not sure I’ll buy a whole tub of this flavor. It’s good for special occasions or sweet/rich cravings!

My dad & I went to dinner tonight… juuu-ust the 2 of us (~thanks, Big Willy!) Whenever I ask him where he wants to go, he always asks me what I want. But, I know what he really wants. It’s always… THAI! Which I L-O-V-E, too, so it works out!

We went to a place we’ve never been, but I’d heard good things about it. The verdict: it might become a new favorite. We both RAVED about it. I took no pictures, as I was enjoying the meal with pops, but we were both served a soup to start (him: chicken-rice; me: vegetable… I love how the veggies in Thai food are still a bit crunchy!), then I got some red-pepper eggplant dish with tofu. It was very good, but I would request less sauce next time (’cause oh- there will be a next time!) because it was drenched! We got brown rice & it came on a plate, shaped like a star! How cute of them! …a very nice evening!!! 

When I’m at my uncle’s house, I spend most of the nights here, not at home, so I don’t get to see my family as much, though I still call & visit! haha. Is it weird that I like being away from home, on my own, even though it’s only 5-10 minutes away.

Finally, I had some of my favorite tea:

comforting & soothing!

Tomorrow, I have class, pick up my paycheck from work, & my dad is going to join me for HOT YOGA tomorrow night! I haven’t done a night class there, so it’ll be nice to challenge myself then, since I’m usually a morning/afternoon exerciser, usually!

Hope your days are as wonderful as mine!!! The weekend is almost here, folks!

Tag! I’m it!

Oh, so little ol’ Matt tagged me, so while I felt annoyed at first, I’ve decided to be thankful that he thought of mui, Miss Orange Pop! This also means that I had to get my booty in some sort of gear to blog about something. So, thank you, “Bama!”

Here it goes (before 2008 has been forgotten & 2009 is over!):

*In no particular order of favorites*

4 favorite memories from 2008:

• Starting school again (college)
• Re-visiting Portland, OR
• Jet-setting to Paris, spontaneously with my sister, right before exams
• Making new friends & going out with them!

4 favorite movies that I saw:

(I had to look up which movies came out, thus putting them in ABC-order!)

• The Dark Knight
• The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
• Hannah Montana
• Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2
• & this year I saw Into the Wild 

4 favorite foods in 2008:

• Tempeh!
• Betty Lou’s balls
• Carrots
• …nut butters. There. I’m one of you, too!

4 places I loved in 2008:

• Paris, France
  
• Portland, OR
• *my hometown*, FL
• finding a cozy, new cafe in town with free wi-fi!

4 things I liked in 2008:

• Having a job
• Going to the beach on winter break
• Spending time with family, especially my sisters
• Going back to school

4 things I am looking forward to in 2009:

• Getting a bike
• Furthering my education (okay, 3 times, really? I’m a nerd!)… & trying to decide on future plans
• Building strong(er) relationships
• Traveling with my sisters

(…thanks, really, Matt!) It’s good to look back, but I think it’s more important to look forward & ahead about what is to come.  Sure, a lot is unknown, but that’s pretty cool & exciting to me, that I just don’t know what’s coming my way in 2009! I’m not going to tag anyone else, but with that, I’ll leave you with this:

FREE, ME!!

I slept in, mondo… when I woke up, I put out the FLAME!!! Okay, I was watching the news on TV this morning when I woke up (okay, afternoon) when I saw it: smell like a burger! For $3.99 you can smell like a flame-broiled Burger King ham-boogie. Nice. They also referenced the SuperBowl commercial from McDonald’s where a man mistakenly puts a wrapper in the dryer and his wife’s clothes smells like beef and he is turned on… see it on YouTube here, with Miss OP:

Okay, onto the good stuff…

I finally finished my semester!!!!

YIPPEEE!!! YOW!!! HURRAY!!! ZIP-ZIP-ZIPPERRR!!! WEEE!!! So, I’ll happily be blogging more until I start mid-January (the 12th or so?). I’ll be working (*grumble*), relaxing, and doing other unforeseen things in my future. Unfortunately, either of my sisters will NOT be home for Christmas. It’s gonna be weird. And sad. Me lovez ‘da sistah’s!

So, yesterday. As soon as I woke up, I went for a brisk walk around to wake up and energize me! It was so nice out and great for my mind. When I got home, I put on a pot of coffee and made some oats for brain-food.

^ I had Target’s Pumpkin Spice coffee (I mix the grounds with generic/cheaper variety with the yummy stuff to make it last longer. I also add cinnamon to the filter!); the oats are: ~1/3 (+) c. Bob’s Red Mill 5-grain hot cereal, chopped apple, ~1 T. Skippy Natural Chunky PB, cinnamon, a splash of soymilk, and brown sugar. MmMmMmmmmm…

So, then Government Exam. Yow!

Then, the gym for some cardio… gotta get the heart pumpin’!

I have to tell you something. My uncle has been looking for a job for a while now. He’s a real estate appraiser, but work is hard to find right now with that… so he’s also been a black-jack dealer! Cool! Anyway, he wants to work at a big casino around here, but until he can be transfered here, he has to work at another location, a few hours away. He also has a cat (Milo!) and a dog (Bella, who is also Jasper’s sister!!!!), so I am staying at his house to watch his “brats” (or “kids”- they’re both! HA!).

It’s been pretty fun. Man, Bella is FULL OF ENERGY, ALL! THE! TIME! And Milo was barely seen, until a couple of weeks ago. Aww, he likes me! Because I feed him, probably. He’s a one-minded animal! Let me introduce you to them- Milo:

Bella: (actually sleeping?!)

It’s a mini-Jasper! 

So, since I told you that, I’m staying at his house. I’ve moved in my stuff, OP’ed his kitchen, I get my own room and Bella snuggles with me at night. BUT, his shower-head is like a drizzle… so I went home after the gym to shower. And, my fab Paris-sister is still home (she can’t get a flight back, uh-oh!), so we went to Publix to get sammiches. I love their hoagie-bread! 

^ Mine was a veggie with spicy mustard, Provolone cheese, S+P, and all the veggies, except black olives. EEK! (green pepper, banana peppers, tomatoes, onions & pickles… I think that’s all!)

Then, work. It wasn’t too bad. I got paid, but since I went to Paris the last weekend I’ve worked, it was a small paycheck. I’ve only been working Thursdays & Saturdays (and some Sundays) during school, so over break, I’ll probably pick up some more hour$!  It was slooowwww though!

Afterward, I decided I needed a fun lil’ zing to celebrate the end of my semester! I was by myself and tired, so I found this baby in my uncle’s fridge and saw a little recipe on the back, so I improvised. My version of cookies & milk, no?!

hmmm, I’m not a big drinker, and this tasted in NO WAY like alcohol, which I loved… but I drank it so quickly, and limited it to just one cup. I heated some soymilk and mixed it that way. Great! While watching Jim Carey’s version of The Grinch, it was a little nice to have no agenda!

So, then I slept in until, late. I woke up at 8:30, but have NOTHING TO DO, so I rolled over and kept sleeping. It was strange for me, since I’ve been a morning person these days, but I stayed up late (for me!) and had a lil’ drinky-drinky! 

Have a great start to your weekend, loves! Any plans?! Holiday shopping done? I’m allllllmost there. Just something else for my mom & Paris-sis. Hopefully I can navigate the crowds, but since I already have gift-ideas for them, it shouldn’t be too bad!

I work Sat. & Sun. then not again until next Sat! ENJOY!

November is almost over?

…it sure is!
I’ve celebrated 5 months of employment at my job! Ha, very monumentous… I am happy to still have a job with the way things seem to be now. Although, the price of gas yesterday, I saw as low as $1.79!!! I had school on Monday & Tuesday, but am off the rest of the time for a little break! 

I started seeing the Christmas tree tents being filled with trees the other day, too! It is always a tradition for us to get our tree the day after Thanksgiving… which is today. So, HAPPY THANKSGIVING, ya’ll!!! I am blogging to you straight from my couch, as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is starting. Oh, Miley C. and David A. are headliners. What youth this country has!

Last night we had 2 of my aunts and an uncle over for dinner. And some little boy hung out with us… who?! Let me show you:

Jassi’per!

Afterward we went out by the pool and had a fire in our fire pit and made s’mores! Let me tell you: it was cooooollldddd! My mom made the best soup in a large pot- plenty for seconds and leftovers! We call it “Garlicky Spicy Tortellini Soup.” It’s super easy, warming, filling, a little spicy, and GOOD! Basic ingredients: (We don’t even use a recipe anymore because it’s this easy. Just stock the ingredients and add as much or as little as you like!) 

• Package or 2 of Tortellini (we used dry Barilla tortellini, probably the Cheese & Garlic kind, but any would be great! (spinach, 3-cheese, etc.)
• Large can of stewed tomatoes, cut up
• 2 cans of tomatoes with green chilies
• Bag of fresh spinach, rinsed and drained
• GARLIC!!!!! Few cloves… or bulbs. Ha, no, but this is essential to making the soup that much better (doesn’t garlic just do that to everything?!)

Cook everything and let simmer and add spinach last, just before serving until it shrinks like it does and mixes well. You can add red pepper flakes or S&P, but it’s not really needed.

And, VIOLA! Serve with crusty bread and lots to drink!

Today, of course, is the main event of Thanksgiving! The family is going to be eating real bird, and I’ve seen the whole Tofurkey roast with stuffing, that’s like $27.99, but it’s just me and I’m weary of the Tofurkey brand (although I DO like the lunch “meat” that’s “cranberry-stuffing” flavor. So, that’s holiday-ish!). Anyway, I LOVE Quorn chik’n, so I saw a Turk’y roast (I love how ebonic vegetarianism becomes…) with 5 servings, so I got that to try! 

I’m not a pie fan. I think I used to like it, and I want to like it, but I don’t. We’re having apple & pumpkin pies and Ginger-Macadamia Nut-Coconut Carrot Cake from Vegan with a Vengeance.  Oh-la-la, I’m excited! I’ve got that to cook up today!

We used to have lunch at my mom’s parent’s house, then dinner at my dad’s parent’s. *Phew!* That’s a lot of eating. My mom’s parent’s aren’t alive anymore and everyone’s sort of adopting their own traditions with family, so we’ve decided to give my dad’s parent’s a break since they host Christmas and invite both sides of the family and whoever can make it, comes! We might take the ol’ rascal, Jasper to the park to tire him out, since we’re having a lot of people over today and he’s not a (total) crazy man!

Have a wonderful, giving, loving Thanksgiving!

*Questions for ya:

WHAT ARE YOUR HOLIDAY TRADITIONS?!

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF THE PARADE (if you watched!)… and/or THE HOLIDAY?!

WHAT ARE YOU THANKFUL FOR?!

I hope you really think about these and really tell the people you love how you feel and take note, not just today, but everyday, for all you have and are able to do! Truly, I’m thankful for so many things I want to cry in appreciation… XOXO~ “Miss OP”

*And yes, I do plan on waking up early to shop. I have to work (changed to later, though!), and even though I rarely buy much, I love the spirit of it and the “kick-off” to the holiday season!

Seeing Red

…er, not that Unwritten Law song, but red, in the form of bananas & cinnamon, which then turned into red-oats! How non-orange of me.

See for yourself!

^ see the difference between the Vietnamese cinnamon (L; bought in the bulk dept. at my work) & “regular” cinnamon (R; bought at my beloved Target)? 

^ You can see the contrast in the bowl, between the 2 types.  Once I mixed it together, it sure was purr-ty! 

The red bananas are smaller than the yellow variety & look almost pinkish-orangeish, like a sunset or something (how romantic!) & have a sort of raspberry-ish taste! YUM! I’m not a banana-mama, but these babies turned me on! The cinnamon is really potent and has more essential oils and healing properties (whatever those of cinnamon are…) than your standard ol’ cinnamon. I love both. When you smell the V.C., I’ll call it, you go “WOW!” I’m a cinnamini. Er, okay.

In other news, I woke up this morning just as my class was about to begin. I noted this fact, turned over, and went back to sleep. I woke up just a bit later, and suddenly I forgot I even had class today! Har-har, oops!

Instead, I went for a walk to open my eyes, had my oats, made some delicious Mango green tea, piddled around the house, swept the floors, went to the gym to strengthen my arms, ate some more, and am now at this CUTE little cafe blogging away and checking on my favorite people. You are all my favorite!

Tomorrow before work, I’m going to another spinning class! I LOVED the one I did on Tuesday, when we didn’t have school (thank you, Vets!). Then work. But I’m only working 2 or 3 days a week, with school, and my paycheck$ aren’t huge, so I should be thankful to be working and have a j-o-b. I am, truly.

Happy weekend, friends and foes!

I’m a list-maker

Wow. So, those of you who are reading this, I truly commend you for being loyal to me! Thank you! And I apologize for being so spacey with this thang.
So, what have I been up to? I’ll tell ya, in list-form…because I am a list-maker in all areas of my life.

1) Oh, Halloween! It’s my favorite holiday, in my favorite month! It just feels so… *ah!* lovely. I carved a pun’kin (mine’s the orange one on the right- see the baby fangs?! My sister’s is on the left… “Hello, Clarisse!”)

and a sub-note to this: I dressed up, so can you tell which one I am?!

^ you can’t see them, but I’m wearing my favorite high-tops! I will also admit I had all of the components of this “costume” in my closet.

2) Here: the nexspeaks for itself

yeah, almost a risque photo, no? Well, I looked up all the candidates running and made informed choices on the whole ballot! My 1st election– go me!
3) Playing with this rascal:

aww, Jasper, have you missed him?!

4) I’ve been workin’ it out! …and feeling spiffy! Yesterday I took my 1st cycling class. I’ve been wanting to do it for a while, and a guy I know at work does it and was like, “Oh, you would be great at it, you have a cyclists’ body (huh?) and it’s such a good workout! You go at your own pace.” Okay, so I tried it… and I LOVED IT! I feel I’ll get hooked on it. I’ve been lifting weights and running and walking a lot, and eating more, too. SO, I’m hoping to gain some muscle/weight! I already have and my pants are getting tighter. Am I being a boy about liking this weight-gain?! Oh, well…

5) Food I’m digging and want to rave about:

• Pretzel Goldfish
• Chunky PB
• Trailmix of all types!
• Red bananas
• 5-grain hot cereal
• Apples!
• Clif bars, Luna bars, and other on-the-go snackies
• Black bean hummus
• These drinks
• Orange pop

Anyway, lots more, but I’ve gotta stop sometime… now.

I’m still working and schooling. Lovin’ life.

Keep at it, bloggers and I’ll come back, I promise!!!

Delightfully Tacky…

…yet unrefined!  Today I did a speech on the wonderful company of HOOTERS and gave them praise for 3 reasons:

1) They have genius marketing!

• they know sex sells and use it to their (legal) advantage

2) They are active in their communities and do a lot of charity work!

• one of their calendar girls died of breast cancer (…no smirks!) and they’ve raised and donated $2 million toward cancer research, along with a total of $8 million in all charity donations

3) Hooters girls are, in fact, smart!

• a whopping 90% have college degrees and many are putting themselves through college working at Hooters (and there are teachers that work there, too! any of yours, perhaps?!)

Yeah, there ain’t no dogs like this at H OO ters.

I’m not quite that orange, nor am I willing to wear the bunched socks just yet… except I sported an orange skirt and white top to present my speech.

ALSO… the girls who work there apply to work there, for pay, and just use what their momma gave them to make the mad-money! Just like Cindy Crawford and Heidi Klum and other lovely ladies use their looks for their trade, in modeling, these girls use theirs for their job, too!  If they don’t like it, they know where the door is! Plus, the sexual harrassment policy is strong and well-respected! All the testimonials I’ve read and heard about have stated nothing but positive experiences!

$$$ cha-ching $$$

Now you have a better appreciation for HOOTERS and some positive points for it… right?!

haha. I kind of wish I had the assets to work there. I would probably only have to work a day or two a week compared to what I’m getting paid weekly where I’m working! Oh well, maybe I’ll get a growth spurt!

By the way, isn’t it Love Your Body Day?!

I’m here! Welcome back!

I got a message from Erin from Vegan & the City asking WHERE AM I?! Well, I’m here.

I’ll start the post with a picture, so maybe I can lure you in, to keep reading!

I got a MacBook! YIPPPEEEEEE!!!!! I’m in lust!

I set my background to an autumn theme, because Halloween is my favorite holiday!!! I always look forward to the potential season-change (in FL? oh, how I miss Portland!), and festive up-coming holidays! I just don’t really know what I’m going to do on the 31st, or what I’ll dress like, but it’s fun to play and think about!

I also made a big ol’ bowl of stovetop oats with: 5-grain hot cereal, a red banana, soymilk, cinnamon, brown sugar, some walnuts & crunchy pb… hmm, I suppose that’s all. VERY filling. I love red bananas! I tried one at work one day and even though I’m not a banana-mama, I enjoy a good red banana! Why has it taken me this long to put a banana in my oats? I also like the stove-top method because it seems more filling and hearty than zapping it in the microwave, with a packet of instant oats!

My sister is playing Christmas music! Ever since the Halloween decorations went up, she’s been in Christmas-mode! haha, crazy, mixed-up middle child.

Well, I started school.

School started mid-August for me, along with many other kid-o’s. I’m taking a full load: 16 credits/5 classes + a lab. I’m excited about some, but mostly I’m excited to be back in school, bettering my future. I’ve been out of school for almost 2 years, I think, and I’m glad to be exercising my mind again and being busy. I’ve really been enjoying my Comp I Honors class, because the topic of the whole class is: Nature, Environment & Self. We’ve read Into the Wild and other nature/landscape articles and pieces of writing. We’re even going to take a field trip sometime this semester, how fun!  I’m also taking: Honors Public Speaking, Anatomy + Physiology Lecture and Lab, College Algebra and American National Gov’t, which is nice with all the Presidential Election excitement going on.  When I can’t follow everything going on, it’s a nice class to catch up on what’s happening, politically! I’m looking forward to voting on Nov. 4- everyone else with me?!

Anyway, I go to 2 classes Mon-Thurs from 9:30-12:15, night class on Mon & Wed from 5:30-6:45 and only my loooonnngg lab Friday mornings from 8:10-10:50! Then, I’m home free.  I’ve just been working about 1 weeknight per week, and Saturdays, which is good for my schedule. 

So after my Lab this morning, I made my oats, because after classes, even though it’s high-noon in FL, I crave 2 things: PB&J and oats. I’ve also been on a serious cooking kick the past few months, but, with no showing-off on my abandoned blog, I’ve reverted to making sammiches and quick-meals, which I enjoy just as much, without the appreciation of slaving over a good, home-cooked meal. Oh well!

Oh, P.S., Jasper learned to bark and finds any opportunity to hear himself. It’s cute because he’s cute!

Wii would like an update!

Friends, acquaintances, and beyond,

I apologize for my absence. While I’ve been away from the blogging world, here’s a bit what I actually have been up to:

• Playing wii! I created my own “mii” character (with her cute little orange dress, blonde curls and blue eyes!) I’ve played tennis, so far… but I popped my shoulder. Oh yes, athlete-extraordinairre! Take me to the Olympics!

 

And my mom beat up on me:

• Which means, yes, I’ve been watching those Olympics. A-ma-zing! Congrats to all those who were able to compete and to all those hopeful-Olympians: if you’re even considered, you’re great, too! What strength and work athic they must have!
• Playing volleyball. I’ve always looked up to Misty May (now May-Treanor) on the beach, but especially during her indoor volleyball days at Long Beach State University. I’ve been to the setter‘s camp, where she was made into one of the greatest indoor setters of all time! I had a great shot to be on that level, (maybe?) but stopped, due to stress from the sport, losing my passion. Bummer. But my sister has an alumni match this weekend at her college and hasn’t played since graduating in May, so I’ve been playing. At first, I was nervous and a bit embarrassed. I think I’ve given my vball days a rest because I was afraid how I wouldn’t be able to do it anymore and I’d be too weak, or something. This time, I allowed it. I’ve taken almost 2 years off!!! Anyway, it didn’t take that long to get it back. We played for probably 30 minutes, twice, and I noticed a huge difference from beginning, to the end, correcting silly mistakes I would have never made before, but remembering how it feels the right away, and the wrong way. I love volleyball again!

  < Misty May, as an indoor player!

• Established my favorite salad dressing! Thank you, Annie’s Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette, with Chamomile! I finished the bottle… waited a couple of days to get another, as it’s only at my work, not the general Albertson’s/Publix/Target stores by me! Like that V8 commercial, I felt lacking on salads (though I got other veggies) without it… *donk!* should’a had a V8!

 

• Working. I’ll cut my hours next week, as I… (see next)
• Signed up for classes at the college! Starts Monday, the 25! When I moved to Portland, I had every intention of staying long enough to gain residency and going to school out there. Well, I didn’t stay long enough, so it’s almost been 2 years with no school. I miss it, I really do! I’m excited to get back at it. I’m taking 16 hours, including a lab. Just general classes to get my requirements out of the way. I’m living at home, as it’s pretty close to campus and I’ll be working, so I’m excited, also, to be a busy-bee!
• Learned that my bloode test labs came back and the result said that I am not gluten-intolerant like I thought. Which is good. And I’m eating glutenous products again. But I’m still having tummy issues. My doc says I may have some other malabsorption problem, and I should see a GI specialist! Hmmm…
• I went to a raw restaurant with some co-workers! It’s new and I actually had the owners come through my line one night before it opened with a cart full of bananas and zucchini. The menu is all raw, vegetarian, and/or vegan. I decided on the zucchini spaghetti, after debating between that and the pesto zucchini spaghetti, which was a special. It was all raw. Tasted awesome! It was saerved with ground-up nuts, which tasted “cheesy!” Amazing! haha, but everyone at the table got something different, and I got to try the raw pizza! The “Real Deal” on their menu is one of their specialties, but no one got it… oh, well, next time! I sort of feel like Erica with her Candle Cafe escapades, because I want to go back, but know it’ll break my bank account if I keep it up!!! It’s just not that common to find such a veg-friendly restaurant, other than merely pasta/salad/(?)! It was great, and filling, and like I was eating, well, spaghetti! The sauce was nice, too: a mix of sun-dried and fresh tomatoes, with veggies!

• Reading My Sister’s Keeper. Still. I love it! I can’t wait for the movie, in 2009!
• I saw The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 with my sister. Loved it! Let’s just all go to Greece, because we want to! Easy-Peasey!

*Phew* Okay, you’re pretty much caught up on the recent life of lil’ ol’ me: Miss Orange Pop!