The Must-See YouTube List

The other day, I was speaking to some friends & discovered that one of them hadn't seen several must-see YouTube videos. I've decided to compile a list for him, & to share it with everyone else. Here are a few vids you just can't miss out on.

Ze end of the world

Charlie Bit My Finger
This classic is a bit old, but it's still a must see.

Charlie Bit My Finger: Auto Tuned
A remix of a classic.

David After Dentist
Another classic.

Meg Ryan After Wisdom Teeth
This one is not so much a classic but I just discovered it & am obsessed!

Boy Sees Lobster for the First Time
"Can I touch it?" "Yeah, you can touch it." "No?"

Blood

Backin' Up Song made from a Hilarious Robbery Eyewitness

Please feel free to add more must-sees in the comments section!

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Upcoming Product Review

Hey guys! I'm really excited that I'm doing a product review for CSN Stores soon! They've got loads of items, from wardrobes...

to kitchen appliances...

to exercise gear.

I've been on the site all evening & can't decide what to pick! You'll find out soon, though - stay tuned!

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Pumpkin Soup & Eating Local

Pumpkin Soup (amended from recipe found here)

4 cups chicken stock
2 cups vegetable stock
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 cups cubed fresh pumpkin
1 teaspoon fresh parsley
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup reduced fat milk
5 whole black peppercorns

1. Heat stock, salt, pumpkin, onion, thyme, garlic, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, & simmer for 30 minutes uncovered.
2. Puree the soup in small batches (1 cup at a time) using a good processor or blender.
3. Return to pan & bring to a boil again. Reduce heat to low & simmer for another 30 minutes, uncovered. Stir in milk. Pour into soup bowls & enjoy with whole wheat bread or crackers.

This soup was yummy, but I might do some things different next time. First, I think I would add some other flavor: either curry spices, nutmeg, or other veggies. It may be that my cold has taken away my taste buds, but this soup seemed slightly bland to me. Further, I would definitely have thrown it all in the slow cooker for the day, rather than standing over it on the stove. But I'm a slow cooker kind of gal.

I love experimenting with new vegetables that are in season. There are so many reasons to shop seasonal & local. This morning, I read a great article in the December 2010 issue of Women's Health Magazine about one guy, Tyler Florence, who promotes eating from your locale. I thought I'd sum up his main points to emphasize their importance:

1. Locally produced foods don't add miles onto your meal, so they are greener.
2. They aren't pumped with preservatives to stay fresh while they travel to you.
3. They are harvested at a riper state, since they don't have to travel as long to get to you. (I might also add that Michael Pollan states in his book In Defense of Food that riper fruits have more nutrients, since it is at that point that the seeds are ready to germinate, & thus the plant wants its fruit to be the most enticing and/or to soften & fall off onto the ground in order to spread the seeds.)
4. Eating locally supports local jobs & community.

So run over to your farmer's market if you're lucky enough to still have them in your town, & try something new with the autumn produce it has to offer! Here's another delicious squash recipe to try. Or, if you have a day to spare, take a drive to a nearby farm, orchard, or ranch & get it straight from the source! Jonty & I are thinking of doing that later this week, weather permitting.

Enjoy!

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Quite a Quote: What Others Think

[image source]

I try not to re-post other bloggers' stuff too much, but this post-it from Things We Forget rings so true with me right now. Ever since I started my job, I've put so much of my energy into trying to decipher what my co-workers, boss, & customers think of me, when I should just do my best & what I think is right. This is a great thing to keep in mind, especially with the holidays (e.g., family time, gift giving) approaches. Let's try to be our best, not the best in anyone else's mind.

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Babbling Baby & other news

How awesome is this baby, talking her little heart out?! I remembered it while reading this great article about baby babbling, via A CUP OF JO.

Hi guys! Sorry for being MIA for the past week. Guess why... I started my new job! I'm working at Whole Foods Market in the Specialty Department (cheese, chocolate, beer, wine, tea, coffee, housewares). My position is a new one, sort of created with me in mind. I will be the department's demo specialist, meaning I'm in charge of samples & talking to people about our featured items. At the moment, it's only a seasonal job, so I'm trying to be awesome so WFM will want to keep me! The past week has been crazy (8 hour workdays, on my feet the whole time, 5 days straight), but I think I've started to get the hang of it.

I have today & tomorrow off, & I don't think I've ever enjoyed a day off more than I enjoyed today. OH & it's a ridiculously beautiful week here in Sacramento. It was almost 80 degrees today! Jonty & I cycled downtown/midtown, went thrift shopping (Jonty bought me a super cute shirt at Freestyle Clothing Exchange, my new fave shop!), & drank iced coffee & read in the garden at Weatherstone. It was fantastic.

Then we hit the gym, where I ran 3 miles, yay! For dinner, we made swordfish tacos with homemade mango salsa (my new obsession!), cabbage, & avocado. Our dessert was roasted marshmallows on a fire in our chiminea out back :.)

Well, I hope you enjoyed the sweet little babbling baby! I'll try to keep up with my blog more this week. Oh, is anyone else excited for the opening of...

via

I am. I've heard that critics aren't loving it, but it will still be fun to wait in line with friends & see it opening night.

Anyway, have a great night! It is suddenly much later than it should be, & I'm plumb tuckered!

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Getting Current

I realize that I am in dire need of a life update on this here blog. I've decided to get creative to (hopefully) prevent it from getting too long-winded.

Currently reading:
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

Currently listening to:
Anarbor, The Dangerous Summer, Sara Bareilles

Currently in need of:
Money, ingenuity

Currently excited about:
My new job at Whole Foods Market (It's only a seasonal job, but it will get some cash flowing into the bank & should be fun! I have orientation on Wednesday.)

Currently not excited about:
Visa difficulties for Jonty, figuring out details for upcoming holiday family visits, more job apps

Currently thinking about:
Where I'll be living/working next, starting a new project (Have you voted yet?)

Currently obsessed with:
The gym, cycling instead of driving, sunny weather

Currently eating:
Lots of spinach & tomatoes, more ice cream than normal

Currently drinking:
Lots of water, coffee, & the occasional glass of wine

Recently visited:
San Francisco (photos soon)

I suppose that makes me all caught up! Now how about you guys?

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George Takei Calls Out an Anti-Gay "Douchebag"

Just wanted to share this with you, as it's a fantastic response to the disgusting anti-gay comments made by a school board member in Arkansas as well as being generally hilarious.

Perhaps I'll be back later with a Travel Thursday post.

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Leftover Turkey Soup

My mom cooked a turkey breast in the slow cooker the other day. (It's so easy! Just defrost, then throw it in the slow cooker before you leave for work. We add some garlic too.) Last night, we had lots of leftover turkey and not a lot of ideas for dinner. So I threw a soup together that turned out amazing! Here's how it went.

Ingredients:

1 12 oz can of chopped tomatoes
1 cup water
3 carrots, sliced
2 zucchinis, sliced
4 cups chopped kale
2 cups diced turkey breast
Broth from turkey breast (I saved the juice that was left when we took the turkey out of the slow cooker)
1 tbsp chopped garlic (= about 2 cloves fresh)
1 tsp garlic powder
Salt
Pepper

Throw all ingredients, except the kale & turkey, into a big pot on the stove. Cover & cook on high for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add kale & turkey, then cover & cook for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

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Quite a Quote: Be Yourself

"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken." --Oscar Wilde

More yoga class wisdom. Take it in, my friends.

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