Monthly Archives: November 2010

by | November 30, 2010 · 11:06 am

Creepy Encounters!

     Have you ever had one of those encounters with someone that leaves you completely freaked out? I have!

Sometimes, I just create creepy moments.
Cuz I CAN, that’s why!

Creepy Encounter #1:
Black Friday, 4am. Guy walks into store with a bunch of friends, all eyes bloodshot to high heaven. Guy smiles at me, I smile back so as to not seem like I’m enraged that I’m working at 4am. Guy sidles (yes, sidles) over to me, still smiling in a creeper-fashion.
Guy: (Reaching out his hand) Hi, I’m Markus.
Me: (Shaking his hand, avoiding the temptation to crush his fingers) Hi, I’m Becki.
Markus: Do you have a boyfriend, Becki?
Me: Yes.
Markus: Can I have your number anyway?
Me: No. Thanks, though! (See how I refrained from complete evility? No, evility is not a word. Yes, I’m still using it in my grammarific blog.)

Creepy Encounter #2:
Since we’re on the subject of weird guys, here’s another lovely anecdote.
Guy: (After making really awkward small talk as I helped him select cologne.) So… do you have a boyfriend?
Me: Yes.
Guy: That’s okay, I can share.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME????


Creepy Encounter #3:
A new coworker walks over to me as I stand at my counter.
Coworker: I Googled you.
Coworker walks away. I suppress a shiver of fear.

Creepy Encounter #4:
I tend to speed-walk through the mall. No reason except that once you’ve worked in a mall, you don’t want to spend any more time than necessary passing by all of the stores. Anyway, back to the encounter.
(I walk by the jewelry store on my way to gorge myself on See’s.)
Jewelry man: (Literally sprinting after me, and with a French accent) Why? Why is you walks so fast?
Me: Um, I’m in a hurry?
Jewelry man: (Chuckling as he walks to back to his store) Oh!! Zis is why you walks fast. I understand now.
(This might be more of an awkward encounter, rather than creepy, but I decided to cover all my bases.)

Creepy Encounter #5:
Girl walks up to Windsor window and begins inexplicably chuckling to herself.
Girl takes camera out of her purse and takes a picture of the store window.
Girl gets home and posts picture to her blog.

My friend Jazzlyn is a model extraordinaire! I love stumbling across her ads. They’re EVERYWHERE!!!
And yes, in case you were wondering, creepy encounter #5 was me.
Creepy Encounter #6:
My lovely mom took me out to lunch at Lazy Dog today. The salad dressing had been stepped in by a dog. A very, Lazy Dog. (Cue the painful groans.)
Ugh, my joke is so bromidic even I’M disgusted with myself.
Moving on. We split an appetizer of spicy edamame.
I had a Mediterranean pizzetti. De-luscious!
Time for some beer tasting? OKAY! Dogfish Head’s limited edition Pangaea, brewed with crystalized ginger. I couldn’t taste any ginger, but I still appreciated the thought. 
I don’t think I’ve ever had a complaint when it comes to Dogfish Head, especially now that they have their show Brew Masters! (Thanks for letting me know about that, Heather!)
     Thank you for putting up with my random post and horrible grammar and words that aren’t real words. 
You’re awesome.

Disclaimer: No animals, living or stuffed, were harmed in the writing of this blog.

3 Comments

Filed under Black Friday, boyfriend, Brew Masters, bromidic, cologne, creepy encounters, Cyber Monday, Discovery channel, Dogfish Head, edamame, Google, Jazzlyn, Lazy Dog Cafe, mall, Pangaea, pizzetti, Windsor

by | November 27, 2010 · 11:07 pm

Thanksgiving Recap!

     Good morning!!! Why so good, you ask? I think it’s because I got a full night of sleep after the longest day of my life.

     Yesterday was absolutely INSANE. As a lowly retail worker, I was forced awake after four measly hours of sleep so I could head off to my job and prepare to receive all the Black Friday shoppers at 3:50am. A-M!!! And so, armed with a gigantic to-go mug of coffee (which, by the way, does NOTHING at three in the morning), I stood at my counter to face the onslaught.
    
     I could not believe how many people actually showed up! The store had lines by 4:10am. If I offend you here, get over it: ALL YOU BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPERS ARE INSANE!!! Why anyone would want to subject themselves to such an ordeal is beyond me. I was barraged by swarms of teenagers chugging Red Bull, adults wearing onesies (seriously), and elderly people who are normally up at this time, but now have an excuse to be at the mall speed-walking even earlier.

     I worked until noon, then went home and crashed for an hour, waking up in order to eat more leftovers and stare in a daze at the television while my mind feebly attempted to comprehend the images that flashed before me. Needless to say, it was a long day.

     THANKSGIVING! Let’s have a recap!

I made the most AMAZING cranberry sauce I’ve ever tasted!
Big thanks to Angela for posting it!
I doubled the recipe. I used 3 and a half cups of fresh cranberries, 1 cup of pure, real maple syrup, 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt and  2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar. DO NOT SKIP THE BALSAMIC VINEGAR! This makes the sauce EPIC!
     I also made Itty Bitty Herbed Pumpkin Knots. It was a Glow-y kind of day!
Post-kneading, pre-rising.
IT ROSE! That has never happened to my dough before!!!
Punched, spread out and sliced!
Wrapped into cute little packages. Lovely!
     We had to set up the table in a fancy fashion to fully appreciate the feast that was set before us!
Quaint and festive – just the way I like it 🙂
My one (and only) plate. Clockwise from the top: homemade whole wheat stuffing, a pumpkin knot, turkey with the most amazing cranberry sauce in the world, green bean casserole made with fresh green beans and homemade vegan cream of mushroom soup and caramelized onions, and mashed potatoes with gravy. 
     I was left comfortable full after my plate, and retired to the couch with a glass of Brochelle to have some quality time with the parental unit. The things I do for family, eh? 
     I hope your Thanksgiving was as wonderful as mine! I also hope that you spent Black Friday at home on the couch in your pajamas like everyone is supposed to. If you were out shopping, be warned that I have a little bit of anger towards you. I’d say it’s not personal, but that would be a complete lie.
Have an amazing weekend! Time for some more recuperation for myself!

3 Comments

Filed under Black Friday, Brochelle, cranberry sauce, epic, itty bitty herbed pumpkin knots, pumpkin knots, Red Bull, retail, Thanksgiving, turkey

by | November 25, 2010 · 11:13 am

So Much To Do!

     How’s your Thanksgiving prep going? Mine hasn’t started yet. I’ve been pretty busy with some important, pressing things.

Thai food had to be consumed.
Drives through my neighborhood had to be taken.
The sky had to be gazed at.
Fair-trade beer had to be tasted.
It was good.

Nutcrackers had to be inspected.

It did not pass inspection.

Whole Wheat Cranberry-Walnut Bread had to be made. And consumed.
     I suppose I could claim the cranberry bread as a Thanksgiving dish, but I have so much more to make tomorrow! I think I’ll call it a warm-up training session for Turkey Day. I used Jenna’s recipe but left out the orange zest, used brown sugar instead of granulated, and pressed the batter into three mini-bread pans instead of one big pan.
Awww, baby bread!
You know it’s done when the cranberries on top have burst open in a joyous, tangy display of love.
I highly recommend this bread! Quick, easy and de-freakin-luscious!
     
     Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Enjoy your days off, relax and appreciate the people you’re able to spend time with. I’ll be spending the day in the kitchen with the parentals, cooking, eating and feeling blessed.
And then I work at 3:45am on Black Friday.
I love my job, I love my job, I…
Ugh, forget it.
Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2 Comments

Filed under beer, Black Friday, cranberry walnut bread, EatLiveRun, fair trade, Jenna Weber, mountain views, nutcracker, peak organic, quick bread, thai food makes me happy, Thanksgiving

by | November 23, 2010 · 11:55 am

How to Piss Me Off

     I had a good day today, so I decided to make some lists of things that irritate me – this makes sense, no?

Really irritating – People who stand still on the escalator going down. (Seriously? SERIOUSLY?)
Somewhat irritating – People who stand still on the escalator as it escalates. (Sometimes excusable…)
Okay by me – People who skip up or down the escalator. Bonus points for flapping their hands and singing, “tra-la-la-la-la”. (I may have done this today…)

Really irritating – Guys who call me, “little girl”. (I will flip out and bitch you out. Just to warn you.)
Somewhat irritating – Guys who call me, “sweetie”, “pumpkin”, “cupcake” (or any baked good for that matter).
Okay by me – Guys who feel no need to give me a nickname and act like a normal, cool dude.

Biscuit – another baked good. I call my dog, “Biscuit.” Therefore, you may not call me “Biscuit.”

Really irritating – Couples who call each other “baby.”
Somewhat irritating – Couples who call each other “honey.”
Okay by me – Couples who call each other by their actual names.

Really irritating – Books whose characters know everything instantly just to make the storyline progress more quickly.
Somewhat irritating – Books whose characters learn things as the storyline progresses too quickly.
Okay by me – Good books with good characters and normally-paced storylines. Need I say more?

Really irritating – Crying babies or whiny toddlers.
Somewhat irritating – Children in general.
Okay by me – The twins who play Hope on the FOX show, “Raising Hope.”

Really irritating – All reality television shows.
Somewhat irritating – Shows that are intense and fun to watch (The Event), but have HORRIBLE actors that have nothing redeeming about them except for their looks (*cough* Sarah Roemer *cough*).
Okay by me – Amazing shows like Raising Hope, and Outsourced! ADD THOSE TO YOUR DVR NOW!!!

Really irritating – The fact that Blogger won’t let me copy and paste links.
Somewhat irritating – The fact that Blogger won’t let me embed videos onto my blog so you can enjoy them. (This also goes up with really irritating, but some balance was needed…)
Okay by me – Anyone who can tell me how to fix this!
I’m irritated. Wine might help…

Really irritating – Guys or girls who wear too much cologne/perfume. What are you trying to cover up??
Somewhat irritating – Guys or girls who don’t wear enough cologne/perfume. Why won’t you cover up??
Okay by me – Guys or girls who have good hygiene and good noses to know when they need a little something-something. 

Really irritating – Busy, bustling cities.
Somewhat irritating – Houses with acreage.
Okay by me – Abandoned houses, ghost towns, and creepy buildings. Life After People is my guilty pleasure!

Really irritating – Chicks/dudes who spend all of their blogspace whining about things they find irritating.
Somewhat irritating – Chicks/dudes who spend all of their blogspace talking about pointless things.
Okay by me – Chicks/dudes who spend all of the blogspace whining about pointless, irritating things whilst including pictures.
Sweet potato pancakes topped with cranberry-apple butter in front of a Christmas tree that has been put up ridiculously early.
My picture quota is now fulfilled.
This post took me three hours to write/find pictures/edit. 
I’m going to bed now.

6 Comments

Filed under biscuits, cologne, cupcakes, escalators, Life After People, little girl, Outsourced, perfume, Raising Hope, sweet potato pancakes, sweetie, The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest, Titanic

by | November 21, 2010 · 7:31 am

Too Much Food!

     JUST KIDDING! There’s no such thing as too much food!

Indian food twice in three days? 
Okay by me!!
Whole wheat gnocchi with sauteed zucchini, vodka sauce and freshly Microplane-d parmesan cheese?
Win!!!
Wild-caught salmon, sweet potato, green beans, mac ‘n cheese and a Sapporo beer, all cooked by the roommate (except for the beer)?
Can’t complain!

Four extra pounds in two weeks?
So worth it!

I think I’ll head to the gym now…

2 Comments

Filed under FOOD, gnocchi, green beens, Indian Food, poundage, salmon, Sapporo, sweet potato, vodka sauce, whole wheat gnocchi, zucchini

by | November 19, 2010 · 4:52 am

It’s a Small World After All!

     I visited some pretty cool places yesterday!

A really old-fashioned bar…
An old-fashioned kitchen…
They were making HUGE old-fashioned jelly rolls!
Found a cute little Italian restaurant… (semi-old fashioned)
A local magazine rack… (not old-fashioned)
A fancy bakery…
And a little farmhouse!
     The cool thing about all these places? They were just big enough to put my hand into! I visited a miniature store, Larrianne’s Small Wonders, which is basically where they sell dollhouses and doll-sized objects.
Another old bar with Santa in the background, getting wasted.
Breakfast in bed!
These things are so detailed!
Beer and pizza!
Everything is wired and functional!
Fancy drinks!
A big selection of drinks!
Just a sample of the houses they had in the store…
     I spent quite a while in the store, taking massive amounts of pictures (with permission, of course), completely enthralled at how much detail these people put into the miniature artwork. Those magazines on the picture above were as big as my thumbnail, and so elaborate! The artists have much more patience and talent than I can ever hope of having!
Creepy. Amazingly well-done and detailed, but creepy.

5 Comments

Filed under bakery, bar, dollhouse, Heineken, Italian, jelly roll, kitchen, magazine rack, miniatures, old-fashioned, restaurant, Santa Claus

by | November 17, 2010 · 6:14 am

THIS POST MAKES NO SENSE!

Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
The fate of an overzealous bee who attempted to cross the highway.
Lemon bars are luscious.
I eat them like a lady.
AND THEN I DRINK LIKE A LADY!
This painting is creepy.
Dude on right looks freaked out by extremely long finger that caresses his neck.
Choppers I saw on Lynn’s blog! I ran to Sur la Table to get them.
And mini-bread pans. Just ‘cuz.

4 Comments

Filed under beer, Danger Relax Please, growlers, Jenny Hou, Karl Strauss, lemon bars, Malachi Rempen, Michaelangelo, Pieces of bee, Red Trolley, Toss and Chop

by | November 15, 2010 · 9:23 am

Visual Utopia!

     Hi, I’m Becki. Welcome to my life. It is jam packed with creativity (mostly created by other people, but sometimes I have inspiration and get all artsy).

Some artists are scary. Very, very scary!
     My life is also full of food. TONS and TONS of food!
Yesterday’s roasted veggie scramble with fresh tortillas and salsa at Sofrita.
OH YES!
Lemon pecan pancakes, full of lemon zest and crunchy pecans.
The lightest pancakes I’ve ever eaten!
Coffee is food.
Peanut butter cookie topped with apricot jam!
Gigantic turkey legs and foot-long hot dogs… turkey legs are food, as for the hot dogs – the verdict is still out on whether or not these are actually food.
Puppies are delicious, but again, not food.
Margaritas with salt are not food, but when you send it back and get one WITHOUT salt, it is the consumable.
Tex-Mex rolls with a chipotle-ranch dip. FRIED! Yum.
     
     Last night we (the artist and myself) went to Visual Utopia, aka VU Bistro, for dinner with some clients.
I ordered the grilled salmon with garlic mashed potatoes and roasted baby carrots. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever had such perfectly cooked salmon!
Of course we had to get dessert! Our awesome waiter brought us the very last slice of flourless chocolate cake. I almost cried tears of joy, but that would have made the cake too salty.
Visual Utopia. It’s named that for a reason!
It’s a small romantic and exquisite restaurant with live entertainment. Last night’s singer, Tommy Holloway, has a vocal range of FIVE OCTAVES! Unheard of! How does he not ridiculously famous yet???
     My time in Fountain Hills is coming to an end. We packed up the booth tonight, I suffered many crushed and bloodied fingers, and tomorrow we’ll head back home where I can breathe a sigh of relief and prepare for the next trip. I love my life. I’m blessed beyond words.

Comments Off on Visual Utopia!

Filed under art festival, Flapjacks, margaritas, pancakes, Sofrita, Tommy Holloway, Visual Utopia, VU Bistro

by | November 13, 2010 · 7:39 am

Fountain Hills, Day Two!

     I went running this morning. It sucked. Massively. You tend to forget how much you hate running once you start getting that runner’s high, but I’m happy to remind you that it is AWFUL. I went for thirty minutes around Fountain Hills and stopped in the grocery store to pick up some sunscreen and eye drops, which are both a necessity when you’re in Arizona.

Post evil-death-trap run, I stopped in the hotel restaurant for some coffee and “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest“.
I also was served a GIGANTIC plate of food. I ordered the pollo skillet that had chicken, green chilies, tomatoes, onions and potatoes, served with two scrambled eggs and a side of whole wheat toast. I ate about an eighth of this monster plate. WAY too much food for one person!
I walked by the beautiful lake to get to our booth.
Artsy picture-bomb begins NOW!
LOVE IT!
And now for the food picture-bomb:
These were so good! I’m not sure I can rationalize six bucks for a bag though…
These greyhounds were not part of the food section. Just in case you were wondering…
     I went to back Sofrita for lunch.
I ordered a tuna melt – something I used to think was disgusting, but was just craving today. It was delicious! As was the chickpea, kidney bean and corn salad topped with cilantro.
The lake has a fountain (Fountain Hills, what a concept…) that shoots up every hour on the hour. I think it’s very smart of them to use all that energy to shoot water up into the dry, arid Arizona air where it can evaporate. Appearances are very important.
I get paid to hang out here. It’s a rough life I lead!
     After the show wrapped and we zipped up the booth, we headed out with some of the other artists for dinner.
First things first…
I’ve never had Chianti before. Pretty durn good!
This place is a little hole in the wall with just enough seating for about fifteen people.
Eggplant parmesan with garlic rolls. I had about three bites of this before I was stuffed. I’ve been sampling pecans, gelato, wild strawberry-lavender jam, tropical salsas and fudge all day.
And I’m officially done in.
Sports bar on a Friday night? I think so!
Please let there be a hockey game on. If it’s basketball, I’m going to fall asleep.

2 Comments

Filed under caricatures, Chianti, Chocolate, Fountain Hills, gelato, greyhound rescue, greyhounds, Pottery, Redendos, running, Sofrita, sweet jalapeno pecans, The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest, turkey legs

by | November 12, 2010 · 10:21 am

Blurbin’ from Fountain Hills!

     It’s 10:40pm Arizona time, and I’m about to fall asleep on my keyboard, so how about another blurb post? Hint: your answer is, “YES! THERE IS NOTHING BETTER THAN A BLURB POST WHEN YOU’RE SLEEPY, BECKI!”

Ahhh, the beautiful mountains and buzzing power lines…
I am in love with these trees.
I also LOVE abandoned buildings!
This place was built as a racetrack for harness-racing, and has been unused for over forty years! I’ll definitely be needing to trespass and take some pictures on an upcoming trip :).
Random building in the middle of the desert.
Welcome to Fountain Hills, AZ.
A little slice of Native American/Retiree heaven.
Dinner time! Hello, Sofrita!
I LOVE the decor here!
I see selections for tomorrow’s meals too!
Any place that ties their napkins with tweed gets on my happy-list!
(I don’t know if it’s tweed. I just felt like saying tweed. Tweed makes my happy-list too!)
I got the vegetarian Guantanamera wrap which has grilled seasonal vegetables that have been chilled (apparently that’s a very popular thing in Arizona! I dig it!), served with hummus, lettuce, tomato and a ginger dressing.
After three hours of heavy lifting and power tools (‘cuz I’m badass like that…), I went for a beer with my friend Ben, whom I met at the Carefree Arts Festival. We’re on the same Arizona circuit for the rest of the year!
Nothing local, but I was willing to try something from Oregon!
I wasn’t up for another full beer, so the lovely bartender, Mo, gave me a half of the Mirror Pond Ale (also by Deschutes) for free.
Me as a little girl. 

THE END.

1 Comment

Filed under Arizona, art festival, Black Butte Porter, Deschutes, Fountain Hills, Guantanamera, harness racing, mexican food, motorcycles, Native American, Retired, Retiree, Sofrita