Category Archives: Griffin

by | September 13, 2010 · 8:27 am

New Passport and Pumpkin Ale!

     I had a full night of rest and, unfortunately for your reading enjoyment, am completely sane today. Therefore, today will be a dull post, full of relatively healthy food and PUMPKIN ALE!!!

Movie Theatre Breakfast!!! I had a Monsta made by the roommate that had 5 cups of spinach, 4 sprigs of asparagus, 1/3 of a cup of unsweetened soymilk, 1/3 of a banana, 1/3 of a cup of frozen blueberries and 1 lime. (THIS IS NOT THE MOVIE THEATRE PART!)
I then made a single whole-grain oatmeal pancake (HEALTHY!) with 1/2 of a cup of rolled oats, 1/2 of a teaspoon of baking soda, a pinch of salt and 1/3 of a cup of almond milk, then mixed in a crapload of Sno-Caps. They seemed necessary. They proceeded to rock my world!
     I got to work around 10:30am after rocking out to Ke$ha in the car (I also strut to Ke$ha in the mall during my break. She’s got a good beat for speedwalking with a purpose. Deal with it.), and started the day with a trip to Paciugo. Gelato is necessary in the early morning. I promised you a gander (what a lovely word!) through the Paciugo passport, so here we go!
I’ll be adding a photo as soon as I print one out. I’m that serious about this. 
My answers: Innie. Sweet. Gelato. Neat. POP – Yeah, Midwest!
I cannot decide, guys. Ninja or pirate? There are so many great qualities of both, but I think I lean more towards ninja…
Here are all the stamp opportunities. If you bring a date, you get a free cup of coffee and a stamp. High-five the cashier, you get a stamp. Wear mismatched socks? STAMP! Is it raining outside? STAMP! Show your best dance move to the cashier and STAMP!
Vicky and I have been trying to figure out a way to combine every single thing in this passport all on the same day. We figure that we’ll wait for a rainy day, wear mismatched socks while dragging a hot guy with us to Paciugo, perform some epic dance that will likely involve tribal bellydance on my part, then high-five the cashier when he gives us our free gelato. Sounds like a plan to me!

     Griffin was having a craving for pizza today, and since he shared that thought with me, I was as well. We went to Sbarro for a slice. After gazing at the selection of different pies with congealed cheese coagulating on top, I decided on a slice of the Hawaiian. They generously reheated it in the oven for a minute before handing it to me.
Mmmm, slightly less congealed pizza!
Griffin wasn’t as disturbed by his slice…
     I spent the remainder of the day hanging out with some coworkers and pretending like I cared about my job by DOING stuff (I made some people believe that I was actually trying! That’s how good of an actor I am!). By the time we closed, I was only slightly psychotic from exhaustion, and from reenacting my being chased by extremely short zombies the night before for all my coworkers. I drove home and was greeted by a home-cooked meal:
Steamed asparagus, smashed potatoes with chimichurri sauce, and grilled chicken marinated in lime juice and honey. OH! And a pumpkin ale! YAY!
(My roommate spoils me. Massively.)
     Now, I’m watching Pay It Forward and preparing for what I’m sure will be a ridiculously depressing scene at the end (I say predicting, but I actually know having seen this once before). EDIT: Yep, it was definitely as depressing as I recall. Tissues, please.
I still have no idea what to do for a giveaway! Give me time… or ideas 🙂
And a happy website suggestion would be good too. Sniff.

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Filed under chimichurri, green monster, Griffin, Pancake Sunday, Pay It Forward, pizza, pumpkin ale, Sbarro, Sno-Caps

by | August 30, 2010 · 7:13 am

Monster of Orange!

     I woke up when my alarm went of at 6:30am and headed out on a 20 mile bike ride. That’s totally a lie. I woke up, turned off my alarm, and fell asleep until 8:30am. When my body tells me that it needs another day of rest, I listen. Instead, I did a bunch of pushups and crunches before breakfast.

This morning was an ORANGE Monsta! We didn’t have much spinach left, so I improvised. This had about 1 cup of spinach, 1/2 of a peach, 1 carrot, 1/2 of a cup of soymilk, 1/2 of a banana, 1/2 of a cup of frozen blueberries and a big handful of ice.
     I headed off for my full shift at work. The day actually went by pretty quickly. There wasn’t too much to do, so I had lots of time to hang out with my coworkers and also read my current book, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”. Everyone’s read it, so I have to get onboard and read it before they make the U.S. movie version!
     I went out to lunch with my friend, Griffin, to the Lazy Dog Cafe.
Sir Griffin trying to decipher the menu.
A tasty glass of merlot!
I got half of a walnut chicken salad sandwich that has walnuts (duh), dried cranberries, thinly sliced red onions, tomatoes and lettuce, and came with a small side of fries.
It also came with a cup of chicken tortilla soup. The waiter failed to tell me that the avocado was an extra dollar. I should’ve guessed. Le sigh.
     We got back to work, kinda, and watched the clock slide by until it was time to go home. I’m pretty stuffed from my late lunch still, so I’ll probably skip dinner.
     I’ve said it before, but I am going to be going to have my first day at the gym tomorrey morning! I have a week-long guest pass, so prepare for a lot of complaints about how sore I am for the next week :).
Do you belong to a gym? Or do you prefer working out in the great outdoors?

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Filed under chicken walnut salad sandwich, french fries, green monster, Griffin, gym, Lazy Dog Cafe, orange monster, tortilla soup, work

by | June 28, 2010 · 8:16 am

A Complete 180!

     Isn’t it amazing what a few hours of sleep and one GIANT Monsta can do?

They’re baaaaaaack!
     Sorry for the bummer post last night, but sometimes you’ve got to have a bad day to make you contemplate your life and the future and get real deep into your soul to think things through. Today, I woke up feeling a million times better, AND I had ingredients for GMs again! I made a big one with 3 cups of spinach, 3/4 a cup of unsweetened soymilk, half a banana, 1/4 a cup of frozen cherries and lots of lemon juice. I slurped it down with a big smile on my face :-D. It really helped me start the day off on the right foot.
     I still had a full day at work ahead of me, so I had to fuel up.
My usual: an omelette made with one egg, 2 teaspoons of chopped sun-dried tomatoes, 2 teaspoons of goat cheese and a handful of wilted spinach.
     The one thing I really hate about working on Sundays is that I can’t attend church. My entire day is sucked away by the schedule, so I tend to feel a little spiritually unfulfilled and bummed out. Today, however, I had a good prayer session beforehand, PLUS my friend Vicky (the one who helped me create a spit to roast the Zsu Zsu pet on) got to come over and work with me! When I’m at work I generally read…. I mean, focus on my work…. but we girls spent the time cracking ridiculous jokes and laughing until our sides hurt, then wandering the store and making up errands to run – one of them being See’s Candies for some chocolate energy. 
     I only had one mug of coffee this morning before I had to run to work, so that had to be remedied as well.
A small (I learned my lesson yesterday) ice blended mocha with soy.
Look at the spirals! I felt like a creative photographic genius at this moment.
     My friend Griffin’s birthday was today, and he was stuck working. The poor guy deserved a break and a celebration, so Vicky and I took him out to lunch. There was one place neither of them had been, and I just happen to be a big fan, so I led our little group to Lazy Dog Cafe. First things first:
I had a 16 oz. Lazy Dog Honey Blonde draft beer. My lunch required a lighter brew so it could complement the dish rather than overwhelm it.
I chose the Hawaiian Ahi Poke.
This was, in one word, HEAVEN! The fresh tuna, creamy avocado and spicy Wasabi on top of the crispy wontons simply melted in my mouth. I may have drooled a bit while I took this picture…

     The birthday boy chose a simple cheeseburger and a glass of Merlot – good mix, right?
Simple and delicious!

     Vicky was craving a BLT, so she went with the classic chicken club sandwich.
BACON!
I think she liked it.

     Griffin made me swear on pain of death that I wouldn’t mention that it was his birthday to anyone at Lazy Dog. Oops, my bad…
Free ice cream!
He pretended to be irritated, but I didn’t hear any complaining while he ate!
Their mints be awesome! Why do I look like I’m going to suck your blood, you ask? I blame my latest vampire book, Insatiable by Meg Cabot, which I finished last night.
     The rest of work took a long time. It was the most fun day I’ve had in a long time, but still seemed to creep by. Vicky and I grabbed some tea samples and sat on the couch to recuperate. I read my latest beer book: Michael Jackson’s Beer Companion. No, not the late pop star: the beer genius. I’ve added it to my favorites to the right –>
     When I got home, the roommate had made a healthy taco salad.
Pardon the guacamole: it was squeezed from a plastic bag. This was a toasted corn shell covered with refried beans, taco-seasoned turkey meat, Tofutti sour cream (dairy-free, baby!), spicy guacamole and a big handful of lettuce.
     I chatted with the roommates about life and their day of freedom, read some wonderful comments from YOU guys, and decided to blog before I got too zoned out. Tomorrow I have the day off until work at 6pm, so I’ll finally be getting back on the trail for a hike, and if I have time, taking a long bike ride to stretch out my legs. It’ll be nice to get my heart racing again – this time from exertion and NOT from too much caffeine.
     This week, look for more cooking, fancy beer tasting, exercise and happiness! I have something amazing on the schedule for Friday! I can’t wait to share it with you!
Happy eating, Happy Sunday, Happy life.

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Filed under beer, birthday, friends, Griffin, Hawaiian Ahi Poke, Lazy Dog Cafe, Michael Jackson, Sunday