A Game of Telephone

This past Sunday Alex and I went over to my parent’s for breakfast and I made crepes. Before leaving our house I called my parents to check if they had nutella before I went and bought some. So I called to ask:

Me: Do you have nutella?
Dad: What?
Me: nutella?
Dad: Whatttt?!?!

I became frustrated and just bid him goodbye. When we got there my dad asked, “What did you have to tell us?” I as confused…but then realized that instead of hearing nutella my dad heard/thought, “I have something to tell ya.”

I guess Alex and I are at that age…both my parents thought we were about to announce that I’m with child. Sorry anxious to-be grandparents…but no.

After reading this post back to myself I have no idea how my dad actually got THAT out of “nutella.” oh wells.

oh and if you’re wondering, I made strawberry/nutella and sweet cream cheese/apple cinnamon crepes. They were faboo.

The Cove, a must see!

I’ve been a basket case the past two days. I heard about this documentary a few weeks ago, detailing the hunting, capture, and inhumane slaughter of over 23,000 bottle nose dolphins each year in Taiji, Japan. I watched the trailer that Alex sent me and was of course taken aback by some of the “lighter” scenes shown within it. He recommended we put it on our Netflix queue to become more educated about what is going on and I agreed. Two days later, I’m REALLY glad I got through it, however, I’m thinking I may have been better off with a Cliff Notes version.

Let’s just start off by saying that I LOVE dolphins, everything about them. I’ve had an affinity for them ever since I was young and saw the Little Mermaid. I would swim around my grandparent’s pool when I was 5, 6, and 7 pretending I was Ariel, whipping around the water with my imaginary dolphin friends. My grandma would insist that I tie back my hair into a pony tail before swimming (maybe to combat the tangles) and I would always object…I needed to have long, flowing hair like Ariel’s.

They’re such smart, fun, caring, wild animals that deserve to be free of captivity and our selfish want to watch them flip and jump in Sea World tanks and swim with them at places called Discovery Cove and Dolphin Adventures. When my family went on a Caribbean cruise after my senior year of high school I asked my parents if we could swim with dolphins at one of the ports. They gave in…because they’re awesome, and my dad and I had an amazing experience swimming with two trained bottle nose dolphins in the bay of Cozumel…that was caged off of course. We got to ride on their dorsal fins, were propelled up into the air by way of our feet and their noses, and held bars high above our heads for them to jump over. Towards the end we all lined up for the obligatory picture of the dolphin kissing us on the cheek, I went first, and the dolphin overshot a bit and rammed me in the side of the head with its nose. It hurt a lot…but so does what we’re doing to them. In the documentary Richard O’Barry (my new hero) states that “the dolphin’s smile is nature’s biggest deception, because it leads us to believe that they’re always happy.” After swimming with dolphins when I was 18 I knew it was something I wanted to do again and again and again. As much as the opportunity would present itself to me, I wanted to keep doing it. I can state now, that I will never promote these programs again, because chances are the dolphin that rammed me in the side of head was a dolphin that was once happily living off the coast of Japan…

…before it was captured in the cove in Taiji.

The Cove details marine biologists, free divers, and dolphin activists from all over the world uncovering the bloody and sickening secret that Taiji, Japan has kept quiet for so many decades. When you enter the city there are dolphin sculptures, signs, lights, and even a museum showcasing the amazing species. It’s pretty sick and twisted how you can truly watch the dolphins perform in a concrete tank and eat dolphin meat at the same time. Not even a few miles away is the bay of Taiji where every morning fishermen extend long metal poles into the water and bang on them with metal rods. They do this because dolphins have an amazing sense of sound that is extremely delicate and easily agitated, the banging noises lead them into a specific area where they’re panicked and confused. They’re led to a cove close to the shore and then trapped their by means of nets. The next morning dolphin trainers and dealers come out and measure them, inspect them, and ultimately find their “Flipper” for their parks and “swim with the dolphins” programs. The ones that are selected are the lucky ones, the others are led to another cove…the killing cove.

The amazing crew of The Cove somehow managed to get cameras mounted on all angles of this cove so they could have documented proof of what was actually going on. They needed this footage for the dolphin’s cause. Near the end, they show this footage. It’s the worst thing I’ve ever seen, I couldn’t nearly have prepared myself for the torturous and sickening techniques the fishermen use to end the lives of these magnificent creatures. The cove that was once blue and beautiful turns into a death tank of what can only be described as thick, red kool-aid.

I have a problem with this, a huge problem. Not only are they ending the lives of these amazing creatures in the most inhumane of ways but it’s so unnecessary in the first place. You see, dolphin meat is extremely toxic to humans, and probably many animals because it contains extremely high levels of mercury. Which then leads to mercury poisoning, which can lead to death or extreme birth defects. Much of the sushi and other fish products in Japan, but also all over the world, have dolphin meat in them, disguised as other types of fish. The Japanese and other people around the world don’t know they’re eating dolphin and if given the choice, wouldn’t want to be. It’s an undesirable meat source. And what’s worse is the Japanese government is putting dolphin meat in school lunches. Up top Japan, nice one!

YES, PROBLEM. HUGE PROBLEM. I want people to watch this documentary and to tells others to watch this documentary and I want people to get MAD!

I’m REALLY MAD about this. But alas, there are things we can do. As westerners we are very fortunate, and therefore, can speak with our dollars. Go here to donate and learn more about the documentary and the cruel practices that are taking place every September through March.

Go here to learn about saving the whales…AGAIN. Because, yes, dolphins are whales too.

Now, I know some of you out there are shaking your heads and wagging your fingers at me. “How ethnocentristic of me to judge the Japanese for slaughtering dolphins while we and others slaughter cows, and pigs, and lambs, and goats, etc.” I KNOW. I’m guilty of eating beef that isn’t local and probably from farms where they’re crowded into pens eating grain and corn until D-day arrives. I AM. However, starting this past weekend I am taking measures to only buy meat that comes from local farmers who actually adhere to the “free range” practice. I’m even looking to cut out red meat, because I refuse to preach about these poor dolphins and ignore the poor cows and pigs that exist only miles away.

Also, I’ve been talking about this to a lot of friends lately and a few of them have said, “I know this is horrible, but shouldn’t we first concentrate on people, and the horrible things that are happening in this world to PEOPLE?”

Why yes, I care about people, I really do…even more so than animals. I even donate money to “people” from time to time. But sometimes you have to look out for the animals too, because they don’t have a voice dammit! And are the ultimate in being helpless at times.

So judge me if you want for being so passionate and distraught over this. OR GET MAD WITH ME and see how you can help too!

Watch the Trailer!

I demand a recall…

…on all chicken club sandwiches that use the ENTIRE breast of chicken. Am I the only one who finds this horribly unnecessary (btw it just took me 22 seconds to spell “unnecessary” correctly, that word is my Everest)?

I recently returned from an office luncheon at Cover 3, one of the most consistently delicious restaurants I’ve been to in the city of Austin. Their Chop House Burger is, dare I say, the best burger I’ve come across in the city! Their cole slaw, parmesan french fries, and green chili pork enchiladas are equally amazing. But I digress, I decided to try and discover another favorite at this prized establishment and stumbled upon the Brick Chicken Club on their menu. If you’re like me, you like entrees with the word “brick” in the description…or “jerk.”

The waiter did an excellent job of selling it to me as well. When it came out it looked awesome on its ciabatta bun and all, but I was concerned, “damn it they use the entire breast here…I bet the bread will get soggy (it did), I bet it will be awkward to eat (it was), and I bet I’ll become full 1/16th of the way through it (I did).

When discussing how said dish would have been more successful with my coworkers I suggested THE SHREDDED CHICKEN CLUB. BINGO! When has shredded meat ever been unsuccessful, unless it’s smothered with too much sauce, or an un-delicious sauce.

Restaurants should take me up on this idea, I think it would become wildly popular and in the long run they’ll save money on chicken AND soggy/flattened buns would possibly become a thing of the past.

ew. soggy buns. ew.

Before & After fail

Oh Design Sponge, when have you ever led me wrong? I dare say never…until today. I’m a huge fan of the site’s before and after posts. Basically they find a vintage or just beat up piece of anything and refurbish it to be fabulous. When I saw the the before photos of both instances below I was intrigued…but then found that the owner decided to go with the woolly mammoth look.

BIG FAT FAIL.

Who thought this was going to be a good idea? Also, I really want to know the statistics of readers who also saw this post and nodded their heads in approval. I will smack you, I really will. I feel like this is such a shame against the integrity of the original pieces.

I must go now…to form PETF (People for the Ethical Treatment of Furniture)

I love it when…

…I get mason jars of homemade granola in the mail :-) College buddy Erin Coates is a nutritionist and fellow blogger that runs an ultra informative blog called The Healthy Apron.

I created a logo for her and business cards and to show me just how much she appreciated my help she sent me some of her homemade granola (bc I’m a slave to the stuff). It was so delicious, for the recipe go here!

SXSW 2010

Alex and I pretended to be some of the cool kids yesterday and tried to soak up just a touch of SXSW. Of course it was beautiful and in the high 60s and 70s all week except for the day we decided to go downtown. We battled high 40s and low 50s all day and my denim jacket definitely wasn’t cut out for the job.

We started at Flackstock at the Convention Center and were totally overwhelmed by the amount of beautiful posters that we immediately wanted to adorn our walls. We finally decided on a poster by Hero Design Studio based out of Buffalo, NY. It’s a concert poster for The Decemberists and features a yellow sparrow and some lovely circular patterns that I swooned over.

Highlights from Flatstock were running into some good friends, meeting a fellow lover of all things owl (pictured above), and Alex getting hit on by a very confident man. Also if you have been wondering why your local mall and trendy boutiques are fresh out of skinny jeans, especially of the black variety, wonder no more. They were all walking the streets, bars, and lounges of downtown Austin. Those greedy hipsters what are the rest of us supposed to do now?

Later in the day we checked out the Garden Party at the French Legation and listened to a really great pair but were forced back inside thanks to the cold and sipped hot cocoa and feasted on empanadas and tres leches cake at Casa Colombia. Our favorite bipolar waitress was there and made the afternoon that much more entertaining.

After popping into Uncorked to listen to some quirky band we ended the night with sushi but not before buying a Mac Mini…stay tuned for more on that!

loved the book…will probably love the movie.

Alex just sent me this link and now I can’t wait for the movie to be released!

Accessory Fun

I’ve acquired some new pieces of flair that help add some quirk to my current wardrobe.

Before studying abroad in Italy in ’04 I bought a cute, trendy pair of frames from Target. They’ve been oh so good to me these frames. Six years and counting and they’re still going strong. I even think they still look really good on, not at all outdated. But I figured it was time to get a new pair, I just needed some change in the eye department. And since I recently signed up for eye insurance at work AND made the switch from hard to soft contact lenses it only seemed fitting to update this area of eye care as well.

Voila, meet my new pair of hot frames. They’re by Nicole Miller and I had a lot of help from Mike (a flamboyant man I’d heard tales about) picking them out! On the outside they’re dark brown with hibiscus flower patterns and on the inside they have lime green horizontal stripes. So fun, LOVE THEM!

And now meet my new headband, I made it myself which makes me love it even more. I was inspired by these and have high hopes and even the necessary supplies to create one of the bow variety. This one was inspired simply by walking through the bead aisle in JoAnn Fabrics and coming across some luscious turquoise and silver beads. So I bought them, some thick black felt, and a plain headband. Once home I cut out a circle of felt, applied the beads via hot glue, then glued the beaded felt circle to the side of the band, and DONE. I’m really happy with it and I think we’ll have a long and happy life together.

next on the craft list: finish my study abroad photo album from ’04, I KNOW!

la la la Liberty of London

The blogosphere and interwebs have been aflutter with mentionings of Target’s new Liberty of London line. I’ve been patiently awaiting the line to drop for over a month now and was so excited to go to work on Monday just so I could peruse the collection on my lunch break.

My parents love an excuse to skip around the aisles of Target so they accompanied me and were kind enough to buy me a skirt from the line as an early birthday present :-) I bought myself a skirt as well and a cute little bowl that I’ve been eating stew, granola, and strawberry frozen yogurt out of for the past four days.

The scalloped edges on the bowl and the purple interior make my heart go pitter patter. And don’t even get me started about how much I love my new flouncy skirts! They’re so fresh and youthful and when I was a little girl I had a red/pink rose skirt that is oh so reminiscent of the one seen pictured.

Full circle…I’ve gone full circle!

Boot Camp Progress

Last night (wednesday) marked the last night of Camp Gladiator session 8. Which means I’ve completed two months so far and really feel great about it.

I’ve met a lot of new people in the process and love the results I’m seeing. Everything is tightening up a bit here and there and I know it’s making a difference in my overall health. My resting heart rate has slowed from the low 80s to the low 70s and my blood pressure has even gone down a bit. This isn’t to say that my pulse and blood pressure before I started were high by any means, they were both in the normal to good range.

Last night was our assessment for session 8. At the very beginning we ran about .8 of a mile, was given a minute to do as many push ups as we can, same for sit ups, and then did a pyramid of sorts of 10 different conditioning exercises.

A month ago when I ran the .8 of a mile I went 7.17 and last night I went 6.42. It definitely felt a lot harder last night than before because I was really pushing myself. And it paid off, I dropped 35 seconds!!!

I also did 21 military style push ups (18 the last time) and 53 sit ups (48 last time). And as for the pyramid of timed exercises…I dropped about 3 and half minutes on that…sweet!!!

I’m counting on being at session 10 that starts in a week so I’ll be working my way towards even faster times…