Do pay phones still exist?

I ran over ANOTHER bird this morning.  A beautiful red robin.  That makes two bird casualties since moving down here.  How is it that I hit an animal with wings, but I've never hit animals that run across the road?

Ugh...it's 6:52 am.  I'm eating my shlop of oatmeal for breakfast and listening to the horrible (painfully bad) local news on the television.  But the only thing I can think about:  there are only four more full days of school left.  Next week, the district has three half days (for the kids) and one full day for teachers on Thursday.   Is it possible to have teacheritis?

Favorite Meatless Meat Meals

Life as a vegetarian can sometimes be as easily frustrating as it is driving behind the endless number of senior citizens on the road.  Especially when you don't live in an alternate lifestyle friendly place like DC or NYC.  My boyfriend and I try to come up with sustainable and tasty meals as best we can, but often flop after all of those tiring days at work.  We yearn to be more creative, and one day we will be, but for now, these are my favorite "meaty" staples eaten every week.

Tortilla-less fajita medley

Seitan is a really delicious alternative to chicken, especially mixed with a blend of chili powder, hot red peppers, salt, pepper, and oregano.  We stir fry the seitan with peppers and onions and all of the above seasonings.  While that cooks, we heat up a can of cuban style beans from Trader Joe's and Seeds of Change Spanish Rice.  I always like to top my dish off with some shredded cheese.  Yum.










Teriyaki flavored tofu atop pearled couscous, kale, and sauteed mushrooms

I never cooked tofu until living with my boyfriend, who freed me from my fear of it.  He showed me the right way to soak up all the water it absorbs and how to slice it nice and thin so it gets even firmer.  We use extra firm tofu, ALWAYS.  I hate squishy food.  We pour Whole Foods Teriyaki sauce on it and bake it in the oven for about a half an hour.  While that's baking, I steam up some kale and throw some mushrooms in a wok with salt, pepper, and garlic.  The more garlic, the better, in my opinion!



"Almost" Grandma's Italian Style dinner

I don't make my own pasta.  I don't concoct my own sauce.  And I definitely don't grind my own sausage like my grandma used to.  However, Trader Joe's has a tomato sauce that is flavored so deliciously it tastes just like it was home made.  Now, I know that sausage doesn't look oh so appealing.  But let me tell you, for a vegetarian who used to love sausage, this Trader Joe's brand fills that void.  It tastes just like real sausage.  I think my next venture is to make a peppers and onions sandwich with it.

You know you're physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausted when you realize ( after about 5 solid minutes) you stuck a Singulair under your tongue instead of a Melatonin. Good night.

We had a really awesome bird in our backyard yesterday morning

The really awesome bird decided it was time for breakfast... and snagged himself a snake.  Ew.

Dinner

Tonight, my boyfriend and I dined at one of our favorite restaurants on the beach.  Fresh air and sunshine were much needed today.  Our normal after work routine consists of an immediate shower followed by at least an hour of prep work for the next day (or week), dinner, and reading/TV because we're too tired to move or do anything else.  So, it was nice to enjoy the hot but beautiful weather we've been having while eating on the water.
We both ordered the veggie burger with a side salad.  This particular burger blends the most delicious, smokey flavors with lentils, beans, veggies, and I think quinoa.  I have no idea how to recreate this meal but I'm dying to try!

And this was our view from our dinner table.  I could sit at this restaurant for hours and hours listening to the tropical beats playing in the background. I suggested to our waitress that they should install some hammocks around the property, and she laughed at me like most people do when I give them my suggestion.  All well.

Happy Almost Friday!

Why the hell would I need weather.com to "alert me when it rains" when I could just look out the window? Morons.

Week END.

I don't know what the heck is wrong with me this week!  I've been coming home from working completely and utterly exhausted, leaving me only with one ability- to lift the TV remote while I lounge on the couch. At the beginning of the week I felt like I was gonna yack.  Once that subsided, my throat and chest started hurting.  Perhaps this exhaustion is my body trying to fight off a number of diseases right now....?  Maybe??

Whatever the cause of my immobility, my Friday night was less than thrilling.  I couldn't even keep my eyes open long enough to read more than a page in my book (I'm hooked on the series A Game of Thrones).  So, I took out my crayons, colored pencils, glue, and scissors and started prepping materials for next week.  Joy.  All while watching one of my favorite TV shows on Netflix.

I seriously crack up at every episode, even if I've seen it before.  The writing on that show was brilliant.

My morning made up for last night.  I haven't gotten any worse, but I still don't feel great, so the perfect lazy day activity was to go to the beach.  Salty air and sunshine can make anyone feel good.  

Perfect beach weather.  Puffy white clouds to hide the blazing hot sun.  A cool breeze.  Beautiful blues in the crystal clear water.  And best of all, no crowds!  During season, you are lucky if there's an inch between you and your sunbathing neighbor.  But thankfully most of those people have flown back north, or east, or wherever the hell they came from and we enjoyed some personal space on the sand.

Our next stop was Panera for some lunch before going to Loews to buy some lightbulbs.  On our way into Panera I spotted a sign next to Petco that read "Pet Adoptions."  Of course, I just HAD to go in and play with some puppies.  Unfortunately, we are still not in a position to own a dog yet (hopefully soon, though) but I still like to look at them.  Well, I left the store almost in tears because I fell in love with a little black dog named Blacky (horrible name that I would have changed).  I sat down on the floor to pet her and at first she sniffed me, then snuggled closer to me, then hopped up on my lap, and then stood up on my lap to put her head on my shoulder.  One of the workers looked at me and said, "She's choosing  you. She hasn't done that to a person yet."  My heart melted.  The dog looked up at me with her big brown eyes, wagging her tail.  I have no idea what kind of dog she was - kind of shaggy, not very soft, maybe around 13 pounds, and two years old.  And she shed.  We can't own a dog that sheds because we both have allergies.  However, had we been in a position to adopt a pet today, I think I would have sucked up the allergies and taken her.  It broke my heart to walk away from her.  Now, I can't stop thinking about this little pooch!  I just hope someone will give her a nice home.

And now, my friends, the climax of my Saturday is upon me.  Nap time!  Buenos noches and feliz cinco de mayo.