And the rest of my weekend...

After that long Friday post, I'll give you the short version of the rest of my weekend.

Sat: Shopping, Taxi for daughter, A nice walk in the sunshine at Kindaid Park, A break at KBC for coffee and internets (bonus: remember the friends in the valley on Friday? They popped into KBC by chance). More taxi service. Home.

Sun: Gave myself a haircut so short that it's almost cue-ball. Ran some errands in the AM. Pulled the studs from my wife's beater car so we don't have to switch them out. Who knows? maybe the car won't make it to the fall! I can only hope. Later, I did some bookstore hopping. B&N. TitleWave. Listened to almost 4 hours of podcasts throughout the day. I needed to get caught up. Picked up dinner. Holy shit, they finally (almost) have the edition done on Mooses Tooth! The noise and people-density was already lower when I picked up our salads.

Vegan tip: Soy might be bad for us all. I'm reading up. I also tried my first rice-milk mocha. The jury is out on weather I like them. Or weather I can convince myself that I do.

Quirky quote of the day: "If you can't take time out from the 'etc... etc...' of life for the occasional 'LOL', what's the point!"

A day in the life.

042806:
0545 woke up. started coffee. believe it or not, this is normal for me.
0600 checked email. glanced at the news. entered to win that camera - last day to enter.
0700 ish. shower. dressed. more surfing. wife got up.
0715 chatted with a friend.
0825 went for 2mi walk in the neighborhood to kaladi - goal: soy mocha. doctor's appointment in 1 hr. got to coffee shop but many people were waiting for their orders. settled on a cookie and headed home. we spoke about our daughter, my doctor's appointment, and generally planned the day.
0928 showed up at gastroenterologist’s office. forms. waiting room magazines. bored spouses. patients emerge from exam room area. shirts untucked. they look ... shaken.
1012 pay deductible with credit card. learn that i need to have blood work done across the hall. shit! i haven't had much to drink. cold drink machine in hall is out of juice or any non-caffeinated soda. i settle on diet dp and sit in the car to drink it.
1015 dammit! can't friggin burp, but need to!
1035 quest diagnostics. ugh. i'm a wuss when it comes to having blood drawn. i gather my composure as they tap a vein.
1036 the vein closes up. 'collapses' she says. my composure begins to fail. i ask for a minute and drink cold water from a dixie cup. next up - the left arm. it goes well.
1101 sitting in the parking lot pondering my friends. trying to decide: food? coffee? i settle on wi-fi at the library and put the car into gear.
1119 city library – main branch. check email. peek at chat. check myspace. two friends on chat. both tell me to wait a sec because they are on a call. (hmm - with each other?? naaah). stomach grumbles. i call homel to ask my wife if she's interested in lunch. she reminds me that we need to get a photo print made and mail a package off to her sister.
1201 home for a minute.
1245 fred meyer's midtown. drop off film.
1300 organic oasis. lunch. wi-fi. chat with friends. surf a website that i saw in a mag in the doctors office. site is about people in nyc making-do with very small apartments with smart storage. i have the halibut. she has soup.
1357 pick up photo prints. also buy a new shredder - the old one died a few weeks ago after 10 years of good service.
1413 on the way to the airport post office to mail package, i decide to make a side trip to point waronzof. the jets are landing over the bluff. photo ops! i make a quick pit-stop at a port-o-potty next to an airport guard shack. somebody has decided to use the inside walls to do arithmetic in pencil. curious.
1422 take pictures of the bluff. take pictures of airliners as they pass close overhead. i'm wearing neon pink foam earplugs to allow my hands to be free.
1445 mail photos and a data cd at the airport. buy stamps.
1500 east-side grocery (Freddies). we stop for a few grocs.
1535 home. unload grocs. i jump online for a few. the usual friends are there. :) my daughter wants to buy some clothes. she just got out of the shower, but i know how long it takes her to get ready. i end up having lots of surfing time.
1625 at the mall: gottschalks. shopping ends up taking over an hour-and-a-half. i'm slumped in the sole chair by the fitting rooms. 28 lbs of clothes are heaped on my lap. my ipod is playing. thank god for ipods. i wonder if the neighborhood kbc is open for long - i never got my mocha today. i text a freind on my cell and ask when kbc closes. it doesn't look good for my coffee stop.
1806 we cash out at gottschalks. my only personal purchase: replacement wallet windows. we load up the car. kbc is closed. fuck! but wait... hmm. title wave? i head for midtown. get my soy mocha and kiddo has a italian soda. more wi-fi, but mostly, my daughter uses the laptop. she asks if we have to go straight home. we bounce a few ideas around. she missed-out on a dad-daughter out-of-town drive on my birthday; so we decide to try a drive tonight. same destination – a neighboring town 40mi north.
1940 en-route. we call home to 'file a flight plan'. my daughter realizes that she had a shopping list and forgot it at home. i know a place with wi-fi and asked my wife to email me the iist. we can stop at the grocery on our way home. i ask my daughter if she's hungry for dinner. i have a place in mind, but they allow smoking after 9pm. i glance at my watch and decide that we'll make it with enough time to spare.
2017 we stop at a gas station's mini-mart. i have serious dragon breath! need mouthwash and gum.
2025 at the restaurant. the place is packed! there is live music and kiddo wants to sit within view of the stage, but there's nothing available. instead, we sit almost to the back of the restaurant. kiddo has a burger and fries and iced tea. i have a gardenburger and salad. more wi-fi just because i can. i try to chat with wifey. she's busy, so we cut it short. i get an email from my friend josh asking me to skype call him in japan. loud music playing, i ponder this. finally decide to call anyway. i won't be able to hear him, but it'll prove my point! the skype call goes to voicemail. HA! let him listen to that!
2041 saw friends online that live in the town we’re visiting. told 'em we were here. moved to a new table for the live music. finished dinner.
2105 paid the bill and got out of there. smoke! ugh. my local friends were on their way out to rent a video. 'brb'. lol. sorry dudes - cough cough - but we've got to go. on our way driving out, i notice a blockbuster on the way out. i spare a glance, but don't see their car. can't spend too much time looking. eyes on the road!
2112 at that town’s grocery. huh. a 2nd blockbuster. we park... and see the friends coming out of the grocery as we go in. say hi for a sec, and i learn about a vegan butter alternative.
2120 shopping: flip-flops for kiddo. vegan butter. lotion. shaving cream. soda. shit!! i forgot to take my Rx. goddammit!!! i have an extra pill in the car, but i'm three hours late for the dose. oh well.
2146 in the car. take pill. check. kiddo and i both don ipods. i know i shouldn't drive with them - sue me. we call home to check-in. the emailed shopping list also included a blockbuster stop for a PS2 game rental. i make note. we hit the road for home.
2200 kiddo and i both take some low available light photos. just goofing off.
2329 our neighborhood blockbuster. we check for the game. it's out on another rental. we head home.
2335 home. kiddo tells her mom all about her gottschalks haul. wifey and i sample the new 'butter'. not bad!
2345 plug in the laptop. connect. chat with a friend for a few. she's heading to bed. her son has been sick with a fever and it's been a rough night for her.
043006 0009 i long onto myspace. notice some other friends on chat. josh chimes-in and shares some geocaching pix from today. i begin to blog.
0120 now. still blogging. still chatting w/ josh. man i'm tired. lol.

Fottergrafs

Hey everybody! I've got some fresh stuff up on Flickr. Come and check them out! Click on the Flickr 'badge' on the right margin of this window.

Whew!!

The CEA annual membership meeting was held last night at the Egan. Amongst other agenda items, were voting on two board seats. I am happy to report that both positions were filled with candidates that are, if not friendly to the IBEW, at least willing to sit down at the table with us.

My job is most likely secure for another year. I know that I have mentioned to my friends to 'vote for Jeff and Jim', and you guys came through for me. Thanks.

My B-day.

I had an okay day yesterday, and a great evening. No black balloons. No over the hill jokes. Yes on the trashed cubbie. But that was ofset by cake and food. An ex-coworker friend took me to lunch. And after work, my wife and I took a drive to get out of town and had dinner. We were surprised to run into friends at the restaurant (and no, the meet-up was not prearranged by my wife). We watched the beautiful sunset on the way back to Anchorage. Did I stop to take pix? You know it! Once home, I jumped online to check all the usual (email, etc). Had a single celebratory glass of wine, then Zzzzzzzzzzz. So ends my 1st day as a 40 year old (non-virgin).

Speaking of the wine, here's today VEGAN tip o' the day. Disclaimer: I don't know much about wine. But this brand touts all organic grapes, they don't add sulfites and furthermore, they even test their wine for levels of naturally occurring trace sulfites.

Last night's wine was Frey Vineyards2004 Mendocino North Coast Syrah. Don't ask me what a 'syrah' is. It looked like red wine. I'll bet I can think of one or two myspace buddies that could comment on this topic, though.

stuff

Hey guys. I'm not feeling particularly 'bloggy' lately. But it's been a couple days, so I thought I'd put something out there. This is the last day that I'll be a thirty-something; so I'm feeling a bit melancholy. Yeah 'poor me'. Lol. April has been one fucked-up month so far. This week brings me sadness for a friend who is dealing with loss. Worry about my daughter who's been missing a lot of school lately. More worry about a doctor's visit that's coming up. And nothing really that I'm looking forward to in the near-term. Is 40 too old to become Emo? And while I'm on the pity trip, May promises for me: a pseudo-surgical procedure (Friday's appointment is a consult). June/July? The possible end of my job, if the IBEW gets booted from Chugach.

Okay. There has to be some bright side to my life? Let's see... Nope!

Just kidding. My sister-in-law is coming to visit for the end of May. She's really cool (sorry... no myspace presence to show you that I know of). I've been entering to win a camera online. Maybe I'll win? We're planning to camp-out in Seward for the weekend of July 4th. That'll be good. And, oh yeah, I've got some great friends!

Foodie update: Vegan's can find good stuff at Thai Village on Muldoon. We've been going there for about five years and they rock! Tofu Pad Thai, and lot's of veggie dishes. And if you eat seafood, try the #72 (shrimp and veggies). Don't forget to ask for brown steamed rice instead of white!

I have a confession to make...

Even when I am 'on the vegan train', my diet is not totally vegan. I still eat fish. You see, my vegan diet is modeled after my wife's diet. And she's been vegan (except for fish) for years.

So with that in mind... here's today's food tip: Clam Chowder. I know what you're thinking, and you're right! I have sworn off of beef and dairy products. In fact, I haven't had milk in probably 4 years. So clam chowder has been OFF THE LIST for me. Until... I remembered a loop-hole. Manhattan Clam Chowder! I had tried the stuff long ago and my opinion was - Ack! But... four years without any clam chowder?? Hmm. Maybe it was time to give tomato-based Manhattan another try. So with that in mind, I kept my eyes open for it at the grocer. And actually found a version sold in the health food department at Fred Meyer.



Health Valley Seafood's Manhattan Clam Chowder! Of course, I'd prefer to have something that doesn't come out of a can. But I'm not adept at making soup from scratch. So this will have to do for now. My only criticism of Health Valley's is that it's a bit strong on the pepper. But at least I can get my clam chowder fix now!

Another (mostly) vegan post!

Being (or trying to be) vegan in Alaska can be tough. But when you're feeling lazy and don't want to cook at home? Doubly so. With that in mind, picture my wife and I milling around town last night trying to figure out what we felt like having for dinner. We settled on an old standby - BearTooths cafe. Side note: one thing that I forgot to mention on the BearTooth post was that the parking lot is often full. So imagine our happy surprise when a pickup was pulling out close to the building just as we arrived! We hadn't even made one orbit of the parking lot yet! We were not planning to see a flick - just eat. So any lines would be no problem. By the time we set foot inside, it was obvious that this was a live-music evening for BearTooth (for a 6th Aniv party as it turns out). Okay... no BFD to us, right? We proceed to the cafe only to find a sign: 'SORRY. RESTAURANT IS CLOSED TONIGHT. TICKET-HOLDERS ONLY'.

WTF!!! We look past the velvet rope to see about 60% of the tables empty. ..$%&!!!! Deep breath. whooooooo. okay. better? good.

Now we're back to the beginning - but sitting in mid-town, not knowing where to eat. Have you ever seen Disney's Jungle Book? The old one? I'm thinking of the scene with the crows on the power line saying: 'Whacha wanna do?' 'I don't know, what CHOO wanna do?' 'Now don't start THAT again...'

That was us.

Then it hits me: vegan friendly, no waiting, close, and okay... cheap.
Qdoba Mexican Grill



You can get a monster-sized vegan-friendly burrito made with fresh grilled veggies, rice & beans and dairy-free (if they can be trusted) guac. All for about seven bucks. The food is prepared in much the same way as Subway, so you get to watch and choose as your burrito makes it's way down the line. A couple of tips: the black beans are better than the pintos (IMHO) and try subbing the normal 'roasted veggies' for the grilled veggies intended for their fajitas. You'll love it!

In Anchorage, they're located across from Sears on the Benson side. Same building that used to be Gateway Computers (and for you Anch OLD timers - Skippers, before that).

One end-note, and I know that I must have blogged about this topic at some point. But I learn about trying a lot of new things from my myspace friends. And I also learn to expand my horizons through listening to podcasts.

Christy, thanks for the Qdoba tip, all those weeks back! And
Thanks Adam Curry for introducing me to Myspace half-a-year ago.
And Thanks Steve Jobs. I got my first iPod Shuffle and discovered podcasts just about one year ago.

Proud to be an Alaskan... Not!

Those fucking assholes! Grrrr! You've got to read this in today's paper.

Basically Sen.'s Steven's and Young are moving to block an offshore East Coast renewable energy project - a wind farm. But the ADN gets it wrong IMHO about siting the reasons. Saying that they (senators) don't want their precious Cape Cod views ruined. And that might play into it; but their leaving out that it is not in Alaska's best economic interest (oil, Oil, OIL) to see a project like this become a high-profile success story. Even if the amount of power that it produces is only a pittance compared to fossil-fuel based generation. I could just see Young and Stevens' phones ringing. Their oil industry constituency calling to 'make this project go away - that's what we're paying you for'.

Sorry, but this is near and dear to my heart. We've had a change in board leadership this past year at Chugach who decided to quickly poo-poo on plans to build a Fire Island wind project. HELLO?? Chugach burns natural gas right out of the ground at Beluga (by Tyonek) for like 85% of it's power generation. And those fields are drying up! Maybe 10 years left to them. And the board wants to kill wind projects?? My thinking is that any major alt energy project like Cape Cod can help foster positive public support AND be a learning testbed to improve the technology. Higher efficiency turbines or blade designs can be learned from their mistakes. Plus lessons learned in environmental impact (in the case of windmills, think of migratory birds running into the moving rotors). But people on this planet have such large needs, just by virtue of our sheer numbers, that any form of electric power gen. will have impact. I'd be willing to bet that wind has less of one than say, coal or gas burning, or nuc-U-ler.

And here are two republican Alaskan senators getting in line to kill a major wind project. Sounds about right.

Photog

I've got some new work up on Flickr! To view them, just click on the Flickr Badge on the right margin of this blog window. Hope you all enjoy!

If there's one thing vegans love to do, it's RANT! Here's mine for the day:

Why can't Carrs or FM's be consistent from one store to the next!!!

Carrs midtown has an actual health food department complete with freezers and DOESN'T CARRY ANY SOY YOGHURT. I can't fucking believe that! Only organic milk-based yoghurt. That was going to be my breakfast and I had no time left to backtrack to a 2nd grocery store. Damn it, that pissed me off!!

[my stomach is grumbling as I write this]

Yeah yeah, I know poor poor me. Lol. I could stand to miss a meal, I guess.

Fate

I don't consider myself to be superstitious; at least I try not to be. But I do sometimes wonder about fate. And when I think about my driving style (and what I get away with), I have to admit that I ponder the existence of guardian angels. The driving is a topic for another blog post. But suffice to say that I do NOT run reds. Nor do I tailgate or cut people off. I always wear my seatbelt, drive with headlights on, and use my turn signals (even for my frequent lane hopping). But I am a focused driver who likes to get where I'm going; and I have been known to, um, push the outer speed limit.

Last night my wife and I were going to take our first bicycle ride of the season. Ahhhh, spring!! It was still a bit cool out, and would be even more so at riding speeds. I usually wear a helmet, but (unknown to my wife) I was planning to skip it, in lieu of my winter hat. I already had the hat tucked in my jacket pocket and would pull an 'oops, sorry honey' when she inevitably commented once we were under way.

The bikes, having been in the garage all winter, needed a tire pumping and a wipe of the dust-cloth. Her bike didn't need to much air. The bike, and it's inner-tubes were newer and didn't slow-leak much. Done. I wheel her recumbent to the front of the garage - all set to go. My 11 year old hard-tail mountain bike was a different story. The front tire took me a few minutes of pumping with my little packable hand pump, and I moved to the back. The rear wheel takes a lot more of the rider's weight (190, in my case), and I value my wheel rims, so I was giving it extra air. At a certain point, I begin to hear a hissing sound from the air-pump's head. My thought is that the pump had slipped a bit from it's lock-hold. I pop the little release lever to remove and re-seat the pump. The bikes presta valve is supposed to snap shut as I remove the pump. So imagine my surprise when the tire rapidly decompresses when the pump comes off. I react by covering the valve with my finger (ala Dutch boy at the dike) like that's going to do any good! Once my finger comes away, it'll lose the rest of the air! I'm trying to make sense of what's happening and I look into the little opening of the bike pump and find?... a piece of the valve - metal snapped clean-off. What the...? Well, it looks like the bike ride is cancelled... sorry hon.

Later, I reflected on my decision to sneak out without my helmet, juxtaposed with the broken valve. What might have been? It's been a long time since I've kissed the pavement on a bicycle. The last time was in Oregon in the 90's. I came away with nothing more than road rash. Helmet: yes. So statistically, maybe I was due for a spill. I briefly imagined my skull connecting with pavement. Like a melon.

Hmm. Sneaking out with a hat on. Broken valve stem.

A little known Anchorge jem.

It's funny how well Mexican fast food and veganism go hand-in-hand. Today's blog post is about a little known hole in the wall restaurant. Actually, they have two locations, so I guess I could call them a 'chain'.

You wouldn't think to look for vegan-friendly fare within a Chevron gas station! But that's exactly where the locally-owned Burrito Factory stores are found. On the west side, it's the Minnesota and Spenard station. East: Bonniface and Northern Lights.

As far as I can tell, they cook everything from scratch. No over-salted refried beans from a squeeze-bag here! And for an up charge, they offer whole wheat tortillas.

What to order: The 'Vegetarian Burrito' (duh!). And as you vegans will know, that'll get you most of the way there. Remember to hold the cheese and sour cream and guac (contains sour cream). You can choose between black or pinto beans (my pic: black - just remember to grab a toothpick), they add Spanish rice, lettuce, tomato, and salsa (choose your temp). The east-side location seems to source their lettuce from a different wholesaler because it always seems to be nice deep leafy green romaine. If you're ordering from the east side, ask for extra lettuce.

Another tip for Burrito Factory: They have quite a following of regulars and can get busy. Phone-in your order to save time. And don't forget to ask for a punch card. Buy 12, get one free!

More Veganisms...

I've been living with a pseudo-vegan (she still eats fish) for at least a decade now (okay, I've been living with her for almost two decades, but she's been vegan for half that). So I know all about the hassles that Vegans go through to eat out. It's a treat to find a restaurant that doesn't require menu 'tweaks'; and there are a few such in Anchorage.

First up on today's post - BearTooth Theater/Pub/Grill/Cafe. Anyone who has lived in Anchorage for more than a month should know all about BearTooth, so I won't go into too much detail here. For those who may not know, or for my out-of-state myspace friends, BearTooth is basically a brewpub movie theater that plays films that are almost old enough to be released on video. The cover is cheap ($3) and the food is reasonable too. The theater has two restaurants attached. A cafe featuring gourmet Mexican fare and pizza; and a slightly more upscale (but still casual) grill with an eclectic menu featuring burgers, seafood, salads and more.

So, my wannabee pseudo-vegans, if you're ordering on the cafe side, here are a few menu items: Pure vegan: The Moo Shu Veggie Wrap. And pseudo-vegan: Shrimp 'n Lime Tacos. And, requiring a slight tweak: the Seared Salmon Burrito (just say 'minus dairy'). They also have a baked veggie sandwich (hold the cheese).

On the grill-side: Pure vegan: the Portobello Mushroom Sandwich. For the pseudo: All kinds of stuff. Beer Battered Mushrooms, Ahi Tuna, Blackened Halibut and a variety of salads. Again, watch for dairy.

Prices range from about eight bucks on the cafe side to ten or fifteen at the grill. If you're there to see a movie, both restaurants will deliver food to your table in the theater. Just order at the counter.

A photographer's dinner...

No, not really. But I did meet-up with a couple of online friends for the first time, last night. One of them is an accomplished hobbiest photographer. And for the second time in as many days, I found myself ooing and ahhhing over a friends DSLR. This time a Canon 20D with a long-ass lens. NICE! It had one of the easiest menu's to navigate that I have found so far. Two reasons for this. One: Canon seems to place the menu in one big scollable list - no effing tabs to deal with. Sections of the list are color coded to designate topics. The 2nd reason for the 20D's ease with menu's is the big friendly mehanical scroll-wheel on the back of the cam. Using it is much like using an iPod's menu. Again.... nice! This is a good cam and I'd be happy to have one. I'm still considering the Minolta 7D because of it's 'knobs and buttons for everything' aproach. But the 7D is huge and heavy. I've also tried the Pentax *ist series - which almost runs too small for my hands. Size-wise the 20D is a great compromise.

Veganism and Pizza

When you think of pizza, the image that inevitably comes to mind is a pie loaded with a pound of meat, and two pounds of cheese. If there are any veggies, they are rationed out with such miserly care that you'd think the cook was adding gold as a topping! Even on 'vegetarian' pizza, the average mainstream pizzeria is accustomed to burying the vegetables under a mountain of mozzarella - they don't have to pay much attention to how many veggies are under that pile of animal excretion.

Ask your average Pizza Hut waitress for a pizza 'minus cheese' and you will most likely be treated to a glassy-eyed look of raw disbelief. To look at her, you'd think you just asked for a little extra plutonium on your pizza.

But I'm here to tell you, it can be done. First off, if you're really hell-bent on the bleached-white flour 'wonder bread' crust of the mainstream chain pizza; or if you're on the road in say... Cheyenne, Wyoming, and there's just no choice, here are a couple tips. First, the cook will not know how to upwardly adjust the portions of the veggies on a no-cheese pizza. If you just ask for a 'Vegetarian, minus cheese', you're in for a surprise. Bread, pizza sauce that's been baked dry, and about 19 chunks of vegetables. The pizza looks about as attractive as a hairless cat. (the funny side-note here is that the restaurant is saving so much cost by leaving off that cheese that they could afford to go 'wall-to-wall' veggies and still come out ahead). So. What to do... First, order your pie with extra sauce. It's free, and will help to insure that there is some moisture content left to it after the oven. Second, choose a few veggie ingredients at random (maybe three) and ask for 'extra'. There will most likely be an up-charge, but the idea is to get the cook into the mindset of going heavy-handed on the rest of the veggies. It usually works. (yep - pizza psychology 101, folks). One last note: if you know from your former meat-eating life, that a particular chain uses canned veggies (like mushrooms), KISS THAT RESTARUANT GOODBYE. The canned veg might fly if they're window dressing to all that sausage, but not as your main course.

So what else is there besides the chains? Ma-and-Pa pizza joints, and the more 'gourmet' pizza places. Ma-and-Pa are likely to use the canned goods (longer shelf life). The best example of the gourmet in Anchorage, and probably the best place in town to get a good vegan pie is Mooses Tooth. They offer whole wheat crusts on all but the largest size pizza (whole wheat, it seems, doesn't hold together beyond a certain diameter). And you'll find choices right of the menu that don't need to be custom ordered! Tip: Do you like eggplant? How about artichoke? Calamata olives?? Try ordering the 'Purple Haze'. It's no longer on the menu, but the more senior staff will still know it, and you'll look like a veteran Mooses Tooth patron for having ordered it.

Okay. How about at home? First, I've found that Papa Murphy's does an excellent job of making a cheese-less veggie pizza, if you can deal with the fluffy white flour crust. And - bonus! - you can watch them make it (e.g. - make sure they don't screw up). Sometimes asking for no cheese is akin to asking for no ice in your soda. The server has the best intentions, but just can't stop their hand from doing it's thing.

>

And finally, there's even an alternative for frozen pizza - CHEESELESS frozen pizza from the grocery store. And you'll find it at most Carrs or Fred Meyer's health-food freezers. It's Amy's brand No Cheese pizza. It doesn't use tomato based sauce, but instead uses a bed of caramelized onion and garlic. And they're on a whole wheat crust. Goooood stuff.

Worth the repost!!

A friend of mine posted this on her blog this morning, and it's quite good...

Leonardo Da Vinci once wrote in his notebook; Just as a well spent day brings happy sleep, so a life well spent brings a happy death. If we have lived a life of emotional turmoil, of conflict selfish desire unconcerned for others, our dying will be full of regrets, troubles and pain. It is far better to care for the lives for all around us rather than spending a fortune in prolonging life or seeking ways to extend it for those who can afford it, at the expense of relieving suffering in more practical ways. Improving the moral and spiritual quality of life improves its quality for us all rather than the selfish individualism that benefits the elite few who draw most resources.

A Photographer's Lunch

I had a really great time at lunch yesterday. A coworker of mine who is a pro wedding photographer on her off time, is making the transition to digital from shooting film; and wanted to take me to lunch to pick my brain about 'digital.' She has resisted for years, but feels that the digital SLR's are now up to a quality level that she can work with. The camera she chose is my dream camera, and it was great to be able to play with it during the lunch. She also brought her best friend Sue, who also bought her first DSLR.

They asked me about taking me to lunch, late last week. I accepted, with some reservations about my ability to 'deliver' enough info to work off a sandwich and a beer! And during the lunch, there were a few questions that I just did not know the answer to. But also many that I did. All things considered, it was a good (almost two hour) lunch. ;)

Junkfood Vegan

I just learned the term 'junk food vegan' from a vegan podcast the other day. It kind of fits my wife and I to a tee. We don't cook nearly enough fresh stuff. And sure, in the winter in Anchorage, it's easy enough to piss-n-moan about the lack of fresh produce. Easy to fall into the ready-made vegan food routine. The other problem is that between the two of us, I am the one who enjoys cooking more. And I've been burned out on it for awhile now. I actully had to cook something in my trusty castiron pan the other day. I stood there staring blankly at the pan, the stove knobs, and the open spice cupboard - like I've never seen any of them before! Lol.



So today's vegan quick food entry is in the soup catagory. Annie Chun's noodle bowl soups, to be exact! These things are great! They come in a bio-degradable bowl (potato starch maybe?), and inside you'll find a sealed bag with moist pre-cooked udon noodles, another with a little freeze-dried brick of veggies, and a third with sause. Takes less than 5 min's to make and tastes remarkably like someting you'd get at Souper Bowl at Anch 5th Ave Mall !

Soy ice cream anyone?

Yep, the second installment of my vegan food tips is all about soy ice cream. Many of them taste like crap. A few are 'okay' (Soy Dream, for instance). But a couple really do shine.

My ..1 favorite - tastes most like icecream - is a new product called TEA DREAMS BY IMAGINE FOODS. I think this is the same company that does the fantastic Celectial Seasonings line of herbal tea. And my favorite flavor: Tea Dreams Vanilla Hazelnut. this is the shit!

I fell off the vegan train.

I fell of the vegan train, the vegan train, the vegan train.

But, I'm easing myself back on. You know how it is when you're sick? I had the flu a few weeks ago, and when I could eat again, I was very choosy about what 'tasted okay'. I still haven't eaten beef since I've declared myself vegan. Also, I haven't done dairy for almost 4 years. But I did backslide on ham (see above) , and chicken. But in my defense, I've been having chicken at Organic Oasis or Natural Pantry. Both use free-range organic meat.

Not that I have a huge vegan following amongst my myspace peeps, but in upcoming posts, I think I'll share some vegan-friendly foods that are big hits. Specifically, vegan foods that taste like non-vegan. I'll start this off today with yoghurt. There are several brands of soy-milk based yoghurt. They have the same active cultures that milk-based yoghurt does and have the same benefits to aid digestion. The brand that, for me, tastes the most like mainstream yoghurt is by Whole Soy and Co. You can find them in the fridge case in the health food department at Freddies. Give one a try even if you're not vegan! Aren't you curious? They come in all the usual fruit flavors and vanilla.

More Dreams

Yes, it is Friday and I'm going in to work today. Feeling much better - at least for the moment. Maybe I can actually have a weekend this time?

I'm not planning to blog about my dreams on a daily basis; and I ususally don't remember them anyway. But this morning, all I remember of my dream was that I had managed to get small fishhooks stuck in both a finger and my left foot. In my dream I was hopping over to my backpack (the one I use as a 'man purse' every day) to dig out my leatherman. I actually dreampt snipping the hook end and backing the fishhooks out. The foot hook was just curved in a little, but the finger (left hand pinkie, which made it hard because I'm left-handed and had to use the leatherman with my right) hook was all the way through my finger! A little blood. Guess I dream in color. Huh. Funny. This morning, that finger has a persistant little itch in that same spot! Phantom pain from a dream?!

My life - the past 12 hours.

I discovered what two days back on solid food does to my diverticulitis - weather I have antibiotics or not - cramps! Bad ones. They started up in the afternoon at work yesterday - sitting scrunched into my desk chair. Got worse as I was driving home from work. I rooted around my backpack for Advil with no luck. Stopped to get dinner for the fam. Hmm? Maybe a little more food would do the trick? Get home and eat a small amount and get changed for my Mac meeting (which is 645-900). I still cant find the efffing Advil and try the backpack again - FOUND! Ugh! On the way, I pick my daughter up near a friends house and drop her off at a bookstore to meet another friend. I tell her that I'll pick her up on my way home after 9pm.

The meeting was pure misery. In spite of the Advil that has surely had enough time to set in, the cramps are worse than ever now. And, of course I'm once again jammed into a chair - this time the auditorium variety. By 8pm, the meeting takes a 10min break. I call my daughter on the cell to tell her that I'm heading home early (first time I've ever bailed at half-time from a Mac meeting... I love them). She says she'll catch a ride home with her friend's parents. Fine. I'm in no mood to argue. I make straight for home and give the condensed version of all this to my wife. I try reclining in a living room chair - not much better - and pop off a couple of 'poor me' messages to friends. You know, like this blog. At some point, with the laptop running on the table beside me, I fall asleep. Probably 9pm ish. I awaken at almost 1am. Wife said that she couldn't get me to wake up, so just left me. I see a couple of abandoned IM attempts from friends. Sorry guys. And head off to bed.

This morning the cramps are better, but still there. No cramming myself into chairs today! I called in sick.

I had an interesting dream last night. I was on kind of a boardwalk (picture the Potter's Marsh one) down by Ship Creek by the train station. There are already viewing platforms there, but the one in my dream was LOW to the water. I'm staring down into the silt mud that is the creek bed and start to see turtles emerge head first from the mud and begin to swim downstream. After a few seconds, I begin to be able to recognize their heads just before they emerge. i watch their exodus for awhile. Overhead, I hear the fighter jets doing their thing, and look up to see one on approach for Elmendorf. Another looks to be flying the pattern. My attention goes back to the turtles. I notice that the water level is rising. Tide. It's now close to the observation deck's boards. I see what looks like kind of a stunted, sick turtle emerge. My attention is momentarily drawn away for a second and next he has flopped onto the boardwalk. Tide is still rising but the deck is not submerged yet. I squat down to watch the 'sick' turtle. As he extends his neck, his head kind of unfolds sideways to form more of a hammerhead shark's shape. The front of the turtle's head is bristling with ... electronics? Tiny camera lenses, other sensors that I can't guess at. It's a robot. I think to myself that it's some kind of Fish and Game device. Time to go. The water level is now about to flow onto the boards. My last thought before waking is what a stupid idea it is to build a deck that gets submerged during high tide.

Inside out and wrong way 'round

I just wanted to share some random thoughts out loud. For instance, when I'm putting in earbuds, and fumbling for the one marked 'L', why do I always seem to get the 'R' bud first? You'd think that it would at least be a 50/50 split. Same goes for this: when I'm fumbling for a t-shirt to put on in the morning (I'm talking about when it's still dark and I'm just getting up. Not 'after shower' dressing) why do I, more often than not, notice that I'm about to put it on backwards! True, that most of my T's have printed labels and not sewn-in tags. Maybe this contributes to my inability to put a shirt on the right way the first time. On the other hand, maybe I'm a fucktard.

Since this is a 'nothing' catch-all blog, I'll update you on my gut health. Yeah, I know - I know. You're all probably reading this, saying 'Okay! We get it; you don't know how to put on t-shirts or headphones... but when are you going to delight us with your medical problems!? That's what we want to really hear about! Right. lol. So today I'm feeling pretty good. Yesterday's adventures in solid food didn't seem to have any ill effects (like extreme pain as the food moves past the infected spot). And so food was on the menu again today. I packed the powerbook, so I read, chatted, and generally played through my lunch hour at a cafe having free wi-fi. I also managed to squeak-in a quick stop at Title Wave to look for a particular book (no luck).

Now my butt has been reunited with my office chair for the second half of my work day. Joy! (not really). So this concludes one of my most lopsided, disorganized blog posts to date. Hope you enjoyed it.

What? You want more? Hmm. Okay - here's this: You all know that I like to listen to podcasts. One of the most famous of which is the Dawn and Drew Show. At the end of each show, they play listener voicemail messages; and they're usually a hoot. For awhile, DnD had a running theme in which listeners would call in to confess their 'dirty little secret'. In fact, even though it's been months, you still occasionally hear one slip in. I have never left DnD a voicemail; but for you dear readers, here is a little secret about me!

Ready? ... okay shhhh (keep it on the DL)

I like to wear my underwear inside out in order to keep the tag from scratching my back!

Maybe I should call that one in. Whadda think? For you newer readers, I would encourage you to look back through my blog archives for a post entitled 'TMwayI', 'cause this has been a good example of it.

Remember - Shhhhhh.

Note to my Blogger readers - I wrote this post in the early afternoon. By late afternoon/early evening there do seem to be some 'ill effects' from my solid food. Namely cramps. But it's nothing that I can't handle and an Advil dulled it down a bit. I've been through all this before, and had worse. And hey! Look on the bright side; at least my underwear tag isn't itching!

Feeling better.

It's nearing bed time as I write this.

My day at work today went remarkably well. And the highlight? Solid food!!! For lunch, I had a piece of baked chicken (organic) with some steamed brown rice and part of a rosemary garlic roll. I had to force myself to SLOW DOWN. lol.

And as long as I am updating... my evening was good. I caught up via chat with a couple guys I used to work with in Oregon. One is in Japan now (teaching) and the other in Phoenix. It was good to catch them both online.

Going to work today...

It's Tuesday and I think I feel well enough to go in to work today. I saw the doctor yesterday (basically a 'walk-n-talk' visit) and he prescribed me with Augmentin xl for the diverticulitis. Bigass horse pills - Ughh. Anyway; I should be on the path to recovery. The only dissapointment was that after having avoided solid food for the weekend, he asked me to abstain for another day. Which makes 4 days total by the time I eat something. I am, however, having soda, soup broth, jello, etc. So I'm not entirely starving. But still, I am seriously ready for food.

Update: Monday

I managed to make it through the weekend and actually feel somewhat better today. My gastroenterologist is booked up for a couple of weeks, so his staff suggested that I see a general MD today so I can get the meds I need. I'm now going on day 3 without solid food. I may as well wait and see if they need to do any blood work. After that, I think I'm going to try eating something. Appointment is at 2pm.

Other than that, I'm keeping busy online today. I can see from my blogger stats that most of you readers are not from the Anchorage, AK area. But for those who are, and are also Chugach Electric customers, I would encourage you to vote for our annual board elections. The ballots are due by April 24th. Please vote for Jeff Lipscomb and Jim Nordlund. These are good guys.

Thanks.

Diverticulitis (update)

Friday I went to work with kind of a general stomach cramp. It got worse through the morning, so I took off at 10am for the day. Stayed at home stretched out in bed. Yesterday, the pain had changed to an all too familiar spot in my abdomen. It looks like i've got diverticulitis again. First time was over 3 years ago. The pain got bad enough last night that I was giving serious consideration to the ER. I decided to sleep on it. It's still here today, but manageable with Advil. I'm going to have to call-in tomorrow and see the doctor. Get ready for tests. Ugh. But last time, my regular MD gave me Cipro 1000 mg for a week. It knocked it out, but when the Rx was one week gone, the pain crept back. I went to a gastroenterologist who gave me an antibiotic more targeted to what I had. That one knocked it out for good.

So, I'm sitting here knowing that this thing is probably getting worse. Knowing that I need meds, but can't get to the friggin doctor until Monday! Unless I want to spend 4 hours waiting in the ER. Unless I really have to, I won't go that route.

I had the flu a couple weeks ago - now followed by this. It seems that 3 years back, the last time, I also had a little 'pre-something' before being hit by this. Hmm.

I can't stand it anymore!!

I should preface this for my non-Alaskan readers but saying that springtime in AK can be a dirty ditry place to drive. With that...

I can't remember for certain. But I think the last time I had washed my car was when my sister was visiting in June! In any case, there was a whole fall and winter's worth of packed-on dirt. So much so that there was no way a car wash would ever get it all off. So last night, I put the ear-buds in, chose some good music and washed the car in my (snowless) driveway.

It took the use of a scrub brush in places to get down to actual paint! I've got a cheap little car and don't really care about preserving the finish, so at least I didn't have that to worry about. And, yes, I know that with the roads being what they are, that I can't expect the nice wash-job to last for long. It was funny though. Last night I made a Freddies run and chose to drive my neighborhood's residential streets to get there. Weaving all the while like a drunk trying to keep the car tracking in the 'dry'. I managed to make it home last night with a perfectly clean car!

And this morning awoke to?.... SNOW. I think it ties-in to the Murphy's Law thing about how it always rains if you wash your car. But the snow was actually a good thing (since I have studs yet). No road spray on the way to work and the car is STILL clean! I fully expect to lose the clean car status on the lunch hour - there's no way around it except staying at work and fasting - which I won't do for a Kia. (see Alaskanisms.blogspot.com for example of 'dirty' Kia)

Mid-week blah.

This is going to be a catch-all blog post.

Political: It looks like Anchorage Mayor Begich won a 2nd term. Hooray for that. I think he's done a good job and wish him well on his 2nd term. But the school improvement bonds were shot down, as was the bond propositon to buy the historic Anchorage 4th Avenue Theater. Major bummer, because the property may be in danger of being razed. Anchorage has such little architectural history. But this is understandable because the city is not as flush with cash as it was in the oil-boom years.

Work: The employees at Chugach Electric are all holding their collective breath. If the two board seats that are up for election are not overturned in our favor, we may all be out after July. VOTE YOUR CHUGACH BALLOT. AND VOTE FOR JEFF AND JIM. Other than that, work is fine for me this week.

Personal: Not much news here. Some friends have just gotten back to town after being 'Outside' (of Alaska) all winter. Nice.

Anchorage to Glenallen

Hey guys. Here's a sample of the pics from yesterday's little trip... if you want to see more, just go here. Enjoy.

Road Trip!

It was so beautiful and sunny out that I decided to grab the camera and hop in the car. Maybe go up to the Eagle River nature center and snap a few snowy/sunny pix. My wife had mentioned that the ER valley doesn't get much sun and the road conditions may be less then optimal. I was mulling this when I hit the Glenn northbound. Decided to take her advise. I phoned home to give her my 'change in flight plan' - just in case I run into trouble. I tell her that I'm going to continue on to the Valley. I do. I shoot right past Palmer. Sutton. Chickaloon. Stopping now-and-again for photo-ops. I'm thinking at this point that maybe I'll catch a bite to eat at Sheep Mtn Lodge or something and turn around there. Well Sheep Mtn came and went. I wasn't in the mood to stop. And still getting great photos. So I press on. The gorge on the way up to the summit was gorgeous and once I was up on top of the pass - breathtaking!! It really was Chicken Soup for the Couped-up Alaskan Soul. At some point, I notice the gas gauge edging towards 1/2; and I'm noticing the road signs ticking down the milage to Glenallen. When I was about 70mi away, I think I made the decision to go for it. I stopped first and gassed up. Did the math on my MPG and got a record-breaking (for me) 36 to the gal. Niiiice. Then stopped at the only place to stop; The Caribou, and was pleasantly surprised to find it was now non-smoking. We'll just gloss over my menu choice - suffice it to say that it was not vegan but I did not have beef. Actually, I fell off the vegan cart when I was down last week with the flu. I'll get back on. Anyway, I did the drive home almost straight through and didn't see my first asshole driver until after the Parks cutoff. Picked up take-out dinner for the fam on the way. Dumped the photos into the Powerbook and here we are. Whew! BTW, the last time I was in Glenallen was summer 2000, when we drove the Highway to move back here.

It's been a trying week.

Since it has been a few days since I've given you all an update, I'll bring you up to speed. It's been a bit over a week now with this flu and I am almost over it. 'Solid food' is back on the menu, as is coffee. My god, it has been a long week without coffee. lol. And it has been a trying week in the parenting department. But in the scheme of things, I really don't have anything to complain about. I spent most of the week at home (went to work yesterday) and spend a lot of time online with myspace and other friends. One of them is having a harder week then I - and I really need to keep that into perspective when I start bitching about little stuff like my flu. I've tried to be there for that friend (albeit only online); and throughout my week a few friends have been there for me too.


Oh, and a quick update about the photo contest at work. The deadline was yesterday. I lost a week of good shooting time so turned in (via email) what I had to give. Wish me luck!