Thanksgiving 2011

I was planning on posting a slew of photos, but the truth is, I'm just too tired to edit them all, put them in order, write up the descriptions, etc. Luckily, my wonderful mother made a video with pictures of the whole process, so I'm going to be lazy and post it. I give you... An Old-Fashioned Vegan Thanksgiving!


Those rolls almost did me in. Everything had been going so well up until that point. I'd prepared the stock, apple relish, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie the previous day, and I was ahead of schedule. Feeling way too good about myself, I turned some music up obscenely loud (through headphones, I didn't make anyone else suffer) and semi-danced, semi-headbanged along while mixing the dough. Yeah, well, pride goeth before a fall, and all that. I left out the milk and by the time I realized it, it was too late. I had to start over, but ran out of flour. I was 1/2 cup short, give or take. I tore through the cabinets in desperation, found some oatmeal, and threw some of it into the blender. Instant oat flour! So they're actually oat dinner rolls, and they turned out fantastic. Still, dinner was half an hour late because of my mistake. I hate that.


Mmmmmmmmmmm. Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday. You know, I've been so stressed out about finding a job (no luck yet), and I've been feeling pretty discouraged about everything. Several people we know, or know of, who all seemed to have perfect lives, have had some truly awful things happen to them recently. I mean, horrible stuff. All I have to do is find a measly job, that's all. Things could certainly be worse. So... I'm thankful that things aren't so bad, that we had a wonderful meal, and... I'm extremely thankful that my wonderful aunt and uncle are lending me money so I can buy a ticket for...


Omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg!!!!!!!!!!! :D May 14th, baby!!!!

*ahem*

I wanted the dogs to have a Thanksgiving meal, too. I served them their everyday food with pumpkin brown rice, roasted potatoes with nutritional yeast, peas, mashed sweet potatoes, green beans, and a cranberry.

Basil knows what's up.
So everyone here is stuffed. Somehow we managed to find room for pumpkin pie and chocolate cake...


And that's it!

You know, for all the effort that went into this post, I could have just stuck with my original idea of posting pics. Hmmm.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!!!!

How do I end this extended vacation that I didn't want in the first place?

Through a series of unfortunate circumstances and undesirable events, I have basically been a "homemaker" for a little over 4 years now. Oddly enough, I never seem to have any free time, as there is always some sort of crisis happening that requires my attention. I've been a busy girl! Wrinkles are being ironed out, though, and it's time for me to regain some independence. In other words, I need a job.

What a miserable time to re-enter the workforce, eh?

I realize that the longer a person has been out of work, the less desirable he or she is to a potential employer. I've read that if you've been out of circulation for more than 6 months, many places won't even consider you. Apparently we get stale like old loaves of bread. In an attempt to sidestep this, I decided to aim really low. I've applied at a thrift shop, a pet supply store, and a convenience store.

Nothing.

I really don't want to have to apply at a fast food chain. I don't think I'd be able to stand the stench of cooked meat sinking into my pores. I may not have a choice, though. And even then, they may not want me either. Maybe I could clean motel rooms? How did my life trickle down to this sludge of an existence?

This much rejection can make a person feel absolutely worthless. I have to remember that this isn't personal. I know that there are people who had to submit hundreds of applications before they found something. I am by no means unique in this struggle. Empathy doesn't pay bills, though.

So I'm pressing on. I'm a drop in the sea of desperation, surging toward a solid shore, but always sliding back with the tide.

On a drive with my mom recently I made a joke that it's a shame that I don't have a nice enough body to be a stripper. Not 5 seconds later we passed a gentlemen's club with a sign that said "Now hiring dancers." Argh!

Something has to work out eventually, right? I mean, it has to. Doesn't it?

Just smile and nod. It'll make me feel a little better, at least.

Und schlimmer!

I've made no secret that my Spanish half was a source of frustration when I was younger (see here). Living in Florida didn't help. I cannot tell you how many times a random person would approach me and just start speaking to me in Spanish, only to be met with a blank stare and a mumbled, "No hablo español." This resulted in anything from mild disappointment to complete outrage. "But you should! Is good language!" someone once yelled at me. Evidently, I am a disgrace to every single one of my ancestors in Latin America. Oops.

No one has ever looked at me, taken in my 5'6" build and my dark features, and exclaimed, "Guten tag! Wie geht es ihnen/dir?" This never bothered me, as I was convinced that the world should converse only in French. Lately, though, I've taken a bit of an interest in my German heritage. As far as I know, my family is from Großkarlbach in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.

Ta da!
Actually, my journey into this is silly. We had company from out of town, and everyone wanted hamburgers (gag), so I was dragged to Buffalo Wild Wings with the promise of beer and a football game being shown. I made a meal of their soft pretzels with mustard and a side salad (and beer, of course). This was almost a month ago and I've been hooked on pretzels ever since. That got me thinking of other German foods. Also, I was spending a lot of time alone during much of October, so I started using a free online German course. And, separately, I've recently become a huge Rammstein fan. So if someone were to ask me, "So, what got you interested in Germany?" I'd say, "Well, pretzels and Rammstein." Then whoever was speaking to me would roll his or her eyes and walk away. But there it is.

I connect to cultures through food, as many do, so of course I had to get in the kitchen. First off, I made a cake!

Versunkener Apfelkuchen - from The Joy of Vegan Baking
I bought a package of Tofurky Beer Brats, did the typical sauerkraut, onion, and mustard on a brat in a bun. Meh. I was more interested in veganizing...

Currywurst mit pommes!
O...m...g... That's a Tofurky Beer Brat cut up, browned in a pan, with curry ketchup and more curry sprinkled on top, with french fries topped with Vegenaise. Oh, curry ketchup, where have you been all my life? Seriously, this is love. Anyway, the meat version of this is apparently really popular in Berlin. The vegan version? Yum!

Kartoffelpuffer - potato pancakes
Those were a big hit with everyone. I'll be making more things over time. I checked out "The German Cookbook" by Mimi Sheraton from the library, which is a more horrifying read than a Stephen King novel for a vegan like me, but I'm getting ideas for some dishes that I want to adapt.

My language course is okay. It just teaches you things you'd need to know for a vacation, like asking for directions and ordering food. Red wine in German is really hot, by the way. I may or may not have fantasies of a hot waiter growling "rrrrrrotWEIN" in my ear now. Once I finish this, I want to go back to basics in grammar and all that.

The majority of German I'm learning is from Rammstein's music, though. Yeah, sure, I remember when "Du Hast" came out. I thought it was good, but didn't notice much else. Sometimes it takes a while to really connect with a band. "Ich Tu Dir Weh" is what did it. I have 3 albums so far, "Liebe ist für alle da," "Rosenrot," and "Reise, Reise" (my favorite). I've also joined the thousands of women who lust over Till Lindemann. Sigh. I mean, how can you not?


Ahem.

I recently caught a cold, and I don't even feel like speaking English, much less German. I'm content to just glare at people and grunt responses to yes or no questions. I got tired of having a runny nose, so I packed some cotton in there so I wouldn't have to worry about it. I have no idea if "du riechst so gut" or not, as my nose is packed up tighter than a porcelain vase being shipped through the mail. But I'll keep at it. I want to take a trip to Berlin someday, preferably in December. It's surprisingly easy to find veg options there, thanks to Happy Cow. Plus...


The Christmas markets are calling to me!

;)

Let's face it, my dogs know more about living than I do.

"Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring--it was peace." - Milan Kundera

Today the weather is pretty much perfect. It's in the upper 60's, it's sunny, and it's windy. It's going to get cloudy tomorrow, and then the rain will come back and it'll be Portlandy all over the place. Life has been hectic these last few weeks, hence my lack of posting, so I couldn't resist the urge to leash up the dogs and take them to the nearby dog park.

Bailey, Dexter, and Basil.
We had the whole place to ourselves, so I dropped their leashes and let them go wherever they wanted, while I stood back to take pictures with my phone.


I've always hoped that if we were ever somehow separated, and they ended up in some kind of Incredible Journey situation, they'd have the sense to stay together. I feel pretty confident that Basil could lead them somewhere safe.


Now I just hope he keeps them within sight! Actually, they all moved in the same general direction. Surprisingly, it was Dexter who took the lead most often.


There wasn't a specific destination, they just worked their way around the area, sniffing smells and rolling in the grass. Every once in a while they'd look back to make sure I was nearby. "Are you happy?" I'd ask them, and in reply they'd each gift me with one of those big dog smiles. Then they'd turn around and press on.


I love how whatever they're doing at the time is the most important thing in the universe, whether it's eating, sleeping, playing, barking at a noise, or chasing the cats. Truly living in the moment, nothing else matters. And everything is done full tilt, no half-assing at all. I would do well to adopt that way of living myself.


We made our way back home and all three are passed out as I put this post together. Soft snores mix with the sound of the wind outside. I may take them again later, I'm not sure yet. No matter what we do for the rest of the day, I know they'll have a great time.

And so will I.

What the Occupy Portland movement has taught me about myself.

I like to complain about how I don’t like people, but, as it turns out, I may care more than I realized. Who woulda thunk it? Ha!

My awareness of Occupy Wall Street has been comprised of tweets from my friend Avi, and that’s pretty much it. I have been focused on my own problems lately, one of which is how on earth I’m going to find a job in the next few weeks. Quite fitting, now that I think about it. I pretty much live in my head anyway, occasionally stretching my neck to see what’s up in the “real world” when I remember it’s there.

Today was a free day for me. Nothing needed to be done, and I had a stack of library books, DVDs, and a full DVR to keep myself entertained. I got online to check email and tweets, and that’s how I got swept up in the movement. The Oregonian posted a link to the Livestream broadcast, and when I started watching there were already about 2,000 people gathered. I watched as they organized, grew, and started to move. Estimates placed the numbers around 5,000-6,000 people. Is that incredible or what?

Photo by Ross William Hamilton, the Oregonian. For more pics, go here.
Everyone was represented, from babies to seniors. Even though there were so many people, and even though they were loud as hell, it was a peaceful protest. And the Portland police dept. handled the situation really well. Seriously, the rest of the country should have been taking notes. As my heart swelled with pride, I thought, “Goddamn it, I absolutely love the people here.”

Me? Loving people? Yeah!

I love Portlanders. I love the easygoing lady I buy dog food from. I love the peppy chick working the produce department at the grocery store. I love the scruffy guy who nods at me as we cross paths on the sidewalk. I love the dude who gave me a thumbs up when I let him go ahead of me in traffic. People here are awesome, they really are. And they matter. We all matter. Not just here, but all over the country. Hell, all over the world. It is not fair that the richest 1% of the American population holds the wealth, while the remaining 99% shoulders the debt. Things need to change in a big way. I'm not much of an inspirational speaker, so thankfully many people are more eloquent than I am. Check out Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Portland for updates.

Today’s event added fuel to the fire behind my determination to stay in this area. It isn’t just the weather, the scenery, the vegan scene, the pet-friendliness. It’s the people here, too. I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be. I want to stay here and be a part of this community, and I will do anything, within reason, to make that happen.

Sorry, having my Kumbaya moment here. Will return to my usual crankiness soon, promise! Until then… I love you!