mondaze

Do you ever try to nap, but aren't able? I was cursed with that unfortunate phenomena this weekend.

I went out to a late show on Friday night to see The Gooch and The Harlan Twins at Club Cafe. Then had to wake up early for dog-sitting duty, and since I was going out late again on Saturday (so unlike me!) to shake my groove thing on the dance floor with PYT at Operation Sappho, I tried to nap. Yet, was unsuccessful. Even though I gave it three attempts. And, PYT also had a fruitless napping day, and then it seemed like everyone we talked to that night had had the same experience that day. What the bleep? My theory is that there was some type of energy disturbance that made napping impossible. And, then I had the same experience (well, I might have gotten about 20 minutes in, maybe) on Sunday! Dang!

So, today I'm feeling cranky about being at work--even more so because it's MLK Day, and most of my pals are off--gallivanting, I'm sure. The two-day weekend is just not even close to being sufficient. Grrr.

I will try to have an early night tonight, but it's Queers: They're What's For Dinner night, so we'll see. Even if I'm sleepy, I know the food will be tasty at the Gypsy Cafe.

(Have I ever mentioned that I'm a compulsive and chronic over-scheduler?)

But, anyway. I have my first-ever personal cheffing-style gig this week! I'm making a vegan dinner for one of the bands coming in for the Queer Songwriters Night on Friday. I think I will reprise (a vegan version of) the dinner that I made for PYT last week. It was tasty, healthy and cute--which are all important factors. And, I bartered with my pal E for some graphic design a few months ago, and I'm going to start paying her back soon with some cheffery. And, I'm hoping that will help me get back on track to cooking more again, and making healthy stuff (which is what she's requested).

But, right now? All I want is a nap. Maybe tomorrow...

if i were a diva...

If I were a diva perhaps it would not feel as though my uterus is trying to claw it's way out. As it stands, I've got a uterache to beat the band. Dang.

I met The Gooch today at lunch for a little Scrabble action, and while we weren't able to finish the game, she had a good lead up on me. But, I'm blaming any Scrabble-related shortcoming on my persnickety uterus. Do you all have that thing where you start dropping things and losing focus and the like around the time of the Red Wave?

But, otherwise all is well. I'm meeting some oldie-but-goodie pals this evening for a potent potable and an assload of new tunes. Seriously. I used to work with these fellas, and we had a monthly "International Interoffice Mixed Tape Exchange". Except that it wasn't really international, and we didn't actually use tapes. But, still. It was a real.good.time, and I miss both them and the exchanges. I see them from time to time, but never often enough. I've made-but-not-kept a few plans lately with one of the guys, let's call him Alan (because that is his name). Every time I talk to him he has more mixes piling up for me. Tonight he said he's bringing 13. Yes, thirteen! Woot! And, the other young man, let's call him Bob, is planning on bringing me a couple Beirut goodies (the band I'm currently obsessed with, but own nothing by) and the Juno soundtrack. And, a small painting he did of me when I was dressed up as Divine for Halloween a couple years ago. I'm so excited I could pee.

Also, I have not smoked today (my yesterday's tally was four). I want one, but am doing okay because I found an old nicotine patch in my medicine cabinet. I'm going to get some more, but have to wait for a minute because while I normally am paid once per month, in January we're not paid for six weeks (because we're paid two weeks early in December because the office is closed for the holidays at the time they'd normally pay us). It is putting a hurtin' on me. Luckily, I have some dog-sitting gigs coming up. But, in the meantime, if you have some extra patches and/or gum and the like sitting around doing nothing, give me a holler. I will gladly use them.

ps. The Gooch is an international sensation!

You all might remember me mentioning my pal The Gooch every now and again (when I kick her ass at Scrabble)? Well, a month or two ago she started a website called One Cold Hand. This mission of the website is this:

“onecoldhand.com is a project that connects the Pittsburgh community through one unfortunate event – the loss of a glove. This site creates a method for dealing with the conundrum of finding these lost articles. Do you leave it and hope the owner comes back to find it? Do you pick it up? Throw it away? With onecoldhand.com, the abandoned object now becomes a symbol of benevolence and hope."

[coincidentally and interestingly, my friend Dylan has been photographing single lost gloves in NYC for the past few years, but they're not related projects].

So, she started getting some media attention in the local papers and stuff, and then it blew up! She's interviewed in the New York Times! And, will be interviewed today for the BBC! And, for various TV stations (she told FOX TV to shove off! heh!). Check out the site!

She needs volunteers for picking up drop-boxes around town, and I'm sure lots of other related tasks since she's all busy being famous. And, you can get stickers, too, for when you find some lost-n-lonely gloves.

Go, Gooch, Go!

a quandry (and some other stuff)

Folks, I'm having a quandary.

I've eaten out the last two days. One meal was 'eh', one meal was kinda grody. Normally I'd just spill the dirt, but a couple weeks ago I mentioned a dish I had at a local restaurant and got some immediate feedback from a member of the staff and the owner. Now, I don't want to trash anyone or their business or hurt anyone's feelings (and frankly, I've seen the stats on this-here blog, and while there seems to be a loyal following, it's definitely not reaching all of Pittsburgh or anything). So, how do I approach this? I really just want to relay my honest experiences about food--the good, the bad, the ugly. So, how do you navigate the public v. private? I can only imagine this won't be the first or last time this may come up since Pittsburgh's not so big, and I know a lot of peeps. I appreciate any feedback. Cripes.

In other news, I ended up skipping the film on Tuesday. It was so rainy and grey and I had some netflixes, and that made me just wanna hang out on the couch, watch, read, and cuddle pets. But, there are definitely more films I'd like to see this week. There are two womens' movies tonight, the local shorts tomorrow, Nina's Heavenly delights (the first line of the description is "Calling all foodies!") and Itty Bitty Titty Committee. And, in addition, a couple of friends have shows this weekend. And, there's the Halloween parties, too. Eek! And, all this is counterbalanced by my intense desire to hibernate as much as possible. What's a girl to do? I'm gonna have to make a list of the essentials vs. non-essentials. Shite.

Speaking of friends' shows, check 'er out!

Friday, Oct. 26, 6:30 p.m.
Jen Lawton (ek's note: Jen Lawton = "Junior"!): Cities
Coca Café 6:30pm - ?
3811 Butler Street, Lawrenceville
Some booze will be provided by the artist-on-a-budget, but more always keeps the party going! Please feel free to bring a bottle to share.
Final Fridays on Butler Street

Shop. Drink. Eat.

Mark your calendar for "Final Fridays," the final Friday of each month, featuring festivities from 7 to 11 p.m. on four fabulous blocks of Butler Street in Lawrenceville.

"Final Fridays" is a great opportunity to make an exciting evening of Lawrenceville activities. Whether you're shopping for yourself, your home, or just looking for some great entertainment, there are plenty of choices. Visit cool Pittsburgh boutiques and galleries, including La Vie, T's Upholstery Studio, Pavement, Divertido, SUGAR, Accessorize, Elisco Advertising, O'Bannon Oriental Carpets and Elements.

and...

Sunday, Oct. 28, 8:30 p.m.

The Sunday Night Hayride
Howler's Coyote Cafe
4509 Liberty Ave. (Bloomfield)

FREE! No Cover!
FREE vegan buffet - 8:30
Beagle Brothers - 9
Jenn Gooch (ek's note: Jenn Gooch = "The Gooch") w/guest John Carson - 10

The after-work plan today is to hit up the Bloomfield Farmers Market. I'm on the hunt for brussels sprouts, figs, pierogies and a slice of blueberry pie. I also usually run into some lesbians there, too. That's not what I'm on the hunt for (pipe down, wiseacres!), but it adds a nice je ne sais quoi. You feel me?

housekeeping light

First things first, I got some spammy-ass comment the other day, so I changed things up so that you have to enter some code to prove you're not a bot. Hopefully you're not actually a bot, and won't mind this minor inconvenience. (But, if you are a bot, I'm sort of jealous--not that you spend your days spamming, but just 'cause being a [ro]bot sounds like fun. For one, you could dance like a mo-fo. Personally, I enjoy dancing like a mo-fo).

Can someone give me the definitive answer on a grammar question I constantly struggle with since I'm quite addicted to parentheticals? So, when you're ending a sentence--especially in a series of sentences--inside a set of parentheses, where does the punctuation go? What if the parenthetical is a question, but the sentence as a whole is a statement, of vice versa?

Okay, anyway. I'll wait for your answer while I continue about my blog post, and, will, abuse, commas, as, is, my, custom, and, will, not, care.

I was planning on posting yesterday, but took off at lunch to go to Pitt to attend the PA HB1400 hearing, and decided to stay and take the rest of the afternoon off. It was really interesting. The gist of the bill is that it will include sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression in the language to prohibit discrimination for employment and housing. Luckily, in the 'Burgh, we already have that language, but most of the rest of the state does not. The committee requested more personal stories (of instance where discrimination has occurred based on these factors), so if you have a story, please share. Rep. Dan Frankel is sponsoring this bill, so I'm guessing his office would be a great place to send that, as well as to your very own personal legislator. Take action, peeps! It's important! Even if you don't have a personal story, please express your support!

In other news, I just was able to catch up with one of my favorite ladies on the planet, via the telephone, a couple days ago. Schwatts is one of my dearest friends, if not the nearest. She currently resides in York, PA, and recently started a personal chef business there: Dish! And, she's already super-busy and pretty much taking York by storm. So, I'm going to visit and volunteer as a sous chef for a couple days next month to get a taste of the Day In The Life of a Personal Chef! And, I get to have some Schwattzie-time. I can't wait!

Oh, and here is a pic of the Squash Spice Bread that I made the other day. It was very, very moist (like, puddin') and not very sweet, but good. But, I think it was especially wet because I used some water in baking the squash, and then didn't drain it after. I liked it, but next time I'd remove more of the moisture from the squash (or, um, just cook the squash like the recipe says to), add a little more sugar and a little dash of cloves. Or, mix it up entirely, and use some Indian spicing. Hmmm...


Guess where Mags and I are going to lunch today! Guess! Okay, here's a hint. It rhymes with Brice Bisland Bea Bouse. Say that three times fast. Again! Again! Okay. You can access the menu here, 'cause they don't have their own site. Hello, Brava Bried Brice.

Also, TGIF, my peeps! That is what I'm talkin' about! I'm headed to Gist Street and then a drag king show at the Eagle. And, I'm dog-sitting my special little guy, Zeke, this weekend! And, Sunday is the return of the epic battle: EK vs The Gooch in: Scrabble Smackdown! Weeeeeeeeekkkkkkkeeeeeeennnnnnnnddddd!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

o.b.--NOT the way it should be.

All morning I've had that jingle from the old O.B. tampon commercials in my head:

O.B.! It's the way you should be! Keep it simple, and set yourself free...from the extra...something-something...just try O.B. and you'll see!

I hate O.B.

I found myself in a desperate situation this morning with nothing but O.B. on hand. On my second try, I kinda got it, um, in place, but it was so uncomfortable it almost made me cry out of anger and frustration. And, there were no shops open anywhere between the house (where I'm pet-sitting), the bus stop and work. That is not a good way to start the day. How does anyone use these torture devices?! Monday morning + O.B. makes for one surly E.K.

Moral of this story? O.B. can suck it.

But, let's leave all that behind us, and concentrate on the good stuff--which is, of course, the weekend. And, it was a very special weekend because it was Maggie's birthday! Woot! She had her 2nd Annual Pittsburgh Birthday Potluck Party on Saturday evening, and I think I can safely say that a good time was had by all. Mags, Kramer, E-dawg and I reconvened the next morning (on Marge's actual birthday) for coffee and leftover cake, and a post-game discussion of our highlights and lowlights of the party the night before. It was all highlights, with very few lowlights! My highlights were: an excellent group of folks that seemed to be just the right mix, incredibly awesome food, super music--both the jams from the debut of DJ B.T. Hurd and the song stylings of The Gooch, encouragement (for all kinds of stuff) from our lovely hostess, and the peep show. My lowlights: none.

For the potluck I made a dish that is quickly becoming one of my ol' standbys--Eric Gower's recipe for Edamame Salad with Pickled Ginger from his The Breakaway Cook cookbook. I've talked about this on the blog before, and you can find the recipe here in the archives.


I also made a cake which I believed to be Maggie's favorite flavor--Apple-Walnut with Cream Cheese Frosting. But, when I said, "Guess what kind! It's your favorite!" She excitedly replied, "Lemon Poppyseed!". heh. But, then she recanted and said that Lemon Poppyseed used to be her favorite until a couple years ago when her loyalties shifted over to Apple Walnut. Either way, it was tasty. I got the recipe online from Shirl. Thanks, Shirl! (one note, Shirl makes this as a sheet cake, and I made two 9" rounds so as to look more birthday party-ish. So, I doubled the recipe for the frosting).


And, here's the spread:

One of my favorite dishes was Gooch's butternut squash. I had a butternut squash in my fridge, so I made it yesterday. So good and so easy!

Squash a la Gooch

1 butternut squash
1 small onion
some honey (2-4 T?)
some cayenne (1/2 t?)

Heat the oven to 375. Half the squash, long-ways, and scoop out the seeds. Half the onion, and place one half in each of the now-seedless cavities of the squash. Put some honey and cayenne into your baking dish, and place the squash, cut side down, into the dish (make sure the onion's not too big, because you want the squash to be flush with the pan). Cover loosely with foil, and bake about 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of your squash. Yuh-um! I had one dish of it straight-up with plenty of the honey-cayenne liquid on top (it generates more liquid when cooking, from the squash, but I probably used about 2-4 T. of honey to start with). Then later I had a dish with some cinnamon and butter and toasted pecans. And, yet later still I had a little bit with some cumin sprinkled on. And, I'm having the last of it for lunch today, again straight-up style.


Apart from the food, here are some general birthday highlights:
The Birthday Girl, the morning after:


DJ B.T. Hurd kickin' out the jams:


Some slow dancin':


Some fast dancin'/flat-footin':


Some dirty dancin':

mutherhumper!

Dang it! I've been so absurdly busy that I haven't been able to post a blog, and it's killing a Hurd*.

*Hurd is actually my friend Amy's last name, but I love it so much that I also like to refer to myself as "A Hurd"--especially when I'm talking to her. As in, "A Hurd is feeling a Hurd. I totally know what you're saying." Plus, it's just really fun to say stuff like "it's killing a Hurd". "Hurd" also goes really well in nearly all popular music songs: ex. 'All I need is a miracle...All I neeeeed is Hurd!' or 'I'm bringin' Hurdcakes** back, Ow!'.

**Hurdcakes is another variation and a real good time.

A Hurd and a half a Hurd (new years in Toronto, which i will not discuss other than to say: down with Canada).


Anyhow, yeah, I didn't even get to do a rant about Mondays yesterday, as is my custom. Too bad, too, 'cause I was on a roll with hatin' yesterday (my uterus made me do it). I even forgot my mantra about hatin' being so last year.

But, the weekend? Oh, the weekend. How I love thee. I had a great one. The weather could not possibly have been better. And, I was out and about biking around! You know I mentioned that a few weeks ago my friend Marsha hooked me up with a (FREE!) bike from a woman she works with? Well, it was awesome, but a little big for me, and it has a boy-bar, so that I was terrified of having to stop suddenly and damaging my delicate lady-parts, so I worked out a trade with Mags. She's a little taller than me, and liked how light and fast that bike is. I like how hers (now mine) has a girl-bar (girls rule, boys drool--fyi) and just feels more my size, and I feel more stable on the seat, and like that it came with a WVU Horticulture milkcrate. I just got it a few days ago, and have made good use of it so far!

I rode down to a meeting for the Northside Co-op on Friday. Riding down Troy Hill was thrilling! I had big plans to ride it back up, but there was no way. I'm pretty out of shape, so I gotta ease into this thing. Luckily, Sandra and Jessica were also at the meeting, and gave a Hurd* a ride back up the hill, and let me store my bike at their place for the night.

Saturday Ellen and I rode over to the farmer's market (so fun!) from the Northside (to the Firehouse Farmer's Market in the Strip) and back. I'd met the manager of the market, Megan Cook, at the co-op meeting on Friday, and that made it even more fun 'cause I got scoop on stuff (well, really just that it was the first week for sweet corn, but still. she's a peach).

Sunday I went swimmin' at the Bloomfield Pool and then rode over to the Quiet Storm to meet up with The Gooch for our weekly Scrabble Fight To The Death. I totally kicked her ass. Just sayin'.

And, today? Today is my crowning achievement thus far. I drove to Bloomfield this morning and parked, then rode my bike to work. And, rode it down into Oakland to meet Roya for lunch (java fried rice and Dave-n-Andy's. don't blame me--the uterus made me do it) where she GAVE ME HER BRAND NEW COPY OF THE NEW HARRY POTTER BOOK (thank you, Roya!!!)!

I feel like a badass. For real. I bought a bike rack on Sunday, and so I'm going to take my bike everywhere I go, park a few miles away and ride so that I can gradually build up my stamina and tackle hills.

Also, I'm totally giving up the back-sliding smoking 'cause it makes my lungs want to bust through my chest when I'm biking. So, smoking: 0, biking: 1.

look! i'm so far ahead 'cause i'm so fast!


bike-n-me photoshoot (all my farmer's market goodies are in the back):


farmer's market


I got a bunch of stuff at the farmer's market because I was going to the 2nd Annual Pittsburgh DYKE MARCH & Picnic on Saturday afternoon. It was a real good time seeing all the ladies and marching, and I loved the addition of after-picnic. I made some tomato-bean-potato salad (based on a recipe from Chef Lon in a Whole Foods class. i couldn't find the exact recipe, but I think it was close), some of the white bean dip with basil drizzle with baguette, and a Blueberry Crisp (based on this recipe from Heidi's site).


The salad was a breeze to make, and is super-tasty.


I just quartered a bunch of new potatoes (I used a mix of red, gold and purple for cuteness' sake), and boiled them until tender. And, meanwhile blanched the green beans. I quartered a bunch of small tomatoes (plum? the ones from the farmer's market picture above). I julienned a handful of basil, and tossed all that stuff together, and added the dressing:
1/2 c. olive oil
1/2 c. vinegar (i used a mix of white and apple cider)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 rounded teaspoon of whole grain mustard (i used Double C)
salt & pepper to taste
I just put it all in a jar with a tight-fitting lid, and shake it-shake it. I didn't use all of it for the salad, just add enough to coat everything well, and then use the rest for salads. It'll keep for a week or two in the fridge. Yum.

For the crisp, I followed Heidi's recipe exactly, but substituted blueberries for the peaches and plums and rosewater for the orange blossom water. I probably could've cut the sugar in half, too. But, it was tasty!


In between the farmer's market and the Dyke March, E-dawg and I went to the pool (Jack Stack), and then stopped by The Vault. We'd tried to check it out a week or two earlier, but were there on Sundays, and they're closed that day (I hate when coffeeshops are closed on Sundays!). But, it was worth waiting for. It's the cutest place ever! they have a bunch of hilarious signs, friendly staff, a great magazine selection, cute decor, and possibly the best pb&j sandwich Of All Time!



Mark my words, I will be back!

I went out to Operation Sappho and got my dance party on late Saturday night, so I was ready for a hearty breakfast again. I had to do the Shirred Shittake Eggs and fried potatoes again. So good. Thank you, Eric Gower!

Last night was the "Queers: They're What's For Dinner!" dinner at the Gypsy Cafe, and it was some good eatin'. My favorite thing was the crostini with this creamy veggie spread. Yuh-um.

Phew. Okay. I think I'm caught up. Just in the nick of time, 'cause a Hurd* needs to ride a Hurd's* bike over to Bloomfield to get a Hurd's* car.

busy beaver

Man, it has been a busy week. Still is, in fact. And, a week of lots of ups and downs--most of which I don't really want to talk about publicly, but it all seems to even out. The universe likes balance, it seems.

Anyhow, let me tell you about two highlights of my week.

One was last night. I went to see Neko Case at the Byham. I bought my tickets a while ago, and expected that they'd be sorta good, but they were hella good (that's the first time I've used "hella"; I'm trying it out)! We were in the fourth row! Amazing! Neko, I love you! She has this voice that blows me away--the range, the richness. Again, amazing. And, she played for hours! Incredible! She just seems really sweet and humble and fun. I still remember the first time I heard her. I used to subscribe to CMJ magazine to find out about what the kids were listening to, and "Twist The Knife" by Neko Case and Her Boyfriends was on that compilation, and I listened to it over and over and over. She didn't play that one last night, but she did play lots of other favorites.

And, her back-up singer, Kelly Hogan, was a riot. I liked the opening band, too--Eric Bachman. Especially this instrumental number called "To the Races". Good stuff.

That show made my heart feel full of joy.

Another thing that made my heart full of joy this week was a meeting that Ellen and I had with Brad Spencer and Elena (didn't catch her last name). They're part of a committee working to create a North Side Food Co-op. I heard about plans a few months ago, and sent out some emails trying to get some info to no avail, but then a few weeks ago my pal Sandra forwarded me an email about the co-op. I sent an email to the google group asking for more info, and then started emailing with Brad about it (he even reads this here blog--hi, Brad!). I thought it was awesome that there would be a co-op in the North Side, but really, this is so much larger and more incredible in scope than I'd ever imagined. It's freakin' revolutionary! They are envisioning a community meeting place where local growers/producers of all sorts would bring their products there and interact with the community members in a very real way. They are envisioning setting up all sorts of local gardens for the community. They are envisioning the co-op being a place where community members could cook meals--in both commercial and non-commercial kitchens. There would be space for meeting and eating and joining together. I got to see some of the plans, and the inspirations, and folks? It was one of the most exciting conversations I've had in and about Pittsburgh! Seriously. This new model for what a co-op can be will rock your socks in the best possible of ways. Really. And, guess what? You don't have to just rely on these little snippets. Tonight there is a community meeting, and you can come and get more information and Be A Part Of Making Pittsburgh A Better Place To Be. Here's the scoop:

If you are interested in making the Northside Community Grocer Coop (NCGC) a reality, please join us this Friday evening for an important meeting to help JUMPSTART the efforts of our MEMBERSHIP Committee.


Meeting details and AGENDA are provided below:
DATE: Friday, July 20th (yes, THIS Friday)
TIME: 7:00 pm-8:30pm (Meeting will start and end ON TIME)
LOCATION: Allegheny Unitarian Universalist Church;
416 West North Ave, on the corner of North Ave and Resaca Place (North Side of Pittsburgh)
Directions: http://www.alleghenyuu.org/direct.html

If you would like more information prior to attending, please email: NCGC-Membership@googlegroups.com

Sincerely,
North Side Community Grocery Coop Steering Committee
NCGC-Membership@googlegroups.com

This weekend should be action-packed with goodness, too! I'm attending that meeting tonight, and tomorrow E-dawg and I are meeting up in the morning to ride bikes over to the Firehouse Farmers Market. It'll be the first time I hafta ride my bike up Troy Hill. I'm a little scared, but I'm just going to try to take it slow, and use my gears to the best advantage. I can't wait to pack my little milk crate with fresh goodies and ride around. I think I will feel both happy and badass--what's a better combo than that?

If it's warm in the afternoon we're going to hit another city pool. I'm voting for something close to Squirrel Hill because last Saturday I got a red velvet cupcake from Dozen, and it freaked my freak it was so good. I want one. I know that is not what I should be eating to make my way towards the elusive 200-pound crossing mark, but dang. That is some good stuff. But, speaking of making my way down, I did re-lose a couple more pounds. I'm now at 209. You can do it, little guy! (I mean me. I needed a cheer.)

Also on Saturday, it's the 2nd Annual Pittsburgh DYKE MARCH!!! Woo hoo! Sweet! Dyketastic! Ladyriffic! I'm really excited. Last year was awesome, and I can only assume that this year will be Even Better. And, then afterwards there's a picnic (byop), and that night there's an Operation Sappho dance party spectacular! Right on!

Sunday I'm a-gonna go swimmin' again if it's warm enough, then meet up for my weekly Scrabble Showdown with The Gooch. She's goin' dahn!!!

ps. here is the gorgeousness that is Java Fried Rice:


ps. we went to Sue Murray pool in the N.Side on Wednesday, and it got two thumbs up, way up (actually four 'cause both of us gave it a thumbs' up). here's a friend we met in the pool:


As fun as that friend was, I'll stick with this one:


Happy Friday, my peeps! Make the most of your weekend!