Monday, June 29, 2009

Tramp Stamp

I have a patch of darker skin that has slowly appeared on my forehead. I thought this was due to years and years of childhood sunburns finally coming back to kick me in the ass, but turns out it's due to birth control. My mother's friend said that as soon as she saw it that's the first thing she thought. So basically anyone who sees me will be able to see that I am taking birth control because it is stamped onto my forehead. Wonderful.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Deal or No *Cough*

Yeah. So remember those auditions I went to? So I could win a million dollars and make all my own films and build myself a castle and stuff? Well I won! If you consider coming down with a middle of the summer cold winning. Ugh. My voice is several, several octaves lower than normal and I could double for Rudolph if I needed to.

On the other hand, I actually have a couple of days of work this week, arranging auditions for an independant feature. So that's really nice. Hopefully I don't start an epidemic akin to H1N1 (though then everyone would know my name and learn to pronounce it correctly, right? Silver lining, people).

I also had a nice weekend, went to a fun party, got to see my family and fought/made up with my boyfriend. I live a very active life, in between all the tv watching.
Which, by the way, is about to end as I have been outvoted and we are no longer going to be paying for cable. So look for the quantity (and maybe quality if you're lucky, all five of you) of my posts to increase.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Calzones

Tastiest thing I've made this week. I'm totally making them again soon. Just take that bread recipe I posted a few days ago, and shape the dough into flat squares. Fill it up with whatever filling you like - in my case veggies, bacon and cheese - then fold it up, let it rise 15 minutes or so, and bake it. It is totally delicious and neat and tidy to eat. Great for bringing to work. Or stuffing your face with. Either way.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Tuesday

It might be time to get out of my pajamas.

Monday, June 22, 2009

Parasite baby!

I just read something on Perez Hilton about how one of the celebrities on "I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here" has some kind of parasite larvae thing growing under their skin. After trying to get that image out of my head I started thinking about how basically if you were to explain a pregnancy to someone who had lived in a cave away from all mammals and had no idea about how reproduction happened (but somehow could talk and think and had a fully developed brain and everything), the way the people reproduce would probably sound just about as disgusting. It grows in you and takes all its nutrients from you? And you have to push it out of where?? And that takes how long? Oh my god, it obviously doesn't fit there are you kidding me (let's not even get into explaining to cave person how the baby got in)?

And then it can't really see or lift it's head or move much at all and you have to clamp it to your body to feed it. And it screams and poops and it will be years before it can even talk to you, much less take care of itself. Doesn't it sound insane? And yet I totally want kids one day and I think babies are adorable. It's like a specific form of localized insanity that everyone has, where this process just sounds appealing despite being really completely unpleasant and disgusting in theory.

If one day my future children read this, I love you! Even if you started out as cute little parasites.

Good Vibrations

The job meeting went well. Looks like I'll have a new project coming up in a few weeks. Yay!

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Happy Father's Day

Since my dad is terrible at picking up the phone I'm just going to throw it out to the universe : Happy Father's Day!

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Party and Punch

So it's been a busy couple of days. I got a phone call from my boyfriend yesterday at 5 in the morning to let me know that a drunk neighbor had sucker punched him in the face after he went to talk to the man about the loud screaming fight he was having with his girlfriend. Where, by the way, the girlfriend was yelling loud enough for the whole building to hear : "You hit me." So he goes and tries to just talk to the guy and let him know that hitting girls isn't cool, and the guy sucker punches him in the jaw and knocks him down (and he's a big guy!) and then hits him a couple more times while he's half knocked out. Sounds like a winner neighbor huh? Woman beater and sneak coward fighter. So there's a bit further drama with my bf's room mates running down and some of his friends pulling up in a car, which ends with my bf calling the police and filing a report. I headed over and got there as the sun was coming up and we just both fell asleep.

Then, later that night, party! He'd planned it a few days ago so it went ahead, black eye, sore jaw and all. It was a ton of fun and a great stress reliever. He's being very zhen about everything and says he actually feels sorry for the guy because he's obviously totally messed up. I am much less sympathetic and am hoping he falls down a long flight of stairs and breaks a few bones, but whatever, I'm glad he's ok.

So yeah, busy 24 hours but overall fun and I think he looks pretty cute with his black eye - it's not swollen so it just looks a bit like he tried to put make up on. People are crazy though, seriously.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Fried EVERYTHING!

Those pork steaks I was raving about? I breaded and fried them. Then since I had extra beaten egg left over I also breaded and fried some mushrooms and a few shrimp. They were all delicious. So the lesson of the day is you can fry anything in butter and it will taste good. You're welcome.

John and Kate Plus 8

So another of my guilty pleasure shows has been John and Kate + 8. I watched their original special way back in the day, and have seen most of the episodes in their series. Throughout the show I've always thought that John was a bit of a door mat and that Kate was a sometimes a bully, taking many opportunities to critiscize and yell that she didn't need to take (my boyfriend thinks she's a total bitch, I thought she was just overbearing). I still liked both of them however and their bickering seemed to be at levels that still allowed for caring and support.

They have, however, gone totally insane this year.

Maybe they went insane a couple years ago but it is finally showing. Kate has become more and more and more shouty and self-righteous. John keeps going on trips and to parties/bars with various young women. They spent their anniversary apart and there are photos of Kate spanking one of their kids, where previously time outs had always been used for discipline. She is also very tanned and styled all the time now. Even the kids look different - the little girls have these fancy hairstyles now, which to me screams "nanny" since what parent has the time to elaborately style their 5 daughters' hair? Now they've got a "big announcement" to make, which I would lay bets is that they're divorcing. And it's so sad because it seems like if John had stood up for himself more and Kate had been willing to compromise, maybe taking a year off the show, they could have worked it out. They have 8 kids! On the other hand, watching their mother abuse their father all the time (if a man treated a woman that way on tv it would sooo not be tolerated) and watching him just take it can't be healthy for the kids either. And it's not fun to watch anymore because it just feels so staged. Before it was cameras filming their lives, and the challenges of raising 8 kids, now their lives ARE the show. They constantly have "events" and celebrity visitors and trips and stuff.

So though I have watched this show for years I really hope it goes away and the next we hear from them is a few years down the line when they are all in a healthier place. If they have to sell their big fancy house and downsize a little, I think that's worth it for a happier home and some privacy for their kids.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Food spazz

I'm all excited about the pork steaks I got on sale at Whole Foods. $2.99 a pound suckers.

I'm such a dork.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Grrrr

Ugh. I responded to a ad about being an extra in a film, thinking why not, it's a little extra money. I see those ads all the time but this one actually sounded like it might be authentic. I got a call yesterday wanting me to come to an office to meet them, and I knew as soon as I heard it that it was probably just a scam. And in fact it was. The guy behind the desk was a total stereotype, slicked back hair and all and he recited off this speech that he sounds like he has to give 100 times a day. Off course you have to have headshots if you want to be an extra and of course you have to buy the headshots from them. SCAM! I'm so mad I even wasted the time going there.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Carbonara

I've decided to try to add recipes here as often as possible, so I have my own record of the things I cook often and can also share some of my favorite recipes with whoever stumbles by here.

So today's recipe is Carbonara (not that I'm going to have a recipe every day or anything). It's a classic Italian pasta dish that I learned from my mom.

Ingredients : Bacon, onion, egg, milk, parmesean cheese, pasta, salt, pepper

Fry up some bacon squares (or just cut strips into inch long pieces) and chopped up onion while you're cooking the pasta. Have a bowl with a couple of beaten eggs and a little milk ready to go. Add some pepper, salt and parm. cheese to the egg mixture. Once the pasta is ready drain it and put it back into the pot. Toss the bacon and onion into the pasta and mix it well. Then add the egg mixture to the pasta, turning it on low heat. Stir the pasta and mix it well with the egg, then keep stirring until the egg is cooked (how cooked depends on your own taste). Then turn off the heat and serve. It's bacony eggy pasta-y goodness. It's an Italian staple food and really good and filling.

Job Hope

So I had a positive job phone call. Hopefully I will be working on a feature film next month, which I would really love. I've worked mainly in tv in the past, but films is where I want my career to go so this is hopefully a first step in that direction. I also have some stuff planned for tonight and made a couple phone calls to help out a documentary I worked on last year. So I'll feeling productive and busy today, which makes me feel more optimistic about my future and my career in general. Wish me luck!

EDITED TO ADD :
Does anyone know of some great theatres or museums in Manhattan to screen a documentary about fashion?

Sunday, June 14, 2009

My Life in TV

Are other people as obsessed with 18 Kids and Counting as me? What are the ratings? Because I'm pretty sure liberal unmarried childless 25 year old is not their target demographic.

Whole Foods

I love Whole Foods. I love their food, I love how they treat employees and I love how it is possible to get a deal there if you try. Cat food is only $1.99 for a decent sized bag, they generally rotating sales on things I like, and you get .10 for bringing your own bags (per bag). Except for the people at the registers employees seem to truly like their jobs and actually have a deep well of knowledge about whatever their department is.

Why am I raving about Whole Foods? Because I'm hungry and it's a half hour trip each way to go there. And also because I had a whole long discussion about it with my dad, who was trying to prove to me how it was unaffordable. I have that discussion a lot. I feel good about shopping there though. I feel healthier. The grocery store near my house just looks dingy and dirty and their produce goes bad faster. I feel like the meat I buy there has been pumped full of unhealthy stuff. So even though some things are more expensive, like meat, overall it is possible to shop there on a budget and the quality of food there makes it worth the effort. So if anyone out there is thinking about it but are scared of the price, as long as you are careful and go for the sales it is totally affordable to shop at Whole Foods.

Job(less) Stress

I just got a phone call about a job. I'm still kind of wandering around waking up however and wasn't expecting any calls (I thought it was my bf calling) so I was caught totally off guard and don't think I came across great. I basically told him I hadn't done the job he was looking for before (which I hadn't in title but I know I can do!) and consigned myself to a lower position if anything. I feel like an idiot.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Feminism

I was just on Momversation and they had a post up about Feminism, asking whether we considered ourselves feminists. I definitely do.

I am a proud feminist.

Contrary to the stereotype I don't see it as trying to be better than men or fighting them,but just demanding to be seen as equal. Equal pay, equal protection, equal responsibilities. Makes sense right? Paying a woman less than a man, or denying a woman a job because of her gender are and definitely should be illegal, but I know it still happens. On the other hand, I don't think ex-wives getting huge alimony payments for the rest of their lives to be particular feminist (but then I don't think it's fair when it goes the other way either [Kevin Federline!]).

If there's ever a draft again I think women should be drafted under the same criteria as men, unless they have a very young child that they are still nursing. Probably parents of young children should be exempt in general actually. When child custody is decided each parent should get equal time unless there is a valid reason. I think adults should have to take care of themselves. I think women are just as capable as men and I truly don't understand how it can be argued otherwise. That's my take on feminism. We don't need to be coddled, but neither should we be targeted because of our sex.

Anyway, there's a whole intersting discussion going on at Momversation but I had enough to say that I wanted to post it here.

Optimism and Pasta

I am feeling good about this upcoming week. It seems like it's going to be busy. Maybe (hopefully!) this is the week I find a full time job, or even a part time job doing what I want to do. In the meantime I went on a nice date with my boyfriend yesterday and was wined and dined and brought to see Star Trek, which, by the way, I really enjoyed. I never watched the tv show but I didn't feel I was really lacking any knowledge. I don't want to give anything away but it was really funny and touching in parts and I was (sadly, since it was such a manipulatively sappy scene) kind of crying a little at the very beginning. Not perfect or anything, and I didn't think the actor that played Spock did such a great job making him likeable, but definitely enjoyable overall.

And since I had a great lunch of Pasta Pesto today, I will share how to make that dish. Like most of what I make, it is really easy.

Ingredients : Olive Oil, Basil leaves, Garlic, Salt, Pepper, Pasta

Throw some pasta of your choice into the boiling water. Get a food processor and toss a bunch of basil leaves and olive oil in. Just add olive oil a bit at a time until it's nice and saucy with the basil. Also add a bit of salt and a couple/few garlic cloves to taste. Maybe a little pepper if you like it. You're going to need a lot of basil, but the sauce will cover more pasta then you thought it would. Once the pasta is ready, drain it. Throw in some pine nuts and toss that with the sauce and warm pasta that you just drained. The pasta will warm up the sauce - no cooking of the sauce required. It is delicious and healthy and very summery.
Variations :
You can also put some sun dried tomatoes in the food processor and make a tomato/basil pesto sauce instead. You can also substitute the pine nuts for some (crumbled up) walnuts, though I haven't tried it that way yet.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Houses

I love mini houses. I'm in house lust right now and even though I totally can't afford any house, mini or not, I can't help drooling over their almost-affordability. Sigh.

Bread (it's cheap)

I was wandering around online recently and decided to try to make my own bread. I don't know about everyone else, but I usually end up throwing away like half of every baguette I buy because I don't eat it fast enough and it gets hard. So in an effort to be budget concious and just because cooking is cool I decided to make my own. Super cheap (biggest expense is the yeast, but that's still less than a dollar a packet and you can make 2 baguettes or one big sandwich loaf with one) and I like being able to brag that I make my own bread.

It is really easy. You don't need a bread maker. You don't need a bunch of ingredients. It's literally just flour, water, yeast and if you want to add a little salt or a little honey or sugar you can but you don't need to. You basically put a packet of yeast into about 3/4 of a cup of warm water and squirt some honey in (optional). Then after 10 minutes it should be all foamy and you slowly add whatever type of flour you want, and maybe a little salt. Punch it, knead it, beat it up, and do that for like 10 minutes until it puffs back up when you poke it. Let it sit an hour in a bowl with something covering it (like a dish clothe), then gently punch it back down and put it in the shape/container you will cook it in. Let it sit 1/2 hour then stick it in the prewarmed oven at about 400 degrees until it looks ready (golden brown). Maybe half hour? I don't keep track that well, but about that. Tada! Bread. If you want to get fancy there's a bunch of sites all over the place that have great ingredients, but that is the basic recipe and it is so easy.

EDITED TO ADD : Oh, yeah, and you might want to put a bit of olive oil on/around the dough when it is rising so it doesn't stick to the bowl, and some more in whatever pan you cook it in.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Mmmmm Coffee

I just had a big cappucino with steamed milk, and it totally turned my day around. I love coffee. Everyone who knows me knows that taking me out to a coffee shop or making me coffee is about all they have to do to endear themselves to me. Tiramisu, mocha frosting, coffee icecream, it's all awesome. I absolutely love my expresso maker. Especially being on a budget, I can make myself a cappucino (I probably spelled that wrong) for probably about $.50 instead of paying over $3 for it at Starbucks or some other coffee shop. So I can have a big cup of coffee and feel good about myself that I am responsible and frugal. Most treats are a lot of work to make or cost a bunch of money to get someone else to make it for you, but coffee is easy, good and cheap. And probably somehow healthy too (ok, probably not actually but whatever).

Introduction

I've been really inspired by other women who blog, and I finally decided to take the plunge and start my own blog. I am not an expert in anything, but I am interested in everything so this blog is going to be a mix of recipes, random facts, cool tips and hints and just my thoughts and opinions on things. I'm in my mid 20s and still figuring a lot of things out, and I love the feedback a blog provides. The internet is not shy about giving their opinions, that's for sure. I'm hoping that people will be interested enough to write back and give me their thoughts (and recipes! I love food) on whatever the topic of the moment is.

I'm also hoping that writing will help me clarify my thoughts and goals to myself. I am currently fairly new to NYC and am still trying to get to know the city, to make new friends, and (most critically) to find my next paying gig. I've lived here about a year and am happy with what I've done but want to do sooo much more. I've met some great people, worked at a couple tv jobs, and eaten some great food. I'm also lucky enough that my boyfriend moved to NY when I did, so I have him to lean on when I need it. My goal for my second year in NY is to make some closer friends, move into a new apartment in a better location, and most importantly try to work more steadily. Being broke is no fun.

So that's me. Edited to add : Oh, and in case anyone is curious, the name of my blog refers to the fact that I absolutely love to travel but have no sense of direction and could get lost in a studio apartment.