I'm addicted to a tuberous rhizome.

Lately I have had this obsession with ginger. I'm becoming adept at working it into every meal (like this one) and I often find myself craving the taste of it. I don't know what's the matter with me.

Peep my delicious gingery accomplices: Torani sugar-free gingerbread syrup, Makoto ginger dressing, Newman's Own Lighten Up low fat sesame ginger dressing, Reed's Extra Ginger Brew, and Bundaberg Ginger Beer. I got the dressings at the commissary and everything else at World Market.

On Sunday I decided to use some of my leftover Thanksgiving baking supplies to make some gingerbread cookies. I had creamed my wet ingredients and was combining the dry ingredients when I realized that I didn't have any ginger. How that key ingredient never made it onto my shopping list, I do not know. You'd think that I wouldn't have trouble remembering that gingerbread contains ginger, but apparently I do.

It was getting late at that point, the commissary was already closed, and there was no way that I was going to make a trip into town to see if any of the civilian grocery stores were still open. So I improvised. Pumpkin pie spice has ginger in it, so I dumped in some of that and an extra shake of nutmeg. I've made similar swaps before, so I figured the end result wouldn't be that bad. The cookies turned out nicely, although I prefer very spicy gingerbread and spicy, these aren't. Nevertheless, they're moist and delicious in their own lightly-gingered way. They're perfect with a cup of gingerbread-flavored coffee in the morning.

P.S.: This one's for Bev:

Bo2k9BC: Best Night Out

Today's Best of 2009 Blog Challenge prompt is: Did you have a night out with friends or a loved one that rocked your world? Who was there? What was the highlight of the night?

I can't limit this to only one. With the amazing concerts I've been to this year, how could I? So here they are in the order they occurred (click the dates to read more about the shows):

April 16, 2009 - New Kids on the Block concert at the SaveMart Center in Fresno.
September 18, 2009 - Pink concert at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

My companion for both of these was Jason. Being so far from family, he's the only person with whom I can share those rock-your-socks-off moments. Luckily for me, there's no one else with whom I would rather share them.

Best night out honorable mentions go to the couple of times we've let loose at Saddle Ranch. Earlier tonight we were talking about how much fun we've had there. perhaps we'll go there again once our new bedroom furniture is paid off. Until then we'll just hang out in our room reminiscing (and hoping that we don't break the bed again).

kitteeeeeehn

I was sitting at my desk yesterday morning when out of the corner of my eye I saw a kitten dart across our yard and under my car. I hauled ass outside, bent over next to the car, and cooed at the kitten to come to me. She toddled right over and let out the tiniest, most adorable squeak of a meow that I've heard since my dad and stepmom's cat Nigel was a little one.

How do all of these cats find me? First the tortoiseshell kitten and Black Kitty at the fail apartment, then Princess and Orange Boy Kitty here in base housing. Not to mention Coco. So before today my tally was two cats whose homes I've found, and two I've taken to animal control. Not bad. There was also a feral cat at the fail apartment who I never managed to catch before we moved out, but feral animals are another situation entirely.

The kitten spent the rest of the day exploring the house and sleeping under the bed in the office. I ended up working overtime yesterdary, so I didn't have the opportunity to run her over to the base vet to check for a microchip. She had a brand new collar on, so I knew she must be someone's and was probably vaccinated, so I kept her overnight. Our cats--Lola especially--took great offense to her extended stay and kept me up past 1 a.m. with their hissing and growling. She didn't care, she just wanted to play. When I got up this morning and headed to the kitchen to make Jason his coffee, she came running after me from who knows where. She spent the day chilling with me in the office and playing an epic game of chase with Jacob. Today was equally as hectic work-wise, so I figured I'd make a point of taking her to the vet tomorrow. And honestly, I was enjoying her company and her kitten-ness.

But then Jason came home. He brought in the mail and a hand-written sign that he found at the mailboxes. Black and white female kitten, seven months old, purple collar... sure enough. He called the number and left a message while I jumped in the shower. When I got out he was still waiting for a call back. I was drying off when the phone rang. The person was right down the street and was going to come over right then. She lived next door, in fact!

Guess who it was, you guys. JUST GUESS.

If you guessed Crazy Navy Wife, DING DING DING, you're the winner! We found out her first name, too, so now I can think of more nicknames for her.

I made Jason answer the door and give her back her kitten (whose name, incidentally, is Boots, due to her white paws). CNW was all thank yous and we missed hers and her tone of voice was in normal lady mode, but I know the evil lurking within her could strike at any moment. I listened from behind the bathroom door. My neighbor is Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde.

My mom is probably going to say that I should try to be friends with her since she was nice this time and we have a fondness of cats in common, but it doesn't work that way for me. I don't cast my lot with people who can't be level-headed, civilized human beings all the time, and I'm not one to hand out second chances like business cards. Part of the reason we left Massachusetts is because we needed to surround ourselves with stable people. Trust me: being fond of cats is not enough to make a friendship or any other kind of relationship work.

Bo2k9BC: Best Restaurant Experience

If you're looking at this in a reader, click on through to the real thing, baby, because I decorated for the holidays up in hurrrrr. I like the new look so much that I might even keep it around in the off-season.

So here's today's Best of 2009 Blog Challenge prompt: Share the best restaurant experience you had this year. Who was there? What made it amazing? What taste stands out in your mind?

We've eaten out a lot this year. We eat out a lot in general. But I'm going to say that the best dining out experience I had all year was the brunch at the Universal City Hilton. We ate there two times this spring whilst flitting about Los Angeles. I remember four things: the coffee, the free champagne, the pineapple, and the gorgeous atrium in which the spread is set up.

I remember the coffee because I needed it after having been out late (among other things) the previous evenings.

I remember the free champagne because, HELLO, free! Champagne! And drinking bubbly at breakfast feels so decadent.

I remember the pineapple because it was fresh, not canned, and it was so sweet and juicy that it practically melted in my mouth.

I remember the atrium because the ceiling was sky-high and the windows flooded the space with SoCal sunshine. Sitting there with coffee in one hand and champagne in the other, my handsome husband sitting across from me, I felt like the world was my oyster. I felt like we had a glow surrounding us, because for all the people at the tables around us knew, we were somebody. Isn't everyone in LA somebody? Even if it was all in my head, we were that much more important for those two sun-drenched mornings.

P.S. Check out my butt-shroom:



It reminds me of my carrot.

The Best of 2009 Blog Challenge

It's the first of December, and you know what that means.

Yes, it means that you only have 24 shopping days left until Christmas (I only have two people left to buy gifts for, suckahs!).

Yes, it means that it's World AIDS Day (use a condom, people).

It also means that it's time to look back on the year behind us--and what better way is there to do that than The Best of 2009 Blog Challenge? (That was a rhetorical question, so don't answer it.)

Here's how it works: there's a writing prompt in question form for each day of December. For example, today's question is: What was your best trip in 2009? And so forth for the next 30 days--the list of prompts is here (there's also a list of participants on that page--I'm number 240, so seriously, all the cool bloggers are doing it). Easy, yes?

Well, maybe not. I am by no means promising that I'll blog every day or that I'll write about the prompt question if I do blog. I can commit to a man, but I sure as hell can't commit to blogging every day. Nor can I be counted on to summarize my year properly. Regardless, mad props to Gwen Bell for adding a little bit of organization to these here intertubes.

On to today's topic: my best trip in 2009. I've done a bit of travel this year. Most recently to Virginia for work, to Oakland for work, and to Los Angeles a few times, definitely not for work. And I'll be going home to Michigan two weeks from today (side note: SQUEEEEEEEEEEE!).

But the best trip of all this year was by far when I drove 3,100 miles from Massachusetts to California with a car full of disgruntled cats. (In case you missed it: part the first, part the second, and part the third.) And I don't mean "best" in an ironic or sarcastic sense at all. Leaving Massachusetts and knowing that I'll never have to live there ever again made the unpleasant parts of the journey fade into the background. California was my light at the end of the tunnel highway, and blasting across the Massachusetts/New York border throwing a one-fingered salute was better for my mental health than a bottle of Zoloft.

The move (and the Navy reenlistment that prompted it) was also an integral part of reclaiming our lives, which seemed to be stagnating in the morass that is Massachusetts and its accompanying familial entanglements. (Hehe, I said morass!) It was tough at times, like when Jason had to leave me in Massachusetts (for we didn't know how long) when he reported to his temporary personnel unit in Illinois. He certainly had it worse than I did. We ended up only being apart for two months, but that separation made joining him in California even sweeter, despite our less-than-ideal temporary accomodations and sleeping on the floor for two weeks while waiting for our moving truck to arrive.

I never thought I would drive cross-country, let alone with no other company than my cats. I feel grateful to have had my situation necessitate it. Making the trip was rewarding in that it taught me that I can handle that kind of stress. When Jason first reenlisted, I told him I wanted us to be sent anywhere but California because I knew that I would have to drive the cats to wherever we ended up, and I didn't think I could do it on my own. Now I know that I can!

This trip got me out of a negative place (literally and figuratively), boosted my self-confidence, and reunited me with my husband. It doesn't get much better than that!

piiiiiiiiiie

Last year, we spent Thanksgiving sick in Massachusetts. We also bought a car--so I guess there was something good that came of that. We were in Michigan in 2007 for the lovely wedding shower my aunt threw for us. In 2006 we were on our own in Virginia Beach. In 2005 we went to see my sister in D.C., where she was interning at the time--that's when I told my family that I'd be engaged by Christmas. In 2004 I hadn't met Jason yet, so it was me, my roommate, and my mom and stepdad at my place in Norfolk.

This year we were on our own again, so I had the autonomy to make an entirely vegan feast. The ethical choices I've made are very important to me, so cooking an entire meal of delicious food that didn't hurt anyone brings me a lot of joy. And it was delicious. Jason requested traditional Thanksgiving food, and that's what he got. I made way too much food for only two people, so we're still picking away at the leftovers. I had stuffing for breakfast this morning and pie for lunch.


I made my pie first. No store-bought pie crust for me. I had a helper for all the prep work. He's an expert bean-snapper.


Lots and lots of chopping.


Our appetizer, artichoke puffs, and our main dish, a Tofurky roast (which is delicious--Jason specifically requested it).


The finished product, served on our wedding china reserved for special occasions: green beans, corn, Tofurky, cornbread stuffing, and mashed red bliss potatoes with mushroom gravy. And it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without a pumpkin pie!
We had a formal meal, but everything else was casual. We stayed in sweatpants all day and dinner was served on the couch. I miss my family, but I also enjoy making special times with Jason, the man I've chosen to be a part of my family.

Not only is she crazy, she also has horrible taste in holiday decor.

Jason is home!

He got back last Thursday. He was scheduled to arrive back in Lemoore at night, so I had planned to spend a few hours after work cleaning up the place and myself, and then going to pick him up looking super cute. Instead, he called from the airport here on base two hours before I expected him, while I was elbow-deep in dishwater. I scurried over there without putting on makeup, brushing my hair, or even brushing my teeth (I did chew a piece of gum on the way there so as to not be completely disgusting). Oh well. He was sick and had been awake for at least 26 hours at that point so he didn't notice. We went straight to bed.

When I woke up Friday morning, my poor man was sleeping at the very edge of our bed, scrunched up like he was still in his coffin-like rack on the ship. My heart just broke for him thinking about how uncomfortable it must have been. Since he's been home, he has been enjoying such luxuries as sunshine, soy milk, and sheets.

Over the weekend Jason witnessed another Crazy Navy Wife incident: he was out in the driveway when he heard her hollering at her son--and not a teenager, mind you, but a little boy--that he could never have his friends over to their house ever again. And just wait until I show you the Christmas monstrosity that is her yard.



Not only is she crazy, she also has horrible taste in holiday decor. From left to right, that's an inflatable Santa being pulled out of a chimney by a reindeer, an inflatable Santa on a motorcycle, and a light-up Santa hat-wearing dolphin that rocks back and forth. The front door is covered in shiny wrapping paper. It could be much worse. Luckily for the normal people on our street, hanging lights on upper levels and placing anything on the roof are strictly prohibited in base housing. Otherwise she'd probably have shit up there, too.

I'll be honest: I hate those inflatable yard things. Christmas, Halloween, Easter... I don't care what holiday they're for, they are beyond tacky. My cold, black heart swells with glee when I see one of them flopped over, half deflated and buried in snow. We don't get snow in this part of California, so some other arrangements will have to be made with Mother Nature. Perhaps some wind gusts? Hail? Locusts? Or maybe her son can just invite his friends over on the sly.

Wordless Wednesday

My security detail is growing.

Things that are making me smile today

• I just watched my Michigan State Spartans play basketball on ESPN in high definition, on Jason's most excellent TV. It was like being at the Breslin Center, except with a better view. And they won (and that article was written by a fellow MSU School of Journalism alum)! Spartan sports are central to my existence.



• I got a shot in my arm today and the guy who gave it to me was shorter than me... I'm 5'3". I wanted to hug him. Then he put a neon yellow bandage on my arm and I wanted to hug him even more. But I didn't. Because he had needles.



• The Oatmeal's "How To Use An Apostrophe." Read it. It makes my journalism major spidey senses tingle.



• The Oatmeal's "15(ish) Things Worth Knowing About Coffee." It makes my inner barista squeal with glee. "Clearly humanity has a thing for black drippy liquids."



• The Oatmeal's "17 Things Worth Knowing About Your Cat." Because this blog seems to revolve around cats lately (sorry about that). Hell, I like everything on that site.



• This is for that high school principal in Massachusetts who banned students from saying "meep":
  
  



• Joey Mac's new solo video (I think I just drooled on myself):
  
  



• Lastly but not leastly and best of all, Jason is coming home in a couple of days!

When I checked him, I saw balls and left it at that.

My Orange Boy Kitty stopped by this afternoon, so I grabbed the opportunity to run him down to the base vet to see if he was microchipped. Surprise, he wasn't. So off we went to animal control, orange boy yowling bloody murder all the way.


The intake officer double-checked for a chip (no dice), and then we discovered that he was neutered. When I checked him, I saw balls and left it at that. Turns out (and this might be kitty anatomy TMI for some of you), orange tomcats tend to have bigger scrotums than other cats, big enough that even after neutering they still look, well, ballsy. Sometimes the only way to tell for sure is to just give them a feel back there. I left that part to the intake officer. Luckily for this kitty, she took quite a shine to him, carrying him up to the front desk for all of the other girls to see. When she brought him back, thoroughly kissed and cooed at, she had him cradled in her arms like a big orange baby.

She said that since he's so sweet and already snip-snipped, they'll have no trouble finding him a spot at a rescue. I'll miss his evening visits, but I know I did what's best for him. There's no such thing as a safe outdoor cat.

There's also no such thing as a safe indoor cat... trash can. I had an unfortunate casualty tonight--the kitty bathroom trash can my family has had since I was in elementary school. That's almost 20 years! I picked it up to empty it, and it slipped out of my fingers. The bottom cracked and shattered when it hit the floor.


Ooooops. I do still have the toothbrush holder, shower curtain, and tissue box cover. Sorry, cute little trash can!

Get your towels ready, it's about to go down.

This is for Jason. (NSFW for language.)

Creepy, Creepy Coco

Every night I sit in the living room wondering if I'll be watched tonight.

Visited.

By a specter so horrifying that she wears a bell around her neck to warn her victims that she is coming.

A phantasm known as COCO.

Our neighbors' cat.

I mentioned before that she likes to sit on our back patio and look inside. But she does more than look. She sits there, absolutely still, staring, eyes as wide as an Alice raccoon.

Frankly, it creeps me out. I'll glance away from my computer or the TV... and there she'll be, eyes locked on me like she's trying to mind-meld me. Last night she was sitting out there looking so pathetic--she was even meowing--that I let her inside. She had tried to let herself in, and has successfully done so before, but I keep the screen door latched now so she can't get in when I'm not right nearby. It was pretty chilly, too, so I thought she might like to warm up. She wandered around sniffing things for about ten minutes before Carmen, the nice mom from next door, came over looking for her. I 'fessed up that Coco was here, because, well, she was standing right behind me. Carmen leaned over to pick Coco up and she bolted into the kitchen. Carmen had to chase after her and get her in a sleeper hold to drag her home.

So now my neighbors probably think that I'm some weird child-hating cat stealer, but whatever, I can't help it that Coco likes it better over here than at her own house. She's not the only one.

We know we're cute, but you don't need to be acting all catarazzi on us all the time.

Happy Veterans Day! I've been busy missing my man in uniform today, but these videos of soldiers reunited with their doggies made me smile (...and sob).

I mentioned that the cats love our "office" bed... Well, here's proof:





Jacob says, "OK, lady, enough with the pictures already. We know we're cute, but you don't need to be acting all catarazzi on us all the time. Either pick me up or get into the kitchen and feed me."

My bad, dude.

The funny thing is, all three cats prefer to be in whatever room I'm in. When I leave my desk for the day, they migrate into the living room on my heels... and then promptly find a spot and go back to sleep. When I head to our bedroom for the night, it's the same. They orbit me.

It's nice to have little somebodies to make me feel loved.

Jason needn't worry about my safety while he's gone.

I have guard cats:







(They were actually watching a bird.)

Jasper is on the left, with one spot, and Jacob is on the right, with many spots. Don't they look like brothers sitting there like that? (They are.) Jasper has lost so much weight since we started him on insulin. I wouldn't be surprised if they were the same weight now.

I know it looks like the same exact picture over and over again, but they actually sat there stock-still and silent for 15 minutes. That has to be some sort of record. It's my low-tech version of time-lapse photography!

I can't imagine life without my kitties.

Office Space

The other day (okay, it was last week, and I'm just lazy) Bev asked us to play a little game and post pictures of our office/desk/work space. I've been meaning to do just that for a while, so here goes! (Oh, and I promise I'm still going to do another Cribs episode... pinky swear!)

Since I telecommute, my "office" is actually tucked into a corner of our spare room. I've had that desk for nine years and it has survived eight moves. In and out of a dorm room at MSU, from Michigan to Virginia, from my Virginia apartment to Jason's, from Virginia to Massachusetts, to a new apartment in Massachusetts, from Massachusetts to California, and from the fail apartment into base housing.

I hung my college diplomas and some work certificates on the walls to make it look professional up in there, but I'm pretty sure I'm not fooling anyone, what with the little rubber ducky, toy handcuffs, Teletubbies kiddie meal prizes, and R2-D2 Taco Bell drink cup.

There are windows on both sides of my desk so I can keep an eye on the outside world (translation: watch for crazy Navy wives so I can hide if necessary) and see Jason's car when he comes home for lunch. Most of the time at least one of my furry coworkers is sitting in the window, covering lookout duty for me (translation: watching birds). But if they aren't in the window, then they're probably...

...On the bed! That bed comes quite in handy whenever I get a case of the afternoon napsies. I don't have to hide in the bathroom or crawl under my desk like the rest of you poor office-working schmucks.

So that's my office. I love it!