Hearty Chilli

There is an odd sense of serenity and peace that comes with dining alone. As I have mentioned a thousand times before, I frequently eat alone in restaurants and enjoy it. Most people don't understand the point of eating alone, but I guarantee once you get over the fear of eating alone, you'll see that it's actually not lonely.

 Today, I ate lunch solo at this 1950s themed diner (because what other theme would a diner take?).  I ordered a vegetarian chilli and a warm slice of apple pie. Do you ever find that diners always serve insanely large portions? I couldn't finish this bowl of chilli. I tried my best but I also had to save room in my stomach for the apple pie. I was so full after this meal. It felt like my stomach was still digesting my lunch at dinner time. I thought I was going to explode, I actually felt my belly grow 2 sizes. 

Lesson learned: never ever ever over eat on vegetable chilli. That stuff (no matter how tasty) takes forever to digest. 

New Year

Almost two weeks in to 2015 and, as usual, I'm not really feeling any different from last year.  But, I'm still hoping that things continue to get better for me.  If there's anything I've learned from my very short time on this planet it is that the only productive way to deal with shit is to keep moving forward.  Crying over all the what-ifs, should-haves, shouldn't-haves and could-have-beens just makes life a thousand times shittier than it already is.  I mean, no matter what, you can't just jump into a time machine and un-fuck all your mistakes (but, oh, how I wish time travel was an option).  For me, the best way to get away from a miserable moment is to literally get away from it.  I have a lot of friends (and, sometimes me) who, when they get into difficult situations, like to wade in their sorrows.  Being "in touch with your feelings" is great, but, honestly, too much feeling can be destructive.  Be strong, move on and know that there is always hope for something better to come.  Learn from the shitty experiences and DON'T DO THEM AGAIN!  Leave the past behind you: easier said than done, but I'm working on it.

So, enough of this useless rant.  May the New Year bring lot's of magic.

The Sidelines

I created this blog with the intention of posting my pictures from the Canon Rebel I got for Christmas two years ago.  I haven't uploaded any of those pictures yet.  I thought I would pursue a hobby in photography, but I haven't done that yet either.  I also haven't been posting on this blog as often as I would like to.  In the beginning I told myself I would post on a weekly basis, that quickly changed to a bi-weekly, and it didn't take long before I was only posting once a month.  The sad part is it hasn't even been a year since I started this blog.  I need to work on staying motivated on things I start, so that I get to finish them properly.  I'm considering purchasing blinders (like the ones for horses) to keep my vision straight and in-line.  What do you think?

On another note, I just learned the difference between a pie and cobbler. I tried making a mixed berry cobbler a few days ago. It was my first time ever tasting a cobbler, so I'm not sure if I made it correctly, but it tasted great nonetheless. 

I also still enjoy my solo lunch dates. One day, I had a very large serving of rice noodles and ginger chicken soup from the mall food court. That bowl had enough to feed three of me and it cost about $8. I forced myself to swallow as much of the noodles as possible so that I wouldn't waste too much food. The deliciousness kept me motivated to eat. 

Another day I went to a Thai restaurant and, again, ordered a meal big enough for two. This time it cost $13-14; double the price, but I was in an actual restaurant instead of a mall food court and the service was very efficient. And the food was seriously amazing! I ordered cashew chicken with steamed rice. 

Lies, Burgers and Fries

First, things are bad: you lose all hope in yourself and try to swallow the hard, prickly truth. Life sucks right now. Then, you realize that things are not so bad after all. The universe can't take you down that easily, heck no! Then, you think about it, and, it turns out things aren't as hopeful as you thought. You're still gasping for air, treading water when you thought you made it to the surface. The shore is near, but you still have to keep swimming and you don't know how long your body can take it anymore. 

25 hours, 8 days of the week

I've been busy even if it feels like I've done nothing these past few weeks. 

I'm trying to eat more colorful, photogenic meals so I can take better pictures. 

Sweet Tooth

Not much to say.... Just a delicious banana chocolate chip muffin from Starbucks and caramel/cinnamon filled, powdered sugar coated "donuts" from a restaurant I can't remember. 

My Little Cupcake

Once upon at time, in land far, far, far away, there lived a chubby, little, cupcake-obsessed ballerina. You see, my mother bought me a cupcake every Saturday morning after my ballet class. What a way to reward your over-weight child after her weekly, low-impact exercise session, right? And, every week, the hungry (and sweaty) ballerina, in her tight, pink tutu and leotards, ran excitedly into the warm, sweet smelling patisserie like it was her first time. The pastel colored frosting and sparkling sprinkles greeted her like a scene out of the Nutcracker ballet. The cupcakes only came in two flavors: pound and chocolate, but I always had fun choosing the different icing decorations: every week was a different color, sprinkle and swirl pattern. And, with her weekly dose of cupcake in hand, the baby ballerina twirled giddily like an icing covered sugarplum princess until the next visit. It's safe to say that I might have been a little obsessed back then. 

These days, cupcakes aren't really my go to treat anymore, but I do enjoy them now and again. What can I say, they cupcakes bring back sweet memories. I still can't resist the loveliness of the swirly icing either!

Pictures above:

1. Prairie Girl Cupcakes

2. a friend baked these

3. Vanilla Cupcake Bakery