I've been holding out on you guys. Instead of blabbing all my personal shee-ot on my blog I've been coasting in neutral. I'm going to shift into high gear and vent a bit. I've been going in to the doctor for some tests recently for some concerns. Today was another visit followed by even more tests. With more scheduled. Nothing good.
What I now know: My body is rejecting my current thyroid disease meds so while my dosage is high it's not doing anything and I feel like crap. I'm anemic. My liver function is bad. I have insulin resistance and my hormone levels are drastically off. I'm being put on a new medication and supplements. Oh and a diet that includes craptastic shakes in the morning, super!
What they think: Given my thyroid disease, and now insulin resistance - polycystic ovarian syndrome is suspected. I'll be having some sort of in depth ultra sound to find out more. The last is the reason I've been crying for the past hour. Nothing is for sure but the thought that my fertility may be affected has me soul sick and scared more than I've ever been. So yeah, it's a big pile of suckage on top of me feeling like a pile of suckage.
In happier news I received my Emergency Knitting bag. Appropriate timing dontcha think? And isn't it cute! Sadly, it doesn't come with my face attached to the side. I know you're bummed. You can get these awesome bags at Illiane's Corner. If she gets pink I HAVE to have one.
On my way home from the doctors I passed a flower vendor and took this for 365 Days.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Declaring an Emergency
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Green
This project is the one that I always cast aside. Always tomorrow or some other day. I pulled it back out and was delighted with how soft it was, and how it squished just so when I held it and how the color was so olive. Don't you love when you fall in love with a project all over again? I envision yards of garter stitch between the lace panels and wrapping it round and round in a casual-sophisticated sort of way.
Herb infusion made with a small lemon wedge and herbs from the Aerogarden - mint and basil. Stir with just boiling water and crush the leaves against the side of the mug. Strain and sip. Really, very good and refreshing.
Bonnie is keeping us super healthy. I've been picking up fresh greens every week and we've been enjoying some lovely salads. She wasn't a fan of the greens from the Aerogarden (HUGE bummer) so last night I picked up some really awesome looking romaine, cilantro, curly parsely, broccoli rabe, and a butternut squash. All fresh from local farms.
Do you flickr? I've become a big fan of it in the past week. So much so that I've been forgetting to blog. I'm here. If you're there let me know. There's this group that everyone seemed to know about but me, called 365 Days. I love the concept. If you live in a cave, like I did and don't know, basically you take a picture of yourself every day for a year. Sounds a little narcissistic but I LOVED it. I love being able to see how much a person has changed in a year. Looking at Minty's awesome pictures convinced me that I want to become a better photographer and be in neato groups like that. There's even a 365 days group for us crafty types. If you're interested in joining, I also started a group for July 2008 starters.
Monday, July 14, 2008
It's Time
On January 26th, 2006 I opened Dame Candle Company. All by myself. Well, and Marty helped too. Also my best friend, Becca, who deserved so much more credit than I gave at the time - Forgive me for being so dumb. Over the course of the past 2 and a half years I've made some wonderful friends, made thousands of wonderful candles, supported the BEST podcast, gave killer customer service, and ran my very own company. So I think it's great that I'm going out on a high. I was a successful entrepreneur. I can say that and someday tell my kid(s) about it.
I made the decision to close Dame Candle Company months back and then was overwhelmed by how final that seemed. It was like giving up this life I'd created, if that makes sense. More than that, I was still doing well so it seemed especially silly to close. I let a few people know about my decision and the response I got made me change my mind almost as soon as I'd made it. "Where will I get Pan tarts!!" one email started. For those who emailed, you're all so wonderful and I know you'll understand why I'm now finally doing it, for real this time. I had convinced myself that I could do it all. I could go to school, I could write a novel, I could work full time, and I could keep my candle company open. Oh nelly, the crash I had trying to do that all was a big one. I didn't handle closing gracefully at all and am somewhat embarrassed about that.
The most important thing to happen for my candle company was investing in sponsoring Cast On. Because of it, I had the best, most amazing clientèle on the planet. If you haven't already, please donate to Cast On. Brenda is such an amazing person and gives our community such an amazing show. Brenda, if you ever read this please accept my apologies for the awkward indecisive dance I did about staying open. All I can say is, I panicked.
When I woke up today I knew it was time. Today the site came down. I still own the domain and will put something there eventually. While I was paralyzed before, I'm now at peace with it. I can always re-open. I can always pour Dame Candles when the mood strikes and put them up on etsy. I'm really proud of what my little company has done and had a happy cry over my adventure. It's not the end but a new beginning.
January 26, 2006 - July 14, 2008
Sunday, July 13, 2008
What's Cookin?
Homemade pesto with my first basil harvest from the Aerogarden, and basil from the farmers market. Processed with pine nuts, black olives, fresh spinach, walnuts, garlic cloves, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese. SO DELICIOUS. It's a great way to use a lot of basil and can be used as a marinade, over pasta, on pizza, sandwiches, etc. We have plenty frozen. I definitely need to get a larger food processor though. Ours hold a cup (maybe a cup and a half) so I kept having to cycle the ingredients to get them chopped and blended enough. It took over an hour when it should have taken minutes. Sort of funny trying to get it done but not something I'd like to repeat. I've got my eye on this one.
With the pesto I baked chicken then tossed it with pasta and some parmesan. Really light, this was a favorite and I'll make it again (and again).
Baked some bananas. They were supposed to be banana chips but I didn't slice them thin enough. Oops! Still, they were delicious over frozen yogurt.
Homemade Margherita Pizza. Used basil from the Aerogarden. Next time, less tomato. It was more like bruschetta than a pizza. Still, really tasty.
My crock pot simmered for 12 hours. What was inside?
The best roast ever! Made with potatoes, onions, horseradish, a condensed can of cream of mushroom soup, and water. No knife needed, just fell apart and was so yummy. I had plenty of liquid to make gravy and freeze for stock.
Next up is a mixed berry salad and Chicken with Tarragon Cream Sauce. Mmm.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Rapunzel, let down your hair
I've been isolating myself in my cold tower in the sky, hiding from the humid heat. The older I get the more intolerant to heat I become and I turn the condo into my own igloo. I want to be one of those people who goes to the park and lays under the sun. Someone who bikes, or roller-blades. Summer is a sad time for me because I want so bad to be out having fun too. I'll stare down from my perch 22 stories up and watch all the people running around outside and feel a pain in my heart. Winter is my happy time and everyone else's time to hibernate. It makes my imagination run wild, thinking of myself as some sort of strange winter fairy trapped high up while all the summer fairies frolic below. No wonder the winter witch/fairy in stories is usually such a bitch.
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Aerogarden
Living in the city means that getting good sunlight can be a challenge. I'm someone who enjoys having plants and have managed to grow a few things in the couple sunny windows we have, but I've always wanted to do more. I want to grow my own herbs and produce but don't have the space. I think if it weren't for Marty and the awesomeness of this crazy city, I would live on a farm somewhere green with lots of trees. The rustle of leaves in the wind is in my top ten favorite sounds. I am SO jealous of Stacie's awesome garden.
The Aerogarden has made my little garden possible and is seriously cool. I ordered two (they let you try it out for free for the first month, then make 3 payments. great for those on a budget). I decided to start with Salad Greens (Green Leaf lettuces, Red Leaf lettuces and Red Butterhead lettuces) for one, and Italian Herbs (genovese basil, savory, parsley, garlic chives, oregano, thyme and mint)for the other. I can't believe how fast everything is growing and they look really nice on my counter. For those who don't have a lot of natural light for plants, this is a great alternative. One note of caution. They're SO BRIGHT. I have mine set to come on at 6am. They stay on for 16 hours so mine click off at 10pm. You can adjust them however you want. At first we had them set to be lit all night and off for part of the day. I found that I actually enjoyed having them lit during the day and evening. Every two weeks you add water and nutrient tablets. That's it, except for periodically cleaning it out thoroughly. Crazy simple.
The plastic cups hold in the humidity. Those are removed once the seeds have sprouted.
I've harvested the basil once already because of how fast it's shooting up.
I've already raised the lights 2 notches because of how much they've grown.
Saturday, July 05, 2008
iPhone vs Tilt
It was back in October when it came time for me to get a phone that did more than the basics. I considered a Blackberry but it came down to two others. I was completely torn between the Apple iPhone and the AT&T Tilt. I wanted to give Apple my money. I am a big fan of my mac and my iPod. Big. Huge. Fan. I read all the cnet reviews. I was easily convinced one way only to be convinced the other way. And back again. On one side we have the iPhone, undeniably aesthetically superior, and on the other side, we have the Tilt with a slide out full keyboard.
After trying out both, the Tilt was the clear winner. I text and email constantly and not having an actual keyboard on the iPhone was completely annoying. It was also SLOW. The Tilt's keyboard was comfortable and I was able to easily set everything I needed up on it.
This is what decided it:
3G
Multimedia Messaging
Keyboard
Cut and Paste
With the new iPhone 3G coming out I was excited to see what improvements had been made. The 3G is great but still no multimedia messaging, cut and paste, voice dialing, or keyboard? I'll stick with my Tilt and maybe buy an iTouch to replace my old iPod at some point.
Friday, July 04, 2008
Meet Bonnie
When I read that bunnies not only can be house bunnies but also get along with cats I became smitten with this little girl. Her name is Bonnie and she's a rex mix. I had seen her on petfinder and after recognizing her at a rescue event at Petco I wanted to give her a home. M was not thrilled about the idea but (because he's wonderful and loving) he knew how happy it made me so Bonnie came into our home and promptly made friends with Dickens. I can't even tell you all how fun she is and how happy I am to see the two of them cuddling and playing. A special thanks for all the great info to the bunnies group on Ravelry!
Real Quick
Carebear! Great to see you here. How are you? Are you still in CA? My email address is below, we should catch up!
Heather, I can't seem to find your email address and your blogger profile is locked so I'm not able to find you. :( Email me: wendydorrel@gmail.com.
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
DB Bistro
M had made reservations at DB Bistro for a romantic dinner. The restaurant was warm, a lovely palette of amber, butterscotch browns, woods, and reds. It's described as "A modern French-American bistro where the traditions of French cuisine meet the flavors of the American market with a menu reflecting the changing seasons and a focus on the simplicity of fine ingredients." I loved it.
We were expected and sent a complimentary amuse bouche of an oyster on the half shell with ice wine garnite. One of the perks of M knowing lots of restaurant chefs, sommeliers, and maître d's are the free courses, desserts, and wine. My first foray into oysters and while I had not yet developed an appreciation for oysters, M enjoyed his. I sipped nice chilled champagne and sank comfortably into my seat.
Next was the the lobster salad with pesto dressing, cherry tomatoes, hearts of palm, avocado and peppers. Simply delicious and a perfect balance. Marty had tuna tartare with artichoke, meyer lemon, olives and Almond-arugula pesto. Also good but not as good as the lobster salad.
The complimentary mid-course they sent us was the orichiette pasta in Colorado lamb ragout, with goat cheese and basil. Rich and delicious. Mmm, my tummy rumbles thinking of it.
For the main course I had the Hangar steak with Oxtail ragout, parsnip puree, baby spinach and vegetables while M had the Loup de Mer with Leek Fondue, vegetables, and shaved black truffles. French fries and more root vegetables on the side, of course. If a place has good french fries they get a gold star in my book. Fries are so simple but are so often done so badly. I'm happy to say DB Bistro's were excellent. The steak was cooked perfectly and M really enjoyed his Loup de Mer with Leek Fondue. We washed it down with a Red burgundy, Savigny-les-Beaune. C'est magnifique!
I can be counted on to order something chocolate for dessert and was presented with the Flourless chocolate cake with Coffee custard, hazelnut, and Milk chocolate sorbet. Sinfully delectable. M also went for the chocolate and chose the Warm Chocolate Financier (also made without flour, but like a tea cake) with Earl Grey Ice cream and a Giner tuile (french for tile, small square cookie). Mine was better but his Earl Grey ice cream was definitely noteworthy.
Two complimentary desserts were sent out. The first was a white chocolate tower. It had a spongy white chocolate exterior and a creamy, kind of citrus flavored interior. A-MAZING! They also sent petit fours that M took care of so fast I didn't even have a chance to nibble one. I hear they were good.
We enjoyed the desserts with two dessert wines, Banyuls (red) and, Beerenauslese (white).
Really very enjoyable and we would absolutely go again, and again.
Lunch prix fixe: two courses $35-$40 includes main course & choice of appetizer or dessert.
Lunch à la carte entrées $28-36
Dinner and Post-theater à la carte entrées $28-36
Pre -theater Prix-fixe, three course dinner $48
DB Bistro Moderne is located 55 West 44th Street in midtown.
