The Little Man Strikes Again

Urgh. Much to my chagrin, my little Jakers left his mark on the new apartment.

Let's start with his back story, so you can grasp the situation. Let's go back to two years ago. I was working at Carmichael Lynch, and it was our first summer Friday, so the office shut down at noon. A few of us went out to lunch and my friend, Carrie, suggested going to the Humane Society that afternoon. I was hesitant, since I'd never been and it sounded awfully depressing. She assured me it wasn't and it was an opportunity to give the animals some much-needed love. I agreed to tag along. Although, I warned all three of the other girls that I don't have time for a pet, so don't let me take a cat home (I used to consider myself just a cat person).

We walked in and spent some time with the cats. It took everything in me to resist taking one home. But I knew I didn't have the time or money to devote to a cat. It wouldn't be prudent. We moved on to the dogs and all these labs were jumping at their gates, barking, just begging for attention. We were all petting these anxious labs and giving them our full attention, when I noticed the saddest little fella ever. He was this little white dog with some brown spots on his head. Quite the mutt. He was laying on a towel, in the back corner of his cement kennel. I looked at his info card, and it said he had been brought in several days earlier. The reason? He had accidents in the house. Here was this 5 year old dog who obviously just needed the right person to come along and have patience with him. At 5 yrs, it's not about being house trained. There's something more behind an "accident". My heart broke. I knelt down, and coaxed him to the gate and he just soaked up the affection I offered. My heart melted.

I asked a volunteer if I could take him out to the outdoor dog run. Not because I was going to take him home, but because I thought he deserved the attention -- just because he wasn't as hyper as a lab, begging for love, didn't mean he didn't deserve it. We stepped outside, and while all the other dogs were barking, whining, howling and just overall out of control. This little white mutt was only concerned with me.

That was it. I couldn't live without him. I put a deposit down (sounds weird, I know) and went out that night and bought food, dishes, beds, blankets, toys, treats, leashes...anything that would make this dog's life easier. I felt sick that night, knowing that he had to spend one more minute without a home (I had to work a PT job that night, though, so couldn't get him until Saturday morning). I arrived at the shelter just after they opened that next morning, and wondered if this dog, Jake, would remember me. He did. He definitely did. We had a bond that would last forever. We got out to my car and he crawled onto my lap and was asleep by the time we got out of the parking lot. He knew he could trust me and that I would look after him for the rest of his life.

(Wow. I'm crying, just reliving that day.)
I did some phone calling over the next week and discovered he had been in and out of shelters for the month previous...people kept adopting him, then bringing him back because he had an accident in the house. One person actually brought him back because he shed too much! Working for PETA has allowed me see how often these sorts of things happen -- people don't take owning a pet as seriously as they should.

I've come to learn that Jakers suffers from separation anxiety. He doesn't pee to be naughty....he is permanently scarred and pees out of anxiety. I have done everything in my power to help him feel safe and secure and know that every time I walk out that door, I'll be coming back. But I think the trauma is ingrained in his little brain. And ya know what? I accept him, flaws & all. I just need to put down a training pad everytime I leave and he can do his business there.

Today was a bad day --while I was out running a 5k this morning, Jakers used my carpet as his pee pad. But for every bad day, there are 100 good days. Material things can always be fixed or replaced. You can't put a price on Jakers. I didn't think I had the time to take care of a pet. But really, it was just a matter of priorities. I am more than happy to trade in a night at the bar for the unconditional love of my babies.

Alright, that got lengthy. But you already must realize my passion for Jakers.

PS Tuesday (May 19th) is our anniversary and his 7th birthday. Feel free to send gifts. :)

Never Doubt Aunt Yiya's Dessert

OK, so I realize just days ago I was complaining about how I can't seem to lose weight on a vegan diet. Nevertheless, today's post is going to be about rice pudding. You'll have to learn to embrace my contradictions.

So I had heard of rice pudding as a youngster, and it always sounded disgusting. Then in high school, we were at a family get-together at my Aunt Carlotta's house (Carlotta knows how to prepare a meal....YUM) and she had made rice pudding as the dessert. I quietly scoffed at her poor judgment -- what a terrible idea for a dessert! But as soon as I took my first pity bite, my life was changed forever. OK, OK...I'm being dramatic. Seriously, though, it was so good! I got the recipe from her and proceeded to make it the very next weekend. The problem, though, is it calls for gallons of half and half and about 3 lbs of sugar. Roughly. And it made this huge batch in a crock pot. But I didn't care. It was good.

I figured once I'd chosen a vegan diet, my days of rice pudding were gone. But luckily, I was proven wrong!! I found this recipe on a fellow bloggers' page and am pretty impressed. It's not quite as rich & creamy as Aunt Yiya's (that's what we called her when we were little, before we could pronounce 'Carlotta'), but it also takes a quarter of the time and I've gotta assume has a quarter of the calories.

I'll post it below as I made it...I cut the recipe in half, because I'm a crazy cat lady who lives alone. If I made the whole thing, Lord knows I would eat the whole thing. In under 5 minutes.

Quick & Easy Rice Pudding

1 cup water
1/2 cup white rice
1 cup non-dairy milk (I used part rice milk/part coconut milk...I think a vanilla flavored variety would be incredible in this recipe!)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Ground cinnamon

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine water and rice and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes (or until water is absorbed). Remove saucepan from heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes.
2. Add milk and sugar to cooked rice, stirring well. Return saucepan to stove. Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously, for 15 to 20 minutes or until very thick and creamy. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Let rice pudding cool slightly before serving. If desired, sprinkle with ground cinnamon before serving.

Serves: 1-2, depending on how much rice pudding you can eat in a sitting :)

One of the Most Special Relationships in your Life

Most any girl is protective of her hair. You don't want to trust just anybody to this head full of luxurious locks you've been tending to your entire life. For many years, my stylist has been one of my friends (technically, the younger sister of one of my best friends). It's nice being totally comfortable with the person doing your hair. There's no awkward "get to know ya" banter during the styling portion...because you of course gossip about mutual friends. And I knew what to expect when I walked out the door of the salon.

Well, new city = new stylist. And new job at a nonprofit = inexpensive stylist. I looked on craigslist and found a posting from a woman named Giti (ghee-tee), who claimed she had a salon behind her home and was offering 30% off to first time customers. I called and spoke with her on the phone -- she had a very thick accent, so I didn't catch all of it, but I did her hear say she spends her mornings doing hair on the set of CNN and NBC, then did hair out of her home. I feel like if she's good enough for Anderson Cooper, good enough for me. :) And I loved that she could get me in next day (today), since I want to get my highlights fixed up for my brother's wedding in two weeks (remember, the one I'm eagerly anticipaiting being inappropriately dressed for?).

OK, so I show up and she's got a beautiful home about 20 mins outside DC. She's basically remodeled a 3-season porch into a salon...and it looks good...not nearly as shady looking as I imagined. She proceeds to tell me again how she does hair on the set of CNN and NBC in the morning. I ask her more about it -- and it sounds like she does the hair of guests appearing on air. She said Hillary Clinton is a joy (hrmm?) and then proceeded to tell me how difficult Barabara Walters' air is to do, because it's so thin in the back from her surgeries. "What?! I didn't know Barabara Walters had surgery?! What did she have??" (imagining some brain tumor from 50 years ago that I never heard of) "Oh, she's had two facelifts," Giti says matter-of-factly. HAHAHA! Tell your friends.

To top it off, while my highlights were setting, one of her regulars (she's been doing this woman's hair for 28 years!) came in for a quick trim. They were chit chatting and the regular asks if she's hired someone to start mowing her lawn (at this point I see the schlubby looking guy outside with his pants falling down, pushing a mower around). She says, "well kind of". And the regular asks where she found him. Giti replies, "Oh, well, actually, he's the eldest grandson of the King of Afghanistan." Um, what?! And then she continues to tell us the story of how they met...and 20 minutes later, ends with the fact that they are engaged.

This woman is maybe my favorite ever. I'll definitely be back. Let me know if you're looking for a good stylist with some amazing stories. :) Oh, and my hair looks great, if I do say so myself.

Finding Excuses

One would think a vegan diet would mean weight loss. Not true for this fat kid. I gained probably 15 lbs as soon as I switched to a vegan diet and have had a really hard time trying to lose that weight ever since (it's been almost a year now). Don't get me wrong, nothing would ever make me go back. The suffering and misery animals used for food endure is enough to make me accept the love handles (alright, I've always had those). If you have any questions about that, I would encourage you to watch the documentary Earthlings. Life changing beyond belief.

Part of it is that, no matter what anyone says, you're going to consume more carbs. Because there are so many foods that you can no longer eat that once helped fill you up (ie cheese, chicken, fish, yogurt), you need to fill that void with something. I LOVE veggies, but I admit that they're not as satisfying as, say, a nice, fresh ciabattta roll...straight out of the oven and soft and gooey in the middle. YUM. I just may wander to Whole Foods most lunch hours to grab one. Anyhow, I digress. I also have always had my reliable go-to diet plan when I wanted to drop a few pounds, which consisted of eating a lot of chicken breast or fish and low-fat yogurt as a snack. So I no longer have my fall-back diet plan available.

BUT one perk is that a lot of the temptations are taken off the table. Most baked goods that you could all-too-easily pick up from the grocery store contain eggs or dairy. And the candy aisle is not nearly as dangerous. I can't eat M&Ms, Snickers, Junior Mints, Butterfingers...you get the jist. And yet, I find a way around it. I have taken to keeping Whole Foods' vegan chocolate chips on hand. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Anyhow, I'm really determined to lose these last 15 pounds for summer. So I'm going to see what I can do about a new go-to diet plan. Clearly I'm still going to look and feel obese in my bridesmaid dress in two weeks -- I've accepted that. But I still want to slim down. I'll keep ya posted -- I know you'll be on the edge of your seat until then. :)

Who Needs Friends When You Have Pets?

Alright, even I can recognize this is starting to get unhealthy. I am opting out of social events so I can stay at home with Jakers and Mabel. Now, granted, in Minneapolis I was known for cutting out of happy hour early...or meeting people out later -- after I ran home and spent time with the babes. But now I'm in a new city, where I should be anxious to experience the nightlife...and see the friends that I have only seen a handful of times since college, and the old maid portion of my personality is getting the better of me. My friend Kristen, whom I assume took psych in college, tells me our relationship is a "mutually amplifying feedback loop". She's witnessed, first hand, the pure joy that streams from the room when Jakers and I are reunited after I'm gone for 30 minutes. :) We can't help it...he loves me, I love him...it's a special thing.

Plus, they're still adjusting to a new city and a new home. They need someone there to help ease that transition. I mean, yes, it's been a month and a half now...but there's not time line for a baby's psyche. We can't put a timer on that.

I'm hoping blogging about this helps me fully acknowledge how abnormal it is. That I'm a single 27 year old who should be pursuing social interactions. Even though I do have a comfy couch, a 42-inch flat screen and two of the snoogliest boos that I know. Jus' sayin'...

Always a (Chubby) Bridesmaid...Never a Bride

Craaaaaap. I am not ready to wear this bridesmaid dress in T-minus 19 days!! It's not that it's not a nice dress. How can I say this nicely...? It's a nice dress for a figure representative of a 12-year-old boy. Not only is the dress really clingy around the middle, but it is revealing. VERY revealing. And while I can wear a pair of spanx and watch what I eat for the belly issues, there ain't no minimizing what's on top...nor is there maximizing the tiny pieces of fabric offered up for "coverage". I'm seriously about to break out in hives, imagining having to wear this.

Oh, and did I mention it's a Catholic wedding?? Aren't strapless dresses frowned upon in Catholic churches? Oof. The Pope better shield his eyes.

Well, back to my dinner of one cucumber, one carrot and 3 radishes. You think I'm kidding, don't you? Sadly, I am not. But if you slice them thin enough and drizzle a tablespoon of Italian dressing over the top, it's like a delicious salad. Kinda. *sigh* :(