a penny for my thoughts...

somedays i really worry. it can't be good for my liver, nevermind the rest of my body, to drink several beers a day and take pills the way i do. i must be headed for jaundice or worse.
it must be inevitable, right?

but then other times, as sad and unbelievable as it sounds, i Just Don't Care. i'd rather drink the beers, and take the pills, and get through it.
it must be an instant gratification kind of thing.
it must be an *addiction* kind of thing.

i mean, logically, if i know that something is bad for me, and yet i continue to do it anyways, what does that say???

halloween is near...

had our 2nd Annual Capitola Pumpkin Carving Fest at my brother and Ru's house last saturday.

i carved the simpsons version of me...

big plans...

agenda for Sunday, October 19...

1. continue reading Little Women

2. work on Research Interest paper

3. drink mimosa's (purely medicinal for my cold, i swear...)

4. eat corn chowder

5. avoid doing laundry

6. watch marathon of Bizarre Foods on the travel channel

7. watch the last episode of Northern Exposure (Season 2) so i can send the disc back already!

8. get over my cold so that i will be ready to tackle my extremely busy week

the beard...

beards are so sexy. why won't the russian grow one? (in all fairness, he IS russian - he probably can't...)
nevertheless, here are some of my current favorite beards...

...david cook...

...joshua jackson...

...james loney...

...hugh laurie...

read some russian history. it's good for you!

so my mom has been in the hospital off and on for the least week, and i have been out of town for the last three days. hence, no post this week.

instead of reading Ms. Hotpants, try some russian history, with these two new books i'm in the middle of:

Through Dark Days and White Nights, Naomi Collins

A Brief History of Russia, Michael Kort

happy reading! (as happy as you can be reading russian history, that is...)

tongue tied...

Finally tried the Tied House in San Pedro Square this weekend. Here is a first-timers-first-impression...

I started off with the *Sampler 8* - 6.oz samples of each of their 8 beers. Not a bad selection, for $11.75. My initial reactions?

Alpine Gold - tastes like a slightly better version of Coors Light. Sweeter!

Cascade Amber - not too bad, a little bit o' bitterness. Clean, refreshing.

Ironwood Dark - similar to (but smoother than!) Newcastle. Really nice! Easy to drink.

New World Wheat - this is no hefewiezen! I like to think of wheat beers as a refreshing version of an alcoholic lemonade on a hot summer day. This is Not That Beer. Not cloudy, no lemon. Different (but good.)

Fruit Beer - Passionfruit Pale Ale. Now, this is the refreshing afternoon lemonade-like beer I was looking for! Fruity, but not too sweet. Would definitely order again on a warm afternoon, or on an evening when I didn't really feel like drinking. A nice change from a heartier beer.

Amber Light - bleh. Boring. And who wants a drink that's lower in *alchohol*?! Where's the fun in that? Yeah, yeah, it's lower in calories, but I don't think it's worth it.

Oatmeal Stout - pretty good flavor. Not as creamy as your typical stout, but I like it. Almost like a Sam Smith's Oatmeal Stout. Fairly mild. Don't compare it to Guinness though...

Seasonal Special - IPA. strong. Sweet at first, bitter aftertaste. Not the best IPA I've had, (and I do love me a good IPA) but interesting.

Wouldn't Try Again: New World Wheat, Amber Light
Maybe, If I Was Already Drunk or Felt Like Switchin' It Up: Cascade Amber, Alpine Gold, Oatmeal Stout, IPA
Yes! And Make It A Pitcher!: Ironwood Dark, Passion Pale Ale

As far as the food went, I only tried the fries. The seasoning was supposed to be garlicky and pesto-y - instead it just tasted like they had a bottle of dry Parmesan cheese dumped on them. The fries themselves however, were actually quite good - browned and crispy on the outside, soft and warm on the inside. The server brought bread when I arrived, which was nice. Half brown, half white, baked together in one loaf. Kind of like a Seinfeld black-and-white cookie. Clever.

For my next trip, I plan to have the Wild Game burger. I can never seem to resist ostrich!

my apologies for the poor quality photo. spur-of-the-moment-camera-phone-shot...

ms. hotpants' chocolate and beer chili...

the russian thinks he doesn't like chili. i'm determined to change his mind - with this recipe...

brown 1 lb. ground turkey in a skillet, adding cloves of garlic, chopped onion, hot sauce, and spices (garlic powder, dill, cumin)

add browned turkey to pot with these ingredients:
1 can black beans
1 can garbanzo beans
1 can white beans
1 can corn
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
1 chopped tomato
chopped onion
chopped garlic
1 hersey's chocolate bar
1 newcastle (or any other dark beer)
spices - garlic powder, cumin, basil, dill, oregano, cayenne pepper, black pepper

cook until done. (so specific, i know...)

serve topped with sour cream and a side of cornbread.

YUM!