It's taken six weeks of trying to get back to having art in my life on a regular basis for me to finally feel like I'm making some progress.

Last night I spent a decent amount of time playing my guitar which I haven't really touched in weeks because I've been running so much. Now that I'm "resting" before my half-marathon on Sunday, I have a little more time for things other than eating and sleeping. I was surprised that I actually remembered chords. And I'm only an "F" chord away from being able to play a Deb Talan song. Pretty exciting…

I've also decided that I'm not waiting to write a new piece before a I slam and that I'm also not doing any open mics before I jump in. It's so hard to write with that energy if you aren't already in that place, so I'm just going to do it. After playing my guitar last night I hunted down a poem that I wrote while I was living in L.A. that I really like, but never really "finished" and have only performed once. I spent a good couple hours editing it and memorizing and now feel like I have three solid poems to go into a slam with.

Today I even "performed" my three poems for two of my co-workers. They were very supportive, which is good because that could have been catastrophic.

I'm looking forward to more, though. I love having artistic outlets in my life and not just crafty outlets. I love crafts, don't get me wrong, but it's like the difference between drinking a steak shake and actually eating a steak. Not that I eat steak, but you get the metaphor…

Okay, that's all for now. 

My mom is coming into town this Thursday!

Don't forget to come to my house for the Mother of All Potlucks this Sunday at 2pm. Please bring a vegetarian-friendly food item or beverage to share with the crowd if you can. If not, come anyway. I'll only make fun of you for a little while.

If you need directions, let me know!

Also, because I thought someone out there might enjoy this, I decided to share with you this little ditty that I stole from Betsy. We ended up being the same breakfast food. Maybe that's why we like eachother. Actually, it's probably the only reason...

You Are Toast

Old fashioned and a bit of a homebody, you totally go for comfort food. You're the type who loves to cook for friends, and they love you for it. You truly know what tastes good, and you can often pick out the best dish at a restaurant. You don't fall for food trends. You stick with what's been food for a long time!

Last night I had a dream that I forgot my dad's birthday was in May and not in December. I was out to lunch with him and he told the server it was his birthday and I felt like the biggest schmuck.

I also had a dream that one of my molars fell out and was all hollow inside like when you were a kid, only it was huge, like the size of two or three teeth put together. The rest of the tooth was really white, but there was black stuff all over the outside. I was super embarrassed about it because I though it was plaque or something, but it just turned out to be dirt that had gotten on it when it fell out of my mouth and it came right off when I picked at it.

Such a weird dream! Clearly I had to look up the meanings. This is what I found -

Teeth - Normally an unfavorable sign in a dream. It signifies displeasure and also shows that you are afraid of losing someone dear to you.

Hollow - May also symbolize your hidden secrets.

Black  - Signifies isolation and transition period. It shows up conflicts and friction with relations and friends.

White - People feel they can rely on you. You have an abundance of energy and vitality.

Why wouldn't that be what my dream meant?

It's not now or never.
It's not black, and it's not white.
Anything worth anything takes more than a few days
and a long, long night.

Don't push so hard against the world, no, no.
You can't do it all alone, and if you could
would you really want to?
Even though you're a big strong girl
come on, come on, lay it down.
The best made plans are your open hands.

Rest your head.
You've got two pillows to choose from
in a queen-sized bed.
Hold out for the moon
but don't expect connection any time soon.

Feel the light caress your fingertips.
You have just begun, the word has only left your lips.
Maybe in time, you will find
your arms are wrapped around the sun
you're wrapped around the sun.

I’ll be sending out some more information on this, but I wanted to put on your radar that my former partner in crime (aka co-worker) Olivia is going to be in town with her new partner in crime (Mayra) this Sunday through next Sunday and I wanted to put together a happy hour to convince them both that they need to move here. Or at least show them a good time.

Mark your calendars for Tuesday April 8^th!

Happy Hour at Parallel 17

17^th and Franklin

5-7pm

Check out a map here.

It would be way too convenient if they actually had their happy hour specials on their website. They don’t.

Feel free to spread the word far and wide! Please let me know if you think you’ll be able to attend.

Parallel 17

1600 E 17th Ave

Denver, CO 80218

(303) 399-0988

I stole this from a website I read.

1. Favorite non-dairy milk?
Ricemilk

2. What are the top 3 dishes/recipes you wish your vegan mom would make you?
Buffalo seitan wings
Biscuits and gravy that aren’t all soy, since I can’t eat it.  
Eggplant Parmesan

3. Topping of choice for popcorn?
Um, I don’t really like popcorn. When I was a kid we would put season salt on it…

4. Most disastrous recipe/meal failure?
When I was about 15 I decided to make cookies. My Mom kept all of our dry goods in big plastic containers, since she bought (and used) them in bulk. I accidentally mixed up the sugar and the salt. Worst. Cookies. Ever.

5. Favorite pickled item?
Pickles!

6. How do you organize your recipes?
Filing cabinets in my head.

7. Compost, trash, or garbage disposal?
Hopefully soon I’ll have a worm bin…

8. If you were stranded on an island and could only bring 3 foods...what would they be (don’t worry about how you’ll cook them)?
Tom Kha soup, eggplant and anything Mexican.

9. Fondest food memory from your childhood?
Canning fresh peaches and tomatoes from our yard with my mom. The jars always looked so beautiful when we were done.

10. Favorite vegan ice cream?
Hagen Das raspberry sorbet. Mmmm.

11. Most loved kitchen appliance?
Cuisinart SmartStick Hand Blender. I love that thing more than I love most people…

12. Spice/herb you would die without?
Probably cilantro.

13. Cookbook you have owned for the longest time?
Passionate Vegetarian by Crescent Dragonwagon.

14. Favorite flavor of jam/jelly?
Boysenberry.

15. Favorite vegan recipe to serve to an omni friend?
Roasted vegetable enchiladas with homemade chipotle enchilada sauce.

16. Seitan, tofu, or tempeh?
Seitan, since I can’t eat the other two…

17. Favorite meal to cook (or time of day to cook)?
How about favorite day of the week to cook? Sunday.

18. What is sitting on top of your refrigerator?
Junk mail? And an almost-broken glass pitcher that I use to water my plants.

19. Name 3 items in your freezer without looking.
Frozen peas, homemade polenta lasagna and a metric ton of frozen bagels.

20. What’s on your grocery list?
Beer. I haven’t really examined what else I need for next week.

21. Favorite grocery store?
Sunflower Market.

22. Name a recipe you’d love to veganize, but haven’t yet.
Well there are a lot of vegan things I can’t eat, so let’s just say I’m working on learning how to make my own seitan.

23. Food blog you read the most. Or maybe the top 3?
Tastespotting. Apartment Therapy Kitchen. Your Vegan Mom.   

24. Favorite vegan candy/chocolate?
Hmm, either dark chocolate or those yummy ginger chews.

25. Most extravagant food item purchased lately?
Food item? I don’t really buy much that is extravagant. Maybe smoked sun dried tomatoes? Or that giant bottle of marinated artichoke hearts…

I made it home last night and can't even describe how glad I was to see my little apartment. Sure it was a little messy and the fridge was empty, but these things are easily fixable.

While I was gone my dog (who is probably the only woman – or man for that matter – who will treat me right and love me always) ripped her toenail out. Or almost out, the details are still a little fuzzy. Either way she ended up in the emergency vet, which always requires a muzzle, and now has a sexy cast/bandage thing and painkillers that make her drool. Even with her immobilized paw, she was so excited to see me last night that she jumped all over me and wouldn't leave my side all night. It was a nice reminder that, even though I often feel like I could disappear and even the people closest to me wouldn't notice, it's just not true.  

My friends were also particularly sweet last night with a bunch of them coming over and hanging out with me while I unpacked.

I felt missed.

Almost immediately upon returning to Denver my super-great friend who watched and dealt with my angry muzzle-faced dog while I was gone, took me shopping to get groceries. Never in my life has the shitty produce section of a big-box store looked so good. Although the conference I was at was in a super fancy hotel, their idea of vegetarian food was steamed vegetables and a starch. That means my lunches all consisted of the same soggy "mixed" vegetables – carrots, zucchini, not-so-summer squash (with super tough, woody skins), and bell peppers (which I can't eat) – and rice or pasta, depending on the day.  Breakfasts were also equally stimulating – plain bagels with jam and cream cheese (another item on my "do not eat" list), and super sugary, totally out of season fruit. Just to give you an idea of what this looked like, the strawberries were pink.

Between that and the airport/airplane food on the way home, I was in major need of food with color and fiber to scrub out all that pastel-colored, super processed food that felt like it was taking over my body. Buying my own groceries last night was the best $29 I've spent in a long time.

This morning I ate GrapeNuts with rice milk and cuddled with my gimp of a dog in my newly re-arranged bedroom. I felt scrubbed and warm and loved.

It's good to be home.

On January 22, 1973 a landmark ruling was made in the case commonly know as Roe v. Wade. This decision made abortion legal in the U.S. or, more accurately it protected a woman's privacy to make medical decisions with her doctor and her doctor alone.

This decision, for the first time in the U.S., took abortion out of alleys and off kitchen tables and made it a legal medical procedure that today is very safe.

On average, about one in every six women will have an abortion by the age of 45. The chances of a woman having complications that require hospitalization as a result of abortion are about three in one thousand. Once again, very safe.

I am grateful today that I live in a country where I have safe medical options and I can feel confident that if any of my four sisters ever needed to seek abortion services they wouldn't be stuck resorting to a wire coat hanger or crochet needle instead of a sterile medical setting with professionals to ensure they wouldn't bleed to death.

This is why it is important to me to vote pro-choice.

I want to ensure the health and happiness of my family and friends.

I value and respect a woman's right to choose the future of her life and her body as an individual and understand that no two women have the same life experiences or would make the same decision for the same reason.

When abortion is illegal, women die. (Realize that at no point is a man's life in danger because of a pregnancy.)

When abortion is illegal, women with money and privilege are still often able to access decent medical services, however poor women are forced to bear the ugly brunt of the attempt to legislate morality.

I believe every child deserves to be a wanted child and that until we can provide food, shelter health care and love for every child that is already in this world, we should not force women to have them.

Feel free to leave a comment about why choice is important to you.