4.22.2010

Egg-citing

I went back to work. Yes after 8 months of being a kept women I returned to the working world. The transition has been, um, good. I wanted to work, and yes I volunteered in OK but here I have a paying 8-5ish job. That also means that I go to Crossfit at like 5:15 in the morning, and wakeup at like 4:45. MMMmmmmmmmmmm bed is so warm at 4:45, I just wish I could sleep a little longer. I am surprise how many people are out and about at 5 in the morning, which includes people riding their bikes to work at 5 am!
This round of employment is about close to the world I lived in TN. My last job was an almost full time microbiology gig with a touch of molecular diagnostic (you can glaze over here if you want to) my new job contains a lot, I mean a LOT of chickens. I mean Avian is in the name of the lab. So is Food Science. I play with chicken products all day! Between checking on the chickens we keep for their perfect germ free eggs to the crazy powdered egg product we get from a producer in the area.
So far the I'm loving the job. Enjoying the full days, that mean I don't sit on my ass too long. One of the best perks in that I'll get an "office", which isn't a real office with my name on it, but at least a computer that is mainly mine. Biggest down side, saturdays. I'll be working a lot of saturdays, but they'll be those fantastic hours when you have the whole place to yourself and can crank the music while dancing poorly with a 5mL pipette in your hand. Now if you're at all curious about what I do or some of the other cool stuff they do at the WSU extension in Puyallup you can check them out here http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/ and here http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/depts_waddl/avian.aspx

4.08.2010

Okay......

So I know that I've dropped off the radar a little but I've been busy. With the move, the mass of unpacking and well the general ****GASP**** of finally moving back to the great northwest.

We move ALOT! I mean like more than any normal person should who isn't trying to escape some kind of law enforcement. Yet each time I get out the plastic tubs to create my signature "kitchen in a box" I totally freakout! Its not that kind of run-around with your head cut off like a dead chicken freakout, its a teeth grinding "OHHOLYCRAPDIDIFORGETTODOTHAT" kinda freakout. The thing about this kinda spaz is its hard to relax from but it does feel so good when things finally get into shape. And into shape they have, just a few neighborhood highlights include a farmers market just about 6 blocks from my door. Two, count 'em two grocery stores all of nine blocks. Granted one of these stores is the super fancy pants grocery which I only shop at when I need something that just CANNOT be found in one of the "normal" grocery stores. However when you have sooooo many places to shop in the city, including the various ethnic markets which come with a major city, its almost unheard of for me to shop the FP store. Not going to name store names but this is the type of store which sells like 10 different kinds of jam and 30 jellys all of which are "organic, and grown on patches of reclaimed landfill with natural water recycled from middle schools" or something to that effect. They all cost upward of 5 bucks a little jar too. Granted you can get like two flavors of good ol'smuckers there so they can call themselves a real grocery store. The kind of folks you find filling their funny little half grocery buggies with level 5 vegan walnut bread and heirloom beer, aren't so interested in the providence of their food or even how freakin yummy the Milk that comes in the glass bottle is (which it is) but that they can afford to purchase insanely expensive pre-cooked "rainbow" carrots. Which when I gleefully wandered around the produce to pick out my own "rainbow" carrots to make them at home, they didn't carry them. However they have a fantastic beer selection!
After supporting my local and well stocked farmers market, it was time to start enjoying the few things which are in season in the Great NW.
Rhubarb
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Mmmmmm Spring time
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Rhubarb and Strawberry Crumb Cake
Rhubarb and Strawberry Crumble, super tasty and a great way to enjoy season noms. The rhubarb came from a small farm in the valley and the strawberries from one of Tacoma's coolest grocery spots, Tacoma Boys. I also made a Rhubarb Strawberry compote with the rest of the fruits.
Rhubarb and Strawberry
Its wonderful just eaten with a spoon or over ice cream or greek yogurt. I'll make more this season, in fact I might even get into some canning and "put some up" for fall when you need a little bite of spring time.

Finally I've been busy with some yarn related projects too namely Lil's birthday Blanket.
Birthday Blanket

4.01.2010

Delay

Just a few pictures until I get things in order in our new house.
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