Tom and Wendy are husband and wife! Hooray!
The wedding was great. The ceremony was fun and everything went kind of smoothly once it began and the officiant was amazing and spoke from the heart. Very nice.
And the reception was amazing too! A lot of their friends pitched in and hired the UW marching band to pop in and play some songs as a surprise for Tom. It worked! SHocked! Very fun thoguh!!! Loud...
Tom gave a good speech! As usual. =) And all the guests had fun. Including me. Everyone danced! Amazing!!!
I want to see the pictures.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Saturday, July 21, 2007
The End of the Year!
Today was the last official day of AmeriCorps.
Long time coming!
I'm very glad to leave Hickory. It is a strange place. There are many families here, and many retired people. There are stoplights all over the place. Many busy streets going to malls and chain restaurants. Too much driving is necessary. I've not enjoyed this town at all. There *is* a good brewery, whose website does not do it justice. I might miss OHB a bit. =)
And I will miss the friends from AmeriCorps. They are good people! I admire them in many different ways! And they will all do great things next year.
But I am glad this year is over. It is good to get out of this town. Is not quaint at all. And the roads are confusing and numerous. 4th St Dr SE, 4th St Ln SE, 4th St Ave SE. Even the street names lack character.
Tomorrow I pack all my things into my camry and then Monday off I go!
Long time coming!
I'm very glad to leave Hickory. It is a strange place. There are many families here, and many retired people. There are stoplights all over the place. Many busy streets going to malls and chain restaurants. Too much driving is necessary. I've not enjoyed this town at all. There *is* a good brewery, whose website does not do it justice. I might miss OHB a bit. =)
And I will miss the friends from AmeriCorps. They are good people! I admire them in many different ways! And they will all do great things next year.
But I am glad this year is over. It is good to get out of this town. Is not quaint at all. And the roads are confusing and numerous. 4th St Dr SE, 4th St Ln SE, 4th St Ave SE. Even the street names lack character.
Tomorrow I pack all my things into my camry and then Monday off I go!
Southern foods
I went out to eat at a nice restaurant with Tori tonight. She got crabcakes which had fried green tomatoes on top, so I got to taste fried green tomatoes, which I really liked, which was surprising because I do not normally like fried things nor do I like immature vegetables. But I did like this. While in NC I've tried most foods I would describe as southern:
~grits: really good! Surprising because I do not like hominy. Er... I suppose I just don't like whole hominy. Ground up, ok.
~hushpuppies: really good occasionally. Not something I'd want to eat daily or in any large quantity.
~pickled cucumber and onion: *really* good! Strange because I hate pickles. Fresh though, and perhaps the way they were prepared, I have enjoyed this.
~muscadines: type of grape. Tasty. Meaty fruit.
~sweet potato (and sweet potato casserole): I don't know that I tried sweet potatoes in WI/IA. I know they exist in these places, but they are much more prevalent in the south. Sweet potato casserole, for instance, is a Thanksgiving staple. People mush up the sweet potatoes with sugar or whatever, and then put it in a casserole and top it with a layer of *marshmallows*. How STRANGE! It is ok. Strange.
~fried green tomatoes: Again, I think this might exist in the north, but I've never tried it before. Much more common here. Really really good! Came into existence from the need to have no food waste-- before the frost, people fried up their green tomatoes.
~okra: I used a bunch of okra I got for free in some gumbo I made last year. It is interesting. Mild flavor, a bit slimy, but gave my gumbo a good, thick consistency. Very starchy. I have not tried it fried, and I hear this is fantastic, but I can imagine exactly what it would taste like, and have no real desire to try this before I leave south.
~pimento cheese: When folks bring HFH food for lunch, it is common to bring five to ten pimento cheese sandwiches for veggies or whomever. Pimento cheese is good! I think it is maybe cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, pimento peppers.. probably mayo too. I'd never heard of this food before living here, but have had it often during HFH lunches.
~sweet tea. People drink sweet tea like it is water here. It is disgusting to me. When I worked as a waitress people would very occasionally order sweet tea. I can't remember if I brought them sugar packets or if we had it in our pop machine. Anyway, it is not common in north but very very very common in south. Waitresses some places walk around with pitchers of sweet tea.
Things I did not try here that are southern:
~North Carolina BBQ. People are obsessive about BBQ. Evidently there is a whole spectrum of greatness between this restaurant and that. Whatever. My first week in Avery County I was taken to a BBQ restaurant. I tried hushpuppies for the first time there. This was about the only menu item a veggie could eat.
~livermush. TGIV (Thank goodness I'm vegetarian).
~chitlins. TGIV.
~boiled peanuts. This is very common here. I wish I had tried it, because I see signs for it all over the place. But, it is not too terribly hard to boil peanuts, so I could try it elsewhere I suppose. I've heard they are not very good. I've no idea what boiling does to the nut to make it different.
~collard greens, or greens. Typically these include bacon grease. I've no comment on this food.
I think I've remembered all of them. My favorite new foods from the south are grits and fried green tomatoes. I'm so glad I got to try these! So tangy!
~grits: really good! Surprising because I do not like hominy. Er... I suppose I just don't like whole hominy. Ground up, ok.
~hushpuppies: really good occasionally. Not something I'd want to eat daily or in any large quantity.
~pickled cucumber and onion: *really* good! Strange because I hate pickles. Fresh though, and perhaps the way they were prepared, I have enjoyed this.
~muscadines: type of grape. Tasty. Meaty fruit.
~sweet potato (and sweet potato casserole): I don't know that I tried sweet potatoes in WI/IA. I know they exist in these places, but they are much more prevalent in the south. Sweet potato casserole, for instance, is a Thanksgiving staple. People mush up the sweet potatoes with sugar or whatever, and then put it in a casserole and top it with a layer of *marshmallows*. How STRANGE! It is ok. Strange.
~fried green tomatoes: Again, I think this might exist in the north, but I've never tried it before. Much more common here. Really really good! Came into existence from the need to have no food waste-- before the frost, people fried up their green tomatoes.
~okra: I used a bunch of okra I got for free in some gumbo I made last year. It is interesting. Mild flavor, a bit slimy, but gave my gumbo a good, thick consistency. Very starchy. I have not tried it fried, and I hear this is fantastic, but I can imagine exactly what it would taste like, and have no real desire to try this before I leave south.
~pimento cheese: When folks bring HFH food for lunch, it is common to bring five to ten pimento cheese sandwiches for veggies or whomever. Pimento cheese is good! I think it is maybe cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, pimento peppers.. probably mayo too. I'd never heard of this food before living here, but have had it often during HFH lunches.
~sweet tea. People drink sweet tea like it is water here. It is disgusting to me. When I worked as a waitress people would very occasionally order sweet tea. I can't remember if I brought them sugar packets or if we had it in our pop machine. Anyway, it is not common in north but very very very common in south. Waitresses some places walk around with pitchers of sweet tea.
Things I did not try here that are southern:
~North Carolina BBQ. People are obsessive about BBQ. Evidently there is a whole spectrum of greatness between this restaurant and that. Whatever. My first week in Avery County I was taken to a BBQ restaurant. I tried hushpuppies for the first time there. This was about the only menu item a veggie could eat.
~livermush. TGIV (Thank goodness I'm vegetarian).
~chitlins. TGIV.
~boiled peanuts. This is very common here. I wish I had tried it, because I see signs for it all over the place. But, it is not too terribly hard to boil peanuts, so I could try it elsewhere I suppose. I've heard they are not very good. I've no idea what boiling does to the nut to make it different.
~collard greens, or greens. Typically these include bacon grease. I've no comment on this food.
I think I've remembered all of them. My favorite new foods from the south are grits and fried green tomatoes. I'm so glad I got to try these! So tangy!
Thursday, July 19, 2007
This is strange.
During my web browsing today (out of extreme boredom with a pointless job, and later out of delaying packing) I found the government recall website. The toy section is pretty funny/kind of scary (for example: New Easy-Bake Oven Recall Following Partial Finger Amputation; Consumers Urged to Return Toy Ovens (Thu, 19 Jul 2007 11:00:00 GMT) Young children can insert their hands into the oven's front opening, and get their hands or fingers caught, posing entrapment and burn hazards.) . There is also a meat section, which is long and disgusting. Here is the totally needlesstosay point of my blog entry tonight:
Why the hell was everyone freaking out about SPINACH?
Why the hell was everyone freaking out about SPINACH?
California Firm Expands Recall of Ground Beef for Possible E. coli O157:H7 Contamination (Sat, 09 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT) United Food Group, LLC, a Vernon, Calif., establishment, is voluntarily expanding its June 3 and 6 recalls to include a total of approximately 5.7 million pounds of both fresh and frozen ground beef products produced between April 6 and April 20 because they may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.
5.7 Million+...
Texas Firm Recalls Ground Beef Products Due to Possible E. coli O157:H7 Contamination (Fri, 08 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT) Tyson Fresh Meats, Inc., a Sherman, Texas, establishment, is voluntarily recalling approximately 40,440 pounds of ground beef products due to possible contamination with E. coli O157:H7.
40,440 pounds+...
California Firm Expands Recall of Ground Beef for Possible E. coli O157:H7 Contamination (Wed, 06 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT) United Food Group, LLC, a Vernon, Calif., establishment, is voluntarily expanding its June 3 recall of ground beef products because they may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.
California Firm Recalls Ground Beef For Possible E. coli O157:H7 Contamination (Sun, 03 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT) United Food Group, LLC, a Vernon, Calif., establishment, is voluntarily recalling approximately 75,000 pounds of ground beef products because they may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.
Michigan Firm Recalls Beef Products Due to Possible E. coli O157:H7 Contamination (PDF only) (Fri, 11 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT) Davis Creek Meats and Seafood, a Kalamazoo, Mich., establishment, is voluntarily recalling approximately 129,000 pounds of beef products, due to possible contamination with E. coli O157:H7.
129,000+...
Minnesota Firm Recalls Beef Trim Due to Possible E. coli O157:H7 Contamination (PDF only) (Thu, 10 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT) PM Beef Holdings, LLC, a Windom, Minn., establishment, is voluntarily recalling approximately 117,500 pounds of beef trim products used to make ground beef, due to possible contamination with E. coli O157:H7.
117,500+...
California Firm Recalls Ground Beef for Possible E. COLI O157:H7 (PDF only) (Fri, 20 Apr 2007 00:00:00 GMT) Richwood Meat Co, Inc., a Merced, Calif., establishment, is voluntarily recalling approximately 107,943 pounds of frozen ground beef products because they may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.
107,943 (approximately!)+...
Pennsylvania Firm Recalls Beef Products for Possible E. COLI O157:H7 (PDF only) (Fri, 20 Apr 2007 00:00:00 GMT) HFX, Inc., a South Claysburg, Penn., firm, is voluntary recalling approximately 259,230 pounds of beef products due to possible contamination with E. coli O157:H7.
Pennsylvania Firm Recalls Beef Products for Possible E. COLI O157:H7 - Labels for Retail Products (PDF only) (Fri, 20 Apr 2007 00:00:00 GMT) Label for retail products related to Recall 019-2007: HFX, Inc., a South Claysburg, Penn., firm, is voluntary recalling approximately 259,230 pounds of beef products due to possible contamination with E. coli O157:H7.
259,230=
6,354,113 Pounds!
Since APRIL! EW!
Since APRIL! EW!
I wonder what the ratio of yearly american vegetable consumption to yearly recalls due to E. coli risk is... I wonder if it is close to one. Hmmm...
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Debate Question
From HFH Volunteer Coordinator in Charlotte, NC:
Hi everyone,
Mike Masto, former AmeriCorps member at Habitat Charlotte and current Site Supervisor, put together a short video to the political debate candidates regarding the importance they see on the impact volunteering and AmeriCorps can have on a community and how that would play a role in their policies if they were elected as president. This is a candidate for the Youtube debate coming up July 23rd. Please go to the following website, view Mike's video, and vote to have his question answered!!! He needs some votes. The most popular questions will get answered by the candidates.
The link is http://www.communitycounts.us/?q=demdebate&search=volunteer - and then go to the MIDDLE video. Clicking on it will play it, and then click on the ANSWER button to vote to have the candidates answer the question.
Beth Van GorpVolunteer Coordinator,Habitat for Humanity of Charlotte
Hi everyone,
Mike Masto, former AmeriCorps member at Habitat Charlotte and current Site Supervisor, put together a short video to the political debate candidates regarding the importance they see on the impact volunteering and AmeriCorps can have on a community and how that would play a role in their policies if they were elected as president. This is a candidate for the Youtube debate coming up July 23rd. Please go to the following website, view Mike's video, and vote to have his question answered!!! He needs some votes. The most popular questions will get answered by the candidates.
The link is http://www.communitycounts.us/?q=demdebate&search=volunteer - and then go to the MIDDLE video. Clicking on it will play it, and then click on the ANSWER button to vote to have the candidates answer the question.
Beth Van GorpVolunteer Coordinator,Habitat for Humanity of Charlotte
Monday, July 16, 2007
Giant Carrot
This is the carrot I used for my salad tonight. Look how long it is! I should have measured it...
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Menu Amazing
We had JohnEd and Angela over last night for dinner/drinks. Fun times! Derek's Kristin is in town, and we all never really get chances to hang out with her, so it was nice to kick it with her for awhile. Although, Derek's Annie somehow sat on her tail wrong and sprained it (evidently this is not so uncommon... I had no idea), so Derek had to take her to the vet for the second time in one day, and we actually didn't get to spend so much time hanging out with Kristin. So it goes.
Here is the menu we enjoyed:
Fresh cherries, peaches, apricots, apples, and blueberries with ricotta+goat cheese dip.
Brie and cherry quesadillas with mango/tomato/avocado salsa
Balkan cucumber salad
Asparagus and basil lasagna
Fresh-tastic! I am still full I think. I took some pictures of the fruit but none of them are very good, and then Annie got hurt so I did not take any more pictures. Plus, people usually want to eat the food once it is ready rather than wait for me to shoot it first. Imagine that.
Annie is okay but she is drugged up. Lots of tail pain. So strange that the tail is so fragile. She also has an eye infection... sad puppy right now. She's not supposed to wag her tail for two weeks! Seems rather impossible.
Now I work on throwing things away and consolidating owned items. One week to pack up two years! AGH! =)
Here is the menu we enjoyed:
Fresh cherries, peaches, apricots, apples, and blueberries with ricotta+goat cheese dip.
Brie and cherry quesadillas with mango/tomato/avocado salsa
Balkan cucumber salad
Asparagus and basil lasagna
Fresh-tastic! I am still full I think. I took some pictures of the fruit but none of them are very good, and then Annie got hurt so I did not take any more pictures. Plus, people usually want to eat the food once it is ready rather than wait for me to shoot it first. Imagine that.
Annie is okay but she is drugged up. Lots of tail pain. So strange that the tail is so fragile. She also has an eye infection... sad puppy right now. She's not supposed to wag her tail for two weeks! Seems rather impossible.
Now I work on throwing things away and consolidating owned items. One week to pack up two years! AGH! =)
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