vee

if you are wondering why i say v-day instead of valentines, its because it stands for so much more.

violence.

voice.

vagina.

victory.

theatres around the world are featuring the vagina monologues this month.

check it out.

it is sad, funny, and beautiful.

(i hope next time i will have more courage.)

tonights ramblings

yay! mr. jackmans v-day present came in the mail today!

i think its time i tell you i am not following my diet very strictly... just counting calories.

thanks to amanda for recommending adam, both the movie and the soundtrack. (the itouch is on repeat)

my heart aches when my friends hearts are aching.

i am taking notes and passing notes to friends cause i love writing so much with this pen.

member sea monkeys? i could never keep mine alive.

i should have known that if you buy a costco size bag of avocados, they all get ripe the exact same day.

hey bobby, did you see the charger commercial?

i have been to applebees twice in the last month and officially give it a thumbs down.

this, however, is a thumbs up.

i just about lost my cool today watching a video of a deaf club close.

still gushing about the coolness of watching mr. jackmans cousin remove a cyst of his on her couch.

last week a detective called my style grandma. thanks?

do you put stuff in your guac? (back to the costco size bag of avocados)

after trying this trick i will no longer waste my time with eye shadow.

im doin dishes up in here all night

i came from a home that was super duper clean all the time.

as soon as dinner was over dishes were done immediately.

we cleaned up after ourselves and my parents stayed in the kitchen to clean up everything else.

i get to spend evenings with mr. jackman maybe 3x a week.

meaning i dont want to spend my time doing dishes, i want to spend it with him.

so i do.

i pile them in the sink and let them crust over til the next morning when he is at work.

same thing when we have company; i would rather spend my night with them than with the dishes.

maybe this wont work as well when we have babes, but for now i am happy going against my parents well meant advice.

LOL

this is joe. but we call him mojo jojo.

he is my bff from hike school.

and i love him.

one of my very favorite things about moje is that when he reads, he laughs out loud.

in a coffee shop.

on a train.

i dont know anyone else who does that.

and when he LOLs, i do too.

healthy food ideas

the hardest part about being on a diet is feeling restricted and bored with your food.

after some searching and creativeness on my part,

i have come up with recipes that take care of both of those problems.

here is what i have been eating.... hope it helps your healthy eating be more enjoyable!

friday

b- broccoli and onion omelet

l- chicken salad salad

d- chicken in tomato basil sauce and roasted parsnips

saturday

b/l- spinach omelet

d- salmon cakes and asparagus

sunday

b- chicken and mushroom omelet

l/d- chicken and pico on spring greens

monday

b- spinach and banana smoothie (recipe coming soon!)

l- chicken salad salad and carrot juice

d-pico and guac with chips (cheater!)

tuesday

b and l are same and same

d- roasted chicken with garlic cloves and mushrooms, mashed cauliflower (steam cauliflower and mash it like potatoes, add butter and s & p (and roasted garlic if you have some anyway), seriously passes for mashed potatoes. try it on your kids...)

wednesday

b- spinach and blueberry smoothie

l- cherry tomatoes, snap peas, and chicken

d- pecan covered salmon and steamed french green beans

help!

i have had access to an amazing blender at the coffee shop i work at

and because i am now obsessed with spinach smoothies and tired of running to the shop

i am ready to buy my own.

(well i already have one... but it just kinda pushes the ice around....)

do you have a blender (under $100 please) that you really like?

or really hate?

i would love to know so i can make a smart purchase!

thanks darlings:)

my fridge is on a diet

i thought i would share with you what my fridge looks like when its full of diet food.

(update: i am starving. rabbit food isnt cutting it)

oh. and theres my freezer. post cards from seattle. jury summons! a mini painting from our trip to mehico. a bottle cap that says, "you continue to be lucky in love." a "damn straight i keep score" magnet... cause i do. an old picture of mikey who apparently loves his human. "go for long walks, indulge in hot baths, question your assumptions, be kind to yourself, live for the moment, loosen up, scream, curse the world, count your blessings, just let go, just be" magnet. baby lobster from our vay-cay to maine. a torn out quote, "be pretty if you can, be witty if you must, but be gracious is it kills you." this post wasnt supposed to be about the outside of my fridge. but here we are.

and there is that.

oh yes. and dishes from dinner.

the end.

remember

(photo by mr. jackman)

ps22

both these songs give me chill bumps when i heard the kids of ps22, public school 22 of stanton island, sing them.

they just took on a whole new meaning for me.

seriously watch them... at least the first one.

(and isnt their music teacher darling?)

eating how i should

well kids...

i'm going on a diet/cleanse/thing.

my pants are just a bit too tight, and i feel sluggish at 23.

time to change how i eat.

there is always a holiday around the corner and a good excuse why you should start eating better later.

how bout i start right now?

tonight i weigh 132.2 and i will start my new regimen in the morning.

what i can eat: vegetables, chicken, fish, eggs, nuts, and olive oil.

what i cant eat: fruit, dairy, beef, bread, pasta, coffee, and cheetos.

i will be fine because: i love tomatoes. give me a couple for lunch and i am golden. carrot juice is allowed!

i will not be fine because: i dont drink water; i drink milk. i have this thing for milk and if i cheat in the next 14 days it will be milk. mark my words. also- i am a dipper.... i love sauce. lets see if almond butter cuts it for me?

i will keep you all updated on my progress!

anyone want to join me?

i would love any tips or encouraging words you may have!

for chelle, my sunshine girl

micro lending

Did you hear that Dr. Muhammad Yunus was in Utah this week for the Sundance Film Festival?

He was the Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2006 for microfinance- something Mr. Jackman has been interested in for years.

Dr. Yunus is credited for pulling 100 million people out of poverty. ( one hundred million people...!)

Microloans create business opportunities to the poorest people in the world. People like you and me lend say- $100 to a woman in a third world country to help her start up her own business. Instead of just putting food in bellies, microloans provide a lifetime of income.

Grameen Foundation accepts donations (lenders pay back their loan to the foundation, who then lends it to another deserving woman)

while Kivas lenders repay their loans to the original loaner.

ballerina becca circa 1990

leaning on the stage at a ballet recital. how i wanted to be grown up and en pointe.

name droppin

( i am the blondie, mia is hugging my sister and i am in-between my cousin and ray)

i el oh vee ee dance.

and oy vey do i miss it.

i just came across this picture of me as a wee one training with the emmy award winning

mia michaels and the incredibly talented ray leeper.

these divas were some of my teachers as well.

(any "so you think you can dance" fans?

i also trained with randi lyn strong and alison holker.)

stay tuned and i will post a picture of ballerina becca circa 1990.

why i love interpreting

• interpreting actually challenges me- in a way i have never been challenged. there are so many things that have to be happening in your head at the same time.... you are listening to one message, interpreting one in your head, and producing another on your hands. (and thats if you are only working with 3 bits of information- we typically deal with 7)
• a good interpreter is an ally to the deaf community. we can advocate for our deaf clients and empower them to advocate for themselves.
• cultural mediation and dissecting slang and idioms are included in the job.
• i love educating people about deaf culture. asl is a full and competent language. deaf people are not disabled.
• the other day i was interpreting and realized i was using the computer in minority report. because asl is a visual language you can set ideas in one place and leave them, come back to them, manipulate them, and make them interact with each other.
• language is a living, breathing thing; it is continuously changing. your interpreting skills can always be improved. i love learning and love that my profession is something that will always challenge me.