The Ideal Pancreas is NOT Ideal

Just a word to any readers out there who do read this, I've moved. The Ideal Pancreas isn't really the most Ideal name if I want to dish it out to those I work with or for ... so I'm now at Specialize in Everything. Catchier huh? The interface, like this one, leaves something to be desired but we're working on it ... plus the Pancreas while important is an ugly organ ... so I figure we can make something more visually appealing using well "Everything" instead of a Pancreas.

A Trip to Tan A

It's been a while since I've posted. I've been debating addressing that, the lag time I mean. But as so often let's just skim. I bought some fabulous armchairs from Diversity this weekend, they are packed with stuff from Spring cleaning and I've been a sanding machine but I still haven't settled on the fabric. I'm thinking Kokka upholstery fabrics ... but if you have any suggestions bring it. We went to a great wedding where we were late (it was a Catholic one ... they notice those things) we got searched on a military base, got lost on that same base, we walked several miles and forgot the gift but other than all that we had a blast. (In other words, yes, it was an open-bar). Besides that I've been focused on World Malaria Day that took place this past Friday. Did you buy your bed net? If not ... you can here! 

So with all of that this was the first really mellow weekend in a while. Saturday was dedicated to finding and working on the chairs and today was grocery shopping. OK, there was more than grocery shopping but that was the highlight. This was only the second time I've been to Tan A, the Asian Supermarket here, and I don't know why I don't go more, probably the cash or check only thing, but it's so worth it. It's not often that I get milk candy, Ponzu dressing, soba noodles, bok choy, chili peppers, etc. etc. but really, that's going to change.

The largest problem I have at the Asian market is distractions ... no I probably won't like Lychee pudding but I HAD to walk around with it -- and honestly will probably go back and buy it. Either way that's another post. But the other thing is ... what are THESE? I'm not sure -- I didn't buy one -- but really this is a mystery that needs to be solved. The only problem I have with the Asian market is the drawings and bright colors on everything -- it's hard not to get excited about it -- so I went in prepared  ... you know a list, novel idea. So what was the outcome? Well besides the milk candy that I'm munching RIGHT NOW I made a great Asian Chicken Salad with Snap Peas and Bok Choy from Epicurious. I wish I had taken a picture but we ate it without thinking. It was THAT good. Epicurious has a great photo on the site. Anyhoo -- that's the recipe, highly recommended ... and yes two of us ate the four serving amount -- it was from all that sanding I'm sure (and of course I always shimmy the ingredients around). Enjoy!

Trish Tries Out Retirement

The other day I had a doctor's appointment. Afraid I was going to get lost (again) out in the West End ... I left early, really early. I ended up getting to my doctors office an hour early actually, plenty of time to fill out paper work but my doctor switched to computers so I had the whole hour to myself ... I picked up the paper.

After my appointment I needed to stop by the mall for a gift AND pick up my prescription before work. SO since I had to kill more time to wait for the mall to open I decided to go to Ukrop's, a local chain grocery store to fill my 'scripts and get breakfast. 

OK normally I don't wake up in time for breakfast, normally I don't wake up in time for anything except to hit my alarm screaming obsenities about being late, showering, the ten-minute key search and then hitting up Starbucks for my coffee(sorry it's right on my way to work) and if we're lucky I'm in before 9:15. But my eyes were opened. As hard as it was for me to drag ass out of bed, get up and out in the cold, and be at my appointment an HOUR EARLY, it was totally worth it. For a good four hours I was retired -- and I didn't have to be someplace warm to enjoy it.

I woke up early, went to the doctor, filled my prescription, read the paper and found the quietest spot to have breakfast for cheap, just a bunch of other retirees reading the paper and sipping coffee too. Ukrop's is not the happening stay at home mom meeting spot like Panera or Starbucks, it's not greasy Mickey D's McMuffins and the best part there's GRAVY! Like I said -- a local chain ... in the South gravy's a must, and this is chip-beef gravy ... on biscuits ... it's got another name when it's on toast ... I won't go there but it's got shingles in the title. The other thing about my breakfast it cost like 3 dollars and change. Crazy right! Yup, if this is how all days start in retirement sign me up for a bridge club I am ready! I already knit and watch Law and Order re-runs like I'm sixty -- let's take the next step, who's with me? If we get enough we can hang out and play euchre while I watch my stories.

By the way I don't normally do chip-beef gravy -- normally I do sausage gravy ... and I make a mean gravy, and I normally make a lot of it ... always good after long nights out. I eyeball my gravy but I found a recipee that's got some measurements of the same stuff I use for mine from Rene1959 on Allrecipes:

Ingredients:

• 1lb. ground pork sausage (sage or spicy is best)
• 3 tbsp. bacon grease (optional ... it's southern we use bacon grease in everything)
• 1/4 c. all-purpose flower
• 3 c. milk
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper (I use more)

Directions:

1. Brown sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Set aside leaving drippings in the skillet.


2. Mix bacon grease into the sausage drippings (optional you might have plenty of grease to get you going just from your sausage ... or add some butter). Reduce heat to medium, combine with flour, and stir constantly until the mixture turns golden brown.


3. Gradually whisk milk into skillet. When the mixture is smooth, thickened, and begins to bubble, return sausage to skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat, and simmer for about 15 minutes.


4. Serve over biscuits. (I'm a big fan of the frozen ones honestly). Doesn't re-heat well and they have a nifty measurement tool on Allrecipes to reduce if you're bad at math like me!


5. I recommend grabbing the paper and listening to some talk radio if you want to get the retiree feel I was getting at Ukrop's. The Today Show will possibly give you the same feel ... but turn it up way loud.

Mini Mail Samplers

I just ordered my first Sampler! Well, mini sampler, and I am quite excited! I've been studying pictures of Samplers, for quite some time, on sites like Modish, Whip-Up and DesignSponge but I am finally getting my own (small one) in the mail.

Thing is I love snail mail, but I never seem to get the stuff I want ... like letters and postcards from exotic places, random music selections (be they tape or cd) or comic books (hint hint) all I get is Kroger inserts and bills, even with my NetFlix cue I've hit a rough patch. But when I do get those comics (thanks Pete) or exotic um ... er ... postcards (Colorado) or even exotic foodstuffs it makes my day.

Like these! The picture doesn't do them justice, the gray cube, the jug of water (just wanted to give the full effect of my office environment note the desk underneath the papers, also gray). But they came, a bunch of beautiful bananas, a pink bow and a card,

"PLEASE SHARE WITH HECTOR"

(Hector being my imaginary helper monkey of course, but the kind who gets dry cleaning and washes dishes).

It was magic. The cycle of giving continued with bangin' banana bread being sent back, and it all started with a running joke and bananas that came in the mail from The Chip!

It was obvious I just had to take some control of my mail situation, less bills, more random goodness (still working on the less bills) so after I ordered my Sampler I started poking around to see what else was out there. Staying in the crafty vein Etsy is the jackpot of random mail goodness! While these samplers don't have the same allure as a handmade grab bag (or bananas) all of them are something unexpected, a yarn sampler set, mini ephemera packets, little brass things, perfume sampler, bird sampler, lip balm sampler lots of different soap samplers and there are tons more.

Outside of crafty samplers their are cosmetic samplers like TestTube which comes four times a year full of new cosmetics and (apparently not the small stuff either). Then there are tea samplers, cheese samplers, women's samplers and celestial samplers (whatever those are). But still I'm way more excited about THE Sampler I'm expecting.

Aside from actually ordering something, there's also the allure of the mail swap. I found Swap-Bot after hearing about Magic Yarn Balls and I immediately wanted one, so I found a Magic Yarn Swap on the Bot (can I call it the Bot? I hope so). Dangerously close to the deadline I didn't do the swap so while I haven't tried it yet I'm seriously eyeing going out for the Themed Surprises in 6 x 9. Any takers on this one?

The whole idea of Swaps, Sampler's and bananas is like a Pen Pal x 10, and makes the blow of getting the funny feeling paper Verizon bill (you know the one in the unltra-thin envelope with red type on it) a little softer. Sometimes you just need a little inspiration be it handpicked papers, or crafty goodies from talented people, or bananas with pink ribbons, a little pick me up while sifting through the rest of your deadlined and metered life.  As a rule though you get what you give and and it's time to take charge of your mail!

The Ideal Pancreas Part: 2

My first blog post! I'm a little nervous about the whole thing, I've been waiting and watching silently following my own personal faves but I have a definite type of blog I look towards, something pretty, something designed well, great fabrics, or new craft ideas and projects, art, decoration, quirky insights and I'm always looking for great shelving or trend-watching on new web tools, social networking advice and non-profits (yes I work for one). There are so many great bloggers who are a pleasure to read, it took me a while to find my muse, well to the right you'll see my inspiration. 

What started as a joke with a designer friend of mine, "Can you get me a job at your Medical Illustration firm, I draw a mean pancreas ..." became a blog. 

I'm an Interactive Designer for a relatively large and very confused non-profit who does great humanitarian work but doesn't really get the web, so I needed another outlet besides spinning my wheels at work. Besides web work I went to school for illustration and love drawing (I tend to stick with dry mediums) as well as crafting and doing things with my hands, which I find is necessary because it breaks off the monotony of working on the computer for long stretches of time. Recently I've gotten into baking, I've been on a banana bread kick after I got a delivery of bananas at work (but that's for another post). And later today I plan to cook with escarole! It's the little things ...

So this silly joke about the pancreas is now my new blog where I plan to post my own fun web finds and projects that I'm working on (who knows maybe I'll finish some of them this way) and hopefully I'll get to the bottom of the best banana bread recipe soon.

As a side note the pancreas is a pretty mean organ, although I found later after registering my blog, fairly ugly, a diamond in the rough really ... to read more on the pancreas click here ...