The Ramblings of a Mental Meanderthal

I found this one via Spark People yesterday and tried it tonight. Chef Meg's Fake 'Fried' Cheese Sticks . Verdict: Tasty, though not as yummy as the restaurants' fried cheese sticks. (Frying will do that.) I like the healthy alternative to frying, but I think I'll stick with regular bread crumbs after the Japanese bread crumbs (panko) are gone. When I make this again, I'm going to try grinding down the panko into smaller pieces, and I'll try the egg substitute, too. (I used an egg white because it's what I had.) Also, a lot of the cheese seeped out during baking, spreading out over the baking sheet and leaving hollow shell of bread crumbs. The one I double breaded kept the cheese sealed inside, but the other three leaked.

A month to six weeks is usually when I lose motivation and give up on losing weight and exercise and eating better. I just get discouraged because I haven't lost half my weight in the few weeks since I started. (I am aware that this isn't a realistic goal, but I never claimed to have a realistic outlook on things.) Or at least that I never made much progress in that month. A lot of things are different this time. I'm not just getting up at the crack of dawn and stomping around the neighborhood where I've lived for twelve years for the sake of stomping around. (Boring.) I'm not exercising for some lofty, vague, hazy goal of "lose weight" and "be healthy." I have a specific goal* now: Dance my butt off. It's all about the dancing. I have such a good time every week in class. I feel graceful, feminine, strong, and -- dare I say it -- even a little sexy when I practice. And I want to make sure I can keep up with everyone else and have t...

Not Your Grandma's Phone Book, indeed. http://www.spokeo.com/ I entered in my first and last name and the city where I live. It accurately gave my age, address, and other personal information including a photo of the building where I live . It showed that my mother lives with me, which is accurate, though it says my father does as well, which isn't. (And it says my mom is African American ... all these years, and she never knew!) A girlfriend at LiveJournal posted the following public service announcement on her blog, and I'm pasting her instructions and commentary here (edited to take out the swearing): If you're interested in getting yourself removed from public searches (notice I didn't say you can remove yourself entirely, and I expect people who give Spokeo money can still find you): 1) do a search for yourself, 2) capture the URL that results from your search (yes, you'll have to go all the way to YOUR entry, not just the Susan Smiths in Poughkeepsie), ...

My belly dance teacher, Alexiis, told us about the classes she's going to be doing in Seal Beach this spring, so here's a little belly dance pimpage! If anyone who lives in the South Bay/Long Beach/coastal Orange County area wants to learn how to shimmy, Alexiis is starting a new eight-week class in Seal Beach. She also teaches in San Pedro once a week, which might be more convenient if you're coming down from L.A. or Torrance. From her promotional flyer: Classes are ongoing [this is the San Pedro class] and suitable for all healthy bodies. This dance style has no age, race, or size limitations. One must simply show up and be prepared to join in on learning steps from the ancient language of woman's communal dance. The Level One class reinforces grace, strength, and community through the combination of fusion and American Tribal Style influenced belly dance. Contact me for information about the eight-week class in Seal Beach, or go to the city's parks and recrea...

I work in a law library, and the lobby to our building doubles as an art gallery: There was another art swap this weekend, and all four walls are covered with beautiful pieces by five or six different artists. I love it when there's new stuff, and I spend about fifteen minutes meandering from piece to piece. (I'd take more time, but I have a lot of work to do.) I'm not educated in art (or much of anything else), but I know when I like something!

Chocolate is going to feature heavily in this year of new recipes, especially since I discovered Bakerella. Hooray for the Internet, which is full of foodies who want to make their mark! I just Google whatever I'm looking for and come up with thousands of hits, no matter how obscure I think the recipe is. A week ago, I combined two of my great loves: brownies and peanut butter cups. http://www.bakerella.com/brownie-candy-cups/ Verdict: Delicious. I had one when it was still warm, and it was gooey mess, but so worth it. They kept well for a few days in a glass dish under plastic wrap, too. (I don't know how long they'll remain fresh if stored correctly, because they didn't last more than a few days!) Max certainly seemed to like them when he came over for Family Home Evening. They do dry out a bit after 48 hours, but the last one I had was just as yummy as the first second. Recipes to come: something vegetarian, so this whole Lent project isn't a total waste...