Red satin platform heels. Conga Line. Me. Wyclef Jean.

Yesterday was the annual all-employee meeting for a certain four-ringed auto brand. While I was interested in the content, I had to struggle at times to keep from nodding off since I hate sitting still. Now I know why school was so excruciating for me and everyone who tried to make me go.

No chance of that last night at the "celebratory event" at the Mellon Auditorium. For one thing, my feet hurt too much. For another, there was this... which isn't something a chick from the sticks gets to see every day. (How many table dancers can you spot?)


The evening's entertainment was Wyclef Jean. My camera isn't that fancy, so I was really this close. I got even closer when he cut in in front of me in the conga line.



Part of the entertainment for everyone but me was seeing if I could dance in these beauties, or even walk in them after a couple of drinks. And with them on, I was one of the tallest people at the party so I was hard to miss. This morning at breakfast people kept asking me how my feet were feeling, and they felt like they had been crammed into a sandpaper ice-cream-cone.

We had a great time so the pain was worth it, although it is theoretically possible to have a great time without awesome shoes. Rob came downtown to attend the party with me and spend the night (like almost everyone at the party) at The Fairmont. We definitely need to attend another event at the Mellon. So much culture, so little time.

Caramelized Onion Butternut Squash Roast with Chestnuts

Rob got me the Veganomicon for Christmas, and we didn't get around to trying any recipes from it until today.

Oh my goodness ... such an amazingly tasty winter dinner. It's not well-suited to a week-night dinner because it takes quite a while to bake, but it was Friday and I like a big cooking project on Friday night to get the taste of work out of my brain. Then we have all weekend to eat it.

Now I understand why they sell pre-chopped butternut squash in the produce section. It's super hard to chop, even for Rob! But I have an aversion to buying vegetables that have been wrapped in plastic -- both because I think nature's wrapper is much better at preserving freshness and because I hate being ripped off. So we peeled and chopped, both a whole squash and a whole pound of onions. It was totally worth the work and the wait.

I won't post the recipe here, but if anyone reads this and tries this recipe here are our mods. We used chick peas instead of northern beans because that's what we had on hand (bad vegetarian, must soak beans!). We also doubled the bread crumbs for the topping, just because. I wanted to make some applesauce to go with it but didn't have time so I just threw some apple slices in the oven for about 15 minutes so they were slightly soft, and they were the perfect counterpoint.

Warning: If you make this, your neighbors might knock on your door and demand to know what smells so amazing.

My first woven scarf

Only 4 days after starting, I finished my first scarf! It is a coarse and plain weave, much like a peasant might wear. Or a hippie. :-) I couldn't even wait to cut the starting end free of the loom to try it on. It went quickly, and weaving it was really fun. I can't wait to start on something else!

Gratuitous Cat Photo

Here's a photo of our electronicles setup. Cable box ... PS3 ... sleepy brown tabby ... stereo receiver ...

It's not soft or squishy, but it sure is warm in there.

Weaving 101

A couple of weeks ago I got the idea in my head that I wanted to learn how to weave. Good thing one of my co-workers at Audi knows how to weave! She invited my over to her house so she could show me how to get started. I'm working on -- what else -- a starter scarf. I used some of Deb's tencel yarn for the warp and some of my stash for the weft.

She told me she had a small loom that I could borrow which was pretty generous of her. I was picturing a table-top loom but she was kind enough to let me borrow a 4-shaft floor loom! We had to use the top-down-top-up procedure to get it into the back seat of Das Beetle, and even then I had to drive home with the passenger seat folded forward. Yay for convertibles!

Anyhoo, here it is all set up in our living room. It's a good thing that we had a big empty spot where that solstice tree was. The kitties have been little angels about it, although at first they thought I brought them the best cat toy ever. I keep it covered with a sheet when I'm not using it just to deter the right combination of curiosity and a skillfully-wielded paw.

I weave. I have woven. Weaving has been done.

First sign of spring

Were you expecting a crocus? Cadbury creme eggs spotted in Sterling VA.

Lentil Burgers rock!

Our New Year's Day dinner was lentil burgers. I use a recipe from The Veggie Table with the addition of a teaspoon each of coriander, cumin, and chili powder. The most fabulous frozen veggie burger (a rare find indeed) can't even begin to compare to a freshly made veggie burger with lentils, carrots, onions, and spices. And they make for quick dinners during the week since we can keep the burger mixture in a bowl in the fridge.

No mystery ingredients, no E. coli, no problems!

New Year's Day walk

The high temperature in our neck of the woods was in the mid-50s today, and Rob and I were jonesing to get outside. We always enjoy a good amble on either side of the Potomac so we headed to Great Falls National Park.

We came across the ruins of Matildaville on our walk. Matildaville is a ghost town of sorts that is now within the confines of the national park. It was founded by the father of Robert E. Lee, and he named it after his recently deceased wife Matilda.

When I first moved here almost three years ago, I was giddy at the amount of history that one can run into here without even trying. Now I'm becoming a jaded Washingtonian; George Washington this, Robert E. Lee that, President So-And-So the other thing ... who can keep it all straight?

That's not a chimney that Rob is standing next to. That's a wall! Those were built like they meant it.

We didn't walk past the falls today since we were in a mood for a brisk walk. Below the falls the Potomac was smooth and glassy, reflecting the grey-green rocks on the Maryland side.

I love coming out here when the leaves are off the trees because we can take the "high road" and still have great views of the river without the crowds!