New Curtains

Over the summer my blinds broke and hung all uneven, making my apartment look just a little more ghetto. Over Christmas vacation I picked up some see-through fabric for like $1/yard. Then I found this more solid fabric. Last week I finally finished my curtians. I have to say it's a great improvement. Now I can move on the a better clutch, a dress and silk-screen printing.
Before

After

I'm Back

I just got back from Santa Fe and I just want to go back. I left a sunny, warmer, exotic place for this cold, grey Ohio. I just want to go back and snowboard, and sleep and salsa dance and cuddle. I got so used to spending so much time with one person, that I miss him after 3 days.

I've already started looking at where I want to go next. Though I think I should buckle down and start traveling to places I want to live so I can possibly find work. Like Chicago or New York City. I wish so bad I could find work in Santa Fe. That place and the guy is growing on me each time I go there. But then there is South Korea. I really should and start saving so I can go there. When will I get a chance to visit a friend there?

Welcome to the Natural History of Chocolate

I planned on photographing the Natural History of Chocolate for a few hours then head home to relax and hopefully finish my curtains. But when I arrived, Renee, my friend from Botany/Natural Areas, informed me that 2 people cancelled and we were going to get the meal. Score! This $150 meal sold out weeks ago and there was about 40 people on a waiting list. I wanted to go to this event so very bad. So bad, in fact, that I pushed back my trip to Santa Fe a week, so I could possibly make it to the event. Since I was staff, it would have cost me $75, but I was holding out to shoot it and possibly score a free seat. But when I found out that the event had sold out, I was disappointed. I worked the event hoping I could try some chocolate. But I got so much more. The courses were:

Soup:
Mayan Plantain Soup, Topped with a Scallop, Tomato and Pepper "Seviche"
Wine: Marques de Caceres Satinela, Spain, 2004

Seafood:
Grilled Cocoa and Coffee Dry-Rubbed Sugarcane-Skewered Shrimp on a Chayote & Black Bean Relish with Ancho Aioli
Wine: Rodney Strong Charlotte Home Sauvignon Blanc, Sonoma County, 2004

Salad:
Sweet Lola Russa & Boston Lettuce Drizzled with a Honey-Ginger Dressing with Golden Raisins, Toasted Almonds and Chocolate-Dipped Sun-Dried Apricots
Wine: Boutari Mososchofilrio, Greece, 2003.

Pasta:
French Chocolate Linguini with Roasted Duck in a Plum Wine Sauce Garnished with Roasted Clementine
Wine: Terrazas Malbec, Argentina, 2004

Poultry:
Grilled Chicken Sausage on Mole Sauce wit h Potato & Cheese Enchilada
Wine: J. Lohr Los Osos Merlot, Paso Robles, 2002

Meat:
Cocoa Beef Tenderloin in Rosemary Red Wine Sauce with Saffron Moroccan Couscous and Grilled Vegetables
Wine: Rosemount Grenache/Shiraz, Australia, 2004

Dessert:
Chocolate Trio: Boule de Neige with Candied Violet & Fresh Whipped Cream; White Chocolate Mousse with Rasberry Coulis; Milk Chocolate Terrine
Wine: Bonny Doon Framboise, NV

Ok, so now is the part where I pretend I am a judge on "Iron Chef America." The soup was texture-y and amazing. I was looking forward to it and it didn't disappoint. The wines, I'll skip until the reds because I like those the best. The Shrimp was actually good. I don't usually like seafood, much to
Bernard's dismay, but dry-rub shrimp is crispy and good. The Salad: my least favorite. I think there was too much dressing or something, it seemed too strong. This was a favorite of Renee and Mary. I think this was obviously a stretch for applying a chocolate theme to salad. Pasta: I was totally looking forward to this dish. French Chocolate Linguini! Malbec! And it was awesome. The linguini was great but not what I expected, and the Malbec was good too. The other 2 dishes were good too, but I don't remember much, because by then I had had 4 glasses of wine. Moving on to the dessert: Fucking Awesome. I was very full at this point, but cleaned my plate. This wine was really bad, though. Way too sweet.

So I'm not as descriptive as the judges on "Iron Chef" but fuck it, I came home full and sleepy (and buzzed) after work. THAT is a good day at work.