snow & cupcakes

Everyone at my workplace has a disgusting illness that makes them cough constantly like we are a tuberculosis sanitarium. I think I am resisting its advances through the use of 2000% RDA of vitamin C and a million Cold-Eezes which makes me proud of myself because normally I catch every illness I come into contact with. It is because I have weak tonsils. So in the interest of tempting fate I took Oscar snowshoeing today.



There were lots of nice striped shadows.


Then I made vanilla and agave nectar cupcakes with vegan chocolate buttercream. I think my oven is too hot because they came out a little dark, agave nectar is fussy. But Jennifer showed me the error of my ways in regard to vegan fluffy buttercream, which is that Spectrum shortening is much, much better than Earth Balance shortening for vegan fluffy buttercream. In fact while I was checking out at Wegmans the woman ahead of me asked whether it was better than Earth Balance, and I had to say yes. Sorry Earth Balance shortening. You are just too plasticky.

dogs

Sable, my mom's friend Peggy's sheltie.


My aunt's lab/poodle-but-somehow-not-quite-looking-like-a-labradoodle Larry and Peggy's lab, Clarabelle.

More pictures.

back to regular life

Eighteen degrees and no more vegan hollandaise. :(

I Am Sore in My Hams

Today Jennifer and I hiked 9.4 miles which is highly impressive for us because Jennifer's uterus is the size of a cantaloupe, and I am lazy. We did the Tomales Point trail at Point Reyes National Seashore.


We went all the way to the end because we are impressive.


There are many magnificent elks along the trail.


Also, many lovely sceneries.

Afterwards we went to dinner at the fruitiest restaurant in all of Berkeley. It is vegan and 90% raw. I think the way most people feel about vegan food is the way I feel about raw food. Like the revulsion they feel when they hear a dessert is made without butter is the revulsion I feel when I hear that a "burrito" is wrapped in a raw collard green instead of a tortilla.

Besides the communal tables which I very much never appreciate, all of the menu items are affirmations. Then the waiter repeats them back to you. You are wonderful! I got a warm grain bowl but I guess in raw-food-land "warm" just means "not cold" and does not mean "body temperature or above" which is how I normally think of warm. Anyway, it was pretty good once I got over my shock at being freed from the tyranny of heat. Also, I have a newfound appreciation for fake cheese-ish items made of cashew. Jennifer had some cashew glop on her I am Prosperous which was sort of like creme fraiche.


I got this juice called I am Succulent because I wanted the boyishly handsome yet unfortunately spiritually-journeying waiter to tell me I was succulent. It is grapefruit and celery or something and I think it stripped a layer of skin off of my tongue.


I got a piece of lemon meringue pie ("you are amazing!") to go because I was intrigued by vegan meringue but it is pretty amazingly gross. I guess I forgot the crust would be raw. There are severe textural issues in all three components and the meringue is just like a dense cold paste. I am Amazing(ly not impressed).

There are some more pictures in the Visiting Jennifer's Belly set.

belly visit

In case you did not notice, I am in Berkeley visiting Jemnifer and her fetus. I have not been back here since I quit grad school in 2003 but I used to live upstairs.


Her uterus is as big as a cantaloupe!

The weather is delightful.

Experience our adventures (which mostly entail eating food) here.
Or read Jenmifer's perspective here.

jennifer belly need pancake

choc choc chip