guns are funs

yesterday in santa fe i shot a gun for the first time! a rifle to be exact. i dont think i did very well with it, but we had a blast. i shot one semiautomatic rifle and one with a scope and the pump action thingie. we were in the middle of nowhere shooting at stuff and these guys with fake police hats were there as well. they were pretty creepy, and i expected them to shoot all of us and drive off. scurry!
then we had a lovely dinner at a place called gabriels, where i got pollo con mole poblano- chicken in mole sauce. YUM!
after dinner we went to the casino. . . i promptly lost my allotted $20. . . god i love the casino!
i've been having weird post apocalyptic dreams lately, that leave me feeling lonely and strange every morning.
my goal for this week is to work on a healthy food menu and to STICK to it. this life needs some structure, stat.
the dog next door has the most shrill horrible bark ever, even worse than gabe's. . . i'm off to sulk about it for a bit.
xo

massage town

hey ya'll!!
the past couple of days have been just lovely. let's see, saturday anna and i went to the growers market. then we went to the flea market and picked up some marilyn and elvis prints. we made deviled eggs for her sisters baby shower. deviled eggs are amazing and awesome. and easy to make! ali im going to do a blog about them soon! I SWEAR IT!!
sunday we went to an alpaca farm! the alpacas were adorable and had big beautiful eyes. i wanted to take one home with me. alaira could be its herder. herding it around my backyard.
monday we went to zak and anna's for a yummy bbq.
yesterday we played tennis! i havent played tennis since i was a kid in my driveway with my sister. its pretty fun. then vic and i got massages. . . . ahhhh. i think massages are very intense experiences. . . i always start remembering a lot of things that i've buried, just little things, and it's nice. and just the sheer intimacy of it makes me reflect on a lot of things. lately buddha's five remembrances.

I am of the nature to grow old.
There is no way to escape growing old.

I am of the nature to have ill health.
There is no way to escape ill health.

I am of the nature to die.
There is no way to escape death.

All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change.
There is no way to escape being separated from them.

My actions are my only true belongings.
I cannot escape the consequences of my actions.
My actions are the ground upon which I stand.

i'm planning to get the whole thing tattooed on me at some point.
friday i'm getting my septum pierced!
and its the fall (pretty much)!! i LOVE fall. GA has the most beautiful fall. . . pittsburgh didnt have much of one. i love love love fall. i love feeling the crispness in the air and looking forward to halloween! xoxoxoxo

hihi!!!

its been a while. . . things have been lovely in albuquerque. i am now the proud owner of a 96 silver honda named lafaundah. my first car, ever! my birthday was great. i did cry a bunch that day, from being homesick/overwhelmed by vic's generosity. vic got me a coldstone cake that was pink and red layers (he knows me so well) and an aero garden! and a beautiful martha stewart blue blender! he's a major sweetheart. he also got me a princess crown and hung a birthday banner. i am a lucky one. anna got me a hilarious doll that comes with some kind of water heater/propane tank, and some kickin cowboy boots. she also got me a book of tapas recipes (yay!!) and sparklers and a tiny little sheila handmade doll. that night we all went to dinner at the sushi place down the street. i tried tempura green tea ice cream for the first time. . .it's rad. thanks for all the birthday cards/calls!!
greg and marybeth, his girlfriend, came to visit this past weekend. it was cool, a little awkward, but fun. i had a wonderful birthday saturday with my sister. first we went to the st. james tearoom and had afternoon tea. the tearoom has a trunk full of hats- mine was pink with a big tulle flower, her's was wide brimmed and yellow. it was SO fun. the savories were delicious, the scones and lemon curd to die for, a heart shaped meringue cookie with pomegranate filling. . . . ahhh. the tea was also excellent. reena gave me a beautiful strawberry apron for my bday.
then we went horseback riding at the tamaya resort on the santa ana pueblo. it was AMAZING. 2 hours of riding a spotted white horse named casper all over the mountain side, in arroyos, along the river . . . i felt like i was on another planet. i think i need to become a ranchhand. or a cowgirl. there was also a brown pit bull named stetson who accompanied us on the ride, and at one point jumped onto the guide's horse for a ride. precious.
afterwards reen mike and i went to the casino, i gambled away my savings, and thoroughly enjoyed some nachos.
sunday marybeth and i went to buffalo exchange and i got some fuckin sweet clothes. this week i've been busy with work, but i'm cleaning frantically tonight for susan's visit!!

oh those bbq days of summer

saturday we had a client bbq at roosevelt park. it was really nice minus that part when the grill almost blew up. it was a gorgeous day out, and i wore my new fave orange summer dress.
then that afternoon we headed over to reena's in santa fe for her bbq! it was really fun, and i made queso and peanut butter pie. anna and zak came too, and we enjoyed my sister's newly landscaped yard. and her silly dogs. mike made the best potato salad i have EVER had- russet potatoes, blue cheese, chives, buttermilk, bacon. . . HEAVEN. another guest made ambrosia salad, which consists of some variation of cool whip, a chocolate/toffee bar, and fruit. yumm!! today we saw hellboy, which was visually awesome and SO del toro!! and then i went to the mall. i am extremely happy about my purchases! i spent about $80 and got pants, 2 skirts, 2 tops, a pair of yellow suede flats, and 4 pairs of earrings!! i REALLY needed some more work gear, i'm getting pretty sick of panicking every morning as i pick clothes up off the floor and desperately try to get dog hair off them. i also got my favorite meal of an auntie anne's pretzel and boba tea.
an interesting fact i learned this week: the bite of a brown recluse basically eats away your flesh. brown recluse= evil.
another interesting fact: roaches in jamaica are huge, red, fly, and land on people. jamaica= evil. also evil for the rampant homophobia.

looking forward to my 4th week of work tomorrow! xoxo

cupid draw back your bow

hello all,
things are well in sheila-land. work is scary and exciting and new.
i am way behind on birthday greetings and decorating.
i think i am spray painting my wicker chairs a nice teal.
yesterday i had a lovely4th, giving the dogs a bath and cleaning house. zak and anna came over for my mole potato enchiladas and strawberry shortcake.
its been just fantastic sleeping in the past two mornings. today vic's friend is coming to visit, and i am headed over to beeps in nob hill for some birthday cards.
my arms are sore as hell from lifting a giant hutch into a truck (some donations for my work). like seriously, i am not cut out for manual labor because i have still not quite mastered lifting with the knees and not the back.
it hurts.
ali has been posting some fuckin amazing recipes at yum yum cooking club. please read this, immediately. and rejoice in the splendor that is ali.
this week the drug policy alliance is having an event in albuquerque, so i will be going to that. . .
the person i am replacing will be leaving on monday, so after that i will be organizing the office with all the power that OCD gives me.
its been a good week. . . how's yours?

still on cloud nine

after a wonderful dinner last night with my sister at the nob hill bar and grill. it specializes in swanky bar food. i got duck enchiladas in this amazing mole sauce with queso blanco, a peach chutney, and a cheddar rice patty. for dessert, we shared the chocolate bomb, which was a long plate with 3 desserts- first, a small flourless chocolate cake; second, a scoop of GUINESS ice cream with chocolate on it; third, a scoop of vanilla ice cream with jameson sauce. SO freakin amazing. i always feel very inspired after a great meal. i also had a fantastic drink there called the 108- margarita mix, coke, and gentleman jack.
i'm also intrigued by lisa's peanut butter mashed potatoes on top chef last night.
maybe i'll do some cooking today.


listening to "hawthorne"- that dog, "brendan #1"- fugazi

a day of culinary delights

im off to ghetto smiths to pick up some things for the week. today for lunch i plan to make a potato enchilada type deal, with the potato stuffing similar to a samosa. tonight for dinner, i'm making fried calamari, scallops, and shrimp. i'm hoping to make some yellow cupcakes for dessert. then i'm off to the bosque trail in the evening, and so ends another great day in the burque.
xoxo

happy ending

today was really nice. rolled out of bed around 12, played mario kart on vic's new and most prized possession, the wii, and saw the chronicles of narnia movie. pretty good, not the greatest movie of all time and is totally a LOTR wannabe, but nonetheless very enjoyable. reepicheep for the win.
we came home and i made cayenne and rosemary shrimp skewers and spicy havarti mushroom, onion, and black bean quesadillas.
today we booked our vegas trip. . . hopefully i will come back a mrs. !! i don't think you could beat getting married by elvis. we'll see. good day to you!

i just wasn't made for these times

tonight i made us burgers out of ground turkey, shitaki mushrooms, shallots, and celery. watched the office and step it up and dance. now i'm reflecting to a beach boys song and wishing my head would stop pounding.

today i ate

ice cream for breakfast and an "after lunch snack".
i bought some vintage cookbooks on ebay
i had lunch with anna at frontier
i watched season 2 of top chef
i planned some gourmet dinners
i'm about to wash some dishes
and i'm spent