Auspicious Alltag

41/366: Friday, 02/10/2012

2012-02-17T21:08:00.001-05:00

41/366: Friday, 02/10/2012, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Hansi seemed right at home from the get go. He casually ignored Georgie's somewhat negative behavior in the beginning (Georgie was a bit growly and hissy) and by now they're pretty used to each other's presence. Hansi's digestive system is er a lot more active than Georgie's....which means a lot more feeding and litter cleaning. HE's also more yowly which make me appreciate how quiet and sweet Georgie is. But being yowly and clingy and demanding is all in Hansi's nature...it's a good thing we love him!!!

40/366: Thursday, 02/09/2012

2012-02-17T21:04:00.001-05:00

40/366: Thursday, 02/09/2012, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Bill bought Hansi to the apartment today. It took Georgie a while to get used to having his older (not genetic) brother here in the apartment too. I guess I underestimated how much he enjoyed being No.1 kitty....
Starting the week of Feb. 20 Bill will commute weekly to a new job in the Chicagoland area. The two higher maintenance boy cats will be with me in Ohio and the less needy girl cats Mieze & Sophie will have the whole house in Albion to themselves. Our friend and neighbor will look in on them a couple of times a week. For Springbreak Bill will drive from work in Chicago to Oxford to pick us all up so we can spend a week in the house. (But he'll have to go to work for that week too). A bit of a strange way to live but at least we're pretty used to it.

39/366: Wednesday, 02/08/2012

2012-02-17T20:59:00.001-05:00

39/366: Wednesday, 02/08/2012, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Two vegan tortilla pizzas. Despite what a lto of vegan bloggers say I'm still not a bog fan of the Daiya vegan cheese. It's ok but not as "OMG where have you been" great that some of the bloggers make it sound like. I think I'll stick to veggie pizzas from now on.

38/366/: Tuesday, 02/07/2012

2012-02-14T18:45:00.001-05:00

38/366/: Tuesday, 02/07/2012, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Another Jungle Jim find were these little packets of vegan jerky....pretty good after a short adjustment period.

37/366: Monday, February 6th, 2012

2012-02-14T18:43:00.001-05:00

37/366: Monday, February 6th, 2012, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

This was my Monday lunch. I had had another little bread slice with tomato but that had already been devoured. Underneath the tomato is my Earth Balance vegan spread---I love it.

36/366: Sunday, February 5th, 2012

2012-02-14T18:42:00.001-05:00

36/366: Sunday, February 5th, 2012, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Sorry! I did not take a Sunday pic so this rather blurry image of Robin Hood (overlooking the British section of course) from Saturday's trip to Jungle Jim's will have to do.

Fun at Jungle Jims: Resisting Tim-Tams but not Marmite.

2012-02-14T18:26:00.001-05:00

35/366: Saturday, 02/04/2012, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

35/366: Saturday, 02/04/2012

We finally made it to this sprawling "food market" (like a super super market) called "Jungle Jim's", in Fairfield, OH near Cincinnati.

We had been told we would need three hours. We ended up needing five, what with lunch. They have a fairly good assortment of vegan/bio products as well as all the yummy international offerings. I picked up all kinds of goodies, e.g. a greek can of stuffed peppers, which have been eaten and declared "buy-again-worthy". I still have a can of dolomades (stuffed grape leaves) which I hope are good too.
I also picked up a bunch of Dr. McDougall's vegan cups of soup. I have tried two so far and they were both above average for that type of soup. I was esp. taken by the Pad Thai--quite yummy!! Will definitely look for these again. I'm currently going through a bad "I don't feel like cooking from scratch" phase - partly due to busy-ness partly also due to my really quite cramped kitchen in the apartment--it just makes cooking and cleaning (sans dishwasher) a pain in the you know what...I am a pretty lazy cook, eventhough I love to eat...

I got some German things ( alot of the German goodies are not vegan as you might imagine...) and slackened my hardcore vegan stance to include a few non-vegan "blast-from-the-past" chocolate bars--mainly from Cadbury's. I resisted the yummy Australian cookies known as "Tim-Tams" because I just couldn't justify spending $7.99 for a small package of them. And I opted for a small jar of Marmite instead of what I really wanted which was Vegemite--I am Australian after all....but I think the two really do have a similar taste.. I have to say- I love the stuff! Oh the reason why I opted for Marmite was the size of the jar. A little of the stuff goes a long way and they only had very big jars of Vegemite..
We had a good time and I definitely want to go back. They even offered a quite tasty vegan lunch sandwich.

34/366: Friday, 02/03/2012

2012-02-11T08:28:00.001-05:00

34/366: Friday, 02/03/2012, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Look it's Georgie but with SOMEONE ELSE! Yep Bill came up for a visit and we went and ate Indian food with the group of faculty that always eats out somewhere on Friday nights.

33/366: Thursday, 02/02/2012

2012-02-11T08:27:00.001-05:00

33/366: Thursday, 02/02/2012, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

It took me a while to recover from the stress of writing the review. I did not sleep well on Wednesday night and was a bit out of it all day Thursday. I was happy to have gotten the review done though. Now all I would be busy with would be the teaching.

32/366: Wednesday, 02/01/2012:

2012-02-11T08:26:00.001-05:00

32/366: Wednesday, 02/01/2012:, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Of course I did have to take some breaks from writing/editing. On one of these breaks I lied down on the floor where I was promptly used as a sitting/loafing platform by Georgie.

31/366: Tuesday, 01/31/2012

2012-02-11T08:23:00.001-05:00

31/366: Tuesday, 01/31/2012, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

And yes some of these were not taken on the date I have assigned them simply because NO pics were taken on that day....due to business. This particular one was actually taken on Wednesday when I stayed at home all day to write my book review. On Tuesday after teaching my three classes at 8/10:10 & 12:45 I prepared everything necessary for Thursdays classes (at the same time) so that I could devote all of Wednesday to writing the review.

30/366: Monday, 01/30/2012

2012-02-11T08:20:00.001-05:00

30/366: Monday, 01/30/2012, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

OK So I was busy busy this week hence for the first time we have a whole week of Georgie pics....sorry.

29/366: Sunday, 01/29/365

2012-02-10T20:47:00.001-05:00

29/366: Sunday, 01/29/365, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

A funny Georgie pic.

28/366: Saturday, 01/28/2012

2012-02-10T20:44:00.001-05:00

28/366: Saturday, 01/28/2012, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

A somewhat spontaneous "Hey, they're vegan so let me buy them and see if I like them" purchase....they're not bad, just different.

27/366: Friday, 01/27/2012

2012-02-10T20:42:00.001-05:00

27/366: Friday, 01/27/2012, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Just another cute Georgie pic. Little did he and I know back then that soon his brother Hans would be coming to live with us!

26/366: Thursday, 01/26/2012

2012-02-06T18:17:00.001-05:00

26/366: Thursday, 01/26/2012, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

It doesn't really look vegan dies it--but it was. The mac 7 cheese were from Amy's and it was non-dairy (the cheese was soy-based I think). It went well with the collard greens and tomatoes.

25/366: Wednesday, 01/25/2012

2012-02-04T21:19:00.003-05:00

25/366: Wednesday, 01/25/2012, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

These were/are another great vegan discovery!!

24/366: Tuesday, 01/24/2012

2012-02-04T21:19:00.001-05:00

24/366: Tuesday, 01/24/2012, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Busy busy busy--at least I have Georgie to help me!

23/366: Monday, 01/23/2012

2012-02-04T21:17:00.001-05:00

23/366: Monday, 01/23/2012, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Another cute Georgie pic...

22/366: Sunday, 01/22/2012

2012-02-01T21:38:00.001-05:00

22/366: Sunday, 01/22/2012, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Sorry the only pic of the day is this rather uninspired shot of my leftovers lunch. It taste quite good.

21/366: Saturday, 01/21/2012

2012-02-01T21:37:00.001-05:00

21/366: Saturday, 01/21/2012, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

I have been spending decidedly too much time sitting at the desk in my apartment. This is a rather random shot of an open drawer of said desk.

20/366: Friday, 01/20/2012

2012-02-01T21:36:00.001-05:00

20/366: Friday, 01/20/2012, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Since I have been quite busy with school and a book review I took pictures of some postcards that I own.

19/366: Thursday, 01/19/2012

2012-02-01T21:31:00.001-05:00

19/366: Thursday, 01/19/2012, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

A postcard of St. Jerome and his lion, who reminds me a little bit of George. Apparently the lion did his chores (because he was so grateful to Jerome for getting a thorn out of his paw). George has not as of yet shown any interest in doing my chores...

18/366: Wednesday, 01/18/2012

2012-01-28T16:49:00.001-05:00

18/366: Wednesday, 01/18/2012, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Ok so in my defense I had a salad before this that I did not take a picture of. This is a garden burger with some alexia french fries (will not get again, not all that yummy) and perhaps a little bit too much ketchup...The french fries made me long for Kroger brand curly fries I got a while back--they were really good!

17/366: Tuesday, 01/17/2012

2012-01-22T21:53:00.001-05:00

17/366: Tuesday, 01/17/2012, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

It was quite warm, but very rainy and dark for most of the morning-I kind of liked it.

NYTimes Book Review: Peter Singer reviews Pinker's latest.

2012-01-22T21:21:00.001-05:00

16/366: Monday, 01/16/2012 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day), a photo by cathie on Flickr.

16/366: Monday, 01/16/2012 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day)

I have to admit that I read the NYTimes book review usually INSTEAD of reading the actual books themselves, because well who has time????
Case in point was the review by Peter Singer (one of my favorite people) of Steven Pinker's new book The Better Angels of Our Nature. Singer did a such good job of describing the book's contents, that I don't really feel the need to go read it on my own.
I do remember when Pinker came to Albion College and gave a racy talk all about swearing and swear words, in which most of them were mentioned on numerous occasions, yet he did not swear once during the whole.talk. It was amusing to see the various AC dignitaries squirming in their seats on the stage. I think the students enjoyed it.
And since I was part of the small faculty coterie who had met to discuss his somewhat annoying book "The Blank Slate" I got to participate in the breakfast he came to have with the coterie participants. That's where I took his picture.

15/366: Sunday, 01/15/2012

2012-01-21T13:35:00.001-05:00

15/366: Sunday, 01/15/2012, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Today I finally got a substantial bit of reading done. I'm reviewing this collection of essays on the German writer Sophie von La Roche. I'm enjoying the essays but I am a slow reader, so I plod along. Plod plod plod...

14/366: Saturday, 01/14/2012

2012-01-21T13:34:00.001-05:00

14/366: Saturday, 01/14/2012, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Finally I made it to the comfy chair for bite to eat. As I recall I was a bit frazzled today and did not get as much reading done as I would have hoped. George is looking up because he probably saw heard someone in the hallway outside.

13/366: Friday, 01/13/2012

2012-01-19T22:34:00.001-05:00

13/366: Friday, 01/13/2012, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Beginning of a three day weekend. I hunkered down in my cave-since the weather was uninviting and I was tired.

12/366: Thursday, 01/12/2012

2012-01-19T22:33:00.001-05:00

12/366: Thursday, 01/12/2012, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

This was not as yummy as I thought it should be. The roasted red peppers were a bit past their prime. It wasn't bad, just not as yummy as things with avocados usually are.

11/366: Wednesday, 01/11/2012

2012-01-19T22:32:00.001-05:00

11/366: Wednesday, 01/11/2012, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Just a picture of my salad. It was good.

10/366: Tuesday, 01/10/2012

2012-01-18T21:03:00.001-05:00

10/366: Tuesday, 01/10/2012, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Today was the first day of my 8am class. I took the first bus (at 7am) to school and this was the view from my window when I got to my office.

Aesclepius' staff vs. Hermes' Caduceus, or why two snakes are not necessarily better than one...

2012-01-16T22:12:00.001-05:00

9/366 Monday, 01/09/2012, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

9/366 Monday, 01/09/2012

While doing a wee bit of research for a class (I was reading up on the Hessian town of "Schlangenbad"="snake-bath/spa") I happened upon this intriguing bit of trivia -the Rod of Asclepiuus is an ancient symbol associated with medicine and healing. It depicts a single serpent wrapped around a rod/staff. But there is also the caduceus, which is the staff that Hermes carried and is usually depicted as entwined by two serpents, sometimes with wings at the top--as you can see in the above picture. For reasons too varied to get into here the cadeuceum is sometimes used as the symbol of medicine --which is what is going on here since I took this shot right next to a dentist's office in the little strip mall on the way to my apartment.
You can read up on the whole controversy here.

8/366: Sunday, 01/08/2012

2012-01-11T20:29:00.003-05:00

8/366: Sunday, 01/08/2012, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Georgie and I cheered up for my last "free" day before the semester. I tried out my new crockpot with a very easy and pretty tasty vegan dish.

7/366: Saturday, 01/07/2012

2012-01-11T20:29:00.001-05:00

7/366: Saturday, 01/07/2012, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Bill left Georgie and me today to get back to the house and other cats (and work too). Georgie's slightly melancholy pose captures how we both initially felt. But we cheered up before too long...

6/366: Friday, 01/06/2012

2012-01-11T20:27:00.001-05:00

6/366: Friday, 01/06/2012, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Bill stayed until Saturday. As you can see George felt right at home here in the apartment very quickly.

5/366: Thursday, 01/05/2012

2012-01-11T20:26:00.001-05:00

5/366: Thursday, 01/05/2012, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

George is getting fairly used to the traveling. He doesn't like it but he resigns himself to being in the carrier pretty quickly. Now and then we'll hear a squeaky meow but other than that he just tries to curl up and sleep. The drive takes about 4 and a half hours, we finished most of "Middlemarch" on this trip down--man what a good book! High drama!

4/366: Wednesday,04/01/2012

2012-01-11T20:24:00.001-05:00

4/366: Wednesday,04/01/2012, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Last evening at home with George, Hansi and Tom (=Parks & Recreation) on the TV. I wish I'd had a few more of such evenings...the break was really a bit short.

3/366: Tuesday, 01/03/2012

2012-01-07T18:23:00.001-05:00

3/366: Tuesday, 01/03/2012, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

After a scrumptious vegan! breakfast at the hotel and seeing Louisa off at O'Hare, I took the EL back to Monroe street from where I hoofed it back to Union Station. The weather was cold but very bright and sunny. On the way I was very happy to walk past a Pret a Manger store where I stopped and purchased what turned out to be a delicious Hummus & Garden Veggie sandwich (vegan!) and a very nice not too sweet tasting soda called "Yoga Bunny". Waiting for the Amtrak train wasn't too bad and so before too too long I was back in Albion for my last day and a half before moving back to Oxford with Georgie. I really do feel happier and healthier when I have access to yummy vegan food.

02/366 Monday, 01/02/2012

2012-01-07T18:12:00.001-05:00

02/366 Monday, 01/02/2012, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

It was cold today. i took this picutre as we were waiting in the car for the Amtrak train to Chicago. I was taking Louisa back to O'Hare for flight to Germany. The train turned out to be extremely crowded and we had to sit apart. Seated next to me was a Northwestern student (=where I got my PhD). The majority of passengers were college kids. The most uncomfortable part of the trip was walking from Union station to the Monroe St. blue line stop to the EL. The EL wasn't too pleasant either but it did get us to O'Hare for $4.50. Once there we took the free shuttle to our quite nice &posh hotel, the Hyatt Regency.

01/366 Sunday, 01/01/2011

2012-01-07T18:07:00.001-05:00

01/366 Sunday, 01/01/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Hansi still likes the idea of going outside, but he doesn't really like cold or snowy weather. He'll walk on the snowy ground for a few steps and start shaking each of his paws, before scampering back up the stairs to go back inside. On this day he stayed out a little longer because his beloved grass was free of snow for the most part and it wasn't too too chilly. I promised him I would take him on lots of walks in the summer, when I go back to Michigan for my "stay-cation".

Last day of 2011

2012-01-07T00:38:00.001-05:00

365/365: Sunday, 12/31/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

The last day of a rather eventful year...quite a bit of unexpected travel...then trips to Germany and Vancouver. the big upheaval then in August, when I moved to my own apartment in Oxford, Ohio to work as a VAP (=visiting assistant professor=not tenure-track prof) at Miami University. I took George with me.
Back home for Xmas and trips to Chicago, Cleveland/Parma and Cinncinnati round out the year. I really could have used a slightly longer Christmas break (Albion always was off for most of January) - but I'm still looking forward to what the New Year will bring.

Kroger's Monkey...take 2

2012-01-07T00:33:00.001-05:00

364/365: Friday,12/30/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

For the second last day of the year I simply couldn't resist another shot of the funny/slightly creepy monkey that adorns the Kroger wine etc. section. (No strong stuff here, need to go to a state liquor store for that...)

364/365: Friday,12/30/201

On this particular day we had stopped with my sister in Oxford to show her the town and my apartment. (We were driving back home to Michigan from Cincinnati). When we went to Kroger I took her to see the monkey...this time he was sporting a rather creepy looking leprechaun hat, complete with weird Spockish ears...

363/365: Thursday, 12/29/2011

2012-01-05T12:01:00.001-05:00

363/365: Thursday, 12/29/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

On Thursday we were off again. This time our travels took us down to Cincinnati, since I had been summoned by the Dept. of homeland Security to have my bio-metrics taken for the renewal of my green card. I had given the Dept. my Oxford address, hence the summons to Cincinnati in stead of Grand Rapids. All in all it turned out to be a fun trip. We had a nice meal on Thursday evening at Arnold's and after my appointment was over Louisa and I got a bit of shopping done at the downtown Macy's, which was still having after-Christmas sales. We then headed back home to Albion.

362/365: Wednesday, 12/28/2011

2012-01-05T11:46:00.001-05:00

362/365: Wednesday, 12/28/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

I decided to buy this bottle of sherry because I had found out during the course of my genealogical studies that Joseph Charles Taylor, one of the founders of the Taylor port company, was my great great grandfather's uncle. My great great grandfather was Philpotts Taylor.The Taylor sherry says "New York" on it--I'm not sure there is any real connection between the two companies except the name. (The Taylor port is a bit pricey, whereas this sherry was cheap). The Taylor port website makes me want to visit the cellars in Porto. I'll add it to my ever-growing list of "genealogical" places I want to visit...

361/365: Tuesday, 12/27/2011

2012-01-03T21:37:00.003-05:00

361/365: Tuesday, 12/27/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Sophie loved hanging out on the couch with Louisa.

360/365: Monday 12/26/2011

2012-01-03T21:37:00.001-05:00

360/365: Monday 12/26/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

We drove back to Albion on Monday. The weather was mild and sunny.

359/365: Sunday, 12/25/2011

2012-01-03T21:36:00.001-05:00

359/365: Sunday, 12/25/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

We drove around at night to check out the Christmas Lights of Parma. They did not disappoint.

358/365: Saturday, 12/24/2011

2012-01-02T11:20:00.001-05:00

358/365: Saturday, 12/24/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

So we got up early and went to Roxy's again fro breakfast. Then we drove to the Cranbrook Whole foods to pickup our Christmas goodies: vegan mashed potatoes, a vegan entree, which was a wild rice/quinoa roll with a fig/cranberry center wrapped in puff pastry, roasted vegetables and a vegan pumpkin pie. We also bought a small beef roast for our two non-vegans. We got a few other things and then headed off to Parma (near Cleveland) to spend Christmas will Bill's mom. This picutre was taken in Lydia's apartment shortly after we arrived. I thought the Lawrence Welk show represents the world I feel I enter when I visit Lydia in Parma. A lot of that has to do with Parma. It just feels as if it belongs to another era.

357/365: Friday, 12/23/2011

2012-01-02T11:06:00.001-05:00

357/365: Friday, 12/23/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

The girl cats Mieze (pictured here) and Sophie, both seem to like the tree. Sophie even looks at the lights going on and off. The star on the top is another old ornament from Hansi's former owner-and it looks good, but it's a bit heavy for the tree. Next year I look for a less heavy tree ornament.

356/365: Thursday, 12/22/2011

2012-01-02T10:45:00.001-05:00

356/365: Thursday, 12/22/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Of course we had to take Louisa to the Dark Horse Brewery in Marshall. It was quite crowded on this Thursday before Christmas. We finally got a table and were able to enjoy our pizza and sandwich while sitting down.

355/365: Wednesday, 12/21/2011

2012-01-02T10:44:00.001-05:00

355/365: Wednesday, 12/21/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

My sister has been visiting us for the holidays. Here she is relaxing under my IKEA blanket brought from Oxford.

354/365 Tuesday, 12/20/2011

2012-01-01T21:43:00.001-05:00

354/365 Tuesday, 12/20/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Louisa helped me decorate the living room for Christmas. We had picked up a little rosemary tree from Whole Foods and we decided to put the little angel symphony I got from Hansi's previous owner in the tree. We then found some little lights to complete the look.

353/365 Monday, 12/19/2011

2011-12-31T16:20:00.001-05:00

353/365 Monday, 12/19/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

When I found out my sister was coming for the holidays I knew we had to take her to the Roxy Cafe at least once. I know she has a special love of sweet, pancake-like breakfasts foods, so I knew she would like the offerings at the Roxy. On this particular occasion I decided to forego veganism and I ordered an utterly scrumptious spinach omelette with other veggies in it. I substituted mushrooms for bacon and they were very good.

352/365: Sunday,12/18/2011

2011-12-31T16:18:00.001-05:00

352/365: Sunday,12/18/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

This house in Albion had been a major eyesore for many years. I often wondered what it looked like inside....and now we know...

251/365 Saturday, 12/17/2011

2011-12-31T16:07:00.001-05:00

251/365 Saturday, 12/17/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Despite the rather chilly & snowy weather, Louisa and I had a fun time in Chicago before we boarded a 6:00pm train back to Battle Creek. I had never seen the "bean" sculpture before -- so ti was fun to take the obligatory reflection shots in it.

350/365 Friday 12/16/2011

2011-12-31T16:05:00.001-05:00

350/365 Friday 12/16/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

I took the Amtrak train on Friday, Dec 16th to pick up my sister from O'Hare. After getting off at Union station, I walked to the Blue Line EL stop on Monroe and took the EL to O'Hare. When I arrived Louisa had just gotten through customs and was waiting for me. We took the El back to Monroe and checked into our nice hotel in downtown Chicago.

349/365: Thursday, 12/15/2011

2011-12-31T16:02:00.003-05:00

349/365: Thursday, 12/15/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

I still had a lot of grading to get through once I arrived home. At least the kitties were happy to "help"...

348/365: Wednesday, 12/14/2011

2011-12-31T16:02:00.001-05:00

348/365: Wednesday, 12/14/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

WhenI came home from Oxford, I was tickled to find this Christmas card addressed to Hansi=the cat on a leash.

347/365: Tuesday, 12/13/2011

2011-12-31T16:01:00.001-05:00

347/365: Tuesday, 12/13/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

This is the recently published novel/romance that centers on my ancestor Jane Lane. I wonder how I will find it...

346/365: Monday, 12/12/2011

2011-12-22T00:30:00.003-05:00

346/365: Monday, 12/12/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Was pleasantly surprised by my first taste of soy yoghurt.

345/365: Sunday, 12/11/2011

2011-12-22T00:30:00.001-05:00

345/365: Sunday, 12/11/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

I liked the look of this DIY electric car--the "Lectric Lizard".

344/365: Saturday, 12/10/2011

2011-12-22T00:29:00.001-05:00

344/365: Saturday, 12/10/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

I methodically go through these two sections of the times, which means I am quite behind--especially with the book review sections.

343/365: Friday, 12/09/2011

2011-12-12T11:46:00.001-05:00

343/365: Friday, 12/09/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Making some notes to myself on what turned out to be a pretty hectic/busy last day of classes.

342/365: Thursday, 12/08/2011

2011-12-12T11:45:00.001-05:00

342/365: Thursday, 12/08/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

This dish was good: 100% whole wheat rotini with tomatoes cause and some other veggies. The stuff on top is nutritional yeast. I'm glad I found a whole wheat pasta I like.

341/365: Wednesday, 12/07/2011

2011-12-12T11:44:00.001-05:00

341/365: Wednesday, 12/07/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

A vegan stand-by: nutritional yeast. It has an interesting taste. It does add something to pasta dishes. I haven't used a whole lot of it yet.

340/365 Tuesday, 12/06/2011

2011-12-12T11:43:00.001-05:00

340/365 Tuesday, 12/06/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

I really wanted to get an outside picture today--and I remembered this as I walked to the bus-stop. This building on Miami's campus is McGuffey Hall where I taught two of my classes during the semester. It took a while to get used to the building. But in the end I did. I just realized I taught in this building everyday, since that was how my schedule was structured. Next semester I won't be in there.

339/365: Monday, 12/05/2011

2011-12-11T17:45:00.001-05:00

339/365: Monday, 12/05/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

I took this while sitting in my bed--it was about 11:40pm and I had not yet taken a picture--so Georgie was the easiest choice since I was sleepy and wanted to get to bed!

338/365: Sunday, 12/04/2011

2011-12-11T17:44:00.001-05:00

338/365: Sunday, 12/04/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

An abstract shot of you-know-who taken last Sunday.

337/365: Saturday, 12/03/2011

2011-12-11T17:43:00.001-05:00

337/365: Saturday, 12/03/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

*sigh* - I really wanted to like these--Eden is a good organic company from Michigan. But alas they were kind of gray and that just made them seem not that tasty..They made me miss my unhealthy regular durum wheat semolina pasta. Ho hum...In the meantime I found the only box of 100% whole wheat pasta in Kroger the other day and I actually liked it! Hooray. And I'm getting more used to cooking my greens without oil--either steaming or cooking them in vegetable broth.

336/365: Friday, 12/02/2011

2011-12-10T21:26:00.001-05:00

336/365: Friday, 12/02/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

I decided to order a small package of German christmas goodies from a German online store in Texas. Most of these were eaten by my students. The "Rumkugeln" - rum balls were enjoyed by the GREAL faculty, since they do contain a tiny bit of real rum.

335/365: Thursday, 12/01/2011

2011-12-10T12:37:00.001-05:00

335/365: Thursday, 12/01/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

A cute kitty pic for the first day of the last month of the year!!! I cannot believe the year is almost over...

334/365: Wednesday, 11/30/2011

2011-12-10T12:13:00.001-05:00

334/365: Wednesday, 11/30/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

I apologize-the pictures these days lack vim and vigor...I've been busy busy with the end of semester. Hence yet another glimpse of my apartment mate George.

333/365 Tuesday, 11/29/2011

2011-12-10T12:09:00.001-05:00

333/365 Tuesday, 11/29/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Another pretty good vegan meal. The portion was a bit big, and the spaghetti was not whole grain, which is what who I now call the "healthy healthy's" (Dr. Esselstyn, Barnard, Hicks etc etc) want us to eat. I'll have to research what they think about olives. I know they don't like olive oil. The stuff that might look a little like parmesan is Bragg's nutritional yeast-a vegan standy..

332/365: Monday, 11/28/2011

2011-12-10T12:03:00.001-05:00

332/365: Monday, 11/28/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Bill left me this as a going away present when he left the Monday after bringing me back to Oxford after Thanksgiving. (I had left earlier than he did, so i could get to my office to get stuff done before teaching).

331/365: Sunday, 11/27/2011

2011-12-09T22:15:00.001-05:00

331/365: Sunday, 11/27/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

It was rainy and cloudy when we drove back down to Oxford on Sunday. We started listening to George Eliot's "Middlemarch". I'll see how far Bill has gotten listening to it when I go back with him to Michigan for Christmas this coming Wednesday, Dec. 14th.

330/365: Saturday, 11/26/2011

2011-12-09T22:11:00.001-05:00

330/365: Saturday, 11/26/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

I went out with my friend for sushi in Jackson, Michigan (Aka sushi). Some of the things we ordered were vegan (I had seaweed salad and a vegetable tempura--should have asked about the tempura). Some of the sushi we got was not vegan (like the one picture, which I think is either salmon or tuna. Yes I had some of it...

329/365 Friday, 11/25/2011

2011-12-09T22:08:00.001-05:00

329/365 Friday, 11/25/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

I had brought some grading I needed to do home with me and my kitties were glad to be of some assistance!

328/365: Thursday, 11/24/2011 ~Thanksgiving~

2011-12-09T22:04:00.001-05:00

328/365: Thursday, 11/24/2011 ~Thanksgiving~, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

One of the things I miss living in Oxford is our daily newspaper: The Battle Creek Enquirer. Even though it's not a great newspaper I got very used to reading it when I lived in Michigan. And the comics were probably my favorite part.. We were invited to Thanksgiving dinner with our friends in the afternoon. They made vegan stuffing! (Which was delicious). And there plenty of other vegan options! And then I indulged in a small piece of (probably) non-vegan pumpkin pie with a small amount of definitely non-vegan whipped cream. It was good.

327/365: Wednesday, 11/23/2011

2011-12-06T23:45:00.001-05:00

327/365: Wednesday, 11/23/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Georgie seemed fairly happy to be home. The other kitties were a little put-out since Georgie can be a bit of a bully. Little Mieze hissed at him a couple of times and had to give up her spot in the prized "boudoir". Hansie was more cranky than I was used too--he seemed even more aged to me since I left in August---so skinny compared to spoilt George. He was glad George was home. They have a bit of a "Brokeback mountain" relationship....Hansi "cannot quit" George...yet further indication that he was neutered to late. It's very hard to fathom how Georgie feels about Hansi's inappropriate encroachments--he nonchalantly continues eating while it is going on and only sometimes turns around & tells Hansi to take a hike. (For a long time I thought the yowling that one heard when this was going was coming from Georgie, but no it is always and only Hansi that is doing the yowling - Georgie is completely silent).
On other occasions though, even Hansi hissed at Georgie--it was obvious that his absence had made the three other kitties rearrange their hierarchies, and having him back shuffled everything up again. At least this time he will be back sooner. (We go back to Michigan next Wednesday, Dec. 14).
When we brought Georgie back to the apartment he seemed even happier to to back here where he's the number one kitty. And I was glad to have him paying all his attention to me and not the other three kitties. But now I know better what to expect and also that I need to court their affection in order to get into their good books. They are cats after-all and do not immediately reconnect if one has been away for a longish time.

A short message for Janie Randerson

2011-12-05T17:06:00.001-05:00

Hello,

If Janie Randerson sees this message I just want her to know that I have replied twice to her email message and have not heard back. Perhaps she could try my other email: catgrimm@gmail.com?

Barbie cake

2011-12-03T17:09:00.001-05:00

326/2011: Tuesday, 11/22/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

326/2011: Tuesday, 11/22/2011

I thought this was just weird enough to qualify as a 365 pic. I might have to start a "weird sightings in supermarkets set, which, besides this would include this, and probably this too.

The other Barbie picture in my flickr stream was taken at the Schirn museum in Frankfurt. It is my most viewed picture by far--over 11 000 people have looked at it!

My "PETA-approved" bagel from Bagel&Deli

2011-12-03T16:51:00.001-05:00

325/365: Monday, 11/21/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

325/365: Monday, 11/21/2011

This was my delicious and suppossedly "PETA-approved' bagel from Oxford's famous "Bagel & Deli". I really liked it! And as a treat I got one of their retro sodas -I think its flavor was dark cherry--it was also very good. A tasty lunch before we headed back home to Michigan.

324/365: Sunday, 11/20/2011

2011-12-03T16:28:00.001-05:00

324/365: Sunday, 11/20/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Yep Bill was back on Sunday so he could drive me and Georgie back to Michigan for the first time in a bit over 3 months. George was happy to see him.

323/365:Saturday, 11/19/2011

2011-12-03T16:26:00.001-05:00

323/365:Saturday, 11/19/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

The non-vegan version of this pie has been in my meal repetoire for a while. the only difference between that one and this one is that the vegan version is not microwaveable. So it takes longer, but I think it might even taste better than the other kind.

The absent presence of William Holmes McGuffey

2011-11-28T23:17:00.001-05:00

322/365 Friday, November 18, 2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

322/365 Friday, November 18, 2011

I stand right next to this window about 3 times a week waiting for the elevator to take me back down to the first floor. (This is not Irvin where my office is). It just occurred to me that I should really start taking the stairs--at least down after the class. I don't like taking them up the stairs becuase I'm afraid I'll get all hot and sweaty right before I teach. The view is also interesting when one looks directly down, because there is a statue of the building's name sake: William Holmes McGuffey.

321/365 Thursday, 11/17/2011

2011-11-27T00:03:00.001-05:00

321/365 Thursday, 11/17/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

The vegan experiment continues. Bill and I watched the pro-plant-based diet documentary "Forks over Knives" the other night and I've been reading many posts of this blog: http://www.happyhealthylonglife.com/ on nutrition and the benefits of a low-fat plant-based diet. That being said, there is a part of me that still thinks - I am mainly doing this for ethical reasons and so the occasional vegan junk-food item is ok--I guess I am cutting myself some slack as I continue on this interesting food/nourishment path. One thing I have noticed is how some folks seem to go to great lengths to find pro-meat-eating arguments--i.e. they say things like humans are meant to eat meat, vegans are often gaunt, weak & unhealthy, or they talk themselves into feeling somehow deprived if they don't consume animal products. I remember thinking I craved meat, but I now think I was talking myself into craving it...so far I have not experienced any strong meat, dairy or egg cravings. Part of this is psychological too--I've probably talked myself out of wanting to eat these foods, because of what they are. (=products derived from animals, whose sole reason for existing is to serve as a food source for humans).
Nevertheless I am definitely going to try and reduce the fats I eat and also try and eat more whole grains and less refined ones...bring on the whole wheat pasta and even more of that weird quinoa. I am also interested in experimenting more with oatmeal--especially in "savory oatmeal" as shown here:
http://www.happyhealthylonglife.com/happy_healthy_long_life/2011/01/cheezy-oatmeal.html

320/365 Wednesday, 11/16/2011

2011-11-25T18:12:00.001-05:00

320/365 Wednesday, 11/16/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

I posted a picture of my little fake ladybird a while back and on this day I noticed a real one walking across my table. After I took this picture I put it on a piece of paper and let if fly away off of my balcony.

319/365: Tuesday, 11/15/2011

2011-11-25T18:11:00.001-05:00

319/365: Tuesday, 11/15/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

My colleague and I treated ourselves to tis wonderful Indian feast. I assume it was not vegan--but vegetarian. I will ask them what they cook things in. I also inadvertently ordered a mango lasse with rum, which was of course not vegan, but delicious nevertheless. We were quite full after only a fraction of this meal, which meant I had leftovers for both breakfast and lunch the next day. Which even made it quite economical in the end too!

318/365: Monday, 11/14/2011

2011-11-23T16:43:00.001-05:00

318/365: Monday, 11/14/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

So today at home in Albion I have been reading up on the so-called "Esselstyn" diet-- he's the doctor who appears prominently in the "Forks over Knives" documentary about how much healthier a plant-based diet is-for everyone... Dr. Esselstyn and his wife and (adult) kids adhere to a completely plant-based and also low fat diet (i.e. lots of veggies, but no avocados, no nuts, except for the occasional walnut and also no olive oil). As a person transitioning to vegan-ism mainly for ethical reasons it is kind of a lot to get my head around-- I dearly love my avocados. Dr. Esselstyn would also not approve of my vegan bagel (=not a whole grain?) and I'm sure he would disdain the Earth Balance margarine that I now use instead of butter. I will definitely experiment with olive-oil free sauteing of my green veggies and baking/roasting too. And I'll also look for more whole grains too.
But for now I will - at least occasionally indulge in avocados, nuts (=not just walnuts) and olive oil. What I will try and do is not over-indulge in them....we'll see how it goes!!

My first pomegranate

2011-11-23T16:30:00.001-05:00

317/365: Sunday, 11/13/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

317/365: Sunday, 11/13/2011

Was tasty but rather messy-little dark reds drop of juice got everywhere...

316/365 Saturday, 11/12/2011

2011-11-23T16:25:00.001-05:00

316/365 Saturday, 11/12/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

I need to also make better friends with oats-another super-healthy vegan-plant-based stand-by...These are good but it is still just a little microwave pouch and not the kind you cook on the stove. One reason I still prefer instant is that the amount is just right. With a little maple syrup and some kind of fruit this is a good breakfast for me.

315/365 Friday, 11/11/2011

2011-11-23T16:23:00.001-05:00

315/365 Friday, 11/11/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

I spend a lot - perhaps too much time at my little desk in my apartment. Georgie much prefers lounging about with me on one of my IKEA chair, usually while watching a TV show. But on those nights when I don't make it over there, he tries to get some "me" (=him) time by sitting on my lap while I'm at my desk...

314/365 Thursday, 11/10/2011

2011-11-23T16:21:00.001-05:00

314/365 Thursday, 11/10/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Quinoa...this first attempt was not all that satisfying, but i will persevere since it is such a healthy food...

313/365 Wednesday, 11/09/2011

2011-11-23T16:20:00.001-05:00

313/365 Wednesday, 11/09/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

A late-fall view of my office window. We had had some rather blustery weather recently and I think that hastened the "de-nuding" of "my" tree. Still the weather in Oxford (south-western OH) is definitely warmer than it is in Southern Michigan.

312/365 Tuesday, 11/08/2011

2011-11-20T11:29:00.001-05:00

312/365 Tuesday, 11/08/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

I think this was my first attempt at making a scrumptious meal with quinoa. It was so-so. I did not really care for the quinoa...even though I know it's terribly healthy. something about the texture. The pinto beans were tasty though, as was the rosemary onion foccaccio and of course my old stand by - tomatoes. Oh how I wish I could grow my own. Hmm maybe if I stay here next year I could try and grow some on my little wooden balcony. Of course that's still a big "if"...

311/365 Monday, 11/07/2011

2011-11-19T10:57:00.001-05:00

311/365 Monday, 11/07/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

I think this was some rainbow chard I got for myself from the Kroger. I like chard and kale a lot. And i have always been fond of brussel sprouts. I need to experiment more with things like cauliflower and cabbage--which is not one of my initial favorites, but when cooked in a nice way sounds quite appealing to me now.

310/365: Sunday, 11/06/2011

2011-11-19T10:53:00.001-05:00

310/365: Sunday, 11/06/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Ok I have to say I was a bit afraid to try this stuff. but it is actually surprisingly yummy! I like it! So far so good for being a vegan. We're going to a non-vegan Thanksgiving, where it probably won't be a problem eating vegetarian, so that wlll be ok. The food is served buffet-style so one has more freedom to only eat what one wants. I hope I am not too tempted by the turkey.

309/365 Saturday, 11/05/2011

2011-11-19T10:51:00.001-05:00

309/365 Saturday, 11/05/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Yep another blue-post..and one that was actually taken before the Friday shot of my boots...I have to confess that quite a few of my pics recently were not taken exactly on the day I say they were--they're more an approximation but in the end no one will really care--and they always not too far off. Taking pictures is just less of a priority when I have tests to grade or classes to prepare...this is a shot of some Adrienne's and my "spoils" from our Sat. outing to IKEA, Kohl's and Target. I went a little crazy because I don't get to shop much and now I'm earning again and so is Bill. We had fun.

308/365 Friday, 11/04/2011

2011-11-19T10:48:00.001-05:00

308/365 Friday, 11/04/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

I have noticed that the female Miami students tend to wear very similar outfits: in the summer they were all wearing athletic shorts with a stripe on the side. Then came the jeans with sperry type shoes -- or black cotton pants - sort of a more presentable sweatpant and now a lot of them are wearing all kinds of lovely boots (or Ugg-type boots) stuck into skinny jeans. I have wanted a pair of boots since before coming here, but now that I'm trying be as vegan as I can be...I'm less inclined to want to buy leather. I found these comfy man-made-material boots (that I will probably not stick into my jeans) at Target. I will also try and assemble a skirt outfit or two. They are surprisingly comfortable for let's face it a rather cheaply made boot. And I think they look nice too.