Dreadlocks…Why not?

On occassion, I get a bit antsy and decide to do something random to my appearance. I have pierced my bellybutton, as well as my nose, to conquer boredom. Tonight, my roommate, Hailey, announced that she could make dreadlocks in someone’s hair.

Dreads in the process of being completed

When I went to Spain, I saw a lot of people with dreads and I have wanted them ever since. My friends, Tina and Emily, told me not to, and they specifically said they would not approve. Well, tonight, with nothing better to do, I decided to let Hailey do it to my hair.

They aren’t real dreads yet, they are just chunks of twisted hair that are gelled, straightened, and hair sprayed into place. But, eventually they should turn into actual dreadlocks if I decide to go through with it.

They took a while to finish, and they were actually really annoying at first. My hair is so thin that they didn’t want to stay in place without half a can of hairspray and several globs of hair gel. They are still not completely staying in place, so I will have to figure out how to solve this problem tomorrow when I wake up.

Hair before going to Cheatham

After they were finished, we got dressed to go to Cheatham Street to see Bobby Duncan play. I was rocking cowgirl boots, a purple country looking shirt, dark jeans, and dreads. I don’t know if I was grungy, rock, punk, or country. I was definitely a walking contradiction.

Eliza Dushku from Bring It On

After Cheatham, we went to a party at Villagio where I got lots of different reactions to my hair. One girl told me that I looked like Eliza Dushku from Bring It On.That same girl also told not to go through with making the dreads permanent. Another reaction I got was in a message from someone that saw the picture I posted on Facebook. He told me it looked like I needed a bath. My friend Tina that I went to Spain with called me from Dallas with her mom and told me that if they were not out within seven days that she would come shave my head in my sleep.

While a lot of people did not approve, I also have gotten some positive feedback. Someone at the party told me that I had the coolest hair there, and the drummer for Bobby Duncan told me it looked awesome as well.

My dad and brother are coming to visit me tomorrow from Houston, so I am excited to hear what they have to say about my new hairstyle.

New Food: Acorn Squash

Raw acorn squash

I tried acorn squash today for my Food of the Day, which is considered a “winter” squash. It was not good. I hope I just made it wrong, but I did not like it at all. The directions said to cut the squash in half, place it face down in a baking tray with 1/4 inch of water in the bottom. I baked it for 35 minutes at 400 degrees. After that, it said to flip it over and season it with salt before broiling it for 5 more minutes. I did that! It did not taste good. Usually I love squash! This one – not so much.

On a more positive note, acorn squash is a good source of fiber and potassium. It also has some vitamin C, vitamin B, magnesium, and manganese. I ate it. With Ketchup to make it less painful.

New Food: Flank steak stuffed with spinach and feta cheese. Tomato lentil couscous.

I went grocery shopping today and I came across ready-to-cook flank steak stuffed with spinach and feta cheese. It looked delicious, and for two steaks, $3.89 is quite the deal. I heated my oven to 350, seasoned the meat, and cooked it for 30 minutes. While that was cooking, I made tomato lentil couscous (from a box – this meal was basically cheating). However, it was healthy, balanced, and delicious.

Couscous - tomato lentil

Flank steak is a cut of beef from the belly muscles of a cow. It is generally a tougher cut of meat, so it makes great fajitas and stir-fry.

While everything we being prepared, I was swing dancing by myself in my kitchen. It is a new obsession. My neighbor even came in when the music was playing and I think he thought I was losing my mind.

Anyways, when I went to the store, I bought a lot of random types of foods that I have never eaten before so that I am prepared for the days ahead. I bought several types of vegetables and fruits, seafoods, and some other stuff that I hope I will like. I’ll let you know.

More of One New Food Everyday For a Year coming soon!

Monday Swing Dance Night in ATX

Tonight, I stepped a bit out of my comfort zone. I went to Monday Swing Dance Night at Ruta Maya coffee shop in south Austin with my friend, Scotty. It was nearly free, all we had to do was buy a drink and we got a free one-hour lesson. So, we figured, why not?

My incredibly good looking swing dance partner, Scott Morrison

I drove, and I am directionally challenged, so we started out the evening by getting lost on South Congress Ave. After turning around twice and getting frustrated with my trusty GPS, I spotted the coffee shop neatly tucked behind a gentlemen’s club called Expose.

We walked in and the crowd was definitely a little different than our usual hangout. There were not many people there, so we were feeling like this was going to be the most awkward thing on the planet. The best part about it was when a random guy came up to us with our drinks in hand and introduces himself as Billy. We say our hellos and then he asks in a very serious tone, “first time swingin’?” Well, my maturity level is not up to par with my age, and Scotty’s is probably a little bit lower than mine, so naturally we giggle. “Yup, sure is!” I told him.

The music came on and then a lot more people showed up. We learned the basic moves…rock step, step….step….. and we danced with every person in the class because we kept rotating partners. I liked switching people because we got used to the different ways that people danced. Some people were not good. Some people smelled. Some people were awkward. Some people were cocky. Some people were awesome (Scotty and I). Just kidding – but seriously. Some people were funny. There was an awesome variety of people in this free swing dance class. We had a really good time.

Ruta Maya Coffee House

After the class was over, a live swing band was scheduled to play from 9 pm – 11 pm. A lady came up to us and asked if we were planning on staying for the band and I shouted with glee “heck yeah we are!” Afterall, I wanted to practice my newfound skills. She then proceeded to tell us that it was a $5.00 cover. My smile faded and I said, “Oh. Nevermind. We will just Pandora swing music and rock, step, step back in San Marcos.” So, we left the coffee place and listened to swing music the entire ride home.

I am going to make swing dance night a weekly tradition for sure. Free music, swing dancing, and meeting new people! Love it.

Valentine’s Day at The Outlet Mall

Today started out as a beautiful sunny day. I woke up, I went to the gym, went to The Coffee Pot to read for class, and then went shopping at the outlet mall with some Valentine’s Day money that I was given by my madre.

So, I am wearing white leggings and a long gray shirt. It’s sunny – I have nothing to worry about. There is no possibility of my white pants getting wet and everyone seeing right through them.

I parked my car in front of Fossil and walked around the entire place til I reached Agaci. I never knew how much I liked that store…cutest clothes ever. Well, in the midst of my Agaci adventure, the power goes out at the entire outlet center. The store kicks everyone out (to prevent theft I am guessing), and we are forced to go outside into the world of random weather. Just ten minutes prior, it was sunny and beautiful. When I left Agaci, or shall I say, when I got kicked out of Agaci, the sky was gray, the wind was howling, and it was starting to rain. Ironically enough, right after I got outside, I got a notice on my Blackberry that said “severe weather alert for San Marcos, TX”. Thanks, Blackberry. A little late.

Cars gridlocked at Outlet Mall. No one moved for over an hour.

Anyways, people started panicking, carrying their kids over their heads (I guess to shield themselves from the rain, I don’t really know), and racing to their cars to get out of the rain and wind.

The Day After Tomorrow movie cover

Naturally, my white pants reminded me that I should probably run to my car to prevent severe embarrassment. So, I did. I got to my car, which was parked on the other side of the mall, and I looked around me and saw people going crazy trying to get out of the outlet center. I have never seen so many people freak out over a little rain in my life – I feel like every single person had just watched The Day After Tomorrow movie and thought it was really coming true.

I sat in my parked car for one hour and ten minutes. Let me say again: one hour and ten minutes trying to get out of the outlet center. I actually put my car in park and read an entire article about Chelsea Handler in Marie Claire Magazine because it was so gridlocked.

The power came back on after all of that, so I decided I would continue shopping for the last hour the malls were open. I get back to Agaci and they had a sign on the door that said “CLOSED for the rest of the night. Sorry for the inconvenience.” Really? Every other store at the mall reopened. But not the store I wanted.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is why I hate Valentine’s Day.

New Food: Ground Turkey Meat and Pomegranate Juice

I decided I would try two new things yesterday after being harassed about my original decision to just try Ground Turkey Meat. Apparently, that wasn’t branching out enough. So, I also tried pomegranate juice.

Rice with tomato sauce and ground turkey meat

I made a family rice recipe that usually contains ground beef, but I heard on the food network that Turkey meat is healthier for you. So, I figured I’d give it a whirl. Ground turkey has lower calories and fat, but contains a higher amount of cholesterol when compared to ground beef. A 4 oz. serving of ground turkey meat contains 160 calories, and the same size serving of the leanest ground beef contains 170 calories. When I used it in my rice recipe, the only difference I noticed was a difference in the color of the meat. When it came to taste, I could not tell the difference.

POM Pomegranate Juice

The pomegranate juice that I tried was delicious. I wasn’t expecting to like it so much because it isn’t a very common fruit. However, when I tried it, it tasted very similar to cranberry juice. According to the POM  website, 100% pomegranate juice:

• contains no added sugars, preservatives or colors
• is a good source of potassium
• is gluten free
• is flash pasteurized to retain both flavor and nutrients
• is available in 8 oz.(limited distribution), 16 oz., 24 oz., and48 oz. sizes (237ml, 473 ml, 710 ml, 1.4 L)
• is certified kosher

It is recommended that people drink one glass of pomegranate juice per day to keep rid of “free radicals” in your body (agents that may cause disease).

All in all, the two new things I tried were delicious. Seriously though, finding 363 more new foods will be difficult. I need all the ideas I can get. Send some my way!

One New Food Everyday for a Year

I have come up with a new assignment for myself. It came to me tonight when I ordered the Veggie’s Lover from Thai Thai Cafe. Expecting just steamed rice and vegetables, I received steamed rice, vegetables, and fried tofu. I was a little skeptical at first. I had never even seen tofu before – I actually had to ask what it was. When I tried it, I discovered that it was actually really delicious.

Seasoned tofu (wiki image)

For those of you who don’t know, (I sure didn’t), according to Wikipedia (real journalism at work here, people), tofu, or bean curd, if of Chinese origin and is a soft, white food made by coagulating soy milk and pressing it into blocks. It does not have very much flavor of its own, so it can be made into desserts or into meals as a meat substitute. Luckily, tofu is low in calories, high in iron, high in protein, and low in fat. Depending on how it is made, it could also be high in calcium.

China - origin of Tofu

After giving this vegetarian-friendly food a try, I came up with the idea that will probably lead me to experience some delicious cuisine, as well as some pretty questionable foods down the road. I am going to try one new food or drink every day for one year. I can’t imagine trying 365 new foods / drinks. I may need some help coming up with ideas, so please…throw them my way.

My View on Valentine’s Day

Oh Valentine’s Day. It’s so romantic! One day out of 365 that you show/tell your significant other that you love them. Ladies and gentlemen, don’t outdo yourselves. One day could be pushing it. Let’s make it half a day…Or how about Valentine’s Hour?

I think this is wrong

There is something seriously wrong with expressing your love one time out of so many days. I would like to share with you my father’s perspective which I find not only insightful, but also entertaining:

“That day sucks…it is such a commercial ploy to sell candy, diamonds and anything in between by the retailers…and talk about pressure… if you forget, it is doghouse city for gosh knows how long”.

Poor Guy

Clearly he has learned the hard way from experience, but I think he makes a valid point.

Gentlemen, if you are going to go all out and do something special for your sweetheart, make sure it isn’t just once a year. Or once a month, even. Ladies, it should be reciprocated if you feel that way about someone, as well. It shouldn’t be a one way street. All the pressure to be romantic should not be on the male party – this is 2010. Equal rights? Equal everything!

Happy Almost Valentine’s Hour.