bento catch up

Dad and Mo were here this weekend for a visit on their way to the coast, so it was nice to see them for a bit.  We had simply stunning weather while they were here, though it's been freakishly humid. But beautiful and warm so we can't complain, really.

I did pack a bento for yesterday but ended up staying home, so it became a sick-day-work-from-home bento instead of an office bento. So we have two days' of bentos here:

Monday lunch, blue bunny & moons box:

• carrot sticks and flowers, lemon drop and cherry tomatoes
• basil chicken sausage and Dubliner cheese (under the carrot flowers)
• Gala apple slices
• Reliance grapes
• macadamia nuts

Tuesday lunch, black strawberry box:

• green beans & caramelized onions (underneath)
• smoked sausages
• mashed potatoes
• Reliance grapes
• cheddar bunny crackers
• cashews

Even though we got our fruit bin delivery last week, we've already devoured it -- only some grapes left! So I'm a little low on fruit to add, and of course didn't think of the twenty billion pounds of fresh-picked blueberries and blackberries in our freezer. D'oh! Actually, I should make some pie....

little internet gifts for you. you're welcome

Okay, time to do a link dump so I can clear off some tabs in my browser. This is just a miscellany...a miscellany of AWESOME, that is!

Dalton Ghetti pencil lead carvings (with more here) -- Carvings out of pencil leads. Pencil leads. Like...how is that not the most awesome thing you ever saw?? I'd pick a favorite, but they're all amazing. The screw, the itty bitty hammer, the hand holding a goblet, the little key on the ring??? I just...like, how do you even...? You guys! There's a guy carving wee sculptures from used pencil stubs! That is proof of amazingness and wonder in this world!

James Hance, "Relentlessly Cheerful Art" -- Adorable, sweet, and hilarious art that makes my nerdy, geeky little heart go pitter pat. I'm particularly fond of the Star Wars/Winnie-the-Pooh crossovers, and if anyone wanted to buy me, like, all of them, I wouldn't say no.

Slacktivist, "Fortune Cookies" -- What fortunes in fortune cookies should say. The fourth from the last is my favorite. Oh, who am I kidding? I love them all.

lunch, Paris slimline:

• sourdough bread slices
• Niman Ranch ham and herb roasted turkey on the skewer, pepperoni slices underneath, cheeses tucked around: mahon, gouda, Cotswold, smoked mozzarella
• carrots
• Gala apple slices
• nectarine

Looking very monochromatic and orange-y today...better than gray, I suppose.

the sea sings to her in wind tossed whispers

Hello friends and internet denizens! We have returned from our Fall Getaway, our annual September-ish escape to our Oceanside hideaway for an extended weekend. For those following along at home, we make this trek at least four times a year -- extended weekends in spring and fall, longer vacations in the winter and summer. We try to make it to the coast at other times, too, even if only for the day, but having those four getaways proverbially circled in red in on our electronic calendars are our talismans against the humdrum of life that can wear a soul down with routine. Of course, returning to said routine can be a bit harder in those initial days, but it's a price worth paying.

From Friday night until Monday morning, we escaped to a cozy little cabin and holed up together while weather raged outside. It was a particularly -- awesomely -- stormy weekend, with buckets of rain and intermittent wind, yet freakishly warm. Especially for the coast.

We didn't bother taking a whole lot of pics since it was mostly gray, gray, and gray (though beautiful!). But the sun did peek out for a brief time near sunset, because even Nature isn't above showing off from time to time. So we did snag a few to memorialize yet another wonderful retreat to our beloved Oregon Coast.

It all made for the perfect atmosphere for curling up under blankets and watching movies and reading books and nibbling on many yummy things. Hence my lunch today....

breakfast, pink strawberry sidecar:

• Honeycrisp apple
• Bartlett pear
• Reliance grapes

lunch, laptop lunch:

• meats: Niman Ranch ham, herb roasted turkey breast, Applegate Farms pepperoni; cheeses: Mahon, Jarlsberg, gouda, smoked mozzarella, Cotswold, maple smoked cheddar, Dubliner
• French batard slices and carrot sticks
• more French batard
• Honeycrisp apple and Reliance grapes

ahoy, mateys!

Sunday be International Talk Like a Pirate Day, the finest holiday o' the year!

If yer lookin' to buckle yer swashes, heave to the starboard side fer the 5th Annual Portland Pirate Festival! Ye olde festival be this weekend in me own port-of-call, Cathedral Park (under ye olde St. Johns Bridge). Bring all yer landlubbin' mateys fer a weekend o' singin' sea shanties, plunderin' fer treasure, and drinkin' down the best grog o' the Seven Seas. Thar be lots more swashbucklin fer the whole crew (even the littlest scalawags) and ye can even shiver yer timbers with an actual ship-to-shore cannon battle! Hope to see ye thar, ye scurvy dogs...ARRRR!

[BTW: Having trouble accessing our site the last few days? Have you been getting an error when you try it during the day, and then it'll work later in the day/evening? Yeah, I don't know what's up with that but I'm trying to sort it out. In the meantime, please bear with me and keep checking back...we're still here, I promise!]

I haven't been posting pictures of breakfasts lately since I've ended up eating them in meetings a lot recently, and get enough grief about my "fancy meals" as it is without snapping pics of my food with everyone sitting there at the conference table. (Well, grief isn't the right word. There sure is a lot of interest whenever I open my bento boxes, though. One coworker even comes into my office for the unveiling each day...I think she'll be purchasing her first box any day now. Muwhahahahahaha....)

breakfast, cute animals sidecar:

• heart molded egg -- well mangled egg, really...the shell broke while I was boiling it and I had trouble getting the shell off when I was peeling it, so
• apple slices -- no idea of the variety...Chris and Nolan picked apples at one of the old public apple trees on Sauvie Island and included them in this week's shares as a treat
• cashews and raisins

lunch, black strawberry:

• star molded egg
• smoked sausages
• rainbow carrots
• cherry and lemon drop tomatoes
• apple slices
• maple smoked cheddar
• cashews and dark chocolate raisins

Yesterday was overcast all day like it would be for rain, but there was none and the air was heavy and muggy. It finally started sprinkling a bit late in the afternoon, and by early evening, was steady. And then last night...oh, last night. Steady and heavy, but the air so incredibly temperate and fresh that I had every window in the house thrown open as far as it would go. This, this is the weather I love the best, in the season I love the best. I baked chocolate chip cookies and sat at the kitchen table with the door open to the back porch, listening to the sound of the rain in the trees while I worked on my art journal.

It should come as a surprise to no one that I'm a water sign.

bacon pickles?! where have you been all my life?

Yes, bacon pickles. There's a guy at the downtown farmers' market who sells many varieties of pickles and pickled items. One of which includes bacon pickles. As in dill pickles in a bacon-flavored brine. And they are are exactly as delicious and fan-freaking-tastic as you might imagine. And when you have emptied the jar of the pickles, you can put other delicious things in the jar so that they, too, can absorb the bacon-y deliciousness. Proving the immutable Law of Bacon, which is that there are few edible things that bacon does not automatically make better*.

lunch, paris slimline:

• maple smoked cheddar slices
• molded egg
• smoked sausages
• bacon pickles
• Starkcrimson pear slices
• mini blueberry pancakes (made by Sally)
• dark chocolate covered raisins

*Yes, I've tried the Vosages chocolate bar with bacon bits. It was...interesting. Not terrible, but not something I'd eat more than a few bites of. Voodoo's bacon maple bar, on the other hand...

i am the heart that you call home

The Decemberists, "The Engine Driver"This Saturday was the Decemberists concert at Pioneer Courthouse Square we've been looking forward to for months. And it was everything that is awesome about The Decemberists, Portland, September, and people in general.

But first -- today's bento, using a box I haven't broken out in awhile.

lunch, deli club:

• herb roasted chicken
• pan sauce Sally made last night from pan drippings (pork chops for dinner), onions, and basil
• baked potato with sour cream and butter
• cucumbers and cherry and lemon drop tomatoes (from our garden)
• Gala apple slices and red grapes

Except for the tomatoes, the veggies are all from our share, the fruit from our bin delivery. This has been a terrible year for the garden, and everyone we talk to says the same. Seeds from last year's end-of-year tomatoes that got composted got spread into our garden as a result, and they completely took over both beds, strangling what few things were able to make it through the months of cold and rain we had in May and June and into July. But of course we had hardly any hot weather this summer, so we have two beds chock full of insane tomato plants absolutely covered with green tomatoes. (And the majority are cherry and lemon drop tomatoes, so they're far too small to justify the time of making green tomato relish.) Sigh. The vagaries of nature, I suppose.

So anyway, the concert! Was awesome! And I still love The Decemberists the mostest! Like of all the things in all the world!

Pioneer Courthouse Square on a perfect September daySaturday was actually part of MusicFest NW, which is 200 bands at 20 venues in 5 days. The Decemberists played at Pioneer Courthouse Square, known locally as "Portland's living room" because it's smack in the middle of downtown and there are always events and rallys and concerts and activities going on there. The weather was absolutely spectacular -- clear and warm -- and just being there, in the center of our city on a gorgous September evening with our favorite music right there, live...well.

Weinland, who were awesomeThey had three bands opening for them, starting at 4 PM with Weinland, who were fabulous. Blue Giant followed, who we liked but didn't love, and then Laura Veirs with Hall of Flame. They were okay, too, but totally the wrong vibe right before The Decemberists. Which, I get why she got that billing because of her collaboration with them on Hazards of Love, but it was music better suited to a coffeehouse than pumping up the crowd before the main act at an outdoor venue.

another side of Pioneer Square, the view directly behind where we were sittingWe opted to sit on the bricks toward the back of the square (one side of the square is an amphitheater-style series of sloping walkways and steps) rather than stand on the square closer to the stage. Not so great for being close to the band and hard on the keisters after 6 hours, but our ears and our feet thanked us for choosing that option. We were at just the right range to see everything on stage and enjoy the music without hurting our ears or needing ear plugs.

taking the stage with "The Infanta"By the time The Decemberists came on stage (7:30), our butts were sore and Laura Veirs had sucked our will to live right out of us, but as soon as they came on, it was totally worth it. Colin Meloy was adorable and hilarious as usual and they sounded terrific. They launched right into "The Infanta", followed by "Billy Liar", so things were hopping in short order.  The set list:

The Infanta
Billy Liar
Yankee Bayonet (w/ Laura Veirs)
Rise to Me (new song off their upcoming album)
Down By the Water (new song off their upcoming album)
The Engine Driver* (and yes, I flipped out, and got a vid, and multiple pictures)
O Valencia!
16 Military Wives
The Rake's Song
Won't Want for Love (Margaret in the Taiga)
The Island

Encore:
June Hymn (new song off their upcoming album)
Sons and Daughters

closing out the show with "Sons and Daughters'That last was such a fitting tribute for the day that it was, and I appreciated that instead of some kind of long monologue about 9/11 or choosing to cover something as a commemoration -- neither of which is their style -- they opted instead to simply acknowledge the day and that there's nothing that can be said, really, and then play the song that has so much to say about events that define us and generational grief, asking us to join in as harmony with "here all the bombs fade away".

I took a million gajillion pictures and several short vids, so be thankful I didn't post them all. (I would've liked to take advantage of my Droid's capability to do long vids and shoot at least a few minutes of a song or something, but they had security people roaming all the damn time, so I couldn't do more than 10 or 15 seconds at a go. But I did get them singing my two favorite lines from "The Engine Driver", so...score.)

*from "The Engine Driver", for readers who aren't familiar with The Decemberists**:

I am a writer, a writer of fictions
I am the heart that you call home

**(and to you I say: OMG WHUT GET THEE TO A MUSIC PROVIDER OF YOUR CHOICE SRSLY WTFBBQ)

a mix of work and play

We got some much need yard work done yesterday, which makes me feel that our otherwise leisurely weekend was nonetheless productive. The predicted cold and rainy weather never really appeared -- seems to have held off until today, but even so, it's neither very cold nor very rainy -- and yesterday and Saturday were particularly gorgeous days.

Yesterday was a planting day, which involved a trek to Portland Nursery in the neighbor's borrowed truck to spend way more than planned, as usual. We stopped at Flavour Spot on the way home, then finally got started actually digging and planting things mid-afternoon. We had several things to replace, stuff that we lost from last year (though thankfully, not as much as we'd originally feared): the star jasmine (victim of a late freeze in February), the three Ilex trees in pots on the patio (victims of the freeze), one  of the clematis (victim of the raccoons that we battled all last summer/fall), and the two Japanese bayberries on the front porch (victims of our serial neglect*).

*So completely inexcusable. I mean, they're right there, right by the front door! We walk past them every single day! And we both would see the poor things getting a little dry and droopy and be all, "Gee, I should water those." And then...nothing. Meanwhile, our house increasingly looks like the Addams Family house, utterly desicated plants by the front door, enveloped in cobwebs. In conclusion, we suck at adult responsibility, you guys.

Sally also picked up two hops vines (finally), which will be a good catalyst for getting the hops trellis built, and I got annuals for all my patio pots. Portland Nursery always has a great sale on fall color annuals and half price on their end of summer annuals, and since we have such a lovely and extended autumn season here in the PNW, having those cheerful pots of flowers all around just makes the patio that much more enjoyable this time of year. (They're also having a 20% off sale on vines, so check that out if you've had any vines on your wish list.)

We finished up late in the day yesterday, then he remembered he had to go to the school to glaze some tortes, so it meant a late dinner. But a dinner with leftovers, thankfully, which means a hearty lunch today.

lunch, blue bunny & moons:

• herb roasted chicken
• green beans sauteed with caramelized onions
• baked potato with sour cream and butter
• grapes and Gala apple slices
• cashews and dark chocolate covered raisins

Our other accomplishment this weekend is that we mainlined Season 4 of Friday Night Lights, which we'd been waiting for like junkies. (That whoop and holler you just heard was Cat flipping out that we're caught up and are so completely bonkers for this show.) It came out on DVD a couple of weeks ago but even though I'd preordered it, Amazon was being a bitca and didn't deliver it until Saturday. That meant that we could hardly contain ourselves and simply had to mini-marathon it.

I think I'm going to have to write up a squeeage post about it, because you guys, srsly. SRSLY.

all i need is a sleeping bag and it'd be like a sleepover for grownups

New Seasons saves the day yet again! Amazing what a difference a few key items in the pantry can make!

lunch, Paris slimline:

• green beans sauteed with caramelized onions and a cucumber heart for garnish -- the beans are both the regular green and the royal burgundy from our share, but the lovely purple color of the royal burgundy beans dissolves when they're cooked, so they lose that wonderful contrast...still mighty delicious, though!
• molded egg with carrots as baran
• cucumber slices and carrot
• Muenster cheese slices
• cashews and dark chocolate covered raisins

dinner, laptop lunch:

• herb fettucine in a garlic and chanterelle marinara with a cucumber flower garnish
• Tuscan roasted turkey breast
• more of the green beans sauteed with caramelized onions, this time garnished with carrot stars
• carrot sticks and cashews in the condiment container
• a bit of orange creme cheesecake from Sally for a little treat

The big work project I mentioned yesterday begins today. Well, technically, tonight. The project itself will take months to complete, but tonight's work, Phase 1, will be done overnight. I'm really hoping it won't take all night to do, but it will take several hours late into the evening at the very least, and thus I've come prepared with not only lunch for today, but dinner for tonight. That there isn't also a third one for breakfast in the morning is my optimistic hope that I won't actually need one.

not really sure where the week went

I've been gearing up for a big work project, which necessitated doing four training presentations in two days (Friday and Monday). Meanwhile, other projects demanded attention, too, including some number crunching for this morning's shareholder's meeting, a longish (but productive!) executive work session last week, and a spate of conference calls brought about by some weird confluence of planet alignment. And then the usual end-of-month data analysis that marches ever onward no matter what other things are on my plate.

Things at home aren't much quieter. We have about a summer's worth of projects to try to cram into the upcoming weekend -- we were supposed to start on our to do list last weekend, but neither of us felt like doing anything so we...didn't. I did some writing (not much...I ended up getting distracted by other diversions, which is generally a sign that I'm kind of blocked) and Sal brewed another batch of beer. We watched some movies and relaxed a whole lot, and that's pretty much it. So a productive weekend, I say, even if our to do list doesn't reflect it.

More importantly than all of that, however, we received news of a death in Sal's family on Monday, and that has understandably been our focus for the last couple of days. He'll be heading out of town for the funeral and to spend a couple of days with family (wishing I could go, too, but it's just not in the cards, unfortunately) so we're getting things together for him to be gone for that.

Everything taken together has meant that the smaller, daily tasks of life have fallen to the wayside. Things like grocery shopping, for instance. Or in our case, grocery ordering. We have a crazy amount of beautiful and delicious produce, but pretty much nothing else, especially now that I've cleaned out the fridge for today's lunch. Sigh. And of course the weather's turned cooler and we've had a spot of rain -- autumn is definitely in the air -- so I'm feeling all nesty and cozy, wanting to make rustic casseroles and big pots of thick soups and to bake nutty cakey things.

lunch, black strawberry:

• ham and lettuce wraps on picks
• molded egg with carrot and cucumber as gap fillers
• tomato wedge
• orange sections
• dark chocolate covered raisins

It's a testament to just how pathetic our cupboards are at the moment that I have two cups of raisins in my lunch instead of one. I'm just completely out of everything I would use for gap fillers, from berries to dried fruits to nuts to granola...even peas, for pete's sake! I'm never out of peas. I mean, it's meant a double-chocolate day so I'm not going to complain about that, obviously, but it doesn't make a very well-rounded lunch (and there are more gaps than I'd like overall). At least it doesn't have that weird greenish cast that the last few pictures have had. Must remember not to snap a pic directly under the fluorescent in my office....

This will be rectified tonight, however! Tomorrow will be a very long day at the office, necessitating lunch AND dinner bentos, as well as a snack sidecar. Possibly even two! (It's going to be a very late night.) Eep! Which means I must stop by New Seasons today at some point for at least a few things if I'm giong to get through tomorrow with my sanity. Wil I manage it? Tune in tomorrow to find out....

I still need to get the pictures and write-up posted about our wonderful family weekend, especially since Sister was so kind to send me pics before she left for vacation. And of course I haven't posted about our trip to Mt. St. Helens in July during our vacation, which included many lovely pics, as well. Y'know, because I already wasn't feel enough like a slacker....