oh, hey, hi

I have been shameful about updating this blog, I know! But today our city attorney linked here from his Twitter account after I followed him, which was really cool/baffling, and I do not want to be arrested. (Because he can probably do that, right? And who has the wherewithal to deal with being arrested In These Economic Times?) So here's a picture from when we had some drinks in Monterrey back in March. Apparently I dismembered a flower arrangement, but it was for "art," as you can see.

I actually have been taking pictures, although not regularly, for the past several months. But at some point my boyfriend and I decided to move in together, which turned out to involve moving, and then work got insane to the point where it makes me cry a little bit (but I still have a job, In These Economic Times, so I try to weep quietly), and also I decided to learn to garden, and also read Infinite Jest, so you can see how the photo blog got away from me.

But I'll try to do better, because I am pretty sure they don't let you have Photoshop in jail.

recession lentils!

Wow. Food photography is hard. This looks kind of gross here but tastes delicious, I promise.

I've actually been making this recipe (adapted for my laziness and hatred of onions) since long before the recession and will continue to make it long after, because it is completely awesome. But Steven and I are looking to move in May, and rents and security deposits in San Francisco, while coming down, remain completely insane, so I'm trying to save money. The ingredients for this cost $7.38 and the leftovers will feed me for five more meals at least. Here is my version of the recipe: 2 tbsp vegetable oil Coarse sea salt or kosher salt 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into vaguely 1-inch chunks, but no need to get all OCD about it 1 (1 inch) piece fresh ginger (or more, if you are in the mood!) peeled and chopped 2 or more large garlic cloves, put through a press thingy or chopped 1 tbsp curry powder 1 or 2 bay leaves As much cumin, chili powder, tumeric, etc. as makes you happy 1 1/2 cups of lentils (They don't seem to sell red lentils at my local store, but the regular ones work just fine. I bet yellow split peas would be good, too!) 8 oz. can of tomato sauce Head of cauliflower 1. In a large saucepan over high heat, warm the oil. Add ginger, garlic, and a pinch of salt and sauté, stirring occasionally, until it starts to smell good.
2. Add the sweet potato, ginger, garlic, other spices, and bay leaf and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour in the broth and wait for it to boil. (In retrospect, it would probably be better to boil the broth separately, and then pour in, as in the original recipe. But I didn't want to have to wash an extra pot.)
3. Stir in the lentils and tomato sauce. Reduce the heat to medium-low, set the timer for 20 minutes, and go catch up on "United States of Tara," "Flight of the Conchords," "Daily Show," or similar. Check for ideal softness of both sweet potatoes and lentils. This time, I got kind of distracted, and the potatoes became almost mashed. I initially panicked, but it was fabulous like this.
5. While the potatoes and lentils are cooking, steam some cauliflower. Serve the lentil concoction over the cauliflower. The cauliflower absorbs all the other flavors, and is a good way to get your vegetables in. (You're supposed to get five servings a day, you know. The government says so.)

Also, I know I've missed a ridiculous number of posts lately. I've taken pictures most days, but have had some personal stuff going on, some good and some bad, and haven't gotten around to posting. I'll get them up soon, which I am sure will be an enormous relief to, well, nobody. But still, I figured I should explain.

swing

swing, originally uploaded by Shannon K.

Fooling around with capturing motion, although too lazy to set up a tripod. Well, my tripod was across town, but who am I kidding? I would not have set it up. We had a long day traveling yesterday, which is sad when you consider we were only flying from L.A. to San Francisco. An impromptu photo session with this cute little plastic cat on a swing was all I had in me.

And just like that, I am only one day behind on my blog. And technically, today is not over. In fact, it just started. I'm going to call that caught up, I think!

married!

married!, originally uploaded by Shannon K.

I met David and Tyler through the lovely Mo Pie, oh, a few years ago, and now they are my friends, too. They all co-host the fabulous Shindig each year and are two of the kindest, funnest, most generous folks you could ever meet.

They officially tied the knot back in October, but had their wedding celebration this past weekend in L.A. and asked throw Prop 8 the hell out.

well, damn

It seems that day 46 and days 48-50 are forever lost to history. I took pictures, but hadn't had time to get them off the card or blog them our anything. Yesterday, I finally cleared the card so that I could go shoot my friends' wedding. Or I thought I did. I can't find the damn things anywhere on my computer. I guess that'll learn me about procrastination!

So here's a crappy cell phone pic I took of a wall treatment in the W Hotel in Los Angeles, where we're staying for this weekend's festivities. I guess the missing images are just lost to history. Tragic!

On a happier note, I took 1,550 pictures at David and Tyler's wedding last night, and will post some of those later today. Right now, however, I am off to find some breakfast in Westwood!

empty pockets

empty pockets, originally uploaded by Shannon K.

There were two full racks of shorts at the Macy's men's store today that had both sets of pockets turned completely inside out. I can only imagine that the display is intended as a sly comment on today's economic situation. Because the alternative is that guys are going to start wearing their shorts like this. And I'm not sure I can go on living in a world that would allow such a thing to happen.

(BTW, I am a bit out of order. The picture for day 46 is still on my memory card, and I'll post it soon. I'm sure you're incredibly relieved to have that straightened out.)

obligatory valentine photo

obligatory valentine photo, originally uploaded by Shannon K.

The nice folks at Chez Papa gave out red roses with the checks last night. Dinner was amazing, especially the open-faced mushroom ravioli. I guess last night was the first time I've ever done the "traditional" Valentine's Day dinner out. It was kind of weird to be surrounded entirely by couples (and in San Francisco, weird that only a few of them were same-sex couples) -- not a four- or six-top in sight.

And, oh! Rob reminded me that cookie lady from my last entry was Edith Meyer, who apparently was moonlighting from her job of making absolutely gorgeous wedding cakes. All 12 of you who read this blog should go order one immediately. (I bet she won't check to see if you're really getting married or not!)