Meatheads on a Bone

I went to a super bowl party at my cousin's condo in Silver Lake.

Everything feels so early here.
The election decision, watching the ball drop in NY...the super bowl. There is still so much day left when these events occur.
And on top of that, the balcony doors are wide open and the sun is pouring in. It seems so foreign coming from February game day in the Windy City.

In my history of SB watching, or lack there of considering I spend maybe 1 minute per quarter actually watching the game...I'm in it for the squares, people!, I have found myself to eat things that I typically disdain: Meat on the bone, things that have no business being fried but are, chips that unintentionally turn my fingers orange dipped in gluttonous dips.
It's all part of the party.

But at this SB party, there was not one, not two...Oh not even three but FOUR! Four "vegan friendly" dishes and/or trays scattered next to the baked pita chips and the natural pretzels.
Unheard of!
I don't think Chicagoans could even properly define what makes food "vegan friendly"...at least not those who are hollering at two teams of guys beating the crap out of each other on some field.

These vegan dishes were washed down by Brita filtered water
...and an inordinate amount of alcohol. Riddle me this.

Alcohol is a sort of cleanse, is it not? Sterilizes? I suppose it fits in to the soCal diet. 

Caloric Accounts

Yes the campaigns have come and gone. But the fighting remains. Apparently cease fires don't exist during the holidays. And cliffs are not made for compromise. Nor lame ducks.
Maybe dead ducks... that try and fly right off the edge without consulting their good American neighbors..

My patients must lose weight prior to surgery. I give them a caloric budget so to speak. It's hard to maintain. Especially during the holidays.
Just like our trillion dollar deficit. No one likes a budget. Not even those folks down on Wall Street. I think they're called fat cats.
We go big or we go out and buy a new belt. On credit.

I try to explain calories in terms of income and payment plans. I don't know if that helps anyone out. It doesn't seem like a tangible education piece these days.
Defenses rise! Overdraft protection pops up! And it becomes a battleground. My education attacks. Barriers of rising food costs fire back.

"It's too expensive to eat healthy!!"

Patients have gone over their cliff. And yet still have a barrier.
They're over stretching their caloric bank accounts without spending time expending energy at the gym.

I find the "healthy food is too expensive" claim a complete and utter flop.
Yes, good food is pricey but good food is not always good for you. And vice versa.
Speaking of duck, it's not really that terrific for you. It might cost you an arm and a leg. and an artery.

While I was expending some of my surplus energy at the gym this Saturday, I read an article in Time from none other than Dr. Oz. And I really liked his message. He said, "Nutritionally speaking, there is a little difference between the farmer's market bounty and the humble brick from the freezer case. It's true for many other supermarket foods too. And in my view, dispelling the myths- that boutique foods are good, supermarket foods are suspect and you have to spend a lot to eat well- is critical to improving our nation's health."

This is not a message trying to criticize the foodie. But rather a message to the general public. A democratic message to all. Because while the partisan foodie may find Parisian gourmet cheese within his/her local food and caloric budget, it's hardly the message we want to send about vegetables. 
Because ultimately, if we could agree upon a bipartisan market, the more canned and frozen vegetables could lead to less healthcare reimbursements and maybe a little left over to spend on some portion controlled gourmet cheeses by all. 
 
People only see what they want to see. Barriers are for self preservation regardless of size. I mean, sides.

But even if we fall over the cliff, ideally the masses will be super fit and have stock piles of super foods that provide enough reserves to run back up that hill and knock some sense into the people who sit on the top. 

Developing Tradition

This was a Thanksgiving of development. 

It started with a Long Beach flea market find I took upon myself to hang the day before Thanksgiving.

The unknown West displayed. 

We're both still developing.

My idea of development was trying something new and maximizing resources. 

So basically trying to find a couple dishes using similar ingredients. 

Otherwise my development would end along with my sanity at the checkout line in Vons on Thanksgiving eve. 

The only problem...

how does one make three different dishes using repeated ingredients 

...and get away with it? 

1. Make each dish for a different course (app, salad, side)

2. Pretend like someone else made one of them...

3. bring a bottle of wine to confuse and distract

App: Pumpkin dip

Salad: Quinoa spinach 

Side: Whipped sweet potatoes

See those pumpkin seeds? They get used later in the salad.

See the stale bread? It also becomes croutons.

But seriously. Did anyone know that this is what the inside of a nutMeg looked like?

Serious developments. 

A little sprinkle in the pumpkin dip. A little sprinkle in the sweet potato puree. 

Brown Sugar caramelized pecans...

Some to top the whipped sweet potatoes,

Some to add to the quinoa concoction.

Some dried cranberries go to the quinoa;

some to the pumpkin dip.

You've got to use what you've got. 

Trays made out of aluminum foil is what I was working with.

But I was working with some good timing. I planned that one well. 

...What I lack in materials I make up for in good times. 

What a development. We ate outside on Thanksgiving. A first for this midwest girl. 

You know those pottery barn catalogs you look at and go "Oh c'mon! Seriously? Who actually has pillows and decorations outside?"

LA does. All. Year. Round.

Brady made the shot.

This is Lil Kim getting in on some free smells. 

This is Lisa and Sondra surveying the yield. Getting some fixins. 

This is me trying to develop. 

Some experiences. 

Some friendships.

On the radio we heard November rain...

A blink and October is over. I used to try and write once weekly. Once weekly became twice monthly. Twice monthly became once monthly. And then there was the day that October was over. Flew by. 

The month began in St. Louis, visiting and celebrating. 

Wineries, brewpubs, being a wimpy Angelino and complaining of the cold. Pathetic.

Then the arrival of a new roommate. 

Acclimation is key.

And what better way to acclimate and celebrate her birthday than a trip to Malibu wineries?

Then the arrival of a best friend for a visit. 

All the food, fun, music, flea market and whisky one can get their hands on.

Then every pumpkin flavored anything I could get my hands on. 

Beer. Pancake batter. Ice cream. Dip. Frozen yogurt. 

The list probably goes on but for self preservation, I'm stopping there.

Then came the flu after a conscientious employee got her vaccine. 

Word to the wise, skip the vaccine this year. And for that matter skip the flu. It's particularly nasty. 4 pounds down with zero appetite. Guess what, it all comes back.

Then Halloween. 

I never realized how offensive the smell of beer on someones breath was until I went out for Halloween with the flu. 

Then the anticipation of pops for a weekend. 

Was really wonderful to see pops.

And here we are. Mid way through November. With my favorite holiday round the corner. Can't believe it. It was 57 degrees tonight. I thought I was freezing to death and also loved it. Two sides of me fighting. I'll be staying in SoCal for Thanksgiving. Maybe up to Santa Barbara for some wine tasting the days following. 

And then it'll be the holidays. 

I'm going to have to stop blinking altogether. 

I'm barely keeping up.  

Outpouring Hydration

I've lost track of the months. No one told me this would happen moving to LA. I have no perception of time passing. Gone with the desert wind. And with it, my memory.

How long have I been here? When did that happen? Is there a holiday coming up?

Every day is the same day in La La Land.

Forecast says “dry. sunny. traffic.”

The first two months out here I woke up every morning thinking I had hit the bar too hard the night before. The dehydration headaches despite the 9-5 responsibility. No fun at all.

But time continued. And my dear friend Anna's wedding was underway.

I bought my bridesmaid's dress in anticipation of alterations. Hoping to fit it perfectly.

Notice the use of "me fitting it"...not hoping to have "it fit me" perfectly...?

I stood in front of the Asian man like a mannequin.

Arms out. Diaphragm elevated. Sucked in to avoid pin pricks.

I learned a lesson here. 

When I went to pick it up, it fit alright. But the air inside of me didn't.

I began what a dietitian will refer to as a “Cardiac, NCS FLD.” Translation: low fat, low sodium, sugar free, full liquid diet.” But it was no use. The ribcage was the culprit.

Does alcohol fit into a FLD?

Chinatown summer nights was upon La La Land as well. With one week and a couple of deep breaths to spare until the midwest wedding, the crew headed to the lantern lined streets for DJ dance parties and Tsingtao.
...The Asians population is small so I tried to learn another lesson involving them. In hopes to fit into their alterations. Was that tailor trying to tell me something?

I skipped the sodium laden food and stuck to liquids (okay, minus that one piece of food truck fried chicken). Liquids that would dehydrate me. And hopefully shrink my ribcage. Oh wishful thinking. 

I danced. Confetti popped. Lights flashed. Turn tables, well, turned. It was all very La La Land and so was I.

Needless to say the next day my dehydration headache was warranted. 

So I traveled east. With a 13 year old rocking out, hard, in the seat to my north and a baby kicking my seat, hard, to the south. When I went to ask the flight attendant how much wine was, the father sitting next to this baby held out his credit card.

Again, elevation, wine, headaches. When will I learn?

So I made it home. And to celebrate father and I took a trip to World of Beers. Only after my run in 90 degree, 12pm heat accompanying 95% humidity. Obviously still on my liquid diet. It felt good to be home. It felt a bit humid. But good.

So then there was the rehearsal and to follow the classy rehearsal dinner.

And a 6am run to be had the morning of the wedding before submitting to breathlessness-and not because of the beautiful bride, although that exacerbated things. 

I hardly made it through. Minimal sitting. Minimal eating. Plenty of dancing. Some strobe lights. Professional dancers. Was I still in La La?
What time period was I in anyways. Past and present all sorts of mixed up.

Once the dress came off, so did my discipline. 2 pints of Goose Island beer and 2 slices of pizza (the most glorious pizza I dare say I have ever had only due to circumstances) and I was happy. A little too happy. Two pints atop 4 cocktails atop minimal eating atop running necessitates a gas station trip across the street to stock pile on electrolyte beverages. And by stock pile, I mean, all the lemon flavored zero calorie vitamin and mineral water I could hold onto. With some help of course.

And I'll have you know that those drinks really do the trick. I actually felt pretty darn good the next day. Tired as ever from no sleep, 2 weeks of minimal eating, and a lot of traveling but no headache. I remained a bit breathless that next day despite peeling off the dress. Some things just take the air out of you. And sometimes being home makes emotions come out of you too. Fully hydrated on electrolytes and a bit dehydrated from tears. It felt good to see everyone. And when I graced the streets on Sunday, the weather felt the same way. The rain fell. It felt like la la land to me. I hadn't seen rain, rain for days and days. It was a wonderful display of the outpouring of my emotions. I wanted to go stand in it, badly. But that can be pretty rude when you must rely on others to drive you from place to place.

So I walked through the United O'hare terminal en route to my LA gate. Through tripped out, psychedelic passage ways that brought me back to the direction I was headed. West.

I grabbed a lemon flavored vitamin mineral water before boarding the plane. In anticipation of no crying babies or Megs for that matter. And I sat. Ready to return. To a normal diet. From a bit of closure.

And don't you know it but the next day it rained in La La Land. And I took a good, deep breath.
Here I go. Dancing in the sun. Until I trip while time traveling. And fall. Into autumn. In two weeks. In St. Louis.

Supplementation

So I don't know if it's my awareness or what but you start to notice things in LA that look familiar. 

Like, isn't this the shiny tunnel that every car commercial ever is shot in? Cadillac with that chick from Greys Anatomy pops into mind. In particular. 

I think her name was Adison?

Or isn't this the pacific coast highway in that commercial where that that chick from the OC gets out of her car and jumps on other cars to get to that ice cream truck. And then awkwardly eats ice cream?

I think her name is Rachel?

Or, how about we go to that bar that's in the movie Swingers tonight? Or the one in 500 Days of Summer?

Or even seeing the Hollywood Production Company intro before Beasts of the Southern Wild last night really does pan out to show the lay of the land. And it really does look like the scene out my window...

So I'm watching Bones while working out. I never watch this show. But it seemed like something that may help pass the time since I really wasn't all in the mood for working out today.  

And wouldn't you guess it but the premise of the show was that a production company decided to shoot a movie in a studio in LA about a "bones" case. A mock movie inside a show. Oh! And of course the predictable, the "fake" body that the "fake" actors were dissecting was really a "real" body for the Bones actors. It all has a bit more of a facade to me now but so it goes.

Anyways, all I really wanted to say was that when the show went to a commercial break, the advertisement was for Caltrate plus D, a calcium citrate supplement with vitamin D3 that I currently recommend to my particular patients. This commercial showed a skeleton to demonstrate the power of supplementation. 

The animated skeleton looked a lot better than the decomposing mess on the show. 

I guess that's the point.

Oh the power of advertising. 

Now how do I get on that...

I'll supplement this city alright.

Get ready LA

...

Plans Are Drafted

Launch Date 11.19.Twenty12

Even Artichokes Have Hearts

Regina's in town tonight.

I saw my main man Andrew Bird kick at at the Greek Theater Sunday night. Lake Forest grad, Northwestern trained talent straight from the burbs of Chicago. Felt like home. Especially because I brought my cousin.

The man is wicked talented. His whistle is unreal. And the audience... well was so appreciative and taken by him that you could actually hear crickets during the breaks in his songs. Real crickets not like awkward silence crickets. Keep in mind the Greek is an outdoor theater.

Now it's Regina Spektor's turn. I saw her once. She is a beautiful soul. Honest as they come. Her lyrics and her love.

I didn't get tickets for this one. I wish I had. I was going to walk up the hill and have a listen in on it...

Maybe if I leave now I can still have my cake and eat it too...?

In honor of her and not going to see her, I threw on her “Live in London” album today. The songs are so bittersweet. The whole lineup brought me back to exactly a year ago when this album played on repeat in my car. Actually right back to a farm in southern Illinois. I believe I blogged about that event before. But then again I've blogged about Regina before too.

I can't believe that was a year ago. Am I the same person?

I feel enlightened and hollow. A little more homeless a little less homeless. 

A walking vegetable.

Her song starts...

The food that I'm eating, is suddenly tasteless. I know I'm alone now. I know what it tastes like.

What a soulful line of emptiness. Beautiful.

I know music is good for my soul. It's like food. It can just taste a bit bitter and a bit sweet at times. Things will start tasting good.

Even artichokes have hearts.