hidden dairy alert - pumpkin spice latte

Coffee. Oh, how I heart thee. My mom, she's a Starbucks mocha addict. Seriously, I can make her day by sending her a Starbucks gift card to fuel her crack purchases. There isn't a Starbucks where she works, so she has to slum it with Caribou sometimes. Poor gal. Anyway, unless I'm back in the I-L with Mom, or out with someone who's totally a Starbucksan, I generally don't go to Starbucks. There are lots of other options around that could use my coffee dollar a little more - from the small cafe, to Peet's (their regular coffee is battery acid, but a dash of milk/soy and it's delicious). And, if I'm near a place like Blue Bottle or Philz, then maybe it's my coffee dollar$, but it's fantastic coffee and worth the extra coin.

However, like so many people out there, I dig the Pumpkin Spice latte. It's a seasonal thing at Sbux and, like seeing people walking around with those red Sbux cups, is a nice reminder that the holidays are on their way.

I also dig food blogs. And while I'm not a raw foodie, or a vegan, I like reading their stuff now and again. Because I learn stuff like....
a soy Pumpkin Spice latte is NOT VEGAN! There's milk in thar! After a short search to find the actual offending ingredients (my usual blogger just commented that she was surprised to find that it wasn't vegan, without the explanation)...here you go -
Here’s the ingredient list for the Pumpkin Spice Latte:  sugar, condensed nonfat milk, sweet condensed nonfat milk, anotta (a colorant), natural and artificial flavors (which she couldn’t give me), and caramel coloring.

Along a similar vein, Happy Vegan Monday! Yep, I'm still rocking the weekly vegan habit. It's been well over a year now. Yay!

Cuz I'm a creep.

No, I do not have an earthquake/emergency kit ready. Yes, I need to make one.

However, this article helps to ease my mind (a little). The Hayward Fault, in East Bay, is c-r-e-e-p-i-n-g along - it moved 4.5mm in the past year. Seismologists think that these small movements help ease fault stress and reduce the chance for a big earthquake. Interesting stuff.

DOOOOOOOD.

Southern Story Teller is cute and we had a great coffee date. He brought me chocolates from See's and was wearing a stylish blazer with jeans, which is a guy look I totally love. Conversation was kind of bouncing all over the place and we were comfortable cutting each other off mid-thought and telling funny stories - not the interview-style first date that's all too common.

He's not tall. 5'8" is probably about right. And lean, so it's totally possible that I'd have the "I'm bigger than him" freak-out if we were to make out. He does look extremely kissable though.

BUT!!!
He lied about his age. WTF?!?! Apparently, one of his girl friends told him to say he's 36 because he doesn't really look like his real age, which is 42. 42. (I'm 31.) He was extremely apologetic about the whole thing and totally embarrassed. Of course, this was towards the end of our coffee break date, which - by that time I was totally thrilled to have met someone where there's the instant (in-person) conversation/flirting/cuteness/chemistry thing.

We discussed going to dinner on Saturday. I don't know. I've been purposefully leaving Saturday open to either do a last minute call to Spork (who said he was free and likes being spontaneous) or SST or friends or just kickin it at home with my cat and some hulu.com (Glee!!!). I am thrilled about the chemistry with SST and would have gone out with him again in a heartbeat... but do I give him a second chance?

fido has found a new home

i sold fido on monday night. it was very strange to do a large cash transaction out in the street on a monday night (thank goodness a friend came to help me), but it worked. fido is in the capable hands of a pizza delivery boy.

i am sad and relieved. fido was my first major purchase, pretty much ever. i bought him on my birthday in 2001, just six weeks after moving to california. and now... no longer mine. however, relieved to not have to deal with a car anymore. that street parking thing was killing me. i had to move my car 1-2 times a week, sometimes driving around for an hour to find a spot. major suckage.

so now, on to zipcar and motorcycles... and, of course, my bike. i'm planning to outfit my commuter with rear panniers again, get her a tune-up and maybe eventually buy one of these super sweet helmets -

Cutie, Spork, SST

Last weekend boy recap:
Saturday night - met a cute boy out (IRL, that's In Real Life). A friend of a friend. I thought he was with someone else... turns out he wasn't. I flirt back, upon realizing this... we share a cab back to our respective homes (there may have been a few kisses along the way to catch a cab) and are going out to dinner tonight (Thursday). He has my camera, so I *have* to see him again, but he's also very cute (that's the second time I said this, let's nickname him Cutie, even though it's generic) and seems fun. I mean, hey, he hit on a girl (me) wearing a mustache! (I was there for a birthday party - and the bday girl said to wear mustaches. Who am I to argue?) He's kind of a baby (27), but I'd date someone four years older - why not four years younger?

Uh, I have nothing snarky to say about Sunday's date. Spork was really nice. We had good conversation and even chatted a little about online dating and our experiences. Apparently a lot of the chicks on OKCupid are really flaky, just want to email, or suddenly freak out about meeting someone they met online in person because of the potential safety risk. I'm happy to kill that trend. I don't like emailing for years on end without meeting in person. Builds it up way too much and you're better to know sooner, rather than later, if there's that click or not.

So... the only potential issue? Spork is still married. Yeah, I could get snarky about this one. But, they split up in early 2009 and then didn't do the paperwork until August. And now they have six months (CA law) until the deevorce is final. I'm not the one to say whether or not Spork's ready to have a girlfriend or date anyone seriously. Only he knows that. But, I'm not going to lie - this does not scream potential LTR. A married friend also said that I shouldn't make a habit out of dating married men, regardless of their separated status. I may or may not agree with that one, but saying, "call me in six months when you're actually divorced" may be a good idea.

Tomorrow I'm going out for coffee with the Southern Story Teller. We've been having delightful, witty email banter and he works nearby. I am looking forward to hearing his accent... which will either make me swoon or think he is really, really stupid. He also appears to have a Corvette, which would have been cool to me when I was 16 and into cars... but not so much now. But, he also has a cat and does yoga and stand-up comedy. SST also claims to be 5'8". 5'8", as you may recall, is one inch below my standard height requirement (5'9" - my height + 6". And no, I won't justify this ridiculousness. I know it's silly and I don't care.). 5'8" can be okay... but 5'7" is not so much okay. Then we're even running into "I could be bigger than you" territory and I have a really tough time with guys who do not seem physically bigger than me (again, silly and I don't care.).

So... to wear heels tomorrow or not?

Fido and Spork

I'm finally doing it - Fido, my dear, beloved, but pain in the ass to park in my 'hood, and infrequently used car, is on Craigslist. Woo-hoo!

Also, things I'm doing.... telling you about my online dating experiences.

First date tomorrow evening. I do not have any witty nicknames for him yet, so for now, we'll call him Spork, because that's where we're going to dinner. He was kind enough to avoid the whole "who's paying/dutch/let me/no I have it" thing out of the equation and suggest a place (I recommended the neighborhood, since I thought it'd be easy for both of us to get to) and then say email that dinner is his treat. That's nice. I mean, nice that he's taking me out, but also nice that he's pre-emptively avoiding that check-dance at the end of dinner.

Concerns about Spork...
1. We haven't talked on the phone
2. His profile lists him as AT my min height requirement. Last time I did online dating, I found that quite a few guys would fib on the height thing, probably because of asshats like me with a stupid requirement. (My height + 6 inches, to allow for heels of any height. I know that's a silly, stereotypical thing, but I know that I prefer guys that are taller than me.)
3. Dinner? On a first date? Kind of a commitment, should there be an inital WTF?!? am I doing here kind of experience. I've historically gone with the first date beer/wine/coffee. Oh well.

Good things...
1. He does motocross racing. Cool, and great that he has a hobby that he loves.
2. Looks cute in his pictures
3. Has a hotdog dog!
4. Been emailing together for the past week
5. Kind/polite/sensitive to awkwardness (?) as evidenced by the dinner conversation
6. Emails have been relatively typo free, with good grammar (I'm a sucktastic writer, I know, but truly awful writing does not make the guy seem very smart, which is important to me.)
7. Some funny stuff in his profile
8. He asked me out, which I know is difficult to initiate

EDIT, to answer Amanda's questions...
Snark will happen sometime. I mean, next time I get a really good one who emails me, I'll let you know. In general, I've got to be positive about a guy before I go out with him, if I've agreed to see him. You dig? Otherwise, I wouldn't waste his time - or mine!

So, Spork contacted me initially. I believe this was after I gave him 4 or 5 stars or something on this "QuickMatch" thing - if both people give each other 4 or 5 stars, OkCupid lets you know and then you can contact each other, knowing that you both thought that the other was at least not a total, um, dork, to use your words, Amanda.

And I openly admit that the first date dinner is not usual for me! But... sometimes rules get bent.

Crock pot arrival!

Yeah! Programmable 5 quart crock pot arrived yesterday. (I am so thankful for the corner store guy. He accepted it from FedEx for me.)

I'm totally looking forward to trying it out soon. Please comment/send emails/links to your favorite crock pot recipes :)

Be a superstar recycler

So I have a profile up on OkCupid.com/. We shall see how it goes. I know at least one of you is excited for the stories :)

In my profile, I was asked to describe some things I'm good at. (Grammar, obviously not one of them... ending sentences with prepositions and all.) Making oatmeal with creative toppings, navigating my way around SF by bike, making friends laugh...a few other things. AND telling people what's compostable, recyclable and trash (Not so much with my eco-fabulous friends, but I do this at least three times a week at work!).

While I can't help all of you sort your trash because we live far away, I found a list of great tips that hold true with municipal recycling in general - check it.

Top 5 Recycling Faux Pas - and How to Avoid Them

1. Unscrew It! - Yes, plastic bottles are recyclable, but in many communities the bottle caps are not. If that's the case for you, then please unscrew the lid before you throw it in the trash. There's nothing more frustrating than sorting through the recycling, and having to remove each bottle cap one at a time. (see Ed Begley's tips on sorting out plastic recycling codes to find out what is and isn't recyclable.)
2. Look Inside - For some reason, every household I've lived in has had somebody that insists on trying to recycle all envelopes - even when those envelopes are mostly lined with bubble wrap. Besides the fact that a plastic/paper multilayered envelope like that will almost certainly be unrecyclable, it's also pretty valuable. Hold on to those things and use them again. (Remember - always look to reuse before you recycle!)
3. Clean It! - I have heard arguments that rinsing out cans negates the energy saved in recycling them, but I'm pretty sure that's nonsense (especially for households like mine where hot water is solar heated). One thing is for certain--sorting through sticky piles of gunky recycling is no fun. So please at least empty containers carefully before you discard them.
4. Not All Glass is Created Equal - In most communities, just because it's made of glass, doesn't mean it's recyclable. Usually glass jars and bottles are recyclable - but drinking glasses, broken windows, vases, light bulbs and the like are not. At least not in regular household trash. Check out Earth911 to find out what is and is not recyclable in your area.
5. Compostable Doesn't Necessarily Compost - Sorry, just because it says it's compostable, doesn't mean you can throw it in your backyard heap. Most PLA plastics require high-temperature commercial composting to break down. If that's not available, you may as well throw it in the trash.

Foot gloves

Kid from my ninja training gym has a picture and quote in SFGate.com/ today. Kind of cool - I was just working out with him this morning and then (electronically) open the paper and poof! there he is again. (Oh, and I think - like pretty much every other guy at my gym - he's married, so don't go all, why don't you go for him on me.) Anyway, the Vibram FiveFingers have been getting a lot of attention lately - they're the latest in barefoot running gear, kind of like the Nike Free was a few years ago. These have even *less* sole and let your toes really do their stabilization stuff individually. I'm a sucker for this kind of stuff and may try them out for some shorter runs this winter. We'll see.

For now... Vibram's FiveFingers foot gloves runaway hit

Green bubbly!

My apologies for the onslaught of food-related posts. This one, however, had to get a nod.

Korbel Makes Its First Champagne with Organic Grapes

Rock on. $15.99, start looking for it in stores now.

Also, I can't possibly be the only UIUC grad who has the hardest time typing champa-gne instead of champa-ign. Right?



Image swiped from Frugal Cafe Blog Zone