I should document the fact that I got the job at Starbucks! I am really thrilled about that. I had applied to what seemed like hundreds of jobs on Craigslist, which is ultimately really disheartening because people assume that since they are dealing with others via Craigslist, they can treat people like total crap. Not one of the jobs I applied to even responded with a "thank you for your interest, we will review your resume and contact you if we would like to set up an interview." They just delete your information and leave you uncertain about whether or not they even got the application. That is why I'm so excited about Starbucks. I'll be honest that in the past, I have been skeptical about Starbucks. It is, after all, the coffee face of America and I always assumed it to be the coffee equivalent of McDonalds. Well, maybe it would be more ideal for me to work somewhere like Eclipse again that takes a major interest in the quality of the beans it roasts and even more importantly, the quality of life for the farmers that grow the beans that it roasts. That would be wonderful, but the thing that won me over with Starbucks is that they interviewed me. I had two managers sit down with me, talk with me, and jot notes, and call me on the phone. Places like Panera Bread and grocery stores and Caribou Coffee had me fill out 30-minute personality quizzes online with questions such as, "I sometimes get angry." The answer could be chosen from Strongly Disagree/Disagree/Agree/Strongly Agree. Well who doesn't get angry sometimes? I felt like a bad person for choosing "Agree" because yes, I do get angry. Do I get angry at customers? Sometimes. Do I throw a fit and say inappropriate things to said customers? No. Why would they even ask that question?

Anyway, Starbucks took the time to get to know me. The managers met me, shook my hand, and laughed with me during a 30-minute interview. It was personal and friendly and encouraging, and I think I will really enjoy working there.

Now for things that have been going on.

Derek and I take swing dancing lessons at The Galaxie. They have several social dancing nights per month, so we went to Fast Fridays. We had a good time. It is always more educational to do social dancing than to just learn from class. The people in our class aren't always too great, so I feel like I don't learn much until I practice with Derek later. Anyway, I got all dressed up and then put on an ugly sweater because it was cold out. Derek took my picture, and here it is. It was funny, I thought.

This is Pudd messing up my clean laundry. Yes, that milk-of-magnesia colored thing on the right is my Snuggie. It is warm. I wish they fastened in the back like a robe or something because the way they fly open reminds me of a hospital gown. Lady Parts filmed a skit featuring Snuggies. It will be available to view later this month.

I have forgotten to take pictures of the last 3-weeks' worth of food! Derek and I have come up with a money-saving system for food. We spend $20 each per week on groceries, and on Mondays I go to the store and cook up a huge batch of bean soup and a large main dish that we eat all week. We're usually pretty sick of it by Friday, but it has saved us a lot of money on groceries. We usually eat out once a week or so. I have made all sorts of soup from black bean soup to white bean chili to lentil soup to black eyed pea and collard green soup. This week, though, we were kind of sick of beans, so I made tomato soup. For the main dish, I usually make some sort of casserole like a big tofu pot pie, a veggie lasagna, or something like that. We wanted something different this week, too, so I made pasta primavera with lots of veggies. Here are pictures of those things.

This is the pasta. It has red peppers, steamed broccoli, zucchini, squash, and peas in it. I seasoned it with italian seasoning, lemon juice, and olive oil. It was tasty!

These are the lovely tomatoes I used in the soup. Here they are looking so pretty in this bowl. I love preparing food and taking the time to wash and cut each tomato. Food tastes so much better when you cook with love. It sounds lame, but it is so true. Cooking angry never results in good food.

This is the simmering soup. After I simmered it down (tomatoes, caramelized onions, garlic, spices, and broth) for a while, I blended it in batches. Some recipes strain it from there, but I left all the chunks in it for a heartier soup. It tasted great!

This is what it all looked like when we ate it. It is all gone now, which is a couple of days earlier than usual, but we have had a lot of people passing through at lunch/dinnertime, so many more meals were eaten of this than usual, too.

I have come to the realization that I love cooking, but I hate baking. I used to bake more than I do now, but baking is so frivolous! Cookies, brownies, and whatever are not whole foods and they cannot satisfy your body's need for sustenance . Even "healthy" desserts are so unnecessary when you think about it. Don't get me wrong, I love eating desserts. I just have no desire to throw my time and energy into creating something that cannot and will not be used for any good purpose. When I cook, I am happy to know that what I am creating is made from fresh, wholesome ingredients that will work together to provide my body and the bodies of people I care about with health and energy. I made brownies for the Lady Party a few weeks ago, and making them was such a hassle because of the oil and the oven temperature and the fact that I was making gross, fattening chocolate blobs that would provide people with temporary happiness, but would ultimately cause bad health and low energy. I tasted these brownies and they almost immediately made me feel sick. I will stick to cooking and leave the baking up to those who enjoy it.

I start work on Monday! I am excited for that! Tonight Derek and I are going to eat at a restaurant near his work. He was the best seller sometime last week and his company awarded him with a gift certificate to this place. It is mostly seafood, but there are some nice looking salads on the menu. After that, we are going up north to see my friend from Mobile who I met at Second City perform at an open mic.

This month is going to be so busy! Tracer Bullet is playing a lot of shows, Piercing Music is also playing another show and recording in a studio, and Lady Parts is doing a lot of filming and has a show on Feb. 19th at the Gorilla Tango. So much going on, and I'll get to work, too! I am going to go walk a dog now for Erika. She is a dog walker but she is in Detroit today, so I'm walking this dog for her. I met the dog the other day, and she was so sweet. We'll have fun.