News & Life Changes... April 12th

A LOT has been happening lately. For starters, I had to bring Peanut in for his yearly check-up early (he's not due until June but I brought him in late last week), because he got a stye under his eye that had to be looked at. You can see it slightly here:

Luckily Dr. Sane was able to give him an anti-biotic shot (because his stye got infected) that should get rid of it within a few weeks, instead of having to give him eye drops or worse still, having it surgically removed.

Peanut has been doing fine otherwise (as you can see with the way he's grinning while he sleeps!).

He was a very good boy at the vet and doesn't mind car trips at all, which is one of the reasons why we didn't change vets just because we moved. In fact, he slept like a baby most of the way back & forth! But as a little treat, I picked Peanut up a new toy at Petco today. :)

It's this cute little parrot with a feather tail and it makes a tweeting sound. He seems to be very fascinated by it.

Sunday I was meeting a fan of my blog who also lives in Astoria in Union Square. And out of nowhere, I met a fellow blogger who I've talked with but never met, who lives across the country! Jaclyn (Justjac) came up to me while I was waiting to meet my other friend, and we recognized one another right away! One thing that blogging has taught me is that it really is a small world! (And I felt like a celebrity being recognized like that! lol)

Anyways, while I was in Union Square running some errands, I stopped for brunch at the Blue Water Grill. Their restaurant is pricy, but they have good brunch deals. Here's what you get for free:

(Tasty bread and drink of your choice- I chose orange juice.)

For my entree I got an egg white omelette with veggies and home fries.

I had a meeting today (which I'll go into more in a minute), and afterwards I had lunch at Zen Palette (which was close by, off Park Ave).

I ordered wonton soup...

and their portobello mushroom burger with yam fries.

Both things lacked flavor and reminded me why I've always felt that Zen Palette does not come close to the caliber of other vegetarian/vegan restaurants in this city! I have to give them credit though, they were one of the first of their kind, but now so many places have really outdone them by leaps and bounds!

And today brings about some other news... I'm working on a major career change myself and have decided to go into real estate. This is mainly because it's one of the only real job opportunities that have come up for me. So over the next few weeks I'll be working on getting my real estate license. I had a meeting with the head of a real estate company today who offered to sponsor me. So that's where my focus is going to be indefinitely I guess! But I will try to blog when I can... Life is a funny thing, you never know where it will take you.

Brunches & Lunches! August 21st

Just a quick update today with some delicious brunch and lunch dishes that I've had recently...

Last weekend I went to brunch at the Blue Water Grill... I don't think I've been there since last August (see here)! Wow, a year goes by quickly!

I started off with their amazing bread... they always have great breads at brunch. I had two slices of their cinnamon raisin bread (at least that's what I think it was!).

Then I had their grilled asparagus and wild mushroom omelette, but I opted for cheddar cheese instead of goat cheese (which I hate!). Their omelettes always come with tasty potatoes too (plus, a free beverage-- I always get their fresh squeezed orange juice!).

One day this week I ordered lunch in from Suzie's. I got their lunch special which is a great deal. I got the bean curd homestyle, which is basically tofu and vegetables. And it comes with vegetarian wonton soup, a vegetarian egg roll, and vegetable fried rice.

Another great lunch I had was at Sacred Chow. I had been there for brunch many, many times, but never for lunch. I have always heard good things about their soy meatball hero, so that's what I ordered!

It was really good and tasted very authentic (Italian). It was very filling too, I couldn't finish it all!

And for brunch today I went to a little place in the village (but really popular brunch spot), Elephant & Castle (on Greenwich Ave. & West 11th St.).

I ordered the eggs n' apples benedict on french toast with maple syrup. How amazing does that sound?! And it was! They are famous for this dish and I can see why. It was like a spiced up version of eggs and toast.

And when I got home, I forced Peanut into another picture with me! lol

Here's a better shot of him though, up-close. He really is such a beauty!

I'm Back... for now! August 23rd

I've decided to come back to blogging... I may not be able to update everyday like I used to, but I still want blogging to be a part of my life, so I will try to update as much as possible! Anyways, a lot has been going on in my life since I last posted on this blog... I am losing weight again (not good, I know), but that's mainly been due to stress, not my eating disorder. Peanut has been doing well though, and I'm sure you're all wondering what he's been up to! Well, let's see...

He's been helping us play Scrabble by curling up in the Scrabble box!

Peanut is learning to climb up high, and now he can climb onto the kitchen counters (goodie gaydrops! lol). So he has recently discovered the kitchen sink, as you can see! :)

And I just made another trip to Petco today and bought Peanut a new chew toy (because he is teething like crazy now!). He seems to love it!

Peanut also turned 5 months old on August 13th, and he'll be 6 months old on September 13th. So I decided that it was time to make Peanut's neutering appointment... The big day is September 16th. I know I'll be a nervous wreck, but once a kitten is 6 months old, it needs to be done... I'll definitely keep you posted on how Peanut is doing on that day! While I love and trust his vet, Dr. Sane, I'm not looking forward to dropping him off at the vet's office. It brings back terrible memories with Cloudy (see below).

And now to the "Daily Eats" portion... I don't plan on featuring all my eats anymore, but I plan on featuring some of my eats each post. Anyways, I decided to treat myself to brunch at the Blue Water Grill today... it's a famous restaurant in Union Square.

I usually don't bother featuring what I drink... but you get a complementary drink with brunch, and I chose orange juice, which was awesome... fresh squeezed and all!

For my entree I had a delicious egg white omelette with portobello mushrooms, tomatoes, and low fat muenster cheese. It came with a side of potatoes.

Instead of spending $10 on one of their fancy desserts, when I came home I had a piece of pineapple upside down cake that I got at the Whole Foods Market the other day...

Today is also a bittersweet day for me, because 13 years ago to the day, on August 23rd 1996 we adopted my Cloudy, who was just a 7 and a half week old kitten at the time. I miss him so much, and it's hard for me to grasp that his life is over now... he came and went much too soon. He would have been 13 years old this July. :(

But having Peanut in my life has helped me cope so much after experiencing the terrible loss of Cloudy last year. I also want to thank everyone for their kind words about Cloudy, Peanut, and this blog... And again, I really do appreciate all the comments... I read each and every one!

P.S. Can anyone tell me what happened to the Peanut Butter Swirl blog?! :(