Vegan Fare - food plus mixed drink!

In addition to blogging more, one of my goals is to do more vegan cooking. Two birds!

Tonight's fare:

* Stirfry with Black & White Rice *

Stirfry:
1 onion (small)
1 carrot (small)
1/4 crown broccoli
1/2 pack tofu (mori-nu, extended shelf-life, extra firm)
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp cooking sake
1 tbsp soy sauce (I use kikkoman shoyu)

Heat sesame oil and onions on high heat, add carrots. When the onions and carrots begin to soften and lose liquid, add sake. Turn heat to medium, add soy sauce. After a few minutes, add tofu. When it's just about finished cooking, add broccoli and cover for a minute or so. Turn off the heat and voila!
(I like my broccoli just on the verge of cooked, where it's bright green but still crunchy.)

About three servings? I tend to eat more veggies when I cook, and less rice.

Black & White Rice
1/2 cup white jasmine rice
1/2 cup black rice

I rinsed and mixed the two rices and put it in my rice cooker. It came out purple-y! I was mostly trying to use up the white rice I had, while adding healthy black rice.

About four servings? I have quite a lot leftover.

Dessert/Cocktail?

This is my work in progress. Rum Chai is the most delicious alcoholic drink.

Vegan Rum Chai

1 cup soy milk
1 chai tea bag
2 tablespoons spiced rum
1 tablespoon agave syrup (optional)

Heat soy milk in sauce pan; add tea bag and allow to steep. Pour into desired drinking vessel; add rum. If necessary, sweeten with agave and sprinkle with cardamom.

I'm not completely satisfied with it, but it'll do for now.

O hai again

The past year has been really, really depressing.

I'll spare you details, long-story short version:
I got hired by the client, who then fired me. Something about my personality not being bubbly. It was more along the lines of, I was hired to do one job and then expected to do another (more specialized, i.e. the kind you go to school for years of training). Went back to old job, moved to a different location, and now I manage.

I'm determined to go to grad school next fall. I've been prolific artistically speaking, so I'm going to document my endeavors here.

The light at the end of the tunnel

I had been putting way too much hope into the job prospect from my client.

Today he came into work and told me that he's reconsidering the position.  "Sorry!"  It was kind of hard to not-be bummed about it for the rest of my day.  It's like, I'd been looking at this light at the end of the tunnel, a job where I'm not going to be bone-tired every day, looked down upon because it's food-service, benefits (like health care), a regular schedule.... and really, there was nothing there all along.  I turned down the place I wanted to live for nothing, an empty offer, something that was too good to be true.

Someday, I'll learn.

I fear that I'm just going to be stuck where I am and not moving up, just staying in mediocrity-ville in a meaningless job.

Breathe.  I'm going to keep on doing my comic.  I'm going to continue practicing and learning accordion.

And today marks the first day of not wanting to have a child in 2.5 years.

Bios up for the 3 Rs, New logo!

I'm psyched!  I uploaded them here, but I kind of want these three portraits on the same page-- so I can put them HERE!

Eee!  Seeing them all together makes me happy!  India Ink & Watercolours on sketch paper

I also did a new logo for The 3 Rs yesterday, which I'm very pleased with!  My goal is to never use sharpies and Muji pens for my 3 Rs comics and to convert completely to archival, high-quality India-ink with real nib-pens and paintbrushes.  It's definitely challenging, but I think overall it will improve the look of the 3 Rs!

Tomorrow, the final page of Eco-Laundry goes up!  Wheeeee!

On the job front: no news yet.  This is painful!

A really good day

Today's been a really good day.

I worked with competent people.  I had back-up arrive on time at 8am, had everything well-stocked, had a team of five other than myself that all knew what to do without being told (but if I did tell to do, did so), greeted every phone call with "HAPPY THURSDAY!" and even got a few smiles in return.  Found a silver quarter that makes the most wonderful sound when you drop it.  I am going to get a massage soon.  They're playing "Like Someone In Love" on the Jazz station in the background.

Life is good.

I think this piece is entirely sharpie.  Done in the sketchbook Mike bought for me.

Tomorrow: I'll know what I'm doing for the next year at least!  Hopefully!

Dreams

I had a dream last night that one of my co-workers whistled at me to get my attention, a low, soft whistle.  I almost got upset because it's kind of rude to whistle at a woman.  But I stopped and went over to look.

We were in my neighbour's house (she was like my grandmother), and at window of the door were a bunch of beautiful blue birds.  There were blue birds, black-and-white striped birds, red-breasted blue birds, tiny blue birds, toucan-beaked blue birds, and they all looked at us, perching and fluttering around.

This is the second bird dream I've had recently.

The first one lead to this comic, which I drew for a co-worker who I love dearly.

Muji pen ink, prismacolours, on sketch paper

The comic is mostly a reference to my friend's love of birds, and this song by Leo Dan, which she also adores.

Yeah, my Spanish sucks, but at least I tried!

Comicking and overcoming artist's block

Three, count 'em, THREE job offerings right now.  One was sought out by me ($8/hr in the town I want to live in), the other two have, so far, been unsolicited propositions.  I don't know how I feel about this.  Part of me feels happy to be appreciated, the other part is like, "holy crap, now I have to decide and I'm not a good decider! ACK!"

This piece is about overcoming artist's block; you just get this urge to CREATE and therefore you just DO.  Pencil, unfinished, on paper.

So, in honour of actually working on my comic today and starting a new page, I post this.

My goal for the rest of my life is to do one hour of art per day.  So far, it's been a few hours today (because practicing accordion totally counts).

And, man, there's something awesome about Tori Amos' "Under the Pink" right now and I think it's the fact that it's her voice and a piano and not much else.  Something about those high notes.  Going down the highway whilst singing these songs is awesome.