do re mi fa so la ti do

i decided recently that i wanted to sing again. after watching dave's performance last semester i realized how much i missed singing with a large chorus group. i enacted a protective mechanism by not practicing or really looking for a group to sing with... i figured if i couldn't sing with dave's group it was just going to be too much effort to find and join a different group. that was until i started working at SFSU and learned that they have a few different choral groups and they meet on campus on the same days i am already working.

so, before i announce which group i'll be in, i want to mention here what a huge thing it was for me to even audition. i sang a lot in high school, as some of you know (i went to the san diego school for creative and performing arts for 5 years and many of my friends who went there are professionals now), but i had not heard myself really sing for almost 10 years. i was VERY nervous, that may even be an understatement. however, i made myself do it... and now i'm in the Women's Chorus! :) i would be a little more proud if it wasn't the lowest group, but considering i had not sang in 10 years and i forgot how to sight read, what did i expect!? plus, i decided to focus on 2 other things... 1) i auditioned. go me! and 2) it is going to feel so good to sing again. yay.

I am a Research Assistant!

During the Spring semester I am going to supplement my part-time job as an Academic Advisor by being a research assistant for the Relationships And Social Cognition Lab (RASCL) at UC Berkeley. Our first lab meeting is today! Woo hoo!

images from the evening

the lowdown on soy/tofu

The latest headlines are saying that soy isn't the wonder food we all thought it was, so Amy O'Connor, nutrition expert from Prevention magazine, came by to reveal the truth about soy before we trash the tofu.

• A soy bean is a green lima bean and from this bean they make all sorts of products from ice cream to hot dogs. For years doctors thought soy had many health benefits, such as lower cholesterol, reduced symptoms of menopause, and prevention of certain cancers, but a new study says it's not exactly true. What the study did find is that soy doesn't treat disease, but helps prevent it because it's low in saturated fat. It's confusing because in 1999 The Federal Food and Drug Administration allowed soy makers to put labels on soy products saying it was healthy, so people started eating it as if it was a medicine that helped cure disease. Although it will not treat disease, soy is still a great health food. It's a good addition to your nutritional balance because it's low in saturated fat and has lots of calcium, which women don't get enough of. Also, if you substitute meat with soy, then you will reduce your risk of heart disease and diabetes.

• Whole soy foods such as edamame and tofu (a great choice especially for women) are the best. On the flip side, a not so good choice is soy isoflavins (pill or powder form). They are extracts from soy. Doctors are on the fence whether they can harm you or not. They come in supplement form or powder form. If you see the word isoflavin you should avoid it for the time being.

weekend with the 'rents

yesterday i spent the day with my dad and step mom in berkeley. we did the usual things... or well, my usual things... Telegraph, Cal, the Gourmet Ghetto, Barney's, Solano Ave, REI, Elmwood, the Berkeley Bowl, Cafe Colucci, Fenton's... wow, lots of East Bay fun! :)

today we ran all over SF after grabbing lunch at the Asqew Grille... West Portal of course, Muni riding, tromping around in the rain, catching a movie on Van Ness, and finally Millennium for a vegan feast... YUM! and, don't forget the wild SF cab driver. yowzers. oh good times, good times.

Great news for Monica

I would like to take a moment to give a shout out to my bestest friend Monica... who recently announced that she got a really cool job in Norway! She will be the Contact Chief for an International Student Festival called IsFit. Click here to read about the history of this fantastic event. We are all so proud of her... pass along some big ups, will ya?

i love concerts!

tonight i am spending a couple of hours at one of my favorite concert venues in san francisco. the great american music hall can only really be rivaled by the fillmore, this is just my opinion of course. and, the two can't totally be compared since the GAMH is much smaller and more intimate. a totally different vibe. anyways... amy and i are seeing imogen heap. she was kind of weird on the david letterman show so i'm not expecting much, but i'm still excited.

dinner at the ferry building

most people agree that SF is great... for many reasons, one being the great food. tonight (even though it was mostly closed) i took my mother to the ferry building to look around and grab some dinner. dave met us at a place called taylor's and we were all happy with our orders. the garlic fries were super yummy along with the sweet potato fries.

Quote of the day - Wednesday

"you smell like cookies and golden grahams and you look like a bunny."

Word of the day - Consortium

i just decided that the word of the day today should be consortium. i was using it because i liked it, and decided i should really know what it means. so i looked it up.

my feet

we all know i love to take pictures of my own feet... doing various things and in various situations. but you know, the general public just feeds the fire of my love for my feet. today, while getting a pedicure, i was told that my toes were like a model's toes. i mean, c'mon people, this is coming from a lady who looks at feet all day! hey, she's must know what she's talking about... i'm not the only one who thinks i have great feet!

Quote of the night - Monday

"what if i wake up dead?"

dine about town 2006

so san francisco has this cool thing called dine about town. steph and dave and i decided to participate in it and we tried a place called Aziza. it was really fun and yummy and fun and yummy! :)

yes, i meant to do that.

Afternoon in Sausalito

The day was so clear we could see from Sausalito all the way across the bay to downtown San Francisco. We found wee jams and a wee kitty followed us home!

Smeo what?

Smeo dis AND dat!

don't forget about the richmond district!

we went here tonight, after having a delightful feast here.

Quote of the day - Saturday

"i love you like a crazy person loves being crazy. and, i just made that up."

brokeback soap dispenser

humpty dumpty sat on... the edge of the sink...

Happy Birthday BLOG!

can you believe it... today is my blog's birthday. torreysblog is one year old. wow, that's lots of documentation of ridiculousness! :)

I love my new job

so, i'm at work... working SO HARD these days... j/k. there are no students yet! SFSU has the longest winter break. anyways, i'm preparing for when the students arrive, yes, and i'm settling in and training/reviewing curriculum, and of course taking pictures of myself! ha. i'm such a dork.

Highlight of the day!

so today, at work, i got my office key. additionally i got a key to the STAFF BATHROOM! WOO HOO! do you realize how wonderful that is? nothing shows respect to a new employee like special toilet privilages. :)

sucker for a sale

ok, so maybe i got a little carried away with all of the "buy one get one free" offers at bath and body works last night. but hey, you should see the cute "sunsational" tote bag i got that all of those cute little samples came in!

happy birthday lil one!

my amers turned 20 today... now we are both in our 20's together!

Never does let anyone else sleep!

Always does destroy things

We had to visit Pancho Villa Taqueria!

Afternoon in Berkeley

His and Hers laptops

Quote of the day - Thursday

"i don't want to cancel our date for a shelf."

In case you didn't already know...

His and Hers baked potatos

With all of that Chili left over we decided to have baked potato night! Mine is on the right. I flatened my potato out and then divided it into three sections in order to make three different combinations of toppings. His is on the left... need I say more? :)

pleasant surprise

i saw a movie tonight that was surprisingly great. have you heard of The Matador? it's starring Peirce Brosnan and Greg Kinnear and i have to say it was better than just ok due to fantastic character development. anyways, i won't say more, because i think going into this movie with no expectations is what makes it an unexpected treat. you should check it out.

Success #2

I decided to make my vegetarian chili again... and this time with Steph. Other than it being a little too spicy, it was awesome! As Borat would say, "great success!"

i don't know about you...

...but i ate a soy nut butter and cloudberry jam sandwich for lunch today!

WHAT trees?

Don't talk to muffin trees!

A little hike with a little one!

sometimes little one touches dirty things.

I had not had Ethiopian food since 1998 I think... and it was before I was really into Indian food... so I remembered not liking the experience. Dave said that he loved Ethiopian food and so I decided to give it another try. It was SO GOOD!!! :)

But then again, any excuse to eat with my fingers makes me happy.

First day on the job again!

i started my new job today. YAY!

Ever worn a snow shoe?

So, I was supposed to start my new job today, but since we got snowed in at Northstar we decided to go snow shoeing. It was so much fun!

totally and completely snowed in!

I spoke too soon!

so, just as i am writing out my sorrows regarding not fulfilling my resolution from last year, i get inspired to make the vegetarian chili... high altitude style in tahoe. with very minimal help from Dave and Kylene i really made it all on my own... and it was actually good! :)



time to make my 2006 resolution!

Thoughts on New Years Resolutions...

unfortunately i have to say that i did not accomplish my new years resolution from last year, and therefore don't feel like i should make a new one. i don't believe in huge random general resolutions like to assist with peace on earth or loose 20 pounds. last year, my resolution was simply to learn to make a decent and easy vegetarian chili. it's the number one meat-food i miss. and, i know it's not hard to make a good vegetarian chili... i gave myself 365 whole days to figure it out... and i never did. shucks.

Sledding!

We are getting snowed in!