Deadly Dinner Party (or) Things To Do in a Circle

I got home not too long ago and I am having a very difficult time getting to sleep. Why? Because I am freaked out, that's why. Our weekly dinner parties were reinstated this week, owing to the return of a crucial member of our group. Vans hosted this evening because she is house-sitting in a very large house. Sweet, right? Wrong. Scary. This house is filled to the brim with creepy antiques and paintings of demon children who will most definitely suck out your soul.
Dinner was awesome, as always, but then someone got the hot idea to have a seance. Gotta say, I was scared. Stephanie has a very convincing way of conjuring spirits, and feeling the waves of anxiety flowing through our circle of hands was unnerving. Nothing happened. Not tonight, anyway. We're doing it again tomorrow when we have books and oils and stuff. I'm scared of that too.
Anyway, all of this got me thinking about circles and how when you are young, there are a lot of games you play in circles. Duck-Duck-Goose, Postman/Telephone. As you get to be a teenager, the really fun ones start- Truth or Dare, Spin the Bottle, that one where you have a piece of paper and you have to pass it from mouth to mouth by sucking and blowing. Awesome. But as you get to be an adult, there really isn't much you do in a circle anymore. The occasional board game (or seance, I suppose), but really nothing else. Why is that? Is that even remotely important?
The circle seems like a really important shape. Unifying, all inclusive, unbroken. Yet we abandon it as adults. It's like we're all segmented and don't want to be part of a whole anymore. I don't know. I'm probably reading too much into this. But I think we should do our part to bring the institution of the circle back to the adult world.
Who's up for a little spin-the-bottle?

5 Cents to Charity? Heck Yeah! (or) 3 Cheers for Whole Foods!

Just a quick note to give Whole Foods some props.

The store in Hillcrest has just instituted a program whereby you can elect to donate the 5 cent bag refund you get for bringing in your own bags to charity. I was informed that the charity will rotate from time to time (yesterday, I had the privilege of giving to St. Paul's [I think], which provides assistance to the elderly so they can continue to live on their own).

I don't know about you, but I think this is awesome. I never really benefited from the refund; at most I saved myself 20 cents. But all of those refunds add up and I think they'll be able to do some good. And really, who is going to say no when the cashier says, "would you like to donate your 5 cent bag refund to charity?" It's 5 cents! Take it!

I'm not sure if this is a corporate wide thing, but if your local Whole Foods doesn't do this yet, next time you are there suggest that they do. And if they are already doing it, give them a high five. Because if you are shopping at Whole Foods, you don't need the 5 cents. And somebody else definitely does.

Independence Day Adventures (or) Why Does EVERY American Holiday Center on Food and Booze?

Happy 4th, everyone! Not too terribly much to report on today. I had quite a nice day with some very awesome folks, minus one very important person =-(
Thanks again to Vans for always being a most gracious and accommodating hostess.
Ate delicious food, including:
Curried Carrot Dip
Asparagus Spinach Dip
Seitan Short Ribs
Two Kinds of Potato Salad (yay! Thanks to D and Vans!)
Vans' Guacamole (literally, the best I've ever had)
Steph's Ooey, Gooey, Vegan Coconut Cupcakes (so delish!)
And Vans' Vegan Lemon Fruit Tart

(So good I bit into it before I even had a chance to photograph it!)
Yeah, definitely gained about 10 pounds. Then we staggered over to Morley Field to watch 4 identical, simultaneous fireworks displays. Did some handstands, learned to do cartwheels (thanks girls) and watched local hooligans set off bottle rockets.

If you'd like to see pictures, they can be found here.

Here are a couple photos of note, however:



Here is Hanson, talking to Sarah, and me waving a friendly 4th of July "Hello" to her.



Adam impaling my head with his arm of fury.



How it was.



And how it should have been.

Miss you, Sares!

Tomorrow- Adventures in surfing!

My First Delicious Post (or) What the Hell is Raw Cheesecake?!

Raw vegan cherry cheesecake, herbal tea with soymilk and agave nectar, and a trashy novel: the makings of a fantastic evening!

Point #1: Earth Cafe makes, hands down, the best cheesecake of all time, ever. I'm not just talking best vegan cheesecake, or best raw cheesecake, or best raw vegan cheesecake, I am talking best cheesecake all around. They are based out of Lake Forest , CA and their website is here. I am indulging in the cherry variety this evening, but I think I prefer the blueberry.

Point #2: Celestial Seasonings has an herbal tea called Roastaroma, and it is marketed as an herbal coffee substitute (read: caffeine free and doesn't have horrible effects on your bowels). I think it is lovely; it is a smoky, sweet blend of chicory, cinnamon, barley, and carob. It rules the school. And it is even better sweetened with a teensy bit of agave.

Point #3: After the mindfuck that was House of Leaves (loved it, by the way), I needed to let my brain rest for a bit. So I decided to take Sarah's recommendation (she has since retracted it) to read V.C. Andrews Flowers in the Attic. I am hesitant to accept further recommendations. How this woman got to be so well known, I will never know, but it is painful. However, I've not stopped reading it, which is either a testament to my will power and dedication, or to my masochism.

Good night, folks! I am off to lull myself to sleep with tales of violence and incest...