When life give you chocolate chips...

...make pancakes!
I love food. Particularly breakfast food. Now that I've been gluten-free for a year now (!) I can only indulge in pancakes at home, when they're made from non-wheat flours. So when a girl is in need of a little comfort food, what could make one feel better than chocolate chip pancakes?! Delicious. Why comfort food you ask?? Well, to begin with, keep reading below!

Yes, I am in a new house. Some say its because the house owners were foreclosed upon. Others speculate that our house was being taken over by giant flies, fleas, and cockroaches. (Seriously though, can you believe the size of this fly!? It must have been sleeping, because I was close to touching him and he didn't buzz off!)

It actually isn't a house, its an apartment. My household of 7 people is now going to be an apartment of 2. Which is a slightly odd but welcome change, I think. In the past months my housemates and I have sought to buy something, but that's not working out at the moment. And when we began looking for a rental to hold the 9 of us (we're growing) it was very clear we weren't going to find such a place within the mile of our house that we were looking. So for the time being we're segmenting into 3 households (while continuing to pursue our idea of "intentional community"). We'll begin looking to buy again in the new year.
On other news fronts, I made my first TV filming! It will probably be Februrary when it airs though. It was tons of fun and they loved me! They found my GreaseGirl blog and wanted me to teach a lady how to do some basic car maintenance stuff - like change a tire. We used Studebaker during filming, which makes me very proud. However, when we took her tire off I noticed the inner rim had worn all the way down to the wiry part! No bueno (I'm also attending a spanish class at community college this sememster)! I had sworn to get this checked out first thing the next day - but on my way home from spanish class later that night, a tire blew! Everything was okay. But as I waited for the tow truck on the embankment where the 101 & 110 freeways meet, watching my Stude on a very narrow pull-out, I couldn't help but laugh.
For now, I'm safe and sound. But its good to know that chocolate chip pancakes are always a possibility...

A little glimpse into things I'm thinking about all the time.
Wouldn't a chiropractor office seem innocent enough?? We need to retrain our eyes so as to not let injustice pass by right in front of us.

Most of my writing efforts have been siphoned over to GreaseGirl...but I will still post here when I feel like there's something particular I would like to share!

Found this story today at The New York Times on "Truck-Stop Girls". I know I think about this stuff all the time...but lately I've been feeling more of an urge for a "next-step" - whatever that might look like. And the interaction this article describes really strikes my heart...

I asked her what she needed most. “Someplace safe,” she said. “Someplace to be a girl. Someplace where I won’t have to have sex with men anymore.”

I had that. I was given that. I want to make that place...

Kim has reminded me many times that I need an update...so this won't be long as I currently have Dad's car completely packed for the weekend at Bonneville salt flats for speed week...but I thought I'd at least share a few pictures!
Summer Fun!



Creating...

oops...gotta go...but perhaps you'll hear from me when I'm back from the races!

adventures with Dad

Last week I had a slight break in my teaching - which was lucky...because my Mom had foot surgury last Monday, and I was able to get away from LA and head to LV to help out Mom while she was confined to bed/wheelchair.
I was really glad to get a little time at home. And of course, Dad and I found some spare time to get away and have a little adventure. I just thought this was going to be an outing to our regular breakfast outing, the Polaris Cafe and then taking a fancy pen Dad had given me that needed fixing to Paradise Pen...but Dad created a little adventure out of it (like he's so good at doing)...with pictures to ensue...thus, here you enjoy the goofy spoils of our adventure :)
Dad and I enjoying breakfast (and the FT paper) at Polaris Cafe.

Can ya find me?! Entering Paradise Pen at the Fashion Show Mall...I haven't been to this mall for years. I used to LOVE malls, but tend to stay away from them now...this one's pretty posh...it even has a runway fashion show...only in Vegas!

Dad buying a little prize in Betsy Johnson...

Browsing one of my favorite home stores, Z Gallerie...

And checking out his newest building project - the Veer Towers at City Center (those two yellow-checkered ones that twist)...


This week it's been back to work - starting up classes at yet another school! One more month of this crazy teaching schedule!...but I sure am looking forward to an extra day off this weekend!