I have a job interview at 1:30 today. 1:30 – 4:00 pm to be exact so think good thoughts.

My own thoughts crossing my mind this morning: “don’t forget to put on pants,” “why does my hairspray stink,” “remember be positive but not so perky it’s annoying,” “don’t overuse ‘Super’ as a reply.”

OMG, I’m so over this.

Anyway, to keep my mind off of it, I figured I’d dump a few photos on here, call it a blog post, and skedaddle off to prove my worthiness in the working world.

First off, dinner at Emmer & Rye:I had the Wagyu beef. This was a half portion (plenty) for $22. The full portion is $40. Yowsa! It was delicious in a clean and honest way. Not a lot of goop and gravy.

On the other end of the pricing spectrum, we have this simple lunch fixed at home:Asian turkey burger made with green onions, Bragg’s, and Chinese Five Spice served with ramen noodles that were cooked in veggie broth and Sriracha, then drained. (The ground turkey was BOGO and the ramen was five packs for 79 cents. I doubt this meal even cost $1.30.)

Totally random, but relevant:Mama and daughter tigers at the Point Defiance Zoo. They’d put Mama on a diet, down to 5 lbs of meat per day from 10 lbs. per day. Let me tell you, she was PISSED! I have video of her jumping up that chain link fence if anyone wants to see it. My uncle and I (the family members on perpetual diets) had a good laugh over this.

We had a good laugh and then we went out for pizza.

Message from my personal blurry watermelon:Word to the wise. I wonder who the genius was who came up with that tagline?

A perfect Carrot Cake breakfast bake from A Loser for Life:and finally, probably my cheapest dessert combo ever:
Mix up brownie mix according to package. Add half of the mix to your pan, then layer on broken chocolate bar, then top with rest of brownie mix and bake. My brownie mix was FREE with a doubled coupon and the candy bar was 75 cents. Yep, for realz (and, no, I didn’t find the Golden Ticket and win a trip around the world. Darnit).

Weightwatchers PointsPlus expenditure: Priceless.

Honestly, I made those forever ago. I remember eating some then sending the rest to work with Chris.

So how that for some randomnicity, right Janetha Bean?

Ok, I have to go do some last minute primping. It’s windy today which is wreckage on my hair.

I wish I could walk in all cool, calm, and collected, but I always feel more like this:Good thing nerds are in fashion in Seattle!

A longggg while back, Foodbuzz sent me a sample of Nabisco’s new Newton Fruit Thins as part of their Tastemaker Program.

Thanks www.nabiscoworld.com/newtons/fruit-thins-fig-honey.aspx

Not to be confused with Nabisco’s Newton Fruit Crisp bars, which have received truly awful reviews.

Way to rebound Nabisco because I thought these light snappy cookies were divine. Yep, that’s right, divine.

Sublime even.

But you’re talking to a weirdo who prefers vanilla over chocolate and oatmeal-raisin over most anything else.

While I was dreaming up fun ways to use these crisp, figgy gems, our hands kept reaching into the bag. But not in a bad way, in a couple-a-day-keeps-the-doctor-away kinda way. I caught Chris with his hand in the cookie bag more than once, and he is not a sweets person (but I married him anyway). What we loved most about these cookies was the spice and the subtle fruitiness. They are certainly not overly sweet, but more like a tea cookie.

Which made them the perfect compliment to some over-the-top, sweet overload that is Ben & Jerry’s Cinnamon Buns ice cream (sue me, I had a coupon):

Seriously fun site: http://www.benjerry.com/flavors/our-flavors/

Behold the gloriousness that is the marriage of Fig and Cinnamon:Its celebrity name is Figamon, and it’s damn sexy.

Fine Print: Though I received the Nabisco product for free through Foodbuzz, all opinions are my own though sometimes I listen to that guy I married, but not very often.

For those following WeightWatchers PointsPlus, Danica calculated the Thins at 4 PP for 3 cookies (I trust her). Half a cup of Ben Jerry’s is gonna cost you EIGHT PP, which includes 28 grams of sugar! (I just lost the Belly Fat Cure people too.) Like I said, I had a coupon for B&J’s and ate it 1/2 a cup at a time, counted the Points, and, before the carton was empty, I grew tired of it so the rest went in the trash. Big whoohoo for me.

Why just go to the movies or hang out at a bar when you can go the Mango Hometown Tour Taste-off?

That’s what I’m saying!

On Friday, I enjoyed a fabulous hot and sunny day in Portland. I had just gotten the news that there was no need to come in on Monday to meet the founders of the company I’d had two interviews with – they had decided to go with a internal candidate. Ugh.

As disappointed as I was, I knew the best pick-me-up was a quick visit with the two cutest Peas I’ve ever seen and their ever-stylish and fantastic Mama. Sometimes life just helps to put life in perspective like that.

For dinner, Chris and I walked over to the D-Street Noshery – the site of the afore-mentioned Mango Tour. We were a little late, but we had a brief chat with the mango reps (now that sounds like an awesome job!) who were lovely as they offered me their very last mango.

We’d never been to this Cart Pod before and deciding what to have for dinner was tough, but we finally went with Herb’s Mac and Cheeses where we ordered the special of the day: Mac ‘n Cheese with Mango, Bacon, and Blue Cheese.

Yes, it was as AMAZING as it sounds.

We also got a Bacon, Spinach, and Pepper Jack Mac ‘n Cheese which was very good, just not as good.

Not all Cart Pods serve alcohol but we were blessed by the presence of the Captured by Porches tour bus. We tried the Invasive Species IPA (a little too hoppy for me) and a Blonde Ale. The Blonde Ale hit the spot as we chatted with an amusing little tyke who wanted to show us all the tricks his stuffed dog could do. He was too cute, and we had a nice time chatting with his parents and trading Food Cart recommendations. This is the kind of thing that makes us love Portland so much.

And the bacon doesn’t hurt.

We’ve been in charge of Flat Stanley. Are you familiar with Flat Stanley? You can read all about him here. This past weekend was about getting photos like this:Let me tell you…on a colder-than-normal, windy May day, Flat Stanley can be a demanding pain in the ass. We were about ready to send him off on a one-way cruise to Alaska:He’s actually gonna get a one-way ride back East tomorrow in a beat up manilla envelope. See ya, Stan!

As much as I complain (seriously, ANY obligation these days feels like an immense burden), taking Flat Stanley around did inspire me to find a solution to my funk. I told Chris that we’re breaking out of our rut and trying something NEW every week. Whether we drive to a new neighborhood and walk around, or go to a new movie, or try a new class…something, anything, to get us out of the house.

(It has been of NO help that the weather, as you can see in the above photo, has been miserable. Even for Seattle.)

So we put our plan into action by taking a Whole Foods picnic with us to a park on Sunday.
We’ve lived here 5 years and have never gone on a picnic. I don’t think Chris had ever had Whole Foods Hot Bar/Salad Bar! I know! What’s wrong with us????

Well, whatever it is, we’re fixing it NOW. Honestly, Chris has been slammed at work, and I’ve been wallowing in unemployment woes, but we are clawing our way out and it’s already making us happier. For anyone who’s in a rut, there’s no time like the present to make things better.

I’ll be back to post my sources of inspiration soon!