Hello all!

I just unpacked my computer after days of being without the internets (how did I ever survive?) I’m exhausted from the move this past weekend and the subsequent unpacking and organizing, and yet there is so much more to be done. We still have to go back and clean up the old place too, so the work is far from over.

Just wanted to pop in and let you know that I’m alive, I’m hoping to be back to blogging regularly soon, and that I have so much to show you! I’ll take some pictures of both the old and new places soon, but for now I leave you with this picture of a big fuzzy caterpillar I found when we were moving out of the old place…

Eeep!

Talk to you again soon!

October 11, 2011 Alayna Discussion 6 comments

I almost forgot about that. 😉

The month of September is turning into a “lost” month here. A lot of things have happened, but yet the whole month almost seems like a black hole in my memory.

We’ve been focused on packing up everything we own and all the other preparations that go into moving (we get the keys Oct. 1st.) I’ve been working on a personal project that’s taken away a lot of my attention. And, we had some urgent family business to attend to as well that has weighed heavily on our minds.

Before

After

I haven’t really been too busy to blog, but lack of time really hasn’t been the issue. I think lack of passion has been more the problem. I’ve joked to Jeff before that I tend to be passionate about different things only in short bursts. Lately, I’ve had a good burst of passion for my project I’m working on (which I’ll share more details on at a later time,) but mostly I’ve just been passionate about this move to a new house, which means a great deal more to us than just a change of location.

Moving to a single-family home marks the start of a new phase in our lives. Though we haven’t solidified plans for exactly when yet, I know that we will become parents in that house. We will bring our first child home to that house, and he or she will learn to walk on those floors and begin to grow into someone in that house. Just being in that house even before we officially start down the road to parenthood will fill me with a sense of hope and excitement for the future.

Also, I’m just really excited to not share walls with any of my neighbors any more.

Although I’ve been really focused on other things this month, we did manage to get out a few times and enjoy ourselves. Just this past weekend we got to watch fireworks in Decatur Square. The 4th of July fireworks got postponed due to rain, so we got to watch them after the last summer concert on the square.

We had stopped into Mac McGee’s beforehand to have a glass or two of scotch while the sun went down. Oban and pyrotechnics sure make for a good evening. 😉

We also made it back to Miso Izakaya for an awesome dinner with friends. Highlights include a super-soft soy egg…

Napalm-hot takoyaki…

Crispy-skinned duck in steamed buns…

…and mini donut balls dusted with green tea and sugar.

I love Miso Izakaya. Their sushi is of good quality however not that exciting, but the hot dishes are all incredible. Can’t argue with the huge list of sake and shochu either. We need to remember to go there more often.

Jeff and I did something else pretty cool earlier this month too. We checked out the Mini Maker Fair, which is a collection of attractions from various people in the areas of robotics, electronics, and any hobby that revolves around making things from scratch!

We saw lots of cool robots and gadgets…

Line-following robot

Solar-powered 3D plastic printer

Hexi-copter

Remote controlled skate board

Obligatory R2D2

There were tons of interesting and geeky craft items too. This fair was just a mini version of the original Maker Fare that has so much more to see. I hope the big Maker Fare comes to Atlanta sometime soon.

So, things have been happening around here, I just just haven’t felt compelled to share them lately because I’m in my own little world with thoughts on moving. Hopefully by the time we’re settled into the new place I’ll have gotten back on track with blogging, but I’m not too worried about it right now.

So tell me about you!…What was the most interesting thing you did in the month of September?

September 26, 2011 Alayna Discussion 12 comments

I think I may be the only person on the planet who doesn’t really like Clif bars. At least not the original variety that are like thick chalky bricks, those always give me acid reflux and make my tummy hurt. I have no idea why they do that.

I decided to give this Clif Mojo bar a try because…well…because it has pretzels in it. There’s really nothing more to it than that, I was just intrigued.

Ingredient list is pretty clean, lots of stuff in it but nothing I’m too afraid of.

It clocks in at 190 calories which is a little bit low for a satisfying snack but still good. 9 grams of protein and another 9 grams of sugar are both respectable stats. And I was worried about the salt content with this being chock full of pretzels, one of the most classic of salty snacks, but at 220 milligrams it’s really not totally unreasonable.

Appearance: I like the cobbled-together look of this bar. Loosely clinging together pieces of pretzel, puffed rice, peanuts, and peanut butter chips. I was very excited to see those adorable little peanut butter chips, I didn’t even know they were there until I opened it. Nice golden sheen from the brown rice syrup too.

Texture: Crunchy and chewy, a bit jagged but not unpleasant. There’s no sogginess in the pretzels from being in contact with the moisture from the brown rice syrup. Peanut butter chips are buttery smooth and the puffed rice is a nice subtle crackle.

Taste: I expected this to be a contrasting sweet and salty flavor, but it was really mostly salty. Not a bad thing, just not what I expected. The peanut butter chips are subtle, they provide a nutty flavor without any additional salt or sweetness. The salt comes solely from the pretzels, with some bites being less salty and others very salty when you bite into a piece with big salt crystals.

Overall, I liked this bar but I don’t think it’s one I’d add to the regular rotation. It’s definitely light years better than those regular thick pasty Clif bars, but still not that exciting. However, if you’re a lover of salty snacks more than sweets, this might be just right for you. I, however, was really hoping for that awesome contrast between salty and sweet. I think a bit of honey flavor would have taken this over the edge for me.

Salty, sweet, or both at the same time?

August 31, 2011 Alayna Discussion 8 comments