This is a familiar sight to most of you, but mine is different. I daresay mine is better but most will disagree.

This my friends, is my hot cocoa mug. (yes it has a spoon with holder, it’s just that cool) I can’t have coffee, get over it. I dont’ care much for the taste anyway. Some mornings I require this little gem to get me through things. This morning was definitely one of those. I opened my drawer, grabbed my canister of Stephen’s Chocolate Mint Truffle, my Hazelnut Creamer (yes creamer, it’s so amazing), and then…panic. My drawer is missing something…where is my cocoa mug?!?! While I nervously try to drum up my memory of last week (queue 49 hour work week and doing my best to forget it) I think maybe I left it in the sink. (secondary thought of ewww gross, left in the communal sink all weekend) So I run to the break room with scrubby brush in hand and find my precious mug. YAY!

So, now I have my cocoa, all is well in the world. Hope you all have a fantabulous Monday morning!

I’ve had a pretty hectic fall. I’ve spent more time in airports than I generally wish. I’ve followed some crazy dreams. I’ve rehearsed, rehearsed, rehearsed, and worked like crazy at the 9-5. (which is never 9-5)

To celebrate all this crazy and a random blizzard in my town I took the great opportunity this weekend to do nothing. Well not entirely nothing per se. But after doing chores and running errands on Saturday we cut things short due to the snow. So I went home, put on my pajamas, got my rice bag warmed up, and then I situated myself on the couch. My goal was to have a day to myself to do whatever I wanted. I did just that. I successfully couched until shortly before 11pm when I went to bed. 

May sound crazy but sometimes you just need to let yourself have a nothing day. I think it helped me out greatly . What do you do when you find your life particularly busy/overwhelming/frustrating?

It’s that 4 letter F work coming out again. F-O-O-D.

It’s one of those things you can’t go through life without. Yet, it’s also one of those things many people stress about. I am one of those people. I love food. I love cooking. (caveat to follow) I love eating.

I do tend to fall into the category though of while I love cooking what I really love is making food for other people to enjoy. I was always the dinner on the table every night and elaborate Sunday dishes type of girlfriend. Now I’m the fridge is empty nearly 90% of the time living like a college freshman type of single person. 

I’d say a large majority of the blogs I follow are food blogs. I love seeing new recipes and ideas and have quite a very large physical and email stack of recipes I’d like to try. But all that time, money, effort just seems wasted on just me. So this is where my idea comes into play.

I need a dinner club. We’ve all heard of book clubs, people getting together however often and sharing in the same thing. Well, why can’t we have the same thing for food? I know they exist, my parents used to have them when I was young. You have a group of friends, you pick a theme, and everyone brings part of a dish. You get to socialize, try new things, share recipes, eat great food, and hopefully take home leftovers! Sounds like a win-win in my book.

So, if anyone out there also thinks this sounds awesome and would love to get on board, just let me know. I’m more than game to make this thing work!

Oh hey there dear neglected blog of mine. Would you believe that lately there are times I go two weeks without even checking FB. Yup, that’s how busy I am. Why so busy? Work. New responsibilities. I actually love the new role but keeping all the existing with it is mighty hard. I promise I’m gonna come back out on top though!

So, Seattle.

I love it.

I think I’m moving there (in all my dreams at least)

Background: I’ve never been to Seattle. My parents used to go every year in September…never bothered to bring me though. But this time I got to go with them last weekend to one of my dad’s co-workers house right on the Sound. Gorgeous! Weather: Perfect. Got to explore the city a bit. Then had a day to hang out at the house for the big BBQ. 

Spent an entire afternoon/evening out on the water. Double kayak. Single kayak. Easy peasy after the camping trip where I kayaked for the first time. Then I saw something new: a Paddle Board. I can handle that right? So I got on my knees and took the kayak paddle and went around a bit. Then came back in for the real paddle…the stand up paddle…where you have to get on your feet. I finally stood up and that was about all I could do for 15 minutes. While everyone just watched encouraging me to move. Finally got out there and man it was the greatest. Think I did 3 tours out on it. The last one being the best, I had it mastered the water was perfectly calm, it was sunset and I didn’t want it to end.

Now I want a paddle board and endless water to play on. Hence the need to move to Seattle.

Oh yeah, here’s the proof. Hope everyone has an exciting weekend coming up.

This guy is amazing!!! I’m really hoping that I can get one for me :)

samspratt:

Only one more week to enter, spread it around!

Sam Spratt’s SEPTEMBER Portrait Contest/Custom Portrait Giveaway!

It’s back. To show my appreciation for all of you following me here, As usual—I am giving one guy/man/dude AND one girl/woman/chick the chance to win a custom portrait from me. Free, no strings attached. Here’s the breakdown:

What You Get:

A Web-resolution (1100 pixel) custom portrait, tailored to your most bizarre of requests. You can get a very traditional portrait done or as outlandish as you can dream—so long as it remains in the portrait format. Zombies, Hipsters, Pirates, Ninjas, Superheroes, Robots, etc. are all fair-game themes in which you can have yourself transmogrified in painted form. Want to let me have free reign? That works too, but I want to make something unique to you.

How to Enter:

1. FACEBOOK: Simply comment on my facebook contest link!

2. TWITTER: Tweet this post by @mentioning my twitter handle @samspratt http://twitter.com/#!/SamSpratt This also counts as an entry.

3. TUMBLR: If you reblog this photo from me, that will enter you as well.

How to Increase Your Odds:

If you share this with yours friends on facebook by tagging this page with the “@” symbol before “Sam Spratt Illustration” on your wall it will “linkify” this page. This counts as an additional entry.

(If you enter all 4 ways, you will have 4x the odds of winning)

How long this will last:

I will keep the contest open through September with winners announced in early October.

You all are the best! Good luck and thanks again to all who follow my little slice of artwork on the web.

As the title suggests what follows is a rant…you have been warned.

Theft. Small word. Simple concept. I’ve had it with it. Since I graduated college my car was broken into and stuff stolen, my co-workers routinely stole me food at my last job, my family’s shed was broken into just two weeks ago and most of my stuff was stolen, and then this morning I finish my breakfast and go to wash my bowl and find my dish soap missing from the kitchen. I check every cabinet and sure enough it’s not there. It’s like the last straw, I’m totally fed up with people’s complete lack of regard for others. If it’s not yours, don’t take it, what a simple concept. I think we all learned that quite a while ago…

So, tonight I will get my hair done and then most likely have Froyo for dinner because hey, I find comfort in tasty frozen things…we all have our methods. All I can say is karma…what goes around comes around…and I sincerely hope that all of you thieves get what’s coming to you.

/endrant

Because I like to be different? Because I’m a slacker? Because I just needed a break from work and was too lazy to come up with my own idea? You choose!

1. How do you pronounce the word aunt? Does your pronunciation rhyme with ‘haunt’ or ‘can’t’?

I say it both ways honestly. Much like I do with either and neither. Just depends on my mood I suppose. 

I would say not a lot of people in my life know I blog…would explain the low readership, but oh well. Not everyone needs to know everything about a person.

  3. When you grocery shop, do you prefer to bag your own groceries or do you like it when the store bags them for you? Paper, plastic, or reusable bags?

I don’t really have a preference. I’m happy to bag my own but the store usually just does it for me. Plastic - but in fairness I reuse them around the house for other stuff.

4. Do you have a green thumb?

I wish! I just barely mowed a lawn for the first time a week or so ago. I have a whole area set aside in my yard for flowers and shrubs and stuff and all it currently grows is weeds. I’m afraid of planting stuff that will die because I’ll fail at something.

5. If you watch the Food Network, which chef/show host is your favorite?

I watch a few shows. Out of the Food Network crew I’d have to say most of my favorite chefs are the men on Iron Chef. My all time favorite chef though is Gordon Ramsay. 

6. Do you like to take baths? Do you take them very often?

Indifferent I suppose and no. 

7. What color are the walls in your kitchen?

The same tannish color as the rest of the house. Though you can’t see much of it due to cupboards covering most of the space.

8. Do you prefer to dine outdoors or indoors?

If the weather is perfect I’d say outdoors. But I’m really fine either way.

9. Describe your ideal weather.

Upper 70’s and sunny. Preferably lying next to a pool

10. If you could learn any foreign language, which would you choose to learn?

Hmmm I always had the oddest desire to learn Aramaic. But since that’s not really practical I’d say Italian.

So there we have it, a few more insights into me. Care to share more about you?

Last week I was plagued very much by the idiot co-worker. He would ask me questions about things I had already given him answers to. A couple times I had to physically go to his office and spell out what he needed to do. I’m happy to report that this week is idiot co-worker free. It has been a nice break. He will be back Monday…I think I’ll take bets on how long until he asks his first stupid question that day.

First, Les Miserables is just about my favorite musical of all time. I have been fortunate to see it many times, in various locations. Salt Lake City (numerous times), Calgary, Broadway, and London. I’ve been going ever since I was quite young. The music is amazing, the songs inspiring, and the overall message of the play deep and resounding. I don’t believe I’ve seen it without crying at least 5 times.

News reached me that a tour was coming our way again, this time under the 25th Anniversary spectacular! I was excited. It has been a while since the last time I saw it and I was eager to go. So we managed to score some very far back tickets. I got dressed up, had my packet of kleenex in hand and went off to enjoy myself.

From the moment of the first scene I knew something was terribly wrong. This 25th Anniversary special had changed things - lots of things. The chain gang was now rowing a boat..what? They dropped quite a bit of material from words and songs. Orchestral arrangements were modified. The way the songs were performed had been lowered in quality to someone trying to appeal to the American Idol crowd. The revolving set and the barricade - two vital things to this production were gone and changed respectively. These were not wise changes. The only change I did like was the screen at the back depicting images that went along with what was happening on stage.

While a part of me can see what they were trying to do…appeal to the more “modern” “top 40” crowd I think that in doing so they lost a lot of what makes this show so great. My package of kleenex was never opened. I did not feel much from the performances given. The songs written for this are simply great on their own. They don’t need crazy vocal runs thrown in or to harshly gravely yell half of the song. They just didn’t connect it for me.

With the exception of Stars and a few of the ensemble numbers I was not pleased by any of the performances. Many of them made me cringe in pain. Performances were off pitch, strained, over-acted, and just down right bad. Whoever was giving them direction needs to have a talking to.

Overall I enjoyed going, I always will, even if I was left quite underwhelmed. I did not like the changes so I hope the next time I see it they’ve gone back to the original version. Any one else out there have some thoughts on the new production?

So I’ve started this running thing. My dad signed me up for a 5k so I rummaged to find the workout pants/jacket my mom gave me for Christmas, got myself to the running store for shoes, and stole a brand new top that was too small for my mom for me. So I’m all black and purpled out, running around my neighborhood. All was going pretty well but I got this little cough. Nothing bad…

So the day of the 5k came and I did really good I think. At least my time was better than the first one I had ever done last year. I think it should be mentioned here that I am NOT a runner. I have bad joints, insert every other excuse here…I’m a swimmer. I was born a fish so water is where I like to be. But, running…it’s free and you can do it whenever/wherever. Bit more difficult finding a pool…but I digress.

So the cough, just kept getting worse. I’ll try to spare the gross details but Wednesday morning I coughed up a lil blood. So I made a doctor appointment for Thursday. Got there and she told me since they’ve been seeing so many atypical pneumonia cases and since the cough was so long going and getting worse she was just going to treat me for that. So 3 prescriptions later I was ordered to stay home and get better. Darn, no work? Ok!

Here is where I will insert my bitching about this awful weather here in SLC and completely blame it for the state I’m in. It’s seriously like we’ve moved to the Pacific Northwest. Rain is in the forecast for as far as I can see too, which is no good. At least it’s supposed to stop for one day…the day I have a concert outside. Oh yeah, it’s free, come to that, there will be fireworks ;) Details HERE.

So I’ve been spending some quality time with my couch, catching up on tv shows and taking advantage of my HBO subscription and free Starz for a year to keep me entertained. Today I’m also going to venture up to some interior design by finally hanging the African masks I bought a few months ago.

What’s your favorite activity when you’re home for a sick day?