Down-Town Culver City

When you are already having an off day, and you are forcing yourself to go out and have "fun" because you know it will be good for you.. don't go to Culver City. If you thought you knew where you are going and thought you knew where to park.. you don't. I truly believe that the area is alive.. that it moves and changes when you are there and that nothing is ever where you thought it was. It reminds me of the Labyrinth. You can't take anything for granted. 3 rights don't put you back where you were, 4 lefts don't make a right, and you can never turn around. They hire people to follow you around and sit in your blind spots so that you can never change lanes when you think you have figured out where you need to go. The lights are always green when you want it to be red so you can figure out where the hell you are going, so you just keep going and going in the wrong direction. They even have signals to completely fuck with your radio while you drive. There is nothing more annoying than already being frustrated and then having this noise come at you as you look to see the numbers changing up and down at a rapid rate. Yes, it's almost like they don't want you to come. It's almost like.. it doesn't exist.

This is the second time I have attempted to go there alone. And the second time it ended in tears. Never again.

The Dark Side of Oz

It's known that if you play Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon at the same time as watching The Wizard of Oz, they seem to go together. I had tried this a few times before and seen some things that went together. It seemed a stretch to me. I realize now that it is important to watch it while medicated. Now, I'm not going to tell you that they then go together perfectly, but pretty damn close. While watching this, I was trying to analyze what the difference between my mind before and now was. The obvious answer is the medication. But, what exactly is the difference? I could still remember all the words to the movie even though it was on mute. I was still paying attention to what was going on. Just this time, it seemed like I was able to pay attention to more than I had before. Like it was slower so that I could hear it better or something. I was picking up on beats in the songs that seemed to go with the movements in the film. I was trying to see if it was my mind that was bending these things together, or if they really were. I muted the music and just watched the movie by itself for a few seconds. And then just listened to the music alone for a minute. They seemed to be going at normal speeds. I came to the conclusion then that I must just be paying better attention now. My senses must have been heightened and I was able to hear and see things I wasn't before. This is the only explanation I can come up with right now. Maybe with further exploration...

Spicy Black Bean Burgers

I found this recipe online about making black bean burgers. I finally went and made them. Of course this recipe didn't say anything about adding chipotle powder, but of course, I did. Thus making them spicy black bean burgers.

To begin, I drained the black beans. Now this recipe called for the mashing of these beans.. which to me of course translates to, Magic Bullet beans.. genius.

Then to cut up some onion and brown them in a pan. Well I took this to mean add garlic and chipotle powder, of course.

Then add 2 slices worth of bread crumbs. I added the bread, but I also added some rolled oats. Why not?

Then some garlic powder, onion powder, season salt, and black pepper. Well I put, garlic powder, chipotle powder, black pepper, a little cumin, and some basil..

Mix all this into a bowl together.. then start adding flower. I added flower.. and more and more..

Then make patties and fry in a pan with olive oil. FRY?! I didn't like this idea.. I did it anyway, for the first 2 burgers. I used a lot of oil. and they came out oily.. Plan B.

Plan B consisted of putting SOME oil on both sides of the patties and then putting them in the George Foreman Grill! Just as I suspected.. genius.. All the crispiness with hardly any oil.

Ketchup Hummus

We begin with one day, while making hummus, I had somehow forgotten to save out any bean juice to add to the hummus later. I also had over filled my magic bullet cup, so there was not enough room to stir in the still whole beans with the far too dry mash. I began to panic a little. How was I going to save this? It needed moisture but there was hardly room for it. I kept adding oil, but to no relief. Finally, I went to the fridge and spotted the ketchup sitting there smiling. This isn't any normal ketchup; this is organic ketchup. I had heard of sun dried tomato hummus before, so I knew it was acceptable to put tomatoes in hummus. I only put in a little at first. Just to see how that stirred in. It needed more. It's like the mashed up beans were soaking up any bit of moisture there was! Finally I had put enough in to start mixing properly. This was not easy. The cup was so full I had trouble getting the cover on without squeezing ketchup out. It was a mess. After a good minute of mixing, I opened the lid. With a steady finger, I scooped up some of the hummus off the blade and put it on my tongue. It was as if I was tasting hummus for the first time. It was absolutely delicious! What had I created?! This is what I have been missing! A spreadable condiment that also acts as part of the meal! You could eat this on anything! Burgers, fries, bagels, toast, chips, carrots, sandwiches, and anything else. It's a new staple in my diet. Hummus has always been part of my diet, but now.. it's not just for chips..

I have since streamlined the recipe, but I have decided to let the secret out:

1 can organic chickpeas (drained, save juice)

1 good pour of organic olive oil

1 teaspoon of chipotle powder

1 tablespoon of cumin

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons organic ketchup

Pour drained chickpeas into large magic bullet cup. 

Add oil and a quick pour of the juice.

Begin mixing a bit, while shaking bullet up and down. 

All beans do not have to be mashed before adding all other ingredients. 

Begin mixing again this time while shaking bullet front to back. Make sure cup is locked in. 

You may need to add oil/juice during mixing. 

Be careful not to over do it, just add a little at a time. 

Hummus may be consumed immediately after mixing is finished, or can be chilled prior to serving. 

I hope you have enjoyed this as much as I have.