I’m experimenting in the kitchen today, and made some chocolate balls with raw cacao powder, raw almond butter, raw hemp seeds, cinnamon and stevia rolled in sesame seeds and cacao powder.  I’ve been wanting some sort of sweet while on phase 1 of Dr. Gabriel Cousen’s “Rainbow Green Live Food Cuisine”. This definitely scratches that itch.  They’re really good!

“Stop thinking this is all there is…. Realize that for every ongoing war and religious outrage and environmental devastation and bogus Iraq attack plan, there are a thousand counter-balancing acts of staggering generosity and humanity and art and beauty happening all over the world, right now, on a breathtaking scale, from flowerbox to cathedral…. Resist the temptation to drown in fatalism, to shake your head and sigh and just throw in the karmic towel…. Realize that this is the perfect moment to change the energy of the world, to step right up and crank your personal volume; right when it all seems dark and bitter and offensive and acrimonious and conflicted and bilious… there’s your opening. Remember magic. And finally, believe you are part of a groundswell, a resistance, a seemingly small but actually very, very large impending karmic overhaul, a great shift, the beginning of something important and potent and unstoppable.” -Mark Morford, San Francisco Chronicle

This is where we are going today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We got our Christmas tree in South Pasadena tonight. It is TINY (just barely 3 feet) and it is perfect.  I’ve been trying to convince Sebastian and Jeff to get a fake pink tree, but that didn’t happen. Perhaps in a parallel universe somewhere.

Jeff made delicious goat cheese, asian pear and muenster grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner. The idea came from a series of sandwich photos on chowhound titled “The Most Delicious Sandwiches”. Sebastian loved the sandwich as well, and commented that “it’s a nice change” from boring old grilled cheese.

Finally–an update.

Wednesday was Sebastian’s first fieldtrip. Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grades went to the L.A. Zoo. The last time I went to the L.A. Zoo  was in 2nd grade, and the only thing I remember about  it was an awesome vending machine that would take two quarters, and then pour hot wax into an animal shape of your choice. The wax animal would cool, and then drop down to the slot below for pickup.  I wish I still had that bear. I can still smell the  wax. I think I was compelled to crush it because it closely resembled a hollow chocolate bunny.

I was one of twelve chaperones for first grade, and had Sebastian and his friends Armando and Jonathan in my group. I spent the day with another mom and her group of two. We basically walked from closed exhibit to closed exhibit. Walked uphill to dead ends, breathed  in fumes from construction equipment (they’re building an extended elephant exhibit although elephants have a history of dying at this particular zoo)  and spotted some animals here and there. The kids were great, though exhausting, and made me wonder about the sanity of folks with lots of  children. How did my grandparents deal with six kids?! Yikes.  I could barely take care of five for three hours.  I guess thats what screaming and belts are for.  KIDDING. It was fun.

The zoo part, not so much. I have a problem with zoos to begin with, but if you’re going to build a zoo and try to  make it “educational” for everyone, (animals are more evolved than humans–that’s all you really need to know) then at least put some effort into it and try to create a space that doesn’t drive people to want to slit their wrists at the main gate.  The place was that depressing. And holy fuck, there was no wax animal vending machine.

…soon. maybe.