one hundred fifty one

today i learned how to homebrew beer. literally, step by step.

i also learned it's relatively easy to make gluten free beer by substituting sorghum for malted barley, as they have similar qualities. and i learned there is a product (clarinex? i think) that people are discovering can actually be added to beer that already contains gluten and it will extract the gluten. meaning, if you like to drink a certain beer but wish to make it gluten free - there now may be a reasonable way to do that. super interesting to see where that will lead! maybe i'll be able to start enjoying beer more =)

one hundred fifty

it's okay to be a trusting person in general. it's good and admirable to be trustworthy yourself (see yesterday's blushing post). but be careful whom you put your trust in, because more often than not, you will be disappointed.

one hundred forty nine

i've always been really embarrassed by my sometimes uncanny ability to turn crimson with the slightest provocation, even if i'm truly not embarrassed by the situation occurring at that moment. however, a new study suggests it might not actually be a bad thing. read about it here. maybe it's time to embrace my blush!

one hundred forty eight

president barack obama was born in the usa. like, for real. it's ridiculous it had to come to this, but in today's political climate, i guess it's not surprising. BUT CAN WE FINALLY PUT IT TO REST AND MOVE ONTO ISSUES THAT REALLY MATTER!?!

one hundred forty seven

it is more difficult to get tickets to the olympic games than the FIFA world cup. which seems absurd. and impossible.

one hundred forty six

cars are far more likely to yield to teens carrying backpacks (on way to school) then the general population. maybe i should start wearing a backpack on my walk to the hospital so i don't have to stand at every corner for 5 mins waiting for someone to let me cross..

one hundred forty five

some fun facts (and numbers!) about what will be needed for the upcoming royal wedding:

*1900 people will be in attendance

*2 choirs & 1 orchestra will be performing during the ceremony

*5000 bells will ring for 3 hrs after the service

*2 wedding cakes will be served

*1700 biscuits will be used to make one of the cakes (william's favorite)

*5000 police officers will be ensuring safety

*187 horses will be trotting about

*35 police dogs will be sniffing out any strange scents

*1,000,000 people will line streets around the cathedral

*100 million pints of beer will be poured at pubs

*26,000 tulips will be trimmed since they peaked too early this year and will take your eye off the royal couple's appearance at buckingham palace (poor tulips!)

one hundred forty four

i haven't been a practicing christian for many years now, and won't pretend to be for the sake of pleasing others. BUT i must admit, "the 10 commandments" is one of the best movies ever made and i truly love watching it every saturday prior to easter sunday.

and, young moses is sexy, even if that's sacrilegious.

one hundred forty three

music is transportive.

it always amazes me how, despite the number of years that have passed, a certain lyric or song or melody can just bring you to another place and time. even if only for a moment..

"but tell me now where was my fault, in loving you with my whole heart?"

- mumford and sons

one hundred forty two

watching someone you love utterly breakdown, knowing there is nothing you can do to 'make it better', has got to be one of the worst feelings in the world.

one hundred forty one

life is not fair.

one hundred forty

eff! apparently swearing is a good pain reliever. read about it #@*! here.

one hundred thirty nine

i now like grapefruit.

one hundred thirty eight

seeing an old flame for the first time since "the last time" can initially be slightly awkward. but you get over it real quick.

one hundred thirty seven

wow! as we ready for the boston marathon, this story is just amazing.

one hundred thirty six

i rarely get political, but seriously - arizona's government is full of morons. i was considering moving there since it's a beautiful state, but not anymore. at least not until jan brewer is out.

one hundred thirty five

we all have a breaking point.

one hundred thirty four

drug smugglers are pretty dang smart, i'll give them that.

one hundred thirty three

i might be generally vegetarian. i might be gluten free. but tonight i had the best filet mignon and warm bread basket i've ever had in my life. thank you capital grille and seattle restaurant week!

one hundred thirty two

forgiveness is easy. it's the forgetting that i'm still struggling with.

one hundred thirty one

i'm glad i'm a wine drinker! this is why.

one hundred thirty

today while at 21 cellars, a tacoma winery that i visited thanks in part to groupon, i learned about the different types of wine presses. 21 cellars used to use a hand crank mechanism that would squish the grapes via lowering a wooden block to put pressure on the crushed grapes. but they've since converted to hydro-pressure, using water to slowly expand a tube bladder to exert pressure. this is much more gentle on the grapes and will ensure more control over the tannins ultimately found in the wine.

it's a lot better than the old fashioned way! yay wine!

one hundred twenty nine

i'm might be going to hell.

today i internally got angry with a disabled grocery bagger at my market b/c when i got home, i was missing my organic yellow squash and 2 lara bars. this was immediately followed by my feelings of regret for donating a dollar to the disability fund at check out. which was immediately followed by horrible guilt for being angry over $3.50 for the chance of someone living a productive life. which was then followed by sadness over my lack of patience for something that ultimately is so not worth being angry about.

sigh. 1/3 of the way through the year, and obviously still working on being a better person..

one hundred twenty eight

this seattle ballpark beer seller has one of the best ideas i've heard of. even though i hate twitter, talk about a lightbulb moment!

one hundred twenty seven

apparently your memory doesn't work as well when you're in a good mood. which is partly why it's easier to remember the bad times.. maybe there IS an upside to pessimism, ha. read full article here.

one hundred twenty six

talk about inspiration! i love reading stories about amazing women.. like the one who's goal was to travel to every country on earth, and ellen degeneres had her on the show.. and the one who went skydiving on her 80th birthday.. and NOW, there's "Gladyator", the 92 year old marathon runner. i hope i'm half as cool as these ladies when i'm an old bird.

one hundred twenty five

if spending time with someone is not an enjoyable experience, being nice and pretending it is so as to save that person's ego ultimately is a bad idea. while it might initially hurt the feelings of the other party, in the end you are doing both yourself and them a favor.

one hundred twenty four

sir mix-a-lot is from seattle.

one hundred twenty three

lleva is not the same as llaves. one is to wear. one is keys. oh, español. this whole time i've been keying shirts and opening doors with wearing.

one hundred twenty two

google's gmail motion isn't real. but i really wish it was. "To send a message, lick a stamp and place it down." priceless.

to watch google's annual april fool's joke, click here.