The Sour and the Sweet

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80064322009-11-17T14:02:23.545-08:00The Sour and the SweetSandra Vahtel's old blog.Sandra Vahtelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09784900004636996034sandra.vahtel@gmail.comBlogger364125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8006432.post-1156041237763413982006-08-19T19:25:00.000-07:002006-08-19T19:33:57.786-07:00Come on over

I took the plunge.I moved. After two years of dedicated service, I'm hanging up the Blogger address and am moving to my new home. Update your bookmarks, 'cause from now on, The Sour and the Sweet can be found over at http://sourandsweet.wordpress.com. It was two years ago today that I started this blog, and while it might seem a little sentimental to say that blogging has changed my life -- it

Sandra Vahtelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09784900004636996034sandra.vahtel@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8006432.post-1155963330105129492006-08-18T21:52:00.000-07:002006-08-18T23:21:52.723-07:00A complete deja vu moment

Right now, I had to get this down before I forget.I walk up to the unbaked loaves of fococcia bread that are sitting on the counter, rising a bit, waiting for the oven. I push the pieces of cherry down into the dough through the plastic wrap that lies on top. Michelle and Chris are in the bathroom with the door open and I hear Michelle say "oww, you put your nose in my ear!"I don't know when

Sandra Vahtelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09784900004636996034sandra.vahtel@gmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8006432.post-1155846609674773972006-08-17T13:28:00.000-07:002006-08-17T13:34:13.500-07:00Glee

Stairs of concrete lead up to a large platform. A vista, overlooking the museum grounds. The sun hung low in the air, dense with smog, its rays shooting through the branches of a large tree off-setting the green of the leaves with golden and rose. Lush and radiant, the tree glowed directly at eye level, backlit like some sort of angelic portrait. Looking down from my vantage point I saw a

Sandra Vahtelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09784900004636996034sandra.vahtel@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8006432.post-1155749111039035972006-08-16T10:21:00.000-07:002006-08-16T11:34:43.406-07:00insect confusion

A portion of this morning's IM sessionMichelle: [nose smile]those roaches are not goodme: no, and eliz found another cricket last night, toohe was sitting under a cup in the kitchen when i got homeMichelle: gosh maybe they're crickets!Michelle: i can't tell them apart.me: really?crickets are smaller and cockroaches look like little turdswith a hard brown shellme: and crickets have thinner wings.

Sandra Vahtelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09784900004636996034sandra.vahtel@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8006432.post-1155669222130225552006-08-15T12:12:00.000-07:002006-08-15T12:13:42.983-07:00The Now Late-Summer New Music List

A couple of months ago I set out to find some new music artists 'cause it's hard to find good new stuff (or good old stuff) when commercial radio wants you to listen to the same five songs over and over. Inspired by a summer reading list that roommate Michelle did last year, I decided to compile a summer music list by asking my more musically inclined friends for a little help. So I cast out my

Sandra Vahtelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09784900004636996034sandra.vahtel@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8006432.post-1155338950088883772006-08-11T16:27:00.000-07:002006-08-11T16:29:10.110-07:00A postscript

Watch this video very carefully and pay attention, 'cause if you do you'll see someone familiar! :-)Rereading my last post, it sounds a bit heavy-handed. And having spent much of yesterday and today ruminating about the state of the world, I have to remind myself there is a hope that's so much greater than the evil that threatens to plunge more and more of the world into darkness. Evil will

Sandra Vahtelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09784900004636996034sandra.vahtel@gmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8006432.post-1155279496646722142006-08-11T00:04:00.000-07:002006-08-10T23:58:16.673-07:00this makes me angry and sad

Observing the wide chasm between the glitz and glamour of the West, in contrast to those nations where things look so dark, it is my opinion that...There are so many in this world who are struggling under the weight of poverty, war, disease and famine. And then there are so many others who've been blessed with an over-abundance of goods who are in a position to help those in need. Yet I

Sandra Vahtelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09784900004636996034sandra.vahtel@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8006432.post-1155235735001943412006-08-10T11:57:00.000-07:002006-08-10T12:52:12.713-07:00Nevermind

I was going to blog about trading in my old phone for my new phone, but then I got to work and read about the 21 people held in British custody for plotting to blow up planes using liquid and portable electronics, Michelle asked me to watch this, and the sights and sounds of the Pro-Israel rally that shut down a half-mile of Wilshire Blvd. a couple of Sundays ago continued to swirl around in my

Sandra Vahtelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09784900004636996034sandra.vahtel@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8006432.post-1155152262163145902006-08-09T12:35:00.000-07:002006-08-09T15:09:09.906-07:00A for "Adaptability"

I've been sick. This weekend was brutal, but now the sneezing and hacking and vomiting have subsided, though I still cannot taste anything. I can get broad strokes -- salt is salty and sugar is sweet, but I'm still missing subtle flavors that make the experience of eating actually pleasurable.I stayed home on Monday, watched way too many movies. As I ventured briefly out in the noon-day

Sandra Vahtelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09784900004636996034sandra.vahtel@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8006432.post-1155064825528148232006-08-08T12:13:00.000-07:002006-08-08T12:21:19.620-07:00Mission: Possible

Okay so here's the deal. My old writing prof, the veritable Christopher Meeks, has as perhaps some of you know, a self-published book of short stories called The Middle Aged Man and the Sea. Recently it was featured in the book section of Entertainment Weekly. A small blurb, a blink-and-you'll-miss-it blurb, but a mention nonetheless. So, your mission, if you choose to accept it, and if you

Sandra Vahtelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09784900004636996034sandra.vahtel@gmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8006432.post-1154983203573837192006-08-07T13:33:00.000-07:002006-08-07T13:40:03.716-07:00Chinese Fire Drill?

So today I'm sitting in my car, waiting for a red light somewhere on Beverly Blvd., between Fairfax and La Brea.Voice: Hey!I turn to the left and see a Buick or some other large-type car in the next lane over, its passenger side occupant, a man, mouthing something to me."What?" I yell back, turning down my radio to hear him properly."Hey, can I get out of his car (thumbing to the driver of

Sandra Vahtelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09784900004636996034sandra.vahtel@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8006432.post-1154712117480144862006-08-04T09:42:00.000-07:002006-08-04T10:21:57.870-07:00Should I Stay or Should I Go?

In the immortal words of The Clash, the time has come to decide about a new home for this blog. On August 19th, I will celebrate the two-year anniversary of The Sour and the Sweet, and consider it a time to think about moving on. I already have a new blog set up at wordpress that you can view here.So, by a show of hands, who here thinks I should stay, or go?

Sandra Vahtelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09784900004636996034sandra.vahtel@gmail.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8006432.post-1154645851282900622006-08-03T15:57:00.000-07:002006-08-03T15:59:06.943-07:00Tomfoolery

Sandra Vahtelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09784900004636996034sandra.vahtel@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8006432.post-1154626700401680452006-08-03T10:32:00.000-07:002006-08-03T14:36:22.733-07:00cupcake diagnostic

So the cupcakes are done. I've never baked anything that turned into a three-day endeavor. That said, I can't say they're worth it in the end, although as Eliz was quick to point out, the whole things was a learning curve so, c'est la vie.Next time, I won't bake the actual cupcakes three days ahead of time, and I'll also make sure the all the gelatin dissolves with the raspberries, 'cause I

Sandra Vahtelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09784900004636996034sandra.vahtel@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8006432.post-1154543770785146562006-08-02T11:24:00.000-07:002006-08-02T11:36:11.093-07:00The Competitive Edge, or Your First Sip of Beer

I said once that I wasn't going to post any more stories while they were still first drafts. Well, alright I guess I'm cheating, but I like this one and I want to share and I wrote it out long-hand first and then pipped it into the computer, so technically it already is a second draft, but it's not quite finished yet. Thanks to Andrew and Sarah, my writing group partners, for being the first

Sandra Vahtelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09784900004636996034sandra.vahtel@gmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8006432.post-1154454838767328012006-08-01T10:50:00.000-07:002006-08-01T10:53:58.986-07:00I'm turning into my mother, I swear

Last night I was making these mint cream cupcakes for my Bible study group on Thursday. Everything was going fairly well, despite not having enough sugar to make the frosting yet and trying to cook in the kitchen while one of the lightbulbs was burnt out. The cupcakes themselves turned out well, a delightful change from last time's red velvet mini-fiasco, wherein I was splattering red batter

Sandra Vahtelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09784900004636996034sandra.vahtel@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8006432.post-1154375826020052632006-07-31T14:20:00.000-07:002006-07-31T14:22:04.573-07:00when two is better than one

As iron sharpens iron, so one (wo)man sharpens another.I've been spending a lot of time with my friend Ludmilla lately. Ludmilla is a fellow photographer, and while she feels like her photography skills are lacking, I assure you, they're not. In fact, I've seen my own eye as a photographer widen and develop since I've known her, simply by having her stand alongside, looking through her own

Sandra Vahtelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09784900004636996034sandra.vahtel@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8006432.post-1154162964679550842006-07-29T01:44:00.000-07:002006-07-29T01:49:24.820-07:00350

I mention that number because this is the 350th post to this blog. I feel as though I have just wrapped up two weeks of birthday celebrations, cleaning off my desk tonight into a variety of piles of cards, receipts, gift cards (an ingenious invention, by the way), and books. The crown of the material gifting came today, after a long day at work. I was putting the mail away when I realized

Sandra Vahtelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09784900004636996034sandra.vahtel@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8006432.post-1153871780741125532006-07-25T16:54:00.000-07:002006-07-25T16:56:20.753-07:00Have a Seat

This chair seemingly came out of an Alice In Wonderland story. That is until the security guards chased me away.

Sandra Vahtelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09784900004636996034sandra.vahtel@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8006432.post-1153772799236455852006-07-24T13:22:00.000-07:002006-07-25T09:59:53.663-07:00Non Sequitur

Uttered by Grandizer last night as we sat in the dining room with the lights out, eating Popsicles because it was so freaking hot:"Does anyone know where I can find a large bag of small plastic novelty bones?"

Sandra Vahtelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09784900004636996034sandra.vahtel@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8006432.post-1153758913813125072006-07-24T09:22:00.000-07:002006-07-24T13:26:55.256-07:00Little Miss Sunshine

Thank you. Thank you! Thank you!! Thank you Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris and Michael Arndt for making a movie that made me laugh hysterically one minute and cry the next. Thank you for making a movie that had a shred of originality in sea of sequels and remakes and for making a movie that's not afraid to show the vulnerability of we humans, all while making me laugh so hard it was a

Sandra Vahtelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09784900004636996034sandra.vahtel@gmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8006432.post-1153506910431029992006-07-22T11:17:00.000-07:002006-07-22T11:23:18.620-07:00Ritual de lo Habitual

I remember hearing somewhere that it takes about forty days of doing something intentionally in order to turn it into a habit. Well I've decided to test this theory recently. It started with the mouth. Due to a dearth of health care availability, I haven't been to the dentist in about five years, give or take. Because of this, taking care of my dental health has become essential, and about

Sandra Vahtelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09784900004636996034sandra.vahtel@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8006432.post-1153516136172725282006-07-21T14:05:00.000-07:002006-07-21T14:08:56.520-07:00Who's Hungry?

On IM today:Me: You wouldn't want to work at UTA, would you?Rachel: No, it was on the UTA joblist. This job was for an actor/producer.Me: Oh oh, I see. Ohmygosh, you'd have to give away your entire lunch!uhh...Me: I mean, life.riiiiiight.

Sandra Vahtelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09784900004636996034sandra.vahtel@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8006432.post-1153421612233591552006-07-20T15:46:00.000-07:002006-07-20T15:48:16.676-07:00Remixes

Beautiful, isn't she? I shot this in Prague one very early, raining morning in an open air exhibit by Czech artist Olbram Zoubek, which you can read more about here.I've been teaching myself Photoshop here at work during the less busy times. Recently I have stumbled upon the joys of the Gaussian Blur, and have gone back and "remixed" some of my favorite older photos that I felt could use a

Sandra Vahtelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09784900004636996034sandra.vahtel@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8006432.post-1153337004893715352006-07-19T12:21:00.000-07:002006-07-19T12:26:41.126-07:00life changing, eh?

Spotted at Synergy this morning -- A flier that proclaimed: Feng Shui CAN change your life.Really? I'm sure it can, it'll certainly change the way the furniture is scattered around the living room. But stopping to think about it, just about anything can be life changing. The gravity of such change may vary -- for instance, the kind of toothpaste you choose could give you whiter teeth, but it

Sandra Vahtelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09784900004636996034sandra.vahtel@gmail.com0