Valdez vs. the Machine

Song of the Week - Landslide

2010-11-12T17:12:00.003-07:00

So I do realize it's slightly in poor taste to take a GREAT song, (and I thoroughly mean that) and post a cover version, especially when it's not even close to being better than the original. But - to be fair, this is the version I heard first, and so it's the one closest to my heart. Oh, there's Val being cheesy again. If you haven't come to expect that, it's your own dang fault. So yes, I am

Love Dogs, Not Cars - My Story

2010-10-28T11:18:00.004-07:00

Some of you may have heard some chatter about the Downtown Dog Park petition going on these past few weeks. Sean Sweat, the organizer and lifeblood of this great cause, has asked us to write letters. It's a simple "action item" that we often blow off. So I decided to write a letter to the councilmen & women who will be hearing from us about this proposed dog park on Nov. 4th. Who knows if it will

Song of the Week - Sleeping Lessons

2010-10-13T15:27:00.000-07:00

Sleeping Lessons So I guess it's time to get John Mayer's sultry crooning off the blog, or Annie may give up on me all together. Time for one of my favorites. The Shins are nice chill music, portland music as Dan would call it. This song is my favorite of theirs - just seems to strike me with some significance - as well as deliver a heavy dose of energy and positive-thinking. I think I'm

South of the Border Mac-N-Cheese

2010-09-21T12:48:00.003-07:00

All the right stuff So... it's no surprise that around Papago Palace, MAC is the word. I started making homemade Mac for Dan when we moved in together, oh domesticity. He loved it. He loves anything I make, like a good bf. But it was always a little boring and I thought I could do better. I was inspired after a dinner at TMI (the main ingredient) in downtown phx. They serve green chili mac,

Heart of Life

2010-08-13T12:21:00.001-07:00

So it might be a crime to post two John Mayer songs in one summer, but I'm gonna break the rules because it's my blog and I do what I want >:) So it's now August 13th. Tomorrow is my first real attempt at the RPR. I took it in May before I was qualified to get a feel for what the process was like. I passed the written portion, missed the jury charge by 3 points and slaughtered the rest. Since

A Simple Life

2010-07-26T18:16:00.001-07:00

Page Springs Cellars - a stop on our Verde Valley Wine adventure over 4th of July weekend Time for a new song. I started a Weepies station last month on Pandora. It’s my “train music.” I listen to it on my 25 minute ride from downtown Phoenix back to Tempe. My cousin Diane is the one who first introduced me to the Weepies so of course a lot of their songs remind me of her. She has this really

Am I Living it Right?

2010-06-01T18:26:00.001-07:00

Okay so I really thought when I was writing my last post back in eek, February that I was back on the blogging wagon, but apparently that was a false assumption. I have, however, been doing a few important things (such as getting engaged, prepping for the RPR and starting my court reporting internship) so hopefully the blogging world (who I'm sure has completely forgotten me by now) will forgive

Song of the Week - Sweet Disposition

2010-02-12T16:27:00.008-07:00

The Temper Trap ~Sweet Disposition~I heard this song for the first time when I went to see 500 Days of Summer with KP in Portland. The most memorable aspect of that movie was this song. It's just one of those pretty and thoughtful songs that leaves you wanting more. I was thinking about it the other day and the Griz was kind enough to get it for me so I could listen to it at home :)Since it's

Recipe of the Week - Chicken Tortilla Soup

2010-02-11T15:30:00.005-07:00

Well this is actually the recipe of 2 weeks ago. Lately I've been giving up on the notion that I have the time, energy, ability, or desire to prepare home-cooked meals all the time. It's definitely what I want to be doing, because I enjoy cooking, and even more I enjoy eating what I cook (and my waist line certainly appreciates it too, as opposed to eating out or diving into a bag of chips) but

"North by North" - Song and Post of the Week

2010-01-22T16:36:00.005-07:00

Greetings from the copper pig of Old Town Scottsdale! Oink!I really like this song! I heard it on Pandora in the fall and love when I hear it by chance. It's a good winter song. We are currently in the depths of a treacherous winter over here in Tempe! (Gasp!) I guess last night's storm was one of the biggest Arizona has ever seen. Flooding at Tempe Town Lake, road closures on all of the major

A New Year, a New Story

2010-01-06T11:42:00.010-07:00

Hello bloggers,I know I haven't been a blog worth reading in the latter half of '09. But if you can forgive me, perhaps we can work something out. Maybe it's that I haven't felt like sharing, or that I haven't had time, or that I've been lazy, or I've been busy cleaning up all the shreds of things I used to love that Clover has chewed through, but the bottom line is that I've apparently been

Song of the Week - Swimming in the Flood

2009-09-27T17:39:00.007-07:00

I don't write on my blog as much as I have been wanting to lately. Mostly because life has hit me (in a good way) these past 6 months with a lot more responsibilities and tasks. I feel like I get no downtime... I'm constantly on the go - weekend to weekend. As a short timeline, I road-tripped from Portland to SLC with Joshua, visited my family in Utah, drove to AZ with Misty, went to Canada for a

Song of the Week - Desert Sunrise

2009-09-14T22:34:00.009-07:00

Desert SunriseBrett DennenLiving in Arizona after Portland has been quite the adjustment. I feel like a new person after this summer and have so few words to express what that means. But for now, I wake up everyday... sun rising onto the desert... Clover giving me kisses - ready to start the day. It's a strange place, but I'm attempting to fall in love with it all over again... though it's taking

Recipe of the Week

2009-07-31T12:49:00.003-07:00

Halibut Vegetable ChowderI made this the week before Erica came to visit - and had totally forgot about it until I was looking through some of my foodie pictures :) It comes from a recipe book I got on the coast called "Seafood Twice a Week." It's a great resource for making quick and delicious seafood, and comes with pages and pages of how to prepare and cook all kinds of seafood properly. It

Sauvie Island Spaghetti

2009-07-23T07:32:00.020-07:00

Oh, and brother you should knowThat this heart's still filled with sadness and regretBut I'm learning as I go,To forgive the things that I just can't forget.