I've decided to go vegetarian again. Not that I have anything in particular against meat eating, it just doesn't seem to help my attempts at weight loss and when I did drop a bunch of weight I was vegetarian at the time. So it makes sense to do it again. I don't really mind dropping meats from my diet, despite my childish dislike of vegetables, it's sugary foods that I'm a real sucker for.

Last year I went vegetarian and dropped all junk foods and high sugar foods from my diet as well as working out daily and lost about 21 kilos (46 pounds). It wasn't easy but I'd really like to do that again. Especially since I've put on 4 kilos (8 pounds) since I went back to meat and occassional sugars.

I used to be 113 kilos (248 pounds) and I'm at 96 (211 pounds) now (with my added 4)... does this feel like math to anyone else? Anywho, I'd really like to get under 85 kilos. It was my goal for the year, but the remaining months are looking a bit slim. I'm going to give it a go anyway and hopefully at least get under 90 before New Years, though holidays don't exactly make it easy.

But if I did it before, I can do it again, right?

We tried this place in town (Umeå). It was much larger than I thought but for some reason it took forever to get our food. Now, often when people say that I think they're exagerating. But it took an hour before we got our entres and then another hour for the foor. Two hours. I don't at all mind spending two hours in a restraunt, if I'm eating.

The food wasn't bad. I had a feta burger. But most of the foods seemed to be pretty centered around tzatziki sauce, which unfortunately I don't really like.

Hopefully it was just a fluke that it took so long when we were there, but I probably won't be going back anytime soon.

Why does everything on the net now have to be connected? Why do I have to use my google or facebook accounts in order to log in onto flickr or youtube? Why can't they just have their own passwords? I distinctly recall a time when they did. So why does everything persist on wanting to share information about me?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not lacking in paranoia. I've coped long ago with the fact that someone somewhere is probably compiling information about me to see what I look at and what stores I buy from, but damn it- is it too much for a girl to want some stealth in the matter? Don't ask my permission and try to corner me into having to connect accounts if I want to use the site! Do you know what ends up happening? I haven't been logged into youtube for ages and on mornings like this where after half a dozen tries to log into flickr to comment on a photo, I finally have to give up because it seems that unless I give youtube information from my google, I can't.

I'm not an overly skilled computer user. If you want my info for your capitilist portfolio, be sneaky! I won't catch you, I'll probably never even care, but stop asking my permission and pissing me off. Just let me sign into youtube with my youtube passport and log into flickr when I want. I'm sick of making extra email accounts just to accommodate this madness. And Facebook (that's right, I'm talking to you. I'm sure you're listening since you seem to be EVERYWHERE and in EVERYTHING I want to do these days) you know where you can shove your connecting links and all of those little 'like' buttons that now appear in the top corner of so many other sites.

I went camping with Phong, Phu, and LinnLinn in Saxnäs this week. It was a five hour drive during which we pulled over to view the scenery and I learned how to pee in nature. Seriously... I'm 23 and I had no idea how to go about something like that. It turns out there are no truck rest stops in Sweden, just little shoulders on the road and stretchs of forest.

Our cabin in Saxnäs was really nice, much nicer than I'd expected. But there are more bugs in Saxnäs than in Umeå. I think I got spoiled by the relatively critterless state of Umeå. I was showering at the cabin when I got that eerie feeling that something was nearby and there it was, the shower spider that persistantly continued to move around high up on the wall above the shower head. I almost abandoned my efforts of shaving half way through the first leg but I bared with the spiders creepy peepery and concurred! It was later returned to nature by Phong, since we're a 'capture and release' family when it comes to icky things.

On the second day we climbed that mountain in the first picture. We took a narrow path through the woods, fended off mutant mosquitoes and giant bee colored biting flies. Have you ever been bitten by a fly? Somehow it feels degrading so have something so low on the chain biting at you.

Anywho- we trudged up the mountain, taking more and more rests the higher up we got so as to heave breaths and wait for our hearts to slow down again... or perhaps that was just me. Phu and Phong were particularly energetic.

We made it to the top and on the way back, for some reason I was in the lead... I suspect it was gravity pulling me ahead of the others... but I of course managed to get us off trail and lost in the forest part for a good minute or two before we bravely decided to continue in the direction of the path rather than back track for a safer route.

And then for some reason they still let me lead the way.

Super chocolatey brownies with icing, walnuts, and white chocolate on top!

Ingredients:

1 package brownie mix
1 cup semi sweet chocolate
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup walnuts
3 tbs hot water
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla
10 - 12 ounce white chocolate pieces
3/4 cup walnuts

Directions:

-preheat 350 degrees and grease pan.
-prepare brownie mix according to package, stir in semisweet chocolate pieces and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts. Spread batter in pan.
-bake 30 minutes or until done and then cool.
-for frosting, mix melted butter and hot water in a small bowl, stir in powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla until smooth. Spoon over brownies. Sprinkle white chocolate and 3/4 cup chopped walnuts over top and then let cool.

I made these for Phong a while ago and they turned out pretty good. As always, I fudge the ingredients and ammounts so the recipe below is what I ended up using. So I suggest you do the same depending on what you like of course. LinnLinn was kind enough to take pictures for me.

Ingredients:

6 large onions
olive oil
1 garlic clove
100g sundried tomato
1-2 cups (2 1/2 dl) vegetarian ground beef
1 tbs (1 msk) chopped fresh parsley
50-100g crumbled goat cheese
1/2 cup (1 dl) parmesan
1 cup (2 dl) vegetable bullion

Directions:

-preheat oven 350 (180 c.)
-cut peel and scoop onions (wear goggles if you've got them... seriously) and then soak them for 5 minutes in hot water.
-heat oil in a skillet and cook garlic. add tomato and veggi meat.
-take skillet off stove and mix in cheeses and seasoning.
-fill onions and set in a pan, pour bullion over the onions and let pool in the pan. Put on onion caps.
-Bake 45 minutes.