Layout Switcharoo - Ads

I kind of changed the layout around a bit। I put the Google search bar on top where it is more accessible, and I put the disclaimer on the bottom of the page so it would stand out more. In case you haven't seen it before, it just says to give me credit if you use anything from this site.
I also rearranged the sidebar to make it a little more logical (important things coming first and more noticeable, making the ads easier to see.)

I didn't put any more ads up, but I put the Google search where you can see it now (I have no idea why I put it in a place nobody would look for it.) The search bar does generate revenue, so if you need to search for something please use it, it does the same thing as going to Google.com. My plan for the ad money is to do things to help animals and/or my college fund (I'm trying to find a career that will let me help animals.)

So legally I can't ask you to click on the ads, but I can say what the money will be used for. I'm not a person who is usually for ads, but college is expensive and my career or donations will help animals. And to be quite honest, some of the ads are actually really good, I just printed out a coupon for vegan cheese!

If you have any suggestions on the site layout or any gadgets I should add, please let me know I'd love to hear your suggestions.

Time??? What Time??

Well I haven't posted in quite some time.. I feel extremely guilty about it. Lets see, here are my excuses. I worked about 30 hours every week once school ended and did driver's ed on top of that. Then right afterwards I went to Ireland for 3 weeks and never was able to get on a computer. Then immediately after I got home I went to soccer camp for a week, and then I had pre-season training.

And school just started two weeks ago and I am already royally sick of it. I'm taking 5 honors credits. 5 classes (Government, Euro History, English, French History, and French Literature) count as 16 credits for the University of Connecticut (they're transferable), and then I'm taking AP Calculus and AP Chemistry, along with Health and Gym. So even with my study hall, I have multiple papers due each week. Argh!

So I'm trying my best to blog. I love to do it, but I have other things I should probably be doing instead :( I'm going to try to write multiple posts at once and then have them be uploaded automatically at different dates so it looks like I'm posting content regularly. But no guarantees yet, I need to find the time to write them! I cant wait til I'm out of school!!!

Lemon Garlic and Mushroom Spaghetti

This is very similar to Lemon Butter Pasta With Mushrooms & Tofettes. But this version is much better. The Tofettes are nice, I used them mostly for an extra protein source, but it tastes better sans Tofettes. Also, with a few ingredient changes, this recipe tastes much more grown-up and refined.

Ingredients:

1 box of spaghetti (cappellini and angel hair are also acceptable)
1/2 cup vegan margarine

2 cups sliced white mushrooms (or baby bella)

2 cloves garlic, crushed/diced/minced

1 small onion (or 1/2 of a large), chopped

2 TBS lemon juice

1/4 cup white wine (I used a white vermouth that was made for cooking)

Salt, to taste (my wine had salt added)

Dried parsley (garnish)

1. Boil pasta until al dente. Continue with the other steps. When pasta is done, drain it and put in a large bowl.

2. Melt margarine in a medium size frying pan.

3. Add garlic and onions, saute over medium until onions are mostly translucent.

4. Add mushrooms, and saute until they have lost some water. If the mushrooms absorb all of the margarine and the bottom of the pan is too dry to saute, add another tablespoon.

5. Add the white wine, stir, and allow most of the alcohol to simmer off. (Do a taste test, it should not taste too alcohol-y)

6. Add lemon juice, stir, and taste again. If it needs more lemon, you can add it. You shouldn't be able to taste anything more than a hint of alcohol, unless you prefer it that way. You should have a lot of liquid in the pan, because this is the sauce for the pasta.

7. Add the contents of the saucepan to the bowl of drained pasta, and stir. Garnish with a few flakes of parsley.

Veganism is HOT

I just happened to come across this while surfing the web:

According to MSN.com, Veganism is a hot topic, nice!
With all these celebs being vegan, the status is certainly well merited. Here are just a few famous vegans:

• Albert Einstein
• Alicia Silverstone
• Andre 3000 (rapper, of OutKast)
• Elijah Wood (Frodo!)
• Joaquin Phoenix
• Natalie Portman
• Tobey Maguire (Spiderman!)
• Pat Thetic (drummer of Anti-Flag)
• Tim McIlrath (personal hero, singer of Rise Against)
• Weird Al Yankovic
• Emily Deschanel (Bones!)
  

I'm actually wicked excited about this because I never knew Emily Deschanel was vegan, and I am completely OBSESSED with the show Bones. She is like my complete role model and t.v. twin. And she happened to play a minor part in Spiderman 2 with Tobey Maguire. With a (tv) scientist, Frodo, Spiderman, the best punk singer ever, and Weird Al, vegans are quite hot! (Tim McIlrath and Tobey Maguire are also quite the sexy beasts!)

Oh the wondrous useless facts that brighten my life that I find through blogging! :)

Ahhhh Exams!!!!

I just finished my track season, the girls had a 7-6 record so we kept it above .500, which is good for a really small school. I also made varsity, and competed in the state meet, so I think I did pretty well. Vegan power!
But now that the fun is over exams are starting on Friday. Of course, I have two of the hardest on the first day, with French III and US History. Then on Monday I have the worst possible combination; Chemistry and World Literature. Then its not so bad on Tuesday because I have by itself (but the exam will be horrible, its cumulative) and on Wednesday I just have Spanish II and then I'm free!
This summer is already starting to look packed. I'm working a lot, doing driver's ed, going to soccer camp with the team, and then going to Ireland for 2 or 3 weeks to see my Dad and my cousins there. And every couple of weekends or so I'm going to Vermont to see my boyfriend. So I'm pretty excited, but it doesn't leave as much time for volunteering and reading as I'd have liked.