Q&A if you're bored

Music4Games.net has included me in their "In The Studio With..." series.

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THE FUTURE

I have abstained for a while to not post anything political on this blog, until now. As of late I am becoming more and more passionate and inspired by a certain candidate that I felt the urge to share this one clip. Which a fellow composer I know, created the music for.

clicking HERE to go to YouTube will allow you to watch it with slightly hight quality video & sound.



when all is said and done, prior to Nov.4th...aside from all the fear mongering, fabricated truths and embellished figures on both sides. How can this man not at LEAST inspire you as a human being. isn't that what we essentially need NOW to bring about change and bring us together...INSPIRATION?? it's long over due.

thank you for watching.

GO VOTE!!!

speeder chase

IMG_4324
Originally uploaded by kriepl1

just wanted to share the latest in the series of star wars miniature pics.
Follow the link to the flickr site and you can check out 2 more shots from this set up.

Newman Owns

ok all i need to say really is....go purchase and listen to Randy Newman's latest 'Harps & Angels'.
It is pure genius....all around....music, arrangement, and lyrics.

ok that's all. I hope you were not expecting a review.


itunes

amazon

'the end'

in case you were bored....

a review of the music i wrote for a highly anticipated video game, HUXLEY

here, also is another review from back in may. 'click here'

Imperial Chase

IMG_3210
Originally uploaded by kriepl1

Just wanted to share a pic from a set of photos I've been doing in my spare time. You can check out a larger image of this, by clickin on the link under the image. Also You can see the set up shot, at that same link. ENJOY :-)

Height (no H!!!!)

ok....what is it with people saying the word HEIGHT, with an 'H' at the end of it....i.e Heighth. UH?
I have encountered people my entire life who stick an H at the end of this word. The latest being our contractor that re-did our bathroom. Grant it, he was an interesting gentleman, but he is a contractor and deals with THIS word almost everyday. You would think he'd know how to say it correctly. Some people I have heard say this are very well educated people. Is this a secret word amongst a small group of people? Actually now that I think about, I think one of the Yankees' announcers, Michael Kay, on the YES Network pronounces this word with an H on the end. This is one of my pet peeves of the english language. Now don't get me wrong, I am by no means an expert on my own language. I am just confuzzled by this word, how such intelligent people use it incorrectly.

anyone?

Arugula Pesto

Ok so it's been quite some time since I last blogged about recipes that I've been making. Well, it's partially due to most of the recipes I make have more than 5 ingredients which to those who read my blogging don't like to cook anything new with more than 5 ingredients. With that said, I have a new recipe that has 5 ingredients! Yes, you guessed right...it's ARUGULA PESTO! It's really quite fantastic - Kevin and I have had it several times. Quick & easy too!

You'll need:

1/2 cup sunflower seeds
4 cups of arugula
6 tbs olive oil
2 tbs lemon juice
2 cloves garlic

Start out by toasting the sunflower seeds in a dry skillet for about 3 minutes or until they're lightly browned. Transfer them to your food processor. Add the rest of the ingredients to the food processor. Process until smooth. Season with salt & pepper. Serve over spaghetti or whatever choice of pasta you like best.

YUMMY!!

So I do have other recipes but they call for more than 5 ingredients. All the recipes come from my Vegetarian Mother's Cookbook. If you're interested in the recipes, just ask me for them: Shepherd's Pie, Beanballs, Cucumber & Watercress Sandwich, Super C-Smoothie, Kale & Rice Casserole, Sweet Potato Spelt Biscuits...there are more but these are some of my favorites!

Happy cooking to all !!

Gas Prices SUCK

Ok so like my father in law I do not understand how gas on Wednesday can be $4.09 and then on Thursday morning it's $4.19. I just don't get it. Our gas station on the corner has the following prices: Regular is $4.19. Plus is $4.29. Premium is $4.39. This is completely ridiculous. I mean I don't drive as much anymore but you can bet I'd be even more ticked if I was still working full time and driving all over the place. I remember when living in NJ I would drive up to the gas station and ask for $2 worth of gas - always just enough gas to hold me over until payday. $2 nowadays barely gets you a half gallon of gas. The news talks about how expensive gas is but not one of them ever explains why the prices are going up so rapidly. Ok I'm done.

May 17, 2008

Ok so FIVE years ago today Kevin and I got married. Tonight after the movie we wanted to go see was sold out we came home, sent the nanny home, poured a glass of wine, grabbed the chips & salsa, and took a trip down memory lane....

Yes, we watched our wedding dvd. We haven't seen our wedding dvd since before the boys were born and before I was pregnant with the boys. It's always fun watching our wedding day because it jogs our memory of things that happened that week, the night before, and the day of our wedding. My first reaction was "wow - we look really young." Kevin's first reaction was "wow - i did a fantastic job of putting this dvd together."

Some of my more funny favorite memories from watching the dvd were me not being able to walk on that friggin white carpet thing with my father, my father & father in law pushing their bellies out...my FAVORITE all time pic of them, my mother in law picking her nose during the rehearsal (yes we caught her on video doing this), the proud mary dance with uncle robby, the proud mary dance where kevin comes in at the end and gets all the credit, ..... i won't bore everyone reading this (which probably isn't a lot of people anyway) with the rest of my funny memories because I could go on for hours.

With the funny memories come the more serious ones... the ones that get you all choked up inside.... my father in law's toast...gets us every time we watch it...dancing with my dad, our vows, the kiss, my dress...yes, my dress makes me cry - i was so in love with that dress, our first dance, and i think the one memory that gets me all the time...lauren's toast to us. after watching it, i couldn't have asked for a better friend whom i am proud to call my sister today.

If you would have told me five years ago...or better yet if you would have told me 11 years ago that i would be where i am now ... well, wow ... I couldn't have asked for a better husband or a better life... would not change a thing..... and I will end with a quote from the card my husband gave me for our anniversary... " I can't wait to grow old & disgusting with you..."

Your In Nation and Duty

the other day, we were getting the boys ready for baths. Before going into the bathroom...we take clothes and diapers off, and let them run around naked for a short while in the hall way. Well, the two of them were standing at the closed bathroom door waiting to go in. Kaeden, closest to the door, started peeing. The pee stream at first was hitting the bathroom door, which I think got his attention. I believe this is the first time he has peed outside of wearing a diaper, and i think it took him by surprise. As he realized what was happening, he looked down and then up at us then down again (like..'what tha..?"), and proceeded to move backwards as if trying to get away from what was happening. As he continued to pee, he seemed to have no idea what was going on. It was rather humorous. Which leads me to my next story....about last night....

Again, it was bath night. So you can imagine...that it was diaper-less time. I am not a big fan of this...because of having to clean up urine. Tracy prefers to do it, to give them some freedom and air out their bottoms in case of diaper rash. So I go along...as any smart husband should/would. So...this time, we decided to let them roam around the living room FREE. Tracy de-clothes Kaeden and sends him to living room, and says to me awww take pictures of them naked...it's cute. So I oblige, and I go get camera in studio and tracy returns to bedroom to undress Quinton. I am gone but a mere 1minute, IF THAT and as I am returning with camera I am thinking...'sheesh I hope he's not peeing'. Well I enter living room and I see him standing completely still not moving at all....and think oh man..He's PEEING...then I see something drop off his but...and it clicked....in a panic driven voice I say WHOAH WHOAH WHOAH.....as I say this, Kaeden reacts to my whoahs by looking straight at me, puppy eyes and all, with his arms out and shoulders shrugged, as if to say "what daddy? what's the matter? did I do something wrong?" Behind him is a pile of doody, and small trail which leads to him and the bottom of his foot. Yes, he pooped, then stepped in it, then walked across carpet. SO....Tracy came in to help briefly, while Quinton played in the bedroom. As I finished cleaning Kaeden, I hear tracy yelling from their bedroom, I am concerned because I can't make out what she is yelling and Quinton was like i said briefly in the room alone, I thought he might be hurt or something. But no....I walk into their room with Kaeden, and I see Quinton standing there, while Tracy is laughing hysterically ....there is a nice sized LOG on the floor beneath where Quinton is standing. Luckily it was an easier clean up than Kaeden's becuase one, it was nice clean evacuated log, and it was NOT stepped in. We finally got them both cleaned up, let them run around a little more, while I scrubbed the HECK out of the carpet, THEN finally got them in the bath. YAY!!! Fun Stuff!!

Next time I propose not letting them run around without diapers, unless the diaper we remove from them has a fresh deposit in it.

Kaeden & Quinton

Just wanted to share the video below with everyone...
This seems to be the usual routine at night during story time before bed, when they both are a bit silly. This time it was Kaeden trying to tick off Quinton.
I wasn't able to get the whole thing recorded. They were doing it for quite a bit, before i was able to get the camera.

What do you say?

When you need to get cash do you say you're "going to the mac machine" OR do you say you're "going to the atm machine?"

Apparently here in LA if you say "mac machine" people look at you like you have 3 heads....so I'm wondering if it's just an east coast thing to say "mac machine."

By the way, I say "mac machine."

Fly, yes. Land, no.

May 22nd my friends....May 22nd. It has been a long time since Indy has graced the screen of movie theaters. Next month is going to be the first time in 19 years we get to join Henry Jones Jr. on yet another adventure. I honestly can't understand why movies like this are not made anymore...the story, the originality, the creativity, the music, emotion, acting...everything.

I remember seeing each of the first 3 movies with my Dad when I was young, and I think part of the reason why I find these movies so awesome and feel a connection with them, is because he most likely enjoyed the films just as much as I did, if not even more. I remember him covering my eyes during 'Temple of Doom' to somehow protect me from the imagery from when Mola Ram was removing the heart of one of his sacrifice victims by hand. It is odd...everytime i think of the Indiana Jones films, I tend to think of my dad and our relationship....strange...? yes i know, but for some reason I do.

I do plan on going to see this one on opening weekend...and I rarely if EVER go on opening weekends. However...IF i can wait (which I probably won't be able to) I will do my best to hold out and see the film when my mom and dad visit in July....but i am not totally sure the film will be out that long in theaters. If anything I will see it, then go see it AGAIN when he visits...won't be too difficult to do :-)

I found it!

Newton's Folly Granny Smith Draft Cider! It's the closest in taste to Woodpecker Cider (only found on the east coast) that I love so much! I was shopping at Trader Joe's and decided to give it a shot and sure enough it tastes just like Woodpecker Cider! So, this can be added to my reasons for "loving" California.

BROILER PART II

Well thank you for all your broiler comments. Now let me explain or rather let me tell you my funny story.

My parents had an oven where the broiler was a separate drawer at the bottom. My first apartment and everywhere that I've lived also had an oven where the broiler was at the bottom. Kevin and I moved into our current house 4 years ago this June. I distinctly remember (and so does Kevin) once needing to broil something in those 4 years. The one time we broiled..we broiled salmon. I remember turning the broiler on, putting the salmon into the "separate drawer at the bottom" and then setting the timer for the amount indicated on the salmon recipe. I remember when the timer went off the salmon was BARELY cooked..so we cooked it longer and it took what seemed forever to cook the salmon. Anyway, we ate the salmon that night. Ok so 4 years later I come across my recipe for sun dried tomatoes & arugula tartines...which yes, you guessed right...calls for the BROILER! well, my tartines go in the broiler..you know the "separate drawer at the bottom".....and in 3 minutes the cheese on top should have melted. I go to check and no melting...I was perplexed...HUH? What is going on? I wait another 5 minutes...still no melted cheese on my tartines! HHMMMMPH! Now I'm on my knees looking into the broiler and then I see something through the oven door. It's the freakin' burner at the top of the oven chamber! HOW DUMB! Who knew?!?!? Apparently not me! Like Lauren, I thought all ovens had a broiler at the bottom. My pondering thought (ah-ha pondering thought line taken from someone else's blog LOL) is why don't they get rid of the drawer at the bottom and make my oven bigger if the broiler & oven are all in one place?!?!?!?!

BROILER

Ok can everyone reading this please tell me where the broiler is in their oven? I will explain my question once I get a few comments.

California

Ok so as I'm sure most of you know I've got this love/hate relationship going with California. The past few months it's been more of a hate relationship but the holidays are to blame for that. Since spring has come upon us it's slowly turning into that love relationship again. Let me explain why....

#1 The roses on our patio are in full bloom. To think that just 4 years ago we planted this dinky little rose climber and now it's absolutely fantastic to look at and the smell is spring at its best.

#2 Our orange tree is getting its flowers. If you leave our patio door open you can smell the orange tree while standing in our kitchen. And the oranges are really juicy! 2 days in a row now I've made freshly squeezed orange juice for myself. AND the boys love the juice too.

#3 Farmers markets. Plain & simple farmers markets. I am back into the routine of buying all our fruits & veggies at the local farmers markets. And I spend less than $20 a week which makes me even more happier! It makes me want to cook even more than I normally do...tonight I made fresh arugula pesto sauce over pasta. Deeeelish if I don't say so myself.

#4 Spending all our afternoons either in the backyard or at the park (it was a cold winter here in southern CA).

#5 Flip flops.

Ah...yes folks I am in love with California again.

american idol

Isn't it great to have American Idol back again? I LOVE THIS SHOW!!

food in a funny place

ok so the other day i was changing kaeden's diaper and found a pea stuck in his belly button. literally stuck in his belly button. :-)

thank you

i just wanted to post a thank you to the owners of coffee bean & tea leaf...

thank you thank you thank you for your green tea ice blended. it's the bomb and i love me some green tea ice blendeds!

it really is my favorite drink.

if you are reading this and you have never tried a green tea ice blended, then stop reading & go out & buy yourself one!

ok - i'm done.

me2

My First Blog for 2008- WORD!

So this is my first blog for 2008 and I have just a few things to say.....

It seems to have been quite a busy year already for me & the boyzzzzzzzzz. And when I say boyzzz I am referring to Kaeden, Quinton, AND Kevin.

As you saw from Kevin's blog we bought K & Q their first pair of shoes a few weeks ago....and guess what? Q has already outgrown his shoes! He only wore them like twice! I still have the box and the shoes are totally clean...I am thinking about returning them...I wonder if they'll take them back?

I am back into the groove of working one day a week again. It's always so refreshing to be out on the road...I have the option to sit in silence while driving (HA - who drives in LA...I mean sit in traffic) or blast my favorite tunes on the radio.

K & Q are eating meals all on their own now.... with the exception of when they are fed leafy greens such as kale, spinach, and chard...oh and when they get oatmeal or yogurt in the morning. Otherwise everything they are doing on their own. It's quite hysterical to watch. And like mommy & daddy they too are vegetarians. The other day they each ate half of an avocado - I mean they inhaled it really...what characters when they are eating. They sign "more" when they are finished with what I gave them and they want more.

Ah yes...they are doing so much more....K & Q ARE WALKING!!! Apparently this is something odd for boys and even more odd for twins to be walking before they are a year old. None of the twins in our playgroup walked before they were a year old. And I think K & Q know this because at our last playgroup/playdate they were both strutting around like their poop didn't stink. They are totally my kids! LOL :-)

We hired a babysitter - yea!!! I have some help in the afternoons now. K & Q like her a lot and my stress level has been on the lower side since we've hired her.

The rain has finally stopped in LA...it was raining for what seemed like a month but was really only 10 days or so. We're back to taking our walks and playing in the park. I love sunshine !!!

The oranges on our tree are looking quite juicy and I cannot wait to grab one and make fresh orange juice!

That's enough for now - oh and I forgot to mention GO GIANTS!!!! WHOO-HOOOOO - YEA BABY - YOU PATRIOTS ARE GOING DOWN!!!! GO GIANTS !!!

First Pair of Shoes

Yesterday was a big day for the boys. We took them to the mall to get fitted for their first pair of shoes at Stride Rite.

Of course, of all times, Daddy forgets to bring along his camera...DOH! So I was left with utilizing the camera in my iPhone. Which from the results didn't turn out to be too horrible.

The boys were not big fans of some strange lady cramming their tiny feet into a little white shoe. They adjusted rather quickly and seem to not mind after the first one went on.

Quinton needed a 3 1/2 and Kaeden a size 3. Instead of going with some trendy velcro cool shoe...we went with the good old traditional white walkers. They are made quite a bit differently now. Still the same look but a tad more flexible while still retaining good ankle support. Damn those boys are cute, if I don't say so myself!

Click image below to view rest of pics: