My New Years has already started out with a bang!

So most of you know I love The Go-Go’s.

They were a guilty pleasure during my punk rock days in the 80’s… and then I kind of forgot about them. In 2001 my friends Wendy, Tracy and I heard that The Go-Go’s were on tour to promote their new kick-ass album God Bless The Go-Go’s. The new album is fantastic and stop the presses!!! They wrote a song about body image called Throw Me A Curve which I dance around to full blast whenever I’m feeling like my body isn’t what it should be. I love the lyrics of this song and it inspired my introduction for GOV.

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Back in the early 80's when I was just a skinny little girl with a mohawk and a bad attitude, there were not a lot of females out front in the alternative male dominated punk-rock scene. I mean there were a few. I had Blondie (too arty), Wendy O-Williams (too scary), Siouxsie (too goth), Joan Jett (too tough) & Suzi Quatro (dated the Fonz). None of whom I could really relate to.

In walked The Go-Go’s and they changed my life. 5 punk rock girls from the dirty streets of LA who had risen up from the LA punk scene to write and play some of the best music I had ever heard. How inspiring to see a group of woman play their own instruments, write and perform their own songs.

Everyone had their favourite Go-Go. Jane Wiedlin was short like me, had dark hair like me and kicked ass like me. As an uncomfortable teen-age girl with low self esteem it was really comforting to see something of myself mirrored back. It made me feel like being me was ok. I didn’t need to be tall, lanky and blonde to be desired. I was awesome just how I was.

Flash forward to my Go-Go’s born again moment in Las Vegas. I realized how lucky I was to be there, 20 years later, being able to experience the chemistry of The Go-Go’s live on stage. I had brought with me a copy of HIAV to the concert. I wanted to try and pass it to Jane as a thanks for all the fun she had brought into my life. Well the stage was really high, there was no way this 5 foot 1 inch girl could reach up that high… but Wendy (my hero) was determined that she would get Jane that book… so she told a few people in the crowd that we were trying to hand Jane a gift. *laugh* and this guy volunteered to hoist Wendy up to pass her the book. So Wendy scrambled up onto this dudes shoulders and started flailing her arms at Jane. Confused… or perhaps afraid… Jane bravely bent down and grabbed the book from Wendy. Hoorah! Success. What a thrill to see Empress Jane holding my book.

So flash forward to the next year. Wendy and I go it alone to see The Go-Go’s … They play a double-header and we go to see them play 2 nights in a row. Yippee! The morning after the first concert - who do we bump into on the way to the pool but Jane on her way to get a massage.
I frantically (but politely) flagged her down and proceeded to "geek-out" all over her. She was very very sweet and remembered my name and thanked me for the cookbook. The next night at the concert Jane walked over to our side of the stage where Wendy and I were jammed up against the stage in front of Charlotte Caffey and waved hello to us with a pair of mens underwear hanging from her guitar. Good Golly Lolly. What a fun concert. I was maybe 2 feet away from them and wanted to reach out and zip up Belindas boot (the zipper was falling down) ... but of course I didn't. :)
The next year Wendy, Tracy, her daughter Emma and I head back down to Vegas to see them again. This is us geeking out in front of their bus. *laugh* This time we had a Kathy Valentine moment. Kathy tried to hand Emma her bass pick but some a-hole guy pushes Emma and Tracy out of the way to grab it. Kathy was soooo mad, you could see steam coming out of her ears. She passed down another pick and made sure Emma it. What a classy lady.

Then Wendy and I said good-bye to the girls and we hopped in a rental car to drive to San Diego to see another show. Woot!! I love San Diego. That night the venue was weird, the staff of the concert wouldn’t let anyone stand up and dance. Nobody could be down front by the stage and no cameras. What?? By the end of the night everyone was up dancing and Wendy and I were down front by the stage dancing like idiots and I was taking photos with the camera that I had smuggled into the venue via my underwear. *laugh* Wendy and I hung out after the show and waited to see if we could say hi to any of the girls… after much yelling and fighting with a bouncer… Jane came out to sign autographs and she gave me a big hug and said “Hi Sarah! Love the new cookbook!”. Le-Sigh!

The last 2 years… Gerry and I haven’t had a lot of fun money. We scrimped and saved and bought The Tattoo Zoo and we’re doing great… but we don’t have extra cash for me to jet off every summer to see The Go-Go’s. Thankfully the ladies are always busy with new projects and I was able to get my Go-Go’s fix. I watched Jane on The Surreal Life and listened to Kathy Valentines new album. This year Jane re-launched her website and last month she started selling 2006 calendars.I finally got my autographed copy in the mail last night. What a beautiful lady and what a killer calendar. She makes 47 look goooooood!! :)

Ok. So let me geek-out some more here.
First… she wrote a little note on my envelope.Then… as I was perusing through the calendar looking at the beautiful photos and reading the hilarious “Jane Wiedlin quotes” I noticed this quote:Ummmm…SHUT UP!! That’s what Jane said to me the first time we met. *laugh*Hello!! I’m dying over here. Thank you Jane Wiedlin for making my year!!

My lovely readers… do yourself a favour and go buy Jane’s calendar and start 2006 off right. You deserve it.

Gerry and I have talked and we decided that in honor of the 25th anniversary of Beauty and The Beat, 2006 is going to be “The Summer of Sarah.” I’m gonna hit the road and go see me some Go-Go's concerts.

Happy New Year everyone… Have a safe night.

The Producers

X-mas day Gerry and I met our friends Sly & Stuart for a holiday movie. :)

We ended up seeing The Producers. The movie is so freaking funny I almost pee'd my pants I was laughing so hard. I loves me some Mel Brooks.

Matthew Broderick (Bueller. Bueller.) and Nathan Lane killed me. Just killed me. There is one scene with screaming, yelling and a baby blanket where I was laughing so hard I couldn't breathe.

We then snuck into see The Family Stone with Sarah Jessica Parker. What a great cast. What a horrible movie. Ugh. What a waste of time... Blech. Thank god we didn't pay for that one.

I'm going to see King Kong on Wed night with Claire and Brian. I love that story. Love the original with Alberta born Faye. Love the cheeseball version with Jessica. Let's hope Peter can make me like the new one.

You're a rat!!

X-mas Eve Gerry and I went for a walk with Fergus around 11:45pm. There wasn't a soul out and about...

We passed by our local downtown video store and I noticed that the door was wide open. Hmmmmmm. They closed at 9pm. There wasn't any lights on and there was no one inside. Hmmmmm. We didn't know what to do. So we walked over to 7-11 and I asked to use the phone to call the alarm company that they had stickered on the window. No answer. Then we phoned the police station. No answer. Then we decided to call 911. I told the woman it wasn't an emergency, but that I thought the video store had been broken into. She asked me if I had gone inside to see if there was a robbery. I'm like... um.... no. Why would I do that? I told her we looked in the windows and that it appeared that the store was empty but that the door was wide open. She said she'd "try" to send someone to come take a look. Ok. *laugh*

So I walked outside and Gerry said "Let's get out of here." Poor Gerry. I guess while I had been inside talking to the cops on the phone, the scuzzy creepy people that hang out at 7-11 late at night were throwing pennies at him and calling him a rat and a snitch because I was calling the cops. Poor Gerry. I felt so bad that he was hassled.

The next day we woke up late. Had waffles and soy sausages for breaky and then went for a nice long walk down to dog park on Dallas Road. On the way we bumped into the biggest cat I've ever seen. She was NOT scared of Fergus at all and even walked towards him all puffed up and ready for a fight like a drunk rocker dude at a bar. "Wassup?" It was too funny.

The park was full of people and dogs and Fergus ran around like a crazy person.
Ooooh. Is Fergus cold?? Time for a hoodie!!
Whew. I'm pooped from all this walking... let's chill-ax.
STOP crushing me with your looming giant head!!
Ahhhh the beach. Cloudy, cold and lovely. How lucky am I to have all this just a few blocks from my house??

Now I'm sitting at the Tattoo Shop waiting for customers to come and and help me with this giant amount of boredom I'm dealing with... sigh...I'd rather be shopping.

Sick on Sin

I just got a wicked package in the mail full of fun goodies from Jen at Sick On Sin... and since I'm in the giving mood (must be something in the air today). The first 10 people to e-mail me with their snail mail address will get one of these buttons in the mail! :)

Sick On Sin has some of the CUTEST stuff I've ever seen and all the graphics are done by Ornery Boy. The buttons come in this little matchbook packaging. AHHHH! Too cute.

I think I need me some of those T-shirts!! Where is the money tree? Did somebody hid the money tree?

Presents in the mail!!!

Look what a fan sent me in the mail! Cool earrings!! Thanks Katie!!

As for the rest of you who haven't sent me anything... shame on you. :)
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Kidding
I'm just kidding!
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*cough*
Send me something...

Sarah Kramer
P.O. Box 8727
Victoria BC
V8W 3S3
Canada

Dear Mummy

Dear Mummy,
I hate you and my new sweater.
Woof,
Fergus

Happy "Opting Out" Holdiays

I have lost track of how many years it's been since Gerry and I decided to opt out of the Holiday Celebrations. It wasn't a difficult transition... we just decided it wasn't for us. All the stress and money troubles that this time of year would bring us wasn't worth the hassle... so we just decided to step back.

We don't do a tree or light candles. We don't buy presents. Don't attend holiday parties. We just go about our days like it's any other time of the year.

I can feel the collective stress level peaking around me and all I feel is "chill". It's a nice feeling to not have any worries when everyone else around me is freaking out. *laugh*

Granted... it does bug me that the traffic gets crazy and it's harder to find a place to park this time of year... but it's like that in the summertime as well around the peak of Tourist Season. So whatever.

On X-mas day... since we are forced to take that day off by the rest of the world... we get up. Have a lazy morning. Make some pancakes. Take the dog for a good walk. Then we hit the movie theater for a 2 for 1 movie. Ahhhhhh sitting in the dark eating popcorn with our friends Stu & Sherri-Lynn (Who also "opt out") is a lot of fun.

Thanks for the day off Santa.
I hope you go Vegan soon... cause between you and me, Buddy. You're a heartattack waiting to happen.

Takao Tanabe

We went and saw the Takao Tanabe exhibit today. I fell in love with the landscapes. Reminded me of where I grew up.

I made it to the Chek 6 News... but they just used a small snippet of what I said. I figured as much. *laugh*

If you look carefully you can see Gerry and Fergus in the reflection of the glass.

Tonight we're gonna watch It's All Gone Pete Tong. We missed it in the theater and we've been dying to see it. First I need to finish cookin up our pierogies and steamed brocc. It's lazy person food tonight!!Ger just ran out to buy some Sour Cream. Yum! :)

Art Gallery

It's almost 12:30pm and I JUST got out of my pajamas. I love lazy days.Gerry and I are going to go to the art gallery today. At least we're gonna try. We always talk about going... and then forget. So I wrote it down on a piece of paper and left it on my desk. So far we've remembered... but who knows what will happen once we walk out the door. *laugh*

The sun is actually shining today. THANK GOD! The winter in the Pacific North West is gloomy and can really make you feel SAD. Literally. Thank goodness this is the last of the long dark days and our days will get brighter from here on in.

Query.
How many of you have opted out of celebrating the X-mas season? I'm curious to see if Gerry and I are the only ones who don't celebrate.

Canadian Living...

Mucho thanks to Lauren (my eagle eyed friend) for letting me know that LDV has been included in the Canadian Living Magazine 5 must read Canadian Cookbooks for 2006!

What a thrill!! Now people in doctors offices across Canada will know about my cookbook! *Woot*

Random acts of praise

I love random acts of praise. I'm sitting here at work minding the front desk when a guy comes in and asks to use the phone. I hand him the phone. He calls. Hangs up says thanks and as he's walking out the door he yells "I love your cookbooks by the way!"

Too funny.

Had someone yell at me on the street the other day as well. "LOVE THE BOOKS!". But they drove past me before I could see who it was... but I did waved like an idiot. *laugh*

I also forgot to mention that the reason I look so glamourous in this photo is because of Claire at Coquette Faux Furriers. She is my sugar Momma and hooks me up with beautiful faux fur accessories to wear. Check out her website if you get a chance... it might be too late to buy a x-mas present... but Faux Fur always looks good for New Years. :)

I also forgot to mention that one of the camera men at The A Channel was looking at the cookbooks and pointed at HIAV and asked me if that was Jane Wiedlin on the cover. AHHHHH! I heart Jane Wiedlin!!

Thetis Lake

On Gerry's day off we went to Thetis lake to walk the dog. Brrrrr it was cold... but once we got to walkin we warmed up. Thetis Lake is one of my favourite places in the world. Winter. Spring. Summer or Fall. I love me some Thetis Lake. We're so lucky. It's only about a 15 minute drive from downtown and Fergus can run up and down the paths "off leash" ... so he not only gets tons of exercise... but so do we. There are several rambling paths and they all end up back at the beach where Fergus likes to end his walk with a temper tantrum. It happens every time we go to Thetis and it's the funniest thing in the world. Just RIGHT CLICK HERE and save this movie file to your desktop to watch it.

On the way home we saw some deer by the side of the road and Fergus FREAKED OUT!! He made noises I've never heard him make before.

Just RIGHT CLICK HERE and download the movie file to your desktop. I can't imagine what he would have done to the deer of he wasn't in the car. I'm sure it wouldn't have been pretty.

Then we went home and made Pumpkin Soy-Sausage Pasta for dinner and also had a side of steamed veggies (kale, squash & edemame). I forgot to take a photo of the greens... sorry. :)

Veg News

Holy cow.
Am I ever a lucky girl!!!

I'm writing articles for Veg News and as a thank you they sent me a giant mint chocolate brownie from Allison's Gourmet! WTF? I wasn't expecting that at all. How nice. :)

This morning I woke up at 6am (ugh) to get ready to do the A-Channel morning show. I demo'd Renee's Tomato Soup Cake only I baked them as cupcakes so the crew could have a treat after the segment was over. Thank you Renee for that recipe. It's such a hit and so much fun to demo...

Bruce (the host) is always a lot of fun and boy howdy did we ever have a good time!

Thanks to Wendy and everyone at The A-Channel for all your support!

Cafe Kramerica

Welcome to Cafe Kramerica.

Todays breakfast special is Apple Pie Pancakes with a dollop of Vegan Margarine, 4 veggie sausage patties and a fresh fruit garnish.


Would you like anything to drink?

Oh Fergus

Woke up this morning to this staring back at me...
Went shopping today and looked out the window and saw this staring back at me...
I think Fergus likes me.

Poor Gerry is sick with a cold so I went to China town and got ingredients to make Hot and Sour Soup from LDV and also steamed some Gai Lan.

The Hot and Sour soup was delish and I freakin love Gai Lan. I can't explain how yummy-liscious it is. It's all cause of Shoshana Sperling. She introduced me to it. Yum Yum yum.


I have nothing to do and yet I am so freakin busy lately. Today was all about the errands. Post Office took an hour (stupid x-mas). Went grocery shopping. Took the dog for a long walk on Willows Beach. Folded laundry, cleaned up the house, picked poor sick Gerry up from work... next thing I know... it's time for bed. How did my day get away from me?

Basil

All it takes to get me back into the kitchen is some fresh basil.

Impossible Farms here in Victoria have these personal sized living basil plants that are sold in most of the grocery stores around Victoria. They disappeared over the winter and I was crushed at the thought that maybe they had gone out of business... but today I saw their plants and my mouth watered and here I am!!

I made 5 Minute Fresh Basil (page 127 of LDV) tonight because it's soooo simple to make and because it's a fresh un-cooked sauce the basil - fresh tomato flava gives me goosebumps.

I'm am so happy to have fresh basil back in my grocery store again that I'm going to give you the recipe!! :)

5 Minute Fresh Basil Pasta
Pasta (enough for 2 people)
4 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 tbsp oil (flax, olive, hemp, etc)
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup fresh basil, tightly packed
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Cook the pasta. Chop one of the tomatoes and set aside for later. In a food processor blend the remaining tomatoes, oil, garlic, basil, salt and pepper. Drain and return the noodles to the pot. Stir in sauce and chopped tomatoes. Serve immediatly. YUMMMMMMY!!!

Eating out...

I haven't been doing much since my book launch. I mean... besides the incredible amount of house cleaning, but that's just relaxing time for me. *laugh*

I took a GIANT bag of stuff to St. Vinnies. Feels good to clean house and re-cycle what I don't need anymore.

I've been enjoying being mellow and it's nice to have a chance to re-charge not only my physical batteries but also my mental battery. I've been very pooped since I got back from the final leg of my book tour.

We've been eating out a lot. A l-o-t. I'm just tired of cooking for myself right now and tired of going to the grocery store. This happens after each book... I go into "Don't want to cook" mode.

Tuesday Gerry and I went to the library and then to La Fiesta for lunch(Tuesday is his Saturday and Wed is his Sunday) Where I had veggie quesadillas that came with a side of beans and rice (ya for protien).

Gerry had the Veggie enchilada. Mmmmmmmmm.
We were very full by the time we left.

Wed we went out to Home Depot to pick up some stuff for the Tattoo Shop. We normally like to support locally owned business but Home Depot gives us credit... so... what are ya going to do?

I don't like to say mean things about people... but this ladies outfit was so fugly that I had to take a photo for you.

Full plaid. Top to bottom. It was outragous.

It was getting late and the last thing I wanted to do was make dinner... so we ate out at the local Harvey's which is located IN THE HOME DEPOT!!

Ahhh ha ha. We are so white trash.

Harvey's makes pretty good veggie burgers. I was shocked...