H.A. Larson's Blog, page 29

Out of the Darkness

Last night, I finally rid myself of the last of the things that were keeping me down, effectively bringing an end to the darkness I have been living in.

You couldn't imagine the intense sense of relief I felt at being able to finally feel a sense of freedom from the chains that bound me.

It's almost unimaginable how much my life has changed in a year...how much my mindset has changed in a year.

A year ago, I was embroiled within a couple of organizations I felt strongly about; I was ready to embrace my roles in these groups to the hilt; I had grand plans for the future based off of these organizations; and I was going to finally finish one of two novels I had in the works.

Halfway through the year, I realized that I was completely miserable. The organizations made me miserable; my hormones made me miserable; and I was tired of gaining and losing weight on a yo-yo while being unhealthy. So, I decided right then and there that things were going to change. And they did. I changed my entire life around in a year.

I've also realized that I'm so far removed from the two books I started a while back, that I'd rather do something different. Therefore, I'm going to work in earnest on a book that I started with a lone paragraph. It's fresh, it's new, it's different. Just like me.

I am ready to reclaim my life in a new and different direction. I'm back to the former me, only improved and a little different. I can't wait to begin again.



"Welcome back my friends, to the show that never ends.
We're so glad you could attend, come inside come inside."

-Emerson, Lake, and Palmer

Latest Libations: 12th Edition

So, admittedly, it's been quite some time since I've done a Latest Libations. This is largely due to the fact that money has been pretty tight around here so we've been knocking back cheap beer for months. I have had some good drinks here and there, however, so why don't I share the tasty beers I have had?



I took a trip to Portland back in October and I got to indulge in a few nice beers, this being one of them. Lagunitas brewery puts out some good brews, but I had never seen this one before. I love fruity beers but oftentimes that equates to being overly sweet. This one struck the perfect balance. Brewed with Turkish Delight cherry juice, this only had a hint of sweet allowing for the flavor of the ale to still shine through.



This was the second beer I had out in Portland and I was not disappointed. This Bavarian-style double bock was everything you'd expect in a dark lager. Ayinger is one of the better-known double bock brewers, so this should come as no surprise.



This New Belgium brewery offering came in one of their holiday 12-pack samplers. An American Pale Ale, it wasn't bad. I wasn't crazy about it but it was better than some.



I know I've sung their high praises before, but I truly have never had a bad beer from Boulevard Brewery. This Jam Band berry ale was sweeter than I typically like, but it worked perfectly with this beer. I definitely had a mixed jam taste wrapped around a perfect ale. Delicious and I would highly recommend this to anyone!



Lucky Bucket is a local brewery for me and I've reviewed this beer before. While it's definitely not one of their best beers, this lager is decent and I could always knock one back.



Oh, how I lament the greatness that Shiner Brewery used to be. I visited the brewery in Shiner, Texas, back in my mid-20s and you can't beat the original Shiner Bock. It used to be one of my favorite beers. Unfortunately, Budweiser bought out Shiner a few years back and now they make all these weird flavored Shiners. This s'more Shiner was really quite bad and super sweet. It didn't even have much in the way of a natural flavor. My suggestion to you? Don't bother with it.

Well, that's it for this edition of Latest Libations. Have a great rest of your weekend!

2018: The Year in Review

In the six years that I've been operating this blog, I've never done a proper year in review. I have created a New Year's Post, but this will be my first actual review. 2018 was quite the year, I must admit. Many things happened, good and bad, as well as plenty of changes.

1. I helped successfully put together a major convention, an undertaking not to be taken lightly. It was successful even, making it all the more satisfying, and I realized my full potential. I can do whatever I set my mind to.

2. The Teen graduated from high school with honors. It was a great sense of pride to watch my son go through such a huge milestone in life.

3. I took over a couple of organizations as the head. While I ended my relationship with one and will soon do the same with the other, I learned a lot from my roles in both. I learned how to be a leader.

4. We had a fun family vacation in June. We visited with the families that we rarely see, and got lots of good hiking in.

5. I sent Nature Girl off to Middle School. Another milestone in one of my children's life. She really blossomed and grew over the summer, becoming a young lady.

6. I settled The Teen into his first semester of college. While I cried when I left him, I left knowing that he was ready and that he would do well, rising above any challenge he would face.

7. I got opportunities to travel - going to New Orleans, Portland, and Washington D.C. While I enjoyed each trip, Portland was my favorite as I strictly got to be a tourist while visiting one of my best friends and getting to experience some majestic nature.

8. I had a wonderful holiday shutdown from my job. Every year, we shut down for approximately a week and a half, and it's a wonderful little vacation. I rented a cabin for my birthday, I got plenty of hiking in, I actually accomplished things I hadn't for months prior, I finally started reading in earnest again, and I got to spend quality time with my family and friends.

9. I grew and changed so much over the year, and, as such, so did some relationships around me. I stepped into situations outside of my comfort zone and learned to embrace them. I dealt with hard truths head-on, finally dealing with them and solving the issues behind them. I never would have thought, at the beginning of the year, exactly how different things would be at the end of the year.

10.  I lost 60 lbs - 110 lbs in total - this year and walked a total of 838.08 miles since I started keeping track in late April.

11. Finally, I dealt with a year of hell inside my mind but still managed to stand tall. As I move ever closer to menopause, dealing with the hormonal changes and the effect they have on my brain, has been one of the hardest, most challenging things I've ever had to endure, let alone deal with. While things are seeming to settle down, I know I still have a long road ahead of me. I will persevere.


I'm looking forward to 2019. Why? Well, I'm looking forward to putting the tough stuff behind me and moving forward with the good stuff. I have changes I'm going to make and projects I'm going to accomplish. This will be my best year yet.


Happy New Year my friends and fans! I hope your year will be as grand as you are.

-H.A.

Holiday Ruminations

For the bulk of December, we were fortunate enough to experience fairly mild temperatures. In fact, as Christmas approached, the weather held solid in the 40s, making for plenty of outdoor time. This morning, as I sit here, a cup of coffee in hand, I'm watching large, puffy white flakes fall out of the sky at an ever-increasing rate. It seems Winter is finally here. 
I'm fortunate to have a job that shuts down for a week and a half over the holidays. Two years ago I had a wonderful break, but last year was so terribly disappointing that I went back to work in a worse mood than when I left. This year, then, I was determined to make this break everything I wanted it to be.
The first day of the shutdown was my birthday (Saturday), so I rented a cabin with a fireplace for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. 



This was Friday night, the night we checked in. I thought it looked perfectly of an opening shot to a horror film, which was wonderful in my book.


Saturday was my birthday so went hiking and exploring, starting with the large frozen pond behind the cabin. 



After a good hike, we made our way back to the cabin where the kids made me a birthday cake and we enjoyed listening to music, playing games, and enjoying the fireplace.



The next day, we went out for another round of hiking and exploring. It was a ton of fun. We enjoyed another peaceful night at the cabin before checking out on Monday. Monday was Christmas Eve which is the day we celebrate Yule at my house.




I made a delicious stir-fry with lots of veggies and tofu over a three-grain blend - not rice. We then opened presents. 



Early the next morning, I decided I wanted to take a solo hike. So, while everyone was sleeping, I snuck off to one of my favorite spots in the Iowa Mountains - Hitchcock Nature Center. Since I didn't have the kids with me, I took nothing but medium and hard trails and clocked in about 4.35 miles.



I ended the hike by climbing out and walking the boardwalk trail back to the main road.
I tried walking on the 26th, but it was raining pretty good and I wasn't prepared as it really started raining good as I started walking. Instead, Nature Girl and I headed to the stores to spend our gift cards. I bought a book I've wanted to read for years, Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged, and then I bought myself some base layers and an insulated hoodie for hiking.



Yesterday, then, since I had new, warm hiking/walking gear, I bundled up, grabbed my umbrella, and took a city walk. It was beautiful and rainy, although slightly chillier than the previous few days, but I stayed warm and dry.




And, I managed to clock in 5.33 miles. Unfortunately, because of the weather this month, I'm only halfway to my goal of 100 miles, but I have done a few days of cardio. That makes up for it, right? haha
My winter break has been really wonderful so far. Even as it snows heavily today, I will work on writing, read a few chapters of my new book, and cook some delicious food. I hope your holiday season has been wonderful so far. 
If you haven't signed up for my newsletter yet, get on it! Link for it in the menu bar in the top left.

Coffee Talk: Downtime, Darkness, and The Write Life

Good morning! I trust you've had a good weekend so far and will go into a new week feeling renewed and reinvigorated. I've had a lot of lazy weekends recently, and while it's still kind of foreign for it to be that way, I've been adjusting to it quite well. I've always felt, for some reason, that I should get up out of bed early on the weekends and get things accomplished. I've abandoned this way of thinking over the last couple of months and, instead, have embraced enjoying downtime. I jump out of bed early all week, why do it on the weekends as well? Besides, there are plenty of hours in a day to get things done. I have to admit...it's been fantastic lazing about on Saturday mornings.

---------------------------------------

We are in the throes of Winter, whether that is officially the case or not. Snow has fallen well in my neck of the woods, and it has brought the cold with it. I had a week and a half where I couldn't walk to work and back because of the extreme cold, but it warmed up to the 40s this last week - which will continue into next week - which has allowed me to walk again. It's amazing how much I missed a week. With Winter comes the darkness as well, and I've been relishing in it. It's stirring up ideas in my mind and I'm looking forward to translating that to my writing.

---------------------------------------

The Write Life has been moving at a snail's pace lately. I admit that I'm still having a hard time fully immersing myself back into my idle projects. I was lamenting that for a week or so, but I decided to cut myself some slack. My life is what it is, and I am just going to have to accept it and roll with the punches until I'm ready.

I have had a good amount of time to self-reflect and I do like how things are shaping up in my life. You can't stay down on the ground forever.

Have a good Sunday, my friends.

The Winter of My Discontent

"Why, I, in this weak piping time of peace, Have no delight to pass away the time, Unless to spy my shadow in the sun And descant on mine own deformity: And therefore, since I cannot prove a lover, To entertain these fair well-spoken days, I am determined to prove a villain And hate the idle pleasures of these days."
- William Shakespeare, Richard III


When I was a kid, I thought Winter was the best season ever. Summer was too hot and it didn't have the mounds of snow that were so much fun to play in. Every winter I relished in bundling up in layers of snow gear to enjoy sledding, intertubing down large hills, building snow forts, having massive snowball fights, and just playing in the snow. I loved wearing sweaters and flannel, and enjoyed many steaming cups of mulled apple cider, hot cocoa, and bowls of soup.

The older I got, however, the less and less Winter appealed to me until I finally grew to have a fair amount of disdain for the cold, dark, and bleak days that have few hours of sunlight. Fast forward a few more years, and I realized that Winter encapsulates me perfectly. I have always had a dark side. I embrace the night, I appreciate the dark, I long for harsh sounds, and the absence of light allows me to be anonymous.

I have entered the Winter of my discontent, but this year, I am looking forward to it.

Changes are a Fact of Life

Change is an inevitable fact of life. No matter how much you might resist it...it will happen.

For the most part, I believe that change is a wonderful thing. If nothing changes, then everything remains the same. If everything remains the same, then growth will never happen.

Growth is the measure by which life learns, evolves, and expands. It's necessary for the advancement of people and society.

Yet, there are those who resist change, whether it's a small or large change, even if we're open to it.

The truth of the matter is that change, no matter how much it can help us, can be really hard to deal with. Sometimes, in fact, change can be downright ugly.

Why is this so? Well, simply put, facing change head on is equal to fear of the unknown. You know change is coming, you know it's necessary, but you don't know how everything is going to be or how it will look after the change. It's downright frightening at times when you don't know how your future will be.

It's easier, during those times, to wish things could stay the same. But they can't. And they won't.

Don't fight it.

No matter what, you will be fine. Trust me.

My Favorite Restaurants in Various Cities

As someone who eats a plant-based diet, there's usually a bit of research I conduct before taking any trip out of town. What I'm looking for, of course, are restaurants that have either a completely vegan menu or are quite vegan-friendly. I write down the ones that interest me the most (read: has the most delicious looking/sounding food) then go to my first pick if nothing else.

Here, then, is a list of my favorite vegan or vegan-friendly restaurants in various cities that I've been to.



1. Denver, CO: Native Foods

A restaurant chain that is spread out over a few states, Native Foods serves a vegan-only menu. We had the pleasure of eating out here on a family vacation to Colorado, and we loved it so much we went back a second time before leaving town. Chicken Wings, Native Nachos, Meatball Sub, Big Ol' BBQ Burger, Oatmeal Creme Pies, and Lavender Lemonade were the various things I ate while there, and they were all delicious. I wish I lived close to a Native Foods so I could eat there a few times a week!


2. New Orleans, LA: Seed

Specializing in veganized, authentic New Orleans foods such as Beignets and Poboys, this vegan-only joint serves up delicious and tasty food. We loved the Tofu Nuggets with Agave Mustard and Garlic Aioli, and the Fried Eggplant Poboy was fabulous.


3. Kansas City, MO: Eden Alley Cafe

This cafe is unique in that it resides in the basement of the Temple Buddhist Center, and while it's a vegetarian restaurant, it caters to vegans as well. Spacious and sparse while still putting off a homey vibe, I had the housemade Hummus & Pita for an appetizer, the Grilled Tofu Ruelke Sandwich for the entree, and for dessert, the Carrot Cinnamon Cake. This gem is a must-try!


4. Des Moines, IA: A Dong

This Vietnamese Restaurant was my first time trying the cuisine, and I loved it. They had a separate vegan menu, which I thought was fantastic, and I really enjoyed the food. I wish I could remember the entree I had, but I distinctly remember the Tofu Rolls (vegan egg rolls). They were so tasty, as was the sauce, that I ordered a second batch to take with me.


5. Omaha, NE: Modern Love

I've dedicated a whole post to this restaurant before, and I highly recommend it to anyone, veggie or not. I've only had one so-so dish there, while all the rest were incredibly delicious. A little on the spendy side, it's perfect for a nice night out and worth every penny.


6. Minneapolis, MN: Pizza Luce

This restaurant gives off warehouse vibes that are warm and inviting. The tables/booths are arranged in a square around the center bar and are comfortable to sit at. Serving a variety of pasta, sandwiches, salads, and pizza, this restaurant will fill any omnivore's belly while also catering to the vegans that come in. And cater to us they do! They house make their own Rinotta, a cashew-tofu cheese, and also carry Daiya as well. I got the Rustler, a vegetarian (sub one of the vegan cheeses to make it vegan) pizza covered in BBQ sauce, mock duck, pineapple, banana peppers, and red onion, all served on a fire-roasted crust, this pizza was divine! I polished it all off with one of their vegan brownies called the Molly Bar.


7. Lake of the Ozarks, MO: Wok N Roll

This little out-of-the-way restaurant serves a variety of Thai dishes that one can swap tofu in for any meat. I chose the Pad Cha with Red Curry. This dish is a spicy mix of peppers, carrots, onions, and tofu cooked in a fiery red curry and served over rice. I am a fan of Thai curries so this suited my tastes just fine.


8. Portland, OR: Homegrown Smoker and Aviv.

I have to give props to two restaurants in Portland, Homegrown Smoker, and Aviv. Admittedly, I loved HS more, but Aviv was a fantastic restaurant as well.

Homegrown Smoker is a full vegan BBQ restaurant. I had a big old platter as we had just finished hiking 11.5 miles and I was exhausted.




This lovely platter was comprised of Fufish filets, tempeh ribs, hushpuppies, Mac No Cheese, chipotle slaw, and a remoulade. I washed it all down with some delicious, homemade sweet tea. Hands down, one of the best vegan meals I've ever had. I've been following Homegrown Smoker on Instagram for a few years now, so it was fantastic to finally get to eat the food I've been drooling over all this time. Totally worth the wait!
Aviv is another all-vegan restaurant that specializes in Israeli fare - think Mediterranean.



I really should've ordered the soy curl shwarma plate, but alas I went for the spicy falafel platter. It was comprised of hummus, pita, seasoned rice, tomato-cucumber-tofu feta salad, and, of course, the falafel covered in spicy sauce. It. Was. Delicious! They also had a great atmosphere and served fabulous housemade drinks.




I cannot remember what this drink was called, but it was delicious and rich without being heavy. It was also served over a huge ice cube. Hands down would go back. In fact, my friend who lives in Portland said she did exactly that.
And there you have it: my favorite vegan food in various cities. I hope you enjoyed it and that you have a great rest of your week!

On the Matter of Gratefulness

There's nothing quite like weathering a storm and coming out unscathed to make one grateful. I know Thanksgiving is a time for people to remember to be thankful, but I'm thankful that the storm has passed. You know how tough this year has been for me, and there were times when I doubted that the Sun would ever shine again. And yet, it has. It finally has.
I'm still easing into my normal day-to-day existence, but by-and-large, everything is as it should be again. I look forward to my four-day Thanksgiving break every year, and this year was no different. On Thursday, I cook a big feast, on Friday, I do nothing but relax and eat leftovers, and on Saturday, I hike. I headed out to Neale Woods, my favorite local hiking spot, early Saturday morning for a solo hike. I got four miles in, making sure to take some treacherous terrain to help me burn some calories and release any stress and tension from the past few weeks. It was a good thing that I did because the weather was nice and a snowstorm was on the horizon for later in the evening.



As I hiked, I had ample time to ponder upon my life and I have to say, I'm grateful.



I'm grateful for days like these when I can commune as one with nature and hit my reset button.
I'm grateful for a handful of wonderful friends that have been there for me every step of the way, listening to me, giving me words of comfort & wisdom, and just being there for me.
I'm grateful for the trips I got to take that helped ease my wanderlust.
I grateful for my children who are an endless source of wonderment and love.
I'm grateful for a job that puts food on my table and that affords me a set of the greatest co-workers I've ever had the pleasure of working with. 
I'm grateful to be alive. Life is amazing, even when it's not.
There are plenty of other things I'm grateful for, but these are the ones I consider the most important. Without these things, I'm not sure how I would have made it through these last several, turbulent months. Truly, reasons to be grateful.

I hope you had a wonderful holiday and that you have a reason or two to be grateful as well.

A Long Weekend in Portland

On October 12th, I flew into Portland to spend a four-day weekend with one of my best friends, Lisa. She moved out there a few years ago and I promised her on her first visit back that I would visit her in Portland as soon as I was able. She doesn't have a car so we walked and took public transportation to get around. Since my goal is to walk/hike 100 miles a month, I was more than happy to hoof it everywhere - not to mention that it helped me reach my month miles goal.



The first thing we did was check in to the AirBnB that I rented for us to stay in for the weekend. I was pretty hungry after that so we walked a few miles to the White Owl Social Club, a bar & grill. They serve omni food but have a good vegan selection. Since I had yet to try the Impossible Burger, I ordered it with vegan cheese, vegan aioli, and a side of fries. I washed it down with a cider and a dill pickle shot - a delicious combination of homemade pickle juice and whiskey.
After we ate, we hit up the grocery store and went back to the Airbnb to relax and visit.



Lisa had to work on Saturday so after sending her off, I got ready and walked to the OMSI: Oregon Museum of Science & Industry. I purchased tickets for the "Dark Universe" planetarium show and the "Discovery of King Tut's Tomb" exhibit.



Dark Universe was an excellent planetarium show on dark matter narrated by Neil deGrasse Tyson, and the planetarium itself was the nicest one I've ever been in - granted, I have only been to a couple of really small, older planetariums so it was awesome to be in a nice, larger, newer one.



After the show, I got in line for my turn into the King Tut exhibit. It was an incredible exhibit that had tons of replicas of the discoveries inside the tomb when it was discovered. There was a short film beforehand and you got a handheld device for listening to clips about each of the parts of the exhibit.






This would be the canisters that held King Tut's insides, removed for mummification.



After visiting OMSI, I hopped on the bus and headed east to Mount Tabor. Mt Tabor is an extinct volcano that is now a gorgeous city park. I had to walk a mile after the bus to arrive at the park, and then I took the hard path to the top not realizing there was an easier path. Oh well, at least I got my exercise! This shot is of the second reservoir.



This was the lovely view I was treated to at the top. You can see pieces of Portland all around you in various places.



I arrived back at the Airbnb and relaxed for an hour until Lisa got off work. We walked a few blocks over to Aviv, a full-vegan Israeli restaurant. I got the falafel plate that included rice, hummus, and tofu feta! It was delicious. I had a nice cocktail on the side that complemented the meal well.
We went back to the Airbnb after hitting up a couple of local bars and hit the sack for our big Sunday adventure.



On Sunday we took the long bus route up to Forest Park. Situated in the Western side of the city, Forest Park is a ginormous city park that boasts 53 miles of trails! We started at the very bottom and made the 5-mile trek to the top.



It was a lovely sunny 70 degrees F the entire weekend, so hiking in the park was great.



At the top lies Pittock Mansion, the former home of the man who started the Oregonian.



When you get a view like this, it's not hard to imagine why he built his home here. What a view! Yes, that is Mount Hood in the distance. Someday I will hike that mountain.



After getting nearly 12 miles that day, we were starving after our journey, so we headed to Homegrown Smoker. It was a must-go-to place when I made plans to go to Portland. An all-vegan bbq joint, I've been following them on Instagram for a couple of years and knew I couldn't go there and not eat there. I ordered a platter that had Tofish fillets, tempeh ribs, hushpuppies, mac nocheese, and chipotle slaw. I got the sweet tea to go with it, and, man, was it one of the best meals I've ever eaten.

So, that was my much-needed trip away from home. After the rough year I've had, it really helped to heal my soul a bit. Have a great weekend, friends!
-H.A.