Free Pie! Free Pie!

Two reasons to be happy on a Wednesday afternoon:

1.  I just found out that one of my favorite shows from last year, Pushing Daisies is premiering October 1st.
2. In some very clever marketing, ABC is kicking off the second season with a Pushing Daisies Touch of Wonder Tour. The tour will hit 10 cities across the U.S., with pop-up facsimiles of Ned's bakery, the Pie Hole, and offering free pie to all comers. I repeat, FREE PIE, people! Can you tell I'm excited about free pie! The super cutie website The Pie Maker has all the deets.
   

The Pie Hole Tour 2008:

• August 31: Anaheim, CA – Downtown Disney
  
• September 7: San Francisco, CA – Ghirardelli Square– Chocolate Festival
  
• September 10: Los Angeles, CA – Santa Monica 3rd Street Promenade
  
• September 12: Las Vegas, NV – Fashion Show Mall
  
• September 14: Phoenix, AZ – Westgate Complex
  
• September 17: Denver, CO – Larimer Square
  
• September 20: Dallas, TX – Addison Oktober Fest
  
• September 24: Chicago, IL – Lincoln Park
  
• September 26: Philadelphia, PA – The Shops at Liberty Place
  
• September 29: New York, NY – Times Square

Now to convince Tripple that we have to go up to the city to get some free pie...

Do You Have Olympic Fever??

Wow - what a weekend. A weekend of me stuck to the couch watching hours of Olympic coverage. Awesomely stuck!

It all started with the most amazing opening ceremonies I can remember. Well, that actually started Saturday morning for me, as I had other plans Friday evening, so watched the full 4.5 hours commercial free (Yay DVR!). Oh, I take that back. Not completely commercial free, because that amazing United Air commercial caught my eye. Having just taking a motion graphics course, I watched this commercial in complete awe. The integration of traditional animation with 3D graphics and live action footage is top notch. I found it on YouTube, and of course the quality sucks, but you get the idea.

Love.It.

But going back to the opening ceremonies, there were many memorable moments. My personal favorite moments were the LED drum countdown (probably one of the coolest things I've ever seen), and then the little 9-year old boy from China that walked along side the flag carrying yao Ming (He was so tiny! Or perhaps looked tiny next to Yao Ming.) who went back and saved two classmates after the horrific 2008 Sichuan earthquake. Find me one person that didn't at least get a tiny bit choked up when they told that boy's story. (I of course, went through about 5 tissues).

So then the rest of the weekend was Men's basketball (was anyone else just smidgen worried when the Chinese started out so strong? Yao Ming with a three-pointer? WTF?), beach volleyball (with Kerri Walsh loosing her wedding ring during her and Misty May-Treanor's win - don't worry, they found it! - and the downpour during Gibb & Rosenthal's easy win) and gymnastics (and yes, I do believe a few of the Chinese girls' claims to be 16 are a bit suspect). Add in a few trips out of the house for some food, and that pretty much sums up my weekend.

Oh wait... I forgot a sport. Ummm did anyone happen to watch the swimming? I know, only a bagillion people are curious as to how Micheal Phelps will perform. And since he broke World Records and claimed the Gold in his first two medal races -- which analysts claim to have been his hardest races these Olympic games -- well, dude is doing pretty well. Okay, really well. Okay, okay, mind-blowingly well. Better yet, freak of nature well.

Poor poor Lemieux. My little lap kitty that wants nothing more than to sleep on his mommy's belly every night. There he was, at 11:30 last night, well past our bedtime. Trip and I were watching TV, anxiously awaiting the Men's 4x100m relay race which the French were heavily favored, not to mention talking some smack on the US (doesn't that almost always end badly?). We didn't have our hopes up for a Gold, especially since the US were almost a body length behind going into that last leg. But wait... he's catching up... oh my gosh he's catching up! It's so close, it's super close. OH MY GOSH!!!! HE DID IT!!! THEY WON!!! THEY WON!!! Both Trip and I leapt up out of bed, sending poor Lemieux half way across the room, where he stopped and stared at us with eyes as big as saucers. I think we may have gone through one of his lives last night. Sorry boo boo. But holy cow, was that a race or what!! (Oh, and Micheal Phelps, if you're reading this, please feel free to scream like an animal and show every muscle in your body whenever you want, thank you.)

So the Johnson household, kitties and all, is in a full Olympic frenzy.

I can't believe we have over two more weeks of this!!

Random Thoughts From The Once Infectious Joy.

Hi, remember me? Yes, I'm still around. Yes, I've been missing you all dearly, oh friends of the interweb. (Even though my brother - who read this - says that nobody read this. Poo head.)

I can't believe it's May. Where did the last month go?? I've been go go go going full speed for the past month that the days just flew by. So trust me, I am ready to slooooooow the heck down. My house is almost done, school is winding down and the sun is coming out. All of which means I am ready for some R&R.

Of course school is not over yet. And my house is not done yet. But I feel like I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now. I think the sun does it for me. Being outside and feeling that vitamin D beaming into me just puts me in a much more optimistic and sunshiny kinda mood.

Which is a very good thing, being how messed up the world is today. The fact that Miley Cyrus is the main topic of conversation is just, well, stupid. I personally don't have a problem with the Vanity Fair cover photo (If you've been living under a rock and have no idea what I am talking about, you can read about it here). I actually think it's quite beautiful. The subtle hues and silvery lighting remind me of a painting. She looks vulnerable, but in a "I'm an everyday average teenager, not a bagillionaire with make-up and hair people fixing me up for 5 hours" kindaway. In fact, I think it's her "plainess" that makes the portrait so compelling. But nooooooooooo. All the uptight conservatives says it looks like she's "topless," whoring around on a bed. Really? Do people honestly think that 15-year-old Miley and her parents (who were in the room), thought, "Hey -- Annie thinks Miley should look like a topless whore. That sounds fantastic!" What they probably thought was that they would be making another historic Annie Leibovitz portrait. Well, they pretty much got that.

Any who.... I digress. The much more important topic of conversation is American Idol, people. Is that really our Top 5? Ugh. When did that happen? I guess now that Michael Johns and Carly Smithson are gone, I'm forced to root for David Archuleta. Because I CANNOT STAND David Cook (can he look anymore smug and smarmy?), Brook White is just "eh", Syesha Mercado is nothing new, and Jason Castro's goofy stoner image and baby blues no longer make up for the fact that he just can't sing very well. I think I would be happy if anyone BUT David Cook wins, but I'm afraid I'm in the minority. Sad.

So yeah, my life has been busy with work, school, house and yes...TV.

Well, that's it for now. I am thinking of all ya'll and promise not to leave for so long again :)

P.S. Have you donated to Global Giving yet???? Do it.

I watch too much TV.

There I said it. The first step is admitting you have a problem, right?

As if I didn't already have a long list of shows, this season has added on even more. One of which has topped my list. You have a list? Yes, of course. Duh.

So drum roll please....

JOY'S ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO ESSENTIAL T.V. WATCHING:

1. Pushing Daisies: Oh my God I LOVE this show. A refreshingly original plot line, amazing characters (as well as acting), beautiful wardrobes, and top notch cinematography. The vibrant colors and unique set designs make you feel like you are watching a gorgeous photograph (or as a dear friend of mine once said, moving picture on film. Give her a break, she was tipsy. "Video" is a hard word to remember). Rarely does a show make me *SMILE*. If you have not seen this show, you should not be allowed to watch television.


2. Life Very smart, clever show. The story of a cop who spent 12 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. Each episode is a new case, but solving his setup is the ongoing storyline. Just the right balance of quirky humor and drama.


3. Moonlight I wasn't expecting a whole lot from this one, but thought I would check it out. I love me some Anne Rice, so a show about a sexy hot vampire peaked my interest. I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised with this one. Really interesting, unique story line. Being is though its on Friday nights, and I am such a socialite (if playing Guitar Hero at my brother's counts as socializing), I tend to not watch until Sunday afternoon. I'm finding myself looking forward to watching this weekend treat. Oh, and I must have his apartment.


4. Dirty Sexy Money I was a HUGE fan of Six Feet Under, and such a fan of Peter Krause. He definitely carries this show (although having Golden Globe winner Donald Sutherland helps a bit too). For a nighttime "soap", it never takes itself too seriously, in fact quite the opposite. Fun, brainless television.


5. Bionic Woman As a child of the 70s, who didn't love Bionic Woman? And the preview for this remark got me pretty excited. I'm still kind of on the fence with this one, though. I started out really enjoying it, but not sure if it will keep me engaged...

Well since I noted my favorite new shows, I thought I should list those shows that are already on the DVR season pass list:

1. Dexter Probably my favorite show on TV. If a story about a serial killer sounds morbid to you, well it is. But with such fantastic story lines and clever dialogue, it never disappoints. Almost too good to be on TV.


2. Weeds Another great Showtime drama. Although its pretty dang funny too.


3. The Office I like to laugh. This show makes me laugh. Out loud.


4. 30 Rock I like to laugh. This show makes me laugh. Out loud. And hit my husband (I'm a laugh-hitter)


5. Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations You might think this is an odd choice for a vegetarian. After all, most of the countries he visits count some form of meat as their staple food. But I only have to close my eyes for a few minutes, which is worth it to watch the rest.


6. Hereos This was one of my favs last year, but this season has started out a bit slow. I guess it has taken a bit of time to introduce us to all of the new characters (why so many?). I'm just happy Peter cut his hair.


7. CSI & CSI:Miami Still one of my favs. And I think the writing on both shows are as compelling as ever. On a side note, as a student of electronic music, they always have such interesting sounds. Anyone else notice that?


8. Survivor, Amazing Race, and Top Model I hate to even admit I watch these shows, but I do, so shut it. I always root for the "good guys", so if they get kicked off, I tend to stop watching. I can't stand the yucky people winning.

And on that reality TV note, there are some that I watch religiously that are not currently on: Project Runway (love, love, LOVE this show), Top Chef, American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, and Top Design.

Phew. I think that's it.

I told you I watch too much TV.

If Oprah likes it, it must be good.

So remember all that talk of work and school and the hubby - well kind of the reason why I haven't blogged much lately. Sorry about that. I'll try to sleep less.

Anywho - I couldn't sleep again on Saturday night. Surprise surprise. (I know, I should have been blogging, but I was in bed and my laptop was all the way downstairs. So there.) So as Mr. Johnson lay in a dead sleep next to me, I flipped between Jon Bon Jovi hosting SNL (I know, right?), and a replay of Oprah (I know, right?). Oprah won.

So what could tear me away from the acting genius that is Bon Jovi? Believe it or not, it was a cook book, Deceptively Delicious, on how to "sneak" vegetables into meals, specifically targeted towards kids.

I know this might seem like an odd intrigue for someone without kids, and well, a vegetarian (a lot her recipes include meat). But it was her main solution to sneak in the veggies that sucked me in: purees. And not only purees, but pre-packaged wonderful little colored bags of goodness. I'm known to prewash, cut and bag my veggies, so seeing this was like heaven! I think I may have to buy it for the spinach brownies alone. Oh wait, she posted the recipe on Oprah's site!

Brownies (with Carrot and Spinach)
Created by Jessica Seinfeld (yes, that Seinfeld),
From the book Deceptively Delicious
Makes 12 brownies

Brownies (with Carrot and Spinach) These brownies fool everyone! You won't believe how scrumptious they are (or how good they are for you) until you make them yourself. Just don't serve them warm—it's not until they're completely cool that the spinach flavor totally disappears.

INGREDIENTS

* Nonstick cooking spray
* 3 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
* 1/2 cup carrot puree
* 1/2 cup spinach puree
* 1/2 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
* 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
* 2 Tbsp. trans-fat-free soft tub margarine spread
* 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
* 2 large egg whites
* 3/4 cup oat flour or all-purpose flour
* 1/2 tsp. baking powder
* 1/2 tsp. salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Coat an 8" x 8" baking pan with cooking spray.


2. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or over a very low flame.


3. In a large bowl, combine the melted chocolate, vegetable purees, sugar, cocoa powder, margarine and vanilla and whisk until smooth and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes.


4. Whisk in egg whites. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt with a wooden spoon.


5. Pour the batter into the pan and bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely in the pan before cutting into 12 bars.

Oprah couldn't stop eating these - although I don't know if that is a testament to the brownies or not.

I was also pleasantly surprised when I went to the book's website. Super super cute!