Fake Meat is Tasty!

We recently started trying out some meat substitute products and have been pleasantly surprised by how tasty they are. Tonight we tried "Yves" brand Taco Stuffers and it looked and tasted just like taco meat. And all we had to do was heat it up! No fat to drain, no stirring in ingredients, just pop it on the stove and voila! Tacos! :-) I highly recommend this brand and also the "Morningstar Farms" brand.  I really like their "chick 'n" products. And since they are made with soy and vegetables, it's much healthier and full of protein. Sounds good to me! 

Big Brown is still a great horse

Yesterday was the 140th running of the Belmont Stakes.   At stake was the triple crown of horse racing- a prize that hasn't been won for the past 30 years.  Horse racing fans were very hopeful that Big Brown would finally be the horse we've been waiting for.  Most everyone was confident that he would win by a great deal of lengths and we would all celebrate seeing history being made. Instead, Big Brown didn't seem to feel like racing yesterday. And I can understand that as it was in the 90's at the track and this was the longest distance Big Brown had ever run.  Running 3 races in five weeks is a lot of racing and maybe Big Brown was worn out.  Maybe it was his cracked hoof that was bothering him, or maybe he got bumped in the beginning of the race and that caused him to get upset. No matter what the reason, no one can deny that Big Brown has talent.  He won the Derby and the Preakness with ease and is a very fast, high endurance, beautiful horse.  I read an article today that said he was posing for photographers today like he had won the race yesterday. :-)  Here is one photo that I love that was taken by associate press photographer Kathy Willens.  It's Big Brown' owner giving him a hug after the race yesterday. 

I went to Hollywood Park to watch the race with thousands of others who had high hopes for the day. This is Big Brown getting ready to get into the gate. 

A couple photos of one of the later races at Hollywood Park on the turf.  It was a pretty day.  If you click on this one you can see it bigger. 

New way to get to work

With gas prices skyrocketing, a lot of people are looking for alternate transportation options. In Los Angeles, mass transit is becoming very popular but it is rather limited depending on where you want to go. If there was a subway that took people from the San Fernando valley to the West Side, I think it will be widely used. Considering the fact that the 405 and 101 freeway interchange is the worst in the nation, there seems to be a high demand for a subway or some sort of train. It would cost a huge amount of money because the train would have to go through a mountain... but I think it would be worth it. When I got to work this morning, the gas stations near my workplace were charging 4.39 for one gallon of regular unleaded. I couldn't believe it!
Yesterday there was a news story about kids who are starting to ride horses to their high school to save money. I think that's a fantastic idea! I would totally ride a horse down the freeway if everyone else was riding horses or some other type of animal. Don't you think that would be fun? :-)