Hi there! If you're reading this, you've landed on the old blabbermouse site by mistake. I have a new home, with new posts - so come on over to therealblabbermouse.com and pay me a visit! XO Continue reading

So. Let's talk for a minute about vegan cheese, shall we? Specifically I would like to talk about Daiya vegan cheese, a self-proclaimed "dairy-free dream come true ... that delivers the bold flavor, stretch and texture of cheese without compromise." Continue reading

It was an odd year of reading, I'll be honest. I abandoned dozens of books mid-way through, not because they were bad, necessarily (though some were), but because I needed something different at the time. And while there were some definite winners, others I begrudgingly finished because they were okay, I guess, in spite of their flaws. Here's the rundown: Continue reading

My apologies for not linking to the recipes I mentioned in the last post. So far, I've used two online resources to take me beyond simple salads. My first discovery was This Rawsome Vegan Life. Nearly all of my first... Continue reading

In years past, I would have waited until the New Year to change my diet. What’s one more month of decadence and debauchery in the grand scheme of things, I’d reason. It’s the holidays. I want to enjoy them. With my mouth. Continue reading

My pal and neighbor Justine (with whom I bonded over our love of bacon not so long ago) asked what a diet of vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds (and beans! I forgot to say beans!) looks like on the dinner... Continue reading

Thank you, thank you, thank you for the enthusiasm on the last post. It sparked comments and emails and Facebook dialogue - very heartening. And a lot of you had questions, primarily about what in hell's bananas I eat. But... Continue reading

I became a pseudo-vegetarian in May of 2010 - not because I cared about the animals or the environment, but because I simply didn't like the way meat tasted. Hamburgers, chicken, turkey, veal, pork chops, duck, yuck. These were not happy flavors to me. Because I liked seafood and dairy and bacon and the occasional ham sandwich, I would eat those things. I was never especially interested in adhering to the label of vegetarianism, because I wasn't interested in what the label stood for. I was interested in not gagging. That's changed. Continue reading

1. I can't stand Monty Python. I can't stand that Monty Python is not a person, but a whole ensemble of people, not one of whom is capable of making me laugh. I am not ashamed that I thought Monty... Continue reading

Our beloved dog Sean died unexpectedly last night, suffering what appeared (to my non-veterinarian eyes) to be a fatal heart attack. He had been diagnosed with heart disease two years ago, but otherwise seemed to be in great health. He... Continue reading

Every year around Halloween, our friends Matt and Claire have a Monster Mashup party that is kind of a big deal. (Or so I tell myself, because it makes me feel pretty and popular.) Last year, feeling dangerously smug rather... Continue reading

I'd like to thank my friend Tara for bringing this fabulous logo specimen to my attention, with the accompanying inquiry: On a scale of 1 to 1 billion, how offended should the women of Nashville be by this logo? I... Continue reading

You know who you are. You, with your ... Ironic handlebar mustache. I know. You feel like poetry in motion while you lovingly wax Continue reading

I have a tendency to assume familiarity where there is none. I'll meet someone for the first time, and something in the person's face will lead me to believe I get them, and they get me ... Continue reading

I tend to be a few beats behind when it comes to current events. I also tend to understate things like "the number of beats behind I am", when it comes to current events. And when it comes to current... Continue reading

Are you all following along at The Daily Crosseye? There is entertainment to be had there. Granted, I've been a bit challenged as of late by the whole "daily" aspect, but I like to think I make up for it... Continue reading

Ann Patchett did a "25 Favorite Books" exercise on her blog today, and I thought I'd give it a shot (without overthinking). And because I'm not overthinking, I'm probably under-listing and forgetting some amazing reads. For brevity's sake, I'm not... Continue reading

Here's a weird thing I've always done and still do that all of you probably don't. And just know that I expect at least one of you--I don't care which one--to lie in the comments and say, oh that? I... Continue reading

Hello! I'm back. But not really. Just for a second. Because I wanted to share this thing with you. I read George Saunders' (Saunders's?) latest collection of short stories, Tenth of December, earlier this year, and I just fell in... Continue reading

Art takes time, people. Continue reading

Leaving Shelby Park I crossed paths with an older woman—mid-sixties-ish, lumpy and non-descript—walking a beautifully manicured sheep dog. I stopped my van, smiled, and waved to let them cross. Locking her knees and digging her heels into the pavement, this... Continue reading

Driving home from work, phone buzzing and vibrating in my purse pocket, Kindle filled with stories/temptation on the seat beside me, I thought, Man. I wish I had a car that could just drive itself. And then it occurred to... Continue reading

One morning at dawn, at the top of the Woodland Street Bridge, I saw a homeless man in profile, pants pushed down around his knees, projectile diarrhea cascading from his bum into the bushes that border the Courthouse Plaza. He... Continue reading

I know it's April Fool's Day, but I assure you the "before" pictures you're about to see are no joke. Continue reading