Well, I got a B last term. Stupid 16th Century Spanish Poetry. And it was a B+ at that. I'd rather have a B-, at least seems worthy of dropping my GPA for that. B+ just kind of pisses me off. Oh well, If I can go all next year with no B's then I can stay in a 3.9 GPA range. We'll see if that's possible.
The first week of summer break has been pretty great so far! I went to visit the family for a few days. Had a barbeque for dad's birthday, sang The Wheels on the Bus (or the Pants on the Bus, or the Big Truck on the Bus...whatever Sierra came up with) with my niece, ate a lot of food, and just hung out with my amazing family. It was a good time! Then I came back up to Portland and went to a tango dance class with Ben and Kevin and Helen. It was so much fun! We went to dinner first, where Kevin found out that the class requires switching partners and so he subsequently ordered another drink. Turns out, tango is hard when you've had a couple drinks as it requires a fair amount of balance. Lesson learned. We all really liked it and plan on going back. I told Ben we have to get really good at it, watching the good dancers inspired me. Although he already knows what he's doing and is good, so mostly that just means I have to figure out what's going on. Maybe I'll practice with the mop while I'm cleaning.
Today was my first day at home with literally nothing to do. I love not having to work for a couple weeks! I need to win the lottery so I can make this a permanent thing...Anyway, Annie (who just started her first real-live job with her (almost) masters degree in Nutrition-and its an awesome one-working at WIC! Yay, congrats!!!) and I went to the gym and then to sushi. And then to Rite Aid to do some coupon shopping. I don't even wear lipstick but I bought ("bought" being used loosely as I didn't have to pay for it after coupons) four tubes of it. So silly. Now I just spent like the last two hours looking at recipes online. Ben's mom also gave me a cookbook that I'm pretty excited to use, so I'm going to have to just cook up a storm in this next week!
I also found out today that my friend Carly (the same one who told me about the program in Costa Rica-and who is going there this summer!) is moving downtown in a couple weeks! She's a super sweet and fun girl and we know each other from PSU-we had Spanish together every day last summer and have taken classes together since then. So that will be fun! I'm trying to get her a job at the gym so maybe we'll even be able to work together!
One month til Korea! So crazy, I can't even believe its happening. I spent way too much money last week on clothes to take with me and stocked up on protein bars and other snacks to take since I'm convinced I won't like the food. Probably not a good attitude to go over there with. But at least I won't die of starvation if it turns out to be the case. My flight leaves at 8am on Monday, July 18th. PDX to Seattle, then straight to Seoul! 11 hours later I'll be there...can't wait! Kind of.
Also I have a baby shower to throw in a couple weeks! Kayla is due in a couple months and I, the terrible friend that I am, will not be here when the baby is due. So unless baby comes a month early, I won't see her until after she's born. So I'm planning to throw the world's greatest baby shower before I leave to make up for it. Yikes, I'm definitely setting myself up for failure with that statement! But hopefully it will be a fun shower :) I promise I'll bring you back something cool, little Ila Rae!
If Oregon believed in summer I would probably be outside right now soaking up the sun. Actually, I probably wouldn't be since I always get too hot after sitting in the sun for about 15 minutes. But still, I'd like the option. So instead I'm sitting inside. I better go.......do......something else.......eat a(nother) cupcake from Aunt Shirley, perhaps?
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
squashy homework hit-and-run
I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.....almost done with the term! Half of a paper left to write and lots of studying to do, then it will be summer! I got a text from my boss today asking if I wanted to work in another club while we close down for the remodel. I didn't answer. Not sure what I'm gonna do about that. I definitely want two weeks off, but could use the money....oh well, I'll figure it out :) (I wrote this yesterday but am posting it today...I told her I want the time off...hehehe)
On another note, I got home from class earlier this week to quite a surprise. I noticed there was a car parked halfway on the sidewalk. I thought that was kind of odd so kept looking as I got closer. Then I realized that it was parked there because it had been hit and pushed up onto the sidewalk. Then I got closer still and realized it was my poor roommate's car. And she was in CA for a bachelorette party. I didn't want to have to ruin her vacation with the news, but the police said they had to talk to her to file a report, so I had to break the news to her. Anyway, the seem to think they can fix the car, so that's good I guess. I think the garbage man is the culprit, but I'm not sure if we'll ever find out.
Wednesdays are usually pretty good days for me since I have most of the day off to get stuff done. This was no exception, I feel like I accomplished so much today! I finished two papers that I had been working on and wrote one and a half papers for another class. So close! Plus I did a little cooking. I have shared on numerous occasions my love for the Pioneer Woman. But today I ventured out on my own. I had gone to Trader Joe's with Annie earlier to get a few groceries and picked up a bag of cubed butternut squash. I thought I'd make some sort of pasta or something with it. Well I couldn't really find a recipe I liked, so I just threw a bunch of stuff together. I'm gonna go ahead and brag, it was pretty amazing. I cooked the squash in some butter (this was not a low-fat recipe, sorry) and then added in some pine nuts and some chicken. Then I made a little roux (added flour to the butter for thickening) and poured in some milk til it seemed like a good consistency. I had some ricotta cheese that needed used up, so I threw in some of that and some sage, plus salt and pepper. Then I poured in some cooked penne pasta and stirred it all up. I decided I'd bake it for a bit, so put it in a pan with some cheese sprinkled on top.
YUM. The sage worked really well with the squash. I can't take credit for that idea, I had seen a recipe for sage browned butter sauce with butternut squash pasta somewhere, so decided that would probably be good to add! Anyway, I'd probably do a little less sauce next time since it kind of overpowered the squash. But it still is quite delicious! And I have enough to last a week. Or to last my roommates and I a few days anyway. So if you're hungry, come on over!
I took a picture of the finished product but it doesn't look too exciting. So I'm going to be lazy and not bother putting it on here. You'll just have to imagine it.
On another note, I got home from class earlier this week to quite a surprise. I noticed there was a car parked halfway on the sidewalk. I thought that was kind of odd so kept looking as I got closer. Then I realized that it was parked there because it had been hit and pushed up onto the sidewalk. Then I got closer still and realized it was my poor roommate's car. And she was in CA for a bachelorette party. I didn't want to have to ruin her vacation with the news, but the police said they had to talk to her to file a report, so I had to break the news to her. Anyway, the seem to think they can fix the car, so that's good I guess. I think the garbage man is the culprit, but I'm not sure if we'll ever find out.
Wednesdays are usually pretty good days for me since I have most of the day off to get stuff done. This was no exception, I feel like I accomplished so much today! I finished two papers that I had been working on and wrote one and a half papers for another class. So close! Plus I did a little cooking. I have shared on numerous occasions my love for the Pioneer Woman. But today I ventured out on my own. I had gone to Trader Joe's with Annie earlier to get a few groceries and picked up a bag of cubed butternut squash. I thought I'd make some sort of pasta or something with it. Well I couldn't really find a recipe I liked, so I just threw a bunch of stuff together. I'm gonna go ahead and brag, it was pretty amazing. I cooked the squash in some butter (this was not a low-fat recipe, sorry) and then added in some pine nuts and some chicken. Then I made a little roux (added flour to the butter for thickening) and poured in some milk til it seemed like a good consistency. I had some ricotta cheese that needed used up, so I threw in some of that and some sage, plus salt and pepper. Then I poured in some cooked penne pasta and stirred it all up. I decided I'd bake it for a bit, so put it in a pan with some cheese sprinkled on top.
YUM. The sage worked really well with the squash. I can't take credit for that idea, I had seen a recipe for sage browned butter sauce with butternut squash pasta somewhere, so decided that would probably be good to add! Anyway, I'd probably do a little less sauce next time since it kind of overpowered the squash. But it still is quite delicious! And I have enough to last a week. Or to last my roommates and I a few days anyway. So if you're hungry, come on over!
I took a picture of the finished product but it doesn't look too exciting. So I'm going to be lazy and not bother putting it on here. You'll just have to imagine it.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
SUUUUMMMMMMMMER.
Three more weeks. I can make it. I just have to write four papers, do numerous homework assignments and study for four finals. But then it will be SUMMER!!!!! I originally registered to take a summer class-Teaching Everyday Science (one of the requirements for my Elementary Ed minor). Buut, I dropped it. Since I'm no longer going to pursue a Special Ed teaching certificate, there are a few classes that I no longer have to take which will free my schedule up a little next year. So I don't have to take classes this summer. It would still be good to do, but I just need a break.
So, when my finals are all over with, I will have a real-live summer this year! The gym is closing down for two weeks for a remodel, which means I'll have some time off without even having to work (unless they want me to work in other locations...which I may or may not agree to)! Although my poor bank account won't appreciate that, my brain will enjoy it. Then I will be in Korea for five weeks. I plan on doing a whole lot of nothing this summer. Reading (any recommendations?), cooking, sunbathing (ish, since I don't really like doing that but like the idea of it), hanging out with a certain guy (what?!?!) and family and friends...It's gonna be a good summer!
Now, if only the weather will cooperate...
So, when my finals are all over with, I will have a real-live summer this year! The gym is closing down for two weeks for a remodel, which means I'll have some time off without even having to work (unless they want me to work in other locations...which I may or may not agree to)! Although my poor bank account won't appreciate that, my brain will enjoy it. Then I will be in Korea for five weeks. I plan on doing a whole lot of nothing this summer. Reading (any recommendations?), cooking, sunbathing (ish, since I don't really like doing that but like the idea of it), hanging out with a certain guy (what?!?!) and family and friends...It's gonna be a good summer!
Now, if only the weather will cooperate...
Friday, May 13, 2011
annyong!
Sooooo....guess who's going to KOREA?!!?!?!?! (It's me, just in case you couldn't figure that out). (South Korea, not North, just in case you were confused).
After waiting for FOREVER to hear back from them, I found out last night that I got accepted into the program I applied for. So I'll be leaving July 18th for five weeks in Korea! The first week there, we spend training for the camps. Then there is a week-long camp where we will be teaching classes. We have a week off after that, then another class. Then a few days of sightseeing and back home!
The week we have off in between classes should be quite interesting. We have three options: stay with a host family, stay in a bed and breakfast near a beach, or stay in a Buddhist temple. I'll give you one guess as to which option I chose. (I chose the Buddhist temple, just in case...)
I'm assuming it will be like the temple in Eat, Pray, Love. And that Javier Bardem will be there to be my tour guide. I'll be awfully disappointed if this isn't the case.
Sooo, who wants to teach me Korean????
After waiting for FOREVER to hear back from them, I found out last night that I got accepted into the program I applied for. So I'll be leaving July 18th for five weeks in Korea! The first week there, we spend training for the camps. Then there is a week-long camp where we will be teaching classes. We have a week off after that, then another class. Then a few days of sightseeing and back home!
The week we have off in between classes should be quite interesting. We have three options: stay with a host family, stay in a bed and breakfast near a beach, or stay in a Buddhist temple. I'll give you one guess as to which option I chose. (I chose the Buddhist temple, just in case...)
I'm assuming it will be like the temple in Eat, Pray, Love. And that Javier Bardem will be there to be my tour guide. I'll be awfully disappointed if this isn't the case.
Sooo, who wants to teach me Korean????
Friday, May 6, 2011
If I catch on fire...
If my body is found one day burnt to a crisp, and the detectives and fire department say it was spontaneous combustion, don't believe them. Point them in the direction of the silver Vidal Sasson hair drying lying inches from my toasted hair.
I own three hairdryers. Three. One is an old compact travel hairdryer. Another is one that I used for a long time but apparently it and its diffuser attachment had a blow out (baaaahahaha, GET IT?!?!) and broke up, so now they will not stay attached when I decide to go with a curly hairstyle. So that leaves us with hairdryer number three.
Shortly after buying this one, I noticed a "clicking" noise that would happen every so often while I was drying my hair. One day I was facing the mirror while using it and saw a small flash of light go off above my head. I was a little concerned and then noticed it again. The clicks corresponded with flash of light. A spark inside the hairdryer.
Now, normal people would probably quit using theirs if this happened. Its probably not safe to have electrical sparks that close to your flammable hair. But see, this is the newest of the three hairdryers. It should be the one that works the best. So I am stubbornly refusing to quit using it.
The sparks may have something to do with the lint-y hair-y trap thing at the back of the hairdryer. In most of these appliances, you can remove the trap cover and clean it out. I have tried every possible way to do this but the cover is impossibly attached to the hairdryer so it is stuck collecting lint and strands of hair. Which probably feed directly into the fan or motor or magical electricity thingy mabobs inside the appliance, leading to sparks.
Anyway, the moral of the story is, every morning there is a slight chance I will catch myself on fire. No pain no gain. Beauty is pain. I like to live on the edge. Or something like that. If anything happens to me, I will give my hairdryer (s) to the first person to ask for it. Ready, set.......go!
What? No takers?
I own three hairdryers. Three. One is an old compact travel hairdryer. Another is one that I used for a long time but apparently it and its diffuser attachment had a blow out (baaaahahaha, GET IT?!?!) and broke up, so now they will not stay attached when I decide to go with a curly hairstyle. So that leaves us with hairdryer number three.
Shortly after buying this one, I noticed a "clicking" noise that would happen every so often while I was drying my hair. One day I was facing the mirror while using it and saw a small flash of light go off above my head. I was a little concerned and then noticed it again. The clicks corresponded with flash of light. A spark inside the hairdryer.
Now, normal people would probably quit using theirs if this happened. Its probably not safe to have electrical sparks that close to your flammable hair. But see, this is the newest of the three hairdryers. It should be the one that works the best. So I am stubbornly refusing to quit using it.
The sparks may have something to do with the lint-y hair-y trap thing at the back of the hairdryer. In most of these appliances, you can remove the trap cover and clean it out. I have tried every possible way to do this but the cover is impossibly attached to the hairdryer so it is stuck collecting lint and strands of hair. Which probably feed directly into the fan or motor or magical electricity thingy mabobs inside the appliance, leading to sparks.
Anyway, the moral of the story is, every morning there is a slight chance I will catch myself on fire. No pain no gain. Beauty is pain. I like to live on the edge. Or something like that. If anything happens to me, I will give my hairdryer (s) to the first person to ask for it. Ready, set.......go!
What? No takers?
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
inked!
In honor of my amazing mother and her courageous fight against breast cancer (she kicked it's BUTT), my sister and I joined her this past weekend in getting tattoos. She wanted to cover up her scars with something, so we told her we'd get pink ribbon tattoos at the same time as a way to support her.
So when mom healed enough, she picked out a tattoo artist in Corvallis and made us appointments. For this reason, the majority of my Easter Sunday was spent in a tattoo parlor. Mom and I went right there after church and she got started a while later, after our lovely tattoo artist, Denise, drew up a beautiful stencil. Mom has been saying how the scars are numb so she didn't think she'd be able to feel anything. I thought she would still be able to feel something, but after TWO HOURS of work, she was done and didn't feel a thing! This actually made me more nervous for mine because I had no idea what to expect since she had no reaction!
Megan came by after putting Sierra down for a nap, and got there as mom was finishing up. She decided to get a tattoo on her foot and got started next. Denise again drew up a lovely stencil and got started. Megan definitely was wincing and reacting to the pain, which somehow was comforting knowing she wasn't crying or screaming out in agony. But then it was my turn....
I had been going back and forth on what exactly to get and where to get it. I had originally wanted a small pink ribbon on my ribcage kind of over my heart. But then I thought maybe I'd want it on my ankle. Then I thought maybe I'd want to incorporate something else into the tattoo...a bible verse, other images, etc. Well, right before I was set to be inked, I finally decided I'd just go with my original idea. She drew up a simple pink ribbon for me and before I knew it I was lying on the table waiting nervously to get started. She put the ink stencil on me and it looked like the size and positioning were good. So she started.
I knew it was going to hurt. She said the ribcage area is one of the most painful areas to get worked on. Basically it felt like she was taking a knife and just cutting repeatedly into my skin. Not something that is pleasant. At one point I looked down to see how far she had gotten. Bad idea. She still had a good amount of shading to do (more painful than the initial border!). I gritted my teeth, closed my eyes and focused on breathing until she was done. All in all, it took less than a half hour. I put my shirt back on and my sister and I hobbled out of the parlor to go have Easter dinner!
My mom was on the table for 2 hours. There is no way she could have had that all done in one sitting if she could have felt it! Actually, she probably would have been fine. She is hands down the toughest most amazing woman I know! Hers looks beautiful and it is just so perfect for her! Denise at High Preistess Piercing is wonderful!
My tattoo is very simple, and actually a little bigger than I was thinking it was (it looked smaller on the paper-but I'm not very big so it takes up more space than I realized!). But it is really cute and I like it! I will maybe go back in and get it spruced up a little at some point when I forget the pain :) Maybe a little heart or some words or something-something very small but just a little extra detail. Maybe I'll have her write "mom" on it ;)
It is so weird to realize I have a tattoo! I keep looking at it when I go by a mirror and its just so crazy! A good reminder of my lovely mom (and grandma, who is also a survivor!) and of the strength she has and of her faith in God to work all things together for the good of those who love Him. I would put more pictures on here, but I was in my bra so that wouldn't really be appropriate...
Sister's tattoo, so cute!
So when mom healed enough, she picked out a tattoo artist in Corvallis and made us appointments. For this reason, the majority of my Easter Sunday was spent in a tattoo parlor. Mom and I went right there after church and she got started a while later, after our lovely tattoo artist, Denise, drew up a beautiful stencil. Mom has been saying how the scars are numb so she didn't think she'd be able to feel anything. I thought she would still be able to feel something, but after TWO HOURS of work, she was done and didn't feel a thing! This actually made me more nervous for mine because I had no idea what to expect since she had no reaction!
Megan came by after putting Sierra down for a nap, and got there as mom was finishing up. She decided to get a tattoo on her foot and got started next. Denise again drew up a lovely stencil and got started. Megan definitely was wincing and reacting to the pain, which somehow was comforting knowing she wasn't crying or screaming out in agony. But then it was my turn....
I had been going back and forth on what exactly to get and where to get it. I had originally wanted a small pink ribbon on my ribcage kind of over my heart. But then I thought maybe I'd want it on my ankle. Then I thought maybe I'd want to incorporate something else into the tattoo...a bible verse, other images, etc. Well, right before I was set to be inked, I finally decided I'd just go with my original idea. She drew up a simple pink ribbon for me and before I knew it I was lying on the table waiting nervously to get started. She put the ink stencil on me and it looked like the size and positioning were good. So she started.
I knew it was going to hurt. She said the ribcage area is one of the most painful areas to get worked on. Basically it felt like she was taking a knife and just cutting repeatedly into my skin. Not something that is pleasant. At one point I looked down to see how far she had gotten. Bad idea. She still had a good amount of shading to do (more painful than the initial border!). I gritted my teeth, closed my eyes and focused on breathing until she was done. All in all, it took less than a half hour. I put my shirt back on and my sister and I hobbled out of the parlor to go have Easter dinner!
My mom was on the table for 2 hours. There is no way she could have had that all done in one sitting if she could have felt it! Actually, she probably would have been fine. She is hands down the toughest most amazing woman I know! Hers looks beautiful and it is just so perfect for her! Denise at High Preistess Piercing is wonderful!
My tattoo is very simple, and actually a little bigger than I was thinking it was (it looked smaller on the paper-but I'm not very big so it takes up more space than I realized!). But it is really cute and I like it! I will maybe go back in and get it spruced up a little at some point when I forget the pain :) Maybe a little heart or some words or something-something very small but just a little extra detail. Maybe I'll have her write "mom" on it ;)
It is so weird to realize I have a tattoo! I keep looking at it when I go by a mirror and its just so crazy! A good reminder of my lovely mom (and grandma, who is also a survivor!) and of the strength she has and of her faith in God to work all things together for the good of those who love Him. I would put more pictures on here, but I was in my bra so that wouldn't really be appropriate...
Sister's tattoo, so cute!Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Lamb. Its what's for dinner.
When my roommate Megan said that she wanted to celebrate Passover, I immediately began looking for Passover-approved recipes. She invited some friends over and we settled on a semi-Kosher menu for the evening, which included lamb as the main course, of course.
I'm not really a big fan of lamb. I've had it a couple times and just didn't really enjoy it. But you can't have a Passover seder and not have lamb. I found a recipe for lamb kebabs with tzatziki that looked pretty good so we decided to go with that. But the first step was to buy some lamb. We started at Winco, where we didn't find any. Then we went to Trader Joe's. Then to a Halal market across from Joe's, where we walked in to hear the sounds of meat being hacked into edible portions. The guy said, "uh...can I help you?" When we told him what we were looking for, he told us to come back the next day. Well, we didn't want to have to make another trip so we went to Safeway as a last resort. We finally found some lamb, but not the cut we were looking for. We got it anyway and decided it would just have to do.
The recipe called to marinate the cubed lamb overnight, so we got to work preparing it. The cut we bought was basically like a boneless leg of lamb. With plenty of fat and gross things still attached. So Megan and I had to figure out how to cut it into cubes. This was nearly impossible, but we eventually got enough semi-cube meat shapes out of the hunk of meat that we bought. I thought I was going to have to make Megan do this all by herself as it kind of seemed gross. But I did it just fine, in fact had to do most of it after Megan left for a soccer game (which her team won). Although I had to wash my hands about 50 times and went afterwards to the Plaid Pantry to buy bleach to sanitize every surface, the job was done.
Because of the mess we made of the meat, I was afraid it was going to not only taste gross (as I thought all lamb did), but that it would also be tough. I started cooking it with little hope of it turning out well. After making sure it was thoroughly cooked, I tried a tiny bite. It was tender. And it tasted GOOD! Since we have no barbeque or kebab skewers, we just cooked it in a pan. And cooked some potatoes and peppers as well so it would still kind of resemble a kebab. We also made the tzatziki, a traditional Passover fruit-ish salad and some brownies...extra-Kosher brownies.
It was a pretty fun night! There were six of us girls here and Rabbi Megan led us in the seder, reading the script-type thing she got from a friend of hers. It was geared towards families, so that made it kind of funny since there were no children in our group! But we went through the ceremony, prayed and ate the meal! Everything turned out really well, I was happy!
AND no one got food poisoning. Success!
I'm not really a big fan of lamb. I've had it a couple times and just didn't really enjoy it. But you can't have a Passover seder and not have lamb. I found a recipe for lamb kebabs with tzatziki that looked pretty good so we decided to go with that. But the first step was to buy some lamb. We started at Winco, where we didn't find any. Then we went to Trader Joe's. Then to a Halal market across from Joe's, where we walked in to hear the sounds of meat being hacked into edible portions. The guy said, "uh...can I help you?" When we told him what we were looking for, he told us to come back the next day. Well, we didn't want to have to make another trip so we went to Safeway as a last resort. We finally found some lamb, but not the cut we were looking for. We got it anyway and decided it would just have to do.
The recipe called to marinate the cubed lamb overnight, so we got to work preparing it. The cut we bought was basically like a boneless leg of lamb. With plenty of fat and gross things still attached. So Megan and I had to figure out how to cut it into cubes. This was nearly impossible, but we eventually got enough semi-cube meat shapes out of the hunk of meat that we bought. I thought I was going to have to make Megan do this all by herself as it kind of seemed gross. But I did it just fine, in fact had to do most of it after Megan left for a soccer game (which her team won). Although I had to wash my hands about 50 times and went afterwards to the Plaid Pantry to buy bleach to sanitize every surface, the job was done.
Because of the mess we made of the meat, I was afraid it was going to not only taste gross (as I thought all lamb did), but that it would also be tough. I started cooking it with little hope of it turning out well. After making sure it was thoroughly cooked, I tried a tiny bite. It was tender. And it tasted GOOD! Since we have no barbeque or kebab skewers, we just cooked it in a pan. And cooked some potatoes and peppers as well so it would still kind of resemble a kebab. We also made the tzatziki, a traditional Passover fruit-ish salad and some brownies...extra-Kosher brownies.
It was a pretty fun night! There were six of us girls here and Rabbi Megan led us in the seder, reading the script-type thing she got from a friend of hers. It was geared towards families, so that made it kind of funny since there were no children in our group! But we went through the ceremony, prayed and ate the meal! Everything turned out really well, I was happy!
AND no one got food poisoning. Success!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)