NaBloPoMo Wrap-Up
Although I failed in the original intent of the challenge (post every day for the month of November), I think I was fairly successful in my other goals. I posted five Fridge Friday pictures (though not all on Fridays), reviewed five recipes, and wrote on three of the topics on this list (here and here). On top of that, I made some new blog friends. All in all, a pretty successful month.
The only this I didn't do that I said I would was talk about my wedding. So, for all of you out there dying to know what is up with that, here it is. I had been thinking that October/November was when they'd be finalizing the schedule on the hall I want to rent. It turns out that I actually won't know for sure until February. I'm still at the top of the list (or, more likely, the only one on the list), but it won't be guaranteed until then. At the moment, we're planning on making the other arrangements during winter break (those two days I have off before I leave for Missoula are going to be really busy), such as finding a photographer, ordering a cake, and clothes for the guys, based on our current date. Since we will know if the date will be changing six months in advance we figure it will be fine if we have to adjust(if we're bumped, we're figuring we'll first try for another spot on campus on that day, then possibly some other date in August).
During my trip up to NorCal, I spoke with my grandmother about wedding dress plans. We both lamented the fact that, in the last few years, dress patterns have almost disappeared from stores. We both plan on searching some more, as we still have plenty of time, but I think I'm going to look for something around here as a back-up.
As for colors and bridesmaids' (well, co-maids of honor and groomsmaid) dresses, I'm thinking black, white, and dusky blue-green. Black dresses will make the whole wedding party look more coherent, while eucalyptus bouquets will look awesome (and eliminate the need for flowers). As nice as flowers are, I just don't consider myself a flow person (which I'm sure would just break my grandmother's heart, being extremely active in her local floral arrangers guild). Flowers are nice, but I really just like them best on plants. My inspiration is the picture below (I can't remember where I originally found it), which just looks awesome. I think I might go for black planters, but this is what I want my wedding to look like.
LaBloShoeMo
Today also happens to be the first day of LaBloShoeMo. For those of you who are confused ("Wait! NaBloShoeMo was last month!"), feel free to look at the story of its origin.
Today's shoes are classic San Diego footwear: black Reefs. Prior to moving to San Diego, I had always preferred those little J. Crew ones that always give you blisters at the beginning of every summer, however I was soon convinced of the error of my ways. These sandals are the most comfortable things I have ever worn. The soles grip, the subtly grooved foot bed ensures you won't slip out of the sandal when wet, and the cloth strap has never given me a blister. Even now, several years old with hardly any tread and emitting a noticeable odor when moistened, I can hardly bear the thought of replacing them (finding these, my second pair, was a pain in the ass. I think I'll just order online next time). The only downside to these shoes is that the kitties find them irresistibly delicious, so I have to be very careful about where I leave them.
Of blogs and shoes
Fridge Friday V: The freezer
Ah, the freezer. Too small for regular frozen pizzas, we've been forced to switch to personal sized ones. They seem to work better with my evening classes, though, and now I get to have flavors that R doesn't like (such as the tomato pesto one I had earlier), so I don't mind too much.
The freezer is definitely the domain of processed foods. Sausages laced with cheese, mini quiches, pasta. We've also got quite the iced cream stash. Even though my body doesn't care for dairy, I do break down every once in a while. This last trip to the grocery store resulted in the purchase of pomegranate and dark chocolate bars and toasted coconut sesame brittle ice cream, both of which I strongly recommend.
Pay It Forward
The lovely Lara decided to do this on her blog and, although she hasn't said yet if she's including me in this grand endeavor, I've decided to participate anyway.
Here are the conditions:
I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.
Oh, and you also need to be willing to e-mail me your address.
So, yes. There it is. I already know what I'm going to make. I'm so excited!
Well, shit
I forgot to post yesterday. I'm a NaBloPoMo failure. I made it through the month last year, and I was so close to making it this year. I mean, really, who forgets to post on the 28th?
I'm not blaming anyone or anything besides myself, I'm the one who forgot, but there was a reason for the forgetting. Tuesday afternoon, one of my professors e-mailed me a last minute invitation to a two day conference. I jumped at the idea of getting today and tomorrow off from teaching, so I decided to attend. I then spent every single spare moment yesterday planning and copying, so that all would be ready for the substitutes. My lunch break was spent frantically helping the six students who came to see me to make up work (normally I don't see any students during their advisory period, my lunch, so I was glad that they've finally taken my message, "make up some work or else you will fail," to heart). By the time I got home, it was time for grocery shopping, dinner, and then Warcraft. As I sat down to Warcraft, I tried to remind myself to post once I was done. However, when I was finished I had to figure out exactly where I was headed for this conference, as the e-mail I had referenced an attached map that I never received. After that, it was time for bed and nothing could stop me from getting there.
Argh! I'm so annoyed with myself.
The Story of My Most Serious Injury
Given that this happened prior to the advent of this blog, I think it is only fitting that I dust this story off for NaBloPoMo. Most of you are a fresh audience, except for those of you who were there.
R and I were on an end-of-season trip to Mt. Rose, going snowboarding with my best friend and her sweetie (at the time). The first day was beautiful. As soon as we had crossed the pass the night before it began snowing, so we had several feet of fresh powder. R was in his element. Me? Not so much. Being at the end of only my first real season of snowboarding, all of which took place in Southern California, I had never boarded in powder before. I couldn't turn, couldn't get up after I fell. For being such soft snow, it was really hard boarding.
The second day, the conditions were much closer to what I was accustomed to. I was able to turn again, in the slush, and felt much more confidant going down the hills. I even, slowly, tried out the four slalom poles that were lined up on one of the runs. I would watch R zip through them, then after I would creep through them at a snail's pace.
Near the end of the day, when the conditions were at their slushiest, I had finally build up enough confidence to go through the poles at a decent pace. I started through, reveling in the speed of the curves. I lost my balance, recovered, then caught the edge of my snowboard.
I honestly don't remember the fall itself. I returned to awareness lying on the slope, my left arm above my head. I tried to get up, but my arm wasn't coming with me. R rode up to me, at which point in time I informed him that I'd dislocated my shoulder. My friend and her sweetie arrived. Given that my friend's boyfriend and I were both EMTs, we were quickly able to verify that, yes, I had indeed dislocated my shoulder.
Having worked at Mt. Rose in seasons past, my friend's boyfriend was easily able to get the ski patrol to bring a bucket over and take me down the hill. The ski patrol people were impressed by how calm I was, having recently transported a loud, whiney, not actually injured fat kid down the hill.
In the ambulance, the medic gave me nitrous, however I wound up not using the stuff because I was having problems answering the questions she then proceeded to ask me. In the hospital, I was able to convince the nurses not to cut my jacket off of me (it was R's ski team jacket), instead wiggling helpfully so that they could pull it off of me in one piece. R said afterwards that he really wouldn't have cared it the jacket was ruined, but I would have felt bad.
The hospital put me under while they put my arm in, so again I have no memories from that part of the experience. When I woke up, they dressed me and let me go home with my arm in a sling and a prescription for vicodin (which, as it turns out, makes me throw up). I promptly put my injured status to good use and demanded the Thai food that I had been craving all weekend.
My recovery was fairly easy. R was a good nurse, helping me in the shower and with my clothes. The only excitement was driving with one arm, which probably shouldn't be legal. Good thing I had an automatic.
Second verse, same as the first
More along the same lines as this. Here are a few of the answers to a recent test.
When you are 60, do you think we will be using the same energy sources as we are today? Explain using examples.
No, because they might make it more improved.
Well no cause we will have 60% less energy sources as we do now so we will be a little bit more weaker.
I think we would in some ways. But, than we probably. I think yes we will beusing energy sources.
What is an example of a nonrenewable resource?
[little drawing of a what might be two cakes] see the new one is nice but the other one is not nice
Last day of freedom
Until Christmas break, that is.
I had a disconcerting dream last night. I went back to school and they had changed all the classes. It seemed a very odd thing to do, three weeks before the end of the semester. I couldn't find anything and was completely lost. I couldn't find my schedule and didn't know what I was supposed to teach. I was thrilled that they had taken some of my classes away from me, but at the same time terrified that there might be a class somewhere waiting for me to arrive.
Fridge Friday IV (Saturday Edition): The top shelf
Well, I managed to forget about Fridge Friday on Friday again. Luckily, I was not alone.
The top shelf of the fridge is almost entirely taken up with sauces and drink fixings. The sauces are mostly salad dressings, but there is also a bottle of hot sauce and the sweet chili sauce we break out in times of lumpia or egg rolls. Being of the twenty-something set, we've got a fair amount of beer in the fridge, even though we don't drink it too often ourselves. Of course, my mom has a few beers in the fridge even though she never drinks the stuff, so I suppose it is only polite.
The one item that doesn't fall into the two previously stated categories is the container of frosting. I could lie, and tell you we just made a cake and had a little extra, but the truth is that I've just been eating it in graham cracker and frosting sandwiches.
Recipe Review: Baby Pumpkins with Garlic Custard
I actually made this interesting dish yesterday, pumpkins being decidedly Thanksgiving-y, but figured I'd avoid doing more than one recipe review in a day. Being served in little pumpkins, this dish was extremely cute and made my family's Thanksgiving seem oh so sophisticated. Reviews for the food itself were mixed, though. My family loved it, but to be fair they don't seem to own properly operating taste buds and think everything is delicious. R, the roommate, and I were decidedly less enthusiastic. They weren't bad, I ate nearly all of mine, but they weren't great. I was expecting the custard to be a bit creamier, perhaps with a more rich and robust flavor to balance out the pumpkin. We did rush the cooking a bit (be warned, these take a little while to make), so perhaps that negatively affected the texture. I don't know.
Here's the recipe, feel free to decide for yourself on this one.
It's the most wonderful (shopping) time of the year
I love online Black Friday sales that start at midnight. You see, I would never in my life brave the actual stores, nor would you ever see me trying to be somewhere at 4 in the morning on a day off*, however midnight is a time I am often awake and the computer is generally as far as I'm willing to go for shopping. I guess the Black Friday sales have finally reached the non-shopper demographic.
* We were up pretty early for the Wii release, but that's another story.
Recipe Review: Cider-Brined-and-Glazed-Turkey
Well, I really don't want to post the whole recipe, seeing as it is rather long, but needless to say it was a rather tasty bird. Rave reviews from the family, browned up beautifully, and the drippings created a dark and flavorful gravy.
This was the first time that I've brined a turkey myself. I've eaten brined turkeys before, so I knew I would be in store for something delicious. One December when we were visiting Montana R's brother made a turkey that he brined in a bucket out on his patio. The benefits of living somewhere cold, I suppose.
I suck at drums, but I'm an awesome lead singer
My entire afternoon and evening, minus an hour break for dinner, has been consumed by Rock Band. I probably won't be able to speak tomorrow, due to singing for several hours straight. As you might have guessed, it is really fun and you should play it if you get the chance.
Now, back to the action!
Recipe Review: Idaho Halibut
Tonight we were going to try out Idaho Salmon. Unfortunately for me, all of the supermarkets were only carrying Atlantic farmed salmon, which just wasn't acceptable (I'm trying to only eat seafood from sustainable sources). To R's delight (he doesn't care for salmon), I decided to go ahead with the recipe, but to substitute halibut.
In the end, I don't think I would bother with this particular recipe again. Although the fish wound up tasting nice, I could hardly tell that anything had been basted on it. Perhaps next time I might leave out the beer and baste the fish exclusively in garlic and butter.
Fridge Friday III (Monday edition): My beloved jams
The central portion of the fridge has a good deal more variety than the other areas. Drinks, yogurt, sauces, pastry in a roll, and, of course, jam. I love jam. I currently have lingonberry, huckleberry, peach, strawberry, orange marmalade, and ginger open. Possibly the best part of my trip was being given several jars of my mother's homemade jam.
As for the rest of the trip, it was better than some but still not as good as initially perceived. My mom proceeded to make a few snippy comments and take various things as personal affronts (much as she has in the past), returning our relationship to its slightly awkward state. Oh well.
The fragility of memory
Last night, while my relatives up here had come over for dinner, my sister got out Operation so that she could play it with my little cousin. I asked my mom when she had purchased the game, as it was one I only remembered playing at friends' houses. She answered that we had in fact owned it for a long time, didn't I remember playing it? I didn't, so I asked my sister if she remembered playing it, to which she replied in the affirmative.
From my perspective, it feels as though they might be playing a trick on me, trying to implant me with false memories. However, it does seem like the kind of game my mother would have bought for me. She was always trying to encourage my desire to become a doctor. When a childhood friend told me that only men could be doctors, women had to be nurses, my mom bought me Doctor Barbie. I've seen pictures of myself listening to my sister's "heartbeat" with a little toy medical kit. She even found a female pediatrician when we moved, so that I would have a role model. I just wish I remembered the game!
Argh!
In all the hustle and bustle of getting up to NorCal, I forgot about Fridge Friday! I'll have to do it when I get home.
Home
I'm home. Well, not Home home, per se, but the old home. The home of my youth. My mom's home.
In the past, it was always a little eerie visiting this place. It felt like a strange and foreign place, filled with echos of what once was my home. It was really strange feeling that when I still lived here.
However, this visit has been different from previous visits. My old home mostly just feels like my mom's home; I don't feel like an alien visiting it. I even feel more comfortable around my mom. Perhaps we have both matured, perhaps I've developed a thicker skin over the last several months, or perhaps it is that odd sense of teacherly camaraderie I feel towards her, but somehow I feel closer to her and less irritated by her than I have in years. Spending time with her has been downright... nice. Obviously, I've only just begun the visit and things may change, but I hope they don't. It's nice having a mom again.
On a totally unrelated note, my mom's keyboard is called a "QuietKey," but is possibly the loudest keyboard I have used in years.
Proof that they can, in fact, be cute
I love my house meetings. At my school, all of the teachers with the same advisory have a common prep period and we meet up. Much of the meeting tends not to be relevant to me, since I just have one class of 6th grade science and one 6th grade advisory (whereas they have all 6th grade all the time), but when we're not talking business it is a lot of fun. The stories they have are hilarious!
I do have a funny story from my 6th graders. Last week, one of the students came up to me and told me that her sister had a doll that looked just like me. She then proceeded to pull a Barbie doll out of her backpack and talk about how much I resembled it. I wasn't sure whether she was complementing me or insulting me, so I just tried to be neutral. It was really odd at the time, but pretty funny from a distance.
Dork rock!
Considering that the most interesting event of the day, other than another angry parent e-mail, was that I spent the entire afternoon trying to remember to remove the box cutter from my school bag so that airport security wouldn't arrest me tomorrow, I decided to take a cue from Alynda and talk a bit about music.
You may notice that my top 25 most played songs on iTunes are, well, not very frequently played. This is due to my having to put a new hard drive in my computer this summer, eliminating the previous play count, and my having been teaching since then. Nevertheless, this is still fairly reflective of my slightly unconventional taste in music. Top of the list is a song from Dance Dance Revolution, followed by the much more sparse "1234," followed by a scattering of Jonathan Coulton (among other things). If you haven't yet heard Jonathan Coulton, you really should. Geek rock at its finest.
Recipe Review: Beer Can Chicken
R has fond memories of eating roast chicken during his childhood (my family was more into BBQ chicken breasts). Being the silly person I am, I therefore felt the need to make a roast chicken in order to live up to the challenge. What I wound up making was actually a hybrid of two recipes, Roast Chicken and Root Vegetables and Beer Can Chicken, with spices of my own devising. I am proud to say that this exceeded all expectations and was some of the most delicious chicken I ever tasted.
Beer Can Chicken
- One 4 lb. chicken
- One 12 oz. can of beer
- Olive oil
- Seasoned Grilling Salt
- Pepper
- Rosemary
2. Rub olive oil all over chicken, then rub on a layer of spices.
3. Stick the can up the chicken's nether-regions and sit that sucker down on a broiler pan.
4. Roast at 500* F for 15 minutes, then lower temperature to 350* F and roast for approximately 45 minutes (until the breast is 165* F).