| twitter from a nitwit |
[May. 15th, 2008|10:08 pm] |
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| Camping trip! |
[May. 14th, 2008|10:48 pm] |
I am going camping this weekend with ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) satyregirlie! I've been looking forward to this for so long. Through my tests and papers, this trip has been a light at the end of the tunnel. It won't be the same without ariananytekast along, but she couldn't make it this year. (We'll try not to have too much fun, Adri. Though I can't promise we won't be dancing naked under the full moon after the first couple bottles of wine, hehe)
After Mom's presentation this afternoon/evening, I went straight for my shiny new camping gear. I bought it all earlier today from the local hardware store, and ever since I brought it home I've been itching to clean it up and prettify it. I have a 4.5-quart pot-pan-thing, a 2-quart coffeepot (which I am going to use for tea, of course), some 12" metal tongs... ohh! a nifty little halogen lantern and some batteries. It's shiny and has a hook for the tent. It makes me happy.
Know what else makes me happy? Cooking. Cooking over a campfire. It's the perfect creative challenge! And I have backup hotdogs & etc in case something doesn't work. :)
I've spent the past couple hours happily chopping vegetables and making up dinners-in-ziploc-bags. These are going to be freezing overnight so they will hopefully keep longer in the cooler I'm bringing. I have one bag with beef stew meat, onion, bell peppers, yellow squash, carrots, minced garlic, ground pepper, and Lowry's. That will go into a foil packet to be tossed on the fire. I have another bag full of sliced sausage, diced onion, and minced garlic. I'm planning on sauteeing that in a pot over the fire, draining the grease, and then adding water and Zatarain's rice & red beans for a campfire jambalaya. MMMMmmm... I also have a pack of Hebrew National hotdogs. Laughing cow cheese wedges and Triscuits. A bag of grapes. A small watermelon that Mom decided she didn't want. And tomorrow morning I'm making Mama Carmichael's Cranberry Walnut Banana Bread. Let's see.... I also have a couple containers of loose-leaf tea to use in the coffeepot. A pot holder. One bottle of Yellowtail Cab, two bottles of Fall Creek Granite Blush, and a six pack of Corona. OH! I nearly forgot! I have two foil pizzas that I made up from a "foil pita-pocket pizza" recipe I found somewhere, except that Lago nitwits wouldn't know pita if it hit them in their redneck heads, so I had to use mini Bobolini instead. (Oh what a shame, haha.) One is a spicy pepperoni with mushrooms and black olives, the other is spinach-basil-cheese.
Oooh! I also have one of those hinged grill things with a long handle, though I don't think we'll need that now. (I was thinking hamburger patties, but our town's grocery didn't have any that looked very appetizing. Maybe we'll need it for the hotdogs. I also have an extra-long lighter thing, as well as two tiny bricks of firestarter. I am hoping that this whole cooking endeavor comes off better than it did last year. I've always been fascinated by the idea of cooking over a fire. Humans have done it for millennia... why can't we?
And despite it all, I have no idea what to bring to the potluck. Whatever it is, it will have to last until Saturday. Sigh. Pico de gallo and a bag of chips? That's so sad... Maybe I'll do a double-batch of banana bread! That would do very nicely. Oh, we need stuff for s'mores. I refuse to go camping sans graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmellows! It's tradition, tasty tasty tradition. Or something.
Can you tell I'm excited? It's a good thing I like feeding other people, since if I ate even half of all the stuff I cook, you'd have to roll me out of my own house. Yay, food! (Go ahead, Adri, yup I know, I'm SUCH a cancer! haha) |
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| twitter from a nitwit |
[May. 14th, 2008|10:12 pm] |
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| twitter from a nitwit |
[May. 13th, 2008|10:11 pm] |
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| twitter from a nitwit |
[May. 12th, 2008|10:07 pm] |
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| twitter from a nitwit |
[May. 11th, 2008|10:10 pm] |
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| an observation |
[May. 11th, 2008|04:12 pm] |
I'm studying for my Anglo-American Folksong exam tomorrow, and two things jumped out at me in the following passage from an article in my course packet. First, it's one of the most convoluted and obtuse statements I've read since my last philosophy course. Second, my prof gets a mention. Huh.
"The proposed substantiation of this axiological unity in the repertoire relies to come extent on the techniques and even the very analyses perfected by Roger DeV. Renwick in English Folk Poetry (1980)." |
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| It's finally happening! |
[May. 11th, 2008|08:43 am] |
From CNN.com: Analysis: Could Clinton land the VP nomination?
It's finally, finally happening! Clinton is starting to think about conceding. Obama and Clinton have been so close for so long that the only way for one of them to win is for the other to suffer some sort of massive media debacle OR for the other to start conceding. In this case, it seems a little of both. There's no debacle, but the media is starting to use language that makes it harder for Hilary to continue to fight. For weeks they've been using language that subtly puts Obama in a better light--or at least the light of someone with more chance of making it.
"Clinton "is trying to figure out how to land the plane without looking like surrender," a prominent figure in the Obama camp said Friday. This means, in all likelihood, bringing her campaign to a close in the next few weeks and trying to leverage her way onto an Obama ticket from a position of maximum strength, said several knowledgeable sources."
Something had to give. I don't know if I'm surprised or not that in the end it's the media who decides it. You could say that the media is merely reflecting the feeling of the nation... but they don't have to. Rupert Murdoch isn't calling down to headquarters and reminding his underlings to "better represent the people"--he's saying Turn Up the Spin Cycle! Spinning stories sells papers. The media influence the way people think, not the other way around. I think it's a combination of factors. I think the media finally got sick of reporting on a stalemated neck-and-neck race and is pushing it one way or another to regain people's attention. I also think that it could be a little by accident. Everyone is watching so closely that perhaps a single reporter picked up a stray word from a single intern in the Hilary camp and maybe it influenced the language of his articles. Then the other pundits started picking up on his rhetoric and said to themselves, something is happening here! And so they start using the same sort of language. Everyone's so high strung and just ready to pounce as soon as the story actually breaks that they could have started this whole chain of events without realizing it. One reporter leans a little, asks a question in a certain way. Another takes notice, and another and before you know it the others swarm like blind piranhas.
I don't think it's particularly fair for Hilary. That being said, I also don't feel very bad for her, because like the badass she is, Clinton is finding a way to hang on and come out in a favorable position. It's actually very fascinating to hear about her strategies. It reminds me of historical fiction I've read about Eleanor of Aquitane or the wives of Henry VIII and they way they maneuvered their way through the thorns of politics. I would welcome an Obama-Clinton ticket. She is one strong lady, and her immense energy and popularity could be put to very good use. I think they both have a lot to offer, but Obama needs to lead the way for many reasons. Like Jim Sher said, Obama represents Uranus (change, new ideas, transition) while Clinton and McCain represent Saturn (tradition, stasis, everything stays the same). Obama is the only one who can oppose McCain--Clinton has started to stand for the same traditional values as the Republican. That's just not gonna fly on election day. We need someone from left field to take us out of the park.
Thank God It's Obama. |
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| twitter from a nitwit |
[May. 10th, 2008|10:03 pm] |
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| Much Ado About |
[May. 9th, 2008|11:24 pm] |
Epoc's is packed tonight. I suppose Friday night of deadweek, it ought to be packed to the brim with students frantically shuffling flashcards and marking up overpriced textbooks. And it is the hottest place around, or so I hear. (Literally, tonight! whew, somebody turn up the AC!) So far it looks like a larger JP Java's. I still prefer the Metro or the now-dead Mojo's. It works, though. Particularly since I have friends here.
Had a great afternoon/evening at Shakespeare in the Park (Zilker, that is). I invited Adrienne for our semi-annual infusion of drama, and she invited her beau. Then I had the brilliant idea to invite my friend Allison, who invited EVERYONE SHE KNOWS. It was quite wonderful. We had enough blankets to cover the area of a mid-size family van, and then some. I brought a veritable feast of picnicy goodness: grapes, cheeses, cold cuts, pita & garlic hummus, triscuits and pesto, a new bottle of French Rose. Others pitched in some major tasties--homemade chicken pasta salad, rosemary bread, black beans with polenta, doritos, homemade chocolate chip cookies, and neon blue & green "Grover v Grouch" cupcakes. Lots of Tecate. I used up every last drop of wine leftover from my various recent jobs, plus a couple gratuitous bottles of beer as well.
The play itself was wonderful! It has my favorite scene in all of Shakespeare, the love matching between Beatrice & Benedick. Truly priceless. The lead roles in this production were both very good actors, and played their parts with the right mix of appreciation for the ideal and personal flare. Oh, and the "John the Bastard" character was not as miserable as he has the capacity to be. And Dogberry was actually funny, not the nails-on-a-chalkboard version portrayed by Michael Keaton. Hero was beautiful. Claudio wasn't half bad. Beatrice and Benedick bantered wonderfully. Nothing will ever top Emma Thompson and Kenneth Branagh for me, though. My favorite scene in all of Shakespeare.
It was not ruined by the fact that my ex showed up. I saw him come in with an unknown girl and an old mutual friend of ours and head up the hill. I hid in the voluptuousness of my good friend Ally until they passed by, and then, just like the mature young woman I am, I took a long swig of Chardonnay. And proceeded to enjoy the show. At intermission I got up to go use the restroom and thereby revealed myself to the audience--a girl on my particular style of crutches is hard to miss--and the only thing that came of it was a text from our mutual friend. I replied politely. And that was it. They disappeared directly after the show. Disaster avoided, though honestly it probably wouldn't have been that bad.
It was sweltering, of course. I think it's safe to say that Summer Is Here. Ah, Texas. We enjoyed the extra-long springtime while it lasted, cool mornings and leafy green lusciousness, but now summer has hit like a load of overheated bricks from an overturned semi. So. Effing. HOT. For the first time since my revelation at the Arizona Cup, I am dreading archery practice. Who knows? Maybe it will encourage me to get up early for a change!
As it is, I'm focused on my last push through Monday's final exam. English 325L: Anglo-American Folksong. Comprehensive final, worth 35% of the total grade. Two other people showed to the study group today, thank GOD. I don't know what I would have done if it had been another complete no-show. Probably would have launched Betty from the 4th floor windows on the PCL in a fit of frustration. As it was, I had a hard time keeping the bitterness out of my voice when talking about previous study "groups" this week. I really wish I could let go of my grudges more easily.
Meh, oh well. This place is baking me alive and it's midnight and I need to drive home and go to sleep. Ciao! |
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| twitter from a nitwit |
[May. 9th, 2008|10:08 pm] |
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| twitter from a nitwit |
[May. 8th, 2008|10:09 pm] |
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| twitter from a nitwit |
[May. 7th, 2008|10:08 pm] |
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| cleaning, slow days, and a strange cooking proposition |
[May. 7th, 2008|06:09 pm] |
This has been a wonderful little day. My room is 70% cleaner than it was. Closet is more organized. I have a GIGANTIC bag of clothes and old jewelry to take to Buffalo Exchange. I've got the windows open and the sun pouring in. My "Phenomenal Women" mix has been playing nonstop all day, which has been comforting since everyone's at work.
It felt so much like the fall semester that during lunch, without thinking I opened up an old Word doc with a short story in it and started writing. I got half a page before I realized I need to be working on my final exam for Monday. My goal is to finish typing up my notes and have a reasonable stack of flashcards done tonight. That way I can study easier tomorrow while Dad & I are running around town, and I won't have any excuses for getting behind on work when Nana & Granddad are here.
Really bugs me that Dad invited them this weekend. I mean, I was in total agreement that we ought to have them up some weekend soon. I haven't seen my aunt Anna in ages, either, and she might be coming too. But Mom and I are so busy right now that it's just not great timing. I have a final on Monday! I already have plans for Friday! I have to study Saturday and Sunday! I have to edit three of Jen's papers--she's depending on me to help her on her Friday all-nighter, too. Dad says they know I'm a student and don't mind if I'm not here 24/7... but the thing is that if they are here I want to be here too. And I won't be able to do that. I want to visit with them and make them coffee and cook nonstop. And instead I'll be wandering around with my nose in a course packet. Caffeine?
Oh yeah. That brings me to another problem. Here I am with this fabulously stocked collection of recipes, all kinds of wonderful food that I'm learning to cook, and I finally have more than one person over to visit.... but one of them can't eat. Poor Anna. She's been having a very rough year, medically speaking, and a couple months ago she had surgery to put in a feeding tube because the drugs they were forcing on her made her too queasy to keep any food down. So... um.... How do I cook for that? She'll probably be super understanding about it all, but... I want to make her happy, and in my tiny little cancerian mind, I equate good hostessing with providing good edibles. How do I make someone happy? I stuff them with food! I pour them wine and beer and mixed drinks. I bake bread and cookies. I make beef stews and spiced fish and shredded chicken tacos. I whip up sauces and dips and hummus and salsas and hand out dishes of olives and sliced veggies or wedges of cheese. Salads! Fruit! Vegetables! Herbs! Spices! Cheesecake! Brownies! Crackers! Gouda! Cheddar! Havarti! Tortilla chips! Chili! Cornbread! Tamales!
To be honest with you, I'm going to get a little twitchy simply because I won't be able to give Anna something to eat. It's stupid, I know I'll be able to relate to her, but it's just.... eating is social. To be social is to eat, or drink, you know? Try to think of the last social thing you did without food or drinks.
All of a sudden, going on a diet doesn't sound half so bad, you know?
*returns to notes and flashcards* |
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| No Bake Chocolate Kahlua Cheesecake (with bonus spiderweb design) |
[May. 7th, 2008|01:34 pm] |
I made this wickedly delicious concoction Monday night in part because I was craving cheesecake and in part to cheer up my dad, who had a long day at work and happens to love cheesecake. And Kahlua. (Who doesn't?)
This is my own recipe, I am proud to say, and it worked damn well. It was my first time making cheesecake. Also had zero experience with this "no bake" nonsense. Wasn't sure if the alcohol was going to work out well, but it was perfect. I think in the future I'll use a bit more than an ounce. As it was, it smelled pretty strong at the beginning, but now a day later the flavor has diminished.
( Recipe behind cut! ) |
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| twitter from a nitwit |
[May. 6th, 2008|10:06 pm] |
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| twitter from a nitwit |
[May. 5th, 2008|10:07 pm] |
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| twitter from a nitwit |
[May. 4th, 2008|10:04 pm] |
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| Chicken Parmesan with Arugula |
[May. 4th, 2008|03:00 pm] |
Thanks to everyone on the cooking journal who helped me out last night. Dinner turned out fabulously, although I realized last minute we didn't have any spaghetti sauce. So I made some from scratch! It ended up a little bit watery but I know where I missed a step--I left the sauce covered the whole time, but you need to let the veggie broth boil down a bit before adding the tomatoes & etc. Overall, the meal timing was really hectic, so I've included a lot of notes on that.
( Recipe & gorgeous photo behind cut! ) |
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| the week from HELL is dead & gone |
[May. 4th, 2008|03:23 am] |
Actually, I call it the week of HELL but really some parts of it were a lot of fun. It was cool having Kevin around--just bad timing.
I'm sitting here trying to remember the sequence of events since we got back from A&M, and I can't. It's as if someone took the calendar I keep in my head and smeared everything from Monday to Friday into one horrific blur of stress. One event after another, each so bad on its own that it would have ruined a perfectly good normal week, but all together it was like riding out a hurricane in an inflatable dinghy. After a while you don't notice how many separate storms you've been through, all you can remember is wind and rain and panic.
The Twitter updates will help me keep it all straight.
( Week of INSANITY! OMG craziness, day by day accounts... )
So yeah. That was my week of insanity. I needed to get that all out, because I really hadn't given myself a chance to absorb any of it. Saturday I had a wine tasting. Today I have a big important study session, which nobody has shown up for. So I'm going to work for a few more hours and then go have a beer and some greasy tacos and I guess go home. Oh well. |
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