Food

I'm proud of myself for actually cooking even when it's just for me. When I've cooked for one before, I, well...didn't. I had Trader Joe's around so why bother? Plus it was always hard to figure out what to do with the many, many leftovers and it seemed like a lot of effort to go through when a Lean Cuisine also gets the job done. There have been a Lean Cuisine or two in the past few weeks, but I have also made several home-cooked meals, and in VOLUME. And then eaten them day, after day, after day. And thus I have discovered the trick to cooking for one:

Make things that are good.

Then you will want to eat them over and over again! (Also, there are less dishes when you cook in bigger quantities. A key priority for me.) Easier said than done.

Here's how I have managed it: Budget Bytes. It is in my blog roll, but I have yet to extol its virtues. It. Is. Awesome. It motivates me to cook for myself because the author of the blog cooks for one too. And she will tell you which things freeze well--important bonus. And there are cost-breakdowns of each meal AND step-by-step photos. If that weren't enough, the recipes are generally spot-on, full of flavor, and hard to screw up.

In the last 2 weeks, I have made her Lentil and Sausage Stew (this one is really yummy) and Greek Chicken Stew. I have eaten them many times and still have leftovers in the freezer. Budget-friendly, that's what that is.

Also, tonight I made a very successful pasta dish from things in my pantry (it's an ice storm day here in Indiana) based off of this: http://shescookin.com/2010/08/16/pasta-with-red-chard-and-chickpeas/

I had kale instead of red chard and I didn't know how to blanch so I sauteed, but the trick of this one (besides the inclusion of feta, which makes anything good) is the little step of letting the chickpeas sit in lemon juice (recipe said zest, I used juice), thyme and olive oil for awhile. Made all the difference in the world.

Rules to Live By

If you have had a bad day, find yourself some chocolate milk.

If you have had a rough week or two, add a strawberry doughnut.

If said milk and doughnut are the last of each kind available in the store, breathe easy, because clearly the universe is looking out for you.

Cozy Quiet

It snowed all day yesterday, and as I had nowhere in particular to be, I considered myself snowed in and busied myself about the apartment. Usually if I don't leave home all day I am left feeling restless and a little crazy by the end of the day, but yesterday was nice. Partially because I felt like the world was saying, "Shhh...slow down, just rest." Blankets of snow are very peaceful that way (so long as you don't have to contend with them in your vehicle or with your feet.) So I did. I worked some, but I also cleaned up and did laundry and just generally tidied up my life.

And all day, since it was snowing, I had plans to make myself some hot chocolate. I finally got around to it around 6 pm. I had my cocoa, and my blanket, and was on the couch ready to watch the snow when bam! I remembered I needed to make a phone call and I better do it because the work day was about to end. So I took care of that and I settled back into my hot chocolate-drinking but lo and behold, the snow had stopped.

It didn't matter. I just drank my cocoa, and I looked outside at the trees and the apartment building across the way, and it was so quiet. All I could hear was the din of the heater and the clicking that comes from one wall in our kitchen (it confuses me too). So I sat, and did nothing but drink cocoa until my mug was empty.

I felt so much better. After the week I'd had, with my mind with thoughts and to-do lists and exhaustion, 15 minutes of nothing but snow and chocolate was just what the doctor ordered.

I'm going to try to just sit and do nothing for a few minutes--really and truly nothing, not "surf the internet pointlessly" nothing--every day.

Apocalypse

The following thought just passed through my conscience:

"I need a break....hmmm, I guess I'll go do the dishes."

Clearly a sign the world is ending.

Adrift

So here I am. In my apartment where I live by myself, now that Eric has moved to Texas. When I first found out he got the job, I was beyond thrilled, with a reasonable amount of sadness mixed in that he would leave here 4 months before me. Now, with him officially moved, I am having trouble accessing that thrilled feeling I felt a few weeks ago. I know, in my brain, that moving to the Austin is our dream and we are making that happen, which is amazing and a cause for celebration. But my insides just feel sad and crumpled. It doesn't help that the last week of school/work has been a perfect storm of work and responsibility and stress and sleep deprivation.

I feel strange about how totally discombobulated I feel in his absence. Like everything got tipped upside down and now I have to navigate this life that looks just like the one I had last semester but that feels completely unfamiliar.

I did not expect this. I need to get it together.

Ends and Beginnings

Well, the 2000s just came to a close. I feel grateful to have been born in 1987, because it has made the changing of decades coincide quite neatly with those big shifts in actual life. In the nineties, I was a child. Preschool, elementary school, early middle school. In 2000, I turned 13 and as we turn the page to 2011, I am on the verge of graduating with a masters degree, getting married, and (fingers crossed) getting my first real-deal job. Apparently, a lot can happen in ten years.

It just feels nice to have the world turning a page while my life does the same. Here's to looking back on an equally eventful decade come 2020.

Happy new year to all of you.

Finals

Hello there!

I just thought it had been a bit too long since I posted. What's new with you guys? Me, I'm working on finals. I have 2 classes out of the way but somehow that still means I have 5 different projects left to complete:

-2 5 page papers
- 1 15-20 page paper
-1 evaluation plan
-1 final
-1 stakeholder report

Wait, that's six things! For the record, 4 of those things are for one. class. That's right folks. 100% of our assignments for the semester are due on the last day of class. Smart! Luckily, 3/6 of these things are group projects so it's not quite as overwhelming.

What else is new? It's really cold. I can't wait to go to Tucson in less than a week where it is anything but cold. I love being from a warm climate! And I can't wait to live in one again! I don't have the constitution to withstand long stretches of 20 degree weather.

Yesterday we had two friends over for dinner and I made turkey burgers and oven fries. The trick to oven fries is to add a tablespoon of sugar to the spices you toss them in. Makes 'em all crispy! Thanks to Allrecipes for teaching me that.

So far today I have written almost 2 pages. Could be worse. Also I found some cheap blackboards to buy in bulk online to use as cute and easy signs at the reception. So productive! I think I'll reward myself with an episode of Top Chef All Stars.