| under-cooked chicken and the trouble with a small fridge |
[Jul. 11th, 2008|01:14 pm] |
I have been banned from buying food. That's right, banned. Sure, my half of the cabinets are spilling over and the fridge and freezer contain more of my crap than anything else, but banned? That seems a bit harsh. Luckily, there are no good sales this week, or I'd be desperate. I grew up in a house where you buy only what is on sale and enough of it to last until it's on sale again. This way, you have a constant supply of food but never quite break the budget. Meanwhile, the boy buys high-priced name brand goods. We're both poor folk, but he sure doesn't EAT like he is, so he ends up with very few groceries. I suppose the difference is that I was actually raised in a family where grocery money had to be stretched. This means, my poor groceries take up tons o space and get his glaring eye on a regular basis (yes, I know I bought that WEEKS ago, it's not that I'm not going to eat it, I just don't need to eat it today.)
We need a much (much) larger kitchen.
In order to make some of my groceries disappear, I'm saving my eating out budget and only eating in. I'm also trying to eat the 3 lb bag of frozen chicken pieces I bought. Can I just say I hate cooking meat? I hate it. With a passion. I could so easily be vegetarian (this 3 lb bag of chicken could last me ages) and I hate cooking meat. Why on earth did I buy chicken? Because I want to die. By means of food poisoning. I'm almost positive my super tasty chicken in sesame dressing is undercooked. If anyone has a fool proof way of knowing when chicken is done, I'd love to know it. I sauteed this in dressing for what felt like ages and then cut into the larger pieces. They easily sliced and were white on the inside. I then let it cook for about five more minutes, just because I hate cooking meat - but yet, some of the chicken still has an uncooked texture. What the freakin' crap man, what the freakin' crap.
I'm currently reading (almost done with) Breakfast with Buddha by Roland Merullo. It's completely acceptable but far from great. The review I read of it sounded much better. The author does have a special knack for describing food though. I'm kind of half tempted to read Golfing with God, though I'm fairly skeptical.
I'm also almost done with The Mysterious Flame of Queen Leona (?) by Umberto Eco, which is like, amazing.
I've also started Aunt Dimity's Death by Nancy Atherton (yay cheesy mysteries!). I read her latest book which was fun and good though not amazing (especially not after reading Lisa Lutz) and thought I'd start at the beginning. The lastest book kind of has the feel of Miss Marple with a supernatural journal that gives her advice. This book (where she acquires the journal) seems a bit different. Such things happen when you jump from book 12 to book 1 in a series.
I'm also reading Rousseau's Dog, have been for months, and am almost done. It's good, but I have a fear it's going to be super anti-climatic. |
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| (no subject) |
[Jun. 27th, 2008|05:14 pm] |
All of my online projects are being weird, so I'm stuck to live journal, face book, or myspace. Since I'm properly avoiding talking to people I see in real life on the internet (it's lame. -Lets hang out tomorrow! -Okay! -I'll be where I always am! -Hey, me too! - Your number's in my cell phone! -Hey, yours is in MINE! That's crazy! -I know right! Why are we communicating on the internet? -Because the universe depends on Myspace and Facebook, and even though our entire group sees itself daily or at least weekly, we must infiltrate our internet time too. -Yay we're cool.) without their knowledge (they must learn the hard way) I'm posting on here, again.
Gideon Defoe's book still isn't released in the US. I could buy a used copy (and the prices on those seem to be dropping quickly) but if I'm going to BUY a book, I'd like the author to see pennies of it. And I'm just not ready emotionally to deal with international shipping and exchange rates. I'll continue to wait patiently, for now.
Lisa Lutz doesn't have another book coming out until March 10th, 2009. There are approximately 255 days, 11 hours, and 10 minutes until I can buy her book. Let the countdown begin.
That's all really.
Oh, and cold Hazelnut coffee tastes suspiciously like lucky charms marshmallows. |
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| (no subject) |
[Jun. 25th, 2008|03:48 pm] |
And my dragons are dying. Go figure. In other news, I'm also addicted to Project Gutenberg.
And Lisa Lutz.
Read The Spellman Files. It should take you less than 24 hours. It's fast, it's easy, it's shockingly well-written, and it's super super fun.
It most definitely is not serious crime fiction. It's not really even a mystery. It's just really really good. So read it. I loved it so much that after work today I'm driving across town to a library I NEVER go to that's totally out of my way and a waste of gas just to get the sequel. I'm not real thrilled with my bf's friend who suggested it to me the other night. Damn her and her good taste. Woah. As it turns out, the only library that has it that will be open late enough for me to get it is even MORE out of my way than the other two that have it. And when I realize that this will be my fourth library visit - to different libraries - in less than 36 hours, it becomes a bit disturbing. I am also super excited about the new batman movie.
OH oh and I saw Get Smart. It was good in that "Now I want to watch all the episodes on repeat" sort of way, which the Spellman Files didn't help one bit. Luckily, the first season is going to be released on DVD on my birthday.
Hrm. Apparently, the second Lisa Lutz book can be purchased for my Kindle. If I don't make it to the library in time tonight I may have to do that :\ - though I'm not sure I really want to purchase the book.
If anyone has any suggestions for how a person can kill an insane number of hours on the internet, please pass them my way. Meanwhile, I'm going to go play diner dash or something. |
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| (no subject) |
[Jun. 18th, 2008|03:54 pm] |
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So, I was looking at my journal, and there's a picture I posted in my last post of a dragon. When my mouse was resting on top of the picture, it listed Ann Coulter as a key word. I'm totally not okay with that, and if my dragon viewing turns out to be the childcreature of coulter fans, I'm totally done with it. I'm basically just posting this so I remember to investigate when I don't have homework for a night class to do. Oddly enough, my hours in the computer lab have been fairly entertaining. Lots of dragon clicking, seeing friends who I TOTALLY didn't know lived in town, cleaning out my purse digging for change... I have Watership Down for whenever I'm done today, but I don't think I'll have time to watch it. I'm currently reading 1984 on my Kindle. I did all the Golden Compass series already. Pullman totally kicks Rowlings ass *looks around for the projectiles that are surely coming after a comment like that.* All I'm saying is it's nice to have more than one complex character in a series. My boyfriend will surely make me read more HP now, especially since I've been raving about Pullman for the past couple of weeks. Always wonder about the boys that drag you to see Sex in the City and try to make you read all of Harry Potter. Or maybe you should wonder about the girls who have no interest in SitC or HP for very specific reasons but yet give them chance after chance due to dumb boys. |
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| I stole a baby dragon egg! |
[Jun. 13th, 2008|03:10 pm] |
And you should go view it here  but only once, because if you view it more than once, it'll probably die. That would be sad. How am I supposed to waste 4 1/2 hours three times a week if my dragons all die? :( |
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| monday |
[Jun. 2nd, 2008|02:31 pm] |
 Dear Santa...
Dear Santa,
This year I've been busy!
Last Tuesday I got in line at the supermarket at the same time as someone else and I didn't yield (-8 points). Last Saturday I gave ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) lexandros a kidney (1000 points). Last Wednesday I didn't flush (-1 points). In May on a flight to Colorado Springs, I stole the emergency flight information card (-40 points). Last Monday I gave change to a homeless guy (19 points).
Overall, I've been nice (970 points). For Christmas I deserve an Easy-Bake Oven!
Sincerely,
cleansockstoday |
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| Bored at school? Post, post, post! |
[May. 28th, 2008|04:50 pm] |
Vitor came in second. Since the guy I'm rooting for never wins, I have a theory that I should have stayed awake and rooted for the guy who actually won. Scott Dixon is evil and must be stopped. Or maybe he's not evil, but I'm not fond of him regardless. He's actually my least favorite, or one of them.
I lovelovelove kids who are learning how to read and love it. I spent my weekend doing that. It almost makes me want children. I'm just sayin, as long as I'm positive the father will stick around and be willing to accept full responsibility for the first two years, I'd have em. I guess it's possible that I'd turn out all maternal and gross, but I really just don't like babies before they start talking semi-coherently. I don't think they're cute or precious. And I don't make goo noises. And the idea that others could speak to any future children in goo noises makes me want to puke.
That's all. |
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| Yay work |
[May. 23rd, 2008|12:17 pm] |
I may have posted about this ages ago, I used to work in a computer lab, basically sitting and doing nothing. I do that again. I'm completely bored. I'm also completely frustrated with the guy that's playing music so loudly that I can hear it across the room. I'm not sure, because it's pretty darn muffled, but I don't think it's even good music. I'd tell him to be quiet, but he's in one of my classes. The way summer classes are, you end up having fairly personal in-class relationships with everyone, so it's really not a good idea to be a grumpus and create any tension. I generally really like the environment summer classes create though - you get to know people that you'd otherwise probably never speak to, and you get to know them super fast and spend every day with them. It's like summer camp only with stress and way too much homework.
End of week two, shortly after dragging myself out of bed, shortly before running out of the house to get here on time - boyfriend tells me I shouldn't take a full cup of coffee with me, I get super angry and proceed to chew him out while he laughs at me (which just makes me angrier, btw.) boyfriend tells me we're leaving at nine tomorrow morning, I cry because I don't want to wake up at six thirty to shower/pack/eat/charge electronic devices/push him to get moving. I'm so not excited about driving for three hours, stranded in the backseat. We're driving up with a friend of his who I can just barely tolerate. If I pretend he doesn't exist and talk to his wife, it's fine. His wife won't be there. He also acts even less tolerable when away from her. And due to the fact that boyfriend's parents don't know I started smoking again, I get to quit for the weekend. Someone might die.
Or I may just read my Kindle, play my DS, and wonder when I acquired so many freaking gadgets. This is a person who can barely work a cell phone.
I am so in love with my Kindle. I can't decide if I should read a public domain book after I finish Kurt, or buy The Golden Compass, or buy Wild Nights by Joyce Carol Oates.
I'm going to go browse Gutenberg now!
Oh, and it's Indy 500 weekend. Cross your fingers for Vitor, especially if you don't care about the 500. If you do care, I understand if you support someone else, but you should still basically be okay with it if when Vitor wins. |
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| I think I'm kind of a stalker. |
[May. 19th, 2008|07:18 am] |
So I basically found my live journal password because I found a live journal for an author I love whos new book is only available in the UK and I'm pretty upset about it. It doesn't appear as if he actually really so much talks about his books on live journal, but that's okay. I'm going to add him as a friend later anyway once I'm at work. So there.
Vitor has been my photo for like, ages now. and I don't think he's won a race since I started caring. AND he got married. I'm absolutely okay fawning over married men who are rich/famous/willnevermeetanyway, but it just seems tasteless to fawn over married men who've been married like, months. Gah, ruining all my fun. Se previous post about Men Sucking. It's still true. Thanks for that, Vitor. Being all, married and not winning and stuff. Oh, I just realized there's major construction on the way to school today, so I should go. K bye.
- I'm now at work. There was no construction. I was early to class. Er, that's all really. Oh, and google reader is the best. I highly suggest it. And that you subscribe to the broadsheet. And get fuzzy. and any of the various book feeds that talk about new releases and specific books. I also highly suggest that you read your reader every day so you don't accumulate 1000+ articles to read and have to either clear your feed and start over or just start a new feed with a different email address when one of your professors asks you to open a google account for a different reason with your university email account. |
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| Men suck |
[Oct. 25th, 2007|11:47 pm] |
Yup, is true.
Must kill them all ;) |
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| Indy 500, no, for real this time. |
[May. 28th, 2007|11:14 pm] |
RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I SAW THE INDY 500!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And no, my caps lock was NOT on, thx.
Hold pls, need a second beer, will return with lots of juicy details you don't care about.
Side note, and then I promise with my heart to move on to things you don't care about. My insurance is currently problematic so I can't drive. Luckily, the beer shop down the road has a mix and match deal. My first beer this evening was Lakefront Cherry Lager Beer. Rather good. We're moving on to Blue Moon Honey Moon Summer Ale. Hopefully this will treat me better than the spring ale, which was shite.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH Okay, so, first of all, it definitely rained while I was there. A lot. Like, there was a 3 hour break in the race. We left. We were happy. Tony Kanaan was leading. Marco was second, Patrick was third, my Vitor was 4th... for the life of me I can't remember who was fifth, but it wasn't something to be sad over. Penske was the suck. And by the suck, I mean, they should have just gone home. We thought surely the race was over, but no. Hornish needs to stop being an ass. Apparently my discussing the race isn't great, but. eh.
It was fun.
I want to go back.
I want Vitor to win, he will. ;) |
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| Indy 500 and the like |
[May. 28th, 2007|10:27 pm] |
Gah, I had THE most exhausting weekend. I felt like I should be on a reality tv show. 4 generations, 10 people, one house. 4 Catholics, 2 atheists, 2 ???'s, 2 too little to decide. 8 grownups, 1 case of beer. 2 children, 8 living playtoys.
Boy's grandmother drove me bonkers. My favorites were when she chastised her son for doing dishes, because that was woman's work, and he should have a beer while his wife did them. Also, when we were sitting at the table playing Uno and her husband was sitting there, not playing, but chatting with us, and she told him it was apparent that he was bored, and that he knew how to go to bed. Oh, and when she told me that he was just "putting on" that he didn't like racing, and that when they were dating (they've been married almost 61 years) he LOVED racing. Boy says that he hasn't been interested in the past 27 years that he's been in the family. The griping at husband lasted for basically the entire weekend, she seemed to have more faith in the 3 yearold than him. I get that his health has gone downhill significantly, but it really got irritating, especially since I'm rather FOND of him. Boy says it's new and that she just hasn't gotten used to dealing with him, but agrees she's a bit much from time to time. His mama was also rather on edge due to her general criticism of everything in the universe (letting her husband do woman's work, having a too-pretty garden, spending too much money on her grandkids, etc) and her husband listening to his mama, which, in turn, put boy and boys brother on edge. Even the kids got it, several times after boy's parents and grandparents had been babysitting, it was clear boy's mama was in a foul mood. When the kids were asked what they did, they uniformly pointed out a specific situation that had happened in their presence.
And I heard a whisper of "Is she not Catholic?" after prayer. I also heard the return whisper from his EXTREMELY Catholic dad of, "It doesn't matter, Boy is happy and she's a good girl." I was a bit shocked.
Race update in next post. maybe later tonight. |
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| Gilmore girls vs Indy car racing |
[May. 23rd, 2007|12:45 pm] |
So, it seems as though Iwill not finish the first season of gilmore girls in time to go see the Indy 500. This is sad, but I've gone through a good chunk, and should be able to check them out again when I get back. Due to the weather being, weather, it looks as though I will be packing two sets of clothing for the weekend *sigh* a good jean/short mix. I will get to play with the two cutest kids on the face of the planet, and that's good. It's really sad that I'm just not fond of the monsters children in my own family. I've filled out several applications *sigh* I really don't have the nerve to go turn them in though. I mean, just, gah. Who choses to work in a supermarket? Wants to? Me. That's right. Me. I feel about 2 inches tall, but I'm bound and determined not to try to get a decent job. I wouldn't mind it at all if I got a job working in the movie theater, sadly enough. Free movies, right? Or Starbucks, though the application process requires a printer, which is currently down for repairs of some mysterious sort. Yay. |
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| Library spoils |
[May. 18th, 2007|12:30 pm] |
One thing that being unemployed has done is given me a ton of reading time. The librarian looked at me and said, more already? it's not my fault he always happens to be the one to check me out *sigh*
-Gilmore girls, first season. since the library has the first 6 seasons, I figured I'd catch up. One episode in, I remember how much I used to love that show. I also like a lot of the characters more now than then, especially Suki. (or however you spell her name)
-Fer-de-lance by Rex Stout
-The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
The Maltese Falcon by Hammett
-Ask the Cards a Question by Marcia Muller (notice the mystery theme)
-Candide as a French reader for students..
-The Complete Claudine by Colette (omg I'm in love with it so far)
The Blistering Sun by Rachel Sage (a la pandora.com)
-Santana collection
-Something Corporate - not sure of the cd title, but it might be interesting.. or might not.
-A new GRE study book
I also have Noisy outlaws, unfriendly blobs, and some other things that aren't as scary, maybe, depending on how you feel about lost lands, stray cellphones, creatures from the sky, parents who disappear in Peru, a man named Lars Farf, and one other story we couldn't quite finish, so maybe you could help us out - which is left over from my last library visit.
On that note, I'm going to go curl up on the front porch with a kitty and Claudine, watch a second Gilmore Girls episode, return to the porch for GRE study time, then maybe, just maybe, weed eat the rest of the yard.
This time next week I will be in Indy for the 500. Keep your gasps to yourself. |
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| What is it that college grads with liberal arts degrees do, anyway? |
[May. 5th, 2007|11:54 am] |
-Play Frisbee golf
-Go climbing
- Drink good beer, eat good food (before the money I have runs out, see following video for details.)
-watch Spiderman 3
-Sleep until at least 9 every day
- Try to find a job, without success (see video for details.) |
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| uhg |
[May. 3rd, 2007|11:13 am] |
2 finals
2 papers
two days
*blink* In other news, I'm going to (physically) rip your head off. I don't care that you didn't do it. I'm not even sure if there is anything that has been done. But. I'm slightly crazed, and blame you.. n no, I don't mean some specific person that I don't want to name by name. I mean, you. The person that's reading this, right now. kthx. please avoid for 4 to 6 business days, after which sanity should be restored to all systems. |
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| Yet another post about Vonnegut. |
[Apr. 13th, 2007|03:02 pm] |
I'm sure most of the livejournal community has already done this, but now I will, so there.
Kurt Vonnegut's death is the second death of an author in my lifetime that has really made me think. The first was Ken Kesey - and I think that a large part of what bothered me with his death was I was in the process of reading or had just finished One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, which I believe was the first "classic" book I read that was by someone still alive, and I also believe the last until I picked up Vonnegut for the first time. I think that Vonnegut honestly opened me up to literature in a way that no other book had. I was handed Slaughterhouse Five by my boss after complaining that I only read out of the very traditional American/British canon. I think that's a very easy trap for someone to fall into - you read a few books in the canon that are really, really good, and books that aren't so good scream their faults. Though I know some courses teach Vonnegut, I had never heard of him, and I was shocked at how GOOD the book was. I went through a phase where I just started picking up books that I had never heard of - and as it turns out, not all great authors are dead white men (fancy that.) I think when I started reading Vonnegut, I became a lot more open minded. I suppose if I would have really looked into him critically, I would have realized that he's KNOWN as being very good, but to me, I felt like it was a discovery *I* had made. Maybe because he's so Twain-esque (who was and is my all-time favorite, no matter who comes along. He's actually what started my love for the "classics." If there was no Twain, I could very well be a Biology student.) but woah, this guy was good. Really good. I remember being high, pulling out a Vonnegut book, and just pointing out quote after quote (I was then banned from carrying bags large enough to house a book, because a group of kids smoking pot never want someone who just sits around and reads to them.)
Shortly after Vonnegut, I picked up my first Latin American translation of some book no one has heard of. And woah, it was really good.
I picked up my first Kinky Friedman mystery, and again, woah (as it turns out, Friedman is much more friendly reading when dealing with potheads - fyi.)
I started listening to recommendations from friends and family.
I learned that seeing "NY Times best seller list" on a cover did NOT mean the book wasn't worth my time (cause like, if the masses can like it, surely I won't.)
So, I'd like to lament about how the world has lost someone great etc etc, but I really can't. Well, the world HAS lost someone great, but that someone great has contributed a lifetime of work and experience, and actually, like, lived a full life.
And now for a short letter.
Dear Media,
I know Don Imus is an ass. I agree that he deserves to be fired (though like, remember Ann Coulter? She never got fired. And what about Rush? Any given time I turn him on he says at least ten things equally as offensive. Isn't firing Imus very publicly basically saying, "HEY, here's this guy Imus. You've never heard of him, so like, you should find out more about him.... oh wait, did you forget that name? Here's more breaking news on Don Imus. Don't forget that name. Don. Imus." Oh wait, is that what you're trying to do? Considering you, probably.) I do feel though that Vonnegut's death is more important. But again, you're probably just trying to create Imus fans while coming off as sympathetic. Who cares about some old dead guy anyway?
-Me. |
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| Ten things I hate about dew |
[Mar. 29th, 2007|07:11 pm] |
1) I'm going to be covered in it tomorrow morning. Apparently, my back yard met a married Catholic stick couple and invited them in - 1 hr and 2 large trash bags later there are still tons of sticks over the yard *sigh* - I can't cut the grass until they are gone - so I'm waking up an hour early tomorrow to work on the yard a bit more. This would be much less irritating if my neighbors didn't have a dog that likes to throw itself against their (now rotting) privacy fence and bark at me.
2-10 to be added later
(I thought I had something interesting to say, but as it turns out I'm just tired of sitting in a computer lab - other activities include: coloring a clothespin with an inkpen, sneaking off to the bathroom to talk on the phone (only place that I have signal), roaming the halls, doing countless surveys (I'm 0% republican, 84% democrat, my true love is a gemini, i'm president clinton, my mommy is madonna (yikes),my penis name is Mr. Big...), playing internet games, pushing in chairs, straightening mousepads...... bothering whoever would respond on aim.... I think I'm going to go shut off computers now kthxbye.) |
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| Can I count vodka as a potato? |
[Mar. 22nd, 2007|11:32 pm] |
I've officially stopped drinking until graduation.
I LOVE interlibrary loan!!!!!! I just got in Conversations with (guess who.. go on, you'll never.. oh wait, did you guess Amiri Baraka?) Amiri Baraka (you were right)
I tend to get a bit wrapped up when I'm researching someone/something - my boyfriend asked me if I wanted to "do" Baraka today - he's asked me the same about H.D., Hemingway, Cuba, Castro, Doyle, and Othello - I suppose I can't blame him. I talk about Baraka non-stop, I always have something Baraka related in my paw, I've made copies of various poems to show my friends... it's a wonder I still have any!
I wish that I discovered ILL before last semester.. arrr okay I'm excited.
(I'm still confused on how one "does" a mass of land - I'm not sure I want to know - let's ignore the bit with long dead authors or characters/plays (he never specified which) - Castro and Baraka both make sense I suppose, but GAH old. I wonder if, since Doyle was active in spiritualism in his later years.. okay, now that's just getting weird.)
In case your wondering, my obsessions don't end. I'm still searching for adaptations of Othello, my Cuban lit stack is growing (well - that would have probably happened without the paper), H.D. is probably my favorite expat author (though, that was the case before the (second) paper I wrote on her), I've always loved Hemingway as a writer, etc.
Baraka is becoming very frustrating. Everything I read says something new. I read today that he no longer considers himself part of the Black Nationalist movement - this actually kind of makes sense to me (from his work and interviews, I was a bit doubtful to begin with) - but how much of what *I* understand the Black Nationalist movement to be is the media? Everything that I read that has a writer other than Baraka is inconsistent - so he's extremely (EXTREMELY) aligned with socialism, and is/has been aligned with various black/civil movements, it makes sense that the media would be uncomfortable (aka, demonize him). He himself has changed so much over the course of 50 years that it's hard to pin him down at any one specific moment. I realized quite awhile ago that you can't take people and draw little boxes around them with neat little adjectives lined up along the sides but I don't feel like I'll ever really learn anything about him. I need to step back to my focus (how he has been influenced by everything that has happened prior to his career and during his career, and how he has influenced others, spanning multiple forms of art, with him as a grounding point but not really a focus) but it's so hard because I keep getting side tracked. I spent about a day and a half reading everything I could about his post 9/11 poem, Somebody Blew Up America - which caused all sorts of controversy (it's "anti-semitic" - and actually a fairly interesting story) - though I may use some of what I read for my paper, I got way off target. I think I'm going to try to wake up early so I can get to the library before work.
Which brings me to my main topic.
Since I've quit drinking, can I still have vodka? Ooohh and substitute beer for pasta? (I DO only eat wheat pasta.. mmm spinach alfredo beer.) Blueberrywine yogurt? No? Bah. |
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