Baby Steps

Finals... yay

2009-03-15T11:39:00.000-07:00

So maybe starting an online food diary the weeks right before finals wasn't a good idea. I'm busy working on final papers, studying for music history AND preparing for an interview at Davis tomorrow. Yay grad school! I'm super excited, I'm even really enjoying my paper topics, I just wish I had one less thing on my plate. I did mess up on my meatless lent. I was digging through my cupboard looking for something easy and quick to eat for dinner between paragraphs, and found a can of ravioli. I didn't even think, it didn't even occur to me till I was halfway through the bowl. Hey, these are BEEF ravioli! Darnit! I guess I just figured I ha rid the house of meat products and could eat anything I had. Oops. I have been enjoying cooking vegitarian. I made spring rolls, and potato soup, and next week, after finals, I'm going to splurge on some fresh fish. mmmmmmm. Back to the paper writing...

My Birthday Goals

2009-03-02T13:28:00.000-08:00

Today is my twenty second birthday. Aside from a tiny panic attack due to my inability to stay 21 forever, I am enjoying myself. I did want to set a few goals for this year, and I thought I would be more likely to accomplish said goals if I told other people about them. Here goes...

1. Eat less meat. I'm doing this for environmental reasons. Eating meat has a huge environmental impact that I would like to lessen, but I don't think I can give up meat entirely. I'll start small. I gave up meat for lent this year, and so far so good, but once Easter rolls around I will not eat meat two days out of the week. No meat Mondays and any other day of my choice.

2. I will go on a bike trip. This is an idea I've been toying with, but havn't gotten around to. This year I will. A long day trip will suffice, but ideally an overnight camping trip exclusively bike powered.

3. Start my Graduate Studies. This is the next step in my education. All I have to do is do it.

4. Write twelve more chapters for D's book. I have been writing installments of a book for a young friend of mine (he's now seven) for several years now. This year I want to write twelve more chapters. One chapter a month. I can do it.

5. Go on a silent retreat. Another idea I've wanted to try for a long time. Even if it's just me going on a camping trip by myself, I want to try this.

So to keep myself honest, I'd like to keep a food diary here. Should be interesting.

Food diary 3-1-2009
Breakfast - yeah... I sept through it.
Lunch - Tomato bisque soup and french bread with blueberry soda
Dinner - Veggie burritos (lettuce, cheese, salsa, sour cream, tortillas) more blueberry soda, and a salad with parmesean ranch dressing
Dessert - Chocolate birthday cake and a glass of milk!

A little Free Form

2008-10-29T18:15:00.000-07:00

Often I'm intimidated when starting a new project. Will it turn out? Will it be pretty? I rarely work from my own drawings, and mostly depend on patterns. I decided to take a different approach on this project, and be impulsive for once. I drew no lines, and only flipped through my embroidery books for inspiration. It gave me a good chance to try some new stitches without worrying if they fit into whatever pattern I'm using. So for your viewing pleasure...
I particularly liked this part with an altered feather stitch.

Meow!

2008-10-27T11:10:00.000-07:00

I worked on this dish towel on the train last weekend. It's a Christmas present, and I think it turned out quite nicely. I hope he likes it! The little blue lines will wash away when I get around to washing this.

My new discovery

2008-10-26T17:58:00.000-07:00

I've been toting around reading material, because I'm regularly the first person to class, and I get bored on the bus etc. Reading was working really well, until I began reading a great big thick book of Louisa May Alcott's short stories. This book is huge. Really too heavy to add to my already over-filled backpack. I needed something else. You know what is fun, portable, light, and starts conversations? Embroidery projects! So I've been getting a lot of embroidery done. Here's what I worked on yesterday during the super-Saturday orchestra rehearsal...

It's a handkercheif! I'm doing the entire scalloped edge by hand, and then I'm going to add a monogram! Then I will have my own personal handkercheif for those 18th chentury moments. And Timm(ie), tomorrow I'm posting the thing I made you for Christmas, so if you don't want to ruin the surprise, don't check. Or, you can just pretend to be surprised in December :).

Luandry

2008-10-20T10:02:00.000-07:00

Today I did laundry. I miss the on campus laundry rooms, where I rarely saw another human being, and didn't have to worry about someone stealing my clothes, and it only cost me $1.50 to do a whole load of laundry! Now it costs me $1.75 just to wash a load at the laundromat next door which is noisy, and full of people. Then I have to dry my clothes (another $.75 at least) and lug it back to my apartment. It is unpleasant. I wish I had a clothesline...

P.S.
Good Lord Timm[ie]. That's all I have to say. Nice to see you found me.

Taking the train!

2008-10-18T10:24:00.000-07:00

Today I am on my way to visit my little brother across the state! Instead of driving, I decided to take the train! Of course, the train doesn't come to Santa Cruz, so I have to take a bus and the train. I don't like the buses well as the train, but it's definitely better for the environment so I'll deal with it. Riding the train is my favorite way to travel. I love the sound of the wheels and the gentle rock back and forth. I'll probably get an embroidery project done too. I hope.

Octopus!

2008-10-17T10:14:00.000-07:00

I spent last night embroidering this octopus into the breast pocket of my dad's shirt. He had an ink stain in the bottom of the pocket, so it looks like this poor little guy inked himself. Teehee. Poor little octopus is embarrassed. It's alright octopus, we forgive you.

How hot are we?

2008-10-16T20:30:00.000-07:00

I got back from class today about 7:30 and my apartment was sweltering! I live on top of a pizza parlour with great big, single pane, sounth facing windows. Between the sun and the pizzza oven under my bedroom the apartment gets toasty. I can't wait till winter when I'll appreciate the warmth. Until then, we keep all the windows open hoping the breeze will pick up again for just a few minutes...

Shrimpies!

2008-10-14T09:13:00.000-07:00

I bought two ghost shrimp recently to keep the fishies company. They are soo tiny! Hopefully they will keep the bottoms of the tanks a little cleaner, so the fish will be happier living in a bowl. At least it will be a clean bowl. I put the bigger one in the tank with the adult fish, and the smaller one in the bowl with the babies. I am as of yet undecided on names for them. Any suggestions?

Found some Pictures.

2008-10-13T10:46:00.000-07:00

I used my camera yesterday, and found some photographs from last Christmas! Check out these Christmas cookies!

And the little brother enjoying a Christmas Cookie! Isn't he cute?

Teehee, love you Kenneth!

A Mask for Class or The Most Pointless Asignment Ever

2008-10-12T13:10:00.000-07:00

So my theater history professor asked us to make a mask and bring it to class. I made this one! I had a lot of fun doing it, and really there's a lot to be said about an open ended project like that. What might it say about someone who goes all out and makes a feathery cat mask vs. someone who burns holes in a paper plate? But to my dismay I got to class and the teacher literally gave no opportunity for discussion. We all admired each others' masks, and that was it! We could have talked about how it changes your perspective when wearing a mask, or how masks effected theater's development or SOMETHING! But no. We saw some pictures of famous masks, looked at ours, and left. Masks are clearly an integral part of theater, but making one didn't bring any extra understanding. Pointless. At least I got a chance to practice some stitches I hadn't used before. Do you see that beautiful line of lavender feather stitch? I've never had feather stitch turn out well for me, but this time it did. I was so proud.

No Pizza?

2008-10-08T07:50:00.001-07:00

I got home late last night. I was working on homework in the library after orchestra. It made me lonely and hungry. Unfortunately by the time I got home (9:20) Lucy had already eaten. I am so tired of the leftovers we have in the fridge. I feel like I've been eating the same food for a week. It was Tuesday, so why don't I just go downstairs for all you can eat pizza? I grabbed a book to read and headed downstairs! I don't like eating at restaurants by myself usually, but I figured it was ok since I was 1) getting my money's worth and 2) I lived upstairs. But when I got down I was denied my heart's only desire! All you can eat pizza only goes till 9. It made me very sad. Now I'm procrastinating on a paper, so I apologize if this isn't the most interesting post ever. I'd rather be writing uninteresting things here than observant, well thought out stuff about Mozart.

Dancing Dina!

2008-10-06T22:48:00.001-07:00

I went dancing! Huzzah!

I cannot express to you how fantastic is was to get back out on the dance floor. Monday nights is ballroom dancing at the East Field house here at UCSC, Wednesday is swing, and Sunday is tango! I would love to learn to Tango! I think I smile more during the two hours I dance than the rest of the week. I am already looking forward to Wednesday.

Survived the first Week

2008-10-05T21:26:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow begins week two of Fall quarter. I survived the first week.

I spent last night at my high school watching the FUHSD Band Exhibition. It was fun, but a little irritating listening to the new parents say all the stupid rude things that new parents say. Word to the wise, never say anything negative about any youth band or sports team or dance team or anything at a public venue. You never know who is sitting next to you. Could be that ugly girl's mom, or the out of tune trumpet player's best friend. all you'll do is give your school a bad name for being negative. My band director drilled into our skulls that we were never to say anything negative about any other band ever. I noticed that while I watched, if I only said positive things, then I noticed the positive things more. When I focused on what the band was doing well, or the neat creative things that had a lot of potential, I enjoyed watching more.

The other thing that bothered me was that my alma mater (the smallest band at the exhibition) performed right next to the largest band there (who also happened to be our rival high school *sigh*). It's easy to sound good when you have 150 people out on the field and you use canned sound effects. It definately made my poor little band sound wimpy. Oh well, that's life. Sometimes I miss marching band... but I'll be glad to go to orchestra on Tuesday where people actually play dynamics and at least attempt to play in tune!

First Day of Orchestra

2008-09-30T20:11:00.001-07:00

Today was the first rehearsal for orchestra this year. We're doing Carmina burana by Carl Orff with the voice program. It's going to be quite the spectacle.

I'm playing the Eb clarinet part, and oh goodness is that thing hard to tune. It's itty bitty, and hard to control, and really really out of tune. But it's going to be fun. I enjoy playing with the orchestra more than most other things in my life. It's definitely one of my favorite things ever. It's pizza night! Mmmmmmm Pizza....

Flower!

2008-09-29T17:11:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning and leisurely made breakfast, fed the fish, took a shower, and watered the... WHAT?!?! What is that? Oh my goodness, there is a bright orange flower in my planter! Someone left me a flower! How cool is that? Completely made my morning. That is all.

Five minutes to chocolate cake?!?

2008-09-28T10:42:00.000-07:00

OMG... I saw this and tried it, and although the cake isn't what you'd call gormet it is acceptable chocolate cake and even very good with a glass of milk. The best part is it took all of five minutes! In the microwave! You can too!

Adventures

2008-09-27T21:49:00.000-07:00

Today was full of adventure! Lucy, Robert and I packed a picnic lunch (baguette, artichoke dip, dried mango, and sparkling pomegranate juice served in champagne flutes) and walked over to Natural Bridges State Park. Instead of walking the usual way we shortcut through a school. It made me a little nervous. How did we know it would actually get us where we were going? We didn't. This is the kind of thing I need more of in my life. Trying new things, even if it's just a new route or sitting in a different part of the lecture hall. I tend to settle into my routines and habits and not change. I was thinking it would be neat to try to have a mini adventure every day for a year... but maybe when I'm done with school. School takes over my life and won't let go. As it should.

By the way, there were monarch butterflies in the park! Not as many as there will be come November, but a reasonable amount. They were fun to watch.

Then this evening we headed over to Fins Coffee House to try chai for the first time, (delicious!) and hear my friend Max on the saxophone! It was a lot of fun, and I was amused that my favorite piece of music was the one he said was the hardest. No accounting for taste I suppose.

School has Begun!

2008-09-26T14:18:00.001-07:00

I went to all my classes and they are... ho hum. But let me take a moment to extol the virtues of the bike shuttle. I finally moved off campus this year, and decided that I wanted to bike. Biking has several advantages.

-It's better for the environment than driving
-It's better for me than driving
-I can take the short cuts across
-It's faster than walking

There is one big disadvantage though.

-There is a very large hill between me and campus.

A hill that by the end of the quarter I hope to be able to ride up, but at the moment I lack the strength and stamina. Thus the virtues of the bike shuttle. I ride two or three minutes to a side street near my apartment, and a friendly university employee drives up every fifteen minutes in a van pulling a trailer. I load my bike onto the trailer with little difficulty and hop into the van. Up the hill to campus we drive everyone chatting along the way. We stop at the very top of campus uphill of everything and unload. Then it's downhill to class and an exhilarating ride down the hill home in the afternoon. I don't have to wait for a bus to get home, I just hop on my bike and fly down a bike path that was recently paved through the middle of the on-campus farm. I fully intend on biking every day now that I know I can. Hopefully I'll be in good enough shape by the end of the year to go on a bike adventure! Now if only there were more bike lanes...

Audition

2008-09-24T11:54:00.000-07:00

This morning I auditioned for orchestra. I think it went well. The director complimented me on my improvement, which I took as a good sign. I might even get to play the Eb clarinet! Wouldn't that be fun?

I also found this... http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/science/adca/?cpg=78H

I had seen the videos of fish doing these things... but I didn't know you could buy the kit. I think it would be hilarious to have guppies that could do tricks, but I don't think my tank is big enough to implement this system. Also, I'm out of spending money. Oh well.

A Rollercoaster of a Day

2008-09-16T17:24:00.000-07:00

Today began very badly. How can a day start with a dentist appointment and go well? Turns out I have two cavities developing in the back of my mouth. I've never had a cavity before. It makes me sad. It also means that I have to come back home next Tuesday to get them filled, so I'm missing pizza night twice in a row. Ugh.

Things did get better. I found a free side table on the side of the road that will be very useful in my apartment. That was nice. I went for a bike ride around the neighborhood. I am woefully out of shape. I am going to have to work really hard to be able to ride around Santa Cruz.

I worked on the memory quilt a little. I didn't have enough fabric to cover the back, so I gave up. I'll find a better solution some other day when I'm feeling more inspired and not so trapped. I did finish my silk blouse, and it is fabulous! So pretty!

Tomorrow I take my last load to Santa Cruz and stay. Just 18 1/2 more hours!

Three More Days

2008-09-10T12:30:00.000-07:00

Well, the Hadron Collider switched on this morning and did not create a black hole or destroy the Earth. Guess that means I have to go to work? Only for three more days!

I worked on my blouse last night. I got it all cut out, and almost finished sewing it together! The silk proved to be incredibly difficult to work with. No matter how many pins I put in it it wouldn't stay where I wanted it. I tried ironing, and pinning, and pinning AND ironing. It resulted in the least accurately cut project EVER. Fortunately I was able to adjust a few seams so it fits nicely. All that's left to do are the hems on the sleeves and the hem on the bottom. I tried last night with little success. Maybe I'll do better today with a full night of sleep and the sun shinning.

Today

2008-09-09T14:18:00.000-07:00

I have this piece of silk that my mom brought me from China over a year ago that I've been meaning to use. I just haven't gotten around to it. Well, today is the day! I am going to cut out the pieces tonight and sew it together tomorrow morning. Just see if I don't.

Only four days of work left! I am enjoying playing with the babies, but I feel like I end up with the 2/3 s really often. Not my favorite age group. They hit and pinch each other and I don't like it. Sometimes I wonder if the other teachers are really lax about that kind of thing, or if I'm overly strict. I often feel like I would put a kid on time out when the regular teachers just let things slide with a verbal "that's not o.k." On the other hand, there are a lot of things that they don't let the kids do, that I would. Climbing on boxes or running around the playground for example. Am I just a weirdo? Do I have unrealistic expectations? All I know is if I'm overly strict, my parents were downright mean! Oh well. Four days to go.

Behold! My garden, my dinner, and my releif that finals are over!

2007-12-11T17:37:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I finished all my finals, final projects, and other various loose ends. It was the weekend and Monday from hell... but now it's over. Instead of telling you about the atrociousness of having to throw out several hours of work 5 hours before a deadline, or about the panic of not understanding a statistics problem on the final, I'd like to share the good parts of today.
First, I was reading Heavy Petal today, and they were talking about young people not gardening, so I'd like to share the latest picture of my garden! Cute huh? It finally got too cold outside for the basil (isn't living in Santa Cruz nice?) so I moved the box to the windowsill where it doesn't get as much sun as I'd like, but won't freeze. That's cilantro on the left, chives in the middle, and my baby basil (delicious even at this stage, I couldn't wait) on the right.
Being done with finals means that tomorrow I get to go home! A real bed! Home cooked meals every night! My parents, brother and dog will be there! A Christmas tree and Christmas cookies! Not to mention the easy access to farmer's markets and a grocery store that carries more than frozen food and booze. Sometimes I don't enjoy living on campus. Can you tell? Today is one of those days. Anyhow, going home tomorrow means that I have to use up all the produce in my fridge. So today I threw together some tofu, broccoli, garlic, and sesame oil and ended up with a delicious dinner!Sorry about the flash... that's the best picture of about ten. *sigh* my photography skills need work, but that's lower on the list of things to accomplish in my lifetime. Doesn't it look delicious though? It was. I hope you're finals, or finals equivalents are going well and will be done soon.

Baby Fish!

2007-11-16T12:38:00.000-08:00

So, about a week ago I noticed a little wriggling tadpole looking thing in the very bottom of my fish tank. I got out some jars and took out the adult fish, pulled out all the gravel and decorations, and found three adorable baby guppies. They are now twice as big as they were, and living in an old salsa jar by my bed. At first I felt a little helpless watching them twitch around in the jar. They're so tiny! How will I ever be able to take care of them? But of course, the fish amazed me as they always do with their ability to take care of themselves. Maybe it's my childhood filled with neurotic dogs that gives me the idea that all pets need constant attention. I tell you one thing, if ever another dog comes into my life, it will have to be pretty darn amazing to get permission to stay!
I say that now, but I would put money on the fact that I will probably never let go of an animal once it's made itself at home. Like these baby fish, they'll wriggle themselves into my heart and never leave.

A Monday off

2007-11-12T22:34:00.001-08:00

Since there was no school today I slept in. Then I read and crafted and watched tv all day. I didn't even get dressed. All in all it was a fabulously unproductive day. Usually when I do this I feel guilty and lazy, but today I just feel rested and ready to meet the week. Sometimes you just have to take a day off.

Ornament Swap

2007-11-05T23:10:00.000-08:00

I just signed up for an ornament swap here, and you should too. I love the idea of sending handmade ornaments to complete strangers, and getting lovingly crafted ornaments in return. Particularly since I'm just starting out in the world on my own, and haven't developed a collection of holiday decorations like my mother. I'm going to get a little tree for my apartment and decorate it with the ornaments I get in this swap. They'll be the only ones there, since they'll be the only ones I own! I'll make up stories about the people who sent them to me, and wonder about the people that have mine.
When I was little, the Christmas tree was a magical force that changed the whole house into a place of joy. My family would put it up together, taking out the same ornaments year after year. I had stories for each one. I would pretend that the Christmas mouse in a cherry pie was offering Mrs. Clause a piece, who politely asks for the recipe, and of course you could transport from one Christmas light to another... Now I'm excited to be starting my own collection and making new stories.

My new favorite Breakfast

2007-11-03T11:25:00.001-07:00

Breakfast has always gotten on my nerves. I just don't like eating sugar in the morning, so almost all traditional breakfasts frustrate me to no end. No more! I found some beautiful potatoes at the farmers market, and have been making breakfast potatoes! Into a pan with the sliced or chopped potatoes, some oil, and some cayenne pepper, and viola! breakfast! They are so easy to make, so delicious, and I'm using local and organic ingredients! Yum! Now I'm going to go stick my nose back into a book for a while.

An Herb Walk to Open my Energies

2007-10-29T12:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I spent a good five hours wandering around my campus with a local herbalist Darren Huckle. He patiently explained to the ten of us that the plants we see around us every day can be used for anything from mcalming down after a test to supporting our immune systems, to opening our energy. A lot of what he said made sense to me (green vegetables = good for me) but a lot of it sounded like the hippy side of Santa Cruz. Oh well, I found a new hiking trail and learned the names of a bunch of plants. I deemed it a successful Sunday.

My food wish list

2007-10-28T17:01:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, I feel very unprepared to cook on a college student's budget. My mother, bless her, is a baker and sticks to the family recipes. My father, bless him, cooks abundantly and a ver wide range, but is an engineer and sticks to the recipes in his cook books. That's fine, but I don't have any cook books! I am limited to what I have typed up of my parent's recipes and the unsatisfactory internet recipes. I don't know why the internet recipes that I've found aren't as good as cook books (perhaps because they're free?). In any case, I am developing a wish list for recipes that I hope to fill, or get cook books for my birthday and Christmas (hint hint)

My Recipe Wish List

1) Chinese Chicken salad
2) Fried wontons
3) Orange Chicken
4) Simple Salmon/fish (for a special occasion)
5) Matzo ball soup
6) Enchiladas
7) Noodle salad (the Schneider family version)
8) A good and flavorful quiche
9) General Chinese recipes (I miss home)

So if anyone has a recipe that they love and wants to share it with me, I will love you forever. Now I'm off to make another pasta. I'm getting a little tired of pasta... but it's cheap and easy and I can get all sorts of nutrients all in one tasty meal. I really miss Chinese... almost to the point of ordering take out! Come Thanksgiving things will get better. I hope.

One of those days

2007-10-22T22:52:00.000-07:00

I awoke this morning from a nightmare. Someone in my dream was forcing my right hand into a pot of scalding oil. When I woke up I discovered the mother of all bug bites on my hand, and it itched and burned like it had a vendetta against me. I got up and rand my hand under hot water to stop the itching and couldn't fall back asleep (I guess 5 is too late to go back to sleep). That's alright though, because I had a little work to finish. You see in my music class we're copying down music with more important notes drawn larger than less important notes and then some analyzing in the margins. I had copied all the music (it took me almost two hours) and finished the analyzing on a separate paper. This was my plan; I was going to scan this first step into the computer, so when I have to do a second and third draft, I don't have to do the busywork again! Brilliant! Except that I don't have a scanner. It's ok, I can use the university computer labs, but not until they open at nine, which is fine my class isn't until 9:30, and all the work is done sans copying it onto the paper to turn in.
So I finish the analysis on my separate paper, eat some breakfast, enjoy a long morning, and go to stats section at 8. My plan was to finish the quiz fast and be at the lab when it opened, but my TA kept talking and talking about a simple concept, and the stupid girl kept asking dumb questions. On a side note I have nothing against asking questions, I've been there. It's asking a question, when the answer is literally written on the page in front of you that gets me. The textbook was written for a reason, try reading it sometime. Anyhow, the quiz took me a total of 20 seconds to finish and I ran (because now it's 8:55) to the lab. 9:10 my friend helps me scan all of my papers and I email them to myself. 9:25 I begin to simultaneously run to class and copy the analysis onto my paper. I didn't get to the music building till 9:35 at which point I am so frustrated and upset that I am on the verge of tears. Incomplete homework in hand, I rush through the building only to find a note on the door. "Music 100 has been canceled today." I literally sat down and cried, and then laughed, and then called my mother.
After putting all that effort into finishing the homework on time, the least they could have done is let me turn it in! Well, tomorrow is another day. Tuesday in fact, which is definitely my least favorite day. Too much stuff to do, and I doubt my piano will be prepared enough for my teacher. Such is life.

Hurray for Dinner Parties!

2007-10-20T11:46:00.000-07:00

Last night six of my friends came over to my apartment, sat down at the table, and enjoyed a very thick Italian bean and pasta soup. I cannot begin to tell you how thrilled I am at the success of my first dinner party. The company was good, the conversation was good, the food was good, even the drinks were excellent (Thanks Kimberly!). I was so happy to sit down and eat a good meal with people that I care about. I think the quote that sums the evening up was when we were passing around the bowls of soup and someone commented "Wow, I feel like I'm eating with family." And that's exactly how I felt. I love to cook, and I love to eat, but more than anything else, I love to feed other people. The only thing I regret about last night is that no one took any pictures. Very unfortunate.
Well, now that I've cleaned all the dishes up and recycled all the bottles (unlike my house mates, I clean up after my parties) it's time to start in on the music theory homework! I don't think I have to tell you that I would rather have another dinner party. Ah well, the homework has to get done sometime.

My apartment smells like beer

2007-10-14T17:56:00.000-07:00

I can't imagine why. Sometimes I worry that my house mates can't have fun or relax without a substance. It's their lives and I don't have the right to impose my values on them, and I don't want to be judgmental, but I really think that they could benefit from a little less drugs and alcohol. I'm finding it difficult to reconcile my desire to respect their life choices, and my values. oh well, on a brighter note, my herbs have finally sprouted!Aren't they cute? Soon I will be able to walk out onto my balcony and pick fresh herbs! Hurray! Until then I make do with dried herbs in a jar. Speaking of dried herbs in a jar, check out the pasta Orvieto (Thanks to Nick Stallino for the recipe) that I made last night!

Mmmmmm it was good. I was pretty proud of myself. It was very delicious. Now I'm off to practice scales! hurrah...

Mmmmm... food

2007-10-04T10:02:00.000-07:00

Now that I'm back in school, in my own apartment, with my own kitchen, food has taken over my life. Eating has to be my favorite thing to do. I absolutely adore being able to putter around in the kitchen for a while and sit down with a delicious meal.
My only problem, is my limited budget. It's not that I can't afford to feed myself, it's just that I don't have enough money to buy things and then let them go bad. So things like fruits and vegetables are turning out to be an issue. I'm eating, but not a balanced diet. I'm sure with more practice budgeting and cooking I'll get the hang of eating healthy.
Last weekend I made a dish called Pasta Matriciana (thanks to Nick Stallino for the recipe out of his marvelous book which I don't know the name of because my father won't part with it. I have to copy out the recipes I want and cook from my chicken scratch notes! harrumph!) which was delicious, even if I didn't use fresh basil (how I miss my garden!). It cost me just under $5 to make (of course I didn't use freshly grated Romano cheese) and fed me for four days. It would have fed me for five or six days, but I shared some with Robert. My second favorite thing to do is feed other people (aka show off my mad cooking skills).
This weekend I'm making buttermilk chicken, which will be a little more expensive, but I need to take a break from the pasta. I'll let you know how it turns out.

It's the Right Time for Applesauce!

2007-09-11T12:52:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again! The time to go buy apples by the box and spend whole mornings jarring applesauce!
Every year my mom and I make homemade applesauce out of local apples. This year we had Fuji and Granny Smith apples from an orchard near my grandparent's house (we were visiting). Unfortunately, my mom didn't look at the name of the farm, so I can't tell you exactly. They were oh so delicious though. And now we have small footprint apple sauce!
My mom and I were trying to think of all the reasons why our sauce is better than store bought while we waited for the apples to cook down and here is our list!

1) Ours is flavored exactly the way we want it, not too sweet, and not too bland
2) The apples were bought directly from the farmer, so they didn't need to get waxed or have any funny preservatives sprayed on them, and all the money went to the farmer, not to the grocery store execs
3) The jars are reused for years and years, over and over
4) No added preservatives other than a little lemon juice
5) It didn't get shipped, so it used less limited fossil fuels
6) It costs a fraction of the store bought stuff
7) Exactly the right amount of chunks
8) The peels and cores (that didn't get eaten) got composted in our backyard
9) It was fun to make!

Here's Kenneth helping to dispose of the apple peels.

Sierra the dog helping dispose of the apple cores (apparently this is one of her favorite foods)

Mom cooking the apples. Yum yum!!!

Saving Some Money

2007-09-08T10:56:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite things to do is save money. It's my father's brainwashing in action (if you think I'm cheap you should meet him!). In any case, my family discovered a great way to save ourselves some money every month, and have a smaller footprint on the environment all at the same time! What is this magical wondrous thing you might ask. Well, all we had to do was call up our city, and ask for a smaller trash can!
It turns out we were paying $33.00 to have the city pick up our big black can full of garbage. Now we have a 32 gallon can that we pay $23.12 a month to get emptied! That's almost $10 a month, or $120 a year! Just by being aware of how much packaging we consume, and how much stuff we throw away we saved ourselves the city fees, and the money we would have spent on disposable stuff. Think of all the Christmas presents we can buy in December with all those savings, or we could invest it and do something extra special with it, like pay for grad school. That would be nice.

Kiva

2007-09-05T18:09:00.000-07:00

Today I loaned $25 to a woman in Azerbaijan who runs her own business. I feel good. I'm very picky about what kinds of charities I donate to, and I like this one. Kiva makes what are called micro loans to small business owners in third world countries. In this way I can support someone who is pulling themselves out of poverty without giving a handout. In twelve months when she has paid back my loan, I can loan the same $25 to someone else. Even though I'm working a minimum wage job, and attempting to finish college, I can help someone else out. I highly recommend this website. Kiva.org

Oh so Bitter

2007-09-04T23:11:00.000-07:00

When someone starts to get on my nerves, I try to ignore it. It's what my mother taught me to do. But sometimes I develop a little irritation that won't go away. I complain and gossip. And then everything that they do that didn't irritate me starts to. I begin to harbor the bitterness.
Now, many years ago I promised myself I wouldn't let other people control my decisions or my life. By harboring that anger, I am letting other people control the way I feel. I am trying today to let go of some anger and bitterness. We'll see how that goes. Perhaps at the end of the day I'll be a slightly better person. Or maybe not.

A Trivet

2007-09-03T22:17:00.000-07:00

I needed something to set hot pans on when I move into my apartment, and my parents were not going to let me take their nice wooden cutting boards. I don't like to buy things that I can make, so my first instinct was to go out into my father's wood-shop and find a pretty piece of wood to turn into some sort of trivet. Unfortunately my father's wood-shop is under a fairly thick layer of junk. His shop is worse than my room, why do I still get yelled at? I can't wait to go back to school. If I had to pay rent here, I would move anywhere else. Anyhoo... That idea didn't work out... so on to the internet I went. I can't remember where I originally saw this idea, but making my trivet out of corks was genius. I love it for so many reasons. It's beautiful, and better for my pocketbook, and maybe even better for the environment. The corks would have gotten thrown away anyway (I got them from my relatives who saved them all summer for me) but the hot glue was perhaps not the best option environmentally speaking. Oh well. I love my trivet the most of all because it is completely unique. One step closer to who I want to be.

My Super Cool, High-tech, Solar Powered Clothes Dryer

2007-09-02T22:57:00.000-07:00

I dry clothes on a clothesline even in the middle of the creepily 50's style suburbia that I live in. Not very many people in my neighborhood do this, and I don't understand why! It's not that much more work, it works just as well (particularly in sunny California), and it uses less electricity. My brother would tell you that I'm a crazy hippy to be worrying about electricity, and maybe he's right. Despite his efforts to rain on my parade I am still convinced that I can help by drying my clothes outside, instead of in a machine. Besides, electricity costs money! That at least we know is in short supply. One more inch towards the ideal me.

My discoveries in Yosemite

2007-09-01T10:32:00.000-07:00

I recently spent several days in Yosemite with some very dear friends of mine. Beyond the beautiful scenery, stunning displays of lightning, adorable chipmunks, delicious camping food, and refreshing hiking that I expected, I enjoyed several other unexpected discoveries.
First I rediscovered my need for independence. It wasn't that other people were planning the trip, or that I wasn't in control of what we were having for dinner that bothered me. It was the little things. I needed a chair, but they were locked in my friend's car. I had to wait for everyone to wake up to start on a hike (I am a die hard morning person) or have the planned breakfast. My need to be completely self-sufficient made this trip very difficult for me. Fortunately my friends are so wonderful and fun that I enjoyed being dependent on them anyhow. I just need to remember this quirk of mine when deciding which friends to vacation with.
Second, and vastly more interesting, I discovered that you can get to Yosemite by train/bus! It didn't take me any longer than driving, the connections were really really easy and short, and it didn't cost much more than that much gas would have! There are four different stops in the valley, and Yosemite has such a fantastic shuttle system that once you're there you can get anywhere within the valley. If you're staying there, or backpacking out of it, Amtrak is definitely the way to go. More time to watch the scenery, and it's better for the environment, AND you don't have to deal with parking or the crazy one way roads in the park.

My philosophy, and why I'm blogging

2007-08-31T10:09:00.000-07:00

I have found myself monologuing to myself on several occasions this week. Not only do I find this irritating, but also unsettling. I hope to put some of my semi-interesting monologues into the blogosphere for no other reason than it will get them out of my head. Perhaps someday, someone might actually read them too. In the meantime, I will clear my mind with some good wholesome blogging.
My life philosophy is not original or interesting, but it explains the name of my blog. It is in short, everything can be accomplished in baby steps. I continually make small steps toward what I want to do and be. Learn to play the piano? Ten minutes at a time. Have a more organized room? I start with one drawer. Develop a greener lifestyle? Start with a few little things.
The frustration is that I never finish anything. I'll never sit at the piano one day and say, "aha, I know how to play the piano now. I can stop practicing." I'll never decide that I live environmentally friendly enough, or that my home is organized well enough. It might be that because I choose such vague goals for my life this philosophy appeals to me. In any case I continue to wade through life in an ongoing and difficult journey to make myself into the person that I want to be.