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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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.