Foodie Dreams

Why am I doing a PhD? Pre-grad school, I had decided I'd try opening a vegan restaurant if I didn't get it. I got in, and I've gradually become more aware of really wanting to open a place where I can serve food to people. It makes me happy. Maybe post-doctoral career?

The goal: vegan lunch counter complete with blue-plate specials (I'm a southerner, for crying out loud) that makes a foray into fancy schmancy in the evenings. Everything would all be from scratch, including the bready things and desserts.

What would you want to be on the menu?

What I Did During My Bronchitis-Themed Staycation

Tuesday: Doc-in-a-box says, "Girl, you sick!"



Wednesday: Sleep. Take Drugs. Sleep. Sleep. Drug. Sleep. Does anyone else get hot-face when they take Prednisone? It's ooky.

Thursday: See Wednesday. Bake 4 loaves of bread (3 edible ones), motivation unknown...



Friday: Begin to feel stir-crazy. Not better, just stir-crazy. Make ill-advised late morning trip to 'burbs to stake out stainless steel cookwear. Go home empty-handed. Return to mall on Friday night to enjoy teenagers ogling each other. Adorable, actually.

Be in right place at right time to tell young lady (25?) that her tiny dress has inched up to her waist on one side, baring her unclad cheek to all. I think I was the only one to notice. She was appropriately horrified.

Return home with Emeril's 10-piece set. I can't stand the man, but All-Clad's done good with this one.



Also, snuck in a Martha cookie dough scoop. Can't wait to use it! Because I'm a dork!



Ate perfectly spicy kung pao tofu. Smoky peppers = amazing. Do you eat them? Or am I the only one?



Watched Ghost Whisperer. See "dork" comment.

Not bad, huh?

What's your week been like?

Seriously? Seriously.

Dear Powers-that-be,

THIS is how you're gonna be? THIS says "Happy Holidays" to you? I've had it with you and your bad gifts. I mean, really, put some thought into it next time. It takes a real idiot to think that my mom having to have a thyroidectomy because of some potentially cancerous nodules would be a nice treat. Especially two years after presenting my dad with leukemia, the gift that keeps on taking. All I can say is that this better work out okay, or next year you don't get a Christmas card.

Your friend (for now),

Me

update (april 10, 2009): mom's hanging in just fine! had treatment dose of irradiated iodine, lost voice and sense of taste, regained both. scan will be in july or august. expected results = super awesomeness. whew!

Half full

Being positive is hard. See? I was just negative about being positive. Oops. I've been trying to be more positive lately, and it's been a challenge. It's alerted me as to just how negative I am. I can't imagine that I'm all that pleasant to be around, what with all of my complaining and my negative attitude and such. I'll keep trying, but no promises. I mean: I'm sure it'll be great! I'm also trying not to swear, and it's really tricky, that one. I've tried before unsuccessfully. I think I may have been a sailor in a past life, and I brought the mouth with me.

Anyways, I'm getting out of town for a couple of days and I'm so excited! I haven't been out of town just for fun in quite a while. I think it was in late May when I went to San Francisco for a conference and stayed 4 extra days for a mini-vacation. Which was awesome and incredible and briefly made me want to be a northwest coaster. Then, I looked up cost of living info, and that's just not gonna happen. I've got student loans. And a habit of eating. Plus, I'm a tad nervous about earthquakes and giant wild fires. But that's just me.

So, NY here I come! When I get back, I'll review the MVP bus company (supposedly there's wifi on the bus for those of us who have panic attacks when we're away from the internet for more than an hour at a time) and all of the delicious food I eat (vegan Thanksgiving and veggie dim sum!). I won't review the couple of friends I'll get to see, as that might be inappropriate and anyways, I expect that seeing them will be a five star experience. See, I'm all about being positive.

It's baaa-aaack.

And I'm not talking about the snow. Rawr.

Descriptions of some things that are pretty and some that are not

Dear Internets,

Today it snowed. It was AWESOME. I woke up, fed the cats, went to put the cat food can in the recycling, and there it was right outside my kitchen window. Snow. Giant, fluffy, white flakes of snow. Gore-gee-us. More please. It made me happy all the day long.

Also today, I went to my orthopedist to follow up on my infected surgical incision (see below for whining). It was quite a surprise when he decided to clean it out with pointy tweezers and sharp scissors. It's amazing how deeply those implements can go into a completely un-anesthetized leg. Did I mention that the pointiness? And the sharpness? And that there were no drugs involved? Not even a good knock over the head with a blunt object so as to dull my senses, particularly the one of pain. Why why why? There was bleeding and gagging and hurting and gnashing of teeth, and that was just the doctor. Ba-dump bump. Any-who, there is no longer any visible white or yellow grodiness on/in my leg, thanks to pointy instruments and the weird fascination my ortho has for gross things. Hopefully, it'll be all healed up soon! Just 5 more days of crazy antibiotics.

Fingers crossed! You know -- for more snow and less pus.

Yours in the spreading of unsolicited information,

Me

The Ice Man Cometh

Did I miss fall? Did I sleep through it? I mean, I know I like a good nap, but I'm no Rip Van Winkle. I remember a couple of breezy days, noticing that the leaves were changing colors. One day, I relished the canopy of red and orange that I drove beneath on my way to school. The next, I became downright giddy when I turned a corner after driving to a friend's house (to pick her up to go to school -- do you see a pattern?), and there were leaves covering the street and the baseball diamond in the city park to my left. Gorgeous fall. And then it was gone. Now, today, a high in the low 30s. A wind chill of 15. Nearly all of the leaves have been blown off of the trees. How did that happen so quickly? The saddest part? I only got to crunch through the leaves once. There's always next year, right?