I'm in Delaware at the moment. To be more precise, I'm in a hotel in Newark, Delaware. Pronounced: "new-ark," and not to be confused with the better known, and correctly pronounced "new-erk," New Jersey. To familiarize yourself, Delaware was also the first state in the Union, and at 30 x 96 miles, it is surprisingly not the smallest...that's Rhode Island. And, something I've noticed about Delaware (besides that it smells distinctively of elephant poop)? Well, it appears that whenever someone visits (because I'm convinced that no one actually lives here), they temporarily loose their minds. I'm assuming it's in the drinking water, which to date I have yet to consume. Case in point, the following conversation I had twice today:
"So, where are you from?"
"Portland"
"OOOOH, your from Waaashington."
--takes moment to snap self out of dumbfounded gaze--
"Nope. Oregon."
"Oh." nods head, as if the statement wasn't completely ridiculous.
I think the next time I'm asked I'm just gonna say that I'm from Seattle, Oregon. You know, anything to make these two weeks memorable.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
"the more that you read, the more things you will know. the more that you learn, the more places you'll go."
That's a quote from Dr. Seuss. A rather relevant quote, as it comes directly from the book that was read to me today by a third grader at WVSA ART's Connection. Yep, I'm volunteering as a reading buddy at a school here in DC.
It's kind of random actually. The school's right across the street from my office, and last week on my way back from lunch I saw a bunch of adults reading to kids on the front patio of the school. Obviously, I was drawn in, and today was my first half hour session with Matthew. I'm already excited to go back next Thursday, and I actually wish we had more then half an hour. It's nice, I can do it on my lunch break, and still have enough time to go eat afterword. It's a nice break in an otherwise monotonous day at the office. Plus, I've always thought that adults need to take a more active role in childhood literacy.
I don't know what Portland Public schools are like now, but I do know what they were like when I was in grade school. We were really fortunate to have gone to a school that was so focused on literacy, and more importantly made it fun for us - made us want to do it every day. Every kid got to pick out a book from the principle on their birthdays. We did "Bring your own bear night" where all the kids crowded into the school library in their pajamas with their teddy bears and were read to by the school librarian and principle (who were also in their pajamas). We did "Book Baggers" where one night a year the students packed their sleeping bags, pajamas, and books and crowded the gym, where we read ourselves to sleep and were picked up the next morning by our parents. I'm convinced that these programs, combined with a family that read voratiously, are what were responsible for my loving to read. I think it was invaluable. These programs may not even exist anymore (though I hope they do), and if they don't at least Oregonians are still commited to the SMART program. But that's just portland, and from what I can tell, many places - DC included, aren't as lucky.
What I do know, is that Matthew loves to read, and he does it well. He was enthusiastic, taking the lead and showing me his favorite place in the shool to open a book. He was quick to ask questions when he could sense that he was mis-pronouncing something. And when the half hour was up he walked back to class, turned around with a big toothy grin on his face and said "see ya next week!" Keep in mind that before today I was a complete stranger to him.
I can't remember when the last time was that I read with a kid. I forgot how much I loved it.
It's kind of random actually. The school's right across the street from my office, and last week on my way back from lunch I saw a bunch of adults reading to kids on the front patio of the school. Obviously, I was drawn in, and today was my first half hour session with Matthew. I'm already excited to go back next Thursday, and I actually wish we had more then half an hour. It's nice, I can do it on my lunch break, and still have enough time to go eat afterword. It's a nice break in an otherwise monotonous day at the office. Plus, I've always thought that adults need to take a more active role in childhood literacy.
I don't know what Portland Public schools are like now, but I do know what they were like when I was in grade school. We were really fortunate to have gone to a school that was so focused on literacy, and more importantly made it fun for us - made us want to do it every day. Every kid got to pick out a book from the principle on their birthdays. We did "Bring your own bear night" where all the kids crowded into the school library in their pajamas with their teddy bears and were read to by the school librarian and principle (who were also in their pajamas). We did "Book Baggers" where one night a year the students packed their sleeping bags, pajamas, and books and crowded the gym, where we read ourselves to sleep and were picked up the next morning by our parents. I'm convinced that these programs, combined with a family that read voratiously, are what were responsible for my loving to read. I think it was invaluable. These programs may not even exist anymore (though I hope they do), and if they don't at least Oregonians are still commited to the SMART program. But that's just portland, and from what I can tell, many places - DC included, aren't as lucky.
What I do know, is that Matthew loves to read, and he does it well. He was enthusiastic, taking the lead and showing me his favorite place in the shool to open a book. He was quick to ask questions when he could sense that he was mis-pronouncing something. And when the half hour was up he walked back to class, turned around with a big toothy grin on his face and said "see ya next week!" Keep in mind that before today I was a complete stranger to him.
I can't remember when the last time was that I read with a kid. I forgot how much I loved it.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
these boots are made for walkin'...
I work on 17th and L street in DC. The White House is on 16th and Pennsylvania. I've worked in the city for three weeks now, and because my commute is entirely underground on the train I had never realized (until today) that my office was a mere three blocks behind the White House. This makes me feel kind of silly, mostly because the White House is one of those locations that you should just always know where it is. It's like being able to point North without using a compass. For all you Portlanders out there, it's kind of like how you can instinctively point in the direction of the Willamette River, regardless of the weather, your location, or if you can actually even see it.
It made me start thinking about how I need to be more observant. Back in Portland I used to walk EVERYWHERE, so I knew where everything was (not to mention the fact that I got a lot more exercise). Now, because we live outside of the city in Virginia, and because I take the train to and from work every day, the extent of my walking is from my apartment to the grocery store, or from the Metro station to the office. So, not only am I finding myself directionally challenged, as I have no points of reference while in a train underground, but I also never know where the heck anything is. Plus, I really miss walking!
So, today, after having discovered the silliness of my ways, I decided to forgo the hoards of liberated nine-t0-fiver's amassed in the Farragut West Metro station, and chose to take a leisurely stroll past the big white house to the Smithsonian station. I figured that by the time I got there I would have missed the initial 5 o'clock rush, and *gasp* may actually stand a chance of getting a seat on the train.
Along the way, I slowed to observe the tourists who (even though it was gray, dreary and a little drizzly today) were grouped, as they always are, outside of the White House fence. You can always tell a tourist from someone who, well...isn't one. It really isn't the camera in hand, or the oversized day bags toting overpriced and half empty bottles of vitamin water, or the fact that they travel in small packs that gives them away. It's the big grin on their faces when they're getting closer and closer to the White House, and the angle of their necks as they strain to see through the trees in Lafayette Park that blocks their views up until almost the last moment. And the not-tourists? Well, they look a lot like me; sneakers with slacks (because their heels are in their purse), i-Pod ear buds snugly in place, and most likely cell phone in hand (rather then camera) probably texting so-and-so for happy hour plans (instead of gazing awestruck at the big man's house). Now that's not to say that I don't appreciate my location anymore. I really do get why people love this city so much, but it's my city now too, and I can see this stuff whenever I want. It's pretty neat, and it also means that I can text Tim wile walking by the Washington Monument and not even look up to see it, and also not have to feel bad about it.
I think I'm going to try to take the long rout every day (now that I know where I'm at). The walk is nice, and I get to chill out before being herded onto the Metro. Plus, I don't think I'm ever going to get tired of the fact that within a twenty minute stroll I go by the White house, Washington Monument, and the Smithsonian museums, even if I do occasionally choose not to actually look up. :-)
It made me start thinking about how I need to be more observant. Back in Portland I used to walk EVERYWHERE, so I knew where everything was (not to mention the fact that I got a lot more exercise). Now, because we live outside of the city in Virginia, and because I take the train to and from work every day, the extent of my walking is from my apartment to the grocery store, or from the Metro station to the office. So, not only am I finding myself directionally challenged, as I have no points of reference while in a train underground, but I also never know where the heck anything is. Plus, I really miss walking!
So, today, after having discovered the silliness of my ways, I decided to forgo the hoards of liberated nine-t0-fiver's amassed in the Farragut West Metro station, and chose to take a leisurely stroll past the big white house to the Smithsonian station. I figured that by the time I got there I would have missed the initial 5 o'clock rush, and *gasp* may actually stand a chance of getting a seat on the train.
Along the way, I slowed to observe the tourists who (even though it was gray, dreary and a little drizzly today) were grouped, as they always are, outside of the White House fence. You can always tell a tourist from someone who, well...isn't one. It really isn't the camera in hand, or the oversized day bags toting overpriced and half empty bottles of vitamin water, or the fact that they travel in small packs that gives them away. It's the big grin on their faces when they're getting closer and closer to the White House, and the angle of their necks as they strain to see through the trees in Lafayette Park that blocks their views up until almost the last moment. And the not-tourists? Well, they look a lot like me; sneakers with slacks (because their heels are in their purse), i-Pod ear buds snugly in place, and most likely cell phone in hand (rather then camera) probably texting so-and-so for happy hour plans (instead of gazing awestruck at the big man's house). Now that's not to say that I don't appreciate my location anymore. I really do get why people love this city so much, but it's my city now too, and I can see this stuff whenever I want. It's pretty neat, and it also means that I can text Tim wile walking by the Washington Monument and not even look up to see it, and also not have to feel bad about it.
I think I'm going to try to take the long rout every day (now that I know where I'm at). The walk is nice, and I get to chill out before being herded onto the Metro. Plus, I don't think I'm ever going to get tired of the fact that within a twenty minute stroll I go by the White house, Washington Monument, and the Smithsonian museums, even if I do occasionally choose not to actually look up. :-)
Sunday, February 8, 2009
choosing to ignore the supposed seperation of church and state, and sitting down to eat banana bread and coffee with all the "important" people
I normally don't get star struck by famous people. I'm not one to see a movie star on the street and run up and ask for their autograph. I actually think that would be kind of embarrassing for both them and me. But, for me it's different when your talking about politics. There's something about the people who make all the big decisions that makes me go all goo goo eyed. As was the case Thursday morning when I, having found my way through the throngs of international dignitaries and congressmen, passed U.S. Secret Service security checks, and took my seat at table 156 inside the grand ballroom at the Washington Hilton to eat banana bread, drink coffee and listen to our newest president talk about faith and government at the National Prayer Breakfast.
Seated at my table (my uncle and I were not seated together, he was somewhere on the other side of the room) was an older couple from California, a mother from Virginia, a couple from Maryland, someone from South Africa, and the Ambassador to the United Nations from Trinidad and Tobago. Seated on the stage, among others, was President Obama, the First Lady, Vice President Biden, and former Prime Minister to Great Britain Tony Blair. I never in my life thought I'd be in this company.
As a side note the room seemed to be kind of surprised the Vice President was in attendance. Apparently, this was the first breakfast in five years that the VP has been allowed to attended. It makes sense if you think about it. Generally speaking it's not a good idea to have your two highest ranked political figures sitting in the same room. What if something were to happen?
Anyway, below are excerpts of both Obama and Blair's speeches. Obama was fantastic, as you would guess, and I found that Tony Blair has a pleasantly surprising sense of humor (which isn't captured by the excerpt below).
Gosh I'm glad I moved to this city.
Seated at my table (my uncle and I were not seated together, he was somewhere on the other side of the room) was an older couple from California, a mother from Virginia, a couple from Maryland, someone from South Africa, and the Ambassador to the United Nations from Trinidad and Tobago. Seated on the stage, among others, was President Obama, the First Lady, Vice President Biden, and former Prime Minister to Great Britain Tony Blair. I never in my life thought I'd be in this company.
As a side note the room seemed to be kind of surprised the Vice President was in attendance. Apparently, this was the first breakfast in five years that the VP has been allowed to attended. It makes sense if you think about it. Generally speaking it's not a good idea to have your two highest ranked political figures sitting in the same room. What if something were to happen?
Anyway, below are excerpts of both Obama and Blair's speeches. Obama was fantastic, as you would guess, and I found that Tony Blair has a pleasantly surprising sense of humor (which isn't captured by the excerpt below).
Gosh I'm glad I moved to this city.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
well, it's about time.
I'm happy to report that I am officially employed again...FINALLY!! Seriously, I really didn't think that it would take as long as it did. I know that the economy is in the toilet at the moment, but still. Since I've been here (since October) I've applied for more jobs then I can even keep track of, and this entire time I've only heard back from two; one of which ultimately decided not to hire after all, and this one that I accepted today. So, I'll be starting work on this coming Monday at Liberty Mutual Insurance. Yep, more insurance work for me. That's OK though, this way I won't have to learn the inner workings of an entire new industry, and my new job has quite a few similarities to what I was doing at Standard in Portland. Benefits are great too, and the pay is more than I expected which is nice. Tim's pretty happy as well, since this means that now I get to start helping pay for silly things like rent and electricity. I think I'm a little less excited about this then he is :)
Anyway, I'm off to take full advantage of my last three days of no work. Mostly that just means that I'm gonna spend the weekend in my pajamas watching TV, with a happy hour thrown in somewhere in the middle for good measure. I recently found out that an old friend from college lives here, so we're meeting up for drinks tomorrow. So, I won't be totally lazy all weekend...just most of it.
cheers!
Anyway, I'm off to take full advantage of my last three days of no work. Mostly that just means that I'm gonna spend the weekend in my pajamas watching TV, with a happy hour thrown in somewhere in the middle for good measure. I recently found out that an old friend from college lives here, so we're meeting up for drinks tomorrow. So, I won't be totally lazy all weekend...just most of it.
cheers!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
oh, i sure do wish i could get a job...
I haven't updated my blog in a while. Mostly because I wanted my next post to be the big exciting "I got a job" post. That was supposed to happen later today, since this was to be the last of four interviews with Liberty Mutual (yep, I can't quite stay away from insurance). Let me tell you why that's not happening as scheduled...
We'll start with the dream I had this morning. I dreamed that I was interviewing to work at Radio Shack and was surprised when I showed up for the interview to see that I was working with all the people I used to work with at Suncoast: Rollie, Melissa, Matt, & George. Now, when I woke up, I didn't really know how to take this. Should I consider it a good sign...one that foreshadowed my getting hired today? Or, should I take it as a bad sign, and assume that I was going to end up working at Radio Shack? I took it as a good sign, since I seemed pretty happy in the dream.
So, I went on with my morning. I snoozed through my first alarm, since I did set it for ridiculously Early (6:00 am), and got up about fifteen minutes later, while it was still dark out. Showered, dressed, ate breakfast all before day light. Up until this point, I still liked the day so far. Then I turned on the news. I tune in mid report, and the first thing I hear is "...first snow storm of the season, better late then never." The first thing that goes through my head is: "Shit." I turned around and walked over to the window to find that the morning light slowly creeping into the day was in fact revealing a white canvas.
At this point, I'm still feeling a bit defiant of the weather, and fully intended on continuing on with the plan, undeterred. I-Will-Get-A-Job-Today. I'm just about to head downstairs to catch the shuttle to the Metro station when my phone rings. Now, my phone never rings, especially at that hour of the morning, so I know what's coming, and for the second time "Shit" runs through my head. I answer, and sure enough it's the woman I'm supposed to interview with. Now, to her credit, and the credit of Liberty Mutual, I should be pleased that I'm potentially going to work for a company that is so concerned with it's employee's well being, but at that moment I didn't really want to hear what she had to say. Basically, she was concerned with my ability to get all the way over to Rockville, MD from Falls Church, VA. And, to be honest I was a bit concerned myself at this point, but I really wanted to get hired today! Regardless, the interview has been postponed till Thursday.
Granted, Thursday is just two days away, and from what I can tell there is no snow in the forecast for Thursday...but come on folks! Short of a few flurries here and there, it hasn't really snowed since I've been here. Why is it that the one day I need it to not snow, it dumps a ton on us?! Sorry about the cussing, but I'll repeat myself..."Shit."
On a more positive note, Oliver sure does love watching the snow. He keeps jabbing the window with his gimpy arm trying to get the falling flakes. And, when he's not doing that he's transfixed on the black squirrels racing around in the snow (yeah, we have black squirrels here). It's pretty funny to watch him.
If all goes according to the new and improved plan, maybe you all will get the "I got a job" blog update on Thursday. Cross your fingers, apparently I need all the luck I can get. :-)
We'll start with the dream I had this morning. I dreamed that I was interviewing to work at Radio Shack and was surprised when I showed up for the interview to see that I was working with all the people I used to work with at Suncoast: Rollie, Melissa, Matt, & George. Now, when I woke up, I didn't really know how to take this. Should I consider it a good sign...one that foreshadowed my getting hired today? Or, should I take it as a bad sign, and assume that I was going to end up working at Radio Shack? I took it as a good sign, since I seemed pretty happy in the dream.
So, I went on with my morning. I snoozed through my first alarm, since I did set it for ridiculously Early (6:00 am), and got up about fifteen minutes later, while it was still dark out. Showered, dressed, ate breakfast all before day light. Up until this point, I still liked the day so far. Then I turned on the news. I tune in mid report, and the first thing I hear is "...first snow storm of the season, better late then never." The first thing that goes through my head is: "Shit." I turned around and walked over to the window to find that the morning light slowly creeping into the day was in fact revealing a white canvas.
At this point, I'm still feeling a bit defiant of the weather, and fully intended on continuing on with the plan, undeterred. I-Will-Get-A-Job-Today. I'm just about to head downstairs to catch the shuttle to the Metro station when my phone rings. Now, my phone never rings, especially at that hour of the morning, so I know what's coming, and for the second time "Shit" runs through my head. I answer, and sure enough it's the woman I'm supposed to interview with. Now, to her credit, and the credit of Liberty Mutual, I should be pleased that I'm potentially going to work for a company that is so concerned with it's employee's well being, but at that moment I didn't really want to hear what she had to say. Basically, she was concerned with my ability to get all the way over to Rockville, MD from Falls Church, VA. And, to be honest I was a bit concerned myself at this point, but I really wanted to get hired today! Regardless, the interview has been postponed till Thursday.
Granted, Thursday is just two days away, and from what I can tell there is no snow in the forecast for Thursday...but come on folks! Short of a few flurries here and there, it hasn't really snowed since I've been here. Why is it that the one day I need it to not snow, it dumps a ton on us?! Sorry about the cussing, but I'll repeat myself..."Shit."
On a more positive note, Oliver sure does love watching the snow. He keeps jabbing the window with his gimpy arm trying to get the falling flakes. And, when he's not doing that he's transfixed on the black squirrels racing around in the snow (yeah, we have black squirrels here). It's pretty funny to watch him.
If all goes according to the new and improved plan, maybe you all will get the "I got a job" blog update on Thursday. Cross your fingers, apparently I need all the luck I can get. :-)
Saturday, January 3, 2009
new years resolutions....right...like I'll actually end up keeping any of those.
I am going to try though. One that I'm kind of excited about is a project I'm doing over in Flickr land. I'm doing 2009 Year In Pictures (YIP). Basically I'm just taking a photo a day of anything I want every day this year. It makes me pick up my camera every single day, and also ties in with my second resolution, which is to save up and buy a fancy DSLR camera this year (though moola is required for that one, and I don't really have any of that right now, so it will have to wait a while). Here are the first three shots of the year:
And, as for the new year so far? It started out well enough, even though thus far it's been a chilly one. We spent new years eve outside huddled under heat lamps at an outdoor New Years Eve party on the harbor in Baltimore. Fifty bucks a person for zero degree windchill temps, appetizers, free beer/wine, sub par champagne at midnight, canceled fireworks and frozen solid toes...Oh well, at least we were with new friends starting out a new year. Can't really complain about that.
And, as for the new year so far? It started out well enough, even though thus far it's been a chilly one. We spent new years eve outside huddled under heat lamps at an outdoor New Years Eve party on the harbor in Baltimore. Fifty bucks a person for zero degree windchill temps, appetizers, free beer/wine, sub par champagne at midnight, canceled fireworks and frozen solid toes...Oh well, at least we were with new friends starting out a new year. Can't really complain about that.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
warning: the following contains complete randomness that may actually bore you to tears
Three totally separate and random anecdotes...
1) I'll be the first to admit that my dreams often make absolutely no sense, but last night's took the cake. I won't go into full detail, because I don't even think I can piece it all together, but here's the gist...Cast: Me, Tim, Kirsten, and my crazy seventh grade math teacher Mr. Dillion. Supporting Cast: dozens of puppies, kittens, and guinea pigs. Part one took place in a location much resembling a human sized version of Hobbiton from Lord of the Rings. Mr. Dillion had to park his Jeep on top of the garage because the garage was actually a makeshift barn where he kept all the puppies, kittens, and guinea pigs. We all had to leap from the roof of the garage to the ground bellow. When I lept I fell and broke my arm. Off to part two: Somehow I ended up in a castle, I'm assuming Buckingham Palace in England with one of the kittens from Mr. Dillion's garage/barn. I was trying to escape with the kitten. I ended up in a giant pink room with two armed guards (who much resembled the giant cartoon guards; the one's wearing playing card uniforms, from Disney's Alice in Wonderland). They wouldn't let me leave until they were finished carving the giant Christmas turkey. Then I woke up....Huh?
2) I pulled out my much neglected box of unfinished knitting projects today. Since it seems like half my friends are pregnant or have newborns, I figured it was about time I finished the baby booties that I started knitting almost eleven months ago. I'm lame, I know. The best part about this though, is that Tim sat down on the couch next to me and actually offered to help me knit. It was a well intentioned offer, but really didn't last long. There's something about a guy trying to knit pink baby booties that I don't think sat very well with him. Totally priceless though. I can't imagine that this scenario will ever happen again.
3) Tim relayed this story to me a few weeks ago, and I forgot about it until just a moment ago. Now, as a disclaimer, let me say that the man mentioned in the following walked away from this incident mostly unscathed, so I fell completely justified making fun and pointing out the hilarious irony of his situation...Apparently there was a guy, who for what ever reason was very very tired, and was driving home. As you can guess, he fell asleep at the wheel. This could have turned out tragically, as you can imagine, but instead of causing a car accident, he ended up driving his car right through the glass display window into a store front....and not just any store front, a mattress store. Yep, that's right. If this had actually made the news, I would have cut out the headline and mailed it into David Letterman for his "Headlines" segment (or is that Leno?). I can just see it now: "Man falls asleep at wheel and drives car into bed store." There's no way that wouldn't have made the show.
That's all for now. You can now return to your regullarly scheduled programs. :-)
1) I'll be the first to admit that my dreams often make absolutely no sense, but last night's took the cake. I won't go into full detail, because I don't even think I can piece it all together, but here's the gist...Cast: Me, Tim, Kirsten, and my crazy seventh grade math teacher Mr. Dillion. Supporting Cast: dozens of puppies, kittens, and guinea pigs. Part one took place in a location much resembling a human sized version of Hobbiton from Lord of the Rings. Mr. Dillion had to park his Jeep on top of the garage because the garage was actually a makeshift barn where he kept all the puppies, kittens, and guinea pigs. We all had to leap from the roof of the garage to the ground bellow. When I lept I fell and broke my arm. Off to part two: Somehow I ended up in a castle, I'm assuming Buckingham Palace in England with one of the kittens from Mr. Dillion's garage/barn. I was trying to escape with the kitten. I ended up in a giant pink room with two armed guards (who much resembled the giant cartoon guards; the one's wearing playing card uniforms, from Disney's Alice in Wonderland). They wouldn't let me leave until they were finished carving the giant Christmas turkey. Then I woke up....Huh?
2) I pulled out my much neglected box of unfinished knitting projects today. Since it seems like half my friends are pregnant or have newborns, I figured it was about time I finished the baby booties that I started knitting almost eleven months ago. I'm lame, I know. The best part about this though, is that Tim sat down on the couch next to me and actually offered to help me knit. It was a well intentioned offer, but really didn't last long. There's something about a guy trying to knit pink baby booties that I don't think sat very well with him. Totally priceless though. I can't imagine that this scenario will ever happen again.
3) Tim relayed this story to me a few weeks ago, and I forgot about it until just a moment ago. Now, as a disclaimer, let me say that the man mentioned in the following walked away from this incident mostly unscathed, so I fell completely justified making fun and pointing out the hilarious irony of his situation...Apparently there was a guy, who for what ever reason was very very tired, and was driving home. As you can guess, he fell asleep at the wheel. This could have turned out tragically, as you can imagine, but instead of causing a car accident, he ended up driving his car right through the glass display window into a store front....and not just any store front, a mattress store. Yep, that's right. If this had actually made the news, I would have cut out the headline and mailed it into David Letterman for his "Headlines" segment (or is that Leno?). I can just see it now: "Man falls asleep at wheel and drives car into bed store." There's no way that wouldn't have made the show.
That's all for now. You can now return to your regullarly scheduled programs. :-)
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
the perfect way to spend an evening when your boyfriend is working graveyard shift
I was determined not to be bored tonight. So what cures boredom? Shopping, cooking, eating, movie watching and blogging.
Since I've been obsessed for some time with Thai food, I decided that it was about time that I learned how to cook something other then my normal canned yellow curry with chicken, carrots and potatoes. So, I layered up (since it's about twenty-five degrees here) and wandered over to Barnes & Noble to peruse the cookbook section. I found Easy Thai Cookbook by Sallie Morris and was delighted to find inside a recipe for my all time favorite Thai soup: Tom Kha Gai; if you've been to Typhoon you should be very familiar with this treat. Now, anyone who's tried to recreate a dish they've had in a restaurant probably knows that disappointment is almost inevitable, unless it's something like spaghetti that you're trying to copycat. So, my hopes weren't very high for this endevor, but regardless I wandered around the corner to the grocery store.
Ingrediants now displayed on my counter top, I delved in. And let me tell you, this tastes just like what you'll get in a restaurant. It was fantastic, and even more fantastic because even with my tempermental cooking skills, I managed to pull this off!!!
If you don't want to go buy the book, here's the recipe:
1 2/3 cups canned coconut milk
2 cups chicken stock
1 1/4 cups water
3/4 inch piece kha, peeled & finely sliced (now, I had never heard of this stuff, so I skipped it and all turned out just fine)
2 red chilies, seeded & sliced (don't seed them in hot water because you'll sneeze like ten times in a row)
1 lemon grass stem, lower 2 1/2 inches sliced
3 lime leaves, torn in pieces
4 TBS fish sauce (this stuff kind of groses me out, and really you only need 3Tbs for this recipe)
2 TBS lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
1 chicken breast (6 oz or so), cut into slivers
cilantro leaves to garnish ( I also used sliced green onions)
--mushrooms-- (not part of this recipe, but I've had it with button mushrooms before)
1) Heat chicken stock with the water, kha, chilies, lemongrass, and torn lime leaves
2) Stir in coconut milk, then add the fish sauce, lemon juice, and sugar. Allow to come to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
3) Bring back to a boil, drop in the chicken slivers a few at a time so that they remain separate. Cook 3-4 minutes until the chicken is cooked
4) Serve garnished with cilantro
YUMMY!!
Next up, the movie: "Priceless" with Audrey Tautou (the girl from "Amelie", one of my favorite movies ever). And yes, it is in french, so you have to be in the mood for subtitles. I've been waiting to watch this movie since Netflix delivered it five days ago. Waiting because I'm too nice of a person to put Tim through what he would consider a mind-numbing chick flick in another language. And, while I've been blogging I've also been watching the previews on the disc and should add that I am now very very excited to add the movie "Paris, Je t'aime" to my Netflix que. The cast seems to be quite good: Steve Buscemi, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Miranda Richardson, Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe, Nick Nolte, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Elijah Wood, Emily Moritimer, Rufus Sewell, Natalie Portman, Gerard Depardieu, and Gena Rowlands. Can't be bad with a cast like that.
After the movie I get to finish decorating the christmas tree, and then I'll probably read some more of Toni Morrison's newest book A Mercy, play with Oliver a little bit, and go to sleep. All around, not a bad night.
:)
Since I've been obsessed for some time with Thai food, I decided that it was about time that I learned how to cook something other then my normal canned yellow curry with chicken, carrots and potatoes. So, I layered up (since it's about twenty-five degrees here) and wandered over to Barnes & Noble to peruse the cookbook section. I found Easy Thai Cookbook by Sallie Morris and was delighted to find inside a recipe for my all time favorite Thai soup: Tom Kha Gai; if you've been to Typhoon you should be very familiar with this treat. Now, anyone who's tried to recreate a dish they've had in a restaurant probably knows that disappointment is almost inevitable, unless it's something like spaghetti that you're trying to copycat. So, my hopes weren't very high for this endevor, but regardless I wandered around the corner to the grocery store.
Ingrediants now displayed on my counter top, I delved in. And let me tell you, this tastes just like what you'll get in a restaurant. It was fantastic, and even more fantastic because even with my tempermental cooking skills, I managed to pull this off!!!
If you don't want to go buy the book, here's the recipe:
1 2/3 cups canned coconut milk
2 cups chicken stock
1 1/4 cups water
3/4 inch piece kha, peeled & finely sliced (now, I had never heard of this stuff, so I skipped it and all turned out just fine)
2 red chilies, seeded & sliced (don't seed them in hot water because you'll sneeze like ten times in a row)
1 lemon grass stem, lower 2 1/2 inches sliced
3 lime leaves, torn in pieces
4 TBS fish sauce (this stuff kind of groses me out, and really you only need 3Tbs for this recipe)
2 TBS lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
1 chicken breast (6 oz or so), cut into slivers
cilantro leaves to garnish ( I also used sliced green onions)
--mushrooms-- (not part of this recipe, but I've had it with button mushrooms before)
1) Heat chicken stock with the water, kha, chilies, lemongrass, and torn lime leaves
2) Stir in coconut milk, then add the fish sauce, lemon juice, and sugar. Allow to come to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
3) Bring back to a boil, drop in the chicken slivers a few at a time so that they remain separate. Cook 3-4 minutes until the chicken is cooked
4) Serve garnished with cilantro
YUMMY!!
Next up, the movie: "Priceless" with Audrey Tautou (the girl from "Amelie", one of my favorite movies ever). And yes, it is in french, so you have to be in the mood for subtitles. I've been waiting to watch this movie since Netflix delivered it five days ago. Waiting because I'm too nice of a person to put Tim through what he would consider a mind-numbing chick flick in another language. And, while I've been blogging I've also been watching the previews on the disc and should add that I am now very very excited to add the movie "Paris, Je t'aime" to my Netflix que. The cast seems to be quite good: Steve Buscemi, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Miranda Richardson, Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe, Nick Nolte, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Elijah Wood, Emily Moritimer, Rufus Sewell, Natalie Portman, Gerard Depardieu, and Gena Rowlands. Can't be bad with a cast like that.
After the movie I get to finish decorating the christmas tree, and then I'll probably read some more of Toni Morrison's newest book A Mercy, play with Oliver a little bit, and go to sleep. All around, not a bad night.
:)
Thursday, December 4, 2008
take a cue from Oliver and make yourself comfortable, grab a cup of coffee while your at it cos this updates long!
For a while there I wasn’t blogging because I simply didn’t have anything interesting to blog about. But, lately I haven’t been blogging because things got very busy there for a while! So, here come the highlights…
- We finally got a couch. It’s a nice couch. One that is a little less nice now because dear little Oliver peed on it two days after we got it. Now, we knew that this might happen, and we thought we had appropriately planned for this possibility. You see, when we purchased said couch we spent an extra $75 to get the stain resistant/waterproof “miracle guard” stuff so that it wouldn’t be a big deal when the inevitable happened. Well, it appears that we wasted $75 because our couch definitely smells like cat urine. I wrote the company an e-mail and told them that their “miracle guard” should really be called “big fat joke.”
- Tim’s mother flew in to town for Tim’s (second) graduation from the Park Police training program. This day also happened to be Tim’s Birthday, so this was all around a pretty busy day.
- And, that brings us to Tim’s (second) graduation. Now, I have no idea why they keep making these guys graduate. Isn’t once enough? He’d already received his diploma and his badge while training in
- Next up: Thanksgiving. And for all of you who know that I don’t have the greatest skills in the kitchen, no, I did not cook a turkey. Though I did cook mashed potatoes (special, with cream cheese and sour cream and chives), stuffing, and gravy. It's actually a recipe I got from Sergio and Sherri's family, who we've spent Thanksgiving with every year since 1995 (except this year, of course). We ate with one of Tim’s friends from training and his fiancé, Kirsten, who live in the same apartment complex. This all went great, though I wasn't really prepared for eating dinner at noon. I think I just assumed that we'd be eating later in the afternoon, but it worked out just fine. Though, if I had known we were eating so early I definitely wouldn't have slept in so late, waited so long to shower or go to the store, and I definately would have started cooking sooner. No big deal though, we had a good time :) They're fun to hang out with.
- Somewhere in the midst of all of the above, we decided that it would be a good idea to move 36 miles away to
- And, speaking of the Apartment, it just so happens that I have a job interview tomorrow as a Leasing Consultant for this very building. I think it’s pretty ironic actually. We move all the way to
- Finally, as of last night, Tim has actually started working in the field. We’ll almost. He’s doing ten weeks of rotations in the five different districts in the Park Police jurisdiction. This first two weeks they’ve thrown him to the lions. He’s working graveyard (
So that’s the last three weeks all wrapped up. Here’s a few tidbits that didn’t warrant there own bullet points: I found Tillamook cheese at Safeway, and Rogue beer at Trader Joes. Both of which are extremely cheap here. Apparently no one on the east coast cares about a fabulous cheese factory or brewery from
That’s all for now.
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