Time Warped

Saw this today on my way home from school. I get the whole "Can't wait for Bush to not president any longer" implication. But shouldn't it read, "Is it 2009 yet?"

Because, the answer to the original question is, "Yes, yes it is 2008. And Bush is still president."

Guess that explains why this has been the ONLY bumper sticker I've seen of its kind.

McBama

And I'm so not lovin' it.

It's been quite apparent over the last few months that we have another presidential election upon us.  How can I tell?  Every other house on the block is plastered with posters, SNL's ratings have shot up (securing Tina Fey a job for at least the next month), and the pro/con commercials for the candidates have surpassed the number of car, food, and Viagra commercials combined.

To be honest, politics isn't my thing.  For one, I don't know enough.  I am not sufficiently educated in the political arena to have a structured argument/discussion with anyone that wants to talk about the issues.  I just don't get hyped up about it like others do.  This isn't because I don't care.  It's just not that interesting to me.  It's like asking my husband what he thinks of College Football.  Could he tell you what College Football is?  Probably.  Does he care to know why there is no longer an incidental face mask penalty?  No.  He still knows that he hates the game and the details are just details.  I find that so many political debates zero in on one or two key issues and I am just utterly unprepared to discuss any of them at depth.

And the second reason I steer away from debate is that I have never witnessed someone convert someone else to their "side."  Most arguments are littered with disrespectful comments toward one another and do nothing but leave both parties frustrated and angry.  One of the most annoying things in the world is to be told that you're "wrong" because someone thinks differently from you.

Now before you go all "she's a terrorist" on me, I do vote, and I do care very much about who will be our next president.  But it's none of your business.  That's one of my favorite things about this entire election process.  I can vote for whoever I want for whatever reasons I want and there is absolutely nothing YOU can do about it.  Why?  Because it's my vote, and only my vote.  You have one too.  I'm not trying to take yours, don't try to take mine.  And, hey, at least I don't vote based on party lines.  That should make you happy, right?

Why is she blogging about politics you ask?  Good question.  It must be because someone pissed me off.  Because god knows I have other things to do.  (Yaaaaayyyy!!!!  Story time!!!)

I decided to skip school for the day, get my haircut, do a little shopping, and break up the routine with a quiet lunch at Panera.  OK, it's Panera on a Tuesday at 12:30 - so it wasn't quiet, but I'm good at drowning out the background.  Plus I had a great book on Schizophrenia I was stoked about reading.

I was just breaking into my french onion soup and flipping through the first couple pages when I became aware of the Mom and baby at the table next to mine.  We were close to the door, and several people bent down to coo at the little one on their way out, while telling Mom just how beautiful and sweet he was.  I mean, they were right - he was a damn cute little 1 year old.  I became aware of Mom glancing in my direction in between bites of my sandwich.  I turned, smiled at her, and went back to reading.

"Your soup looks good - is that the french onion?"

"Yeah, I get it almost every time.  Your little boy is very cute, and so good."

"Thanks!"

Great, nice little chat, acknowledged the cute baby, moving back to my book.

"I don't know about this upcoming election you know.  I mean, do you realize how bad ______ is going to be for this country if he's elected"

"Pardon?"

"Well you know, with the whole economic and healthcare crisis, this country NEEDS _______ to be president, not the other guy who voted 7639 times against blah blah blah..........."

Oooooooo dear god.  OK, maybe she just needed some grownup talk.  I mean, the cooing and baby talk is fun and all, for about 5 minutes.  She just needed an adult conversation.  So I played along, smiled and nodded my head, furrowed my eyebrows when she was concerned, and agreed just how important this election is going to be.  But what's really difficult for me to do is get OUT of these kinds of conversations.  Like I said before, I don't know enough about the issues to comment on them, much less try to segue into another topic... like say the kickass roast beef sandwich I was eating.  In other words, I was stuck.

10 - 15 minutes later, she finished her lunch and the baby was antsy enough for her to realize that he needed his afternoon nap.  We closed our discussion, shook hands, smiled, and I promised to watch the second presidential debate tonight.  I guess it became apparent just how little I knew about the economy - which probably drove her up the wall.  Not at any point did I reveal who I may be voting for though.  She tried for it, lots of times, but like I said before, none of her business.

The lesson here?  Don't interrupt my lunch, especially with political talk.  I get pissed, blog about it, and waste valuable study time.

Vinestreet at Sunset

(out of the sunroof of my car)

Weird Ass Ducks

One of them must have lost a contact lens.

First Day

I guess first week really.

Anyone else feel like it should already be next Saturday?  Because I sure do.  Don't get me wrong, the days are FLYING.  But I've somehow squeezed more productivity into this week than I did for most of last year.  Yikes.

Really though, it's about time we got this ball rolling.  The phrase, "shit or get off the pot," has been resonating in my head for most of the past year.  And I really am well-prepared due to the Master's degree.  50% has been a review, and will continue that way for much of the first few terms.  Thank god.  Because the looks on some people's faces after Day 2 made me cringe.  You could almost see the threads of sanity snapping behind their eyes.

1 week down, 207(?) more to go.

17. Read 30 non-school books

Despite the craziness of Summer, I still squeezed in a few good reads.

Somehow, I missed this one in high school.  I was walking by the required Summer Reading table a few months back, thinking nostalgically of the many Titles I was "forced" to read.  "Lord of the Flies," "The Picture of Dorian Gray," "The Crucible," "Mosquito Coast," "The Lost World," "A Doll's House," all that Shakespeare...  And then I came across this one, realized I never actually read it, and decided to give it shot.  How did I miss this book??  Anyway, it was great to say the least.

I actually already read this one a couple years back.  But I love dogs... and John Grogan brilliantly depicts the highlights of dog ownership, both good and bad.  That, and I'm trying to get the book count up here.

*Edit: I just saw this is also being made into a movie.  Starring... you guessed it....      Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston?

I didn't want to be one of those students that read "doctor" books.  But there wasn't anything else that caught my interest that day.  It's alright, but I don't remember much from it if that's any indication.

I'm not one to get into the "beach reads" during the Summer Months.  But even this one was a little too depressing, especially since I read it on my honeymoon.

This almost violated my "beach read" rule because it was so melodramatic.  But I just couldn't put it down.  Which is why I won't watch Maury Povich - I'll spend an hour glued to the TV, wanting to know who the baby's daddy is.

And, finally, my latest read.  I've been following this guy's blog now for the past few years.  After all those years of waitressing, I took pleasure in reading about his pains and woes from the profession - and how he got revenge so many times.

11 down, 19 to go.

Last Day

That's it.  It's over.  No Mas.

My life as a waitress, after 8 years is finally done.

I started in the business just before the start of my Senior year of High School.  Of High School.  I began as a hostess and had to deal with the Friday and Saturday night waits and seating charts at a busy corporate restaurant and bar (oddly enough, now bankrupt).  People were rude, pompous, and arrogant.  And the worst ones had children just like them.  I was called names, yelled at, and even got pulled into the middle of a few fist fights.  Eventually though, I graduated to the highly sought-after waitress position, and now these angry and rude customers were mine at a table for a whole hour.  Super.  Yet, I was able to work my way through College by raking in some cash through my Summer, Winter, and Spring Breaks.  Hell, I'd work a day or two around Thanksgiving if that meant another couple $100.

Summer after my Senior year of college, I stayed at school, but I just couldn't pull myself away from all that flowing cash.  I worked at a local bar in the town and dealt with drunk and sick college students.  Not a far cry from my "other" job at the University.  I was just seeing them earlier in the night as opposed to later.  I would be at work until 4AM cleaning up the mess they left behind.

Quickly thereafter, I packed my car and drove to Colorado.  Where should a smart and intelligent woman with a Bachelor's in Science work in Colorado?  Why, a Brewery seems like a good idea.  And it was, it really was.  Plus, I learned some great restaurant-Spanish.  The cash was incredible and I spent every dime of it on Skis, ski passes, and a lavish lifestyle in an expensive Mountain Resort town.  Here, the customers would throw money at you for whatever service you could give them.  "Sing "Happy Birthday" to your mother-in-law?  That will be $30 sir."

Having returned back to Philadelphia for Graduate School, I decided that a low-key, easy job was the best way to fill up my days before class at nights.  So for 3 or 4 days a week, I waitressed at the local pizzeria down the street from my house.  The customers here were a pretty laid-back bunch of guys who would stop in for lunch and tipped me really really well.  I made great friends with the staff, and had some damn good pizza for 2 years.

And how quickly, it's 8 years later.  I tossed in the apron a few weeks ago, around mid-July, just before the Wedding.  I bid farewell to this grueling line of work shortly before I left for Colorado.  No sense in prolonging the inevitable.  And really, I couldn't take just one. more. day.  Because as great as straight-up cash is, this job sucked the big one.  And now, with Medical School, and no way to hold a part-time job, I can officially free myself of this profession, and take out a boat-load of student loans.

And I'll always over-tip.  Always.

8. Learn one new recipe and cook it once a week.

It's Tuesday evening and I still have 4 whole more days of "nothing" before school begins.  I got back from St. Lucia last Tuesday and have been enjoying the down time, especially after the chaotic days in July.

So, seeing as I have nothing to do (and I'm sure as hell not going to pre-study), I've been cooking up a storm.  I've visited several recipe sites and modified them to come up with my own little version of tonight's dish.

Crock Pot Pulled Pork Sandwiches (with baked beans and green beans)

(This has several parts - so bear with me)

1. The Pork

1 shoulder of pork (that's right, a whole shoulder - yes, it's big)

1 onion

4 cloves of garlic

Chop the onion and place half on the bottom of the crock pot.  Dice the garlic, place half at the bottom with the onion.  Add the pork.  Place other half of onion and garlic on top of pork.  Add about 1 cup of water to the crock pot.  Set on low for 9 - 12 hours, or on high for 4 - 6 hours. (The longer, the more tender)

When done, remove the pork from the crock pot on place on a cutting board.  It should be falling apart - this is how you know you did a good job.  The juice from the crock pot can be used for a gravy, but isn't necessary for this recipe.

Tear the pork in pieces using your hands, being careful to remove the fat and bones. Surprisingly the fat separates very easily from the warm pork. Careful, it's hot. Use a couple forks to tear the pork if you can't handle the heat. ;-)

Did I mention the gargantuan size of a pork shoulder??

Be sure to dip (several) pieces of torn pork into homemade barbecue sauce for quality taste assurance.

Replace the pork back into the empty crock pot.  Add the desired amount of barbecue sauce and allow it to simmer on low for another 4 - 6 hours.  Serve on buns or by itself.

2. Barbecue Sauce (makes about 4 cups)

8 cloves of garlic

2 tsp. of chili powder

4 cups of ketchup

1/4 cup of water

4 tsp. of worcestershire sauce

1 cup of brown sugar

3 tsp. of yellow mustard

4 tsp. of liquid smoke

Stir ingredients together in a sauce pan on med-low until bubbling.  Remove from heat and eat.  Yum!

I modified lots of recipes to get this one for barbecue sauce.  I found that by adding more or less of various ingredients, you can end up with completely different flavors.  So modify to your heart's desire.

3. Baked Beans

1 onion (chopped)

15 strips of cooked bacon

2 cans of baked beans

Saute onion and cooked bacon in olive oil until onion is soft and translucent.  Add cans of baked beans.  Stir, remove from heat, and place in oven-safe dish.  Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

4. Green Beans

Saute fresh green beans with olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper.

Basically, this took me like 2 days to cook.  But it was well worth it.  And now we have enough food to last us to my first exam in 3 1/2 weeks.

Oh yeah, and serve with beer.

Honey, We're Home!

Slacker

Sorry, I completely forgot I had a blog, much less a small captivated audience to entertain with my daily musings.

Long story short - wedding.  Damn that sucker took a lot of planning time.  Thank god I didn't procrastinate or anything. (sigh)

I head out to Colorado today to take care of the final preparations before I get hitched Friday.  After that, it's St. Lucia 'til August.  When I return, I'll be refreshed and a lot less stressed, and have plenty of pictures/stories to share.

Bon Voyage!

17. Read 30 non-school books

I'm on a roll.

Set in the early 1940's in smalltown Ohio.  Pecola, obsessed with a beauty only blue eyes can give her, slowly submits to the harsh and ruthless environment she was born into.

5 down, 25 to go

17. Read 30 non-school books

A little similar to the Green Mile (okay, REALLY similar), but still a good quick summer read.

4 down, 26 to go.

17. Read 30 non-school books

I've actually read more than 3 books this year.  I just haven't finished more than 3 books this year.  I have a bad habit of picking up books I think I might like, only to get a few chapters in and be sorely disappointed.  This lack of engagement coupled with my short attention span results in a pile of unfinished reading material and a lot less cash in my wallet.

This was certainly an exception though.  I was blown away at the puzzling, and yet astounding workings of the autistic mind.  It was so good in fact, I blew through it in a just a few hours.  (Unlike, ahem, all you other failures piling up on my nightstand)

3 down, 27 to go.

18. Get at least 8 hours of sleep a night.

I can't decide which has been the most beneficial.... getting a full night's sleep every night or fulfilling #65 and eating chocolate whenever I want.  Let's call it a tie and maintain my current course of action.

I truly believe, however, that the increased sleep and upping my veggie/fruit intake has greatly improved my immune system (not so sure if the chocolate plays a role - let's just say it does).  I have yet to be hit with a horrible illness for the year.  Knock on wood... now I'll get mono.  Didn't we talk about Karma already?  I won't be able to sleep tonight now thinking about it.  Dammit.

8. Learn one new recipe and cook it once a week.

Hmm, clearly, this hasn't been a weekly habit.  I've been cooking more frequently though, rather than just heating up something frozen.  As far as original recipes however, I could branch out a bit more.  On tonight's menu:

Pasta with Chicken and Veggies

1 green squash

1 yellow squash

1 onion

2 cups sliced mushrooms

2 cups grilled chicken

4 cups fresh broccoli raab

1 jar of spaghetti sauce

1 pound of whole wheat penne pasta

garlic

basil

parmesan

Sautee onion, garlic, squash, and mushrooms.  Add jar of sauce to vegetables.  Boil broccoli raab for 3 - 4 mins.  Drain, mix in with sauce and vegetables.  Add basil and simmer.  Cook pasta.  Drain, mix with sauce concoction.

You can thank me for all that fiber later.

61. Ditch white breads/pastas. Move to whole-grain products.

Check.  Except when I make my world-famous grilled cheese.  Some things can only be done with Stroehmann white bread.

Happy Holidays

Since I'm way too lazy to post separately, here's St. Patty's/Andrew's 21st, along with some Easter stuff.

My Penn State Football Egg

The finished products

Better Late

These are from about a month ago when we were in Colorado. Copper Mountain, specifically. It snowed like hell the last day in town. And since I procrastinated, it was the only time I had the camera out on the slopes. As a result, the ski shots aren't all that great, but the village sure looked beautiful.

I would have taken some from the very tippy top of the mountain if there weren't white-out conditions.  They'll be better next time, promise.