Quizzes

You Are 0% Capitalist, 100% Socialist

You see a lot of injustice in the world, and you'd like to see it fixed. As far as you're concerned, all the wrong people have the power. You're strongly in favor of the redistribution of wealth - and more protection for the average person.

Are You a Socialist or Capitalist?

You Are A Professional Girlfriend!

You are the perfect girlfriend - big surprise! Heaven knows you've had enough practice. That's why you're a total pro. If there was an Emily Post of girlfriends, it would be you. You know how to act in every situation ... to make both you and your guy happy.

What Kind of Girlfriend Are You?

Your Career Personality: Empathetic, Loyal, and People-Oriented

Your Ideal Careers: Chef Corporate trainer Designer Events Coordinator Librarian Politician Psychologist Small Business Owner Social Worker Teacher

The Quick and Dirty Career Test

Well, I have had my share of boyfriends... and I'm happy to see Chef on my list of ideal careers!

Not committing...

I'm not committing to anything this weekend. I want to give myself the opportunity to just chill and not do anything.

I'm not committing to:

• Going to Rhythm and Booms (Madison's fireworks show)
• Going to Devil's Lake sunday for a hike and picnic w/ the Hoofers
• Planting flowers for my landlords
  
• Baking or cooking anything
• Cleaning my bathroom
• Sewing a futon cover

However, I could do all these things if I so choose. :)

Today's Lunch:
3 slices pizza from Gumby's (I was really hungry) - pepperoni, sausage, and mushroom

Feeling better

Looking back, I realize why I was so exhausted the last few days. Two busy weekends in a row, plus taking care of Buddy, language classes, taking care of Janet's bunny and kitty. So I'd leave work, go to my class, come home, go to Janet's, feed the cat and rabbit, go home, take Buddy for a walk.. and by then it was 11:00. But I was also trying to clean my apartment, do my laundry, water my landlord's plants, take out the trash, etc. I think I just had too many responsibilities at once.

A photo of the Budster:


This weekend I'm not committed to doing anything, and next week I won't have my language classes, so I'll finally get a break.

Stuff that's on my mind:

• My coworker Regis is playing some bluegrass. I love bluegrass, especially the kind with yodeling.
• I like the song "Hey Girl," by Damian Marley. "She said Junior you're a genius you think with your mind and not your penis.."
• I am still eating leftover turkey from my Thanksgiving party almost two weeks ago (it's so salty I don't think it'll go bad for another few days). And today I was assigned another roast turkey recipe. I think I'll be living on turkey sandwiches for a while.
• Aquarius horoscope, according to The Onion: "After he's finally finished, the new, re-imaged Smokey the Bear will hang your gnawed ribcage from his Tree of One Thousand Bones as a reminder that only you can prevent the horror that is forest fire."
• Kevin and I are still hanging out and still liking each other.

Today's Lunch:
Turkey sandwich on whole wheat with Light Miracle Whip
Banana

Quiz thingy

I don't know what to blog about today, so here you go.

1. Were you smiling when you woke up this morning?
No
2. When is the last time you met someone new?
At my family reunion, last weekend
3. What is irritating you now?
Not having work to do
4. When did you last eat pizza?
Saturday
5. Do you drink alcohol?
Yes
6. Do you have any famous friends?
No
7. Are you any good at poker?
No
8. What do you want more than anything?
To not let an experience pass me by
9. Are you tired?
Yes, but not sleepy. I just need to chill one of these nights.
10. Last spoken words you heard?
My coworker Bob mumbled a hello to me
11. Have you ever kissed anyone named Billy?
No
12. Besides your bed, what is your favorite thing in your room?
My wall decor
13. Pepsi or Coke?
Diet Pepsi, regular Coke
14. Have you ever thrown up?
Yes, and to this day salad with ham and broccoli makes me queasy
15. What is your favorite season?
Spring
16. Do you enjoy piercings and tattoos?
I tolerate them, but can't say I particularly enjoy them.
17. Taco Bell or McDonald's?
Taco Bell
18. Are you restless?
I sometimes find myself looking for something bigger and better
19. Is your computer desktop or a laptop?
Desktop
20. What is the last thing you cooked?
Oatmeal this morning, with dried fruit
21. Where do you want to be right now?
Home, on the couch, sleeping
22. What are you doing tomorrow?
I have French class
23. What did you do today?
Mailed my medical forms to the Peace Corps. It's about time.. it took 3 months to get it all together.
24. Last song you heard?
Chosen One, by Rob Symeonn
25. Do you like Batman?
I'm indifferent
26. Who is in the room with you?
No one
27. What are you wearing on your feet?
Flip flop wedges
28. What is/are your favorite pair of shoes?
I'm crazy about these brown wedges I bought last week
29. Who was the last person you told you loved them?
My mom
30. What was the last thing you ate?
Oatmeal this morning
31. What were you doing before this?
Reading work bulletins
32. What is the closest item near you that is black?
My calculator
33. How do you take your coffee?
I don't, but I will get a latte once in a while
34. What instant messaging service do you use?
None
35. What is your favorite website?
Snarkywood, my friends' blogs, cute overload
36. Whose house were you at last night?
Marios's place
37. What do you wear more, jeans or sweatpants?
Jeans
38. What is the last movie you watched?
13 Going on 30
39. What do you currently hear right now?
Someone down the hall is playing music but I can't make out what it is
40. When did you last buy a new pair of pants?
2 weeks ago
41. When did you last take a shower?
This morning
42. Where's your favorite place to be?
Camping in the U.P.
43. Have you ever heard of the band Our Lady Peace?
Yes, and I have one of their songs
44. Where is your mom?
At home in MI
45. Where do you sleep?
In my bed
46. Where do you shop the most?
Kohl's
47. Where did you get the shirt you're wearing?
At a chick party clothing exchange
48. Coach Purse or NFL game tickets?
I do not know what that means
49. Where was your default pic taken?
At work
50. What kind of car do you drive?
Blue Chevy S10 pickup
51. Why did you kiss the last person you kissed?
Because he's cute and I like him
52. Are you happy with where you are?
Location, yes, with life in general, yes
53. Have you ever been cheated on?
I don't know
54. Would you ever take someone back if they cheated on you?
Depends on the situation
55. Have you ever talked about marriage with someone before?
Yes
56. Do you want someone you can't have?
No
57. Do you believe love at first sight exists?
No
58. Do you believe that you can change someone?
Try not to..

Today's Lunch:
Chili beans, tomatoes, corn, and hot sauce with two whole wheat tortillas

My long weekend

I left for Michigan friday morning for my cousin's wedding/family reunion. Despite the long drive (430 miles each way), I am really glad I went.

We camped out, ate lots of food, did some visiting, and I got to see relatives that I haven't seen in years. Everyone wanted a Peace Corps update, but I don't really know anything yet so all I can do is speculate on where I'm going and what I'll be doing. But that's okay. I understand that things in the government move slowly.

It's kind of crazy because there are kind of two generations of cousins in my family. There's the "older" generation, ages 20-30, and those are the cousins I remember hanging out with when I was a kid. Then there's the "younger" generation, ages 8-15, and looking at those cousins, I am reminded of how we were when we were at that age. We fought over the same things, had the same little groups, and played the same games. It's fun hanging out with both groups of cousins.

Today's Lunch:
Chili beans, chopped tomatoes, corn, and pepper sauce in a whole wheat tortilla

Frustrated

Work life isn't going so well. It's hard to scrape up the motivation to find projects to do when no one is willing to give me assignments. So basically I am doing things not in my job description just so I'm not bored all day. I'm kind of stressing over it.

French class isn't going so well. I had to miss parts of a couple of classes so I could play softball. I think I'll have to drop softball because right now French class is more important. I am struggling with the concept of du and des (when to use them instead of au, le, and les), and also I don't understand how to say something for the future (i.e. "I am going to play soccer tomorrow"). I'm also kind of mad at myself for not reading the book and studying it. Oops.

Home life isn't going so well. I'm dog-sitting for Buddy, my landlord/neighbor's dog. I live on the top floor of my landlord's house, and I opened up the stairway door so Buddy can come in to my apartment. It hasn't been going well. He and Kitty aren't getting along. I thought she would be the aggressive one, but I think he has made the living room his territory, so now whenever she comes in there he'll do something subtle but scary enough to make her run away. I've kept the bedroom Buddy-proofed so Kitty can have some "safe" territory, but yesterday I decided to open it up to him while I ran some errands. Big mistake - when I came back I noticed he ate all her food. So now the bedroom is going to be Buddy-free again. *sigh*

I'm also behind on my housework, I need to go shopping, and I'm just really tired.

Today's Lunch:
Pumpernickel bagel with light cream cheese
Banana
Nectarine

Good timing

Finally, I'm an aunt!

Christopher was born yesterday at 2:45pm Pacific time... My sister had been induced the previous night at 10:30pm. Zowie! He must've been reluctant to leave and join the rest of the world.

Becky said she'd be posting some pictures today, and I can't wait to see them! Follow this link to see the updates on her blog. What I've been told is that he weighed 8 lbs and 8 ounces, has a little bit of dark brown hair, and his eyes are light blue right now. From what Alfonso said, he's really handsome. :) I can't wait to see what he looks like. I'm so excited to be an aunt.

What's even better is that he was born on the 19th, a day that is becoming very special in my family. Becky and I were each born on the 19th day of the month, and she and Fonsi got married on the 19th.

Latest music obsession

I can't stop listening to this song by Gyptian.

Serious Times

These are some serious times
All I can see round natty is violence and crime
Full time for Rass to centralize socialize and realize
To let the sun shine throughout every day
And let the moon shine throughout the peaceful nites
This is 7 times rise and 7 times fall but i dont really believe in the falling tings at all
Cause life continues as it goes if u really want to know the true of the true isnt been told
No no no no no

Today's Lunch:
Leftover turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy
Nectarine

Party weekend

I had four events to go to on Saturday, and I made it to all of them!

First was the Juneteenth celebration. It was amazing. The park was full of people and there were about four tents, each with their own performances. I saw some people dancing hip-hop in sync and they were amazing. I ran into an acquaintance, Jam, who is from Ghana, and he played drums with a group from Togo. One of the players pulled myself and two other women up onto the stage to dance, and though I felt self-conscious, I went with it and had a great time.

The next two parties had to be covered in 2 hours so Kevin and I could leave for our camping trip. I attended my coworker Mike's barbeque and stayed just long enough to wolf down a brat. Then I stopped by another coworker's birthday party. I only meant to stay for 10 minutes, but he said "won't you stay for a glass of wine?" and then I got to talking with people and... somehow it became an hour. At this point I was running an hour behind and Kevin was pretty annoyed, but we finally got on the road to attend our camping party.

We showed up at a secluded nursery outside of Beaver Dam. The party was at a house with a huge backyard that backed up to a small lake. Music was blaring, people were dancing, talking and drinking, and a bonfire was blazing. Kevin ran into a couple of Jamaican friends he knew when he lived in Milwaukee. He hadn't seen them in years, so that was exciting. The music was good for a couple of hours - hip hop and reggae. Then the program changed over to wedding reception music, which I can't stand. When it finally switched back over to reggae, it was getting late but I had a good time dancing to it while I could.

We set up my 30-year-old tent in the dark (Kevin held the flashlight). It was his first time sleeping in a tent and he said it wasn't too bad. I told him if he could survive a night in my old, smelly tent, he could sleep in anything.

Today's Lunch:
Leftover turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy
Nectarine

Lately...

My news for the week:

• I got my lasik surgery on tuesday. They gave me a sedative and I had some crazy dreams on the way home, then stumbled up the stairs with the help of my friend Liz. Overall my eyes feel great.
• Kevin and I are going to make a Jamaican Black cake. He told me what the important ingredients are and I found a recipe. The first step is to soak the the fruit in wine for 4 weeks.
• Tomorrow is my Thanksgiving in June party. Tonight I'm going to make the pies (apple and pumpkin), cranberry sauce, and start the gravy. I'm so excited to make yummy food.
• Speaking of tonight, I'm also cat -and -rabbit-sitting for my coworker Janet. It is so cute when Rex the Rabbit chews his lettuce leaves; his little nose moves up and down and he makes this little crunching noise. Pictures are on the way.
• Speaking of pies, I went to the farmer's market last weekend and bought fresh strawberries and rhubarb. Last night I made two beautiful strawberry-rhubarb pies.
  
• I've been hanging out with our summer interns, who just showed up last weekend. They are from Tuskegee University (Alabama), Clark Atlanta University (Georgia), Puerto Rico... and that's all I can remember. I really like them - they are bright young people with great attitudes. We're trying to show them a good time here in Madison.
• Speaking of interns, two of them subbed for players on our softball team... and monday night we finally won a game. I had a good night - two of our six runs were made by me, and I pitched for the first time on this team. I had a few strikeouts and only walked one person, to the surprise of my teammates. And all this time they'd only let the men pitch...
• I have serious social plans this weekend. A saturday intern activity (we're going to the Madison area Juneteenth celebration), two parties in Madison, then a reggae/camping party in Beaver Dam. It should be fun...
• Kevin and I went to Madison Avenue last night. We were kind of disappointed. Wednesday night is supposed to be the night to go there, but it was sort of empty, the music was bad and the bartenders were slow.

Okay, that's all for now.

Today's Lunch:
Tuna sandwich (with low-fat Miracle Whip) on wheat bread from Clasen's bakery
Sugar snap peas
Apple

Tall Tale

Last week in Toastmasters we split up into groups of three and were given an assignment. My teammates were Petra and James. Each of us had to share with each other an interesting or surprising vacation experience, and then use each of our experiences to create a Tall Tale.

• Petra's experience: She went on vacation to Norway last year. She and her dad canoed around the fjords.
• James' experience: While he was on vacation in Alabama, a couple of swimmers were attacked by a shark. One of the men had part of his arm ripped off, and his friend punched the shark in the nose and swam to shore, turning around to punch the shark every so often to keep it at bay.
• My experience: I had vacation stories, but to go with the water theme, I recalled how my brother Joe and I would go canoeing and would stand up in the canoe while afloat. (We never capsized.)
  

Our tall tale (you may recall that a tall tale is a legend-type story, often with a hero and exaggerated details):

Sven the Shark Evader

A very long time ago, in the Fjords of Norway, there were two young men, Sven and Frank. Sven and Frank were canoeing around the fjords, having a jolly good time. The sun was bright and shining, the water was crystal clear, and the water was very still.

Frank suggested they stand up in the canoe, just to make things more exciting. Sven wasn't thrilled with the idea, but being the good friend he was, agreed to Frank's plan. They stood in the canoe and continued paddling.

Suddenly, clouds appeared in the sky and covered up the sun. A strong wind began to blow. What was once a calm, blue fjord became a dark and stormy sea. Something large and ominous thumped against the canoe, causing it to capsize. As he plunged into the cold water, Sven watched in horror as a huge shark - so big it was the size of the FPL [my workplace] - opened its gargantuan jaws. The shark's teeth were so big they put Jaws to shame. Frank began screaming hysterically - the shark's enormous jaws had ripped his arm off! Sven almost cried from fear as he watched Frank's arm go down the shark's gullet - the shark was so big that Frank's arm looked like a Tic Tac in its mouth.

Sven knew he had to do something to save himself and his friend. More out of terror than anger, he punched the shark square on the nose. The shark's nose was so big that Sven's fist looked like a freckle in comparison. Sven held his breath, expecting the shark to open its jaws and eat him whole. Nothing happened. The shark was stunned! Sven quickly swam over to Frank and grabbed him, swimming toward the shore.

Suddenly a large, ominous shadow could be seen on the water in front of him. He knew the shark had come back. So Sven turned around and - bam! - punched the shark in the nose again. He swam all the way to the shore, turning around and punching the shark every so often to keep it at bay.

They finally made it to the shore. Though they were both frightened and suffering from injuries, Sven and Frank survived. Frank was even able to get a prosthetic arm using laminated veneer lumber developed at the FPL.

People have reported seeing Sven the Shark Evader for centuries, and often wonder where he came from. So the next time you're in the fjords of Norway, do not fear the sharks - Sven the Shark Evader will be there to save you.

Today's Lunch:
Leftover beef and vegetable soup with orzo
Roll with Smart Balance

Thanksgiving in June?

As I had previously posted, I am testing recipes for Cook's Illustrated. So far I've made beef and eggplant stir fry in a red curry sauce. Today I received my second assignment:

Roast Turkey Breast with Bacon and Leek Stuffing

Cook's Illustrated says they often ask testers to make recipes that aren't in season, since the article probably won't be published for another 6 months. So I'm going to have a little Thanksgiving in June party. I'm going to invite some of my coworkers, including Houjiang, who won't be in the U.S. this November to have a "real" Thanksgiving meal. I think it's important to experience the one meal that is an American original.

I have less than two weeks to make this meal, so I'm thinking Friday the 15th.

Today's Lunch:
Chicken fajita burrito from Qdoba with black beans and hot salsa

Photos

Here are some photos for your visual enjoyment.

This is my friend Erin. She is 24 and works at the homeless shelter I volunteer at. She has two kids, Elliot (age 3) and Kelsey (age 2) and she and her hubby are recently separated. This girl has the gift of gab and can talk to anyone. She's also a lot of fun to hang out with.


Today's Lunch:
Leftover soup (beef vegetable with orzo)
Crust of seeded wheat bread
1 roll

Stocking your home bar

I read this great article about stocking a bar for your home. I found it thanks to the CIA's (that's Culinary Institute of America for all you non-foodies out there) ProChef Smart Brief.

Yes, you can spend less than $300 and still have a fully-stocked bar with really good liquor.

The Basics:
Vodka: Stoli
Gin: Tanqueray
Whisky/bourbon: Maker's Mark
Rum: Flor de Caña Extra Dry 4-Year-Old
Tequila: Sauza Hornitos
Brandy: Laird's Applejack

Mixers:
Sweet Vermouth: Martini & Rossi
Dry Vermouth: Noilly Prat
Angostura bitters
Orange bitters

Liqueurs:
Cointreau
Benedictine

Click here to see the article.

Today's Lunch:
Turkey sandwich with brie on seeded wheat bread
Banana
Diet Pepsi

Giardia and music

I don't know what to write about today. My weekend was so full that I feel like I'm still recovering from last week.

I am concerned that I have a parasite (Giardia) from the untreated water I drank last week. My mom told me it takes about a week for Giardia to start causing discomfort, and starting last night I've been experiencing nausea. Something ain't right on my insides.

I am so excited about tomorrow night! I'm finally going to see some good reggae, I can just feel it this time. The people at WORT who host Tropical Riddims are having a fundraiser show. I asked this new guy I'm seeing, Kevin, if he'd like to come with. He really likes reggae so he'll probably go for it.

Other than that I feel like poo today. I think I will leave work early.

Today's Lunch:
Turkey sandwich with brie on seeded wheat bread
Banana

So busy...

My days are consumed with trying to get stuff done but not being able to place a finger on what it is I'm doing. I just know I have a lot of phone calls to make and return, forms to fill out, and stuff to read. I have been putting my Mandarin studying aside to get other things done and I need to catch up.

I guess I'm so busy because I was out of town for the last two weekends. This weekend my schedule is filling up fast:

• Tonight - go fishing with a guy I met (Kevin)
  
• Saturday morning - volunteer at soup kitchen
• Saturday afternoon - kayak instruction needed to go on more trips with outing club
  
• Sunday morning - finally! some free time
• Sunday afternoon - volunteer at homeless shelter, review a dessert

A review of this week:

• Ate pickles soaked in Kool Aid (not too bad)
• Attended a Madison area food bloggers' meeting
  
• Ate a dessert at a local restaurant; still need to write article
• Broke down and bought a Trac Fone (and I was so proud of not having a cell phone)
• Danced to some good reggae music

Today's Lunch:
Cashews and peanuts
Apple