There's just a little bit left, for a lot of things. Only a few more days left to study for the JLPT. It's round 2 for me since I failed last year, and since I've been studying off and on for the last 3 months I feel like I'm better prepared. I'm planning to really hit the kanji and vocabulary hard, since that tends to stay with me really well in the short term. Ty's the only one of us with a car (and he's not even taking the test...) and he's taking me and Collin and Alaina, and we may even make a stop at Mitsuwa before the test! Yay :)
I feel like time's running out at my job too, since they've kept saying they're running out of work for us to do, and I bet once there's no more work to do we get the boot. Worst case scenario (not official, only in my head) is that they just won't have us come back after Christmas. In any case, I'm dead sure we won't be staying to the end of March as originally told to us. Guess it's time to hit the old job ads again...and prospects are looking pretty grim. But that can't stop me from trying!
I got my new rain boots after a little bit of a circus with the bank, and they're wonderful. They're smelly like rubber, but that should go away with use. I'm going to use them in the snow too, and have decided to make fleece socks to line them instead of paying $30 for a pair made especially for the boots. I come home every night with the best intentions, but don't really feel like making them again until I'm running to the bus at 8 AM and can't feel my toes.
This week I've had a couple of REALLY nice days. On Monday everything just seemed great - food tasted better than usual, I felt like socializing with my coworkers (and did), I exercised in the fitness room, and got a lot of shit done after going home from work. It was amazing. Yesterday was really nice too, even though I woke up feeling shitty. My favorite part was study group for the JLPT and Aki's little surprise birthday gathering. He had been wanting to try Greenbush Bakery donuts for a long time, and we got a dozen and brought him to our house to share them, along with Dave. Merlot and donuts - a classy snack. I don't like cake donuts but holy shit were the ones from Greenbush good! They make every kind of delicious there. We also had mugwort tea, funny videos and tarot card readings. I think the tea just made everything better.
Winter has officially come again and dumped a few inches of snow everywhere. I have things I like about winter and things I don't like. I've decided I really like outerwear (nice coats, hats, scarves and mittens) and winter is when you get to wear them all the time. I like how most people look in coats and hats and stuff. They look more warm and friendly somehow (in most cases). I like glowing lights and there are plenty of them outside and lots of dark to see them in. They're really pretty with snow too. I like the way snow looks on most things (but I don't like that it's wet and cold). I like big floaty flakes of snow and the really tiny kind that looks like glitter falling from the sky. Cold seems to bring people closer together, literally, mostly in the form of huddles, but being closer to people can be nice. I can really appreciate hot food and hot tea. I do not, however, enjoy that rooms are a lot colder, and even with the heat on I have to wear a lot of clothes, and when you just can't get warm enough, you burrow into your bed and can't do anything but try to warm up. I get scared sliding around on the road in a car when roads are not plowed.
I started this entry on Thursday, and it is now Saturday morning. Time to go and do things. Time for breakfast, possibly a haircut, and going to the new tea house on State Street for some last-minute kanji study before the JLPT. Then time for an amazing gourmet meal that I didn't cook :D
12.04.2008
10.08.2008
you can have her, I don't want her, she's too fat for me (hey!)
Plenty of good things have been happening. Fall is a magical season. Forget about Christmas and all that.
First, I was able to get a new job and quit Cosi. I liked the majority of my coworkers and preparing food and having so much contact with the mostly nice public, but the company treats their employees like crap. No amount of free drink is going to make up for the number of times I have been kept late and not been given the few days off I requested, which I warned them about weeks in advance. I now work processing voter registration applications, and so far I have opened thousands of envelopes and looked up thousands of addresses so that we know which county/city clerk to send the applications to. Getting guaranteed full time hours, never having to stay late unless I want to (AND getting paid extra for overtime!), and generally doing less work for more money makes me happy. I don't feel as much rapport with the people there, but when you're sitting at a computer all day you don't have a whole lot of time to socialize, and you don't have to work together there as closely as you need to at a restaurant.
Second, I went last weeekend to Seattle for Zach and Jenny's wedding. I got up at 4:15 Thursday morning and was there by 11:30. Zach's house got a lot of the projects done that came up when I was there last year (rewiring all the electricity in the entire house, painting the bathroom and dining room, staining and installing the new front door), and it's looking a bit more homey. Oscar was happy to see everybody :) I also tried Gorditos for the first time, which is this Mexican restaurant that my mom cannot get enough of and tells everyone who will listen several times about how good it is. My burrito and the tacos were kind of bland, but the salsa was delicious. I helped make the programs for the wedding at his house too. We went shopping at Pike Place Market too. I sampled some treats and found this shop that sells bulk spices and loose tea, and they had the garam masala I so dearly wanted to try, and I didn't have to pay an arm and a leg for it like I would back home. I kind of wanted to go to See's and buy some chocolate or at least get a sample, but I need that like I need a hole in my head.
I got my first ever pedicure last Friday. It kind of tickles, and wasn't as painful as I was expecting it to be. My feet are all pretty now, and they were really soft for the whole day after. Since nail polish is the last thing they put on and it's not usually dry by the time you leave, they give you paper sandals to wear so you don't mess it up. I thought that was funny. We then went out into the country for a bridal luncheon that Jenny's friend Alicia and her mother threw for her. They have a REALLY nice house and they're both really sweet. I loved everything there. Zach and Jenny picked a malt shop (Blue Moon Burgers) for their rehearsal dinner, and it was AWESOME. The food was delicious. It was a first for the restaurant, too - they closed 2 1/2 hours early just for us. I think they got a lot more business from us than they would have had otherwise...about 15 people showed up at the door while we were there.
The day of the wedding (Saturday) we spent all morning and most of the afternoon just getting ready. Kelly did everyone's hair, and I wore makeup for the first time in a couple of years. I still can't believe she was able to make my hair stay in spiral curls for more than half an hour! I felt very pretty. We went straight from the apartment to the Palace Ballroom and waited around for the bride and groom to get there to have pictures taken. As sisters of the groom, it was our duty to hand out programs to the guests. It was a fun job, especially with the event coordinator girl being cool and my brother and Jenny's brother there for ushers. I have a bit of a crush on one of Zach's friends because he's quite genial, good for intelligent conversation, and British, so he greets ladies with a kiss on the cheek. ^^ The ceremony itself was a lot more moving than I thought it might be...maybe because I know both people so well. The most emotional part for me is when the bride walks in and everyone stands up for her. My brother actually got kind of choked up during his vows. I don't think I've ever seen him cry. Come to think of it, I'd never seen him kiss Jenny at all until the ceremony. (Quite different from my boyfriend, who is very affectionate, even around my family.) Dinner was really awesome because the Palace Ballroom is chef Tom Douglas' event space, and he's a local celebrity of sorts that makes really good food. He did not make an appearance (I doubt he personally cooked the food or was even there) but it was really unique and delicious. It was also awesome because Zach sat me next to his British friend at the table and we talked through dinner. Jenny's mom baked a really awesome cake, too. :D My dad (the best man) gave a really cool speech at the wedding. The dancing was a hell of a lot of fun. I had NO idea Zach's friends were all such great dancers!! They were better than most of the girls and so much fun to watch. Jenny stabbed my foot with her shoe heel (she wore red shoes with her dress, which I think is a kickass idea) and my foot bled for a bit, but that didn't stop me XD I even taught the British guy and Jenny's father how to dance polka. Too bad British guy ended up talking to event planner girl all night and I didn't get to hang out with him after that. Hell, one of Zach's friends that was there by himself (but has a girlfriend) acted as a sort of "date" for Kelly's friend XD My date left me :( oh well. at least he said goodbye at 2 AM :)
All in all, this Seattle trip was a smashingly fun time. I felt very welcome, both with Zach and Jenny as well as all their friends that I'd only met a few times before. My dad even said that he was happy his son and daughter in law have such awesome friends. It's something that gets you feeling very thankful and lucky. I felt the same when Ty and I were able to enlist 15 friends to help us move into our house in June. You know you're surrounded by good people when you can get them to help you out with a shit job like that.
Other things
1) I found out how my herb pots keep ending up dumped over outside. I went out to my bike yesterday morning and found a squirrel tipping them off the back ledge. Sneaky little bugger.
2) Thickening curry with frozen yellow squash was definitely a good idea. It adds a lot of color without being spicy, lends a potato-y texture and flavor, makes it sweeter, and it's a lot healthier than coconut milk.
3) Garam masala was that last little missing piece to make curry that tastes complete.
4) It was raining hard yesterday on the way home, and I rode my bike. I got to the park and about 80 ducks were sitting all over the path and in the puddles in the grass. Hearing them all quacking and watching them lazily waddle out of the way made me smile. I like ducks.
Also, hooray for getting Hunter wellies for $35!! I wanted red ones, but couldn't justify paying $120 for them. Then tonight I go online and find a website with one certain color in my size on sale for a ridiculous $29.99. I really wanted red, but for the quality and the price, I decided I could settle for light blue. It certainly isn't the worst color I could have ended up with, and it's a bright color, something raingear should be to offset the dreary day, and light blue is neutral enough to work with too :)
I love fall.
First, I was able to get a new job and quit Cosi. I liked the majority of my coworkers and preparing food and having so much contact with the mostly nice public, but the company treats their employees like crap. No amount of free drink is going to make up for the number of times I have been kept late and not been given the few days off I requested, which I warned them about weeks in advance. I now work processing voter registration applications, and so far I have opened thousands of envelopes and looked up thousands of addresses so that we know which county/city clerk to send the applications to. Getting guaranteed full time hours, never having to stay late unless I want to (AND getting paid extra for overtime!), and generally doing less work for more money makes me happy. I don't feel as much rapport with the people there, but when you're sitting at a computer all day you don't have a whole lot of time to socialize, and you don't have to work together there as closely as you need to at a restaurant.
Second, I went last weeekend to Seattle for Zach and Jenny's wedding. I got up at 4:15 Thursday morning and was there by 11:30. Zach's house got a lot of the projects done that came up when I was there last year (rewiring all the electricity in the entire house, painting the bathroom and dining room, staining and installing the new front door), and it's looking a bit more homey. Oscar was happy to see everybody :) I also tried Gorditos for the first time, which is this Mexican restaurant that my mom cannot get enough of and tells everyone who will listen several times about how good it is. My burrito and the tacos were kind of bland, but the salsa was delicious. I helped make the programs for the wedding at his house too. We went shopping at Pike Place Market too. I sampled some treats and found this shop that sells bulk spices and loose tea, and they had the garam masala I so dearly wanted to try, and I didn't have to pay an arm and a leg for it like I would back home. I kind of wanted to go to See's and buy some chocolate or at least get a sample, but I need that like I need a hole in my head.
I got my first ever pedicure last Friday. It kind of tickles, and wasn't as painful as I was expecting it to be. My feet are all pretty now, and they were really soft for the whole day after. Since nail polish is the last thing they put on and it's not usually dry by the time you leave, they give you paper sandals to wear so you don't mess it up. I thought that was funny. We then went out into the country for a bridal luncheon that Jenny's friend Alicia and her mother threw for her. They have a REALLY nice house and they're both really sweet. I loved everything there. Zach and Jenny picked a malt shop (Blue Moon Burgers) for their rehearsal dinner, and it was AWESOME. The food was delicious. It was a first for the restaurant, too - they closed 2 1/2 hours early just for us. I think they got a lot more business from us than they would have had otherwise...about 15 people showed up at the door while we were there.
The day of the wedding (Saturday) we spent all morning and most of the afternoon just getting ready. Kelly did everyone's hair, and I wore makeup for the first time in a couple of years. I still can't believe she was able to make my hair stay in spiral curls for more than half an hour! I felt very pretty. We went straight from the apartment to the Palace Ballroom and waited around for the bride and groom to get there to have pictures taken. As sisters of the groom, it was our duty to hand out programs to the guests. It was a fun job, especially with the event coordinator girl being cool and my brother and Jenny's brother there for ushers. I have a bit of a crush on one of Zach's friends because he's quite genial, good for intelligent conversation, and British, so he greets ladies with a kiss on the cheek. ^^ The ceremony itself was a lot more moving than I thought it might be...maybe because I know both people so well. The most emotional part for me is when the bride walks in and everyone stands up for her. My brother actually got kind of choked up during his vows. I don't think I've ever seen him cry. Come to think of it, I'd never seen him kiss Jenny at all until the ceremony. (Quite different from my boyfriend, who is very affectionate, even around my family.) Dinner was really awesome because the Palace Ballroom is chef Tom Douglas' event space, and he's a local celebrity of sorts that makes really good food. He did not make an appearance (I doubt he personally cooked the food or was even there) but it was really unique and delicious. It was also awesome because Zach sat me next to his British friend at the table and we talked through dinner. Jenny's mom baked a really awesome cake, too. :D My dad (the best man) gave a really cool speech at the wedding. The dancing was a hell of a lot of fun. I had NO idea Zach's friends were all such great dancers!! They were better than most of the girls and so much fun to watch. Jenny stabbed my foot with her shoe heel (she wore red shoes with her dress, which I think is a kickass idea) and my foot bled for a bit, but that didn't stop me XD I even taught the British guy and Jenny's father how to dance polka. Too bad British guy ended up talking to event planner girl all night and I didn't get to hang out with him after that. Hell, one of Zach's friends that was there by himself (but has a girlfriend) acted as a sort of "date" for Kelly's friend XD My date left me :( oh well. at least he said goodbye at 2 AM :)
All in all, this Seattle trip was a smashingly fun time. I felt very welcome, both with Zach and Jenny as well as all their friends that I'd only met a few times before. My dad even said that he was happy his son and daughter in law have such awesome friends. It's something that gets you feeling very thankful and lucky. I felt the same when Ty and I were able to enlist 15 friends to help us move into our house in June. You know you're surrounded by good people when you can get them to help you out with a shit job like that.
Other things
1) I found out how my herb pots keep ending up dumped over outside. I went out to my bike yesterday morning and found a squirrel tipping them off the back ledge. Sneaky little bugger.
2) Thickening curry with frozen yellow squash was definitely a good idea. It adds a lot of color without being spicy, lends a potato-y texture and flavor, makes it sweeter, and it's a lot healthier than coconut milk.
3) Garam masala was that last little missing piece to make curry that tastes complete.
4) It was raining hard yesterday on the way home, and I rode my bike. I got to the park and about 80 ducks were sitting all over the path and in the puddles in the grass. Hearing them all quacking and watching them lazily waddle out of the way made me smile. I like ducks.
Also, hooray for getting Hunter wellies for $35!! I wanted red ones, but couldn't justify paying $120 for them. Then tonight I go online and find a website with one certain color in my size on sale for a ridiculous $29.99. I really wanted red, but for the quality and the price, I decided I could settle for light blue. It certainly isn't the worst color I could have ended up with, and it's a bright color, something raingear should be to offset the dreary day, and light blue is neutral enough to work with too :)
I love fall.
9.24.2008
いっつも、最後の最後、救われる。
It may be that I tend to work much harder for something when it gets down to the very last moment where I could still make it work out fine, or that I have this strange knack for being saved right before I fall into a serious problem (it's happened three times in the last year).
Whatever it might be, I have a new job!!
Mind you it's a temporary job, but six months is a decent length for a temporary job, especially when you're working for the state, get paid 25% more than where you're currently working, are guaranteed full time hours at the SAME time every day every week (no more working weekends for me!), and aren't hassled/disciplined for feeling too sick to come to work every once in a great while. Bonus: I get to feel like I'm helping out with the election! Whee! I'll be entering and updating information in their voter registration database. I had a feeling I did all right with the interview, especially when they made sure they had my work references before I left and the guy told me I did a good job (I swear he said that to me as I was leaving, but I can't remember for certain). They said they'd call me whether they chose me or not. The lady who interviewed me called and left a message on my phone today, but just told me to call her back about the job. My mom does exactly that when she has good news for me - she waits for me to hear it in person. ^^
Now I don't have to worry about making it to Courtney's wedding. phew.
All I have to do is negotiate new hours with my current job, or if they don't like that idea, I'll quit. bam. I get very little notice with just about everything I do there, so I don't think they can really expect a lot of notice out of me. On the plus side, next week was the week I took five days off for my brother's wedding anyway, so it's rather like two weeks' notice with just a few days they need to find someone else to work, because I can work through Sunday.
I think I'll just quit, actually. 40 hours is enough to work in one week. Originally I planned to renegotiate hours because the new job was only going to be 8-10 weeks long, but now that it's 6 months I really don't see the point, especially when I'm so adamant about having weekends off (which is really the only time I could work, or evenings, but they have a ton of people for that already).
In other news, I went home to visit my parents this past weekend, and saw my brother and sister, picked up a lot of my things (and found out my sister stole a bunch more things I bought in Japan and lied to me about it), and brought my dress for my brother's wedding home for my mom to alter. Dave's birthday is on Saturday, and we will be going apple picking this weekend, which I am VERY excited for. I love eating apples, have loved picking apples since I was a little kid, and introducing people to it last year was really fun too. :D My brother is getting married in a week and a half, and now I have a new job to tell people all about while I'm there and I won't sound like I'm still the bum I was a year ago. I have to figure out how I want my hair done (and now I don't have to worry about how much I'll spend on it because I have a decent job). I'm thinking curls, but since my hair is in so many layers now I don't know how well that will work. And, down or up? Up is more formal, but I think down just looks better on me. I also had the JLPT study group today, and got a bit of insight into Ross' character that doesn't really come through when we're talking in Japanese. I can see how Fred would think it's annoying, but I'll learn to deal with it instead of just getting frustrated.
Knowing I don't have to search for jobs for a while any more will make me so much happier than I've been...
Whatever it might be, I have a new job!!
Mind you it's a temporary job, but six months is a decent length for a temporary job, especially when you're working for the state, get paid 25% more than where you're currently working, are guaranteed full time hours at the SAME time every day every week (no more working weekends for me!), and aren't hassled/disciplined for feeling too sick to come to work every once in a great while. Bonus: I get to feel like I'm helping out with the election! Whee! I'll be entering and updating information in their voter registration database. I had a feeling I did all right with the interview, especially when they made sure they had my work references before I left and the guy told me I did a good job (I swear he said that to me as I was leaving, but I can't remember for certain). They said they'd call me whether they chose me or not. The lady who interviewed me called and left a message on my phone today, but just told me to call her back about the job. My mom does exactly that when she has good news for me - she waits for me to hear it in person. ^^
Now I don't have to worry about making it to Courtney's wedding. phew.
All I have to do is negotiate new hours with my current job, or if they don't like that idea, I'll quit. bam. I get very little notice with just about everything I do there, so I don't think they can really expect a lot of notice out of me. On the plus side, next week was the week I took five days off for my brother's wedding anyway, so it's rather like two weeks' notice with just a few days they need to find someone else to work, because I can work through Sunday.
I think I'll just quit, actually. 40 hours is enough to work in one week. Originally I planned to renegotiate hours because the new job was only going to be 8-10 weeks long, but now that it's 6 months I really don't see the point, especially when I'm so adamant about having weekends off (which is really the only time I could work, or evenings, but they have a ton of people for that already).
In other news, I went home to visit my parents this past weekend, and saw my brother and sister, picked up a lot of my things (and found out my sister stole a bunch more things I bought in Japan and lied to me about it), and brought my dress for my brother's wedding home for my mom to alter. Dave's birthday is on Saturday, and we will be going apple picking this weekend, which I am VERY excited for. I love eating apples, have loved picking apples since I was a little kid, and introducing people to it last year was really fun too. :D My brother is getting married in a week and a half, and now I have a new job to tell people all about while I'm there and I won't sound like I'm still the bum I was a year ago. I have to figure out how I want my hair done (and now I don't have to worry about how much I'll spend on it because I have a decent job). I'm thinking curls, but since my hair is in so many layers now I don't know how well that will work. And, down or up? Up is more formal, but I think down just looks better on me. I also had the JLPT study group today, and got a bit of insight into Ross' character that doesn't really come through when we're talking in Japanese. I can see how Fred would think it's annoying, but I'll learn to deal with it instead of just getting frustrated.
Knowing I don't have to search for jobs for a while any more will make me so much happier than I've been...
9.15.2008
Kanon Wakeshima
I only found out about her just a few days ago, and from the looks of her I was expecting something barely passable for music. Then I found out she plays cello and sings at the same time (the first I've ever heard of someone doing such a thing professionally), and not only that, she's a rather impressive artist.It makes me feel rather talentless when people have such aptitude in the fine arts, because with art you either have natural talent or you do not. It isn't (or at least far less) a skill that can be learned, like cooking or a foreign language. In order to create a really nice piece of art or music, you need the ability to tap into your imagination and be creative. To a certain extent I guess it can be learned, such as techniques for drawing and such, just like anyone can pick up a guitar, strum the strings a certain way, and call it music, but going from there to writing your own songs takes practice and that special creative sense.
Mine used to be decently in tune, but ever since I stopped drawing and writing it's been taking me longer and longer to access when I sit down and try to revive it. It only really works when I'm lonely. go figure.
9.09.2008
lentil soup
I work at a restaurant that serves lentil soup, and never seriously considered trying it until I worked the closing shift one night and was given a large amount of it to take home. I had been working all day and was kind of hungry, and planned to eat about half of it when I got home and save the rest for later, but it was SO good that I ate it all.
Some months have gone by and I tried to recreate the soup as best I could, without much success. I didn't panic, though, until they changed the supplier for the soups and the delicious, thick lentil soup full of veggies was replaced with a thin, yellow, yucky, brothy soup with just a few lentils and vegetables. It is reminiscent of vomit. I can no longer, in good faith, recommend the lentil soup to anyone because it's terrible.
Being that it was cold and rainy yesterday (perfect soup weather), I decided to try a new recipe for lentil soup and fix a few things along the way, and the result was, to my surprise, exactly what I had loved in the soup from work. I happily ate a large bowl of it for lunch, tasted it again a couple of hours later to make sure it really was as good as I thought (and ended up eating a bit more of it!), and even the next day it still looked and tasted wonderful. I am very pleased with myself. So pleased, in fact, that I'm going to post the recipe.
------------------------------------------------
LENTIL SOUP così style
(adapted from this recipe)
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
¼ tsp dried thyme leaves (optional)
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 ½ cups carrots, diced
½ each red and green bell pepper, finely diced (optional)
6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 28 oz can petite diced tomatoes
1/3 cup tomato paste (about 1 6 oz can)
1 ½ cups lentils, rinsed in cold water
1 tbsp cumin
½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional, for more heat)
Dash of black pepper (optional)
Squeeze of lemon juice (optional)
In a large soup pot, heat olive oil, garlic, and thyme until garlic is fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add carrots, onion and bell peppers, and sauté for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add petite diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken broth, then lentils and cumin, and bring to a boil. Cover, turn heat down to low and simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring every once in a while. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve with a squeeze of lemon, if desired. Serves 8.
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I was also looking for a recipe to use up the zucchini that was about to go bad in my fridge, when I found some intriguing recipes for zucchini crisp. Apparently it tastes very similar to apples when you cook it the same way as in apple crisp and apple pie. I used this recipe, cut it in half, and only had 3 cups of zucchini so I added a cup of blueberries to make 4 cups of fruit. I also used equal parts cloves and ginger instead of nutmeg because I had no nutmeg in the house. It's still baking right now and is making the house smell delicious. I'm interested to find out just how much like apple it tastes...
Some months have gone by and I tried to recreate the soup as best I could, without much success. I didn't panic, though, until they changed the supplier for the soups and the delicious, thick lentil soup full of veggies was replaced with a thin, yellow, yucky, brothy soup with just a few lentils and vegetables. It is reminiscent of vomit. I can no longer, in good faith, recommend the lentil soup to anyone because it's terrible.
Being that it was cold and rainy yesterday (perfect soup weather), I decided to try a new recipe for lentil soup and fix a few things along the way, and the result was, to my surprise, exactly what I had loved in the soup from work. I happily ate a large bowl of it for lunch, tasted it again a couple of hours later to make sure it really was as good as I thought (and ended up eating a bit more of it!), and even the next day it still looked and tasted wonderful. I am very pleased with myself. So pleased, in fact, that I'm going to post the recipe.
------------------------------------------------
LENTIL SOUP così style
(adapted from this recipe)
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
¼ tsp dried thyme leaves (optional)
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 ½ cups carrots, diced
½ each red and green bell pepper, finely diced (optional)
6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 28 oz can petite diced tomatoes
1/3 cup tomato paste (about 1 6 oz can)
1 ½ cups lentils, rinsed in cold water
1 tbsp cumin
½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional, for more heat)
Dash of black pepper (optional)
Squeeze of lemon juice (optional)
In a large soup pot, heat olive oil, garlic, and thyme until garlic is fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add carrots, onion and bell peppers, and sauté for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add petite diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken broth, then lentils and cumin, and bring to a boil. Cover, turn heat down to low and simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring every once in a while. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve with a squeeze of lemon, if desired. Serves 8.
-----------------------------------------------------
I was also looking for a recipe to use up the zucchini that was about to go bad in my fridge, when I found some intriguing recipes for zucchini crisp. Apparently it tastes very similar to apples when you cook it the same way as in apple crisp and apple pie. I used this recipe, cut it in half, and only had 3 cups of zucchini so I added a cup of blueberries to make 4 cups of fruit. I also used equal parts cloves and ginger instead of nutmeg because I had no nutmeg in the house. It's still baking right now and is making the house smell delicious. I'm interested to find out just how much like apple it tastes...
9.06.2008
dress shopping
I went shopping yesterday for a dress for my brother's wedding. In specific, I went to the store I talked about last time, to get an idea of exactly what size would fit me and how true the colors of the fabric were to the colors online because a lot of clothing sites digitally recolor one picture of the item of clothing you're shopping for instead of taking a real picture of each color (convenient in some ways, but for a thing like this, I don't want any color surprises).
Out of all the ones I tried on at the store, I only liked one (which is still amazing given that they were all from the sale rack and they didn't have much in my size to begin with) and it was the right size and color! That NEVER happens. I still wanted to see what else was on their website, though, to make sure I couldn't find a different one for cheaper that was still pretty.
I wasn't planning on being able to order the exact style of dress I ended up liking, though :)
Sure, it's navy blue instead of copper, but I think navy does better for me anyway - it looks better with my hair (the copper kind of washed it out and made it have a dull, ugly color), and I can wear silver jewelry with it (which is all I have, no gold or copper) and it will look great. Bonus: it cost less than the copper one in the store, even after shipping. (I'll be spending it on alterations, though...) Here are some pictures of it!
I fixed the color on the pictures to make it look a bit more like it does in person. I'm really excited to wear the dress, actually. I also bought some shoes for it (in black) and a wedding present for my brother and my soon to be sister-in-law (they looooooove Thai-style food and she really loves to cook, so I thought it would be really nice for both of them). I spent a lot of money today. I also washed dishes for a whole hour at work (anyone will tell you it's my least favorite kind of housework - thankfully at least you can get a machine to do most of it for you!) and had the new pumpkin spice latte we're introducing on Monday, and it tastes pretty good (kind of sweet when you get to the bottom, though). I sat outside on the patio drinking that before going home, and it was very relaxing.
Someone is finally buying my old anime/manga/game CDs! So happy :D there's not much of a market here for that. More money for dress alterations, or sewing supplies.
Speaking of sewing, I'm planning to devise a way to make my own underwear because
A) they're so expensive for what you get (so much money for so little fabric and it's usually not that great in terms of quality)
B) you need a good lot of them (unless you want to be doing laundry every few days or replacing them every few months)
C) they're so small and manageable to make, I would think. You could easily whip up a pair in an hour once you figured out how you wanted to construct them. and
D) You could make them really, really cute/your own style.
Finding a good fit will be the hardest part. That'll probably take a few different patterns and a few test pairs with each to figure out. You can even get the fabric for them from other clothes. :D New use for T-shirts I never wore, and the designs from the ones I wore too much!
I also need to shorten the straps on this dress (the bunny dress I bought in the winter!) so that my chest does not look like it's 50 and losing the battle with gravity. I don't look like that just yet. XD The model looks sort of like that too now that I look at someone else wearing it...maybe I just made a bad choice of dress. oops. but the print was so cute.
I thought I was going to cook dinner but it looks like we're going out for Indian food tonight. mmmmm ^^
Out of all the ones I tried on at the store, I only liked one (which is still amazing given that they were all from the sale rack and they didn't have much in my size to begin with) and it was the right size and color! That NEVER happens. I still wanted to see what else was on their website, though, to make sure I couldn't find a different one for cheaper that was still pretty.
I wasn't planning on being able to order the exact style of dress I ended up liking, though :)
Sure, it's navy blue instead of copper, but I think navy does better for me anyway - it looks better with my hair (the copper kind of washed it out and made it have a dull, ugly color), and I can wear silver jewelry with it (which is all I have, no gold or copper) and it will look great. Bonus: it cost less than the copper one in the store, even after shipping. (I'll be spending it on alterations, though...) Here are some pictures of it!
I fixed the color on the pictures to make it look a bit more like it does in person. I'm really excited to wear the dress, actually. I also bought some shoes for it (in black) and a wedding present for my brother and my soon to be sister-in-law (they looooooove Thai-style food and she really loves to cook, so I thought it would be really nice for both of them). I spent a lot of money today. I also washed dishes for a whole hour at work (anyone will tell you it's my least favorite kind of housework - thankfully at least you can get a machine to do most of it for you!) and had the new pumpkin spice latte we're introducing on Monday, and it tastes pretty good (kind of sweet when you get to the bottom, though). I sat outside on the patio drinking that before going home, and it was very relaxing.
Someone is finally buying my old anime/manga/game CDs! So happy :D there's not much of a market here for that. More money for dress alterations, or sewing supplies.
Speaking of sewing, I'm planning to devise a way to make my own underwear because
A) they're so expensive for what you get (so much money for so little fabric and it's usually not that great in terms of quality)
B) you need a good lot of them (unless you want to be doing laundry every few days or replacing them every few months)
C) they're so small and manageable to make, I would think. You could easily whip up a pair in an hour once you figured out how you wanted to construct them. and
D) You could make them really, really cute/your own style.
Finding a good fit will be the hardest part. That'll probably take a few different patterns and a few test pairs with each to figure out. You can even get the fabric for them from other clothes. :D New use for T-shirts I never wore, and the designs from the ones I wore too much!
I also need to shorten the straps on this dress (the bunny dress I bought in the winter!) so that my chest does not look like it's 50 and losing the battle with gravity. I don't look like that just yet. XD The model looks sort of like that too now that I look at someone else wearing it...maybe I just made a bad choice of dress. oops. but the print was so cute.
I thought I was going to cook dinner but it looks like we're going out for Indian food tonight. mmmmm ^^
9.02.2008
happy September
Another month has gone by. I am still looking for a job, although I tried a lot harder in August than I did in July. 3/4 of the people do not even get back to you when you apply to shit, so 75% of the work you do is for nothing. I feel like I look really nice on paper but the second they actually have a chance to talk to me, the little red flags go up in their heads. I feel like the last interview I had went really well, though. I guess what you have to believe is that every no is one step closer to a yes, partially because you get a lot of practice on the way.
I had a wonderful day at work today for several reasons:
1) There's this one guy who always has a smile on his face that stops in a couple of times a week, and always gets the same salad, plus a huge cappuccino with lots of foam ("dry" for those of you who know the terminology). Thanks to him I have been able to perfect my milk foaming technique, because so few people order such foamy drinks. He also always tips me. :D Today he brought some friends and stayed to eat instead of taking it out.
2) One of the younger baristas that started about a month ago told me today how she likes working with me because I get excited about little things and it brightens her day. That made me feel awesome.
3) Two men came in today and ordered some food to go, and I found out they were from Switzerland. They must have liked me because after I made their coffee and the other server brought them their food, they came back and found me before leaving, and gave me a Giandor chocolate bar.
I got so excited because Swiss chocolate is damn good, and after researching it a little bit I found out that this brand is not sold in the US at all. Bonus points! I also thought it was really sweet of them to give me something at all. Random acts of kindness rule.
In exactly a month I'm flying out to Washington for Zach's wedding, which means I need to find a freaking dress. I'm not in the wedding, but I will be in a decent number of the formal pictures so I want to look nice! There's a bridal store here that has a lot of styles and colors for dresses, even on their online clearance, and my plan is to go to the store and try some of their dresses on just to get an idea of what size I should order (their online deals are amazing, but you can't return the dresses once you buy because they're final sale items). I also hope I get a new job by then so that I don't look like a total slacker, and I'll have something to talk about. I mean it was at that point last year that I flew out there to look for a job, and they didn't take so kindly to me not finding one in 2 1/2 months there.
In other news, I'm getting a study group together for the JLPT and hopefully it will help us all do better, boyfriend had his first live show with his new band last Friday and it was a raging success, it's REALLY hot outside (please fall come soon...), I went to a rummage sale and got some cool things for cheap for my room upstairs (the vase and chair on the left side of the picture, plus a sterling silver bracelet with heart tag and some cute blue polka dot ribbon, all for only $6.25!).
I'm also impressing lots of boys with my cooking lately. It makes me wonder all the more if I belong in cooking school.
I had a wonderful day at work today for several reasons:
1) There's this one guy who always has a smile on his face that stops in a couple of times a week, and always gets the same salad, plus a huge cappuccino with lots of foam ("dry" for those of you who know the terminology). Thanks to him I have been able to perfect my milk foaming technique, because so few people order such foamy drinks. He also always tips me. :D Today he brought some friends and stayed to eat instead of taking it out.
2) One of the younger baristas that started about a month ago told me today how she likes working with me because I get excited about little things and it brightens her day. That made me feel awesome.
3) Two men came in today and ordered some food to go, and I found out they were from Switzerland. They must have liked me because after I made their coffee and the other server brought them their food, they came back and found me before leaving, and gave me a Giandor chocolate bar.
I got so excited because Swiss chocolate is damn good, and after researching it a little bit I found out that this brand is not sold in the US at all. Bonus points! I also thought it was really sweet of them to give me something at all. Random acts of kindness rule.In exactly a month I'm flying out to Washington for Zach's wedding, which means I need to find a freaking dress. I'm not in the wedding, but I will be in a decent number of the formal pictures so I want to look nice! There's a bridal store here that has a lot of styles and colors for dresses, even on their online clearance, and my plan is to go to the store and try some of their dresses on just to get an idea of what size I should order (their online deals are amazing, but you can't return the dresses once you buy because they're final sale items). I also hope I get a new job by then so that I don't look like a total slacker, and I'll have something to talk about. I mean it was at that point last year that I flew out there to look for a job, and they didn't take so kindly to me not finding one in 2 1/2 months there.
In other news, I'm getting a study group together for the JLPT and hopefully it will help us all do better, boyfriend had his first live show with his new band last Friday and it was a raging success, it's REALLY hot outside (please fall come soon...), I went to a rummage sale and got some cool things for cheap for my room upstairs (the vase and chair on the left side of the picture, plus a sterling silver bracelet with heart tag and some cute blue polka dot ribbon, all for only $6.25!).I'm also impressing lots of boys with my cooking lately. It makes me wonder all the more if I belong in cooking school.
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