7.04.08 - Resourceful Veggie Loaf
A week ago while celebrating a friends birthday, for some reason, we started talking about meatloaf. My friend has never had meatloaf and that made me think that a new veggie I will never be able to have meatloaf again. It's not the meat so much that I enjoy, but the combined taste of all the other ingredients (brown sugar, bread crumbs, ketchup and we mustn't forget: swiss cheese in swiss meatloaf!).I started looking at veggie sites online and found numerous delicious-sounding recipes for veggie meatloaf. The catch: I didn't have very much faux groundbeef on hand. I did, however, have a box of veggie burgers that had spent a bit too long in the freezer. Sometimes I'll buy veggie burgers on sale and they get lost in the freezer. They were to the point that they had some freezer burn and wouldn't of tasted very good as patties. However, if they were to be ground up and mixed with the other veggies and ingredients they might be "revived" and I wouldn't have to run to store (and spend more money). Well, I tried it and the meatloaf - or veggieloaf is quite good. Yay for resourcefulness!
Here's the link to the recipe: Mama's Mock Meatloaf
This is what it looked like after baking - the only change I made to the recipe was using orange as opposed to green peppers. That's all I had on hand and I like things a bit sweeter.
7.02.08 - Don't take my Starbucks!
I don't know if you've heard in the news today (I was watching Morning Joe this morning on MSNBC - Jack Welch was on - and I love the program), but S-bucks plans to close 8%, or about 600, of it's US stores in the next year. All of them are "under-performing" and a lot are recently built (maybe S-bucks is trying to avoid sunk-cost effects, lol). I'm afraid the GradTown S-bucks may be on the list. It seems to be thriving, but there's always Murphy's law. There are three (technically) in GradTown: one at Kroger, one at the Union and one on SecondMainStreet. I'm confident the Union won't get the axe because it's heavily trafficked and GradSchool would have to totally redo that section of the building, but I'm worried about the one on SecondMainStreet. It's only a couple years old. I don't go there that much, but it's a nice short drive from my house and sometimes when I'm reading or working on the weekends, or heading home from the gym it's nice to stop there for an iced coffee or skinny latte.7.02.08 - My iPod Top 50
I've had my iPod Nano for about a year and a half, and my iPod just a few months. I thought it would be fun to post what my iPod says are the 50 songs I play the most!
- Crazy - Gnarles Barkley
- Dreaming of You - The Coral
- Under Pressure - David Bowie & Queen
- Smile - Lily Allen
- Suddenly I See - KT Tunstall
- Ain't that a kick in the head - Dean Martin
- Multiply - James Lidell
- Let's Get it Started - Black Eyed Peas
- Pump it - Black Eyed Peas
- Black Horse and the Cherry Tree - KT Tunstall
- No Sleep Tonight - The Faders
- Another One Bites the Dust - Queen
- Don't Stop Believin' - Journey
- Ruby Blue - Roisin Murphy
- Happy Go Lucky Me - Paul Evans
- Fidelity - Regina Spektor
- Woke Up This Morning (Soprano Theme)
- Got to be Real - Cheryl Lynn
- Everybody Got Their Something - Nikka Costa
- Stronger - Kanye West
- Bang Bang to the Rock 'n' Roll - Gabin
- Feelin' Good - Nina Simon
- Holiday - Madonna
- You're My Best Friend - Queen
- Mack the Knife - Michael Buble
- Hey Ya! - Outcast
- Twentysomething - Jamie Cullum
- Don't Cha - Pussycat Dolls
- In da Club - 50 Cent
- 1234 - Feist
- I Got You (I Feel Good) - James Brown
- Cosy in the Rocket (Grey's Anatomy theme) - Psapp
- A Beautiful Morning - The Rascals
- Let's Stay Together - Al Green
- There's a Girl - The Ditty Bops
- Moondance - Michael Buble
- 2 Times - Ann Lee
- Wait - Get Set Go
- Float On - Modest Mouse
- Here it goes again - Ok Go
- Just a Ride - Jem
- Love Song - Sara Bareilles
- You know I'm no good - Amy Winehouse
- Under the Boardwalk - The Drifters
- The Dog Song - Nellie McKay
- Maneater - Nelly Furtado
- She Drives Me Crazy - Fine Young Cannibals
- I've got you under my skin - Michael Buble
- Promiscuous - Nelly Furtado
- Bring on the day (first song in Sweet Home Alabama) - Charlotte Martin
Whew. That was a lot to type! I should clarify I use my iPod for jogging, exercising and driving. My listening habits for working, reading, cooking and entertaining are quite a bit softer. I like faster, bouncy music for the road and exercise. In case you haven't picked up on this from my blog, I'm very eclectic in my tastes, whether it be music, clothes, food or decorating.
7.01.08 - TV/dvd recommendations
I'm in my office at school and don't feel like working. I've made a decent amount of progress on a few things this morning/afternoon and was trying to think of something to blog about. I thought of the above. I really enjoy spending a few nights a week with tv-on-dvd or a good movie. I really haven't blogged specifically about what I watch so here are some things I've seen recently that I enjoyed.
Brothers & Sisters. This is on after Desperate Housewives and I'm usually busy on Sunday nights so I decided not to watch it when it started last year. I just started getting it through Netflix and am really enjoying it. The show does an excellent job at making Republicans loveable. j/k :-) Callista Flockhart plays a conservative commentator who just moved back to California around the time her father passes away. It's a little similar to Six Feet Under in that Dad dies, Dad had a successful family business that the kids take over, and by the way Dad had a few little secrets too! It also stars the amazing Australian, Rachel Griffiths, who starred in Six Feet Under. Although, I must say her character is not at all annoying in this show - whereas she drove me nutso in SFU. The show does a great job at alternating between each of the siblings and the mother of the adult siblings, Sally Field. I can't forget to mention that Sally Field is great in this role. It's an interesting bit of trivia that Tom Skerrit plays Field's late husband. What does that remind you of? Answer: Steel Magnolias, where he played her husband as well.
Shark. I'm really enjoying James Woods in his role as a successful "shark-like" defense attorney turned prosecutor. I may want to watch more of his work after this. It's similar to House, in that he supervises a group of young prosecutors, but better in some ways because the characters is not nearly as cantankerous. A lot of the crimes are really interesting, and the show does a good job of balancing personal stories with the crime of the week. Mom: I was reading about James Woods online and I read he's a Republican and supports Bush! I thought you would like to know that if you didn't already. :-)Briefly, for movies that are currently in theaters, I saw Get Smart a week or so ago and really enjoyed it. The fun gadgets weren't as great as I remember from the show, but overall it was definitely worth seeing. In rentals, I saw Bobby, the movie about RFK recently. I didn't know that much about his career and assassination prior to he movie. I know I had a book on RFK and JFK as a child that I read, but that was a long time ago. I read a book about the life of JFK more recently. Anyways, the movie isn't so much about Robert Kennedy, but shows the lives of several people who were at the hotel that night for very different reasons. Lindsey Lohan plays a young girl marrying a high school friend so he won't be sent to Vietnam, Anthony Hopkins is a retired hotel bellman, and Sharon Stone is the hotel's hairdresser. I really got into the lives of the characters and got quite worried some of them were killed in the end, but thankfully found out in the credits that they all survived.
Ok. I may add more to this later on, but I should probably get back to work.
6.30.08 - Fun and Fabulous Weekend!
I’ve been trying to increase my research productivity as of late and my lack of energy and enthusiasm about research may be waning. After I defended my dissertation I felt so spent. I had to really hustle to propose by the end of the semester. I was expecting the meeting to go a lot worse and was thrilled when they suggested I shorten and simplify the study. So far this summer I haven’t been as productive as I’d like, but have started getting a handle on my job search and, as I posted a few weeks ago, explored alternatives if the academic job search doesn’t go so well.
This weekend I had two nonacademic events for a friend’s birthday that were super fun and made me feel like I have actually have a social life and friends. I’ve been doing a lot of things with the girls that live next door to me (on either side) for most of the past year. They’re great and I’m thankful to have them so close by, but I really enjoy my other friends and sometimes find we are more similar than neighbor friends.
Anyways, I had a really great, relaxing and fun time this weekend. If only all of summer could be like this.
6.24.08 - Update
Not much going on here. I'm in my building's computer lab now trying to do some work - hsrb application stuff.
Here's a short list of things I need to do in the next week. Maybe by blogging this I will be more productive. Blogging the to-do list has helped in the past.
1.
2. Modify HSRB application for diss with Dr. Advisor's suggestions.
3. Modify survey - decide what to do about "annoying construct where I can't find a measure that applies to all of the population I'm measuring."
4. Try to do one thing for CI paper per day.
Personal things -
5. Make the freakin' scallop risotto that I bought stuff for last week. I've been lazy! It was really good!
6. Exercise everyday. I'm trying more mild workouts so I can go out 6 days a week.
took off Thursday, but really got a good workout in on Weds. - and did rebounding in the evening
7. Strength training 3xs per week
8. Make progress on needed appoints: hair, dentist, gyn
Well, that's probably enough stuff for now. Back to work!
6.21.08 - Twisted Trailer Flashback - When Harry Met Sally (1988)
I was going to post the actual trailer, but I thought this was very funny and creative.
Now I just watched another take at it and this one may be better.
Okay, here's the actual trailer. The line, "I'm going to be 40," "Yeah, in like eight years," well I actually used that a few times when I was in my early 20's around friends and family but said 30. I got some funny reactions out of it, except with my parents who may have been slightly disturbed. The fun of plagiarizing movies/tv in everyday life!
6.19.08 - A random meme. I haven't done one of these in awhile.
If I were a doll, the accessories packaged with me would be:
a laptop, a book and a dvd.
I have an irrational fear of:
startling noises, getting lost or in a car accident
What type of food do you eat at your grandparents house?
I don’t eat there anymore (read: avoid at all costs), they come to our place to eat
What did you do yesterday?
Cleaned my apartment, relaxed and had dinner with Purple Daisy
I find the thought of childbirth: makes me want to adopt children, if I decide to have any at all, which there’s a large possibility I might not
Next door to my house is:
one of my two neighbor friends
Why is your number one myspace friend your number one?
Because she’s Angela Kinsey and she rocks as Angela Martin on The Office and in real life, too.
Know how to cook?
Yes, it’s one of my fav things to do, especially when I can cook for other people.
I am annoyed with:
research. all of it.
What was the last thing to make you cry?
Friend talking about his Dad who has cancer
What are the stems on wine glasses for?
Putting those little circular marker stems on them that I have so people can know what glass is theirs.
My favorite shoes are?
Right now flip flops or ballet flats
Can you use chopsticks?
Fairly well
Do you prefer beaches or forests?
Beaches
What serial killer do you find most disturbing?
What about a serial killer is not disturbing?
Who knows a secret or two about you?
Purple Daisy
Have you ever burned yourself?
Who hasn’t?
Who is probably talking a load of crap about you right now?
Probably lots of people that don’t really know me
Who is your hero?
Angela Martin (The Office) 
Or, Kathy Griffin, I just got done watching the first episode of her show this season. I may post about that soon.
Where is your brother right now?
No Brother
Do you believe in things that last forever?
Yes
What are you listening to?
Outdoor noises coming in from the window
What do you smell like right now?
Citrus Basil Shower gel and Love Spell Body Splash from VS
If i look in your glovebox right now, what will i find?
Papers for the car, napkins
What jewelry are you wearing?
Nothing but a cute headband I picked up at Target when I bought the ballet flats I posted about.
What is something your friends make fun of you for:
Making slightly outlandish comments about things at certain times.
When was the last time you saw the second person on your top MySpace friends?
The last time I watched The Paper on MTV
What is in your pocket right now?
sunshine
Where was your default MySpace picture taken?
On my 26th bday last year
Who do you know that is in jail?
One of my Mom’s cousins is in prison, but I don’t think I’ve ever met him.
Something irritating about your living situation:
Hmmm, I really love my apartment. I've really enjoyed making it my own unique and personalized space the last 4 years, but I wish I had an extra bedroom for guests.
Where are you right now?
At my desk in my bedroom
What was the most interesting thing that happened today?
Watched the first episode of Kathy Griffin, My Life on the D-List
When was the last time you got blood taken and why?
Can’t remember - I donated plasma regularly my last year of college.
What were you doing at midnight last night?
Watching the Tim Russert Memorial service on MSNBC
What were you doing 3 hours ago?
Jogging
What’s for dinner tonight?
Scallop Risotto - If I can get of my a&^, find the recipe and get to the store
What was the highlight of your week?
Spending the day with a friend
Are you spoiled?
Probably
Do you fake bake?
Does this refer to tanning? No, I don’t go to tanning salons, but I do like to use the fake tanning lotions - if I can get them not to streak
What was the first thing you thought when you woke up?
I shouldn’t sleep in today
6.13.08 5 Words
Some friends of mine came up with this survey where you have to answer all the questions using only 5-word responses. I just finished cooking for my extended family for Father’s Day and need a break, so here it goes! Feel free to do it too
Answer the Following Questions Using Only 5 words!
Summer: introspective, calm, planning time, fun
My Decorating Style: classic, contemporary, eclectic, and organized
My Favorite Meal: pasta, seafood, fresh veggies and wine
My Family: love parents; not close to rest
My Man: undecided; funny, cuddly, stubborn, courteous
Something I’m Looking Forward to: getting a job; leaving school!
Place I’d Rather Be: at a cool beach resort
A Fun Fact: I have a lazy eye
My Hobby: jogging, cooking, reading, movies, “nesting”
My Job: teach students, complete meaningful research [play on words there for those who know my main research interest!]
My Guilty Pleasure: pizza and tv-on-dvd crack
My Addiction: above, blogs, magazines, perfection
My Favorite Drink: as of late iced coffee
My Perfect Day: jog, shop, time with friends
A Wish: getting a job, being happy
6.12.08 - A few of my favorite things: resorts and spas!
’m back from the resort. It was amazing - I hope to have more resort vacations in the future. I love having so much to do in one location and not having to navigate/plan so much. The weather was also perfectly comfortable which is nothing short of remarkable given the flooding that was nearby and the generally hot temperatures for that part of the state which is typically five or so degrees warmer than up here in the north.
Tuesday night we walked around the hotel which has the most amazing atrium. They recently renovated the hotel and it’s absolutely amazing. Lots of gold plating, ornate patterns, and lush furniture!
After walking around we went to the “sister” hotel via shuttle which is where we had dinner and I got to go to a casino for the first time ever! They had many fun slot machines that I enjoyed featuring dancing pandas, exploding fireworks and singing lobsters. I think I may have an idea for a study exploring age/generational differences and slot machine preferences. Neither of my parents liked the video shot machines that I played and exclusively used the boring “old school” kind with fruits and numbers.
Wednesday we enjoyed breakfast on the veranda of the hotel and then my parents went on a tour via horseback of the area. I’m afraid of falling and semi-afraid of horses. It did not appeal to me at all - so I headed to the spa and got a late morning appointment for hydrotherapy which cost about the same as it would of if I had joined them on the horse tour. It was so relaxing! I got to spend lots of time in the “tranquility” room reading high end decor-home magazines like “Town and Country” and “Architecture Digest” that I don’t get the chance to peruse that often. After the spa I swam in the pool, had lunch with my Mom while Dad explored a lake and then we got ready for a delicious dinner at the sister hotel’s main restaurant - then on to more fun with the slots! In total I won about $50 - not bad for my first time! Our room was extremely comfy and luxurious with a two-room bathroom, wall-mounted flat screen tv and dreamy bed. Ahhhh….maybe I need to plan a resort trip for after I finish my dissertation!
6.08.08 - Safely at the parents' house
I left grad school town today around 1pm (after watching most of Hillary’s campaign suspension speech) and made a quickie stop at Target. I had done some online shopping for summer dresses and really liked several ballet flats. I really do love ballet flats. They’re cute, look good on me, and are comfy/good for me with being flats as opposed to heels. Usually for the summer if I’m in heels I wear wedges which are supposed to be the least of all evils as far as heels go and I find them to be very comfy.
Anyways, I decided I needed new ballet flats because my current pair are almost 2 years old and are starting to wear and I’d hate to be without them. The price was really good at Target but I was worried about buying them without seeing them in vivo first because it’s so easy to make shoes look good in a picture, when in actuality they don’t look so hot up close. I was very pleasantly surprised! Not only are they comfy and more stylish in person, but they were on clearance for only $7.50 a pair! I got one in a faux black patent leather and one in a rosey gold color. Score!
I’m also proud of myself for waiting to go to Target until I went on my trip because it was on the way and saved me some gas money. With gas being as expensive as it is even little things add up.
6.06.08: Job Search - the journey begins
Today I more fully explored some job-related options for the next year. This has helped to alleviate some of my ambiguity-related stress. There's a service organization that will be a good back-up if academic jobs don't pan out. I just need to decide what track to apply for and I’m leaning toward the one that would give me an offer in March. That might give me the optimum leeway for academic jobs but not put me in the last track of the year.
In other news I signed up and paid my subscription fee for Academic Organization’s online job posting site. There were a ton of jobs I hadn’t seen before already posted! I posted a brief profile and hope to add my vita next week.
This weekend I’m leaving for my parents’ place for a little over a week. Tomorrow I’m driving about 3/4 of the way home, stopping by my Uncle’s for my cousin’s high school graduation party and then heading to the ‘rents tomorrow night. This coming week we’re spending a few days at a resort in the southern part of their state. It’s a renovated old resort from back in the late 1800-early 1900’s. There’s a casino, pools, outdoor activities and shopping. I really don’t care what we do it will just be nice to get out of town for awhile! Hope ya’ll have a great weekend!
6.04.08 - Patagonia
I’ve never had the opportunity to shop here, and I’m not outdoorsy so a lot of their products don’t relate to me, but I’ve shown a short profile video about this company to my class and just saw this on a blog.
Their policies at corporate are similar, and it’s good to see they carry that down to the factory workers in Mexico.
6.04.08 - Caternity/Peternity Leave?
I’ve lapsed in my postings as of late. I’ve been busy working, relaxing, watching The O.C. on dvd (I’m on Season Four now), and just doing miscellaneous tasks for school and my apartment. I’ve always felt passionately about issues affecting animals. Given my area of study, one policy I feel could make dramatic changes in the lives of many pets and owners is for organizations to offer pet health insurance as a benefit for employees. This could also help with singletons who often feel discriminated against in regards to employee benefits because married people or people with kids get more than singletons do. If the pet health insurance couldn’t be offered to all employees it might be more feasible to offer it people who aren’t having a dependent or spouse on the organizations health care plan.
Anyways, I was reading a blog about someone who had to take time off from work to take care of a sick pet and I thought of the above, or peternity leave would be the broad term for all pets. Why not give workers an allowance of a few days a year for pet emergencies or for taking some time off when acquiring a new pet?
I thought I couldn’t be the first person to think of “peternity leave” so I Googled it and a few interesting things came up. It turns out organizations in the U.K. are already initiating this policy. For some reason the U.K. seems to be a bit more on the ball regarding worker well-being issues.
Maybe when I negotiate my job next year I should request a week of caternity leave. I know academic jobs are more flexible than most making this a bit less necessary, but if people can stop the tenure clock or take a semester off for a new baby, I don’t think a week off to help my new kitties adjust is that much to ask for!
5.27.08 - Shelfari Safari
A friend told me about this site recently that’s like a Facebook for books. Everyone has a shelf and can place books they’re reading, have read or would like to read in the future. You can post reviews and give ratings and there are also groups for various interests. I joined one about Unitarian Universalism because that’s something I’ve been interested in lately. You can also friend people and I find it interesting to see what people I know are reading. If you don’t know my IRL identity, are on or plan to be on Shelfari and would like “to be my friend” just comment with your email and I’ll give you my IRL name.
I really enjoy this site and am trying to get back into reading so it’d be great to get more people on board!
5.26.08 - Trailer Flashback: Something's Gotta Give, December 2003
It’s strange to think this movie came out about four and a half years ago. I remember it came out in December and I went to see it with my parents. It was a nice break from completing grad school applications, and giving massive amounts of money to ETS and fifteen schools in the process.
I really enjoyed this movie and have since bought it on dvd as well as the soundtrack, which is one of my favorites. I’ve listened to commentary when I got the dvd and here are a few fun factoids about the film.
1.) Nancy Myers asked Diane Sawyer if it was okay to reference her in the movie as a previous conquest of Nicholson’s character, Harry.
2.) Great lengths were taken to make it clear to the audience that the daughter, Marin (played by Amanda Peet) didn’t consummate her relationship with Harry , because it would be kinda creepy to have Harry be involved sexually with the daughter and then involved with the mother, Erica (Diane Keaton).
3.) The scenes in the house were actually filmed in a Hamptons house and many people have wanted to recreate the decor for their own homes.
5.25.08 - Like Dwight
I was reading about this book applying philosophy to The Office and came up with the following through one of the reviewer comments:
Because I help professors I am an Assistant Professor instead of being an Assistant to a Professor.5.19.08 - All set to Zoom!
I got my IZoom in the mail today. It’s one of those things that lets you go through toll booths in certain states (including my parents’ state - the reason I got it) without having to stop to pay. I had ordered it just last Wednesday because parents’ state DOUBLED it’s toll for non-IZOOM using folks - yikes. With going home six times a year or so that could result in a serious chunk of change. My trip is usually comped by the ‘rents, but still, money is money. I also heard that the lines for paying “old school” are seriously long now from people having to pay more money. Anyways, I’m excited to get to ZOOM through the toll booths now after so many years of stopping to pay. Zooming entitles me to go at at least 80mph right?
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