Archive for August, 2007

Two sides of the same coin

August 30, 2007 · Filed under big girl life, gourmet goodness

success: homemade chocolate chip cookies.

failure: expired vanilla that made said cookies taste funny in some places.

success: delicious chicken and rice cheesey quesadillas.

failure: rice burnt to bottom of pot.

success:  chicken pizza bagels.

failure: none!

success: bagel with jam.

failure: first try in new toaster oven? blackened bagel.

The big girl cooking is coming along slowly but surely.  I’m enjoying having my own kitchen, but there are definitely some challenges. I certainly struggle with deciding what to make. I stare at all the food that lives in my pantry and fridge, and try to visualize how to make it into a meal. Sometimes, I just get overwhelmed and heat something frozen up. Sometimes, I manage to make a meal.

Also, doing dishes by hand? Possibly my least favorite thing on earth. Vaguely improved by the lime green Ikea rubber gloves I bought and soap-dispensing-scrubby-tool. However, I tend to let it pile up until suddenly it becomes an Issue and I Have To Do The Dishes.

I’m on the hunt for yummy, easy recipes that are actual meals as opposed to a bagel with butter and jam. What’s YOUR favorite recipe?  

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Dear Yankees…

August 28, 2007 · Filed under song of the south

Welcome to your new home in the South. After years of mocking our accents, trashing our politicians, and slamming our schools, you’ve decided to make the Southland your new home. We welcome you with open arms and a sweet smile. In an effort to help you better adjust to your new culture, we offer the following tips and hints:

  • When we say ma’am or sir, we are not, in fact, “sassin’ you.” There are many times when Southerners will be mocking you, but it will always be subtly, behind your back, and never to your face. If we do choose to mock you, it will not be through the use of our regional customs. We here in the South believe that elders and those in service positions deserve respect. Therefore, if you are older than we are, we will call you ma’am. If something is being requested of you, we will call you ma’am. If you are counting our money at the bank, cleaning the floors of our school, or checking us out at the grocery store, we will call you ma’am.
  • You are now surrounded. Making fun of us is silly and a waste of energy. Additionally, you are outnumbered. We therefore would like to strongly encourage that you refrain from laughing at our accents. After all, you put an R at the end of Cuba (Cubar?) and incorrectly pronounce Appalachian. (It’s “App-A-Latch-An”.)
  • Complaint about the way we do things down here is discouraged. After all, if you dislike it so much, we cordially invite you to take yourselves to the great frozen North and suffer through snow, sleet, and freezing winters. If it’s so bad down here, why on earth did you grace us with your presence in the first place? Hit I-85 or I-95 North. It will take you back to your homeland.
  • Bless your little heart is not a kindness, it’s a way to insult you without it even occurring to you that we’ve just insulted you.
  • A silly little custom we abide to down here: if an ambulance, with lights flashing, sirens blaring, and horn honking approaches you from the rear, we strongly suggest that you GET OUT OF THE WAY. After all, someone’s Great Aunt Millie is in the back of the ambulance and her health is surely more important than you getting somewhere thirty seconds faster. Your Range Rover and Connecticut tags do not exempt you from common sense. Honestly.
  • After you have lived here for two years, you may not comment on the traffic, overcrowded schools, and inflated real estate prices due to “those people moving down here.” You refer to yourself, and let’s be frank, talking about oneself in the third person is never attractive.

Thank you for your consideration and your decision to make the move down here to the Sweet South. We hope you find your new home pleasant and enjoyable. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to ask. After all, looking dumb once is better than looking dumb every day.

Sincerely,

Your Southern Neighbors

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Sleepin’ single in a double bed…

August 27, 2007 · Filed under big girl life, boys

What is it that leaves me feeling this way? Why have I always longed for it, and somehow, never been able to get enough? Every time I watch a TV show where it happens or read a book where it’s done, I ache for it.

I was watching Grey’s Anatomy and it was happening. Meredith and McDreamy, all cute and cuddly. Yes, I said cuddly. (Get your mind out of the gutter.)

awww!

I ache to be held. I am a cuddlebug. I enjoy spooning. I like kisses on the forehead and hands in my hair. I like to snuggle. I like to sit, somehow intertwined. My feet across your lap, my head on your shoulder, my hand in yours.

Sometimes, I think the reason that I want to get married so badly is because of this desire. I hate going to sleep alone. Virtually every night I do, I glance over at the empty half of the bed and think: there could be someone there to snuggle with. But there’s not.

And I go to bed alone.

It makes me sad every time. I wonder when the day will come that I’ll curl up next to my husband. (Yes, I said husband. Yes, I want to get married. Yes, I understand I’m young. No, I don’t care.)

Does everyone feel this way, and just not talk about it? Or am I in the cold on this one, all by my lonesome?

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Stuff? I got stuff.

August 21, 2007 · Filed under Uncategorized

So, there’s been a meme going around. Show the world what’s in your purse! Well… Okay. You don’t have to ask me twice. Without further ado….

First off, the bag. My bag is lovely, if I do say so myself. I bought it at TJ Maxx in Scranton for $30, and it’s just… wonderful. It’s large enough to carry school books and the like, it’s soft, buttery leather, and it’s a shade of brown that matches my reef flip flops.

Purse

Okay. So. The top row (ish), from left to right:

  1. Keys! This carabiner (NOT FOR CLIMBING) holds my old student ID (we’re getting new ones) that’s battered and broken, a key to my campus mailbox, a key to my mentor’s house that she doesn’t live at any longer (I should get rid of that), and discount cards for all the local grocery stores.
  2. My external hard drive. 40GB. Yeah backing up all your items! Music, documents, photos. All that jazz.
  3. A brochure for the new Blockbuster Rewards program I signed up for.
  4. My wallet. A slender little black number that I picked up at Target – this is the second of the same design, I love it so much. I have $3 in cash, numerous movie ticket stubs (around 20), two video rental membership cards, my student ID, my debit card, my Dad’s credit card, my driver’s license , my library card, and some business cards from my hair stylist, to pass out to people who want to know where I got my fabulous ‘do.
  5. A packet of Scooby Doo Gummies for my dad if his blood sugar gets low when we’re hanging out together.
  6. A disposable camera with pictures from camp and my bible study. I need to get it developed!

Second Row:

  1. A Bed, Bath, & Beyond coupon for 20% off one item.
  2. My rarely used checkbook that has a lemonhead candy stuck between the pages.
  3. My bible. I didn’t like the cover, so I wrapped it in duct tape. It’s stuffed with post-it notes, programs from church services, and random notes scribbled on the back of receipts and scrap paper.
  4. A pile of receipts. AC Moore, Wal*Mart, Target, Gas, so on and so forth. I don’t know why I keep them – I never actually balance my checkbook.

Third Row:

  1. Three pens. Two black, one blue. All fine tip ballpoint. Never get caught without a pen, you know?
  2. Three lip glosses. All soft lips, Vanilla flavor.
  3. A Chili’s gift card my daddy gave me.
  4. A pile of change that was at the bottom of my purse. $2.98! Sweet, that’s a couple of Diet Cokes.
  5. My cell phone! Yeah “Fire Red Razr.” Ringtone: Walk It Out.
  6. A My Little Ponies band aid. I’m sort’ve a klutz. There’s usually also neosporin and burn cream.
  7. My hairbrush.
  8. A pile of mail I picked up my dad’s house, including a tuition statement, my cell phone bill, and some junk mail.
  9. My planner. Aka my life. My entire schedule exists in that black book. I probably would go nuts if I lost it.

The only thing missing that I usually always have is my car/house keys. Those are tucked happily in the bowl atop my bookcase in my entry where they live so I don’t lose them.

So, what do you think? Do I carry too much stuff? Anything I should get rid of? Anything I’m missing? What’s in YOUR purse?

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Hello, world!

August 20, 2007 · Filed under big girl life, bloggy goodness

I’m back!

Back in North Carolina, almost back to school, and best of all, back to blogging. This is sort’ve a hodge-podge catch up post, so bear with me.

  •  Deanna is still in the hospital but is steadily improving. They amputated her leg but it looks like she’s on the road to recovery. Please keep her and her family in your thoughts and prayers.
  • I’m in the process of moving into my Big Girl Place to Live (BGPTL). It’s an amazing apartment and I absolutely love it. Slowly, but surely, everything is coming together. I’ll be posting pictures as things slowly fall into place.
  • School starts on Wednesday. As of right now, I have no idea what classes I’m taking. I mean, I’ve registered and all that, but I don’t remember for what. I should probably look into that.
  • I can’t wait to get back into the swing of things – Campus Ministry, SGA, Judiciary Board, so on and so forth. Yeah over-involvement!
  • My humble little internet home was reviewed over at So Many Blogs, So Little Time. It was a shockingly positive review and I’m still flushed a wee bit pink with pride! Thanks for the feedback, Naughty Nina! She did seem to think my template was a little boring. Hmmm. Boring or crisp? What do y’all think?

I’m glad to home, although I do miss camp. I’m looking forward to being able to regularly read and comment again. Don’t worry, y’all, I’ve been reading all summer, I’ve just had no time to comment. But… I’m BAAAAAACK!

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Gourmet is one way to put it…

August 6, 2007 · Filed under sweet summertime

Okay, gang. I’m down to my last week at Camp. Camp is possibly the most intense place I’ve ever been. The ups and downs are huge and I can never seem to quite stabilize my mood. Part of that situation is a complete and total lack of getting enough rest. Honestly, I think I’m about six months behind on sleep after being here for just two months. Today, I was able to sleep in until 10 and it’s pretty much the most fantastic thing… Ever.

Right now, regular programming has ended. That means that I’m no longer teaching weekly cooking classes. Something called Color War is taking place. The entire camp is divided into two teams that battle for points in a variety of competitions – soccer, softball, Newcombe, swimming, gymnastics, drama, and the like. It’s a pretty insane time, with campers running in every direction. It’s exhausting!

My role in Color War is to oversee a competition called Gourmet Meal. The oldest girls at Camp, who are in charge of Color War, are the competitors. They are split up into two teams like the rest of the camp, and each team has to plan, prepare, and present a “gourmet meal”. Gourmet is a bit of a stretch – the food varies depending on the theme of the meal. For instance, the two themes this year are Pirates and a Wedding. The food is only half the battle, as decorating my cooking classroom in the theme is a major part of the whole event.

Basically, on the day of a gourmet meal (there’s one today, and one was this past Sunday), I wake up at 9:30-10 (a late sleep!) and have a couple of hours of time off. Today, I did laundry and worked on bus notes. At 12, I came down to lunch, and at 1, I began to map out the final schedule for the afternoon. We cook from about 2 until 6, take a break to eat dinner, and then cook from 7 until the meal is served at 10. The girls work exceptionally hard and it’s pretty fun – but oy, is it a lot of work!

Once this second gourmet meal is over, the bulk of my job is finished. Camp is over in four days – on Friday, I’ll leave camp and go spend the night in New Jersey at my friend’s lake house. I have to close down my program area, which means inventorying all of my supplies, creating wishlists for new supplies, and writing an end-of-summer report. The girls will leave camp at 8am on Friday and we’ll clean up the cabins and everything else, and then… It’ll be over.

I can’t believe I made it this far. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to make it through, but I’m so glad I stuck it out. Camp is intense, insane, and all-around unbelievable. I love it here, I love the friends I’ve made, and I love the girls I work with. I am, however, very ready to be home. There’s a lot on the horizon – a new big girl apartment, my junior year of college, a new role within SGA,  and much more. Who knows what the future holds? In the meantime, I’m going to try to suck the life out of these next four days. When I go home, I don’t want to think, “I wish I’d pushed a little harder and gotten a little more out of it.”

Peace, and see you soon!

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