Back from my unplanned, whirlwind trip through NYC and just realized that classes start tomorrow and I have not planned anything for my students 
I decided to make holiday treats for friends and family, so I started searching for recipes that would a) be interesting and different, b) meet the dietary restrictions of certain individuals.
I found the answer to part b (a treat that would be low cal, low sugar/carb, and low fat) in these Oatmeal Chocolate Chip (Macadamia) Cookies. I bought all organic ingredients, replaced the refined with raw sugar, and substituted the walnuts that the recipe calls for with macadamias. They’re a bit crisp, I suspect this is because of the low fat factor, but they are very flavorful.
My other inspiration came from Annie’s Eats. Though not low anything, these eggnog cupcakes are certainly different and full of holiday cheer (re: eggnog and rum).
The eggnog buttercream frosting was a bit too sweet for my taste, but anyone with a sweet tooth would love it. I would like to try these with a coating of powdered sugar instead, they have a very nice spongy texture with a delicate flavor that would be great as a sort of tea cake.
Happy Graduation to me! wee! Masters complete! (though not officially until the manuscript goes through :/ ).
Spent weekend re-reading Bridget Jones’s Diary and so will write post in manner of Bridget.
alcohol units: 3(ish), cigarettes: dozens (all secondhand as don’t smoke), calories consumed: thousands, though all in name of good time and mostly mixed drink derived
Hurrah for pre-graduation outing and fab friends! Was all mellow and free as a free thing without a care in the world as had just submitted grades and could not be bothered to worry about work, or lack thereof. Enjoyed self immensely and had lovely time.
Spent night at E’s, as was too tipsy to drive home but realized too late that light packing was far too light - other than nightie, forgot to include all other necessary bits (ie. toothbrush/paste, change of clothes for morn, etc.). But such incidents are likely to happen when one compares self to Bridget.
Speaking of which, noticed that Bridget is now more relevant to self than ever as impending spinsterhood panic is more likely in mid-20s than teens. Also, having distant relatives ringing up and asking about lack of smug couple-dom whilst reading Bridget is far too ironic.
I’m clearing out the book collection 
I’ve come to realize that many of the books that I have been holding on to are books that I read once and enjoyed, but will probably never read again. I realize that I shouldn’t form such an attachment to some of these, when will I ever re-read that copy of To Kill a Mockingbird that I read when I was in ninth grade? I’m going to keep the ones I love best, and try to sell off the rest.
I’ve put some of the “bestsellers” up on Amazon, and sold three since last night. However, I’m looking into the used book buying programs offered by Powell’s and Abebooks. I’ve never tried them before, but I’ve heard of them. Whatever can’t be sold, I’ll donate to the public library. The books have been taking over for too long, and I’ve been relying on the library system more and more just to avoid buying books that I will only read once.
The Limited is having a Create the Ultimate Outfit contest. Here’s my humble little entry. Go vote! 
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I’ve been experimenting with food recently, mostly in an effort to find ways to spice up bland chicken meals. Tonight I tried my own take on a Mexican Chicken Salad and it was very tasty… though I completely forgot to top it off with sour cream for shame.
I’m not good at writing up recipes, since I don’t measure anything, but here’s my Mexi-Chicki salad “recipe” for one.
1 skinless, boneless chicken breast, sliced.
about 1/2 cup of black beans (seasoned).
about 2 tbsp chunky salsa.
Season the chicken with chili powder, black pepper, cumin and lime juice to taste.
Add a few pieces of sliced onions and red bell pepper.
Heat this up with some olive oil.
Make a nice bed of greens, layer on the salsa and the beans (and light sour cream. ack! I can’t believe I forgot this). Add on the chicken and voila!
I also made myself a nice little quesadilla to go along with it by melting some reduced fat, shredded Mexican cheese in a fajita tortilla.
Overall, it was quick and easy and the flavors blended well. I found that the red bell pepper added an extra something to the flavor combination. If I had some tomatoes, I would have added those as well.
I tend to avoid going to my local Wal-Mart at all cost, but when I told my parents that I was going to go out and pick up some groceries, they decided that they had to do groceries too, and wouldn’t it be grand to go together? Fearing a stress-inducing trip, I was amazed to find that I managed to get them in and out in record time : 1.5 hours. That is quite a feat for a Wal-Mart trip with my mom, who loves to go down every aisle, and my dad, who loves to look at bargains.
The whole trip was relatively painless, aside from a few encounters with the elderly mad (ie. loud old Cubans).
And I found a nifty organic cotton tote from Seed Supply Co.! I love totes and this one is ultra roomy and kind of reminds me of that sack that Ariel floats around with in the beginning of The Little Mermaid. Plus, it’s organic cotton. For $5. Who knew Wal-Mart was becoming so green? I will be going back for some of their colorful tees.
So Monday was all sorts of hell. Lots of things went awry.
Tuesday signaled the beginning of an awful lot of unusual happenings on campus, or maybe not unusual… but unexpected?
First, there were the half-naked firemen. Yes. Half-naked firemen. ‘Nuff said.
Then, there was the return of Scary God Man (as I like to call him). A super-ultra-conservative preacher who turns up around finals week each semester to make with the smiting (he threw a Bible at a student once). He has a sign. Actually, he is a sign. He wears an outfit covered with random lines about why God hates everyone but him.
The irony, while scary God man was raining down the fire and brimstone, the hot firemen were taking pictures with giddy girls.
With Wednesday came the on-campus Green Market and Scary God Man part deux. Green Market 1, Scary God Man 0. The allure of exotic veggies, smoothies, and free green bags drew all the crowds away from SGM.
Plus, there were coconuts. There was a guy climbing the palm trees by the library and tossing down coconuts. Sadly, no coconut water (or yum yum coconut meat) for me; the lingering sense of confusion and annoyance caused by Monday’s happenings made me forget that the market was going to be held, so I had no cash on hand.
But today was happy mail day! Making up for all prior mishaps.
I arrived home from work to find two packages waiting for me:
1. The beautiful cameo locket that I ordered from the Spellbound Wings Etsy shop
I realized it was big when I saw the measurements on the site, but I never imagined it would be so big. It completely exceeded my expectations and I could not be more pleased
2. I also received my copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard. With all the thesis madness, I forgot that I had pre-ordered this, so it was a nice surprise. Probably the last Harry Potter related book I will ever buy
Amazon’s packaging was great, I especially love the instructions.
The flickr mosaic meme: (filched from cleo)
01. Answer each of the questions below the cut using the [Flickr] search engine. (ETA: I’ve changed the URL so it will automatically search “Most Interesting” for you.)
02. Choose a photo from the first three pages.
03. Copy the URL of your favorite photos [here].
04. Then share with the world.
01. First Name: Gricel. Kind of hard to find, so I searched for “graceful”. I love that this image is all green and serene.
02. Favorite Food: Cold sesame noodles. I love noodles in general, but these are a special treat.
03. Hometown: Miami, FL. What does this poor bedraggled bird have to do with Miami… absolutely nothing! But it came up in the search and I thought it was fantastic.
04. Favorite Color: Purple. I love purple, it’s such a rich, ostentatious color.
05. Celebrity Crush: Kate Winslet is my celebrity girlcrush. Why not a male crush? Because I don’t particularly admire any male celebs :/
06. Favorite Drink: tea. It’s what makes you British when you’re not 
07. Dream Holiday: Edinburgh, Scotland. I spent a day there during the Great British Adventure of ‘05 and can’t wait to go back.
08. Favorite Dessert: Pumpkin Pie. Like the sesame noodles, I eat it so rarely that it’s extra special to me.
09. What I Want To Be When I Grow Up: I want to a) be surrounded by books, b) write.
10. What I Love Most In The World: I can’t say exactly, but I love reading in the sun on a lazy day.
11. One Word That Describes Me: Bookish. Well, I am.
12. My LiveJournal Name: _acciobrain. From the scene in the Department of Mysteries when Ron says, “Accio Brain!” so Weasly cakes were apropos.
1. Meeting the pregnant princess of the forest, 2. Cold Sesame Noodles, 3. Are you friend or foe?, 4. he loves me/he loves me not., 5. Metamorphosis, 6. coffee & the city, 7. Victoria Street, Edinburgh, 8. early Thanksgiving, 9. bookshelf spectrum, revisited, 10. 366/16 Saturday morning sun, 11. heaven on earth, 12. Weasley cakes!
I’m the bookish type. I love photography, tea, David Bowie, Harry Potter, and all things colorful. When not reading or writing, I can be found giving in to the demands of a silly little creature.
things she read
