it's a slow night...

and rp just found this:



hehehehehehehhehehe

oh, and....

decided i needed a big girl bag. and after perusing sites and sites and sites, consulting friends, realizing leather is not for me and that i want something poppier than the beautiful but sedate bag here, i bought this bag:


in this fabric:



i am very happy with my decision. not too grown up, but more grown up than anything i have now without looking like a diaper bag or something twee. happy. and waiting for it to show up. happy birthday me! (a week in advance)

churning it out

apologies for the proliferation of amusing article posts...

the first draft of my seminar paper was due on weds morning, as our prof is leaving for oaxaca for three weeks, only arriving back here a week before the final draft is due. jealously for the fact that he's going somewhere warm and more than a bit of frustration with the fact that the person who knows my project best is leaving.

i'm a first year grad student. this is more than a little frightening. writing my thesis last year my advisor held my hand, read every draft, met with me once, twice, three times a week, gave me her home phone number and responded to midnight emails by the next morning. i'm just not sure how to do this all by myself. i guess that's what grad school is for!

i think js and i at least will read each other's papers... and i should really go talk to mauricio considering he's my second reader, but after the horrible experience i had with him last meeting, somehow i'm dreading doing so.

getting the draft done was a big first step. only moments of panic and stopped working on it at 8pm tuesday night. it's something i'm not ashamed to have read as a first draft, despite the bits and pieces missing, the disjunctures, the question marks instead of citations.

now i'm taking a day or two off from even looking at it... my brain was too much in the middle of it to have any perspective. i'll pick it back up sunday or monday and go from there.

in the meantime, here's to restaurant week, oscars, and an upcoming birthday! many excuses to celebrate with good food and friends!

i love me some good punctuation.

meet cute

i had the loveliest meet cute dream last night. other than that it later involved an adorable date, i don't remember much. we met at a party, where he was insistent and i was coy, though eventually surrendered my number. via facebook wall later that night. i think the party was on a lake. and i had trouble remembering his name.

it's left me feeling warm and fuzzy inside.

though i'd be happier if it had actually happened.

snarky

i quote: "“Dream Angels,” according to Victoria’s propaganda, is America’s No. 1 fragrance, which makes sense in an obese nation with no self-control: it smells like an alcoholic Twinkie."

click on the image to read. i think there are some nytimes fashion writers with some angry feelings towards valentine's day.

some dreamy day

maybe a valentine's day when i have someone to do it for, i'll make these.

Recipe: Pomegranate-Rose Cream Meringues

2 extra-large egg whites

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons rose water (sold in specialty shops and some supermarkets)

Dried or candied rose petals (see note), optional

1 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons crème de cassis

1 tablespoon seedless raspberry jam

Pomegranate seeds or fresh raspberries, for garnish.

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or wax paper.

2. In an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat egg whites until white and frothy. Gradually beat in granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until whites are stiff and glossy. Sift confectioners’ sugar over egg whites, and gently fold in with a rubber spatula. Fold in rose water.

3. Spoon 2 1/2-inch mounds of meringue onto prepared baking sheets. (You should have about 12 meringues.) If using rose petals, crush between fingers, and sprinkle over meringues. Bake 1 1/2 hours. Turn off heat, and place a wooden spoon in oven door to keep it slightly ajar; let meringues cool in oven 2 hours.

4. Just before serving, in an electric mixer beat heavy cream until it thickens. With mixer running, beat in crème de cassis. Beat until soft peaks form.

5. In a bowl, whisk jam to break it up. Fold in a small amount of whipped cream to lighten jam; then fold jam mixture into remaining whipped cream. Serve meringues with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds or raspberries.

Yield: 6 servings.

get His attention

gotta love npr. and singapore....

A Singapore retailer has pulled a line of Jesus cosmetics after receiving complaints about the American-made products branded "Lookin' Good for Jesus." They included a "virtuous vanilla" lip balm, as well as hand and body cream. Their slogan was "Get His Attention."

listen here

down by the schoolyard

my relationship with rp, care of phdcomics. there are many days when i just go huh and nod my head. i'm sure she does the same with me. but i do love living with a science-y person.

and because

this just showed up in my inbox. it's a workshop being held by the campus activities board. damn it we're lame.....

but you gotta love that graffic

and the cutest new dress.

function[saturday]

getting my head to work on saturday mornings is always a bit of a struggle.

the temptation cartalk and wait, wait, don't tell me, whether at 9 and 10 chicago time or 9 and 10 arcata time (meaning i've slept too late)

the looming necessity of laundry complicated by a paucity of quarters

the empty fridge - 1/4" left in the milk jug, no bread, no cereal. i couldn't eat eggs.

the nytimes magazine published online.

the daunting blank page, taking back up where i stopped off on tuesday, wednesday, with a reminder from dain to not be condescending toward my sources.

11 days to finish this draft.

must find valentines cards for family.

should i send parents an anniversary card at the same time or wait til the next week so that they receive it and enclosed dinner money on the correct day?

slight headache from bizarreness of last night's outing, inadvertently ending up in a club full of lesbian couples dancing only with each other with rp and new friend kp. sometimes crashing the gay bars does not entail the fun dancing boys and upbeat music one expected.

i did drag myself out of bed and make tea, move my things to the kitchen table, and wash my face. all starts. i'm not setting lofty goals for today though. what with groceries, bowling tonight, etc., work is doubtful.

but tomorrow's another day.

bragging...

cause i'm super cool (and super obsessed):



if you can't read that, i'm ranked #9 (tied for 8th) in the fantasyrunway high score thing right now. i'm also #9 (tied for 8th) in the BPR league and #6 (or tied for 4th) in the Project Rungay league. haha! i don't know that this really means anything, but hey, i'm in the top 10 on all three. and i havent even been doing all that well (til last night when the only thing I missed was best hair).

just thought i'd mention it. now back to chiapas....

yes we can.

an appropriate 101st post, i feel. go vote.

foggy winter day

campus on a drippy, foggy, beautiful day

awwwwwww

because it has to be the most adorable thing i've heard of in a long time. and for someone who hasn't seen the superbowl but maybe once or twice in her life, this provides an appealing alternative!

an attempt

i shall attempt to be a better blogger!

today was still incredibly snowy. but my new boots helped.


i gave up on the multiple attempts at knee high boots. apparently my calves are giant and my ankles are oddly shaped, because none of the beautiful boots that i carefully oggled, selected, waited for, and carefully unwrapped when they finally showed up fit well enough for me to invest the amount of money they cost me. so, i gave up and bought a pair of sorels from sierratradingpost.com and while they are more than slightly boatish, they keep my feet warm and i can go tromping. so, snow is beautiful, if still inconvenient, again.

other than that, lovely evening out with first years as mb's boyfriend is in town for the weekend. deliciously huge mediterranean meal at cedars - hummus, pita, lamb, cauliflower, baba ganooj, veggie curry, and divine rice pudding and baklava for desert. still full. still so happy.

seeing mb with the bf made me wish for friends to visit again... having ap and fchm here a couple weekends ago was so lovely. i enjoy my friends here, but big h people still know me better. and ap is the best of make bfs i've had.... default date, whatever. we go on wonderful outings and snuggle and can hang out for simply ever. and i think we've never had any hang ups in sexual tension or contemplating anything more, at least not from this side. i do hope that we stay friends forever.

in any case.... it is late, i am contemplating splurging at anthropologie sale site on some beautiful things i'll post later. i think it's time to invest in some good quality clothes that won't just lose their sparkle with wear.