Elementary School Geek

Costa Rican Breakfast... At Home

2012-02-11T14:56:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since I've posted. I have to be honest, I have been feeling overwhelmed with my promise to post pictures with my recipes more often! While I generally take plenty of pics, I am reallllly lazy about uploading them, for some reason. Anyhoo, what better way to start off than with a recipe that I will be making until I run out of Lizano sauce.

At the beginning of January, Ryan and I whisked ourselves off for our long overdue Costa Rican adventure. I'd been promising myself a trip sine I first graduated with my Bachelor's way back in 2005. At the time, I was single (and much more financially unstable). The thought of traveling alone royally freaked me out! When I received my Master's in 2010, I was in a long term relationship and made the decision (for us both) to take that trip! Look how pretty:

Waterfall near Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica

Me and the boy climbing around the lava rocks at the Arenal Volcano

Waterfall near Monteverde Cloud Reserve

Sunset in Manuel Antonio

See? I told you! Anyhow... about 2 weeks after we got back, I decided to make Gallo Pinto from scratch. Gallo Pinto is what Costa Ricans typically eat for breakfast, often with eggs, and it is really simply beans & rice sauteed together with onions, cilantro, and spices/sauce. I bought a bag of black beans and made a whole batch of it in my new 7 qt crock pot:

My new crock pot in action!

Steamy black beans, finished product

Now I have a few ziplocs full of plain black beans just waiting for me in the freezer! No salt added! Anyways, here's the recipe I used, from a random website I found by searching google... I think you could potentially use worcestershire sauce in place of the Lizano, though their flavors are a bit different.

Gallo Pinto (4 servings, 165 Cal per serving)
Ingredients
1 cup of rice, cooked in chicken stock instead of water (we stuck with good ol' white, since that's what they used in CR)
1 cup of cooked beans with a bit of the bean liquid for color and flavor (it was ALWAYS black beans in CR)
1 chopped onion (small)
2 cloves of garlic chopped
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 bunch chopped cilantro
4 Tbsp Salsa Lizano (can useWorcestershire sauce but don’t expect the same taste!)
Pinch of black pepper

How to prepare
1. Fry onion, garlic, and cilantro in the oil for about 3 minutes.
2. Pour in the beans and add the Lizano sauce and black pepper. Let it cook for a few minutes, but don’t let it dry out.
3. Pour in the cooked rice and mix it with the beans.

We served ours alongside scrambled eggs and a sliced papaya (I know, I know... it was from Chile, but it really added to the Costa Rican ambiance!):

My version at home in Cali

Gallo Pinto and scrambled egg breakfast in Monteverde

It was served with coffee, juice, pineapple, watermelon, and papaya

Easy Chicken Dinner

2012-01-10T11:44:00.000-08:00

The time for our Costa Rica trip is finally upon us! Weee! I'm so excited! We leave tonight and fly overnight. I can't wait! I feel like I'm only half-way present at my job today, but it doesn't seem as though anyone minds. I got most of my work done yesterday, anyhow. I spent a little time (finally) compiling my blogged recipes into an easy list. The link is up on the main page (Master Recipe List) and I will try and remember to keep it updated! I'm also hoping to start adding photos of my recipes more often. I'm giving you this recipe sans photo since I'll be whipping it up tonight before we head out to SFO and thus won't have time for uploading any pics.

I received this Rachael Ray recipe in an email awhile back and we have made it a bunch of times. We recently acquired Spicy Curry Powder (thank you, 50% off bin at Safeway!), which I love in this recipe. Admittedly, it was a little bland before that. If you like a little bit of heat and only have regular Curry Powder, we have also thrown in a minced jalapeno with half of the seeds removed. This is so easy, and we tend to have all the items needed in our pantry (or freezer, since chicken in the pantry just sounds yucky), making it an easy go-to dinner. It definitely makes plenty of sauce, so plan on eating this with whole wheat couscous, brown basmati rice, or some sort of veggie (we've had it over roasted cauliflower as well as some simple sauteed green beans with much success - I highly recommend trying it with roasted cauliflower, try this recipe if you need a starting point).

Coconut Curry Chicken (2 svgs: 317 Cal; 17 g fat; 3 g Carbs; 33.5 g protein)

Ingredients:
3 teaspoons canola oil, separated
1 teaspoon curry powder (I use spicy curry powder)
1/2 can lite coconut milk (6.25 oz; I freeze the other half until needed)
12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breasts (~2 breasts), cut into strips
1 teaspoon five-spice powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper

Directions:
1. In a small saucepan, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium heat. Stir in the curry powder and cook for 1 minute. Add the coconut milk and cook until reduced by half, about 7 minutes.
2. Toss together the chicken, five-spice powder, and salt and pepper.
3. In a large, heavy skillet, heat 2 teaspoons oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Increase the heat to high and stir-fry the chicken until just cooked through, about 6 minutes. Stir in the coconut curry sauce.

How To Make That Sausage Potato Soup

2011-12-22T13:23:00.000-08:00

...you know, that one from the Italian Restaurant chain that you love? I've tried a few different recipes and have sort of combined them to make this version. When we made it last night, I used Food & Wine's version as a guide for how much potato and kale to use, but my version is actually a bit different and includes bacon and cream (which I learned from a different recipe that I can no longer find). Anyhow, I cut Food & Wine's recipe in half to make 2 servings for dinner last night. It turned out to be 3 servings, and I had a nice, hearty lunch leftover for today! Calorie count is based on using real (full fat) whipping cream, which is what I had on hand and figured since it's only a little bit, it's no big deal. I have made this with fat free half and half with excellent results, there will be -18 Cal and -2.6 g fat per serving if you make this substitution.

Kale and Potato Soup with Turkey Sausage (SERVINGS: 3)
328 Cal; 14.4g fat (4.5g sat, 2.6g mono, 1.4g poly); 32.6g carbs; 4.9g fiber; 19.7g protein

Ingredients
1 teaspoon canola oil
2 links turkey sausage, casings removed (I used Jennie-O Hot Turkey Sausage)
½ medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 cups water
1 cup canned low-sodium chicken broth
¾ pound boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
Dried red-pepper flakes, to taste
½ pound kale, stems removed, leaves shredded
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled into pieces

Directions
1. In a soup pot or dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and onion and cook until the sausage is browned and all liquid has evaporated, about 8-10 minutes.
2. Add the garlic to the pan and cook, stirring, for 1 minute longer.
3. Add the water and broth and bring the soup to a boil. Add the potatoes and red-pepper flakes and bring back to a simmer. Cook, partially covered, for 2 minutes. Add the kale and bring the soup back to a simmer. Cook, partially covered, until the potatoes and kale are tender, about 6-8 minutes longer.
4. Add the black pepper, bacon crumbles and cream and remove from heat. Stir to combine and serve.

Chicken & Broccoli Stir Fry

2011-12-21T10:12:00.000-08:00

In an effort to not gain every last pound that I lost before my calf started twitching, we are trying to eat healthy, low-cal dinners again. I am also trying to keep my evening carb-count to a minimum, since I'm not so active after dinner these days (this stupid cold is hindering my activity level even more than my calf twitching). Enter this recipe! Ryan made some rice to go along with his dinner, but I found the extra broccoli really filled me up! This was quick and easy and we have most of the sauce ingredients on hand, so this would work really well with whatever veggie is still in the fridge and whatever protein you want (shrimp & green beans, perhaps?). Original (4-serving) recipe was from FoodNetwork.com. Here's my "healthified" version for two servings:

Chicken and Broccoli Stir-fry
SERVES 2; Calories: 294; Total Fat 13.7 grams; Saturated Fat: 2 grams; Protein: 27 grams; Total carbohydrates: 18 grams; Fiber 4 grams; Cholesterol: 61 milligrams; Sodium: 865 milligrams

Ingredients
Game Plan: Marinate the chicken while you prepare the rest of the ingredients
1/2 pound chicken breast (about 1 breast), cubed
2 scallions, thinly sliced on an angle, whites and greens separate
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2-inch piece peeled fresh ginger, minced
1-1/2 teaspoons reduced sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons Stevia-In-The-Raw
1-1/2 teaspoons, plus 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoons dry sherry
1-1/2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
About 8 teaspoons water
1 tablespoon canola oil
3-4 cups broccoli (2 heads), trimmed sliced stalks and medium florets (keep the 2 cuts separate)
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
1-1/2 teaspoons hoisin sauce

Directions
In a medium bowl, toss the chicken with the scallion whites, about half the garlic and ginger, the soy sauce, Stevia, 1/2 teaspoon of the cornstarch, half of the salt, the sherry, and the sesame oil. Marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes. Mix the remaining cornstarch with the water.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add 1 teaspoon of the oil and heat. Add the broccoli stems, and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the florets and the remaining garlic, ginger, 1 tablespoon of water, and season with the rest of the salt and pepper. Stir-fry until the broccoli is bright green but still crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Get the skillet good and hot again, and then heat 2 more teaspoons oil. Add the chicken and chili flakes. Stir-fry until the chicken loses its raw color and gets a little brown, about 2 minutes. Add the hoisin sauce, return the broccoli to the pan and toss to heat through. Stir in the reserved cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil to thicken. Add more water if need to thin the sauce, if necessary. Season with salt and pepper, if you like. Divide among 2 plates and garnish with the rest of the sliced green onion greens.

My Default Oatmeal Cookie Recipe

2011-12-09T11:25:00.000-08:00

We made cookies! Yes, again. Is is December afterall, and that huge bag of Reese's Miniature Cups we bought after Halloween is officially gone. One of our go-to cookie recipes is Oatmeal cookies. 1-because they're the boy's fave and 2-because we almost always have all the ingredients on hand. Most cookie recipes contain the same basic ingredients anyhow. I start with the recipe on the lid or box of Quaker Oats, cut the recipe in half, and make a few alterations in order to make them a little healthier (mostly so that I don't feel as bad when we want to add toffee or chocolate chips to the mix haha). I use Stevia-In-The-Raw in place of the granulated sugar and I replace half of the butter for applesauce for a lower fat cookie (also adding in 1/4 tsp baking powder per 1/4 cup applesauce is supposed to help when baking things). Then I use my trusty Conventional Toaster Oven and only bake as many as we plan to eat - that way, they're always fresh and hot out of the oven YUM! The rest go into the fridge for tomorrow. Sadly, this batch actually used up all the cinnamon we had on hand (probably all of those Snickerdoodles we made last month teehee), and I'm getting awfuly low on brown sugar and white flour now... but this batch should last us through the weekend, at least! Here's my version (we use things other than raisins in ours):

Vanishing Oatmeal (Raisin) Cookies (72 Cal & 2.5 g fat per cookie, not including *)

Ingredients
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup Stevia-In-The-Raw
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups Quaker Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
*1/2 cup toffee bits, chocolate chips, raisins, craisins, etc.

Preparation
Heat oven to 350°F.
In large bowl, beat margarine and sugars (and applesauce and baking powder) until creamy.
Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.
Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well.
Add oats and raisins; mix well.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until light golden brown.
Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.

One Pot Curry Shrimp Dinner

2011-12-07T11:44:00.000-08:00

I don't know about any of you, but I am still working on getting leftover staples from Thanksgiving out of my pantry and fridge! We still have way too many potatoes, onions, celery, and carrots. The turkey's all gone, but I have a freezer full of containers of the turkey stock I made Thanksgiving night after everyone had gone. So when we decided to make shrimp for dinner last night, I wanted to find a recipe that used a bunch of the stuff we had on hand! This was perfect for just that, and it only dirtied 1 skillet to boot! Here's my 2-serving version, adapted from My Recipes/Oxmoor House:

Curried Rice with Shrimp
(585 Cal per serving; 2 servings total)

Ingredients
1-1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, thinly sliced
2 Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces
1-1/2 cups broth/stock (we used turkey stock but any will do)
4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1 teaspoon curry powder (we used Spicy Curry Powder)
1/2 cup long-grain brown rice (Brown Basmati rice)
Kosher salt and pepper
10 ounces large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 teaspoon dried basil (fresh is better but all my Basil has gone too seed now)

Preparation
1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat until hot. Add onion, carrots, and potatoes; cook, stirring occasionally, until they start to soften, 6 to 8 minutes. If vegetables begin to stick, add a little slosh of broth to skillet.
2. Add garlic and curry powder; cook, stirring until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Add rice, broth, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 35 minutes.
3. Add shrimp; stir, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until shrimp are opaque and rice is tender, another 5 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle with basil and serve.

Enchiladas Done Light

2011-11-23T12:35:00.001-08:00

Gobble Gobble! As Turkey Day nears, we at home have been trying to eat a variety of different foods this week. On Monday, we made Five Spice Scallops with Anchovy & Garlic Asparagus on the side. I think the scallop recipe is technically meant to be used as an appetizer and not a main dish, so we basically each had 2 of what they refer to as a "serving" in the recipe (we cut both of the total recipes in half to come up with 2 servings total). Nice and easy recipes for a quick week-night meal and definitely not anything we plan on eating for Thanksgiving. And the whole meal was only 215 calories (= cookies for dessert, yesssss!)

For last night's dinner, Ryan wanted enchiladas. We've made this recipe from Eat Yourself Skinny a couple of times now and it's a big hit! It's hard to believe each enchilada is only 160 calories, but it's true! And the sauce is the perfect flavor and so easy - no more canned sauce for us! Now if only I could find tomato sauce in something other than a can, I've been hearing little birdies talk about how the acid in the tomatoes breaks down the tin, releasing BPAs in the process... yuck! I even just read that BPA levels tested on humans right after eating a can of soup spiked by over 1000%! Yikes! Moral: avoid canned stuff. Guess I'll need to make my own tomato sauce now! Here's the recipe. Try these soon! You'll want them in your meal-rotation, I promise! If you don't have any leftover chicken, we usually poach ours in chicken stock for about 17 minutes (add chicken to a saucepan and cover with chicken stock or water or a combo of both and let it simmer away for 17 minutes). Top these off with some diced up fresh tomatoes, extra cilantro, avocado slices, and a dollop of fat-free plain greek yogurt - YUM!

Skinny Chicken Enchiladas (159.5 calories per enchilada)

For the sauce:
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can diced green chilis (we use Hot Fire-Roasted Green Chilis)
3/4 cup tomato sauce
1/2 tsp. southwest chipotle seasoning (Mrs. Dash)
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 cup fat-free chicken broth
Salt and fresh pepper to taste

For the chicken:
1/2 tsp. vegetable oil
1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded
1/2 cup diced onion
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro
Salt
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. southwest chipotle seasoning (Mrs. Dash)
8 tsp. chicken broth
1/4 cup tomato sauce
4 (6-inch) reduced carb whole wheat flour tortillas
1/2 cup shredded low-fat Mexican cheese
Nonstick cooking spray

In a medium saucepan, spray oil and saute garlic for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add green chilis, chipotle seasoning, cumin, chicken broth, tomato sauce, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Set aside until ready to use.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Heat the vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onions and garlic on low until soft, about 2 minutes. Add chicken, salt, cilantro, cumin, oregano, chipotle seasoning, tomato sauce, chicken broth, and cook 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Spray a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish with non-stick spray. Put 1/3 cup chicken mixture into each tortilla and roll it. Place in baking dish seam side down. Top with sauce and cheese. Cover with foil and bake in the oven on the middle rack for 20-25 minutes. Top with extra cilantro if desired and enjoy!

Anti-Vampire Soup

2011-11-15T13:47:00.000-08:00

When I first took my job up in Santa Rosa, my first few thoughts were:
1. Where exactly is Santa Rosa in relation to the East Bay?
2. Isn't that where Guy Fieri lives?
The answers are:
1. Up above the North Bay
2. Yep!

After realizing that, I was just waiting for the opportunity to check out his restaurant, Johnny Garlic's, in Santa Rosa. As it turns out, the Windsor restaurant is closer, and my boyfriend took me there for lunch on my birthday back in April. I of course had to try the Roasted Garlic soup with my lunch, and was far from disappointed. The soup simply oozes garlic and I could have eaten another bowl or two instead of whatever it was I ended up eating for lunch. The soup was the clear winner of that meal!
I found the recipe on Food Network and we've made it a few times since. The biggest advice I have to make this a quick cooking weeknight meal is to roast the garlic the night before and pop it in the fridge. Then the rest of the soup comes together in around 30 minutes. Here's our version, adapted from the original on Food Network:

Roasted Garlic Soup (4 servings; 356 calories per serving)

Ingredients
6 large whole heads garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons salt, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper, divided
6 tablespoons Smart Balance Light spread
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
4 cups 99% fat free chicken stock
2 cups water
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 cup fat free half & half

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Cut the tops off the garlic heads just to expose the bulbs and remove any excess papery skins. Place in a large sheet of aluminum foil and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon each of the salt and pepper. Close the foil around them, leaving a space between the tops and the foil, and place on a baking sheet in the oven. Roast until soft and fragrant, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Remove, cool, and squeeze out the garlic into a bowl.
In a large, heavy soup pot (preferably enameled cast iron) over medium-high heat, melt the Smart Balance, add the roasted garlic, and cook for 5 minutes. Add in the flour and cook until a dark golden roux is achieved, an additional 5 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently. Add 1 cup chicken stock, incorporate, and repeat until all the chicken stock had been added. Repeat with the water. Add the Italian seasoning, remaining salt and pepper, and stir to combine well. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Add in the half & half and cook for 10 minutes more at a very low simmer, stirring occasionally.

Clam Chowder, without the nasty side effects

2011-11-11T09:44:00.001-08:00

This is a pretty delayed post, since I actually made the Clam Chowder on Monday. I have been putting off making Clam Chowder myself for so long because I just love eating it in a bread bowl by the SF Bay or Ocean when I make it over the bridge. However, my slight lactose intolerance sometimes makes it a less than enjoyable experience an hour or so after scarfing down a huge bowl of the stuff. That said, I decided to try a lightened up version with lactose free milk in place of the cream/half and half/milk option. I went the easy route, and also decided to try a recipe that used canned clams instead of fresh clams, mostly because I've never bought or prepared whole fresh clams myslef (yet). I found this version in my email inbox recently and decided to give it a go. I tend to err on the safe side and only make a small batch of new recipes so I don't have leftovers to throw away when it comes out a horrible mess (which has only happened a few times really). This recipe would have been lovely to have as lunch all week, so next time I will make the whole batch. Since we ate it as a meal in itself, 1 serving is really 2 servings. I cut the recipe in thirds and we ended up with 2 dinner sized servings and 1 lunch sized serving, if that helps put it in perspective. Anyhow, here is my 4-serving adaptation of the recipe I received from Cooking Light:

Simple Clam Chowder; 4 servings (approx 1 cup each):

Ingredients
1 bacon slice
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
Pinch of salt (I used Lawry's Seasoned Salt)
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 (6 1/2-ounce) cans chopped clams, undrained
1/3 pound diced peeled baking potato (I used one Organic Yukon Gold potato)
1-1/2 bottles clam juice (approx 12 oz)
1 bay leaf
1 cup 2% Lactose Free milk
8 teaspoons whole wheat flour
Cracked black pepper, to taste

Preparation
Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving the drippings in pan. Crumble bacon; set aside.
Add onion, celery, salt, thyme, and garlic to drippings in pan; cook 4 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Drain clams, reserving liquid. Add clam liquid, potato, clam juice, and bay leaf to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until potato is tender. Discard bay leaf.
Combine milk and flour, stirring with a whisk until smooth (or shake vigorously in an old jar or yogurt container like I did - works much faster than using a whisk!). Add flour mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 12 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Add clams; cook 2 minutes. Sprinkle with bacon and cracked black pepper.

Unhealthy Snickerdoodles = Happy Me

2011-11-01T08:36:00.000-07:00

Halloween is officially over and apparently so is fall on the East Coast. It's still mostly Summer over here in the NorCal area... I actually broke a sweat on my lunchtime walk around the block yesterday! 76 degrees in Santa Rosa. Gotta love Cali! I recently started following How Sweet It Is, a blog which I prolly should have stayed far, far away from. Why? Because I discovered these in my email a few weeks ago and promptly printed out the recipe. In an effort to not royally screw up the goodness that is a Snickerdoodle in any way, shape, or form, the only change I made was to use 1/2 real sugar and 1/2 Stevia In The Raw. You'd never even know it. I was hesitant to do the apple sauce substitution since there is only one egg, but it does take a whole stick of butter too. Maybe next time I'll replace half the butter with apple sauce and see how it goes. Here's my version of the recipe (note that I intentionally did not figure out the nutritional value of each cookie. It's better this way, I promise):

Snicker-Chip-Doodle Cookies

makes approx 20 cookies

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup Stevia-in-the-Raw
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 tablespoons 2% milk
1/3 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup toffee chips
2 Tbsp sugar + 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon for dipping

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add egg and vanilla, mixing well until combined, about 2 minutes. Stir in flour, baking powder, salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix until dough comes together. Add in milk. If dough is still crumbly, add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until it comes together (I did not need to add more milk). Fold in chocolate and toffee. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

In a bowl combine remaining sugar and cinnamon. Remove dough from fridge and roll into big 1 1/2 inch balls. Dip in cinnamon sugar mixture and place on baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Goodbye, Farmer's Market

2011-09-29T13:55:00.000-07:00

The last Farmer's Market in my town was on Tuesday night and I'm a little torn up over it! It has basically ruined grocery store produce for me, not to mention how nice it was to meet up with my boyfriend and good friend after work for a little stroll around downtown. *Sigh* In an effort to use up the veggies we bought from last week's market, I decided on a Tofu Stir Fry for dinner on Tuesday night. My boyfriend has been working graveyard shift all week, so it was nice to sneak in a tofu dish instead of meat or seafood. He likes tofu okay, but I try to limit the meatless meals to once a week, and those don't usually have tofu either. I had a bunch of green beans and a half head of green cabbage left-over from last week's Green Bean Carbonara and Salt & Pepper Shrimp dinners. Here's the recipe, adapted from Eatingwell.com.

Szechuan Tofu & Green Bean Stir-Fry (~4 servings)

Ingredients
1/2 cup water, divided
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste
1 teaspoon plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
1 14-ounce package light tofu, drained
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
3 cups green beans, trimmed and cut in half
1/2 small green cabbage, shredded
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger

Preparation
1.Whisk 1/4 cup water, soy sauce, tomato paste, vinegar, sugar, crushed red pepper to taste and 1 teaspoon cornstarch in a small bowl. Set aside. Cut tofu into 1/2- to 3/4-inch cubes and pat dry. Toss the tofu in a bowl with the remaining 2 tablespoons cornstarch to coat.
2.Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tofu and spread out across the surface of the pan. Let cook undisturbed for 2 minutes. Gently turn and stir. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and crispy, 3-4 minutes more. Transfer to a plate.
3.Reduce heat to medium. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan. Add green beans, cabbage, garlic and ginger; cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the remaining 1/4 cup water, cover and cook until the beans are crisp-tender and the cabbage is wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir the reserved soy sauce mixture and pour it over the green beans. Cook, stirring, until thickened, about 1 minute. Add the tofu and cook, stirring, until heated through, about 1 minute more.

Nutrition (Eating Well's version - my version has a little bit of extra veggies and less sugar but I didn't recalculate the nutrition)
Per serving: 218 calories; 11 g fat ( 1 g sat , 6 g mono ); 0 mg cholesterol; 20 g carbohydrates; 2 g added sugars; 12 g protein; 5 g fiber; 672 mg sodium; 364 mg potassium.

Mushrooms + Soup = Swoon

2011-09-23T15:04:00.000-07:00

Even though it has been in the 90s up here in NorCal for the past week, I decided to make Mushroom Soup on Wednesday night for dinner. We had a potluck at work that day for lunch, and I totally overdid it on the indulgent eating... no regrets! Alas, by dinner-time, I wasn't starving. Instead of making the planned carb & fat-laden Green Bean Carbornara for dinner (pushed to Fri night dinner), I burned a few extra calories by finely chopping up about 1-3/4 lbs of mushrooms. Thankfully, that was the hardest part of the meal! Threw them in a pot with some stock and garlic for 10 mins, blend it all up, add a little creme freche and coriander and viola - soup! Or Veloute, I guess, if you're feeling fancy. Here's my (not so different) version of the recipe from Food & Wine:

Recipe: Two-Mushroom Velouté

1 1/4 pounds cremini mushrooms (1 pound finely chopped, 1/4 pound thinly sliced)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
4 1/2 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
1 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded and caps finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup crème fraîche
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
Chopped chives, for garnish

1.In a bowl, toss the chopped cremini mushrooms with the lemon juice. In a large saucepan, combine the chicken stock with the chopped cremini and shiitake mushrooms and the garlic and bring to a boil; simmer over moderately low heat until the mushrooms are tender, about 10 minutes.

2.Meanwhile, in a medium nonstick skillet, heat the oil. Add the sliced cremini mushrooms and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until golden brown and tender, about 4 minutes.

3.Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender until very smooth (very small batches so you don't burn yourself - I did approx 4-5 batches); return to the saucepan and whisk in the crème fraîche. Simmer for 2 minutes. Add the coriander and season with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish with the sautéed mushrooms and chives and serve.

One Serving: 137 cal, 7.5 gm fat, 3.0 gm sat fat, 10 gm carb, 0 gm fiber, 7 gm protein.

ABC's

2011-08-03T08:50:00.000-07:00

I found this over at Not Rachael Ray

A is for Apple: What is your favorite variety?
My fave apple has to be the Pink Lady. Yummmm.

B is for Bread: Regardless of nutrition, what is your favorite type?
Undoubtedly garlic bread, but sourdough comes in second. Garlic Sourdough rocks my world.

C is for Cereal: What is your favorite kind currently?
I don't really eat cereal, but if I wasn't worried about my figure, I'd say Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

D is for Donuts: What kind do you fancy?
Maple bar and/or glazed old fashioned.

E is for Eggs: How do you like yours prepared?
Over medium. The whites have.got.to.be.cooked or else I can't eat them. But runny yolks are key.

F is for Fat-Free: What is your favorite fat-free product?
Non-fat plain greek yogurt. Eat it for brekkie every work day!

G is for Groceries: Where do you purchase yours?
Safeway and Trader Joe's. But we buy all our fruit and veggies from the local Farmer's Market once a week.

H is for Hot Beverages: What is your favorite hot drink?
Starbuck's Soy Pumpkin Spice Latte. Even though it has the same amount of calories as my lunch (I didn't gain those 20 lbs I'm now trying to lose from nothing, ha!).

I is for Ice Cream: Pick your favorite flavor and add a fun topping.
Bailey's Irish Cream Ice Cream, duh! Needs no topping, but maybe brownie crumbles would be delightful.

J is for Jams or Jellies: Do you eat them? If so, what kind and flavor?
Yeah, not so much.

K is for Kashi: Name your favorite Kashi product?
I don't really eat much Kashi. I'm trying to stay away from most packaged foods, and although I have looked at their frozen food offerings, most/all cntain bell peppers :(

L is for Lunch: What was yours today?
It will be leftover Creamy Mashed Cauliflower with chives and green onions plus 1/2 cup black beans, for protein. And a pluot for dessert.

M is for microwave: What is your favorite microwave meal/snack?
Popping-corn!

N is for nutrients: Do you likes carbs, fats, or proteins best?
I'm a carb gal, myself. Bread and pasta, all the way! Even if these days it's the whole wheat variety.

O is for oil: What kind do you like to use?
We use canola mostly, but for meals that don't require high-heat stove setting, EVOO or Grapeseed oil.

P is for protein: How do you get yours?
Greek yogurt and cheese are in most of my daily proteins. We rotate our dinners and have shrimp or scallops and salmon once a week, chicken once or twice a week, tofu once a week, and pork or beef once a week.

Q is for Quaker: How do you like your oats?
Steel cut and slow cooked. With cinnamon and brown sugar.

R is for roasting: What is your favorite thing to roast?
GARLIC. I could eat it straight out of the oven! Broccoli comes in a close second.

S is for sandwich: What’s your favorite kind?
Mortadella, provolone, and avocado on an onion roll with mustard, lettuce, tomato, dill pickles, and extra extra extra red onions.

T is for travel: How do you handle eating while traveling?
I use travel as an excuse to indulge on new and delicious foods!

U is for unique: What is one of your weirdest food combos?
I have no answer for this...

V is for vitamins: What kind do you take?
Multi-vitamins, a few times a week since I almost always forget.

W is for wasabi: Yay or nay?
Yay! We made a new salmon recipe recently that called for prepared horseradish and wasabi. It was soooo good! Also, I heart sushi.

X is XRAY: If we xrayed your belly right now, what food would we see?
Coffee only right now, but I'm about to dig in to my brekkie: non-fat plain greek yogurt with 1 packet of Truvia, 2 oz blueberries, and 1.5 oz strawberries.

Y is for youth: What food reminds you of your childhood?
Cap'n Crunch and Kool-Aid.

Z is for zucchini: How do you prepare it?
With sausage in a garlic alfredo sauce over pasta. But I made a kick ass low-fat zucchini bread recently that was pretty darn good!

Just Checking In

2011-07-01T12:36:00.001-07:00

Current Weight: 145.6 lbs
Goal Weight (by 1/11/12): 135 lbs
Weight to Lose: 10.6 lbs

I'm getting there, slowly but surely! Checking my last blogged weight, I've lost 3 lbs in 3 weeks. That's the average I'm really hoping for, based on the amount of exercise I do and the calories I consume. I actually only lost about a half pound this week, but considering the fact that I spent last weekend in Reno devouring buffet food, beer, and free drinks in the casino... that's not too bad! I was sort of expecting a slight increase, actually.

I've tacked on some extra exercise to my daily routine. I try and wake up early with Ryan during the week and ride the little stationary bike in the living room for 15-20 minutes while my coffee is brewing. Then, every time I visit the restroom (and no one else is in there), I try and smash out 20 squats or lunges and 5-10 push ups against the sink counter. Just a little something extra. Plus my 20 minute walk around the block before I grab lunch. So I'm attributing my recent push towards my weight goal to these few things.

I have, however, been getting pretty bad side cramps lately. I'm taking the advice of one of my Zumba instructors and changing my shoes to see if that helps. They might just be too worn out! I'm also getting ca-ra-zy muscle cramping in my left shin. That would be the leg that suffered through my sciatica... related? I don't know. But the last 2 weeks have included some *awesome* calf twitches and when I try and stand on my tip toe, the muscle actually seizes up and gets stuck there for 30 sec! Last week it happened when I got in the car to drive home from the gym. I drive a stick, so when I started up the car, my muscle seized up right then and there. I didn't think I'd be able to drive home - it was really scary! I basically had to force it back into normal state, scootch my seat up real close to the steering wheel, and drive without pointing my toe (and my fingers crossed) the whole way home.

Needless to say, I toned it down this week with the morning workout and the walking... but only the walking ebcause it rained one day this week. The other 4 days, I've walked. With different shoes. So far, my leg hasn't seized up since Wednesday, and that was only for a moment. I hope that I get better just by changing my shoes! I know I'm not over-exerting myslef or anything... it's not like I'm training 6 hours a day or something.

Nothing exciting happening in the food area of life. Although, Ryan made these puppies last night with a little side salad. Yummy! I found the recipe on my new fave food blog I mentioned before and got the cupcake recipe from. I dipped mine in a little combo of some non-fat plain Greek yogurt, some chopped up fresh dill from my patio garden, a squeeze of lemon juice, and a squirt of whole-grain mustard. It worked really nicely to cool off the buffalo chicken.

Hump Day To Do List

2011-06-15T12:27:00.000-07:00

Work late since you left early yesterday.

Change into workout gear and drive straight to gym from work.

Run on treadmill for >10 minutes without stopping, if possible

Zumba!!!

Shower

Nosh on yummy veggie burrito leftovers from La Pinata (they actually saute mushies, zucchini, and corn in that bad boy instead of just boring ol' beans & rice!)

Make miso soup for lunches for the rest of the week

That should pretty much keep me busy tonight!

Weekend Adventures

2011-06-13T15:24:00.000-07:00

What a whirlwind of weekend adventuring! It was overall a complete success and a lot of fun. Saturday, I went to my hometown and spent a lovely day with my close lady friends. We watched a few episodes of Buffy and got sushi take-out as per Simone's request. It was her b-day on Friday, so what she wanted was what she got! Not that I'm complaining - I love both of those things! Before I got together with them, I spent the early afternoon with my parents at my mom's house. She recently returned from a nearly 2 week trip to Ireland and had lots of souvenirs for me to ogle over. We hooked her camera up to her tv and ran through her 700+ pictures as a slideshow while she narrated. It worked out quite nicely, actually. She hadn't deleted the bad pictures yet, but it was ok overall.

I made Simone Rainbow Tie-dye Cupcakes from my new fave food blog I posted last week (see her post with pictures here). I thought they were perfectly perfect for Simone and they turned out really well!

I think I probably got the most compliments on the frosting, which was some kind of butter-cream. Maybe because it was so dark in the bar? I have to say, however, that the frosting was DELISH! Now I am no baker, so I was extremely proud of the final product, even though Ryan did the sprinkle job:

I just had to share, since I am so proud of how they turned out! So here are the recipes, from canyoustayfordinner.com:

Perfect White Cupcakes
(adapted from Cooks Illustrated)

makes 12

…..

1 cup cake flour

½ cup whole milk, at room temperature

3 large egg whites, at room temperature

1teaspoon vanilla extract

¾ cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened but still cool

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup standard size cupcake tin with paper liners. Spritz each with nonstick cooking spray.

Lightly whisk milk, egg whites, and vanilla extract in large glass measuring cup.

Mix cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of a stand electric mixer and add butter; beating at low speed until mixture resembles moist crumbs, with no large clumps of flour.

Add 3/4 of the milk mixture to the crumbs and beat at medium speed (or high speed if using handheld mixer) for 1 1/2 minutes. Add remaining milk mixture and beat 30 seconds more. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for 20 seconds longer at low speed.

Evenly distribute the batter in the cupcake tin. (for rainbow cupcakes: divide the batter into 4 or 5 bowls and carefully mix 2-4 drops of food coloring into each one. I used red, blue, green, yellow, and a 5th bowl for red+blue=purple. Layer each color into the tin until about 3/4 full and slightly swirl with a toothpick - not too much or else it can turn brown.)

Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove the cupcakes from the pan carefully and let them cool completely on a wire rack.

The Best Whipped Frosting
makes enough to frost a 9″ layer cake or one dozen cupcakes generously (she says, "generously", and TOTALLY means it - I had waaaay too much frosting leftover for cupcakes!)

Recipe adapted from Missy Dew on TastyKitchen

1 cup milk

5 tablespoons flour

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup butter, at room temperature

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar (not powdered sugar)

In a medium saucepan, whisk one cup of milk with 5 tablespoons of flour. Heat over medium until the mixture begins to sputter, whisking constantly. Continue to stir as the mixture thickens. You will know it’s done when it reaches the consistency of thick cake batter, after about 7 minutes of heating and whisking. Stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and set aside to cool COMPLETELY.

Now, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, or using a hand held mixer, beat 2 sticks of softened butter (1 cup) with 1 cup of granulated sugar until light, fluffy, and white in color, about 3 solid minutes of beating on medium-high speed. You want the sugar to be totally incorporated into the butter.

Be sure that the milk/flour mixture has completely cooled, and add it to the butter/sugar mixture. Beat all ingredients for about 1 minute on high speed, scraping down the bowl halfway, until they are smooth and well blended. The frosting should be as light and fluffy as whipped cream.

Saag Tofu

2011-06-10T15:18:00.000-07:00

Current Weight: 148.6 lbs
Goal Weight (by 1/11/12): 135 lbs
Delta to lose: 13.6 lbs

I didn't lose any weight this week. Poop on a stick! I didn't gain any weight this week, so that's something. But a little frustrated, I am. *Sigh* Just keep swimming... It will just be that much more motivation for me to be a good girl this weekend. Between Simone's b-day festivities and company picnics.... it's not going to be easy. But I can do it. I have to do it, if I want things to change.

I just joined Goodreads.com and had way too much fun adding books that I love to my library! After going to the library the other day and picking up Shade's Children by Garth Nix, I am on a renewed mission to read more (again). When I was BART-ing to school in San Francisco every day, I was reading non-stop to keep my brain from getting physics-fried! But I got stuck reading The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest and have somehow lost interest. So I am starting another book. Hopefully someday I can finish that one, but it's stalling me for now. I keep meaning to read A Discovery of Witches, which my mom lent me awhile ago, but the library beckoned (I wanted some Learn to Speak Spanish cds for my commute) and I can't leave that place without a minimum of 1 book (usually 2 or 3).

I am feeling pretty lethargic today. Gotta gear up for the gym and then making cup-cakies for Simone! Weeee! I haven't been sleeping well all week, so let's just hope I don't fall asleep while those cupcakes are in the oven. Not likely to happen, but still.

Brekkie (10+0+65+24+25+0 = 124 cal):
Coffee with 1 Tbsp fat free hot chocolate and 1 packet Truvia
4 oz yogurt with 2.65 oz strawberries, 1.5 oz blueberries, 1 packet Splenda (forgot the Truvia today

Snack (30 cal):
7 Brook Cherries (yum!)

Lunch (116+62+35+34.5+25+24+29+28+11+20+8+34.5 = 427 cal):
1/2 whole wheat pita with 2.3 oz deli peppered turkey, 1 wedge laughing cow cheese, 1/8 avocado
1/2 leftover chicken & black bean enchilada from dinner last night with 0.55 oz non-fat greek yogurt (just like sour cream, but with more protein = healthier!) and the other 1/8 avocado

Snack (94 cal):
1 Tbsp Chunky Peanut Butter (what?!? it's better than the free candy we have laying around, sorta)

Dinner-to-be (225+226 = 451 cal):
Saag Tofu with 1/3 cup brown basmasti rice (1/3 cup before cooking)

Here's the Saag Tofu recipe, as adapted for 2 servings

Saag Tofu, 2 servings (from EatingWell.com)

Ingredients
1/2 14-ounce package water-packed firm tofu, drained
2 teaspoons canola oil, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 medium cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 pound baby spinach
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
3/4 teaspoons curry powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Preparation
1.Cut tofu in half and then into thirds lengthwise and quarters crosswise. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu and sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt. Cook, flipping every 2 to 3 minutes, until browned on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
2.Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil to the pan and reduce heat to medium. Add onion, garlic, ginger and mustard seeds and cook until the onion is translucent, 4 to 6 minutes. Add spinach in batches small enough to fit in the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until all the spinach has been added and has wilted, 4 to 6 minutes more.
3.Meanwhile, combine yogurt, curry powder, cumin and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Temper the yogurt with some of the hot spinach mixture so as not to curdle and then add to the pan along with the tofu and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes.

Bouncing from the Top of this Cloud

2011-06-09T14:20:00.000-07:00

It's beautiful outside. Finally! For a while I was beginning to think we were somehow no longer in Cali, stuck in winter forever. My walk today was lovely. Grabbed some vitamin D and warmed my bones. Ahhhhhh.

Tonight is my spin class and fitness boot-camp style class. I actually look forward to these all week. I feel like Thursdays I get the the most bang for my buck. So, bring it! My arms are just about recovered from Monday's work out, ready for a new beating! This week we'll probably focus on something else, since last week I suggested arms. We'll see.

Tomorrow is my weigh-in for the week. Yuck. I keep waiting for the magic number when I can try on those jeans I've been saving to squeeze back into. Realistically, not this week. But soon, I hope. By the end of the month, if I'm so lucky. I will have worked out the planned 6/7 days this week by the end of tomorrow, so I'm expecting some sort of scale movement in the downward direction. One can only hope. Next week will be another 6 days of working out. I have weekend plans, but nothing in the way of my workout schedule, so that's good. No excuses. I just really need to watch my Saturday habits, since I'll be spending the day and night with Simone for her 30th. I just need to remind myself to take is easy on the caloric drinking. I think we'll have sushi for our before-bar treat, so I should be able to keep that in check with more sashimi/less rice. I'll try to keep to a 2 drink maximum at the bar. But 30th b-days are few and far between (and not many of us are left for that mile-marker! yikes!). It helps that I'll be driving myself. I'll just make sure Simone has aaaaalllllll my extra drinks for me. Teehee.

Breakfast: Coffee, 4 oz Plain Nonfat Greek Yogurt with 2 oz Strawberries, 1.5 oz Blueberries, and 1 packet Truvia = 10+65+18+24+0=117 cal

Lunch: 1/2 Wheat Pita with 2.55 oz Deli Peppered Turkey, 1 wedge Garlic & Herb Laughing Cow Cheese and 1/4 Avocado; 1 cup leftover Rice-a-Roni with 1.5 oz leftover steamed Green Beans = 116+69+35+69+310+13=612 cal

Dinner: Chicken & Black Bean Enchiladas = 525 cal

Chicken & Black Bean Enchiladas, 2 servings

Ingredients
4 low-carb whole wheat tortillas
2 cups canned enchilada sauce (with added cumin, coriander, and cayenne pepper to taste)
8 oz chicken breast, poached and shredded
1 cup shredded cheese
1 cup black beans
1 onion
Cilantro

Preparation
1. Warm up the enchilada sauce on the stove in a pan big enough to dip the tortillas in the sauce before filling and rolling them.
2. Spread 1-2 Tbsp along the bottom of a glass baking dish big enough to hold 4 enchiladas.
3. Combine the shredded chicken, beans, onions, and cheese in a bowl with a little bit of the enchilada sauce.
4. Split the filling among the tortillas, roll them up, and place them seam-side down in the baking dish.
5. Cover with foil and bake until bubbly and warmed through (temp and time TBD)
6. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and enjoy!

Keeping Motivated

2011-06-08T14:00:00.000-07:00

My arms are sore. Not as bad as yesterday, but still pretty sore. I blame it on my attempt at assisted pull ups after doing those Tabatas on Monday. It's the only thing I did that was new (and fricken' difficult!). I honestly only did 1 good one and 2 half-arsed ones, but apparently my limit is 2, for now. It definitely hit all those arm muscles I am trying to tone, so give up - I will not. I am glad I had yesterday off from exercise, though!

Today is Zumba with Nicole. She's my fave instructor of the 3 Zumba gals, so it's easy to convince myself to go to class on Wednesdays and Saturdays. I am trying to sneak in some running before class on Wednesdays, though, and that is far more tricky to do than it may seem. I just don't like running. But in an effort to switch things up and jump start my plateau-ed weight loss, I am adding running to my weekly routine. Not a lot, of course. Zumba is a great cardio calorie-blaster, so I just wanted to add 30 minutes of running before-hand. Mind you, I cannot physically run for 30 minutes straight (or at all, probably); I'm still working up to that. Last week, I think I managed 12 minutes of running total (split in half with a 2 minute break in between). I get crazy side cramps most of the time. Not sure what that is about, but I'm thinking it's my body's reaction to me suddenly wanting to add running to my exercise regime. Hopefully in time, they will get better or go away. In the interim, I'm trying to not drink too much water on my drive from work to the gym and I'm making sure to spend a full 5 minutes of just walking to warm up before even thinking about running (slowly increasing the speed). Anyone out there runners? Tips?

As I mentioned yesterday, we stocked up on fruits and veggies from the Farmer's Market. That meant today's breakfast yogurt was much more numnumnumnumnum. Plain non-fat Greek yogurt with 1.65 oz cut strawberries and 1.35 oz blueberries. I tried to leave it unsweetened this time, but that was a no-go. I added 1 packet of Truvia (0 cal sweetener) this morning before actually eating it. I'll keep trying to go without, but I dunno if it's possible. Including the hot chocolate I use to sweeten my coffee, total calories for brekkie were 60+15+22+10=107 Cal. Mid-morning snack was a low-fat string cheese: 65 Cal. Lunch was 1/2 of a whole wheat pita (toasted) with a wedge of Garlic & Herb Laughing Cow Cheese, 1/4 avocado, and 2.5 oz peppered deli turkey breast: 116+35+69+67=287 Cal. I just had my 1 Tbsp chuncky peanut butter and still have 3 small slices of watermelon (11.9 oz with the rind) left to munch on before leaving work for the gym: 94+54=148 Cal. That's a total so far of 607 calories, leaving me with 593 for dinner & dessert. That's quite a lot, actually. I think tomorrow I'll pack something extra to have with my sandwich. I'm trying to steer closer to 1300 cal/day when I do more cardio. Anyhow, dinner planned is Chicken Forestiere with 4 oz blanched green beans: 321+35=356 cal. With a dessert of 10 sweet cherries (43 cal), my total for the day is only 1000 calories. I might need to add something to dinner, I guess. Maybe I'll throw some almonds on the beans and eat more cherries for dessert.

Here's the dinner recipe, as adapted from Eating Well (see their version here) I have criminis and shiitakes from the Market last night - we'll use a combo. We'll be using onion in place of the shallot, sherry in place of the white wine (this is 1st time we're making this sub, hope it works!), and I have parsley growing on my back porch for the added zing at the end. I've started making my own vegetable stock by keeping the remains of my veggies in the fridge and then brewing up a big ol' pot of stock at the end of the week. I keep anything and everything that would be compostable, should we compost: skins off of garlic and onions, peels and green tops from carrots, stems from herbs, woody bottoms of asparagus and broccoli - you name it!

Chicken Forestiere, 2 servings

Ingredients
3 tablespoons wheat flour, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (~10 ounces)
3 teaspoons canola oil, divided
2 tablespoons minced shallot, or onion
4 cups sliced crimini mushrooms
3/4 cup veggie stock (or reduced-sodium chicken broth)
1/2 cup dry white wine (or sherry)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, or chives

Preparation
1.Combine 2 tablespoons flour, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken in the flour mixture.
2.Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side, adjusting heat as necessary to prevent burning. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
3.Increase the heat to medium-high and add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil to the pan. Add shallot (or onion) and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle the mushrooms with the remaining 1 tablespoon flour and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Pour in broth and wine and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to a steady simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
4.Reduce heat to low and stir in parsley (or chives). Return the chicken to the pan, turn to coat with the sauce, and cook until heated through, 3 to 5 minutes.

Farmer's Market Tuesday

2011-06-07T15:33:00.000-07:00

Never before have I had a fondness for Tuesdays until just last month! Well, I might have to take that back if Lost ever aired on a Tuesday during it's time in the sun. I digress... today is Tuesday! And for me, that means I get to stock up on fruits and veggies for the week at the Farmer's Market downtown after work. We've been buying cherries as our fruit for the week, so when we had to grab some extra for our Memorial Day camping trip (in the snow??? whaaaaa???) from Safeway, we were extremely surprised at how AWFUL the grocery store cherries were in comparison! I don't think I can ever buy cherries from anywhere other than the Farmer's Market again. They were so... blah! Tasted of... nothing at all! So today is cherry day, hooray! We also stock up on: organic strawberries, spinach, crimini mushrooms, onions, and oranges. This week, I'll be grabbing garlic, shallots, green beans, and broccoli too. They don't have asparagus at our Market, unfortunately, or I'd be buying bunches of the stuff! Or corn. Sad face. We also got wheat pita bread last week, which was delish - think I'll buy another package of that too. We try and make Tuesday night our eat-out night for the week and support one of the local downtown restaurants. We've almost made it through all the ones along the strip where the Market takes place. Maybe it'll be crepes tonight?

I remembered to bring my lunch today, phew! I had Strawberry non-fat greek yogurt and coffee for breakfast (120+10=130 cal), 2 carrots and 3 Tbsp of Avocado&Cilantro Hummus from the Farmer's Market last week for a pre-lunch snack (40+80=120 cal), an adaptation of Rachael Ray's Baked Potato Soup for lunch (see recipe below, 376 cal with all the fixin's), and a Tbsp of chunky peanut butter for my post-walk-around-the-block snack (90 cal). That leaves me with about 500 calories for dinner. Should be plenty, if I'm careful about what I choose to eat (and make sure to not eat all of it - since portion sizes at restaurants are generally super-sized, I shoot for only eating half).

No gym today, Tuesday is my (only) day off. Took that 20 minute walk around the block, but no intense cardio or strength-training today. My muscles need the day off! As promised yesterday, I did wind up going to Pilates class (55 min), followed by some arm strength training with 8 lb dumbells on the Bosu (15 min), and finally did those 20 second Tabata Intervals I was telling you about (16 min total - 2 min Bosu exercises, 2 min jumping jacks (x2), 1 min break, repeat.

Here's my recipe, adapted from Everyday with Rachael Ray (see her original version here)

Baked Potato Soup, serves 4

Ingredients:
3 medium red potatoes—peeled, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
3 cups 2% milk (we use lactose-free milk)
Salt and pepper
1/2 head cauliflower, cored and chopped
10 crimini mushrooms, sliced
4 scallions, white and green portions thinly sliced separately
4 slices bacon, diced
1/2 cup shredded low-fat (2%) cheddar cheese
1/4 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt

Directions:
1.In a large saucepan, combine the potatoes, 2 cups milk and 1 teaspoon salt. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat to medium-low, add the cauliflower and scallion whites, cover and simmer until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the remaining 1 cup milk, then puree the soup. Season with salt and pepper.

2.Fry the bacon, adding the mushrooms when some of the fat has rendered.

3.Divide the soup among 4 bowls and top each with 2 Tbsp shredded cheese, 1 Tbsp plain yogurt (or nonfat sour cream), crumbled bacon, mushrooms, and scallion greens.

Things I'm Reading In My Spare Time At Work

2011-06-07T10:57:00.000-07:00

http://www.canyoustayfordinner.com/

I actually "Stumble"d upon this blog and haven't had enough. I like her writing style and story about losing 135 lbs. Her recipes are certainly on my try-soon list.

http://www.happierthanabillionaire.com/

My mom found this when I started planning my Costa Rica trip and sent me a link. This woman has some hilarious stories and an interesting perspective on quitting her job and retiring to Costa Rica (where health care is freee)

Pilates, Tabatas, and Shrimp - Oh, my!

2011-06-06T14:32:00.000-07:00

I forgot my food for today. I spent 15 minutes carefully measuring out my breakfast, lunch, and snacks to the appropriate level of calories, put it in my reusable food bag, threw it in the fridge, and forgot it before walking out the door. Look how cute the bag is (from reuseit.com, see pic at right)! All nicely forgotten and waiting to be used tomorrow, I suppose. Guess that means I can sleep in those 15 minutes tomorrow?

Anyhow, had to make instant oatmeal for brekkie (160 cal) and grab a small turkey & guacamole on wheat from quiznos for lunch (330 cal: no cheese, no sauce, with lettuce/tomatoes/onion/olives/pickles/mustard). I always want more sandwich, but with a nice large cup of mint tea (0 cal), it hits the spot ok. I don't have a snack, which is becoming incresingly painful... I usually have carrots and hummus or a lite string cheese before I hit the gym (right.about.now, actually). Maybe we have some in the fridge here? They go pretty quickly... Dinner will be Salt & Pepper Shrimp, one of my faves (458 cal). We omit the bell peppers and add 10 crimini mushies, 1 large green onion, 1 med tomato, and 1/2 avocado. The avocado is nice to cambat the heat from the jalapeno. I'll put my recipe at the bottom with the link to Eating Well's version too.

Today is Monday, which is Pilates day. It's nice to have a few days off from cardio, but last Monday was Memorial Day, so it has now been a few weeks since I've had Pilates and my abs are a little bit nervous! I'm looking forward to it, though. After, I'm supposed to be meeting up with a fellow gym member to do some tabata intervals. We've been doing them on Thursdays with our F.I.T. class trainer on the Bosu (short for "BOth Sides Up") and could really reap the benefits of having them at least another day a week. Tabata intervals are 20-seconds of all out intensity exercise followed by 10-seconds of rest. Here was what we did:

Interval A: Drop Squats on floor or squats on the Bosu (round side)
Interval B: Push ups on the Bosu (flat side)
Interval C: Bosu shuffle (round side up)
Interval D: Mountain climbers on the Bosu (flat side)
Do these twice, 20 sec each, 10 sec rest in between (2 min)
Rest 1 min
Cardio: Jump Rope
20 second intervals with 10 seconds rest for 2 minutes
Rest 1 minute
Interval E: Bosu Get-ups (round side up)
Interval F: Bosu jumping jacks or burpees (flat side up)
Interval G: ??? I clearly blocked this one out of my memory

Interval H: Reverse lunge on the Bosu (flat side up)

Do these twice, 20 sec each, 10 sec rest in between (2 min total)
Rest 1 min
Cardio: Jump Rope
20 second intervals with 10 seconds rest for 2 minutes
DONE!

We'll probably just do the first 4 minues and stop. Apparently that's all you need, to start out with, to reap the benefits. Go look up Tabata Intervals for more info, they're all the rage right now.

Anyhow, here's the recipe, as promised.

Salt & Pepper Shrimp
Adapted from EatingWell2 servings

Ingredients
• 2 tablespoons lime juice (or lemon juice works too)
• 2 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• 3 cups thinly sliced napa cabbage
• 10 crimini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 large green onion, sliced
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• ½ teaspoon five-spice powder, (see Note)
• 10 ounces raw shrimp, (21-25 per pound), peeled and deveined
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 jalapeno pepper, half of seeds removed and minced
• ½ ripe avocado, sliced

Preparation
1. Whisk lime juice, soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar in a large bowl until the sugar is dissolved. Add cabbage, mushrooms, onion, and tomato; toss to combine.
2. Combine cornstarch, salt, pepper and five-spice powder in a medium bowl. Add shrimp and toss to coat.
3. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring often, until they are pink and curled, 3 to 4 minutes. Add jalapeno and cook until the shrimp are cooked through, about 1 minute more.
4. Serve the slaw topped with the avocado and shrimp.

Calorie Counting at Work BBQ

2011-05-04T12:53:00.000-07:00

My new job is great when it comes to freebies! We have fresh bagels and cream cheese every morning, a selection of bags of chips or cookies, cans of soda (thank goodness there are Diet Dr. Pepper, Diet 7-Up, and Diet Iced Tea options), fun-size candy bars to snack on, string cheese, Activia, Instant oatmeal, coffee, tea, Keurig, Red Vines, and a BBQ the first Wednesday of every month. My first week here was not good and I gained a bunch of weight back that I had lost a few months ago. It really didn't help that Ryan didn't move until after that first week, but no excuses. I ate a bagel every day and unhealthy every night. My second week, I cut it down to a half a bagel.... I'm finally down to no bagels. Well, every now and again I throw in a half bagel with my soup lunch. Once a month.

Today was BBQ day. Hamburgers or hotdogs, salad, potato salad, and chips. I (begrudgingly) had a cheese-less, bun-less burger with yellow mustard and red onion, a green salad with 1 Tbsp lite italian dressing, and 3 sunchips. I was trying to avoid the chips, but grabbed those three as I was leaving the lunch-room. It's so hard to eat a burger without cheese and a bun! But it was still pretty good anyhow.

Brekkie (20+140=160 Cal):
1 Keurig French Roast coffee + 1 Keurig Vanilla coffee + 1 Tbsp fat-free hot chocolate + 1 packet of Truvia (what, I don't like my coffee to taste like coffee!)
Peach flavored Chobani Greek Yogurt

Morning Snack (80 Cal):
1 String Cheese

Lunch (300+100+30=430 Cal):
1 hamburger patty with mustard and a red onion slice
1 mixed green salad with 2 slices salami and 1 Tbsp lite dressing
3 Sunchips

Afternoon Snack (65 Cal; yes, I weigh them when I pack my lunch):
2 oz red grapes
3 oz organic strawberries

Forecasted Dinner (347+23=370 Cal):
Salt & Pepper Shrimp (no bell peppers - equivalent # calories in mushroom form instead)
5 slices cucumber, 1 green onion, and 1/2 vine tomato added to salad in shrimp dish above

Leftover: 1200-1105=95 Cal

Hmmm... dessert perhaps? Unless I decide to snack on something while I make dinner. Sicne Ryan will be home late, I may just do that. It's hard coming home after the gym and not eating anything right away. Especially since I have my afternoon snack around 3. Then dinner will be around 8ish. That's an awfully long time to go without eating (esp when working out is involved!). 95 Cal isn't very much. It's 4 strawberries + 2 tsp Nutella (yummm) or 1/2 slice Cracked Wheat Sourdough + 1/5 Avocado (my favorite go-to snack after working out).

Today is Zumba day. I generally go to my gym classes directly from work. I change into my gym clothes right as I'm getting ready to leave. That way, I don't have any excuses! I feel pretty silly driving home when I am already in my gym clothes with my hair pulled back. That said, I usually time my work schedule so that I get to the gym around 5:20 or 5:30. Class starts at 6, so that gives me 25-30 minutes of some cardio before-hand. Usually elliptical. I don't like the treadmill much. Today I may just try and jog for that time. I can hardly ever go over 10 minutes of running, so that's pretty hopeful. I think I'll slow it down and see if I can't make it for 20 + 5 min warm-up/cool-down.

Cheers!

Happy to Report

2011-05-02T14:19:00.001-07:00

... that even after a 2 week diet/exercise hiatus whilst I was sick, I didn't gain any weight back! Yippee! So's I can start where I left off. Phew! Since I've been in Novato, here's my diet & exercise schedule (I've included ~35 Cal/day on my gym days for strength training of about 10 minutes/day):

Calories in/day = +1200 ~ +1400
Baseline Calories burned: -2019 Cal

Mon (2818 Cal burned): Pilates 5-6 (-229 Cal) & Zumba 6-7 (-536 Cal)
Tue (2539 Cal burned): Elliptical (-257 Cal) & Pilates 6-7 (-229 Cal)
Wed (2791 Cal burned): Treadmill (-202 Cal) & Zumba 6-7 (-536 Cal)
Thu (2665 Cal burned): Spin 5:10-6 (-363) & Calisthenics 6-7 (-229)
Fri (2019 Cal burned): Free Day
Sat (2589 Cal burned): Zumba 9-10 am
Sun (2019 Cal burned): Free Day

On my free days, I try and at least take in a little walk or hike or bike ride, so those days will vary. I try and keep it light while staying active. For example, yesterday I went on a bike ride in some marshlands near my house for maybe an hour and a half. It was all flat, though, so not vigorous in the least bit. I try and do a 30 min hike of the hill behind my house on Fridays, although last week I skipped Monday Zumba and did an hour hike instead. I like that teacher's class less than the gal who teaches on Wed/Sat. I also try and get in a 15-30 min walk on my lunch break at work. That's more to get some sunshine than exercise, so I don't really count it in my calories.

When I put it all down, I feel like the weight should be pouring off of me, yet it isn't. It's a process, I know. But I'm expending a minimum of 700 Calories more than I take in, and a pound of fat is 3500 Calories, so I should be losing more like a pound a week! We'll see what happens this week. I'm probably a little too lenient on my caloric intake over the weekend. I only want 10 more lbs off, so I better huncker down and just do it, already!

3 Years Strong

2011-04-19T13:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was our 3 year "anniversary". I use quotes because we aren't married, so I feel weird calling it a true anniversary. Here's what I got as my anniversary gift:

I got us tickets to see A Perfect Circle in July at the Greek Theater in Berkeley as my gift to him. We're going to Tahoe this weekend, hopefully. I plan to grab us some Heavenly lift tickets while we're there (or early, if they can get mailed to us in time). It's just nigh of season's end, so I figure we go big! Heavenly's my fave and I haven't been in a few years anyhow. It'll be nice for a change of scenery, since we almost always go to Kirkwood.

I stayed home from work again yesterday, sick. Yeah, still that silly cough. I thought maybe staying at home would help me to get better. Not so much. It just made me feel a little useless, in my pj's watching instant movies on Netflix. So here I am today, at work, hacking every now and again and wishing I stayed home today. I feel fine, but I hate coughing so much! I feel like everyone around me is wondering why I am here, spreading my germs around the office. Popping cough drops like they're candy. At least this batch I bought sugar-free. Anyhow, we were supposed to try a new place in Novato for our anniversary dinner, but I forgot to check their hours and of course they are cosed on Mondays. Sheesh. So we went to our local steakhouse. Love that place! I had a seared ahi tuna crusted with coriander. Yum! Ryan had tenderloin with a dijon, brandy, and green peppercorn sauce that I should learn how to make ASAP. The problem with cooking and trying out things we've had at restaurants is that it makes going out to restaurants less special. Don't get me wrong, learning to make it at home has is merits (saving $$$), but I then try and healthify the meal, so it doesn't even taste as good. So it's like losing on 2 fronts, really. I should just leave the deliciousness to the pros, I guess. Since I've been sick, I haven't been counting calories. It just seems like too much. Of course, since I've started counting calories, I can sort of keep a tally in the back of my head so I don't completely overdo it.... but I'm sure I overdo it just the same. Sometimes I just need a break from the worry and want to make some good ol' fashioned comfort food. Tonight I'll make stroganoff. In an effort to healify this go-to meal, I've reduced the pasta to 2-3 oz of whole wheat pasta per serving (depending on my calories for the day), doubled the fresh mushrooms (crimini or other wild mushroom, never the boring white ones anymore)and onion, only use fat free sour cream, and cut the meat by half (now only ground turkey, no red meat). I think tonight I'll add a bag of baby spinich to boost the nutrition (without boosting the calories). Here's my recipe and nutrition info (maybe pics to follow, if I remember):

Sarah’s Stroganoff
•3 Jennie-O Hot Turkey Sausages, casings removed
•12 oz. Whole Wheat Pasta (rotini or bow-ties work well)
•1 can Cream of Mushroom and Roasted Garlic Soup
•1 cup fat-free sour cream
•4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
•1 medium onion, diced
•1 lb. mushrooms, sliced or quartered
•1 tsp. Salt-free Italian Seasoning
•1 tsp. poppy seeds, if desired
• Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Directions
1.Heat sausage in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Break up into crumbles.
2.Just as sausage starts to brown, add mushrooms, onion, garlic, and herbs. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sausage is cooked through and all the liquid has evaporated.
3.Add the can of soup to the sausage and mushroom mixture and simmer over low heat.
4.While the sauce thickens, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook noodles until al dente per package directions. Drain noodles and toss with poppy seeds. Set aside.
5.Temper the sour cream by adding a spoonful of the hot sauce and stirring well. Add the tempered sour cream to the sauce and stir well to combine.
6.Add the reserved pasta to the sauce and stir until warmed. Split among 4 plates.

541 Calories per serving
12.8 g Fat/3.4 g Sat/1.7 g Poly/1.2 g Mono
76.8 g Carbs/11.6 g Fiber
31.8 g Protein
272.5 mg Cholesterol
1430.6 mg Sodium
1331.4 mg Potassium
8% Vitamin A/19% Calcium/7% Vitamin C/26% Iron

Giant Effing Q

2011-04-15T11:40:00.001-07:00

DayQuil makes everything better... unless you need to remember words or add numbers. Clearly, I cannot do either under my current circumstances. But at least I'm only coughing once every 10 minutes instead of once every minute like earlier this morning. Did I mention how much I actually despise coughing? Because I do. Not that other people love to cough, that's silly talk! But ever since that whooping cough debaucle a year and a half ago, I thought it would be rather lovely to never cough. Again. Ever. I mistakenly thought that once I quit smoking cigarettes, this stupid cough/cold I seem to catch once a year would stop attacking my poor bronchial tubes. Alas, here it is. Neon phlegm in all its glory. And me, high as a kite on DayQuil.
Weeeeeeeeeee!

New Job, New Life

2011-04-14T09:58:00.000-07:00

So, I'm 30 now. I don't really feel 30. It's kinda weird. I never really wanted to have kids, but I sort of understand that ticking clock thing now. I feel like if I do change my mind, it better be soon. I didn't really want to have as huge of a gap between me and my children as I have with my parents. That said, it did take me this long to start my real life... career and whatnot. So it really wasn't an ideal time, until recently. Still haven't decided if I want kids... but the thought has been crossing my mind more often as of late.

Living in Novato with Ryan is finally settling in. We moved almost 3 months ago. It's not too far from home, ~40 miles, but it's far enough. Not like when I moved to Chico, because I knew that wasn't for forever, you know? This has the potential of being for forever. I'm still adjusting to the new job and surroundings, finding my bearings. I like it and I don't. This is not what I went to school for, so I feel like I'm settling. I could go back for my ph.D, but another 6 years? Really? I'm kinda over it at this point. Ready to move forward, not in reverse!

Sigh. Enough for now. Maybe more to come, since I remembered this things still exists.

Almost a Master

2010-07-03T21:48:00.000-07:00

Two more weeks!
Which means I have no time for a real post.
Weighed in this morning at 145 lbs. Wish I had more time for exercise... but I am trying to walk/hike a few times a week to go along with my reduced cal diet! 5 more lbs and I'm happy, 10 and I'm ecstatic! After these 2 weeks are over, it's back to the gym with no excuses in my way. Except for maybe the fact that I'll be seriously job-hunting. That shouldn't really matter, tho...

This Week's Results

2010-01-29T14:38:00.001-08:00

...lost 0.8 more lbs! Woohoo! Now I just need to find more time for the gym and keep it coming off. 10 more lbs. *Sigh* More pictures and recipes to follow, time permitting.

Enchiladas on a Diet

2010-01-29T14:15:00.001-08:00

I wish I could eat these every day. I didn't want to eat the last one last night, but I needed to clear the fridge for some new leftovers!

Spicy Shrimp and Black Bean Enchiladas from Prevention.com
Ingredients

* 1 can (10 ounces) enchilada sauce
* 12 ounces peeled and deveined large shrimp, coarsely chopped
* 1 teaspoon lime juice
* 4 ounces fat-free cream cheese, softened
* 1 canned chipotle pepper, seeds removed, minced
* 1/4 teaspoon adobo sauce
* 4 flour tortillas (8" diameter)
* 1 cup canned no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained
* 1 cup shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
* 1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
* 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

Directions
1. PREHEAT the oven to 375°F. Spray a 9" x 9" baking dish with cooking spray. Spread 2 tablespoons of the enchilada sauce over the bottom of the baking dish.
2. STIR together the shrimp, lime juice, and 1/3 cup of the remaining enchilada sauce in a medium bowl.
3. STIR together the cream cheese, chipotle, and adobo sauce in a small bowl. Spread over the tortillas. Top with the shrimp, black beans, and cheese. Roll the tortillas up tightly into a cigar shape and place, seam side down, in the prepared baking dish.
4. STIR together the remaining enchilada sauce, sour cream, cumin, paprika, and coriander in a medium bowl. Spread over the tortillas to cover completely.
5. COVER and bake for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Nutritional Facts per serving
CALORIES 440.2 CAL

FAT 14.6 G

SATURATED FAT 6.4 G

CHOLESTEROL 195.9 MG

SODIUM 1237.3 MG

CARBOHYDRATES 40.3 G

TOTAL SUGARS 2.3 G

DIETARY FIBER 4.6 G

PROTEIN 36.9 G

A Keeper of a Chicken Recipe

2010-01-29T14:09:00.000-08:00

Need I say more? Yum-o! Even the Multigrain Pilaf from Trader Joe's was acceptable to Ryan! I bought more already ;)

Chicken Forestiere

Ingredients

* 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
* 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat (8 ounces)
* 3 teaspoons canola oil, divided
* 2 tablespoons minced shallot, or onion
* 2 cups sliced mushrooms
* 3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth, (see Tips for Two)
* 1/2 cup dry white wine
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, or chives

Preparation

1. Combine 2 tablespoons flour, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken in the flour mixture.
2. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side, adjusting heat as necessary to prevent burning. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
3. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil to the pan. Add shallot (or onion) and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle the mushrooms with the remaining 1 tablespoon flour and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Pour in broth and wine and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to a steady simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
4. Reduce heat to low and stir in parsley (or chives). Return the chicken to the pan, turn to coat with the sauce, and cook until heated through, 3 to 5 minutes.

Tips & Notes

* Tips for Two: Store leftover canned broth for up to 5 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in your freezer. Leftover broth in aseptic packages keeps for up to 1 week in the refrigerator. Add to soups, sauces and stews; use for cooking rice and grains; add a little when reheating leftovers to prevent them drying out.

Nutrition

Per serving: 276 calories; 10 g fat (2 g sat, 5 g mono); 65 mg cholesterol; 15 g carbohydrates; 28 g protein; 1 g fiber; 261 mg sodium; 500 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Selenium (40% daily value).

Soup Night (Last Friday)

2010-01-29T06:49:00.000-08:00

This was really last week, but hey... I started school this week so I've been a wee busy. Especially since I've gone to Kaiser every day this week except Monday! Just trying to make sure there's nothing else I can do about my back... plus I'm trying to get my acne issues back under control. Sick of it, I tell you, sick of it! Got my cholesterol checked... before this round of dieting began, it was a little high. The last 2 months have gotten it back down enough. Below the cut-off, anyhow. So.... soup! Last Friday I made this concoction that was supposed to be soup but barely resembled a stew (wtf?!?):

Ryan made a yummy organic heirloom tomato and cucumber salad with some avocado slices and I found this Asiago loaf at Safeway that was SO GOOD. Anyway, I don't know I'll make this one again. I've made this soup the non-healthy way (think: Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana) and it blows this one out of the water. I used Trader Joe's Spicy Italian Chicken Sausage which incidentally was better sliced up into some leftover pesto pasta I had over the weekend. The non-healthy way uses real sausage, has cream added, and also has bacon bits swimming around in it. Here's the recipe I used for the healthy version:

Spicy Potato & Kale Soup

Ingredients

* 1/4 cup halved and sliced chorizo sausage, (see Note)
* 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 small onion, chopped
* 1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth
* 1/3 cup water
* 1 small russet potato, peeled and sliced
* 2 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
* 4 cups kale, ribs removed, thinly sliced (see Tips for Two)
* 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, or to taste

Preparation

1. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add chorizo and cook, stirring, until browned, about 2 minutes. Transfer the chorizo to a paper towel-lined plate; wipe out the pot.
2. Heat oil in the pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add broth, water, potato and garlic; increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potato is tender, 6 to 9 minutes. Lightly mash the potato with a wooden spoon. Add kale, a handful at a time, waiting until it has wilted before adding more. Adjust heat to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale is tender, about 5 minutes. Add the reserved chorizo and season with pepper.

Tips & Notes

* Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

* Note: Chorizo, a spicy pork sausage seasoned with paprika and chili, is originally from Spain and is often used in Mexican cooking. Chorizo can be made with raw or smoked, ground or chopped pork. Chorizo is available at well-stocked supermarkets, specialty food stores or online at tienda.com. Chorizo can be found in the deli section of most large supermarkets.
* Tips for Two: Refrigerate leftover kale, preferably in a perforated plastic bag, for 5 to 10 days. Substitute kale in Sautéed Swiss Chard with Chile & Garlic; add during the last 4 minutes while cooking pasta; sauté with minced garlic and extra-virgin olive oil for an omelet filling or to stir into scrambled eggs.

Nutrition

Per serving: 206 calories; 9 g fat (3 g sat, 4 g mono); 16 mg cholesterol; 24 g carbohydrates; 11 g protein; 4 g fiber; 306 mg sodium; 676 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin A (380% daily value), Vitamin C (120% dv), Potassium (19% dv).

Results for Week #1

2010-01-22T12:34:00.000-08:00

I lost a whole pound! Yippee! I'm shooting for roughly 1200-1400 cal/day. Since I can't really exercise fully yet, it's been minimal-Mon and Wed I went to the gym and did 30 min on the elliptical with a small amount of strength training on the parts of my leg that don't make me yelp out in pain. Ok, actually it's only 0.8 lbs, but I say that's a 1!

Wednesday night I was a-lonely, so I just made a grilled (low fat) cheese & avocado sammy on Trader Joe's Fat Free Multigrain bread with a can of Progresso Clam Chowder (380 calories in a can of soup - yowzers!)

Last night I went out to sushi, but mostly ate sashimi (at around 40 calories per ounce)

Tonight is soup night! Hopefully I don't get my normal Friday night snack-attack! I better hit the gym after work today again.

Dinners on a Diet #3

2010-01-22T12:08:00.000-08:00

Tuesday was another delicious Eating Well Dinner Serves Two of the red meat variety. Mostly for Ryan's sake, so he doesn't get too burnt out on my low-cal meals. Of course, red meat isn't nearly as lean (but doubly delish). I tried something different this time, and took a "before" pic of all my hard work prepping the yumminess and then the after-plate. Which was really Ryan's plate since it looked way more magical and yummy since he gets the bigger cut of meat. Plus, I piled the mushrooms on top of my steak so you couldn't see it as well anyhow.

And so here's the recipe! I used some left-over fresh herbs from my Thanksgiving-in-January with my friends: thyme, rosemary, sage, and marjoram. We also went the BBQ route instead of the silly broiler. I don't even have a broiler pan! That's what BBQ's are for! I'm just glad we still had charcoal. Nothing better than a BBQ in the rain! That said, we didn't need to rub the meat with oil. Just peppered it up and sent it on it's merry ol' way. The bean recipe was from Food Network, I halved the Neelys' recipe (except the garlic, I doubled that part haha) for Green Beans with Lemon and Garlic and added some mushrooms (which I do to almost every dish I make) and some fresh dill. Recipe below. A little spicy, actually. I maybe let the green beans sit in the red-pepper-oil for too long. I'll use less next time.

Herb-Coated Filet Mignon

Ingredients

* 8 oz filet mignon, about 2 in thick, trimmed of fat and cut into 2 portions
* 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
* 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
* 2 Tbsp chopped mixed fresh herbs
* 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Preparation

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Rub steaks with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on a rack on a broiler pan.
3. Broil until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the steak registers 140°F for medium-rare, 15 to 20 minutes total, turning once halfway through cooking. Transfer to a cutting board; let rest for 5 minutes.
4. Place herbs on a plate. Coat the edges of the steaks evenly with mustard; then roll the edges in the herbs, pressing gently to adhere.

Nutrition

Per serving: 222 calories; 12 g fat (4 g sat, 6 g mono); 75 mg cholesterol; 1 g carbohydrates; 25 g protein; 0 g fiber; 184 mg sodium; 328 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Selenium (39% daily value), Zinc (33% dv).

Green Beans with Lemon and Garlic

Ingredients

* 2 pounds green beans, ends trimmed
* 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
* 3 tablespoons butter
* 2 large garlic cloves, minced
* 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
* 1 tablespoon lemon zest
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Blanch green beans in a large stock pot of well salted boiling water until bright green in color and tender crisp, roughly 2 minutes. Drain and shock in a bowl of ice water to stop from cooking.

Heat a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the oil and the butter. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the beans and continue to saute until coated in the butter and heated through, about 5 minutes. Add lemon zest and season with salt and pepper.

Monday Night's Dinner on a Diet

2010-01-19T11:25:00.000-08:00

I wanted to make chicken, so I let Ryan choose the recipe since he's not the biggest chicken fan. He chose wisely, from the same book. He even cooked it and everything! Total calories on the whole plate: 700. Clearly still more than I'd like, but I only had 300 calories before that (breakfast+lunch+snack) AND I made it to the gym (finally) for some elliptisizing and minor strength training (since my GD nerve is still pinched). Once I can move freely again, I'll pick it up a notch, providing I have the time to do so in between classes and working and everything else.

Curried-Pear Chicken

Ingredients

* 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed (8 ounces)
* 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
* 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
* 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
* 1 pear, peeled, cored and thickly sliced
* 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
* 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
* 1/4 cup dry white wine
* 1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
* 2 tablespoons “lite” coconut milk
* 2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro
* 2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint

Preparation

1. Season chicken on both sides with 1/8 teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until well-browned on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
2. Reduce heat to medium and add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil to the pan. Add pear, shallot and curry. Cook, stirring, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add wine and broth; bring to a simmer. Cook until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.
3. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pan. Reduce heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer the chicken to 2 plates. Add coconut milk, cilantro and mint to the pan and stir to combine. Season with the remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt and pinch of pepper and spoon over the chicken.

Nutrition

Per serving: 305 calories; 14 g fat (3 g sat, 8 g mono); 63 mg cholesterol; 16 g carbohydrates; 25 g protein; 2 g fiber; 219 mg sodium; 366 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Selenium (30% daily value).

Sunday Dinner

2010-01-18T17:30:00.000-08:00

Here's a yummy dinner from Eating Well Serves Two I made last night. Super-duper easy, low in calories, and extra delish! I highly recommend it. Total plate was 591 calories (plus/minus 10 calories-my salmon was actually 5.25 oz) Next time I won't pile on the rice as much - that was just about half of the total calories for the entire meal!

Broiled Salmon with Miso Glaze for Two
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon miso, preferably white
1 tablespoon mirin
1 1/2 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
Hot pepper sauce, to taste
8 ounces center-cut salmon fillet, skinned and cut into 2 portions
1 tablespoon thinly sliced scallions
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

PREPARATION
Position rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler. Line a small baking pan with foil. Coat the foil with cooking spray.
Whisk miso, mirin, soy sauce, ginger and hot sauce in a small bowl until smooth.
Place salmon fillets, skinned-side down, in the prepared pan. Brush generously with the miso mixture.
Broil the salmon until just cooked through in the center, 6 to 8 minutes.
Garnish the salmon with scallions, cilantro and sesame seeds.

NUTRITION
Per serving: 214 calories; 9 g fat (1 g sat, 3 g mono); 62 mg cholesterol; 7 g carbohydrates; 24 g protein; 1 g fiber; 421 mg sodium; 603 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Selenium (60% daily value), high omega-3s.

Some Stuff

2009-08-27T08:43:00.000-07:00

Well hello there. I am now 6.5 lbs thinner. Not quite as much as I'd like to have lost by this time, but it's better than zero lbs lost! Hopefully it will continue to come off for at least 5.5 lbs more. I'm back in school so that will either be easier or harder. Easier because now I have less time to even think about eating, let alone eat. Harder because now my eating schedule is going out of whack and it will be much harder for me to actually make it to the gym 5 days a week. Unless I go on my way home from school. Which is when I am starving. And then I'll be eating dinner at like 8 pm, which is pretty late for me, since I eat my lunch at noon. Sigh. We'll see how it goes. If I have super good control, I can go home after school, eat dinner, and then go to the gym at around 8 or 9. It's just so hard to go to the gym once I've made it home! Ok, ok. Calm down. It's my last year of school. So long as I can maintain and not gain the weight back, I can lose more weight later.

School should be interesting. I'm taking my (hopefully) last class ever this semester: Galaxies and Cosmology. It won't be easy. I'm also doing some research on photonic crystals which should be enlightening and useful for transitioning into industry. But since I'm an Astro person, I need to first learn Solid State Physics, which I never took in my undergrad. So there's a little bit of reading on my plate.

My first day was Tuesday and I managed to get parking at BART at 1:00, yay! So I started a new book and made my way into Daly City. Grabbed the shuttle and headed for campus. Took a little over an hour, in all, from the time I left work in Oakland to arrival on campus. Met with my pal Polin in our research lab to get the tour and a feel for what she's been working on over the summer. Basically, she is trying to reproduce Dr. Man's (my research advisor) thesis with our equipment, which differs from Princeton's (obviously). They are looking for band gaps in 3D photonic crystals made of some sort of plastic that has a higher index of refraction than air. Once we can replicate her thesis, we will try to enhance the band gaps (which are areas which do not transmit photons/light/information) by coating the crystal with some sort of metal and check for band gaps again. That's about the extent of my understanding. I need to read A LOT before I really understand. Altho, I do believe she (DR. Man) is working on this to apply it to another project which is finding more efficient ways to convert solar power to thermal energy (or something...).

Anyways, after that I went and spoke with Dr. Man, since I'm out all next week and wanted to make sure I am reading what she wants etc. Then I had class at 330. The projector was broken, so we basically only discussed the syllabus. I can't believe how messed up this semester is due to all these budget issues. Kids need so many units to get financial aid and they will sign up for anything to get it. Since a lot of classes were cut (a lot is really an understatement) this semester, a lot of kids are out of luck. We had a class full of kids trying to take an upper division Astrophysics class, prolly because it sounded interesting. But you really need a lot of prerequisites in order to qualify or be able to follow the material. So after about 5 minutes of describing the syllabus, 50% of the people walked out. I think it was when the teacher said "Differential Equations" that about 7 people left. I hope they can find a better suited class! I genuinely feel bad for them! I am stuck in the same boat, really. I have 6 units of electives yet, but those are all the classes they are cutting first! Which is why I'm taking an undergrad astro class and doing research. I'm pretty much out of other options...

Class got out early, so I got back to Fruitvale BART around 530 and lo and behold, what's on my windshield? A parking ticket. For the parking that I paid for. Grrr. Of course I didn't keep the gd receipt that the machine spits out - no one does! There's a pile of about 100 sitting in there! Well, I will now. I wrote a letter to appeal the ticket and am sending them my BART ticket after I use up another $4.10 today to get to Daly City (since I still have over $5 on it, I am not sending it until I use it once more). I paid the parking on my BART ticket, so maybe they can track it that way. Altho it's all computerized, so they should be able to see that I paid. It's one of those remember-your-stall-number and pay inside the station ideas. So the BART cop had to look up somewhere to see that I "hadn't" paid. They put on the ticket: "first observed: 1245". Well I didn't even leave work until 1, so I'm thinking maybe they didn't check again before issuing the ticket at 1:47. I prolly paid around 1:10 or 1:15, so I'm hoping I just got somehow stuck in a black hole of parking fees. We'll see. IT totally ruined my day, tho. I was so excited to be able to take BART again - and it turned out to be a $50 freakin BART ride! Poop! Today I am definitely taking and keeping my receipt!

More to come, as time permits.

Dieting Woes

2009-08-10T12:32:00.000-07:00

Well, I've lost a total of 2.5 lbs so far. That was 2 weeks ago. No change last week, which I'm not mad about, cuz at least it didn't come right back! I'm going to take my doctor's advice starting this week and reduce my calorie intake to 1200 kcal/day, only 30% of which may be fat calories. I am also going to boost up my cardio from 3-4 days/week to 5 days a week. I have 3 weeks to Burning Man, and I WILL LOOK GOOD!

Diet Update: Week 4-5

2009-06-23T09:24:00.000-07:00

Well, I am still at it. The results are not doing anything to help that, but I'm still trying. Waiting for those pants to fit me again. I am up to 151 lbs as of last Friday, but I'm going to go ahead and pretend I gained that weight in muscle only, and that means the fat will just start pouring off of me any day now. Looks like we left off on last Tuesday:

1 Coffee (black) + hot chocolate 122
25 Blueberries 20
1 Special K + light soy milk 150
1 1/2 lb prime rib/au jus/horseradish 638
1 cup Baked Potato Soup w/bread 350
20 String beans w/bacon 50
5 shots jager 515
1 pc toast with apricot pumpk butter 110
Subtotal 1955
35 min Gym: Cardio -287
Total 1668

Wednesday:
1 Coffee (black) + hot chocolate 122
1 cup cantaloupe, cubed 54
1 skirt steak & rice 495
1 taste tofu w/veggies 43
1 Grilled Cheese 320
1 enchirito 360
1 taco 170
Subtotal 1564
90 min Soccer -675
Total 889

Thursday:
1 Coffee (black) + hot chocolate 122
0.5 Bowl Cereal 75
1 Slim Fast 180
1 Srv Rice a Roni 250
1 Bochworst w/onions and zucchini 373
1 Srvg smothered kale & mushrooms 170
1 Slice toast w/mortadella 177
Subtotal 1347
48 min Gym: Cardio + resistance -471
Total 876

Friday:
1 Coffee (black) + hot chocolate 122
1 Bowl Cereal 150
2 sl. Gourmet Veggie Pizza 460
2 sl. Cheese Pizza 460
2 Cheese Enchiladas 464
1 Guacamole 140
1 Rice and beans 390
1 Corona Light 109
Subtotal 2295
90 min Gentle Yoga -263
Total 2033

And now this week (Week 5, so far):

Monday:
2 Green Tea, plain 0
1 Special K 150
1 cup, Wonton Soup 200
1 Carrots & hummus 95
1 bread/3 sl mort/avocado 401
1 srv stroganoff 609
20 Fruit Snacks 150
Subtotal 1605
48 min Gym: Cardio -489
40 min Walk with Simone -172
Total 944

Diet Update: Week 3-4

2009-06-16T14:45:00.000-07:00

Well, when I weighed in last Friday, I was 149.5. Sigh. I kinda knew that the initial 5 lbs was too good to be true. But I'm not too discouraged yet. It's a lifestyle change, too, really. Hopefully by summer end (ie, Burning Man), I will be back to "normal," whatever that is. I just want to be able to wear my damn pants again! Here is where we left off:

Thursday:
1 Soy Chai w/ light soy 100
1 Special K 180
1 Slim Fast 180
1 Carrots/hummus 95
6 Sashimi pieces 218
4 Pcs Sushi 440
1 Seaweed Salad 140
1 Miso Soup 80
4 Drinks 465
Subtotal 1898
43 min Gym: Cardio -385
Total 1513

Friday:
1 Grande soy white mocha 390
1 Bacon Artisan Sammie 380
1 Carrots/hummus 95
1 Grilled Cheese 485
1 Venti Rasp Black Tea Lemonade 220
1 Wheat Linguine w/Alfredo 391
Subtotal 1961
n/a Gentle Yoga 0
Total 1961

Notice the n/a for the yoga. Somehow Jessa and I talked ourselves out of that. Fridays are hard yoga days, especially since it starts at 6 and we'd rather be chillaxin by then! Hopefully we'll do it this week. I need it!

This week:
Monday:
1 Coffee (black) + hot chocolate 122
25 Blueberries 20
1 Mortadella Sammie 800
10 Pcs Sashimi 400
1 Seaweed Salad 140
1 Glass OJ 110
Subtotal 1592
48 min Gym: Cardio + resistance (legs) -436
Total 1156

Tuesday (today/unfinished):
1 Coffee (black) + hot chocolate 122
25 Blueberries 20
1 Special K + light soy milk 150
Subtotal 292

I'm not giving up hope! C'mon sexy Burning Man body-I wanna get nekked!

Diet Update: Week 3

2009-06-11T09:12:00.001-07:00

Ok, well I know I kinda stopped reporting things. I have yet to weigh myself again cuz I have this teeny weeny feeling that those 5 lbs didn't stay off as I would have liked. But I am not all the way discouraged yet! I have been *trying* to stick with it! This week is looking a lot better than last. So I'll just put up my thus far results for this week:

Monday:
1 Special K 180
1 Soy Chai (w/light soy) 140
1 Slim Fast 180
1 Srvg Cheesy Garlic Orzo 252
1 Srvg Chicken w/mushroom sauce 225
2 Miller Lights 130
Subtotal 1107
30 min Gym: Cardio -277
Total 830

Tuesday:
1 Special K 180
1 Soy Chai (w/light soy) 160
1 Slim Fast 180
1 Srvg carrots/hummus 95
1 Salad w/avo,chic,cuc 335
0.5 Srv Orzo 113
1 Grilled Cheese on wheat 485
Subtotal 1548
43 min Gym: Cardio + resistance (arms) -400
Total 1148

Wednesday:
1 Soy Chai w/ light soy 160
1 Special K 180
1 Srv carrots/hummus 95
1 Taco Bell Taco 170
1 Taco Bell Burrito 370
1 Lucca's Deli Sammie 807
Subtotal 1782
2 hr Soccer -922
Total 860

So today will be much the same. Special K breakfast, Slim Fast lunch (I know, I skipped it yesterday and got some Taco Bell, but I went from 3 Taco Bell items down to 2 and one can only have Slim Fasts for lunch so many times! Besides, I think the 2 hrs of soccer deserved some more calories beforehand anyways), I think sushi for dinner. Tho, I will be getting mostly sashimi this time since rice = calories and fish = not so many calories! I will be hitting the gym again, providing my legs don't feel like jello by then from the soccer-ing yesterday... maybe no resistance today, however. We'll see how I feel by then. Tomorrow is yoga! So I feel pretty decent about this week. I may actually check in with the ol' scale tomorrow to see whether I am actually making any progress, or if those 5 initial lbs were, in fact, only because I was sick that week. Cross your fingers! I *need* to fit into that damned bridesmaid dress by July 11th!!!!!

Diet Results: Week 1

2009-06-01T10:09:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I lost 5 lbs in the first week! Granted, I was pretty sick those last few days and thus wasn't really all that hungry, so it was a little easier than normal. Plus, I had parties all weekend, so I probably gained most of that back. Sigh. I'm not giving up. Especially since I re-tried on my bridesmaid dress over the weekend and I'm pretty sure it won't zip up in my current state (tho it was close and possible force-able haha). I think 5 more lbs will do it. I have until July 11th. So, I'm not all better from this damn cold yet... but I'll be hitting the gym up today regardless. That's what's really going to help me lose this weight (and keep it off)! I can't be doing this Slim Fast business forever! It's just to help me with these first few lbs in the first few weeks. So keep your fingers crossed for me - I can do it!

Current weight as of 5/29/09: 145.5 lbs

Diet: Day Two

2009-05-28T08:39:00.000-07:00

Well, no gym for me yesterday. This cold is kicking my ass. I haven't been this congested in a really, really long time. I finally called the doctor this morning. It sounds like I'm not the only one with this problem, and they are doing phone appointments. I just hope that they can prescribe me a GD decongestant that actually works. DayQuil, NyQuil, and Sudafed can kiss my butt. Here's the results of yesterday. Upon looking it over, I maybe want to eat more calories? I might be malnutritioning myself at this point, so how will I ever get rid of this cold?

1 Coffee (black) + hot chocolate 122
7 Strawberries (large) 42
1 Slim Fast 180
1 Burrito 500
Total 844

Diet: Day One

2009-05-27T08:41:00.000-07:00

Ok, so last Friday I finally weighed myself and was sad to discover that it's time for me to lose about 15 lbs. Sigh. Last semester really pulled me off track-I was eating badly, drinking way too much, not exercising at all really... it took its toll. Hopefully I'm not too late and it will come back off fairly quickly!
5/22/09 weigh in: 150.5 lbs
I decided to not weigh myself again until Friday, so we'll see how well I can keep up with this diet! Here was yesterday's results:

1 Grande Soy Vanilla White Mocha 410
1 Banana 105
1 Slim Fast 180
1.5 Mu Shu Chicken 348
2 Potstickers 160
1 Hot & Sour Soup 150
Subtotal 1353
30 min Gym: Cardio + resistance -300
Total Calories 1053

Not too bad of a start... I'd have gymmed it up longer, but I have a cold and can barely breathe through my right nostril. Kinda makes it difficult to do cardio. I still forced myself to go anyways!

To be continued...

My Mind Is Set On Overdrive

2009-04-14T11:13:00.001-07:00

I am not a good blogger.

Winter Wonderland

2009-01-12T09:18:00.000-08:00

My body hurts today. In the best possible way, actually. It hurts because I FINALLY made it to the snow for a ski adventure! Weee! So yeah, it hurts. But it hurts because I worked the shit out of some muscles that haven't been worked in 2 years. Gotta love those ski muscles that I always forget exist. I don't really mind because they can't possibly hurt this much the next time we go. It's the first time back muscle blues.

Tahoe was beautiful, as usual. I wish there had been more snow and less melting going on, it being January and all... but we had a gorgeous day on the mountain with sun-shiny weather and fully groomed runs. I was a happy camper! It was all hard-packed snow, which works better for me (as the single skier) anyways. Not too icy. Not too cold. Not too many people (since we went on Friday). Just right for a first time back.

Ben and I rode up with Ryan in his truck. Luckily, it hasn't snowed in awhile, so chains were not necessary. We left Thursday at around 3 and made it up to JT's cabin in Myers a few hours later. I had to sit in the back seat of his Colorado and let me tell you, it was not the most comfortable of spots! I do not recommend riding there on road trips if at all possible! The seat is just tiny, my butt kept slipping off... and the back rest part is straight up and down-perfect posture only! It could definitely have been worse, but I was wishing for front seat rights the whole way (I figured Ben would have been umpteen times more uncomfortable if he had sat back there, so I sucked it up).

The cabin/house was awesome. So perfect for the winter. I'm jealous that JT is there until March. Of course, I hope there's more snow soon so that it's actually worthwhile for him to be up there that long! Thursday night we made some tacos and played some cards in front of the furnace. Went to bed semi-earliesh, so that we would wake up semi-earliesh and get to Kirkwood. I needed to rent my gear (which I had a half-off coupon for, woot), so we planned on getting there around 8:30. I think it was actually pretty close to that time. Since it was a weekday, the lines were essentially non-existent and we geared up in pretty good time.

Again, the slopes were pretty nice, all things considered. We stuck to the intermediate level runs, which were almost too much for me. I don't know when I became a little scared-y cat on skis, but I felt a bit overwhelmed. By the end of the day, I did feel like I was getting my feet back... but by then, I was also starting to hurt. Ski boots make it so you are in constant squat position. Ouch!

After getting cleaned up and eating some more tacos, we hit up the casinos. I actually left $25 richer than I got there. That almost never happens. We played a little roulette and some Hold 'Em (you against dealer only). At the end of the night, Ryan put $20 on red for roulette and doubled up. Then proceeded to do it twice more.... so he made out all right too. Even Ben made back 170%! And that's sweet cuz all those drinks were actually free! And boy, did I have too many.

The next day we drove back. JT was coming back for Bobby's surprise party too, so he brought back Ben and I gotted to sit in the front. Phew and thank you! My legs are so sore, I can't imagine how another 4 hrs in that back seat would have treated me.

So there was my small vacation before school starts back up. I still have until the 27th, although I need to start the hw before that (don't ask-I know, it sucks). I'm hoping for some more snow fall soon so we can maybe check out Heavenly and Sierra...I'd like to maybe take another snowboarding lesson if I feel like I got enough skiing in (and don't mind being on the bunny slopes for a whole day). But, we'll see.

Happy Happy Happy

2008-12-23T07:22:00.000-08:00

Today: No traffic! I got to work in 15 minutes!

Yesterday: Making Xmas presents with the boy. Although he essentially did all the work, it made me happy to see him in his element (making terrazzo). He says I make him nervous when I watch him, which makes it all the cuter. Don't tell him I said that. If he knew I thought he was cute while doing manly terrazzo work, he might get offended teehee.

Sunday: Wrapping presents and making them pretty. For some reason, I lovelovelove decorating packages with ribbons and bows. It's the simple things in life.

Saturday: Amy made some of the most delicious food for Shane's birthday I've had in awhile. I love me some enchiladas and hers made me very happy. I am enchilada-picky, so they have to be damn good to make me want seconds!

Friday: Playing rock band with my favorite (Hayward) people. It's way more fun playing with 3 than with 2!

Thursday: Turning in (both) of my finals!

Wednesday: Finishing one of my finals and felt GOOD about the entire test. That NEVER happens!

Tuesday: Watching Lost with boy made me happy. I can't wait to have him caught up for the new season to start at the end of January!

And that's what made me happy last week.

Insane in the Membrane

2008-11-11T14:53:00.000-08:00

Why is magnetism?

Change We Can Believe In

2008-11-05T08:24:00.000-08:00

We did it.
We actually did it.
It hit me this morning on my way to work. I just started bawling like a wee lass. I am, for the first time in 8 years, proud to be an American.
It's a good day to be alive.
I can finally breathe.

Stephen Hawking Update

2008-10-24T12:50:00.000-07:00

Sorry I don't have the time or creativity to actually write a post about myself... I'm alive and somehow surviving... the boy does an excellent job of taking care of me between melt-downs and midterms. He brings over his XBox and plays video games whilst I am immersed in my hours of homework a night. This is the worst of it, tho. Next semester is just one class. Which means I will not be graduating in the Spring, but next year. I can't keep killing myself like this just so I can be done faster. And that's the final word.... Did anyone besides me not know that he wrote a children's book (see below)? I must own it ASAP.

Stephen Hawking retiring from prestigious post
Cosmologist intends to continue his exploration of time and space

CAMBRIDGE, England - Cosmologist Stephen Hawking will retire from his prestigious post at Cambridge University next year, but intends to continue his exploration of time and space.

Hawking, 66, is Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, a title once held by the great 18th century physicist Isaac Newton. The university said Friday that he would step down at the end of the academic year in September, but would continue working as Emeritus Lucasian Professor of Mathematics.

"We look forward to him continuing his academic work at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, playing a leading role in research in cosmology and gravitation," said Professor Peter Haynes, who heads the department.

Hawking became a scientific celebrity through his theories on black holes and the nature of time, work that he carried on despite becoming paralyzed by motor neurone disease.

University policy is that officeholders must retire at the end of the academic year in which they become 67. Hawking will reach that milestone on Jan. 8.

The Lucasian professorship post was founded in 1663 by Henry Lucas, who left his 4,000 books and land expected to yield 100 pounds a year to the university. King Charles II officially established the position in 1664.

Sir Isaac Newton was the second to hold the post. Paul Dirac, a specialist in quantum mechanics who predicted the existence of positron particles, had the title from 1932 to 1969.

Hawking was appointed to the chair in 1979.

His 1988 book, "A Brief History of Time," was an international best-seller; "A Briefer History of Time," intended to be more accessible, followed in 2005.

"George's Secret Key to the Universe," co-authored with Hawking's daughter Lucy, was published last year for the children's market.

Hawking first earned prominence for his theoretical work on black holes. Disproving the belief that black holes are so dense that nothing could escape their gravitational pull, he showed that black holes leak a tiny bit of light and other types of radiation, now known as "Hawking radiation."

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.

In Case You Were Wondering...

2008-10-20T07:36:00.000-07:00

http://hasthelargehadroncolliderdestroyedtheworldyet.com/

So this is why I take CV BART

2008-10-13T14:35:00.000-07:00

I'm sad that Hayward is getting worse :(

Two shot at downtown Hayward BART station
By Kristofer Noceda and Jason Sweeney
The Daily Review
Article Last Updated: 10/13/2008 02:32:32 PM PDT

HAYWARD — The downtown Hayward BART station is closed after two men were shot near the station's entrance at about 12:35 p.m., witnesses said. Both victims were transported to Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley.

One man was shot in the abdomen and is in critical condition. The other victim — believed to be a bystander — was shot in the "lower left flank" and is expected to survive, said Hayward Fire Capt. Eric Vollmer.

Authorities are searching for the shooter or shooters and are investigating the motive.

Microscopic Black Holes... Are You Scared?

2008-09-08T15:14:00.000-07:00

Super-smasher targets massive mystery
Chapter 1: Particle collider comes close to the big bang on a small scale
By Alan Boyle
Science editor
MSNBC
updated 2:12 p.m. ET Sept. 8, 2008

MEYRIN, Switzerland - In the beginning was the big bang.

God may have been around before then — but as far as scientists are concerned, the big bang is as far back as they can go. And to get back there, they're getting ready to blast subatomic particles so energetically that the extreme conditions of the freshly born universe will be re-created on Earth.

Will those "little big bangs" crack age-old scientific mysteries? Or, despite repeated assurances from the world's top experts, will they create black holes that could gobble up the planet? After decades of preparation, scientists are finally switching on a machine that will separate the facts from what is plainly science fiction.

The machine is the $10 billion Large Hadron Collider, or LHC — the most powerful, most expensive particle-blaster ever invented. On Wednesday, Europe's CERN particle-physics lab is due to start shooting beams of protons through the LHC's 17-mile-round (27-kilometer-round) ring of tunnels beneath the French-Swiss border.

It will take months for the machine to reach full power. But eventually, those protons will be whipped up to 99.999999 percent of the speed of light, slamming together with the energy of two bullet trains colliding head-on. Underground detectors as big as cathedrals will track the subatomic wreckage on a time scale of billionths of a second. Billions of bits of data will be sent out every second for analysis.

As big as the numbers surrounding the LHC are, the mysteries it was built to address are bigger:

* What was the newborn universe made of?
* What causes things to have mass?
* Why is most of that mass hidden?
* Where did all the antimatter go?
* Is our entire universe a mere sliver of all that is?

"The LHC is the most powerful microscope that's ever been built," said John Ellis, a theoretical physicist here at CERN. "It will be able to explore the inner structure of matter on a scale that is 10 times smaller than anyone's been able to do before."

Ellis said the LHC also serves as "the most powerful telescope ever built," even though it looks inward rather than outward.

"We know that the way elementary particles interacted with each other controlled the very early universe," he explained. "So with the LHC we are able to, in some sense, re-create the conditions that existed in the universe when it was just a fraction of a second old — the sort of thing that the optical telescopes just can't see."

What's the point?
Past experiments in particle physics have yielded scores of practical spin-offs, ranging from new medical therapies to high-tech industrial materials — and even the World Wide Web, which you're using to read this report. But the potential for spin-offs isn't why more than 10,000 researchers around the world are looking forward so anxiously to the LHC.

"People ever since the ancient Greeks – and probably a long time before that – have wanted to understand how matter is made up, how it behaves, where the universe comes from,” said Ellis, surrounded in his office by stacks of research papers. “And so we are responding to that continuing human urge.”

The quest is not without controversy: Scientists say there's a chance that the LHC could create microscopic black holes, a phenomenon never before observed on Earth. They hasten to add that the tiny singularities will instantly pop out of existence, but that hasn't stopped critics from trying to block the collider's startup. Two of the critics have filed suit in federal court in Hawaii, seeking the suspension of LHC operations until more studies are done.

Responding to the critics, CERN has issued a series of reports explaining why the LHC will pose no threat. Ellis was one of the report's authors. "If the LHC were to make microscopic black holes, it would be tremendously exciting — and no danger," he said.

The 62-year-old London native has spent more than half his life at CERN, delving into topics ranging from dark matter to the theory of everything. Once the LHC is up and running, he expects to find out whether the theories he and other physicists have developed over all those years lead to solid evidence — or lead to a scientific dead end.

“Theoretically, that would be the most interesting possibility, because it would really mean that we had to tear up our notebooks of the last 45 years and start more or less from scratch,” Ellis said.

The God Particle
The theory described in all those notebooks is known as the Standard Model, which ranks among the scientific world's most successful theories. The Standard Model lays out a menagerie of subatomic particles and their interactions — and provides the basis for inventions ranging from television sets to microwave ovens to nuclear bombs.

Only one elementary particle predicted by the Standard Model has not yet been detected: the Higgs boson, which is thought to interact with other particles to give them mass. Without the Higgs, the big bang might have been an insubstantial flash in the pan — all energy, and no mass. Or so the theory goes.

The elusive Higgs boson looms so large as a gap in the Standard Model that Nobel-winning physicist Leon Lederman wrote a book about it called "The God Particle." (He joked that he wanted to call it the "Goddamn Particle," but his editor wouldn't let him.)

"This is in some sense the holy grail of particle physics, to find this missing link in the Standard Model," Ellis said. "So that's one thing that we're really looking forward to with the LHC. In fact, back when we persuaded the politicians to stump up the money to build the thing, that's probably what we told them."

Not even the LHC will be able to spot the Higgs boson directly. Instead, physicists will have to infer its existence through an analysis of the other particles that should be created when it decays. It's not an easy task, but Ellis believes the evidence should turn up within a year or two of the machine's startup.

Even that won't mark the end of the quest. Ellis compared the Higgs boson to a doorway that should lead beyond the Standard Model.

"I don't think that the Higgs door, if you like, is just closing off the room, and there is nothing beyond," he said. "I believe there's going to be a lot more physics beyond. What it's going to be, I don't know. Maybe it's supersymmetry. Maybe space has additional dimensions. Maybe it's something that we haven't thought of yet. I certainly hope it's something we haven't thought of yet. It would be great to come across a real surprise."

But Ellis and his colleagues at CERN have two nagging concerns in the back of their minds: What if somebody else finds the magic door first? Or what if they spent all these billions of dollars and there's no Higgs particle at all?

A competitive twist
Fifteen years ago, when Leon Lederman wrote "The God Particle," he thought the Higgs boson would be found in the Superconducting Super Collider, a project that was just getting started in Texas. That machine would have been four times as powerful as the LHC — but when the costs started running far beyond the initial estimates, Congress killed the program.

Over the decade that followed, U.S. scientists weren't just waiting for the LHC to be built: The focus shifted to the Tevatron collider at Fermilab in Illinois, which theorists figured might have just enough punch to pick up the Higgs' trail.

Last year, researchers at Fermilab passed the word that they had found some interesting data — readings that hinted at the presence of the Higgs but weren't yet solid enough to publish. That added a competitive twist to the grail quest.

"The longer we wait, the higher the probability that Fermilab discovers something that we wouldn't mind discovering ourselves here," Jos Engelen, CERN's chief scientific officer and deputy director general, said last year.

Beyond the God Particle
What if physicists don't find the God Particle they are expecting to see? Ellis acknowledged that was a possibility. "This might be a little bit difficult to explain to our politicians, that here they gave us 10 billion of whatever, your favorite currency unit, and we didn't find the Higgs boson," he said.

But Ellis has faith that even then, there'd be something to discover — maybe something even weirder and more wonderful than the Higgs boson.

"Probably the most likely option then might be extra dimensions," Ellis said. "And there are some ideas where if you have some additional dimensions of space, you could somehow do the job that the Higgs does in the Standard Model."

For years, string theorists have noted that their equations come out better if they assume that the universe has nine or 10 spatial dimensions instead of the three we can perceive. The LHC could provide the first evidence of those extra dimensions: Some theorists say the collisions could produce anomalously heavy particles, suggesting that part of their momentum was going into the extradimensional realm. Harvard physicist Lisa Randall estimates that the LHC could nail down the evidence for extra dimensions in five years.

Other theorists have focused on the idea that every subatomic particle should have an as-yet-undetected "supersymmetric" partner that mirrors many of the characteristics of the particles we know, but is dramatically different in other respects. The partners would have greater masses and a different spin, for example.

To date, no actual evidence of supersymmetry has been found. But if supersymmetric particles don't exist, then a lot of the theories that look beyond the Standard Model would have to be thrown out.

If supersymmetric particles do exist, they could account for a large part of the universe's dark matter. That's the 90 percent of all matter that scientists can detect only by its gravitational effect — a puzzle that has bedeviled astronomers for decades. "There are good reasons to think that these dark matter particles, if they exist, will be observable in the LHC," Ellis said.

Exploring the big-bang frontier
One of the LHC's detectors, known as ALICE, is devoted to studying the stuff that the universe was made of less than a billionth of a second after the big bang. Earlier experiments have hinted that the stuff was a super-hot liquid consisting of subatomic particles known as quarks and gluons.

For one month out of every year, the LHC will switch from smashing protons to smashing heavy lead ions, in an effort to re-create that quark-gluon soup and let ALICE analyze the recipe.

Yet another detector, LHCb, will study the tracks of particles containing specific types of quarks and antiquarks. The Standard Model predicts that equal amounts of matter and antimatter should have been produced in the big bang — but today, we see hardly any antimatter in nature. That's a good thing, because matter and antimatter annihilate each other when they come in contact, leaving pure energy behind.

LHCb will follow up on earlier experiments that suggest matter won out over antimatter because they somehow decay in different ways.

And then there are the wild cards in the deck: Could the LHC really create black holes or exotic forms of matter? What about all these claims that the world is in peril?

Tuesday: Doomsday fears and futuristic dreams
© 2008 MSNBC Interactive

Shiny Disco Balls

2008-09-05T13:05:00.000-07:00

Well, I made it through my first two weeks of school. Granted, only 2 of my 4 classes had already started, but I made it. So far, so good. First 2 homework assignments, done and done! Next week, I start the 2 harder graduate-level classes. So we'll see how chipper I am by this time next week haha.
I bought myself a laptop on Wednesday. I still don't have a car, but now I have pretty new electronical devices to play with! I converted over to Mac-land and got the cheapest of the MacBooks for $1099. Student discount of $100 so $999... plus an iTouch for free (after rebate = $299). So now I have a computer at my townhouse woohoo! I've been living there since April with no computer. Kinda lame. I didn't really have room for my desk and pc! Well, really I just didn't want to clutter up my space with the desk and pc. So now I can leave it at my dad's house for him to use plus I still have it should the need arise.
What about your car, you may ask... it's in the shop. My boss's brother's shop in Hayward. He verified on Wednesday that my engine does, indeed, need to be replaced. Yuckie. I was hoping that I only needed a new timing belt, but I was wrong. He quoted me $2875. I guess that's do-able. Only because I was gonna spend $3000 on a used car anyways.
And that's what's new with me this week.

Who's Gonna Save My Soul?

2008-08-28T07:53:00.000-07:00

Me? I is exhausted. Yesterday was not a happy day for me. I made it into work at 7, that part was semi-okay. Had my co-worker Russell give me a ride in. Then I left for BART at about 8:15 from another co-worker, Paula. Got to campus pretty early and had the worst white mocha possibly known to man. I think they burned the espresso or something. I drank it anyways, don't get me wrong.... but it was in no way as delicious as I would have hoped. Must be all new people working at the coffee place on campus now. Hopefully it'll be better next time, cuz I needs me the coffee to make it through class! So, class was from 10:10-11:00. Boring. But, since I've taken the class before (at CSUH, from my least fave teacher), I'd expect no better than boring. That's a good sign, really. We'll just see how I do otherwise. After class, I was walking to the elevator and my freakin' arch-nemesis was standing there. I just kept on walking. What I really wanted to do was stop and scream in her face and then keep walking, but I thought better of myself, as the hall was pretty crowded with people. So I took the stairs instead. Barf. Not the best way to start my semester, let me tell you. So I went outside for a smoke and called the boy to calm my nerves from seeing her, mostly so I wouldn't start hysterically crying. He didn't answer, but he did call me back later. Thank goodness. I didn't want to keep that pent up rage/anger/misery inside for too long and all of my good school friends weren't on campus (since they're not re-taking that class like I am). Anyways, hopped on BART and made it back to Oakland at noon where I really didn't want to walk to work. Called another co-worker, Memo, to see if he was going out for lunch and if he could swoop me up when he did so. Met him at Subway and made it back to work a little before 1. Searched for work to do.... which was a little disconcerting since I came all the way back from school to work and I really had nothing to do. Got another co-worker, Richard, to give me a ride back to BART at 3:30. Had GRE Prep class at 5:10. Kinda interesting. Short lecture on Laboratory Techniques: standard deviation vs. uncertainty, graphing Bell's curve and log-log and semi-log plots... etc. Was outta there at about 6. Waited for my friend Aariel to show up on campus to say hi. It's nice to know someone outside of the physics department! After she was off to class, I got in line for the shuttle back to BART. And I waited. And I waited. And I waited. I'm pretty sure there was only the one shuttle bus. So I waited for about an hour. All I wanted to do at this point (about 7 now) was go home and curl up into a ball and pass the eff out. But no. Instead, I waited. For so long. I could have walked it faster than that. If you could walk on the freeway, of course. Anyways, finally got to BART at 8 and was on a train back to the CV within 5 minutes. The ride is about another hour, in which my phone was about to die. I was trying to hold onto it's life for as long as possible so I could get picked up from CV BART when I got there. Luckily, my roommate was there waiting when I pulled in about 9. Got home, charged my phone. Ryan was so worried about me because he called and called while my phone was off/dead. He came over and gave me hugs and kisses galore and held me until I fell asleep. I fall asleep so much faster when he is with me. Maybe my brain doesn't go a mile a minute when he's there. Either way, I was out by 11.
Never again.
I am officially taking Wednesdays off of work and staying on campus the whole day. Which means I'll be working on Saturdays which I am less than thrilled about, but what can you do? I can't commute back and forth like that. It was just too damn much.

Leaving On A Jetplane

2008-08-26T10:11:00.000-07:00

I'm gonna need a jetplane for this school schedule I got this semester. Starting tomorrow. Woot. I can't even contain my excitement. Here it is. Laugh at me, please. So's I won't cry.

Monday/Friday:
Work 7-8:15 am
BART/Bus to campus 8:20-9:45
Undergrad Electromagnetism II 10:10-11:00
Bus/BART to Oakland 11:30-12:30
Work 12:30-5

Tuesday/Thursday:
Work 7-3:30
BART/Bus to campus 3:30-4:45
Grad Statistical Mechanics 5-6:30
Bus/BART to Castro Valley/Oakland

Wednesday:
Work 7-8:15 am
BART/Bus to campus 8:20-9:45
Undergrad Electromagnetism II 10:10-11:00
Bus/BART to Oakland 11:30-12:30
Work 12:30-3:30
BART/Bus to campus 3:30-4:45
Physics GRE Prep Course 5:00-???
Bus/BART to Castro Valley/Oakland (wherever my non-existent car is)

Somewhere in there is homework and independent study in General Relativity...

Shoot me now.

Butterflies and Hurricanes

2008-08-25T08:06:00.000-07:00

And just when I thought that things couldn't get any better... Ryan took me away for the weekend. I'm pretty sure he's officially the best boyfriend ever. I've decided to nickname him bbe for short. Not as cute as his for me... he calls me Sarah Star or his Shiny Star. I wanted to call him the Ry-meister because he love love loves Jagermeister, but he said that makes him sound too much like an alcoholic. He's probably right.
Anyways, the weekend... awesome!!! He called me when I was on my way home from work on Friday afternoon to see if I wanted to go away with him and I said a hundred times yes! I start school on Wednesday and didn't really do too much all summer, so I figured what the hell. Who needs to go car shopping when there is fun to be had? He wanted to go home and take a nap before heading out (so as to also miss traffic times), said he'd call me. He did call me... at 1 in the morning. He also loves to sleep, I may have failed to mention that. I was pretty mad. I canceled all my other fun plans for Friday night (poker night with the peeps) since I had no car and wound up doing nothing on Friday night until Ry came over. I hate being mad at him. It's too hard! Especially when he comes over to make things better. I want to just be like, "whatever, it doesn't matter anymore." But then it keeps on happening! This was not the first time that he's basically kept me waiting all night because he wanted to take an 8 hour "nap" after work. I don't want to be pessimistic and just always assume he will flake on me, but at the same time, I don't want to sit at home alone on a Friday night on my last free weekend before school starts!
Needless to say, he did come over and made things right with me when he did wake up. And we were on our way to Tahoe on Saturday morning. Yay for weekends with boys! We had so much fun! On our way up, we stopped and had the best burger ever at a place called Moo-Moo's. Yum-o! When we got there, we went to a few casinos to see how much a room would be. The first place said $450. Yep, you read that right. $450. Holy shiat. And no, thank you. The next place said $299, and they were at 107%, so we moved on. To the parking lot. Where we went online to Orbitz to book a room from his phone. Got a room, semi-close-by, for $150. Showered and changed. Then to the gambling. Where we both lost kind of a lot of money on Blackjack, Roulette, and Hold 'Em. But we had fun losing it! And got slightly drunk off of free drinks in the interim. Dinner was sushi. Hecka yummy sushi, mind you. On the walk back to the hotel, we stopped for some beer and Jager and snacks. And the rest of the night I will leave to your imagination. But it was fun. In case you were wondering.
Sunday, we woke up, checked out of the hotel, and had some breakfast. Gambled a little bit more. Just enough for me to lose my money and for Ry to almost make up for what I lost. Then he took me to Emerald Bay. It was so beautiful. I had never actually been to Tahoe in the summertime, and it was amazing. It was hot, which seemed a little weird to me... like 85-90 degrees outside and shit. But we hiked down the 1 mile slope to the beach below. There's some weird Viking house there. The water was pretty cold, but felt really good on the footsies after hiking in the sun. We wandered around a bit down there before hiking back up in the sun. And then we headed back for home. Stopped for dinner at Chevy's. Grabbed a couple movies from Blockbuster. Passed out pretty early, after watching The Bank Job.
So yeah! BBE! Best Boyfriend Ever. I finally found a guy who can take care of me. And wants to. I can hang out with him as a friend and be intimate with him when we are alone. And either way, he makes me happy. And stress-free. Until Wednesday. Today, he's picking me up from work to go and look at cars when he is off work. Hopefully we find something good. I'm already sick of looking for rides and it's only been one day.
Happy Monday!
*S*

Won't You Smile Awhile For Me...

2008-08-22T12:07:00.000-07:00

It's been brought to my attention that I haven't updated the status with the boy in a good while... so why not now, before I start school and go back into hibernation:
Status: EXCELLENT!
I couldn't be happier right now, to be perfectly honest. I can't say it hasn't been the smoothest ride up until this point, but I feel like I can be patient, when the need arises. Maybe because my feelings for him are so strong. Maybe because I am growing as a person. Who knows... either way, as of today I am completely content. I'm not worried. I don't doubt his feelings for me. I feel great, really.
He scared me for a little while. I'm not sure why he doubted my feelings for him... something to work on, I guess. Maybe after it was all said and done, he realized that he doesn't need to doubt me. I hope so. Something in my gut told me to believe him, to trust him, and now everything is better. Insert big smiley face here.
He's been terrific to me through all my car drama. So supportive. I'm not sure he knows how much it's meant to me the last week that he's been here for me. With me. Taking care of me, really. I try so hard to be a strong, independent woman, but sometimes it's just nice to have an even stronger shoulder to cry on and lament to. And he's provided that. He makes me goo. I melt still every time I see him. Little puddles of Sarah goo. I know Sierra knows what I'm talking about. It's so nice that we both can be goo simultaneously! That never happens! And Becky is goo too. She's engaged, even. My little sissy, all growed up. Tear.
So, question: Should the one year mark be the day we met, or the day we were official? How do you guys determine it?
Really, it doesn't matter. I am trying to live each day new. At least for now. It's kinda nice, really. Especially when I get to wake up in his arms. I almost forgot that feeling. Safe. Happy.
And just in time for school, when all these feelings of contentment will become stripped of me. Yay. :( Let the stress begin.

Honking Antelopes

2008-08-18T08:28:00.000-07:00

Well, it's pretty much official. The Kia is dead. I can't say it wasn't my fault, it probably was. Here's what happened:
Last Thursday, on my way home from work on 880, my car randomly turned off. Thankfully, there was a bit of traffic (880 + rush hour = poop), so I managed to coast across the 3 lanes to the off ramp shoulder. Did I pee my pant anyways? Just about. It was stop and go, so as I was about to go, there was nothing. My radio was still on, but no car power otherwise. WTF?!?!?!? I looked down and the car was dead. Tried to restart to no avail. Turned on my hazards and my blinker and was able to coast safely to the side of the freeway. I called my dad, shaking... then called AAA for a tow. Told them I would tow it to the Kia dealership, since that was the closest place I could think of to take it from my location on Marina Blvd. So, I called Kia to let them know I was coming when the Freeway Patrol Service stopped by to see if I needed help: gas, a jump start, etc. They were able to tow me off the freeway to a drop location, which turned out to be almost as far as the dealership, but in the opposite direction. Whatever. My dad picked my up from the dealership which at this point was closed.
On Saturday, while I was at my company picnic, they called and left me a voicemail to say that my timing belt had stripped, causing my engine to seize. :( Now here's the zinger: this is still covered under my warranty if I could show receipts that I got the 60,000 and 90,000 mile check ups, proving that my timing belt had been checked out as a preventative measure. Which I didn't do. So, it was probably my fault the whole thing happened! Stupid me!!! I had my stupid clutch replaced at 70,000 miles, you would think that might count for something.... we'll see if it does. I haven't called them back yet. But really? I am not putting any more money into that stupid car. I'd rather spend the money on a car that can get me through the next year of school, at least. Then I can get the car that I really want, after I finally start my career.
I hate being so dependent on cars. Now I don't know what to do. I start school next Tuesday, so that doesn't leave me much time to get my shit together. Today I will go by the dealership and see exactly how much it would cost to fix and if its more than $1000, which it will be, I guess I'll get a new car. Actually, my dad took me down Auto Row yesterday to look at some options, and there was a nice looking Nissan for $3000 that was a stick. I want to get a diagnostic on it before anything else, but I'm not sure how that works. "Hey, car salesman, can I borrow this car for a few hours to get a diagnostic?" Will they let me?
And then there's still the problem with the Kia being at the dealership. I'm sure they're going to make me take it away. Where the hell do I take it? What am I supposed to do with a car that doesn't have a working engine?
Argh! What the hell did I do to Karma to deserve this one? Have I been too happy lately or something???
Le sigh.

Why I'm Not Practicing...

2008-07-23T12:52:00.000-07:00

Woman stabs herself during Wiccan ceremony
Accident happens during good-luck ritual
updated 3:24 p.m. MT, Tues., July. 22, 2008

LEBANON, Ind. - A woman accidentally stabbed herself in the foot with a 3-foot-long sword while performing a Wiccan good luck ritual at a cemetery in central Indiana.

Katherine Gunther, 36, of Lebanon, pierced her left foot with the sword while performing the rite at Oak Hill Cemetery, police said.

Gunther said she was performing the ceremony to give thanks for a recent run of good luck. The ceremony involves the use of candles, incense and driving swords into the ground during the full moon.

Gunther said was aiming to put the sword in the ground, but hit her foot instead.

"It wasn't the first time I performed the ritual, but it was the first time I put a sword through my foot," she said.

Gunther immediately pulled the sword out of her foot, and her companions took her to Witham Memorial Hospital, where she was kept a couple days for treatment.

No charges were filed, police said. The Wiccans were warned that being in the cemetery in the city about 20 miles northwest of Indianapolis after posted visiting hours constitutes trespassing.

Wicca is a nature-based religion based on respect for the earth, nature and the cycle of the seasons.

10,000 Days

2008-07-03T10:32:00.000-07:00

Sierra: Yay for awesome hikes

me: i know! it was perfect weather yesterday
Sent at 10:23 AM on Thursday

me: we had to walk past a huge group of cows
i was scared
pretty sad, i know

Sierra: why were you scared of the cows?
Have you been bum rushed by cows before?

me: no but there were so many of them!
they could totally crush me by head butting me or something
:-o

Sierra: OK
LOL
you are funny

me: have you ever had to walk past cows before?
theyre intimidating, man!

Sierra: lol
Um yeah but I think usually they are behind a fence
One day all the grazing cows came over to watch me run by it was cute
Sent at 10:32 AM on Thursday

me: these guys were in the pathway
like 10 of them
all staring at us with their dead eyes

Sierra: did you find it creepy?

me: i wanted to run
do you think cows can sense fear?
or are they too stupid?

Sierra: I dunno
lol
I would be afraid to run

me: i was wearing red too
i think that's a myth
and they were all girl cows

Sierra: I think it's ok as long as they wern't bulls
hee hee hee

Eating Seeds As A Pastime Activity

2008-06-02T12:14:00.000-07:00

The results are in:
I am no longer on academic probation.
Phew.
And thank goodness!
The official grades are:
Quantum Mechanics = B+
Astrophysics = A-
Total GPA = 3.17
Woooooo! I mean, it's not anything to write home about and it won't get me into any ph.d programs, but it gives me a wee amount of breathing room for next semester. In which I am taking Statistical Mechanics, Undergrad E&M II (retaking it since I learned zippo the first time 'round and I have to take a grad level E&M class in the spring), GRE Physics Prep Class (have to pass the GRE with 25th %ile or better in order to graduate), and General Relativity (taken credit/no credit only since it'll be independent study). So um yeah. I'll be a busy busy bee next year if I want to graduate next May. Honestly? We'll see what happens.
So.. since school is over, I have not much else to report. Work is lame since the economy is not so good right now. So I am not allowed to help with testing in the lab for the time being so that the lab guys have enough work to do... but that means I am working only on reports which can get tedious and old pretty fast. Plus, it depends on what those lab guys are doing on how much work I have since I pretty much get paid to make their test results look presentable. Whatevs. At least it pays the bills. I just hit my 4 year mark with the company and haven't had a raise in over a year... but I doubt I can ask for one due to afore-mentioned economy crisis. C'mon economy! Pick it up! People! Start building things again! Sarah needs something to do this summer!
Enough with the rant.

If I Can't Have You, I Don't Want Nobody, Baby!

2008-05-16T13:08:00.000-07:00

So... the quantum grade is in already and it's a B+. I'm ever so slightly disappointed. I was really hoping on, nay, counting on an A or at least an A-. You know, that whole academic probation thing is still hanging over my head. Granted, the B+ brings up my GPA to a 3.0, the minimum I am allowed as a grad student. What does that mean? I have no cushion. That means I have to get a B or better in my Astro calss. Sad face. I was really wanting to do extra well this semester so I wouldn't have to worry about this anymore! Argh!

On a lighter note, here's an interesting article from msn.com:

Einstein's 'God' letter fetches $400,000
He dismissed belief as product of human weakness, called Bible 'childish'

LONDON - A letter in which Albert Einstein dismissed the idea of God as the product of human weakness and the Bible as "pretty childish" has sold at auction for more than $400,000.

Bloomsbury Auctions said Friday that the handwritten letter sold to an overseas collector after frenetic bidding late Thursday in London. The sale price of $404,000, including the buyer's premium, was more than 25 times the pre-sale estimate.

Bloomsbury did not identify the buyer, but managing director Rupert Powell said it was someone with "a passion for theoretical physics and all that that entails."

"This extraordinary letter seemed to strike a chord, and it gave a deep personal insight one of the greatest minds of the 20th century," Powell said.

The letter was written to philosopher Eric Gutkind in January 1954, a year before Einstein's death. In it, the Einstein said that "the word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honorable but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish."

"For me," he added, "the Jewish religion like all other religions is an incarnation of the most childish superstitions."

Addressing the idea that the Jews are God's chosen people, Einstein wrote that "the Jewish people to whom I gladly belong and with whose mentality I have a deep affinity have no different quality for me than all other people. As far as my experience goes, they are also no better than other human groups, although they are protected from the worst cancers by a lack of power. Otherwise I cannot see anything 'chosen' about them."

Bloomsbury spokesman Richard Caton said the auction house was "100 percent certain" of the letter's authenticity. It was offered at auction for the first time, by a private vendor.

'Rather quirky about religion'
Einstein experts say the letter supports the argument that the physicist held complex, agnostic views on religion. He rejected organized faith but often spoke of a spiritual force at work in the universe.

John Brooke, emeritus professor of science and religion at Oxford University, said the letter lends weight to the notion that "Einstein was not a conventional theist" — although he was not an atheist, either.

"Like many great scientists of the past, he is rather quirky about religion, and not always consistent from one period to another," Brooke said.

Born to a Jewish family in Germany in 1879, Einstein said he went through a devout phase as a child before beginning to question conventional religion at the age of 12.

In later life, he expressed a sense of wonder at the universe and its mysteries — what he called a "cosmic religious feeling" — and famously said: "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind."

But he also said: "I do not believe in the God of theology who rewards good and punishes evil. My God created laws that take care of that. His universe is not ruled by wishful thinking, but by immutable laws."

Brooke said Einstein believed that "there is some kind of intelligence working its way through nature. But it is certainly not a conventional Christian or Judaic religious view."

Einstein's most famous legacy is the special theory of relativity, which makes the point that a large amount of energy could be released from a tiny amount of matter, as expressed in the equation e=mc2 (energy equals mass times the speed of light squared). The theory changed the face of physics, allowing scientists to make predictions about space and paving the way for nuclear power and the atomic bomb.

Einstein's musings on science, war, peace and God helped make him world famous, and his scientific legacy prompted Time magazine to name him its Person of the 20th Century.

Did I Fail To Mention...

2008-04-22T09:05:00.000-07:00

That I got 48/50 on my Graduate Quantum Mechanics midterm? Can I get a what-what? Maybe my calling isn't Astrophysics, after all...

Giving All My Power To The Money Machine

2008-04-20T12:42:00.000-07:00

This just in: Friday night, the boy asked me to be his girlfriend. Granted, he was more than just a littled effed up at the time... but he asked, no less. He actually texted me earlier in the evening saying he had something to tell me. Which kinda freaked me out. Especially since he proceeded to lose contact with me for the next few hours. So, I think he was serious about it? We had breakfast the next morning and I mentioned that he said that and he wasn't terribly surprised (but didn't remember). Since he was drunk at the time, I asked him to ask me again when he was sober. So, of course when he didn't remember, I was a little sad. But I think his words the next day were, "the offer still stands." Grr. Boys are a little slow sometimes. Does he not realize that I wanted him to REALLY ask again? "The offer still stands" is so blah! Whatever. I'll take what I can get. He also said those three little words when we were all cuddled together. I didn't tell him about that part. That, we can save for another day.

A Friend With Weed Is Better

2008-04-16T12:09:00.000-07:00

Cliffhanger indeed! Sheesh! I's been a busy, busy girl since my last post!
First things first, the boy and I never really discussed issues any further. I'm okay with that, for now. Enough was discussed at the time to keep me at bay. Besides, I have more important things on my mind right now to get overly stressed out on boy stuff, right? Needless to say, things have been going really well with him. I'm not calling him my boyfriend, but what's in a word, really? He explained his side, I explained mine. We'll leave it at that for now.
Midterms are finally over! I had one oral exam on my birthday which totally blew, but it's over so yay. My other midterm was a take home and I turned it in yesterday. So now it's back to the normal school stuff. My Astro teacher decided that he was overloading us with work and thus is giving us an option to either take another oral exam final or write the paper. I am waiting to see how well I did on the last oral before making my decision. Really? Oral would be less time consuming. But I'd prolly do better if I wrote the paper. But it's nice that he finally realized how much he's expecting from us.
I moved! Out of the parentals! Woot! I moved at the beginning of the month into a townhouse in CV with my friend from CSUH, Josh. Awesome! I was so ready to move out. I love my daddy and all, but there's only so long I can handle living with him again (aka, one year). So I moved out. Josh is one of those WoW peeps, so he wouldn't move in until we got internet. Specifically, cable internet. Which was Monday. So I had my own place for 10 whole days. 'Twas nice, actually! On my birthday, the boy brought me sushi with candles in it and we stayed in and watched a movie in my own place. :) yay. It's hard dating when you both live at home with parents! But such is the Bay Area life, I s'pose.
Yeah, yeah... need to work now. Hope that can tide you over, Ms. Shiva!!! Much kisses!
*S*

So Give Me Something To Believe

2008-03-25T16:04:00.000-07:00

Still no word back from the boy. It's hardly been a day and a half, but I still want the letter to be ash. It's to the point of making me sick to my stomach. When I think about it. Which is pretty much always.
I realized today that even though I am on Spring Break, I should prolly actually work on school stuff. I was trying my damnest to ignore it, but really? I don't want to be uber stressed out in two weeks when I am overwhelmed with midterms and papers and homeworks. Yuck! So I seriously need to finish up the homework that was due last Friday that my teacher decided to give us the break to finish up. And? 15 page paper comes to mind. And seeing as how I completely skipped over the undergrad Astrophysics class (it was cancelled, so I went straight into the grad level Astrophysics course), I have a lot of research to do on my topic (X-Ray Binary Formation and Evolution) before I can even do the research. Since I have zero background on the subject except a nice picture in my brain of a star swirling around a black hole which is gobbling up the star's mass (pretty picture, actually... but I can't write 15 pages on how much I think the picture is pretty, right?), I need to actually LEARN about X-Ray Binary Systems before I can delve right into reading 5 recent physics journal arcticles on the topic (not the easiest of tasks, if you've ever tried to read a physics journal article on a topic you know nothing about...). And then come up with 15 pages to write about! Wooooo! And a smidgen of hoo to boot.
So that's where I've been all semester. Learning about stuff so I can learn about stuff. I guess that's what Grad school is all about? I dunno. I'm not even sure anymore that I want to even do Astrophysics. It's pretty hard! But then what? I kinda like Quantum. I hear there's a Quantum Astrophysics field that is up and coming... I'll have to look into that. After the paper is done, of course. Providing I ever even start it. Teehee. Such the procrastinator, I am.

Black Holes and Revelations

2008-03-24T09:08:00.000-07:00

Sarah made a booboo yesterday. She told the boy that she is in love with him. What the eff, man?!?!? What was I thinking? Was I even thinking at all? Everything was all fine and good and we had a fun night at D&B's on Saturday night. Sunday morn, he went to take a shower and get ready for family gathering nonsense and by the time he came back, I was in tears. So here's the deal. We've been dating for (almost) 6 months and I kinda feel like we're in limbo-land. I understand that he has girlfriend issues right now because of some past bull that he had to deal with... but I just can't sit idylly by anymore. I have feelings too! And if he isn't going to step up to the plate at some point, now is the time for me to know. I guess that's my argument. I dunno anymore. I was sad because all these doubts are totally overwhelming. But in the end, I had to tell him. He was utterly confused as to why I was happy when he left me and in tears when he came back. I had to tell him something, why not the truth? So now I dunno. He wanted me to write everything down because sometimes it's easier to get thoughts out on paper. I would have agreed with him 5 years ago. But writing all that stuff down just made me feel icky inside. Basically it was like this, "Here's how I feel - and here's why I am sad because of it." So it was a pretty depressing note by the end, in my opinion. I wanted to burn it. I still do. But he talked me into letting him keep it so he could mull it over for a few days and get back to me. Then I'll burn it. I want no evidence of 4 pages of negative thoughts roaming around my life. Blegh. So now I wait until he has some sort of organized feedback for me. I felt worse before I saw him last night. He keeps telling me not to worry... but the last time I said "I love you" to someone, he broke my heart immediately following. I know Ry wants nothing to do with another broken Sarah heart... so I hope he can move forward with me.
Oh yeah and Wooooooo Spring Break!

Empty Walls

2008-03-11T12:49:00.000-07:00

Hey all!
I went and saw Serj Tankian on Saturday night at the Warfield. Awesome. With a little sprinkle of FANTABULOUS on top! What a good show! And the Warfield? I forgot how utterly awesome that place is!!! I went with the boy - who is not my boyfriend, but technically he is cuz we are exclusive but whatever.
Shortest post ever. More to come when I'm not at work haha.
*S*

If You Show Me Heaven I Will Meet You There

2007-12-29T14:52:00.000-08:00

Well, evil demon-lady gave me a B-. I should be happy it isn't a C, but I worked my ass off for a freakin' B-. That means that if I don't get a combo of a B+ and a B or better next semester, I am out of the program.
I hope she's happy.
And to think, I still have another class to take from her before my time at SFSU is done. And it's a harder class. Vomit.

How Long Must We Sing This Song?

2007-12-14T14:06:00.000-08:00

Finals.
Need I say more?
Noether's Theorem can go eff itself. Even if Noether was a chick. And there are never any chick theorems in physics. I dare you to check out the proof here. Part (c) of Problem #3 on my PHYS 701 final will be on this principle. Be sad for me. Be scared for me. Most of all, be glad you are not me.

"Noether's theorem is a central result in theoretical physics that shows that a conservation law can be derived from any continuous symmetry. For example, the conservation of energy is a consequence of the fact that all laws of physics (including the values of the physical constants) are invariant under translation through time; they do not change as time passes.

Noether's theorem, published in 1918, holds for all physical laws based upon the action principle. It is named after the early 20th century mathematician Emmy Noether. Noether's theorem is a relationship of classical mechanics between pairs of conjugate variables—if the action is invariant under a shift in one of the two physical variables, then the equations of motion resulting from holding that action stationary conserve the value of the other of the pair of variables. These conjugate pairs also play a crucial role in quantum theory—they are the pairs of variables that are related by the Heisenberg uncertainty principle (such as position and momentum, time and energy, angle and angular momentum, etc)."

(From Wikipedia, who I wish would do my final for me)

Never Let Me Down Again

2007-11-26T18:21:00.000-08:00

Is it too early to want my school-free week back? I had way too much fun with my family and lovely friends and surprise visits and and and... well, you know.
Sure would be nice if afore-mentioned boy called a girl back. But I'm not REALLY counting how long it takes... on the outside...
Short post = too much homework a-waiting!
Stars!

Across the Universe

2007-11-16T15:07:00.000-08:00

I have a whoooole week off of school for Thanksgiving and guess what that means? One free blog-no guilt attached!

So, I have been in a funk all week. Well, not all week... since I finally got some freakin' sweet bootie on Sunday night! Yippee! Yep, met a boy. In a bar. In Castro Valley, of all places. It was on the night of the CV Pub Crawl at the beginning of October, and it was the last stop of the night-so you can imagine how utterly hammered I was. Anyways, cute boy wants a kiss. Drunk Sarah hasn't had any kisses in a long time so obliges. Yum yum! Puts phone number in his cell, not expecting a phone call ever. But gets one the following week! Doesn't answer, nor call back... he calls again. Wants a date. Okee dokee, why the hell not. He takes me to comedy show and pool hall. Much fun was had and more kisses. Following weekend watched scary movies at his house. More kisses. Following weekend went to the movies and dinner. Yep, kissing occurred. And last weekend watched more movies and got me some lovin'! ;) Happy Sarah was me on the Monday. Happy Sarah will be me on this weekend, if I can help it! ;)

Sad Sarah was Tuesday when ELIZABETH of all mother lovin people was on MY elevator on my way out of class. Ok, so it's not MY elevator, but how is it that I haven't seen her face since the first day of school in August until now. And of course she absolutely has to say something. I wouldn't have even noticed it was her if she hadn't said anything. Why she feels the need to say anything is beyond me. We are not friends. We haven't been in a very long time. And it was her flippin' decision to not be friends in the first place. So why the hell did she need to say words to me? She didn't. And she doesn't. And so then, to my disgust, she gets on the elevator again on Thursday and says more words to me. I couldn't even look at her. I wanted to punch her in the face or barf on her head... It took me all of Tuesday night to get over seeing her the one time and then it happens again?!?!?! Do I need to be taking the stairs now? Just stop saying words to me. WE ARE NOT FRIENDS. And not-friends say not-words to each other. They do nothing! Let's do nothing, shall we, Elizabeth? I thought that was the agreement, here. We are either friends who say words or not-friends who say not-words. There's no such thing as an aquaintanceship for us anymore. We are well beyond that point. So if you want words, then there needs to be more words than elevator words. And that's all on you.

Okay...
Rant:done
Happy-speak:done

What's left... school? Not much to say about that. I hate it. I am reaching a point where I want to quit. Seeing Elizabeth prolly didn't help that much. I'm hoping it's just bcuz this semester is almost over and I'm just over it. But I'm realizing more and more that it's the math I am good at and enjoy more so than the physics. The physics is hard. And I just don't always get it. Is that a sign? Or is it just because, after taking 2 years off of school and starting my master's program off with 2 extremely math-based physics classes hasn't truly gotten me back into the swing of things? I'll give it another go next semester with a lovely Grad level Quantum class and a nice big heaping of Undergrad Astrophysics... that should give me the tell-tale signs I'm looking for. It scares me to think that if I decide to switch to Math... she'd actually be IN my classes. Let's not think about that.

Okay, back to work. I'll see you all back in another 2 months haha.
No, seriously, I'll try to update more soonlier than that.
And yes, soonlier is a word.

*S to the Arah*

Once More, With Feeling

2007-08-24T10:41:00.000-07:00

Physics tests are stoopid. Especially ones that are 11 pages long, 17 questions, and take 7 hours to complete. Granted, it was open book. And I took extreme advantage of that fact... I had my Jansport Backpack and my Sierra Club Messenger Bag chalked full of reference material. About 11 books total, one binder full of notes, index cards that I had previously prepared for myself for the Physics GRE, and a graphing calculator. Plus my lunch, of course. I lugged all of that on my poor back and shoulders from Castro Valley BART to Daly City BART to SFSU via a MUNI bus. Fun times, let me tell you. I've decided to do the BART and bus thing instead of driving... it costs about the same in the end. BART is $4.45 each way, the bus is free. Driving would mean $4 toll charge over the bridge, $5 to park on campus all day (or else find 2 hour parking for free and move may car every 2 hours-ick!), plus any gas charges of course. So BART won the prize. Which means I am going to get bored pretty dang quick with all my breaks between classes, having no car to go exploring in. It's pretty much all residential around the campus. On the upside, I won't get all aggro being stuck in commuter traffic twice a week. We'll see how much I hate BART and bus when the rains come...
Back to the test: it covered pretty much what I was expecting it to. Doesn't mean it was easy. By any means. I wanted to rip my hair out of my head, actually. All for the sake of placing me. Stoopid placing me. Can't they just be happy with my freakin' DEGREE????? I am not being graded on it, technically. It's just to see where I have holes in my education. Since we all come from different places, different schools, different curriculums, different educations... makes sense-if you don't have a DEGREE in physics. Which I do. I don't want to have to retake those classes. I was glad to be done with my undergrad for a reason!!! Monday, I have an appointment with my advisor to go over the test. But I pretty much know how I did. We'll see what he has to say.
On a happier note, got to hang with my girls after the test. All I really wanted was to curl up in the fetal position for many many hours days weeks whathaveyou... but I decided that I needed to move on from the poo depressed stage of post-test. So we had coffee. 'Twas nice. We rarely get to go out the three of us anymore.
Then it was Buffy time! Yaaaay! There has got to be nothing better than "Once More, With Feeling" on the big screen as a sing-a-long (that would be the musical episode of Buffy, for those of you who never discovered the show's awesomeness) with a full theater of fellow Buffy enthusiasts! Who can be depressed after that plus 2 additional episodes in all their cheesy glory? Not me, that's for sure!!!

Rebar Girl

2007-08-20T15:23:00.000-07:00

Here's something I would gladly go without having to look at for the next 3 days:

But alas, I agreed to help out Fernando again while his bro is in town from NY. Blah. Did I mention I have to be in Napa tomorrow at 5:30 in the am? Blah to the second power.

Wish me luck.

Panther Rock

2007-08-15T09:45:00.001-07:00

Everyone should hang out at beaches!
Cuz it's fun!
Especially when there are caves to crawl into!

Beaches Are Fun

2007-08-13T08:48:00.000-07:00

It's getting down to the line, folks! I have 15 days of freedom left before school starts. Freaked out much? Why yes, yes I am. I had orientation on Saturday for the new school and all its grad-iness. Not only do I have to jump through a half million hoops for these people before I can actually receive my degree, but I have to maintain a 3.0 GPA in the process, with nothing less than a C in any class. Not that I am a C student, bcuz I am not and never have been. But it's still a little bit intimidating on paper. Campus is tiny, but I like it all in all. Not much is nearby... within walking distance is Lake Merritt, but that's about it. UCSF and Golden Gate Park are close-ish. So that means that Logan will come have some lunch with me sometimes-yay! I have been thinking about getting a new bike so I have some sort of transportation... but I don't know that it's necessary. Since Daly City is consistently and constantly covered in a blanket of fog, riding a bike may not be the funnest. I remember having to ride my bike in Chico in the rainy season and nothing good ever came of it! So we'll see. I should be spending my breaks studying or working on homework or something equally productive, anyways. It's just that they're so loooooong.

Yesterday was beach day. I so needed it before embarking on this journey! We went to Panther Rock-classic! It always amazes me that we don't go there more often. It's less than 1.5 hours away, it's generally sunny (altho often windy), and there's never hoards of people there! We had a beautifully terrific day lounging about the beach in the waves and in the caves.

Relaxation is key.

Knights in White Satin

2007-07-24T05:45:00.000-07:00

I must say that waking up at the butt crack of dawn for the purpose of working is not fun in the slightest. For the past two days, I have been waking up at 4:30, getting picked up at 5:00, and starting work at 5:30 in the a.m. Yucky! Yesterday was especially difficult, it being Monday and all. I couldn't really get to sleep as early as I would have liked, and then I was so scared I wouldn't wake up at 4:30 or that I would turn off my alarm without getting up that I woke up every 45 minutes to an hour for the duration of the time that I was sleeping. Today was a little better. I set my cell phone alarm as a back-up, and that helped to get me to sleep through the night without waking up. I feel way more rested today! Granted, I have a sore throat and a slight cough, but minor details. I'm ignoring it for now. Just for today. Then I go back to my normal schedule until Friday, when Fernando leaves for Mexico for a week and I take his place getting up early. Yucky!

It's What You Do To Me

2007-07-20T11:26:00.000-07:00

Hey! Here are some good pics of testing I do at my new job!

Pretty bizarre looking, eh?

Black Holes and Revelations

2007-07-19T12:53:00.001-07:00

Had to go back to my old job today to pick up a check from San Ramon. 'Twas weird being there on the other side of things - picking up a check as opposed to cutting the check. It was a year ago in April that I moved over to the lab. I'd say that I don't miss that awful desk job pushing papers, but I kind of do. It was definitely easier in the sense that I wasn't lifting heavy things, unless a huge stack of paper counts as "heavy." Everyone who was still there seemed pretty excited to see me. So that was nice. I got some big hugs and good lucks (for going back to school). I even got the latest gossip. Girl/office gossip is so much different than boy/lab gossip! My old Accounts Payable boss wants me to report the happenings described previously about my now old Met Lab boss to the President of the company so that some action will be taken to correct his behavior. Since the big boss here in Oak-town isn't going to do anything drastic himself. She said she'd put something together and show me before she brings it up to the Pres. She doesn't want to do anything I wouldn't agree to. On the one hand, I think it's a good idea. It's awesome that she's got my back, still, even though I left her for the lab... on the other hand, do I want to go over anyone's head that I would have to see everyday? I dunno. She claims it's a law-suit waiting to happen. And she's right. I could probably sue the company for harrassment. I wouldn't, but I could. So maybe getting the President involved is the right thing to do in this case. So it doesn't happen again to someone who might sue the company. Plus, he likes me. If he knew that I was treated badly, he wouldn't be pleased. At all. What do you guys think? Should I do something?

See You on the Dark Side of the Moon

2007-07-18T09:36:00.000-07:00

I've decided to try to design a workout schedule in the hopes that I will actually abide by it. For the last week and a half, it has worked.
Monday: Gym - Elliptical 35 minutes + Weight Resistance 10 minutes
Tuesday: Soccer with the peeps - 1-2 hours
Wednesday: Yoga with Jessa - 1.5 hours
Thursday: Gym - Elliptical 35 minutes + Weight Resistance 10 minutes
Friday: Work-out at home - arms and abs 10 minutes each
Saturday: Gym - Elliptical 35 minutes + Weight Resistance 10 minutes
Sunday: Off
Plus hiking thrown in there when I'm so inclined to do so. Yoga tonight! If I can push through my sore ass leg muscles from soccer last night - good turn out! 6 on 6 made for an excellent game :)

Yum Yum In My Tum Tum

2007-07-17T11:05:00.001-07:00

Make these whence you have time. They are easy and delicious! Thanks, Food Network!
Let me know if you like these recipes as much as I did!!!

Anytime Vegetable Salad
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
Show:
Everyday Italian
Episode:
Personal Chef

2 cups shelled edamame soy beans
8 ounces thin green beans, trimmed
8 ounces yellow wax beans, trimmed
1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil or tarragon leaves
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cook the edamame in a large pot of boiling water until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain. Rinse with cold water, then drain well and pat dry. Repeat with the green beans and yellow beans. Combine the vegetables in a bowl.

Add the vinegar, oil, herbs, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper to a glass screw-top jar. Seal the jar and shake vigorously to mix the vinaigrette.

When you're ready to serve, shake the jar again to re-mix the vinaigrette and pour it over the vegetables. Season with more salt and pepper, if desired.

Cheese Tortellini in Light Broth (I used Pesto Tortellini from Trader Joe's)
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
Show:
Everyday Italian
Episode:
Weekend Lunch

8 cups low-salt chicken broth
Freshly ground black pepper
2 (9-ounce) packages refrigerated cheese tortellini
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

Pour the broth into a heavy large saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Season the broth with pepper, to taste. Add the tortellini. Simmer over medium heat until al dente, about 7 minutes.

Ladle the broth and tortellini into soup bowls. Top with parsley and Parmesan crisps and serve.

Parmesan Crisps: 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Pour a heaping tablespoon of Parmesan onto a silicone or parchment lined baking sheet and lightly pat down. A silicone baking sheet is highly recommended. Repeat with the remaining cheese, spacing the spoonfuls about a 1/2 inch apart.

Bake for 3 to 5 minutes or until golden and crisp. Cool.

Yield: 8 to 10 crisps

We're all in the mood for a melody

2007-07-13T09:28:00.000-07:00

I start my "new" job on Monday. We had the official meeting yesterday. My boss has yet to apologize to me. He claims that when he gets hot in the head, he doesn't remember the things that he said. Now, isn't that terribly convenient? Why yes, yes it is. Argh. I hate it when I don't get my way. And I don't even think it's so bad to request my way, seeing as how it is just an apology.... but if he wants to burn his bridges, then so be it! We'll just see what happens when they get totally swamped and come to me for help. Am I bitter, you ask? Yep. But at least I'm bitter and not jobless. I really didn't want to look for a new job when I'm about to go back to school.

Speaking of which, Simone and I went to Hot Topic last night for baby shower gifts for Cliff and Aariel and I got an uber cute new backpack covered in stars, weeeeee! Hopefully it's big enough. Cuz if I wind up with 6 HUGE textbooks that I must lug around, then I'm effed. See?

Ok, not the best picture, but it was all I could find on such short notice.

I got for Cliff and Aariel 2 onesies, also from Hot Topic. One is white and yellow with the Sublime logo/sun and the other is gray and says "I listen to Led Zeppelin with my daddy." Too cute! Why is everyone having babies? Should I be having babies now too? Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! I don't want any babies.

Free Bird

2007-07-10T08:46:00.000-07:00

We have an audit today. I guess we're trying to get re-certified by ICBO, the bigwigs. If we do, then we look good and will get more work. But that means I have to know what I am doing. And I have to care. Neither of which is true at the moment. Well, I wouldn't say that I don't know what I'm doing. Because I do. I just don't know that what I know is what they are looking for, and I have to perform a test in front of them for the audit. Woo, fun! Shouldn't be too bad. Aside from the caring part.
I'm switching departments. As soon as possible. Our camera went missing, and my boss would like to blame the fact that he thinks it got stolen on me. I'm so over it. Here's what happened:
I needed a camera for a special job I was doing for a client. Our old camera is broken (or, this was my understanding anyways), so I asked my boss to use the new camera. He went to his office, got it for me, and handed it directly to me. I then proceeded to do my work as normal, and when I was done, I went to give him back the camera. He was in our new office, moving things around and such, so I held it up and said, "here's the camera, can you download the pictures for me when you have a chance? I'll leave it right here." And put it down. Out of my hands, right? Apparently not. Because when I returned on Thursday (after the fourth of July holiday), the pictures had not yet been downloaded, so I couldn't finish the report. When my boss called me to say he was running late, I reminded him about the pictures and he said the camera was where I left it and he'd do it when he got in. So I went in to do it myself, and no camera. In it's place was our laptop, however. But no camera. When my boss came in, I said I couldn't find it, so he looked all over for it. Couldn't find it. Therefore, he assumes it was stolen. And he says it was MY fault. What the eff, man?!?!? He first says that I shouldn't have been using the new camera in the first place, that he only got it for close up pictures and such (our old camera didn't take good pics of close up things, which we often need). So I'm supposed to use the old camera, which he told me was broken? Then why didn't he say that BEFORE giving me the new one? It's not like I just went in there and took it from his office or something... he brought it to me! So I say, it's not my fault, you can't blame me. And he says that yes, he can. He says I know how absent minded he can be, so I shouldn't have just left it any-old-where because I should have known he would forget about it. I'm sorry, was that in my job spec? To keep track of his things? He acknowledged me when I said I was leaving it there, and never said anything about me needed to put it back away in his office or something. But since I did not take into account his absent-mindedness, it's now my fault that the camera "got stolen" (I still think he misplaced it when he moved the laptop). Mind you, this whole conversation took place over the phone and consisted of me in near tears while my boss is practically screaming these things at me with curse words thrown in to boot.
So he was on his way out of town. And I was on my way out the door. The next day, he wasn't in, so I talked to the big boss and requested a transfer to another department. He said that was fine, he wasn't suprised. Now it's the following week, we're buried in an external ICBO audit to get us re-certified. I do not want to help this guy out in the least, but it's my job so whatever. I haven't mentioned to him what me and the big boss discussed, so I have no idea where we stand in terms of that nonsense. I don't know if big-boss told him already or what. We've all been so busy with this audit, no one's had time to think or worry about much else.
All I wanted was a freakin' apology for him blaming me. But instead I got a lot of yelling. I do not deserve that sort of treatment. No one deserves that sort of treatment. And I won't stand for it anymore. This is not the first time my boss and I have butted heads over his inability to take responsibility for some of his own actions, too.
And I'm done with the vent. Phew!

Every Time I See Your Bubbly Fade, I Get The Tingles In A Silly Place

2007-06-27T10:49:00.000-07:00

My back hurts. It sucks getting older. I remember thinking when I was younger that it was weird how adults don't want to sit on the floor anymore and compain about their backs a lot. And now I see myself arriving at that place. Yuck! I decided I needed a break from my manual labor job in order for my back to not completely crumble underneath me while on a ladder. Cuz that would be oh-so-bad!!! Stupid back.
I'm sure it didn't help that I played soccer last night. For a long time. But it was so fun! We had an actual game (sort of)! 12 people came this week, woohoo! Go people! We got our run on for 2 whole hours! On the good field!!! It's awesome when people share. The other team that was practicing was kind enough to let us use half of the field. Oddly, it was chilly last night. I guess our latest hot streak is over for the time being. Unbeknownst to me, of course, who wore soccer shorts and a tee-shirt instead of pants. Oops. For the most part, I kept warm by running as much as possible. But by 8:30, no running was keeping me warm in the slightest. And my back was arguing with me to stop anyways. So I went for another half an hour with my sweatshirt until the rest of the group had had enough. Ah, summer days. Playing until 9 at night is quite possibly the best thing ever.
Monday we buried my grandma. I'm not really sure what else I can say about that. It was nice to have closure. My grandpa is not doing well. I really hope that he can semi-move on before he delves much deeper into his depression. It's a beautiful thing to see someone love someone else as much as he does. But it's a terrifying thing to see what happens when one of them goes. We all miss her. I think about her every day. It's hard not to.
Saw 1408 on Sunday. AWESOME! Go see it.
My friend Aubrey turned 30 on Saturday, and Bobby threw her a huge bash at his parent's house. There was much dancing, drinking, game playing, and swimming. I somehow forgot about my bathing suit, which was left in my car until last night. Now it smells. Bad. Really, really bad. Like, I might have to throw it away bad. I rinsed it, washed it... to no avail. I will rinse and wash once more before I lose all hope.
Let's try this work thing again.

Soccer Funtimes

2007-06-20T09:14:00.000-07:00

And indeed it was (funtimes, that is)! We had minor setbacks upon arrival to decided on field at Stonebrae School. Setbacks being that the fields (yep, 2 fields of awesome gopher-free goodness) were being hoarded by hoodlums. Okay, okay. They probably weren't hoodlums, seeing how they were playing some organized sports, but there were so freaking many of them! Why do they have to practice on the days that we want to get out and run around? Do we seriously have to organize ourselves into a "real" team onto a league in order to play on the good fields? So, we moved on over to the classics - East Ave School. It would be nice if it were flat, but you take what you can get. All seven of us got out and ran our arses off for about two hours. Sweet! Obviously, we didn't play full field, lest our legs fall off. So we played half (give or take), three on three, with rotating goalie. If you scored, goalie comes out and you take their place. It works out. Except that I never make any goals, so I never get to be goalie (ie, take a break). Hopefully next week we get some more peeps. I miss having a real game! If we got everyone to come who says they are going to come, we could totally do it. But we somehow tend to always have seven people. Not necessarily the same seven people. It's fun! It's exercise! And if you stretch properly before and after, it only hurts a little bit the next day. Or the next two days.
The rebar is calling. I have 76 to test by the end of today. Looks like I'll be here all night unless I have some super powers I haven't yet discovered that will suddenly go into effect right...
Now.

To Quit Or Not To Quit...

2007-06-19T08:26:00.000-07:00

Welp, I've done it again. Gone back on the patch, that is. It's time, I figure, since I've been gearing up for that back to school nonsense the last couple of weeks. San Francisco State officially accepted me, of course. Orientation is on August 11th. 5 hour placement test is on August 23rd. School starts August 27th. Providing all goes well at the placement test (which is open book, thank goodness), here is what I'll be pulling my hair out over:

PHYS 701-Classical Mechanics-Lagrangian mechanics, rigid-body kinematics and dynamics, theory of small vibrations, Hamiltonian mechanics, and canonical transformations.
Tues/Thurs 935-1050

PHYS 726-Quantum Field Theory-Relativistic wave equations; quantization of the scalar, Dirac, and Maxwell fields. The LSZ reduction formula for S-matrix elements. Path-Integral evaluation of time-ordered products. Tree-level Feynman diagrams in quantum electrodynamics, and an introduction to non-abelian gauge theory.
Tues/Thurs 5-615

PHYS 785-Introduction to Theoretical Physics-Advanced concepts and techniques in mathematics applied to problems in physics. Applications in mechanics, electricity and magnetism, and fluids.
Tues/Thurs 210-325

It's quite a workload, if I do say so myself! But I'm absolutely ready to move up in the world and join the ranks of my fellow physicsts! Scared? Most definitely. But in that crazy rollercoaster-horror movie sort of way that I love. Which is why I needed to quit smoking pronto-ly. Cuz if I don't do it before school starts, then I'll find every excuse to continue smoking for the next 2 years of my program. And that just will not do.

So wish me luck on this next portion of my life. It's not gonna be easy...

One Word Survey

2007-06-06T14:49:00.000-07:00

One word survey...
You
Can
Only
Type
One
Word
Not as easy as you might think.
1. Where is your cell phone?purse
2. Your boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife?single
3. your hair?blonde
4. Your mother?working
5. Your father?retired
6. Your favorite thing?stars
7. Your dream last night?nothing
8. Your favorite drink?coffee
9. Your dream car?celica
10. The room you're in?office
11. Your ex?poop
12. Your fear?drowning
14. Where were u last night?plane
15. What you're not?flying
16. Muffins?breakfast?
17. One of your wish list items?boyfriend
19. The last thing you did?tested
20. What are you wearing?safety-glasses
21. Your TV?off
22. Your pet or pets?purrrrmeow
23. Your computer?on
24. Your life?uneventful
25. Your mood?exhausted
26. Missing someone?yes
28. Your car?outside
29. Your work?lab
31. Like someone?unfortunately
32. Your favorite color?red
33. When is the last time you laughed?yesterday

What happened to 13,18, 27, and 30? I feel totally jipped!

Tell me more, tell me more...

2007-05-10T11:16:00.000-07:00

1. Can you cook?
2. What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator?
3. What talent do you wish you had?
4. Favorite place?
5. Favorite vegetable?
6. What was the last book you read?
7. Are you Dirty or Clean?
8. Any tattoos and/or piercings?
9. Worst habit?
HERE COMES THE FUN ...
1. How did we meet?
2. What's your philosophy on life?
3. Negative or Optimistic?
4. What was your dream growing up?
5. Worst thing to ever happen to you?
6. What was your first impression of me?
7. Tell me one weird fact about you:
8. What's your favorite memory of us?
9. If you could go anywhere, where would you go?
10. Have you ever kept anything from me?
11. What do you think of me as a person?
12. Do you think I'm sane or insane?
13. Would you cry for me if I died?
14. Would you be my crime partner or my conscience?
15. If you could change anything about me, would you?
16. How do you fall asleep?
17. Ever gotten angry with me?
18. Would you go on a blind date if I set you up?
19. If you had one day to live, what would you do?
20. A million bucks... what would you do with it?
21. What is your worst fear?
22. Favorite thing to do in your spare time?
23. Can you sing or dance?
24. In one word, how would you describe me? Be honest...
25. Will you repost this so I can fill it out?

The Beginning of the End

2007-05-01T08:15:00.000-07:00

I'm going back to school! Well, almost. Just a few more hoops I need to jump through.

Dear Ms. Speckman,
We have receiced your application materials for graduate study in physicsand astronomy at SFSU, and we thank you for your interest in our program.Your application is complete, and currently under review with thegraduate division. Pending this, I do expect that we will be ableto admit you to our program. I hope that you will consider coming toSFSU. I hope that we will be able to process the formal paperwork soon.
Best regards,
-Maarten Golterman

Everything About You Is So Easy To Love

2007-03-08T08:57:00.000-08:00

Is there a support group for Lost addicts?
Cuz I have a problem.

It's A New Dawn

2007-03-06T08:39:00.000-08:00

I went to the gas station the other day and thought "hmmmm, some water might be nice." You see, it was pretty warm outside (I love California) and I was ever-so-parched. So I walk to the back of the mini-mart and there's a sign posted on the glass for $1 Dasani, 1 pt. Yay! $1. Not too bad of a deal. A small bargain, if you ask me.
To my dismay, the cashier at the front said that it was only $1 after you bought one at regular price. Confused, I went back to the rear of the store to re-read the sign posted on the glass. Nope, nothing on it said anything about having to purchase 2 in order to get the $1 deal.
Is this not misadvertising? What could I do? I made a small hubbub at the counter where the lady and what looked like her manager were talking. It wasn't like an AMPM or some huge chain, just a small gas station. But I feel that it was wrong of them to advertise $1 water when it was not, in fact, $1 at all! Can I report them to some sort of false advertising agency? Then will I get the water for $1?

I heart John Cusack

2007-03-06T08:33:00.000-08:00

Ok, so here are all the movies John Cusack has made... I've highlighted in red which movies I own. I'm on a mission to own them all, and any help to acheive this feat would be most appreciated. Next on my list to own are The Journey of Natty Gann and One Crazy Summer. Still hoping to find them used, but no luck yet. And no, I don't have a problem ;)
As always, it's been a pleasure.
*S*

Actor - filmography(In Production) (2000s) (1990s) (1980s)
1408 (2007) (pre-production) .... Mike Enslin
Grace Is Gone (2007) (filming) .... Stanley Philipps
The Martian Child (2006) (post-production)
The Contract (2006) (post-production)
Cosmic Banditos (2007)
The Ice Harvest: Alternate Endings (2006) (V)
The Ice Harvest (2005) .... Charlie Arglist
Must Love Dogs (2005) .... Jake
Runaway Jury (2003) .... Nicholas Easter
Identity (2003) .... Ed
Max (2002/I) .... Max Rothman
Serendipity (2001) .... Jonathan Trager
America's Sweethearts (2001) .... Eddie Thomas
High Fidelity (2000) .... Rob Gordon
Being John Malkovich (1999) .... Craig Schwartz
Cradle Will Rock (1999) .... Nelson Rockefeller
Pushing Tin (1999) .... Nick Falzone... aka Turbulenzen - und andere Katastrophen (Germany)
The Jack Bull (1999) (TV) .... Myrl Redding
The Thin Red Line (1998) .... Captain John Gaff... aka Mince ligne rouge, La (Canada: French title)
This Is My Father (1998/I) .... Eddie Sharp, the Pilot... aka Histoire de mon père, L' (Canada: French title: TV title)
Chicago Cab (1998) .... Scary Man... aka Hellcab (USA: video title)
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997) .... John Kelso
Anastasia (1997) (voice) .... Dimitri
Con Air (1997) .... U.S. Marshal Vince Larkin
Grosse Pointe Blank (1997) .... Martin Q. Blank
"Frasier" - Our Father Whose Art Ain't Heaven (1996) TV Episode (voice) .... Greg
City Hall (1996) .... Deputy Mayor Kevin Calhoun
The Road to Wellville (1994) .... Charles Ossining
Bullets Over Broadway (1994) .... David Shayne
Floundering (1994) .... JC
Money for Nothing (1993) .... Joey Coyle
Map of the Human Heart (1993) .... The Mapmaker
Roadside Prophets (1992) (as John Cusak) .... Casper
Bob Roberts (1992) .... Cutting Edge Host
Shadows and Fog (1992) .... Student Jack
True Colors (1991) .... Peter Burton
The Grifters (1990) .... Roy Dillon
Fat Man and Little Boy (1989) .... Michael Merriman... aka Shadow Makers (UK)
Say Anything... (1989) .... Lloyd Dobler... aka ...Say Anything... (USA: promotional title)
Elvis Stories (1989) .... Corky
Tapeheads (1988) .... Ivan Alexeev
Eight Men Out (1988) .... George "Buck" Weaver
Broadcast News (1987) (as John Cusak) .... Angry Messenger
Hot Pursuit (1987) .... Dan Bartlett... aka Persecución intensa (Mexico)
One Crazy Summer (1986) .... Hoops McCann
Stand by Me (1986) .... Denny Lachance
Better Off Dead... (1985) .... Lane Meyer... aka Better Off Dead (USA)
The Journey of Natty Gann (1985) .... Harry
The Sure Thing (1985) .... Walter (Gib) Gibson
Grandview, U.S.A. (1984) .... Johnny Maine
Sixteen Candles (1984) .... Bryce
Class (1983) .... Roscoe Maibaum

Filmography as: Actor, Producer, Writer, Miscellaneous Crew, Himself, Archive Footage
Producer - filmography(In Production) (2000s) (1990s)
Grace Is Gone (2007) (filming) (producer)
Cosmic Banditos (2007) (producer)
Max (2002/I) (associate producer)
Never Get Outta the Boat (2002) (executive producer)
High Fidelity (2000) (co-producer)
The Jack Bull (1999) (TV) (executive producer)
Chicago Cab (1998) (executive producer) ... aka Hellcab (USA: video title)
Grosse Pointe Blank (1997) (co-producer)

Filmography as: Actor, Producer, Writer, Miscellaneous Crew, Himself, Archive Footage
Writer - filmography(2000s) (1990s)
High Fidelity (2000) (screenplay)
Grosse Pointe Blank (1997) (screenplay)

How do you own disorder?

2007-02-01T12:52:00.000-08:00

My head hurts. And it has for the last two days. I woke up yesterday morning with the headache and it's been sort of in the background ever since. Yesterday I kept myself pumped up with caffeine which actually seemed to help as long as I drank more within 3 or 4 hours. Now, not so much. It's almost to the point of affecting my work, which totally blows. The light is beginning to hurt my eyes, which is definitely a bad sign. I'm not sure what to do about it. My mom thinks I need to go and see an internalist. Perhaps she is right. I do have frequent headaches. And some of them, like this one, make me just wanna curl up in a dark closet with a wet washcloth. I dunno. Could be the weather, too. It's been very blah here... cold and dry. Which, combined with the dry of the heater, equals more dry. Maybe my sinuses are screaming for some humidity. Sinuses? Sini? Sinusi? I drink a lot of water these days, so I doubt it's dehydration. Stress maybe? I don't feel terribly stressed out, but I do have a lot of things going on in my head as of late. But they're all background things. Gotta pack for the move back to Daddy's house, gotta pay rent (tomorrow-after payday), gotta deal with "the boy" and whatever's bugging him that he hasn't managed to talk to me about yet, gotta visit my grandma who isn't doing altogether well right now, gotta get back to the gym before I gain 10 lbs from quitting smoking (day one is today, again *sigh*), gotta finish my personal statement and apply to SFSU. Nothing terribly major or headache inducing, in my opinion. What else could be causing me headache-strife? Any ideas out there?
Here's an idea, shut off the computer screen...

Don't waste your time or time will waste you

2007-01-30T12:24:00.000-08:00

It has been far too long since I have been to a concert! So when Simone reminded me that Muse was coming to town in April, I decided to buy us a pair of tickets. Yay! I lurve concert-going! Should be a good show. Their newest cd is pretty awesome. I would know, as I haven't removed it from my cd player in a month or so. Woo, music! I still need to locate some moolah in order to purchase their previous cd, but I fear not that it will be equally awesome, if not more so.

This whole posting thing is kinda weird. It's been so long since I have updated on a semi-regular basis, I think I forgot how!

Last night I went to sushi with my loverly soon to be ex-roommate Logan and Simoney. We went to Ta-Ke Sushi in Oakland on Grand (or maybe Lakeshore? Not sure). So good! I love that place! It will be a sad day when it's not close to home anymore. I'd better eat there again before I move back home to the CV. Yeah, definitely need to eat there at least one more time. It was good to talk to Logan. I was a little worried about how he was doing. But he seems pretty okay when it comes down to it. He's totally stoked about this new place he'll be moving into with the Dylan-type folk this month. A huge Victorian house in San Ramon, I guess. Like 4300 square feet and shit. I don't even know what I would do with that much space to fill! Aside from that, it seems as though things with the Kristen are going all right with him. They're gonna do the friend thing, which is a definite plus. I hope they can make that work. 2 years is a long time to spend with another human being to not be friends afterwards. Unless, of course, the 2 years was crap like in some situations which I won't mention here but most people know what I'm referring to anyways.

After that, we watched last week's 24 so that I could tape over it with this week's 24. All so we could watch Heroes. Sometimes I wish I watched less tv. But then I remember that I get way too stressed out when I do other things. My brain sometimes needs the tv to stop it from thinking about other silly things that I'd rather not waste my time on. Not a good reason to promote tv watching, I know. But with the school coming back into the picture, I can justify it for the time being. Because once the schooling starts back up, I won't have time for anything except physics, physics, physics.

Speaking of tv, is Lost back yet? I'm having major withdrawls, here! I think it starts back next week and I am oh-so-grateful that it will be 16 episodes in a row with no breaks, repeats, or shenanigans. Altho, this whole waiting 2 months to get my fix is pretty ridiculous.

Ok, done venting now.

Goodbye, House

2007-01-29T12:12:00.001-08:00

It appears as though the time in my life of living in my own place has come and gone. For now, anyways. I received word last night that the future of my roommate's relationship is non-existent. I'm sad that they couldn't work it out, but not extremely surprised. Sometimes it just doesn't work and there's only so much you can do to try and ignore the problem instead of make it better. So they've been on a "break" for the last couple of weeks and apparently decided to make it permanent.

So, what does that mean for little me? It means that my sweet deal on rent is now officially gone. I must say that it was awesomely terrific while it lasted! They were by far the best roommates I could have asked for. Not to mention that I will never find $233/mo rent on a house ever again. I am very grateful to them both for allowing me to share in the splendor that was The House.

I s'pose I could stay... it was offered to me. But the rent will not be so sweet and I would have to find a new roommate to share in the not-so-sweet rent. It sounds good in theory, but unlikely that I could truly afford it at this point.

It's back to the parents. That was my final decision after thinking about it for, oh, about 2 minutes. Heh. I'm going back to school in less than a year, so finding a new place for myself isn't too reasonable either. I was planning on moving back home, anyways. I just wasn't going to do it until much later... but shit happens and you have to take it in strides. I'm sad, yes. For Logan and Kristen. And for me. That's allowed, I think.

I'll just take a deep breath... and exhale later...

I Think Too Much... Apparently

2006-12-01T09:51:00.000-08:00

I'm a Star

2006-11-30T08:45:00.000-08:00

Because my brain hurts today after yesterday's running around.

Note to self: Don't go to 3 different colleges before graduating again. It's just too much trouble!

So, I find it very interesting that the Tarot Card I received is the Star. It gives me some sort of satisfaction at the present moment as I try to gather all of my application materials together for Grad School to study... well, stars to some extent. I'm amazed and impressed by how many schools in California actually have some sort of Astrophysics Program. May not be exactly what I was looking for (which would be Berkeley and Santa Cruz's program... wait, Cruz's? Does that work?), but at least I can get my Masters or Ph.D with an emphasis in Astrophysics. Sure beats trying to find some sort of other speciality I would want to study. Not that High Energy Particle Physics doesn't SOUND appealing, but it's not where my main interest lies or has lay over the past 10 years, you know?

Wow, I am so excited and giddy. Going back to my old schools (CSUH/CSUEB and Chabot/Hesperian High) really got me stoked again. I forgot how much I liked learning! Just the whole college experience is something that I can't wait to go back to. Especially since now it means Research. RESEARCH! That's what I want to do, and I will be doing it in less than a year! WOOOOOOOOOOO! It kind of makes me feel purposeful again. Not that I feel like I somehow don't have a purpose, but I feel like my life is going somewhere... and it's somewhere good! It's what I have been waiting for for so long! And now I am so close it's ridiculous!

Ok, must contain myself. Breathe.

You are The Star

Hope, expectation, Bright promises.

The Star is one of the great cards of faith, dreams realised

The Star is a card that looks to the future. It does not predict any immediate or powerful change, but it does predict hope and healing. This card suggests clarity of vision, spiritual insight. And, most importantly, that unexpected help will be coming, with water to quench your thirst, with a guiding light to the future. They might say you're a dreamer, but you're not the only one.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Correction/Update

2006-11-21T08:16:00.000-08:00

I talked to my sissy last night... and she has actually lost 25 lbs now. That's 10 lbs in the last month! Go Becky!

Where Were We?

2006-11-20T10:23:00.000-08:00

Hellooooooooooooo!
I really have no idea what I should blog about. Just know that I haven't updated in a long while so it seems like a good time now. Especially since we are slowslowslow at the working these days. Stoopid rain making construction slow down. It's not even raining right this instant, but it could pour any second now. It rained quite a lot last week. Well, quite a lot in one day's time. It's not raining in Long Beach. That's where my Thanksgiving will be spent this year. It's Becky's last year of school and she can't make it home this time. So we are taking Thanksgiving to her! Weeee! She's on this crazy Becky-Diet which basically consists of working out 1-2 hrs a day 6 days a week and eating less than 1500 calories a day. It's working, though. She looks freaking fabulous. Lost something like 15 lbs already! And it totally shows! She's stoked... as am I, for her. She needs to know she can do it. I think it was 2 months before she actually started to see results, but she stuck with it and now she's losing weight on a weekly basis! Go Sister! However, she doesn't want us to make stuffing for Thanksgiving dinner. No stuffing! I think my mom and I are going to make it nonetheless. Can't have no stuffing! It's just too good to pass up!
So let's see... what else is new? I took the dreaded Physics GRE. I'm so over it I don't even wanna talk about it anymore. But here's a list of schools I am going to apply to:
UC Berkeley
UC Santa Cruz
San Francisco State
UC Davis
UC Riverside
UC San Diego
UC Santa Barbara
San Jose State
One of them should accapet me, right? I'm at least counting on San Francisco State's vote since they don't require the Physics GRE or a Statement of Purpose, thank goodness. We shall see. I won't even get my scores for a few more weeks... 3-4 more weeks. I hate the waiting game almost as much as I hated the test.
I miss Shiva. I have been thinking about her a lots lately. Should she read this-I heart you!
Okay, well work beckons. Happy Thanksgiving everybody!
*S to the arah*