crazy people who steal from me

so someone in my building (of only 5 apartments)keeps stealing my laundry detergent. Like I said it is a small building and there is a coin-op washer and dryer in the basement that everyone uses. There is a counter set up with everyone's detergent and dryer sheets marked with apartment numbers in sharpie pen (because we can't be expected to remember which brand we bought)
The first time it happened we had just come back from the store and had not yet labeled the bottle. good people that we are we saw the error of our ways and the next bottle we bought I labeled (A LOT) I put our number all over the bottle and the lid and I even wrote a little note from the detergent asking people not to use it because this particular detergent thought me and michael were pretty nice folks that didn't deserve to be screwed around with. Now I ask you. What kind of a sick person takes laundry detergent that talks?
I feel like I have been transported back to my days with passive aggressive psycho Julie. Dude, neighbors...if you need to borrow some detergent just ask its no big deal...but don't steal our stuff. We are very busy students on very low funds. We don't have the dollars to go buying bottles of detergent every week. Not even the really cheap store brand bottles. also how sad is it that you steal the cheap store brand bottles that we buy and not the other neighbors fancy Tide and Whisk.
As we speak Michael is going door to door to implore our neighbors not to take our stuff or maybe to scare them silly so they do not steal stuff again. now he is back and has had no luck but the people in number three were home but did not come to the door. hmmm. number three the only apartment that we don't know the people...
Any suggestions will be helpful and welcome. Right now we will have to wait to buy some more before we can do laundry, then we will have to keep the detergent in the apartment and carry it up and down 4 flights of stairs everytime we put it a new load. well I will try to be a glass half full girl and say...I guess it will build up my arms grr.

these things are so stupid

but kate needs mail...so if you feel the motivation copy it and send your back to her....hey copy me too because I need to procrastinate
1. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING? From Neurons to Neighborhoods-a government report on early childhood development
2. WHAT TIME IS IT NOW? 12:55am
3. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Don't have one yay for the laptop
4. WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE BOARD GAME? not much of a boardgame girl, but I did play Parcheesi last night with Quinn
5. FAVOURITE MAGAZINE?all of em...addicted to the glossy goodness of fashion mags, but enjoy prevention and the mom magazines on the coffee table at home just as much
6. BABIES? um...sean francis?
7. FAVOURITE SOUND? guiro-wooden rhythm instrument yay!
8. WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD? anxiety
9. FIRST THING YOU THINK OF IN THE MORNING? I'm hungry
10. HOW MANY RINGS BEFORE YOU ANSWER THE PHONE? as many as it takes to find where I left it usually my coat pocket
11. FUTURE CHILD'S NAME: because I banned michael from naming future kids michael probably michaela
12. FAVOURITE COLOUR? blue
13. WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT IN YOUR LIFE? love
14. FAVOURITE FOOD? bread
15. IF YOU COULD PLAY AN INSTRUMENT, WHAT WOULD IT BE? Piano
16. DO YOU LIKE TO DRIVE FAST? indeed, but have slowed down considerably after my court summons and with my dwindling student bank account
17. SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL? michael
18. STORMS - COOL OR SCARY? cool, if I'm indoors
19. WHAT TYPE WAS YOUR FIRST CAR? 1986 chevy nova
20. THE ONE PERSON FROM YOUR PAST YOU WISH YOU COULD GO BACK AND TALK TO? not sure...
21. FAVOURITE ALCOHOLIC DRINK? red wine-a shiraz perhaps (love the little penguin) or a chianti
22. WHAT'S IN THE TRUNK OF YOUR CAR?two camping chairs and a blanket
24. IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY JOB YOU WANTED WHAT WOULD IT BE? singer, or artist can I do both? -also I guess I should want to be a teacher since I am paying all of this money to go to school for that
25. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Quinn, cause he told me he wanted to read mine but said he wouldn't send one back
26. EVER BEEN IN LOVE? still am
27. IS THE GLASS HALF EMPTY OR HALF FULL? half-empty
29. DO YOU TYPE WITH YOUR FINGERS ON THE RIGHT KEYS? mostly, but not the numbers
30. WHAT'S UNDER YOUR BED? summer clothes and lost socks
31. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE NUMBER? 8
32. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE SPORT TO WATCH? Basketball
33. SAY AT LEAST ONE NICE THING ABOUT THE PERSON WHO
SENT THIS TO YOU? Katie's an angel...(sometimes) but really she is so cool and has the coolest job and is a tough girl that I love very very very much
34. IF YOU COULD BUILD A HOUSE ANYWHERE WHERE WOULD IT BE? I second the beach thought
35. WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE ARTICLE OF CLOTHING? fuzzy soft blue socks
that make me slide around the hardwood in the apartment
36. BEACH, MOUNTAINS OR CITY? Beach
37. TECHNOLOGY OR ART? art
38. COMEDY OR HORROR? Comedy....sometimes
39. FAVOURITE PHYSICAL FEATURE OF THE OPPOSITE SEX? shoulders I guess
40. FAVOURITE TIME OF DAY? when classes are over
41. THE LAST CD YOU BOUGHT? I don't buy CD's I wait for cool people to burn me mixes
43. WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE TO BE MASSAGED? butt (never knew the value of a good butt massage til physical therapy for the hips)
44. WHAT'S MOST IMPORTANT, STRONG IN MIND OR STRONG IN BODY? depends on your occupation
45.WHAT TIME DO YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING? in 8 minute increments from 6:45 to 7:45 on weekdays.
46. What's YOUR FAVOURITE KITCHEN ITEM? my new whisk....or maybe my speedy wine opener or my fatty wooden spoon and definitely the dishwasher...I like the kitchen
47. WHAT MAKES YOU REALLY ANGRY? practically everything but mostly ignorance and arrogance
48. WHICH DO YOU PREFER, SPORTS CAR OR 4x4? Sports car--but I'd rather have a new civic hybrid, b/c (my name is rain and this is my dress made of wheat)
49. DO YOU BELIEVE IN AFTERLIFE? on occasion
50. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE SEASON? Summer
51. IF YOU COULD HAVE ONE SUPER POWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE? freezing people or time or something like that or the iceman thing where he makes those little ice highways to slide around on
52. IF YOU HAVE A TATTOO, WHAT IS IT?nope
53. CAN YOU JUGGLE? Not even a little bit.
54. WHAT\'S YOUR FAVOURITE DAY? some imaginary good day that is perpetually about 5 years away
55. WHICH DO YOU PREFER SUSHI OR HAMBURGER? sushi apparently its what evil tastes like yum wasabi
56. FROM THE PEOPLE YOU WILL EMAIL THIS TO, WHO\'S MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND FIRST? michael
57. WHO DID YOU RECEIVE THIS FROM? Katie. She rules
58. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE CARTOON? the tom & jerry where they run the water in the sink and open the refrigerator and turn the kitchen into a skating rink and use the jello mold as a light gel
59. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE MEAL? sushi, or chinese, or cool stuff that I cook....yum. food.
60. IF YOU COULD TAKE A VACATION ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD WHERE WOULD IT BE? I think I would like to go sailing in the Mediterranean
61. DO YOU HAVE PETS? not yet.

welcome

everyone give a shout out to Dave. (everyone being the three other people that read this)
not sure it is a good idea to tell my family about my blog but you know I was never good at keeping my mouth shut.
anyway, how cool is it to read your name on the INTERNET?!! huh?

tonight was insane marxist theories. that class is so convoluted I have no idea how my final will turn out. luckily the prof does not believe in the normal curves and gives good grades for showing up and showing that you have a brain and can use it to read and form your own opinions.

part 1: My personal soundtrack* (why my personal soundtrack sucks)**

"say goodbye to hollywood, say goodbye my baby...say goodbye to hollywood, say goodbye my baby"

how much does it suck to have obscure billy joel in my head at work.
I totally wish I could change stations. the worst thing about my personal soundtrack is that it has no reference. I can't remember the last time I actually listened to any billy joel, so how I have no idea how it attaches itself to my brain in the middle of the work day.

I guess I should be thankful that today it is not showtunes (like yesterday...."everthins up to date in Kansas city")

*if you are new to the concept of my personal soundtrack it is the music that is in my head almost 24/7. I can turn it off if suitably occupied, in class, at a movie, other great music can help. but it is like my brain needs more activity than I can provide during work, so if I do not have music it will provide some. I think this explains my fascination with movie soundtracks. can you imagine the excitement if my life was accompanied aloud by my personal soundtrack? unfortunately most times it is not accurate to the mood of real life.

** this is probably part one of a series...just in case the soundtrack ever gets cool, you too can be in on the action. dance party baby.

slacker....but I can cook

so tonight I did no homework none, not even a little, haven't even opened a book
but I did make veggie burritos. half way through I realized that we didn't have salsa and the salsa container in the fridge was one michael was re-using to hold hot sauce. but I solved that ...so here is what I did.
I kept in separate containers so that when alyssa came she could pick and choose what she like and how much
first
sauteed a sliced green pepper and red pepper, a finely chopped clove of garlic, and an onion in some olive oil. also added a finely chopped jalapeno. I was not feeling too spicy tonight so I took out the seeds. added some fresh cilantro and some oregano...yum. cook but make sure veggies stay slightly crispy.
then
quick cook rice add chopped cilantro and mix
then
mash two + avocados with lime juice some chopped jalapeno and salt...yummy
then
empty a can of black beans into a pan with their liquor (I read that in a cook book, doesn't it sound better than bean goop) season with cilantro, cumin, cayenne, chilis until it smells and tastes yummy.
finally
the salsa I forgot slammed together quickly. I already used all the peppers in the saute oops so. this is....1 large chopped tomato, 1/2 chopped onion, more chopped cilantro (its in everything yay!) another jalapeno, again leave in seeds if you want it spicy. I squeezed in some lime juice and added a little ketchup. the ketchup is good because it makes the less than ripe tomatoes better, it also adds just the right amount of sugar and vinegar to make the salsa taste good fast without having to sit around and meld together the flavors of everything.
grate some cheddar or jack cheese, and put out some sour cream and things are ready to go.
all you have to do is nuke some burrito wrappers then you can just move down the line and create your own veggie burrito to taste....
this is fast and you can make a ton and have leftovers.
the only thing that takes a little while is the chopping and it goes a lot faster if you don't have to make salsa.
the other thing I forgot was lettuce...but I didn't have a replacement for that.

not that I think I am special....

but I keep having these minor breakdowns trying to get 4 classes worth of work done over the weekend. I feel like the people I am hanging out with (stupid CCM) just have time to do what they like and I start to feel bitter about having a day job. Then what I realized this weekend was the only thing I ever really get done is that which is immediately due monday night. sad that it took me 7 weeks into a 10 week quarter to figure out that gem. the rough part is not having any time to do anything fun. (or even do any laundry --now that is sad) I keep making plans and thinking I will have fun on the weekend and then the enormity of the work I need to accomplish smacks me in the head and I start to cancel plans and pout about how overwhelming it all is. This leads to forced inactivity. Where not only do I have more to accomplish in two days than is humanly possible but I also am sitting on the futon with a book open on my lap thinking about day time tv and wishing I had better cable.
my new wisdom is existentialism...which I can never seriously embrace as I am obsessed with time and with my grades. so instead I will just try to finish my papers the day before they are due and have the usual meltdown during the week before finals week. do you remember going to school when you used to get a couple days off before finals for studying...yeah that doesn't exist anymore. and for grad school all of my final projects are due the week before finals. ( I think the profs are lazy and don't want to grade these long ass projects over one weekend when grades are due in on monday)
so along with a meltdown last weekend I went to a piano recital, went hiking and to the cool ben folds concert. I also did all my reading for monday and my presentation. not too bad. now I just have to get on it for the stuff due wednesday....

jealous?

I went to see Ben Folds last night.
The show was really good.

ouch

can somebody advise me how to deal with wedding stuff
without hurting anyone's feelings or bothering anyone?

I really want to skip the whole thing and elope but I think that will piss off more people (including michael) than holding an actual event.

I hate the whole idea of the actual event especially the ungodly sums of money that I will either owe a credit card company or get from the parents.

ack.
I don't even want to think about it.
bleh

why I am marrying this guy

because I have been mildly pouty all night.
he sits beside me and kisses my neck and doesn't even complain when I accidently elbow him in the neck...I meant to hit the shoulder.
he gets up to make himself a drink and offers to get me something
he opens a bottle of the yellow tail shiraz and gets me a glass before he makes his drink.
I really like this boy.

the week thus far...in a disjointed manner

I don't update on here, yet I obsessively check other blogs I read. It is the only thing left I can use to procrastinate other than eating and sleeping.
I have things going on in my life. things other than the usual eating, sleeping, working, class, and homework. things that make my body thrum inside with something between anxiety and anticipation. I want to write about things but have been reminded recently that things that I talk about, that I feel connected to and obliterated or driven by are not always my things alone to talk about...so existential crises aside...
I guess if I was truly aware I would be feeling this feeling all the time. because what happens in our lives is fragile and easily changed, however it is difficult to remember things can change when you exist in the routine of work and school and sleep.
food
too busy or too lazy to cook. yesterday was chipotle...mmmm. because I didn't have any cilantro at home, I needed to go out.
last night I went to bed very early to see if it would make today better. I set my alarm for 5:45pm accidently and then woke up at 7:30am, so that didn't really work.
I hate the feeling of guilt that accompanies an evening wherein I sit on the couch and have a beer instead of writing a paper. maybe I should have had beer and a paper. maybe I should have another and start that paper now.

food

I finally got out of bed (due to hunger) so me and michael cooked like crazy. we made some more bruschetta as a snack and to use up the cherry tomatoes, and Michael made some mushroom soup. (He is still experimenting with that recipe but I will post it when we have it down.) Then I made a pie. Here is the recipe for that one. I will call it apple pie with anchorage pie crust because I got the crust recipe from the mother of a former work study student in my office at Duke. I can't remember her name ...wait no...I think her name was Kelly, but all I remember is her mom made good pies. Kelly didn't know you could buy a slice of pie or a whole pie at the store until college. She thought they were something you had to make...so here is the recipe because I know you are tired of my unpunctuated ranting

2 c. flour
1 tsp. salt (I used sea salt this time)
2/3 a cup shortening (visually separated into 3 parts fill 2 with shortening and 1 with unsalted butter)
5-7 T. very very cold water (add 5 then see if you need more)

mix ingredients with a pastry cutter (I don't have one of these so I use two knives or a fork but I lust after pastry cutters and other kitchen gadgets that I will one day register for if I ever set a date for the wedding) form into a ball. try not to touch it or play with it more than you have to or it will get tough. break into two equal size pieces and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate.

core & peel 4-6 granny smith apples and slice thin. make sure to slice out that hard part in the middle it is not nice to get in your mouth later. mix slices in a bowl with 2/3-3/4 c. sugar, tsp. cinnamon, dash of nutmeg and 2T flour. you can also make a prettier pie by layering the apple slices with the sugar mixture...but I was too lazy for that tonight.

roll out the dough (this is tricky but like I told michael when he tried this for the first time tonight. the ingredients are good and the pie will taste good even if it is not martha stewart perfect) keep the counter and the rolling pin (or for pathetic people like me in college old wine bottle or pint glass) lightly covered in flour. this is like play-doh...it will stick to itself so be careful. if it gets bad you can always scrape it up with a spatula and stick it together in places with some warm water.

lay one section in the pie pan, pour in the apple mixture. lay the other section on top. be as martha as you like here on the edges, the easiest thing to do is press it together with a fork. make some vents in the top for steam to escape. again if you want to get fancy you can brush the top with egg wash (1 egg yolk, 1T water mixed) this will make the top shiny. or you can put some granulated sugar on top. or both.

let me know how it goes or if you have any questions.
suggestions-use more cinnamon if you like...I am not a cinnamonny kind of girl
use other types of apples...I like the granny smiths for everything because they are sour. most people suggest them for pies but you may want to use something else.
mine just came out of the oven...I will let you know how it tastes as soon as it cools.

the weekend (in a nutshell)

which always makes me picture disney chip and dale chipmunks paddling down a stream in a nutshell.

Friday night I got my tax return and my paycheck and proceeded to spend gobs of money on a lovely dinner out with friends and then went to see Julianna in the play Oleanna. It was nice to do something cultural for a change, as my usual friday night consists of drinking until I fall asleep, eating junkfood and hanging out with friends (wow I love those friday nights...mmm, junk food)
Oleanna was thought provoking but with some stilted language. it would be good to read the play.

Saturday was an exciting day of scrubbing the bathroom and writing a paper on the nature of cognitive develop ( I know you wish you had my life) the high point was a trip to the grocery store where I spent even more money but have so much food to show for it in a typically american over consumer fashion.

Today: I have spent the entire day in bed. except for brief bathroom breaks and a foray into the kitchen for food (yum fresh berries in vanilla yogurt with walnuts and granola, hot tea with cream and sugar mmmm) This is not to say that I am not getting things done. Of course I am that is what the laptop is for. I have completed a powerpoint presentation on organizational methods for the child with autistic spectrum disorder and moved all of my files off of the other computers and onto this computer. The bedroom is a good place to work because there is no tv here so I am not sucked into an E! true hollywood stories and there is a door so I can block out the sounds of the movie michael is scoring (Core, it is highly exciting did you ever see it? don't)

I feel like I should get out and do more exciting things. I do live in a city even if it is Cincinnati, yet I also am coming to terms with the fact that I will never be able to complete all of my school work even if I never watch tv again.

Hope your weekends were good and filled with yummy food and drink.

tonight

I went to class and felt disconnected and confused. my prof talks to the class of forty people as if we are ten people and wants feedback, but mouthy me doesn't know what to do. I want to jabber and write down stuff to send him an email later about all the things I am thinking in class and the questions I have but the material is so complicated it is all I can do to hang on to the edge. I wish it was a seminar size instead of this stupid mass lecture. I wish at my age I knew how to connect to people in some sort of meaningful way. Meaningful enough so that I would not have to feel like I was asking for someones first born child when I wanted a recommendation.

other stuff:
I went to Leanne's viola recital this evening. It was good. I need to do more for me. More art and enjoying things outside of my living room.
This Friday we are going to a play, so that is a good start, also that way I will have saturday and sunday for 2 papers and a presentation.

We made Bruschetta tonight. Usually I use more fresh ingredients but this is the pared down recipe.

~1 1/2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes halved
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
2 cloves fresh garlic smashed and chopped fine
1/4c. romano fresh grated
1/4 c. parmesan from the shaker
pinch of thyme
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground pepper
1/4 tsp sugar
3-4 T extra virgin olive oil
2 T balsamic vinegar
2 T red wine vinegar

mix this together in a bowl. all measurements are approximate because I didn't measure anything. I would usually use fresh basil and fresh mozzarella too, but I did not have any, so grind the dried herbs in your palm to get them going before you toss in. Taste as you go. Sugar is optional, more necessary in winter when the tomatoes aren't as fantastic.

slice a loaf of french bread into slices, thinner if you want them crispier. spray or brush olive oil on both sides of toasts and broil for approx. 10 minutes or until golden and of desired crispiness.

take hot breads (crostinis) out of the oven. take a clove of garlic, peel and slice in half. lightly rub the garlic on the crostinis. If you are not a garlic lover skip this step the garlic taste will permeate the bread in a fantastic way but awfully strong if you are not a garlic lover.

open a fantastic bottle of red wine, light red candles, put tomato mixtures on bread and toast the Chinese New Year with all your lucky red colored foods.*

*I know nothing about the chinese new year other than it is today and red is a lucky color.


Tell me how it goes if you make it and how the amounts are. It will definitely help with the christmas cookbook

recipes

by the way,
I will be starting to post recipes soon
so try them out and then tell me if I screwed up on the amounts or if you added something that made it spectacular. that way when I am poor and jobless next year I can give my family & friends a kick ass cookbook for christmas!

so look for them...


they are coming....

a la dooce I am: Feeling Guilty

because I think I am going to stay home and work on my midterm and make some dinner (read watch bad day time tv) instead of volunteering at an afterschool program. but really the guilt is good, it will make me more apt to go next week. (APT! random inappropriate lisa simpson reference that I couldn't bear to leave out)

michael is a wonderful boy and spent an One and a half hours at walmart while the guys tried to find the nail in my tire that kept making it go flat at inopportune times (is there ever an opportune time)

apparently I am very punchy today.

Nora we still have lots of leftovers so if you want to come over for dinner and bring that boy you hang out with that's cool. anyone else I know in cincy can come too, but if lots of people come I might have to actually cook something.

because you care

Last night I had a dream where I was in high school. Michael was there (in a very arbitrary sort of way). It was all drama, and choir, and lunch. Lorelei Gilmore and Katherine Hepburn (older) were in the school play and I was supremely pissed that I was not. skulking around backstage and trying to sneak into the fancy shmancy velvet seats auditorium.

When I woke up, I told Michael I dreamed I was in High School...

He said he did too. (his dream included math, english, science etc.)

weird.

superbowl

YAY! eggles! (no that's not a typo it is a fluffia way of pronunciation...thank you amy)
so YAY! EAGLES!
boo...language development midterms.

last night I got my drink on with Alyssa, Nora, Quinn something like 3 bottles of wine...yum...cheesy dip. and now I must get to work, so I can minimize the amount of time I need to do homework during the game.

eaten

blogger just ate a post I wrote about my torrential mood swings.
my abilities to get homework done
michael's impending family doom and possible inheritance of some accordians
how I will miss our weekend rituals
how life sucks when you don't have the food network on tv to watch while you do papers on the couch.

that sums it up.


oh and also I am on a mood swing sugar kick, Dr. Pepper and poptarts for breakfast and a twix for a post lunch snack.
tonight may warrant a break out of the emergency brownies.
do you have a box of these in your cupboard? you should.

trying to gain some clarity...thinking I'd rather have another glass of wine

I am sitting on my futon and feeling at ease. with a bowl of chili and a corn muffin in my tummy and a glass of wine by my side (the fat bastard chardonnay). I am watching tv and it is my nice good relaxing night of the week. the only one I have. I spent it doing my taxes ugh, and filling out my financial aide forms for next year...again I am a highly exciting person. I need friends. I love to be alone and I have friends spread about the US, but no one who I know will come and play with me on a tuesday in Cincinnati. I talked to lili yesterday and I really need to follow up with dance classes we can take because if I don't start moving soon my body will mummify and the slow steady stream of alcohol will just help.
yesterday I had a minor meltdown after coming home from work. crying for no reason or maybe too many reasons. I am having trouble keeping up with school to my liking, which is not the same as really having problems and keeping up with life. I wake up minutes before I need to leave and race around the apartment wishing I had more time to boil and steep my tea....more time to iron and choose my clothes, and more time to just sit and breath by myself.
I like to be alone but I am cocooning myself in the apartment in a false effort to do schoolwork and really I am just watching bad tv and wishing my living room was filled with the people I used to know, in what seems like another lifetime.


also-I am so tired of trying to pretend I am smart or maybe insightful in posts to blackboard regarding our future roles as educators or therapists and how we will provide everything within our power to students, think outside of the box to give this child the best services possible. while I feel this is an important point I am tired of talking about it. At some point we must stop being idealists and become materialists making a difference in our world in a real way. I am currently just making a dent in the futon and wishing it was a comfy couch.

want to come over for wine and cookies? that doesn't go right? well A- you can have vanilla soymilk and I can have bread and cheese and it will all work out. take a road trip and come to see me soon. spring break starts March 21st.