Today I go back to school for my third class in the sustainability certificate program. I have a morning meeting time in the sociology department this time around, which is a nice change from the evening courses that often left me feeling exhausted at the end of the day. I got my grades back from winter quarter and overall am pleased -- an A in the urban planning course and a B+ in economics. I think I'd normally be a little disappointed with a B+, but given my struggle to keep my head above water (due to my utter lack of economics prerequisites), the grade seems just about right. So, moving on.
While I'm excited to start my class this morning, the real treat is waiting for me on the hold shelf at the public library. A couple of weeks ago, I stumbled on a recipe for roasted chicken with caramelized shallots that was adapted from this cookbook. The chicken not only looks incredibly tasty, but is also a simple one-dish operation that you just stick in the oven. As many of you know, I love just about anything that can be roasted or braised for hours, so it's almost guaranteed to be a hit.
After sifting through the table of contents online at Amazon, I realized that it's been ages since I perused the cookbook section at the library. I feel truly spoiled that we have such a great public library system here in Portland and really should start taking advantage of it again. So, I went online and reserved the book (and then completely forgot about it). This morning in my email inbox I had a little reminder to come and pick it up! I can't wait to swing by the library on my way home from class and carefully select which meal I'm going to make first. I may also have to make a trip up to the second floor where all the other cookbooks live. I'm trying to create an arsenal of delicious, but not very complicated recipes that I can turn to once the baby arrives -- I have a feeling that cooking elaborate meals will not be on the agenda once mid-August rolls around.
The French Farmhouse Cookbook is perfect for this weather, since it's been terribly cold and rainy for the past few days. A simple hearty soup or roast chicken dish is just what we need to stay warm!
Yesterday was my last day of economics class (hallelujah)! It's not that I didn't enjoy it most of the time, but Monday, March 15th was a day that I had been dreading for a while. I had a final paper due in addition to a final take home exam, and to top it all off I had to give a presentation on my paper topic. Needless to say, I've been off the grid for a couple of days trying to finish all of the work. Because having a doozie of a Monday in terms of schoolwork wasn't quite enough, last night the organization I work for part time was hosting a lecture. Basically, I was at work by 9:00am and didn't get home until 10:30pm with class and stuff in between.
The day actually wasn't as horrendous as I imagined it would be and that's due partially to scaring myself shitless into finishing all of my work ahead of the absolute final deadline. This was a first. (I also convinced myself in that fury to finish my work Sunday night that I had somehow killed our baby, but that is an entirely other neurotic story.) I woke up early on Monday morning starving, with the baby thumping and poking around -- probably waiting impatiently for an energy rush from a giant bowl of cottage cheese.
The weather outside yesterday was unusually nice, which made being chained to a desk at work even harder. That is, until I looked up and a little sign was glowing. "Open Windows." It's not like I hadn't noticed the sign before. I just assumed it was something for fire code that meant the windows were operable. However, this was the first time I had ever seen it glowing. So, I turned around and asked the nearest person what it all meant.
Prepare to be wowed.
Apparently, a few feet below that sign is a high tech fancy weather meter. It calculates the outside temperature and humidity and when the conditions are just right, the sensor shuts off the HVAC system and flips on the light. It quite literally means "open your windows right now because it's beautiful out and you will love the fresh air." I looked around and nearly all of the office had the windows cracked, even if just a bit, and were basking in the gorgeous weather. The architecture firm that currently occupies the floor renovated the space, which is the top floor of a historic building. They're really into taking sustainability seriously and have done as much as humanly possible to advance their efforts -- there are even food scrap bins for composting in the shared kitchen area.
I have to say, this idea wouldn't work everywhere. I think there would be about 3.2 days a year when the weather would cooperate enough in Washington, D.C. to warrant turning off the heat or air conditioning in favor of fresh air. However, Portland has an abundance of really nice weather, so why not take advantage?
Today wasn't quite as nice, so I wasn't sad to be inside finishing that one final paper. It's done now and I can breathe a huge sigh of relief. Spring break officially begins.....NOW.
Last night I got pretty frustrated trying to come up with a paper proposal for my economics class. I feel a little behind the curve, given that I've had exactly one economics class in my entire school career. Not to mention that it was just an undergrad entry-level class (for some reason I had convinced myself that I was going to get a business minor) nearly 10 years ago. For some reason this quarter, I decided to jump into a graduate-level course head first. At times feel like I'm just scratching the surface of all the stuff that I should get out of this course. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good challenge, but some days I feel a bit overwhelmed.
Given that the paper proposal is due this afternoon, blogging probably shouldn't be on the top of my priority list, but I can't help myself. I'm a consummate procrastinator. I work well under strict time constraints and there's nothing like feeling overwhelmed to make the mind wander. I keep staring at that messy built-in shelf and contemplate organizing just one of the plastic bins. But, oh wait! The Super Bowl is coming up in just a week and a half! I should really plan a menu for our non-existent party. Mmm. Carnitas. I better run to the store before it runs out of pork.
Don't worry, I've reigned in my thoughts and started cranking out a pretty good proposal topic. I decided to stick with stuff that I know, rather than racking my brain about watersheds or biodiversity. Historic buildings are the ticket to my success and Portland neighborhoods will be my case study. Why did I have to make this process so hard? I have to give credit where it's due though, Jesse sat with me last night and talked through some of my ideas that I had been rolling around. He also brought me this awesome snack this morning -- a blueberry bagel with cream cheese cut up into little bite-size pieces. I love bite-size pieces! They're perfect for snacking! He knows me all too well -- love is in the details.
Let me introduce myself. I am Brasilliant. I started a blog a while back to document my day-to-day life. Toward the end of 2009 my efforts were, well, lackluster. I promise to do better in 2010. Holy crap! It's 2010!
So, what's been going on since the calendar rolled over? Well, I turned 30. It wasn't as scary or traumatizing as I thought. Like previous years (for various reasons this time around), I've officially postponed any birthday celebrations for a month. Maybe around Feb. 6th I'll freak out, but I doubt it -- I have bigger fish to fry and honestly, unemployment sucks a lot more than starting another decade in life. Besides, 30 is the new 20 right?
After a two-week break from school, I started up classes again last week. I'm taking two courses this quarter toward a graduate certificate in sustainability. I have to say, it's going to be quite a bit of work, but I really am enjoying the readings and discussions so far. I plan on taking two more this spring and one in early summer, which will leave me only one more course to go this fall. I'm trying to ride out the unemployment wave as best I can, which will probably mean applying for a student loan to help with tuition payments in the spring and summer. No biggie, especially compared to the exorbitant tuition fees we paid at GW!
I've been trying to get back into cooking. It took a little while to get the kitchen unpacked and learn my way around our new ginormous space. I made my first batch of red beans of the new year and I think they're going to be awesome. I used two links of Cheesy Bavarian sausage this time instead of just one. Also on the cooking agenda? Apple cake. I've been loving anything with apples lately, so round two of delicious, dense, cinnamon-y apple cake will happen this evening!
As for this afternoon, Jesse is going running with our friend Brian out in his neck of the woods. I'm going to tag along at their place to hang out with my favorite little dude, Elliot. Actually, I might not get to see much of Elliot, since it will be right around his nap time, but it'll give me a good reason to get some reading done for class tomorrow. It's really nice to have a fixed schedule again with deadlines!
I haven't posted since before Thanksgiving. Where did the time go? I had a great visit with Jesse's family last week and got to meet The Crane Wife & Ancient Indian Wizard's awesome baby boy. Despite my great time in Santa Cruz, I did not take a single photo. So, what have I been up to you ask? Well, sorting out the tedious details of moving, like transferring insurance, calling around to find out where the heck our mail has gone for the past two weeks, and general sorting through piles of crap to find underwear and my toothbrush. I also have that pesky class to finish with a paper/presentation that just won't write itself.
I have made progress though. I unpacked the kitchen and was able to cook an actual, wholesome, delicious meal on Tuesday night -- black-eyed peas with sausage and roasted carrots with a balsamic glaze. Yum! It's been pretty cold in Portland lately, only getting into the low 40s during the day, so the beans were a nice stick-to-your-ribs meal. I was thankful for the leftovers, since I really didn't feel like cooking yesterday after preparing all afternoon for class. I am actually counting the hours between now and next Wednesday when I will finally be finished with school work for a few weeks. Winter quarter doesn't start until January 4th, so I'll have a bit of time to really get into unpacking over the next couple of weeks.
Also, I'm heading to D.C. next Thursday to meet up with Jesse for a long weekend. Our friend Kyle is defending his dissertation and we're going to spend a frosty weekend in our old home town. I'm excited to meet up with friends and kick off the holiday season!
On the moving front, yesterday was not very productive. I did get a permit to reserve parking space in front of our new building for our moving truck on Saturday. However, the remainder of the day was spent huddled in the library trying to finish up reading and writing for class. It was actually time well worth spending, because I think I may have finally figured out my focus while taking graduate classes at PSU. Rather than halfheartedly completing coursework toward a masters degree (that I have no intention of finishing), I think I'm going to work toward a graduate certificate in sustainability. While this wasn't the first time I had read about the certificate program, I initially dismissed it because of my limited understanding of what "sustainability" actually means -- I'm all for "going green" and sustainable building design, but as a career choice, it's just not my bag.
That's why the readings for last class last night were so mind blowing. I came to realize that environmental (or physical aspects) of sustainability are just one piece in a larger puzzle that includes economic and social aspects as well. Organizational sustainability is just as important as the physical stuff. I took a closer look at the certificate program and was pleased to find that the core classes are spread out in various departments including, economics, urban studies and planning, sociology, and environmental science. It's like American Studies with a focus. I love it! I found out that two of the core courses are being offered during the winter quarter, one of which is being taught by my current professor. Since there are no full time job prospects in sight, I think I'll sign up for both.
In other news, I made an awesome pot of chili earlier this week. In fact, it might be my best batch ever. It has ground turkey, black beans, kidney beans, garbanzos, corn, carrots, and roasted acorn squash. The squash and carrots add a nice sweetness and texture. I imagine this would make a pretty good vegetarian version, but I'm sort of partial to the chunks of turkey in addition to the veggies. While I'd like to take all the credit for the tastiness, I have to acknowledge Penzey's Chili 9000 spice blend for part of the success. I'm thinking there is enough chili for one more dinner, so I probably won't have to worry about cooking until tomorrow -- and by cooking, I mean take out. That is a relief, since I have a ton of moving to take care of today. I'm hoping to have the remaining contents of our kitchen and most of the closets emptied by tomorrow afternoon.
Okay, fine. I exaggerate, but it is 44º outside and raining. And my toes feel like icicles. It's the first morning that I didn't want to get out of bed without a winter coat, due largely to the fact that we still had the bedroom window wide open. All windows in our apartment are officially closed! And I took my coffee hot this morning instead of iced, something that rarely occurs (even in the winter).
A recent addition to our household is a giant french press. It is my new love. I have a smaller version that makes exactly 8oz., but it was intended for a pick-me-up at the office. Given that I haven't had an office in over a year, coffee is always made for two (or three or four). I had forgotten how much different coffee tastes when made with the french press -- it's creamy and delicious, kind of like hot chocolate. However, I have yet to brew anything other than Stumptown coffee since we got it, so the marginal stuff might taste just as mediocre. I'll have to run a comparison in the future.
Today calls for a healthy serving of coffee, as neither Jesse or I were as productive yesterday as we had hoped. I set out to finish reading for my class and writing a short paper, but ended up taking care of a few phone calls, messing around on the internet looking for rental houses, finding excuses to not cook dinner, and generally being lazy. However, this morning we are off to a good start. Jesse took the car in for an oil change and to have them check out our temperature knob that will not turn to heat. Given the recent cold snap, I think a defroster will be necessary very soon. (As a side note, I had a slight flush to my cheeks when I realized that out heater has been broken for nearly a year. Oops. Where did all of that time go?) I'm already getting started on my paper outline and will be cooking up a tasty pot of potato leek soup for dinner. I'm determined to have a better day than yesterday!
Yesterday, a very special package came in the mail. It was from Jesse's office. No, he didn't get promoted, but judging from the excitement in the apartment, you would have thought they made him King of the non-profit. We did a little happy dance as he ripped open the padded envelope. That very special package was the new Adobe Creative Suite 4 Web Premium edition. It's the tricked out Cadillac of all Adobe packages and it's allllll miiiinnnneee. (Ok, technically, it's all Jesse's, since he is going to use it for work, but I can also load it on my Preshus and tinker to my heart's content.)
I popped in the tutorial cd this morning and realized that there are about 15 different programs and applications, many of which I've never heard. I decided to get a little breakfast before diving right in, because I am definitely not worthy. Having this software package to do the types of projects that I have in mind is like hiring Deloitte and Touche to balance my checkbook. However, I feel that I must step to the challenge of owning the CS4 Web Premium edition. In addition to my Public Administration course, I'm thinking of taking a basic web design class to learn how to use Dreamweaver. My main goal will be to rebuild the Quickcrit Blogger template (which is right now sort of a Frankenstein of pieced widgets and html parts) so it's not all buggy and annoying. We'll see how that goes.
Oh and my Public Administration class? Awesome. I think it's going to be a really great quarter for two reasons: my professor is pretty great and Public Administration is such a nebulous field that just about anyone can find a niche -- kind of like my degree in American Studies. Oh, and speaking of American Studies, my professor is also an American Studies graduate. I think I'm going to love this class!
My final is this afternoon! Lots of studying ensued last night (with the help of a Session study guide of course). I'm off with my Mom for a fabric shopping extravaganza at Fabric Depot, before pouring my brain onto a piece of paper.
I'll be back full time on the blog next week when life cools down a bit (for real this time).
Preshus!* Arrived a day early and has since ruined all my plans of finishing my papers early.
* I mumble in my best Gollum voice as I pet the shiny aluminum case.
I'm playing hooky from class today. Before you yell at me, it's for a good reason. Every 1st Wednesday of the month, I have an education committee meeting for a preservation organization in town and it starts at 5:30. In order for me to get there in time, I'd have to leave class at 5:00, which means that I'd sit through an entire lecture, but miss out on our class project (which is the only reason I really go to class anyway). Rather than making my way down to campus for a rehash of Environmental Policy and Planning (that I know like the back of my hand from work in the preservation world), I decided to stay home and write the papers that are due at the end of the term -- only a week away. I sent notes to my group mates this morning to ease my conscience for missing out on our discussion session.
I'm writing three memos on the recent plans adopted for the Northwest neighborhood (where Jesse and I live). At two double-spaced pages each, it shouldn't take very long -- I used to do this sort of thing in my sleep! However, I'm having a hard time cracking down and just doing it already. There are so many things going on that are keeping me distracted, like my parents visiting next week, the nice cool weather outside, our trip in less than a month (!), and my new iPod Touch (soon to be followed by a new laptop) flying from Sacramento as we speak. Also, I can't help but think about the fall term and what glorious class I will take next. Perhaps something in Public Administration? Who knows, maybe I'll become an astronaut or a world-class biographer of some previously obscure historical figure. The options are endless when there are papers to be written!
In addition to my self-inflicted interruptions, my husband has decided that he wants to be best buds for the afternoon, attaching himself to my hip. I'm not sure if it's out of boredom or some more primal instinct that makes him involuntarily ask questions and give unsolicited commentary on the (rather terrible) oatmeal cookies that were made earlier in the week. He's not trying to be a pain (and I am sort of sitting in his workspace), but even the little 20 second interruptions totally throw off my train of thought. I finally had to go to the bedroom, shut the door and demand not to be bothered under pain of death (or unless he accidentally catches fire and needs critical medical assistance).
I will write three papers today....I will write three papers today.....I will write three papers today....
Brasilliant's Unorthodox All-Day Intervals Workout*:
Interval 1: "A" For Effort
Late morning running attempt: 10 min.
Walk home (sweaty and panting for no good reason): 10 min.
Stretch (and ponder defeat from aforementioned run): 10 min.
Interval 2: Guilt Toning Exercises
Lift hand weights (wonder how 5 pounds got to be so heavy): 15 min.
Crunches (abs groan and puff dust): 10 min.
Lie on floor under fan: 10 min.
Interval 3: Take 7-hour Break
Maintain rapid heart rate by engaging with ass-head in class. Continue to build muscle tone by forcefully sitting on hands (in effort not to choke ass-head as he dishes out a healthy serving of senselessness and condescension while chewing gum. Audibly. While. Talking.).
Interval 4: Speed Training
Sprint for one mile and seethe about ass-head from class: 8 min. 45 sec.
Lose dinner in stranger's bushes: 30 sec.
Walk off embarrassment: 5 min.
Interval 5: Cool Down
Pet the cutest dog ever: 2 min.
Contemplate dog-napping (tired legs disagree): 30 sec.
Jog to prevent muscles from turning to stone: 10 min.
Walk to recover from jog (again panting and sweaty): 10 min.
Stretch bewildered muscles (that haven't seen this much activity in a decade): 10 min.
*Brasilliant is not a licensed trainer. She just plays one on the internets.
I know I've threatened this before, but I'm seriously done with my laptop. As in, shut down for the last time and if it mysteriously catches on fire and melts into one giant chunk of plastic, I'll roast marshmallows and hot dogs over its (hopefully not too toxic) flames. If you're out there Dell and Microsoft (aka. Axis of Evil) you just lost a customer who swore she'd never buy a Mac.
There have been a series of incidents that have led up to this decision, the most recent and annoying is the failure of my power cord yet again. It has left me laptop-less for over a week. Luckily, PSU has an abundance of computers on campus and 500 free pages to print for students. Bonus! Last night, we had a scare that Jesse's 4-year-old+ laptop from work wasn't going to start up again (it did, hence my ability to blog this morning) and I realized that we need to have one reliable computer in the house. The Mac Mini is great, but it's not a full computer -- basically a word processing and music machine. Jesse also reminded me that I'm a student until the end of August, so we might as well take advantage of the discount. I think we're going to pop into an Apple store and check out the goods, ask a few questions, and maybe even consider a purchase.
As for today? I have a piece of fabric* that is calling my name. Perhaps I'll make a sundress this afternoon. I haven't touched the sewing machine in ages!
* Yes, this photo is taken with my cell phone camera. No, there is nothing wrong with my real camera. Jesse's laptop will not allow me to download just one image, due to the fact that the iPhoto version is so ancient. It insists (even though I yell at it) on scanning every single photo on the memory card, which happens to be in the neighborhood of 800 right now. Someday, I'll operate technologically in the 21st century and feel secure enough to actually delete photos from my camera (which sadly, is the most stable device in my life right now).
Last night the temperature finally dropped below 78° and I was able to sleep. Having gotten only a little over three hours of shut eye on Tuesday night, coupled with (almost) record-breaking temperatures of 107° in the afternoon, I was on the verge of a breakdown. Our apartment at midnight was 93°!! I haven't quite been that cantankerous since I was in my final weeks of grad school -- on a particularly rough afternoon Jesse declared, "it's a good thing you're cute and I love you." When were walking toward Powell's for another round of free air-conditioning, I fussed him for walking too fast and he sighed, "I'd enjoy this heat a lot more if you weren't perpetually ornery." I thought it was a legitimate complaint, who speed walks on a sweltering evening?
Anyway, we set up the second window fan in the bedroom (blowing full speed directly on my head) and I slept like a log the entire night. I was so rested that I was actually awake and decided to go for a run before the sun got too hot. Our apartment is still pretty toasty from four days of 100+ temperatures, so we headed out to the library to do work. It's been an incredibly productive day and to top it all off, I got to go to Döner Kebab for a lunch break. It's owned by a German family and is the closest thing that I've come to döners that I had in Berlin ages ago -- hence the name Döner Kebab -- and has quickly become one of my favorite lunch spots.
The meat is roasted on a spit, similar to gyros, but is way better. I also learned that the meat is turkey (and seriously out of this world), which makes it a little healthier right? I didn't take a photo of our meal (I feel uncomfortable about photographing food in restaurants), so the borrowed image from the Portland Mercury will have to suffice. I can't wait to test out the real thing in Germany when we visit in September to see how the Portland version stacks up.
In May 2004, with a Master of Arts in American Studies under my belt, I swore I would never go to school again. No more 1000 pages/week assignments, no more 20-30 page papers, no more tuition, no more crying over cultural theory! Five years later, here I am, on my first day back to school. Let me clarify, I haven't technically decided to commit wholeheartedly to go back to school and earn another graduate degree. I'm just testing the water with a 4-week summer course, Intro to Urban Planning.
I thought it appropriate for Jesse to document this day, just like my Mom documented every single first day of school during my childhood. I'm pretty sure I was never this excited about starting up a class though. My first day went well and I think I'm going to like this urban planning stuff. There's already a lot that I already know, like process and evaluation, and making a million alternatives to study and ponder (that will likely never come to fruition). This time around, instead of just evaluating historic buildings, I can think about things like transportation and the environment, or affordable housing and historic buildings.
I knew I was in for a completely new experience when the syllabus indicated that we only have to read about 40 pages a night and our only writing assignment consists of three two-page "memos" on an urban plan of our choice -- naturally I'm going to select Portland. Apparently in the "real world" urban planners have little time to read dissertations, so our written assignments have to be clear and concise. I love it!* I've already pegged the token ass-head in class, but I think I can ignore him for the most part. I don't think you could call it school without one of those people.
*Downside? I think I might miss the footnotes a little.
Dinner on Monday was sort of off the cuff. I didn't have a recipe in mind and since I didn't go to the farmers market on Saturday, we were seriously low on vegetables. So, I walked over to the grocery store and just meandered through the produce section to see what was in season. I'm extremely excited that the first crop of corn is showing up. And it's so cheap! I got four ears last night for under $2. For dinner, we had whole wheat pasta with collards, andouille sausage, and mushrooms tossed with a simple fresh tomato sauce. On the side, Jesse threw together a bean salad with tomatoes, garlic, red onion, the fresh corn, and a dijon vinaigrette. Summer at it's best!
Tuesday morning, we finished off the remaining blueberries and peaches over blueberry pancakes with a little maple syrup. I made Jesse to promise to wake me up just before his 7am conference call (and just after making coffee of course) so I could prep the batter and slice the fruit. We made a pact to go out running in the late morning, so I decided we needed a good hearty breakfast as fuel. I wasn't terribly excited when 6:50am rolled around, but I'm glad now that I managed to get out of bed.
Today I am off to run errands, practice German, and do more research on our trip in September. Now that we have a hotel for our first two nights in Brussels, I feel that planning will be a lot more fun. Also, I'm anxiously awaiting my textbook's arrival for the class that I start in just a couple of weeks. I'm contemplating reading ahead to get a start on my coursework. We'll see if that actually happens, but since the class is only four weeks, I have a feeling things will be very intense on Monday through Thursday. If I can get ahead a little of the reading from the start, I think it will be a lot more manageable.
While I'm excited to start my class this morning, the real treat is waiting for me on the hold shelf at the public library. A couple of weeks ago, I stumbled on a recipe for roasted chicken with caramelized shallots that was adapted from this cookbook. The chicken not only looks incredibly tasty, but is also a simple one-dish operation that you just stick in the oven. As many of you know, I love just about anything that can be roasted or braised for hours, so it's almost guaranteed to be a hit.
