A Fall Preview

Well, who knew almost a month has passed since I last wrote?  It certainly didn't feel like a whole month. It barely felt like a week!  As you would guess, I've been busy...so I'll see what I can recall from the abyss of my memory to share with you.

First and most pressing on my mind, I have my first exam on Friday for my crystallography class. 
I need to study. Like crazy. If you couldn't tell, I'm stressing out over this exam, for a variety of reasons, most of which are probably awfully silly.

So the rest of today and tomorrow are for studying. Friday morning we have our school's grad student research forum, where I have to present my poster (from the thermo conference I recently attended) for a few hours.  Since the exam is in the afternoon, I'll probably be skipping my bi-weekly yoga class, which is a huge bummer....

I've been doing better at exercising!
Not perfect, not everyday, but much more consistently. I think much credit for this success should go to the fitness classes at the gym that I've been checking out. Luckily, most of the fitness classes at our gym are free with your membership, so I can just pop into different classes as my schedule and interests dictate. I've been regularly attending a power yoga class during lunch twice a week. I love the instructor and I feel like I've made some progress, though I am definitely not an uber-flexible and mentally peaceful yogi!!!  And I probably never will be. But I've been enjoying the challenges of her practices and I look forward to class quite a bit. I even bought a cushy yoga mat that I keep at work!

I also tried my first spinning class...and I didn't fall off the bike from sheer exhaustion like I had anticipated.  Actually, I really like spinning and want to try to make a class once a week.  Unfortunately, the popularity of spin class plus the limited number of bikes available make it challenging to meet that goal (last week I wasn't able to snag a bike because of the gaggle of girls hanging out at the counter, snatching up bike tickets the moment they were released).   I'll continue my efforts, though!

I even registered for a TRX circuit training class on main campus that I have to pay for. It works out to $3 per class, which is such a deal. I've only done TRX once before, but I loved the workout it gave me. I did not love the extreme soreness of random muscles nearly as much, but I think circuit training will keep me interested and having more fun than just doing my own workouts (because I do such an excellent job of wiggling my way out of my more intense workouts).

Fall foods have captured my attention in the kitchen.
I seriously have so many recipes to try for apples and pumpkins that it's laughable.
 
I made a standard apple pie with a oat crisp crust. Tasty, as always.
 
Inspired by my first apple pie of the fall, I wanted to try a new apple pie recipe (Alton Brown's Super Apple Pie).  It was not exactly my best-looking pie. To be honest, I called the end result the Pie of Endless Frustration, because I'd had a frustrating day at work and the pie also chose to sass me (the crust wouldn't chill and firm up even after a few hours in the fridge, so the top crust of the pie was, um, edited out).
 
I also had the crazy idea to make a pumpkin pie from scratch.  An adorable little pie pumpkin looked at me in the grocery store and encouraged me - you can do it, it's not that hard, I might even make pie taste better (as if pumpkin pie could get any better!).  After a short delay, I muscled my pie pumpkin into cubes for roasting. No problem.  Making the pie filling, though, was a bit of an adventure. I mushed the roasted pumpkin (hmm, this looks like the contents of a regurgitated stomach) and stirred in the evaporated milk and eggs with a bit of patience and effort. The pie tastes quite good, though it isn't any better than one made from canned pumpkin. However, my sad, dull brown color of pie filling didn't even look remotely pumpkin.  I'll be returning to the ease and lovely color of canned pumpkin for future pies. But I'm glad I gave it a go.
 
I tested a new dish - roasted brussel sprouts with shallots, pear, and lemon juice. Very easy to make and quite tasty.  Unfortunately, I don't think I really want to eat more than about 4 brussel sprouts at a time.  So the remnants of this dish eventually made it to the trash can.

I also experimented with veggie "pancakes" - shredded zucchini, onion, black beans, and corn mixed with a mix of flour and egg and chili powder.  To be honest, I had no idea how much flour and egg to add, so I kept plopping another spoonful in, stirring, and guessing.  It worked, though, because there is enough batter there to hold the veggies together and to brown without being a full-blown pancake. I smothered these veggie pancakes in greek yogurt and hot sauce for a tasty little meal.

Despite my desire for fall foods and baked, cheesy dinners, I'm not ready for the fall (and then winter) weather.
As I've aged, I've definitely developed a stronger and stronger dislike of cold, rainy, dreary weather. It no longer means days off from school/work.  It just means I have to trudge outside, drive a car in the sub-optimal conditions (a feat made infinitely worse by the hundreds of moronic drivers in the Cincy area), and be freezing cold all the time.

I'm not ready to say goodbye to my pretty, fun, easy summer clothes and shoes! I'm not ready for months of grey skies and rain, with so little golden sunshine!  I'm not ready for a frigid apartment (being on the end of the building is not conducive to a warm set of rooms)!  I'm not ready for shivering in the shower because the bathroom window lets too much cold air through, even when closed!

What I am looking forward to for fall and winter:
-seasonal produce, like honeycrisp apples and pumpkin out the wazoo!
-holidays with family and friends, seeing everyone, and eating!
-wearing leather boots with a skirt (I've been wanting to try this since last year, but am paranoid about looking silly and ruining my boots with precipitation)
-possibly going to a Tennessee football game with Eric!
-watching football every Saturday
-Christmas shopping. I love it. I know, I'm weird. I also figured out most of my presents for others awhile ago.
-baked mac and cheese, grilled cheeses (ooo! try Trader Joe's Colby Jack slices on wheat/10 grain bread...you will melt more than the cheese!), potato gratin, stews and soups, chili....mmmm!
-the arrival of Yuengling beer in Dayton and Cincinnati on October 31st! Can you tell I'm counting down???
-the return of new episodes of Psych!
-a recently purchased, adorable stuffed penguin with scarf and hat and a matching fleece blanket from Target

Wish me luck on my test on Friday! When it's over, I plan to enjoy my weekend thoroughly!!! I have a potato-fennel gratin planned, as well as brownie-cookies, watching Psych with Eric, and seeing the new store close to being open! So exciting!

PENGUINS!!!!

What a poser!!!!

Last year, my very awesome birthday gift from Eric were two stuffed animal penguins--promptly named Roger (the little one) and Perry (the big one)--bearing a letter from the penguins at the Newport Aquarium. This letter kindly requested that Eric bring me to the aquarium to visit the penguins sometime very soon. It also informed me that Roger and Perry were staying with us, but wouldn't mind visiting either.

Sweet, thoughtful, funny, unique...in other words, a truly amazing gift, right?

RIGHT!!!!!

It took us nearly a full year to visit the penguins, but this past Thursday, we both took the morning off from work and made the trip to the Newport Aquarium. Our thinking was that on a weekday and early in the morning, there would be fewer people there. And we were wrong. But once we dashed past the massive cluster of people in the first two display rooms of the aquarium, we managed to avoid the worst of the scrambling, screeching children and tottering parents and grandparents. Phew! After going through the entire aquarium, lingering awhile at the newly remodeled penguin exhibit (with four different types of penguins and Inca terns) and at the giant shark tank (Eric's favorite and one of the more frightening exhibits to me), we still had a little bit of time before we were scheduled to meet for the Penguin Encounter, when we would actually get up close and personal (well, touch and watch closely) some penguins! I'd also like to note that Eric took far too much delight in trying to make me stand on the transparent floors above fish tanks (both tanks with this terrifying feature had either gators or sharks...eek!). I'd walk across them....but as quickly as possible. I loved how excited Eric was while watching the sharks, though. He's just adorable when he's excited, like a little kid on Christmas morning.





Finally, the penguin keepers came out to get the group of us who had paid the extra money to participate in the penguin encounter. We walked "behind the scenes" past the giant shark tank that Eric so loved; this tank is enormous and behind the scenes, it's entirely open across the top of the tank. Even with protective rails and staying a cautious few feet back from the tank, I still felt more than a little afraid of those sharks. (Side note: I am not someone who loves fish, sea creatures, or being in the water. Actually, I'm downright terrified of being in bodies of water other than chlorinated swimming pools and I hate, hate, hate fishies. But I love penguins. So I tolerated the rest of the aquarium, much of which I enjoyed....except for those horrifying sharks...)

Our group was herded into a glass-walled room containing about 8 South African penguins. They stood no taller than my knee and each wore a different colored band around one of its upper flippers. We were asked to sit on the benches along two of the walls of the room and to please not pet the penguins until we were specifically told. Okay, no problem here, I do not want to upset the dear pengys! I immediately became a paparazzi, snapping photo after photo (flash off!) of the penguins. Meanwhile, the penguin keepers were chatting, telling us the penguins' names and characteristics, how they'd been hand raised (and therefore believed one keeper was their "mama"), how they were transported to and from the room, and why the room stank of penguin poo (it was everywhere, and that's just how these penguins treat their homes. hmm..) Finally one of the keepers cajoled two penguins over to our area and told us we could pet her--two fingers together, stroking with the feathers. Apparently two fingers is roughly the size of a penguin beak, so it was not upsetting to the penguin. Hmm, fun fact.





Our little penguin friends were waddling around and underneath our legs, nipping at our bench neighbor's shoelaces, and being adorable. We both petted her and she was rather soft and sleek, though you could certainly tell it was feathers and not fur. The keeper led the penguin away to the other bench of visitors and we watched the other penguins waddle around. Or one penguins laid on her tummy on some rocks and puffed out. Maybe she was napping?





The keeper eventually brought our penguin friends back and we recommended petting while they danced around our legs. They started to fight a bit with each other, which the keeper explained was fighting between siblings for who was allowed to do something first. hehe, silly penguins! I suppose the inter-sibling rivalry increased their feistiness, because one of the penguins began nipping at Eric's exposed toes, then turned to try to eat my sandal! Ah! The bites didn't hurt, especially in comparison to Fonz's chomps, but felt more link a pinch.



Lastly, the keepers wheeled a fake rock formation in front of each group of visitors, so we could get a picture with a penguin perched on top of the rock with us. Both photos taken of us are slightly blurry, but I think you can see how excited and happy we both were with our penguin encounter!



If only I'd managed to convince some penguins to get inside my purse....then I'd have some penguin friends living with me!


I did purchase a new stuffed animal penguin friend, a rockhopper penguin we christened Otto von Penguin. His hair is crazy, just like mine. And he's living in my apartment, while Roger and Perry continue to live in Eric's apartment.


With such a fun morning, neither Eric nor I wanted to go to work. We had lunch at Claddagh Bar and Grill (my first visit there), then adventured to the Harley Davidson store here in Cincinnati, where we wandered around for quite some time. Eric purchased my birthday gift for this year (in addition to the fancy dinner date I requested as my gift) -- a black HD tank top. hehe! Surprisingly, it is difficult to find HD gear for women without rhinestones or glitter. I wouldn't have imagined that, but it's true.

Eventually we had to leave each other and go back to our dull jobs, where there weren't any penguins to watch and play with. I have to admit, the rest of the day was kinda a drag. All I could think about was how awesome meeting penguins was and how wonderful Eric is. <3 I know I'm truly lucky to be with him. And I can't thank him enough for this experience!

Survey Says... (the responses)

My best friend and sweet sister Moe tagged me to participate in a little survey. After several weeks of intending to answer the questions, I finally did! And here are my answers:


1. If you could be friends with any fictional character who would you choose and why?
Ah. So, I read. A lot. And I often read things that I don't think other people read...particularly fantasy books. There, I admitted it, I read fantasy! I'd want to be friends Kaylin Neya from the Chronicles of Elantra series. Kaylin Neya is an officer of the law in the Elantran empire. Because of the way the author, Michelle Sagara, has written these books, Kaylin is portrayed as very human (read: full of very human attitudes and errors and emotions) and I feel connected to her through her very ordinary idiosyncrasies. But she's also got this whole "marked by ancient powers and gets involved in every crazy event" thing going on, which would make time with her exciting, unpredictable, and full of new experiences. She's also very good at working on her shortcomings - even if she doesn't immediately change, she usually gets into a situation where she has to admit a failing or prejudice and work to change it. That's an ability I admire tremendously.


2. What is the best date you've ever had? (It could be with the person you are with now or someone from the past)
This is easy! My birthday this year! Eric told me we were going out to dinner, I should dress fancy, and he'd pick me up. He shows up at my house in his dad's BMW convertible (yay! a treat for him and a treat for me!), looking very handsome. Strangely, we had both chosen to wear what we'd each worn to our friends Kara and Jeremy's wedding a little over a year earlier - it was awesome and hilarious! :) On the passenger seat of the car sat two stuffed penguins, one large and one small. They were holding an envelope with my name on it. As we're driving away to a "mystery" restaurant, I read the letter inside the envelope. The letter was from the penguins of the Newport Aquarium, inviting me to come visit them in the penguin encounter/experience; they'd heard a lot about me from Eric, so they sent two representatives (the two dapper penguins on the car seat) with their invitation. I was absolutely thrilled! Eric took me to one of my favorite restaurants, Meadowlark, where we ate incredible food and wine and, of course, dessert! As we ate, we named the two penguins; they, unfortunately, had to stay in the car during dinner. They're Roger and Perry. Perry even went to work with Eric recently (check out the wall posts page on Eric's facebook page). It was an amazing and truly memorable date! And I have to say it because it's true and I don't say it - Eric, you're the most wonderful boyfriend!


3. What was the last good book that you read?
Ha, so this is funny...but I read a book at school when I go to the gym...and I read a book at home on the weekends. The last book I read at school was the most recent Chronicles of Elantra book, which was good and certainly captivates me the first time I read it. The last book I read at home was The Perfume Guide, by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez. I know, how can a guide book that review perfumes be a good book? Well, they're hilarious and eloquent with their writings. They don't hesitate to tell us something is a bad perfume or an exact copy of another perfume. And they write so poignantly, so tenderly about the perfumes they love that I want to try so many of them! Happily, I found a little website that might fulfill that desire - theperfumedcourt.com You can buy little samples, ranging from 1mL to 15mL of a perfume. I'm definitely going to go nuts here!


4. Someone gives you a hundred dollars and tells you that you have to spend it today - on yourself. What would you buy?
Oh my gosh, there are so many things I want!! (yikes, I'm very selfish!) Shoes, beauty products from Sephora, or a dress from JCrew. Those are the most likely places I'd spend the money right now. If I had to choose a single thing...I'd probably go with another pair of Ugg Dakota moccasins. They are so warm and so comfortable, and I wear my old pair all the time in the fall, winter and spring. And when I like something and wear it frequently, I have an overwhelming desire to purchase another of it...just in case something happens to the first one. :) I'm weird like that.


5. If you could travel anywhere in the world what would your top 5 places be?
In no particular order...
1) Australia/New Zealand - Whenever I see pictures or movies set in Australia or New Zealand, it looks breathtakingly gorgeous and full of such diverse, stark scenery. While I don't think I'd enjoy living in some place like the desert or the mountains, their beauty always moves me


2 & 3) Spain and Italy (with a long time in Florence!) - I've been to Spain and Italy for short trips and I absolutely fell in love with them. Honestly, I'd love to live in Spain and Italy (Florence, of course) at some point...but when I start thinking of realistic details, it seems overwhelmingly scary. So I'd like at least a long vacation there!

4) Hawaii - Moe lived in Hawaii for awhile and all of her pictures are stunning! To me, it is one of those places that is unlike any other on earth.

5) Greece - I've been obsessed with ancient Greek and Roman mythology since grade school. And Greece looks incredible! It has ancient ruins, museums full of treasures, natural geographic beauty (have you seen the pictures they use in calenders?????), good food (I may have to learn to like seafood before I go...).


6. What are 2 or 3 items on your "bucket list"?
Travel to several places around the world. Probably the ones I've listed above :) I definitely want to go back to Spain and Italy. I would even like to walk a part of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route again. And I want to take incredible pictures of these places, the kind of photos you see on postcards!

Do something big with food...like host a tv show about food (I'm thinking Alton Brown's Good Eats, where science and food play together in hilarious yet informative models) or have my own bakery (a risky business...maybe I could sell baked goods out of my home or do it catering style?). I love cooking and I love food. If it weren't so damn risky, I'd make it my career now. And this would be a way for me to do something artistic, which is something I have always wanted to do.

Use power tools! Okay, I admit I have used a drill before and maybe a staple gun. My grandfather and two of my uncles are very skilled woodworkers. Even my mom comfortably uses several different power saws and drills! I know I can do it, I just have to overcome my fear of losing a limb or an eye! Plus, I want to build something with the power tools and be able to proudly show it off to people.


7. If you could live the life of one TV character who would it be, what show are they from, and why?
Ah! Great question! It'd be awesome to be Fiona Glenann from Burn Notice - she's badass, independent, hot...but I'd have to deal with being in extreme danger at all times, not to mention deal with a boyfriend who tends to get himself into a lot of trouble. So...to make life easier on myself, I'd probably be Sean Spencer from Psych. He pretends to be a psychic and hangs out with his best friend Gus all day in a pretty awesome place. I particularly would like to solve a mystery involving a dinosaur!!! (I would have said Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory, but he seems like his extreme particularities would make life stressful. So maybe I could just hang out with Sheldon instead!)


8. When you sit down for Thanksgiving dinner in a few weeks what will you say that you are most grateful for this year?
Easily, the people in my life. My parents, my relatives, Eric, Moe, Megan, Kayleigh and all the rest of my friends. They're the reason I make it through each day, they make me laugh, they touch my heart, they encourage me when I'm frustrated or quite ready to give up, they're patient with me when I'm not patient with anyone, they make me a better person. I love all of you and I am so very thankful that you are in my life.