interstellarglue

You May Now Call Me Master Tara (Just Kidding)0

Well, it’s official. And this mug proves it!

 

Haha. I have never been one for school spirit – I’ve never attended any sort of sporting event or anything like that, so I don’t have any CSUS paraphernalia. While I am not particularly proud of my Alma Mater, I am happy with my experience in the English graduate program, so I thought I should commemorate my experience with a trinket. And I couldn’t think of anything more symbolic of my experience in college than a coffee mug. I wonder how many cups of coffee I have consumed as a student? I have developed quite the habit! It’s not even the caffeine I crave – it’s more that reassuring feeling of having a warm beverage in my hand. Nothing calms the nerves more than a warm cup of coffee. Eek, I really do sound like an addict. I’m not addicted to heroin – I just like the feeling of a needle in my arm!

I can’t believe all of the crazy shit I’ve learned about in school, especially grad school. Yet, I still feel like I have so much more to learn. But I’m confident that I’ll continue learning, just in new settings and in new positions. Turning in my thesis was a lot harder on me than I expected. It was as though I was turning in a big part of myself, and I was left feeling a bit empty. But I’m already filling up that empty space with other stuff.

Here’s what I have to look forward to:

• Interning in a first-year composition class
• Taking conversational Italian with Kyle at the Davis Adult School
• Going to Italy in May (!)
• Possibly becoming a substitute teacher

I know that I can prevent getting anxious about graduating by keeping busy. So, the plan is to keep busy, yet still enjoy my new freedom. I can’t even imagine what weekends are going to be like without having hours upon hours of homework. I would imagine they would be pretty freaking awesome.

My graduation ceremony is on Friday, and then the next day we’re going to San Francisco for a couple of nights! We’re going to AsiaSF (I apparently inherited my Grandma’s fondness of drag queens…), and maybe the Great Dickens Christmas Fair. We’ve also talking about going to Tahoe for Christmas. So yes, lots to look forward to.

Posted under Uncategorized

Tofurky Day Recap0

Kyle and I had a nice relaxing Thanksgiving at home this year. We were both recovering from the flu, so we really just wanted to stay home. Plus, my thesis is due next week, so I really wanted to stay home and focus over the long weekend.

Staying home didn’t prevent us from eating some delicious food:

This was actually my first year cooking Thanksgiving dinner. I made yams, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, brussels sprouts and and a Tofurky (I didn’t actually make the Tofurky, I sort of just threw it in the oven… Although, Kyle did baste it, which was a nice addition). The Torfurky came stuffed with a wild rice stuffing, which I thought looked a bit dubious, but it was actually delicious! Everything turned out really great. We also had some unpictured homemade pumpkin pie. We ate way too much and were full for several hours – even after we took a long walk. Good thing Thanksgiving only comes once a year!

Posted under Uncategorized

Halloween Recap0

I want to go to bed and watch the History of England (I’m at the American Revolution!!!), but I thought I ought to post pics from Halloween before it’s too late. 

We had a lovely time with the Peeps (Ashley and Devin).

We ate lots of good food, drank sangria (and a wee bit of scotch), and carved pumpkins.

Ash made the cutest zebra:

Devin carrying a bowl full of pumpkin goo. He made the most delicious roasted pumpkin seeds!

From left to right: Ashley’s pretty flower and star, Kyle’s mini emoticon, Devin’s scary face, my Jack Skellington wannabe.

Mine didn’t light up too well, but that’s okay – it was lots of fun!

Posted under Holidays

Necklace1

I have so many things I have been wanting to post about, but alas, I have no time. I do apparently have time to buy things though… 

I spotted this necklace from J. Crew several months ago when I was looking for a necklace to wear to my friend’s wedding. However, I wasn’t willing to fork out $58 for it. On a whim, I checked the sale section this morning, and can you believe it – it was on sale for $19.99! It’s already on its way to the house!

Posted under Fashion

All Day I Dream About Soup0

Since the weather has cooled down quite a bit, I thought some potato soup was in order. My Grandmother always made this for us as soon as it started to get chilly out. I used to “help” her by eating little pieces of potato and getting in her way. This was actually one of the first recipes she taught me how to cook. While the recipe is based on my Grandma’s, I have also made it my own by tweaking a few things.

Grammy’s Potato Soup

3-4 Russet potatoes

1 white onion

3-4 celery stocks

One quart organic milk

1 tablespoon garlic

2-3 tablespoon flour

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Saute garlic and onions until translucent. Add celery and potatoes, and cook until the potatoes are soft. Add milk and bring to a simmer. Mix flour with a few tablespoons of warm water in a mug. Stir flour mixture into the soup. Garnish with green onions, cheddar cheese, and facon. 

My Grandma put bacon in her soup, but once I became veg she made a separate pot for me, and she made sure she used separate spoons when she stirred. We had some facon hanging out in the freezer, so I decided to try it out as a garnish on top. It was quite tasty. The green onions are also my addition. This recipe is so simple and cheap to make, and so good! It’s definitely comfort in a bowl.

Posted under Uncategorized

Do Not Misunderestimate My Intelligence!0

My brain must be fried (so is Pidden’s). We’ve been writing all day. I started writing, “Elizabeth has obviously misunderestimated Darcy…” When my spellcheck caught “misunderestimate,” I right clicked on it to fix it, only to find that there are “no suggestions.” I was confused. For a long time. Then it finally clicked… “ooooooooooh, misunderestimate is totally not a word.”

I’m making tea right now.

Posted under Skoo

Bonfires burning bright…0

Yeah, that’s going to be stuck in my head all day.

Anyhoo, I engaged in a bit of craft therapy on Friday night (how cool am I?). I went to Target to see if I could find some Halloween decorations (as if I don’t already have enough), but couldn’t find any that suited my fancy, so I decided to make some instead. I went next door to Michael’s (hooray for strip malls!) and picked up some cheap picture frames, paper, ribbon, and stickers. Here’s what I came up with:

 

I actually got the idea for the “BOO” sign from a blog last Halloween (I can’t remember whose it was), although, I made a couple of alterations.

 

I printed out the letters on orange scrapbook paper, which was pretty difficult to do, since we just have a laserjet printer, with very few bells and whistles. It was really difficult to get the letter to print just where I wanted it to – but it worked out okay. I also stuck some really cute spider and bat stickers on the frames. I’m pretty happy with the way they turned out.

 

I have tons of these glittery letters left over from when I made my Gram’s memorial sign, so I decided to put them to use by spelling out “spooky.” Don’t worry, Kyle already pointed out how big of a nerd I am. Now all I need is some orange and black tapers for my owl candle holders. I found some cute ones on etsy, but I’m hoping to find some locally, so I don’t have to wait for shipping!

My Mom was actually the one who encouraged me to decorate for Halloween. I was telling her how much I’m dreading the upcoming holidays, since it will be the first time we will be “celebrating” them without my Gram. My Mom told me that making our place feel a little more festive might help. While I can’t decorate myself into feeling better, it is nice having the place looking cute for Halloween.

I have another crafty Halloween thing planned – I’m hoping to have some time this week to make it.

Posted under Decorating, Holidays

Lao Tzu vs. Homer Simpson0

This one may be a bit of a stretch, but I love this quote by Homer Simpson.

 

“One who knows that enough is enough will always have enough.”  -Lao Tzu

 

“A big mountain of sugar is too much for one man. I can see now why God portions it out in those little packets.” -Homer Simpson

I would have to put my money on Homer. He is indestructible. If he can survive fighting with robots designed to kill other robots, he can survive fighting an ancient chinese philosopher.

Posted under Versus

Run to Feed the Hungry0

There is a Run to Feed the Hungry every Thanksgiving in Sacramento. My old bosses used to participate in it every year, and I always thought it sounded like so much fun. What a great way to start off a day that has become a day centered around indulgence. Sure, we’re supposed to give proper thanks for what we have (I usually give thanks that I am not a turkey), but I’m confident that most people skip over that part and focus primarily on the all day feast-fest. Okay, to be fair, there might be a few people out there that give a half-hearted thanks for having cable television and a TiVo to distract them from their daily lives. Ooh! I’m starting to sound like Henry Rollins! Alright, alright, I’m sure there are people who genuinely take the time to stop and reflect on the things that they are thankful for. All I’m saying is that “Thanksgiving” is a bit of a misnomer. Perhaps a more appropriate name would be “Foodeating,” or “Mouthstuffing.”

 

Anyway, I do think that, despite all of the crap that’s going on right now in the world, most of us truly have things to be thankful for. I know I do. And what better way is there to show that you are thankful than by giving back? Oh, listen to me. I already think I’m better than you! (Not really.) This year I will be giving (quite possibly) my blood, (certainly) my sweat, and (hopefully not) my tears. That’s right! I signed up to run the 5k! And since I know my couch-loving boyfriend will not do this with me, my best Peep Ashley volunteered to run it with me! It should be interesting! And all that running will make up for the feast that will follow, right?

Posted under Uncategorized

Happy Autumnal Equinox!0

John Keats can sum up my feelings about autumn much better than I can…

Ode to Autumn

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness! 
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun; 
Conspiring with him how to load and bless 
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run; 
To bend with apples the mossed cottage-trees, 
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core; 
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells 
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more, 
And still more, later flowers for the bees, 
Until they think warm days will never cease, 
For Summer has o’erbrimmed their clammy cells. 

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store? 
Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find 
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor, 
Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind; 
Or on a half-reaped furrow sound asleep, 
Drowsed with the fume of poppies, while thy hook 
Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers; 
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep 
Steady thy laden head across a brook; 
Or by a cider-press, with patient look, 
Thou watchest the last oozings, hours by hours. 

Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they? 
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too, - 
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day 
And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue; 
Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn 
Among the river sallows, borne aloft 
Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies; 
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn; 
Hedge-crickets sing, and now with treble soft 
The redbreast whistles from a garden-croft; 
And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

-John Keats

Posted under Uncategorized