Saturday, October 20, 2007

Chocolate Cake for Breakfast

If you are ever at a loss for what to eat for breakfast, chocolate cake makes a great one! This morning I was making my oh-so-delicious chocolate trifle for tomorrow's brunch at Sheila's and I dabbled in the chocolate cake. In fact, first I licked the chocolate cake batter (I know it's raw, but it's a must). Then when the cake was done, I ate the remnants not used to make the trifle. Now I had forgotten that I had not eaten breakfast, but I found that the chocolate cake was completely satisfying. So, if you ever need a good alternative to your boring, everyday breakfast, chocolate cake is a good option!

Now, in case you were wondering, here is my trifle recipe (some say I stole this from somewhere, but I swear I made it up all on my own):

Ingredients:
1 package chocolate devil's food cake mix
1 package chocolate pudding mix
1 package devil's food or chocolate fudge pudding mix
1-2 containers Cool whip lite
either strawberries or Heath bar crumbles

Preparation:
1. Thaw cool whip
2. Bake chocolate cake as instructed on the box!
2. Prepare pudding, again as instructed on the box, using 1 3/4 cups milk, not 2 (for those who are lactose intolerant, soy milk works just fine; however, it the pudding does not solidify like pudding does with regular milk, so I often use less soy milk than I would regular milk. You might also need more than one box of each pudding.)
3. Layer ingredients as follows:
  • chocolate cake
  • chocolate pudding
  • other flavor pudding
  • cool whip
  • either strawberries or heath bar
  • Repeat until bowl (trifle bowl ideal) is full
  • Top with either strawberries or Heath bar for decoration
4. Serve and enjoy!

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Sushi

So I was invited to go to a Sushi restaurant for dinner tomorrow night (no, not by a guy, but by my friend Katherine who rocks!) Anyway, I am not a fan of most sushi as I don't like the idea or texture of raw fish. However, I do like the seaweed (yes, surprisingly, with my limited palate I like seaweed) and the rice. And I have found that there are ways to make maki without using seafood. My favorite is chicken terriyaki maki which, at my favorite sushi restaurant located in Medford, MA (it is probably my favorite because it is one of few that serves this. Unfortunately, I cannot find it online to give you the link) consists of cooked chicken terriyaki, cucumber, rice and seaweed. Yum. I think all sushi restaurants should have this option. Then I could enjoy sushi with my friends!

Monday, October 15, 2007

Boys suck

Many people already know that boys suck, but why do I say this now? Well because as 30 year-olds I think we no longer need to play games. And this not-so-gentlemanly 30 year-old with whom I went on one date has not replied to my most recent email (we have exchanged one other email since the date), neither to say, "Hello, let's get together," or "I'm sorry, but I'm not interested in pursuing this further." I really would be okay with either response, just some sign of life on the other end. With my sensational not-so-stalkingly stalking, I discovered life on the other end by verifying that this date of mine has signed into JDate in the past day. So what is he waiting for with regards to me? For me to forget about him? Things like that don't happen, not even to me, a woman with a terrible memory. The simple solution for me is to have no expectations, not even the lowest (that's not so simple for me), and to realize that boys suck. (No offense to all of you wonderful guys--you are all real men--who are reading my posts!)

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Netflix Plea

So for my birthday I received the awesome gifts of a DVD player and a Netflix subscription. Being the recluse that I am, I should really be aware of all television shows and movies available, but, alas, I am not. So I am asking you, my blog viewers, to provide me with some movies or tv series that I should rent from Netflix. I would like to compile a decent list before beginning my subscription, so keep the suggestions coming! Thanks!

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Blowfishes

Some of you may know of my obsession with blowfishes. I don't exactly know how it started, but sometime in high school I decided I could puff out my cheeks real big (it helps to be pudgy) and someone said I resembled a blowfish. Ever since then I have had an obsession with blowfishes. I even have one of those crystalish animal blowfishes that I got as a gift. Well, yesterday, while perusing DSW for some shoes (no, sadly, I did not find any), there was a shoe brand called Blowfish. How I am excited for the blowfish phenomenon to be catching on. Speaking of, I wonder how they came upon the name. Hmm...

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Bathroom Experience

So I have heard that when men use urinals, they do not stand one next to another, but rather leave an empty urinal between them. I think the same should be true for women and stalls. Just recently I entered the bathroom with another woman. There were three stalls. My logic says that she picks one end and I pick the other. But no. She uses the middle stall. Why? Maybe because most people think the way I do, she thinks the middle stall is the least used and, thus, the cleanest. I really don't understand. As I sit doing my business, I observe the same woman flush the toilet with her foot. Acceptable. I do that often, as well. (So, of course, if I do it, it is acceptable.) But then she neglects to wash her hands. So what, because she flushes with her foot she is exempt from washing her hands?! I am glad I use public restrooms very infrequently.

Updates

While I await something to do at work, I thought I would provide my blog viewers with what you want--updates on my tantalizing posts. So, though not so exciting, here you go.

My date was nice. We went to a place called Funky Murphy's for lunch. Sat at high top tables in an open window. As an aside, I made him drive. Is that a bad thing to make your date drive in a city he knows nothing about? At least we were not going very far and I was pretty good about remembering to direct him. Regardless, we arrived at our intended destination, and safely at that. Funky Murphy's was nice. I was absorbed in conversation and have no idea what he ate, so I think that's a good sign. He would not let me split the bill with him, something I like to do on a first date to take the pressure off of me if things go South, but he is a gentleman, so, from my perspective, I am not so concerned about the going South part...not yet anyway. Following our two hour stint at Funky Murphy's we went to Starbucks. We sat outside and schmoozed for another hour or so before he made his way to Boston to visit his brother. Overall, it seemed to go well. I got a little peck on the cheek when he dropped me off, which is exactly what I would like at the end of a nice afternoon on a first date. He said maybe next time I would venture his way...did I mention he lives in West Hartford? Anyway, I emailed him a brief email to say I had a nice time. I am still awaiting a response, but I will surely keep everyone posted.

Second update: my apartment. I did fairly well on my list of to-dos...


  • finish putting away papers - CHECK
  • laundry, both doing and putting away - done, not put away
  • food shopping - CHECK
  • find places for random apartment items that are accumulating on the floor - mostly done
  • change closet from summer to winter - CHECK
  • Clean, Clean, Clean (yes, my apartment is that dirty) - not even a dent :-(
Summary: I will not be having company any time soon since I cannot seem to make a dent in the cleaning task. Alas, you will have to invite me to your place ;-)

Sunrise




This morning I was awake before sunrise (no one fall off your chair), so I decided to document it. Enjoy the photos.

Monday, October 8, 2007

Passions

It is not often that I am home to watch soap operas these days, but today, one day I am home, it has become obvious to me that there is an emptiness in soap opera land. Passions, which used to follow Days of Our Lives, has been removed from NBC in favor of Merv Griffin's new gameshow, Crosswords. Let me be the first to say that Crosswords is no replacement for the entertainment of Passions.

Addicted?

I have had a headache since last night. Last night I took 3 advil. Nothing. I was up every few hours during the night and my headache was still there. This morning I took 3 extra strength tylenol. I then decided perhaps it was allergies, so I took a claritin. Nothing. The one thing that helped more than any other was my large Dunkin' Donuts coffee. Now I have known that I have a psychological addiction to DDs, as recently I unintentionally left eggs hard boiling on the stove while I went to get my DDs fix. The only way I even knew I left them was the sound of the water sizzling when I returned home. Scary. But do I have a physiological addiction, too? Perhaps. Or perhaps not. The DDs coffee did not completely alleviate my headache, so there is still hope. To be continued...

Sunday, October 7, 2007

"Organizing"

I have been trying to "organize" my apartment for days. Why is organize in quotations marks? Well because organizing really means putting away papers, finding places for all of the items that used to be in and on the desk I no longer have, putting away laundry, and, of course, cleaning. Now not all of that falls under the topic of organizing, but that is everything I have to do. And, no, it is not taking days because there is so much to do. I mean that would make sense. But I am only on task 1: putting away papers. Task 1 alone is taking days. Talk about daunting. I am so unmotivated to put away papers that all I want to do is sleep; I don't even want to face my blog. So sad. I am done for the night, but today's list has not gotten any shorter and the following is what is in store for tomorrow (this list is for me as much as it is for you--actually, maybe more for me, but enjoy anyway):
  • finish putting away papers
  • laundry, both doing and putting away
  • food shopping
  • find places for random apartment items that are accumulating on the floor
  • change closet from summer to winter
  • Clean, Clean, Clean (yes, my apartment is that dirty)

Saturday, October 6, 2007

New Header

Finally, a new header for my page. Thanks to a wordpress.com template, I am a much happier blogger.

Killing time

It is currently 11:58. I am awaiting the arrival of my date. It has been awhile since I have been on a date, and I am really excited to see what this seeming gentleman might have in store for me. However, currently I am sitting in front of a blank tv screen, phone in my pocket, head tilted oh so perfectly so as not to mess up my beautiful hair, awaiting the arrival of my essentially blind date. See we met on JDate, but have only emailed back and forth a few times; no phone conversations, nothing more than a picture and a few words to entice me into this in person meeting. Waiting, waiting...ok, just put on a little makeup...waiting, waiting...he said he'd be here at 12:00. At 12:05 I am now impatient (no, patience is not one of my virtues)...Now I could have used my tivo to watch part of one of the many shows I have recorded, but have not had time to view. Why does everything have to be so regimented in my world--"wouldn't want to start a tv show because I want to be perfectly ready when Todd arrives." Gosh, if he ever reads this, will he have a good laugh. Ok, random stream of consciousness bringing me way too far into the future. Perhaps I need to publish this post and find a new waiting game. Tata for now.

Friday, October 5, 2007

iPhoto


I opened iPhoto today with the intention of looking for another, smaller photo to use as my header since the one I want to use clearly isn't working. Instead, a calming photo I also took on my recent cruise said hello to me, and I thought I would share it with you, my 4 blog readers. Enjoy!

Thursday, October 4, 2007

1 Comments

While formatting and reformatting my blog (I know, you don't notice anything different, but that does not negate the fact that I am trying), I noticed that I have "1 comments" on some of my blogs. One more need for my free usability services.

Neglect

Today, sadly, I have neglected my blog. Why? Well, two reasons. 1. Yesterday I posted so many times that I need more time to generate post ideas. 2. Surprise, I was doing literature searches at work (oh, and peeling off my nail polish. C'mon, everyone needs a little distraction). Now, I am off to get my hair highlighted...ah, the woes of being beautiful.

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Frustration

So, I am trying to format my blog. And this is what I have unintentionally done:
  • Somehow made it so my little saying at the top of my page is now split on two lines
  • Decreased the font of all of my postings EXCEPT the About Me one for which I wanted to decrease the size
Things I still cannot do:
  • I cannot enable people to post to my blog
  • I cannot change the image that appears at the top of my blog without it taking over the entire blog page
  • Permanently change the font and color of my posts so I do not have to format each one (even though I thought I did this in the settings for fonts and colors section)
  • Change the posting times of my posts so they reflect the actual time I posted them, rather than California time minus a few minutes
To be continued...

Bored!

Clearly, with my multiple posts in the past hour, one can see that I am pretty bored. I have been exploring the features on blogger, but the technology skill set I thought I once had seems to have disappeared, as I cannot figure out a darn thing! Another explanation would be that the website is just not user-friendly. Having worked in usability and assessed the ease-of-use of websites, I have decided that though my skill set may have remained stagnant over the past few years, this website definitely needs some usability testing. Since I am so bored, I wonder if I should offer my services for free....

Grading Exams

So my genetics experience should be very varied; though, so far, it has consisted of literature searches upon literature searches--7 pages of references I actually used, not including the bazillian (is that a word?) others that I read. But anyway, today I get to grade the first year medical class short essays from their first genetics exam. Who I am to grade them you ask? I ask the same question. But for a change of scenery I am grateful...and I'll be generous, so they will thank me later!

Image rotated!


A fantastic friend helped me rotate my image. Thanks, Veronique! Of course, now I can't get rid of this underlining. Problems, problems!

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Addicted



Already I'm addicted. Boy that didn't take long. One of my favorite hobbies is photography. I am not so spectacular, thus it is a hobby and not a profession. Here is a favorite from a recent cruise to Bermuda. Tomorrow's task: figure out how to rotate the image.



Inspired

Inspired by two phenomenal friends, I have decided to start my own blog. What it will be is yet to be determined, thus it's name: Randomness. Keep coming back, as I promise to post something and soon enough, too!