2009 Was Mighty Fine

Dear readers,

I'm sorry it's been so long since I posted. The last month has been extremely busy for me. I'd like to give you a brief end of the year recap. You may remember that I started this blog in September of 2009 with several goals for the school year. The school year ain't over yet, but the calendar year is, so let's recap some of the high-highs of 2009:

1. I set a goal to win a local cookie baking contest. My efforts at perfecting cookie recipes were chronicled in my "Great Cookie Competition" posts. Well, readers, with a lot of help from my friends, I WON! The winning recipe was the "Chocolate Crackle Cookies" featured on this blog. I will provide a more detailed post with photos when I can.

2. The boyfriend and I dressed as Doug Funnie and Patti Mayonnaise for Halloween this year. We thought that the law school's annual costume contest might be a teensy bit rigged in our favor because 3Ls usually win -- and we did -- but rumor has it we won without any judicial bias.

3. I did not fail federal income tax. I worked very hard and got a solid, but not spectacular grade. Oh well, I'll never have to worry about tax again -- except that I signed up for international tax this semester. Because, by the end, to quote my good friend Miss A in London, "I just -- I just really love tax!!"

4. The Boyfriend became the Fiance!

True Life: Spelling Bee

In the car this evening...

Kid Sister: Spell xanthosis.
Me: X-a-n-t-h-o-s-i-s.
Kid Sister: Correct. Now you spell loghorrea.
The Boyfriend: L-o-g-h-o-r-r-e-a.
Kid Sister. Correct. Now spell towncenter.

True Life: My Kid Sister Explains Romance

My Kid Sister has discovered g-chat.

She calls it "chattering."

She also emotes on g-chat through artful parentheticals, like you would expect to read in a play. Or, more accurately, like she reads every day as she watches tv with closed captioning on.

She uses g-chat to harass me and the Boyfriend. The Boyfriend's patience never runs out. He politely asks her questions about her favorite topics (movies, the weather). Witness this exchange. Only the names have been edited:

The Boyfriend: So what's new with you? The movie "Up" comes out tomorrow, I think.
My Kid Sister: Actually, it's coming to Disney DVD, not in theaters. (laughs) I saw it before the first time with Dad six months ago when it opened on May 8.
The Boyfriend: Did you like it? Would you recommend that I get it from Netflix to watch with [the Sophisticate]?
My Kid Sister: I liked it a little. I think I mght let you two watch it, but it will be sad in the beginning and a little bit sad at the end, but there's also happy ending though. If you two promise not to do anything boyfriend-girlfriend thing! First getting to know each other, became friends, something in common, hang out as friends, then realationships ilegally towards romance of boyfriend-girlfriend! Uggh! Why can't you two being friends?! I'm all about friends, not realationhip toward romance!

Haiku Review: "My Fake Fiance" on ABC Family

"My Fake Fiance"
Melissa Joan Hart, Joe Lawrence
Where have you guys been?

Real review: I know this movie has been out for awhile, but I just caught it the other day. I was pleasantly surprised.* Some scenes made me laugh out loud. However, the bumbling mob boss and cronies brought in for comic relief were just too much. Maybe it's law school. Maybe it's my intense fear of real life bad guys. But cronies riding around on segues don't make me laugh. Further, a mob boss hiding in plain sight by dressing and acting like a stereotypical mob boss just makes me incredulous.

Overall, the Boyfriend and the Sophisticate give it two thumbs up.

*Does "surprised" permit any descriptors other than "pleasantly?" Likewise, can you be any kind of "optimistic" other than "cautiously?"

True Life: "The Last Song" Release Date Has Been Pushed Back...

...and my sister is distraught.

The movie, starring Miley Cyrus, based on a novel by Nicholas Sparks, and produced by Touchstone pictures, was originally slotted to come out on January 8th. It seems that the new release date is April 2nd.

Since the seismic announcement of the delayed release, I have been in near-constant communication with my Miley-loving sister. Here is an excerpt of the conversation in which she broke the news to me. When I told her that I can wait until April to see the movie, she responded like this:

little sister: ARE YOU CRAZY! We've got to see that movie! I'm not giving up without a fight! I'd do anything for you to see that movie! Think about the movie! Miley! ME! I'm calling for protest for moving the movie different date next year! HELP!!!!

I mean, it's very important to us! I'm not giving up on you or the movie!

Get that!

6:41 PM Sorry. Just trying to show my demonstration of courage and determination!

I'm very really serious, through.

6:42 PM sophisticate: ok, i understand

well, i need to go to school soon

little sister: Check some resources about the mis dating movie!

6:43 PM sophisticate: ok, i will

but i have to run, now

i can call you later

talk to you soon!

little sister: Oh, yeah. More school work to distract you from not getting involve our mission to save our movie. No problem, I guess! Don't forget!

Talk to you soon too! Bye! I love you!

6:44 PM me: love you too!

ttys!

little sister: Tell [the boyfriend] about this! He can do something about to save our movie! We have a movie to save from moving away! HELP [THE BOYFRIEND]!

As promised, I did some google-ing and confirmed that the release date had been changed. I emailed my sister with this confirmation and some words of encouragement. I received this reply:

"I don't want to believe this! I'm not giving up without the movie's mid-date permission! HELP!!!
Love from your desperate sister,
[redacted]
PS Love you! Got any more brillant ideas to stop the movie from moving? I still need your supportive! Tell [the boyfriend]! Maybe he can help! Email me back soon!"

Eventually my little sister pulled my other sister into the drama as well. When my practical-minded other sister suggested that the little one write a letter to Touchstone Pictures, the little one had some concerns:

little sister: I could try, I don't think Mom will allow it, according to the law. What will happen if we break a law. We could be in big trouble with Mom and maybe President Obama. (sigh) Got any ideas to cheer me up?

other sister: Maybe go watch a Mile Cyrus movie?

Readers, got any ideas to cheer a little sister up?

True Life: I am not a very good cook.

Sometimes I get the urge to just "whip something up" in the kitchen. I am guided by a misplaced notion that I have an inherent talent for cooking. I can just pull a few things out of the refrigerator, stir ingredients in various saucepans while humming to myself, chop a few vegetables, pirouette over to the oven, and magic will happen. The flavors will sing. The Boyfriend will say, "Gee, honey, you've done it again!"

My daydreams about cooking always start out rosy and sweet-smelling. They rarely end that way. Once I served the Boyfriend uncooked biscuit dough over chicken noodle soup. To his credit, he ate the entire thing.

A few nights ago, I got the urge. I peered into the refrigerator and the pantry. I pulled out a few, disparate ingredients. I didn't need a recipe. Recipes were for amateurs. I could make a pasta sauce from scratch. No problem.

Readers, for the first time, it actually worked. I put some butter in a sauce pan and let it heat up. I added some chopped smoked salmon. The butter and salmon mingled in the pan and made the kitchen smell amazing. I knew I was on to something good. A little vodka, a little cream, and a little lemon juice later, and I was a chef!

I think this experiment in cooking was successful, in part, because of a maxim I learned from tv chef Tom Colicchio: if you put really good ingredients in, you'll get really good food out.

Tonight I will try for similar results with chicken, garlic, and bread crumbs. Wish me luck!



(Image reproduced without permission from hoboquilts.com).

"Tea for Two and Two for Tea"

Yesterday I made tea sandwiches for lunch. I used thin sliced sandwich bread from the grocery store, white and whole wheat, with the crusts cut off.

Cucumber Sandwiches
I used an English cucumber, sliced as thin as possible. I lightly salted the cucumber slices. I mixed butter, cream cheese, and a sprinkle of dried mint to make the spread. Grade: A+! Light and crisp.

Smoked Salmon Sandwiches
I made these with smoked salmon, cream cheese, and a combination of freshly squeezed lemon juice and a little garlic juice. Grade: A! The lemon-garlic gave these sandwiches a certain je ne sais quoi. They missed getting an "A+" just because they were missing a certain I don't know what.

Ham and Brie Sandwiches
I made these with black forest ham, spreadable brie, and little honey Dijon mustard. Grade: B. A little boring compared to the others.

Lemon Cake
A few days before, per my friend [Nickname Needed]'s* suggestion, I made a lemon glaze cake. My friend gave me a recipe from her mom's repertoire. I modified the cake recipe to accommodate the ingredients I had on hand and switched from a lemon glaze to a lemon icing when half of my cake stayed stuck in the bunt pan. The results were delicious! Thank you [Nickname Needed]!


* Nickname ideas: Notre Dame Gal, the Muppet, Dr. Teeth, Liz Lemon -- any other suggestions welcome. Online nickname generators are no good.

(Image reproduced WITH PERMISSION from The Boyfriend, food photographer extraordinaire).

Fashion Friday: University Park Mall

You can do a lot of things at University Park Mall. Most of them you probably shouldn't.

Here are some of the things that the Boyfriend and I did at the mall:
-tested our blood pressure
-drank some orange julius
-rechecked our blood pressure
-marveled at the restorative properties of orange julius
-looked for a stockpot for the upcoming Lobster Adventure
-rejected all stockpots as too small for the doomed lobster
-smelled things with "lemongrass" in their titles at Bath and Body Works

Here are some of the things we did NOT do at the mall:
-got massages from "Chinese Massage"
-jumped on a trampoline/swing apparatus (had my Girl A been there, this item would have appeared on the previous list)
-visited a strange "Mini Spa" with pulsating club music emanating from its shadowy interior

I didn't buy any clothes, but I sure did some shopping in my mind. Some items that caught my eye at the mall:

This lovely, winter white, trench-inspired wool coat at Express:



A fierce combination of a bright, ruffled halter top with a lightweight, menswear-inspired jacket at Charlotte Russe.




This delightful little miracle from the good people at Bath and Body. I love the Mentha lip tints, which Santa puts in my stocking each year, so I was extremely excited to see what looked like a GIANT mentha lip tint. I would never have to bother Santa again! When I looked more closely, I realized that the Mentha people have created a line of body products, still with the peppermint oil that makes the lip tints so wonderful. Check out this luscious-looking Body Buffer:



And lastly, something I want to eat: this white stilton with ginger and mango.



But, for now, I am very happy with our simple purchases from the grocery store which the Boyfriend expertly whipped up in the kitchen while I wrote this entry.

Bon appetit!

Article of the Day: September 13, 2009

I like to buy shoes from Zappos. Or, at least, I like the idea of it. I didn't know that anyone thought Zappos was a cult.

Very busy weekend. But since no one wants to read about how much writing, editing, and reading I've done this weekend, instead I will tell you:

I am back in the game!! This weekend I made a delicious "Chocolate Crackle Cookie" recipe provided by the Roomie's mom. Also, the Boyfriend revised the lemon meringue recipe from last week. This time we used a glass bowl instead of plastic, added cream of tartar to the recipe, adjusted the oven temperature and cooking time, and let the cookies sit in the oven overnight. Success!

The cookies are so good that now we are out of milk.

True Life: Barnes and Noble Vignettes

The Boyfriend and I studied at the Barnes and Noble cafe today. It is our second home. It is also the setting of many human dramas. Tucked behind our casebooks, the Boyfriend and I have witnessed some high-highs and low-lows from the good people of Michiana.

Here are some examples.

Ponzi schemer: Do you know what residual income is?
Gullible college student in hoodie: No, I don't know a lot about that stuff.
Schemer: That's ok, I can explain it. You know Elvis, right? Well, some people think he's dead, but I know he's alive and living in Hawaii. Every time one of his songs is played on the radio, Elvis makes money off it. That's residual income. And that's what you're going to get.
Hoodie: Great!
Schemer: Just sign up two friends.

Another time we saw a Notre Dame professor grading bluebook exams when an acquaintance approached him.

Acquaintance: Hi! Hey, how've you been?
Professor: Not well at all.
Acquaintance: I'm sorry to hear that. Is it a stressful time of the semester?
Professor: It's demons.
Acquaintance: Pardon me?
Professor: Demons.
Acquaintance: Oh...well, is there anything I can do?
Professor: There are only two things they hate: sincere expressions of gratitude and the Mass.
(Deafening silence as everyone in the cafe watches to see what the acquaintance will do).
Acquaintance/SAINT: Would you like join me and my wife for dinner sometime? Give me your phone number so I can call you sometime.
Professor (rips page out of the Blubebook, writes his number on it): The students never pick these up anyway.

Today a woman with a puppet on her hand began to set out glue sticks in the mid-afternoon. This was a very bad sign. Soon the usually quiet cafe was full of rambunctious children. I tried to concentrate on my reading.
"Here comes Martha," Puppet Lady cooed.
I glanced up. A giant mascot dog was waddling over to the cafe.
The kids screamed. I screamed.
"Martha the Dog is here to play with you!" Puppet Lady announced.
The Boyfriend looked up from Fed Tax. "Do you think that's the real Martha the Dog?" he asked.
"No," I hissed from under the table. "I think it's a grown man who's made a lot of mistakes."
"Martha's hungry, she has to go now."
From between the table legs, I could see "Martha" rub her rotund belly, then waddle off toward the staff room, where she was undoubtedly about to eat one of the children clinging to her tail.

I climbed out from under the table. Close call. Back to studying.

Happy Birthday, the Boyfriend!

Yesterday was the Boyfriend's birthday. For his birthday dinner I made baked salmon, glazed carrots, and steamed broccoli. The Roomie and her Other Half made cupcakes. We sang to the Boyfriend, he made a wish, then we all enjoyed the cupcakes together.

The conversation went something like this:

Me: So did you two have a nice weekend?
Roomie: I was kicked in the face at the football game.
Other Half: My house was broken into and burglarized while I was inside it.
Me and the Boyfriend: Oh.
Roomie: What did you two do this weekend?
Me: We set up Skype.

The cooking fever seems to be catching on. The Boyfriend and his Roommate are interested in boiling a lobster. Sometimes I never know.