BLT soup

First, I love soup. I had BLT soup in the Globe cafeteria the other day and thought it was pretty good. Unlike most people, I rarely have problems with cafeteria food and was one of those kids in school who didn't complain. Anyway. So I thought I would replicate it in my kitchen.

BLT Soup:

Ingredients:
* 2-3 cups diced cooked chicken OR 5-6 chicken drumsticks
* chicken broth if you're using diced chicken
* 1/2 package of bacon or half of a full package of bacon.
* 1 yellow onion, diced
* 3 handfuls of lettuce (I used salad mix)
* 1 cup of carrots if you prefer
* 2 cups of sliced celery
* 1 can of tomatoes OR 2 cups of freshly diced tomatoes
* salt
* pepper
* hot sauce (Tabasco!)

Procedure:
* Heat a stock pot on the stove. No oil.
* Cut your bacon into 1-inch pieces and put into pot. Stir and cook until slightly brown.
* Meanwhile, dice onions and put into pot when bacon browns. Stir and saute until onion is slightly brown.
* Drain about half of the bacon fat.
* Add sliced celery. Saute until halfway done.
* Add chicken broth (if you're using diced chicken) and water halfway up the pot.
* Cover and bring to a boil.
* Add chicken. Bring liquid to boil again. If using fresh chicken, cook until chicken is done.
* Add tomatoes. Bring to boil.
* Add lettuce.
* Season with salt, pepper and hot sauce.

Voila!

Makes about three servings. I have two Tupperwares with it in the freezer. :)

My Chumby!

A Chumby is a souped up, crazy alarm clock that is also a rotating, interactive wireless ... you need to watch this introductory video. My Chumby is AWESOME.

You can customize it with any widgets you want. Here, you can see what I have on my Chumby. I can also listen to podcasts, the radio, NPR, watch YouTube, read the news, check my e-mail ... and spy on people with Webcams. :)

Just watch it do its thing. A new page appears every 30 seconds or so, depending what I have set up. Feel free to click and explore!

Hannah Montana ... in my head ... Make it stop!

BC commencement speaker

For those of you who remember well my (and others, I might add) tirade against the choice of Antonio Villaraigosa speak at the USC commencement two years ago, you will be glad to know that, while I am not entirely mollified, Boston College has chosen a much better, more renowned speaker for its 2008 commencement -- David McCullough. At least the guy didn't have to just walk down from city hall to speak. McCullough has some oomph. And hopefully will not have an extramarital affair with a TV reporter one year after he speaks.

I've actually have already heard McCullough speak -- interestingly, at USC, when he was promoting 1776 (I think). In any case, he's a great speaker. Engaging, intelligent. Will not stand on a political soapbox. Besides, he's a history guy.

But we won't tell him that I've been working on finishing his "John Adams" since second semester freshman year. There is progress. Just incrementally.

cute shoes

Just got these amazing green plaid shoes in the mail from Overstock.com. SO cute. Needs breaking in ... but don't all shoes? These will make me AT LEAST 5'6.

saddest Onion article

Wow. I don't read The Onion all that often, but this one, courtesy of Raf, is the saddest "funny" article yet. :(

Daddy Put In Bye-Bye Box

books.

As most of you know, I am a reader. Have been since elementary school, when I would hide under the covers and read every Babysitter's Club, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys and Boxcar Children book. Every one. I love reading, and I keep an active wishlist on Amazon that is basically my lifetime reading list. I tend to read several books at once as my attention span and patience only goes so far. Now, that is not to say that I haven't read books continuously, all the way through. I have. The most recent example is "In the Heart of the Sea," by Nathaniel Philbrick. But I think we've talked about that book already. Another one that we talked about was "The Dead Beat," about obituaries.

So this is what I am currently reading, in no particular order.

* "Three Cups of Tea" -- reading this as part of the Community Seminar at the school where I am student-teaching.

* "Undaunted Courage" -- to gain insight into the Lewis and Clark expedition, which I was planning to teach, but my cooperating teacher taught instead.

* "Flags of Our Fathers" -- borrowed from the social studies department for lack of books to entertain me

* "London: A Biography" -- very good book told from interesting perspectives. A work in progress. Very long.

* "Holocaust" -- by Martin Gilbert. very good. very long.

* "Harry Potter" -- don't remember which one. The fourth? It's by my bed.

* "The People's History of the United States" -- now more than ever, supplementary material for lesson plans

Those are the books I've most recently cracked open. This doesn't include the books back in South Carolina, on the shelves, waiting to be finished. Including David McCullough's "John Adams," which I started reading six years ago, freshman year. I'm about 2/3 of the way through that one. There is an HBO mini-series based on that book right now. So it's been that long.

I LOVE this song.

SO romantic.

(in a sappy mood)

What American accent do YOU have?

So I was searching for an online site to give Web quizzes (Survey Monkey? QuizYourFriend?) for my students, and I stumbled upon this little gem.

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland   "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.
The Inland North
The South
The West
The Northeast
Philadelphia
Boston
North Central
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

chocolate love

Stolen from J. Christina. But just had to share with others.

February break 2008 reflected

I liked this break. I needed it. And now, on the Sunday before school starts again and I face the teenagers again, I feel like I'm ready to go back. I've seen and experienced new things. I've re-energized myself and I feel refreshed.

I did a little recreational reading -- always good for the body and mind -- and relaxed. Caught up on sleep. Had time to get out! It was good.

Back to London (or London 2008) post 4

In the end, I'm glad I lived dangerously and made a trip back to London. I saw some sights that I didn't know were important or noteworthy, but after two classes in British history, I saw the error of my ways and saw things more clearly and with more appreciation this time around. I walked around Brick Lane, I saw Whitechapel in a different light. I watched British TV, which I didn't have before. So it was a good trip. Enlightening, exhilarating and refreshing. Wanderlust sated.

Back to London (or London 2008) post 3

I wrote the following on the plane. I knew it was going to snow heavily on Friday, when I was supposed to land in Boston, so I was anticipating a delay, but there wasn't. But the troubles began on route, around Nova Scotia/Maine, when the captain first mentioned that there was snow in Boston. So this is what I wrote toward the end of the plane ride. Note that we were supposed to arrive in Boston around 5:20 p.m.

***

Friday, 5:25 Eastern

Captain has been announcing that there is very little visibility (1/2 mile) in Boston and that we are being held at a location about 30 minutes north of the city and are in line to land because there is quite a line. Now, the captain has announced that Boston Logan is closed and we are first in line to land when it opens. We are now waiting for the airport to close. We are supposed to be on the ground right now. He said that we have "plenty of time" to wait -- I'm guessing he's referring to fuel -- but I'm sure there are people who are making connections and whatnot, so this does not bode well for them. On the other hand, the airport is closed right now, so no planes are going or leaving. Fun times. On the other hand, it's at least good that we're in the air, not in London, where we would've been stuck until god knows how long. On the other hand, under what circumstances would we need to divert to another airport so that we won't run out of fuel? I mean, we've been in the air for about eight hours now. Turning off laptop and continue to read "Undaunted Courage" by Stephen Ambrose. I can feel that plane descending. Good sign? 5:32 Eastern.

Back to London (or London 2008) post 2

First of all, Virgin Atlantic is amazing. The flight attendants were friendly. We had a choice of wines for dinner (even in economy) free of charge. They gave out these flight packets that had an eye mask, socks, toothbrush and toothpaste. Its safety procedures video is actually a little cartoon animation, so it was fun. I'm not sure whether it'll be fun after the initial newness wears off, but it was cool. Customs went smoothly, as did the journey to the hotel. I had been debating whether to go directly to Leicester Square from the airport because I wasn't sure I had enough time to make it to the hotel, which was in Bayswater, in time to also make it to the TKTS booth to buy some rush tickets for that night (Wednesday). I actually got there in time to buy and eat breakfast. And the line wasn't that long anyway, seeing as how it was around freezing. But I won't bore you with details. I'll attempt to tell the story with photos and videos. I actually took a few video clips, but there is no sound. But it should tell the story just fine.


* So this is how far consumerism has gone. There is an iPod vending machine at the international terminal at Logan Airport. It's crazy. I think there was a guy who was actually buying things.


* Ruins of the London Wall that used to surround the city. One of the many things on my list of things to see that I didn't get to the last time around.


* I've also been wanting to get a photos of just how far that "gap" is at Bank, which has a curved platform, so the gap is definitely more noticeable and scarier. Note where the doors (red) are.


* Also stood in queue for cheap theater tickets. Saw Gilbert and Sullivan's "Pirates of Penzance." Very funny, even though I felt asleep. It was the night I got in town. I was exhausted.


* Also wanted to see Monument, the memorial to the Great Fire of 1666. I didn't know what the "monument' was for the last time I was there until it was too late. But this time, it was closed until next year because of restoration work. But I saw this plaque.

I also saw Sarah Chang in concert, where she played Shostakovich's first violin concerto. There were so many Koreans at the concert that night. But she was really good, especially in the scherzo and passacaglia. Anyway, lots of curtain calls. Afterward, she signed copies of her new CD and also some programs. I don't have good pictures from the concert. Just a video of the curtain call.

Back to London (or London 2008) post 1

So, on a whim, I bought plane tickets to London. Now, let me qualify. There wasn't a need to "get away" from "someone." Or "something." Recently, I've been feeling claustrophobic. I needed to get out of the country. Fulfill my wanderlust and see what's out there. So Montreal happened. But even after booking Montreal hotel rooms, I still felt restless. I began to look for plane tickets. Anywhere that I would be able to make a case to the parents, even though they did say (when I finally told them about said wanderlust) that I'm too old for them to tell me what to do. (YES! dance with joy. There IS life out there.)

I had in mind a few places. A cruise, perhaps, to the Bahamas? Sydney, Australia? New Zealand? In the end, I checked prices for a cruise (nothing. well, it IS the winter) and Sydney ($3,000 for just the flight! well, it is summer there.) I also checked flights for London. I've been wanting to return, and if the price is right, it seems like this might be as good a time as any. It's not bad. I found plane tickets on Virgin Atlantic on Student Universe for less than what I paid two and a half years ago, and back then, I bought those tickets literally three months in advance. This time, I got it a week and a half before the flight. So it's really happening. Hotel costs actually isn't bad at all. I found a hotel from STA Travel that, for two nights, costs less than what some hotels charge for one. So I will leave Boston on Feb. 19, arrive in London at 7:15 a.m. Wednesday and leave London around 2:40 on Friday.

Montreal photos/video -- Montreal!

* this is part of the Montreal skyline on the way out of the city. Didn't make it to Mount Royal.


* Complexe Desjardins, part of the underground city that's basically a huge mall, where the hotel was.


* a real, live porcupine! at the Biodome, where the Montreal Olympic park is converted into four ecosystems.

* video of real penguins! swimming! at the Biodome!


* Notre Dame Basilica. Really crazy, huh? Too bad they made us sit through 30 minutes of pointless, bad acting in the guise of informational video/light show.

Montreal trip photos -- Burlington, VT

Went to Montreal Saturday and Sunday. Stopped at Burlington, VT, for lunch on the way up. The SURPRISE was that I didn't know Lake Champlain was RIGHT THERE even though my cooperating teacher mentioned in a class that he learned to scuba dive in Lake Champlain in college. It was GORGEOUS. So clear, pristine. Anyway. Pictures.

It ain't in PA

I saw this on one of my flights hither and yonder this past year and just now scanned it in. This is from the US Airways in-flight magazine for September 2007. Note where they put the pin for Syracuse, NY. It not only illustrates the need to know geography, but a need for COPY EDITORS. Hurrah. Click to enlarge.

new drinking game!

Every time anyone on CNN says "the best political team on television," take a shot. Every time Wolf Blitzer says it, two shots. Play this on any election night, and you'll get wasted by the time all the votes are counted.

Slate magazine agrees with me that this little slogan of CNN's is ridiculous.

so here's something creepy ...

and really coincidental ...

A mere three hours ago or so I was reading a story in the San Francisco Chronicle about the debate raging over the Associated Press' pre-written obit for Britney Spears. Now, a lot of newspapers pre-write obits; this is no secret. But most write them for old people of renown in the region or nation, whatever the coverage area is. You get the idea. VERY FEW -- and I would say almost none -- write obits for really young people. But apparently the AP feels there is a need to be prepared as it was NOT when Anna Nicole Smith died.

Generally, I think it's a good call to be prepared no matter who you're obitting (is that a word?), but I also have concerns about how you would go about choosing "disturbed celebrities" who might die. By pre-writing their obits, is the paper pegging the person as a danger to oneself or others? Would that lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy?

This is the story about the raging debate:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/01/22/MNM2UILKO.DTL

In any case, what's creepy is that three hours after I read that story about the big debate about the Britney obit, I read that Heath Ledger had died at age 28.

This is the obit: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-na-ledger23jan23,0,2214665.story?coll=la-home-center

painting

I feel an urge to paint. I think I'm going to start painting this week. Acrylics on canvas, probably. Abstract, most likely. Just dabbing on paint as the mood fits me. These urges to paint/draw come and go, and I haven't had one since London, when I bought a sketch book. But it is time to go back.

Barack Obama meets SF Chron editorial board

So I've tried to avoid bringing politics to my blog, but I think this one is interesting because this is the first time I've come across video of a meeting between an editorial board and a 2008 presidential candidate. I know that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama met with the Des Moines Register board before its endorsement, but I didn't see a video of it. In any case, I'm not saying that there aren't video of other editorial board meetings with candidates; this is the first one I've personally come across. And I don't know why I put in so many qualifiers just now.

Members of the San Francisco Chronicle editorial board met Obama the Thursday before the Nevada caucuses. They talked about experience, policy, "internal fortitude," race relations in the United States, etc. The sound is a bit low because the board didn't have mics; it's about 50 minutes. (And I don't know how to resize that video player.)

Sarkozy to wed Bruni

So The Associated Press is reporting that French President Sarkozy (is he a modelizer?) is engaged to be married to his girlfriend Carla Bruni next month. They've been dating for only about a month. Isn't it a bit soon? And he just get divorced? I'm not raising this question in terms of morality -- I'm raising this question in terms of practicality -- shouldn't they see each other more before they decide? Anyway. I have my doubts. And his approval ratings are dropping as the economic situation decreases. Link to Le Journal du Dimanche's story.

[EDIT: I embedded the links because they ran off the page.]

grammar is important!

Holy geez. There is more here: http://www.themishmash.com/2008/01/flunked-signs-y.html

my very first vote!

I cast my very first vote (ever!) today. It was for the South Carolina Democratic primary. yay! I should've gotten them to make a copy of it for me. So exciting!

2008!

Happy 2008, everyone!

New year resolutions:

1. Keep a daily journal of: things I ate, things to do and things I bought. Hopefully this will help me eat healthier, procrastinate less and control spending. I need specific goals and expectations.

2. graduate with a master's degree.

3. pass the MTEL and MELA-O test

4. find a long-term job so I will no longer be just an intern

Four goals. Very simple. And very achievable. :)