a week at home

I've spent the last week at home in South Carolina for winter break. Because mom's recovering from surgery, I've been the one to make dinner. Besides that and taking her to the eye doctor, nothing really occupies my days. I find myself waking up around 10 a.m., running some errands, eating lunch, taking a nap and making dinner. I grade a bit at night or read after dinner, but that's basically it. It's pretty monotonous, actually.

2011 resolutions!

Keeping it pretty simple this year, just two to keep track!

1. Stay on top of what I spend. Cut down on frivolous expenditures.

2. Continue eating healthy.

how lucky.

I've been thinking about what has happened in the last few months, since school has begun, and I feel really lucky.

I teach a group of students who are funny, non-judgmental, and not yet jaded about school. They frustrate me sometimes with their immaturity, but most days, they make me smile. I'm also dating a guy who reminds me that guys can be nice and caring and not callous. But -- and James will get exasperated at me for this -- I am still a little cautious about where this is all leading.

It's been three and a half years since I moved to Boston, and I'm still trying to make permanent friends, but I know I have two people in this town of already-settled friendship circles whom I can count on.

So, just warm thoughts on a random Monday morning before I finish grading. :)

the school year has started

Clearly, I am teaching once again as I have been neglecting the blog. Photos soon of the trip with mom and dad to New Hampshire and Maine.

happiness

Happy moment No. 1: One of my students told me that my eyelashes are really long. I said thank you. :D Looks like the super-expensive mascara purchase was worth it!

Happy moment No. 2: I had three really great meditation sessions with my students today, thanks to technology that actually cooperated. Hooray!

Happy moment No. 3: Successfully applied (and went out in public with!) eyeliner for the very first time. I know. I am too old not to have worn eyeliner before. But hey. It's never too late. Plus, it was for dinner at a semi-nice place. Another hooray!

lobster stock

A couple of weeks ago, Shaw's had chicken lobsters for $4.99 a pound, so I ended up buying two and having them for dinner two nights in a row. :) They were delicious. But what to do with the lobster shells? Christina, being the culinary whiz she is, suggested making lobster stock and using it in risotto, soups, etc. After a little searching, found two recipes (from La Bernadin cookbook and Gourmet magazine) and decided to meld them into one and tweak. I didn't have thyme, oregano or bay leaf and didn't feel like spending a fortune on herbs that I will use once, so I didn't add them. But I think the stock could be a lot better if I splurged and added them.

My apartment smelled incredible once the lobster was in the oven and I could smell it even building's hallways when I returned from a Trader Joe's run. Yum! (PS: I have no clue what happened to the font color.)

Chop up the lobster carcasses into smaller pieces. I found that using a hammer (with the shells in a bag so it doesn't fly everywhere) worked well and was quite satisfying. :) I also read in several places that I should bake the lobster carcasses at 450F for 15 minutes before I boil them, so I did. On this pan are the remains of two lobsters.

Two onions, diced large-ish. Two-thirds bag of celery, cut into two-inch pieces. Five slices of fresh ginger. Five cloves of garlic, sliced. Saute vegetables until they're soft in enough oil to cover the bottom of the stock pot. Add about half a cup of brandy (per La Bernadin). I didn't have brandy, so I borrowed my roommate's boyfriend's whiskey. Same difference?

I don't eat carrots; I think they're gross in every way. But I found that these things are palatable if smothered in enough garlic hummus to mask to the taste. Add them to your lobster stock after the 16 cups of water and the lobsters themselves.

Bring to a boil for a bit and then reduce heat to simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Strain and ladle into containers. Apparently, they'll keep for two months in the freezer.

Don't forget the salt and pepper!

makeup purchases

In my bid to beautify myself, I have purchases two items. One, Lancome Definicils waterproof mascara, which I have as a sample (from London ... I know, a long time ago) that I keep in the car as my emergency running-too-late-for-school-to put-on-makeup-at-home mascara. Basically, I can't believe I use it as emergency! It is the only mascara I've tried through the years that is practically fail-safe. I've never had clumps. It never goes on too thick. I only ever use one layer, and it lengthens my lashes to incredible lengths. :) Two, Urban Decay 24/7 black eyeliner. I am learning how to put on eyeliner properly. :)

writing quizzes and tests

I see myself as a hard, but fair, teacher. I don't test what I don't teach (and not necessarily vice versa). One thing that I'd discovered in teaching that is it incredibly stressful and frustrating to make quizzes and tests. Not only do I have to ask questions in a way to gauge actual knowledge (rather than rote memorization) through critical thinking (preferably), but also make sure it's an answerable question. Sure, I can be tricky in the phrasing of the question or the choice of answers, but to make a really good multiple choice question or to write a free response that will assess actual knowledge is quite hard.

And I especially dislike making the current events quizzes that I give every Monday. Because I know the amount of bitching and whining that is ensue. WTF, kids, read the paper. How hard can it be to scan the front page every day? Seriously. And it's only worth 5 points. Get over it. I'm just trying to make you form a habit so that you are not going to go out into the world as the most ignorant college student in the country.

Sorry. Is my frustration showing?