Past, present, and future
Aug. 11th, 2008 08:30 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lodessaOccasionally in the last year, too tired to deal with CD changes I have listened to the radio in the morning on the way to work. This is of course a terrible time to listen (not that there is ever a good time) because all the stations have their annoying morning shows so you can't even listen to the terrible overplayed music. However, I have noticed a change in the composition of this terrible institution since the last time I was listening to the radio (about a decade ago). In addition to the male (mostly guy's guy but with cracks of desirable softness) and the female (feminine but the sort of chick that hangs out with the boys and talks like she isn't into the complicated girl drama or whatever) they have now added a gay guy... because that's apparently a different gender or something. Now on the one hand, yay being gay is obviously more mainstream, but listening to five minutes of the persona they are representing forces me to conclude that possibly the world is scarier than ever. These guys are inevitably shallow, stupid, and emasculated. They are the worst sort of stereotype and seriously probably worse than nothing.
On the bright side. Listening to the radio reminded me of Junior High and how I used to write these amazing RFP future fics in which I was famous and successful (read: a famous actress, author, and designer) and would encounter all the people I currently knew and the ones I was mad at would have terrible futures and miserable fates and all my crushes would be madly in love with me and basically it was all amazingly indulgent wish fulfillment. I suspect that I am not the only one to have done this. Possibly most people didn't write them out but we all fantasize about these kind of things. I do have a point: Let's all write what we think our favorite characters' fantasies about the future would look like. Characters that are teenagers in the canon are probably going to be the easiest (Veronica Mars, Harry Potter, Buffy, etc.) but I'm sure there are others that would work as well (Ugly Betty maybe since they all act like they are twelve half the time?).
Looking towards the future, I took the CBEST on Saturday. Since for whatever reason I am not doing what I would need to in order to do a PhD program because maybe I don't really want it as much as I thought and honestly doing so isn't exactly a brilliant career move, I am moving on and I think that forcing Romeo and Juliet down the throats of 14 year olds, giving them vocab test, and grading their terrible papers would probably suit me surprisingly well and there is always a need teachers. So if all goes according to plan I will be starting Sac State teaching credential program in January (and if not then next fall) and finishing in Spring of 2010 either way.
Friday was Jeremy's birthday. I gave him a blue ipod nano. He named it Malcolm (as in Malcolm Reynolds).
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sophia_helix and actoplasm came over for the birthday dinner. I made peach pork chops(a chicken variation for sophia_helix) and twice baked potatoes. It turned out really well.
Last weekend I was grocery shopping and when it came time to look for fruit I found the most beautiful peaches I've seen in ages so I bought them. I'd been planning to make the pork chops with apples but on Friday the peaches were finally ready to be consumed and I thought that actually pork and peaches would probably be delicious. So I sliced the peaches very thin, seperating the skin from the meat of the fruit and used about half of the fruit at the bottom of a rectangular pan ( I think ours is 9" x 14") to make little beds for the pork chops to lay on, I then covered the peaches in a small amount of: brown sugar, granulated garlic, ground cloves, salt, and pepper (I probably could have used some nutmeg or cinammon in place of or in addition to the cloves but I really love them a lot so I opted for this option). On top of this went the pork chops and on top of the chops I layered everything in reverse so the seasonings were still between the meat and fruit. I baked it at 350F. For the chicken I used a boneless skinless breast and I cooked/prepared it exactly the same way, seperating it from the pork by making a little aluminum foil box, putting it in the larger pan and placing the chicken in there.sophia_helix isn't terribly strict about the whole chicken and seafood only thing (see bacon bits) so this was more than enough separation for her, but putting it in a separate pan is of course an option.
To avoid taking forever with the twice baked potatoes I cooked them in the microwave for 10 minutes instead of baking them in the oven the whole time. After the microwaving I cut them in half and carefully scooped the majority of the potato out of the skins and into a mixing bowl without destroying the integrity of the skin (this was the hardest part). I added about a tablespoon of butter for each potato and mixed it in using a fork until the heat of the potatoes melted the butter. I then added grated cheese( in this case Trader Joe's extra sharp Canadian white cheddar... which tastes exactly like Annie's signature pasta) and mixed that in until it was evenly distributed. I then added a minimal amount of milk, enough to make the potato mixture stick together but less then I would have used in mashed potatoes and bacon bits, maybe a tablespoon per potato of those as well. Once everything was mixed I spooned the mixture back into the potato skins, placed them on a baking sheet and cooked them alongside the pork chops until the tops started to turn golden.
On Friday we had peas with the meal sincesophia_helix has a thing about lettuce and we love peas a lot, but when we had leftovers on Saturday we ate them with a simple salad (romaine, carrots, raisins, pine nuts, and ranch dressing).
On the bright side. Listening to the radio reminded me of Junior High and how I used to write these amazing RFP future fics in which I was famous and successful (read: a famous actress, author, and designer) and would encounter all the people I currently knew and the ones I was mad at would have terrible futures and miserable fates and all my crushes would be madly in love with me and basically it was all amazingly indulgent wish fulfillment. I suspect that I am not the only one to have done this. Possibly most people didn't write them out but we all fantasize about these kind of things. I do have a point: Let's all write what we think our favorite characters' fantasies about the future would look like. Characters that are teenagers in the canon are probably going to be the easiest (Veronica Mars, Harry Potter, Buffy, etc.) but I'm sure there are others that would work as well (Ugly Betty maybe since they all act like they are twelve half the time?).
Looking towards the future, I took the CBEST on Saturday. Since for whatever reason I am not doing what I would need to in order to do a PhD program because maybe I don't really want it as much as I thought and honestly doing so isn't exactly a brilliant career move, I am moving on and I think that forcing Romeo and Juliet down the throats of 14 year olds, giving them vocab test, and grading their terrible papers would probably suit me surprisingly well and there is always a need teachers. So if all goes according to plan I will be starting Sac State teaching credential program in January (and if not then next fall) and finishing in Spring of 2010 either way.
Friday was Jeremy's birthday. I gave him a blue ipod nano. He named it Malcolm (as in Malcolm Reynolds).
sophia_helix and actoplasm came over for the birthday dinner. I made peach pork chops(a chicken variation for sophia_helix) and twice baked potatoes. It turned out really well. Last weekend I was grocery shopping and when it came time to look for fruit I found the most beautiful peaches I've seen in ages so I bought them. I'd been planning to make the pork chops with apples but on Friday the peaches were finally ready to be consumed and I thought that actually pork and peaches would probably be delicious. So I sliced the peaches very thin, seperating the skin from the meat of the fruit and used about half of the fruit at the bottom of a rectangular pan ( I think ours is 9" x 14") to make little beds for the pork chops to lay on, I then covered the peaches in a small amount of: brown sugar, granulated garlic, ground cloves, salt, and pepper (I probably could have used some nutmeg or cinammon in place of or in addition to the cloves but I really love them a lot so I opted for this option). On top of this went the pork chops and on top of the chops I layered everything in reverse so the seasonings were still between the meat and fruit. I baked it at 350F. For the chicken I used a boneless skinless breast and I cooked/prepared it exactly the same way, seperating it from the pork by making a little aluminum foil box, putting it in the larger pan and placing the chicken in there.
sophia_helix isn't terribly strict about the whole chicken and seafood only thing (see bacon bits) so this was more than enough separation for her, but putting it in a separate pan is of course an option.To avoid taking forever with the twice baked potatoes I cooked them in the microwave for 10 minutes instead of baking them in the oven the whole time. After the microwaving I cut them in half and carefully scooped the majority of the potato out of the skins and into a mixing bowl without destroying the integrity of the skin (this was the hardest part). I added about a tablespoon of butter for each potato and mixed it in using a fork until the heat of the potatoes melted the butter. I then added grated cheese( in this case Trader Joe's extra sharp Canadian white cheddar... which tastes exactly like Annie's signature pasta) and mixed that in until it was evenly distributed. I then added a minimal amount of milk, enough to make the potato mixture stick together but less then I would have used in mashed potatoes and bacon bits, maybe a tablespoon per potato of those as well. Once everything was mixed I spooned the mixture back into the potato skins, placed them on a baking sheet and cooked them alongside the pork chops until the tops started to turn golden.
On Friday we had peas with the meal since
sophia_helix has a thing about lettuce and we love peas a lot, but when we had leftovers on Saturday we ate them with a simple salad (romaine, carrots, raisins, pine nuts, and ranch dressing).
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no subject
Date: 2008-08-11 04:44 pm (UTC)I don't eat pork, bacon, or raisins, but your food still sounds delicious. I would not think meat and peaches would go together. Or any meat and fruit, really. Although...I guess there is orange chicken. And chicken apple sausage. So...yeah.
Happy birthday, Jeremy!
no subject
Date: 2008-08-11 04:50 pm (UTC)Well when you come visit I will make you food, that will not include those things you don't like. And then you can tell me if it tastes a good as it sounds. Regarding meat and fruit:Pork and apples is sort of a classic combination as well. Also there is lemon chicken. Contrasting flavors are sometimes the best.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-11 05:09 pm (UTC)yeah, and, as you know, we failed at working out last week...i've been getting up early though and walking the dog. we'll have to work out a schedule sometime.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-11 05:11 pm (UTC)We really do need to get on the wagon with that.
Speaking of plans, what are you doing Friday? Hopefully nothing because I get off early and Jeremy is going to be working until 11. I think we should have some classic fun times if you are available, maybe even hit the bars?
no subject
Date: 2008-08-11 08:02 pm (UTC)yeah, walking the dog is great and gives me an excuse to be on a schedule, but i need more activity!
i'm going to be on a houseboat adventure up at new melones. won't be back til Monday sometime. next time he's working late on a friday we'll hook up...assuming we're both in town.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-11 09:13 pm (UTC)Me too, all I do is drive and sit at the desk ever.
Well have fun at the houseboat and give me a call when you get back.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-11 07:01 pm (UTC)I think the teaching thing makes sense if it is really what you want to do. The fact that you're not doing it right out of school is probably a very good thing - most people I know who did that got fed up very quickly. But there are a lot of benefits and you do get to read and talk about reading all day. And unlike a PhD where you're spending a lot of time on something for which there is very little demand, there is always a need for teachers. Plus it is one of the few secure union jobs out there, for better or worse.
I think that Veronica Mars would write stories about how she worked at the fBI and always caught the entitled priveleged assholes who thought they could get away with shit.
Harry Potter mostly just wanted to be boring and loved. But sometimes there would be dragons. And winning at sports. He's probably the sort of kid who didn't dream of being super important or famous but of, like, running an amusement park so all his friends and their families could come and have fun.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-11 09:23 pm (UTC)You are totally right about both Veronica and Harry. Hermione probably dreamed about like saving people's lives via being smarter than everyone else. Littlefinger totally dreamed about being a famous knight and Catelyn pining for him and the Starks losing their lands and title.
Also, how/where are you? It must be getting close to time for Matt's program to start and Jeremy and I were just talking about how we should check in on you.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-12 04:56 pm (UTC)This seems to be one area in which Littlefinger is pretty obvious.
We're good. We'll be heading out on the 27th. Classes don't actually start until the third week or fourth week of September, so we should have some time to get settled. I've started applying for jobs - eek - but haven't gotten that far into it yet. Labor day weekend is a couple of my college friends' wedding, but we should have some time to hang out before school eats him. I'm a bit worried about figuring out what I'll be doing when that happens...
no subject
Date: 2008-08-12 04:59 pm (UTC)It's good that you have some time to get settled. We should definitely make plans to hang out the weekend of the 6th or the 13th.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-12 09:44 pm (UTC)Also, your peach pork sounds delicious!
no subject
Date: 2008-08-12 09:47 pm (UTC)It was really delicious (not to brag but it was). It's always really awesome when cooking experiments go well.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-12 09:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-12 09:54 pm (UTC)(The woman in this icon used to be the Secretary of Education)