Thursday, December 31, 2009

It really WAS.

Regardless of the previous post's heinous news, we really did have a wonderful Christmas. More pictures to come. But since I wanted to reassure all you hoards and hoards of people who hang on this blog's every word that we DID in fact have a delightful and perfect Christmas, I thought I'd post the proof.


Christmas poppers and crowns.


The latest and greatest en-gagged couple in the fam.


Post-roast-beast.
Full tummies and glazed eyes and spiking blood sugar.


For a little bit of Christmas Closure, I thought I'd add a wee post script to my friend, the Cretin.

Dear Cretin,

Hey. C'est moi. One of your recent burglarees. Or is it burglee? Either way, hey, howsabout we put this little misfortune behind us and engage in a virtual handshake of truce? I mean, it IS New Year's Eve and I suppose your no doubt lengthy list of resolutions is going to be put into effect within the next 24 hours. And I more than FULLY support the amending of your ways. I'm sure you've spent the days since your selfish swipings reflecting on your deep feelings of shame and remorse. I bet you've even created a personalized 12-step program to ensure your self-improvement goal's realizations. So, Cretin, you have my moral support, one hundred percent. I hope 2010 is a successful one, far away from illegality and desperation.

Your friend,
Le Burglee


Monday, December 28, 2009

Dear hapless Cretin who stole my purse and all it's contents:

Now that it's been about eight hours since I realized you made off with my belongings without being able to claim ANY ownership over them, I've considerably mellowed out from this morning's state-- a state which, to be honest (which you my friend are NOT), consisted of fragile composure and a long and bountiful string of screeching expletives and almost-expletives in my mind and steam emitting from my ears.

I think I went through the Kübler-Ross model of the 5 stages of grief today at learning what you'd done.

Denial as I frantically looked everywhere for my purse including places I hadn't even set foot the whole time I'd been there.

Anger as my mind engaged in aforementioned expletive stream.

Bargaining as I hoped you weren't really the culprit in the mysterious disappearance of my purse and that I had actually left it in my sister's car who was at work at the time.

Depression when, obviously and sadly, it wasn't in her car.

Acceptance when... I realized that on top of stealing my purse/wallet/CD/jump drive/keys/other valuables, you had also broken into my next door neighbor's car. The sad and pathetic truth came to light. You really did it-- and after I'd given you the benefit of the doubt.

Incidentally, you've also stolen my Mom's scriptures. Her BIBLE.

Oh the irony. It's so thick in here I could cut it with a spork.

I mean, if realizing you've stolen THAT doesn't fill you with amaranthine and staggering guilt, then you might in fact not be a person at all. You may in fact be some other creature that's incapable of feeling remorse. You may in fact be a cat.

Here's the point.

I'm really REALLY disappointed in you. 90% of the things you stole won't do you any good. The keys don't go to anything you can find or use. The bank cards have been frozen. The only thing you can REALLY use is the $50 card to Bed Bath and Beyond and the $6 I had in cash. And, Cretin, you didn't need to violate the law to get $6. It's called working. For less than an hour at minimum wage, at that. As for the gift card (which was, by the way, a wedding present)... are you the type of person/cat who shops at Bed Bath and Beyond? If you are, hey, I recommend the Pyrex tupperware set. It might help you preserve what shred of dignity you think you have left in life.

Ultimately, it's up to me to get over it and move on. I can replace almost all the things you stole. Maybe you were facing a desperate situation and felt like you had no choice. Maybe that $6 and gift card saved you from some unthinkable fate. That $6 may have been the difference between life and death. In a way, I hope it was.

Happy New Year, Cretin.

Monday, December 21, 2009

I still laughed maniacally when I saw this for the 12th time.

You may or may not think it's as pink-tickling as I do (which is difficult for me to imagine) but I can't help myself.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Doodle.


Can you tell I'm ready to go home for Christmas already?

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Photo journal of sorts

Harry showed me how to upload pictures from my phone to my computer with that whole bluetooth finagley thingamabob. Here are some pictures I've taken since we moved here. It's funny to look back on all the things I've snapped a shot of over the past 4 months.
The Killers/bald guy in front of me.
We found these at the grocery store. I wonder if they're wiggity wack.

Rainbow over our apartment on my morning run. I wondered if leprechauns were poking Harry while he slept.

Walking into the Cheese House for the first time in about 2 decades.
The view from one of Harry's professor's homes in Santa Cruz.

I love a man who can push a cart at breakneck speed through a grocery store parking lot and then jump on for a good ride.

A layer of frost on the field near our parking lot. Christmassy! And freezing.

Ten out of Tenn Christmas show. Every performer had a stocking. And the show was amazing.
Now I'm watching "Miracle on 34th Street" curled up on the couch whilst Harry studies Criminal Law.

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Merriness and Pads of the Thai variety

Behold: Merriness.



I like to imagine that the nativity people are to scale with the tree. That way it's like they’re at Fashion Island where the tallest Christmas tree in the country at 115 feet resides (take that, 90 foot Rockefeller Center tree). I'm all for blending (more like clashing) old and new world Christmas traditions.





Special shout out to Meg and Owen for the righteous Nativity set!



Old earrings and bracelets-- some of which are too small dangly/flashy/heavy/high school for me but that, for some reason, I couldn't bear to give away (thank you, Mom's genetics).



Harry learned to fold these way back in the day, like every single 12 year old Mormon boy seems to do. They serve two functions: fancy tree stars, and you can throw them boomerang style at people.

Grand total: $9 and something cents.

Thank you, ghetto drug store next to my office, for carrying all these little things at a price that fits in President Jackson's/my budget.

Speaking of Pad Thai, which we weren't, we made it for dinner last night.


Note: We now never want Pad Thai unless we've made it ourselves with this recipe. You MUST try the recipe and you will know why for yourself. It is as follows:

Pad Thai

2 TB tamarind paste or substitute
¾ cup boiling water
3 TB fish sauce
1 TB rice vinegar
3 TB sugar
¾ tsp cayenne pepper
4 TB peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
8 ounces dried rice stick noodles, about ¼ inch wide
2 large eggs
1/8 tsp salt
12 ounces medium shrimp or diced chicken
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press
1 medium shallot, minced
2 TB dried shrimp, chopped fine (optional)
2 TB Thai salted preserved radish, chopped (optional)
6 TB chopped unsalted roasted peanuts
3 cups (6 ounces) bean sprouts
5 medium scallions, green parts only, chopped fine on sharp diagonal
¼ cup loosely packed cilantro leaves (optional)
Lime wedges for serving

1) Rehydrate tamarind paste in boiling water (soak 2 TB of it in ¾ cup boiling water for about 10 minutes, then push it through a mesh strainer to remove pulp and seeds). Stir fish sauce, rive vinegar, sugar, cayenne, and 2 TB oil into the tamarind liquid; set aside.

2) Cover the rice sticks with hot tap water in a large bowl; soak until softened, pliable, and limp but not fully tender, about 20 minutes. Drain noodles and set aside. Beat eggs and 1/8 tsp. salt in a small bowl; set aside.

3) Heat 1 TB oil in a 12-inch skillet over high heat until just beginning to smoke. Add chicken or shrimp and sprinkle with a little salt; cook, tossing occasionally until cooked. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

4) Off the heat, add the remaining 1 TB oil to the skillet and swirl to coat. Add garlic and shallot, set skillet over medium heat, and cook, stirring constantly, until light golden brown, about 1 ½ minutes. Add beaten eggs to skillet and cook, scrambled, about 20 seconds. Add rice noodles, dried shrimp, and salted radish (if using) to the eggs; toss with 2 wooden spoons to combine.

5) Pour fish sauce mixture over the noodles and increase heat to high. Toss until noodles are evenly coated. Scatter ¼ cup peanuts, bean sprouts, all but ¼ scallions, and cooked shrimp or chicken over the noodles. Cook, tossing constantly, until noodles are tender, about 2 ½ minutes (if not yet tender, add 2 TB water to the skillet and cook until tender).

6) Transfer noodles to serving plate and sprinkle with remaining scallions, peanuts, and the cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.

And with that,