H.R.P. Day 17

Day 17 Reason 17

Ok so this has been covered to some extent but never stated like this. Food experimentation, cakes, breads, custards, basically everything anyone has ever been curious about in the food world would be possible if H moved here. Sigh... what the world is going to miss out on if it doesn't happen.

H.R.P. Day 16

Day 16 Reason 16

More incentive to keep my apartment clean in case she chose to drop by and then judge me on its orderliness. Also, two more days of these. Then I can start real, albeit not as important, posts.

H.R.P. Day 15

Day 15 Reason 15

ugh.... need someone to wake me up when i decide to nap a 7pm

X________X

OMG I love this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3g-yrjh58ms

H.R.P. Day 14

Well things have been kind of crazy, me being in Miami recently, maybe i'll update on that later, but big shout out to W for that last update.

Here goes...

Day 14 Reason 14

Let's face it, Hummus is not a very lucky person when it comes to avoiding certain disasters (cough... acceleration ...cough). Between tornadoes in the central states, hurricanes in the southeast, and earthquakes in the west, chances are she'll be right in the middle of... something. We have virtually none of that nonsense here making it far less likely a tornado will lift her out of the tidal wave that swept the earthquake ravaged building out of her living room.

"Just come out so we can talk. Or sing about it." -Glee

[warning: rant ahead]

I guess this is an issue that has bugged me for the last 5 years, whether or not I should go be a choral music teacher.

When I was seventeen, I was positive that it was what I wanted to do. I believed in just following your dreams and you would achieve happiness. When I went to sing in a choir for a weekend with some of the best vocalists in the country, the conductor told us, "Don't pursue a career in music if you can see yourself doing something else. Only pursue music if you know you can't possibly be happy doing anything else." At that moment, I had a moment of realization, that this was what I wanted to do, and I couldn't possibly be happy doing anything else. I thought the only thing holding me back was the disapproval of my Asian parents and the oh-so-dramatic threat of being disowned.

At twenty two, having gotten a music degree from one of the top music schools in the country has been a reality check and not in a positive way. I wasn't, and am not, really all that good. Stability was more important to me than I first realized. Some things I really like about my current job are the fact that it's stable, I don't have to work ridiculous hours or be stressed out, and I can basically relocate to any city I want to. If I were a music teacher, it would not be nearly as flexible, if I were to even be lucky enough to get a job. There is usually only one choir teacher per school, as opposed to 10 math positions. My parents should seriously disown me. And honestly? I'm not cut out to struggle. I've never had to worry about money. It's not the same example, but I look at the kids who went to excellent schools in hopes of being on Broadway or in opera, and are singing on cruise ships and theme parks and Italian restaurants. While for many successful singers, that is the first step, I would want to skip that step. If I had to fly myself to ten job interviews, would I still want to keep going? Am I idealistic/optimistic enough to pursue something like this?

A friend asked me if I felt trapped when I think about and prepare to apply for a masters in finance. I don't know if I feel trapped, but it feels wrong. And yet, if I was disowned and unemployed, or disowned and teaching part time in the middle of nowhere Nebraska (not to diss Nebraska, but I am anti-driving-more-than-25-minutes-to-get-to-the-nearest-airport), would I be happy? I really don't know the answer to that.

To end this rant on a light note (credit to..whatever google site I stole this from)

La LA LA!!!

To sum up my trip to Texas...

Half of the cookies and milk buffet at the hotel, served every night... yum!

Table-side guacamole, which they make in front of you...probably the best part of Texas.
Bull statues?
As you can see, I wasn't all that interested in taking photos of people...unless they were making food.

H.R.P. 13

I thought I'd fill in for JGG since he's not good at holding up his end of the bargain :p

Reason 13: Easier to take advantage of her stress baking.

For reals tho, easier to carpool to movies (like SatC2)

Okay, even more for reals, Mich people are definitely taller, manlier, and stronger -> helpful for moving queen size beds!

3 Fuzzy Thought of Thursday

I discovered a neat new sandwich place downtown for lunch with israeli couscous.

There were cupcakes at work yesterday because it was administrative professionals day or whatever. They were probably meant for the secretaries, but I ate one anyway. :( No self control.

I am going to NYC for memorial day to attend a friend's wedding. Woo! I should probably buy my ticket soon...

My right ear keeps popping. It's weird.

H.R.P. Day 11 and 12

Day 11 Reason 11

Babysitting each others kids. Assuming she child proofs her house. Good luck with that by the way.

Day 12 Reason 12

Easier to experiment with her wedding cake prep.

H.R.P. Day 10

Day 10 Reason 10

So she can tell me if I suck too much to follow my dreams.

I spent so much on my hair

aaaah! At least I really like the color :)


It looks a little redder in this picture than it really is. It's mostly brown and I look like a normal person now instead of with weird streaky hair. And it seems I haven't yet mastered the close-lipped smile.

I got suckered into buying the salon shampoo though. There was an Asian guy with a purple mohawk and Gucci shoes who swears by it. And my stylist said if I didn't use it I would end up with orange hair, and I JUST had her dye out the orange in my hair. I hope this shampoo is super awesome!

Thank goodness I'm working :)

H.R.P. Day 9

Day 9 Reason 9

Easier to offer encouragement to go to the gym, grocery store, out for a walk, ect... Basically kicking her out of her own apartment until she does what she needs to do. Also she could try to attempt the reverse of this, but that would be unsuccessful. Also I kind of want to teach her how to not drink starbucks out of a straw. Little bonus reason added for today.

JGG doesn't want me to move back to Michigan anymore.

I'm back from Dallas.

I always drink my starbucks with a straw. At the Dallas airport, I saw like 20 other people who also drank their starbucks like that. Weird. I've never seen anyone else anywhere do that.

Give Me Some Beef

Howdy. I'm in Texas.

EDIT: I forgot to pack a hairbrush.

But I took 3 different types of cookies from the cookie buffet, so that's okay.

:)

H.R.P. Day 8

Day 8 Reason 8

I can steal all distractions from her apartment so she can only study.

P.S. I know these are getting lamer by the day.

I found a summer job!

Full time as a somewhat glorified personal assistant to a really old dude.

I'm pretty excited though.

I might me drugging monkeys for a few weeks :D

H.R.P. Day 7

Day 7 Reason 7

To yell at me enough so that I finally stop acting lazy and make an attempt at baking bread.

I just threw up. This is going to be an awesome business trip.

H.R.P. Day 6

Day 6 Reason 6

She can take advantage of my DVR and can therefore watch both Lost and Glee.

Too easy.

I'm not sure I can manage fuzzy...

Friend#1 came back from India today. She said the gift she bought for me is something that will distress HummusBoyfriend, but it is not a sari and it is not a guidebook on how to be a good Indian wife. Hmmm, what can it be???

WHY ARE GLEE AND LOST AT THE SAME TIME THIS IS AN OUTRAGE I AM OUTRAGED.

H.R.P. Day 5

Hah, she totally thought I would forget,

Day 5 Reason 5

Picnics in the arb and watching the river until it dries out.

I cut myself under my nail today with a legal file. It bled a lot. Ow.

FTOTD: My car is so cute. Even though it is probably going to kill me soon.

5 things

1) I went outside today with Hummus's encouragement. She said I'd get a jiggly butt if I didn't work out today. I ran/walk/jogged, did some crunches, pushups and jumping jacks. And some thigh stuff.

2) It was warm enough to wear shorts for (1)

3) Had book (to movie) club today. The movie (The Secret Life of Bees) was really cute and I liked that it followed the book pretty well.

4) I finished "The Commitment" by Dan Savage and it was hilarious and really good and helped me re-evaluate some Sir Tubby thoughts.

5) My to-do list is almost complete :D I was productive today wheeee!

5 Reasons to be happy today

(1) It's Sunday and I'm not at work.

(2) I am eating a delicious bowl of pasta with olive oil and freshly cracked black pepper and parmesan, topped with leeks sauteed in butter and some spinach. Mm.

(3) It's a beautiful day out in Cincinnati and I am going on a tromp/picnic in the park with a friend later this afternoon.

(4) My tummy is bothering me less today for the first time in a while.

(5) In 4 days I am leaving on a business trip and staying at a hotel with a nightly milk and cookies buffet!

What are 5 reasons you are happy today?

I finally found a car wash that had people outside of it collecting money so that I could ask them what to do. Apparently the left wheels (on the drivers side of the car) has to go on the narrow little track thing, which was what I was confused about. It's probably a sign of my old age that I think car washes are a little scary instead of exciting.

But my car is sorta clean now. And shiny.

fuzzy thought of the day

I'm glad for the huge chain of events that happened to place Hummus and I in Physics together.

I'm glad of it for many reasons, but especially today for phone calls like this:

H: HOW DO I GET MY CAR WASHED?!???!!!

I do NOT know how to get my car washed. I drive from car wash A to car wash B to car wash A again and I still didn't get my car washed.

I guess I better just suck it up and go wash it myself.

I'm wondering if what I'm wearing looks goofy and there is no roommate around to ask. Frown.

I'm getting sicker and going to Texas for business in a week. This could be interesting.

I want to see Sex and the City 2. But probably not on opening night.

Fuzzy thought: It's sunny out (though kind of chilly) and Alvin and I are about to go have dinner at this posh restaurant that serves fancy street food, then Graeters (best ice cream ever according to Oprah!) for dessert, which I owe him because I lost our bet about Lost (ha ha).

Tomorrow morning my co worker is dropping off her 2 year old son at my apartment for a few hours. My life might then promptly transform into a comedy.

H.R.P. Day 4

Day 4 Reason 4:

She can see a non insane doctor.

FTOTD

I watched with a mixture of horror and glee as someone dropped an entire sheet cake in the parking lot. I am a terrible person.

Bunnies n' things

First of all, how cute is this guy??? He makes me want a pet bunny of my own.


Second, I got a chocolate Bunny for Easter. And Third, I saw a real live bun-bun in my backyard.

:D

Fuzz fuzz buzz buzz

I like the Starbucks next to work. The people who work there are really nice and quirky, and today I got a free frappuccino. Apparently they are changing the way they make frappuccinos in the future and this was a test version.

H.R.P. Day 3

Day 3 Reason 3

She can make sure no one is at my apartment during important T.V. shows.

I'm still pretty groggy from the sedation from this morning.

Fuzzy thought for the day: My co worker drove me to my medical appointment and sat there the whole time so she could talk to the doctor (since I'd be too drugged to understand what the results were anyway) and drive me home. Yay. I gripe about selfish people a lot, but it makes me feel extra happy and appreciative when there are kind and helpful people. Apparently I asked the doctor a lot of questions, but I don't even remember talking to the doctor afterwards, haha.

H.R.P Day 2

Before I fall asleep and forget....

Day 2 Reason 2

Dinner parties.

Hummus Relocation Project Day 1

Ok I was challenged to think of a reason everyday why Hummus should move back to this area and I'm not backing down from it.

Day 1 Reason 1:
We can all go out for happy hour together and enjoy sunny days like today.

Into my belly we go...

I am getting an endoscopy tomorrow. And being knocked out. Awesome. -_______-

Okay I've been slacking with my positive thoughts for the day, but I've also been out of town and then deathly ill. Also next week I am going on a business trip which will probably make me slack even more, but here we go.

Positive thought of the day:

Today was the opening game for Cincinnati Reds. Everyone was decked out in Red gear downtown drinking beer and eating food. Best of all, there was a free bbq complete with sides and cookies and popcorn in my work building. Hooray! And it's 85 degrees and sunny out. Too bad I am deathly ill and can't enjoy it properly.

LEEKS!

Ok so Hummus recently told me how she developed a new love for leeks. Today on Iron Chef America leeks are the secret ingredient. Therefore I'm going to blog all about this episode as it happens. Hopefully this makes for an interesting post and not just a long ramble.

The challenger is the head chef of an Indian/Latin fusion restaurant which sounds really interesting to me. Those are some of my favorites so I'm interested to see what she does.

Leeks in a cheese cloth means soup apparently. Also a blue cheese and leek mixture is going into an ice cream machine!!! That sounds absurd but recently I've seen very odd ice cream flavors. I dunno how strong those flavors come out in ice cream but I can't imagine they disappear. I think if I had an ice cream maker I would just start randomly throwing things into it to see if I could become famous by inventing oh... something like orange habanero ice cream. No one steal that idea.

Commercial break. Need water.

Sigh... no water in the fridge, need to do something about that tomorrow, also loud noise outside my apartment. Ginger, cilantro, chiles, and toasted cumin seeds, this is about to be a very spicy competition. Rarity for iron chef too, they usually avoid the spice. I would really like to become famous enough to become a judge on a cooking show.

There's something interesting about a full fish being put onto a plate. Its actually a very attractive thing, as a kid that would've scared me but being friends with so many asian people has definitely gotten me used to seeing.... interesting food choices. No offense to anyone or anything. Heh.

The problem with this show is everything happens so fast! I really can't keep up with following the competition and typing the little side conversations that are going on in my head... I'll just leave the food talk till they present the final dishes unless I see something absurd or the voices in my head stop...

Commercial!

Was able to load the dishwasher during that break... so productive. Morimoto making sushi... big surprise, I need to learn how to make sushi, it would save me so much money. Hmm... what do you guys think of like a sushi roll dessert type of thing. Maybe like a rice pudding rolled in something or other. Might be an interesting faux japanese themed bit of interesting something or other.

Oooh Jicama! We used to sell that at the farmers market but I never knew what to use it in or why to use it instead of potato. Also no one ever bought it. Whoa that commercial came fast.

Ok we're back, they threw us right into gin and leek cocktails which.... might be good with the dinner but purely from a let's all get drunk standpoint I think there are better alternatives. The drink looks really good though, its sooo green.

Fried julienne leek is the setting for that ice cream I mentioned earlier. Crazy. The plating on this stuff is so cool, I wish I had access to all these different types of plates just to play with my own presentation. Alright, that's the timer, going to post the final dishes since I pretty much ignored that aspect in everything I wrote before.

Alright first dish, the white lady is getting yelled at for not using chopsticks... been there. Leek + toro, sounds interesting but I can't comment haven't tasted enough toro to know how that would be, next course.

Sashimi with ginger, garlic, and... edible flowers? Alright, leek stalks used this time. I should start eating more flowers.

Leek oil... didn't really pick up on all of that, but everyone loved it, might have to read up more on that.

Carmelized leek and pineapple tart. Interesting, first leek dessert ever?

Leek and watermelon salad. I should say that we've now moved on to the challenging chef.

Hmm... leek sauteed with rice, some kind of seabass stew. I really need to learn more about indian cooking because this stuff looks really good but I can't tell you anything about it.

Leek chutney and a leek marinade for a nice cut of beef.

Wine poached leeks and a leek and chickpea brittle along with a milk that had that cheese clothed leek in it for dessert. Sort of a spicy dessert I guess, sounded very interesting.

Alright... time to hear the winner. Then it's bedtime. I should try this drunk sometime.

Winner is.... Iron Chef Morimoto, of course, he's awesome. That was domination.

blogger reunion

(minus 1, miss you Airheads!!)