Procrastination is probably a Sin...

Yes, yes, it has been a long time. Between finals, the holidays, a death in the family, and getting ready for the beginning of school, writing in the blog took pretty much last place.

A few notes today, to get back into the habit.

If you're a fan of British television, I'd like to recommend Father Ted and Fawlty Towers. They're both hilarious TV shows. The former revolves around a trio of Irish Catholic priests on a small island off the coast of Western Ireland. The latter is about a hotel owner constantly facing troubles from his guests, terrifying wife, and the rest of the staff.

On the video game front, the husband very much recommends Left 4 Dead 2, Silent Hill--Homecoming, and Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2. I recommend Katamari Forever, which has a strange, acid-trippy quality that keeps you entertained (enthralled? addicted?), despite the fact that it's kind of a kid's game.

I got home this week and got back to work in the kitchen in an attempt to cook foods that weren't completely unhealthy and disgusting.

Among other things this week, we've eaten Chicken Tikka Masala (which, I'm sorry to say, I made from a jar. Next time I'll make it from scratch and post the recipe.), Hummus-- homemade, from a recipe I found on the Food Network website (Rachel Ray), and Pita-- another recipe I found on the Food Network website, although I don't remember who's recipe.

We also had artichokes-- Husband's first time to try them out-- and Waffles-- our first time to try out our new waffle maker.

I also made homemade Challah bread-- yeah, I braided the dough and everything-- and a bread mix called "European Cheese and Herb" or some such. It was all right, but next time I'm going to put some Asiago cheese into the mix before the bread maker gets to work.

As for classes, I've dropped Hazardous Waste owing to our school's changed graduation requirements, so I'm only taking 12 hours this semester. That means only 3 hours per day, so it's kind of nice to have a chance to get things done during the day. At the moment, however, it seems like there's way too much to be done and very little time in which to do it. We'll see how the rest of the semester progresses... Read More......

My Last Class Schedule-- Ever!

Classes:

Louisiana Security Devices Survey

Sales and Lease

Introduction to Intellectual Property

Hazardous Waste

Race Relations Seminar

Mondays

910-1010 Security Devices

1240-140 Sales

150-250 Introduction to Intellectual Property

Tuesdays

950-1050 Security Devices

300-500 Race Relations Seminar

500-630 Hazardous Waste

Wednesdays

910-1010 Security Devices

1240-140 Sales

150-250 Introduction to Intellectual Property

Thursdays

950-1050 Security Devices

1240-140 Sales

150-250 Introduction to Intellectual Property

5-630 Hazardous Waste

Fridays

NOTHING!!

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Whoa, Long Time

Wow, it has been quite a while. I’ve been only kinda-sorta busy, so I don’t really have much of an excuse for blowing off the blog for more than a month.
I’ve been trying a host of new recipes, all of which were yummy and repeatable:
Cuban Pork Chops, Tijuana Kitchen Rice, Cuban Beans, Ramen Shrimp Pouches, Artichoke Pasta Salad, and Spinach and Mushroom stuffed chicken breasts were all on the menu.
I was cooking for my nana, who I was taking care of while the parents took the grandchildren to New Orleans. She asked for all of the recipes to give to mom so she could repeat them, which I guess is high enough praise.


I am finished with my internship, and I loved it. The firm is great, and I'm really hoping they make me an offer for a permanent position in September or October. Now I am trying to force myself to continue my research for my Professor. I am a bad, bad research assistant.


Our school's trial advocacy program starts the first week of August. I've got to read the materials, prepare an opening statement and closing argument, learn how to question witnesses and compose direct and cross questioning. And then maybe I've got to think about how to do witness redirect. I'm not so sure I'll be good at this whole litigation thing. Read More......

Hodgepodge

I haven't updated in a while. Sorry about that. I've been busy with...life, essentially. Finals begin in two weeks. Two weeks after that, I'll finish with finals and move back North for the summer to work with one (hopefully two) law firms.

I thought I'd bring attention to my dad's website where he posts his botanical photographs. They are simply gorgeous. I fully plan on framing some prints when we move into a house that isn't better described as a tenement.

There isn't a whole lot to say. I haven't been doing a great deal of new and inventive cooking. I did make a lemon meringue pie last weekend. The lemon filling was unfortunately canned-- I should have made my own, but I didn't. so anyone who has a problem with it can just get over it. The meringue, however, turned out pretty well considering it was my first attempt and I didn't really use a recipe.

I....don't really have much else to talk about today. I keep fighting the urge to post long, boring-to-everone-else posts about politics. So you should be grateful.

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I Lied!

Yes, obviously there are no pictures of cake, or cake pops, or anything of the sort.
I did make the cake, and I will make the cake balls (probably today), but when I'll get around to pulling the pictures off of my camera is anyone's guess.
Just.... to let you know.

Right now I am not wanting to be in bankruptcy but determined to survive it nonetheless. I made orange sweet rolls this morning (not from scratch), to bring to Abbey, but she's taking a sleep day, for which I cannot fault her. Read More......

Fall Schedule

Monday-Wednesday-Friday
8:00 Conflicts of Law
9:10 Successions
10:20 Jurisprudence

Monday-Wednesday
4:30-6:00 Mineral Rights

Tuesday-Thursday
3:00-4:30 European Union I

I'm particularly fond of the fact that I have no class until 3:00 PM on Tuesday and Thursday. This means that I can sleep as late as I want, but unfortunately also that those days will be absolutely 100% unproductive. Read More......

Absence makes the Heart grow Fonder...

It has been a while. I apologize-- this last week was absolutely hectic. Between having to find a ride to school every day (the car thing), two doctor's appointments, and working a lot on research for my professor, I haven't had a whole lot of free time.

The state of the apartment can attest to that. Menu for the week! (Take note: It isn't exactly the healthiest menu in the world. I'll have to compensate by eating more low-cal things for lunch.)

Baked Potato Soup in a bread bowl (made with 2% cheese, light sour cream, chicken broth, and 1% milk-- but still, not healthy)

Hamburgers and....something. I have potato chips, but I didn't buy those. They'd be those fat free things anyway, which is fine by me--they taste the same.

Chicken Broccoli and Rice Au gratin-- using one of those packaged rice mixes. I got it for $1 at albertsons-- on sale-- but of course, I noticed yesterday that Wal-mart had it on sale for $.98. Darn.

Lemon Chicken and Pesto Pasta with Feta cheese. New Recipe that I've modified a little bit.

Hamburger Helper--Beef Stroganoff. Really, I need some help every once in a while. I'm not perfect, despite the fact that I'd kind of like all of you to believe I am.

Thai curry and Tom Yum Soup with Steamed White Rice. I haven't decided what kind of Curry yet-- I bought masaman and Karee paste at the store, and I think I might have yellow sour floating around somewhere.

**Note on the Tom Yum Soup: BEST. SOUP. EVER. 3 cups of the stuff has like 90 calories-- half of which is fat, but oh well. You can add mushrooms, shrimp, chicken, green onions, whatever.

Also, I bought three lemons for the lemon chicken, but it only calls for the zest, so I'm trying to think of something to do with the lemon juice. I'm thinking Lemon drops? The kind with Vodka, not the kiddie candy...

Speaking of finding a use for leftovers, I made a Banana cake yesterday, which tastes pretty good. I think next time I might add nuts and not mix it quite so much (it was kind of chewy, since the extra stirring created gluten and made it a little bread-like.)...and I won't add quite so much vanilla to the cream cheese frosting. And maybe substitute coconut milk for the milk in the recipe. Basically change the recipe completely until I'm satisfied.

Not much to say on the school front, except that I'm frantically trying to get some assignments from my professor done with so I can send them to him in London before he gets fed up with waiting and fires me. And I should probably start outlining for final exams, NOT something I'm looking forward to.

..And my computer has started doing very weird things whenever I hit the volume button. I should probably investigate that. Yet something else that has broken! Hooray!! Does anyone have like $10k so we can fix everything that's breaking/broken in our apartment? Anyone? Read More......

Class

Ask any law student, and they will tell you that the most terrifying sound in the world is the sound of your own last name. You’re in class, minding your own business (although it must be noted that the twelve people behind you are also minding your business while you’re reading your facebook wall in class). In the back of your mind, you vaguely register the fact that the professor is asking a question. And then you hear your name.
There is a moment where your subconscious tries to protect you, a split-second where you find yourself glancing around the room in search of this elusive “Smith”, “Jones”, or “Williams” who was just called on. Hmmm, Your mind tells you, smugly. They must be absent today. And then reality kicks in. That was your name. And you are, clearly, present.
“Ahh…” you clear your throat, pretend to consult your case brief, anything to buy time. After a moment it becomes patently obvious that you don’t even know the question that was asked, let alone the answer. “Could you…I didn’t understand the question, could you repeat it?”
The professor gives you a piercing stare and flicks his eyes around the classroom, either amused or irritated, depending on his mood and personality, that you have the gall to admit that you’ve been paying no attention. At all. “Counselor,” he says, “I asked you what the holding of the court was in Marbury v. Madison. ”
No kidding, it is the most terrifying moment of your life every time it happens to you. Those who were called on the first day of law school are remembered forever by their classmates.
Don’t believe me? Ask another law student. But do me a favor—call them by their last name and watch them jump. Read More......