Quote of the day

Conan: my feeling is that in life, there are so many things that we want but can never have, so why not get things you want that you can have

Costume ideas for Halloween.. help?

Harder idea...

1) Old spice man. Hmm.

Easier ideas...

2) Summer from 500 Days of Summer. Straighten bangs, wear a headband and a cute dress, done. (Anyone want to be my Joseph Gordon-Levitt?)

3) Ariadne from Inception. Wear cute Anthropologie style clothes and carry a bishop chess piece (her totem) around with me. (Anyone want to be my Joseph Gordon-Levitt?)

4) Agnes from Despicable Me. Just need a yellow striped tshirt and overalls?

Unpopular Science

Love Abstract City:

Unpopular Science by Christoph Niemann

Nerd... wait. no. M&Ms.

For your enjoyment.... I bring you mitosis.

Peanut M&Ms in telophase!!!

Rediscovered midterm study notes from my time in the core, Fall 2007.

And finally... the best way to experience mitosis:

P.S. We read this cool/informative article on climate change: everything you may have wanted to know about it. Yes, it's long, but it really is good stuff.

Noms time

I accomplished the two things I wanted to make (see here)!

#1: Mango shrimp stir fry.

It was ridiculously easy: it was all frozen. I had to cut open the bags and pour them into a heated pan.

To make this, I bought the following, all from Trader Joes:

Ingredients

Fresh ginger (size of my thumb)

1/2 bag of frozen mango

1/2 bag of frozen large pre-cooked shrimp

1/2 bag of frozen tri-color bell peppers

+crushed red pepper flakes

I assume that you could make this all with fresh ingredients, as well, if you are so inclined.

The frozen mix before hand...

In the pan! Things are warming up...

On rice! Yum.

Tasting notes: Could definitely use more ginger and more spice. I used about the size of my thumb, but I love ginger. Could have benefitted from lower heat, instead of boiling away all the juices that came from the mango. It became a little more sticky than I wanted it to be (I wanted it to be a bit saucier). Luckily, I have half bags left of all the frozen goodies, so I will be making this again soon.

#2: Turkey soup.

This was definitely more time intensive than the stir fry. I had to first cook the raw turkey breast, and then let it simmer for a while... then let it simmer some more with the vegetables.

Ingredients

Raw half turkey breast with rib

(I can't remember the size, but it was ~$6.50, the smallest TJs had)

Fresh ginger (size of 2 thumbs), peeled and chopped into large chunks

Fresh garlic (3 large cloves), peeled and whole

1/2 yellow onion, chopped into large chunks

Pre-washed/cut celery and carrots

(Note: I did not want to get a whole celery heart and bag of carrots, as I couldn't eat it all! The celery and carrots in water in a plastic container was a great alternative.)

1/2 bag baby fingerling potatoes

+salt and pepper

+crushed red pepper flakes

+grated Gruyere cheese

+whole grain fusilli pasta

I roasted the turkey breast in the oven with olive oil. Once it was done and had rested, I carved it to get almost all of the meat off. Placed the remaining (non-meat) part in boiling water with peeled ginger, garlic and onion, and I let it simmer for about 1.5 hours. I went to yoga and it sat on the stove. When I got back, I turned the heat up to about medium, and put in the veggies for the next 45 minutes to an hour, until the veggies got soft. Prepped my grated cheese and pasta, and here's the final product!

Tasting notes: I love my chicken/turkey soup with cheese. I usually have it with Parmesan, but Gruyere was what I had (leftover from the quinoa gratin). It still worked deliciously. Not to toot my own horn, but the soup was delicious. The soup wasn't very clear (which I like), and it was nice and hearty with all of the veggies and pasta and cheese. It was rainy today, so it was exactly what I needed. Looks like I'll be having this for breakfast and dinner for the next few days... and that I'm happy about.

I wish it were a few hours earlier so I could get my hot chocolate fix at Coupa... Their abuela hot chocolate is a new favorite, especially when it's cold and I have reading to do on a Sunday night.

Hope everyone had a great weekend... here's to the start of a new week!

All that jazz

The likes of Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday... will we ever have voices and styles like that again?

Enlighten me, please, if I am unaware of singers of today's time that are at all like them.

Something about a gloomy and rainy day that makes me want to listen to this kind of music. It's wonderful.

Also, I've been inspired to make my Hype Machine account active. Check me (and my musical tastes) out.

Gmail...

...is not working.

What is going on in the world......?


Update @2:15-- Phew. Crisis averted. Gmail now works again.

Best student email.

From today:

Yo Lauren you rock. Thanks so much,

Yums to come

Sometimes I get inspired by potential meals to make.

Upcoming ones:

Turkey soup with lots of veggies, just like my mom makes it. I'll even put in noodles and cheese. Mmm.

Mango shrimp stir fry with tons of ginger. The prospect of ginger makes my mouth water.

Lunch tomorrow: quinoa with cucumber, avocado, kidney beans, and tomato. Borrrring.

Beautiful San Francisco

The fog of San Francisco: The Unseen Sea

The Unseen Sea from Simon Christen on Vimeo.

First rain of the season

It's gloomy and drizzly. I've got my scarf on and some layers. My shoes, however, are a little too slippery for the quad, which is pretty rain-slicked.

I'm on campus on a Sunday afternoon, getting some work done (and blogging, apparently), but it doesn't quite seem like work without the hustle and bustle of my seven co-workers. [New tag: humbio] It's also much warmer in here than in my room and my house, which is much appreciated.

No yoga yesterday afternoon (everyone got locked out of the studio), so hopefully I'll get to sweat it out today.

Enjoy the rain!

Yoga

I have to admit that I thought yoga was somewhat overrated. So many people talk about it as a lifestyle, and as a way of doing things. I had figured that it would be some cool exercise to get into and, perhaps as a side-effect, be something that could have an effect on the way I lead my life, simply because I was healthier.

Yesterday evening, I went to my first yoga class. It was a bikram class, in which we practiced 26 poses in a heated room. Now, one could think that poses are not much of anything. They're methods of stretching and balancing and gaining strength. Yes, I would agree with that, considering I got a workout from it, but my favorite part was the practice of centering between each and every pose. The shaking muscles and strain that I would feel a moment before would be gone. The focus that takes place is quite remarkable-- you have to think about anything else aside from that which causes you discomfort in the present moment, whether it's the heat, the pain, the strain... it's what the breathing is for. I like being reminded to breathe; I feel as though I forget sometime and take it for granted. But, using that as a focus point and as a centering mechanism is a crucial piece of everyday life that just anyone can use, whether or not one is in a yoga class.

Non-attachment. Being present in the self. Things I need to practice and introduce to my way of living.

I got back from the class physically relaxed, exhausted and energized, all at the same time. I felt ready to accomplish whatever came my way, but also ready to stretch out and go to sleep. I haven't felt that physically worked out in a very long time, and it was wonderful. So wonderful, in fact, that I'm going back to do it again this afternoon.

Welcome to my life, yoga!

Friday afternoon

I love the smell of new books. Particularly when they're free. I was delighted to find a Borders gift certificate in my wallet, and I was curious to see how much was on it. I used that as an excuse to wander into town, grab my favorite Peet's drink (mango tea freddo- this one, unfortunately, was not as good as I had remembered it being), browse my favorite aisle at the pharmacy (hair care products), and look around Lululemon (a dangerous, dangerous place). I finally got to Borders, when I realized I could remember neither the name of the book I wanted to purchase nor its author. I knew it had something to do with North and South Korea and a spy, but other than that, I was stumped. So was the kind Borders clerk who tried to help me in my search. I went upstairs to the Literature section and did what I knew best, to look for common Korean names. I started with Kim. First time's a charm. I found it: Your Republic is Calling You by Young-Ha Kim. With everything going on in North Korea's government, I am particularly interested in reading this book. I used my gift card, and it was enough to leave me 58 cents. I think I'll invest that in a planner for next year.

I meandered back home, and made some pasta sauce while I did my laundry: ground turkey, shallots, garlic, bell pepper, squash, and mushroom. I love that it simmers down.. it looks scarily watery, but let it sit for a while over low heat, and it turns out to be a nice ragout of sorts.

On the schedule for tonight: my first yoga class. There is a studio a few blocks from my home, and I'm going to try it out. Bikram is on the menu. Wish me luck!

A Reminder

Cat People are People, Too

I want a kitten...

In conjunction with that:

How to tell if your cat is plotting to kill you.

Baked Quinoa with Spinach and Cheese

The cooking portion of my blog is back!

I was inspired by a very simple recipe I found on the New York Times (surprise, surprise) for Baked Quinoa with Spinach and Cheese. I love quinoa, and I wanted new ways to eat it. I have eaten it with turkey and chicken...sauteed mushrooms and squash in balsamic vinegar...cucumbers, tomatoes, and kidney beans with a balsamic vinaigrette. Such a simple grain, but super healthy and super versatile. I make it in a rice cooker with 2 parts water, 1 part quinoa. Here is my journey through this recipe!

Here's wilted spinach with onions and garlic.

I cooked red and (regular?) quinoa together to give the dish some color. This is the cooked quinoa with the spinach mixture, beaten egg, and gruyère cheese.

In the oven! (I forgot to take a pre-cooked picture-- it has extra grated gruyère and olive oil on top)

The finished product--yum!

A few notes:

Don't cook it for too long. The crispy edges are nice, but I'm wondering how it'll all turn out tomorrow when I want to reheat it. I hope that it doesn't turn out too dry.

If you want it more moist, try the above or perhaps add a bit more egg (2 extra-large or jumbo eggs, as opposed to 2 large eggs).

Overall, I'm excited to eat it for lunch tomorrow :)

Sleep snoozing?

How do I solve the problem of turning my alarm off in my sleep?

I definitely set my alarm this morning for 8:33, but woke up at 9:03 and the alarm setting was off.

Craving

Sadly, in South Korea, there is a shortage of napa cabbage, the main ingredient in kimchi. This article, however, makes me want to eat some: Kimchi Crisis Leaves South Koreans in a Pickle

According to a man in the article, I am not Korean. I don't eat kimchi three times a day.

Mmmm, look at that kimchi jigae...

Broken

A sad morning: my new thermos broke. It tumbled out of my backpack and met with the cement. =Cracked thermos.

Glasses

When I feel uncomfortable, I adjust my glasses. Not out of necessity, but just to give my hands something to do. My left hand moves up to the left corner of the frame (I think that part is called the temple) and pushes them up the bridge of my nose.

I think that is the sole circumstance in which I do this (again outside of necessity).

Even when I'm not wearing glasses, I have to stop myself from bringing my hand up. If it has already made its way there but I am not wearing glasses, I pretend like I need to scratch my head.

Content.

Content.

It is a strange word, in the sense that it can mean something so positive and yet it has an ironically unsatisfactory sense of being just enough (but not more) to make you feel fulfilled. "Peaceful happiness" versus merely being "satisfied." I'm not sure really where to take this other than this word is confusing to me.

Take the phrase:

I am content with my life.

Is this person at peace with her life? Or have all the to-dos and the tasks and the goals of life been marked off, and it merely ...satisfies?

A random musing, and a welcome back of sorts to everyone. Real life, as I've said before, has begun, hence why I've been so absent from my blog. Too many little things to post about (I had the goal of putting up the meals I made for myself, but then even I tired of that), too many big things to post about (teaching, working, sleeping, and everything else in between)... so, I'm left to wax poetic (or do whatever I was doing) on the meaning of the word 'content.' And even that wasn't quite satisfactory. I'll try not to rant and rave too much about my job, about food... hopefully Oh, but why not will take a look into what it's like starting out in real life.

In any case, fall has arrived! To get a sense of what I mean, take a look at when I last saw the entry of fall, in this blog post entitled Fall is here. The cool breeze is pretty vicious tonight, and I am lounging here contentedly (see what I mean? and I feel much more than satisfied..) in comfy pants and a long sleeve shirt.

In my comfiness, I've been reading the NY Times Sunday Styles. I'm not usually a huge fan of the Weddings/Celebrations section, but wow. Take a look at this slideshow. Just...beautiful. Simple. Elegant. Tasteful. I think I need to watch a rom-com and sigh.

I've reached a major milestone: I am done with my secondaries! Now on to the next step: interviews! I've been a bit mystic about the whole process, but I think I'm going to be done with that. So, be warned, reader, if you wish not to hear about the medical school process, there may be a few facts about my process scattered here and there (I've made it easy: see the new medschool tag, and avoid those posts if you wish not to read).

On a last note, I ran into someone who was in my fiction writing class, who (not sure if it was just flattery) had asked if I was continuing to write, since I was his favorite writer in the class. My answer was no, I hadn't, and that other things had come up. But, thanks, guy-in-my-fiction-writing-class. I think I might try to put pen to paper when I'm feeling it and see where it goes.

Screen shot of Apple's Dictionary application.

Quote of the night:

Erica: i know, sometimes i look at my toes and think of you

True story, folks.

A real post to come soon. I'm overwhelmed with possible topics to post, so I'll think of something good and entertaining.