Anyway, one curry done and just 659 to go. I can't really claimed that I cooked it per se, since I only made it as far as chopping garlic before I sliced my finger open in two places. Apparently I'm not ready to start a knife-juggling act. Mom took over & we made a pretty easy salmon dish, that mostly just involves rubbing a bunch of garlic, some turmeric & salt on skinless salmon filets, letting that marinate for a while, then pan searing the fish, adding a bit of coconut milk, and simmering it for a few minutes. I like easy, especially when it tastes good.

Like I said, just 659 to go....

So what is new since May 1, 2009? In many respects, not much. Same job, same wonderful boyfriend, same house...

But there were some good changes, too. As opposed to the more frequent pattern of adult children moving back in with their parents, mine have moved in with me. It's been two months already, and actually it still really works. It helps that they are both really funny. Also, having someone cook dinner every night & clean my house doesn't hurt either. (I worry that I'll suffer from learned helplessness when they leave.) Probably about one month to go--they're buying a house that is being built nearby, so I've been living vicariously through all of the interior decor decisions. Don't get me wrong--I like my house a lot at this point, but if this subdivision had been being built when I was in the market, I sooooooooo would have bought there. Picking out paint colors and flooring and appliance is much more interesting than considering the purchase of replacement windows for my current house. (BORING.)

And I guess that the other big change is that I'm finally a dog owner, which I've tweeted about probably a million times. I wouldn't trade Sammy the wonder-dog for anything. It doesn't matter if I'm gone all day or just run to the grocery for twenty minutes, he gets crazy excited when I get home.

What else is there to say about 2009? There was a ton of time spent on the road...more than 45,000 Delta Medallion Qualification Miles for the year. I now just laugh that I so naively thought that this job would involve less travel. Having my parents in Lexington should help though for 2010, although I've already got trips to UGA, Kansas City, NYC, and Seattle on my calendar. Part of me loves it, but all the eating out means that my ass is ever-expanding. (sigh.)

Speaking of food, I'm doing less cooking than usual and am starting to miss it a bit. I've made a couple of different chili recipes recently because it is so frakkin' cold here. Love the All American Chili and White Chicken Chili from Cooking Light. I'm trying to cook a bit on the weekends so that I stay out of the hospital cafeteria at lunchtime.

But my new purchase that I'm tres excited about is 660 Curries by Raghaven Iyer. I haven't cooked from it yet, but plan to tonight. I was reading a bit of it last night and so far, it seems like a reasonably healthy approach to Indian food. The reviews on Amazon were really positive, so I'm excited to see how it goes.

And now I suppose I should get back to the paper that is due today. I think I'm ready to upload it, and then it's on to revising another one that is this close to being accepted. See? Life is pretty much the same...

On the plus side, the fish didn't burst into flames which is my general fear about using the broiler. Bonus!

Happy weekend, y'all!

Also: Yay! for new toys. I foresee many games of sudoku in my future. Also possibly Twitter, since I'm so far behind that I had to hear some lady that works for NIH tell me (well, us) that we, as scientists, should be getting on the Twitter. And the Facebook. And Wikis. I'm not exactly clear when we're supposed to do our actual science, but oh well.

My other reaction thus far, is why do people still use the Blackberry?

In other news, in no particular order:

1. I dug Caprica, which my honey picked up at Target the other day. Bummed to have to wait til 2010 for it to really start, but I liked the pilot.

2. I'm in the midst of trying to refinance my house, which makes my stomach quesy like all the time. God, I hope it works.

3. Had a really quick trip to Athens last week for the Boy Ball festivities. Will hopefully post pictures soon. This week I'm mostly just trying to detox...

4. The weather is supposed to be gorgeous this weekend, so I'm going to try to plant my garden. A couple of weeks ago, there were a bunch of folks selling plants at the Farmer's Market, so I'm headed there tomorrow to see what I can track down. Definitely tomatoes and bell peppers. I'd love to find a pattypan squash plant, but I dunno. Potentially a cucumber plant.

5. Also, just need to say: Farmer's Market, whooooooooooooooo!!!! I'm so glad that spring is finally here. In just a few weeks, I get my first CSA box for the year. Yip yip!

Today is a gloomy sort of day. Rainy & gusty in the Bluegrass. And then my mom called to tell me that my godmother's son died earlier this week. Sigh. And then I read that Andy Hallett--Lorne from Angel--died in the past week too. Heart condition. He was my age. Again, sigh.

On to happier things.....work has been really, really busy but maybe it's going to let up soon. I got some big stuff off my plate this week, including mailing out 925 project reports, submitting a new paper, finishing a IRB application for a new pilot study I want to do, and doing feedback on all my med students' portfolios. Feeling highly productive for a change....I'd been getting so frustrated that nothing seemed to actually be reaching completion, so that part of my world is looking better.

And I'm teaching a new class this semester and it rocks my socks. My students are just awesome--totally willing to talk and be engaged during class which makes life so much easier. I did about 95% of the design for this course, and they seem to really like how I organized it. YAY!

And in non-work things, let's just say that things are going well there too. :-) The sun is supposed to be out tomorrow, so there should be some time spent outside. And hopefully I'll make it to the Lexington Home & Garden Show, which makes me a total dork, but I want to do some bathroom remodeling and this seems like one way to maybe get some info.

No new recipes to share today though. I baked salmon last night (for too long, so they dried out) with chopped garlic & rosemary from the garden. Hopefully there will be some real cooking soon. :-)

I've never really done the spa thing...had two massages in my life and probably fewer pedicures than I have toes. But today, that paltry record has been improved. An hour long massage (after which the therapist practically did an intervention about how tight my shoulders are) and then my first facial.

First off: Who knew there were so many different types of face goop? I had no idea. And still have no idea what all was smeared on, rubbed in, wiped away, and repeated. Like over and over. All I do know is that it rocks. Happy, happy...

And then spa manicures & pedicures. I'd heard of paraffin dips, but never had one of those either. Weird feeling but in a good way.

The new question is: How can I do this more often? Because spa = heaven.

First up: Chicken and Mushrooms in Garlic-Wine Sauce. I made a number of adaptations after reading the reviews. First, I used crimini mushrooms (a.k.a. baby portobellas) because I think they have more flavor. I upped the liquids in the sauce to about 3/4 cup of both the wine & chicken broth. Didn't have egg noodles, so I cooked like half a box of bowtie pasta. Added like a 1/4 tsp. of dried thyme, and most importantly, some artichoke hearts. I'd gotten a bag of frozen ones from Trader Joe's (probably used 1/2 the bag), but I'm sure that a can of them (unmarinated though) would work just as well. It was seriously yummy.

And then in honor of Fat Tuesday: Jambalaya with Shrimp and Andouille Sausage. This recipe I pretty much followed, and I think it turned out quite well.

Both were pretty easy, so I'd make them again. YAY for food!

1. I couldn't decide if I thought the emergence of a sushi bar at the hospital cafeteria was brilliant or terrifying. The verdict: Pretty tasty. Perhaps a bold choice to make before teaching my night class, but with any luck, it won't kill me. Unlike, say, peanut products....

2. I just hit the four-oh...not in years, but in publications on my CV. This may be just one in a growing list of reasons why I'm tired a lot.

3. I will try to remember to update Good Reads soon with the latest books that I grabbed at the library. I am a little ashamed by my library habits--I've taken to just scanning the New Books shelf near the entrance because I seem to always find enough to read there. It does make the likelihood that I'll be reading any classics kind of nil.

4. It was embarrassing to be so flummoxed by the new self-checkout at the library that I had to ask for help. My transition to little old lady may almost be complete....

5. Netflix of the weekend: Penelope, which has Christina Ricci & Reese Witherspoon in it. It was kinda okay...not terrible, but not great either. I will also cop to seeing House Bunny, which did make me laugh out loud in spots.

6. The snow and ice FINALLY melted this weekend. YAY!

7. Perhaps most important: Tammy Pescatelli is one funny lady. Saw her at the comedy joint here in town (which I still can't believe we have). Like, make-my-eyes-water funny. If you get a chance to ever see her, please do.

And that's about the it....

Frak, frak, frak.

I know it could be worse...I could've been part of the 41 car accidents that happened in the course of TWO HOURS today. So rather than go see my honey tonight, I'm staying home. Must not tempt fate, yadda-yadda....

I'm soooooooooooooooo ready for spring.

Will try again tomorrow, although I'm not very optimistic. We just got another couple of inches of snow today & it's going to stay cold for the next several days. (sigh.)

I hate winter.

But on the upside, it gave me time to get started on my taxes. I don't wanna jinx it, but things are looking really good which is a relief. Yay!

I think it's time for a nap...

Oy.

Was supposed to fly to D.C. today, but no dice with that. Just as well, since I managed to leave the poster that I was presenting at the house. Some days I'm not so bright. Will try to get there tomorrow, but right now I'm skeptical.

But let's talk about what I love. I love, love, LOVE Amazon Unbox. My cable dvr is on the fritz, and totally messed up recording BSG and Friday Night Lights. Amazon to the rescue! Just like iTunes, it's 2 bucks an ep to download, and they really download fast now. Yip yip!

The cable company can BITE ME though. I couldn't get an appointment until like next Monday. I can TiVo on the little TV upstairs, but it just makes me mad that I will likely be needing a new box for the 2nd time.

I hate it when my technology won't just work with me. Like right now? My cell phone won't connect to any of my parents' numbers. Grrr. (and what the hell: Argh.)

Yeah, I have some "baggage" now.

And yet, oddly enough, I have hope.

It's funny....I find myself tonight connected to friends that I've been tied to on other nights. In 2004, as things just went to hell, and it got later & later, and I got drunker & drunker (I mean really, what other option was there?), I called out West to my friend C. because his time-zone was one of the last at a somewhat reasonable hour.

I sobbed. And was probably incoherent.

Life kept being fairly grim. I kept putting one foot in front of the other. But I had a sense by 2006 that the housing market was starting to implode long before they started to talk about it on the news--mostly because C. & Y. really needed to sell a condo in southern CA so they could move to Athens. They ended up living with me for a while. It was like a life-preserver in both concrete & emotional ways. I'm so grateful for that time. They got settled in Athens, but then I left. Life is funny that way sometimes. I don't doubt that I needed to go--partly for professional reasons but also now I know it was right because I've found someone to love--but man, it hurt so much to go.

It hurts tonight to be back in Athens, because it reminds me of what I left. It's bittersweet. It also feels like coming full circle, now that I think that there is hope to be had.

Tomorrow (which is just thirty minutes away) is a big day. I shall have hope again. How is that for dramatic? (I've learned something from a decade in the south) The hope has been slowly bubbling up since Election Day. But I didn't really want to get my hopes up until now. I wasn't wiling to believe until we got to January 20th.

And here we almost are.

And then a very faint Apple icon appeared.

The best I can tell, maybe the battery went all dead because of the cold. I'm still not sure why it wouldn't connect to our tech guy's computer at work, but once connected to my computer, it seemingly charged up & now is fine.

Of course, this discovery happened 90 minutes after I'd ordered a new one from Amazon. And because I'm impatient & had selected "next day shipping," the order couldn't be canceled. I'm thinking I'll just send back the new one & I'll only be out the shipping cost, so all's well that ends well.

Knowing that I was no longer really buying a new iPod then meant that I thought, "Well, maybe I'll take a look at nightstands for my bedroom." I found one that I loved on Macy's website & called them (thereby overcoming my intense fear of talking to strangers....can I say how much I love that you can order pizza online now?), only to find out that it was a closeout & out of stock forever. But that actually ended up being a good thing, because on Target's site I found some for half the cost. I bought the last two of these at the Target by my house.

It was then a grand adventure in furniture assembly. Let's just say the 2nd one went better than the first, where I put the top on backwards, and also put in the rails that hold the drawer iin wrong. Oops. That actually was easy enough to fix. But the maddening thing was that the knob for the drawer came with a screw that wasn't long enough to actually attach it. I took it to Lowe's & thought they hooked me up with the right kind of screw (heh), but not so much. And then I swear I started channeling my dad, because I went off digging around all the odds & ends in my garage until I figured out a way to combine some random pieces of hardware so that the damn knob doesn't fall off any more. (VICTORY IS MINE!)

Anyway, I dig that I can now put my magazines & books on that bottom shelf so that the actual top of the nightstand just has a lamp & that's it.

It's the small victories, y'all.

It is part of a rather traumatic technology day. My iPod must've heard that Steve Jobs is going on medical leave, because it chose today as the day to die. (sigh.) The "reset" trick didn't work & it won't power-up when it's connected to a computer, so I think that's the end of it. I don't think I'm going to get the iPod Touch though because they don't have enough space...120gig "classic" is my choice, which oddly Amazon has for about $30 less than the Apple store. Plus I have a gift certificate for Amazon, so it will hurt a little less.

And lastly, this wouldn't be a real post if I didn't say IT IS FREAKIN' COLD HERE. Ay yi yi. And, I hate winter.

--dinner at my favorite local restaurant. I wish I could bear to order something different there, but I always get the sea bass which comes on delicious mashed potatoes with both pesto sauce & a roasted tomato sauce on the plate. It is so divine that I just can't ever seem to order something else when I go to Sal's.

--a work obligation on Sat. morning. UGH. Combining an event that requires small talk wiht a rainy Sat. morning just bites.

--antiqueing afterwards. Apparently about once a month, there's a big antique show in this old warehouse space. Didn't buy anything, but someday I'd love to buy the big bookshelves that have the glass doors that lift up & then slide into the bookcase. Someday. sigh.

--picking up my first wine club selection from Jean Farris winery. I used to turn up my nose at Kentucky wine, because honestly, most of it is god awful. But I kept hoping I'd find something decent because I do like buying local. The reds at JF are really good although kinda pricey, so I'll be saving some of them for special occasions.

--a rather ho-hum Cooking Light supper. This toasted pecan wild rice is a good side if you've got some time on your hands & want something kinda different for a starchy side. I had a minor disaster in the bulk foods aisle at Whole Foods, so there will be a lot of wild rice in my future. I found this tilapia with citrus vinaigrette to be disappointing. Not hideous, but not very good either...

--a rather quiet Sunday of churchification, cleaning house, talking to my folks, but then Fiesta night, which means fajitas. YAY! After the disappointing Sat. dinner, I was glad that this worked better. No real secrets to this, just lots of peppers & onions sauteed with garlic & chicken. I use the fajita seasoning that Schilling sells. Vegetarian refried beans which I spruced up with a little Rooster sauce & ketchup. I know the ketchup sounds weird, but I promise it makes them taste better. Just heated in a toaster oven at 350 for 15 minutes & voila!

--And learned how to play this new game called, ">Quoridor It's kind of a strategy game that sort of reminds me of Chinese checkers (but not really).

Speaking of games, I'm looking to add some to my collection but it seems like when you go to the toy section, there just aren't very many any more. Any suggestions???.