Go start a business

Today I made a new blog. I have been job searching for the last few weeks since my job as a soccer referee is almost over and I need to occupy my time and make some money.

I realize that making a blog is not the best use of one's time when one has a quiz tomorrow and a test Thursday and a lot of reading to do. But I also have been thinking entrepreneurially. if that is a word...

So, my new blog is here. I want to start a business. You should probably call and order something. I make the best desserts. 

Go get on the wrong side of a mailbox

Today is Thursday.
I graduated two weeks ago. And I'm still in schooooool. S'cool. Or mostly not. Financial management is not really the most fun class in the world. But hey, almost done!

So my life of late is filled with WEDDING STUFF I won't bore you with all the details, I'll just invite you to it. If you stay on my good side that is. This week I have committed more time to planning this than to my job. Which is backwards: I'm spending more money than I am earning, financial failure. Budgeting. My new hobby.

Also new: I made Creme Brulee! No pictures unfortunately but trust me it was delicious--Kim gave me a torch. It's kind of like a flame thrower. But better because it's miniature.

All this driving has been taxing, gas is up at 3.65/gal and driving to Layton to taste wedding cake seems absurd. But not if you had tasted the cake! YUM! Totally worth it. Except that yesterday I backed into a mailbox while I was looking for an invitations place and dented my Smurf. So sad.

Bright side:  I ran the Bonneville shoreline trail this afternoon from Rock Canyon to the base of the Y. Something about trail running is so much better than on the street. That why I miss England so bad--all those little paths to discover. I'll go back. It's happening.

Go get a Job and do something Crazy!!

UPDATE!!

For those of you who don't know yet...I'm engaged!! I am going to marry the most wonderful man on August 5, 2001 in the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. How exciting is this?!

Well, also news: I got an internship with the National Geographic. I have been sitting on this golden egg of information for awhile now, trying to get everything sorted and official before cracking it wide open. But guess what folks, my dream came true! I got it! I applied in October for the program and now I get to work with the Missions Program and the Explorers in residence this coming September.

These two bits of news may both be exciting but how, you may wonder, are they going to work out?

Remeber how I said that Jared is the most wonderful man in the world? He truly is. After much contemplation, and prayer on both our parts, we have decided that for one reason or another we are meant to go to Virginia in the fall. So, crazy as it is, our married life will begin in another state!


Prepare for the adventure of our lives together. It's only just beginning.

Go and Beg for Mercy

The last three days have been hellish. I and my Population geography group was assigned a 10 pg report based on a fertility rate/ demography project of our choosing. We decided that income, race and county type (metro or nonmetro) would be interesting. Little did we know that we would have a bear of a time analyzing this all. We were analyzing 3065 US counties. We had to make 24 categories (instead of  the original 52 our data would make) based on various combinations of above variables. We made no progress on our report for 2 days--hours in the lab and we had barely even run an ANOVA let alone make a map or a graph of our data. Why?
The teachers couldn't help us. Asked my professor about questions for SPSS--didnt know a thing.
Asked an old teacher about ArcMap--she didn't know why it wasnt working.
We finally got a student to help us make a map of our data. Thank goodness for her! Im making her cookies.

5 hours later that night our maps had disappeared. When we opened them off my flash drive, the image would not show up, although the legend would. So we had no idea where the map/data was. We were going to just redo them all. (Did I mention we had redone all our data analysis more than 3 times?) Then some kind person in the lab came over and told us that apparently ArcMap is the gayest program ever and it does not save data to a map unless you export it separately. Also, if you try to open two maps using the same data at the same time the image will not appear. So much for trial and error. Last night until 11:20 we worked on our project and analysis/report. This morning by 9:00 am we were done. I hate feeling ignorant and uneducated about things that even teachers don't know how to solve.

And I hate computers with a passion.

Going Away

Yesterday was pretty much the perfect day.

I woke up early and went to the Provo Temple.
Went to class.
Wrote an essay for my Middle East class--a five page research paper about the Nile Basszzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz sorry can't even finish that. So boring.
The paper took me 5 hours. I had lunch at 4:30 pm as I wiped out on the couch with Cake Boss shouting at me. But hey! Relax. I then, because it was my reward, walked to Borders. I only made it 2 miles before it started getting dark. So I turned around and ran home. Then I drove back, sat on the ground in a corner with 5 magazines and proceeded to browse, looking for suitable airplane material.
Dinner was a can of Homestyle (no MSG or HFCS) Campbell's chicken noodle soup. (I added some broccoli). Pretty gourmet wouldn't you say?
Then I curled up in my room, with my knitting and a laptop movie (the Jazz and BYU game were on and I'm all Jimmered out) and sat.
How much better can you get?

Oh, how about going for some hot chocolate with the boyfriend?
And turning in my paper today, even though it's due Monday?
And relaxing the rest of today since I'm leaving for the weekend TOMORROW!!!
And arriving in Virginia to stay with my grandparents for three days. Plus Haley!
And going to Panera, and Potbelly and a movie and Dunkin and Noodles and shopping and seeing Aunt Em.

AKA getting out of nasty nast Provo to spend time eating at my favorite restaurants with a sister and staying with three 90+ yr olds who are completely deaf and stubborn.

BLISS.

Go AWAY!!!

This post has been in the works for awhile...
There is really only one item I'd like to get off my chest:

Dear Girls who sleep/study in the 2nd floor HBLL bathroom.
Go Away. I'd like to pee in private.
Thanks


You see, there is this bathroom in the library. It's always freezing in there, but there are about 4 couches (yes guys its true! Girls do have couches!! Ha.) Anyways, these couches are 100% of the time occupied by at least one girl sleeping, eating lunch or reading some homework assignment. Why I ask you? There is a perfectly good (and warmer) library right on the other side of the door. And it doesn't flush every five minutes. Granted I understand, maybe, for the sleeping girls. But those who study in the bathroom have some serious ISSUES!!

Go feel some inspiration

Today was a fairly enlightening day.
It all started at 7:00 am when I realized that yes, 1 hr is plenty of time to get ready for an 8:00 am class and I feel much more prepped for the day when I sleep in til then than at 6:30. But I still like getting up earlier for some reason...

Then at 9, my Population geography class topped it all. First of all let me explain my teacher. He is hilarious. Not that he actually tries to be funny. But he is extremely dry and occasionally gives asides about his political viewpoints or strong opinions. Once he said, "You all are too obsessed with your grades. It's stupid." If students say something wrong, or dumb, instead of humoring them and kindly shrugging off their answer like some other teachers I've had, he just says, "No." I love it. There's no beating around the bush with this guy; he just gives it straight up.

Today he gave us his opinion about traffic cameras. First off all, that statistically they don't work. Second of all, he thinks that traffic lights in general should just be done away with. His opinion is that they cause more accidents than they prevent since people don't pay attention to each other, just to the light. His argument is that in small towns, or at intersections where there are no lights, people usually slow down and look before they go through. Obviously there are some major concerns/problems with this idea, but I think it would be an interesting experiment to try here in Provo. Since pretty much all Utah drivers suck.

The class got better. Dr. S was explaining our large group project for the semester. We have to analyze the U.S. at the county level (population data) and explain, determine the effects or causes of the 2nd demographic transition in the country. If it is apparent. We must analyze patterns and use conceptualizations to research whatever aspect of the 2DT that we want to. Not a lot of guidelines in other words. One girl was stumped. (For some reason since going to Cambridge, these kinds of assignments excite me, and those who look confused or ask, "what do you want us to do? How long do you want it? How are we being graded?" etc annoy the crap out of me. Just freaknig do the project until its done and you are satisfied with it. You're supposed to be learning something, not getting a grade! Idiot.) So, thus puzzled, she raised her hand...

the lower portion is the "explanation" of our project Dr. S then covered with more arrows.

My notebook today. Most of it is stuff he said. The scribbles at the top--imitation of his sketching...

Well his diagram was a bit confusing. He wrote a few things on the board, then kept drawing all over, connecting words and ideas in a mayhem of arrows. And this is why I love this man: When this girl asked him to explain he looked at the board, drew more arrows all over the whole thing and said, "What, don't you get it? Arrows make it more comprehensible." Chuckles all around.

Then came my favorite part of today. He said, "Are you confused?" Nods of affirmation. "Good. You should be. Out of confusion, out of chaos, comes innovation. What do you learn from a rubric, from a descriptio: how to follow directions? No, I want you to think for yourself. Do the project and you will get a good grade. Okay, do the project well..." LIGHTBULB....I swear he's a genius. 


The rest of school was the same. But Africa got me thinking. And since I'm trying to study and take my test for it tomorrow (hence the reason I am blogging). I was further inspired this evening to actually spend time making dinner. 

Thanks be to my mother. Who taught me to like healthy food. Who earlier taught at Cornell. Who taught a woman named Ellie Krieger. Who wrote a cookbook. Which my mother gave to me. Which I make things out of. Like dinner tonight. Ellie Krieger's The Food you Crave. 

I have made several delectable dishes from this book. And if it weren't for the sometimes difficult/unobtainable ingredient/time on a college students budget, I would make a new recipe each day. Tonight's choice: Sweet and Spicy Peanut Soup. Sounds gross/weird I know. But the inredients are a great blend of African flavors. Trust me, this little puppy will warm your soul. It's the ultimate comfort food. Carrots, sweet potato, tomatoes, peanut butter: all in a delicious soup. Check it:

Sweet and Spicy Peanut Soup

serves 6

1 Tb canola oil

1 large onion, diced (about 2 cups)

1 med red bell pepper, seeded and diced (about 1 cup)

2 medium carrots, diced (about 1 cup)

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper **I used 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes**

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 tsp)

1 tsp peeled and grated fresh ginger  **I used 1 tsp ground ginger**

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed (about 2 cups)

6 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth

one 14.5 can no-salt added diced tomatoes with their juices

2/3 cup creamy natural peanut butter **I used Skippy Natural (my fav pb ever--no chemicals!)**

2 tsp honey

1/2 cup chopped scallion greens (about 3 scallions) ** I didnt have these so I left them out

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over med-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, carrots and cook, stirring, until the vegetables soften, about 5 min. Add the cayenne, black pepper, garlic and ginger and cook about a minute more. Stir in broth, sweet potato, and tomatoes and bring to a boil Reduce the heat to med-low and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20 min.
Puree the soup in the pot using an immersion blender or in a regular blender in two batches and return to the pot. Add the peanut butter and honey and stir, over low heat, until the peanut butter melts. Serve warm garnished with the scallions.

**I added a little bit of plain yogurt to cool it off a bit, and for garnish.**


Again, I cannot emphasize enough how good this was. My roommate was home, and I told her to eat with me. Her comments were on how amazing it smelled until she heard the name of the soup. Then she said to cover her shock: "I like interesting foods." Although she hesitated she most definitely loved it. I went back for seconds...Yum.

Don't be fooled by the fork marks. These are sugar cookies.

Also, last weekend I made three batches of cookies. 1) Oatmeal Chocolate Chip with Butterscotch chips, 2) sugar cookies 3) peanut butter cookies. Oh and lemon squares on Tuesday. Tomorrow Jared and I have a group dinner date. We are making snickerdoodles.

Yes. I love Baking!