Losing Weight Project: Day 16/Salmon, Mushrooms, and Asparagus Salad with Butter-Laughing Cow Cheese Sauce

Breakfast      
Medifast French Vanilla 55 Shake 90.0 cal 1 Each

I did not go to bed until 12:45 am last night (well, this morning) -- there was so much to do...  And then woke up at 6:45 am...  I am so not a morning person...  Got ready for work, blended my breakfast shake, and drove to pick up Boots from the vet.  Apparently, he had a very deep cut on his pad that became infected and, because of debris, did not heal properly.  The doctor had to open the cut and clean under anesthesia so poor Boots had to spend the night there.  He was so happy to see me this morning!  The vet prescribed a 10-day dose of antibiotic, to be squirted into his mouth once a day.  Hmmm... this will be interesting... wish S. was here -- he knows how to do this kind of stuff.  We will have to survive until the weekend.

So brought Boots home, made sure he was comfortable (fresh food/water, litter box filled with paper pellets so his wound won't get dirty again).  I decided to leave him in a bathroom because I was not sure if he would freak out and hide somewhere.  Then rushed to work.

Mid-Morning
Medifast Oatmeal Raisin Crunch Bar 110.0 cal 1 Each

We had a workshop until a few minutes after noon so I ate my snack bar during the break while everybody else was snacking on fresh fruit and M&M's.  A rather strange choice of snacks, in my opinion.  I am so determined to lose weight that I wasn't even tempted.  Now, if they had peanut M&M's...  just kidding! :)

Lunch          
Medifast Chicken Noodle Soup 100.0 cal 1 Each

Drove home to check on Boots.  Since he appeared to be calm, I opened the bathroom door and he didn't run anywhere, a sigh of relief...  Rushed back to work where several students were already waiting.  Helped them and then finally had time to cook and eat my soup.  Of course, was interrupted several times but oh well...  the other faculty member was out today so I was "holding the fort."  One of our secretaries commented on how yummy my soup was smelling while cooking in the microwave.  Yep, not bad at all, especially since it's filling and only has 100 calories.  The key is to keep it covered for at least five minutes after cooking, to let the noodles and chicken soften sufficiently.

Afternoon    
Medifast Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal 100.0 cal 1 Each

Every time I tried to cook my afternoon snack, I was interrupted... :(  Then it was after 6:00 pm and time to go home.  I didn't feel like cooking and eating oatmeal in the empty office so I went home.

Dinner
Salmon 257.8 cal 5 oz
Cooked Asparagus, fresh 20.0 cal 0.5 cup
Cooked Mushrooms, White, fresh 34.0 cal 0.5 cup
Raw Lettuce, Romaine 8.0 cal 1 cup
Butter, Unsalted 34.0 cal 1 tsp
Laughing Cow Creamy Swiss Light 35 cal 1 wedge
Pepper, Black, Ground 0.3 cal 1 dash
Oregano (McCormick/Schilling) 2.4 cal 0.25 tsp
Coriander Seeds 1.3 cal 0.25 tsp
Parsley 1.4 cal 1 tbsp

Salmon, Mushrooms, and Asparagus Salad with Butter-Laughing Cow Cheese Sauce

I had one salmon fillet so I divided it into three portions and baked last night with oregano, black pepper, and coriander seeds.  Today, I reheated one portion and cut fish into bite-size chunks.  Steamed asparagus, cut into bite-size lengths as well.  Sprayed the skillet with butter-flavor non-stick spray and cooked mushrooms until golden brown.  Chopped lettuce.  Mixed fish, asparagus, mushrooms, and lettuce.  Finally, melted butter and cheese on very low and poured sauce on my salad.  Sprinkled with parsley.

Evening
Medifast Vanilla Pudding 100.0 cal 1 Each

Snacking on pudding as I am writing...  Since I missed my afternoon snacks but have to eat all five Medifast meals, I will test the cookie recipe tonight.  I don't like eating so late so will try not to skip meals again.

Vanilla Cookies
1 packet of MF vanilla shake (or shake of your choice)
1 packet of splenda
1 tsp of baking powder (more than most, but really helps "puff" them up)
1-2 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 ounces of water
Mix dry ingredients with a wisk, then add the water slowly. Don't pour in all the water at once, add it slowly at first and then add more as needed. You want to get a "dough" that is the consistency of paste.
Spoon the cookies by tablespoonful onto parchment paper covered baking sheet (or spray baking sheet with cooking spray).  Bake the cookies at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.

Well, heading to my kitchen to test this recipe...  Will post an update later.

Update:  As with other Medifast concoctions, these cookies won't win any awards but they were pretty good.  I enjoyed my snack. :)

Losing Weight Project: Day 15/Lean & Green Taco Salad

It was great to chat with my Medifast Health Coach last night who reassured me that I am on track.  She will stay in touch with me as well as help me save money on Medifast meals.  Wow, thanks! :)

Took Boots to the vet clinic this morning because his paw is getting infected again.  We adopted him because he was declawed and looked so timid and terrified of anything and everything.  It has taken a lot of patience and encouragement from both of us and now he is a happy cat who loves to cuddle and window-watch.  His paw, however, never healed completely.  It was fine for several weeks and now bothering him again.  He was very nervous, obviously, so our vet will sedate him today, deep clean the wound, remove any foreign obstacles and/or bone fragments, and glue the incision.  I should be able to pick up Boots tomorrow morning.  Even though I don't like leaving him there for a long time (he probably thinks he has been abandoned again, poor kitty...) but need to take of this or he will continue to suffer.

Doing fine with my meal plan today.  Because I will be gone all day, I printed out the plan last night and made the pudding right away.  This morning, I made the shake and took the other packets with me (snack bar and soup).  Plenty of water at work so need to worry about that.

Lean & Green Taco Salad recipe was found here.  Here is my version:

5 oz. Ground Beef (93%)
1 tbsp taco seasoning
1 cup romaine lettuce
1/2 cup cucumber
1/2 cup tomatoes
1 tbsp fat-free cheddar cheese
1 tbsp ligh sour cream
 
Brown the ground beef, drain, and add taco seasoning.  Chop lettuce, cucumber, and tomatoes.  Top with meat, cheddar cheese, and sour cream.  Should be yummy!

Losing Weight Project: Day 14/Mushroom and Mini Meatballs Salad

I don't want to go back to work tomorrow... one more week, please? :(

Because I have been traveling back and forth for over a year now, my closet is a mess... suitcases haven't been truly emptied in a long time...  I am on a mission to organize today!  Actually, almost done -- proud of myself! :)

Mushroom and Mini Meatballs Salad

Finely chop parsley, add to ground beef, season with salt/pepper, and mix well.  Form into tiny bite size meatballs.  Steam for 10 minutes (or fry, for extra flavor).  Chop romaine lettuce and spinach.  Slice mushrooms and fry in olive oil until golden brown -- as Julia Child advised, "Don't crowd mushrooms or they won't cook properly!"  Mix lettuce, spinach, mushrooms, meatballs, and add more salt/pepper if necessary.  Sprinkle some cheddar cheese.  I didn't add any dressing but, of course, this salad will taste even better with your favorite dressing.  Enjoy! :)

Losing Weight Project: Day 13/Warm Mushroom, Asparagus, Egg, and Steak Salad

Back to work on Monday?!  Yikes!  What happened to one quiet week I had since Christmas?!

For lunch, I will just throw a quick Mushroom, Asparagus, Egg, and Steak Salad together (saute mushrooms and steak, add asparagus; season with salt/pepper/cumin; serve on lettuce leaves).  Not really in a mood to cook today... 

Update:  I forgot that I used 1/2 of steak already so didn't have enough for 5 oz lean portion of the plan.  To compensate, I added one egg.  Steamed one egg and asparagus (cut into bite-size lengths) for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, sliced steak and lettuce, seasoned with salt, pepper, and cumin.  Sauteed mushrooms in olive oil.  Added warm asparagus, mashed soft-boiled egg, and mushrooms.  Mixed all ingredients.  It was very tasty.  Hmmm... will make it again, definitely. :)

Here is my meal plan for today:

Losing Weight Project: Day 12/Lean & Green Stuffed Peppers

It's been a busy day -- worked this morning, had to run several errands, spent a couple of hours with my hairdresser...  I may regret my decision but I cut my hair; a lot of hair, actually... like 20 inches! ;)  My hair is shorter than I actually wanted but I was able to donate two hair lengths -- cancer clinic requires 10 inches, so two women somewhere will have hair now.  It feels good!  Especially since my hair grows quickly and so I will get the length I wanted in a couple of months.  Also, I decided to get highlights -- and they are not subtle as expected, either.  Oh, well -- going for redhead! ;)  S. will think I lost my mind when he sees me tonight but, oh well, he knows I live for adventure.

Lean & Green Stuffed Peppers

• 1 bell pepper, sliced in half
• 5 oz lean ground beef or turkey (used 93%)
• 1 small tomato, finely chopped
• 1 tsp olive oil
• salt/pepper
• oregano
• low-fat sour cream
• fresh parsley, finely chopped

Saute tomato in olive oil.  Mix cooked tomato, ground meat, and spices.  Fill bell pepper halves.  Bake or steam (my preference) until done, approximately 40 minutes.  Serve with a dollop of low-fat sour cream and fresh parsley.

Online Courses

Non-attendance and/or lack of participation is one of the main problems for most of our online courses, mainly because students become frustrated and just give up.  Having talked with colleagues at other schools, I know we're not alone.  I have noticed even higher numbers after a couple of plants closed in our area and we reached out to laid-off workers to provide retraining.  There are years of research, suggesting that support and structured approach are very important.  Therefore, I am doing something new (well, for me) -- I am requiring students to complete the introductory module before they allowed to even view any course content.  This module consists of (1) fairly comprehensive online course readiness quiz and (2) syllabus review/contract.  Students are required to complete this module before the last add/drop day, so they can switch to a face-to-face course if they decide they are not quite ready to attempt an online course.  Also, I am now requiring weekly check-ins.  Most of my courses involve production work and it's not always easy to implement group work and other interactive activies.  However, I will add some of those, too.

Losing Weigh Project: Day 11/Medifast Oatmeal Cookies

Lots to do today so this morning I treated myself to the "real" breakfast! :)  I am still within meal plan boundaries, though.  Also, will make cookies later today.  We'll see how they will turn...

Update:  These cookies won't win any awards but do taste better than oatmeal, I think.  Maybe because I am not that crazy about any oatmeal, unless there are lots of "goodies," like raisins, prunes, nuts, brown sugar, and whipped cream.  Yeah, more like a cake! ;)  No way I will sabotage my diet!

Medifast Oatmeal Cookies

• 1 oatmeal pkg
• 1/4 cinnamon
• 1 pkt sugar substitute
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/8 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix, shape into cookies, bake for 350 F until done.  I baked at 350 F for 10 minutes, increased temperature to 400 F, and baked for 5 more minutes.

Losing Weight Project: Day 10/Chef S. Chicken

I was able to relax for a few days but all that work is still there...  Back to work next week and still so much to do...

Another plus for this diet -- even though I am stressing out, I know I will not start snacking w/out paying attention.  I miss cooking for S., though -- he will have to survive on leftovers for the next couple of weeks, even though he can definitely cook if necessary.  He is nice to me, though, so I usually cook and he does dishes -- hey, works for me.  Here is one of his recipes, in case somebody can use it.  He came up with it one week when I was away, he was tired of leftovers, and decided to clean our refrigerator. ;)

Chef S. Clean Refrigerator Chicken

• 1 chicken breast, tenderized and sliced into chunks
• 1 onion, finely sliced
• 4 scoops of plain yogurt or sour cream
• olive oil
• fresh dill or parsley, finely chopped
• salt
• pepper

Season chicken with salt and pepper, then fry in hot oil for a few minutes.  Remove chicken and set aside.  Saute onion until golden brown, add yogurt and chicken, add more salt/pepper if necessary.  Simmer until chicken is done and sauce starts to thicken.  Sprinkle with dill or parsley.  Enjoy with warm pita bread.

I am tired today -- it's that time of the month...  So chugging cold green tea (love sugar-free on-the-go packets, honey-ginger flavor).  Green tea always helps plus I am drinking enough fluids.

I have been putting off my IRB proposal and it's silly because I have all the information, just need to update the form and send it to my advisor.  I keep pushing myself for a burst of energy and then get the momentum going, to take care of my prospectus.  It's almost done, too, so how do I get through this block of apathy?!

Losing Weight Project: Day 9

I was excited after weighing in yesterday morning and so tried again this morning, to be consistent.  Still showing approximately 10 lbs difference from last week.  If I account for water weight and other factors, I still lost weight!

One of the main challenges is forgetting to eat!  What an interesting challenge, huh? ;)  One of the requirements is to eat every 2-3 hours to prevent being hungry and maintain metabolism rate.  I get too engrossed in my work and forget it's time for another snack... and I want to wait for a better stopping point... and then, oops, I am feeling hungry... 

I have been chugging water consistently, though.  I like to drink or nible on something when I am working, thus weight gain!  If I drink water, it's healthy and satisfies the need.  Why didn't I think of this strategy before?!

For lunch, I will try steaming steak.  Let's see how that turns out...  There are no recipes except one glowing forum post that presents excellent results.  I will make lettuce wraps with steak, cucumbers, and tomatoes.  Should be tasty!

Looking forward to my Medifast order, scheduled for delivery on Thursday.  It will add goodies like pancakes, cheese puffs, beef vegetable stew, more shakes (French Vanilla, Strawberry Creme, Banana Creme, Orange Creme), more snack bar flavors (Lemon Meringue Crunch, Strawberry Crunch, Fruit & Nut Crunch), different oatmeal flavors (Apple Cinnamon, Maple & Brown Sugar), chocolate puddings and cappuccinos.  No matter how tasty food is, it gets boring if there is no variety.

Losing Weight Project: Day 8/Medifast Eggs

Had a challenging day today because of travel plans.  It's easier to stick to the schedule at home, obviously.  Instead of picking any Medifast meals I wanted, I had to make sure I will be able to prepare them.

My meal plan for today:

• Medifast eggs (mixed as usual but prepared in the skilled, sprayed with non-stick spray), sprinkled with Italian seasoning and fat-free Cheddar cheese
• Medifast shake, Swiss Mocha (prepared before I left to drink on the way)
• Medifast bar
• Stuffed salmon and grilled chicken (leftovers, made one serving combined) and salad (spinach, cucumbers, 1 tbsp of feta cheese, 1 tsp olive oil)
• Medifast chicken noodle soup
• Medifast shake, Dutch Chocolate (trying out my new travel blender, Hamilton Beach for only $15 instead of $40 sold on Medifast website; blender cup fits in the drink holder, super easy)

Since Beauty is home with S., I will use treadmill to exercise for the next few days.  Not as much fun without those crazy companions...  Boots came with me but he is only interested in cuddling up, not exercising! :)

My scales confirmed that I did lose six pounds (accounting for variations).  Since I haven't started my usual exercise routine, it's not bad, I guess.

Losing Weight Project: Day 7/Medifast Waffles

I am surprised how early I have been waking up, not sure why.  I am not a morning person and so nothing substantial usually gets accomplished before 8:00 am.  Yet, I was up between 6:00 and 6:30 am for the last few days?!

OK, my meal plan for today:

I made waffles this morning!!! :)

• 1 pkg Medifast Eggs
• 1 pkg Medifast Oatmeal
• 1/2 cup water (4 oz)
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp vanilla extract

Blend all ingredients thoroughly (I used hand blender to make sure I could easily scrape the bowl).  Preheat the wafflemaker.  Spray the griddle with non-stick cooking spray (no calories) and cook waffles until done; time depends on your wafflemaker.  It took about two minutes for me.

Wow, I was surprised at how fluffy the waffles turned out!  So I ate one half for breakfast and will toast the remaining half for tomorrow's breakfast -- two Medifast meals!

For dinner, we will have salmon stuffed with cream cheese and crabmeat.  I bought several servings at Publix a couple of months ago when they were on sale but still fresh and froze for later use.  Well, today I don't feel like cooking so I will just bake fish and fix salad.

Losing Weight Project: Day 6

OK, optimal level of metabolism should kick in after Day 5 so looking forward to results of the next few days.  Based on bloggers' recommendations, I adjusted the cooking process for scrambled eggs this morning.  What an improvement!  Instead of microwaving, as direcred, I sprayed the skillet with non-stick fat-free cooking spray, mix egg powder and water thoroughly, lightly sprinkled with Italian Seasoning and garlic salt, and cooked until soft and fluffy.  Sprinkled with fat-free shredded Cheddar cheese.  Yummy!  It's easier to eat slowly when I can savor each bite.

My meal plan for today:

• Medifast scrambled eggs, lightly sprinkled with Italian Seasoning, garlic salt, and fat-free shredded Cheddar.
• Medifast chocolate mint crunch bar with black coffee
• Roasted chicken, marinated in Italian dressing, with cucumber, green pepper, romaine lettuce salad, with olive oil
• Medifast vanilla pudding
• Medifast chicken noodle soup
• Medifast Swiss Mocha shake

We may have family over later today so S. will probably get pizza so I won't have to cook.  Suprisingly, I am not even tempted, even though I love pizza.  Losing weight is more important! :)

Losing Weight Project: Day 5/Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry Lettuce Wraps

I refuse to weigh myself just yet but it looks like my jeans are fitting better, hooray! :)

My meal plan for today:

• scrambled eggs with oregano for breakfast
• oatmeal raisin crunch bar and black coffee for mid-morning
• chicken and wild rice soup for lunch
• vanilla pudding for afternoon
• beef and broccoli stir-fry lettuce wraps
• Swiss Mocha shake for evening

I found quite a few of lean and green recipes so it's exciting to be able to share meals with S. w/out compromising my diet.  I keep thinking -- it's really too good to be true!  However, several of my friends did lose weight so it's not just an advertising gimmick.

Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry Lettuce Wraps

• 12 oz lean beef for stir-fry
• 16 oz frozen broccoli  (1 pkg)
• 1 pkg Kikkoman Broccoli-Beef seasoning mix
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Stir-fry beef until done.  Add broccoli and seasoning, mix and heat on medium until hot.  Serve with lettuce leaves.  I also made some rice for S.

Losing Weight Project: Day 4/Alfredo Sauce and Oregano-Parmesan Breadsticks

I am tired this morning -- worked late last night and woke up early to finish evil grades, due by 5:00 pm.  If I did not love teaching so much, grading would have made me give it up a long time ago.

My meal plan for today:

• Peach oatmeal for breakfast
• Cinnamon crunch bar and black coffee for mid-morning snack
• Grilled tilapia with herbs/spices and salad (romaine lettuce, cucumber, green peppers, black olives)  for lunch -- using leftovers! :)
• Dutch Chocolate shake for mid-afternoon snack
• Chicken soup for dinner
• Hot cocoa for evening snack

I will make Spinach and Cheese Tortellini (sorry, S. -- from a box, not much time today) with Alfredo Sauce (still have a little heavy cream left so it's a treat for you, S., to compensate for store-bought tortellini)!!! :)  Also, I made breadsticks last night and S. loved them; still have plenty.  A small salad and dinner is ready!  It won't take much time at all!

Alfredo Sauce

Melt 1/2 stick salter butter and saute 1 tbsp minced garlic for about two minutes on high heat.  Turn heat down to medium and slowly add 1/2 cup heavy cream and 1/2 half & half, stirring constantly until almost boiling.  Slowly add 1/2 cup shredded parmesan and 1/2 cup shredded romano (I usually use 1 cup of Italian Mix).  Turn heat to low and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until desired consistency.  Stir often.  I usually add some finely chopped parsley when serving.

Breadsticks with Oregano-Parmesan Butter

Add the following to your breadmaker bucket:  1 cup warm water, 1 1/2 tbsp oil, 1 egg, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tsp salt, 3 cups bread flour, 1 tsp oregano, 3 tsp active dry yeast.  Set on Dough cycle.  When dough is ready, place in a bowl dusted with flour.  If the dough is too sticky, may need to add a bit more flour.  Divide dough into 16 balls and roll into breadsticks.  Place on a large baking sheet dusted with flour (I like to dust with coarse corn meal, for some crunch).  Let rise for 1 hour.  Bake for approximately 15 minutes (or until golden brown) at 400 F.  Brush with Oregano-Parmesan Butter (olive oil spread or regular butter, garlic salt, oregano, and parmesan).  You can place buttered breadsticks under Broil for a few minutes if you like bubbling cheese.  Also, you can just serve breadsticks with butter instead of brushing them.  Either way, they are delicious.

Losing Weight Project: Day 3

Feeling great so far!  I am actually enjoying this diet so hope I really do lose weight.  Walked Beauty this morning so on track with exercising.  We will go for another walk tonight.  Even though I am not that crazy about dogs, she is a reason we started walking every evening.  It's not only a good exercise but also quality time together, just walking and not worrying about anything else.

My meal plan for today:

• Scrambled eggs with salt, black pepper, and rosemary for breakfast
• Peanut butter crunch bar and black coffee for mid-morning snack
• Chicken and Wild Rice Soup for lunch
• Vanilla pudding for afternoon snack
• Grilled tilapia with herbs/spices and salad (romaine lettuce, cucumber, green peppers, salt, olive oil)
• Hot cocoa for evening snack

Food Lion had grilled fish on sale several weeks ago and so I bought several packages.  There are two grilled fillets per package so perfect for dinner together.

S. has been eyeing my soup suspiciously for the last two nights, not believing that it actually did taste good, so tonight he will be happy to actually eat the same thing, lol.  Well, almost the same thing.  I can only eat fish and salad but he will want something more substantial so I will make smashed potatoes for him.  He will be happy. :)

• 1-2 potatoes, scrubbed and steamed until done
• salt
• heavy cream (I usually use milk but trying to use leftover heavy cream before it spoils)
• butter
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Parsley

Losing Weight Project: Day 2/Favorite Grilled Chicken

S. and I took Beauty for a long brisk walk last night so I guess the poor thing was still tired this morning.  I picked up the leash to take her for a morning walk and she ran into her crate, hiding in a far corner.  Lazy girl!  :)  We will go for a walk tonight, though, when S. gets home.  I need to exercise!

My meal plan for today:

• Peach Oatmeal for breakfast (not sweet but not too bad, either)
• Swiss Mocha Shake for mid-morning snake
• I still have some chicken left so will make another salad with fresh veggies (tomato, cucumber, and romaine lettuce) and olive oil for lunch.  I love this salad so does not feel like a diet at all.  Usually, I add some freshly shredded Parmesan but need to stick to the plan for now.
• Vanilla Pudding for mid-afternoon snack
• Chicken Noodle Soup for dinner.  Wild Rice Chicken Soup was delicious last night -- I was surprised, actually.
• Cinnamon Roll Crunch for evening snack.

I will make our Favorite Grilled Chicken for S.  This is how they make chicken at faculty/staff picnics at our school and it's absolutely delicious.

Ingredients:

• Chicken (I use skinless chicken breasts but mixed parts or chicken breasts with skin would turn out more moist, of course)
• Liquid smoke if grilling indoors and like the flavor
• Marinade/dressing of choice

If chicken breasts are large, I usually cut in half (only cooking one chicken breast tonight).  The trick to super-moist chicken is to grill on low to medium for 45 minutes, transfer to the aluminum pan, cover with favorite dressing/marinade, seal with foil, and grill for another 45 minutes.  Don't skip covering with dressing/marinade step -- will probably result in dry meat.  I will also grill a couple of potatoes with meat, same procedure.  A small salad will complete a meal for S.  I am sure he won't be complaining. :)
We have this grill and it's awesome.  Food cooks evenly and it's easy to clean/store.

Now back to work!

Losing Weight Project: Day 1/Chicken-Shrimp Pad Thai

We already have a three-year old cat, Boots, but decided to adopt a puppy as well.  Our friends were fostering an adorable girl, Beauty.  So now we have Boots and Beauty. :)

While we were picking up the puppy, we started talking about exercising and eating right.  I mentioned that I am trying to lose weight and our friend offered me a huge bag of Medifast Meals.  She lost about 20 lbs recently and feels great so I am going to give it a try.

It's the 5 & 1 plan:

• Eat 5 Medifast Meals and 1 Lean & Green Meal (5-7 oz of lean protein and three servings of non-starchy vegetables with some healthy fat, such as salad dressing, olive oil, and condiments/seasonings, such as herbs, spices) per day.
• Eat every two to three hours to boost metabolism.
• Eat slowly -- spend at least 15 minutes for each meal.
• Drink lots of fluids -- at least 8 cups of water.
• Exercise

I like it because it limits carbohydrates instead of eliminating them.  I don't think it's healthy to eliminate a food group.  Also, it's always a good idea to eat slowly, drink lots of water, and exercise.  Sounds like a well-balanced plan so we'll see... :)  One of the tips is to keep a journal so I will try to blog every day.

Here is my meal plan for today:

• Scrambled eggs for breakfast, with salt/black pepper (surprisingly tasty)
• Chocolate mint crunch bar for mid-morning snack (delicious)
• Chicken breast, romaine lettuce, tomato, and cucumber salad, with olive oil, for lunch
• Dutch Chocolate shake for afternoon snack
• Chicken & Wild Rice soup for dinner
• Hot cocoa for evening snack

I already drank a couple of glasses of water (I always do so not a big deal) and walked Beauty for 20 minutes, so I am on target so far!

I will make Chicken and Shrimp Pad Thai for S. -- he loves it.

Ingredients:

1 cup grilled chicken
1 small package of shrimp
1 box of Taste of Thai Pad Thai (I know I am cheating but it tastes almost like the real thing -- and I have been to Thailand so know how it's supposed to taste)
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp peanuts or cashews, finely chopped

Chicken and Shrimp Fajitas

More spruced up leftovers to save time!  I found half a package of chicken fajitas in our freezer and several packages of marinated shrimp so here goes...

1/2 package chicken fajitas (or beef)
1 small package marinated shrimp (I am using Gorton's, bought on sale a couple of months ago)
1 sweet pepper, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 small package mushrooms, sliced (I don't have any tonight)
Olive oil for sauteeing
Favorite spices to taste

I have a set of individual cast iron fajita skillets w/wooden stands and mittens -- found on Amazon several years ago, during buy one get one free sale.  One of the best purchases!  Mix all ingredients, including oil and spices, in a bowl and keep refrigerated until ready to eat.  Saute on medium-high heat for a few minutes until ready. 

Tonight, I will serve fajitas with sour cream, shredded cheese, tomatoes, and fresh parsley.  We don't have any tortillas so will use warmed pita bread.  Another quick meal!

Roasted Potatoes, Steak, and Mushrooms

I am trying to cut down time spent on cooking so using leftovers from our freezer.  This afternoon, I found some leftover steak and mushrooms in Alfredo sauce.  I peeled and sliced several potatoes, seasoned with salt and cumin, and poured leftover steak and mushrooms gravy.  Then I sliced and sauteed a small onion, adding a little bit of flour to thicken the gravy (it was a little watery after defrosting).  Added onions and mix all ingredients in the casserole dish.  Covered the dish with foil and it's now baking at 400 F.  Probably will take an hour or so.  I will sprinkle it with finely chopped parsley before serving tonight.  Also, I will serve our favorite salad -- chopped tomatoes, sliced onions, and chick peas, with olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Total time cooking tonight?  Approximately 15 minutes, not bad.  S. usually does dishes so I am done for tonight. :)

Treading Waters of Dissertation Ocean

I earned the status of Doctoral Candidate last year and it felt awesome after several years of working full time and taking classes.  Since my undergrad and Master's degrees are both from a fairly small university with not much emphasis on research (Master's thesis was a joke, really), it has not been easy to adjust but I did well in all classes.  Well, stats courses were quite a challenge...  I made two As in hands-on stats courses and two well-earned Bs in theory stats courses where I worked very hard but blind memorization teaching approach simply does not work for me.  It was frustrating to see these two instructors turn to the whiteboard and scribble for two hours, then glance back and ask if there were any questions.  Well, what do you think???  So I memorized and hoped for the best.  I loved hands-on courses and still remember (and frequently use) the skills and knowledge learned there.  Many thanks to those two instructors!

After earning my candidacy, the next logical step would have been to at least get through prospectus defense but, unfortunately, there was too much going on and I was burned out.  So here I am, more than a year later, still treading waters of dissertation ocean...  Oh, I never stopped looking for information and writing bits and pieces, hence "treading" and not "drowning." 

I kept telling myself that I simply need to make time but it's not happening so I am looking for ways to reduce responsibilities.  I am teaching full time and TAing two courses and can't stop doing either because of financial strain -- had to take out student loans and trying to pay them off as soon as possible.  However, (1) I was able to negotiate reduced committee work, (2) I am teaching only two preps next semester, for the first time ever, and (3) I made a committment not to accept any conference presentations because they distract me from dissertation work and traveling consumes too much time.  The goal is to defend prospectus early next semester, run the study halfway through the semester, and write over Christmas break.

Adventures in Boston

I can't believe I am flying back tomorrow...  We arrived yesterday and walked until we could barely stand but it was so much fun.  I had been to Boston several times before so loved sharing my memories with S. and making OUR memories...  We ended the day at P. F. Chang's, sharing several of our favorite dishes.  What a perfect day!

This morning, I lazed in bed and taught a class online.  Our room is on the 20th floor and has panoramic windows so the view is gorgeous!  Actually, it felt like camping outside last night -- in the luxury of goosedown duvet, soft sheets, and air-conditioned environment, of course. ;)

This afternoon, S. (who presented at the conference this morning) and I bought sandwiches and enjoyed lunch outside.  Ooooh, I missed Boston lobster roll... savored every bite!

Now just a few hours left -- I have to be at work tomorrow and have a very early morning flight.  So early that even T trains are not running yet so ended up paying seven times what T fare costs to get the shuttle.  Of course, it could be worse -- taxi fare is actually $38, compared to $2 for T fare.

Sunflower Appetizer/Salad

Here is an alternative to traditional chips and salsa.

Ingredients:

• 1 can whole kernel corn, drained (fresh corn tastes better, of course)
• 1 cucumber, diced
• 1/2 small onion, diced
• 2 large vine-ripe tomatoes, diced
• 1 can chopped black olives
• salad dressing to taste (my usual choice is salt/pepper and olive oil)
• parsley and potato chips for decoration

Directions:

• Mix all ingredients except 1/2 can of corn, parsley, and chips.
• Arrange on a platter.
• Decorate with remaining corn, parsley, and potato chips.  You can also make a lady bug from a small tomato and black olive.
• Warning:  Potato chips won't last long so add at the last minute!

Yummy French Brioche

Missing my favorite person who is attending an out-of-state conference and making melt-in-your-mouth brioche, a special treat for him!

Ingredients:

1/3 cup warm water
3 eggs and 2 egg yolks (you can use 4 eggs but dough won't be as rich)
3/4 cup butter, softened
3 1/3 cups bread flour
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tsp dry yeast

Directions:

• Place all ingredients in bread machine in order suggested by your manufacturer (usually, liquids are added first and yeast last).
• Set on Dough cycle.
• Separate finished dough into 12 pieces/rolls.  You can add chocolate chips (used white chocolate and dried figs today), dried fruit, nuts, etc.
• Traditionally, brioche is made in a brioche mold.  Also, tradition calls for reserving a small ball of brioche and putting it on top as a topknot.  If you don't have brioche molds, just use muffin pans.  You can also make braids or roll each piece into a rectangle, spread with Nutella, and roll up to create pain au chocolat.
• Let rise for about an hour or until doubled.  I usually cover molds/pans with large bowls to prevent drying.
• Preheat oven to 350 F.
• Brush rolls with egg white/water mixture (1 egg white plus 2 tbsp water).
• Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.
• Serve immediately if possible or cool slightly and then place in a plastic bag to keep moist (bread bags are the best).  Reheat for a few seconds if you want warm rolls later. 
• We love brioche rolls with freshly brewed Earl Grey tea.

So tired...

This semester has been tough so far... Lots of things were and are still going on, some things have been accomplished (Doctoral Candidate, yes!!!), and some things are driving me nuts!!! Because of one, um, crazy project, I can't concentrate on anything else. As a result, I haven't made as much progress on my prospectus as planned, gained some definitely unwanted weight, and just want this thing to be over!

Waiting...

Waiting seems to be my theme for the year. I waited for my prelims -- and passed, yeah! I am officially a doctoral candidate!What a relief! Now I am waiting for the final approval of our mortgage -- maybe next week, I hope? And I am waiting for the special person to come home -- next week, yeah!

So much has been going on and so much is going on; I am dying to blog it all but there are too many personal details and I don't have energy/time to share w/out exposing what I should not...

BBC Book Meme

BBC Book List

Apparently the BBC reckons most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books here.
Instructions:
1) Look at the list and put an ‘x’ after those you have read.
2) Add a ‘+’ to the ones you LOVE.
3) Star (*) those you plan on reading.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen X+
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte X+
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee X
6 The Bible X+
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte X +
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell X
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens X
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott X
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller X
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien X
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger - X
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger *
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell X+
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald X
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens X
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy X
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky X
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck X
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll X+
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame X
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy X
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens X
33 Chronicles of Narnia X
34 Emma - Jane Austen X+
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen X+
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis X+
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini X
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Berniere *
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne X+
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell X
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez *
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins X
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery - X+
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood *
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding X
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan *
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen X+
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon *
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens X
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck - X
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov X
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold *
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas X
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding X
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville X
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens X
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker X
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett X+
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce X
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath *
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola X
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt *
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens X
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker X
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert X
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White X
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle X+
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad X
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery X
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams *
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas X
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare - X
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl X
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo X

Looks like I have read 54!

Yes, yes, yes!

I passed the written parts!

Prelims!!!

Nervously waiting for my results...

Student Evals

Profgrrrrl had a great post about student evals earlier this month. After ten years of excellent evals, semester after semester, I was slammed with poor evals last semester. Yes, it was only one section; yes, students in the other section of the same course gave me much better evals; yes, I know that I did my best and earned those evals because I demanded quality work, on time. Still, it landed me in a very serious trouble. Worse, it made me doubt myself because I couldn't help thinking if maybe I have lost touch with students, if maybe I lost the ability to reach out to them and make sure they leave my class with valuable knowledge and skills.

Well, one session of this semester is over and I think I did a good job with this particular group of students. Based on their final projects, most of them learned quite a bit and were able to apply new skills to a real-life situation. Student evals have been turned in and I nervously (hate the feeling!!!) await the results.

My "free" week is almost gone...

I did enjoy not having to rush every day, even though every day has been filled with things to do. There is still a long list of things to finish but I feel rested and ready to face another semester.

Freaking out! :)

I caught myself thinking: Can I get grades done by Monday? What if our plane is late and we miss the train that would cause us to miss another train? Why didn't I pick earlier arrival time?

And so I told myself: Chill, make a cup of tea, and enjoy some quiet time... This semester is almost over... Everything will be OK...

So, I am relaxing on a swing, basking in a sun...

Sick...

Have been wrestling with a nasty bug today... Gingerly sipping tea now, feeling much better. I didn't realize how exhausted I was this semester until the last critical item has been submitted. Can't completely relax yet, though -- have to finish the paper (all written, just need to proofread one more time, with a fresh eye) and grade/submit one more batch of grades. Actually, compared to the grueling race this semester, it feels like nothing.

And it's only 17 days until we take off on another adventure!!! And we are going to Australia in October!!! And maybe Tasmania, too???

Part II: but I am excited about my summer vacation!!!

We are going to Europe for two weeks!!! Yes, it's for a conference... Stop, why oh why do I have to justfiy the trip? I am pathetic, really! :)

Anyway, we are flying to Geneva and catching an overnight train to Vienna via Milan; spending some time in Vienna; taking another train to Salzburg; coming back to Geneva via Munich and Zurich; taking a trip to Chamonix/Mont Blanc -- glacier, ice caves, wow; and then attend a conference for several days while exploring Geneva.

He-he, four countries will be added to my list -- Switzerland, Italy, Austria, and Germany (only connected there before). Well, technically, France, too -- have to cross Swiss-French border to go to Chamonix; but we have been to France before so it's not as exciting.

When we come back, I have almost a month of flexible scheduling and hope to write my concept paper and study for the comprehensive exam. If I pass the exam this coming fall, I can start the dissertation in, say, December? Can't wait to get done!!!

One down, three more to go...

Didn't get any sleep last night, at all. Had to finish a paper -- with coded data, it ended up being 53 pages! By the time I finished this morning, there was barely enough time to take a quick shower and get to school. Did a presentation in the morning class, wrote a case study summary for the evening class, then tried to take a nap but it was too hot in the car with windows rolled up so managed to stay awake, don't know how... Finally got home but, it's crazy, fully awake now, even though eyes are burning and brain is not capable of processing any useful tasks.

Still have to:

• complete a major project
• finish a research paper
• grade, grade, grade
• take one more final

Oh, I need a break; really, really, really need a break...

You know the project is excessively boring when...

• you spend inordinate amount of time arranging the items that will be used
• convince yourself that you are tired and really do need a cup of tea
• look outside, see the bright sun, and end up spending 30 mins on the swing
• make the "important" phone call
• check email (what if students "really" need me, right?)
• buy more time by posting a blog entry about the experience
• promise yourself you will "really" get started now!

Stop this semester from running away, please!

Only two weeks left at the University and three plus the finals at the College. Yikes!!!

Still need to do:

• Finish one paper (not much left but I can't find time to concentrate on it)
• Write a paper from scratch (have some data but need to finish collecting data, too)
• One major project (the last one was 25+ pages so who knows how long this will take, won't be posted until next week and we only have one week; grrrrrrrrrrr)
• Two killer finals; one is comprehensive but the teacher is awesome and so I will be fine, don't mind studying; the other one terrifies me, based on midterm experience and teacher's tendency to just throw questions at us.
• One presentation (well, actually based on the paper so no big deal)
• And, of course, lots and lots of grading...
• And meetings, eating up the precious time...

Whew, now at least I have a list... I can do it, I can do it, I can do it...

Another busy night...

• Worked on two projects until almost 6:00 a.m. I did finish and both look good!!! :)
• Had a 40-minute nap
• Went through the morning routine, mostly on auto-pilot.
• Arrived at my office by 8:00 a.m.
• Made copies, created two booklets (copies for my instructor), finished some paperwork, etc.
• Was on the road by 9:00 a.m.
• Miraculaously snagged a parking spot after circling only twice -- wow, what a blessing!
• Ran (wearing high heels today for a presentation) across campus, feeling bad that I would be about 10 mins late for class.
• Arrived, panting, trying to catch my breath... only to find out that class has been cancelled but our instructor didn't post the announcement until about an hour before -- I know for sure, checked announcements before I left, nothing was there.
• Now here I am, too tired and sleepy to accomplish any meaningful mental tasks...
• Have a meeting with a group member at 1:00 p.m.
• Then a long wait until 5:15 p.m., the evening class
• We are presenting today, assignment is worth a huge chunk so need to be prepared, just hoping to stay awake...

The evil project is done!

• at 3:30 a.m.
• 25 pages and a huge pile of printouts
• up at 5:30 a.m. for 8:00 a.m. class

Drinking too much coffee... trying to finish two major projects...

Yes, I must be insane but who cares???

I took off on another adventure on Wednesday morning, slamming the door in the face of two projects. All because of one little but important forgotten object... It was an unexpected but a delightful surprise and I had a great time on Wed and Thurs -- shopping, playing with two adorable little girls, running barefoot on the beach, splashing through the water, admiring the full moon, laughing; yes, enjoying life.

Of course, those two projects are still there, waiting to be taken care of but it's OK, they will be completed. I have always been so consumed by school and work so doing something crazy like this is totally new and somewhat unnerving but I enjoyed every moment, have no regrets, and would do it again, anytime.

Back to work!

It was a fun week but now back to work -- and lots of it. Oh well, nothing new; I am used to the never-ending stream (and often torrents) of things to do. Last week was amazing, though. We attended many interesting sessions, met new people, went to The Health Museum, and had fun at the rodeo. And I have a new beautiful necklace, thoughtfully chosen just for me! ;)

Ah, crazy -- but fun -- week!

Attending a conference this week and having lots of fun, even though I am exhausted and two projects are due on Tuesday. I am doing a little each night so should be done by Tuesday, hopefully.

Smart or disoriented?

My university features profiles of students and faculty members on the home page, showcasing various accomplishments. This afternoon, there was a picture of a serious-looking young man, with this note: Two Honor's Degrees, Four Majors

I rarely pay attention to these things and already clicked on the link but went back and checked, just to make sure I am not having a double vision. Sure thing, two honor's degrees and, indeed, four majors. Now, I don't want to sound negative, but can't help but wonder... Is this guy a genius or just disoriented, taking in everything because he can't make up his mind about what his true academic interests? Hmmm... just curious... I am sure he is a hard-working type, though; can't imagine being able to do something like that.

Confession...

I had a banana split for lunch... Yeah, a tough week, a tough day...

Wearing two hats and thinking...

Since I am both a graduate student and a full-time faculty member, I have a privelege of observing classroom practices from both perspectives. Often, when I encounter situations that raise my blood pressure as a student, I look closely at my own behavior as a teacher. One of my pet peeves, I guess, is disorganization. As teachers, we usually know (I hope so!) what we expect from students. However, communication is a two-way interactive process; therefore, just knowing what you want does not help your students. Common sense, right? Alas, not for all instructors, it seems. This semester, two of my instructors are clueless about this basic requirement. If you tell students to write a paper, you have to provide general guidelines. Otherwise, you will get hit-and-miss results. No, I am not saying that we should spoonfeed students -- not at all. However, we should communicate our basic expectations. Brainstorming and creative thinking are awesome but teachers should provide the basic outline of what is expected.

Ah, one of those days...

West Palm Beach Shooting

Another senseless shooting... Imagine, returning to get your child's toy and never coming back... losing your Daddy... losing your husband... just like that, in a moment of insanity...

My heartfelt prayers for the families affected by this tragedy...

Check the Prayer Wall

Spring Break!

Ah, today is nice... slept in... enjoyed breakfast instead of grabbing something and running to the car... didn't have to go anywhere... what a bliss...

Unfortunately, spring break at my college does not coincide with my university so I still have to drive to the university on Tuesday and Thursday. Fortunately, the spring break at the university does coincide with Houston conference; it would have been more difficult to make arrangements. So, everything worked out just fine. This week, I will have time to catch up on projects I have been pushing aside and next week I get to play! :)

It's so nice outside, even though a very severe weather system is expected late tonight/early tomorrow. Ah, what a bliss to sit outside; yeah, I am working but soaking the sun, too.

It all makes sense now... ;)

One of my friends shared this "summary." Enjoy! :)

A simple way to understand the political science differences:
DEMOCRATIC
You have two cows. Your neighbor has none. You feel guilty for being successful. Barbara Streisand sings for you.
REPUBLICAN
You have two cows. Your neighbor has none. So?
SOCIALIST
You have two cows. The government takes one and gives it to your neighbor. You form a cooperative to tell him how to manage his cow.
COMMUNIST
You have two cows. The government seizes both and provides you with milk. You wait in line for hours to get it. It is expensive and sour.
CAPITALISM, AMERICAN STYLE
You have two cows. You sell one, buy a bull, and build a herd of cows.
BUREAUCRACY, AMERICAN STYLE
You have two cows. Under the new farm program the government pays you to shoot one, milk the other, and then pours milk down the drain.
AMERICAN CORPORATION
You have two cows. You sell one, lease it back to yourself and do an IPO on the 2nd one. You force the two cows to produce the milk of four cows. You are surprised when one cow drops dead. You spin an announcement to the analysts stating you have downsized and are reducing expenses. Your stock goes up.
FRENCH CORPORATION
You have two cows. You go on strike because you want three cows. You go to lunch and drink good wine. Life is good.
JAPANESE CORPORATION
You have two cows. You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk. They learn to travel on unbelievably crowded trains. Most are at the top of their class at cow school.
ITALIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows but you don't know where they are. While ambling around, you see a beautiful woman. You break for lunch. Life is good.
RUSSIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows. You have some vodka. You count them and learn you actually have five cows. You have some more vodka. You count them again and learn you have 42 cows!!! The Mafia shows up and takes over however many cows you really have.
TALIBAN CORPORATION
You have all the cows in Afghanistan, which are two. You don't milk them because you cannot touch any creature's private parts. You get a $40 million grant from the US government to find alternatives to milk production but use the money to buy weapons.
IRAQI CORPORATION
You have two cows. They go into hiding. They send radio tapes of their mooing.
BELGIAN CORPORATION
You have one cow. The cow is schizophrenic. Sometimes the cow thinks he's French, other times he's Flemish. The Flemish cow won't share with the French cow. The French cow wants control of the Flemish cow's milk. The cow asks permission to be cut in half. The cow dies happy.
FLORIDA CORPORATION
You have a black cow and a brown cow. Everyone votes for the best looking one. Some of the people who actually like the brown one best accidentally vote for the black one. Some people vote for both. Some people vote for neither. Some people can't figure out how to vote at all.
Finally, a bunch of guys from out-of-state tell you which one you think is the best-looking cow.
CALIFORNIA CORPORATION
You have millions of cows. Only five speak English. Most are illegals.

Planning...

I will be done with my core classes this semester -- yeah, let's hope I pass the evil stats! Since our program requires a minor, I need three more electives. Taking one elective now -- and absolutely love it -- but it does not fit well with my prior experience/background and it's too narrow for my future plans. Hopefully, I will be able to pick up at least two electives this coming summer. Then, it's time for the concept paper and the comps! Finally, dissertation! Dare I hope to finish in, maybe, 1 1/2 or 2 years? With a full-time job, it will be tough but, with determination and strict scheduling, it's doable, I think. I just want to get done, it's taking so long...

And my dinner was...

Kibbee

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs lean ground beef
• 1 large onion, 1/2 finely chopped and 1/2 pureed
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 4 tbsp butter, 1/2 for sauteeing and 1/2 for basting
• 1 1/2 cups bulgur wheat (Publix)
• salt (3 tsp for the shell, to taste for filling)
• pepper (2 tsp for the sheel, to taste for filling)
• dried mint, 1 tbsp
• allspice (1 tsp for the shell, to taste for filling)
• cinnamon (1 tsp for the shell, to taste for filling)

Cover bulgur wheat with about 1 inch of cold water and soak for 30 mins.

For the filling, saute finely chopped onions and pine nuts in butter until onions are soft and pine nuts are slightly roasted (be careful not to burn!). Add 1/3 ground beef and cook until just no longer pink; don't overcook! Season with salt, pepper, cinnamon, and allspice; usually 1 tsp each but adjust to your taste.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Season the remaining ground beef with salt, pepper, cinnamon, allspice, and dried mint. Add pureed onion. Squeeze excess water out of wheat and add to raw ground beef mixture. Mix well until the mixture is elastic.

Spray cookie sheet with non-stick spray. For each kibbee, shape a meatball approximately the size of large egg, press on your palm into a thin patty, place a heaping spoon of filling, and carefully bring edges together, sealing and forming a football-shaped kibbee. Place on the cookie sheet and lightly baste with melted butter. Bake for 25-30 mins.

Note: I used only 1/2 of ingredients and made 8 kibbee. Kibbee freezes well, too, and can be quickly heated in a microwave as needed.

I served kibbee with...

Tomato-Cucumber Salad:

Ingredients:

• 1-2 ripe tomatoes, chopped -- fairly large chunks
• 1 pickling cucumber, chopped -- fairly large chunks
• 1/2 finely chopped onion (small)
• Salt to taste
• Olive oil to taste
• Finely chopped basil, parsley, or mint
• Optional: finely chopped garlic (just a little bit)

Mix tomatoes, cucumber, onions, and herbs. Salt to taste. Important -- do NOT add oil before salt; salt doesn't dissolve in oil. If you like garlic (I don't), add just a little bit. Add olive oil to taste.

Totally exhausted...

I taught one early-morning (8:00 a.m.) class, finished some paperwork, and went home around 10:00 a.m., feeling totally exhausted, very sleepy for some reason. So I decided to take a quick nap before attacking a mountain of work to be done over the weekend -- oops, didn't wake up until almost 2:30 p.m. What's wrong with me? Yes, it was a killer week, very stressful, still... taking a nap at 10:00 a.m. is not something I normally do.

Next week, I only teach classes as TA and attend my own classes, so won't be as bad. Hopefully, I will make a decent progress on some things that keep getting pushed aside as more pressing issues arise. And the following week -- the conference!!! It's a major conference in my sub-field (teaching these courses only during the summer but they are fun) and so I hope to learn new ideas to be implemented this coming summer. And, of course, I will have a whole week with my very special companion.

Dinner Plans

It's cold today and I am exhausted so comfort food tonight...

Zucchini Soup

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups fresh zucchini, peeled and diced
• 3-4 cups chicken broth (depends on desired consistency)
• 1 can chicken
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 1-2 tsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1-2 slices bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
• Salt, to taste
• Freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
• Freshly-grated Parmesan cheese (or your favorite cheese), to taste

Bring chicken broth to boil. Add zucchini and cook on medum heat until tender. Meanwhile, saute onions and carrots in olive oil until golden brown; add flour and mix well; add onions to the pot. Add chicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Pour into serving bowls and garnish with Parmesan cheese, parsley, and bacon. Serve with fresh bread.

Source: http://www.beliefnet.com/

Ah, another Wednesday...

Yesterday was a tough day, lots of things to do and a horrible midterm exam. Our "wonderful" instructor gave us a wide range of things to study, holding class for almost 30 extra minutes last week (because she was late for class)! And what did that person do? Gave an 8-page exam to be completed in 1 hour and 80% of it came from the LAST lecture which she presented in a hurry, stumbling over the material and correct English words. There were several questions that make absolutely no sense, even now when I am looking through my notes.

On a bright side, one of our faculty members organized lunch for all women in the department so it will be fun later today. All of us are so busy, passing each other every day with just a wave and quick hello. It will be nice to sit down and chat while enjoying lunch together.

And I am going to Houston in 12 days -- yes, I am counting. ;) We are arriving separately but only 30 mins apart, so will meet at the airport. I can't wait... Conference will be fun but spending a whole week together is a main reason for my excitement, of course.

Textbook reps are annoying, really...

I spent over two hours on the phone with one of our textbook reps, trying to figure out the changes coming our way since we are finally moving from Office 2003 to Office 2007. This person had a high-pitched, really annoying, voice, spoke a mile a minute, kept interrupting me, oozed sweetness that was totally overdone, kept placing me on hold to go and check on things she should have known, refused to send materials unless I decided to use their product... Grrrrrrrrrrr...

To make things worse, one of the new simulations didn't work on my computer and so I am not sure if I should mess with it. It's asking for trouble -- if I couldn't figure out how to install it, what would my students do?!?! The textbook rep connected me with their Tech Support guy and he added to the already annoying situation.

TSG: Do you have admin privileges on your computer?
Alice: Yes.
TSG: Are you sure?
Alice: Yes.
TSG: How do you know?
Alice: Grrrrrrrrrrr (silently). I teach technology courses and so IT people trust me.
TSG: I need to make sure. Let's check this, this, and that.
Alice: OK

It was insulting, did he think I was lying???
When he was finally satisfied that I indeed had full privileges (didn't I tell you, you moron???), he gave a link and a password to download an extra file and drop it into program files; the process involved quite a number of steps. Although no big deal for me, it would be difficult for most of my students. When I told him that, he turned 180 and proceeded to ooze sweetness and declare that their Tech Support would always support my students. Yeah, sure!

Well, the simulation worked -- finally! My next question was about submitting assignments online. More head scratching, placing on hold, etc. Come on, people, can't you learn the specifications of your product?

Anyway, I told the woman I will use the product -- that was the only way to get the review copy. How insane is that?! The only reason I didn't laugh and walked away with thanks but no thanks is lack of decent resources in this particular subject area. So I am going to take a look at the book, play with simulation, and then make a final decision. If she thinks it's a done deal, too bad.

And so tonight I made...

Salad "Princess"
Plenty left for tomorrow's lunch, too!!! :)










Ingredients:

• 1 chicken breast, grilled
• 1/2 cup pitted prunes
• 1/8 cup roasted nuts (I used pecans)
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
• 1/8 cup white raisins
• salt and pepper (if needed)
• Fresh basil, dill, or parsley; finely chopped
• dressing (I used low-fat Ranch)

Chop prunes. Boil 1 cup of water, pour over the prunes, cover, and let soften for 10 minutes. Meanwhile chop chicken, boil eggs, and roast nuts. Mix softened prunes, chicken, roasted nuts, and raisins. Arrange on a plate. Slice eggs and arrange around the chicken mix. Sprinkle with finely chopped fresh basil, dill, or parsley. Add dressing of your choice or just drizzle some olive oil.
Servings: 2
As seen on Nice Food

Recipe of the Day

It's been so much fun to cook for somebody special this past summer and then on and off until mid January. Now it's only me again and I don't really like the cooking process; the fun of cooking for me is making somebody else smile, share the meal with a special person. Can't wait to do that again, soon... For now, though, I am going to force myself to cook. I was able to really slim down last year but added some unwanted weight over the holidays, then made the problem worse by eating too much junk food. It's easier to grab something ready-made (or worse, fast food) then come home, tired and having a lot of things to do, and cook dinner.

So tonight it's...

Balsamic Chicken and Pears

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 skinless chicken breast, tenderized
• 1 pear, cut into wedges
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp cornstarch (or you can use flour)
• 1/4 cup dried cherries and raisins
• Parsley, finely chopped

Heat olive oil over a medium heat and cook chicken breast until done (approximately 8-10 minutes), turning halfway through. Remove chicken and cook pear wedges until lightly browned and tender.

Mix chicken broth, vinegar, and cornstarch until well blended. Pour into the skillet with pears. Heat to boiling and then reduce the heat to low. Add dried cherries/raisins and chicken. Simmer for approximately 10 minutes. Garnish with parsley. Enjoy! :)

As seen on http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/

Everybody needs a laugh sometimes...

PhD Comics

Weekend

I had a very productive weekend, wasn't able to accomplish as much as I really wanted but it's OK. Mainly, I worked on the ongoing research project. Usually, I can't concentrate because of other demands -- grading, projects for the current classes, family stuff, etc. This weekend, I left all books and papers in my car, so I won't even be tempted to do anything other than the research project. It's fun and I wish I had more uninterrupted periods of time to work on it...

Alas, two other projects are due this week... and midterm grades are to be posted by Thursday...

Oh, and it looks like we are going here in May!!! If any of you been there before, I would love to hear from you!

Almost midterm, already...

Time flies in a constant blur of deadlines... My first midterm is next week and, oh my, tons of notes to go through. However, this particular professor is awesome and so I don't anticipate any problems. It's a fun class and so easy to learn the material.

The following week, though, I am taking midterm exam in my measurement course. Now, this one will be a killer. We fly through mostly abstract material (lots of proofs and formulas) and only one page of notes is allowed, so a lot of cramming... What's the point? I doubt the professor remembers those formulas (keeps looking them up) but no choice -- memorize, regurgitate, forget. So useless...

I don't claim to be the best instructor but in my math course I provide challenging situations that test student's mastery rather than ability to memorize formulas.

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Cats, anyone?

I was sweet-talked into taking two cats two years ago. Oh, how I regret that decision! Cleaning cat litter and constantly vacuuming my house is NOT something I like doing. Not. at. all! So, I will provide food and litter if somebody, please, get these two rascals out of my house!!!

On procrastination...

On Sunday mornings, my Inbox is always full of frantic emails, sent late on Saturday night. Why? Because my course deadlines are 11:59 p.m. on Saturday nights. Because students wait to the last moment, again and again. Because Murphy's law still works and problems crop up if you wait to the last moment.

And so I have a long list of complaints -- "grandchild typed in my answers when I left the computer for a few minutes," "virus invaded my computer," "power went out," "became sick," "misread directions..." The list goes on and on... Even though my syllabi clearly state: "No make ups unless there is a valid and documented emergency."

On a bright note, it's a beautiful sunny day and so I am going to ignore these emails and post another reminder, again: No make ups, refer to your course syllabus, please. Smile! :)

Just thinking...

It's Saturday so I don't have to make myself "presentable" before venturing out. Just thinking, how much time do we spent in our lives just to "face the world"? I mean, the basic grooming doesn't take that long. It's putting all that make-up on, choosing the best outfit, deliberating over shoes, etc. that takes time, right? So this morning a quick shower and basic things like brushing teeth will suffice. No worries about what to wear -- since I keep the temperature high, it's warm and cozy in my house so a pair of shorts and a T-shirt are just fine. All done, in 15 minutes, maybe? Now let's attack a mountain of work, while munching on a banana!!! :)

Fresh pita and hummus, anybody?

Didn't feel like cooking a full meal tonight. I could get something out of freezer -- lots of frozen stuff there, for extremely hectic days when taste doesn't matter as much as nutrition (um, like getting enough calories to keep going). Yet, I was craving something fresh. And so I made fresh pita and hummus. Yum! :)

Pita Bread

Dissolve 1 pkg of quick rising yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. Add 1 tsp of sugar and make sure it dissolves as well. Set aside for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, measure 3 cups of flour (original recipe calls for all-purpose, I used bread flour because that's all I had tonight) into a medium bowl. Add 2 tsp salt and mix. Make a depression in the middle. When yeast mixture is frothy (do wait 15 mins), pour it into flour and salt mixture. Add 1 cup of warm water. Mix until becoming elastic.

Knead dough for 5-10 minutes or until it doesn't stick and is smooth and elastic. Spray a large bowl with olive oil, place dough in the bowl and turn until well coated. Cover and allow to rise for 3 hours.

Separate dough into 10 balls and place them on a floured surface. Cover and leave for 10 mins. Meanwhile, set the oven rack on the lowest position. Preheat the oven to 500.

Roll each ball into a circle (approximately 5 inches diameter) -- I roll out two pitas at a time. Preheat the baking sheet. Place two pitas on the preheated baking sheet. Bake for 4 minutes. Turn and bake for 2 more minutes. Immediately place into a large Ziploc bag.

Hummus

Drain 1 can of garbanzo peas (chick peas) but reserve the liquid, if you like. Place chick peas in a food processor. Add 1 tsp of cumin, 1 tsp of lemon juice, 1/4 tsp of ground red pepper, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp finely chopped parsley, and 1/4 cup olive oil. Process until smooth. You may need to add some reserved liquid and/or oil in order to achieve the desired consistency. The original recipe calls for garlic but I don't like garlic.

It's Friday!!!

It's Friday?!?! Another week has flown by and, even though I didn't miss any deadlines, I wasn't able to make as much progress on the paper I am writing as I wanted. Mainly because I found some new items and became distracted -- bad idea! I really need to work on my "concentration" skills and stick with what I already have instead of admiring the remaining million or so related things. I realize that I will never be able to include everything I want and so must set boundaries. Ah, working on it...

Today should be a good writing day, though. I only have one class and then no meetings. Yeah!

I don't understand... excuse

Don't you love it when students fall behind in class and blame it on the teacher, with that best excuses of all, "But I don't understand it...." In one of my production classes, I want students to go through entire chapter and complete all exercises before attempting the assessment at the end. Even though I only grade the assessment, it's virtually impossible to do well on it unless chapter exercises have been completed (or at least reviewed).

During the first week of classes, this student just sat and stared at her book. I offer individual help but, of course, I won't complete exercises for them. In order to get help from me, you have to ask specific questions. You can't do that unless you read the book.

Ms. Alice: "Did you read the book?"

Student: "No, I didn't have time."

Ms. Alice: "OK, read the book and then start working on exercises. If you are still confused, we will address specific issues."

The student is motionless for the next 15 mins... OK, maybe reading???

Ms. Alice: "So, how's it going?"

Student: "I don't understand how to complete this assessment."

Ms. Alice: "OK, did you read the book and attempt simple exercises?"

Student: "No."

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah! What do you want me to do then?!?!

I haven't seen her for two weeks. Now she is complaining that she doesn't understand how to complete work in my class. Did she read the book? I don't think so.

Moving along...

Even though I stayed up very late last night (well, this morning, I guess), helping Dr. Special study over the phone, I was up at 8:30 a.m. Mainly because my parents are here and I wanted to make breakfast for them. I don't see them that often so it's a treat to have them for a weekend.

My choices weren't that healthy but yummy -- pigs in blankets (made with Parker's roll so soft inside but crispy outside, so good), boiled eggs, and fruit salad. And I love my Tassimo -- everybody had what they wanted, fresh and delicious (tea, regular coffee, and cappuccino).

Now I am working on the list:

• Update grades (for seven classes, it's a never-ending task)
• Post announcements for all classes
• Do homework for two classes
• Write a 10-page paper
• Write a case summary
• Write at least a couple of pages for the on-going research paper
• Look over the lesson plans for next week and tweak as necessary
• Write and submit a conference proposal
• Write and submit another conference proposal (came with this idea last night)

Relax now, work later...

Wow, another Saturday is here... Every week seems to be a blur of activities as we are hurling toward the midterm, then toward the finals... and then another semester... and another...

There are times when you just have to say -- Stop! I need a moment of peace, just to enjoy life and forget about never-ending deadlines, demands, etc. I am doing this today, even though I am posting a list of things to do, so I don't get too lazy.

I allowed myself to sleep in this morning (ah, 9:00 a.m., what a treat), enjoying a delicious latte now, while waiting for my parents to arrive. We will enjoy each other's company, Mom and I cook lunch together (just like the old times), maybe go for a walk... Just a quiet day, enjoying life, catching up (haven't seen them for over a month).

Then tomorrow, I need to:

• Update grades (for seven classes, it's a never-ending task)
• Post announcements for all classes
• Do homework for two classes
• Write a 10-page paper
• Write a case summary
• Write at least a couple of pages for the on-going research paper
• Look over the lesson plans for next week and tweak as necessary
• Write and submit a conference proposal

One of my favorite songs...

On research ideas...

I am curious about the process of deriving research ideas. Oh, I know the "scientific" way. Still, how do all those bits and pieces fit together to finally bloom at the "Aha!" moment? I think I had one of those moments today when I briefly chatted with one of my colleagues while creating booklets (yep, being artistic today) for one of my classes. The idea has been brewing for a long time; actually, I circled around the general area even before I was admitted to the Ph.D. program. Then I had a conversation with my advisor who gently but firmly (yep, both) pointed me in the right direction... Then I had to come up with a topic for one of my classes... And tonight -- this ABD-wanna-be has a pretty good research topic which might evolve beyond the current class. I am excited and hope it works out by presenting me with plenty of leads to maybe even write a dissertation??? It's nothing earth-shattering, has been discussed with my advisor before, but might just work, at least for now.

Days are flying by...

It seems like days are flying by, at a dizzying speed... It's a constant race to meet deadlines, to meet with students, to attend long meetings... Oh, dreaming of a brief lull when I can pick up a novel, make a cup of tea, and just enjoy the peace and quiet without feeling guilty.

Another busy rainy day...

I woke up to a soft sound of rain and birds busy twittering in the trees outside my window. It was too early to get up (6:00 a.m. on Saturday, are you kidding, especially after staying up late?!) so I snoozed for a while -- only to have a totally weird dream. So, like it or not, I was up at 7:00. Yawn...

Oh well, have to write a 10-page paper today -- just a deadline set for myself, so not critical, but I want to get it out and stop worrying. Made some progress already, so far so good. Treating myself to a latte/blogger break! :)

Phone Bill

Hmmm... It's nice to know that I am taking an advantage of unlimited nights and weekends minutes as well as in-network plan minutes. Dr. Special has a different service provider but we usually talk late at night anyway. My family is using the same service provider so the minutes are free. And I don't make many other calls on my cell phone. However, if not for unlimited nights, I would have to pay a fortune... ;)

Chugging along...

Aaaah, another week of classes... another week of problems... and, of course, successes! :)

Looks like my online course students are finally settling down, having figured what to click and what not to click, how to submit things, and, ahem, how to find deadlines on the course calendar. Yeah, I thought it was simple -- just refer to the last page of your syllabus; apparently, not...

Several students are now begging to get back, having missed the first week of classes. While some schools have mandatory first-day attendance, we submit rolls after the first week of classes; students who are not attending all of their classes are dropped. Well, I have several students who didn't realize that, wow, classes already started, until just a couple of days ago.

Some students who did login on time but missed assignments are now trying to "outsmart" me. Here is an excerpt from one email:

Student: Ms. Alice, why do I have a zero for Assignment X? I did submit it but you didn't grade it!!! (yep, exclamation marks are there)

Um, assignment was due on Saturday, by midnight. You didn't submit it until Monday night and my syllabus clearly states -- no make-up w/out a documented excuse. Sorry, you missed the train.

I do have several bright and motivated students who are already about two weeks ahead. Keep it up!

Ah, scheduling things...

Another very busy semester... Just a regular schedule below keeps me running all week but add meetings... three online courses I am teaching... and current papers/projects... yep, weekends fly by oh so fast. Still, I am hoping to finish two papers this semester. One conference paper would be nice... One only needs editing. The other is a rough draft that needs a lot of work... Maybe I can try keeping Monday or Wednesday afternoon free...

Monday

• Class (teaching)
• Office hours

Tuesday

• Class (teaching)
• Class (teaching)
• Class (taking)
• Class (teaching)

Wednesday

• Class (teaching)
• Office hours

Thursday

• Class (taking)
• Free time -- stuck on campus, though
• Class (taking)

Friday

• Class (teaching)

The weekend is over... What?!

Yep, the weekend is pretty much over. As always, time gallops over the weekend, ignoring long to-do lists, plans to sleep late, truly enjoy that cup of tea or coffee... I woke up early this morning, after a night of tossing and turning, weird dreams (can't remember them, though)... It's not even 6:00 p.m. but I am exhausted, fighting an urge to take a nap. Not a good idea, though, because I will wake up early and won't be able to go back to sleep...

Come on, get something done!

I don't know why, maybe because it has been a totally exhausting week, but I don't have enough energy to get anything done today. I did empty my Inbox, though -- teaching four online courses so I guess it was "something." Hmmm... Had about twenty emails...

Still, there is a long to-do list:

• Finish creating and scheduling assignments for my TA course
• Upload exams for two of my online courses (WP and KI)
• Finish scheduling assignments for another online course (OP)
• Upload support files for BM and OP
• Complete assignments for my own courses (taking three)
• Post blog links for my students (using Blogger in that course)
• Complete my annual faculty evaluation
• Post weekly announcements for all courses
• Work at least a little bit on the paper that was actually due last semester
• Patiently wait for the phone call and then enjoy chatting for a couple of hours! This will get accomplished, for sure. ;)
  

On fun Fridays and wonderful advisors...

Today was a very productive day, I think. I taught one class, then drove to the university for a meeting with my advisor and other TAs. We were able to resolve some issues and, hopefully, next week won't be as bad as it could have been.

Then I enjoyed a delicious lunch with my advisor and she did an excellent job in corralling my research ideas that are flying all over the place. Yep, somewhat organized chaos -- that's me! ;)

After listening to her suggestions, I was able to narrow down my research interest to two potential areas, both somewhat related. One is actually my original plan, the one outlined in the letter of interest submitted to the grad school admissions committee. Somehow, I moved away from it and got tangled in other cool ideas. The other topic reflects my current interests as well as incorporates my previous experience and future plans. Now I have to decide, should I go back to my original plan or pursue the updated version, somewhat related to the original plan but in a different area?

Beginning this semester, I am to wear fashionable blinders. Cool, huh? ;) Oh, I need them, definitely. They are already helping -- have two sound (in my opinion, at least) research interests. I will play with one of them (whichever works best, depends on arrangements) and will make a decision by the end of this semester. Here, it's in writing now so no swerving all over the place. :)

Holding tight!!!

This semester, I had to dive right into the pool of problems, setting up courses, meeting with students, working out glitches with online course setup and textbooks, etc. Rather than picking up speed gradually, the rollecoaster for this semester went right into a terrifying spin, when everything started happening at once.

Yeah, I was procrastinating somewhat. I did revise my syllabi and created new course sites. However, I didn't have time to setup a new program and so now have a number of glitches to resolve. Ah, bookstore orders and chaos associated with them... I have been teaching at this particular school since 2002 and had at least one problem every single semester. Come on, people, get your act together, pleeeeeeease! Most of my students are awesome (echoing Profgrrrl's post here). Some are waiting to the last moment, though, especially if they are taking an online course. I have a number of these individuals who ignored my invitation to the online course orientation and now are calling/emailing me constantly, still refusing to meet with me in person, even though they can't even login to their course! One of our secretaries had a "brilliant" (ahem) idea to give out my cell phone to students. Thank you -- NOT! I don't mind accepting an occassional phone call but having my cell phone ring constantly is not something I really want. Would you?

Anyway, I survived this week so far -- major Yeah!!! Today is crazy since I have several hours between two of my classes and, even though I have a long to-do list, it's difficult to concentrate in a noisy computer lab. But tomorrow is Friday and I will have some quiet time after 1:00 p.m. so, hopefully, will be able to catch up over the weekend...