I am finally healed and was able to go swimming this morning. I am completely out of shape again, and feel weak and puny, but at least I did it.
Also, I signed up to participate in a swim-a-thon this Saturday. Since I haven't been up to working out, I just found out about it, thus the short notice. The money will go to the Y's Financial Assistance Fund, which provides assistance for programs and services to those who can't afford it. Since we live on the edge of a rough neighborhood, there are a lot of after-school programs aimed at helping kids excel and stay out of trouble. So if any of you who know me in real life would like to donate to the cause, let me know. You can donate either per lap or a flat amount. I believe they're counting a "lap" as 2 lengths of the pool, and I usually swim 45-50 laps per hour.
I'm excited for this because I've always been jealous of my runner friends who could run a 5K here or there for charity. If the Y does this again next year, hopefully I'll be in better shape and can sign up for a couple of hours.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Look At Me, the Important Lawyer
There are several big projects coming up at work, but in the meantime, I think I've billed about half an hour today. However, I've also been pulling together materials for my upcoming business trip. I'm going to a 3-day Medicare seminar.
Woot woot! The party just doesn't stop around here!
I know, sounds amazingly dull, yes? I have discovered that things that might be amazingly dull in general, are actually pretty interesting when you have real-life experiences and clients to relate it all to. So while I was about to gouge my eyes out while taking the RI mandatory seminars on RI court procedure*, Medicare law actually applies to what I do every day. And I need to know this stuff so that my clients don't get fined or shut down or arrested because of something I missed. Oops won't really cut it.
Also, I get to stay in a nice hotel for 3 nights, which thrills me to no end. I really, really like hotels. I like the comfy bed and the crisp white sheets and towels. I like the teeny little soaps and lotions and shampoos and I squirrel them away every day so that they have to replace them and I wind up with 3 or 4 of each. I like that there is a place in the world where I don't have to clean the bathroom.
More perks: Another fun associate from the Boston office will be there too and one of my good law school friends who works at another firm in Boston is coming. And hopefully I will get to see the Summerses on Thursday night.
*Because, see, I never go to court and the written materials they gave us will be useful if I ever do need to go to court, but listening to a lecturer basically read the book at you for 6 hours when you have no context and know that you will most likely never use the information is no fun.
Woot woot! The party just doesn't stop around here!
I know, sounds amazingly dull, yes? I have discovered that things that might be amazingly dull in general, are actually pretty interesting when you have real-life experiences and clients to relate it all to. So while I was about to gouge my eyes out while taking the RI mandatory seminars on RI court procedure*, Medicare law actually applies to what I do every day. And I need to know this stuff so that my clients don't get fined or shut down or arrested because of something I missed. Oops won't really cut it.
Also, I get to stay in a nice hotel for 3 nights, which thrills me to no end. I really, really like hotels. I like the comfy bed and the crisp white sheets and towels. I like the teeny little soaps and lotions and shampoos and I squirrel them away every day so that they have to replace them and I wind up with 3 or 4 of each. I like that there is a place in the world where I don't have to clean the bathroom.
More perks: Another fun associate from the Boston office will be there too and one of my good law school friends who works at another firm in Boston is coming. And hopefully I will get to see the Summerses on Thursday night.
*Because, see, I never go to court and the written materials they gave us will be useful if I ever do need to go to court, but listening to a lecturer basically read the book at you for 6 hours when you have no context and know that you will most likely never use the information is no fun.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Best Chicken Ever
Last night I made CrockPot Rotisserie-Style Chicken and Jason proclaimed it the best chicken I had ever made ever. It was pretty tasty and very easy.
1 whole chicken, skinned* (4-5 pounds)
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder (I didn't have any onion powder, so I used garlic powder instead)
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper
pinch of chili powder
4 whole garlic cloves
1 yellow onion, quartered
Skin the chicken and get rid of the neck and other stuff from the cavity. In a bowl, combine all of dried spices. Rub the spice mixture all over the bird, inside and out. Plop the bird breast-side down into the crockpot. Shove 4 whole garlic cloves and a quartered onion inside the bird.
Do not add water.
Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours, or on low for 8. The meat is done when it is fully cooked and has reached desired tenderness. The longer you cook it, the more tender the meat. I cooked it for about 9 hours on low.
I was a little concerned about there not being enough liquid and the chicken burning and sticking to the crock. However, by the time the chicken was done, it had created about 3 inches of flavorful juice in the bottom of the crock. I made mashed potatoes to go with the chicken and they were great with a little bit of that juice spooned on top. Since I skinned the chicken, the juice was only a little greasy.
* The whole skinning thing is easier than I thought it would be and then the chicken isn't simmering in its own fat all day, which is a good thing.
1 whole chicken, skinned* (4-5 pounds)
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder (I didn't have any onion powder, so I used garlic powder instead)
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper
pinch of chili powder
4 whole garlic cloves
1 yellow onion, quartered
Skin the chicken and get rid of the neck and other stuff from the cavity. In a bowl, combine all of dried spices. Rub the spice mixture all over the bird, inside and out. Plop the bird breast-side down into the crockpot. Shove 4 whole garlic cloves and a quartered onion inside the bird.
Do not add water.
Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours, or on low for 8. The meat is done when it is fully cooked and has reached desired tenderness. The longer you cook it, the more tender the meat. I cooked it for about 9 hours on low.
I was a little concerned about there not being enough liquid and the chicken burning and sticking to the crock. However, by the time the chicken was done, it had created about 3 inches of flavorful juice in the bottom of the crock. I made mashed potatoes to go with the chicken and they were great with a little bit of that juice spooned on top. Since I skinned the chicken, the juice was only a little greasy.
* The whole skinning thing is easier than I thought it would be and then the chicken isn't simmering in its own fat all day, which is a good thing.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Hamster
This little guy kills me with his cuteness. Go ahead and click on the square to give him some food.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Corned Beef
Yesterday was the day of corned beef, which, since I don't drink, is how I think of St. Patrick's Day. We had a few friends over for dinner and had a great time. In fact, I laughed so much that my cracked rib that had been feeling much, much better started hurting again. It was worth it.
I actually based my corned beef on a recipe I found online, but I can't find it now, and honestly I sort of made it my own anyway so I don't feel too guilty about not linking to it.
Crock Pot Corned Beef
5 pound corned beef with spice packet*
1 can/15 oz beef broth**
1/2 C. red wine***
3-4 T mustard****
1/3 C. brown sugar
12 oz water
8-12 red potatoes, quartered or sixthed (new word!) depending on how big they are. You want bite-size pieces
20-30 baby carrots, halved
1 onion, eighthed (I like making up words)
1/2 head of cabbage, chopped into medium-size pieces
Chop carrots and onion and place in the bottom of the crock pot. Cut most of the fat off of the fatty side of the corned beef. I was injured while doing this, so be careful! Knives are sharp! It's very annoying to be without the use of one of my thumbs.
Place beef in crock pat, fat side down. Sprinkle seasonings from packet over the corned beef (you can also use a tablespoon or so of pickling spices). Smear 2/3 of the mustard over the corned beef. Pour the broth and red wine over the beef. Mix the brown sugar and water together and pour over the beef. THEN, flip the beef over so the fatty side is facing up (because, despite your preparations, there will still be some fat) and smear the rest of the mustard on that side. This will keep the good stuff from drying out.
Cook on low for 10-12 hours.
Remove beef from pot and cover with foil to keep warm. Remove carrots and onions from pot into a bowl to be mixed with cabbage and potatoes later. Your crock pot will probably be about 2/3 full of broth. Put chopped potatoes in a large stock pot and pour the broth over the potatoes. Fill the pot the rest of the way with water until the potatoes are covered by about 2-3 inches of liquid. I also added about a tablespoon of kosher salt. Bring liquid to a rapid boil and boil potatoes for 20 minutes. Test potatoes. If they are almost done, but still a little tough, it's time to throw in the chopped cabbage. Boil potatoes and cabbage for 20 more minutes. Mix potatoes and cabbage with the onions and carrots, slice the corned beef and serve.
* I realize most corned beefs are smaller, but I found a big one on sale and snapped it up. Adjust recipe accordingly.
** I used reduced sodium, but like it matters. This is a corned beef, people. Sodium restrictions have no place here.
*** The recipe I found called for a can of beer here, but I had no beer. I did have red wine.
**** The recipe called for yellow, but we only had dijon. Frankly, I like the dijon. I bet brown deli mustard would have been even better. Next time...
I actually based my corned beef on a recipe I found online, but I can't find it now, and honestly I sort of made it my own anyway so I don't feel too guilty about not linking to it.
Crock Pot Corned Beef
5 pound corned beef with spice packet*
1 can/15 oz beef broth**
1/2 C. red wine***
3-4 T mustard****
1/3 C. brown sugar
12 oz water
8-12 red potatoes, quartered or sixthed (new word!) depending on how big they are. You want bite-size pieces
20-30 baby carrots, halved
1 onion, eighthed (I like making up words)
1/2 head of cabbage, chopped into medium-size pieces
Chop carrots and onion and place in the bottom of the crock pot. Cut most of the fat off of the fatty side of the corned beef. I was injured while doing this, so be careful! Knives are sharp! It's very annoying to be without the use of one of my thumbs.
Place beef in crock pat, fat side down. Sprinkle seasonings from packet over the corned beef (you can also use a tablespoon or so of pickling spices). Smear 2/3 of the mustard over the corned beef. Pour the broth and red wine over the beef. Mix the brown sugar and water together and pour over the beef. THEN, flip the beef over so the fatty side is facing up (because, despite your preparations, there will still be some fat) and smear the rest of the mustard on that side. This will keep the good stuff from drying out.
Cook on low for 10-12 hours.
Remove beef from pot and cover with foil to keep warm. Remove carrots and onions from pot into a bowl to be mixed with cabbage and potatoes later. Your crock pot will probably be about 2/3 full of broth. Put chopped potatoes in a large stock pot and pour the broth over the potatoes. Fill the pot the rest of the way with water until the potatoes are covered by about 2-3 inches of liquid. I also added about a tablespoon of kosher salt. Bring liquid to a rapid boil and boil potatoes for 20 minutes. Test potatoes. If they are almost done, but still a little tough, it's time to throw in the chopped cabbage. Boil potatoes and cabbage for 20 more minutes. Mix potatoes and cabbage with the onions and carrots, slice the corned beef and serve.
* I realize most corned beefs are smaller, but I found a big one on sale and snapped it up. Adjust recipe accordingly.
** I used reduced sodium, but like it matters. This is a corned beef, people. Sodium restrictions have no place here.
*** The recipe I found called for a can of beer here, but I had no beer. I did have red wine.
**** The recipe called for yellow, but we only had dijon. Frankly, I like the dijon. I bet brown deli mustard would have been even better. Next time...
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Spoiled, Spoiled Kitten
Yesterday morning I got up, fed Tiny and got back in bed for another half hour. When I finally got out of bed for real, Tiny came dashing into the bedroom and starting meowing in a very panicked way. He even woke Jason up, and Jason is basically dead to the world once he gets to sleep. I picked Tiny up and cuddled him for a few seconds and he purred like a motorboat.
This morning I got up, fed Tiny and got back in bed for another half hour.* After he finished eating, Tiny came in and lay half on my shoulder, half on my pillow, purring, until I got up for real. Five minutes later, after I put in my contacts and brushed my teeth, he started wandering around the room, meowing again in a distressed way. So I picked him up and cuddled him and he purred and purred.
I see. Tiny has proclaimed, this will be the new morning routine.
* It's not so much that I'm lazy and can't get up when I need to, but more that if I stir and don't feed Tiny right away he walks back and forth across my chest and butts my head with his and meows incessantly until I feed him.
This morning I got up, fed Tiny and got back in bed for another half hour.* After he finished eating, Tiny came in and lay half on my shoulder, half on my pillow, purring, until I got up for real. Five minutes later, after I put in my contacts and brushed my teeth, he started wandering around the room, meowing again in a distressed way. So I picked him up and cuddled him and he purred and purred.
I see. Tiny has proclaimed, this will be the new morning routine.
* It's not so much that I'm lazy and can't get up when I need to, but more that if I stir and don't feed Tiny right away he walks back and forth across my chest and butts my head with his and meows incessantly until I feed him.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Appealing to My Inner 8 Year Old
We just saw the space shuttle from the 3rd floor of our house. And it was TOTALLY awesome!
Apparently, the trajectory of the shuttle right after this launch took it up the Eastern seaboard and we were told we might be able to see it around 5-8 minutes after the launch. So we watched the launch on the NASA site and then we ran upstairs* to look south to southeast. We scanned the sky and then I saw it! It looked like an orange planet, only going really fast. We watched it until the main engines shut off and it faded from view.
Jason just informed me it was 341,600 feet (65 miles) high eight minutes into flight, traveling at 17,000 miles per hour.
So thrilling!
* To the still-empty apartment. Let's hear it for still having no upstairs neighbors!
Apparently, the trajectory of the shuttle right after this launch took it up the Eastern seaboard and we were told we might be able to see it around 5-8 minutes after the launch. So we watched the launch on the NASA site and then we ran upstairs* to look south to southeast. We scanned the sky and then I saw it! It looked like an orange planet, only going really fast. We watched it until the main engines shut off and it faded from view.
Jason just informed me it was 341,600 feet (65 miles) high eight minutes into flight, traveling at 17,000 miles per hour.
So thrilling!* To the still-empty apartment. Let's hear it for still having no upstairs neighbors!
Friday, March 13, 2009
Tidiness
So I'm just curious. How important do you think it is to make your bed every day?
Our bed gets made once every few weeks - when I wash the sheets. I bring them upstairs warm from the dryer and make the bed look pretty. Then 20 minutes later we go to sleep and that's it, no more pretty bed for a few more weeks.
Granted, I don't really have a lot of say in whether or not the bed gets made since Jason wakes up after I leave for work*, but maybe on the weekends I could make an effort and have a tidy bed. I know that to some people it is very, very important to make your bed every day, but it's just never struck me as that integral to my life.
And really, when you have overflowing hampers and a bedroom closet whose contents gradually creep toward the center of the room until beaten back in a whirlwind day of cleaning, you're going to close the door to your bedroom when you have company over anyway, so why bother going to the trouble of making the bed look nice?
* I have to pick my battles and I have a feeling that if I asked Jason to make the bed every morning he would look at me like I was insane.
Our bed gets made once every few weeks - when I wash the sheets. I bring them upstairs warm from the dryer and make the bed look pretty. Then 20 minutes later we go to sleep and that's it, no more pretty bed for a few more weeks.
Granted, I don't really have a lot of say in whether or not the bed gets made since Jason wakes up after I leave for work*, but maybe on the weekends I could make an effort and have a tidy bed. I know that to some people it is very, very important to make your bed every day, but it's just never struck me as that integral to my life.
And really, when you have overflowing hampers and a bedroom closet whose contents gradually creep toward the center of the room until beaten back in a whirlwind day of cleaning, you're going to close the door to your bedroom when you have company over anyway, so why bother going to the trouble of making the bed look nice?
* I have to pick my battles and I have a feeling that if I asked Jason to make the bed every morning he would look at me like I was insane.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Bus
Things you overhear when you take the same bus as a bunch of RISD* students:
Guy: So I saw Cassie's movie the other day and it's great.
Girl: Oh yeah?
Guy: Yeah. She really did so well. There's this one scene where she's taking a s*** and she actually does it on camera.
Girl: Oh yeah?
Me: (Thinking, He did not just say what I think he said...)
Guy: Yeah. She was really dedicated to it. She just took a s*** right there.
Girl: So she filmed herself taking a dump?
Me: (Thinking, That's what he said alright.)
Guy: Yeah. It's really great. The sound was perfect. I'm so proud of her.
Girl: Yeah, that's really great.
Me: (head explodes)
* Rhode Island School of Design
Guy: So I saw Cassie's movie the other day and it's great.
Girl: Oh yeah?
Guy: Yeah. She really did so well. There's this one scene where she's taking a s*** and she actually does it on camera.
Girl: Oh yeah?
Me: (Thinking, He did not just say what I think he said...)
Guy: Yeah. She was really dedicated to it. She just took a s*** right there.
Girl: So she filmed herself taking a dump?
Me: (Thinking, That's what he said alright.)
Guy: Yeah. It's really great. The sound was perfect. I'm so proud of her.
Girl: Yeah, that's really great.
Me: (head explodes)
* Rhode Island School of Design
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Fried Chicken
Sunday night I made fried chicken for dinner and it came out great. I can take no credit (other than the labor) because I based it on this video.
However, if you don't want to go watch a 5 minute video, I'll give you the lowdown.
1) Get some chicken. The guy in the video cuts up a whole chicken, but A) that intimidates me, and B) the grocery store had big packs of chicken pieces on sale this week, so I just mixed and matched.*
2) Dredge the chicken in the following items in order: A) Flour with your choice of seasonings (I just used fresh ground pepper and kosher salt); B) Whisked eggs (I wound up using 4 eggs for about 16 pieces of chicken); and C) Bread crumbs (I used the packaged Italian seasoned kind).
3) Fry in about an inch of oil, heated to 350 degrees, 10 minutes per side.
4) Cool on cooling rack over newspapers to catch the maximum amount of grease.
Ta-dah! Very easy.
However, I cooked with the windows wide open and will continue airing out the house when I get home tonight. That greasy smell sure clings.
* And also prepped bags of chicken to put in the freezer for later meals. I found out Sunday afternoon that skinning chicken is surprisingly easy. I left the skin on for the fried chicken, but removed it for, say, the brown sugar chicken I'm making in the crock pot today. I also boned some chicken breasts Sunday, so now I have that skill. So I don't think I need to pay more for skinned and boned chicken breasts anymore.
However, if you don't want to go watch a 5 minute video, I'll give you the lowdown.
1) Get some chicken. The guy in the video cuts up a whole chicken, but A) that intimidates me, and B) the grocery store had big packs of chicken pieces on sale this week, so I just mixed and matched.*
2) Dredge the chicken in the following items in order: A) Flour with your choice of seasonings (I just used fresh ground pepper and kosher salt); B) Whisked eggs (I wound up using 4 eggs for about 16 pieces of chicken); and C) Bread crumbs (I used the packaged Italian seasoned kind).
3) Fry in about an inch of oil, heated to 350 degrees, 10 minutes per side.
4) Cool on cooling rack over newspapers to catch the maximum amount of grease.
Ta-dah! Very easy.
However, I cooked with the windows wide open and will continue airing out the house when I get home tonight. That greasy smell sure clings.
* And also prepped bags of chicken to put in the freezer for later meals. I found out Sunday afternoon that skinning chicken is surprisingly easy. I left the skin on for the fried chicken, but removed it for, say, the brown sugar chicken I'm making in the crock pot today. I also boned some chicken breasts Sunday, so now I have that skill. So I don't think I need to pay more for skinned and boned chicken breasts anymore.
Monday, March 09, 2009
Spring
Even though we got almost a foot of snow last Sunday night/Monday morning, Saturday was sunny and lovely and hit 60 degrees, I think. I opened up the windows to let in the fresh air and Tiny plopped himself in his usual place on the windowsill.
I also took the opportunity to plant my seeds for this year's growing.
You can't really read the labels, so I'll just tell you I'm growing cinnamon basil, sage, lime basil, rosemary, and, of course, tomatoes. This little peat greenhouse thing came with 36 starters. I put the rest of the peat pellets in a ziploc bag and figure I won't have to buy a new seed starting kit for 3 years.
We bought another herb kit for our AeroGrow and I set that up as well. This year we will have parsley, mint, Italian basil, purple basil, chives, dill and thyme. (Yes, we will have a LOT of basil this season. We like basil.) I can't wait for everything to start sprouting. I have especially missed having fresh dill this winter. I didn't transplant the dill from the AeroGrow in time last year and it died. Then I bought 2 dill plants on 2 separate occasions that looked lovely at the grocery store and promptly died about 12 hours after I brought them home. The chives and Italian basil from last Spring are still going strong, though, and the purple basil just died a couple of weeks ago because I think it finally got too cold in the apartment for it.
While I busied myself with the planting, Jason took apart our PS3 to try to figure out why it's acting up. It's cute when he's handy and geeky like that.
In the background of the above picture are my tomato plants from last Spring. I cleaned out all the dead growth last weekend and right now there are about 15 tiny green tomatoes and probably 50 blossoms. I figure I'll just let these plants keep going until I get seedlings for this year and then I'll dig out the old plants and plant the new ones in their place.
I also took the opportunity to plant my seeds for this year's growing.
You can't really read the labels, so I'll just tell you I'm growing cinnamon basil, sage, lime basil, rosemary, and, of course, tomatoes. This little peat greenhouse thing came with 36 starters. I put the rest of the peat pellets in a ziploc bag and figure I won't have to buy a new seed starting kit for 3 years.We bought another herb kit for our AeroGrow and I set that up as well. This year we will have parsley, mint, Italian basil, purple basil, chives, dill and thyme. (Yes, we will have a LOT of basil this season. We like basil.) I can't wait for everything to start sprouting. I have especially missed having fresh dill this winter. I didn't transplant the dill from the AeroGrow in time last year and it died. Then I bought 2 dill plants on 2 separate occasions that looked lovely at the grocery store and promptly died about 12 hours after I brought them home. The chives and Italian basil from last Spring are still going strong, though, and the purple basil just died a couple of weeks ago because I think it finally got too cold in the apartment for it.
While I busied myself with the planting, Jason took apart our PS3 to try to figure out why it's acting up. It's cute when he's handy and geeky like that.
In the background of the above picture are my tomato plants from last Spring. I cleaned out all the dead growth last weekend and right now there are about 15 tiny green tomatoes and probably 50 blossoms. I figure I'll just let these plants keep going until I get seedlings for this year and then I'll dig out the old plants and plant the new ones in their place.
Monday, March 02, 2009
Fear
The other night we had dinner with some friends. These are relatively new friends who know hardly any of our stories. At some point during the conversation, we told them about Jason's accident a couple of years ago, when he rolled his car on the way back to Providence from Cambridge. As Jason described what happened and how it felt to be driving 70 miles per hour one second and the next second to be sliding across the highway upside down in his car, I shuddered a bit. The relief I felt that night knowing that he got out of the car and walked to the ambulance overshadowed the realization of just how close I came to losing him. Every so often now it hits me and I feel the urge to go give him a tight hug and tell him I love him.
It's also been a big lesson to me of the fact that I need to listen to that little voice in my head. That night, Jason and I had argued for the seventy millionth time about our relationship. He left my apartment later than he usually did and when he walked out the door, I was mad at him. As he was leaving, I clearly thought that I should ask him to stay and sleep on the couch, but I was stubborn. A couple hours later he called me to tell me he had rolled his car and he was fine and they were taking him to the hospital if I wanted to drive down. When I saw his car the next day, I nearly burst into tears.
I've decided that one of the hardest things for me about love is that fear that something might happen to the person I love. I picture Jason and me being together for many years, having kids, sharing a long life together. But in the back of my mind is the worry that it might not work out that way at all. I keep that worry under control most of the time, but sometimes it peeks out.
It's also been a big lesson to me of the fact that I need to listen to that little voice in my head. That night, Jason and I had argued for the seventy millionth time about our relationship. He left my apartment later than he usually did and when he walked out the door, I was mad at him. As he was leaving, I clearly thought that I should ask him to stay and sleep on the couch, but I was stubborn. A couple hours later he called me to tell me he had rolled his car and he was fine and they were taking him to the hospital if I wanted to drive down. When I saw his car the next day, I nearly burst into tears.
I've decided that one of the hardest things for me about love is that fear that something might happen to the person I love. I picture Jason and me being together for many years, having kids, sharing a long life together. But in the back of my mind is the worry that it might not work out that way at all. I keep that worry under control most of the time, but sometimes it peeks out.
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