uh.oh.

This is what it says about gemini's today:
"Jumping to conclusions or saying you can do something impossible will not bode well. Let things unfold naturally. A look at your attributes may lead to a better position but remember, you may have to pick up some new additional credentials."
I'm not sure how to interpret this, but it doesn't seem good. Thankfully, i don't put much stock in astrological forecasts.

me.on.piano.

I recorded this on my camera for my grandmother. She always used to like listening to me play, but isn't able to make the trek up to cold boston, and doesn't have a piano of her own. I figured it was easier to post it here than try and e-mail it, and as a bonus, you can all listen too. This is the george winston version of pachelbel's canon- the one i'm forced to play every time i'm at the b's when the girls are going to bed. I do love it...

thank.goodness.

I got an interview. Don't know when it is yet, but i got one. It's an hour long with a 15 min "live writing sample" at the end. Who knows what that's about, but i'm not worried. This blog has given me lots of practice with writing. Though i do tend to skip capitalization and proper punctuation when i try to write in real life. Hmm. Maybe i should step up my game online so i don't embarrass myself in real life. You should have seen how long it took me to edit my application essay. Hopefully i'll hear from them tomorrow about when i can come in. Then i'll ask what the ratio of interviewees to available slots is. Hopefully it's 1:1.

*Update: the interview is on tuesday may 13th at 10am. Every last one of you will have to be crossing your fingers extra tight that day. I have no more info on the number of interviews given. The woman i spoke to was the assistant to the dean, and didn't have that info for me. Blast.

banana.bread.

I make banana bread every so often. It's definitely my favorite breakfast treat, but i'm very particular about the consistency and flavor. The perfect loaf would be dense and moist on the inside, but crunchy on the outside. I don't like recipes that use oil (they're usually too moist in a greasy way) so only use ones with butter. I've tried more recipes than i can count, and haven't found the perfect one. When i came across fifteen frozen bananas in my freezer, i decided to bake some bread before i ran out of room. Rather than picking one recipe, i looked at them all, and wrote my own. I never take into consideration the amount of banana, but just put in as much as i have. Other than that, i mixed up the types of sugar (used both white and brown in a 2:1 ratio), and took the best parts of all the other recipes. I ran out of room in my mixer since i tripled an average batch (and i have the extra large 6 qt mixer bowl), so had to beat the liquidy stuff and then stir it into the flour in a separate bowl. Other than killing my arm, it seemed to work well, especially since you're not supposed to over mix it. No chance that would happen! It baked up pretty well, and despite looking overcooked on the outside, it was just right all around. I may have finally found my perfect recipe- though next time i'll cut it back a little so i can fit it all in the bowl!

game.night.2.

I don't tend to be a "last minute" type of person. This is partly because i like things to be planned, but mostly because i'm usually busy, and don't have the availability for last minute plans. Today was an exception. During my marathon cleaning session, i thought about how nice it would be to have a game night again. I love games, and don't play them nearly enough. After calling around a little, i managed to convince andrea and et#1 to come over. (I think they really came because i mentioned i was making banana bread.) Et#1 brought salad with homemade dressing, and i whipped up my favorite zucchini pie for dinner. We also enjoyed some mikes. For games, the focus tonight was on yahtzee. Andrea was fairly new to this, but caught on quickly. Et#1 and i both had our own strategies. Hers consisted of always trying to get yahtzee regardless of how unlikely it was. Mine focused on getting the highest numbers for the top section in order to secure the extra 35 points. In terms of risk, i played it safe while she bet it all. We had two rounds. The first et#1 rolled three yahtzees. If i hadn't seen it with my own eyes, i wouldn't have believed it. Those extra 250 points made her total 470. I finished with 254, and andrea with 279. She wasn't so lucky with the second go around, and only made it to 217, while i stayed consistent at 251 and andrea dropped to 204. By this point it was getting late, and since it's a school night, we put our score sheets away for next time. I'm hoping to make this a somewhat regular event- maybe monthly? Or biweekly? Or nightly? I really like games.

look.what's.cooking...

..in our backyard. I saw the steam when i was cleaning the kitchen, and assumed it was from a dryer. Imagine my shock when this is what i found instead. I like how the guy on the right still has a distinguishable head complete with eyes. They kind of look like greyhounds.

new.again.

During the summer of '98, i splurged on this watch. I loved it, and wore it every day and every night. When the battery died the first time, i quickly packed it back in its box (which i saved) and shipped it back to the swiss army factory to have it replaced by an authorized dealer (in order to keep the warranty valid). It cost $5, and they removed a link from the bracelet for free. When the battery died the second time, i meant to do the same thing. That was over two years ago. Actually, well over two- probably more like four now that i think about it. I missed it, but the loneliness dissipated over the years, as i've had many temporary watches in the meantime. Today i woke up, and decided to get the battery replaced. I'm not sure what reminded me of it, or why it had to happen today, but that was the plan. I put it on my wrist, and vowed to wear it until it was fixed- even if that took a week. After bookclub and an eventful stop at the container store, et#1, andrea and i popped over to et#1's recommended jewelry store. Five minutes and $8.50 later, i left with a newly functional watch on my wrist. It had been so long since i'd worn it that it now feels like a brand new watch, one i didn't even have to pay for. Fabulous.

stephanie.loses.it.(again).

It's a good thing monday was a holiday for us bostonians because i needed most of the morning to rest up. Sunday was a rough night. While i can't go into details here, most of you know why this summer's probably going to suck for me. Talking about that, coupled with the school thing (still haven't heard about an interview), started me off on the wrong foot. Add a wine tasting with dinner, and it's bad news. To spare you all the details, let's just say i walked home, took a 30 min shower, and didn't get out of bed until 11:30 the next morning. And accidentally e-mailed andrea's old boyfriend. Whoops. I was at the point where i thought i was out of luck with school since i'd yet to hear from them (they said they'd contact us within the first few weeks of april- so by a week or so ago), and was putting off sending an e-mail to see if they'd already selected the interview-ees. Somehow it was easier not to know rather than know i wasn't selected. I'd also pretty much stopped watching tv since the writers strike really added to my stress. I'm a planner, and not even being able to plan on watching a tv show made my life feel way too up in the air. However, today bought me another week of relaxation on the school front when the cls at mgh met with one of the admissions faculty members who confirmed that they've yet to make any decisions on the interview-ees. She put in a few more good words for me, so my confidence level is back up a bit. I expect this to last no more than another week, so hopefully i'll hear from them before that. Then if i can just figure out the new tv schedule, i'll feel like i have a bit of a handle on my life. Sorry g.

cooking.night...

...at dali's house. On the menu: olive tapenade with crusty french bread, mixed salad, stuffed peppers, and mini-financiers au miel (honey almond bites). Everything was delicious, per usual. The stuffed peppers (on the right) had this unbelievably good rice/currant/cinnamon filling that i will definitely try again. I made the dessert this time, and got the recipe from clotilde dusoulier's cookbook, chocolate & zucchini, which andrea gave me. They were quite easy to make, and quite delicious as well. Definitely a keeper. When i was looking for a good dessert recipe, i spent about 2 hours perusing food sites including epicurious and allrecipes. When nothing struck me as just right, i grabbed this book, and immediately found several options i wanted to try. Narrowing it down to one was the tricky part, but i'm happy with the outcome. There they are on the left. The recipe made 22 mini muffins, and when we left, there were only two left. Mmm.mmm. Since dali's husband was home, we got him to take a picture of the four of us (and the two babies i'm petting). Here we are!

7-6.

Pedroia, ellsbury, i love you.

ouch.

Oh crap. Stupid kotchman.

out.

Woooo hoooooo!!! Okajima saves the day!

danger.of.frost.

I'm planning some container gardening for our porch. Today, andrea and i went to home depot to buy dirt and planters. I got some seeds the other day, and am currently debating whether it's too early to plant them. Everything says to plant "after the danger of frost has passed," and as far as i can tell, boston appears to be in the april 1-30th category for average last frost. It's april 21st. Is it close enough? I'm quite impatient, and really want some herbs, veggies and flowers to brighten up our porch. However, i don't want them to die when we get some freak frost on may 1st. After checking out weather.com, i think i might risk it. The low temperatures for the rest of the month don't look to go below 40 or so. Cross your fingers for me!

like.dislike.

I like...
..that my dad still uses the same keychain i bought him over twenty years ago. I found it at a rest stop while on a family road trip as a kid. It was the first (and likely last) time i'd seen something with his name on it, so i borrowed $3.50 from my mom and bought it for his birthday present. Once gold, it's now mostly silver, but the black lettering of his name seems to have survived surprisingly well.

I dislike...
..piano music in keys with sharps. Flats are fine, and even the keys of g and d (which have one and two sharps respectively) are okay. Once you add more than two sharps, i get all messed up, and invariably play them as flats the first few times. I'm not sure why this is the case (especially considering my last name), but it's been this way as long as i can remember.

poulet.

Last night i roasted another chicken. After my first shot several months ago, i was much more confident. I forgot to get lemons, so i used grapefruit along with fresh rosemary (we have a little plant growing on our windowsill), garlic and butter. It was delicious! The only thing i have to work on now is the carving!

it's.beautiful.

And it smells nice. 64 deg and sunny. I'm not working until 2, so went out for a run. I took the 4 mile route that i used to run all the time, but haven't done in a while. I even had new music to listen to on my ipod! I did get a little sunburn on my forehead since my hair was all pulled back.
Tomorrow's the 17th, which means it'll be exactly two months until my 30th birthday. After watching the biggest loser finale on tivo, i've decided to try out my own two month competition. When i run, i eat healthy, so as long as i can set up a running schedule and stick to it, i should be good. If anyone else wants to do it with me, that would be great- i do well with competition.

clinique.

Gift with purchase at macy's from april 20th- may 4th. Thank goodness. I ran out of my moisturizer, and since i refuse to buy anything there without getting something free, i've been using crappy stuff for a while. I figured it didn't make a huge difference, so went to cvs and got some oil of olay moisturizer that i used to use (like, eight years ago). My face was so dry and stingy after using it for three days that i gave up and have been using leftover samples, etc. I'll be picking up a nice new bottle, and my face will be happy again.

sometimes.i'm.cranky.

I've been irritable recently. Not sure why, but if you've felt slighted, i apologize. It's the type of irritableness where every little thing seems to annoy and exasperate me- much more than normal. I'm tempted to blame it on the school thing- it's been exactly two weeks since the deadline for applications, and i was told i'd hear from them in a couple of weeks if they want to interview me (the next necessary step in the admission process). I'm waiting until friday before i get nervous. While it would be convenient to blame it on school, i'm not big on this idea. Sometimes you need to just accept the crankiness to move on- not find excuses that make it okay. So i'm going to work on realizing that everyone's not out to get me. No use in being paranoid as well.

i.could.always.be.a.seamstress.

Had a huge sleepover with seven kids- the three girls and four belmont kids (ages: 4-9yrs). We do this every year when one set of parents hosts a "dance party" in a club downtown. We also make pajama pants for all the kids, and they color their own shirt. Since i haven't had a ton of time, i sewed the pants at their house saturday evening while they were watching a movie. All in all, it took me a total of three hours to complete all seven pair, but that included breaks for making them dinner, etc. By the last pair, i was a pro, and finished them in 16 mins flat. I guess i have another option if i don't get into school for next year. We all had a great time, but i was beat. Took an hour and a half long nap when i got home on sunday.

am.i.an.old.dog?

I've been playing some guitar hero 3 recently. (Trying to get back to my teenage boy roots.) Mostly late at night or early in the morning since that seems to be the only time i have free anymore. (It's amazing how quickly time flies when you're playing "just one more song.") Here's my problem- i'm stuck in the medium difficulty level. In most cases, it's not really challenging for me (except with one really obnoxious song that shouldn't be as hard as it is on medium). It's getting a little predictable, actually. The trouble comes when i try to move up to hard. I have five fingers- four that are able to press buttons. In medium, it uses four buttons, so i've trained myself to associate each color with a finger- pretty easy. In hard it uses five buttons, so you have to move your fingers around a little- not so easy anymore. If that were it- just adding another button- it would just take a little practice, but be more attainable in the long run. Unfortunately, they also add more notes to throw you off. How am i supposed to retrain myself to play an extra key while also paying attention to all these tricky tempos and doubles? I've done it successfully for two songs, but have been boooooed off for far too many. I'm getting a complex. Can't i learn any new tricks?

good.job!

ET#1 had her defense today. Andrea and i tagged along for the first part, and learned what we could about p53- the "guardian of the genome", and G3BP1 and 2 (try saying that three times fast)- binding proteins associated with cancer. Although most of the specifics were over my head, i got a much better idea of what she's been doing all this time. I also watched the people who did understand, and they seemed to be nodding along pretty regularly, and came up with some good questions at the end. During the hour et#1 was out with the jury, andrea and i hung out on a bench, walked up and down flights of stairs, took a few elevators, and eventually found our way to the party before it had even started. I'm glad i could be there! Congratulations et#1, phd.

cydwoq.(sidewalk).

I want these boots. Badly. It's a good thing they don't have them in my size or i'd be trying to justify buying them.


(I added a picture so i can look at them every day. I'm even more in love now. Et#1 did point out that i can get them from the manufacturer's website in my size (and even in brown, which i might prefer), but they're not on sale and are $150 more- something that i can not justify no matter how hard i try. You all however, need no justification in buying them for me- my 30th is coming up you know! Happy birthday stephanie!!!)

aga.

Some friends of mine are getting one of these ovens. They're getting the bright red version. So cool. The kitchen is a great taupe color with dark wood cabinets, so the oven will really stand out. I guess the other option they were considering was the cream color, but that's definitely the safe way out. I've never actually seen one of these, but can't wait to cook something in it.

i'd.really.like.some.

Does anyone have any red sox tickets they'd like to share with me? Please?

stranger.danger.

I had an absolutely terrifying nightmare.
It began with a weekly tv show that people experience instead of just watching. There was something dangerous, and each week you were left with a different type of clue as to how much danger you were in. The thing was the same (though you didn't know what it was until the end), but each week it got worse. In the dream, i came to an apartment and found a package outside. I opened it, and found something relatively harmless. (I don't remember what it was though.) Then i chose to accept the danger, and had a brief encounter with the thing. Each week it got worse, and even though i technically had the option of saying no, i couldn't. One week the package contained serious first aid stuff. Not just your run of the mill band aids and neosporin. I talked with people who'd seen the show, and they didn't seem to think it was a big deal. Still though, i was nervous. Things are a little fuzzy here, but the result was that i was attacked by a cat. In real life, you might leave with a few scratches, but in my nightmare it was far worse. I couldn't fight back for some reason, and this cat was crazy (and bigger than a normal cat too). I was terrified- even woke myself up by saying something in my sleep. I think i couldn't see the cat, which made everything worse. (Kind of like why i don't like swimming in dark water- you never know what kind of crazy fish are around you.) I finally got out, and was covered in cat gashes. My face had a few long claw marks, but they were pretty light. My arms were a different story. They had much deeper scratches going in all different directions.
I'm not sure what to make of this. Reading it now, it doesn't sound like such a big deal, but i honestly don't think i've ever been this terrified in a nightmare. I was just starting to like cats too!

my.parents.rock.

Today's my parents' 34th wedding anniversary. Happy anniversary guys! We love you!

product(s).review.

As i mentioned in one of my previous posts, i've been trying out lots of different eye moisturizers. Since i refuse to pay a ridiculous amount for a tiny tube (especially without knowing that i'll love it), i get samples at sephora from time to time. I go in, explain that i'm looking for a new eye cream, and ask if i can get a couple samples to compare. I usually leave with three to four packets of two different creams- enough to last me for about a month. So far i've tried five different kinds; decleor moisturising gel-cream, clinique all about eyes, cosmedicine opti-mologist, murad essential-c eye cream and caudalie contour cream. Since there is more than one product, i'll have to change the format of my usual reviews, and take them one at a time;

decleor:
Uses a caffeine derivative and plant-based firming agents to firm, and reduce puffiness and under eye circles. This is very light, almost gel-like, and goes on smoothly.

clinique:
This seems to focus on reducing puffiness and dark circles rather than preventing wrinkles, though it does claim to reduce the appearance of fine lines. It's very similar in texture to the decleor, and i can feel it tightening a little when i first apply it.

cosmedicine:
This claims to have light diffusing crystals that help reduce the appearance of under eye circles. It also softens lines and wrinkles and reduces puffiness. This one doesn't contain water, and is much thicker than every other moisturizer i tried. The woman at sephora told me to rub the cream in my fingers a little to soften if up before applying to my eye area.

murad:
Claims to "renew, brighten and firm the delicate eye area." This also contains an spf of 15, which might be important to some people.

caudalie:
If i remember correctly, this one contains grape seed extracts and claims to reduces lines, puffiness and dark circles. It's fairly light, and feels a bit silky on the skin.


I tried each moisturizer for several weeks, and am still using some of them up. Here's how they stacked up;

i didn't like:
The murad. The spf15 stung my eyes even though i tried to keep it out of them. Other than that, i didn't notice much difference between this and most of the others i tried. It's probably for the best since this was the most expensive, at $66 for 0.5oz. Ouch.

in the middle:
Clinique, caudalie, and decleor. These all kept my eye area moisturized without stinging my eyes. I didn't notice a huge difference in dark circles, and i don't have any wrinkles or puffiness to speak of, so i can't really comment on that.

i loved:
The cosmedicine. The difference in consistency with this one really made it for me. It was also the only one where i could see a difference, rather than just knowing it was preventing future problems. It brightened and smoothed my under eye area, and made it easier to apply makeup. While i won't be buying this for a while, i'll certainly request it when i make my next trip for samples.

Grade:
decleor: b
clinique: b
cosmedicine: a+
murad: c-
caudalie: b

mandy's.twenty.ten!

Say,
happy birthday mandy!

squeak.

I'm sorry, but who would not only pay $94 for these shoes, but wear them as well?

(Update- the link died, and while updating it, i learned that the $94 shoe is really just a copy of the original, which sells for $359. In retrospect, $94 is a steal! I also learned that zappos has a fancy section where they sell all the cool shoes- couture.zappos.com instead of just www.zappos.com.)

in.case.you.were.wondering.

What happens to gum if you swallow it?

When i was a kid, i was in awe of a neighbor who was a year older than me. She had an answer to everything, and i believed everything she said. When we found more little rocks in a dirt patch we'd just cleaned, she explained that they fall from the sky at night. Swallowing gum? It gets stuck in your stomach, and makes it so you can't poop. Now i know better, but thought it would be a good question to post. Here's what really happens...

"Chewing gum has five basic ingredients- sweeteners, corn syrup, softeners, flavors and gum base (the part that puts the "chew" in chewing gum). The first four ingredients are soluble, meaning they dissolve in your mouth as you chew. Gum base doesn't. And although it isn't meant to be swallowed, if it is, it simply passes through your system, just like popcorn or any other form of roughage. It starts traveling down your esophagus, into your stomach, enters the small intestine, and makes its way to the large intestine. This normally takes only a few days."

They say that if you swallow an exorbitant amount of gum it could create blockage, but we're talking multiple packs worth, not just a piece or two. I guess aly wasn't always the best source for information.

it's.et#1's.birthday!

Everyone say...

happy birthday et#1!!!

I hope you have a fabulous day!

biggest.loser.

Do any of you watch the biggest loser? I love it. I'm tearing up, and i don't cry easily. How can you pick between jay and mark? I love these guys- they're so motivational and all get along so well. If i were on the show, i'd be tagging along with ali and mark. There's nothing like some good competition to boost the motivation.

all.set.

I did it. I got all my application material turned in on time. It was a close call though. I had a folder of stuff in my car, but some of it was duplicates. A. read over my essay and made some suggestions so i had two of those, i had mgh reprint my volunteer hours so i had two of those, etc. So when i went to turn stuff in yesterday, i forgot to leave my resume. I also learned that they hadn't received my reference from the child life specialist i work with. Turned out she'd mailed it, but it hadn't arrived yet. They're ridiculously strict on when things are received, but said she could fax a copy in today to act as a place holder. So when i finally talked to them 15 mins before the deadline, everything was in and set. Now i just have until the end of april to find out if i get an interview, and if that happens, i'll have to wait until mid june to find out if i'm accepted. Maybe it'll be my birthday present. I'll have to have a huge party!