Nearly One Month Later
Wow, long time no post. I think i needed a blogging break. I'm still not sure if that break is over though. Right now I'm forcing myself to post, instead of posting because I actually have something to say. Therefore be prepared for ramblings.
I haven't really been up to too too much lately. Still working, taking care of the house, dog, and husband, and trying to get ready for school (as well as all the changes that will bring about). I registered for classes earlier this week. So over the summer I'm taking Information Technology and Information Use. Info Tech should be easy (I do have a minor with the same name). I'm not sure what Info Use will be like, but I use information a lot, so.... nope, I have no clue what to expect. Then in the fall I'm taking Information Access, Information Structure, and Management and Administration for the Information Professional (how many times can you say "Information" in one sentence?). I'm expecting the summer to be pretty intense. I'm gonna have to go to Maryland twice a week, each for a 3 hour long class. But in the fall, all of my classes will be on the same day! Which means only 1 trip a week (unless I get a GA position... but for free tuition, i'd be willing to make multiple trips). I realize this will make for one insanely long Tuesday, but I'm sure I'll manage. And next Saturday is new student orientation... it's all becoming so real now. Yay!
Also, I finally jumped on the bandwagon and read The Da Vinci Code (on monday... yes, the entire thing, on one day... this is why I dont read more often, it's like an addiction for me, I really cease to function when I'm in the middle of a book). Here are my thoughts. First of all, I thought it was entertaining and a fun read. The plot was interesting enough to keep me reading (continually). I'd recommend it to people, but I probably wouldn't read it a second time. Here's what I didn't like about it. The author (Dan Brown) purposely withholding information from the reader for no good reason, forcing you to continue reading. Did it work? Sure. But it was so irritating. I mean, the characters would discover a clue in Chapter 23, and the author wouldn't reveal the contents of that clue (or would only reveal partial contents, keeping the remainder of the clue hidden) until Chapter 24. Why? What was the purpose? The only purpose was to keep you reading (as far as I can tell), which constantly made me aware that I was reading a book; as opposed to reading a story. There was this one other small thing that was more confusing than necessary. "Sometimes a character would be saying something," and the quotes would stop, meaning the character stopped talking, but the thought would continue, as if we were now reading their mind, however this information was unavailable to the rest of the characters in the book. I dont know why, but that started driving me crazy by the end of the book. Now I know that most people are interested in all the conspiracy theories presented in the book, but I choose not to discuss them in my blog.
Oh, I've also decided to share my own recipe for really good meat sauce. Here it is:
I brown a pound of ground beef, half and onion, and a clove of minced garlic. It's best if you use really fresh meat (as in buy it from the grocery store that day, don't buy it a week early and keep it in the freezer) because the meat will be more tender. Season the meat with a little salt and pepper. Once things start to brown, I add in my secret ingredient... I sprinkle a little balsamic vinegar over the meat. Not too much because it is potent stuff, but just enough to add a little extra flavor to the meat. I put it directly on the meat because I think it's absorbed best. If everyone in the world does this to their meat sauce, don't tell me. Just let me think that I came up with a great idea. After that, I add some red pepper flakes. Then once the meat is nearly all brown I add a can of diced tomatoes, drained of most of their juice (nothing fancy, just plain diced tomatoes otherwise their seasonings interfer with mine... if my parents have given me some of their canned tomatoes i prefer that, if not, I just use del monte or something like that). Once those are added I sprinkle in some dried basil (or fresh... depending on how much i've mooched off my parent's garden), a bay leaf, and whatever other italianish seasonings i feel like adding. I taste a lot along the way to see what else needs to be added. Sometimes if the sauce tastes too acidic I'll add about a teaspoon of sugar to it. And if it's too watery, I'll add about 3/4 of a cup of plain Ragu. Then you just let it simmer until your pasta is ready. There is my awesome secret meat sauce recipe. Enjoy
I haven't really been up to too too much lately. Still working, taking care of the house, dog, and husband, and trying to get ready for school (as well as all the changes that will bring about). I registered for classes earlier this week. So over the summer I'm taking Information Technology and Information Use. Info Tech should be easy (I do have a minor with the same name). I'm not sure what Info Use will be like, but I use information a lot, so.... nope, I have no clue what to expect. Then in the fall I'm taking Information Access, Information Structure, and Management and Administration for the Information Professional (how many times can you say "Information" in one sentence?). I'm expecting the summer to be pretty intense. I'm gonna have to go to Maryland twice a week, each for a 3 hour long class. But in the fall, all of my classes will be on the same day! Which means only 1 trip a week (unless I get a GA position... but for free tuition, i'd be willing to make multiple trips). I realize this will make for one insanely long Tuesday, but I'm sure I'll manage. And next Saturday is new student orientation... it's all becoming so real now. Yay!
Also, I finally jumped on the bandwagon and read The Da Vinci Code (on monday... yes, the entire thing, on one day... this is why I dont read more often, it's like an addiction for me, I really cease to function when I'm in the middle of a book). Here are my thoughts. First of all, I thought it was entertaining and a fun read. The plot was interesting enough to keep me reading (continually). I'd recommend it to people, but I probably wouldn't read it a second time. Here's what I didn't like about it. The author (Dan Brown) purposely withholding information from the reader for no good reason, forcing you to continue reading. Did it work? Sure. But it was so irritating. I mean, the characters would discover a clue in Chapter 23, and the author wouldn't reveal the contents of that clue (or would only reveal partial contents, keeping the remainder of the clue hidden) until Chapter 24. Why? What was the purpose? The only purpose was to keep you reading (as far as I can tell), which constantly made me aware that I was reading a book; as opposed to reading a story. There was this one other small thing that was more confusing than necessary. "Sometimes a character would be saying something," and the quotes would stop, meaning the character stopped talking, but the thought would continue, as if we were now reading their mind, however this information was unavailable to the rest of the characters in the book. I dont know why, but that started driving me crazy by the end of the book. Now I know that most people are interested in all the conspiracy theories presented in the book, but I choose not to discuss them in my blog.
Oh, I've also decided to share my own recipe for really good meat sauce. Here it is:
I brown a pound of ground beef, half and onion, and a clove of minced garlic. It's best if you use really fresh meat (as in buy it from the grocery store that day, don't buy it a week early and keep it in the freezer) because the meat will be more tender. Season the meat with a little salt and pepper. Once things start to brown, I add in my secret ingredient... I sprinkle a little balsamic vinegar over the meat. Not too much because it is potent stuff, but just enough to add a little extra flavor to the meat. I put it directly on the meat because I think it's absorbed best. If everyone in the world does this to their meat sauce, don't tell me. Just let me think that I came up with a great idea. After that, I add some red pepper flakes. Then once the meat is nearly all brown I add a can of diced tomatoes, drained of most of their juice (nothing fancy, just plain diced tomatoes otherwise their seasonings interfer with mine... if my parents have given me some of their canned tomatoes i prefer that, if not, I just use del monte or something like that). Once those are added I sprinkle in some dried basil (or fresh... depending on how much i've mooched off my parent's garden), a bay leaf, and whatever other italianish seasonings i feel like adding. I taste a lot along the way to see what else needs to be added. Sometimes if the sauce tastes too acidic I'll add about a teaspoon of sugar to it. And if it's too watery, I'll add about 3/4 of a cup of plain Ragu. Then you just let it simmer until your pasta is ready. There is my awesome secret meat sauce recipe. Enjoy
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