Setting me loose on the unsuspecting populace of a sick small town at 7:40 this morning was, perhaps, a mistake. Not because I'm inherently evil (tho I am) or because I have an appointment at 9ish. Or even because for some bob-awful reason I had cash. Oh no.
It was a mistake because I ran out of soda at about midnight. And I haven't slept since. I've watched bad movies, and read bad books, and made fun of both (in my head). But I did not sleep. Because I had no caffeine. This is serious problem.
Perhaps I didn't tell about last week? (I think it was last week... specifics a bit hazy....) Some chick got mugged (kinda) outside my house on monday evening. But by then I had been out of soda for, like, 2 whole hours. And it was 6:30, so Kmart was closed. And the incompetent grocery store was out of soda, so I had no caffeine. So I tried the one across the street, and *they* had not the right brand. And none of the gas stations on the way home had it. And some ditz in a car tried to run me over, and didn't have her lights on.
Dude, important point here- j. needs a new set of knees. She waaaaay deep in debt. She not be unhappy if some brain dead insured type hit her, break knees, and *pay for new ones*. This not a problem. However, driving down the middle of the street, in the dark, without your headlights on, then swearing at sweet, innocent, law abiding j because you're a dumbass, that not ok. And unlike hot boy/boy nekkid party, it not even ok in theory. (mmm, boys....)
Sorry, where was I?
Oh, yeah. Caffeine + me= good
Me-caffeine = Bad.
I hit the grocery store (which is down to 3 bottles now, I pick up more tonight....), starbucks (cafffffeeeeeiiiiiinnnnnneeeee!!!!!!!!!) and the bakery in about 5 minutes. I into town and back in 23 minutes, give or take. With bad knees. And no caffeine. It a motivator. And a mood altering wassname. I loves it.
And I feel sorry for anyone who runs into me when I not got any, and can't get more. I've seen rabid angry dogs who were better behaved.
j.
May 20, 2007
Expanding my musical horizons
So normally, when I want to get my brain working (happens very rarely) I pop in some JS Bach and Fugue my way to a happy brain.
But I've been told there's more to old dead guy music of the possibly mind expanding variety than just dusty old Bach and Mozart. I'm told there's a Beethoven guy too. Crazy, I know.
So I wandered out into the ever seeing vastness of the internets and located me some Beethovens (no, not the dog, or the movie about the dog).
I'm listening to it right now, actually. Picked up some piana sonatas. I'm about halfway thru the first now. 21 in C major, op 5 blah blah blah. So... rather than let the music pull me into working brain, all the first.. wassname (movement?) anyway, the "allegro" one, all it made me think was... "how the hell do you make your fingers move that freaking fast? and what was he on when he wrote that?"
It's like listening to angsty anime on fast forward. Does he like me? he hates me, he loves me, he dumped me, he's screwing my best friend, he looked at me, he wants me, he's changing schools.... I mean... Change pace, fine, but this is like getting tossed in and dragged out of a wind tunnel every 30 seconds or so.
Maybe it's just the pianna players interpretation? If not, I gonna have to stick to the more mundane Beethoveny stuff, 9th symphony and all that.
I guess I just not sophisticated enough to appreciate it. But damn, how do your fingers move that fast?
And yes, this is school related- Bach calms me down, makes my brains run happy. It's like drugs, only cheaper. "Hey kid, try some Fugue, you'll like it, everyone's doing it. All the cool kids. You wanna be cool, don't you? "
Oh man, I'm the street peddler of music that gives most people headaches. Now if only it paid like drug dealing and prostitution.
j.
But I've been told there's more to old dead guy music of the possibly mind expanding variety than just dusty old Bach and Mozart. I'm told there's a Beethoven guy too. Crazy, I know.
So I wandered out into the ever seeing vastness of the internets and located me some Beethovens (no, not the dog, or the movie about the dog).
I'm listening to it right now, actually. Picked up some piana sonatas. I'm about halfway thru the first now. 21 in C major, op 5 blah blah blah. So... rather than let the music pull me into working brain, all the first.. wassname (movement?) anyway, the "allegro" one, all it made me think was... "how the hell do you make your fingers move that freaking fast? and what was he on when he wrote that?"
It's like listening to angsty anime on fast forward. Does he like me? he hates me, he loves me, he dumped me, he's screwing my best friend, he looked at me, he wants me, he's changing schools.... I mean... Change pace, fine, but this is like getting tossed in and dragged out of a wind tunnel every 30 seconds or so.
Maybe it's just the pianna players interpretation? If not, I gonna have to stick to the more mundane Beethoveny stuff, 9th symphony and all that.
I guess I just not sophisticated enough to appreciate it. But damn, how do your fingers move that fast?
And yes, this is school related- Bach calms me down, makes my brains run happy. It's like drugs, only cheaper. "Hey kid, try some Fugue, you'll like it, everyone's doing it. All the cool kids. You wanna be cool, don't you? "
Oh man, I'm the street peddler of music that gives most people headaches. Now if only it paid like drug dealing and prostitution.
j.
disturbing lab
So... (yes, school, again)
About three weeks ago now, we had a lab where for half of it we watched videos of strange stuff, and for half of it we tested reflexes and brain stuff on each other.
The second half wasn't bad. I did lose my ring, tho... and learned I have a freaking huuuuuge blind spot in my right eye. Big surprise.
The video, tho, was really disturbing. We watched (and were lectured on) a decerebrated frog, pigeon (here after called "flying rat") and a cat.
Just in case you don't get what that means, they take out all the fun parts of the brain, and basically just leave a pulse and respiration. Oh, and reflexes. Sort of.
So first was the frog. Who stood funny, kinda hunched. Didn't go anywhere, obviously, since it's brain was gone. Then they showed a frog with a cut across... brain stem, maybe? something like that. It looked like green slime. I'm not sure it was really alive. It was gross. Anyway, they played with those two (and a live, brain having one) for a couple minutes, then suddenly there's one pinned thru what I'm gonna call the nose, and they're doing weird stuff to it. Good thing I don't eat frogs.
Then the pigeon. Apparently, when you take a flying rat's brain away, it's still a flying rat. A blind one, and totally uninterested in food or other rats, but still, it flies, leans, does all it's need to move stuff just fine. Damned flying rats. The made one (I think it still had a brain) ride around on a birdy merry-go-round, to watch its head tick. Funness.
Then it was on to the interesting stuff. Ten minutes of kittens, some guy in a cage with 10 kittens, and all the neato stuff you can do with a live, healthy cat (if you don't like your arms), like drop it from not very high and upside down and watch it flip around. Or make it's head spin. Or about half a dozen other things.
Then suddenly we're in a lab. And there is a cat in what cen best be described as a cat stand. A cat which, missing most of it's brain (and looking like, rather than put the skin and stuff back, they just painted over the skull with tar) was acting like my mothers dog. Just kinda lying there with its tongue out. 'parently, when you take out the front of a cat's brain, it isn't really a cat anymore. The guy couldn't get it to do any of the stuff a "normal" cat would, even when he flipped it over (showing off a wicked trach(sp)) to show that it wouldn't flip its head around. I don't think he dropped it tho... It woulda kinda gone "thunk".
So there's a floppy beanbag cat, without a brain (basically) and this guy just flipping it around. On the video. For us. Well, and "many" classes in the past. They're supposed to be old videos. Ok....
Yeah, really gross.
Did I mention I get tested on this?
blech.
j.
About three weeks ago now, we had a lab where for half of it we watched videos of strange stuff, and for half of it we tested reflexes and brain stuff on each other.
The second half wasn't bad. I did lose my ring, tho... and learned I have a freaking huuuuuge blind spot in my right eye. Big surprise.
The video, tho, was really disturbing. We watched (and were lectured on) a decerebrated frog, pigeon (here after called "flying rat") and a cat.
Just in case you don't get what that means, they take out all the fun parts of the brain, and basically just leave a pulse and respiration. Oh, and reflexes. Sort of.
So first was the frog. Who stood funny, kinda hunched. Didn't go anywhere, obviously, since it's brain was gone. Then they showed a frog with a cut across... brain stem, maybe? something like that. It looked like green slime. I'm not sure it was really alive. It was gross. Anyway, they played with those two (and a live, brain having one) for a couple minutes, then suddenly there's one pinned thru what I'm gonna call the nose, and they're doing weird stuff to it. Good thing I don't eat frogs.
Then the pigeon. Apparently, when you take a flying rat's brain away, it's still a flying rat. A blind one, and totally uninterested in food or other rats, but still, it flies, leans, does all it's need to move stuff just fine. Damned flying rats. The made one (I think it still had a brain) ride around on a birdy merry-go-round, to watch its head tick. Funness.
Then it was on to the interesting stuff. Ten minutes of kittens, some guy in a cage with 10 kittens, and all the neato stuff you can do with a live, healthy cat (if you don't like your arms), like drop it from not very high and upside down and watch it flip around. Or make it's head spin. Or about half a dozen other things.
Then suddenly we're in a lab. And there is a cat in what cen best be described as a cat stand. A cat which, missing most of it's brain (and looking like, rather than put the skin and stuff back, they just painted over the skull with tar) was acting like my mothers dog. Just kinda lying there with its tongue out. 'parently, when you take out the front of a cat's brain, it isn't really a cat anymore. The guy couldn't get it to do any of the stuff a "normal" cat would, even when he flipped it over (showing off a wicked trach(sp)) to show that it wouldn't flip its head around. I don't think he dropped it tho... It woulda kinda gone "thunk".
So there's a floppy beanbag cat, without a brain (basically) and this guy just flipping it around. On the video. For us. Well, and "many" classes in the past. They're supposed to be old videos. Ok....
Yeah, really gross.
Did I mention I get tested on this?
blech.
j.
cheap student soup
Ok, you may not have realised it yet, but I have what is perhaps the most complete pantry of any cheap/ broke student ever. I need to make it go away.
It's also really cold here, so I wanted soup. Too lazy to wait for chickpeas to cook from dry, too hungry to do anything really involved.
So I went shopping in my pantry shelf, and thru my fridge stuff.
I found all sorts of goodies, and decided to make lentil soup.
You can put just about anything in this- even meat, meaty broth, cat hair, whatever.
But I carefully restrained myself from dumping in brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cabbage. Trust me on this- the makes very stinky.
What did I use then?
One (1) big ass pot
Two (2) cups split lentils (give or take)
One (1) can peeled crushed tomatoes in sauce
One (1) whole onion, diced
One (1) zucchini, diced
One (1) bunch of unslimy spinaches rescued from the rotter, sliced into ribbons
and
Two (2) gallons water (give or take)- that's about 7L for those of you with the funny numbers
I took all that stuff, dumped it in the pot. Stuck it on the stove, over medium heat. Added spicyness as follows-
dash (really little one) wasabi powder
dash (really BIG one) cayenne pepper
dash (dash sized) garlic powder
1/2 t cumin (dashed, of course, so just a guess)
lots of cajun seasoning. Again. Probably about 2T
Oh, and a glug each of white and basalmic vinegar. And a glug of oil.
Then I covered it and wandered off.
About half an hour later, I opened it up, stirred it around, turned the temp down to low and added-
One (1) un-icky potato
One (1) nearly icky tomato
One (1) heaping dash dried cilantro.
And
One (1) whole hell of a lot of salt. I think maybe 3 heaping T worth of sea salt.
Oh, an a dash (really big- ~1T) curry powder, since the spinach made it smell like ass.
Note, at this point it was very spicy and had no flavor. If you a meaty person, this taken care of by searing your meat first, or something. If you unlazy, you can add flavor by roasting the veggies first. Or by carmelizing some/ all the onion. I lazy, tho.
So about 4 hours after I started, I decide that tasteless soup should have bread. So I pull out... molases, rye flour, white flour, honey, salt, yeast, and my fav. bowl.
worked out to ~
1T molases in way too hot water (~1c)
1T honey (again, in the water)
1T yeast (once the water cooled a bit)
The bowl got...
2C (about) white flour,
1C rye flour,
1T sea salt
1t table salt.
and after that it was just normal bread making- mix, kneed, raise, beat down, rise, shape, bake (too fast, wrong temp- again) eat.
So while I was (not really) waiting for the oven to heat, I pulled out a trusty frozen head of roasted garlics. Yes, the whole thing. popped the yummy insides out of the papery clove wrappers, mooshed them a bit and dumped the into the pot. Yum. And some more salt.
So now, 8 hours after I started, I have almost 2 gallons of (very spicy) tasty soup, most of a loaf of (not fully cooked) yummy brown bread, and a very full tummy from when I wandered to the grocery store halfway thru and picked up a bag of chips and some white choco chips.
Anyone want cheap soup?
I figure the cost to make it here was... $7ish for the soup, another buck or two for the bread?
j.
It's also really cold here, so I wanted soup. Too lazy to wait for chickpeas to cook from dry, too hungry to do anything really involved.
So I went shopping in my pantry shelf, and thru my fridge stuff.
I found all sorts of goodies, and decided to make lentil soup.
You can put just about anything in this- even meat, meaty broth, cat hair, whatever.
But I carefully restrained myself from dumping in brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cabbage. Trust me on this- the makes very stinky.
What did I use then?
One (1) big ass pot
Two (2) cups split lentils (give or take)
One (1) can peeled crushed tomatoes in sauce
One (1) whole onion, diced
One (1) zucchini, diced
One (1) bunch of unslimy spinaches rescued from the rotter, sliced into ribbons
and
Two (2) gallons water (give or take)- that's about 7L for those of you with the funny numbers
I took all that stuff, dumped it in the pot. Stuck it on the stove, over medium heat. Added spicyness as follows-
dash (really little one) wasabi powder
dash (really BIG one) cayenne pepper
dash (dash sized) garlic powder
1/2 t cumin (dashed, of course, so just a guess)
lots of cajun seasoning. Again. Probably about 2T
Oh, and a glug each of white and basalmic vinegar. And a glug of oil.
Then I covered it and wandered off.
About half an hour later, I opened it up, stirred it around, turned the temp down to low and added-
One (1) un-icky potato
One (1) nearly icky tomato
One (1) heaping dash dried cilantro.
And
One (1) whole hell of a lot of salt. I think maybe 3 heaping T worth of sea salt.
Oh, an a dash (really big- ~1T) curry powder, since the spinach made it smell like ass.
Note, at this point it was very spicy and had no flavor. If you a meaty person, this taken care of by searing your meat first, or something. If you unlazy, you can add flavor by roasting the veggies first. Or by carmelizing some/ all the onion. I lazy, tho.
So about 4 hours after I started, I decide that tasteless soup should have bread. So I pull out... molases, rye flour, white flour, honey, salt, yeast, and my fav. bowl.
worked out to ~
1T molases in way too hot water (~1c)
1T honey (again, in the water)
1T yeast (once the water cooled a bit)
The bowl got...
2C (about) white flour,
1C rye flour,
1T sea salt
1t table salt.
and after that it was just normal bread making- mix, kneed, raise, beat down, rise, shape, bake (too fast, wrong temp- again) eat.
So while I was (not really) waiting for the oven to heat, I pulled out a trusty frozen head of roasted garlics. Yes, the whole thing. popped the yummy insides out of the papery clove wrappers, mooshed them a bit and dumped the into the pot. Yum. And some more salt.
So now, 8 hours after I started, I have almost 2 gallons of (very spicy) tasty soup, most of a loaf of (not fully cooked) yummy brown bread, and a very full tummy from when I wandered to the grocery store halfway thru and picked up a bag of chips and some white choco chips.
Anyone want cheap soup?
I figure the cost to make it here was... $7ish for the soup, another buck or two for the bread?
j.
May 17, 2007
Am I the only one who studies better drunk?
For minor clarification, by drunk I mean with a couple jack and whatevers in me. And by study, I mean at all.
I've been sooooo good about the not drinking thing. And all it gets me is this totally uptight, terrified of messing up mess. So I'm too worried about doing the stuff wrong to do the assignments, and too hyper to read the damned books.
But relying on booze to get me thru school is the way of madness and meetings where they sing really lame songs about how some light in the sky makes you happy, or something. Not for me. Tho there are *any number* of functional alcoholics in my family, I'd rather not be one of them.
Funny thing is, tho- I get stuff done when I've had a couple drinks. I get nothing done without it. And I hate being drunk. It be that slippery slope thing, I think.
Of course, the school related stuff I've just spent 2 hours playing with was mostly not for *my* classes (except for the diagnosis of the obese mr. richard A.) but the online fun and games for the *vet* students, which I am not. So I was playing around in the radiographs, and the extra yummy histo slides, and the ethics lectures. because nothing's as interesting as what you're not supposed to be doing.
I think that's the trick, actually, to getting me to behave like a grown up- tell me I'm not allowed. After all, I'm not allowed to study while drinking, or go to class that way. And sure as hell it's frowned upon in labs. But it just goes so much better. Like back in elementary school, when they'd tell you to look up the vocab words, and write down the deff. and a sentence.... I'd go wandering off thru the dictionary. Much more fun. More useful too.
And yes, I do realize this is not healthy. But I figure some studying is better than no studying. And of course, lots of studying is better than either of those, but I don't see it happening, do you?
j.
I've been sooooo good about the not drinking thing. And all it gets me is this totally uptight, terrified of messing up mess. So I'm too worried about doing the stuff wrong to do the assignments, and too hyper to read the damned books.
But relying on booze to get me thru school is the way of madness and meetings where they sing really lame songs about how some light in the sky makes you happy, or something. Not for me. Tho there are *any number* of functional alcoholics in my family, I'd rather not be one of them.
Funny thing is, tho- I get stuff done when I've had a couple drinks. I get nothing done without it. And I hate being drunk. It be that slippery slope thing, I think.
Of course, the school related stuff I've just spent 2 hours playing with was mostly not for *my* classes (except for the diagnosis of the obese mr. richard A.) but the online fun and games for the *vet* students, which I am not. So I was playing around in the radiographs, and the extra yummy histo slides, and the ethics lectures. because nothing's as interesting as what you're not supposed to be doing.
I think that's the trick, actually, to getting me to behave like a grown up- tell me I'm not allowed. After all, I'm not allowed to study while drinking, or go to class that way. And sure as hell it's frowned upon in labs. But it just goes so much better. Like back in elementary school, when they'd tell you to look up the vocab words, and write down the deff. and a sentence.... I'd go wandering off thru the dictionary. Much more fun. More useful too.
And yes, I do realize this is not healthy. But I figure some studying is better than no studying. And of course, lots of studying is better than either of those, but I don't see it happening, do you?
j.
Still not dead
I'll get caught up here soon, I promise- and there's some neato lab stuff to tell aaaalllll about. No, really, Like I'm never eating cat agai... wait, I don't eat cat.
Yeah, anyway, I get caught up soon.
Yeah, anyway, I get caught up soon.
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