I have become, since moving to this deplorable city, rather misophobic and, thusly, have become quasi-obsessed about hand washing. Today I am studying at Caribou and upon entering their restroom was greeted by this interesting looking contraption. It is the Dyson Airblade, the newest innovation in hand drying equipment. It is wicked awesome. You simply place both hands into it and draw them out slowly. In only a few seconds (seriously, I was blown away at how quickly this works) blades of forced air, one on the palms and another on the backs of your hands, sweep all existing moisture from your hands. It works much the same, in principle, as those dryers that blow the water around, but not off of, your car as you exit a car wash. However, this thing really works. Amazing.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Product Review: The Dyson Airblade
I have become, since moving to this deplorable city, rather misophobic and, thusly, have become quasi-obsessed about hand washing. Today I am studying at Caribou and upon entering their restroom was greeted by this interesting looking contraption. It is the Dyson Airblade, the newest innovation in hand drying equipment. It is wicked awesome. You simply place both hands into it and draw them out slowly. In only a few seconds (seriously, I was blown away at how quickly this works) blades of forced air, one on the palms and another on the backs of your hands, sweep all existing moisture from your hands. It works much the same, in principle, as those dryers that blow the water around, but not off of, your car as you exit a car wash. However, this thing really works. Amazing.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
They call it a molestache, I call it awesome.
I feel like I've got some decent growth here. I attribute it to the fact that my chest still doth protest any further hair growth, so the hairs have revolted, marched north, and burst forth from my upper lip. Abe hates it. I love it. I'm just wondering how long it will take her before she shaves it off in my sleep.
And, oh yeah, there's no voting. I don't care what any of you say. Mustaches are gloriously "in."
p.s. -- if you click on the image to enlarge it, you will see that I have some pretty good nose hair growth as well... and my lip is kinda sweaty...that's gross...but not the mustache...that's awesome!
Thursday, March 15, 2007
A short list of "unnecessaries."
1. It is unnecessary to charge $1.61 for a bottle of Mountain Dew.
2. It is absolutely unnecessary to eat crunchy and/or malodorous foodstuffs (including but not limited to granola, pretzels, potato chips, cereal, popcorn, crackers, anything flavored with garlic, or anything crunchy that is flavored with garlic) during class.
3. It is completely unnecessary to make me write two phone numbers as reference on a check, a ridiculous request in itself, but then give me attitude when I exclaim, “Two phone numbers?!? Beatrice, if you’re trying to hit on me, I must tell you, I’m a married man. Anyway, two phone numbers is a little overkill, you’re coming across a little stalker-ish from the start, not a good game plan.”
4. It is unnecessary for the Metra Rail to offer a discount for junior high students, while charging full price for college/grad students. Who has more money? Come on!
5. It is unnecessary to make an esoteric joke about Soren Kierkegaard and Immanuel Kant, during class, that only yourself and the professor will even begin to comprehend.
6. It is unreservedly unnecessary to have your girlfriend sit on the floor, betwixt your spread legs, so that you can give her an aggressively sensual and, might I add, an excessively thorough back massage in a public arena. (seriously, we’re going on 20 minutes here…bluck, yeck, geez.)
7. It is unnecessary to make apologies for your IBS. Rather, upon rushing into a dining establishment simply demand, with some sense of authority/desperation, the location of their restroom. After taking an uncomfortable amount of time in said restroom, exit confidently and state, "Alright, now I'm ready for lunch."
2. It is absolutely unnecessary to eat crunchy and/or malodorous foodstuffs (including but not limited to granola, pretzels, potato chips, cereal, popcorn, crackers, anything flavored with garlic, or anything crunchy that is flavored with garlic) during class.
3. It is completely unnecessary to make me write two phone numbers as reference on a check, a ridiculous request in itself, but then give me attitude when I exclaim, “Two phone numbers?!? Beatrice, if you’re trying to hit on me, I must tell you, I’m a married man. Anyway, two phone numbers is a little overkill, you’re coming across a little stalker-ish from the start, not a good game plan.”
4. It is unnecessary for the Metra Rail to offer a discount for junior high students, while charging full price for college/grad students. Who has more money? Come on!
5. It is unnecessary to make an esoteric joke about Soren Kierkegaard and Immanuel Kant, during class, that only yourself and the professor will even begin to comprehend.
6. It is unreservedly unnecessary to have your girlfriend sit on the floor, betwixt your spread legs, so that you can give her an aggressively sensual and, might I add, an excessively thorough back massage in a public arena. (seriously, we’re going on 20 minutes here…bluck, yeck, geez.)
7. It is unnecessary to make apologies for your IBS. Rather, upon rushing into a dining establishment simply demand, with some sense of authority/desperation, the location of their restroom. After taking an uncomfortable amount of time in said restroom, exit confidently and state, "Alright, now I'm ready for lunch."
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Today has been, so far and by all accounts, a grand day.
Upon waking this morning, it seemed as though today would be anything but grand. Circumstances did not bode well. First of all, Moody is on Spring Break, which means that the dining rooms are closed for the next two weeks. This means Abe and I are on our own for food, which is fine, it's nothing new. It's just not what we're used to. This brings me to the second circumstance; Abe dropped me off at school today and kept on down the road towards Des Moines. Since Moody is on Spring Break, she is on vacation and will spend a few days in the DSM. That's all fine, I'm so thrilled that she will have some time with her folks and her older sister, but that means that now, it is only I who am on my own for food. Which brings me to the third circumstance; Abe took the car.
So there I am; sans food, sans wife, sans car. All of this is combined with the fact that I'm tired (I work nights on Sunday and Monday, so by the time Tuesday rolls around I'm generally ready for the weekend), with the fact that I've been trudging through nearly 700 pages of Diarmaid MacCulloch's "The Reformation" (an incredibly thorough accounting of the Reformation done by a non-Christian scholar... interesting), with the fact that I started a new class today (Contemporary Theology: it will be incredibly interesting, but looks like it is going to be freakin' tough). Like I said, the stars weren't necessarily aligned as I greeted the day.
But let’s get to the grandness. First and foremost, it is beautiful here in Wheaton. T-shirt and shorts weather. This made a short walk from campus to the downtown area of Wheaton, following my new class, absolutely delightful. As I hit the downtown, I sauntered around looking for a dining establishment. I was hungry, so what could be better than a Mexican restaurant with bottomless chips and salsa? I tell you this baldly… nothing. I strode solo into an empty restaurant, it took a few minutes for the hostess/waitress/only other person in the room to notice me, but upon doing so, she quickly furnished me with an ice-cold Pepsi and a basket of hot, salty tortilla chips. As if this wasn’t grand enough, as I ate the restaurant began to fill. I love people watching and I must say that a Mexican restaurant at 3:15 in the afternoon is a fantastic place to do so.
One of the greatest demographics of people to watch has got to be, far and away, junior high girls. To my delight, the waitress seated a group of bubbly, awkward junior high girls directly next to my booth. As the girls critiqued everyone who walked past the window, they proceeded to order. All of them, with glee, ordered virgin margaritas. At this juncture, I must reflect on my own days as junior high student. I didn’t really have “friends,” in the strictest sense of the word. And if I did have “friends,” we would never have dreamed of sitting down for margaritas after school. We’d have been lucky to stop by Mike’s 76 for a candy bar, maybe even a pop if we were lucky. Hell, I remember a time when I felt pretty darn lucky if I got 25 cents to spend at the concession stand at the pool. Where are these kids’ parents and why have they (said parents) parted so willingly with their pocketbooks? There is nothing like a blatantly pessimistic commentary of contemporary society to put me in a chipper mood. Sounds a little dark, but honestly, I love those sorts of insights.
As I headed back to campus, with a full belly and a Pellegrino in hand, I decided to stop by the campus IT office for some assistance in connecting wirelessly to the network. I signed up months ago for the ability to do so, but have never quite figured out the proxies. I digress. It took a friendly, young nerd a few minutes to get me up and running. But as I waited I listened in on the frenzied conversation of a group of excitable geeks (it must be realized that I use these descriptors quite lovingly). They were jabbering away about the motion sensors in all of the new Mac laptops. Apparently there is a new failsafe mechanism in the new Macs that stops the hard drive if there is a sudden motion (drop) so that the disk won’t get scratched. This mechanism has brought much delight to the world of Mac nerdery. Smart individuals have figured out how to tinker with this motion sensor to make pinball games where you tilt your computer to play the game. It has even been used to turn your Mac into a lightsabre; as you swing your computer through the air, it makes the appropriate lightsabre sound as you accelerate or decelerate your very own iSabre. Delightful.
So here I am; full, wirelessly connected, and quite content. Though I am without an automobile, I fear not. For the train will whisk me back to the city at precisely 9:54 pm. I will, however, be a little lonely when I arrive. I love my wife and love spending time with her. We may be a little co-dependant, so the time apart will do us good. As for food, I’ll be fine. There is a Chipotle less than 6 blocks from our apartment.
Today has been, so far and by all accounts, a grand day.
So there I am; sans food, sans wife, sans car. All of this is combined with the fact that I'm tired (I work nights on Sunday and Monday, so by the time Tuesday rolls around I'm generally ready for the weekend), with the fact that I've been trudging through nearly 700 pages of Diarmaid MacCulloch's "The Reformation" (an incredibly thorough accounting of the Reformation done by a non-Christian scholar... interesting), with the fact that I started a new class today (Contemporary Theology: it will be incredibly interesting, but looks like it is going to be freakin' tough). Like I said, the stars weren't necessarily aligned as I greeted the day.
But let’s get to the grandness. First and foremost, it is beautiful here in Wheaton. T-shirt and shorts weather. This made a short walk from campus to the downtown area of Wheaton, following my new class, absolutely delightful. As I hit the downtown, I sauntered around looking for a dining establishment. I was hungry, so what could be better than a Mexican restaurant with bottomless chips and salsa? I tell you this baldly… nothing. I strode solo into an empty restaurant, it took a few minutes for the hostess/waitress/only other person in the room to notice me, but upon doing so, she quickly furnished me with an ice-cold Pepsi and a basket of hot, salty tortilla chips. As if this wasn’t grand enough, as I ate the restaurant began to fill. I love people watching and I must say that a Mexican restaurant at 3:15 in the afternoon is a fantastic place to do so.
One of the greatest demographics of people to watch has got to be, far and away, junior high girls. To my delight, the waitress seated a group of bubbly, awkward junior high girls directly next to my booth. As the girls critiqued everyone who walked past the window, they proceeded to order. All of them, with glee, ordered virgin margaritas. At this juncture, I must reflect on my own days as junior high student. I didn’t really have “friends,” in the strictest sense of the word. And if I did have “friends,” we would never have dreamed of sitting down for margaritas after school. We’d have been lucky to stop by Mike’s 76 for a candy bar, maybe even a pop if we were lucky. Hell, I remember a time when I felt pretty darn lucky if I got 25 cents to spend at the concession stand at the pool. Where are these kids’ parents and why have they (said parents) parted so willingly with their pocketbooks? There is nothing like a blatantly pessimistic commentary of contemporary society to put me in a chipper mood. Sounds a little dark, but honestly, I love those sorts of insights.
As I headed back to campus, with a full belly and a Pellegrino in hand, I decided to stop by the campus IT office for some assistance in connecting wirelessly to the network. I signed up months ago for the ability to do so, but have never quite figured out the proxies. I digress. It took a friendly, young nerd a few minutes to get me up and running. But as I waited I listened in on the frenzied conversation of a group of excitable geeks (it must be realized that I use these descriptors quite lovingly). They were jabbering away about the motion sensors in all of the new Mac laptops. Apparently there is a new failsafe mechanism in the new Macs that stops the hard drive if there is a sudden motion (drop) so that the disk won’t get scratched. This mechanism has brought much delight to the world of Mac nerdery. Smart individuals have figured out how to tinker with this motion sensor to make pinball games where you tilt your computer to play the game. It has even been used to turn your Mac into a lightsabre; as you swing your computer through the air, it makes the appropriate lightsabre sound as you accelerate or decelerate your very own iSabre. Delightful.
So here I am; full, wirelessly connected, and quite content. Though I am without an automobile, I fear not. For the train will whisk me back to the city at precisely 9:54 pm. I will, however, be a little lonely when I arrive. I love my wife and love spending time with her. We may be a little co-dependant, so the time apart will do us good. As for food, I’ll be fine. There is a Chipotle less than 6 blocks from our apartment.
Today has been, so far and by all accounts, a grand day.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Weekly Occurance?
Two weeks ago on a Sunday I posted a blog about a mouse eating from our candy jar. That same night I had to kill a cockroach that I found in our bathtub. Brandon was at work so he had to talk me through the killing over the phone. I didn't like it, but I did it and was successful. Well, it is Sunday again and what do you think I was treated to? Yes, a cockroach followed by a mouse.
I was cleaning my bathroom and went to clean the bathtub. I flung open the curtain and there was a huge (and by huge I mean 3 inches) cockroach. Brandon had not yet left for work, so I screamed and he came to my rescue. I then scoured the bathroom with bleach and Comet because there are few things grosser to me than roaches in the place were I go to get clean! I calmed down from the big hairy fit that I threw about the roach, Brandon left for work, and I was watching T.V. Out of the corner of my eye I saw something come scurrying out of our bedroom...not a cockroach, but definitely a mouse. I sat for three hours staring at the place I saw it go.
I finally left my post about 15 minutes ago because, well, I give up. I am super disappointed in myself. After the last incident I have been telling myself that I would not freak out, but handle the situation calmly and with dignity. No such luck, maybe next Sunday?
I was cleaning my bathroom and went to clean the bathtub. I flung open the curtain and there was a huge (and by huge I mean 3 inches) cockroach. Brandon had not yet left for work, so I screamed and he came to my rescue. I then scoured the bathroom with bleach and Comet because there are few things grosser to me than roaches in the place were I go to get clean! I calmed down from the big hairy fit that I threw about the roach, Brandon left for work, and I was watching T.V. Out of the corner of my eye I saw something come scurrying out of our bedroom...not a cockroach, but definitely a mouse. I sat for three hours staring at the place I saw it go.
I finally left my post about 15 minutes ago because, well, I give up. I am super disappointed in myself. After the last incident I have been telling myself that I would not freak out, but handle the situation calmly and with dignity. No such luck, maybe next Sunday?
So sad.
Yesterday tickets were released for the show of the millennium. At 12 pm tickets to Ben Gibbard with special guest, David Bazan, went on sale and were promptly sold out by 12:05 pm. I, unfortunately, was not one of the lucky. I was/am heartbroken. Abe has been scouring Craigslist and we have a couple emails out there, but I'm not sure if it will prove fruitful. If anyone has any leads, please let me know.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Yee Haw!
After tomorrow I am officially on Spring Break!!! Wheaton has, what are called, "quad" classes. They are only 1/2 of a semester and only worth 2 credits. However, the professor seemed to cram 4 credits worth of work into 2 credits and half of the time. It was a very interesting class, but I'm glad it's over. I turned my research paper in on Tuesday, got my reading done for class tomorrow, so tonight I start Spring Break a little early. In good ol' fashion spring break style, I plan on going hog wild. But by "hog wild", I mean reading something other than text books. And by "something other than text books", I of course mean, Bill Bryson. I started his travel log on Australia, entitled "In a Sunburned Country," some time ago and have been dying to pick it up again.
Though I will unwind here for a couple of days, I will spend the majority of my Spring Break working ahead. Man, grad school is a lot of work. Abe's spring break, unfortunately, doesn't coincide with mine. So the plan is to leave her behind, head to my folks' house, pick up my little dog, and head for my grandmother's farm. I'm going to spend a few days in silence. The city has been smothering me and it's time for a break. I have a lot of school work to do, so the solitude should prove to help with productivity as well. I don't think grad school spring break is quite the same as how it was in undergrad.
Though I will unwind here for a couple of days, I will spend the majority of my Spring Break working ahead. Man, grad school is a lot of work. Abe's spring break, unfortunately, doesn't coincide with mine. So the plan is to leave her behind, head to my folks' house, pick up my little dog, and head for my grandmother's farm. I'm going to spend a few days in silence. The city has been smothering me and it's time for a break. I have a lot of school work to do, so the solitude should prove to help with productivity as well. I don't think grad school spring break is quite the same as how it was in undergrad.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Why am I such a girl?
Last semester we had a little mouse problem in our apartment. Our bedroom ceiling has dropped tile and a little mouse had made his home there. Brandon and I could hear the mouse scurrying around above our heads while we tried to sleep. The maintenance people came and put a sticky trap up in the ceiling. The mouse got caught within a few days. I haven't heard or seen any signs of a mouse since. Until tonight.
I went to get a piece of candy out of this bowl that I keep sweet things in. One of those things is chocolate. I ran across this piece of candy (see picture, I apologize for the blur). This piece of candy had obviously served as a delicious meal for one of my furry friends. So, now I know that Brandon and I are not the only occupants of our apartment. Brandon is working tonight so I have to make the brave trek from our study to our bedroom by myself. This requires me walking through the kitchen where I am positive I heard the mouse. I really don't consider myself high maintenance or girlie......but apparently I am!
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Saturday
I remember when weekends were relaxing. Today I spent 12 hours studying and writing for school. That includes a 6 1/2 hour stint at Caribou. I made some good headway on a paper I'm writing and took a big bite out of some reading that I have to do for a colloquium on this coming Friday. My brain was fried by the time I got back to the apartment tonight.
Abbey, sans husband, set off on adventures all over the city. This afternoon, she and one of her RA's took a drive to find a Gap Outlet. Not a big deal? Well, it's one of maybe 5 times that she's driven in the city thus far and she was happy to report tonight that she also did a fine job of parallel parking. If you think the parking isn't a big deal, then you've never heard the story of how our car got towed because she absolutely refused to parallel park it. Tonight she took off on a jaunt to a local movie theater with her coworker. They saw "Music and Lyrics," a Hugh Grant flick. I'm glad I had schoolwork to do.
We haven't had a lot of time together recently. So given a little time together tonight, we decided to make the most. She handed it to me in a rousing game of dice then we retired to watching Arrested Development: Season I. That show brings back a lot of good memories... our little bungalow, good friends, a friendly city, and our beloved Lucille 3 (if you ever wondered how Lucy got her name, the answer is found by watching AD).
It's odd how so many memories are tied to something as trivial as a canceled television show. Odd, but nice.
Abbey, sans husband, set off on adventures all over the city. This afternoon, she and one of her RA's took a drive to find a Gap Outlet. Not a big deal? Well, it's one of maybe 5 times that she's driven in the city thus far and she was happy to report tonight that she also did a fine job of parallel parking. If you think the parking isn't a big deal, then you've never heard the story of how our car got towed because she absolutely refused to parallel park it. Tonight she took off on a jaunt to a local movie theater with her coworker. They saw "Music and Lyrics," a Hugh Grant flick. I'm glad I had schoolwork to do.
We haven't had a lot of time together recently. So given a little time together tonight, we decided to make the most. She handed it to me in a rousing game of dice then we retired to watching Arrested Development: Season I. That show brings back a lot of good memories... our little bungalow, good friends, a friendly city, and our beloved Lucille 3 (if you ever wondered how Lucy got her name, the answer is found by watching AD).
It's odd how so many memories are tied to something as trivial as a canceled television show. Odd, but nice.
Friday, February 16, 2007
Where have we been?
Sorry for the silence from our end. It is pretty sad that our last post was 12 days ago. We have both been busy from the minute we start our days until we fall into bed at night. I have been meaning to post for a couple of days now, but every time I sit down to write I draw a complete blank. The busyness of my life has caused me to lack all capability of forming coherent sentences.
Last weekend we left town and went to Brandon's parents' house. We got to spend time with Brandon's family, celebrate our nephew's 1st birthday, and see Lucy! It was a really fun weekend for us. Here is a picture of the birthday boy as he eats his cake!
Monday, February 05, 2007
My celebrity look-alikes
| http://www.myheritage.com |
At least I look more like Scarlett Johansson than Elton John.
Brrrrr!
This is how I walked home tonight from work. It's around -10 degrees with a wind chill of around -30. A bit brisk, but I made the half-mile walk alright. I only had one problem...my eyelashes kept freezing together.Tonight at work I saw this homeless lady. I see her most every night I work. She's doubtlessly mentally unhealthy. And tonight, I'm sure, she'll be lucky if she lives to see the morning.
This is a hard city to live in. There is no end to the need. To think of doing anything is all at once, overwhelming and seemingly useless. When I was oriented at this job, I was warned that homeless people would try to sneak into the building. I thought about what I would do tonight if she tried to sneak in. What would I do?
Surrounded by the immensity and ever-present need of homelessness makes it so easy to grow cynical. It's so easy to slip into the mindset that these people can help themselves. Why worry, they've made their bed, let them sleep in it. If you don't want to be homeless quit using drugs. If you don't want to be cold tonight, try staying on your prescribed meds. If you don't want to sleep in an alley rolled up in carpet padding, go to a homeless shelter. But that attitude is just wrong, it's just so wrong.
The fact of the matter is that I deserve to be out there. Had it not been for socio-economic, geo-political, what-ever accident I could be out there in the full, deadly reality that I can't help myself up when I'm 66 feet below the bottom rung! It doesn't matter how or who got me here... I AM HERE. The gulf between my fingers and that bottom rung is too great, and it's growing each day. And, she is there. Helpless.
I've thought a lot about what I can or should be doing with the homeless and the beggars of this city. Filling backpacks with supplies. Volunteering at a shelter. Handing out food. Something, I know, is better than nothing. And I do need to do something, it's what my Master has called me to. But it's so overwhelming. There's no way that I can fill enough backpacks. There aren't enough beds in the shelters. There's never enough food. It's overwhelming. But tonight it is more than overwhelming... it's just beyond me. Tonight people will die.
Oh God, be with the homeless of this city tonight. Be with them in a miraculous way. Keep them warm in your arms in a way that defies comprehension and nature. Lord your eye is on even the smallest bird, don't look away from those in need of warmth tonight. Forgive me.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Tired!
We are in Des Moines this weekend. We came to assist my parents with my niece and nephews. Not that my parents are not fully capable, because they are. They have been watching my sister's kids for a week while she is on vacation with her husband. My parents leave Monday morning for their own vacation so Brandon and I came to give them time to get things done before they go.
Caring for three kids who are five years old and under is exhausting. Josh, Jake, and Haley are really fun children who had us laughing all day! While we are both tired tonight, and it is only 10, we are so glad we came.
UPDATE:
It wasn't a matter of exhaustion it was a matter of infestation. Some little bug has infested Abe's body. I haven't seen her this ill in our entire marriage. By the time we got home last night, she was in a miserable state. Much of the same today. But I pray that she is on the mend now. I'm wondering if it's something about the DSM. Upon conclusion of our last visit there, we both came down with something. I sure hope not, because I LOVE THAT CITY.
--brandon
Caring for three kids who are five years old and under is exhausting. Josh, Jake, and Haley are really fun children who had us laughing all day! While we are both tired tonight, and it is only 10, we are so glad we came.
UPDATE:
It wasn't a matter of exhaustion it was a matter of infestation. Some little bug has infested Abe's body. I haven't seen her this ill in our entire marriage. By the time we got home last night, she was in a miserable state. Much of the same today. But I pray that she is on the mend now. I'm wondering if it's something about the DSM. Upon conclusion of our last visit there, we both came down with something. I sure hope not, because I LOVE THAT CITY.
--brandon
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Could This Be True?
I was just reading the Readers Digest and I read a statistic that made me laugh.
"88% of female dog owners say their pet has at least one quality they would like to see in their significant other."
I would have to think really hard about a trait that Lucy has that I would want to see in Brandon. The only one I can think of is if he could wag his butt furiously every time I entered a room...yeah....that would be great.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Happy Belated Dad and Mom!
My parents turned 53 this last week. Not only do they share the same birthday, but they were born the same year. Usually, I send one card for them. That seemed cheap, so this year I sent my parents separate birthday cards. I also thought of this well in advance and knew that they would receive them on time, if not early! Well, thanks to the magnificent Chicago mail system only my Dad got his card. My mom's arrived later, or so I hope? So much for trying to be on top of things in '07.
They are a really amazing couple. I miss living close to them. Happy Birthday you two!
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Budget???
What my wife has referred to as a "budget" is but a mere euphemism for the harsh reality that now faces me. What she has labeled a "budget" might more aptly be labeled a "spending freeze." You see, dear brothers and sisters, I have not eaten "out" in what is now somewhere close to a week and a half. Being a bourgeois epicurean, I take great delight in the finer things that one, of my standing, can afford (i.e. pizza, thai food, chipotle, popeye's, etc...). In my entire life, I have never (that I can recall or venture to estimate) gone this long without indulging my palate.
In my studies I can't help but relate my own struggle with that of a late-medieval serf (brandon) to his Lady (abbey). The time would be drawing nigh to a Peasants' Rebellion of my own, had I not learned that the rebellion was ruthlessly squelched by the nobility, reinstating their hold over their lessers. If history wasn't so prone to repeating itself, I might take a stand against my lording Lady and get myself a chicken wing or some Tom Yum, but alas I will bow to her strength and might.
In my studies I can't help but relate my own struggle with that of a late-medieval serf (brandon) to his Lady (abbey). The time would be drawing nigh to a Peasants' Rebellion of my own, had I not learned that the rebellion was ruthlessly squelched by the nobility, reinstating their hold over their lessers. If history wasn't so prone to repeating itself, I might take a stand against my lording Lady and get myself a chicken wing or some Tom Yum, but alas I will bow to her strength and might.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Ramen!
We are on a budget. Brandon and I took a look at our finances over the weekend and made a budget that we will be following until May of 2008. We have made many previous attempts at budgeting, and failed miserably, but I am hopeful this one will work.
The student dining room does not serve dinner on Sundays. So, we went to the grocery store to find dinner. This was our first shopping trip with our new budget. The picture above is what we ended up with. 6 packages for $1.50! While I am almost sure there is NO nutritional value in ramen it tasted quite good. You can tell by Brandon's face the he is super happy about ramen (note sarcasm)!
Thursday, January 11, 2007
First Day of School!
Brandon had his first day of class on Monday. We took a picture to remember the day. Since his first day of class he has been reading and reading......and reading. I believe that I may have lost my huband until sometime in May.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
