My 'I Don't Have to Run' Day

Stew came out fantastic. Meat just fell apart, which was what I was hoping for but not expecting. I'd cut the potatoes into smaller hunks next time, though; they cooked through fine, but they were too big to eat without breaking them up with the spoon. Also, I'm hoping if I make a few of them quite small, they'll cook down and thicken it a bit; it was a little thinner than ideal.



Still, it tasted wonderful, the carrots cooked perfectly, and the meat turned out much better than I'd expected, having read about tough the cut it. Definitely something I'll make again. It made enough for me to have two bowls last night, plus a tupperware full for today. It was a little oily, but I was able to skim the leftovers this morning, after they'd been in the fridge overnight. Overall, though? Success!





Spence was napping when I went to take the pics, though, so these ones are from my phone. They're...a little sad, comparatively. Ah well.

Meanwhile, back in Chico, it's raining again. Still. More. I walked to campus to meet up with a friend to study for tomorrow's linear algebra test (which? not going to be fun) but she gave me a lift back (after we hit taco bell. starving mathematicians in training gotta eat). I have to run over to the student admin building tomorrow to get some transcripts ordered to send to the REU campuses that require official transcripts. And... it's supposed to rain all of tomorrow, too. Sigh.

On a lighter note, it's that time again. Yes, time for New Words Teddy Has Learned In College (the parent-friendly edition). Up today we have:

Peripatetic

Philippic

and

Rebarbative

I was going to try to go with all words that started with P, but rebarbative was too good.

Right. Words delivered, my work here is done. *Teddy wanders off to eat stew*

I can do the laundry,

and make dinner while I'm on the phone...

Saturday, day for errands and housekeeping. Started last night, really; finished the last batch of rice when I got home (from a rugby match, but that's a later story) so I made another pot. Had that for dinner, along with the last of the jar of masala sauce J got me for Christmas:


So that was nice. Only had about 1/4 of it; half went into the freezer, and the rest into the fridge for consumption in the next few days.

So, that was last night. Got up this morning at ten, went to the bank where I got quarters for the laundry that seriously needs to get done today, came home, and started...



Stew!

I bought a little over a pound of top round (labeled London Broil) steak at Winco about a month ago for two bucks; took it home, stuck in the freezer, and stared researching what it was I had purchased. I got the crock pot for my birthday last year, and haven't really had a chance to try it out. Pay no attention to the oatmeal experiment behind the curtain. Soooo, stew!



My crock pot is only...3 quarts, I think? So the amount of meat I was able to slice away from the fat on the steak was just about perfect. Put down a layer of 3 eighthed (well, quartered isn't accurate) potatoes and covered it with a bunch of Spencer's baby carrots chopped in half, about a third of a head of chopped garlic, 2 cups (or, one large Star Trek mug) of beef broth, and the meat cup up into little hunks.



So now it's sitting down on the kitchen table, cooking on high for a few hours. I stabbed the meat for a while to tenderize it (and because it was fun). Spencer was looking at me very oddly. Also, it should be noted: raw beef and coffee are not really smells that go well together.

What I really don't like about cooking with the crock pot is that I can't fiddle it; I like to mess with my food while it's cooking (stir, taste, add to, poke with spoons), and that's really not a good idea with the crock pot. Sigh. So I'm upstairs, trying to resist the temptation to take off the lid and stir the stew every five minutes.



I started at 12:45, so I'm gonna give it about 6 hours on high and then see how it's going. I don't know how many times I'll have given in and poked at it before then, though :)



Right, load of laundry is now in. Kitchen smells all garlicy, yay!

Just got an email form the other professor I asked to write me a rec letter for the summer REU programs to which I'm applying; he says he'll do it. Thank goodness. All but two of the campuses require 2 rec letters, and I've only had (minus this semester) two math professors. Now, they've both agreed. Phew. I'm applying to seven programs, including the one here at Chico. I'd be really, really happy to get accepted to even one of them, though I have no idea how many applicants they get. Hmm, need to arrange to get transcripts sent on Monday...

But, I promised a rugby story. Yesterday I had a bunch of tests, which is nice in that you can leave when you're done. So, I was loitering in the hallway, waiting for my next class to start, when a girl I know in a we-keep-ending-up-in-classes-together-let's-be-friends kinda way, saw me and bounced over. She's a bouncy kinda person, in a very non-annoying kinda way. She asked what I was doing at three, and upon learning I was free, told me I should come to see the Chico vs. BYU women's rugby match; she's on the team, and was pretty excited about it.

So, I said sure. Friday afternoon, gorgeous day, nothing better to do with my time. And... it was a lot of fun. I left a half time (rugby is played in 40 minute halfs. Who knew?) but it was fun to watch and easy to follow. Not a lot of people there, lots of really pretty dogs to pet, and I think we were winning when I left. I'll have to ask her on Monday how it went. But it was a really good time.

Right. Gotta write back to nice letter-writing professor now with pertinent info. He's really big into grad school/research/self-starters, so I had figured this would be right up his alley. Nice confirmation, though.

Hope everyone's having a nice weekend! *waves to Mom and Dad on their hol* Will post pics of the stew when it's done.

Letting the days go by/water flowing underground

I sitting at my desk, copying information about early species domestication in the Andes, while on my computer screen James Bond Rochester declares his undying passion for Jane, rather than Romana I Blanche Ingram. Spencer used the last bowl this morning, so I've just finished my breakfast of honey nut cheerios out of a smallish tupperware. Later, I'm gonig to go sit in a classroom for a couple of hours while a balding Russian man issues death threats and praise at near equal rates.

There are times that I suspect the rest of my life is not quite going to measure up in terms of the occassional bizarreness that is college living.

This is my beautiful home...

Picspam post! Some random photos from Spence's Christmas camera taken over the last few days.

I get to be first, since it is my blog. Spence just took this one tonight, at the math club's monthly pizza night:



So Spence the photographer can be next. I took this one; his expression is a result of me yelling at him to stop glowering at the camera:



Lovely white board, covered in trig identities. They're useful!



And all of my texts for the semester. (Just in case I ever need proof I owned them, or something.)



Our pretty TNG cup catching the water leaking under our kitchen sink. The guys was supposed to come today to fix it, but I don't think he did. Sigh.



And since I don't want anything under the sink while it's leaking... all my cleaning supplies are stashed on the desk that lives in the kitchen. (Note Glad garbage bags, which are so totally worth the extra couple of bucks.)



Nicely tidied lounge; hw on the couch, crisps on the table, sunlight pouring through open windows. What more can a body ask for?



The other side of the lounge. I still need to dump that box in which my new bookshelf came...



Kitchen...



And me stalking down to the floor, to strip it of it's protective covering of grime. Kill, KILL!



Ahem. After the great grime hunt, one needs a snack:



Cheese on toast comes out quickly and perfectly from the toaster oven. Me amore.



Aaaand, it looks like that's it folks.

Oh, school, you ask? School's going well. I really like my math classes, (the prof is acerbic, abrasive, sarcastic, and wonderful) and my geography class (prof is whacked out, unafraid to tell you you're really wrong, and funny and random as all get out) and the econ classes require very little, except my attendance, which I can do. I dropped the American Music class, because it seemed more torturous than it was at all worth.

And I leave you for the night with: