Finding Mr. Right

Okay, well I had a typical single Kimberly experience last night. My dad, mom, and grandmother were sitting around the table eating dinner. My grandmother randomly said to me, "Do you wear your wedding ring?" I am not sure who she thought I was or why she asked me that. I said something like, "No, I don't have a wedding ring..." Then I started making jokes about buying myself a ring, being a nun, being happily single, blah blah blah. I can't remember how Mom managed to interject that I'm too picky and don't try to meet new people.

"That's it! I'm going online!" I said to myself. I hopped on a site and created a profile for myself, and we'll see what comes of it. Let the psycho e-mails come rolling in....

I always say I am becoming a librarian because I'm an old maid, but actually the library is a great place for Finding Mr. Right. And Mom had given up on me!

Shades of Doubt

I suddenly have the urge to decorate the house. This usually causes some drama. First, I'm a miser, and that generally inspires some sort of ill-advised do-it-yourself behavior. When will I learn that nothing good can ever come of DIY? There's a reason I work all of the time. It's so I can pay someone else to do that stuff.

It's confession time. I should probably find a cutesy way to send it to PostSecret intsead, but alas--

The trim and molding in my bedroom have been taped off with painter's tape for a year and a half. I haven't finished painting. That door stays shut.

I bought fabric and a pattern (picture C - yellow) for kitchen shades about a year ago. Of the five windows in my kitchen, one window now has a valance, and the rest are still mini-blinded. I gave up on myself to sew the shades long ago, so in May 2006, I hired a friend to sew them for me. In August, one shade was sewn, but still minus cord or a way to mount it. In December, in the midst of finals and all manner of holiday craziness, I got the other three shades. They were really pretty. I have good taste. One problem: they were about a foot too short for my windows. I said a choice word and threw the shades in my storage room (3rd bedroom) and am still too mad to think about how I'm going to fix that. The lady that sewed the shades for me had a baby a day after I picked up the shades from her. I haven't talked to her about my problem.

My third bedroom being a storage room is a whole other confession. I have been in my house for a year and a half, and I still have a room devoted to boxes. I have a great plan for that room. It just hasn't happened yet.

Last week I went to buy two more kitchen chairs like the four I already have. I was immediately accosted by a salesman. I wanted to look for my chairs in the store, but he didn't think they had any on display like what I described. So, we hopped on a computer (still in store) and did some online shopping. Although that is my most comfortable medium for shopping, I prefer not to do it next to a hawkish salesman. Excuses aside, I ordered two chairs that are NOT part of the line I have. Look at the pictures below. I saw the first picture and mistook the chairs in that picture for those I have, seen on the left in the second picture.



Okay, maybe they don't look alike at all. I didn't realize my mistake until I got a little "Thanks for shopping at our store" coupon in the mail with a picture of a cherry wood kitchen chair on it. My thought process went something like this: "Whoa. That looks a lot like what I ordered, but that's not it. How strange that they would send this picture that looks close to what I ordered but isn't..." First chance I got, which was this morning, I hopped online to see what I bought according to the store receipt. Oh dear.

I called the store. They said I needed to talk to a salesman. I went to the store. I found the same salesman. He was less flirty today because I had crazy frizzy hair, no makeup, and grubby clothes. He said we could fix the problem by refusing the shipment of the other chairs. Problem solved, I hope. I did see a bed I like before I left the store. I've been waiting for the Martha Stewart Penobscot bed to go on sale long enough. Also, guess what was on display right next to the bed. There were my chairs, of course!

Today, Daddy and Mom helped me hang my ceiling fan that I got for Christmas. That was funny. My Dad will be the first to admit that he is as much of a grouch about do-it-yourself as I am. The manual was less than helpful in its installation instructions, and Dad got a literal shock. Mom and I almost fell off the ladder. I was worried about the light in my living room being too dim, so I bought some of those GE compact fluorescent lights. I bought the 90 watt bulbs. Wow! My retinas are still burning. We're back to soft light now.

There's a picture of the new fan. I put my Smith+Noble shade in the picture, too. I'm happy with it. No more mini-blinds!

So what should I do about the kitchen shades? Chalk the experience up as an expensive lesson learned and forget about the short shades? Demand a refund or repair work? Shop for something totally new? I'm still too mad to think about it. Be my lifeline, and tell me what to do.

I'd rather be reading Atlas Shrugged

That picture is me in five minutes. I just finished my first panic-inspired marathon homework session. I am having trouble getting into Back to School mode. Specifically, tonight it was hard for me to put all my energy into creating an index about peanuts. You people think that those indices at the ends of books just create themselves, don't you? Oh brother. I really don't know if I can make it through this semester. I'm already tired of school, and we just started. Shame! I need some perspective. Today I told Pauline (my good friend, co-worker, MBA student), "Well, really the semester will be over in three months." She said, "Yeah, but those three months could be absolute torture." I count on Pauline's daily doses of realism to keep me grounded.

Yesterday was the birthday of two of my favorite people, my grandmother and my cousin. I made a cake for my cousin. He requested chocolate. I found a recipe called "Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake." The cake was airy like a génoise, which is what it was supposed to be. I did an oops! on the frosting, though. The aim of the frosting recipe was to find a perfect balance between a rich ganache and a light, fluffy buttercream. I got halfway through the frosting recipe before I realized that I was supposed to put the mixer bowl in an ice bath to cool the melted chocolate and butter. Somehow sticking the mixer bowl inside a big bowl of tepid water and putting both bowls in the freezer for five minutes didn't have the same effect. My frosting was all ganache and no fluff. It was so thick. It looked pretty fluffy in the mixing bowl, but even as I was frosting the cake, it was seizing and falling. The cake tasted like a rich chocolate mousse cake to me. It was a lot of chocolate! Couldn't have been too bad. My cousins wanted to stick their fingers in it. All it needed was a John Deere tractor on top. Check. And candles. Check. Check.

Back in the Saddle Again

Current Netflix rental:


I'm still trying to decide whether or not I want to claim this school. I started the semester by going to Denton last weekend for an "Institute" to get me started on one of my classes. It can't be by accident that it sounds like a euphemism for sanitorium. As much fun as it was sitting around joking with librarians about metadata, I was glad when it was over. I hate PowerPoint presentations. I would rather just sit and listen to a lecture. I guess I'm old-fashioned. Peter Norvig created this hilarious Gettysburg PowerPoint Presentation. One of my few great undergrad professors showed me this parody a few years ago, and I thought it was hilarious. Also, I do not like the cliché, "There are no dumb questions." There are lots of dumb questions. There are lots of irrelevant questions. I already have an overdeveloped hubris, and grad school seems to be exaggerating it.

On to more fun endeavors: The first night I was down in the Metroplex, I stayed with James and Michele in Ft. Worth. That was fun. First, they gave me a librarian action figure that is apparently not without controversy. Nancy Pearl comes all decked out in a wild red outfit and Easy Spirit shoes. She has a button on her back that you press to make her raise her finger to her lips in a shushing motion. If they had given me the (related?) Crazy Cat Lady action figure, you can bet I'd be checking myself into an Institute right away.

The three of us had dinner at Joe T Garcia's. It was pretty good, but there was a birthday party for someone turning 21 at the table next to us. Obviously, we had trouble carrying on a conversation what with that racket.

Friday and Saturday night, I had fun with my best foodie friend Matt. We went to La Duni for dinner on Friday. The restaurant was really gorgeous. I had Frijol con Puerco for dinner, and it was fabuloso. Then for dessert, I tried the Cuatro Leches Cake, as if tres weren't enough. I'm going to try my hand at that recipe someday soon. Matt had the Rollo de Canela y Nuez for his dessert, and that was yummy, too.

There is so much to do down there compared to little ol' Lubbick. Country girl goes to the big city again... We talked about going to see the Dallas Symphony Saturday but couldn't get tickets. Instead we went up to Plano and the Shops at Legacy. I wonder if I would think all of this was so über cool if I lived there. We ate at Taco Diner. I had the Crispy Enchiladas Verdes. Cute restaurant. We were going to see The Queen at the Angelika - the theater has a chandelier in the lobby - but we arrived in time to sit on the front row, so we skipped out. I like Matt's house. It has a turquoise range and oven from the 1950s.

Sunday night I met James and Michele for dinner again. This time we celebrated James's 31st birthday at the Macaroni Grill. Then I had to hit Whole Foods while I could. Missing that is not an option. I was rushed, becuase they were about to close, but I had time to grab my favorite Cranberry Orange Scones and some Chocolove bars to take home to the fam. That's the story of my whirlwind Interstate tour of the Metroplex. Can anyone tell that I'm trapped in foodie hell in Lubbock?


I'm trying to avoid my homework. It's been calling my name for days, despite my best efforts to avoid it. I don't know what it is about being back to school. My schoolwork doesn't really take all that much time, but it seems like just enough to push me over the edge sometimes, make me curl up into the fetal position and not want to get out of bed. Maybe it's the cold weather, too. I cannot stand winter. It's like getting dumped - dark and depressing - the literal cold shoulder. It makes me want to pull the blankets over my head. Spring cannot come soon enough. I'm just being a drama queen. Here's a funny: At the time of this posting, the Texas Tech homepage has a picture of a snow skier jumping off a mountatin. (It's next to the campus life links at the bottom of the page.) I have lived in Lubbock many many years, but I have yet to go snow skiing here.

Vegas Royale 007 - Countdown 2007

Currently reading:


Well, I wanted to post a bit about my New Year's in Las Vegas, even though it feels like old news now. The above link is to the Vegas CBS station with a news snippet and a video of the fireworks show. I watched the show from the airport parking garage. Great view of the Strip without the danger of being trampled to death or anything else equally unseemly. I didn't know at the time that the theme for the party was "Vegas Royale 007." We saw Casino Royale on New Year's Eve, and I loved it. Maybe it was just the atmosphere of seeing it in a Vegas casino, or it could have been the actor's accent and blue eyes, but -gush- it was my favorite movie of 2006.

Here's a night shot of the traffic...



We took a break from the Strip and walked around Red Rock Canyon.


Somehow every time I go to Vegas, the only good casino shots I get are of the fake Eiffel Tower.


Texas girls don their pink cowboy hats to ring in 2007.

My New Year's resolutions are always the same:

1) Get organized and/or stop procrastinating.
2) Lose 20 pounds.
3) Have someone to kiss next New Year's.

So far, the goals have stayed perennial. Anyone else have resolutions to share? We can check in and monitor each other's progress.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

but you'd think it was the apocalypse. I tried to swing by United on the way home, to grab a couple of things for my weekend cooking. There was a long line of people just waiting for shopping carts. Goodness. They are forecasting some snow and ice this weekend, but geeze! With so many people out stocking up for the winter storm, my dream guy was bound out and about, too. It made me wish I had gone to the sexy new United, instead of the ghetto United by my house. The ghetto United riffraff didn't look promising, so I left. "It's getting harder every day to be an optimist." What a catch I am. I came home and made fast friends with a group of buttered, jellied English muffins and a hazelnut steamer.

I have a few pictures to post from the holidays. What says the holidays better than overeating? So I kicked off the season by making dozens of cookies.





Of course they were
as good as they look.

Christmas Day: There's the fam opening the gifts from dear Sister Katie, or "Wen Ming Rou" in Taiwan. We got to talk to Katie on the phone, and she's doing fine and loves her mission.



More gifts to open at my house...



New Year's in Vegas. Country girl goes to the big city. And so does everyone else....

What a week!

Currently watching:
New Orleans Saints at Dallas Cowboys


Oh wow! I am so happy to be alive! Last week was insanely crazy and now that it's over, the sky is bluer, the birds sing more beautifully, food tastes better. Okay, I'm being melodramatic as usual, but I am absolutely giddy.

My first semester of grad school is in the books, and I am glad to have made it through unscathed. I haven't gotten my grades yet, so I should probably reserve judgment until that time, but I feel pretty confident at this point. I'm not thinking about next semester until January. My final project for one class involved debating the value of Wikipedia as a viable resource. What do you think?

My piano students performed in a Christmas recital yesterday, Saturday. It was great. I had eleven students play. (Very unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures.) They all played fabulously, and their teacher was very pleased. Events like that make teaching worthwhile. There are a lot of weeks when I'm ready to quit teaching because of the ulcers my disinterested, non-practicing students have given me. I had a ball at the recital, though. It makes me think that teaching piano may be the most worthwhile thing I'm doing these days.

Also, last night I checked out the new Market Street United at 98th & Quaker. There probably aren't a lot of people that get as excited as I do about grocery shopping, but combine my euphoria after a successful piano recital with the excitement of shopping in a sexy new supermarket, and I was absolutely floating through the aisles. Actually, the new Market Street doesn't look very different from the original Lubbock concept store. Although, I did find unsweetened coconut, which I've needed for a few recipes and haven't been able to find around town. They had some produce and a few other sundries that I hadn't seen before either. I'm always hoping to make a love connection while shopping, so the only downside about my shopping experience last night was that the only guys there without wedding rings still had braces on their teeth. The grocery store hasn't been a fruitful place for me to meet my amazing dream guy yet, but I'm holding out hope. I'm sure one day I'll spot a tall, dark, and handsome with his canvas grocery totes checking prices--then the violins will play Tchaikovsky's "Romeo and Juliet Overture" or something.

I keep meaning to edit my blog sidebar and add some new links. Among the links I've been wanting to add is a link to the Freakonomics Blog. Freakonomics was an interesting read, and I enjoy the Levitt/Dubner blog as well. Pair Levitt with the hilarious Stephen Colbert of The Colbert Report, and you've got some darn funny television! See below:

The Colbert Report
Tags: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

Those Saints are really pummeling the Cowboys! Are they for real? Yea for New Orleans. I doubt that I'm the only one surprised by this game. I don't like Dallas, even though it's neat that they've been able to revive what looked like an awful season at the start. I'm in a little online NFL pick 'em pool, and I forgot to submit my picks for the week. That's how crazy my week was. I've gotta get my priorities in check! I can't afford to spot these people 16 points. I'm not in last place, though, so I'm still a threat!

Randumb

Current Netflix rental:


The regular season of 2006 college football is in the books, and what a dismal season for the Big 12 South! I still can't believe that Texas lost to A&M. Tech's season seems long over, since they played their last game on November 18th. Looks like Tech is headed to the Insight Bowl to play Minnesota. Their mascot is the Golden Gophers. Oh brother. I'm glad there are still some good NFL games to come.

This video cracked me up:

USC Song Girl Cheers At Wrong Time - AGAIN


This blog made me laugh out loud: Dating coupons. The last guy I dated with any regularity was pretty frugal. At first, I thought that was attractive, being a miser myself, but later it really started to bug me. I remember at least two dates to restaurants for which he had won free meals running races. Nothing dishonorable about it, to be sure, but I saw the last of that guy awhile back. Oh well - I'm sure things worked out for him. So what do you think, should you use a coupon/gift certificate on a date? I say no, but my track record ain't so hot on romantical advice.

The First Thanksgiving

We had a fun Thanksgiving on Thursday. I had fun anyway. It was the first time I got to host Thanksgiving at my house. Dad, Mom, Wendy, Scott, Granddad, Uncle Randy, Grammy, and I were there. Grocery shopping beforehand:


Setting the table:



It pretty much was too crazy for me to take any pictures after that. Hits and misses with the meal. Here's what was on the menu:

Roasted turkey and gravy
Cornbread and sausage dressing
Cranberry salad
Mashed potatoes
White rolls
Pecan Pie
Pumpkin cheesecake
(also a green bean dish that didn't quite make it)
So, here's my analysis. Wendy, feel free to chime in. Constructive criticism is appreciated. Mask your insults with "anonymous" if you must:

First, the turkey. I guess sticking it in the fridge Monday night wasn't early enough. I'm not sure that it thawed long enough before going in the oven Thursday morning. Oops. Still in the oven when the guests arrived. Oops oops. Also, the smoke-filled house didn't do too much for the ambience. I am glad to know that my smoke detectors do work. I didn't put enough broth/water in the roasting pan with the veggies, hence the billowing smoke. It was a pretty turkey, though. So, the turkey drippings didn't go in the gravy either. The gravy was pretty good, but we had to be a little stingy with it. That dry (dry!) dressing needed a lot of gravy. I think my cornbread was too dry. That recipe wasn't really the dressing I'm used to, so I think I'll look for a different recipe for next time. The cranberry salad was great. Thanks to Mom for bringing it. Mashed potatoes were good. The frozen dough rolls didn't rise for me. I'm still not sure why. I really think, and I may be way off, that it's because of the pans I used. I'm using a dark metal pan next time to see if that makes a difference. Also, my landlord is an evil miser and won't turn on the heat, and sometimes it's very cold in this house. I don't think that was the problem Thursday, though, because it was unseasonably hot. It's hard to get in the holiday spirit in 80º weather. I thought the best part of the meal was the pumpkin cheesecake. I really liked it! Oh yeah, those green beans. I waited too long to start cooking those. I fried the shallots and sautéed the mushrooms, but I apparently didn't let the green beans cook long enough (the recipe said 4 minutes - my eye!). I was in a total rush by this point and combined the cream, herbs, and mushrooms with the not tender green beans. Yuck. Soooo, the green beans, still in the skillet, were hidden away in the microwave. Good to learn and good to debut in front of a friendly audience.

So, the leftovers that remain as of Sunday night are a few slices of turkey, some green beans (cooked again post-dinner and now fairly edible), and much too much dressing. I'm not sure how to get rid of that stuff! This overeating is not doing anything for my diet. How am I going to fit into my Las Vegas clubbing clothes this New Year's? I didn't do any Black Friday shopping that I remember. It's all a gluttonous blur though. I did put up the Christmas tree and my Christmas decorations. It's great to have a little house. I can decorate in half an hour. Fluffing the artificial tree takes very little time, too. Martha Stewart it ain't, but I like the kitschy colored lights and silly ornaments. Now I just need to get some presents under that tree!

Dear Santa,

Current Netflix rental:

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November 26, 2006

Dear Santa,

This year for Christmas I want a clone. I know there is a lot of debate about cloning and the ethics of it all. Please ignore all that because I have been a very good girl all year long. It would be great to have a clone to help me around the house, do her share of the day job and teaching piano lessons and half the homework. It would be great if she were an improved, better-looking super clone, too, so she could go out on blind dates and scope out the prospects, which are pretty slim these days.


If the clone thing doesn't work out for this year, I also want a super duper KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer. And if it could be tangerine, that would be even better, because I don't know anyone that has one like that. While it is true that the only exercise I get right now is using the hand mixer to make cookies, cakes, and sweets, I will promise to hit the gym more often in the future. I'll save so much time with the stand mixer that I'll have time for that extra lap around the park, as opposed to no laps around the park, which is what I've been averaging. And I always share the yummy stuff I bake, and I will leave some yummy cookies for you, Santa.

See you December 24th.

Love,
Kimberly

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