Time. is. flying. When did mid-September happen? I feel like it was just the other day I wrote my last post, and it's been over a week. Jeez.
My life hasn't been that exciting. I'm growing lazier by the day. I neeeed to get back to hiking. I bought that fancy new day pack and haven't used it yet! Maybe next week? It's tough now because my dad is starting Chemo and radiation on Monday, and we'll be at Cancer Care for a couple of hours everyday. Maybe I'll get my sister to take over one day so I can commune with nature.
I haven't really baked/cooked much, so I don't have any pictures or stories. I did make a pretty rad banana cake the other day, but didn't take pics. It wasn't that exciting, and it came out a little flat. I didn't sift my flour. Probably a mistake. Oh, well. It's still delicious.
My unemployment was approved, so I'm not slowly running out of money anymore! That kind of leads to the trip portion of this "Trip?" post. Since I have some cash flow now, I'm thinking about going somewhere. I'm actually thinking Chicago. I've never been to that city OR state. It's not too far to drive, and seems exciting. I found a couple of hostels that look decent, got great reviews, and are only about $30 a night.
I would probably plan on 3 nights at the hostel, with a day on each end for driving to and from. That would give me two full days in the city. I figure I can plan some things to check out, maybe take in a show, find some bars. I can explore for a couple of days, and maybe even take some resumes along and harass some theatres! Getting there would also take me through Indiana. Is there anything to see in Indiana? Then I could check off two more states for my 30 Things Before 30 list!
This is still just an idea I'm tossing around, but I'm itching to go somewhere new. Besides parking, I feel like I could make the whole trip cost less than $200, including the hostel, food, sights, etc. For gas, I might cash in some of my Mypoints points for gas gift cards. For parking, I would probably cough up the money for a garage, as street parking in any city scares me.
We'll see how long I remain unemployed, how my finances are in a few weeks, and how ambitious I am. If Chicago doesn't work out, maybe a few days in NYC are in order. That may be in order anyway. I can stay with my college roomie (yes, I'm inviting myself, you don't have a choice), so expenses would be minimal. I have a book that I bought when I lived in NYC for a summer of 1,001 things to do. I've done probably 200, but I could cross a few more of those off my list.... We'll see what happens!
I'll decide in a couple of weeks what I want to do. In the meanwhile, I'm GOING to get back to hiking. I shall also get back in the kitchen. If for no other reason than to have something to blog about!
Showing posts with label unemployment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label unemployment. Show all posts
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Cookies and Fitness
So I know I've been neglecting my blog a bit. There's not a whole lot to blog about in my life at the moment. I've been officially unemployed for a five weeks now. (I finally swallowed my pride and filed for unemployment. I don't know yet if I've been approved, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.) I rarely go out, and when I do it's nothing really blog-worthy. I should really start hiking again. I got that PA Waterfalls book, and a new pack, so I think I have to start adventuring.
As much as I'm ready to move on with my life, in a way it's lucky that I'm home for awhile. I've been taking Dad to his appointments so Mom doesn't have to use all of her personal days and family sick days right away. He had his first major surgery - he got a feeding tube and medi-port put in. He's had consults with the chemo and radiation docs, so he should be starting treatments in the next week or two. The doctors seem optimistic for the most part, so we'll see what happens. We're taking it one step at a time.
I've also been keeping busy playing housewife. I sat down with my mom's sewing machine tonight (since mine is in storage), and fixed two shirts with broken seams, and took in seven shirts that were too big. I have to replace a zipper in a sweatshirt yet, but I didn't have one handy. I also made no-bake cookies tonight! We saw some at the store, and I had a request to make some.
Mmmmm. Molten chocolate goo. :-)
They're in the fridge now, setting up. I may have to have one after my yoga session. Which brings us to the fitness portion of "Cookies and Fitness". I've been doing really well with sticking to my work-out schedule. I've basically been going week-to-week and writing down what exercise(s) I'm going to do each day. It's been a month now, and I haven't missed one yet! Well... I've missed one here and there, but I always double up the next day and make it up.
I've mostly been running/jogging/walking about 4 times a week. It's amazing how much endurance I've built up in just a month. I also do a yoga session twice a week. I use the podcasts from YogaDownload. Some of them I love, and some I hate. Like the Detox Yoga #1 is totally my favorite. It's a lot of twisting the spine and organs to wring out the toxins, and they use some of my favorite poses. Core Yoga #1, on the other hand, is horrible and I can't do half of it. :-P
So I'm feeling pretty great, physically. I don't really see many changes yet, but I feel healthier, and I've lost a few pounds. I'm hopefully going to stick with it. It's pretty much part of my routine now, so it's gotten easier to make myself actually work out. By the time I find employment, I'll be smokin'.
I'll leave you with the recipe for No-Bake Cookies... probably the easiest cookie to make ever.
No-Bake Cookies
Ingredients
2 Tbsp. baking cocoa
1 C. sugar
1/4 C. butter or margarine
1/4 C. milk
1/4 C. peanut butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 C. quick oats
Method
In a saucepan, boil cocoa, sugar, butter, and milk for a couple of minutes. Add vanilla and peanut butter, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and quickly stir in the oats.
Drop by spoonfuls onto a wax paper-covered cookie sheet. Refrigerate until firm.
**For a little crunch, use chunky p.b.**
Seriously, it takes about 5 minutes from the time you start till they hit the fridge. Give 'em half an hour to harden, and you're golden. Everyone loves No-Bake Cookies!
As much as I'm ready to move on with my life, in a way it's lucky that I'm home for awhile. I've been taking Dad to his appointments so Mom doesn't have to use all of her personal days and family sick days right away. He had his first major surgery - he got a feeding tube and medi-port put in. He's had consults with the chemo and radiation docs, so he should be starting treatments in the next week or two. The doctors seem optimistic for the most part, so we'll see what happens. We're taking it one step at a time.
I've also been keeping busy playing housewife. I sat down with my mom's sewing machine tonight (since mine is in storage), and fixed two shirts with broken seams, and took in seven shirts that were too big. I have to replace a zipper in a sweatshirt yet, but I didn't have one handy. I also made no-bake cookies tonight! We saw some at the store, and I had a request to make some.
Mmmmm. Molten chocolate goo. :-)
They're in the fridge now, setting up. I may have to have one after my yoga session. Which brings us to the fitness portion of "Cookies and Fitness". I've been doing really well with sticking to my work-out schedule. I've basically been going week-to-week and writing down what exercise(s) I'm going to do each day. It's been a month now, and I haven't missed one yet! Well... I've missed one here and there, but I always double up the next day and make it up.
I've mostly been running/jogging/walking about 4 times a week. It's amazing how much endurance I've built up in just a month. I also do a yoga session twice a week. I use the podcasts from YogaDownload. Some of them I love, and some I hate. Like the Detox Yoga #1 is totally my favorite. It's a lot of twisting the spine and organs to wring out the toxins, and they use some of my favorite poses. Core Yoga #1, on the other hand, is horrible and I can't do half of it. :-P
So I'm feeling pretty great, physically. I don't really see many changes yet, but I feel healthier, and I've lost a few pounds. I'm hopefully going to stick with it. It's pretty much part of my routine now, so it's gotten easier to make myself actually work out. By the time I find employment, I'll be smokin'.
I'll leave you with the recipe for No-Bake Cookies... probably the easiest cookie to make ever.
No-Bake Cookies
Ingredients
2 Tbsp. baking cocoa
1 C. sugar
1/4 C. butter or margarine
1/4 C. milk
1/4 C. peanut butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 C. quick oats
Method
In a saucepan, boil cocoa, sugar, butter, and milk for a couple of minutes. Add vanilla and peanut butter, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and quickly stir in the oats.
Drop by spoonfuls onto a wax paper-covered cookie sheet. Refrigerate until firm.
**For a little crunch, use chunky p.b.**
Seriously, it takes about 5 minutes from the time you start till they hit the fridge. Give 'em half an hour to harden, and you're golden. Everyone loves No-Bake Cookies!
Monday, August 29, 2011
My Life As I Know It
So what's going on with you right now? Anything exciting? There's not a lot going on with me, but I'm bored and want to blog, so you're getting an update. :-P
My life is basically what it was while working at the Brooks... just without the working. I've been trying to get up at a decent time every day like a real human being, but it usually ends up being eleven. At least it's still AM? I've applied for a few jobs since I got home. I was really hopeful about a position at the Fulton in Lancaster, PA since I used contacts and networking, and threw a name around on my cover letter. I haven't heard back from them, though, other than an e-mail saying they received my application. It's the same deal with the Campus Theatre in Lewisburg, except I didn't even get the confirmation e-mail. The lady in charge told a friend to tell me to send in my resume, and then ignored me when I sent it. Thanks?
Oh, well. I still have enough money in the bank to be unemployed for another month (or two, if I'm stingy). The treatments and surgeries and meetings with doctors are starting up for my dad's cancer, so it's good that I'm home to run him around. Tomorrow, he's having a medi-port and feeding tube put in, and my niece is having an operation, so my sisters and I are going to sit at the hospital together. Maybe I'll be able to cross #25 off my 30 Things Before 30 list by the time we get through this?
What else have I been up to...? Oh! I'm finally working out regularly again. I was going to join the gym when I got home, but Gold's in Lewisburg is $45 a month. I think not. Then I was going to start P90 again, but I decided to make my own workout schedule. I've stuck with it for the most part, and if I miss a day, I double up the next. I'm pretty much just jogging/walking and building up my stamina and endurance. I'm also doing a new yoga every week, on Sundays and Thursdays. So far I've done "20 Minutes of Power", "Detox Yoga", and "Core Yoga". Next week is "Lunar Flow". I've lost a few pounds, and I feel awesome. If I end up losing a hundred pounds, maybe I'll publish my workout schedule and become the next big weight-loss guru! :-P
Other than sleeping, working out, and reading J.R. Ward's "Black Dagger Brotherhood" series like my life depends on it, I've been doing a lot of crocheting, a little cooking and baking, and a lot of movie-watching. I have a list of 59 movies that I own, that I've never seen. I buy $5 DVDs, or my dad used to bring home sample "screener" DVDs, and I never watched them. My list is down to 40, so I'm making progress. As for the crocheting - I decided that if I just get a stockpile of crocheted goods, I can open up an Etsy shop and stop looking for a real job. :-P At the very least, I can have Mom take in a sign to school and try to sell stuff to teachers. lol
As for the baking, last night I made chocolate chip cookies and sugar cookies for snack time for my mom's students today.
I also made Pumpkin Spice Scones with Spiced Glaze. I had one last night with a cup of tea, and I had one this morning with a mug of Pumpkin Spice coffee. De. freakin. licious.
I will leave you with the best chocolate chip cookie recipe I've ever come across. I've had it for awhile, and tried others, but this is by far the best. The cookies don't spread out too much, and they're not too moist or too crispy.
Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
makes about 3 dozen
Ingredients:
1/2 C. butter - softened
3/4 C. dark brown sugar
1/2 C. white sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 bag chips (chocolate, peanut butter, whatever you want)
2 2/3 C. sifted flour
Method:
Blend butter, sugars, soda, powder, vanilla, and eggs until well-mixed. Stir in chips, THEN flour. Chill 15-30 minutes. Using a cookie scoop, scoop dough onto greased cookie sheet. (Return dough to fridge when not using.) Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Cool on pans for a few minutes before moving to cooling racks.
Keeping the dough cold is important in making the cookies not spread out too much. Also, I love making these with chopped up Andes mints instead of chocolate chips!
Well, I guess I should find something to do until Dad's PET scan this afternoon. Maybe something like showering and eating would be a good idea. Leave comments to let me know what you all have been up to, and suggestions for things to keep me busy (or job opportunities if you happen to own a theatre and/or bakery and/or bookstore)!
P.S. If you don't know how to leave a comment or don't want to log in with Google or FB, go to the "Name/URL" option on the drop down list. You can just put your name, you don't have to fill in the website.
My life is basically what it was while working at the Brooks... just without the working. I've been trying to get up at a decent time every day like a real human being, but it usually ends up being eleven. At least it's still AM? I've applied for a few jobs since I got home. I was really hopeful about a position at the Fulton in Lancaster, PA since I used contacts and networking, and threw a name around on my cover letter. I haven't heard back from them, though, other than an e-mail saying they received my application. It's the same deal with the Campus Theatre in Lewisburg, except I didn't even get the confirmation e-mail. The lady in charge told a friend to tell me to send in my resume, and then ignored me when I sent it. Thanks?
Oh, well. I still have enough money in the bank to be unemployed for another month (or two, if I'm stingy). The treatments and surgeries and meetings with doctors are starting up for my dad's cancer, so it's good that I'm home to run him around. Tomorrow, he's having a medi-port and feeding tube put in, and my niece is having an operation, so my sisters and I are going to sit at the hospital together. Maybe I'll be able to cross #25 off my 30 Things Before 30 list by the time we get through this?
What else have I been up to...? Oh! I'm finally working out regularly again. I was going to join the gym when I got home, but Gold's in Lewisburg is $45 a month. I think not. Then I was going to start P90 again, but I decided to make my own workout schedule. I've stuck with it for the most part, and if I miss a day, I double up the next. I'm pretty much just jogging/walking and building up my stamina and endurance. I'm also doing a new yoga every week, on Sundays and Thursdays. So far I've done "20 Minutes of Power", "Detox Yoga", and "Core Yoga". Next week is "Lunar Flow". I've lost a few pounds, and I feel awesome. If I end up losing a hundred pounds, maybe I'll publish my workout schedule and become the next big weight-loss guru! :-P
Other than sleeping, working out, and reading J.R. Ward's "Black Dagger Brotherhood" series like my life depends on it, I've been doing a lot of crocheting, a little cooking and baking, and a lot of movie-watching. I have a list of 59 movies that I own, that I've never seen. I buy $5 DVDs, or my dad used to bring home sample "screener" DVDs, and I never watched them. My list is down to 40, so I'm making progress. As for the crocheting - I decided that if I just get a stockpile of crocheted goods, I can open up an Etsy shop and stop looking for a real job. :-P At the very least, I can have Mom take in a sign to school and try to sell stuff to teachers. lol
As for the baking, last night I made chocolate chip cookies and sugar cookies for snack time for my mom's students today.
I also made Pumpkin Spice Scones with Spiced Glaze. I had one last night with a cup of tea, and I had one this morning with a mug of Pumpkin Spice coffee. De. freakin. licious.
I will leave you with the best chocolate chip cookie recipe I've ever come across. I've had it for awhile, and tried others, but this is by far the best. The cookies don't spread out too much, and they're not too moist or too crispy.
Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
makes about 3 dozen
Ingredients:
1/2 C. butter - softened
3/4 C. dark brown sugar
1/2 C. white sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 bag chips (chocolate, peanut butter, whatever you want)
2 2/3 C. sifted flour
Method:
Blend butter, sugars, soda, powder, vanilla, and eggs until well-mixed. Stir in chips, THEN flour. Chill 15-30 minutes. Using a cookie scoop, scoop dough onto greased cookie sheet. (Return dough to fridge when not using.) Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Cool on pans for a few minutes before moving to cooling racks.
Keeping the dough cold is important in making the cookies not spread out too much. Also, I love making these with chopped up Andes mints instead of chocolate chips!
Well, I guess I should find something to do until Dad's PET scan this afternoon. Maybe something like showering and eating would be a good idea. Leave comments to let me know what you all have been up to, and suggestions for things to keep me busy (or job opportunities if you happen to own a theatre and/or bakery and/or bookstore)!
P.S. If you don't know how to leave a comment or don't want to log in with Google or FB, go to the "Name/URL" option on the drop down list. You can just put your name, you don't have to fill in the website.
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