french toast sunday

Sundays are the day for making and eating French toast. Especially with black black black coffee and NPR on my kitchen stereo.

I give you: Egg Nog French Toast with Bourbon Walnut Maple Syrup

solo e pensoso

Alone and pensive, the deserted fields

I measure with steps deliberate and slow;

and my eyes I hold in readiness to flee

from a place marked by human footsteps.

No other defense I find that can save me

from the peering eyes of people;

because when laughter and cheer are spent,

from outside can be read my inner flame.

So I have come to believe that mountains and beaches

and rivers and woods know of what fibers

is made my life, hidden from others.

Yet paths neither so rough nor wild

can I find where Cupid does not seek me always

to debate with me, and I with him.

- Francesco Petrarch

more food

No pictures this time, but here's what I cooked today:

1. Stuffed baked potatoes (I put onions, basil, and parmesan in mine...)

2. Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies!

3. Kielbasa Stew with Kale and Cannelloni Beans

Definitely delicious. Oy.

Also made a run to the thrift store and got a preeeeetty necklace, two Halloween costume possiblities (Audrey Hepburn, or zombie Clara Schumann?), two glasses for my bathroom, and four new tumblers for whiskey escapades at home. Good good good good day.

how to cure a cold

With vegetable porn and pork stew, of course!

This pile of gorgeousness...

Became these two piles of deliciousness...

And now I'm cured! No more cold! Plus I've got delicious leftovers for a week or so.

Here's what I made (magic clicky things):

Pork Stew

Soba Noodle Salad

Spicy Chicken and Penne

Spinach Egg Salad

What a perfect little October afternoon.

first ten days list

Things I did during my first ten days in Cincinnati:

1. Pissed off my landlords. First, I asked them if I could paint the walls, and was adamantly told "NO". Then, I complained about the medicine chest in the bathroom (which really is quite hideous) and asked if I could replace it. Once again, "NO". Then, quite without thinking about it, I hung some shelves, which apparently is a huge breach of my lease agreement. Oops.

2. Bought a new computer!!! A beautiful 13-inch MacBook Pro. Came with a free ipod touch and everything. Fancy schmancy.

3. Met my neighbors. A recently divorced professor with two kids, two med students, both named Aaron, three female foreign exchange students from India, and me. Plus a dental hygienist next door. All really nice, so far.

4. Bought a piano! It's adorable, and it's really hard for me not to play it 24/7. I got it from the sweetest Baptist minister and his church-music-lady wife. They live across the river in Erlanger, KY, and we totally bonded. I'm going to ask them over for dinner soon.

5. Met a guy named Fatty. Okay actually his name is Fady, which is Egyptian, but still.

6. Gave my number to a 19-year-old thinking he was at least 23.

7. Rode my bike to a farmers market with a girl in tie-dye and a guy with dreads, followed by sitting around a campfire in an urban garden space with six hippies, splitting a six-pack, and passing around a doobie, all while talking about how it'll be great when mankind realizes that this is the end of human civilization as we know it and comes together as one. Also with said hippies, explored a seven-story abandoned warehouse. Coolest. Thing. Ever.

8. Walked and walked and walked, hanging advertisements for my piano studio (The Grand Piano Studio, http://thegrandpianostudio.weebly.com)

9. Discovered that they do, in fact, have an IKEA in Ohio. The same day I also saw Julie & Julia by myself and cried my little eyes out.

10. Bought fancy cheese at Findley Market. Manchego. It's a harder cheese made from goat's milk in the same Spanish region that Don Quixote was from, La Mancha. I highly recommend it, especially shredded on salads and/or pasta.

11. Drove to Ann Arbor and back for a lovely little 24-hour visit with my good friend Nick Susi.

combinations list

Sometimes, all you need are the basics. But every once in a while, you take two and put them together and POW it's like your whole world has been altered. For example...

1. Peanut butter and honey

2. Milk and Oreos

3. Steak and A1

4. Apples and cheese (preferably crisp apples and sharp cheese)

5. Beer and a burger

6. Bread and butter (best when toasty)

7. Cheez-Its and wine

8. Chocolate and... well pretty much anything, actually

9. Iced tea with lemon

10. Biscuits and gravy

11. Nuts and caramel

pre-school list

The wonderful things that happen to me at work (a pre-school/daycare for 2-6 years olds only):

1. Ava gets discouraged and says "Aw nuts!"
2. Ibrahim kicks the ball over the fence and says "Aw snaps!"
3. I catch Ethan staring at me and he blushes and grins at me before looking away.
4. Evan calls me "Breathe" except he can't say his th's right so it comes out "Breeve".
5. No matter when or where, everyone is overwhelmingly enthusiastic about the prospect of dancing.
6. Carter acts all fatherly to me just because he's the oldest kid there.
7. A fight ensues pretty much every day over the coveted pink hula hoop, usually ending with Maile winning, Lia crying, and Maile feeling bad and giving it to Lia anyway.
8. Ginger has this way of quietly observing and then wowing me with her thoughts about things later on, proving that wisdom has absolutely nothing to do with age.
9. Every time anyone finds a roly-poly on the patio, he is immediately either named Sam or deemed to be Sam's mommy, daddy, sister, brother, uncle, aunt, nephew, neice, or cousin -- "Hey! It's SAM!!!!"
10. The art projects are always incredbily beautiful and creative.
11. We're always glad to see you and sad to see you go. I love walking in every day. Really.

moving list

Silly little things I must do in Kansas before leaving it behind:

1. Real BBQ (done)
2. Camping and/or sailing on one of their fakey fake lakes
3. Royals game on buck night (done)
4. Go to a local show (done twice over!)
5. Night out on the Plaza in KC (done)
6. Go to the art museums (half done)
7. Worlds of Fun!
8. Oceans of Fun!
9. Buy some Jayhawk gear (done)
10. Go out and hear some really good jazz in the 18th and Vine district
11. I'm going to leave number eleven up for interpretation.

baked goods list

My all-time favorite baked goods:

1. Crusty hard rolls

2. Chewy chocolate chip cookies

3. Fudge brownies (no nuts, no frosting)

4. Plain old simple cheesecake

5. Buttermilk biscuits

6. Banana bread

7. Caramel rolls (NOT cinnamon rolls, the evil twin of my beloved sticky buns)

8. Apple crisp

9. Lemon annnnnyyyything

10. Oatmeal toffee cookies

11. Muffins. Or maybe pie. Or muffins. Or pie. Muffin pie?

swore i wouldn't do list

Things I swore I wouldn't do that I ended up doing anyway:

1. Stay in Lawrence for another summer
2. Go to grad school for solo performance
3. Abandon my workout routine
4. Enjoy my family
5. Wear bootcut jeans, skinny jeans, heels, underwires, tights, and maxi dresses
6. Enroll in yet another semester of choir
7. Eat fish and like it
8. Watch Spiderman and like it
9. Walk away from the church
10. Buy panties that don't come in a plastic-wrapped three-pack
11. Pine for Minnesota

sitcom list

This was an extremely difficult list to narrow down! I started by listing thirty shows. All-time favorites, click for video:

1. Boy Meets World
2. Family Matters
3. All in the Family
4. Bewitched
5. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
6. Full House
7. Will and Grace
8. Happy Days
9. Friends
10. I Love Lucy
11. Seinfeld

alternative jobs list

Things I would be if I weren't a pianist:

1. English teacher. I almost was, in fact.
2. HR? I like people...
3. Children's book author. I'd still like to do this someday.
4. Photographer, mostly for family sittings, I think.
5. Professional organizer. Once my career takes off I'll have my own show on HGTV.
6. Co-pwner of a bakery with Sara and Lauren. I'd do the cookies, Sara would do cakes, and Lauren the bread. Perfect.
7. Musicologist/music historian. I tend to get a little obsessive when I do research... it's fun.
8. Actor. Broadway, actually. Silly, I know, but a girl can dream.
9. Something with animals, but not something weird with animals, like a zookeeper or those people who do the dolphin shows. I wish I could be more specific here...
10. Does being a stay-at-home mom count? I am fully aware of the prerequisites for this job.
11. Conductor!

shel silverstein list

Some of the better poems from Where the Sidewalk Ends:

1.


2. "Ourchestra"

So you haven't got a drum, just beat your belly.
So I haven't got a horn - I'll just play my nose.
So we haven't any cymbals-
We'll just slap our hands together,
And though there may be orchestras
That sound a little better
With their fancy shiny instruments
That cost and awful lot-
Hey, we're making music twice as good
By playing what we've got!

3. "Listen to the Mustn'ts"

Listen to the MUSTN'TS, child,
Listen to the DON'TS
Listen to the SHOULDN'TS
The IMPOSSIBLES, the WON'TS
Listen to the NEVER HAVES
Then listen close to me--
Anything can happen, child,
ANYTHING can be.

4. "Rain"

I opened my eyes
And looked up at the rain,
And it dripped in my head
And flowed into my brain,
And all that I hear as I lie in my bed
Is the slishity-slosh of the rain in my head.

I step very softly,
I walk very slow,
I can't do a handstand--
I might overflow,
So pardon the wild crazy thing I just said--
I'm just not the same since there's rain in my head.

5. "Lester" (excerpt)

In a world of apples and kisses and shoes
He wasted his wishes on wishing.

6. "Alice"

She drank from a bottle called DRINK ME
And up she grew so tall,
She ate from a plate called TASTE ME
And down she shrank so small.
And so she changed, while other folks
Never tried nothin' at all.

7. "Shadow Wash"

I've never washed my shadow out
In all the time I've had it.
It was absolutely filthy I supposed,
And so today I peeled it off
The wall where it was leaning
And stuck it in the washtup
With the clothes.
I put in soap and bleach and stuff,
I let it soak for hours,
I wrung it out and hung it out to dry,
And whoever would have thunk
That it would have gone and shrunk
For now it's so much
Littler than I.

8. "Chester"

Chester come to school and said
"Durn, I growed another head."
Teacher said, "It's time you knowed
The word is 'grew' instead of 'growed.'"

9. "Forgotten Language"

Once I spoke the language of the flowers,
Once I understood each word the caterpillar said,
Once I smiled in secret at the gossip of the starlings,
And shared a conversation with the housefly in my bed.
Once I heard and answered all the questions of the crickets,
And joined the crying of each falling dying flake of snow,
Once I spoke the language of the flowers. . . .
How did it go?
How did it go?

10. "Where the Sidewalk Ends"

There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.

11. "Sky Seasoning"

A piece of sky
Broke off and fell
Through the crack in the ceiling
Right into my soup,
KERPLOP!
I really must state
That I usually hate
Lentil soup, but I ate
Every drop!
Delicious delicious
(A bit like plaster),
But so delicious, goodness sake--
I could have eaten a lentil-soup lake.
It's amazing the difference
A bit of sky can make.

internet addictions list

I can't stop:

1. Twittering. (What?)
2. www.skinnyvscurvy.com - My version of a trashy magazine.
3. Youtube, obviously.
4. KenKen on the NYTimes website.
5. Recipes recipes recipes...
6. Dreaming of ways to decorate my apartment from West Elm.
7. Seeking that potential apartment on craigslist.
8. Facebook quizzes. Oy.
9. Flickr photos. I have a new desktop background almost daily.
10. Polyvore, but I swear to god I am not a seventeen-year-old girl.
11. NPR Music!

dresses list

Dresses I would very much enjoy wearing, courtesy of forever21.com:
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.


(This post is mostly for you, Megh.) :)

last things list

Things I will be doing for the last time in the next four months:

1. Performing with Concert Choir
2. Attending class as an undergraduate
3. Having a piano lesson with Professor Reber
4. Listening to KPR as I cruise down Clinton Parkway toward home
5. Coming downstairs in the morning to hear my roommate's baby daughter Amelia say "BRI!!!"
6. Teaching lessons to all my lovely piano students
7. Shopping for groceries at Checkers, sans list, singing to myself like a weirdo and really enjoying it
8. Going for a run on my 2.7 mile loop
9. Singing the Alma Mater as a non-alumnus
10. Coming home to discover that Sara/Lauren have baked something delicious
11. Showering in my purple bathroom

misunderstanding list

Things I do not understand:

1. Comic books
2. Doing something you hate for a living
3. Blind belief
4. Hatred of intelligence (for example, people who laugh about actually reading a book)
5. Snobby music aficionados who don't actually play an instrument
6. Racism
7. Cars
8. LOST
9. The relationship between Europe and the United States
10. People who can lie easily
11. The appeal of ham

reading list

Books currently situated on my nightstand waiting for me to read them:

1. Slaughterhouse-Five - Kurt Vonnegut
2. Dune - Frank Herbert
3. The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver
4. Welcome to the Monkey House - Kurt Vonnegut
5. Mere Christianity - C.S. Lewis
6. The Rest is Noise - Alex Ross
7. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
8. A Brief History of Time - Stephen Hawking
9. Throw Like a Girl - Jean Thompson
10. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
11. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry

Conveniently, a list of eleven... how long do you think this will take?

cereal list

Breakfast cereals that I love to eat, but usually not for breakfast:

1. Bran flakes


2. Frosted Flakes


3. Oreo O's


4. Cap'n Crunch (no berries!!)


5. Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds


6. Any granola that doesn't have raisins in it


7. Frosted Mini-Wheats


8. Lucky Charms


9. Rice Krispies Treats Cereal


10. Cheerios (preferably Honey Nut)


11. Cinnamon Life

nickelodeon list

Shows I miss watching on Nickelodeon:

1. Doug -

Disney bastardized this show when they bought it out. Bastards.

2. Rugrats -

I know this is still on, too, but they just can't grow up, that's weird.

3. Hey Dude! -

How did they come up with this? "Hey guys, I've got this great concept for a show..."

4. You Can't Do That on Television -

Most people don't even remember this one. Can someone tell me what it was you couldn't say? I can't remember.

5. Nick in the Afternoon -

Not technically a tv show but a tv spot, I'm mostly including it so I can reference Stick Stickley and sing the song to annoy all of you... "Write to me, Stick Stickley, PO Box 963..."

6. Tiny Toons/Loony Toons -

That's all folks.

7. Legends of the Hidden Temple or GUTS -

It's a tie. I seriously cannot decide which was more of a thrill. And still is.

8. Hey Arnold! -

Apparently they do really well with exclamatory titles.

9. Muppet Babies -

I seriously loved this show. I must have a thing for little people in animated form.

10. Clarissa Explains It All -

Who wouldn't want their best friend to enter their room via ladder?

11. Are You Afraid of the Dark? -

Yes.

driving list

My favorite things to do while driving:

1. Sing to myself, sans radio. Mostly opera. And the national anthem.
2. Go through the carwash!
3. Put on my ipod, both ears, since I like to live dangerously, and jam out to bad pop songs.
4. Collect things to talk about and to make me sound smart from NPR news.
5. Try to find a street in Lawrence I've never seen before.
6. This sounds really creepy, I realize, but go through residential neighborhoods at night and peek in the windows at the colors of their walls.
7. Along the same lines, drive through residential neighborhoods during the day and look at their front porches and sidewalks.
8. Head into the country and take a dirt road for as far as I dare, then turn right or left and take another dirt road for as far as I dare. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Then try to find my way home.
9. Take pictures of the cars next to me with my cell phone camera.
10. Smoke a cigarette, but only in November at night with the windows rolled down. (Go ahead and roll your eyes, I know, I know...)
11. Drive too fast through deep puddles and splash everything everywhere.

murphy hall list

Things I love about Murphy Hall:

1. Arlene, the concession stand lady. Always gives me my hot water for free.
2. Saying hello to the same person three to six times a day as we pass in the halls.
3. My practice room. The messy piano covered with papers, the smell of it, the way I have to pull on the handle to unlock it, constantly being interrupted by Eliud, my crazy Puerto-Rican roommate...
4. The fourth floor theory classroom and the windows that won't shut.
5. Swarthout in all its glory.
6. The fountain that never seems to be working quite right.
7. Basking in the sun in the courtyard.
8. Running into Dr. Winerock... "Hello, hello, how are you, how're you doing, fine, fine, fine..."
9. Singing in the choir room.
10. The couches in the third floor east hallway, where I can sit in the sun, read my paper, and eat my lunch.
11. Fifth floor din.

puctuation list

My favorite punctuation marks:

1. (Parenthesis)
2. Question mark?
3. Ellipses...
4. Dash --
5. "Quotation marks"
6. Ampersands &
7. Asterisk*
8. Hyphen (but only when creating made-up hyphenated words)
9. Semi-colon;
10. Colon:
11. Backslash/

(Not a dork, not a dork, not a dork...)

salad ingredients list

Best things to put in/on a salad (though probably not in this particular combination):

1. Spinach

2. Peas

3. Bean sprouts

4. Onions

5. Balsamic vinegar

6. Banana peppers

7. Broccoli

8. Tomatoes

9. Sunflower seeds

10. Chicken

11. Strawberries