Ice Cream Season?

I think since it's warm enough to rain it's warm enough for ice cream. Last night Jordan and I stood in the freezer aisle at Family Fare looking at the Ben & Jerry's when I saw it. Stephen Colbert's Americone Dream ice cream. One pint of vanilla ice cream with fudge covered waffle cone pieces and a caramel swirl. Delicious. The description says:

"Nation! Have a cold, bold, caramel-swirled, fudgecoveredwaffle-cone-loaded spoonful of Truth: This is Stephen Colbert's Americone Dream! Sweeter than the Bill of Rights, colder than Valley Forge & with twice as much caramel as the Louisiana Purchase. This is the only ice cream with an official thumbs-up from America's greates news corres-pundit. Please enjoy... or go On Notice! For more information on Stephen Colbert & The Colbert Report log on to www.colbernation.com."

What a joy.

Island Teriyaki Pork Chops.

I've bookmarked a few recipes in the cookbook I got at Christmas and as the title says, Island Teriyaki Marinade was one of them. Tonight I made it a goal to finally put the ingredients to use. I bought them all about two months ago and they've just been waiting. So how did they turn out?

First I had to call dad. Does garlic go bad? Can you omit ginger? (I actually ended up having the ginger root but it was moldy) How long do you cook the pork chops? Can you do it if they're still very frozen? As you can see... my dad is my cookbook.

It was a long ordeal trying to cook them just right. I learned a thermometer would have been handy (my birthday is in June). Finally, after nuking them, they were ready to eat. Doesn't sound much like dad's posts does it?

They were good; juicy, a hint of soy sauce, delicious. Of course I have my "next time I think I'll do" changes but all in all, very tasty. They passed Jordan's taste test (which hasn't been hard to do so far, Emeril does the job well).

Even though I did it all wrong, the recipe made a tasty nuked chop. Here it is for the masses:

1/2 cup (125ml) low-sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup (60ml) packed brown sugar
1.5 tablespoons (23ml) extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon (15ml) grated fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon (1ml) pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced

... I just realized I forgot the pepper.

"You can use this marinade for meats, fish, vegetables, and just about anything else you can thing of. Depending on the thickness of the food, you'll want to marinate for at least one or two hours before cooking. Combine all the ingredients and mix well. This recipe will keep for 3-4 weeks if kept covered in the refrigerator. Makes 4 servings."

(Yeah... it's like cooking for dummies).

That's My Favorite Movie

I'm not sure how many people know this but there are a few lines in Austin Powers 2 that go, "Alright, I'm gonna go watch a mooovie. Hey, In Like Flint, that's my favorite mooovie!" Every time Jordan or I say we're gonna go watch a movie we quote these two lines, not knowing what they mean. Well, last week I went through a Google phase and googled everything I could get my mind on. It turns out, In Like Flint was a sequal to a spoof that used the same cliche jokes as the first spoof, much like Austin Powers. It was also about trying to sabotage an evil genius' plan for world domination. Actually, exactly like Austin Powers. Jordan and I laughed hysterically once we realized what the joke actually was. I figured I would try to enlighten my audience about this line because they actually stand out in the movie without knowing the joke behind them. Here's a link and a clip from In Like Flint since I couldn't find the Austin Powers clip. Enjoy and good night.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Like_Flint

Today's Productivity.

For the first time in a few weeks I feel like I have the time to write a blog. Mondays I usually have this problem with too much time on my hands so I try to find something to do (other than watching tv). So here's the rundown on today.

Before my 8:00am class I put on my nice black pants, a nice sweater, and some nice black shoes. Today was speech day. I left my apartment about half an hour earlier than I usually do so I could go to the computer lab and print out my outline, print some handouts, and save my powerpoint to my school network. I went to Spanish, was a nervous wreck the whole time like I usually am. Then went to my Communications class and dominated, resulting in a B+.

When I came home I layed out on my bed, answered a phone call from Jordan's mom, and then talked to Annie for a little while. I did my usual, "My room is such a mess. Today is going to be the day I clean it." complaint. Well, today I cleaned it. Not only that but I also rearranged it. I did a full room makeover. So I feel 1. Productive 2. Refreshed and 3. Ready to start a new week... sort of. After I finished rearranging I kind of lounged in my newly made bed. I can't resist falling into my sea of pillows. They engulf me in my sweats and tee shirt and I'm knocked out for a day.

So, as productive as this afternoon was, I really didn't do anything to further my education or well-being. Something random: I received two Easter baskets, 5 bags of candy, and a couple other Easter candies. I haven't gotten this much Easter candy since I was 17. I've also come to like the black jelly beans... take that, dad.

Miss Webster.

Awkward: [awk-ward]

–adjective

1.	lacking skill or dexterity; clumsy.

2.	lacking grace or ease in movement: an awkward gesture; an awkward dancer.

3.	lacking social graces or manners: a simple, awkward frontiersman.

4.	not well planned or designed for easy or effective use: an awkward instrument; an awkward method.

5.	requiring caution; somewhat hazardous; dangerous: an awkward turn in the road.

6.	hard to deal with; difficult; requiring skill, tact, or the like: an awkward situation; an awkward customer.

7.	embarrassing or inconvenient; caused by lack of social grace: an awkward moment

8.	Obsolete. untoward; perverse.

This describes my Easter. Jordan's mom invited me to Easter dinner a few weeks ago and I said, "Sure." figuring it wouldn't be bad. Well, let me tell you, Jordan wasn't there. That's right, he had to work all day in Fort Wayne. So today, Easter Sunday, I met about half of Jordan's extended family by myself. Please... feel bad for me.

Wanna See Me Fishtail?

Some of my favorite moments in life are the ones you don't expect. I'm sure it is the same with others. I love hearing stories from my elders that have an age limit. They usually start out something like, "I think you're old enough for me to tell you the story." Well, here it is. I think Michael and I are old enough that I can tell this story now.

It was a sunny weekend afternoon, we think it was a Saturday. It was a day we were babysitting K, A, and L. The afternoon started out as original as it could have possibly been. The girls wanted to have chicken strips for lunch, yum. I believe it was Uncle M that was home with us, cooking the food, but I may be wrong. As time went on we realized there was no ketchup and it'd be nice to have some with lunch. So Mickey and I set out on our adventure with one goal: to retrieve the ketchup.

The local grocery store seemed to be the best choice as it was closer than any other store and had a wide enough variety to include ketchup. I wish choosing a grocery store was the biggest of our problems that day but it wasn't. We left the store, ketchup in hand, and got in the car to return for lunch. This is where our afternoon took a turn for the worst.

"Let's drive down Wienert Road." I suggested. We weren't in a hurry, I'm sure Mickey didn't pay for his own gas at the time, and we were in the mood for a random, completely innocent, detour. Being the invicible, reckless teenagers we were, Mickey had an idea.

"Wanna see me fishtail?" He asked.

"No." I replied without even considering it. He fishtailed anyway. At this point in the story the opinions are split. First I will tell you Mickey's version: After intentionally fishtailing he hit some loose gravel and the car, on its own, fishtailed to the side of the road where it was stuck in about 6 inches of loose gravel. My version: Mickey intentionally fishtailed against my will and landed us in about 6 inches of loose gravel. I will leave it up to you to decide who has the better memory.

So here we are, stuck on the side of Wienert road, between Johnny's house and Coleman Road. Flashbacks of the time we got the Mule stuck ran through my head as Mickey went into a panic. Relaxed, I suggested the old "dig out the tires and shove sticks underneath" trick. No luck. Two teens trying to push a boat of a nineteen ninety something Mercury Cougar out of quicksand in the middle of the country is a frightening thought to me now. Apparently it was also frightening for an aged, overweight, toothless man passing by. His rusted car slowed as we dreaded what was about to happen. The car came to a stop on the side of the road, right in front of us. He came out and my mind raced as I saw a tangible Jeff Foxworthy joke right in front of me. As he asked if we needed help we had a hard time replying, "Yes." He must have gotten part of the message because he proceeded to help us out of the loose gravel. We got back into the car, safe, and on the way to lunch once again with our ketchup and a vow to reveal the story "at the right time."

It is safe to say I've consulted with Mickey on this and he agreed that we are both old enough to disclose this story. You might be wondering what happened when we finally returned with the condiment in hand. When asked, "What took so long?" we simply answered a generic answer that neither of us could recall. I'm sure there are some misalignments with the real happenings due to the fact that it's been about 4 or 5 years since it happened but somewhere Mrs. Grabmeyer might have it on a VHS tape. The next week in school we both used it as our speech in Speech class. Finally, don't worry, there aren't more where this came from.

I Feel Compelled to Share This

A few weeks ago I made a slideshow of all these pictures John and I took during one of my breaks last year. I know he isn't under 3 years of age but it's a start on acknowledging him as part of the family. I could have shown pictures of him when he was younger but I don't have them on my computer anymore and don't have access to them (they're in Coleman).

Home, Safe.

Hi family and friends. I know it's been about a week since I've posted. First, an update: Florida was just okay. I didn't think it was anything special as a state, much like Michigan in the summer with a few extra palm trees and an aged population. I got an A- on my Haight & Ashbury speech and was 3 seconds away from the perfect time. I was excited about that.

I haven't had much time to write and I apologize. I'm still reading what's happening in your lives but haven't had the chance to sit down and devote some time to writing another blog. I have a good one in the making and Michael already knows about it, I'm just not in the mood tonight.

Other than small talk stuff, here's a blatantly honest question: When is the right time to mature? I know there has to be at least one family member out there who has been "young and stupid." Unfortunately even thought I've been young for a while, I've never really been very stupid. I am dating someone "young and stupid" though and I've just been thinking... will he ever grow up? And when will he be the age when it isn't okay anymore? Maybe it's an inappropriate question but just wondering... when did you reach that point in your life when you decided it's time to start being responsible?

Road Trippin' With My Friends.

What's in a road trip? It's something I've wanted to do since my sophomore year in high school. Something about cramming in a car with twizzlers, a tank of gas, and $20 in your pocket appeals to me. The reality of it is much different, however. I can tell you all some key lessons I've learned along with a few great stories I can share. Plus, I promised to update if I could and I found a very weak wireless signal on the porch. So.... here it goes, the best I can.

Michigan, 12:00AM Sunday morning. Our ride still hadn't shown up. The other couple were fighting over stupid things (an ex visited one of the two at work). Right away the trip was almost called off. I'm in Florida though, so obviously it didn't stop us from going. We actually got picked up around 12:30 and we were on our way out of the state, finally, shortly after 1:00AM.

I decided to sleep right away, crammed in the back with two other people while occasionally someone would roll a window down to have a cigarette. By the way, I have never been so happy in my life that I don't smoke after seeing the things these people have to worry about (cancer, where's my lighter? does that store sell Marlboro's? Don't go in the water with the cigarettes, etc.). No, thank you. So... I missed all of Michigan and a lot of Indiana, too.

Kentucky wasn't special. We didn't even stop at a KFC until we hit Georgia. Tennessee wasn't thrilling either. The worst state was Georgia because it took all day to get through it and it had nothing to offer. I even made a comparison to Ohio at one point.

Florida as a state is nothing special. My heart is in the rolling, mountainous hills and valleys of California. The landscape here doesn't even compare. It's much like Michigan with an extra palm tree here or there. No redwoods, strawberry feilds, or winding highways here. But I'm happy.

So you're probably wondering about those lessons, right? Lesson one: Know the people you're going with. I happen to be stuck in a car with two drama queens and two people that talk and stress out about directions way too much. 20+ hours with a few people that are annoying yields a short temper.

This brings me to lesson two: You better be able to sleep in a car. Sleeping is your only escape from the enclosed environment of people complaining, knowing the right way to go, and fighting. If I didn't sleep I would have been clinically insane halfway through Michigan.

Now that I've been here for a day, things are pretty good. Yesterday was the first time we went anywhere. We went into Clearwater to the beach and I spent the whole day there. Jordan and his friend, Joe, however spent theirs at the Tiki bar, giving the rest of us a mess to take care of later. He danced with an aged, overweight lady named Shelly while Joe hit on her friend (who was married and had four children). This is the point in which we found the two. We had a good laugh over it.

It's morning on our second day here. Jordan bought everything for breakfast last night (eggs, sausage, orange juice, cheese, mushrooms, peppers, muffins, you name it he bought it) along with 10-15 Chef Boyardee meals.

(Sigh) It's day two and Wisconsin or Michigan sounds pretty good. I should get paid for the amount of babysitting I'm doing here. There are three good things though; beaches, sunshine, and palm trees. I love beaches... and saltwater.

To try to sum up everything, it's warm and I always forget how much I love sunshine and being outside in the fresh air during the snowy winters at home. Next time I post, I'll try to include a few pictures of the place I'm staying, it's a really nice house (the neighborhood doesn't really fit, a bit trashy). Until next time... I'll be enjoying the sunshine, enjoy your day, too.

Peace.

I'm on my way to Florida. Luckily my dad taught me how to survive in a crowded car for hours on end; twizzlers, Aquifina, and no peeing. I'm going to be the MVP of road tripping. I'll make you proud, dad. Thanks for the solid foundation in car-riding. I'm going to resort to some of my old ways of passing time (the alphabet game). I am also equipped with a good read, East of Eden by John Steinbeck. I'll post an update eventually when I get there but don't be surprised if a) I don't have an internet connection and/or b) I'm too distracted by warm weather and sunshine to thing about my blog. I love you all, readers... enjoy the first week of March!

This is an old post from my myspace but I'd like to carry it into my blog.

What did I do today? I learned I want to learn Axl's moves, tease my hair, and make a music video...



I also learned Axl was extremely good lookin' so if you have his number, don't be shy!







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