Learning the art of brownies.

I have not posted in a very long time...

For me anyway. Maybe it's because lately I've been really happy and busy and haven't felt a need to post every day. Not saying that I only write when I'm feeling tension but I guess I don't really feel a "need" to write. It's always healthy to write your thoughts down so here we go.

Right now I'm on my Dad's lame ass computer that freezes up when I try to add pictures. I have no idea what's wrong with this thing but I've been using it since I got home because my desktop computer can't hookup to the internet without this little port that I left in Ellensburg. So bringing my whole computer home was a very big waste of effort but how was I supposed to know that.

Katelynn got a new apartment! I visited Katelynn at the old apartment the second day I was back and we drank beer and watched movies. I drank a beer called "Sapporo" that was pretty light and delicious. Didn't get hungover, either. Sometimes drinking a little is nice, I've also drank a couple glasses of wine this week. One before bed the other night and another when I figured out my grades.

I did pretty well this quarter! I mean it wasn't fantastic because I got straight B's but as long as I'm in the 3-point range I can't complain. I got a 3.0 in accounting, 3.0 in pre-calc, and a 3.3 in my Legal class. I was really pumped that I pulled a B in probably the highest level math class I will ever have to take again. I considered it my "last math class" even if I'm still having to take Finite math next quarter. From what people have told me, it's mainly algebra so easier than pre-calc. Might as well get it over with this winter.

Next quarter I'm taking finite math, economics and english 102. I'm really hoping that my English skills will bring me an A, and having this last quarter of pre-calc will get me an A in Finite so I'll be able to raise my GPA from an overall 3.1 like I currently have. I'm still thinking about my grades because I'm already considering future plans after Central. I like to have at least a general idea of what I'd like to be doing in a couple years and have always been this way.

Now that I'm studying at a university I could look at this as my final academic frontier but I don't. My goal now is to work a couple years in the field, find a company that will pay for my schooling, and do my Masters degree before I settle down. Someday I do want kids and a family but I'd like to be completely accomplished with my academics before I take that step. My Mom says I should wait until I'm done with Central and see how I feel. I told her I can't imagine myself being completely satisfied with my college experience after this. I feel like this is just another bridge.

I told you guys my plan for this quarter was to catch up with some people I don't normally see and I feel like I've already partially accomplished that goal! I hung out with Taylor H. a couple evenings ago. She's doing very well, she's one of the head honchos of Amazon customer service reps (...like, she doesn't get laid off seasonally, and people go to her for questions) and she's living with her boyfriend who also works at Amazon in a really nice apartment. She's still baking a lot, as you can see she's making brownies in this picture. She taught me how to make chocolate chip brownies without destroying the chips-- "Add the chips last!" 

I love learning from people, especially about things that I don't normally do. That way in the future if say I wanted to make some double chocolate brownies.... well now I know!! lol. 

So yeah, just hanging out with Katelynn, practicing quite a bit of guitar, watching netflix, hanging out with family, talking to Brendan (a LOT)... It's been a pretty fulfilling break as well because I haven't JUST been doing what I want to do. Like I've also been helping my mom clean and went to her office a couple days ago to organize her computer files. It's been like a very convenient mini job for me. I will get a couple more hours in today and earn a few bucks for Christmas shopping.

It's the 13th and I've done NO Christmas shopping because as you guys know my parents are supporting me and it'd pretty much be there money that I'm spending. I don't even want to check how much money is in my account right now because $2,500 loan money got transferred in there for some reason and it should be coming out for my next school payment so I don't want to see how much money is in there and feel depressed of how much money I really have.

So yeah, no Christmas shopping for me this year. My Mom already has my Christmas list. This is what I want this year:

1. Mac Studio Fix pressed powder

2. Mac Mascara

3. Mac black eyeliner

4. Mac slanted liner brush 

(Those all together will be about $80, it's the bulk of what I want for Christmas and what's most important to me because it's stuff I would inevitably have to buy anyway. Mac just works better than everything else and it's healthier on your skin...)

5. Ashtray

6. Music stand similar to the ones they use in the middle school. Literally I want a cast iron music stand, not those crappy fold up ones that are prone to tip over.

7. Pay for January's guitar lessons. ($80)

Again, I feel like such a mooch for having my parents pay for those lessons. It feels awful to me every time I think about it but I'd feel much guiltier if I lived an exciting life in Ellensburg. My parents are saving a ton of money by me going to school there instead of Western, UW, etc.. I would like to go to UW for my Masters degree someday, but my Mom said that's a Hell of a lot more expensive than regular university classes and I probably would not want to be doing that there. 

Okay it's almost 11:00. I should really get off and eat a leftover enchilada before I get into some practicing. I'm going to go to Mom's office again at 12:30 or so to work for a couple hours, then I'll come home and practice again, then I've got my lesson at 5:30!! 

peace. 

Excited!! My big list of plans to do

Oh god, this picture is embarrassing. I guess you could say with the challenge there really wasn't a second pick, Brendan and I took a bunch of pictures but we both looked like total derps until I just happen to get a good one. I've been using my Muscle Milk containers as tripods that I can use anywhere and actually provide a much more stable surface than any tripod I've used previously. Thriftiness!

We look pretty wacky in this photo. That's why I didn't choose it.

Anyway, that's Brendan! From my legal class! Ha ha, I mentioned him before and here he is!

I briefly talked to him before our final. I noticed he was wearing a "state" track sweater and I asked where he was from. He said he's from Zillah. I told him I played tennis for Ki-Be and he said, "Ohh you probably know some people I know. You know Rossetti C." I'm like, yeah, we had quite the rivalry Junior year and kind of cracked up. That seems like such a long time ago now. 

I'll leave it at that. Ha ha.

I rewarded myself with a nice long workout tonight. I sometimes don't work out even if I'd like too because I don't want to over exert my body and potentially lose too much weight. I've been snacking a little more lately. I just don't want to over exert by taking two bikerides back and forth between my apartments and Shaw then somewhere else.. yadda yadda, I'd rather not have a biking body. Too skinny. It's difficult to maintain the weight you want, I have to trust that my body appreciates what I'm putting in it and will let me know if I'm lacking any nutrients...

I just want what I'm eating to be the last of my concerns. I'd like to take a small grocery shopping trip when I get home to make sure I get what I need. I've managed it to where I've got about a weekly to a week and a half amount of time that I go between shopping trips. Sometimes I have to take in between trips, but they're usually smaller trips at around $25-30.

Usually grocery shopping costs $70-$100. I'll make two stops-- one at Fred Meyer to get frozen fruits and vegetables. The second stop is at Grocery outlet where I get most of my groceries now. I'm going to write out a rough list so I can know what to buy when I get home. 

Things I usually need:

-Beef, I'll get the small steaks that I can freeze. I eat one small steak 4-5 days out of the week, usually topped with sauted onion-pepper blend. Topped with rooster sauce, delicious over...

-Rice. I make rice about 3-4 times a week. Sometimes I will have the steak on it's own. Other times on white rice. I have to be careful with white rice because I have a tendency to bloat when I eat too much of it.

-Whole wheat bread.

-Lunch meat of some kind.

-Eggs

-Bacon. I tried buying bacon this last week but it was a complete fail because it was the cheap stuff and was DISGUSTING quality. All fat. I could barely choke it down even mixed in my eggs and mixed with cheese/salsa.

-Tortillas.

-Cheddar cheese. Right now I've got some of this in my fridge that will last me a good while.

-Frozen chicken. Have to make sure they don't already have some at home, they probably do, my sister loves her chicken salads.

-Sesame oil. I'm gonna try and score some to bring home. I intend to hit the Saigon Market when I'm back. One more thing I want to do...

-Bag of frozen peaches, bag of frozen green vegetable. 

-1% milk.

Okay now you guys want to hear the list of all the awesome things I want to do this Christmas break?? (in no particular order.)

1. Go shopping with Gardenia.

2. Hang out with Seth.

3. Call and catch up with Stephanie.

4. Visit Brenden tomorrow in Zillah.

5. Get coffee with Dani before my guitar lesson.

6. Check out Taylor's apartment in Kennewick.

7. Go out with Samantha.

8. See Brad after one of my lessons.

...And of course hang out with Katelynn. I wish I could catch up with everyone. I'd like to plan this so that I can figure out which people I'd like to see in Richland, then hit up those people in that day, of course dedicate one day to shopping with Gardenia which would be a trip and back from Kennewick. Hanging out with Seth and seeing Taylor's apartment will be in the same trip. Whenever I'm in Kennewick I plan to see Katelynn or be with Katelynn throughout the day as well. 

We'll see how this goes, I'm really going to make an effort this break to see new people, really enjoy catching up... Many people I do keep caught up with on Facebook. 

Gosh I'm getting a little drunk as I write this, I'm drinking wine mixed with some of the last of that orange juice in the fridge. Man, as I'm letting my groceries deplete to the bare essentials I'm starting to realize how scary it must have been as a North Koreans and Soviet Russians during food shortages. I literally feel so much sympathy for these people... especially the North Koreans that are putting up with this even today. 

peace.