I can see clearly now, the rain is gone

This is the end of the fifth week of vacation.  Next Monday school starts.  I won't lie; I've spent most of break feeling pretty depressed. 

One of my friends told me that the first two months suck and then one day you just feel a lot better than you did before.  I finally hit that point a few days ago and boy does it feel good.  I hadn't been motivated to get anything done that I needed to (figuring out bills, organizing the house, prepping for school) the whole break.  Especially in the weeks since I've been back from Vegas, I felt myself sliding into a bad mental place...a place where I haven't been in a long time.  It freaked me out, but I didn't know what to do about it.  The last time I felt that way having a routine and responsibilities helped me get out and
stay on track.  But it's hard to have a routine when you are on break.  I couldn't pull myself up and out. 

I don't know what prompted it, but yesterday morning I woke up and said: "OK, you've got shit to do.  You better do it.  Get your life together."  And I did.  I actually got all my bills sorted, got the house 90% to where I want it to be (still waiting on the living room furniture), and started tackling school stuff.  I've been cooking.  And I don't feel depressed anymore.  I feel like things are going to be good and I know where I want to be in life, so I'm going there.

I have no idea what prompted this turnaround (school starting soon?  frustration with poker?  time?), but I'm glad it happened.  I'm looking forward to being (successful, happy, independent and self-sufficient) me again. 

Schedule update...

Just heard that I got the sections I wanted (Thursday afternoon)...so my official schedule now looks like this:

M:
11-11:50 Calculus
12:30-3:15 Voting
3:15-6:15 Religion and Politics

T:
9:30-10:45 Calculus

W:
3:30-4:20 Intro to American Govt (lecture for the class I'm TAing)

Th:
9:30-10:45 Calculus
2-4:50 Intro to American Government discussion sections

F:

Day off!

School starts Monday

In some ways I wish I didn't have to go back, but I'm also kinda bored just sitting around the house.

My schedule this semester follows.  As you can see, Mondays are the rough day of the week for me this year.  I've also decided that undergrad classes suck since they tend to be early in the am (9:30am twice a week?  For MATH??? Quelle horreur!)

M:
11-11:50 Calculus
12:30-3:15 Voting
3:15-6:15 Religion and Politics

T:
9:30-10:45 Calculus

W:
3:30-4:20 Intro to American Govt (lecture for the class I'm TAing)

Th:
9:30-10:45 Calculus

And I will also have three hours of sections either on Thursday afternoon or some time Friday (trying to get Thursday, so I can have Fridays off).

Making this for dinner tonight

I love this recipe.

       
               
               
       
       
               
       

Pork Chops Stuffed with Feta and Spinach

  Cooking spray
4  garlic cloves, minced and divided
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
5  sun-dried tomatoes, packed without oil, diced
1  (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) block-style fat-free cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
4  (4-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops, trimmed
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

       Preheat broiler.

Heat
a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking
spray. Add 2 garlic cloves; sauté 1 minute. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8
teaspoon pepper, tomatoes, and spinach; sauté until moisture
evaporates. Remove from heat; stir in cheeses and rind.

Cut a
horizontal slit through thickest portion of each pork chop to form a
pocket. Stuff about 1/4 cup spinach mixture into each pocket. Sprinkle
remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper over
pork. Arrange pork on the rack of a broiler pan or roasting pan coated
with cooking spray; place rack in pan. Combine remaining 2 garlic
cloves, juice, mustard, and oregano in a bowl; stir well. Brush half of
mustard mixture over pork. Broil 6 minutes; turn pork. Brush remaining
mixture over pork; broil 2 minutes or until done.

You learn something new everyday

I was out with a few friends last night and the discussion turned briefly to foreign cinema.  I was somewhat surprised to discover that one of my friends likes foreign films as much as me...and even better, he had brought me the special edition dvd of a Korean film that sounded especially interesting: Oldboy.  So when I got home last night, I watched it.

How this film slipped past my radar, I will never know, especially since it won the Cannes Grand Prix in 2004.  Seriously though, it's a great movie.  Definitely recommended.

Hooray for furniture Part 2

I haven't been sleeping in a bed for awhile.  I forgot how nice it is to just spend a lazy day in bed watching movies.  Got home from AC this morning around 7 and spent the rest of the day watching Casino Royale, The Magnificent Seven, and Sum of All Fears.  Hooray for lazy Mondays, movies in bed, and actually having a bed to watch movies in. 

House is almost back to a furnished state...except for the living room.  Still waiting for the couch to get here.  Also still have an empty bedroom that I'm trying to figure out what to do with.

Tamale Pie

Back in the day, I used to post a recipe every week that I had tried and thought was good.  That was when I was trying new dishes every week.  Well, one of the things I want to be better about in 2008 is eating healthier and cooking more, so I tried this recipe from Real Simple earlier in the week. 

I've made something similar to this before, but the addition of cocoa, jalapenos, and using meatloaf mix instead of just ground beef makes this version taste better.  It's a very easy recipe and the leftovers keep well.

Tamale Pie

1

tablespoon olive oil

    
               

1

onion, chopped

    
               

1

large celery stalk, chopped

    
               

2

garlic cloves, minced

    
               

1

jalapeño pepper, chopped with seeds

    
               

2

teaspoons kosher salt

    
               

1/2

teaspoon ground cumin

    
               

2

tablespoons chili powder

    
               

2

tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

    
               

1/2

teaspoon ground cinnamon

    
               

2

pounds meat-loaf mix (1 pound lean ground beef, 1/2 pound ground pork, 1/2 pound ground veal or lamb)

    
               

2

15-ounce cans kidney beans, drained

    
               

2

14 1/2-ounce cans diced tomatoes, drained

    
               

2

cups shredded Cheddar

    
               

2

8 1/2-ounce corn-bread mixes (may require 1 egg and 1 1/3 cup milk per package)

    

Heat oven to 350º F. In a medium skillet, over
medium heat, heat the oil with the onion, celery, garlic, and jalapeño
and cook until the vegetables are tender but not browned, about 10
minutes. Add the salt, cumin, chili powder, cocoa, and cinnamon. Add
the meat and cook until well browned. Stir in kidney beans and diced
tomatoes. Lightly coat a 13-by-9-inch casserole or baking dish with
vegetable cooking spray. Spoon the beef and beans into the casserole.
Top with 2 cups shredded Cheddar. Heat oven to 375º F. Prepare
corn-bread mixes according to the label directions; pour the batter
over the cheese. Bake for 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown.