Things I probably should try to do while on pain medication

1. Go on Etsy (says my thither.)
2. Try to learn how to knit lace.
3. Juggle knives.
4. Use heavy machinery.

So, ummmmm, now what do I do?

Now, with 100% less tonsils

I shall be surviving on yogurt, juice and applesauce for the next few days. I'm trying to think of other soft foods to eat that aren't going to irritate my throat.

Conferences, conferences

I've had two conference proposals accepted in the last month, one at our university's conference, and one at a small regional conference. I submitted another proposal yesterday to a big national conference and was notified by the academia.edu site that someone was googling me this morning, so I'm assuming it is them.

And I just got an email from the section chair at the regional conference asking me if I would be willing to be a panel discussant.

I think I officially feel like a professor.

30 minutes meals

The fall semester is looming on the distant horizon, and that means less puttering time in the evenings once I get back to work. I'm teaching late afternoon classes three days a week this upcoming semester, and on those nights, the last thing I want to do is cook. So as I've been poking around the internet this summer, I've been keeping an eye out for easy recipes that take under thirty minutes to make. Today for lunch I threw together a recipe that was based on a couple of ones that I've seen floating around and changed it to match what I had in my fridge and cupboards.

Thai Ramen Noodles

1 bell pepper slivered
10 baby carrots, quartered
Two large handfuls of baby spinach
Two packages of ramen noodles (I don't remember buying ramen noodles, but they were in the food storage. Any kind of asian noodle would work, or even spaghetti)
1 T of red curry paste.
1 can of light coconut milk
2 T of sesame oil

Put the water on to boil for the noodles while you chop up your vegetables. When the water comes to a boil, throw the carrots in the water. A minute later, add the ramen noodles.

When the carrots go in the water, add the sesame oil to a skillet, heat over high heat until hot. Add the curry paste and stirfry for about 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Stir in the coconut milk until smooth. Add the bell peppers. Let simmer over medium heat for a few minutes.

When the noodles are almost cooked, throw in the baby spinach and let cook just long enough to wilt. Drain. Put back in the pot, dump the coconut milk mixture over the top and stir through.

Serve in bowls.  Pass hot sweet chili sauce at the table to drizzle over the top to taste.

Served all three of us with enough left over to make a part of a work lunch.

Cooper loved eating the ramen noodles because I left them too long. He ate from the bottom up.

I am so boring

What have I been up to for the last few days?

• Got my diploma framed.
• Wrote on bananas with toothpicks. One said my son's name. The other said, "Eat me."
• Much crafting for presents. Pictures will show up when the gifts have been given so as to not ruin any surprises.
• Spent more than two hands worth of hours working on a syllabus. The course is being completely redesigned to take into account a new prerequisite sequence, so even though I've been teaching it for the last two years, it's like designing from scratch. New textbooks, new material, the whole shebang.

That doesn't sound like much, but I've been working what feels like non-stop. I'm a perfectionist when it comes to course design so that's always a much longer process than it would be for some other people. I do love it though. I love planning the perfect semester, where all the projects work perfectly, and all the students lack attitutde problems.

Oh, I got an email from my dean about my student evaluations. I had one student just go after me in a way that was quite upsetting. He just wanted to let me know that I'm a great teacher, and it was obvious that someone had it out for me, but to not worry, because it happens to everybody once in a while. Just one more reason why I love my dean.

Gorgeous Rainy Day

It was a gorgeous rainy day today. The kind of rain that just keeps falling until there are little creeks running down the alley, and the air is washed free of all impurity.

So I sat in my house with the windows open listening to the rain today. I got a new sewing machine on Saturday. I didn't have a lot of time for making things with my hands during grad school. It was mostly a period of only the essential getting done. I decided to go through my crafting supplies - the little I had kept - and, well...

Fat Owl saw you eat his cookie.

Holier Than Thou Hippie (HTTH) Owl only hunts for prey in organic farmland.

HTTH Owl judges Fat Owl for being made out of synthetic fibers.