OSF: First Love Songs

OK, this post is gon' be brief because I ain't all mushy. But, I remember India Arie's song being played when me and Mr. C. first started dating. I remember watching the video with him in one of our dorm rooms when we were dating in college and falling in love, so I picked "I Am Ready for Love."

Dating Again

No, Mr. C and I are not getting a divorce so don't even come at me with no tabloid rumors. What had happened was we decided to go out on a date and try a restaurant we hadn't tried before because, well let me put it bluntly: Grad students don't date once becoming grad students, especially married ones. Plus, I thought I deserved a treat for coding dissertation data, so we went on a date. I kinda felt guilty at first considering that we still had leftovers from last night's dinner in the fridge, but who says we can't still have them for lunch tomorrow?

Anyway, back to this restaurant. We tried P.F. Chang's China Bistro and if I were to write a review for it, I'd definitely recommend it. The food is quite good. It's a little more upscale than your average Chinese restaurant, but there's really not that much of a difference in price (unless you order a New York strip steak). I ordered sweet and sour chicken for about 12 bucks.

The restaurant's strengths lie in their sauce options. They give you a well-seasoned soy sauce that if too sweet you can add white vinegar too, and if too tart, a reddish sauce (don't know what it's called). That's a big step up from the soy sauce packets.

The fried crab wontons were perfectly crispy too--not too soggy. They came with a sweet and sour spicey sauce, but if you don't like sweet and sour (like Mr. C.), you can always use the seasoned soy sauce. They also came with this cucumber and carrot garnish tossed in a red wine vinegar-like dressing. Quite good too. The only downside with this dish was that I couldn't tell you if there was crab in it--let alone, imitation crab. The stuffing was filled mostly with cheese. Still good though.

We took our desserts home to go. Mr. C. had New York Cheesecake (which if he doesn't hurry up and eat it, I might sneak a piece; see my reason in the next sentence), and I had the mini smores treat. Delicious, but I honestly could have had a larger serving. They do have bigger desserts there as well; I just figured that I'd be too stuffed for anything large.

While this place has your fried rices, wonton soups, sweet and sour chickens, etc., again, like I said earlier, it ain't your typical Chinese joint. If you're looking for super duper sized portions, you're best going where you've been going for Chinese. The portions are just right IMO though. You won't necessarily have leftovers, but you'll be satisfied. But if you're looking for quality over quantity, then this is the place to go.

Top 10 Things I Enjoy about School Holiday Breaks

10) Not having to go in to campus

9) Working whenever I feel like it without feeling guilty

8) Having the time to actually watch TV

7) Going to bed early since I'm working less

6) Waking up when I get ready to

5) Web surfing without guilt

4) Holiday baking for a spouse and family who appreciate the cooking

3) Having dad flip the bill for extra groceries I sneak into his cart.

2) Having my mom cook my favorites for me (as opposed to me cooking the meals myself)

and...

1) Being home with mom, dad, and the rest of my family.

OSF Stevie Wonder

This one makes me happy around the holidays...

Why College Student Needs a Composition Class

This proves why teaching writing courses (and any literacy-related for that matter) is still relevant: So that you don't have to prove that you can read and write even if you do supposedly have a college degree, and even if you are governor of a state. In other words, if you were taught the communicative skills (oral and written) necessary to appear educable to the general public--and if you paid attention, went to class, etc. while taking those courses-- you wouldn't have to ink 7 million big ones to prove that you can read or write. Seriously.

P.S.
Happy Birthday, Mom! I love you!

It's still sinking in

Scene One:
I find myself reminiscing on this whole 2008 campaign and thinking back to EARLY 2007 when a colleague (Chicago native) asked if I were voting for Obama:

Colleague: Are you voting for Obama
Me: I don't know; I really don't know much about him. I think I'm leaning Hillary Clinton, but I'm not sure.
Colleague: Have you read his book?
Me: Nope
Colleague: If you do, you'll definitely vote for him!
Me: We'll see.

Scene Two:
December 2007, I'm in the faculty commons room making coffee when one of our department secretaries is also making her coffee

Colleague: We have the chance to make history. Imagine that! A Black man in the White House!
Me: (half-heartened) Yes we do; that would be amazing. (I'm thinking that Obama doesn't stand a chance, but it's good that she's inspired, so I won't burst her bubble).

Scene Three:
Late December 2007/Early January? 2008 An Ohio State Representative invited me to local Ohio caucuses that pick the delegates that would go to the Democratic National Convention. She wanted us to vote for her to serve as one of Hillary Clinton's delegates. At that point I was still undecided, so she insisted that voting on delegates doesn't mean committing to a particular candidate. When I arrived at the center to vote for delegates, I felt so guilty going into the Clinton caucus to vote when I saw all the energetic Obama supporters. I felt like such a traitor, but voted for Clinton's delegates anyway. When I arrived home late that evening, I found out that Obama won the Iowa caucus! At that point, I'd made up my mind, became inspired, and jumped on the Obama wagon.

Needless to say, I'm still inspired!

Today Is Blog Against Poverty Day

Reminding all bloggers: Today is blog against poverty day. This is much needed considering the fact that homelessness is climbing and our economy is in shambles. For those of us bloggers who aren't considered to be in poverty, and for those of us who have technological access to afford posting to our blogs, let's be thankful ( as times could be worse), while yet speaking out for those who aren't as fortunate as we are.

PC

Still Daddy's Little Girl

Thursday I sent an email to a bunch of friends, family, and colleagues telling them that I launched a blog. Once my Dad took a look at it, he replied saying this:

It's very, very good. Do not be disappointed if you don't get comments for a while. Some blogs don't get any, but it does not mean that it is not being read. One of my favorite Ministry blogs is run by a professor at University of Pennsylvania (elite) and never gets comments but is an outstanding blog. Keep at it though, I think that you've got a good thing going.

That made me feel good. :-) I wasn't expecting a whole lot of comments at first, but at least a couple. This does give me hope though. It's always good to have a parent who knows when to encourage and cheer lead. Yay!

PS: A couple hours after yesterday's post, I heard from my primis editor. She said she now has everything she needs and things will be ready by the time TAs arrive for orientation. W00t!

PC