so cold in this house

Sorry about the long time, no blog. I think I lead a dull life right now. Like, I'm reading journal student comments to figure out which ones we'll publish. Interesting to me, not so much to you. Or, like, I need a haircut, desperately. Or I need to register for PMBR before the end of the week, because my former prof recommended it as very useful and I trust her. You know, edge-of-your-seat, fascinating stuff like that.

But hey, this might be of interest: I think I ate some glass tonight at the Rock Bottom brewery! Awesome! I blame this on the Boy, because I was torn between the crème brulée and the pint glass sundae for dessert, and he wanted to share the sundae. I bet we wouldn't have mistaken the glass for ice in the crème brulée. So, anyhow, if you don't hear from me again, I'm probably suffering from massive internal hemmoraging, or whatever. Bonus: we got a free meal! Guess I should have had a second beer.

Anyway, I saw this video on SOMC today and LOVED it, so I'm sharing it with all of you. Enjoyable even for non-cat people, I promise.

tomorrow's gaining speed on you

Wow. Haven't blogged yet in October; sorry about that. I think one of the reasons I'm having such a hard time grasping that it's October already is that it doesn't feel like October. I mean, I wore shorts and a t-shirt for the last two days! That's simply unacceptable. It looks like it's starting to get colder, but I can't kick back and enjoy my pumpkin treats if it's above eighty degrees outside, you know?

Anyway. In other fairly insignificant-to-anyone-but-me news, after two years (we're coming up on the tawny gypsy mac's birthday in a couple weeks!) I think I'm ditching the Safari browser in favor of Firefox. Yeah, yeah. woo freaking hoo. I'm not a huge fan of the Firefox default font, but in the greater scheme of things, it's a lot more stable than Safari, and important websites (like LexisNexis) finally work correctly. Transferring my bookmarks is going to be a hassle... oh, wait, I can import them. heh. Me + technology = a fierce combination, for sure.

This may qualify as the lamest blog post ever. Sorry kids. I think I meant to write about music or something, possibly about hearing R.E.M.'s "Electron Blue" in the Apple Store today while the Boy bought a new Shuffle, an event which prompted a sudden, fierce desire to listen to Around the Sun (which is fairly notable, as I haven't given it much airtime since 2004). But now you know a) I'm still alive, b) I would like some colder weather, please, and c) I'm getting used to Firefox (...again; used it all the time on Ye Olde PCe Laptoppe in days of yore).

...except the links in the Bookmarks Bar at the top of my browser window just disappeared and are now refusing to come back. There really is no such thing as the perfect browser, is there? Alas.

travel down the road and back again

So, I've long maintained to the Boy that I can cook, I just choose not to cook. Because I get busy, or I get too hungry to take the time to do much, or it's uninspiring to cook for one person. But I found a recipe in one of the newspapers my 'rents sent me for Baked Scallops with Spicy Peanut Topping, and it sounded great. So I clipped it, and when I went to the store yesterday, decided to go for it, because I had a little spare time and wanted to eat something non-microwaved for a change. The recipe calls for a pound and a half of scallops, but I went with just a pound, which is about right for two people. I'm not much of a foodblogger, but these were easy and tasty, and quick to prepare for the impatient, so I'm sharing.

1 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 pounds sea scallops
1/3 C unseasoned bread crumbs
1/3 C salted, roasted peanuts
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger (WHY have I never purchased my own fresh ginger before? SO GOOD)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Coat bottom of a shallow 9-in round cake pan with olive oil. Arrange the scallops in a single layer in the pan. Set aside.

In a food processor, combine the breadcrumbs, peanuts, red pepper flakes, ginger and garlic. Process until they resemble coarse sand. Drizzle in the melted butter and pulse until combined. Use your fingers to sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the scallops. Bake until the scallops are cooked through and the topping is lightly browned, about 12-14 min.

I served them with couscous (again, the miracle side dish for the impatient) and fresh snow pea pods, and the result was DELICIOUS. And then we watched the Office premiere (ohh, poor Sprinkles--he had so much life left in him) and the Boy suffered through ER (which wasn't that great, honestly), and then we channel-surfed our way to some Frasier repeats and possibly an episode and a half of the Golden Girls. Possibly.

And now I have a kitchen to clean and a lot to do that I haven't even begun to accomplish yet today, PLUS a busy weekend (all day mediation certification tomorrow, the PAWS Run for Their Lives on Sunday--if only I could procure a Support the Rabid band by race time). blerg.