Little Goodness

I’m lacking in the creative department. Blast.

 Anybody have any ridiculously awesome stories that are better then the one I am going to tell? If you do, please share below. Everyone will benefit from your more interesting story.

I love peanut butter m&m’s. There were days in college when the homework and studying for exams began piling up to a tumultuous degree, and the only thing that would make studying better, was peanut butter m&m’s. Seriously, I could eat a quadzillion of them and not blink an eye.

 If you have a stash of them somewhere, DON’T EVER tell me where they are. They will disappear and you will be left with a sad reminder that ‘sharing is not caring’ when it comes to peanut butter m&m’s. Sharing is sad, because I will eat all of them.

 So today, when one of my coworkers was looking for something salty to eat, I, in turn, wanted something sweet. Thus began an assortment of emails going back and forth about who should go get the other one their snack of choice. It ended in me running down to the food court to get my coworker some chips, and ultimately caving to the desire to buy some peanut butter m&m’s. Blast!

 I’ve only eaten half the little bag so far… I still have 3 more hours of work…

 Cheers to the weekend!

 Here is my article of the week. It’s not that lame, I promise. http:// whitehouse.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/25/obama-compares-romneys-rhetoric-to-cow-pie-of- distortion/

Packed Bags

This post is dedicated to my bro. He is graduating from college tomorrow. Congrats dude. So proud of you.

His bag is packed. I think he only has one. Minimalist. Everything is in its appropriate spot. Every little item that needed to be bought, is bought. Plans are slightly made up. He will still be flying by the seat of his pants,like always. But he is so ready to go.

He’s flying to Ireland on Monday. Graduation present.

Pretty epically awesome. Over the past couple of years, he has put in his time, gone to classes that he really didn’t want to go to, and aced like every single one of them. (Nerd) He has schmoozed with every professor he ever needed to, in order to make them his friend. My brother is great at that. He could get you hooked after the first time you meet him too. But he is always thinking ahead, thinking about ways to create and make new connections. He’s pretty young, and he already has connections across the country. Dude

I’m so excited to watch him continue to grow. I don’t care how sappy that sounds. This is my little brother we’re talking about here! But now he’s like kind of big. Geez. And yet he has so many ridiculously awesome adventures still ahead of him. He’s just starting. And I’m so proud to watch it all unfold.

Cheers to my little bro! Happy graduation!

Here is my article. Seems pretty fitting: Zen Backpacking

CAKE!

Delicious cake. You have to make this cake. It will make you smile.

Strawberries and Cream Angel Food Cake Roll <------- (SO GOOD)

For the Cake:
9 egg whites
2 tsp vanilla
3/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 cup + 2Tb sugar
3/4 cake flour (or regular flour, sifted)
1 Tb powdered sugar

For the Filling:
2 cups heavy cream (has to be really cold)
6 Tb of powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups diced strawberries

1. Make sure the egg whites are warm. (I literally took them out of the fridge and microwaved the container of eggs for 15 to 20 seconds a couple of times until the eggs didn't feel cold anymore). Or you could crack them into a bowl and let them sit for an hour...

2. Meanwhile, line a 15x10-inch baking pan with waxed paper; spray with cooking spray and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

3. Start whipping the eggs. You can do it the old fashion way with your trusty guns (arm + whisk) or you could use a hand mixer or stand-up mixer to start beating the egg whites. Add vanilla and cream of tarter to egg whites; beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. (You will see the transformation from frothy eggs to more whipped-cream-looking eggs) Gradually beat in sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, on high until stiff glossy peaks form. You will have a bowl full of fluffy delicious-ness. Try hard not to eat it all right there. It was a struggle for me. Fold in flour, 1/4 cup at a time.

4. Carefully spread batter into prepared pan. Make sure you spread it smooth. I had one thin side and one thick side, whoops. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Cool for 5 mins

5. Dust a clean kitchen towel with 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar. (This is so the cake doesn't stick to the towel after you roll it) Turn the cake out onto the kitchen towel. Gently peel off waxed paper (slowly!). Roll up cake in the towel (I know that sounds weird, just do it) jelly-roll style, starting with a short side. Cool completely on a wire rack.

6. Meanwhile, make the whipped cream. Take whatever bowl you are using and stick it in the freezer for about 10 mins. Do this. It makes a huge difference. Then, pour the cream into the frozen bowl and beat on medium speed until it begins to thicken. Add powdered sugar a little bit at a time and the vanilla, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until soft peaks form. Beautifully light and fluffy. Gently fold in the strawberries. Don't mash. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

7. Unroll cooled cake; spread filling to the edges. You will have some filling left over, which is wonderful because you can devour it all yourself, or maybe share with everyone later... Roll it back up. Place seam side down on and sprinkle with more powdered sugar. Serve with the leftover cream filling (if you have any left). Store the leftovers (if you have any) in the refrigerator covered in plastic wrap.

8. BE EXTREMELY HAPPY.

Here is my article: http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/10/opinion/granderson-romney-obama-gay-rights/index.html You should read it. It gives an interesting perspective

HAPPY ALMOST FRIDAY! WOOOO HOOOO!

Learning

I am such a basket-case sometimes. Oh my word. I continually chalk it up to being "new" to my job.

I've been here a year...

Well, in the matters of learning new things at work, I am top-notch panic city. You would think after being here a year, the overwhelming desire to flee the building would go away, or at least subside. But alas, it is not so. I always say I am open to learning anything and everything, but in the end, I'm not willing to take on the minor-panic-freak-out-I-made-a-mistake situations. I want to know how to do it right from the beginning, and not make any errors, when I have no idea what I'm doing. Ba! Talk about uptight-basket-case. IN ORDER TO LEARN YOU (MOST OF THE TIME) HAVE TO MAKE MISTAKES.

You would think after knowing this about myself for the past, hmm, FOREVER, I would somehow be able to cope with the situation when it presents itself. I'm good at doing that later. Like making chocolate chip cookies after work and going on a long-extended run in the morning before work. But this doesn't help, at all, when you need to deal with a minor crisis that very moment at work. I can't stand in front of my computer and casually glaze into oblivion or run around my department in distress shredding paper into little tiny bits and flinging them wherever I walk (however, it would be hilarious). I need to be level-headed and make a decision that is, to the best of my knowledge, correct. The key is not to become emotionally attached. Me? Become emotional unattached? WHAT? HOW? I need enlightenment.

I feel it all rolls back to who is really in charge, though. NOT ME. Christ is. He is leading me, He is giving me the strength to handle whatever comes my way. I am not on my own. I do not have to get emotionally attached to data points and cry in the corner or under my desk, when one of my entries was made in error. God doesn't want me to trust in myself. That's pointless. I need to trust in Him.

There is my enlightenment. DUH. Just give it up to Jesus.

Don't panic today. Make a mistake. Learn. Cheers!

Here is my article. This woman is crazy: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/03/bachmann-endorses-romney/