Cooking For One

My last post touched on the fact that Chris left for the oyster aquaculture program. What I haven't yet mentioned is just how hard it is for me to be away from him so much of the time. I assume most couples have this hard of a time when spending this much time apart. But, I guess I thought I'd be able to handle it better than I have. Of course I knew I'd miss Chris. But man, it's been so hard. Even before we lived together, we pretty much saw each other every single day.

And, well, he's just my best friend (and fiance... woot woot!), and I tell him everything. And it's hard to have mostly phone contact with the person you love to embrace on a daily basis. AND, I'm a crazy-emotional female who cries when she is feeling... well, pretty much anything. So, needless to say, I've been crying buckets these days.

But, Chris is enjoying the new job and doing well at it. He's got a river view from his abode, and his days seem to incorporate a split of manual labor and lab work. And I'm just proud. He's growing oysters, which are not only one of the best-tasting foods ever, but which also filter 20-30 gallons of water per day (EACH oyster does that!). He's helping to keep the Chesapeake Bay clean!

Anyways, now I'm going to switch gears from sappy to silly.

One of the things that's been hard to adjust to with Chris gone is cooking. That is, cooking for only one person. Part of the problem is that everything at the store seems packaged for a family of four. Even the produce is that way! If I want some avocado with dinner, I have to cut one open. I can't eat a whole one, but if I don't, the rest goes bad. If I buy the variety of veggies and fruits that I want to keep in the house, I either have to go to the grocery store every day and buy small amounts of things, or I have to buy them all at once and gorge myself ont them to keep them from going bad. A can of anything is too much for one. A box of anything is too much for one. Anyways, I have tupperwares FULL of food in the fridge right now!

Chris and I really enjoy making meals together, so when I'm cooking for myself, I'm always thinking of him.

So, I'll leave you with these lines from Joni Mithcell:

"And when he's gone, me and them lonesome blues collide

The bed's too big, the frying pan's too wide..."

The Last Hurrah

Life was so crazy-nutso leading up to Chris leaving for the aquaculture program that we had to have our Last Hurrah night together almost a week before he left. I'm glad we even got one night together just the two of us, honestly. I was afraid we wouldn't even get that. So, we made delicious salads with cherry tomatoes, avocado, black beans, corn, hard-boiled egg, and lightly-breaded chicken. It was SO good.

I also gave Chris one early birthday present (his birthday is next week) because I wanted us both to be able to enjoy it at least once before he left:

Ray LaMontagne on VINYL baby! Sweet.



We also celebrated with champagne and mango-orange juice, even though we've both had enough champagne (actually, this was Prosecco) to get pretty much the whole state of VA tipsy. We just wanted to do our own toast, just the two of us!

Then, of course, we played a game. The game we played was:

Tower of Bunnies!!!!!!

It's basically like Jenga, but, you know, with BUNNIES. Yay! Oh yeah, and I won best 2 out of 3. Champion Tower of Bunnies Player= Moi!

Tower of Bunnies!

An Engaging Week

Oh boy (girl!), where do I even start??? I know it's been longer than a week, but, SO much has happened in the last 7 days, so I'm going to focus there, in chronological order. Sound good? Good.

First off, I chopped ALL my hairs off. Not like last time. Like, pixie-cut style. Annnnd, I LOVE it. So much. I seriously should have done this years ago. It feels so incredibly comfortable!

Secondly, Chris got into an oyster aquaculture program he was hoping to get into. We're both really excited, and I am a very proud lady. It's 6 months long, and he has to go away for it. But, we'll see each other on weekends. It's going to be difficult, but I think we're both looking at it as an investment in the future, which I think is a pretty healthy outlook. AND, oysters are filter feeders, so Chris will be working to keep the Chesapeake Bay healthy. AWESOME! And, I'm hoping that he can maybe sneak me home some oysters for to eat. Yums.

Thirdly, I got a raise.
Lastly, I'd like to take this opportunity to officially announce to the blog world that Chris and I are engaged. (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

This past weekend, we decided to go to Williamsburg for two nights and camp. We'd both had crazy weeks and knew that we'd have very little time together before Chris leaves for the oyster program, so we decided to get away. We decided to go to Williamsburg because we both went to The College of William and Mary, and it had been too long since we had been back to visit.

On Saturday morning, we went and got coffee at the coffee shop I used to work at on the William and Mary campus. Ah, memories. Then, we decided to walk around campus to check out our old haunts. As we walked down the hill on campus that goes by the Crim Dell bridge, Chris grabbed my hand and guided me down the path that takes you over the bridge.

Now, if you didn't go to William and Mary, you might not know what the deal is with the Crim Dell bridge. Here's what Wikipedia says about it: "It is rumored that if two lovers cross the bridge together and kiss at the crest of it, they will be together forever. If that couple separates at any point thereafter, however, the lady must throw her ex-lover off of the bridge and into the water to break the curse of being forever single."

Anyways, so as we were walking that way, I got a little nervous and started joking: "Are you going to push me off the bridge?" I asked.

He said that he had something better in mind. And then he got down on one knee, pulled out a ring box, and asked me to marry him. And of course, I said "yes."

It was awesome. I put on the beautiful ring he picked out, and then we hugged, and then I cried a little.

Then, we walked around a bit, grabbed a drink to celebrate, and then started the insane number of phone calls we had to make!

Here's my new shiny:

The diamond belonged to Chris's grandmother. He got it put into a beautiful, modern setting that is simply perfect. It's amazing, he's amazing, and I'm amazed.

Ok, now I'm tired. Goodnight blog-world!

A Letter to the Governor

I rarely get on my soapbox in my writing on this blog, but today, I feel like I need to. And damnit, it's MY blog. And a personal blog at that.

As some of you may know, I live in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Today, a bill I whole-heartedly oppose was passed by the state Senate. All that stands in the way of it becomming law is the governor's signature. I wrote a letter and have been trying to email it to the governor all day, but the website keeps crashing (hopefully because so many people are voicing their concern!). Anyways, here's my letter to the governor. Please don't feel like I'm trying to alienate any of you or to make you feel bad if you disagree with me. I just really feel the need to express myself on this. If you would rather not read my letter to the governor of VA, read no further. I won't be offended!

Governor,

Please do not sign HB 462 (The one requiring an uncessary and invasive ultrasound to any woman seeking an abortion) into law.

I feel that the State of VA is trying very hard to make its female tax-payers into second-class citizens who aren't allowed to have control over their own bodies. I have lived in VA my whole life (I'm a 26-year-old female) and have never, until now, been scared about living in such a conservative "red state." Now, I'm terrified. This, combined with the almost-passing of the so-called "Personhood Amendment," really scare me.

Religious beliefs have no place in government or law-making, and I feel that this bill has made it through the House and Senate because so many representatives are acting on their personal religious beliefs and not their duties to their citizens (who come from a variety of backgrounds and have a variety of beliefs). The law should protect a woman's reproductive freedom so that any woman with any religious or social background can act as her own values dictate.

I also think it's political suicide to alientate more than half of your voters. Women voters will stand up for themselves in the next election(s). So if you need a reason not to sign that bill, other than that it's the right thing to do, there you go. The only thing scarier than a mad woman is a bunch of mad women, believe me: We will show our discontent at the polls.

Thank you for your time,
Ryan Babarsky

Nothing Says "I Love You" Like Oyster Stew

Yesterday was the best Valentine's Day I've ever had.

Historically, Chris is not a fan of the Day-of-Forced-Romance, which I get. But me, I'm in the Any-Excuse-to-Celebrate-Anything-is-Fine-With-Me camp. So, to celebrate, we decided to cook a nice dinner and open a bottle of wine, and that's it. No gifts, no boxes of mystery chocolates, no cards, no poems, etc. There may have been flowers present, but that's because Chris got them for me last week when I was having a bit of a rough time.

So, when I got home, I saw that Chris had cleaned the kitchen, our room, and the dining room table (Men, take note: Cleaning up= Helluva Lotta Brownie Points). I worked out and showered, and we then started to cook the meal we picked out: Oyster Stew.

Both of us read and very-much enjoyed the book Chesapeake by James Michener, and at one point in the book, Michener describes how a cook on an oyster boat makes oyster stew. When I read it, my mouth literally started watering. So, I found a recipe online for a semi-healthy version of it, and we made it! And it was good.

Then, we had dessert and talked.

Then, we played Trivial Pursuit. It doesn't really matter who won (translation: Chris won).

Chris had also made a great mix on his Ipod, and, when that was over, we listened to Van Morrison records. It was frickin' sweet.

I dunno, I think the reason I had such a great night is that nothing was really planned out, and that it was just fun and relaxing. And well, I like taking a little timeout for "us" that involves no pressure.

I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Here are my V-Day pics:

Happy Anniversary to Me!

Today is my one-year anniversary at Greenlight Biofuels! I know that something like a work anniversary probably doesn't seem like a big deal to most people, but honestly, I'm pretty excited. A year ago, before I got hired, I was unemployed, scared, and slowly becoming broke. I never dreamed of finding such a cool job.

Here are some Sad-Unemployed-Broke-Girl posts:

A Day in the Life

Confessions

You Say You Want a Resolution


Anyways, I have a couple people in my life who are seeking employment opportunities (and I know there are many more of you out there who are doing the same), so I'd like to say this: Hang in there, stick with it, and don't sell yourself short. You deserve a good job. Don't be afraid to ask people for help, work hard on your resume, cover letters, etc and do your homework before interviews. In fact, while I'm thinking about this, here's my Unemployed Survial Tips List:

1. Do something active EVERY single day. Seriously guys, it's important to keep those endorphins flowing so you can deal with daily rejection without going completely mental. Also, it will keep you showering regularly...

2. Change out of your pajamas. Even if it's just to put on your comfy jeans and a sweatshirt. Oh, and brush your hair, mmmmk?

3. Eat a good breakfast. It's not like you don't have time, am I right? Hell, I had pancakes and bacon and eggs like three times a week when I was unemployed. Plus, it will give your body and mind the energy they need for a long day of scouring craigslist.

4. Let people take care of you every once in a while. This is hard. It's easy to feel embarrassed that you can't afford to go out and have a drink with your friends. But, I say, if your besty offers to buy you a beer, let him or her (but don't take advantage). You need to get your ass outta the house every so often, seriously.

5. Keep busy. Do all the projects around the house that need done when you're taking breaks from staring at the classifieds and drooling. It will give you that sense of accomplishment you desperately need right now.

6. Every single article I've read about unemployment says to wake up at the same time of day that you would if you were going to work. I say this is bull patuckey. When else in your post-college adult life are you going to be able to go to bed at 3 AM and wake up at noon? It's great, I loved it, and I miss it. That's the schedule I slowly, but surely, revert to when I don't have a schedule to follow. Yeah, it makes it harder to get back on schedule when you do get a job (which you will!), but whatever.

So, there. Here's to feeling grateful and hopeful!

The Bird is the Word

Guys, I promise I haven't made some silly resolution to STOP blogging or anything like that. Truth is, life's been pretty insane of late. And when I've had some spare moments, I've been spending them vegetating on the couch with Chris. Sigh.

Here are some updates:

Christmas/My Birthday/New Year's:
The seventeen celebrations that occurred over a three week period were great, though exhausting. Chris and I got some really nice things, including some sweet kitchen knives, an espresso machine, and a new lens for my camera. And, I'm now officially old. Sigh.

Pneu-MOAN-ia, the Sequel:
So, remember this? Yeah, the same thing happened to Chris again this year. He had a small cough for a long time that eventually turned into a horrible, bad, scary cough. That, on top of the whole snoring thing has made the past few weeks absolutely, bone-crushingly exhausting. I mean, like, super-dee-dooperly tiring. So, for awhile there, I kept waking up in the middle of the night several times (either due to snoring or coughing or both), which usually ended in me going to sleep on the single mattress we have in our music room/office. Or, Chris would sleep there. The couple times I slept in there, though, this stupid bird that lives in our wall woke me up.

Backstory: So, awhile ago now, a woodpecker pecked a hole in the side of our house (Chris heard it doing this in the middle of the day and tried to shoot it with a paintball from a slingshot, but that didn't deter this little effer). Annnnnnnnnnnnnd I guess he's (or she's?) still in there, because every time I stayed in the music room, I heard a very loud pecking sound followed by chirping, coming from the wall. Oh, how I hate that stupid Wall-Bird. In fact, after suffering from sleep deprivation and the frustration of having my significant other sick and not being able to do anything about it, I sort of focused my frustration on the Wall-Bird.

I had a dream that the wall bird got into the house, and was, in fact, like 3 feet tall and all multicolored (like a cartoon Wall-Bird or something). I chased it around and around and around, but it was faster than I, and, by the end of the dream, it had morphed into this weird Rabbit-Wall-Bird. Oh, how I wanted to kill that stupid Rabbit-Wall-Bird-Demon.

Anyways, Chris finally got to the doctor and is doing MUCH better! Phew. He's also snoring less now that his cough is fading.

But, the Wall-Bird still lurks about in the walls, waiting for some unsuspecting tired person to attempt to rest in the music room/office, like a Boogie Man in the night! Peck. Peck Peck. PECK. PECKPECKPECKPECK *chirp*. 

ARGHGHGGHGHGHGHGHH!