Roommates
August ’08:
I had an emergency appendectomy two days before Freshman Orientation (I’m sorry, “New Student” Orientation). I had the surgery on Wednesday, was released on Thursday, and started orientation on Friday. I sat out on a lot of the events (like the 2-hour campus tour), missed out on most of the events that weren’t required, and did not move in until the next Monday.
My roommate had been assigned the same day I went to the hospital. I sent her a message online, something to the effect of “Hi, I’m your roommate. I’ll be moving in late because I’m in the hospital right now. So I’ll see you in a few days.”
I did meet my roommate briefly during an orientation event, but not enough to get a good idea of what kind of a person she was. So I was nervous as I hauled my stuff up to my room (on the 4th floor of Arden Hall, which I will get to in a moment). I get along with most people, but I am an odd sort of person, I suppose, and I have met plenty of girls who have undeniable friction with me. I was nervous I’d get a roommate who would think I was weird and be condescending the whole time. Liz had seemed nice enough, and being a theatre major was a point in her favor, but people are different when you live with them than when you meet them for five minutes during “Get To Know Your Faculty!”
I walked into the room. Spacious, with a huge window (that didn’t open, but from which you could see Caribou and Cub and Target and even Perkins if you knew where to look). Because Arden Hall is the only residence on-campus (“on-campus” being a bit of a stretch when you’re 2 miles from the rest of campus) without a kitchen or kitchenette in every room, the school provided a microwave and mini-fridge for all Arden rooms. The building, an old Holiday Inn that had been unused for several years (and apparently had a homeless man living in the basement for quite some time), was still furnished with that ugly speckled green carpeting that doesn’t even match itself and yet seems to coordinate somehow with any other colors you add to the room.
Liz had of course already been moved in for a few days. Her bed was made, her desk was claimed, her stuff was mostly piled in the corner. And there, hanging off the post of the bunk bed, was the clue that I had been hoping for; the signal that Liz was someone I would get along with, someone with a good sense of humor and of adventure, someone who was maybe a little wacky at times but in absolutely the best way possible:
A superman cape.
“Okay,” I thought, “We’re good.”
Labels: Arden Hall, College, NWC, Quotidian
Out with the old, in with the new.
I'm feeling the complacency of the summer falling away, like a snake slowly shedding it's skin, and I'm glad for it, because I hate complacency, but I wish it would be replaced with something other than fear and doubt and anxiety.
So what did I do this summer? What have I done this past year, really? Not much to speak of.
I went to Mississippi in June of 2007 and spent a week helping rebuild a house that had been hit by Katrina. It was one of the most amazing, awe-inspiring times of my life. Possibly the top of the list. That fall (starting rather late) I took some classes online and did not do as well with them as I should have. In January I got a job as a warming house attendant, I did that for a month. In May I got a job at a deli, where I still work.
That's it. That's my list. Four things.
I mean, sure, I also finally got my driver's license, and I discovered the Yellow Tree Theatre (possibly my new favorite place), and I saw some friends and threw some "parties" and did some redecorating in my room, and other minor things. But really my list boils down to one week of missions a year ago, a couple of jobs, and some classes that I didn't even focus on as much as I should have.
You know what I didn't do this year? Go to church. Well, maybe a handful of times. I completely lost all feeling of connection to the church I went to and could not stand going there anymore. (I'm actually visiting tomorrow/in 8 hours, for I believe the 2nd time this calendar year.) But did I find another church? Well... I looked up a couple. But I haven't gone. I look at that and think how stupid I am, because I've seen over the years how much of a difference a church makes in my life. But unfortunately not going to church at all was better than going where I went, and the complacency took over and here I am without any type of church I can call my own.
I also didn't write/compose as much as I wanted, or play music/sing, or do photography, or take walks for no reason, or sit in silence, or write letters. My brother has been in Alaska since April and my best friend at a camp in Wisconsin since May and I've written each of them one whole letter.
See what I mean? Complacency. Ugly, lazy complacency. A non-commital shrug of the shoulders to whatever life throws at me.
But now, with school coming up and me moving away from home for the first time, things are changing. And instead of being ambivalent about things I find myself doubtful of my own abilities or ideas, afraid of messing things up scholastically or socially, anxious about keeping my job and whether or not I'll get along with my roommate, and inventing all sorts of issues that I'm sure don't actually exist. This skin really isn't much better than the old one.
So I'm going to try to move out of this doubtful, fearful, anxious stage quickly. And in an effort to expedite the process I'm going to try a few things:
I'm going to write something meaningful every day, whether it's a poem or lyrics or another chapter in my novel or simply a blog entry with more substance than "Today I had cereal for breakfast, and then I played Super Nintendo."
I'm going to listen to music every single day. I don't know why I don't do this now. It's such a simple thing and it really makes a difference. I have been sadly ignoring music altogether lately, and that's just got to stop.
I'm going to sit down at the piano, or somewhere secluded where I can sing out loud, and create music every day. Whether it's my own creation or simply me playing someone else's music, there's very little in the world that affects my soul more than music pouring out of my fingers or my voice lifting into the air.
And I'm going to sit in the grass on blue-sky days and watch clouds and birds and flowers and critters and people walking down the street, and close my eyes just to feel the warmth of the sun on my skin, and maybe even sing without caring who hears me.
And I'm going to go out of my way to spend time with others, and share laughter, and maybe even find someone to create music with me.
And, hopefully, I'll find myself confident and looking towards the future with hope and optimism and enjoying the beauty of everything.
BFS Update and a Tasty Meal for One
I've recently crossed a few things off of my list of Big, Fun, Scary Adventures for 2008. I've got my driver's license and Dad got me a movie box set that includes Plan 9 from Outer Space as a congratulations, as of today I have a part-time job in the deli at the local SuperValu, I've seen Fargo, I've memorized the first movement of Moonlight Sonata, and thus far I have made at least one new recipe a month.
Other things are in progress. I've begun working on "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" on the piano and I'm getting better and better at "Find My Way to You" on guitar. I'm reading
Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett and once that's done I have
Henry Huggins and
Homer Price for nostalgia's sake and then I will start in on
Peter and the Secret of Rundoon which is the last of the Peter and the Starcatchers trilogy by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson.
I'm cooking just for myself this week and I decided that I didn't want to subsist on frozen pizzas things from cans. There will be some of those as well, of course, but I made the decision to do some actual cooking at least a couple of times. So tonight I made foil packet chicken and a banana boat.
For the chicken, I took a 12x18-ish inch piece of foil and put a little olive oil and just a bit of chopped garlic in the middle. I placed the chicken breast on the olive oil and drizzled a bit more oil on top then added the rest of the clove of garlic, some fresh squeezed lemon juice (maybe a quarter or a third of the lemon), salt, and fresh ground black pepper. I topped it with frozen broccoli florets, a sliced carrot, and some cashews. I sealed it up, placed it on a cookie sheet, and stuck it in a 450-degree oven.
I overcooked mine just a bit (I added more time to the cooking but accidentally set hours instead of minutes. I realized about 10 minutes later that it should have already beeped) but I think about 25 minutes is right. The nice thing is even if you do overcook it the chicken doesn't dry out or anything. The broccoli was overdone but that was really the only issue. Anyway, once it was done cooking I transferred it to a plate and enjoyed it with a nice root beer. It wasn't necessarily the best chicken I'd ever had but it was certainly enjoyable.
After I had finished the chicken, I turned my thoughts to dessert and decided to do a campfire favorite in the oven. Banana boats are very easy and one of my favorite desserts. Just cut a wedge out of a banana (along the whole length of it, so it looks sort like a boat - hence the name), leaving the peel attached on one end, and then filled the cavity with chocolate chips and some mini marshmallows. Then cover the cavity with the peel, wrap it up in foil, and pop it in a 450-degree oven (no baking sheet) for about 5 minutes. You want the fillings to melt but you want to avoid making the banana too mushy. I find they're easiest to eat with a spoon right out of the banana peel, but you can also peel them and put them on a plate. I'll do that if I'm eating it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
So that was my dinner tonight. Tomorrow I will probably be back to eating something out of a can.
Labels: BFS 2008, Recipes
Attention college students (past/present) and those who like to cook
I will be launching a blog dedicated to cooking at college and I am in search of recipes that can plausibly be made in a college environment (which can include stoves and an oven) and on a college budget. The focus of the blog is to provide college students with recipes for times when the cafeteria is closed or when they feel like making their own meals or snacks. Speed, cost, and ease of preparation are all major factors, although occasionally splurging on an ingredient or having a longer/more complex recipe is fine.
I'm looking for everything from simple snacks (Nutella on saltines, simple dips, etc) to smoothies and beverages (non-alcoholic) to meals to desserts. I am also interested in ways to make standard college food such as ramen or macaroni & cheese more interesting/varied, as well as in any general tips for the college cook (budgeting, multi-use ingredients, cheap substitutes, etc). If you have any recipes/ideas you think would fit with the blog, I would appreciate it if you passed it on to me. I would give you credit in the blog for finding/creating it and may even link to your blog or website in the post if you wished (although my final decision on linking would depend on the blog or website).
I will also be compiling a list of basic college staples; things like ramen that are easy to make and keep well, ingredients that get a lot of use, etc. Any ideas for this list are also appreciated.
Know of a good cookbook or recipes website? I will be keeping a list of resources for more cooking ideas.
Thanks for taking the time to read this.
BFS Update #1
Alright, time for my first official update on my year of doing Big, Fun, Scary things.
New Items
Visit Bethany at Gustavus
Volunteer at the 2008 GOP convention
Learn to make our stew and bread from memory.
Try variations on our bread (such as cinnamon-raisin or making good hamburger buns)
Write letters to people.
Go to the Farmer's Market regularly.
Compile a list of tasty (and simple) recipes for one, especially those possible in a college dorm.
Try out various microwave cookbooks (via library) and find one suitable for college life. Get my own copy.Be able to play "Find My Way To You" on guitar confidently (in other words, practice it a bunch)
Obtain a capo
Make at least one new recipe each month (including things I've had but never made myself)
Move to campus for the fall semester (this is kind of a given to happen, but still)
Learn/improve on "living-on-my-own" things e.g. mending clothing or the best way to clean things
Enjoy my meals more by actually paying attention to the food and not watching TV or doing computer things while eating.
Improving health overall: well, I'm sort of battling with what I will call Winter Crud. Cold-ish type thing, but lingering. Cough and all. Apparently a lot of people are dealing with long-lasting coughs and such. In general I'm feeling better now, I've had several good days in a row, so I may be done with the worst of it. In any case, because of it (and a couple other things) my appetite (and hence my food choices) has been inconsistent. Although apart from my raspberry ginger ale (my beverage of choice when I'm sick) I haven't been drinking as much pop. And I've discovered that we have some stevia (sold as a "nutritional supplement in the US but mostly known as a sweetener), which mixed with water is very pleasant. We have some sugar-free syrups (like for snow cones) that I'm going to try adding as well. Not much happening in the way of exercise, either. Sleeping is getting better, though. Not great, but better.
My room organization has started, thus my room is messier now than before. But everything should be put to rights before long.
No real progress yet on my driver's license, but the deal now is that my dad will pay for behind-the-wheel training (so I don't have to rely on my parents to teach me everything), and once that's done I can take the test. And once I get my license, my dad's going to buy me the Ed Wood box set, which includes Plan 9 from Outer Space. So I'll kill two BFS birds with one stone.
I have a part-time job now as a warming house attendant for the city, although I'm not crossing that off my list because the job is seasonal and said season ends in mid-February. But I am actually scheduled for hours, which is nice, because when I was hired it wasn't certain whether I would get scheduled hours or just be a sub. I'm working at least one day a week at Welcome and probably more, and I'm on the sub list as well. And having held a job will make it much easier to get another one once the season ends.
What with being sick and all I'm making some headway on Buffy. I've moved onto season 3 (of 7).
As far as reading, I've been deliberating over which book to read. I think I'll probably start in on The Book of Atrus again. I didn't get very far in that one due to various things. But I don't have the other two books and I'm currently in debt to the library (thanks to several misplaced books and no cash flow). Although now that I have a job I could probably actually pay that off.
Dad's home, so I'm off to watch something with him (probably Eddie Izzard). I'll do a BFS update at least every Monday, but possibly more frequently.Labels: BFS 2008
