on doing work
first and foremost: I am not right now. :)
but, I will soon, honest. because there is a term project due at 9am on Monday, and next week is finals week (so I should probably study some), and I have to have a draft AAS poster by Friday (I haven't made any final plots, much less a poster yet).
I've been enjoying weekends as, well, weekends this semester! I doubt I can continue this indefinitely as I continue in astronomy, but at the moment it is nice.
today it is chilly outside for San Diego, which is to say below 60, and it is raining on and off. therefore, we turned on the heat for the first time and I have a blanket and fuzzy socks and it almost (*almost*) feels like winter! for some reason this makes me ridiculously happy.
I also had a random craving for creamy pasta this afternoon, so after some brief googling I came up with the simplest cream sauce, cooked up some whole wheat spaghetti, and voila! delicious:
* 1 pound fettuccine or other dried pasta
* 1/2 cup unsalted butter
* 1 cup heavy cream
* 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano
* Salt and pepper to taste
* Dash of nutmeg
Begin by setting pasta water to boil. Salt it, and add the pasta. While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter over a gentle flame in a large skillet; do not let it froth or brown. When the pasta reaches the al dente stage drain it and turn it into the skillet. Add the cream and the cheese, season to taste, stir gently to coat the strands, and serve.
this is what easy cooking is to me. anything that requires chopping involves another level of effort, which is unfortunate because I like many dishes that call for diced veggies. maybe I should get one of those magic bullet things everyone at camp kept talking about, though I still don't know exactly what it is...
and I should probably mention: Mike got a job offer yesterday! it's a 20 hr/week position dealing with solar hot water heaters that may have another 20 hr/week relating to photovoltaics tacked on since they apparently really want him. it sounds neat. but he's going to get it in writing on Monday and then we're only in town through the end of next week, so who knows exactly how this will play out. he has loads of other people he's talked to, any of which could blossom into a job offer at a moment's notice. so, stay tuned.
I'm also planning to audition for the La Jolla Symphony in January. it's a bit of a drive, but it looks like they have their act together and Eric Lindholm (PCO conductor) had a good experience rehearsing with them once. it's half affiliated with UCSD and half a random community orchestra. they have things like rehearsal schedules and planned repertoire and even audition excerpts online, and their website is well put together. it's funny, because I only decided to look into other orchestras when the SDSU Symphony was going to conflict with my astronomy classes next semester. since the La Jolla Symphony rehearses on Monday nights, there's no conflict unless I have to observe or something, and it actually jives will with Mike's Monday night board game group in timing and on-the-way location.
the SDSU Symphony had a concert last Tuesday and it went all right, but it wasn't anything to write home about even though it was their snazzy department fundraiser event. the program was an odd ballet suite by Lully with the 2nd movement cut at the last minute, a middle-school-easy strings only accompaniment of an oboe solo from a movie, some modernish dance performance with choir, and finally Poulenc's Gloria. with regards to the Gloria, the Pomona Choir definitely did a better job than the SDSU Choir - I can tell you that. on the orchestra side, the group dynamic was certainly better with the PCO, but it's hard to say whether that performance or the SDSU Symphony's performance came off sounding technically more polished.
and that is that. in logistic land, I'll be in Richland from 12/21 - 12/26, in Seattle from 12/26 - 12/29, then more or less back here. the more or less bit refers to... AAS meeting in Long Beach (LA area) from 1/4 - 1/8 (that's what the nonexistent poster is for) and Karen & David's wedding in Simi Valley (also LA area) the weekend of 1/17. wheee!
but, I will soon, honest. because there is a term project due at 9am on Monday, and next week is finals week (so I should probably study some), and I have to have a draft AAS poster by Friday (I haven't made any final plots, much less a poster yet).
I've been enjoying weekends as, well, weekends this semester! I doubt I can continue this indefinitely as I continue in astronomy, but at the moment it is nice.
today it is chilly outside for San Diego, which is to say below 60, and it is raining on and off. therefore, we turned on the heat for the first time and I have a blanket and fuzzy socks and it almost (*almost*) feels like winter! for some reason this makes me ridiculously happy.
I also had a random craving for creamy pasta this afternoon, so after some brief googling I came up with the simplest cream sauce, cooked up some whole wheat spaghetti, and voila! delicious:
* 1 pound fettuccine or other dried pasta
* 1/2 cup unsalted butter
* 1 cup heavy cream
* 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano
* Salt and pepper to taste
* Dash of nutmeg
Begin by setting pasta water to boil. Salt it, and add the pasta. While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter over a gentle flame in a large skillet; do not let it froth or brown. When the pasta reaches the al dente stage drain it and turn it into the skillet. Add the cream and the cheese, season to taste, stir gently to coat the strands, and serve.
this is what easy cooking is to me. anything that requires chopping involves another level of effort, which is unfortunate because I like many dishes that call for diced veggies. maybe I should get one of those magic bullet things everyone at camp kept talking about, though I still don't know exactly what it is...
and I should probably mention: Mike got a job offer yesterday! it's a 20 hr/week position dealing with solar hot water heaters that may have another 20 hr/week relating to photovoltaics tacked on since they apparently really want him. it sounds neat. but he's going to get it in writing on Monday and then we're only in town through the end of next week, so who knows exactly how this will play out. he has loads of other people he's talked to, any of which could blossom into a job offer at a moment's notice. so, stay tuned.
I'm also planning to audition for the La Jolla Symphony in January. it's a bit of a drive, but it looks like they have their act together and Eric Lindholm (PCO conductor) had a good experience rehearsing with them once. it's half affiliated with UCSD and half a random community orchestra. they have things like rehearsal schedules and planned repertoire and even audition excerpts online, and their website is well put together. it's funny, because I only decided to look into other orchestras when the SDSU Symphony was going to conflict with my astronomy classes next semester. since the La Jolla Symphony rehearses on Monday nights, there's no conflict unless I have to observe or something, and it actually jives will with Mike's Monday night board game group in timing and on-the-way location.
the SDSU Symphony had a concert last Tuesday and it went all right, but it wasn't anything to write home about even though it was their snazzy department fundraiser event. the program was an odd ballet suite by Lully with the 2nd movement cut at the last minute, a middle-school-easy strings only accompaniment of an oboe solo from a movie, some modernish dance performance with choir, and finally Poulenc's Gloria. with regards to the Gloria, the Pomona Choir definitely did a better job than the SDSU Choir - I can tell you that. on the orchestra side, the group dynamic was certainly better with the PCO, but it's hard to say whether that performance or the SDSU Symphony's performance came off sounding technically more polished.
and that is that. in logistic land, I'll be in Richland from 12/21 - 12/26, in Seattle from 12/26 - 12/29, then more or less back here. the more or less bit refers to... AAS meeting in Long Beach (LA area) from 1/4 - 1/8 (that's what the nonexistent poster is for) and Karen & David's wedding in Simi Valley (also LA area) the weekend of 1/17. wheee!