Dear Foodie Readers of this Blog,

I need your help. As most of you probably know, healthy eating is not one of my strong points, and never has been. My two best friends, bread and ice cream, can attest to this fact. Being no fool to the benefits of a diet high in fruits and vegetables, however, I recently underwent a challenge. My self-imposed challenge was to eat nothing but fruits and vegetables for a week (maybe more!). My friends, I lasted four hours before I decided that no person in their right mind would ever undertake, much less be able to, subsist on this crazy diet of air - I mean produce - for more than one apple. It took four hours.

Dear foodie readers, how can I change my ways? I want to change, I really do, but it seems oh so insurmountable. My biggest obstacle, I think, is my inability to think of produce as actual food. I know, what's wrong with this generation, right? Back in the day, fruits and vegetables were the definition of real food, or so I hear. But seriously. When I eat an orange, I feel like I am eating flavored water. It tastes sweet, sure, but it is no more food to me than gum is. I could eat 2,000 calories worth of raw food and still feel like I was starving, simply because I hadn't bitten into anything with substance that day (actually that's a lie, I would never make it to 2,000 calories, as my short-lived challenge has proven).

I know there's the chips made out of kale, and the mashed "potatoes" made out of cauliflower. And I do take comfort in the possibility of these. But is it enough? Is there a way to eat more fruits and veggies and still enjoy eating? Or do I need to suck it up and accept the fact that a healthy Mish is one who has come to terms with a lifetime of flavored water?

Please help.

Sincerely,
Picky in Provo

More Deep Thoughts

-Anna Karenina is not happening. Everyone who admired me for taking it up can just stop now because the truth is that I actually find it very, very dull and have finished 2.3 other books since the last time I picked it up, just to procrastinate reading it again.

-That granola with the flax seed that Ma bought at Costco, the one I initially snubbed my nose at because it looked healthy and claimed to relieve depression through the all-natural power of flax? Yeah, I love it. Prozac is still my gospel, but Organic Pumpkin Flax-Plus Granola with Omega-3 sure is tasty.

-I can't get enough of No Doubt's cover of It's my Life. Why is that song so good? When I listen to it, which is very often, I feel like I could be Gwen Stefani and be ok with that. Disturbing, I know, but thankfully the duration of the song is just under four minutes so the madness is over quickly enough.

-I've been crafting up a storm lately. Pictures to come soon in the Renaissance Mish post I'm planning.

-K. and I have renewed our beloved summertime pastime of watching tragic foreign films in between mail routes. Today it was To Live in an empty JKB classroom. I love my job.

-Only two weeks left of classes, and then on to Portland! I wish I could express just how mind-numbingly excited I am to conclude my summer in Carol's bedroom, surrounded by empty Propel bottles and Gilmore Girls reruns. Also just to visit my old haunts again for the first time in what's been three years but feels like much longer. And, most especially, to darken the doorway of Chang's Mongolian Grill. Scratch that, I plan on doing much more than darkening its doorway. My spirit feels instantly invigorated everytime I think about it. I am so excited I could eat my hair.

-Yoga on Mondays and Wednesdays was a good idea. My spine is so stabilized you would not believe.

-Yesterday I came home and there was a beautiful cake with silky white frosting and patriotic sprinkles sitting on the counter, and it was so beautiful in all its vibrant ethereal confection that I wanted to grab a piece and inhale, grab a piece and inhale, so I grabbed a piece and inhaled. I still don't know whose it was but I sure do love store-bought frosting. Worth it. (Side note: Which of you guys used to put a little masking-tape skull and crossbones on the frosting container to deter me from eating it straight up, finger as a utensil? Come on, 'fess up. For the record, it didn't stop me, so ha ha on you.)

Cactus Chef playing We Didn't Start the Fire on the flute.

...all right, peace.

Update-town

Yeah, ok, so maybe I can't attribute ALL of my blog absence to introversion. I really don't feel like my life is comprised of very many responsibilities/activities that might justify such a severe case of blog neglect, however, upon further thought I have decided that those few things that do fill my life are major time-sucks. So here they are (unfortunately, taking pictures has not been one of those time sucks, so most of these are going to have to be supplied by Google):


Ah yes, it is a familiar scene for each of us. This is me after a particularly draining day of the pursuit of knowledge. It's not that I don't like to learn; why, George H. Brimhall said that "It is a sin to be ignorant when there is so much opportunity for knowledge", and I think I believe him. Sometimes, though, just sometimes, I can't help but wonder if there isn't a better way. There's something very unsettling about this system we have of cramming our heads by day and partying it all out by night, only to rinse and repeat the next day, and the day after that, every day! And it's at this point that I ought to remind everyone that I'm only taking 12 credits. How on earth do my other, more ambitious peers do this every day without going completely postal? Beats me, but I applaud them whole-heartedly.


Speaking of postal...this quaint picture symbolizes me and my new job at the ASB mailroom. It really is a great job - I get there at 7:20 every morning, sort mail, deliver it to the all the important peeps working in the ASB, stay clocked in while I go about campus doing my thing, come back at 11:30 to sort and deliver packages, clock out, fine. So in reality, this really doesn't take up much of my time, but it's a significant part of my life nonetheless. I've always enjoyed sorting things (silverware being my only exception), and I like knowing that I am the appointed vessel to hand-deliver all the important pieces of mail to all the important people in the ASB. Plus, you begin to feel like you're real hot stuff because you're on a first name basis with Michael Colledge's secretary, you know that Carl Bailey prefers people to knock before entering, and you're sad that Mary Whipple will soon be leaving the records office to go serve a mission with her husband.

This picture represents me and and how much I freaking love my food prep class. Dude. Best class ever. We meet once a week to learn about food for an hour, then cook for three hours, and then we eat all our creations. Lest you need convincing, it is awesome. Today was egg week and my kitchen made a charming chocolate roll cake, read: giant ho-ho. Um, wow. Besides the obvious benefit of having all my meals covered every Wednesday, I really like the abundance of new, tried-and-true recipes I've gleaned from taking this class. Because I love you all, here is the recipe for the fabulous Salmon with Honey Mustard Glaze we enjoyed last week for meat week:

1 lb salmon fillet
Marinade:
1 T packed brown sugar
1 T margarine, melted
1 T vegetable oil
a T honey
1 T soy sauce
1 T prepared mustard
1 clove garlic, crushed

1. Mix marinade ingredients in a small bowl.
2. Place salmon, skin side down, in a shallow baing dish.
3. Pour marinade over salmon. Cover and refrig. 30 min.
4. Set oven control to broil.
5. Remove salmon from marinade. Reserve marinade. Place salmon, skin side down, on rack in broiler pan.
6. Broil with top 4-6 inches from heat for 10-15 minutes, brushing with marinade every few minutes, or until salmon flakes easily with a fork.
7. Discard remaining marinade.

Ok, so I realize we don't all have salmon lying around our kitchens waiting for the perfect recipe. But hey, I'm sure that honey mustard glaze could be a very nice supplement to pretty much any meat dish save ground beef, eh?



There's been a lot of running going on lately in preparation for the annual Rex Lee Run, in which my former roommate Jenn and I will be running the 10k! Woohoo! I think it's safe to say now, after several years of this business, that I really do enjoy running. I always look forward to blasting my ipod and turning off my brain for a good 40-min block of sweet tune-outage. This is probably due in part to the effects of that merciless homework system mentioned earlier. But don't worry all you worry-heads; I am always vigilant of potential rapists. Plus, I know ka-razy, too.

Yes, my first picture already hinted at this, but it's just too large a part of my life to leave out. I. Love. Sleep. I think I will always love sleep. Few things frighten me more than the prospect of having to carry out a full day on less than 7 hours of it. Recently, I have had the good fortune of coming across the perfect campus nap spot: The second floor, C-wing bathroom of the ASB, which has a little lounge area complete with psychologist couch and pillows. Plus, there is relatively little traffic since the ASB houses mostly male employees and this particular restroom has only to accomodate the second-floor ladies. I set the alarm on my phone, snuggle in, and I am out. It is glorious.



Of course, this post wouldn't be entirely honest if I didn't admit that the biggest time-suck, next to homework, is the boy. Not that he's not worth it or anything...but I do sometimes think I should be allowed to factor him in as three extra credit hours or something, just to make myself feel a little better about being such a deadbeat blogger, you know?

Tagtime!

It's true, this blog does not have a very good track record so far in terms of updates, nor is it the most compelling blog to read when said updates materialize. But that's the way I roll, unassuming and timeless. I figured the pattern I'd set forth was destined to hold fast for a while, at least until I managed to secure a spouse, child, or animal (one that doesn't sleep half the year, that is) and then I remembered - I got tagged a while back! And now I have structure. So, for your reading pleasure, here is a collaboration of freestyle tag items compiled from the blogs of Recoupin' and Stranded, plus my own additions. Please, enjoy.


Three Movies/Movie Scenes that Consistently Make Me Cry:

-The Fox and the Hound - particularly the scene where she drops Todd off in the forest and leaves him there to dwindle in the rain and confusion and loneliness of the forest, and all the woodland creatures are mean to him and he doesn't have a place to sleep, you know the one

-Evita - Col. Peron sets the brake on Eva's wheelchair and begins to carry her up the stairs to bed because she's terminally ill and he loves her, even though she's dying and will no longer be an asset to his career,; that doesn't even matter, he loved her all along! Cue poignant cello music, cue blubbereing Mish

-Charly - cliche, I know, but why??? Why did Charly have to die?!




Three Things I Unequivocally Fear:

-Spiders
-Get-to-know-you games
-Sleep deprivation


Five Foods I Could Easily Subsist On Permanently:

-Crackers (specifically Wheat Thins and Cheez-its, if I'm allowed to choose)
-Chicken salad sandwiches
-Bagels
-Ice cream
-You said it, Tiff - chicken fingers with honey mustard


Three Books I'm Currently Reading or Pretending to Read:

-A Grief Observed
-Believing Christ
-my American history textbook

Five Places I Would Like to Live or Visit ('visit' here applies firmly to the last two):

-Australia
-London
-Florida
-P.E.I, Cananda
-Russia
-Malta, Moldova, or some other obscure eastern European country - just to say I have, you know?


Six Majors I've Attempted:

-Sociology
-Wildlife & Wildlands Conservation
-Biology
-Integrative Biology
-Public Health
-History

The Three Things in This Life that Unfailingly Provoke Me to Anger:

-People who smoke in tight, confined spaces (like mosh pits)
-Any and all forms of animal cruelty
-Teenage boys and their crude jokes. It isn't even the vulgarity so much that bugs me as the total lack of imagination that goes into those jokes. If you're going to be crude, at least be creative about it.

Twelve Things I Love Dearly:

-my family
-my roomies
-Mo
-ice cream
-80's music
-sunshine
-sleep
-drum cadences
-C.S. Lewis
-sweatshirts
-my straightener
-hazelnuts


















Five Lofty Aspirations That I Don't Have the Resources to Achieve Now (but hopefully someday):

-save the manatees
-support small businesses
-grow and manufacture all my own food
-get all the war vets off the streets and provided for
-befriend and nurture all the depressed, misunderstood and otherwise emo kids





Seven Things I Should Be Doing Instead of Blogging:

-looking for a job
-running
-edifying my mind
-Hist 220 homework
-volunteering at that retirement center that I made half-hearted commitments to a while back
-Buying Roomie's birthday present
-yeah, I really should be looking more actively for a job right now



Well then. Guess I'll go do those things... but before I go, I decidedly tag Ma! You're it!