And in the Spring, I shed my skin.

Okay, so the teaching job market in America is in the proverbial toilet. So this year I'm going to start researching teaching opportunities overseas for the Spring. I'm smart, funny, personable, and a damn good educator. I'm going to buy a book recommended by someone who did it. Then I'll go from there. I want to travel more than anything. I like culture and I like new experiences. I like the idea of going somewhere and being the minority. I'm going to do this. It's going to happen and this time next year hopefully I will be writing from somewhere not in the U.S.    

[Listening to Florence and the Machine. "Rabbit Heart (Raise it Up!) 

Bruschetta for the Cooking-Disabled

Since it's been hot as Hell recently, I've been eating a lot of bruschetta. It's 100% delicious and pretty cheap to make. Plus, it makes you look like you know how to cook so you can impress your friends. Now read this! 

Ingredients

4 large, ripe tomatoes

1/2 red onion

6-8 basil leaves

1/2 block of cream cheese

pinches of salt and pepper

1 baguette loaf

Olive oil

1 large bowl and a wooden spoon 

1. Dice tomatoes. You'll have to remove the seeds under some running water. Throw all this goodness in a large mixing bowl.

2. After removing the outside skin, dice your red onion. Wear swimming goggles to protect your eyes. Add to your tomatoes. 

3. Stack your basil leaves on top of each other. Roll leaves into a tiny burrito. Cut the burrito long ways THEN finely dice. Some people like more basil than others. It's up to you. Add to bowl. 

4. Drizzle this yumfest with some quality olive oil. You're not drowning it, you just want enough OO to coat all the tasty stuff. For our OCD cooks, let's say 1/4 c.  

5. Cube your cream cheese and lightly mix in. Now, some recipes call for a finer cheese, but mine is wallet savvy. For calorie complainers, you can use finely shredded mozzarella. 

6. Salt and pepper to taste.

Cover and set in frig for 30 minutes (Unless you can't wait that long and read below).

7. Toast some baguette slices on a grill or in a toaster or conventional oven.

8. Load your slices and EAT!

[Side note] Bruschetta varies depending on who makes it. It's really up to you and what you like. I've seen it with corn, yellow peppers, and cut up avocado. Various recipes can be found online. I just like mine because it takes zero effort. 

Quotable quotes.

"Never confuse the size of your paycheck with the size of your talent."~ Marlon Brando

Oh You Fancy Huh?

Today I'm going to wear fake eyelashes. My eyelashes are pretty ballin' as is, but fakies make them look photoshopped and extra fancy. Speaking of fancy, I was in a knife fight this weekend. Just kidding. I fell through a ladder but a physical altercation sounds way better. Maybe my large eyelashes will distract men from the unsightly gashes on my legs. 

 

They're Full!

Who's excited about the weekend? This girl.

Tomorrow night one of my University buddies may drive through my part of town and that would make me terribly happy to see him. He is one of my most favorite people and I miss seeing him on the daily. 

But wait, the weekend is just getting started! On Friday Ginge is coming to stay at mi casa and I haven't seen her in forever + a minute. I like her and we always have good conversations about whatever pops up. 

I truly miss college. I never thought I would say that because my University was in the tiniest circle of Hell and I thought (almost) everyone there was totally bonkers. Now I realize how much fun it was and how much I liked it. Because even though it was odd and filled with even stranger people, I think I somehow made a place for myself. And I miss all those weirdos.  

[ Side note: Can you believe there are two of these walking around? Bananas.]

 

Froken Salander

Happy Tuesday! Well, I'm happy because today is my day off. 


Breakfast Juice: 1 beet, a handful of strawberries, 3 Fuji apples (and half a pint of toffee carmel icecream). Sugar overload.


During the summer season, I try to read as many books as I can get my hands on. I feel that I've slacked a little.


1. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. Everyone and their mother read this book last summer. And to my delight, it is as good as people claimed. 


2. Second Glance by Jodi Picoult. Disappointed in this one. The last four books I've read by her I enjoyed, this one not so much.

3. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah E. Harkness. It's like Twilight, but smartly written with well-developed characters and an interesting plot. In essence, what Stephanie Meyer wishes she had written. 


4. Bossy Pants by Tina Fey. Honestly I haven't finished this one. It didn't catch my attention the way I thought it would.


5. City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare. This is the fourth in a series. Don't bother reading it if you haven't read the first 3.


6. Vegan Freak by Bob and Jenna Torres. I love eating animals: steak, ribs, roasted chickens, ect. However, I'm also curious about the whole Vegan movement that seems so popular in Hollywood and environmental hipsters.

7. House Rules by Jodi Picoult. Excellent read for the summer. I especially loved this story because one of the main characters is a teen with Autism.

8. The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I would suggest reading this before the hits theaters this Fall. For whatever reason, I enjoy novel set around the 1960s.  

Thank God

It's the weekend.

Have you juiced today? It's the best way to start a meaningful evening. It's very simple and less expensive than getting wasted in a seedy bar. 
First- Buy a juicer
Second- Juice Fuji apples, watermelon, a peeled lemon, and possibly something else really yummy.
Third- Pour concoction over ice and use a colorful straw. 
*You'll feel good and you won't have a hangover the next day!