Sour Cream Banana Bread

I baked tonight. :)



Sour Cream Banana Bread
Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup mashed banana
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Directions:

1. Grease 1 large loaf pan.
2. Cream butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla.
3. Stir in baking soda and salt, then add flour.
4. Add bananas, sour cream, then chocolate chips.
5. Mix well.
6. Bake at 350 F for 1 hour
   (I actually baked at 350 for an hour, then turned the oven to 325 and kept it in an extra 15 minutes or so because it was nice and dark around the edges, but the center wasn't quite done).

My conclusion: yum-tastic. It doesn't have as much of a sour cream taste as I was hoping, but it's still lightens the taste of the banana bread and makes it not quite as heavy as most traditional banana breads.

In the colors

I've heard this song about a gazillion times previously, but today the lyrics really hit me. I think part of it is that it's the end of a whole long year, with a new one setting sail slowly through the winter. Most people had pretty average years, but I know some amazing friends who had a rough year for some pretty big reasons. This song is my dedication to you guys -- sometimes there's not always something easy to say to make the bad go away, and sometimes that hurt lingers for a long time, but no matter what, whenever you're feeling down and out, I will be there in whatever ways I can be.

When your whole world is shaken from all the risks we have taken
Dance with me, dance with me into the colors of the dusk

When you have awoken from all the dreams broken
Come and dance with me, dance with me into the colors of the dusk
Dance with me in the colors of the dusk

The paths we're walking on, they crumble behind us
But if we leave now, they will never find us
And if this crazy world spins itself down to dust, I want to be with you in the colors

When you again start hoping with your arms wide open
Come on, dance with me, dance with me into the colors of the dusk
And all will be right, dancing like water with the light
Dance with me, won't you dance with me into the colors of the dusk?

Happy 2011, friends and family. I hope this year brings joy within every movement and every song.

Not gonna get you a diamond ring / That sorta gift don't mean anything. / Not gonna get you a fancy car / Girl, ya' gotta know you're my shining star

A kitty's favorite part of Christmas is always the leftover boxes.

I had gotten Juggles some Sorel boots to keep his feet warm, and the box was sitting on the couch. Annabelle had made a home in it while we were watching some TV last night. This morning, I was messing around on my computer when I heard a rustling coming from the living room. I walked over to find that AB had knocked the box onto the floor and made a little fort from it. She even has a new kitty toy dragged inside of it.


Kitty in a box.

I don't want a lot for Christmas, there's just one thing I need / I don't care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree . . .

The holiday season is a time of love, of compassion, of vibrant songs of mangers and trees. Because 'tis the season, I've decided to make a list of things I've learned to love since my arrival in Michigan.

1. Journey. Journey may not hail from the great state of Michigan, but they sure won Detroit's heart with their 1981 hit, "Don't Stop Believin'." Here's the cast of Glee performing the song:
   
   
2. Cherries. I never used to like cherries, mostly because of their pits. I guess I thought I was going to eat it and a cherry tree would grow in my tummy. You know, little kid things like that. But, I learned that I actually do love cherries. And Traverse City, Michigan is home of the National Cherry Festival, along with all of northwest Michigan being home to an abundance of cherries. Apparently Michigan grows 75% of the nation's tart cherries. Neat. There are cherry wines, vodkas, jams, etc. to be had here in Michigan. And it's fantastic!
   
   
3. Microbrews. Michigan has about a thousand-million-gazillion microbrews that are just amazing. Before I moved here, I actually didn't drink beer at all. A summer of club ultimate changed that, and now I'm a flip-cup master, and I've learned to appreciate some of the fine beers as well. Some of my favorites include:
   
   • Jolly Pumpkin's Bam Bier, hailing from the nearby town of Dexter
   • Bell's Oberon from K-zoo
   • Dark Horse Raspberry Ale, out of Marshall, MI
   • MBC's Screaming Pumpkin Spiced Ale, located near Lansing
   
   There are a lot more great microbreweries around the state, which all put out some interesting and tasty beers.
   
4. Michigan Football. Well, the team hasn't exactly been great under RichRod. In fact, it's been sometimes painful to watch over the last few years. But the experience of being at The Big House with 100,000+ fans cheering wildly is absolutely incredible! Unless you went to undergrad at State or OSU, once you get to school here at the U of M, you learn quickly to be a fan of the maize and blue. The Twin Cities is a lot more about professional sports, but here in Ann Arbor, the fans are more likely to tune in on a Saturday than a Sunday to football. So, I don my Michigan gear and go out to a bar, friend's house, or even to the stadium, and I cheer for the home team.
   
   
5. Frisbee! Now, I've played frisbee for a long time, but I hadn't really played competitively except a year way back in college, until I got here to Michigan. I joined a club team the first summer I was here, and, since then, I've been filling my summers with tournaments and traveling and practices and frisbee friends. I've even become semi-active in helping to organize our local league here. Along with the love of the game, I've definitely fallen in love with my friends on teams and throughout league, as they've become a family to me.
   
   
6. Juggles. I save the best for last. My move to Michigan has made me love many things, but the one I love the most is my fantastic boyfriend, Juggles. We've had a few years of bliss together now, with many adventures including getting a kitty, vacations around the USA and Caribbean, buying a house, and even just making dinner together (it can be an adventure!). He's truly an amazing man who teaches me new things constantly and always puts a smile on my face. I love the life we've built, and the direction we're traveling together. And every day, I am thankful to have him as a best friend and partner.
   

Happy Holidays!

I get a little warm in my heart when I think of winter / I put my hand in my father's glove / I run off where the drifts get deeper

This neighborhood is a wonderful place in which to live, and our house really feels like home now.

Last weekend, we finally hung up all of our artwork around the house. This makes everything so much warmer. We also installed a new light fixture in the kitchen and did some other random tasks that make the house more "ours." This prepared us to host our first party, a holiday potluck, which went exceptionally well.

I wish I had pictures of Melissa and I prepping our turkey, Kirby, for the feast. But, two and a half bottles of wine makes us far too silly and forgetful to remember things like photographic evidence of our awesomeness. Anyhow, we brined Kirby on Friday night, as well as made and iced a bunch of sugar cookies, and also spent plenty of time being silly. Saturday morning, we stuffed Kirby in the oven and waited.

Folks came over later in the afternoon, sharing tasty dishes such as Frances' ricotta torte, Dean's amazing jambalaya, and Brett's pumpkin-chocolate cheesecake. Many hours, and some nearly innumerate amount of calories later, and we called it a successful party.

Overnight, a few inches of snow fell, meaning we had to shovel the way out of the driveway (which took a trip to Home Depot in order to buy shovels). I made a snow angel to celebrate the first real snow of the year.

And then we met our neighbor, Dale. He's the real reason for this post (since I don't have silly pictures from our party).

We saw him from a distance -- brown jacket, his face entirely masked by cold-weather gear, and a shining bright red snow-blower. He began across the street and a few driveways down and slowly made his way closer and closer to us. As I shoveled, I wondered who this masked stranger was. Would he come rescue us from the peril of the cold? And, like a knight with shiny snowblower, he did. He came to introduce himself as we were maybe half-finished with the driveway and explained that he and one of the other neighbors just always took care of it.

Chivalry may be close to dead in my own generation, but, in his, it's alive and well, and it shows in the brotherhood of this neighborhood. Whether it's a couple of old guys taking the time to plow their neighbors out of their driveways, or the way people take the time to stop and talk to each other when they see a neighbor out doing yardwork, this neighborhood is filled with hearts of gold, willingness to lend a hand, and a real neighborly feeling.

Juggles and I really do love it here. Though this may not be our home forever, it's certainly a place we'll always design our ideals for our future around, and a place where we'll build and learn together.

Goodbye Ruby Tuesday, who could hang a name on you?

Since I needed some documentation about a software program we're using, I decided to make an account with Illumina, Inc. in order to access certain areas of their website (i.e. product downloads, weeee). All was going fine and dandy until I had to do the security validation part...



What is that second word? Is it someone clawing at a wall in a horror film? Is it some sort of ancient script I've never seen? Is it merely a bunch of i's and l's?

What's worse is that I clicked on the audio button to try the security validation that way and it gave me the instructions to type out the words I heard spoken. Then it proceeded to have about 4 people mumbling at the same time with no actual words audible!

Worst security validation system ever! I finally reloaded the text one and got some real words, but, srsly!

Stormy weather, just can't get my poor old self together

It seems I haven't lived in Ann Arbor long enough to remember its seasonal intricacies when they arise. Late autumn is really foggy. Almost every day there is some sort of visibility warning. Of course, this dismal fogginess is quite eerie and beautiful in the morning, but it leads to a long, dark winter where the sun doesn't show its face frequently enough and the whole world is dreary and sad.

The other morning was the beginning. I awoke to look out on a blanket of white through the three dimensional space of my backyard. Without my glasses on, I proclaimed, "Juggles, it's snowing!" He laughed and said it was just fog. Oh yes, this fog stuff we get.

'Tis the season.


Unrelated, there's a Haydn symphony nicknamed "The Palindrome" (Symphony No. 47 in G major Hob. I:47) due to its third movement wherein the second part of each the Minuet and the Trio is the same as the first, but backward. I heard this on the radio today and liked the concept of this done in music.



... and back to your regularly scheduled programming...

One of my best ladies, Miss Lindsay Juntunen, and her nifty fella', Chad Lajiness, are going to get hitched. Congratulations on your engagement, friends!

Life

Many of you may wonder what it's like to be in a PhD program. I feel my life is pretty typical to that of my chemistry, physics, and engineering PhD friends, except they spend more of their lives sitting around a lab and can't actually leave at a normal time.

Day-to-day life as a PhD student goes like this for me:

• Get up when I want, as long as I can make it into school before whatever morning meeting I may have (which range from 10 am to 11 am start times).
  
• Drive to parking lot. Take bus to SPH.
  
• Walk up to 4th floor.
  
• Never ever EVER leave cubicle unless it is to go to conference room or chair's office for meeting.
  
• Never ever have any idea what else happens on any other floor of this school, nor see new faces of MPH students.
  
• Have lots of meetings in small or large groups
  
• Occasionally go out for lunch.
  
• Spend lots of time reading articles and trying to write and figuring what direction my dissertation will go in
  
• Bus to parking lot. Drive home/to frisbee fields/wherever I have something after school.
  

I bet you're all jealous!

XO,
A

Summary-time, and the living is easy

Well, it's been a whole month since that deer fiasco, but I still think of that poor baby deer getting mauled by a car every time I drive up Huron Parkway and am saddened. That aside, life is pretty fantastic -- mostly filled with frisbee and epigenetics.

The month of August was a blur. There was Cooler Classic where I played with The Alliance; Juggles and Lucas also played with us which was awesome because those are two ultimate players whose sweet disc moves I know back and forth. The weekend after Cooler was Treetown Donut Crown, put on by Pat Reed in Ann Arbor. My random pickup team was freaking sweet and managed to edge out the other random Spoiler/Alliance team just barely to take the crown.

My parents also came to town in August and helped to clean up the gardens and yard a bit. We did a lot of work, and my yard started looking a lot better. We still have a lot of work to do, but it was a big help to have them out.

Later in August, Melissa, Lee, Ed Dupas and I took a spur of the moment trip down to Cedar Point and spent the day riding roller coasters and eating fatty foods. I honestly don't think I've screamed and giggled like that since I was a kid. Man, roller coasters are AWEsome!

Last weekend was Chicago Heavyweights, where Melissa and I played women's ultimate for the first time in a long time. We picked up with the Surly Women from my home state of Minnesota. Those ladies sure were a TON of fun, and drinking a big can of cold Surly beer after a long day of ultimate feels absolutely incredible! We broke seed, and Melissa and I even managed to learn everyone's names by the end of the weekend.

Somewhere in there, we got a facecord and a half of wood delivered to our house. (Turns out, that's a whole lot of wood!) Now we can make fires in our fireplace OR our brand new firebowl on the patio. Also, Jason and Angela finally tied the knot at an awesome Italian catholic wedding, which had really delicious food and this weird DJ who would lip sync to every song.

I also finally figured out sort of what I might want to do for my dissertation, which is a huge step forward. But, now it's just a matter of actually getting it done. When I presented the idea to my adviser, she seemed to think it was going to take me a really long time. And, honestly, there's a lot involved in it, so it probably will.... So, work is filled with writing papers and researching, which is great because I didn't really feel like I had direction over the summer so I didn't get as much done as I would have liked. But now I at least have a path, whether or not it's paved in cement or I have to follow breadcrumbs to find my way....

This weekend will be filled with a visit from the legend: Allan Evans, who has been off exploring the world and helping people near and far. Also, there are plans to go to Frankenmuth, "Michigan's Little Bavaria," for the world's largest Christmas store and a whole lot of beer at Oktoberfest.

Lastly, I just signed up for Door-To-Door Organics, so now I will have organic produce delivered to my home on a biweekly schedule. This is my new favorite business idea, especially because it's really affordable and they give you a ton of produce. This winter is going to be filled with fresh, delicious fruits and veggies!

So that's it. A summary of the last month of my life. It was boring to read, and much more exciting to live. But, I felt I owed this blog a little bit of time.

Deer, I fear, we're facing a problem....

It's 10:39 a.m. and already today has been... filled with unexpected events.

It was a typical morning. I awoke, drank some coffee, and slowly got ready for school. It's a dreary morning. The drizzle started as I pulled out of my garage. Traffic was flowing as I journeyed up busy Carpenter Rd to the more scenic Hogback Rd.

I took a left onto Huron River Drive, which is a very narrow, shoulder-less 2-lane winding road, with trees and marshland on either side of it as it carves its way through the river valley. The speed limit is 35 mph, and no passing is allowed. But, apparently these laws don't apply to large SUVs. The guy behind me pulled out alongside me to pass me. He was going probably close to 50. He narrowly made it back into the lane before getting hit by an oncoming car that he didn't see because THERE'S NO FREAKING PASSING ON A TINY WINDING ROAD!

So, that was interesting. I called Juggles to report the idiocy of certain SUV drivers, and continued my drive, turning right onto Huron Parkway, a faster 4-lane divided road. As I was approaching my Michigan left to get to my parking lot, a baby deer pranced out in front of me. I exclaimed to J, "Wow, that was close!" and marveled at his cuteness, all the while thinking that 10 am is a strange time for a deer to be prancing across roads.

I looked back in my rear view mirror just in time to see him get torn to bits by another vehicle. I burst out crying, of course... He was just a baby. I watched him as he slammed up on the car's hood and almost lost a leg in the ordeal. The best I can hope is that he died instantly and didn't suffer.

It was horrible. Absolutely horrible. Poor baby deer. :(

As I pulled into my parking spot, bawling, I kept wondering what I should do for the baby deer. Should I go back and see if it's still alive and try to help it? Of course, reality hit and I realize there was very little chance the little creature could have sustained injuries of that nature and lived. What should I do...?

I called my mom, knowing that she'd be able to provide me with compassionate words in this situation. She reminded me that though this is a sad, sad situation, we should take this moment (and every one) to celebrate life, to smile upon it, and to be compassionate to those around us.

So today is for you, little baby deer. Your death was brutal and your life short, but I will do what I can to commemorate your little prancing spirit on this cloudy and dismal day.

If I gave you diamonds and pearls / would you be a happy boy or a girl

When 1.5 shelves in your fridge are filled with beer, you know:

1. You have great friends (though maybe the quality of your friendship is equivalent to the quality of beer they bring you?)
   
2. The obvious logical choice for a dinner beverage is likely a Magic Hat Wacko.
   
3. You need to invite people over more frequently so you have room for things like eggs and milk...
   

Also, I apologize to Dawn and everyone else who have asked me for pictures of the new house. It's still horribly a mess since I haven't had a weekend to actually work on organizing things (and I won't have a weekend at home until August sometime!). So... I promise, there will be photos someday.

Finally, I'm going to submit a bid to a tournament that my friend Pat is putting on called Treetown Donut Crown. Here are team names I've come up with so far:

1. Deep Fried Toroid
   
2. D'oh...NUTS
   
3. The Magic is in the Hole
   
4. Shut Your Donut Hole
   
5. The Donut and Sausage Situation
   
6. Donut Burger
   
7. Donut Genie Mark VI (that's the name of the mini-doughnut machine at the best mini-doughnut place ever in Pike's Place)
   

Thoughts?

Hi-diddly-ho, Neighborinos!

And neighborinos you might be! See, Juggles and I just bought a house. We closed on Thursday and moved in Friday. It's been an absolutely insane weekend and we are still swimming in boxes, wondering where some of our everyday items, like vitamins and shampoo, might be. But, we're unpacking slowly but surely.

The house is great -- really adorable with a cool layout. I'll take pictures and post them once the mess is a little more controlled. My dad bought us a fantastic new lawnmower, which we have yet to use, and we also now own TWO ladders and a weed whacker. Fantastic!

We aim to meet our neighbors when we have the chance. On either side of us, we have original owners who bought their houses in the '50s when they were built. One side is this woman with an amazing beehive of a gray hairdo. I imagine she's just about the coolest lady ever. On the other side, is an older couple who seem to have a great garden. Of course, about a block away, there's a house with LITERALLY about 50 birdhouses in the yard of all shapes and colors. I am so going trick-or-treating there just to meet whoever lives there.

So, busy weekend... We're settling in slowly, but managed to make it through a tough and sleepless weekend of moving and cleaning. The cats are going insane around the house and we have about a bajillion projects to start upon. Juggles set up our TV last night though, so we can at least order pizza and watch some Dragonball Z.

Ahhh, home sweet home.

I should blog more!

But first, to the textbooks! BBIAB!

On my Easter Sunday, I made myself a big brunch of perfect French toast with real maple syrup and fresh strawberries. And I called my parents and boyfriend (who is on his way back here anyhow) to feel like I had family around while I was eating. I got chased around by the cats. I watched an episode of the Simpsons. I opened the windows to enjoy the spring breeze. And I plan on playing some frisbee in a couple of hours.

It's not such a bad Easter, just not a typical one from my youth. There's no ham dinner or seeing cousins or dying eggs and hunting for them. But that's what growing up does... It makes me realize how much I appreciate my loved ones every day of the year. I may not see my family frequently or even on normal holidays, but there's never a doubt that they're always in my heart.

Happy Easter.