July 10, 2009

So....College. Wow! I didn't think it would be possible. Now I'm determined to get my Bachelor's Degree. The biggest barrier, the Almighty Dollar, is no longer a consideration. Between the free tuition at any community college in the state (because I receive SSDI) and the Department of Rehabilitation Services (DoRS) picking up the tab for everything else, the cost concerns are gone.

Now it is a matter of applying, gathering records, taking placement tests, registering, and attending classes...all the while praying that I continue feeling as well as I do now.

My major? Probably English, as Journalism is not the path I wish to eventually take. I am leaning more towards Editing/Proofreading and possibly writing. I was a bookkeeper in my previous professional life so this new path is a complete change. It's what I really want though. I love writing, editing, proofreading, and taking pictures to go along with my writings. I do it almost every day. Now, someday, I could get paid for it!

I applied for an online job two nights ago. When I checked my email last night, I found a Mailer-Daemon in my spam folder. The email I'd written to the bookstore offering the job was returned to me. I verified that the email address I used was correct so I'm going to wait a couple days in case it actually did go through. The job was perfect - Online Book Club Assistant & Internet Research Associate. Definitely stuff that can be done from home! Too bad their website is plagiarized from another bookstore and their email address kicks back emails you send to them. Oh well. Now I'll start looking for something else.

I went to dialysis early today and Dr S was doing rounds. He was able to fill out my Disability Verification Form for AACC and to write the note to DoRS saying that it's recommended that I only attend college part-time. I originally hoped to be able to go to the college and meet with an academic advisor but there wasn't enough time. Instead I came home and cooked dinner.

I bought some tuna steaks last night and knew they wouldn't last long in the fridge so I decided to fix them tonight. Uncle Wes had a really long day at work and didn't feel like firing up the grill so I used my grill pan and cooked them on the stove top. I used a recipe from Giada deLaurentiis, sprinkling the steaks with salt and pepper, brushing with olive oil (I sprayed EVOO on the pan instead), and grilling them for two minutes on each side. I misread her ingredient list and my steaks weren't two inches thick like she called for. I thought it just called for thick-cut tuna steaks and mine were. If I'd realized beforehand, I would have only cooked my steaks for about a minute on each side. Since they were thinner, the middle wasn't rare, but almost medium.

I set the tuna steaks on a plate to rest for a few minutes and then cut them in half-inch slices across the grain of the meat. I juiced two of Lisa's lemons and drizzled the juice over the tuna and fixed some broccoli florets with cheese sauce to enjoy with it. Giada's recipe called to serve the tuna with Basil Pesto, but the lemon added the perfect flavor enhancement to the tuna. After eating my fill I even had enough left over for another meal.

I decided to fix another dinner around 11pm. This time, I took some Lemongrass Chicken Stix and Vegetable Bird's Nests out of the freezer. Both were very good, but the birds nests had extra phosphorus added, so I probably won't purchase them again. The chicken stix were delicious! I'll definitely be going back to Trader Joe's for more. The only problem with these "freezer foods" was that they're not microwaveable. They'd turn to mush. It's more a convenience issue than a problem, but you know what I mean. They're not a quick-fix snack, which is what I had in mind when I purchased them. That'll teach me to check the packaging next time!

They both came with instructions for baking in the oven and deep-frying. Since grease and I do not get along, I opted for the oven method. Luckily it was late at night and a little on the cool side, because that oven being at 450 degrees for fifteen minutes certainly can heat up a house. Add to that, the birds nests have to cook for 20 minutes at 350 degrees and it could get downright uncomfortable in the heat of the day.

In the time from one dinner to the next, I worked on Ocean Star a little. I was able to almost complete the star points between the center medallion and the diamonds and squares. Working on this piece is so soothing to me. Nancy Buhl's designs are a delight, as it's mostly repetitive stitching. I can't wait to do another!