In which I have to choose between posting something mediocre or not posting anything. Guess which one I choose.

I have nothing really to say today.

John is starting his new lab today ... he was a bit concerned this weekend because he hadn't heard from the PI in the lab, and thought that maybe the PI had double-booked students.  I haven't heard from John today except for a brief email saying he didn't know when he'd be done.  So, he's in lab somewhere!

I spent the weekend baking and baking and walking and baking.  Silly me couldn't for the life of me remember whether I normally follow the recipe for sugar cookies and use powdered sugar, or regular sugar.  So I used regular sugar.  Mistake.  They still taste good, but they aren't amazing.  I'm still a bit upset about it.

Not enough to remake the 60 cookies sitting in my freezer, though.

Saturday we went to the local park and took Honey for a walk - we walked about four miles.  Then Sunday evening we met up with one of John's classmates and his girlfriend and their dog, and all went for another walk for about 2 miles.  It was one of those situations where we really shouldn't have gone because both John and I had stuff to get done before Monday ... but we didn't want to push off the relationship that we're trying to build.

Of course, they might completely shun us after John brought up politics.  But, probably not.  Hopefully not.

I am thinking and writing in very choppy, incomplete sentences today.  I think it's because today's Monday.  Or the fact that I'm only now getting caffeine into my system.

Rambling at the end of the week

We made 60 sugar cookies last night ... well, we almost made 60 cookies.  They are currently chilling in the fridge, and still need to be baked in the oven.  Besides my brief panic attack that the recipe called for powdered sugar instead of regular sugar like I had thought ... it went well.  I'll make another few batches tonight while baking.  I did take some pictures - but my camera battery died before I could finish.  It's charging now.

Today is John's last day in his first lab rotation, and they're taking him out to some Italian place downtown for lunch.  Neither one of us have been there before, so he'll have to scout it out and see if we should go there together sometime.  We were talking about the lab and his experiences in the lab.  Yes, it was a good lab, and he could work in that lab.  But, rules or no, English is not the main language in that lab.  Even in the three weeks he was there, he'd come home frustrated because he'd made a mistake because he didn't understand what someone told him.  He doesn't need that additional barrier for the next 4-5 years.

He's super excited about his next lab - I think it's diabetes research - and from what he's heard, this lab will work him a lot harder than the first one.  On the one hand, this is good; he's been a bit bored lately.  On the other, he probably won't be able to get as much studying done during the afternoon, and will have to study more in the evenings.

I've been trying to find a good podcast to listen to while at work.  For some reason, I haven't really wanted to listen to music lately.  Let me just say ... Itunes is not user friendly at all when it comes to podcasts.  It's impossible to peruse or find ratings easily.

Either that, or I'm completely useless when it comes to Itunes.

I'm looking forward to the weekend.  Baking makes me happy.  Happier than cooking, anyway.  It's nice to have something really good as a result of your efforts.

Let's get ready to .... bake!

It's Cookie Time!!!

Actually, John and I are going to be spending the next few days baking as many cookies as we can.  John volunteered me to bake 4 dozen cookies for a GSO event on Saturday (the Graduate Student Organization Fall Festival), and then signed me up to bring something to a luncheon at church on Sunday.  Monday, we're having a lunch party at work to celebrate Boss's day and two office birthdays for the month of October.

So ... Cookies for everyone!

Yesterday I picked up some ingredients and handy tools to help us make a bunch of cookies - like a cookie cooling rack.  I'd been using the rack from my toaster oven, but that's not really ideal.  I also tried to find some cookie cutters, but either Publix doesn't stock cookie cutters or I was looking in all the wrong places.  Maybe I can get John to run to the drugstore to pick some up.

Since John is the one that volunteered me - I've roped him into helping me bake.  Tonight we're going to make up a whole bunch of cookie batter to chill overnight.  Friday night we're going to actually bake everything, and possibly create more batter.

Thankfully we don't have to decorate the cookies - the whole point is to have cookies for people to decorate at the fair.

I'm super excited.  I will try to remember to take pictures so that I can post pictures with the recipe.

Cooler Weather and Test Days

One test down ... one to go!

John seemed exceptionally pleased with how the test went.  He could hardly keep the grin off his face when I saw him after the test.  Although that could be because I was offering him some of the cookies that I made this weekend.  Gingerbread Orange Cookies.

I meant to make them for his classmates, but John and I ate so many this weekend that we didn't have enough for his classmates this morning!  So, I brought them into work for my co-workers ... and all the cookies were gone by 10:30.  And I'm still having people poking their heads in my office asking if there are any more cookies left.

I think I may make another batch.  And now not just because I have to take pictures!

We've been leaving the bathroom window open at night the past week or so - it's an easy way to cool the house down and air out the house.  But last night we had the first cold front of the season come through, and we woke up this morning shivering!  I'm totally loving the cooler weather!  I've made chili that is currently home cooking in the crock pot - Yum!!

Perhaps I'll be able to talk John into lighting the fire sometime this week!  

In which I think about baking and John gets a computer

John got his computer in the mail yesterday!  He'd been using a Kindle Fire that I won this past summer in a contest.  Even though we both love the Kindle Fire, it's not a replacement for a computer.  So, after some research, he bought a refurbished laptop from eBay.  Getting that in the mail was a definite highlight for his day yesterday!

So, John is fairly sure that this lab is not the one he wants to stay in.  I'm hoping today goes better (since I'd hate for him to suffer through three weeks of lab if he's miserable the whole time!), but apparently the lady in charge of his training hardly speaks any English.  Which makes things a bit frustrating.

Oh well ... at least it's just the three week rotation instead of the seven week rotation!

As for me, I've offered to bake some goodies for the GSO's bake sale.  The GSO is the Graduate Student Organization for all the grad students, and they've been kind enough to adopt me.  Probably because I can bake better than John.  I don't have any problem bribing people with my cooking!

Their bake sale is next week; and John has two tests next week.  I'll spend some time this weekend baking up a storm, both for the bake sale and for John's classmates for one of their test days.

I'll post one of my tried and true cookie recipes in the next day or so.  With pictures once I actually make them!