ellenita's Xanga

Olympic Questions

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 01:52:22 GMT

As I've been reflecting on the Olympics a little bit, I came up with 2 questions that I asked my family and thought I would post:

1. If you could play in the Olympics (your choice of sport), but you could only get in by playing for another country, would you? (this happened to an American basketball player who plays for the Russian basketball team.)

2. If you won a gold medal, would you keep it at home or bring it to the bank? (inspired by a key bank commercial. My dad said he would keep it at home, but put up a security system. )

Oh, and I realized a big reason why I can't watch sports. I can't stand the suspense. It is way too emotional for me when I'm rooting for someone or a team. More often than not, I am disappointed. What I can do is wait to hear about the outcome (ie Michael Phelps) and go back and watch videos of the action or the whole game. Then I can get excited. And it's not only this way about sports. When I read great books, I have to read the end, or skim through the book and find out what happens. Then I go back and read it more slowly. I'm not sure why I'm this way. weird, huh?

Thursday, August 07, 2008

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 22:23:58 GMT

I'm tired. I hope I can make it through this year.

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 21:12:29 GMT

Team Edward

The Macaroon Chronicles Part 1: Hunt for the Pastry Bag

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 00:04:26 GMT

My next few entries will be dedicated to my journey attempting to make macaroons. I have scoured the web for blogs and anything macaroon-esque. I have picked up tips, drooled over delectable looking macaroons, and heard about wild flavor combinations (foie gras macaroon??!?!). Yes, I have lived and breathed these little bites (in addition to my pharmacy boards!!) for the past couple weeks. I am fully anticipating my first batch not to work out, so my expectations are pretty low. And I am not experimenting with exotic flavor combinations yet (holding off on the passionfruit chocolate for now), so it'll be just plain vanilla, with perhaps chocolate or strawberry variations, depending on how adventurous I feel. My first dilemma was that all the recipes I had read required a pastry bag and tips. Being the cheap person that I sometimes am, I looked up to see if you could just use a bag and cut a whole out of the corner, but I had a feeling that was a no go. Now, I have never owned or used a pastry bag in my life, and before I went out and splurged on a whole set, I wanted to make sure the investment was worth it for these cookies. So, the hunt for the pastry bag began. I did research on amazon and other websites how much they cost. There were disposable ones, 18" 12" 9", lots of different shaped tips, some made in China (which I was wary about b/c of potential toxins), prices ranging from $6-$40 or so for a set. I was a bit overwhelmed. However, I finally brainstormed people I knew who could potentially have a set. First I began with neighbors and people who lived close by, but I didn't know anyone well enough. Then I struck luck with my cousins. I im-ed my cousin kareenah to ask if my aunt had a set, and lo and behold she did! Aunt K to the rescue! She is quite the baker, so it came as no surprise that she had a set, and she's always so generous! So, thanks to her, I will be trying these out the following weekend (last weekend of June). Armed with Martha Stewart (+ countless other blogs) and a pastry bag, I will venture forth. Next hunt: almond flour

ps. I forgot how much I enjoyed comments on xanga! Thanks for the posts, everyone!
pss. And you bet i'll be tracking these macaroons with photos and posting them (disasters and all), so stay tuned!

Edit: I couldn't come up with a short definition of a French macaroon (or macaron, which is the kind I'm making. Not the coconut ones common in the U.S.), but here's a link to a description. This is Pierre Herme's famous Isaphan (rose, raspberry, and litchi). Here is a link to some pictures.

I'm bringing Xanga back - drop a comment if you're with me!

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 00:49:57 GMT

I liked pockethercule's catchy title, so I thought I would follow in his footsteps and blog on xanga, which i haven't done in 6 months! And I felt this was a very appropriate time since this was my pharmacy graduation weekend!! Yes, 4 years ago, I started pharm school...and I survived! holla! On Saturday, I walked across the auditorium stage in my (ugly!) olive green and black robe and was hooded along with my classmates. I can't believe i'm not a student pharmacist anymore. It's too weird. This weekend gave me some time for reflection with regards to this chapter ending in my life. I have to admit, I was pretty negative about the city of Columbus and didn't have the most social life while here, but when I came back for graduation, I got all nostalgic and realized there were some things that I loved about the city... and some I even discovered this weekend! (Jeni's Ice Cream, Pistacia Vera, Katzinger's Deli, Easton, Graeter's Ice Cream...yeah, they're mostly food places). As I have been in Cleveland this past year for rotations, I haven't seen my class as a whole, so it was great catching up. After all, we did sit in the same lecture hall and take the same tests for 4 years!

So, what am I doing after graduation? I matched in March with MetroHealth System for a PGY1 Residency (just a general residency). It is 1 year long, so I'll be in Cleveland for another year. I"ll be living at home (with my mom's great homecooking!). Just to give you an idea of how crazy a residency is...I'll be taking care of patients from Mon-Fri (rounding with doctors) and other responsibilities for 10-12 hours/day. On top of that, I will be working every other weekend (sat and sun) doing kinetics on patients and possibly some dispensing. So, that means I work 12 days in a row and then have 2 days off. phew!! But, this is a great way to get a lot of experience, so I'm excited about that. This'll give me another year to decide what i want to do when I grow up. :)

Some non-pharmacy stuff:

I believe that French macaroons (or macarons) are the new "cupcake." I think that Sex and the City made cupcakes a huge trend. Now, I think macaroons are the new "it" dessert and are hitting the scene, though they have been around in France at famous establishments such as Laduree and Pierre Herme. I just had my first macaroons at Pistacia Vera, a totally amazing bakery in cbus!! I just discovered it today...the day of my graduation, which is so sad! The lemon pistacio and raspberry rosewater are my faves. My ambitious culinary goal is to make my own macaroons.

I am really big on catching new songs, whether on commercials, in stores, or on the radio. Here what's "on my ipod" right now:

The Call - Regina Spektor
I'm Yours - Jason Mraz
All I Want to Do - Sugarland (I also love Carrie and Taylor)
Bleeding Love - Leona Lewis
Viva La Vida - Coldplay
With You - Chris Brown (and I think I like Forever, too)
Last Thing On Your Mind - Lights

My favorite Christmas songs for your enjoyment!

Sat, 15 Dec 2007 22:03:28 GMT

Mariah Carey's O Holy NightMariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas is YouTrans-Siberian Orchestra: Christmas CanonNewsong's Christmas Shoes

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Sun, 18 Nov 2007 03:47:15 GMT

Why does every episode of Men in Trees have to be so touching and perfect that I am so emotional afterwards and am on the edge of my seat until the next week? Please, may Jack be safe at sea. May Marin stay strong while he's gone and resist! May they get together when he gets back! May Patrick regain his memory and can finally marry Annie, both of whom are perfect for each other. May the week fly by so I can watch the next episode! I you Elmo! Good night.

What's up with me?

Sun, 11 Nov 2007 03:50:02 GMT

So, I haven't really written about what I'm doing recently. Things have been in a whirlwind, with me moving practically every month. I'm currently on my 4th rotation out of 9. I am going to have to make some tough career decisions in the upcoming months, and I don't feel I know what I want to do yet! Or where I'm going to go, for that matter. But, I'm just taking it one step at a time...most of the time. I'm heading to Vegas the first week of December for a huge pharmacy conference where I'll be meeting a lot of residency programs and doing a lot of networking, which I'm looking forward it. It'll be really tiring, but hopefully I can get some good food in...and if I'm lucky, I can get some scholarship money to potentially cover a Cirque du Soleil show...but that remains to be seen. My rotations are going pretty well...I wish some of them were harder or more clinical, but I can't do anything about it now, and I just have to make the most of what I have.

Today, I went with jalzee and her mom-in-law to The Fabulous Food Show at the Cleveland IX Center. We saw Giada de Laurentiis, who is my favorite celebrity chef, live!! She is actually pregnant now. So, there was this 7 yo boy who was in the same bleacher section as me. He made a huge sign that said "I love you Giada." So, when the cameras were panning the audience, she saw him standing with his poster and she had him come to the stage. When she went to give him a hug, he started bawling...with tears coming down his cheeks. Then someone took a white rose from a vace of flowers and gave it to the boy. The AV people put up messages on the screen like "This is the highlight of his life. It's not gonna get better than this" and "He doesn't know she's pregnant with another man's child." It was pretty funny. I also got to see the Duff (?) on Ace of Cakes and a snippet of Alton Brown. Other than that, I just went around and sampled everything in sight. My most memorable samples were a pesto/garlic/basil marinated mozarella ball and tomato (amazing!), mushroom risotto, and an 8 year-aged balsalmic vinegar (absolutely delicioso!!!!). That vinegar was so sweet and smooth and just warmed your mouth. I was tempted to get a bottle ($35!), but I refrained. We also went to a dessert wine tasting. That was so fun, and the dessert wines were so good! I dessert wine. So, all in all, my food experience was fantastic!

I have to blog about my most favorite tv show: Men in Trees. It is so hard for me to go from Friday to Friday because I love the show so much. It's not like each episode is a cliffhanger, but the people are so lovable and quirky, and Elmo, Alaska is so charming. I think it's the show that's hardest for me to wait 6 days for, and watching it is like a highlight of my week. Thank goodness the episodes are online! It is an extremely well written show, with awesome acting (yes, it's hard to believe, but Anne Heche totally makes the show awesome!!!)

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Sat, 27 Oct 2007 00:43:20 GMT

Hey all you moms out there! (actually, i think almost anyone can relate to this). It is absolutely hilarious!!!

It's called Mom's Overture: http://www.sonnyradio.com/MomsOverture.html

Commercial songs

Sat, 06 Oct 2007 02:42:50 GMT

I have heard some songs on commercials that I have found very catchy and appealing lately. I kept trying to remember to look them up, but often forgot. Tonight, I finally sat down and googled them all. Here they are:

ipod song: "1234" by Feist http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEeqgcxW3fQ

jcpenneys song: "Music Box" by Regina Spektor http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POjzhk90MoA&mode=related&search= (it's live, so it's not perfectly clear)

Jam Sessions song: "Santeria" by Sublime http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPpZBo7PHrg&mode=related&search= (the actual video - kind aweird)
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=19051038 (the actual commercial - I like this better b/c more people are singing)

and my current fave song is: "Apologize" by One Republic, prod by Timbaland http://www.myspace.com/onerepublic (go check it out!)

ADDENDUM: I just found 2 new fave songs. They ROCK!

"The Way I Am" by Ingrid Michaelson (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5roINIWhVj0&mode=related&search=)
This song is featured on the latest Old Navy commercial. She has also had several songs featured on Gray's Anatomy. It is sooo catchy and cute!

"No One" by Alicia Keys
http://music.aol.com/video/no-one/alicia-keys/1986785#rcntcmmnts
This song is so powerful and I love the song!!!