…or did I?

I did!

My graduation from Villanova is on Sunday and I do not care. Jamie from “Mythbusters” is the commencement speaker and I do not care (although Todd is disappointed that I don’t want to go). I received my diploma in the mail last December…that was the only thing I cared about. You see, I celebrate in things in other ways. When I got my B.A., I bought a new car. I am rewarding myself for finishing my M.A. by upgrading to a MacBook Pro. It’s been on my mind for a while, but I broke down over the weekend and did it. The same guy that sold me my first Mac also sold me this one…I am loyal. He is a nice guy too…likes me because I just go in and point to what I want and he has a nice little commission with no effort. Still, I only bought the 13 inch model, as I have a nice leather Kenneth Cole bag that it will fit in perfectly. I am happy now.

The question remains: What did I cook today? Well, there is a story here…sort of. Todd and I love this little restaurant called Revivals. It’s a great little place where the owner cooks the food and roams around chatting with customers. The staff knows us and they know that Todd wants a Black and Tan (Bass and Murphy’s) and I want a Stoli and Cranberry. Todd almost always gets the fajitas and I usually get the Pasta Devino. I was craving the Pasta Devino tonight, but Todd is at a dinner meeting in Philly and I am stuck dining alone. I felt up to the challenge of recreating my favorite dish:

Three cheese tri-color tortellini (because I like lots of color…especially in my pasta)

This is the experimental part. Sauteed chicken breast in olive oil (I only ever sautee in olive oil…I hate all other oils), then I added 2 cans of artichoke hearts, some roasted peppers (from a jar…I wasn’t THAT ambitious!), and chopped fresh parsley and about 6 garlic cloves. Oh did I mention the butter? Yep, one whole stick (next time I may use 1/2 – 3/4 of a stick). I added a bit more olive oil and a splash of white wine.  When everything was fully cooked, I threw it all in a giant mixing bowl.

Here’s my dinner:

Success!! On my first try, I have successfully recreated my favorite dish. So I skipped the spinach and sun-dried tomatoes, I didn’t miss them. Perhaps now I can branch out and try something else at Revivals.

Don’t say I never gave you anything!

I could be posting a love poem to my iPad, but I’m not. Not today. Count yourself lucky, as I can’t write poetry to save my life. Not that I ever tried…I really don’t like poetry. I remember sitting in one of my numerous history classes as an undergrad ranting about poetry. “Why don’t they just say what they mean!?!?” I am far too factual for my own good. I had a professor in grad school who told me that I had “the gift of clarity and succinctness”…I took that as a compliment, since most grad students are the complete opposite. It’s what irked me about grad school.

(Note: the above paragraph was not meant to demonstrate said “clarity and succinctness”)

Instead, I will wax poetic about my coffee table. Why? Because I love that stupid coffee table. It doesn’t have a shelf to store things, no drawers to clutter up. The clutter stays on top which means it gets cleaned off more often. My kitty Julie (sweet little Julie…I so miss her) used to take it upon herself and clean it off all the time…knocking books and papers off almost every evening. Much to Zoey’s dismay, the books and papers would fall on her as she slept next to the table. Speaking of Zoey, see the scratches on the table top? They are her doing. When she was a puppy, she would run through the living room, up and over the table, then back out of the room. It was quite funny to watch, as she did this a few times a day. By the time she outgrew this phase, the coffee table was worse for wear. I’ve thought about refinishing it, but those scratches have memories attached to them. They remind me of what a naughty puppy she was and what a good dog she grew up to be. She can’t jump on the table anymore since she has hip displaysia, but she tries when the kitty is having her evening treats there.

I think I paid $50 for this thing about 12 years ago at Sears Home Life. I never had a coffee table of my own before this and I found it on clearance and made Todd bring it home in his truck (It was fully assembled). I don’t like the little carving on the front facade and the whole thing almost bit the dust a couple of months ago when I thought all the legs were falling off. Todd fixed it and I called off the trip to Ikea for a new one (Trip? Haha…it’s only in Conshohocken!). Turns out the legs came loose because we sit on the coffee table sometimes. Yeah, that’s how I go…you can sit on my coffee table, put your feet on it, spill your Stoli and Cranberry on it…whatever. I think I stood on it once, but I don’t remember why.

That’s my coffee table…it will survive the apocalypse.

Rest assured, I will be blogging about this and posting many pictures…perhaps (likely) from the iPad itself. Aren’t you excited? In the meantime, here’s a funny video that Doritos has mocking Apple’s Special Event unveiling of the Jesus Tablet.

Grad school = DONE! It’s a good thing. I thought I’d be all sad and nostalgic, but really I am not. I don’t miss all the work, all the stress, and all the other annoying grad students who like to hear themselves talk. But the question remains: what do I do now that I have this?

Well kids, I guess I will share my wisdom with a fresh batch of undergrads next semester. I was asked to teach Western Civ (through 1500 CE) at my alma mater DeSales University. It really is a complement to be asked to come back to where it all started and I am more than a little excited. I am also more than a little nervous. But nothing good comes from sitting still and not challenging oneself, right? I’m set to teach two classes, as long as there is enough students enrolled. Registration is next month, so keep your finger crossed for me.

In the meantime, I wrote three pieces to be published at some point this year. Two are book reviews for the Historical Journal of Massachusetts and the third is a piece for “Landmarks in Feminist Writings.” My piece is on Isabella Tod, an Irish woman who fought for Irish women’s right to higher education. So far, I have not heard that any of these pieces are scrapped, so I guess no news is good news. I’ll keep you posted.

Last Saturday, I had the pleasure of being a judge in the Bucks-Mont regional competition for National History Day. I judged middle school kids’ (grades 6-8) exhibits and let me tell you, these kids are amazing. The theme was “Innovations in History” and the kids were pretty creative. Whether it was the pointe shoe, the toilet, the Beatles, or even Julia Child, these kids did some great work. Too bad that only 3 of the 80-some entries in this category could go to states. Honestly, I can’t wait until next year’s competition!

Other than that, I’ve been working a job at a bank and I hate it very much. Very, very much. I finished my master’s degree and am working a job I had before I earned my BA. I have a severe chip on my shoulder about this and am working hard to make peace with it and find something good about it. So far…Nothing. In the meantime, I am off on Tuesdays and they have become what I call my “Zen Tuesdays.” I do exactly what I feel like doing, and nothing else. If I want to go shopping, I do. If I want to wash the kitchen floor, I do. More often than not, I find myself in the kitchen cooking. I love to cook and while I was in college, I never had the time to do any hardcore cooking. It was frozen food, canned food, and take-out. Now I am having a blast learning new recipes and becoming downright experimental in that kitchen of mine. Today, I attempted homemade spaghetti sauce for the very first time. Until now, I thought switching from Ragu to Bertolli was pushing the envelope. Not this time! Here’s what’s simmering on my stove as we speak:

Those are my homemade meatballs swimming in there. I tasted half of one and it was good. I think it was cooked all the way, I have no idea. Still, it was impressive for my first go…and I’m not even a little bit Italian!

Tomorrow at 1:00 PM EST, the Truth will be revealed…

So Jon Gosselin broke up with his 22-year-old girlfriend. No wonder he raised hell when he visited the “Today” show a few days ago. WATCH IT HERE

Mayan Ball Court - Xcaret, Mexico

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