Kitchen Failure

I like to bake.

I do not like to cook.

I like the idea of following instructions and getting a known (and mostly often) tasty result.

With cooking there’s too much ambiguity left to (my) incapable hands. “Flavor to taste” – what the hell does that mean? Should I start with a teaspoon? A tablespoon? A half a cup? What the heck? I’m not comfortable in front of a stove and a spice rack, so I need some guidance please!

For the rest of the parts of my life I am all about embracing the grey areas, but this is the one place in life that I really just want to be told what to do. [The rest of the time? Unless you’re my boss? You should probably keep the orders to yourself. They don’t go over so well, in case you were wondering.]

J

So.

Yesterday I volunteered to bring in some desserts for an impromptu potluck at work. I knew they needed to be easy, so I decided to make some raspberry bars and some no-bake cookies. They’re both delicious and pretty simple to put together. I needed this combination in my life.

Except I apparently can not, in fact, make NO-BAKE cookies.

Most of the time, I think it’s fair to say that I can bake a pretty tasty treat. I’m no fabulous baker, but I know where my skills lie, and I try to stick to those. Especially when I’m bringing said treat outside my house and sharing with other human beings. I can’t bring in something craptastic to share with people I like.

So I was quite disappointed in myself when the no-bake cookies I attempted to make turned into a chalky, powdery, chocolate mess, with a-side-of-oatmeal.

Yes, these are normally separate cookies. But when I realized that I shouldn’t have used quick-cooking oatmeal (it’s all I had!!!), it was too late – so I thought maybe I could shove all this STUFF into a pan to make some brownie-like-bar-cookies.

Yeah, that didn’t help.

 

Instead I'll share a couple of pictures (with links to their respective blogs and recipes, in case you want to try these!) to show you what the actual cookies should look like.

from One More Moore

Or these . . .

from Lick the Bowl Good

Yeah, a little different.

*Sigh*

The worst part is . . . I’ve tried to make these before. And each time I screw up in a new way. (Like when I tried to make them for the first time on a gas stove, and I let the butter and sugar heat up too quickly). Oops. In theory, these should be easy-as-pie (pun intended). My favorite first grader should be able to make them.

But me? Nope. Apparently not.

Which is quite sad, because now I have quite the hankering for some chocolate, peanut-buttery and oatmeal goodness.



Here’s a close-up of the dust. I wish I could get a better angle with the phone to show you how bad these are .  . .

Some New Traditions to Learn

A couple of weeks ago I got to go to my first football game in Camp Randall. Despite the gross heat (and the fact that it was a Thursday night game, the night before the first day of school), we had a really great time. The fact that our seats kicked-ass probably helped with that.

Yep, we’re on the 50-yard line, in row 14. [Totally lucked out here – I bid on these tickets at a silent auction last spring, and a kindly local bank donated these tickets. I think it’s safe to say that I will probably bid on these every year, because there’s nothing like watching a game when the ESPN guys get in the way of your view).

While it was a little strange to sit in a stadium without knowing any of the traditions, it was also cool to figure out what some of those are. Here are a few of my favorite, along with some pictures from the UW-Madison vs. UNLV game.

I'd like to take a second to note that this, like all the photos, are from my phone. Yep, I'll say it again. Our seats were great.

Jump Around

This happens between the 3^rd and 4^th quarters. It involves a lot of jumping. J We were glad we were in a stable portion of the stadium, as I’m sure this could probably make you seasick if you are in the student section. Many fans stayed just to participate in this. I can see why. [Yes, I did borrow a YouTube video from last year's OSU v. UW game. I promise that's because after viewing many options to showcase this strong tradition, this one gives you the best sense of how much the crowd (and frankly, the opposing team) gets into it.]

Fifth Quarter

If you have met me, you know I'm a band nerd at heart. I love me some great college marching bands. I'd like to write ESPN to see if they can get a channel devoted to halftime shows.

Seriously.

But in the meantime, I'll stick to enjoying the performances in person.

Our Drum Major entering the field. She's pretty awesome.

So none of you will be surprised that I loved the Fifth Quarter. The UW-Marching Band puts 15 minutes on the clock and performs non-stop for the fans that stay at the end of the game. They played songs from all sorts of genres, danced all over the field, and held the crowd's attention after a really long day. Awesome. So glad we stayed to participate in this experience.

One of their more formal songs during the fifth quarter - singing of "Varsity."

In case you're wondering, yes, in fact, they are laying on the ground and playing their instruments!

Teach Me How to Bucky

While it wasn’t something I learned at the game, the prevalence of TEACH ME HOW TO BUCKY t-shirts were a good reminder that I needed to learn how to Bucky. Wondering what the heck that is? Me too. J

After watching THIS and THIS, I might still be confused. Maybe I need to watch it again. Or gain some dance moves. Probably both. At any rate, it's catchy and fun, and necessary to understanding what the heck those shirts are talking about!

Build Me Up Buttercup

This was probably my favorite. I think perhaps because it was a little surprising to have the fans participate in something so . . . wholesome. Our fans aren’t always known for being so . . . well . . . sweet . . I’ve always been a sucker for a cappella music – but when there are thousands of students making it happen, it gives me chills! The end of this song is really cool. In person . . . pretty amazing.

"I think I just joined a cult."

Tonight I stepped outside my comfort zone, and might have officially joined an 'adult sorority.'
Yep.
You read that right.
I'm trying something new, and have joined the Junior League of Madison.
My friend MB has introduced me to this new group of women who serve the Madison community.
Their mission is as follows: "The Junior League of Madison, Inc. is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and to improving the community through the effective actions and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable." The vision of the League (as many refer to it) is to "commmit to improving the quality of life in our community through initiatives benefiting the health and well-being of women and children."

I can get behind all that.
And tonight I met some really great women who also want to meet other people and get involved in the Madison community. We talked about football, babies, wine and where to buy a new fall trench coat (I need to find one - so suggestions are needed!)

But I have to be honest, the whole night also felt a little surreal, and I might have said to MB at the end of it, "That was fun. Did we just join a cult?"

Good times. I'm sure there will be more to come as I jump into a completely new world. [Is it also bad that I have thought, 'this won't kill me, right?'] [I know, I know, this might not be the best reason to join an organization, but you can't tell if something is for you until you try it . . . right? And if you're reading this, you are well aware that I'm nothing but honest. :) I'm just sayin' . . . ]

What are YOU doing to step outside your comfort zone?

Have you ever noticed . . .

That raccoons are CREEPY?

On my way home from work tonight I had to stop in the middle of the road while one of these freakish animals sauntered across the street. Like it knew I was going to stop for it and it didn’t have a care in the world.

Sure, you might be tempted into thinking they are cute by those bandit-mask-wearing furry things, or the adorableness of the babies, or the fact that they are pretty ingenious.

But I think these are also some of the traits that make them deceivingly creepy to me. Especially city raccoons – they aren’t afraid of anything or anyone.

And they will scare the living shite out of you if they jump out of the dumpster you’re trying to throw your trash in.

Hypothetically speaking, of course.

[In case you have one stuck in a trash can, you can go here for some tips!]

How is it September Already? Or? The Longest Post Ever (after the Longest Hiatus Ever)

I’m back!

Slacker, Party of One

“So much to say, so much to say, so much to say. . . .” – DMB

Behind on Life

Catching up

What happened to summer?

FINALLY!!!!!

Where do I begin?

*** These are just a few of the blog titles I pondered using. When you’re this behind on a project, it’s hard to start up again – where do you start? Where you left off? Present day? But then what about all the other stuff that’s happened? [You might get the picture here, and why I’m a bit behind!] But I’m getting Back in the Saddle Again (another possibility)

It’s been too long. I’ve started many posts in my head, they just never made it any further than that. [Yes, this is quite helpful when blogging.] And while there are some that I might go back and expand upon, for now, I will give some highlights of the last couple of months. I’ll try to be concise and group them together, but it’s going to be tough not to sound like a spaz-who-has-had-too-much-coffee-and-can’t-concentrate-because-the-brain-cells-are-bouncing-all-over-the-place.

In July I went to New Orleans for our annual ACUHO-I Conference. Like any conference, there were good sessions and great networking and fantastic catching up with old friends. It was also really powerful to be in New Orleans – it was my first visit post-Katrina. We read an amazing book by Dave Eggers (previous thoughts on the book here) called Zeitoun. REALLY powerful stuff. Read it. It was pretty meaningful to participate in some community service in the heat of July and think about people sitting on roof tops for days on end waiting for help. Perspective is pretty amazing. [I probably should devote a whole blog to this, but in case I don’t, I want to make sure I address this at least briefly.]

I spent my first day in NOLA working with a fabulous group called the St. Bernard Project. Most of the morning was spent priming a ceiling. Needless to say, I had a nice dusting of paint on my entire person. Even my eyelids, despite the baseball cap and glasses. (How this is even possible, I have no idea!) My arms might have been sore for days. We also spent some time “mudding” walls (also known as ‘patching holes’) and cleaning up the place. We worked on a home that was ruined by the flood, and then ruined again by contractor fraud – which completely disgusts me that humans can treat each other this way. But that’s a blog for a whole other day. Anyway, here are a few photos, many from my friend TH - thanks for sharing!

This is a photo of the house we worked on (for the Kelly family!), and our stellar group. It was fun to work with old and new friends.

 

 It's really good that TH was so far away, because we were pretty gross. Also evidenced by the fact that THIS is the picture that our ACUHO-I friends put on their website.

 Suffice to say, we all sweat in places we didn't know we had.

This is the view from the porch above (across the street from the house we worked on). As you can see, there is some disparity in the neighborhood. Some houses are still being worked on. SIX YEARS LATER.

If you go to New Orleans? You should give back to the community. It's good stuff.

And then have one of these:

Or two.

:)

Those hurricanes are quite tasty!

I also got to spend a week visiting some family in Michigan. It was great to just hang out with my parents, visit my Nanny (mom’s mom), become obsessed with getting a dog, play with my cousins, and go on my first “dune buggy” ride.

While in Michigan I also found this giant, metal chicken.

Not to be confused with THIS GIANT METAL CHICKEN, but since reading this blog post (more than a few times, in fact), I can't help but smile when I see anything even resembling a metal chicken.

In August I also got to visit my bestie and her hubby in DC. We hung out, crafted and ate some amazing melon. We did some other stuff, but those are the important highlights. ;) I also spent a good amount of time this summer dealing with a construction project at work. There have been many challenges and frustrations and lessons learned throughout this cluster. I mean project. 

For now, I'll leave you with a final photo, and an end to this long-arse blog. Which will hopefully be an end to this long-arse break from the blog. And a sign that I'm digging out of the hole I've apparently fallen in (probably because it wasn't fenced in properly).

(In case you're wondering, this hole is approximately 12' deep, and is between two buildings, right outside their doorsteps.)