Until Further Notice...

I  will be studying for my Fixed Final. 

In other words - if I'm blogging I'm most definitely procrastinating.

And I'm pretty sure I cant afford that.

Almond Chicken Sweet Potatoe

Today has been a bit of a blase day for me. And even though sometimes I dread the thought of what to make to eat, I decided to be adventurous. Royall lead me to the whole living website as part of her healthy living cleanse, and I found this recipe:

Almond Chicken Soup with Sweet Potato, Collards and Ginger

Serves 4

• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 1 minced garlic clove
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced (2 cups)
• 8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup smooth almond butter
• 1 cup collard leaves, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Directions

1. Combine the stock, onion, garlic, and sweet potato in a stockpot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the chicken, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the almond butter and 1/2 cup of the soup mixture into a thick paste. Add the collard leaves and ginger to the soup and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Stir in the almond butter paste. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Ladle the soup into bowls, and squeeze with lime wedge.

 Which totally sounded awesome.

But instead of following the directions I decided to just keep a general thought of what they were and add whatever amount pleased my little soul. 

I wanted it to be more of an almond chicken sauce with spinach.

So my proportions were different and not very by the book.

3/4 C Chicken Stock

Heaping Tbsp. Almond Butter

Diced Green onions

1 Clove Garlic minced

tsp-ish ginger minced

tsp-ish lime juice

half a chicken breast cubed

Several handfuls of spinach

I mixed all my ingredients together and let them simmer together of a medium-low setting.

And I cooked my sweet potato in the oven for about 45-50 minutes.

And then I put the sauce over top of the sweet potato.

It was actually pretty good. A little of the gingery side but I feel a little proud about it.

So yes, I'm totally patting myself on the back. What of it?

Bruschetta Irony

At Yankee, they had a great fortune teller box. Which was really just a lady in a box who when you pushed the button would "come to life" and wave her hands and hand you a card into the slot.

I thought this was a particularly ironic fortune for me.

Because lately I've been feeling a little like all I want is immediate gratification.

But slowly, I'm remembering how foolish that is. 

Good things take time.

This applies to pretty much everything but I'm trying to re-vamp my eating habits, I've decided that having food in my house and actually making it would be good.

 I almost broke my new resolve tonight (since I was feeling particularly hungry and lazy - which is a terrible combination mind you), but I have good friends sending me tasty recipes that I really do want to try. But actually cooking requires a little more effort than I've previously been putting in.

A few things about tonight's attempt at domesticity:

1. I should of cut the tomatoes into smaller pieces. I feel like smaller pieces would make it so the tomatoes fall off the bread less. 

2. More garlic. I was nervous about the garlic. Because truthfully it seemed like alot to me when I was crushing it and finely chopping it. But taste wise... I coulda done with a bit more I think.

3. I absolutely forgot to salt and pepper it. It slipped my mind. Until the very last piece of bread with bruschetta. And well, I love me some salt. The salt just brought out the flavour so much more.

4. I also didnt let it set or toast the bread - kinda forgot to do that. So when I say I follow directions, obviously I use that quite loosely. Whoopsies.

2 and 1/2 CUPS DICED TOMATOES*
1/2 CUP GREEN ONION CHOPPED FINELY
1 TEASPOON DRY BASIL
1-2 garlic cloves, crushed**
1 TEASPOON OREGANO
1/4 CUP OLIVE OIL
some salt and pepper

Mix, and set at room temperature for an hour or two.

*Roma tomatoes are nice because they're firmer inside than other tomatoes
**OPTIONAL, YET RECOMMENDED: saute the garlic (after you crush it) in a little bit of butter. you will know when it's done cause it will start to brown slightly.

serve on lightly toasted artisan bread. a sprinkle of fresh parmesan could be added as a finishing touch.

Enjoy!

Yankee Dental

I love this jacket. I feel so bad A and stylish when I wear it.

I went to Yankee dental and got quite a bit of swag.

But its ridiculously snowy here. 

And I'm a little tired of standing/walking/moving.

Dental Leathers

I once heard a story. And maybe its been distorted in my mind.

But I feel like I recall my father telling me that when he graduated from dental school, he bought himself a leather jacket. And that that jacket, his dental leather jacket, was something that all dentists should own for themselves. I've always had an appreciation for a cute jacket - regardless of the fabric. But a leather jacket? It just felt like the sort of thing one could only own when finished dental school.

So when I saw this leather jacket.

I would look at it for hours.

It was just beyond beautiful to me. 

I hummed and hawed over whether I should buy it.

It was some sort of leather (which I discovered there are alot of types of leather... horses really are made of leather!) but I am not done dental school.

So I showed by dear friend Alisun. And she laughed at my indecision and gave me a "Are you kidding me? Of course you should get it." So with that gentle push I did. 

And I love it.

You know those days where you leave the house and you think to yourself "Dang... I look good"... and then you hope that the mental picture you have in your head of what you look like matches up with what you actually look like? Well, I believe my first wear of the jacket was one of those lucky days where things line up. 

So here's to my dental leather. I now feel a little closer to being a real dentist.

Happy

- I feel very loved and thought of this weekend. Its a really nice feeling to know that people care. Parents, brothers, cousins, and friends who are excited to talk to me and who never cease to let me know how much they care.
- I feel sought after. Its always a good ego boost to feel like you are interesting enough that people want to get to know you better.
- I feel pleased as punch about Tiffany Smith. We talked on the phone. It was magic.
- I feel happy about the friends I've made and am currently making. It was hard for me to make friends in Boston when I first moved. Its been a process. But I really feel like my friendships are coming into their own and I like that a lot. I'm friends with some really amazing people. And I adore them.
- I feel grateful for the ward I attend. It has been a hard transition for me, the Boston single's wards. Cause, truthfully, it was easy in Edmonton to be mormon. I had a great group of mormon friends, I had a great ward that I'd been in for four years. But the switch to LP1 ward has been great for me. And I'm starting to feel more at home in the YSA.
- I feel blessed to have a friend who emails me regularly about healthy habits. I want to be healthier. And I like the daily reminder of that.

There are moments where I feel like I might in fact be invincible. I think its important to recognize and take a moment to really let that feeling sink in. Cause it wont last. It never does. Oh surely, it will probably be gone by tomorrow. But for right now, for right now, I want you to know I'm happy.

Radiology Rotation

Rotations are supposed to be a whirlwind of knowledge thrown at you.
They're supposed to teach you SO much and help you progress as doctors.
This rotation I'm supposed to be taking x-rays and doing minor oral exams.
But as in all my previous rotations, there are no patients coming in.
It is dead.
And so I'm studying for my Ortho final.
Kinda feels like a waste of a day.
And makes me wish napping was a part of my rotation.
Because sitting and doing nothing makes me feel a little foolish.
And like this is a waste of time.
If I'm lucky maybe I'll get to take an x-ray today.
If not, I'll be sitting here for another three to four hours, bored stiff.

FakeArt and Whatnot

I used to dream about being a great artist. I wanted to learn to draw and paint and be brilliant.

My favorite class in Elementary school was art. Or English.  

But I grew up and felt the cold reality that I wont always be able to do what I wish I could.

Sometimes I'm too busy to practice and therefore not good enough. And sometimes I just am plain not talented enough. I worry that adulthood has made me one dimensional. Thats why when I find someone who inspires me to remember how dynamic I was as a child, with all my interests, I generally enjoy their company. 

And so for a moment I pretend to be more multi-faceted than I really am.

Like that I couldnt figure out how to draw a hand and therefore didnt include it?

Good thing I'm familiar with my own face.

Outfit

Yesterday, I woke up and wrote my treatment planning paper that was due that day. I was a tired of writing it and just happy to have it over with. All week, especially with the snowday, I've had bed head. I dont have any gel in the house right now and have been much too lazy to actually use my hair dryer. So instead, I've slept on my hair and let it roam free. So after finishing my paper I had a nice look in the mirror, and realized I looked a little bit like a bag lady. Matted hair and all. Sometimes, its time to put on some clothes that dont have a drawstring and do your hair. I'm sure the world thanks me for my efforts. Plus I had plans to go out to eat and to a movie. I had super cheap and delicious tacos and then went and saw Country Strong. I'm usually not huge into country music, but I kinda loved all the songs. And since my expectations for the movie had been set really, really low, when it exceeded those expectations I came away liking the movie too. It was a good day. And I like that.

De Moustache

Matt had been growing a beard for awhile by the time Christmas season rolled around.

When asked by Tiffany when he was planning on shaving it, he told her when our cousin Will gets a girlfriend. I guess this means Will and Nicole are an item? 

But his shaving plan had many stages.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, SIX to be exact.

Some of them are completely ridiculous.

(Click on the picture to see all the stages)

Who's excited he shaved?

Awkward/Awesome Thursday

Awkward:
- It gets so hot in clinic that my nose starts to run. Seriously, I'm wearing a mask and gloves and therefore dont want to touch anything on my face - especially since they've been in someone else's mouth. Good thing masks keep my germs away from the patient just as much as they keep the patients germs away from me.
- Having a professor try to convince me to have a meltdown about my current situation in school... Hi, prof? Leave me alone. I have my meltdowns on my own schedule and your prodding is just weird. Lay off.
- Writing a sufficiently dramatic letter, full of every "Woe is me" in the book. Sometimes I get carried away... its a bit much. Good thing I have enough sense to wait till later to determine if I should send super dramatic letter. [SPOILER ALERT: I dont send it]
- As I get my Paper Topic Approved, the Prof goes "Wow, sure are a lot of you who picked this topic.. the last three people that came in had the exact same topic." Um prof? Thats cause those are all my friends, and we decided to choose the same topic so we could share the research. Allowed? Not allowed? Well we arent asking for permission either way...
- My safety glasses getting caught in my hair and pulling a random strand of hair out of my ponytail. Now I know why one of my roommates once told me girl dental students arent cute :(
- The rumor around the school is that because of the patient shortage my entire class will be graduating late (since we cant get enough patients to do our requirements) - Hello new Class of 2013.
- When someone at the gym stands right in front of you and stares while they wait for you to be done with the machine you're using... I have a personal bubble... and you are in it. Dont you know gym etiquette? It actually requires you pretend like you arent waiting and wander around a bit until I'm gone.
- Having not seen either of my roommates once since being home from Christmas... its been more than a week. I mean I've heard them outside my room... cause they are definitely in the house. But I'm totally a separatist.
- My group telling everyone about our prof. asking us to add a thing or two to our powerpoint, with the assumption that we were going to be presenting and then not getting picked to present. Guess we all thought we were teachers pet or something... whoopsie.


Awesome:
- Not having to do our presentation... because it is low budget and really crappy... cross your fingers that next week we dont get chosen either.
- Tucking my pant legs into my socks, and leaving it, so as to avoid the horrendous wet-pant-leg-bottom. Ya, my pant legs were BONE DRY.
- Offhandedly mentioning to my clinic supervisor that when I graduate I want to go on an adventure and him getting so enthusiastic about what a great idea that is... to the point where he gave me a little direction if I feel the need to pursue it. I've been wanting SOMEONE to get excited at the possibility of an adventure instead of just telling me that I need to be mature and responsible when I graduate. Um yello... I've been mature and responsible for the last 25 years... I think being a reckless vagabond is due.
- Waking up after only two and a half hours of sleep and letting adrenalin carry me through the day. Yup, sometimes the clinic rush is EXACTLY what I need.
- The school cafeteria quesadillas. They are divine.
- Getting another filling done. "I will get my requirements. I will get my requirements."
- Daily emails encouraging me to be healthier and better than the day before.
- After two and a half years, finally figuring out how to make my scanner work. Now if I could only figure out replacing the ink in it, my printer might actually be useful again.
- Deciding to schedule posts. Hello, freedom. I blog when I feel like it and then just post them to different days. That way there's no pressure to blog when I'm busy or not feeing it. Its brilliant.

Thanks to Sydney at The Daybook for the AWESOME idea

of an awkward and awesome thursday. She's kinda great.

And I want her clothes. 

Dec. 24 - Christmas Eve 2010

Christmas Eve was pretty classic. Except for the addition of my Grandma - which was very uncommon. We made chinese food. I was in-charge of making the wontons. Which as it turned out, I was a bit of a bum about. I got distracted by making t-shirts till I wanted to die. But I couldnt stop until they were finished. So my momma made the filling. And Dave, Katie and my dad helped me wrap them. Katie was surprisingly efficient. And a bit of a task master "I done! More! More!" I now see why people used to love child labour. Those little fingers were very very quick and efficient. I did manage to cook them. But aside from the first batch in the oil, they would not brown. Still, they tasted just as good as they always do. So all in all it was a success. 

My family has gotten very proficient at making chinese food. Of course all the beforehand prep helps to make it quick. 

Cashew Chicken, Ginger Beef and Wontons are the staple.

In fact, I wish I had some of that right now.

So to prevent myself from getting all oily when cooking the wontons, my mother tied a table cloth around my neck. And then I decided that having an apron of sorts might not be a shabby idea during dinner. Arent I precious? And yes, I'm pretty sure that table cloth has been around since the beginning of time. 

After dinner and the clean up, we opened our christmas eve present.

I was happy to see the return to the Christmas Eve tradition of pajamas.

For those of you who dont know it, Ryder is a bit of a riot. 

He staged this photo and had me take it to show off his super cool Christmas PJs.

Also please laugh at this video. I know its sideways - I always forget I do not have the technology to turn video right side - but Ryder definitely was like "Auntie Missy... you should make a video of me... K ready go." Its funny people. It really is. 

For real I dont know what he's doing. But his little MC Hammer dance is awesome.

Katie was also funny. But then again, she is most of the time.

She was walking on her dad's chest. And uncle Matt wanted a little of that action for his back. Which definitely wasnt gonna happen. So Dave stepped in. Katie always wins if its a battle of wills.

Good Morning!

Having grown up in Alberta, I had no recollection that adverse weather ever actually affected daily life.

Cause in Alberta, you suck it up, leave extra early and trudge. 

So it came as quite the shock to my system upon moving east when occasionally a massive snowstorm will roll through and they'll have these little things called "Snow days". 

Totally a foreign concept to me. I used to dream of having snow days in Alberta. But no matter how much it snowed, nothing ever got cancelled. 

Having entered the clinic though, they have a "no close policy", which basically means that they will avoid closing their doors at all costs. 

So while this email, telling me I dont have to go to class is nice... 

It meant nothing since I had a patient booked for this morning.

This email on the other hand made the snow day official.

So its official.

Its kinda a pain to have it be a snow day... cause I would almost rather have kept my appointment.

But I cant help but have a little child-like excitement at the prospects of it. I mean it has snowed enough for them to cancel EVERYTHING. You cant help but get excited about that, even if it totally ruins all your plans. 

Cirque Du Soleil

Dee turned around in class and asked me what I thought about going to Cirque du Soleil again.

They had a show playing that night.

Was I in or was I out?

And I thought: Why not?

So I agreed to go and she bought our tickets.

First off, yes, I totally got busted taking photos during the performance. My reward for such flagrant rule breaking? Someone shining a VERY bright light in my face. He totally ruined my picture. And then proceeded to stare at me for the rest of the show. I mean, I didnt have the flash on... I swear I wasnt doing any harm.

Second, Dralion or whatever this show was called was pretty much just so-so. Plus I got super duper tired and may have nodded off for a bit. I definitely missed something cool cause I woke up to Dee telling me that was unbelievable. And I just nodded my head in agreement and tried to look like I hadnt totally just missed it.

Third, we had Chipotle for dinner beforehand... and it was probably my favorite part of the night.