Living simply....could I actually do it?

Well folks, it's official. I won't be living on the streets of Madison next year. (Not as though that were ever really an option, I have plenty of people in Madison willing to house me) I found my apartment! It's adorable and classic in that typical Madison style and I'm anxiously counting down the days until I can move in. While I'm a sucker for hardwood floors, bright classic white windows, and charming old world hex tile I've come to realize my adorable kitchen lacks a certain something. It has plenty of cabinet space, a cute little breakfast nook area, a refrigerator, and a GAS stove (something I dearly missed in my last apartment)...but no microwave. It also lacks a dishwasher, but I hardly ever used the dishwasher in my last apartment and usually prefer to wash things by hand. By no means is a microwave necessary. Most people who have occupied this planet did not/do not own a microwave. When I was in Senegal my family cooked all of their meals over a little kerosene cooker and they tasted fantastic. I've been spoiled. (Not that I didn't already know that) Even my first year of college I rented a MicroFridge combo.

Upon further reflection of this Microwave quandary, the idea formed that perhaps lacking this appliance could in fact enhance my culinary endeavors. I've always enjoyed cooking, it's something my dad said all of us kids needed to learn before we moved out of his house. When I moved out on my own for the first time I assumed I would be doing a lot of it, and I did. I cooked meals for myself several times a week, but I ran into a roadblock. The Microwave Dinner. It was the perfect solution for a working, full-time undergraduate student. I would come home starving, pop something in the microwave, and be eating in minutes. Practical...definitely. Healthy? Not so much. I would buy "healthy" (ie: low-cal) frozen dinners and assume that eating them was making a smart choice for my body. Not so, naive former self, not so. This article from MSNBC explains some of the downsides of frozen meals. Highlights include the lack of fruits and vegetables, high amounts of sodium, and the inability for one to cook a healthy meal for themselves. Plus....have you seen the meat in that stuff? Gross. Not that eliminating a microwave would eliminate frozen foods altogether for me, but it would definitely cut out the convenience factor and probably cause my to choose something else.

After recognizing these benefits, I start to like the idea of living without a microwave. Immediately all of the uses for a microwave run through my mind. Heating up leftovers...making tea....my beloved kettle corn. None of these things really proves to be a problem for me in terms of limiting myself to no microwave. I usually like leftovers cold anyway, I own a tea kettle, and ways to make popcorn without using a microwave certainly exist. (That being said, I would probably positively cut down on my popcorn consumption if making it took more than pressing a button). Yes, I certainly believe that living without a microwave will be an improvement for me. So I've decided that, come move-in day, I'll try living without a microwave for a full year. This doesn't necessarily mean eliminating processed foods from my diet, but it's a step in the right direction. We've become slaves to our microwaves, and I'd be doing my dad a disservice if I threw away all of the cooking skills he taught me for a couple of Lean Cuisines.

(PS: I'm certainly not the first to do this, one quick google search for "living without a microwave" brings up sites like Learning to Live Without a Microwave)

edit: Forgot to say I also spent some time gardening with my parents today. On the agenda: Tomatoes, Sage, Rosemary, Basil, Cilantro, Chives, and JALAPENOS! I didn't even realize jalapenos could grow in Chicago, but we'll see how they fare. I may have to buy my own potted plant to stick in the window of my new place on move-in day. I'm sure Madison has community garden plots that I can dabble in as well.

I did it!

As soon as I can, I will be moving up to Madison to start my graduate program! Family and friends said they knew all along that I would get in, but I tend to tell myself the absolute worst is going to happen so that I'm less sad if it does, and relieved if it doesn't. Today I start (well, continue really, but it always feels like I'm just starting it) the arduous process of getting my apartment ready for a move. Things I will do in the next few weeks that I have never done before:
1) Clean an oven
2) Magic Eraser the scuff marks off of my walls
3) Move a cat who has adapted to his home
4) Discreetly pack up said cat's belongings without them being taken out and strewn across the apartment again. (My cat can open drawers, can yours?)
5) Cancel my electric and cable and internet (oh my!)

This is stuff added to the list of weird things I've already had to do, such as scrub really really really hard to somehow clean those stovetop drip pans that everyone things they've been cleaning regularly, but really hasn't. Or cleaning out a washing machine. Now that I'm done with school until the end of August, I can actually get this stuff done! A special thanks to Leopold, who woke me up an hour earlier than necessary to get a head start on cleaning; although he doesn't seem to keen on the idea of moving:

More running...ALSO DELICIOUS BREAKFAST

Tried to go for my usual run again this morning, had some major shin pain. Probably shin splits, I'm so impatient that I have a tendency to not adequately stretch before and after runs. I know it is SO important, but I really just forget. Due to said pain I ended up running only 2 miles and biking 3 to make up for it. That brings me to a total of 8 miles so far for the week. I'm going to try and do at least 15 miles a week from now on I think. That means if I run 5 days out of the 7 I'll at least do 3  miles each.

As much as I'm done with school, there's still some school drama going on, of course. That school just can't get rid of me! (No drama I'm directly involved in, let's just say I had to help a friend by using my influential Student Worker powers) Yesterday was an interesting day at work, but not worth blogging about at this point. Still nothing from the school I'm hoping will accept me. *le sigh* I haven't really publicized this blog to my family yet, mostly because I have nothing exciting to write about. Maybe I'll do that today.

Oh! If anyone is interested in a new, yummy, healthy breakfast food, I'm willing to share my addiction. Just please, don't buy all of the peach and strawberry flavors from my grocery store. Every morning I eat a Chobani Yogurt. As Resident Greek of this blog, I feel that I have the authority to comment on the absolute deliciousness of this product. It's healthy, gives me lots of protein for my run, and even Leopold enjoys it! Personally I really love the strawberry and peach flavors, with mango and black cherry at a close second. I have yet to find the vanilla in stores, but I plan on tracking it down at some point and giving it a go with some fresh fruit and granola mixed in. So if you see it in stores, consider tossing a couple in the cart. I recommend at least five..once you start it's hard to stop.

Back on the trail!

Just a short blog post to say that I've started running again. I figure if I blog about it I'll actually have to commit to it because like...well, somebody might read this blog anyway. Since it's summer vacation I should be able to squeeze in 45 mins-1 hour at the gym every day. I mean, I'm still working until Friday, but then I'll be done! (Aww, sad. I really like my job and the people I work with)

An end to an end....

Well, in about half an hour I'll be on my way to take my last final exam of my undergraduate degree. What the future has to hold...I still don't know. I've come to realize that the graduate school application process is perhaps even more hazardous for one's mental and physical health than college applications and final exams. While dancing to my Spice Girls Pandora station and downing antihistamines (ah yes, springtime finalement), I compiled this list of ways in which my graduate application process has affected my health:

1. Loss of fingernails: I have apparently chewed my fingernails so far down that even to type this blog entry is a painful endeavor. 
2. Insomnia: They could have changed my application status at 3 AM...right? Who knows? All of that slaving away at these applications must leave admissions counselors and program directors staying up all night.
3. Obsession with mail trucks/mail carriers/ mailboxes: Medical experts have named this disorder "HEY THERE NEIGHBORHOOD MAIL CARRIER! WHATCHA GOT IN THERE!?!?....itis".Not to mention the anxious hours of 2:30-4:30. When you live in a high-rise it takes two hours for them to distribute the mail..especially if you live on the last few floors. My stomach turns, I distract myself by watching episode after episode of Weeds, making the journey downstairs a total of four times before I can admit that the mail people have finished distributing the mail for the day. 
4. Trembling at the sight of small, thin evelopes: Anywhere, doesn't matter if it's from Chase Bank. Maybe the school decided to become sponsored by the bank! Maybe they ran out of official envelopes! (The fact that I work in a college office and, in fact, mail acceptance letters in thin envelopes every semester does not make me feel any less anxious about them.)
5. Excessive Sneezing- Ok, so this one might just be from my cat.
6. Insistence on being near a computer and mailbox between the hours of 7 AM-7 PM on weekdays...self explanatory
7. Emotional Highs and Lows- I start off every morning happy and excited, and by around 5 PM every day I realize I'm not going to get an answer. The effect is truly emotionally devastating. 
8. Sundays are a drag- To quote the famous Harry Potter "There's no post on Sundays " ("Right you are, Harry! No post on Sundays! Ha!"...) Not that this stops me from checking the mail at least twice anyway.

I know there are more ways in which this has manifested itself. How has the grad school application process messed you up? Please, share!

When did this become a political blog?

I tend to take anything that the media creates a huge interest in with a grain of salt. This is probably, as previously stated, due to my background in political science. I was babysitting last night for a couple who does not have a television. As the little ones were sleeping, I was checking facebook studying for finals. When I heard the President was going to make a speech, I immediately began surfing from NY Times, to Cnn.com, to Washingtonpost.com waiting for an answer. Suddenly, it was there: OSAMA BIN LADEN KILLED, PRESIDENT OBAMA TO SPEAK AT APPROXIMATELY 10:30 PM EST.

My initial reaction was sort of  "Huh.....what do you know...", and realizing how big of a media obsession this story was about to become. I had never been big on labeling the "Most Wanted" terrorists. It reminds me of about 9 years ago, when the government had issued "Most Wanted Playing Cards". So, we killed the King of Hearts...only 51 more cards to go.

When the family got home we turned on the radio to listen in. So it was true, he was killed, but what bugged me more than the media frenzy, or the facebook status updates, was the sense of celebration. I had a similar experience with the execution of Saddam. Yes, he was responsible for the death of so many innocents, but does that mean we should lavish in the thought of somebody being shot in the head? When 9/11 happened, we were appalled by the sight of people cheering and handing out candy in other countries. "How barbaric!" we though. Last night I heard people chanting "USA! USA! USA!" and "Ding dong the witch is dead!"...is that really so different? Terrorism is about mindless killing. While Bin Laden did orchestrate ample amounts of terrorist operations, his death does not mean an end to terrorism. The way in which people acted only heightens the hatred that his supporters have toward America. We're making this a competition "My guys killed your guy"...but what of it?

Closure, yes. I am happy for the families who fell victim to 9/11 that they may achieve some level of peace. I do understand the psychological impact this will have for them.

I guess the new question is, who becomes the next King of Hearts? What next? How long until we have to go through the pain of another terror attack? When will it all stop?

This "Royal Wedding" Business

First off, a big "Mazal Tov" to the happy couple, I'm sure they'll have lots of blessings..yadayadayda

BUT ALSO:

Dear Americans,

Do you REALIZE how happy I am, as a student of political science, that I can FINALLY watch the news without having to see coverage of this mindless dribble? OH BY THE WAY, remember when the English monarchy had a tiny little tiff with us? "No taxation without representation" and such? Yeah..so umm...it's a little weird how obsessive you've gotten about this whole thing. I mean, princesses and princes get married all the time and we don't really care, unless they were the "motherland" during the dark ages of colonization. Judging by media coverage of similar situations, such as the Pope's death, and the OTHER royal wedding, I'd say we have at least another month of coverage before this whole thing dies down.

Oh goody.

That's not to say I think the British Monarchy is evil or anything. Actually, just recently I saw a production of "The Madness of King George" and I have come to realize that, although we have been taught that he was an evil oppressor (which..I mean, he was in a sense), George III was actually quite the politician and a good father to his fifteen children. 

Enough political musing for the morning, I've got my last day of undergraduate classes to attend!