Back to the Daily Grind :/

Jay has come and gone. I'm slowly returning to the monotonous routine that I once had. I spent yesterday in a horrible paralysis of uncontrollable crying. I couldn't figure out how to stop it, so I just let it run its course. It finally stopped shortly before I went to bed, and I was completely exhausted after having been awake for 18 hours and sobbing the whole time.

Today, I went to the gym for 2 hours, and did my laundry. I ran nearly 4 miles and did the training plan I wrote with my trainer. I feel pretty awesome. Sometime this week, I will write down everything we did together while Jay was here.

I Hate Weather

I had intended to write a very cheery and upbeat post today about how I'm looking forward to seeing Jay. As it turns out, the weather in Europe sucks so bad that I don't know if I'm going to get to see him before Christmas. His flight into London is cancelled, but the flight out of London isn't. The travel agent is closed on Sunday, and I really want to see Jay. The thought of spending Christmas alone makes me want to cry.

Tummy Troubles and Curried Chicken

I ate something in the last 3 or 4 days that is making my tummy very upset. I wish it would just hurry up and get out. I don't like being all bloated and yucky feeling. I didn't sleep well last night or the night before because of it. I had the weirdest nightmares. I guess upset stomach makes me dream weird things. Anyways on to the next thing.

I made a delicious curry vegetable chicken dish. I made it up on the spot of course. I really like it. It's simple and easy. Jay's mom could even cook it if she had the motivation. The most annoying part is chopping vegetables.


Chicken Vegetable Curry

1 lb chicken breast, cut into bite-size cubes
1 large head of broccoli, cut into bite-size florets
2 large fat carrots, cut into bite-size pieces
2 large handfuls of mini-mushrooms, cut into slices
2 small onions, cut into large pieces
3 large cloves of garlic, chopped small
olive oil
salt
curry powder

Chop everything because this goes quick once the chicken hits the pan. Put a little olive oil and a sprinkle of salt in a pan and heat on medium-high. When the pan is very hot, add the chicken. Do NOT let to oil start smoking; that is too hot. Stir the chicken around every couple minutes, until its white all over. Add all the vegetables and 3 palm-fulls of curry powder. Stir to cook evenly. When the broccoli is deep, bright green., it's done. Makes 4-5 servings depending on how many vegetables you use.


Oh I forgot to put my recipe for stew up here. It was also delicious.

Beef Stew

1 lb stew beef, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 small onions, cut into large pieces
3 carrots, cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 head of broccoli, cut into small florets
3 small potatos, cut into bite-size pieces, unpeeled
1 package Knorr onion soup mix
salt
pepper
oregano
olive oil
1-1.5 cups water

Heat a little olive oil in a pot on medium-high. When it is very hot, add the beef. Cook until brown on all sides. Add the vegetables, salt and pepper to taste, and a palm-full of oregano. Cook until the broccoli is bright green. Turn the heat down to medium low, add the soup mix and water until everything has broth surrounding it. Don't add too much water or it will be all watery. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Serve in bowls. I had cornbread with mine.

Today I have a biology class that I don't want to go to. Later tonight I get to go ice skating. I'm excited. I haven't been ice skating in years. Enjoy the new food ideas.
<3 Jess

Shopping

I finally broke down and went shopping. I now have 3 new warm shirts, lots of warm undergarments, a t-shirt, and 2 pairs of pants that fit with my ridiculous winter underwear on. Those pants are a little loose without all the layers, but I plan on being warm this winter.

I now have 5 fun Lego toys on my desk. It's hard to make only one toy per day.

It's snowing like crazy here. My feet are usually warm and dry thanks to those boots I bought in October. Sometimes I over-warm them, and they get sweaty. That just isn't cool,  but I love those boots.

Last week I ended up making a wonderful chicken tomato pasta, but I forgot to post my recipe.

Chicken Basil Tomato Pasta

1 lb chicken breasts cut into cubes

1 medium zucchini cut into cubes

1 bell pepper, any color, cut into cubes

1-2 onions chopped

4 large garlic cloves chopped small

1 can/jar tomato basil sauce

4 servings of pasta, any variety

olive oil

salt

pepper

Italian seasonings

oregano

ground red chilies

Start the pasta water with a little bit of salt. Cook chicken in a skillet with olive oil, a little salt, and generous amounts of pepper. Add pasta to the boiling water. Add all the veggies to the pan with generous amounts of Italian seasoning, red chilies, oregano, and more olive oil if needed and pepper if desired.  Cook until smells awesome and the bell pepper is just starting to get soft. Turn down the heat and add the whole can of tomato sauce. Heat through. Allow to simmer while waiting on the noodles to finish. Serve sauce over noodles and enjoy.

Substitions

tomato basil sauce--2 regular size cans of crushed tomatoes + a large handful of fresh basil leaves chopped fine or 2-3 tablespoons ground basil

red chilies--anything that will give the sauce a bit of a spicy kick

zucchini--eggplant

I hope you like this as much as I did. I used two tiny onions because mine were really spicy. I didn't have the eyes to chop more than two of those little suckers. You can use however many onions you like. The basil is the really important part here. It tastes amazing with tomatoes so don't be shy about using a lot of it. I got lucky and found a jar of crushed tomatoes with basil. You may have to follow the substitutions. Cheese actually doesn't give this dish any help. It's pretty amazing without cheese. I'm glad I forgot to get cheese because it didn't need any at all. Feel free to offer suggestions for my next improvised dish. I never use recipes anymore. I go shopping and leave the store with the goodies to feed me for 4 days and turn them into a tasty dish. 

<3 Jess

Thanksgiving Weekend

I'm so grateful that those horribly sad days have passed. They may come back, but for now I'm feeling better. I went to one of the Christmas Markets with my friends on Wednesday. It was a bit cold, but still very nice to see.    I bought a really nice scarf to keep me warm in the winter here. There is snow all over everything now. I didn't get any turkey on Thanksgiving, but I had a chicken basil pasta that was pretty awesome. I also got out a slice of the pie I made last month to enjoy. It was delicious. Sadly I can't eat any more pie at this point. The microwave is broken, and all the leftovers are frozen solid.

My orchids are doing quite well. They had flowers when I bought them and just keep getting more and more. They are a pretty veined white and purple. My roses don't have any flowers right now, but I'm trying not to kill them. I gave the roses some coffee grounds last week hoping that I could coax them into blooming again. I don't really know if it has had any effect yet.

I'm going shopping with Olga on Monday. I desperately need clothes that fit. We are going ice skating on Friday, and it seems rather hazardous to go skating in pants that are far too big for me. The goal for the trip is to get two or three pairs of pants and two sweaters. Hopefully that won't exceed my budget.

I was annoyed this week when I had to buy a new calculator. I can't use my trusty TI-84 on my exams here because it is programmable. :( I love that thing. It's wicked awesome. I ended up getting a TI-30X IIS. It does some stats calculations and all the trig functions that I need. On the same shopping trip I got a pencil bag that looks like a duck, complete with a mouth that opens. I got tired of dropping my pens during lecture, so I got a little bag to keep them in. I am very glad that I have my Kindle. It is the greatest gadget I have purchased in many years. I put the lecture slides on it and take some notes with it. I like being able to take it to class with me when we do problems. Having the problem statement in my hand is amazingly awesome.

I started the Lego calendar on Friday. I am not actually using it as an Advent calendar. I'm using it as a Jay calendar. There are 22 days until he gets here. I'm excited. Excitement is amazing, but it doesn't do a very good job of keeping me awake past midnight.

<3 Jess

Distracted

In four weeks, I will be preparing for Jay's visit. It's really hard to believe that there are only four weeks left until I can see him again. I am very excited, but I can't seem to get my spirits up. I seem to have developed crippling sadness, and I don't know how to overcome it. My motivation to do things is completely gone. My memory doesn't work for anything except things that involve Jay. Jay is the only person to take notice of this change in my personality, and as much as he tries to help, I still don't know what to do. I keep trying to make friends. but I always end up looking like an idiot who can't speak. I try to learn my lecture materials, and get frustrated from always being confused. I haven't looked at a book in weeks because I don't want to read. I love reading, and it bothers me that I can't even enjoy that anymore. I haven't taken any pictures in almost a month. Taking pictures used to make me happy too. It's always gray, wet, and cold here. That doesn't make me want to go outside. If my roommates were here when I am, I could hang out with them. I still exercise everyday, but that's because I can do the routine without thinking. I eat like a bird because I never seem to be hungry anymore. I sleep way too many hours, or not enough. I either get 3 hours a night or 15. There is no happy medium on sleep. All my clothes are falling off, but I don't ever have the motivation to go buy clothes that fit. My English skills are going downhill, and my German skills aren't improving. I was having a grand time thinking up ideas for weddings, but I was severely annoying Jay with that, so I stopped. I've been trying to plan activities for us to do while Jay is here for Christmas, but keep getting distracted. My attention span is totally gone. I can't even take a shower without spacing out. I should be studying for my grammar test tomorrow, but I can't focus, as usual.

Cookies!!!!!!

I have never been so happy to eat store bought chocolate chip cookies until today. They were like home in a convenient little package. I probably could have made cookies, but I saw that package in the store and seized it like an escaping animal. I ate 3 whole cookies when I got back from the store. Feeling guilty, I then exercised. Those cookies made me feel really good. :)
-Jess