A little story of me and my laptop

4/8/2011, 10:00 AM - Something is clearly wrong. Random things are popping up everywhere on my screen and something called "Windows Restore", which I'm pretty sure is not an actual Windows program, keeps trying to run willy nilly and when I try to stop it it only gets worse.

4/8/2011, 10:30 AM- Further examination reveals all of my files and programs have been wiped and Windows is flashing something called a "critical hard drive error". I freak out.

4/8/2011, 10:40 AM - I realize that only the files and shortcuts from programs not currently running have been wiped, and luckily my itunes was running at the time of the incident. Heart attack averted.

4/8/2011, 11:35 AM - After making sure all of my music files are backed up on discs, I throw my defunct laptop in my backpack and drive to school to meet up with a first year student who wants tips on interviewing with my employer. I am 8 minutes late.

4/8/2011, 12:45 PM - After my meeting I head over to the laptop repair center with my sad little computer. The guy working there looks shockingly like Zac Efron from High School Musical but with shaggier hair and a much lower-cut shirt. The low-cut shirt weirds me out. I explain to Zac Efron that there is a virus on my computer which has wiped out everything since the dinosaurs, and then open up my computer to show him said virus and the weird "Windows Restore" malware program. "Oh yeah," he says. "You've got problems."

4/11/2011, 9:14 AM - I get a call from the repair center that my laptop is ready to be picked up. Oh joy! Unfortunately I don't have class on Monday and wasn't planning to be at school at all that day. It's been a rough weekend without my computer and I feel utterly usesless and unproductive, but I figure one more day won't hurt, and if I can make dinner plans with my parents maybe I can mooch off of their computer.

4/12/2011, 8:30 AM - I go to the laptop repair center again to retrieve my hopefully fixed computer. Zac Efron greets me and hands my my laptop. He explains that they ran a bunch of diagnostics on it and it looks like nothing was even wrong with it. I am skeptical. I sit down and open my computer to see if the malware is still running. It is.
"Hey," I say pointing to the screen. "Remember this virus thing that the whole reason I brought my laptop in in the first place? Yeah... it's still here."
Zac Efron scratches his head. "Huh. I have no idea how they missed that."
Yeah me either.
"Well, it looks like we're going to have to re-image your computer."
Awesome.

4/12/2011, 3:00 PM - After a few meetings in Burnsville for one of my school projects, I head back to campus and pick up my laptop. Good as new.

4/13/2011, 9:35 AM - I decide to get all clever and try to restore my files from dropbox. However, it turns out backing up on dropbox is not the same as backing up on an external hard drive - when you just drag and drop an entire folder into dropbox it only saves the .lnk shortcut, and not the whole folder. Also it turns out that if you foolishly decide to act like you know what you are doing when it comes to technology and attempt to convert the .lnk file into another type of file you can actually open, it will f up all of the .lnk shortcuts on your laptop and turn everything into an encrypted word file. Oops.

4/13/2011, 9:35 AM - After another short stint in the laptop repair center, sans Zac Efron, everything is fine. Never again will I attempt to fix something on my computer by myself. Never.

And now, back to your regularly scheduled programming.
Also thank god for disc backup.

Dead Computer Update

Welp... apparently my computer is "ready to be picked up" from the help desk... what state it is ready to be picked up in, I'm not entirely sure. I was actually sort of hoping it would be so dead they'd have to give me a new one, right before graduation, but I guess not. I have tons to catch up on after I finally get my computer back, but for right now I just have to say that not having my computer around for a few days was actually kind of nice! I wasted almost zero tme on facebook, caught up on all of my reading for class (oops!), finished one book and started another, and got started on packing! Maybe I should kill my computer more often... jk. Also strangely liberating was the idea that my hard drive had been completely wiped out (still not sure if that's true actually). All of my music is backed up and my pictures are still on memory cards, and those are basically the only things I care about losing. Any important document regarding current projects is either in drop-box or attached to an e-mail, so really no worries there either... it felt kind of freeing to think that all of those random spreadsheets from managerial accounting that I held on to for no apparent reason were gone. Poof, vanished. Before this gets all existential, I'll cut it off and be back tomorrow hopefully with my laptop and some pictures :)

Closed for Repairs

I'm not sure what "Critical Hard Disk Drive Error" means, but I'm don't think it's good, especially when it wipes out all of your computer files and programs. Luckily I backed everything up in dropbox pretty recently, and anything that's more recent, if it's important enough I've probably e-mailed it to someone as an attachment. Seriously though... technology is crazy and can pretty much render you unable to function if you aren't prepared for it to completely implode on you. One of my professors joked that all of our laptops are probably programmed to self destruct at on or around graduation. I'm starting to think that is not so hilarious. So, sorry if I don't post anything this weekend! And fingers crossed that my laptop is just seriously injured, not mortally wounded :/

More things I am loving

1) Salman Rushdie When I discovered Rushdie a few years ago, I immediately wanted to devour everything he had ever written. Shalimar the Clown was the first book I'd read in years that actually made me cry! I know Rushdie probably isn't everyone's cup of tea but I just love him - his writing style is like poetry and the worlds he creates are fascinating and full of magical realism. His new book, Luka and the Fire of Life, is a sort of sequel to Haroun and the Sea of Stories which I haven't read, but I think it stands on its own. I haven't finished Luka yet, but I'm really enjoying it and it's a quick read - if Alice in Wonderland, the Scott Pilgrim series, a Miyuzaki film and Salman Rushdie were to all get together and have a beautiful love child it would be this book. More than just an adventure story, Luka takes a broader look at stories and the role they play in our lives and, while it acknowledges that today's kids are growing up with their own, new stories based in video games and technology, and we have to fight to keep the old traditional stories alive, it asserts that there is no reason these two worlds can't coexist and compliment each other. Plus how can you not love lines like this:

"Now it so happened that the moment when Luka shouted out in anger was one of those rare instants when by some inexplicable accident all the noises of the universe fall silent at the same time, the cars stop honking , the scooters stop phut-phuttering, the birds stop squaking in the trees, and everyone stops talking at once, and in that magical hush Luka's voice rang out like as clearly as a gunshot, and his words expanded until they filled the sky."

... who doesn't know exactly what that feels like? :) If you love reading and nerdiness, and want to check out Rushdie I'd recommend starting with Shalimar... I think it's probably the most accessible while still giving a good introduction to Rushdie's style of magical realism. Midnight's Children, while also awesome, is so full of allusions and metaphors involving Indian politics and history that you'd pretty much have to read an entire textbook to really understand it...which I did not do.... and The Enchantress of Florence is lovely as well. I've been meaning to pick up The Satanic Verses, but I haven't had a) a large chunk of time, or b) a chance to read up on my muslim theology... I learned my lesson with Midnight's Children and knowing the subject matter of Verses I don't want to make the same mistake twice!

2) Organization!! Did I mention I'm in total denial about that whole moving thing? Yeah... over the last few days I've been busy re-arranging all my closets and cupboards. I love these glass door built-ins in my apartment... they give me motivation to keep my dishes neatly stacked :)


3) Helpful Books So as it turns out, there's like, a whole ceremony thing that goes along with the wedding? What's up with that? I'd been so busy planning the music and food for the reception (aka party time) that I completely neglected the actual part where we get married. Like, we have to say stuff to each other. And other people have to say stuff. Ack! Luckily, one of my yoga friends recommended this book to me:


Since our officiant(s) isn't planning the ceremony for us we're basically on our own - which is great because it means it will be more personal, but also scary because it means a lot more work for us. This book is great though, and it even has a section on co-officiated ceremonies. Hooray!

4) Things that smell like summer I pretty much can't get enough of anything that smells or tastes like a coconut. I also have a mild obsession with body products, and Pacifica is one of my favorite lines - they're quite committed to using natural ingredients, no animal testing, and no sulfates which are harsh on skin. So, when I saw this new scent at Sephora this weekend I had to snap it up. Here comes the sun (and hopefully warm weather...)!

5) BASEBALL!!!

It's that time of year again...the time when we embrace the smell of grass, the taste of beer and mustard, and the agony of losing to the Yankees on the road. Oh wait, no we don't embrace that last one... but those other things are good. Also good - Victoria's Secret has baseball gear! I snagged one of these as my annual Twins gear purchase:

Not cheap but also not any more expensive than buying one at the ball park. We actually looked at why sports fans pay such high prices in my Corporate Strategy class last fall - fascinating analysis of value created and value added, but I won't bore you with it here :)

Go Twins! Oh yeah, and my baseball blog I share with Ben, Peanuts From Heaven, is now on Twitter! Follow us and you too can be party to the snarky commentary and random humor that is PFH. DO IT NOW.

Cookie of the Month 1: Cloudy Day Chocolate-Chip Cookies

Cloudy morning, cloudy head... as I've mentioned, I'm not a big drinker, but every once in a while these things just happen... especially when your friend offers to buy all your drinks for the night. How can you turn that offer down?? There are many ways to cure a hangover, but at the moment drinking tea and baking cookies while listening to The Flaming Lips' Embryonic seems to be doing the trick. I should include a disclaimer about these cookies - they aren't actually mine to keep or do with as they please; this delicious batch is the first of six months of cookies I donated to my school's charity auction. The Director of Student Services had the winning bid, and I decided to start out with the basics - chocolate chip! I've spent basically years honing in on what I'm pretty sure is the perfect chocolate chip cookie.

Chocolate chippers seem to be somewhat polarizing and everyone has really specific preferences - some people like nuts, some people hate nuts. Some people like big chunks of chocolate, some prefer smaller chips. Some like them chewy, some like them crunchy. So obviously, my version of perfection might not be someone else's cup of tea at all, but it's nice to have a signiature. some of the tweaks I've made have been inspired by things other friends have done, some of them I made up on my own:

Cinnamon: During my freshman year of college, my friend Kristin brought chocolate chip cookies back to the dorm after one of our fall breaks. As soon as I bit into one, I noticed a subtle, unique and delicious flavor - I asked her what it was, and she said it was cinnamon! From that point on, cinnamon became a regular addition for me.

Milk Chocolate Chips: I even have brand loyalty on this one - always Guittard or Gihardelli. I'm not sure why, and I know using milk chocolate goes against every foodie trend in existence but I just like the flavor balance better with milk chocolate. Totally personal preference - but it has to be the good stuff, Nestle and Hershey's won't cut it!

Dark Brown Sugar: I discovered this purely by accident one day when I bought dark instead of golden brown sugar, figured it couldn't hurt and went ahead and made the cookies anyways. I am pretty convinced that dark brown sugar is the secret to awesome chocolate chip cookies - can't explain why, but it does something to the texture.

Silpat: No, this isn't really a recipe trick but if you're at all serious about cookies you need to have one of these. They're pretty critical for getting cookies to bake evenly, with that perfect crispy around the edges but soft in the middle thing going on. Unfortunately my silpat, while still perfectly usable, has a huge gash in it from being in the wrong place at the wrong time and getting in the way of a Wusthof... which is why I registered for two more at Williams Sonoma. Buy them for us please. They're cheap (as wedding gifts go) and useful. Kthanks!

OK now about that recipe....

• RECIPE: MY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES


• 2 sticks (1 cup) butter


• 1/2 cup granulated sugar


• 1 and 1/2 cup brown sugar (I use dark brown) 2 eggs


• 2 and 1/2 tsp vanilla


• 2 and 1/2 cups flour


• 3/4 tsp salt (sometimes I leave this out)


• 1 tsp baking soda


• 1 bag (or slightly less than) high quality chocolate chips


• cinnamon (to taste... I just add enough until you can taste it but it isn't overwhelming)

Cream butter and sugar; add eggs and vanilla. Then add dry ingredients in 3 parts, stir to incorporate fully. Add chocolate chips and cinnamon and stir again. Spoon on to a baking sheet (with silpat or parchment), bake for about 10 minutes but keep in mind this will depend on the size of the cookies and how crappy your oven is...for example in my oven, it would take 10 minutes. In my parents oven god only knows, because it is posessed by demons. OK not really, it's just a terrible oven and I can't figure out the cooking times...whatever.... anyways I like them when they are just barely starting to brown around the edges and on the bottom... crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside ;)

I bring these things everywhere - parties, potlucks, the student lounge, road trips, etc. They are my favorite... but like I said, everyone has their chocolate chip preferences, what are yours?

One of those little inspiring moments

We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men. ~Herman Melville

As I was driving to my friend's house in St. Paul yesterday, I drove passed an old, beat up looking truck stalled in the middle of the intersection at Snelling and University, which is probably one of the busiest intersections in that area of town.

It took me a while to even make it up to the intersection, since everyone was trying to merge left to get around the stalled car, but once I was able to see what was going on I saw the truck, sitting sad and defunct on the north-ish side of University, being valiantly pushed out of the way by maybe the most random conglomoration of people I have ever seen - a petite middle-aged soccer mom, a black guy in his early twenties rocking the saggy pants/boxers look, two random hipster guys, along with probably three other people all pushing that truck with everything they had. It probably didn't help that what appeared to be either the muffler or part of the mechanics was dragging partially on the ground and it was definitely slow going, but you could see them strategizing and working together. These people probably had never even seen each other before that moment, but it gives me renewed faith in humanity that amidst all the increasing cynicism about human nature, random people on the street will still rally to help someone in need.

These are really the thoughts of all men in all ages and lands, they are not original with me If they are not yours as much as mine they are nothing, or next to nothing, If they are not the riddle and the untying of the riddle they are nothing, If they are not just as close as they are distant they are nothing This is the grass that grows wherever the land is and the water is, This is the common air that bathes the globe. ~ Walt Whitman

Healthy Fried Rice!

Facts:
I feel like I have been living in a perpetual state of unpacking and re-packing my duffel bag.
~~~
Yesterday, I almost dropped my bus pass in the toilet.
~~~
I have not even begun to get ready for moving (this includes hiring movers).
~~~
I had soup and beer for dinner last night.
~~~
I haven't watered my plant in days... even as I sit here, I am looking at its droopy leaves and thinking "poor little guy... I should probably do something about that."
~~~
AND... someone broke a bottle of wine in the front entryway of my building and did not clean it up in a timely fashion. Now the whole stairway smells like wine. Obviously I have my suspicions.
(*cough*doucheymcneighbor*cough*)


Yet, amidst all this chaos (and laziness) there is order - I present to you... healthy fried rice! An oxymoron in terms, yet it exists here before your very eyes. I know I say this about...almost every recipe I post...but this is one of my favorites. If you're looking to wow your friends, beguile your enemies and impress important people with minimal effort and investment, look no further! It's amazing how a combination of such simple ingredients, thrown together in less than 30 minutes can produce such a delicious result.


This dish is based on a recipe from Ellie Krieger's So Easy cookbook (which is fantastic, by the way) for sesame ginger shrimp. My version contains asparagus and tofu but is otherwise basically the same as Ellie's recipe. The asparagus and tofu were what I had on hand, but you could really use any veggie/protein combo (or meat, or just veggies) as long as the volume is similar. This version of the recipe is vegan!


RECIPE: HEALTHY FRIED RICE WITH CABBAGE

Ingredients:

- 1 Canola Oil
- 1/2 t red pepper flakes
- 1/2 lb extra firm tofu, cut into 1/2ish inch pieces
- 1/2 lb asparagus, cut into 1.5ish inch sections
- 4 Scallions (green and white parts) thinly sliced
- 1 T grated peeled or minced fresh ginger
- 5 Cups thinly sliced green cabbage (cut crosswise into 3 inch pieces)
- 1 T toasted sesame oil
- 4 Cups cold cooked brown rice
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 T toasted sesame seeds (you can buy them already toasted, or toast them yourself).

Heat the vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet/wok over high heat. Add asparagus, tofu, scallions, red pepper flakes and ginger and cook--stirring frequently until the asparagus is almost cooked and the tofu is starting to brown a little.

Add cabbage and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until it softens but is still a little crisp. Then add soy sauce and cook for another minute or so. Add the rice and sesme oil and cook, stirring until it's heated through (about 3 minutes). Add/stir in the sesame seeds and voila!

Ideally this should be made with rice that is already cold and probably a day or two old. You can make the rice at the same time as everything else, but if you make it this way don't add the rice to the rest of the dish while it is still in the skillet - add the sesame oil and sesame seeds to the cabbage mixture and serve that over the rice. Then, when you store it in the fridge mix everything together - you can re-heat it in a skillet and it will still be just like fried rice :)