The Professor’s Birthday

Today is The Professor’s birthday. I am excited. I never really enjoyed celebrating birthdays before. I’m not entirely a “birthday person.” But I could tell The Professor needed a little extra love on this day each year, and so I became his birthday person.

Tonight the in-laws, including the in-law grandparents, are coming to the cottage for a birthday feast, made by yours truly. How weird is it going from last year, when we went on a pub crawl for The Professor’s birthday which resulted in me double fisting and us both stumbling home, and this year, which is basically a throw back to being ten.

It’s always a little stressful cooking for in-laws, in a home provided to you by said in-laws, while they slowly judge how you’re managing the place. But today I’m tackling three dishes and a cake. Oy.

Menu:

Meatball Soup

Mexican Chorizo with Potatoes

Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

I’m excited but there is lots to do. I’ve already made the three cake layers and now I’m desperately trying to clean the cottage. I need to wrap gifts as well. As we are bibliophiles to the tenth degree, I got The Professor two books. First, Harmony, by the Prince of Wales, which touches on one of our favorite shared subjects, the earth and how we can live in balance. And, to keep within the British theme, Icons of England, which we’ve both been wanting to read since leaving England.

Additionally I got the flu yesterday and was so sickly and sad that The Professor had to carry me from the jeep to the cottage, put me in bed, and dose me with thera-flu. Needless to say I am constantly washing my hands today and breathing away from my lovely dishes.

Wish me luck!

In-Flight Menu: Lemon Ricotta Muffins

On Sunday I was craving a baked good, a muffin, a perfect muffin. I’ve been baking a lot less lately in my attempt to lose some weight. However my cravings got the best of me and I did not even attempt to slim down this Giada recipe.

I did alter it a bit due to lack of ingredients and the fact that The Professor is not a big lemon fan. We have very different tastes and it’s been a struggle over the past few years when I cook meals. While he has gotten better and eaten a lot more vegetables, I’ve gotten fatter, which I blame on his desire for “hot food” which usually means a big bowl of pasta.

I love lemony things. And peanut butter. And mint. All things The Professor does not wholly appreciate. Thus I omitted the lemon juice in this recipe and just added the lemon zest. I also didn’t have any almond extract so I substituted for vanilla. Additionally I wanted less muffins, so I halved everything.

They.were.awesome. And even though I’ve only had one so far, I made it extra decedent by the addition of melty, delicious butter. Sometimes you just have to relax and have a muffin that is fattening enough to be a cupcake.

Nostalgia: 2010

I’m nostalgic everyday. It’s part of the holding pattern. I had the kind of life I really wanted, urban, European, all with The Professor. Now I’m in the country, where everything is fried, there is limited exposure to walking, and I’m looking to moving and getting a job somewhere while The Professor will have to stay here for a few months.

So I’m nostalgic.

I’ve decided to feed the nostalgia beast by blogging about a photo taken last year, or two years ago, or more, on an exact date.

February 6, 2010.

The Professor and I traveled to Castleton, which is in the Peak District in Northern England, just a short bus ride away from our urban dwelling. As it tended to be, it was a cold, drizzly day. It rarely poured in England. It was usually a constant mist of wetness. A drizzle. A vaporous rain.

The upper deck of our bus was empty and we shared some stolen kisses as we swiftly cut through the Peak District, a bit too swiftly for my liking. Once in Castleton we hiked around the tiny village and eventually climbed the steep slope to Peveril Castle, where this photo was taken. It is a remnant of an outer wall, overlooking the Hope Valley in the Peak District.

After our brief hike and wanderings we had cream tea (not typical for Northern England) at a local pub (very typical for Northern England) which also served host to more than one dog (also typical). Today we will be reliving this experience slightly with another light hike here in the Deep South.

And We’re Down Again

Bummer. I got all excited about my wonder consultant today and the call that would.change.my.life. Well, that’s yet to be seen. The call happened, all 3.5 minutes of it. Sadface indeed.

My influencer has one powerful contact within my field in this much desired city, and put a plan into action to call said contact Monday, who will then call me. At that point I can talk to someone about making more contacts and get advice.

When The High Powered Preggers told me of this phone call she made it seem like it would be lengthy. She told me to prepare for invasive questions, the purpose of which were to find “hidden talents” and “special personality” aspects with which to recommend me for jobs that even I might not have known I could do. I was told there would be much about linkedin and being aggressive and contacting contacts and making myself visible. This was not had. What was had was me desperately trying to keep her on the phone while she obviously wanted to go.

And it’s still raining. And it’s freezing. And the cottage is not equipped for such weather (it literally has three fire burning heaters with actual fire coming out of them. FIRE!)

The silver lining is this contact and the hope that it will birth more contacts and actual advice.

Thank God for Little Blessings

I am a lucky girl. Why might you ask am I so fortunate? Well I have a phone meeting this very afternoon with an influencer. That’s right, not only an influencer but a trusted influencer. This contact is amazing for a number of reasons. Firstly, she’s branded herself as a trusted influencer, that’s her job title, and it definitely beats “consultant.” Also, she works with my sister, The High Power Preggers, so I’m sort of like a favor. An awesome favor.

I’m currently networking as part of my never-ending job search. Although I was fortunate to get some part time work, and in my field (delightful!), I am still aggressively pursuing permanent work for many reasons.

Reason 1: I can’t live out of suitcases anymore.

Reason 2: I want all my beautiful things out of storage.

Reason 3: The collection of elephant figurines in this house creeps me out.

Reason 4: I want to find a cool, new city to check out and make mine.

Reason 5: I miss my friends and family and would love to live near some of them.

Reason 6: This holding pattern is driving.me.crazy.

 

My trusted influencer is an accomplished lady. She’s written books, she’s hired by high powered people like my sister, and she is a well known woman-about-town in one of my top cities of choice for this move. I’m quite excited. According to The High Power Preggers, she’ll be talking to me a lot about linkedin and how important it’s becoming in the working world. Thus, this afternoon, pre-phone call (she never gave me a time for the call, I guess when you’re a highly desired consultant you get to be on your own time, jealous) I will be working hard cleaning up my linkedin profile and attempting to understand it.

Another blessing, my part time job came at the exact right moment. Again, why? Just this morning I received a phone call from Miss RV asking if I’m still looking for work because she had an amazing opportunity for me. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but she works in her boyfriend’s step-father’s pawn shops. He owns two. If you are familiar with Georgia than you are familiar with the gold shops on many of the corners of this great state. Well, she asked if I wanted to be a sign holder. Are you familiar with these people? Who stand outside of gold shops with a sign saying “we buy gold” as if people could not figure that out outside a store called “We Buy Gold” (seriously, that’s the name of the store). It was amazing to turn that down, explaining I’ve just taken work. Thank God.

I immediately chatted the one person who would understand this exchange perfectly, The Professor. The conversation went as such:

The Defunct Curator: Miss RV just called and offered me a job.

The Professor: Yes, she just texted me asking for your phone number.

The D.C.: Guess what the job is. Oh, guess guess guess!

The P: Working at the pawn shop? Please tell me it’s as an expert!

The D.C.: Close and at the same time not close at all. Yes, at the pawn shop. No, not an expert. Holding a sign. Like those people. With the signs. Who dance. The dancing sign people.

The P: YES! DO IT! YOU.MUST.DANCE.WITH.A.SIGN.ON.THE.SIDE.OFTHE.ROAD. FOR GOLD! GOLD!

Needless to say we’re both happy I’m able to not take that job. Big ups to those who tirelessly hold a sign outside of a pawn shop though. It was not so much a selling point for me to remember Miss RV’s story during our impromptu dinner party this week about all the robberies currently occurring in pawn shops in the area and how she almost shot her boyfriend’s step-father by accident thinking he was breaking in through the back. The image of her drunkenly telling this story while pointing her hand towards me as if holding a gun, while spilling canned cranberry “sauce” on my clean floor is forever burned into my brain.

Rain, Rain.

It’s raining in Georgia. This makes lake living slightly more depressing than it already was. But today I put on my happy face and my cute black boots and went “into town” to start volunteering for a local community arts organization. On top of that I took a part time job in the university city where The Professor works. I’ll be doing curatorial work, so now I’m only partially defunct. While it rains outside, my outlook is getting a bit brighter.

On another note, I’m getting a bit more used to driving out here in the middle of nowhere. There is this little cultural wave I’ve picked up. I suppose it comes from there being so few vehicles on any given road at any given time, but drivers passing each other lift their hand up ever so slightly from the wheel to greet one another. It’s adorable. I participate frequently.

Another thing I noticed today while driving around is something I’ve been suspecting for a while. People around here (and I don’t want to generalize the whole South because I’ve only studied this small area) don’t tend to put their headlights on during rain or inclement weather. I noticed it bit by bit, and have commented on it to The Professor before. But with the downpour we got today, it was really noticeable, almost every other car was without headlights.

Regardless, I found a dive Jamaican place, got some chicken and plantains and headed on home to my sick Professor who stayed home today.

Don’t Leave the House Without…

Today was Tuesday, and being Tuesday I went into the university city of my beloved Professor. I do this every Tuesday, it’s a great, scheduled reason to leave the house. I go to cafes, I drink expensive tea, I read, I walk, I do all the things I can’t do at the cottage (all things legal, anyway). Therefore I don’t usually post on Tuesdays.

However, I was excited to be tagged in this post by City Dreamer. I was excited because it allowed me to answer the question, what don’t you leave home without, which I’ve actually never really pondered before, and also because I’m glad people are actually finding this blog project of mine. Excitement.

So, what five things can’t I leave home without. My purse is HUGE (notice the quarter added for scale). I pulled it out to try to figure out what exactly I haul around with me all the time. Here is what I came up with.

1. Vaseline lip balm in rosy lips. Here is why I can’t leave home without this fantastic little product: I.Love.It.Hard. I discovered it in a Boots while living in England, fell in love at first dab, and have never looked back. It is rose flavored, has a slight pink hue, and reminds me of England. I actually forgot to buy a reserve before moving and had an English friend shamelessly bring me about 10 tins to my wedding. Score.

2. A book. I know it seems cliché, but one reason my bag is so big is that I’m a bibliophile and need the comfort of knowing there is always a good read within reach. Currently I’m reading Georgiana and plan to blog about the connections between today’s female relationships and those back in Georgiana’s late 18th century. (nerd alert)

 

 

 

3. My phone. Doesn’t everyone have their phones strapped on them at all times? Well this was not always the case for me. Before The Professor and I started a long-distance relationship I never carried a phone with me. Now I always have it, but most likely have put it on silent on accident and will never hear your call. I’m also very, very new to smart phones and am still learning how to use mine.

4. Anti-bacterial hand gel. Because the world is dirty. Enough said. I’m currently using this Avon gel I got for Christmas.

5. A hair ribbon and bobby pins. I usually have a few ribbons, always one in black, usually one in brown, and sometimes a fun color like purple or blue. I save them from fancy gifts, or bits from craft projects. I use hair ties when I work out, but all other hair-up moments are usually supported by a ribbon. And bobby pins are a self-explanatory necessity.

Being new to the Blog world, tagging other bloggers to be included in this game may be a challenge, so I’ll pass it along to some blogs I’ve been reading lately. I’m not sure if they check out my ramblings, so we’ll see.

1. Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong @ How I Met Your Father

2. An American Girl in London

3. Allison M. @ Confessions of a Cohabitant

4. Erica @ my 3.1 journey

Thanks City Dreamer!