Almost There

This is what I do while e-studying for my software development (CS 35L) final with Sparta. Taking pictures of myself wearing a ridiculous outfit, braiding my hair, and drinking orange-cream soda. Give me a break, it's my last final.

Flannel: Patagonia Fjord (here) (I got the last one in this color, had to get it shipped from Chicago. SUCKAAAAAS!)

Shirt: Threadless (here) (Gift from Mark a few years ago. Thanks, Mark!)

Cords: J.Crew

Socks: J.Crew

Did I really just mix argyle and plaid and take pictures of this atrocity, you ask? Yes. Yes, I did. I wanted to record what happens when Olga runs out of clean socks. (To make matters worse, these socks are knee-length.)

So, guess what happens tomorrow after my CS final? I leave for Russia! My final ends at 2:30 and my plane takes off at 6. I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm going to be there until January 8th. (That's a week after winter quarter begins and the day we leave for our first ultimate frisbee tournament. Sa-weet!)

I leave you with this song that I've been trying to teach JT, and which, consequently, got stuck in my head.

Meet Mars

My parents have named me Olga. I am now Mars for all my Ultimate Frisbee teammates and other Ultimate people.

The initiation was SO MUCH FUN! It is 12:30, I just got back. It started at 8. Now I just need to finish my Digital Systems project.

Lemon-Chamomile Shortbread

It's week 10! We're getting close to finals which means I have to study. What's conducive to studying, you ask? Eating crazy amounts of bread, butter and sugar is.

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Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• grated zest from 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon loose chamomile tea
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

Heat oven to 325° F. Combine the butter, sugar, and salt in a mixer and beat until light and fluffy. Blend in the lemon zest, loose tea, and flour until smooth. Press into an 8-inch square cake pan.

Bake 30 minutes or just until the shortbread begins to turn golden. Cut into 9 squares, then cut each square into 2 triangles.

Cool completely on a wire rack. Remove the shortbread cookies from the pan.

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This is pre-pink eye. I had time to clean the kitchen and take a shower while it was in the oven. It's good! You should make it.

Pink Eye Is Not So Bad

My coughing has slowed down today. My side stomach muscles are sore from all the flexing that they had to do to facilitate the persistent coughing.

Coughing has been replaced by PINK EYE! I have to say, readers, that it is much less annoying than coughing. In fact, it's kind of fun.

My eye is not irritated at all, it just looks weird. Fun thing is nobody wants to be anywhere close to you. Even MORE fun thing is roommates will not get anywhere close to your food. Knowing that fact I went out and got myself a 1/2 gallon of gelato that I started eating straight from the carton. Mmmhmm...and, oh, the comfort of knowing that nobody is going to be eating my ice cream when I'm in class.

SICK of Being Sick

It all started with a sore throat Tuesday night. I had a salt water gargle marathon.

Wednesday morning I woke up weak, nauseous, with a slight fever and a headache. I was mainly frustrated at how weak I was and barely shuffled to class. I had no sore throat by Wednesday night.

I felt a little lightheaded on Thursday.

My cough ensued on Friday.

I lost my voice on Saturday night. (I think it was from squealing during JT's tickle attacks. Totally worth it.) It was discovered on our ride to Griffith Park Observatory when I couldn't sing "ahoowooo" during Shakira's She Wolf.

My voice has gotten better since then, cough has gotten worse.

I made a makeshift humidifier in hopes of helping this terrible cough. No such luck.

***UPDATE***

I have viral pink eye.

I woke up with sleepies glueing my left eyelids shut. This sucks.

Still coughing. UGH!

The Mangoes are Ripe

Last Tuesday Jay-Z and I got mangoes. They were on sale at Ralphs for $1 each. By Friday I decided my mango was ready to fulfill its destiny. You see, I love mangoes, but they are such ass pain to eat. You have to peel them with a paring knife making sure you're not taking off too thick of a layer; you have to cut around the pit; then you get the threads stuck in your teeth. That's why I rarely get mangoes unless I find a volunteer to cut them into bite-size pieces for me.

I am growing up and running wolves! Look at me. This is clearly the only proper way to eat a mango.

Mmm... check out this pit, nicely cleaned by yours truly. Can a knife do this good a job of getting every last bit of mango off it? I think NOT!

I am only not showing teeth because I was pretty sure I had a huge piece of mango thread stuck between each pair of teeth. Let me tell you, I had a very satisfying floss session right after this picture was taken.

No Rolling Pin

Last week was a little hectic, as was the weekend. (I had my first 2 day ultimate tournament!) I only saw Jay-Z briefly during the week. I knew that her grandpa had suffered a stroke last week and was in the hospital but when I texted her on Sunday to ask how he was doing he was gone. So, I made sugar cookies for Jay-Z as soon as I got back.

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Sugar Cookie Dough

3.5 cups of all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 sticks of butter (room temperature)

1.5 cups of sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

1. Mix the dry ingredients together.

2. Beat sugar and butter until fluffy. (wee!) Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until combined.

3. Add the flour mixture and beat until you have a smooth dough. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.

I then rolled out the dough (without a rolling pin, mind you) and sprinkled the surface with sugar and cinnamon. I rolled up the sugared sheet in a log and refrigerated it until it was "cuttable".

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YUM.