There's a lot I want to write about, but as is so often the case I don't have time to get into it right now. I'll just bullet-point a few things:

-I've downloaded a program to try and help cure me of my computer and internet addiction. It reminds me to take breaks every half hour. I haven't used it for very long yet, but I'm hopeful that it will help me reshape my habits.

-My creative writing professor says my story is good and that he's impressed with the extent to which I was able to convey something that is difficult to convey. I trust his opinion, so I'm pleased that he thinks my story is something to be proud of. I am proud of it.

-The 2005 meeting of the Organization of American Historians will probably be held in San Jose, instead of in lovely San Francisco. This is a shame, but on the other hand, it'll be a lot more convenient now for me to get to and from the meeting, since I'll be home then for Spring Break.

-A list of tips and websites I made for apartment-hunting in LA has helped someone else find an apartment! This is very gratifying. At some point when I have time I'll make the list into a webpage and post that. If you would like to see it now, download the Word document here.

And now, some photos.

This weekend while I was at home, Erik made a wonderful sketch of me reading.



The proportions are a little off, but it really captures something about me.

Tonight I had a big craving for short-crust pastry, so I tried out Ellen Leong Blonder's recipe for savory dim sum turnovers. I made a tasty filling with textured soy protein, potatoes, onions, green onions, and curry powder. I was stupidly short-sighted and made the filling first, so it sat around while I made the pastry dough and chilled it for a while. (It was supposed to go into the fridge for an hour, but I was hungry so I stuck it in the freezer to speed things up.) The dough is almost all shortening, so it was very soft and forgiving to work with.



The pastry was incredibly, wonderfully flaky, without a doubt the flakiest pastry I have ever made. Almost like phyllo, but more substantial.



Problem was, since it was shortening and not butter, it also had very little flavor. All texture and no taste. Sigh. Next time I'll try half butter.



Also, I was craving a more tender dough, a little more moist than this one. But oh well. These were very satisfying hot out of the oven. And I had five kiwis for dessert. Not such a bad dinner.

Tags: food, what i did today