LifeofBobbi.com

Many blue screens, two reinstallations of Windows XP Professional, another blue screen and driver updates later, I have my computer working again.  It has been one HELL of a weekend for me and my Dell Inspiron 600m.  I spent about 4 hours total chatting with a Dell representative.  The first reinstallation wasn’t a completely clean reinstall, so we had to start over.  Then this morning, I received the exact blue error screen that I was receiving in the very beginning, when this entire problem began.  After all that, it seems that the only thing that needed to be done was update the drivers (which I could’ve done on my own).  After researching this problem, I was convinced it had something to do with the wireless card on my laptop; sure enough, it was.  Too bad it took four Dell people to finally pinpoint the problem (despite me asking about the wireless card drivers in the very beginning).  Anyway, I’m just glad everything is back to normal.  It’s nice to have a fresh clean slate of a computer to work with, too! I have everything working and looking the way that I want.

So, is this tropical storm going to affect my first week of my senior year in college?  I hope not.  I’ve had enough of a break.  I’m ready to go back to school and focus on something.  Four hours of work a day isn’t enough to keep me busy.  I’ve decided to drop my ASL 3 class; as badly as I want to take the class, I feel like 16 credits (one of which is Business Finance - one of the hardest classes to take at UF) is too much.  I need all the other classes for my major or minor, so ASL 3 is really the only one that I can drop.  I can always take it in the spring, though (when all my other ASL friends are taking it).  Tom and I are keeping an eye on this storm and if need be, we’ll go home to help our parents prepare.  If not, we’ll just make sure we have gas in the cars and cash and we’ll be set here in our apartment.

I made the BEST spaghetti sauce over the weekend.  I used a jar of spaghetti sauce that I bought from the store and added to it - ground beef, chopped onion, minced garlic, baby portabello mushrooms, spinach, italian seasoning and pepper.  It turned out really nicely and we had enough for leftovers.  I ended up having an old friend over for dinner last night and that’s what we had (along with a salad and homemade garlic bread).  It was a yummy dinner!

Hunter is growing so much.  I really love having him despite how difficult he can be to control sometimes.  We took a long walk earlier and he did so great; didn’t pull on the leash and wear himself out, didn’t freak out at cars, and best of all, didn’t stop completely when he got afraid of random noises.  Now that Tom is working in the office full time again (he was out doing field work the last couple weeks), we’re getting serious about looking into puppy classes.  Tom will do that (since I have school and work to worry about) and I am hoping it will really help him bond with Hunter.  Hunter listens to me a little better than he listens to Tom, and I think it’s because Tom is at work and I spend more time at home with him.  Speaking of Hunter, I really need to post some new pictures of him!

My list of things to get done today is waiting for me, so I better end this right here.  I hope you all have a wonderful week! :)

For the past several weeks (when he’s not working in the field), Tom has spent Wednesday evenings playing golf with his work buddies.  At first it threw me off - was I still responsible for dinner for BOTH of us?  Just me?  What about him helping out with Hunter in the evenings?  Eventually, though, I just learned to go with the flow (it wasn’t really a big deal to begin with, but it stressed me out a LITTLE because I really enjoy cooking for both of us) and let him play golf with his new friends.  Afterall, interacting with the people you work with is so important (at least I think so) because it tends to make the work day go by that much faster.  Of course, all he talks about when he gets home is golf: golf balls, golf bags, golf gloves - you name it and he’s talking about it!

Cooking is one of my absolute favorite hobbies.  My mom always jokes that when I moved out and into my dorm freshman year, I couldn’t even boil water.  That’s an exaggeration - I would fend for myself, thank you very much! - but it wasn’t very far from the truth.  Without ample space to store my food, utensils and other kitchen equipment, I relied more on going out, TV dinners, and those “all in a box” meals that you can buy nowadays.  When I moved into my first apartment, though, my desire to cook healthy, satisfying meals really took off.  I spent hours in front of the TV watching Food Network and drooling over the recipes the chefs created (and their kitchenware).  Now I’m a totally different person in the kitchen.  I know a lot of techniques and tips that a lot of people my age (and even older, surprisingly) don’t know.  I prepare meals for Tom and myself every night and they are always a hit in this house!

Ever since I started cooking up at school, I have cooked with my dad during my weekend visits at home.  We’ve tried a lot of different things, but by far and away our favorite has been his seared scallops with garlic butter.  There really isn’t a specific recipe - just melted butter in a skillet, a clove or two (depending on your personal preference) of minced garlic, and fresh scallops (not bay scallops - they’re too small and will turn very rubbery). When purchasing scallops, I highly recommend buying local and fresh scallops, as these will taste the best.  The garlic should cook in the butter until you can smell it, and then you can pop the scallops into the skillet.  The heat needs to be fairly high - the scallops should begin to sizzle the second they hit the skillet.  A couple minutes on one side is plenty - flip, another minute, and remove from skillet.  It’s an amazing dish that, if not overdone, is PERFECTLY satisfying for anyone who loves seafood!

If you have a seafood recipe that you’d like to share, please comment and/or email it to me.  And if it’s one that you think is particularly appealing, you should consider submitting it to the Great American Cook Off.

Tom is sound asleep on the couch.  Despite the fact that he and I slept until almost noon today, he’s been asleep for almost an hour.  I played some Zelda on Wii but got frustrated, which is why I’m here now.  I want to go upstairs and settle in for the night, but then again, I don’t.

I really didn’t do anything today.  Tom packed a box (all our DVDs, DVD player, and a few other items) and I used up the rest of our potatoes to make yummy french fries to eat during the baseball game that we were watching.  Oh yeah, and we puppy-sat for a couple hours.  I guess it’s just been a slow weekend.  We were invited to a friend’s house for ribs and stuff, but neither of us felt like showering and getting ready.  We’ve been spending a ton of time with this particular group of friends - don’t get me wrong, I love every minute of it - but sometimes it’s just nice to stay home.

Tomorrow, we’ve got grocery shopping, lots of laundry, homework, and beginning to figure out how I’m going to pay for another LSAT class.  Speaking of which, I didn’t do nearly as well as I wanted to.  Guess who will be sitting for the October 2008 exam?  Yes, that’s me.  I’m really okay with it though.  Well, I’m trying to be okay with it.  I don’t have much of a choice, right?  Right.

What a rambling, crazy post I just made.  Oh well.  I guess I have lots on my mind right now.  Not necessarily bad stuff, just…. lots to think about.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother’s Day.  If you think about it, most women are mothers - between pets and children, I’d say a lot of ladies are celebrated!  I spent yesterday in the kitchen cooking pot roast with white potatoes, onions, carrots, and gravy.  I also a simple salad and the Lemon Curd Tart I made in January.  There were six of us and the meal was a very big success; probably the best meal I have ever cooked.  My mom enjoyed is especially, which was obviously the point!

Can you believe I have a paper due tomorrow?  I haven’t even been to that class yet!  Since I’ll be missing Thursday’s class though, I am going to turn in the paper that is due early (it’s a pass or fail grade).  Speaking of the cruise, I got a bathing suit and a floppy straw hat from Target today, along with mini bottles of shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, etc.  Tomorrow I’ll do my list of stuff to pack, give myself a manicure/pedicure, and do tons of LSAT prep before my class at 3:30p.  I won’t get out of class until around 10pm, how crazy does that sound?  The class is only six weeks and meets twice a week, hence the long days.

Why is this entry titled “I Need Your Help!”? I’m worried I’m going to leave something out when I pack for the cruise.  I’m not 100% sure what to expect because I’ve never been on one.  If you guys have any suggestions (other than the essentials - ya know, stuff that is out of the ordinary), please leave me a comment!