So, I’ve written:

The Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

I’ve also got 2 pages of Chapter 3 finished. I can’t write if the characters don’t want to make themselves appear. Sometimes it’s like hide-n-seek in my head. Once I figured out I was finished with chapter two all of a sudden chapter three just started rolling through in my head. It works like a movie for me and I do my best to dictate what the characters have shown me. I guess, for me, I’m not so much of a writer as I am a transcriber.

I’ve been doing pretty decent in both my Horror Films class and my Science Fiction Literature class. I’ve also built my book review site. So, a lot of my time has been on building that and editing. I’m currently stuck. I feel very like “meh” lately. I don’t know exactly what the issue is. I think it’s just I am still exhausted from hanging out. I am not nineteen anymore and it shows when my time to recover takes days instead of hours.

I’m patiently waiting for my school refund. It will be nice to pay off all of my debt and not worry about living pay check to pay check — even if it is just for a few weeks.

Anyway, this is just a short post to say hello. I’ll be posting more stuff again soon and more recipes!

My horror films class…well, that is a whole different animal. I expect a lot of work over the summer class. My science fiction one was spaced out BEAUTIFULLY. I don’t feel overwhelmed and I am even able to take it to the next level and truly experience the class as a whole. I’ve already had to email the professor with a complaint (a valid one and not me just whining like a wee babe) over this class.

Basically, let me break it down for you:

Every day we have to do at least 4 posts in response to questions presented by no later than midnight(not an issue)

Then we have to respond to at least one other posters response by no later than midnight(here is an issue)

We also get 2-3 weekly written assignments on top of that.

We’re watching a film every single day and reading every single day.

You’d think this is easy, right? Well, in theory it totally is. Except for the fact that these–as I’ve dubbed them, little bastards–don’t post until excruciatingly late! I wake up generally at 5am every day. So, when these people post at  (true reference) 11:58pm and I go to bed at 9am…it becomes completely unfair to those of us who work and live normal hours. So, I  emailed the professor. I made sure I stated I’m not whining or trying to be a petulant child, but I’ve been forced to to glue myself to my computer and check the boards constantly for over four hours one day. I had my very last first post done by 6pm. I had to wait until 10:30pm before the first person responded in one of the sections. I think the fact that there is no mandatory time frame of the first set of postings you have to make is outrageous. I work seven days a week. I need to sleep or else I’ll go insane. So, this class is just going to be the longest class of my life.

Plus, I’ve got that one person who comes off like a pretentious douchebag in his comments. I just love it.

Total Time: 7 Hours
Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 6.5 Hours

Ingredients:

3 lbs Pork Loin
2 Carrots
2 Celery Hearts
2 Chives
1 1/2 lbs of Red Potatoes
1 1/2 cups Lingonberry Juice (I used Lingon Berry Drink — and supplemented flavor with the concentrate)
2 Teaspoons Lingonberry Concentrate (optional)
2 1/2 tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Herbs de Provence
2 1/3 cup Water
1 Teaspoon of Bacon Fat
2 Tablespoons of Lingonberry Preserves
Salt and Pepper (to taste)

1. Spray the crock pot with non-stick spray. This is always something that is forgotten in all recipes. Trust me, do this and you will save yourself a lot of cleaning time. I douse mine with it. The less clean up the better!

2. Wash the potatoes then chop them up into 1-2 inch chunks or slices. Which ever your prefer.

3. Line the bottom of the crockpot with the potatoes.

4. Salt and Pepper the pork roast to taste.

5. Rub 1 table spoon of the Lingonberry preserves on the pork roast and lay pork roast over the potatoes.

6. Chop up the carrots, chives and celery and put in the crockpot.

7. Add in the Herbs de Provence

8. Add in the Lingonberry juice and concentrate. (You can use ONLY concentrate if you want to mix it with water and not deal with the juice + concentrate. I’m a lazy creature, so I chose the simplest way.)

9. Add in Water, Balsamic Vinegar and Bacon Fat.

10. I added the last of the preserves last. I spread it out around the entire pot for more even distribution. But, I’m a nut. COOK ON LOW.

And you’re done.

There are variances to the recipe if you want to make a glaze or reduction sauce. This is the first time I’ve made it so I kept it simple. I made a BBQ sauce for it which you can view here.

The recipe was super simple:

1 cup Lingonberry preserves

1/2 cup chili sauce

1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 tablespoon of butter

1/2 teaspoon lingonberry drink concentrate

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan over a low heat and cover let sit until it forms a sauce. Stir occasionally. Once everything has mixed remove from the heat and let it sit a little while. After it has cooled it will thicken up. I prefer mine to be thicker and get the warmth from the meat, so I made mine much earlier. However, it is of course your preference. The thicker just also looks nicer in pictures

The concentrate drink can be optional. I prefer to add it because the chili sauce will overpower the lingonberry flavor and thus ruin the entire point of the sauce. I wanted to have a lingonberry feast and celebrate my Scandinavian roots. So, that half teaspoon was the perfect addition.

I’ve launched a new website Slave to Books I’m really excited about it. I’ll have to friends contributing to the book reviews. I’ve joined NetGalley and have been getting approved for some amazing books. I’m super happy. I’ve been editing up a storm today too. So, I am trying to play catch up on everything.

My family has been on vacation in South Carolina for a week now. So, my entire schedule has been blown to pieces due to having to watch my very annoyingly attached dog. He is also a cranky bastard. However, their trip has been fruitful. They found a nice chunk of land (several acres) to make an offer on. They want to move out of  New York and I do not blame them. The cold can be brutal. Not as bad as when I lived in Rochester, NY or in Michigan. But, Long Island can have some crappy winters. Our winters start late and end pretty late too.

My stepfather works all day on his feet and has arthritis, so getting out of the winter seasons that we have in the northern states is definitely a plus for them.

I am excited for them. They plan on building a custom house. So, after I come back from my MFA program (I’m hoping to go to the UK) I will be getting my own apartment attached to their house until I figure out my next step.

Well…I start my Science Fiction Literature and my Horror Films: Criticism class next week!

TTFN

XOXO

It was a lot of hard work and took up a huge majority of my time.  I was fortunate enough that the head of the department, who also teaches two of the classes I have massive papers due in, gave me an extension for my papers due. The semester ends the day before my birthday! It will be nice celebrating my birthday in freedom!

I have a few days off before my summer classes grueling schedule begins. I’m doing two classes in Summer I and two classes in summer II. I’ve also been trying to coordinate all my financial aid and student loans–that has been a disaster.

However, once everything is squared away it seems like I will have enough extra money to finally pay off all my debts. This is what I’ve been doing so I can focus on paying off my student loans instead of my student loans + everything else.

Well…another day, another dollar, and another headache.

XOXO

I’ve gotten everything situated with my school for classes and finances. That is, of course, if they actually do their job. We’ll see, right?

I have been running around like a chicken with my head cut off.

I’ve also got two friends who are trying to set me up with people. However, with that I have realized that I do not wish to be tied down. I am doing my best to go overseas for a minimum of six years. For my masters  and then my doctorates. Depending on what happens there I may end up in another masters program in a completely different field once I’m finished with that. So, would you want to be tied down? I don’t. I do not want to take the chance that I will say, “You know what? I’ll just stay in the states.” Absolutely, positively no. NO!

I want to see the world. I want to experience so much. I will not let anything step me!

I submitted my final pages to my writing work shop. I noticed some mistakes. Which is fantastic for me. I rarely notice my own mistakes. It’s sad…really. However, I will notice everything you do wrong. It’s a horrible, horrible thing. I wish I could edit myself. But, alas, it was not meant to be.

The count down has begun! In eleven days I will be meeting with Kingston University London about my MFA. I’m nervous. But, my other friend also named Amanda will be traveling with me that day into the city. So, it should be a great trip.

I’ve changed out my Children’s Literature class for Politics in Film.  I’ve had the political professor before and I explained to him about the number of classes I am taking. I literally said, “I don’t want you to think I’m proposing this to be lazy. I just am taking six classes so I’m questioning the number of papers that will need to be written for your class. I don’t want to take a class that is heavy in research and bite off more than I can chew.” My professor was really great about it and he was excited that I will be taking his class.

So, everything is shaping up. I only have six days until I meet with Kingston University London. I’m exceptionally nervous. It is more than a little overwhelming. I’m excited, nervous, and anxious. I have so much on my plate as it is and the prospect of taking just one item off of it would be astounding. I’ve been fortunate where I have a great list of schools that I will be applying to. I’ll be taking the GRE’s in June. My friend Heather insisted upon it. I hate the GRE’s for MFA’s it doesn’t tell you anything. I think asking us to submit a critical paper would be more telling.

As all my friends say, “English majors don’t math.”

That is sadly true. I am horrible at regular math and am not looking forward to my math class at all. I am looking forward to all my other classes. So, this will be fun.

Whether I go overseas or stay local the end result is the same. I still want to find a home with land and build a life for myself. I’ve been discussing plans with my friend Heather and ideas that we both love and a lot of our stuff falls along the same line so…who knows?

I am her and she is me.

A profound statement but true nonetheless. I read constantly and am searching for improvement in every aspect of my life. I have taken control of my finances. I was in a bad way for a long time due to my ex fiance. But, I have finally taken control of it. I’ve been clearing up old debt and really trying to get my act together. I’m turning twenty-eight in just a little over a month. I need to get my shit together. Don’t you think?

I am almost finished with going back for my bachelors. If I’m going to be honest, and I think this only works with by being so, then I am going to state how scary that is. Yes, it is scary, even at my age. I have a friend, not a fake friend who is really myself but a real person, who is a dual major. She is studying both English Literature and Psychology. She doesn’t know what the heck to do with her life once her bachelors is done. The only thing she knows is that she wants to finish it as quickly as possible. I find that rather strange. I would and have done tried to hide myself in my studies. I had no clue what to do with my life, so I went back to school. I used the time to get my shit together, and to find out more about myself. I was fortunate because I did. I went to school thinking to become a librarian with a specialty in rare and archival. But, now I am looking at an MFA. I still find librarian science to be fascinating. If I could afford it I would spend the rest of my life in school always learning and always exploring. I can’t though, can I? It is unfortunately too expensive.

So, here I am. Here we are. I say “we” from the simple fact is you are reading this. If you weren’t … how would you know what I wrote? We are on an adventure. I am trying to get my MFA, my MA, and my PhD. I have many years of school ahead of me. In the end, though, I could easily just obtain my MFA and go back for a masters in pedagogy and teach middle school to college.

Who knows?