Winter Break Bucket List
Today marks the beginning of a much-needed four week break from school. THANK GOD. This first quarter was quite tough, so I plan on taking it (intellectually) easy for the next month to recoup and recharge.
But what’s the holiday season without a little fun? To keep from accidentally wasting the weeks away (which, trust me, is very easy on our comfy couch…), I made myself this handy-dandy little bucket list: almost all play, with a tiny bit of work, to keep me busy during the holidays!
If you’re wondering why Gossip Girl is on the list: I started watching it from Season 1 on Netflix as a sort of background distraction during dead/finals week, and am now in the beginnings of Season 2…
In addition to the list I’ll be celebrating the holidays with family and friends, as well as exploring our new neighborhood and doing a bunch of chores that I’ve been putting off (like getting Oregon license plates! eek!).
But first up on the list is trying to procure some Gonzaga basketball tickets for the game against the University of Portland in January… tickets go on sale at 11, so wish me luck!
The Grad Student Gift Guide
The holiday season starts out pretty rough for us grad students. An epic whirlwind of reading, papers, final exams, and to-the-brink stress is what awaits us after Thanksgiving, instead of the shopping and sleigh rides and hot-cocoa-fueled ice skating winter fun that others might be enjoying.
Okay, just kidding. The holidays are stressful for everyone! But if you’re considering getting a gift for the professional student in your life (especially if it’s going to arrive before that final paper is turned in…), don’t worry! Here are a few suggestions to consider that will double as thoughtful and useful, and might help boost a few grades to boot.
1. A stylish bag for all of those library books. The grad-student-stipend budget usually requires reusable grocery bags for heavy book transportation, so extra bonus points abound for something durable and cute! This Fossil bag fits the stylish-and-smart bill quite nicely.
2. Favorite school supplies. Every grad student has their ritualistic attachment to their favorite school supplies. I’d kill for a pack of my favorite pens, or some perfect-sized personalized post-its, a brand new notebook, etc. etc. Check out what they use and help replenish the stock!
3. Something comfy for those marathon study sessions. Sitting in cold libraries for hours on end preparing for exams and writing papers requires being cute and cozy. This Gap sweatshirt, or anything else fleecy, soft, and snuggly would make a great gift.
4. BOOKS. A grad student’s life revolves around books – finding them, buying them, reading them. A gift certificate to the school’s bookstore, or to Amazon, will help your favorite student stretch that book budget a bit further. Bonus points if you figure out which books they need for next quarter and get few!
5. A caffeine fix. Because you probably can’t provide a caffeine drip, a coffee date to take a break from studying would be a perfect present. Or a nice bag of coffee, a gift card to the closest coffee shop to campus, or a french press. Basically anything that provides a study-inducing buzz.
Happy shopping! And good luck on finals!
Menu Plan Monday
WOW it’s been a long time since I’ve done one of these! I blame not having an oven of my own and being completely overwhelmed with moving and school. But even just having been in my own kitchen again for the last 6 weeks, and being insanely busy, I’ve realized how much I depended on menu-planning in Spokane. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve wanted something, or planned to make something, but found myself missing one key ingredient (or, more horribly, the milk for my morning coffee).
So it’s back to meal-planning for us. And what better time to than the last week of school/first week of the (true) holiday season! As always, a few old favorites and a couple new dishes, with plenty for leftovers. Yum!
Monday: Creamy Fettuccine with Corn and Arugula
Tuesday: Red Lentil and Tofu Curry
Wednesday: Tacos with Cuban Black Beans
Thursday: Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup
Friday: Last day of the quarter! My cohort’s getting together to celebrate, so dinner out tonight!
Saturday: Macaroni Con Queso
New Obsession – Don’t Save Me
Can we talk about how obsessed I am with this song/video for a second? Girl band, basketball, catchy lyrics… oh my, I am in love.
Nevermind that I’ve got a huge paper due on Monday morning, I’ve probably listened to it 3 or 4 times while dancing around my house like an idiot instead of studying today.
C’est la vie!
Oh hello blog world!
It’s that time of year, so I thought I’d pop in to say hello!
Wait… Christmas what?
I meant finals week! Having been out of the school loop for what feels like forever, this finals week (and the subsequent end of my first quarter as a doctoral student) is hitting me pretty hard, both in terms of nostalgia – what up old school livejournal finals rants! – and in terms of workload. And if my time as an undergraduate taught me anything, it’s that when your workload gets overwhelming during finals week, you…
…procrastinate with anything and everything possible!
{ Source. }
So I figured it was time to update this here blog. Getting overwhelmed with starting grad school means and consequently retreating into the stacks means I’ve missed all the cool things happening in the blogosphere lately (like NaBloPoMo, etc.). But I have learned a few things during this first quarter that I feel like sharing with all you wonderful people today. So, go go gadget bullet list!
Becca’s Tips for Prospering In Surviving Graduate School
- Do your reading when it’s assigned. Because DUH that makes it easier to sound intelligent in class, and keeps you from wanting to simultaneously pull your hair and stab your eyes out at the end of the quarter when you think about trying to catch up.
- Make time for the things you love. Especially that one hobby that relaxes you (knitting) or makes you feel really accomplished (jewelry-making and blogging) or lets you interact with the people you miss and that keep you sane (card-making and blogging).
- Make time for the people you love. Especially your husband, who has to put up with your craziness for the whole quarter and still loves you anyway. This may also involve an impromptu Seattle trip for a housewarming party in the middle of midterms…
- Take care of yourself. Eat good food, get good sleep, and make time to workout, because it’ll make you feel good and you won’t feel out of shape and stressed out at the end of the quarter.
Clearly I did not do any of these things adequately this quarter (which actually isn’t done yet, and I may or may not have 60 pages worth of papers due in the next week…), so I have my marching orders for the next one. Thankfully, I’m completely done on December 7th, and then have nearly a month to recover take a break before facing winter quarter.
But in the mean time, since I’m in full-time study procrastination mode, expect to see a bit more of me around these parts. I’ve missed this creative outlet, especially since it has nothing to do with democratic peace theory…
Five Best Portland Restaurant Experiences (So Far…)
Once I learned we would be moving to Portland, I immediately began researching awesome new eateries that I knew I’d finally have the opportunity to visit. As a vegetarian, Portland is basically the food destination of the west coast – there are just so many more options down here to partake in that I’ve never had access to before!
Though I’ve been an official Portlander for less than two months (and actually in the city for significantly less than that!), I’ve already developed some favorites. Here, in no particular order, are my top five Portland restaurant experiences so far:
- Fire on the Mountain meatless wings. Oh MY these are delicious (and I normally hate “fake meats”)! The best part of these wings are the sauce choices – my personal favorites were the Jamaican Jerk sauce – which has an awesome green color to it – and the Lime Cilantro sauce.
- Driftwood Room (at Hotel deLuxe) mac & cheese and signature cocktails. This is the most affordable, best mac & cheese in Portland thanks to the truffle oil in the recipe. Washing it down with a violet-infused champagne cocktail just makes it that much better. And putting both of those things on special during happy hour is just the icing on the cake!
- McMenamins cajun tots. Portland has a serious love affair going with tots of all sorts (I swear that about half the restaurants I’ve gone to have them on the menu!), but my first are still my favorites. Nothing beats the crunchy, slightly spicy Cajun-ized tots that the McMenamins pubs put out.
- Hands On Cafe Sunday brunch. Did you know that Oregon has a College of Art and Craft? And that contained within that college is one of the best weekend brunch places? The are only a few dishes, and they change every weekend, but they’re always absolutely fantastic. Plus, you get to look at the students’ work on display while waiting to be seated. A fun and delicious weekend outing!
- Cafe Yumm! bowls of all sorts. When we were in Eugene earlier this summer I was thoroughly disappointed that we didn’t make it to Cafe Yumm!, but then I found out there are now quite a few Portland locations! Which is great, because the combo of rice, beans and that special Yumm sauce is one of the best lunches I’ve ever had in my life.
Honorable mention: Veggie Grill. I just had lunch at Veggie Grill for the first time ever today, and this Southern California chain is not messing around with their sandwiches! I had a “chickin” sandwich that tasted amazing and was completely vegan. Also, I could eat both their avocado spread and cilantro pesto by the spoonful.
I’ve already written about my favorite food cart on the blog as well – always a fantastic meal at Potato Champion, too! I definitely have quite a bit more exploring to do on the food front here (we haven’t had any sushi yet!), but I’m quite pleased with what I’ve found in our short time here!
Wordless Wednesday
{ Cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Crescent City, California }
