November 9, 2008

Filed under: random

For some reason, I kept seeing the paper "bag o apples" at the store..and I kept thinking it might be neat to get one of the bags and try my hand at applesauce.

So, I did.

I bought a bag of Cortland apples, peeled, cored and diced them up and threw them in a crock pot along with half a cup of water.  I also threw in a vanilla bean from the very beginning…and turned it up to high for an hour or so…then back down to "low" for several more hours.  I came back almost 5 hrs later…and they were PERFECT.  I dumped  the crockpot contents into a bowl, added some cinnamon as well…plugged in the mixer and mixed away.

Holy crap.  It’s GOOD.

And I highly recommend trying it warm, it was just what I wanted this evening, and was really great with some whipped cream on it.  I threw 2/3rds of it in the freezer, and the rest in the frig.

Definitely doing this one again.

November 7, 2008

Filed under: random

HAHAHAHAHA This is AWESOME:

Obama Win Causes Obsessive Supporters To Realize How Empty Their Lives Are

 

OMG. I ♥ The Onion!

August 24, 2008

Filed under: reflections, random

This is kind of a weird time of year for me.  There’s a lot of mixed emotions for me during this time of year as birthdays are just weird for me.  Every year, I contemplate going home for labor day weekend to kind of spend my birthday with my parents, or just wishing they were here (but usually don’t since it’s just not worth driving for just the weekend).  Birthdays have usually just been a celebration with my family.  When I think back on previous birthdays, I can really only point to one and say "yeah, it was fantastic!".  It’s not that I’ve had shitty birthdays, they just weren’t all that memorable.Also every year, I get a little freaked out about how I’m nowhere near where I had planned nor wanted to be professionally, nor in my personal life.

I keep being asked what I want to do for my birthday, and I have absolutely no freaking idea what I want to do.  I don’t like planning or figuring that type of thing out at all.

This time of year also becomes a bit harder for me as we near 9/11.  Yep, I will fully admit that I probably am a bit PTSD from that, but not in a way that prohibits me from doing anything, or impacts how I live my life.  It’s just something that lingers in my mind, and always will.  It actually took one year almost exactly after 9/11/01 before I didn’t cry just at the mere thought of it.  I think a day rarely goes by that I don’t actually have a passing thought of it.  I know this is a weird post, but it’s kind of just what is on my mind.

August 14, 2008

Filed under: work, random, fire

So…I think once I’m done with my ALS internship, I’m going to try to get my paramedic.  Thankfully, there’s a very good chance I can get the county to actually pay for this.

It’s interesting, one of my goals in life is to also get a bachelors degree…and I’m more willing to put my time towards the pursuit of this than get my butt in gear for a degree.  Although, any degree I _want_ would not qualify to be paid for by my company. I’m fairly certain they wouldn’t pay for a degree in emergency/disaster management.  Also, this degree is not exactly easy to find at all. There are a few programs that carry it, but I am leery about the accreditation of the program.  I want to be the one putting together emergency/incident action plans, or taking command of a major incident.  I find all of that to be extremely challenging.

Let me caveat the above…I don’t take pleasure in the misfortune in others in the way it sounds often.  But it’s more that my philosophy is that "shit happens" and I just wanna be there when it happens.

I hate being in IT. I get bored incredibly easily in IT and I get frustrated as well.  I don’t do well at being bored.  I have occasional moments that are challenging, but I find that in order to stay challenged in IT, I usually have to change jobs every 2 years.  (gee…I’m overdue….and I’m bored….I hope the internal position comes through, it’d be challenging for about 2 years!).  I almost curse that I’m good at my job…it kind of becomes the "easy" thing to do.

Stolen Fours

Filed under: friends, random

Stealing a "meme" from K and M that I thought was unique and fairly interesting…

 Four things you may or may not know about me:

  1. I contemplate a career change every day of my life.
  2. I really want to learn how to play guitar
  3. I used to smoke.
  4. Integrity is probably one of the things I value and respect the most in others.

Four jobs I have had in my life:

  1. Audio Engineer
  2. Senior Network Engineer (in function but not in title)
  3. Concert/band promoter
  4.  Systems Engineer (helped build the 311 system for NYC)

Four movies I’ve watched more than once:

  1. Top Gun
  2. The Right Stuff
  3. Bad Boys II
  4. Heat

Four places I have been:

  1. Ohio
  2. New York
  3. Virginia
  4. (Most of the continental US, but only outside of it to go to Canada)

Four of my favorite foods:

  1. Chicken
  2. Smoked Gouda
  3. Macaroni and Cheese
  4. Coffee

Four places I would rather be right now:

  1. At the firehouse
  2. At the beach
  3. In Italy
  4. At Doukenie Winery

Four things I am looking forward to in the next year:

  1. Completing my ALS Internship
  2. Beginning paramedic school
  3. Getting a raise
  4. Seeing my parents

August 2, 2008

In a sea of boxes….

Filed under: random

I’m finally done moving.  I moved from a 2 bedroom 2 bath apartment in Reston to a 2 bedroom 2 bath in Ashburn.  Why? Because the former apt complex kept trying very hard to jack up my rent every chance they could.  For $95 less per month, I am getting 176 sq ft more in apartment.  I did have to give up the granite countertop kitchen, but I am gaining a lot of amenities here as well.  I have to say that I have been very impressed with how quickly they’ve handled service requests.  Also, due to a couple of minor glitches with the apartment that happened as I was moving in, they gave me $50 in Visa gift cards.  Wow!  The leasing staff seem to care more about the tenant and making this their home instead of just every dime they can bleed out of your pockets.

Moving was interesting….and difficult. I hired movers who managed to rip my couch and essentially move just slow enough to extend the time and suck more money.  And they only moved the big/heavy stuff.  This left a ton of the "small" crap.  Man, how in the hell did I accumulate so much _shit_?!  Anyway, it seemed to take forever, but it’s allll moved.  I wish I could say without incident.  I did learn that I much prefer moving in December as opposed to moving mid-summer.  I have so many black and blue marks all over my body that I’ve given up trying to figure out how I’ve gotten most of them.

Next up: unpacking.  Ugh.

 

 

June 29, 2008

Filed under: friends, work, random, vineyards

I am so glad it’s the weekend…considering I worked both days of last weekend due to a project at work, I’ve been looking forward to just having this weekend.   Today was a really nice low key day as I took a coworker and his wife to Doukenie to help celebrate her birthday.  They’d never really been wine tasting, but they enjoyed it enough to become club members.  I joked with someone there that with as many people as I’ve been recruiting for their club lately, I should get something ;)   We left Doukenie and stopped by the outlet mall in Leesburg.  Man, that’s just dangerous for me.  The Coach store has moved and is much BIGGER!  Once done shopping, we headed over to Clyde’s in Ashburn for dinner.  It turned out to be a very nice low key day.

I can officially practice my medic stuff in VA now.  And I’m looking forward to starting my internship with the County. It’s going to be a hell of a lot of time and effort, but will be very relieved when it’s done.

Right now, I’m watching the very first episode of SNL that was ever aired, and it’s kind of like watching ghosts.  It’s being aired obviously in remembrance of George Carlin…but just to watch so many people (John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Andy Kaufman, Jim Henson) that you know died long before they should have is kind of eery.

Tomorrow, I really would like to do _nothing_, but with the upcoming move, I really should work on packing.

Also, I’m kind of irritated with the fear mongering and panic on the TV news about "OH NOES THERE WILL BE BLOOD IN DC NOW THAT GUNS ARE ALLOWED!"  I actually don’t think the crime rate will notably change either way.

May 22, 2008

Filed under: random, fire

I have a massive migraine right now.  That is all.  I just felt like telling you that.  I know why I have it, and until I chill out about the reason, the migraine will persist.

There is a reason, and ultimately a name on this one.  And maybe I’ll explain later or maybe I won’t.

May 16, 2008

Filed under: random

So, this morning, I grabbed the wrong cell phone.  I lost my treo after a vineyard trip one fine day, and after being initially told they couldn’t find it, got a replacement…and later they actually found it.  So, I have 2 of the same exact phone.  I haven’t done anything with the "old" one as I still have some phone numbers that I need to retrieve as the sync function doesn’t seem like it was working correctly.  And this morning on my way out of the door…I grabbed the wrong one.

I am not quite as irritated that I did that as I thought I’d be.  Granted, I doubt anyone I care about is trying to get hold of me…if they are, they can email or reach me over IM :P

May 2, 2008

I’m still not sure what to make of this…

Filed under: random

Here’s a conversation I can honestly say I’ve never had previously:

Setting: walking back into the office after having lunch with a coworker/mentor (jim)…and seeing the person who originally hired me into the company waiting for the elevator (will)..and just watching the television in the lobby.  The news is on TV showing the immigration rights march earlier today.

will: Hey Erica, shouldn’t you be out there marching?
me: uhhhhhhh…..why should I be?
will: shouldn’t you be marching for scandinavian rights? where are you from again?
me: um. I’m swedish, but I’m a natural born us citizen
jim: as opposed to an unnaturally born one
me: that would be arnold schwarzenegger
will: that’s right! sveeeedish
me: yes. svenska. My dad was born in sweden.
will: OHHHH! so you’re first born generation american!
me: yes…my dad is a permanent resident, but is working on getting his citizenship
Jim: what changed that he’s doing that after all these years?
me: bush got a law into place that allows him to get his citizenship without paying since he was like drafted and served honorably.
Jim: ahhh
me: I totally understand now why he didn’t for so many years.  He was drafted, he stayed, he served, he served honorably.

…I left the elevator astounded that someone actually thought I was foreign born…I’m really not sure what to make of that.  I had to call my dad tonight to tell him that.  His reply: "I don’t even think I’ve had anyone assume that about me!"






















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