I don't even know what to call this.

Well, let's just say my first attempt at cooking in 2009 could have gone better. After meticulously choosing my first recipe (Baked Penne with Asparagus and Turkey Meat Sauce, from the January issue of Clean Eating), I went to collect the ingredients, none of which I already had. The ingredients consist of:

Whole Wheat Penne Pasta

Lean Ground Turkey

Asparagus

Low Salt Tomato Sauce

Part Skim Mozzarella

Parmesan Cheese

Basil

Garlic Powder

None of this was too hard to find, unless you are not stubborn like me. I was out running errands when I realized I was very close to a Whole Foods. So, I go in there, grab a few of the ingredients only to realize that the only turkey I can get is not lean and is also $8. Yeah, right. So I then head to Trader Joe's where I found the rest of my ingredients. Trader Joe's is a slightly more awesome form of Whole Foods, no, it is not as fancy, but it still has great stuff and at 1/3 less bank than WF. Thank you, TJ's.

When I got everything out to start cooking, I realized that I hadn't bought enough organic low salt tomato sauce. Ugh. I just got back from running errands (including two grocery stores) and I'm not going to let this stop me. So, I used some Prego tomato sauce instead which turned out to be just as good.

One thing to remember is that I hate raw meat. I am trying to get over how disgusting it is, hence the cooking goal. When I took the turkey out of the package, I was supposed to set 4oz. aside as the recipe called for 12 oz. and I could only buy it in 16 oz. increments. The raw turkey was so gross, however, that I just put the whole package in the pan because the thought of raw turkey starting at my in my fridge was really just too much for one day.

I made the recipe according to plan, plus the extra turkey, and even though I don't own a 2 qt. pan it was supposed to bake in, I just baked it in my dutch oven, which turned out fine.....

....Except one small detail which I realized after I put the first forkfull in my mouth: I forgot that I hate turkey.

You might be asking how this happened? Well, the picture of this dish in the magazine was super delicious. I think I glazed over the fact that I hated turkey because I wanted to eat the stuff in the magazine. Well, after I added an extra 4oz. of unnecessary turkey, this dish was very, well, meaty. Everything tasted like turkey! GROSS!

What did I learn from this situation? The dish itself turned out well, despite the extra turkey and the tomato sauce debacle. My technical skills were not at fault here, rather, it was my own internal stupidity. How could I forget that I don't like turkey? Well, I am not reminded, on January 4, 2009, that I think turkey is gross and I don't plan on eating it again for the rest of the year (I even usually skip it on Thanksgiving).

Gobble, gobble, gross.

2009 and feelin' fine!

It was nice to head home for the holidays after a long final semester which included one professor who I really didn't care for, and another that quickly became my favorite. Having one professor that you love mixed with one you loathe makes it really hard to deal with the one you loathe! Regardless, I did well with both of my classes, finished the 42 credits of my masters, and am now done.

Grad school really flew by, mostly because I was so busy with school/work, but also because I truly enjoyed the experience. I am lucky enough to work at a place where I get 4 classes paid for, so I may continue to take classes (one at a time, though!) as time permits. One of my professors said she would sponsor me for a PhD if I chose to continue on that route. It's nice to have that connection in my back pocket!

I am headed for big changes in my lifestyle. Instead of taking my job offer at Deloitte, I am going to stay at the IRS, where, in my opinion, I have it made. I am still a consultant so each day is different, my job is exciting and challenging, yet I have incredible work/life balance. What does this all mean? I can now develop an actual life outside of work and school! This is both exciting and scary because I'm a person who needs to be busy in order to be happy. In other words, if I have too much free time I can get bored which leads to being sad and sometimes lonely. Yikes!

Which brings me to the topic of what I want to do to fill the grad school void. First and foremost, I want to become an awesome cook. Learning how to cook healthy and delicious food is a major priority for me, as an investment in learning will help me (and family/friends) for my entire life. Awesome. Secondly, I have to figure out how to fit music back in my life, either through taking voice lessons again or joining a choir. My voice is more fitted for solo singing, but being in a choir has music as well as social and academic benefits, so those are not to be discounted. Thirdly, I need to become even more of a fitness dynamo and continue my now two year success in working out at least three times per week. I am most proud of the fact that I have succeeded in making exercise a priority in life, but now it's time to take that next step and set some higher fitness goals (body fat%? weight lifting? cholesterol level?) - we will see what "becoming a fitness dynamo" really means as time progresses.

This post is not to ne super introspective about the new year, but I will say that 2008 was a very happy time for me. I'm still dating Janai and am trying to figure out where I see us in the future, I really loved all my AU classes, saw a great friend get married, switched jobs to one that utilizes my education, traveled home to see my family, and attempted to be a more well-rounded person. I hope 2009 brings much of the same sources of happiness, yet will be a time for me to continually and critically think about what I need and want to accomplish now and in the future. I read a book not too long ago about successful companies and one of the important things I took away from it was an idea called the "Stockdale Paradox" - which was to always look positively into the future but address the challenges in the present. I can't imagine a better mindset to begin 2009 with!

All that stands in the way of me and my graduate degree:

• One final exam
• One final group presentation/paper

HOLLA.

Oops...my bad.

It's affirmative: I'm the worst blogger ever. In my own defense, this semester has been out of control. Starting a new job, taking classes, watching Janai leave for Afghanistan, interviewing for a potential different job, and making sure I am getting everything else done is really making me crazy. Luckily, I have just a month left of school and I will be home free. So far, this semester, I've written 11 papers, read way over 2,000 pages, completed 7 presentations, and done 2 group projects. Additionally, I've maintained my goals of working out 5-6 times a week and even ran another 5K (on the treadmill, but it still counts!) and tried to keep lifting weights.

D.C. on election night was ELECTRIC. I was so happy with the results; I share this sentiment with many that I know. I watched the election with other public policy schools (GW, Georgetown, AU and George Mason) in Cleveland Park and every single bar in the city was packed. After 11:15pm EST when they announced Obama's win, the streets were rushed with people. Nearby, in U-Street, there were people jumping and shouting into all hours of the night. I am so thankful I was in DC on such a fun night!

There are no quick solutions to anything we are doing, but it seems as though Obama is ready to roll up his sleeves and work it out. My main happiness is that I am excited about the direction our country will go in, regardless of the fact that there are relatively few "quick" wins and the road ahead will be a long one.

I now I live in DC because:

...I want to establish mandatory WALK (not stand) times on escalators.
...I want to ban rolling backpacks because they are EVERYWHERE and get in my way!
...It is 96 degrees on September 14th.
...Driving four miles takes 30 minutes and 28 stoplights.
...BAD drivers are everywhere.
...Target is out of everything.

Here's all I got:

-Janai has been home for a week, which is great becuase when he leaves again, it will be for 6 solid weeks.
-I started a new job, which I'm sure will be good in the long-run, but I'm currently feeling UBER overwhelmed (the job is still for IRS and still in the same building).
-The day I started my job was the day that class started.
-I am tired.
-I need to start a group called Hummus Addicts Anonymous (HAA!)
-I am tired.

Tomorrow is Monday and school starts! The best part of this semesters is that it is my LAST ONE! Soon I will be applying to graduate and loving life. I also start my new job at the IRS on 9/2, so that is also an exciting new beginning. I am a bit nervous about the move, but I'm working in the same building and am getting a job directly related to having an MPA, which will be great.

The last semester of school lets me think critically about where I want to live and what work I want to go. Luckily for me, I think there are jobs open in most places, and I have some good connections both in DC and Minneapolis, which is great. Whether I ultimately end up in the public or private sector, I'm hopeful that I end up with a job that I love.

Props to my DC ladies Stephanie, Megan, and Tricia for making it a great last weekend before class. We had drinks at Bourbon in Adams Morgan, which I highly recommend. It had good music, but you could actually talk to your friends without shouting over them. Afterwards, we went to Grand Central for a bit of fun before heading home.

And now it's Sunday, Janai is supposed to come home tomorrow, and then school starts this week. Lucky for me, I have a four day weekend over Labor Day, so there is something exceptional to look forward to.