Who am I and what have I done with the old me?

I'm back in Florence. I got here on Sunday afternoon, and started classes on Monday. So far, every day that I've been here I've worked out, cleaned, made my bed...it's kind of scary.

Classes are going well, or as well as first-day-of-term classes can go, when it's all review and figuring out what you're going to be doing for the next four months.

Themost shocking bit of all is that I cooked. As soon as my loans came through, I went grocery shopping, since I was living off of peanut butter (brought from home) and bread (purchased by my new roommate) until yesterday afternoon.

Now, before you get excited, it wasn't anything fancy and it didn't take all that long. But it involved a stove and meat, and did not involve anything out of a box with directions printed on the side, so that qualifies it as "cooking" for me.

I love chicken salad, but you can't get seasoned salt, my key ingredient, in Italy, so I made some adjustments. It was inspired by the fact that I bought the wrong flavor of yogurt and the apples I bought (which were wrapped in plastic and styrofoam) were badly bruised on one side (the styrofoam side), so I had to use them as quickly as possible.

Sophie's Florentine Chicken Salad

Ingredients:
1 chicken breast
1 medium green apple (I don't know what variety we get here. It's a little bigger than my fist and light green. It's more sweet than bitter, so it's not a granny smith. I don't think it's green delicious, either. If you're in the states, then just substitute your favorite variety. If you're in Italy, then you probably know what I'm talking about because you see mostly this type of apple in the grocery stores and in the markets.)
Mayo (200-250ml; about 1/3-1/2 of a medium sized jar)
1 tablespoon of coconut yogurt (you can add more and reduce the amount of mayo, but none of us like coconut, so I was trying to sneak it in without anyone noticing)
Parsley
Chives
paprika
Basil
cinnamon
nutmeg
rosemary
salt
black pepper

1. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces. Put in water and heat on low, or low-medium, while mixing everything else.

2. peel, core, and dice the apple into little pieces. Put in a bowl of water to keep from browning, set aside.

3. In a bowl, mix the mayo and the yogurt. Add the spices to taste. I listed them in descending order, so I used a little more parsley than I did pepper. Just a touch of the cinnamon and nutmeg, and rosemary will do. I highly recommend having a taste-tester handy.

4. When the chicken is done cooking (I like to cut it up first so it cooks faster, but you might prefer the texture if you boil it then cut it), drain the apples to remove the excess water, then do the same for the chicken. I ran it under cold water so that it would cool faster. Add the chicken to the dish with the apples.

5. Pour the sauce over the apples and chicken, add additional mayo/yogurt/spices as needed.

6. Chill before serving (I suggest 2-3 hours, but you can also eat it straight away if it's cold enough.

Hope you enjoy!

Take Off

I forgot to mention the other day that we tried that Chinese place, Peking Restaurant. The day I wrote the entry, they were actually closed. We think they close at 5pm, if not earlier, which is strange. So I walked all the way down to another take away place for some food that was kind of...Meh. It wasn't terrible, like the last place I got Chinese from in Italy, but I probably won't go there again unless I'm desperate. They also didn't have a very big selection of food.

Peking, however, is fantastic, especially their steamed dumplings, OH MY GOD. They were amazing. And it's a good sign when you see a Japanese tour group leaving as you're walking in, and hear them saying things like "That was really good." It's a mandatory stop for almost all of the Asian tour groups that visit Florence.

Alice and I leave tonight for London. I've got a list of things to do as long as my arm, but if I can wrangle some help it shouldn't be a problem. I've marked down museums that I want to see, a possible university to visit, and a new age shop. The only other thing I need is an electronics store, so that I can buy a fairly cheap digital recorder for ghost hunting, since I didn't bring mine and the mic I ordered for my ipod hasn't come in yet. Very frustrating. I'll be sure to post case files here once we get back.

If you like paranormal fiction, you might want to check out Bitten By Books' Best Author of 2009 Contest, which is in the final stage of voting right now. Personally, I'm rooting for Tanya Huff, so go on over and give your favorite author some support.

Browsing

I was updated my book list, and realized that when I finished Where there's a Witch the other day I hit my 52 book goal. It seems a little like cheating though, since the last book was one that I read earlier in the year, so I'm not going to count is as officially finished until I read one more book. And I think I might up my personal challenge to 75 books, or something like that. This has been a really fun challenge, and I know I've read a lot more in the past year than I have the last four years I've been in college. I'm looking forward to next year. Maybe I'll up the stakes to 104 books in 52 weeks?

Speaking of books, I've been keeping up with my writing. I hit a stall point in "High School Never Ends," so I opened up a novel I was working on last year and haven't touched in months and cranked out 2,200 words yesterday, which broke 45k and makes it the longest thing I've ever written. On hand I'm really proud, but on the other I kind of feel like an underachiever. Still, it's a step in the right direction so I'm going to celebrate it.

I also broke down and got a FictionPress.com account. If you want to read "Life is a Zoo," I've got the first three chapters posted. You can find my profile at www.fictionpress.com/~SinePenn, or search for either my pen name (Sìne Penn) or the title of the story.

Working on Fiction Press reminded me that I have a FanFiction.net account languishing away with an unfinished story, so I logged in and imagine my surprise when I discovered that I have a story with 166 reviews, and even though I haven't posted a thing in over three years my stories are still averaging 50 hits a week, with my two most popular getting about 20 apiece. One of them has over 11,000 hits and 46 people signed up to receive notices if I update. I'm still startled but so happy--I didn't think anyone would like my work that much, and I haven't done any networking or anything on ff.net--haven't even logged in for about two years. It makes me want to finish that story, just because of how warm and fuzzy the reviews and hits make me feel.

Alice and I have been watching an anime called Saiunkoku Monegatari, which is really fantastic--drama, lots of humor, great characters, and a little bit of romance. I'll load about six episodes at the school, and then we watch them bundled up under comforters in the evening. By law, we aren't allowed to turn on the heat yet, and even then only for 8 hours a day, so our apartment gets really cold in the evenings We think one of our neighbors has turned theirs on though, because it's warm--almost hot--at night.

But anyway, we're watching this series, which is great. I love the story, the characters, and every night we keep wishing we had more. The only problem, is this:
Manju buns. Well, there are several kinds of steamed buns that pop up in this series, but they're the most common. And I want some! We both do. So much that we're braving the awful Italian-Chinese to try a new place and see if it's edible. I don't know if they'll have the buns, but I'd be happy with some garlic chicken, mushrooms, or beef and broccoli (maybe I should learn to cook? Nah). So if anyone knows of an Asian groceries or bakeries (is that a contradiction? Most of the grocery stores in Florence are run by Asians, but the only "ethnic" food they sell is ramen) in the area, let me know. I'll let you know how our foray into Chinese-Italian cuisine goes.

Ice cream for dinner is healthy, right?

So, a couple of weeks ago, Jennifer (AKA MajorKnitter, whom I had no idea read this blog and I am extremely flattered that she does) suggested giving up processed sugar/sugar substitutes in order to help with my allergies. Since I was already trying three different OTC medications, lost my insurance when I graduated making prescriptions out of the question, and the only other suggestion I'd gotten was snorting lukewarm saltwater, I decided to give it a shot.

I already avoid sugar replacements like Splenda and Sweet'n'low, because the aftertaste is disgusting and it makes me feel kind of ill (also, Alice is allergic to fake sugar, so it usually never crosses our threshold). I figured that aside from the allergies, now would be a good time to cut out the processed bits, since I've been trying to get healthier.

I've set out several rules for myself. They're based on one simple belief: All things in moderation. I'm not cutting out any food group completely (not even sweets). My goal is to find a balance in all things; balance that has been lacking from my life for the last four years. I've got enough stress in my life due to financial issues without adding what I eat to the list. I'm not going to punish myself or beat myself up if I slip. The goal is to find a balance somewhere between only having 15 minutes to eat and NOT eating from a vending machine, and working for hours at the computer but still making time to go for a walk or dance or do something.

Care to join me? Here are my "rules":

1. No fake sugar. No sweetners, high fructose corn syrup, etc. Use the real stuff, and use cane sugar when you can.

2. Only fresh meat, cheese, vegetables, and bread. No wonderbread or anything like that. It has to come from the bakery, because it has fewer chemicals and is fresher. We usually get either Italian or wheat.

3. Frozen vegetables and fruits are good to have on hand as a stand by, but fresh is better.

4. Absolutely no dieting allowed. "Diet" items tend to be full of chemicals and fake sweetners. If you want a soda, go for regular. The Jones sodas are better (made with cane sugar and fewer chemicals), but water is best.

5. I love juice. I'm drinking only juices that are 100% juice.

6. I'm allowed one chocolate indulgence a day. I'm also letting myself have other candies and sweets, but there has to be a movie involved. Why? Because of money, movies are a special treat. So if we go to Blockbuster (maybe once every two weeks) or to a theater or whatever, then I can buy candy there (usually Sour Patch, because those are my favorite), but I can't get it from the grocery store where it's really accessible.

7.I'm trying to work out every day. I have a series of exercises that I'm doing every day. They're just low impact things to help strengthen my muscles again. You remember my knee? Yeah. Caused by weak thigh muscles that couldn't hold my patella in place anymore. I have awful periods and back pain because I don't have any abdominal strength. And my carpal tunnel gets aggravated because I have no arm strength.
My list looks like this:
10-15 push ups (I do mine by bracing my hands on a hip-high counter; I've never been able to do them on the floor. My goal is to get there, though, by slowly lowing the thing I'm leaning on)
15-20 crunches
15-20 knee lifts (just sitting and lifting my legs straight out. I do this with a 1.5lb weight on each ankle. After doing 20 or so lifts, I hold my legs straight out for 30 seconds)
15-20 leg lifts (as in, laying on my side and lifting one leg at a time (again, with a weight)
After this, I switch the weights to my arms and do a "boxing dance" Basically, I punch the air in time to a song (my current favorite is "I Don't Care" by FallOut Boy). The important thing is that the strokes are powerful, creating my own resistance. I go straight out, then straight up, and throw in a couple of lifts from the side as well.

8. I bought a DVD of a cardio workout, which I'm going to try to do at least once a week. I haven't tried it yet, but I'll probably start out doing just the first part, and work my way up from there. It's danced based, and I love to dance, so it should be fun.

I think that's all of it. I might add more if I realize I've forgotten something. As you can see, this is really basic. It's not one of those "loose five pounds in a week" diets. I'm trying to change my lifestyle, so I'm not doing anything drastic, just little things here and there. Maybe my list isn't for you, but you're welcome to use it as a basis for your own small changes.

Basically, the healthiest I've been was actually in Italy, because I walked everywhere and it was almost impossible to even find processed foods. Our veggies came straight from the farmers, and even our "easy meals" were low in salt and preservatives, and didn't come drowning in sauce or gravy. I've never seen butter, white bread, and even snacks that were so healthy. I'm trying to get back to that.

Care to join me? Let me know. Leave a comment. I don't really have a support system for healthy living out here, especially since our choices for groceries are Walmart (mostly chemicals) and Kroger (where everything costs about twice as much as Walmart, and is out of my budget).

Wish me luck!


Do you see what I have to put up with? No help, whatsoever. Lies on his back while I'm trying to work out...he's already killed three of the plants I was starting indoors.

Resigned

Yesterday was a bit of an anticlimax. We went back to Lafayette park, picked up "Worth it?" and then Mrs. Alice's Mom took Alice shopping (I was there too, but it wasn't my kind of store (It wasn't Alice's either, for that matter) and I've already spent too much money on this trip, so I hung back in the shoe area with a notebook). We went to lunch at Panera (I highly recommend the Fuji Apple Chicken Salad, which is saying something since I don't normally like Panera except for their bagels).

We came back to the apartment. I don't know how, but Alice and her mom got into a blow-up fight about her future. It mirrored exactly a discussion I had with my mom a few weeks ago, only there was less shouting and more bawling when we did it. Basically, it goes like this:

Mom: "Why aren't you doing anything with your life?"
Daughter: "I'm trying, but there are no jobs out there."
Mom: "You're a college grad, you should have a job."
Daughter: "No one is hiring entry level positions, and I'm not qualified for anything."
Mom: "So just pick something and apply. You can't afford to be picky in this economy."
Daughter: "I know, but most of those jobs won't pay enough for me to live on. I have to make X amount, and they only pay half that!"
Mom: "So decide what you want and work towards it! Just find a way to support yourself in the mean time!"

At which point it spirals horribly downward when the mother realizes that after four years of art school, neither of us feels qualified for an art job, would rather introduce our skulls to a nice brick wall than work in art, and other than eventually getting published, neither of us has any idea what we want to do with our lives anymore. We're caught in an endless cycle: To get a good job, we have to leave Ohio. In order to leave Ohio, we need a good job--I have $500 in my bank account, and my current job isn't going to give me enough to live on. Basically, I'd need a $1000-2000 signing bonus, and who is going to give me that?

After fifteen minutes of shouting, I left. I went for a nice long walk, got a Baskin Robbins shake, and came back slowly to find Alice and her mom beading together at the kitchen counter like nothing had happened. Because that's the great thing about moms: one minute you're at each other's throat, and the next you're baking cookies (and for the record, these arguments usually start because Alice and I both get pissed off and pig headed in the same way our dad's do, so technically, it's their fault. And that is my (late) mother's day gift to everyone out there: it's all the guy's fault).

In the evening, we went back to the Torpedo Factory, which was having a sidewalk sale/open studio night. It was interesting. Alice wanted to show me the fiber artists, since if you are Fine Artist doing fiber at CCAD you're automatically not as good as the painters and belong in Fashion, and the Fashion people look down on you because you aren't "couture" enough (even though most of them wouldn't know couture if it bit them in the ass). A lot of them were really interesting, but I don't want to touch a gallery with a ten foot pole right now. The little shows like Code Pink are fine, but I've had enough of the art world. I need some time off.

We ended the night by watching movies on FX. Action, blood and gore: the perfect ending for the day. No plans for today, since Alice has crossed the University of Virginia off her list, and they still haven't replied to my email.

Apologies; I'm getting back into that bad mood I didn't want to broadcast.