Blah

I'm starting to get back into the swing of things with school....which is nice. So far things are rolling along as anticipated--which means that my attendance for my Comp I class is already lousy. It confuses me why so many of my students think it's ok to have missed 2 or 3 of the 6 class meetings that we've had so far... Other than that though, things are going well. I've been participating in the reader training for the course assessments. Which means that I get to go in to work on 4 Saturday mornings and read student letters. Exciting stuff I tell ya! :) But hey...I get paid extra, which is always good.

I've been really feeling the winter blahs lately...the weather here has been merely annoying, not bad...but that coupled with the short days and this weird stomach bug that keeps coming back...and I just want it to be springtime....

An update on the BBQ fundraiser: Rob's group raised almost $250! We did end up having to throw away some BBQ....which was painful, but at least everyone had enough and it didn't stain my tupperware orange :).

22 lbs of Hamburger

Last night Rob and I diligently made 5-4lb plus batches of BBQs (using a slightly modified version of my Grandma's BBQ recipe). Approximately 22 lbs of hamburger leaves a lot of greese. There is a mixing bowl full on my counter that I'm trying to figure out how to dispose of (maybe a milk jug?). We used two of the largest containers of ketchup that they sell at our local HyVee plus some from our fridge because our math on the ketchup was apparently not that accurate. Anyway....I don't want to look at ground beef or BBQs for a good few weeks...at least....and there is ketchup splattered all over our kitchen. Rob carted two giant tupperware bowls full of BBQ to work late last night because we didn't have room in our fridge to store the giant quantities. Luckly they have a very large fridge at Equitrust. I'm expecting lots of leftovers...perhaps I should be more optimistic about this fundraiser...but I don't want to see the stuff ever again which means we'll be stuck with a good 5-10 lbs of leftovers. Murphy's law. So please...please...Rob's co-workers who do not read my blog...please eat lots of BBQs. :)

Oh and if you're curious, here's my Grandma's modified BBQ recipe (in normal quantities):

1 lb of hamburger
3/4 cup ketchup
1 Tbs Mustard
1 Tbs Vinnegar
1 Tbs Sugar (I usually split this half white sugar and half brown sugar)
salt to taste

Makes about 6-8 BBQs...depending on the size of the buns. :)

If you want to make them just like Grandma Anetta...use only one teaspoon of white sugar and add some grated onion...I have nothing against onions...just faster this way. :)

JDRF

Rob is once again participating in Equitrust's fundraiser for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). He has taken on the role of team leader. If you would like to help him in his fundraising, click on the link below.

http://walk.jdrf.org/walker.cfm?id=87292159

This week I get to help him make a giant batch of B-B-Qs for a lunch fundraiser at his office. :) It's a good thing I have a top knotch B-B-Q recipe.

Back to School

Well I've completed my first week back at school. We had a half day on Monday due to a blizzard and we get Monday off for MLK day....It's nice to be able to ease into the semester a bit. So far the students are on their best behavior--so I have no idea what the semester will be like. My classes are both +1 (as in one over max) for enrollment. Which is a good thing--now I just hope I end up keeping 20 or so for the whole semester.

It's been very cold here this week...but not near as cold as it's been in ND and SD and MN. It is, however, the coldest winter that I can remember since we've lived in Iowa--which is confirmed by the local weather guy who insists that it hasn't been this cold since 1996. Really? -16 only happens once every 10 years or so here? -16 in Fargo is practically normal for January :). The elementaries and highschools in the Des Moines metro area were all closed on Thursday (the coldest day of the week). It makes me want to donate a bunch of children's mittens and scarves or something...because they are apparently not well enough equipped here. Oh well, we'll be back above freezing this weekend and the DOT will be back out spreading salt like crazy. Stay warm!

Where has my winter break gone!

Well I start school on Monday. I'm almost done revising my syllabi (I have a new textbook for Comp II so I had to change some things). So I'm almost ready for school to start...but man am I not ready for school to start. I had all of these notions about what I wanted to accomplish in my glorious month off...but it's dwindled to a meer three days and I haven't even finished taking down the Christmas decorations (though I am a firm believer that most of the decor should stay up until Three Kings Day/Epiphany...which was only two days ago).

I've been fighting this lingering phlegm fest of a minor cold this last week...not really sick, just annoying. Today I spent nearly two hours at my dentist where he was initially sure I would not need a root canal...and then by the end of the visit, he was sure I needed a root canal (of which I have to go to a specialist for because I have weird teeth...which means I have to wait for another two weeks to fix my toothache). Well atleast my dentist and I had a nice lengthy chat about the state of the American health care system while my novacaine was kicking in (My dentist really likes to talk politics...it's kind of weird...but in a good way :).

So I'm trying to decide which of my long list of things that I wanted to do I will actually try to accomplish in the next few days...I'm leaning toward taking the Christmas decorations down and doing very little else...I am on vacation...right?

Alton Brown on Fried Chicken

"It was like Colonel Sanders Pole Dancing..."

Happy New Year!

I hope that everyone has a fantastic New Years celebration and enjoys kicking 2008 in its pants as you say goodbye...but don't forget to add that extra "leap second" to your New Year's countdown :).

http://uk.reuters.com/article/burningIssues/idUKTRE4BR1DC20081229

Home from the Holidays

We're back in Iowa after a week in South Dakota with the families. We had a great time and got lots of fantastic presents. We lucked out and got two nice days to travel too, so I can't complain. Rob is back at work today and I'm off til Jan 12th when the new semester starts. We are looking forward to a quiet relaxing week at home (well aside from the whole Rob working and me cleaning and organizing thing :). Happy New Year!

Christmas photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarahjanesetnes/sets/72157611788030209/

Happy Holidays!

Happy Solstice Day! Today is the shortest day of the year...which means that starting tomorrow, the days get longer!

Tomorrow is the start of the eight days of Hanukkah. Christmas eve and Christmas day fall in the middle of the week and Kwanza the day after that. So whatever your faith, stay warm and enjoy all of the spirit of the season from Solstice to Epiphany (Jan 6th and the official last day of the 12 days of Christmas).

Here it's very windy and cold...I'm talking highs below zero. We're trying to decide when to make the long drive to South Dakota. Ground blizzard conditions are holding us up...but if we don't make it out of here today, we'll be heading out early tomorrow. So see you all after Christmas!

The Big Bang Theory

What Penny gave to Sheldon for Christmas: