Sunday, August 16, 2009

Real World Staaarts, NOW!

It's been a long time. About two weeks since the last entry I think. We've been both broke and busy for the majority of those two weeks. Leah started working the day after we got back and I relaxed/prepared for the start of training. Orientation/new teacher training has been somewhat of a bust. An expectedly subpar mix of useless activities and required information.

Some excitement was granted to us late in the week of our return. I had just finished a hike to the end of the greenbelt and Leah was planning on picking me up and giving me a ride back home. All was well until we were driving down Bee Caves Rd and Leah's accelerator ceased to have any effect on the forward movement of the car. The engine was still on but momentum and gravity were all that were moving us forward. Leah pulled into a driveway that was slightly uphill and brought the car to a stop. No flat tires, no leaks of fluid onto the ground and no parts of the car visible on the ground. Hmmm? No idea what could be wrong. The car will not start back up. Battery's fine. Hmmm? I glance across the street and there are two automotive shops. Perfect. Now all we have to do is cross 5 lanes of busy traffic. Leah's in the driver's seat cranking the wheel for lack of power steering and I am pushing. A peculiar man drinking a margarita on the sidewalk offered to help and so he was walking behind the car....?
There was a steep downhill into the Goodyear store and so I slammed the door and Leah was off. She did great and pulled the car to the side and stopped smoothly. By the morning of the next day they had diagnosed and fixed the problem. There was a short in the ignition wiring in the engine compartment as well as a bad ignition. Good to go now though.

The heat has continued to be oppressive but we've managed to get out for a few walks and rides. Marie and I got out for a walk on the greenbelt a while back. That brought back memories of good times past. Leah and I also drove to a mid-point entrance to the greenbelt and walked on a portion that she had not yet seen.

Bike rides have been few and far between lately. I suppose I am getting tired of waking up so early on the weekends to ride. That coupled with not being able to ride in the evenings because of the heat equals not much riding.

Leah had an interview on Friday the 14th at a place called Green Mountain Energy. She spent a good portion of the week preparing her print portfolio (comprised of some truly impressive pieces) and the interview went very well. She actually said, "it was the best interview that I've ever had". Needless to say we both have our fingers crossed for a good response from the company. The position is a paid internship for a graphic designer. Ideal. And because Leah would do a fantastic job as an intern, she would hopefully get hired afterwards. We'll just have to wait and see.

As I mentioned earlier I've been going to "work" everyday. It has really just been training and information seminars about the upcoming school year. My room will be in a brand new wing of the school and the builders just recently finished it to a point where the teachers could gain access. Our new rooms are great. They are large with state of the art technology and huge windows. There are 8 new teachers at the high school who are from this summer's teaching fellows program. Teachers tend to favor cliques and so being familiar with some other new people has been helpful to get started.

The biggest problem with working everyday is our schedules. Leah has been working during the evening after I work all day. Not a preferred situation. I don't like going an entire day without seeing her so I would of course stay up and wait for her to get home. Unfortunately that led to a sleep deficit. Also not a good situation. This is yet another reason why I am crossing my fingers for the internship.

I only have two photos to share this time. We literally have not taken any pictures in the last two weeks. I just took a couple of our plants. The aloe vera plant went nuts when we repotted it, but I think that its roots have reached their limit and will subsequently limit the size of the top. Our bougainvillea has really taken to the trellis and is flowering as well. The trumpet creeper is still flowering but has acquired some mites that seem to be munching on it.


I shouldn't forget that there has been some excellent cooking going on around here. Our favorite of late has been the following recipe for baked spaghetti. Between my love of food prep and Leah's finely tuned taste buds, we do pretty well. We hodge podged it together and it turned out great.

Note: the series of temperature increases is crucial.

Leah's Sauce

3 small carrots-finely chopped
1 medium onion-finely chopped
1 stalk celery-finely chopped
3 cloves garlic-pressed
2 large cans crushed tomatoes
1 handful parsley-finely chopped
2 tbsp. fresh basil-rolled and sliced
salt and pepper to taste

1. Soften carrots, onions and celery in olive oil
2. Add garlic
3. Add crushed tomatoes and let simmer until desired thickness has been reached
4. Add basil and parsley
5. Add salt and pepper to taste

Cheese Mix

2 eggs-beaten
4 C. mozzarella-shredded
~2 C. ricotta cheese
1/3 C. parmesan
5 tbsp. butter-melted

1. Mix all together. Save out 1 C. for later use

Cheese Topping

1/2 C. mozzarella
1/2 C. monterey jack
1/2 C. cheddar

1. Mix together

Pasta

1 lb. spaghetti noodles-cooked and drained

All Combined

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg. F
2. Mix noodles with large part cheese mixture
3. Mix in desired amount of sauce-approx. 4 C.
4. Place in 9"X13" baking dish, cover and bake for 40 min.
5. Spread remaining cheese mixture over top, raise temperature to 425 deg. F for approx. 10 min.
6. Spread cheese topping over top and bake at 425 deg. F until the cheese is browned

That's all for now. Thanks for reading. Enjoy the end of your summer wherever you are. Hopefully we will soon be peeking our heads out from our summer hibernation. And if you happen to make this recipe, let us know what you think.

Love Jay and Leah.

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