The Year Begins

The transition from 2012 to this new year passed with many changes for me, so I thought I would document some of them, and some will have to be enough.

Vacation

 

My very very good friend Mel came to visit just before Christmas.  We had a great time visiting the more interesting parts of central Florida.  Manatees were....large, and I suppose they would have been cuddly had we been allowed to get in the water and tested the theory, but I love them regardless of what I was and was not allowed to do.

 We also went to Universal where we rode almost every ride there was to be ridden, drank butterbeer, stood in a lot of lines, and got very wet on a rather cold day.  Also no regrets here.  We also visited an animal adventure park in the sticks.  It was kind of red-neck, but we go to hold gators so I am happy.  Oh, and we spend one glorious day doing absolutely nothing but lounging around on the beach.

School Update

 

Yes, I am still in school.  Yes, I will be done soon.  No, I will not say whether or not this is the end, for every time I declare I am "finally done", I end up going back....don't tempt fate is my new mantra.  Here are some pictures of the hospital that has been kind enough to take me on as a student laboratorian.  Not completely sure what the deal is with the horses.  They are all over town and I suspect they are intended for the artistic enrichment and tourism stimulatory effect on the town.  Ocala.  That is the town to which I have moved, and the town where I will be living for the next 5 months or so.

 

This is more for the parents than anyone because I don't know if they will be back here before I move again and I know how much yous twos like seeing where your children are living.  So here it is:

The covered porch off the living room where my plants live

The kitchen as viewed from the living room (thanks T2 for the card-table and chair)

The bedroom and the covered porch off the bedroom

The bathroom, yes I have a tub, and yes it was sorely missed

This winter has been much colder than the last for the following reasons:  

Ocala is typically around 5-10 degrees cooler than where I lived on the coast, 

I live on the bottom level and I get very little sunlight touching the inside of my apartment,

the heater in my apartment is broken, and I haven't attempted to get it fixed to save a little cash by not adding to the electric bill

So this is what I look like when it gets in the 40s or below outside (below 65 in my apt) 

I admit I have become a wimp, there is not much more to say on the topic

And just to prove that it can get cold in Florida on occasion, 

this was the forecast for the week 

And now for a little cooking adventure time

Not ever day is a cold day this winter, so I have had a chance to enjoy a little culinary-coolness.  Here is the progression of making strawberry ice cream, I used a basic recipe that came with my ice cream freezer (that Ereek gave me for my birthday last year, smiley face), added a little balsamic vinegar for the lemon juice because I thought it would be fun, and made it a custard because custards freeze better.  That is to say the ice cream doesn't gain as much volume, preventing it from overflowing its boundaries during the freezing process, and the extra protein and fat also gives the final product a more creamy texture.  Disclaimer: The following picture commentaries are very brief and should not be used for recipe duplication, unless your name is Tracie, then you are going to do whatever you want anyway and the pictures will be guide enough.

chopped the strawberries, added sugar and vinegar and let stand for about 20 minutes

cooked the milk and added the remaining sugar and eggs to make the custard, 

mashed the strawberries to make them more juicy, 

strained the milk to omit any large pieces of cooked egg

Final product, it was pretty good, I liked the darker flavor the vinegar added, but I think I would have liked the lemon juice just as well, so I will likely make it that way next time instead

Tim and Tara and I like to share in cooking adventures sometimes, and last week we used the excuse of celebrating the Chinese New Year, we made these pot-stickers which actually turned out pretty fantastically thanks to Tara's quick fingers and ninja-like wrapping skills

The Audrey and The Lincoln and I made snake puppets

Tim secretly wanted to make some too, but one of us had to be the adult and it certainly wasn't going to be me, thanks for taking one for the team 64

I guess that about wraps up enough of the goodness for now.  Although not everything is goodness, I have plenty in my cup, and I am grateful for the healthy portion I have been given.