i am at least 80% convinced that i have broken at least one of my toes on my left foot.

i am absolutely 100% crazed that i still do not know who sent me that mug.

success

even though its only been a few hours since my last post, i am just really stoked to have these mugs. plus i wore myself out at the gym and i have a test tonight (convenient excuses right), so it seemed like the perfect time to fire up my black&decker and enjoy a hot cup-a-joe.

heres how that went for me:

gourmet and supreme? how could this coffee possibly not be amazing

first attempt: not looking quite right. as you might notice that is clear water dripping from the filter. my wealthy coffee machine was too difficult for the likes of me to figure out. apparently you dont just dump water on top of the filter...i guess thats why theres space for water in the back. add one for me not being an adult.

second attempt: looking a lot better. at least i learn from my mistakes... occasionally.

success!

now its time to enjoy this bad boy, jam to some say anything, and get some studying done.

:)

if you might recall a few postings ago i ever so gently asked for someone to send me a coffee mug. well i must have wished upon the right star that evening, because not only did i get one mug, but three.

and that kind of dedication deserves some attention, don't you think?

mug #1

courtesy r. shanahan

mug #2

courtesy e. eckstrom

mug #3

courtesy anonymous*

*though i do have some solid guesses at from whom his beauty originated, i must confess i need you to unmask yourself (that is unless, of course, john wayne himself hath sent this from beyond)

edit: i really have exhausted all possible ideas i had of who this might be, so mystery mugger who are you?

but seriously you guys, the mugs mean a lot. i didnt bring anything to adorn my little space, so being able to look at your mugs brightens my space quite a bit. and dont worry im going to rotate between them everyday.

for anyone else, if you have something you want me to put up, or drink out of, i am always accepting donations.

i hate budgeting.

too much writing

well if you really want to get me to do math i guess the best way is to turn the problems into recipes. i mean seriously, when jeffery steingarten is required reading are you actually in school?

other things. eric you do deserve mention, and not only because you are the only one who commented, also not because i didnt see you when you were in dc. mostly because that was a hilarious comment. i just think you should know "kudos". anne-chovies was good, but the top chef/jon & kate plus 8 comment was over the top.

so see, if youre checking back often and commenting you may get a shout out.

anyway, i just finished my first weekend here and i would sa

y that it was quite a success. now of course it is me we are talking about so there is my devastating financial situation, coupled with my absolute inability to spend wisely.

this weeks example: i had to print some forms out, and when i went to do that the pages that came out were completely blank. realizing i would need a printer often, i decided to drive into poughkeepsie (which really is kind of as bad as it sounds, the

re are just things places, random buildings, shopping centers arent attached, the paint is all peeling off, downtown is a confusing blend of almost charming and potentially government subsidized housing) and go to office depot. now i happen to own a hp 4400 deskjet or something like that. when i walked into the store i stood behind a desk at the ink depot, an employee asked me if i needed for help and as i started to respond he just goes, "yeah over there go look for it". great, so not only am i trapped in this awful, budget office depot, they apparently have the rudest and least helpful staff ever. my story is getting really long, so let me shorten it for you. i couldnt find any ink suitable for a 4400 model, but i did find one that worked for 4440, and 4402 and so on in the fashion of 44_ _. i figured the hell with it that would be fine. $37 later, i get back to my dorm open that bad boy up, take off the prote

ctive tape covering...and then pull out my old cartridge. well needless to say it didnt fit. i ended up just putting my old one in, the printer asked me to align it, and guess what, a whole page printed out in a rather vibrant black. i had ink the whole time.

i some how always forget that i am just not an adult at all, like the time i didnt know what a deductable was, or how much i pay for my cell phone bill.

with that exception the weekend was really nice. on saturday a few of us went to the market, picked up some striped bass, asparagus and things for a salad. the school has a couple of outdoor brick grills near the edge of campus by the water, that students are allowed to use, so we (and by we i mean philip and christian) put together a buerre

blanc, grilled up the asparagus and fish, tossed together a quick arugula/mesclun salad, and enjoyed a few glasses of white wine.

as christian would say, our ghetto ass mise en place

then perhaps the best thing that could ever happen to anyone happened to me. this guy walks out to the grill and asks me if we are almost done so he and his friends could get on. i tell him yeah, pretty close and he says, "cool, you want a mojito?" what the fuck, i am never leaving culinary school. yes i absolutely want a mojito.

for easter philip and i explored the vanderbilt mansion a bit. we had planned to make dinner again, but easter put a halt on that idea. so we headed into rhinebeck. which is the realization of quaint and charming. the meal we had at arielle, maybe not so stellar, but the town certainly deserving of more time.

school

so if you're wondering, ive done it. im all moved in. now of course when i got here to my luxury dorm, and began unpacking my belongings i realized i hadnt the foresight to bring blankets or pillows, or any sort of academic utensil. you know like a pencil...

but in only one brief target trip (by brief i do mean for myself, my mother and grandmother might have seen the situation differently) ive got all i need, with one glaring exception. a coffee mug. now you might be saying, "hey anne why dont you just go buy a coffee mug that they most assuredly have in the book store" but then i would say, "no thats an awful idea, because they are $11" sooo basically what i am positing to you is that i would like a coffee mug. you could be that person who will supply me with one. and then think of the possibilities, every morning as i wake up and turn on my black and decker single pot coffee machine, and load it with whatever fucking awful folgers blend i bought, i will be forced to think of you fondly. its a great way to get, and to stay in my good graces, dont you think?

ok i will find my address:

Anne Alexander

CBN #422

1946 Campus Drive

Hyde Park, NY, 12538

excellent.

now, on to a little about me here at school, for those that care. yesterday, we received our class schedules and by the grace of god i didnt test into remedial math. that may sound a little down on my math abilities, but thats not really how i think of it. i just like to think that my math abilities totally exist, we just arent well acquainted. but apparently no matter. we also got our knife kits, which is awesome. i dont know why everyone doesnt just go to college this way. we have wine and beer clubs, and we get knives. this sounds way better than three strikes youre out at CU. lastly, yes i have made some friends. i know it was a shock to me as well. as befitting a young lady of my sensibilities, all of my 5 friends thus far are boys. one of them was actually cooking at brabo in old town (alexandria) before this. we make a lot of rape jokes, which are hilarious until i realized im the only one that is potentially going to get raped, so maybe not. we smoke cigarettes and drink beers. sometimes they talk about football, which you know, thank god for my new years resolution or i would be even more lost. and they are all way better cooks than i am, but they seem like the people to know.

so that about wraps it up so far. i start class today at 4. food safety, followed by gastronomy. and then tomorrow i have culinary math and product knowledge. fun stuff.

im going to try to update a little more frequently than i had been, so moms and what not can read up on me, so check back often.

anne