Homemade Ninja

My brother is a film major, his girlfriend is an art major. They make a great artsy couple. This is the brainchild of their talents. Watch, subscribe, learn, be amazed at your new skills.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=UUU7dUUOXywG-lnVP-XPFoyQ

To my dad

One time my dad changed my Pandora profile so it read the following:

I play the piano and the viola. I'm cute as a bug, but I will not get serious with any of the boys that are chasing me because my dad told me not to get serious until I am at least 21 years old. I enjoy all types of music, but especially Classic Rock because it reminds me of home and my dad, who grew up during the Classic Rock years. Speaking of my dad, he is so awesome!!! He taught me everything I need to know to avoid being seduced by RMs who like to stalk freshman. Thanks Dad!

Well Dad, 21 isn't too far off now. Bet you're wishing you'd made it 30! 

Happy birthday to the #1 dad. 

Love,

Jodi

Yada yada yada

Things about me, from least interesting to most interesting.

I am putting off a big take home test, because I'm tired or something.

I did Insanity for two weeks and stopped because I got a second job.

I have two jobs. I get fed at both.

I thought I lost my favorite ring at the temple so I went back and checked the lost and found. When I got home I found it in my purse. I love that ring 920349835x more now.

I recently threw a moustache party with Marissa and Amanda.

I made a terrarium. There's a brontosaurus but he's hiding from the t-rex in the back.

I made a painting on a date, featured in this artsy photo. It's in sepia so my colorblind readers don't feel like they're missing out.

On Monday someone tried to steal my bike, in the middle of the day, when I was doing yoga in my front room with the windows open. I went out there and told him what was up and now my bike is safe and sound inside my apartment.

How's that for the most bland, anticlimactic update ever? 

Bak 2 Skool

Hi everyone. Just stopping by to say I survived the trip back home.

I had a short but wonderful Christmas, complete with a slumber party with  my 2-year-old niece and hours of playing Monopoly Deal. We like the game because it's quick, so any hard feelings don't last longer than 10 minutes. Unlike Settler's of Catan. I'm still bitter about Haley cutting off my longest road.

I had a fun week being a bridesmaid at the now Kara THIOT'S wedding in Dallas. I did NOT want to leave the warm weather! Besides participating in pre, mid, and post-wedding madness, I got to go to the world's coolest aquarium (according to me) and fly a plane over the city. And I had access to a fridge full of blue bell ice cream. 

Tomorrow I will have been back in Provo for a week but I'm still trying to figure out how to fit all my stuff in to my closet.

And on my desk. 

And in my cupboards. 

And in my bookshelf....

Anyway, more fun things to come. Right now I'm headed off to spend some quality time with the piano. 

I love you Provo.

Da boys

My boys were giving me hell the other day. Just look at them. Don't they just look like demons?

Then I discover an interesting new approach to achieving peace in my classroom (death threats and abuse have worn off). Reward them by letting them take pictures on my 3D phone. Potentially drastic? Absolutely. Effective? Partially. But it turned the child who does everything in his power to bug me into a teachers pet, claiming that I'm his best friend. Sarcasm? NOT A CHANCE.

Petersburg and some homemade pumpkin pie

Wanna hear something blasphemously un-American? 

I don't really like pumpkin pie.

WHOA.

I like just about anything pumpkin. And just about anything pie. But if I had an option I would pick almost anything over pumpkin pie. Much like how I enjoy root beer and ice cream but I can't stand them together. 

Why don't we just stop here and talk about my odd food tendencies for a minute.

I don't like my mom's famous baked beans. I don't like my mom's famous apple jello. I don't like shrimp. I don't like raw fish but I prefer steak still a bit bloody. I like pizza with orange juice. I hate dippin' dots. I get the kids mac n cheese at least 50% percent of the time I go to Olive Garden (the other half being first dates). I like to eat microwaved cookie dough. And I like my eggs salmonella-danger-zone gooey.

Yeah. I think that about does it. Back to the pie.

I offered to make my host family some real American food for dinner tonight. I'm the 6th American they've had live with them and still the only American food they've had is McDonalds. And let me tell you, the Russian McD's is nothing like the American ones. People go here to chat. They have a classy cafe section with comfy armchairs and the most delicious looking desserts that are nothing like the apple pie we get shoved in a cardboard box. They have breaded shrimp instead of chicken nuggets for crying out loud. 

So I made them a real American classic: tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. Taught them how to cut the sandwich diagonally and dip it just they way you're supposed to. 

Ok people, stop thinking I served them the stuff out of the can because I certainly did NOT. (Not that anything there's anything wrong with the canned kind. Besides the sodium content.) We went fresh and creamy for this one. I'm talking creamy. I told my host mom I needed whipping cream, imagining she'd bring back something like half and half, but the stuff she got me was too thick to pour. 

But that's how you know it's good. 

They told me it was the best soup they'd ever had, they wanted the recipe, and could I please make it again tomorrow? 

Thanks, yes, and probably not.

Then Anya asked me about the pumpkin puree for dessert, because she saw me making puree from a fresh pumpkin the day before. She was moderately shocked to see that I had turned it into a pie while she was at work. 

That's right, pumpkin pie from fresh pumpkin. Believe me when I say it made all the difference in the world. Or was it the sweetened condensed milk? Sorry to all the pumpkin pies I've ever had, but this one takes the cake...uh, pie. The crust was definitely lacking, but the filling was the best I've ever had. If I do say so myself.

Their reaction was somewhere along the lines of "why didn't you tell us you could do this before?" I wonder how they'd feel if I make tequila chicken and flambeed it in front of them? Or better yet, vodka chicken?

Dreds

Remember that time I did a hair wrap? Finally took it out. And up above the knot I had a nice little present. A mini dred! Took me forever to comb out and I was left with a nice little hair ball in my lap. Yummay.

Remind me to never get dredlocks.