Nic Marks: The Happy Planet Index | Video on TED.com

Nic Marks: The Happy Planet Index | Video on TED.com

happy planet index. this is why i love ted. beside being on a statistical analysis kick, i love how ted inspires.

David McCandless: The beauty of data visualization | Video on TED.com

David McCandless: The beauty of data visualization | Video on TED.com

tribute to my stats class. "data is the new soil"

broke but inspired

these are just some images that are aesthetically pleasing to me.... they all come from a blog fav of mine http://thebeautyfile.blogspot.com.  enjoy!

first week of my mba

-$20,000 in student loans, -3,000 to bail friend out of jail, -2,600 to buy another car, -800 to fix old car (yes i now have two cars).


it has been a very busy month and i have not had a chance to write about all my goings on.  but, despite being as broke as can be i am extremely happy in my current life situation.  no longer am i stuck in the purgatory of out of college but without real job.  i am now back to being a student, enrolled in a mba program that is ranked in the top 50 in the nation.

i am one week in and have already decided that i need to save managerial economics til next semester.

my current schedule as it will remain;

ba 650 financial reporting and analysis
ba 651 organizational behavior
ba 652 statistical analysis
ba 655 marketing

my impression of my classes is that they will be very very challenging, ...of my professors, that they love what they do and really do want us to succeed,...of my classmates, that they are the most intelligent group of people that i have ever met.

i have quit my job and my guitar lessons :(, but i can't justify guitar lessons when i am living off loans.  my only focus for the next two years is to do well in this program, network my butt off, get great internships, and get a job that will make me rich.

taco salad mystery recipe

this salad was amazing, however, i have no idea where the inspiration came from for this.  i can't seem to find the recipe i used and will probably never be able to recreate it exactly. even though i started a blog to record and archive these sorts of things.  i think i really must have a.d.d.   anyway, i know that the dressing was made form lime juice and other things, (honey, but i remember thinking i would 86 the honey on my 2nd attempt)

thank goodness for photos....
ingredients; avacado
corn
chicken
tomatos
red onion
black beans
salsa
tortilla chips
various seasonings
exc..

pride!

these are some highlights of our night in hillcrest during pride.  a picture says a thousand words, so here are 3000 for you to ponder.

1st guitar lesson

yesterday was my very first guitar lesson.

i need to write down this mess of feelings that i experienced after my guitar lesson, so that i can continue to practice and not lose motivation.

i felt excited with the possibility, happy that i was trying something totally new and foreign, every song i heard i tried to make a mental note to learn (once i am good enough obviously), pure bliss and joy, and all i did was learn chords Em Am C and D and how to hold the guitar correctly.

so happy to have found something else that i think i will love very much.

my current listenings, it's good, real good

Cold War Kids- Santa Ana Winds
Cold War Kids- Audience of One
Cold War Kids- Golden Gate Jumpers
Dr. Dog- Shadow People
Julian Casablancas- 11th Dimension
Julian Casablancas- Tourist
Free Energy- Bang Pop
Delta Spirit- Strange Vine
Delta Spirit- Ode to Sunshine
Surfer Blood- Take it Easy
Surfer Blood- Swim
TV On The Radio- Wolf Like Me
Violent Femmes- Kiss Off
Drake, ft. Peter Bjorn- Let's Call it Off

while listening to these tunes you should be relaxing, maybe stretching on a yoga mat, drinking either a light mexican beer (sol preferred, but corona will do) or iced green tea- because it is so damn hot, or reading blogs.

happy listening!

picture needs some explanation, huh? okay, i stole it from a family member, he had it on his facebook page, what a hussy huh? anyway, the background is, that it was taken in tahiti (i think), for a modeling agency (chip n' dales, i think) when he was working with them. (he isn't the man in the photo, for anyone wondering) i love it, for obvious reasons, and took it. i don't think he would disapprove though. so enjoy.



the forgotten....

Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeros- Home
Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeros- Janglin'
Yeah Yeah Yeahs- Maps
Yeah Yeah Yeahs- Gold Lion
Vampire Weekend- Cousins
Vampire Weekend- (everything else vampire weekend has ever made)

Penne a la Punk Ass Betsy-- tribute to pioneer woman

this is so so yummy.....  found the recipe on pioneer woman's blog.   i don't know what they were thinking with the amount of heavy whipping cream they used.  i am convinced it is a typo.  I used reg. whipping cream and about a third of what the recipe calls for.  but yummmmmm...dil pickle made a delicious greek salad to go with it.

Here is the recipe from the website

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/09/cooking_with_my_punk-ass_little_sister_penne_a_la_betsy/

Prep Time: 25 Minutes

Cook Time: 25 Minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Servings:

Ingredients

• ¾ pounds Penne Pasta
• 1 pound Shrimp
• 3 Tablespoons Butter
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 whole Onion (small)
• 2 cloves Garlic
• ½ cups White Wine (or To Taste)
• 1 can Tomato Sauce (8 Oz)
• 1 cup Heavy Cream.......(used 1/3 cup whipping cream)
• Fresh Parsley, to taste .....(i didn't use this, parsley is fluff in my opinion)
• Fresh Basil - To Taste
• Salt To Taste
• Pepper To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Cook the penne pasta until tender-firm, also known as al dente.

Peel, devein and rinse (under cool water) 1 pound of extra large shrimp. Heat about 1 tbsp. butter and olive oil in a skillet. Add the shrimp and cook for a couple minutes until just opaque. Do not overcook them. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Now, put the cooked shrimp on the cutting board and pull off the tails. Chop the shrimp into bite –sized pieces and set aside.
Finely dice one small onion. Mince two cloves of garlic.

In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the garlic and onion and sauté, stirring occasionally. After the garlic and onions have cooked a bit add your white wine. Let the wine evaporate for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. If you would rather not use wine, you can use low-sodium chicken broth instead (about ½ cup).

Now add an 8-ounce can of plain tomato sauce. Stir well until combined. Then add 1 cup of heavy cream. Continue stirring. Turn heat down to low and let simmer.

Now chop your herbs, about a tablespoon of chopped parsley and about the same amount of chopped basil, or if you’re feeling very proper, chiffonaded.

Now add your chopped shrimp back into the tomato cream sauce. Give it a stir and add salt and pepper to taste. Throw in your herbs and stir until combined. Finally add your cooked penne pasta and give it a good stir. 

member jacket this way please

so as anyone who has met me knows, i am a real sucker for a cause.  aspca commercials will make me cry and empty my wallet.  some causes obviously i feel closer to than others, and that's when i get really sucked in.  anything that has to do with animals, and i'm hooked.

walking through a shopping center the other day, a girl from greenpeace asked me if i would like to help save the whales.   i said i don't have time and walked on (don't judge, that is what most people do.)  but then after walking around a little more, i saw her get shut down by dozens of other people, so i went over and asked how it is that i can help.  (after all, who doesn't like whales)  i told her that i thought what she was doing, (though challenging) was really important.  long story short,  i am now a member of greenpeace.   whether it was because i felt badly for the whales or the girl, or both.

today, i realized if i am going to give money to an organization, i should really get something for it. (that is the selfish part of this story).....  since i want to work at a contemporary art museum, if i become a member, who gets invited to new showings and events, that would be educational for me and maybe help me rub elbows with the right people.  so short story, even shorter, i am also a member of MCASD.  can't wait until the next "thurday night thing."

oooo  i hope there are some sweet perks.