Come to Ms. D......

Today has been my first real day of class.
Wednesdays are our Comprehensive Review Day, or Comp Review as we like to call it, and all we do is take tests all day long in one subject.
Unless we get behind and fail the test from the week before and then we have to take that test on top of this week's test.
Such was the case for several folks, including myself.
Most all of us had a Come-To-Jesus meeting with Ms. D on why we weren't doing good and where we could improve and she let us voice our worries.
I am worried.
How in the world am I going to pass Boards?
These two tests are the biggest tests I have ever in my life taken and probably will ever take.
I have two years/five semesters of knowledge that I have to pull out of my head for two tests that are 170 questions each!
That my friends is a huge amount of material to cover.
Ten weeks from today I will take my Arts Boards.
I have ten weeks to prepare.
I have already cut out watching tv and dis-whatevered my facebook.
I've even given up drinking!
I haven't had anything to drink since Christmas Eve!
I think I'm going to have to give up reading blogs (Goodbye, Pioneer Woman!  I'll miss you!), catching up on my reading list, and put aside my wedding magazines.
I really have to push all of that wedding crap out of my head.
My exercising efforts are going to fall off as quickly as they began and my cooking practice is going to have to take a backseat to eating cereal because it doesn't require much time.
I really hate cereal.
I'm really upset about having to give up sleeping 8 hours a night.
I think I could cut back to six and maybe get all my work done.
But I'm already a terrible automobile narcoleptic.
How much worse can it get before it kills me?
I've got to start spending my time at work more efficiently, studying every free second I have.
I'm not going to give up going to church (I only go one hour a week), and I'm going to have to make time for my daily not-quite-so-daily Bible reading.
I'm not giving up blogging.
Blogging is my outlet and without it I may implode.

I will probably cut back though and maybe this will mean I have better things to write about.
Maybe I won't gripe about the unfairness of Boards the whole time.
I'm upset right now but not as upset as I will be if I have to pay $400 again to take the stupid Boards again.
This is doable but its not fun or easy.
Would someone remind me why I'm doing this again?

Dear Pioneer Woman

Dear Pioneer Woman,
I love you but you almost killed me tonight.
I love your blog.
I read it several times a day.
I've tried several of your recipes, my latest being your Fried Zucchini Strings.
Uh-huh.
I think you know where this is going.
I don't know how to fry!
But I'm a pyro and I know how to start fires!
I waited until the grease (I'm from Alabama, we don't call it oil) was very hot.
I plunged in my first batch of Zucchini Strings, just like you said, and let them brown.
They turned out OK. A little smaller than I thought they'd be but maybe I julienned them a little too much.
This was my first time using a mandolin before; I'm a beginner.
Salted them, devoured them, forged ahead.
The second batch turned out about the same as the first.
Still liking this project, we (Melanie and I) kept on.
This time, I put in too many.
And our pot was too small.
And the grease spilled over the side.
And the eye caught on fire.
And I screamed muddy blurder.
And Melanie screamed muddy blurder.
And Nikki (that's my dog) went berserk.
It was a very dramatic few seconds, you should have been there.
Really, you should.
The flames were only about a foot tall and licking the bottom of the microwave.
Me, in my infinite wisdom, threw two of Melanie's favorite kitchen towels on the flames to smother them.
I learned this in all those stupid courses I've taken that I thought I'd never have a use for.
Melanie was afraid the towels would catch on fire and I barely managed to stop her from pouring a cup of water all over our electric stove!!!
But, the situation was taken care of.
The towels were thrown away.
I decided I'd had enough of danger and Zucchini Strings for one night and poured us both a stiff drink to calm our nerves.
Maybe another night, probably tonight, I'll try the Fried Zucchini Strings again.
But this time, I'll be armed with baking soda and a fire extinguisher.
And possible a fire truck.
I really need to get some Renter's Insurance.
Today.
Love,
Your Friend You've Never Met,
Rachel.
P.S. There are no pictures to go along with this post.
I find it very difficult to take pictures while cooking and not fighting fires.
I don't know how you do it.
But, that's why you're my hero.

Don't Mind Me While I Stroke Out

I am so broke.
I get paid Saturday.
Saturday as in two days from now.
My check is already gone.
The money has already been used up with my bills.
So I'm looking forward to the next paycheck.
Two weeks from now.
My car still hasn't been returned to me.
It will be borrowed until at least Monday.
That will put it at 15 days out of my possession.
Oh, how I miss my car.
I'd like to run away.
School starts in less than a month.
I'm really gonna stroke out if it turns out that the whole thing was a sham and school's really not paid for.
Oh, dear.