Asian Cucumber and Sesame Salad February 24, 2009

• 1 English cucumber
• 2 Tbsp. sesame seeds, toasted We ran out of time to toast them, but it was still yummy!
• 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 4 tsp. mirin This is a wine btw! I didn’t know that
• 2 tsp. rice vinegar 
• 1 tsp. sugar

Cut the cucumber lengthwise into 1/4-inch pieces, cut each piece in half, then cut the halves lengthwise into thin strips. Place them into a bowl and set aside. Place the soy sauce, mirin, rice vinegar, and sugar into a small container with a secure lid. Put the lid on and shake to create the vinaigrette dressing. Pour the vinaigrette over the cucumber, toss to coat, cover, and marinate for 1 hour, stirring once or twice. Just before serving, sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds on top.

 

Thank you to http://www.chooseveg.com/display_recipe.asp?recipe=31 for your WONDERFUL recipe!

 

okay okay, I know it doesn’t look all that appetizing, but it was!!

AP CLASSES! and a bunch of other stuff… February 24, 2009

I worked out my schedule today and I am taking FIVE AP classes next year. 5. I know. So I better have the BEST summer this year because I am going to have NO social life next year! I’ve thought about it and I can’t really drop any of them. I really want to take them all! So I’m going to. It’s probably not the best idea, but there you have it.

 

I made dinner tonight! Courtesy of ChooseVeg.com, I found two recipes, one for “Cheesy” Potato Casserole, and the other for Asian Cucumber and Sesame Salad. I loved them both, however I don’t think they quite meshed together. I’ll put separate posts of both of them

 

I’ve been listening to a podcast every night (though maybe not tonight because I’m beat) and they are wonderful. Colleen Patrick-Goudreau is the most enlightened, fabulous person I have ever heard. Except for you know, Gandhi and such I would HIGHLY HIGHLY suggest listening to one of them. They truly range in length, from about 5 minutes to over an hour, so it’s up to you. She discusses various topics about being or going, vegetarian and vegan. I love her enthusiasm and it makes me want to do more for the animals!

 

I’ll put a couple pro-animal posts on here eventually. Hopefully soon

 

I might go to England with my friend this summer! For a foreign exchange program. It will kill me to leave martial arts for an entire MONTH, but I’m pretty sure it would be worth it! Nothing is set in stone however. Especially because of this dang economy…

 

Have a wonderful week everyone! I love you all!

 

Love, KT

Bicycling! February 22, 2009

Hey all! I know it’s been ages since I last posted, but I figure I might as well start up again. Hopefully I will keep it updated this time

 

So today is the last day of a week long break and it was very refreshing! Yesterday it was unusually nice weather for February so we pulled out the leashes and our bikes and took off towards the park.

 

I’ve never been much of a biker, that was always Meg, and she’s always asking if I’ll go with her. But nonetheless it was soo fun! I love how when you’re speeding down a hill (I never go too fast hehe) you can feel the wind pick up and your little arm hairs are going all over the place and you feel like you lost 50 pounds. Well that’s how it is for me at least

 

Me and Penny

 

Daddy and Meg

 

 

 

The dogs had a wonderful time, and I took pictures of myself with them, since I’ve rediscovered how much I love taking pictures (though my talent is not so great). So enjoy! Have a wonderful week!

 

Love, KT

Summer Camp! June 24, 2008

Hey all! I’m gonna start blogging again for this summer, so stay tuned!

 

I just got back from summer camp, a 4 day martial arts training spree. I got to know a ton of people and had lots of fun. It helped me realize that I don’t handle a lack of sleep and stress very well, and I surprised myself with my lack of self control. This weekend truly was a learning experience for me, learning how to interact with other people, without giving them the wrong idea or being too friendly. And occasionally, my naturally giggly self became too much and got me in difficult situations. One thing I need to work on.

 

As I’m growing up and my giggles appear as flirtations, I’m slowly learning boundaries to keep and which friends to make. Although I honestly want to be friends with everyone, some friendships are too tricky to keep unfortunately. I’ve decided that my ultimate life would be completely myself, without having to hold back any of my laughter.

 

All in all, camp was awesome, and I can’t wait for next year!

 

Love,

KT

Recent Life January 5, 2008

Hey All!

Okay, so I know the last time I posted something was last year (haha) but I just wanted to tell you all that I am doing great!

 

I celebrated my 16th birthday about a month ago and I haven’t quite gotten my license yet…I’m planning on getting it soon though. Christmas was great, we visited my cousin and her two adorable kids. Miranda

Gabe

 

Those are pictures I took with the new camera I got for my bday

 

For my birthday party we decorated cookies! (vegan of course) and we had lots of fun. Especially with my new camera

 

HALF of the cookies Mom and Mimi made!

 

I decided to bring in the leftover cookies to Martial Arts, because there were SO many left over…yeah without icing they don’t taste much like..well like cookies. But since most of my demo team friends don’t have high salaries, they were pleased with free…bread like cookies.

 

Martial Arts has been a ton of fun. I did get invited to join the Demo team, so two times a week I train with the best Martial Artists at the school. I have DEFINITELY improved and am even more excited to continue. Also about a month ago I was moved up to the adult class (because I turned 16!) So I’m being challenged for hours on end!

 

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday!

Back! Not sure for How Long… September 20, 2007

Firstly, I apologize for not writing. High school has started and it is taking a lot out of me…don’t think my body really agrees with waking up at 5:30…Other than that, life has been great. As some of you may know, I love and appreciate chaos. For one, it makes the slightly boring parts of my day go by faster, and I can look forward to all of the wonderful things in my life!

 

Martial Arts is the one truly stable thing in my chaotic life right now, which I think is helping to keep me grounded. I try to go everyday, for one, it is truly helping to make me stronger, and it is a great way to release stress and to push myself. I recently started going to an extra Martial Arts thing, with the adult class, which is 20 times harder. No joke. I feel so lame and inexperienced in there, which just makes me want to work harder…Like my flexibility, which girls are supposed to be better at…but half of the guys in the class are better than I am…but I love pushing myself even if it is terribly painful and makes me sore…I’m going to All Night Training tomorrow night, which is exactly what is sounds like…training..all…night…but I excited!

 

I am volunteering at the aquarium this school year too, and my first day is this Sunday, yup my weekend is pretty full, with All Night Training, and aquarium, and homework, and all that fun stuff.

 

I am very sleepy, so I will call it a night. I hope this was enough to tide you all over for a while…

August 15, 2007

TAYLOR SWIFT: TEARDROPS ON MY GUITAR

have recently discovered the singer Taylor Swift. She is played on the country station, but she doesn’t sound like country to me…maybe the instruments. Kind of a Faith Hill confusion thing going on. (Faith Hill is considered country, but has some songs that edge out of it…)

This doesn’t usually happen, but I fell in love with her most popular song. Usually I just want to hear the rest of their music, but I love this song too. It is actually a pretty depressing song, and the video is just more depressing, but I like it, in all of its depressingness.

Just Hanging On August 15, 2007

There are less than 3 weeks until school starts. I know. Depressing thought. Don’t get me wrong, I love school (weird kid) but I love the sunshine and I am just hanging on to my last few days of summer.

 

I hooked up YouTube so that I can post videos. Make blogging a little more interesting…

Flash Back August 8, 2007

I think I was born in the wrong era. It would be so amazing to live in the 1940’s (the Great Depression is a minor set back prior to that…) or much earlier, 360 BC, the times that Alexander the Great lived in. Or the years of the setting for the theatre/movie Tristan and Isolde. Everything was much truer in those earlier times, yes, women were treated terribly, but there was still some justice. Jobs meant hardly nothing to them, there weren’t computer programmers, or cell phone companies, there were blacksmiths and herbalists. Everything was much simpler, but raw and unshapen. Wars were erupting all over, to claim what little land was known of, but they were fought with swords and tomahawks and bow and arrows, not guns and missiles. Everything took skill, to be a leader you had to act like one, you had to earn your place, not people with lots of money bribing their way to the top. Those who won the wars either had lots of people or skill. People lived for love, without that, there was just monotonous fights and living on the land. There were no supermarkets, there were outdoor markets where you bought from your neighbors, or imported from somewhere close by. In the 1940s there was glamour and hope for better times. The music and movies are fantastic from then, all revolving around this one concept; love. Nowadays there are ‘chick flicks’ or ‘romantic comedies’ that don’t have the same truth that reverberated in other times. The best romance movies, in my opinion are always set in other times, times that had more romance, that people came across, not desperately searching for on the Internet, or blind dates. Even the books I am mildly obsessed with, Twilight, New Moon, and recently added, Eclipse, they are based in our time, but all of the fantastic characters come from past times, that have lived through the world as it has changed. There was a certain something that made the glamour these days stand to shame when compared to those times, or the love stories we hear. It is a pity that technology and freedom have replaced the trueness of love and a way of life.

WOW! August 2, 2007

Today I spent the majority of the day playing WOW-World of Warcraft. Another one of my ‘quirks,’ I do enjoy playing it, though it does get somewhat monotonous after a while. I suppose I won’t be one of those that sells their house and divorces their spouses in order to play some more…I am a level 46 Paladin (called a “Pally” by savvy players…) which says something about my personality. Pallys’ are the healers, they don’t have as many fighting skills, like warriors, but they heal and I like to think of them as the nicer ones…There are 70 levels, so 46 is getting up there…there used to be 60, but we got the update. Basically, you go around gathering quests (different ideas for excuses to kill things) and then fulfilling those quests. Along the way you get experience points (XP) and reputation points. XP goes towards leveling up, and reputation points make you a more honored citizen or whatnot of the cities you have a good rep with. I like playing WOW, because you can play with other people, and there isn’t a set sequence. You can go wherever you want, unlike some computer games where you have to follow a set path, and there really isn’t an ‘end.’ Even when you hit level 70, you can still go around and get better armor and weapons and stuff. It’s fun, but it’s better when you play it, rather than listen about it.

 

Eclipse comes out in 5 DAYS!! I am so excited, but I won’t give anything away, don’t worry. I also expect ALL of you to read it, and read Twilight and New Moon if you haven’t already.

 

Happy Summer!