Plate o' Shrimp

Shadowfax Snorkel Cruise

With Mom and Sheri...

posted by Sa @ 4:02 PM 0 comments

Out and about around the island

With Mic, Natalie and Larissa

posted by Sa @ 3:55 PM 1 comments

Shade and her buddy Larissa at the Beach....

She missed her friend, and would not leave her side... or at least would not leave her towel.

posted by Sa @ 1:21 PM 0 comments

The Big Christmas Eve Bash

There were no eggs in the grocery store so no egg nog. And I ran out of gas to run the oven in the middle of the Christmas eve roasting fest so I have been going over to the vacant apartment next door. But Christmas Eve was lovely none the less. We feasted on Roast Beast, Turkey stuffing mash and various side dishes. Sheri had coordinated a large group pf ex-pats and found us a lovely house to dine in. Perfect.

posted by Sa @ 11:19 AM 1 comments

Why you shouldn't

try to take a cherry christmas eve photo of yourself and your friends after you started in with the rum and cokes.....

posted by Sa @ 11:12 AM 0 comments

Four Blonds walk into a small Lance Aux Epines Apartment

It is due no doubt to all those years at the Zia Diner trying to keep my food budget in line, but I do my best work as a chef when I use what is at hand. The red peppers and chicken I was given by departing friends turned into Angel Hair pasta Al Arribata with chicken and rosemarry. The puff paste and ripe pears turned into a lovely little tart that went just fine with coconut and mango ice cream. There was wine curtesy of Nichole, Sheri and their Moms, and a good time was had by all.
It never ceases to amaze me how hard it is to train new people that I really do enjoy cooking. I really want to rip off the head of each and every person who has ever said to me "No, no, I don't want you to have to cook.. let's just go eat some crap somewhere else" Well, that last part is what I hear in my head, and I find it EXTREMELY vexing. Now the chowder clan and my family I have mostly trained. And Nichole and Sheri are quick studies. They never turn down a meal made by me. This I like.


But that brings me to Christmas. First of all there is the problem that the collective wisdom is to celebrate on Christmas eve-- which in fact makes the event Christmas eve dinner not Christmas dinner but I digress. And then there is the fact that a potluck has been proposed. And face it, Pot lucks are ALWAYS culinary disasters. And then there is the problem that I am not in control of the meal, which also vexes me. But I could have stepped in and run the whole show. But I am learning to let go-- stay behind the scenes like my little dog. I am only cooking the turkey and roast beef. I have absolutely no control over the wine choice, side dishes or even, dare I mention, the selection of condiments. But I am learning, growing through this experience. And I know I'll be a better person for it.

posted by Sa @ 3:25 PM 0 comments

BSCE -1

I think it stands for "Basic Sciences Comprehensive Exam"

Anyway I passed it.. Yay! and beat the class average Yay!

Year one of Medical School is offcially done

posted by Sa @ 3:23 PM 1 comments

Airport Fun

I delivered the last of my friends to the airport today, the less enlightened of whom mistakenly believe that I will be suffering here because of my decision not to go back to the states for the three week holiday. This is actually the first night in a week that I haven’t had plans to go out and it is a welcome luxury to be home and to be watching old Star Treks on TV. In fact I have been home so little that my faithful four legged companion has been acting out. She has been getting in the garbage and leaving me unwanted deposits around the apartment. Thank god for tile floors. Tomorrow I think we will spend the day on Shade time.

Perhaps because they pitied me, I have received the entire contents of many departing students freezers, as those folks who live on campus have to empty out their fridges before they go. The result is pictured at left. I seem to be the odd person out at SGU: everyone else seems to have a boundless love for frozen broccoli that they have passed on to me. And pre-shredded cheese.

Peggy went home today toting three bottles of rum and six packages of cock soup mix ("Always a great Christmas gift!" she volunteer cheerfully); in fact I think I just heard the air Jamaica flight rumble over the apartment. My car has a strange electrical problem, and not only has Peggy loaned me her car in her absence but her mechanic is chasing down every little niggling problem that I have had with my car from the get go saying, “don’t worry, it won’t be too much and you can pay me when you have the money” A good reliable mechanic is a thing of beauty in any country and I think I have found one. Peggy and I have been going for long morning walks, I’ll miss her and Ian’s company as I work my way around Lance aux Epines tomorrow morning. But she and everyone else will be heading back in a little over two weeks.. time flies when there are no classes.

Tomorrow? I have a rare luxury. No plans. But I do have several good books, a small dog and many beautiful beaches to choose from. And of course, a near endless supply of frozen Broccoli.

posted by Sa @ 7:06 PM 0 comments

Day at the beach

So I am not really sure Peggy likes me. I did ask her not to leave give me the cookies. Because I was going to abstain from alcohol and only eat leaves, shoots, nuts, berries this Christmas and cookies are not on the list. But there they were in the bag with the rum.
That was before I lost the bottle of rum. And that was yesterday. I haven’t written about yesterday yet and then there is today.. But I digress. Let me begin with the visual aids and the full story of day three, my Caribbean Christmas vacation..
The day started leisurely enough with a few runs to the airport… Pictures at right are the lovely Christine and Nada (yes the Nada of What Nada’s shirt said today fame) just hours before her departure. After the airport run it was off the beach for the afternoon. Shade, you will see has decided that she is too delicate a flower to sit on the sand and so she squeezed onto the towel with me, no doubt channeling the spirit of Bippy, my family dog from childhood, who had great battles with my Mom over her place on the blanket after river swims in Mendocino.
Then after attempting a nap and being woken up by a man selling aloe vera (how is waking me up a good sales technique?) I was joined by Christine, Natalie, Peggy and Ian.Shade then decamped to sit with Peggy and Ian, because babies with Gold fish crackers are worth sitting in the sand for. Peggy and Ian and I enjoyed some time in the water. And as you can see, Ian, is the most beautiful boy on the island (I have quite a crush) and he has been to NYC and learned how to flirt there and has no doubt inherited his good looks and quick wits from his mother.
And then lest you worry, faithful reader, that my days in the Caribbean are not Christmassy enough, it was off to the store in my soggy pants to get the final ingredients for the egg nog. Now the nog purists among you will insist that I should have started my nog in October, and let it sit in my fridge heavily laced in alcohol and getting stronger by the day, but alas I was in class then and did not have time to make the nog. But make the nog I did and I was off to Peggy’s for Chicken Tikka and Rice and Gin and Tonics and to watch It’s a Wonderful Life. Dinner was followed by Peggy’s home made cookies and the nog.. because what else would your drink on an island that exports both nutmeg and rum? I only lasted until about 11 pm.. or 2 of the 3 hours of the broadcast time of the movie, and so was happily able to go home to doze through George’s trouble and wake back up near midnight for George’s enlightenment, so the requisite lip quivering, throat clearing and cheek dampening could happen in peace and without embarrassment in the privacy of my own home.

posted by Sa @ 12:52 PM 0 comments

Caribbean Vacation Day Two

It MUST be the delayed jet lag.. because I keep on waking up at 4:45 in the morning.. this despite the fact that I went Christmas shopping in Saint George’s yesterday, spent time on the beach with friends, went to happy hour at Prickly bay Pizza, home of the leathered retired yacht dude and a wicked rum bunch.. only 5 EC during happy hour (US $2) and then continued the evening at Stewarts my favorite bar on a dock anywhere with all the girls and Lenny in tow. My Christmas tree now has an ornament on it and presents underneath.. how festive!

Now I have had many important things on my mind that I wanted to blog about, like why there is seating for twelve in my tiny apartment, but I just can’t seem to muster the brain power. All the premium movie channels are free this weekend, I have plans to meet Peggy and her son Ian at the beach, I found a reasonable eggnog recipe online and it’s a wonderful life is on the tele tonight. Further reports to follow.

posted by Sa @ 12:06 PM 0 comments

My friend Molly.. always right to the point..

So Molly, how did the exam go for you. "I feel like my brain was raped"
And how eaxactly to do respond to that except the truth..

I know what you mean I replied......

But I saw her later today halfway into a bottle of raspberry stoli with friends on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world... her pain was significantly reduced. I am headed to prickly bay tomorrow to celbrate with the med and the vet girls....

Carib beer only 3 ec. Flirty retired leathry yachters. Bad Pizza. No school to think about. What could be better?

posted by Sa @ 8:49 PM 0 comments

Well at least when I start typing this it is 4:45 am. In finals study mode and procrastinating you may ask?.. no not exactly. I took my last big final yesterday, came home and slept for 2 hours went home for dinner and crashed at 9. I think I am all slept out. I have the BSCE today, and end of your first term survey exam that is almost impossible to study for .. and I am too burnt out to care. I don’t think anyone studies for this exam… and I think more than a few folks will be filling in nice little Christmas tress on their scantron form.

Once again I am a straight B student, and for the second term in a row I kind of tanked the last exam I took.. and I am trying to stay with the bemused former academic professional part of myself on that one rather than the competitive medical student. Why did I tank that exam? probably because I was tired and stressed and had a high enough grade in that class that I wasn’t at all scared when I took the exam and so I most likely read the questions too fast, answered too fast. The funny thing is that I did the exact same thing on my last exam last term as well. Tutor, tutor thy self. Oh well. Bs are good. I have friends who were worried about just passing and I know at least one of them did. My friend Peggy, the bravest human being on earth because she is attempting Med school as a single Mom with a 15 month old, still has to take her final exam in anatomy and I am hoping to wake up enough to go through some exams with her today. But not until I have spent a few hours on the beach.

Larissa arrives in a week and a day and Mom and Magda arrive in two weeks. I find that I am looking forward to my Caribbean vacation more and more. I do have that strange kind of post term hangover, that sense of gee, what in the hell do I do now? My friend Christine and I went out for what passes for sushi here on the island last night. I think I’ll probably go out tonight as well. More interesting and fun posts about Grenada to follow.

posted by Sa @ 5:16 AM 0 comments

Flippy floopy

I woke up at 5:08 this AM.. and have mostly been hitting the books.. I am alternately hopeful and focused and restless and scared. I just ordered $130 worth of vitamins. Time is flying. My stomach makes regularly with the flippy floppy especially when I think the Neuro final is Monday, the physio final is Wednesday and that makes one more term done. Flip Flop. I've been sitting (meditating) more just to try to keep my skittery mind a little centered. My new study posse of Anna and Chris helps keep me focused. I have a small Christmas tree on my tele (what is it doing there? Standing apparently because I have no penguin and if you don't get that joke I am sorry if you do I am even sorrier).
A year of med school gone away. Flip Flop.

Time to get back to studying the limbic system instead of engaging my own.

posted by Sa @ 8:39 AM 1 comments

What Janice's Shirt says

Talk Nerdy to me.....

posted by Sa @ 9:57 AM 1 comments