News about the update to the follow up to the exciting news

I can't believe I haven't alerted the world yet! My fingerprints were finally up to the FBI's standard. And last week I got a letter telling me that my citizenship test date is scheduled for April 17 in Baltimore.

Help me study!

Here's how it works: e-mail me one random question from the possible 100 questions USCIS can ask me on April 17. The format that day: They will ask me up to 10 questions, but once I get six right I pass. Yes folks, there are high hopes out there for citizens-to-be. We have to score 6/10, which translates to a D in school terms (60%). Hey, I'm not complaining!

I'm pretty sure I'll also participate in the Naturalization Oath Ceremony that day. So as soon as the ceremony is over, I'll be marching on over to the Social Security Office to get the next line of paperwork in order.

You know what this means... I'll be spending Thanksgiving in New Zealand for sure!

For Pinterest

I know I'm probably one of the last people to discover the glory that is Pinterest (thank you Carrie for introducing it to me years ago, shame on me for not exploring it until Brittany's recent encouragement).

This is before they are cooked. They looked so
good coming out of the oven that I forgot to take
an "after" photo. You'll just have to make them
and see how good they look after for yourself.

Anyways, I made up this delicious recipe and want to share it with the world. Since I made it up, I have nothing to pin... What an excuse to write a blog post!

Bruschetta-style Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients
~30 mushrooms (I used one large and one small container of regular old white mushrooms)
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
pinch of salt
large pinch of basil/oregeno

Directions
1. Remove stems from all of the mushrooms. You could mix them in later, but I saved them for another recipe I was cooking later that called for mushroom.
2. Put tomatoes in a food processor and pulse until well chopped.
3. In a mixing bowl, stir together tomatoes and cheese. Add oil and vinegar and stir until coated. If so desired, add more oil and/or vinegar to taste. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and spices into mixture. Keep stirring until well combined.
4. On a baking sheet, place mushroom heads so they're not touching. When I make this recipe again, I think I would actually put a wire rack over the cookie sheet. This way, any excess liquid won't make the mushrooms soggy. Generously stuff each mushroom with tomato and cheese mixture.
5. Bake at 350 °F for ~20 minutes.

Bon appetit!

CBS Sunday Morning

Those of you that know me know about my (not so) secret obsession with CBS Sunday Morning. This morning, while I was updating the blog funnily enough, there was a segment that really resonated with me: What do tall women think about shorter men?

Oh Mo Rocca, you are one of my favorite reporters. And you had it until the last line of the segment. "So maybe things will start looking up for single tall women if they just start looking down."

It's tough being a 5'11" female. And your story was so balanced until that last crack. It works for some tall women, but not all of us. Just listen to the women you spoke with!

Bingo

The parking lot was way more crowded
yesterday, but I didn't take a photo. Thank
you  deltabingo.com for this picture.

Yes folks, I like to play ridiculous games like penny slots and bingo. Usually, my gambling BFF Lea is involved in these adventures, but I recently discovered I have local friends that are bingo fans.

We visited Delta Bingo this weekend. I had been there before (with Lea, of course), but Janneth and Steffie were newbies. Not a bad deal: $20 for a couple of hours of entertainment.

The two hours of daubbing flew by in a heart beat. The "almost bingos" happened now and again, racing to keep up with the called squares on the nine cards was challenging at times, figuring out what configuration of squares was desired took a few seconds of concentration, and for the first time in a real bingo hall I got to call the magic words.

I won $100 (it was a $300 prize, but two others also called the fateful words)! I know this doesn't look like a normal bingo; it's a configuration called the six pack.

So, if any local readers are interested in playing more (or slots), let me know. I'm always up for turning $20 into something bigger! Though I will preface that we met a friendly guy while playing, and he gave us the review of the week, since he plays ever day (yes, seriously). His stories are inspiration enough to keep watching reality television and not live my life in a bingo hall. (I may have something here - a reality show that takes bingo hall?!)

My afternoon at the White House

Opening remarks. He's a funny guy!

Friday, February 1, was a pretty cool day. Without knowing "seeing a president speak" was on my bucket list, I have now crossed it off. President Obama was handing out the National Medals of Science and the National Medals of Technology & Innovation to 20-some genius minds. And I was there to see it all happen. The perks of working for a new magazine!

After shaking everyone's hand and
hanging medals around their necks.

Not only was it kind of cool to see the President, but the scientists he was honoring had impressive credentials. Among them were the inventor of LASIK, the brain behind analog to digital conversions, and the discoverer Li-ion batteries.

Not a typical view of the White House (note:
no gate between me and the iconic structure).

Just being on the grounds of the White House was cool in and of itself. I even got to enter and exit through the front door. I snuck a picture when leaving. (Don't tell: I don't think I was supposed to.) I figured it was a once in a lifetime opportunity, so I pushed my luck.

The logo you see behind them
when they address the press.

I've recently become a little obsessed with the show The West Wing. The character C. J. Craig is my favorite. So it was pretty surreal waiting in the press room before going in to the White House. I kind of felt like a tourist taking all these pictures, but I was not the worst of the group - there was a lady posing in every shot she took. I was at least discreet (justification of why these photos are a little fuzzy).

With citizenship around the corner, this visit was timely. Maybe my entrance to the White House will come up on my background check and make me look good.

Chemistry humor

Recently I was made aware of a funny photo from facebook (thank you Colleen). I don't do facebook, so my apologies to the world if I'm reporting what is common knowledge. I hung this outside my office door, and it was a big hit among the chemistry nerds I work with (sorry coworkers, but you know it's true!).

A very funny photo. If you don't laugh, there's something wrong with you.

I wanted to find the origin of the photo. No luck in that search, but I came across this meme that I laughed just as hard at.

I love that Dwight knows chemistry.

God bless the internet. How did we ever survive without it!?

Hobbies I need to rediscover this year

Cooking has taken over my life. I love it, it tastes good (most of the time), and it's a heck of a lot cheaper and healthier than eating out regularly!

But I've been neglecting some other great pastimes that I need to pick up again:

My first attempt at making baby bibs.

Sewing. I just made the cutest bibs ever (I know I'm biased!). Hopefully I can keep up the momentum and sew more cute things this year.

Piano. I haven't played in a while and I miss it.I should go play right now...

Crocheting. Another crafty hobby, and one that rarely results in a final product for me. If I complete just one crocheted item this year I'll be happy.

Updating my blog. I think this is kind of fun, so I'm going to do it more!

Running. I've decided to set a goal for myself this year. Twelve races in 12 months. I think that's reasonable. Nothing long and crazy like a marathon, probably more of a mixture of the 5K and 8K distance.

Now that's a long trip! (Map courtesy of geology.com)

Travel. I need to see new places. AZ is nice because my parents are there, and Vegas is great because who doesn't love that town? Rule for 2013: If I go somewhere, it should be a new destination. Example: New Zealand.

A message for you, in the correct orientation :)