my sister's big break!

meeting chris brown. oo la la.

road trip

tomorrow i will be DRIVING to las cruces to visit NMSU! i am quite excited. i received my "certificate of admission" about one month ago for acceptance into their MA in sociology and women's studies program. for one, it will be nice to escape for a short bit. two, it will make my grad school dreams a tangible reality. woohoo! but i am still waiting to here back from SFSU, SDSU, Roosevelt University, and UT Austin. i am scheduled to meet with THREE different professors (one being the sociology/women's studies director), take an official NMSU campus tour, and i will be couch surfing for my first time with a chica whose family has been in new mexico for over 8 generations and she is studying geography as an undergrad at NMSU. one of the other professors i will be meeting with is who i would consider to be one of the top scholars in the nation on femicides in the americas (particularly el paso/juarez). i am kind of nervous because i dont really know what to ask... but, she is a prof in the academy, so i am sure she has plenty of experience leading any conversation, esp. about her own work and her own university. well, i am about to go get my brake fluid flushed and revved, and get everything else peaked at since i will be traveling solo and i want my stuffs to be in shipshape.

trapped

oh louis althusser your marxist theory is so dreary it makes me weary and a little teary

where to go from here

just thinking about this idea of separatism, particularly feminist separatism of course. what does it mean to go separatist? what i am really thinking here is, starting a school. the feminist school. hm. this does not mean going separatist, does it? maybe in some sense. but in principle, in theory, in praxis, in its founding--it would not be. it would be a nonhierarchical, collective effort. it would be collaborative with other revolutionary groups, schools, and programs to encapsulate a broad curriculum. it would be a free education, as in, no monetary cost or tuition. i would work til i die to figure out ways that it could reach across socioeoconomic segregation (which is rampant in our current public school system). so in this sense, it would not be separatist, because all are welcome. i need to think about this some more.

AL DENTE

fabulous pasta recipe that all my friends love

Penne alla Vodka

The sauce is rich with meat and cream, and takes on a slightly spicy flavor from the vodka and (my) secret touch. This is a classic pasta dish that fills the neighborhood with savory smells of sauteing fresh-chopped garlic and fresh-chopped white onion.

Prep Time: :10

Cook Time: :40

Ingredients:

• 1/4 pound prosciutto
  
• can use bacon or pancetta...but I recommend PROSCIUTTO!
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and halved (I use at least 12 cloves, and I chop it up in the food processor.)
• 1 medium onion, diced (I use about half of an onion, but if you're an onion-lover...go for it!!)
• 1/2 cup vodka
• 2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes, with their juice, pureed in a blender
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• SECRET! I use 1 tsp of red cayenne pepper...so flavorful and not too spicy
• Salt, to taste
  
• Sometimes I use garlic salt, otherwise I use about 1tsp Kosher salt
• 1 cup heavy cream
• I like to use 1 cup heavy whipping cream, plus a little extra ;)
  
• 2 (16-ounce) boxes penne pasta
• 24 fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Romano cheese

Preparation:

Place a large pot of cold, salted water (plus a drizzle of olive oil) over high heat to come to a boil.

If you are using bacon: in a large saute pan on medium heat, cook and render fat from the bacon. (If you are using pancetta or prosciutto, skip this step and just saute it with the garlic.) Once the bacon is almost crisp, remove it from the pan and set it aside. Do not clean the pan.

Add the olive oil and, when it is hot, add the fresh-chopped garlic (if you're using bacon, add the bacon back in with the garlic). Saute until the garlic turns light golden brown, then add the onion and saute until it becomes translucent, for about 5 minutes. Add the vodka and let it reduce by half, then add the pureed tomatoes, red pepper (red cayenne pepper), and salt. Simmer the sauce uncovered for about 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add the heavy cream and simmer another 10 minutes.

Once you've added the cream, put the penne pasta in the boiling water and cook until al dente according to package directions. Remove the sauce from the heat, add the fresh-chopped basil and the freshly-grated Romano cheese, and stir well. Drain the pasta (AL DENTE!), shock it with a little cold water, and return it to the pot it was cooked in. Pour the sauce over the pasta and mix gently until the pasta is coated completely. Serve immediately...well, maybe wait 5-10 minutes so sauce can thicken in the pasta...but then, serve immediately.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings (Just make it all at once...the leftovers are de-lish)

wake up brain!!

i need some sort of plan or warm-up each morning to wake up my brain...to get it going...to make me excited about studying and writing papers...to help me concentrate...come on brain--wake up!! concentrate!! stop going on facebook and blogger!

realize your gift!

mediations on the virtuality of the multitude transforming to the possibility thereof:
"the will to be against really needs a body that is completely incapable of submitting to command. it needs a body that in incapable of adapting to family life, to factory discipline, to the regulations of a traditional sex life, and so forth. (if you find your body refusing these "normal" modes of life, don't despair--realize your gift!)"
-hardt/negri

happy pup

will my happy pup miss me when i'm gone? will she remember me when i come back to visit?

v-day

i'm not a holiday person...at all. i don't get excited for any holidays, they're all meaningless to me. in fact, i think they're all pretty stupid. often times i feel badly talking out about my opinion on holidays...because i know for many people holidays are dear to one's heart for family times, traditions, and fuzzy-warm feelings. but of course, that's not me. what are holidays for? other than functioning to reify nationalisms and Historicities? not to mention all the benefits capitalism gets when our lovely holidays roll around. i could rant on, but, if today were v-day, as in vagina day, then maybe i'd celebrate. so, happy vagina day everybody!

staying or leaving

ya know, the most complicated postmodern feminist theory criticizes and exploits the very [racist, sexist, classist, patriarchal/nationalist, and heteronormative] power systems and historicities that essentially dictate our lives and ways of thinking. well, what about me thinking about some other things, like, for example, why can't i just pick up and leave? why can't i just drop it all and go? what is keeping me here? what regimented structure is holding the power over me to make me think that i cannot leave? that i should not leave? that it would be irresponsible for me to go? just leave it all? go somewhere else where i can live more humanely? where i can eat the food i grow, build the house i live in, give back to the earth what ever i take, speak to my neighbors like they were family and where i can take naps in the afternoon out in the trees? am i wishing for too much? i am. is it my social responsibility to stay here [doubly-bound in this Empire]? maybe it is.

chinese year of the tiger

myself and 2 grad students walked out of our "latina feminisms in the americas" seminar yesterday with our professor.
"how's your semester going so far?" one student says to my professor.
"you know, not well," she responds. "i feel like i have been playing catch-up since the semester started. and i was very sick for over week just after the semester began."
was she taking the words right out of my mouth?
myself and the two other grad students agreed that their semester had been going the same way. for me, it has definitely been a rocky start so far. returning from new zealand left me all too melancholy. it took my awhile to get excited about graduate school again. i was in the hospital vomiting violently for hours into the night the third week of january. the first week of february i discovered (to my utter surprise and dismay) that my financial aid did not, and will not come through. i have been feeling like there's not enough time in the day to study.
"there's something strange about the start of 2010," i said.
"yeah, you know, i think i am going to restart 2010 this weekend, with the chinese new year." my professor continued, "it's the year of the tiger, and my birth year is also the year of the tiger. i think that has some significance."
"i am the year of the tiger, too!" i shouted, feeling a little childish and silly about my excitement towards my professor's observation.
"so, i have decided that i am going to mentally restart my new year this weekend, because, well, because i can." my professor laughed defiantly.
well, i can too. to remedy my mental and physical health i have started acupuncture treatments. i am trying to get enough sleep and eat better. i am now making an earnest attempt at not drinking so much. i am only working one day/week now at TUSD so i can devote myself to my studies. i sat down and figured out my budgeting plan so that i can still go to school and only work one day/week...and somehow not get behind on my bills (fingers crossed). all in all i am trying to make a shift in my psyche so that i no longer feel afraid/intimidated to really "go for it" in grad school. the past two semesters it has seemed like some unreachable thing... like i can somehow do grad school "on the side." grad school will not be a hobby anymore.
so, "yay!" for the chinese year of the tiger. things are finally lookin' up.