short shifter shape shifter

hey all.

working right now. I KNOW what you must be thinking. "but julie, it's a sunday morning, why aren't you warm in your flannel sheets sleeping the day away?" and my answer to that is this, "i was called saturday evening and asked if i would work sunday from 8am until 1pm. my thought process was this:

- i woke up at 1pm today,
- that means that i might be able to go to sleep by 2am,
- and then that will give me at least 5 hours of sleep,
- eh, i guess i can work

and then i said i could work."

of course, i got into bed at 2:30am and didn't fall asleep until around 3:20. i couldn't get comfortable and i wasn't tired. i hate having to force myself to sleep.

and then i woke up

once - because ruby tuesday was right in my face
twice - because i had to sneeze
three times - because i had to sneeze again

and then for good at 7:25am. got up. made coffee. told Ruby that she had just eaten at 2am and it was still too early for her breakfast. she wasn't happy to hear that.

then i got dressed. turned a sweater into a cardigan. made oatmeal and went to work.

i really debated about cutting the sweater. it's a navy blue sweater that i never wear. and a few times this week i have thought to myself, "i wish i had a navy blue sweater cardigan." and then i would look longingly at the sweater hanging in my closet that i never wear. and so this morning was the final straw and i cut it. i think i might go buy wooden buttons to sew on so it looks more profesh.

awesome.

i'm quite liking it.

ANYWAYS. i have two things to tell you about:

1. my delicious dinner that i cooked for myself
2. Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement

actually, i might tell you about those things in the reverse order.

let's get going.

PRINCESS DIARIES 2: ROYAL ENGAGEMENT

um. okay. not as good as the first one. written by Shonda Rhimes, which i wasn't expecting. and as it goes with most sequels, they really played off the strong points in the first one to try and make the second one funnier. such as, the clumsiness of Princess Mia. she was constantly knocking things over, tripping, accidentally hurting people, etc.

most of the cast was the same. including Julie Andrews. and her friend Lilly. they added characters such as Raven Simone and Abigail Breslin. AND. did you know that Chris Pine was the guy?!!? the NEW love interest?!!?! did you know and didn't tell me!!?!? i didn't know until i saw the opening credits. and then i was shocked/excited.

Robert Schwartzman obviously wasn't in it. Anne Hathaway did this huge long voiceover montage at the beginning and she was like, "and i'm sure you all are wondering what happened between me and Michael....well, we're just friends now, and he's currently touring the country with his band." and that was it. he's on tour with his band. which, makes sense.

now, the movie is called "Royal Engagement" so obviously we assume there is an engagement. and with engagements come all the normal before wedding activities. let me sum this up in four words:

BRIDAL SHOWER SLUMBER PARTY

yep. this scene lasted like, 15 minutes. a huge bridal shower slumber party where Princess Mia invited all the young princesses from around the world. their slumber party included karaoke (in which julie andrews was coaxed into singing a song with Raven), mattress surfing down the main staircase and lots of pink pajamas.

it was a pretty crazy party. it was so intense.

also, Chris Pine. yeah. he had a great head of hair in this movie. and boy was he dashing. at first they liked each other, and then of course he was the enemy of the whole family, all the while she was engaged to someone else, but they were still in love, and then in the end she can't marry the other guy cause she's so in love with chris pine. and then there's a big twist ending, which i won't reveal.

all in all, i gave it 3 stars.

also, Anne Hathaway's wardrobe wasn't so great. they put her in a lot of skirt suits. and too much makeup. which made her look funny.

but, throughout the whole thing, especially when Princess Mia was preparing to take over as queen, it was very emotional thinking about when she was still in high school. like, before her big makeover. and remembering back to when she was working at the rock climbing place. before she even found out she was a princess. it was very cool to watch her grow.

ALSO - her mom ends up marrying her debate teacher, Mr. O'Connell. and HE'S in the second one. that was weird. and it must have been weird for Mia too. to have her high school teacher marry her mom and then come to her wedding and coronation ceremony. i would have thought it was weird, if i were Princess Mia.

anyways. enough about PD 2.


THE GREAT DELICIOUS DINNER I COOKED FOR MYSELF

so, as many of you may remember, i talked about cooking myself a great, delicious dinner last night.

the recipe = coconut mango chicken with black beans and coconut rice.

the result = totes delish.

it started out gross because the chicken was frozen and uncooked. and i hate it. ugh it's so disgusting. and it was sooo cold. and all Ruby Tuesday wanted to do was be right next to me on the counter while i cut it up. and i was getting so frustrated with her because she just wouldn't stay on the ground. and i was worried she was going to get sick from all the uncooked chicken.

but then i finally got things together and the chicken was ready to be cooked in the frying pan.

- i put some oil in the frying pan and cooked the chicken in strips
- then added coriander
- then added chicken broth
- that mixture simmered for a few minutes
- then i took the chicken off the stove and put it on a plate
- then added the coconut milk to the frying pan
- then added the mango chunks
- let that boil down for a little while
- then put the chicken back in the frying pan and let it all cook together for a little while

meanwhile,

- i was simmering black beans mixed with lime juice on another burner

and also meanwhile,

- i was boiling basmati rice on another burner
- but instead of cooking the rice with water, i cooked it with coconut milk

EVERYTHING came out really well. the rice burned a little bit on the bottom, and i think next time i would do half coconut milk, half water to make it less thick. next time i would also buy frozen mango chunks instead of buying a fresh mango and cutting it. that mango was a super pain to cut. and it was sooo juicy and sticky. it was just a mess.

other than that, everything was great. if you had a bite with the chicken, mango, beans and rice altogether - oh, it was the best. the chicken had a really good flavor, which i kind of wasn't expecting. there was more coconut flavor than i was expecting. and the mango made it all sweet.

ooooo it was so good. and i was so proud of myself for cooking up a whole dinner.

the black beans were sooooo good. just a can of black beans mixed with two tablespoons of lime juice (plus a little bit extra because i love lime). super easy, and super delish!!!!

so, great recipe. i'll definitely make it again. but make sure that the chicken is all defrosted and ready to be cut, instead of having to deal with it being all cold.

and i have leftovers!! i bet they will be really good because all the flavors will have had time to really mingle together overnight.


ok. done with work and back home now. we watched Finding Nemo. hadn't seen that movie for a while. pretty easy day. now i'm off until 9pm.

i might take a nap now because i'm pretty tired and didn't get much sleep. Ruby had breakfast when i came home just after one.

alright, i hope you have a wonderful sunday.

SUNDAY-FUNDAY!!!!!! you know it.

take care. talk to you soon,


<3