July has been hell. Working long hours trying to get my system to work. Must submit digest for conference next year. I must... what? just one more week.
P. S. Check out the line up for San Francisco's Outside Lands Music Festival. It is AWESOME. If you (or a friend) decide to buy a ticket, please buy it by clicking through my banner on the right, help a sister out!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Terror's Advocate
Can't wait to see this....
Courtesy of the Dirty Daily, unbiased news and political events from our generation to yours.
Courtesy of the Dirty Daily, unbiased news and political events from our generation to yours.
This is a test
But to make it not an entirely worthless test, enjoy Iron & Wine's "boy with a coin" video. kisses!
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
A Taste of Caracas
I went to Boulder reservoir yesterday and sat in the sun for about.... 4 hours, I applied sunscreen about 4 or 5 times, and still I got sunburned!! I look like a lobster and everything hurts... a LOT :-( specially my butt, I look like the Coppertone girl, only red instead of tan.
So I was officially disabled both yesterday and today. I went to work but I left around noon because it was simply too uncomfortable. So I bought some Aloe Gelly and layed around naked in my room all afternoon watching movies and applying aloe every hour. I still sit down and stand up pretty awkwardly.... but we'll just have to give it a few days.
In any case, what I really wanted to share with you guys in this post was a recipe for Tequeños!!! Which are these really really tasty cheese sticks type thing wrapped in dough and fried. My friend Alvaro from high school gave me the recipe and they turned out WAAAAY better than I expected. So here it goes:
Ingredients:
- 500 grams of all-purpose flour (about 4.5 cups)
- 250 grams of unsalted butter at room temperature (about 1 cup = 2 sticks)
- 1/2 Tablespoon of salt (this sounds like a lot, but it was ok)
- 1 egg
- Luke warm water
- Cotija or Oaxaca cheese cut into 1/2 inch strips (these are mexican cheeses that you can find at most grocerioes stores these days, they come in a block) you can also use Farmer's cheese
Preparation:
Ok, first of all you must be patient and do this slowly. Mix the butter and flower in a bowl and when it is all even, add the egg. At this point you got a pretty crumbly dough, and so you need to add water very slowly, maybe a few tablespoons at a time. The amount of water varies with the humidity of your location. Here in Boulder it is really dry, and I used about a cup of water. You will stop adding water as soon as the dough comes together and it is malleable and flexible.
Then I cut the entire thing in half and rolled it really thin (I'm talking 3 millimeters thin) with a rolling pin. The dough was more yellow than it looks in the picture above, I think it was just the lighting in my kitchen.
Then you cut into strips and wrap the cheese sticks in it! You have to make sure that everything is sealed pretty tightly, you don't want the cheese oozing out. So I also rolled it in my hands and used my fingers to make sure there were no gaps. Next you get some oil in a pan and make sure it is really hot before frying, but not quite smoking, that is too hot. Fry until golden brown and drain on a paper towel.
They are usually served as an appetizer. Serve hot with some ketchup or my personal favorite "pink sauce" (salsa rosada), on the side. Pink sauce is just a mix of ketchup, mayonnaise and ground pepper, in whatever proportions you prefer. You can also add Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, or whatever you please. If it looks pink in the end, you got pink sauce :-)
I didn't have any mayo, so I enjoyed them with a little ketchup. They turned out delicious! and now I know I can enjoy a little taste oh home anytime I want!!!
I had 12 ounces of cotija cheese and about 30 tequeños turned out, but I only used half of the dough. I wrapped the rest in plastic stuck it in the fridge. I'm not sure how long it'll keep, so I plan on buying more cheese tomorrow. Yuuuummmmmm!
So I was officially disabled both yesterday and today. I went to work but I left around noon because it was simply too uncomfortable. So I bought some Aloe Gelly and layed around naked in my room all afternoon watching movies and applying aloe every hour. I still sit down and stand up pretty awkwardly.... but we'll just have to give it a few days.
In any case, what I really wanted to share with you guys in this post was a recipe for Tequeños!!! Which are these really really tasty cheese sticks type thing wrapped in dough and fried. My friend Alvaro from high school gave me the recipe and they turned out WAAAAY better than I expected. So here it goes:
Ingredients:
- 500 grams of all-purpose flour (about 4.5 cups)
- 250 grams of unsalted butter at room temperature (about 1 cup = 2 sticks)
- 1/2 Tablespoon of salt (this sounds like a lot, but it was ok)
- 1 egg
- Luke warm water
- Cotija or Oaxaca cheese cut into 1/2 inch strips (these are mexican cheeses that you can find at most grocerioes stores these days, they come in a block) you can also use Farmer's cheese
Preparation:
Ok, first of all you must be patient and do this slowly. Mix the butter and flower in a bowl and when it is all even, add the egg. At this point you got a pretty crumbly dough, and so you need to add water very slowly, maybe a few tablespoons at a time. The amount of water varies with the humidity of your location. Here in Boulder it is really dry, and I used about a cup of water. You will stop adding water as soon as the dough comes together and it is malleable and flexible.
Then I cut the entire thing in half and rolled it really thin (I'm talking 3 millimeters thin) with a rolling pin. The dough was more yellow than it looks in the picture above, I think it was just the lighting in my kitchen.
Then you cut into strips and wrap the cheese sticks in it! You have to make sure that everything is sealed pretty tightly, you don't want the cheese oozing out. So I also rolled it in my hands and used my fingers to make sure there were no gaps. Next you get some oil in a pan and make sure it is really hot before frying, but not quite smoking, that is too hot. Fry until golden brown and drain on a paper towel.
They are usually served as an appetizer. Serve hot with some ketchup or my personal favorite "pink sauce" (salsa rosada), on the side. Pink sauce is just a mix of ketchup, mayonnaise and ground pepper, in whatever proportions you prefer. You can also add Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, or whatever you please. If it looks pink in the end, you got pink sauce :-)
I didn't have any mayo, so I enjoyed them with a little ketchup. They turned out delicious! and now I know I can enjoy a little taste oh home anytime I want!!!
I had 12 ounces of cotija cheese and about 30 tequeños turned out, but I only used half of the dough. I wrapped the rest in plastic stuck it in the fridge. I'm not sure how long it'll keep, so I plan on buying more cheese tomorrow. Yuuuummmmmm!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Back on track
Things are finally looking up again. Losing my bike was a horrific and tragic experience and I will miss it and remember her fondly for the rest of my life... but that's over now, a new chapter in my life has begun, one where I ride a shitty old steel-frame road bike that I put together myself with parts from all over the place. I have to mention community cycles here, a local non-profit where I was able to volunteer my time in order to Earn-A-Bike. The bike is not nearly as nice as Betty and I'm not sure I feel comfortable doing some cross-state traveling on it, so I'm going to have to cross that off the list of awesome summer things to do.
Speaking of summer, I have set one single goal for myself and that is to get outside and enjoy Colorado. I spent so much time in the lab this semester that I feel like I need endless sun and fresh air to recover. I'm talking about doing something outdoorsy and healthy EVERY WEEKEND. That could be hiking, climbing, biking, backpacking, running, swimming, etc. I spent my first summery weekend working on my new old-bike, so let's not even go there. I do want to mention that the peeps at community cycles are extremely cool, and they know a lot about bikes and tools and maintenance. I plan on going back multiple times to take advantage of those very things in the future. I want to do a little more work on my bike and paint it, I'll post a picture of it when it's ready....
This last memorial day weekend I went hiking up to the first flat iron with Brendan. Twas not very hard and the views were supa-fantastik. I also enjoyed the hippies, music, free organic milk and nutrition bars at the Boulder Creek Festival on Sunday. I don't have words to describe how happy and healthy this town is, and how contagious it is!
On Monday I ran the famous BolderBOULDER 10K road race, which was my first ever. The race was beyond fun, way better than I could have ever envisioned. You get to run through the city and neighborhoods and people sit outside cheering you on. Also there were like four live bands/artists/performers per mile or so, so you never get bored! And it was just cool to run along the side of 50,000 other people. At the end of the race I got a goody bag with beer, water and some healthy snacks. For my $50 registration fee I also got to keep this sweeeeeet Adidas clima-cool fancy-techy-type running shirt, all and all a great time and I look forward to doing it again next year if I'm still around. Oh! the results:
Overall place: 25,416 out of 48,387
Women's place: 11,136 out of 26,287
They give you an RFID tag that you attach to your shoe in order to accurately measure your time every mile (how cool is that?!). My times:
Speaking of summer, I have set one single goal for myself and that is to get outside and enjoy Colorado. I spent so much time in the lab this semester that I feel like I need endless sun and fresh air to recover. I'm talking about doing something outdoorsy and healthy EVERY WEEKEND. That could be hiking, climbing, biking, backpacking, running, swimming, etc. I spent my first summery weekend working on my new old-bike, so let's not even go there. I do want to mention that the peeps at community cycles are extremely cool, and they know a lot about bikes and tools and maintenance. I plan on going back multiple times to take advantage of those very things in the future. I want to do a little more work on my bike and paint it, I'll post a picture of it when it's ready....
This last memorial day weekend I went hiking up to the first flat iron with Brendan. Twas not very hard and the views were supa-fantastik. I also enjoyed the hippies, music, free organic milk and nutrition bars at the Boulder Creek Festival on Sunday. I don't have words to describe how happy and healthy this town is, and how contagious it is!
On Monday I ran the famous BolderBOULDER 10K road race, which was my first ever. The race was beyond fun, way better than I could have ever envisioned. You get to run through the city and neighborhoods and people sit outside cheering you on. Also there were like four live bands/artists/performers per mile or so, so you never get bored! And it was just cool to run along the side of 50,000 other people. At the end of the race I got a goody bag with beer, water and some healthy snacks. For my $50 registration fee I also got to keep this sweeeeeet Adidas clima-cool fancy-techy-type running shirt, all and all a great time and I look forward to doing it again next year if I'm still around. Oh! the results:
Overall place: 25,416 out of 48,387
Women's place: 11,136 out of 26,287
They give you an RFID tag that you attach to your shoe in order to accurately measure your time every mile (how cool is that?!). My times:
- mile 1: 0:10:06.90
- mile 2: 0:09:49.82
- mile 3: 0:12:46.61 (I walked a little part of this one)
- mile 4: 0:10:05.74
- mile 5: 0:14:34.31 (and I walked most of this one)
- mile 6: 0:10:11.69
- net time: 1:09:51.40
- pace: 11:15 (based on net time)
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Bad things happen to good people
Yesterday I had an awesome and happy post in mind where I would rant about school being over and summer goodness. But today, oh unhappy day, you get this:
Things I have gotten stolen this year:
Winter coat ($200)
Winter hat ($25)
Cell phone ($100)
Blue Betty... sniff, sniff... ($650)
:'-(
Things I have gotten stolen this year:
Winter coat ($200)
Winter hat ($25)
Cell phone ($100)
Blue Betty... sniff, sniff... ($650)
:'-(
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Bongo-Bong Poetry Slam
Could I get people that post their comments, to please make a poem out of them?
To Anthony
by me
I spent spring break in Urbana,
I had a lot of fun.
Got to see all of my friends,
but one friend really shun.
Thanks Anthony for hosting me,
but now I gotta run.
A Leonor
by Amado Nervo
Tu cabellera es negra como el ala
del misterio; tan negra como un lóbrego
jamás, como un adiós, como un «¡quién sabe!»
Pero hay algo más negro aún: ¡tus ojos!
Tus ojos son dos magos pensativos,
dos esfinges que duermen en la sombra,
dos enigmas muy bellos... Pero hay algo,
pero hay algo más bello aún: tu boca.
Tu boca, ¡oh sí!; tu boca, hecha divinamente
para el amor, para la cálida
comunión del amor, tu boca joven;
pero hay algo mejor aún: ¡tu alma!
Tu alma recogida, silenciosa,
de piedades tan hondas como el piélago,
de ternuras tan hondas...
Pero hay algo,
pero hay algo más hondo aún: ¡tu ensueño!
A Mockingbird Remix
by Rives
To Anthony
by me
I spent spring break in Urbana,
I had a lot of fun.
Got to see all of my friends,
but one friend really shun.
Thanks Anthony for hosting me,
but now I gotta run.
A Leonor
by Amado Nervo
Tu cabellera es negra como el ala
del misterio; tan negra como un lóbrego
jamás, como un adiós, como un «¡quién sabe!»
Pero hay algo más negro aún: ¡tus ojos!
Tus ojos son dos magos pensativos,
dos esfinges que duermen en la sombra,
dos enigmas muy bellos... Pero hay algo,
pero hay algo más bello aún: tu boca.
Tu boca, ¡oh sí!; tu boca, hecha divinamente
para el amor, para la cálida
comunión del amor, tu boca joven;
pero hay algo mejor aún: ¡tu alma!
Tu alma recogida, silenciosa,
de piedades tan hondas como el piélago,
de ternuras tan hondas...
Pero hay algo,
pero hay algo más hondo aún: ¡tu ensueño!
A Mockingbird Remix
by Rives
Sunday, March 23, 2008
I got the *smarts*
I learned recently that my research project on distributed MPPT for solar panels is going to be involved with Xcel Energy's Smart Grid City project. I feel luckier than ever to have ended up in Boulder now, I feel like what I do is relevant. Most importantly, I feel relevant, it is like the opportunity to impact today's society is now palpable.
The information on the Xcel Energy link above doesn't really get into the specifics. Here's a white paper, which also isn't very helpful. Mostly because Xcel probably isn't sure how they are going to do this, all they know is that they want to :-) and so do I. So yeah, sorry about that, I'll give you more information as it comes along, for now enjoy the wavering green bars in the video.
I'm on spring break right now, but I'll probably be going to the lab everyday this week. School has been keeping me really busy and I just had the week from hell. But being busy also comes with this notion that you are getting things done, and that is a wonderful feeling. My summer plans have finally concretized too (can I say that? is that grammatically correct?). I am going to stay in Boulder instead of going to California. I still plan on going to visit Salt & Pepper for a long weekend sometime in May though, so get ready for total anarchy. I am also planning on going home for a little while to attend a friend's wedding, and see the parents... the usual, I <3 going home.
The main reason I am staying here over the summer is because we want to build a small array of solar panels and use our converters. Then test the full system so that we can submit a paper for a conference next year *trumpets and horns*. I really am happy that I get to stay here, summers in Boulder simply can't go wrong. California would have been really awesome, mostly because I'd get to hang out with with all the people I know there, all my brilliant, successful, beautiful friends. But I am a bit relieved that I don't have to work with "real" engineers. Grown-ups intimidate me, specially the professional kind.
I'm going to leave you with some music from my friend Armando's band, Gaêlica, celtic music madness.
The information on the Xcel Energy link above doesn't really get into the specifics. Here's a white paper, which also isn't very helpful. Mostly because Xcel probably isn't sure how they are going to do this, all they know is that they want to :-) and so do I. So yeah, sorry about that, I'll give you more information as it comes along, for now enjoy the wavering green bars in the video.
I'm on spring break right now, but I'll probably be going to the lab everyday this week. School has been keeping me really busy and I just had the week from hell. But being busy also comes with this notion that you are getting things done, and that is a wonderful feeling. My summer plans have finally concretized too (can I say that? is that grammatically correct?). I am going to stay in Boulder instead of going to California. I still plan on going to visit Salt & Pepper for a long weekend sometime in May though, so get ready for total anarchy. I am also planning on going home for a little while to attend a friend's wedding, and see the parents... the usual, I <3 going home.
The main reason I am staying here over the summer is because we want to build a small array of solar panels and use our converters. Then test the full system so that we can submit a paper for a conference next year *trumpets and horns*. I really am happy that I get to stay here, summers in Boulder simply can't go wrong. California would have been really awesome, mostly because I'd get to hang out with with all the people I know there, all my brilliant, successful, beautiful friends. But I am a bit relieved that I don't have to work with "real" engineers. Grown-ups intimidate me, specially the professional kind.
I'm going to leave you with some music from my friend Armando's band, Gaêlica, celtic music madness.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Obama Vs. Hillary
As much as I would like to see a woman president, I am convinced Hillary Clinton is not the one for me. I can't vote in this country, so I'll admit to not really following politics very closely (if at all). Anyways my friend Weissman sent this out, it was pretty interesting and a good summary:
Here's a blog entry comparing the bills the two senators have proposed, which ones have passed, etc. It seems more revealing than comparing their voting records, which are extremely similar.
Here's a blog entry comparing the bills the two senators have proposed, which ones have passed, etc. It seems more revealing than comparing their voting records, which are extremely similar.
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/2/20/201332/807/36/458633
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Second Semester: a month in review
I don't quite despise this blog, but I do wish it were waaaay more interesting than me ranting about my uninteresting life. But hey, at least Steve and Anthony read it, right?
Spring semester started exactly a month ago. I am taking three classes and two of them are labs, which if you're an engineering student, know that they are 3x the workload compared to a lecture-based class. I hate being constantly busy and tired, did I say tired? I mean exhausted, drained and I'm barely getting any research done. But I am also really enjoying the classes, I swear, I am learning tons! but sometimes learning is a rocky road... you know?
When I came back from my California trip my advisor was rather unhappy with our industry sponsor, now they got some beef over IP. I really respect my advisor and definitely agree with him, but it makes me a little uncomfortable because I also like our industry sponsors and I am still interested in the project... One of the engineers from the company is coming down next week (or maybe the one after) so we'll see what goes down...
On a brigther note, I passed my prelim exam!!! this is the PhD qualifying exam, over which I suffered enormous amounts of stress. I am sooooo glad it's over now. I am not 100% sure that I want to get a PhD, but it is nice to know that the door remains open :-D And I have to thank my friends who were so supportive every step of the way, always asking me how it was going, how I was feeling, always making me feel like I was smarter than I really am, you guys are awesome! I passed!
A couple more updates: My advisor got me an undergrad assistant! I was like "huh?". I'm not sure what to make of it, maybe he thinks (or should I say "knows"?) that I'm not getting enough research done, or maybe he just wants to speed it up a little, I don't know. The point is, this guy, we'll call him "Scott" seems nice and smart and all that, but he shows up like EVERY FRIGGIN DAY asking me what he should do. Every day is the same answer, but he just doesn't get it. I tell him "Oh, I'm working on this Bill Of Materials, when it gets approved and sent out you can start doing schematic and layout, but I'll let you know when that happens". Does he think I will forget to let him know??? Anyways, this went on for 2 weeks and finally the BOM got approved and he can probably get started on Monday. I am going to have to coach him a little bit, which is a completely new feeling for me, I have never thought of myself as anybody's boss, or mentor, or teacher for that matter... I fear for that poor boy. Did I mention he got me a Valentine's day card that he made with the laser-cutter in the department? It has two lions and a big red-heart in the middle. Actually is a pretty sweet-looking laser-cut card, I can't deny it.
Spring semester started exactly a month ago. I am taking three classes and two of them are labs, which if you're an engineering student, know that they are 3x the workload compared to a lecture-based class. I hate being constantly busy and tired, did I say tired? I mean exhausted, drained and I'm barely getting any research done. But I am also really enjoying the classes, I swear, I am learning tons! but sometimes learning is a rocky road... you know?
When I came back from my California trip my advisor was rather unhappy with our industry sponsor, now they got some beef over IP. I really respect my advisor and definitely agree with him, but it makes me a little uncomfortable because I also like our industry sponsors and I am still interested in the project... One of the engineers from the company is coming down next week (or maybe the one after) so we'll see what goes down...
On a brigther note, I passed my prelim exam!!! this is the PhD qualifying exam, over which I suffered enormous amounts of stress. I am sooooo glad it's over now. I am not 100% sure that I want to get a PhD, but it is nice to know that the door remains open :-D And I have to thank my friends who were so supportive every step of the way, always asking me how it was going, how I was feeling, always making me feel like I was smarter than I really am, you guys are awesome! I passed!
A couple more updates: My advisor got me an undergrad assistant! I was like "huh?". I'm not sure what to make of it, maybe he thinks (or should I say "knows"?) that I'm not getting enough research done, or maybe he just wants to speed it up a little, I don't know. The point is, this guy, we'll call him "Scott" seems nice and smart and all that, but he shows up like EVERY FRIGGIN DAY asking me what he should do. Every day is the same answer, but he just doesn't get it. I tell him "Oh, I'm working on this Bill Of Materials, when it gets approved and sent out you can start doing schematic and layout, but I'll let you know when that happens". Does he think I will forget to let him know??? Anyways, this went on for 2 weeks and finally the BOM got approved and he can probably get started on Monday. I am going to have to coach him a little bit, which is a completely new feeling for me, I have never thought of myself as anybody's boss, or mentor, or teacher for that matter... I fear for that poor boy. Did I mention he got me a Valentine's day card that he made with the laser-cutter in the department? It has two lions and a big red-heart in the middle. Actually is a pretty sweet-looking laser-cut card, I can't deny it.
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