out of control brownies.

I'm making my third batch of brownies in as many weeks, which is probably a sign that I should share the recipe. I thought about keeping it a secret because it is really that out-of-control kind of good that you want to be able to manipulate people with. But since that's really not my style, here it is.

I adapted the recipe from here. My way, as always, is better.

Out of Control Brownies

• 1 & 1/2 cups cocoa
  
• 1 cup butter
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  
• 5 eggs
• 3 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1-1/2 cups flour (maybe 2 tablespoons more if you don't want 'em super gooey)
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 bag of chocolate chips
  

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350ish degrees F (I live at altitude in the Olympic Village with a shitty oven that cooks hot-- you might have to adjust). Line a 9 x 13 pan with wax paper for easy cleanup.

Melt butter in the microwave for a minute; set aside. Add the oil to it. In a mixer, beat eggs, sugar and vanilla at high speed for 10 minutes. Blend in butter/oil, cocoa, flour and salt until just mixed. Stir in the whole bag of chocolate chips. Pour into prepared pan and prepare for your life to be changed forever.

Bake for 30-35 minutes. (Don't overbake!!!)

These brownies will earn you the love of your friends and the adoration of your peers.

it's not easy being a grad student.

Welcome to February, or as I like to call it, a month of finals week. Times are hard and rather than turn to diety (he said he's been swamped by calls this week and he could not shake his cold) or liquor (who wants to associate booze with misery?) for comfort, I have found solice in online shopping. It's amazing what you realize you need when confronted with a paper that won't write itself, a computer that works most but not all of the time, and an entire armada of rapidly multiplying file folders that have somehow managed to take over the entire room.

But really, online shopping is great for times like this. When your whole life is spent in front of a Word document that will not quit and your phone never rings, it's nice to have something to look forward to. Getting an Ugly Doll in the mail made my day.

He smiles at me as I track the rest of my packages.

buy your own damn fries.

Quite possibly one of the best things I've ever linked to. Selections of "Dreams of My Father" read aloud by author Barack Obama. As a potty mouthed person, such choice words from the now President of the United States are music to my ears.

I've listened to this one like ten times already.

so you can put it in your pocket if you need to.

This is still funny to me. Sadly, what happens around 4:03 is what I've been doing to my thesis for the past three days... five days... I don't know...

my mom sent me this. it makes me want to watch conair with her.