A Few Links for a Quiet Night In.

After a lovely Thanksgiving break I'm back in Berkeley and eager to finish up the semester as soon as possible. Here's a few amusing posts from around the internet to let our holiday vacation last just a bit longer:

Hangover Helpers is a small business dedicated to supplying a clean up crew and snacks for the morning after. I really wish I thought of that as a post-college enterprise.

I just wrote a paper all about how Facebook is such a successful social networking website that it is truly transforming interpersonal relationships, and wish I could have cited this article on tangible Facebook scrapbooks.

I really want to go see Tiny Furniture, a new indie film about a confused young woman trying to figure out what to do with her life after graduating from college and moving back home with her dysfunctional family (even though I'm really hoping I'm not in the same situation in six months).

College Cooking Class: Beef Chili With Rice

The spices used to cook up this hearty meal make the kitchenette portion of my studio apartment smell amazing. I also got several of the ingredients at the 99¢ Store, making it an incredibly affordable dish that included six servings.

Ingredients:

- 2 cups rice

- 1 pound ground beef

- 2 cans of diced tomatoes

- 1 can of pinto beans

- 1 can of black beans

- 1 can of kidney beans

- spices: salt, pepper, chili powder, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, oregano (or anything else you like, such as cumin)

- cheddar cheese (as much or as little as you like to put on top)

- 1/2 pound of broccoli

- olive oil

1) Cook rice and set aside. If you have a rice cooker, I am jealous. If you don't, add two cups of rice and four cups of water in a large pan, bring to a boil, then turn turn and stir slowly until the water evaporates and rice is fluffy)

2) Coat a skillet with some olive oil. Brown the ground beef and add a dash each of salt and pepper. Cover and set aside.

3) Combine cans of tomatoes and three types of beans into a large pot on high heat. Stir in small amounts (i.e. a teaspoon of salt, pepper, chili powder, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, and oregano), and then add more of which ever spices you prefer (some people like it really spicy!). Switch to medium heat and cover, but remember to stir occasionally.

4) Meanwhile, steam broccoli in the microwave by covering it with water and plastic wrap. Then strain in a colander and cover to keep warm.

5) Strain the ground beef in a colander, then mix into the pot of chili.

6) Do a taste test and add a few more spices if necessary.

7) Grab a bowl, add some rice, spoon on some chili, and sprinkle with cheese. Don't forget to serve some broccoli on the side to balance out the meal.

Power to the People? I Don't Think So.

Here's a link to my editorial criticizing Berkeley students' approach to the October 7 protest that appeared in yesterday's issue of UC Berkeley's student newspaper, the Daily Cal. Students staged a sit in at the library that disrupted people trying to study and plan to continue their "activism" through a pillow fight outside of the Chancellor's home next week – further proving my point that this circus atmosphere distracts from the cause and makes students seem ignorant and uninformed about the issues at hand. Here's to educating yourself on the reasons why California is in such a massive budget crisis, and organizing effectively to increase our opportunities for affordable, quality higher education.

Back for a Quick Recap

All 2.5 of my fans out there must have figured it out by now that the radio silence on my blog meant that I was transitioning back into the school year. Starting my senior year at Berkeley has been more hectic than I expected. It usually takes me about a month to adjust to a new schedule, but I've already begun work on three major assignments due all in one week, and this has definitely disrupted my otherwise calm start to the school year.

Anyway, I'd like to share a few great links that have amused me during my study breaks.

You've heard of food yoga, naked yoga, hot yoga, and now there's stoned yoga.

Although I can barely keep up with the Sunday New York Times throughout the week, here's a great list of what books to read this fall (hopefully I can catch up during Thanksgiving break).

I'm really looking forward to going to see Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps next weekend. I love that the trailer uses the Rolling Stones song "Sympathy for the Devil" to show Gordon Gekko's return.

That's all for now.

Summer's Coming to a Close

With just a few weeks left until school starts, I'm trying to squeeze in a few more adventures in the Bay Area before I visit my family in Los Angeles. Between working, interning, and getting tutored for a math placement test I have to pass in order to graduate on time, this summer has turned out to be much more hectic than I expected.

Still, I'm glad to make time to go to the fabulous San Francisco Jewish Film Festival. The theme this year is Tough Guys: Images of Jewish Gangsters in Film, but I choose to go to two very different screenings. On Monday night I got to see contemporary Israeli short films, and tonight I'm planning on watching a documentary. A Small Act is about a Jewish woman who donated a few dollars per month to an impoverished young boy from Kenya who later went to Harvard and became a renowned human rights lawyer. He later established a scholarship fund in her name to thank her for helping him. I'm eager to see how the cycle of mitzvahs (good deeds) unfolds.

A Few Links from the New York Times.

When I recently moved into my new apartment, I was incredibly lucky to receive an amazing housewarming gift from my parents: a subscription to the Sunday edition of the New York Times. I try to read as much as possible and soak it all in on Sunday, but it does tend to pile up on the coffee table and I end up reading various sections later on in the week.

So here's a few recent links from the New York Times:

This piece from the book review offers an excellent analysis on how multimedia and multitasking are affecting our way of life.

Here's a fashion feature on people who challenge themselves to wear only six items of clothing for a month.

If I could pick a place to travel, I'd certainly want to spend more than 36 Hours in Florence. Still, this whirlwind trip looks like a fabulous vacation.

I took this picture on a trip to Florence!

A Few Links to Summon The Weekend.

After being sick for a week and a half, I'm finally back to posting a few links to get the weekend started.

I'm looking forward to checking out awesome art thanks to free admission at tons of San Francisco museums this weekend...

Here's the trailer for the highly anticipated film Howl, which covers Allen Ginsberg's obscenity trial over one of the best poems of the 20th century.

Finally, for all you bacon lovers out there, here is a creation to whet your appetite: a burger made of ground bacon. I'm torn between loving it and hating it, but you have to admit that it's creative.