Mmmmm pi...

Happy pi day!

I wish I had something fun to write about, but I'm in the thick of having a cold, finals and packing for the move next week so I really don't. I just thought I should recognize one of the mathiest days of the year :) It's now just about 1:59pm, which would be a super cool time to post this, but I just gotta go study, so I'm putting it up 15 minutes early.

In the mean time, here's a little pi video that I don't really know what to make of...

A Delectable Diaglogue

Hi Marrietta!
I think I overheard at the potluck last night that you are responsible for that most excellently moist and most scrumptious of chocolate cakes. If I eavesdropped correctly, and this is in fact true, and you are willing to share your secret (worth keeping to yourself, no doubt) I would be a most grateful recipient of the recipe. In the meantime, I am fondly reliving every bite. :)
Have a fantabulous day!
Libby McCarthy

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Hey, Libby!

I'm so glad you liked the cake!! I love anything dark, decadent, and delectable. Nothing is too rich for me, that's for sure!

I'm happy to give you recipe. Here it is:

Chocolate Bundt Cake

1 pkg Duncan Hines dark chocolate cake mix
1 pkg instant chocolate pudding
3/4 c water
1/2 c vegetable oil
4 eggs
8 oz sour cream
1 pkg (6 oz) chocolate chips

Place first 6 ingredients in bowl. Beat at low speed to moisten, medium speed until creamy. Fold in chocolate chips. Grease tube or bundt cake pan. Bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes. Test by inserting toothpick, but be sure toothpick is hitting into cake and not melted chocolate. Let cool about 15 minutes before removing from pan. Let cool and dust with confectioner's sugar or drizzle with chocolate.

To create chocolate drizzle, I melt chocolate chips with a little shortening in the microwave stirring every 30 seconds until chocolate is smooth and thin enough to pour, but thick enough to set up as it trickles down sides of the cake without running off completely. Then I repeat the melting process with white chocolate chips I pipe through a ziploc bag (rather than pouring it so I can create a pretty pattern) by snipping the corner off one of the bottom corners of the bag and squeezing the melted chocolate through in a thin stream.

Oh, one thing I'm not sure of.....the recipe says "1 pkg instant chocolate pudding." I honestly have no idea which size package it is calling for. They come in two sizes. A 4 oz (actually, I think it's 3.9) and a 6 oz (or 5.9). I have a hunch it might be the smaller package, but I used the bigger one this past Sunday and it seemed to work just fine.

Okay, I hope you enjoy it!!

We're in your ward now, so I'm sure we'll see you soon.

Have a great day!

Marrietta

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Seriously though, folks. This cake is soooo good. Not too sweet, super moist, and clearly easy to make. This cake is completely Libby approved. I just wish I had a picture :)

Bon appetit!

Daylight Shifting

In all 50 times of experiencing daylight savings, this year was the first to get the best of me. We set our cell phone alarm clock, as usual, thinking that since it gets it's time from some magical place that automatically updates it when one crosses time zones, it would be equally effective at updating for daylight savings, as well. Little did we know, and we soon found out, that for some reason, it didn't kick in until 8am pre-daylight savings time, i.e. 9am, which just happens to be what time church starts. Needless to say, we were shamelessly late and had a lovely scape-goat to blame.

Now for my typical pointless criticism about choosing a name like "leap day" or "daylight savings". The annoying word here is savings.

I mean really... who are we trying to kid? How is forcing me to wake up an hour earlier saving me any daylight? The answer is, it's not. The only thing it's saving me from is being well-rested and a happy person to be around. Luckily, I can usually adjust within a couple of days, but regardless, I think a renaming is in order. Because really, all we're doing is shifting the daylight hours in our clock. Perhaps a more appropriate title would be 'daylight shifting time', or 'now-it's-going-to-be-dark-when-you-wake-up-and-make-you-painfully-aware-of-your-
losing-an-hour-of-sleep-last-night,-since-you-couldn't-fall-asleep-at-the-normal-time-
because-it-felt-like-an-hour-earlier day', or maybe 'testing-your-awareness-of-strange-practices-day'. Perhaps the only way the current title makes sense is that the our we in fact lose is actually being stowed away, or 'saved' until fall, when they make it seem like we get a free hour of sleep back.

Wikipedia sheds some interesting light on the purpose of daylight savings (no pun intended) but I'm still unconvinced of its need. Arizona doesn't use it and they seem to be getting along just fine. Way to go AZ. Way to stick it to the man!

On the plus side, my bike light recently broke. Hopefully now I won't need it riding home from my TA session :)

PS this week is my last TA session EVER!

15 seconds of fame?

Woah coolness! My program at Stanford is mentioned in the NY Times! Funny, how I had never heard of such an agreement, until a friend from the program pointed me to this article...

The Adventurous Woman

Today marks the 23rd anniversary of the nativity of a dear friend of mine from college. I feel bad that I've slacked so much on keeping in touch with her, but being that she won't be prime again for quite some time, I think this merits my dusting off of the pen (I prefer these to pencils) and exposing my closet poet. A tribute is completely in order, for she saw me through the good, the bad, and the ugly. And without further adieu:

Ode to Katie Burt- The Adventurous Woman
Inspired by and written for Katie Burt on her 23rd birthday in the year two-thousand and eight
by Libby Day McCarthy

Oh the places you've been,
Katie Burt,
and you're now so accomplished
caring, solving, funny, alert.

She trekked off to school
in a far away place,
And touched all she knew,
improved every space.

She's paced down the street on
a cold, dark night
To comfort a friend
who suffered a plight.

She'll meet you at Starbucks
when your life's going ill,
and remind you of the good
over cookies and steamed milk.

She'll enchant over pizza.
Where does the time go?
If we hurry, the Gate may still have icecream:
Your favorite, cookie dough!

She's traveled abroad,
the Hague, Hungary, Wien;
Surviving vegetable squirtings
and nearly missed trains.

She navigates foreign languages,
she's no fool.
And managed to mime,
do you have a crown jewel?

And once she's returned,
you'll feel you were there,
As you roll with great laughter
from her stories told with care.

Her genius?
unmatched.
Her person?
A catch!

Indeed she'll be famous,
if not, I'll be cross;
For so many people will miss out,
what a loss!

She's a true special spirit,
I hope I've conveyed.
You deserve the bestest, Katie Burt!
Have a fantabulous birthday!