Truly, Madly, Deeply by Faraaz Kazi

Where Did I Find This?

I had been scanning through some book club picks and this one kept coming up and had quite a few good reviews.  Plus, since I've had pretty good luck with Indian authors in the past, I decided to give it a chance.

What is the Book About?
It's about innocent teenage romance at it's finest.  Rahul is a brilliant and charismatic student who is the top of his class in every manner.  Seema is an equally brilliant, but shy teen from a reserved and traditional background.  Rahul quickly falls head over heels for Seema, a shy girl in the grade below him.  Through the emotional point of views from both sides flashing back through the years and the use of poetry, a story of first love...and how easily misunderstandings can happen.

Yeah I know that it's from Slimdog Millionaire....was really stretching on finding a teen Indian couple!

Would You Recommend It To Others?
If you didn't fall in love with someone before you turned 20, then you probably have no business reading this book.  It portrays so many of the scenes that make up the insanity of your first young love and if you were never a part of the train wreck that it is, then you will think the characters in the book are crazy and not understand it.  It's not a bad thing or good thing either way, it's just the truth!   

While I found the poetry within it it too be WAY too much and eventually started skimming through them since it was an overload, overall it was pretty enjoyable.  Nothing on the top ten list or that I'll read again, but, I did feel good about his description of a high school roller coaster romance, the build up that led to a strong ending as well as the characters that he built within it. 

Where Can I Find the Book?

From what I have been able to find online, the book is only available as an Amazon eBook.  So, for those of you hoping to go look for it in your library, might want to check with a phone call before you make the trip down there. 

The Hunger Games: Movie vs. Book Differences

If you haven't read The Hunger Games and seen the movie, this post will be useless to you and will only serve as a spoiler.  So if you haven't seen the the movie or read the book and would like to...don't read it dummy.

Source: http://www.wikipedia.com

Went to see The Hunger Games this weekend with a coworker and it was pretty true to form if I do to say so myself. Especially in the scenes while they were in the games were on par.  But of course, they missed some pretty big pieces that I'm not sure how they are going to fill in between now and the next movie, and here they are:

1. Absence of the Avox - the people that have their tongues cut out and are destined to serve the people of the Capital for being viewed as a traitor (for whatever reason).  Many of these characters play larger roles within the next two books and minor roles within the first novel so I'm just wondering how they are going to bring this piece into the next movie.
2. What, no Hob? - the market where Greasy Sae and the other stand owners had their shops is missing expect for a one minute scene...with no introduction or background on how vital it is to Katniss's survival and how it relates to her hunting!  Boo!
3. How Katniss gets the mockingjay pin - They weren't even close on this one and missed the train.  In the book Katniss is given the pin by Madge Undersee, the Mayor's daughter.  It was originally her Aunt's, Maysilee Donner, a tribute who was killed in the 50th Hunger Games.  In the movie, she picked it up at the hob to give to her sister.  WAY different and WAY less significance.  
4. No mockingjay bird background - Kind of important and I'm not sure why the skipped this one.  They never fully explained what the mockinjays were.  Originally jabberjay birds were genetically created to spy on the people of the districts and could recall entire human conversations back to the Capital.  Once people realized this, they sent back wrong information the informants.  The Capital then decided to let the birds die off in the wild...well...the jabberjays mated with mocking birds and created the mockinjay, a bird that repeats back the melodies that you make. 
5. The beasts at the end weren't muttations of wolves mixed with the tributes - kind of a big deal that to me, showcased how sick the Capital and the game makers could really be.
6. Peeta doesn't know Katniss was bluffing her love - HONESTLY.  If you only saw the movie you probably thought "how cute are they?" and didn't even understand how big of a background her and Gale have or about how Katniss is (for the most part) bluffing her relationship with him in order to stay alive.

Here are the original reviews that I did of all three books back in 2010 (before The Hunger Games was cool - just sayin'):

Book 1: The Hunger Games

Book 2: Catching Fire

Book 3: Mockingjay

The Difference between the United Kingdom, Great Britain and England...

A few weeks ago at work I needed to call a company in London and in order to do that I needed the country code.  While that wouldn't have been an issue for me if it where Berlin or Sydney...but London...crap.

What country code would I need?  Is London located in the United Kingdom, Great Britain or England...or all three?  As a reasonably knowledgeable scholar I was pretty embarrassed that I had no idea what the differences were and slightly angry that I don't remember being taught about this in school. 

So where does one go to solve the mystery?  The internet of course.  But I didn't run across the traditional Wikipedia entry...I found a really detailed 5 minute explanation and was also introduced to a GREAT little "random know-how blog called Grey's Blog. 



And if you can't appreciate the amount of work that this poor guy put into this then a.) you've never had to create a PowerPoint or b.) there is something wrong with you!

Hopefully you enjoy this little tidbit of knowledge that I stumbled upon so you's can all learn yourselves somethun!  And I also encourage you to check out the rest of his videos here!

My Hospital Roomate: Like Camping, Only Way Suckier

While I was in the hospital for one night I had the pleasure of having not one, but two, great roommates. You might ask where the camping fits in and I will tell you that both bears and tents had to do with this little misadventure, so a camping only seemed appropriate.

The first roommate was a 30 something mom who had just had back surgery that day and with support from her ridiculous husband, kept asking the nurses to page her doctor AGAIN that they had been waiting for for over 4 hours.  But they didn't complain once...they complained at every chance they could to any hospital staff about getting the doctor up there so that she could be released.  Since I'm sure that doctors don't have "scheduled surgeries" or "clinic appointments" at some point during the day, her urgency to get released high on pain killers and just out of surgery seemed REALLY reasonable. 

So while I understand the urge for her to get back to your children, when you say that your leg is having pretty severe spasms (and it hadn't hurt or had issues before before surgery) and you haven't even had your catheter taken out...what's the rush?  

Holy crap!  My leg just spasmed and I love my heels!

I mean, maybe I'm just Captain Obvious but it's time to back the train up and wonder if maybe it makes more sense to see how you're feeling and if your leg is doing better in the morning instead of needing an emergency trip back in two days because you didn't take good care of yourself the first time? But what do I know? 

All of the luxuries of home...besides sleep, clothes and quiet.

So leg spasm mommy ended up leaving at about 10:00 PM and when they were prepping the room my nurse said that I'll be getting a roommate but it "sounds like it should be a good one".  What a freaking jerk.  Pretty sure that he was being a smart@ss looking back at the situation.  What a nice thing to do to someone late at night on painkillers, attempt to be sarcastic.

So at about 11:30 PM, in barges Agnus (made up name) on an ambulance gurney.  Agnus was born in 1987 which makes her 24 years old.  Agnus is there because two days earlier she had her tonsils and adenoids taken out, was released and sent back up to Nort' Minnesodah, and then proceeded not to take care of herself during recovery.  Now, her tongue is so swollen she can hardly breath and at one point earlier that day explained that she had to hold her tongue down so that she could breath.  So her local hospital up Nort' gave her steroids and she was ambulanced back down to the big city at the hospital where she had her surgery.

Agnus, comin' in hot!

While this all might seem normal so far...it all got a little weird for me since  the whole time that Agnus was there she couldn't SEEM TO KEEP HER MOUTH SHUT OR TALK WITH AN INSIDE VOICE.  You would think that if your tongue and tonsils were swollen you wouldn't want to talk, and especially talk loud. Nope, not Agnus.

MY TONSILS HURT AND MY TONGUE IS SO SWOLLEN I CAN'T BREATH!!!!

Agnus talked on the phone throughout the night..called everyone in her town to tell them about how she was in the hospital, had her boyfriend in there until 1 AM in the morning talking with him and was rude and extremely loud to the nurses and hospital staff about how her boyfriend couldn't stay in the room overnight (because of hospital procedure if you have a two bed hospital room - yeah I know - I'm such an inconvenience).  Then she FINALLY went to sleep.  Thank goodness!  I'll finally get some rest!

But talking loudly wasn't the only thing that Agnus excelled at.  Agnus also snored like a freaking bear.  Now we're not talking normal person snore...we're talking a certified sleep apnea snore.  For those of you that don't know the difference, find a video of someone with sleep apnea on Youtube.  Just do it.

MEH!! Where are my steroids!?!*&%&

So since Agnus has sleep apnea, guess what that meant?  That meant that Agnus's oxygen levels drop at various times through the night and sometimes she almost stops breathing.  And guess what that meant?  It meant that all  of the alarms went off on the monitoring equipment!  So after about 20 alarms and three hours they finally decide that MAYBE they should put her on oxygen.  But since Agnus has a swollen tongue, they can't put on a normal mask so instead they set up a very loud oxygen tent.

Yipee for me! It's like camping, only it totally sucks and the bear that we usually hide our food from is hibernating right next to me!  Then the tent that we usually get peaceful cricket-chirp-filled sleep is actually keeping the overweight 24 year old next to me alive, and me awake!

BEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPP!!!!  Agnus, Agnus, wake up....you stopped breathing AGAIN.

Then finally at 6:00 AM her doctor came in, awakened the bear, and let 24 year old Agnus know that her breathing issue had much less to do with the swollen tongue and lots more to do with health and weight issues and that she is at very high risk for multiple conditions and that she needed to focus on addressing her high blood pressure and sleep apnea.  He said that he would give her some more mild steroids for the tongue swelling but he thought that she should be out that day, but, wanted to talk with her about the weight and blood pressure issues when he stopped back next time.

Yup, those numbers look like crap Agnus.

So when her boyfriend comes in, what does she tell him when he asks "what did the doctor say?". "The doctor said that my tongue is really swollen and that I might be here for a few more days and is giving me more steroids".  What?  Shut the front door!  I almost laughed out loud in my hospital bed.   THIS is what she's going to tell him?  Alright girlfriend, you run with that story.

Now I'm not here to judge or to give medical advice (because I'm neither God or a doctor) but I will be giving the following statements that I feel are reasonable about this whole situation:

• If it's raining, put on a rain jacket  (totally ripped off from my future father-in-law)
• If your bruise hurts, don't push on it
• If your leg is broken, don't walk on it
• If your tongue and tonsils are very swollen, you should restrain from talking, and especially talking loudly, if at all possible

But what do I know, right?

Brasa Premium Rotisserie: North Minneapolis

Brasa Premium Rotisserie
Minneapolis and St. Paul Location
See Directions and Addresses Here

Website: http://www.brasa.us/
Menus: http://www.brasa.us/menus_eat.aspx

What Makes This Place Unique?
In short Brasa is gourmet food, gone country, and I think that it's uniqueness is best told by a little story.  Once upon a time there was a James Beard award winning chef (kind of a huge deal) named Alexander Roberts who was the Proprietor and Executive Chef at a critically acclaimed restaurant called Restaurant Alma in Minneapolis. 

Alexander's loved fresh and local food.  His dad even ran a farm back in Wisconsin and whenever Alexander could he loved to use organic, sustainable and locally grown produce in his highly acclaimed restaurant. Then after years of success with his high end restaurant, Alexander thought that it might be cool to have a place where he could cook the kind of food that he eats at home...then was bore the foodie brainchild behind Brasa.

Maybe it could be a place to showcase locally grown produce, dairy and eggs, slow roasted organic and free range meats.  And maybe they have the restaurant located inside a converted service station in Northeast Minneapolis??  Who knows??

Good thing is that it's all just too strange to be made up and as someone who appreciates some great roasted meats can tell you, it's fabulous!  Brasa now has two locations and the one that I've been lucky enough to eat at multiple times (and be catered in at work) is in North Minneapolis.

The ambiance and daytime lighting at Brasa is great (as long as you don't mind smelling like smoked meats for a day or two - hint hint - leave your jacket in the car) and along with great food chances are that your server will probably have tattoos, a smile and be quick on their feet.  It's a special kind of place that pulls off what they do so flawlessly and is truly a neighborhood gem.

As far as for what kind of food it is...it's got some Southern dishes on there as well as Latin American but why even argue about what kind of food it is when it's all just in the category of "Kick @ss Food"?  Is that a type of cuisine?  Because it should be.

What's On The Menu?
It's pretty short and sweet.  Essentially you pick your meat (rotisserie chicken, pulled pork, pulled chicken or smoked beef) and side (listed in second column) or pick your sandwich (third column).

They also have combination plates that are usually listed on the table menus which is what I suggest doing.  Because, you're not going to want to try just one.  And while the meat and sides sound simple, as does the menu, they're just not.  They sneak up on you with names like "pulled pork" and then come and punch you right in the mouth when they get to the table.

So if you're going to make a list of "must have" dishes I would suggest somehow working together to share the following dishes with your group (at a minimum):

• Rotisserie Chicken  - roasted for over and hour, is fall off the bone tender and packed with flavor
• Pulled Pork - Berkshire pork shoulder well seasoned and roasted to perfection
• Creamy Spinach with Jalapeno - simple enough but seasoned to have a kick while still being able to enjoy the rich taste of spinach
• Crispy Yuca w/ Citrus and Garlic - like potatoes only better - try with cilantro sauce
• Rustic Style Grits w/ Cheddar - I didn't think that I would like grits.  Turns out I was wrong!
• Cornbread w/ Honey Glaze- served still warm, soft, with hunks of corn kernels throughout with a pad of delicious butter and honey glaze on top

Rotisserie chicken lunch plate with mozzarella salad (meh - skip the salad next time) and a cornbread w/ honey glaze

Pulled pork lunch plate with creamy spinach & jalapeno and cornbread biscuit with honey glaze

Smoked beef sandwich: smoked beef, fried onions, sharp cheddar & BBQ sauce, served with chips

Brasa caters and offer a take out menu for those of you wishing to avoid the lines or the trauma of smelling like meat for a couple of days.  But sometimes I'll admit, it's totally worth it!  Here's a pic of my coworkers chowin' down! 

Insane catering plate from 12:00: corn bread muffins, yuka, macaroni and cheese (might only be on catering menu), rotisserie chicken, pulled pork, guacamole and chips.  This combination cannot be found at the restaurant to my knowledge but if you have an event to cater...highly recommended!

Would You Go Again?
I will definitely be going again and will also begin taking people that visit from out of town.  It's one of those cool little places that when you pull up your unassuming guests won't know what they're in for (since it looks like a automobile service center) and by the time that they leave, they will be in shock that a cute little place like that can have that level of cuisine.

Along with that, it's also a place that has and will continue to get media attention, which is always cool for out-of-town guests, especially if they follow the food scene.  As an example, the pulled pork meal that I had above was listed as one of Adam Richman's, from "Man vs Food", Top 5 American Meals Not to be Missed on the Today show.

To see what others are saying, you can also check them out on urbanspoon!

  

Search terms: brasa, brasa restaurant review, alexander roberts chef, brassa north minneapolis, brasa minneapolis, best rotisserie chicken, best rotisserie pork minneapolis, best restaurant 2012, best pulled pork minneapolis, sandwich place twin cities

Braised Short Ribs, Brusselsprouts with Pancetta and Pureed Cauliflower

I have four conclusions about this dish that our friend Steph treated us to a few weeks back while enjoying our regularly scheduled viewing of the "The Bachelor".   

SIDERANT: Which by the way, is a complete and utter joke this season (even more than usual).  Ben is such an idiot and we'll just leave it at that for now.

Braised short ribs, pureed cauliflower and brussel sprouts with pancetta

My conclusions are:
1.) I really should get a pressure cooker
2.) Converting people into liking brussel sprout is a strange past time of mine
3.) Pureed food can actually rock
4.) Holy crap, yet another example of why our friend Steph should try out for Top Chef...even though in real life she is a drug cocktail shaker (Anesthesiologist), not a chef. 

Let's jump to number four first though.  Steph, seriously...you need to try out for one of those Food Network shows and just forget about that whole "doctor" thing.    

Pressure Cooker
Now onto the pressure cooker!  How did I not know how awesome pressure cookers were before this?  I've always known about them in general terms but it's one of those things that I've always wondered "will I really use this?".   While I'm sure the fiance will be THRILLED to hear that I'll be putting something like this on the registry, he can get over it because it's going on there!

After watching the short ribs fall off the bone with a slight movement of my fork, my mouth also fell when Steph told me that she only had them in the pressure cooker for 35 minutes and then threw them on the grill to brown.  Are you kidding me?  Thirty five minutes?  If you're like me and has purchased a half pig or quarter cow, only to wonder 6-9 months later what in the world to do with some of the cooking time intensive cuts of meat then I highly suggest looking into one!

Brussel Sprouts
Brussel sprouts are now one of my favorite things in the world.  Thinking of them evokes thoughts of the Minneapolis Farmer's Market, summer in Minnesota and their wonderful cabbagy goodness.  But unfortunately for some people this is what they think of when they hear "brussel sprouts":

If you don't get this, then you weren't a child of the 90's (or didn't have one during that time) and I'm sorry for you.

And I was like that too until a few years back!  Growing up the only thing that I knew was that it smelled gross when my mom cooked them, so of course, I didn't eat them. 

Then I had brussel sprouts served to me already prepared at a friends house a few years ago and life hasn't been the same since.  I felt like I had missed out on so many years of a great thing and don't want people to feel that same regret I do...so...

In order to redeem myself now whenever I get the chance to have people over for dinner and the sprouts at the store or market look good, I attempt to bring them to onto the brussel sprout band wagon.  To date I've only converted my sister and one friend...but...I am 2 for 2 on my conversion rate and I've got lofty goals for when the sprouts are back in season and invade the Minneapolis Farmer's Market!

Converted my sister Jenny with this little number: chicken stuffed with an herbed goat cheese and a balsamic & fig glaze finish, roasted beets and green beans (from my garden) and the steamed brussel sprouts in a Dijon & butter sauce.

As far as preparation, my favorite is steaming them with some pretty heavily sea-salted water, straining them, and then mixing them with a butter, Dijon mustard and ground sea salt sauce.  I'll give the details this Spring on the exact recipe but keep in mind that adding salt to your water when you are steaming vegetables makes a HUGE difference in the flavor!

Pureed Foods
Now onto this one.  Many of you know that I'm currently on a 4-6 week pureed and soft foods diet.  Well before having Steph's pureed cauliflower I was downright scared about it.  How is someone that likes food as much as I do not have solid foods for that long?!*  But after trying it, I came upon the realization that the world is not ending...because is was one of the best side dishes that I'd ever had!

Now all I needed to do was think of what vegetables and fruits are "blend-able" and then think of good flavor combinations from there.  Here are a few purees that I've either thought of or tried out over the last few days:

• Primary food - preparation method- ingredients mixed with in food processor
• Potatoes - boiled - seasoned salt, pepper, 2% milk, margarine
• Sweet potatoes - roasted - sea salt, brown sugar, 2% milk, margarine
• Pears - steamed (or canned) - cinnamon, apple juice
• Apples - steamed - nutmeg, cinnamon, apple juice
• Spinach - steamed - sea salt, fat free whipping cream, margarine
• Cauliflower -steamed & roasted - salt, red pepper, margarine
• Broccoli - steamed & roasted - salt, margarine, shredded cheese

Some of these ideas were crafted in my crazy mind but some were also inspired by looking at homemade baby food blogs and recipes for raw living smoothies and soups.  Yeah, I know.  Baby food blogs...well I had to start looking somewhere!

If you have any great ideas on smoothies or purees that don't have seeds in them, be sure to leave it in a comment below or email it to me at annmariescupoftea@gmail.com!  

Nissen Fundoplication: Post Surgery Update

Everything with the Nissen Fundoplication surgery on Wednesday went really well and am feeling alright so far!  

I was feeling extremely nervous before the surgery earlier in the week after reading some of the post surgery forums that they have out there (you know those garbage forums where hypochondriacs and paranoid elderly people post about their nightmare surgeries??).  I know that I shouldn't have looked at those that but I didn't listen! And I was scared out of my mind!

Luckily though I have a friend that works here in the Cities within the healthcare industry that made some calls to her fellow doctors, did some investigative research and checked some references on my surgeon and hospital very last minute for me.  Without her I'm honestly not sure that I would have been able to do it...I was THAT nervous.  But I went through with it and I'm here to tell those of wondering what to expect (weather you are considering the surgery for GERD or if you have already decided to have it done) since I couldn't find what I was looking for online when I went searching for someone in their 20's that had went through with the procedure .

Choosing a Surgeon

I had the procedure done at Abbott Northwestern, which is one of the more well known hospitals in the Twin Cities for surgery.  As far as who performed the surgery, I met with Dr. Dawn Johnson of Surgical Specialists of Minnesota a few months back and after having met with three doctors in the past about my GERD issues, I chose her for multiple reasons: 

• She is a good listener, which is actually quite a rare quality in a doctor...especially for one that has been in practice for over 15 years.
• When I asked her questions about my test results done previously I could tell that she actually had looked through my charts and results and had taken time previous to our appointment and was respectful of our time.  Because nothing drives me more nuts then when they come in late and then skim through your chart for the first time when they sit down and waste your time to ask the same questions that are in your medical history.
• Dr. Johnson had done about 200 of this specific procedure and while that might not be 1000, this procedure has become more rare since the introduction of PIP's and other medications for acid reduction and I have been told by other people that it's a good number for this particular procedure.
• Surgical Specialists of Minnesota operates with two surgeons (versus a surgeon and a nurse) which I thought was great, especially since there were so many hands needed for this laparoscopic procedure.
• Dr. Dawn Johnson had also nominated by a group of 140 of her fellow doctors as one of the "Best General Surgery as well as Gastroenterology Doctors for Women" in 2010 as well as 2011 (which is a project run through the Minneapolis Monthly magazine).  She might even have been nominated before that as well but I couldn't find great information for the result previous to 2010.

What Happened That Day?

Upon arrival and after being checked in, they had me put on my gown and socks and meet with my Surgeon, Nurse and then Anesthesiologist.  Dr. Johnson and Dr. Nissen (my Anesthesiologist, what a coincidence!) walked me through "best case scenario" and then "not best case scenario".  Best case was the laparoscopic where I would have 5 small incisions on various parts of my stomach and would hopefully only be taking pain medication by mouth for a week or so post surgery.  

If you're going to go...go in style!

Not best case was that they would, for one reason or another, need to make a large vertical incision on my abdomen to get at what they needed to.  They then explained that a epidural would be done post surgery, which would be slightly higher then where they insert it for child birth epidurals.  Shots in the spine...I could get sick thinking about it!?  Another not best case was that they would need to elongate my esophagus; they would do that by taking out a bit of my stomach near my esphogus so that my esphogus had more slack and they could fully wrap my stomach around it.

They then put on my IV, inserted some relaxants, hooked my gown up to a little warmer (which was liked a pimped out snuggie!), rolled me into the operation room, put the gas mask on me....and from there it was all gone memory-wise.  During the surgery they put a breathing tube in me, made their five incisions and completed the full wrap successfully in a procedure that lasted about 2 hours from start to finish.

Post surgery they woke me up and let me know that everything went well, I was able to have it done laparoscopically and that they would send my fiance up to my room (versus post-op where I currently was) to meet me in about a half hour.  As far as discomfort, my throat was pretty dry from the breathing tube and I felt like I had just done about 2.5 million sit-ups.  Luckily there were good pain meds though and was relatively comfortable.

I know that this is probably not cool to some of you, but, the  reason I put this on here was that I was having issues finding pictures of the incisions when I had been looking before my surgery and would have like to see one like this to make me feel a little more comfortable of what I was signing up for.  It's kind of bloated (looks worse than it is actually) but the stitches were less invasive then I was expecting so that's good.  The belly button one is kind of red since that incision was used the most for the scopes but the others look better.

Today I do have quite a bit of pressure in my chest since I've started getting up and moving around but nothing too serious, mainly just overall soreness.  Some people on the forums talk about having extreme discomfort in their shoulders (sometimes feels like a heart attack) and ab cavity from the gas that they fill up your abdomen with during surgery but what I've been feeling is luckily bearable with the pain medication.

As far as food, I've had some chicken stock, apple juice, cream of wheat, mashed potatoes with gravy and blended canned pears.  So far so good and while I can't eat very much and it feels kind of funny, my esophagus seems to be working and letting these things down.

Now with that all out of the way, a THANK YOU goes out to all of you that prayed for me and sent over well wishes the last few weeks and supported me through this!  Seems like the prayers have worked so far and I appreciate it more than you know!

Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa and Amber for the beautiful flowers! Love them!

Lastly, another really big THANK YOU goes out to my very handsome fiance Adam, who has had to see many of the ups and downs of me dealing with this but has always been there for me.  You've been super supportive and helpful (especially over the last few days when I have needed the most help) so thank you for all of the help around the house, with spending extra time with Wallace since I can't :(, the slippers that you got for me, moving the TV and all of the things that went with it into our bedroom so that I was comfortable, the little grocery trips that you've promised to make for me this weekend and for sooo much more!  XXOO!  Sorry that I've had to test out the "in sickness" part of our vows before the wedding but hopefully this means that I will be reflux-free while having our wedding meal! 

Yeah, I think that black and white is probably best for this one so that you don't see the bags under my eyes.  You'll find out about my delightful roommate in my next post and how we had a GREAT  slumber party the other night!  Only weird thing was that she slept all night and I didn't!?*