Author Archives: Katherine Swanson

Mango Breakfast Parfait

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It’s such a yucky overcast day here is Southern California. At 1:30 today I have my property final so I decided to make myself an extra special breakfast. I like to take the morning before the exam to take time for myself. If I don’t know the information by then I’m not going to learn it, am I? Today I decided to make a Mango Puree Breakfast parfait that I read about in Everyday Food.

Seriously Martha, I love you, but I really don’t want to pay 99 cents for the Everyday Food iphone app. Can you reduce the price to free please?

The first step is to peel, core, and chop the mango. Mango’s are slippery! I was having a hard time holding on to it by the end.

Then you throw the mango into the food processor with a tablespoon of water and 1/6 of a cup of sugar and puree until smooth.

Then layer it into a cup alternating with Greek yogurt.

Yum! So light and refreshing and delicious. I love starting the day with fruit! Always sets a good tone for the day. Then I went to campus to blog this and they had free cookies in the entry hall. Delish! I’m never far away from a free cookie!

YUM! Off to my final, wish me luck!

My Bucket List

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So this morning I was reading Carrots N Cake like usual, and Tina announced that she was going to run and marathon and she posted her bucket list. Because I have finals tomorrow and needed a distraction I worked on my bucket list all day today. Let me know what you think, 100 things I want to do before I die:

  1. Drive a convertible up sunset blvd.
  2. Spend an entire summer on the Vineyard
  3. Crush grapes at a vineyard
  4. Get my J.D.
  5. Adopt a rescue dog
  6. Fall in love and get married
  7. Own a home
  8. Work on a political campaign
  9. Have a spiritual awakening
  10. Argue a case in front of a judge
  11. Buy a Birkin
  12. Write a book
  13. Live in Paris
  14. Travel all over Italy
  15. Go to Germany
  16. Go with the firm on a 5 star vacation somewhere warm and exotic
  17. Mentor someone like Theresa Perry mentored me
  18. Have my name on a plaque somewhere on Simmons’ campus
  19. Be my own boss
  20. Have a garden and grow all my veggies from it
  21. Get my driver’s license
  22. Expand my blog and get its own URL
  23. Go back to Istanbul
  24. Go to Lollapalooza
  25. Sing in a choir
  26. Go to San Francisco
  27. Eat at French Laundry
  28. Go to Fiji
  29. Have a subscription to the New York Times
  30. Attend a Presidential Inauguration
  31. Vote for a female democrat for President (primary election doesn’t count) & she gets elected
  32. Attend the Kentucky Derby
  33. Take a bartending class
  34. Go skinny dipping
  35. Go to a Turkish bath
  36. Drive cross country
  37. Go horseback riding on the beach
  38. See the grand canyon
  39. Meet Hillary Clinton
  40. Meet Martha Stewart
  41. Go to Culinary School
  42. Travel the French Countryside
  43. Eat at the Turkish barbeque at the Kipinski Palace in Istanbul (again)
  44. Open a restaurant
  45. Learn how to make sticky buns
  46. Be a mother
  47. Ride a mechanical bull
  48. Go to every Starbucks in Boston Proper (I might have already done this but I have to check)
  49. Be elected to an office (anything from PTA to the Senate, doesn’t matter)
  50. Go to Africa
  51. Learn to Golf
  52. Be a Simmons Success Connection Mentor
  53. Own a hybrid car
  54. Travel up the California Coast on the 1
  55. Watch oral arguments in front of SCOTUS
  56. Cook a traditional Thanksgiving dinner all by myself
  57. Have a cupcake from Magnolia
  58. Get to & maintain my healthy weight
  59. Sail on the Charles River
  60. Buy a bicycle and actually use it on a regular basis
  61. See the pyramids in Egypt
  62. Ride a camel
  63. Go to the Vanity Fair Oscar Party
  64. Run a marathon
  65. Do a wine tasting
  66. Renovate an entire house from top to bottom
  67. Camp in Yellowstone
  68. Sail around the world
  69. Meet Ina
  70. Go to every state in the country
  71. Go see a stand-up comedy show
  72. Live on the beach
  73. Learn to surf
  74. Encourage a young woman to attend a women’s college
  75. Read all 3 Master of the Senate books
  76. Have an outdoor shower in my backyard
  77. Get really good at tennis
  78. Fire a gun
  79. See the 7 wonders of the world
  80. Hook up with a celebrity
  81. Visit all the Boston sites mentioned in “The Namesake” in one afternoon
  82. Have coffee with Jhumpa Lahiri
  83. Pass the California Bar
  84. Vacation on a (nearly) deserted island with my husband
  85. Find a job that makes me happy
  86. Be self fulfilled
  87. Use a dog sled
  88. See Madonna in concert
  89. Order a $800 bottle of champagne
  90. Be content no matter what I’m doing
  91. Fall in love and go to Paris
  92. Kiss a random hot man on the street
  93. Go to Sweden
  94. Stay up all night dancing with my girlfriends from college
  95. Grow old with someone I love
  96. Raise productive citizens
  97. Be self accepting
  98. Attend the Democratic National Convention
  99. Sleep in a castle
  100. Hold my best friends’ babies
  101. Finish 1L

So bloggies, what’s on your list?

Snacking Through Lunch

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I’ve noticed the past few days I’ve been having snacks instead of a formal lunch. One of my favorite snacks are Lara Bars. This is another thing I’ve noticed my favorite bloggers eating. The ingredients in this bar, literally, are cashews and dates. Kinda like a healthy Turkish Delight (favorite dessert item of mine!)

I’ve been doing a good job of focusing on studying but I’ve allowed my mind to stray a bit. Things I’ve thought about in the past 4 hours:

  • Maybe I will do a 30 day Jillian Micheal’s shred in June or maybe July. Anyone done this or have any thoughts on the topic?
  • If I need a formal dress before I finish losing weight and get my formal dresses tailored I’m totally using “Rent the Runway”. Maybe my birthday?
  • I still really want to do all my shopping at Whole Foods.
  • I want an espresso machine in my apartment.
  • The redesign of Pandora is distracting.
  • I hate that finals are making me break out.
  • The “countdowns” all my friends have going are making me anxious.

That’s about it for now! Back to present estates and future interests!

Off the Wagon…

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I haven’t had a bagel for two months mostly because they have no redeemable nutritional value but I figure I was entitled. That is a dangerous feeling for me to have because I can justify everything with it. I will run tonight, I will run tonight, I will run tonight…

Siggi

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Oh Whole Foods, as if I have the money to shop in you. Well, last night I pretended. While picking up a treat to celebrate a successful day of studying I eyed a Siggi yogurt. I’ve seen several food bloggers and friends eating Siggi and I really wanted to try it. So I threw caution to the wind and bit the $2.29 bullet and decided to try it.

Siggi is Icelandic yogurt which means that it is thick! Thicker than Greek yogurt which is good because I love the thickness of Greek yogurt. I choose orange and ginger because they are two of my favorite flavors so how could that go wrong!

For me, the best part of Siggi is that it has no additives and very few ingredients. I’ve said it before, I love looking at a label and knowing what all the ingredients are. Food like this is so clean. Clean food leads to a clean body.

The flavor was also excellent! It was kind of tart and definitely isn’t sweet, which I like. I love sweets, but in breakfast yogurt I prefer that it isn’t sweet. Overall, I loved Siggi. I can’t wait for the day when I am an attorney and can shop at Whole Foods all the time!

In Control

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“There are two ways to live life. One is stressed-out, the other isn’t. One hurts, one doesn’t. Look, if you’re having a nightmare, don’t you want to wake up?” -Eckart Tolle

Um, yes I would like to pick the second one please! Since yesterday was essentially a family/social/small amount of work day, today became the first “real” day of reading period. Reading period in law school lasts for two + weeks. This is wonderful, since my entire grade is dependent on one exam which is curved against a bunch of truly brilliant people. Obviously this is also a recipe for stress. The theme of the entire last semester was “clinging on for dear life”. This semester the theme is “I have the power to make choices”. We are all in control. I can choose to go on my run, eat well, set a realistic study schedule, and manage my stress. I am in control. That is what I intend to do this semester.

Along the lines of eating well…Last night for dinner I had a multi grain rice pilaf with roasted Brussels sprouts! I never liked/tried Brussels sprouts before but I figured that there was no way I wouldn’t like them roasted. Everything is better when slathered with EVO, salt and pepper, right? Naturally. Plus, its probably the healthiest thing I’d had in a while (because we have to balance out all my treats). And now for another gratuitous shot of my dinner.

After dinner a (very) small group of section 3 people went to the Gaslite, in Santa Monica. They are known for having karaoke every night. Of course there was an eclectic group of regulars hanging out and rocking out. Hardcore. I also observed some new dance moves for the next time I dance with a mic stand.

The only down fall was that there was no tonic at the bar. What is a g&t loving preppy to do?

There was a girl in a North Face, pearls + she had a martini. I felt like I was back in the North Shore, but I opted away from the martini. I love me a martini but I had a review session today and it is finals. Time to show restraint! I was really glad I went out last night. It mellowed me out and reminded me that fun and finals CAN coexist, despite all other indications. Lets hope I can keep this mellow zen up until May 6th around 5 pm. Whose with me?

Time to Rally

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Intrusion

by Denise Levertov

After I had cut off my hands and grown new ones something my former hands had longed for came and asked to be rocked. After my plucked out eyes had withered, and new ones grown something my former eyes had wept for came asking to be pitied.
Hey gang! The poem placed above was read to my section at the end of our last class by Professor Motomura, one of the finest educators that I’ve ever had class right. I really like this poem. One L is like plucking out your eyes and growing new ones. I hope that I can still connect with the things that I was passionate about before law school. I suppose we will see sooner than later. Either way, this poem really touched me and I was glad he read it.
On a depressing note…
Large Coffee Bean Latte spilled all over the floor. Don’t you hate to see that? This was a very upsetting thing that I was not prepared for at 8 am. But don’t worry, I rallied! I came home and had a great breakfast complete with strawberries, iced coffee, and my hummus toast.
I especially like starting the day with fruit…
and breakfast isn’t breakfast without a side of law school…

"Now is as good a time as any to figure out whats going on in Civil Procedure" uh, WORD!

I still managed to have a great breakfast despite the “latte incident”. This was a much calmer “first day of finals”. Last semester Izzy nearly choked to death on a piece of food. Thankfully that didn’t happen today. Mostly she just hunted birds while I ate breakfast.
She is so intent. So that was the day. I spent most of the day with family that is in town. There was a trip to Sprinkles. I may have had a chocolate coconut cupcake, and it might have been delicious. Same old Sprinkles, fresh cake with awesome frosting and coconut. How can you go wrong? Additionally, this sign was on the door.
Sometimes LA is just too much. That’s about it and I’m off to Section 3 Karaoke Night!

Last Day of 1L Class!

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We’ve made it kids! 3.5 hours from now 1L classes will be all over. I cannot believe that this semester is almost over. This has been the most exciting and academically challenging year of my life. I have mixed feelings about it ending:

Pro

  • I get to take Critical Race Studies classes (this was the entire reason I came to UCLA)
  • I get to pick the times of my classes meaning no more 9AM class
  • I get to mingle with new people
  • It means I’ve been at this for a year and it hopefully will get easier

Con

  • I’m going to miss my section. I’ve had class with the same 40-80 people all year long so its going to be weird not to see them every day.
  • I’m one year closer to adult hood and having to take the bar exam.

At this point, the pros out weigh the cons, no offense section 3/4!

I spent the AM working from Starbucks (big ups to McGuire Woods for the free gift card! I don’t want to work for you but thanks for the swag!) and then treated myself to lunch at the lunch trucks. Today I checked out the Yum Yum truck!

The Yum Yum truck comes to UCLA pretty often but I had never sampled it before. Today I made a beeline as I was crazing Thai food.

I opted for the drunken noodles with spring rolls and a diet coke. The spring rolls were a bit plain but the sauce had tangy after taste which made it really special.

The outside was great! Just crispy enough.

Then I moved on to the main course, the drunken noodles! They were really good. The noodles were just done enough and was mild but was still flavorful.

And to top it all off I had a nice cold diet coke! Hope it gets me all the way through my last Property AND Civil Procedure.

Off to my last classes! YAHOO!

Debate I'd Like to See

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“Televise this chief justice and this president on stage at the Kennedy Center for three hours talking about the role of government and the future of our polity. This historic clash of intellectual titans would be the most powerful civics lesson since the Federalist Papers, and we could sure use it.” -Christopher Edley, Dean of Berkley Law School

This is something I would PAY to see. Additionally it would rectify a serious issue in this country, the inability to have a meaningful dialogue about anything that isn’t instantly reduced to soundbites. That is all.


Debate I’d Like to See

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“Televise this chief justice and this president on stage at the Kennedy Center for three hours talking about the role of government and the future of our polity. This historic clash of intellectual titans would be the most powerful civics lesson since the Federalist Papers, and we could sure use it.” -Christopher Edley, Dean of Berkley Law School

This is something I would PAY to see. Additionally it would rectify a serious issue in this country, the inability to have a meaningful dialogue about anything that isn’t instantly reduced to soundbites. That is all.