Tum Rup Thai Review

A & I went to Tum Rup Thai in Uptown last night (my treat) because he was willing to eat anything and I was craving Thai. We got there and few people were in sight - I will admit that it was 9:30. We were seated immediately, but it took them a while just to get us some water. There must have been a mix-up with the waiters because two different ones greeted us separately. The waitress we ended up with was very awkward and unassertive. I did have to delay her a few times until I decided upon what I was ordering, but it took her a full five minutes to come back after I had made my decision. I also disliked the extremely low lighting - I could barely see the color of my food when it came out!

I went with the Gaeng Kiow Wanh (Sweet Green Curry) with chicken, while A went safe with Pineapple Fried Rice with chicken. We had looked at the menu online before going and I had chosen the restaurant because it seemed less expensive than the surrounding Thai restaurants, but both entrees were listed on the menu at a full $2 over what was listed online. That makes a huge difference on a college student's budget.

The food didn't take too long to come out, but we were some of the only customers there anyway. My curry was really delicious - the melange of vegetables was exactly what I was in the mood for. The pineapple fried rice was pretty good - except that there were only a few chunks of pineapple on top of the dish and none mixed throughout. Amazing Thailand's version completely blows it out of the water; it is my gold standard for the dish in the Twin Cities.

Overall, the service was lousy and the food was overpriced. Granted, it wasn't all that expensive, but I could have gotten bigger portions for less at other places. And turn those lights up!

Sunday Night Supper Club 2/8

This week was Italian Night. We made eggplant parmesan with spaghetti and marinara and vodka sauces, salad with Italian dressing, and bread twists made by my good friend David. Blake and Molly had the bright idea to bring sparkling water and strawberry nectar to make Italian sodas. I also made mini strawberry shortcakes for dessert. My mom had brought over some huge chucks of triple chocolate bundt cake, so i cut that into manageable slices to use for the shortcake if someone preferred that over the vanilla cupcakes I made. (Another post on those to follow.) We stuffed ourselves silly since we made so many eggplant slices.

Sunday Night Supper Club 2/1

I'm going to start documenting what we create because I have a feeling it'll be getting more creative and labor-intensive.

This week we decided to do a Caribbean theme with jerk marinated chicken breasts, rice & black beans, fried plantains, and pineapple slices. I wish whole pineapple wasn't so expensive in Minnesota so we could have had it fresh. The fried plantains were the most fun to make. We marinated the chicken in KC Masterpiece's Spice Caribbean Jerk 30-Minute marinade and baked it. It turned out moist and delicious. The rice and beans were a nice side to it all. The previously-posted cheesecake brownies were the perfect finish. I would have liked to do something tropical-themed for dessert (like Key Lime Cupcakes I made once before) but everyone was craving something with chocolate and cream cheese. Here's a snap of Blake's plate:



Next week we're thinking Italian. Eggplant or Chicken Parmesan? Turkey Meatballs? Who knows what'll turn up.

Story of my life.

Brrrrr...

Coldest morning on record in 5 years here in Minneapolis. This is what the inside of the doors in my apartment look like:

...and this is what I come home to.

Which would you rather have?

Minneapolis:


Chicago:


It's not much better, but I'm taking the latter.

B-E-A-UTIFUL Day Today

...If only the weather could be in the mid- to high-60s all the time - when it's not summer.

Sequence Commencing: Hibernation Mode

Don't go outside, better stay in bed.

I've Turned Into A Twins Freak

Last night was the most amazing game of all time, from making that hugely huge mistake where the Sox got 3 runs, to coming back to beat them 7-6 in the 10th inning. The place was packed. I almost lost my voice from screaming so much. I was drunk off success. I wanted to yell at people wearing White Sox tees.

Then I get on the bus to go home tonight and I hear that we choked 8-1 to the Royals??? At least the Sox lost too. But seriously, unacceptable. We better turn shit around tomorrow.

Speaking of Choke, go see that movie. I saw it today and it ruled pretty hard. It's really twisted & weird (also a little much for my eyes), as should be expected, but suuuuper good. It's playing at the Lagoon in Uptown (NOT THE UPTOWN THEATER, hahaha) so go check it out.

What's a Girl to Do?

Weatherman says we could have our first frost by the end of next week. I barely wore my sundresses this year because I was either a) too poor to go out and wear them or b) too busy to go out and wear them. :[[[[ Infinite sadness. My hatred for Minnesota weather is outrageous already and it's not even winter.

Location, Location, Location

I wish I lived in a place where music label internships were more feasible. I know there's Universal around here, but that's about it. I'd much rather work with a smaller indie-ish label and see if I like that side of the music industry. I wanted to run a label or do A&R or manage bands for so long, but I've kind of let that dream go. Maybe I just need to shift it to apply to the music I listen to now vs. my FBR days.

On a similar note, I might try to turn my job at Gopher Grocery into an internship for credit at Carlson. I work directly under an entrepreneur so it makes perfect sense and really is an excellent opportunity to capitalize on. I'm really bad at follow-through though, so maybe if I tell enough people I'll be motivated enough.

Here We Go Again...

My mom moved back in today. I don't know why, but if it's what she wants then I'm going to accept it.

I didn't work today. It looks like I won't be working tomorrow. I got gypped with this job. I was promised 4 days a week, I'm only guaranteed Saturdays. I can't live off of $50 paychecks.

I loved biking in 90 degree heat today, with air so thick it was weighing me down. I wish I still lived in the South. Tomorrow promises to be 85. I can only hope :) Minnesota rules once summer heats up

I'm excited to start celebrating my birthday tomorrow by going to Chino Latino & to see Jimmy Eat Worldddd.

I made Coconut Curried Chicken for dinner tonight. It was my favorite dinner that I've made so far. I love curry & mango chutney. Next time I will remember to get jasmine rice. Later this week I'll make peanut chicken... I'm dying to use up the cous cous in our pantry. My grandma told my mom she thought I should definitely pursue a career in cooking/baking. It feels good to know the direction I want my life to go, and to have people behind me to support that future. I'm thinking about minoring in nutrition or journalism now, instead of HRIR & marketing. I'd rather hone some skills not related to business while I've got all the resources of the U at my fingertips.

Future Schooling

I read today that it's been almost 6 months since the first snowfall of the season, and then I walked outside to light flurries. They've turned off the heat in my dorm so that I can barely function. IT'S 33 DEGREES OUTSIDE. I actually think it's illegal for landlords to do something like this. But this is a university.

The weather has led me to do some research on other top undergraduate business schools across the country. Business Week did a lot of the research for me. Carlson ranked #42. A lot of the schools intrigued me, and comments about some of the schools scared me away from them.

If I do transfer, I'm worried about losing scholarships and finding replacement scholarships and stuff. I'm also worried about the cost of living in certain areas of the country, since Minnesota is a lot cheaper than the coasts.

I previously mentioned maybe checking out Boston, and both Boston College and Boston University made the list higher than Carlson. I then checked average monthly temperatures there as compared to Minneapolis, as well as average annual snowfall. The verdict: It's a lot more temperate and there is less snow (although not much, to be honest. 9 inches less.) It sounds like a promising lead.

I know it may seem foolish to move just because of the weather, but waking up to snow in April really affects my mood. There's only so much I can handle, and this winter has been beyond brutal. It seems to get worse every year. I also would like to live in a couple parts of the country before I settle down to have a family so I know the best place for me. Both my parents understand my feelings, so that's encouraging. I guess I'll just have to start traveling and researching transfer options!

Metrodome = Stuck in the Past

I know it will soon be torn down, but in the mean time they need to change their food choices!! Today I went to a Twins game with the Carlson freshmen and we were given free hot dog and pop tickets. Now, I don't eat red meat or pork, so I was hoping there would be something on the menu I could persuade them to exchange it for. NO, NOTHING. There was popcorn and pretzels and sunflower seeds, but nothing that was even worth trying to exchange it for. I did go the popcorn route, simply because I hadn't eaten yet and I was crabby as all get out because the girls sitting behind me had the IQs of coconuts. However, they denied me. WHAT THE HECK AM I SUPPOSED TO EAT, PEOPLE?! I understand it's America and baseball and blah blah blah but they should offer some kind of alternative for people who enjoy America's favorite past time but not the average American pant size. I really would like to write a letter of complaint and ask them to change, but I know it wouldn't go anywhere. I'll just have to sit at Twins games and feel ripped off since my coupon will only be worth a soda to me.

I'M MOVING

FUCK SNOW

It is St. Patrick's Day, the day of GREEN, my 2nd favorite color. I have a personal preference for seeing boys in kelly green, so this is my favorite day of the year. When I missed school on the day where my entire class was supposed to wear green, I got several concerned phone calls that I was dead or in the hospital. HOWEVER, this love of green applies to the landscape. Now, what did I see when I opened my window to gauge what time it was? WHITE FUCKING SNOW ASLKDJFWOIEJFALSKDLKJLSAKDLKFLKJFDALKASFDLKFSALKJFDSAKJFADKJALKASOIFUWEOIFJSFX,N,MVN. I can't even handle it. I had to go back to bed to cure my sadness. I also found this video to cheer me up:


It worked a little bit. But now it is snowing even harder and if this delays my flight to Florida tomorrow...................... SOMEONE WILL DIE. I also hate driving in snow. Despite getting brand new tires over break, it still makes me very uncomfortable. I have to return a bikini and pick up a prescription!!!!! And pick up Aaron, wherever he may be.

Speaking of Simba, I drove up to Hugo (the only way his parents could live in a farther away suburb is if I lived in like New Prague or Burnsville) to eat dinner with his mom and sister and grandparents. I ate veggie tacos and then we went to see Vantage Point. I thought it was gonna r00l, which it did for some parts. But it ended way too early and didn't give enough back story. There were only 3 other people in the theater besides us, proving that White Bear Lake is full of old people that stay in on the weekends. Well, I guess it was a 9:25 movie on a Sunday night, when I'm guessing that WBL kids have school the next day. Whatever. Point being, get Vantage Point on Netflix or find it online, but don't pay money to see it now.

Pet Peeve of the Day: My house. I have a cat and a dog and I am allergic to both. When I'm in my dorm I have no exposure to pet dander or drool or fur so I'm perfectly fine. I was perfectly fine when I lived here full time. Now when I come back, though, I die every time. I have to spend as little time in my house as possible because I can't breathe after about 3 hours, which is starting to happen now. My eyes get all red and irritated and my skin starts to itch all over :( That's the only thing I'm worried about when getting a bunny. Nacho must be well-groomed and it'll take a while for me to get used to his fur being around, so I hope I can do it.