It was such a nice weekend, I hate for it to end. Though it was cold and I have a slight cold myself, the weekend was sunny, filled with friends and food.

I had Friday off because I took my licensing test. It was hard. Most of the time I wasn't sure if I was answering them right. I started a bit early, and finished the 170-question exam within 3 hours. As a computerized exam, my score would flash on the screen within minutes of completion. However, the computer held it hostage, while it made me fill out a survey. Ack! *grumble, grumble* After taking a possible 4-hour exam, I'd like to have my score, thank you very much. I guess it makes sense to do it that way, or they'll never get any feedback from anyone. =P Ah, well. It was worth it: I passed my exam! Yayayay! The hardest part of getting my license was over. =D

After the exam, I called my family to tell them the news. I broke down in tears of relief and joy. I was so stressed out for the past couple of weeks, I couldn't hold it in anymore. I did it! The Hubby took me out to dinner to celebrate. Delicious steak and maple butter blondies a la mode. Yum!

Saturday was a continuation of the celebration - this time, with our families. We took them to Minado, a Japanese buffet restaurant. We stuffed ourselves silly, to the point that many of us felt like we needed someone to roll us out the door. The Hubby was so full, he couldn't eat for the rest of the day. >P We spent the evening vegging out, watching TFC (The Filipino Channel) or something we taped on the DVR.

Today was a mellow day. My cold didn't let up this morning, so I spent most of the day sleeping/lying down and blowing my nose. Stupid cold. At least the worst of it is happening now, rather than my exam day. That would've sucked. My cold is a little better this evening, so I was able to be productive. I did a load of laundry, straightened up the living room a bit, leisurely read, and baked some brownies.

The brownies came out pretty well. I have 4 different variations of 1 vegan brownie recipe. I made: (1) a batch with Ovaltine (more cakelike, almost has a light german chocolate cake-taste to them), (2) one with macadamia nuts and toasted coconut on top, (3) one with a melted chocolate center, and (4) one plain. I used my cupcake pans to make them the right serving sizes. I thought I'd bring some into work tomorrow as a "thank you" for their votes of confidence and for helping me out in my times of stress there. However, I did make enough for The Hubby and me to enjoy. ;P

♥ Cutting back to fit the page requirement is hard. Hopefully it makes sense. At least I finished my paper, with more than an hour to spare. Woo!

♥ Policy paper deadline EXTENDED to Thanksgiving week. I'm still going to try to finish it for next week. =)

♥ Bought tickets to the Chocolate Show for Saturday. The Hubby's going with me. CHOCOLATE! Squee! =D

♥ Going to a friend's birthday party Saturday night. Burgers and FRIES! Yummyummyummy. =P

♥ It's sunny outside.

♥ It's time for breakfast. Mmm. Rice with eggs and dilis.

Can you tell I'm hungry? *L*

I can't believe it's mid-semester already. Only a month-and-a-half more until I am completely done with school. 0.0 I don't know what I'm going to do with myself. Maybe a cartwheel. Whee!

To help myself prep for the rest of my semester, I finally went to see the guy to whom my old therapist referred me.
The visit seemed to give me some of the motivation I needed to get going on this paper due Thursday. Though I'm still at the beginning stages, I'm hopeful that I'll finish it earlier than I anticipated. Then I have my 2nd paper due on the 14th.

I hope I can get enough done so I can fully enjoy the Chocolate Show next weekend. I'd hate to have the enormous task of doing most of my next paper after I get my chocolate on. =P

...But instead I'm being a good girl and working on my paper due on Wednesday. ^,^

I have about a page down, and I'm looking through all my notes to see if I can stretch it out to about another page or so before putting in my two-cents. I'm also hoping my citations are correct because I have been forewarned by my prof that she is a Grammar and Citation Nazi. 0.o

I'm feeling very productive right now, and I hope it sticks with me until I get this thing done. I'm denying the urge to take another nap, though the signs of a possible upcoming cold make it harder to resist. =?

Weekend's been pretty low key. Tomorrow's The Hubby's birthday, hence my desires to make and bake. Oh, and my desire to eat tons of chocolate, too. =D

Update: It's about 11:57pm, and I'm almost done with my paper. Yay! I have to finish off one more section, then put in my own personal perspective, and proofread. I might have to take a break and nap for an hour or so, but I'm determined to get this baby done before the sun comes up tomorrow. Woo!

Oh, and I got to making the ganache for The Hubby's birthday truffles. Mmm. It's tasty. =P

This is a recipe I discovered, while watching the Food Network. I tweaked the ingredients a bit, to cater to my tastes and what I had on hand.

( Recipe here )

I made them without nuts, and they came out somewhat cake-like. They also tasted like the Vegan brownies I found on AllRecipes.com. I liked them this way. Very tasty. It definitely satisfied my chocolate cravings. =P

I've been a bit preoccupied with food lately (translation--baking and craving chocolate like there's no tomorrow). Thus, I baked some triple chocolate cookies today, and I lusted after the chocolate pizzelles I made the other night. I haven't tried the cookies yet, but one has my name written all over it. After lunch, of course. =P

Since rice is for dinner, I made myself a spicy tuna salad rollup, toasted on the Foreman. Yum.

I have about an hour or so before I head out to work. I'm deciding between watching an ep of CSI, or napping. Or both? *ponders*

20 minutes later...

Tasted the cookie. It's very chocolatey and delicious. They kinda taste like the vegan brownie recipe I have, except it's a bit more cakey, which I like. =P I'll have to make it again. =D

Yep. I think I'm gonna watch CSI and nap. I believe I have enough time for both.

Since yesterday afternoon:

• 5 handfuls of mini Smarties,
• 2 pieces of dark chocolate Lindt,
• a serving of Emerald's Chocolate Brownie Glazed Walnuts,
• 1 chocolate-covered chocolate madeleine,
• 1 chocolate-dipped chococlate-chocolate chunk cookie, and,
• 1 cup of rich chocolate mocha.

0.o

I wouldn't be surprised if I bled chocolate syrup tomorrow.

After a long and exciting day at work, I decided to spend some time being a mallrat. First thing I did was get my freebie chocolates from the Godiva Chocolatier and entered their sweepstakes to win free chocolate for a year. I hope I win, not that I need all that sugar. =P

I stopped by NY&Co to look for some dress pants for work, but found nothing that really caught my eye. I stopped by Macy*s and bought a new, sophisticated bag for myself. It's got brown and black, so it can go with everything. Added bonus was the 30% off sale that was going on. I also bought a black blazer to add to my changing wardrobe. I figure that I'm in my mid-twenties, so I should really try not to look like I'm still in HS (in terms of dress-style).

I also picked up a birthday card for The Hubby, which brought tears to my eyes because it's that sappy. =P

I spent about $60 for everything today. Pretty good, considering the quality of the stuff I bought, though I'm not used to spending that much in one day. Does that make me a cheapskate? Probably. *L*

The Aero bar won. However, I did resist the urge to devour its friends: Dairy Milk with caramel and Nestle Smarties. =P

I'm sucking/munching on a chocolate See's Gourmet lolly, which is satisfying the craving very well. I also got my CrazyShirts catalogue in the mail yesterday, making me think of the chocolate shirts I want instead of buying a huge Cadbury Fruit & Nut.

Ugh. I'm going to have to get the rest of the groceries out of the car. At least it's another gorgeous day.