Monthly Archives: November 2011

Hello, Bob

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So, this morning I looked like this –

and now I look like this –

I like it, I think!

I always sort of hate my hair whenever I get it chopped, but I’ve gone short several times now so apparently that’s not holding me back!  I ended up having 14 inches to give to Locks of Love, which is great.

A friend and I went during a long break between classes and it was fun to see people’s reactions when we got back.  “Wait, didn’t you have a pony-tail this morning?!?”  I surprised Adam too.  He picked me up from school and his mouth fell open when I walked out to the car!

BC (before the cut) I ate half of this Coconut Chocolate Chip Clif Bar for breakfast.

And AC (after the cut) I bought a great green juice.

This was blend of spinach, kale, carrot, and cucumber; from a new spot just blocks from my apartment.

This was so good, and “only” $4.  I predict I’ll be there more often than I can afford!

Adam picked me up after school so we could make a quick grocery trip.  We each picked something from the cookie bar for funsies before we did boring stuff like toilet paper.

I chose cinnamon nut rugala and I’m now on the hunt for a rugala recipe to make at home.

While I was fixing Adam’s dinner I snacked on some canned pineapple over 1% cottage cheese.

My dinner was supposed to be some of Monday’s “leftovers,” leftover.

A heaping bowl of pasta, shredded chicken, and tons of peas, topped with parmesan, cranberry relish, and a drizzle of evoo.

I love this bowl so much more than I do anything I eat on Thanksgiving.  But I got up to do something halfway through and when I came back there was a dog face in my bowl!  Webster’s sort of an asshole.

Instead I ate this Smart Ones Brocoli and Cheddar Roasted Potatoes.

Not as good as the dinner I shared with the dog, but not as bad as it looks either.

Have you ever given to Locks of Love?  If you have long hair – how many times have you gone short?

Window Shopping Wednesday

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I am not much of a shopper, much to my mother’s chagrin. The woman can spend days at the mall, while I start to feel itchy after just a few hours. It’s not that I’m not materialistic, I totally am, it’s just that the thought of adding more stuff to my life makes it hard to breathe. But I like the idea of things. So I’m an avid window shopper. I browse catalogs I’ll never buy from and hold my breathe when I pass the window at J.Crew. So while I’m stuck at school all day Wednesdays, I thought we could have some fun via blog. Let’s window shop!

Here’s what I’m coveting this week –

1. This camera pouch from Unique Vintage.

I couldn’t find the stats on the site, but if my camera would fit in here it would just be too adorably meta.

2.  The Hey Sugar Bowl from Urban Outfitters.

I swear I would eat oatmeal out of this and not just ice cream!  I’m actually in love with pretty much all of the kitchen stuff at UO right now.

3.  Water Lilly and Herbs Moist Wipes from Motif.

I can’t even imagine how good these smell, but I know for sure that they’re adorable.

4.  The Ultimate Underwear Sports Bra from Panache.

This claims to support up to an H, so I have to figure that I’d be covered.  Plus it is so cute that I’d probably find a way to wear it peeking out from under a tank top, exercise or not.

5.  A Sticky Pad from Siconi.

Supposedly, this sticks to anything.  Which means you can stick the pad to any surface and then stick any item to the pad.  Like your cell phone to the dashboard when you’re using GPS.  Or use it to put a recipe on the wooden kitchen cabinet near the stove.

What’s on your shopping list?

Dates

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Note to self –

If a yogurt’s dated November 10th, don’t eat it on November 29th.  It’s not worth it.

I’ll be back tomorrow evening after what I hope is a full, productive day not spent whimpering in the fetal position.

“Leftovers”

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Did everyone have a fantastmic Turkey Day weekend?  (I did!)  We had a great last 1/2 day in Miami, including brunch with one of my best college friends, but got back into town late enough and with enough to do that I knew I was better off not blogging.

I didn’t have it together to pack food this morning but, though I got a little cranky around 1:00, I managed to make it through the school day without food.  Fueled or not, I am so proud of myself for making it to the gym during the break before my last class.  35 minutes, level 6 random, on the elliptical.

I had an after-school errand that made me have to wait longer to eat, but I was ok with it.  I was off to see a boy.

Love him.  And I was so proud, when I went to the vet to pick him up they told me that he was perfectly behaved and everyone was going to miss him.  I took him on a quick walk when we got home and he hadn’t forgotten any of his training during our five-day absence.

He’s a genius.

He’s also shedding like a mad man.  When Adam got home we went out for a lint brush to remedy the winter coat/dog fur situation and also dealt with the food issue.

It’s worth not eating all day to get Wegman’s hot bar for late lunch.  I got a heathy mix of fruits,

and veggies.

Delicious.  I haven’t made brussels sprouts at home in ages but they are always my favorite thing on the buffet line.

Dinner was a winner as well.

Who says you need Thanksgiving leftovers to have a day-after-Thanksgiving inspired dinner?  Into our bowls went a serving of pasta, some shredded rotisserie chicken, peas, a bit of parmesan, and a big dollop of cranberry relish.

I made an extra serving too and I’m excited about having this again as leftovers.

I tried to do some drinking with dinner.

But this Angry Orchard Hard Cider was too sour (it tasted almost rotten!) for me and I only managed a few swigs.

What did you make with your Thanksgiving leftovers?

Best Ever

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It’s a good thing I decided not to blog after dinner yesterday because we ended up staying out for drinks!  It was a late, fun night.

We started our evening with dinner at Las Culebrinas, Adam’s favorite Cuban place on the planet.  They have rolls with the best garlic butter.

We also ordered some appetizers to share.

Fried plantain with shrimp in red sauce and mozzarella sticks.

For dinner I got Mahi Mahi crusted in corn flakes and topped with a honey mustard sauce.

It was a little too fried for me but the sauce was so good.

And it came with a side salad with great dressing.

We did lots of sharing (though no one went near Adam’s beef because he was moaning so loudly – and whispering sweet nothings to his chocolate flan – and we were all a little afraid).  I ended up eating the equivalent of 3/4 of my plate.

Afterwards we walked around Coconut Grove for some more people watching.  And somehow ended up at Uncle Moe’s for drinks.  Like the Cow Tipper.

Here’s a shot with my hand for size comparison.

My mom and I split this one, obviously.  It was tasty, but not as strong as it sounds.

Which is good, because I was feeling good this morning.  I decided to skip the hotel breakfast, which was lackluster yesterday, and get in a quick gym trip instead.  15 minutes on the treadmill for a bit over a mile.

I ate my stolen pear for breakfast.

Along with a NuGo Dark bar packed from home.

And we stopped by our old favorite Thai place for a bubble tea smoothie.

Strawberry coconut smoothie with bobba.

So freaking good!

Plus a few peppermints for freshness.

Amid the day’s exploration we also spent some time at the mall. I know shopping seems like a strange vacation activity, but my parents live on an island so it’s more exploratory for them than the beach. My dad shared a pretzel with me while we were there.

I ate about x2 what’s pictured. We were practically frozen so I also bought an earl grey with steamed skim milk.

A few stops later, and we were at my favorite place on the planet.

Where I made the biggest cup of froyo I’ve ever eaten.

Everything chocolate and caramel, smothered in marshmallow.

Heaven. Pure heaven.

And the evening only got better. The plan was to go to Joe’s Stone Crab, but a 2-hour wait scared us away. The disappointment was very serendipitous, because we ended up having a best ever dinner at Joe’s less formal take-away spot next door. You ordered your food at a counter and brought it to the booth yourself and it ended up being just perfect.

To start, Adam and I split a seafood bisque.

It was creamy and tangy with big chunks of fish.

Then the four of us split an order of stone crab.

Stone crab is like the best crab you’ve ever had, on steroids. It is meaty, yet tender and buttery.

I got most of two claws, dipped in butter and mustard.

I drank a spicy bloody Mary with my food but I was too excited about the crab to remember to photograph before a few sips in.

For the rest of the meal, my mom and I split two sandwiches.

The shrimp po boy and the lobster Reuben.

The po boy was good, though I mostly ate the shrimp out of the bun, dipped in remoulade.

The Reuben was out of this world. Everything that’s good about a Reuben but with the added amazingness of lobster.

Everyone kept laughing at me for chewing with my eyes closed but I just couldn’t help it. The big pieces of meat were absolutely perfect.

I thought I couldn’t be happier, but then Adam bought me this t-Rex juice container.

Best trip souvenir ever.

My favorite activity in any city is bike riding, and for the hour after dinner that’s just what we did.

It was so much fun, though our times in the sand basically left my thighs burning! Then we spent another hour walking down the club strip on South Beach for the ultimate people watching. It was the best vacation day ever.  The best.

Lincoln On South Beach

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The day’s not yet done, but I can already tell that I won’t feel like blogging after dinner so I wanted to get a post in now.  This vacation is tiring me out, whee!

We started the morning with complimentary breakfast. I made oats to eat, and stole a pear and some granola for later.

I topped my oats with skim milk and peanut butter.

Plus had a cup of hot chocolate.

And then we went to the gym! I realize the first morning of a vacation is an odd time to break my months’ long gym hiatus, but what can I say? There was one in-house, Adam could go with me, and Sleepwalk with Me by Mike Birbiglia was begging to be read. I actually extended my workout so I could finish the book; 45 minutes on the stationary bike.

Our first stop of the day was Lululemon for an exciting Christmas gift. I also grabbed a piece of candy.

Then we spotted a Whole Foods, swoon.  The husband and I about died over these –

But then we found the crackers Adam has been lusting after and my favorite Pumpkin Protein drink from Odwalla.

We split it.

The husband and I, I mean, though we did consider giving a sip to our new friend.

You know our next stop was my favorite.

I think I got more toppings than froyo.

Rainbow sprinkles, popping bobba, and marshmallow with a bit of plain tart yogurt.

And our day’s activity was one of my favorites: wandering up and down Lexington Ave on South Beach.

Lexington is the best spot in Miami for people and puppy watching.

We spent the day walking, shopping, and eating; it was perfect.  I split this Chocolate Cherry Tort Lara Bar with Adam.

And when he stopped for Cuban coffee I snagged this Mamey smoothie.

I’ve wanted to try Mamey fruit for years and after this drink I’m still not quite sure what it is!  The taste was almost a watermelon-pumpkin mix.

I also stole a small square of Adam’s chicken parmesan pizza.

And bought a small bag of cola gummies.

I think I’ll be ready for something savory for dinner 😉

Do you people watch?  Where’s the best spot for it?

Happy Thanksgiving

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We’re in Miami!

Can I just say, how little I did I manage to pack for two people for four days?

And that’s with the husband’s giant boy clothes taking up extra space.

Our day of travel went smoothly, minus my yogurt (in a perfect peanut butter jar!) getting tossed at security. We slept though the first flight and then spent three hours walking around the Chicago airport.

We got a strange 8am meal, splitting a Baja chicken burrito from Burrito Beach.

I asked for chicken, red rice, black beans, corn, cheese, sour cream, and roasted veggies.

Supplemented with a tangerine packed from home.

I was pleased with the job I did packing food for this trip.

(Adam also had a downright gourmet salad in my backpack.)

I ate a sandwich – Applegate Farms Turkey Bologna, Crofter’s Grape Spread, everything Bagel Thin – on flight number two.

Plus Peanut M&Ms bought from the airport.

I also started reading the all time funniest book ever on the plane.

Clearly Webster liked it too.  I laughed aloud so many times I’m sure our seatmates were thinking of muzzling me.

Before we knew it, we were on the ground and hugging my parents at the gate.  We are so freaking excited to be with them (especially in Miami!).

Our first stop was a nice walking tour of our old haunt, the U!

So fun to see how the campus had changed in little ways.  I will admit to becoming a bit nostalgic when we walked past the building where I took all of my English classes.  Plus it’s fun that Adam and I got to date here for four years.

Our next stop made my heart sing.

Self-serve froyo is high on my list of things to be thankful for!  I did keep the serving small though (we were about to head out to a nice Turkey Day dinner!); dolche de leche and taro froyo with fruit, a smidge of marshmallow, sprinkles, and lots of popping bobba.

If we manage to sneak in a froyo every day of the visit I think this will end up being the best vacation ever.

For dinner we headed to the Chart House.

The shirt that Adam has on here is actually the one he got married in!!!

I started my meal with a Blue Moon.

And a really great roll with butter.

And for dinner I went traditional.

Sliced roast turkey,

cornbread stuffing,

mashed potatoes,

cranberry relish,

and creamed spinach.

The spinach was soooo good, but overall I probably ordered the wrong thing since I actually hate most Thanksgiving foods.  I only ate a 1/3 or so of my plate; but at least I won’t have regrets about “missing”anything, and Adam is thrilled with his plate of leftovers.

My meal came with pecan pie.

But there wasn’t a preference issue that kept me from eating this, the pie was just plain nasty.  Store-bought (crappy store-bought) pie, Chart House?  You can do better.

But what really matters on Thanksgiving is family, and I got to spend the day with my three favorite people.  And I hope all of you, Americans or otherwise, got to spend the day with your nearest and dearest too.

All The Small Things

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Happy Thanksgiving, guys!  My trip plan (fingers crossed!) is to blog from my hotel room each night, but at the moment I’m probably sitting on an airplane.

For funsies – and more for me than you – I wanted to make a quick list of the things I’m small things* thankful for.  In no particular order –

  1. diet pop
  2. the two years I spent in Brooklyn
  3. my reusable plastic straws
  4. Archie comics
  5. ruffles
  6. how wickedly funny my dad and grandfather both are
  7. long walks
  8. peeling baked cheese off of the top of a dish
  9. Reef flip-flops
  10. bubbles
  11. bubble tea
  12. how soft the side of Webster’s neck is to kiss
  13. stickers
  14. my ability to be a college student, again
  15. Biscoff spread
  16. the fact that even if I go awhile without plucking, I don’t naturally have a unibrow
  17. scented candles
  18. sharpies
  19. having an apartment, car, and big enough budget to feed and clothe myself
  20. popcorn with butter
  21. how unbelievably smart the husband is
  22. music
  23. … Come Around by Rhett Miller
  24. … Snowfall by Ingrid Michaelson
  25. … What a Wonderful World by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole
  26. … Heartbeats by Jose Gonzalez
  27. … Alive with the Glory of Love by Say Anything
  28. … A Light On a Hill by Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s
  29. … Regina Spektor
  30. … Joshua Radin
  31. the fact that I get to sleep curled up with Adam and Webster
  32. roasted marshmallows
  33. the Nancy Drew series
  34. Serendipity 3 in NYC
  35. yoga pants
  36. the feeling you get when you remember you’re about to go on a vacation
  37. blogs, and the fact that they helped me have the courage to quit my job
  38. my experiences as a teacher and the better understanding of the world that they gave me
  39. the movie theatre in Brooklyn that probably saved our lives
  40. really good bread dipped in olive oil
  41. tv shows that, even when I hate everyone, make me feel like the world is going to be ok
  42. … Scrubs
  43. … Buffy the Vampire Slayer
  44. … Firefly
  45. … Bones
  46. … Modern Family
  47. the way Adam just gets my weird humor
  48. self-serve frozen yogurt
  49. my childhood on an island
  50. the fact that my mom read the entire set of Laura Ingalls Wilder books to me as a kid
  51. good books

*Note – small things.  I’m so thankful for my husband, family, friends, and health that I don’t even have the words to express it.