Taking the night off

I’m supposed to be going to yoga tonight.  I don’t want to.  I had a facial today, so I’m plenty relaxed, and I want to stay home.  I want to stay home and read and play on the internet and watch TV and do laundry (okay, that’s more of a need than a want) and stay home.  Also, I want to stay home.

Toast and tea (decaf English Breakfast) for dinner.  Yum.

Falafel and I are taking a break

I’m always disappointed by falafel.  I get it every once in a while, but I never end up happy about it.  Today’s lunch was a falafel, hummus, and cucumber wrap.  Should have been delicious.  It sure sounds like something I would like.  But it was so very BORING.  Part of the problem may have been that there wasn’t any actual hummus in the wrap.  It was more like a hummus-flavored watery mayo.  The other part of the problem was that the falafel was only so-so.  I’m not trying to say that all falafel is boring.  I’m very willing to concede that I’ve never had really good falafel.  I certainly hope that’s the case.  Knowing that there is good falafel out there in the world gives me strength.  Or hope.  Or something.  But I think I’m done with falafel until someone I trust gives me a recommendation.

Also, the nice man who makes my salad at Panera recognizes me and waves when I walk in the door.  It’s time to start grocery shopping again.

It’s not that kind of holiday

Today didn’t turn out quite like I thought it would.  We were out late last night (we met Emily at her new place for dinner), so we slept late this morning, dawdled about breakfast, and kinda puttered around all day.  It’s been a nice day, don’t get me wrong, but I kinda had plans for it that I never put into action.

I did go to Wegmans, though, so I was able to do something productive.  Actual grocery shopping that resulted in real healthy food at home will certainly help us eat right this week.  But it’s not going to keep us from having nachos for dinner.  Because we’re stupid.

Now I have to decide something really important.  For the second time today, since I finished Little Brother last night and read Coraline this afternoon.  What am I going to read next?

Not the actions of a responsible adult

Lunch today with John: frozen yogurt at a local Sweet Frog.  Delicious, low(ish) in calories, not at all nutritious.  Perfect for a Friday.  Of course, then we noticed the sign near the register that says that F.R.O.G stands for Fully Rely On God.  Really?  It’s frozen yogurt, for crying out loud.  So maybe Zinga! (which has no religious affiliations or views) will remain our favorite local frozen yogurt spot.  (John has threatened to stop talking to me if I call it froyo one more time.  Froyo is right up there with vacay in his list of annoying words.  I don’t really disagree, except when it comes to veggies.  I refuse to give up veggies.)

Total loss of brain function

I did the dumbest thing ever today.  I routinely forget my leftovers in the downtown office fridge, but this time really hurts.  I took a coworker out to lunch (annual appraisal) at Chef Geoff’s today.  It’s a little nicer than a typical lunch out, but SO worth it.  They do interesting and delicious things.  I had the tarragon cured salmon sandwich – salmon, egg salad, capers, boursin cheese, some arugula.  It was incredible.  And it was huge.  I didn’t even finish half of it, but I most certainly had the rest boxed up to take with me.  Got it back to the office, got it in the fridge, got my coworker to help me remember to bring it home.  I saw her as I was getting ready to leave a few hours later, and I remembered.  I had a plan: go to the bathroom, pick up my sandwich, go home.  Instead, I went to the bathroom and then I went home.  I had to walk right by the kitchen door, so it shouldn’t have been a problem.  I should have said it out loud.  I remembered as I was crossing the Potomac into Virginia.  TOO LATE!  I was sad.  Still am.  I’m not going back downtown until next week (WAY too late), so I called my coworker and asked her to find it a good home.

Sad panda is sad.

Leaky brain syndrome

I had a couple of half-formed ideas of things to write about today, but they’re pretty much gone.  Or far enough away that I don’t have more than a sentence.  You know, like how Jess’s phone called me without her knowledge this afternoon, and how I can’t get enough avocado lately, so I was terribly disappointed when I asked to have avocado added to my sandwich from Panera this evening and they left it off and I didn’t realize until I got home and then it was too late and I was sad.  I had avocado in my salad for lunch (Au Bon Pain – spinach, egg, bacon, avocado, chicken, black beans, honey mustard, and a little more avocado – oh wow good), so it’s not like I had to get through the whole day avocado-less.  Just dinner.

Insert Homer Simpson drooling noise

Mom has made some really good book choices lately.  The last two books I read (well, the one I’m reading now and the one I just read) were her recommendations, and I am very happy with them.  That’s not to say that her recommendations aren’t normally trustworthy – they very much are – but sometimes I need more persuading.  Maybe I’m just being stubborn for no reason.  Or for the same reason John gets stubborn he’s looking for his next book and I send a continuous stream of suggestions his way.  Suggestion overload!  Anyway, I think the best thing – okay, best things about these latest two are a) I knew almost nothing about them before I read them, and 2) they are not at all similar to each other but are both really good.  And good to read back to back, for reasons I have not yet thought out.  And I really like that I hardly knew anything about them.  Mom told me the premise of The Age of Miracles, but she told me absolutely nothing about Gone Girl, and I think I kind of prefer it that way.  John and I work pretty hard to avoid spoilers for movies and TV shows, avoiding just about anything that mentions them.  We really like going into these things with no preconceptions.  With books, you’ve usually got the cover, the blurb on the back, some expectation based on the genre or author or something.  With Gone Girl, since I’m reading it on the Kindle, I don’t have anything but the title and the author’s name.  In the long run, I can see how that might make it difficult to decide what to read next since I often decide based on what genre I’m in the mood for, but once in a while starting a book completely in the dark about it is fun.

Speaking of my book, I’d really like to read it now, so, you know.  Bye.

Only a little spooky

The gym at night is a peaceful place.  I know I won’t work out tomorrow (going to visit Jess and Chuck – yay!), and Sunday will depend a lot on when we get home, so I figured I’d squeeze in an extra workout tonight.  Especially after IHOP for dinner.  The gym is open until 10pm on weeknights, and most nights there are still people there pretty late.  Not tonight, though.  I walked in at 8 and I had the place to myself.  It was kinda nice.  None of the TVs were on and neither was the music, so the only sounds were my own.  I could pretend it was my own private gym.  No annoying people allowed.

As if on cue, Riley came over and shoved his dripping head into my lap just then.  (He’s a messy drinker.)  I’ve got to pay him some special attention to make up for boarding him overnight tomorrow.

Good night!

Wishing I could eat like a bird

I can’t eat any more.  I mean it.  I’ll explode.  This whole week – too much.  And now just about everything feels like too much.  I met John for lunch at Panera today, and after just half a sandwich and a small salad, I felt like I’d eaten a house.  Dinner tonight (before yoga) is decaf tea and a piece of toast with peanut butter.  I’m not so sure that won’t feel like too much, too.

At least I didn’t lose any cheesecake

I went to lunch with a coworker today (I kind of had to, even though I’m considering never eating again after this week) at the Cheesecake Factory, ordered the chicken salad sandwich, only ate half, and put the other half in a box to bring home.  And then I left the box in the car.  For four hours.  In this crazy heat.  And then I remembered it and threw it away.

Good story, right?  Here’s another.

Every once in a while, we find a peanut hidden somewhere in the yard.  Not hidden very well, actually, but you can tell it’s supposed to be kind of out of the way.  Once there was in a flower pot.  We found another one in a crack on the steps to the porch, and today John found one in the mulch under a bush.  And when I say peanut, I don’t mean one that’s ready to eat.  We’re talking circus peanuts.  Bar peanuts.  Still in the shell.  Like Mr. Peanut, but without the top hat, cane, and monocle (more’s the pity).  So…we think we have an industrious little squirrel or chipmunk or something, hiding peanuts away for winter.  We have no idea where the peanuts are coming from.

Maybe it’s not a chipmunk.  Maybe, just maybe, there’s an elephant tiptoeing around our yard hiding peanuts.  And maybe it’s invisible.  And silent.

Emotional roller coaster

Panera is toying with my emotions, guys.  A few months ago, they had a salad I loved.  The spinach power salad was awesome, and I got it every time I was near a location that offered it.  When they took it away, I was pretty disappointed.  So imagine my elation yesterday when I got an email from Panera with the subject “Celebrate the summer with a spinach salad.”  They brought it back!  Hooray!  John and I had just discussed picking up dinner from Panera for tonight (because going to the store is beyond us after a long work week), and now I could get my favorite salad.  The world is a wonderful place.

Today, though, I got a second email from Panera.  Subject: We’re sorry – we made a mistake.

We were so excited to send your monthly MyPanera® email yesterday that we failed to notice that the Spinach Salad we featured is no longer available. Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience you may have experienced.

We’d like to suggest that you try the Strawberry Poppyseed & Chicken Salad instead.

We hope you’re enjoying your summer — and thanks for understanding.

— your friends at MyPanera®

I was (I am) disappointed.  At least they sent a nice email.  But hey – it reminds me that I’m capable of making a similar salad myself.  We’ve been doing that with that salad I love from the Cheesecake Factory (French Country Salad) these past weeks, too.

French Country Salad

  • Good lettuces
  • Steamed asparagus
  • Pickled beets
  • Crumbled goat cheese
  • Balsamic vinaigrette
  • Pecans or walnuts

Spinach Power Salad

  • Spinach
  • Crumbled bacon
  • Boiled eggs
  • Fried onions (optional)
  • Some sort of sweet onion vinaigrette

So good, so good for you.  And it doesn’t count as cooking, so I can still say I don’t like to cook.

Did I mention that our vacation was beyond fantastic?

One week ago tonight (plus 5 hours), John and I were in the Royal Shakespeare Theater in Stratford-upon-Avon watching a Shakespeare play performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company.  (That should probably be Royal Shakespeare Theatre…)  It was a last-minute decision.  Mom and Dad spent the day in the cottage and around the village.  John and I took the car to see the ruins of Hailes Abbey (beautiful), and when we realized it was a little too late (nearing 5pm) to see anything else, we decided to head to Stratford-upon-Avon.  We knew we’d get there too late to get into any of the touristy stuff, but we could still go see stuff.  And have tea.  I love having afternoon tea.  We got there right at 5pm (when the attractions were closing), so aside from a quick glance into a gift shop, we only got to see the outside of the birthplace of Shakespeare and that stuff.  We had our tea (a light cream tea – we planned to find dinner somewhere before we headed back to Chipping Campden and Mom and Dad), and we took a walk down Henley Street (with all its closed shops) and eventually found the Avon.  We dawdled there for a while and then noticed the Royal Shakespeare Theatre as we walked by.  The doors were open, we saw books on shelves, and all of a sudden we found ourselves in the gift shop.  Amazing how that works.  We browsed for 20 minutes or so and were on our way out when I suggested we check the box office.  What’s on tonight?  Who cares?  If there are seats available and they’re somewhat reasonably priced, we should stay, right?  Of course right.  So we asked.  Hey, it’s King John.  How much are the tickets?  Only £16 each?  Hey, it starts at 7:30.  What time is it now?  Oh, 7:06?  And we have to move the car?  We can get the car moved in time if we run.  So we ran.  Well, we walked really fast.  Turns out we didn’t have to move the car (just put more money in), so we rushed back, bought our tickets, and sat down just in time for the play to start.

It was really good.  Really good.  And interestingly staged, if that’s the word.  Shakespearean language, contemporary costumes and setting.  And music.  The wedding scene made my whole week.  (“I Say A Little Prayer For You” segued into “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” with the choreography from the end of Dirty Dancing.  SO.  MUCH.  FUN.)

One of many pictures of Hailes Abbey. Also, proof of the beautiful weather we had most of the week.

Hamlet says hello. Or, you know, "Alas, poor Yorick."

I didn't have the foresight to get a picture of the whole building...

...but I did get a shot of the books that lured us in.

All I remember about lunch in elementary school is the rectangular pizza

Lunch today: one peanut butter and jelly sandwich and one small container of applesauce.  It occurred to me that I was eating the lunch of a first-grader.  All I was missing was the little half-pint container of chocolate milk with a straw.  Except I keep hearing that kids aren’t allowed to bring peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to school anymore, so maybe this is no longer a typical lunch.  I wouldn’t really know.

In love with Indian food

I am sore all over.  Have been all day.  I don’t know what I did ’cause I’m pretty sure I didn’t do much yesterday to deserve this.  I think it’s a holdover from yoga Wednesday night.  I woke up all stiff and tried to do some of those yoga moves on my own this morning, but I could barely bend over, so I gave up.  Which is the opposite of what I should have done, since I’m sure if I’d kept at it I would have loosened up.  Anyway, my hamstrings are tight, and my back and shoulders are sore.  But then I ate Indian food for lunch (which is synonymous with eating too much Indian for lunch), so I went to the gym and spent an hour and 20 minutes on my favorite cardio-machine-that-is-not-an-elliptical.  To punish myself.  And also to pretend I didn’t eat that much.

Happy Derby Day!

I feel like a slacker when Derby Day comes up and I haven’t planned any sort of Derby party.  Oops.  But I’m watching (of course).

I had a very successful shoe-shopping day, and once the Derby is over and we’ve eaten, John and I are going to go to our local comic book store for Free Comic Book Day and then hit up the Haagen Dazs around the corner for a sundae.

It’s been a very nice Saturday.

Eddie Van Halen is a weird-looking dude

Last night we saw Van Halen at the Verizon Center in DC.  All of Van Halen (almost).  Van Halen as they were meant to be (although a bit older and with Eddie’s son playing bass instead of Michael Anthony – I’m nitpicking here).  I’m referring, of course, to the return of David Lee Roth.

Our seats were on the side, level with and just slightly behind the stage, but we were pretty close and had a decent view.  Eddie and Diamond Dave (who glittered through at least 6 costume changes) spent plenty of time facing our way.  They both looked pretty darn happy to be performing (Eddie gets this crazy/happy/goofy grin on face sometimes).  And the sound was SO much better than the last time we saw them.  Of course, so were our seats.  It was a good concert.  They ended with “Jump”, but I woke up this morning with a song they didn’t play (from the new album) running through my head.  Over the ringing in my ears that hasn’t completely gone away yet.  (Under the ringing, I guess, since the music in my head isn’t really competing with the actual ringing sound.)  As we drove home last night, my ears felt all pressurized, like we’d just changed altitudes.  Our seats weren’t THAT high up, but it was THAT loud.  And THAT fun.  John had his little digital recorder out for most of the songs, but I kept forgetting it was there.  Which is unfortunate because now he’ll know how many of the words to his favorite songs I DON’T know.

(Also, if you’re near the Verizon Center and happen to be looking for a cheap-ish lunch/quick dinner one day, try Camille’s.  The Mexican Daredevil Grilled Hot Wrap was crazy good.  Menu.)

Today, though, I’m tired and cranky.  And hungry (which leads right back to cranky).  Starbucks gave me the wrong drink this morning (and naturally I didn’t realize it until I was in the office), and when I tried to get the right one around lunch time, it was TERRIBLE.  So no caffeine for me today.  We didn’t get to bed until around 1am.  Maybe I should just go to bed now…

Text Box: Lower Level,Text Box: Mid Level (Our Seats)

It’s a bird! It’s a plane!

Someday we’re going to live in a place where good sushi isn’t readily accessible.  I’m not looking forward to that, but I can’t really see making sushi a deal-breaker when looking for a place to live.  Not that we’re looking right now.  Still, sad day ahead.

You know what’s not sad (or who, I should say)?  Erik and Margaret’s teeny baby when I’m holding her.  We went to their place yesterday to meet adorable little Corinne, and I surprised us all by turning into Supersitter!.  Supersitter! took the baby (who was fighting her nap) when we got arrived, and Supersitter! swung and bounced her while we chatted in the kitchen, and then Supersitter! soothed wee baby Corinne right to sleep, head buried in Supersitter!’s armpit (which seemed odd to Supersitter!, but what can you do?).  It certainly wasn’t Supersitter!’s arms that got tired or Supersitter!’s stomach that was growling – those things don’t happen to Supersitter!.  It was a nice afternoon.  Good to see them all.

Then I spent last night and most of today getting ahead on my homework.  Exciting.  And apropos of absolutely nothing (but courtesy of The Bloggess), here are some otters that look like Benedict Cumberbatch.

Do you know what is awesome?

You probably know lots of things that are awesome, but I have a nostalgic (for me, anyway) addition to my list of Things That Are Awesome.  (Note to self: post list of Things That Are Awesome.  Everyone should have a list of Things That Are Awesome.)  In college, I went to Au Bon Pain for lunch fairly regularly (it was just off campus – probably still there), and I always got a turkey sandwich on a croissant with lettuce and honey mustard.  GREAT sandwich.  But it was the honey mustard I kept going back for.  It had the consistency of honey instead of mustard, and it had more of a horseradish-like kick.  I loved it.  But then we moved away, to places that don’t have Au Bon Pain, and I was left without this fantastic honey mustard.  I found a bagel shop in Newport that used it (or something very similar), but that was 11 years ago.  Au Bon Pain doesn’t have many (or any, in some cases) restaurants in the places we’ve lived since Newport, and I have tried many different honey mustard dressings.  (I’m not obsessive dedicated enough to try to make my own, but you probably already knew that.  I hope.)  Today, for the first time in, yeah, about 11 years, I found my way back to an Au Bon Pain (they just opened one in the building I work in when I’m in DC), and I ordered my sandwich.  Same honey mustard, same kick-ass sandwich.  Awesome!

What?  You think it’s weird that my list of Things That Are Awesome includes a sandwich?  It includes more than one sandwich, so there.