So this is love?

Ever caught yourself incessantly daydreaming about a special someone? Ever had a hard time concentrating on getting work done because someone else is running through your mind? Well then, my friend, you may be in love.

I thought I knew what it felt like to be in love, but I guess I was wrong. All these years I thought I knew it when I felt it, but I guess I was mistaken. Ever since my trip to Chicago a few weeks ago, I CANNOT stop thinking about Edwardo.

I toss and turn at night. The notion of productivity at the office has vanished.

Edwardo made me a delicious stuffed spinach pizza. And it played the lead role in the food escapades of my weekend away with friends. From the moment it arrived at my friend Christine's door, something in me changed. I took one look at it and am now blind to anything else.

Look at that! The spinach on Edwardo's pizza was crispy with hints of garlic. The cheese was gooey and ooey. The marinara sauce on top was layered with flavor and texture with Parmesan cheese melted about. And the crust. Oh, the crust. It was perfectly crispy, doughy, and buttery.

The pizza was huge. We each had one full slice plus a third of another piece for our dinner Friday night. I was impressed with the restraint shown by each of us, especially myself. But not a second too soon after returning home later that evening, not a word was spoken as we headed towards the fridge. Like robots, we opened the fridge in silence and split another piece.

The next morning, before heading out to brunch, the pizza box emerged yet again. Third of a slice for everyone.

After brunch, since it was raining, windy and cold, we headed back to the apartment and found the box of pizza waiting patiently for our arrival. Out came another piece. Then came a nap. Then out came the box again. Thirds for everyone.

Then as we gussied up for a dinner out at a trendy Mexican restaurant downtown, Christine took out the last piece of pizza and ate it. Part of me cried inside. I wanted to scream. I hadn't wanted this dream to end. But it did. It was over. Done.

And to this day, I can't stop thinking about how good that pizza was. Fresh from Edwardo's oven, it was perfection. Served cold for breakfast, it was divine. And slightly warmed up for snack time, it hit the spot. Buttressed by batch upon batch of homemade chocolate chip and Reese's peanut butter cup cookies, my final winter trip to Chicago was as good as I had imagined it would be.

Now, I think owe it to my yearning heart to host a Chicago pizza night soon at my house so that I can be reunited with my true love and share that goodness with my friends. Luckily, Edwardo's ships to locations outside of Chicago. As does Giordano's and Lou Malnati's. Maybe I will order one of each!

More to come on the rest of the Chicago wintry experience!

All I want for Christmas...

I usually don't ask for much for Christmas and tend to prefer surprises from my family members. But as the years have come and gone, so too has the creativity and the element of surprise. For my older brother Jeff and I, lists have become common place. Although my list is pretty short and unexciting--I requested a small vacuum cleaner this year--it helps save the time spent thinking up good ideas for adults who usually don't "need" much.

When I asked Jeff what he wanted for Christmas this year, he rattled off a small list of options. But, while the vagueness of his list was somewhat surprising, I was moreso surprised at his choice specificity regarding the last list item.

• Mac book accessories
• hockey accessories
• swim accessories
• marriage accessories (ear plugs, "yes dear" recording)

Marriage accessories? Yes. I shall get to work on making that recording. Anyone know where I can get a good set of ear plugs?

Christkindlmarket

According to my friend Lindsey, Germans like to combine words because they don't have enough time to add space between words.

Hence the word "Christkindlmarket." Ever heard of that before? I'll tell you about it shortly.

Next week, Lindsey and I will head out to Chicago to visit our friend Christine. The first time I visited Chitown was early December and I remember being stunned by how cold it was. Despite the weather, I'm heading back because the city is quite breath-taking around the holidays. Just how the city is an explosion of beautiful, colorful tulips in the Spring, it is bedecked with pretty white lights and festive decorations in the Winter.

Here's the weather forecast for the visit. Aside from the frigid temps, I am excited about the prospect of snow! And moreso jazzed up about the Christkindlmarket.

Designed to mimic the Christkindlesmarkt in Nuremberg, Germany, which began in 1545, the Christkindlmarket Chicago brings a German and European tradition with international flair. What that means for us? German beer! German food! German garb! Christmas on crack!

In addition to that, we have some side journeys planned to some new eating spots and some old standbys for deepdish pizza and the like. And if we don't freeze to death, I'll be sure to document my final Winter experience in Chicago.

Christmas Explosion!

Despite the many shortcomings of my current residence, it appears to be perfectly laid out for an explosion of Christmas decorations. Yes, my roommates and I decided to deck the house with all the trimmings of Christmas this evening. And, while some might think it's overkill, I find it to be quite the view.

Last year, we purchased our tree at Home Depot. You can't beat $25 for a seven-foot tree! And this year, we headed back to get another good deal. But we learned our lesson from last year. Instead of picking out the biggest, widest, and tallest tree we could get, we took into consideration the room dimensions. We passed on the rounded, pear-shaped Frasier furs and nabbed a slenderer version. Still seven-feet, but lush and fitting for the room.

While the tree almost slid off the top of my car on the drive back, it made it home safely and into the house with minimal shedding. Since our living room is quite narrow, we decided to place the tree out on our year-round porch. It's much cooler out there, too, which should help prevent it from drying out so fast. After we got home, we lit a fire in the fireplace, warmed up some water for hot chocolate with Khalua, prepared some s'mores, turned on some Christmas tunes from Pandora, and went to work!

Then with the extra lights and extra tree branches, we decorated the mantle. Then the poinsettias were added for some extra color. To finish it off, we hung some stockings and put fake snow under the reindeer sleigh candle contraption.

And then we hung a wreath from the door...

And, last, but not least. We placed a couple poinsettias around the dining room. If only we had an outdoor outlet, we could go crazy with lights on our bushes and trees. Or get a slew of blow up festive lawn ornaments. I think that's where I draw the line :-)

Here's my favorite view where you can see bits of everything. Not sure why the camera is making everything appear fuzzy, either. Not a good sign!

 And one last look at the tree through the closed porch door. I hope everyone enjoys the holiday season!

Thankful

This year's Thanksgiving didn't involve the usual pilgrimage to Williamsburg, Va. Due to an unexpected emergency room visit for my Mom, my immediate family stayed local and threw together a Thanksgiving feast on the fly.

My Aunt Eleanor has been the main chef behind every family Thanksgiving for as long as I can remember. She's perfected the meal and somehow is always able to prepare countless dishes to feed everyone all the while making it appear effortless.

Well, our rendition of the meal wasn't effortless or gourmet. And the kitchen scene unraveled into a circus the hour leading up to eating time. But, the fact that I wore sweatpants all day made everything better. And, the meal turned out to be more than "just OK."

Our appetizers, clockwise from top left: Salmon salad roll; hummus (store-bought!); Jarlsberg cheese and Horseradish cheddar; homemade caramelized onion dip.

And then for the real spread! The only things ready-made here were the chicken and the rolls.  From left, rotisserie chicken; mashed potatoes (I mixed in cream cheese, sour cream and skim milk); chicken gravy with shallots; sourdough bread stuffing; green bean casserole (a recipe from my Aunt that's from scratch); sweet potatoes with marshmallows; cranberries; 7-up salad (a family tradition); rolls.

Let's take a closer look....

And some more...

Big, hefty plate full of goodness.

And lastly some pie! The recipe was taken right off the side of the pumpkin can. Yes. And the crust is a bit lopsided, but it all tastes the same going down!

Food aside, it wasn't the same this year not being in Virginia surrounded by relatives and good cheer. And it definitely wasn't the same this year not having my Mom at the dinner table with us. But we paid many a visit to her in the hospital and learned that things are going to be A-OK! Now that's something for which I am extremely thankful.

I am also mindful of and thankful for all the blessings in life that are often taken for granted: the means to provide the food, a job, supportive friends, a wonderful extended family, and of course a great immediate family! Big thanks to my brothers for the help in putting together this meal at the last minute, and for my parents for being superbly spectacular.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

Almost heaven, West Virginia

I ended up going with the West Virginia Sauce and Slaw Dawg last night at DC-3. I have a new-found respect for the state for producing such a heavenly dog. It made me wonder if the true meaning behind John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" was not about the rolling hills of West Virginia, but rather for his secret love for chili-slaw dogs.

My friend Patrick decided to go with the Bay Bridge Pretzel Dog. The pretzel bun looked delicious and the simplicity of a dog smothered in crab dip with old bay seasoning seemed to work out well. My Nathan's all-beef hot dog was covered in chili and slaw. I also added some diced raw onion, pickle relish, brown mustard and some ketchup. I think I went overboard with the condiments, though, because the dog was kind of burried in there. Either way, I'm still smiling!

Reject meat scraps? Hardly!

In my lowly world, hot dogs reign supreme. They are the king of all comfort and guilty-pleasure foods. They even trump pepperoni, which pains me to type.

Hot dogs are like a spouse or a long-time significant other. You've seen their ugly side. You've peeked behind the curtain they put up for the rest of the world and know what they're made of...sometimes it's not pretty, but you love them anyways. And no matter what they do to you and your health, you'll always welcome them with a smile. Or maybe that's just me.

But today, I've got a smile on my face already. Tonight, hot dogs are on the menu as I venture to DC-3 in Eastern Market. I hope the place is as good as it looks so I can add it to my repertoire of go-to eateries. It opened at the beginning of November and was launched by the creators of Matchbox (which has some killer sliders and pizza!) so how bad can it be?!

Check out their CRAZY-delicious menu!

Check out their AMAZING hot dog gallery!

I'm having a hard time deciding between the West Virginia Sauce and Slaw Dawg and the Bay Bridge Pretzel Dog. And I refuse to get any more work done at the office until a decision is made.

Now, maybe hot dogs are the reason some people become vegetarian. But everything deserves a second chance, right? Don't hate! Embrace your love for the hot dog!

Meet Butch

I'd like to introduce you to the great black-and-white hope: Butch. The fluffy, lovable cat-dog. Butch was delivered to my roommate and me yesterday evening. His task? Find, defeat and eliminate Fievel(s)!

So far, Butch has not scared the mice out of their holes. He did a great job, however, of scaring the sin out of me. You see, I'm not really a cat person. And having never grown up with one around the house, I'm not accustomed to their nature. What I'm used to is hearing the clickity-clack of a dog's nails as he trots along a wood floor. I am used to the jingle of a dog's collar with all its registration and rabies metals. But the quiet pads of a weightless cat? Not so much.

Butch introduced me to himself, tail first. And it terrified me. I have a weird fear of black cats. They just make me uneasy. And when I was in my room unpacking from the wedding last night in the quiet of my room, out crept a scraggly, bushy black tail from behind my big sitting chair. I screamed and jumped around. Well, hello, Butch. Next time, no need for the dramatic entrance.

Since Big B's arrival, he hasn't held up his end of the bargain quite yet. I still like him, though. He reminds me of my dog Sebastian, the way he constantly rolls onto his back to get a belly rub. He also does a fair amount of following us around (when he's not hiding in the closet). It also appears that he enjoys sitting around and rubbing around every corner of the house more so than hunting. I hope he will start to feel more comfortable soon, because we only have him through the weekend.

Chop chop, Butch!

Crazy or 21st century communicator?

Telecommunications technology has evolved much in the past ten years and cell phone usage has become common place, regardless of economic status. Whether walking the streets of the city, riding the metro, or driving around town, it's hard not to see someone using a hands-free device for their mobile phone these days. Especially now that DC law prohibits use of cell phones while driving, and Maryland recently implemented a "no texting" law to increase safety on the road, many a driver has resorted to using speaker phone, an ear piece, or a blue tooth.

But many times, the ear bud is hard to spot. Many times, it's hard to tell whether the mobile phone is in the driver's lap on speaker. And every time I encounter one of those individuals, chattering away, gesticulating with a sense of urgency, I hope and pray that they're wearing a blue tooth on their hidden ear, or that their cell phone is buried in their lap.

But far too many times, there is no blue tooth. There is no cell phone on speaker. And there is no ear piece hidden behind hair. These individuals aren't sophisticated, 21st century communicators. They're just plain crazy. And I encounter them enough to make me think they're drawn to me somehow.

On the flip side, I am always sure to illegally hold up my phone while it's on speaker during a drive to ensure people know I am not talking to myself. I stopped wearing my blue tooth years ago out of fear of being mislabeled a nut job. I only sing in the car at night or when other cars aren't nearby. And if a car pulls up next to me, or the broad daylight fails to shroud my secret habit, I resort to humming.

Now today on my ride out of the city on the reliable Metro, a woman sat behind me...motionless... singing. This was new in my book of quacks. Was she crazy or was she just singing in her sleep? The singing muffled down to a low hum as we neared my final destination. At that point, I noticed we were the only two passengers left in that car.

Was her hum/singing a siren call to lure me in so she could attack me? Why would she want to attack me? My mind started to wander into a dark, dark spot. I weighed my options. I felt like I was writing my own Choose Your Own Adventure Book.

If attacked, would I:

a) run to push the emergency button to stop the train and call for help
b) fight her until we pulled into my station so I could run off the train for help
c) grab my pepper spray from the front of my bag
d) whip out my two-inch long Swiss Army Knife

At this point in the wild adventure...in my head, I snapped back to reality. The train reached my stop, I calmly exited and went on with my uneventful evening. Thank goodness the situation didn't turn into a "situation." Thank goodness no one else saw the whirlwind inside my head. And thank goodness I haven't blogged in so long that none of my "followers" will read this and realize that despite the fact I don't talk to myself (and go out of my way to make sure people don't think I am doing so) I am, in fact, a little bit nutty. :-)

Revisiting Chicago

This past weekend, a handful of my friends successfully completed the Chicago Marathon. I was impressed with their motivation to stick with months of arduous training and am happy that they all had a pleasant experience (as pleasant as it can be running 26.2 miles!).

That said, I guess it's finally time to finish posting pictures from my September visit!

After brunch at Toast, we meandered through Lincoln Park's beautiful neighborhood streets. We found our way to Wells Street where a festival was a happening.

What's that you see? An Abba cover band!

And then we made friends with an Indian before heading into an olive oil and vinegar store. In that store, I fell in love with a white peach balsamic vinegar while Christine became enamored with one of the salesmen. Lucky for me, I could take mine home. Except I couldn't since I decided not to check my luggage. My vinegar is still sitting in Christine's apartment waiting for her next trip back East when she checks a few big bags. SIGH.

Next we headed to Navy Pier for a surprise speed boat tour on Lake Michigan. Woot! As we boarded the speedboat, we decided to sit upfront since that was supposedly where the driest seats were. Once everyone had boarded, the tour leader ran down a laundry list of conditions that were not favorable to enduring this boat tour. Back problems? Check. Motion sickness? Check. Inability to ride roller coasters? CHECK. We both gulped in unison as we fastened our seat belts. We probably should've exited immediately.

Here we are, all smiles before loading onto the boat. And luckily, we survived it all without a hiccup. I was shocked. But mostly amazed at how beautiful the city looked from the lake.

After the ride was over, we roamed around the pier for a bit before heading to our dinner back near her apartment. We munched on delicious, heart-attack inducing Garrett's popcorn. Is it just me, or does the cheese butter sauce on that stain your skin? I had yellow/orange hands for far too many hours after eating it.

Such a beautiful day! We swung back through downtown and made a quick stop at Ghirardelli to get free chocolate samples. This time they were giving away chocolate squares filled with a pumpkin caramel type thing. Y-U-M.

We then said hello to the sad horses drawing carriages about Michigan avenue and beyond.

Then we dined at Adesso in Lakeview. We decided on the pork bolognese with homemade pasta and the pesto pasta with green beans and chicken. For dessert? A stop across the street at Phoebe's Cupcakes.

Pictured here is the Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudgie Brownie cupcake and the Raspberry cupcake. Heaven. But we didn't have any room that evening and instead, I wolfed mine down the next morning before heading to the airport. Oh, and another slice of cold deep dish to wash that down.

The trip to the airport via bus and train was eventful. My bus was empty when I boarded, yet of the few people who boarded on my way to the Blue Line the one man who wreaked of cigars sat across from me and the crazy man speaking to me in foreign tongues chose to sit next to me. I don't get it.

My next trip out to Chicago will be the second week or so of December. This time, my friend Lindsey from college will be joining us as we try some new things and revisit some old favorites. It's somewhat bittersweet that Christine is almost finished with her PhD program at Northwestern. After five years, she expects to be done by early Summer 2011, if not earlier. I'm excited for her to finally be done with Immunology research indefinitely and thrilled she will be moving back East since she's one of my closest friends. But she will leave behind a city that treated her so well and created great opportunities and adventures for her. A city that opened my mind to weight gain I never believed I'd tolerate. And a city that I've come to love dearly (except for the winter months).

So now, the countdown begins. Only two more visits to Chicago left! One in December. One in Spring of 2011. Tear.

Terrible Name, Great Wine

Yes, I am still alive. No, I have no excuses for my lack of blogging. I know I still owe more pictures from the second half of my eating extravaganza in Chicago. And, I got this nifty new kitchen gadget from my Aunt and Uncle for my birthday that I need to showcase on here. In time, in time.

What I will say is that a quiet weekend in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains this past weekend was a great retreat from the craziness that is my life. I wish I had taken pictures of the rolling hills, pastures, and turning foliage because it was breath taking in its own way. Even though I don't live in the concrete jungle of the city, my abode in the urban burbs still lacks something only the countryside can provide.

Anyways, after spending a quick weekend in Luray, Va., in honor of friend Emily who is getting married next month, my roommate Laura and I decided to hit up a particular winery in Amissville, Va., on our drive back home. We had seen this winery at the Mount Vernon wine festival, but they weren't selling all they had to offer. And, as luck had it, we noticed signs for this winery on our drive out to the country.

Called Unicorn Winery, for reasons I still don't quite understand, the grounds at this establishment more than made up for the tacky name. A pond. Rolling hills of plush grape vines. The sign at the entrance read "Do you believe in unicorns?"  No. Never will. But many a glass of the winery's Crimson Sunset red might make me think otherwise. Described as their "red wine with training wheels" this particular off-dry red has hints of pomegranate and currant. The secret to its success? It's served chilled. Absolutely exquisite.

I decided to purchase four bottles of Crimson Sunset, while Laura purchased their Chardonnay and their blush called "Slightly Embarrassed." So silly, but so good. The label on that particular bottle has a blushing unicorn logo. Sigh.

I recommend giving unicorns--er this winery a try.

Weekend quote

My brother and his fiance Mollie are planning to get married next October.  As both battle serious cases of indecision on a regular basis, I can imagine that orchestrating an event of this nature would cause their heads to spin. I have faith in both of them that things will turn out marvelously, and am very much looking forward to the festivities.  But what worries me is the music selection.  Last night, upon talking about the man's traditional role in the planning of a wedding, my Mom noted that sometimes music selection is delegated to the groom.

I don't think that level of detail has been sorted out yet by either as they are more than a year out, but when asked about his feelings on the matter, Jeff said (with typical Jeff elegance, tastefulness, and unecessarily-elevated voice volume):

"If Mollie plans to include the (insert expletive) YMCA, then I insist on including that Miley (insert expletive) Cyrus song Party in the USA!"

Go Jeff!  My apologies in advance, but I might have to tastefully exit the room on both accounts :-)

I went, I ate, I conquered

Two weeks ago, I went to Chicago for a pretend summer vacation.  It was my last little escape to visit my friend Christine before starting my spectacular new job.  But it was short. I flew out Friday afternoon and flew home Sunday morning. 

Since starting at America's Promise Alliance, I have had no brain power to do anything post work other than therapy shop, eat and sleep.  It's ok. I've found simple-hood quite enjoyable. But, I feel like I'm so far behind in life since the new job began.  I haven't even been good at keeping up with my emailing.  Blog reading? Not so much.  I am far behind on my reading. I have no idea what's going on in my friends' lives and especially miss my daily updates on Gary and Elaine from Catalog Living.  The fact that no pictures load on my Google Reader at work is crippling my efforts to get back on track.  Its tragic, really.

At the very least, I wanted to take this opportunity to post some pictures from my Chitown trip.  I've uploaded all of my pictures to Picasa if you're not interested in the abridged version below.

The weather? Perfectly fantastic. Crisp, bold, blue skies.  The food? Expectedly comforting and satisfying.  The adventures? Quick and jam-packed. The experience?  Memorable! My camera?! Well you needn't ask. See for yourself below!

A beautiful stuffed pizza from Edwardo's.  This is the fifth deep dish pizza place I've tried in the city and it was delicious. We picked this up after an open-bar event that we attended in our work out clothes. It's OK. I'm not out trying to win friends or anything. What follows is a snippet of the activity in the cab ride home with Edwardo's in hand.

And then we devoured...only half of it. We had already eaten some free appetizers and cupcakes at the bar. It turned out to be a wise choice, since that left me a quality breakfast option the next two days. Nothing beats cold, deep dish pizza!

Our baby was stuffed with peppers, onions and mushrooms. MMmmmm. The next morning, after a cold piece of pizza, we headed to a remarkable brunch spot in Lincoln Park called Toast.  We had a Groupon for that place, so we felt no shame in ordering a variety of delicious items.

(This photo is a little fuzzy since I resized it a few times and did some other careless things. Judge me, not my camera!) After scouring the menu, we chose to feast on the following:

Ladies and gentlemen, the Pesto Scramble with spinach, bacon and Gruyere accompanied by spiced breakfast potatoes.

May I introduce you to the Nutella Crepe with crushed walnuts?  Yes...you're welcome.

And here we have two modest, but not unspoken Veggie Sausage patties.  Spicy and flavorful!

Last, but by no means least, the Stuffed French Toast Trio.  Where nutella stuffed brioche meets strawberry puree stuffed brioche and decides to do business with mascarpone stuffed brioche. Can you think of anything better? I can't! 

Upon taking our order, the waiter politely came back and cleared the other extraneous items from our table citing that there might be a logistical problem fitting all of the plates of food we ordered.  Then upon delivering the plates, he said "Here you go, and GOOD LUCK!"

Now, this was one of my shortest trips to the Windy City in nearly five years.  But for some reason, I feel like Christine and I accomplished just as much, if not more. Maybe it was the stronger sense of urgency that carried us to victory. I plan to post another entry that covers the remainder of the trip. And I hope to get my act together and not wait another few weeks to do so!

Moving On

Today is my last full day at my job. Instead of ranting about the terrible waiter that served my friends and I at Carmine's this afternoon, or complaining about the over-dressed salad, and pushy nature of the wait staff, I will instead pay homage to the four months I spent in Chinatown. I'll talk about Carmine's another time. Here's a list of what I will miss about my job, and what deserves to be shown the door.

I'll Miss You:

1. Great coworkers
2. Relaxed punctuality policies
3. My office with a view and a balcony
4. Chinatown
5. Teaism
6. Carmine's
7. FroZENYo
8. Quick and easy commute
9. Great Happy Hour options
10. Proximity to friends' offices
11. Friendly Chevy Chase Bank tellers
12. Free passes to Vida gym
13. Free weekly cardio instruction classes at the office gym
14. Free fresh fruit on Tuesdays and Thursdays
15. Short, 37.5 hour work week

Good Riddance:

1. Picketters and cowbells
2. Tourists blocking the sidewalks on 7th Street
3. Angry homeless man who ridicules pedestrians
4. Awkward interactions with the mail room
5. Slow and outdated computer
6. Morgue-like office temperatures
7. Herding cats
8. Taking meeting minutes

As you can see, the good times far outweighed the bad. I hope that my next venture will be just as good, if not better.

What's in store for me?

1. A great boss who is a friend and former coworker
2. Office proximity to one of my best college friends Sheri
3. Juice Joint
4. Burrito Man vendor cart
5. Naan and Beyond
6. Proximity to old coworkers' offices
7. Great job responsibilities
8. Awesome benefits
9. A regular paycheck
10. A career path at a commendable organization

I couldn't be happier!

Something Old, Something New

Something old? That would be me. I'm now 29 years old and a few days. Something new? A digital camera.

In addition to some much needed essentials (gas money!) given to me for my birthday this past weekend, I received a new Canon digital camera. Canon replaces the seven-year-old Kyocera I used to keep by my side. I'm excited about the new one because this means I can take many more, higher quality pictures to use in my blog and elsewhere. My old, defiant Kyocera had a terrible, awful, no good, very bad battery that lost its charge years ago. And even though the battery was replaced a few years back, that too soon died. Hence, taking pictures was a REAL bear. Kyocera's signature move of defiance included turning off, shrugging, and citing "low battery" after taking just one shot. SAD. Unreliable. I think the old thing just plain old stopped caring.

But even though I have a new toy to play with, I didn't take advantage of it yet. Over the weekend, I had so many opportunites to snap pictures and seize blogging material, but something deflated my motivation. I'm not sure what it was, but I didn't take a single picture or post a single blog. I am afraid to chalk it up to writer's block, because in less than a week I start my new job which primarily involves writing. Yes, WRITING! My reputation can't afford regular bouts of writer's block.

Either way, I am using this week as a mental vacation before the storm of a new job unleashes. My soon to be boss has been sending me material to review so that I can hit the ground running come September 13. Oh, I'll hit the ground all right. I just hope I can lasso my brain around in time to meet the challenges.

My last day at my current job is Friday, September 10. I plan to skip town that day around noon to fly to Chicago to visit one of my best friends, Christine, for a quick "vacation" before the real job starts. The weather is supposed to be beautiful, we have some new restaurants to check out, some deep-dish pizza to shove down our gullets, and some fantastic funky outfit shopping to do.

I can't wait to get away. This time, I can be extra camera happy without Kyocera being a wet blanket with its perpetually lame, "low battery" excuse. That's right, Kyocera! I'm leaving you home! And, maybe since I'm old now, I'll cart Canon around in a fashionable fanny pack. Either way, some good times are ahead for the both of us.

And then we came to the end...

This week marks the end of many things in the uproarious life of Hilary. My volleyball season ended in the highest form of victory that group of ballers has ever seen with a league championship, my job nears its close, my last remaining days of being 28 end Friday, and I've made the last cobbler of the season. THE very last cobbler until Spring rolls around.

And this time, there were no pictures taken and no recipes consulted. I made a Bosc pear and Granny Smith apple cobbler. I knew the measurements for the filling and crumbly topping by heart. I peeled, I cored, I sliced, I zested, I juiced. I sifted, I measured, I mixed, I crumbled. One last time.

And then I baked it and opened the oven three different times to check on my progress. This was, afterall, going to be the last time I had the opportunity to watch something bake for many months. Then I had to do the hardest thing I've had to do in quite some time. I had to let the cobbler sit, cool, and chill in the fridge...all without one taste.

I had decided a few weeks ago to bring in a cobbler for my coworkers to enjoy. And this morning, I carted this few pound puppy in to work unscathed. We just shared some of it for our breakfast and as expected, it hit the spot. After all my cobbling, the apple pear cobbler turned out the winner. And, luckily, pears seem to be in season through parts of the Fall, so if I happen to have a yearning, I will still be able to satisfy my hunger.

Here's the list of the cobblers I made this season in order of preference. It doesn't seem like too long a list, but I made several of them more than once. I hope I'm not forgetting any.

1. apple pear
2. yellow nectarine, white peach
3. peach blueberry
4. strawberry peach
5. strawberry rhubarb
6. plum blueberry
7. blackberry cake
8. white apricot, yellow peach
9. peach blackberry
10. cherry
11. apple blueberry peach
12. blueberry cake
13. raspberry, blueberry, strawberry

Goodbye, late twenties. Adieu summer volleyball. Peace out, job. And fare-thee-well, cobblers. Tear.

What's up with the Swedes?

My roommate and I started a book club almost four years ago, and since then, it has evolved into a co-ed gathering. That's right, a co-ed book club. The guys actually enjoy attending and are more active participants than some of the girls. My favorite part about book club is not the reading, per se, since I have the poorest record of book completions of the entire group. What draws me is the excuse to hang out with friends and prepare food for a delicious potluck dinner.

Each month, we try to tie the food theme to the book selection. And this month, as we discuss Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, we will dine on Swedish fare. Swedish fare? After googling Swedish food recipes the other night, I was amazed at how little came up. I hope there's more to Sweden than meatballs, lingonberries, pancakes, potatoes, and pickled herring. Sheesh. Thank God I didn't grow up in Sweden. I would've starved!

My friend Julie said she read somewhere that their diets were limited due to the lack of access to fresh food. Wikipedia noted that spices were sparse and that like other Scandanavian countries, Swedish cuisine was traditionally simple. My maternal grandma Hilda (after whom my name choice evolved) has ancestral ties to Sweden, but I don't recall ever having a dish from her that was Swedish. Maybe my mom and aunts know more about this and are hiding flavorful Swedish recipes from me.

My food contribution for the evening? I'm bringing a cucumber salad dressed with apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, sugar, and dill. Simple and hopefully not as bland as it sounds. Either way, here's to hoping the medley of contributions tonight will make me change my negative opinion of Sweden as an appetite killer.

Fraudulent Charges?

In the aftermath of the credit card scandal, I have been picking up the pieces of my life. Much of the moving on has involved feeding my feelings. From Belgian bites to Neapolitan pizza to classic American fare, I have put my new AMEX card to use in the two days since it arrived at my home.

While I thought my phone calls to the credit card companies had negated the fraudulent charges incurred from Wednesday evening, my online statements suggest otherwise. As you can see below from an excerpt from my Capital One statement, the first three charges were not mine. They appear to be typical charges, but they occurred after the card was stolen. For one, my car does not take $70 worth of gas, but Capital One does not know this. Anyways, I showed this activity statement below to my mom online to so she could see the unauthorized charges that had posted so far.

And then I noticed the item pasted at the bottom.

Posted Date	Description	All Categories Payment Fee Interest Charge ------------------ Airfare Car Rental Dining Entertainment Gas/Automotive Healthcare Insurance Internet Lodging Merchandise Other Other Bills Other Services Other Travel Phone/Cable Professional Services Utilities	Amount
AUG 27, 2010	EXXONMOBIL 47828272 ARLINGTON VA	Gas/Automotive	$70.59
AUG 27, 2010	WASH METRORAIL00006304 WASHINGTON DC	Other Travel	$60.00
AUG 27, 2010	WASH METRORAIL00006304 WASHINGTON DC	Other Travel	$60.00
AUG 26, 2010	TAYLOR GOURMET 485 K LLC WASHINGTON DC	Dining	$15.51
AUG 23, 2010	INTEREST CHARGE:SPECIAL TRANS	Interest Charge	$18.66
AUG 19, 2010	UNITED AIR 0162112233068 ROSEMONT IL	Airfare	$221.40
AUG 18, 2010	CARMINE'S WASHINGTON DC	Dining	$29.20
AUG 17, 2010	CAPITAL ONE ONLINE PYMT AuthDate 17-AUG	Payment	($293.14)
AUG 13, 2010	24 HOURS OF BOOTY 704-365-4417 NC	Other	$25.00

24 Hours of Booty?! A twinge of panic hit me. What in the...ohhhhh, yeah. While my mom's eyes scanned my charges, I was quick to mention that charge there.

Me: "Oh, look at that charge there. Hahaha, haha. You would think that'd be something inappropriate, right, Mom? Well you see, the thing is, I have this friend Carl..."

Mom: "What is THAT?"

Me: "As I was saying, my friend Carl is participating in this 24-hour bike ride to benefit cancer research, and I contributed to the cause online. You'd THINK that would be something kinky, right? Hahaha!"

The Lance Armstrong Foundation organizes these 24-hour bike rides in different cities across the country, and Carl had signed up for the one in Columbia, MD this weekend.

Now, what I should've done is pretend it was indeed something salacious. Here's how that would all go.

Me: "What the he-I have no idea how that-How did that charge get on there?! Those bandits sure must be at it again (insert nervous laugh). I'm outraged that they would soil my name with that trash!"

Mom: "But, Hilary, that charge is from August 13. That was over a week ago..."

Me: "Oh, that's so strange, they must've manipulated the system somehow-hey what's that over there?"(furiously pushes ALT F4 to close browser window)

Then I'd leave my poor mom cursing the 18 years of her life she spent raising me. Good thing it was a legit, wholesome charge. And, she did raise me right. I'm smart enough to know not to show her my AMEX statement. KIDDING, Mom. Kidding!

Cotton Candy, Sweet and Low, Let Me See Your Lobster Rooooll

While that 1994 song "Tootsie Roll" by 69 Boyz from the middle school/high school mixer era has fallen back into the woodwork (thankfully), lobster rolls have never lost their style.

When it was all said and done, I spent two hours of valuable work time stalking, waiting and then mercilessly devouring a delicious Maine lobster roll. After hearing from a friend that the Red Hook Lobster Truck had made its way to McPherson Square yesterday, I was on high alert for their pending trip to the Metro Center area today.

I sounded the bugle. I sent out an email to those I knew who worked nearby Metro Center to generate interest. I bookmarked the Lobster Truck's Twitter page on my phone. I made a special trip to the bank for plenty of cash. And lastly, I cut back on my regular morning breakfast to save room for my upcoming feast.

Then, I embarked on my journey at 10:45AM from Chinatown to Metro Center. Phone in hand, I updated the Twitter page every minute. Obsessive? Yes. To make myself feel less stalkerish, I stopped in at H&M and Banana Republic to convince myself that I wasn't just wandering aimlessly in search of a food truck. I walked around several blocks, several times hoping I would spot the truck before the location was posted on Twitter. No luck.

And then the crowds started. Around 11:15AM, four people with smart phones in hand walked towards me at the intersection of 12th and G talking about the food truck. Noooo, I thought. NOOO! My friend Patrick and his coworker, also on high alert, called me to find out where I was and met up with me at my corner. Our group got larger, and then spotted another line forming across the street by the metro entrance. Guess we'll follow the crowd. An older man assured people that the truck would be arriving at this corner and like sheep, we all believed him.

Around 60 people formed that initial line. Friend Teddy and his coworker made an appearance soon after and decided to wait back in line rather than cut. After waiting 30 minutes for the lobster truck to arrive (it was stuck in traffic), we waited another 20 or so to get to the ordering counter. My friends Laura and Mehul met up and saved a spot nearby to eat in the shade while I made the purchase. They charged $15 per lobster roll and $3.50 for a whoopie pie.

The Lobster Truck owners drive up to Maine weekly to get fresh lobsters and you could tell that they weren't messing around. Our sweetly succulent lobster meat was mixed with mayo, scallions, celery and special seasoning. There was the option to have the meat mixed in plain butter, too. Shrimp rolls, Maine root soda, freshly squeeze lemonade, and plain fresh lobster meat were also on sale. Pricey, but well worth the wait!

Here are some testimonials from my friends:

Before the adventure began...

"I’ve got a lunch scheduled [today], but a) if the truck arrives near 12:30 and I can persuade my group to come to the truck, I will, or b) if the truck arrives significantly earlier, I will try to flee the building, run to the truck and then fake it during my second lunch. “Oh, this sandwich is so good, mmm, oh yes, I’ve never had a lunch this good [insert more lies here]."" -- Patrick

"Is Rock Lobster going down today or do I have to settle for Love Shack?" -- Mehul

Upon eating...

"This lobster roll is great, but why the hell didn't you buy us lemonade?" -- Laura (whose testimony comes with a side of sarcasm)

"While it may not be true that Lobsters find a mate for life, I'm glad that one found its way into my delicious sandwich." -- Mehul (whose testimony comes with a picture)

"The food was good. The experience was great. You can't go wrong standing outside in nice summer weather with happy, about-to-be-fed people. But you can wish for much more butter in your lobster roll." -- Patrick (whose testimony comes with wishful thinking)

"It might have been the wait. The anticipation. The anxiety. Or the hunger in my belly... But, that was seriously D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S. The dudes in front of us went strong and got the Connecticut, which apparently is the lobster meal deal, plus the shrimp roll ($8) for $26. I think I should have done that. The whoopie pie is good, but a bit too much. I'm in need of milk. I haven't washed my hands [because] I'm still savoring the smell of butter and lobster..." -- Teddy (whose testimony comes with buttered hands)

An hour later...

"Sadly, I'm going to wash my hands now." -- Teddy

Dear Bandit(s):

I am writing to thank you for making my life a little spicier last evening. I am usually quite careful when it comes to keeping my "valuables" (and by valuables, I mean my perpetually cashless wallet) close to my person, but I guess your little stunt last night has resurrected my paranoia.

Who knew a little Greek Cafe in Dupont Circle would be prime location to prey on an innocent coed. In any event, I credit you for your slickness. Had my Metro SmartTrip card registered at the turnstiles, I would've trotted on home without even thinking to look inside my wallet until the next day. Instead, I tried each turnstile twice to enter the station, but the card seemed de-magnitized. Then and only then did I re-open my wallet to put the dud card back in and look for an alternative. I'll say, though, the fact that you took my Loft gift card, insurance prescription card, and Carefirst card and stuck them in as placeholders for the three credit cards you stole was pure genius. Furthermore, stopping first at Starbuck's to charge something was even smarter because "everyone" drinks Starbucks, right? That doesn't arouse the suspicion of credit card companies, right?

Wrong. I don't drink coffee. And bad idea to burglarize my wallet with your burglarious hands since I never have cash on me. The joke's on you. You may think you made off well with your $550 Walmart purchase, but I'm thinking it may not get delivered to your residence since the credit card company notified Walmart today of this fradulent charge.

I am also curious, do you really like sushi or did you just charge $50 to Thai Chef up the street to throw the credit card companies off your track again? If you really do like sushi and stopped for a quick dinner, well, then I like your taste. Maybe we could be friends after all. Thai Chef is a great spot. Though the $120 worth of Smart Trip metro fares and gas you purchased will never be seen again, I will be refunded certainly. And have fun riding the DC metro system. It'll open doors to a misery you'll never quite get used to.

In any event, this all turned out for the better. My American Express card was on its last legs. It was starting to split and I had been wondering lately whether it would make it another year until the expiration date yielded a new card in the mail. Thanks for expediting the process of getting a fresh card.

I also want to thank you for giving me material for my blog, the excuse to use the out-dated term "bandit," and the opportunity to type the word "burglarious," that I didn't know existed until reading it recently in a local newspaper.

Take care and hope you enjoyed the sushi.

Best,
Hilary

P.S. I don't know whether to curse DC Metro for ineptitude yet again or thank them for the malfunctioning turnstiles. Turns out my card worked fine this morning. Anyways, I'm babbling now. I'll see you when I see you...and this time, I'll be ready.

Speaking of Roast Beef...

How do you like yours? Medium?

Or are you more of a well-done kinda person?

Me? I kinda like mine medium-well, with lots of marbling.

Except that's not roast beef. That's my burnt forearm in its third day of healing. Actually, it kind of resembles dry-aged beef or a slice of prosciutto. Good thing it it doesn't smell like roast beef, or I would slather it with brie and eat it for lunch.