Just Because I Think It's Beautiful

Last weekend, Dan and I went on one of our favorite dates: a visit to the bookstore. While sipping my pumpkin spice latte (mmm) and flipping through magazines, I came across this quote in O magazine that I thought was so lovely, I wanted to share.

To feel the love of people whom we love is a fire that feeds our life. But to feel the affection that comes from those whom we do not know, from those unknown to us, who are watching over our sleep and solitude, over our dangers and our weaknesses--that is something still greater and more beautiful because it widens out the boundaries of our being, and unites all living things.

~Pablo Neruda, from "Children and Poetry"

Today is a Good Day

For the first time in a while, I'm feeling almost like myself again (though my dizziness/vertigo tends to come in cycles, so I'm not out of the woods yet). I even feel well enough to handle the laundry, which includes walking up and down 28 steps. In celebration of this, I am determined to only share happy things.

1) Dan and I have rented a townhouse in downtown Media, our new favorite place on Earth! The house is great. It has two stories, a washer and dryer (no more stairs!), a patio, and off-street parking. It's a ten minute walk to the train station and only a couple of blocks from State Street, which means that Dan and I will be able to walk to dozens of restaurants and shops, will be able to take the trolley up and down the main strip, and can even walk to Trader Joe's!

2) Having a townhouse means no more sharing walls with others. A new place also means goodbye to the neighbors across the hall who have plagued my existence since January 2. We move in early December, at which time I will silently give them a forever farewell.

3) After we move, my 50-minute commute to work will drop to 15 minutes (once I am able to drive again).

4) I found out yesterday from my doctor that my MRI came back fine and I do not, in fact, have a mass in my brain. He also told me that my brain is a little bigger than average, which of course came as no surprise to me. :)

5) I managed to make it through trick-or-treating on Halloween with my friends and their kids and didn't even have to hold on to Dan the whole time. And my Frida Kahlo costume rocked this year (I've been Frida before, but was determined to do a repeat, and I have to say that I quite outdid my last effort).

6) Thanksgiving is just over two weeks away. I haven't been to Georgia since last Christmas and can't wait to see everyone! My sister and I even have a "New Moon" viewing planned, which is super exciting. Hooray for Seester time!

7) I've been making my way through a reread of the Harry Potter series and am whizzing through The Half-Blood Prince, on my way to the finish line.

8) I went to Toys R Us last weekend to buy a birthday gift for the daughter of our friends, who just turned four. Buying presents is one of my very favorite things, and buying toys (and books) is even more fun!

9) I am off to watch tonight's episode of "So You Think You Can Dance." True happiness.

10) Did I mention that I'm feeling better? Even though I'm almost positive it's only temporary, it's nice to be myself again for at least a little while.

Dizzy (Repeat)

After two weeks of a relatively vertigo-free existence, the spinning in my head came back without warning on Tuesday and has stuck with me ever since. This means no more driving indefinitely, lots of doctors' visits, and lots of lying on the couch are in my future until they figure out what's going on (thus far, there are no clear signs yet pointing to a cause). Sigh.

Dan and I are headed out of town this weekend to celebrate Halloween with friends and their kids. I've been so excited, and I'm still planning to go, but trick-or-treating with the group is probably out of the question at this point. It's such a bummer, too. I have an awesome costume this year.

Nonetheless, I have managed to squeeze in some fun here and there the past several weeks, including a trip to the apple orchards, a visit with Dad and Janet, and some amazingly good pizza, compliments of my good (and very thoughtful!) friend Sally.

Oh, and I finally got my passport! Woohoo! Italy, here we come!

Fresh off the tree!

Lovely landscape

And this is the part where I start to get tired and grumpy. . .

Apple cider donuts and apple cider--mmmm!

Yum, yum, yum

PIZZA! (with some of the best crust I've ever had)

Dad and Janet have their moment with history

Smile with the in-laws!

The "To Do" List Grows

Since I moved here, found a job, and had a chance to settle in, things have been moving along at a pretty steady pace. We haven't traveled much, work has been relatively slow, and though I've had the usual steady stream of things to take care of, my "to do" list has rarely seemed excessive. I knew it wouldn't be long before there would be a time in my life when things would pile up, but somehow I wasn't expecting it this time around.

All of the sudden, it feels like everything is hitting me at once. Projects and tasks seem to be creeping up at an alarming rate, and I'm having to work very hard not to feel completely overwhelmed.

• To start, Dan and I are moving. We originally planned to stick it out in this apartment a little longer, but have decided it's time to leave behind our insanely loud, smokey neighbors, our lackluster neighborhood, and my miserable commute for an area we adore. All of the sudden, we are moving in about eight weeks. The apartment search has begun. And as you all know, this creates a laundry list of tasks, from obsessively checking Craigslist to making appointments to see rentals to viewing a number of places, many of which will inevitably turn out to be a disappointment. I can't even think about the actual moving and packing part yet.

• I've been doing a lot of volunteer work for Art-Reach, which is great, because I love it. It is, in fact, the coolest volunteer position I've ever had. But I signed up for a lot of stuff October-December before I knew I was going to move, and now I'm worried I signed up for too much. I can back out of some things if I need to--I'm sure they'd understand--but I'm new there, and I hate backing out of a commitment, especially one I know I'll really enjoy.

• I finally got myself in gear and applied to the state board for my social work licensure. Now I need to take the exam. Before January. I'm still trying to figure out how much I need to actually study for this thing (the study guide's advice is basically to review every social work textbook ever made), or whether I can just take it and do fine. Either way, I'm going to have to squeeze it in somewhere. Before the move.
  

• I love all things fall and almost all things holiday. Despite all the busyness that is lurking around the corner, I cannot give up this favorite time of year to do all the things I love: apple picking, drives to see fall leaves, festivals, holiday concerts, etc. I know it's good to keep doing things I enjoy and take a break from all of the madness, but I can already feel that these things are going to start feeling like obligations if I'm not careful. Even the recent brainstorming and Goodwill shopping for Halloween costumes in the last couple of weeks has had moments where it's lost its fun.
  

• Dan and I have decided, after talking about it for years, that we are finally going to Italy in the spring. Probably in April. And so, the trip planning begins (I'm over-the-moon excited about this trip but know that the planning piece of it will easily make me insane if I'm not careful).

• I finally got my own health insurance (and got off of Dan's) in September, so now is the time to catch up on all the overdue dental visits and doctor check-ups and trips to the optometrist (I'm starting to think it's time for new glasses). But, being new to the area, I first have to figure out where to go. There is nothing quite so fun as researching and testing out new medical professionals.
  

• My silly illness of late has really slowed me down (for four weeks now). I'm sloooowly getting better, but naps and/or lying on the couch have become an inevitable part of almost every day, and frankly, I just can't get as much done as I used to, which drives me crazy. It has also kept me away from my regular trips to the gym, which is my #1 stress reliever. Not good.

I know that, in the end, it will all get done. And if it doesn't all get done, the world will keep on turning. Inevitably, I will have to let some things go, or will have to let them be less than perfect (gasp!), and that will be fine. But today, it feels like too much. Today, I need to put it off for just one more day. I'm going to lie on the couch, watch some football, and enjoy the cool fall air making its way through my open windows. Sunday evening was never the time for productivity, anyway.

I'm Tired

This ridiculous virus has been with me for three weeks now. I went to see my doctor again on Thursday, who told me it could last for up to six weeks. She gave me another medication to try for the symptoms, but I'm not a fan of the side effects, so I stopped taking it. Luckily, I've been pretty much vertigo-free for the last four days, so I'm hopeful that this will be over soon. I still get tired by the end of the day, though. I'm desperate to get more done and to get back to the gym, but I'm trying to take it easy until I'm sure I'm in the clear. And so, while I had hoped to do a real post tonight, I think I'm off to bed at a very early 8:30. Hopefully I'll be back for more soon!

Good Thing: Better World Club

Tonight I finally got around to renewing my membership with Better World Club (just under the wire, actually, as my membership expires October 1). After several years in a 1988 Ford Escort, which sadly left me on the side of the road more times than I would like to admit, I decided roadside assistance was a must in my life.

I had AAA for a while, until I discovered Better World Club, which is an environmentally friendly auto club. They advocate for environmentally friendly policies, provide coverage for bikes, donate towards environmental cleanup, offer discounts to owners of hybrid vehicles and on hybrid rentals, and partner with dozens of socially conscious businesses and organizations. The pricing and benefits of BWC are comparable to AAA, minus the anti-environmental lobbying of AAA (boo!).

Thanks to a ginormous pothole in St. Louis that left me with a flat tire, I've had the opportunity to try BWC's services out. So far, so good. Given my past life of vehicle troubles, there's no way I'd ever be without roadside assistance again, and I'm so happy that there is an auto club out there that actually tries to be responsible!

Happy Equinox!

I would like to officially welcome fall, my favorite time of the whole year. I'm so excited to open the windows at night and feel the cool, crisp air make its way through my apartment. Just the thought of crunchy leaves and hot chocolate and pumpkins and holidays makes me thrilled to my fingertips. I can't wait to see what fall looks like here in Pennsylvania! Hooray for autumn!

Recovered (Mostly)

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for the get well wishes. On Sunday night, I started to feel much better, and though I'm not at 100% (I'm still having some lightheadedness here and there and am still a little out of it), I am hopeful that I am beyond the worst of whatever it was that I had. I'm still waiting on my test results, but so far, all signs point to a virus. I still don't feel well enough to feel comfortable driving, but I'm hoping to be back behind the wheel before the end of the week, and I'm back at work, which is good because staying on the couch all the time was making me insane.

I'll keep you posted if there's anything new. Thanks again for the love!

Dizzy

Last Sunday, I was at a festival and had been walking around in the sun for several hours. We were headed back to my friend's house when I suddenly got incredibly dizzy, lost my orientation, and immediately fell to the ground (this was followed by hyperventilation, very likely a result of my panic at having no idea what the hell was going on). It definitely freaked me out, but we all chalked it up to too much sun exposure. I cooled down, drank plenty of water, and assumed that was the end of it.

On Monday and Tuesday, I continued to have bouts of dizziness and lightheadedness. It became difficult to move around too much, to walk up and down steps, to get in and out of the shower. On Tuesday evening, I pulled over on my drive home from work because I didn't feel confident that I could drive safely. On Wednesday, I felt even worse, made a doctor's appointment, and had Dan come pick me up from work because I was sure I couldn't drive home.

At the doctor's office, they couldn't find anything wrong with my blood pressure or my heart, but they ordered a barrage of blood work and told me they should have the results by Monday. I was feeling so continually lightheaded and off-balance that I didn't go to work on Thursday or Friday. By Friday evening, I had been feeling dizzy and/or lightheaded for a solid 24 hours, had gotten on my knees to take a shower, and had sat on the floor to brush my teeth because I was too dizzy to stand for even a few minutes. We contacted the doctor on-call, who suggested that it could be a virus that affects your inner ear, and thus, your balance.

The good news? This is, hopefully, just a virus that will pass. I'm still waiting on the test results, but the virus diagnosis makes sense to me because it came on so fast and because my lymph nodes have been swollen but I don't feel sick otherwise. The bad news? Apparently this virus can last for up to a month. The good news? The symptoms may be treated with a prescription. The bad news? Taking the prescription is like taking a huge Benadryl that makes me sleepy and groggy. So my choices are to feel dizzy or to feel like I'm coming out of anesthesia.

So, if I'm out of commission for a while, it's because I'm living on my couch. Please keep your fingers crossed that this is only a virus and that it will be over soon!

Girlfriends

Dan's been gone since Friday at his annual "guys' weekend." Every year, he and three friends from high school--who were the groomsmen in our wedding--get together on Labor Day weekend. One year, they rented a houseboat and floated in the ocean for several days. Another year, they rented an RV and drove to different baseball games. This year, they are having a low-key weekend hanging out at Jim's house, watching movies, playing video games, and barbecuing.

I love that Dan takes this trip with his friends every year, and always encourage him to go. This year, though, the fact that Dan is hanging out all weekend with his best guy friends is a painful reminder of how much I miss my girlfriends. Dan and I are fortunate to already have some friends in this area, including two of the guys he is spending time with this weekend (as well as their wives and kids) plus a friend of mine from high school. But whenever we all get together, it's either as couples or with kids in tow. Since moving here in January, I have spent time exclusively with adult females on only two occasions: a happy hour drink with coworkers, and a day with my sister while she was visiting. Aside from that, "girls night" has meant hanging out with my two female cats.

I have so many amazing women in my life. I talk to them frequently and see them when I can, but it's not the same as having someone nearby. I need girlfriends. Of the local variety. Fabulous women with whom I can go to lunch or catch a cheesy movie or get an honest opinion on shoes. My life is sorely lacking in female camaraderie, and it's starting to get to me. I know it can take a long time to make friends in a new place, but in the meantime, I am watching every girly movie alone and making handbag purchases sans a second opinion.

To my current, far-away girlfriends: I miss you. To my yet-t0-be-discovered Philly girlfriends: please find me soon!

Good Thing: HSUS MyBoneYard

I am pretty obsessive about recycling. Several times per week, I walk around with trash in my purse because I'd rather take it home and recycle it than put it in the garbage can. After events at work, I walk around persuading my coworkers to give me all the recyclables rather than placing them in the dumpster out back. I cringe when I see someone put something in the trash that belongs in a recycling bin.

There are the easy recyclables--paper, cardboard, plastic bottles--and then there are the more complicated ones. Luckily, a recent e-mail from the Humane Society has helped me figure out what I will do with old electronics. They have a partnership with MyBoneYard, which recycles cameras, cell phones, monitors, computers, game systems, music players, GPS systems, and camcorders. Shipping is free, and the value of any recycled items is donated to the HSUS, one of my most favorite charities. I love it!

Did I Miss Something?

Last night, I was happily browsing the DVDs on sale in Target. While contemplating a purchase of "The Golden Girls: Season 3" for $8.99, a woman and a young boy, who I assume was his mother, approached the movies next to me. The boy couldn't have been older than five. He pointed to "Pretty Woman" and told his mom, "The girl in that movie is hot." His mother had no response.

I'm sure he was just repeating something he had heard, but he was also awfully adept at picking out the prostitute from among all the shiny, colorful, glistening DVD covers before him. It kind of freaked me out, as I'm pretty sure that I had no awareness of these things when I was five. In fact, I'm almost positive I would have walked right past the adult movie selections and straight to the ones with cartoons and glitter on the front.

I'm aware that kids are increasingly doing more and more at a younger age. Before long, I'm pretty sure that most five-year-olds will know more about computers than I do. But I was definitely not prepared to hear someone who is about to enter kindergarten comment on the "hotness" of Julia Roberts. Is this normal five-year-old behavior? Did I miss something?

I Love My CSA

My CSA membership has brought me many joys this year, but I have to say that, this week, Farmer Bud (yes, that really is his name) gave me a box of heaven. I think this might be the best one yet.

This week's share: Red peppers, cherry tomatoes (look at how pretty they are!), sweet corn , garlic, a red onion, Yukon gold potatoes, fresh sage (one of my favorite things on the planet), and a baby watermelon!

A Letter to the Ants

Dear Ants,

I had hoped that we could resolve this peacefully. I have tried, for two weeks now, to tolerate your occasional presence in my car. Granted, you are only little black ants, and there are only a few of you here and there, but your scampering across the dashboard is a distraction while I am driving, to say the least. And one of you did bite me on the arm, which was less than appreciated.

In my defense, I tried everything. I waited for a few days to see if you might go away. I sprayed vinegar around my car--something you are rumored to hate. I created a trail of baking soda in hopes that you wouldn't cross it, but I think all I managed to do was look like a crazy person creating a circle of chalk around my car in voodoo-esque fashion. Despite these efforts, you have persisted. I was really hoping you'd take the hint.

Therefore, I'm afraid that I must wage war. The ant trap has been placed in the ground. I am not the killing kind, and I was hoping not to wage a battle with your entire colony, but I simply cannot tolerate you any more. I am sorry for any loss you might incur, as I greatly respect your place in the ecosystem. I cannot, however, continue to incur the risk of an accident while looking for you each day during my morning commute.

May you rest in peace.

Respectfully yours,
Jenn

Two Favorite Recipes for Summer

It's hard to believe that, in only a matter of weeks, summer will come to an end. I can't say that I'm too disappointed, as I love little more than I love fall, and the heat wave of the last few days has reminded me why summer has never been my favorite time of year. I cannot, however, complain about the abundance of produce that summer brings. Here are a few photos of the wonderful items we've enjoyed from our CSA and farmers market in recent weeks.



The white nectarines in the last photo were, hands down, the best nectarines I've ever eaten.

Here are two of my favorite recipes for summer. They are both quick, easy, and make for a delicious summer meal. I insist that you try them before the tomatoes and cucumbers disappear.

Cucumber and Goat Cheese Sandwiches
I've eaten at least three of these sandwiches this week. I love to pile on the watercress. Over the weekend, we had these sandwiches with some carrot and celery sticks with hummus.

White Bean Salad with Tomatoes and Crisped Sage
The sage really makes the recipe--it would still be good without it, but don't skip it if you can help it. We had this with corn on the cob on the side, and it was unbelievably good. It also is great for leftovers. A perfect meal for summer.

Birthday Weekend: A Recap in Photos

Posing with Rocky outside the Art Museum

Part of the Museum building

A view of Philly from the museum steps

Cherry Italian Ice in South Philly

Fresh bread from the Italian Market

A mural in South Philly (with its own commentary)

Some of Philly's best pizza

Mmmmm!

Happy Birthday to My Sweet Dan

Today is Dan's big. . . um. . . 30-something. :)

I am big on birthdays, and I always try to make an event of Dan's by planning fun things for the whole day. The schedule for this year's birthday celebration is as follows:

1. I always start with making a trip out for breakfast and bringing it home. This year's birthday breakfast is a salt bagel with lox spread from the local bagel shop we've been wanting to try. Dan was always looking for salt bagels in St. Louis, but we never found one. Now that we're on the East Coast, the dream of a salt bagel can be a reality!

2. A trip to the Philadelphia Art Museum, which we have yet to visit. While I can't exactly claim to be a devoted fan of "Rocky," I'm not sure I'll be able to deny the impulse to run up the "Rocky Steps."


3. Lunch at SliCE, supposedly home to some of the best pizza in Philly. We haven't tried it yet, but man, does it look good.

4. A walk through the Italian Market, which I expect to be sensory overload in every possible way.

5. For dinner, Grilled Portobello Po' Boys, one of Dan's favorite recipes, with Kettle chips and the delicious, ever-elusive Mexican Coke (made with sugar and not high fructose corn syrup).

6. Roasted Bananas with Jamaican Allspice with ice cream for a scrumptious birthday dessert.

Happy Birthday, my cutie pie Dan!

I Love You, Paul Rudd

As an early birthday present, I bought Dan "I Love You, Man" on DVD (a movie that we both saw in the theater and loved). Aside from being hysterical, the movie has confirmed my serious crush on Paul Rudd. I am not typically one to gush over celebrities, but neither Dan nor I can deny our mutual adoration of this man.

This post is just to say, Paul, I love you, man.

Please Don't Ever Let This Happen to Me

Galileo

This weekend, my dad made his first trip to Philly. Among the usual things we do when family members visit (e.g., give the 20-second tour of our small apartment, talk, take a trip around the neighborhood, eat a lot), we visited The Franklin Institute on Saturday morning to view the Galileo exhibit, which is there until Sept. 7. My dad--an engineer and a complete math and science enthusiast--was enthralled.

The exhibit included a series of amazing things, from Michelangelo's drawing tools, to 500-year old manuscripts, to one of Galileo's telescopes (there are only two that remain, and this is the first time one of them has left Italy). There were dozens of fascinating, detailed, intricately designed tools, including nautical instruments, compasses, thermometers, sundials, and all sorts of instruments for measuring everything from the days of the year to latitude and longitude to sine and cosine.

I felt an overwhelming sense of awe wandering among these pieces of history. It's nearly impossible to imagine how anything so intricate could have been constructed by hand, and how anyone was ever clever enough to come up with such amazing tools made of little more than brass or wood. They must have spent hours and hours just making these instruments, let alone figuring out how to use them. I can't imagine the persistence it must have taken to hand blow a perfect piece of glass for a thermometer, or to score the measurements on a compass with absolute precision. I can hardly contemplate getting directions or making a restaurant reservation without a computer these days, and yet people managed to map the oceans, to design buildings, and to clearly see the moons of Jupiter in the night sky with nothing more than some wood, brass, paper, and a couple pieces of glass.

We're so inundated with new things all the time that little seems like a novelty anymore. We take so much for granted. Though I try to make time now and then to invoke my awe and reverence for nature, this exhibit reminded me that there's a lot to awe about humans, too. I can't believe all that Galileo and his counterparts accomplished, all the things they were able to create, all the ways they dared to wonder. It's pretty amazing what people can do. It really, really is.

You Don't See This Every Day

This isn't the greatest photo, because I took it with my cell phone from inside my car, but this was the view I had for about 10 minutes on my commute home from work today. I wish you could see the rest of the car--the side mirrors, side doors, hood, pretty much everything had fake flowers glued to it. I've seen cars with flashing lights and crazy paint jobs and Christmas decorations, but I can't say I've ever seen this.

The Green Visitor in the Stairwell

A praying mantis has taken up residence in the hallway of our apartment building. I have no idea how it got there. It's been living in our stairwell for the last two or three days, and it kind of creeps me out. I imagine it as a female, biting off the head of its mate, or as a fierce predator, like the larger mantises who unbelievably manage to eat lizards or birds. It literally turns its head and looks at me when I walk by it. It is freakin' creepy to watch an insect turn its head and look at you, especially when it looks like this.

I've been busy doing laundry all evening, which means that I've spent a lot of time going up and down the stairs to access the washer and dryer in our basement. Each time I go into the hall, it seems to be in a different place; sometimes it's on the wall, sometimes on the stairs, sometimes hanging out in between the bars on the staircase rail.

I couldn't possibly kill it. I can't stand to kill things, so I almost always take bugs outside when I find them in my house (unless it is something particularly gross, in which case I will usually yell for Dan or sic one of my cats on it). Even if I was the killing kind, praying mantises seem so different than the little bugs you can just squash with your shoe. On the other hand, the thought of trying to capture a praying mantis is impossible to me, as I imagine it jumping up in my face and trying to bite off my nose. So I suppose there is a good possibility that it will be hanging out in our stairwell for a while.

The weird thing is that it's starting to grow on me a little bit. It's become kind of like "Where's Waldo?" to see which spot it's in each time I walk through the hall. When it turned to look at me as I was headed to work this morning, it kind of creeped me out, but I just pretended that it was telling me, "Good morning." It's kind of cool to look at--if nothing else, you have to admit that they're pretty fascinating. On the other hand, I'm not keeping my eyes off that thing. If it jumps on my leg during my next trip up the stairs, I'm dropping the laundry basket and running like hell.

My New Favorite Lunch Break

In the past, I've developed very bad habits during my lunch breaks at work: eating at my desk while catching up on e-mails; scarfing down food in a matter of minutes before rushing back to the next thing I have to do; and, perhaps worst of all, shoving food in my mouth while driving to a meeting or completing errands on my break.

While my current job definitely has its busy days, and while I haven't yet broken all my bad habits, I have tried to make a conscious effort since Day One to make my lunch break an actual break. Whenever possible, I avoid eating lunch at my desk and eat in the small lunchroom instead (this isn't always possible, since our limited office space often requires that the lunchroom double as a conference room). I don't get on the computer. I don't answer my office phone. Sometimes I go out to eat with my coworkers, but I often enjoy the time to myself. I sift through magazines or spend an hour with a novel. When the weather is nice (and when I'm not wearing heels), I go for a walk.

Lunchtime walks are particularly pleasant where I work because my office is close to a residential area with cute little houses and shady trees. On Monday, the weather was beautiful--around 75 degrees and breezy--and I spent most of my break walking lazily. And then, I made the most wonderful discovery.

It turns out that there is a playground about a 10-minute walk from my office. The playground wasn't occupied with children, and I suspect that will often be the case during my lunch break. In addition to having some benches and lovely trees, it has the usual playground equipment: monkey bars, a slide, and swings. I immediately knew what would be the most relaxing, most stress-relieving way I could spend my breaks: what could be a better way to de-stress than to swing?!

I've always loved to swing, but it's been a long time since I've been on one, and I'm certain I've never been on one in office attire. No doubt I looked a little silly, but anyone who knows me knows that looking silly has never bothered me much. I swung back and forth, watching the birds, looking at the trees, and studying the clouds. I was perfectly relaxed, and even a little giddy. I thought about anything except the office. . . in fact, I don't think I thought about much at all, except that visiting the playground during my lunch break is something I should definitely do again. And again. As far as lunchtime habits go, I think this one gets a thumbs up.

A Perfectly Lovely Weekend

Last weekend was amazing! Friday night, I met Dan after work and we headed over to an Indian restaurant in the neighborhood. It is one of my new favorite places, not only because the food is so delicious and veg-friendly, but also because they have an amazing buffet! Indian food is one of my most favorite things, and I'd been craving it all week! Mmmm!

On Saturday, Dan and I headed out on a perfect morning to participate in a community mural project. Earlier this year, Philadelphians voted on a winning design and are now participating in a series of community paint days. The mural is huge--it's 42 panels and over 100 feet long--and the finished product will be displayed as a whole for a while and then different panels will be permanently installed in neighborhoods across the city. The winning mural design is pictured below.

There was a paint day in our neighborhood about a week ago, but Dan was out of town, so we headed to South Philly this past Saturday. We had to take the train, then the subway, and then walk several blocks, but it was totally worth it. The weather was perfect, there were so many different kinds of people involved, and it was awesome to see people from different parts of the city working, talking, and laughing together. The atmosphere was so great; the project took place at a local park, and in addition to folks working on the project, there were kids getting their faces painted, playing on the playground, and running through the sprinklers of a water fountain. Dan and I worked on the purple panel (the one on the far right).

I love that we were able to participate in this. Not only was it a great way to feel connected to our semi-new city, but it will be awesome to see the finished product and think, "I helped make that!"

From there, we walked around parts of Center City, including Chinatown, rested for a bit at home, made a quick trip to IKEA, and then caught an 8:00 showing of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (in my opinion, the best of the HP movies). Sunday was a perfect day of morning coffee and Dunkin' Donuts, hours on the couch reading a book, and a delicious afternoon nap. A perfectly lovely weekend in every way.

Tomatoes are here!

Since summer began, I have been patiently waiting for the first tomatoes. There arrive a little later here in Pennsylvania than they do in the South and Missouri, so I've had to wait a little longer than usual. I was starting to wonder if maybe our CSA didn't include tomatoes when the first ones arrived last week! Also included in our share: green beans, baby salad greens, potatoes, zucchini, beets with greens, a fresh onion, and the most glorious, beautiful, heavenly scented fresh basil!


With tomatoes and fresh basil in our box, there was only one thing to do: combine it with some fresh mozzarella, olive oil, and cracked pepper for the most delicious summer salad I have had yet this season (we also had some scrumptious crusty bread on the side). Oh, my gosh. So good.

Lazy Solitude

On Thursday, Dan left for a conference in Massachusetts. He'll be back tonight--probably not until 9 or 10. While I am definitely missing him and looking forward to his arrival, I have also taken full advantage of having the apartment to myself. Though I can, of course, do whatever I please even when he's here, there's something about being alone that gives you the freedom to do whatever you want without worrying about whether you are going to annoy or bother someone in a small apartment. In his absence, I have enjoyed the following:

Acquisition of all three spots in our Netflix queue, resulting in viewings of "Hairspray," "He's Just Not That Into You," and "Rachel Getting Married."

Viewings of "Anne of Green Gables," "Anne of Avonlea," and "Rent" (while completing copious amounts of ironing).

Consumption of an embarrassing amount of junk food.

Three lovely naps, including two with a kitty curled up on my chest.

Two hours on the phone with my family Thursday night.

Hitting the snooze button. A lot.

This has been, by far, my laziest weekend in recent memory, and I'm very proud of myself for accomplishing very little (though I did get a few things done). I didn't even get dressed yesterday. Do I really have to go back to work tomorrow?

Freedom

Freedom is not an ideal, it is not even a protection, if it means nothing more than freedom to stagnate, to live without dreams, to have no greater aim than a second car and another television set. ~Adlai Stevenson

Mmmm

Our latest CSA share (yes, I'm probably going to do this every time, though I was too tired this week to take pictures). . . .

• Collard greens
• Lettuce
• Baby salad mix
• Zucchini
• Parsley
• Mint
  
• Dill
• Chives
• New potatoes
• Onion
• Fresh garlic

Yum, yum, yumminess. That mint definitely means mojitos are in my near future. Woohoo!

Books, Books, Books

I love visiting people's homes--they say so much about them. And my two favorite things to view when I am a guest? People's pictures and their books. I'm always peering closely at framed photos and browsing through book titles at others' homes whenever I have the chance. I'm fascinated by the stories of people's lives--including the stories they read.

This sometimes leads me to wonder. . . what does my bookshelf say about me? No doubt Dan and I are book lovers; there is one wall in our office that is nothing but books. There is also no doubt that it would take someone all of two seconds to figure out which shelves hold my books and which hold Dan's. His are filled almost exclusively with fiction and are a mix of the absurd, dark humor, surrealism, satire, and fantasy (I feel the need to clarify that this fantasy is not of the dragon persuasion).

My books are an almost 50/50 mix of fiction and nonfiction. . . some social work textbooks, other books on social justice and social issues, books on green living and socially responsible investing, books on finances, books on vegetarianism, books on health and fitness, and some books on spirituality. On the fiction side, I have some literary classics (e.g., Sense and Sensibility and Leaves of Grass), some children's classics (e.g., Anne of Green Gables and Little Women), some comfort books (e.g., Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day), Harry Potter, the Twilight series, and relatively mainstream contemporary fiction (e.g., The Time Traveler's Wife, Wally Lamb, Eat, Pray, Love). My top shelf holds books I've bought or received as gifts but haven't yet read; among these are a biography of Thomas Jefferson, Sophie's World, The Shipping News, and Isabel Allende's Daughter of Fortune.

In many ways, my bookshelf is a pretty accurate reflection of me and what I read. In other ways, though, it misses the mark. A few years ago, I stopped buying so many books. As much as I love having books in my home, I rarely read books more than once, as I simply can't wait to get to all of the other books on my list. In my efforts to reduce consumption and clutter, buying fiction started to feel silly--why not just get it from the library if I'm only going to read it one time? While I love the feel and smell of a new book (especially if it has a divinely soft cover and just-waiting-to-be-thumbed pages), it stopped making sense to buy so many. These days, I tend to buy mostly nonfiction (for reference) and save my fiction for trips to the library, though I do buy fiction from time to time, especially if it's something that I anticipate that I will love or that I will want to read again. And, as much as I love a beautiful wall of books, the reality is we're probably all going to be reading our books on electronic devices in the future anyway (shudders).

Last night, I was looking at my "to read" list, which I keep on Library Thing, and realized that it might be an even more accurate description of the current me than what's on my bookshelf at home. So, here's a virtual trip to my house to take a peek at my bookshelf. Maybe you'll get a little insight into me. And tell me what's on your shelf, too!

I have 133 books on my "to read" list right now (hence why I can't bring myself to reread much), but here's a random sample. . . .

• Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life - Barbara Kingsolver
• The Art of Happiness - The Dalai Lama
• Bait and Switch: The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dream - Barbara Ehrenreich
  
• The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
• The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother - James McBride
• Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant - Anne Tyler
• Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Life - Alison Weir
• The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable North American Appetite - David Kessler
• The House of Mirth - Edith Wharton
• In Search of Grace: A Journey Across America's Landscape of Faith - Kristin Hahn
• The Invention of Everything Else - Samantha Hunt
• Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
• Macbeth - Shakespeare
• Middle Church: Reclaiming the Moral Values of the Faithful Majority from the Religious Right - Bob Edgar
• My Mistress's Sparrow is Dead: Great Love Stories, from Chekhov to Munro - Jeffrey Eugenides
  
• Possessing the Secret of Joy - Alice Walker
• River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze - Peter Hessler
  
• The Thing About Life Is That One Day You'll be Dead - David Shields
• Unaccustomed Earth - Jhumpa Lahiri
• Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World - Mark Pendergrast
• Unfaithful Angels: How Social Work Has Abandoned Its Mission - Harry Specht
• Valley of the Dolls - Jacqueline Susann (Yes, it's really on my list, just in case you thought I was getting too serious.)
  

Hair

My hair has had a tumultuous life. First there were the lopsided pigtail years of childhood (one pigtail in a perfect spiral, the other a big poofball). Then there were the oh-so-scary middle school years, when no one told me that brushing and blow-drying curly hair will make you look like a mushroom-headed idiot. I tried to get it right in eighth grade, when I followed the advice of a magazine and braved a haircut with layers. But the layers were way too short, and I ended up looking like Mozart. I wore my hair in a ponytail for almost a year until the layers grew back.

In high school, I started to get it right. I stopped trying to make my hair straight. I put the hair dryer away for good. But I still had not learned the oh-so-important lessons regarding hair products. I mostly used gel, and I usually ended up with slick-looking, crunchy curls. When Dan first saw my senior photo, he commented that I looked Hispanic (I couldn't help but agree and laugh).

In college, I learned to do a little more experimenting with hair products, but I never found the right one. Creams didn't have enough hold. Mousses didn't keep my hair from getting frizzy. Gels and hairsprays were still a sticky disaster. I usually ended up using a combination of products, hoping each morning that I would magically stumble upon the perfect recipe for soft, bouncy curls. It never really happened. Each morning, I just did the best I could.

This continued for many years, along with my continued ignorance of the fact that it might be time to graduate beyond $15 haircuts. I finally shelled out the dough for a salon visit while I was living in Nashville, and I was thrilled with the results. Yet another important hair lesson learned, but the search for the right hair product continued with no end in sight.

My first semester in graduate school, it finally came to me. After a cut, my stylist used Pureology Power Dressing on my hair, and I could tell that I was in love. It gave me good hold, but wasn't crunchy. It kept my frizz under control, but wasn't sticky. On top of that, it made my hair shiny. It was more than I was used to paying for a hair product, but I remembered the lesson of the get-what-you-pay-for haircuts, and took a bottle home with me.

I've relied on this hair product for almost five years now. I still don't have perfect hair, but I feel confident that I'm about as close as I'm going to get (which is still far from perfect, but I've learned to love my hair for what it is, on most days). I order it in large quantities (to simultaneously stock up and qualify for free shipping), and I placed my most recent order on May 3.

After I placed my order, I waited. And waited. I checked on my order status and learned that the item was on back order. Nervous as I watched my product supply dwindle away, I decided to wait, reassured with promises that the order was expected within seven days. A week passed. Then two. Then three. Then came one of scariest hair moments in recent memory. . . I was out of hair product. Silly as it may seem, after my years of searching for just the right product, this put me into a minor state of panic. I felt silly visiting a salon just to pick up a bottle, and I knew better than to start the search for a substitute, so I gave in, bought a $4 hair product at Target, and mostly wore my hair in a ponytail while awaiting the arrival of my product of choice.

Yesterday, I was thrilled to find a package waiting for me when I arrived home from work. I tore it open, grabbed the bottles from the box, and spun around in happiness. When Dan got home from work, I ran over to him, exclaiming, "My hair product is here!" I even insisted that he look at it, shiny and new in the box.

I realize how silly all of this is, but I couldn't believe how lost I felt in the weeks when I didn't have my favorite product; it was like my hair security blanket was gone, and I had to resist flashbacks of being the awkward, frizzy-haired, can't-quite-get-it-right wonder. I'm sure one day I'll look back at pictures of myself and decide that my hair looks ridiculous and that the product I'm using is totally wrong. I don't know what I'll do when they inevitably discontinue it. But for now, I am so very happy to have my good-hair-day potion in hand once more.

Now I just need to work on scheduling an embarrassingly overdue haircut. . . .

More Produce Obsessions

I realize that I am probably boring the hell out of you talking about my damn produce. Still, I can't help the joy it brings me, so bear with me if you can.

Our second CSA delivery brought the following: broccoli, chard, lettuce, sweet onions, parsley, rosemary, baby spinach, and garlic scapes. (Garlic scapes were new to us--they look like little green whips and taste like garlicky green onions.)

We used some of the rosemary to make a delicious rosemary-infused olive oil, then used the rest of the rosemary and some parsley to make a yummilicious pesto on Sunday night. Mmmmm.

On Saturday morning, I headed over to the farmers' market, determined to get the last of the strawberries. I bought two quarts of them, two pounds of cherries, and some peas, all of which are probably coming to their end this season.

I froze most of the strawberries. Here they are, spread out on a pan, waiting to go in the freezer. I thought they looked so pretty that I decided to take a picture.

Using the ones that were a little too soft for the freezer, I made some strawberry bread. I'm still learning some of the ins and outs of vegan baking, but I decided to be brave and make some vegan substitutions to a standard recipe. Luckily, it turned out moist and delicious.

I am really loving the excitement of each new CSA delivery and of each new trip to the farmers' market. I've always tried to eat locally when I can, but having better access to markets and being able to join a CSA is really changing the way I think about my food, and I couldn't be happier.

Signs that Philly Is Starting to Feel Like Home

• I no longer call Interstate 76 "76." I call it "The Schuykill," short for The Schuykill Expressway, which is how locals refer to 76.

• I know how to pronounce "Schuykill."

• I can ride the train without worrying that I'll never locate the right track at the station or that I'll miss my stop (the trains are surprisingly old-school, and if the conductor doesn't call the name of a stop, it can be hard to tell where you are sometimes).
  

• I have my CSA membership and make regular trips to the farmers' market. There's definitely something to be said for eating local food that makes you feel more connected to the region in which you live.

• I recognize street names on the traffic and news reports at least some of the time. Same for neighborhoods and townships (there are literally hundreds).
  

• When I was talking to a client recently, I said the word "Saturday" and I actually heard a Philly accent in my voice. It would take millions of years of living here for me to ever sounds like a Philadelphian, but just hearing a little bit of the dialect fall from my mouth was a weird moment.
  

• I can go most places I need to go without feeling panicked if I left my GPS at home.

• I'm going to start doing volunteer work for Art-Reach in August, which not only gives me another way to feel connected to the community, but will also give me a fantastic opportunity to learn all about Philadelphia-area arts venues.
  

• The other day, I told Dan, "Let's go get hoagies." I actually said the word "hoagie" like this is a normal word.
  

I Keep Wanting to Post. . .

but I am just too tired and/or lazy to get around to it lately. My weekend was lovely but generally uneventful. Work is having its ups and downs but, overall, is going just fine. I saw the two most beautiful white cats (one with green eyes, one with blue) up for adoption at PetSmart. I made rhubarb muffins over the weekend. I've just started reading the next book on my summer list. I finally concluded the search for new running shoes. I miss seeing my family.

These are the random thoughts occupying my brain. And now, my friends, it's off to bed.

Eating Alone

Most of the time, my job is pretty low-stress, but I definitely have days where I feel like everything is coming at me at once. Last Friday, I had a particularly overwhelming day. I was feeling exhausted and low on energy, and by the middle of the day I was not in the mood to chit-chat with my coworkers, or in fact with anyone. I immediately felt the need to get out of the office, so I headed over to Target during my lunch break, where I visited the snack bar for a drink and a little treat.

While standing in line, an older man--probably in his mid-70s--started talking with me. Though I usually welcome these friendly conversations with strangers, I was exhausted and in desperate need of some no-talk time. We chatted for just a bit, discovering our mutual love of Dr. Pepper. After filling up our drinks at the soda dispenser, he sat at his table and I sat at mine.

As I tried to enjoy the last few minutes of my break before heading back to the office, I watched the man across the room, slowly sipping his Dr. Pepper and watching the people around him. It occurred to me that he might be lonely, and that he might have wanted a friendly conversation. I only had about five minutes left before I had to leave, and I was just too tired that day to strike up another conversation (sometimes the introvert in me cannot muster any more talking after a day spent on the phone with clients). On another day, I might have walked over to his table and we could have talked. I imagined the conversations we might have, and what wisdom he might have imparted. What might we have talked about? What might I have learned?

This evening, I had the same experience of watching an older man sitting alone, drinking his soda, looking a bit lonely. Of course, this is not to say that these men were lonely--perhaps, like me, they were enjoying their moment of quiet, happily watching the people around them and content to have the time to themselves. But how strange it feels sometimes that we sit alone at tables, watching one another, wondering if the other might like company. In another time, it's quite possible that I would have talked to these men because I would have known their names. We would have lived in the same town, visited the same corner cafe, gone to the same church. Instead, we sit anonymously in chain restaurants, choosing to eat alone rather than walking up to the other and asking to share a table. I looked out the window and watched a person eating dinner in her car.

We learn at an early age not to talk to strangers, and of course there is some wisdom to that. But I'm thinking that maybe I should talk more to strangers. That the strangers I need to worry about are not the ones sitting in a public place during my lunch hour. That maybe it wouldn't hurt to sit across from the man trying to forge connections over a mutual liking of Dr. Pepper. That maybe I might learn a little something, or that it might even be something special.

Saturday in the City

Amazingly, despite the wonderful abundance of vegetables we received from our first CSA delivery, we realized we needed more produce to get us through the week. Luckily, the Farmers' Market was open yesterday morning with the thing I craved the most--strawberries! We picked up a few other goodies as well, including some local kale, asparagus, potatoes, and honey.

These strawberries looked and smelled so good that I told Dan I would marry them if I wasn't already married.

Technically, Dan and I live in the City of Philadelphia, but we don't live in Center City, which is the downtown area and home to most of the city action. Dan works in Center City, and we make it over there from time to time, but we haven't spent nearly as much time there as we would like. Yesterday, we decided to remedy that, and we hopped on the train to take us downtown for the afternoon.

First stop was City Hall, where a statue of William Penn sits atop, overlooking the city (when it rains, it looks like he is peeing on the city, but that is neither here nor there). We had hoped to take the elevator to the top, which offers a fantastic view, but sadly the Hall is not open on weekends. Instead, we walked through the lovely courtyard and caught glimpses of dozens of skateboarders and bikers doing tricks on the plaza.

From there, it was on to Rittenhouse Square and the surrounding area. This neighborhood is home to city folk who have millions to spend on amazing luxury apartments, brownstones, and grandiose row houses. Needless to say, I will never live there, but it was nice to dream about living on a beautiful street like this in the heart of the city.

We spent a lot of time walking around, popped into Borders for a while, and then proceeded to the highlight of the afternoon: a trip to Capogiro. When Dan and I visited Philly last fall, this gelato shop was near our hotel; it was so good that we went their twice during our four-day visit. If you ever visit me, I promise to take you there, where a small cup includes two flavors. Dan's choices: champagne mango and orange cardamom. Mine: black fig and dark chocolate (and they are serious when they say dark chocolate--they have the richest dark chocolate frozen concoction I have ever seen). The variety of original flavor combinations is just daunting (they have a total of 368, which they rotate), and I can't wait until my next visit when I plan to try a favorite gelato flavor with espresso poured on top!