You need something witty? That's too bad.

I think to date this is the longest I have gone without posting. Of course at the rate that I get distracted by not so shiny objects it probably won't be the longest I will go either. It's been a busy past few weeks with not registering, catching up with the school work that got left in the dust, and of course work: work study and Buca included. To fill in those brief gaps of time in between one thing and the next I've been able to fit in a pint of beer, and hour of sleep, and repeat the process. I've been putting off writing and reading any blog posts because I've been so depressed and uninspired with my life, but really I should have been writing all along. Regularly posts would have made me examine my life's recent event and given me a chance to reflect on them instead of bottling them up and hiding under the two down comforters I keep on my bed in my lonely, lonely apartment.

So to get back on track here is what I've been doing to keep my mind off things:

I recently snowed a few weeks ago. I forgot to through this up a few posts back, but better late than never. I ended up spending the evening with my Hebrew Friend drinking gin and watching movies. I also got to break out my new winter boots from L.L. Bean (they have since been put back in the closet) which were super warm and soft. Best birthday gift this year. 

I made acorn squash for the first time in my apartment. I was a little lost since I've started eating squash in recent years. I put a lump of butter and some maple syrup in the middle and let the whole thing bake for about an hour. I wasn't planning on squash but Ellie got stuck in the city and I had to go rescue her and on the way home I saw the squash and got inspired. The other day I saw a squash recipe on Mr. Kate with rosemary that I want to try out next. 

The men's home opener was Monday and it wasn't even a real home opener, just a scrimmage. We won! I know shocking. It was a great time though, I played my saxophone for the first time in a year; I was impressed with the fact that I could still play it without any major problems. Go me!

As a part of being in the band we get free food. I'm not a huge fan of hotdog (who is really?) but for some reason I really wanted one. I got luck too, someone on the track team must not have been paying attention when they wrapped the yum yums because I got a two for one deal. 

Yesterday when it was dreary and dull I decided to build myself a bear cave by putting thick blankets over the window and curling under the bed sheets. I drank a glass of white wine at 2pm and it sent me into anxiety so my Hebrew Friend had to talk off of a ledge. On the bright side the not so thick blankets made me some very nice poor man's stained glass. 

This was my version of chicken Florentine. I didn't use cheese and just used the food that I happened to have in my refridge/cabinet. What you see is crushed tomatoes and some seasoned spinach on top of some chicken with some whole wheat French bread. You can see the brown with blue flower plates underneath. Those were the original plates that my parents had back in the 80s. They've been become rare collectables after giving birth to me. 

A happy photo. Except for the fact that I have a huge forehead. Do they do forehead reduction surgery? IDK?

Ps. I remembered this week that I'm a viking and apparently related to the Wannamakers of Philadelphia? WTF bitches???

You can do anything for thirty seconds.

Yes Tony you can do anything for thirty seconds, or at least that's what I keep telling myself when I do the P90X Plyometric workout. I had a great workout the other day getting through a lot of the harder jumps and twists that I usually struggle with. There are  some that I have to make modifications to so that I can get through them, but for the most part I have it done. I felt so good about getting through the plyometric workout afterwards and I'm finally breaking down some of my fitness walls. Yesterday was another great workout too. I did the yoga one and I am definitely starting to feel my body open up and gain the flexibility that it once had. I bought a yoga block this weekend, but I found that I only needed it for one or two poses this time. I also had another amazing breakthrough yesterday with yoga. I HELD CRANE/CROW FOR SEVEN SECONDS!!! I don't what you call the pose, I did it and it was so cool. It took a minute for me to find my balance, but I was able to get up on my hands and arms and once I got up there I got so excited I fell out of it. And while I'm still not up to the time limits of my Hebrew Friend it's still an impressive accomplishment considering that I couldn't do it at all the last time I tried it. I think having a successful arms and shoulders workout the day before helped build my confidence in my arms.

Moving on...my parents are in town. They spent the weekend moving my sister into her dorm and then they have been making the rounds around Pennsylvania. Yesterday we had lunch together in Manayunk. Lance had never really been over there and so we walked around a bit and I showed him the canal and part of the bike path that I take to Norristown. The river is still really high and you could see where water got into places. Some restaurants and stores are still airing out their stock. We settled on a small place called Le Bus. Le Bus is affiliated with the Le Bus bakery out in King of Prussia which is product that is becoming popular in the restaurants in Stowe. Lance got excited so we went there and it was actually quite good. Chem Anna had told me about it so I was eager to give it a try. It did not disappoint. I have a cup of gazpacho with avocado and an heirloom tomato and mozzarella salad. My mom had a salmon burger that came with the most delicious mustard sauce (I ate half of it) and Lance had a pear salad. It was a good lunch. My parents and I got a chance to catch up and while I told my stories my mother got red and tipsy off of two bottles of Corona and spent the ride home saying everything she saw out loud and with strong enunciations. Well done mom.

Le Bus, Manayunk, Philadelphia

In conversations we want him to read our mind and in bed we want him to read our vagina’s mind.

Yesterday I went to the beach. It wasn't anything special because the waves were nearly dead and I was by myself, but the water was warm and I was able to finish a book and start another. It was great though because it was extremely hot out, but on the beach there was a nice breeze that kept things even and helped keep me in the sun longer. Don't worry Mom I wore my sunscreen. I also wore my polka dot one piece. I bought the bathing suit last summer when I was at the peak of my weight gain and couldn't face myself in a two piece but didn't want to look like I was eleven or my mom in my lap suit. I like the suit because it has a cutout in the back and it can be worn strapless or with a halter-type strap. It's already a bit loose, but I can still get away with it for the rest of the summer. It's my last one in it though because I don't intend to ever get that fat again unless there is a baby in my belly. I just don't think that this suit will still be in style in ten years.

No waves. Sad panda.

I've finished the Hunger Games. That's ALL I'm going to say since I already almost screamed at my friend about how I felt about the series conclusion and I can't relive that here. 

I actually put effort into making something for dinner or at least put the effort into assembling things on the same plate to make a meal since it's summer and it's too hot to actually cook anything in my apartment. It was brilliant and now I feel very full and content and will soon fall asleep from food happiness. I went to the store with the intention of picking very specific things up because I thought I was in the mood for something very specific, but once I got there I discovered that I was really in the mood for something else and brought home goat cheese, tomatoes, and pita chips. I also purchased a personal favorite from my childhood for dessert. 

Dinner for me was a full head of romaine. Actually I picked off the the tops because I don't like the soft dark green parts of the lettuce. I usually just do oil, vinegar, and cinnamon, but I wanted something different so I mixed olive oil, lemon juice, spices, and tarragon and tossed that with the lettuce. I added a tomato and some goat cheese for extra awesomeness. The tomato was slightly under-ripe, but what can you expect from anything outside of Lancaster County. The goat cheese was what really made the salad. The tangy cheese combined with the salty lemony dressing made fireworks in my mouth. 

I love goat cheese so much that I ate almost most of it with pita chips on the side of the salad. I've become more and more a fan of pita chip over potato or corn chips. They are just more filling without actually eating more of them. The Sandy's kind that I get also come in a bunch of yummy flavors. My favorite is the Naked kind with just a little salt, but I also love the cinnamon sugar kind. They are just the right amount of sweetness. 

Dessert is something most people wouldn't touch if they've ever had the real thing, but I didn't want to bake in the heat so I bought the stale cake cups that are sold next to the fruit for strawberry shortcake. I love strawberry shortcake with whipped cream. If I had been serious about the dessert I would have soaked the packaged cakes in raspberry liqueur to soften them and give the dessert added flavor. Instead I just piled the cakes with layers of strawberries and whipped cream until the little mounds could no longer stand. The heat from my apartment melted the whipped cream a little and the cream helped soften the cakes which was an unexpected bonus. I almost never eat these, in fact the last time I did was two years ago when I was living in the house, but I miss this even if the real thing is so much better. 

*The title comes from article I read over at Hello Giggles. 

Who's having breakfast? You and the husband?

And Cynthia! too! Can't forget her. The title comes from a text that I got from a friend last night. It's about myself and another friend that I have breakfast with on a sort of regular basis. I laughed for about twenty minutes when I got the text and then I told my "husband" about it. I don't think he thought it was as funny as I did, but he should have because it is hilarious! Plus as much as I love love LOVE my friend I have absolutely no desire to marry him. Maybe cohabitate in a groovy multiple bedroom castle with a moat and some gentle crocodiles, but no marriage for us. Plus I'm still holding out for a proposal from Dan O'Brien.

This is Dan.

Anyways I have been eating for the last fourteen hours and I am full. Too full. It started with dinner last night. Anna and I took Martin to the Llanerch for a late dinner last night and we all overate. It was gross, but so delightful. Martin was on his third dinner because I told him to grab something to eat early in case it we didn't go until ten so he started with a burrito from Q'doba. And then apparently Lisa's roommate made something delicious that he had to get in on and that was his second dinner. We picked up Martin at 8pm for his third dinner where he ordered French onion soup and a meatball sub with a side of fries. He did eat everything though, Anna and I were impressed and we both eat a lot when we go to the Llanerch. Anna's cute because she won't eat when she goes with her boyfriend, but with me and Martin she goes all out. At the end of dinner he promptly announces that he felt pregnant, which I then promptly texted Dr. A and told him to be on the lookout for Martin in case he goes into labor during his presentation. Dr. A thought we were drinking and I had to explain that Martin just ate a lot and had a food baby. So funny.

When I got home I was so full and my hallway smelt disgusting: all warm and ethnic foody with a little rotten mixed in. I had to run to my apartment to keep from vomiting all over the hallway. So gross. It was a great feeling being full because I just got in bed and fell asleep watching Law and Order: SVU. I have gotten was into that show almost to the point where I have to hide under my blankets while I watch it. So sketchy in the world. I almost couldn't wake up this morning from such the excellent sleep, but I had to for my workshop. I decided to go wireless this time and stay in bed for my workshop. Such an excellent choice to do my workshop in my pajamas and just lay in bed listening to my peers talk about my piece and also read HelloGiggles articles too. I'm such a bad multitasker student. It's a good thing I don't use my computer in class.

After workshop I went back to sleep for a little bit but then I overslept and had to rush for Israeli breakfast with Yonni and Cynthia! No Kyle again. Sad face. Israeli breakfast is great because it's light but filling at the same time and has so much more flavor than cereal. He made an excellent vegetable salad with tomatoes, scallions, peppers, cucumbers and seasonings. So delicious and easy to make. I had to eat little by little because I was still so full from last night. I also had some lovely Israeli coffee with some cinnamon and a little orange juice added in. It tasted like spiced orange coffee. AMAZING!

When I look out my window I see my friend's apartment building.

Soooo....I wasn't going to write and then I was going to write and then I wasn't and then the Captain said to Alfonso, "Alfonso tell me a story so Alfonso began: "It was a dark and stormy night and the Captain said to Alfonso, 'Alfonso tell me a story,' so Alfonso began," you get the point. So I decided just to write. I also have a boatload of energy because I'm eating way too late (I usually like to have my last big meal before 8pm but I got distracted) and I also took some old Robitussin that I found on top of my fridge and I'm not sure it its the AWAKE kind or the kind that makes you drowsy so I'm now trying to wear myself down and channel some of the energy.

Today started out bad and got exponentially worse in a very short time and other than a nice phone chat with Yonni (he passed his Praxis! Virtual high five bro!) and some potentially good news from my school boss, it wasn't until 5pm that things started to turn around. But hey we all have those days, hopefully yours don't include getting a boot on your car or locking your keys and your school books inside the car and then having to haul yourself across town to find keys to get yourself into your apartment and then into your locked car. Mine did! But thanks to Kat, Anna, and John who let me vent extensively to them, and to my advisor who gave me the number to AAA and didn't mind that I spent the entire class talking about registration instead of reading, and to Chris who was totally adorable to me for some reason. Boy you are going to be such a hottie in two years, it's a shame you're only nineteen now. And really once I got back into my apartment and chatted with my dad I really calmed down and didn't care about the day. In fact after I got de-booted, I went to Old Navy and picked up another work shirt (thank you small fat kids) and took a really long walk around Lower Merion. Thank god I walked because with this cold I came home with a giant trail of snot running down my face because I didn't have any tissues and I didn't want to wipe my nose on the sleeve of my good fleece. Gross, but I really like my clothes. My mom really pulled me through the day very unexpectedly when she sent me a text telling me to read the biography for Cathy Lamb on Amazon. Her books look lame and kind of like the stuff Samantha is into, but her bio is great. I swear I'm the East Coast version of this woman  minus twenty years. I've also become the Iron Chef of leftovers. Tonight it was just chicken, spinach, a leftover tomato, and leftover pasta. Totally tasty, but as I now look at the cooked spinach I am reminded of a friend who won't eat spinach because of a bad experience he had with it and the thought is making me vomit a little inside my mouth. Yuck.

OOOOoooo! New song of the day! I know I'm bad, but I swear I better about other things like boys and shoes, but maybe not majors since I did change that. But anyways here it is: The Naked and Famous - Young Blood.

Food monster, not a food baby.

Ugh I at Taco Bell earlier and now I feel like an elephant stepped on me and left me in a ditch. I should have just let Lauren skype me into the meeting. I haven't been feeling so hot, I had the sniffles earlier. Maybe from eating ice cream outside to day or the act that it was just cold and damp all day. Anyways I came home this afternoon and took a great nap and almost decided to not to get up later for a meeting. I texted Lauren to bring her computer and that I would just skype in so that I wouldn't have to leave my bed. Excellent idea in conception, now I just need to test it out. And I was all set to do that but then I got a deep hankering for Taco Bell and wouldn't you know it, Taco Bell is Lauren's favorite fast food. So I drove all the way down to 63rd to pick Lauren up and all of the way back to Taco Bell and then all of the way back to school for the hockey meeting where I ingested fifteen minutes of Tex-Mex bliss before passing out in a food coma, rendering me glassy eyed and completely useless and unaware of anything Brian said all night. Oh Brian! I have a crush on another one of my coaches and unlike The Silver Fox, he's actually a possibility. The girls all think he' kind of funny because he never smiles and is really serious about the sport. I have been lucky enough to see him smile and see him in his glasses and now know that he too prefers Chipotle burritos over the cheesy mess that Qdoba serves up. And he has the build that I usually prefer: kind of toned, but not beefy at all. He's not as tall as other guys, but he's taller than me. Though most guys usually are.

Anyways because of the stupid sniffles earlier and the food monster living in my belly, I've been drinking a lot of tea. It's just so warming and comfy and the herbal sampler that I can buy at the grocery store is AWESOME. I usually get the Celestial Seasonings because they make an excellent orange tea, but Genuardis was out of it so I got the Bigelow pack and it's just okay. Bigelow does make a nice mint tea that I'm drinking now. I told My Hebrew Friend he should come over for a man-friendly tea party since he likes tea too. I think that means using the cow mugs and watching Hank. I should make him wear all his sweatshirts so that he can be a space heater when the apartment gets cold. Last night it was so hot even with the window open, but then this afternoon it was FREEZING! Grr stupid weather just get warm already.

12 days until the beach. Samantha ordered me some things so now I have make sure I pack enough Jergens tanning lotion for her. 

Food and Moses.

I get paid this week. I'm so excited because it's been a while since I've had any sort of extra money in my pocket and with my bills paid, that's what I'm going to have. I don't really have a burning need for anything right now but I am going to get a few things for Marg's birthday and maybe keep some cash to go out with some friends this weekend. Maybe even do some extravagant grocery shopping and cook something different. I still have a lot of chicken in my freezer that I need to use up so I'll have to look up some creative recipes. I may even have some friends over to cook with. Cooking with/for people is way better than cooking alone and for one.

I made lunch at home today. Burt my stomach. Weird, but painful. I was making pasta because I needed something quick and when I was draining the pot I moved it in the wrong direction and the water splashed on me and now it looks like I have a strip of sunburn on my stomach.

Other than my lunch burn, today has been rather unexciting. I have other work in a little while and then my Israelite Religion class. It's taught by  doctorate student from Princeton. He's a seven foot ginger viking how dresses impeccably. I took a stealthy picture of him once with my phone and sent it to Marg and if he didn't live in New Jersey I'm sure I would have gotten a late night call to go stalk his house. Marg as a problem that I have not problem fueling usually because it leads me to a Wawa sandwich. After class I'll hit the gym and then head back home to finish homework and make dinner. I have hockey in the morning down at Penn and I told Lauren I'd pick her up.

A bunch of the blogs that I follow are written by girls that are months away from being married and every week there is something new that they post about their wedding plans. It made me think about how I want cake and how much cake I could eat cake during a cake tasting and so I think that I am going to ask my friend Prada to come along as my fiance and help me eat cake.