Roasted garlic cloves and the perfect London Broil

If there is one thing I could go back in time and change, it would be to cook with my Grandmother.

My Dad's mom died when I was a scant 10 years old and lived all the way in California so I never really got the chance to experience, appreciate, and memorize her cooking. I loved my Dad's parents very much and I still love that Creole Californian family, but I have to admit I am closer to my Mom's family. I think it has a lot to do with proximity. Both families are spread but my Dad is from the west coast and my mom is from Michigan. One requires 5 hours on a plane, the other 1 1/2 hours (or 10 hours in a car, which we have done numerous times). As a result, I saw my Mom's family multiple times a year and my Dad's once or twice a year. Thanksgiving and Jewish holidays were spent in Michigan. I went to camp for 4 weeks up north every year. My grandparents were present for almost every childhood birthday and even made it down for Grandparent's day at my hoity-toity middle school.

New Year's Eve and some Christmases were spent in Florida with one of my Dad's brothers (he has 5 brothers and 1 sister...my grandparents really wanted that girl). Some other relatives would fly down and it was always a big party. (That's my Dad's family. The "lets go out to the farm and roast a pig" partiers. My Mom's family is the "lets make a reservation as a fancy restaurant, invite 20 or so of our closest friends and family, and get all gussied up" partiers. Both have their merits.) Anyway, trips to California mostly happened before I entered 5th grade so I don't remember them that well. I remember my Grandparent's house at Easter time. I remember my Grandpa calling me "poochy". I remember my Grandma's apron. I remember their backyard with the kumquat tree. But it's mostly snippets.

I vividly remember my mom's mom. After all, she only died two years ago. I remember how she would yell my Grandpa's name, telling him to "call Jack!" to repair something. I remember her standing at the kitchen sink, cutting up strawberries to be kept in a bowl in the refrigerator to pick from. I remember sitting next to her and asking her if she could knit without looking then laughing with her as she held my gaze for a couple minutes while smiling and saying "I don't know. Can I knit without looking?". She loved to shop. She loved to entertain. And I was spoiled because for almost 18 years, I was the youngest grandchild, the baby. I think I am a lot like her in many ways. I have been told that I look just like her when she was younger and I can't argue with that (nor would I want to). I definitely have her cheekbones and her big toe (which puts me up at a whopping size 11 1/2 shoe) and her hands.

Back to the point. I wish I could go back in time and cook with her. Or at least watch her. I cannot believe that I never did that. She was always cooking and she was the best. I know everybody says their grandmother was the best but I believe everybody is right. And mine was the best. She could produce perfect London Broils, with a tender and juicy inside and a crisp, caramelized outer crust. Somehow the fruit at her house was always riper and sweeter than other fruit. She had two kitchens, each with two ovens. In the basement, there was a giant refrigerator sized freezer where she kept meat that the butcher would deliver regularly. She would decide what she wanted to cook and with a simple "Go pull some lamb chops from the freezer", she was ready. And yet, I never stuck around to see how she made the chops. I was a helped but never really helped. I would retreat to the living room or kitchen table with my book or my knitting (or, later in life, my cell phone) and let her work her magic in peace.

I know, I know. How could this be? I am so infatuated with cooking now that it is hard to believe I once didn't care to learn. The closest I came was making "soup" when I was a child (throwing whole vegetables into a pot of water and simmering for 20 minutes. My mother ate it, bless her heart). This doesn't count baking. I baked up a storm with my mom for holiday cookies. My dad and I always took on the task of the double layer cake for birthdays, experimenting with icing flavors. There were isolated incidents when I would take it upon myself to produce something for Thanksgiving or Passover. But my cooking bug had not caught on. And I missed out on the greatest resource I had.

I should have watched how she worked in the kitchen. I should have paid attention to the ingredients and timing and how to tell if things are done. I should have smelled and tasted and memorized and recorded. But now I just have memories of the meals and no way to recreate them except through my own experimentation. I like to think that I have enough of her in me to get the job done but there is no doubt that I am a sloppy and somewhat impatient chef. So hopefully she is guiding me.

There is so much more I could say about this wonderful woman who was such a big part of my life. But I'll save it for another post.

Why I will probably never go to Orlando again...

Every now and then I have this dream. I go to Disney in Orlando, sometimes as a field trip, sometimes with friends, and sometimes with family. It varies. We are having fun, doing different activities and such, enjoying the magic that Disney offers. But, without fail, at some point, I am either abducted or led down to a secret underground dungeon and forced to work for Disney Corporation. I'm down their for days or weeks when my best friend from high school and a boy we were friends with show up to bust me out. The rest of the dream involves the three of us running from Disney characters and the park security who have been instructed to detain us because nobody can know about the underground dungeon.

Sniffles

So it's Monday and I am getting a head cold. I can feel it. The back of my throat is slightly scratchy and I have sneezed way more than average today. My nose is running ever so slightly and I could barely make it up the escalator on the metro today because the illness fatigue has already begun to set in. First thing I did when I arrived home was put on my yoga pants and over-sized Mackinaw Island sweater and I am now attempting to watch Game of Thrones (though the first scene in the first episode is a little troubling.)

I'm making myself some good ol' fashion tomato soup to make me feel better. A friend of mine told me tomato soup is better than chicken soup because it has more vitamin C. To accompany it, I have some cinnamon raisin walnut bread I baked last night. Sounds like a lovely combination to me!

Food Challenge Friday...On Sunday

Ok, everyone (anyone? hello?)...I have a confession. It seems I am already letting you down when it comes to this monthly food challenge on Tea and Cookies. I committed to it when it began and now I have 2 days to make sourdough bread. The only problem is, it takes a week to let the starter mature so it can do it's sour thang. I was planning to get the starter going last week but never got around to getting my jars from my parents' house. Anyway, I need to get it together, get the jar, and make a starter. So in order to keep me motivated, I am making a promise to you all (if you exist). By the end of the week, I will have the starter going AND at the end of next week, I will make the sourdough bread. You will be impressed. I just know it!

On Being Cultured and Michael Fassbender's Penis

Yesterday, I walked around the National Gallery of Art for 2 hours by myself. One of my friends was supposed to meet me at 1:30 but overslept and didn't make it until 3:00. I rarely do things alone and I can't help but think I am missing out on something. I truly enjoyed exploring the east Building of the Gallery by myself. I could linger at whatever artwork caught my attention and bypass the areas I knew I wouldn't be interested in. To be honest, I spent far too long in the concourse book store perusing the modern and contemporary art section. Here are a few bullet points:

- Minimalist and Post-Minimalist works are my favorite. I just love that they appear so simple and unsophisticated but they aren't. In order to appreciate pieces such as Tony Smith's Die, you have to know what the artists at the time were trying to say and acknowledge that they were the first batch of people to do so. They weren't "inspired by such and such to do this, mimicking their work". They drew the blueprints. Conceptual art is fantastic. If you don't know about it, I suggest you investigate for yourself. (My favorite pieces in the gallery are Tony Smith's Die and Jackson Pollock's Number 1)

- I do not understand how parents discipline their children. Yesterday, while wandering past the cafe, I overheard a woman telling her son to face the wall for 5 minutes. What does that accomplish? As an adult, its funny to me what children believe. If my mother were to tell me to face a wall, I would laugh at her. But up until a certain age, kids fear the wrath of their parents above all else. In reality, what can they do? They tell you to face the wall, you refuse, then they do what? Some parents, I suppose, will hit a child. But aside from their disapproval, the children don't have much to fear. I guess its the adolescents that figure that out too early that become trouble.

- The world has a great big hard-on for Andy Warhol. There were so name books about him and his work in the bookstore. Not a single Sally Mann book, only one Diane Arbus book, and even a limited selection on Jackson Pollock. But Andy Warhol? Everywhere. I personally find him overrated. His early works are good and I understand the concept behind his pieces but other artists did similar things in more subtle, thoughtful ways. Andy Warhol is so well-known because he was more controversial as a person.

On to the part about Michael Fassbender's penis. Once my friend showed up, we wandered about for another 45 minutes then walked a few blocks to the E Street Cinema to see Shame. It was pretty brilliant. Raunchy but not in a way that undermines the characters and development. I think the subtlety in the characters that Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan portray was beautiful. Their self-loathing and odd relationship to each other hinted at a troubled childhood. I really enjoyed it and recommend it...that is, if you can handle a sex scene. Or two. Or thirty.

For the past 3 hours, I have arguing with my friend over How I Met Your Mother vs. Friends. I am for HIMYM, he is (unsurprisingly) for Friends. I imagine their are many pairs of people across the nation having this very same debate at any given moment.

I concede that the two shows are very similar, implying that HIMYM has "copied" Friends in a way. However, I see it the same as the way an artist will make a cover of another artist's song. The skeleton is similar but the flesh is different. And every now and then, a cover is better than the original.

I'm trying to figure out how to get my text message thread from my phone to my computer so that I may share the hilarity with you. More developments to come.

Wine and Love

It seems I am already dropping the ball with this blogging. I'll try to be more frequent from now on.

Wine and love is hosted by Nora. Want to join? Read this page for the meme instructions and grab the picture. The go to Walking With Nora to link up!

Wine, Wine, Wine

- My eating is pretty out of control. But it's not my fault! I socialize, which leads to consumption of various fried food and other goodies I would not normally eat if I always determined my intake. SO it seems I need to be a hermit.

- I have definitely not been sticking to my exercise schedule, so I really have no excuse for the poor eating.

- I definitely did not do my cooking challenge for this month and it would seem I am running out of time. I don't have a starter and completely forgot about it. Maybe I could still do it?

-I woke up this morning certain that it was Friday. I got to work and was informed it is, in fact, Thursday.

- My usual complaint: the metro smells and is crowded. My new favorite game is to guess what part of the person behind me is touching my butt. Hand? Briefcase?

- Interactions with the opposite sex are complicated and I wish I had the answers, not only for myself but for my friends. The more I think about the "rules" the stupider they seems but then I think there must be something to them but then I think, well...I am way over thinking this.

- I think I have a repetitive stress injury from folding 500 letters to send to clients.

Warm, Fuzzy Love

-My roommate and I had a little date and went to see Beauty and the Beast in 3D. Such quality entertainment! And I especially love when you rewatch something from childhood and pick up on jokes or queues you were too young to understand. For example, the Beast asks Cogsworth what to get Belle and Cogsworth replies, "Well, there's the usual things: flowers, chocolates....promises you don't intend to keep." Way over my head before, but hilarious now.

- Had a great time dancing this weekend. Most of the time I am too tired and have to make myself go out but when I do, it is a blast.

- Giants are going to the Super Bowl! I watched the game last weekend with my best friend and his dad. His dad let me wear his jersey because I complained about my lack of Giants swag (and he hadn't worn it for the previous game so he couldn't wear it for that one). So, because they won, I will be watching the Super Bowl with them and have been instructed to wear the jersey and the same socks.

- The week started with a delayed opening on Monday even though the weather ended up not being quite as bad as expected.

- Went to trivia night at Hard Times with a couple friends last night and didn't come in last!

- Thought Catalog is my new obsession. Check it out.

- I sent a string of text messages while intoxicated and only misspelled 1 word, which was an auto-correct from "start" to "state". I am considering this an accomplishment.

Making vs. Buying

There have been several incidents recently in which my friends have suggested I make something rather than purchase it. A silver ring, a couple of prints, a necklace. Yes, I could make all of these things. But that isn't really what it's about. Purchasing something that somebody considers to be their artwork is not about acknowledging their ability to master a skill you couldn't also learn. It is about supporting the art community as a whole. If you were to one day create something and seek to share it with others by selling it, supporting yourself doing something you love, I guarantee your customers would have a friend standing behind them suggesting they make it themselves. And you, as the artist would want to scream and pull your hair out. Because it's not about the raw materials or the labor behind them. It's about expression. And you want your expression to be noticed, acknowledged, and supported.

Wine and Love

Wine and love is hosted by Nora. Want to join? Read this page for the meme instructions and grab the picture. The go to Walking With Nora to link up!

Wine, Wine, Wine

- I barely made it to the gym this week. I did well Saturday, Sunday, and Monday but it went downhill after that. On top of that, I have eaten fairly poorly.

- Since finishing the deposition digest, my new task is library related. It involves removing pages out of a 30 volume series of binders and replacing them with the updated pages. Glad my college degree is being put to good use.

- I had to drop a ton of money on a plane ticket today. I could have saved $150 if I had booked my ticket last week when I first looked but I was indecisive and waited.

- The metro is rough. This week it has been delayed, crowded, and smelly.

- My room looks like a clothing bomb exploded.

Warm, Fuzzy Love:

- Watching Mona Lisa Smile with my roomie. Hopefully baking some cookies later.

- I finally finished that stupid deposition.

- I added a ton of things to my Day Zero list that I am super excited about.

- I improvised some kick-ass dinners this week. Stay tuned to see if I make it through next week without buying any meals.

- I am officially heading to Alabama for Megan and Mike's wedding! (And I will get to cross "visit a state I've never been to" off my Day Zero list)

- I got my Cooking Challenge for January. Can't wait to make some sourdough!

- New Vampire Diaries and The Secret Circle tonight and a new Revenge waiting on the DVR.

Cooking Challenge

Ok people, I have my first challenge. Drum roll please..........

Sourdough bread! I have never made it before and I will admit that I am a little afraid of the whole making a starter and feeding it thing but I think I can handle it.

I am currently awaiting instructions for the starter from Tea & Cookies.

I'm trying to think of a clever title for the upcoming series of posts but so far all I got is "Foodie Friday". This is fine but I doubt I will be in the mood to cook and/or post on Fridays, seeing as I am a 20something living in Arlington and have committed my Friday nights to more elicit activities. I will keep thinking. "Tasty Tuesday"? That one sounds a little dirty....

Also, throughout this challenge, I promise to take pictures of the things I make. Of course, I am notoriously bad at remembering to take pictures of anything I do (despite my minor in photography...or possibly because of it). But this time will be different. I know it. I can feel it. We'll see.

Tea & Cookies Cooking Challenge

In an effort to branch out with my cooking and to up my blogging, I've decided to participate in the Tea & Cookies Cooking Challenge. Each month, there will be a new "challenge" based on the suggestions made by myself and the other participants. I'm so excited to find out what we'll be doing!

The suggestions I see so far are all good ones. Croissants, souffles, cheese. I suggested a bread recipe that adds a little something extra. Since I started cooking, I have only made bread a handful of times. I have never made one with a filling or mix in and I am anxious to try it. Should they pick it for one of the monthly challenges, this is will give me that extra incentive and some assistance as well. I am mostly looking forward to the things people suggest that I haven't even thought of.

I'm going to try to write more about my cooking in general because it's something that I really love. I've started to experiment more also. Recipes are becoming guidelines rather than strict instructions and it is getting easier for me to improvise my own combinations of flavors, tweaking something I've done or coming up with something new on the spot.

Now, keep in mind I am working full time, attempting to pull together a social life and stick to a regular exercise routine. So on nights like this, after a looooong day at work then an unusually difficult 1.5 mile run, I am not cooking. Tonight, I popped a frozen twice baked potato in the over for 45 minutes then followed it by an extra chocolate turtle my roommate was kind enough to share.

Stay tuned for more food!

**ERROR: TITLE CENSORED**

Yes. The internet is difficult to control, copyright infringements happen and information is leaked that was meant to stay private. But let's take a moment to consider who that mostly affects. The answer is people with money, people with power, people who make their living by declaring they have special rights to something and others are not allowed to touch it. "This is mine. You can't have it. Unless you pay me. And even when you pay me, it still belongs to be and you cannot share it." This is the concept that censoring the internet attempts to protect and perpetuate. The "American Dream" has turned into a race to gain as much as possible then hoard it, preventing others from "stealing". The main issue with piracy is...what? Music, movies, tv shows, etc. all get leaked and spread for free. If the main goal of these forms of media is to entertain, why does this seem to be one of the top issues in our society? It is a problem that demands so much attention because people with money believe they are being denied the excess which they are due. They made the movie and they deserve to be paid for every minute somebody watches is. Sure, they were paid to make it and still receive an exorbitant amount for the legal showings that are occurring but the illegal viewings, the downloads, the burnings, these acts deny them that little extra they deserve. That fact is entertainers do not want to entertain you. They want make a movie, thank you publicly for your support and awards, then head home to their mansion and burn some more of your money.

So now the government seeks to censor the web to stop piracy. In doing so, they hurt social media, smaller websites, and those that offer free information and entertainment. They are cutting off an arm to stop when they view as a difficult rash. And that arm belongs to us. This is just one more legislative move backed by the higher-ups in order to crack down on the holes in their earnings. Yes, stealing is bad and piracy is a form of stealing but should this much effort really be funneled into cracking down on somebody stealing a $20 bill from a millionaire's pocket? If the rich gave back to the economy rather than hoarding their money, building estates, then insisting they not be taxed so much and they are showered with gifts, the economy might improve. Consequentially, the idea of downloading a movie rather than paying $13 to go see it in theaters would not be so enticing.

Think of the money that our government is spending on this issue, on pushing this bill forward. Please, focus on other, more important things. Poverty. People dying on the streets because they cannot afford to feed themselves while you bitch about somebody watching your movie or listening to your music without paying you for it (when you claim to do it because you love to entertain people and want your "art" to affect others). I recognize there are other forms of more serious piracy than entertainment. Web developments, computer programs, and other actual products but I am willing to bet the majority of them feed money into bloated, gluttonous corporate mouths. Show me where the fight against piracy focuses on helping "the little people" and I will eat my words. Unless they have already been taken from me...

Final point. Laws passed that seek to crack down on illegal action rarely have the desired affect in this sort of circumstance. The people who are endorsing and enabling piracy are already disregarding regulations and will continue to do so. This new censorship will detrimentally affect law-abiding companies and websites.

Let the internet be. https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/

Love people. Cook them good food.

Well folks, it is the middle of January and my old friend Mr. Belly Pooch is considerably more present than I recall him being prior to the holiday season. What is it about the end of the year that begs for food, food, and more food? I know exactly what it is. When you love somebody, you show it through sharing a meal.

It is no secret that I love to cook. Not just for myself, but for others. Because, really, who enjoys just cooking for themselves? What could be better than offering your friends and loved ones a nice, warm, home cooked meal full of delicious, meticulously (or experimentally) combined ingredients, accompanied by some wine and conversation?

Here in lies my problem. I love to cook. I love to bake. I want to eat all of the things I cook and bake. And the belly pooch is pleased to accept every last carb and calorie.

So I go to the gym 5 times a week and I run on the treadmill and I do squats and I do sit ups. And while there are countless (somewhat) inspirational memes out there telling me "a moment on the lips, forever on the hips" or "abs are made in the gym and revealed in the kitchen", I just can't fight the need to cook something and consume it.

I cannot live on salad because, frankly, salads made at home tend to suck pretty hard. Give me chicken picatta or herb crusted salmon or bacon wrapped sirloin or chipotle chicken and rice. I want something that I can cultivate. I want to gather the ingredients, prepare my kitchen, and slowly pull something fantastic together. There is something about the process that pulls me in, possibly more than the end product. I don't take shortcuts. You will not find any canned "cream of something or other" in the recipes I use. It is just so much more rewarding (and delicious) to work for it.

I am forever holding out hope that my metabolism will get the hint and speed up on its own. Is that not how that works? Oh well. Now bring on the take-out-at-home General Tso chicken!

Some random thoughts

I am not coherent enough at the moment to form a pulled together a proper-sentence-structure-and-ordered-paragraphs type of post today. So I offer you some random thoughts:

- Farro and edamame with a fried egg on top is possibly my new favorite post-workout meal.

- I love Wizards of Waverly Place. I legitimately love it.

- Contrary to my previous post, I believe the answer to whatever causes one woe is both chocolate AND running. I made cupcakes and ran 4 miles.

- The Giants beat the Packers! This brings me joy and those of you who know me, will know why (and while my love for Eli binds me to the Giants, that only accounts for 50% of the elation I felt seeing them grate some cheeseheads last night).

- I just found a t-shirt from highschool. I put it on and it is very tight and far too short. When I purchased it (and presumably wore it), I weighed 30 pounds more than I do now. How does that work?

- The difference 8 years can make in a person is astounding, especially at the developmental stage we are all floating around in for the duration of highschool/college.

The Sunroom

When we were searching for apartments, my roommates and I had a difficult time finding a place with three rooms, especially in the location we wanted and the price range we had settled on (if we are being perfectly honest, the price issue was my fault. I seem to be the poorest of the bunch). We stumbled across the building we now live in, The Meridian. They have 1 and 2 bedroom apartments but some floor plans have a "sunroom" that the majority of residents use as a 3rd bedroom. Paying the least of the three, it was fairly obvious I would be in the sunroom. I went to look at the apartment and fell in love. It was so charming and lacked the unidentifiable odor that some of the others on our list possessed. And again, for the sake of honesty, I was swayed a bit by the dozen or so beautiful people I saw wandering the premises. I looked at the sunroom, my soon-to-be new home, and thought "It doesn't look that much like a sunroom. Really it's just a normal room with no closet and big window." Ha! It is absolutely classified correctly. This room is SUNNY.

We have lived here for a few months now and I have developed a love/hate relationship with the apartment. The sunroom is, really, only mildly inconvenient. It gets very cold in here at night because it's not as well insulated as the rest of the place. I solved this problem with a space heater and a blanket that I strategically wrap around the top of my head before going to sleep. It gets rather bright in here but that is only an issue when I am hungover, which seems to happen less and less frequently as the exhaustion of working a full time job further paralyzes me on Friday nights. I solved the problem of see-through doors with brown wrapping paper. I had every intention to decorate this make shift wallpaper with my own photographs and artwork. So far, 1/3 of one section has decoration and another section contains only my compiled list of exercises, posted there as a failing attempt to motivate myself into a daily routine.

My room is beautiful, architecturally speaking. The doors open up to a surprisingly large room and across is a big bay window of sorts in which I have nestled my bed. It is large enough to comfortably fit all of my furniture. I love it. I love the way the extra sunlight shines off of the gold trim on my dresser. I love the way I can open all of my blinds and sunbathe. I love looking out over the courtyard and being able to see just beyond the other buildings.

All in all, I love this place. The kitchen could be better ventilated and maybe my room could be a tad less bright at 8am. But I think our 3 decorating styles blended together fantastically and I am perfectly comfortable spending the day in my bed, on the couch, or on the living room floor, should the mood call for it.

Tonight my exercise pants aren't dirty with sweat, blood, and tears due to any effort I put forth in the gym. No no. Tonight, I lounge on the couch, wrapped in a fleece blanket with Cinderella's castle on it. My nice, black exercise capris are covered in flour and the chocolate cupcakes are in the over, baking to perfection. Instead of exercising, I baked...and I refuse to feel guilty about it.

You know, sometimes exercise is not the answer. Most of the time, it is. A good workout can lift almost any weary spirit. A good sweat-fest can make you feel elated and high from the endorphins coursing through your warm veins. You will, without a doubt, feel better about a workout tomorrow than you will about the undetermined number of chocolate cupcakes you will consume. Exercise would be better in almost any situation. Almost.

I say almost because in some situations, on some days, chocolate is better. You find out your ex-boyfriend has a new girlfriend. You have spent the majority of the past three weeks reading depositions by individuals that hardly speak English and yet there are still 100 pages left. Work, bills, the cleanliness of your living quarters (or lack there of) and your questionable hygiene habits. When all of this builds up, the only thing that can cut through the haze and grime is chocolate. Undiluted, down and dirty chocolate. And not a piece of chocolate. A mound of chocolate cake, sweet and moist and brimming with sin.

So here I sit, in my flour-dusted exercise pants, as the scent of chocolate envelops me, whispering, "It's ok. The first one won't count. Or the second."

Wine and Love

Wine and Love is something a friend of mine does weekly on her blog. I thought I would give it a try because I need to wine about some stuff (and I might as well throw in some love for good measure). This is supposed to happen on Thurdays but I am a bit late to do most things. I will get on track next weekend....maybe.

Wine and love is hosted by Nora. Want to join? Read this page for the meme instructions and grab the picture. The go to Walking With Nora to link up!

Wine, Wine, Wine:

- This is the first full work week I have had in a month. It has been a long one.

- Reading depositions of meat plant workers. Their job conditions sound so miserable. After reading 4 depositions I am considering swearing off meat. My more attainable solution is to buy meat from an organic butcher.

- Reading depositions by individuals that do not speak English well. I do not mean to be insensitive to the fact that some people do not speak English as their first language. However, I need to express how frustrating it is to read a page over and over again just to figure out what information they are trying to convey so that I can record it, then, on the following page, they realize they did not understand the question and answer in a completely different way.

- Lack of motivation. I gave myself a small vacation from exercising and restricting my diet over the holidays and I can't quite get back into the same groove I has achieved before. I get bored halfway through my runs and it feels much easier to crash on the couch as soon as I get home. And really, I'm not really fat....so why bother?

- Boy drama. The ex has a new flame and most of my latest flirtations have fizzled. 'Nough said.

- Crying in public. Do I really need to elaborate on that one?

- The increasingly foul odor on the metro.

Warm and Fuzzy love:

- Dinners with friends. Last night I had dinner with some friends I have known for a while but have yet to spend really "friendy" time with (it was a best friend's sister and her recent fiance). The food was delicious, the company was grand, and the decor in their apartment roused some envy.

- Nice weather. Even though the weather has been bipolar lately, the sunshine is lovely. I don't mind the cold if the sun comes through.

- Endorphins. Despite my lack of motivation, I managed a 3 mile run the other day and at the end of if, I remembered why I had been running so regularly. Nothing beats the mood lift from exercise. If only I can push through....

-Cooking. Some days it is hard to pass up the quick pasta with a jar of sauce. But when I am not too tired to put in the effort and I actually begin the process of making myself (and most often, a friend or two) a real meal, I remember why I love it. Bringing together flavors is so exciting. Knowing that your effort is going to taste better than that package of ramen and be better for you is worth the process. So are the compliments that those you feed inevitably give.

- My roommates. Coming home to these girls helps me feel better even after a week like the one I just had. Tonight we are spending some quality time with our couch and TV, each curled up with our respective favorite blankets, watching Breaking Bad.