Today I had my last cavity filled. Last night I had a nightmare (for the third time) that the dentist realized that all of my teeth were totally shot and the only solution was extract them one by one. This scenario wasn't entirely in my imagination, it happened to a friend's cat. Nonetheless, it was terrifying and I woke up with sweat on my brow. I was so anxious to get this last appointment over with that I actually showed up nearly 30 minutes early to the dentist's. The appointment went rather well, pleasant even. I really like my dentist.
I found out that I don't have to go back until September for my routine cleaning. I was so excited to hear the news that I actually had a bounce in my step. I feel like a new woman and almost jogged home with excitement -- like when my dog, Coco, is freshly bathed and gets frisky and bolts around the house. Despite the fact that it rained and hailed on me during my walk home, spring has sprung. Everything in Portland is green and ready to burst into action (as soon as the temperature decides to climb above 45 degrees). I'm not sure how I'm going to spend the rest of my day, but whatever I do will feel so much better knowing that I'm in tip-top shape (teeth wise). Well, except for those pesky wisdom teeth, but I'll think about that another day!
I'm starting to think that no news is not good news on the job proposal front, so maybe I'll direct more attention at my resume and start practicing my typing and word processing skills so I'm ready to sign up with the temp agency if that plan falls through. Although, maybe I'll take a break for the afternoon and work on a few sewing projects that need to be finished ASAP!
When I was in D.C., I used to spend down time at work checking out Hart90's website (a rescue agency for wayward dogs). I wonder where Billy Brown ended up? I like to think that he would have been happy in Portland, bopping along on the sidewalks and hanging out at the dog friendly breweries. Anyway, Jesse called it "doggie porn" because I would obsessively send him photos of dogs that desperately wanted to come home with me.
I have grown up a lot since we moved to Portland. I now engage in "house porn" and often send Jesse links to totally cute houses that would love for us to make them our home. Today, against my better judgment (and his), I checked out the houses for sale in our area. I found a totally rad two-story house in an up and coming neighborhood. I must have been wearing my bad idea jeans, because I actually got in the car (under the guise of an errand to pick up new windshield wiper blades) to check it out. Jesse let me go on one provision; that I wouldn't come back home totally bummed and cry about the fact that we can not possibly buy said home right now. I promised.
To start, I must confess that the photo above is not a great. The house does not list to the side -- I was trying to quickly take a photo out of the window while driving (a stick shift car). I realized once I got there that this was probably close to my dream house (but not located in my dream neighborhood). For the love of god, look at those built-ins?! They're everywhere. And the house is within our ideal 3-mile radius. Totally a bikeable distance from downtown. Anyway, I came home all amped on the fact that there were still houses out there that need my love -- houses that still have awesome built-ins that haven't been painted and polished with granite counter tops.
Jesse was quick to jump to reality with "blah blah" 20% down payment and how many years (YEARS) we might have to save to reach that goal. Way to kill a Sunday afternoon. I guess he's right, I do need to be brought down to reality now and again. I think when he saw my face drop and all happiness leave my soul, he quickly poured me a beer and started back-peddling on how it totally won't take that long. I'm a jerk for evening looking right now, but I can't help but flip back to those initial plans that I had when we moved out to Portland. I was supposed to have a pretty steady job by now! Damn you economy! We were supposed to be looking for houses in the spring.
I'm okay now. I've banished all house thoughts from my head (for this week at least). However, don't mind me as I shove you over in line for that temp/admin job. There are too many cute bungalows out there calling my name!
My grandfather passed away last night after a rather quick bout with leukemia.
J and I were lucky enough to have visited last spring before he knew he was sick. Our visit to Terrebonne Parish was highlighted by lots of food, laughter, and culture. J found a soul mate on that trip, someone who wore snap-down cowboy shirts nearly every day (a fashion statement that J wishes he could pull off at the office). It was an amazing trip for both of us, but for different reasons. J had never been to Louisiana, eaten a crawfish, or had hush puppies, but most importantly, he had never shared this part of my life. For me, it was a wonderful opportunity to explore the place that lingers as faint memories from my childhood, but holds such a rich history for the generations of my family that have settled no further than 20 or 30 minutes from their birthplace.
We took a bit of a driving tour down to Montegut where my mother was born and raised. It felt good to see that day the parts of Louisiana that were so important to my grandfather. We followed the road through Montegut literally to its end -- if you wanted to go any further, you'd need a boat. Paw-paw's eyes would light up whenever he talked about the water. He knew every inch of the bayous and could recall every storm and change over the years with brilliant clarity.
I regret that I never bothered to ask him how he made his rabbit stew. It's probably one of the most simple, yet delicious dishes I've tasted. I also wish that I sat down to talk to him sooner to hear all of his stories about life as a commercial fisherman, working on the giant oil rigs, or hell, how it felt to grow up in one of the weirdest yet, most incredible places in the country. (If only I had started my blog five years earlier, all of the history I could tell).
At the same time, some of my fondest memories are of me and him sitting in our back yard in Atlanta. One summer, I forced him to listen to one of my hideous Cabbage Patch Kids cassette tapes over and over and over while he whittled a bow and arrow out of some spare sticks. He was an amazing woodworker and I'd like to think some of Paw-paw's industriousness rubbed off on me a little -- his devilish streak certainly did. Even though he was moving slowly on that last visit, my grandmother still shielded her rear in family photos. He was constantly on the hunt for the best opportunity give her a goose. You can see by the cheer in his eyes (and the grimace on her face) that he found that opportunity just before we headed for the airport.
Goodbye, Paw-Paw. You will be missed.
Yes, I'm still alive. Not as active on the blog, but still alive. It's been a rough week.
My Mom decided to extend her week-long trip in Louisiana to visit my grandparents because my grandfather is not doing very well at all. He and my grandmother agreed to let Hospice come in and take over on Friday and his condition had been deteriorating rapidly. I spent a lot of time this weekend accepting this fact, but I've also been preparing for this for a while. However, my grandmother isn't handling it very well and that's been a strain. My Mom has relayed countless stories about how the relatives are worried that he's not interested in eating anymore. I can just imagine them telling my Mom, "maybe you could just puree a little gumbo for him" -- leave it to a southerner to worry about a dying man's appetite.
J's parents are coming tomorrow to visit for a few days. I am really excited for their arrival and can't wait to explore Portland this weekend while they're in town. Although, this week has prevented me from doing the chores that I would normally obsess over when guests are imminent. I just haven't had the (mental) strength to struggle with the vacuum hose. Lame. I know, I've already given myself plenty of guilt trips over that fact this week. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to have a morning filled with vacuuming, dusting, and general scrubbing. What have I done instead of vacuuming and scrubbing you ask? Well, I made an extra large pot of chili and a veggie lasagna large enough to feed a family of eight. I must be genetic -- I cook food in crisis, and lots of it.
Despite the rough week, I've kept myself busy working around the house and doing a bit of editing for J (to relieve him from a bit of strain that's piled up as a result of his site visits in February and March). I also signed up to do an online focus group and write a "blog" about my home decorating choices and purchases. At the end of 10 days, I'll get a nice fat $150 check, but mostly this stupid focus group/blog has been my sanity. I get to mindlessly sit down in the evening and write about my inspiration, which revolves around how I'd like to eventually redecorate my bathroom, kitchen and living room. It's all fantasy of course, because I'm pretty happy where I am right now in terms of home decoration, but it has given me a few ideas.
And, oh the things I've learned from having to do home decorating research online. Did you know that Fiestaware just came out with a new color called Lemongrass? I think it would look pretty rad in our kitchen. Also, for this focus group, I have to write a daily "inspiration journal" and realized that I should probably have a pretty shower curtain in the bathroom (instead of the clear liner that we've lived with for the past 7 months).
Speaking of redecorating, I have had this fabric from Urban Outfitters sitting around since Christmas and it just occurred to me that it would be a fabulous addition to the bathroom. Oh focus group blog (probably sponsored by the Devil), why do you taunt me when you know I have better things to worry about?! This evening (after writing my "inspiration journal") I pulled the fabric out of the closet and hung it over the shower curtain just to see if my mind's eye was on target. I summonsed J in the bathroom to give his expert opinion. I don't think he realized was that I meant was, "what do you think of me making this a shower curtain tonight?"
What? Can't a woman be spontaneous?
I'm rushing around to get out to another dentist appointment (only one more to go and I should be a whole woman again). It's a good thing that the NCAA is taking a break for the next three days, because otherwise I might just watch basket ball for a better part of the afternoon. However, I have things to do like scrubbing the bathroom, updating Quicken
This weekend, Jesse and I mostly stayed inside except to run out for groceries. Somehow we managed to miss the first PSU farmers market of the season. I am very sad that I have to wait an entire week to go now. Jesse had lots of work to do on Saturday and Sunday and I, well, was just feeling a bit blah. I did make a killer dinner last night though. It was a recipe adapted from the Cooking Up a Storm cookbook that I purchased last month. The recipe is called "Jerry's Crawfish Bread," which is basically a french bread with delicious stuff rolled in the center. Living in the Pacific Northwest, crawfish are rare, so I had to substitute shrimp. It was amazing! I'd only make a couple of slight changes next time.
We initially were going to make baked chicken and a salad to go along with it, but given the richness of the filling (and the fact that it took all day to make), I was not really interested in fussing with the chicken. So, we paired it with a giant salad and called it dinner! I can't wait to have more of it this afternoon!
For the past two nights, Jesse has forgotten to turn off the alarm on his Blackberry from traveling. This morning we were jolted awake by the regular clock alarm in stereo with the Blackberry alarm. Under normal circumstances, I think I would have just rolled over and gone back to sleep, but I was insanely thirsty -- too much Simpler Times last night, I think. I rolled around a bit, but was unable to relax, so I got up and downed a glass of cold, refreshing water. Then, I was officially awake. At 6:30am. Before the sun.
I surfed the internet for about 20 minutes and my stomach started to growl. So, I got up and decided to try and replicate that delicious breakfast special that I had in Los Angeles with Sharon (a quesadilla with carnitas, sauteed apples, and jack cheese). I cubed a couple of apples and sauteed them in a bit of butter until they were nice and soft with a light caramelized crust. I then pulled out the small bit of carnitas left over from last night's taco fest, and sauteed it with olive oil, dried chilies (not too hot) and a dash of Cholula for good measure. The hot pan revived the pork and gave it nice crispy edges. MMM. We paired the quesadilla with cilantro scrambled eggs for a complete breakfast feast. What a great way to start a Friday!
I feel like carnitas can make anyone seem like a rock star in the kitchen. I should don this t-shirt that I won this past Monday at the Hold Steady concert in honor of this kick-ass breakfast. In all honesty, I left before the first Hold Steady song was even finished (they were just too loud). Now that I think about it, the fact that I left should probably bar me from wearing the shirt, because I am just not worthy. Whatever, I rock at other things. I can live with that.
Speaking of rocking, even if you don't want to read all about the Hold Steady at the Crystal Ballroom, you should check out Quickcrit's face lift. It's still a work in progress, but it's 100 times better looking than before. Oh, and if you're checking out the web page with Internet Explorer, you'll miss out on the great new banner that Jesse and I designed. Sorry, it's an annoying Blogger tick that I have yet to resolve. DO YOU HEAR ME BLOGGER? GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER! Anyway, maybe it's just a sign that now's a good time to go ahead and download Firefox -- it's a much better browser anyway.
Yesterday was a bit of a blur. I had to do a lot of computer updates in attempt to get my laptop to stop behaving like a petulant child. As a result, my head and eyes ached and I wanted to kick my feet and scream. Now, I realize that I probably hadn't eaten as much as I should have yesterday (my jaw was kind of achy from the Novocaine shot) and food just didn't seem appealing. I broke the first rule in my book of life: Never tackle computer issues on an empty stomach!
Anyway, having realized the err of my ways, I decided to make myself a good hearty breakfast of two eggs, toast and some avocado this morning. To take a step back, Jesse discovered the Jumbo eggs at Trader Joe's a couple of weeks ago and now every time I send him out for groceries he picks up a dozen. I don't care, really (if I were making custard I would have hit the jackpot this morning). The eggs are more Jurassic than Jumbo -- like goose eggs rather than chicken eggs -- and I think I've discovered why.
We've had an absurdly large ratio of double yolk eggs in the TJ's Jumbo containers -- probably 5 or 6 in the last two dozen. If you go for that sort of thing, at only $.40 more a dozen they're a good value. Personally, I'm kind of hoping the novelty wears off with Jesse. When I crack an egg, I really do only want one yolk! This morning though, I cracked the first egg and one of the yolks broke. I was pretty bummed at the prospect of only having one runny center -- that's the best part, yolks on toast. So, I cracked another and what do you know, another two yolks. So now, I'm chowing down on a Jesse-size (Jumbo) breakfast. I can't complain, it'll power me through the laundry and house chores that I have to do today.
I planned tonight's meal with a heavy load of chores in mind. We're going to make a quick, yet delicious, taco dinner with the last bit of carnitas that I made late last week. This will be an exact repeat of the taco night we had this weekend because it was so good! When preparing for the original taco night, Jesse and I had a philosophical discussion in the beer aisle at Trader Joe's about whether it's a sin to drink good, dark beer with Mexican food. As we perused the section of Lagers and Pilsners, we found Simpler Times (TJ's equivalent of Budweiser, but with about 1 1/2 times more alcohol). Beer in a can? I know, but it was perfect to wash down the spicy tacos. And at $3.99 for a six-pack you can't get a much better recession beverage. I'm looking forward to cracking open a Simpler Times and enjoying carnitas tacos after scrubbing the bathroom this afternoon. And yes, I think I'll drink it right from the can.
Now that the school survey proposal is in (submitted last week), I have nothing to do but wait. Since I have a lot of time on my hands again, I decided to go ahead and establish doctors here in Portland and get through all of the first appointment stuff. Yesterday, I had my new patient visit at the dentist and spent 2 hours in the chair being cleaned, polished, and worked over. I also found out that my dentist in D.C. was not so stellar. I had two cavities filled back in July and now, the fillings are popping out -- in fact the dentist asked me if they had been there for a decade or so. When I told her that they were less than a year old, her eyes bugged out.
However, she kept complimenting me on my bones. "Great Bones," she shouted, "Like a teenager!" while throwing her hands in the air (whatever that means). I kept wondering if it was akin to compliments paid to the ugly girl like, "yeah, but she has a great personality." With that said, I would be remiss in not giving you a hint of my history with dentists. My mom used to joke that when I was in utero, teeth were sort of thrown in my mouth at random -- a cruel joke that the dentists and orthodontist profited greatly from over the course of my life. A large number of my adult teeth on the bottom didn't push out the baby ones, so I had to have quite a few pulled as a kid. My friends at the time thought it was awesome that I had teeth in rows like a shark. And with over three years of braces, head gear, you name it, even the coldest of souls could understand why I loathe that dentist chair. At least I have good bones. Right?
Anyway, I also learned that I need to have my wisdom teeth pulled, which was not a surprise. Last year the one on the bottom reared its ugly head and well, for a while it's been uncomfortable now and again. So, today after dropping Jesse off at the airport (again) I'll be back in the dentist chair to have one of the fillings fixed -- the one that terrified my dentist. I'll also schedule an appointment with the oral surgeon to have the wisdom teeth pulled sometime after Jesse is finished with all of his traveling. Yay! Who wants to trade places and experience my awesome life?!
Today is our day to bring Anna and Brian dinner (they just had a baby boy), so I'm making tofu and collard greens enchiladas. Enchiladas are such an adaptable dish, you can pretty much throw anything inside and they taste spectacular. In addition to the enchiladas, I'm going to make a Mexican tomato rice and a "Sharon salad," which consists of just about any vegetable that you would care to finely chop with a little olive oil, vinegar, and pepper. I think tonight's salad will be what I consider a traditional "Sharon Salad" -- tomatoes, hearts of palm, onion, celery, some parsley and maybe a little crumbled cheese. You let the salad marinade for a little while for all of the flavors to meld and voila! Delicious!
After breakfast I chopped up the collards and did some prep work for the enchilada sauce. While digging around in the fridge, I spotted the pork that I salted and chopped yesterday, but never cooked. (Instead of wasting the day yesterday inside braising meat, Jesse and I decided to go and explore a few neighborhoods in SE Portland that are potential spots for our next apartment or house.) So while the collard greens were cooking down this morning, I decided to go ahead and fire up the oven to get a start on the carnitas as well.
I'm not sure if there's anything better smelling than braising pork. This particular recipe has just a bit of chili powder, cumin, and a cinnamon stick. The spices are not overwhelming, letting the pork flavor shine though. The meat is so tender that it just falls apart to the touch (I guess that's the point of braising for nearly 3 hours). MMMM, I can't wait to give it a try. I have to admit that while the tofu chard enchiladas will be delicious, a little pork would make them heavenly!
The Dash bus is only a quarter, but was worth at least a dollar for the ride. It whisked me out of the touristy Hollywood district to West Hollywood where the Schindler house awaited my arrival.
I was the only one visiting that day (I guess it's not on the popular LA circuit) and I got to spend a good deal of time absorbing the house and grounds. Unfortunately, it's not furnished and there's an art installation at the moment that flips through old slides that are projected on the wall. Even after reading the artist's mission, I still didn't quite get it. However, the house was pretty interesting and I could totally see why this is considered one of Schindler's finest buildings.
It's a modest house and is built into the landscape that is surrounded by high-rise apartment buildings and the rather large homes (compounds) in West Hollywood. I never would have found it if there hadn't been a sign leading me down an ambiguous alley to the welcome center. The house was designed in 1922 as a communal studio space where Schindler and his wife lived with another professional couple. At the time, Schindler was working for Frank Lloyd Wright on the Barnsdall (Hollyhock) House, which is also in LA.
I think one of the things that stunned me the most was how Schindler (and Wright for that matter) was totally on the fringe of the architectural movements at the time. This was probably a huge factor in why many of his designs were just too experimental to get a lot of recognition. I mean, seeing a house like this being built in America in the 1920s must have had the neighbors whispering. The contrast of redwood and concrete punctured by windows was really quite stunning. The windows filled the space (that was arguably quite stark) with a warm light that felt almost cozy -- only in LA right? It made the wheels in my head turn and realized that this is quite possibly modern architecture at its best. 
Anyway, I spent almost an hour just walking around the house and taking in the beautiful views and nooks around every corner. I soaked in a little LA sun from the rooftop of the house that was accessed by a set of narrow stairs. I'm so happy that I found the property and had as much time as I wanted to take in its greatness.
I totally dorked out for the rest of the afternoon and walked up and down the streets of West Hollywood gazing at all of the amazing apartments and houses tucked behind giant hedges and walls. I'm glad I was alone, because I'd never get away with this much neighborhood gazing otherwise.
However, my dork-filled afternoon was not yet over. Inspired by Schindler's design for his own house, I felt it was my duty to head over to the Hollyhock house, which was largely supervised (and a number of details completed) by Schindler himself. It's only proper that the Hollyhock house get it's own post, so don't miss out on:
Los Angeles: The Land of Fabulous Buildings (Act One, Scene Three).
Yesterday, I slept in until 10:30am. I probably would have slept longer if Jesse hadn't come in and made sure that I didn't waste away the day in bed. I'm glad he did because there were important things to do, like update Quicken, organize my desk, sort through piles of mail, etc. I know, they sound like trivial tasks, but they are the key to my sanity. Also, I didn't realize how much I missed cooking dinner for the two of us.
There was a giant pork roast in the fridge that I'm pretty sure was calling out to Jesse all morning (he ate bachelor food for 6 days straight and I think his body was ready for a change). I didn't feel like roasting it in the oven as usual, so I set out to do a little research. Mark Bittman came through again with his Hanoi Noodle Soup recipe (with sweet and spicy pork) from How To Cook Everything.
I chopped up the pork and set it to marinade in some soy sauce, garlic, chipotles, and a little shrimp sauce that I had in the fridge from another Asian meal adventure. The pork probably stayed in the fridge for about 3 hours, which made it super tasty and tender. The broth was super easy too -- chicken stock, some onion, garlic, cilantro, a pinch of cloves, a cinnamon stick, and ginger. I cooked the broth for about 30 minutes before throwing in the marinated pork and sliced mushrooms until just cooked (maybe 3 or 4 minutes). We poured the broth over udon noodles and added fresh grated carrots and a boat load of bean sprouts (you can see Jesse's bowl piled up with the mound of veggies).
Seriously, not to toot my own horn (ok maybe a little), but I totally nailed the noodle soup last night. It was spicy, but not too hot, had lots of good flavor and could easily go head to head with a number of dishes that I've had at restaurants. This one's a keeper for sure, not only because it's delicious, but it's super quick!
I still have plenty of pork leftover and am going to attempt an authentic(ish) carnitas recipe tomorrow. I was inspired by breakfast one morning in LA that consisted of roasted pork and sauteed apples in a flour tortilla with jack cheese. Also, it had two eggs over easy on the side. Seriously, throw an egg on it! Even LA knows it's perfect way to start the day.
I arrived in Los Angeles on Thursday evening and Sharon picked me up at the airport. We made dinner (a semi-successful attempt at calzones, which was more Trader Joe's dough's fault rather than our own). After chatting for hours we were both pooped and went to bed.
I woke up Friday morning and planned my attack. While Sharon was at work, I felt that I needed to make the most my day. I had never been to Los Angeles before and knew only one thing about the city: Hollywood. Naturally, I wanted to go there. And I did. And it was a total bummer. I'll be perfectly honest with you, Hollywood Blvd (in the touristy spots) kind of sucks. I spent about 3 minutes in front of Mann's Chinese theater (which actually looks like it could use a good paint job) before deciding that I needed to find another spot to spend the afternoon. The area was swamped with people walking with cameras pointed down at the sidewalk trying to take pictures of their favorite actors' Hollywood stars. It was annoying when they would run right into me with their heads and act like I had done something wrong by having the audacity to stand on Meryl Streep.
Also, I could only take a small dose of the struggling actors/actresses dressed up as characters trying lure unsuspecting tourists to pay for photo rights. An exceptionally short person dressed as Chucky decided that I was his next target and started chopping me with his plastic knife. He followed me around the courtyard of Mann's theater grunting (while fake stabbing me between the shoulder blades) until I finally told him to go away. I was seriously ready to deck him if he didn't knock it off. The photo is a little blurry because I was taking it from quite a distance trying to be covert (I'm thinking my spy skills could use some work).
Afterward, I walked around for another hour, feeling sort of lost and letdown -- up Hollywood and down Sunset Blvd, wondering, "where the hell are all the famous people?" Then I realized that the best parts of the area are located on the side streets and paths where the tourists don't care to traipse.
I was more excited by this fabulous US Post Office than finding the Brittney Spears Star.
I stopped for an emergency M&M's break and took in the beautiful view of the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church on Sunset Blvd.
I ogled the New Deal-era bas relief at Hollywood High. Maybe I'd be a star too if my High School looked like this.
While trying to figure out what to do next, I stumbled on what seemed to be a staging area for all of the actors and actresses who swarm the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I saw a guy putting on his Barney costume, Darth Vader without his helmet, and a half-dressed man who might have been going for the Cheetos Cat look. It was time to get the heck out of there. I hopped on the Dash bus and headed to West Hollywood to my second planned destination, the Rudolph Schindler House.
Stay tuned for Los Angeles: The Land of Fabulous Buildings (Act One, Scene Two)
Currently, I'm hanging out in the Oakland airport at the Pyramid Taproom. They have delicious beer on tap, but only pre-made salads and sandwiches (which are actually quite good, but not the delicious burger like I had hoped). I guess it's a trade off, because the unfiltered Amber is the perfect end to the day. If you count all of my travel, I have effectively worked an average of 14-hours for the past two days. However, the proposal is almost done and now out of my hands. All I have to do is keep my fingers crossed and wait! I really hope we get this project.
More on my trip to Los Angeles tomorrow! I promise!
In my brain that is.
Los Angeles was great. I had a fabulous time, but you'll just have to wait for photos and stories until Wednesday. Why? Because I'm in San Francisco working like a mad woman on a proposal. My travel and work-filled day has left me with the strength to do little more than watch Sex and the City reruns while eating chocolate chip cookies in my hotel room. I have spent more time on a plane and in airports in the last two days than I have in my own bed and it's starting to catch up with me. Seriously, I'm not complaining, but I am pooped. I don't know how Jesse has managed over the past few months.
After a full day at work, I'll finish up at the office tomorrow and fly home in the late evening. I can't wait to fall into my own bed. If you're interested in a glimpse of this past Friday night in Los Angeles, check out my review of Marty and Elayne at the Dresden. It's not so much a review of their music (which arguably isn't very good), but more of a recap of the experience.
More photos and stories to follow once I have had a chance to get a full night's sleep.
This weekend we did our part stimulating the economy. Jesse's busy travel schedule has left very little time for running errands and taking care of some necessary, yet boring, tasks like buying socks, and pants, and cellphones. As a result, we had a major shopping spree (compared to our frugal policies of the past few months) and I am convinced that we singlehandedly raised the GDP.
For the past couple of weeks, Jesse's phone has been in a frightening tailspin and warranted an emergency trip to a crowded retail center on a Saturday. There, we spent a good hour and a half looking at phones, contemplating plans, and having our new phones programmed. Afterward, we were both starving and stopped on 82nd Avenue at Pho Hung for delicious beef noodle soup. The restaurant was a total shot in the dark, I literally swerved in the parking lot and we both plopped down exhausted from the afternoon -- I consider it quite a find. Anyway, Jesse is now the owner of a Blackberry and I have to admit that it's pretty amazing (even though I nearly had to pry it out of his hands at lunch in order to have a conversation). Already, he's put it to good use. Right now he's in McAllen, Texas on another site visit and we've been able to chat on his layovers. I'll be glad when he's back for good, but it's nice to be able to talk with him throughout the day instead of just in the evening when he's worn out.
I decided to cook dinner for myself tonight (I usually just have leftovers when he's out of town) after being inspired by one of my favorite PBS cooking shows, Lidia's Italy. She was making a simple pasta with pancetta, greens, and chickpeas. I ended up making something that wasn't even close to her original recipe, but it was in the spirit of a one pan dish -- mushrooms, lots of garlic, broccoli, white wine, and roasted red peppers. I sauteed and browned the veggies, and dumped it on top of pasta tossed with olive oil, fresh parsley, and parmesean cheese. Oh, and I threw on a few toasted pine nuts for good measure -- a tip from Lidia. Lately, I have read about adding browned butter to dishes on several of my favorite food blogs. I think that might be a nice addition next time.
This quick concoction is definitely a keeper. It was also a nice reminder that a healthy dinner is only 20 minutes away, even if I start from scratch. I'll have to keep this in mind should my work load pick up again in the next few months -- I'm keeping my fingers crossed!
I found out that I don't have to go back until September for my routine cleaning. I was so excited to hear the news that I actually had a bounce in my step. I feel like a new woman and almost jogged home with excitement -- like when my dog, Coco, is freshly bathed and gets frisky and bolts around the house. Despite the fact that it rained and hailed on me during my walk home, spring has sprung. Everything in Portland is green and ready to burst into action (as soon as the temperature decides to climb above 45 degrees). I'm not sure how I'm going to spend the rest of my day, but whatever I do will feel so much better knowing that I'm in tip-top shape (teeth wise). Well, except for those pesky wisdom teeth, but I'll think about that another day!
