New Experience #4: Watching the State of the Union (in full)

Sadly, for a former poli sci major, this is indeed my first time watching the State of the Union address all the way through. Thank you, Hulu, for shaming me into my civic duty. (Even though I still multi-tasked with mail sorting and wedding thank yous to get through the full 90 minutes.) At least I feel a bit less fraudulent now...

LIKES: Our President cannot give a bad speech. Listening to his words always makes me feel proud and hopeful for our country's future.

DISLIKES: Watching it on Fox can be a buzz-killer. At least their commentators feigned more respect than usual... ~A

Picture #4: Spring Flowers with Snow Showers

I know, I know - I'm a little obsessed with these ceramic milk bottle vases. But how cute are these cheery yellow flowers against the snowy New York street? ~A

Goals Summary: Week 3

While I intensified my job search efforts this week, sadly it did not result in more applications (oh, the innumerous emails of networking!)... and I let myself down again with the mileage this week. But, I also finally started enjoying my free time to sit with a good book - an accomplishment in itself given the craziness of last semester. Feeling good about increased diligence in the week ahead... ~A

MILES RUN: 30
JOB APPS: 8
OFFERS:
BOOKS READ: 6
RECIPES MADE: 4
PICTURES TAKEN: 3
NEW EXPERIENCES: 3

Book #6: Eat Pray Love

I owe Liz Gilbert a bit of an apology: when her bestseller memoire came out, I swore up and down that I wouldn't be reading such New Age-y, finding-yourself schlock. (Kind of like my initial reaction to yoga.) But when I finally opened it, I ended up devouring her 3-part journey within the weekend.

Part of the appeal was the travelogue aspect - I've been to Italy, India and Indonesia, and loved every bit of those visits. But mainly I appreciated her acceptance of taking the time in her life to be selfish, heal and find new possibilities. I've been stressing the practicality of my own decision to study abroad, and the free time and travel opportunities it gives me over the next six months... and now it feels like a very position transition to ease myself into my 30s. I only wish I were able to take an entire year as well! ~A

Picture #3: Best of Summer 2009

This summer I rowed with a team in D.C., and had the chance to race with them at the Canadian Henley. The taxing workout schedule kept me too tired to record it properly, but it was amazing to have the chance to see the river change throughout the day, from sunrise to sunset. And of course, Niagara Falls is pretty incredible! ~A

Recipe #4: Chicken and Sweet Potatoes with Shallots

Our second Real Simple recipe definitely lived up to the promise of being simple AND delicious. The salty pan-fried chicken and shallots is a tasty counterpoint to the creamy sweet potatoes, and though it always takes longer than the advertised 30 minutes (who ARE these speed cooks they base the time on?!), it certainly wasn't hard. A delightful companion to an evening of Mad Men episodes.

MODIFICATIONS: It should probably be clear by now that Heron and I view the given amounts of items like olive oil, salt and pepper as mere starting points - we usually increase them to taste. Definitely ignored the "hearty-healthy" suggestion of only using the sweet potato cooking water to mash and added butter and milk, as well as a tablespoon of brown sugar. We also cut up some baby mushrooms to add to the shallots.

MAKE AGAIN? Absolutely - eating the leftovers for lunch today and it's just as tasty as the night before. Click below for the recipe. ~A

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Recipe #3: Creamy Barley with Tomatoes and Greens

This Real Simple recipe is the first of two this week, and I was interested to see if they really are as quick and tasty as advertised. This one was not bad, it's comforting and homey - and makes enough to easily feed a small army. Yay for easy leftovers!

MODIFICATIONS: None, really, though it's likely we exceeded the 2-oz recommendation for the Brie. (CHEESE!!) Also added a bit more barley than asked for to finish out the bag - probably made the cooking more difficult.

MAKE AGAIN? As we feel with all foods, this one could be easily improved with a strong dose of garlic added up front. But I think this could be a nice pasta substitution to feed a large group or provide several meals for a couple. Click below for the recipe. ~A

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Book #5: The Devil in the White City

The level of detail in Erik Larson's non-fiction tale of two well-known men (one a notorious serial killer) intertwined with Chicago's 1893 World Fair is mind-boggling; his writing reads more like a novel than a history book. I'm definitely interested in picking up a few more of his works in the future... ~A

Goals Summary: Week 2

Still a little low on miles, especially considering my travel schedule in the spring. Will be increasing efforts on running and the job search this week. ~A

MILES RUN: 24
JOB APPS: 8
OFFERS: 0
BOOKS READ: 4
RECIPES MADE: 2
PICTURES TAKEN: 2
NEW EXPERIENCES: 3

Picture #2: Juxtapositions on Broadway

 The mixture of architecture styles in New York highlights the interesting features of each building: the ornate spires of Grace Church stand out against the plain apartment building behind it; the details of an older redbrick structure are set off by the gleaming new glass tower beside it. ~A