The Coming of Little Buddy Cheese Bread

I got a new job! I will be working in the city for a nonprofit healthcare organization. I have been really wanting a job in the city since I moved here, but have been working in Falls Church. The metro ride made me sad every single day. I am very excited that I will be riding my bike to work, it should be wonderful, plus the new job is of course what every new job is: perfect, wonderful, amazing, best job ever, and I am going to love it. Actually, I am very excited about it. I truly believe that their purpose is fantastic and I think it will be great to be apart of their organization. It is only a year old, so I will really be growing with them.

Why is it that everyday I drink tea so fast that I am sweating?

I also just realized there is chocolate on my desk.

I have friends coming into town this weekend, which means that I am making pie on my day off tomorrow. Blueberry was requested. I normally try to pair some sort of cheese in the crust, however, I had a great idea this morning. Perhaps it is because chocolate has been on my mind this week, or that I love chocolate all the time, or they keep writing articles about it in the Express, but I am thinking of putting white chocolate in the crust or on the crust, we will see.

Last night Nate and I went to look at a house at the end of the block, I really wish we could move there. It is three stories, has an amazing kitchen, granite counter tops, a dishwasher (!!!), an island, a fireplace, hardwood floors throughout... I really don't want to move again, and our rent is so cheap.

neighborhood-y

Over the weekend I went to Timor, the store, not the island. It is a nice market that is about a five minute walk from my house. It is quite small, but it has essentials: milk, eggs, soy milk, cheese, pasta, sauce, olives, tea, wine, some meat (I didn't really look since it doesn't interest me all that much), and on Sundays they have a fresh produce stand. It is a great addition to the neighborhood and I plan to frequent this place! Here is their website: http://timordc.com/

Yesterday I didn't want to wait for the Greenbelt metro from L'Enfant Plaza, so I took the one that only goes to Mount Vernon Square. It was very nice out yesterday and decided the walk would do me some good. I have been reading other neighborhood blogs that have mentioned the amount of young people hanging out on the corners in MVS. It was my observation as well. Although it was light out, I still felt a bit intimidated by the large groups on nearly every corner. I don't know if there is really anything that can be done about this, but it would be nice to feel safe when I am walking around the neighborhood past daylight.

I am really enjoying my new house, but I have come to realize that I am not used to the amount of chores that I am now having to take on. For the past several years I have lived in studio apartments, by myself. Living with someone and having to clean two bathrooms, and vacuum more rooms and now having cats! Well, it is an adjustment.

I did make two pies over the weekend. One was great and the other, well, the crust was really good. I guess that is what it is all about though, experimentation. Friday I am going to make Blueberry pie. I have friends coming from Michigan this weekend, I am very excited.

Kitten Update

The kitties have started settling in quite well. Sputnik is incredibly loving and very outgoing. Warner is a little more reserved still. Today was the first time he really started letting us love on him. I think it will just take a little while. Nate said this morning that Warner was drooling all over him! I was very jealous and sad that I had decided to go to work instead of staying home to play with the kittens.
I am going to start a garden this year. I read a blog about making a container compost pile. I will see how it goes, sounds pretty easy.

All the Kittens!

Friday I went home from work and started the cleaning, it was quite the task. Carolyn came over and brought my favorite vegan pizza, it is really great with artichokes, onions, and other yummy goodness. She also brought wine, which is ALWAYS a good thing! Anyway, the heat doesn't work the best downstairs so her and I went upstairs. She was impressed with Nate's bed and we proceeded to fall asleep. (Wow, my blogs are super interesting, always me falling asleep). When Nate got home I was all grumpy and tired and he asked if I wanted to get a kitten and I said that I didn't want one and went back to sleep. On Saturday he reminded me of this conversation, and I do in fact want kittens, or cats, or somewhere in the middle. Carolyn took us to her friend Davids' house, he fosters cats/kittens. We decided we should probably get two so they would have a buddy whilst we were at work all day. So...we are supposed to pick them up today! We would have picked them up yesterday, but our furnace broke (yes it is cold, and no it is not fun to not have heat). Hopefully the furnace boys are fixing it as I type this.

I love that I can get cherries year round here. I don't know why that is, but I could never find them in Michigan during the winter.

I will post pictures of the kitties as soon as possible, with complete biographies.

Vegetate + Restaurant Week = Happiness

Last night Carolyn and I went to Vegetate. I really love that place, but because I like to eat and their portions are small, I don't go all that often. Restaurant week is a perfect time to go because you get to try so much, all of it being delicious, of course. I had the Twice Baked Sweet Potato Rounds, Blue Cheese Skillet Cakes, and Lavender Scented White Cake. Carolyn ordered House Made Black Olive Flatbread, Root Vegetable Noodles, and Dark Chocolate Ganache. The Blue Cheese Skillet Cakes were not very blue-cheesy, but they were wonderful all the same. I also got a glass of warm liquid with my cake, I asked the server what I was supposed to do with it (yes, I am stupid), he said, drink it. It was a ginger tea, it had quite a zing, but I enjoyed it. He said most people will not even try it! I was surprised by this. I can't say what was the best, it was all really great, I was very satisfied afterwards. If you haven't been to Vegetate, you should definitely check it out, I am so happy to have this wonderful restaurant so close by.

Tube Travel is NOT Time Travel

I haven't been on the metro for a while, until today. It wasn't so bad. On the way home the conductor was going so fast, it was exciting! I think she was trying to time travel, it didn't work. She also talked like a robot, it was nice and made me feel like I was in the future (the robot voice + speedy driving = future).
There is no food in the house besides vanilla ice cream, soy milk, water and about a shot of vodka. Since there isn't any food I have been forced to eat out, of course this means I get to eat the yummy sushi by work everyday. Today I was told that I am their best customer!
Nate just got home.

Frozen Timmies

I had a really wonderful weekend, I got to see a lot of friends and I accomplished a lot! Friday Nate, Mauricio and I went to Rock and Roll Hotel for Alexandra's birthday. It was quite fun, but we didn't stay all that long. I had been stressing myself out about the move and didn't sleep much Friday night, leading to me feeling really awful on Saturday. Carolyn came over in the morning to give me medicine and stayed for a while to help sort through some clothes (she took some of the ones I needed to get rid of off my hands!). I ended up being a complete waste of space on Saturday and did essentially nothing even though I needed to with the pending move. I think I fell asleep somewhere around 9:30, yeah, I am a party-animal.

Sunday, the move begins early. Nate went to his house to clean and I started packing the car up and moving things over. Jon came by with his truck and he and Nate really hauled everything, I really do have wonderful friends. We finished by eating at Luna, it is a wonderful place and we found out that on Sundays and Mondays after 5pm, pasta is half-off!!! This is something to remember, which is why I am writing it here.

There is still a lot to do and it looks like there will be a trip to Ikea this weekend (yay)! I think I am the only one excited about this. I swear I am like a kid when I get to Ikea. I love how they put the toys at the end of the store, it is genius!

There are some other random things that I want to mention:

• Last week I was at Whole Foods and I discovered this water, well, enhanced water called bot. It is a pretty standard flavored water, nothing too exciting, but the website, amazing.
• Living in DC, where it is warm, I have realized that even though it is January, Spring doesn't seem that far away.
• Also, living in DC, I have realized that people are hypersensitive about the weather and think that 40 degrees is cold, even the people on the radio!
• I am excited for Vegetate and restaurant week.
• I am hoping to make pie this weekend and take it to Jon.
• Tonight I would like to get books and all the laundry put away. There is a lot of laundry, we washed everything that Nate owns.
• My bike is becoming a single-speed because I am scene. (Actually because I never change gears and this will make it lighter)
• Diana needs to move here, and Dania too (but that will happen in the Spring, which isn't far away)
• Whatever happened to milkshake club?

If I don't get home early enough tonight, then I will forget about the goals of putting away books and laundry, instead I will concentrate on one of the best things ever: Frankie!

Manipulation

So didn't the dairy industry get in trouble for making health claims that drinking milk will help you lose weight? Yes, it is Friday and I am watching Law and Order on TNT and over-examining commercials. Anyway, last year the dairy industry got in trouble for trying to say that drinking milk will make you lose weight, because, well, it simply isn't true. Even low-fat dairy is more likely to make you gain weight than to make you lose weight. Anyway, I see there are commercials again about drinking milk to lose weight, it isn't true. Also, if you are interested, it isn't a very good source of calcium.

Enjoy your dairy, I certainly do, but it is not a weight loss solution.

Daytime Television? Daytime Crime

In reading other neighborhood blogs and seeing the rash of police heading to the 7th street corridor the other night, it seems that crime is going up and up in our little corner of the district. I left work early today to get some things done (but so far have managed to rewatch the first episode of season five, The Wire). I just heard five gunshots, then a short siren and now there is yet again, a helicopter. It is most disturbing that this is happening in the middle of the day! I don't normally worry about my safety as I am not involved in the drug trade of our neighborhood, but I do not go out alone at night. It is upsetting that I may have to start being concerned about day time activities.

(Mom I promise to be safe, don't worry)

30 Minutes to Spare

I had a really great weekend. My friend Kate was in town, which means that I can talk about food as much as I want. We went to Bus Boys and Poets on Friday, I always forget how much I like this place. It is inexpensive and delicious. If you go, make sure to get the soy chai latte, it is the best I have ever had, and I get them everywhere.

Saturday we headed over to Georgetown to do some shopping, I restrained myself and still ended up with some new wine glasses. They are quite kitschy. Sunday we went to my favorite brunch spot, I hesitate to write about it on a blog because if everyone starts going there I will not be able to walk in and get seated immediately. Okay, Town Hall in Glover Park (is this two words or one?), it is a great place to get excellent brunch, and cheaper than anywhere else in DC, besides maybe Diner. Nathan always gets these amazing chicken tenders and I usually try to try new things every time we go. This week I was boring with just eggs, English muffin and home fries. I have not had anything there that was anything less than stellar.

Kate and I went to the National Gallery. We didn't stay all that long, but what I did see was amazing. I definitely need to go again on a weekday to avoid tourists and out-of-staters.

On to the big news, well big news for me...
If you know me at all, you know that Nate and I have been thinking about moving in together and that I have been pretty scared about making this kind of commitment/step in our relationship. Mostly I am scared of giving up my great studio (and super cheap rent) to move in with someone. The plan has been for awhile that once my lease is up I will move in with him, well I realized over the weekend, that I am ready to live with him now. I missed having him around and it hit me that I am really ready to make this step. I told him this last night and suggested that he, Mariana, and I live together and I could sublet my place. (sometimes I am silly) He then pointed out that Mariana could move into my place and I could move in with him. This way I don't have to give up my apartment at least until July (when Mariana moves back to France). We are going to give it a test run and see what happens. I am pretty excited for this step and I think it will be a positive one.

Now to move though, always the suck part. So this will be my tenth move in six years.

I am looking forward to having a bit more space and being able to do some things to the house. I think we may also get a cat or dog (the one I want). There seems to be a mouse problem at Nate's house, again. I don't know why there are there, it is nice outside, there certainly isn't food there.

Please let me know if you have suggestions for things I can do to the house...

I don't want to peel the squirrel!

Last night my friend Kate got into town. We headed over to Queen of Sheba. I love having this only a few minutes walk from my apartment! As always, it was delicious. I ordered wine because I can have alcohol at this wonderful restaurant. I did happen to realize that every time I go there the music is interesting. I went there for the Ethiopian New Year a few months back, and there was a TV broadcasting the celebrations from Ethiopia, it was great. Last night I don't know if they just put an ipod on random or what, but we did get to listen to such hits as, "Careless Whisper" and "Funky Town". It was really great. I also have to say that it was pretty busy last night. It is nice to see a neighborhood establishment so alive and doing so well.

I have been really trying to improve my pie making abilities in the last few months and I had a breakthrough earlier this week. I will start at the beginning. A couple months ago I purchased a TV, so of course I have become addicted to watching it. Spending the last couple years in school and on a very tight budget, I didn't have time for TV, so it is like a new thing for me. Anyway, I have a friend that really likes TV and told me I should watch "Pushing Daisies". I took his advice, it was good advice. For anyone not watching this show, you should go to http://www.abc.go.com/ right now and start watching it. Anyway, I won't go into the whole premise of the show, but they bake pies. I have always wanted to have pies be a part of my everyday life, so I took it up as well. I have never been much of a cook, I mean, I like my food, but my poor boyfriend has to suffer through it. On the other hand, I am a pretty decent baker, so I have been improving over the last couple months and recruiting pie tasters. After a few pounds gained and recipes modified, I wanted to try a pie like that Chuck makes. I made an Apple Pie with Gruyere Cheese Crust. (I will post pictures once my camera/computer decide to reconcile). It was phenomenal. I took it to a party, which is a bit risky having never tried it. It was a great idea. I made another one to bring into work a couple days later. My boss said that I should sell them, that made me very happy since he is not much of a sweets person.

The next pie - Pear and Brie.

I am going to try and sell these pies at a Farmers' Market this summer. I have to get a kitchen inspected by the Department of Health, and get a small business license. I will be looking into it further.

I have been reflecting lately on my life, perhaps it was getting another year older, or everyone talking about new years resolutions, anyway, I have decided that there are a few things I would like to work on this year. I am trying to bring yoga into my life, I think it is a positive change that will help with many things in my life. The few times I have gone, I have slept better, I feel strong and confident. I have also decided that I am going to stop trying to take on so much. I will introduce things slowly into my life, and not be angry with myself if something doesn't work out, or I don't stick with it.

On a lighter note, it is going to be a beautiful weekend, and practically Spring next week (temperature wise anyway). Black Cat should be fun tonight, if I make it. I think it will be a great weekend for long walks and lots of tea.