Bend & Snap

I meant to post this a long time ago but for whatever reason only saved it as a draft. I know I should just hit delete, but I can't. It's too funny. And don't even act like you haven't seen Legally Blonde.

Elle Woods would be so impressed.

Old San Antone

Matt and I spent last weekend in San Antonio, and on Thursday night when I asked what I should pack he mentioned that there was a little event on Saturday that we kinda-maybe-definitely needed to make an appearance at. Turns out a client had asked him to sponsor a table at a church/service organization's Hawaiian dance party several months ago and he, being the dedicated financial planner that he is, obliged. But then completely forgot about it until he ran into that same client two days before the event. Good thing we were in SA that weekend.

Flash forward to Saturday night. First, we didn't exactly blend in with the crowd. Partly because we're white, but mostly because our fellow luau attendees were all 60+. The invitation noted that this was a BYOB event, so (thank you sweet, sweet baby Jesus) we grabbed a bottle of Maker's Mark on our way. Once we saw what we were in for we headed straight to the concession stand to get some ice and mixers. Baffled at why we wouldn't  want a "set-up" for just $4, we took the concession stand attendant's advice and – like everyone else – got ourselves a set-up. What's a set-up, you ask (and we asked, but nobody else asked because duh, who doesn't know that)? Not only does a set-up provide enough ice for the evening, it also comes with a delightful selection of olives and maraschino cherries. Yesssir.

So, set-up in hand we headed to our table. Matt's client had generously ensured that we were right on the dance floor, so we made our way to table 33 and sat down. By ourselves. Because none of Matt's co-workers showed up. We'll get to the one exception, who showed up 2 hours into it, in a minute.

This is about the time we realized that the 60+ crowd knows how to throw down on the dance floor (I don't know what happened to the music in the video, but just imagine San Antonio's hottest Latino band blowing it up). This is also when we learned that there were bags of kettle corn for sale and that the DJ wasn't going to let a single bag go unbought. I suggested a drinking game for every time the DJ said "kettle corn" but Matt vetoed, and that was probably for the best. It's at some point in here that we hear shrieking across the room and find out that a lovely couple has decided to take their relationship to the next level with an engagement. The night really had it all...

Like any respectable event, there were a variety of gift baskets being raffled off. These baskets were loaded with culinary delicacies such as beef jerkey and Fritos bean dip (I swear I'm not kidding). There were also some more faith-based baskets, like the one with a twin-pack of rosaries. Think his and hers. Being the bean dip loving man that he is – not at all because his client was standing there – Matt bought some tickets.

Shortly after that, a very socially lubed man (Dave) invited us over to his table. Think the "party table." That's about the same time Matt's co-worker, Eric, joined us after an abrupt ending to a date (turns out not telling the person you're dating that you have a kid is a deal-breaker). Like Matt, he also bought some raffle tickets (what his reason was, I have no idea...maybe he genuinely likes bean dip). Being the lucky people we are, Matt and I are now the proud owners of a beautiful angel stitching. And Eric is not. He didn't win. Although he thought he did which makes things even more fun. Before the raffle began he asked if he should do a cartwheel if he won. Obviously, I encouraged him. Profusely. So they started reading numbers and he did a double take and said, "Wait, I think I won! Did I win?" To which I responded with a lot of fist-pumping and screaming, "You won, you won!" I had no idea what number was read, but it sounded like he did. That's when he proceeded to run out on the dance floor and do a cartwheel...much to my delight. Unfortunately Matt missed the cartwheel, but he did get a picture of the run. The other unfortunate part (yet fortunate at the same time) was that by the time Eric got out there, an older lady had already accepted the prize. That was hers. Not his. Oopsies!

The rest of the night entailed a lot more laughing, dancing (more so with Dave than Matt), and an empty bottle of whiskey. Despite the ridiculousness that placed us there, we had so much fun. It's those totally random nights that are sometimes the best!

Holy cow this is long. Super, super long. But there was too much that happened not to document it all. So here it is. For ever and ever. Amen.

Happy Birthday!!

Today is Anne's birthday! Since Anne has basically been taking care of all of us for as long as she's been alive, it's no real surprise that she's moved into her newest role as new-mom-extraordinaire like a champ. (It doesn't hurt that her sweet, sweet baby is just about the cutest thing in the world.) She definitely makes 31 look good. Happy b-day Anne!

Let Your Crazy Out

In the week since I read Laura's post and decided that I, too, should jump on the Pinterest train, it's become something of a time-sucking, know-it's-probably-wrong-but-can't-quite-make-myself-stop obsession instead. Kind of like I thought it would be. (Thanks a lot Laura, this is all your fault.)

What's it called when you become interested in something and then suddenly it's all around you? Well, whatever that's called, that's what's going on. Last Friday (the day I read LB's post) there were multiple posts on Facebook about Pinterest (strangely, some people seem really confused and/or intimidated by it). I've also gotten some good tips from friends. Like Sarai, who explained that if she REALLY loves something she doesn't pin it because she doesn't want people to steal "her" idea. (Helllllll-o, my friends are so smart.)

It's also been interesting to hear from people who aren't so into the whole thing. Like Lundy, who referenced Jackie's comment on LB's post and felt the same --- basically, just not really understanding the point of it. It's certainly a valid point. BUT. For. The. Record. After our chat on Sunday afternoon, Lundy ended up pinning her heart out on Sunday night. SUCKAA! (If I happened to check Pinterest while writing this post (psycho!) I might have also seen her post again. Right now. Hehe.)

Now that I'm just rambling I'll point out a few of my favorite things so far:
1. Getting to dream and be creative and "cyber have" all the things I like without spending a penny.
2. Feeling really cool when people like or re-pin my stuff (um, yeah, pretty sure i could pin something that's completely fugly and someone, somewhere would think it was great, but whatever). 
3. Joining in on stuff that's not really kosher considering my current life stage (i.e., a wedding board when I'm not even engaged), but that – in this universe – is pretty widely accepted. I will admit that this became slightly more awkward when Matt's sister liked one of my pins on that board. Oopsies. My sisters recommended that I try to keep my craziness a little more concealed like Lizzi, who's just as crazy but thinks if she titles her board "parties" nobody will notice all the white flowy gowns and diamonds. Good thing Matt already knows I've got a little crazy in me. On a related note, I read this blog post and loved one quote, in particular: "For the love of God, men, PLEASE stay off of Pinterest. Not only will it scare the shit out of you, but it will also convince you that every girl you know is absolutely insane. Do us all a favor, and let us be needy/romantic/delusional hot messes in the privacy of our own gender."

This chic has it so right. And since reading her post I've suggested that Matt never ever ever ever look at my board again.  Cheers to all you other hot messes our there.

Mmmmm Good

One of my goals for 2012 is to cook more often. Cooking for one just isn't all that great, plus by the time I get home from work I'm usually ready to eat whatever I can get my hands on so I tend to make something that's QUICK. But, I really like cooking, it's usually less expensive and healthier* than eating out, and the more I do it the better I'll get, so I'm going to try to cook a "real" meal (I'm defining this as needing a recipe and most likely requiring the stove and/or oven) at least every other week. Not all that often, I realize, but I'm all about realistic goals and that's certainly more than I'm cooking now. Plus, there's no saying I can't do more if I get into it.

The lighting in my apartment at night isn't
the greatest, but you get the idea.
*Also, this one probably doesn't qualify
as a "healthier"option. Oops.

Last night was my first shot at it and I had the perfect incentive – one of my good friends at work recently had a baby and I signed up on the "CareCalendar" to bring her dinner. (By the way, I think this idea is amazing, baby or not. If anybody wants to volunteer to bring me dinner on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays for the next few months, please leave a comment and I'll get that rocking.)

This week's dish – prepared last night to be delivered tonight – was a recipe from Anne that we made when we were in Bermuda. I'm really not a fan of enchiladas, but this chicken enchilada casserole recipe was really good and pretty simple. Especially when you buy a rotisserie chicken instead of starting from scratch. Again, baby steps, people. Maybe by the end of the year I'll have cooked my first real chicken. (Ever.) Or maybe not. There's a reason boneless, skinless chicken breasts/tenders exist and same goes for rotisserie chicken. Let's not make this more difficult than it needs to be. Bon Appetit!

It's The Little Things

How buying a calendar for 2012 can get me so excited is a little crazy, I know, but I've always been a sucker for new school/work supplies. Thanks, Paper Source, you never disappoint.

Happy 2012!

In the spirit of the new year, I thought I'd pop in to say hello. And, if all goes according to plan, you'll be hearing from me a bit more often in 2012! Just like the rest of 2011, the past couple weeks have been a flurry of fun, family, traveling, and all-around good times.

Matt's Holiday Party Extravaganza
(yes, Foxy pants is wearing a tree skirt around his neck)

Celebrating Christina's awesome gift of Radiohead tickets...what what!!

Yummy Christmas Eve dinner with Lizzi and her Danish muffin

Lots of smiles at the Doak family Christmas

Lizzi with the always-stylish & adorable Graham

Fun night out in Breckenridge

Skiing in Breckenridge with my fave
(I'm not crying, so chances are we were sticking with greens at this point)

Babies Babies Babies

As the newest addition to the family, Graham has gotten most of the attention lately, but Anne & Mark are definitely not the only ones with a little sump'n sump'n going on in baby-land.

Mike & Laura's little girl is going to be here in no time flat --- like the next couple weeks!! Since they live in Bermuda, I really haven't seen Laura's baby bump grow, so it doesn't quite seem as real (I know she'd say otherwise), but the big day is going to be here so soon and I'm going to have my first niece! There are just way too many tutus and tiaras and pink sparkly things in this world for her not to be spoiled rotten, so that's just going to be a fact of life. Tough, right? Laura posted some pics of the nursery last week and it's (of course) so cute. Sweet and baby but modern and Mike & Laura-esque all at the same time. And what about Laura? She's going to deliver a baby in no time and she looks like that. I want those genes!

 

A little closer to home there's even more baby news. Double the fun. Twice as nice. Two times the par-tay. Get it? Get it? Okay, so, about six(ish) weeks ago, Pat and Stacy made a big announcement - they're pregnant again. With twins!!! They headed to Midland this weekend for a gender reveal party and what color were the cakes? BLUE! Both of them. Two more precious little boys on the way. How fun is it going to be for them to have 3 little monkeys running around? The Doak brothers. Again. Watch out world. How sweet is this pic of their little (growing) family? I love Jack's "big brother" shirt.

Which brings me to Jack. Decidedly not the baby of the family anymore, but the first baby of them all, and the one who's at that perfect wanna-eat-your-face-you're-so-deliciously-cute stage. (That was weird, I know.) These pics are of him a few weeks ago when we got together to celebrate Lizzi's b-day. Look at his curly locks! The first one is cute and precious, and the second one cracks me up because it's what he does when Stacy or Pat says, "Jack, do your silly face!"

My family rocks. xx

I Luv Summer

Since it's officially fall, now seems like a good time to catch-up on all of the fun stuff that happened this summer. Or at least some of the highlights...

Horseshoe Bay Trip #1
High: Cops breaking up Matt's 4am dance lesson
Low: Finding out leeches had invaded the lake

Lundy's Neon-themed 8th 21st BDay
High: everything up until the low
Low: the bus ride home and everything after

Emily's 2nd Annual B-day Tubing Trip
High: Emily's bus dance on the ride home (why, oh WHY, do I not have a picture or video of that?)
Low: Realizing we missed the 1st exit and had 4 more hours to go

Random Austin Trips
High: Too many to pick, really, but I'll go with the 1st trip to Barton Springs
Low: Leaving

Girls' Weekend @ Lake Conroe
High: Jumbo Slip n' slide. Hands down. No question.
Low: Not having Juli or Erica with us this time

Las Vegas 
High: this one's tough, so I'm going with several: 1) Dancing at HOB with our friends from the Hoodie awards (don't ask), 2) Matt's late night sleepwalking debacle, 3) dinner (and amazing dessert) at Nobu, and 4) WHEEL (dramatic pause) OF (dramatic pause) FORTUNE!!!!!
Low: Accidentally sleeping through an entire Cirque du Soleil show

ACL

High: Finally going

Low: Trying to meet up with people... not. easy.

The Survival Race

For the past couple years, I've heard about and seen pictures of various mud runs and always think they look pretty fun. So when a Living Social deal came through for one in Dallas, I was on it. Not everyone thought it sounded so amazing (cough cough, Sarai, cough), but Lizzi agreed to do it with me. The race was at some random paintball field in the middle of nowhere and had 8 obstacles over the course of a 5K. Here's the rundown...

1. A football training-camp-esque tire run. Turns out we were supposed to run on top of the tires vs. doing high knees through their centers. Live and learn.

2. Crossing a mud pit...via a tree branch.

3. Climbing up a muddy incline, while some A-hole sprays a hose at your face.

4. Trudging through a muddy creek where Lizzi ate it, I made fun of her, and then God laughed in my face as he struck me down too.

5. A rope thingy-ma-bopper that you climb up and over. This was definitely the scariest one. Don't let the look on my face fool you; I was smiling so I wouldn't cry. Lizzi, on the other hand, looks pretty confident.

6. Some stupid cement spindle that you're supposed to climb over. The guy working at that stop (and Lizzi) had fun watching me run and try to jump over to no avail not once, but twice. Then the two-part grand finale of...

7. A crazy high* blazing fire pit you have to jump over *crazy high = 4 to 6 inches off the ground

8. A big sloshy mud pit with barbed wire down low that you have to crawl under on your stomach. This was clearly my favorite one...hands down. I can't promise that Lizzi and I quite went for it like this lovely gentleman in the picture – I'm just assuming that's a man – but you've got to appreciate his effort.

Lizzi was hungover for the entire thing and forgot her inhaler, so it was more of a mud stroll than run, but we had fun and got some good pics. Hardcore, right?

46 Days of Baby G

Here I am, back again, from a little blogging hiatus. There's definitely no better place to pick up than with all the gooshy details about my newest nephew, Graham.

Before we get to the big day, I should rewind even further to the baby shower we threw Anne back in May (I'm so late, I know). We had Jill design cute invites to coordinate with Graham's bedding and used them as inspiration for circus themed decorations. All in all, I think it was a success, and it was really cool to see all of Anne's friends so excited to celebrate with her.

Then, after much anticipation, Graham made his debut on July 1st. I know I'm biased, but he was seriously the cutest newborn I've ever seen. Maybe the only time being a chunker is a good thing is as a newborn, and he knocked this one out of the park. At 9 lbs, 5 ounces he was the cutest little tub 'o love you've ever seen, with little round and delicious cheeks. The timing was perfect, too, because everyone was able to visit a bunch over the long weekend.

Anne and Mark's house is just down Northwest Highway from my office, so it's been awesome to be able to sneak away during lunch every now and then for visits (and to give Anne a chance to shower!). This pic was taken a couple weeks ago, when he was about 4 weeks old. He's the cutest, right? I love you, Graham! (And your awesome momma and daddy too!)

Facebook Fail

One of my clients is Blue Plate Mayonnaise and they have a new FB page which I was asked to "like" this week. I just looked at my profile.

Such unfortunate – yet ironically insightful – timing.

The Jimmy

Due to popular demand, I’m going to try to get back on the blog train. I haven’t posted in eons (I know…I KNOW), but I have made a few notes along the way of blog-worthy topics, so I’ll start there and see what happens. Here goes…

This first one begins with me needing to bring my car to the shop but not wanting to feel the usual credit card sucker punch that tends to come alongside such visits. To sidestep the sucker punch situation, I brought my car to a little local shop that a bunch of people at work use and recommend. Great, let’s do this.

When I show up the guy asks if I want a loaner. I didn’t even know they had loaners, but they do and they’re free, so all good. There were two options: a truck or a Jimmy. I didn’t know what a Jimmy was but I knew I didn’t do trucks, so I opted for the Jimmy. The – come to find out – 200,000+ miles, sputtering AC, no automatic windows or lights Jimmaroo. Not a dream car, right, but whatever. I was getting my car fixed and it was going to be really reasonable, so no biggie, I can roll the windows down  for a day. 

But, of course, things are never quite that simple.

The next morning – still the proud driver of one white hot mess of a Jimmy – I had a little run in. It wasn’t a bad run in, or at least that’s what I thought at first, but it was a run in nonetheless, and it involved the Jimster. My history with cement pillars (any permanent structures in garages, really) isn’t the cleanest out there, and that morning didn’t help my record. As I was backing out of my spot in the garage (the spot, mind you that I had hand-selected so as not to have to back out of my usual kinda-tight-fit-might-not-wanna-risk-it parking spot), I sort of completely ripped off the driver’s side mirror and put some pretty hefty scratches and dents in poor Jimmy's side. Not excellent.

It was early morning, and I still had to be at work, so I went on my way. The mirror was hanging on by wires and kept banging into the car as I drove down the highway, so I just pulled it into the car and let the window (automatically rolled up and down, remember) hold it in place. Good morning to me! But that was just incident #1. Incident #2 was me getting back in the Jimster at lunchtime only to find that after all of the morning’s excitement I’d left the lights on (automatic, remember) and had completely run down the battery. Jimmy: 2 Amy: 0.

Long story short, the "reasonable" Volvo fix became pricier (just as I originally feared) once the rest was added in (accident #1 was hard to hide, but I didn’t feel like #2 was necessary to share with "management"). Moral of the story? I don’t even know. Maybe pick the truck next time?

Sweet, Sweet, Multi Vites

Are you guys vitamin takers? Until about three months ago I was not. I had good intentions – and a One A Day bottle sitting on my desk for probably two years – but there's nothing fun about taking a (G-I-A-N-T) pill every day. Or so I thought.

After my annual check-up this year I found out that my Vitamin D levels were low. Two things to note here: 1) I had recently read a book that had me on a semi-vegetarian kick, which was likely a contributing factor and fluke now that I'm back to my carnivorous self 2) that Vitamin D test, alone, cost me $336. In total, one visit to the doctor for a good 'ol checkup and routine bloodwork put me in the hole $850. Yes, I have insurance. No, it doesn't cover preventative care. So ridiculous. But that's a completely different post. Back to the vitamins...

Based on the (flukey but still cost me $336 to find out) news of my Vitamin D deficiency, I decided that I really should start taking a multivitamin vs. just having the bottle on my desk. Flashforward to me strolling through Target and passing an end-cap with gummy multivitamins. Wait a minute. Gummies that are vitamins. This could be something. And it was/is. Taking them every day is not a problem. In fact, the real issue is reminding myself that these aren't Haribo gummy bears and eating more than 2 per day is actually not okay. When I need a little munchy, oh how yummy they are. If any of you find yourself in a similar situation, give it a go. I'm onto my second bottle (told you I take them every day), and this one is super reasonable from Costco. Yumm!

Hello Sunshine!

*Disclaimer: If you are reading this and live in, say, Chicago...you might want to skip this post.*

Now for the rest of you...helllooooo spring! I actually started writing this on Saturday – enveloped in pure JOY – having just come inside from a couple glorious hours out by the pool with Lizzi. I, for one, am someone who can 100% get behind being able to lay out by the pool in March. Oh how I love what the next several months have in store!

Happy Place

I love the beach. Love, love, love. So when I had the chance to go to LA a day before I had to start working, I was on it. And it was awesome. I saw my HS friend, Elizabeth, on Sunday, then spent all of Monday roaming. I drove to Malibu in the morning (I've always wanted to see it although I had no idea what to do once I got there); went to the Getty Villa (the Getty Center in LA was closed, but the Villa was still pretty awesome); checked into the Viceroy (baller hotel in Santa Monica); walked/shopped the streets of Santa Monica (including a trip to H&M where I found what I'm hoping will be my go-to white jeans for the season); got a manicure and pedicure (and perhaps a staph infection b/c the place turned out to be ghetto); walked along the beach and watched guys swing like crazy men on the rings at "muscle beach"; decided I should have the purse I left at Bloomingdales and walked back downtown to get it (I would now like to return it but am not sure how that's going to work out); had a glass of wine tried to get a glass of wine by the pool as I was reading before realizing that b/c of the time difference The Bachelor season finale was almost going to begin (another major event my day had been planned around); rushed out to find dinner (ended up being grapes & nuts from the grocery store...fail); then rushed back to watch Brad and Emily get engaged. Whew. Then Tuesday morning I got in a nice early morning run along the beach. Happiness, people. Happiness.

A little shopping center in Malibu, where I had breakfast in the morning. 

Getty Villa

Seriously? So awesome.

More...

Just your typical garden

Room at the Viceroy
(I've always been a sucker for fun hotels...they've just gotten more expensive
with time. The Embassy Suites used to really do it for me.)

Monkey Men

What is there not to be happy about here?

Well, $h!T

Today is the first day of my multi-city (Charlotte, Austin & LA) focus group jaunt and so far things are going awesome.

When we arrived at the focus group facility they said that they'd been having some plumbing problems but that the plumber had just left and everything was okay. Flash forward to me using the restroom and then washing my hands when out comes what I can only believe to be sewage – all over my hands.

Focus groups: 1
Amy: 0

Starbuck's Gold

I was doing some work at Starbuck's yesterday (because what fun is Sunday without work?), and overheard some pretty awesome exchanges between two old men (mid-80s). "Friend 1" was particularly entertaining. Here are a few highlights I jotted down so I wouldn't forget:

Friend 1: "She didn't have a mean bone in her body. I mean she was so sweet. If you could just overlook her looking like a basketball. And she really did." 

Friend 2: "I woke up, decided I didn't want to get up so went back to bed, woke up again, and had an english muffin and marmalade."

Friend 1: "Oh boy, now that is great. I love a breakfast like that." 

Friend 1: "If I lose 40 pounds before I turn 86 – that's only a pound and a half per day for the next month, people do that you know – will you still think I'm as charming?"

Friend 1: "You ever freeze your grapes? I tell you – they are so darn good. Oh boy. You just put them in the freezer a couple hours. Man, they are so darn good. Like frozen candy or something."

Sometimes it's the little things. Hug a friend today!

The "Real Food" Challenge

Mardi Gras is officially upon us, which means Fat Tuesday and Ash Wednesday are just around the corner. I’ve been thinking about what to give up for Lent this year and have decided to do something I want to do anyway but could use a little motivation/Catholic guilt to push me through!

Here’s the challenge: for the 40 days of Lent I’m going to cut out processed food and only eat “real food.” For me, the link to Lent is twofold: 1) real food = the food God put here, and 2) if I think about the Big Man every time I want to cheat (probably going to be pretty often), there’s something good in there too.

I just got back from dinner with Sarai and Michael and confirmed that having some input before Wednesday to “firm up” the rules would be a good thing. So, the rules. There are a ton of blogs out there on this very subject (which I'm sure will be awesome later when I need some fresh ideas – wink wink), but I found one, in particular, that is right on par with what I have in mind – 100 Days of Real Food. The author outlines the rules as such:

1. Whole foods that are more a product of nature than a product of industry
2. Lots of fruits and vegetables 
3. Dairy products like milk, unsweetened yogurt, eggs, and cheese
4. 100% whole-wheat and whole-grains
5. Seafood (wild caught is the optimal choice over farm-raised)
6. Only locally raised meats such as pork, beef, and chicken (preferably in moderation)
7. Beverages limited to water, milk, all natural juices, naturally sweetened coffee & tea, and, to help the adults keep their sanity, wine and beer!
8. Snacks like dried fruit, seeds, nuts and popcorn
9. All natural sweeteners including honey, 100% maple syrup, and fruit juice concentrates are acceptable in moderation

All of that makes sense, I’m just trying to think ahead to what I’m going to have questions about later/be tempted to cheat on. So here are some questions for you, my loyal readers, to weigh in on. ;-) 

• Cheese is on the “approved list” but I can see that turning into a problem without some stricter rules. I'm thinking limiting this to reduced-fat cheeses only might be a good way to put the kibosh on eating brie in front of the TV and convincing myself that it's okay because it's "real food." Thoughts?
• When it comes to seafood and meat, I’ll do my best to buy organic and local if possible, but that might be one that has to give a bit. 
• Salad dressing – obviously olive oil, vinegar, balsamic are all okay. What about something like Annie’s Naturals Goddess Dressing? It has a pretty clean ingredient label. I’m thinking that’s okay? 
• Soy sauce – I’m seeing brown rice sushi in the future and am wondering if it's kosher to dunk it in delicious soy sauce. I'm afraid this might be a no go, although I was reading another "real food" blog earlier about someone using low-sodium soy sauce (let's be honest, that stuff is just not as good). Still, could that be a happy medium? Or better to avoid altogether?
• Dried fruit & popcorn – I'm surprised about dried fruit because most have lots of sugar added. Maybe someplace (like Central Market) has the straight-up fruit? Guess I’ll have to check the ingredient labels on the bins. And what about popcorn? Is that like homemade popcorn or from a bag? Again - might have to check the ingredient label for that one.
• Green beans in a can – I know fresh is better and that canned have added salt, but nothing else is in there. So is that OK? What about other beans (e.g., black beans or kidney beans)? I'm sure fresh is better but in a time crunch you think these would be okay?
• Wine and beer – no real question here, just wanted to acknowledge how lovely it is that they're on the list without me having to secretly add them. Fermented grapes...as real as it gets. Mmmmhmmm!

If you're still reading this excessively long post, let me know what you think. And Happy Mardi Gras!

World Banana Day 3

My younger sister, Lizzi, has really been ratcheting up the blog posting lately, which makes me realize how incredibly quiet this poor little blogspot has been. As usual, I blame it on this place. Sigh.

I am proud to say, though, that in my little free time out of the office I've been able to do some important stuff. You know – like "solving world hunger through the cunning use of banana suits." If you're unfamiliar with the concept, you don't need to go any further than worldbananaday.org to get up to speed. (Is that maybe just one two three too many links in one post?) If you think it's a joke, think again. Those exact words ("solving world hunger...") came out of my mouth this weekend as I was trotting from one bar to the next, and some sweet little lady pulled a $1 out of her purse for me to donate! A-mazing!

I will leave you all with a few pics and one final thought, as so eloquently noted on worldbananaday.org: 

"Anyone not dressed as a banana that night will just be a dumb old fruit."