Thursday, January 31, 2013

Literary Bite: Travels with Myself and Another by Martha Gellhorn


Travels with Myself and Another by Martha Gellhorn sounds like an awesome book – a woman writing about her travels in a time before traveling alone was a thing women did. (Reminiscent of West with the Night, which is my favorite title ever and an excellent book).

  • Out of a lifetime of travelling, Martha Gellhorn has selected her "best horror journeys". She bumps through rain-sodden, war-torn China to meet Chiang Kai-Shek, floats listlessly in search of u-boats in the wartime Caribbean and visits a dissident writer in the Soviet Union against her better judgement. Written with the eye of a novelist and an ironic black humour, what makes these tales irresistible are Gellhorns explosive and often surprising reactions. Indignant, but never righteous and not always right, through the crucible of hell on earth emerges a woman who makes you laugh with her at life, while thanking God that you are not with her. (source)

Despite its promise, I am sorry to report that Travels with Myself and Another was not good. It was soooo tedious I could barely get through. Maybe it’s the dryness of her writing style; I felt like I was reading someone’s diary or travel notes, but not in a good way, which is surprising because the subject – traveling in obscure and difficult situations – is so cool and interesting and exciting!

Also, the “other” in the title is Ernest Hemmingway (Gellhorn was his second wife), but there is very very little about him…all we really glean is that he hated China and drank heavily. Duh.

The book is based off the premise that no one wants to hear good travel stories (think about it: you come back from a trip, a friend asks how was it? and within seconds your listeners’ eyes glaze over), but everyone loves a disaster. Though Gellhorn is supposed to be this amazing person (one of the best war correspondents and most interesting women of the 20th century according to some), I hated her a little bit. Mostly because of the Africa section – I felt like I was being beaten over the head with her extreme racism and it really bothered me. (I know, I know, it was a different time, etc. etc., but that doesn’t mean I’m ok with it.)

So I'm going to go ahead and say skip this one. If you want to read a good travel book read something by Paul Theroux (Dark Star Safari) or Peter Hessler (River Town).

And if you want to read a good book about one of Hemmingway's wives read The Paris Wife.



Wednesday, January 30, 2013

So I'm Running a Marathon


Ok, I have a confession. I’m a little hesitant to share this with the interwebs…but here we go.

I’m running a marathon!

I have never done one before. The longest distance I’ve raced is 10 miles. And the longest distance I’ve run is 18 miles (once, for funsies, with my mama).

I know, I know, given my injury history it’s probably a terrible idea but I’m doing it anyways. If this goes horrendously wrong you can tell me I told you so a million times while I cry in the corner. (No actually please don’t do that, send me consolation cookies instead.)

Here’s how this came about:

In the fall I was feeling pretty great, winning races, and running high (-ish for me) mileage. In mid-November my running friend said, Hey, let’s do the Rock ‘n’ Roll DC Marathon! And being my say-yes-to-everything self, I immediately said, OK I’m in!

I discussed the idea with my running-coach dad (YES! This is so exciting! You’ll be great!), and Coach George (Mollie this is the worst idea ever and I strongly encourage you not to do this. I'll help you, but I want a signed and notarized waiver form stating that I warned you how dangerous this would be).

At the end of the day, I do what I want, so with outside opinions duly noted, I decided that I still wanted to try it. I have no doubt that I can run 26.2 miles; I’m more concerned with the speed at which I do it and the training leading up to it. (Competitive much? Yes.)

As of the week before Thanksgiving, I had a plan, I had a goal, and was super-psyched. And then three days later, before I even started “training,” a little problem that became a bigger problem hit (same old same old) and I was out for all of December. Womp womp.

It was not looking good for a while there. At home over Christmas I did yoga every day. And early this month there was a lot of pooling, combined with some deep dark I’m-never-going-to-run-again days.

But as of a couple weeks ago, I’m running again, feeling pretty good, and if all continues to go well, I think I’ll be fine! I’m putting myself on a low-mileage plan – i.e. my normal mileage, plus some extra pool time, plus long runs (because I’m pretty sure that me + 80-mile weeks = express trail to injurytown).

I’m not doing track workouts (sigh), just long runs and strides and tempo runs and maybe a few hills thrown in there for good measure. I’m going to take days off, and do doubles (run+pool) on occasion.

Also, I'm going to remember all the hard lessons I've learned:

So my friends, there you have it. Wish me luck, we’ll see how this goes!



Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Cake of the Week: Grapefruit Sandwich Cookies



Last night, SpeedyKate and I hosted a citrus-themed dinner party. Everything –  from appetizers to entrees to side dishes to desserts –  had to contain some sort of citrus.


Why? Well because wintertime is citrus’ time to shine! In a lovely juxtaposition to the outside gray wintery winter, nature has compensated for its dreariness by providing us with bright and colorful and fresh citrus flavors in December, January, and February.  Lemons and limes oranges and tangerines and grapefruit galore!


I have not always loved grapefruit. Like most kids, I hated how bitter it was and could not possibly pour on enough sugar to compensate. Then at some point mid-high school, I magically became a huge grapefruit fan. I don’t eat it for breakfast with a serrated spoon (because that just results in a grapefruit slushy mess), I prefer to peel mine – first the rind, then the skin – until all that’s left is the ruby-red delicious insides. And then every few bites I dip it in sugar, because I can and it is delicious.


Anywho, baking with grapefruit is new to me and I will definitely be doing it again.


These cookies were the perfect end to a lemony limey meal. They’re just grapefruit-y enough –  you can taste the tang, but are not overwhelmed by it. Plus they’re pretty and pink (or any color actually) and you can cut them into any shapes you want. [One of my friends: It must be an all-girls party if you have pink heart-shaped cookies. Me: Psh there will be boys there. And they enjoy pink cookies as much as anyone else!]


These cookies have juice and zest in both the cookies and the frosting. You could make them with any citrus actually – I imagine some sunshine-y lemon cookies would be delicious.


So I got a little carried away with the food coloring in the frosting…but in light of a certain upcoming holiday, I don’t think that’s too much of a disaster.

Grapefruit Sandwich Cookies

Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

Ingredients:
For the Cookies:
  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup cake flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • Zest of 1 grapefruit
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2 egg yolks
  • ½ cup grapefruit juice (freshly squeezed)
For the Filling:
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2¾ cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon grapefruit zest
  • 3 tablespoons grapefruit juice (freshly squeezed)
  • 1 small drop red or pink food coloring (optional)
Directions:
  1. Make the Cookies: In the bowl of your mixer (or in a large bowl using a hand mixer), rub together the sugar and grapefruit zest with your fingertips until the zest is evenly distributed and all of the sugar has been moistened. 
  2. Add the butter to the bowl and beat on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolks and beat until combined, scraping down the bowl as necessary. 
  3. Reduce the speed to low and add the flours, baking powder, and salt in three batches (go ahead and slap me on the wrist – I never mix my dry ingredients in a separate bowl…it just feels so unnecessary), alternating with the grapefruit juice, beginning and ending with the flour. 
  4. Mix just until the dough comes together. Transfer the dough to a piece of plastic wrap, pat it into a 1-inch disk, wrap in the plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or until firm (overnight is fine.
  5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Just spraying the pans isn’t enough here! Be warned, they will stick!
  6. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to about ⅛-inch thick. Use a 2-inch round cutter (I used a wine glass and a heart-shaped cutter), to cut out as many cookies as possible and transfer them to the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 1-inch apart. Gather together the dough scraps and repeat to get as many rounds as possible. Refrigerate the baking sheets (with the cookies on them) for 15 minutes.
  7. Bake the cookies until just barely golden brown around the edges and still very light in color in the middle, about 12 minutes. Immediately remove the cookies to a wire rack and cool completely before assembling.
  8. Make the Filling: Beat together the butter, powdered sugar and grapefruit zest on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the grapefruit juice and food coloring (if using), increase the speed to medium-high and beat until smooth.
  9. Assemble the Cookies: Match up the cookies by size, then spread or pipe on about 1 tablespoon of filling onto the flat side of half the cookies. Top with the matching cookie and press down slightly so the filling is pushed to the edges. Store in an airtight container and serve at room temperature. 

Printable recipe. 

You might also like: Citrus Tart (oranges and grapefruit)

Monday, January 28, 2013

Weekend Report: 16 Miles and Mastering Ravioli


Guys, I had so much fun this weekend!

It started out winning (literally) with a Wizards game – John Wall! 101-114! Woohooooo!

Then on Sunday morning I met up with my team for the first time in a while to do the weekend  long run (putting the tiger in the cat!). Despite the cold and early hour, we got a great turnout and pretty much took over the Towpath and Rock Creek Park bike path.


I did 16.5 miles total: out-and-back from Fletcher’s Boathouse to Peirce Mill/Tilden Street (14.5), then I added on 2 more miles by running along the Towpath to just past where Chain Bridge Road crosses overheard, and back (map here, in case you care). We did it as a progression run, starting at just over 8-minute-per-mile pace and ending somewhere God-awful around 6:30 pace. (I exaggerate, it wasn’t that bad, but I was definitely tired and just barely hanging on for a while there. Basically, it felt like college running all over again.)

The Canal Towpath. Not much water or snow.

Just for the record though, this is the second-longest run I've EVER DONE EVER.

I got home, showered, foam-rolled, and lay on my couch considering what to eat and how much effort I was willing to expend…where is my helper monkey/personal chef/Sister2/Mama when I need them??? Hallelujah for Tortilla Café and pupusas to go!

Pork and cheese pupusa with cabbage slaw,  hot sauce,
and Greek yogurt (mine, I prefer it to sour cream).

Sunday night I took my first cooking class ever and learned to make ravioli at Sur La Table. This was a long-anticipated event/Christmas present and it was so much fun!


We made our own pasta dough (did you know it’s just flour and eggs?), then cranked it through a pasta machine a million times to kneed it and flatten it out.


We made three fillings paired with three sauces: spinach ricotta filling with tomato sauce, mint pea puree filling with tomato lamb sauce, and shrimp/ginger/cilantro filling with béchamel sauce. I think I liked the béchamel sauce best, but the mint pea pure and lamb pairing was pretty awesome too.


We worked in groups of 4 but each got to make our own raviolis. There was a limited amount of filling of course, and I'm pretty sure if I were doing this on my own it would be about three times as much filling and half the pasta...because more stuff is always better, right?


Things that were awesome: The instructor was nice and seemed to know what was what, and plus they do all the clean-up/setup for you! So much cooking and absolutely NO dishes!


Things that were less than awesome: The woman next to me who knew everything (Her: here let me show you how to cut that onion! Me: no thanks I’m good.), plus I recommend eating beforehand (which we definitely did, #win) because even though you get to eat lots of ravioli at the end, you don’t get to that point until like 9 pm. (Me = saving the world from hanger, one step at a time!)


Clearly I spent the time thinking of all the amazing ravioli fillings I could make for some sort of epic ravioli party…Indian ravioli? Dessert ravioli? What will I ravioli next??? Now all I need is a pasta machine...

Hope you had a great weekend too!



Friday, January 25, 2013

Best of the Week #90


It’s a bittersweet Friday. Today is my boss/friend’s last day at work, and though I’m excited for her, I’m also SO SAD to see her go!

Guys, I think I may have missed my calling as a professional cake writer?

As any baker would, I expressed my emotions via pastry. I baked her (and the rest of the staff, should she choose to share) red velvet brownies with cream cheese frosting!

They'll look like this on the inside...IS IT STAFF MEETING TIME YET???

In other news, this song has been in my head all week – I saw the band, Ra Ra Riot, at the 9:30 Club on Wednesday night and they were really good!


Now for some Best of the Week links:


Hair Jump at Mammoth Mountain. I’ve raced downhill down this pitch and over this jump…fun times! Who wants to ski race???


Let’s talk a bit about running/motivation/group activities. Wise words from Victoria via Aka Darkwave:
  • "one person vocalizing their unhappiness can quickly bring the entire group spiraling down into a mess of negativity."  And that negativity then becomes an obstacle that the athlete has to overcome.  Why make competition tougher on yourself, and put yourself at a disadvantage?  Whining isn't bad because it's annoying (though it is annoying), it's bad because it blocks you from your best performances.
More on running, also from Aka Darkwave (great post!):
  • It's simple. Running is what we do. It's not a big deal to run before dawn. Or after dark. Or on the treadmill. Or when the thermometers show numbers different what what you usually see. It's still just running. Something that you choose to do because it fulfills you.

And I have a confession: I might be a special kind of idiot...we'll see...


Headline of the week: “Norway goat cheese fire closes tunnel.” (BBC)

From The Daily Typo: It’s particularly embarrassing when it happens in a movie trailer.


“When life loses it’s [sic] magic”
Trailer for The Brass Teapot
January 17, 2013


Bluegrass+rap = “Garnstagrass”? I like both these things…not sure that I like them mixed together…Actually I'm pretty sure this is terrible, but I'm sharing it with you anyways!


This girl rocks my socks. Someday when I have an ungodly amount of time I will learn a sweet skill like this...


"50 Life Hacks to Simplify Your World" – some of these are so useful! (Ok so I’m a sucker for anything done “like a boss.")

20. Separate egg yolks like a boss
40. Ninja Fold 

I ran in the snow yesterday and thought about this as I made decidedly un-artistic footprints: "Snow Art."


  • Artist Simon Beck creates amazing pieces of snow art by walking in the snow wearing raquettes (snowshoes). Each artwork is typically the size of three soccer fields and takes 2 days to complete. The Oxford-educated self-employed map maker typically walks for about 5 to 9 hours or until he gets too tired, using a headlamp if it gets dark first.

Thank you Tumblr: "The Kanye West Wing." (Kanye West lyrics, over images from The West Wing of course...the interwebs have too much time...)


I'm pretty psyched it's almost weekend time! My plans include a Wizards game, this place, a long run, this brunch, and a pasta making class! Seeya on Monday!



Thursday, January 24, 2013

By the Book: Jessica Clem-McClaren


This interview is part of my By the Book series, in which I ask interesting people about their reading. Any readers out there want to be featured here? If so, email me: eatrunreadmez@gmail.com.

Jessica Clem-McClaren is a freelance journalist and business director of a multimedia studio in Omaha, Nebraska. She loves the feeling of the spine of a new book, as well as discovering the worn pages in used (loved) books. She has written for a number of publications, including work for Ms. Magazine. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and a Master’s degree in Urban Studies. When not writing or drinking all the coffee in her studio, she enjoys marathon running, traveling, and cozy movie nights with her cat Genghis and her husband Jason.

What book is on your nightstand now?
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. I have heard great things about this novel and am eager to dive in.

What was the last truly great book you read?
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. I loved his first book, Everything is Illuminated, and knew I was in for a good read with this piece. It was powerful and graphic, and the way he can write with such perspective is a gift.

Any literary genre you simply can’t be bothered with?
A few! Romance novels and certain fantasy (The Twilight and Lord of the Rings books come to mind), as well as self-help books. [Editor's note: Oh man I am trying hard to bite my tongue here...no LOTR though? Sigh, I suppose we can still be friends...]

A young, aspiring freelance journalist and business director wants your advice on what to read. What books do you suggest?
I hate books that give advice, so I would recommend some light evening reading: Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides, War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells, and Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut.

What’s your favorite Shakespeare?
I have always had a guilty conscience for being an English major without a love for Shakespeare. During my undergrad work, I was able to study abroad in Stratford-on-Avon and got to see a few plays live. “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “As You Like It” were my favorites to see onstage.

If you could require the president to read one book, what would it be?
Considering his education, I don’t think Obama needs my advice for something to read! :) But I would recommend Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. Obama is an athlete and I think he would enjoy the story and appreciate the incredible writing.

What was the last book that made you cry?
Extremely Loud and Three Junes by Julia Glass. Both were very powerful and had such different messages. Everyone can relate to 911 since it was a national tragedy. Glass writes about a family that grows apart over time, and it really tugged at my heartstrings.

The last book that made you laugh?
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris. Every one of his books is amazing, but I also listened to the audiobook, and hearing him read his stories in the voices of his family about killed me.

The last book that made you furious?
The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea by Yukio Mishima. There are some incredibly violent scenes in the book that I couldn’t get out of my head. They were reminders about the sad sickness that is so prevalent in our otherwise lovely world. For this reason, I will always have a respect for this book, but I will never read it again.

Name a book you just couldn’t finish.
The General in his Labyrinth by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. He is such a respected author, but I could not get through this book. It just didn’t resonate with me and I was bored by page 3.

What were your favorite books as a child? Did you have a favorite character or hero?
I come from a family of big readers, so I had several favorites! Two of my favorites from when I was really young were But No Elephants by Jerry Smath, and Milk and Cookies by Frank Asch. As I got older, I loved The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King. This was a gripping, beautifully written novel that I still reread to this day.

What’s the best book your mother ever gave you to read?
She introduced me to many fantastic books. I remember always seeing my parents reading at night together, and we always read at the dinner table if we weren’t chatting. She introduced me to The Eyes of the Dragon, and some sci-fi novels like Jurassic Park, Congo (both by Michael Crichton), as well as R.L. Stein’s Goosebumps and Fear Street series.

If you could meet any writer, dead or alive, who would it be? What would you want to know?
Harper Lee. To Kill A Mockingbird was so moving that once I finished, I just sat on the edge of my chair and thought through the novel for about an hour. What an amazing gift to write something so powerful and honest.

Have you ever written to an author? Did he or she write back?
I’ve never written to an author, but I did have a chance to meet Isabel Allende while I was living in Washington , DC. She signed my event pamphlet, so I think that counts!

You’re organizing a literary dinner party and inviting three writers. Who’s on the list?
Jeffrey Eugenides, Jonathan Safran Foer, and Tina Fey.

What’s the best movie based on a book you’ve seen recently?
Movies never do the book justice! To be honest, "The Walking Dead" on AMC is probably my favorite. It is based off a comic book series by Robert Kirkman and is truly terrifying and fun to watch. Two Emmy awards can’t be wrong! :)

What are you going to read next?
I have a few books on my desk, but I’m trying to be better about just reading one. I have over 400 books, so it is hard to limit myself! I will probably stick with The Handmaid’s Tale for now.

Thank you so much!



Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Running the National Mall in January


Dear readers I am sorry, it has been far too long since I last blogged about running. I swear I still do it! And talk about it offline for that matter…everything but blog about it apparently. (Negative 10 points for using annoying office jargon there? Go me.)

I want to tell you about the run I went on yesterday morning as a matter of fact. It was COLD out – my phone told me 21 degrees at 6:15 am, and there was some serious wind chill on top of that.  I was solo for the experience and could have easily rolled over, re-cocooned, and gone back to sleep, but I felt like I NEEDED a run if you know what I mean, and I’m so glad I went!

National Mall Run
See details on MapMyRun.

I put on my second wintriest wear (fleece high neck top, a version of these pants, these gloves, and this headband, in case you care) and scooted out the door into a blast of cold air – the kind that hits you in the face and makes you gasp a little bit – before I could change my mind.

I started quick for warmth-creation purposes. By about five minutes in, I had hit my rhythm, breathing in-in-out-out, in-in-out-out with the music in my ears. And by 10 minutes in, the morning and the cold and real life were long gone, my mind was 100% elsewhere, and my body was moving on autopilot.


I ran all the way down to the Lincoln Memorial, wind gusting in my face the whole time. From Lincoln I saw the sun rise behind the Washington Monument over the Capitol on the first official day of Obama’s second term (woot!).

As I said, it was super-cold, so only a few particularly hardcore runners were out (I love the camaraderie of a miserable morning – everyone says hi to everyone), and the Inauguration clean-up crews were out in full force, gloved and hatted men loading up port-a-potties and fencing leftover from the day before.


And as I was striding along the Reflecting Pool, I had a wildlife sighting! To my left up the little hill I saw what I first thought was a gi-normous squirrel, but it was a fox! He ran up the hill, onto a tree stump, and looked around for a bit as I ran by just 10 feet away. It was one of the few times I’ve wished I ran with a phone or camera. Foxes are SO COOL.


The way back was much better – oh hello tailwind! The first half of my morning runs are always a bit of a blur, I think it’s because of the darkness, but the second half I’m usually more awake and aware. In front of the National Gallery I got into a little race with one of my fellow morning runners…actually, that’s not true, I’m strongly opposed to racing on mileage runs, I just run my own pace…what happened was he tried to race me. I won.

Then up the Hill, in front of the Capitol (people in business suits: what are you doing? It’s too early for you!), and back East Capitol. The run totaled to about 6.8 miles. Here’s the map if you’re interested.

I ended in front of my house and walked around the block for a cool down while singing along with some ZBB. Then hallelujah for hot water! And hairdryers! And coffee! It was an excellent morning.



Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Weekend Report: Jess & Ethiopian Coffee & Thai X-ing & Inauguration & Movies!


Jess visited from Boston this weekend, and per usual, we walked a million miles, talked a mile a minute, baked something delicious, worked out separately together, and ate aaaaamazing food.


Saturday was gorgeous, so we walked from Eastern Market, down the Mall to see the Inauguration set-up, to Georgetown, and back. Late in the afternoon we baked Cookie Butter Crumb Cake Bars that both smelled and tasted fantastic (recipe to come). Those bars were soon on the way to my friend The Marathoner’s apartment for a The Princess Bride viewing party. Somehow I was born in the 80s and have managed to never see The Princess Bride all the way through – Inconceivable! (But I have read the book so that’s got to count for something?)


At 2 pm on Sunday, Jess and I headed up to Sidamo, an Ethiopian coffee shop on H Street, where they do a traditional coffee ceremony every weekend. The owner welcomed us in, but apparently it starts before 2 because they’d already done the roasting part. We ordered coffee and he sat us down in front of a woman boiling coffee, testing it, and pouring it into little cups.


He explained that in Ethiopia, a light roast is better because it means you’re rich enough that you don’t need to stretch your coffee supply (as in, poor people roast their beans dark, so it makes “more” coffee to pass around, but it’s really just colored water). The coffee itself tasted different, a lot more earthy and beany, if that makes sense. The owner told me to come back next weekend so he can teach me how to roast coffee beans myself so I can have real Ethiopian coffee at home…maybe I will!

Sunday night was our weekend’s main event – dinner at Thai X-ing!


If you recall, I’ve done this before, and the second time was just as good as the first. It’s family style traditional Thai food in a little rowhouse/restaurant: 8 courses, Sundays are vegetarian, and they just keep bringing you food!

Sweet and Sour Tofu Soup
There was a sweet and sour tofu soup, spicy papaya salad, pumpkin curry (the BEST THING EVER), something delicious with tofu, something delicious with veggies and curry, something delicious with pineapple, the best rice/beans ever (I am kind of obsessed with this rice), pad see ew (fat noodles) with tofu, and of course mango coconut sticky rice for dessert.

Rice and Beans, aka YUMMMMMM.
All present were distance runners of the intense eating variety, so of course we consumed it all! And more actually – we told them how much we loved the pumpkin curry and they brought us seconds!

Mango Coconut Sticky Rice
SpeedyKate and I drove Jess to the airport Monday morning, then returned home to see what this whole Inauguration thing was all about. People were walking down our street towards the Mall starting at 4:30 am!

For a while there we resigned ourselves to experiencing Inauguration
next to the Department of Agriculture...

I am nowhere near that ambitious, but as this is my first Inauguration living in DC, I thought I should go see what there was to be seen. We left our apartment at 10 am and started walking. The streets are weird and re-routed in all kinds of ways, so to get to the Mall we pretty much walked to the Mall, then walked a 3-mile loop down through Southwest to get up to the “non-ticketed” area.


We were in the overflow by the Monument and could kind of sort of see and hear Obama’s speech on a big screen. I feel like I experienced Inauguration enough to count that as a win! DC gets crazy for this weekend – getting home was another insanely loopy walk, involving army men and tank-ish trucks, but eventually we made it.


Monday night I went to see Silver Linings Playbook, which I’ve been wanting to see since before Christmas. I’m not sure how to categorize it – I guess it’s a romantic comedy, but a very depressing one…it's also a lot about football (I guess that's where the "playbook" part comes in?). It was good but I think my expectations were a little too high. I LOVE Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper though! The scenes with them together are the best.

Hope you had a good weekend too!