A busy Saturday and a day of rest

Yesterday B and I traversed the four points of the compass - North to a ballet recital, South to a 2-year-old's birthday party complete with Bouncy House, West to play poker and back East to our home. It was a lot of driving for B, a lot of traffic and a plenty of fun with friends and family.

Today is Sunday, though, and we are taking it easy. B is making brunch right now and we're going to relax, watch thunderstorms out our windows, clean up the house and do a little bit of house-reorganizing in anticipation of honor attendant JB's visit next week.

In very important news - today is Father's Day and my awesome Mandasaurus Dad is deserving of celebration. He's wonderful - he's retiring in a few short months, travels the country (and shares travel tips with me!), maintains one hell of a garden, uses exceptional adjectives to describe wine and tolerates the most minimal level of jackassery possible. Today's picture is a map because my dad love maps!

Two down...

I munched up all the snow peas during Biology class this week - yum! They definitely have a little crunchy-fresh thing going on, and they're easy to sneak.

Tonight I followed a recipe from Mark Bittman from The New York Times for Pasta with Peas, Prosciutto and Lettuce using the Romaine from our most-recent haul. The Romaine held up nicely when I sauteed it for a short while and even the very picky B (who despises cooked spinach but loves raw spinach) enjoyed it. I think the prosciutto really gives it the salty, meaty flavor needed. Yum!

These beets are another story all together - as is the parsley. But my brain is working on that...

(This picture is from The New York Times - where I got this recipe. Mine looked something like this but we used whole wheat pasta.)

Challenge - Use your greens!

Debbie and I get produce from the amazing and adorable Big Head Farms. Each week we pick up a bundle of green goodies from Karen, who is very kind and accepts gifts of coffee grounds when you claim your produce.

So, each week we get a haul - it's been small so far, since it's - you know - springtime. But there's promise of peppers, tomatoes, squash, strawberries... all manner of garden good stuff. And I'm set to use it. Here's what I have, and on this here blog I will let you all know exactly how I use it all! I will include photos and recipes when I can, too.

This week's haul is:

• Half a full-head of Romaine lettuce
• One beet with greens atop (this is Swiss Chard, the people say!)
• Snow Peas
• Flat Leaf Parsley

If I have my wits about me I'll pick up something to go with the Romaine, grill up snow peas with some other veggies (like peppers), use the parsley with B's pork, and do something sensational with the beet. Yum!

Pinching pennies

Now that I'm not working, I'm trying to really stretch my cheapness to the limit. This week was a bit of a bust with Brian home sick, but we're still going to save money before the wedding.

1. I'm riding my bike or walking to class and back each day. Yesterday that was 5 miles on my bike, all pretty breezy and delightful - this is an easy way to save bus fare.
2. I'm bringing my own snacks to class and my own coffee/Diet Coke too. There is a Blue Bunny Vending Machine at Truman, but I'll resist!
3. I'm hitting the gym as often as I can (this isn't saving anything, but it's using our money wisely - so there.).
4. I'm planning our dinners, shopping sales and using my Big Head Farm Produce to my advantage.
5. Instead of shopping I'm shopping at home by cleaning up our stuff (closets, heaps, shelves, boxes) and finding hidden treasures. And throwing away junk.
6. I'm hoarding giftcards for fun stuff - watch out AMC Theaters, Target, and everyone who accepts Visa.
7. I'm just enjoying life with a little less busy!

Tomorrow I spend the day with my niece then meet some friends from my old job for dinner. My new biology book ($50 from a student/neighbor) and I will enjoy some quality time together too.

Mandasaurus = School Nerd

My dear friend Karin called me a "school nerd" many years ago, for something I don't quite remember - probably bringing a textbook to a bar or something like that. As I dive into science I find myself truly embracing that title, in almost sickening ways.

Monday morning I woke up bright-eyed and ready to learn. I had my backpack packed (notebook, pens, sharpened pencils, snacks), biked all the way to school and marched up to my classroom raring to start Chem 212: Survey of Organic & Bio Chemistry.

Except class starts Wednesday.

It didn't take me forever to figure this out, or to embrace the extra time on my hands. It's also good luck that I had these days off - Buck is sick with something like pneumonia and needs a nurse-in-the-works around to help him out. So, with my free time I've...

• Used my iGo Prius to take Buck to the doctor and myself to Target. iGo is awesome and I'm particularly enamoured with the zoomy little Prius hatchback I drove.
• Sent thank you notes to my former coworkers.
• Finalized wedding invitations and response cards.
• Done a lot of laundry.
• Attempted to make Buck's cure-all "super rice." It's cream of chicken soup and minute rice - which he actually had a hard time replicating. My version - chicken stock, roasted chicken bits leftover from a previous dinner, diced carrots and rice - wasn't too shabby though. Super Rice Attempt 3 will occur tonight or tomorrow.
• Learned about treating pneumonia (or illnesses the resemble it), antibiotics, keeping hydrated, and sleep aids.
• Read the syllabus for Chem 212 like three times.
• Worked out.
• Enjoyed a rainy day.
• Watched the Nova movie about Dr. Percy Julian, an amazing and inspiring chemist.

It's been fun, and I think I'm ready for school. Let's go.

Counting down

I have exactly three days left at my job.

These days will likely be a whirlwind of training the new person in my position, finishing up a few projects and doing the stupid things that made the decision to leave my work so easy.

And next week? School, time with my awesome niece, organizing my house (there some serious rearranging on the agenda, but don't tell B-Buck about it!), cooking, and baking pies (I rocked out a cherry apple pie this weekend). Oh, and blogging, like a real blogger maybe.

I totally realize what a bore my blog has been of late, but it's made me feel better to talk it out, or type it out, when I'm feeling anxious and stressed. But to jazz things up, here's a few awesome things in my life:

• The Courtyard Hounds (2/3s of the Dixie Chicks) album
• Big Head Farm - the community supported agriculture share that my sister-in-law and I subscribe to. Week 2 and we're already rolling in asparagus and salad greens. I just enjoyed some butter lettuce in a chopped salad with apple, Gorgonzola and balsamic vinegar. There's promise of strawberries, peppers and lots of bountiful farm goodness. Hooray!
• President Barack Obama and his awesome family came to visit (Chicago) last weekend - we waved when Marine One and its friends choppered by our apartment Memorial Day afternoon.
• The second coolest wedding of the summer (not ours, but B's best friend George's) is this weekend - we are psyched for the party. The soon-to-be-newlyweds are pulling out all the stops with excellent food, a self-serve bar (good training ground for my next job, perhaps?) and a superb lineup of fun.