Sick Run

I had plans this weekend, but life got in the way. I started the weekend by attending the blogger book club. It was a lot of fun to see everyone again. I just wish I had taken a few more photos!!

Besides all the lovely food, we talked about the book The Art of Racing of the Rain by Garth Stein. I really enjoyed the book! It was well written and captivating. Several times I even forgot that the books is told from the point of view of the dog. Though I think we all agreed that sometimes the dogs view was a tad far-fetched. Overall a good book and fast read.

Unfortunately, after book club my weekend went downhill fast. I woke up Saturday morning with the worse sore throat and spent the entire day drinking tea and eating chicken soup.

Thankfully, today was better. Since I do not have a fever, I decided to go on a leisurely 4 mile run. It may not have been the 9 mile run I had planned, but it was a run and it felt amazing. After my run, I felt so much better that I even got a few things done around the house.

Now I just have to decide on whether or not I should go to my Monday morning gym class.

Do you work out when your sick?

I follow the neck rule. If I have above the neck systems I will work out but with less intensity. If I have a fever I take a few days off.

Kissing Frogs

It's like a storybook tale right? Well, not exactly! But, in my opinion it was just as good and had an even better message!

Kissing Frogs in Cyberspace by Dianne Sweeney is a quick, easy and entertaining read about one woman's journey to find a man in Cyberspace but instead finds something else, herself.

Dianne makes internet dating entertaining as she describes the various characters she encounters over her 6 month journey. She pokes fun at human nature and our capability to be someone else on the web. She is insightful pointing out that we all just want the same thing, to have fun and be in love. We all think we are fun people, right?

This book is an easy read, with short chapter's, perfect for any metro commute. And, this princess is teaching women to love themselves, FIRST!

Have you read a good book lately? Send me your review and I'll post it!

Love or the Pursuit of Balance

This would have been my favorite section of this book. And, maybe it will still be once I write this post.

Spoiler ALERT: if you have not read this book or seen the movie do not read past the beautiful picture of my lovely breakfast.

When I finished Eat, Pray, Love I had my favorite breakfast, OATS!! Today I had cinnamon bun Kirkland brand oatmeal with whole flax seed, vanilla coffee creamer and brown sugar.

I know the close-up doesn't look that delicious, but it was! What did you have for breakfast this morning?

Now, on to Love or the Pursuit of Balance.

I thoroughly enjoyed the beginning of this chapter. I like how she just shows up in Bali in hopes of finding her medicine man, finds him and then fulfills his request to come back teach him English and in return he teaches her the art of meditation.

I like that she does just that. She visits the medicine man everyday and tries to improve his English. In exchange, he teaches her the secret to meditation, smiling. And, she takes his advice! I think everyone should sit down for just 5 minutes in silence and smile. How much happier do you think we would all be?

I even like when she meets her friend Wayan and her visits with Wayan daily. Who wouldn't want to meet with a medicine woman in the morning and an ancient medicine in the afternoon?

Granted, I am not sure how I feel about her friends raising money to buy Wayan a house. I am ALL about helping others. But, I am also a firm believer that you should work for what you get.

After her mind game with Liz, Wayan's character rubbed me the wrong way. She may have been
acting like anyone else would in her culture, but that is no excuse to treat a friend the way she did.

The part of the chapter or I guess character that I just can't decide how I feel about, is her Brazilian boyfriend turned husband. I like that she went on a journey to find herself, not another person. I know the book is autobiographical, but really?!?!?

I am happy for Liz, don't get me wrong. Everyone deserves to be loved and have a companion. And, they do sound like their lifestyles compliment each other well.

My one knitting friend said she saw it as the story coming full circle. And, I really like her thinking. Her view made me feel "OK" about how the chapter and book ended. She had found herself... and I strongly believe you can't find love unless you know yourself. Or, at least that is how it worked for me. But that is a whole other post.

Have you read Eat, Pray, Love? What did you think?

And if you read the book, should I see the movie?

Are You There Vodka? It's Me...

Remember this picture from last weekend?


Well, tonight at Book Club we discussed this hilarious read. A note to the sensitive, this is NOT your book! Do you get offended easily? DO NOT pick up this book. But, if you want a good laugh, this book is for you!

Chelsea Handler tells a serious of hilarious tales, starting with her childhood and ending with a hilarious but endearing story about going on vacation with her Dad.

She breaches the topics of Red Heads (my favorite, apparently not hers) and Midgets (she is a little obsessed, to put it lightly).

I picked up this book last Wednesday and finished Saturday night. I could NOT put it down, I legitimately almost missed my metro stop because I was laughing so hard.

I highly recommend this book to any woman interested in a light and hilarious read.

What book did you read recently that you could not put down?

Pray or Congratulations to Meet You

I just finished the “Pray” section of Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert on the metro this morning. I truly enjoy my morning commute, which surprises me since I also truly enjoyed my 10 minute morning walk. My metro ride (three stops) is just enough time to read a little section of whatever book I am on. I am usually not an everyday reader, but my commute gives me a reason to read everyday and can even motivate me to read more than 5 to 10 pages a day (depending which part of the book I am on).


This section took me a little longer than the “Eat” section, which I attribute to that fact that I need more time to digest it (making it perfect for my commute).

“Pray” tackles the broad idea of religion in an Ashram in India. I could relate to the idea of believing in a higher being regardless of your religious affiliation, if any, or being involved in an organized religion. Below is a picture that I believe represents organized religion, the pulpit and dome in the Vatican, Rome.


In the book, Liz tackles aspects of her divorce and lust for David in this section. I have not been through a divorce, but I was able to relate to how she struggles to let go and her desire to be forgiven. Her description of her religious journey was profound. I believe she was able to talk about her struggles candidly without pushing her beliefs on the reader. She took a different view on religion and stressed the importance in relying on something rather than who/what that something should or should not be. My serenity below, the beach, where I began this section of the book.


Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this section of the book, but believe it needs to be read over at least a week of time. There were several instances where I, myself, put the book aside and just thought about her concepts or calmed my mind myself.


Above, a truly serene experience, my trip to Venezuela in 2006. This is the view from our backyard.

The Confessions of Catherine De Medici

Since I am missing book club this month (to go to the beach) and happened to read a different book than what was assigned (oops!). I felt it would be appropriate to spend book club night blogging about the fantastic book I just finished, The Confessions of Catherine De Medici by C.W. Gortner.

Let me begin by saying my Catherin De Medici knowledge is limited. I have studied the 16th century in both high school and college, but we never spent much time on the French Royalty.

That being said, I found myself empathizing with the historically ruthless queen. I thoroughly enjoyed how Gortner gave her the benefit of the doubt (maybe because I often do the same). She is handed trail after trail and deals with each one as any human would, the best way she sees possible.

Everyone can related to this character, from her dreams, ideals and fight to protect her bloodline to her genuine interest in her adoptive country. I strongly believe Catherine did try her hardest to steer France in the right direction.

I think the most poignant note is the Afterward, where Gortner described Henri IV rule and attributes it to Catherine.

Great book! I highly recommend it!

Dancing and Brunch with the Girls

Last night after dinner in Old Town, I headed downtown to go out with the girls I met at book club.

We went to The Front Page at DuPont Circle (apparently the Real World DC house also visited this bar). We had a lot of fun! I had been to this bar before in the winter, but never on a Friday night. Bottom line, our DJ was awesome!!! And, it was sooo nice to go out with a group of girls. I finally feel like I found a fun group to go out with that I met on my own!!


The next morning, after dancing the night away, we met for brunch at RedRocks Pizzeria. A few weeks ago, this same group, met at Tonic for brunch. Tonic was by far better. I thoroughly enjoyed my Eggs Mediterranean (aka Eggs Benedict with spinach, red pepper and feta) and Bottomless Mimosa. RedRocks brunch menu was a lot shorter and not as good. At RedRocks I choose a Bottomless Mimosa and the Prosciutto and Mozzarella Omelet. The prosciutto was way overcooked (I longed for the raw prosciutto served in Italy) and there was not enough mozzarella.


Oh well! While the food was not fabulous, the company was (though a touch tired). After lunch we breezed through Target (thank you Alissa for keeping us on track)! And, then back on the metro to read The Confession of Catherine de Medici (love it!!! I swear a review is on its way).

July Book Club

This month we read "Such a Pretty Fat" by Jen Lancaster. As I mentioned in an earlier post, this book has not been my favorite.

I appreciate her effort to write a book that is not self loathing or about a heroine that starves herself into her skinny jeans, but the fact that it takes the majority of the book for her to get serious was frustrating.

The last 100 pages were by far the best part of the book. She gets serious with her trainer, Barbie, and gives readers the details of her work outs. Being fit is hard work and time consuming, so I appreciate the fact that she conveys those points, I just wish it happened sooner.

The other aspect of the book that I thoroughly enjoyed was reading about Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers. My parents did Weight Watchers my senior year of high school so I knew what was involved and how it can really teach people to eat better and balance their food choices. Hearing her experience with meetings just made me laugh because my father would come home and complain about the same exact things!!

Overall, talking with the girls about the book gave me some perspective, but no one really loved it, if they even finished it. I may give her another chance, but at this point, I am ready for our August book to be announced.

Have you read a book by Jen Lancaster? What did you think?

Line Dancing

I promise to write more about Boston, but first I have to talk about how much fun I had Line Dancing last night.


Last week, I attended my first book club meeting with my new Chick Lit Book Club. I loved it! We read Lipstick Jungle and while it is not my favorite Chick Lit Book, it did lend itself to lots of discussion and new friends.


The best part of my new book club is that I met four women who started an e-mail chain to keep in touch. We are each supposed to host an event and one of them suggested Line Dancing. I have never been Line Dancing, but I love the Carolina Shag (the South Carolina State Dance) and decided to give it a try.


I am soooo glad I went. I had sooo much fun even though I can not dance worth my life! I think I have found a new weekday night activity!

Now the question, should I buy these boots?

Goal: Do not to cry while making dinner

Today I had many goals. The day started with trying to make the most of my work day to trying not to get drenched on the way home.


Above are the two books I picked up, Candace Bushnell's Lipstick Jungle and Kate Chopin's The Awakening. Both are for book club, one for my old book club and another for my new book club. The current plan is to try and read both and choose the club based on the book. My old book club I found through a high school friend. Last August I went to happy hour with her and her roommate when she studied abroad in Russia. We got talking and she invited me to her book club. I did really like this book club, but after 4 books, six months and no good friends I decided to move on. I went on www.meetup.com and found a chick lit book club. The club is new and seems like a lot of fun, so I joined. Of course the night my new book club announced the June book and date, I got invited to my old book club for the same date. Feeling a little regret, I reserved both books from my local library and am going to let fate decide which meeting I go to in the end of June.

As I mentioned above, I was quite aware when I left work that there were lightning strikes within 15 miles, thank you weather bug!, but I was determined. So, I headed off toward the library. As I had checked out my two books, the librarian and I heard a solid roll of thunder and off I went into the rain with my books safely in a plastic bag (that the librarian insisted I take).

And, even though I was fully drenched by the time I walked into my apartment, I did learn about the bus route between the library (and consequently work) and my apartment. After jumping into the shower and throwing on my pajama's, I was ready to start dinner.

Be forewarned, I do not really measure anything and use whatever is in my kitchen! It is half the fun. Sorry!!!!


Tonight we had one of my favorites, sausage and peppers! The ingredients (pictured above) included frozen peppers, Roma sausages (they were on sale), store brand spaghetti noodles, Ragu, 1/2 an onion, 1/2 a tomato, olive oil, fresh basil, freshly ground pepper, and Parmesan cheese to top it all off. Now, normally I buy my pasta whole grain from Whole Foods but I was busy this week.... As I collect my ingredients I also put the water on the stove to boil.

My little experiment of the evening involved my onion. We do not always go through an entire onion in a meal, so last time I used the onion I threw it in the freezer. I have always heard that if you freeze your onion, your eyes won't tear up while cutting it. This is in fact true. My one suggestion is to run the onion under hot water for a quick second to make it easier to cut. So, my goal for today is indeed complete and I can now, with full confidence, recommend freezing onions, especially if you only use 1/2 of one like I usually do.

After chopping the onion into strips and throwing it into the pan on the stove, I chopped up the sausage.


Now as a "B-more, Hon!" native, I love Chesapeake style anything, but honestly the only reason I bought these was because the were on sale and they were out of my usual mild sweet sausage. Another great substitute are hot spicy sausages. I sliced these babies up, and threw them in the pan with the onions that were caramelizing.

Next, I chopped up the 1/2 of a tomato I had left from my lunch this week. I am infamous for throwing anything in the fridge on my lunchtime salad. Tonight I could tell that my tomato was about to turn the corner to no return. This means I have to use it or I will lose it (and I hate to throw out food). Some of the tomato gets thrown into my salad for lunch while the rest stays on the cutting board to accompany my dinner once the sausages cook thoroughly.

Once the sausage no longer looks pink, I pour in what is left of my Ragu (about 1/3 a cup). You can easily replace Ragu with a can of diced tomatoes. Honestly, tonight I had to get rid of the end of the Ragu. After the Ragu goes in, pour 1/4 cup of red wine into the Ragu jar, close the jar and shake vigorously. Reopen the jar and pour the wine (and Ragu remnants) into the pan. If you use a can of diced tomatoes just add a little wine to the pan.

Once the Ragu goes in, toss in 1/2 the bag of frozen peppers and the diced tomato. Stir.

My overall feeling toward fresh and frozen vegetable is as follows. If you are going to cook it anyway, buy frozen. Frozen vegetables are by far cheaper (usually a dollar or less for a bag of store brand) and hold nutrients better than fresh if they are not local. Frozen veggies are frozen right after they are picked, preserving all the vitamins and minerals.

For lunch, I often have a salad (with everything from the fridge) or veggies and hummus. Therefore, I do buy my fair share of fresh vegetables, but they are reserved for when I eat vegetables raw.

My only real exception to this rule is asparagus and broccoli. I always buy asparagus fresh, simply because it is my favorite. And, Jay loves broccoli, so on occasion I buy it fresh for him.

Stir. This is when I usually turn up the heat (if not already on full blast). Once the Ragu begins to boil, I turn the heat down (mid to low heat), grind in the pepper, toss in a healthy handful of fresh basil and cover the pan with a cookie sheet.

Quick note about basil. I found it was much easier, cheaper and nicer to maintain my little basil plant (right with his iris friends). Who doesn't love fresh basil.

At about this time, your water should be boiling so throw those spaghetti noodles in that pot and set the timer for 8 minutes.

By the time your noodles are done, so are the sausage and peppers. After dishing out the meal, sprinkle on some Parmesan cheese and garnish with some more fresh basil. And, viola! dinner is served.


This can feed up to 6 people depending on how much Ragu you add or if you use canned diced tomatoes. This time, I only got three servings out of this dish because my sauce was thicker and my boyfriend hungrier. Usually, I freeze whatever is left (don't forget to label it with the date and what it is!) for an easy meal on a hectic night. Tonight, I only froze enough for one person which is ok since my boyfriend is in physical therapy school and it is not uncommon for me eat alone one night a week.

And, for all those wondering, the Chesapeake style sausage was a nice variation from the norm!