mad men. season three. hey-yo!

What a lovely weekend.

Saturday I had a lunch date that started at 12:30pm and didn't end until 7:30pm. We, of course, did not eat that entire time. But that's what happens when a friend comes into town somewhat unexpectedly and you haven't seen each other in about 2 years. It was awesome. And heavenly. There are now brunch plans in the works for the next time I'm in Chicago as this particular friend happens to be from Chicago as do about a brazillion other people I know from college. Some of these people I have not seen in 10 years. I cannot wait.

In market news: I bought the most expensive meat I have ever bought in my life. $20 for 4 lamb chops. Yeeeeeah. I'm TERRIFIED I'm going to mess them up. I have never cooked lamb before and it's grassfed which is awesome, but also a wee bit trickier given the lack of fat. These babies could go from perfect to overdone in milliseconds. Think medium rare lamb thoughts for me Tuesday night as I do them up.

Tonight's supper is also a market creation: summer squash, eggplant, onion, garlic, tomato and swiss chard on a bed of pasta tossed with walnut garlic scape pesto. It's possible I went a tad overboard with the veggies, but 'tis the season I say!

This week: survive work, clean the apartment in anticipation of some cool chickens staying over, run, market, go see The Press Delete at lemonjellos, make appointments for next week as....

it looks like Erin may have gotten that vacation time after all!

happy solstice!

What a weekend.

Big market day: blueberries, raspberries and cherries are all in. I skipped the blueberries and went for the raspberries and cherries and strawberries. We also bought an obscene amount of asparagus with which I’m planning on soaking, blanching and freezing. I’m finally starting to get a little asparagused out, but give me a couple of months and asparagus soup is gonna be awesome. I also got kale from CJ’s and some new potatoes from Visser. The new potatoes are white (I always get their German butterball) and have such a potato-ey flavor I’m going to have to make potato salads tonight. Plus Visser brought me sugar snap peas which I’m putting in everything these days. I was also tempted by 2 different kinds of Grassfield farms cheese and DeBoer bread.

Market season is my most favorite time of year.

Saturday night found me feeling some zeal. Yummy burgers and yummy asparagus and yummy beer and good times were on the menu. Sunday was the annual Father’s Day picnic at the VanTils which meant yummy steak and yummy grilled shrimp and yummy asparagus and yummy kale and yummy greek salad and yummy lemonade pie. Last night we recovered from our social lives with some yummy tuna pasta salad with sugar snap peas and fresh cherries and a very special cookie.

The week is a complete unknown to me. I have no plans. I don’t know when Peter is working. I’m hoping the weather cooperates so I can get some rides in and if not rides than at least may it not storm so running is possible.

Now let summer begin!

it's probably got something to do with not having been to the beach

I am in a funk. And I don't like it. Not one bit.

I'm doing my darnedest to drag myself out of it. There are good things happening: It's summer! The market is amazing! I'm running consistently! I have my bike at the new apartment! I've been eating some delicious homemade food!

There are, of course, not so good things happening too: Work has been drama-filled thanks to a whole lot of misinformation about our upcoming budget year. I have 3 vacation days I need to use and it appears I'm not able to use them when I'd prefer. Peter's and my schedule are completely opposite which means we get one night off together a week. If we're lucky. My sleep patterns are a mess.

I have good things on the horizon: 3 unused vacation days! A visit from Rebecca and Sandy! Pitchfork! I will no longer have to work Sundays! Ever!

Solstice is on Monday. I plan on using that to re-jumpstart my summer.

It'll be all good.

when everyone wants a piece of you there tends to be little left

I am beyond ready for this week to be over. Maybe it was because I decided against the market this week. Maybe it had something to do with my erratic sleep schedule. Maybe my being perceived as the library employee you love to hate played a part. This week goes down as the single worst week I’ve had in months.

There were a few tiny slivers of sunlight. I had a fab time hanging out with my gayboyfriend Monday night and texting him throughout the season finale of Glee Tuesday night. I decided it was time to get back to doing things I love so I ran twice this week and decided I needed a goal of a half marathon this fall. Peter cleaned the bathroom and made a delicious meal all by himself. And, most importantly, this week is soon over.

I have a good weekend shaping up. I’m finally getting to spend some time with the BFF-lunching and thrifting and hanging out. Saturday night I might just take myself out for supper somewhere with The Lonely Polygamist (I’m referring to the book, not a religious transformation). I will run even though it will be 87 degrees.

I will be chilling deep.

the weekend may or may not include some or all of the following:

Project Runway-a-thon
Sung Tongs on vinyl
Blitzen Trapper on vinyl
The market
candied bacon crumbled on top of hardboiled eggs with cayenne pepper
She and Him in Royal Oak
running
Founders in the afternoon
Bring him to the Greek
drooling over Martha Stewart’s insane Encyclopedia of sewing and fabric crafts
reading The Lonely Polygamist
a martini
bedtime reading of Genesis
thunderstorms