"monkeys with boners would probably improve top chef"

One of the many highlights of the Ripert/Bourdain extravaganza from last night.  The whole thing really was exactly what I expected:  2 guys sitting around talking about food.  They each took turns "grilling" each other about various things (did you know Eric Ripert has been on Martha Stewart twenty times?  and Tony Bourdain thought heroin and cocaine probably interfered with his cooking, but believed LSD was an asset?) which did feel a little...rehearsed.  Seeing as though these guys do this a couple times a week and have been doing this for well over a year, I'll forgive them.  What I didn't expect was so much food politics.  Local, organic, sustainable practices were lauded while the junk food/fast food industry was likened to cigarettes.  I was particularly thrilled when the subject of fois gras came up and was defended as a practice.  I've only been lucky enough to put that deliciousness in my mouth once, but it might go down as one of the greatest food moments of my life.

Also, I think I need to go to Vietnam to eat.

Dinner at Bistro Bella Vita was quite good though I mildly regret getting the little neck clams with pasta.  When will I ever learn that a. pasta in restaurants is almost always overrated and b. seafood should not be ordered in the Midwest.  Having been brought up on the East Coast, sometimes I just long for some outstanding seafood. Best to wait until I get back out there this summer before going that route again. Melissa's duck was amazing though. And the beef carpaccio was also melt-in-your-mouth yummy. I only wish she and I had 4 more hours to hang out and talk. It's a rare thing for us to be alone and when I do get that time I realize just how good we can be for each other. I'm hoping for a lunch and maybe some window-shopping in the not too distant future

Saturday afternoon, despite having not gone to bed until the wee small hours of the morning, I ran my second 5k!  And it was awesome!  It was a fundraiser for someone who has been diagnosed with cancer and has reached that terrifying experimental therapy stage not covered by insurance. They managed to raise $5000 which is astounding given they thought it would end up just being a couple of friends. It was my friend Julie's first 5k (which turned out to not be an actual 5k, but thanks to Endomondo we made it one!) and my second one since December. I'm hooked. Next up is the St.Patty's Day Pacer on March 15th!

Rick Santorum is going to be in Holland tonight. At Hope College. Which is so gross I can't really even think about it too hard because it makes me sick to my stomach. He's leading in the polls out here in Michigan and I just can't believe it. I kind of got into it with a "friend" on facebook who was attempting to defend him. Go ahead and call me a hater, but there is absolutely nothing defensible about that man's positions. Contraception is bad! The right to consensual (GAY!) sex in your home means you'd have the right to pursue polygamy and incest! Give me a fucking break.  Go home, Santorum. Your 15 minutes are just about up.