Salt bagels are delicious!

Today I had my first salt bagel. Ever. I'm not sure what took so long- those little doughy circles of goodness are freaking delicious! It's like eating a pretzel for breakfast. With a side of cream cheese. If you haven't had one, I encourage you to run out to neighborhood bagel shop and pick up a few.

Ode to Bagels

Bagels, bagels are good for the soul,
with their big outside and little round hole.

Bagels, bagels are good for the mind.
I’ve never been known to leave one behind.

Bagels, bagels, they put you at ease.
You can eat them with lox,
You can eat them with cream cheese.

(Poem written by a 6th grader from Illinois- but it pretty much describes my feelings completely)

And in other news...

It snowed (again) yesterday. Not Snowpocalypse status, but still enough that the roads are a tad bit icy and I don't feel like braving the conditions to go out into the world. There are just too many crazies-behind-the-wheel out there.

Yesterday was the big going away party for Tai Shan, the Zoo's four-year-old panda that China has decided to steal from the U.S. Well, I guess they didn't actually "steal" the cute little guy; China has a monopoly on the entire panda bear population worldwide and therefore has the right to claim its property at any time. Needless to say, some people have been really worked up about it. Like, really, really worked up. That panda has an intense fan club that seems to shun the rest of the zoo's inhabitants for that big black-and-white bear. They even have panda-themed hats.

Now, I'm no panda hater, but I think that someone needs to stick of for the other cool animals at the Zoo. Just a few feet away from the "real" pandas are the red pandas- adorable, energetic little guys that look like a raccoon-fox combination. They frolic and make noises and get very little attention, even though they are basically begging for a few photographs to be taken of them!

(Adorable red panda in the snow via National Zoo)

To be honest, I was more upset when the hippo was taken away. Happy (the hippo) left for greener pastures last fall without getting a send-off party. Also, since the elephant house is undergoing a major renovation, Ben and I haven't been able to visit the pygmy hippos or the capybaras, two of my faves. But the pandas are the real celebrities of the Zoo, so they get all the attention. Where is the justice?!

That said, there are still plenty of other cool animals worth checking out at the Zoo, which has become one of our favorite D.C. hangouts. Ben highly recommends checking out the maned wolf- it looks like a red fox on stilts. But it smells real bad.

I promise there are other, more important, things going on in our lives aside from discussing zoo drama. But I felt like something needed to be said on the other animals' behalf...

:)

~S~

I'm Currently:

Note: I haven't filled out one of these survey-type things since the days when Myspace was still cool...

Loving:
Coffee! Coffee from our new coffee press, lattes from Starbucks, McCafes from the golden arches. Yesterday's rather tasteless iced coffee from Einstein Bros was a disappointment (where was my caramel syrup?!) but I am still on a major coffee kick!

Hating:
That I napped through yesterday's gorgeous weather rather than going for a run. I was wagering that the sun would still be here today, but alas- I was confined to the gym this afternoon. Boo.

Wondering:
What the ATL is like. I'm headed there on Tuesday for a conference and am unsure of what to expect from Hotlanta. I do enjoy that the city has so many nicknames.


Feeling:
Ready to go back to school. Pretty crazy to think that I'm already thinking about willingly re-entering that crazy world, but it seems like I should be taking advantage of the solid schools that D.C. has to offer to pick up a Master's. At least, that seems like the mature thing to do.

Reading:
A memoir (that I just bought yesterday) written by a woman who was interning in the Clinton White House during the whole Monica Lewinsky scandal. It's making me realize that college kids in D.C. definitely have a leg up in the political world- this chick was working for Stephanopolous by age 18.

Watching:
Only movies that meet my "under 90 minutes" requirement. :)

Listening to:
Drake, who apparently was "Jimmy" in Degrassi: The Next Generation before Lil Wayne made him a hip-hop star. Interesting.

Wishing:
That I could have a puppy, like, now! Last weekend we went to a pet store and played with an adorable Golden Retriever baby that I was so ready to take home. Alexandria is *such* a dog friendly town, it only makes sense that we get one, right? Sigh. Soon enough... Until then, Porkchop will have to do.


~S~

Some Serious Mac-and-Cheese

Today is National Cheese Day!

Yesterday I made Martha Stewart's Perfect Macaroni and Cheese for the first time. It was freaking awesome. But let's be honest- any food dish made with more than two pounds of cheese is bound to be delicious.

(Some of the eight cups of cheese that went in to the sauce)

Constructing the slab of cheesy noodles was quite the ordeal- definitely a little more time consuming than Kraft. Ben and Chris were responsible for grating all that cheese (while watching Seinfeld) and I assembled the noodles, butter, cheese, and milk sauce, and bread crust. A half-hour later, we had a meal!

(Before going into the oven... already looking tasty)

Macaroni and cheese, wine, Seinfeld, and dominoes... now that's a classy Tuesday night!

~S~

Seen in D.C.

Last week's visit from Kirsten gave me a good excuse to be in full tourist mode. I snapped this cool shot of ol' George's shadow at the Smithsonian American History Museum. Apparently, this Greek-inspired statue was the original Washington Monument, but since everyone found it to be a little odd, after years of being moved around it eventually was gifted to the Smithsonian Institution. I think it's pretty rad to see one of our founding fathers in a toga, but that's just me...

~S~

Restaraunt Week: Hook

Let's hear it for Restaurant Week!

While many of the locals seem to love to hate Restaurant Week, I simply love it. It's a great excuse to splurge a little for a great meal at a place that you wouldn't normally try out, thanks to special discounted three course meal-deals. Over the summer, Ben and I tried out Agraria Farmers and Fishers- an awesome "farmer chic" themed eatery located on the Georgetown waterfront. This time, Kirsten- who was visiting from California- joined us at Hook, another Georgetown restaurant. We were definitely not disappointed!

Hook has a very classy vibe- minimal decor with funky lighting and cool fish photos. The servers were courteous and very helpful. Loved them! We had dinner at 6:30 and the place wasn't busy at all- the staff were literally fighting over who could refill our waters and clear our table first. Kinda makes a person feel important.

(Photo courtesy furcafe)

The food was the real focus, though. Oh my gosh, THE FOOD. This was definitely not the kind of place that Ben would normally go to- he's more of a 'meat and potatoes' kinda guy- but he really enjoyed it. I ordered the grilled calamari, bluefish with polenta and veggies, and the tiramisu for dessert. Ben got the arugala salad, mahi mahi with beans, and mini-ice cream sandwiches. Kirsten had the cauliflower soup, artic char with sweet potato puree, and a delicious cheesecake with orange reduction.

All of us were blown away by the food. The presentation of each dish was beautiful and, although the portions weren't huge, we were surprised by how full we were at the end of the meal. I'm a major fish fan, so I was excited to try bluefish for the first time. It's unlike any fish I have ever had- almost beefy- and the folks at Hook cooked it to perfection. I'd love to try to serve some up at home, but I'm scared that my attempt will come no where close to the deliciousness I have already experienced! Ben and Kirsten also raved about their selections- it was surprising how distinctly different each of our fish selections tasted. Ben's Mahi Mahi was the least "fishy" tasting and Kirsten's was almost buttery. Mmmm!

Here's our beautiful desserts:

(Kirsten's elegant cheesecake)

(Ben's cute little ice cream sandwiches with vanilla bean ice cream)


(My oh-so-delicious tiramisu)

All in all, we were very impressed with Hook. It was nice to share such a classy meal with Kirsten before she had to make the big trek home to the left coast. I think Restaurant Week has become one of my favorite "D.C." things to do- too bad it only comes twice a year!

~S~

Things That Make You Go Hmmm....

Some people in this town just ain't right.

Apparently, some dude was arrested yesterday for leaving a suspicious package near the White House on the Ellipse... but instead of it being a bomb or something scary like that it was really just a bag full of clothes. Because Dude went for a run. Naked. At 5 p.m. down E Street in 25 degree weather.

According to WaPo:

Secret Service and D.C. police officers chased the man after he refused to stop.

"He was apprehended, naked though he was," Wiley said.

Thankfully, I was no where near the White House yesterday. But I still felt the need to share my bewilderment...

(Photo courtesy mysza831)

And in other news: my guinea pig just ate its body weight in parsley.

~S~

The Best Part of My Morning Commute

What do you get when you mix Chamillionaire cockiness with the soothing sounds of Tom Petty?

My morning anthem:

I want to show all of my haters love (hey!)
This song's for you (this song's for you)
If you had it like me and I was in your shoes
I'd probably hate on me too
See when you're gettin big cash stacks, all the haters hate that
'Cause they hate to see you be successful
I want to show all of my haters love
So I wave to you like "good morning"
Ha-ha-ha-ha-haters, good morning
Ha-ha-ha-ha-haters, good morning

Even though my 7-mile commute sometimes can take over 45 minutes, this song never ceases to bring a smile my face. Even when the crazy local drivers swerve and honk and cut us off at the light instead of turning right like they are supposed to.

Luckily, our XM DJ-of-choice, Renada Romain, seems to also be a big fan of the song, so Ben and I have been able to wave good morning to the haters that we pass- and there are a lot out there.

Kudos for Chamillionaire for being a rapper with a sense of humor.

~S~

What I Did On My Christmas Vacation

Happy twenty-ten! We got back from a much-needed trip to the left coast on Sunday- and were promptly greeted with frigid winter temperatures. Curse you, East Coast weather!

Note to self- always fly with Virgin America. Not only do they provide entertainment centers (which I used to watch pointless reality TV and 500 Days of Summer- a very cute movie), they also have these rad purple lights that make you feel like a jet setter. Our Super Shuttle ride back home made me feel like less of a rock star, though- still no idea why it took 2 1/2 hours. After (finally) making it home by 10 pm, we luckily found that the trusty car was intact and not buried in snow, so we raced to our favorite Mickey D's for dinner. Hey, we had been at the airport since 9:30 am, after all!

A California Christmas in Five Photos:

1. Traditional Christmas cookies decorated with Becky- chickens, flamingos, and flowers... okay, maybe not the most traditional per se, but still cute!


2. Addie's first trip to the snow! That dog can climb! And snow is waaay more fun when you can just play in it rather than having to trudge home in heels...


3. I was reunited with Callie, the frighteningly obese cat. This picture doesn't even do her justice. TRUST ME. This cat is fat.


4. Went and saw Avatar, which essentially is Pocahontas set in space... three hours of watching cool alien animals get destroyed by greedy humans who spoke in cheesy cliches about "taking it to the next level." Unfortunately, there weren't any Avatar characters available to pose with at the theater so I forced Ben and Josh to mingle with these (creepy) chipmunks.


5. We randomly met this adorable little girl at Peet's Coffee who wasted no time in climbing all over Jennie and I, hugging and kissing us and giving us nicknames. The cuteness was fine and all, but I have a sneaking suspicion that her germs are to blame for my current flu-like condition. Yikes.


After much traveling and visiting and eating and resting, Ben and I back in NoVA- wish me luck as I get back into the swing of things. There is work to be done! I am also anxiously awaiting Kirsten to arrive so that we can go on some more adventures... so this flu needs to get lost!

~S~