Slice of Pink

My Summer Uniform Has Arrived

The most adorable apron arrived in the mail--a gift from my very talented friend Sara, who sewed it herself. The timing was absolutely perfect because next week I start the blogging challenge Whip It Up. I must have signed up for Whip It Up after too many margaritas because they are totally going to expect me to cook things and then tell you about it here. Sounds to me like a whole lot of pressure. 

At least I'll look cute Whipping It Up in my stylish new apron. How much do you love the pink rickrack detail and the pink crystals on the bib? It's just so fabulous! 

Thanks Sara!

June Love

Currently, I am loving:

The Evolution of Dance, Yeondoo Jung's Wonderland photographs, playing Banangrams at the kitchen table, 41 real science experiments, ripe raspberries, Shop-a-matic, margaritas (on the rocks, please), Swirl, receiving (and sending!) snail mail, The Giving Life, iced Strawberry Milkshake Coffee from Harry & Davis (sadly, no longer available online), meatloaf cupcakes with mashed potato frosting.

{photograph from fine furious life}

Five Times Five

Five things I purchased this weekend: Costco bottle of Jose Cuervo Golden Margaritas, headboard, shampoo, sandals, striped skirt. 

Five things I read this weekend: People, Us Weekly, Martha Stewart Weddings, In Touch, blogs.

Five tasks I accomplished this weekend: booked a hotel room for BlogHer, made a dental appointment, finished up a memo, found a missing Netflix DVD, bought a bike helmet.

Five things we ate this weekend: Mango yogurt at Swirl, Chipotle, fried green onion bread, Ultimate English Muffins, homemade Chinese food.

Five things on-deck for the upcoming week: hair appointment, work projects, lunch dates, carpet steam-cleaning, 4th of July fun.

Fun with Fractions

Twice so far this summer, Will and I have made a batch of cookies, both of which we ate in bed while watching old episodes of Entourage on DVD late at night.

On both cookie baking occasions--one peanut butter, one oatmeal raisin--we used the recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook and, on both occasions, we made only a quarter of the recipe. Who needs the 48 cookies that the full batch produces? No thanks.

So, where the recipe called for 2 cups of oatmeal, we put in only 1/2 a cup. Where the recipe called for 1 cup of butter, we put in only 1/4 cup.  This is relatively simple when the recipe calls for a single cup of something, but gets decidedly more complex when you need 1/4 of 3/4 of a cup of flour (that would be 3/16 of a cup, for the non-math majors). Even trickier is cutting teaspoons of things into quarters and, worst of all, figuring out how to add 1/4 of an egg.

Despite all this, both batches of cookies turned out fantastic, a miracle considering that our kitchen endeavors are largely disastrous. Plus, we brushed up on fractions, finally answering the age old question, "when am I ever going to use this?"

Chilly

Because Will keeps the air conditioning at about two degrees below zero, I so need this sweater. Do you think I could wear it to the movies, too? 

{Vincent Fournier via Swiss Miss}

My Davis

Real Simple has a fantastic My Hometown feature, where insiders share what's not to be missed about their cities.  The problem is: only 14 cities are listed, leaving the vast majority of America unrevealed. Last year, I told you about My Santa Barbara; today, I am telling you about My Davis. 

I'm hoping that you will also participate! Pretty please create a post on your blog telling us about your hometown--the place you currently live or the place you grew up, whichever you prefer--and send me the link. I'll post all of the links on a permanent page, that way, we will have great insider advice for the places we go. Need more inspiration? See RA's My Kennett Square and Janet's My DC!

My Davis: Janet Wallace 

Age: 28 

Occupation: Law Student 

I've lived here for: One Year 

I live here because: I am a student at UC Davis School of Law 

My neighborhood: South Davis 

My favorite restaurant: Cafe Bernardo 

If you go to this restaurant, be sure to order: The Amaretto French Toast 

My favorite museum: John Natsoulas Art Gallery 

My favorite tourist destination: UC Davis Arboretum 

Best insider spot: Wednesday evening at the Farmer's Market 

My favorite area: Downtown 

Best place to go shopping: Nestware and Pinkadot

When you visit, don’t forget to pack: Casual clothing 

But leave room in your suitcase for: Some Aggie gear

The one local cuisine you should try when you’re in town is: fresh fruit at the farmer's market

The best way to get around: Bicycle--in Davis, bicycles are more prolific than people!

If I had to describe this city in one word, it would be: Friendly! Davis was named one of the five friendliest cities in America. 

I tell my friends to stay at: Palm Court--or with me. 

The one thing most outsiders don’t know about this city is: Davis is the second most educated city in America. 

They say “Virginia is for lovers.” So fill in the blank: Davis is for bicycle-riding-tree-hugging families.

Eating Our Greens

On Friday night, Will decided that he was going vegetarian for seven days, Saturday to Saturday, a decision prompted by something he read in ESPN magazine about vegetarian athletes recovering faster. I figured I'd play along, since it's not like I am going to grill myself a steak or order a basket of chicken wings alone.  

The last time we experimented with vegetarianism was on a trip to Atlanta, quite possibly the worst ever place to be vegetarian what with all the delicious barbecue everywhere. We lasted for, like, two whole hours. It's not like you can order a spinach salad at Daddy D'z BBQ Joynt. They would laugh at you. And then it would come battered and fried anyway, so you might as well just get the pulled pork with a side of macaroni and cheese and try being vegetarian some other time.

We went down to the local fruit stand yesterday and picked up some fruits and vegetables. We also got some fresh apple salsa, a weird and surprisingly delicious treat that tastes a little bit like apple pie, but with onions and peppers and garlic. I bought one of those individually packed giant pickles.

Will likes to do things to the extreme--so he is also cutting out soda, sugar, and movie popcorn. Not me. I'm going vegetarian this week, not crazy.

Pink Goes {Coral}

Isn't coral so lovely? I'll take one of each, please.

The details are here, but I warn: do not fall in love with the coral bowl unless you have $430 to blow on a pretty dish. There was that IRS stimulus check. 

Forty Something

Nicole posted a prompt whereby we are supposed to list 40 things that happened in the last month and then look back and discuss our favorite. 

I can never follow a program precisely, so following are 40 things that have happened so far in June, a task that took decidedly longer than I anticipated.  Furthermore, being too indecisive to choose one favorite among the list, I propose this: if there is anything you need to know more about, please say so in the comments and I will prepare an extended discussion after which you will officially know everything about my life. Well, almost.

So far this June, I have: 

1. Made orange creamsicle smoothies.
2. Ordered bananagrams.
3. Went to the post office at least four times.
4. Watched Maxed Out.
5. Visited the local library.
6. Bought delicious strawberries at the Farmer’s Market.
7. Found Will’s missing wallet. It was at Wendy's.
8. Studied rural drug addiction.
9. Started reading Confessions of an Economic Hit Man.
10. Watched all three seasons of Arrested Development.
11. Witnessed a game-winning grand slam.
12. Sewed some fabric birds.
13. Ate at Chipotle. Four times. So far. 
14. Had some picnic dinners in the park.  
15. Shared a bottle of wine with Mary. 
16. Met friends for coffee. 
17. Saw Indiana Jones, which was bad. Really bad.
18. Edited things on Wikipedia. 
19. Watched Walmart: The High Cost of Low Prices. 
20. Went on a 15 mile bike ride.
21. Found a nearby fruit stand that makes incredible fruit freezes.     
22. Listened to some live music. 
23. Met up with some old robotics friends for lunch.  
24. Bought some Spotted Dick pudding. 
25. Wrote some memos.  
26. Bought a new mop.
27. Baked banana bread. 
28. Ruined a batch of brownies.
29. Baked a replacement batch of brownies. 
30. Slept in. And in. And in. And in.
31. Called the number on the back of receipts to get free things. 
32. Neglected the 10 minute clean up. 
33. Ate free popcorn.
34. Watched the Lakers lose. 
35. Walked to the gas station to get Strawberry Shortcake bars.
36. Bought fabric to sew an A's jersey for my cat. 
37. Went to the Outlet Mall. Bought nothing. 
38. Wore skirts and dresses.
39. Made mint ice cubes. 
40. Drank beer at Sophia's Thai Kitchen.

Oops, We Did it Again

Back in April, we received a coupon for a free Habit burger in the mail and, if you remember, we proceeded to retrieve two dozen more coupons from the recycle bin in front of the apartment mail boxes. 

We ate a lot of Habit that month. 

Looks like this month we will be eating a lot of Chipotle. 

A coupon--free burrito bowl, burrito, or tacos--arrived on Friday and due to diligent daily rummaging in the paper bin, we have retrieved nearly twenty more coupons. Why are people throwing away free tacos? It's practically a six dollar bill! 

Funny, just last week Will was saying how he largely disliked Chipotle; suddenly, it's his very favorite place to dine.

Emergency Situations

1. Our grocery store does not carry the White Chocolate Pudding mix that is necessary to make my favorite-ever pie. It's tragic, really. I think I might have to order a case from Amazon. How long does pudding mix stay fresh, anyway? 

2. I've got a ticket to BlogHer and no hotel room booked yet. I'd totally like to stay at the Westin, but only if I can get someone to split the bill. Otherwise, I might commute in--which would mean no cocktails, omg--or stay nearby at a cheaper hotel.  Decisions, decisions. Anyone need a roomie?

3. How long, exactly, does an opened bottle of red wine stay fresh? And must it be refrigerated?

Z to the Zizzle

I am feeling very strongly that we all need to make a better effort of regularly using these words in common parlance: 

1. fizzy 

2. dazzle 

3. swizzle 

4. pizzazz

5. mezzanine

Doesn't the double Z just sound so pleasing? 

I'm sure you can fit one of these great double Z words into a post today. Just another way to make the world a better place in which to live. 

More Marketing

It all started with this:
  
You see, I had not done much shopping while I was busy being a first-year law student. Will bought all the groceries and it has only been recently, in the last month or so, that I have been tagging along to do the weekly shopping. 

On the first trip to the market, I saw the Batter Blaster and, immediately, I wished I had brought my camera. What the hell? Batter Blaster? I don't know about you, but Blastering doesn't seem like the thing you do on Saturday morning in the kitchen with a cup of coffee and the newspaper. Then again, maybe it does.

 

 

I don't even know what to say about this. 

 

Those would be blueberries. Plain old blueberries. In a plastic tube. Why? And, Blasters? Again: Why? So, I started carrying my camera in my purse and there are some things we need to discuss. Like, for instance, this:

   

Lard and chocolate chips. I don't even get it. I'll admit that I am not the queen of the kitchen, but I can tell you this: you do not need to be eating lard. Really. Under any circumstances. It's called lard, for Pete's sake. At least buy Crisco or butter, which are also terrible, yes, but they are not called lard. Or maybe go with the lard. 

(How great is the heart logo on the lard, by the way? I heart lard! Love.) 

And, doesn't this look like mayonnaise not so cleverly disguised as salad dressing? 

 

It's not mayo! It's Salad Cream! Or as the website describes it, Pourable Sunshine! But, hey! At least it isn't lard. And, at least it isn't sexist, like this Pocky for men: 

 

I'm sorry, but what?

  

Oh, please.

I also need to show you the things I saw in Walmart! Stay Tuned!

Weighing In

This fancy scale arrived at our house yesterday, something my husband ordered off the Internet. It was significantly more expensive than the $10 Target scale that has been in our bathroom for the past five years and does all sorts of fancy calculating.

I input a bunch of data--my age, height, activity level, eye color, favorite movie--and then stood on the fancy glass scale. The scale, what a whiz, informed me of all sorts of things. My weight, obviously, but also my body fat percentage, my muscle mass, my water retention percentage, my visceral fat, and my suggested daily caloric intake. 

Basically, the stupid machine told me that I need to increase my muscle mass and decrease my body fat percentage. Blah, blah, blah. I don't even know what that means. Do I need to, like, lift some weights or something? 

I have always been really bad at working out. Luckily, not having a car has forced me to stay active--nearly everywhere I go is by bike or foot--but, still, I should probably go for a jog or a longer bike ride once in awhile. Perhaps I should post my scale stats here on a weekly basis, which might actually prompt me to get my crap together. I mean that would be so fascinating. Blah blah blah. 

In the meantime, I've strategically placed the new scale in a location that should help a little bit--right in front of the fridge. 

And Apparently There Will be a Skull Made of Crystal

Well, the choices for today's $4 movie with free popcorn are: 

+ Chronicles of Narnia 

+ Ironman 

+ Indiana Jones 

Am I totally thrilled or what? (Or what.) 

So, I guess I'll be going to see Indiana Jones, because it is the only one I know anything about (meaning, of course, that I've been on the ride at Disneyland a dozen times, not that I have actually seen Temple of Doom or whatever). I already know--there's gonna be a bumpy jeep ride, some bugs, some skeletons in a cave, a ten-ton boulder rolling at your head, and then Jones will use some rope creatively and save the day. That about sums it up, right? 

What a girl will go see for a free bag of popcorn. I mean, really.

Athletics

What a Sunday afternoon at the ballpark looks like to my husband:

What a Sunday at the ballpark look likes to me:

TWiB Notes, No. 5

+ Seth provided a list of questions to ask yourself before you hit send on the email.

+ Blonde Blogshell says that it is now a law to return your cart to the designated cart return area at your supermarket. I do, do you?

+ Mmmm...Malted Chocolate Mousse Cakes at Dessert First. 

+ Sarah is on summer vacation and will not be moving your laundry to the dryer and bringing in the trash cans, thankyouverymuch.

+ Oh Happy Day introduced me to the fabulous photography of Autumn de Wilde. Love. 

Your Questions Answered, The Geek Edition

I'm answering some of your questions today, catching up on all the business I failed to take care of back when it was due. This is my life. I have gifts to send for birthdays that occurred in May. You know, sometimes it is hard to get to the post office. What can I say? 

Here are some questions I received that suggest that y'all think I am a total geek. 

RA asked: 

What's a supergeeky thing you've done or loved or said? 

I love all things geeky--Pi day, Weird Al's White & Nerdy, Tom 7, FIRST Robotics. I have made purchases at Thinkgeek. I am pretty seriously in love with my MacBook. But, it's not like I've read the manual to my calculator or anything. 

Oh! Here's something super-geeky. A few nights ago Will and I were lying in bed and he was quizzing me on prime numbers. So, he would say "839" and I would say "Prime!" and he would say "1432" and I would say "Not Prime!" and so on. Okay, so that's pretty geeky.

And, Lani aksed: 

Do you think you know enough about robot assembly, that you could build one of your own? 

Oh, no. Robot building requires crap like math and computer programming and cutting metal and some stuff with electricity. I totally get a good engineering joke, but I can't actually engineer anything. I could probably put together a LEGO robot or a VEX robot, but neither of those robots could, like, wash my windows or vacuum my rug, so it would probably not be worth it. 


If so, what type of robot would you build? 

A personal assistant, all the way. One that could go to the post office and mail some packages for me.

Decidering, Part 11

Remember back when I was making decisions? I was doing so well and then Bam! Finals hit me like a ton of bricks and I failed to finish answering all of your questions. Hopefully y'all have made the decisions by this point, a month later, but maybe somebody else is sitting around wondering whether they should rent Arrested Development (yes) or go see Made of Honor (no). 

So, I'm back! Making decisions that have already been made! Coming through a day late and a dollar short! 

Leah needs a new camera and asked whether she should get a digital SLR or get something small and compact.

I decide: Go small and compact. I know, I know. I almost don't want to say it because, honestly, I love my digital SLR with all my heart. But, you know, it is kind of bulky and inconvenient for regular use. You can't keep it in your purse and, what with all the lenses and flashes and whatnot, you have to carry heavy camera luggage with you every where you go. It's practically like toting a baby around, minus all the crying. (Oh, what do I know? It's so not like toting a baby around, but it's the closest thing in my world.) Anyway, if you are choosing between the two, get a compact camera first. Far more than half of the photos I take are with my point-and-shoot, just because it is easy to throw in my purse as I walk out the door--no fuss, no big backpack of gear. If only children were so easy, I'd have four already! 

All that said, whatever your choice may be, buy your camera at Costco. If I give one good piece of advice this year, if you take nothing away from reading this blog except this, it is to BUY YOUR CAMERA AT COSTCO. Get a membership if you have to. The reason is that Costco has a wonderful, amazing, want-to-make-out-behind-the-bleachers return policy. I returned a camera that was a year old once, because it was "acting funny." "Acting funny" is how I described the camera's problem to the lady at the counter and she was just like, cool, so here's a whole bunch of cash. 

I don't know if I ever told you about the television I returned to Costco. I had this television that also started "acting funny" after a year or so of ownership--specifically, it made a weird noise when the DVD tray ejected--so I took it down to Costso to exchange it for a new one. They had the exact same television in stock, but during the year that I had owned the television, the price had been reduced by nearly $100. So you know what they did, those crazy and wonderful Costco return ladies? They gave me a new television plus some cash. HOW ARE THEY EVEN MAKING MONEY? 

So, get whatever. Big camera, little camera, a gigantic tub of ketchup. If you end up hating it tomorrow--or next year--you can just return it for something new. 

Cream Pie

I got out this month's issue of Martha Stewart Living to make some cracks about how I will not be making sour-cherry savarins (using, of course, my collection of savarin molds) or redecorating my entry in Dutch Colonial, but then I got stuck on the article about cream pies and fell in love with Martha all over again.

  

Chocolate-Caramel Cream Pie 


Lemon-Chamomile Cream Pie 

Espresso Cream Pie
 

Rum-Vanilla Cream Pie 

Summer Fruit Cream Pie
 

Butterscotch-Praline Cream Pie 

To be honest, I'm probably not going to make any of these cream pies, but I would like to encourage all of you to whip up one of these. And please, please invite me over.