I'd rather be in Tanzania

Wouldn't you? To get me there, I started my Tanzania Trip Fund yesterday.

Tonight's the Night

Season premiere of Grey's Anatomy tonight. Who's excited?!

Lesson Learned

Turning 26 is not the same as turning 21.

Happy Birthday to Me! [Evening Edition]

Listen. Did you hear that? It was the sound of the champagne cork popping out of the bottle. And that? That was the sound of my glass being placed back on the desk after imbibing this wonderful straw colored sparkling fluid. Ahhhh.

Today was absolutely fabulous. More phone calls in one day then I've had over the past two weeks. Gorgeous sunny weather with temps in the high eighties. And now a chance to put aside the impending RD exam to sit back, relax, and do absolutely nothing for the evening. Okay, I might make myself dinner and run myself a bath but other than that I promise, it's an evening of absolutely nothing.

I'd like to extend a big "Thank You!" to everyone who made this birthday another special day in my history of birthdays. Lucky for me tonight is not the end of the celebrations. They'll continue on Thursday when I spend the evening with the high-school-sweethearts and then at the weekend when my mom comes to visit. Let the good times roll!

Happy Birthday To Me! [morning edition]

For the first time in a long time I am not surrounded by my friends on my birthday. I don't know how I got so lucky, but usually I have a big get together with my friends on or around my birthday. To be honest I was dreading today a little bit just because I didn't know how it would be to wake up alone in my apartment and then go to work where no one knows it's my birthday. I should have guessed that just like in years past, my friends and family wouldn't let me down.

The first person to wish me a happy birthday was ex-roommie. She called at 1am, determined to be the first to wish me a happy day. Luckily I left my phone in the living room so instead of being woken up at an ungodly hour, I was pleasantly surprised by a voicemail this morning. Awesome.

After listening to her message I replayed the birthday morning ritual of my youth by opening the birthday cards and present that were waiting for me on the dining room table. Even though I had left them there yesterday after retrieving them from my mailbox, it was nice to wake up knowing there was something waiting for me. Thank you Mom, HM and Laura for the goodies!

The rest of the morning was filled with a birthday serenade on my walk to the bus and emails/ecards waiting for me when I arrived to work. Tonight I look forward to a pan of Ghirardelli double chocolate brownies, a bottle of champagne, and a hot bubble bath. Pamper and relax feeling loved, that's the way to spend a birthday.

Adventures in Travel

This past weekend I made a trip up to New York for a girl's weekend. I-banker, Soul-friend and I haven't been together in the same city since Christmas, so this was long overdue. I wish I had some wild and crazy story to tell you about the weekend but in all honesty it was just great hanging out, catching up and relaxing. We did experience some NY Cab Hospitality when the cab that we were driving in almost hit another car. Here's the polite conversation our cabbie had with the driver of that car:

Driver: "You f***ing hit my car, I'll f***ing f**k you up!"
Cabbie: "You'll f**k me up?"
Driver: "Yeah. I'll f***ing f***k you up you f****er!"
Cabbie: "Come on then, f***k me up. I like that!"

Not exactly what I would have done in this situation but I guess this is New York. Luckily we didn't have to witness anyone f***ing anyone up and we made it safely to dinner with our friends in the meatpacking district.

To get between New York and DC I decided to take the Chinatown bus. When I left from DC it wasn't any different then leaving on a normal bus. I went to the "pick-up" address and found an office (okay an empty room with a desk, a wall lined with chairs for customers to wait for the bus, and a TV playing CCTV channel 4). When the bus arrived we walked out to the boarding area (the back alley) and we were on our way to New York. My experience in New York was, how do you say it?, a little bit more raw.

I arrived at the "pick-up" location to find a corner of the street with lots of Chinese women wearing fanny packs and visors running around. They ask you where you are going and when you tell them they act upset and ignore you. That or they point you down the street and shoo you away as if your mere presence in front of them is unacceptable. Then, out of nowhere, they suddenly decide it's time for you to get on your bus. And they mean now! So they start yelling out your destination and pointing and ushering (read: pushing) you in the direction of another corner. Once me and my fellow travelers got to that corner we waited a few minutes, confused, and then saw the bus pull up. The bus driver got out exchanged a few words with the lady and then drove off. Apparently, he couldn't stop because we were in a no-stopping area and there was a police officer standing on the corner. After a few more minutes of confusion (read: waiting to see if the police officer was going to move) we were ushered, down the block, across the street and around the corner. Luckily at this location the driver was able to pull over and we were able to board the bus. The bus then circled Chinatown three times to pick up more passengers before we were finally on our way back to DC. On one of the circles the driver parked so he could get out and take a smoke break.

The take home message from riding the Chinatown bus:

• Arriving early is not necessary.
• The bus does not leave unless it is completely full.
• To avoid sitting next to the toilet either board first or pick an empty seat next to someone who looks friendly. Preferably said person will be wearing earphones or will already be asleep.
• Although it's cheap (round trip is $35) the quality is equivalent to riding a greyhound.

Happy Friday!

Another work week down, another weekend to enjoy! This weekend I am heading out of town and up to New York for a girl's weekend. Soul friend has invited me to join her and our mutual friend i-banker for a weekend of shopping, food and fun. It's going to be awesome. Not only is it a little pre-birthday celebration but it will also be nice to spend some time with my ladies and I'll have a chance to catch up with Mr. Broadway.

The adventure begins tonight at 6pm when I board the China-town bus. I have no idea what to expect from the ride, although I hear it is quite comfortable. What I do know is that it will be nothing like the bus rides I recently experienced in China and for that I am extremely grateful. I just hope I get there somewhat on time so I can join my ladies for a cocktail and some gossip. That means, you can look forward to some posts when I return on Monday as I'm sure I'll have some stories to share.

Happy Friday and have a great weekend!

My walk score is 75, what's yours?

To celebrate my 150th post I am going to tell you about the coolest thing I have found on the internet, ever. It's called Walk Score and it basically tells you what is within walking distance from your home; restaurants, grocery stores, coffee shops, schools, parks, etc. It is so awesome that I have added a Walk Score button to the bottom right corner of my blog, just under the quotes, so you can check it out right now. What are you waiting for? Go!

Where did all the fresh air go?

Why is it that, outside of the lunch hour, the only people that leave the building during the work day are the smokers? As a receptionist I am only allowed to leave my desk three times a day. Unless there is someone to cover my position, I sit here watching the smokers happily going in and out of the office to light up. Then, when I'm finally able to leave my desk, and the building, for my 15 minute morning-break-leg-stretch-ing lap around the building, I am surrounded by the smokers huddling against the wall so the wind doesn't blow out their flame while they light their cigarettes leaving me to wonder, where did all the fresh air go?

What I can tell you is it is a gorgeously sunny and warm 76 degrees fahrenheit outside and I am sitting here bundled up in my scarf freezing cold because all the fresh air is being circulated through the building's air conditioning. What I wouldn't give for a west-facing window or a cup of hot chocolate right now.

Word Cloud

I came across Word Clouds this morning while I was browsing other people's blogs. Let's just say I have a little extra time on my hands here at work. So for your enjoyment, here's my word cloud.


Very interesting . . .

The Biggest Scare of my Life

About a month ago I made an appointment to take my Registered Dietitian Exam. With no job and parents coming to visit the weekend after the scheduled test date, I figured it was perfect. Just long enough to really study and not long enough to procrastinate. Unfortunately life happens; I got a job and my parents decided not to come visit that weekend.

Needless to say my previous 8 hour study days have now turned into 8 hour work days plus about an hour a day of studying. I know at best this amount of studying is poor, so I made plans to reschedule my exam. When I called the testing center on Monday I found out that I didn't have the correct information with me. Apparently you need your authorization number which is not your ADA membership number, nor the random number printed on your application to test. I was assured that if I called back that evening or the following morning I would be able to reschedule. Unfortuantely, between going for a two mile run and helping a friend with a "situation", I completely forgot to call the testing center last night. Imagine my surprise this morning when I finally called the testing center only to have them tell me they could not reschedule my test because I was within the 48 hr period of no-rescheduling. It was 11:05 am my time, 10:05 am central time, and I apparently would have had to call before 10:00am central time to reschedule. I lost it.

Not only was I going to have to take two days off of work effective immeadiately, I was also going to have to stay up for the next 48 hours cramming everything I could about nutrition into my little brain, in the hopes that it would be enough to pass on Thursday. That or pay another $175 to reschedule the exam. I was freaking out. So I did what any normal human being would do and I went to the higher power. After four phone calls I finally reached a human being at the Commission on Dietetic Registry and she was able to help me reschedule my exam. Phew, crisis averted. I now have until October 18th to get my act together and study. Yup, I have decided instead of keeping my test date a secret I am going to type it for everyone to read. Now it's your responsibility to make sure I stick to my test date. Rescheduling is not an option (well it actually is, I can reschedule as many times as I like, but for me I need to stop procrastinating and just get this thing over with, I'm taking today's situation as a sign).

Gordon Update

About 6 months ago I had the pleasure of having my parents pet birds stay with me and my roommate. During that time I noticed that Gordon, the lovebird, had a little growth on her toe. I wasn't sure whether it was a cut that was healing or a growth so when my parents returned from their vacation I made sure to ask my mom about it. She hadn't noticed it before and said she would keep her eye on it. Unfortunately during the past months it didn't heal and instead appeared to be getting bigger.

A couple of weeks ago my mom took Gordon to the vet and they decided it was best to remove the growth from Gordon's toe. The surgery to remove the growth went really well however Gordon had to be fitted with a plastic collar around her neck (not unlike those given to dogs, except facing the other direction) to prevent her from pulling the bandage off of her toe. This meant that not only could she no longer pick at her toe, she also couldn't fly. For the past two weeks Gordon has been busy running circles around my parents apartment instead of flying. She also has become a little more cuddly with my Mother.

Last week Gordon had the collar removed and we found out that the growth was spindle cell sarcoma. For now Gordon appears to be fine and has returned to her normal mischief. If the growth comes back we'll take her to the vet to have her toe removed. Hopefully it won't grow back and this will be the end of it.


Gordon and her beautiful toes

Time for Change

Same blog, different design. I recently decided that after a year of the same design it was time for change. I am hoping that this design will highlight my food photos more as improving my food photography is one of my goals this year. So, what do you think?

Banana Oatmeal Loaf with Chocolate Chips

Unfortunately I don't have a picture for this modern twist on banana bread. Sadly, my little digital camera has run out of batteries and I-can't-find-any-replacements-in-the-house/I'm-too-lazy-to-go-out-and-buy-some. But don't you worry, a little bird told me that I will be receiving a new toy** for my upcoming birthday that will aid me with my food photography.

This recipe originally came from Cooking Light. I adapted it by adding chocolate chips. The inclusion of oatmeal provides more fiber and whole grains than a regular banana bread. Plus the dark chocolate chips provide antioxidants. This banana bread is just the ticket for treating yourself after a hard week without feeling completely guilty. It's easy to throw together and is perfect for a Saturday afternoon snack.


Banana Oatmeal Loaf

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour


• 2/3 cup sugar


• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder


• 1/4 tsp baking soda


• 1/4 tsp salt


• 3/4 cup regular oats


• 1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2)


• 1/3 cup low-fat buttermilk


• 1/4 cup vegetable oil


• 1 tsp vanilla extract


• 2 large eggs, slightly beaten

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and oats in a large bowl. Stir to mix. Add 1/2 cup chocolate chips.
3. In a separate bowl combine bananas, buttermilk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and eggs. Mix well.
4. Add liquid mixture to flour mixture, stir until moist. Do not over mix.
5. Spoon batter into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350F for 55 minutes or until golden and wooden pick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes, slice and enjoy!

**When I get my new toy I'll have to make this again and then post some appropriate photos.

Reminiscing

Because I have a little time on my hands I thought I would take a moment and look back to where I was a year ago. This time last year I had just finished my first week of my clinical rotation at Downey Regional Medical Center. It's crazy to think that one year later I no longer live in LA, I've got an MS behind my name, and I've returned to the corporate world by becoming a receptionist. If you asked me a year ago where I would be now, I would have probably told you working in a hospital in Northern California as a clinical dietitian with an MS RD at the end of my name. Although the current job pays the bills, the good news is that it also acts as good motivation to get me to take my test as quickly as possible so I can return to the world of nutrition.

On a completely unrelated note did you know that the United States is made up of 46 states and 4 commonwealths? I happen to live in one of them, the other three are Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Kentucky. Nowadays there is no difference between the two, except for the ability to correct people when they refer to the state of Virginia. That means that just across the bridge is the convergence of a state, a district and a commonwealth. I think that beats the four corners . . . don't you?

Why I Love DC

1. I only drive my car two days a week.
   
2. Running along the Potomac river.
   
3. The season between September and November known as fall.
   
4. There is always something going on. (serving dinner at the homeless shelter, ultimate frisbee, jazz in the sculpture garden, brunch with friends, happy hour, running and bike trails, oktoberfest, arts festivals, etc.)
   
5. Did I mention public transportation?
   
6. Living in my own apartment; no roommates, no pets, no plants.

It's All Happening!

So you might be wondering, what exactly is "it"? Well, like we say here in DC, I can't really talk about that, it's confidential. But I promise I'll keep you updated when I can say a few things. But I will tell you it refers to:

1. The RD Exam
2. Work Opportunities
3. New Friends
4. Getting Involved

Thank goodness this week is a blue skies and sunshine kind of week. (See here if that doesn't make sense)

How was your weekend?

Yesterday I had the joy of spending most of the day at the Virginia DMV. So to treat myself I spent the afternoon in Old Town Alexandria wandering the booths at the Alexandria Arts Festival. I think just about every city I have ever lived in had an Arts Festival. I remember as a child wandering around the Los Altos Art and Wine Festival in California amazed at the photography, paintings and unique jewelry. The Alexandria Arts Festival was pretty much the same, minus the wine. The most interesting artist was David Schmidt who does banana photos. Below is one of my favorites entitled "Happy Anniversary".

David Schmidt Photography www.bananaphoto.com
After spending yesterday not studying, I knew when I woke up this morning, today would be a work day. So after a delicious ladies brunch at the Peacock Cafe in Georgetown, it's time to hit the books. I am going to get this studying done so I can take this test and really revel in the fact that I am no longer in school. That being said, I might become a bit of a hermit over the next few weeks but hopefully you won't take it personally.

WuGwai becomes a Virginian!

In case you're wondering who WuGwai** is, she's my car and she officially became a Virginian today after her mom, that's me, waited in line at the DMV for two hours to register and title her. It's so long California licence plates and hello Virginia plates. I had heard rumors the registration and titling fees were a precentage of the sale price of the vehicle but luckily it only turned out to be $13. To complete the process I have to take her to an inspection station and get her emissions tested (rumored to be $16), something Virginians have to do once a year (unlike California's smog check every five years). Once that is completed, I will have to go back to the DMV and pay for the full year registration stickers ($41). Man, children are expensive!

On a sidenote:
Virginian law says you have 30 days from the start of your residence in which to register your car with the state, but not once did anyone at the DMV ask, when did you move here? So my question is, could I have continued to drive around with my California plates until they expired in March and then registered and titled my car in Virginia? It just seems silly that I have paid California registration and Virginia registration for the months of September through March. On top of which, three weeks before I moved I payed for new licence plates and replacement registration stickers because some idiot decided it would be wise to steal my licence plates. I guess I just feel that the Department of Motor Vehicles is getting more of my money than they should. But at least I have a souvenir set of California plates to keep as a memory of the old days. Any thoughts on what I should do with them?

**WuGwai is Cantonese for turtle and she was named that because of her green color and (hopefully!) long life by one of my close gal pals in LA.

Welcome to the Real World

I knew it wouldn't be easy. I had been warned almost as much as I had been pestered about joining the ranks of the employed. I guess part of the problem is there was no transition period. One day I had all the time in the world to do whatever I wanted the next my routine was set: up at 5:45, on the bus at 7, work 8-5, bus home at 5:20, arrive home 6:20, dinner, study, bed. Rinse and repeat. With any change comes the rollercoaster of adjustment; one minute you are loving everything including the clear blue skies and sunshine, the next you are cursing the heat and humidity. Today was a cursing day but hopefully Monday will be a blue skies and sunshine day.

Here are the highlights from the first week of work:

• The Job: I am working as a receptionist at a non-profit organization moments from the Ballston metro. The perks
  1. The bus to work picks up at the end of my street and drops off a block from work.
  2. I am responsible for answering the phones, registering visitors, and responding to emails. The office gets approximately 30 phone calls (a day), 1 visitor (every other day) and 5 emails (a day). The rest of the time is mine to entertain myself.
  3. Farmer's market on Friday, parks to sit in for lunch, and loads of restaurants.
  
  
• Lunch Time: Apparently in Ballston it's difficult to enjoy a lunch alone as a single female.
  1. Day One: a friendly coworker joined me after seeing that I was eating lunch alone.
  2. Day Two: a man who works in the same building as I do who, after two minutes of conversation, asked "Is it too early to ask for your phone number?" My response, "Uh, yeah."
  3. Day Three: one of the vendors from the farmer's market was about to join me until I averted my eyes at all costs so as not to accidentally give him the green light it was okay to sit with me. It worked.

But I guess that's one week down, one paycheck for the bank and now it's the weekend.

J-O-B

Here's how I roll:

 

Tuesday morning I decided to finally get started on my temporary job search. For those of you who aren't aware I am currently searching for a job that will pay the bills until I can find the nutrition job of my dreams, or at least a nutrition job that I will enjoy and learn a lot from. To accomplish this I started checking the online job postings and I sent my resume to OfficeTeam, the temporary staffing company I used to work for back in California.

 

Tuesday afternoon I had an interview with OfficeTeam.

 

Wednesday morning I started my new job.

 

So there. You can stop bugging me now as I am employed, with very little spare time for anything else, no more travelling, but at least I can pay my bills and continue to live in my apartment. In other news I checked out the new grocery store near me tonight. It might cost a little more but I think it is definitely worth it.

Hot Cross Buns

These buns are one of the first things I buy everytime I am in England. There's nothing like a toasted bun with butter and a cup of hot tea. Well, hot tea or coffee or hot chocolate or whatever hot beverage you like. I came across this recipe in Donna Hay's Modern Classics 2. I always admired the recipe but skipped over it because I couldn't find candied mixed peel or mixed spice. Yesterday I decided I would make them anyways, eliminating the peel and substituting the mixed spice with allspice.

Despite my fear of yeast, these buns actually rose as I was told they would and turned out quite delicious. I must admit I forgot to add the raisins until after I had left the dough to rise for five minutes so there aren't as many as there should be. I also feel that the flavor of the recipe would be enhanced with a little bit of salt, or just make sure to enjoy the buns with salted butter.

Hot Cross Buns 1 tbsp active dry yeast 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk 4 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 2 tsp allspice 2 tsp cinnamon 1 1/2 oz butter, melted 1 egg a good handful or two of raisins 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, extra 1/3 cup water

Glaze 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 up water 2 tsp powdered gelatine 1 tbsp water, extra

1. To activate the yeast combine it with 2 tsp of the sugar and all of the milk and set aside for 5 minutes or until frothy.
   
2. Add the flour, allspice, cinnamon, butter, egg, raisins, and remaining sugar to the frothy yeast mixture. Combine until a sticky dough forms.
   
3. On a lightyly floured surface, knead the dough until elastic (approx. 10 min). Place in an oiled bowl, cover with a dish towel and let rise until doubled in size (approx. 1 hr).
   
4. Divide the dough into 12 balls and place in a 9in square cake tin lined with parchment paper. Set aside and let rise (approx. 30 min).
   
5. Combine the extra flour and water, place in a plastic sandwich bag, cut the tip off the bag and pipe crosses on the buns. Bake for 35 minutes or until browned.
   
6. During baking combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook until dissolved. Combine gelatine and 1 tbsp water and then add to sugar water. Cook for 1 minute. Brush over buns.

**Note: the glaze from this recipe can also be used on fruit tarts.

R.I.P.

Today was a sad day. After conducting some internet research on the care and health of Euphorbias I came to the sad realization that my beloved plant had contracted a disease and there was nothing more I could do for her. So today, after saying a few words, I bid farewell to my plant of three years. I'm not completely sure how she contracted the disease she was suffering from but I like to think it had nothing to do with the fact that she sat in a car for a week as I relocated to the east coast nor to the fact that I left her home alone for the month I was in China.

In other news, I decided to use this opportunity to clean my entire apartment. One of the benefits of living alone is that when you clean there is no one else to mess it up. The downside is there is no one to split the chore duty with or blame the mess on. Happy Labor Day!

Soup Mania

**After a three month hiatus, I am back!**

Back in the beginning of July after a long day of unloading all my belongings into my new apartment, my dad and I had one mission. First, we knew we needed to unpack everything that belonged in my favorite room in the apartment, the kitchen. Second, we needed to use these supplies to make ourselves dinner. We ended up eating Trader Joe's frozen crab cakes paired with a fresh (bagged) herbed salad but it was absolutely delicious and the first meal I made in my new place.

Since then I haven't been in my apartment very much and I am sad to say my kitchen has been quite neglected. With a trip to Cape Cod, Los Angeles, and a month roaming around China the only thing I have been cooking recently has been soup.

Soup making uses up the fresh ingredients that remain the day before my trip and the resulting soup is easily stored in the freezer until my return. Plus it is the easiest dish to make when you are preoccupied with packing. That being said, there are currently four types of soup in my freezer:

• Vegan Split Pea Soup


• Leek and Potatoe Soup


• Butternut Squash Soup


• Carrot and Coriander Soup

The first two have appeared on this blog before and you can find the recipes here and here. The second two are soup-er simple (don't mind the pun).

1. Dice an onion and brown in the bottom of a large pot.
   
2. Add diced vegetable (butternut squash, carrot, etc.)
   
3. Add desired herbs or spices (bay leaf, coriander, salt, pepper, etc.)
   
4. Add vegetable stock and simmer until vegetables are tender.
   
5. After cooling, puree in batches in food processor or blender.
   
6. Serve with crusty bread and enjoy!

Now that I am home and settled back in I can't wait to get into the kitchen with a new non-soup recipe.

The Plan: Procrastination

Lately I've been getting a lot of prodding from my friends, my family, my friend's family and even strangers I have just met. Everyone wants to know when I am going to start working. Is it too much to ask to enjoy one more weekend of being unemployed and not worried about it? According to my brother this sort of plan is called procrastination.

So last week I signed up to take my registered dietitian exam. What you need to know is that it is scheduled sometime between now and the end of the year. That means that I have X number of days to memorize the information in my review binder that covers everything I learned in my three years of graduate school. No biggie, right?

Right, except for the fact that I find myself doing everything possible instead of studying. I mean, it's not like the test is tomorrow. Today's project was creating a slideshow of pictures from China. I hope you enjoy!



**Note: Half of the pictures are mine, half of the pictures are ex-roommates. This is only a selection of pictures because there are way too many to post in one slideshow but I promise these are the best ones.**

I'm Ready to Run!

Now that I'm back home, unpacked and settled in I was finally able to lace up my running shoes and hit the local trails. On Thursday I followed the local bike/running trail towards Shirlington. Although it was a good trail the scenery wasn't all that impressive, so this morning when I got to the trail head I tried the other direction toward the Mount Vernon Trail. It seemed like a matter of minutes before I was easily jogging along the Potomac River enjoying the view out over the water with a cool breeze blowing across my hot pink face. It's a little different running in humidity but at least I still have a good pace (an average of an 8 minute mile).

Not only was the view fantastic but there were so many people out there. Familys on a weekend bike ride, runners decked out for their training runs, in-line skaters, power walkers, and even bird watchers. It was awesome.

Here is a map of the trails near my house. You can see on the top left corner where the yellow and red lines meet at Mount Vernon Avenue. On Thursday I followed the yellow trail to the left, today I followed the red trail to the right and over to the Mount Vernon Trail.



If you want to see the complete trail map for the city of Alexandria, click here.