Flatbread pizza: nice Valentine’s dinner for myself

Spiced Wheat Berry Pilaf: tasty

Texas Road Trip? Looks nice. Texas might be excessive, but some kind of spring break travel might be in order.

In the meantime: on the grind.

Monday List

I’ve been thinking/writing/operating in list form since the semester started. So here’s a list of things on a sunny Monday. 

1. I got back into the winter spirit this weekend by making butternut squash soup (herby-style, with rosemary, sage, and thyme) and some sort of slow-cooker lamb tagine that I adapted from Real Simple. Yes, I impulse-bought Real Simple at a low moment in the checkout line. The slow-cooker recipes weren’t the best and the hair styling tips were a little too mom. Oh well. 

2. READ ALL THE LISTS! Especially love the one by F. Scott Fitzgerald to his daughter, Mark Twain’s (should have been illustrated by Edward Gorey), and the word lists of DFW. 

3. I think I found a new apartment today! The whole process reminds me though that while Ithaca may be an annoying place to live in some regards, at least I’m not apartment hunting in New York. Already thinking about how much better the place will look when it is not inhabited by undergrad stoners. 

4. Kind of want to make myself a fancy dessert tomorrow. I have a friend who swears by something like this Coer à la Crème, but I’m kind of feeling like bribing myself with chocolate is a better bet.

5. I don’t know when I became the kind of person who would really like to be able to go to yoga twice a week (ok, yeah I do know. It was the end of last semester), but it has happened. If my seminar goes over time tomorrow and I have to miss yoga, watch out!

What I’d like …

What I’d like to be doing: 

1. Catching up on this Chris Hedges/Black Bloc thing. I’ve been working toward the original piece in a roundabout way (by way of Graeber and another piece a friend shared) and I’d like to actually get there. 

2. Making Roasted Lemon Chutney (thanks for finding the recipe, Stephen!). 

3. Sleeping (How does a dinner gathering on a Wednesday night go until 3 am?!)

4. Staying in and reading all day (I loved this piece on TNI that deals with the intersection of shyness and Facebook. Still thinking about personal pertinence). Sweater leggings would figure heavily in this.

5. Go to the gym. The past two weeks I’ve really just wanted to alternate between hibernating and going to the gym. Hasn’t really worked out that way, for obvious reasons. 

What I actually have to do:

1. Figure out a discussion section plan for some very confused students. 

2. Hopefully un-confuse said students, in a 50 minute timespan. 

3. Read all afternoon in the library. Sweater leggings do not figure heavily in this. 

4. Go to a (participatory??) lecture on feminism. Hoping this participation element is minimal/optional–not feeling up to it.

5. Celebrate a friend’s birthday with food and drinks. Ok, so this one isn’t bad at all; in fact it’s a very nice way to cap off the week.

Onward!