3 animals, 5 crazies, 1 long night

Peter Lugers was a success! Not only was I able to eat, but I ate bacon (their bacon is truly phenomenal!), lamb chops, and porterhouse steak (medium rare- the rarer the better.). Josh, YiLin, Virginia, Mike and I savored this feast with a good bottle of red and capped it off with apple strudel and key lime pie (with a side of schlag of course). The meal was so good that when you looked at the table, you could see your dinner partners with their eyes closed, slowly taking in the beauty of the meal. Excellent. Best of all, the price wasn't as bad as expected.
The train ride home was the ride of rotating crazies. Never before have I had a string of, um, unique individuals on board. A total of 5 strange riders, ranging from a man with extremely poor hygiene to a man with the shakes accompanied with grunts, squeals, and the Bronx cheer (or raspberries depending where you're from) rode all the way home with us. It's been a long day and I start the day tomorrow with lab and reading. Fun! Thank God for animals and schlag.

Whoo Hoo! Subway for a buck!?

I'm so excited that this calls for two blogs in one day! I was so excited that I did a little dance in the living room. The MTA just decided to reduce the fare to $1 on the weekends from Thanksgiving to Christmas and the entire last week of December. This is so awesome! This is a smart plan on their part since I will definitely be taking advantage of this even though the holidays in NYC is one of my least favorite times in the year (well, I'm sort of a grinch but am trying to get better about it. But the tons of tourists makes it hard for me!). This will probably result in more rides than I normally would take which means I will be spending more money. At least I wont feel bad about taking the subway to work on a rainy/snowy/sleeting weekend. Wow!
On a side note, I would like to share with you something that Mike said to me today. I'm planning to cut my hair and so I asked him what face shape I had (I was trying to figure out if it was oval or round.). He told me, while looking critically (in a nice way), that it is normally oval, but today it looks round. This was followed by, "but it might be because you're sick and puffy or something...but it could also be because of the pimple on your face." I think the look of amusement and shock on my face made him say, "I mean because you almost never get a pimple and so it's really weird to see one. (pause) I mean, its bringing attention to your face...it makes it look different. (pause) You look great." Hmm....Thanks. I know he means well, but it didn't answer the question. Boy is he lucky that he's great and that I have a good sense of humor.

My (most recent) biggest fear

Unfortunately I have been sick this week. This is especially bad timing since I have my TRAC meeting in a week and a half. It hit me hard on Monday and I actually had to miss work. Well, I went in for a full day on Monday then for a few hours on Tuesday, then went home to live off soup for the next several meals. I thought I was feeling better but it turns out I was in a Day/NyQuil induced haze for most of the day and was misled. But today was the first day I didn't have to take DayQuil (a few Motrins, but hey, this is an improvement). I was in such a good mood that I went with Mike this morning to get an egg/cheese/ham/grilled tomato/hot sauce/toasted roll sandwich from Shangri La. I ate then immediately felt ill. I guess having eaten not much for the past few days, a grease breakfast wasn't a good idea. So what did I do? I, in my infinite wisdom, believed that a bag of peanut M&Ms would make me feel better (not to mention the cup of Starbucks Coffee while waking to Shangri La). No foresight. I felt sick. I don't think I had an appetite all day. Josh (whose birthday was yesterday!) had some left over red velvet cake from Magnolia and INSISTED that I have some for lunch. I did and it was great...but I paid for it with PAIN later on (I would like to point out however, that having red velvet cake as your sole lunch item is every sweet tooth's dream.). I really don't think I can eat dinner. NO FOOD? That is the saddest thing I think I have ever uttered.
Furthermore, the saddest and scariest possibility that I will have no/small appetite tomorrow night when Mike and I join Josh, YiLin and her roommate for dinner at Peter Lugers to celebrate Josh's b-day. Since this will be my second time there, I will actually know what I will be missing. I don't think I ever had lamb that good. The steak is fantastic, but the lamb is my favorite. And the schlag! I better work up an appetite. I also better buckle down and start preparing for my TRAC meeting otherwise I really never will graduate.
But priorities come first, and I must increase my appetite in preparation for tomorrow's meat feast. Papers can always be read later.

Mish mash of thoughts, activities and lice inspections

This weekend involved many things. We got rid of our bed and got a new one. We also got a very large wardrobe for Mike's increasing collection of fine shirts and jackets and a small wardrobe for my stuff (It turns out I have more clothing, but according to Mike, since I am smaller, it looks like the same or less than his stuff and I therefore deserve less space.). We stayed up until 3am or so putting together Ikea furniture (of course we had meatballs and lingonberry while there.). If you want to really test the boundaries of your relationship, forget the Cosmo quizzes and try putting furniture with really annoying directions together. Mike and I powered through! Although, the real test in my opinion is working together to put a Thule rack on your car (dam Swedish directions!). Now our bedroom is functional and I can sit in there and read, and we can both be in there while getting ready. Fantastic!
We saw Denise and Norm (and the kids) on Saturday which was lots of fun. On Sunday, I worked then met up with Mike to go to SoHo to buy the new ipod nano. Those things are ridiculous! Knowing me, I would manhandle one of those, rendering it unusable after 5 minutes. We walked around and finally went to Little Poland for dinner, where the food is as good as the music of Chopin. That's pretty dam good. We really like this place. The food is great and plentiful, but the best part is that it's also inexpensive. I had hoped to stop into Venerio's, one of my favorite pastry places, but was so stuffed that I felt really gluttonous if I did. In the end, my sweet tooth got the better of me and I had to stop into the Dunkin Donuts before hoping on the L train. I should have gone to Venerio's.

So here is the important part of my blog. For this I am enlisting the help of those of you who have known Mike since grade school or have at least gone to the same school(s) (even if you know people who have is good enough). Now, I am sure most, if not all, of you had lice examination in grade school. The nurse comes in and sits you under a high power light and magnifying glass and checks for eggs. This happens once a year and only until junior high or so (why do they think they only need to check until junior high?). Now, Mike claims to not have had lice exams. And if he did, he really thinks he might have been exempt because as he put it, "I was clean and and wasn't dirty like you or the kids you grew up with." He refuses to admit he has had lice inspections. I have checked with Mrs. Snyder and Mrs. Baldyga. They have confirmed that lice exams were given. Mike claims their children did not go to the same school as he did and he therefore must not have had them. He says I am dirty and at the very least the kids in my town were (I'm sure lots of them were, but that's besides the point!). The nerve!
SO this is what I am asking of you:
If any of you went to school with Mike or grew up with kids that did please confirm that lice exams were in fact given.
Confirm that lice exams are not for dirty people ONLY.
Confirm that Mike is a jackass.

I have tried to give him a lice inspection. He doesn't seem to cooperate. Bad.

I want a baby panda

I have found a new love. I heart baby pandas. Look at their little faces! After all, Hama does need a playmate and I think a baby panda would be perfect for him. So I have spent a good deal of my day finding ways to get my own panda. It seems...difficult. The closest I could come to my own was this. Now, if you read what the adoption includes, you will find no letters or pictures. I was hoping that my adoption would be similar to sponsoring a child, which is something I want to do. But no. My adopted panda will not write me letters or tell me how nice the new pair of shoes he/she was able to buy are, what they learned at school and how much they have grown. How sad. Instead I get some AIM icons. Lame. But I still want one, and so I might have to adopt them and never learn about their progress in health and school. If you know of any panda breeders, let me know.

New Pornographers

Last night Mike and I went to see the New Pornographers at Webster Hall. We got there really early and so we were able to grab seats along the side of the main floor. The show was great (The Immaculate Machine and Destroyer opened) and was sold out. That Neko sure is purdy. A great night but a bad end. I really wanted to go back to lab but I left my keys in lab. And at 1am, my chances of someone being around were pretty slim. This put me in a pretty foul mood. Oh well, at least I saw an awesome show. I wish it would stop raining. I like the overcast, I just want it to stop raining.

Laguna Beach, friend or foe?

Last night a certain Miss K and I watched Laguna Beach together. I have never seen this show, but have been kept abreast by Miss K. Now, I can't reveal her identity since she is shamed, SHAMED, by the fact that she watches this show with great earnest. I will catch her now and then checking out the MTV site and is very upset at the prospect of working late and missing the show. So out of respect for Miss K (after all, her stature WILL fall if people discover her love for this show...and Next Top Model.) Now, I never did like shows involving high school dramas such as Dawson's Creek, 90210 (I have to say I did watch this, but stopped my freshman year in high school), and the OC (which I have never watched so obviously I really can't say I don't like it.). But I have in the past been roped in by these type of shows. Often I have a friend who is an avid watcher and because of the situation (roommates, school friends, co-workers) I have joined in once or twice, mostly because I would like to know what they are talking about. So then one show becomes two and suddenly I know more about the show than I want to.
So going back to Laguna Beach. Miss K (who enjoys running, reading and science) invited me over to watch last nights episode. This was about their senior prom. Now, I don't know what your proms were like, but I don't remember my boyfriend showing up at my house with roses or in a gorilla suit to ask me. Maybe him not being allowed at my house was a factor, but somehow I doubt many others had experiences like the one these girls had. Perhaps if all of us lived in Laguna Beach our lives would be more dramatic. I digress. This show, which to my surprise, is not scripted and is, how you say, TERRIBLE. TERRIBLE. HORRIBLE. Much worse than Swans Crossing (Why do I still remember that show?!) and that was a scripted show, albeit a poorly done one. I didn't think people actually lived lives like that. Wow.
So I don't think I will be watching that show again. I have to say I am slightly intrigued at the horror I witnessed and feel slightly compelled to subject myself to it again. Will LC ditch Steven and go out with Jason? But I don't think so. And so Miss K will have to continue living in her single viewer Laguna Beach world (This is sad since she is a FANTAstic person.). Maybe I can be swayed to watch America's Next Top Model with her. After all, I have been known to watch The Gilmore Girls, but their witty comments (not so witty sometimes. Rory can be really dumb.) and wardrobe often keep my attention enough to watch an episode. I don't find any appeal in Laguna Beach. But I can see why people like it. Just not me. So I vote foe. Oh, and I don't believe in giving The West Wing a chance.

Me, a Japanese cartoon?

We recently got our wedding photos back. Many of them were great and so we were really pleased with the end product. Never in you life will you see so many pictures of yourself than in your wedding pictures and being a non-photogenic person, it can be tough to look at all of them. We were going through them, trying to decide which ones we wanted printed and hung up. That's when Mike started saying, "I don't like that one...You can't even see your face." This was applied to about 40% of the pictures. And no, it wasn't because I had my head turned or something like that. It was because my face scrunches up to nothing when I laugh or smile. Then I realized, "Hey, I vaguely resemble a Japanese anime character (sans enhanced chest)." Then I compared my "laughing face" to a representation of a Japanese cartoon character (complements of Strong Bad's creativity) and this is what I found:

I DO resemble a Japanese cartoon (at least one inspired by Strong Bad)! Perhaps the ummm, ethnic face, is where the artists get their inspiration. Look at that! Maybe, just maybe, I could be someone's muse. For other cartoon pics from the wedding check out Mike's site. (He has some pretty nice human pictures too.)

Dinner menu?

My parents have never seen our new apt. My dad's suggestion was to wait until we got settled to invite them, especially since he senses that my mother may be hypercritical. Moreover, I think he thinks that I will perceive my mother as hypercritical and therefore stress out and never graduate from school. Correct as he may be, I realize it would be rude of me not to invite them (and the rest of my family) over for dinner one night. Given that there is never a good time, I thought this weekend would suffice. It's before the rush of my TRAC (Thesis Research Advising Committee) meeting and house guests coming over (yay for house guests!) and if I wait too long, I will continue to feel bad for dragging my feet on this matter (much like thank you cards; don't worry guys, I PROMISE they are coming...). So I called my parents, checked with the siblings and made a commitment for this Saturday. Why does this deserve a blog?
1. Because it's my blog.
2. Because I will be hosting a dinner party for the first time in the apt.
3. Because I need to make a fancy meal.
For those of you who have been to the fine estate known as The Duncraggan, you all know how...compact our abode is. Did you even see a table? No! That's because we have these.
Awesome. All the mats will be making an appearance.

So what will be on the menu?
This is what I am thinking:
Starters:
Homemade hummus (compliments of Hisham's recipe) with warm pita
Appetizer:
Portabello mushroom grilled and marinated in balsamic vinegar topped with a spinach/pine nut medley, roasted red peppers and tomatoes (heirloom!) and shaved asiago cheese (maybe fresh ricotta)
Placing this in a roasted onion/garlic/ crushed red pepper olive oil base.
Soup? I don't know if we should have one.
Entree:
Filet Mignon marinated in a fig and apricot base with a little balsamic vinegar (maybe sherry) with black olives (Greek ones- fresh of course) added at the end.
Served with grilled squash, carrots, asparagus (with or without a honey-ginger sauce...it may collide with the fruit base of the meat....and a side of wild rice)
Dessert:
Margarita-esq cheesecake.
And a small dessert from Whole Foods (this is a standard in my parents' house)
Drinks:
red wine
white wine
mojitos
Martinis (extra dry with Bombay Sapphire, straight up with a twist)
Soda (for the underage)

This will give me an excuse to use all the cool kitchen gadgets you get when you get married.

So, I placed this up on my blog to get opinions. All these recipes (except the hummus) are made up in my head. The Fig and apricot are a suggestion from my PI. Though I plan on using fresh fruits. What do you guys think? Any suggestions? Let me know by Friday so I can go to Fairway.

Indian dinner + running = BAD NEWS!

If I could open my arms and span the length of the isle of Manhattan, I'd bring it to where you are; making a lake of the East River and Hudson - Death Cab for Cutie (Marching Bands Of Manhattan)
This song (and Cigarette Girl-The Illiterati) was stuck in my head as I went for a run this morning. It was great out, especially since it had been a while since I had gone running (stupid leg injury). The greenway is particularly nice for a relaxing run with a tough uphill at the end. The weather was a lovely 59F. A bit warm for my liking by the end of the 4 miles but everyone was out running with long sleeves or a jacket! Come on! Needless to say, I felt a little out of place in my tiny running shorts and a sports bra. Anyway, running along the river looking at the clear blue sky was therapeutic and I didn't even mind the fact that I had to go right into lab afterwards. A bit of advice; don't gorge yourself on Indian food the night before you decided to start running again the next morning. I felt it come up at mile 3. It took great effort to breathe and suppress the urge for the saag paneer to bubble up. It made the last uphill really difficult. A good run nonetheless.
Tomorrow the Medieval Festival is in Fort Tryon park right by our apt. That should be interesting. Nothing like a thousand children all blowing as hard as they can into their little plastic fifes and people dressed up in their homemade chain mail. So much going on tomorrow!