My summer has basically been a blur. June was consumed by a Midwestern vacation, during which I drove directly from Denver to a wedding in Ohio, made it to my hometown, visited my family, complained about the humidity, went to a Cubs game in Chicago, and saw a Phish concert in Wisconsin. Then I drove home, and five short days later I spent the weekend camping at the Sand Dunes. Then suddenly June was over. But it was a lot of fun.

I've been working evenings at a university library, but since it's summer break right now, they don't need me, so my weeknights are considerably less hectic. Mostly I just watch Lost, play with my roommate's cat, and cook. Oh, the cooking. Why, do you ask? Why are you, Loren, cooking, when obviously that is not your strong suit?

Let me tell you why. Because--in an effort to eat more healthfully? a desire to fully embrace the yuppies that we truly are? on a whim? I truly have NO IDEA--we signed up for a farm share, so every week I go to someone's house and pick up a mystery box of vegetables. For some reason these vegetables torment me throughout the week. Why aren't you eating me? they say, and I feel guilty everytime I open the refrigerator. In an effort to stop these horrible feelings, I spend more time than I'm proud of scouring the internet looking for recipes that involve things like kale and beets and collard greens.

So here is what I brought home today:



It's pretty great, there are peas in there, and rhubarb*, and the aforementioned beets and kale. But can you tell me what those little white radish-shaped things are? And do you have a recipe that involves turnips? Because I am getting a little tired of spending so much time on kale. It does NOT deserve it.**


*oh, the Midwesterner in me just loves rhubarb SO VERY MUCH.

**I have tried extremely hard to like kale, but alas, I cannot. I hate it.

Labels: travel, useless miscellany

if I'm going to be able to run an entire 5k* and drink everyone under the table when I'm visiting Ohio next week after all this high-altitude training** I've been doing.

*my goals are not lofty, people.

**yes, training to run AND drink.

Labels: Wondering

This morning at work, we had a safety meeting. Normally we talk about tripping, or what to do if there is a fire, but today a physical therapist came and talked about ergonomics. I guess before I tell you what happened, you should know a few things:

a. I work with a bunch of geologists who are often working outside or with rocks or chemicals, so our dress code is super-casual.
b. I also work at a library after this job, where I have to be dressed in business casual.
c. Most of the people I work with are males.
d. Today I was wearing a black wrap dress, which happens to be flattering and one of my favorite pieces of clothing. It is also important to the story to tell you that it is low cut.

So, I get called on to be a volunteer, obviously because I am slouching in my chair drinking my coffee, hoping all the people in jeans don't notice that I am sort of overdressed (as usual). For my first trick, I had to stand there, slouching, so she could point out what was wrong with my posture. No big deal, although does anyone really like to have an entire room of people staring at the curve of their back? I don't think so. About ten minutes later, she starts talking about hamstrings, and how many of you can touch the floor without bending their knees?

You guys, no one else raised their hand. I wouldn't have raised my hand if I had known that would happen. Because she made me show everyone. In my LOW-CUT DRESS. TWICE. So here you go, coworkers, I will not only demonstrate my flexibility, I will also flash you. Enjoy the rest of your day.

I spent the rest of the presentation wondering if I had offended anyone, although afterwards one of my (female) coworkers assured me that all was good. But I'm not going to lie: I spent some time in front of the restroom mirror this afternoon, trying to see what everyone else saw. I don't know if there's a moral to this story or anything, but now I know: I have exceptionally stretchy hamstrings that the physical therapist would kill for. And also, I'm not raising my hand by myself in this kind of meeting ever again.

Labels: stupid things i do

I was recently rummaging around in the Que Sera Sera archives, and found this Top Five List of Fears, so here are mine (in no particular order):
1. Zombie Apocalypse (aka Zombocalypse) (it's totally possible, you guys)
2. Falling
3. 3-D movies (especially the ones at, like, Universal Studios? Where they have stuff like bubbles and fans under the seat? OMG HATE HATE HATE.)
4. Failure
5. Large flocks of birds

While I was making this list I started thinking about what everyone else might be afraid of, so here is my roommate's Top Five Fears List*, as imagined by yours truly:
1. Spiders
2. His roommate's inferior math skills
3. Letting his roommate drive his car
4. Running out of the Skyline Chili his mom sends from Ohio
5. Commitment (naturally, as he is a male)

Coincidentally, his running out of that chili is on my Top Five Ultimate Dreams List, right under Suddenly gain amazing math skills and Never be socially awkward again. But that is a list for another time.

*After I conceived of this list, I told him about it. When I finished naming them, he nodded and said, "Yeah. You got it."

Labels: i like to make lists, living with a guy

"My parents sent my Easter basket earlier this week. It was in a package with the gifts I couldn't fit in my suitcase when I came home for Christmas."

"Nice. That's like a SUPER Easter basket."

"Yeah, it was like one big celebration of Jesus."

"Birth, death, and resurrection all in one neat package. Awesome."

Labels: holidays, people who say funny things

"I think you better do a test run of that new cookie recipe before you make them for my parents' visit next weekend. You know. With the high altitude* and everything."

"Oh, that's true. But I don't have any Easter cookie cutters. I only have, like, these Valentine hearts and some Autumn ones. A turkey and a maple leaf and a ghost."

"Perfect. Ghosts work for Easter, right?"

"I can't believe you just said that."

"And I think you could use the hearts too. Like, for love."

"This is just like that time I almost had to use Christmas cookie cutters for Halloween and tried to make a zombie out of a toy soldier. It just doesn't work."

*You know, it seems like dude NEVER pays attention to anything I say, and yet he is able to come up with these very convincing arguments that truly appeal to my logic. I can assure you that he has NO IDEA what effect high altitude has on baked goods, and yet, he can remember this conversation and use it to manipulate me.

Labels: holidays, living with a guy, people who say funny things

1. lovelypackage.com - I really appreciate it when people go the extra mile to make everyday things a little bit nicer, and this website is all about that. Like you can have a milk carton that looks like this, or you can reimagine it to look like this. Most of the wine bottles they've featured are creative and gorgeous and make me wish I had the skills to be a graphic designer.



2. Battlestar Galactica - I have developed a love for television, and I'm not one to be judgemental of genre if I think there are good stories or intriguing characters. I got my hands on the first season dvds of Battlestar Galactica last fall, and finally got my roommate, who also loves tv, to sit down and watch it with me last month. After the first disc, we were both hooked. I'm not even going to tell you how many episodes we've watched in the last six weeks because you'll judge me. Just know that it's good. You should be watching it. (Oh, and as a sidenote, my roommate ordered these mugs for us, because we are both coffee drinkers and TOTALLY GEEKY.)



3. This American Life's favorite episodes page - I spend one day a week doing a task at work that requires minimal thought, so I've grown even more attached to my podcasts. A few weeks ago, the girl I share my office told me she listens to old This American Life episodes when she



4. Mew Mew Tower - my roommate has an iPhone, and also he has a cat, so when I saw this game I showed it to him as a joke. He bought it and loves it. Then he let me play it and now I love it. For a while we were going back and forth for the high score, but he's got me beat right now.



5. Kittens Inspired by Kittens - Okay, so I am the five billionth person to link to this video. I get it. But, YOU GUYS. It is just the right kind of video for the internet, just like David After Dentist.



6. My Sigg bottle - I got this for Christmas, and I haven't stopped using it since. I started carrying a water bottle pretty regularly this fall (when all the moisture left Colorado for the winter), but I was constantly knocking my old one open and drenching everything in my bag, so this was a surprise fix for that. As an added bonus, this one is outdoorsy enough for me to fit in perfectly amongst all these Coloradans.