Parlez vous francais?

Today I had my first French class at the Aliance Francais in Boston. It is a beginner beginner course but when the instructor came in, she didn't speak any English!!! Whaaaa??? Luckily one of the girls in the class, a Polish girl, already spoke some French and so was translating for us. I was doing ok because I have spent a lot of time trying to figure out what French people are saying but a few of the others were completely lost. I think it will be a great way to learn though, if we can ever figure out what is going on.

Next time I see my mother-in-law I will be able to speak to her!! Or at least count to 20 in French... I think she'll be impressed.

Yummm

So, weight watchers is not going too well. Especially after vacation where I just ate and didn't exercise, except for bailing some hay and getting a little lost on a walk in the fields. Also, Frenchie and I went apple picking and so I've been trying to use up the apples. I'm having a hard time finding any healthy apple recipes that actually sound appealing. Here is one that was amazing and next time I make it I'll try to cut down on the butter to make it a little healthier. Oh yeah, and maybe eat less of it. : )

Puffed Apple Pancake


We also just discovered this AMAZING store in Watertown, MA called A Russo & Sons. I'm pretty sure we are the last people to find this store, especially considering Frenchie is French (surprise!). The number of Europeans in the store definitely outnumbered the Americans. Last night we made a very yummy leek tart for dinner.

Today I'm going to make an apple crisp, roasted butternut squash soup and potato, green bean and basil risotto. I'll try to remember to take pictures.

Goat Musk

Sorry it has been so long since I have written. Frenchie and I were on a cccrrraaazzzyy midwest vacation!! OK, actually it was not crazy, kind of boring, but it was the midwest, as evidenced by this picture...

Is that a giant aluminum cross, you ask? Why yes, yes it is. It's located in a place called Effingham. Say it out loud. I thought it was funny.

AND this picture! That's me with Bob the cow (who's fate I don't like to think about because he was the sweetest cow ever) and the baby goats.


AND this picture...


Yes, folks, we were on a farm. My dad and his wife's farm with a farmstead cheese operation (which means they milk the goats and use the milk to make their own cheese) and organic fruits and vegetables. Frenchie got rubbed on by some of the male goats and had to leave a pair of his jeans in Illinois. Man, those things are musky!! It is almost mating season so the male goats do this little trick with their penises where they spray their face with a special type of urine with the aforementioned smell (Sarah, maybe you can help me out here). I saw Little Richy (one of the male goats) doing this and was completely mesmerized. Too mesmerized to get a video. Sorry.

We also saw praying mantis' mating but we missed the part where the female eats the male. : (

My dad and his wife are in the donkey market so last Monday we drove down to Arthur, Illinois to the Amish live animal auction to look for a donkey. We didn't find a donkey but I did find out that the Amish use cell phones and try to sell some pretty sad looking chickens.

On our way home we remembered why flying sucks and my dad has sworn to never go to the Willard airport again! When they tell you to arrive 30 minutes before the flight, they mean it! The reason is, the same people who work the counter take the bags out of the plane. Northwest airlines has 3 people working there so since we arrived 29 minutes before our flight they wouldn't check us in and we missed it!!! So we got to stay another night and then drive to Chicago at 5am the next morning to get another flight. Luckily, since I'm unemployed and Frenchie's job is very flexible, being gone another day wasn't a disaster. Just an annoyance.

...Esquire

Last Friday was full of emotions. I knew that I would be finding out the results of my bar exam at 5pm. So it was a long day.

I went to the gym in the morning and then decided to take myself out shopping to distract myself. I went down to the mall and bought myself a new outfit that I probably didn't need.


Cute dress though, huh?

Anyway, I was out and it was about 4:15 when I thought I should start walking home. I can't even explain how nervous I was. I decided to stop by Frenchie's new lab but I couldn't decide whether I wanted to check the results there because if it was bad I just wanted to be at home. At 5:04 I was staring at Frenchie's computer, completely paralyzed. I didn't know what to do. Frenchie tried to get me to check but I wouldn't do it. Then the phone rang...

It was my friend Sarah, also a lawyer in Oregon, who had checked and called to congratulate me. I let out a HUGE sign of relief and finally clicked onto the webpage and saw my name. I passed! Phew...

And then I started running around the lab like a huge dork telling people that I am now an esquire. haha. Luckily, it was Friday which meant happy hour at the lab where the PI just happened to have champagne. Since I used to work there I know him well and he dedicated a toast to me. It would have been nice to be in Oregon with my law school friends but I think this was second best because there were people there who have known me through the whole journey and they were genuinely happy for me.

Weight Watchers Update/rant

Day 4

I would like to say that I feel great. I have more energy, feel healthy, all that BS. But...I FEEL LIKE CRAP!!! I have no energy, I have a constant headache, I'm hungry almost all the time and I'm turning into a bitch. Am I doing this wrong? Yesterday I went over my allotted points a little bit and now I feel guilty but not quite as crappy. I went to my bootcamp class yesterday and felt totally sluggish. I tried to do the elliptical afterwards, like I usually do, but they were showing the Food Network (I don't what sadistic gym member always puts the food network on at the gym, but it is dangerous!) and I thought I was going to pass out at the site of food. So I had to quit and go home.

Last night I dreamt about eating candy.

I think my body is just adjusting to eating such a small amount of calories and hopefully in a few days it will be easier. Right? Has anybody done this and had this experience?

Grr, I just want to fit into my jeans before the weather gets cool again. They are my first designer jeans! I can't afford to buy more!!

Read about me!!

I was tagged to do this survey, so here goes

4 random things about my husband
* If he calls you his friend, you can ask him for anything, anytime.
* He is an animal lover, especially kitties
* He is a total goofball and has some of the strangest dance moves you have ever seen
* He uses very expensive face cream. : )

4 movies that I would/could watch more than once
* The Princess Bride
* Dogfight
* The Breakfast Club
* Juno

4 TV shows I watch
* Weeds
* 30 Rock
* How I Met Your Mother
* The New Adventures of Old Christine

4 places that I have been
* Paris, France
* St. Pabu, France
* Victoria, Canada
* Cleveland, Ohio

4 People who email me regularly
* My mom
* The Gap
* Online bill pay
* My college friend group

4 Favorite Foods
* Anything Frenchie cooks
* Cake
* Candy
* Cake

4 Places I would like to visit
* Italy
* A Greek island
* Raleigh, North Carolina (to see my BFF!)
* A talk show audience (like Ellen, or Conan, or Daily Show)

4 things I am looking forward to in the coming year
* A new job!
* A new house!
* Living in Portland (hopefully)
* Getting "married"

4 People I have tagged
* Um, I don't have many blog friends, so I guess this ends with me...

Real Housewife of Norfolk County

I have sort of become a housewife, although not a very good one (I still only clean when we have guests coming over). Our apartment does not have laundry so it is off to the laundromat for us. Frenchie is allergic to doing laundry (well, not really, but the laundromat makes him sort of crazy) so I have found it is more pleasant for me to do it by myself. Of course, there is also the fact that I have TONS of free time on my hands.

I still hate the laundromat though. It's not so much dragging the laundry there or spending the time, it is more that my dirty laundry seems like it should be more private! It makes me slightly uncomfortable to think about whose laundry was in there before and how dirty the floor is (when I accidently drop things). I feel like nothing is really clean. Not to mention the weirdos who work/hang out there. One of the employees the other day was standing around making conversation with the patrons and was jokingly threatening to beat up somebody's kid! WTF? And then yesterday there was this older couple in there and the guy literally watched everything I did. I'm normally self conscious in public anyway, but having this dude staring at me the whole time did not help. Well, it sure makes me thankful for all the places I have lived where I had my own laundry machines!!

What I've Been Up To

I did a LOT of cooking yesterday, just for the fun of it. We had a few people over, including my old friend from out of town. I made a chocolate caramel cake with fleur de sel. It was kind of a lot of work to make (it was from a Bon Appetit magazine) and did not turn out that pretty because I had the wrong type of pans, but I think it tasted really good!!

We also made

Pizza with honey wheat crust
Shrimp and Orzo Salad
Lamb with Mint Marinade
Spinach salad with apples, candied pecans, goat cheese and tomatoes

It was quite a success, even though it was a lot of work. And today, I've decided to start dieting. For reals this time. I'm trying the Weight Watchers online free trial to see if I like it. So far I only have 3 points left for the day and I'm starving. Hmm...this is a bit of a problem...

Need to figure out which foods have 0 points so I can stuff myself with those. : )

The Price for Fun

This week has been pretty great. Tuesday night, one of my old friends Nikki (we went to the same college but didn't really know each other and then ended up working next to each other at the lab in Boston after college), came to visit. I have been missing seeing friends and just talking to people so I was eating it up! Frenchie made us steak and we stayed up late and talked.

Also, on Wednesday I had my orientation at the women's shelter. The shelter is on one of the fanciest streets in Boston, Newbury Street, in the basement of a church. Nikki and I took the T down there and tried to find something to eat before my orientation. We found a place called Stephanie's on Newbury. They are always voted Best Salad or something like that and I was curious to check it out. We ate with the fancy people and ordered our salads. Nikki got the fruit salad which said came with yogurt and granola. Sounds hearty and healthy, right? Well, it actually came with a giant pile of beautiful fruit and berries, about a tablespoon of yogurt and a sprinkling of granola. Obviously, this restaurant is not for people who like to eat, as was apparent when the girl next to me received her salad and then with a disgusted look, handed it back to the waiter saying "Um, I asked for the dressing on the side!" The waiter grabbed her salad back and as he walked by me he muttered something in Spanish. She may have received some spit with her side dressing. Anyway, it was just a funny Newbury Street experience.

The orientation was amazing. I am so excited to volunteer at this place. They are a women's day shelter that serves breakfast and lunch and then close at 2. They have a reading room, computers where guests can use internet, countless advocacy resources, a clinic, a nap room and just a general whole community. The lunch is served restaurant style, not buffet style and the staff and volunteers sit and eat with the guests. Of course, after three years of being a poor student, my first thought was "Free Lunch!" Which is obviously horrible because I can afford lunch, these women are homeless for gosh sakes!

Then on Wednesday I went to Cape Cod for Frenchie's lab retreat. Normally significant others aren't invited but I got a special invite because I worked in the lab for three years and the admin (who runs everything) loves me. So we drove off to the Cape on a gorgeous day and partied with the lab late into the night. Of course I drank a little too much and am now on Day 2 of retreat headache, but that is the price of fun sometimes...

Not sure what is in the plans for today. I'm thinking I definitely need a few hours at the gym though. ugghh.

A Very Successful Day!!

Today, although just about as slow as most, was still very eventful.

It started yesterday when we went to the neighborhood BBQ and I was talking to one of my neighbor's about volunteering in Boston. She suggested a place called The Women's Lunch Place which is a place where low income women can eat and, well, do other things I think. I haven't quite figured it out yet. I filled in an online application this afternoon and a very nice lady called me today, said she loved my application, and wanted to see if I could go to an orientation tomorrow! Of course, tomorrow is probably the busiest day I've had in months, but isn't that the way it always works out? Anyway, I'm going to go tomorrow because otherwise I would have to wait until October to start. Finally, somebody called me back and actually liked my application! OK, so it is just a volunteer job, but still, I'm very excited.

Second, Frenchie received his work permit and his travel permit! So at least for a year, in which time the green card will hopefully have arrived, he can be like any normal American. He can travel across the border, and even change jobs. Another very exciting development that we have been patiently awaiting for awhile.

Two Recommendations

I just read "Rise and Shine" by Anna Quindlen. I tried to listen to the book on CD but the CDs from the library were so scratched I couldn't. It sounded like it was going to be a great one. But I read the book the old fashioned way and it was really good. A quick beach read.

Also saw Tropic Thunder yesterday. Freaking hilarious! Tom Cruise will surprise you.

A little behind...Days Two and Three

Saturday

I ran into my neighbor the other day and we realized that we both go to the same gym (I am slightly obsessed with my neighbor and her family, but that is another story). I was excited. She said I should check out the 8am yoga class on Saturday morning. Well, like I do anytime somebody new invites me to do something new, I had to debate this one. It is always a little scary to go to a new yoga class because you don't know what the level will be like, what the teacher will be like, if you should bring your own mat, etc. At the last minute on Saturday morning I jumped out of bed and decided to go. She saw me coming up the driveway with my yoga mat and yelled out the window to wait for her. We walked the couple blocks to the gym together and I talked too much, like I sometimes do (it doesn't help that she's a psychiatrist so she is easy to talk to). She also invited us to a potluck, which will be Monday's scary thing.

I was reminded after the class how much I enjoy yoga and how strong and peaceful it makes me feel. I am definitely going to try to bring yoga back into my life.

Sunday

The rest of Saturday did not go so well. Let me just say, my sanity was tested many times. And Sunday was only slightly better. I guess the scariest thing I did on Sunday was to go to a lake with Frenchie and we went out on a canoe. Ok, the canoeing part wasn't actually scary, but other parts of the day were, lets just say, trying.
It was beautiful and so nice to be out on the water, even if we could hear and see the freeway from the lake.

What I have learned over the past two days...

Tomorrow is always fresh with no mistakes in it.
- Anne Shirley