travel

So the other day, I was flipping through my contact list on my phone, and ran across a number I haven't called in 2 1/2 years.

So I called it. And had a delightful chat with an old friend.

And found a new travel partner.

Now my entire mont of August is booked solid with trips to London, Maine, NYC, Houston, and possibly Dubai.

Dear Mabel,

Do you want to be my new bff? You could wear your sparkle shoes, and I'll wear my shiny silver ones. Then we can eat blue slushies together. It'll be awesome.

Love,
Poodle

recipes

since you asked so nicely....

You should probably just go ahead and make a double batch of the sherbet. You will thank me:

Lemon-Buttermilk Sherbet

David Lebovitz, The Perfect Scoop

1/3 cup water

2/3 cup sugar

1 lemon, preferably unsprayed

2 cups buttermilk

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)

• In a medium, non-reactive saucepan, mix the water and sugar.
• Grate the zest of the lemon directly into the saucepan.
• Heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar is dissolved.
• Remove from the heat and let stand until the syrup reaches room temperature.
• Then chill thoroughly in the refrigerator.
• Whisk the buttermilk into the syrup, then whisk in the lemon juice.
• Freeze according to ice cream maker’s instructions.

For the Parisian Macarons, I used this recipe. They turned out delightful.

more books

Middlesex: Surprisingly engaging. It can be kind of graphic at times, but overall I really loved it.

Me Talk Pretty One Day (by David Sedaris): So far, not my favorite. He makes fun of himself a lot, which usually I am a huge fan of, but it's more depressing than funny.

up next:

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid (by Bill Bryson): I haven't started it yet, but I'm expecting it to be light and funny. Good summer reading.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: I hear it's good!

proof

That I actually did win Iron Chef. (Just in case there were doubts.)

Tasting some of the dishes. I was stuffed.

The Iron Chef winner gets to take home the voting box. Yup, we go all out.

amazon

There are three reasons I love ordering books from amazon:

1. They are cheaper than books at Barnes and Noble

2. I always have to order at least three books to qualify for super saver shipping! I'm always looking for excuses to buy more books.

3. Sometimes I forget which books I've ordered, so I get to surprise myself when they arrive.

book reviews

Stargirl, by Jerry Spinelli (5/5 stars): I'm not sure you will ever find a book that so accurately captures human nature (particularly teenaged human nature). This book is heartwarming and heartbreaking all at once.

How to Win Friends and Influence People: Not the most enthralling book you'll ever read, and you could probably sum it up in about 1 paragraph, but not bad overall.

Farewell Summer, by Ray Bradbury: I didn't love it as much as I loved Dandelion Wine. Same characters, same author, but somehow not as good. Overall a nice story about growing up and growing old. (Strange ending)

Middlesex: So far, so good. As long as you don't mind reading a book about an inbred family producing a hermaphrodite, you'll love it. Surprisingly funny and refreshing.

iron chef

I made two different items for last week's Iron Chef, to assure myself the win. It totally worked.

First up: Parisian Macarons. I've never tried them before, and had no idea what they were supposed to taste like, but it seems like everywhere I look, people are raving about them. So I gave them a shot.

I loved them so much, I made a double batch for our faculty potluck so that I would have plenty of leftovers to take home and share with Katelyn. (She loved them, and I'm totally a sucker for flattery.) Too bad my coworkers ate all of them!!!

The winner: Lemon Buttermilk Sherbet. I considered making my own cones to go along with it, but didn't have time. If you do not own an ice cream maker, go buy one. If you have never had lemon buttermilk sherbet, make some. (In fact, make a double batch. You won't regret it.) This is probably the 5th time I've made it, and it gets better every time.

Next month's ingredient: honey! Any ideas?

hey, Asher,

want to hang out this weekend?

Love,
Poodle

PS - who thinks we should find Ashley a new job so she can have a life again?

awkward

So my roommate just started dating a guy who is almost ten years younger than she is. (She's 32. He's 23.)

He is an intern. He is not finished with college yet. He completely reminds me of one of my students.

Awkward.

dear luvsac,

Sorry to say, but the dining room is so much better without you. You will not be missed.

Love,
Poodle

end

Tomorrow is officially the last day of school. (Which means that I am already acting as though I'm on vacation - lots of reading, staying up late, and as much sunshine as I can get.)

To celebrate the end of the school year, I started a new workout regimen. The plan is to get in great shape by the time school starts in the fall. Let's just say that I'm not sure I'll be able to lift my arms tomorrow. This one is even better than The Firm. Hard to believe, I know. But so true.