This? Sunday morning here in San Diego. Winter, we hardly knew ye.
If you follow me on Twitter, you'll know I can be awfully cranky when it comes to busy days and/or traffic. 2012 had a crazy start where work blew up into a series of catastrophes. The kind of crazy that makes one concerned about the future. The first two months were very, very hard and it still seems like there's a lot of catching up to do. Things have calmed down and we're rebuilding. That's going to take a while, but at least the damage-control part of it is over.
When all of that was going on, I made an impromptu resolution to enjoy my weekends. My weekends are usually packed with activities, errands, and the like. Now, I focus on spending time with Biped, Quadruped, and our friends. There's food, sleep, and time spent with an Italian plumber.
Some recent highlights included...
I went to Pearl for lunch (and wrote about it for San Diego CityBeat) with Leanne and the menfolk.
Darlene and I met Andrew Zimmern and the Bizarre Foods crew and had a fabulous time.
I went to Alesmith Brewing's tasting room and followed it with fiery takeout from Punjabi Tandoor.
I joined some fabulous bloggers on a market tour led by Rachael of La Fuji Mama.
We went to Station Tavern for burgers, dogs, and tots (both of the potato and the small human variety).
Followed it up with Sam the Cooking Guy's stage show, which was awesome.
We had a small party to celebrate a birthday. Guess who was the birthday boy? The hat was a special request from a friend.
Ok, it was more like an excuse to cook a big meal, but the old boy's 13th is plenty of reason to celebrate.
The party featured two fabulous recipes:
Simple Mushroom and Spinach Lasagna from page 239 of the The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook.
Meyer Lemon Whipping Cream Pound Cake from Cooking on the Side.
Life has had its share of stresses lately, but making a point of relaxing and letting go on weekends has made working through each week much easier.
8 bites:
Sounds like many fabulous weekends! I'm glad you get a chance to relax and recover from busy weeks!
I actually scrolled right to the bottom of this entry hoping you posted the brussel sprouts recipe. First the sardines now brussel sprouts -- you've converted my once most hated foods to dishes I dream about.
Work hard, party harder! =)
Happy Birthday, Bear!
And then I pretty much disappeared for two months after this! 2012 has been... eventful. Full of limbo, too. Will be explaining soon!
Homemade marshmallows are life-changing, aren't they? Thanks for coming to the sale! And I hope your week improved from the blah Wed night!
As a spouse of a (thankfully finished) grad student, I wholly understand how a few month's bad luck can lead to intense stress. Good for you for figuring out a coping mechanism that works for you, as it seems to be the only way to stay sane. At least you ate well during your cranky period! :)
I picked up one of your smores kits at the bake sale on saturday and made one tonight over a roaring stovetop flame...OMG! Was amazing! Thanks for the little treat on a blah Wednesday night:)