Beautiful World: Star Fruit

This is a star fruit:

Star fruit are tasty, something like apple-grape-lemon-pear in flavor.  I know how to cut one properly (remove the veins running down the points) because my friend Christine taught me.  Christine learned how by watching a lady on a train in China cut one.  Isn't that neat?

I like the world, don't you?  Happy Memorial Day weekend everybody!

Beautiful World: Happy Easter

Happy Easter everyone!  No matter what today means to you, I hope it has been pleasant.  I hope it was filled with caring people and exhilaration for the future.

I thought today about how excited  I am for the summer.  It's the first summer in five years when I haven't had to move somewhere.  I'm not writing final papers and throwing things in boxes simultaneously.  That feels great.  I'm also getting to spend it, all of it, with my fantastic boyfriend.  Last but not least, I'll be doing an awesome internship for a local historic house.  Legitimate experience in the field of my choice feels good.  I can't wait!

P.S.  Does anyone know what this tree is called?  I love it.  One day, I want to plant one in my yard.  Or seven.

Beautiful World: Tenacious Violets

This spring is probably the most beautiful spring I have ever seen.  Just sayin'.  The East Coast knows its business.  There are flowers everywhere, even in between sidewalk bricks.  

Enjoy the spring lovely people!

Malcolm's Fourth Annual Birthday Sandwich

      Malcolm had a birthday last Saturday, and that means sandwich time!  Every year around his birthday I invent him a surprise sandwich.  Last year, I made Malcolm a salmon sandwich with caramelized red onions and a delicious ten-ingredient mayonnaise.    

   
      This year, I found a use for my new cast-iron skillet, and made a steak sandwich.  I could have cooked the steak a little less, it wasn't as medium-rare as I was shooting for, but it came out tasty anyway.

Malcolm's 4th Annual Birthday Sandwich

      The sandwich was composed of roasted garlic mayonaisse, sliced steak, arugula, roasted red peppers, red onions, cucumbers, and goat cheese.  At the bottom of the post I have step-by-step assembly instructions if you're interested.  

 

     True to form, the rest of the "picnic" consisted of grapefruit Izzes (which required an entire second trip to Whole Foods), delicious cocktails, Whole Foods spicy olives, chips, and deviled eggs. Somehow this has become the tradition.

Here's the birthday boy and the spread!

Beautiful new egg platter from Crate and Barrel!  I gave it to myself as a Christmas present

     M liked his sandwich very much.  I'm glad, because he had a rough day teaching; he needed a pick-me-up.  

Here's the test.  Does he like it?  He says: "Mmmmhmmm".  Success!

      Whew!  Another birthday handled successfully.  I've done an Italian chicken sandwich, an open-faced stuffed portobella mushroom sandwich, a salmon sandwich, and now a Greek inspired steak sandwich.  What do you think should come next year?   

~Assembly Instructions Follow~  

Step 1: Spread Mayonnaise on the bottom and goat cheese on the top.
Step 2: Add arugula.

Step 3: Add steak

Step 4: Add cucumbers

Step 5: Red onions and marinated red peppers
Step 6: Enjoy!

Happy Spring!

It's the first day of spring!  It's time to stop and smell the roses.  Or hyacinths, whatever.

I always feel like this should be a national holiday.  After living in Los Angeles for a year, I really appreciate living in a place with real seasons. It feels like spring is special and it feels like I've earned it.  The flowering trees are all looking lovely and the bulbs are just finishing their bombast.

This is from the Enid A. Haupt Garden in front of the Smithsonian Castle.  It's looking just beautiful right now, and if you can visit, you very much should.

You should also visit the U.S. Botanic Garden.  Their Orchid Mystique: Nature's Triumph is ridiculous! So many flowering ethereal plants in one space.  It just doesn't feel real.

 

I'm continually amazed at the people who can get these plants to grow and flower.  It seems like magic to me.

Happy Spring!  Are you going to do anything in particular to celebrate?

Beautiful World: Cherry Blossoms

Washington D.C.'s cherry blossoms are a few days away from peak bloom.  They looked beautiful when my parents and I visited the Tidal Basin on March 15th.  This year marks the 100th anniversary of Japan's gift of the cherry trees to the United States.  According to some informative signage, 100 of those original trees are still growing.

True story:  sometimes the flowers grow right out of the tree's trunk!

Many thanks to my lovely model, my mom.

For more information about Washington's cherry trees or the National Cherry Blossom Festival, go here: http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/  To see the feed from the Cherry Blossom Webcam, go here: http://www.nps.gov/cherry/cherry-blossom-web-cam.htm
P.S.  Grad school is hard.  Sorry about that.  I'm baaaack! (Maybe)

And We're Packing Again...

I'm sorry I haven't been a very active blogger recently, we have been very busy over here with our upcoming move.  That very same move has been making my thoughts ping pong around my brain, and this blog post will likely reflect that.  Bear with me?

Last weekend we started packing the apartment and it's beginning to look pretty empty.  I always start with the decorations and nicknack's, partially so they don't get broken in the chaos, and partially so normalcy disappears from the space- that way I don't always feel like we're taking down the Christmas tree whilst packing.  Does anyone else relate to that feeling?

A lot of things seem to be working out for us.  For example, after flying to D.C. and completing a week-long interview process with DCPS M was offered a job teaching Algebra I at Roosevelt Senior High School in the district, and last Friday he officially accepted it.  He's looking forward to starting work with his new team; though I know he's really sad to leave behind the students and teachers with whom he's developed such wonderful relationships.

In a crazy spat of fortune, Mara, M's sister, is moving to Los Angeles a couple weeks after we leave it, and she and her roommate are going to take over our apartment.  We got approval from our landlord just a few days ago.  That means that we can just give our furniture (which is IKEA and therefore not worth moving across the country) to the two of them.  A win-win for both parties if you ask me.

So that leaves:
1 day until I fly to Arlington for my friend Karri's wedding
3 days until friend Karri's wedding
4 days until I fly back to L.A. from Arlington.
1 week until my last day of work
1 week and a day until M's last day of work at Animo Inglewood Charter High School
1 week and 3 days until my dad lands at LAX to help us drive
1 week and 4 days until we pack up our cars and start the three day drive to Texas

An excellent example of what a whirlwind feels like!

Because we're not moving our furniture, we're just packing our things into boxes.  We'll squeeze what we can in our cars and freight ship the rest, or maybe get one of those roof-top carriers to help maximize our cars.  We're finding it very difficult to know how much we own and how much our cars can fit until it's actually all packed up.  Any tips on packing?

There are so many little facets that go into moving, and sometimes it's hard to remember what all needs to get done.  One thing we haven't figured out yet is a place in D.C.!  We've heard good things about apartment finder services, and luckily I have a month "off" to look for one while staying with my family.  M, meanwhile, will jet off to upstate New York for the summer genius math camp where he teaches three weeks of the summer.

Finally, I'll leave you with a protip: It's really easy to change your address with the United States Postal Service online here.  You can tell them what date the change takes effect, and they'll send you an official change-of-address form which you might need to prove your move to people. You will need a credit card though, it costs $1, mostly so they can verify your identity.  If you don't want to give them your information, I'm sure there's a paper copy you can fill out at your local post office, but this seemed easier to me.  Remarkably space-age for the USPS.  Props to them!