Danielle Blog

My love affair with gurrrta food

Have I told you about my love affair with gurrta food?

Note 1: Translation for those of you who don’t speak faux Amish gurrta = good
Note 2: That would be one of those ‘inside jokes’ between HB and I that well, is no longer inside I guess, which just goes to show how happy I feel that I’m sharing our inside jokes with you and all.

Where was I?

Ohhhh yes. the foooooooooooooooooood.

Today, I was feeling blue. For various reasons, that I guess I could share.
1) I miss HB – no big surprise there.
2) I miss the Girlie-girl. Lola’s doggie Tizer Lily has been a wonderful substitute pet, but well, Tizer and I are still building a relationship. Whereas the Girlie-girl and I have a 9 year relationship already, and I miss her.
3) Our departmental retreat begins today. And while I specifically chose to stay behind and not ‘waste’ 2 days, so to speak, listening to science talks in various forms, I will certainly miss the partay. The partay is pretty dang wild/fun for a bunch of science folk. Last year, it was a blast. Group karaoke to My Boyfriend’s Back and songs from Grease stand out in my mind especially. I also opened the karaoke with the Bonnie Raitt song, Something to Talk About. And I must say, it was fun shocking the department folk, since most of them didn’t know I could sing.
Then, there was the exuberant dancing. At this point in my life i.e. no more undergrad dance parties, I only dance at weddings and the retreat. And I really do love to dance. So, I’m a bit blue about missing all of that fun stuff too.

Of course, even with not drinking alcohol (but tons of water instead), just with exuberant dancing and singing and staying up late, I usually end up feeling migrainey. And that part, I will not miss.

Then there is the knowing that in the week to come I have 2 crazy days followed by a mild day, followed by 2 crazy days, followed by a mild day, etc. Add in the pressure of “if this experiment holds up and shows significant differences, it will be the last one of its kind that I do” and well, I am really not looking forward to this week.

What to do when feeling so blue? Well, eat lunch outside was my first thought. But I am going stir crazy in the city of eating from the same 4 lunch places day after day. And I haven’t told you about the grocery situation yet, that is for another entry. So, please, no advice about packing my lunch etc. etc.

My second thought was that it would be Much Nicer to eat a Nice Complete Meal from a real-live sit-down restaurant.

Okay! Now THERE’s a lunch plan!

Rock Bottom it is. Unfortunately, lunch would have to be inside, but that’s okay right?

As I walk to Rock Bottom, I think about how it is too bad I don’t want to go to this other restaurant because they have their patio seating up still.

Then when I get to Rock Bottom, I see that they have patio seating! Better yet, they have a spot for me! Woooo HOOOOO!

So, I just finished a glorious cheer-me-up lunch with the sun beating on the back of my neck, eating jambalaya (no shrimp extra sausage, please) and three glasses of their uber-wonderful iced teeeeeeeeeeeeeeeea.
All while reading a new book – The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants – which Texas Sister told me is a fun book to read. And I will tell you this, the opening Prologue really hooked me. And I was smiling and chuckling in multiple spots, so I think it will be a winner.

A good meal can really pull me out of the doldrums.

And I know I’ve discussed this with Momo about how a good dessert can make up for a ho-hum meal.

Well, I didn’t get dessert. Didn’t need to.

Know why?

Because my advisor bought me 3 kinds of chocolate this week.
1. The P.B. Joe-Joe’s that are like oreo’s with natural peanut butter filling
2. Valrhona – 56% (that would be dark chocolate, for those of you who aren’t in the know about cocoa percentages)
3. Dark chocolate covered raisins = heavenly.

mmmmm

In case you didn’t catch all of that, here is

Danielle’s recipe for pulling herself out of the doldrums

-spicy lunch meal that includes sauuuuuuuuuuuusage and generates leftovers
-excellent iced tea
-a funny book
-sun on my neck
-dark chocolate covered raisins

Got all that? Indexed on a 3 x 5 recipe card?

Just checkin.

Okay, off to take pics on the microscope.

Pictures! Another happy thing.