Fall is here! (sort-of)

It was HARD to get out of bed this morning.  For the first time in months, there was a chilly breeze coming in through my window, and my bed was just so cozy.  I thought about staying in bed and passing this morning's miles onto another day until I realized that there's not time to put more miles on ANY days (thank you grad school and marathon training combo), so I put on my big girl face (and a fun t-shirt) and bit the bullet.

Thinking it was raining harder than it was, I slipped my gym membership card in my pocket and set out for an early AM run.  I am SO glad I got out this morning.  As it turned out, it was just a little drizzly and breezy; enough to deter a lot of runners/cyclists, but actually perfect for a morning run.  I had the park almost to myself, passing only a handful of other exercisers (normally there are dozens) while I knocked out six cool miles.

Since the weather's below 70 degrees today, I got to welcome back an old friend: hot coffee!  While I love me some iced coffee in the warm months, I have definitely missed the traditional brew.  I love coffee so much I drink it black.  Weird, I know.  I like cappuccinos too, they have milk (froth) in them!  Blame my dad, he's the king of the espresso machine and drinks stronger coffee than anyone I've ever met. 

For lunch, I added some sweet snap peas to leftovers from last night's Wo Hop (This is the best Chinese restuarant in NYC's Chinatown.  Get the wonton soup, you'll thank me.  I believe the address is 17 Mott Street, the basement one, not the one at street level.)  Only the very best Wo-Hop date will let you keep ALL the leftovers (thanks!!!), so I'll be having more deliciousness this week.


Do you have favorite leftovers?  What is it, and where can I get some?

An Assyrian wedding, a lot of good food, and a little baseball (aka my Chicago weekend)

So, do you know where Assyria is?  Because I sure didn't!  Turns out, it was an ancient kingdom where current day Iraq and Iran exist, but it hasn't been an actual country (or kingdom for that matter) since the BC years.  However, Assyrian culture is alive and well, and I had the very good luck of being related to someone who married into an Assyrian family.  Anyhow, I went to a very fun and very different wedding yesterday here in Chicago.  The food was AMAZING.  Just look at it (sorry about the cell phone quality pics).



Also, the bride and groom were an absolutely beautiful couple inside an out.  They made the centerpieces together with sand from Lake Michigan beaches. Too sweet.


Sunday dropped us at the Cub's game at Wrigley Field!

I'm a big baseball fan (Phillies fan really, but I love the sport in general), so when there's an opportunity to check out a game and a new stadium I'm all about it.  Wrigley is a really unique spot.  They have an old-school scoreboard that somebody changes by hand from the inside, and there are bleachers for seating on all of the buildings surrounding the stadium.  Say whaaat?  Check it out! But the BEST thing about Wrigley Field is definitely the Chicago style hot dogs.

Piling vegetables all over my hot dog makes it healthy right? YUM.  My trip to Chicago began with a 15 mile run along Lake Michigan and ended with an enormous hot dog and a baseball cap full of nachos.  Hehe.  I've loved this city, but I am raring and ready to go back to Brooklyn.

Ever been to Chicago?  What are some of your favorite Chicago things?

I'm an Adjunct!

Sooo, I'm teaching an undergraduate course at Brooklyn College this semester (squeee!).  I was a little intimidated when I first got the job, but after the AMAZING support of my department and some alums, I felt completely prepared and ready to take on teaching at the university level.  I spent the summer drafting a syllabus, working out a class structure, writing lesson plans, and securing (the world's coolest ever) guest speakers.  All that was left for me to do was get in the classroom. What does Brooklyn's newest adjunct look like on the first day of class? 

Excited!  (For the record, the class went reallly well, and the students seem fantastic.  I feel incredibly lucky to be able to share my passion with such great individuals.)  Anyhow, since I was so darn pumped up, I didn't really eat much all day.  (Well, that and the fact that there's NO food in my apartment.)  So I treated myself to Chipotle before my class (I'm still working on ye old MFA).

There are few things better than an enormous burrito with lots of hot sauce, but teaching college students might be one of them :)