My Everest!!!

It is finished.  FINALLY.  I can breathe again.  And it only took 6 months!!!

Run THIS WAY!!!

Went to watch the NYC Marathon today for the first time ever - usually I avoid the course like the plague.  Unless there are MYmosas involved...  But today my friend Liz was running the marathon, so I went with the girls to support her and hold signs.

I must say, I was pleasantly surprised by how entertaining the runners were.  I had no idea that there would be so many costumed runners!  It was a little like the Village Halloween Parade, only faster.  There were ladies (and men!) in tutus, Uncle Sam, a full-on pimp complete with coat/hat/cane, and so many more.  The spirit of camaraderie between the runners and the crowd would have melted even the Grinch's heart - the cop stationed near us (for crowd control, ostensibly) shouted encouragement to the runners, patting them on the shoulder and giving high-fives.  Our group got into the spirit by shouting out the names of the runners, most of which were written on their shirts.  Some of them waved at us, or shouted their thanks as they dashed by.

Most entertaining of all was the dude next to us wearing a cardboard box spray-painted gold on his head.  He was holding a sign that said Everybody Shufflin' and also a tray of bananas.  Some of the runners actually stopped dead in their tracks or circled back to take pictures of him.  Rock on, Box-Head Man.

Key West Fantasy Fest 2011, or "holy crap, I'm turning 30"

This was when I still thought I could drive

To celebrate my impending 30th birthday, my friend Maggy and I ran off to Key West for a long weekend, which just so happened to coincide with the annual Mardi Gras-type debauchery called Fantasy Fest.

After flying into Miami and scoring a sweet red Mustang convertible, we started our mini road trip down the Keys, but not before we made an important discovery at a local "beer & bait" store:  cocktails in frozen foil pouches reminiscent of Capri Suns, with oh-so-clever names like Marg-GO-rita, Pina GO-lada, Daq-GO-ri - you get the idea.  They seemed like a brilliant idea...until we tasted them.  The ingredients list mentioned something about orange flavored wine, but mysteriously omitted what we determined to be the main component, PURE EVIL.

With that plan abandoned, we raced toward Key West in an effort to make it in time for the Friday night races at Turtle Kraals bar.  We befriended a former NYer behind the bar who tempted us with insanely cheap happy hour drinks and a round of Key Lime shots while we awaited the grand event.  Finally, it was time for the big race - everyone in the bar received a number, one though four, and rooted for their turtle.  We were lucky enough to join the line of winning #4 ticket holders after the race, and waited patiently for our chances to pick a key to try to open the winning treasure chest.  In a "Let's Make a Deal" twist, the emcee, a true KW personality with a flowing blond wavy mullet, would offer the participants "Turtle Bucks" to give up the key.  I was determined to emerge victorious, so I held fast to my key, until it was dropped into a pint of beer, which I was instructed to slam.

When the contest finally drew to a close, we (very carefully) made our way to our hotel, La Te Da, to check in.  It's entirely possible that we made a lasting impression on the front desk staff.

Hula hoops and hot tubs and baby kangaroos, OH MY!

AKA as Rhinebeck, AKA Knitter Prom, AKA the New York State Sheep & Wool Festival.  Needless to say, the weekend was a smashing success all around despite a bit of less than ideal weather.  This year I had the good fortune to stay in a house rented locally with eight other girls.  Outside of the actual fiber-y fun, we enjoyed pizza, beer, french toast casserole, bagels, and more maple cotton candy than a person could imagine.

I was on a yarn diet this year due to my upcoming move, but I did manage to score some gorgeous charcoal & black tweeded alpaca yarn to complete a sweater for my mom.  It doesn't count if it's for an existing project, DUH!

The best part of the actual festival this year was the Alpacas & Llamas On Parade.  In case you're not aware, I have an unhealthy adoration for alpaca, both the fiber and the animals.  They're just so fluffy and funny!  If they're in the mood, they will even give you alpaca kisses (basically rubbing noses with you)!!!

Ok, so he's a llama, but who wouldn't love that face???

Barefoot In The Kitchen

So that's actually a total lie, I was wearing flip flops while I cooked last night. I finally got around to trying out Trader Joe's orange chicken (frozen food aisle). I put the frozen chicken in the oven and then waited for it to cool after it was cooked. I stored it in a plastic container in the fridge, then poured the sauce over right before I microwaved it for lunch today. Gotta say, pretty damn tasty and the sauce was not as thick/gooey/syrupy as many Chinese places around here. The sauce was also not super spicy, which is a plus in my book.

In other news, egg wash + not listening for the oven timer = sourdough loaf BURN. Bet it still tastes damn good.

Update: the sourdough was quite delicious, in fact; shown here with rose petal jelly purchased in Montreal

A Public Service Announcement

So every time I leave the city, it is always a huge shock to my system to come back and get on the subway. The people! There are so many of them! And they’re touching me!!! EEEEWWWW. Oh, and they’re fucking RUDE. Dude today got extra super bonus points – in addition to engaging in one of my biggest pet peeves, pushing your way in to the car while people are still trying to walk out, he also managed to step on my foot. Oh wait, there’s more! Not only did he step on me, he broke my shoe. Dear AZgirly, welcome home! Love, NYC.

Au Canada

So in the true spirit of preparedness, I noticed AFTER arriving in Canadia that I had forgotten to charge the camera battery. Hence, a total of four usable photos. Well done, me. The first three are large pretty buildings in the old section of the city near the port. The last is a fantastic rock/blues band called Junkyard Dogs – their name and the song lyrics were the only parts of the show in English, so that was entertaining for us. My French is trés rusty, as it turns out. Fortunately, nearly everyone spoke English. I highly recommend the Atwater farmers’ market; loads of fabulous homemade jams & jellies, fresh fruit, a stunning array of cheeses & gorgeous cases of specialty meats/poultry, plants galore, and ZOMG the mushrooms!!! One place had about a gajillion varieties. They were all just so PRETTY!!! It killed me not to have a cooler on hand. I settled for a bag of assorted dried fancy mushrooms & head of PINK(!!!) garlic.

Also, protip:  if the menu only specifies steak with red sauce, ASK if it is a red WINE sauce.  I learned this the hard way.  "Filet mignon" + canneberges = EWEWEW.