Photo day

Dec. 19th, 2016 09:17 pm
smittenbyu: (Sketch)
2016-12-19_08-30-19

14. Story time at library is always fun!
15. We try to build our own. This is from last year's since this year we're out of town. A paper sheet, painted handprint leaves, tripod, glitter and lights and voila a tree for the season!
16. Breakfast followed with filtered coffee
17. Our fruit stand needs replenishment.
18. Something green in our shopping cart. (American Girl doll is spending the week with us thanks to Arlington Public Library.)
19. When nature freezes
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IMG_20161019_143957 IMG_20161020_105032

19/ Enchilladas - comfort food
20/ Right now, I finished up likely the last frappucino for the season - before the cold weather arrives!
smittenbyu: (Sketch)
So, I was good. I didn't bring coffee to work today. But you know what I saw on my way? to work? today? A starbucks is now on my way to work! It's coming soon! The station I get off at has two exits. By one exit, there's a starbucks across the street. I take that exit on my way home so that cuts the temptation. Plus, I would have to cross the road and then cross another two sides to get back to work - it takes too long - the lines are also too long in starbucks too. See, laziness has its benefits in keeping temptation at bay.

So, clearly Starbucks got in my head and am not alone. Because clearly there are a lot of lazy people around. In just this one block by work there are already 3 starbucks! Not counting the other two in the block next to us. So, they saw a need to capture us. Because the new one coming soon is right as I get out of my usual stop and in the direction of walking to work (it's on the same road as the one I can so easily avoid due to laziness!!)!!

Maybe a good thing if summer ends soon because I usually only get the frappucinos! And I will not crave it on a cold day!  
smittenbyu: (Sketch)

How do you coffee drinkers do it?! With my recent love for coffee and my sudden distaste for milk tea has had me take a cmall cup, maybe it's three quarters of a cup strong filtered (or drip) coffee - Indian style almost every morning, if not every other morning! By 11am, I can feel my blood sugar crashing (I also add minimum sugar to the cup) or maybe it's my blood pressure or both. I don't know. But I find myself with my hands shaking, ravaging and emptying the fridge like I haven't eaten in days, gulping down food as am afraid I am going to pass out of hunger! Sure, I have also restarted my workout after dropping D off at school, but nothing strenuous (it's more a walk for an hour in the urban jungle) as I can't afford sore muscles and all while we have to use up our energy lazying about on the beach over the weekend! Oh yes, our priorities and vested interest!

We recently switched to organiz Trader Joe's milk. Oh wow, we get creamy delicious yogurt with it (I make it at home)! Oh yum! Please don't ruin it for me and tell me all the crap TJs might put in it and I know it's not comparable to the raw milk, yum. But with what we have their milk has made the yummiest creamiest yogurt around! And don't get us for not switching to organic earlier. I still don't know what they mean by organic here as they can decide whatever they want it to be. So, am/was a skeptic, plus our intake of milk/yogurt is not significantly high. Now there's no going back.

We are cherishing our last few months in Arlington. Oh how I am going to miss it so! It has all that one would want, parks, hiking trails right at the footsteps, great schools, markets, diverse people, public transport. Alas, it's expensive and the way we are going we will never save enough for anything, like buying a home, be it an apartment or a house! Everyone who has lived here, that we have met misses this county dearly. We lose many residents to the suburbs or to other cities/countries. And we all hear their sob stories.

Except Senator Kirsten Gillibrand who labelled this county as a "soulless suburb". Often times, Arlington is considered Washington DC's "suburb". We were after all once part of DC, a long time ago. Apparently her hubby was unhappy in Arlington as he couldn't find a job here but he found one after moving to DC. I wonder if they knew that there's a metro that takes you to DC in 20 minutes? Really, we are just across the Potomac River. pfft.. hilarious really! And sure coming from NYC, Arlington is probably very clean and quiet, and hence a big cultural difference. meh.

This news came right at the point where we are considering going to the county next to us, so it was amusing. sigh.

smittenbyu: (Default)
The first time I am having coffee at work, my boss bought it for me as a treat and didn't think about cream/milk and sugar. She takes her coffee black. Oh dear lord! I took three sips and am already going nuts. woooo hooo... I should switch to coffee instead of alcohol to get a buzz! more cost-effective, no?
  • Yesterday we coordinated another seminar. This time the topic was on green building and designs, looking more towards commercial buildings. Interesting topic but the presentations were so dull. Most of them were mumbling through the presentations, either because they don't know how to present or didn't know the subject matter they were presenting. It was a bit disappointing for us as usually our seminars come out very well.
But I was productive. I was so good and run the day so smoothly and at the same time I finished reading the book I got from the library, The Reader. This book gave a very different perspective about the holocaust. It was different because it didn't share the story of the Jews, but it touched on the subject of how Germany dealt with it after the wars. Well, the book just touched the tip of the iceberg and I would love to find something that really went deeper into it. It also made me think of what would I have done in the same situations. How would one deal being in the situation that they were in. And the answer really is not an easy one. It was far from being as dull as the presentations were at the seminar and I was so immersed into the story itself! 
  • Salt has been in the news a lot lately. It has become the bad guy after the hoopla over corn-syrup, trans-fat, etc. The use of salt in restaurants is ridiculously high! Trends also show therefore our tastebuds have now become so used to more salt that eating food the way it was done just 15 years ago would feel tasteless. N and I purposely reduce salt at home, when we used canned veggies or other products that has already salt in it. Personally, I can use more salt in my diet because on occasion my BP goes low. So, I add it onto my own plate. It's my choice to do so.
The Salt Institute (It was amusing to see there is a Salt Institute!!) obviously defends the use of salt and all this talk is too much hype. She recommends us to go to the many restaurants website and see the nutritional info listed and see if it's okay for you! Geez... going out to eat has become really complicated! Simpler solution would be not to add so much and let the customer decide how much salt they want in their food, no? Of course, salt is often used not so much for the taste but to preserve the food and chemicals that they add to the food. Maybe one should address that. I enjoy eating out and stuff, but am glad that husband and I enjoy cooking at home as a normal routine and eating out as an occasional social outing. I feel for the people who often are left without a choice and having to eat out all the time.
  • N and I are going to go watch Star Trek this week. I am not actually sure why I am going. I never really enjoyed Star Trek. I watched mostly because it's dad's favourite movie/series. He always encouraged us to watch it. So, I think I am going for that sentimental thing. And this would be our first movie at the theaters in over a year or more! We got a nice deal of buy-one-get-one-free! yay for freebies! Why is it so expensive going to movies? It's funny cause I used to frequent going so many times in younger days!
  • I have been enjoying watching the HBO Series, Botswana's No.1 Ladies Detective Agency! I should see if the library has the books and read it too! N says they did a pretty good job of replicating small towns in Botswana. And Jill Scott is just so cute in the series. I like her assistant detective! She is such a character!! Currently that's the only TV show I do not miss! 
  • Today am planning to get out early and go watch an Indian historian talk. It looks interesting!

smittenbyu: (fun fun)
And here comes the end of my paid account status. So no more voice posts, like I have been making so many! ha! And no more polls! ha... I just will miss some of the userpics I had. But that's not a big deal. So where are the ads that they mentioned... maybe it will eventually show up. hmmmm....or is it with the "plus" account? ah well...the purpose is to jot down my thoughts and not for the perks.

I am currently on a caffeine high! Had a very good cup of Indian coffee... mmmm....Yes, I had coffee this morning, something that I never do. and I made mine light too and it was in a small dosage! I feel like I am on a merry-go-round...weeeeeeeeee... ok no more morning cups of coffee....

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