Constructing a character of myself

Sometimes I get bored of what I visualize as my current persona, or decide I need a few items to spice things up. Today, being kinda bored and recently discovering that I "need" a few new things, I pretty quickly painted a mental picture of Career-Erin, and how hot, together and savvy I would be with those things. Here's how it went:

- Whoever runs MZ Wallace's email campaigns has really been torturing me lately. I've been oogling their purses for literally years, but just haven't bitten the bullet and thrown down $300+ yet. That's a bit pricey for me. But this week they sent an email letting me know that one of my favorites is on sale for 50% off. That was rough. Then two days later, they sent another email, letting me know that shipping would be free through the weekend, and Happy 4th of July. I give myself two more days before I cave and finally spend a bit too much money on the daytime purse of my dreams.

- Pulling on my favorite pair of Sevens jeans this morning for the first time since washing them last weekend, I discovered that we were coming closer to what I realized a few months ago was an impending certainty - holes are slowly wearing in the crotch area. Probably only one or two washings away. I've owned like four or five pairs of Sevens over the last few years, and eventually they all get holes there. These have had a pretty good run of almost two years, so I'm not mad about it or anything. But lately I've been eyeing how great most people's butts look in Lucky Brand Jeans, which I've never owned. I tried on a few pairs once, and realized that they are the perfect length for me wearing flats. Right now I actually don't have any jeans that are heel-height. (The current Sevens I had hemmed, so they are flat-height. I'm right in the middle, being 5'6", so there is no such thing as a pair of pants that would work for me for both.) Soooo... what this means is that clearly I need two new pairs of designer jeans soon - a pair of Lucky's for flats, and a pair of Sevens for heels.

- Then, I sent a text message, and took a long, hard look at my crap-tastic phone that I've never bothered to update. I've gone back and forth for months, considering getting a Blackberry, but have held off waiting for my job situation to stabalize before making any new phone decisions, in case my next job would require something in particular. All of the sudden, a lightbulb went off in my head, and after a few clicks around my Verizon account page, I realized something - I am no longer under contract with them. I am month-to-month. It didn't take long for a little iPhone bud to plant itself in my brain. Within a few days, resistance, I'm sure, will prove futile.

- Oh, and I also need highlights.

So, by the end of the day I was swirling in fantasies of how career-woman-together-hot I'm going to look in a few weeks when I am sporting my new purse, talking on an iPhone, and rocking new jeans with the heels that I have been sorely neglecting for the last year or so. My hair will look perfect, and I'll be constantly doing something sharp like hailing a cab, or reading a library book on the ferry. (Because amidst all of this fabulous-ness, I'll still keep it real by checking books out of the library. Clearly that juxtaposition will only add to my alure.)

I can't wait.

Weird Family Foods

I'm a huge fan of the website Serious Eats. They consistently post stories and news-ish articles about food related items all over the world, and I've been introduced to a lot of cool things from them. They are a go-to site for me if I'm looking for a recipe, or need some info on a technique, and almost never fail me. But the best feature of the site is the open threads that they allow users to start. Anyone who is registered with the site (which is painless, quick, and free) can throw a question or train of thoughts out there to all of the readers and open it up for comments and responses. They are often asking for a recipe, idea, or just wanting to talk food in general.

Today on the site, they have one of the best threads I've seen yet - "What Weird Family Foods Did You Grow Up Thinking Were Normal?" There are over 120 responses, and some are really funny, touching, and just plain gross. I mean, come on - Jello mixed with milk? Captain Crunch served with whipped cream?

And here I thought it was weird that we grew up almost entirely on Pasta Roni, Shake 'n Bake, Pillsbury crescents, and iceberg lettuce salads... Apparently that was all pretty tame.

Grace in Small Things

1. Clean sheets and towels

2. A plane ticket to NYC in my inbox

3. Smoked salmon for lunch

4. 75 degrees here when it's 100 back home in Virginia. I'd be dying.

5. Excitement of a date later.

My own devices

Everyone has food that they knee-jerk to when they are on their own for dinner. For some, it's just a bowl of cereal or Lean Cuisine. Others have their favorite take out place. Someone recently told me that when left to their own devices, they almost always end up eating "melty, cheesy things".

For me, it's one thing - pasta. I can't help it, and I try to break it up a little bit, but whenever I'm in charge of myself for dinner, I almost always end up making some incarnation of pasta. Angel hair with whatever veggies I've got on hand and lots of cheese... Cous cous with chopped chicken and herbs... Shit, when I'm really feeling cheap and want to revert to being a kid, I make myself Hamburger Helper, and then eat on the leftovers for the rest of the week. No matter what I do, I cannot seem to wean myself off of my pasta addiction.

Last night it was leftover slow roasted tomatoes with angel hair pasta, olive oil, feta cheese and lots of fresh pepper. I chopped up the tomatoes and the sweet juice that oozed out blended with the olive oil to create a thin and yummy sauce that totally coated the pasta. That, combined with the salty, tangy feta was awesome. And I have another portion leftover.

So that's me. For better or for worse (says my waistline) I just can't stop eating pasta. How about you? When totally left to your own devices, what do you usually end up eating?

Delicious Reading: A Homemade Life

I don't know where I've been, but somehow I have just started reading Orangette, the uber-famous food blog by Molly Wizenberg. And I only really started reading the blog, because I kept seeing her book, A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table, everywhere. After eyeing it for months, I finally picked it up a few weeks ago and delved in.

Most of the reviews that I've seen so far have been warm and glowing, just like the entire feel of the book, but I have seen a few sparks of criticism for the fact that we were reading a "memoir" from someone supposedly too young to have that many memories. I can definitely see that point, especially since there was a time or two in the book where I wondered to myself if the author was actually a kinda boring person (I mean, come on - she talks about having only been drunk once, and she's sometimes a - gasp - vegetarian...), but those thoughts were pretty easily brushed aside. Because the thing is, the book is really lovely.

It's comforting and cozy, and almost every chapter left my stomach growling. I love how she mixes totally old school, suburban recipes from her parent's friends with more trendy, foodie-ish things to try, and for as many cooking memoirs as I have read in the last few years, I have never actually taken so many must-try recipes from the pages. (People, hear me now - the slow roasted tomatoes are to die for, and ridiculously versatile.)

This book is definitely worth picking up, as a feel-good escape if nothing else, and a must-read for all of those who love food writing and follow the scene online. And come by my apartment this weekend if you want to try some of her banana bread with chocolate chips and crystalized ginger. I know it's going to be delectable.

Grace in Small Things

1. Margaritas with salt on a beautiful afternoon

2. Playing fetch with my cat

3. Luxuriating in my favorite weekend activity - piddling around the apartment.

4. Spending the last few days indulging in some mega Chick Lit - Lauren Weisberger's third book. (Title of which is too embarrassing to even write here.)

5. Daydreaming about the very real possibility of spending a few days in Mendocino for work.

Sunday afternoon

This afternoon, I got to go on my fourth boat ride in two weeks. Not bad odds. I am one lucky woman.