I'd like to think my bicycle was the inspiration for this poster.

LOST

Have I mentioned how subscribing to Netflix has changed my life? For the better or worse is debatable. I started watching Lost in December when I had a list of things to knit a mile long and needed something to keep me entertained for looooong periods of time. (I'm a very slow knitter.) And by watch Lost, I mean I really watched Lost. Sometimes for periods of five, six hours in a row while scarves got longer, hats took shape, and mittens were finally given a matching mitten.

Fast forward five months, five seasons of Lost, to the finale. Last night. All of my questions would be answered! The mystery, the drama, the ridiculousness of an island that can transport you through time, inhabited by polar bears and castaways and pseudo-scientist types. Let's just say not all of my questions were answered, but it was a fun clip show rehashing the past few months (years for normal people with televisions).

Perhaps the best part about it was that is gave us a chance to together, make some damn good Mexican food (have you tried chipotles in adobo sauce? soooo good!), and watch TV.

Live Free or Die

Spring in New England is beautiful when it's not raining.

Last Saturday, Oksana, Olga, and I got a zip car for the afternoon and drove to Portsmouth, NH.



Me in front of the Portsmouth Light. The informational sign said it was the tenth lighthouse to be built in North America.

While I was there I picked up this book [The Whale by Philip Hoare] because I've been eying it at bookstores for a while and the shop in New Hampshire happened to have a signed copy left from an author event. Once I finish some of my overdue library books, I'll start into this one.

brownies: an experiment

I love desserts way too much. Because of this, I try to incorporate healthy substitutions whenever I can, as long as it doesn't sacrifice too much deliciousness. You know, mix in some whole wheat flour, add some flax seeds, that sort of thing. In this first ever side by side experiment, I make two batches of brownies from the same box mix. Half of them I followed the recipe as written, and in the other half I substituted apple sauce for vegetable oil.

One of these things is less delicious than the other.

Uggh, I feel bad for those hockey puck shaped fat free brownies. Sooo not as good as their fatty cousins. And the worst part of all is that delicious crusty part on top didn't develop. The crust is my favorite part of the brownie! No good at all. Even in the ones I did with half oil - half apple sauce, still no crust, although there was less resemblance to hockey pucks. For brownies at least, be indulgent and follow the recipe.

one bad apple

I know that different apples taste different from each other, but I wanted to try them side by side to try and determine my favorite. Or more likely, knowing me, determine that they were all my favorite. We bought one of every variety of apple sold at Trader Joe's, and Sierra later added another apple from Whole Foods. These are our thoughts.

Fuji: sweet, crisp, and tasty.

Red Delicious: surprisingly crisp, the skin is the thickest

Granny Smith: a little tart, but not too sour. Nice and crisp.

Gala: this one was the mushiest of all the ones we tried. Sierra did the tap test (the higher the pitch, the crisper that apple) and it was low.

Braeburn: a little sour, but good flavor and crispness.

Golden Delicious: nice but the most bland of the apples we tested.

Brooklyn

Phil and I took the BoltBus to New York to visit Priya and Rahul for a weekend. I met Priya in Bremen, Germany, where we were summer research fellows at marum. One of the best things about my summer in Bremen was cooking with Priya and exploring the city, so it was great to be able to capture that again for a few days in Brooklyn.

I took a lot of pictures, so I'll make an album on facebook. But these are a few of my favorites.

We are so not interested in you. Go away.

Hanging out at the Brooklyn Flea Market.

Where are we what should we do how do we get there how late is it open? iphones to the rescue.

Thank you Priya and Rahul! Please come and visit us in Cambridge soon.