Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes.

Hi everybody.  Thanks for the kind emails and messages while I've been away.  Here's a bit of an update for you:

Shortly after my last post, I was put on a trial team (my favorite type of assignment!!) for a case that was supposed to go to trial less than a month later.  As you can imagine, life got extremely hectic very quickly.  I don't like to post on the blog while on trial, because I have to assume:  1) opposing counsel is crazy and has researched everyone on our side; 2) they have found my blog; 3) every post I make during trial prep and trial is a window into how busy or not busy we are, which in turn is a window into our strategy.

The trial was grueling, but I did have a weekend or two during which I got to enjoy the city of Boston (where the trial was taking place).  Neptune's Oyster?  Holy geez, that place was incredible.  Plus, we were staying at the Ritz, so it's hard to be too miserable (even when facing down your third 20+ hour day in a row) when you can go "home" to a fluffy bed, a whirlpool bath, and free room service.

Still "trying" to lose the trial weight, but it was totally worth it.

Our trial concluded at the end of April (we won!!).  I made my way back home almost reluctantly.  Over the course of the last year or so, my six-year relationship, which had typically been very loving/functional/rewarding, had become difficult, rocky, and downright painful.  The relationship needed to end, which as you can imagine was an extremely hard and fraught decision to make after being with someone for so long and developing a shared future with that person.  I still struggle with whether this was the correct decision, and I don't really know what to do or how to act going forward, or whether to give in to the desire to try again, hoping that things might be different after the self-improvement work we have both done in the months of separation.

The closest I've ever come to posting my ex's picture on this blog.  (Incidentally, I TOTALLY recommend this bobblehead company if you are looking for an awesome gift for someone.  They were incredible to work with.)

Those of you who have ended long relationships with the person you thought was "The One*", how did you know it was time?  Did you ever try again with the same person?  How did that work out?  Was the other person able to change?  Were you?  Have you found new love since then?  How is it different?  Do you have some kind of clarity regarding whether you made the right or wrong decision in ending that previous relationship?  Basically, what do I need to hear, being in the place I am now?

*  I don't actually believe in the concept of "The One."  I don't think there is only one person who is the perfect end-all-be-all fit for us.  I think there are many people with whom any given person could have a happy and loving life.  I use "The One" here really to mean "[One of] The One[s]."

Despite the whirlwind incredible trial experience at my firm, I'd been feeling a growing dissatisfaction with the work since last summer.  See, I love trials.  Trials are the driving force that pumps my lifeblood and gives my work-life meaning.  And although my firm is notoriously awesome at giving attorneys trial experience (and indeed, I was on five trial teams, saw four jury selections, and three winning verdicts in my three years + one summer at the firm), the problem with a big firm is that you are never going to be the person giving the opening and closing argument in a big trial.  And even more, the hierarchical structure of a big firm means that for your first five or six years, you don't really get close to talking in court on a paying matter.  There's something about that process, in which the work you do is just pieces of a whole that were divided up and doled out by something else, that makes you start to atrophy in some ways.  You learn a TON by watching more experienced attorneys run these trial teams, but you start to lose that ability to see the whole forest, to think ten steps ahead, and to look at the bigger picture, because your more immediate job is on the smaller scale.

I have always wanted to be an Assistant U.S. Attorney ("AUSA").  It has been my dream job since at least the ninth grade --- or whenever I learned that the job existed.  AUSAs represent the United States, prosecuting federal criminals or defending U.S. agencies when they are sued.  AUSAs get to run their own cases, try their own trials, and enjoy all of the perks of federal employment.  These jobs are notoriously difficult to get, and for the past several years, a hiring freeze has been in place that made it nearly impossible to find an open position.  In fact, many districts began hiring Special AUSAs to work FOR FREE, and PEOPLE ARE STILL TAKING THOSE JOBS.

The hiring freeze lifted in December, and around February I started throwing out a few applications to various districts in which I could see myself living.  (Maryland, Virginia, Florida, Chicago, California...I almost threw my hat in the ring for the Virgin Islands but that just seemed way too extreme of a change.)  I didn't expect to get anything, since I'm still relatively junior and I lack some of the credentials I'm told are important for a position like this.

But sure enough, in March, I got an interview in Baltimore.  Everything about the position was perfect.  The position was in the civil division --- so I would get to practice the type of civil defense law I'd come to love at my firm (for example, civil division attorneys do a lot of medical malpractice defense and employment discrimination defense) --- but civil division attorneys are permitted to take small criminal cases in addition to their civil caseload, so I would have a taste of both types of law.  (Plus, criminal cases typically involve more court time than civil cases.)  The division was small, like my old firm, and filled with incredibly friendly and non-competitive people who loved that I bake pies and play poker.  It is close to D.C., so even though I would get the fresh start I craved in a new city with a lot going on within its borders, I would be close enough to my old town (~30 miles, or 50 minutes by car) that I would not have to say goodbye to any of my friends.

After three rounds of interviews, I was offered the job after a particularly brutal day during our trial.  My tears of frustration with the case turned into tears of gratitude and happiness that I'd had such an amazing experience at my firm, without which I surely could not have made this next step so soon, and that I would soon be starting a new adventure in my dream job.

I cleared my security check at the end of July, moved to Baltimore at the beginning of August, and now I'm starting a new chapter here.  Not only am I in a new city, making new friends and exploring a new life, but I've also said goodbye to my lavish law firm salary (this job was a 60% pay cut) and all of the associated luxuries.  I'm living in a house with two other girls now.  I have a huge living space to myself (I have my own floor of the house, along with my own bedroom, living room, and bathroom), but I'm sharing a kitchen and facing the fact that I have two mid-twenty-somethings roommates at a point in my life when I figured I would be married or engaged.  Ahhh, life, how funny you can be.  Luckily, my roommates (random craigslist people) are lovely and my house is comfortable, and it's only a fifteen-minute walk to work.  It is also only a fifteen minute walk from the new casino opening up in downtown Baltimore, which makes me sad to have my lush salary no longer.

But my new job has been incredible --- pretty much everything I hoped it could be --- which at the very least makes me feel validated in the choices I have made to get me to this point.

Anyway, there's a lot to share and a lot to write about.  I haven't figured out whether I want to continue writing or not, though; again, I must assume all of my opposing counsel have found this blog now that I'm the lead counsel (!!!) opposite them.  While I have not posted anything on here that is personally embarrassing or that I would not be happy to talk about in person, I have to rethink my online presence a bit.  Out of curiosity, are there any AUSAs or trial attorneys out there amongst my readers?  Do you have any thoughts on this subject?  Are any of you my opposing counsel?  :-D

I'm sorry to have left without a word so many months back.  There were so many changes in my life all at once, and some of them I'm sure you can understand I do not want to talk about in great detail on the internet.  My domain name comes up for renewal in a few months, so I guess I will make a decision about whether to continue by then, but in the meantime:  Hello, and I hope you are all doing well!

Snow Day

 

 

If you were thinking that today would be a good day to have matzo ball soup for lunch and experiment with a pork and lentil stew for dinner while working from home, you would be right.

What Jewish Girl doesn't like pork and matzo balls in the same day? What's this "kosher" thing of which you speak?

Do you guys have a snow day today? We've got what looks like six to eight inches here.

 

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A few nice things to start your Monday

1. Check out this cute little fox cookie jar I found at Target!

 

 

2. I went on a hike this weekend! We went to Bull Run, which is about an hour outside of DC in a town called Haymarket, Virginia. The hike was about two hours total, so not too long, but long enough to work up a good appetite for brunch!

 

Hiking OOTD. I am such a newb. Also I was wearing Kate Spade earrings because see also, newb.

 

3. My second round of foster kittens were adopted this weekend! They were pretty much the perfect cats and I was so sad to see them go...

 

KITTY SPOON, PEOPLE.

 

4. A woman at BJ's Wholesale Club almost beaned me in the head with a 20-pack of ramen noodles! My crime? I nicely asked the lady behind me to allow me to put my purchases on the conveyer belt before she did, a request that seemed necessary since she bypassed me and started loading up her own stuff on all available space. Drama be following me around lately, apparently.

 

How was your weekend?

 

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Let's talk about fitness.

Alright, guys.  I have fallen off the fitness bandwagon.  My pants are tight and I am at a weight where I refuse to buy new ones because I am not going to settle in here.

Source.

I have found that my fitness preferences tend to swing around pretty drastically every six months to a year, and the things that I used to love doing no longer motivate me the same way.  I'm not going to Crossfit as regularly as I used to, and I am biking less since the weather became frigid (and since I bought a car).  I still will sometimes go for a run, but the shorter days leave me less time to do this in the daylight, when I prefer to be out.

My firm recently announced that it would give all associates $195 towards a monthly gym membership.  I could use this money for a 9 class per month Crossfit membership ($165 --- I KNOW), or I could use it to join an actual gym with a variety of (sadly, non-Crossfit) classes.  I'm leaning towards the latter for now, since I'm feeling like a need some variety in my life.  Plus, since I seem to enjoy driving around, I could drive to the gym to get my sweat on.

So help me out here:

1. What do you guys do for exercise in the winter?  
2. Do you belong to a gym?  If so, what do you think are the most important things I should be considering in deciding which gym to go to.
3. If you live in DC, are there any gyms/studios that I absolutely must check out before I sign paperwork somewhere?  Where is the best place for me to spend my $195/mo?

Dawwwwwww

Meet the new foster kittens!

 

 

Their names are Dust Bunny (gray female) and Caribou (orange male), but I call them Bunny and Boo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just waaaaay too much cuteness, am I right? These little ones are available for adoption through the Washington Humane Society! (My last two foster cats were adopted two weeks ago! The only thing that eased the pain of separation was immediately taking in two more cats :-D)

 

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Pawnukkah: THANK YOU!

Thank you all for your wonderful donations to my Pawnukkah campaign!  Thanks to your support, we were able to make a fantastic $762 donation to the Washington Humane Society.  This donation will be matched by my firm and matched again by the Delavan and Weir foundations, for a total of $2286!

The animals thank you!

Name these cats!

Last week, I attended a cat foster orientation program through the Washington Humane Society.  The program provided some basic information about WHS and cat care, and after completing it, everyone was eligible to take home kitten(s)/cat(s) from the shelter.  The foster program frees up space in the shelter for more animals, allows more high maintenance animals (read:  kittens) to get the attention they need, and helps sick animals recover faster (lots of animals in the shelter contract upper respiratory infections).  It's also a good way for very shy animals to be adopted, since the shelter environment stresses those animals out and a stressed animal does not appear friendly to potential adopters.

A few days later, I was back at the shelter to pick up my two foster cats!  They are a bonded pair of two year-old boys who were found as strays after their owner threw them out of the house.  I assume they are brothers.

The black one is extremely outgoing --- he immediately took to me and follows me around the apartment everywhere I go.  I was brushing my teeth this morning, turned around for one second, and when I turned back he was in the sink.  I didn't even see him come into the bathroom!

The white one is very, very shy.  He spends most of his time hiding under the bed, although he will come out when he hears the bag of cat treats opening.  He's slowly warming up, but he's not letting me pet him yet (hence the crazy zoom utilized on all photos of the white cat).

[ETA:  I can tell that these cats are after my own heart because:  1) so far, they have shown no interest in destroying my purses, and; 2) they keep trying to get into my closet!]

The shelter named them Midnight (black one) and Leo (white one), but I'm not crazy about those names.  Help me come up with something better!

Here's what I've got so far:

Blackacre and Whiteacre
A bit of legal humor.  You know how in math class, when you are referring to an unknown variable you call it "x" or "y"?  In property law, when you are referring to an unknown or generic lot of property, you call it [color]acre.  Greenacre, blueacre, blackacre, whiteacre.  I was excited about these names at first, but they just haven't rolled off the tongue as I'd hoped.  Plus, non-lawyers will always be confused.

Pepper and Salt
My mom's suggestion.  Totally works, although I found it a little strange to call a cat "salt."  (Note that I love food names for cats.  Some of the kittens currently up for adoption are called "milkshake" and "ketchup" which I think is adorable.)

Wall-E and Hal

 

When the black one talks, it sounds just like the robot Wall-E from the beautiful Pixar movie of the same name.  Eve (Wall-E's robot girlfriend) would be a perfect name for the white one, but because the white one is actually a boy, I figured it needed a male name.  "Hal" is Wall-E's best friend and sidekick (although he is but a lowly cockroach).  Like Wall-E and Hal, the two cats are a bonded pair.

Yin and Yang
Because when the two play together, they sort of look like a yin-yang!

James and Barney

 

After James and Barney Stinson, interracial half-brothers on How I Met Your Mother.  This is my favorite of the options so far because the names are easiest to remember and say.  This pair of names would be totally legen --- wait for it, and I'm glad we're talking about cats because even though they are not supposed to have it some stereotypes still live on and this next word is --- DAIRY.  Legendary!


So, what do you think we should call these cats?  Also, if you live in the DC area and are interested in adopting them, let me know :-)

Happy Paw-Nukkah!

The end of 2013 is in sight, and that means a few things:  gawking at the absurd price of holiday-time airfare, throwing plans together for what will surely turn out to be a lackluster New Years' Eve, and making charitable donations to reap the tax benefits in 2013.  Even corporations like to get in on the action, often offering to match the charitable donations of others made during this time.

Last week, on my way to work, I got an email from the Washington Humane Society (WHS), informing me that two foundations --- the Nelson P. Delavan Foundation and the Weir Foundation --- would be matching, dollar-for-dollar, all donations made to WHS before November 30.

Then, a day or two later, my law firm sent out an email, offering to match, dollar-for-dollar, all donations made before the end of the year, up to a maximum of $1,000 per employee.

I mentioned in my last post how much I love the fact that the WHS allows anyone with an interest to come in and play with the animals.  The dedicated staff and volunteers keep the shelter clean and do their best to keep all of the animals happy and healthy.  WHS is a no-kill shelter that accepts ALL animals surrendered in DC, so every pet that ends up there knows it stands a fighting chance.

This is a very generous offer and a great combination of events, as I can now make a modest donation to nonprofit that brings me the greatest joy and entertainment --- the Washington Humane Society --- and that modest donation will become a pretty decent one once it is matched by the Delavan and Weir foundations, and then matched again by my firm.  (Sadly, my firm's check will probably not arrive during the WHS's November 30 doubling period.)  My only regret is that I can't donate the full $1,000 maximum for my law firm matching program.

So, here's a crazy idea.

I get the sense from the comments on my previous post that we've got a couple of animal lovers around these parts.  What if I ran an online fundraiser for any interested parties?  If you feel like helping me take advantage of the fact that my firm will match any donation I make up to $1,000, here's what we're going to do:

*  Visit my fundraiser page over at YouCaring.com.  YouCaring is a free fundraising site that, unlike other sites, does not take a percent of your earnings to make a profit.

*  Make any donation you like, or none at all.

*  On November 27, the first night of Hanukkah, the fundraiser will end and I will donate whatever we raised to WHS.  I will post a screenshot of the donation once it is made.

*  Whatever amount we raise will be met by the Delavan and Weir foundations, and then matched again by my law firm (up to $1,000).  A $17 donation turns into $50, and $50 turns into $150. 

Note that even though my firm will only match donations up to $1,000, I will be donating the full amount raised through the fundraiser to the WHS, no matter how much it exceeds the $1,000 benchmark.

I'm excited about the chance to make at least a little bit of a positive impact for the WHS.  More money for them means more space, more supplies, and ultimately more animals who can find shelter and eventually permanent homes.

Absolutely no pressure to donate (aside from these heartbreaking animal photos).  I will only post about this three times over the next month:  once now, once a day or two before the deadline as a last reminder, and then once after the donation is made.  I just figured I'd let you guys know what I was up to in case you were interested in helping me reach that $1,000 benchmark.

Here's the link to my fundraiser again if you're interested.  Every little bit helps (and will become a big bit when all is said and done).  If you would rather donate directly to the WHS (which would be tax-deductible), you can do so here and your donation will be doubled by the Delavan and Weir foundations.

Battling The Blahs

Hey everyone.  Sorry I've been MIA...I've been battling a serious case of the blahs.  I will return with outfit posts soon, but in the meantime, here are two of my favorite places to go to battle mild bouts of non-clinical depression:

Crossfit (or Exercise Generally)

One of my worst qualities as a human being is the fact that it is extremely easy for me to slip into complete physical inactivity.  I don't know how it happens; I will go from working out 3-5 times a week to ZERO for WEEKS.  However, I've noticed in the last few months that going more than two days without physical activity has a very dark effect on my mood.  It's wonderful to recognize this, as it's helped me both to keep a regular exercise schedule and to recognize the biological factors (i.e., lack of endorphins) that could be impacting my mood.  I like Crossfit, but I also try to bike or run if I don't feel like attending an exercise class.

Washington Humane Society

(image source)

There's something comforting about hanging out with animals, especially when you have zero responsibility for cleaning up after them and just get to participate in the fun stuff, like cuddles and ear scratches.  I found myself at the Washington Humane Society's Northeast DC outpost one day just to look at the animals (this location is convenient running distance from my house), and to my delight I discovered not only a very friendly staff that is happy to have you hang out with the pets even if you are not adopting (and will not judge you if you sit on the floor for an hour with two kittens falling asleep in your lap), but there is also a room in the shelter called "Kitty City" (pictured above) that is basically just a room full of cats.  You can walk into the room and just pet whatever cat comes up to you looking to be pet.  It is an amazing mood-booster.  (If you don't have a humane society near you but still want to help the pets, why not buy something for the Humane Society next time you are on Amazon?  Our DC humane society has an Amazon wish list, and your local one probably does, too.  I threw a $4 set of newborn kitten bottles in with my last order of poker chips.)


How do you like to fight the blues?  Where are your happy places?

District Sample Sale Review: Almost a Complete Disappointment

There are many, many things I love about living in DC. The relaxed pace of the city, which seems to balance work life and family life better than NYC ever could (for lawyers, at least). The low height of the buildings, which allows you to see sky even in the depths of downtown. The metropolitan nature of the place, meaning that there are very few cultural phenomena you miss out on, even if NYC gets some of them first.

 

One thing I don't love? The lack of fashion culture here.

 

Now I am FAR from a fashionista. I read Atlantic-Pacific with the same sense of impossible bewilderment as the rest of us pleebs. But I enjoy a good sale as much as the next gal, and I miss being able to check RackedNY's list of sample sales on any given day and find something more or less interesting.

 

That feeling of loss is part of what motivated me to try out District Sample Sale, despite the following misgivings:

 

* The sale did not feature brands, but rather DC-area boutiques, only a few of which I'd ever heard of.

* The sale cost $40 TO GET IN.

 

These misgivings were eventually overcome partially by the fact that I missed going to sample sales, but mostly by the fact that there would be cupcakes.

 

FWIW, Georgetown Cupcakes are tasty, but extraordinarily overhyped.

 

So I ponied up the $40 and checked out the scene with a good friend of mine. This year's event was held at a building called the Sphynx club (where, incidentally, my boyfriend ran a charity poker tournament last year). I found the line to get in to be calm, well-organized, and short. The layout of the vendors inside was impressive:

 

 

The food offerings were also impressive. For your $40 ticket price, you could sample small bites from a bunch of excellent local restaurants. Some of the items up for grabs included a mushroom gnocci, several varieties of gazpacho, a delightful english pea soup, crab sandwiches, and a seasonal cocktail made with apples and squash.

 

Cocktail by Federal. They torched the rosemary. TORCHED it.

 

I started with the food. While I doubted I would make up my $40 ticket price in clothing savings, I figured I could throw down at least $20 in appetizers. Also, there was a bar in the back of the venue offering wine and a few cocktails, but everything used "Skinnygirl" alcohol products which I think kind of suck? Am I wrong? Did you know Skinnygirl makes wine, too? Why would you skinnify wine? I feel like this is a step too far.

 

The salmon had some kind of tequila-type glaze. Tasty.

 

Upon descending into the madness of the actual sample sale, I immediately felt discouraged. None of the prices before my eyes were particularly startling...most things worth buying seemed to be about 50-60% off of already pretty expensive prices. Lots of $100-$150 dresses, etc.

 

Case in point: This necklace, advertised as "unique" and "marked down" to $40, sells at Eastern Market for $15 (and you can negotiate down to $12 or $10). Dissappointing.

 

I mentally gave up on the clothes and sat down at a chair in the back to get free hairstyling:

 

My instruction was to make it look like Michelle Williams' Louis Vuitton campaign. It ultimately looked nothing like that.

 

Ultimately, my friend found a cute chartreuse fabric purse with a blue lobster on it for $25, and I bought a scarf and a $65 necklace, mostly out of desperation but also because the necklace is very pretty and consists of real pearls/turquoise, somewhat justifying the price.

 

 

Overall, I am not sure if I got my $40 worth at this event. I probably did, but only if you add it up as follows:

 

$12 worth of booze (I'm not a heavy drinker, plus it was hard to hold wine glasses while shopping)

+ $10 worth of food ([wo]man cannot live on small bites alone)

+ $10 worth of a blowout (of course, this would have cost more than that if I'd gone to a salon, but I would not have been going to a salon so it's not really money saved)

+ $0 in discounts (although the necklace was theoretically reduced in price from "retail," I have my doubts that this piece ever went for $130, as it was sold by the same vendors as the above-posted-$40-Eastern-Market-necklace. Had I nabbed some kind of a deal beyond an ordinary sale price, I would have put that amount here

= $32, plus probably a movie-ticket's worth of fun with a friend, so that comes out to about $40.

 

Of course, you could always point out that I definitely spent some money I otherwise would not have spent had I not attended this event (on the necklace and a scarf), so what I'm saying is I have no idea how I come out on whether the sample sale was worth it.

Would I attend this event next year? Possibly. It is a decently fun girl's night out and I think I can deduct the cost of entry as a charitable donation (proceeds went to charity, after all). As long as you don't go with the intention of scoring OMGAMAZINGDEALS then it will probably be a few hours interestingly-, if not well-, spent.

 

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OOTD: It's Brights Time!

Summer brights! Welcome to my life.

In this Outfit:

Ann Taylor Loft Colorblocked Crepe Dress (8 - a smidge big. For reference if you've generally tracked me in sizing, I've gone up a size) (here) (affiliate link) (link updated since I originally posted the wrong one)

Jessica Simpson Minna Wedges (9.5 - these run a half size small) (I get SO many compliments on these shoes and I'm always embarassed to tell people they are by Jessica Simpson) (PS: don't get them in black patent)

Necklace: Ann Taylor Loft (from December)

Kate Spade Lever-back earrings in citron

Marc by Marc Jacobs Marci Watch

Sorry about the iPad photo....I know it looks ridiculous. I didn't bring my phone to the locker room on Monday morning.

I bought this dress online from LOFT last week, before I decided to impose a no-more-clothes-purchases-until-normal-weight-is-achieved policy upon myself. (I'm about TEN pounds up from where I like to be; some of that is crossfit muscle so my new happy weight may change but I GUARANTEE YOU that a good bit of that is not muscle.) BUT I am glad this dress snuck its way into the mix. It's lightweight, comfy, and reminds me that summer is practically here.

Anthropologie Dashed Knit Blazer (L)

Michael Kors Gansevoort Tote (my jeans stained the leather a bit blue within its first week of life, but the stains came out with some leather cleaner I found on Amazon) (here) (affiliate link)

...Except for the fact that it was like FIFTY DEGREES in DC earlier this week!! What gives, weather?? I like my spring without a sprinkle of winter, tyvm.

I love this necklace and wanted to show you a close-up. I am not just making an excuse for posting a photo of my chest. Consciously.

(Quick post today because I'm traveling and overwhelmed with work, but LOOK AT ME STILL POSTING when I'm traveling and overwhelmed with work! PROGRESS, you guys!)

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If only it had really gone this way...

Moreover, when Attorney Cooper said that gay marriage could harm the moral fabric of the country and hurt the institution of marriage, Associate Justice Sotomayor asked, “What are you even talking about?” while Justice Anthony Kennedy reportedly muttered, “You got to be fucking kidding me,” under his breath.

“I have to interject, Mr. Cooper,” Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said as the attorney argued that the government has legitimate reasons to discourage same-sex couples from getting married. “Do you honestly care this much about this issue? Because if you do, you’re a real goddamn idiot. Actually, you sound as dumb as dog shit, and you are wasting our time.”

...Before adjourning the court, Roberts said there would be no official opinion on the case because it’s just “common goddamn sense,”

Hilarious.  You can read the full article here.  (The for-real court transcript is here.)

Weekend Dietary Hijinks

I think we had kind of a fun discussion last week in response to a photo I posted of my breakfast. The debate focused on the relative health value of the breakfast and sort of ultimately boiled down to a discussion of meat v. vegetarian carbs v. processed foods. I almost believe that there are as many "valid" diets (or ways-of-eating-for-life) as there are people in this world, because you can find scientific support for pretty much any eating plan nowadays.  (Except probably processed foods.  I don't see too many people sticking up for processed foods, except to say that perhaps in moderation you won't kill yourself with them immediately.)  I personally am easing myself into a paleo-like experiment* for the next couple months, but as much science as there is behind such a diet, there is as much science behind the opposite (vegetarian) diet and everything in between.

*  Let me take a moment to clarify that I am not "dieting."  I'm trying to figure out a new and healthier way to eat, because I feel like I need to change something in my diet.  Diet here meaning way-of-eating, not temporary caloric restriction.

Anyway, this post is not about healthy eating. In fact, if we try to "issue spot" the number of problems with my eating this weekend, we will all get very tired and take a nap under our desks within a couple of minutes. Let's not talk about healthy eating today. Instead, let's talk about what I did this past weekend.

First, a bagel-making class.

Here is my shameful Jewish girl secret: Every time I have attempted homemade bagels they have failed. (Or so I thought.) They taste fine, but they bake up weird and flat.  [Edited to add:  What's a Jewish girl's favorite thing to make?  Reservations!  hyuk hyuk.]

This was my most recent attempt a few months back:

I mean, Cupcakes & Cashmere I am not. (HOW DID HERS GET SO ROUND???)

So, when a friend alerted me to a bagel-making class at a community college in Arlington (part of their adult education curriculum), naturally I could not wait to sign up. I was hoping for the secret to nice round, puffy bagels.

I didn't get such a secret, unfortunately, but the class was still a fun way to spend a Saturday morning. The type of 20-somethings who don't mind giving up a bit of sleep on a weekend to bake and eat bagels are my type of people.

1 - "proofing" the yeast. 2 - letting the dough rise (in the bowl) and letting myself rise (in the coffee cup). 3 - the instructor shows us how to shape the bagels by poking a hole in them. 4 - topping the bagels. 5 - bagels that the instructor put together that rose overnight, which we baked in class. 6 - eating the spoils.

This is the recipe we used.

We got to take home the bagels we assembled in class to let them rise overnight and to bake on Sunday. But instead of baking bagels on Sunday, I experienced a different kind of food overload.

Second, a trip to All-You-Can-Eat "Farmer's Market Brunch" at Farmers, Fishers, and Bakers

(source)

Lordie, lordie lordie.

Understand: FFB is the type of trendy, urban hipster type of restaurant that serves "sustainable" "farm to table" American food. It's the classic type of place you'd want to go for brunch. So when I heard that they offered an all-you-can-eat brunch buffet featuring everything on this menu...

...naturally I had to check it out.

(source, because let's face it, I was way too eager to eat this stuff to actually take my own photo)

It did not disappoint. The food was good --- not exceptional, as is the curse of most all-you-can-eat situations, but quite good --- and the experience was SO much fun. Tons of food, not just on the buffet but also circulating around you. Waiters came around with trays of biscuits, cinnamon rolls, eggs benedict, flatbread, and SUSHI.

Show me a person who can resist a warm cinnamon bun and I will show you a Cylon.  (source)

Also, bruleed grapefruit is NO JOKE.

Does this make anyone else want to buy a brulee torch? No, just me? Okay.

The biggest negative was that the line for the first brunch table (the veggie table) got somewhat long at points, but if you didn't want anything from that table you could skip it, and at max I think we waited about five or ten minutes before we reached the kale salad.


How did you spend your weekend? Are you as big a fan of brunch as I am?

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