I guess it could be worse. Last week he ate some concoction (that he came up with during his bachelor days) consisting of Pasta Roni and canned tuna. Yum?
At least I'm in the home stretch now....4 states and 8 days of traveling to go!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Since I've Been Gone
While I am doing all this traveling, poor Jason has been left to his own devices. On the plus side, he has gotten to tinker with his computers in peace and to see Hot Tub Time Machine with willing participants who might actually appreciate its “comedic genius.” On the negative side, he has had to fend for himself food wise. This is what is on the menu for while I am gone this week:
I guess it could be worse. Last week he ate some concoction (that he came up with during his bachelor days) consisting of Pasta Roni and canned tuna. Yum?
At least I'm in the home stretch now....4 states and 8 days of traveling to go!
I guess it could be worse. Last week he ate some concoction (that he came up with during his bachelor days) consisting of Pasta Roni and canned tuna. Yum?
At least I'm in the home stretch now....4 states and 8 days of traveling to go!
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
What's In Your Wallet?
One of the things I love about Jason is how he shops around for everything. Whether it is a computer component, a camera, or book, he is always researching how he get the most for his (and now our) money. (He is apparently rubbing off on me-- I spent several hours the other night looking for the best garment steamer that I could buy with leftover giftcards from the wedding.)
But what cracks me up about this is his obsession with finding the “best” credit card. You know, the one that offers the most cash back or other perks. While I think cash back is great and that we should get some, that is all I have to say on the subject. I am pretty sure Jason, on the other hand, thinks about it constantly. Just today he sent me the following g-chat:
Jason: http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2009/moneymag/0907/gallery.credit_cards.moneymag/6.html
we have two cards in this list
and the only other good card in it is the penfed one
Me: that’s good
What else could I say?! But at least I can sleep well knowing my credit cards...they're working for me!
But what cracks me up about this is his obsession with finding the “best” credit card. You know, the one that offers the most cash back or other perks. While I think cash back is great and that we should get some, that is all I have to say on the subject. I am pretty sure Jason, on the other hand, thinks about it constantly. Just today he sent me the following g-chat:
Jason: http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2009/moneymag/0907/gallery.credit_cards.moneymag/6.html
we have two cards in this list
and the only other good card in it is the penfed one
Me: that’s good
What else could I say?! But at least I can sleep well knowing my credit cards...they're working for me!
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
A Taste of Summer (What Happened to Spring?)
As I write this, the temperature outside is 87 degrees. I had a meeting in DC today and was pretty much covered in sweat by the time I got off the crowded rush hour metro. It’s so hot, I broke down and turned on the AC (which I usually try to avoid doing for as long as possible). Which begs the question….what happened to spring?! I hope it makes a comeback soon because I am not ready for summer quite yet.
Good thing I was planning to make Barefoot Contessa’s Roasted Shrimp and Orzo Salad for dinner tonight. Full of fresh herbs (dill!), veggies (scallions, red onion, and cucumbers…oh my!), shrimp, and topped with a lemon vinaigrette, it is the ideal warm weather meal. It just tastes like summer…seriously!
It’s easy to make too—in the time it takes to cook the orzo you can pretty much have everything else ready to go. The key to the dish, though, is to make it at least an hour or so ahead of time so all the flavors have a chance to mingle and meld. I actually made this during my lunch hour (a definite benefit of working from home) so there was plenty of time for everything to come together. (It also makes for delicious leftovers which is good for Jason since I’m heading off tomorrow for yet another business trip.)
Mmm summer on a plate…even if it is two months too soon!
Roasted Shrimp and Orzo Salad
Adapted slightly from Ina Garten
Ingredients:
½ pound orzo
¼ cup lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)
¼ cup plus 1 TBL olive oil
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 bunch scallions, minced (white and green parts)
1 cup chopped fresh dill
1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
½ cucumber, seeded and diced
½ cup red onion, diced
4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
1.Bring large pot of water to a boil. Add orzo and cook according to package directions (usually about 9-10 minutes) until done. While pasta cooks, whisk together lemon juice, ¼ cup olive oil, salt and pepper.
2.Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking pan with aluminum foil. Place shrimp on pan, drizzle with 1 TBL olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to combine and spread out in a single layer. Roast for about 6 minutes until shrimp are cooked through.
3.When pasta is done, drain and pour into a large bowl. Pour vinaigrette over hot pasta and stir well.
4.Add shrimp to the orzo and then add scallions, dill, parsley, cucumber, onion, and salt/pepper to taste. Toss well. Add feta and stir carefully.
5.Set aside at room temperature for at least 1 hour (more if you can do it!) or you can also refrigerate overnight. If refrigerated, bring back to room temperature before serving.
Good thing I was planning to make Barefoot Contessa’s Roasted Shrimp and Orzo Salad for dinner tonight. Full of fresh herbs (dill!), veggies (scallions, red onion, and cucumbers…oh my!), shrimp, and topped with a lemon vinaigrette, it is the ideal warm weather meal. It just tastes like summer…seriously!
It’s easy to make too—in the time it takes to cook the orzo you can pretty much have everything else ready to go. The key to the dish, though, is to make it at least an hour or so ahead of time so all the flavors have a chance to mingle and meld. I actually made this during my lunch hour (a definite benefit of working from home) so there was plenty of time for everything to come together. (It also makes for delicious leftovers which is good for Jason since I’m heading off tomorrow for yet another business trip.)
Mmm summer on a plate…even if it is two months too soon!
Roasted Shrimp and Orzo Salad
Adapted slightly from Ina Garten
Ingredients:
½ pound orzo
¼ cup lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)
¼ cup plus 1 TBL olive oil
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 bunch scallions, minced (white and green parts)
1 cup chopped fresh dill
1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
½ cucumber, seeded and diced
½ cup red onion, diced
4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
1.Bring large pot of water to a boil. Add orzo and cook according to package directions (usually about 9-10 minutes) until done. While pasta cooks, whisk together lemon juice, ¼ cup olive oil, salt and pepper.
2.Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking pan with aluminum foil. Place shrimp on pan, drizzle with 1 TBL olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to combine and spread out in a single layer. Roast for about 6 minutes until shrimp are cooked through.
3.When pasta is done, drain and pour into a large bowl. Pour vinaigrette over hot pasta and stir well.
4.Add shrimp to the orzo and then add scallions, dill, parsley, cucumber, onion, and salt/pepper to taste. Toss well. Add feta and stir carefully.
5.Set aside at room temperature for at least 1 hour (more if you can do it!) or you can also refrigerate overnight. If refrigerated, bring back to room temperature before serving.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Planning Our Future, Together
One of the hardest things about being married for me (aside from divvying up the household chores and living in tight quarters) has been getting used to the whole notion of shared decision making. I don’t know about a lot of you, but prior to getting married I was an independent person who really did not rely on anyone else to make important life decisions. Sure, I would ask my parents or close friends, people who I trust and respect, for advice from time to time, but when push came to shove, I was the one responsible for my fate. And there is a lot of freedom in not having to answer to anyone but yourself. That changes quite a bit once you say “I do.” All of sudden, you are a part of a team. And every decision, big or small, has the ability to impact the other person. So it is important that couples get into the habit of making these decisions together. Otherwise you could find yourself in an unhappy situation down the road (to say the least).
The first time I really came face to face with this idea of having to make any/all decisions TOGETHER was last fall when my phone died. At the time, Jason and I still had separate Verizon accounts and while we had been talking about getting on a family share plan and upgrading our phones, we had not yet taken that step. When my phone died, it seemed like just that push we needed to move ahead. Well it just so happened my phone died two weeks before the Motorola Droid was about to come out. And being the tech guru that he is, Jason just did not want to make any changes to his account/upgrade his phone until the Droid was out. Basically he thought I should just go two weeks without a phone. I, on the other hand, thought I deserved to be able to communicate with the outside world and that he should stop being a poop-head (to put it nicely). So for two days we argued about stinking phones. Eventually, we found a compromise that met both our needs (and that allowed us both to get Droids in the process) but it certainly illustrated to me just how complicated this whole marriage/making decisions together thing can be.
Fast forward to the last several months where we have moved past phones and are now talking about much bigger things like how much money to spend/save and where to live. Jason and I have been talking about our future A LOT lately. As I previously mentioned, we are saving up to buy a house. But before we can take that step we need to figure out where we should be looking. The DC Metro area is pretty big. And where you live here depends on a) how much you can afford (given that the DC metro area is also one of the most expensive areas to live in) and b) where you work/how far you are willing to commute (assuming you aren't millionaires which we are not).
Jason and I are both considering whether we want to change jobs in the not too distant future which means that issue needs to be figured out before we can get too far in the housing search. This is turning out to be easier said than done. Already we are running in to issues of possible job opportunities that are NO WHERE near each other (i.e. potentially in different states, several hours away from each other) which means one of three things could happen: 1) one or both of us could end up with a really bad commute (which neither of us particularly want to do) if we both end up with these disparate jobs and try to live somewhere in the middle; 2) one of us may end up not being able to pursue the job he/she is interested in (also a sucky option); and/or 3) we may end up having to leave the DC Metro area completely.
This is complicated stuff. Really complicated. To be honest, I am really scared that someone could end up unhappy and maybe even resentful down the road if we aren’t careful. But I am comforted by the fact that we are both open to the possibilities, that we are talking about it a lot, and we are committed to finding a compromise that will make both of us happy in the long-run. (I am also keeping my fingers crossed that other opportunities will come up that won’t necessitate us having to make some of these difficult choices.) And if nothing else, I know that we are in it together (which is one of the best things about being married).
The first time I really came face to face with this idea of having to make any/all decisions TOGETHER was last fall when my phone died. At the time, Jason and I still had separate Verizon accounts and while we had been talking about getting on a family share plan and upgrading our phones, we had not yet taken that step. When my phone died, it seemed like just that push we needed to move ahead. Well it just so happened my phone died two weeks before the Motorola Droid was about to come out. And being the tech guru that he is, Jason just did not want to make any changes to his account/upgrade his phone until the Droid was out. Basically he thought I should just go two weeks without a phone. I, on the other hand, thought I deserved to be able to communicate with the outside world and that he should stop being a poop-head (to put it nicely). So for two days we argued about stinking phones. Eventually, we found a compromise that met both our needs (and that allowed us both to get Droids in the process) but it certainly illustrated to me just how complicated this whole marriage/making decisions together thing can be.
Fast forward to the last several months where we have moved past phones and are now talking about much bigger things like how much money to spend/save and where to live. Jason and I have been talking about our future A LOT lately. As I previously mentioned, we are saving up to buy a house. But before we can take that step we need to figure out where we should be looking. The DC Metro area is pretty big. And where you live here depends on a) how much you can afford (given that the DC metro area is also one of the most expensive areas to live in) and b) where you work/how far you are willing to commute (assuming you aren't millionaires which we are not).
This is complicated stuff. Really complicated. To be honest, I am really scared that someone could end up unhappy and maybe even resentful down the road if we aren’t careful. But I am comforted by the fact that we are both open to the possibilities, that we are talking about it a lot, and we are committed to finding a compromise that will make both of us happy in the long-run. (I am also keeping my fingers crossed that other opportunities will come up that won’t necessitate us having to make some of these difficult choices.) And if nothing else, I know that we are in it together (which is one of the best things about being married).
Catching Up
Remember the other day when I said regularly scheduled posts would resume yesterday?? Well, consider that a belated April Fools joke since it clearly did not happen. My bad. We spent a good portion of the day yesterday observing Easter with Jason’s family and then I spent the rest of the day catching up from a long and tiring week of household mishaps, allergies, and long flights. I had planned to do a post about the Thai Beef Salad I was going to make for dinner last night but we ended up having a bigger than expected Easter lunch with the in-laws so I decided to nix it. Not to worry—it will most likely make an appearance sometime soon since it is a household favorite (and also because I now have a piece of London Broil in the freezer).
I will warn you now that the next couple of weeks are going to be particularly crazy ‘round these parts as I enter the seven-week-up-in-the-air home stretch and while I hope to maintain a somewhat regular posting schedule there may be gaps and lapses here and there. But please stay with me—once April 20th rolls around, things will be back to normal!
I will warn you now that the next couple of weeks are going to be particularly crazy ‘round these parts as I enter the seven-week-up-in-the-air home stretch and while I hope to maintain a somewhat regular posting schedule there may be gaps and lapses here and there. But please stay with me—once April 20th rolls around, things will be back to normal!
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Happy Spring!
Jason and I are out enjoying the beautiful spring weather and the DC Cherry Blossom Festival with friends. I hope you all are out doing something similar!
Picture courtesy of our friend Vinney
"Real" posts to resume tomorrow. In the meantime--- Happy Spring!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Latest Find: Lands End Canvas
Lately there have been several new(ish) lines of clothing/accessories/housewares making the rounds in the blog world, including Lands End Canvas. You’ve heard of Lands End, right? I always viewed it in the same lens as L.L.Bean, chock full of boring mom clothes (turtlenecks, baggy chinos, and duck shoes), minus the sporting goods. But they’ve recently started their Canvas line which has a much younger look and feel. After reading rave reviews from a fellow blogger with some serious style, I decided to give it a whirl.
So far, I like what I see. LEC definitely has vibe similar to J.Crew (which just so happens to be one of my favorite stores) but at half the price. I ordered their Heritage cardigan in Coral Blush and am officially on board.
And at $39.50 (compared to the $62 for J.Crew’s version), it won’t break the bank either and I am definitely a fan of that!
So far, I like what I see. LEC definitely has vibe similar to J.Crew (which just so happens to be one of my favorite stores) but at half the price. I ordered their Heritage cardigan in Coral Blush and am officially on board.
And at $39.50 (compared to the $62 for J.Crew’s version), it won’t break the bank either and I am definitely a fan of that!
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