Two G's

Germany and Georgetown.

I'll be in the former in a little over a week and the latter in a little over three months.

I know I should live in the present and enjoy my life as it comes, but goodness. I have so much to look forward to!

A Lesson in Civility

I attended the ACC Leadership Conference this weekend at Virginia Tech, and while I'm not sure I took away the main points of the meeting, I really did learn something.

We had a case study involving Rwandan health issues, but I found a few other studies more interesting. A further study of people, for instance.

Specifically, the other ACC schools opened my eyes to a world outside the UNC bubble. I always forget that not everyone shares an experience similar to Carolina's. I feel enlightened after hearing the ways that other schools operate.

And I still like mine best :-)

I will have to elaborate on those thoughts later, however. A weekend devoted to leadership leaves little time to do actual coursework.

A love for weekends and a weekend of love

This weekend was especially enjoyable with all the Valentine's Day festivities. I didn't participate in anything too spontaneous or exciting, but I find that a combination of good food, good friends and a few favorite movies also do the trick.

Here's Katie snuggling in her festive red blanket-with-arms. I introduced her to the glory of Office Space on Friday night. And she looked so cute, an even better advertisement for snuggies than the television commercials, I just had to take a picture.

And these beauties are the absolutely delectable white chocolate cherry shortbread cookies I made to commemorate the holiday.

I ate a lot of really amazing food, which is crucial during this season. Eating is one of the most pleasurable experiences that exists. What better way to celebrate Valentine's Day than to eat lots and lots?

Lin, Elly and I tried Fiesta Grill, a restaurant 5 miles past the middle of nowhere. The place was incredibly crowded and we waited about 45 minutes for a table. When my flautas fiesta arrived, however, I forgot all about the wait. My plate, appropriately, represented a whole party of textures, and tasted like one big piece of fried tortilla and meat heaven. Totally worth the drive, and absolutely worth the $10 price tag.

Naturally, gorging oneself on Mexican ought to be followed up with chocolate. Bliss, the new boutique bakery on West Franklin Street, made the sweetest ending. Chocolate cupcake topped with chocolate ganache? Yes, please. Chocolate-covered strawberry on the house? Bliss accomplished.

New February Resolutions

By this time of year, most people have given up on their New Year's resolutions. I mean, New Year's Eve is one of the most well-celebrated holidays of the year, and you're probably high off the endorphins, and God knows what else, when establishing those resolutions. Of course you're going to ditch any commitments you made in that altered, extra enthusiastic state of mind.

Thus, I am beginning a new tradition for myself. New February Resolutions will allow me to set and accomplish goals at an otherwise dismal time of year. Other than Valentine's Day, there are no holidays to get excited about until spring break rolls around. I, on the other hand, will get excited about checking items off my February resolution list.

Examples include learning to:

• listen as well as I talk.
• cook a wide variety of wholesome meals.
• confront people, period. I'll work on the actual method next year.
  
• not worry every five minutes.
• save money. Or spend it on practical things.

Five seems like a reasonable number of New February Resolutions to have, but I guess I get to make the rules up as I go along. I'll add and subtract as I see fit. Speaking of which, getting fit ought to be on there as well...

Another argument against all things nuclear

Over the past several days, I have become Facebook friends with several of my relatives. All of whom I have not seen in years.

Why? Because, as previously mentioned, I live here and they live there. North Carolina versus New York. Separated by 12 hours, unyielding traffic, and fluctuating gas prices. I often forget how large my family is. After all, I'm generally just surrounded by my four closest relatives, plus the occasional aunt or cousin thrown into the mix.

I feel like I missed out on an incredibly valuable opportunity. The idea of being friends with my cousins has always appealed to me so much. The ability to just chat with my aunts and uncles about life has seemed like a downright luxury.

I crave the My Big Fat Greek Wedding family experience-- an extended family that laughs loud and eats big. I know mine is like that, but surely I deserve a direct immersion opportunity.

The nuclear family has its merits, with its easily identifiable members and common geography, but the description itself sounds a little dangerous. Clearly, I need to extend the branches of my family tree beyond North Carolina to embrace what lies to the north and west. I'm hoping I'll be accepted, despite the fallout.

An Election Upheaval

Just when we thought six candidates running for student body president was overwhelming!


Hallie Lipsey has a rather large sign in the Pit and a new Facebook group. And apparently, a rather large following. In case you don't care to click the image and read the fine print, here's the platform synopsis.

Hallie promises to:
- Allow jousting in the quad
- Promote Velociraptor Awareness Day
- Enforce mandatory 5-second rule
- Help the Greeks defeat the Trojans
- Create P3P (even better than P2P)
- Put an Alpine Bagel in every building
- Annex Carrboro
- Fine the Board of Elections 12 dollars
- Create a flat-rate rickshaw service
- Fix the uneven bricks on campus
- Look remarkably like J.J. Raynor
- Not be obnoxious

All very commendable ideas. Apparently, Hallie is an actual person. A junior, in fact, who claims to have in no way contributed to the sign's creation. Hmm... I was struggling to commit to a candidate. Write-in, anyone?

'Twas a beautiful day

Katie and I chose not to let it get away.

We took a lovely walk to Gimghoul Castle and around the Battle Park trail. Naturally, the combination of Katie's company and the sun's presence inspired me to take pictures.

trees at the cemetery

Gimghoul Castle

pretty Katie!

Reminder: It snowed last week. Gotta love inconsistent North Carolina weather. (But really, can it stay in the 60s until summer?)

Another kind of rich

With all this discussion about the economic crisis and stimulus packages, I feel comforted by the thought that money can only buy so much.


"The greatest investment you can make is in the life of another person."
- Emmanuel Jal

"Stand By Me"

This video makes me supremely happy.

I can't wait for the larger documentary, Playing For Change: Peace Through Music, to come out in April.

Eating What You Are

My parents trained me at a very young age to adversely react to the word "aspartame." Equipped with the understanding that aspartame was "bad" and most likely caused brain tumors, I took it upon myself to educate anyone less well-versed in healthy eating behaviors.

We can all see how that turned out.

Besides aspartame, I soon scorned iceberg lettuce, questionable meat products (i.e. hot dogs) and any baked goods that came from a box. They were all just a little too unreal for me.

While I can blame my parents for establishing characteristics of good food versus bad food, in my mind I have expanded these rules to epic proportions. After all, they're still eating all of the aforementioned foods. (Sans baking mixes. I've never seen a box in our house. Ever.)

College did me in completely. Here, I am free to develop even greater food neuroses. No hydrogenated oils or high fructose corn syrup. No high fat milk or high sodium snacks.

But why?

I've already learned in my food studies class that while we define the foods we eat, the foods we eat also define us. Sure, my eating habits demonstrate my need for control (in all situations). But I'm also succumbing to a very human need for fresh food--for that just-off-the-vine aroma. Or that just-slaughtered flavor. Mm-mm.

I know my friends consider me a food snob, much like Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally. But I remain absolutely unapologetic; “I just want it the way I want it.” If we are what we eat and, more importantly, how we eat, then I think that being fastidious tastes pretty freaking delicious.