Garlic Scapes, Quitting My Job, and Chicago

Summer 2009 Statistics
LOST episodes watched: 30 (Season 2 is getting good but Ana Lucia makes me want to punch something)
Baseball games attended: 2
Hot dogs consumed: 4 (one Chicago-style dog in Chicago was particularly memorable—I like a whole pickle on my hot dog)
Training mileage: Three miles for a long run; MJK gave me a schedule and it’s helping me focus
Random vegetable of the week: Garlic scapes (see photo below)

At long last, the CSA has arrived on the scene. Week 1 I was headed to Chicago for Keith and Shannon’s wedding so we donated the veggies to the food bank; Week 2 Farmer Allan informed us that he couldn’t get accomplished everything he needed to do in the fields because of the rain and we were skipping this week with tacking an extra week on to end of the season. So, finally, JMC and I picked up the random assortment yesterday after work. We have: red leaf lettuce, salad mix, Swiss chard, sweet green onions, and garlic scapes. The sweet onions are, no joke, three feet long (tall?). I am not sure if she’s posted the photo yet, but Kath took a couple of me holding the onions to communicate the scale effectively. Be on the lookout.

So, I’m eating a salad for lunch which is always a good thing. I’m also going to try my hand at potstickers tonight—with chard and green onion and garlic scapes and ginger and shiitake mushrooms. Photos and narrative of that forthcoming because this is definitely more ambitious than I usually get in the kitchen (hummus wraps four nights a week). It’s pretty exciting and only a little daunting.

Also exciting and daunting: my last day at KHA is going to be July 31. I am very excited about focusing on school and trying new things but sad to leave a little work family that formed during 45-50 hour work weeks during the past four years. I am on the lookout for an interesting internship that I can do part-time that would ideally be at least tangentially related to planning. If you’re reading this and have any thoughts, I’d love to hear them.

I fell in love with Chicago a few weeks ago, during the aforementioned trip for Shannon and Keith’s wedding. Everyone keeps telling me to return in the winter before I decide to move. Since I have at least one more year in D.C. to finish school I’m certainly not making any firm plans. And anyway, Facebook just told me that New Orleans is where I should be living. Clearly there is a lot more firsthand research to be done (road trip for Mardi Gras anyone?) and there are many more life experiences to be had.