1st off.......GOODBYE LIBRARIAN, hello.......I don't know what to call it, but something much better. I had been feeling kinda like a librarian lately, meaning, I felt like my style was much older and more boring than I was. It wasn't that my hair was that bad, or my clothes were that bad, but practically every time I got ready for work, I would look in the mirror and say....oh my goodness, I look like a librarian and I'm 23! I'm not saying librarians look bad, I'm saying the cliched , stereotypical librarian does. Anywho, I needed an overhaul! So, I thought, what's anti-librarian? ROCKER! So, my darling sister-in-law did my hair. I got bangs, I got my haired dyed back to brown, and then I got bright blonde peek-a-boo highlights that are on the bottom layer of my hair. I LOVE IT! How fresh I feel......so now you can understand why I say, GOODBYE LIBRARIAN! Maybe when I'm 40 we'll say hello in a hip way, but until then, siyonara!
Next, I read my first challenging book since college. It was a lot harder than it should have been. I had read this author before in a lit class, and thought he was among the easier to read authors in the English major. Nope, we're talking over 500 pages of magical realism, tons of parallels to India and Pakistan history, over a hundred different characters......the works....this novel is jammed packed with literary devices and craziness which is why it's considered so important among contemporary lit. Anyway, it took me over a month to read cuz my brain had to absorb so much. (Just so you know, I really love literature, so this was fun for me, but like I said, harder than I expected) I'm wondering, was it so hard because I didn't have a professor pointing out the important parts, and helping me narrow down themes and motifs? Do I totally suck with literature? How do professors get so smart? GGgggrrrrr. Overall, I'm glad I read it, and I'm proud of myself, and I am looking forward to the next challenge, in hopes that I'll get better at grasping all the author is trying to convey.
Also, I've been cooking new recipes. I decided that I would make cooking more fun by considering myself a fabulous chef, and listening to fun music in the process. My lovely chum Amy hooked me up with some of her fave recipes to give me a jump start. I was sick and tired of going through recipe books, looking for dishes that were healthy yet tasty, and with ingredients that weren't ridiculous....like 1/2 cup of leeks, when you have to buy them in a set of huge stalks for $2.....for one ingredient.....get real. So.....here are some fabulous dishes I've created. 
Stir fry in coconut and peanut sauce, with a side of cous cous. Okay, this one I had alone while Chad was at school. He isn't big on tons of veggies and sauce, like most guys, so I spared him. But I loved it, and felt super healthy!
Fusilli with chick peas, spinach, and tomato
Here I am with my first real crepe! For some reason I have always found the idea of crepes to be so charming. 
These were the crepes all folded up around an orange and cherry cream cheese sauce. This recipe was actually a dud.....bummer......at least I felt cool making crepes....lol. PS, I didn't get this recipe from Amy.
Pastitso. This is a greek dish. Yuuuummmmmm.
Eggplant rollatini. I had never used ricotta cheese before, or eggplant, or fontina....lots of new stuff.
And an old staple of mine, healthy pizza. This one had olives, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, peppers, parmesan, onions, and a sprinkle of cheese with pasta sauce.I also made spicy sesame noodles w/peanuts and basil. On my goodness, I had never used fresh basil before cuz it was so spendy. I splurged, and I was in heaven! We're growing some of that in the yard this year, oh yeah. And my last new dish, minestrone with mushrooms and feta. Ooooh la la. Surprisingly enough, this cooking fest was not inspired by the onslaught of chef movies that have recently come out, like No Reservations, and Ratitouille. Although, I've been known to be inspired by movies before, like when I came out of Ocean's 11 wanting to construe some big heist.....lol....I didn't pursue those inspirations by the way.
Lastly, Chad got me a wedding band for Valentine's. It was a huge surprise. When we got married, I told him I didn't want a wedding band, cuz I thought it would ruin the engagement ring....plus whenever I went to look for a wedding band the stinkin' sales people would say I should get 2, one for each side of the ring, cuz my fingers were so long......gross! I'm not 65 years old! After we got married, I realized that a wedding band was really important if you want people to quit asking you if you're engaged. Duh, I know. Anyway, I knew I needed one, but it wasn't important enough to me to really pursue. So, he surprised me. I LOVE IT! It makes my rings look so much better. I stare at it 10 times more. OOoooh, sparkly!That's enough for now. I promise I post more often. : )
