Catching Up

I thought I’d post a quick update on what’s been going on recently. Nothing exciting, and nothing to merit its own post, but why not just lump ‘em all together? (I actually just really like finding excuses to write posts, so bear with me.)

I spent this past weekend visiting my brother at his sleepaway camp for Parents’ Weekend (yes, his actual parents were there too). It’s an all boys camp, but I used to attend the girls’ camp down the road as a camper, and worked there as a counselor for the past two summers. It was great to see my brother, as well as a lot of my counselor friends. There’s definitely something special about camp, and it’s always hard to drive away from camp and find yourself back in the real world.

The good part, however, is that while all the campers and counselors have to stay at camp for dinner on Parents’ weekend, all the families leave and have dinner elsewhere. Since my family was staying in Norwich, VT for the night, we hit up one of our favorite restaurants: Carpenter & Main, on Main St (duh) in Norwich.

Now, I don’t have an exciting array of pictures, but I finally brought my camera to dinner and took a few. I’m trying to get over my fear of taking pictures in public (I have no idea why it’s such an issue, but I get really self-conscious).

My mom and I started out with some house made tater tots, and a side of fried chickpeas (no pictures of those).

I ordered a salad with grapes, cheddar, and… some other stuff. Give me a break, it was last Saturday.

My mom ordered the Sardinian Bread casserole, which was this soft bread dish with gooey cheese baked in a ramekin, topped with a poached egg. I only had a few bites, but I thought it was pretty good. She wasn’t as impressed.

My dad ordered a burger. He’s never an incredibly adventurous eater when it comes to restaurants. I shouldn’t say that, actually. It’s more like he has his list of go-to favorites, and just picks whatever is on the menu according to his “list.” What makes the list, usually? Risotto is usually number one. He’s also a big fan of salmon and occasionally other types of fish, depending on how it’s prepared. Pasta is a classic, as is a good old-fashioned burger or a caesar salad. Just don’t ask him to eat sushi or Indian food… he usually skips out on those dinner trips (taking my brother along with him). And my mom and I are totally okay with that– more for us!

After the weekend, it was back to rejoin the workforce. My job requires me to sit around for 8 hours, helping people who come into the health center if they need it (but there’s a lot of signs around, so usually they just walk right past). I’ve started bringing books with me each day.

Last night, I finished Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, by Barbara Kingsolver. Really great book. Interesting, educational, enlightening— but also enjoyable. It definitely influenced my trips to the grocery store— but in a good way.

What’s my next victim? (I’m talking about books, not hand-slaughtered animals. Oh, maybe that was already obvious… I’ve just got farming on the brain.) The Sweet Life in Paris, by David Lebovitz. 

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It’s interesting. It’s also making me pee my pants out of nervousness for my my upcoming year in Paris. There’s just a lot of cautionary tales in the book about what not to do there, and what to expect out from the Parisians. I’ve already been to Paris and have never had any problems, but for some reason, I’m getting nervous all over again.

I started the book last night and am already on page 190. That either says something about how fast I read, how easy the book is to read, or how boring my job is. But I’m making quite a dent in my bookshelf, so I can’t complain! (I’m also getting quite the tan.)

Tomorrow is Thursday– I can’t believe how quickly these weekdays go by. But Thursdays are quickly becoming my new favorite day– I get an hour and a half lunch break because the entire health center closes down for a huge meeting, which I get to skip (like they’d have so much need for my “medical expertise” anyways). It’s a little bit like Christmas morning, tucked into an afternoon! You’d be surprised how exciting that little break can be when you’re so used to sitting around for 8 hours.

My friend Cordy is also coming to visit tomorrow, which I’m pah-umped about. Not sure what our plan is yet, but I’m sure it’ll be fun.

With those faces, how could it not be? She’s a good friend from camp, and since I’m not there this summer, it’s always nice to spend a little bit of time reminiscin’.

Hopefully I’ll have some more exciting news soon! Maybe even a recipe? Some actual cooking? Probably a good idea.

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