Monday, March 21, 2005

Musings on Food @ CIL

While most people who attend a conference will tell you all about an awesome session they attended, or the awesome tourist sites they visited, I'm not most people. I talk about food. There were many awesome restaurants right around our hotel in Dupont Circle. Here's a rundown:

~Mexican...mmmmmm. Can't remember what it was called, but the portobello quesadillas rocked my world.
~Chipotle! I have been deprived of its goodness for far, far too long. I ate the entire chicken burrito in one sitting (okay, okay...I gave up with about an inch left). Best rice ever.
~The restaurant in our hotel, where I had a plate of tomato, fresh basil and mozzarella, drizzled with olive oil. And then there was the French onion soup with toasted cheese...
~La Tomate had incredibly good fresh bread. (Memories of Europe...) The spinach tagliatelle with chicken, artichokes, asparagus tips and sundried tomato strips (in cream sauce!) was perfection.
~Firehook bakery...and the biggest slab of focaccia bread, with tomatoes, artichokes and delicious toasted cheese.
~Kramerbooks and Afterwords. I had the most amazing spinach/artichoke/mushroom/cheesy goodness quesadilla. Bliss.

I'm noticing a theme. Cheese, anyone?

Wednesday, March 09, 2005

Hiding under a blanket

That's not really as kinky as it sounds. I started to crochet an afghan for a family member a few weeks ago at our Craft Night. When I was in the craft store picking out yarn, I showed my choices to Chris, and he asked if I was intending it to be a camouflage afghan. Yes, it's all green. No, it doesn't look like camouflage, although I have started to affectionately refer to it as my "camo afghan."

I picked a really simple ripple pattern, which is the same as the super-awesome blue & purple afghan I did last year. Here is a link to a similar pattern/picture. I really like it, as I only have to pay attention to the pattern for the first two rows, and then I can mindlessly stitch whilst doing other things. Like listening to audiobooks, or watching the third season of West Wing on DVD for hours at a time. (Worthwhile pursuits, I say.) I'm hoping this one doesn't take me six months to finish like the last one, because I have secret plans (translation: everyone knows about them) to crochet more afghans for unwitting family members...I'm a maniac! And soon, everyone will know, because they'll have the afghans to prove it!