Fragments of Summer

Life accelerates to warp speed in the summer. As a result, all kinds of things happened that never rose to the level of having their own blog post. Since this is my only semblance of a scrapbook, please pardon me while I recap a few things.

1. Boyfriend and I battled a nuisance of a specie, The Fruit Fly. A large army of fruit flies invaded our kitchen, in the most unpleasant of matters. There were a lot of tears shed during battle. Those flies belong in the Biology Lab I left them in, circa 2004. In a jar of apple cider, the entire army eventually plummeted to their death and we--with all thanks to Boyfriend--were victorous in war. For now anyway.
   
2. On the subject of war, I have been battling a mysterious case of bursitis (in my groin). The injury is not from overtraining or even running, hypothetically speaking. It is most likely from a nasty spill I took in February, supposedly "ruining" my gait for what feels like all eternity. My life has become painful; everything--and I do mean everything (from biking to running to sitting to walking)--hurts. I am quite devastated as I was on track to qualify for the Boston Marathon at the Chicago Marathon in October... and now I cannot run, heck walk. I have visited three doctors; religiously stretched, iced, and heated; and, most importantly, rested. There has been no change. In fact, my hip has become aggravated, from what I suspect is overcompensating for bursitis and sitting in an office chair for hours on end. You cannot win all the wars. 
3. The Washington, D.C. collective bid H.M.O. farewell to over happy hour, after she moved in with Boyfriend and I for a few nights. Her departure was most upsetting. I hoped her stay would be eternal.
   
4. In June, Boyfriend and I ate solely from our pantry--purchasing only fresh produce and milk. We are members at Costco, where we often overdue it. This has led to brining home a 10-pound bag of black beans; a 10-pound bag of sugar; 20 cans of diced tomatoes; and/or enough Cheez-Its to last a milineum. The only fail, if it can be called that, I prefer to think of it as genorousity, was spending $2.04 on chocolate chips to make my 'office famous' fudge for a coworker's birthday, per her request. (4a.) I psuedo quit my 2014 Personal Goals challenge, like all decent resolution makers tend. I have still been partaking in a challenge each month, however, I am basing these goals on praticallity of my life at the start of the month. And I am not writing about them, except for now, because snooze. 
5. There has been time spent with K.S.D., my old roommate, double dating at some Northern Virginia establishments (i.e., FrozenYo and BonChon). The company of her and her lad is always welcomed (and refreshing).
6. M.E.K. and her husband visited over Fourth of July weekend. I had lunch with them on a slow working Wednesday before the holiday, then Boyfriend and I were able to meet them at ShopHouse, a Chipotle-owned Southeast Asian-inspired kitchen, for dinner on Thursday. Things do not get too fancy when the Midwesterners visit! I have reason to keep them around though because... they like dessert, so went opted for Pitango Gelato (and Red Velvet Cupcakes for some).
7. Boyfriend and I finally made it to Boyou Bakery for brunch. Why--tell me why--we waited so long? There are few things better than devouring supremely made biscuits and beignets on a patio with a close companion. So yummy! So affordable!  
8. R.D.S. and her fiancé also visited during the Fourth of July holiday. We met them, along with their friends, for brunch at Red Apron Butchery on Saturday. Afterwards, we visited the National Building Museum, which can only be described as lacking; do not follow our lead.

   

   These posters in the Designing for Disaster exhibit belong on my wall. 

9. On this same Saturday, Boyfriend and I visited the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, featuring Kenya and China. I endured stomach pains while Boyfriend meanered throughly through Kenya. I loved what I saw (and heard). We'll definitely be back next year. And we'll come hungry, the ethnic food looked mighty appealing.
   
10. I made bagels using a recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe, my lastest food blog obession. The taste and texture were close to perfect, especially for my first attempt. They weren't as pretty (or as large) as I had hoped, but I'm looking forward to experimenting further in a second attempt. Parmesan and sundried tomato? Cinnamon raisin? The world is my oyster. 
    
11. A variety of epics salads have been prepared in my kitchen for any number of meals, including breakfast. So. Many, many, many. Epic. Salads. There are no recipes, lending these salads to an uncountable number of combinations. These might be rooted in my attempt to 'cheat the challenge' during June; inspired by summer--the season of produce; or because I am too lazy to plan and cook and also too cheap to let the produce I have stocked up on--much too much for two people--waste away in my fridge.
    
12. I have seen some real bad baseball at Nationals Park, featuring the Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs. In the name of the Altanta Braves, I have unsuccesfully cheered for victorious underdogs. More successfully, I have sharpened my 'scoring baseball' skills. Not unrelated: Have I mentioned Boyfriend and I now have MLB.com Gameday Audio, for the price of $20. It has revolutionized my world. The Braves will take on the troubled Cubs here in an hour, and I will listen while I work.

And here we are at the midpoint of summer with a fury of weddings (and related travel) on the horizon.