Get Healthy: Gym!

I finally got my year long pass for the gym today at the community center by our house. I am gonna get in shape! I am gonna get all strong and freaky looking like Madonna! Watch out world!

Not only did I venture out (with support from my dear sister, Kruger) to get the pass, but I actually convinced myself to walk in the drizzly, dreariness to go to the gym. It's nice because everyone there was using the weight lifting equipment, so I had the things I wanted all to myself. I did 30 min on the elliptical and 30 min walking on the treadmill.

I am so out of shape! By the time I was done I was a little lightheaded. Although that could have also been due to my poor caloric intake and lack of water for the day.

Included is the picture on my ID. It looks like a picture of a convenience store robber on the news.

-Megan Leigh

I thought the picture looked like the wanted signs in the subway you see when rapists are on the loose.

-Kristin

Read More: The Department of Mad Scientists

The Department of Mad Scientists by Michael Belfiore is a book looking at some of the projects DARPA (the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) has worked on over the years and is working on currently. Although DARPA is a federal agency, it is very unusual in that it is crazy innovative and not bogged down in bureaucracy -- so they get shit done. It's possible for a scientist to come up with an idea in the morning and get it funded by the afternoon.

Although DARPA is super awesome, they don't get much recognition for their achievements. Internet? Nope, not Al Gore, but DARPA! Personal computers and mice (the kind that hook up to your computer)? DARPA (but perfected by Steve Jobs, of course)!

I should have read this book when I first heard about it. Reading about their current projects, even a couple of years later, was already old news. One of the things they were working on was computer voice recognition. Now we have Siri! Another project was cars that could drive themselves (at the time of the writing they still had a LONG way to go), and now we've got the Google Car! They were also making great strides in the solar power field, so I'm excited to see where that goes!

The book was very interesting, but the writing was a bit dry. I think he could have made it a more lively, funny read. I'm sure there was a lot of DARPA nerd humor that got left out.

Do I recommend this book? I do. It's fun to learn about DARPA's history, but also a bit sad to learn that the government can do things efficiently, they just refuse to!

- Megan Leigh

Read More: Atonement

We got the movie version of Atonement from Netflix a few years ago, and I don't think I was the one who requested it. I didn't know much about it, and I wasn't very excited about watching it... I knew it was some Keira Knightly movie and not much else about it. I think I was working on something while it was on, so I didn't give it my full attention. But as the move started wrapping up, it struck me that this actually seemed like a pretty good story. I was sad that I hadn't been paying attention. So I decided I had to read the book. And I've finally gotten around to doing it!

The book Atonement by Ian McEwan is achingly beautiful. It harkens back to that Brideshead Revisited/Remains of the Day-type atmosphere... English manors and a love that can never be. But while all of the elements of a classic, heartwrenching love story are there, it is so much more. From the beginning, there are hints that maybe the narrator can't be trusted. So you start to wonder what really happened and what didn't. What people really thought, and what thoughts the narrator imbued them with in the interests of a good story. Everything gets neatly wrapped up in the end, which is satisfying. I don't see how the book could work without this last section, in which everything is revealed, but I almost wanted to be left wondering.

Anyway, I highly recommend this book. Usually I read a book, enjoy it, and never think about it again. They are just entertainment. But I know I will continue to think about this one for a long time--it's truly haunting. One of the best books I have read all year.

-Kristin

Must See: Peep Show

For a long time a British comedy show called 'Peep Show' has been on my radar, but I've never gotten around to watching it. I had no clue what it would be about, I just knew Netflix told me it was up my alley. One night Ben was bored and stumbled upon it and got hooked, so finally I was convinced to give it a go. Before the first episode, Ben warned us, "the first couple aren't that funny." But they were. They were hilarious.

The show is about two super awkward roommates. You alternate seeing the show through each ones point of view and hearing their sad, sad thoughts. I feel I needn't say more.

Five stars! Watch it!

- Megan Leigh

When you find a show this funny, you wonder why in the world you'd never heard of it before. Why aren't people crying out Peep Show from the rooftops? So funny!

-Kristin

One New Thing: Zen Palate

Today Kristin and I finally got to go to this Haitian restaurant we've had our eye on for a long time. We get there and sit down and Poppy immediately starts being a terror, so we have to leave. It was such a tiny little place it seemed too disruptive. So we went on our way and ended up at a vegetarian place called Zen Palate.

I got Shepard's Pie Croquettes. They were very delicious! Fried mashed potatoes? Yes please! There may have even been little cut up mushrooms inside. I kept telling myself it was some sort of tiny tofu pieces and was okay.

Poppy was much happier at this restaurant, perhaps because she got her own high chair. Perhaps because the atmosphere was more inviting. I learned that she can slurp up noodles really well. A really disgusting process, but it gets the job done. It reminded us of the monster from Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children that has tentacles coming out of its mouth. Or maybe Squid Face from Pirates of the Caribbean. Either way - Grosso! The hostess lady didn't think so. She took pictures and video. I asked Kristin if it was weird that a stranger has pictures of Poppy on her phone. She wasn't too worried about it.

- Megan Leigh

I had gotten carryout from this place before a few times, and I thought it was OK. But when I ate here in person, I thought the food was much better. This happens all the time! Is the food really better when you eat at the restaurant? Or is it just about presentation and ambience? We should test this out sometime. Anyway, Megan didn't say this was a vegan restaurant. But it is. And it is still yummy!

Look at Poppy. So tiny! You would never know the chaos she can cause! 

-Kristin

I didn't say it was vegan, because the website says VEGETARIAN. I don't want this blog to contain lies.

- Megan Leigh

Good Food: Bogie Brownies

So these brownies are supposed to be Humphrey Bogart's favorites, and the recipe can be found on the Brownie Power website, which has great step-by-step instructions. These brownies are super easy to make, and my favorite thing about them is you can make them using only one pan--no extra bowls or anything! Compared to the last brownie recipe we tried, these brownies have lots and lots more butter, sugar, and eggs... all the rich stuff. And they are very bare-bones. Nothing extra! I think there may have been a typo in the instructions. It said to bake the brownies for 20-30 minutes at 300 F, which seemed very low... usually things are done way too early in our oven, but after 30 minutes the brownies weren't even close to done. Maybe they meant 375? Anyway, the brownies turned out pretty dry, but it may have been because they baked for a very long time at a weird temperature. They were also very cakey, rather than fudgy--they puffed up big time. If I made these again, I would bake them at a higher temperature. But I'm not sure I will, since there are so many good brownie recipes out there! Why fiddle around with one that isn't amazing?

Megan took this picture of the brownie. It's pretty awful. It might be the worst picture of food so far on this blog. We need to work on our photography skills!

-Kristin

There was certainly no fear of me yelling at the others in the house, "Quit Bogarting the brownies!"

- Megan Leigh

Good Food: Chocolate Chip Muffins

As you can see from the picture these muffins aren't huge and gorgeous or anything. But they are easy to whip up, tasty, and not sickeningly sweet. You know, like those Otis Spunkmeyer muffins that a certain mother buys a certain sister when she goes home... Yes, I know what goes on in St Louis when I am not around. Anyway, these muffins are understated.

6 tbsp butter, softened
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
2 c. all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1/2 c. milk
1 c. chocolate chips (or whatever seems right)

1. Preheat oven to 400 and grease a muffin tin.
2. Mix together the butter and sugar, until it is all creamy, in a big bowl.
3. Mix the salt, baking powder, and flour in a smaller bowl.
4. And then in a liquid measuring cup, beat the eggs with the milk.
5. Pour 1/3 of the the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, then add a little of the milk/eggs. Keep repeating until everything is mixed together. If it looks too thick, add a little more milk.
6. Mix in the chocolate chips.
7. Divide the batter between 12 muffin tins and bake for about 20 minutes, until they are nice and golden!

-Kristin