kinda. sorta. maybe.

the return. with 100s of photos of my dog and few of anything food-related (though i've got a camping food post on the horizon). i am going to attempt to write about more policy-related things, like i did in the beginning of this blog (5 years ago!), as well as what i am eating. i am teaching a class this semester called the political economy of food, so i am sure there will be fuel for this fire.

trying to worry less.

i've been on an accidental hiatus, trying not to over-think my dissertation (which i should be thinking about more than i do), attempting to enjoy the swamp we call DC (and find the spots to hang where everyone does not seem to be exactly the same), riding the bike, walking the pup, and reading the fiction.

it's summer, right? there's been loads of visitors to entertain and a beach weekend on the horizon, followed by a jaunt to new york and north carolina (by car, and over the span of a couple days). a new sleeping bag and a headlamp are sure to mean this mid-august camping trip is for real (i've already got the mosquito bites).

but, yes, the hiatus. i haven't even really photographed much since i've been here (i don't know what is on those sandwiches in the photograph). i often use casey's phone because it's always on him and mine never makes it to the kitchen, so i've only got a few things to show off. but mostly we eat CSA fruits and vegetables and too many cheez-its. and drink tons of beer.

i am not making any promises to write more for the time-being. full-time work followed by dissertating and entertaining has left me tired. but this blog is not done. it's just resting its eyes. and i am enjoying not opening my computer for days at a time.

the hour of hours.

 have i mentioned i love happy hour? the happiest hour: drinking delicious things for cheaper than usual AND it's still light outside. YES.

the above photograph is from the passenger. i don't remember what they called that rose-colored grapefruit gin cocktail with the cherries, but it was tasty. that bar is supposed to be amazeballs and this was our second visit. it was better than the first, which was late on a saturday night, and it's next to the bike shop, but amazing? not yet.

but! the best happy hour we've done so far is the one at the red derby. it's in petworth and an all-uphill bike ride, but all the beers are always in cans and the happy hour is $1 off all of them. that makes schlitz tall boys $3 and the following strohs and whisky shot special $5.

[the bag of spicy mangoes is from the fruit guy parked outside. i felt like i was on vacation with fruity spicy street treats. casey was less than impressed.]

one per day.

roadtripping in texas means you are in the car forever. once, i believe we drove to san antonio, which is only 3 hours from houston. but really, everything is much, much further (except austin, but for some reason, we never went there as kids). also, we pretty much only drove around texas and to florida. road trips to the rest of the country came with adulthood.

but we were allowed one dairy queen blizzard per day. my mama says this was the rule on just one trip, and that we went every day for almost a week, but i remember eating blizzards on every trip.

the drive back from new york meant a stop. i started mapping them out at like 8am, but i held off until a more appropriate hour. i cannot remember where we are but i am definitely eating the choco cherry blizzard. amazing, as always.

the middle of nowhere. somewhere.

actually, it was harrisburg, pennsylvania. casey and i (plus these guys) drove to western new york to visit his mama. we left early early on the saturday of memorial day weekend, trying to avoid other travelers on the road. by 9am, we were in pennsylvania and hungry. and we found the american dream.

 it's exactly how you'd expect a diner called the american dream to look. and it's probably looked that way since 1952 or whenever it opened. we sat at the counter (my favorite) and were given endless coffees. most of our food required loads of salt and pepper, but it was lovely all the same.

breakfast for two? probably about $10. yes.

the first one.

may 19: the first meal (obviously it was breakfast) that i cooked and ate at my house in DC. (well, casey fried that egg.) it's been 3 weeks already.

toast with wilted spinach, melted cheddar, fried egg. strawberries.

soon, soon.

it's as hot as hell in DC and i am dreaming of popsicles. and ice cream. and iced coffee. and lemonade. and i've got some photos to load into the computer and add to this blog.

sorry for the delay, but i moved and started the new job and then we went to western new york last weekend and, well, posting here fell by the wayside. but it'll happen, i swear. it always does, right?