What I've Been Into: March

Driving:

MY CAR!   I have not owned a car in four years. The first three years were not a big deal at all. Chicago makes a car free life easy, and if I do say, preferable. Suburban Philadelphia? Not so much.  So, with a little money and a lot of help from friends and family - I got myself a car!  It's been on the road longer than I have, has built in cassette tape storage, and a rear-facing third row.  It seats 8 and I am hoping that for however many years it gives me, that I can "pay it forward" on offering rides to others as a thank you to all the people who helped me out when I needed it.  A few days after I got it I spent hours driving and saw a lot of this:

The scenery was a winter wonderland but the roads were clear, so it was a glorious drive!


Listening:

My roommate introduced me to Songza. I don't know how many times I've said, "I wish Pandora had "I want to dance around the kitchen" station and been sad when they didn't. But songza? Songza does!

Favorite for the aforementioned mood is "Walking on Sunshine" with the description "Some songs just have a certain je ne sais quoi; when you hear them you start skipping down a crowded public street. Embarrassing? Absolutely. Will you care? Not likely." 

I've also made good use of their Thunderstorms playlist when trying to lull myself to sleep. 


Watching:

I missed Call the Midwife when it first played, but PBS  put it back online so I caught up on that and am excited that season two is starting!

Watch Season 2 Preview on PBS. See more from Call the Midwife.

Babies and British accents, what's not to love?

Reading:

bought a Kindle edition of most of the Anne of Green Gables series for 99 cents. I stay up way too late at night and give myself some time to escape into fiction. 

I'm really enjoying the essays in Readings in Planning Theory edited by Fainstein and Campbell. Good stuff in there on planning and justice!  If you are a nerd how about cities run and who makes decisions and who gets the short tend of the stick, it's a good read. 

Eating: 

One of the people who helped me out in the car-getting process requestd a key lime cake - so I made this and it was quite yummy!



Definitely a "black coffee" dessert as it was very sweet and tangy.

I was having a burger craving and made this - it was SO GOOD:



And this may be my favorite quinoa dish yet. Make sure you have enough onions to make it through all the qunioa - the onions are a vital part!




Wishlisting:

I briefly considered buying a scooter until I realized that buying a scooter to accommodate my size would cost WAY more than a car. I think my scooter-ownership desires could be satisfied with this though:

Scooter Pizza Cutter

Other Things:

Started a new job (that makes 4 part time jobs and full-time grad school. I still procrastinate OFTEN. Makes me wonder what I could do if never got lazy and task-avoidant. . . .)

Visited GA for a very quick weekend. Saw friends and family. Went "grocery shopping" in the parents pantry.

Turned 30!  I have a few blog drafts of being introspective about that. Don't know why I haven't published one. I have no problem with the age 30, but looking back at my twenties in hindsight makes me realize what a full-of-life decade that was - ups and downs, plateaus and adventures. It's interesting to contemplate the differences in 20 year old me and 30 year old me. Maybe you'll get one of my self-reflective entries here :)





What have you been into?

Linking up at What I'm Into