Monthly Archives: May 2011

May 23, 2011 · 11:56 pm

Late night quiet

Late night quiet:

I’m glad we have a big teal clock on the wall that tics loudly when everything else is still. I like those little sounds, amplified by the darkness. The creaks in the steps as I creep across the floor, a late latte keeping me awake long past when I should have crawled under the covers, the ceiling fan swirling and the skylights cranked open to an early summer night. I don’t have much communion with owls; I’m more of a morning person by nature. I like picking out the humming rumble of one car, accelerating toward an unknown destination. There’s something special about being the lone one on the road. That feeling somehow translates to my ear. I like the glow of leaves in the halo of a street lamp, and the cycloptic eyes of gadgets lying in wait.

I should stay awake like this more often.

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· 11:23 pm

Good morning, Guinness

The elaborate breakfasts Joe used to spoil me with back when he’d work evenings have dwindled now that we’re on the same earlier morning schedule — the one real drawback of his new job. (I can hardly complain, since it means I don’t eat a microwave quesadilla in the dark by myself for dinner.) But the other night Joe prepared a baked breakfast in advance and I had to share.

He got the recipe for chocolate cinnamon mini-buns with caramel stout glaze from the latest issue of his home brewer magazine, and so we had a Guinness-glazed breakfast.

Basically, you make dough using spent grains (3/4 c) from the brewing process, water (1.5 c), yeast (1t), flour (3 c)and oil (1/3 c).

That makes enough dough for two batches of the rolls, filled with melted butter, cinnamon, sugar and mini chocolate chips. The glaze? A Guinness reduction, of course.

Cheers!

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May 2, 2011 · 10:11 pm

Take me out to the $1 ballgame

Tonight was our first Iowa Cubs game of the season, experienced with out friends Arin and Josh and about 12 other fans. The night was crisp, if windy, and the home team lost, but we still had fun.

It would be wrong of me to call myself a “big fan” of the Iowa Cubs when I don’t know the roster, but I do enjoy the games and pick one player every year to pay some attention to and cheer on. This year, it’s going to be Wellington Castillo, because I used to play catcher back in the day and because his name is awesome. Joe and I watched Sugar on Netflix last year, which offers an interesting perspective into minor league players’ lives — especially immigrant players. Go, Castillo!

Tonight was dollar night — a pretty darn good deal if you don’t go and buy lots of beer and hot dogs like we did. But I got Joe a mug club membership this year (his gift from me for doing our taxes) and so that means beer isn’t quite as expensive, over the course of the season. Plus, you get five tickets and a discount card for Jethro’s, which is one of two dangerously awesome barbecue places near us.

The most action in the stadium, though, didn’t happen on the field. Josh mauled another dude in a fight for one of the T-shirts launched out of the gun during a break in the innings. Luckily, it was awesome and a perfect fit:

The back reads: “Do you dare roll out the fun?” Definitely worth a bloody hand.

Check out the promotions for the 2011 season. And, pssst: One of my favorite secrets about Des Moines is that the Cub Club is open year-round for breakfast and lunch. It’s not gourmet, but it’s a different view compared to other restaurants downtown, and on the cheap side.

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May 1, 2011 · 4:58 pm

Springtime accessories

A few things I’m loving this spring:

My new Orla Kiley bag. Perfect for me because it’s big enough to hold a sweater/lunch and still fits in the milk crate I put on the back of my bike for carting things to work. The designer bag helps offset the homeless-looking crate, a nice juxtaposition!

Isn't it springtime festive?

I’m typically not a purse person, but I’ve been coveting an Orla bag for awhile and this one was half price — just in time for a little to-me-from-me retail celebration for the end of the semester.

Our new hydrangea plant and mulch in the back. I think the fact that we mulched our landscaping inches us closer to being real adults and homeowners. Indoor plants make me nervous (I tend to kill them immediately), but I love working on the garden. Most of it is spent obsessively weeding, an activity that I lock into with a weird, futile determination.

Did you know: A hydrangea's blooms change color based on the level of nitrogen in the soil.

I’ve had a fondness for this flower for a long time, especially since I wore a hydrangea-print dress to my junior prom. FLASHBACK!

Part of me feels like this was a classy choice, part of me feels like the floral pattern is too curtainy.

Also from the archives: Me with my favorite babysitting charges (now college women) and the double-sided tape I needed to hold this strapless number up. Awesome!

We picked up our sweet shrubbery at The Woodsmith Store, which is affiliated with August Home Publishing, Joe’s new employer. I made him take a photo next to a display of the titles he’ll be designing. Obviously, he was thrilled:

Go ahead, subscribe! (There are no ads, which is interesting.)

This was our first relaxed weekend as a couple who shares the same work schedule, and Joe and I rocked it. Saturday night when we got home from seeing Lolo Jones and other amazing track athletes compete at the Drake Relays, we both sort of looked sideways at each other and asked: Do we really have a whole other day to hang out? Hopefully, this means lots more fun adventures for the blog.

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