Been having too much fun to blog much.

We had a fantastic end of summer weekend, with swimming (even though the weather was cool), grilling, beer, coffee, movies and fun times with Charlotte.

Also, and this is no insignificant thing, I received a food dehydrator as a birthday gift from my parents. “What the hell would a 31-year-old want with one of those?” you ask?

Well, immediately, I can dry a lot of the chilis and basil I grew/am growing this year. Also, well, holy shit, those babies are awesome! No more trail mix full of crap I hate and also without fruit because the stuff at the market is not great (not enough to spend the cash on anyway). Meals ready to eat? Yes. When we go camping, I take my own food so as not to be a pain the ass, since I’m the only vegetarian. This means that I have to lug it all myself, with a cooler to boot. Not if I learn to make my own dehydrated vegetarian cuisine!

This is not to mention that Charlotte and I can make all sorts of delicious things.  I’m picturing her taking bags of dried fruit all over Baltimore during  the winter, from delicious things I got at the farmers market in the summer.

I was raving to my mother a few weeks ago that I grew too much basil this year and had to freeze a lot of it and even murder a plant.  I said I wanted to diversify next year and get a food dehydrator to keep myself (and family) stocked with home-grown herbs all year.  What I didn’t think of until last night is that the chilis that don’t normally dry well and get frozen instead can be dried this way and used for all kinds of excellent goodness!

My mom listened.  My mom rocks.

Didn’t make it to the farmers market today.

Rough week, rough night, and we needed more rest.  Bought fruit at the grocery store, and I had to spit out and throw away a nectarine that tasted like what I imagine the inside of a [cave] tastes like: mooshy and bland.

My punishment.

Multigrain and all.

Experimenting with healthier breakfast, in search of more energy. I think it’s better today, though I certainly need more coffee. And I need to stop staying up late reading, I guess.

Two excellent birthday gifts.

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One: The ways in which I have been spoiled today, culminating in a lovely sunset and cool evening (the end of summer?).  From chocolate chip pancakes to delicious mattar paneer, this was a very yummy day. And there was also a fun dinner at Joe Squared last night, complete with French lager, Czech lager, Irish stout and chocolate cake.

Two: What I said I wanted since spring (when we decided to have a baby).  I wanted Mrs. FP to be pregnant, and I wanted to know.  With my party three weeks ago and the best news I ever received two weeks ago, I thought my birthday would be anti-climatic.  But it wasn’t.

Thanks to everyone who made this three weeks of awesomeness. I am a very fortunate 30-year-old. Ahem, 29-year-old (again, ahem).

Japanese beer is very good.

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Went to a “Japanese Steakhouse” for my brother’s and sister-in-law’s birthdays last night.  Had delicious beer and very good food.  Ate mushrooms like mad.  The cook nicknamed me Johnny Be Good and joked that I was able to knock-up Mrs. P with us both being vegetarians. Had chocolate/peanut butter/ice-cream cake. It felt like my birthday; my tummy was so happy.

Jif is safe, I hear.

It’s alarming that peanut butter commercials have gone from boasting about how much a brand tastes like peanut butter, which one moms choose and which your grandfather would make you a sandwich with to assuring you that their brand is safe to eat and won’t make you sick.  Wow.

Harvest for the Hungry drive spring 2008.

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I volunteered during the past two Saturdays to help with a food drive.  This is one of those times of year (post holiday season) that the Maryland Food Bank is low on foodage.  In conjunction with Harvest the Hungry, a lot of groups and people are picking up food still this week.  If you live in the area, postal deliverers will pick up food from your house this week if you have it in bags near your box with some kind of note, if not the “official” bags Safeway is giving out.  It’s easy for you.  You should do it.  Totally.  We collected an unofficial thousand pounds of food last Saturday.  My uncle founded Harvest for the Hungry, and my parents have always been generous with the needy, so I guess it runs in my blood.  I did do most of my part side-by-side with my father both weekends.

Next year, I want to use bike trailers instead of pickup trucks.  Like these.

[While I'm nicely bearded currently, that is not me.  That is my friend Zack.  Nor is that my father in the other photo.  Just saying.]