so maybe i lied

now that no one's reading this anymore,

i've discovered the perfect recession-diet food: kale. at super stop and shop in old saybrook (that's in connecticut), kale is 50 cents a pound. and it's bulky but light, so yesterday at said super stop and shop, i bought a rather humongous bunch of anti-oxidant-packed kale for a frugal 37 cents. steamed with a little bit of garlic and then dressed with olive oil and salt, it is both delicious and almost absurdly healthy for you, being a 'superfood' as designated by diet gurus everywhere, and more legitimately, the usda.*

if you want a side of cholesterol with your leafy greens, kale is also much like sage, eminently fry-able. once again, i would first heat some garlic in a sauté pan until carmelized and then throw in the kale until it's crisped up a bit and bright-green. blame it on the top chef marathons, i think.

* claim has in no way been sustantiated through internet research. but i bet it's true, really.

midterms

ahhhhhhhhh.

midterms are upon us, and they aren't the 'midterm' every two-and-half-weeks wellesley kind of sched. they are four exams and a presentation this week kind of midterms.

so quick entry:
weekend was ridiculous. tarquinia/cerveteri/norchia on friday was all etruscans all the time. saturday i went to 'eurochocolate' in perugia with katie. ridiculous, and also a ridiculous amount of people.

most importantly, happy 21st (legal!) birthday to best friend, janna herman AND happy 19th (baby!) birthday to the indomitable miss caroline rose !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

podcast nation

Hi y'all. Please please please do yourself a favor and go download the September 2nd episode of the NPR podcast All Songs Considered. It's free, and I mean, if you need any encouragement, know that that it's title is "The 80's: Were They Really That Bad?" And know that Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton, and Carrie Brownstein (!!!!!) get into ridiculous arguments about the relative merits and demerits of the music of the 80's. And they play Starship. I listened to it in its entirety today, giggling the entire time and basically making a fool of myself. I've subscribed to the All Songs Considered Podcast, which has done wonders in making me feel connected with the world, especially the musical world (obviously). I love being here in Italy, but FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out, thanks, Rachel) is a feeling that sometimes takes over. I guess All Songs Considered, along with the election podcast (I mean, duh), This American Life, and dilligent downloading of Gossip Girl and Pushing Daisies keeps me feeling sufficiently 'in the loop with America.'

sad

Apparently David Foster Wallace was found dead yesterday of an apparent suicide.

Here's the New York Times article.

nick and nora [sic]

was i the only person who was just a little bit flabbergasted to hear bishop allen's 'middle management' as the trailer song to the new michael cera movie, nick and norah's infinite playlist? i mean, it wouldn't have been that bad except for the fact that the movie looks positively wretched. and... bishop allen was my band. my found-them-on-the-blogs-in-2004. when you ain't no picasso was still on blogger and didn't have a hideous redesign. jesus, i pre-ordered the broken string. i netflixed mutual appreciation; not the masterpiece of mumblecore. actually, that masterpiece has not yet appeared, but who's counting. and now, they are a trailer band...?!!

in other news, grills are like "really shiny, expensive retainers." will you marry me? seriously, i mean it.

you know how to flatter a man

Okay, so I'm all for Michael Phelps, USA, rah rah rah and all that good clean patriotic fun, but these photos are too much:

Photos: New York Times