Happy Birthday!

YAY Yesterday! 2009 is flying by, my birthday has come and gone already. I think it was a good one though- I like the feel of this 24 thing much better that 23 thing i did last year. I started off the day by calling my mother, to thank her for having me, obviously, and she rounded up my father and sister for the traumatic family tradition of loud, out-of-key and off-rhythm vocalizations that pass for singing at our house. Waiting for me to make the coffee (this was 6 am) my roommate, Amorita asked, "Why are you holding the phone so far away from your ear?" That's a prengaman-birthday!

Work was pleasant, the sun was shining, the wind occasionally took a break from howling, and we hiked to some pretty neat plots in the Gale Hills with high diversity. After work, Amorita and I used the excuse of my birthday to throw our first party in the apartment. We invited all our coworkers (since we don't really have any other friends) and a few of the ultimate frisbee folks, and bought a lot of tequila and limeade. 6 batches of margaritas later, we proclaimed the event a smashing success. There was hardly anywhere to sit and plenty to drink, but no one seemed to mind. It was a huge mess to clean up this morning, so that's a sign that people had fun right?

In case I needed any other reasons to feel pleased with myself besides the anniversary of my birth, an excellent party, and a sunny weekend off-work, my refrigerator was just approved by the NYTimes. That's right, the most viewed article in the NYT online site right now is about the 11 best foods that you aren't eating. But I am apparently smarting than everyone else, because it's basically a list of my favorite foods. Beets and swiss chard are currently in my fridge, and I just finished off my cabbage and tofu stir-fry, which features a lot of turmeric. Blueberries in the freezer for breakfast smoothies. I loved everything pumpkin, seeds, flesh, and convenient cans. I make awesome pumpkin cornbread with lots of cinnamon. Prunes? duh- they are a perfect backpacking snack. I have lived off prunes and peanut butter, not that I care to repeat that adventure... We just bought pomegranate juice actually, for jazzing up the margaritas, so I can check that off too. Lastly, there are sardines in the cupboards, they aren't my favorite, but I'll cook them into a dried food dinner that needs a little protein and salt. Yep- that's all 11. It's always nice to read something that tells you that you are right. I think the over emphasis on certain "miracle" foods instead of focusing overall on a healthy, diverse diet of fresh food is misleading, but I'm still going to bask in my diet's success. Which is making me hungary.