I'm not dead.  Just bored and unhappy at school.  I haven't written anything because I've done nothing eventful or noteworthy in the past two months. 

To entertain myself, I've started to teach myself Chinese.  I'm also looking for a Swedish textbook. 

My last week of vacation has gone pretty well.  It started off with a visit to the Lindt factory store to pick up some delicious scrumdiddlyumptious bars. 


Let me tell you, dear readers, that the 99% cocoa bar is not for the faint of heart.  The back of the bar, in its infinite care and knowledge, advises the novice chocoholic to start off with the mild stuff and gradually work your way up with the 65%, 70%, 75%, and 85% bars before attempting the über bar.  What awaits, behind a Willy Wonka-ish gold foily wrapper, lies a bitter bar begging for a bite.  But beware brave biter.  Going to hastily into this experience will only leave your disappointed.  To truly enjoy this bar, restraint is necessary.  A small bit of chocolate, dissolved on the tongue, is an other worldly experience. 

This week I also received my birthday present early.  It was an iPhone!  Bought in New Hampshire, tax free  w00t!  To celebrate I made homemade marshmallows and Okonomiyaki. 


I actually made two batches.  The first batch was edible, but a tad rubbery.  I had to readjust the amount of flour in the batter for the second batch.  I also couldn't find any okonomiyaki sauce in the Asian section of the grocery store; so I had to find a recipe online.  It was passable, but definitely not the same. 

The weather in New Hampshire has been beautiful.  I took a walk every day.  Today it was so clear I could see all the Isles of Shoals. 



Tomorrow I leave to spend the last few days of the week in Florida.  I'm being impressed into a visit with my Grandfather.  This will probably involve two exciting days of sitting on the porch talking about how the grass.  We might even get into an enthralling conversation about how fast paint dries in various climates.  Here's hoping!  Silver lining:  I'll be visiting Miami for a two days.  Woo hoo.

Well, I've returned to The Shire for the week.  I've been taking it easy, which isn't a major change from what I was doing before I came.  This month has been the most lazy month that I can remember.  Well, that will change two weeks from now when school starts.  For now, it's time to chillax. 

Last Sunday I went to Boston with my mom.  We had two free tickets to see a Red Sox game.  I dislike sports and can't stand watching them.  So boring.  But my mom had never been to Fenway Park before, so we decided to go and watch for a short time.  Oh, and let me tell you that Red Sox fans are the most annoying fans ever.  You'd think that the fate of the world hinged on the balance of the Sox.  And they're so loud.  And obsessive.  Whenever they start talking my eyes just glaze over for about a half hour while they prattle away.  They don't even notice because they're so involved with themselves that they don't even notice the discomfort they're causing others.

Anyways, we took the T into the city to Fenway.








They were playing the Toronto Bluejays.

Canada! <3

And American Idol Melinda Doolittle Sang the National Anthem. 




It was hot and our seats were right in the sun.  My forehead is still burnt.  Sitting next to me was a woman who babbled on and on to me about the Red Sox, completely oblivious to my lack of interest and attempts to get her to stop talking to me. 

We left after two innings. 


Mascots!


Sky writing!

After leaving the game we headed over to Faneuil Hall  and the North End.  Faneuil Hall  is a marketplace  near the waterfront that was built in colonial times.  Now it's a large shopping eating galleria area.     


Faneuil Hall and John Quincy Adams.


Ben Franklin!  "So you know who turned out to be kind of a creep? Ben Franklin. And Elizabeth the stripper gave me great advice. Which rhymed. Really makes you wonder how Ben Franklin can become president, but someone like Elizabeth can't."  If you know where this is from, a thousand gold shiny stars for you!




Unbeknownst to us, the North End was celebrating the Fisherman's Feast.  You know what that means?  My favorite thing in the world, street food!


Stopped in an Italian grocery.  Bought some Sun Dried Tomatoes and Marinated Mozzarella Balls. Mmm.



This reminded me of the episode of The Sopranos when Paulie was put in charge of Feast of St. Elzear and refused to pay Father Jose and in retaliation, Father Jose would allow the little gold hat to be put on the statue.  Yeah, just like that.  I'm sure half these peeps were Mafioso.  I'm looking at you lady in pink shirt. 







Festival Games!





The duck game was always my favorite.  Wasn't it fun?  You pick up a duck and always win a prize.  P.S. In case you didn't know, Boston is the creator of the Duck Tours.  I was talking to someone recently and the topic of duck tours came up.  This person thought that they were originally from his city.  "Fool," I said.  He then asked me what body of water would the duck tours go in in Boston.  Um, the Charles River, and the  Harbor.  "What Harbor," he asked.  "Um, the one where they dumped all the tea...".  "Oh yeah," he said.  Fool!!  How dare you not know New England geography!  It is the best part of the country, ya know.  I spot of civilization in an otherwise barbarous land =)

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for.  Ladies and Gentleman, I present the street food.  Let the salivation commence.



Six oysters for five dollars.  Not too shabby. 




Gnocchi and sauce.


Rice Ball with Spinach. 


Strawberry Daiquiri.


It's not Italian Festival Day without a fresh Cannoli!

There was an article in Washington D.C.'s The Onion about the city's best milkshakes.  Since I didn't really have much else to do, I decided to investigate these stately claims myself.  Of course I needed to go about the whole thing scientifically.  I mean, when there are milkshakes involved, one has to take the uttermost care in ensuring evenhandedness and fairness in the ranking system.  The scientific method must be followed.  It's extremely arduous work.  Not for the faint of heart. 

I decided that, to ensure fairness in the ranking process, there must be a control shake flavor.  I picked vanilla.  It's my second favorite ice cream flavor, right behind chocolate chip cookie dough.  But it also has a depth of flavor that can vary greatly from place to place.  For ranking categories, I chose taste, texture, size, value.  Results are on a 1-5 scale, 1 being the worst, 5 being the best.

The Restaurant: Ben's Chile Bowl 1213 U Street, N.W.



The Shake:


Ben's Chili Bowl and I do not have a good history.  Both times that I went there they messed up my order.  But on the paper's recommendation, I decided to give it another try. 

The Results: 

Taste:  3   The shake had a sweet, but sightly syrupy vanilla taste. 
Texture:  4   I like my shakes very thick and this one was one of the thickest that I've ever had.  However, it was a little too icy. 
Size:  2   As you can see, the shake can in a generic soda cup.  Not that big.  Maybe on the smallish side.
Value:  3  At three dollars and some change, this was the cheapest shake in the competition. 


Restaurant:  The Diner  459 18th St NW



The Shake:



The Diner is in the Adam's Morgan neighborhood in Washington D.C.  It's a longish uphill walk from the closest metro station. 

The Results:

Taste:  4   This shake had a more French Vanilla flavor than average run-of-the-mill vanilla shake.
Texture:  4  This was a tough one to judge.  As stated, I prefer a thick shake.  This shake had a much more whipped and fluffy consistency.  I've never had a shake quite like it before.  So, for uniqueness, I give this a 4. 
Size:  5   Served in a large plastic cup.  The see through factor is much appreciated as it allows one to see the delicious innards. 
Value:  2  Unfortunately, at five dollars and change, this was the most expensive shake.


At this point in the experiment I had to take a break.  I had already consumed two shakes and had walked uphill in the heat.  I quickly sought shelter in the form of a bench in the shade of a tree.  I literally could not move for a half hour without feeling nauseous.   I decided to end the experiment for the day and continue the next day.

Some photos from around the area:








Could Project Runway's Blayne have written this sign? "licious" = gag.  Blayne needs to go.  And has anyone noticed that he always spells "licious" wrong on the  little chalkboard in the Atlas apartment?  He always spells it, "licous." The tanning must have melted the part of his brain that controls spelling and the ability to use a dictionary.  Seriously, he needs to get kicked off the show.  Between him and Suede, I'm beginning to believe the rumor that the producers are sabotaging the show before its move to Lifetime.

Day 2

The Restaurant:  American City Diner 5532 Connecticut Ave, N.W.
 


The Shake:
Not Pictured (served in a tall Styrofoam cup).

The American City Diner is a throwback to the diners of yesteryear. Chrome, aluminum, neon, and vintage bricabrac festooned the walls. 

 



There was even a sassy waitress a la Alice, Cheers, etc. Let my tell you, in real life, those sassy waitresses are kind of uncomfortable to be around.  I wasn't sure if I was supposed to sass back, make a self-deprecating one liner, or treat her like a normal waitress.  I really just wanted to pay for my shake and leave.  I guess this is another one of those things that in real life isn't as funny as it is on tv.

The Results:

Taste:  3  This was your typical vanilla shake.  Straight up vanilla ice cream and milk.
Texture:  3  Smooth and creamy, but no real surprises. 
Size:  3  The Styrofoam cup was your the typical large sized soda cup. 
Value:  4  At four dollars and change, this was a nice value.


The Restaurant:  Good Stuff Eatery  303 Pennsylvania Ave, S.E.



The Shake:


I actually decided to go for the Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake because, well, it's a frickin' TOASTED MARSHMALLOW MILKSHAKE!  I was also tempted to get the MilkyWay Milkshake too.  But I knew that if I got them both, both of them would eventually end up splattering on the sidewalk as it exited my mouth at high speed velocity.

I almost didn't get to this restaurant.  The paper listed the address as 303 Penn. Ave. and I assumed that it meant N.W. Penn. Ave.  Well, I got off the metro and spent a good chunk of time walking down the street looking for the place.  But I only saw government building after government building.  Then I thought that maybe The Onion meant S.W. Penn. Ave.  So I called the restaurant and, yep, S.W. Penn. Ave.  Grr.  It annoys me when people don't wright down the entire street address.  This wasn't the first time something like that has happened to me.  Is it really that hard to include an extra two letters?  So, I went back on the metro and headed south.

The Results:

Taste:  2  Sadly, I found that the toasted marshmallow milkshake did not meet my high expectations.  It had an odd graham cracker taste.  Possibly a s'more milkshake?  The toasted marshmallows on top were a nice touch.
Texture:  4  Super thick.
Size:  3   A tad on the small side. 
Value:  3  At five bucks and change, the shake was a little too expensive for what it delivered.


And now, the moment you've all been waiting for...the rankings! (not an average.  1=best, 4=worst)

1.  The Diner
2.  Ben's Chili Bowl
3.  The American City Diner
4.  Good Stuff Eatery


I'm going to go back next week to Good Stuff Eatery to try their vanilla shake.

It was foggy at the beach today.

Last weekend I went to Maryland to the National Habor.

The entire complex is a new hotel/convention/luxury-apartment complex built next to the Potomac River.  There's really not much there.  Well, not much except for The Awakening, an one hundred foot statue originally installed in Hains Point, Washington, D.C.  Last year it was moved to its new location in Maryland.











Also at the National Harbor: The Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center.  Whenever I see signs advertising this place, I feel like giggling.  Teehee.  Ah, immaturity. 



Inside the Gaylord (tee hee) is a giant atrium selling a bunch of souvenirs and overpriced coffee.

 

Since it's right by D.C., politically themed souvenirs are a must.


Also for sale: Bilbo Catchers.  Obviously the work or a certain man-beast named Gollum.