First, a weekend update:
Friday night, Dan and I had tickets to the
Varsity Theater to see Retribution Gospel Choir and Mark Kozelek, of Sun Kill Moon and Red House Painters. RGC was awesome -- their drummer was super crazy and show-offy (but in a good way,) they had tons of energy, were super loud and jammy, and just generally put on a good show. Mark Kozelek left a little to be desired -- he writes beautiful songs and has an amazing voice, but his set lacked energy and momentum. (Probably because he changed guitars and tuned between EVERY song.) And then he broke a string. We left early, for fear of falling asleep standing up. :) Too bad, really, because the tickets were $15 apiece! Bah.
Saturday, Dan and I headed out to the Minneapolis Farmer's Market. We explored all of the stalls (both the produce and soap/craft/other vendors,) sampling everything we could, and sort of snacking our way through the market. We had freshly roasted sweet corn, limeade, and I also had a veggie burrito, while Dan had a locally-raised spicy Italian sausage. I didn't buy any produce this week, but I did pick up some locally-grown beans!
I had never heard of Crowder or Lady Cream Peas before, and am now excited to try them. The grower included a recipe on the back; one of the ingredients includes "seasoning meat," which I'm obviously not going to use. :) My best idea for a substitute would be a canned chipotle chili in adobo sauce (or two -- it is two pounds of beans, after all.) Anyone have any other suggestions?
After the farmer's market, we went to Target (Dan needed socks,) and then to Barnes and Noble, so I could spend my birthday gift card from Dan's parents. I bought a cookbook, of course. I hear this one comes highly recommended:
I've been reading through it . . . it looks awesome. I can't decide what to try first! Suggestions?
We took it easy the rest of the afternoon. I made dinner a little later:
(Moroccan Chickpea Stew over whole wheat couscous, with a big salad,) before we headed to
The Theatre in the Round to see "Harvey." The play way excellent! Dan and I had realized we'd never been to a play together, too! We'll have to fix that in the future. :)
P.S. The Theatre in the Round is my most favorite theater in the Twin Cities. The tickets are reasonable, their productions are always very good, and the layout of the theater is such that you are practically sitting on stage with the actors! Very, very fun. Plus they sell cookies at intermission. :)
AND NOW, on to "30 before 30."
I can't remember who gave me the idea for creating a list like this, (it may have been
Bazu?) but since my 29th birthday, I've been working on a "30 before 30" list -- a list of 30 things to do before I turn 30. Here it is:
1. Sleep in a tent.
2. Put 200 miles on my bike.
3. Leave the country at least once.
4. Renew my teaching license (which has expired . . . oops!)
5. Make tamales from scratch.
6. Learn how to play three chords on a guitar.
7. Go camping with Dan, my dad, and my uncle Stu.
8. Contact friends that I haven't heard from in a while.
9. Take a yoga class.
10. Read 10 books.
11. Try 100 new recipes.
12. Walk around Lake of the Isles 25 times.
13. Learn how to steer a canoe.
14. Find a consistent (monthly at least) volunteer opportunity.
15. Go through my things, (clothes, kitchen stuff, books, etc.) and make a big donation of stuff I'm not using to the Goodwill.
16. Frame the "lucky" $2 bill my great-grandmother gave me.
17. Go visit my brother and his wife in Idaho.
18. Expand my charitable giving to include the Minnesota DNR, Theatre in the Round, and my church.
19. Replace at least 2 pieces of my cookware.
20. Make yoga a habit (at least 4 times per week.)
21. Learn how to knit.
22. Save at least $1000.
23. Open an IRA and start contributing to it monthly.
24. Bake bread and make it a habit.
25. Make flossing a habit.
26. Go vegan (at home) for one month.
27. Buy a bike that is the proper size for me.
28. Buy a new bike helmet.
29. Learn how to drive stick shift.
30. Take a beginning photography class.
So, that's that! I'll post updates occasionally to let you know how it's going. Advice/ideas are always welcome!
