New favorite breakfast

So I finally decided to do something with those wheatberries that have been hanging out in the pantry for the past year and a half--I put my new slow cooker to the test, and once again it produced something amazing:

Wheatberries cooked overnight with raisins, dried cranberries, spices, and an apple. I topped it off with honey and soymilk... wow...

On another note, the soymilk comes courtesy of my lab. It is leftover from our last study, and although it is quite old (about 3 months old at this point) its longevity is due to being fortified with plant phytosterols, which are packed with antioxidants. (By contrast, the 'control' soymilk, with no phytosterols, turned into tofu after only 2 months or so). I think seeing how long the phytosterols can preserve the milk is worth a study of it own!

We have brought home maybe 20-30 12oz containers of the amazing stuff (filling our fridge with an army of little bottles) and since then have been able to indulge on the versatile--and expensive--drink. For the past few years we have always kept a box in the fridge, taking small amounts at a time to ration it out as long as possible. It can be used for lots of things besides drinking plain--we also use it in coffee, tea, cereal, smoothies, cocoa, cooking, etc. Yumm!

It doesn't look terribly appetizing in this 'clinical' form, but it is still delicious!

Who needs Yaks?

Yesterday I finally remembered to bring my camera up to Prospect Hill to get a few shots of the fresh snow! We think it snowed about 8 inches on Tuesday, though I don't think it will last long with all the warm, sunny weather we have been having lately.

Finally, a little snow

It finally snowed a bit today--the first real snow since we returned from Winter Break. Even that 'Snowmageddon'- 'Snowpocalypse' event that hit the mid-Atlantic last week (which was supposed to dump about a foot of snow here, too) got stuck in Rhode Island and totally missed us. Brandeis even closed early in anticipation but we received less than an inch... Since early January I swear the southeast has gotten more snow than us! Not fair! Needless to say, the trails had been reduced to bare dirt and stretches of ice (some patches hard and choppy, perfect for twisting ankles, other spots smooth and slick, great for wiping out on). I'm not sure how many inches will be on the ground tomorrow, but I'm sure we will be back to long, grueling, frustrating trots through shin-deep snow. I can't win, can I? ;o)

In other news, it was has been great getting out and visiting with friends the past couple weeks. Recently Seth and I met Cindy, Tom, and Ryan downtown to see the BSO (Boston Symphony Orchestra). Being one of the best orchestras in the country, we were a little embarrassed to admit it was our first time seeing them. Since the BSO is hurting for the attention of younger patrons, it has been giving out amazing deals for those 40 and under. We will need to continue to take advantage of these ticket offers!

Friday Clarisse invited Emily and me over to her house for dinner--it was a bit refreshing to hang out with girls who don't have partners. This was good for Seth, too, because it gave him permission to stay at home and have an evening to himself (ie. get work done while I got to do something social).

Seth and I spent Sunday in Chinatown to celebrate the Lunar New Year with Bo and Natalie. We met them for dinner at the very popular and crowded Gourmet Dumpling House (the same restaurant where Seth ordered the plate of tiny crabs on our way to see the Nutracker last year). It is pretty amazing that this time last year the four of us were in New York City together, and now both Bo and Natalie are working in Boston! It's great having them here. After dinner we had an hour or so to kill before catching the Brandeis bus back to Waltham so we got bubble teas for dessert. After leisurely drinking them down, we departed the shop 30min before the typically very prompt bus would come by. I guess the bus stop was much further than we thought (corner of Mass Ave and Beacon St) and we were only half-way there with 9min to go, so we pounded the pavement and ran the last mile or so down Newbury St with our backpacks, winter clothes, and stomachs full of Chinese food and bubble tea (somehow this reminded me so much of training for Inward Bound in Australia). We were two blocks away when we saw the bus, which was just pulling out, so we jumped into the side of the road and waved it down. Luckily it stopped. It was totally worth the run (and sweat)--we would have hated to miss that bus!

It's official!

Over the weekend Seth got confirmation that the dean will fully support the fellowship and yesterday Seth sent in his formal acceptance. We are going to live in Florence next year! (It is a pity though that there was even a question of whether or not the department could let him take such a prestigious fellowship--doesn't make much sense to me, but any time money is involved in anything, rationality tends to sulk into the background). Anyways, no need to think about that anymore--time to think about going to Italy :o)

Time to think

Even though this Villa I Tatti fellowship is a really big deal, Seth really hasn't had the pleasure of being able to get excited and bask in its glory. We still need to hear what will be happening to the music department at Uni this next year before he can accept or decline the position. Oh politics...

This past week I had a meeting at Framingham State University with an academic adviser to discuss their Coordinated Program in Dietetics (CPD). This would be a few years of course work followed by a year of internships, which would make me eligible to take the exam to become a Registered Dietitian (RD). The only university in Massachusetts that offers the CDP is FSU, which, thank goodness, is only a 30min drive away, and is a public school--this means I wouldn't have to move, and I wouldn't have to doll out $35,000 per year to study. Unfortunately, FSU isn't exactly a top tier university, though all schools that offer the CPD are regulated and certified by the American Dietetics Association, so theoretically it is the same education where ever you go. When it comes down to it, luckily, FSU's pass rate for the RD exam of 83%, which is higher than the national average. The hardest part will be, I think, having to take so many courses. Even as a bio major/chem minor, I only fulfilled a handful of prerequisite classes, and the courses I will have to take are those that I avoided as an undergraduate, like microbiology and biochemistry... I really hate chemistry... I really hope this is something I really want to do!

Yesterday Seth spent the day at school--Brandeis hosted the annual New England American Musicological Society conference--so I had a rare afternoon to myself. In fact, I think it was the first weekend afternoon I had at home and to myself since we moved here--usually we spend Saturdays and Sundays working at the public library, unless we have some plans with Chrissy or Mark. So, after going to the gym, grocery shopping, and yoga, I spent the rest of the day at home, working on a long overdue project: I baked a pumpkin pie, from a FRESH PUMPKIN. Not terribly fresh, however--this was actually the small sugar pumpkin we picked with Mark and Gina back in October (aka Lorenzo's pumpkin). I decided we really ought to do something with it when we noticed one of the two big pumpkins we picked had started to rot. Besides, it is February... we picked it in October... it was time.

I cooked it down, scooped out the flesh, and pureed it. Thankfully it made exactly two pie's worth of glop (4 cups), so I was able to freeze half of it for later. I roasted the seeds and also made my own crust. Neither Seth nor I are big fans of crust, but I figured I would take the opportunity to go all out and practice making a nice, flaky one. It is a good thing it was a practice run because it turned out a little tough. I didn't over-work the dough so I think it was because I used butter instead of shortening; butter has a higher moisture content. (After working on Dr. Hayes's 30 page review paper on interesterefied fats I am a bit turned off of using Crisco). Regardless, the pie turned out very nice. However, since I really can't tell the difference between using the fresh pumpkin and canned, I will probably save myself the trouble in the future and go back to using canned. At least now I know how to do it in case the need ever arises!

Lorenzo's pumpkin (before)

Lorenzo's pumpkin pie (after)

For dinner I also made Brunswick Stew (actually, the slow cooker made the stew) and cornbread. I even threw in some meat! I figured one shredded chicken breast would be a fair compromise, considering the recipe I used called for five pounds of meat from three different animals.

Two calls, one from, the other to, Europe

This morning (after all the excitement with the armed robber, who apparently is still on the loose...), I had a phone interview for a field position in Switzerland. It would be for the spring, mostly unpaid (though accommodation would be provided), and consist of many long hours researching Great Tits. He said he would let me know of his decision by the end of the week. However, I made up my own decision based on the call Seth received immediately after I hung up the phone.

Seth was called by Harvard to inform him that he won the prestigious one year fellowship to study at the Villa I Tatti in Florence next year. This would mean he could do his own research, with the advantage of being surrounded by brilliant resources, and free from the distractions of teaching and administration, for a full academic year. (This would also mean I will need to put some long hours into learning Italian). The representative told him that his application was so wonderfully well received that there was no discussion about whether or not to take him; only 15 people internationally are accepted each year, and this includes ALL humanities that have anything to do with the Renaissance--art, music, literature, history, etc. I'm so proud of my Smarty Pants! :o)

What a rush...

Adventure on the Hill

Ok, so I think I jinxed myself when I wrote about how wonderful it is to run in the snow--yesterday we set a record high at 58 degrees, AND it poured heavy, warm rain all day long. Needless to say, most of the snow is now gone, leaving in its place lots of slush and flooded, swampy bits.

During this wet and wild run, we kept getting distracted by a helicopter circling Prospect Hill. Perhaps it was surveying the storm damage from yesterday, or checking out the traffic along I95 which runs along the eastern side of the park. Seth was getting a bit nervous of this helicopter and wanted to leave the park. We stopped for a moment to take a good look at it while it was overhead, and besides being blue and white there were no other distinguishing characteristics about it. I figured that if there were something wrong, someone would let us know (there are megaphones in those helicopters, right?).

We noticed a pair of dog walkers pull up at the main entrance, which made me feel better, so I said we ought to finish up our last loop (up until then we hadn't seen a single person, maybe because the trails were so wet and nasty?). As we headed back, the dog walkers shouted to call us over. Turns out they were walking a large German Shepherd, wearing bullet proof vests and carrying a super-sized rifle. The police officers said there was an armed home invasion last night on Jacqueline Road, and the suspect, a "large black male" with a gun, was last seen near the old ski slopes on the north side of the park. It is safe to say that that put an end to our run in Prospect Hill this morning. Pretty freaky.

The story in the Daily News Tribune