On Poop, Vampire Ballerinas, and Tastebuds

Some random thoughts...

1. I love finishing an assignment. A two-page reflection on an assigned reading. An annotated bibliography. An evaluation survey. They deserve a big fat pink bow on top. A maraschino cherry. Rainbow sprinkles. A top hat. I feel about a completed assignment the way a three year-old feels about the poop he just made in the toilet. Look! I did it! Look what I made!

2. My Halloween plans were substituted by a surprise visit from my dear college friend Amber (though I did make it to one house party as a vampire ballerina as you can see). Her layover in DC turned into a 48 stopover. I was sorry to miss the festivities, but happy to avoid a hangover and enjoy a late night "Who are you now?" talkathon with Amber Steig, who I love to call by her Trekkie name: Ambig. Today we delighted in chocolate rugelah at Eastern Market, walking the yellow-leafed streets of Capitol Hill, and peeking in the Natural History Museum before one of us (I won't tell!) began throwing up here and there and everywhere. Wooly Mammoth one minute, Mammoth Migraine the next. In spite of the minor disaster, I was reminded again why I love to vacation vicariously through my visitors. V to the 3. Oh snap.

3. Have I mentioned eating cookie dough has become a reinvented nightly ritual? It was junior year in college, when I lived with Nicole in Tropicana Apartments. And it is now. It's so naughty, a tablespoon of butter (!), but infinitely delicious. Cookie dough is everything I want in a dessert. It's kind of plain, and to the point. And I've found some taste buds on the sides of my tongue that (if I eat it right) get particularly excited. I'm inspired to learn where each taste bud is located so I can maneuver my salty popcorn to the right spot, and suck cinnamon hard candies where they will create the best effect. Oh how I love food.