morning mélange

happy hour
after delivering my lantus presentation*, i headed out for an after-work drink with a friend. since i’m on an elective, there is no reason that the week needs to be ALL work and no play, right?? it was fun and refreshing and very relaxing way to end the work day (thanks, alcohol).

and attention durhamites: west end has opened up a second branch right off of brightleaf square! for years i have loved the casual-but-nice feel and interesting wine choices of the chapel hill location, and i actually felt like the decor of this spot was even nicer — less cozy, perhaps, but a bit more urban with cleaner design, perfect for the tobacco warehouse district.

i sipped a lovely glass of white that i would highly recommend . . . if i could remember what it was called. it was something like ‘bixier’, and it was excellent — citrusy and full of fruity flavors, but nice and dry.

here’s a mini-excerpt from their (much larger) menu. next time i think i’ll order the magnum above. check out the bargain-basement price tag! i love how there’s a LIMIT on this — i suppose they don’t have a dozen of these bottles lined up in the back!

no they did not pay me to say this
although if they wanted to, i wouldn’t stop them. anyway, i just want to give a little shout-out to what i think is the best kitchen tool IN THE UNIVERSE. literally, every time i use my cuisinart smart stick hand blender, i stare at it in awe, wondering how i ever lived before it entered my kitchen.

pros: dishwasher safe, super easy to put together, stores easily, works well, $27 at amazon, somehow does not make a mess

(relative) cons: may not get things as silky smooth as a big blender (but comes close), not good for large volumes

for last night’s poblano cream sauce, this magic (non-disco) stick took this:

and turned it into this

in 30 seconds with no real cleanup other than a toss into the dishwasher.

i highly recommend this tool for anyone who would consider puréeing anything, ever.

paper aficionados
want to try before you buy? quo vadis is a maker of really lovely paper products, including the notebook that i raved about yesterday and some very cute and functional-looking planners. if you’d like to try out a 2009 product before making a commitment for 2010, check out thie post on their blog!

* for atilla and anyone else interested, there were several retrospective clinical studies published in the journal diabetologia which showed a possible linkage between lantus (a long-acting insulin analogue) use and breast cancer. after doing the research, reading the papers, and looking into the basic science behind it, i still don’t know what to make of the results! all i can say is there definitely needs to be further study, and i am sure that this is ongoing.

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9.14.09

workout: i am really happy with this interval run from yesterday AM! here are the splits:
warmup: 8:59/mi (0.5 mi, mainly uphill)
mile 1: 7:44 (3 minutes recovery, average 9:45/mi, mainly downhill)
mile 2: 7:35 (3 minutes recovery, average 9:38/mi, mainly flat)
mile 3: 7:45 (3 minutes recovery, average 9:32/mi, mainly uphill)
cooldown: 8:17/mi (0.6 mi, mainly downhill)

overall, 5.01 miles in 41:19, or average 8:15/mi pace

i’m actually most proud of that 3rd interval because it contains a big uphill stretch and my times usually show it. i was definitely tired at the end of this run, but i’m not sore today!

i dare say i might be getting faster.

doin’ time: i made chicken with poblano cream sauce, served with brown rice and some local tomatoes. this is my first foray into the fall section, which is rather exciting. but i have to say this meal would have tasted better had josh gotten home in time to eat it with me. it’s amazing how much company matters in the dining experience!

reading: i gave my brain the night off after sunday’s endo-fest!