new addition

no, not that kind of addition.
although on that note, congratulations to meg on her exciting announcement!! i admit, i had my suspicions . . . but then again, i had an insider’s perspective — meg and i completed a long run together, and the important truths always come out when miles are being shared.

endorphins = nature’s other truth serum!

anyway, my new addition is much less exciting.

it’s this baby that’s coming home to mama today! my computer is over 3 years old and is completely OUT of memory . . . plus, i had kind of promised myself a new one for fellowship. so a trip to the apple store is in the cards for today, and i think i am going to go with a macbook PRO.

while on the subject of technology, i think i have decided to hold off on a smartphone for now! you might remember that i was mulling over the purchase of an iPhone or similar, but i’m just not sure i really need those extra features (or the monthly bill that goes along with having email and the internet at one’s fingertips). maybe if the iPhone migrates over to verizon in january (like the rumors say), i’ll go for it.

especially if i can get a white one!

(what, it’s prettier.)

thank you, tony soprano
. . . for making josh crave italian food last night! to be honest, italian is perhaps a weakness in chapel hill’s otherwise fantastic restaurant scene. il palio is tasty, but quite fancy and expensive. we tried vespa, but we weren’t terribly impressed. durham has several good options (tosca, pop’s, and nana’s are all excellent in our experience), but neither of us felt like driving back east (even though it’s not that far!).

so, we went with 411 west, knowing that we might not be wowed, but that nice ambience, reasonable prices, and pasta options galore would be available.

there was a 15 minute wait for dinner at around 8 pm (not bad with no reservations), and as we sidled up to the bar, we were surprised to find our next-door-apartment neighbor there working the bar! a photographer during the day, we learned that he has worked at the restaurant for 8 years now . . . and his wife (also our neighbor, obviously) was there too as a waitress.

chapel hill: definitely a small town.

i definitely enjoyed this generous pour of rioja (and our generous neighbor unexpectedly comped our drinks!). a well-deserved finish to a tough week, i think.

fluffy and delicious roll:

artisan bread it was not, but slightly sweet and doughy, i enjoyed this hunk o’ refined carbs nonetheless.

my favorite part of the meal was our shared caprese salad:

LOVE tomato season! these could have actually been a touch riper, but it was still a nicely put together dish. i liked the hint of balsamic and pesto drizzled on the fresh mozzarella.

one nice benefit to 411 west is that you can order half-portion entrées. this ‘half portion’ of lemon linguine with shrimp and scallops was still more than i would probably have served at home!

i (with a tiny bit of help) still managed to practically lick the plate clean. next time, i would have thought to order whole grain pasta, since i know they do have it! i didn’t think the dish was amazing (i felt like i could make a similar meal at home), but it definitely qualified as ‘good’ and the lack of clean-up (and very reasonable bill) brought this meal up to ‘great’ status.

the company was good, too 🙂

off to enjoy SATURDAY!
not only am i going computer shopping, but i also have a massage booked! lovely. there will also be some studying/work going on as well —

wait a second, what does that textbook say!? these aren’t my study materials glinting in the morning sun . . . perhaps this means i will have a study partner.

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7.23.10

workout: rest day!

board prep/studying: none . . . but i am okay with this. actually, i think that i am going to make fridays my brain’s official day off. after work, that is.