weekend update

new features
ghost world isn’t about sweeping changes: it’s about baby steps. maybe SOMEDAY this blog will morph into a sleek-looking site with a unified theme, but . . . well, i’m just not so good with change.

however, i still strive for some improvement! check out the new linked email feature and twitter feed gadget.

i have not been a very faithful twitter-er in the past, but i think it’s fun and i’d like to do more.

i love magazines
i’ve gone on before about the ridiculous number of magazine subscriptions that arrive at our apartment each month. i love having a stack of new ones available at all times for gym or just lying-around-on-the-couch entertainment!

while i have often bought real simple for plane flights and trips, i have never subscribed because it tends to be one of the most expensive subscriptions and when it comes to magazines, i am quite a deal-seeker.

josh jokes that it should be renamed “real complicated” because the promise of a perfectly clean, simple life is simply NOT attainable by rifling through a few glossy pages. he’s right, but i don’t care. beautiful images of perfectly organized closets and pristine kitchens? SIGN ME UP!

through twitter, i found out that amazon is having a crazy $5/year magazine sale which includes real simple! now i can enjoy organization fantasies year-round for less than 50 cents an issue. i know it’s not the most ecological to get a mound of magazines each month, but i do bring them to my gym for others to enjoy afterwards. so at least there’s that.

last long run
i’m minutes away from embarking on my last long run of my marathon training cycle! i am planning to do 18 on hilly terrain, divided into 3 parts. my goal is to go SLOWLY this time — i think i’ve been doing some of my long run work too fast, and now is NOT when i’d like to get injured.

once this run is complete, it will officially be taper time! some people abhor the taper, but i’m pretty psyched. after all, this is the first time i’ve made it this far in a training cycle since 2006. perhaps a new installment of my running story is in order. maybe tomorrow.

sage
our date last night was lots of fun! i enjoyed an education a lot, although i did feel like it was a little choppy towards the end. i really liked the characters and the acting was top-notch, and i wanted EVERY DRESS that jenny wore.

for dinner afterwards, we headed to sage, a persian vegetarian restaurant in chapel hill. sage is super-cozy and cute, and we always love the food! last night was no exception.

i started with a glass of red wine i probably didn’t need . . .

we shared a bowl of osh, a thick green soup loaded with beans and noodles

continuing with the sharing theme, we ordered the mezze platter. their hummus is absolutely perfect, and the stuffed grape leaves are divine.

we split an entree order of fezen joon, a rich pomegranate walnut dish with tempeh that is basically to-die-for. i carbo-loaded on the accompanying brown rice.

finally, we shared one of my favorite desserts of the triangle: their take on tiramisu. it’s super-creamy and sort of a deconstructed tiramisu sundae — just the way i like it!

YUM.

putting it back together
in case anyone is wondering, our luggage DID arrive as promised last night. no refund of our ‘luggage check fee’, however! hrumph.

i’m hoping to launch a massive cleaning/laundry/kitchen restocking campaign . . . post-18-mile run. hmmm. wish me luck . . . i may need it.