Fudge-Covered Peanut Butter-Filled Pretzels in Vanilla Malt Ice Cream Rippled with Fudge & Peanut Butter

Snippets all over the place today:

Gina is home, calloo callay.


"Starbucks Coffee, to fit your every mood." This morning’s brew: a nonfat mocha latte, no whip. In case you cared. I had to weigh carefully the merits of throwing in a shot of peppermint syrup, or perhaps going the chai route, as I am exhausted this morning and could use the soothing warmth and gentle spiciness of a chai. In the end, caffeine and calcium won out.


I don’t know who writes the Post Gazette’s headlines, but they clearly missed the boat with this one: Did Putin plagiarize Pitt professors?. *I* would have said, “Perhaps Putin plagiarized Pitt Professors?” I mean, if you’re going to do something, you might as well do it right. Or go whole hog. Or whatever cockeyed expression I am reaching for here...


I used to be a college basketball fiend. (Diehard Duke fan, in case you are wondering. I still harbor a wholly inappropriate crush on Bobby Hurley.) Isn’t it funny how having children seriously distracts from VITAL SPORTING EVENTS like the NCAA Final Four?


Students at the library where I work call the study carrels “rooms. So they’ll come in and ask for “a room on the second floor.” Or “a room for three people.” And it makes me to laugh and laugh. I am so unprofessional. You don’t need to tell me.


I went for a walk this morning, with an eye towards training for a 10K race in the fall. The last time I planned something like this, I got pregnant with Terzo and gave birth the weekend before my half-marathon would have been run. The time before THAT, I trained for a triathlon only to discover that I would be ten weeks pregnant on the day of the event. I did it anyway. Segundo turned out ok, even if I finished DEAD LAST in the run portion because it was so hot and I was so exhausted. (I kicked butt in the pool though.)


When your legs/stomach/butt itches after you have exerted yourself doing something like walking or running, is that the fat burning? I’ve always wondered…


I just did a huge grocery shop and got home only to realize I had forgotten three vital things. Sigh. It’s naptime now – for Seggie and the baby, and probably for Mama as well. I did remember to buy some Green and Black’s chocolate with whole almonds, and two pints of B&J’s Chubby Hubby…so am set, for at least, oh , three days.


And speaking of Ben and Jerry’s, why is this flavor only available at their retail stores: Coconut Almond Fudge Chip (coconut ice cream with fudge chips and roasted almonds) - I mean, conveniently, one opened in Squirrel Hill a year or so ago, so I can get it there – but if I am going to Squirrel Hill specially for ice cream, I’ll just go to Baskin-Robbins for German chocolate cake ice cream, or for that matter, press on to Oakland, to Dave and Andy’s where they sell homemade-on-the-premises ice cream – and among their flavors is Almond Joy, coconut ice cream with chocolate-covered almonds…but if I can only get myself to the grocery store…why can’t I get coconut almond fudge chip to take home with me? As I tell Primo on a regular basis, life is not fair.


And one last thing – she blushes - in a moment of, shall we say, closeness this morning, I found myself composing a blog entry in my head. (This does not say *anything* about H; it does, however, say worlds about me. And no, I am NOT proud of myself.) What I need to know – am I the only fruitcake to do this? I mean, I’ve done it before, composing while walking around the zoo, or riding the bus to work, or watching TV with the boys…or, God forgive me, during church…but it seems like I have crossed the line with this one. To find myself composing posts in my head at the *most* inappropriate times…perhaps I should cut down on my blogging time.