When I did martial arts I always tried to take part in demos, hoping that if anyone in the audience was feeling like they couldn't try stuff "in this shape" or "until I lose some weight" that they would see me up there and go, "Well if SHE can do it, I can."

You RULE!

One of the cookbooks is proving especially distracting and tempting. It's called Tradewinds and Coconuts and it's all Pacific Island cooking, based primarily out of Guam.

Sampling of things already seen and wanting to try:

-Curried Sweet Potato, Banana and Brazil Nut Salad

-Avocado, Mango and Orange Salad with Honey-Sesame-Lime Dressing

-Kokoda, which is marinated fish and shrimp salad in coconut cream-- sort of a Pacific variation on Ceviche

I haven't even made it past the salads yet...

::mouth waters::

Obviously, you need to set up a blog to review all these dishes for us after you've tried them.

Mahi mahi with Mountain Apples and Japanese Horseradish Cream

Obviously, you need to set up a blog to review all these dishes for us after you've tried them.

Or, get an account with DSL and a large stock of dry ice to ship it out to taste-testers.

What? Too much?

Oh, Nora? Are either Norwood or Beverly anywhere near Boston/Cambridge?

Oh, Nora and Tom!! Three months severance is pretty cool (though if he's been there ten years, he definitely deserves that!) but still. eesh. Fingers crossed he can find something awesome.

Barb, I second Susan's suggestion that Seattle in summer is awesome...

Seriously, no Irish, no Swing, no Bellydance, no Ballroom for over two weeks...I'd be twitching if the cough hadn't left me so exhausted.

Wow, Epic, you dance more than I do!!

Fingers also crossed for Vortex.

Meanwhile, I got a call from someone internal to my company going "OK, so would you be interested in working on This Other Thing Starting in Three Weeks?" and I'm like "Uhhhhh..." (a) I thought I'd have more time to contemplate my options (like, months?) and (b) you would have to actually tell me a hell of a lot more about it than just what it's about. Because i wouldn't take any other job based on that info. I don't care that I'd keep the same salary and bennies, if it would involve working my ass off and flying around the country, for instance, it wouldn't be worth it. Thanks.

Water polo is on my TV right now. It seems like if you were good at it, it might be fun to play, but it's not really fun to watch.

Wow, Epic, you dance more than I do!!

But you get to make out way more than I do. I think I'd trade! Or maybe I just need a flirting-upgrade?

Who wants to visit so I can cook?

Hangs "Gone Fishin'" sign on office door.

Vortex, which law school is the not-quite-dream-job? Maybe I know someone there.

Nora, I'm so sorry to hear about Tom's layoff! That stinks!

In my orientation news, the woman organizing this thing originally had us down to start library tours at 11:30, then she sent a letter to the students telling them we'd start at 10:30, and she gave me some cute oopsie! story that I didn't believe. Today, the organizer's minions showed up at 9:55 a.m. with my 10 a.m. tour list... and now they've taken it upon themselves to schedule two tours at once, and add another at the end of the day. And all I can do is complain after the fact, because they know I can't tell these new students to GO AWAY.

Guh... Chili-Garlic Chicken with Mangoes

I'll stop now, I promise.

DUDE- Beverly is where he works, er, worked now and it's one town over from us! PERFECT LOCATION! (I didn't mention it at the beginning because it's kinda a random location)

Norwood is not so good though.