Julie and Julia

This weekend was filled with fantasticness:
Friday:
-yarn at the Wool Basket
-buffalo chicken wrap and naked juice with local strawberries from Foodies
-encounter (due to wearing of Smith shirt) of fellow '04 Smithie's younger brother. Yes I did restrain myself and did not say what I wanted to which was "Of COURSE I remember you sister! We attended an admissions event where she not only rubbed in my face the fact that she was from a wealthy town but also that she got accepted early decision! But then I had to stop hating her pretty pretty long hair and pearls and twinsets when she got to Smith, shaved her head and walked around in beaters and army fatigues and became a, what was it "lug" (lesbian until graduation). I hear she's married now to a man in the MILITARY and has two kids!!"
Instead I was nice and reserved and said "Of course I knew M, she was very close to one of my housemates. What a small world!" ahahahahah
-sleep in the car, to compensate for only 3 hours sleep previous night, therefore sleeping from Boston to NH border
-weird NH liquor store encounter to buy "closet alcoholic size" bottle of Captain Morgan. Employees ceased all activity and watched me like a hawk, as if I was going to stash the pint in my capris and make a run for it....and as if the man in the back of the store in a loose fitting tanktop that showed off his large and colorful chest tattoo who kept picking up very very expensive bottles of Belvedere and Ketel One was NOT sketchier than three of me put together. WTF?
-BALD EAGLE SIGHTING. It was a semi-religious experience, and for risk of seeming totally lame I will NOT go into detail here. ahem.
-Loon sighting (also amazing)
-Book reading
-Boboli
-Sleeping on the porch

Saturday nice too:
-Naked juice again
-lying on the dock sleeping and reading Admission (good stuff)
-knitting baby booties and hat
-baby snake
-Agony
-steak

Sunday. Well Sunday was weird.
Sunday
-the weather did not cooperate.
-I went birdwatching in the woods (eagle nest searching) only to be joined by Bigfoot, aka my dad, who uncharacteristically complained a lot and went the bathroom in the woods no less than 3 times. Um. What? He hates that we "Sit around and do nothing" in NH, and I think he was acting out or something, lol. I did see a Red-breasted Nuthatch, which was nice, but had to cut my quest for a mystery bird short by father's presence (he lacks the patience necessary).
-Got "lost" in woods, was sweaty and bug-bitten
-Had to go home, sans kayaking. Not one solitary paddle. Dang it.
-BUT I found a copy of Commencement *hurrah*
and started Julie and Julia.

And it's fantastic and hilariously entertaining. And I kind of want to do something similar, but NOT, good lord, NOT with Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Though Potage Parmentier suddenly sounds worth the effot, I will say.

No the book made me think of how happy I am while baking, even when it's a task, like it was last week for the FP yard and bake sale. I love it. It's ordered and measured. and sooo tasty.

That led me to think that I should quit my job and become a baker.
Ok I thought that for five minutes before I realized it to be a supremely bad idea.
I will say this though - last night I planned to make a strawberry-rhubarb crisp for the familia.
My dad said "WHY" and I thought in my head "why do you always question and does there have to be a reason for baked goodness?" but said instead "Oh because I have to use the local strawberries I bought at Foodies" When saying baking is necessary to use up ingredients that are about to "go bad" it is always always justified.

Now my family and I are stawberry rhubarb connoisseurs and have found two particularly awesome crisp recipes, one belonging to Food and Wine and one from Emeril. I'll have to gauge our mood but tonight I am feeling F&W, as Emeril's use of Grand Marnier is totally amazing and decadent, but maybe too rich for a Monday night!

Anywho, the whole point is: the weekend was great, I have a secret fantasy to do a Julie/Julia Project of baking, and despite some of their weird quirks (peeing in the woods!) I love my family. A ton.