Memorial Weekend Recap

Sorry, no pictures of food, a cat, or flowers this time. I guess that means I had a good weekend.

• Friday night we finally watched Black Swan. Now those who know me well know that I'm not exactly a movie buff; I frequently confuse the names (not the people thankfully) Mel Gibson, Mel Brooks, Mel Torme, much to the bemusement of Austin so take my review as you will. That said, I found the movie compelling and fascinating. It was so eerie, made you constantly question your own interpretations and what you saw, and included so many elements of black, white, and ballerina pink. Really excellently done and one of the best movies I've seen in ages.
• Saturday the movie marathon continued. We hit up our favorite theatre were Austin was ready to get a Pecan Porter Shake, only to find out there was no porter to be had. He contented himself with a Guinness Shake instead and he and I shared a fantastic breakfast burrito (the real deal- it was garnished with chimichurri sauce and Cotija cheese) and creme brulee French toast. Oh, and the movie, right, Bridesmaids (in juxtaposition to Black Swan!). Just hilarious; I laughed until my sides ached and Austin really dug it too. It was not a chick-flick even though a wedding was part of the plot though the layers of women's friendships were something that Austin admitted he probably didn't appreciate as much as I did.
• Notice I haven't mentioned cooking. Indeed I did try two dishes Friday and Saturday night but the cooking juju was just not flowing. One was a recipe highly recommended by a friend but it just didn't come together for me. The other was a recipe that looked promising and reasonably simple but it just didn't wow us. On Sunday, we made garlic mashed potatoes and a green salad with strawberries, walnuts, and feta. Really good. Austin enjoyed a steak and I was excited to plank some salmon but it got over-salted and I wasn't able to fully appreciate the smoky cedar flavor. I'm ready for some good cooking karma this week, however. We did have really good veggie/meaty burgers on the grill Monday and a stir fry for dinner. Foolproof.
• In nature news- the birdlets have gotten huge and one has started flying. I planted some pumpkin and sunflower seeds and the sprouts are up and going strong. I'm excited to see how they turn out.
• Austin and I booked travel to Phoenix for his good friend's wedding in October. We'll be seeing lots of friends and family there (that's what happens when three roommates marry sisters/cousins). I love travel so I'm having fun thinking about what we want to do while there.
• Stinky is doing great and chased a large, spiny lizard one day- it got away- and he slew a very sizable mouse yesterday that we promptly removed from him. Exciting times on the LundeRoy patio!
• We're both back to work now. I am working on dissertation and conference tasks and I start teaching summer school this week. No rest for the wicked!