Mental lists on a Friday

Excited about:

• Submitting my first full-length medical article to a scientific journal this week!
• Going on a double dinner date tomorrow with a former co-worker and her husband
• Finishing The Murderer’s Daughters, by Randy Susan Meyers, who is a friend of a woman in my book club

Books waiting to be picked up from the library today:

• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
• How Did You Get this Number?, by Sloane Crosley
• Last Night in Montreal, by Emily St. John Mandel
• This Boy’s Life, by Tobias Wolff

Supplies for tonight’s girls’ movie night:

• Food: popcorn, soda, Twizzlers, and M&Ms
• Selected movies we own: About a Boy, Dan in Real Life, The Italian Job, Ocean’s Eleven, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Remember the Titans, The Truman Show, and You’ve Got Mail
• Movies to be picked up from Redbox today: The Help and Something Borrowed

To do this weekend:

• Do laundry
• Scrub bathrooms
• Mop floors
• Start a baseball-themed onesie
• Watch Thursday’s episode of Project Runway: All Stars
• Make chocolate turtle cookies and prep meatballs for sandwiches for a big group dinner on Sunday
• Make chocolate-chocolate cupcakes for a co-worker’s birthday
• Brainstorm outfits for Week 2 of Kayla’s 10-Day Winter Challenge
• Take naps

The best meal of my life

One of my favorite places to take visitors to Kennett Square is Talula’s Table. It’s a super cute gourmet foods store that sells coffee, pastries, sandwiches and salads at lunchtime, and local and imported food products that are excellent host gifts. There’s also a cheese counter, prepared foods, house-made deliciousness like bread, soup, and sausage. Everyone who works there is really friendly and knowledgeable, and most of them wear charming, handmade aprons from a local seamstress. All of the labels are handwritten. In short, the place is awesome.

At Talula’s, there is a large, wooden table. It’s The Table from the name. Every night, parties of 8-12 sit down and eat a seasonal meal, chosen by the chef. It’s purported to be the hardest reservation in America because you have to make your reservation exactly a year in advance. The line opens at 7am, and if you are the first one through, you get the reservation on that date in one year. How crazy is that? The Talula’s dinners are mythical in Kennett Square, partly because of the rarity of reservations, but mostly because the food is supposed to be amazing. I always assumed that I would tell the tale of Talula’s, but I would never actually experience it. Can you imagine? Gathering at least 6 friends, getting them to commit to a dinner a year in advance, having no say in what’s served (minus allergies), and then paying a pretty penny? Yeah, probably not.

Several months ago, a new friend of ours told us about “another table” at Talula’s. Say what? Apparently, in addition to the farmhouse table, there’s a “chef’s table,” in the kitchen. You get the same food as at the farmhouse table, and you can get a reservation just a few months in advance, but it’s invitation-only. Lucky for us, our friend had an in with the booking guy, and he reserved the table for us, him, and his wife! That’s how I had the best meal of my life on Sunday night.

JG and I arrived at Talula’s first, bearing wine to go with dinner and beer to go with dessert. Dan, one of our servers, ushered us to the little café table at the front of the restaurant. The lights were low, and we heard faint chatter from the people at the farmhouse table. I was so excited. Our friends showed up soon after, and we had 3 small bites to start:

• Local Mushroom and Lobster Terrine and Roasted Potato
• Medjool Date Stuffed with Mascarpone, Roasted Butternut Squash, and Toasted Pepitas: sadly, I did not get a picture of these because we ate them too fast, but it was one of my favorite things of the night
• Cauliflower Soup with Roasted Cauliflower Bits and Crisp Salami

Then, we proceeded to the back of the restaurant to the kitchen. The chef, sous chef, 2 servers, and a dishwasher were bustling around, doing their duties. The kitchen was bright and clean, but fairly minimal. Our table consisted of 2 rolling butcher block counters, pushed together, with 4 stools. There was a large vase of tulips, and each place setting had a cloth napkin and a placemat. I loved being in the kitchen. The lighting was way better for pictures, but the best part was that we got to watch and talk to the staff the whole time.

For the next 4 hours, we were served 8 courses of staggering deliciousness. Every time, the server would set down the plates in just the right way and say, “What we have is…” and launch into an extremely detailed explanation of the food before us. We learned where it came from, how it was prepared, and how it should taste. Everything was so thoughtfully prepared and composed, and of course, delicious. There was a basket of housemade breads, like Bavarian pretzel rolls and cheddar sourdough. Even the salt was pretty! I was so, so happy. I mean, look at this.

• Steelhead, Soft Eggs, Smoked Roe, Crème Fraiche, and Potato Wafers
• Petite Snails, Barley and Fennel Ragu, Garlic Chips
• Salt Cod Fritters, Creamed Kale, Horseradish, Tomato Fondue
• Goat Cheese Gnocchi, Sweetbreads, Mushrooms, Prunes, and Lemon Cream
• Line-Caught Tuna, Curried Lamb Sausage, Curried Grape Sauce, and Crisp Capers
• Smoked Beef Ribeye, Cheddar Polenta, Sweet Onion and Spicy Poblano
• Raw Milk Raclette, Rissolé Potato, and Little Pickle
• Baby Pecan Sticky Bun and Salty Maple Ice Cream
• Lemon Macaron with Lavender Cream (my first one!)
• Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie (to go)

JG went on and on about how there was a prune that tasted “just like bacon!” and I could not get over the awesome snails dish. Each course was only 4 or 5 bites, but that added up over the long haul, and we practically rolled out of there at the end of the night. The staff was thanked us for coming (!) and encouraged us to come back soon. If we were made of money, we’d be back in a second. I am so glad that we got the chance to have the Talula’s experience, and I can not wait until we try it again in another season with a new menu.

GapFit!

On Tuesday afternoon, after he got home from school, JG IMed me:

JG: a big gap box just showed up here for you
with a “gapfit” sticker

RA: woot woot!

I’d received e-mails about Gap’s new line of workout gear, GapFit, and I was pining silently for it because I only have just enough pants to make it though my week of fitness classes. Since I joined the Y in August, I have accumulated a good selection of tops — for which I refused to pay more than $10 each — but my pants selection is very limited. I must do laundry on Saturdays if I am to be decent at the gym on Mondays. The arrival of this package seemed especially serendipitous since it occurred on the very day that I posted about my fitness challenges. When I busted into the box, I found a jacket, a top, and five pairs of pants! Very exciting! I got so excited, in fact, that I had JG take pictures of me in terrible lighting, with my cell phone, as I modeled with goofy poses and cheesy grins, plus an occasional bewildered dog looking on. Let’s get to it!

gFast
Here I am, mid-stride in my living room, in gFast running leggings, top (that you cannot see), and jacket. I have never worn running leggings, and I was nervous that my legs would look all sausage-y in them, but these things suck you in like crazy. There’s even a convenient zippered compartment in the back for a key. They are a little long for me, per usual for my short legs, but that did not cause any problems, unless you count some ankle-scrunching.

For me, the most exciting thing about this ensemble was the jacket. No, my hand has not been amputated, as it might appear from the shoddy picture; the jacket has built-in fingerless gloves! You slip your thumb through a little slit, and the slightly-longer sleeve covers most of your hand. Once you are warmed up, just push the sleeve up and you are good to go. I also appreciated the zippered pockets on the outside and compartments on the inside. Plus, look at the kicky turquoise color! Love it.

gBalance
How could I not love a pair of cropped knit pants? These gBalance capris are super soft and comfy with a gray foldover waist band. Even though I am demonstrating a tree pose, I wore these pants this morning for my Body Pump workout, and they were an excellent, instant addition to my workout wardrobe.

gFlex
These gFlex pants are made from a lightweight material that seems like it would wick away moisture, and it’s just slightly stretchy (12% spandex, I see). They look, kind of, ah, dressier than my normal full-length pants, if that makes sense. There’s a hidden back pocket in these guys, too. Please note that in taking the awkward picture above, JG was all, “Wait a minute…” and I was all, “TAKE THE PICTURE ALREADY!” and Ted was all, “I’m confused.”

gDance
Check out my best approximation of a Zumba move as a still life! These gDance pants are really similar to their gFlex companions: same material and a back zip compartment. But this cut is slimmer overall and has a smaller flare at the ankle, which I think would be nice for aerobic workouts like Zumba or anything based on martial arts.

gStretch
When I put on these gStretch pants, I said, “Whoa, baggy!” Compared to the bootcut gFlex pants and the flared gDance pants, this last fit was positively roomy. That’s not to say it doesn’t fit, because it does. The wide leg is really comfy, and I’d appreciate it in yoga the most, think. The website calls it “part workout pant and part lounge pant,” and I have a vague feeling that my distribution of those activities in these pants will be something like 30-70. Plus, they have pockets! Even better. Judging from Ted’s expression, he had just about enough of this shenanigans.

Overall
In general, I liked the GapFit products I received. Without real road-testing, I think they appear to be well made and durable. The fabrics are light but not sheer, and I like the inclusion of details like zippered back pockets. My favorites were the top, jacket, and gBalance capris, because I know that I will use them right away and frequently. As far as fit goes, all of the pieces were in my default size, and they fit me well, with the exception of length. It’s fine; I’m a shortie, so I’m used to it. The gFlex and gStretch styles come in Ankle, Regular, and Long lengths, so I’d probably opt for Ankle instead of Regular. Even so, I appreciate the options in length.

My only quibble is price. The pants range in price from $34.50-$54.95, not to mention the top ($26.95) and the jacket (a whopping $69.95!). Sorry, Gap. I would never buy these items at these prices, but as I stated above, I am a total workout cheapskate. That said, it appears that these prices are lower than those at Athleta, Gap’s sister company for fitness clothing. I have 2 swimsuits from Athleta (bought on super ridiculous clearance with free shipping, obviously), and they are holding up great. So, I’m sure that their products are of high quality, but I could never stomach the full price. If you feel the same way about Athleta and your price threshold for workout gear is greater than mine, then you should definitely check out the GapFit line.

But wait, there’s more! If you are hankering for a piece of the GapFit action, you can order online and get 30% off with the promotion code NEWYOU until midnight tonight (ET). This discount applies to Gap, Banana Republic, and Old Navy, and you can get free shipping for orders over $50 across all 3 brands, plus free return shipping. (You can also get 20% off Piperlime purchases, which always ship for free.) If you’re a member of Ebates, you can also earn 2% cash back on your purchase; let me know if you’d like a referral link. So all I’m saying is, now would be a pretty good time to try the GapFit line, if you are so inclined.

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I received these GapFit items for free as part of my agreement to be a Brand Enthusiast for Gap through Brand About Town.

It’s my ride

As of the new year, I’m in my sixth month of YMCA membership. Minus a few weeks of sickness, business travel, and holiday gluttony, I’ve been pretty good about going! I take a variety of classes throughout the week, and back in September, I tried spin classes for the first time. I don’t ride a bike at all, so I knew that the cycling motion would be foreign, to say nothing of the difficulty of the class itself. In fact, I had a sneaking suspicion that I would severely dislike spin class, but that is not an excuse not to try, so I decided to give myself a month, or 4 classes. I hoped to get past the probable phase of dislike and into the more manageable phase of challenging-but-for-my-own-good.

The 6am Friday instructor, Mike, was very nice. He helped me set up my bike and told me not to worry about the increases in resistance at first. Just get the pace at first, he said.

Oh, my goodness. Spin class was the hardest thing I had ever tried. The pedaling motion was totally new to me, and my legs were not pleased. No, wait. My rear end was even less pleased. That first class was really hard, and the hour crawled. I was sore for days afterward, but I convinced myself that the next class would be better, so I came back a week later. And the week after that. And the week after that. Even though I improved just slightly in setting up my bike and not looking like a fool, I could hardly ever keep up the pedaling pace, much less crank my resistance like the instructor told us. I gasped my way through the warm-up and then could not stop myself from looking at the clock every 2 minutes. One time, we did 8 5-minute cycles, and I wanted to cry. Each cycle seemed endless, and there were so many of them! By my fourth class, I resigned myself to the facts. Spin class was hard, yes, but I did not like it. The newness of it did not give way to my normal teeth-gritted determination to improve each time. That style of exercise did not inspire me to do better; as soon as I was trapped on my bike, I just wanted to get out of there. I let it go after the month was over.

However, I did glean a valuable lesson from my stint in the spin studio. At the beginning of every class, Mike would tell us what the overall routine would be (like, argh, 8 5-minute cycles), and then he’d say, “Remember, it’s your ride! I’m going to push you, but you’re here for you. It’s your ride.”

Hm. It’s my ride.

Now, when I’m struggling to hold a plank or push through my third mile or hold my legs at 45 degrees during my hundreds, I remember this sentence. Sometimes, I work through the struggle, but sometimes, I rein myself in and lean back into child’s pose or put my knees down for 5 seconds. “It’s my ride” helps me persist but also relax. It reminds me that the effort I’m putting in is better than the nothing I was doing before, and the challenges I have are all part of it. Even though I hated spin class, I’m glad I learned that mantra. So, yoga today, then Body Pump on Thursday, Pilates on Saturday, and Zumba on Sunday, and it’s all part of my ride.