chickpea salad

recipe to be posted very soon!
but in the meantime, kudos to me for being on the ball for (1) making/testing food so that i can provide people with coherent recipes and (2) taking photos for prosperity! i am proud of me.

late morning walk down skillman ave.

i wrote this on a walk down the street this morning. it was quiet and peaceful out and all of these beautiful things i saw in the span of 5-7 minutes. made my day.
----

finding a postman on the corner when i needed to mail a card and a postcard.
a young couple admiring a tree.
a father teaching his daughter to ride a bike.
a man walking my favorite breed of dog.
the manhattan special factory in action. clinking bottles.
a cool breeze that makes you forget the humidity.
the hug of the sunshine that says summer is here.
and i am alive.

photo of the day.

i took this last week in central park. it made me smile.

i'm a teacher!

i'm teaching some cooking classes in austin next month!
super excited, a bit nervous, but overall, jazzed.

if you know anyone in austin who might be interested, please pass the info on to them!
here's the website: www.ajataharimarsh.com/food/cookingwithaja.htm

check it out!

thriller...have it your way?

yes, more michael jackson folks. guess it's just an m.j. kinda time.

this one almost made me pee my pants.

do you think he has a sock down his pants?

and this one is pretty fun. click here if you want to see the full version.


these kids. rock.

office with a view.

stayed a bit later at work than i guess i was meant to, but i was able to witness this! such a lovely sunset.

this week.

A FEW THINGS THAT ARE ROCKING MY WORLD THIS WEEK!

'P.Y.T.'
oh michael, you created such a jam with this one.
i have to bust out in a dance break anytime this song comes on lately. will you be my 'tenderoni'?


burt's bees orange essence facial cleanser
i've been on the hunt for a face wash for weeks now. i try to get mostly all-natural stuff, and i wasn't too excited about the last face wash i'd just finished up. i considered returning to a tried and true product from the body shop, but of course, that's been discontinued, so back to the drawing board. i'd gotten samples of other things at the body shop and aveda, but felt i could do better. one post-work swing into ricky's and i impulse purchased this burt's bees product, and kind of love it. it's main ingredient is glycerin, so it has this sort of less greasy, thick vaseline-y kind of consistency, and you can massage it into your face without wetting it first, and i can definitely feel my face warming up with the nice increase in blood circulation-- which is very good for your skin, by the way. i'm pretty excited about it, i think my face is getting happier. i am a little concerned about how long it's going to last...the bottle isn't very big, it costs $10 and i feel like i need to use more than regular soap because it doesn't lather. i'll have to see.

netflix, as usual.
but i have two new friends on it now (liz and ev)!
and the o.c., season 4 comes out next week!
i also revisited 'welcome to the dollhouse' the other night. so funny. i hadn't seen it in forever.


amy winehouse and regina spektor.
miss spektor i've been meaning to download for sometime now, but keep forgetting to. i was reminded the other day, and i'm glad i was. here's 'the consequence of sound'.

and miss winehouse i keep seeing posters for, mentions about, and prince said something about liking her in an article i read online. so i had to see about the hype. and i have to say, i'm diggin' her! here's 'rehab'.


smoked tofu.
okay, this is a favorite i've had for a little while, but i don't often indulge. but this week my client 'purchased' some for me, and i have already enjoyed two delicious wraps. this is how tofu should be.

whole foods' smoky harissa hummus
an impulse purchase the other day. but wow, is this amazing. goes great with my smoked tofu on a wrap! it's pretty simple...i will be making my own rendition sometime in the nearish future.

sleeping in the park
it's not just for hobos anymore!
i napped in the park twice this week. i love sleeping when the weather is nice and the sun is gently warming me. mmm.

sisters are doing it for themselves.

i gave a co-worker stranger some sass today. gave me an extra bounce in my step.
don't often make an overt effort to stand up for myself by sacrificing my general politeness.
but i did. and it was awesome.

him (with i-think-i-am-in-charge-of-you attitude): "consolidate! everything onto one pan!"
me (with confident indignation): "yeah. i know what consolidate means."
him: ::cue his uncomfortable silence::

the zen meatball

i was making mini-meatballs for the kids and staff today and one of my favorite things about kitchen work can be when you get those repetitive assignements, that keep you occupied for 30 minutes or more. the kitchen is quiet, you are quiet, and you have sunk into a mindless task that allows you to let your thoughts drift or let your mind sit still. your brain, my brain, for once, is quiet. and you don't notice this until you are interrupted by the phone, a voice, or an empty bowl to the right where the meat used to be and a full pan of mini-meatballs to your left.

i used to really enjoy making the pasta when i was at heirloom. they didn't have me doing it very often, but there was something about being in the quiet basement while everyone else was hustling upstairs, that i really enjoyed. part of why i like cooking is that adrenaline rush of busy busy busy, but for those other times, where you need a break, there is always zen meatballing.

sometimes, the desire to taste the rainbow can be a little too strong

Man charged with stealing $250,000 worth of Skittles
POSTED: 1246 GMT (2046 HKT), May 15, 2007

DALLAS, Texas (AP) -- A little candy can add up to a rainbow of trouble.

A man caught removing tires from a truck has been charged with stealing the tractor-trailer containing $250,000 worth of Skittles, police said.

Seven pallets of the 28 in the truck are still missing, authorities said. Alan Chavez, 22, has been charged with first-degree felony theft. It was unclear Monday whether he had a lawyer.

Chavez said he had paid someone else $500 for the truck's rims and tires, police said. The truck has an estimated value of $85,000, and the trailer's value is $30,000.

a letter

dear friends (or, those of you that read this),

i would like us to be better about photographing ourselves when we are out having a good time.
i hardly have any recent photos of my friends, and i would like to reverse that trend. that, and we are all very pretty and i think there should be more photographs of us for prosperity and historical purposes.
who's with me?!

so digital cams out and at the ready.
put your face on...the paparrazi are on their way.

love,
aja

10K!

a few days ago, i persuaded chelsea to run a 10K with me next month.
plied with wine and cupcakes, she agreed! mwahahaha.

we're running the Circle of Friends Mini 10K in Central Park on june 10th.
so get your butts out there and represent! or if you want to run with us, let me know!
http://www.nyrr.org/races/2007/mini/index.asp

spring fling!

new york is a consumer's paradise. you can and are tempted and encouraged on the daily to consume as much as your heart desires, and still more if you can manage. one gets used to this constant barrage of imagery and desire to buy, wear, eat, listen, watch, etc. but even if you hold out for awhile, its grips are still on you, and you'll have to give in eventually. some people do this regularly, or perhaps even too often. for me, and others i know, it comes with the changing of seasons.

when summer leads to fall one may be interested in puchasing a new jacket or sweater, a few cool weather accessories. come winter, you don't want to spend much time outside shuffling around shop to shop, and you just want to stay warm so your desire to buy clothing is low. but once the weather starts breaking and spring and summer are looking closer and more real, the shopaholic's clock inside of you goes off like a ticking bomb. a warm day or two have opened their arms to you and you run in cinematic slow motion like running to a long lost lover. but wait, what shall you wear?

luckily, you've spent the winter cooped up reading w, instyle, and whatever other fashion magazines strike your fancy so you know exactly what's in this season. and this weekend, you are going SHOPPING.

so that's kind of what happened to me, but far less dramatically. i enjoy shopping, but i find it hard to spend money on things like shoes or clothes i can't wear every day, especially if they fall into my preconceived 'expensive' category. so generally i just browse and fantasize, and pick up practical items and the occasional whimsy purchase (often on sale, or at least a good deal). the past month or so, i've been on a bit of a progressive shopping spree. this weekend i think i more or less wrapped it up. there are still a few things i'm keeping my eyes out for, but nothing too pressing...

this weekend, i bought SHOES. spring shoes. here are pictures.
i think the black palladium ones are going to be my new best friend. very comfy and cute. will replace my black converse for everyday 'i don't know what shoes to wear but these match with everything' wear. i might get another pair, lest they discontinue them. though i think i'm going to get a new pair or two of converse anyway. because they do look cute with everything. and i live in brooklyn.

blog at five a.m.

you know how sometimes it's almost just too late to even bother going to bed?
that's kind of how i feel right now, as it's 5am, and in an ideal world, i'd like to be up in about 4-4.5 hours. now, at least i don't have to work or anything, but i do have to clean up, pack, and get to the port authority by 11:30am.

i don't think i have enough energy to stay awake, and i think i will regret it if i even try. so i guess a 4 hour nap is better than no sleep at all. besides, i suppose i can sleep on the bus, so long as no one too crazy is sitting nearby.

however, i had decided, since i would be nothing if not a captive audience, to read a certain friend's screenplay whilst in transit...we shall see where the road takes us.

in other news, i think i'm going to make a point of posting some 'healthy tidbits' on here once a week, which, if successful, may make the ever-dubious transition as a spin-off blog...

food, recently made (not for me).

grey sole filets - marinated in lemon juice, olive oil, smoked paprika, marjoram, and basil. then, broiled.

salad - spinach and romaine w/fennel, kalamata olives, cashews, and broccoli. it looked very pretty but i didn't get to eat any.

customized wild rice blend - brown basmati, black wild rice, wehani rice. added golden raisins

baked halibut w/ mint-pistachio pesto

baked chicken w/lemon and artichokes and fresh basil

quinoa w/slow-roasted tomatoes

sneaky meatballs - sauteed eggplant, mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, peppers, onions, garlic, and spices hidden inside

sneaky sauce - w/steamed pureed zucchini, carrots, and butternut squash hidden inside

wednesday is the hardest day to spell.

a few things made this wednesday memorable and noteworthy.

1. i went to the gym! again! two days in a row! i might even go again today!

2. i passed my food safety handler's certification exam! i'm certified! (or at least i will be when my certification comes in the mail at the end of the month)

3. i have the job! officially!

4. i have the day off on thursday! the whole day!

5. in fact, i don't have to be at work again until monday! monday!

i've broken the fast! (or, the gun show's coming back to town!)

i went to the gym today!
after approximately a month of absence, i have broken my no-gym fast. it is sad i went so long, because i was kicking serious ass before this month of no working out. gun shows and everything. knowing that it would be hard to pick it back up just made not going easier and easier...

but! today! a quick workout during my break from work.
i went in, i sweat, and it felt good.

the end.


p.s. if anyone wants a free 5-day guest pass to crunch gym, let me know, and i will sign you up for one. i think i get points for you joining, should you decide to. i want some points.