Friday afternoon

I love the smell of new books. Particularly when they're free. I was delighted to find a Borders gift certificate in my wallet, and I was curious to see how much was on it. I used that as an excuse to wander into town, grab my favorite Peet's drink (mango tea freddo- this one, unfortunately, was not as good as I had remembered it being), browse my favorite aisle at the pharmacy (hair care products), and look around Lululemon (a dangerous, dangerous place). I finally got to Borders, when I realized I could remember neither the name of the book I wanted to purchase nor its author. I knew it had something to do with North and South Korea and a spy, but other than that, I was stumped. So was the kind Borders clerk who tried to help me in my search. I went upstairs to the Literature section and did what I knew best, to look for common Korean names. I started with Kim. First time's a charm. I found it: Your Republic is Calling You by Young-Ha Kim. With everything going on in North Korea's government, I am particularly interested in reading this book. I used my gift card, and it was enough to leave me 58 cents. I think I'll invest that in a planner for next year.

I meandered back home, and made some pasta sauce while I did my laundry: ground turkey, shallots, garlic, bell pepper, squash, and mushroom. I love that it simmers down.. it looks scarily watery, but let it sit for a while over low heat, and it turns out to be a nice ragout of sorts.

On the schedule for tonight: my first yoga class. There is a studio a few blocks from my home, and I'm going to try it out. Bikram is on the menu. Wish me luck!