Things I Love Thursday

Gluten-free brownies - I have never made anything gluten-free in my life and I am highly skeptical about the entire gluten-free fad. That being said, my coworker has gestational diabetes and was desperate for a brownie. So, for her baby shower, I found a great Nigella Lawson recipe for flourless brownies (which are apparently a little less problematic on the insulin front due to the lesser number of carbs). Holy damn were they good. Super gooey with great texture and the perfect untainted brownie flavor. Good thing I have another party to go to tomorrow because that half-pan of brownies I have left would be an extra five pounds that my butt does not need.

Reconnecting - I've been spending a lot of time with a friend who I had a brief falling out with last year. A combination of hurt feelings and poor communication skills. It's been nice getting that connection back and actually being able to talk out all of our former issues without damaging our friendship.

The best compliment I ever received personally - A friend told me recently that I was far kinder to them than they deserved. As far as I'm concerned, this is the highest compliment I could get. Not because I think that any one person is more deserving than another of kindness but because I wholeheartedly believe that everyone deserves kindness and compassion and, if someone believes that enough to say it to me, then I'm doing a pretty good job of practicing what I preach. 

The best compliment I ever received at work - A woman came in looking for someone's office. After I looked them up and directed her the right way, she thanked me profusely and said, "I knew someone with such cool hair would be able to help me." I really try to be approachable at my job. It sometimes makes me worry that I shave the sides of my head and have visible tattoos because I don't ever want anyone to feel like they can't ask me questions. It made me feel good that my hair was actually what made her stop and ask me questions.

Brunch - I've had three brunch dates in the past two weeks. It's been a long time since and I kind of forgot just how much I love brunch. Bloody Mary's, poached eggs and rye toast, black coffee, some kind of fancy french toast, it all makes my tummy happy.

Dress shopping - Prom season is coming up in our LARP (yes, we have a Changeling LARP) so I went along to help Rachel find a fantastic prom dress. I seriously love pretty dresses and, even though I already have a great dress of my own for game, I was able to help Rachel find the perfect one and picked up a pretty fabulous retro dress of my own just for funsies.

Sweet Mandy Bs - Rachel, Brian, and I took a long walk down to this adorable little sweet shop near DePaul on Sunday. There were beautifully decorated cakes and pastries galore. I was weirdly thrilled to discover their homemade pudding layered with homemade whip cream. Super tasty and worth the calories.

Walking weather - There were a couple of beautiful, sunny days this week. One was a bit on the colder side for most non-Chicagoans but both were perfect walking weather for those of us who have been stuck inside for the past several months. I've missed being able to skip the public trans and just walk to wherever I'm going and I can't wait until there is much more walking in my future.