Cranberry-Pomegranate Soda

Happy festive foods week! Today is brought to you by the Cranberry!  

There are so many traditional holiday beverages - mulled wine, peppermint hot chocolate, whatever a hot toddy is - but today I thought we might need something cool, bright and refreshing. I also like carbonating things with my siphon.

Pomegranate Ice Cream

It happened.  Yesterday morning it finally happened.  You don't know what?  It's absolutely terrible!  I walked outside yesterday morning, and it was dark.  DARK!  The sun was not awake yet, and I was going to work!  Arrrgghhhh!  DARK!

I was okay with waking up at 5:30 in the morning and heading out on the 6:00 train when it was sunny and warm.  I knew that this day was coming though, with the sun rising slower and slower in the morning.  The mornings have been getting cooler and that's okay.  I bought a really cute, asymmetric zippered, sweater.  The fall rains have been coming and I'm cool with that too.  I got my hair cut and it curls really nicely in the humid air.

But the sun coming up after I leave the house?  That is where I draw the line!  Come back sun!  I miss your bright shiny face in the morning, it keeps me from falling asleep on the train...  It's going to be a loooooong winter.  Can't wait until I leave work at night and it's dark out, that will be fun too.  Maybe I should move to Florida?

Pomegranate Moon Pies

This is it.  The end of an era.  Tomorrow I leave the world of academia and become a full-fledged member of the working class.  That's right people, I'm a student no longer.  No more will I be able to use my university ID to get cheap movie tickets.  I'll be paying full price at the local Chipotle.  I have to give up my Amazon U account.  Goodbye academic bubble, I'm going to miss your warm, fuzzy, safe feeling.

I've been waiting years to be able to say these magical words.  The words that every PhD longs to scream from the rooftops and post to their facebook page.  I GOT A JOB!  After several long months of searching the job market, having phone interviews and visiting companies for on-sites, I finally scored my dream job.

2011 has been a great year for me, finished my project, got a job and there's even more to tell, but not today.  I think I've had enough excitement for one day.  Today I have about a million and one things to accomplish at my university lab before I head out of town on Thursday.  My to do list is very, very long and things keep getting added to it.  So, now I focus.  Thursday, I celebrate!