BoBo in Bloomy

We decided to take Bo to Bloomington over Labor Day weekend. Partially, we wanted to get out of town one final time before school starts. But we also wanted to introduce Bo to my parents and their dogs. We loaded up her pink blanket bed in the car and brought her favorite toys to keep her happy. Bo does well in the car, so she spent most of the trip laying down, sleeping, or looking out the window. But I hadn't counted on how nervous she would be at the rest stops. She is very uneasy around traffic, and the noise from the semis followed us no matter where we stopped. 

We planned to get breakfast in Ann Arbor, thinking it would be fairly quiet and she could calm down enough to go to the bathroom. Instead, Zingerman's Road House, the restaurant we had mapped out in advance was on a busy street and she was pretty freaked out. But the donuts made it worth it. Holy crap, these donuts. They told us it would be a few minutes because they were making them from scratch, and they were totally worth the wait. Zingerman's is a large group of restaurants, bakeries, and delis in Ann Arbor and the Road House has a special coffee/breakfast trailer stuck on the front of the building. The breakfast burrito with cheese and green chilies I had really hit the spot, and these donuts kept us satiated for several hours. On our return trip we stopped at the Zingerman's head quarters where they have a bakery, coffee shop, and creamery. It's right off I-94 (exit 175, I think), but far enough from the interstate that Bo couldn't hear the trucks, so I think we'll stop there again.

After we made it inside the IN state line, we decided to find a place where Bo could actually have a rest stop that didn't scare her. Since we'd previously stopped at Pokagon State Park, we decided to let her walk around there and take a quick dip in the lake. Pokagon is also conveniently located just off I-69 (an exit in the 350s, I believe), and it was worth it for Bo to relax a bit and finally eat her breakfast.

Bo conked out for the rest of the trip. She and my parents' dogs never really hit it off, but they were amicable. I think she really liked the rug in the living room since it meant more room for her to stretch out. She also enjoyed the blanket my mom knitted her out of scraps from a blanket she knit for us several years ago. 

It was fun to walk her with the other two dogs in our favorite walking spots around town, especially Jackson Creek.

Dog walking is a family affair on Sunday mornings in Bloomington.

Of course, we also squeezed in a few non-Bo related activities in Bloomington. We went to the Rail with Mark and Jessica, where I had a Bandera for the first time: 

From left to right: a lime cordial (sans alcohol), VERY smooth tequila, and a Sangrita, which tasted sort of like a very light tomato juice. The server explained that it's customary to drink from left to right in small sips, but she also encouraged me to drink it however I wanted. I followed her advice and I was surprised how much I liked this drink. The lime and tequila at the beginning make it taste like a margarita. But the tequila and tomato at the end reminded me more of a Bloody Mary. I want to find the tequila they used, but I would need to be careful not to drink too fast. It was so smooth that it was like drinking white wine.

John did a few runs in Bloomington but he also accompanied me a few times to the IU Outdoor Pool. I'm still swimming a few times per week, but I wasn't sure how much I would want to swim while on vacation. But Bloomington was so hot and humid that the pool was especially inviting each day, and the facility itself is excellent. I plan on posting some of the swim workouts I've been doing, so prepare to have your minds blown.

My parents generously took us out to some of our favorite Bloomington spots, including Upland. Dad is a good sport about posing for funny photos.

And then we had to say good bye to Bloomington until October; we'll make a stop there when we're in IN for the marathon this fall. Now it's time for me to reach deep down and find some grain of enthusiasm for the semester to start. 

Christmas Vacay 2012: Ann Arbor

Last year when we got engaged, John and I decided to take a trip to Niagara on the Lake, ON. We decided that a short trip at the start of the holidays is our new preferred gift to each other, and so this year we went to Ann Arbor, MI. It was also a convenient place to stop on the way south to Bloomington for Christmas. This was our second trip to Ann Arbor, as we visited it for Music Theory Midwest last summer. Even after two trips, I could definitely spend another weekend there sometime. There are so many restaurants I still want to try.

For lunch, went to Seva, one of the vegetarian restaurants in town. Here's their TLT (tempeh, lettuc, tomato, with cheddar and guac) and steamed kale on the side. Everything there looks SO good. And apparently my aunt Becky is friends with their owner! Small world.

We spent some time wandering around in all the little stores downtown. I felt like we were acting very Canadian, as it was pretty windy, cold, and snowy, but John and I were so excited. "It's snowing! It looks like Christmas! This weather is fantastic!"

Bongs and Thongs, one of the charming Ann Arbor stores.

If we're close friends, then you're likely to receive a card from me from this stationary store, Rock Paper Scissors. 

West Side Book Shop.

John wanted to take an espresso break before we started tasting beer - obviously the real reason we selected Ann Arbor for vacation. We stopped in at Espresso Bar, whose espresso John raved about. I had some chamomile tea while we wrote a funny note to Sargibso. This place was one of several options for brunch that we considered. It was hard to choose, and I was thrilled with Cafe Zola below, but I could have awesome brunch there every day for a week without repeating a place. Ugh. 

Then it was time for the beer tasting to begin. Our first stop was Blue Tractor, a brewery and bbq place. 

We both agreed that Blue Tractor was the most consistently good beer we had. It also had a nice atmosphere and a good looking menu - I would definitely go back for dinner. You can read the list of beers on the photo below. I think my favorite was the Sudworth Bock, but I also liked the Bearded Pig Pilsner, which I think would be a great beer to have on hand at a party. One of the consistent characteristics that I generally liked was the crispness. Everything was very crisp, light, and had a nice finish.

The Wassail Ale was also really good and reminded me of the (Canadian) Great Lakes Winter Ale, with some nice warm spice. Neither of us liked the Mint Chocolate Stout, but I think that's because neither of us like chocolate and mint together. If you really like peppermint patties or those minty girl scout cookies, you would probably love this beer. I could tell it was a good beer, but really not for me. I also generally liked the Pitmaster Porter more than I expected (what is happening to me? I like dark beer now? I guess). 

The bar tender was impressed with my method of taking notes on a coaster.

We also stopped in at Ashley's, a bar with a ridiculous number of beers on tap and in bottles, not to mention a varied whiskey selection. This is a must-stop place for a beer lover. 

They gave us a pretty serious beer guide that started with info on various types of beers, and then page after page of available beers. 

I only ordered one beer there: Bourbon Barrel Wizard, from Short's in Bellaire, MI (no picture, so seasonal that they only show up in bars and maybe on site). This beer....where do I even start? It's like Kentucky Bourbon Ale, in that it's aged in bourbon barrels, but it's darker than that beer. The bourbon flavor is a lot stronger, too. Since it's such a strong beer (11% ABV), I just had the one. And I loved it. While we were there it made me think of that quote we learned in undergrad music history. I don't remember it exactly, but at some point, Schubert said something to the effect of, "But who can do anything after Beethoven?" That's how I would describe this beer. How could anything be as good as that? 

(It may have been the beer that made me led me to make such a comparison)

We also happened by a liquor store that sold these mini-Rogues. I didn't buy them, but look how cute! The Dogfish Heads next to them are regular sized beer bottles, just for scale. The Rogues would be like bombers for American Girl dolls.

Next stop: Jolly Pumpkin, where we ordered both the flight of 9 beers and a plate of cheese, olives, veggies, bread, etc. Perfect for that point in the day.

After visiting this brewery twice, my feeling is that the beer is somewhat inconsistent. Some of the beers I think are outstanding, but a lot of them are kind of meh. It's not about the sourness - the sour beers are generally my favorites there. I just don't think I'd go out of my way to buy them. The food, on the other hand, is amazing. I really want to stop in Ann Arbor sometime and eat dinner there on our way back from IN. Everything on their menu looks delicious and they have several vegetarian options.

More coaster notes.

In fact, I wish we'd eaten dinner at Jolly Pumpkin instead of at Sava (not to be confused with Seva). Sava was good but not great. The food was pretty good, and the restaurant had gorgeous decorations, but John felt his food didn't taste particularly fresh. Of course, it didn't help that I was pretty tired from walking around all day and drinking beer. 

Before hitting the road on Saturday, we worked out in the hotel gym and then went to Cafe Zola for brunch. Both John and I had savory crepes, a spinach and a mushroom crepe respectively. Their menu is pretty huge, with many things that caught my attention. That's fresh squeezed OJ to the right of my plate, and a basket of homemade breads just above it, with almond-hazelnut and herb butter. I would definitely make a point of going back to Cafe Zola.

After brunch we hit the road for Indiana where we're spending Christmas with my family. They have more snow than London, where we have none!  

Side note: I counted the walking around as a WALK IT OUT work out, and my run as a FIRST TIME, as it was my first run in Ann Arbor. That meant I got another GYMGO, my sixth! Only one more day of Gym Christmas 2012.

Conference Bingo

Just as we arrived at our hotel in New Orleans a couple of weeks ago, a (nameless) graduate student I know handed each of us a copy of the "AMS/SEM/SMT NEW ORLEANS 2012 BINGO" card. At the bottom it reads, "Remember to shout 'BINGO!' when you complete a row or column. The louder, the better, especially if you are in a business meeting or plenary session. There are no prizes to be won, and the creator takes no responsibility for any personal or professional consequences of shouting 'BINGO!' in the middle of a session."

Y'all, I came so close to getting Bingo. So close. 

Things I got: 

• "My question is more of a comment..."
• Conference attendee circling book exhibit with no purpose (I did this myself before seeing it on the card). 
• Any discussion of the US presidential election (the conference ended on Nov. 4th, so this happened over and over and over). 
• Speaker gets drowned out by musical example playing from adjoining room. 
• Anyone with a flight departing Sunday before 7AM. 
• Audience member on Facebook or Twitter during a session.
• Senior scholar overly drunk at a reception. 
• Conference attendee still wearing name badge while out on Bourbon Street. 
• Standing room only at a senior scholar's paper (saw this when Thomas Christensen spoke, but I like to think they were mostly there to see my friend Anna who was on the same panel). 
• Technical difficulties with PowerPoint or musical example. 

Things I was missing: 

• Theorists criticizing presenter's Schenker graph. 
• "Seeing as I'm running out of time..."
• Junior faculty gets mistaken for graduate student (this did happen to a friend of mine, but not while I was around). 
• Any reference to "musicking."
• Any reference to "the performing body."
• Conference attending completely overdressed for New Orleans weather (I was especially surprised that I did not see this). 
• Senior scholar criticizing the New Musicology. 
• Three or more office ribbons on a name badge (John and I debated whether this is even possible, I say no - at most, anyone could have two. But I didn't see anyone with two, so it's blank either way). 
• Grad student gets burned by senior scholar during question period (I have seen this before, and it's pretty demoralizing, again not naming names. But I was grateful not to see it happen again). 
• Any reference to an on-going debate on [society listserves] AMS-L, SEM-L or SMT-talk.
• Audience member hijacks question period to talk about his/her own project (I saw someone hijack a Q&A to talk about the work of one of their dept. colleagues, but I was trying to ruthlessly adhere to the game, so I didn't count this. Otherwise it would have given me a BINGO!). 
• Presenter clearly does not understand the theory she/he is citing. 
• "That's beyond the scope of this project."

More than once, a graduate student or faculty member would see this Bingo card in my lap as I took real notes during a session, muffled their laughter, and asked me where they could get one of their own.  I won't name names, but one of my professors thinks it came from some fairly recent Harvard musicology grads. We may never know. 

I also never saw anyone get a BINGO. But maybe next year, in Charlotte, NC...

Fort4Fitness Half Marathon

It's been a full two weeks since John, Kira and I ran the Fort4Fitness Half Marathon, in Fort Wayne, IN, where I grew up. This was the first half marathon John and I have ever done, but it was only the most recent of several that Kira has completed. She came up to hang out and run with us, and to help pace me. 

The race started near and ended in the Tin Caps stadium in downtown Fort Wayne, and we all agreed that everything about the set up was extremely convenient. The Marriott that's part of the downtown baseball complex offered a special rate for the night before the race, so we stayed there and didn't have to worry about parking. Staying just minutes away from the starting line bought us a little more sleep, and then we could practically see our hotel room window from the finish line.

(Side note: John and I finally replaced our ancient laptops with new ones, and my mom brought them up from Bloomington. Here's John in the hotel, embracing his new favorite toy.)

The race itself was pretty well organized and fun to do. I'd never raced this distance before, and I think I really learned a lot in the training process. Running a couple of 12 and 13 mile long runs really made me feel confident on race day - I knew I would be able to finish, though maybe not too fast. 

That morning, John and lined up nearer to the front of the corrals, while Kira and I were somewhere about 2/3 in. We didn't see John again until we were entering the stadium to finish, but Kira got text updates on her phone that told us when John was finished: 1 hour, 43 minutes. So fast! He said that he was with the 8 minute-per-mile pace group for most of the race. At one point, the pacer asked how many people had run Fort4Fitness before, and John exclaimed, "This is my first half marathon ever!" and impressed his 8-minute pace-mates. 

Kira and I gradually increased our speed during the course of the race. Afterward, her Garmin told us that we'd run the first 5 miles in about 10:38 per mile, then the next 5 at 10:35, and the final 5K at 10:14. I told Kira ahead of time that I expected to actually run about 11 minute miles - slower than I would want to, but it's what I felt was realistic. Kira was pretty mellow for the first 6, maybe even 7 or 8 miles, and I felt ok with the sub-11 pace. Even my foot cooperated and didn't hurt, so I knew I could handle the pace. But then, really surprising no one, Kira started to push the pace, and she ran a lot of the last few miles a few feet ahead of me, smiling backward in a way that said, "You can do it! You'll thank me later!" I knew she was right, even though she didn't say that she was pushing me. Around mile 10 or so, I think I said to her, "Listen. I'm on to you. I know what you're doing." I didn't know if I could really run any faster, but I just tried to keep up with her, and that seemed to work. I was tired and kind of sore by that point, but I was hanging in there. Fortunately (I think?), my foot seems to do better when I run at least 10:30 or faster, so the pace was probably helping me out, even if it felt a little fast. 

At the lowest point in my attitude, I said, "I'm going to beat you." [man next to us laughs.] "Not, like, at the finish line. I mean I'm going to beat you. Literally. With my fists." 

Kira ran slightly ahead of me. I think I was trying to be funny, but by mile 10, that's the best I could do. 

Having said all that, I think I was mentally pretty stable during this race. I didn't ever think it was a mistake or of dropping out. I didn't even get bored, since the crowd support was pretty good, and bigger than at other, smaller races I've done.

And while I started to threaten Kira for making me run fast, the paster pace meant everything went by really quickly. It also helped that I've done all my running pretty much alone. Thirteen miles solo is mentally much more draining than running with my BFF, who could tell me stories about her new church job, and whatever else we talked about.

It was also fun to run through Fort Wayne, especially since I used to spend a lot of time in the South end while I was in school, but I haven't been there much in recent years. I told Kira to prepare for me giving her a nostalgic tour of Fort Wayne, and it started when we ran past South Side High School, where my elementary and middle school concerts used to be, and where I spent a lot of hours swimming in the Natatorium. We also ran through Foster Park, where my dad would walk during my oboe lessons, and we almost ran past my oboe teacher's house.  

When we entered the stadium, we were basically at the 13 mile marker, and I wanted to just run like crazy for the last .1 mile, so I said to Kira, "Girl, we need to BOUNCE!" and we ran hard toward the finish line - holding hands like the lesbians people accused us of being in high school. 

I'm so glad Kira was there for this race. And damn, that girl makes it look so easy! 

I would definitely do another half marathon, but one thing I learned during this training cycle is how much time I really need to devote to it. Next term, I'm teaching more and trying to write my dissertation, and I don't think I can squeeze a half marathon into that (not to mention, I'd be doing a lot of icy miles). I think the 2013 Fort4Fitness might actually be the next half I'd do, just because training for it over the summer is so convenient. 

Next up: John and I are running the Halloween Haunting 5K and 10K respectively. I'm not going to worry about getting a new 10K PR. If it's a good day and it happens, then it will happen. I have, however, carefully put together a costume, so at least I'll be festive this year. I've been taking my 10K time too seriously, and I think that's part of why I haven't gone below 60 minutes. But this time I'll be carrying a prop, and it's hard to take things too seriously when running in a costume. No hints, I'll just post a picture after the race. 

It's odd, now that the half is over, to only do a 7 or 8 mile long run, but it's also been nice to drop down in mileage after running so much. I'll write more about that after the 10K. 

So thanks, Kira, for running with me! I think the three of us had a pretty good weekend and a very successful race. 

Jess and Alex's Wedding

Two weeks or so ago, our good friends Jessica (aka my favorite hippie) and Alex got married in Toronto. John, Matthew, and I made the trip for what turned out to be a fantastic weekend. 

Some highlights: 

Between the ceremony and the reception, we stopped at a bar with some other wedding guests for a drink, and John found this giant Muskoka Brewery chair outside. 

The bride and groom met out in British Columbia, where they were tree planting during the summer, several years ago. A lot of their decor reflected their love of the environment and the landscape out in BC. I jokingly asked the groom how many trees were cut down to make this entrance hall display, and he told me they were already dead. 

Here's me and my favorite hippie on her wedding day: 

The tablecloths were made from burlap, and each place setting was decorated with a few small pinecones. For favors, each place setting received a little sapling, to be planted at home.

Their wedding was at the Baptist church where the bride's father is a pastor, and the reception was at the University of Toronto, in Wycliffe College. It was so beautiful in there! We had dinner in a hall that looked like a library, attached to what may have been a chapel at one point. It was a gorgeous venue with lots of stained glass, and ample room for dancing after dinner (which was amazing! So much great vegetarian food!).

The groom's family comes from Austria, and after dinner, his dad led everyone in some traditional Austrian songs for occasions like weddings.

They had an amazing band that was at once, incredible, but also difficult for me to know how to dance to. Instead, we mostly sat and talked with one our favorite professors who was in attendance.

This painting is part of why I think the room used to be a chapel. We tried for a while to come up with captions for the scene in the painting (Easter morning and the empty tomb, in case you were wondering). The winner was definitely Matthew's partner, Anders, who said, "Whose got two wings and is totally drunk? THIS GUY!"

We stayed at the wedding until late, and then went to the after party. The next day, I didn't have the energy to do much, and the touristy run that John and I tentatively planned went right out the window. Instead, we went with Matthew and our friend Emily, who was hosting us, to a place called Snakes and Lattes. It's a cafe where you pay $5 to get in for the day, and then you can play unlimited boardgames. We started off with Nutella lattes and a game called Cards Against Humanity, which is sort of the R-rated version of Apples to Apples. 

After an hour or so, we moved on to Betrayal at the House on the Hill. This game involves exploring a haunted house by rolling die, until a certain moment when "The Haunting" begins. At that point, one of the players betrays the rest and you have to act as a group in order to defeat him or her. It was obvious that you could play this game a hundred times and end up with a different scenario. After Matthew described it to us, John immediately announced that he wanted it for Christmas.

I'm normally not a huge board game/rpg player, but I really enjoyed Snakes and Lattes, and both of these games, very much. John LOVES playing games like this, and he was sort of overwhelmed with excitement when we walked in; the place is stocked with every kind of game you can think of, and the staff is incredibly knowledgeable, so they can help you select something to suit your mood. It was a great way to spend Sunday afternoon before driving home.

All in all, we had a great weekend, and we're so grateful to be included in Jess and Alex's wedding day!

Summer Running Recap

 Running post! Those of you who don't care about running can check out now. See you next week.

This summer my primary running goal was to train effectively for the Fort 4 Fitness Half Marathon. It's in Fort Wayne on September 29. When I say "train effectively," I had a couple of particular things in mind:

• learn how to consume calories both before and during running. 

In the past I've had GI problems and heartburn from eating as little as a banana within 2 hours of running. But I knew that had to change in order to train for and run the Half. Thankfully, I've more than accomplished this goal. At first, I would just eat a few bites of banana before running. Then I started wearing my fuel belt, even on relatively shorter runs, to get used to drinking water with a small amount of the low-calorie (G2) Gatorade mixed in. For each weekly long run, I increased the amount of Gatorade, and now I can safely consume two 10-oz hip flasks of it during my long runs - no heartburn or fear of it coming back up. SUCCESS.

I've also tried putting half an electrolyte tablet (Nuun) in each hip flask, after the Gatorade runs out.

I'm a bit on the fence about this product. One the one hand, they are small and easy to carry in the storage pouch of my fuel belt. They're easy to use and I think they do help me feel better.
But damn, they taste like chalk. Chalk with a hint of lime. The low sugar content is good for my sensitive stomach, but I don't really enjoy the chalky taste.

As for pre-run eating, I can eat as much as a whole banana  + a "mini-thintini" with a scant spread of peanut butter on each half. The first time I did this, it not only stayed down easily, but I felt SO MUCH BETTER! Wow! Calories make a HUGE difference when running for 2.5 hours. I was shocked, but in hindsight, not eating enough in advance kind of explains why some of my long runs were such a struggle.

(This is a mini-thintini, in case you weren't sure.)

My second big goal: 

• learn how to run really far without having a mental or physical breakdown. 

This has also gone about as well as it could have. I spent some time in physiotherapy (that's physical therapy to you Yankees) to help my right foot. It has some kind of tendonitis, and I've done a ton of exercises to help strengthen that entire side of my body, since it's not just a foot problem. Apparently I have a weak right hip and butt, but the exercises are helping a lot. I've also made some form adjustments that added a lot of mental frustration to the whole process. Just, you know, re-learn how to run. No big deal. It actually has made a big difference, but it's a lengthy process.
I was concerned with the mental challenge of running for that long, since I take breaks during my long runs, and it sometimes feels like it takes forever to get through them. I don't listen to music when I run (too afraid of being snuck up on), so it's just me providing myself with company and entertainment. Running several comparable distances to the Half, including now two 13 mile runs, has really helped. Next week is my last long run before the taper (!), and by then I will have run three 10 milers, three 12 milers, and two 13 milers (I like to call these the Tour of London runs, because I run all over the city). I feel like I know at least somewhat how I'll feel at the 12th mile. And I can only hope that I'll feel better in the race environment, especially since Kira (aka, Mama K) will be with me!
Since I've made it this far into the training cycle without (additional) injury or a lot of crying, I'm going to call this goal mostly achieved. I still have a few weeks to go!
After that, I have a couple of fall races at shorter distances on the agenda. Fall is the best for running.


A couple of other random things that came into my life this week:

Omg y'all, the masala hummus (store brand, no less) is so good. It would probably be very simple to make, if you have all the right spices on hand. I have high hopes for the spicy hummus.

Also, a delightful collection of seasonal gourds.

Happy Fall!

Avocado Zucchini Pasta and Blueberry Muffins

Ah, the end of the summer.

I know in the last post I went on about how summer was over, but this time I really mean it.

(Note: this is not our dog. This is a random beach dog.)

Summer is really ending. John and I went to Lake Huron for Labor Day, and everything. We decided to go to Ipperwash Beach, the site of a WWII army base that now features a dog friendly beach with free parking! Everywhere on Lake Huron takes about the same amount of time to get to, and the beach itself was lovely, so we will definitely return.

John and I completely forgot to bring our beach chairs or umbrella, so we sat in the shade beneath some beach vegetation until the sun moved too far to the west. It was still a relaxing and beautiful afternoon. I love Lake Huron. 

Tonight, John and I had what I'd like to call the Last Summer Dinner of the Year. We made two summery recipes that came up on my feed reader this week.
First: Julienned Zucchini Pasta with Avocado Sauce, from Oh She Glows.

(Also featured: random counter items, including the Centennial IPA from Founders that John and I shared while preparing dinner, in a new-to-us Apricot Brandy glass from Talize, part of a mixed group of glasses I bought for a grand total of $2.) 

Angela, who writes Oh She Glows, posted that she bought a julienne peeler. It's like a regular peeler, but with teeth. It easily juliennes things like squash, cucumbers, and carrots. You could use it for salad toppings, but, like Angela, I saw it and thought of veggie "pasta." A spiralizer would do the same thing, but the peeler is much cheaper ($7 for the peeler, vs. $25 for the spiralizer). I took her suggestion and made the easy avocado pasta sauce (avocado + basil + oil + garlic in the food processor) for this raw zucchini pasta, and it was a total success. We each ate an entire zucchini for dinner, along with half an avocado each. Lots of raw vegetables in this meal! 

 I think you could easily heat this very briefly in a pan and top it with basically any pasta sauce. It's perfect for the end of the summer when zucchini is still plentiful.

Since our pasta was really squash, we decided to have "pasta" with a side of carbs, in the form of these Blueberry Corn Muffins from Daily Garnish. These muffins only have a 1/4 cup of sugar and not much oil. Instead, they get moisture and sweetness from the blueberries and corn. I ate three and could have kept going, if it weren't for all that common sense I have.


Now that it's September and there are only a few hours of Labor left, I really am excited for fall! One more post about summer running, once I get around to writing it. After that, I'll start blogging about pumpkin scones, or the 100 sweet potatoes I plan on eating this month, or how cheap acorn squash is. You know, whatever's par for September.