One of jill's kids turned six today. The party favors include nerf nunchucks.

Tuesday night's restaurant: El Vez. Yummy, but loud. The table we were seated at sucked - squeezed between a photobooth and the stairs down to the restrooms, so we asked to move. The place was loud. Service was very good. It felt like what Cantina Loco wants to be. Great decor:



After a Cezar Chavez guac appetizer, A got shrimp tacos which he said were really good:



And I got black bean enchiladas. I also got a Stegmaier IPA which had the malty-coffee edge of a black IPA.




After the exam on Wednesday, I wanted to celebrate a least a little. I asked Meredith for some mapping/exploring help and she suggested the Manayunk Brewery & Restaurant. Manayunk is a funky cool neighborhood that I had visited back in probably 1994 with my ex's mom & stepdad. It's gotten a bit gentrified since then - it has a Pottery Barn.







We shared the sampler of eight beers. I was surprised I liked their Black Eye PA - much less of the malty-toasted flavor than other black IPAs. The Dreamin' IPA was my favorite, of course, a crisp double IPA 8.5%, 85 IBUs.



(remember, you can click to enlarge and read the text) A liked the Schuylkill Punch, a raspberry lager.



A's amazingly sculptural sashimi plate (very unusual for a brewpub to have a full sushi bar, but there it was!)


Wheat & malt


Dessert - Jewish apple cake and ice cream.


Then we had the four-hour drive home.

Thank goodness it's over. I'll know mid-April if I passed. I'm taking today off (except accepting phone calls from (e:Terry)), lazing around, enjoying some quiet.

My beloved mountains! I wish I had my real camerawith me to show the amazing moon & planet conjunction. So many stars!

Traveled to philly tonight, currently at Triumph Brewing Company on Chestnut enjoying a Bengal Gold IPA and listening to a jazz band. A got a Love Potion, too sweet for me. We ordered an insane amount food because A was worried the portions would be tiny. Ooops.

I got to the office today and stressed to jill and kelly who completely took over and organized my day. Thank you! So now I'm studying, cuddling with nisha, and listening to shane, jill, kelly and the roosters.

Kelly got her nails done with super cute pandas.

I got no studying done today between preparing to leave buffalo for a week, driving, and catching up with A's family (taxes, computers that need attention, dinner, planning a family reunion, congratulations). But I am getting high quality puppy snuggles; A's coonhound is behind me and Nisha is being my teddy bear. It was hard to leave today because I'm so worried that I've forgotten something essential to taking the exam. I'm more nervous about the trip than the exam on some levels... My truck is generally unhappy, hotels make me anxious, I don't sleep well any where but my own bed, I don't know philly well, just too many things to manage.

Okay, gonna do practice questions. And hopefully sleep.