Gelato Fest 2011

Okay, maybe there wasn't a real "Gelato Fest" going on in Boston (not that I know of, at least), but Talenti gelato was on sale at the local store last week. So being the frugal yet avid ice cream aficionado that I am, I bought a pint a day for 7 consecutive days. Too bad the store only sells 7 flavors of the stuff, otherwise it would have been closer to two a day. I'm pretty sure the lab had this arranged on purpose so I wouldn't arrive to lunch with more than one pint of gelato every day. (For some reason it makes people cranky to see you eating top quality frozen desserts every day, but gelato seems to be a pretty good way to relax when there are lots of experiments being conducted at the lab.)

Talenti Black Cherry

There were actual bits of cherry in the gelato!

Ben & Jerry's Fair Goodness Cake got into the mix somehow, but it was still very good.

Talenti Caramel Cookie Crunch

The crunchy cookie and smooth caramel flavors worked well together.

Talenti Mediterranean Mint

Talenti Double Dark Chocolate

It was like chocolate chip ice cream, but better since it had a dark chocolate base.

Talenti Belgian Milk Chocolate

Talenti Sea Salt Caramel

The sea salt caramel was actually inside the pieces of chocolate. Win!

Talenti Tahitian Vanilla Bean

In other news, the doctor cleared me to resume training, so I broke out a new pair of running shoes that has been patiently awaiting the summer training season. Running will be the primary method for maintaining form this summer since the road bike stayed back in New Orleans. It's truly amazing how quickly the human body can repair itself once a surgeon takes a scalpel to it and throws some stitches in for moral support. After a 2.20-mile litmus test of a run on Tuesday, I decided to venture out on a longer run to test some limits. Fortunately, a colleague was nice enough to escort me on a 5.83-miler through the nicer parts of Boston and Cambridge. Felt like a million bucks afterwards, so I did it again today. The city is absolutely gorgeous at sunset, and I couldn't think of a better city in which to resume training. Last week's Bruins win is just the icing on the cake.

Oh, and I found Frankenberry cereal on sale at a random store in the suburbs today. Yeah, I can go to bed happy.

Frankenberry cereal is pretty good, even in the off-season.

Yup, that's a massive bowl, and it's filled with strawberry goodness.

Until next time, folks.

Final Stages of Post-Surgery Recovery

So it's been a while since I've updated this thing, and I've learned a few important lessons during that time span. First and foremost, listen to your doctor when he/she tells you not to exercise after surgery. I hit the treadmill last week to get some light walking (at an incline of course), and the end result was a very painful incision area. Secondly, keep extra gauze pads if you ever get surgery. It'll pay off when you have a silly lapse in judgement like I did.

Couch surfing after surgery was great, and I made sure to enjoy some home cooking and free ice cream before moving into a dorm for the summer. After living in the dorm for a week, I've decided that home cooked meals are vastly superior to store bought meals.

Shepherd's pie (homemade is so much better than store bought)

This is the best Edy's flavor I've tried to date.

There are actual bits of brownie in the ice cream!

A colleague of mine brought some candy over from Puerto Rico, and it's quite delicious. (It's on lockdown, and I am very hesitant to share this awesome stuff.) Also, my mother left me with some good Brazilian cookies to munch on post-surgery, so they've been a staple for quite a while.

Puerto Rican candies!

These are pretty good for what they are.

Today, after a long day at the lab, I bought some Ben & Jerry's Oatmeal Cookie Crunch. Best part of the day, hands down. I had read mixed reviews about the particular flavor, but this one knocked the ball right out of the park. It was so rich that it felt like I was eating a bunch of oatmeal cookies with some ice cream mixed in. Win!

Ben & Jerry's Oatmeal Cookie Chunk

Close-up of the cookie-infused ice cream

The doctor should be clearing me for some light exercise by next week, so let's hope for the best. Running in Boston should be pretty fun, especially since it's getting dark later at night. In the meantime, I'll be running experiments in the lab.